Tag Archives: Tere Michaels

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Lost in the linkity again

April 1, 2010 Chris 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

Lea’s giving away a copy of Juliana Stone’s new paranormal romantic suspense, His Darkest Hunger. Comment by 6:30 pm EDT, April 1 (really hurry!) for your chance to win. Hmm. There’s a black jaguar shapeshifter in this one. Do you think that would satisfy Mayhem? 😉

Tracy’s giving away a copy of this year’s Harlequin More Than Words collection, which contains stories from five best-selling authors inspired by real-life heroines. Contest closes at 11:59 pm PDT, April 1 (so hurry!).

LesleyW’s curious about what sorts of extraneous details in books get on your nerves – food? Clothes? Something else? Leave a comment letting her know by April 2 and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Stobie Piel’s Lord of the Dark Sun.

For a chance to win a signed copy of Carolyn Crane’s new urban fantasy, Mind Games, leave a comment with your superhero names over at Angieville by midnight, April 2.

Largehearted Boy’s giving away volumes 1-5 of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim comic, plus assorted books and cds. Leave a comment by midnight CDT, April 2, for your chance to win.

Nalini Singh’s celebrating her PEARL Awards by giving away a copy of each winning book (Branded by Fire, Angel’s Blood, Blaze of Memory, Must Love Hellhounds). Leave a comment answering her question by 4 pm New Zealand Time, April 4, for your chance to win.

Blodeuedd’s giving away an ebook copy of Michele Hauf’s new paranormal romance, Her Vampire Husband, to someone who comments by April 5.

SciFiGuy’s giving away a signed copy of Jessica Andersen’s new urban fantasy, Demonkeepers (The Final Prophecy, Book 4). Contest closes midnight EDT, April 6.

Sidhe Vicious is giving away an ebook copy of Brigit Zahara’s new steamy paranormal romance, The Turning. Contest closes 11:59 pm, April 8.

A Journey of Books is giving away five copies of Jennifer Haymore’s historical romance, A Touch of Scandal. Fill out the form by midnight EDT, April 8, for your chance to win.

Donna Fantasy Dreamer’s giving away a copy of Melissa Marr’s forthcoming YA paranormal romance, Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely #4). For your chance to win, answer her question in the comments by 8 am CDT, April 9.

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

Looking for book news, contests, and new release info? Check out Donna Fantasy Dreamer’s weekly update (horror, paranormal, steampunk, urban fantasy, YA), All Romance (audiobooks), SciFiGuy (urban fantasy, paranormal romance), Literary Escapism (urban fantasy, paranormal romance),Â All Things Urban Fantasy (self-explanatory!), Lily’s I Love Books (m/m romance), and Elisa (LGBT).

Renee’s looking for people interested in receiving copy of Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life: Stop Wishing Your Life Were Different and Make It Happen by Arlene Harder, MFT, and posting a review of the book on Amazon.

All Romance eBooks is giving away the first ebook of series every day from April 1 through April 21. TeddyPig’s got the full list of ebooks that will be given away.

Alas, the Fictionwise Buywise Club has been discontinued! Members will continue to get Buywise Club prices until memberships expire, but will not be able to renew. (The Amber Quill Press Daily Deals also ended yesterday.)

“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.

If, even after all the rambling in the previous item, you’re still thinking about getting an ereader now and not waiting until things shake out a bit, TeleRead found a handy buyer’s guide, as well as an overview article.

Gizmodo noted that if you’re looking for a cheapish eInk reader, the Kobo might be just the thing.

Interesting article on TeleRead on why publishers fear price. Dear Author goes into more detail about the possible upcoming ebook price battle.

Do ebook readers mean the death of the dust jacket and its associated free advertising?

The Book Smugglers have a great post about cliched covers in fantasy.

Smart Bitches had some very amusing links yesterday – don’t miss the one for the 15th Century Peasant Romance Comics!

Wow – the world’s smallest library is in a phone booth.

Lightsaber bookends?!

And yet more monster’n’classic mashups… Plus mashup aficionado trek shares her review of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

CursingMama found a wonderfully thoughtful and eloquent post on simply blogging for blogging’s sake.

Learn and Make Stuff

Not sure that anyone should be surprised that the effect fatty foods have on your brain is similar to that of drugs…

Sometimes toys lead to major scientific breakthroughs.

Gizmodo’s got a great post on the 40 most important phones in history.

Here’s clever way to turn a milk/juice/soymilk carton into a cd mailer.

How to recycle an old book in to a very cool journal.

Lifehacker shares tips on how to make your stuff last longer.

Lily found a cool infographic filled with fun kitty facts!

IKEA Hacker’s got a really nice hidden litterbox idea.

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

You knew it was coming – the Periodic Table of All the Periodic Tables on the Internet.

Fantasy league, in the truest sense of the word…

Turn your food into gold! (Because, hey, that worked so well for King Midas.)

Ninja kitteh fail indeed…

Kitteh camouflage fail.

The story of May’s life.

This could’ve been Chaos as a kitten!

Poor Basement Kitteh in his hot pink kitteh carrier… and then plagued by his evil offspring…

Similar scenes have been enacted here.

Teh Cute

Moderncat discovered some really cute gadget skins with cats on them.

Check out the kitty pictures in the Consumerist Flickr pool.

Kittens, kittens, kittens, kittens, kittens everywhere.

Squee!

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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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, Playlistening, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity from the land of ice and snow

January 29, 2010 Chris 36 Comments

Contests: Reading

Leave a comment by January 30 at Smexy Books for your chance to win a copy of Larissa Ione’s new Demonica novel, Ecstasy Unveiled. Seductive Musings is also giving this book away and you have until 11:59 EST, January 30, to enter.

For a chance to win a copy Beth Kery’s forthcoming romance, Release, leave a comment over at Lea’s before the morning of January 30.

Abigail’s giving away a copy of Jennifer Estep’s Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1) – entries must be received by midnight MST, January 30.

For a chance to win a copy of Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, leave a comment at Anna’s before January 31.

Literary Escapism is giving away a copy of Terry Spear’s new paranormal romance, Legend of the White Wolf. Leave a comment by February 2 for your chance to win.

For a chance to win Nalini Singh’s forthcoming novel, Archangel’s Kiss (the sequel to Angel’s Blood), leave a comment at Literary Escapism by February 4.

Anna’s giving away a set of Sharon Lathan’s Darcy Saga books (Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Loving Mr. Darcy, and My Dearest Mr. Darcy) – leave a comment before January 31 for your chance to win. You have until February 6, 11:59 pm EST, to enter the contest at Seductive Musings for your chance to win a copy of My Dearest Mr. Darcy.

SciFiGuy’s giving away four hardcover copies of a brand new Darkover novel, Hastur Lord, by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross. This is open only to Canadian residents, who have until midnight EST, February 10, to enter.

Book Addict Patti is giving away signed copies of two of Richelle Mead’s paranormals (Succubus Blues and Vampire Academy). Contest closes February 19.

Have you heard about the League of Reluctant Adults’ Reading Challenge and Contest? Why not?!

Want more contest information? Donna Fantasy Dreamer has a lot of contest and new book information. Sweet Vernal Zephyr has an impressive (and constantly updated) list of contests in her sidebar. And Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy always has an amazing list of contests – 81 when I peeked yesterday.

Contests: Knitting

JessaLu will give away some of her handspun yarn to one lucky person who completes a short form to help her husband’s car club get some additional funding. The form must be completed by January 31.

Kristi wants to see a picture of something you knit during the 70s, or of you from the 70s with some of that inimitable 70s decor (foil or velvet wallpaper, shag carpet, avocado appliances, etc). One lucky winner will receive a copy of a knitting pattern plus some other knitting related goodies. Contest closes midnight EST, February 5.

Reading News & Bits

Lifehacker’s top ten tools for better online and offline reading.

TeleRead takes a look at the “Picard Syndrome” in the era of ebooks.

If you have a 13″ or 15″ MacBook, you could get a hardcover book cover for it!

Speaking of Apple, the iPad’s been the big news of the week. Smart Bitches comments on the name – I, too, thought it sounded like a feminine hygiene product. Gizmodo has posted all sorts of information on the iPad, the highlights of which are summarized in that link. TeleRead highlights links from a variety of sources. Lifehacker covers the good and the bad. Dear Author touches on the iPad before covering additional book news.

As always, don’t miss SciFiGuy’s weekend urban fantasy report.

For lots more book and reading links, head over to Love Romance Passion and Smart Bitches.

The Kandle is a light for ebook readers – not sure how well it works, but the name is definitely clever.

Wendy the SuperLibrarian weighs in on the news that a SoCal school has pulled the Merriam-Webster Dictionary from classrooms.

Jenre discusses various book rating systems and how, for example, four stars doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing across all of them.

Google Reader can now keep an eye on web pages that don’t have feeds. Yes!

Ten signs that it’s time to give up on the story you’re writing.

Paperback Writer on how to use word clouds to help generate titles.

TeleRead lists four tools that are useful for writing “in the cloud”. (I use EverNote and love it.)

Responses that great works of literature would get if released today?

Gary Snyder writes a poem about his Macintosh.

Knitting

TECHKnitting has a great article about using an i-cord mill to knit i-cord, then provides an additional tip on getting that i-cord started.

Fun & Games

Many thanks to Marta Acosta, who put together an Amazon playlist of my Vampire Mix in her sidebar! Please note that the playlist is of Amazon’s song samples, which are about 30 seconds each.

I love this joke from Illona Andrews: Batman walks into a bar and says, “Ow.”

Darn it, we missed Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

The Yellow Submarine tea infuser sure is cute.

Flashback to Windows 3.11 – sometimes it’s good to see how far we’ve come.

xkcd on the dark side of children’s fantasy.

The Milky Way Galaxy Subway Map is really cool.

Oh oh – Dirty Harry meets Rainman…

Black Kitties Running Amok

Chaos would be in heaven.

Mayhem would be nomming, not fleeing…

Soulsnatching can be exhausting.

Squee!

Now also featured in my sidebar – this is what Chaos would’ve looked like as a kitten if he’d scored a waffle (“you will lose your hand, or at least a finger, if you try to take my waffle!”).

Reading Update
Faith and Fidelity by Tere Michaels. ebook. Good grief. You’d think, since I was rereading this excellent m/m romance, that I wouldn’t cry. You would be so, so wrong.
Love and Loyalty by Tere Michaels. ebook. Another reread. Tere Michaels can write a darn good m/m romance, even if this one didn’t have as much impact on me as Faith and Fidelity (i.e., I didn’t cry).
Catnip Crazy (Cat House, Book 2) by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Not Talbot’s best, but sort of a cute (if a bit silly) m/m paranormal.
Jumping into Things (Thatcher Brothers, Book 1) by Julia Talbot. ebook. This book actually contains two pretty good m/m romances. The first is about pilot Jed Thatcher who falls for a prickly fire jumper. The second is about Army Airborne instructor Ross Thatcher, who hasn’t ever been attracted to another guy before.
Open Sesame (A Not Quite Wicked Tale) by Mia Watts. ebook short. Fun and very steamy m/m romance based on Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, updated with insider trading and many fewer thieves.
A Wolf in Men’s Clothing (A Not Quite Wicked Tale) by Dakota Rebel. ebook short. Very enjoyable m/m paranormal romance based on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, with Red now being a guy in a red hoodie and the Wolf now being a werewolf.
One of Those Days by Zathyn Priest. free ebook short. Nicely done short m/m romance about a chiropractor who discovers the jock who bullied him in high school is his next patient.
Entanglements by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe. ebook. Decent m/m romance about whether it’s worth risking everything to maybe have it all.
With This Ring (Tabloid Star, Book 1.5) by T. A. Chase. ebook short. Ok m/m romance about the guys from Tabloid Star tying the knot. I fear it exceeded my syrupy sugary quotient…
Leftovers by Treva Harte. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who only see each other once a year, at Thanksgiving. After eight years, that isn’t enough for either of them anymore.
Loving the Rain by Drew Zachary. ebook short. Decent m/m romance (set in Ottawa) about an environmentalist and an artist who uses recycled materials who meet while they’re waiting out a cloudburst in a coffee shop.
The Painted House by Drew Zachary. ebook. Nice, non-angsty m/m romance about a location scout who meets an artist while looking for a location in Nova Scotia.
Once Upon a Veterinarian by Drew Zachary. ebook. A cop and a veterinarian meet when the cop starts investigating a string of pet poisonings in this m/m romance.
Summer Fever by Catt Ford. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about a guy staying at a lake cabin and the cop he asked for directions on the way there.
Feeding Dragons by Misa Izanaki. ebook short. Ok m/m paranormal romance about a dragon shapeshifter who takes a liking to a young Japanese cook. (For those of you who really enjoy descriptions of food in your reading, this might be of particular interest.)
In the Heat of the Moment by Kim Dare. ebook. Steamy and kinky m/m tale in which a dominant works to convince a submissive that there’s nothing shameful in being submissive.
All’s Fair in Love and Advertising by Lenore Black. ebook. I really enjoyed this m/m romance about a hyper advertising exec who knows better than to get involved with a prospective client… usually.
Broomsticks and Stones by Jane Davitt. ebook short. Cute paranormal m/m romance short about two wizards.
Change of Heart by Kiernan Kelly. So-so paranormal m/m romance about a vet (who’s a werewolf) who hasn’t been doing a very good job getting over his evil ex.
Feeling Safe by Sonja Spencer. ebook. A cop rescues a guy from an in-progress burglary, then takes the guy home. My biggest complaint was the sometimes dizzying point-of-view changes – every paragraph for a while… including the cat.

“I think that more books should include the cat’s point of view. That’s what everyone’s interested in anyway.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Go get a cup of coffee before you start this linkfest, eh?

September 30, 2009 Chris 22 Comments

So… it’s been sort of a while since I did a books and reading post. Brace yourselves. 😉

Donâ€™t forget to leave a comment on the contest post before 7 pm CDT, Tuesday, October 6, for your chance to win a copy of Marliss Meltonâ€™s new romantic suspense novel, Show No Fear!

Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) has an amazing list of new releases and contests. So does Jackie at Literary Escapism.

Lea’s celebrating her first blogiversary with a week filled with contests. She’s giving away an Amazon gift certificate and books and who knows what else! Stop by each day to enter the latest contest.

Book Junkie’s having several contests. The first is her follower appreciation contest, which runs until October 2. She’s also giving away a copy of Kimberly Killon’sÂ Highland Dragon. The second contest runs until midnight, October 5.

Jackie at Literary Escapism is having a contest for two Chloe Neill books and assorted other goodies. I really, really enjoyed Chloe Neill’s excellent vampire romance, Some Girls Bite, and am looking forward to reading the sequel, Friday Night Bites. Contest closes midnight, October 6.

Suburban Vampire’s giving away three signed copies of the graphic novel Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. Contest closes 8 am PDT, October 13.

It’s Banned Books Week, and numerous bloggers have some great posts about it, including Neil Gaiman, The Book Smugglers, Wendy the Super Librarian, Lauren Dane, Love Romance Passion, Romance Book Wyrm, TeleRead, Dottie (My Blog 2.0), and many more.

Make sure you check out the interactive map of censorship attempts in the US from 2007-2009, too.

Kresley Cole is giving away a pdf copy of her short story “Warlord Wants Forever,” which is the first story in her excellent Immortals After Dark series. You can download the story here (link is directly to the pdf).

Harlequin Mills & Boon has ten ebooks available for free download, plus you can enter to win a Sony Reader.

How cool is it that CJ, who lives mere blocks away from me, has a shiny new urban fantasy coming out next year?!

Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) wonders whether it’s possible to tame that TBR (to be read) pile. I have my doubts! One of the unadvertised features of an ebook reader is that it makes your TBR pile far less visually overwhelming.

Dear Author debunks eight myths about ebooks.

TeleRead links to a nice roundup of available ebook readers and a comparison of the various Sony Reader options, then points out that Amazon is not dominating the ebook market.

Um……. a fake blood energy drink? Ewww!

Reading Update
Breaking Point and Into the Storm (Troubleshooters, Books 9-10). Suzanne Brockmann. audiobooks. These romantic suspenses made my drive to and from Toronto fly by! (AlthoughÂ Into the Storm was a serial killer book and I generally avoid serial killer books…)
The Stone Prince by Gena Showalter. ebook. Sweet paranormal romance about a woman whose kiss awakens one of the statues in her er0tic statue garden.
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, Book 4) by Jeaniene Frost. Paranormal romance. Although I adore Bones and Cat, I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep reading this series because of the relationship angst…
Stolen Fury by Elizabeth Naughton. Very good romantic suspense about an archeologist and an antiquities thief and ancient statues of the Furies. (Thanks, Lea – you were right!)
Soul Bonds, Rush in the Dark, and Edward, Unconditionally (Common Powers, Books 1-3) by Lynn Lorenz. ebooks. The first book in this paranormal m/m romance series never really engaged me, but the next two were better.
I Heart That City: Naked Richmond by Ally Blue. I Heart That City is a bar and Naked Richmond is but one of the stories (each by a different author) centered around the bar. This one’s an m/m romance about a bike messenger who crashes into a guy he has a crush on.
Passion and Satisfaction by M.L. Rhodes. ebooks. Related m/m romances about a high-powered businessman and a bartender.
Falling by M.L. Rhodes. ebook. This paranormal m/m romance had a vaguely Harry Potterish storyline… (Sorry to those of you who are now quietly whimpering.)
Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker. ebook. Sufficiently good m/m romance about a PI and a mechanic that I’ll be looking for more from Parker.
The Name of the Game and It’s How You Play the Game by Willa Okati. ebooks. Decent related m/m romances. I liked the first better than the second, which seemed rather choppy.

The Tiger Within by Viki Lynn. ebook. Meh paranormal historical m/m romance set just after WWII.
Notturno by Z.A. Maxfield. ebook. Intense and engaging paranormal m/m romance about a professor who tracks down ancient er0tic texts and the vampire who wrote one of those texts.
The Elegant Corpse by A.M. Riley. ebook. This was another of A.M. Riley’s intense but not comfortable m/m romances. It’s very good, but very graphic.
Chasing Victory by Tory Temple. ebook. Decent m/m romance about a stock car driver who discovers that there’s a lot more to life than racing.
Bound by Love by T.A. Chase. ebook. Ok m/m romance about lusty cowboys.
Out of Bounds and High Line (Love of Sports, Books 1-2) by T.A. Chase. ebooks. Good m/m sports-related romances about a pair of twins and the guys they fall for.
Tabloid Star by T.A. Chase. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a bartender and an up and coming Hollywood actor. Has a bit of a connection with the Love of Sports books.
Allergies by T.A. Chase. ebook. So-so paranormal m/m romance – who knew the IT guy was a werewolf, anyway?! Looks like this is going to be a series… that I probably won’t follow.
Love and Loyalty by Tere Michaels. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a cop who won’t let himself care for anyone so he can’t get hurt. I highly recommend both this and the previous book,Â Faith and Fidelity.
The Vampire and the Man-Eater by G.A. Hauser. ebook. Somewhat painfully written paranormal m/m romance. Let’s just say I won’t be reading anything else from this author, hmm?
Body and Soul, Secrets, and Camp Hell (Psy-Cop, Books 3-5) and Striking Sparks (novella related to Psy-Cop) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebooks. This is a great paranormal m/m series. Price is one of those authors on my must-read list.

“I’ll humor you for now, Mom, even though this is absolutely not an authentic SRM. Die, fake SRM, die!” -Chaos

What? Where’s Mayhem? She’s here. But hey, let’s not begrudge Chaos spotlight time during his birthday week, mmm?

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Absalanche!*

September 9, 2009 Chris 31 Comments

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.