Monday, July 9, 2018

Monday's Montage Mantelpiece: Love for all Seasons Anthology


Summary:
True love always deserves a happy ending, whatever the season. A charity anthology with all proceeds split between The Matthew Shepard Foundation and The Albert Kennedy Trust.

With characters who find love in a New York park, or on a college campus, in the middle of a snow storm or in the heat of summer, ‘Love for all Seasons’ delivers romance for everyone.

Including stories from five established authors and supporting the work of three authors, new to the world of writing MM romance.


I always find anthologies difficult to review because as much as I want to do a seperate one for each story it just seems impractical to do so this may seem a too brief review for 8 wonderful tales but it's how I'm going to do it.  There is just so much happiness within the pages of Love for all Seasons.  Once I started I couldn't put it down, even though the stories are not connected and are by different authors I found myself so enthralled that I just kept going till I reached the last page.  Whether you like the heat of summer, cold of winter, or the beauty of spring and autumn you will find something to make you smile.  A lovely combination of established authors and first timers, they are all worthy of reading.  There is sweet and tender, sassy and funny, sexy and heartwarming.  It may sound cliche but there really is a story for everyone in Love for All Seasons.  This anthology is like getting the appetizer sampler plate at your favorite restaurant, you know you love some before going in and others you might not have tried on their own but now that you have your appetite for them screams "Yes!" so when they show up on the menu next time you are definitely going to order instead of pass them by.  Love for All Seasons is a winner on all fronts.

RATING: 


Brioche For Two by V.L Locey
Seasons of Bryant - Spring

Four Seasons. Two Men. One Love.

For struggling film student Isamu Taylor, life's refrain is about to change from boring documentary about a passionless delivery boy to a blazing and wildly erotic love story.

After spending weeks admiring handsome but older Manhattan executive Brian Gilles while delivering brioche to him in Bryant Park, the man of his lusty dreams has just expressed a desire to get to know Isamu better. A night on the town is just the beginning of a whirlwind romance that will span not only four seasons but countless years.

Amid the beauty and charm of Bryant Park, New York City, two men are about to discover that love knows no age or economic boundaries. This is the first of four short stories in what will be the ‘Tales of Bryant’ collection starring these two amazing men, their one sublime love, and the Park where it all started.

Sweeter than Honey by C.M. Valencourt 
Wyatt is a beekeeper, excited for the beginning of his town’s annual farmers market, where he expects to sell his wares and get some hot guys’ phone numbers. But these plans start to unravel when sets up shop next to a sexy vegan baker named Grayson.

Grayson believes that keeping bees is akin to owning a slaughterhouse, and he’ll do anything to run Wyatt out of business. Can Wyatt win him over with his sweet honey and even sweeter smile?

Special Nights by DJ Jamison 
Sam's insomnia drives him out of his apartment in the wee hours of the night. He ends up at a diner, where he meets an intriguing waiter named Hunter. As the seasons go by, Sam and Hunter court over BLTs and OJ, slowly falling in love.

Winters Chill by Cathy Brockman
The ice storm of a century hits Missouri.

Winter savvy Lane Jennings is the only one prepared, thanks to a decade in North Dakota. Too shy to approach his drool-worthy neighbor, he’s left fantasizing about him at night. That is until the storm, when a branch breaks free, trapping him beneath. Now it’s up to Lane to save him from his icy peril and care for him throughout the storm.

It was a near death experience for stunned Jeffrey Nichols. Never had he seen anything as beautifully terrifying as the weather and his neighbor. One threatened his life and the other his secret. He wasn’t sure which was more dangerous, but when Lane gives him a warm shelter through the storm, he quickly realizes he will find out.

Can an ice storm thaw two frozen hearts?

Beach Boys by Annabelle Jacobs
Sea, sand, and hopefully sun, are all Russ expects to find on his week away in Cornwall.

Surfing with his two best mates is all Blake has planned for his short break. With the long drive to get to Penzance, there’s no time for anything else.

With help from Bailey the dog, Russ and Blake discover they might have more in common than they first thought.

Who Do You Love, My Valentine by EJ Smyth
Immortal Nox is subcontracted to love god Eros during the Valentine rush. After he gets distracted by his long-time human crush Matt, his arrows go astray. The second missile finds a pretty young woman who instantly falls in love with Matt. Which would be great, except that Matt is gay. Nox must prevent the unsuitable match before the Gods find out. Yet doing his job may very well break his heart…

Read this steamy, romantic short story by EJ Smyth to get you into the mood for the perfect Valentine’s night.

Favorite Flowers by Chris McHart 
Gabe runs a flower shop. He always makes bouquets for everyone, but nobody has ever brought him flowers. His love-life is non-existent. Until Jason walks in and sparks fly.

Jason in the middle of a nasty divorce and the last thing he needs is getting into another relationship. But he can't resist the shop-owner.

But even if Jason comes back for flower every week, one of them has to make the first step. And even if one does, can favorite flowers lead to anything?

The Last Chance by RJ Scott
It’s the last year of college and Luke can’t forget the captain of the hockey team, or the kiss they shared as freshman.

Justin has to decide if hockey outweighs his attraction to Luke, because this might be the last chance he’ll have of making things right.


VL Locey
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, two dogs, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and three Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

C.M. ValencourtCM Valencourt 
C.M. Valencourt is a new m/m and queer romance author. Their first book From the Ashes, an ex-friends-to-lovers road trip novel featuring slam poetry, pink hair dye, and a chase scene through a theme park, will be released in the first half of 2018. They like figure skating, ghost hunting shows, and Carly Rae Jepsen. You can get updates about From the Ashes and more of their forthcoming work by following @cmvalencourt on Twitter.

D.J. Jamison
DJ Jamison
DJ Jamison worked in newsrooms for more than 10 years, which helped tremendously when she began her series centered on The Ashe Sentinel, a fictional small-town newspaper in Kansas. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two sons and three glow-in-the-dark fish.

Cathy BrockmanCathy Brockman
Cathy loves her grandkids, cats, cooking and working to make her patio an outdoor haven.

When she's not writing stories with sexy cowboys, strong women, and the small towns they live in she's probably working on expanding her doll collection, crafting, reading, or listening to audio books.

For updates on stories, snippets, contests, games, polls and more fun join my reader group - Cat’s Romance A-Holics.

If you like recipes, stories about food or flops, writing, teasers and more you can find that on my Website/Blog Cathy Writes Romance.

Thanks for reading and watch for more Lane and Jeffrey.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon and Google+.

Annabelle Jacobs
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

EJ SmythEJ Smyth
Hi there! My name is EJ Smyth, I live in Frankfurt, Germany and I’m passionate about romance with other elements mixed in. Paranormal romance, romantic thrillers, gay romance, if it’s got two difficult characters finding each other, I’m on board!

I’m currently working on a series of short stories Keith is Awesome about a young man exploring his sexuality. Not something I’ve ever written before but the research alone was quite a bit of fun. I love to talk to my readers, online and offline, so please feel free to drop me a line!

Chris McHart
I’m a writer of M/M romance and M/M erotic romance from Germany.

I’ve always had stories in my head, but a while ago I allowed them to get out and on paper. Looks like it has been a good decision, although the more stories I write, the more I have in my head. Maybe I’ll have all of them out someday, and there’ll be nothing more to write, but for the next years, I don’t see that coming.

When I’m not writing, I spend time with my family (I have the best husband EVER) and try to keep all my animals happy. I also enjoy gardening and cooking, although I’m still looking for someone to clean up afterwards. And, of course, I love reading, whenever I have a quiet moment.

Writing and reading is my break from everyday stress and I hope you join me!

RJ Scott
RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

RJ Scott is the bestselling author of over one hundred romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.


VL Locey
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Cathy Brockman
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Annabelle Jacobs
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EMAIL: ajacobsfiction@gmail.com

EJ Smyth
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Chris McHart
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EMAIL: ChrisMcHart@gmail.com

RJ Scott
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EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk



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Blog Tour: The Wulf Chronicles by Wulf Francu Godgluck

Title: The Wulf Chronicles
Author: Wulf Francu Godgluck
Series: WulfChron #1
Genre: M/M Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: June 11, 2018
Cover Design: Kellie at Book Cover by Design
Summary:
What if werewolves were real?
What if one of them was different?
What if you were a defective werewolf?

This is not the story of how one night I got bitten and my life changed. Nor is it the story of how I went on a savage killing spree that left me tormented with guilt and dread the next morning.

No.

This is the story of a boy, a boy who’s spent his life running from the shadows of monsters. A boy who never understood why the world hated him with so much odium. Why his mother would throw away her only life to protect his. Why he was never allowed to have friends. Why he never had the childhood every child should. Why he was never allowed to cherish happiness.

This is the story of a boy becoming himself, embracing his vulnerability and learning to accept and love.

This is a story about a werewolf, trying to find the answers to why he was born defective.

And maybe that’s the very reason I become the main course on the menu.


A lycan’s sexual orientation was a completely nonproblematic topic. Most lycans, before meeting and knowing the gender of their mates, tended to be bisexual, however, there were the few cases, as with Leo, where a lycan knew beforehand what gender they were drawn to. And, luckily, the mating call was never cruel in that regard.

Contrary to how prejudice and discriminatory the Council and lycan community’s views on females were, homosexuality had never fazed the lycan race. It was part of their ancestry, as natural and accepting as bleeding.

“Go,”she growled at him, “before you shatter my stoic faรงade and have me in tears. I’m honored to know this beautiful thing is happening in my presence.”

Leo smiled, turned, and ascended the stairs, his grin fading as he neared the bathroom the Beta occupied.

He clutched the doorknob, squeezing his eyelids and drawing in a shaky breath, willing himself to calm down.

The knob ripped from under Leo’s grasp as the door swung open, the momentum of Cooler’s movements and of Leo’s stumble at the abrupt occurrence, sent them colliding into each other.

Cooler grabbed Leo by the throat and shoved him against the bathroom wall, his one eye glowing a furious blue fire as he glared up at him.

“If the pretty puppy wanted a kiss, all he had to do was whimper.”

Leo swallowed against the clutched grip squeezing his windpipe, any response stuck in his throat. Cooler leaned in close, released Leo’s neck, and cupped the back of his head, pulling him down before sealing their lips together.

Fire screamed through him, heat gnawed to the tips of Leo’s fingertips and toes as Cooler wrenched open Leo’s lips with nip of his teeth, shoving his fat tongue into Leo’s mouth…

No one said a lycan claiming his mate was a pretty event.

The kiss that followed was a soft and gentle devastation of sweet hunger.

Cooler’s lips were pure lightning against Leo’s, every hair on his body pulsated to attention. His growl simmered through their mouths, giving Leo ample knowledge of how much power resided within his mate, the vibration, a thunder, rattled him to his soul.

He didn’t dare touch Cooler. Just because they were sucking lips, didn’t mean the Beta had accepted Leo as his.

Cooler pulled back, his eye a bone-chilling dark as he glared up into Leo’s gaze.

Fat fingers slid from behind Leo’s neck, mapping their way along his cheek to brush over his lips, only to catch him by the chin.

Leo closed his eyes, both needing and dreading the words about to spill from his mate.

But time stretched, and it stretched, and it stretched as he waited.

His lips moved involuntarily, quivering, ready to speak, but only a whimper undulated through him. Cooler grunted, halting Leo’s tongue and washing hot air up into Leo’s face, reminding him of how close the Beta’s lips were to his own.

His insides squirmed, anticipating, hoping and wanting Cooler to bless him with another taste.

No kiss came, no words either. Only the scent of his mate. A spicy, intoxicating, rugged musk. Prime Bloods tended to have a heavier, far more domineering scent than half-breeds. That and, of course, the raw power they emanated were the only physical truths that set them apart.


What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
My passion to create, and of course the constant annoying babble of voices in my mind. As for the genre, paranormal and supernaturalism has always fascinated me, but it goes deeper than just fiction.

Why do we have multiple words for werewolves, ghosts, witches, even vampires? Mostly in para and super fiction these are portrayed as one thing (a werewolf is a lycan and a lycan is a shifter), but are they truly all the same or just different species from one branch? Add in the lack of scientific and biological explanations one tend to not have in para and super fiction most of the time; I want to understand exactly how a werewolf transforms, how a vampire physiology changes during their siring, and how magic truly works in a said universe.

Most para and super fiction brush these things off to no, or a very limited explanation in books. I do understand that within a context of a story to some readers it can be boring, and there are other books that delve a little deeper into explaining these factors.

This is what drives me in writing para and super fiction, doing research and then to explain how these things can be possible within the limits of science, physics and biology. But I also have to present these facts with in a story that would entice the reader, hence where I bring in my fascination of psychology, which is both a strong driving point and motivator in my para and super fiction as well as my contemporary works. I love to make readers feel, make them taste the emotion of the charters on their tongue. Give them the broken hero who is actually the villain and show them even a villain can love, can be heartbroken, can be human. As for Queer fiction, being a gay man myself, it’s just natural that most of my characters would fall under one or more of the LGBTQ+ spectrums.

When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I never out line, it’s just something that does not work for me, I sit down and allow the characters to tell me their story. I know as much about them as the reader does when they first open a book. It’s the journey that I love, discovering who this character is, seeing their broken parts, descovring their darkness along the way as they guide me to through their story. But the strange part is, they always first tell me how their story ends before they begin. And sometimes they hijack the entre plot, which could be fun to a point.

I also love the editing, because it challenges me as a writer to dig deeper into my creativity, and as I always say if you are not learning something new from each manuscript you write, you are not growing as an author. There has not been a single edited manuscript I have received back where I haven’t learned something about writing. 

When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I read most anything, but give me something with an in-depth world building, something that cuts open the human psyche and shows me all the ways it can be explored. I also like to be thinking, questioning myself throughout a read of a book. I guess it has more to do with the content and context of a book than its genre, that said, I tend to lean more toward darker and complex stories, thrillers, mysteries and horror.

If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
Jex Lane, I do believe we could write some beautifully and painfully complex monster children together. She has a way with writing large scale battle scenes which I admire, and yet her stories are complex, her writing and conveying of information is not. I love that about her writing.

There’s also J.M. Dabney, she has a way of simplifying emotions, yet still keeping them so that they deliver a solid punch to the heart, were as I tend to over dramatizes and show emotions. I truly believe we could write a book baby that could be a killer of hearts. 

Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
It came later. I’ve always been a creative person, have these ideas for epic adventures, and journeys. As I got older and delved into digital comic art, I liked it, but didn’t love it. One night, while frustrated with my current WIP art work and bored, I picked up my first M/M book and it was like my own mini version of the big bang happening inside my mind. All these door started to open and the possibilities of how I could make the voices in my head be heard was there.  I had always loved reading but had never considered writing as medium to express my creativity.

Though I knew, English was not my first langue and as I had struggled with grammar and spelling and dyslexia through school, I knew this might pose a problem. But I never allowed it to stop or hold me back.

Author Bio:
They come to me in the night, creeping into my head. Their voices are all different, their stories all dissimilar, but they keep saying the same thing...
“Show us, tell us to the world. Bring us into yours, and make us known.”

Then I sit and they take over. They tell their tales of love, loss and sinister misfortune, not all of them get a happy ending, but they are pleased when their part is written.

I sometimes find myself lost in my own mind; a world very similar to our own yet so different. Things don't go bump in the night—they squeal, and crawl under your skin, making you grind your teeth, and your stomach turn over and put your nerves on edge. Then there's the drama. Oh, the drama!

I write because I must! There is so much inside of me that needs to get out. So many stories to tell, characters that want to be heard, and hearts lost and won. Words and art are my way of bringing my world to others. I enjoy telling tales of the human condition but working in elements of the supernatural. Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, Witches and the unexplainable all set against the human world or worlds of their own.

Wulf Francรบ Godgluck hails from South Africa. His work is not for the faint-hearted! In his books, you'll find... all the beasties with their nasty claws and teeth, and some you didn't even know existed. But the monsters aren't all real. Some live inside us. Who knows what he will make you discover about yourself, lurking in your heart, behind the closed walls of the deep, black recesses where no light penetrates? Wulf will steal your heart and never give it back. More than likely, he'll pin it to the wall with a bobby pin and sit there sipping his tea while you writhe and squeal on the floor... STILL sure you want to read a Wulf Godgluck book?


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Release Tour: Lies & Deceit by Liza O'Connor

Title: Lies & Deceit
Author: Liza O'Connor
Series: The Extraordinary Life of Amy Winston #3
Genre: Historical Regency(Post-Napoleon wars thru Early Victorian), Paranormal Elements
Release Date: July 8, 2018
Summary:
Despite her lack of dowry and cloudy past, Amy Winston becomes one of the most sought-after young ladies in the London marriage mart. Some desire her for her beauty and charm while others appreciate her unique skills of seeing with her mind, healing with her hands, and disappearing in plain sight. By her choice of husbands, she secures her safety. However, her marriage almost brings the English Parliament to its knees.


Lies & Deceit #3
Amy studied the young man for a moment. “Are you an only child?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Did you like your nanny?”

“Very much.”

“And your tutors?”

“Not so much.” His forehead crinkled in annoyance. “Is there some point to your questions?”

Darby sighed and stared at the ceiling in exasperation. “She is trying to figure out why you are such a pompous ass and expect to have your way all the time. She has no doubt concluded from her three questions that you were spoiled by your nanny into a horrid monster of a boy who has no idea how to make or keep friends, and clearly from your display today, she will conclude you’ve not made much progress since.” He then looked at Amy. “You can move me to the fourth dance if you are still willing to give this brat a chance. In his favor, he’s a very good dancer and can be an interesting conversationalist, if you can keep him from talking about himself.”

Amy ran an arrow to the forth line for Darby and added JM on the third line.

“Why does Darby get more letters?” Marsh asked.

Amy laughed and added vsgd at the end of his initials for ‘very spoiled good dancer’.

“That doesn’t spell anything…”

At this point, Ann felt compelled to intervene. “John, you’ve got your dance, dear. Stop bullying Amy and leave now.”

Pure Innocence #1
John turned his attention back to the girl. Her dark hair was wild and matted. In the center of the mats was dried caked blood. No doubt from the stones the townspeople threw.

The girl spoke rapidly in a shrill voice, declaring she was “bad, evil, the devil’s whore, and to go away, go away, go away.”

He suspected the voice was not hers but a mimic of the people who had said these cruel words. Suddenly, her voice dropped lower in a mimic of a man and she quoted dark bible passages about casting out demons.

Dear God, was it possible these were her parents’ words?

“Tell me the name, tell me the name, damn you!” the voice bellowed.

Finally, he heard the girl’s own voice. The pain and misery it held tore at his old battle-weary heart.

“There is no name,” she cried. “There was no man. Only a dream while I rested on the banks.”

“Then it’s the seed of Satan and it’ll not be raised in my house!” her voice deepened and bellowed

Inside the bundle of cloth, she held tight to her chest, a baby’s wail rose, almost as if in protest to her words. The baby’s cry startled her and for one terrible moment, John feared she would toss the child over the edge.

Then her madness dissipated, and she transformed into a young mother fretting over her new child, soothing it with soft words, as she sat down upon the ground. She opened her filthy torn blouse and placed the baby upon her right breast, rocking the child softly while it nursed. Her face held love and adoration for her helpless infant.

John knew he must save this young girl and her baby. She was not yet lost to madness.

Love's Betrayal #2
As Nicolas and his valet, Antonio, sat on a bench overlooking the docks, Antonio interrogated him about Uncle John’s niece.

“Is she intelligent?”

“Frighteningly so. By now I suspect she knows more than most doctors in London about medicine.”

Antonio smiled. “A practical woman as well.”

“I hardly would call it a practical vocation,” Nicolas objected. “No one will ever accept a female doctor.”

“I suppose it depends upon the situation. The next time I get stabbed or shot, I’ll be most glad to allow her to tend my wounds.”

“You don’t even know her.”

“She’s the colonel’s niece. That’s all I need to know.”



Author Bio:
Raised in the southern mid-section of U.S., Liza escaped to the East Coast once out of college. She’s worked as a journalist, a radio DJ, a security guard, a stock broker, a strategist, and a business solutions consultant to name a few of her many occupations.

She learned to fly planes, jump out of planes, hang-glide, kayak and scuba dive, to name of few of her ‘let’s kill Liza’ sports. However, her favorite activity is to hike with her dog Jess among the shaved mountains of NJ.


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Lies & Deceit #3

Pure Innocence #1

Love's Betrayals #2

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Week at a Glance: 7/2/18 - 7/8/18