Tag Archives: Heidi Cullinan

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Linkity lounges about lazily

31 Comments

Congrats to Laura M, who won Blind Items by Kate McMurray! Blind Items is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Contests

  • Nicole’s giving away some of her lovely handmade cards. You can enter daily and the winner will be announced on August 1. To enter, leave a comment with a song to lift Nicole’s spirits, or let everyone know that you need your spirits lifted, too.

Bookity

Ebookity

Do, Learn, Think, Make

Cookity

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about two men who’ve both lost (or given up) something they cared about and been living half lives ever since. It’s also about learning to accept and deal with chronic pain/injury/illness. Plus the story takes place in the Twin Cities; in fact, Laurie’s condo would be a ten-minute walk from mine. 🙂 Recommended.
A Matter of Time, Volume 1 and A Matter of Time, Volume 2 by Mary Calmes. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about an architectural assistant who inadvertently witnesses a organized crime-related murder and then meets a straight police detective who keeps turning up in the oddest places. I read this story when it was released a few years ago, in its original and unedited ebook form. It was a delight to reread it all without the editing issues detracting from the story.
Bridges by M.J. O’Shea. free ebook short. Very good free short m/m romance about two guys who got off on the wrong foot with each other in grade school and remain enemies throughout high school. Then they end up working together at the grocery store as overnight stockers…
Breaking Point by S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet. free ebook short. Very steamy free kinky short m/m scene between two lovers.
Shadowed (Treasured #2) by Cari Z. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance in which Arcane Studies PhD student Daniel and his occasional lover Rhys head to Venice for Daniel’s winter break. Things start out well for them…
Family Unit by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good m/m romance about two very different guys in their mid-40s (one a retired marine, the other a liberal raising his grandson) who get off to an awkward start, but then slowly grow to know each other better. While I enjoyed this one more than the other ZAM titles I read this week, I felt it suffered from a similar problem with the ending – the story stops, with many questions left unanswered, and then an epilogue is tacked on… an epilogue that doesn’t answer the questions. 🙁
Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a 19-year old pianist who’s brilliant musically, but very naive interpersonally. Then some well-meaning ghosts move in and start “helping” him with his social life…
All Stirred Up (Stir #2) by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good m/m romance about the “evil” twin brother of one of the main characters from Stirring Up Trouble, who’s struggling with escalating PTSD. An intervention by his board of directors and his twin have him heading for rehab in the company of a very unusual doctor. I found the ending of this one very frustrating – it felt as if it just stopped, rather than providing closure, and the epilogue did nothing to assuage that.
What Child Is This? (Crossing Borders #2) by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good holiday m/m romance about how getting away from it all for a relaxing holiday weekend doesn’t always turn out as one might hope.
The Truth About Al (Rocky Mountain High: Campus Hearts #2) by ML Rhodes. ebook. Good m/m romance about the son of a conservative politician whose family is pressuring him to present a “suitable” (i.e., straight) image so as not to damage his mother’s run for Senate.

“No, I’m not stuck. I’m just… thinking.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan [CONTEST CLOSED]

97 Comments

Congrats to Rita S, who won Muscling Through by JL Merrow! Muscling Through is being released today by Samhain Publishing.

Many thanks to Heidi Cullinan for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Dance With Me, for a lucky reader to win! Dance With Me will be released by Loose Id on July 26. This one’s set in Minneapolis! 🙂

Ed Maurer’s life would be fine if he could just get Laurie Parker off his back. He’s bounced back, more or less, from the neck injury that permanently benched his semi-pro football career, and he volunteers now at a local community center. It’s just that every time he turns around, that damn professional dancer is in his way, hating Ed right back. But when a bargain Ed strikes at the center lands him as an assistant in Laurie’s ballroom dancing class, their perceptions of each other turn upside down. Both Ed and Laurie have heartbreak in their pasts, but somehow dancing together eases their individual pain. For Ed, dancing with Laurie becomes a way to reconnect with his body after losing football. For Laurie, partnering with Ed has erased some of his fear of performing and brought back joy to a sport he wasn’t sure he could ever truly love again.

As Laurie and Ed lose themselves in dance, their lives continue to spin around them: Ed’s injury makes it clear he’s nowhere near recovery, Laurie feels the pressure by friends and family to perform once more, and the community center that has become such an important part of both their worlds threatens to close. Alone, they haven’t had the strength or spirit to face what life has hurled at them. But as the turns of their personal paths lead them into the arms of love, Ed and Laurie begin to think that if they dance this dance together, they might be able to succeed.

Excerpt

Other Books

About Heidi

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.

You can visit Heidi at her website and at her blog.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, July 25.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“I’m hot and miserable. Woe!” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: The Seventh Veil by Heidi Cullinan [CONTEST CLOSED]

62 Comments

Many thanks to Heidi Cullinan for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m fantasy, The Seventh Veil (Etsey Novels #1), for a lucky reader to win! The Seventh Veil will be released by Loose Id on April 19. (Heidi doesn’t have cover art yet, so Heidi’s provided this photo of Ewan McGregor, who’s the main model for the story.)

Added 4/17/2011:

As a bisexual bastard born to a country stuck in antiquated mores and ideals, Charles Perry had learned long ago to set his sights low: all he wants is a drink, a dram, and a whore of each gender to share them with. But strange visions haunt his dreams, and now the ghosts are following him into his waking hours. Charles must seek help from an alchemist or risk running mad. Charles’s House blood makes him a high prize in magical circles, so he’ll have to be careful.

But what the alchemist discovers in Charles’s blood turns the whole world on its head. And in the arms of an exotic male pleasure slave, Charles will discover a destiny so huge it doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true. Charles Perry, noble bastard, is the lost consort of the Goddess of All Creation. And as the forces of darkness converge on him, Charles must learn to channel his power to save the world – or risk becoming the pawn that destroys it.

Excerpt

Book Trailer

Other Books

About Heidi

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.

You can visit Heidi at her website and at her blog.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, April 18.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“I’m on the boring, non-stripey socks, big kitty, and you are not! Neener, neener, neener!!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

It’s a beautiful day for some linkity, don’t you agree?

28 Comments

Congrats to SusieQ, who won Woke Up in a Strange Place by Eric Arvin! Woke Up in a Strange Place is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Marsha, who won The Tourist by Clare London! The Tourist will be released by Carina Press on Monday, February 28.

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Learn, Think, Make, Do

Cool

Wha….?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Lessons in Power (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 4) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance in which events conspire to bring up a dark event from Jonty’s past that continues to haunt him.
Lessons in Temptation (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 5) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, which finds Jonty and Orlando in Bath for academic pursuits, mostly. This one had me quite anxious (the temptation bit).
Putting Out Fires (Coda Book 5) by Marie Sexton. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about Matt trying to figure out what he can do for Valentine’s in order to make Jared feel appreciated.
Promises (Coda, Book 1) by Marie Sexton. ebook. After reading Putting Out Fires, I really wanted to read more Matt and Jared, so I read Promises and The Promise again. 🙂
The Promise (Coda, Book 3.5) by Marie Sexton. free ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about Matt and Jared, after they’ve been together for about 18 months. Reread.
First Impressions by Josephine Myles. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about an artist who becomes fascinated by the guy wearing a suit and crazy socks who he sits across from on the train every day.
Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Excellent kinky m/m romance about a guy who stays on the move since his family discovered he was gay and started praying for his soul. When he starts working at Nowhere Ranch, he certainly was not prepared for the interpersonal complications… but will he stay or will he go?
Long-Term by Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a university president who takes in a sub whose top kicked him out with not much more than the clothes on his back.
Finding Sanctuary by D.C. Juris. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about a guy who’s felt only half alive for a long time, even though he has all the trappings of success (nice house, lovely fiancee, good job). He’s slowly beginning to realize that what he actually needs are things that his father beat into him as being wrong.
Eros Rising by Ally Blue. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s staying in his not-so-good  relationship out of complacency, until he becomes friends with a stripper…
Ten Percent by R.J. Scott. free ebook short. Good m/m snippet (covering maybe an hour) about a guy sitting at his desk, thinking about what being out at work would mean.
Another Little Secret (Sandpipers, Book 1.5) by Jade Archer. free ebook short. Sweet, steamy short m/m/m romance that takes place some months after Sandpipers’ Secrets, at Valentine’s.
Granite: A Rocky Start by G.H. Worth. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a police detective and an assistant district attorney who’ve had the hots for each other for months, but neither realized the other was gay.

“Look at how cute and snuggly I am! You’re jealous, I know.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan [CONTEST CLOSED]

111 Comments

Many thanks to Heidi Cullinan for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming kinky m/m cowboy romance, Nowhere Ranch, for a lucky reader to win! Nowhere Ranch will be released by Loose Id on February 15.

Roe Davis is a man who works hard, keeps to himself, and never mixes business with pleasure – until he takes a weekend away from his new job at Nowhere Ranch and runs into the owner at the only gay bar for two hundred miles. Getting involved with the boss is a bad idea, but Travis Loving is hard to say no to, especially when it turns out their kinks line up like a pair of custom-cut rails. As Loving points out, so long as this is sex on the side, not interfering with the job, they could make it work.

The truth is, there’s good reason Roe never settles down and always spends his birthdays and holidays celebrating alone. Shut out in the cold by his family years ago, Roe survived by declaring he didn’t need a home. As his affair with Loving grows into more than just sex, Roe finds out what happens when he stays put a little bit too long: the past always catches up with you. Eventually, even a loner gets lonely, and home will grow up through whatever cracks you leave open for it – even in a place called Nowhere.

Excerpt

Review

Other Books

About Heidi

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.

You can visit Heidi at her website and at her blog.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Monday, February 14.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Whatcha doing, Mom? Why aren’t you making a lap with enough room for me on it?” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Brrr! Linkity from subzero (Fahrenheit) land *insert plentiful shivering*

32 Comments

Make sure you enter the contest for How the Other Half Lives by Clare London! Contest closes 7 pm CST, February 4.

Congrats to Wren, who won Threadbare by Clare London! Threadbare will be released by JMS Books on January 23.

Congrats to cturtlechick, who won Sandpipers’ Secrets by Jade Archer! Sandpipers’ Secrets will be released on January 24 by Total-E-Bound.

Contests

Bookity

  • Lily has the week’s new m/m book releases.

Ebookity

Do, Learn, Think, Make

Craft

Cool

Huh

LOL

  • You know what’s particularly sad about this macrame book? I’m pretty sure I checked it out from the local library when I was a kid and made that plant hanger on the cover. O.O

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Gambling on Maybe by Fae Sutherland. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a delightfully flamboyant guy who decides he needs to add some sparkle to a closeted cop’s life. My only complaint was that I wanted more! Be aware that this has a HFN ending.
Only Words (Max & Skyler, Book 1) by Acer Adamson. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a closeted cop and his crossdressing boyfriend. This is very short, but skillful enough that I got sniffly while reading it!
Any Excuse (Max & Skyler, Book 2) by Acer Adamson. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance in which our closeted cop and his crossdressing boyfriend both make progress in their relationship.
The Twelve Days of Randy (Special Delivery, Book 2.5) by Heidi Cullinan. free ebook. Very good holiday m/m romance about Ethan and Randy trying to get the Christmas celebration they want.
Blood and Alchemy (Drone Vampires, Book 11) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance continuing the story of the beleaguered Drone Vampires and their allies. This book focused on warlock Donavan and his vampire mate Nolan. Be warned that this book ends on a cliffhanger, so be sure you have Book 12 on hand!
Tears of Blood (Drone Vampires, Book 12) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance focusing on vampire Toby, who gets sick at the sight of blood, and his warlock crush, Blaine, who can’t get involved with Toby. This ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but nowhere near as bad as the previous book.
Quinn’s Blessing (Kindred Spirits, Book 4) by Jude Mason & Jenna Byrnes. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance continuing the spiritly adventures at the Whiskers Inn, this time focusing on the new cook and the reverend as everyone prepares for a wedding.
Technique (Taking the Odds, Book 1.5) by James Buchanan. ebook short. Originally published in 2007 in the Toy Box: Handcuffs anthology. Steamy short m/m encounter featuring Nicky, Brandon, and a set of handcuffs.
Aaron Bradley: Closet Detective by Timothy Owen. ebook. So-so m/m romance with an identity crisis. Calling this book Aaron Bradley: Closet Detective is deceptive – only a tiny part of the book is about the deeply closeted Aaron. Far more of the book is devoted to the mysterious Candice and her shenanigans. I think that this book, while definitely written in an engaging style, needed a lot of editing to give it some focus… and maybe it shouldn’t have been published by Dreamspinner.
Irreversible Error (Steppenwolf, Book 1) by Wolf Phoenix. ebook. Good m/m mystery/romantic suspense about a cop who gets drawn into a murder investigation when his friend, the mother of the victim, asks him to look at the case more closely. You’ll definitely want to have the sequel on hand, since the first book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Also, I dislike the covers on both this book and the sequel, primarily because they’re spoilers for the books.
Cruising Adventures by Nicole Dennis. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about two guys who meet at the beginning of a short GLBT cruise and decide to be together for the duration of the cruise: no future, no past, just the present… Several parts of the plot seemed unbelievable to me and I didn’t manage to suspend disbelief.
Save Me From Myself by Cassie Stevens. ebook. What, save you from from the issue you have with grabbing yourself? (Sorry, I really hate this cover.) Ok kinky m/m romance about a dominant who hates the former Marine (now successful clothing designer) who came home alive from Iraq, when the dom’s lover did not. Of course, the clothing designer knows all about the dom from the dead boyfriend and is convinced that the dom is exactly what he needs.
Cardamom: A Taste of Home by Winnie Jerome. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a whiny college student, away from home for the first time, who spends a lot of time feeling sorry for himself because things, especially with the fuck buddy he followed to college, are not going at all as he expected.
Pomegranate by Vic Winter. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a wedding planner and one of the photographers he works with who have mutual crushes on each other, but neither is aware of the other’s interest.
Dirty Little Lie by C.R. Moss. ebook short. Meh short paranormal m/m romance about an adulterous guy in the process of getting divorced who’s involved with a man for the first time ever, and a very mysterious man at that. The sudden paranormal ending was a complete WTF.

“Hold really still, Mom. I almost have that sparkly red mouse (SRM)!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Friday the Thirteenth Lucky Linkity

34 Comments

Congrats to Amie, who won Enslaved by Blood (Drone Vampires, Book 10) by Stephani Hecht! Enslaved by Blood will be released by eXtasy Books on August 15.

Congrats to Paula, who won A Game of Skills (The Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club, Book 2) by TC Blue! A Game of Skills will be released by Total-E-Bound on August 16. (And go read this interview with TC Blue!)

If you read m/m romance, you should definitely join the M/M Romance Group on GoodReads. It’s a great source for reading recommendations, discussions, eye candy, author news, giveaways, and more.

Contests

Bookity

  • Tracey D left such a great comment here yesterday I had to share it with all of you: “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again. — Review for The Wizard of Oz”

Ebookity

Learn, Make, Do, Think

Linkity Peeps

Cool

Huh

  • Erm. I certainly know what I think this pen looks like! (NSFW, depending on how you perceive the pen.)
  • Not sure that these skull spoons could actually be used as spoons, with those eye holes…

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
This week’s short reading list is due to my small part in the M/M Romance Group’s celebration, plus I’m in the midst of reading a very long book. I’m sure I’ll finish it by next Friday. 🙂
Duck! by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance/fairy tale about an avian shifter who was raised in the human foster system and only recently discovered that he wasn’t human. Since it’s believed he’ll be a low-status duck shifter, he’s being treated very, very poorly until a high-ranking hawk shifter decides to take him home as a servant/submissive. Um, I might’ve gotten sniffly while reading this one…
Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton. ebook. Very good m/m romance about an accountant who works all the time, always chasing his next promotion, and a guy who doesn’t need to work but travels incessantly, unable to stay too long in one place. I got sniffly while reading this one, too!
A Game of Skills (The Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club, Book 2) by T.C. Blue. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a guy who’s been on the run for a long time, protecting his dead best friend’s child, who has special abilities. Along the way, they rescue a member of the Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club… but will coming to the Club’s attention help them, or further endanger them?
Boys of Pleasure by Heidi Cullinan. illustrated short ebook. Very good short m/m romance about a librarian who’s out at a bar to clear his head after a fight with his boyfriend and becomes fascinated by the guitarist onstage.
Valley of Shadows by Phoenix Emrys. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a famous historical romance author who has a big secret: he can see and speak with ghosts. Ghosts who want him to pass on messages to their loved ones so that they can rest in peace. He does so anonymously… until one fateful day. This story took a somewhat odd and unexpected turn about 2/3 through… and I still haven’t decided what I think about it.
Changing Perspective (Lusting Wild) by Marilu Mann. free ebook short. So-so free short paranormal m/m romance about a bar owner who is unexpectedly attracted to the guy applying to be a bouncer. (The cover’s a bit amusing for an m/m romance, isn’t it?)
Heart Song by Jambrea Jo Jones. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a guy whose older, emotionally distant lover has just died. (And talk about a cover bonanza! Candy Cane Guy and Torso Guy!)

“Tough luck, Mom. I’m staying right here, so you can just forget about mailing all this stuff out to those M/M Romance Group people.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which I completely fail to come up with anything remotely clever for a linkity post title

31 Comments

Congrats to Lily, who won the copy of Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton! Strawberries for Dessert is now available from Dreamspinner Press. (To promote Strawberries for Dessert, Heidi Cullinan posted a free short featuring Randy and Sam from Special Delivery and Double Blind.)

Contests

  • LesleyW’s curious about your book prejudices. Leave a comment about said prejudices before August 7 for your chance to win a copy of The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn.
  • Devyn Quinn’s giving away a copy of her new paranormal romance, Siren’s Call (Dark Tides), to a commenter on each of the three posts she made during her visit to Desert Island Keepers. Leave your comments by midnight, August 7, to enter.

Bookity

  • New releases: Lily (m/m romance), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR; includes interviews, contests, & news), Katiebabs (forthcoming releases whose covers intrigued her), Renee (romances that she’s looking forward to), and Elisa (GLBT releases for July).
  • The climbing library is gorgeous and very clever. I wonder if my condo association would notice me adding one…
  • Check out the Misadventure that Kris found! I added another example in the comments. Be warned that some of the other links in the comments are very NSFW.

Ebookity

Make, Learn, Do, Think

  • Yes! Vindication for my years and years and years of not making my bed. 🙂
  • And vindication for being a twitchy, doodling meeting attendee!
  • I really like this nautical rope bracelet. I wonder if I could find black nautical rope to make one for myself?

Huh

  • You will not catch me knitting any of these. Some of the comments are pretty funny, too. (Um, thanks??, MamaTulip!)
  • If you’ve always wanted to be able to punch a hole through the cap of a beer bottle and drink your beer through a straw (and you aren’t worried about the little metal disk now floating in your beer), you’ll love the BottleBop Bottle Cap Punch.
  • July was National Ice Cream Month in the US. Consumerist listed ten bizarre ice cream flavors that you might want to try… or not. No, no haggis ice cream for me, thanks!

Cool

Linkity Peeps

LOL

  • Is it bad that I’d like to modify my car to do this?! And while I wouldn’t necessarily want to modify my car to do this, it’s pretty clever. (Thanks, Jeanne!)

Teh Cute

  • Just be warned that you might not make it out alive from the Daily Squee…

Reading Update
See what happens when I read long books instead of shorts?! I have a very short Reading Update. 🙂
Brushback (Evan Austin Mysteries, Book 1) by Jamie Scofield. ebook. Excellent m/m mystery about a Seattle private investigator hired to find an about-to-be heir by the mother who abandoned the boy and his father years ago. However, things aren’t quite as straightforward as that. 🙂 So… are there going to be any other books in the series?! This seems to be the only book from the press and the only book by this author… and no updates since the June 2009 release.
Double Blind (Special Delivery, Book 2) by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a gambler who picks up and inadvertently saves a guy who just lost his last five dollars at roulette and isn’t sure what he has left to live for.
Loving Edits by Mickie B. Ashling. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a rich and prestigious editor, the writer/lover he dumped years ago, and the writer’s beloved and devoted boyfriend. The beginning might be tough to get through, because none of the three are shown in a particularly good light, but the payout is more than worth it (probably because of it)! I’m always hesitant to read menage, because so few authors have convinced me that it would work emotionally for everyone involved, but I can definitely add Mickie B. Ashling to my list of authors who can make it work.
Priority One by Stephani Hecht. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a new paramedic, young and inexperienced in more ways than one, who’s living with his overprotective brother while trying to recover from a traumatic incident.
Tinsel and Frost by Eden Winters. ebook short. Sweet short holiday m/m romance about a former ballet dancer who’s now a stripper after a career-ending accident.
The Distance Between Us by L.A. Witt. ebook. Decent m/m romance that, unfortunately, drove me completely nuts more than once or twice, or I would’ve rated it higher. It’s about two guys who have been together for ten years and finally broke up recently. However, they’re still living together because of the housing market – they can’t afford to sell their house and they can’t afford to pay rent somewhere else and pay the mortgage on the house. They get a very hot roommate and then both get sexually involved with him. I wanted to slap the two main characters. Many, many times.The sex-to-story ratio was seriously skewed. And this wasn’t one of the menage books that worked for me. All of this is a shame, because I really like L.A. Witt’s writing.
So Much More Than Naked (Books 1 & 2) by D.J. Manly. ebooks. Um. These m/m romances were codependent trainwrecks of pseudo-bdsm, the two main characters were both TSTL, and I only kept reading out of sick fascination for how bad it could get.

“Well, ok, I am less bored now that Mom finally opened the windows again.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

What linkity through yonder window breaks?

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Congrats to KC (SmokinHotBooks), who won Making Promises (sequel to Keeping Promise Rock) by Amy Lane! Making Promises will be released on Monday, July 26, by Dreamspinner Press.

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Reading Update
Sweet Son by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Very good bdsm m/m faery tale about a young man who, after having numerous dreams of his true love, sets off to find him. The journey is not at all what he expects… truly a case of “you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.”
Phoenix Rising by Kimberly Gardner. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a deeply closeted guy who falls for a stripper who doesn’t want to be anybody’s dirty little secret ever again.
Bound to Please (Phoenix Rising, Book 2) by Kimberly Gardner. ebook. Excellent kinky m/m romance about a young man who’s secretly in love with his boss, a photographer and dominant who owns a bdsm club. When the dominant starts working with a hot new model and former porn star, everything changes. (Usually I don’t read menages, because most authors can’t make the emotional/romantic connections between three people convincing. Kimberly Gardner can.)
Sexy Summer Fling by Kimberly Gardner. free ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy working as a (female) fortune teller when a very hot guy comes in to get his palm read.
A Wicked Caress (Lost Shifters, Book 5) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Noah, the most recently rescued of the Lost Shifters. He’s back in Flint with his family for the first time ever, but he doesn’t feel as if he belongs there.
Blood Slave by Kim Dare. ebook. Good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a vampire who doesn’t realize that humans can offer submission without being broken to do so.
Mitch by Dakota Rebel. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a bounty hunter who’s given a contract on the very sexy vampire lead singer of a popular band.
The Letter Z (Coda, Colorado, Book 3) by Marie Sexton. ebook. Very good m/m romance about Angelo & Zach and Jared & Matt and how relationships are complicated and easily misunderstood by those outside the relationships… including, in this case, the reader. You definitely need to read both Promises and A to Z before reading this book.
Sticky Fingers (Go Fish, Book 2) by H.T. Murray. ebook short. Steamy short m/m romance that follows up on Cal and Ian. Particularly recommended if you love watermelon.
What Not To Wear by Clare London. ebook short. Fun short m/m romance about the dangers of working at the same company as your boyfriend when you both have a penchant for public sex.
Nevermore by Addison Albright. ebook short. Sweet’n’steamy short m/m romance about a divorced teacher who’s stayed in the closet because he’s been afraid of taking risks with his job or his kids.
Wicked Hearts by Claire Thompson. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s basically been under his cruel and nasty best friend’s thumb for years. Things do not go smoothly as he tries to put more distance between himself and his friend.
Masks of Emotion (aka Julian’s Second Chance) by Claire Thompson. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who traveled in Sri Lanka together for a few days when they were college students, then lost touch due to a big misunderstanding.
Runaway Man by Jambrea Jo Jones. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who runs into his boyfriend on the train, after vanishing from his boyfriend’s life without a word some months before.

“What?” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Sweet Son by Heidi Cullinan [CONTEST CLOSED]

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Congrats to Otter, who won the copy of Fall Down the Mountain by P.D. Singer!

Many thanks to Heidi Cullinan for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming kinky m/m fairy tale, Sweet Son, for a lucky reader to win! Sweet Son will be released by Dreamspinner Press on July 14.

Pride and desire send prosperous merchant Eryn on a personal quest to find the perfect man to share his life. Eryn has heard of a mythical land beyond the mountains, where it is rumored that a benevolent, magical prince rules a kingdom of equality and harmony, and so he sets out, alone and determined… but even the most focused of determination will only take Eryn so far.

A destined true love does wait for Eryn, but the path to his future is rife with risk, and he will face not only his deepest fears, but also pain, torture, and bone-deep desolation as he struggles to reach Wyn, a sweet, beautiful, and fragile man trapped in an enchantment. If Eryn is to have any chance at a happily ever after, he will have to conquer the illusions that have always consumed him, even if it means sacrificing life and limb for love.

Excerpt

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About Heidi

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.

You can visit Heidi at her website and at her blog.

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“Hey, you. Yeah, you. Don’t make me get up and use my Paw o’ Death on you.” -Chaos