Archives for November 2017

Bought for the Greek’s Revenge by Lynne Graham

November 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Bought for the Greek’s Revenge by Lynne Graham
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (186 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Bedded for the Greek’s pleasure!

Ella Palmer has neither the money nor the connections to warrant the interest of Nikolai Drakos’s archenemy. Yet the unassuming beauty has done just that—and claiming her will be Nikolai’s ultimate satisfaction!

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Usually these types of romance stories deal with a tortured, rich and broody hero, and a put-upon but beautiful heroine. It’s the internal conflicts which power the plot. However, in Bought for the Greek’s Revenge the external conflict touches base on a heftier topic which gives this novel a higher emotional caliber.

Even though the conflict topic is serious, it does not overshadow the romance nor does it bring a reader down. What it does do is shake the hero up. Nikolai’s emotions are all over the place – he starts off feeling one way with one goal and as the story gets told, the hero comes face to face with the fact that nothing is as it appears or as he believes.

Ella truly is an innocent but she’s not stupid nor a pushover. She’s a fighter which is very important when her trusting and forgiving nature gets tested when she’s accosted.

When it comes to our hero Nikolai, unfortunately for her, but fortunate for me, she can’t withstand his force of personality and she succumbs to his seduction. With a hunk like Nikolai, falling under his passionate spell was a foregone conclusion. It’s what happens after that kept me turning the pages. The scene where she tells the hero she found pertinent information in a book totally had me grinning. Ella kept Nikolai on his toes and hot under the collar.

There are some important secondary characters and my favorite is Ella’s gramma. Her presence is brief but it’s strongly felt. A reader will figure out what I mean when they read their own copy of Bought for the Greek’s Revenge.

The happy ever after is delightfully fulfilled in a wonderful epilogue that pushed all my happy buttons. I really enjoyed Bought for the Greek’s Revenge and I’m so glad I read it. It’s a terrific afternoon read.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Time by Peri Elizabeth Scott

November 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment


The Time by Peri Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (75 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In a post apocalyptic world, a woman struggles to survive until reunited with her son, only to bring grave danger to the small band of people he leads. Choosing to sacrifice herself to protect the clan, Ann Murdoch discovers how resourceful she can be in the face of torture and death.

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How long would you survive in a society that no longer had a government and was quickly running out of food?

Malnutrition makes everything in life more difficult, from defending one’s home to finding the energy to keep walking in order to find a safe place to sleep at night. Some of my favorite sections of this tale were the ones that described how the main character and her companions survived in a world where most people were running out of food and where strangers would kill anyone for a few supplies. Yes, they were dark scenes at times, but the characters were so determined to survive that I couldn’t wait to see what they’d eat next and how they’d avoid starvation over the winter.

This tale would have benefitted from more editing. There were a few sentences that didn’t make sense to me because they were either missing words or contained words that didn’t fit into the their tone. Many other sentences had comma or other punctuation errors that made them hard to follow at times. While I deeply enjoyed the plot itself, needing to decipher what the narrator was trying to say so often was frustrating for me as a reader.

It was easy to keep track of all of the characters even though there were far more of them than I’d normaly expect to meet in a short story. Everyone the author wrote about had something unique about them that instantly let me know who she was talking about. This was a good decision, especially later on in the storyline when many of them were involved in the same scenes and there were a lot of different things happening at once.

If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, give The Time a try.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Third Son’s a Charm by Shana Galen – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 3, 2017 By 2 Comments

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Shana Galen who is celebrating the upcoming release of Third Son’s a Charm on November 7. It’s the first book in her brand new The Survivors series. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a special Shana Galen prize package with a wine charm.

Ewan Mostyn thinks a job as a duke’s daughter’s bodyguard will be easy—but Lady Lorraine has a few tricks up her sleeve that spark an undeniable passion

Fiercely loyal to his friends and comrades, Ewan Mostyn is the toughest in a group of younger sons of nobility who met as soldiers and are now trying desperately to settle back into peaceful Society. Ewan trusts his brawn more than his brains, but when he’s offered a job watching the Duke of Ridlington’s stubbornly independent daughter, he finds both are challenged.

Lady Lorraine wants none of her father’s high-handed ways, and she’ll do everything in her power to avoid her distressingly attractive bodyguard—until she lands herself in real trouble. Lorraine begins to see Ewan’s protectiveness in a new light, and she can only hope that her stoic guardian will do for her what he’s always done—fight for what he loves.

Enjoy an Excerpt

When Ewan Mostyn is waylaid by Prinny, Lady Loraine uses the distraction to escape from her bodyguard’s watchful eye.

The next time Ewan saw Rafe he would give him a black eye. Whatever had possessed Beaumont to tell the prince regent so many damned tales about the exploits of The Expendables? About half of them were mostly true and the other half were truly fiction. Each had a kernel of fact—a location where the men had encountered trouble or a strategy they had used to outwit the frogs—but Ewan could hardly spend all night untangling Rafe’s embellishments.

As it was, he was uninteresting enough that the regent finally sought other amusements, but it took a good half hour for the prince to tire of Ewan’s one word answers. In all that time, Ewan barely kept his tone or his manner civil. Where the hell had Lady Lorraine gone? With a victorious smile, she’d melted away into the fawning sycophants that comprised the regent’s entourage. Ewan had been powerless to stop her, and now he’d been separated from her quite long enough for any number of men, not the least of which was his cousin, to abduct, harass, or ruin her.

Ewan looked for her among the dancers first. That was where she should have been. She had promised dances to no less than a flock of men, and Ewan had anticipated standing about the entire night, watching her twirl and flutter her lashes.

He stood on the side of the dance floor and studied the dancers, looking for her. He’d barely been there a moment before a man stepped in front of him. With a growl, Ewan glared at him.

“You are Ewan Mostyn, are you not?” the man asked, his face breaking into a smile that showed his crooked teeth. He had dark hair, a long nose, and small eyes.

Ewan inclined his head.

“Lord Basil Dottinger.” The man bowed. “We were at school together.”

Ewan merely stared at him. He’d gone to school when he was seven. He’d been there only a year before he was sent home. The excuse had been fighting, but all the boys fought at school. Everyone knew the real reason Ewan was expelled: he was unteachable.

“Do you remember me? We sat at the same table for meals.”

Ewan shook his head.

“Well, you wouldn’t. You didn’t stay long. Did your parents enroll you in another school?”

“No,” Ewan said. Heat prickled the back of his neck. The old humiliation washed over him again. This was why he avoided social engagements. He would never measure up to what the son of an earl should be. He was a dolt and a failure at so many things that came easily to other boys. And now he must stand here and have it thrown in his face. And he couldn’t even punch the man because the bloody Prince Regent would scream and faint at the sight of blood.

“Why not?” Lord Basil asked, but Ewan did not miss the sly smile on his lips. He knew why not. They all did.

“Go away.” Ewan turned his attention back to the dance floor and ignored Lord Basil. After a few more seemingly innocent questions that received no response, the man did go away. He retreated to a spot within earshot of Ewan and made jests to his friends at Ewan’s expense.

“Was he as much a dolt as you remember?”

“He can barely string two words together.”

“Poor fellow. I heard his father disowned him.”

“He’s only here tonight because the Duke of Ridlington paid Prinny to receive him.”

Ewan stiffened. That wasn’t true, was it? He felt his breath grow short, and the heat that burned his neck washed over his face. He wanted to storm out or to turn and fling each man through one of the windows. As he could do neither, he took a deep breath and balled all the pain into a tight knot.

Control. Restraint. Those traits had kept him alive in the war. This was just a different sort of battle.

Ewan forced his attention back to the dance floor. He could not waste his time with these petty men and their small worlds. Who the devil cared if they whispered about him or if Ridlington paid the Regent to receive him? He was here for a purpose, and at the moment, he couldn’t find her.

Lady Lorraine was not on the dance floor, where she should have been, and he was obliged to seek her elsewhere. He tried the area set aside for supper room and that for cards with no luck. If she’d had any sort of compassion at all, she would have taken up residence in the supper room where all sorts of delicacies had been laid out to refresh famished guests before the actual meal commenced sometime in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning. But Ewan had only enough time to snatch a biscuit and a glass of champagne, which he downed like water, before he had to search elsewhere.

And the elsewhere was obviously to be one of three locations—the lawns, the house itself, or the ladies’ retiring room. Heaven help her if she had allowed Francis or any other man to take her to the back of the house. If the chit got herself ruined on his watch he would throttle her.

Ewan couldn’t search the ladies’ retiring room by himself, so he opted to begin searching the lawns. He stepped out onto the terrace where he’d last spoken with her, walked its length quickly and swore when he did not spot her. She was in the damn house, and now he would have to murder whichever man had led her there.

He’d turned to do just that when the breeze carried the sound of a light, tinkling laugh his way.

Ewan turned back and peered out into the dark shadows cast by trees whose branches blew gently in the wind. The night was cold, and the prince had obviously thought the guests would prefer to stay close to the warmth of the conservatory and the myriad entertainments therein because other than the sconces lining the building and the path back to the house, he had not ordered any other means of light for the lawn or park. Consequently, Ewan could see nothing but tree trunks, the stubby shadows of bushes, and the vague outline of topiaries a little further away. Surely, Lady Lorraine would not have ventured into the gloomy, cold night. She had been wearing a flimsy white dress that bared her neck and enough of her bosom to force him to look away before he looked closer. The sleeves had been little puffs and her gold wrap was so insubstantial that he wondered why she bothered with it at all.

The laughter he’d heard might have come from any woman who had sought privacy with her lover in the shadows, but Ewan had to be certain it was not his charge. He would rather apologize to the couple for interrupting their tryst than to the Duke of Ridlington for losing his daughter.

About the Author: Shana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of passionate Regency romps, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Kirkus says of her books, “The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun,” and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching.” She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city. Now she writes full time. She’s happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.

Shana loves to hear from readers, so send her an email or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Too Beautiful for Words by Ronald M. James

November 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Too Beautiful for Words by Ronald M. James
Publisher: James Milward
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full length (388 pgs)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Private Investigator, Sammy Shovel, finally gets the client of a lifetime and rushes to claim his jackpot, but he soon discovers—wealth and pearl coincide.

Beloved Golden Opportunities, founder and CEO, Joel Ceja, is found murdered one foggy morning.

Three months after Joel’s death the police are stumped, they still have no clues in the case. Golden Opportunities’ employees feel they’re being stonewalled and decide to hire detective Sammy Shovel to assist the police. Meeting the Golden executive congregate, Sammy learns real wealth has money trees to burn, but they want results. His shabby clothes are no concern for they think it’s part of a disguise for another case, not knowing he’s bordering on destitution.

Sammy accepts the case, figuring it was nothing more than a local homicide.

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Sammy learns that gold teeth, with the inscription R & M, are major facts in the case.

But greed overcomes his common sense, and is embroiled in a well-organized gang of hit men. He runs from firefight to firefight to get to the truth, but his adversaries dupe him time and again with lies and trickery.

In Mazatlan Sammy discovers the truth about the initials R&M, they’re tied to a band of Seventeenth Century assigns, who would murder each other with any hint of betrayal.

You may deceive Sammy—some of time. But when he put’s it altogether—run bother, run for we all know Sammy’s a shoot first and ask questions later kind of guy.

Sammy Shovel sure isn’t your everyday P.I.

If you enjoy a good gumshoe turned P.I. book, this is one for you. The characters were well-developed but none as well as Sammy Shovel, P.I. Is that the perfect name for a stumbling, bumbling, smart as a tack P.I. or not?

This is a 2nd edition by a different publisher, James Milward. The author, Ronald James, was born during the time of the Depression. However, this book is set in today’s era. The plot is conceivable and there is a lot of interplay between Sammy and the local cops, some friendly and of course…some not. There are definitely enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Still, the storyline in this book is constructed well enough to never lose you in those twists and turns. No turning back a few pages to see “who was who” in this book. Most of this book is written in first person narrative. It is Sammy’s view of himself and his sarcastic and somewhat naïve mind that makes this book fun to read.

I must say if typos or grammar errors bother you, be advised this book needs some editing. I must also tell you that they drive me nuts and I would normally put a book down immediately. I couldn’t put this book down. Had to finish it. And that says volumes about the story.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

His Curvy Woman by Sam Crescent

November 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment


His Curvy Woman by Sam Crescent
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (51 pgs)
Other: M/F
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Ace Heart has always been the bad boy. Women have fallen at his feet, begging for him, but he has only ever wanted one girl. Throughout high school, he watched her from afar but never got close. His time to claim her as his own passed, and she moved away. Three years ago, though, she came back, and she’s now working for him. He can’t hold back any longer. It’s been too long, and he intends to claim this curvy woman for himself.
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All of her life Trixie Dean has done what her parents wanted. She was the model student, the perfect daughter. But when her parents tried to get her to marry their “perfect guy”, everything fell apart. Trixie wanted to do something for herself. She started with getting a tattoo, and one thing led to another, until finally, she got the job working for Ace Heart.

Ace wants to claim Trixie for his own, and Trixie wants to belong to him in every single way that counts. Can she fight off the demons of her past, or will she be forever lonely? Can Ace prove to her that his curvy woman is worth fighting for?

Ace might be covered in ink and own a tattoo parlour, but there was more to him than a first glance might convey. Trixie had known Ace in high school – but her life had been pretty planned out for her. It wasn’t till it had come crumbling down that Trixie had really understood what was important, and she’d returned to Ace. When Trixie and Ace finally confess their feelings to each other will it be the end? Or a new beginning?

I found this to be a sexy and fun short story. Trixie is the fairly common good-girl-trying-to-turn bad type of character. It’s no surprise, therefore that she’s decided to finally act upon her very long-time crush on bad-boy-with-heart-of-gold Ace. While I feel this story flirted a little too closely with the traditional stereotypes, the author did a good job of injecting plenty of life into Trixie and Ace’s characters. While at another author’s hands this probably would have come across as “just another…” type of sexy short story, I actually found myself really caring about Ace – and to a lesser extent Trixie. Admittedly while describing the story in generalities it seems very similar to a bunch of other stories, I enjoyed the voice of the characters and found myself wanting to know how everything turned out.

In no way did this plot – or even the hot sex scenes – read as unique or ground-breaking, but despite this I did enjoy the freshness of the author’s tone and the quick pace helped me keep turning the pages, interested in where Trixie and Ace would lead next. Readers looking for a fresh new take on this style of story might be disappointed, but for a quick, sexy and fun read this story ticked a number of the boxes for me and I truly did enjoy it. With a lovely happy ending and plenty of smoking hot sex this is a fun short story.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Duets and Dominance by Anya Summers – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 2, 2017 By 6 Comments


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Anya will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” von Klepper has a problem of epic proportions—she’s the oldest virgin in the world. Invited to perform on Pleasure Island with her best friend Solomon, she devises a plan to seduce him, and rid herself of that infernal status. After all, they shared a mind-blowing kiss a year ago and that has to count for something, right?

Solomon Ventura adores Lizzie. She’s been his best friend since their humble beginnings at Julliard, but deep down he’s yearned for her. For more. And ever since he tasted her, a stolen kiss he hasn’t been able to forget, he cannot seem to stop his mind from conjuring up myriad fantasies with Lizzie in the starring role. But he’s not the man for her. She’s light where he is dark, and his brand of love would shatter the only woman he’s ever cared about.

Will the best friends move their relationship out of the friendzone? Or will a week spent on pleasure island destroy them both?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Seven years of her life, down the toilet. Seven years of waiting for Edward to marry her. Seven years of patiently waiting for him to make an honest woman out of her. God, how he and the model he’d been banging must have laughed over her stupidity.

It was absurd, really, how gullible she’d been in their relationship. Most men didn’t want to wait to have a physical relationship, especially not with their intended bride.

Pretty stupid of her, in retrospect.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at herself and her predicament. Deep down, she had known that indisputable fact but she’d ignored the truth because she hadn’t loved Edward. Hell, she hadn’t been certain she even liked him. And he had obviously never cared for her, but had been as stuck as she in a prison of expectation.

She’d toed the line her parents had expected her to walk without overstepping the boundaries they erected. Because of that, she had lived a relatively sheltered life in pursuit of her career as a concert flutist. Even during her time at Julliard, she had been buttoned up with responsibilities and the terrible desire to please her parents, hoping that if she did as they asked of her, they would finally show a measure of warmth towards her.

So when her parents had introduced her to Edward Cunningham III, one of their friend’s sons, it had been the most natural extension in the world to accept his proposal.

Sheltered, secluded, and undeniably obtuse when it came to matters of the heart, Lizzie had caved to their unspoken demands. It was funny now, for when she looked back at how Edward had proposed, it had obviously been another business merger and nothing more.

About the Author:  Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodeads | Amazon Author Page | BookBub

Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers and Blushing Books!

Dungeon Fantasy Club Series

Her Highland Master, Book 1

To Master and Defend, Book 2

Two Doms for Kara, Book 3

His Driven Domme, Book 4

Her Country Master, Book 5

Love Me, Master Me, Book 6

Submit To Me, Book 7

Her Wired Dom, Book 8

 

Pleasure Island Series

Her Master & Commander, Book 1

Her Music Masters, Book 2

Their Shy Submissive, Book 3

Her Undercover Doms, Book 4

Her Lawful Master, Book 5

Her Rockstar Dom, Book 6

Duets & Dominance, Book 7

Ménage In Paradise, Book 8

Her Rodeo Masters, Book 9
 

 

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The Right Kind of Restless by Heather Van Fleet – Spotlight and Giveaway

November 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Heather Van Fleet who is visiting with us to celebrate the upcoming release of The Right Kind of Restless, the second book in her Reckless Hearts series on November 7. Enter for a chance to win a copy of Reckless Hearts, the first in the series.

Maxwell Martinez

I’m in love with a woman I can’t have, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop myself from falling.
The problem? Her brother’s my best friend.

I shouldn’t want her this much. Not when it goes against the bro code. Not when I’ve never been able to commit to a woman for longer than a night.

But one look into her eyes and I’m a mess for her. She’s my everything. And I have to walk away with nothing.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Addie and I watched the guys play round after round of Skee-Ball, while Chloe jumped and cheered and stole the occasional ball from each of their rows. No matter what my state in life was, I was happy the three of them had found one another.

“Here, let’s get our picture drawn.” Knocking me out of my woolgathering, Addie guided me toward one of the caricature sketchers who sat just outside the carnival gates. The man had a unibrow the size of Lake Michigan’s shoreline, and his mustache was curled at the end, handlebar style. But his work was amazing. Charcoal sketches with colored eyes, balloon- shaped heads with movie-star hair.

“How much for both of us?” Addie asked, fishing through her purse. We sat on the stools, as directed, our shoulders touching.

“Thirty- five,” the guy said, his fake French accent too thick to be believable.

I groaned and looked at my friend. “Seriously? That’s too much.”

“Seriously. We have to do this.” Addie mocked me. “Look at how cute those are.” She pointed to a couple with a heart surrounding their heads. Little doves swooped in the air around them, carrying heart balloons in their beaks. Had to hand it to the guy. He was talented.

“I’ve got this, ladies.” I looked up at the sound of Max’s deep voice, finding him searching through his wallet. He pulled out the money, handed it to the artist, then lifted his gaze to meet mine. A soft smile covered his bow-shaped lips, and everything inside me stirred to life at the view.

Addie faked a cough, then pressed a hand over her stomach. “Oh…oh no. I don’t feel very good, guys.”

I faced her and narrowed my eyes as she stood. Don’t, I mouthed, already knowing her game.

Ignoring me, she looked at Max and said, “You’ll take my place, won’t you, Max?” She batted those brown eyes and twirled a lock of her dark hair. No doubt her way of getting anyone and everyone to say yes to her. “Lia here was dying to get her picture drawn.”

Oh, the little liar…

Max nodded, immediately taking her empty seat to my right. With an extra hop in her step, Addie walked away, her ponytail swinging back and forth more the closer she got to Collin and Gavin and Chloe. I wanted to pull it out of her head.

“All right, look this way.” I blinked at the sound of the artist’s voice, my body far too aware of Max’s heady scent.

God, why did he have to smell so good? Fit so perfectly against me?

“You’re much too stiff.” The artist tsked from behind his easel. “Here, wrap your arm around zee pretty lady’s waist, like so.”

I sucked in a breath as Max’s hand was guided along my back, ending at my side with his fingers tucked just under the edge of my T- shirt. I swallowed, shifting in my seat and instantly remembering our kiss— the way he’d moved his mouth over mine.
Warmth pooled low in my stomach, drifting in between my thighs. His touch was like adrenaline, kick- starting my orgasm-starved body to life.

“Chin on her shoulder, lips close to her ear…” I shuddered as Max followed the artist’s directions to a T, the stubble on his chin igniting a stormy thunder inside me. Max seemed unaffected, his chest rising and falling at an even rate, while mine was suddenly in asthmatic mode.

“Relax,” Max whispered in my ear, his warm breath grazing my neck. “I’m not gonna bite ya.”

I shut my eyes and shifted once again, the ache between my thighs becoming unbearable. “I didn’t want to do this,” I finally murmured, refocusing on the artist.

Max laughed softly, his chest vibrating against my back and shoulder. “I know you didn’t.”

My eyebrows pushed together in annoyance. “Then why did you agree to sit here?”

“Because Addie wouldn’t give up until I did.” He sighed, far too relaxed compared to me.

I was jumping, itching, crawling with…something, yet he was unaffected. Which only further emphasized that he didn’t want me the way I did him.

“Plus, she folds my underwear, remember? Gotta make sure she doesn’t stick ants in them or something.”

“Yeah, like Addie would ever stoop to your level.” I couldn’t help but grin, my nerves easing slightly.

He squeezed my ribs. “You would.”

I turned to face him, our noses inches apart. “Damn right I would.”

A slow nod later, he moved even closer, our bodies in sync…

My smile fell away. “Maxwell,” I whispered, so lost in his dark eyes that I couldn’t concentrate. The apology was there on my tongue like earlier, but the need weighing me down was even heavier. How could I ever be just friends with a guy who was likely to break my heart, no matter what we were to each other?

“Tell me why you kissed me that night.” He looked at my lips, a serious glint in his eyes.

Blood rushed to my face at his out-o f- the- blue question. My composure slipped as confusion took its place. Why was he asking me this?

“Because I…” I gulped. “I owed you, remember? For bailing me out and for keeping me safe from those guys.”

Something shifted in his eyes. Disappointment? I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought. When I looked back at him, I knew I was imagining things, because flirty, fun Max was back, winking at me. “Well then.” He cleared his throat. “That’s good to know.”

“What’s good to know?” I frowned.

“That you still owe me.”

About the Author: Contemporary romance author Heather Van Fleet is a stay-at-home-mom turned book boyfriend connoisseur. She’s a wife to her high school sweetheart, a mom to three little girls, and in her spare time you can find her with her head buried in her Kindle, guzzling down copious amounts of coffee. Heather was born and raised in Moline, Illinois, where she lives with her wonderful family.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, or IndieBound.

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Writing a Popular Cozy Gay Comedy Mystery Series by Joe Cosentino – Guest Blog and Giveaway

November 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes back Joe Cosentino as he joins us to celebrate the release of his newest installment of the Nicky and Noah series, Drama Detective. Tell us why you like cozy mysteries for a chance to win an audio book of he first book in the series.

WRITING A POPULAR COZY GAY COMEDY MYSTERY SERIES
by Joe Cosentino
with the release of Drama Detective, the fifth Nicky and Noah mystery

I was a Broadway musical nerd as a kid. My bookcase was loaded with Broadway show albums, each of which I could sing from opening number to finale. My bedroom was my Broadway stage as I delighted my bureau, bed, and desk with my renditions of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady, and even Mama Rose from Gypsy. When family members visited, I entertained them with “Welcome to the Theatre” from Applause. New friends were treated to “Getting to Know You” from King and I. While vacationing in Hawaii, my travel group marveled at my performance of “Bali Hai” from South Pacific. A widow in the crowd garnered my take on “What I Did for Love” from A Chorus Line.

Realizing the healing benefits of laughter, I was also quite the comedian. I often brought visitors to tears with stories of my family members, which I’m sure my parents “appreciated.”

When I wasn’t performing for friends and relatives, I read cozy mystery novels, especially Sherlock Holmes. I marveled at Holmes’ analytical mind, ability to separate clues from red herrings, and his nearly psychic methods of deduction. The warm and fuzzy settings of many cozy mysteries, humor, plot twists and turns, quaint characters, and shocking endings kept me awake until the wee hours of morning.

After working as a professional actor in theatre, film, and television, I became a college theatre professor/department chair. Though I loved and still love my job, I wanted an even more creatively fulfilling outlet. As I was observing others in the theatre building, it dawned on me that a college theatre department is the perfect place for a cozy mystery series. Realizing there aren’t many gay cozy mystery series out there, I decided to create my own. Of course I would combine my love for Broadway musicals, humor, mystery, and a bit of romance (I am of Italian origin after all).

So the Nicky and Noah mysteries feature adorable couple Associate Professor of Directing Nicky Abbondanza and Assistant Professor of Acting Noah Oliver who use their theatre skills (including impersonating others) to solve murder mysteries on the quaint New England campus of Treemeadow College. In Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Novel of 2015) college theatre professors fall over like heavy stage curtains while Nicky directs the school play. Nicky and Noah must figure out whodunit. In Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention 2016) Nicky directs the bodybuilding competition on campus. He and Noah must find out why bodybuilding students and professors are dropping faster than hundred pound barbells. In Drama Cruise Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard a ten-day cruise to Alaska. Nicky and Noah must figure out why college theatre professors in the cast are going overboard like life rafts on the Titanic. Complicating matters are their both sets of hysterically funny parents who shadow the handsome couple. (The first three books are also available as terrific audiobooks!) In Drama Luau, Nicky is directing the luau show at a large hotel in Hawaii. He and Noah need to figure out why muscular Hawaiian hula dancers are going down faster than their grass skirts.

Now I combined my infatuation with Sherlock Holmes and musical theatre for the fifth Nicky and Noah mystery novel, where Nicky is directing and ultimately co-starring with Noah as Holmes and Watson in a new musical Sherlock Holmes play at Treemeadow College prior to Broadway. Also in the cast are their department head and best friend, Martin Anderson (who I want to play if there’s a television series), Martin’s husband Ruben, their office assistant Shayla, Nicky’s brother Tony, and Nicky and Noah’s son Taavi. Dead bodies begin toppling over like intoxicated actors at a curtain call. Nicky and Noah use their drama skills and more to figure out who is lowering the street lamps on the actors before the handsome couple get half-baked on Baker Street.

So grab your Sherlock Holmes hat, coat, and pipe. Take your program and your front row seat for the musical. The game is afoot in Drama Detective!

Theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza is directing a Sherlock Holmes musical in a professional summer stock production at Treemeadow College, co-starring his husband and theatre professor colleague Noah Oliver as Dr. John Watson. When cast members begin toppling over like hammy actors at a curtain call, Nicky dons Holmes’ persona on stage and off. Once again Nicky and Noah will need to use their drama skills to figure out who is lowering the street lamps on the actors before the handsome couple get half-baked on Baker Street. You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat entertaining fifth novel in this delightful series. Curtain up, the game is afoot!

“Joe Cosentino has a unique and fabulous gift. His writing is flawless, and his use of farce, along with his convoluted plot-lines, will have you guessing until the very last page, which makes his books a joy to read. His books are worth their weight in gold, and if you haven’t discovered them yet you are in for a rare treat.” Divine Magazine

“a combination of Laurel and Hardy mixed with Hitchcock and Murder She Wrote…Loaded with puns and one-liners…Right to the end, you are kept guessing, and the conclusion still has a surprise in store for you.” Optimumm Book Reviews

“adventure, mystery, and romance with every page….Funny, clever, and sweet….I can’t find anything not to love about this series….This read had me laughing and falling in love….Nicky and Noah are my favorite gay couple.” Urban Book Reviews

Enjoy an Excerpt

As if on cue, Corey slouched through the lobby double doors with Mark Melody at his heels. Corey’s blue and white striped polo shirt and tight jeans showed off his muscles. His cheeks were as red as his hair as he said, “I can take care of myself, Mark.”

In his black sweatshirt and slacks, Mark looked more like a stagehand than the author. “Christine in Phantom said she could take care of herself before she was abducted. And look what happened to her!”

She went on a theme park boat ride.

Corey and Mark stopped at a large sofa in a corner of the lobby as Corey said, “Look, dude, I grew up in foster care. I survived twenty-two years without parents. I don’t need one now.”

Mark seemed hurt. “I didn’t sing ‘Kids’ from Bye Bye Birdie to you. All I did was ask Harvey to lay off you.”

“Well, don’t. Nobody takes care of me, but me.”

Mark blinked back tears. “Doesn’t that get lonely?”

“What?”

“Building a wall around yourself? Hiding your feelings? Not getting to know the real you, like in the song, ’I Am My Own Best Friend’ in Chicago?”

“You don’t know me.”

“I agree. But I’d like to be your friend.”

“You don’t want to be friends with me.”

“Why not? Is Grease your favorite musical?”

Corey rested his hands in his head. “I don’t deserve to have a friend.”

“Everybody deserves to have a friend.” Mark sat on the sofa and rested Corey down next to him. “You seem like a good person to me, Corey. As good as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.”

Corey whispered (as I strained my ears to listen), “I did something bad, dude. Something really bad.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Corey’s gaze seemed haunted. “Believe it.”

Mark thought a moment, and then said, “Were you backed into a corner like Jean Val Jean in Les Mis?”

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“Is it because I’m so old?”

Thirty is old?

“Or is it because you’re a big movie star, and I’m a musical theatre geek?”

Corey laughed with melancholy. “I did one indie film where my naked backside got more film time than my face.”

“I don’t care about that. And I don’t believe you’re a bad person.” Mark took his hand. “Please. Can’t we be friends?” His face lit up like a right wing politician at a Super PAC fundraiser. “Hey, let’s go back to the synthesizer and sing ‘Friendship’ from Annie Get Your Gun.”

Corey shook his head from side to side and flashes of auburn flew around his face. “For your own good. Don’t get involved with me, dude. I mean it.” He headed back into the theatre.

Mark noticed Noah and me and headed over to us like a puppy with his tail caught between his legs. “Did you hear all that?”
I stammered, “N-no, no-not at all. We-we were talking about…how great the show is going.”

Mark sat on the other side of me. “You heard every word, didn’t you?”

Noah and I nodded.

“I’m sure you think I’m a fool, but I’m not giving up.” Mark explained, “Like the song in South Pacific, I’ve always been a cockeye’d optimist.”

No pun intended.

Mark said, “Corey’s a good guy. I can tell. He’s just hurting about something. I wish I could help him.”

Noah patted his shoulder. “Corey was a pensive student when he studied at Treemeadow. I sensed he was struggling with something. I remember an activity I did with my acting students where they had to use emotional recall to remember a sad event in their lives. Corey burst into tears in class.”

“Why is he so unhappy?” Mark asked.

Noah shrugged. “I asked him and he wouldn’t tell me.”

Cutting to the chase à la Martin, I said, “Mark, do you have feelings for Corey?”

Mark’s eyes rolled around in his head. “Nicky, a guy as gorgeous and sexy as Corey would never be interested in someone like me.”

“Don’t put yourself down, Mark.” Noah added, “You’re handsome, sweet, and talented. As a matter of fact, you remind me of…”

My sweet Noah.

“…Nicky’s brother Tony.”

Why didn’t I drown Tony in our pool when we were kids?

“But I’m ancient, eight years older than Corey,” Mark said.

“That’s all right. Nicky’s seven years older than me,” Noah explained.

Speak up, sonny, I can’t hear you. Unable to hear any more about my sexy brother and my ripe old age, I said, “Mark, I didn’t ask you if Corey likes you, I asked if you have feelings for him.”

“I’ve known Corey only a short time, but I already like him very much. And it pains me to see him so hurt and depressed.”

Mark’s face dropped like a movie star’s at forty. “You guys must think I’m as foolish as Don Quixote fantasizing about his Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha.”

Noah smiled like a guardian angel. “Don’t ever be ashamed of caring about someone, Mark. It’s a noble thing for us to love, even if that love isn’t returned.”

I added, “And if it’s meant to be with you and Corey, it will be.” Rising, I said, “In the meantime, we have a show to open in just a few days.”

About the Author: Bestselling author Joe Cosentino was voted Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author of the Year by the readers of Divine Magazine for Drama Queen. He also wrote the other novels in the Nicky and Noah mystery series: Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise (Lethe Press), Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity, Drama Castle; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star, A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect Gift, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland, The Perfect Gift; the Cozzi Cove series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (NineStar Press); and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Chair of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and his books have received numerous Favorite Book of the Month Awards and Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Buy the book at Amazon, Smashwords, or Barnes and Noble.

Giveaway: Post a comment about why you love cozy mysteries. The one that tips our Sherlock Holmes hat the most will win an Audible code for a free audiobook of Drama Queen, the first Nicky and Noah mystery, by Joe Cosentino, performed by Michael Gilboe, published by Lethe Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , ,

The Tell All by Libby Howard

November 1, 2017 By Leave a Comment


The Tell All by Libby Howard
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (137 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Life at sixty isn’t quite what Kay Carrera expected. She’s working as a skip-tracer for a PI who is desperate to land his own reality TV show. She has a new roommate who arrived with more than the usual amount of baggage. And her attempts at knitting are less than stellar – way less than stellar. Worse, the cataract surgery that restored her sight has also delivered an unexpected and disturbing side-effect. Kay sees ghosts. And when the dead turn to her for help, she just can’t say no.

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Kay was a well-developed and quite likeable main character. Her intelligence was what caught my eye first. She wasn’t the kind of person who would ever make a big fuss over something like this, but I enjoyed seeing her quietly figure out how to get through sticky situations and solve mysteries that didn’t give her a lot of clues to work with at first. Her flaws were written nicely as well. They showed me sides of her personality that I wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Noticing them only made me like her more than I already did because of how much they humanized a woman who was so sweet, gentle, and interested in making her home an oasis for everyone who lived there.

The pacing issues were what prompted me to choose the rating I did. As much as I enjoyed getting to know the characters, it took a while for the plot to pick up speed and even more time for Kay to realize that the shadowy figures her optometrist thought were a side effect of cataract surgery were actually real spirits. It would have been nice to have more time to explore what was happening and to have more clues about the case earlier on.

Once the mystery was revealed, though, I dove straight into it. There was far more going on than Kay originally thought, so I was curious to see how she’d react to all of the new information she found as she probed more deeply into the case. It didn’t take long for her to follow the clues she was given. I was intrigued by how persistent she was and how she reacted to certain surprising plot twists.

The Tell All was a cozy story that I’d recommend to anyone who is in the mood for a fairly quick read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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