Tag Archives: Rick R. Reed

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Long ago, in a linkity land…

29 Comments

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Make, Think, Do, Learn

Cool

  • Tape art – way better than you expect.

Huh

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Tourist by Clare London. ebook. Excellent paranormal m/m romance told from the perspective of a tourist, a spirit who can head hop, albeit with limited control. Usually he just stays for the sex and then moves on… but something’s different for him this time. This totally sucked me in and I couldn’t go to bed until I finished it. To be released 2/28.
Another Enchanted April by Eric Arvin. ebook. Excellent and cleverly written m/m romance about three friends on vacation in a seaside town, staying at an Italianate villa with intoxicatingly lovely gardens. Each of them will be profoundly changed… but not necessarily in the ways they expected. (And I may have gotten sniffly whilst reading this. I can neither confirm nor deny.)
A Strong Hand by Catt Ford. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a famous photographer of erotica who’s shooting a catalog of high-end sex toys when he begins to realize he’s attracted to his assistant after his assistant models for the shoot.
Ruby Slippers by Alexi Silversmith. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a police detective who thinks that men shouldn’t wear makeup or do anything feminine, so when he finds out what his boyfriend does for a living, things get ugly. I enjoyed the chance to see James and Ethan from What They Say About Love as secondary characters.
Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Very good collection of three m/m mysteries featuring Chicago PI Nick Nowak. Set in 1980 before AIDS devastated the gay community, these gritty stories reminded me of Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski mysteries, only with a lot more sex. ๐Ÿ™‚
Boystown 2: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Another very good collection of three mysteries featuring Chicago PI Nick Nowak. I really, really hope that the author is busily working on Boystown 3, because the final story ended on a surprising (but sadly realistic) dark note.
Out on the Net by Rick R. Reed. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who finally accepts that he’s gay 20 minutes before he’s supposed to get married to a woman. The story is told via his blog as he tries to figure out being gay and meeting guys in his small town.
Bloodlines by Jessica Lee. ebook. Very good (and smokin’ hot) paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shapeshifter, supposed to be the next alpha of his pack, who’s kicked out of his pack when his father discovers he’s gay.
Red Hot by Kate Roman. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a straight guy who breaks up with his girlfriend because he can’t stop thinking about his male roommate.
Brush with Desire by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Very good steamy m/m short that starts with an exhausted IT guy drooling over a hot man in a suit he sees in the grocery store and ends with a smoking hot (and humorous!) encounter between them.
Hearts and Flowers by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about an accountant, a found puppy, classified ads, and quite a bit more. While I enjoyed the story, I felt there was just too much going on for the story’s length.
Driven to Distraction by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox. ebook. Good m/m romance about a professor who inherited his grandfather’s collection of classic cars. When he damages one of the cars, he has the chance to get to know his mechanic much, much better…
Possession (Devlin Island, Book 1) by S.W. Vaughn. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about an unfortunate vacationer who runs aground on Devlin Island with the worst possible timing, then meets a crabby male witch trying to figure out if there’s a demon loose on the island.
Where He Belongs by D.C. Juris. ebook short. Good kinky short m/m/m romance about a sub who left his two masters and now has to try to convince them to take him back.
Sandpipers’ Secrets (Sandpipers, Book 1) by Jade Archer. ebook. Good m/m/m romance about a guy who desperately needs a job to keep he and his brother off the streets and so is happy to get a kitchen job at Sandpipers, despite the attraction he feels to the couple who own the restaurant.
Xavier’s Way by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who realizes that his now ex-fiance was siphoning money out of his business. But what are these strange feelings he has for the handsome auditor he’s hired to gather evidence of his ex’s wrongdoing?
A Measure of Discipline by Diane Adams. ebook short. Ok m/m short about a guy who’s leaving his university number crunching job and needs to train two student workers to take his place. I haven’t read the two previous stories and, alas, this was just confusing as a standalone.
Best Man by Shelley Munro. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about two closeted rugby players and teammates, neither of whom knows the other is gay, who’ve been lusting after each other.
Work of Art by Rob Knight. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a neurotic artist and a guy who manages musicians. This was basically just a little slice of their life together and I couldn’t really see a point to it.
Tryst by Stone Richards. ebook. Meh m/m romance about a PI who gets sent to London to investigate a prominent businessman for a company considering a deal with the man. The whole thing was so implausible…

“Ok, you’re right, your phone doesn’t have a flash…” -Chaos

“…But the big kitty and I think you need to stop taking pictures of us anyway, flash or not.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Ackity!

38 Comments

Contests

  • Leave a comment for LesleyW with some urban fantasy related ideas to muse about for your chance to win a copy of Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day. Winner announced on May 29.
  • S7anna’s having her very first contest. She’s giving away three different packs of romances and swag (bookmarks, etc). Leave a comment by May 30 for your chance to win.

Bookity

  • I don’t ever usually watch book trailers, but I’m glad I watched this one by Tessa Dare. Best. Book. Trailer. Ever. (Thanks, Donna F!)

Ebookity

Learn, Make, Do, Think

Yikes

LOL

Awww

  • Comparison pictures of how different kittens look when they’re young vs. when they’re a bit older.

Reading Update
The Blue Moon Cafe by Rick R. Reed. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m chiller about a guy who becomes involved with a mysterious restaurant owner who never seems to be available at certain times of the month. At the same time, Seattle’s gay community is reeling from a series of brutal murders…
Witness by L.A. Gilbert. ebook. Sweet m/m romance about a cop who meets a bike messenger while on a routine call, then runs into him again when he backs over the guy’s bike. This book would’ve benefited from a bit more conflict (or perhaps conflict not effortlessly resolved) and fewer point-of-view shifts, particularly near the beginning of the book.
Idaho Pride by Sarah Black. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a sports writer who ends up in an altercation between some hockey players and staff members of the Idaho Pride newspaper – an altercation that changes the lives of many of the guys involved.
Betweentimes by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance about a businessman who is surprised (but pleased) when his cute bohemian neighbor invites him out for dinner at the tacky local Mexican place.
Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Very good m/m romance about Sam, a nursing student who hits the road with trucker Mitch and learns a helluva lot about himself in the process. Those of you who know I’m not a fan of books with menagey bits are probably surprised to see that I read and liked this one, huh? This book worked for me because it didn’t neglect the emotional to focus strictly on the physical. While I had to stop reading several times because I was a bit overwrought about Sam’s emotional safety, I kept returning to the book and am very glad that I read it.
An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride. ebook. Very good m/m scifi romance about Pasha, a whore whose master, unable to cover a bet, loses him for 24 hours to a rough and fascinating man. Pasha can’t remember the man, who seems to know more about him than he knows about himself. I’m glad Jase warned me that this stopped abruptly, so I was prepared. *commences impatiently waiting for sequel*
Winner Takes All by Jenny Urban & Elizabeth Silver. ebook. Very good m/m romance about two competitive friends and business rivals (one gay, one straight) who fool around when they’re drunk… and then a business crisis escalates things a bit.
Black: Black Leather by Vic Winter. ebook short. Steamy short m/m romance about a band that’s touring for the first time since the previous lead singer overdosed. The lead guitar player isn’t looking forward to being in charge of keeping the new lead singer in line.
8 Seconds on the Mountain (Mountain #4) by P.D. Singer. ebook short. Oh oh – is Kurt trying to get himself and Jake beaten up at the rodeo?!
And Is Never Shaken by Alexi Silversmith. ebook. Good May-December m/m romance about a professor who keeps running into a book restorer. Will the secrets from the professor’s past be insurmountable?
Only His Heart (Only #3) by Shawn Lane. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a nurse, new to the hospital, who can’t resist the handsome doctor that the rest of the staff calls the Ice Queen.
Forces of Nature by Lily Grace. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance about a physicist who’s had a huge crush on his actor best friend since college, but has always been afraid to do anything about it until they get caught in a thunderstorm together.
Time Zone Impaired by Andy Slayde & Ali Wilde. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy who stops at a restaurant after a flight from Australia, not realizing it’s Valentine’s Day until his cute waiter tells him. This had that unfortunate open-ended feel that makes me suspect it is the first in a series of shorts about this couple. I hate that – I’d much rather buy a longer completed story than read a serial.
Where the Moon Touches by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Good short m/m paranormal romance about a werewolf who’s being forced to marry a female and plans to go on sex binge with as many guys as he can during his last 30 days of freedom. His plan gets short-circuited almost immediately. (This also had that “part of a serial” feel.)
Left of Center by Zathyn Priest. ebook. Somewhat bizarre m/m romance about a non-Goth veterinarian who shamelessly lies on an online site for Goths so he can pick up guys – and then the player gets played.
Skipping Stones by D.J. Manly. ebook. I started out liking this book about a young artist who retreats from Paris after the end of an affair and seeks shelter with his best friend, who’s part owner of a gay friendly resort in Florida. Alas, by the end of the book, I wanted to slap the three main characters.
Picture Me Perfect (Sammy Dane, Book 2) by Stormy Glenn. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a photographer who moves in with a cop to hide from his abusive drug dealer ex-boyfriend. Typical Stormy Glenn. What else can I say, other than please get a better editor? (Or maybe any editor…)
Screwed by Amanda Young. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about a teacher who was fired after racy pictures of he and another guy showed up online.

“Dear internetz: Please send help. This woman continues to hold me prisoner under the most miserable conditions imaginable.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: The Blue Moon Cafe by Rick R. Reed [CONTEST CLOSED]

48 Comments

Many thanks to Rick R. Reed for donating an ebook copy of his gay werewolf chiller, The Blue Moon Cafe, for one lucky reader to win! (Kept me on the edge of my chair at times – eep!)

Someone – or something – is killing Seattle’s gay men.

A creature moves through the darkest night, lit only by the full moon, taking them, one by one, from the rain city’s gay gathering areas.

Someone – or something – is falling in love with Thad Matthews.

Against a backdrop of horror and fear, young Thad finds his first true love in the most unlikely of places – a new Italian restaurant called The Blue Moon Cafe. Sam is everything Thad has ever dreamed of in a man: compassionate, giving, handsome, and with brown eyes Thad feels he could sink into…and he can cook! But as the pair’s love begins to grow, so do the questions and uncertainties, the main one being: Why do Sam’s unexplained disappearances always coincide with the full moon?

Prepare yourself for a unique blend of horror and erotic romance with The Blue Moon Cafe, written by the author Unzipped magazine called, “the Stephen King of gay horror.” You’re guaranteed an unforgettable reading experience, one that skillfully blends the hottest romance with the most chilling terror…

Excerpt (scroll down)

Review

About Rick R. Reed

In their October 2006 issue, Unzipped magazine said: “You could call him the Stephen King of gay horror.” And Dark Scribe magazine said: “Reed is an established brand – perhaps the most reliable contemporary author for thrillers that cross over between the gay fiction market and speculative fiction.” To date, Reed has twelve published novels to his credit, and his short fiction has appeared in more than 20 anthologies. His novel, Orientation, won the EPPIE Award for best LGBT novel of 2008. He lives in Seattle, WA.

You can learn more about Rick and his books at his website and his blog.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Tuesday, June 1.
  • If you havenรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entryรขโ‚ฌยฆ
  • 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 รขโ‚ฌโ€œ this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the รขโ‚ฌล“Emailรขโ‚ฌย portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If a winner doesnรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the authorรขโ‚ฌโ„ขs intellectual property and donรขโ‚ฌโ„ขt make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

*happykittyboxserenityzone* -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Lost in the linkity again

37 Comments

Congrats to Orannia, who won the copy of Freeze Frame (Faerily Imperfect, Book3) by Mia!

Many thanks to Kris, as I was one of the winners in the Kris’n’Good Books m/m rut challenge!

Contests

  • Author Laurie R. King wants to know what your fantasy library would be like. If you let her know by April 9 and she falls in love with your library, you’ll win two pieces of literary art, plus she’ll send a box of her books to the public library of your choosing.
  • Leave a comment for author Julia Rachel Barrett in which you pitch a romance novel in 500 words or less. (Please note that this contest does not commit you to actually writing said romance novel!) Ten winners will receive a signed copy of The Cougar Book steamy short story collection, two winners will receive ebooks of Beauty and the Feast, two winners will receive ebooks of My Everything, and one winner will receive a raincheck for Daughters of Persephone (Books 1-4). Contest runs through April 21.

Reading and Beyond

  • “Hey, Chris, how come you aren’t posting all about that exciting new iPad gizmo?!” Well, two main reasons. First, I’m not an Apple fangirl. Yup, they’ve come up with some cool new stuff, but anything that’s going to force me to use iTunes (which I hate with a hatey sort of hate) isn’t going to appeal to me. Second, I think this we’re at a point of big change for ereaders. Maybe the iPad will change everything. Maybe it won’t. But as Gizmodo notes, there are more contenders out there than just the iPad.
  • CursingMama found a wonderfully thoughtful and eloquent post on simply blogging for blogging’s sake.

Learn and Make Stuff

Things That Amused Me (or Made Me Go “Huh?”)

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Duty and Devotion by Tere Michaels. ebook. Very good m/m romance primarily about the guys from Faith and Fidelity and how their relationship and lives develop. Recommended, but you must read both Faith and Fidelity and Love and Loyalty first. That shouldn’t be a hardship. ๐Ÿ™‚
Downtime by Tamara Allen. ebook. Excellent time travel m/m romantic suspense about an FBI agent from the present who ends up back in 1888 London. I don’t want to say anything more about it (besides my getting rather tearful at one point), except that, yes, it was rather historical. And I don’t read historicals. I guess I’m mellowing!
Freeze Frame (Faerily Imperfect, Book 3) by Mia Watts. ebook. Fun’n’steamy paranormal m/m romance about a half-faery PI whose unpredictable ability to freeze time might be more hindrance than help as he becomes involved with a guy he’s supposed to be following. Hijinks ensue. ๐Ÿ™‚
Can’t Hurry Love by M. Jules Aedin. ebook. Another fun paranormal m/m romance, this time about a guy who, as his probation from the Easter Bunny Department, is assigned to help a guy in the Cupid Department who isn’t meeting his quotas or completing his paperwork.
Windows in Time by M. Jules Aedin. ebook. Very well done m/m romantic suspense/ghost story about a writer, convalescing in his apartment after breaking his leg, who sees a guy in the apartment across from his do a striptease… and then dissipate.
All the Things You Are by M. Jules Aedin. ebook. Sweet (but not too sweet!) m/m romance about a guy who’s just finished college and moved to San Francisco from Alabama. He’d been hoping to play pro football, but a knee injury ended that possibility; instead, he plans to explore life uncloseted, which he wouldn’t have been able to do as pro football player.
Simple Men by Eric Arvin. ebook. Decent m/m romance about a straight college football coach who finds himself inexplicably attracted to the new college chaplain. There’s another storyline about two of the football players who are best friends and roommates.
Drawing Closer by Jane Davitt. ebook. Good m/m romance about a professor who tries to resist a slightly younger painter because he doesn’t believe the painter could be attracted to a D/s lifestyle. (I find this cover very disturbing, because it looks like the guy lying down is missing the lower half of his body.)
Pineapples & Chocolate by E.M. Lynley. free ebook short. Nicely done m/m short story (and free!) about a guy out grocery shopping, hoping to score.
Last Chance by Viki Lyn. ebook. This m/m paranormal romance really drew me in and I’m glad I didn’t start reading it right before bed, because I might have stayed up too late. A sexy science major is desperately trying to find a cure for his encroaching vampirism, so he certainly doesn’t need the distraction of a straight football player as his time runs out… or does he?
Hearts Afire: January by Bonnie Dee & T. A. Chase. ebook collection. I enjoyed Bonnie Dee’s paranormal m/m romance about a guy who inadvertently starts fires when he gets stressed, excited, etc. Will the sexy firefighter he meets believe him, or think he’s an arsonist? T. A. Chase’s m/m romance about a firefighter, an architect scarred by fire, and an arsonist stalker was ok… but, oh, am I ever sick of stalker stories…
Hearts Afire: April by Emery Sanborne & Jamie Craig. ebook collection. I thought that both of the m/m romances in this collection were very good. In Emery Sanborne’s, two firefighters in the same station don’t fight their mutual attraction very much, but things are complicated by them being just about the worst communicators ever. (Possibly worse than me! Impressive, that.) In the Jamie Craig story, a guy who was blinded in a car wreck looks up the firefighter who talked him through the rescue…
The Messenger by Adrianna Dane. ebook. Ok m/m holiday romance with some slightly squicky voyeurism and another darn stalker! Ack! Please. No more stalkers! (Also, I’d figured out what the big reveal was going to be by the time I’d read half of the story…)
Timeless by Patric Michael. ebook reread. Good m/m romance about two guys, one straight, one gay, who become friends in high school and stay friends, helping each other through the ups and downs of their lives and loves.
Reckless by Rick R. Reed. ebook short. Good, albeit disconcerting, short m/m story about a guy accused of passing HIV on to a one-night stand.
Moving Day by Jaime Samms. ebook. Nicely done m/m romance about a guy afraid to take a chance on love, and his best friend, who has loved over and over and watched too many of those loves die.
Apron Strings by Jaime Samms. ebook short. Well done m/m romance short about two guys in a relationship that’s gone a little stale over time.
The Best Man by Jenna Jones. ebook short. Hmm. Another well done m/m romance short about two guys in a long-term relationship that’s gone a little stale over time.
Wild Lickins by Amber Skyze. ebook. Between the title and the author name, I should’ve been warned, eh? Meh m/m romance about a guy who goes to a gay resort in an attempt to get over his attraction to his business partner, with whom he owns the ice cream shop Wild Lickins. It wasn’t too bad at first, but after some rather twisted duplicity was revealed, I was over the story. And it got worse as the dialogue deteriorated.

*sigh* “Always with the ear cleaning, big kitty…” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which May discovers the wonders of white sparkly feathers (and there are lots of book links)

25 Comments

Congrats to Dana, Kelly B, CC, elaing, and Marjorie, who all won copies of Lisa Dale’s It Happened One Night! (I’m amazed at the number of readers I have from Ontario. At least one, but usually two Ontarions have won in each of my Hatchette Book Group giveaways.)

Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) is giving away five Nancy Holder books (plus a tin of Wicked mints) – leave a comment by 8 pm CST, November 27, for your chance to win.

Donna’s also got a great list of bookish giveaways – head over and check it out. Sweet Vernal Zephyr keeps up with many of the latest contests in her Contest Bar (in the sidebar).

The latest Bookworm’s Carnival is up over at Literary Escapism.

Eeeek! How desperate are you for a free ebook? Desperate enough to read Shatnerquake (oh, bummer, looks like it isn’t available for free anymore). Maybe it would be less painful to sign on with Fang-tastic Books as an ebook reviewer.

Beware – Fictionwise has (for an unknown amount of time) all of their er0tica ebooks on sale for 30% off… and they categorize all their m/m as er0tica. (Tangentially, I’m amused that my m/m meme post from Friday is zooming up in page views, albeit low in comments. I can hardly wait to see the search terms on that one…)

The Minneapolis Public Library’s Holiday Clearance Sale runs from Wednesday, November 25, through Saturday, December 19, at the main library downtown.

Hee hee – the shortlist for the bad s3x in books award is out and includes such authors as Philip Roth, Paul Theroux, and Nick Cave.

Wow – too bad this ebook reader from Qualcomm is only an early prototype.

Interesting comic about ebook reading.

Check out the Gizmodo list of gift ideas for readers.

For you iphone people, this sounds like a fun app. Too bad you can’t add your own cats.

This wedding cake caused a spit take (definition 1, people!).

Oh, how I wish I could’ve attended this book signing event…

I am not surprised.

Squeee!!!!

This would definitely be May’s idea of paradise.

Completely how I remember it when Chaos ate a coffee bean as a kitten.

Tofurkey and gravy flavored soda. Bacon flavored envelopes. *blink blink* Please,ร‚ย  just say no.

If you’re poking around in my archives, trying to find posts with Reading Updates, I’ve added a “Reviewettes” sub-category to the “Reading” category. I’m working backwards to update posts and 2009 is done.

Reading Update
So Into You by Sandra Hill. I have the sense that this is probably one of a number of related books set in the Louisiana bayous? (I haven’t read any Sandra Hill before.) Anyway, this was a well-written contemporary romance and it totally sucked me in… even though I wanted to slap the main female and male characters more than once. Or twice. Or three times. ๐Ÿ™‚ (I received this copy from the publisher for review.)
Loves Me, Loves Me Knot (Chicks with Sticks, Book 2) by Heidi Betts. This well-done contemporary totally sucked me in – I sniffled more than once while I was reading it. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a bit of yarn’n’steam with their romance reading. (Interesting. I see that the Kindle and mass market pb versions are $6.99, but at Diesel Ebooks, the mobi version’ll set you back… $12.03, after $1.97 discount. WTF?!)
To Serve and Protect by Chris Owen, C. B. Potts, Tory Temple, and Alexa Snow. ebook. Decent m/m romance collection about firefighters and cops.
Man of Mystery by Madeleine Urban. ebook. Happy father and downtrodden househusband Alan transforms into Terence, man of mystery, after an accident leaves him with amnesia. Recommended – Madeleine Urban definitely knows how to write an intense m/m romance.
Old Poison (Dangerous Ground, Book 2) by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Very intense and very well-done m/m romantic suspense from Lanyon. You definitely need to read Dangerous Ground before you read this. Both are highly recommended.
Another Dream (Dreams, Book 2) by Addison Albright. ebook. Good m/m romance. Really, my only complaint about Albright’s books are the number of times the characters use each other’s names in conversation. Way, way more than is normal – and enough to be annoying.
Surrendered Victory by K.C. Kendricks. ebook. Nicely done m/m romance about two guys who work for rival construction companies – one who has been afraid to admit that he might be gay, the other very comfortable being gay.
Somebody To Love by Carolina Valdez. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a helicopter pilot/firefighter who is very intrigued by the masked Chippendale dancer who wanders over to kiss him after the show (at a combined bachelor/bachelorette party in Las Vegas). (I bet this cover rates way up there on the MamaTulip Abs Approval Meter.)
Son of a Preacher Man by Jamie Craig. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a man who returns to the town where he lived briefly as a teen, hoping that another encounter with the son of a preacher man will help him sort out his confusion over his sexuality.
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys by Lynn Lorenz. ebook. Fun m/m romance about a New Orleans dress-up party in which attendees are told whether to attend in drag or stag.
Superstar by Rick R. Reed. ebook. A story of obsessive love unfolds through flashbacks as a man standing on Seattle’s “Suicide Bridge” tries to decide whether to end things.
Through the Closet Door by Rick R. Reed. ebook. Touching story about a married man in his 20s who’s struggling with coming out.
Man-Amorphosis by Rick R. Reed. ebook. Amusing, tongue-in-cheek tale of a gay man who wakes up to discover part of his body has changed its configuration, so the first thing he does is get into drag and head out to bag straight guys. Dang, Reed is definitely a versatile writer!
Mind F*cked (Faerily Imperfect, Book 1) by Mia Watts. ebook. Very nicely done and ever-so-steamy m/m paranormal romance about a stunning half-fae security expert who can read minds and a bank manager who doesn’t believe in magic or that anyone so gorgeous could find him attractive. Recommended.
She’s Got Balls by Mia Watts. ebook. Enjoyable m/m romance about an FBI agent and a cop who have to go undercover as a married heterosexual couple. My only complaint was that the story needed a bit more fleshing out near the end.

“Pretty sparkly feathery snowy toy!! Yum!!” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

TGIF… oh, wait, it isn’t Friday yet… *sigh*

22 Comments

Tell authors Diana Holquist and Julie James who you think People will pick as the sexiest man of 2009 and if you’re correct, you have the chance to win a copy of Holquist’s book The Sexiest Man Alive or James’ book Just the Sexiest Man Alive. Contest closes 10 pm CST, November 15, or before if People announces their pick early.

Don’t forget that J. Kaye always has at least a dozen bookish giveaways going!

Head over to Vampire Wire by November 22 for your chance to win a copy of Molly Harper’s Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men.

Author Heather Long is giving away $10 Amazon gift certificate over at Fantasy Dreamer. Enter by 8 pm CST, November 23, for your chance to win.

You could go to Moderncat for your chance to win kitty toys made from old sweaters and socks (drawing on November 17)… or you could go and look at the pictures and probably make your own. Moderncat’s also holding a contest for a cat toilet training kit… *blink blink*

The usual thorough weekend updates on urban fantasy and paranormal romance from SciFiGuy and Literary Escapism. Don’t miss Donna’s weekly news and contest post, either.

Smexy Books highlights some very steamy forthcoming books.

Dear Author links to a few of this month’s ebook specials.

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? They look pretty cool as data sets for visualization.

If you’re NaNoWriMoing, I hope you’re reading author Lynn Viehl’s blog, Paperback Writer. She offers up tips, encouragement, and humor, all of which you probably need about now.

Hey, that sure looks like a handknitted hat! Of course, May would want it pink, furry, and sparkly.

This is exactly what would happen if I knit a kitty bed for Chaos and Mayhem.

Don’t these gf pumpkin pie bars look yummy? I wonder if I could make them dairy-free…

Margene alerted me to a holiday I missed – Chaos Never Dies Day, which was November 9. Thanks, Margene!

Reading Update
How To Score by Robin Wells. This was a light-hearted and fun contemporary romance that I think would score respectably on the CursingMama book readability scale (and since I just invented it, I’m sure CursingMama is as puzzled as y’all as to what that might be). I keep trying to summarize the plot and failing. The best I can do is tell you that this book involves an FBI agent pretending to be his life coach brother, a hitman on the loose, a woman who keeps injuring the guys she dates, a dog who will go to great lengths to devour leather, and art deco houses.
Paul’s Dream by Rowan McBride. ebook. Lawyer Paul doesn’t know that the puzzles he solves in his dreams are real, until incubus Kian shows up to thank Paul for rescuing Kian while he was dreaming. Decent, not great paranormal m/m romance.
Partners in Crime (Cards on the Table & Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel) by Josh Lanyon & Sarah Black. ebook. Two excellent stories of m/m romantic suspense.
Portrait of a Kiss by T.D. McKinney and Terry Wylis. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance that had me sniffling a bit near the end. A cop inherits an old Southern house haunted by the ghost of a man believed to have murdered a pair of young lovers 50 years before. A very handsome and irresistible ghost…
A Bit of Rough and Roughhousing by Laura Baumbach. ebooks. Very steamy, yet romantic m/m romances about an architect and a guy who works in construction. Definitely worth reading.
Sympathy by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. Sweet and well done m/m romance that wasn’t paranormal, which is unusual for Price.
Jumping the Fence and Crossing the Line (OC Pride, Books 1-2) by Stephanie Vaughan. ebooks. Two good m/m romances from Vaughan about figuring out who you really are and what you need to be happy.
IM by Rick R. Reed. ebook. Usually I avoid serial killer books, but I think I sort of blocked out the serial killer bit when I picked this one up. Since the tagline is “Instant Message… or Instant Murder?” I think I really had to work on blocking it out. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Anyway, this was a solid m/m romantic suspense offering from Reed that had me on edge to the very end.
Car Wash by Shawn Lane. ebook. Ok m/m romance about Kevin, who’s working at a car wash after getting laid off from his office job. I must admit that I got a bit frustrated at Kevin not standing up for himself.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by Cassie Stevens. ebook. Good m/m romance about finally taking control of your own life.

“Neener neener neener – I have my own holiday and you don’t! Ha!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Halloween Linkity Horror Show! Eeeeeek!!

25 Comments

Vampire Wire’s giving away a copy of Bound to Shadows, the ninth Riley Jenson paranormal by Keri Arthur – that contest closes the evening of October 29. Anna also has a copy to give away – her winner will be announced October 31. Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) is giving away a copy, too – that contest closes 10 pm CST, November 1.

Largehearted Boy’s giving away a copy of Kids Go!, which is a book and DVD put out by They Might Be Giants. Winner will be announced midnight CDT, October 30.

Cecile’s curious whether you prefer bad boys or knights in shining armor. Let her know by October 30 for your chance to win a DVD of Supernatural.

Author Julie James is giving away a copy of Nalini Singh’s Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1) and Colleen Gleason’s The Rest Falls Away to someone who comments before 10 pm CST, October 30.

For an assortment of fun prizes from Linda Wisdom related to her Hex series, stop by Night Owl Romance before October 30.

Book Junkie’s giving away a copy of the cookbook Chocolate, a Love Story. Contest closes 11:30 pm EST, October 30.

Sara at Urban Fantasy Reader is giving away a copy of Ann Aguirre’s great urban fantasy, Blue Diablo. Contest closes midnight EST, November 2.

*blink blink* Ok, there’s an entire book of kitty wigs, called Glamourpuss. Moderncat’s giving away a copy on November 3 – stop and leave a comment before then if you’re interested. Or you can just go look at the kitty sweater costumes…

Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) is splitting her weekly news into new releases on Tuesday and contests/interviews/etc on Wednesday. SciFiGuy.ca posted another great news/interview/contest roundup over the weekend.

This is a dangerous week for kitties, especially for black kitties. Moderncat has some Halloween kitty safety tips.

Zombie kitteh!

Basement Cat knows what scares you…

Aren’t these kitty jack-o-lanterns cool?

Dear Author thinks this is a good time to buy an ereader; TeleRead disagrees. (Don’t forget that there are other readers besides the Sony, the Kindle, and the Nook out there!)

Dear Author brings up an important point that has been very neglected in the world of ebooks: readers have rights under copyright law, too.

An interesting post on book piracy from the MLR Press authors’ blog. Remember that not all pirated books are pirated from authorized ebook editions – in France, 95% of pirated ebooks were not from authorized editions (so were from scans, etc).

Completely drool worthy cover here…

Amy of A Closer Look at Flyover Land visited Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s last week and took some great pictures of the interior.

Jackie at Literary Escapism desperately needs submissions for the Urban Fantasy stop of the Bookworms Carnival before October 29.

Reading Update
Knit the Season (Friday Night Knitting Club, Book 3) by Kate Jacobs. Review copy from publisher. So, um, I didn’t actually read more than 1.5 chapters before I realized that I had pretty much mentally finished with these characters after the second book. It happens. But! If you didn’t feel that way, Knit the Season will be out November 3. Oh yeah, among the recipes at the back, there’s one for gluten-free pumpkin muffins. ๐Ÿ™‚
Becoming Us by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox. ebook. Wow. This m/m romance really took me by surprise. Very steamy, yet sweet, too, it’s the story of two guys in college – one out, one whose family with disown him if they found out he has a boyfriend. The only thing I didn’t like is that it felt like the book was building toward a big emotional crisis that never materialized. Weirdly, that was disappointing.
The Happy Onion by Ally Blue. ebook. I must confess that I avoided this good m/m romance for quite a while because I hated the name. The Happy Onion is a bar and vegan restaurant owned by one of the main characters.
Love, Like Ghosts (Bay City Paranormal Investigations) by Ally Blue. ebook. Very good m/m romance that takes place ten years after the events inร‚ย 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.
Life or Something Scary Like That by T.C. Blue. ebook. Good m/m romance that totally sucked me in – enough so that I left a comment for the author asking whether there was going to be another book featuring one of the characters. (Hopefully, but not yet.)
The One That Was Lost by T.C. Blue. ebook. Decent m/m romance that takes place during and after The One That Got Away.
Mexican Heat (Crimes & Cocktails, Book 1) by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon. ebook. Intense m/m romantic supsense – I thought I had it figured out, and I did, but only to a point. Recommended. Looking forward to a sequel!
Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Historical mystery and m/m romance. This very well done mystery was set in Los Angeles during World War II, when being outed could lead to being imprisoned or being committed. As CJ and I have both wondered, why the heck isn’t Josh Lanyon more widely known and available in my public library system?
VGL Male Seeks Same and NEG UB2 by Rick R. Reed. ebooks. Good m/m romances about a lonely guy in his forties who, in the first book, tries online dating, and in the second book, begins to blog. These definitely had a bit more substance than many m/m romances that I’ve read.
Cheating Chance and Inland Empire (Taking the Odds, Books 1-2) by James Buchanan. ebooks. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a closeted cop and a not closeted agent of the Nevada Gaming Commission who meet at a goth convention and then become entangled on a case. Highly recommended – I’m definitely looking forward to the third book, which isn’t out yet.

“Basement Cat has his eye on you and he knows if you’ve been nice or naughty…” -Chaos, acting as Basement Cat’s agent…