Book lovers have one thing in common: stretching our book budgets! To that end, Dreamspinner Press is starting a new Daily Deals newsletter. This short, daily newsletter will announce flash coupons and deeply discounted eBooks from the Dreamspinner Press store. You can sign up for this newsletterhere.
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Additionally, every month Amazon has special pricing on Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, and DSP Publications eBooks. These range from 99-cents to $1.99 eBooks. Typically, Dreamspinner and its imprints will price match so international readers can take advantage of the sales. To find out about these deals, join theDreamReaders Facebook Group, or follow Dreamspinner onTwitter. September deals include Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny’s Lair by Amy Lane for $1.99 and Can’t Live Without You by Andrew Grey for 99 cents. On the YA side of publishing, Ragnarok and Gudsriki by Ari Bach are $1.99 each. For genre fiction readers, the Men of Myth series by Brandon Witt are also $1.99 each.
All readers know keeping to a book budget is tough. Dreamspinner Press hopes sales like this makes it a tad easier!
Blurb: The heat took everything from Rowen: his parents, his voice when the local cure for heatstroke poisoned him, and the trust of his fellow villagers, who branded him a water thief. It would have claimed his life when he was deemed unworthy of precious resources and left in the sun to die, had not a strange man named Kristoff ridden in on the wind and told Rowen he had power.
Rowen works hard to become a Storm Lord, one of a secret magical group that brings storms to break the heat waves overtaking their world. But Rowen is starting his training at a disadvantage since he cannot speak and is much older than the other novices. The desire to please Kristoff inspires him to persevere even more than the threat of being sent back to his village to die should he fail. Still, he cannot gather rain, and when his abilities manifest, they are unlike anything known to the Storm Lords. Unless Kristoff can help him control his deadly powers, the entire world will be in danger.
Kristoff might be among the mightiest of the Storm Lords, but he’s never been a mentor before. For a chance to be with Rowen, he’s willing to risk everything.
Review: Rowen is a sweet man that has had a hard life. The village he lives in a tiny villaged plagued by severe heat spells that kill. One day he is to be sacrificed as a way to end the spell. Kristoff is a Storm Lord with the ability to disperse heat spells. He comes upon Rowan badly burned and on the brink of death. He senses something within the young man and so takes him with him.
I am not even going to pretend that I understood the explanations on certain things pertaining the lords. Though the story was good I felt it was to drawn out. At times I felt as though I was back in school learning.
I hated the way people treated Rowan because he could speak. It seemed people in this story were barbaric to a degree that I did not approve of. I was glad Kristoff stood up for Rowan against those that would do him harm because they felt threatened by what he could do.
Blurb: A classic tale takes off in sexy new directions! Poor Mr. Dickens must be twirling in his grave.
When E.B. Scrudge, putz extraordinaire and all-around numbnuts, is visited by his dead ex on Christmas Eve, he can’t imagine how his life could sink any lower. But the three ghostly spirits that come along after are even worse! Good lord, a dyke, a drag queen, and rounding out the trio, a big, hunky bear with nipple rings and a butt plug! What’s next?
What’s next is a good deal of soul-searching and some hard lessons learned with a dash of redemption thrown in for good measure.
And love too, believe it or not. Love that had been simmering all along at the heart of Scrudge’s miserable existence, although he was too selfish to see it—until a trio of holiday beasties pointed his sorry ass in the right direction.
Review: A wonderful take on a classic tale. I found E.B. Scrudge to be the perfect scrooge. Overbearing, mean and callous. At times this man gets put in his place when he visited by several spirits. The ghosts in this story are characters themselves with a humorous yet serious side to them all.
Willie, E.B.’s secretary was sweet and kind. I felt sorry for him as he harboured feelings for Scrudge. I was very glad when Scrudge started realizing how he treated others especially Willie.
I really enjoyed the entire story. Seeing the way you’ve treated people in the past and present is no picnic. But seeing what could be in the future is downright terrifying at ties. Especially if you don’t heed the warnings you are given.
Blurb: Angus has been with the same guy for ten years. When his boyfriend breaks up with him the night of his thirtieth birthday party and announces his engagement to a twenty-two-year-old less than ten hours later, Angus is… a mess. To put it lightly. He spends days in bed, drinks himself into a stupor every night, and ends up losing his job and his apartment. His best and oldest friend, Reece, decides it’s time for an intervention. And a change of scenery.
Reece and Angus take off on a buddy trip across the US. They don’t have much of a plan; they just start driving. It takes Angus a couple of days to do much more than grunt when Reece talks to him, but slowly he opens up. They drive, talk, heal, shout, drink a bit too much sometimes, dance, meet new friends… and somewhere between Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Maine, they fall in love.
Which was the last thing in the world Angus expected.
Review: Angus’s boyfriend dumps him on birthday and then announces his engagement to a very much younger man. He has lost his long-time partner, then his job and his apartment. Can anything else go wrong for one man? Thank god his best friend decides to help the man. However there is something to say about a sexy best friend stuck in a car with you. Things are about to heat up.
Now one would think that things would heat up just a bit faster than they had. The first kiss was about three fourths into the book so I was a bit bored. It is a very entertaining drive to say the least though. These two are just driving and learing about each other in ways one would never had expected, well except a reader who wants something to happen. Angus can’t believe he never noticed how sexy his best friend was though, so his eyes were opened.
Now Brad is an ass, which is not surprising to say the least but there was something off about him. Then there is Reece who left me with more questions never answered. You never really get an insight into his life at all. You don’t find out if he was gay or straight in the beginning so Angus had no clue either it would seem. It is very odd to say the least.
Now this book is a very cute story about two best friends who find out that they might just be more than best friends. The sex is sweet and tender, but I don’t feel the passion at all. So I guess it fits with the book at least.
I guess I am just not into friends turned lover’s type of reader. I want more heat and passion, plus some action and danger. I am afraid that I lost interest before we even got to the kiss. The first sex scene was close to the end which was a drag for me. I just couldn’t connect with this book. I am afraid that this was one story that was not for me.
Hi peeps! We have Amy Lane popping in today with her upcoming release Quickening Vol 1, we have a fantastic guest post from Amy and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
Quickening, Vol 1
(Little Goddess book 05)
by
Amy Lane
Cory thought she’d found balance on Green’s hill—sorceress, student, queen of the vampires, wife to three men—she had it down! But establishing her right to risk herself with Green and Bracken had more than one consequence, and now she’s facing the world’s scariest job title: mother.
But getting the news that she’s knocked up takes a backseat when a half-elf hunts them down for help. Her arrival brings news that the werewolf threat, which has been haunting them for over a year, has finally arrived on their doorstep—and it’s bigger and more frightening than they’d ever imagined.
Cory throws herself into this new battle with everything she’s got—and her men let her do it. Because they all know that whether they defeat this enemy now or later, the thing she’s most afraid of is arriving on a set schedule, and not even Cory can avoid it. The trick is getting her to acknowledge she’s pregnant before she gives birth—or kills herself in denial.
Hi guys, we have Jendi Reiter popping in today with her debut novel Two Natures, we have a great exclusive excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
Two Natures
by
Jendi Reiter
Two Natures is the coming-of-age story of Julian Selkirk, a fashion photographer in New York City in the early 1990s. His faith in Jesus helped him survive his childhood in the Atlanta suburbs with an abusive alcoholic father, but the church’s condemnation of his sexual orientation has left him alienated and ashamed.
Yearning for new ideals to anchor him after his loss of faith, Julian seeks his identity through love affairs with three very different men: tough but childish Phil Shanahan, a personal trainer who takes a dangerous shortcut to success; enigmatic, cosmopolitan Richard Molineux, the fashion magazine editor who gives him his first big break; and Peter Edelman, an earnest left-wing activist with a secret life.
Amid the devastation of the AIDS epidemic and the racial tensions of New York politics, Julian learns to see beyond surface attractions and short-term desires, and to use his art to serve his community.
Blurb: Two men, one lie, and a whole bunch of trouble.
Marty Valdez is in serious trouble. His sister’s wedding is around the corner, and everyone expects to meet Marty’s super-successful underwear model boyfriend – whom Marty invented. Now Marty has to produce a half-naked hottie or suffer the worst humiliation of his life.
FBI agent Luke Myers is in serious trouble. He’s been working undercover to take down a dangerous drug cartel, but his cover’s blown and he needs to disappear. Luckily, a geeky yet intriguing comic book artist gives him the perfect opportunity. Luke just has to pretend to be his boyfriend, and pretending is what he does best. But between Marty’s mother and his ex, Luke might’ve bitten off more than he can chew, and Marty’s knack for finding trouble might ruin more than just his sister’s wedding.
Review: For me Undercover Boyfriend was a book of firsts: the first book I’ve heard/read by Jacob Z Flores, the first time I’ve heard audio narration by Rusty Topsfield. On both accounts this was a book of wonderful firsts. I loved the light-hearted and sometimes funny way in which Flores wrote this story, which really could have gone the way of serious spy mystery. My first impression from Rusty Topsfield is that he really knows how to use his voice to bring the characters to life – he works well with the Latino characters and gives everyone the appropriate depth of emotion.
Undercover Boyfriend is much like the rest of the Dreamspun Desires collection. The stories are simple and sweet, the plots are relatively predictable but not in a bad way and are what I call the MM version of Harlequin romance.
The story follows Marty Valdez. He’s a bit of a loner and since high school has learnt to deal with situations he finds difficult by inventing people (or, yes, outright telling lies). It’s nothing malicious, just something that he does to cope with the fact that he does not have a lot of self confidence. But that’s all about to come back to bite him in the ass. After breaking up with his boyfriend a year earlier, Marty invented Tim – his new boyfriend to show the world (mostly his ex) that he has moved on and doesn’t need his cheating ass. But Marty’s sister is getting married soon and his ex is actually his soon to be brother in law’s best friend. It’s a tad contrived, I will acknowledge that much. So now the imaginary Tim has to be real.
That’s where undercover FBI agent Luke Meyers comes into the fray and he is just as complicated as Marty. He’s found himself in a spot of trouble. His cover has been blown and now a Mexican drug cartel wants him dead. When Marty mistakes Luke for a thief, Marty blackmails Luke (albeit willingly) to pretend to be his fake boyfriend. It’s a comedy of errors and the most contrived situations that most Marty thinks up. But I said that this is a sweet romance and there is an instant attraction between Luke and Marty – even if Luke has to hold back his real identity for a while. The way in which the plot lines converge is also quite predictable but I think I would have been irritated if it had happened any other way.
I totally enjoyed this one. I loved the writing and the plot by Flores and I loved the narration by Topsfield. If you love the Dreamspun Desires series this is definitely something that you will enjoy. If romance with a hot undercover FBI agent is your thing, it’s a great light-hearted take on the genre.
Blurb: Barney Teegarden knows what it’s like to be alone. He knows what it’s like to have a romantic heart, yet no love in his life to unleash the romance on. With the help of a friend, he acquires a lease in a seedy apartment building perched high on a hill in downtown San Diego. The Belladonna Arms is not only filled with the quirkiest cast of characters imaginable, it is also famous for sprinkling love dust on even the loneliest of the lovelorn.
At the Arms, Barney finds friendship, acceptance, and an adopted family that lightens his lonely life. Hell, he even finds a cat. But still true love eludes him.
When his drag queen landlord, Arthur, takes it into his head to rescue a homeless former tenant, he enlists Barney’s help. It is Barney who shows this lost soul how to trust again—and in return Barney discovers love for the first time in his life.
It’s funny how even the hardest battles can be fought and won with laughter, hugs, friends, plus a little faith in the goodness of others. All it takes to begin the healing is the simple act of coming back.
Review: Each book in The Belladonna Arms collection features a different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and crossover characters, I would recommend reading the series in sequential order.
I wished that there was an apartment complex like this one with people just like the ones that live at the Belladonna Arms. I love the world that this author created almost as much as I love the characters that are in it. I love how even the story has some sadness and a touch of pain; it also has a lot of humor stashed in it. I laughed so hard through some parts that I was waving my arms around and bouncing. It is a good thing no one was looking in the mirror.
John became a favorite author of mine when the first book in this series came out. I never even really thought that I would find a male author could do that. I have always focus on the quirky funny books that many authors write, but when I came across John’s stories I knew he was going to be one of my favorites with the way he spins a tale. My attention was caught from the moment I started reading and kept it all the way to the end, so much that as soon as I finish writing this I am going to go start on the next book in this series.
Barney’s apartment was going condo, and he was strapped for money as it was. So when a friend told him that he could get him an apartment he jumped at it. There is something very magical about the Belladonna Arms and the people that live there. When Arthur, his landlord, wants him to help him find a friend that was in need, Barney agreed to help; he had not expected that friend to be a very sexy young man whose heart had been badly broken.
Ramon and Chichi had been known at the Belladonna Arms as a young couple deeply in love. However there was a darkness instead. When Chichi died, so did Ramon in away. He ran and lived on the streets thinking it was what he deserved, thank god Arthur had it in his head he was going to bring the young man home. Arthur is the fairy godmother in this tale that is for sure.
I loved the subplot with Sylvia and Pete as well. They can definitely hold onto a secret. I felt so bad for what Ramon had gone through before. Then I felt like laughing my ass off at how everyone else felt when Ramon cut their hair. Let’s just say you need to read it to find out. This is probably my favorite out of the whole series and I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to get to reading the next book. John made another winning story for his readers.
Blurb: One day a shadow is cast on the Mechanical Circus, a rollicking seaside carnival where imagination meets machinery, when a tall, cloaked figure approaches the stand of Will Marchman, a young patent-medicine salesman. Thus begins the adventures of Will; Fanule Perfidor, commonly known as the Dog King; vampire Clancy Marrowbone; and Clancy’s former lover, the mortal Simon Bentcross.
Fanule Perfidor, leader of the mongrels, sees a shining star, Will Marchman, in his otherwise chaotic life. Famile is on a mission to uncover the secret as to why the mongrels are being incarcerated and persecuted. With Will and his best friend Clancy, vampire, and Simon’s, hunter, help discover why Mongrels are disappearing. Fantastic cast of characters, action, suspense and mystery made for an incredible read.
Merman: Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Clancy returns to find out what his ex-lover Simon is up to and discovers a merman, Jordan Hawkes is a man he used to feed, washed up on the shore. He also discovers Simon has been commissioned to build a submersible. There is also a mystery as to the suspicious treatment of prisoners. This is another wonderful story with characters that add depth to the book, as well as the interactions between Simon and Clancy. I loved the mystery aspect and finding out what was going on.
Machine: Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
This book is the conclusion of the mongrel series and ties everything up. Both couples are back, William and Fan start arguing and eventually they split up. A mysterious stranger from fan’s past shows up and chaos ensues. This mysterious stranger has a machine that can alter beings and humans alike. Will and Clancy are kidnapped then returned less than what they were. Although both couples suffer greatly they eventually find their HEA. I felt the villain’s so-called takedown was a bit of a let-down considering all the lives he disrupted or destroyed. I expected a big showdown between Fan and him but got none. Other than that I loved the story as it revealed more about Fan’s background.
Overall the series was an amazing adventure of two couples. They struggle to make a go of their relationships and find their HEA. At the same time they access and confront threats to them and the town along the way. Great descriptions and plot made for an interesting read. I loved it.
Blurb: When Gray Fox sets out by canoe to visit Elk Horn, his childhood friend and secret crush, mysterious forces strand him on a terrifying hunk of ebony rock known as Black Island. During the dark, cold night, a strangely androgynous being seduces the young virgin. In the midst of his passion, the creature shifts into a comely youth, shocking the naïve young man. He can hardly wait to tell Elk Horn about the experience. But does he dare?
Review: Gray wants to see his best friend Elk, but hadn’t expected the fog to come in. It leads him to a different desire then he had expected. Elk is shocked but in the end it is his shock that surprises Gray.
This story was way too short for anything other than a pornographic theme to it. Let’s just say that it was just really strange and totally creepy. For one I don’t like girly parts and this one just works that way. I can say that in my opinion, this one just didn’t do it for me.
I am sorry but this is one story that really didn’t have a true story to it.
Hi guys, we have Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore stopping by on the last day of their tour for Peripheral People, we have a fantastic guest post, a brilliant excerpt, an awesome giveaway and my review, so check out the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Peripheral People
(A Ylendrian Empire Novel)
by
Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore
Corwin Menivie and Nika Santivan are decorated veterans of the Imperial Enforcement Coalition, and are perfectly capable of solving cases the old-fashioned way. When they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team to emerge from the Psionics Academy, it could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to crime fighting, or the makings of a quadruple homicide.
During a routine investigation, West’s talent puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer who traps his prey in a deadly mental playground. Then the killer starts baiting the team, laying psychic landmines at crime scenes and exposing IEC secrets. The strain of the case binds the agents closer together—so close that Nika and Gavin start sharing a room, and even the curmudgeonly Corwin finds himself as occupied with West as he is with the murders.
But as West’s visions of death grow more violent, the only way out for all of them may be straight through the mind of a monster. If they’re not careful, they may forget which side of the hunt they’re on.
Hi guys, we have Charlie Cochet popping in today with the blog tour for Rise & Fall, the fourth book in the THIRDS series. We have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Tams review for you to enjoy, so check out the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Rise & Fall
(THIRDS Series, Book #4)
by
Charlie Cochet
After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he’s done. But Dex’s plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition’s crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn’t taking any chances. Dex’s team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost.
With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies—however well intentioned—begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who’s pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it’s up to Sloane to show him what’s at stake, and finally put a name to what’s in his heart.
Hi peeps, we have Jay Jordan Hawke stopping by today with his brand new re-release A Scout is Brave. Jay lets us have a peek at an excerpt and there’s a great giveaway, we also have Cat’s review for you to enjoy. So enjoy the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
A Scout is Brave
The Two-spirit Chronicles: Book Two (Sequel to Pukawiss The Outcast)
by
Jay Jordan Hawke
In the months following the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, fourteen-year-old Joshua, a half Native American boy, is new to a Boy Scout troop and spending a week camping in northern Wisconsin. The weaker kids in the troop soon realize Joshua is not afraid to stand up to the troop’s ruthless bullies. Joshua’s bravery and kindness is infectious, and the bullied Scouts quickly find their own inner strength.
Joshua, however, is plagued by self-doubt as he realizes he has feelings for Cody, the son of the troop’s harsh and puritanical Scoutmaster. The two discover they have more in common than Scouting as they share their deepest secrets and develop a close friendship. That friendship faces its greatest challenge as the homophobic bullies claim a “faggot” has “infected” their troop. As if struggling to come to terms with his sexuality while dealing with hatred and bigotry isn’t enough, Joshua discovers the camp holds another dark mystery, one that will make him summon all his courage and learn for the first time what it truly means to be brave.
Hiya guys, we have Charlie Cochet stopping by today with her newest THIRDS story Rack & Ruin, we also have a very special guest in the shape of Agent Rosa Santiago *whoop* so I am going to leave you to it but remember to click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Rack & Ruin
(THIRDS Book 3)
by
Charlie Cochet
New York City’s streets are more dangerous than ever with the leaderless Order of Adrasteia and the Ikelos Coalition, a newly immerged Therian group, at war. Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire and although the THIRDS round up more and more members of the Order in the hopes of keeping the volatile group from reorganizing, the members of the Coalition continue to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice.
Worse yet, someone inside the THIRDS has been feeding the Coalition information. It’s up to Destructive Delta to draw out the mole and put an end to the war before anyone else gets hurt. But to get the job done, the team will have to work through the aftereffects of the Therian Youth Center bombing. A skirmish with Coalition members leads Agent Dexter J. Daley to a shocking discovery and suddenly it becomes clear that the random violence isn’t so random. There’s more going on than Dex and Sloane originally believed, and their fiery partnership is put to the test. As the case takes an explosive turn, Dex and Sloane are in danger of losing more than their relationship.
Title: The Storm Lords
Title: Scrudge and Barley, Inc.
Title: Open Road
Title: Undercover Boyfriend
Title: Coming Back
Title: Mongrel Trilogy Bundle
Title: Shifter
