A picture is worth...

a thousand words, but which thousand? A.B. Gayle knows--watch this spot for the answer. And they might have something to do with her upcoming book, Leather and Lace, due March 22 from Dreamspinner.

Leather + Lace

An Opposites Attract novel

Swathed in chiffon and lace, Steven Stanhope owns the stage as Stevie Tricks, lip-synching the songs of the famous gypsy queen. But after he escapes an abusive Master/slave relationship, the only collar he'll allow around his neck is black velvet.

After a four-year absence, Steve is ready to reclaim his life and the property he left behind. But is it safe? Definitely not if his ex is still into leather. To find out, Steve appears at a charity night for the local BDSM community, using the anonymity of his stage persona to mask his identity.

Instead of his ex-Master, Julius, Steve finds a tangled mess centered around another Master of Leather, Donato Rossi. In order to unravel their ties to the past, Steve and Don must find common ground and work together. In the process, they learn that when it comes to love, sometimes you have to make your own rules.

Perfect for Me by D.H. Starr

Title: Perfect for Me
Author: DH Starr
Cover Artist: D. W. Skinner
Publisher: MLR Press
Amazon Buy Link: (go to right side nav at the bottom and insert from there)
Publisher Buy Link
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 81K words
Rating: 4 stars out of 5


Sean Sullivan is a principal and a happy person, but he has one major complication…HIV. Frustrated with constant rejection, Sean decides to stop dating negative men. When a student experiences a crisis and Sean meets Emery Benton, the case worker assigned from Child Protective Services, his decision is challenged.

Sparks fly the moment they meet, but Emery is negative and Sean doesn’t want the pain of another disappointment. As he struggles with his feelings for Emery, a war between the fear in his head and the fire in his heart force him to answer one simple question…Is this the perfect man for me?

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Sean starts out the book on a date with a man he has high hopes for. And in one swell foop we can see that he is an honorable man who gets his honesty thrown back at him. One too many rejections based on his HIV status and he’s willing to throw in the towel on dating from the HIV negative pool.


I’m not sure anyone outside the education field really knows all a principal does, but I’d like my (hypothetical) kids to have one like Sean—he knows his students, what they’re up against in school and at home, cheers on their successes, and digs them out of holes. And when one young man ends up in the hospital and taken from his dysfunctional family, Sean is there to bolster him. So is Emery, the caseworker from Child Protective Services. He’s another “best of all possible professionals,” and a genuinely nice guy. And he has eyes for Sean.

Instant attraction is delightful for the attractees, but I was a little distressed that they were both focused on each other to the point of having to remind themselves frequently that there was business to attend to, whether it was a teenager who’d been beaten or a school to run. They were just barely keeping a lid on it at work, which might be fine if you prefer the sighs of love to the edges of external plot, but I was ready to tap one or both on the shoulder from time to time. The young man’s plight really did need some undivided attention.

Since Emery is HIV negative, Sean is reluctant to get involved, no matter how appealing he is—too many rejections already mean he’s jumpy, and his current robust health might not last, and what then?

I enjoyed several aspects of the story, particularly the men’s efforts to help the young man, who had his own agenda and worries. The supporting cast, like Sonya the foster mom, and several others, were likeable and wise, in matters of teenagers, health, and occasionally the heart. New York City’s nontouristy areas were front and center: the author is clearly familiar with and fond of the city, and several of the meals Sean and Emery ate made me hungry.

The men so clearly belonged together that watching Sean figure this out was kind of frustrating, but in a good way. He did eventually figure out where exactly the problem lay, but not before wringing my heart a bit. Emery didn’t show quite the same sort of growth, but he was steadfast in his opinions all the way through, and clearly a good man. The story was definitely angsty, but not depressingly so—the material supported the emotions, not only between the men, but toward the teenager they were trying to help.

The style was mostly smooth, aside from a couple of Emery’s speeches that sounded like textbook prose, but the story would have benefitted from a more thorough proofreading—there were enough homonym errors and comma issues to become intrusive.

The story managed to treat a very serious issue with a hand light enough to entertain and serious enough to educate, and left me wishing Sean and Emery would be happy together for a long, long time. And if these men have anything to say about it, Lamar will make a success of himself too. 4 marbles

Naked Tails by Eden Winters

Title: Naked Tales

Author: Eden Winters

Cover Artist: Shobana Appavu

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press  

Buy Links: Amazon  AllRomance eBooks 

 Genre: Shapeshifters

Length: 234 pages

Seth McDaniel wasn't raised among a shifter passel and has no idea what it's like to turn furry once a month. An orphan, torn from his father's family at an early age, he scarcely remembers Great-aunt Irene. Now her passing brings him back to Possum Kingdom, Georgia, to take up a legacy he doesn't understand and reconnect with a friend he's never forgotten.

As Irene's second-in-command, Dustin Livingston has two choices: assume control of the passel or select another replacement. Unfortunately, the other candidates are either heartless or clueless. Dustin's best hope to dodge the responsibility is to deliver a crash course in leadership to his childhood pal Seth, a man he hasn't seen in twenty years. However, while Dustin's mind is set on his task, his heart is set on his old friend.

Seth's quest for answers yields more questions instead. What's with the tiny gray hairs littering his aunt's house? Why do the townsfolk call each other "Jack" and "Jill"? Do Dustin's attentions come with ulterior motives? And why is Seth suddenly craving crickets?

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That smarty-pants possum on the cover tells you right away that this is no ordinary shapeshifter story.  No wolves, no big cats, and most importantly for me, no insta-luv based on “finding your one true mate.” These fellas have to work to find their HEA.

And Seth has to work to find his spine. He’s the heir apparent to a band of shapeshifters he has no clue about, and he’s ill-equipped for the task. People run roughshod over him, and it isn’t until he returns to Possum Kingdom, Georgia to discover all he missed in the way of family, friends, and moonlit nights that he starts to stand up for himself.

Seth’s torn between his grandmother, who seems to care about appearances more than Seth’s well-being (although she does raise a small boy by herself when it’s pretty clear this is a major imposition) and his Aunt Irene, who has to balance Seth’s well-being against her passel’s when she decides how hard to fight for a child who’s not in danger of anything worse than living in a city. There are no easy choices, and while the grandmother is not precisely three dimensional, she’s certainly not evil or cruel as much as terrified that the passel will cost her another family member. Irene is a much more loving figure, but she’s cut off from Seth when he’s eight years old.

So twenty years later, when Seth can decide what he wants without his grandmother’s opinions coming first, he’s got to cope with a town of strangers who are all behaving rather peculiarly and his best friend from way back when, who’s never stopped missing him. Dustin’s grown up to be the town doctor and Irene’s second in command become temporary leader, a position he doesn’t want. He can either step up to the pump or find a suitable replacement, and hope he survives the experience either way.

The story spends a lot of time with the possums in their animal form, which is often quite humorous, occasionally dangerous, and sometimes political, and always told in a way that moves the story forward. Seth also needs to learn to be part of the passel, a role he’s thrust into rather more firmly than Dustin could have imagined. Seth hasn’t been shapeshifting all along, but finds he enjoys it once it’s inevitable. “I am the Crickinator!” he exults after a chirpy snack.

In two-leg form, Seth grows hugely as a person, blossoming with the responsibilities that are thrust upon him, but Dustin’s not sure this will be enough to make him a leader. These qualities do lurk within him as dormant as his shapeshifting, but with a little coaching on method, he seems to have a talent for it. Between Dustin and Monica, Dustin’s current second in command, Seth will get whupped into shape one way or another.

The secondary characters are drawn vividly: Monica, Irene, and even the hapless Tiffany have clear personalities. The grandmother’s characterization is heavily tinted by being seen as the adult tyrant through children’s eyes, and it probably isn’t possible for her to be portrayed sympathetically after taking everything important away from young children, no matter what her reasoning. Monica is formidable and not easily won over—she’s a hoot, and I don’t ever want her plotting against me. Seth finds her advice valuable precisely because she doesn’t like him.

The relationship between Seth and Dustin is hugely complicated by the leadership issues, doubts about each other’s motives and sincerity, and the occasional foot planted firmly in mouth. It moves in fits and starts around these other issues. It’s never as simple as “childhood buddies destined to be lovers.” Dustin had to part with his long term lover over shifter politics, which he still regrets, and Seth has an ex who can mess with his mind. Both Seth and Dustin have to learn to see each other as men as much as long ago pals, long term disappointments, and solutions to a problem. No fated-mate handwaving here: it’s a real relationship that has to be built in the current day.

This story is charming for its characters, offbeat shifters, and the author’s clear understanding of small Southern towns, which all come together into a well-balanced read. A couple secondary characters deliver their messages with a slightly heavy hand and a running gag got one repeat past the funny, but that doesn’t keep this story from being a lovely afternoon’s entertainment. 5 marbles

Velocity by Amelia C. Gormley

Title:Velocity (Impulse #3)
Author: Amelia C Gormley
Cover Artist: Kerry Chin
Publisher: Amelia C Gormley
Amazon Buy Link:  Amazon
Smashwords buy Link: Velocity
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 210 pages



Reaching Optimum Speed

For Derrick and Gavin, the holiday season is filled with the promise of new beginnings. Gavin’s officially moving in, and after the new year, they’ll begin house hunting. But they both know all the talk of gift exchange, whose holiday ornaments go where, and what repairs and remodels will be needed to put Derrick’s house on the market is only a smoke screen.

Before the holiday season is over, Gavin will have the final verdict on whether or not his dangerously delusional ex, Lukas, infected him with HIV. No matter how good Gavin’s chances appear with the three-month hurdle already passed, neither he nor Derrick know what the future holds for them.

The holidays have always been a time of loss and mourning for Derrick, but now he has to stay strong as Gavin’s own fears and doubts assail him relentlessly. And when Lukas returns, unexpectedly penitent amid troubling revelations, Gavin has to ask himself whether he can offer Derrick the future he truly deserves, or whether these first few months of happiness are the best they will ever get.

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All the tensions and concerns that have been building through the first two books come to a head here—this is a trilogy like Lord of the Rings is a trilogy, a great big book in manageable sections, with small plot arcs that resolve internally and an overarching arc for the whole. Read the first two—they are good. (Reviews for Inertia here, and Acceleration here.)


Where Derrick has been hesitant and inexperienced, now he becomes a pillar of strength for Gavin. He’s sweating out the final months before he can feel confident that his awful ex hasn’t left him with life-long problems, and he’s having a bit of a problem believing in Derrick’s constancy.

I do love both these guys—they have their places of strength and their places of weakness, and they dovetail so nicely. Watching them work stuff out warmed the coggles of my heart. They do communicate pretty well—fits and starts, sure, but they are talking. Derrick doesn’t always realize that volunteering information would be a good thing—one instance comes back to bite them, but no Big Misunderstandings arise out of silence.

Lukas, the awful ex, is back to yank everyone around. He’s a manipulator down to his toes, and demonstrates how he managed it so well and so long. Watching Gavin jerk around as if his strings have literally been pulled is both painful and fascinating—their relationship would best be described as abusive, and that leaves a mark. Gavin finds his backbone and his strength, so watching him break away from his old mindset, with Derrick and friend Andi’s help, is very satisfying. Some things about Lukas are never quite clear—although short of beating the truth out of him, his motivations will probably never be known.

I was also interested in the bit of Jewish philosophy Gavin mentioned, which helped explain how Lukas could exploit Gavin so thoroughly—in a way, it was using Gavin’s strength and weakness against him. It’s also one of the few stories I’ve read where the Jewish background of a character is more than candles and latkes.

A lingering issue of Derrick’s also resolves, although he’s treating the hockey-related harassment as more of an annoyance than a danger, it’s quite possible he’s really wrong. Neither Gavin nor I were quite as trusting—if you go to a fight it’s possible a hockey game could break out, so the situation devolving into violence seemed far too possible. This section had the one breakdown in the otherwise seamless prose, but one public service announcement in three volumes that could have been one big lecture isn’t a big blit.

Once again, Derrick and Gavin’s friends rally for them. Hannah gets to shine in a subplot, and her husband Devon is a really good guy, even if he doesn’t understand his wife and she’s annoyed how his inner Neanderthal got out again. Their acceptance of Gavin, and his friend/confidant Andi’s reactions show us how the men are blending their lives, as their chosen families expand to include them as a couple. The holiday scenes at the end were very charming.

The sex, as we’ve come to expect from this author, is both very hot and driving the plot. Derrick is anything but the inexperienced man Gavin first decided to seduce. He’s not only following Gavin’s directions, but taking the lead when he wants it, and also when he thinks Gavin needs him to do that. Very hot. There are D/s elements, but not so overwhelmingly so that a non-BDSM reader (like me) is put off. Once scene did make me squirm in a not-good way for a moment, but YMMV on this.

I’ve enjoyed following this work from its beginning two books ago to the last kisses and the promise of a new, joined life for Derrick and Gavin. All three books are warmly recommended for readers who like a layered, character-driven story with some heat. 4.5 marbles

A Thousand Word Thursday story from Clare London

DRESSING by Clare London


“What’s up?” Sal looks at me across the table, a half smile on his handsome face. “You don’t like the meal?”

A slice of sweet pepper catches in the back of my throat and I start coughing. “No,” I reply hoarsely. “It’s great.”

“It’s my signature recipe, you know.”


“I know.” My voice still seems ragged. I’m far too hot for the cool kitchen. “You made it for me the first time we dated.”

“Yeah.” He grins and I know he remembers that night just as clearly. “Maybe the salad isn’t as fresh this week.”

“No, it's fine.”

Sal shrugs. The muscles on his torso clench and relax. His upper arm tightens as he stirs the green leaves deeper into the mix. “Perhaps I overdid the herbs.”

“No. Sal, listen, it’s great, as always. I mean it.”

His eyes are dark with mischief. “So what’s up?”

“You said that already.” I can barely taste the marvellous food, my gaze fixed on him. My throat’s dry, my hand clenches around my fork, and my dick aches inside my jeans. And this is my comfortable fit pair. “Nothing’s up.”

“Nothing, huh?” He reaches over to grasp the bottle of oil. There’s a bead of sweat caught in the sparse hairs between his pecs. When he sits back, the table edge is level with his waist. His treasure trail meanders casually down and behind the shelter of table and bowl. It’s hidden from view, but not imagination.

He rolls the lid of the bottle between his fingers and grins at me. “So that’s it!”

“What?”

He stands up. He’s completely naked, from the strong shoulders to the well developed chest, to the smooth belly, to those lickable tram lines that draw my gaze down to his legs, thighs, curly bush and…

“It’s the dressing.” He gestures with the oil and winks at me. “You’re not sure about that.”

I let my eyes run all over him as he puts the bottle back down on the table. I notice his hand is shaking, maybe with laughter, maybe with excitement.

“Oh, but I am!” I say. “Very sure.” And laughing too, lightheaded with anticipation, I put down my fork and go to join him.


--------------------
Clare London, Author
Writing ... Man to Man

Clare's new novella, Chase the Ace, is available now from Amber Allure.

Newly single in his late twenties, and looking for more fun than he gets from his boring job, Daniel Cross soon discovers the lure of social media. After a few hiccups, he’s excited at the chance of tracking down his old mates from the Scorching Summer Sports Club of 1990. He lost touch with his “Gang of Four” after that summer, but now he launches a personal quest to find out what kind of man each boy has become.

It starts well with a link to the first boy’s current address, through a mutual friend on Facebook, until Dan realises he’s been chatting online to the wrong man—Nick Carson isn’t an old school friend at all. It’s a genuine mistake, and Nick isn’t offended. He offers to accompany Dan on the trip to find the others. It’s the first step to friendship and something more for both of them.

For Dan, the reunions with the “Gang of Four” range from startling, heartening and disturbing. Nick’s company is a constant support, though neither of them are prepared for the exposure of personal secrets they’d thought were long-hidden. Dan begins to suspect that he’s really looking for a direction in his own life—and the excitement and purpose he craves may be closer to home than a quest with its roots in a boyhood dream.

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Coming Home by Missouri Dalton

Title: Coming Home
Author: Missouri Dalton
Cover Artist: Not available
Publisher: Torquere
Genre: Historical
Length: 4300 words


He might be Alan Trent, but the sole survivor of the crashed RAF bomber isn’t sure. He can’t remember his name, just the horror of the crash and flashes of the War. Whoever he is, he knows there’s someone waiting for him and that for some reason, he’s reminded every time he takes a sip of cocoa.

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This very short story follows an RAF airman through his recovery after a crash. He’s nearly completely amnesiac, not even knowing his own name. He might be one of several people, and the life that claimed him doesn’t fit very well. Step by step, the wounded flyer has to reclaim himself. He must find out who he is, and just as important, who he isn’t.


The story is sweet, the most sexual moment being a kiss, which seems fitting as this character doesn’t have a lot of resources to cope with demands. But by the time the mysterious person behind the memory of cocoa is clear to him, he becomes clear to himself. I found it charming.

What I was a bit unsettled with was the unclarity of time frame. This could be post WWI or post WWII--the clues were mixed but ended on the side of WWII. (Seriously, trench warfare and 6 man bombing crews?)

This is a tidbit of a story and meant to evoke a sigh, which it did, shortly before it sent me to Google. Maybe it should get points for enlarging my horizons. 3 marbles