Author Week

Kim Fielding Week Review: Speechless

Reviewed by JustJen

Speechless (Speechless #1)Title: Speechless
Author: Kim Fielding
Series: Speechless #1
Heroes: Travis Miller/Drew Clifton
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 62 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: July 18, 2012
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon, Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Travis Miller has a machining job, a cat named Elwood, and a pathetic love life. The one bright spot in his existence is the handsome guitar player he sometimes passes on his way home from work. But when he finally gathers the courage to speak to the man, Travis learns that former novelist Drew Clifton suffers from aphasia: Drew can understand everything Travis says, but he is unable to speak or write.

The two lonely men form a friendship that soon blossoms into romance. But communication is only one of their challenges-there’s also Travis’s inexperience with love and his precarious financial situation. If words are the bridge between two people, what will keep them together? Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

KC Burn Week Review: Cast Off

Reviewed by JustJen

Cast Off (Toronto Tales, #3)Title: Cast Off
Author: KC Burn
Series: Toronto Tales #3
Heroes: Rick Haviland/Ian O’Donnell
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 200 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 4, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon, All Romance eBookBarnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes 

Blurb: Thirty-five-year-old Rick Haviland is a well-respected speech pathologist, but while his friends are all settling into relationships, he refuses to give up his no-strings-attached club boy sex life. For him, relationships are dangerous; he’s got a secret to hide. When he meets Ian O’Donnell, an account manager with a local tabloid, Rick figures his personal rules for relationships should be enough to keep him safe from more than a one-night stand.

When Ian comes out of the closet, tired of anonymous hook-ups and keeping secrets from his large Catholic family, Rick is right there, and he’s just the sort of man Ian might like to get to know better. Their attraction is immediate, electric and mutual. Ian convinces Rick to break more and more of his rules, and his defenses crumble. But someone watches, someone who’d like to see this new relationship fail. When Ian’s job becomes a means to expose Rick’s secret, it could destroy both their careers and their hearts. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

KC Burn Week Review: Cover Up

Reviewed by Nikyta

Cover Up (Toronto Tales, #2)Title: Cover Up
Author: KC Burn
Series: Toronto Tales #2
Heroes: Ivan & Parker
Genre: M/M Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 236 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 14, 2012
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2012 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Honorary Blogger KC Burn: Favorite Romantic Heroes + Giveaway!

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A zombie, a vampire, and an alien walk into a bar…

Who would you want to read about getting their heart ripped out (figuratively) and put back together with a happily ever after?

Zombies as romantic heroes… hmmm. I love zombies. I adore zombie movies (I was even an extra in a funky little movie called Enter, Zombie King). Generally, though, the zombies are villains and any heroic hotness belongs to the humans trying to survive. A zombie as romance hero might qualify for one of my absurd, yet insurmountable mental blocks. Because in my mind, zombies = rotting flesh and I’m pretty sure I know which parts are going to be immediately vulnerable.

That’s right. Noses.

Okay, you got me. I was thinking of other bits, but it’s not my fault! We’re talking romance and sex is often a big factor. Of course, that does give me an idea for a bittersweet tragedy about a zombie eunuch… I’m sure there are some good books with zombie heroes out there, so if you’ve read some, let me know!

On to vampires. I certainly get the dark, broody, angsty appeal of vampires. But sometimes I have a hang-up with vampires as the romantic hero. They’re dead, ergo – no heartbeat. No heartbeat means no blood flow to some very important places, unless you’re interested in platonic, erectile-ly challenged love affairs (and generally, I‘m not). Yet somehow, vampires have done the wild thing with just about every species of supernatural being out there. Maybe not zombies. Talk about clash of the failing body parts! But seriously, vampires have done everyone and everything. Despite all the issues, I do love me a good vampire hero, probably because they have such potential to be inhuman and evil, and yet they’re still damn sexy.

Aliens have their own host of issues as romantic heroes. First, they need to be appealing, sexually, to humans. The odds of that happening are astronomical – no pun intended! But even assuming you have mutual zing, the bits that are supposed to feel good when rubbed up against another… well, they have to match up to some degree. Hooks or spikes or claws of any description could be an issue, as could bodily fluids that are caustic or otherwise incompatible with human physiology. Aliens are tricky as romantic heroes. You can’t get away with the original Star Trek grease-paint aliens anymore. I like aliens though. The challenge of developing an appealing alien hero is tempting both as a romance author and a sci-fi geek.

So tell me, what is your favourite? And you don’t have to limit it to these three. Cowboys, cops, werewolves, mermen, demons, Navy SEALS… all are welcome. What’s the one type of hero that will get you looking twice at a book, or will get you to buy a book regardless of anything else about it? For me, if the hero is blind, well, I don’t usually even read the blurb – it’s an easy sale. I don’t even know why I like blind heroes, but I do and I want them to get their happily ever after.

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About KC Burn

KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own — getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.

You can reach KC at her website, on Twitter or on Facebook.

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And to feed your TBR list, KC will be giving away a $20 gift certificate to Amazon or All Romance eBooks (winner’s choice)!

The giveaway starts now and will end next Sunday, April 27th, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below with your email address and you’re in!

Make sure to follow the blog for the winners’ announcement post or check back next Monday, April 28th, 2014, to see if you’ve won.

And don’t forget to stick around this week to see what we think of a few of KC’s books!

Good luck!

Categories: Author Week, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: , , | 43 Comments

April Author Week + Other News!

We have a lot to talk about in this post but fortunately it’ll be short and sweet!

The author of April’s Author Week took a while to decide on. After dozens of suggestions, we finally settled on one name that we’re all excited to dedicate this week to. We’re very excited to have her on TBG this week and I think y’all will be thrilled, too, when you see what kind of giveaway she’s bringing!

Who’s the lucky author? You’ll never guess! But that’s only because you don’t have to!

K.C. Burn is our author of the week! Woohoo! We’re all looking forward to this week so we hope you are too!

Now onto other business!

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Heather’s Challenge Week was, of course, a success! Here’s a quick break-down of what was picked:

Heather picked:

Life Lessons by Kaje Harper for JustJen (4.5 stars)
Downtime by Tamara Allen for Nikyta (4.5 stars)
Kindred Hearts by Rowan Speedwell for Susan65 (3.5 stars)

Voter’s pick for Heather:

Texas Pride by Kindle Alexander for Heather C (4 stars)

All around a pretty good week and Heather’s already gotten in her ‘I told ya so’!

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Now, onto poll results! It was a close run this time! But the winner of the poll, which determines what Nikyta will be reading for our May Challenge Week is… The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles, which had 33% of the votes! Thank you to everyone who participated and stick around so you can take part in our next poll!

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Lastly, it’s time to announce the winner of an eBook copy of Bad Influence by K.A. Mitchell. The winner is…

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Categories: Author Week, Giveaways, Polls | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

KC Burn Week Review: Pen Name – Doctor Chicken

Reviewed by Heather C

18740213Title: Pen Name – Doctor Chicken
Author: KC Burn
Heroes: Stratford & Vinnie
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 63,463 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Sometimes Stratford Dale feels like Doctor Chicken consumes his life. It’s his pen name for a series of wildly popular children’s books. They were his brainchild; he meant for them to be a way to pay his many bills while he pursued his dream of publishing graphic novels. But the Doctor Chicken contract was a raw deal. Instead, he churns out book after book for a pittance, leaving him broke and no closer to his dreams.

Stratford’s dreams of love have fared no better, but he’s still trying. After yet another disastrous date, he’s intrigued by a man going into a cooking class—so he takes the class too. Vinnie Giani is a successful, self-made man who is charmed by Stratford’s bow ties, sharp humor, and clumsiness—which leads to an opportunity to take Stratford in for stitches. Vinnie is, above all, responsible, having taken on the care of his mother and sisters from a young age. Perhaps it’s natural when he begins to treat Stratford more as a child who needs a parent than as an equal partner. But when Vinnie tries to “fix” Stratford’s career woes—including the Doctor Chicken problem—and ends up making the situation worse, their fledgling relationship may not withstand the the strain created by blame and lies.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Witt Week Review: Covet Thy Neighbor

Reviewed by Nikyta

Covet Thy NeighborTitle: Covet Thy Neighbor
Author: L.A. Witt
Series: Tucker Springs #4
Heroes: Seth & Darren
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 46,100 words
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 25, 2013
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Opposites attract, but heaven help these two….

Tattoo artist Seth Wheeler thinks he’s struck gold when Darren Romero rents the apartment across the hall. The new guy is gorgeous, witty, and single, plus he’s just the right blend of bold and flirtatious. Perfect.

Except then Darren reveals that he moved to Tucker Springs to take a job as the youth pastor at the New Light Church. Seth is not only an atheist, but was thrown out by his ultra-religious family when he came out. He tends to avoid believers, not out of judgment but out of self-preservation.

But Darren doesn’t give up easily, and he steadily chips away at Seth’s defenses. Darren is everything Seth wants in a man . . . except for that one massive detail he just can’t overlook. Is Darren’s religion the real problem, or is it just a convenient smoke screen to keep him from facing deeper fears? It’s either see the light, or risk pushing Darren away forever.

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2013 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Witt Week Review: If It Drives by L.A. Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Reviewed by JustJen

If It DrivesTitle: If It Drives
Author: L.A. Witt/Aleksandr Voinov
Series: Market Garden #7
Heroes: James/Callum
Genre: M/M Contemporary, BDSM
Length: 221 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 31, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: If it flies, drives, or fornicates, it’s cheaper to rent it.

After driving James Harcourt, his wealthy banker boss, around for a year and a half, Cal isn’t surprised by much anymore. Not even James’s regular trips to Market Garden, London’s most elite gay brothel.

But when James leaves the Garden alone one night and turns to Cal instead, Cal’s floored. After crushing on his boss for ages, it’s his wet dream come true . . . until the awkward morning after. Cal still has a job to do, but he wants to offer more. Yet James doesn’t take him up on it; he keeps Cal at arm’s length and continues his chauffeured jaunts to Market Garden.

As Cal learns what James needs from the rentboys, he tries to fill that need himself. But there’s more to James’s penchant for rentboys than Cal realizes, and it may be one role that Cal can’t fill without overstepping his duty.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Witt Week Review: Wrenches, Regrets and Reality Checks

Reviewed by Heather C

21472262Title: Wrenches, Regrets and Reality Checks
Author: L.A. Witt
Heroes: Reggie & Wes
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 18,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Release Date: March 15, 2014
Available at: Amber Allure
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Ever since Reggie’s garage became part of a popular reality show, business has been booming. As much as he hates playing games with the network, at least he doesn’t have to worry about his bottom line anymore.

As the show’s lowest-ranking producer, Wes is tasked with proposing a new spinoff show to Reggie. He has a hard enough time looking the sexy mechanic in the eye on a normal day, but this time, he’s holding cards he can’t show. With execs breathing down his neck, he’s there to pitch a show he knows Reggie will never agree to do, even if his refusal puts his existing show on the line.

The network is counting on Reggie refusing to sign. But they’re not counting on their messenger falling for the man they’re trying to fire…

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Witt Week Review: Where Nerves End by L.A. Witt

Reviewed by Susan65

Where Nerves EndTitle: Where Nerves End
Author: L.A. Witt
Series: Tucker Springs #1
Heroes: Jason Davis and Michael Whitman
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 239 Pages
Publisher: Amber Allure
Release Date: June 3, 2012
Available at: Amber Allure, Amazon & All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Welcome to Tucker Springs, Colorado: Population, 70-something-thousand. Home to beautiful mountain views, two respected universities, and a ridiculously high cost of living.

Jason Davis can handle a breakup. And an overwhelming mortgage. And a struggling business. And the excruciating pain that keeps him up at night thanks to a shoulder injury. Handling all of it at once? Not so much. When his shoulder finally pushes him to a breaking point, he takes a friend’s advice and gives acupuncture a try.

Michael Whitman is a single dad struggling to make ends meet. When a mutual friend refers a patient, and that patient suggests a roommate arrangement to alleviate their respective financial strains, Michael jumps at the opportunity.

Living together would be easy if Jason wasn’t so damned attracted to Michael. Good thing Michael’s straight, or the temptation might just be too much.

Well, their mutual friend says Michael is straight…

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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Author Week, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2012, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment