Wolf, in League by AF Henley: Blog Tour and Giveaway

The greatest gift of doing a blog tour is being able to touch base with old friends, and Cinderella Stories and I go back a long way. That’s one of the great things about the Internet, isn’t it? Being half a world away doesn’t really mean a thing when it comes to associates and acquaintances, and that is truly a blessing. So it’s an honour to be back as a guest and a friend, and I’m looking forward to sharing with you all the newest release in my Wolf series: Wolf, in League. For those that are joining the tour for the first time, welcome! And for those who have been here before, it’s amazing to see you again.

As I’ve done with the rest of the tours for these Wolf releases, this blog tour and giveaway is all about teasers. Tiny teasers, to be most accurate, which I like to think of as nothing more than a “bite” to whet your “appetite” for the rest. But before I let you get to it, I want to let you know about the giveaway that comes along with the tour. Follow through to the end of the post to learn how you could win your very own signed, print copy of Wolf in League, a “crystal and silver” diamante Howling Wolf Pendant, and a $20 gift certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market.

And now, the teaser, and an inside—or should I say outside—look at the GDBCG…

Tiny Teaser: Post 2

It wasn’t the stars that drew him here in the wee hours of the morning, though. It was the bats. There was something about the construction of the Center that drew a bucket load of bats, not that Matthew could have said what it was. The thing he found most interesting about the phenomena was that one could find them swooping and swaying around the building’s concrete block walls and its flat, thermoplastic roof at times other than the hour or so between dusk and darkness. Common sense told Matthew it had to do with insect population, reflective lighting, and a lack of predators, but the owls and hawks that were common to the area made that last reason somewhat unlikely.

Who really knew, though? Maybe the same things that kept the doctors peeking covertly at dark shadows kept the smarter birds of prey away as well. Regardless, Matthew found himself staring at the tiny, black, soundless beasts for stretches of time that surprised him when he finally thought to check his watch. For creatures of the night with all kinds of Hollywood superstitions behind them, they were surprisingly peaceful to watch.

He’d just told himself that he’d better be heading back in when a sound seemed to brush past his ear. He cocked his head, paused, and listened. He almost thought it could have been one of the bats, drawn by the light or maybe the scent of his cologne, but if it had been a bat, then it was one of the most talented bats in history. Because there’d been something awfully weird in the way it had sounded. If he’d been asked to say what that oddness was, he would have had no choice but to admit—foolishly, really—that he’d heard someone speak. His name, even. Which was more ridiculous than imagining someone had spoken in the first place. He was six stories off the ground. He could see every inch of the otherwise empty balcony. Besides, there was no one else on the level Matthew occupied but for a security guard who had been half-asleep, if not completely asleep, when Matthew had walked past him twenty minutes ago; Matthew had checked the sign-in roster just to make sure because he’d wanted to have a chat with one of his colleagues regarding a certain finding Matthew had stumbled across the night before. And there were no after-hours visitors allowed, without exception. Even during the day, not even an expected guest would get past the security gate without a badge—a badge which automatically added their name, picture, and personal details to the roster so that anyone who was anyone would know where they were allowed to be and where they were not. If there was someone out in the darkness whispering his name at barely audible levels, it had to be one of the bats. Or a very talented deer with the ability to fly.

Matthew flipped up his collar, shook his head and turned back to the door that he’d left propped open behind him. The doors were all glass. The windows were glass. Glass, glass, everywhere glass. He’d often figured it was there for security more than just an effort to soften the rest of the cold concrete building. After all, it was easy to see through; nothing could hide behind a glass door. It was also reflective.

So when he saw a face—a smirk, bright eyes, sharp cheekbones—shining back at him, Matthew startled. He whirled back to face the balcony.

There was no one there. Just the stars and bats above him, and the trees, manicured lawn, and fading gardens below him.

Wolf, in League Excerpt
© AF Henley, 2016

Blurb

Wolf, in League

It’s been months since anyone at the Committee has had any contact from the O’Connell family or their pack members, and they are not happy. Suspicious of the activities that took place in D.C. and determined to find out what the wolves are up to, the Committee recruits one of their newest residents, Doctor Matthew Dietrich, to play the part of neighbor and infiltrate the family.

Matthew has always been a keep-to-himself kind of person. Though idealistic and optimistic, he prefers to work in solitude, at night, while he researches the findings that he hopes will one day change the world. When he’s approached by the executives of the Center, he has no idea why they’d choose him. And to say he is skeptical over the concept of men that can shift into wolves would be an understatement. Until he meets his new partner, the man that will play the part of his “husband” in the Committee’s scheme, Doctor Gavin Strauss.

Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Notes: Wolf, in League contains some explicit and violent content

Book 3 in the Wolf series

Purchasing Link – save 15% by preordering your copy today! Discount available until October 10th

The Giveaway

On behalf of the tour, please join the giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a signed, print copy of Wolf in League, a “crystal and silver” diamante Howling Wolf Pendant, and a $20 gift certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market.

For all the terms and conditions, please check out the t’s and c’s posted on the Rafflecopter.

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one winner awarded for the entire event.

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE:

Again, a great big thank you to Cinderella Stories for having me today. And my thanks to you as well for joining in. Best of luck with the giveaway and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Until next time,

AF Henley ❤

About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica.

A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012.

For more information, please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.

‪#‎BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy

Ang babasahin ko para sa ‪#‎BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy‬ ay ang  The Necromancer ni C.J. Dee.

Buod

Ako si Nero, isang nigromante. Alipin ako ng nekromansya at namuhay na parang ermitanyo sa loob ng tore.

Walang sinuman ang nakakapasok sa tore.

Sinigurado kong nakakandadong maigi ang pinto sa unang palapag at sarado rin ang mga bintana kaya paanong nandirito ang lalaking nagngangalang Linus? Para siyang multo na bigla-bigla na lamang susulpot. Baka panaginip ko lamang ito at parte siya niyon.

Pero bakit nga ba ako nag-aalinlangan na makasama si Linus? Buong buhay niya ay wala siyang ginawang masama sa akin. O baka kaya ako nagkakaganito ay dahil ako ang may ginawa sa kanyang masama noon? Sa sobrang sama n’on ay napanaginipan ko pa.

Paperback, 120 pages

Published 2014

ISBN 9789710271

Edition Language: Tagalog

Genre: MM, Fantasy, Romance

Book Review: Two for the Show by Megan Derr

Nikko needs a scandal. Something, anything, that will keep media eyes on him and far away from the fight for his deadbeat brother’s children. When he sees Jake Hallow in a bar, it seems a perfect solution. What would cause more noise than planting a kiss on a ruler-straight country star? He didn’t expect Jake to kiss him back.

Jake’s faced a lot of surprises in the forty-four years he’s been alive. But being kissed senseless by the beautiful Nikko Star is something else entirely, and he doesn’t at all know what to do with the long-banked feelings that Nikko turns into a blaze. Or the disappointment he feels when he learns the real reason Nikko kissed him.

But hearing Nikko’s story, Jake decides to help, and agrees to give the world a fake love affair for the sake of protecting a couple of kids. And he’s always believed in putting on one hell of a show—no matter how much it leaves him hurting when the lights go down.

About Megan Derr

Megan is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies (especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet.

maderr.com
maderr.tumblr.com
maderr.livejournal.com
lessthanthreepress.com
@amasour

My Review
Warning: Review is angsty plus it contains spoilers
My rating: out of 5 stars

I loved Two for the Show! It is a quick read and the story is straightforward and uncomplicated yet sweet and heartbreaking.<3

Nikko has to find a way how to distract the paparazzi always tailing him for fresh news if he wanted their noses out of his custody battle with his brother for his nephews.

This story struck a chord within me because the children reminded me of myself and my cousins when we were kids. My cousins’ father, my uncle, was most often tying one of them with a rope and hanging him upside down or whipping them with an uninsulated electrical wire or putting one of my cousins inside a sack. For three years I bore witness to the atrocities committed by a father to his own children and a decade later, when one of those cousins died, I would dream of these incidents over and over.

So I guess this is why I loved this book. Apart from the fact that I love Megan’s flawless writing and how effortless she weaved the scenes of the story together. I loved that Nikko loved his nephews, that he cared enough to look after them and take them in.

Maybe a huge part of me wished someone saved us from a similar situation. But I also acknowledge that I should have told an adult or two about our situation in the house then maybe someone really would.

Since my grandparents died, a lot of people wanted to take me away from home: my uncle Dieg, my godmother,  my English teacher who got alarmed at the essay I wrote for the class. No, I didn’t write about the domestic abuse but I told him I have no family because they are all dead and while I did have a sister, she was in Manila; I did have a father but I have yet to meet him as did my brother. To my teacher, this sounded off because I lived with my cousins, aunt, and uncle. Why did I not talk about them in my essay instead? My wise teacher had read between the lines and told the nuns who ran our school who, in turn, talked to me and tried to pry the truth out of me.

For the first time I would lie knowingly. The only thing running in my head at the time was how the nuns would take me away from home. I couldn’t leave my cousins behind, so I lied my way out. I told her yes, we have food at home. Yes, we eat three times a day. Yes, I have lunch money every day. Yes, my aunt and uncle were taking good care of us. It didn’t occur to me to tell them my problem lay on how my uncle would beat the shit out of an “errant” family member.

By the end of that school year I would leave the house anyway. I’d had enough. For three years I stood and watched in silence as these things happen and then one day I discovered my sister Ate Mae’s letters in one of our cabinets in second floor, torn to shreds. How long had my aunt been doing this? Did she do this while my grandmother waited for my sister’s letters when she went to Manila for college? For over a year my grandma waited and waited for the letters that never came.

And then she died thinking my sister had forgotten us.

The thoughts racing in my head over and over enraged me. How Nanay waited and waited, how worried, disappointed, and sad she felt. How cruel my aunt was for doing that. Oh I knew why she did it. My aunt did it for the small amount of money my sister had inserted on the letter.

Minutes later when my aunt came upstairs I made sure she knew I was pissed. All those years of holding back and then just like that, I threw the cabinet doors closed with a loud bang.

I made sure she saw the pieces of paper, my sister’s handwriting visible. I scowled at her. These things are a no-no in the Filipino culture.The kids aren’t supposed to talk back, fight, scowl, etc. etc. on their elders.

If I said something about the letter directly I have no recollection. I have no idea either if she understood why I got angry but the next thing I know she was hitting me with her slippers and then she was dragging me down the stairs and I was thinking, why am I here? Why did I not leave this wretched place?

After that incident I wasted no time. I sent word to my uncle via my sister, would they please get me the fuck out of there when the school year ends? No, I didn’t use those words but close. I asked my best friend Jihan to mail the letter for me and from then on, Ate Mae addressed all her letters for me to Jihan.

I left town at thirteen with a resolve to come back for my cousins but when I did, I couldn’t take them away and then one of them died hence the beginning of my many regrets.

So yeah, I may or may not have cried while reading this book. I thought that every kid should have an uncle like Nikko and every Nikkos out there deserved a Jake by their side. 🙂 Maybe it’s why I read fiction, too. In fiction, kids suffer but as a rule they cannot die. They get to have their happy ending, too.

Five stars for Two for the Show from me. That the story is music-themed is a bonus, the audition scenes being my most favorite part of the book.

Go read the story here:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/50968984-two-for-the-show

Guest Post by AF Henley: Wolf, en Garde ~ Blog Tour and Giveaway

In my limited experience with during blog tours, one thing stands out more than the rest: it gets harder and harder to think of something even mildly amusing or semi-entertaining to put at the beginning of them. My life, no word of a lie, is just not that interesting and I shudder to think of that moment when someone ends up leaving the comment, “you’ve said that before.” Or, as my mind will hear it, “Yes, yes; you’ve already told us that story five hundred times.”

So while I may have mentioned this already in my Road Trip blog tour (honestly, I can’t remember if I did), it is applicable so I will use it and I ask you to pretend you haven’t read it if you have…

I haven’t done a lot of travelling, but of the few places that I’ve driven through there were two that gave me the creeps: Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. I like to tell people that I’m sensitive to certain things (mostly I just watch too many movies), and I can say without doubt that those two cities pinged all kinds of “stay the f*ck away” bells. With Baltimore I guess I can understand. They’ve got one of the highest ranking violent crime rates in the country, and I have to imagine that if there is a cloud of presence that amasses above certain places, it must be a particularly nasty one over that stretch of land. As for Washington, though, I don’t quite get my oogie-boogieness over that one. It’s a beautiful city, with a lot of history, character, and monuments. Regardless, I always get all kinds of creepy-crawlies from the city and I avoid it completely whenever I can.

So, it made sense for me to make it the setting for Wolf, en Garde, and not just because that’s where Randy’s family lived. In my next post I’ll tell you about one of the creepier locations in the novel, but for this teaser I wanted to show you Washington as Lyle experiences it, alongside one of the locals.

Just a reminder, be sure to read through to the end of the post to find out how you could win your very own signed, print copy of Wolf en Garde, a sterling silver (nickel and lead-free) Howling Wolf Bangle, and a $20 gift certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market!

Tiny Teaser: Introducing – Washington, D.C.

They ran until Lyle’s legs were exhausted and trembling—down alleys and up staircases, over rooftops and across yards. They watched the fog crawl over the city and sat in silence as wanderers made cautious quick steps along sidewalks and walkways. Lyle was introduced to views that transported him back to time before industry and then in the next instant, at a turn of a corner or a shift in direction, had him staring in awe at just how far man had come and all that could be done with tools and equipment and engineering. It was a remarkable city; that Lyle had already known from his earlier trip out with the family. To see it at night, though—while streetlights cast halos through the fog, and headlights bore all but useless slivers of luminance into the darkness—was magical. Ethereal, even.

For a time, real life ceased to exist and Lyle became part of the fairytale. They were the villains of the brother Grimms’ pens, the dark shadows that children whispered breathlessly about, and no one was huffing for Lyle to stay away or hulk back, or admonishing him for his vile existence. With Arius, he belonged on the streets. They were the masters of the dark and the princes of nightmares, complete with Arius’s windblown hair, his own ruffled fur, and their shared grins over the tension in the shoulders and mumbles of the few that unknowingly passed them by. For though he and Arius weren’t seen, they were felt—Lyle could sense it in everything from scent to expression.

They ended their journey by the small plaza where they’d met, but it wasn’t the surface of the park that Arius led Lyle to. Instead, they began to descend into the underpass that had caught Lyle’s attention that first night he’d been out. The light inside the underpass was a sickly, jaundiced yellow. The smell of gasoline and diesel emanated from the open mouth of the entrance and lingered on all the surfaces—roadway, walkway, walls and ceiling. Rainbow remnants of oil slithered and pooled between the white lines of the asphalt. Though the city kept the structure sound and (Lyle had to assume) safe, there was an atmosphere to the underpass that made Lyle’s skin shiver under his fur. Without realizing he was doing it, Lyle tucked his head and pricked his ears up and forward.

Wolf, en Garde Excerpt
© AF Henley, 2016

Blurb

Wolf, en Garde

Three years ago Lyle made a mistake that cost him his freedom, and almost his life. Now, sick to death of watching his father love the man that Lyle wanted, Lyle accepts an offer to leave Wolf, WY behind and see what life in Washington, D.C. can do for him instead.

When Lyle comes across a seductive, attractive stranger with a fascinating yet terrifying view of humanity, he’s more than intrigued. It doesn’t take Lyle long to realize that Arius isn’t just playing games, though, and when Lyle runs across a secret in Arius’ lair he has no choice but to flee, even knowing his actions will enrage Arius.

On the run, with only a psychic’s second sight and his own instinct to help him, Lyle has nowhere to go but home. The only question is, will they have him when he shows up.

Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Notes: Wolf, WY contains some explicit and violent content
Book 2 in the Wolf series

Purchasing Link – save 15% by preordering your copy today! Discount available until May 17th

The Giveaway

On behalf of the tour, please join the giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a sterling silver (nickel and lead-free) Howling Wolf charm bangle, a $20 Gift Certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market (free books!), and a signed, print copy of Wolf, WY.

For all the terms and conditions, please check out the t’s and c’s posted on the Rafflecopter.

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one winner awarded for the entire event.

A great big thank you, as always, to Cinderella Stories for having me back as a guest. It’s an honour and a pleasure to be here, and I can’t thank you enough for all that you do, as I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without you. 🙂

And another huge thank you to you, my friends, for reading and joining me. Best of luck with the giveaway and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Until next time,

AF Henley ❤

About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica.

A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012.

For more information, please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.

Books, books, books: Josh Lanyon Part I

Love is a Many-Colored Thing by Josh Lanyon (Author) and Johanna Ollila (Illustrator)

Oh.my.gosh! ❤ My book Love is a Many-Colored Thing by Johanna Ollila and Josh Lanyon arrived! ❤ It’s a coloring book for adult that I won over at Q&A with Josh Lanyon at Goodreads  during the Love Is a Many-Colored Thing – A Colorful Launch Party. It’s also a sort of Christmas present from Josh and Johanna (yeah, it takes that long for a package or letter from overseas to arrive here in our country).

The book I won comes with a set of colored pencils, btw.

A coloring book for readers of Male/Male and LGBTQ romance. Art inspired by the works of Josh Lanyon and brought to life by you!

 

Paperback, 56 pages

Published November 24th 2015 by JustJoshin

ISBN

1937909840 (ISBN13: 9781937909840)

Edition Language: English

             

 

Purchase Link:

 

And here is the colored pencils:

I took a snapshot of some of my favorites (only some of it because really, I can’t post everything, not sure that is allowed.)

This particular art was inspired by Stranger on the Shore. I’ve read and reviewed this one, having received an ARC from Carina Press, and it turned out as one of my favorite books of all time.

Stranger on the Shore

 (May 2014 release) [Goodreads]

Twenty years ago young Brian Arlington, heir to Arlington fortune, was kidnapped. Though the ransom was paid, the boy was never seen again and is presumed dead. Pierce Mather, the family lawyer, now administers and controls the Arlington billions. He’s none too happy, and more than a little suspicious, when investigative journalist Griffin Hadley shows up to write about the decades-old mystery. Griff shrugs off the coldly handsome Pierce’s objections, but it might not be so easy to shrug off the objections of someone willing to do anything to keep the past buried.

Purchase links:

B&N

Click this link to read my review.

Another favorite is the one from Blood Red Butterfly. Because. I love butterflies! Come to that, who doesn’t? And the center of the artwork was butterfly shaped, I thought it was clever of Johanna. ❤

I bought a copy of this book from Amazon way back and finished it in one sitting! Admittedly I have yet to write a review (hangs head in shame). I will soon, but will have to reread it first.

Blood Red Butterfly

Published February 17, 2013

Despite falling in love with aloof manga artist Kai Tashiro, Homicide Detective Ryo Miller is determined to break the alibi Kai is supplying his murderous boyfriend–even if it means breaking Kai with it.

Words: 28,834 (approximate)

Purchase links:

My next favorite is from Winter Kill. I’ve read this book as well, having won a copy from the group although I have yet to write a proper review. Argh. This book also went straight to my all-time favorite list and its spin-off, The Mermaid Murders, is kind of on top of that list.

Winter Kill

Published May 31, 2015

Clever and ambitious, Special Agent Adam Darling (yeah, he’s heard all the jokes before) was on the fast track to promotion and success until his mishandling of a high profile operation left one person dead and Adam “On the Beach.” Now he’s got a new partner, a new case, and a new chance to resurrect his career, hunting a legendary serial killer known as The Crow in a remote mountain resort in Oregon.

Deputy Sheriff Robert Haskell may seem laid-back, but he’s a tough and efficient cop — and he’s none too thrilled to see feebs on his turf — even when one of the agents is smart, handsome, and probably gay. But a butchered body in a Native American museum is out of his small town department’s league. For that matter, icy, uptight Adam Darling is out of Rob’s league, but that doesn’t mean Rob won’t take his best shot.

Purchase links:

Okay, I’ll stop here. Will probably post at least three more of my favorite art from the book tomorrow. Meantime… the story of how I won the book and the colored pencil.

To celebrate the release of Love is a Many-Colored Thing, the moderators had thrown a launch party. Calathea, one of the moderators of the group, asked us to color a mandala. Now, I disliked coloring when I was a kid. I did it once, saw my horrible, horrible work, and sworn off drawing and coloring for life. Lol. But because there was a color picker and I wasn’t going to do any drawing, I tried it, because, why not. Surprise, surprise, I had fun doing it.

Here are a few of my favorite outputs:

I roped my SO to color one, btw, and the fourth mandala (the blue one) is his.

Naturally, the other members produced much better output than me but it didn’t matter, for the first time I had fun coloring. I even made one patterned from  our “parols” or the Christmas lanterns here in the Philippines (the fifth one in yellow, red, and greens). The image below shows the collective result of our efforts [courtesy of Calathea who painstakingly made the patchwork tile :)].

It’s awesome, don’t you think? ❤ ❤ ❤

I sincerely enjoyed this activity all thanks to the moderators Calathea, Johanna, Nicole, Josh and all the members who participated the party. ❤

Since then I bought a lot of coloring books (as gifts to my godchildren, nephews, nieces, friends last Christmas and for their birthdays). And since then, I’d been coloring in my free time.

Still not that confident in showing my works though. Lol. 😀 And I’m not sure I already have the courage to color this book but yeah, maybe someday when I’d had enough practice.

And that’s it! Thanks for reading this entry. Lastly, thank you Josh for the generosity and your talent and thank you Johanna, for your wonderful art! ❤

Books, books, books! <3 Part One

Here is the list of books I’m currently reading, about to read, have just finished reading:

Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco

It begins with a body. On a clear day in winter, the battered corpse of Crispin Salvador is pulled from the Hudson River—taken from the world is the controversial lion of Philippine literature. Gone, too, is the only manuscript of his final book, a work meant to rescue him from obscurity by exposing the crimes of the Filipino ruling families. Miguel, his student and only remaining friend, sets out for Manila to investigate.

To understand the death, Miguel scours the life, piecing together Salvador’s story through his poetry, interviews, novels, polemics, and memoirs. The result is a rich and dramatic family saga of four generations, tracing 150 years of Philippine history forged under the Spanish, the Americans, and the Filipinos themselves. Finally, we are surprised to learn that this story belongs to young Miguel as much as to his lost mentor, and we are treated to an unhindered view of a society caught between reckless decay and hopeful progress.

Exuberant and wise, wildly funny and deeply moving, Ilustrado explores the hidden truths that haunt every family. It is a daring and inventive debut by a new writer of astonishing talent.

My copy: Paperback, Philippine Edition, 306 pages

Published 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Notes: Hubby bought this book for me over two years ago but I can’t seem to get past the Prologue. Reading this with PRPB and I’m hoping I’ll get to finish it this time.

 

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying of ALS – or motor neurone disease – Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final ‘class’: lessons in how to live.

My copy: Paperback, 224 pages

Published 2000 by Warner (first published 1997)

Notes: A reread. Bought two of this in December 2002; one for myself, one for my friend CJ as a Christmas present to her.

A Case of Christmas by Josh Lanyon

Christmas on Catalina Island–it’s just what the doctor ordered.

Injured in the line of duty, FBI Special Agent Shane Donovan is longing for a few days of peace and quiet. Some nice meals, a couple of good books, and maybe a bottle of the best. No family, no friends, no Fa la la la la…just a little time on his own to think things through.

But an offshore storm, a geriatric treasure hunter, and the guy who dumped him without a word two years earlier are about to unwrap all Shane’s carefully laid holiday plans.

My copy: ebook, 73 pages bought on Dec. 8, 2015

Published December 13th 2015 by Just Joshin

Notes: Currently rereading.

The Mermaid Murders (The Art of Murder #1) by Josh Lanyon

Special Agent Jason West is seconded from the FBI Art Crime Team to temporarily partner with disgraced, legendary “manhunter” Sam Kennedy when it appears that Kennedy’s most famous case, the capture and conviction of a serial killer known as The Huntsman, may actually have been a disastrous failure.

For The Huntsman is still out there…and the killing has begun again.

Published By: JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.
Published: Feb 29, 2016
ISBN # 9781937909826
Word Count: 68,441

Note: I pre-ordered this at Amazon:

Love is a Many-Colored Thing by Josh Lanyon (Author) and Johanna Ollila (Illustrator)

A coloring book for readers of Male/Male and LGBTQ romance. Art inspired by the works of Josh Lanyon and brought to life by you!

Paperback, 56 pages

Published November 24th 2015 by JustJoshin

ISBN

1937909840 (ISBN13: 9781937909840)

Edition Language: English

Notes: Won this over at Q&A with Josh Lanyon over at Goodreads along with a 24 piece Faber-Castell colored pencils.

I already received the colored pencils. Can’t wait for the coloring book to arrive! ❤

Purchase Link:

Perfectly Reasonable (Perfectly, #2) by Linda O’Connor

Margo MacMillan finished medical school, but in the process, her self-confidence and self-esteem took a beating. So for the sake of self-preservation, she’s stepped away from medicine to re-group. In the meantime, painting soothes her soul and pays the bills.

Trace Bennett set his sights on a medical degree and has to prepare the perfect medical school application. His big plan is to paint his condo for a little feng shui divine luck. When Margo shows up to paint, he realizes he’s found exactly what he’s looking for. He just has to convince Margo to share more than the art of medicine.

She’s got it. He wants it. It’s Perfectly Reasonable.

Purchase Link

Notes: ARC, done reading. Review to follow!

Perfectly Honest by Linda O’Connor

When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s ‘fiancée’ for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor.

Sam O’Brien, a.k.a. ‘Dr. Eye Candy’, is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down. But when his ‘fiancée’ helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, Sam might have done things a little differently because somehow his ‘fiancée’ ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted.

Lies and deceit— it’s a match made in heaven!

Notes: ARC, done reading. Review to follow!

Purchase Link:

 

Book Review: Jefferson Blythe, Esquire by Josh Lanyon

In this fast, fun and dead-sexy male/male new-adult caper from multi-award-winning author Josh Lanyon, twentysomething Jefferson Blythe gets lost, gets found, falls in love and comes out…all in the span of one wild summer.

After his first relationship goes disastrously awry, Jeff Blythe uses his savings to tour Europe—the old-fashioned way. Armed with his grandfather’s1960 copy of Esquire’s Europe in Style, Jeff sets off looking for adventure but finds much, much more than he bargained for…

In London, dodging questions from shady criminals about a mysterious package he most certainly does not have is simple. Losing the gunmen who are convinced he’s someone else is not. And when George, an old friend, offers him help—and a place to stay, and perhaps something more—things become complicated.

Is George really who he seems? And is Jeff finally ready to act on his attraction?

From Paris to Rome and back again, Jeff and George fall for each other, hard, while quite literally running for their lives. But trusting George at his word may leave Jeff vulnerable—in more ways than one.

65,000 words

Expected publication: November 16th 2015 by Carina Press

Purchase Link:

About the Author

Arguably the single most influential voice in m/m romance today, JOSH LANYON is the author of the best-selling and much beloved Adrien English series — in addition to over sixty titles of gay mystery, adventure and fantasy.

Josh’s work has been translated into nine languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first male/male title to be published by Harlequin Mondari, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads Favorite M/M Author Lifetime Achievement award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California.

My Review
Warning: Contains Spoilers
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading Jefferson Blythe, Esquire immensely as I’m wont to do when reading a Josh Lanyon book.

Jefferson Blythe, twenty two, is fresh out of college and is currently facing a crossroad in his life. His childhood sweetheart Amy broke off their engagement and, hurting, he went to a two-week vacation in Europe where he is supposedly spending four days each in London, Paris, and Rome using the money he saved for her engagement ring. 🙂

Equipped with his determination, his thirst for adventure, his fedora, his grandpa’s book [which Jefferson referred to as The Book, Esquire’s Europe in Style], a partial list of the places he wanted to see, and his old, battered suitcase (again, courtesy of his grandpa), he ventured to mirror the grand tour his grandpa made fifty years ago. The moment he landed at the Heathrow Airport however, things started to take a bizarre turn. From there, everything that could go wrong went wrong and half of his journey was spent getting kidnapped or trying to dodge someone who’s trying to kill him.

There’s a lot about this book that I love. It’s hilarious for one. Okay, so there’s nothing funny about getting kidnapped or getting shot at many times but his pursuers were. There’s nothing like someone dumb, greedy, plus a nutter getting together to make a story colorful. It’s clearly a recipe for disaster.

I loved the main character, Jeff, and I loved that Josh wrote Jeff’s story wherein he literally embarked on a tour in order to find himself. I loved what Josh Lanyon’s trying to say in this book: that life is a journey, an adventure we must savor and experience never mind that half the time we’re met with disasters (or one disaster to another). For what kind of life is it if we don’t experience both the good and the bad? ❤ Because in the end, it’s how we find out who we truly are. ❤

Mystery: check, humor: check, romance: check, adventure: check. So yeah, five stars for me. 🙂

Book Review and Giveaway: Wolf, WY by AF Henley

My Review
Warning: Contains Spoilers
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ½ out of 5 stars

What I love about Henley’s writing is his ability to make me laugh. Or cry. Depending on the scene of course. Wolf, WY did not make me cry but it did make me laugh out loud a few times because of Randy’s sense of humor.

The author AF Henley has a way with words. I loved how Randy described his thoughts (I did not mean how Randy articulate his thoughts on Vaughn and Lyle and their muscular and mouthwatering physique *laughs* although there is that of course. Ahem), his feelings, his surroundings.

I also love that Henley makes his character easy to relate to. No, I did not mean that I saw a neighbor of mine morph into a wolf like Randy did. Lol. But some of us do tend to run away. That, or at least we want to run away from our problems even if it’s just for a time (or from someone else the way Randy ran away from his ex-fiancé Avery). While we cannot all do a Randy and move to Wolf, Wyoming to nurse our heartaches, we could at least read a book. That’s what Wolf, WY is for.

I do wish there were more lovey-dovey scenes between Randy and Vaughn (maybe Henley can write a short story about the two in the near future *nudge, nudge. Poke, poke*) minus Lyle and the little tykes Hannah and Isaac though I must admit I loved them too. 🙂

On a side note, go check out the awesome giveaway. You still have five hours to join. 🙂 Good luck!

Blurb

Wolf, WY

There’s nothing like a fresh start, and for Randy, still nursing wounds left by a cheating ex and harboring a deep mistrust for all things corporate, Wolf, Wyoming seems like the perfect place to start over. Secluded, quiet, and self-sufficient, Wolf is bound to not only inspire, but to bring Randy the peace he needs. The view’s not bad, either.

Vaughn O’Connell and his family are Randy’s only neighbors for miles, and while Randy knows it’s somewhat unlikely that a man with three kids is gay, it doesn’t hurt to look. When a misunderstanding brings Randy face to face with both Vaughn and his eighteen year old son, Lyle, Randy’s not sure what to feel about either of them.

But things are not what they appear in Wolf, and the closer Randy gets, the stranger the O’Connell family seems…

Word Count: 70,000

Genre: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Notes: Wolf, WY contains some explicit content

Book 1 in the Wolf series

About the Author

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica. A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

For more information please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.

Purchase Links

Less Than Three Press

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

The Giveaway

On behalf of the tour, please join the giveaway by taking part in the Rafflecopter below. The prize consists of a ‘Wind & Fire’ paw print charm bangle (a portion of the sales from this “Charms For Charity Bangle” goes directly to Guiding Eyes For The Blind), a $20 Gift Certificate to the Less Than Three Press book market (free books!), and a signed, print copy of Wolf, WY. For all the tiny-whiny terms and conditions, please check out the t’s and c’s posted on the Rafflecopter.

** Please note that this giveaway is being offered tour-wide and there will be one winner awarded for the entire event.

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE:

Book Review: Baby’s on Fire by A.F. Henley

In 1974 Gerry Faun gets the break of his life—an opportunity to meet gorgeous, openly bisexual, glam-rock idol Mark Devon. Mark’s world is new, exciting, and Gerry finally gets to explore the side of his sexuality that he’s kept hidden. But the press is everywhere, and when Gerry’s father gets wind of what’s going on behind his back, Gerry ends up on the street. Mark offers to let Gerry come along with the tour and Gerry jumps at the chance. The tour is a never-ending party—and the start of what seems to be a perfect relationship for him and Mark. Until Mark’s manager decides Gerry isn’t worth the trouble he’s stirring up.

In 1994 Gerry is finally coming out of some tough times—he has a job that pays the bills, a car that hasn’t quite broken down, and a small rental in Jersey City. After a decade of barely getting by, if life was as good as it was going to get, Gerry figures he’ll manage just fine. It would be easier if he wasn’t still haunted by the man the media won’t let him forget, the man who stole his heart and then broke it… the man that’s shown up pleading for a second chance.

Gay Contemporary Romance
Copyright © 2015 by A.F. Henley
Published by Less Than Three Press
Please note: Novel contains explicit sexual content.

About the Author:

Henley was born with a full-blown passion for run-on sentences, a zealous indulgence in all words descriptive, and the endearing tendency to overuse punctuation. Since the early years Henley has been an enthusiastic writer, from the first few I-love-my-dog stories to the current leap into erotica.

A self-professed Google genius, Henley lives for the hours spent digging through the Internet for ‘research purposes’ which, more often than not, lead seven thousand miles away from first intentions but bring Henley to new discoveries and ideas that, once seeded, tend to flourish.

Henley has been proudly working with LT3 since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since—an indentured servant to the belief that romance and true love can mend the most broken soul. Even when presented in prose.

Comments, kudos and signature card requests are happily received at afhenley.com.

Purchase Links:

Less Than Three Press: http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=90&products_id=879

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Babys-Fire-F-Henley-ebook/dp/B00VN7FM7A

My rating: ★★★★★

My Review

Warning: Spoiler Alert!

Smokin’ hot.

I LOVED Baby’s on Fire by A.F. Henley. It’s my most favorite out of his works that I’ve read so far because of a lot of things, and well, also because it’s a “the one that got away” trope, a personal favorite of mine.

Gerry Faun or Fawn, as Mark Devon calls him, jumped into a messy situation wide-eyed. He did it because he knew it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, it will never pass his way again. Luckily for him, Mark Devon, aka Maxx Starlight reciprocates his feelings. Unfortunately, the person Mark was at the time made relationship for the both of them impossible. Twenty years later and Mark reappeared but for Fawn, it’s twenty years too late.

I loved the way Baby’s on Fire was written, I loved that AF Henley wrote the then and now alternately. When I reached the end of the book, I wanted to weep. Lol. I was frustrated, I wanted more. But not because the book’s ended with a cliffhanger but because I wanted to read more about Gerry and Mark.

I’ve reread Baby’s on Fire twice since April.

Book Review: A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager, Kristin Blackwood (Illustrator), Mike Blanc (Illustrator)

About the Book:

A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right–she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow: “Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” To which she answers: “Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast.”

Intended for 4- to 8-year-olds, this book introduces a type of family increasingly visible in modern society. Neither favoring nor condemning, it reflects a child’s practical and innocent look at the adults who nurture and love her. It becomes clear that the family bond is unburdened by any cultural discomforts.

Paperback, 42 pages

Published April 1st 2010 by Vanita Books

ISBN: 0981971466 (ISBN13: 9780981971469)

edition language: English

My Review

My rating: ★★★★★

Adorable. I have no other words for it. I loved the drawings, if only the dads had faces too. But I guess that’s not the point of the book. I know, I know. The point is, in its simplicity, it managed to convey that it didn’t matter if the little girl had two daddies, they are a family.

My most favorite part of the book is the last question:

Who is your dad when you’re sad and need some love?

and the answer:

Both, of course.

On point. At the end of the day, that’s what counts the most, isn’t it? Love.

View all my reviews