Review

#NaNoWriMo #amwriting what was I thinking?

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So, I meant to post that I’m writing in NaNoWriMo this year before starting on the first. I intended to bog about my progress every day. I wanted to have a good flow of words and at least get around the average daily word count.

Not exactly how things went.

Started on the 3rd instead of the 1st. Never got around to that initial blog post. I’m sitting at 3120 words instead of about 6600. I have no motivation to get up to go to my computer. I could pull out my iPad but I really need a table or desk so my keyboard typing on it doesn’t cause the whole thing to drop. I’ve already cracked my screen (thanks cat) and had to replace the screen. There are other things but I’m not going to bore you with my problems. You’re welcome. 🙂

 It’s gotten to the point when I want someone to pee for me… Not physically possible but nice to dream about. 😀

Reviewing had been almost non-existent. Here or on RGR. Although, we have discussed a meet-up at some point. Tentatively planned for next year. I’ll post more once we finalize it. That’s part of the reason, I’m trying to write something to publish. Get some mad money in and try to pay for these conventions I want to go to.

I do continue to read and likely will review regularly again. If I could get the full time job to slow down, I’ll be happier. If you want to connect on NaNoWriMo.org, look for my name and the pic below.

I’m going to sign off now and read some more.

It’s been a surreal day, week, month, year…

-Eloreen

5 Star #Review of “Pib’s Dragon” (Twisted Fairy Tales 1) by Beany Sparks #LGBT #Romance #Fantasy #ReleaseDay

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Moonbeams over Atlanta welcomes guest Beany Sparks for insight on and review of her book Pib’s Dragon published by Rainbow Ninja Press with general release today.

Hi Eloreen *waves*

Thanks for having me 🙂

Okay so I’m here for a quick chat about Pib’s Dragon!

The book is the first in a multi-author series called Twisted Fairy Tales. Authors will be taking some well-known (and some not so well-known) fairy tales and twisting them together.

Pib’s Dragon was supposed to be my only contribution to the series but as I was writing it, a couple of other characters started jumping up and down wanting their story. So there will be a sequel, tentatively titled Del’s Wolf, which I’m hoping to get started on this weekend. I have an idea of what I’m going to do with it so now all I need to do is sit down and write (not always easy to do though).  But I’m looking forward to spending some more time with my cheeky serval and his dragon mate because they will definitely be around in the sequel.

After Del’s Wolf is done, I’ll be going back to Arcane Magic. Book 2 was started before Pib pushed his way to the front so I need to finish that one. I might go straight on to Book 3 but we’ll see. PITA (my muse) has a way of helping other characters push their way to the front and demand attention *glares at muse*

Eloreen: How did the idea of the Twisted Fairy Tales get started?

Um, it was a while ago that the series came to mind. It’s been so long that the idea came to me that I can’t even remember what sparked the idea. I do remember talking to Ellen (Cross) at the time and whatever we were talking about had my mind spinning with ideas.

Eloreen: Who inspired you to write?

I always let my mind wander and came up with stories to amuse myself when I was driving or at work but it wasn’t until a couple of friends encouraged me to try that I decided to give it a go. Once PITA was let out, I had no way of getting him back in his box.

Eloreen: Who designed the cover for Pib’s Dragon? 

Um, I did. I got to a point in the story where Arty (my artistic muse) demanded a cover for the story so I had to stop writing and get a cover done before I could continue. Once I had the background for the cover, I had to come up with a title. Pib’s Dragon was initially just a temporary title, but then it fit the story so I kept it. It also made it easier to pick the title for the sequel.

Eloreen: Do you write to an outline or off the cuff (a pantster)?

I’m a total pantser! I’ve tried to plot out the stories but every time I did, PITA would take the story in a completely different direction so I gave up. I might have a basic idea or plan, but nothing else. I also find that sometime as the story progresses, my initial idea doesn’t fit the story. The initial idea I had for Pib’s Dragon was a bit different to how it actually ended up but I’m happy with the end result. Del’s Wolf has a number of things that I need to make sure get resolved, and I’ve got an idea of how the story will go, but there are a lot of unplanned sections. I can’t wait to see what happens!

Eloreen: Thank you Beany. 🙂 I love the cover, btw. Continue on for the review of this great story. I can’t wait for Del’s Wolf. 😉

The Blurb:

A dragon is about to find out what happens when a cat discovers his cave of shiny treasures.

After nine years, Pib is finally free from his contract with the newly wed prince. Slipping out in the middle of the night to avoid getting stuck in another contract, Pib shifts into his cat and makes his way home to the little village he foolishly left, hoping his best friend Wil still lives there.

Dray is bored. His services as a princess-guarding dragon are no longer needed and even his gold and jewels are unable to cheer him up. His mood changes quickly when he catches someone in his treasure cave, and it starts a series of events that change his life forever.

When the two finally meet, sparks fly, but Dray will have to move quickly if he’s to save his cat after Pib gets kidnapped.

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Excerpt:

Prologue

Pib snuck into the darkened room, tiptoeing quietly so as not to wake the newly crowned prince Geraint and his princess. Looking around, he both thanked and cursed his shifter senses. While he was grateful he could see inside the room, the smell of sex throughout the air was something he could have done without.

Reaching the desk on the far side of the room, he paused and glanced at the couple. Once he was satisfied they were still asleep, he eased open the cover and found what he was after—his freedom. After nine long years as the bastard’s slave, the letter freeing him from servitude almost brought tears to his eyes. Carefully folding it and placing it in his inside pocket, Pib gently shut the desk and tiptoed back toward the bedroom door, leaving the room as silently as he’d entered.

He knew there was only a limited window of opportunity for him to make his escape. Even though the pompous bastard had made a production of signing the form and granting him his freedom, Pib knew it was all for show. If he didn’t escape now, Geraint would get him alone and force him to sign another contract and then make some sort of bogus announcement about how Pib wanted to stay.

Pib snorted, unable to help himself. Luckily there was no one else around the castle at this time of the night, though even if there was, Pib didn’t care. He was leaving, and no one was going to stop him. Anyone who tried would have a close encounter with his knife, or his claws, he wasn’t picky.

“Hey, Pib, where are you off to in the middle of the night?” asked the guard at the front door of the castle. Pib never bothered learning their names or getting friendly with them, especially since Geraint could force him to kill any of them at a moment’s notice. He’d learned that it didn’t pay for him to form any attachments with those surrounding Geraint.

“Getting an early start on my retirement,” Pib replied, smirking at the man while he continued to stroll toward the exit.

“Sorry, Pib, but I have to check. Do you have a signed letter from Prince Geraint?” The guard shifted from foot to foot, showing his unease.

Pib stopped in front of him and forced a smile. “Of course,” he said, carefully extracting the letter and handing it over to the guard.

He waited, watching the guard closely as he read the letter. One wrong move and Pib was going to gut him. Nothing could happen to that letter.

“Looks good,” the guard said, handing the letter back to Pib. “It’ll sure be different without you around, but all the best. And, uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I don’t see you again.”

Returning the letter to his pocket, Pib looked up and smiled a real smile at the man. He wanted to laugh when the guard’s face paled as he caught sight of Pib’s canines, but restrained himself. “Don’t worry, I hope never to see you again either.”

With that, Pib walked out of the castle and made his way through the sleeping village. Pulling his hood up, he used the dark material to blend into the surroundings. He wasn’t taking any chances that Geraint wouldn’t wake up any moment and send guards running after him. After all, Pib was practically friends with all of the skeletons in Geraint’s closet.

Pib reached the edge of the village and paused. After nine long years, he was finally free of Geraint, his orders, and most importantly, his shackle. The magical cuff that had decorated his right ankle for nine years had been removed after Geraint had signed his release. The cuff was the only thing ensuring Pib’s obedience, and finally, it was gone.

Taking a deep breath, Pib stepped over the invisible boundary line and felt the remaining enchantments shatter and disappear, leaving him standing as his true self for the first time in years. Reaching inside, he called out his inner cat to come out and play, and in seconds, his clothes disappeared and he was standing on all fours in his serval form. Stretching, he threw one last glance back at the castle and the village before slinking away into the trees, using the natural camouflage to shield him as he made his way toward the start of his new life.

The Review:

Rainbow Nina Press provided the story to me for an honest review.  I read the blurb above and was intrigued by a story about a dragon and a cat meeting and getting to know each other.

5 Stars

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While this is the start of a new series, this title can be read as a standalone. This is a fun story full of action, humor, a little mystery, and fun interactions between Pib, the serval, and Dray, the dragon. There are plot abound, twists and turn, that made it interesting and fun to read. The secondary characters are fleshed out and stand on their own. I’m glad that Del will get his own story. 😉 While there is not a lot of sex scenes, the story line more than makes up for it and you just want to go “Awwww” several times. I had to finish it once I started. Luckily, I read fast. 🙂 I definitely will like to see what the other authors will do with this series.

With this, I give Pib’s Dragon 5 stars.

Eloreen Moon

Book Links:

Rainbow Ninja Press | Rainbow Ninja Press – EU Customers | All Romance Ebooks | Smashwords | Amazon | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Beany lives in Western Australia. She first started reading romance novels in 2008, but it wasn’t until January 2010 when her Kindle got delivered that the world of erotic romance opened its doors to her, and she hasn’t looked back. With suggestions and support from friends, her muse—”affectionately” known as PITA—was finally able to break free, and in January 2014 her first story was written. Since she can’t put PITA back in his box, Beany has decided to give in and team up with him.

Social Media Links:

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All the things…Where did the time go? #Musings #May17IDAHOT #Amwriting

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So, I’ve signed up for this year’s Hop for Visibility, Awareness, and Equality formerly known as Hop Against Homophobia and to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia. This will be my third year participating. It’s great fun and a great way to meet new and interesting people. Stay tuned for May 17th for my blog post on the subject. There will be a contest. 🙂

 

As I was signing up (and setting up my sidebar for the badge) I realized it’s been over two months since I last posted something. Two Months! Oh holy crap, Batman. Work, Vacation, and doing weekly reviews on Rainbow Gold Reviews has eaten up my time. Never mind family. I planned on writing during #CampNaNoWriMo. That didn’t happen. At least, not in the way I expected.

I did submit a story for the Queer Sci Fi 3rd Annual Flash Fiction Contest. They will announce the winners and those that will get into this year’s anthology soon. I hope I get in the anthology. Well, I would love to win something but I’m not expecting it to. It’s a little different than normal prose and I’ll just leave it at that. Stay tuned for more on that later. While I didn’t win anything last year, I did get my story published in their Discovery: QSF’s Second Annual Flash Fiction Contest publication. Which reminds me of something I need to do… I digress. This year’s theme is Flight. I liked it so much, I wrote it, edited it, and sent to beta read within a day… Granted, it was less than 300 words so that helped. 🙂 Definitely not the 10k I signed up for to finish a story I’ve been trying to finish for three years now, going on four. I’ll get there someday.

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What else? Work has been taking over my life for the most part. It was especially bad in February which is why I was incommunicado then. It hasn’t helped that I’ve had computer issues (two hard drives died within six months) and then my work laptop last week. Jeez. What’s going on here? Oh yeah. Mercury in Retrograde. Well, I can blame it on that anyway.

I’ve decided to go on a cruise in February of 2017. I haven’t been on a cruise in… well, too many years that I want to mention (high school graduation). Maybe I’ll have something published by then to promote by then. Maybe not. Not sure at this point. I’m hoping to publish something other than freebies this year. As soon as I get my act together. We’ll have to see.

There was something else I thought of to mention in this post. I can’t think of it now. I think I need to sleep. Off to be with family!

 

-Eloreen

.@pridepromo #Review: Broken Records by Lilah Suzanne #LGBT #Contemporary #Romance #Contest #Amazon @lilahsuzanne

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Today Moonbeams over Atlanta is very lucky to be interviewing Lilah Suzanne author of Broken Records. In addition, there is a review of the book and a contest at the end of the post.

Hi Lilah, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Write something from your character’s point of view as a child. (Holiday, first kiss, anything.)

 

On Sunday mornings the barbershop opens later, that way Nico’s dad can check the equipment and order more shampoo and pomade and talc and THOSE little paper cups for coffee, the sandalwood scented shave cream that lingers on his hands, and the barbicide that spills on Nico’s shirt when he drops the scissors and combs into the jars of disinfectant too hard sometimes.

So Sunday mornings mean shopping with Mom. And Lucas.

Who stands in front of the automatic doors with his hand held up flat, as if he’s using The Force to open them. But Nico knows they’re motion sensitive and it has nothing to do with Star Wars. And yet somehow Lucas is the one who gets straight A’s.

Mom hands them each a list of produce items. His has:

Cantaloupe

Sugar Snap Peas

Red Bell Pepper (two)

 

Lucas darts off right away, shoving past Nico to get a head start. Lucas’ left shoe is untied and his pants are three inches too short, his T-shirt has a hole in the seam of one sleeve and is for a TV show called Earthworm Jim that isn’t even on TV anymore. Nico glares at him, then moves on to his list.

Sugar Snap Peas is easy. Nico picks crunchy pea pods without any brown spots or broken tops. Makes sure they’re firm and bright green. He gets a plastic bag and uses the tongs to carefully scoop in just enough for four servings.

The Red Bell Pepper (two) is next in the produce section, stuck in with the vegetables even though Nico learned ages ago that bell peppers aren’t vegetables because they have seeds. Like kindergarten ages ago. He finds two bright crisp no mushy-spot peppers. He notices they match his shirt: long-sleeve button down, red. Suspenders, red and black striped. Black pants. He’s also wearing the black and white saddle shoes he requested for his tenth birthday that are still in tiptop shape four months later, even though Mom thought they were too fancy for a boy who plays baseball in the mud sometimes.

As if he would wear saddle shoes to play baseball.

Lucas finishes first, because he picks the very first fruits and vegetables he can get his hands on. Lucas’ list:

Apples (he gets baking apples even though the apples are to be packed for school lunches and not baked into pies. Three of them. Why three? Who knows.)

Spinach (loose) (he gets mixed greens with spinach. Prewashed. Not the same thing. Sigh.)

Bananas (some of them have spots already. They’ll go bad too fast and his mom will make banana bread with walnuts with them. Yuck.)

Sunday morning grocery store visits with Mom means Lucas will brag about winning the grocery-treasure-hunt contest and mom will say, boys! Enough. It doesn’t matter who wins.

But it’s fine, because Nico knows who really won. And it’s the guy who would never choose a mushy brown spotted honey dew melon which is not “basically a cantaloupe,” Lucas, because some people have taste and standards.

 It’s him. The real winner. Nico. Just to be clear. Lucas does The Force again on the way out. Nico rolls his eyes. Sigh.

RC

Review:

First, I have to say that I like it. I liked it a lot. I’m always a sucker for music stars and Grady Dawson is no exception, even though he’s into country music. Not a large fan of country music, but I do enjoy some artists so it was somewhat believable to me. We meet Nico Takahashi after having a very trying day with a diva starlet and all he wants to do is get away from it all. He “meets” Grady with a magazine photo shoot that provides some eye candy but he doesn’t read the article that goes along with it. He immediately meets Grady not too long after and commences the journey of Nico fighting his attraction to Grady because he thinks he’s a player, while Grady pursues because he thinks Nico is the one he’s looking for. A series of mis-information ensues, hot sex, and journeys from California to Tennessee and back again.

It has a great flow of words. I’m only a little leary of Nico’s almost whining in the beginning about his lot in life, but for the most part it wasn’t terrible. He did grow on you and does realize his love for Grady. Grady stayed mostly constant as his personality and desires were revealed throughout the story. Both have great depth and made them seem real. It does have a happy ending, and I enjoyed it.

With this, I give Broken Records 4 out of 5 stars.

-Eloreen

4 Stars

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Broken Records 1600px COVER (RGB) - Front

 

Author Name: Lilah Suzanne
Book Name: Broken Records
Series: Spotlight, Book One
 Release Date: December 17, 2015
Pages or Words: 280 pages
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Victoria S. with CB Messer

 

 

Blurb:

Los Angeles-based stylist Nico Takahashi loves his job—or at least, he used to. Feeling fed up and exhausted from the cutthroat, gossip-fueled business of Hollywood, Nico daydreams about packing it all in and leaving for good. So when Grady Dawson—sexy country music star and rumored playboy—asks Nico to style him, Nico is reluctant. But after styling a career-changing photo-shoot, Nico follows Grady to Nashville where he finds it increasingly difficult to resist Grady’s charms. Can Nico make peace with show business and all its trappings, or will Grady’s public persona get in the way of their private attraction to each other?

Continue reading →

.@IndieSagePromo #Review #BlogTour: Her Kind of Man by Non Raines #LGBT #Contest #Romance #Contemporary

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Her Kind of Man
by Nona Raines
SPECTRUM, #2
Publication Date: November 10, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance
77 pages

Her Kind of Man Cover

Buy: Loose-ID • Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iBooks • ARe

Synopsis: During the day, Roy Girard works with truckers. It’s a macho environment where a man is judged by how tough he is. And everyone knows Roy as one of the toughest.

On his own time Roy helps mentor young people who are LGBT, and cares about them as if they were his own. He’s in love with Venetia, a trans woman.

He’s careful to keep his nine-to-five completely separate from his private life. He knows his work buddies wouldn’t understand. And he doesn’t want Venetia exposed to their crude, narrow-minded views. It’s his job to protect her.

But when his two worlds collide, he has to make a choice. In trying to protect the woman he loves, he asks for more than she can give. In his need to keep her safe, he risks pushing her out of his life forever.

*NOTE* Her Kind of Man is the sequel to His Kind of Woman.

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Excerpt

Upstairs, she collapsed on the divan, doubts writhing like a tangle of snakes in her brain. Had she been out of line to question him? Had she been too suspicious, even paranoid?

Would he forgive her?

She’d changed into on her nightclothes, the comfy cotton ones decorated with cats, and was just reaching for the Häagen Dazs in her freezer when her phone buzzed.

Roy had texted her. I’m home.

Her fears eased. He’d kept his promise, letting her know he was safe. He was a man of his word. Her kind of man.

Good, she responded. Then, as of their own volition, her fingers tapped I miss you.

She waited, holding her breath. At last an answer came.

Miss u 2.

A few moments later, the phone rang. Her hand trembled as she picked up. “Roy?”

“For God’s sake, do you really think I’m the kind of man who’d pull a shitty play like that?”

“You don’t know the stories I’ve heard. Things that have happened to friends of mine.”

“Forget your friends. Forget the stories. This is me. The man who loves you. You’re the only woman in my life, the only one I want. And fuck! It pisses me off, you thinking I’m some lowdown scumbag who’d cheat on you.”

She caught her breath. The man who loves you. Did he realize what he’d just said?

“I was scared. I had to ask.” Why else would he have been so secretive? But she didn’t want to bring that up now and start the whole argument again.

“So you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“And you trust me?”

She gripped the phone, her heart thudding. “Yes, I trust you.”

“So how come I’m here and you’re way the hell over there?” His voice lowered an octave, turned soft and intimate.

Her girl parts tingled, reacting to his sexy rumble. “It’s a problem. I do remember asking you up, though.”

“Huh. And like a real dumb-ass, I blew it, trying to make a point.”

“Well, the invitation’s still good,” she responded in the most mellow, seductive tone she could summon.

“I’m on my way.”

The Review: Her Kind of Man

5 Stars

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I was provided a free copy of both books in the SPECTRUM series for the purpose of an honest review for second book for this blog tour. As a bonus, I’ve reviewed the first book after this review.

As soon as I finished His Kind of Woman, I jumped into Her Kind of Man immediately. Since I knew that I enjoyed His Kind of Woman, I expected Her Kind of Man to be equally good. I wasn’t disappointed.

Roy and Venetia have been dating for a little while now and Roy’s fears come to a head with a report on a beating in the news that hits home for him. He steps up his machismo wanting to protect Venetia from perceived threats because he can’t lose her.  Several things happen to bring things to a head and they both step back to work out their issues.

This seemed to have a breadth and depth more so than the first book, realism still high on the list. They love each other but like any other relationship, it still takes work and their own personalities may get in the way. Roy does things in the name of protection but he can’t coddle someone who has been there and done that too many times before. While Venetia understands, they both have to trust each other in order for their relationship to work. While there is not as much sex between the two stories, the plot is great and I enjoy a better plot than better sex. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is amazing and maybe a little short, but it works for the story line. I love the SPECTRUM series and I hope we hear more, especially with the teens Venetia has helped over the years.

Overall, I give Her Kind of Man 5 stars.

-Eloreen

His Kind of Woman, Book #1 in the SPECTRUM series…

His Kind of Woman Cover

His Kind of Woman
by Nona Raines
SPECTRUM, #1
Publication Date: June 13, 2013
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance
67 Pages

Buy: Loose-ID • Amazon • B&N • Kobo

Synopsis: When Roy Girard went looking for Victor Varrano, he never expected a woman to answer the door. He soon discovers that Victor is now Venetia. Roy’s startled, but even more surprised by his attraction to her. As they spend time together, he doesn’t want to let her go. But she’s sure to dump him when she learns his secret.

Venetia’s falling hard and fast for Roy. But when she learns that his brother was the bully who tormented her in high school, she’s shattered. She can’t wrap her head around the fact that the man who made such amazing love to her could so completely betray her trust.

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Bonus Review: His Kind of Woman

5 Stars

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This blog tour is for the release of Her Kind of Man, but I like to read a series in order even though the author said they could be read independently. While that is true, I feel I was richer for the experience reading His Kind of Woman first to get the background on Roy and Venetia.

I enjoyed this book as Venetia is comfortable in her skin for the first time since she knew she was in the wrong body dating back to when she was a he as a teen. When Roy and her meet, she is attracted to him but still has doubts about herself despite his interest in her. Roy is attracted to her but must find Victor to right a wrong his brother did to Victor but is unable to do it himself. He is guilty because of his own issues and things he had done when he was younger. The guilt only gets worse once he finds out Victor and Venetia are one and the same. They circle each other like the Earth and Moon getting closer as Venetia introduces Roy to the SPECTRUM kids and the place she started to support LGBTQ youths in their quest to find themselves. Something she didn’t have when she was a kid. Roy is a little startled but he takes these kids in stride and comes to care for them as well.

Overall, it was a great read and I was not able to put it down once I was started. It’s and easy read with only 67 pages but you see the love bloom between Venetia and Roy as they overcome their angst with themselves and each other, although Roy has more than Venetia. Explanations are a little slower than I prefer but I’m the “must know everything right now” kind of gal. 🙂 There is a happy ending, but the work to get there is very realistic and tugs on your heartstrings.

With this, I give His Kind of Woman 5 stars.

-Eloreen

ABOUT NONA RAINES

Nona Raines

Nona Raines is a former librarian who lives in upstate New York with her many pets. She’s currently working on her next novel between walking the dog and shooing the cats off the laptop. Her romances are published with The Wild Rose Press and Loose Id. Her transgender romance His Kind of Woman was nominated for the 2014 DABWAHA sponsored by the Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books review blogs. Her most recent work is the romance novella Write to Me and the transgender romance Her Kind of Man.

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5 Star #Review ‘Fish Stick Fridays’ by Rhys Ford #LGBT #Mystery #Romance

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An another Rhys Ford review on release day! This is for Fish Sticks Fridays here on Moonbeams over Atlanta.

 

The Review:

5 Stars

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Bad boy Deacon Reid fought for his niece, Zig, after his sister passed away, and has settled in Half Moon Bay. Lang Harris grew up a rich kid and actually owns a lot of Half Moon Bay. Together, they dodge people trying to kill them, fires, and things that go boom. In between they discover each other and strive to make their own family.

Deacon and Lang are hot together. They are real and learning to love, in their own ways. They each have their own brand of baggage and angst. Who doesn’t? Zig is cute in her tutus and combat boots with her own issues and nightmares entwined with Deacon and Lang, and tied up with why they are being hunted. I didn’t see the reason until almost to the end. Rhys did a great job of the overall mystery arc. I love the realism, suspense, and mystery in this new series and can’t wait for the next one.

With this, I give Fish Stick Fridays 5 stars.

Eloreen

Blurb: 

Deacon Reid was born bad to the bone with no intention of changing. A lifetime of law-bending and living on the edge suits him just fine—until his baby sister dies and he finds himself raising her little girl.

Staring down a family history of bad decisions and reaped consequences, Deacon cashes in everything he owns, purchases an auto shop in Half Moon Bay, and takes his niece, Zig, far away from the drug dens and murderous streets they grew up on. Zig deserves a better life than what he had, and Deacon is determined to give it to her.

Lang Harris is stunned when Zig, a little girl in combat boots and a purple tutu, blows into his bookstore, and then he’s left speechless when her uncle, Deacon Reid, walks in hot on her heels. Lang always played it safe, but Deacon tempts him to step over the line… just a little bit.

More than a little bit. And Lang is willing to be tempted.

Unfortunately, Zig isn’t the only bit of chaos dropped into Half Moon Bay. Violence and death strike, leaving Deacon scrambling to fight off a killer before he loses not only Zig but Lang too.

Buy Link: Dreamspinner Press

Title: Fish Stick Fridays
Author: Rhys Ford
Series: Half Moon Bay, Book 1
Print Length: 204 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published Date: November 30, 2015
Cover Artist: Reece Notley
ISBN-13; 978-1-62380-948-5

Author Bio

Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the !rhys_ford_headshotworld. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

Rhys  admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur, and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and a red Hamilton Beach coffee maker.

5 Star #Review ‘D.N.A.’ by Alex Hurst #ScienceFiction #Amazon

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Here is the review I promised from the release day post. I’m slowly catching up on my reviews. 🙂 Blurb, purchase information, and author info at the end of the review.

 

The Review:

5 Stars

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So, I ran across this from the author requesting blog space.  It was intriguing because of the “science” for a full-skin transplant that involves nanonites and synthetic tissue, resulting in a little bit more than expected when Alta, the main character, was given technology to save her life.  It’s short and has funny parts, and makes you want to read the rest. The illustrations are wonderful and I can’t wait to see more of them as well. D.N.A is a little different in that it’s an illustrated story and not a comic. You don’t see that everyday. It does read a little bit like a comic–I like that, but it doesn’t distract from the words or the illustrations. I read it on my Nook Color, just fine.

Alta has a symbiotic relationship with the AI, called Digital Nanocell Accelerator, or D.N.A, for short, that controls her nanoCell skin. She is elevated to an almost superhero power of a Chameleon. It’s an unique way for someone to gain paranormal capabilities. Definitely a must read for the Science Fiction fan. While there was not romance in this story, there were hints that there might be some in future installments. It was still fun to read, and look forward to more.

With this, I give D.N.A. 5 stars.

Eloreen

DNABlurb: 

The story chronicles the adventures of Alta Williams, a woman of a future where genetics dictate quality of life and scientific discovery advances at an inconceivable rate. Alta is known to the media as the Human Doll, the first successful case of a full nanoCell organ transplant.

Alta appreciates the technology around her: without it, a chemical fire would have killed her in her early twenties. Though the fire destroyed her extracellular matrix, scientists from the medical behemoth nanoTech were able to replace her ruined skin with their patented nanoCell material, giving her a second lease on life.

However, with nanotechnology now advanced enough to alter the human genome, and a company determined to capitalize – and control – the endeavor, it is up to Alta to expose their plans.

And she’s not alone.

Helping her every step of the way is D.N.A., the Digital Nanocell Accelerator, a self-learning computer program charged with telling synthetic cells which tissue they should build. D.N.A. fuses with Alta’s fully-synthetic skin and convinces her to fight against those who would otherwise oppress society as she knows it.

Of course, it helps that D.N.A. can change the genetic makeup of Alta’s skin at will, gifting her with the characteristics of any living recorded in the Genome Project. With the world’s genetic code at her whim, Alta has the power to overcome anything…

…but at what cost to her humanity?

**Please note that this is a novella with illustrations, not a comic or full-length novel**

Buy Link: Amazon

Title: D.N.A.: Alta
Author: Alex Hurst, Illustrated: Kevin Nichols
Series: D.N.A. Book 1
Print Length: 24 pages (Novella)
Publisher: Bookmark Comics
Published Date: July 15, 2015
ASIN: B0101Y6Z9Y

Author Bio

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Alex Hurst writes primarily character-driven fantasy, in such sub-genres as urban, Gothic, uncanny, and regional fantasy. Sometimes, she dapples in science fiction, horror, and LGBT literature.

She was raised in the wilds of the south. Lightning storms and hurricanes created the playpens of her youth, and in the summers, she used to spend all of her time dodging horseflies in a golden river, catching fish and snakes with her bare hands, swinging from vines, and falling out of magnolia trees.

In the dawn of her adolescence, her family took her on a journey across the United States, from the white sands of Pensacola, FL, to the razor’s edge of the Hell’s Backbone in Utah. They finally landed in Marin, CA, where lotus eaters tried to make city folk out of them (but miserably failed.) She currently lives in Kyoto, Japan, working as a writer and dream-smith.

She also freelances as an editor for the Writers’ Anarchy anthology series, designs book interiors at Country Mouse Design, and admins on the Fiction Writers community on Facebook, assisting emerging writers.

Feel free to stay a while, leave a comment or send her an email. If you feel so inclined, you can also follow her on any of the links below.

 

Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | LinkedIn | Flickr | DeviantArt | YouTube | StumbleUpon | B’ | RSS

.@Totally_Bound 5 Star #Review of “Then Came Cal” by Lee Barrows #LGBT @PridePublishing

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I’ve started reviewing for #TotallyBound and #PridePublishing so you will see my reviews there as well. Here is the first book from them received in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Review:

 

5 Stars

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There were two sorties this week that I thought about reading for review. A MM Suspense or this cute Contemporary. I wasn’t feeling it for a hip-wading mystery/suspense so I choose Then Came Cal by Lee Barrows.  I hadn’t read Lee before and the blurb sounded great, so I went with it.

We meet Sean Hutchins getting laid off from his job in California, the one he had since graduating, only to discover his roommate and sometimes lover that he thought he wanted to go to the next step in their relationship getting it on in their bed– and not with him. He quickly leaves and seeks his best friend, Cassie, and running into Cal, her visiting brother from New York, on the worse day of his life. He’d rather not talk to him as he’s had a suppressed crush on him since meeting the years before, but in his dazed state he discovers he still has feelings for him. Cal discovers more to Sean in his interactions, and his heartstrings are tugged in a direction he didn’t think he wanted past the normal hook-ups and one-night stands.

As I said when I started, this cute little story was just what I was looking for. I was particularly drawn to Cal as he worked out his feelings and possessiveness for someone he only thought about as his little sister’s best friend, helping Sean where he could and getting to know him in the process.  Sean’s heart opens up to the possibility of Cal liking him when Cal continues to help him get his life back together. While I liked Sean’s character, I didn’t really connect to him as much as I connected to Cal. He was a sweet one but somewhat down on himself, yet still was strong in Cal’s eyes. I liked seeing the different points of views between Sean and Cal, with a little bit of Cassie thrown in. It’s a fast, true love, and the happy ending is satisfying. The sex scenes were not numerous but nicely done. It’s a short read, only about a hundred pages (depending upon your eReader) and that was the perfect length for this story. Overall, I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to more stories from Lee.

With this, I give Then Came Cal 5 stars.

Eloreen

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Book Links:

Goodreads | PridePublishing