Michael Barnett | Stumbling Over Chaos

Don’t worry – even though today is supposed to be a day without cats on the internetz, you’ll still get your daily dose of Chaos and/or Mayhem here. Because, really? I’d be a-feared for my life otherwise. (Others are stepping up their cat blogging in reaction, too.)

Congrats to the contest winners, who will receive a copy of Michelle Rowen’sÂ Tall, Dark and Fangsome from Hatchette Books: Â Cyn, Donna S, Books on the Knob, Â Chelsea B, and Mishia! Stay tuned for another contest or two when I get back from vacation later this month. 🙂

Zonda and her team the Skeleton Crew (they work in x-ray!) are going to be in the Relay for Life in October if you’d like to donate to support the cause.

Lots of book news and many contests! Donna (Fantasy Dreamer), SciFiGuy, Literary Escapism, and Book Reviews by Jess have great summary posts.

Make your own ebook reader case and stand.

Wow, look at the improvement in the eink display between the older Sony PRS-500 and the new PRS-300!

Squee! If I had an iPhone, this case would definitely tempt me.

Just say no. Please.

Huh. Loud music might be bad for your ears, but good for your brain.

I had no idea there was a drink called a black cat.

Ain’t this the truth?!

Probably Mayhem couldn’t play poker, either.

If you have a cat and you’ve ever wondered why you can’t find yarn you know you had…

Sad that you missed out on the food oddities of the Minnesota State Fair? Live vicariously through Amy at A Closer Look at Flyover Land. (Yes, there are butter sculpture pictures.)

Before y’all freak out over the number of books in this reading update, remember that I didn’t post a reading update last week! Plus, these are the abs that have to sustain you during my vacation. 😉

Reading Update
Demon Inside by Stacia Kane. The second in this decent paranormal romance series about psychologist Megan Chase, who’s trying to adjust to leading her little group of demons while dating another demon.
The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, Book 4) by Gena Showalter. This was Sabin’s (Lord of Doubt) story. It was a solid addition to the series… but when will Paris’s torment end?! When is his book???
Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy. Contemporary romance sequel to McCarthy’s A Date with the Other Side about a disinherited heiress stranded in a farming town.
The Bachelor (The Chandler Brothers, Book 1) by Carly Phillips. So-so contemporary romance about a world-traveling reporter who returns to his small town home and runs into the only woman who ever broke his heart. Probably the most telling thing about this? I don’t care if I read the next two books or not.
Fated (Doomsday Brethren 1.5) by Shayla Black. Free ebook novella. Ho hum. I liked the first Doomsday Brethren book (hunky wizards!), but this story didn’t pull me in. Possibly reading Amor en Retrogrado immediately prior negatively affected my perception…
Amor en Retrogrado by A.M. Riley. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense about an author who loses much of his memory in an attack. This was a powerful read – I even cried a few times. Highly recommended.
What Matters Most by Lisa Marie Davis. ebook. So-so, somewhat sappy slightly paranormal m/m romance – the writing never really engaged me.
Lovers, Dreamers, and Me by Willa Okati. ebook. Meh m/m romance about an oblivious bookstore owner and a psychic. I wanted to slap characters around by halfway through, which I find is never a good sign.
The Best Vacation That Never Was by Lynn Lorenz. ebook. Decent m/m romance about a firefighter and the guy he rescues and takes home with him…
Holed Up by Hank Edwards. ebook. Well done m/m romantic suspense about an FBI agent protecting a man who overheard information about a terrorist attack.
Crossing Borders by Z.A. Maxfield. ebook. Good m/m romance about a cop and a skateboarder/college student, although waiting to find out what the big dramatic tension was going to be about killed me. (“Now? Is it now? Not yet? Sigh.”) However, this book did get bonus points for the Rurouni Kenshin references.
Drawn Together by Z.A. Maxfield. ebook. I think it’s safe to say that Z.A. Maxfield is a manga/anime fan, since this m/m romantic suspense was about a guy who travels across the country to a con to meet the manga artist he idolizes and believes is female. I really enjoyed this one and I even got sniffly a few times.
The Last Bite by Evangeline Anderson. ebook. Paranormal m/m romance about a demon hunting werewolf and his protege, who is bitten by a demon and lies dying.
Immortality is the Suck and What to Buy for the Vampire Who Has Everything by A.M. Riley. ebooks. Paranormal m/m sort of romance. The protagonist, former crooked cop and now vampire Adam, is such an antihero that I was surprised at how involved I got in the story. Recommended, although be warned that these are not light’n’fluffy easy reads.
High Country by Michael Barnett. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m paranormal romance about a scifi writer who rents a cabin on a Colorado high country ranch for a month so he can work on his latest book.
Claimed by Darkness by Mia Watts. ebook. There just wasn’t quite enough story mixed in with all the steam to support this paranormal m/m romance. And maybe it was my imagination, but the prose seemed to deteriorate as the story went on.
Altered Heart by Kate Steele. ebook. Pretty good paranormal m/m romance about a werewolf enforcer who kills a psychotic alpha werewolf and rescues the young man/werewolf being kept as a pet by said psychotic alpha werewolf.
To the Highest Bidder by Kate Steele. Sweet m/m romance about a bookstore owner whose friend buys him a lunch date with a Hollywood actor in a charity auction.
Faith and Fidelity by Tere Michaels. ebook. Powerful m/m romance about a widowed cop, his kids, and how things can get very complicated when you fall in love with your best friend. Recommended.