Hi guys! We have Lou Hoffmann visiting today with the fantastic cover to her upcoming release Wraith Queen’s Veil, we have a short intro post from Lou, a brilliant excerpt and an awesome giveaway! So check out the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Wraith Queen’s Veil
(The Sun Child Chronicles 02)
by
Lou Hoffmann
When Lucky arrives in Ethra, the world of his birth and destiny, he expects a joyful reunion, but the first thing he notices when he reaches the Sisterhold—his home—is something false behind his mother’s smile. In a matter of weeks, the Sisterhold becomes agitated with worries and war plans. People he trusts—like the wizard Thurlock—frequently can’t be found. His mother seems angry, especially with Lucky. Even Han Shieth, the warrior uncle he has come to rely on and love above all others, maintains a sullen silence toward him.
When Lucky’s resentment builds to the breaking point, his bad decisions put him and his friends, L’Aria and Zhevi, in unthinkable danger. Han arrives to help, but he can’t claim invulnerability to the hazards and evils that threaten at every turn. Events launch Lucky, alone, on a quest for he knows not what, but every step brings him closer to his identity and full strength. Self-knowledge, trust, and strength lead to smarter choices, but even his best efforts might not render his world truly safe, now or for the future.
Hi guys, we have Christopher Hawthorne Moss popping in today with his new release A Fine Bromance, his new transgender young adult story. Christopher also lets us have a peek at an excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
A Fine Bromance
by
Christopher Hawthorne Moss
When Robby starts his senior year in high school, he meets the new boy, Andy. Although Robby has never been physically attracted to anyone, he instinctively feels comfortable around Andy. As they get to know each other better, Robby realizes Andy is an outsider just like him, and harassment at the hands of the school’s bad boys makes it clear that Andy is a transboy.
When Robby’s eccentric Aunt Ivy finds some of her sentimental treasures missing, the boys put on their sleuthing hats to solve the mystery.
Hi guys, we have Gene Gant popping in today with his upcoming release Bender, we have a great guest post and a tantalizing excerpt so enjoy the post! <3 ~Pixie~
Bender
by
Gene Gant
At nineteen, college freshman Mace Danner works as an escort, hiring himself out to customers who want a submissive they can dominate. Having no carnal urges himself, the sexual side of his job leaves him cold, but he sees the pain inflicted on him by his clients as punishment for causing his brother’s death when he was in high school. Pain is not enough, however, to wash away his guilt, and Mace starts binge drinking in an effort to escape his remorse.
The dorm’s resident advisor, Dex Hammel, sees Mace spiraling out of control and strives to help him. Despite the mutual attraction between them, Mace is disturbed that he still feels no sexual desire for anyone. Even with Dex’s support, Mace’s self-destructive behavior escalates, leading to a situation that endangers his life.
Hi guys, we have Sean Kennedy stopping by with his upcoming release The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson, we have a great guest post and a fantastic excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy!
The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson
by
Sean Kennedy
There is no Plan B.
After being outed in an especially brutal way and briefly running away from home, Micah Johnson has sworn to get his life back on the straight and narrow. Well, not so much straight, but you know what he means.
Unfortunately the path to redemption is not an easy one. With fights at school and on the football field and an all-round snarky attitude as his number one defense mechanism, will Micah survive the school year and the training camps to achieve his dream of making the national draft and becoming a professional AFL player?
His mentor, Declan Tyler, believes in him, but Micah wishes he had the same confidence in himself. Only time will tell if the ongoing reformation of Micah Johnson will be successful.
Title: Ball Caps and Khakis Series: Deep Secrets and Hope, #6 Author: Jo Ramsey Genre: Contemporary Length: 180 pages Publisher: Queer-Spectrum, Harmony Ink Press (February 25, 2016) Heat Level: None Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts Blurb: Man-Shik “Manny” Park, grandson of strict Korean immigrants, is trying to protect his friend Jim Frankel from bullies who don’t think Jim should be allowed to live in Ludington, Michigan, let alone have any friends. Manny is determined to stand by Jim, even if Jim isn’t willing to defend himself.
But Jim’s problems aren’t the only ones facing Manny. Against his parents’ wishes, Manny yearns to be an artist. He’s also more attracted to guys than girls, and he’s asexual. Only Jim knows these secrets, and Manny knows a few of Jim’s too.
Bonded by their shared confidences, Manny supports Jim after he’s accused of sending explicit Facebook messages to middle school girls, including Manny’s sister. While Manny sets out to prove Jim’s innocence, things go from bad to worse. Soon after the incident, Manny and Jim receive intimidating messages, and Jim is put in danger.
To help his friend, Manny risks everything to try to learn who’s behind the threats and why they want to destroy Jim’s life.
Review: I have only read one book by this author and I have to say that Jo does know how to put a story together. However when I saw the title to this I thought the story would go in another direction.
That is until I saw the blurb and wasn’t really sure what to think. It is a very touching story and talks about friendship. However I am not really sure what to think other than that. I am never one for books with teenagers so I wished I had taken another look at it.
Jim had been dating two girls at one time and had been having sexual relations with them. Then they both turned on him and said that he had raped them. He spent time in a teen’s correctional center but he had always blamed himself. He had not been the great guy, but he never thought he would get time for rape.
So when he moved away he decided to stay away from everyone. However Manny refused to let him do that. He had one friend in town and maybe three others who trusted him. Then a girl in town decided to get him in trouble, and messages were showing up. He really needed someone to stand by him.
Manny was a great kid who didn’t let anyone talk shit about others. He had made the choice to be friends with Jim, even when Jim pushed him away. He knew Jim had not done anything towards the girls. And that they had a witness to the fact that he had not. Also he knew Jim hadn’t posted those notes, seems whoever did had no clue you could find the truth. It seems Jim has found a true friend.
It was well written and fully developed, although when I started reading I realized that I had no clue what happened in the beginning so I was a bit lost. It was told with a serious tone and very little humor in it which was another part that didn’t work for me. I will admit that it is a great story but was not for me. I don’t much care for stories with teens so I don’t really have much to say on it.
However like I said it is a really good story with a great story line and plot. The author rocked it perfectly.
It is a very touching story and I would recommend it.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi peeps, we have Cheryl Headford visiting us today with her new release Hostage, we have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Shorty’s review so enjoy the post and click that rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Hostage
by
Cheryl Headford
Astrin Raphael wakes up in a strange place, frightened and confused. He is told to trust someone who seems to hate him, and he tries—he really tries. However, things change rapidly when he discovers his friend is actually his archenemy, Rowan Gabriel, whose abusive behavior stems from a deeply ingrained, if unwarranted, hatred over something that happened many years before, and simply wasn’t Astrin’s fault.
When Rowan’s uncle and Astrin’s father are kidnapped by Strebo Michael, the two crown princes are catapulted into an adventure that forces them to work together, and along the way their feelings for each other grow. Rowan is quick to let his hate go, but Astrin can’t release his inhibitions. It takes Astrin almost dying from a poisoned dagger before he finally accepts Rowan’s love.
When they return home, their problems continue as their Houses try to negotiate a way for the young men to be together. It soon becomes clear at least one of them will need to relinquish his throne.
Title: Living With the Fall Series: N/A Author: Hannah Thompson Genre: Science Fiction/ Other Paranormal/ Teen Fiction/Dystopian Length: Novel (254 Pages) Publisher: Harmony Ink, Dreamspinner Press (August 6, 2015) Heat Level: None Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts Blurb: In a Dystopian future ravaged by a zombie virus, teenaged Flo dreams of becoming a hunter. Instead, he becomes infected, and while plagued by hunger, he is able to control his urges. Hoping his life can still hold some meaning, Flo agrees to travel with hunters Hulme and Dihr, and he discovers a world unlike anything he imagined.
On the continent, people are struggling to hold back the apocalypse by finding a cure to the disease, and Flo might be the key. But friendships and trust are tested as the trio crosses hostile territory and faces dangers beyond the zombie infestation.
In the end, only Flo can decide if he can live with what he’s become.
Review: This was the first book I have read by this author and was quite surprised. I wasn’t too sure what to think, however. The title caught me, but the cover had me wondering. I have to admit that I didn’t even look at the blurb for the book, so I was definitely caught off guard.
I think in my whole life I have read one book that involved zombies and maybe watched a handful of movies. This book was a surprise and very gory. The surprising part was I had fun with it. It was not something that I would have chosen if I had looked at the blurb. I was happy that I had not looked at it and gave it a chance. Although I wished it had not starred a teenager. I do not much care for characters that are that young.
Flo’s family takes care of their farm and their sheep. Sounds like a smelly job that is for sure. It is however his time to do it. He is bored out of his mind, and knowing teenagers as I do well you can guess what he does. He thinks he is a hunter of zombies when he decides to go find out who rang the bell. Although he did have a good guess who it was or I should say what it was. Thank god for Hulme getting his ass out of trouble.
The story itself is told from Flo basically. He is an adorable teenager who well acts like a teenager. I didn’t much care for Hulme though, nor did I like Dhir. They act like total asses and come off like that. However when these guys get to arguing, it is quite a blast to watch. Although to a teen or a young adult this book would be fun for them. For me it was a bit off.
I would recommend it to those who love, dark, gross, nasty creatures and a story that will definitely have you thinking. The author has an amazing talent of giving me a story that freaked me the hell out though.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: On the Right Track Series: Vocal Growth, #1 Author: Sam Kadence Narrator: Michael Stellman Genre: Young Adult Length: 5 hours and 59 minutes Publisher: Harmony Ink, Dreamspinner Press (10-29-2014) Heat Level: Mild Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts Blurb: Ryunoski “Ru” Nakimura knows all about the trappings of fame. Expelled from a boy band for coming out as gay, he still wants to continue his career in music. Too bad his ex finds nothing better to do than exploit their relationship in the press, so Ru leaves California behind to lie low in Minnesota for a while.
Adam Corbin attends a Minnesota high school and wants to coast through as a typical student. He’s friends with an openly gay student, Bas Axelrod, but while Adam plays football, he also stays away from much socializing. Blending in and not outing himself has been easy because he’s never really been seriously interested in any of the guys he’s encountered.
When Adam meets Ru in a library, Adam begins to think he’s found that special young man who might make it worthwhile to just be himself. And for Ru, Adam looks like someone he might trade his fame for, if they could be together. Ru and Adam will both come to realize that courage and love must go hand in hand if they are to have a future.
Review: Seventeen year old Ru Nakimura has few people in his young life he can trust. His mother is an absentee parent in every way, unless she needs money. His father who lived and breathed turning Ru into the best musician he could be, walked out and abandoned Ru at just thirteen when Ru confided in his father he liked boys instead of girls. Recently outed by his fame hungry ex-boyfriend and subsequently kicked out of his band for refusing to go back into the closet, the only person he can rely on is his best friend and former band mate, Tommy.
Sixteen year old Adam Corbin has coasted through life virtually unscathed. He’s not a jock, or a brain, or emo, he is just Adam. Until the afternoon he sees the intriguing young man with black hair and beautiful eyes in the library, Adam never really realized he was gay because he never put much thought into it.
His mission in life is has to been to make as small an impression as possible, coast under the radar, it’s safer that way. These two young men that have gone out of their way to be invisible, start to shine and glow once they meet each other. Adam is participating more in school, he is more confident and secure in his own skin now that he has Ru in his life.
But being a gay rock star in the world today doesn’t come without its pitfalls. Ru has to go out-of-town a lot for appearances and shows, which is hard for Adam to deal with at times. And then the mixture of a power-hungry, former band mate of Ru’s and a deeply closeted former friend of Adams, becomes dangerous and volatile. Adam and Ru will have to grow up way too fast and sacrifice part of their youth on their journey to happiness.
This just might be the best contemporary gay YA story I’ve ever listened to. For starters, it was rich with content, for just over five hours it felt more like I’d been listening for days I got so much content. The characters were perfectly penned for their ages, the situations they faced, the decisions they had to make included some immaturity arising occasionally and played out perfectly.
Adam is very young a little bit naïve, his parents have been kindly strict. He has a curfew and rules and consequences, and most important, he is not allowed on social media. This placed him inside almost a protective barrier, so his reaction to things that happened in the story was so innocent and natural.
Ru is almost polar opposite. For someone only seventeen years of age, he has experienced more pain and disappointment than some grown ass men. His father shaped and molded him into the best musician he could be and then in one night’s time, walked out of Ru’s life forever rather than raise a gay son. His ex-bandmate is so insanely jealous of Ru, his talent and his accomplishments. So much so, that he makes it his life mission to make Ru’s a living hell. Including getting Ru’s ex to out him publically, but he crosses a line when he goes after Adam.
And while I loved everything about this story from start to finish, I think that the conversation at the breakfast table when Adam told his mom he was gay and she just reinforced her unconditional love, barely blinking, was the best thing about this story. Parents of LGBTQ young adults and teenagers should have to spend a day with Adam’s mother, so she can teach them how to react to your child telling you he is gay. There is no reaction! You love them without strings, the way god intended it to be when he loaned you that precious soul to raise.
As I said before, there is a lot of content. Life, love, bullying, brief thoughts of suicide, friendship and tolerance. The balance between the hate, anger and abuse of some people that surround Ru and Adam is perfectly balanced with love, understanding and support from the people in their life that truly matter. Definitely an age appropriate story about two young men that find each other in the strangest place, fall in love, and fight ignorance and intolerance in order to be together. But the story is so well written I think it will appeal to listeners of all ages.
Narrated by Michael Stellman who was able to immerse himself into the various characters of the story easily, changing tones and nuances from the start to match the way the different characters were written. I could hear the innocence Adam carried in the way Stellman told his story, and while Ru was wiser in the ways of the world, he is only seventeen, and Stellman captured that worldly smart but sometimes confused characterization.
I cannot wait for the sequel, Unicorns and Rainbow Poop, to become available on Audible. Bass was such an eccentric character. I can’t wait to listen to his story.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: Caught in the Middle Series: Caught in the Act 02 Author: Robbie Michaels Genre: Contemporary Length: Novel (180 pages) Publisher: Harmony Ink. Dreamspinner Press LLC (May 28th 2015) Heat Level: Low Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts Blurb: After a rocky start to the school year, Ben and Adam are getting their feet on solid ground, despite a lot of obstacles. Amelia, Ben’s former girlfriend, isn’t willing to let Ben go so easily.
At Christmas, Amelia delivers a bombshell that keeps Adam and Ben apart over the holiday. When Adam returns from seeing his family, Ben, who avoids conflict at all cost, will not talk to him.
Adam figures out Amelia’s scheme, and when he confronts her, she retaliates by arranging an ambush in the school parking lot one night.
Ben is horrified when he sees Adam lying battered in the hospital. Adam is more than physically broken. His spirit is wounded, and he sees only the negative, the struggle ahead, and Ben’s betrayal. Healing, both in body and mind, is a long arduous road.
It’s up to Ben to convince Adam that there is still good in life and that he’ll be there to help Adam every step of the way. If Adam will let him.
Review: This is part of a series. This book picks up where Caught in the Act left off, so I suggest you read them in order.
Warning: Tissues will be needed.
In the first book, I really didn’t like Ben. In this book, I came to hate him. I understood they were kids, but both Adam and Ben are living in men’s roles, especially Ben.
Since Ben has been helping his mom run the farm, I expected him to be the more grown-up of the two. Instead, the spoiled city boy was more of a man than him.
I really felt sorry for Adam after the betrayal and though I should have seen it coming especially since it is in the blurb I didn’t see the attack being so bad until it happened.
This is a very good story. There is a lot of angst and heartache. I loved Adam being so strong and fighting for what he wanted. I will say it pushed my limits on believability with Adam practically fending for himself though his dad is in the picture he is usually in the city, hours away.
The crime on Adam was very fierce and being a hate crime you would have thought more would have been done… but it is fiction and it did serve its purpose well in the story. It brought Ben back to his senses.
Caught in the middle is a beautiful story of love, heartache, and growth.
If you like young adult stories, angst, drama and, young love this is for you.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: For a Price Series: N/A Author: Hallie Burton Genre: Young Adult Romance Length: Novel (180 pages) Publisher: Harmony Ink Press, Dreamspinner Press (May 29th 2014) Heat Level: Mild Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts Blurb: At seventeen, Charles “Trey” Maddox Taft III has had better years. His father ran off with a younger woman and with no alimony or child support, his family has to move from affluent Coconut Grove to a rough neighborhood near Miami’s Little Havana. It’s a completely different world, but Trey is determined to make the best of a bad situation, if only no one finds out he’s gay.
On Trey’s first day in his new territory, he’s saved from being run over by local bad boy Bobby Cruz. Bobby is an unabashedly gay, sexually active high school senior who’s tired of one-night stands. After meeting preppie Trey, Bobby decides to try something new.
Things go well at first, but being in a relationship is tricky and might take more work than either wants to do.
Review: Trey Taft, his mom and his sister are fresh off a messy divorce and having to downsize their lives considerably. Moving to a poorer neighborhood and losing all the amenities he’s used to having won’t bring Trey down though. He is determined to make friends and make the best of a bad situation. He’s out walking around his new neighborhood when he meets bad boy Bobby.
Bobby Cruz is a loner of sorts, sleeping his way around Little Havana and making sure his friends don’t get rundown. When he first meets Trey he’s kind of shocked. The kid is sort of adorkable with his pants that miss the ground by a few too many inches, shiny shoes and neon green polo shirt.
Trey is definitely the nerd type, so everything about him clashes with Bobby’s torn jeans, beat up cons and leather jacket. Regardless, sparks fly and soon the two are making out on rooftops and spending every waking moment when they aren’t at school or work together.
Inexperience and youth are working against them beating the odds and finding a way to stay together though. Bobby is Trey’s first real crush, his first real boyfriend. And Trey quickly shows to be the jealous type. Still, they both give it all they’ve got until Trey is handed the opportunity to kiss another guy on a silver platter. Can Bobby overlook one small lapse in judgement? Or will he walk away from Trey and chalk the relationship up to simple infatuation?
I really enjoyed the relationship that Bobby and Trey had throughout the book. They were smitten from the start, but they became friends and got to know each other as well. Through the entire book they were continuing to learn more about each other and grow, sure they both made some mistakes, but there was still growth and learning.
Sadly, the constant dialogue in the story and jumping around through multiple characters confused me sometimes, and it was so busy with little descriptives and so much dialogue that it hindered my enjoyment of the story several times.
This was just an okay read for me, but I will say again I loved the two ML and how their stories developed from start to finish. The book is definitely age appropriate for teen and YA LGBT youth to read and enjoy as well.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: Ball Caps and Khakis
Title: Living With the Fall
Title: On the Right Track
Title: Caught in the Middle
Title: For a Price