Author Archives: thebloggergirls

Book Review: Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Guest Reviewed by Gyn

bTitle: Son of No One
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Hellchaser #6, Dark Hunter #23
Heroine/Hero: Josette/Cadegan
Genre: M/F Paranormal
Length: 432 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Available at:  St. Martin’s Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  It’s not easy being life’s own personal joke, but Josette Landry has made an unstable peace with the beast. Life will continue to throw every bad thing it has at her, and she will continue to not put her head in an oven. But that’s okay. That which doesn’t kill her will just require a few hours of mental insanity. Completely down on her luck, Josette takes a job with a local paranormal group trying to get their own cable show as a photographer and camerawoman. Yeah, they’re even crazier than she is. The only paranormal thing she believes in is the miracle that keeps her rusted out hoopty running. But when her group accidentally releases something truly evil into the world, they are forced to call in reinforcement.

From the moment Josette meets Cadegan, she knows something about him isn’t quite right. And it’s not just because she can’t even begin to pronounce his last name: Maboddimun. Mysterious and armed with lethal sarcasm, he seems a lot older than his apparent age…

Centuries ago, Cadegan sold his soul for vengeance against the betrayer who cursed him. Forced against his will to do good, he hates everything in life. All he wants is a way out. But for the damned there is only eternal suffering. And yet there is something about Josette that intrigues him as much as it irritates and frustrates him. Something he can’t seem to fight, and the last time he felt this way about a woman, it cost him his soul.

He knows he has to stay away from her, but the evil her friends unleashed is hellbent on consuming her soul. Something he cannot allow. If one more innocent is taken, he will be sent back to an unimaginable prison that makes his current hell look like paradise. But how can he keep her safe when his being with her is the greatest threat of all?
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Chris Quinton: Legends and Reality + Giveaway!

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Legends and Reality

by Chris Quinton

One of the fascinating things about myths and legends  is the way that sometimes they’re based on fact. The legends of Lyonesse are firmly lodged in the hearts of the people of the UK’s West Country, and the stories of Ys are remembered by the people of Brittany across the English Channel. Both of them have similarities with the stories of Atlantis, rich lands destroyed by the folly of those who lived there.

The facts that gave birth to these stories? In the West Country it’s the remnants of old stone field walls that march down some beaches to disappear into the sea. It’s the Isles of Scilly off the toe of Cornwall’s Land’s End, which once were part of a much larger landmass. And before that, underwater archaeology has shown us that Mesolithic and Neolithic hunters lived and hunted the low-lying land that is now the North Sea. Doggerland, the archaeologists have called it, after the Dogger Bank, a shallow area of sea over a treacherous sand bank about sixty miles off the east coast.

Even more telling is Google Earth. Pull the image right back, and you can clearly see the shape of the ancient continent that once existed above the waves. With the melting of the great ice sheets, slowly and inexorably the sea levels rose. Ten thousand years ago [give or take a few thousands] the islands that now form Eire, the British Isles and the politically attached Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are all that survived the inundation.

The legends tell of church bells ringing beneath the storm-wracked sea, of lights burning in drowned houses, the cries of the people as the sea destroyed their land, are the window-dressing, of course. But beneath them are the deep-seated racial memories of hunting grounds slowly washed away, of marshes becoming standing water that gradually formed the ever-widening river that is now the English Channel.

The erosion is still happening. The storms that recently battered England’s coasts have eaten away at cliffs and beaches alike. In a couple of hundred years, despite the factual archives stored of the drama and damage, what new legends will have evolved?

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About Greymalkin (Melusine’s Cats #1)

11The mutual attraction between Jesse and Will is a bonus for Melusine when her enemies close in and she needs to rebuild her war band—starting with Jesse, Will, and Greymalkin.

Jesse Adams is an ex-rugby player who’s gone into seclusion to avoid the media following a guilty verdict in a court case. Jesse has come to live for a year in Greenlynn, where he is supposed to be writing his biography. 

Will Blake is an out and proud policeman, respected and liked by the community he helps to protect from rural crime. 

When the two men meet their attraction is instant, but they have no idea their love will draw them into a centuries’ old conflict. 

Melusine, a deity of rivers and seas,  long ago lost the Battle of the Betrayal and is imprisoned in a nexus centred on the source of the Lynn River. She can only travel in the flowing water of her river, and cannot set foot on her banks. Her cats are not so bound. Neither pets nor familiars, they move freely between the realities, her agents among the humans who live along the Lynn. 

When Melusine’s enemies come to the valley in search of revenge, Jesse and Will discover they have a part to play in the ancient feud. Do they commit to becoming part of a mythical triad, or leave the valley and forget they ever knew that magic exists?

Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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About Chris Quinton 

Chris started creating stories not long after she mastered joined-up writing, somewhat to the bemusement of her parents and her English teachers. But she received plenty of encouragement. Her dad gave her an already old Everest typewriter when she was ten, and it was probably the best gift she’d ever received – until the inventions of the home-computer and the worldwide web. 

Chris’s reading and writing interests range from historical, mystery, and paranormal, to science-fiction and fantasy, writing mostly in the male/male genre. She refuses to be pigeon-holed and intends to uphold the long and honourable tradition of the Eccentric Brit to the best of her ability. In her spare time [hah!] she reads, embroiders, quilts and knits. Over the years she has been a stable lad [briefly] in a local racing stable and stud, a part-time and unpaid amateur archaeologist, a civilian clerk at her local police station and a 15th century re-enactor. 

She lives in a small and ancient city in the south-west of the United Kingdom, sharing her usually chaotic home with an extended family, three dogs, a frilled dragon [lizard] and sundry goldfish.

You can find out more about Chris on her Website and Facebook.

Blogger_Giveaway

 

Chris is kindly giving away an eBook copy of Greymalkin to one luck winner! The giveaway starts now and ends September 7, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Gyn’s review of Greymalkin to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , | 13 Comments

Book Review: Greymalkin by Chris Quinton

Guest Reviewed by Gyn

11Title: Greymalkin
Author: Chris Quinton
Series: Melusine’s Cats #1
Heroes: Jesse Adams/Will Blake
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 188 Pages
Publisher: Kouros Books
Release Date: June 16, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The mutual attraction between Jesse and Will is a bonus for Melusine when her enemies close in and she needs to rebuild her war band—starting with Jesse, Will, and Greymalkin.

Jesse Adams is an ex-rugby player who’s gone into seclusion to avoid the media following a guilty verdict in a court case. Jesse has come to live for a year in Greenlynn, where he is supposed to be writing his biography.

Will Blake is an out and proud policeman, respected and liked by the community he helps to protect from rural crime.

When the two men meet their attraction is instant, but they have no idea their love will draw them into a centuries’ old conflict.

Melusine, a deity of rivers and seas, long ago lost the Battle of the Betrayal and is imprisoned in a nexus centered on the source of the Lynn River. She can only travel in the flowing water of her river, and cannot set foot on her banks. Her cats are not so bound. Neither pets nor familiars, they move freely between the realities, her agents among the humans who live along the Lynn.
Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger A.E. Via: Favorable Moments – Excerpt + Giveaway!

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Favorable Moments

by A.E. Via

Hello my lovely readers!

Thank you for visiting here with me today on Blogger Girls site to talk about my newest release: Embracing His Syn. Syn’s book is not a sequel to Nothing Special, it can stand alone. But, a few of the main characters from Nothing Special act as some very entertaining supporting characters in this story. So feel free to pick that up after.

If you are a fan of my previous work than you already know I’m a huge lover of take-charge, alpha gay men and Syn definitely fits into that category. He’s full of attitude, bravado, and overwhelming protectiveness…especially when it comes to Furious (my other MC).  So if those sexy traits do it for you, then Embracing His Syn is the next book you want to one-click.

Now. I’ve come up with a pretty awesome post – which is my 5 favorite moments while writing/developing Embracing His Syn. I’m going to throw in Nothing Special as well, because I think some people may be very interested in how I came up with God and Day as well as Syn and Furi.

Here we go….

5. Highly enjoyed running my thoughts and scenes over with a couple of my contacts in the VB Police Department. These men are a part of the vice squad but are highly trained and very lethal…in my opinion. They are friends of the family. Neither are gay (unfortunately, or else I’d pick their brain on a few other things as well. *winking*). Listening to some of their stories was very exhilarating. They really are a couple of alpha-studs. It was important to me writing a police story, to have the scenes/codes/lingo, of law enforcement officers to be realistic. Nothing Special and Syn’s story is still fiction so I wanted it to be over-the-top-dirty-harry style, but not too ridiculous. Hopefully I didn’t blow it.

4. I loved meeting my new editor in the making of Syn’s story. If some of you may recall, I had some issues with editing in Nothing Special – that was provided through my previous publisher. There were typos, misspellings, etc. I was determined to let readers know that I heard their complaints and was doing something to remedy the problem. Tina Adamski was my solution. She was absolutely awesome, even after I put her on a tight deadline. She had her work cut out for her, because when my mind is flying, my fingers have a hard time keeping up. Typing at 88wpm, there are bound to be errors, okay. She looked at a sample of my work and I was immediately taken with her professional attitude and knowledge of fictional editing. I think you’ll see for yourself when you read the book. I’m so glad to have worked with her and look forward to utilizing her expertise with my future work.

3. Next, was meeting my cover artist, Princess So. I walked past her booth at RainbowCon in April of this year and was floored at the art and detail that was displayed on some of her sample covers. She is an extremely talented artist and I knew I’d want her to do my next cover. What’s so memorable about this experience was watching her create these characters that were solely in my mind and make them visible for everyone else to see. Syn is absolutely delicious on this cover and she nailed Furi – which was drawn, or has she calls it ‘a Frankenstein’. I love that you won’t see my guys on anyone else’s books. These were not picked from the shallow male model bin on Shutterstock. It was a relief working with such talent. Although, I’ve now been ordered to call her ‘goddess’ since I asked for countless favors upon favors. Small price to pay.

2. The development of my characters. Mmmmm. Yummy. Some may already know this, but I don’t use any models for my book characters. I love coming up with my men within my mind. Everything from their look to their mannerisms. You won’t find God, or Angel, or Hawk, or Furi in any magazine or on a photo site. If I had to choose. I would have to say my favorite character couple is: God and Day. Turning them into 100% badass-don’t-give-a-damn-I’ma’-say-what-I want characters has been the highlight of all my writings so far. Day is able to say all the inappropriate-off-the-top-of-his-head comments that probably most men wish they could say and get away with. I wanted to make a highly ranked law enforcement character that was hilariously-witty, out, proud gay that wasn’t constantly harassed on his job, and hiding in the closet. Hence, Day. Who was the harasser not the harrassee’. Ro attempted it in the beginning, but he was usually the one that ended up red-faced after a tiff with Day. It was so much fun…it’s still fun writing those guys. Now I get to introduce more of God and Day’s team, while giving the book humor, because you know they are going to be in it.

1. Now, I hope I don’t get into any trouble with my number one. Not only my most memorable and favorite of all, but also the most FUN of making not only Nothing Special and Embracing His Syn, but ALL of my books.

PORN!!!!!

*laughing and winking* Hear me out, MM fans. A large percentage of MM writers are heterosexual females, so it’s important for us to make sure those scenes are spot-on, and realistic. Positions and execution. (I sound real scientific, don’t I? LOL). Honestly, the same way we have to research occupations, and backdrops, or landscapes, we have to research the sex for our books as well. The more sex you have in the book…the more you have to research…..right? So, I have to watch a ton of it, oh and various sites too! Uh. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.

(And how freakin cool is this? I heard through the MM female writer’s grapevine, that we can write off all our porn subscriptions as a tax deduction, because we use it for our occupation. Hmmm. My porn is tax deductible. My entire family has used the same accountant for many years, and so have I, since I was nineteen. Mentioning my new deduction should be fun when I meet with him this tax season, and I slap a whole phone-book-sized receipt book of gay porn on his desk.)

Well, this had been fun. I’ve enjoyed chatting with you all and being embarrassingly honest. I hope you will pick up my latest release Embracing His Syn, which has been receiving rave reviews! I think it’s a must read if you love sexy detectives and lots of action mixed with extremely hot gay lovemaking. After you’ve done that, pick up my first novel, Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True, or if you’ve already read it….reread it, because Blue Moon 2: This is Reality is coming up next and its coming up fast!

Talk to you soon,

Thank you so much Blogger Girls for hosting me and my guys again!!!!

Loves,

Adrienne

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About Embracing His Syn

Embracing His Syn(This story contains characters from previously published novel ‘Nothing Special‘ but Embracing His Syn is a stand-alone novel.)

Sergeant Corbin ‘Syn’ Sydney transferred from the Philadelphia Police Department as soon as he’d heard there was going to be an opening on Lieutenant Cashel Godfrey and Lieutenant Leonidis Day’s Atlanta Narcotics Task Force. Syn’s primary goal in his life has been to be a great cop. There has been no time for relationships, romance, or especially love.

Syn was dedicated to his new force, focused and ready to back up God and Day as their third in command, but what he wasn’t ready for was the feelings he got from seeing the love they had for each other.

Syn’s all prepared to accept his lonely fate until he walks into a small pub and meets long-haired, tattooed, bartender, Furious Barkley. Before he can even understand why, Syn’s feeling things he barely recognizes: passion, yearning, cravings; and if the dark, lustful gazes are anything to go by, Furious might be feeling the same things for him.

Just one thing needs to happen before Furi and Syn can give each other what’s been missing from their lives for so long…

Syn needs to allow happiness into his world and Furi needs to learn to open his heart and trust again.

God, Day, Ronowski, and Johnson are still as entertaining as ever…

You’ll swoon over God’s massive take-charge attitude…

You’ll laugh hysterically at Day’s never-ending wit…

You’ll fall in love with Furious’ mysterious, sexy demeanor…

and…

You’ll embrace Syn…

Disclaimer: This book DOES NOT contain scenes of polygamous sexual pairings.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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An Excerpt from Embracing His Syn

Furi stepped in closer to him and Syn fought his reflex to take a step back. Furi grabbed his wrist and moved him quickly through the customers waiting for the bathrooms and pushed open the back door that led to the parking lot.

Syn quickly took in his surroundings before focusing back on Furi.

“What’s wrong, why’d you bring me back here?”

“What’s your angle, Detective? Why are you lingering around my job and offering me rides, huh?” Furi forced those questions through gritted teeth.

“Why are you angry? It’s just a ride. I was trying to be nice,” Syn said with little conviction, while avoiding answering Furi’s questions. He didn’t have an angle and he wasn’t sure why he was drawn to him. He just wanted to be around this guy, if for nothing else then to at least be friends.

Furi narrowed his eyes again and stepped into Syn’s space. “Are you gay, Detective?”

There it was. The million-dollar question. Was he gay? He’d never asked himself that. He’d only slept with women before, but had never felt anything more for them than an easy friends-with-benefits involvement. Rhodes was the only person that he’d ever felt a connection with. A man. Syn felt his mouth move, but no sound was coming out. Fuck.

Furi looked at him skeptically. “Uh huh. Just like I thought. Who are you working for? Him. He send you? Did he hire you to find me? Are you a private detective?”

That accusation cut through Syn’s speechlessness. “Whoa. I work for the city of Atlanta. What are you talking about? Who is him? Is someone after you?” Syn didn’t realize he’d grabbed Furi’s shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes until Furi threw his arms up and dislodged Syn’s grip.

“Take your goddamn hands off of me! I’m sick of people thinking they can put their fucking hands on me! Stay the fuck away from me, Detective.” Furi shoved past him and reached for the door.

Syn jumped in front of it before Furi could get it open. He yelled right back at Furi, “My name is Syn! I’m not here as a Detective! I don’t know who him is, nor do I work for him.” Syn put up air quotes for the word him. “I just wanted to talk to you!”

“About what?” Furi yelled. They were in each other’s faces, chest bumping each other.

“I don’t fucking know! About you. About me. About the damn Falcons’ game last week. About the weather. About why there’s so many goddamn reality TV shows. About what-the-hell-ever! That’s what people do when they want to get to know someone!” Syn stepped back and gripped his hair blowing out a long frustrated breath. He felt so ridiculous, was so annoyed that he was seconds away from just walking away. “Fuck! I didn’t think dating was this damn hard.”

“That’s what you’re trying to do, Detective? Date me?” Furi’s tone and facial expression were full of skepticism. “Because I don’t want to date. Dating is stupid. What the hell is dating anyway? Some long drawn out process of elimination where you both present your best side while hiding the real you, and you can only keep that charade going for about three months because your bullshit and lies eventually leak out and then you have to spend the next three months getting to know each other for real.”

“Geez, man, you are insanely cynical. Do you always over-analyze everything? Why can’t we just–”

Furi cut him off, “Because. I’m only interested in gay men. Not men that might or might not be gay, or men that are looking for an experiment, or men that are fucked up in the head. I’ve been there. Done that, I’m never going there again. It almost cost me my li–”

Syn turned at Furi’s words. He walked back to him slowly. He could see pain in Furi’s eyes and Syn wanted to take it all away. Take all the hurt this man had experienced, and put it on himself, because he could handle it. All he wanted was to see Furi smile, see him uninhibited, full of passion. Full of him. Syn just barely held in his groan. He wanted this damn man. God help him, he did. He let out a slow calming breath and brought his hands up to cup Furi’s cheeks. He wanted to kiss him. Taste him. Feel Furi moan his name into his mouth and swallow it down. Fuck, he wanted that and so much more. Furi was looking hard at him, waiting. His eyes roamed Syn’s face before settling on his lips. Syn needed this; all he had to do was take it. Take it goddamnit.

Furi took it for him. Syn felt confident, sure hands on his own cheeks and soft, beautiful lips against his. Furi took Syn’s control. He knocked his hands down and grabbed the material of his jean jacket, pushing him up against the wall right there behind the pub, and then those lush lips were on him again. Taking him. Syn’s eyes were rolling behind his closed lids. Fuck, it felt so good. He could’ve never imagined how good.

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About A.E. Via

A.E. ViaA.E. Via is a best-selling author in the beautiful gay erotic genre. She’s been reading gay romance exclusively for ten years before she decided to submit one of her own stories for publication. Her writing embodies everything from spicy to scandalous. Her novels often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

When she’s not clicking away at her laptop, A.E. devotes herself to her family—a husband and four children, her two pets, a Maltese dog and her white Siamese cat, ELynn, named after the late, great gay romance author E. Lynn Harris.

Although she’s still a fairly new author, she has plenty more to come. So sit back and grab a cool drink, because the male on male action is just heating up! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or get a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, and where she’ll appear next.

Find out more about A.E. on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Facebook Author Page, Twitter, Amazon Page, Goodreads or check out her Gift Shop.

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A.E. is giving away THREE copies of Embracing His Syn! The giveaway starts now and ends September 6, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Jen’s review of Embracing His Syn to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , | 10 Comments

Book Review: One Night More by Mandy Baxter

Guest Reviewed by Ami

One Night More (U.S. Marshals, #1)Title: One Night More
Author: Mandy Baxter
Series: U.S. Marshalls #1
Heroine/Hero: Galen Kelly/Harper Allen
Genre: M/F Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 Pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp./Zebra Books
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Available at:  Kensington Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Savvy, hard-riding, rule-breaking—they’ll go anywhere and do anything it takes to protect and serve. But this U. S. Marshal has just met his match—and playing for keeps is one sizzling game…

Getting saved from disaster by a handsome stranger—Harper Allen has no problem with that. But when he leaves without a word or a clue to his real identity, the newbie reporter writes it off as the best one-night-stand she’ll never have again. Until a year later, when Harper comes face to face with the man assigned to hide her from a senator’s killer…

Galen Kelly hasn’t forgotten a single sensual minute of his night with Harper… or that she betrayed him. But with the FBI also on their trail, he’s got to pretend he’s never met her or risk both their lives. But as danger closes in, Galen may not be able to protect himself from taking the biggest risk of all…
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger JP Kenwood: To Swear Or Not To Swear: Profanity and Dialogue in Historical Fiction + Giveaway!

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To Swear Or Not To Swear: Profanity and Dialogue in Historical Fiction

by JP Kenwood

I have been asked about (and criticized for) my deliberate choice to use a more modern dialogue style peppered with colorful curses for my current m/m historical fantasy series set in ancient Rome. Here’s the thing. Romans in the second century AD did not speak Elizabethan or Victorian English. They spoke Latin, a complex and beautiful language characterized by precise syntax, a rich vocabulary and practical directness. Latin emerged as an identifiable language around 1000 BCE in central Italy, a fertile region inhabited by a stratified, patriarchal society dominated by farmers and soldiers. In fact, many aristocratic Roman names derive from this agricultural heritage: Cicero (‘chick-pea’), Lentulus (‘lentil’) and Fabius (‘bean’).

Have you ever heard Latin spoken outside of some televised papal blessing on the steps of St. Peter’s in Rome? Unless you spend much time attending the most traditional of Roman Catholic masses, the answer is probably not. If you’re interested in hearing Classical Latin spoken, here’s a link to a short clip from the documentary, “The Destiny of Rome,” wherein Marcus Antonius speaks before the Senate: http://youtu.be/6_IPqniaZR0. The performer’s Latin pronunciation is crisp, direct and powerful. It’s actually rather sexy. However, that said, we don’t know exactly how ancient Romans spoke Latin. As with deciphering much about the past, scholars argue theories and make educated guesses. But they all agree that ancient Romans did not sound like characters out of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Sorry, Brutus.

But I’m off on a tangent. I chose to use a more modern tone for the dialogue in Dominus because I wanted these characters to sound not only direct and ‘Roman-like’ but also real. Not anachronistic, to be sure, but human. Familiar. In my own experience, readers of stories set in historical times become distracted or frustrated with wording that is forced to sound ‘historical’ with dialogue that is often clunky, obtuse, or flat out incomprehensible. I wrote my fictional Roman characters to sound as if they were actual people—which, to me, they are.

But what about all that swearing in your dialogue, Kenwood? Ah, yes—the fucks and shits and arses and cocks and tits. Here’s the deal. Romans swore. They swore a lot. You won’t find much profanity in the literary writings of Virgil or Tacitus (the latter fellow is a character in the Dominus series, by the way), but you will find delightfully bawdy language in the poems of Catullus and Martial and in the graffiti scrawled on walls throughout archaeological sites such as Pompeii. Just Google ‘obscene graffiti Pompeii’ and you will find a slew of sites with all the salacious details. In fact, the expression, ‘Speaking with Roman plainness,’ refers to the bluntness of the Latin language and the preponderance of obscenities. Romans didn’t beat around the proverbially bush. So Gaius Fabius (our bisexual MC in the series) swears, for shit’s sake. And, because humanity is nothing if not diverse, Gaius swears more than other characters, including his peers. He has a filthy mouth, the arrogant bastard.

One final note: my characters, especially the Roman characters, use English (as in England English) cadence and slang terms. For this I have no excuse except that for me, all Romans sound like the BBC Romans I grew up watching on the telly. Blame it on Clau—Clau—Claudius.

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About Dominus

DominusIn AD 107, after a grueling campaign against Rome’s fierce enemy, the kingdom of Dacia, Gaius Fabius returns home in triumph. With the bloody battles over, the commander of the Lucky IV Legion now craves life’s simple pleasures: leisurely soaks in fragrant baths, over-flowing cups of wine, and a long holiday at his seaside villa to savor his pleasure slaves. On a whim, he purchases a spirited young Dacian captive and unwittingly sparks a fresh outbreak of the Dacian war; an intimate struggle between two sworn enemies with love and honor at stake. 

Allerix survived the wars against Rome, but now he is a sex slave rather than a victor. Worse, the handsome general who led the destruction of his people now commands his body. When escape appears impossible, Alle struggles to find a way to preserve his dignity and exact vengeance upon the hated Romans. Revenge will be his, that is, if he doesn’t lose his heart to his lusty Roman master. 

Dominus is a plot-packed erotic m/m fantasy that transports readers back to ancient Rome during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117). This is the first book in an alternate history series—a tumultuous journey filled with forbidden love, humor, sex, friendship, political intrigue, deception and murder.

Available at: Amazon & Smashwords

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About JP Kenwood

When she doesn’t have her nose stuck in a dusty old history book, JP Kenwood relishes writing erotic m/m fiction. JP prefers plot-packed, sexy, and romantic tales that explore loyalty, trust, betrayal, and sacrifice. She is currently busy penning the second book in her alternate history series, Dominus. The second book—tentatively titled, “The Lion of the Lucky Fourth”—follows our auburn-haired bastard of a protagonist, Gaius Fabius, and his gaggle of clients and pleasure slaves as they travel to Rome for love, laughs, and vengeance. JP has a terrible habit of posting preliminary drafts of chapters and snippets of her latest work to her online blog prior to publication.

Check out more about JP on Smashwords, Facebook, Twitter or her Blog.

Blogger_Giveaway

JP is giving away an eBook copy of Dominus to one luck winner! The giveaway starts now and ends September 5, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Jen’s review of Dominus to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

GRL Blog Tour: Lissa Kasey/Sam Kadence – Surviving GRL as an Introvert + Giveaway!

GRL 2014 Blog Tour Banner

Surviving GRL as an Introvert

By Lissa Kasey/Sam Kadence

GRL is an event for people to meet, talk, and connect. The thought of which makes me want to stay home and read. LOL. I’m an introvert. And for all those extroverts out there, that means it takes a lot of energy to stay focused on anyone talking to me. It sort of makes me sleepy when someone is just going on and on. Not that it’s not interesting. It’s just I’m internal instead of external.

I’ve been to a few events this year. And it’s my first year being out there as two people: Lissa Kasey and Sam Kadence. I write both adult and YA, but since I skipped all events last year, this is the first time I’ve had to learn to sign two names. (It’s harder than you think!) I did Rainbow con this year which was small but had some great events for YA writers, so that helped. I also went to the DSP workshop which was bigger and a little more intense. I don’t mingle well, and sorry to any I may have offended with my awkwardness—sorry PD Singer.

This will be my third GRL. The first was the best so far, because it was small. I got to talk to people, there were events that I could do and not have to talk to anyone, and the hotel was easy to navigate so if I needed me time—which happens often—I could escape. The second year was a little bigger and harder for me to meet new people. I stuck with my group and avoided being social, but I was also going through other things that most of my followers already know about.

Didn’t attend last year so I’m pretty nervous about this year. Unlike most I don’t have a social anxiety disorder. I have a general anxiety disorder so everything makes me nervous. Not just people. My introversion just makes recharging after socializing harder. I know there are a lot of others out there like me. Folks who are social awkward, introverts, with a brain that runs away with them, and I can honestly say fun will still be had.

I’ve met some of the most amazing people at these conventions and some of my best writing pals. I shy away from the more outspoken folks because they have large crowds that exhaust me even from a distance, but I will still say hello and probably something stupid—this is an almost certain fact for the weekend. I’d love to talk with anyone about YA writing, Sci-fi, fantasy, or urban fantasy as there just isn’t enough in our genre.

You’ll probably find me hiding with people I know who started their journey the same time I did like Piper Vaughn, Poppy Dennison, or Xara X. Xanakas. I’ve made new friends among bloggers and writers who don’t mind being seen with me I think, and most of which I’ve met through online and GRL events. I always look forward to meeting others even when I stick my foot in my mouth.

For those who need time away but want to still feel like you’re part of the group, feel free to come sit with me and we can watch the rest in silence. No need to converse. A short recharge is better than none, right?

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About Hidden Gem by Lissa Kasey

Hidden Gem by Lissa Kasey eBookMisaki “Aki” Itou is a psi—a person with mutated DNA granting him psychic abilities. He’s also a contracted companion—a whore. It may not be the perfect profession, but having a roof over his head, food to eat, and not being subjected to torture is a dream come true. He is the top companion at the Hidden Gem, and it makes him enough money to buy the prettiest, most sparkly shoes he can find.

Shane McNaughton is an Irishman who survived the Third World War and works as a cop. Head of Missing Persons, he’s good at finding people, but after the plague of the Third mutated his DNA, he has a hard time letting anyone see the monster inside. He’s been paying for Aki’s services for two years, both the psi and the sexual kind, but he wants more from the companion.

Shane needs Aki’s ability to see into another person’s past to track down a serial killer murdering the children of rich and powerful men, but the more they work together, the clearer it becomes that they are linked through a darker past than either of them realizes.

Hidden Gem is now available for pre-order on Dreamspinner Press.

About Lissa Kasey

Lissa Kasey lives in St. Paul, MN, has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, and collects Asian ball joint dolls that look like her characters. She has two cats who enjoy waking her up an hour before her alarm every morning and sitting on her lap to help her write. She can often be found at anime conventions masquerading as random characters when she’s not writing about boy romance.

You can find Lissa on her Website, Twitter, Facebook or Dreamspinner Press page.

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About Sam Kadence

Sam Kadence has always dreamed about being someone else, somewhere else. With very little musical talent, Sam decided the only way to make those dreams come true was to try everything from cosplay at the local anime conventions to writing novels about pretending to run away to become a musician.

Sam has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, sells textbooks for a living, enjoys taking photographs of Asian Ball Joint Dolls to tell more stories, and has eclectic taste in music from J-pop to rock and country. All of which finds its way into the books eventually.

You can find Sam on her Website, Facebook or Dreamspinner Press page.

Blogger_Giveaway

As part of her GRL stop, Lissa is offering up a chance to win an item from her Cafe Press shop of $30 or less to one lucky winner! The giveaway starts now and will end next Thursday, September 4, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Good luck!

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Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , | 11 Comments

Giveaway Winners!

It’s that time again! We’ve got more giveaway winners to announce! Let’s pick the SJD Peterson winners first!

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So, the winner of an eBook copy of BAMF by SJD Peterson is… Continue reading

Categories: Giveaways | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Audio Review: The Devil’s Brew by Rhys Ford

Guest Reviewed by Morgan

The Devil&#39s Brew by Rhys Ford AudiobookTitle: The Devil’s Brew
Author: Rhys Ford
Narrator: Tristan James
Series: Sinners #2.5
Heroes: Miki St. John and Kane Morgan/Damien Mitchell and Sionn Murphy
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: Book – 65 Pages/Audio – 1 Hour, 34 Minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Book – May 20, 2014/Audio – August 4, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Audible and iTunes
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

 

Blurb: Miki St. John’s life has been turned upside down, but it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

His best friend, Damien Mitchell, is back from the dead. He has a dog named Dude. And more importantly, he and his lover, SFPD Inspector Kane Morgan, now share Miki’s converted warehouse.

For the first time ever, Miki’s living a happy and normal-ish life, but when Valentine’s Day rolls around, Miki realizes he knows next to nothing about being domestic or domesticated. Nothing about the traditional lover’s holiday makes sense to him, but Miki wants to give Kane a Valentine’s Day the man will never forget.

Can he pull off a day of wine and roses? Or will his screwed-up childhood come back and bite Miki in the ass?
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Audio Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Review: Beauty’s Beast by Amanda Ashley

Guest Reviewed by Gyn

Beauty's BeastTitle: Beauty’s Beast
Author: Amanda Ashley
Hero/Heroine: Erik/Christine
Genre: M/F Historical Paranormal
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Available at: Kensington Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Beauty

Fair of face and figure, Kristine is young, innocent, pure. Yet she has been condemned to the gallows for killing a man. The only one who can save her is a lord so infamous that some say he is the son of the Devil himself. . .

And the Beast

Erik Trevayne is called the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle, but few know of the curse he lives under. Or the terrifying changes slowly gnawing away at his humanity. When he weds her, all he wants of Kristine is a son. But when he beds her, a wild hope is born–that love that can tame even the most monstrous of beasts…

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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment