Time For A MOMENT OF TRUTH–

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for Karen Stivali’s MOMENT OF TRUTH. This contemporary New Adult M/M romance is the second of a three-part novella series following the developing relationship between Collin and Tanner. If you remember my review for the first book, MOMENT OF IMPACT, you know there are sexy times, ahead. (Adult read!)

Moment of Truth (Moments In Time #2)About the book:
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.

My Review:
This is the 2nd part of a novella series. It’s best to read them in order.
4.5 stars for this contemporary M/M romance

Collin and Tanner are two college roommates who recently began a gay relationship. They had been friends long before becoming lovers, but Collin was closeted and Tanner is bisexual. Collin came out to his mother, a devout Catholic, who disowned him. He is now staying in a house with Tanner and several others on Fire Island to work and earn money for his college as all funds have been cut off.

Collin has never been out. Being on Fire Island, which is very gay-friendly, is a startling experience for him. He has a lot of fear regarding encountering homophobia, and spends his summer taking baby-steps with Tanner. Tanner has collected quite a harem of women who fawn all over him, one who continually pops over to their rental house to mooch a meal with the object of her obsession. It frustrates Collin, as he fears Tanner may swing back to the ladies–leaving Collin isolated and alone. Plus, Collin’s crazy for Tanner:

He kissed me, soft at first, then deeper. I forgot there was anyone else in the world, let alone on the same beach.

Thing is, all of this is so new for Collin. He’s never had a relationship, and he’s now with Tanner but they are both being hit on by women. Plus, Collin’s having problems with a housemate who has serious boundary issues–and he’s dealing with more fall out from his family’s ostracism. He makes a friend at his job, Jason, who has also been cut off. The summer winds on with some serious housemate issues, but Collin only has eyes for Tanner, and who is chasing him.

I think we all know his goes pear-shaped. For a bit, anyhow. As in the first book, the name is prescient. There is a moment of truth, and this time it happens on a beach at sunrise.

“Do you realize that tonight’s the first time you’ve said that to me since the night of the accident?”
“Said what?”
“I love you.”
Wait. No. That’s not possible. Is it? I struggled to remember another time. Tanner had said it to me a bunch. Have I really not said it back? Ever? My heart sank into my stomach. I hadn’t. I’d thought it eight million times a day, but I hadn’t said it out loud.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked. “I’ve loved you every fucking second since then. I didn’t know I wasn’t saying it. I didn’t realize.”
“How can you not realize something like that?”

Collin tells this tale, and we have a close-up look at his self-consciousness and trust issues. He’s a good guy who acts too impulsively at times. I wasn’t happy with his inability to discuss his feelings. I want to kiss Tanner for being the WAY bigger man, here. Though, reading the blurb for book three, I’m not sure if I should touch up my lipgloss just yet.

I’m gonna call this a HFN, with realistic angst and thrilling smexytimes. Collin is definitely more secure in his sexuality on Fire Island, but both he and Tanner acknowledge the very real possibility that returning to college in the fall will also mean returning to the closet.

Interested? You can find MOMENT OF TRUTH on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, AllRomance and Barnes & Noble.

Moment of Impact (Moments In Time, #1)MOMENT OF IMPACT, the first book in the series, is a fast-paced Gay-For-You romance that really hits all the feels in a short format. (Check out my review!) It is currently on sale for $.99 through 3/7/15. Time to snap it up cheap…

Amazon, Dreamspinner Press, AllRomance and Barnes & Noble.

Karen stivaliAbout 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, her website, Pinterest, and Goodreads. You can also email her here.

Don’t Call Him BIGGIE–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a YA book from debut author Derek E Sullivan. BIGGIE isn’t really a romance, though there’s some romance to it. It’s more-or-less an emotional awakening for a boy who shut out his world, and I really enjoyed it.

BiggieAbout the book:
Henry “Biggie” Abbott is the son of one of Finch, Iowa ‘s most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second.

At an obese 300+ pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn’t understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. “Forty percent, that’s an F in any class,” he would say.

As Biggie’s junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flirt with him. Hundreds of people have told him to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play ball, but Annabelle might be the one to actually convince him to try. What happens when a boy who has spent his life since fourth grade trying to remain invisible is suddenly thrust into the harsh glare of the high school spotlight?

My Review:
Biggie is a book about loving one’s self, even when it’s far easier to hate one’s self.

Henry “Biggie” Abbott is a high school junior in Finch, Iowa–a town of roughly 1000. He is the illegitimate son of baseball phenom Aaron Abbott, conceived while Aaron was still in high school. Aaron left behind his sweetheart and child, legally disavowing any claim to Biggie before he’d even turned 1. Biggie is, well, BIG. He’s over 6 feet tall, and weighs more than 300 pounds.

Here’s why:

How did I get this way? Or a better question: why have I let myself grow to over 300 pounds? Simply put: Now I’m invisible. Funny isn’t it? The more I weigh, the less people ride me about it.

See, growing up as Abbott’s son, even disavowed, wasn’t that great. Everyone expected Biggie to be a great athlete, and he has an excruciating fear of failure. He is a self-proclaimed perfectionist, and a perfect GPA. Especially since he forges notes to keep out of gym class. But, this year, his mother has thwarted those plans. Biggie is going to take gym, even if it kills him. Of course the first day, Biggie does something extraordinary. He throws a perfect game in Whiffleball. Then, he promptly faints. His doctor isn’t pleased, and Biggie’s physical sends his mother into tears–Biggie, too, as he’s possibly suffering Type 2 Diabetes.

The only answer is for Biggie to get fit–and his half-brother, Maddux, is keen to work with Biggie on his pitching, maybe turn his instinctive knuckleball into an unhittable pitch. Maddux and his father, Laser, have been on the baseball circuit forever. Laser was semi-pro and took Maddux on the road with him. But Laser has decided to hang up his cleats and coach the Finch high school team, so he’s home to witness, and assist, Biggie’s transformation from bedroom-bound shut-in to baseball player.

Biggie’s reasons for the transformation: to catch the eye of Annabelle Rivers, a girl in Finch he has cyberstalked for years. To please Maddux. To make himself healthy enough that his mother stops thinking he’s going to die. To throw a perfect game.

It’s an interesting transformation because this is not only physical work, Biggie has to overcome his crippling shyness and grow out of his father’s famous shadow. It’s a small town, and here baseball reigns supreme. Biggie starts slowly, changing his diet and walking daily with Laser, until he can begin running daily and practicing. Laser is patient, and persistent, guiding Biggie in the physical steps–which I loved. That man never let Biggie down, even when Biggie couldn’t get past his own self-hate.

Biggie drops the weight, which puts him out of the danger zone for diabetes, but, when it comes to baseball, Biggie can’t bring himself to play. His team needs him, yet Biggie is so steeped in “perfection” that he’s too afraid to not be perfect on the field. It’s an impossible scenario that this kid could miraculously be the best player ever, on account of him not playing baseball, ever. And Biggie recognizes this, and he loses faith. Plus, he’s aggravated by personal issues with teammates–especially the cheating baseball star dating Annabelle.

Thing is, Biggie has talent. It’s raw and it’s powerful, but it isn’t perfect. And when Biggie begins to love himself, and consider that “perfect” isn’t necessarily the healthiest frame of mind, he actually starts to have an almost-perfect life.

I really enjoyed this. Biggie felt very real to me. He is an honest character, which is funny since he lies to everyone but the reader. He owns his issues, and gains real insight to a building a better life, with friends and even a girlfriend. A real one, not the cyber-girls he juggles online. His relationship with his parents improves, and I think that he ends this journey far happier than how he started. I had a little issue with the timeline–only because it seems that Iowa high schools begin baseball season when every other state is wrapping up theirs. So, that didn’t quite ring true. The interactions with the boys, however, was spot on–even if getting trashed and driving the backroads is not excellent, this is very likely how these rural boys passed their time.

Interested? You can find BIGGIE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other book retailers.

dereksullivan300x450About the Author:
Derek E. Sullivan is an award-winning reporter and columnist at the Rochester Post-Bulletin in Minnesota. As a reporter, he has written more than 1,000 stories about the lives of teenagers, which he attributes to helping him find his YA voice. He has an MFA from Hamline University and lives in Minnesota with his wife and three sons.

You can find Derek online on his website, Goodreads and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Danger & Lies in THE HIDDEN LIBRARY–Review and Giveaway

THL Tour BannerHi there! Today I’m sharing in the blog tour for THE HIDDEN LIBRARY. This is the second book in the The Collectors series and it’s an action/lovin’-packed adventure of the literary kind.

HLyons_THL_eBook02_450x675About the book:

Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .

Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.

On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.

Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.

A few words from Heather:

I had the chance to ask Heather a few questions about creating THE HIDDEN LIBRARY….

You are a huge audiophile. What sort of music did you listen to while working on THE HIDDEN LIBRARY?

I listened to a lot of Bleachers, Nico Stai, and Taylor Swift (mainly off her new album). I love music!

The COLLECTORS’ Series is based on updated fairy tales. How are fairy tales relevant for today’s YA/adult readers?

I think a lot of readers nowadays only know fairy tales from movies and/or tv. Their ideas of the stories are more Disney-esque than anything, because even adapted versions of the stories in children’s books nowadays are watered down to match these changes. The source materials are not like that, though. They’re pretty dark and often have messages in them. What I like about fairy tales is that there’s always a sliver of hope in them. The stories have stuck with societies for generations because of that.

Authors always say that books are semi-autobiographical…. In that sense, which is the character in The Hidden Library with whom you most identify?

I think there will always be parts of an author hidden away in their characters. A silly example, is how Alice loves to wear dresses. I wear mostly dresses—and yet, it also fit her character because of the Timeline she came from, too. That said, I identify with both Alice and Finn simply because they’ve been in my head while writing . . . but their experiences and mine are quite different!

Hidden Library Teaser1

My Review:

I truly didn’t know what I was getting into reading this book, but, what I found, was a lush world of literary romance in today’s world.

See, in this world, the characters are from books, and they work to save books. Alice, from Wonderland? She is all grown up and a warrior Queen, willing to take on a maniacal murderer. Huck Finn? Victor von Frankenstein? They got adopted by Brom and Katrina van Brunt (from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow) and raised in today’s NYC. Finn and Victor are top operatives in the Collectors’ Society. Finn and Alice are, in fact, a couple (expect some nice bam-chicka-wow-wow!).

Their current mission is to hunt down a rogue editor, believed to be Sweeney Todd, who has been collecting legacies–bits of ephemera that contain the ‘soul’ of a book–and destroying them. This, in turn, destroys the Timelines of every character in the book. It is akin to literary genocide, and was responsible for Katrina van Brunt’s untimely death.

Along the hunt, Finn and Alice have to enter Finn’s Timeline, the world of Huck Finn, to pay respects to The Widow who is dying–and deal justice to Tom Sawyer, who caused Jim to die. It’s a HUGE kerfuffle.

Don’t think Wonderland is sitting on the sidelines. The Queen of Hearts has a diabolical plot to kill Alice, despite her absence into the “real world”. Alice had to leave in order to save her subjects, which meant abandoning her first love, the White King. Now, Finn has to seek his assistance in saving the queen of his world.

And, what the heck is happening with Peter Pan?  The man who seems to be pulling all the strings is clearly a double-talker. And his house is an homage to the written word…or is it? His hidden library seems to be the key, if only Finn and Alice could find the door.

Here’s the thing: I loved this book’s pace and story. I found it thrilling and creative. Finn and Alice have to search their souls over, and over. And over. There’s this part of writing that says authors have to torture their characters to give them depth–well these characters are practically water-boarded. The result? They leap off the page.

With the climax coming so close to the end, I was terrified we would be left with a horrifying cliffhanger. As it stands the cliffhanger is not-quite-barbaric to the reader, but…it’s certainly uncomfortable. Looking forward to the next book!

Interested? You can find THE HIDDEN LIBRARY on Goodreads, Amazon (US or UK), B&N, Kobo, and iBooks.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win signed paperbacks and a $10 GC!
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

Heather LyonsAbout the author:
Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Catch Heather on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.

Inkslinger

Sometimes Love Leaves You SHAKEN–Review and Giveaway

Shaken BT BannerHi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary New Adult romance form Alyne Roberts. SHAKEN is a story about two people realizing love was waiting beside them the entire time…

ShakenCover5x8About the book:
“After an earthquake wreaks havoc, the earth is left disturbed and altered. Whatever remains in ruin is left shaken and in need of rebuilding.”

Scarlett Brooks doesn’t need love. The only men she can trust in her life are her twin brother and his two best friends, Logan and Caleb. Every other guy has only let her down, and she promises herself to never to experience heartbreak again.

Logan King can’t stand back and watch his best friend’s twin sister continue to spiral out of control. With random hookups, drunken nights, and reckless decisions, she is on the path to self-destruction. He sets out to slow her down and prove that she isn’t happy with her one-night stands.

The two come dangerously close to crossing lines. Is Scarlett capable of trusting and opening up to love again? Will it ruin their friendship if Logan is the one to teach her how?

This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. Characters are introduced in Jolted and Impacted.

My Review:
Scarlett has survived a horrifying break-up…on the verge of marriage her fiancé was arrested for money laundering. Not trusting herself with another real relationship, she seeks thrills from any man who’ll bed her. Her dear friend, Logan, who is best friends with Scarlett’s twin brother Ryder, is tired of her self-destructive behavior.

Logan is the man Scarlett calls when she’s too drunk to drive home from her hook-ups, but he’s going to fix his girl’s broken spirit–even if it kills their friendship. He gets Scarlett to agree to an abstinence game, so she’ll stop prowling. Then, he works out several tasks for her to complete, all designed to bolster her confidence and open her up to the possibility of love.

Shaken Teaser Standing ByThing is, once Scarlett’s heart is open, it’s impossible for Logan not to fall directly into it. Of course, there’s a strange girl lurking on the fringes and Logan’s past seems to catch up at just the wrong time. Likewise, Scarlett has some intense family issues to survive, and Logan’s game is getting too deep.

This a dual viewpoint contemporary romance about two people who have been wounded in life and love finding the courage to love with abandon. It’s a quick read, with a satisfying HEA.

Interested? You can find SHAKEN on Goodreads, Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, Smashwords.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a set of signed paperbacks!
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Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Alyne lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat. Working full time in an office all day, she spends her nights reading, writing or watching an entire TV series in a night. She refuses to grow up, loves Disney movies and anything with owls. She couldn’t live without her coffee or her furry “children”.

Alyne is the author of “Light to the Darkness” and the “Conflicted Encounters” Series.

To stay up to date on what Alyne is working on, teasers and more: Sign up for the newsletter.

She loves to connect with readers so feel free to stalk her!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pintrest | Goodreads | Amazon

Inkslinger

Love In GRIF’S TOY–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for Joseph Lance Tonlet’s extraordinary contemporary M/M BDSM romance. This is a rough read–lot’s of loss and some serious orgasm denial/humiliation as part of the kink, but I LOVED it. (Totally an ADULT book.)

Grif's Toy (Tease and Denial, #1)About the Book:
Grif believes he’ll live his life as a virgin. After all, who would want him? How could anyone find him, a guy who came with less than man-sized equipment, worthy of their love?

What he hadn’t counted on were the two amazing men who would change his life. After entering college, he meets Tate, his fun-loving roommate. While years later, with Tate now just a memory, Wes, a handsome, rugged ex-marine who runs his own security firm enters his life.

Both men lead Grif through a twisted mesh of pleasure, pain, and denial, as they force him to see his value, despite his size and insecurities.

My Review:
4.5 Stars. I finished this and had to sit on the review. It is not a happy-happy book, nor does it have a lot of humor to offset the sincere emotional challenges.

Marcus “Grif” Griffin is a poorly-endowed man. He only recognized his “equipment” was substandard on his first day of junior high gym class when all the boys were naked in the shower and Grif’s stick didn’t measure up.

He is gay–he knows this from a young age–but he doesn’t know how to handle being so deficient. Luckily, Grif has a very understanding and accommodating father who ensures Grif is never in danger of being exposed.

The book shifts time frames almost by chapter, though the entire book is told from Grif’s POV. We can see that Grif is currently in a relationship, with a Dom-type man, Wes. At first, I hated Wes. I thought he was inordinately cruel to Grif, but, as I read on, I could see the development of Grif’s character dynamic. He has a humiliation kink, and Wes has a sadist streak that loves to exploit it.

We get snatches of Grif’s first sexual partner–Tate, his “straight” college roommate and bestest friend in the whole world–even if the sex is all one-sided. We learn about the deep bonds that Grif makes, first with Tate and then with Wes. The sex is not as steamy as other BDSM books, mainly because it is always tempered by humiliation and orgasm denial. As a reader I was totally in synch with Grif’s emotional landscape. When he was anxious about exposure, I was, too. I think that’s the mom in me, but I was thoroughly engaged–which, again, is why I hated Wes so much. All I wanted was for Wes to love and satisfy Grif–but what I didn’t get until, perhaps, the final third of the book was: he was. Wes thoroughly satisfied Grif, in every way Grif desired.

When the timeline flashed into Wes and Grif meeting, and how they took baby steps forward to the point where Grif was able to feel like a total man, not a disappointing or deficient one, I was ready to jump into Wes’ arms and smooch him all over his face.

These two are a really special couple.

Interested? You can find GRIF’S TOY on Goodreads, Amazon, AllRomance iTunes and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:
Joseph is a born and raised Southern Californian—with a twenty-year stint of living in the Midwest. He loves the laid-back lifestyle of San Diego and considers himself lucky to live where people dream of vacationing.

A lifelong reader of m/m fiction, he began his writing career one night sitting at his MacBook and has never looked back. He writes to bring the characters he dreams about to life.

You can find Joseph on his website, Facebook, twitter, and Goodreads.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends.

Her Life is TEQUILA & TEA BAGS–Review and Giveaway

Facebook Cover PhotoHi all! Today I’m sharing in the blitz for a quirky contemporary New Adult romance. Laura Barnard’s TEQUILA & TEA BAGS is a hoot sure to be enjoyed by lovers of Bridget Jones… This is ADULT read.

Tequila and Tea BagsAbout the Book:

Sent to live with her cousin Elsie in the Yorkshire countryside, Rose has only one thing on her mind; joining her friends as a club rep in Mexico.

When she hears about a council incentive offering the promise of free flights to the person who clocks the most volunteering hours at the local care home, she’s got her plan set.
But she doesn’t plan on bonding with the old ladies, going after the village bad boy and trying to persuade Elsie not to become a Nun.

Soon she’s questioning who her real friends are and whether her old life is one she wants to return to.

Can the village win her over and will she win the chance to leave it behind? Will she even want to?

Teaser-2

My Review:

Well! I do love me a funny romance, and Bridget Jones is a go-to for my feel good times, so I was destined to enjoy this!

23 y/o Rose is given a serious wake-up call when her parents cut off all her allowance and force her to move from the London suburbs to a hamlet in the Yorkshire countryside. She’s now sharing a flat with her cousin Elsie–who is trianing to become a nun.

This party girl is bereft, until she learns that volunteering in the local retirement home will garner the chance at a holiday. Her BFF is currently in Mexico, and Rose is desperate to join her. Naturally, the center’s director–the infuriating, yet good-looking Will–is an impediment.

Rose finds trouble without even trying–by basically lying about her skills. Barmaid? Sure! (Cue the beer flood) Horse-minding? No problem! (OMG–even Bridget never caused this kind of havoc!)

Along the way, Rose becomes the shag-buddy of Will’s younger (disreputable) brother James. through the month of Rose’s visit, she and Will get to know each other very well. Much like BJ, Rose is involved in a love triangle she never intended, but I think we can all guess this girl has a whole lot of hilarious self-discovery in her future. And, a good-looking, compassionate man at her side!

The book moves quickly and is peppered with interesting side characters. I loved how Rose and one of the retirees, Betty, bonded. They had a far better relationship than even Rose and her parents. It’s fun to see a character grow when loved and respected, instead of pitied and reviled.

Interested?  You can find Tequila & Tea Bags on Goodreads and Amazon (US and UK).

****GIVEAWAY****

Like my FB page and that of Laura Barnard, then come back and tell me you did in the comments. One lucky commenter will get a book! Yay! Thanks, Laura!

Laura BarnardAbout the Author:

My name is Laura Barnard and I am an author from Hertfordshire, UK. My first chick-lit novel, The Debt & the Doormat was an Amazon number 1 best-seller and won Best Laugh Out Loud Book of 2013. It is available via Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks. Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository and many more.

In my spare time I enjoy drinking my body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of my face, drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio…oh and my husband of course! I like wearing yoga clothes and reading fitness magazines while I sit on the sofa and eat chocolate. I’m a real fan of the power nap and of course, READING!

I write not to get rich or famous, but because I LOVE writing. Even if one person tells me they enjoyed my book it makes the midnight typing worth it!

Catch up with Laura on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Cephalopod Coffeehouse February 2015–THE LEGACY HUMAN-A Review

0ed81-coffeehouse
Hi there! Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month. Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

As part of the Coffeehouse I’m obligated to share the best book I read this month. A few of my Coffeehouse friends are familiar with Susan Kaye Quinn, but this is a NEW, so I am eager to share a YA dystopian-future gem. Oh, and scroll down to enter the KINDLE GIVEAWAY!!

The Legacy Human (Singularity #1)About the book:
When transcending humanity is the prize, winning the Game is all that matters.

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender—a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid—after all, they’re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is.

The Legacy Human is the first in a new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

My Review:
This is a sci-fi YA story set in a richly described dystopian future. More than one hundred years ago, Earth had a catastrophic population event, called the Singularity. At that time, there were serious issues with population and shortages, but a new technology allowed the conscious of a human to be uploaded into a computer mainframe called Orion. This collective was then able to “download” the experiences of each “Ascender” into discrete automaton bodies. Ascenders had not only their own knowledge, but access to the minds of the billions who likewise ascended.  Those who chose not to Ascend–Legacy Humans–Have been treated like museum pieces to some extent. They are now little more than entertainment for the Ascenders, existing in small Ascender-monitored communities where they have all the “basic” needs met, or off the grid in Believer/rebel colonies.

What is celebrated by Ascenders is the creativity of the Legacy mind. The ability to create–life, art–is venerated. As Legacies are meant to live, and die, the technology that Ascenders use on a daily basis to extend and improve life is denied to the Legacies.

At the time of the Singularity, any human could choose to Ascend, however that avenue is now closed. Currently, the only way for a Legacy to join Orion’s collective is to win one of four coveted, annual spaces in the Art Olympics. Each year the best Legacy (under age 18) in Art, Drama, Writing or Music is selected in the Agon Games–and each winner plus his/her immediate family is ascended.  With the prospect of virtual immortality on the line, winning is difficult, if not downright deadly.

Eli is a 17 y/o Legacy Human who wants nothing more than to get his mother well. She suffers leukemia, a disease that Ascender gene tech can easily cure, but she is denied this treatment because, well, humans die. No point healing them if they are only going to die anyway, in the Ascender viewpoint. Eli is also a talented artist, and he is selling his art for illegal “chits” to buy the forbidden treatment. Eli has an Ascender patron, Lenora, who is helping him to improve his craft, and also assisting with the sales of his work.

Eli wishes to Ascend not only to save his mother, but also to be worthy of an equal relationship with Lenora–while Ascenders and Legacies can have “relations” this is highly frowned upon. Plus, Eli wants to be more than a domestic. He wants immortality, but Lenora will not sponsor him for the Agon Games. And, Eli’s mother doesn’t actually WANT to Ascend. She believes, as do many Legacies, that Ascending destroys the human soul.

Turns out, Lenora’s second (read: boyfriend/partner), Marcus, will. As Eli enters the Games, however, it turns out to be far harder for him than he imagined. Two “Agonites” are already dead, and the likelihood is high for another fatality. Eli is assisted by his dearest friend, Cyrus, and makes a few rebellious friends: Kamali, Basha and Delphina, all who do not actually wish to ascend. Eli is mystified; who wouldn’t wish to be perfection? Still, he hears their arguments against–the most incredible being this “soul” issue.

Eli’s art suffers from an inability to connect to his creative genius. It sometimes peeks out in a “fugue” state–he gets angry or upset and the art…happens. He wakes from this (almost) trance to find amazingly detailed paintings, the kind that could clearly win the Gold, but he cannot harness his fugue. It is transient, though seems to be happening with greater frequency. Kamali seems to be able to draw Eli into the fugue, however, and they pair up often to facilitate Eli’s chance.

As Eli and Kamali talk, Eli comes to realize that the Legacy and Ascender life are not all they seem. Eli recognizes that his true goal, to Ascend and save his mother and become Lenora’s second, are perhaps not the best goals. Well, he’s dead set on saving his mother, but perhaps being Ascended isn’t the perfection he craves after all…

THE LEGACY HUMAN is beautifully rendered with a lush world and the kind of moral dilemmas that are core issues in our own time. Do we have souls? What are the permanent effects of childhood decisions? Can we truly harness power for good, or will power always corrupt? Eli’s fight to save his mother extend throughout the Games and afterward–when he learns he’s been (perhaps) double/triple crossed. He is a strong, likable character and his plight is sympathetic. He competes for love–for his mother’s life and the woman he desires. That he is an inadvertent hero of a cause he didn’t know existed? Well, that’s for the next book.

INTERESTED? You can find THE LEGACY HUMAN on Goodreads and Amazon. It’s an interesting new series that I jumped into because, well, Sue is a dear writing friend at this point.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win
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Thanks for popping in, and feel free to check out what were the best reads of my fellow Coffeehouse bloggers:

1. The Armchair Squid 2. WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME
3. Stephanie Faris, Author 4. Trisha @ WORD STUFF
5. Cherdo on the Flipside 6. mainewords
7. StrangePegs — Just Exactly How Life Looks 8. StrangePegs — Changes
9. A Creative Exercise 10. Life Before the Hereafter
11. V’s Reads 12. Two Square Dogs

They Shared A FORBIDDEN RUMSPRINGA–A Review

Hi there! Here’s a sub-genre I never thought I’d read: Gay Amish Romance. But, I’ve been a fan of Keira Andrews for a bit now and I thought I’d give it a go. WOW!!! FYI:  This is an adult read.
A Forbidden Rumspringa (Gay Amish Romance #1)

About the book:
When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

Note: Contains explicit sexual situations and graphic language. This is not an inspirational/Christian romance.

My Review:
I never thought I could get so beat up by forbidden Amish love. As a kid I remember seeing WITNESS and being blown away with this quiet, idyllic life–or so I thought!

Issac is 18 and due to begin Church in his sheltered devout Amish community in Zebulon, Minnesota. He has lived here for the past seven years, ever since his sect had broken from a more “worldly” Amish community in Ohio. This community breach occurred because three Amish teens drowned while intoxicated in the period of rumspringa, a time of youthful experimentation (rebellion) in Amish communities that precedes adulthood and marriage. Rumspringa is forbidden in their new community.

In this new community, Issac’s family is less well-off. In Ohio they were allowed to have English jobs and sell their handicrafts openly. Their new locale is far more remote and restrictive. The families must subsist off the land by farming, and minimal sales of wares to tourists. Issac is unsure how to live in this life–he’s not interested in farming–and he also misses his older brother, Aaron, who ran away.

Isaac’s father arranges for Isaac to become an apprentice carpenter, to David a man the community is questioning. David is 22 and unwed. This is strange, and Isaac wonders why David, who is industrious and attractive, is unmarried. He also feels shame for finding David attractive–especially as David’s sister, Mary, makes no secret of her interest in Isaac. All of Isaac’s friends are beginning “dating”, and Isaac has no interest in the women of their community.

Working with David becomes a torture–Isaac is so incredibly, shamefully, aroused by David. The best/worst thing? It seems David reciprocates.

Okay, David TOTALLY reciprocates. And David has a secret life in the “English” world that Isaac never could have dreamed. Together, David and Issac find love, but is it meant to be? There is no homosexuality in the Amish community, and especially not in their even more restrictive sect. Their time together becomes a forbidden rumspringa, and the longer it continues, the more dangerous their feelings become. If they are caught, they will be shunned, leaving David’s widowed mother and five sisters without a provider. Isaac fears his family will also suffer, having two sons who are shunned.

Still, as David takes steps to begin a family life, Isaac realizes that he cannot stay in Zebulon. His heart is David’s and he can’t go on pretending that he’ll one day marry. Isaac finds the courage to make his future outside–and his love is soon rewarded.

This is, without question, an HEA. And the Amish life was so detailed and well-described, I could feel the constriction around my heart for Isaac and David. I had never imagined the Amish life would be so interesting, or complicated. Even Isaac’s siblings feels stifled in this new life. His younger brother, Ephraim, begins to strike out against the many rules of their world. Meanwhile, David’s family is under constant scrutiny–and yet he finds his path rightly. The end is quick and satisfying, with a sequel published and a third book in the offing.

Interested? You can find A FORBIDDEN RUMSPRINGA on Goodreads, All Romance, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Keira AndrewsAbout the Author:
After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

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

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

UNMAKING MARCHANT Requires Love–A Review, and a FREE BOOK!

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a sexy New Adult romance from best-selling author Ella James. I read the first book in this series, SELLING SCARLETT, which features a strong independent woman selling her “carnal treasure” to help a friend in dire need. It was a steamer I enjoyed, so I thought I’d give the latest Love Inc book a look-see. UNMAKING MARCHANT has a story built on the power of addiction and mental illness.

Unmaking Marchant (Love Inc., #3)About the book:

Marchant Radcliffe, owner of the exclusive Love Inc. brothel, is no stranger to darkness. He lost his parents in a plane crash and since college has harbored a secret almost too terrible to bear. He keeps his head above water by pouring his energy into his business—and he’s thrived, despite the dark blot on his soul.

Then, after ten years of good fortune, Marchant’s skeletons start to peek out of the closet, tossing him down a trail of ruin that begins with arson and could end with murder. Because he’s kept his struggles private, he has no one to pull him back from the brink.

After a breakup with her longtime fiancé, Suri Dalton, daughter of one of Silicon Valley’s tech tycoons, has nowhere to go except her BFF’s new penthouse in Las Vegas. The last thing Suri is looking for is a man, but after drowning her woes in wine on the flight over, she stumbles into a torrid make out session with a beautiful stranger—who just so happens to be Marchant Radcliffe, playboy and literal pimp.

Despite an immediate attraction, Suri writes Marchant off as exactly the sort of guy she should avoid. Until Love Inc. goes up in flames, Marchant winds up at the bottom of a swimming pool, and Suri is the only one around to pull him out.

What happens when what you see isn’t what you get? What do you do when destiny is too alluring to resist and too dangerous to survive?

My Review:

This was an interesting steamy read. Suri is a smart woman engaged to an abusive alcoholic, Adam. He’s the only man she’s ever been with–they are high school sweethearts, but Adam’s continued alcoholism is a major stumbling block to their relationship. One night he’s way-too-handsy and ends up hurting Suri–which sends Suri from her Napa estate to Vegas to meet up with her BFF, Lizzy.

Lizzy is engaged to a billionaire, and has friends in quite low places: particularly a high-class brothel, owned by Marchant. Suri’s woefully prudish, perhaps, but she’s not interested in anything to do with a pimp. Well, at least not until Marchant ends up (inadvertently) saving her from an assailant and they have a brief tryst–Suri’s first-ever anonymous hook-up. She’s rather mortified to discover Mr. Love Inc is the sex-god who drew out her elusive orgasm like a bee finds pollen.

Still, there’s something vulnerable about Marchant, and Suri’s the Patron Saint of Lost Men, or something. She can tell Marchant is messed up, but she thinks he’s on drugs (Spoiler: yep) but that’s only a small part of the story. He suffers bipolar disorder and is on a mania high when they first meet, which later collapses into suicidal depression.

So, Marchant saved her, and she returns the favor. These two have a magnetic attraction–even before Marchant seeks treatment for his illness. He blames himself for ruining a good woman years before and doesn’t want Suri (or any woman) to get her heart broken. Guess what, Marchant? YOU are not the boss of WOMANKIND. We will have a broken heart if we WANT one, dangit!

Expect sex. Lots of it. Expect some brief domestic violence, and some drawn-out mania and many many bad decisions. It takes Marchant a LONG time to reveal his dark secret, but the end comes quickly after that–though this book ends with a cliffhanger.

Interested? You can find UNMAKING MARCHANT on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

You can grab the first book in this series, SELLING SCARLETT for FREE on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Like MARCHANT, this is an ADULT read. Click here for my review.

This story introduces Lizzy, Cross and Suri. Lizzy attempts to sell her virginity in order to raise money to pay for Cross’ medical care after his parents cut him off and he’s injured in a bike crash. (There’s an argument for universal healthcare in this premise, methinks!)

About the Author:

Ella James is a USA Today bestselling author who writes teen and adult romance. She is happily married to a man who knows how to wield a red pen, and together they are raising a feisty two-year-old who will probably grow up believing everyone’s parents go to war over the placement of a comma.

Ella’s books have been listed on numerous Amazon bestseller lists, including the Movers & Shakers list and the Amazon Top 100; two were listed among Amazon’s Top 100 Young Adult Ebooks of 2012.

To find out more about Ella’s projects and get dates on upcoming releases, find her on Facebook, follow her blog, or twitter feed.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

 

Happy Book Birthday to LOSING AT LOVE! with Giveaway

L@L RDL BannerHi there! Today I’m sharing in the festivities for Jenifer Iacopelli’s new release: LOSING AT LOVE. This is a sequel to the (smash!) hit GAME. SET. MATCH. and definitely set to be a winner.  (My lame tennis puns will now cease…)

book2-publicity-frontAbout the book:

Grass courts, tennis whites and the fiercest competition in the world. Wimbledon. After two crazy weeks in Paris, the girls of the Outer Banks Tennis Academy are headed to London with just one thing on their minds: winning.

Indiana Gaffney is fresh off a surprise win at the French Open junior tournament. Sponsors are clamoring for her attention, but what she wants more than anything—aside from a wild card to Wimbledon—is to be with Jack Harrison, but international fame and a secret relationship rarely mix well.

When Penny Harrison dreamed of playing at Wimbledon she never imagined agonizing pain shooting through her ankle with every step. With just a month until the tournament and the whole world expecting her to win, she’s determined to play, with or without the support of her coach or the love of her life, Alex Russell.

For the first time ever, no one expects anything from Jasmine Randazzo. After a crushing first-round defeat in the French Open juniors, the tennis world has given up on her, but worse than that, so have her parents, her best friend Teddy and maybe even her coach. With everyone writing her off, can she find it within herself to go after her dreams?

How about a little taste?

La Metropolian Hotel

Paris, France

Indiana Gaffney gasped, her eyes flying open and locking on the glistening object across the hotel room. It reflected the muted television behind her, the French Open final, the red of the court, blurry in the polished silver. A large, round plate, innocuous to the untrained eye, with the sizeable laser carved logo of Roland Garros at the center, was braced against the mirror hanging on the hotel room wall. The mirror reflected the match clearly, the broad steps and fierce rallies of two men battling it out for the French Open Men’s title. But those men were mere afterthoughts as her eye caught a set of shoulders stretching the material of his t-shirt thin, not a mere image from the television, but broad and warm and real. Strong hands slid down her back, fingers twining into the ends of her long blonde hair, tugging on it gently, drawing her gaze away from the mirror and back to the green eyes of the man in her bed.

He kissed her soundly, sending shivers down her spine and making her hips rock against his and her legs tighten around his waist. “It’s not gonna disappear if you take your eyes off it,” Jack Harrison muttered into the skin of her neck, nipping at it lightly with his teeth.

“Feels like it will,” she whispered back, tilting her head to give him better access. Most of her mind was focused on what he was doing with his hands and mouth, but that plate, the one that declared in no uncertain terms that she was the new French Open junior champion, would not be ignored. Not even for the guy who made her heart pound like no one else ever had before, the guy who, up until a few days ago, could barely look at her without his shoulders slumping with guilt. Their age gap hadn’t shrunk in the days full of soft kisses and nights far more intense — though perhaps not as intense as she’d like — but he wasn’t fighting their attraction anymore. She hadn’t chased him, not really, but he’d known she wanted him, almost from the moment they first met. Then he’d found out how old she was and he started treating her like a flashing red SEVENTEEN was stamped across her forehead, every year between them creating an accompanying foot of distance. In the end, the attraction had been too much, even for someone as painfully good as Jack Harrison.

“Hey, Champ, you in there?” Jack’s voice brought her back, his lips spelling out the words against her shoulder.

“Champ?” Indy hummed and smiled. “I like the sound of that.” In fact, she liked the sound of it so much she planned on winning again the next chance she got, on the grass courts at Wimbledon.

“I bet you do. Get used to it, baby,” Jack said, his whole face lighting up as he shifted his weight forward, tilting her back onto the bed. A shriek bubbled up through her throat and the giggles followed as he leaned over her, bracing himself on his elbows and then smothering her laughter with the press of his mouth. As his tongue slid against hers, she turned herself over to it, letting herself revel in the dreams of future victories and the celebrations that would follow.

Interested? You can find Losing at Love on Amazon, BN, iTunes, Kobo and Goodreads.

book1-publicity-frontAnd the previous book in this series, Game. Set. Match. is also available on Amazon, BN, iTunes, Kobo and Goodreads.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $50 GC, Signed copies of Game. Set. Match. and Losing at Love or SWAG!
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Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Screen Shot 2014-08-07 at 3.09.39 PM copyAbout the Author:
Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave…ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor’s degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master’s in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV.

Catch up with Jennifer online on her newsletter, twitter, Facebook, website, Goodreads, Instagram, and Amazon Author Page.

Inkslinger