Congrats to Erica Pike, who won Last Chance Ranch by D.G. Parker!
Congrats to Nikyta, who won Before He Cheats (Perfect Timing #7) by Kim Dare! Before He Cheats was released by Total-E-Bound on July 4.
Congrats to Becky W, who won One Night by RJ Scott! One Night will be released by Silver Publishing on Saturday, July 9.
Contests
- Joder’s giving away a copy of Big Bad Beast by Shelly Laurentson, plus some author swag. Contest closes 11:59 pm, July 10.
- Book Lovers Inc is giving away three ebook copies of Vivian Arend’s Falling Freestyle (Xtreme Adventures #1). Read the rules before you comment. Contest closes July 16.
- Book Lovers Inc is giving away an ebook copy of Muffled Drum by Erastes. Read the rules before you comment! Contest closes July 17.
Bookity
- New releases and more: Literary Escapism (UF/PNR) and Book Lovers Inc (a little of everything).
- Yet another article about the dangers of reading “contemporary” romance… too bad the books included in the “survey” cited by the article were published between 1981 and 1996.
- Writers, beware The Plot Device!
Ebookity
- Overdrive will be adding DRM-free titles for libraries. Not sure how this will work, since expiration dates are built into DRM…
- The Goodreads M/M Romance Group will be posting free stories every day throughout July – more than 100 total! That’s over a million words!
Think, Make, Do, Learn
- Bacon prices are going to increase this summer, so start hoarding now! 😉
- Great. Childhood sunburns double your risk of skin cancer. I think the max SPF sunscreen we had was maybe six…
Cookity
Crafty
Cool
Cool or Wha…?
- Generate a startlingly complete fake identity. (Thanks, trek!)
Wha…?
LOL
- xkcd on UPS deliveries. (Make sure you hover your cursor over the comic for additional text!)
Teh Cute
- Piglet! Kitten! Marmosets! Kitten! Baby oystercatcher! Kitten! Baby reindeer! Kitten! Polar bear and baby! Kittens! Sleepy tiger cub! Kitten! Hedgies! Kitten! Meerkats! Kittens! Baby ferret! Koala and baby! Puppy! Lion cub! Swan and cygnet! Penguin and baby! Baby polar fox!
Reading Update
The Psychic’s Tale by Chris Quinton, 
The Soldier’s Tale by RJ Scott, & 
The Lord’s Tale by Sue Brown (The Fitzwarren Inheritance Trilogy). ebooks. Very good paranormal m/m romances reminiscent of the Nora Roberts trilogies that involve a different couple getting together in each book, all as part of breaking a curse or fulfilling a prophecy. Chris Quinton, RJ Scott, and Sue Brown have done something similar here, skillfully creating the m/m version of the three curse-breaking couples.
Before He Cheats (Perfect Timing #7) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a guy who gets really insecure after someone tells him that he can hardly expect his older, richer, dominant boyfriend to be faithful to him. Poor Leon! I really wanted to give him a hug.
Sealing the Deal (Sex Sells #1) by Kim Dare. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about a contract negotiator who, after completing his work for a design company, is ready to get to know his now-former employer much, much better.
Oleander House (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #1) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Good paranormal m/m about a group of paranormal investigators staying at Oleander House, trying to find the reason behind mysterious deaths in and disappearances from the house. I first read these two years ago and they were some of the first m/m books I read. Now I’m wondering if I was just so used to reading m/f that a lot the things that frustrate me now about the books seemed normal then. I really wanted to smack Bo throughout most of this book.
What Hides Inside (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #2) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romance which finds the BCPI team adding a sexy new guy and investigating mysterious disappearances at a local high school. The interdimensional portal aspect of these stories feels very Lovecraftian to me. And, fortunately, I found Bo much less frustrating in this book than in the first.
Twilight (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #3) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Very good paranormal m/m romance in which Sam, Bo, and Dean investigate a possible interdimensional portal at a primitive and remote mountain resort. If Bo’s paranoia has put you off the previous two books, this is the book where that changes for the better.
Closer (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #4) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Good paranormal m/m romance which finds Sam and Bo on vacation as Bo becomes increasingly erratic and obsessed with the nearby fort the rest of the BCPI crew is investigating.
An Inner Darkness (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #5) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Very good paranormal m/m romance in which Sam and Bo struggle against Bo’s ex-wife in order to help Bo’s son control his potentially dangerous telekinesis.
Where the Heart Is (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #6) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Very good paranormal m/m romance focusing on Dean, who’s visiting friends out of state when he meets a guy he really clicks with and begins an informal paranormal investigation of an apparition in the guy’s house.
Love, Like Ghosts (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #7) by Ally Blue. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance that takes place ten years after the events in An Inner Darkness. Bo and Sam’s son Adrian is at college, but remains distanced from those around him as he works to control his telekinesis. I actually got a little sniffly while reading this one.
Blind Pass (Blue Line Hockey #4) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good m/m romance about two closeted hockey players from rival teams who end up as roommates when teaching at a summer hockey camp.
No Apologies by Tibby Armstrong. ebook. Good m/m romance about a couple, one closeted, whose relationship is likely over because the other is tired of being a “dirty little secret.” Much of the story is told via flashbacks in the form of a semi-autobiographical film, making it hard to sort out what really happened. I’ll definitely read more by this author, although I’m hoping for a more straightforward narrative next time!
Jackson Square Jazz (Scotty Bradley Mysteries #2) by Greg Herren. Good gay mystery (with a titch of the paranormal) in which Scotty, now training to be a private investigator, manages to get involved in a case involving figuring skating, an historic fire, and a missing Napoleonic mask.
Mardi Gras Mambo (Scotty Bradley Mysteries #3) by Greg Herren. Good gay mystery (again with a titch of the paranormal) in which Scotty’s life goes spectacularly awry during the weekend before Mardi Gras. I must confess that I skim these every time they get a little too new agey for me. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. 🙂
Vieux Carre Voodoo (Scotty Bradley Mysteries #4) by Greg Herren. Good gay mystery with a hint of the paranormal that takes place three years after the previous book, in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Who Dat Whodunnit? (Scotty Bradley Mysteries #5) by Greg Herren. ebook. Pretty good gay mystery with a dash of the paranormal – this one manages to combine the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl with a homophobic megachurch… It got a bit preachy at times. And a Prius turned into a Jag between chapters! Whoops…
Telling the Truth (Truth or Dare #2) by Lee Brazil. ebook. Good m/m/m romance about the second Blake brother admitting his attraction to the sexy twins introduced in the previous book and making major changes in his life because of it.
“That bird looks awfully tasty…” -Chaos
“That’s my tasty bird, big kitty! You have to find a different one!” -Mayhem
Awwww Rickman’s voice makes me shiver.
And HP vs SW was hilarious and I liked the Firefly rap.
Ahhh great stuff
A recent post from blodeuedd..Book Review: Play of Passion – Nalini Singh
Rickman’s voice definitely makes me shiver! In a good way. I used to have a crush on the old man 😉
But I can’t believe Amazon bought TBD! *sigh* Just when I discovered them… I just hope they’ll continue with the free shipping.
A recent post from Erica Pike..Royal Research
Tha window is not going to open itself: you kittens need thumbs.
Wow, you’ve read a lot this week! I don’t know where you find the time :).
A recent post from Jenre..Review: Muffled Drum by Erastes
excellent linkity about the cat-jealousy thing. I don’t have to worry about that with Shelli either. Even when she warms up to my friends, she doesn’t go beyond sticking her head in their shoes. If she has her back turned, they can pet her, but when she turns around and realizes it’s not me or Joey, she gets this amazingly-humanlike look of horror on her face, hisses, and runs away.
Chris- I do believe I will make a pirate mousie for KC this Christmas.
Arrrrrgghh -squeak.
A recent post from Lorraine..Light My Fire
Cat vs Human best blog ever!
Yum. Tasty Birds!
(Actually, we are having fish-fry in Wisconsin tonight – almost as good.)
What Jen said — I’m very impressed by all the reading you got done.
And the linkity is great! I’m especially horrified by the giant earthworm dress. 😉
And I love the photo of May and Chaos. They do look very intent on something out there. If they were dogs, I’d guess they were looking at the mailman, ha, ha!
A recent post from Val Kovalin..Weekly update with patriotic table ornament
I didn’t think to send you the Ravelry/Facebook item – what a slacker. More great linkity, as always. My nephew is coming for a visit, we’ll have to try the scrambled hardboiled egg.
A recent post from marylou..No Swag, Just Germs
A lot of re-reads this week. Sometimes they just hit the spot, don’t they?
Before he cheats sounds good! 🙂
A recent post from Tracy..Review: Muffled Drum by Erastes
Thanks for the GF info. We loaded up on bacon just yesterday as the butcher told us it was going up (a lot) soon.
Are you sure they’re watching birds? They may be MI5 spies, or something.
A recent post from margene..July?
Wow, you’ve been on a re-read binge!! Those are usually my comfort read days and can read an entire series or something.
I actually started in The Psychic’s Tale by Chris Quinton as well and so far its nice but not really rocking my world :S
Have a great weekend Chris! 😀 I’m going away tomorrow to celebrate my dad’s 56th b-day and sunday I so going to be a lazy day of reading 🙂
A recent post from Leontine..A three course cover meal…YUMMY
Thats a lot of links! Hopefully once I catch up at the office I’ll be able to catch up on the linkies.
A recent post from cursingmama..If I didn’t Share Enough Titles
Thanks for sharing the Slate article, that is great.
You two had better not be staring at Basil!
A recent post from Rebekah..Thursday Threads
Now I’m stuck on Cat v. Human. How have I missed so much of this!?
A recent post from Seanna Lea..some foods need not be photographed
Hooray! Another super linkity! Love the cat patronus!!!
A recent post from mrspao..More wanderings in Whitstable
Woah! Lots of books this week. Fantastic linkity. Really want the bike basket & am stocking up on bacon as we speak.
Thanks for the contest mention going on at my site. You’re a sweetheart!
Thanks too for the Firefly rap video. I still refuse to accept that the show is over.
Have an awesome weekend!
I’m pretty sure bacon is always over $5/lb here. Not certain, I only buy it once every few months.
OMG, Nestle Pure Life got a high grade?!?!?!?! That stuff is disgusting. We can’t drink it. It tastes funny, I just dumped a bottle of it down the sink yesterday, it has never been opened.
I can’t believe no one has made a move yet at that Six Flags. Super creepy.
Had to send Kristen the bacon turtle. LOL Mind you, probably too expensive to make now. 😉
Autocorrect makes me cry. Ahhh. Can’t catch my breath.
I hate deliveries by UPS with the passion of a thousand suns. We are 57 km from the depot. I actually ordered something tonight and in the comments section begged them to use FedEx not UPS. LOL
My cats aren’t friendly either. When my friend was here for 4 days they never saw the cats once.
Wow, you were on a series binge. The first three sound interesting. I kind of got turned off the Blue books because Bo treated Sam like crap to protect himself and I hated his wife so bad I couldn’t read it. I did enjoy the two follow-ups though.
Not sure the mystery ones are calling my name. Must get Stephani’s and I did enjoy Telling the Truth. I’m wondering if all the brothers are suddenly going to be gay.
A recent post from Tam..Speedy week
SPF? When I was growing up, we never heard of it. We used tanning oil. Or baby oil.
Alan Rickman + Proust = fantastic
The news about childhood sunburns is not surprising and does not bode well for me.
So happy none of the tasty birds were harmed! As always, your linkety is awesome. 🙂
Chris! Thank you so much for the mention of Viv’s contest.
*Waving Weakly*
I’ll catch up soon.
🙂
A recent post from Lea..Getting Ready To Go To NYC!!
Awww! I love the dad who made the Wonder Woman costume – he rocks!!!
I really want one of those knitted pirate mice for my kitties! 🙂
A recent post from Bronwyn Green..Losing Mia
Love that Firefly Rap. Someone should put together an entire album of Firefly-inspired music. This could be the cover: http://www.etsy.com/listing/51658773/river-tam-and-the-fireflies-front-and
A recent post from Marsha..Free lunch: Christmas knitting
I think I lost half a day clicking your linkies 🙂
I hadn’t seen the Six Flags pics; thanks for including those.
Love the “truth” under Bookity.
Well the sunburn thing isn’t such good news for me who spent a lot of summers at the beach as a child.
I’m having a hard time thinking about Christmas knitting, or any knitting, when it’s 100 F here.
Love the dad who made his daughter a Wonder Woman costume.
My fake identity needs to lose a few pounds. 😉
Katie has to check out visitors multiple times before she’ll even come in the same room with them.
I had no idea you had to burp baby foxes.
The problem with your linkity posts is by the time I finish reading them I’ve forgotten what I wanted to comment on. Humph.
But – have you seen the Milenium Falcoln bass guitar? 😀
A recent post from Nicole..A Case Of The Mondays