13th January sees the release of my first book Enticing Hart

Hart Emile is tired of cruising for guys, living a soulless existence. He needs a change; so when an acquaintance gives him the number of the gay friendly Red Fox Ranch that’s hiring for staff, he heads south.



Oak Redman is eighteen years old and desperate to explore his awakening sexuality. The moment Hart lays eyes on the handsome young rancher he’s smitten. Not only is Oak hot, spirited and very persistent, he is also the ranch boss’s son and strictly off limits. Hart tries to fight his feelings and to respect his boss and the family who quickly become dear to him, but after Oak's Grandma suggests he gets with Oak he can't deny himself the most exciting and enticing man he has ever met. 

Hart’s not the only man to have noticed how sweet and charming Oak Redman is. A family friend, Steve, is also anxious to have the affections of the young rancher. Can Hart work out Steve’s dark secrets before it’s too late and keep his job, his lover and his life? 

Review of Forgiving by Lavinia Lewis

Lavinia Lewis has a gentle skilled writing style, which always keeps me nudging the pages over. Set

in Wales, ‘Forgiving’ has a definite air of confidence about it and the words reach out from the page to toy with our fears, emotions and imagination. In keeping with the cover art, Lewis creates a world of ware wolves living near the forestry, and with it she brings a very atmospheric society to life. This is the second book in the series and typically I didn’t read the first (that’s next) but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of Liam and Aled.

Human, Aled has suffered at the hands of a ware wolf—his late stepfather, and is upset his mother wants to remain with the pack. After a good meeting with the new pack leader, Aled still feels afraid and resentful of pack mentality. Things don’t seem to have got any better when Aled is bitten by a wolf, and he starts turning—not quite what he planned for the future.

The wolf who has bitten Aled is Liam, his mate. Liam has lost his brother and is fighting to overcome grief, which shrouds each day. Aled is the first person to begin lifting the heavy cloak of sadness from Liam. I don’t do spoilers, but the story is not without the Lewis humour even in an emotional ‘dark place’ where the characters find themselves. Can Aled forgive Liam for turning him? If you like a moving story told by a skilled writer, look no further Lewis’ ‘Forgiving’ is all you need …

Guest Blog by Alex Tempera

Hello,

I recently beta read Broken Walls by Alex Tempera and today she's a guest on my blog. I asked her a few questions about her super sexy romance.

What gave you the idea for a cop and firefighter to fall for each other?

Alex: I just recently started writing for this genre. I was in the middle of editing a story I had just finished, and I had two other projects on the horizon under my other penname. I was watching an old episode of Law and Order and there was a scene where one of the detectives was talking to a firefighter about something ... I don’t even remember what, but I thought what if they fell in love? At first, I didn’t think anything of it but then the thought grew. It grew so much that I had to stop the other projects I was working on and start writing. I had only put it in my idea pile but it just wouldn’t go away until I put it on paper. I fell in love with Mick and Ryan and their imperfections. I have a deep respect for police officers and firefighters and the work that they do. The story in all ways just seem to fall into place.


The theme of romance and walls runs through the story what gave you the idea for that?

Alex: I thought of myself and how I protect my own heart. I think that some of my own personal feelings are a lot like Mick. He closed his heart after being hurt and I think he fit in with Ryan because Ryan felt the same way. Though their pasts are totally different, their view on life and each was similar. They fit together. The brick walls were their own personal metaphor for allowing themselves to fall in love with each other, and when they did, they didn’t deny it. I didn’t want their love story to fall in to a mold as some other romances do, such as getting together, breaking up, and getting back together. Though they have rough patches, it brings them closer together and they don’t have to break up to do that.

Will we be be seeing any more of Mick and Ryan, do you plan on writing any more stories about them?

Alex: I think there is an opening for more Mick and Ryan, and even some of the other supporting characters. I have a few ideas on the horizon, but I would love to write more about Mick and Ryan. From the moment they fell in love with each other, I fell in love with them. There could be more Mick and Ryan and their small town of Broken Bridge.  

You can buy Broken Walls on this link. 

Mae.

Edits, Edits, Edits

My word I’m drowning in edits! Heavens I’ve learnt the hard way—write it properly the first time! Been busy working on the two new series. The Genius Boys, Nikki my high tech team of young hackers involved in an intrigue plot and Great Bears, the first is a free read called Maxi so watch this space, they’ll be on line  . . . that’s if I ever finish the edits :-/

Where for art thou Beta Reader?

I've been on a mission to find a Beta Reader. I really want a 'beta buddy' to swap manuscripts with. I'm not good with apostrophes! Hey, but I can do any contemporary M/M romance, HEA, not paranormal. I'll keep to deadlines and I wont take forever. My manuscripts are no longer than 63k. If you wanna swap inbox me.

Racking Up The Hours

I've been snooping around the internet looking for info on how to find out how long you spend working on a word document. I realized that I would be able to do it easily and then calculate myself an hourly rate based on the number of hours—of course I have to publish yet and wait for revenue from sales.

I found that I spent possibly less time than I thought I had—I guess that's because we work in broken chunks rather than straight days. Anyhow if you want to check out this link on 'How to Geek,' you'll be able to see how many hours you racked up in the 'properties' section—it's easy to do, a nifty little tool I thought.

Review of Long Tall Drink

by L.C. Chase 

I know I keep saying this, but I loved this book. It's the best I've ever read. Chase really shows us how erotic romance should be written - even before the Travis and Ray get together the tension between them is so highly charged I just loved the tease of it! I can see why it was nominated for a Best Cowboys in Goodreads MMR 2011 Readers Choice Awards. I can't wait to read more books by this exciting author.

Review of Ryan's Destiny

By Lauren Wilder

Wilder has a natural talent for writing eloquent prose, she has to be one of the most gifted writers on the e book market today. Ryan's destiny follows the fortunes of a young rodeo star, Ryan, as he meets Sam a champion of the circuit.

Sparks fly as they fall in love, afraid of facing other men's insecurities about their sexuality including Ryan's agent Frank. Particularly moving was Ryan's relationship with his mother. The story's not without humour, Ryan is a truly likeable cowboy!

Cash to Help Break the Silence for Male Rape Victims

Surprisingly the Government in the UK is trailing behind on supporting male rape victims. It's not just a gay issue of course and it's still a very taboo subject in so many cultures.

Nevertheless, the 500k funding is a step in the right direction, but is still, by comparison with female rape funding—a paltry sum considering the growing numbers of reported cases.

Is Texas Ready for Marriage Equality?

I know I'm trailing behind on this but according to Jimmy Fowler in "Blotch," gay marriage "is on the way," call me cynical but I'll believe it when I see it! As much as I want to believe it's on the way, I'm not convinced that some American states can see human rights and equality as necessary.

Nevertheless, lets live in hope that the rights of all GLBT people are recognised in law. It's a shame that a such a progressive nation in so many ways is so far behind the rest of the world on this one. Jimmy, I hope you're right. . . .

Check out the Fort Worth Weekly

Review of Challenge to Him

by Lisabet Sarai

I love historical fiction and Lisabet didn't disappoint. It’s a shame this story was so short – it was difficult to do the theme any justice. The prose was strong. The story had the potential to be very exciting but it was crushed into such a short word limit and as result I only got a nibble of what could have been very powerful. 

I really liked the characters and their chemistry which was very well developed. The sex was pretty hot too! I'm certainly tempted to read more by this author, but I would go for much longer works—I felt cheated of Lisabet—there just wasn't enough! I've decided don't like reading short stories there isn't enough to get my teeth into. 

Review of The Gladiator's Master

by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe

Got to be one of the sexiest, most romantic stories I have ever read. I love Roman history. Bit gutted there wasn’t any Gladiatorial combat to speak of. Kinda liked the spin on the true story of the stadium. But most of all I loved the love. The characters were oh so fulfilling, and just full of warmth and loveliness. 

I liked the early scenes where I was never quite sure if Gaidres was going to slash Caeilus' throat – made it very exciting and the co-authors could have played on it even more than they did. I actually had a tear reading this story. I loved the the master/slave reversed. Thanks for bringing us this vibrant and sexy love story. I will definitely be seeking out more books by you both.

Review of The Broken H

by JL Langley.

What can I say? I loved this story. I cannot find anything wrong with the two books I read by JL Langley. The Tin Star was just fantastic and I read it a couple of years ago so this was long overdue on my reading list. Both Gray and Shane were well rounded characters who simply just love each other to bits. 

The subject matter and the nature of their relationship was handled cleverly and carefully – and moved me. The first sex scene was extraordinarily exciting. The sub plot with the teenage girl making accusations was a little bit lame, but I think that was the point! I hardly noticed anything to dislike – JL Langley just makes me melt with every word.