Author Bio:
M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!
When not writing, she’s exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.
She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013.
Where to find the author: M.A. Church’s Blog Amazon Fan Page for ‘The Harvest’
When a high-profile gay celebrity couple asks two of the city’s most established vendors to provide cake and flowers for their wedding and they refuse, a resulting boycott threatens to shut them down. It’s up to the next generation in the family-owned businesses to save them from ruin. Justin Capella, baker’s son, and Roman Montgomery, floral scion, work together to plan the gay wedding of the year.
Justin and Roman haven’t seen each other since that fateful day in third grade when a single kiss shocked Justin and sent Roman to boarding school. As fate would have it, Justin and Roman rediscover love while working on the wedding. But disaster might pry them apart again.
Troopers Brandt and Donnelly are working with a statewide task force for the rights of LGBT citizens—all while searching for a killer wedding planner. As guests at the “wedding of the year”, they are the first responders when all hell breaks loose. In investigating, the troopers are led to a shadowy figure they believe seduced Roman into doing his bidding. But the real murderer will cover his tracks at all costs, including Roman and Justin’s lives.
Review
We start off with the planning of a wedding between two high-powered gay men in a town where gay marriage is still not completely accepted. Shopkeepers want to deny services to the couple so the law has to intervene and force compliance of equality laws – thus Brandt and Donnelly are called in. This is great as they are planning their own wedding (with the hilarious help of Bryce and Nestor of course!) so it’s convenient that they get to interview florists, bakers, etc in the name of justice.
There is a bit more to the “mystery” in this story and some really shocking developments occur that will keep you on the edge of your seat and near your Kleenex box! Xavier Mayne definitely had some “messages” to spread with this book, including the questionable “equality” gay couples have in our society despite more and more laws supporting gay marriage.
In addition to the on-going romance between Brandt and Donelly (which continues to be ooey gooey sweet and super hot sexy!) there is the relationship between Greg and Peter the wedding couple and the budding romance between Roman and Justin (childhood beaus split apart for years due to bigotry and fear.)
If you have been reading this series you will find this book was a bit more “heavy” than the prior two and yet still just as funny, tender, sweet and entertaining, if not more so.
I really love this series and the couples we meet each time and continue to follow and can’t wait for more.
Before confessing his gayness to his best friend, Tierney Terrebonne’s sex life is -strictly restroom. After confessing his gayness to his best friend . . . it doesn’t improve much. Why bother trying when the man he’s loved for fourteen years (see: “best friend”) is totally unattainable? Good thing Tierney is an old hand at accepting defeat; all it takes is a bottle of bourbon. Or fifty. Repeat as needed.
Dalton Lehnart has a history of dating wealthy, damaged, closeted, lying, cheating, no-good, cowardly men, so of course he’s immediately attracted to Tierney Terrebonne. Fortunately, Tierney is so dissolute that even Dalton’s feelings for the man would be better described as pity. Which becomes sympathy as they get to know each other. Followed by compassion, concern, caring, and hopefulness as Tierney struggles to change his life. When the man comes out very publicly and enters rehab, Dalton finds himself downright attached to Tierney. And as everyone knows, after attachment comes . . .
Uh oh.
But post-rehab Tierney can’t handle more than friendship, so Dalton should be safe from repeating his own past mistakes, right? Right?
Review
This is the sequel to Too Stupid to Live and in it we get to see a bit from Sam who is still doing psychology via Romance books (which is fun), but mostly this is about Tierney and his growth from giant douche-knob to boyfriend.
We are supposed to find Tierney annoying and he is, but he’s got some good reasons to be that way and in the end he redeems himself into someone Dalton-worthy.
This is a long book, a bit more serious than some of Anne Tenino’s other books, a bit less in the sex scenes, and sometimes more difficult to get through than book one (definitely more angsty), but as always, Tenino is an excellent writer and delivers a great story.
It wasn’t my favorite of her books, but it was still very good.
So a funny thing happened on the way to a tweet, Greg Tremblay, the fantastic narrator of my Dirty series, texted me and said… hey, you should giveaway a custom ringtone. Or something to that effect. There was some discussion. A few emails and then well, long story short—there may have been some pixilated shots of whiskey and banter but a plan was formed. A plan so cunning I could have stuck a tail on it and called it a weasel.
Mostly, it involved Greg. And your phone. But it was still a plan!
After a furious, intense process of queries, eliminations, debating on who said what, we came up with a set of phrases from Cole, Bobby, Jae, Claudia, Scarlet and one from Maddy then Greg went to work. And returned to me with a brilliant sound bites forged by a narrative master—in the style of the characters’ voices.
So dear reader, as a thank you for everything you’ve done for Greg and me, I’d like to present the entire set of ringtones—twenty one in total—FREE, as a gift to you.
Available in Android (MP3) and iPhone (formats for Android and Apple phones, Greg has also graciously included the WAV files if that’s your thing. Download links to the zipped files are provided below.*
A great humongous thank you to all of the blogs who helped me with this guerilla gifting. This swirled up on Tuesday and Greg just MADE it happen. He is the voice of the series and I am forever grateful for his talent.
If you’ve not tried out Greg Tremblay’s narrations, please do so. He makes audiobooks fun and damn, he brings Cole and the others to life.
Greg Tremblay’s body of work can be found here—and yes, the Dirty series is there but so are many other lovely audio books. I highly recommend one of Greg’s audiobooks, a comfy chair, a pair of headphones and a nice hot cup of coffee… or tea… with or without whisky.
* These are copyrighted and available free for individual use. The files included in the zip cannot be sold by third parties nor can they be altered in anyway as to destroy the integrity of the original work. Animals were test subjects for these sound files and while the cat could not have given less of a shit, the dog seemed mighty interested. Please note, neither own nor use a phone or a computer so results may vary.
Moving from a Texas ranch to an Australian Outback station was a life changing decision for Travis Craig. Though it wasn’t really a decision at all. Something in his bones told him to go, though he had no clue as to why.
Until he met Sutton Station’s owner, Charlie.
Loving Charlie shouldn’t have been easy. The man was stubborn, and riddled with crippling self-doubt. No, it shouldn’t have been easy at all. Yet somehow, falling in love with Charlie was the easiest thing in the world.
Loving him was easy. Living with him, teaching him how to love in return and, more importantly, how to love himself, was not.
But Travis knew all along it’d be worth it. He knew the man with the red dirt heart was destined to be his. Just like he knew the red dirt that surrounded him was where he was supposed to be.
In the final instalment of the Red Dirt Series, we see Charlie through Travis’ eyes. We see how much he’s grown and how much he loves. We go back to Texas with them, and we see Charlie get everything he truly thought he never deserved.
Red Dirt Heart 4 is Travis’ story.
And this is the story of not just one red dirt heart, but two.
Review
OMG! If you are following this series this entire book is just one big glorious epilogue to make your heart sing!
Told from Travis’ point of view, we see how our neurotic friend Charlie looks through the eyes of the man who loves him dearly. Charlie has come so very far… he is finally accepting the engagement… he dances in public with Travis… he will do the quiet PDA… he loves his extended family unconditionally and wants to spread that love to other kids (in the neighborhood and throughout)… he finally admits he is worthy of the love he receives and is willing to bank on it.
I won’t spoil it for you, but the epilogue of this epilogue book but it’s so worth the wait!
This is an amazing end to an amazing series and I just loved it to pieces – 6 of 5 hearts.
When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences—and the media frenzy—aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father—a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS—pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.
Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer—and every bit as dangerous.
What can I say about this? I have heard so many wonderful things about this book the rave reviews that everyone gave me. Needless to say it definitely earned the high praises. This book managed to snatch my attention from the beginning of the first page and retained my attention to the end of the last page. I liked this world where shifters are presented differently. In this, they’re not in hiding, finding mates or in the throes of any mating heat. The Therians are the result of a human made virus gone horribly awry that was released decades before. THIRDS is a governmental police force created to investigate and fight crimes involving Therians.
Dex is transferred to this organization from the Human Police Force after testifying against his former partner for the murder of an unarmed Therian youth. Now this is where is where the only bump in the road for this book starts for me. In the beginning of the book, Dex is left in a bad place after the trial. His colleagues on the force, people he trusted on the police force, people he considered friends turned against him, his boyfriend leaves him. Then he’s transferred to the THIRDS thanks to his dad pulling a few strings. Okay, he arrives to the new unit and his personality totally changes. I mean complete 180 that left me wondering if I missed something. He goes from being this somber detective whose life is falling apart and becomes this happy go lucky, jokester who is happy and laughing and just laid back. It gave me whiplash along with the unclear POV shifts. That personality shift wasn’t explained in the story so I just figured that was always his personality and it just wasn’t presented with the trial and all of the drama he was dealing with while with the HPF.
With that aside, his antics were pretty hilarious. I found myself laughing to the point of tears. Even though it was just a bit over the top, I felt that it was exactly what the team needed at that time. They were all hurting after losing a beloved team member and they were functioning, but not really dealing with the loss.
The pace was slow but not bad but a few ‘info dumps’ caused the story to drag in some parts. In all, this was a very good book and I truly enjoyed it. The action (once it got going) was pretty awesome. The mystery was well written along with the dialogue. The cliffhanger at the end of the story will segue perfect into the next in the series. I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down once I got started.
Will Sutherland hasn’t been home to see his parents in four years – not since they reacted badly when he came out. This Christmas, he’s finally worked up the courage to go home, where he’s surprised to find they’ve taken in a boarder. Ryan Bennett is just a couple years younger than Will, cute, sweet…and openly gay.
As Will deals with his jealousy of the man who’s been receiving the love and acceptance he was denied, Ryan finds himself falling for Will’s brooding good looks. But Ryan also suspects the Sutherlands may be using him as a pawn in their long-standing conflict with their son. Will this Christmas finally tear the family apart, or is there a chance they can put their hurt and anger behind them.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package
Review
This is a short holiday story about love and forgiveness. Will hasn’t been home since the Christmas when he came out to his family. There is a “mystery” as to why he’s stayed away, but you can guess why. When Will’s family extends an olive branch, he decides to try again but is mystified by the boarder they are sharing their house with.
Ryan is a young gay man who was kicked out of his home by his religious family and is now being supported by Will’s family.
At first Will is jealous and guarded with the virginal Ryan, but as the eggnog gets drunk and the inhibitions loosened the two find they might have a bit more in common than they think.
**
Since this is a short story, a lot happens in a time line that feels unrealistic to me, but is acceptable given the parameters of a holiday love story.
I didn’t really feel Will ever had a reason to “love” Ryan or vice versa, though I was certainly rooting for the relationship.
I thought the sex and the “I love yous” were rushed but sweet nonetheless.
Audiobook:
I thought Robbie did a nice job with the narration, this was his first narration I’d heard and I would definitely look for him in the future. He didn’t do a lot with the voices but he certainly seemed to understand and translate the story well.
Overall I give the book a 3 of 5 hearts and the Audiobook a 4 of 5 hearts for a total of 3.5 hearts.
When they were teens, Castor McCormick was the bane of Blake Kowalski’s existence. Their mutual animosity led to summers filled with rivalry. Now, nearly two decades later, Cas is moving back into the neighborhood to live in his grandmother’s old house. Blake tells himself he isn’t interested in seeing how snarky little Cas grew up, but when his mother dupes him into visiting his former nemesis, he finds out “pretty” can evolve into “sexy as hell” on the right man.
Cas didn’t think he wanted to see Blake again. No one has ever pushed his buttons like the arrogant boy he remembers from their youth. Turns out, the adult version of Blake still gets him hot under the collar—and everywhere else. With Blake on leave from work to nurse an injured leg and Cas taking time to move and unpack, they form a tentative friendship that turns into a sexual affair neither man can deny. But when Cas’s job sends him out of state to deal with a difficult client, their new relationship will be tested, and if they fail, Blake’s broken leg might not be the only thing to end up scarred.
Marieke’s Review:
Blake has broken his leg in a stupid street hockey accident, leaving him sleeping in the couch at his mother’s. He’s frustrated and irritated by sitting inside doing nothing all day. But when his mother tells him Cas has moved into the house across the street, he doesn’t feel inclined to go over there and say hello. Cas used to be this bratty, annoying, smart-mouthed know-it-all, who he clashed with every summer. And he liked to forget that Cas had been way more attractive than Blake had wanted to admit at the time.
Cas doesn’t have to travel as much for his job anymore, so he’s able to move into his grandmother’s house. He’s thinking about remodeling, to update the outdated kitchen and bathroom. This gives his grandmother and Blake’s mother the perfect opportunity to interfere and meddle. They get Blake to go over to Cas’s place for a estimation of the work, but Cas has no idea he was coming.
Even knowing they’ve been frenemies all they teenage years, they get along great now. They go out camping and fishing, watch movies and eat pizza’s together. On the first camping/fishing trip, Blake sees Cas jerk off before going to sleep. One thing leads to another and a very––and I mean VERY––steamy hot, sex scene happens.
From there one, the story revolves a little bit too much about the sex, and not enough on the way a relationship grows. Both men develop feelings for the other, despite them trying not to. I would’ve loved to see a bit more of that, instead of reading it between the lines.
Don’t get me wrong here, the sex is amazing. The men are both very likable in their own way, and I love the fact that they used to be frenemies. It’s just that it gets a bit predictable and almost a bit boring at times. Blake could’ve thought about going to see Cas in Denver, where he’s working on an difficult account. When his mother finally suggests it, it’s almost too easy.
The trouble between them is kind of predictable too, but the way the author lets the fight develop, when Blake goes home, the silence and Blake’s fear… that part I loved. The ending is sweet, yet not completely fulfilling. It’s almost like an afterthought, so short. Cas’s way of finally communicating again, is very romantic though…
The first book in this series was more exciting, had more angst and emotions. But this was definitely not a bad book at all. I liked it a lot.
Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.
Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.
When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.
Review
This is a funny first book of a three book series. In book one we are given the set up. Why Mac and Henry are together: Mac is keeping Henry “safe” for his trial against the mob, Henry wants to run away.
Giving us the two MCs basic profiles: Mac: somewhat overweight FBI agent on a diet, grumpy because of diet, not your typical MC but still very masculine. Henry: conman, chatty, sly, eager to push Mac’s buttons.
Setting up the beginning of their romance: These are early days, there isn’t a lot of hot and heavy sexy times, but we can hope in the next installment there will be more to come! Instead we get witty banter and sexual tension.
I love the “imperfect” MC and in this book we get two!
Be warned- cliff hanger – next book due in February.
This is a super funny book and I am eager to move on to book 2!
From Harmony Ink Press:
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.
Kimi’s thoughts:
This is the sequel to Pukawiss the Outcast and while it reads just fine on its own, I recommend reading Pukawiss first as you will gain a much deeper understanding to undercurrents within the book. This is especially true regarding Joshua’s struggle with his mother and how the pastor/Scout troop leader wish to mould him and his fellow youth as well as the strength of Native American mysticism that runs through the book.
Joshua is a very likeable young man and has a charisma about him that quickly draws the bullied children to him as he stands up for them and himself. It also touches upon many aspects of growing up and how adults try to manipulate things in an effort to guide youth, some very well intentioned albeit thoughtless and others because it is simply the way things have always been done. Joshua confronts unintended bigotry when he attends coursework for badges and even during a ceremony intending to promote Native american values. Reading what happened to him reminded me of an incident in my own childhood well over a decade before this was set, when my public school class studied Native Americans and were assigned “Indian” names. I explained that I didn’t need one; I already had one. “You can’t use that, you have to have a proper one,” I was told. This indignity was compounded when Thanksgiving rolled by. I got to make a Pilgrim hat out of paper to wear to lunch. Boys got to choose between making a Pilgrim hat or a headband with a paper feather. Refusal got me, “But it’s Thanksgiving!” No amount of discourse could get anyone to see that any of it was offensive, no matter that this as unintentional on their part. Then there was the time I applied to a student exchange program. My father, a recently retired serviceman, was fawned over because they assumed he was as they said to his face, “a poor Indian dirt farmer”. The local committee members were busy congratulating each other on being so forward in their thinking that they would welcome such a man and help him gain sponsorship for his daughter to study abroad as a high school exchange student that they completely failed to see their own hypocrisy. Needless to say, I decided to not participate in their program.
Joshua’s camp experiences will no doubt echo true for many other children of Native descent who have had to deal with non Natives. Add to the mix that his mother is white and at odds with his heritage and you again have a very familiar story for many youths of mixed heritage. When you toss in the gay, mix in conservative religion, and Scouting, you get a volatile mix indeed. It’s a frank look at growing up different, remaining true, and taking a stand for what’s fair, just and right. It speaks about what has been so wrong for so long, allowing us to see how things have changed, are changing, and what still needs to change.
Recommended for youths ages 12 and up and for adults who enjoy well written YA stories.
