5 Stars for Pluck and Play (With a Kick #5) by Clare London #MM #Romance @clare_london

Title:  Pluck and Play (With a Kick #5)
Author Name: Clare London
Publication Date & Length: February 6, 2015 – 106pgs

Everyone knows Curtis Wilson around the Soho business scene: a hard-working, budding young entrepreneur, who can get you supplies of whatever you need, and always with a joke and a laugh. Only Curtis knows that’s a purely public persona. Secretly, he’s still licking his wounds after being beaten up by his ex-lover, and he’s not about to let his guard down again.

Handsome Riley Richmond was born to be a cowboy, on his father’s side at least. But after his parents’ deaths, he finds himself stranded this side of the Atlantic, an anachronism in the bustling capital, and without financial capital. His consolation is his music, albeit he’s not a very successful busker and he loses his only decent piano gig after standing up for Curtis against a homophobic bully.

After that, they keep meeting, partly by accident, partly by Riley’s design. He’s smitten, and doesn’t mind letting Curtis know. Their music brings them together – Riley’s guitar playing and Curtis’ sharp, sexy poetry are a powerful combination. But Curtis still has some unfinished business with his ex-lover that he’s struggling to handle on his own. Riley intends to be the man Curtis calls on for help, whether he likes it or not. He’ll do whatever it takes to show Curtis that people can still be trusted to be honest and caring – even if it means walking them both into danger.

This one felt just a little different to me. It still had all the humor and heart, but it felt like a much more serious undertone, perhaps because of the subject matter. I hate to give spoilers, but fair warning: while there’s nothing graphic, there are mentions of domestic abuse in this one.

Curtis and Riley both got to me at a much more emotional level. These guys had some heavy things to deal with. Even so, Ms. London did it with the same light touch as with the other stories, blending equal parts tug-at-the-heartstrings and laugh-out-loud fun. This pair were also, in my opinion, the steamiest of the bunch.

I’m not sure how realistic the end is, but I loved the themes of friendship and trust. Like in previous books, I found myself cheering for these guys at the end, and I was more than a little teary at the way the whole thing resolved.

5 stars

Amy

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello

Facebook
Twitter
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

Advertisement

5 Stars for Slap and Tickle (With a Kick #3) by Clare London #MM #Romance @clare_london

Title:  Slap and Tickle (With a Kick #3)
Author Name: Clare London
Publication Date & Length: October 29, 2014 – 102pgs

Bryan Harrison is a successful accountant and a man who admires order and self-discipline. It’s a startling break from his routine when he literally bumps into Phiz Bussman outside With A Kick. Phiz’s lifestyle and behaviour are in complete contrast to Bryan’s, and appear totally chaotic. But they each recognise something in the other that they need.

Bryan has been helping With A Kick with its financial difficulties, and is finding it difficult to balance his professional persona with friendship with the owners. But then he’s always found it tricky to expose his more vulnerable feelings. His cool facade hides loneliness: he believes he’ll never find a lover who accepts and welcomes his secret desire.

Whereas Phiz is all about exposure! He’s defined by his cheerful but clumsy liveliness, his open-hearted emotions, and his physical needs. Despite that, he’s lonely as well. He craves someone who will help him bring purpose and focus into his life, and admits freely he needs a firm hand – in every way.

If they can both accept a friendship that’s destined for more, Bryan may be just the man to provide it.

This was far and away my favorite of the entire series. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

Phiz is one of the most delightful characters in any book I’ve read. I would have gladly read lots more of him! Even though the story is told in Bryan’s POV, I felt like it was Phiz I got to know. He reminds me strongly of people I know in real life, which is probably why I adored him.

I don’t usually go for BDSM, but this was BDSM-lite, and it wasn’t terribly detailed or graphic. The interactions between Bryan and Phiz were true to their personalities, and it was great watching them both blossom. The end had me cheering for them.

5 stars and a glowing recommendation

Amy

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello

Facebook
Twitter
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

4.5 Stars for Hissed as a Newt (With a Kick #2) by Sue Brown #MM #Romance

Title: Hissed as a Newt (With a Kick #2)
Author Name: Sue Brown
Publication Date & Length: September 27, 2014 – 82pgs

“All guys do emotional just in different ways. I eat ice-cream, you get drunk in the gutter…”

A drunk clown rolling around in the gutter is not what David Wright expects to find as he walks to With A Kick, his favourite ice-cream shop. David has had a lousy day. A literary agent has crushed his dreams and all he wants is the consolation of alcoholic ice-cream. He’s about to walk away when he realises the clown has been dumped by his boyfriend. On a whim, David takes the clown into With A Kick before he gets arrested. Underneath the smeared make-up, he meets Stan, who has just found his boyfriend and best friend getting more than friendly. Over ice-cream, David and Stan discuss their problems and discover maybe they can help each other

I have to say, this was probably my least favorite of the series, even though I still loved it. Stan and David are likeable, but they didn’t feel quite as well-developed as some of the others.

It was a great story, but my one hesitation is that I found the same issues as in other books by Ms. Brown–men reminding us (in dialog or thoughts) that they are Real Men and awful stereotypes about bisexual men (from lying about orientation to cheating, as well as the gay men having negative reactions to them). It’s frustrating as a reader because Ms. Brown is such a wonderful writer that it’s always so jarring and disappointing, and it means I can’t recommend the books as strongly because bisexual men don’t like to read about themselves written this way.

Other than that, I enjoyed this one for the other parts of the story. It was nicely steamy, and I was very glad to see Stan stick up for himself at the end.

4.5 stars

Amy

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot and has got expert at ignoring the orders.

Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.

Facebook
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

5 Stars for A Twist and Two Balls (With a Kick #1) by Clare London #MM #Romance @clare_london

Title:  A Twist and Two Balls (With a Kick #1)
Author Name: Clare London
Publication Date & Length: August 29, 2014 – 66pgs

Eduardo Mancini is going to be a star of the London stage and screen. Or that was the plan. His alter ego Eddy March hasn’t got further than the chorus and a bit part in a TV series. His parents aren’t supportive, his agent can’t place his particular skills, and he’s finding it hard to hang onto his young dreams. Things go from bad to worse when he’s late for an important audition, hasn’t got enough to money to pay the taxi fare, and is chased across the streets of Soho by the irate driver.
Eddy reaches what he believes is sanctuary – With A Kick, a store where ice creams are blended with alcohol and imagination, and where his friends can help him. But Nuri the taxi driver is persistent in his steady pursuit, above and beyond the money he’s owed. Despite their very different characters and background, Eddy and Nuri’s relationship goes from a complete unknown to a wary balancing act. There are still mistakes to be made, and hurdles to clear. And both of them have to admit that their life so far hasn’t gone the way they planned.

But maybe being caught by Nuri was just what Eddy’s career needed – both for his job and his heart

I felt for down-on-his luck actor Eddy March right away, even though he didn’t exactly start out on the right foot. Of all the characters in this series, I think he’s the one who undergoes the most significant changes. I enjoyed seeing him blossom from someone lacking confidence and responsibility to a man who took pride in his work.

I absolutely adored Nuri from the first moment. The interactions with his family made me laugh because boy, could I relate to some of what he experienced. The banter between his brothers and among the children was charming and fun. This was a delightful story.

5 stars

Amy

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello

Facebook
Twitter
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

5 and 4.5 Stars for Blue Suede Boi by Annie Anthony #FF #Erotic #Romance #androgynous

Title: Blue Suede Boi
Author Name: Annie Anthony
Publication Date & Length: October 9, 2014 – 23pgs

Has Kaia’s hottest fantasy become a reality in her blue suede boi?

The unattainable object of Kaia’s fantasies is browsing in a store known for barely better than cheap shoes in the most bland strip mall in town. By the chemistry sparking between then, Kaia wonders whether Amanda may have come in looking for more than just the men’s shoe rack. Has Kaia’s hottest fantasy become a reality in her blue suede boi?

This was a wonderful, quick read full of heat and heart. I was drawn in right away by the first-person narrator. Even in such a short story, there was plenty of detail to give a sense of who these people are and how they relate to each other, and the little bits of backstory sprinkled in round things out nicely.

The sex was hot, very sensual and romantic without being over-the-top. Again, I liked the little details. They made it fun and sexy. The writing style is just lovely, and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

5 stars

Amy

This was a fantastic little short story. It’s hot and sexy and really fun to read. I rarely find books about boi’s or those who are a bit androgynous, and this one definitely doesn’t disappoint.

The two characters have definite chemistry, and they come together with a bang. There’s enough history to give them both rounded personalities, at least as rounded as one can expect for something that takes me (a slow reader) about thirty minutes to finish.

The premise behind the plot is short, quick, absolutely adorable and to the point. It’s smut with a fantastic background. Not quite PWP (if you’re familar with fanfic terminology, if not, Plot? What Plot?), but enough to get anyone’s motor going.

4.5 stars

AJ

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

5, 3 and 3.5 Stars for Coming Out by Kejsi Miller #FF #ComingOut

Title: Coming Out
Author Name: Kejsi Miller
Publication Date & Length: June 1, 2014 – 222pgs

Coming out is one of the hardest decisions a person can make. All you can hope for is love and acceptance from your family and friends. Unfortunately for Syd, coming out as straight in a world where everyone is gay, love and acceptance was not what she found. What she found instead, was an unwanted car ride to the nearest cleansing center to help her find the ‘right path’ back to being her true gay self. Or so her parents thought when they left her at ‘Straight Away’.
Coming out is a story of love, friendship, self acceptance, and the obstacles one must face to find happiness in a world where fear and misunderstanding rule. Come out, come out wherever you are!

This book is well written and simply amazing!
I was hooked from the first page. I absolutely loved it! I like the way being homosexual is the norm and being straight was unacceptable.
I think this would be a great book for someone who is having a hard time accepting gays. Although it is a great read for anyone!
It made me laugh, it made me cry. I couldn’t put it down. And I this will be one of the few books I will reread.

Amber

This was an unusual story where the world is reversed and it’s the straight minority being oppressed. I picked it up because the concept interested me, but ultimately, I thought it fell a little short of its ambitious goal.

I did like the main characters, and I enjoyed the relationship and banter among them. Harper was my favorite. I liked the way she owned who she was and made it into a sort of snooty, self-important persona but had a lot of love and compassion stored underneath. She was wonderfully complex.

I had mixed feelings about the plot in general. It seemed like it wanted to be both cutting-edge and humorous, and it didn’t quite succeed at either. In order to successfully pull off reversing the discrimination, it probably should have been much more serious. The humor would have worked better in our real world. As written, it felt just vaguely dismissive of reparative therapy. I doubt that was intentional; it’s just a function of making light of the situation.

The whole novel probably could have benefited from better editing. There were numerous grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors throughout, and I found the POV-switches at the end confusing after having most of the book be from one character’s POV.

I enjoyed the action scenes in the second half much more than the set-up in the first half. It was fun to read about the daring rescues and what happened afterward.

3.5 stars

Amy

I found the concept of this book very innovative and refreshing, a world where the majority of people were gay and the outcasts were those who were “straight”.

Much of the book revolves around the four main characters, Syd the “straight” female, Brock the ashamed male “bi”, who Syd fancies, Harper the closeted “bi” and Lex, Syd’s  ex girlfriend.

While in the institution the banter between the young people, who, apart from Lex are there at their parents request, to reprogramme them to become gay, is very amusing and appealing. However as the disturbing scenes of torture begin to emerge we begin to realise the horrors that befall such outcasts.

My criticism of the novel is that I didn’t feel the author managed to weave together the humour of the situation along side the gravity it also tried to convey.

I feel the author is targeting the teen market and I am sure it will be a real success there.

The epilogue for me also let the novel down, although I am a true romantic I did fine the ending far to unbelievable  and sugar coated.

Chris

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

I’ve been writing since I was young. I remember writing a series of stories when I was 7 or 8 about a girl and a ghost called “Jackie & Spookie.” Ever since it was always a hobby just for me. It wasn’t until I was about 16 that I found out there was more to it then I ever thought. Ten years later I was ready to share with the world. Here comes my first novel “Coming Out”, about a world where the roles are flipped and a girl must come out to her family as straight in a world where everyone is gay. They ship her off to a cleansing center believing it will gay her back up, but boy are they wrong. She goes on an adventure to find herself and finds friends she never thought she’d have along the way.

My next novel was one I had been working on since I was 16, “Which Way Is Witch?” Completely different than “Coming Out”, this takes on a paranormal twist throwing the main character in a world she never expected. Her and her best friend find out things are never as they seem and family and friendship are more important than they even realize.

My writing style may not be perfect, but I try to bring laughter and smiles to every one of my readers. Whether it be paranormal, romance, or a coming of age, I hope you will come on this journey with me. Writing may be my second love (Music will always be my first), but I always put a piece of me in everything I produce. And just so there is no gasps of shock, there most likely will always be a LGBQ message or characters in my stories.

Facebook
Author’s Website

3.5 and 2 Stars for Pianissimo by Lauren Shiro #FF #Historical #Paranormal

Title: Panissimo
Author Name: Lauren Shiro
Publication Date & Length: October 16, 2014 – 193pgs

Darryl and Corinne Richards purchase their first house. With Darryl’s army career coming to a close, they feel ready to settle down in Louisville, Kentucky. With impeccable timing, Darryl is sent on one final tour, leaving Corinne to live in this new house and new city alone.

Overwhelmed, Corinne becomes reclusive, living a quiet, boring life with her cats as she adjusts to her new surroundings. The problem is: someone or some thing does not want her life to be either quiet or boring. And then there’s the creepy piano in the basement…

There is more to that creepy, dilapidated piano and her new home than Corinne could ever imagine. Through highs and lows, twists and turns, she begins to understand that even the most softly played music is powerful – and that even soft realizations and quietly subtle changes can have a profound effect.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I really enjoyed the historical parts, and I adored Margaret and Agnes. I wish the whole book had been just them without the modern-day parts. They were simply wonderful, and I feel a bit short-changed on seeing their relationship blossom.

I found it confusing at times when it switched back and forth between Corinne’s story of restoring the piano and the past. It was often abrupt and didn’t flow smoothly. The whole thing could have benefitted from tighter editing and some well-placed scene breaks.

I also had mixed feelings about Corinne and the other modern-day people. It read like it was aimed at people who aren’t sure they like gay people rather than at people interested in reading about two women in love. That might be why I didn’t care for the present day stuff—I’m really not the target audience for this story.

Because I enjoyed Margaret and Agnes so much, I look forward to reading Ms. Shiro’s other work, which might be more to my taste.

3.5 stars

Amy

This book had an interesting premise, but I was definitely disappointed by it. There is relatively no plot, and the plot that is there isn’t in the main part of the book. It was very hard to get into, reading wise. The main character is ridiculously whiny, and by the time we get to any other character in the book, it’s a respite.

I wish that this whole story had been Agnes and Margarette–that would have made it completely interesting and able to hold my attention. Corrine seemed to be a character thrown in there to drag it back to the present, and like I said before, she was really whiny.

I loved the idea of the piano being the connection between all these women and having little bits of information about Agnes and Margaret be filtered through the beginning part, but the main character made it very difficult to continue reading.

Writing wise: the beginning of the book, until we get to actual scenes with Agnes and Margaret is very redundant and repetitive. It’s not well-written. Corrine will say she’s going to do something and then we get to read about her doing it. The redundancy of writing like that happens throughout. What the writing lacked was a really good copy-editor who could catch the redundancy and tone of the main character.

Overall, the interesting premise and my love for any piano fic is what saved this piece and allowed me to continue reading it.

AJ

I give this book 2 stars. If there was supposed to be a plot I’m not sure what it was. I think the idea of the book is good and with a good copy editor it might be an OK book but as it was I found it extremely redundant and boring.
I did like the fact that it shows gays have been around forever and that they are people. It made some good points and has the ability to possibly open some eyes.

Amber

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

TWO 4 Star Reviews for Sandcastles by Suzie Carr – #FF #Health #Literary @girl_novelist

Title: Sandcastles
Author Name: Suzie Carr
Publication Date & Length: January 28, 2015 – 235pgs

Lia is smart, successful, and best friends with Dean, a gay man who is just as neurotic as she. Life is smooth and flowing, unmarked by much more than a little family jealousy here and there, until she runs into Willow, an exciting enigma from her past.

Willow, a psychic, receives a sense that something is off kilter surrounding Lia. Should she tell her, even though Lia, the person she’s never been able to stop thinking about since childhood, might run the other way? It’s a risk she decides to take, and Lia’s curiosity surprises her.

As truths about life, love and uncertainties are unearthed, Lia and Willow, along with Dean, learn to seek strength from unexpected places and people. Along their journeys, the three learn what a struggle it is to maintain their sandcastles as they embrace the parts of their lives that really matter.

This was a long read, but worth it. I love Suzie Carr’s writing style. For anyone who likes a lot of plot with a side of romance, this fits the bill nicely. There are a few great scenes between Lia and Willow, enough to satisfy but not so much they overshadow the storyline. The steamy-but-not-graphic sex was perfect for my preference.

I enjoyed the characters, but Dean was by far my favorite. I thought he was a good balance for the story. Lia was the textbook definition of stressed workaholic, and Willow was a bit much sometimes on her end, too, so it was good to have something in between.

My only hesitation (and why I can’t give it 5 stars) was that Willow and Yvonne came across as somewhat judgmental and like they had an agenda for the reader. There was also a bit of body-, health-, and fat-shaming (for example, Lia assuming a plump boy was running to get ice cream, or the character running a wellness session on the “causes” of obesity). I wasn’t fond of the part where a couple of the characters seemed to be saying people cause their own illnesses and that emotions other than peaceful/happy are bad. I think those elements could be triggering for some people.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read. I’ve been a fan of Suzie Carr for a while, so my concerns with this story will in no way keep me from reading her work and recommending it to others.

Amy

Its not exactly a page turner in my opinion but it is a good book full of life lessons that everyone should take to heart. Its a easy read and full of love,happiness and pain just like life.
It is very inspirational and just the right mix of deep and humor. It will have you laughing while thinking how true, and good of a point it is. I also like that it shows the importance of being open minded, how you hurt truly great people by being small minded. This book is a eye opener and we’ll written.

Amber

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Suzie Carr is a prolific novelist, publishing company owner, philanthropist and avid blogger. Occasionally she sleeps, but not often.

Whether it’s writing about women in love, inspiring new authors, advocating for lgbt equality and animal welfare or blogging about community awareness, positive living, taking action and inspiration… Suzie remains passionate in her beliefs!

She believes in the power of community and fostering a welcoming place where everyone feels connected and their voices are equal, valued and appreciated. Bullying, bigotry and inequality are not welcome… but curves always are.

Suzie’s love for the written word started back when she was a child. She enjoyed visiting the library every Saturday to spend hours reading. Books quickly became a constant companion to her and remained as such throughout her childhood.

Always in the creative mindset, she dreamed of a life where she would work by day and write books by night.

Unfortunately, twelve hour work days left her no time or energy for learning how to craft a novel. So, off to college she went to pursue her passion for writing.

College fed her hunger for the written word and Suzie devoured anything and everything written on the subject of novel writing while pursuing her degree in communications at Rhode Island College.

Soon after graduating, The Fiche Room, a coming-of-age novel about two women falling in love, was born. Over the years The Fiche Room grew from its humble e-book origins to an Amazon Kindle best seller receiving glowing reviews and recently giving rise to its adaptation, The Curve, a short film currently in production.

With six bestsellers on Amazon Kindle in the lesbian romance and lesbian fiction genres, Suzie continues to write about the beauty of women falling in love with each other to the rave reviews of her growing fans, loyal followers and fellow authors.

Suzie Carr believes strongly in giving back to the community. She donates a portion of book sale proceeds to the Hearts United for Animals and NOH8 Campaign.

Facebook
Twitter
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

3 and 5 Stars for Stolen Dreams by Sue Brown – #MM #Romance #Erotic @suebrownstories

Title: Stolen Dreams
Author Name: Sue Brown
Publication Date & Length: January 30 2015 – 240pgs

After cheating on and losing the man he loved, Morgan Conway decided to get his life right. Now he owns a coffee shop and is engaged to Jase, an actor and rising star. All is perfect in his world until the man he thought was gone forever walks into his shop. His hidden feelings rush to the surface, unfortunately there for everyone to see, including his fiancé.

Shae Delamere was crushed when Morgan cheated on him five years ago. But he has a reason for seeking Morgan out. As Morgan and Shae get to know each other again, they discover the extent that friends meddled in their lives to keep them apart. Morgan cannot deny he is still in love with Shae, but he is engaged. With some hard decisions to make, Morgan struggles not to hurt the men he cares about—again. Shae has secrets he came to share with Morgan, but revealing them now could keep them apart for good.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. It held my attention throughout.

The story started out a little slowly, and it took me a while to warm up to both Shae and Morgan. They weren’t likable in the beginning. That quickly changed as the plot developed, and I enjoyed getting to know them through the pages. I loved the supporting characters and how each of them carried a different piece of the puzzle with Shae and Morgan’s past and Shae’s multiple secrets.

There is a lot of very descriptive sex in this novel, which works in context, but isn’t my personal preference. However, it’s all so well-written that it more than made up for it, and most readers will enjoy Shae and Morgan’s intense physical relationship. I felt it was true to their characters, and a lot was revealed about them through their intimacy.

All in all, this was a terrific book, and I’m really glad I picked it up.

Amy

This is the story of Morgan, a coffee shop owner and assistant movie director in Los Angeles.  It is also the story of Shae, a classics professor in Austin.  When we meet Morgan, he is engaged to Jase but he has never really gotten over Shae, his first love.  When Shae returns to LA to visit his father in hospital, the two men meet again for the first time in five years.

It is an old story.  Does Morgan hold on to his new love or does he risk everything and give Shae a chance?  His choices and the relationships that emerge are fraught with all the complexites of any contemporary paring.  Clashing career needs, family complications and years of miscommunication form very real barriers for the men involved.

Romance writing always walks a fine line between fantasy and reality.  The genre is naturally fantasy, but we readers tend to want it as realistic as possible.  It is here that I think this book struggles.  At times the realism of two lovers trying to align schedules, work and families is a little too much for me.  We read romance to escape all this!

In other parts of the book, fantasy wins out as things happen far too conveniently.  The Jase plotline felt contrived.  Without spoiling the story, I didn’t believe Jase’s actions or revelations were true to the character first introduced.  If Brown wants realism, she needs to allow her main characters’ actions to be morally ambiguous without interfering.

I really like the two central families in this book.  I loved the realistic awkwardness as the men met up with each other’s families after such an explosive break-up and an ensuing timelapse.  Unfortunately, another central plotline about family secrets was similarly contrived to create tension and conflict.  It wasn’t necessary.  The story was already great without superfluous drama.

Sue Brown writes well and the main characters emerge as very two very loveable men.  I just wish she had managed to balance fantasy and realism with more agility.

Sarah

Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot and has gotten expert at ignoring the orders.

Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.

Facebook
Twitter
Author’s Website
Author’s GoodRead Page

Tour Organizer

Creative Minds Promotions

http://creativemindpromotions.wordpress.com/

Confluence Comics by Scott Harper & Desiree Lee #FF #Comic @authordeslee

---

Title: Confluence Comics
Author Name: Scott Harper & Desiree Lee
Publication Date & Length: 24pgs each

Issue #1

Rue, Nadine, and Marvin are pulled through a dimensional rift. Finding themselves stuck, they begin learning about their strange, new world.

“Confluence” is a science fiction/fantasy mash-up. It focuses on Rue Preston, her best friend Nadine Larson, and the “town pest” Marvin Chambers after the trio is pulled through a dimensional rift to another world. The place where they find themselves is a nexus point where an unknown number of realities join. As such, the world where they have found themselves is a place where anything can potentially happen.

Issue #2

Saying goodbye to the friends made in the previous issue, Rue, Nadine, and Marvin set out on their own, hoping to find a way out of the nexus world. But, rather than discover a way back to Earth, they find more trouble. And they won’t escape unscathed!

Rue, Nadine, and Marvin are pulled through a dimensional rift. Finding themselves stuck, the begin learning about their strange, new world. “Confluence” is a science fiction/fantasy mash-up. It focuses on Rue Preston, her best friend Nadine Larson, and the “town pest” Marvin Chambers after the trio is pulled through a dimensional rift to another world. The place where they find themselves is a nexus point where an unknown number of realities join. As such, the world where they have found themselves is a place where anything can potentially happen.

Issue #3

New friends are made, a whole new chain of events are set into motion as a result of the Maw attacks in the previous issue.

Rue, Nadine, and Marvin are pulled through a dimensional rift. Finding themselves stuck, the begin learning about their strange, new world. “Confluence” is a science fiction/fantasy mash-up. It focuses on Rue Preston, her best friend Nadine Larson, and the “town pest” Marvin Chambers after the trio is pulled through a dimensional rift to another world. The place where they find themselves is a nexus point where an unknown number of realities join. As such, the world where they have found themselves is a place where anything can potentially happen.

Issue #4

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, romance blossoms. Meanwhile, the events set in motion by the Maw attack accelerate. Everything is changing!

Rue, Nadine, and Marvin are pulled through a dimensional rift. Finding themselves stuck, the begin learning about their strange, new world. “Confluence” is a science fiction/fantasy mash-up. It focuses on Rue Preston, her best friend Nadine Larson, and the “town pest” Marvin Chambers after the trio is pulled through a dimensional rift to another world. The place where they find themselves is a nexus point where an unknown number of realities join. As such, the world where they have found themselves is a place where anything can potentially happen.

As someone who enjoys comic books, I was excited to read this. The premise sounded interesting–humans transported to a strange world, having to navigate it as well as handle the issues they already had among themselves.

The story itself was fast-paced and definitely held my attention. At the end of each issue, I was anxious to find out what would happen next and if Rue, Nadine, and Martin would be able to escape the strange creatures they encountered.

Despite that, I did have a few hesitations. The artwork seemed really simple, like computer simulation images altered with pre-set changes. The plot, interesting though it was, also didn’t feel complex at this point in the story. I also felt like the relationship between Nadine and Rue was out of nowhere, not at all hinted at until it suddenly cropped up, and handled at a very strange part of the story. It just didn’t flow naturally for me.

I’m still interested in seeing where this series goes, but my hope would be for a somewhat more complex plot to develop.

4 stars

Amy

IndyPlanet

LGBT in “Confluence”

Scott Harper & Desirée Lee

From the start, we had planned on two female characters, and one male, as our main cast. Starting almost as early, we planned to, at some point, bring the two female characters—Rue Preston and Nadine Larson—together in a relationship. The change has been to do it so early. The fact that the romance kicks off in our February 2015 issue—perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day—is actually just a happy coincidence.

Plans are in place for something big to happen with Marvin Chambers. The groundwork for that started falling into place in Issue #2. Once this event happens, it will alter the entire series of “Confluence” in a major way, giving the series-spanning plot a major twist. After some discussion, we felt it to be a good idea to jumpstart the romantic relationship between Rue and Nadine. We plan to make their relationship a plot point for what’s in store for Marvin. It will also dovetail directly into something that has been planned from the start for Rue and Nadine. Their relationship will actually be a big building block for what’s in store for them.

Why introduce a lesbian relationship as a major plot point in the series? Especially when LGBT topics are typically shied away from in comics? Both of us are very sympathetic to LGBT issues. This is a way of showing our support. We didn’t want to take the are-they-or-aren’t-they approach that some projects take with such subplots. We very much want it known that, as of Issue #4 of “Confluence”, Rue and Nadine are a couple. This is us standing up in support of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals everywhere. Though married to a man, Desirée is bisexual, and takes LGBT issues strongly to heart. Equality is something near and dear to the both of us. This is two bestselling, award- winning authors shouting out to the entire LGBT community “We are allies!”

Scott Harper:

Scott Harper is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 published short stories and several novels. There has been talk, from several fronts, about turning his fourth novel, “Predators or Prey?”, the first book in his Wendy Markland series, into a live-action project. Interest from a movie producer has also been voiced about turning his bestselling, award-winning eighth novel, “Quintana Roo, Yucatan”, into a film.

Harper grew up in Ohio, and graduated from Marysville High School in 1993, and began screenwriting in 2007, after the publication of several short stories and novels. He has worked on projects for James Tucker Productions and 11th Dimension Films. He is currently involved with several projects, covering literature, film and comic books. He was also a contributing writer for “Nuclear Winter Entertainment” for several months before that site shut down.

Scott is very happily married to bestselling paranormal author Desirée Lee. Together, they have a wonderful little girl, and are working jointly on several projects. Those projects include multiple books, as well as the hit website comic “MoonWraith” and the recently-launched ongoing, bimonthly comic book series “Confluence”.

More information about his work can be found on his website:www.scottharper.net

Desirée Lee:

Critically acclaimed, best-selling author Desirée Lee is an amalgam wrapped inside of an enigma: a book junkie, vampire and self-proclaimed geek with a fascination bent toward the dark and macabre. When not writing or reading, she feeds her gaming addiction. Des loves the dark, evil characters. If word ever got out that she was secretly a level 15 paladin, her reputation would be ruined.

Des currently lives in a hole-in-the-wall town in Northern California, further away from civilization than she’d sometimes like to be.

Check out Des’ website at http://www.desireelee.com and find her on Twitter:http://twitter.com/authordeslee or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authordeslee