Hi guys, we have S.A. Meade popping in today with the tour for her newest release An Unexpected Truth, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
An Unexpected Truth
by
S.A. Meade
A trust destroyed is a trust that is hard to recover…
Brendan Matthews is happy training racehorses for a living. He thinks he’s hit the jackpot when a wealthy orthopedic surgeon, Adam Ahmadi, sends six yearlings his way. Not only are the horses a cut above the rest, their owner isn’t too shabby either.
But not everything is as it seems. Adam has many secrets, most of them dark and deadly. When Adam’s past returns with a vengeance, he disappears, leaving Brendan confused and hurt.
If Adam survives, will his past destroy their future?
Hi guys, we have S.A. Meade popping in today with the tour for one of her old releases Tournament of Shadows, we have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Kit’s review, so check out the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Tournament of Shadows
by
S.A. Meade
In a shadowy game where defeat can mean death, a deal with the enemy can change things forever.
In 1842, Captain Gabriel O’Riordan of the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars is sent on a
mission to Bukhara. His task—to try to free two of his compatriots from the clutches of a mentally unstable Emir. On his way, he encounters Valentin Yakolev, an officer in the Russian Army, who is also on a mission—to persuade the Emir that an alliance with Russia would be in his best interest. Gabriel, disguised as a holy man, is not happy to be the object of Yakolev’s intense scrutiny. After all, he’s working for the opposing team in the Great Game being played between their two nations. When Gabriel realises that his mission is little more than a forlorn hope, a game he has no chance of winning, he’s desperate enough to turn to Valentin for help and offers him anything in return. What he doesn’t expect is to have his plans to return to Calcutta scuppered by events.
Instead, he and Valentin flee north, fighting off bandits, their desire for each other and the hardship of desert travel. Their travails bring them closer together until a secret from Valentin’s past tears them apart.
Can they set the past behind them and move on together?
Title: Tournament of Shadows Author: S. A. Meade Genre: Historical (1842) Length: Novel (209 pages) ISBN: 1781847533 Publisher: Totally Bound Books (March 21st, 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts Reviewer: Kit Blurb: In 1842, Captain Gabriel O’Riordan of the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars is sent on a mission to Bukhara. His task—to try to free two of his compatriots from the clutches of a mentally unstable Emir. On his way, he encounters Valentin Yakolev, an officer in the Russian Army, who is also on a mission—to persuade the Emir that an alliance with Russia would be in his best interests. Gabriel, disguised as a holy man, is not happy to be the object of Yakolev’s intense scrutiny. After all, he’s working for the opposing team in the Great Game being played between their two nations. When Gabriel realises that his mission is little more than a forlorn hope, a game he has no chance of winning, he’s desperate enough to turn to Valentin to help and offer him anything in return. What he doesn’t expect is to have his plans to return to Calcutta scuppered by events.
Instead, he and Valentin flee north, fighting off bandits, their desire for each other and the hardship of desert travel. Their travails bring them closer together until a secret from Valentin’s past tears them apart.
Can they set the past behind them and move on together? Purchase Link: https://www.totallybound.com/tournament-of-shadows Review: Captain Gabriel O’Riordan and Valentin Yakolev meet on the dusty road to a citadel in a Moslem Middle Eastern land. The British operative, disguised as a holy scholar, notices the Russian’s interest in him and wonders at it, whether it is the interest of another clandestine diplomatic operative or something more personal, more intimate. Forced to be wary, Gabriel nevertheless must trust Valentin if he wants to free the British diplomats in the Emir’s dungeon. The two men have at least one thing in common: they are each weary of their clandestine espionage work. This most recent assignment turns out to take a hefty toll on them, especially Valentin who has spent a horrendous time in a deep hole with rats and scorpions. They connect as men who love men, but since Gabriel suspects the Russian of having a hand in an incident in Kabul where Gabriel’s friends suffered and were killed, even as they travel north through Russia he cannot let himself the trust the troubled man.
This is a fairly simple story with individualistic characters that suffers somewhat from not knowing if it is intrigue or romance. This would not be a problem if well blended, but as the steady, even relentless action just fizzles out as they start up the river to the north, the change from adventure to conflicts of the heart is a bit jarring. Along with some minor continuity issues, the result is an uneven tale. The meaning of the book’s title utterly baffles me.
However for the simple escapism of a couple dashing heroes getting it on in service to king – or czar – and country and the fluid writing and depth of characterization, it is certainly worth a read.
Series: Originally Published as part of the Hearts of England Anthology
Author: S.A. Meade
Genre: Contemporary/Military
Length: Novella (63 pages)
Publisher: Totally Bound (December 19th, 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5Hearts
Blurb:Jamie has a good feeling when he meets and falls in love with Connor, an Army captain destined for Afghanistan. Will that good feeling survive Connor’s deployment?
Jamie never expects to meet the love of his life in a teashop. He never expects his lover, Connor, to be an Army officer about to return to Afghanistan for one last deployment and he certainly never expects that, after three short months together, Connor would want to spend the rest of his life with Jamie. When Connor leaves for Afghanistan, Jamie can’t help but worry that his lover might not make it back alive. He also worries that Connor, who hasn’t told his men he’s gay, doesn’t want him to be waiting at the base when he returns. Will the good feelings he has about their future together survive their separation?
Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release by Totally Bound Publishing
Review: A sweet sultry story that left me with a warm and fuzzy good feeling!
When two lovers meet and the sparks fly, can a few months be enough? During the few months that Jamie and Connor spend together, they become closely bonded, quickly finding a natural and loving attachment that Jamie feels is strong enough to stand the test of time and distance. Connor is all in. ready to sign his heart away to Jamie’s safekeeping while he faces a deadly war-front. Jamie quickly begins to understand the tress that military families experience, and wonders if he will be strong enough…to make it to Connor’s safe return, or to handle the worst case scenario outcome…
Read and find out why I enjoyed this sweet short so much!
Blurb: When Ade loses his best friend he soon learns that mourning Jack brings not only sorrow but happiness too.
Restaurant chef Ade is a man of his word. When his best friend is killed while serving in Afghanistan, he honours a promise to look after Jack’s lover, Cal.
Ever the white knight, Ade does his best to console Cal in spite of losing his job and nearly losing his life. Ever the fool, Ade falls in love and learns the hard way that loving someone who can’t love him isn’t enough.
With a new job in a new place comes the possibility of a new love, but Eric has baggage of his own. Can Ade and Eric leave their old heartaches behind and find new happiness with each other?
Review: Ade and Jack were as close as brothers. If fact, when Ade’s family didn’t take his coming out well, Jack’s family became his surrogate parents and all but adopted Ade. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to honor his friend. But, falling in love with Jack’s lover wasn’t on his agenda…it just kinda happened.
The title of this book kind of threw me. Maybe, it’s me, but this was so much more than Ade or even Cal mourning Jack. Don’t get me wrong; even though he’s dead before the book even begins, Jack is a primary character in this book. But, for me, this is Ade’s story. Despite his love of cooking, his job has become a chore. He fights his attraction for Cal, because he feels like it’s too soon, if ever they are meant to explore the mutual chemistry between them. He really just wants a normal life, with a normal man who loves him.
I loved the glimpse into English village life that Mourning Jack gives the reader. There is a laid back pace that really worked for me. I can’t tell you more of the plot, because there are a few twist there that were totally unexpected. But, the ending left me with a smile. Ade and Cal mourn Jack in very different ways, but in the end they both found a way to fill the void that his passing left. This is a very well written novel and I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy a gentler pace to their romance and lovers who find love in unexpected place.
And on a side note: If S. A. Meade were a nice person, she would post recipes for all the lovely dishes that Ade creates throughout this book. J
Blurb:Michael and Paul fight to survive in a land frozen by endless winter. Will the ice between them thaw once and for all?
Michael Wright has given up thinking he’s anything more than a number-cruncher. When he’s summoned to verify the outcome of renowned meteorologist, Paul Clarkson’s latest research Michael is happy to escape the drudgery of a grey cubicle at the Met Office.
At Station 17 he finds himself working side by side with a brilliant scientist and charismatic man who stirs a lot more than respect. The attraction is mutual but, after a few snatched hours of passion, internal politics and a vengeful adversary tear them apart.
When Michael returns to Station 17 two years later he discovers that the world isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Paul is forbiddingly distant and the fire that once burned between them has turned to ice. The violence of deadly storm reignites their relationship – but will the disastrous aftermath of another destroy their love once and for all?
Review: Michael is asked to verify a meteorologist’s findings and as they work together become close, but work separates them. When they meet again, two years later, Paul is cold and hard towards Michael. But, the thaw sets in and they begin again, then disaster strikes. Can Michael tame the storm that is Paul or is the ice to thick?
This is a really well written futuristic science-fiction story that shows a future that is bleak and cold. The climate is harsh, the rain is acid, and there are no plant life and little animal life. There are Domes for protection and this is the world in the future. Michael is a weather statistician who is called to verify Paul’s work. The results mean a bleaker future, but Michael and Paul come together with a kernel of hope. which is dashed when Michael is called back to Met Office. Two years later Michael is back at Station 17, but Paul is like ice towards him.
This is one of those books that pulls you in two directions; the story-line was brilliant. Earth of the future with harsh weather that just keeps getting worse and little hope for improvement and two men chancing upon love in those harsh conditions. But, Paul is a bit of a prick and a control freak and I really found it hard to believe that Michael just took Paul back so easily the second time especially after the way he treated Michael and the way he abused his work position to punish Michael.
While Paul is a complete prick, in some circumstances, when he is thinking with his head and heart instead of his pride, he is a sweet considerate man and he is a great match for Michael. Michael knows that Paul is the man for him, so he holds on to his hope. The sex is passionate and explosive between them and circumstances keep getting in their way every time they try to be together.
The detail and description are quite exquisite, Michael’s reaction to having fresh vegetables for the first time was fantastic. The image, that we are given about our world, really was bleak; acid rain, snow so thick it covers buildings, just amazing imagery. The only thing that I was left with was a hope for an explanation of how the world had ended up like that… was it just global warming? was it the natural climate?… or was there a man-made disaster that triggered it?
With this one I will recommend it to those who love futuristic Earth plight, hot passionate men, intense sex, conflict, danger and a happy ending.
Blurb: The horror of Evan and Colin’s stolen summer may be over but the nightmares remain. Can their love survive the fallout?
The last thing journalist Evan Harrison expects to hear, when he returns from covering the war in Afghanistan, is that his best friend, Colin Williams, is in love with him.
Colin, an Oxford Professor with a poet’s soul and a roving eye, turns out to be a temptation Evan can’t resist. What he discovers is that sex with Colin is hot, wild and relentless. The two of them embark on a passionate affair and Evan knows he’s going to spend his days with Colin – after one last assignment.
A western journalist in Pakistan is too tempting a target for local insurgents. Evan’s ‘Oh-shit’ sense fails dismally when he is taken hostage and spends four months refusing to let his captors grind him down by clinging to memories of the lover he left behind. Freedom from captivity, however, doesn’t bring freedom from terror. The legacy of Evan’s ordeal results in meltdowns and nightmares that threaten to destroy his life with Colin. He can’t even seek comfort in lovemaking because the pills intended to save his sanity kill his desire.
Evan seizes a chance to put his nightmares behind him by taking one final assignment, covering unrest in Jordan. Colin sees Evan’s decision as the end of a relationship he fought hard to save. If Evan makes it back to England in one piece, winning Colin back will be the toughest assignment he’s ever faced.
Reviewer: Portia
Review: I hated this book. Hated it so much, I couldn’t put it down for two days. I guess I was expecting a cutesy little story about a bi-curious guy’s first time. And I did get that. But, I also got a very poignant story of a young man’s journey through a harrowing experience and his subsequent recovery.
I spent more than half the book waiting for someone to die. There was just a dark foreshadowing that kept me waiting for the next shoe to drop. What happens, instead, is worse in a lot of ways. Wonder if Colin and Evan would ever get their Happily Ever After kept me turning pages. Wondering how Colin would respond to Evan’s choices kept me up way past my bedtime. Stolen Summer is an amazing book. It’s not your average war story, as neither Colin nor Evan is a soldier. But it does give the reader a glimpse into war-torn areas. Not just the atrocities of war, but the humanity of regular folks caught up in a hell that they didn’t create.
The loving is hot and sweaty. The British dialogue is a hoot and the story is very well told. I highly recommend this book and look forward to S. A. Meade’s next work.
