Posts Tagged With: Dreamspinner Press

Book Review: Haste Ye Back by R. Quincy Cameron

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Haste Ye Back
Author: R. Quincy Cameron
Series: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes
Heroes: Aaron
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 31 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: The situation seems ideal: a month off work and a sweet deal to extend his stay in an unexpected paradise. Needless to say, Aaron is thrilled to snag an extra few days in Scotland after his work conference to soak up the magic of the country.

However, his plans to tourist his way around Edinburgh before his January 1st flight home are thwarted by a strange influx of people into the capital. Add in trains that don’t run on New Year’s, fireworks, first-footing, and running into the same gorgeous stranger as he exits every other shop, and Aaron really should have googled what “Hogmanay” was before he found himself whisked into the whirlwind of Scottish revelry and the impossible draw of that sexy stranger who tastes like scotch and, impossibly, already feels like the beginnings of home. Continue reading

Categories: 2 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Purrfect Holiday by Jana Denardo

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Purrfect Holiday
Author: Jana Denardo
Series: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes
Heroes: Tony & Javier
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 46 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Tony Gatti had his life planned: get his veterinarian license and go to work with his dad and uncle. Soon after achieving his goals, he learned the shadows and blurriness in his vision went beyond needing glasses. Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic mutation with no cure. With his sight almost gone, he moves into his grandmother’s St. Augustine, Florida home with his guide dog, Raven, to start life over. Nonna Concetta thinks she knows the perfect job for him. Her vet is looking for someone to destress the cats at a local rescue.

Javier didn’t plan to hire a cute former veterinarian to fill the role of cat cuddler, but Tony couldn’t be more perfect. Worried his attraction is inappropriate and knowing the holiday season always depresses him, Javier wonders if he should ask Tony out, or if he’d just be spreading the gloom to someone who already has enough of his own. But if he takes the plunge, could it turn out to be the best holiday ever?  Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Honorary Blogger Rhys Ford: Tutus and Tinsel + Giveaway!

Ah the holidays.

The time for family and loved ones.

Since I’m rolling out Tutus and Tinsel (a holiday short story where I take you back to Half Moon Bay and see what Deacon, Lang and Zig are up to), I wanted to also stop in on a few of my favourite couples on this tour. So, I invite you to join me as we catch up with Rook and Dante, Miki and Kane, Kai and Ryder as well as Cole and Jae over the next few days.

AND because it wouldn’t be the holiday season without a gift, I’m giving away a $25 gift certificate to the online store of the winner’s choice at EACH stop.

So sit back, grab some hot chocolate, tea or coffee and let’s catch up with some of our guys.

Much love and I hope you all have a great holiday…and be sure to stop by and see how Zig learns what family really means in Tutus and Tinsel. Release Day is December 21st and brought to you by Dreamspinner Press!

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Everything had to be perfect.

Rook knew life, as a whole, was rarely adequate much less perfect but within its thread of events lay minute sparkling moments where perfection occurred in a blink of an eye. A glance the wrong way and that moment was lost. The key to life was to string more than a few of those diamond pristine nano seconds until a longer, Nirvana-inspired experience was wrought.

That’s what he was hoping for.

If only he could get the damned Christmas tree to stand up.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect, cuervo. Sometimes—” Dante must have felt the heat in Rook’s withering, baleful look because he closed his mouth before finishing his sentence.

“It’s got to be perfect. It’s our first Christmas, right? You know that, yeah?” He paced, dropping back a few feet to glare at the tree, willing it to straighten itself. “What the hell was I thinking getting an eight foot tree? What the fuck do I know about Christmas?”

“Rook…” Dante drawled, catching his attention.

What?

“Breathe.” He walked over to the tree to grab its — Rook didn’t even know what to call that part of the tree; possibly its neck — and shook it a few times before tapping it back down on the floor. The tree literally sighed and gave up its tilt, anchoring itself into the stand Rook battled with a few minutes before. “There. And listen to me, nothing has to be perfect. So long as you and I are together, everything can go to Hell and we’ll be fine.”

They were as opposite as any two people could be; a badge-to-the-bone LAPD detective and a former cat burglar who’d figured he’d pushed his luck as far as it could go and had gone straight because he known it was only a matter of time before he’d be caught. Despite Dante’s parents kicking him off the family tree when he came out to them, he’d experienced a happy childhood and forged a strong relationship with his maternal uncle, Manny, a former drag queen and Rook’s current shop manager. Rook’s childhood was much different. He’d been dragged up in the middle of a rotating cycle of carnies and conmen while his mother worked her way through the circuit. Beanie had been a woman of loose morals and even looser ethics but she’d at least left Rook alone for the most part.

Although why she’d left her richer-than-God family to slum under the Big Top was a mystery no one seemed to have an answer for. Yes, her father Archibald was an asshole and Rook butted heads with the old man plenty of times since Archie reached out to him but they had their own rhythm… and if Rook didn’t look too hard at the old man, he didn’t see his own faults mirrored right back at him.

Dante was a different story. So far the detective had tried to pin him for burglary, fucked him, arrest him for murder, help prove Rook was innocent and eventually fall in love with him.

Rook in return did the only sensible thing any man could do; he fell in love with the serious-minded, handsome Hispanic detective right back.

It was just that Christmas was turning into a bitch and a half and Rook didn’t have a clue on how to stop it from getting worse.

“Come help me get the ornaments up on the tree.” Dante began opening the boxes they’d brought out from Rook’s storage area from his inventory warehouse. “And where’d you get all this stuff? Thought you said this was your first tree.”

“Kind of, yeah.” He sat down on the couch, reaching to drag one of the boxes closer. “Mostly this is from estate sales. Anything I found that was December holiday related, I stuck into storage. Figured eventually I’d want to do this whole Christmas thing some day so I saved shit.”

The look Dante gave him was one Rook couldn’t decipher. He’d seen it before and despite its infrequent appearance, he hadn’t quite figured it out. On some level, it disturbed him that Dante had a secret expression Rook couldn’t crack, especially since he’d pretty much lived on his wits and ability to read people for years before he’d hooked up with a law-abiding lifestyle but asking seemed… treacherous so he kept silent, hoping one day to get a clue.

It wasn’t forthcoming any more now than it was the last twenty or so times Dante’s face looked that way.

“So let me get this straight,” Dante murmured, leaving the boxes alone to crouch down in front of Rook. While it was nice not to crane his head back to look at his lover, Dante’s gentle voice set off a wave of alarms in Rook’s brain. “You’ve been saving dead people’s holiday stuff for years now? Just in case you might get a tree?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, there’s memories there in those things. I don’t have memories. Well, not good ones. Not of Christmas. Or kind of anything Beanie wasn’t exactly the cookies waiting for me after school kind of mom.” Having Dante so close was distracting. Much more distracting than simply having a hot guy practically kneeling in front of him. “It’s hard to explain.”

“I know. And I’m trying to understand,” Dante murmured, resting his hand on Rook’s knee. “And this isn’t going to sound good but I don’t know how else to put it. It’s kind of like you’re gathering up leftover memories.”

“Babe, that’s what I do for a living. That’s all I ever do. There’s threads that we can’t see connecting us to stuff in the past and I collect those things so other people can have them again.” Rook leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling because he didn’t trust himself to speak while staring into Dante’s soulful honey-brown eyes. “Sometimes it’s the little things like a toy they got in a cereal box because they don’t make that kind of cereal anymore and it was a treat their mom would only buy once in a while. And maybe their mom’s dead now that’s something that brings her back. Or it’s a baseball signed by some player a little girl had a crush on when she was nine but see, he really wasn’t famous but she met him once and he was nice to her. And it could’ve been a day she really needed somebody to be nice to her.

“That’s kind of why I keep all of this stuff because a lot of it old and someone had enough of their lives wrapped into this shit that it meant something. And I’m never going to know what those stories are but I can imagine,” he said, his voice growing hoarse for some reason. “Everything with Beanie was never real, never permanent. There wasn’t anything we did every year to hold us together. Fuck, sometimes we have to ditch everything we owned because we were either one step ahead of the law or running from someone she stole from. And I guess I feel like if I toss any of this away, I’m throwing away these people who see the plate on Christmas Eve to wrap things for their kids or lit a candle for over a week to commemorate them not running out of oil long ago. I don’t know. I just feel like whenever I find this stuff in what I buy, I should hold onto it. And maybe pick through all the boxes and find stuff I like so I can continue their memories.”

“But you could have had trees before this,” Dante reminded him gently. “You didn’t have to keep this stuff in storage. You could have —”

“I never wanted to build something with someone before you,” Rook whispered, dropping his head down and cupping Dante’s strong jaw in his hands. “I probably will donate or do something with a lot of it but I wanted to have someone with me when I started looking at other people’s stories. Or at least began imagining where something had been or why it was important. Everything I’ve had in my life has been leftovers. Or at least when I was growing up they were. There was never anything new and it was always a struggle but I knew one day I would find someone I loved and they would give me their childhood to share, their heart to hold onto. So I guess, you’re that guy. You’re the one I want to dig through boxes with and make up stories about why there’s a one eyed reindeer made out of pipe cleaner tucked in with expensive crystal ornaments.”

“Let me guess, you’ll be keeping the reindeer,” Dante said, chuckling.

“Yeah, probably.” Rook grinned at Dante’s deep rolling laugh then stole a kiss the smile could leave Dante’s lips. “No matter what’s in those boxes or whatever we end up putting on the tree, you are always going to be the one who lights up my Christmas and warms my heart. I don’t give a shit about the crystal or even if we found stacks of gold coins in those boxes. Nothing’s going to be as important to me as you. So, let’s dig through this crap and maybe go out and buy some pipe cleaners. I think it’s time we make our own one eyed reindeer so we have something to hang on our tree every year.”

Continue reading

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , | 54 Comments

Book Review: Tutus and Tinsel by Rhys Ford

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Tutus and Tinsel
Author: Rhys Ford
Series: Half Moon Bay #2.5
Heroes: Deacon & Lang
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 79 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 21, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Zig Reid-Harris has everything an eleven-year-old girl could ever want: a great home, two fantastic fathers named Deacon Reid and Lang Harris, and all the books she could possibly read.

When a school assignment about holiday traditions unexpectedly broadsides her, she discovers burying the past isn’t as easy as it looks, and the stark reality of her life before her adoption sinks in. Ashamed of the bleakness and poverty she came from, Zig struggles with the assignment until an epiphany strikes the whole family—it’s time to start their own traditions.

Zig and her fathers plunge into the insanity of holiday joy, exploring everything the season has to offer and learning how precious family truly is along the way.

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Colina de Lavanada by August Li

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Colina de Lavanada
Author: August Li
Series: Warmest Wishes – 2018 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Edward & Shu
Genre: M/M Historical America/Paranormal
Length: 50 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon 
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Lord protector of whores, thieves, sorcerers, and deviants.

Owning a parcel of land the railroad needs to cross means Edward gets to run the border town around the station as he sees fit. What starts as a place to indulge his varied appetites becomes a haven to society’s castoffs, and if Edward encourages legends about its founder to flourish, well, he’s not so much a liar as a man who wants to protect all the cultures living in peace. Being mayor means folks might ignore his vices, but they also expect him to fix what goes wrong.

When a crushing heat wave and drought threaten not only the town’s diverse holiday celebrations but its very existence, Edward must turn to the one man he’d rather french kiss a timber rattler than face—the icily elegant Cantonese mage Edward walked out on but never stopped loving. Continue reading

Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Make a Circle by Elliot Joyce

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Make a Circle
Author: Elliot Joyce
Series: Warmest Wishes – 2018 Advent Calendar
Heroes: Lucas & Oliver
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 33 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Pagan punk musician Lucas is fully prepared to spend this Yule with the rest of the band and his beautiful bass guitar when Oliver, his boyfriend of almost a year, asks if he wants to join the rest of the Han family for their annual winter celebration. It comes as a shock since Ollie has gone to great lengths to keep the two apart, and Lucas always assumed he was the reason. Since they’re planning to be together long-term, Lucas can’t say no to meeting Ollie’s parents, but he better brush up on his manners and his Mandarin because this is going to be a holiday season like no other—and it has some surprises in store for both of them.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Night Sky Festival by S.A. Stovall

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Night Sky Festival
Author: S.A. Stovall
Series: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes
Heroes: Zach
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 24 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Photographer Zach is happy to pack up his gear and head to the Mojave Desert over the holidays. Ever since his ex-husband filed for divorce a day before Christmas, it’s safe to say this isn’t Zach’s favorite time of year.

Fortunately, he stumbles upon a town where the residents seem to agree. The good people of Baker would much rather celebrate the possibility of extraterrestrials as they dance under the stars in their unique “Night Sky Festival.” The locals are interesting, to say the least, and they want Zach to join them.

But is Zach ready to let go of his holiday bitterness? And if so, whose invitation should he accept: the cute cashier, the burly single dad, or the sexy fun-loving cop? Continue reading

Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Death to Christmas Sweaters by L.E. Franks

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Death to Christmas Sweaters
Author: L.E. Franks
Series: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes
Heroes: Chess & Benjamin
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 56 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Chess and Benjamin are casual lovers, each hiding his devotion to the other and his wish for more. But Chess is a wealthy playboy who—Benjamin believes—will never settle down. And Chess is sure, with the way Benjamin keeps him at arm’s length, that he can’t be interested in getting serious.

They’re destined for a head-on collision as Chess plans for a holiday escape designed to send Benjamin’s ardor spiking like the temperatures in Los Angeles, while Benjamin desperately drags his feet, wanting to cool things down to protect his vulnerable heart. But when the ghosts of Chess’s Christmas past and Benjamin’s unwelcome present converge at LAX, it’s obvious there are other forces at play and about to take over.

Drawn into their respective family dramas at a joint gathering, will Chess and Benjamin finally take a stand for each other and the relationship they both want, or will the holiday finally take its toll? Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Showers, Flowers, and Fangs by Aidan Wayne

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Showers, Flowers, and Fangs
Author: Aidan Wayne
Heroes: Darren & Vlad
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 190 pages
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Release Date: December 11, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Darren’s a pretty normal teenager: high school, exams, hanging out with friends, puberty. The whole half-fae thing adds some complications and being a trans guy makes his life a little more difficult, but he can’t complain. That is, until a newly turned vampire moves in with the witch down the street. Vlad, surly and standoffish, doesn’t seem to like Darren very much, so Darren is content to give him a wide berth—at first. As they grow closer, Darren realizes Vlad is having a hard time adjusting to his newfound vampirism, and since Darren knows how it feels to be uncomfortable in your own skin, he thinks he can help. While it turns out Vlad is pretty great, his problems are deeper than Darren realizes, and more dangerous.

Despite the dangers, feelings begin developing between the two young men.

Darren just hopes he’s not in over his head. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Faller by Daniel de Lorne

Reviewed by Ami

Title: The Faller
Author: Daniel de Lorne
Series: 2018 Advent Calendar – Warmest Wishes
Heroes: Charlie & Jack
Genre: M/M Historical
Length: 46 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2018
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Being caught with another man sends Charlie Young fleeing his family to the forests of southwestern Australia to scrape together steamer-passage to the big smoke of London. But life as a timber faller isn’t easy and it’s made worse when the men he works with are brash, bigoted, and often brutal. All except Jack Tapper, who’s the kind of gentle giant that sets Charlie’s heart racing.

While the other men head into town for Christmas, it’s just Charlie and Jack and acres of forest. But trees tell no tales and a few days alone is the perfect opportunity to indulge a bourgeoning passion. When the men return and find things not as they once were, Charlie and Jack have to make the hard decisions about whether to stay where they are or run for their lives. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment