Tag Archives: Xara X Xanakas

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek by Piper Vaughn & Xara X Xanakas [CONTEST CLOSED]

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Many thanks to Piper Vaughn and Xara X. Xanakas for donating an ebook copy two ebook copies of their forthcoming m/m romance, The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek (Clumsy Cupid Guidebooks #1), for lucky commenters to win! The Party Boy’s Guide to Dating a Geek will be released on October 10 by Less Than Three Press. (Edited to add: Thanks to Piper & Xara for adding a second copy when the contest broke 100 comments!)

Ashley Byrne only wants one thing in life: to finish his tattoo apprenticeship and fulfill his dream of owning his own shop. In the meantime, he spends his nights partying, flirting, and having sex. After all, what else is there for him to worry about? Aside from his hair and his clothes, not much. He’s hot, and rest assured no one knows it better than him. He’s also used to getting what he wants – until he meets Felipe Navarro.

Fee Navarro has everything he needs: a great IT job, a nice apartment, and all the high-tech toys his geeky heart could ever want. He doesn’t do casual, and he knows guys like Ash are nothing but. Ash may burn hot for Fee, but Fee isn’t willing to take a chance on a vain, little party boy with too many tats and an oversized ego. He wants someone to share his life with, and he won’t settle for anything less. Too bad Ash has never been the type to give up easily. He has a plan, and he’s not stopping until he proves he’s more than just a pretty face – he’s someone worthy of winning Fee’s heart.

Excerpt

About Piper

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book – fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a thousand book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book. You can find out more about Piper at her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and joint blog with M.J O’Shea.

About Xara

Xara X. Xanakas decided years ago to embrace her weirdness. A friend first described her that way to the man who’s been her husband for over twenty years. That formula fits her, and she figures if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Being Texan, her crush on cowboys comes natural, but the techie in her loves to show nerds a good time. She relishes all things different, and brings saucy style to her writing. Whether wrangling a wayward ranch hand or adding another critter to her were-menagerie, Xara strives to make the outlandish appealing. She’ll make you quirk a brow and snort with laughter, and that’s all right by her. Xara believes that unique is best and happily ever after is the icing on the cookies. You can find out more about Xara via her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Tuesday, October 9.
  • 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!

“Don’t bother me. I’m thinking deep thoughts.” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Monkey Wrench (Were Menagerie #2) by Xara X Xanakas [CONTEST CLOSED]

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Many thanks to Xara X. Xanakas for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming paranormal m/m romance, Monkey Wrench (Were Menagerie #2), for a lucky commenter to win! Monkey Wrench will be released by Dreamspinner Press on September 19.

Twenty-year-old virgin Aaron Thorne has a lot of irons in the fire. He’s on a career-making case investigating a new party drug that induces shifts in werecreatures, and his friend is the prime suspect. Outside of work, a literal silver fox has captured his attention. And just when life start going smoothly for Aaron, a tall, dark, scowly bobcat shifter named Iggy appears and sweeps him off his feet.

After being attacked in the course of his investigation, Aaron starts to feel like he has something to prove. It’s a good thing he’s got all the energy of his shifter animal, the spider monkey. He’s going to need it to solve the case, sort out his love life, and decide what kind of man he wants to be.

Excerpt (scroll down and expand)

Other Books

About Xara

Xara X. Xanakas decided years ago to embrace her weirdness. A friend first described her that way to the man who’s been her husband for over twenty years. That formula fits her, and she figures if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Being Texan, her crush on cowboys comes natural, but the techie in her loves to show nerds a good time. She relishes all things different, and brings saucy style to her writing. Whether wrangling a wayward ranch hand or adding another critter to her were-menagerie, Xara strives to make the outlandish appealing. She’ll make you quirk a brow and snort with laughter, and that’s all right by her. Xara believes that unique is best and happily ever after is the icing on the cookies.

You can find out more about Xara via her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Tuesday, September 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!

“Just move along, May, and don’t pester me!” -Chaos

“Sheesh, big kitty! I wouldn’t dream of pestering you… while you’re awake, at least.” -Mayhem

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Linkity: Now available in new bite-sized portions! (I have no idea what that means, either)

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Congrats to Monica and Alex W, who won copies of Sidecar by Amy Lane! Sidecar is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

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Reading Update
Into the Bermuda Triangle (Turbulence #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. serial. 5/13/2012: Very good short m/m paranormal setting the stage for future episodes of this serial about pilots who fly into the Bermuda Triangle. You are definitely left wanting more! 🙂
6/23/2012: I reread this before reading the second installment and am glad I did – not only did I get more out of it than I did the first time, it helped make things in the second installment clearer.
Autopilot Engaged (Turbulence #2) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. serial. The second installment of this paranormal m/m serial gives us more background on Dallas, how he ended up on this Bermuda Triangle flight, and what he thinks might be going on.
Boystown 4: A Time for Secrets by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Very good gay mystery in which Nick obtains information about a 25-year old murder that has dangerous current implications.
Fire on the Mountain (2nd ed) (The Mountains #1) by PD Singer. ebook. reread. Smokin’ hot m/m romance about two guys fighting forest fires together in the Rockies. I enjoyed the added flashback short story in this edition.
Fourth and Long by Chris Scully. ebook short. Sweet short timetravel romance about a guy whose life started going terribly wrong on the night of his high school prom. He doesn’t expect that to change on the night of his 20th high school reunion.
A Bar Tender’s Tale by Melanie Tushmore. ebook. Good m/m romance about a couple days in the life of a punk bartender as he progresses from a jerk boyfriend to a better boyfriend, even if said better boyfriend moves at a glacial pace.
Second Time Lucky (Middleton #2) by Ethan Day. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who run into each other years after things didn’t work out for them for no good reason in college. Can they keep that from happening again?
Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a wealthy but wishy washy guy whose friends take shameless advantage of him and constantly put him down, so when a cute guy hits on him, he can’t believe it’s for real.
Half-Baked Promises (Castor Springs #1) by Erica Pike. free ebook short. Pretty good short m/m story about an auditor who has to spend a few days working in the small Texas town where he grew up, although he might never manage to finish the job if that hunky construction worker doesn’t stop making so much noise. This didn’t feel like a complete story – more like the first few chapters of a longer work.
Losing and Gaining by Heidi Champa. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who’s always been obese until finally, at age 25 (two years before the story starts), he decides to reinvent himself by eating better, working out, getting a new job, and changing his name. Too bad you can’t escape the past quite that easily… I thought this had a lot of potential, but I got frustrated with the main character’s doormat nature. People using each other’s names too much in conversation was an additional frustration.

“Why, yes, I am as mysterious as I appear to be.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Bennie’s Wish (A No Pants Day Story) by Xara X. Xanakas [CONTEST CLOSED]

66 Comments

Many thanks to Xara X. Xanakas for donating an ebook copy of her No Pants Day m/m romance, Bennie’s Wish, for a lucky commenter to win! Bennie’s Wish will be released by Dreamspinner Press on May 4 (No Pants Day), of course.

And, because Xara doesn’t want anyone to be caught out on No Pants Day, the winner will also receive a swag pack containing a pair of instant underpants, an instant towel, a pocket mirror, screen cleaning cloth, a cup, and a bottle opener. Plus Xara’s willing to mail the swag pack internationally. 🙂

For years, Ally Theodisius has suspected his “friends” have been humoring him to stay in his good graces – and his wallet – so when a No Pants Day breakfast ends in his humiliation, he finally takes a stand.

When model Bennie Arnold runs into Ally, his first impression is of a cute, adorably dimpled writer in dire need of a real friend. Bennie would be happy to fill the role. There’s just one little problem: he’s going commando, and it happens to be No Pants Day. If he has any hope of getting his wish, Bennie will have to use his best assets to convince Ally he’s the real deal.

Excerpt (scroll down and expand)

Other Books

About Xara

Xara X. Xanakas decided years ago to embrace her weirdness. A friend first described her that way to the man who’s been her husband for over twenty years. That formula fits her, and she figures if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Being Texan, her crush on cowboys comes natural, but the techie in her loves to show nerds a good time. She relishes all things different, and brings saucy style to her writing. Whether wrangling a wayward ranch hand or adding another critter to her were-menagerie, Xara strives to make the outlandish appealing. She’ll make you quirk a brow and snort with laughter, and that’s all right by her. Xara believes that unique is best and happily ever after is the icing on the cookies.

You can find out more about Xara via her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Thursday, May 10.
  • 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!

“No Pants Day?! That sounds even more scandalous than the naughty boys!!!” -Mayhem

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Wha…?

LOL

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Reading Update
Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino. ebook. Very good, very steamy, and very sweet m/m romance about a college jock and frat boy who’s been in denial for years that he’s gay, but finally can’t deny it any longer when he realizes he has a crush on his history TA.
False Start by Janey Chapel. ebook short. Very good m/m romance about two guys who were secretly together for one year during college. One graduated and ran away from even the thought of being gay and the other… didn’t.
One Man’s Treasure (Bellingham Mysteries #4) by Nicole Kimberling. ebook. Very good m/m mystery/romance in which Peter tries to figure out why the guy who collapsed in front of him at the farmer’s market died.
First You Fall (Kevin Connor #1) by Scott Sherman. ebook. Very good gay mystery about a rent boy who does some investigating of his own when his friend dies under suspicious circumstances and the police rule it a suicide.
Second You Sin (Kevin Connor #2) by Scott Sherman. ebook. Very good gay mystery in which Kevin tries to figure out why some other rent boys have been killed or injured. This one ends on a heckuva relationship cliffhanger – I hope the next book is out soon!
Mine by Mary Calmes. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy who works as a mob runner and who’s the only thing keeping his highstrung boyfriend grounded, until everything in their world changes overnight.
Payback (True Colors #3) by Clare London. ebook short. Steamy short m/m scene in which Zeke arrives at Miles’ office for a meeting but gets a bit of a surprise instead.
Changing Pitches by Steve Kluger. Very good novel about a major league baseball pitcher who, at 36, is heading the last place team in the league as he slowly realizes he needs to make some changes in his personal and professional lives.
Assumption of Desire by Elizabeth Brooks. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about an auditor who hooks up with a totally-not-his-style twink while he’s in town for two weeks. A few years later, he finds himself back in the same town…
Obedient Slave (Sun, Sea & Submission #2) by Kim Dare. ebook. Steamy kinky m/m romance about a guy who works at a gay resort. He doesn’t realize that someone is supposed to serve as his “slave” for a week when he gets promoted…
Office Hours by Rena Butler. ebook. Good m/m romance about an adjunct composition instructor who’s suspicious when the cute senior who sleeps through class turns in an excellent paper…
Sink or Swim by Lissa Kasey & Xara X. Xanakas. free ebook. Good short m/m romance about two guys moving to Australia to work as a dive instructor and a masseuse at a private resort. As they travel, one of them worries about their relationship and how things will be after they arrive.
China House by Vincent Lardo. ebook. Ok gay gothic mystery about a small group of people staying for a week in China House, which has been empty for 20 years… except for a ghost? I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters and could’ve definitely lived without the incestuous overtones in the story.
Cuffs and More by Dakota Dawn. ebook short. So-so short kinky m/m scene between a shy bdsm store owner and the dom he has a crush on. Unfortunately, neither of the guys felt believable to me.
Five Star Review by Lara Brukz. ebook. Meh m/m romance about an m/m author and a reviewer who become friends online and then have the chance to meet. Unfortunately, this was stilted, cliched, awkward, and just painful to read at times.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos