Month: May 2015

They Both Have a HOT HEAD–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for a book voted one of the Top 100 romance reads on Amazon: Damon Suede’s HOT HEAD. And, coincidentally, it’s on SALE for $1. Yep. I ponied up my buck for this delicious M/M firefighter romance. A small caveat, the book was published in 2011–which was the ten year mark following the Sept 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC. The plot reflects living through this horrific experience and the ten year gap.

Hot Head (Head, #1)About the book:

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…”

Since 9/11, Brooklyn firefighter Griff Muir has wrestled with impossible feelings for his best friend and partner at Ladder 181, Dante Anastagio. Unfortunately, Dante is strictly a ladies’ man, and the FDNY isn’t exactly gay-friendly. For ten years, Griff has hidden his heart in a half-life of public heroics and private anguish.

Griff’s caution and Dante’s cockiness make them an unbeatable team. To protect his buddy, there’s nothing Griff wouldn’t do… until a nearly bankrupt Dante proposes the worst possible solution: HotHead.com, a gay porn website where uniformed hunks get down and dirty. And Dante wants them to appear there-“together.”

Griff may have to guard his heart and live out his darkest fantasies on camera. Can he rescue the man he loves without wrecking their careers, their families, or their friendship?

My Review:

This book is a head rush! Grif is a lonely man. His mother died when he was a child, and his father, a Fire Inspector, is not a demonstrative man. Grif essentially raised himself, and in high school got sucked into the large and lively Anastagio family. They became his surrogate parents and siblings, with Dante his best friend since fire school. He was married shortly before the attacks on 9/11, but his grief and PTSD from being a first responder rendered him moody and uninterested and his wife left him.

Since then, Grif has been a shadow brought to life with the Anastagio’s, Dante in particular. For years now, he and Dante have caroused, “satisfying” NYC’s plethora of willing women wishing for the thrill of bedding FDNY hunks. Dante is a vibrant love-’em-and-leave-’em guy–with the face and bod of an Italian god. He’s generous to a fault, always opting to help a friend in need, and rehabbing a run-down brownstone that’s way too expensive for his three job income.

Grif’s hunger for Dante develops over years, but at this point in the story it is enormous–so much so that, when Grif learns Dante’s plan to do a bit of solo porn for cash, well, Grif’s about to explode–with lust. He thinks finding another man, on the SUPER down-low, will help him get over the lust for Dante. (He’s super guilty about this attraction, BTW, constantly thinking: How messed up is he that he lusts for his pseudo-brother, right?)

The hard truth Grif must face is that he LOVES Dante, and that is in the biblical sense. Dante’s money troubles are so great that one “shoot” isn’t enough–and he begs Grif to “help him out” on camera. Grif cannot say no. What remains is a love story that captivated me. The sexytimes are so hot. The firemen are so hot. There are gorgeous subplots, and jealous lovers. Coming out in the FDNY is a dangerous prospect, but so is loving your best friend, as Grif learns. I almost died in the big fire scene–and so did one of the characters!

The language of this book is bold, brash and in-your-face. Grif pulls no punches about FDNY, 9/11, fire bunnies, Dante, and even his emotionally distant father. He also has some of the funniest in-head swearing I’ve ever read. And about 800 euphemisms for male self-pleasure. I adored all of them! Even if Grif wasn’t a 6’3″ Scots-American who wears his kilt while bouncing the door at his local watering hole, I’d have loved him to pieces. The fact that I have THAT visual only makes me love him more…

It’s no doubt that I’ll be recommending this book for long time. It is all the best of romantic fiction, with great leads I cheered for the entire book. Definitely a Top 100 pick!

Interested? You can find HOT HEAD FOR $1 RIGHT NOW on Goodreads, Amazon, Dreamspinner Press and Barnes & Noble (<–Not on sale!).

Damon SuedeAbout the Author:

Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. He has lived all over and along the way, he’s earned his crust as a model, a messenger, a promoter, a programmer, a sculptor, a singer, a stripper, a bookkeeper, a bartender, a techie, a teacher, a director… but writing has ever been his bread and butter. He has been happily partnered for over a decade with the most loving, handsome, shrewd, hilarious, noble man to walk this planet.

Though new to gay romance, Damon is an award-winning author who has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades, which is both more and less glamorous than you might imagine. He’s won some awards, but he counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year.

Damon is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and the Rainbow Romance Writers. He would love to hear from you… you can get in touch with him here: Email,  DamonSuede.com, Facebook, Twitter, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, and The Romance Reviews.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Finding Love THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN–A Review and FREE BOOK!

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a New Adult romance from Sarina Bowen. I absolutely loved THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR, which is book 3 of the The Ivy Years series, so I jumped at the chance to pick up book 1, THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN, when it was on sale. The series follows hockey players on the Harkness College team, so it’s totally appropriate for Stanley Cup season… 😉

The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years, #1)About the book:
The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else.
What now?

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.

Also, he’s taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.

They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.

My Review:
Corey Callahan is a freshman like no other on the campus of Harkness College. She’s recently disabled due to a hockey injury which has left her with little feeling below the knees. She is in a wheelchair most of the time, but is gaining strength with braces and crutches. She has significant difficulty navigating many areas of her historic campus. Still, she wanted out her home where her parents can’t stop hovering, and is overjoyed that her roommate, Dana, is cool. And, it doesn’t hurt that the most delicious man on campus, hockey star Adam Hartley, is just across the hall.

Hartley, as everyone calls him, is an all-around decent guy with one giant problem–his leg cast. He busted up his leg falling off a rock-climbing wall–while drunk. He’s mentally furious, and physically challenged, but he and Corey make friends quickly–and, despite all Corey’s fervent wishing, they will remain friends. Hartley has a super-wealthy, super model-esque, girlfriend, Stacia, who is soon to depart for a study abroad quarter in Europe. No way Hart-throb will toss the girl for a gimp, right?

Okay, I’m just in awe of this book. There are so many great things to say, like, I really loved Corey. She wasn’t perfectly positive, but she was absolutely determined to make it in college. She struggled, as I think many wheelchair-bound people do, with the way she was treated. As if she was fragile, or simple-minded, or couldn’t make decisions for her own self. She was, in her own way, extremely capable. She planned, and researched, every trip she needed to make. She was shy, at first, but really struck out on her own a lot. Plus, while this is fiction, I know that many colleges struggle with being ADA-compliant. Even if they are, to some degree compliant, there are parts of a campus that can’t be accessed by wheelchairs, and yet, Corey broke through those boundaries time and again–she shattered her own emotional boundaries alongside.

Yes, she adores Hartley. Who wouldn’t? He’s funny and kind and loyal, and his precious Stacia is…not. She’s an ice princess, off enjoying all that Europe has to offer, including the men. It baffles Corey how Hartley can tolerate it, especially as stoically as he does. He isn’t naive, he’s just got different priorities–growing up the poor, unknown, bastard child of a trust-fund brat will do that to you, I suppose. He’s a bit starry eyed over Stacia’s immense wealth.

Things evolve between Corey and Hartley in the space of a semester. Their comfortable friendship becomes more fraught. This is only complicated by Stacia’s return just before term’s end.

I’m not gonna lie, this was a thinking book. I had a lot of information about disability–and ability –to absorb, and yet, it was easy. Though Corey complains that she’s a whiner, I didn’t feel that way about her when reading her POV. Her desire to be seen as a person of value, and a whole person–not just a wheelchair-bond “problem”–was endearing. As Hartley soon learned, Corey, who was honest and real, was so much easier to love than his airbrushed, waxed/dyed, high maintenance Stacia. But not only was it easy to love Corey, it was easy to respect her, to treasure her, to have real and meaningful conversations with her.

The end of this book left me wanting to know more about Corey and Hartley, which is always a great indicator for me. It’s the first book in a series, but each book is about a different hockey player at Harkness, so we only get snippets of the other books’ characters going forward.

Interested? You can find THE YEAR WE FELL DOWN on Goodreads, AND IT’S CURRENTLY FREE on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

About the author:

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont. She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college.

Waiting for more Ivy Years? You can read more about upcoming volumes in the four book series at http://www.sarinabowen.com/theivyyears

Also, the Gravity series.

Sarina enjoys skiing, espresso drinks and the occasional margarita. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

To be kept abreast of new releases, please feel free to sign up for the mailing list at http://www.sarinabowen.com/contact.

Or visit the her Facebook page, or tweet her @sarinabowen.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Traveling Through THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for Jordan Castillo Price’s near-future Sci Fi M/M romance, THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, first book in the Mnevermind series. It’s a very compelling read for people who enjoy intellectual Sci Fi or virtual reality experiences–with just a dash of romance.

The Persistence of Memory (Mnevermind, #1)About the book:
Every day, Daniel Schroeder breaks his father’s heart.

While forgetting your problems won’t solve them, it does seem like it would make life a heck of a lot easier. Daniel thought so once. Now he knows better. He and Big Dan have always been close, which makes it all the more difficult to break the daily news: the last five years were nothing like his father remembers.

They’re both professionals in the memory field—they even run their own memory palace. So shouldn’t they be able to figure out a way to overwrite the persistent false memory that’s wreaking havoc on both of their lives? Daniel thought he was holding it together, but the situation seems to be sliding out of control. Now even his own equipment has turned against him, reminding him he hasn’t had a date in ages by taunting him with flashes of an elusive man in black that only he can see.

Is it some quirk of the circuitry, or is Daniel headed down the same path to fantasy-land as his old man?

My Review:
4.5 stars for this is SciFi M/M romance set in our world with a new technology, mnemography. Mneming (read: MEEM-ing) is the process of having a virtual reality experience, only a bit better. A mnem is a temporary memory implanted in a person’s brain.

Daniel Schneider, and his dad, Big Dan, own Adventureworks, a small mnemography studio in Madison WI. Daniel runs the show now, after Big Dan suffered a persistent mnem (replaced memory) testing out a program that Daniel had authored. Now, Big Dan can’t remember that he’s been divorced for five years and Daniel lives in shame over what happened to his dad. His confidence in mnem-coding is shattered and his business is failing. He works a second job for a competitor mnem studio to make ends meet, where he is friends with Larry.

Daniel is gay, and while guiding a client’s mnem, he meets another man in the mnem. This has never happened before–the guides (called sherpas) aren’t really a part of the program, they exist outside of it, but there is no doubt that the tall, pale man who recurs in another client’s mnem is real.

Okay, there’s some doubt. Daniel is constantly convinced he’s hallucinating, or worse–mneming–his stranger into existence. Larry is able to convince Daniel that the mysterious Elijah is real however. And they track down Elijah–to find he’s straight and autistic, but brilliant at mnem. His invention allows him to slip into running mnem programs as far as 100 miles away. While this is stunning to Daniel, he’s even more fascinated by Elijah. Daniel has never been one to fall for a straight guy, but there’s something curious about Elijah–and it seems likely that Elijah hasn’t had much experience with sex, at all, not just with male partners. They struggle to connect, on account of Elijah’s autism, but the manage to work it out…a bit.

I must say, I was thrilled by the world-building and character-development here. The world is much like ours, so it was easy to visualize, but the tech aspect was well-done. I really had the sense of the mnem a–to me they seem like VR. Big Dan was such a touching, tragic figure, perpetually defending his (estranged and ex-) wife’s absence, and urging Daniel to mend fences–only to be continually confronted with copies of his divorce papers. Tired, defeated Daniel struggling to keep his business running while scared he’ll mess up even more, facing his delusional father everyday and knowing his program upset the balance, he makes such a compelling character. Elijah and Larry are two scene stealers. Loved them. My only complaint is: more. I wanted MORE pages. I loved where this was going and didn’t want it to end.

As for the heat, there really isn’t much, but what there is, is deeply emotionally satisfying, IMHO. I want them to get together, for real. For keeps. They seem like a match intellectually, as well as physically. I received this book via Goodreads’ Don’t Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review. I have the sequel loaded up on my iPad and can’t wait to work it into my reading schedule.

Interested? You can find THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance.

About the Author:
Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price is the owner of JCP Books LLC. Her paranormal thrillers are colored by her time in the midwest, from inner city Chicago, to small town Wisconsin, to liberal Madison.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who’s plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her new series, Mnevermind, where memories are made…one client at a time.

With her education in fine arts and practical experience as a graphic designer, Jordan set out to create high quality ebooks with lavish cover art, quality editing and gripping content. The result is JCP Books, offering stories you’ll want to read again and again.

You can find Jordan online on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Getting FORKED Is A Pleasure–A Review

Hi there! Today, I’m sharing a review for FORKED, a contemporary erotic romance from Melanie Harlow. I really enjoyed FRENCHED, the first book in this series. This installment is all about Coco and her estranged ex-husband/former college boyfriend, Nick. Their relationship has always been rocky, but now it’s heating up…

Forked (Frenched, #2)About the Book:
Twenty-eight year old Coco Thomas knows the recipe for disaster:

1) Agree to plan last-minute engagement blowout for spoiled Mafia princess before you realize her choice of caterer is Nick Lupo, a despicably gorgeous young chef with a hot new restaurant in town, a reality TV show victory, and a romantic past with you—one that did not end well.

2) Strike a deal with Nick in which you agree to spend a weekend with him in exchange for his services, under the strict conditions there will be no talking about the past, no second chances, and definitely no sex.

3) Violate all three conditions within 24 hours and spend two glorious days remembering what made you fall for the sexy, egotistical bastard in the first place, and why it hurt so much when he broke your heart.

Add one road trip, plenty of good scotch, and endless spoonfuls of chocolate cake batter drizzled over your body and licked off inch by oh-my-God-yes-right-there inch, then just admit it.

You’re totally FORKED.

My Review:
This is a solid breeze read, with a bit of angst and smoking hot sexytimes.

Coco and Nick fell in love back in college. They struggled in their relationship, mostly because Nick had a loose definition of the word honesty But they continued to reconnect. Except the last time when they jetted off to Vegas, had a quickie wedding and Coco woke to find Nick’s ring and a note on her nightstand in the honeymoon suite. Coco was devastated and her parents arranged an annulment. That was seven years ago and Coco still has a crushed spirit regarding Nick, who is a celebrity chef with a renown restaurant not far from where Coco lives in downtown Detroit.

Now, Coco is working with her BFF Mia at their events planning business and her demanding client is adamant that Coco get Nick to help cater her engagement party. Caught between her broken heart and the commission she needs for a down payment on her dream house, Coco bites the bullet and contacts Nick. He’s as suave as she remembers, unfortunately, and is happy to help with the party…if Coco will spend a weekend with him.

Impetuous as ever, Coco agrees, thinking that setting some ground rules will keep everything professional. Then, she practically jumps him. Her muddled feelings are all the more potent when Nick admits he’s loved her all this time, and explains how shattered he was to leave her–how he never intended her to give up her education, which is what she planned the second they said, “I do.”

The weekend is fraught with hot and cold–hot sex, heated discussions, and cold remorse over years wasted. Nick is never more clear about his desires. As a kid he was intimidated by Coco’s family’s wealth and never felt good enough, but now he’s successful and able to be a good provider, if only Coco will give him a chance.

Spoiler: she does.
Spoiler: he kinda messes up again.
Spoiler: they live HEA anyway.

This book isn’t as straight-out sexyfun as FRENCHED, because it’s a reconnection tale. The water never passed under Coco and Nick’s bridge, despite seven years going by. While they are still overwhelmingly attracted to each other, they have a lot of work to do if they want this relationship spark to blaze. Nick seems all in from the start. I admired his tenacity. Coco is a bit flighty, but I could totally relate to her misgivings over Nick. As she remarked: What fool takes a second bite from a bad apple?

I was glad she took that bite, and I know she was, too. For an erotic romance, there was definitely a good balance between heat and heart. Looking forward to the final book in this series!

Interested? You can find FORKED on Goodreads and Amazon, and B & N, but I’d highly recommend picking up the boxed set of Melanie’s books, it’s a STEAL right now at $.99 for three books and assorted other novellas on Amazon, (price scheduled to go up any minute now!!) ($3.99 at Barnes & Noble).

About the Author:

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. Her stories are inspired by a sense of place, an appreciation for the past, and unexpected pleasures in life—especially the romantic kind. She lifts her glass to readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

You can catch up with her online on her website, Facebook and twitter.

Big Changes In THE OTHER SIDE OF WINTER–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m reviewing THE OTHER SIDE OF WINTER by GB Gordon. This is a dystopian M/M mystery romance that keeps the reader on edge. It is the sequel to SANTUARIO, which I really enjoyed–despite it being VERY light on the romance. WINTER has not only more romance, but more story–and readers of the series (myself included) are already clamoring for a third book.

The Other Side of Winter (Santuario, #2)About the book:
Not all wounds are visible.

Skanian investigator Bengt fell in love with fellow policeman Alex Rukow in a week. But that was a year ago, and they’ve been apart ever since. Then Alex escapes the corrupt and destitute island nation of Santuario and comes to live with Bengt. Happy ever after . . .?

Alex’s lifelong dream of leaving Santuario has come true at last. But he finds himself adrift in a society he doesn’t understand. Worse, past nightmares come back to haunt him, and after so many years of suspicion and self-reliance, it’s harder than he imagined to trust someone else.

Bengt just wants Alex to share his comfortable life. But the more he tries to give, the more Alex pulls away. Their physical connection couldn’t be better, but Bengt can’t seem to get through to his difficult, taciturn lover outside the bedroom. Meanwhile, he has his own demons to confront—not to mention a serial killer on the loose.

Bengt and Alex must dig deep for the courage to face their pasts, but it may be too late to save their relationship or their lives.

My Review:
This is the second book in a series, and it is best to read them in order.

Alex is a Santuarian, and a refugee to Jarvegur where he reunites with Bengt, a Skanian cop. Alex and Bengt spent one tense week working on a murder investigation a year ago, where Alex finally acknowledged his attraction to Bengt on their last night together. In Skanian society (Bengt’s worlds) there is no stigma associated with same-sex couples, but in Santuario, the island of Alex’s birth and where he lived his first 30 years, being gay was forbidden and likely lethal.

In Jarvegor, however, Bengt is anxious to bring Alex into his life in every way possible. Neither Bengt nor Alex truly understands how to live as a couple, however. Alex had had a REALLY hard life, his mother and stepfather were murdered when he was young and he was repeatedly beaten by his biological dad. So, he grew up knowing he had to make his own way, take care of his own needs, and he is ill accustomed to anyone caring for him. He’s frustrated that assimilation into Skanian society takes so long, and he has no means to find a job without his “green card” being processed, so Bengt is providing for all his physical needs–real and assumed. Plus, one of Bengt’s acquaintances makes it clear that, if Alex ever tired of Bengt, he’d gratefully pay Alex’s way in exchange for his sexual services, leaving proud, smart Alex feeling like a prostitute.

Bengt, for his part, is overjoyed to have Alex in his life. He stops working long hours, anxious to come home to his man. They seem to build a rapport, but Bengt can feel that Alex is holding back. He knows he should tread lightly, but he can’t seem to–he’s head-over-heels.

Alex is admitted to the police training school, and must move out to the dorms, where he begins to make friends outside of Bengt’s sphere. Returning home on weekends is harder than Alex imagined–he feels like such a freeloader, and so ashamed, but he can’t reveal his vulnerability because with that comes all Alex’s other self-esteem issues. He still can’t imagine what beautiful, esteemed, successful, wealthy Bengt finds appealing in a destitute refugee, and there is some self sabotage, as well as general misunderstanding that leads to a break up.

Still, Alex’s training at the academy digs up a cold case that is similar to an active one which has Bengt stymied. Their meetings, to discuss leads and follow up, are difficult. Bengt wants to reconnect, and Alex is afraid to rely on Bengt. There is a lot of separation and soul-searching (on both parts) as the case unwinds. Alex hits rock bottom, and reaches out (FINALLY!) for the help he needs. He finds the purpose that has been missing from his life, and begins to feel worthy of love, and Bengt.

The writing here is really superb. The sense of disconnection of an immigrant, and a refugee, is deftly written. I think may would expect Alex to joyfully embrace his good turn in life, but that’s not always possible when life has been SO difficult. One can’t just jettison a lifetime of behaviors and experiences of scraping and bowing and barely surviving, it’s practically PTSD, and Alex needs (and gets) the professional help to survive in this new and shiny life.

I think the mystery was well drawn and the book had a lot more going on that a romance, though it was there. I really feel connected to Bengt and Alex after this book, and hope that the planned sequels come to pass.

Interested? You can find THE OTHER SIDE OF WINTER on Goodreads, Riptide Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Santuario (Santuario, #1)The first book in this series, SANTUARIO, provides the back story behind Bengt and Alex meeting a year before. Bengt traveled to the arid island of SANTUARIO to investigate a murder–only to find another dead body and a conspiracy no one wants solved. I liked it bunches, lots of great introspection and action, but there is, alas, very little romance. Alex’s home is hostile to same-sex couplings, and he is nearly stunned by Bengt being openly attracted only to men. It is quite a tight character study as well as a compelling mystery.

You can check out my complete review here.

About the Author:
G.B. Gordon worked as a packer, landscaper, waiter, and coach before going back to school to major in linguistics and, at 35, switch to less backbreaking monetary pursuits like translating, editing, and writing. Having lived in various parts of the world, Gordon is now happily ensconced in suburban Ontario with the best of all husbands.

You can reach GB online here: website, Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.

LOLA CARLYLE’S 12-STEP ROMANCE–Review & Giveaway

lola tour banner
Hi there! Today I’m part of the review tour for a new contemporary YA romance that packs a serious emotional punch. LOLA CARLYLE’S 12-STEP ROMANCE From Danielle Younge-Ullman is about a girl who takes a hard look at her life, and turns it around before it gets out of control. Make sure to check out the giveaway below.

Lola Carlyle's 12-Step RomanceAbout the book:
Lola Carlyle is lonely, out of sorts, and in for a boring summer. So when her best friend, Sydney, calls to rave about her stay at a posh Malibu rehab and reveals that the love of Lola’s life, Wade Miller, is being admitted, she knows what she has to do. Never mind that her worst addiction is decaf cappuccino; Lola is going to rehab.

Lola arrives at Sunrise Rehab intent solely on finding Wade, saving him from himself, and—naturally—making him fall in love with her…only to discover she’s actually expected to be an addict. And get treatment. And talk about her issues with her parents, and with herself. Plus she has insane roommates, and an irritatingly attractive mentor, Adam, who’s determined to thwart her at every turn.

Oh, and Sydney? She’s gone.

Turns out, once her pride, her defenses, and her best friend are stripped away, Lola realizes she’s actually got a lot to overcome…if she can open her heart long enough to let it happen.

My Review:
Lola Carlyle is celebu-spawn, the selfish 17 y/o offspring of two serious Hollywood players. Her mother is an actress on a long-standing soap opera, and her dad is a well-known diretor. The parental units split several years ago, and Lola lives with her mom and mother’s girlfriend, while dad ia gallivanting off with whomever warms his bed–leaving Lola isolated and alone.

Her friend, Sydney, cons Lola into faking her way into rehab–where Sydney is, with the carrot that Lola’s long-time crush, child actor Wade Miller is also in residence. Lola’s torn–she has no addictions, yet, she has nothing really going on in her life. The lure of reconnecting with (and possibly helping) Wade, who she worked with on one of her dad’s movies years ago, is strong, and it’s not long before Lola is Sunrise-bound. While there, she learns that Sydney checked out two days before Lola arrived! Trying to salvage something positive, she seeks out Wade, who doesn’t recognize her, but is certainly intrigued by the girl hitting on him.

Throughout the first week, however, Lola is remorseful about her shenanigans. She sees how very seriously some of the residents at Sunrise suffer from addiction. She can’t even go into therapy, knowing that any decent therapist will see through her charade. The tragic stories she hears are horrifying, and only reinforce her idea that faking an addiction to hang out with Sydney and help “save” Wade was the worst idea ever.

Plus, her mentor, Adam, is a constant thorn in her paw. He’s everywhere, and her attempt to escape him only brings them in closer proximity. Close enough that Lola finally feels as if someone is actually SEEING her. Her parents have treated her with casual neglect nearly her whole life, and even Lola doesn’t think her sob story is worth anything compared with the addicts who surround her. She tries to “confess” that she isn’t an addict, and this only gets her labeled as a denier. So, she steps up and works with her counselors, not against them, believing it’s her only way out.

I enjoyed Lola’s journey from self-obsessed snarky girl to self-reliant, grounded girl. The time span of the book isn’t long–only a few weeks, but she has had years of emotional drama that she never felt comfortable discussing, always fearing a negative report being leaked to the press. Getting intense therapy does help Lola cope with her family drama in a healthy way. Though, honestly, her fame-hungry mother would be unlikely to bat an eyelash over the spin cycle of their taudry famliy laundry; she did arrange to have paparrazi present at Lola’s intake appointment, after all.

Adam was not an unexpected love interest. I felt like that part of the romance was well-handled. He is attracted to the exasperating Lola, but holds himself (mostly) in check, to salvage his professional role, and facilitate Lola’s “recovery.” It is Adam’s compassion which helps Lola turn the corner, and gain the insight she needs to be whole again. The book ends without the cheesy parent/child water works reunion, and that was for the best. Lola is a better person after all this, but I think even she would still say she’s “whak.”

The story, for all the seriousness of the subject matter, is rather lightherated, with Lola almost manic in her single-mindedness. Her superficiality burns off in the harsh light of self-reflection in a way that is endearing. The first half of the book I was shaking my head at her idiocy, and the second half I was cheering her on, so I guess I changed a bit, too.

The book contains some frank discussion regarding drug and alcohol addiction, including an OD, and has passing references to sex, though not from the main character’s experience. I think teens will enjoy.

Interested? You can find LOLA CARLYLE’S 12-STEP ROMANCE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo Books.

****GIVEAWAY****

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danielle youngeAbout the Author
Danielle Younge-Ullman is a novelist, playwright and freelance writer. She studied English and Theater at  McGill University, then returned to her hometown of Toronto to work as professional actor for ten  years. Danielle’s short story, Reconciliation, was published in MODERN MORSELS—a McGraw-Hill  Anthology for young adults—in 2012, her one-act play, 7 Acts of Intercourse, debuted at Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival in 2005, and her adult novel, FALLING UNDER, was published by Penguin in 2008.  Danielle lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.

You can find Danielle on her website, Tumblr, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Her World Became LOOKING FOR CHARLOTTE

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Hi there! Today I’m getting the word out on LOOKING FOR CHARLOTTE, a contemporary adventure by Jennifer Young who has a graciously popped in to talk a bit about her craft, and the book. Please check out the giveaway as well!

Looking for CharlotteAbout the book:
Divorced and lonely, Flora Wilson is distraught when she hears news of the death of little Charlotte Anderson. Charlotte’s father killed her and then himself, and although he left a letter with clues to her grave, his two-year-old daughter still hasn’t been found. Convinced that she failed her own children, now grown up and seldom at home, Flora embarks on a quest to find Charlotte’s body to give the child’s mother closure, believing that by doing so she can somehow atone for her own failings.

As she hunts in winter through the remote moors of the Scottish Highlands, her obsession comes to challenge the very fabric of her life — her job, her friendship with her colleague Philip Metcalfe, and her relationships with her three children.

How about a little taste?

She walked alongside the rutted track on the springy heather. This was where Ally had driven in his hired car, alone and knowing himself to be his own daughter’s murderer. How must he have felt? Lonely, of course. Even in the best times of his life Ally was always lonely, resisting all attempts to understand him and his problems, fighting against his perceived failures, his mental weaknesses. She knew them well. She had loved Ally, for a long time. She’d dedicated years of her life to making him happy and then she’d realised that she couldn’t do it. And by then she had a baby, another helpless being, but this time one who couldn’t do anything for herself. So instead of living her life for Ally, she’d lived it for Charlie. And now she had no-one to live it for but herself.

She stopped at the edges of the digging, looked down reluctantly. The house lay a few hundred yards beyond; a dog barked, but no-one came out. She was alone. Perhaps Ally had killed Charlie because he was jealous of the attention lavished on her. Perhaps he felt emasculated by a helpless child. And if he had, then that made it her fault.

‘It wasn’t my fault,’ she said aloud. ‘I did everything I could. I won’t be blamed.’

His silence — of course he was silent, he was dead and she was glad — accused her. She clenched her hands in her pocket and looked down at the non-grave where tiny white flowers had already begun to re-colonise, reaching out into the wet earth from the overturned clods. ‘Ally, you bastard!’ she shouted. Her voice disappeared in the wind but she believed he’d hear her. ‘You selfish, murdering bastard!’

As the tears welled up, she dug a hanky out of her pocket and suppressed them. Her phone was in there, too, so she fished it out and tried again. This time there was a signal, though faint. She rang her mother, but there was no answer and she didn’t leave a message, because everything had changed and she knew she would cry.

She tried Karen, not expecting an answer, but got one. ‘Hi Sue. All right?’ ‘You’ve got your phone on.’

‘Bad form during a wedding, I know, but I thought you might ring. I switched it off during the service, though. Where are you?’

‘I’m up where they found Ally.’

‘Oh God. You poor girl. Do you feel better?

Suzanne looked around her. ‘I don’t know. I can feel Charlie. Is that silly?’

‘Oh, Sue.’

‘I don’t mean I think she’s up here. I just think she’s with me. I always think she’s with me.’

‘Sue…’

Suzanne didn’t want to talk any longer. She held the phone face down and shouted to it, ‘I’ve hardly got a signal, Kazzy. But I’m fine. I’ll ring you tomorrow, okay?’ And she ended the call and slipped the phone back in her pocket. Then she began to walk back down to the car. It was true; it was as if Charlie was with her, walking beside her with her tiny toddler’s steps, stooping to touch the flowers and reach out for the butterflies. She would have loved this place.

She reached the car, got in, pulled down the mirror again and looked at her sad, old face. Love? What was love? And where was it, buried, deep and lost forever?

On Endings by Jennifer Young: Looking For Charlotte

So now, as Ol’ Blue Eyes was wont to sing, the end is near. This is the final stop on my blog tour for Looking For Charlotte and so I want to talk about endings. Beginning with a confession — getting the ending right is, for me, easily the hardest part of writing a book.

Always leave them wanting more, they say. But they also say you shouldn’t leave your reader unsatisfied, feeling that the issues of your plot are unresolved. Any actions have consequences so when your hero sweeps the heroine into his arms or the great detective unmasks the villain…what happens then? How does the heroine deal with the betrayal by her jealous sister which was the heart of the plot? What’s the reaction of the murderer’s innocent, unsuspecting wife? Do you care? And, more importantly, does your reader?

But oh, reader. Creep close and let me whisper the truth. I’m really, really bad at endings. I struggle with them. I tear my hair out as I write and rewrite them. I lose sleep over them. Sometimes I even weep with frustration because I just don’t know when to stop.

On paper, the ending of Looking For Charlotte ought to have been easy. The plot is based on a true story from America, in which a woman set out to find two murdered teenagers. In my story the woman seeks a dead toddler, the Charlotte of the title. And because it’s a true story the ending was written for me: she found the bodies.

But I wasn’t sure, once I plotted the book, that that was the ending. Just because it happened in real life, did it have to be the case in fiction? So I changed it and Charlotte went undiscovered. But that was unsatisfactory because the story is a quest and at the end of a quest you have to find something, so I changed it back. And then I wondered whether my heroine could find something else, instead of or as well as a body…

I will be honest with you. I lost count of the number of times I changed the ending, trying it this way and that, going back to the original, changing it again. Because I wanted a happy ending but how can there be a happy ending when it involves the tiny body of a murdered child, whether or not it’s found?

Of course, I can’t give the ending away so you don’t need to worry about a spoiler. But rather to my surprise found that this, the most tortuous, difficult ending to plot, is in the end the one I like best. And I hope that you like it too.

That’s some great insight. Thanks Jennifer!

Interested? You can find LOOKING FOR CHARLOTTE on Goodreads, Tirgearr Publishing, Amazon (UK, US) and Smashwords.

***GIVEAWAY***

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a backlist title from Jennifer Young.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:

Jennifer Young lives in Edinburgh and writes romance and contemporary women’s fiction. She’s been writing all her life and her first book was published in February 2014, though she’s had short stories published before then. The thing that runs through all her writing is an interest in the world around her. She loves travel and geography and the locations of her stories is always important to her. And of course she loves reading — anything and everything.

You can find Jennifer online on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here.

It’s a Hard Road FINDING THE WAY BACK TO LOVE–Review and Giveaway

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a quiet contemporary romance recently released by Katie O’Boyle. FINDING THE WAY BACK TO LOVE is a redemption story, in many respects, and features an unique cast.

About the book:
Gwen Forrester, Ph.D., 32, gifted psychotherapist and beautiful widow, is stuck in a rut, dating hotties on the fast track. What she really wants is a life partner who’ll help her raise a family and make a difference in her home town, Tompkins Falls. New in town, Officer Peter Shaughnessy, 30, has recovered from the gunshot wound he suffered in a drug bust in the city of Syracuse, but he’s still smarting from his ex-wife’s betrayal and, before that, the years of abuse from his alcoholic father.

It feels like fate to Gwen when her very-pregnant niece Haley trips the security system at Gwen’s lakeside home and Officer Shaughnessy takes the call. By joining forces to help Haley, Peter and Gwen discover they’re a good team. Long, exhilarating canoe trips convince them they’re on the same page with their life goals. Then a destructive squall lands them on the rocks, and a night of stormy passion reveals painful truths that drive them apart. Are they willing to go to any length to find their way back to love?

How about a little taste?

“Gwen Forrester?” Peter asked. At her nod, he stepped aside.

Her startled gaze shifted to Haley and softened with love. Her face lit up with delight when she spied the big belly. “Oh!”

The two rushed toward each other, embracing, laughing, crying, talking so low he could make out only a few words—“your mother?” and “boy we met at Christmas” and “when?”

“October, really?” Gwen stepped back. “Just two more months?” She caressed Haley’s face. “Have you had anything to eat today?”

“I’m starved.” Haley grinned.

“Ma’am?” Peter got no response. He might as well be invisible. “Ms. Forrester?” he said louder.

Gwen turned with a look of pure joy, cheeks flushed, eyes wide. She was a chic, older, ash-blond version of Haley. Even more beautiful.

“Yes, Officer?”

Her dreamy gaze made him wonder if she was flirting with him. Get real, Shaughnessy. “If you won’t be pressing charges, my partner and I will clear out of here, Ms. Forrester.”

She held out her hand, tilted her head coquettishly, and told him, “It’s Gwen. And you are?”

“Officer Peter Shaughnessy.” Her handshake was firm and surprisingly strong for such a slender, feminine woman. He cleared his throat. “You’ll need to get those locks fixed right away, ma’am.”
“Gwen,” she reminded him with a flutter of thick, dark eyelashes.

“Gwen, my partner and I recommend that you put your vehicle in the garage tonight, close and lock the overhead door, deadbolt the kitchen door, and set the alarm. Call a locksmith first thing in the morning.”

Her only response was, “Haley and I will be having breakfast around nine. We’d love to have you join us, Officer.”

He opened his mouth to repeat the caution but closed it again. His partner had told him Tompkins Falls operated more like a small town than a city. This definitely wasn’t going by the Syracuse Police Department procedure book that he still had in his head.

Haley touched his arm and winked. “Come for breakfast, Officer. I need protection from the Inquisition. And Gwen makes a mean omelet.”

My Review:
Gwen Forrester is a 32 y/o widow who is also a counselor and a recovering alcoholic. She lives in the small town of Tompkins Falls in the Finger Lakes area of upstate NY. Her family is mostly gone–only a brother and a niece (if you don’t count her crazy ex sister-in-law whom Gwen really doesn’t). Her niece, Haley, shows up unannounced and in the final trimester of pregnancy–all news to Gwen. Haley had broken into Gwen’s house after walking six miles from the bus station, and the responding officer, Peter Schaughnessy, is smitten with Gwen when she arrives at home. The feeling is mutual.

It’s been a long time since Gwen felt a real connection with a man. Her husband died six years ago, and she’s sought out men like Jeb in the past few years–sexy, playboy types who look great in person but are less-than-stellar in the relationship arena. Peter is wholly different from those guys, but there’s a mutant elephant in the room between them–Peter grew up with and abusive alcoholic father and he cannot, will not, tolerate alcoholism. He avoids dealing with them as much as possible, and is often openly hostile to those he cannot avoid.

This is the third book in a series, and though it’s fully readable as a standalone, there are many interwoven story arcs from the previous books, which all take place in Tompkins Falls. Being an addictions counselor and recovering alcoholic, Gwen has really tight connections to her community, and Peter, who is newly moved from Syracuse, enjoys this small-town life. Unfortunately eveyone he seems to meet is a recovering alcoholic/addict, and his own sister struggles with alcoholism–though Peter refuses to acknowledge this.

While Gwen helps Haley through the end stages of her pregnancy, she and Peter strike up a promising romance–until Peter is finally confronted with Gwen’s history of alcoholism. It’s not a pretty scene.

The book is a redemption tale, mainly, because it squarely faces the recovery of addicts, and the effect addiction has on children and their later relationships. The many players in this book all look at Peter’s intransigence on alcoholism as a disease as being a symptom of his own hellish abused childhood. Having suffered their own addicitons, they are eager to help Peter better understand the disease, and how to life with it, not ignore it. Peter never touches alcohol, but he’s still got anger issues that stem from his past–as a child of an alcoholic myself, I could relate.

I did enjoy the Americana aspects of this book. The small-town life is highly detailed and warm. Gwen and her AA friends are a family that rallies around each other–they assist with Haley’s pregnancy, and community efforts, and even building a holisitc wellness center to treat addictions and rehab therapies. Through time apart from Peter, Gwen is able to get a better handle on her life, and recognize more of her own missteps that led her down a path to alcoholism in the first place. There is a lot of growth of several characters within the book, notably Gwen, Peter and Haley. Their story is approachable and honest.

For my own self, I think I would have liked a bit faster pace. There are so many pit stops into AA–each character is working his/her recovery very hard. That was something special to see, but it got a little tedious considering how very many characters in the book are in AA. The attraction between Gwen and Peter moved at a bit faster rate than I would have suspected given their history of betrayal. The sexytimes are thin, in my opinion. I favor a bit more heat in my reads, and this was a more “God-centered” book than I’ve picked up in a long time. Still, the story is interesting and the characters very approachable.

Interested? You can find FINDING THE WAY BACK TO LOVE on Goodreads and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Born in the upstate-New York village known as the Birthplace of Women’s Rights, Katie O’Boyle loves the Finger Lakes in every season. That’s why she set her Lakeside Porches romance novels in Tompkins Falls on Chestnut Lake. To the outside world, she is a tech-savvy college professor. To friends and readers, she is the author of warm-hearted romance. She recently finished writing book four of the Lakeside Porches romance books and novellas and is planning book five.

Cstch up with Katie online on her website, Facebook, and .

Finding A HEART KNOT MINE–Review & Giveaway

Heart Knot Mine by Lily Velden Blog Tour

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for Lily Velden’s contemporary gay romance, HEART KNOT MINE. This is an emotional roller coaster that ends on a very sweet note. I really liked it.

HeartKnotMineFSAbout the book:
Despite a successful college teaching career, Noah Daniels has become depressed. He feels he’s leading a monochromatic life: love has eluded him. When he’s offered a chance to teach in London as part of an exchange program, he accepts, hoping a change of scenery will do him good. But once he’s there, his outlook on love and sexuality changes in ways he never expected.

Robert Callinan is Noah’s English counterpart in the program. The men exchange not only their jobs, but also their homes, and it is what Noah stumbles across while staying at Robert’s house that sends him on a journey of self-discovery, both mentally and physically. A journey that puts color back into his life–just not in the way he expected. When the exchange program ends, Noah has to go home, but he doesn’t know if he wants to return to the life he left behind.

My Review:
Noah Daniels has never found that “spark” he sees between his elder brother and sister-in-law. He’s been searching a long time–Noah’s now 30–and wonders if he’ll ever find a woman who captures his whole heart. Plus, he aches to start a family of his own. Feeling melancholy about his love life, Noah’s excited for a job swap, sending him to London for six months.

Moving into Robert Callinan’s home and job for the swap is pretty exciting for Noah, but not nearly as exciting as Robert’s stash of home-made sex tapes. Biggest kick to the groin? Robert’s clearly gay. The tapes are of him with other men, and they rock Noah’s world. Noah has no clue why this is so fascinating, but the tapes begin to fill his waking thoughts. Add to that his regular contact with Robert via email and Skype, and Noah’s a hot mess of desire. For a man.

He goes exploring Robert’s social outlets, and get a little experimenting out of the way. Result: Yep. Guys “do it” for Noah. He agonizes over this, expecting a backlash from his family. There’s no denying the chemistry, however, when Robert returns home to London and Noah is waiting. Robert suggests Noah extend his stay over the summer holiday, and he agrees, mostly to spend more time with the man with whom he’s infatuated.

It’s a hot summer, indeed. Every aspect of Noah’s staid life is upside-down and helter-skelter over Robert.

As the end draws near, reality sets in. Robert’s never been a monogamous guy, and doesn’t plan to be. Noah’s heartbroken, and bereft getting on his plane back to the States. Add to this a whole lot of drama with coming out to his family. Noah gets deeper and deeper into the struggles of his life before making some even more drastic changes.

Thing is, when your heart has loved once, it can do so again. And (sometimes) searching for the RIGHT love is the best decision, even if it’s often very, very painful.

I adored Noah. He’s a worthy man, and deserves to be loved with one’s whole heart. Robert seemed a bit callous near the end of summer, though I understood why. I was so glad that Noah found a friend who could support him in both heartbreak and family strife. The end is really tender, and so sweet. Just gave me the best AWW!! feeling. The book is an HEA, even if all the strife is not resolved.

Interested? You can find HEART KNOT MINE on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US, UK, DE and AU), AllRomance and Barnes and Noble.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win one of THREE DSP Gift Vouchers for any Lily Velden Title ($6.99 each)
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Good luck, and keep reading my friends!

Lily Velden avatarAbout the author:
Lily Velden lives on the east coast of Australia, her family having emigrated from Holland when she was a child. She’s both a left and right brain person, holding qualifications in both Finance and Fine Arts. She tells her friends that her way with numbers will make her a profitable artist and writer one day.

Lily has always had a love of language and a beautifully crafted sentence, and admits to having a fetish for collecting quotes, poems, and song lyrics. What she won’t admit to is how many notebooks she’s filled with those quotes. Her fascination carries on into her artworks where she often incorporates text. When a shoulder injury slowed down her art practice she decided to explore her love of the written word more fully and began writing. “I’ll paint my pictures with words.”

Not that she’s abandoned artmaking in its entirety; Lily collaborates on the designs for all her book covers. There are many things Lily loves, here are just a few of the PG rated ones: a good laugh (all the better if caused by a naughty joke), the smell of freshly baked goods and mown grass, a smile from a stranger, rainbows after the rain, and witnessing a promise kept.

Lily Velden can be found at her website, email, twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

HEA After A MOMENT OF CLARITY

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Hi there! Today I’m celebrating because the last installment of Karen Stivali’s Moments in Time series, Moment of Clarity, has been released! You all know I’ve been following this New Adult M/M romance from the beginning, and I was getting anxious for Collin and Tanner to find their happy ending. Whew! I am a satisfied gal, now. For those who want a single paperback edition, that’s out too. Yay!

Moment of Clarity hiresAbout the book:
Spending the summer together on Fire Island brought Collin and Tanner closer than ever, but back in their conservative college town, challenges confront them at every turn.

As they search for their new normal in their old environment, Collin’s brother Sean surprises them with help when they need it most. But when word about their relationship gets out, trouble erupts with friends and family. When Collin’s relationship with Tanner becomes an issue in his brother’s custody battle and Tanner struggles with his feelings for a heartbroken Wendy, Collin wonders if everyone he cares about would be better off without him in the picture.

In order to save them both, Tanner must make it clear to Collin that their love for each other is all that matters.

My Review:
Trepidation: a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.

I’ll admit to a bit of trepidation regarding this third installment of the Moments In Time series. I adored the first book. Loving Collin’s first foray into a relationship with *gasp* his roommate, Tanner, a bisexual. The Gay hate from his family when his mother learned was rough, but not as rough as the lack of communication in book two which almost broke Collin and Tanner up for good.

Still, reading the blurb on book three and knowing I was walking into more coming out drama and possibly a love triangle with a weepy Wendy wishing Tanner would choose her, again, plus Collin’s brother struggling to keep custody of his kids against his homophobic ex….well, I was mighty trepidatious.

Silly me!

This book is a whole lot of YES! though this is mostly at the end…

Return to college is problematic thanks to a dorm “fire” that dislocates Collin and Tanner from their private room into a gymnasium with fifty other students. Moving in with Collin’s brother and his three kids is a better option, until his adulterous ex pitches a fit on “moral” grounds. Leaning on Wendy is a bad option–she is still angry that they didn’t tell her what a sleazeball her boyfriend was over the summer, and she’s not quite sure letting Tanner go was the best choice. In that she has a partner: Collin.

Yeah, see, Tanner and Collin get outed on campus, and the homophobic backlash is suffocating their relationship. They do get some assistance, but Collin’s sure Tanner can have a normal life if only he wasn’t tied down to a dude. Bisexuals can love either sex, right? Saint Collin makes some heavy-handed decisions which end up being mostly a train wreck of epic missteps and lead to an HEA that is tender and honest. Plus, his cry for help actually makes life easier for everyone. Who knew?

I thoroughly enjoyed this end to the series, and the whole set. The three novellas are filled with fast-paced plots, deep feels and some seriously smokin’ sexytimes. It’s good stuff, and I’m glad I didn’t let my trepidation get in the way of enjoying a great conclusion.

Interested? You can find MOMENT OF CLARITY on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US, and UK), AllRomance, and Barnes and Noble.

Moments in Time – Series Paperback

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Contains books 1, 2, and 3 – Moment of Impact, Moment of Truth, and Moment of Clarity. Find it on Dreamspinner’s website.

Haven’t read books 1 and 2? Then hurry up as Moment of Impact and Moment of Truth will be on sale for 99 cents for a limited time (May 5 -18).

Moment of Impact
Outside Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room is a dangerous place. Beyond his door the students of his small, conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family who’d disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his incredibly sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Their room makes a perfect place to hide away and fall in love.

The moment they cross the line from roommates to lovers, Collin becomes caught between their heavenly passionate encounters and the hellish reality that someone might find out and destroy everything. Tanner’s not used to being so confined, and wants to show the world how much he loves Collin. But Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.

Find my full review here.

Interested? You can find Book One, MOMENT OF IMPACT on Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US, UK and AU), AllRomance and Barnes and Noble.

Moment of Truth
Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he’s living in a beach house on Fire Island, waiting tables at a hip seaside restaurant and, for the first time since he and Tanner got together, they can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being “out” takes some getting used to, but with the help of new and old friends, Collin is happier than he ever imagined. And more in love. But newfound freedom brings unexpected challenges, and when friends get flirty, old insecurities arise. Moments of doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness, and Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

Check out my full review here.

Interested? You can find Book two: MOMENT OF TRUTH on Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US, UK, and AU), AllRomance, and Barnes and Noble.

Want more? Moment of Silence and Moment of Fate, featuring secondary characters in Collin and Tanner’s story, will be released in late 2015 and early 2016.

About the author
Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies, and fictional British men. She’s also the multiple award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romances. Her lifelong fascination with people has led her to careers ranging from hand-drawn animator, to party planner, to marriage and family counselor, but writing has always been her passion. Karen enjoys nothing more than following her characters on their journey toward love. Whether the couples are m/f or m/m, it’s guaranteed that Karen’s novels are filled with food, friendship, love, and smoking hot sex—all the best things in life.

When Karen isn’t writing (and often when she is), she can be found on Twitter attempting witty banter and detailing the antics of her fruit-loving cat, BadKitteh. She loves to hear from readers (and other writers), so don’t hesitate to contact/follow/like her at Twitter, Facebook, or her website.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!