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! ๐
- 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 Samรขโฌโขs 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. ๐
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