Thursday, July 16, 2015

Cover Reveal The Darkest Flame by Christina Lee


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25800383-the-darkest-flame

From the author of There You Stand, a new male/male romance about an errant motorcycle recruit and the captivating bartender who sends his wheels spinning down an all too tempting road.

Vaughn O’Keefe has been part owner of the Hog’s Den for years. Privy to plenty of Disciples of the Road business, he’s never been more ruffled as when a new recruit named “Smoke” walks through the door. Something about the man gets his blood pumping, but he knows to keep his preferences under wraps around the club.

“Smoke” Callahan has done a couple of rehab stints and is finally clean, thanks to help from the Disciples. He’s on the right path and isn’t about to get sidetracked, no matter how much the guy who manages the bar gets beneath his skin. Besides, his last relationship with a man left him scared, alone, and with a nightmare of an addiction.

When the Hog’s Den becomes shorthanded, and Smoke is ordered to help out the one man he can’t have, his longing for the bartender reaches blistering proportions. Vaughn figures a night together should be enough to satisfy their mutual attraction. But neither banks on just how scorching hot it might be.

As Smoke’s past unravels and the one person he hopes never to lay eyes on again messes with all he holds sacred, it’s time to involve the Disciples. Problem is, he’ll have to risk his membership, his heart, and his own hide to keep everyone he cares about safe


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #8 - 10 Most Recent Books


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish and well it's sort of self explanatory. Top 10 of a certain bookish subject. 

 Top 10 Books Recently Come Into My Possession:


Everbound - Brodi Ashton (purchased)
Etherworld - (Trade)
Elusion - (Trade)
The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss (ARC - Thank you Book Loft!)
Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo (purchased)
The Burning Sky - Sherry Thomas (purchased)
Strange and Ever After (Paperback) - Susan Dennard (purchased)
Jesse's Girl - Miranda Kenneally (purchased)
Breathe, Annie, Breathe - Miranda Kenneally (purchased)
The Orphan Queen  - Jodi Meadows (library)

Sunday, July 12, 2015

SST - Erica Cameron




Goodreads Link:

Synopsis (GR):
Nadette Lawson knows when you’re lying.

Every night for the past two years, the Balasura have visited her dreams, enticing her to enter their world. And every night she’s seen through their lies. Now, they’re tired of playing in the shadows and they begin to stalk her in the waking world. It’s no longer just an invitation; if Nadette doesn’t join them, they’ll take her family. Forever. She needs help, and the haven she’s seeking may be just out of reach.

Julian Teagan is a master of deception.

To survive, he has to convince the world his mother isn’t useless, that everything’s fine, otherwise he’ll lose what little he has left in this life. He knows the lying won’t be enough to keep him and his mother in the shadows, but it’s all he knows. The only light of truth is Orane, a Balasura who sees past Julian’s facade and challenges him to face the darkness.

Then Orane is killed, and Julian learns his mentor was far from innocent. The Balasura have hunted children like him for centuries, and their next target, Nadette is his one chance at finally being a part of something real. If Julian can just convince her to trust him…

About the Author:
After a lifelong obsession with books, Erica Cameron spent her college years getting credit for reading and learning how to make stories of her own. Erica graduated with a double major in psychology and creative writing from Florida State University and began pursuing a career as an author.

Erica is many things but most notably the following: writer, reader, editor, dance fan, choreographer, singer, lover of musical theater, movie obsessed, sucker for romance, ex-Florida resident, and quasi-recluse. She loves the beach but hates the heat, has equal passion for the art of Salvador Dali and Venetian Carnival masks, has a penchant for unique jewelry and sun/moon décor pieces, and a desire to travel the entire world on a cruise ship. Or a private yacht. You know, whatever works.

Her debut novel, Sing Sweet Nightingale, released March 2014 and it was the first volume of The Dream War Saga. In May 2015, Erica and her co-author Lani Woodland launched the Laguna Tides series with Taken by Chance.




What made you want to become an author?
One piece of advice that has been shoved down the throat of my generation is to find something you love and find a way to make money doing it, that way you won’t ever “work” a day in your life.

That’s why I became an author.

Who are some of your biggest influences?
Writerly influences? Honestly too many to name. I am not a very analytical reader, but I tend to absorb my favorite quirks and tricks from all of the books I read. Through something like osmosis, I guess, since it’s not something I consciously think about. The first author I ever obsessed over was Tamora Pierce. She is definitely my longest standing favorite author and, after finally getting to meet her at RT this year, she is also one of my favorite people. My first (very horrible) attempt at a full length novel was essentially Tamora Pierce fanfiction before I knew that fanfiction was a thing people did.

What are you currently reading?
I’m in the middle of beta reading for a couple of friends, actually! Tristina Wright has an amazing and wonderfully diverse sci-fi and Lori Gallagher has written a book of advice for fast-drafting! I adore Tris’s world so much (this is probably the eighth time I’ve read it) and I’m hoping to pick up some of Lori’s mojo from her advice book, honestly! I could use a new burst of speed with all the projects I have to finish before the end of the year! Next up on my TBR that you can actually read now are None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio and Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton.

Do you have plans for your next book already?
More than I know what to do with, honestly. There is a high fantasy trilogy that I would love to finish shaping (and I’m crossing my fingers that I get the chance soon), a two-book sci-fi concept that I kind of adore, an I-don’t-know-how-many-book thriller world, and a lot of different contemporary novels--most of them co-authored with Lani Woodland. As a reader my tastes are all over the genre spectrum, so my writing tends to follow the same scope.

The world you created is fantastic, how did you come up with the idea for the Dream War saga?
Thank you so much! The dreamworld evolved slowly, but it began with a single line from “Creation Lake” by Silversun Pickups: There are twenty-four parts of the day that divide me from you. My first question was, “Well, what about the twenty-fifth part of the day? What happens then?” In that instant, I had a world in which two characters could only meet once a day for a limited amount of time. The mechanics of the dreamworld--which I named Abivapna--and the personalities of the creatures who live there--the Balasura--were shaped by the needs of the story, by the movie What Dreams May Come, and by some concepts and assumptions I used in my first ever completed original novel. The rest of the Dream War universe is a twist on the Earth we know. Swallow’s Grove is based on the small upstate New York town my father grew up in (although it’s not located in the same spot) and the locations in Deadly Sweet Lies are places I’ve either lived or visited. For example, I put Nadette in the Fort Lauderdale neighborhood I grew up in and plopped Julian right off the center of Las Vegas.

For me, worldbuilding is half the fun of writing. Getting to either start with a blank canvas and play god or look at the world around me and tweak the bits I wish were different is wonderful. Luckily I got to do a lot of that for this series!

Will the conclusion to the Dream War Saga be released next year?
I don’t yet have a release date for the third book (which is not quite the conclusion of the series), but the first draft is written and was turned in earlier this year. Hopefully I’ll know soon and I promise I’ll update you all as soon as I have the information confirmed! I can tell you that book 3 will have one returning narrator and one new narrator--a character we’ve already met but haven’t had a firsthand account from yet.


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Carnival by KB Nelson Box Set Anniversary Release Day Sale

RELEASE DAY

Carnival: The Complete Series Box Set (Carnival, Carnival Nights, Amusement
by K.B. Nelson

AVAILABLE NOW!

In celebration of its' one year publishing anniversary, KB Nelson is celebrating Carnival with an amazing deal! For a LIMITED TIME only, grab this Amazon-exclusive box set of all three novels in the Carnival series for ONLY $0.99! 


Only $0.99 for a LIMITED TIME only!
     


Charlie should be packing her bags for college, but the life ahead of her isn’t one she’s certain she wants. Maybe that’s what led her to sleep with a perfect stranger at the county fair. Finding out he was a carnie was like winning the bonus round of the world’s worst game.

Blue grew up in the carnival, never staying anywhere long enough to call home. He never thought of himself as the type to seduce a local, let alone fall in love with one, but his impulsiveness got the better of him this time. He should go where the carnival takes him, but for the first time he’s not sure if he wants to follow.

When he makes the decision to stick around, Charlie eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole; into a world with no regard for consequences or regret. Most of all, he shows her that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling they can create and share. For a price. Because the higher the roller coaster goes, the faster it all comes crashing down.





 K.B. Nelson
I grew up on a farm in Ohio, but that's not very interesting, is it? When I'm not writing you can find me doing one of two things; getting lost on highways or getting lost in the lives of fictional characters. If my heart had two feet, one foot would be in romance and the other solidly in geekdom. I hope you'll all follow me on my journey through this carnival they call life. I promise there will be a happy ending. 

Find K.B. Nelson
Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Goodreads *





Don't miss out on this incredible deal! Three incredible stories for one low price!

Happy Publishing Anniversary K.B. Nelson!

Monday, July 6, 2015

ARC Review - All It Takes - Sadie Munroe

Title: All It Takes
Author: Sadie Munroe
Publisher: Sadie Munroe
Release Date: June 30, 2015

Format: E-ARC
Genre: New Adult
Rating: 3/5
Amazon

Nineteen-year-old Star Collins never intended to return to her hometown, Avenue. That part of her life ended when she was nine years old, and child services took her away from her hoarder mother. Her mother chose her stuff over her daughter. That part of her life was supposed to be in the past.
But her mother has just passed away and Star finds herself giving up her summer to quietly clean out her old home. She just wants to sell it and move on with her life. However, things aren't going the way she planned. With her dyed-black hair and tattoos, she's attracting almost as much attention from the small town residents as Ash Winthrope, the guy who was just released from prison.

All Ash wants is a chance to start over. He screwed up and he knows it, he's going to have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. But he's stuck in Avenue until his parole ends, and no one, not even his own parents, wants anything to do with him. Nearly out of money and completely out of options, Ash takes the only job he can, helping Star haul stuff out of her mother's house.

Neither of them expects anything to happen between them, or for their lives to change. But sometimes meeting the right person is all it takes.
 Thoughts:

 All It Takes is one debut into the NA world that I enjoyed. The story was unique because I haven't stumbled upon one that involved hoarding and have the plot centered around on how to deal with the aftermath in a case of hoarding. This topic right here was one that I wasn't sure if would have worked or not and in this case it definitely worked. Even the group of characters were unique, I mean yes they followed some of the few stereotypes that are typical with the NA genre and small town scene but it worked.

Star being one of the MCs has to deal with her mother's house after her mother has passed away and her mother having been a hoarder. Star is the type of character who knows she needs help to clear away all the junk but at the same time, she knows that she can't afford to get as much help as she needs, and she doesn't want the town to know. Overall Star is a strong young woman who has managed to overcome a lot in her 19 years and still knows that she has a lot ahead of her.

Ash on the other hand is trying to put his life back together. It was nice for his story to be told because it gave insight into another topic that I don't see much of in books. He too had a lot to overcome after moving back into town himself, after being away in prison for the last 5 years of his life. Both of these characters and the rest of the cast of supporting characters all played their roles in the ways that made sense and at the same time bugged me that some of them could be so self centered and judgmental.

The plot itself was original with all the hoarding and the being in prison, but what really got me was the ending because I didn't see that coming. Throughout the whole book I was thinking that really nothing major was going to happen and then the next thing I know, a major plot twist was thrown in right before the ending and made my brain go into overdrive trying to figure out what happened and what was going to happen.

Overall this was an enjoyable debut into the NA genre and I can't wait to see what Sadie has in store for her next novel.




Sunday, July 5, 2015

Book Review - On Solid Ground - Melissa Collins

Title: On Solid Ground
Author: Melissa Collins
Publisher: M.Collins
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Genre: Adult, Romance, LGBT

Format: Kindle
Rating: 5/5 
Amazon

When Jacob “Dax” Daxton returns home from war, he has to fight a new battle – the one to find his place in the world. The man who normally has a clear path to victory surrounded by brothers in combat is suddenly lost and alone. After meeting Beckett Ridge, a bearded tattoo artist, Dax’s journey begins winding down an unexpected path.

Still reeling from events that shook his foundation, Beck has never been part of anything meaningful. Now faced with responsibilities foreign and daunting, Dax’s broken spirit mends Beck in ways he never even knew he was destroyed.

As both struggle to find balance, they are healed by the comfort they find in one other. On the other side of chaos, they hope to find themselves On Solid Ground.
Thoughts: 

Holy wow! This book totally blew me out of the water so to speak. Both Dax and Beck are complex men and both have had pasts that hit me hard, especially when we see them in the present day and how they are. Dax having been in the army and is now back home, he suffers from PTSD and this was portrayed pretty well. Beck on the other hand has a lot of his own problems, including a sister in rehab and a niece who is under his watch. The chemistry between these two men is also some of the best I've encountered while reading. They just seem to mesh together so well and their relationship is one in which is completely believable and doesn't hurt that they seem to actually care deeply for one another despite everything going on in their lives.

The entirety of the plot was just as amazing as these two men are. The insight from both of them and their back stories was wonderfully written and gave so much and made me feel so much more for them and the struggles they were facing. All the way through the ending it kept me going from page to page and by the time that I finished the book I was crying.

There are messages hidden within this entire book and some very important messages they are. Everything about this novel was powerful and explosive and I didn't think a romance novel could do something like this. I may have picked this book on a whim and I am so glad that I did. This book has left an ever lasting impression on me and I won't forget about it anytime soon. May have just become one of my favorite romance novels of all time. I will definitely be reading some more of Melissa's works as soon as I can.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews


Bought:


Traded:

Etherworld (Thanks Xander!)
Elusion (Thanks Xander!)

E-Books:
On Solid Ground
Last Will & Testament (Radleigh University #1)
Coming in From the Cold (Gravity Series #1)
Falling From the Sky (Gravity Series #2)
Shooting For the Stars (Gravity Series #3)
Served Hot (Portland Heat #1)
Baked Fresh (Portland Heat #2)
Delivered Fast (Portland Heat #3)

Friday, July 3, 2015

A Perfect Love!

So y'all I'm super excited to announce the first of my new features that I will be unveiling here at The Guy's Side. This one is called A Perfect Love! Now for those of you who are wondering what on Earth this could be about, well I'll tell ya. Its about all those books who's couples aren't the "norm" and by that I mean any definition of the word queer, interracial, a large age difference, really anything that isn't the norm like I said. Here you'll find those books and those authors who write these books and couples.

So without further ado my very first showcased author and series (that's right, you're getting both this time!) is...Annabeth Albert and her Portland Heat Series! Keep on reading for an interview with Annabeth and a giveaway for one of her Portland Heat novels!*M/M romance novels mature content*

Portland Heat is a series of short novels that take almost no time to read but for as short as they are, they manage to pack a punch! Each one of the currently released novels was just as good as the next and had me wanting more. What made this series be my debut option for this segment? Well its a M/M romance series and the couples more than fit this feature. I don't know which couple is my favorite.

 
The Book: Served Hot (Portland Heat #1)
The Couple: Robby & David
Why: What makes these two have that factor; well Robby is half-Asian and you guessed it these two are gay. That isn't what makes their relationship perfect though. What I believe made this work so well is that these two have been attracted to each other and Robby is one of the most patient men, I've ever read about when it comes to waiting for David. They have a love that despite the ghosts of David's past; it ultimately brings them closer.

The Book: Baked Fresh (Portland Heat #2)
The Couple: Vic and Robin
Why: Alright I love these two and what they brought to the table, so to speak. With a 10 year age difference between these boys and the rocky past each man has on his shoulders, it's hard to see a relationship actually blooming. What is beautiful about this relationship is that it was originally intended to not end up as a full blown relationship. When it did I was happy because they are a balancing act for each other, Vic as a rock that Robin needs and Robin as the confidence that Vic is need of with all of his changes over the last few years. They comfort each other and are there through the good times and the hard times and that's what love is about, being there for your partner when you need to be and sticking it out because in the end love is worth it.
                                                   
The Book: Delivered Fast (Portland Heat #3)
The Couple: Lance and Chris
Why: Age difference is a huge thing here, with Lance at 22 and Chris clocks in at 35, and Chris isn't fond of the idea. He's also a gruff kind of man but he does mean well. This starts out as a relationship as a friends with benefits kind of deal, with nothing more supposed to happen but love has a mind of its own. As the novel progresses all Chris wants is for Lance to be happy and he doesn't think its possible for Lance to be happy with him because of their ages. Eventually he begins to see that age is just a number and love is what really matters in this case. Same with Lance he wanted to change his plans for love but realizes that he shouldn't have to because they have one of the strongest loves around.




Interview: 

1) Who was the hardest character to write about? 
In the Portland Heat series, each was difficult in their own way. Robin's painful backstory was challenging to my emotions for sure, but the black moment between Chris and Lance was also a scene that gutted me. 

2) Why did you choose to write M/M romance?
I didn't really set out to write M/M as a conscious decision. I had been reading a lot of m/m and then I got the idea for a book I HAD to write and it happened to star two guys. That book became TREBLE MAKER and from there my muse kept bringing me more and more LGBT stories. I think that I truly believe that love is love and that you have to write the book of your heart no matter who or what the subject matter. When you write what you love, it shows. And when you open your heart, you learn truths about yourself you never thought possible. 

3) What do you do about negative receptions about your books and decision to write them? 
I ignore them. I'm writing for the readers who love the books and for myself--I'm writing the books of my heart, the books my soul demands I write. I can't let the negative energy in. 

4) Favorite book and what are you currently reading? 
I just finished Leta Blake's TRAINING COMPLEX--it's the perfect follow-up to TRAINING SEASON. I have way too many favorites to list them all! But Marie Sexton's PROMISES was my first m/m book and the one I re-read the most. 

5) Can you tell us a little about what you're currently working on? 
I just finished Brady's book, KNIT TIGHT, about a barista and a male knitter who triumph over difficult family situations to find lasting happiness. Right now, I'm writing Perfect Harmony book 3 about a Country Singer and a male gogo dancer and it's so much fun. 

6) Where did you find the inspiration to write the Portland Heat books? 
Robby and David came to after I saw a prompt on the GRNW conference thread in 2013 asking for shorts involving common Northwest themes. The story then grew from a tiny short to a whole series involving everything I love about my region. 

7) Which of the couples so far is your favorite? I have to say I can't choose.  
 Whichever couple I'm currently writing is always the favorite. With Portland Heat, I love different characters for different reasons. Vic's struggle with his weight is near to my heart, while Chris and his cranky demeanor and heart of gold were incredibly fun to write, and Robby and David came along at a point when I really needed them in my life. I just finished Brady's book, and he too rapidly became a favorite. 

8) Has social media helped with the promotion of your books?  
I love connecting with my readers. It totally makes my day when someone reaches out and says they enjoyed the books! 

Giveaway: Annabeth was also amazing enough to do a giveaway for one of her Portland Heat novels!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Ramblings #2 - Me

This post won't be that exciting because like the title said Me. Yeah I know what you're thinking an entire post where I talk about myself how exciting is that going to be. Well lets find out how exciting it will actually end up being. As you found out if you read my last post I write like I talk which means bad grammar, circles, my own version of words but hey that's my point behind these posts, a chance to get to know me better and this one is hopefully going to do that for you.

So getting into it most of you know that I'm Brian and and if you follow me on Twitter (@bookishbrian) then you know that I work with horses. Well I love what I do with horses and all that fun stuff but life has a funny way of showing you what you actually want to do, from the encouragement of friends and family and former supervisors things change and I'll get to that in a minute.

Well this section is going to be a little history on how The Guy's Side came to be. I had graduated college in the spring of 2014 and ended up at home and working there for a while. I thought about attempting to blog but was never really sure because the blogs I had seen were impressive! So thankfully with my friend Samantha (look Sam I called you Samantha, twice!) and former supervisor and friend Deb from my college library (now its a university but it will always be DVC for me) they got me to start this blog and I have name changes for this and finally I have The Guy's Side and I love it the most out of the others! My friends were supportive of this blog because they knew that I was (and still am a crazy avid reader and have recs for them like its my job!)



What else is there to know about me? Well I'm going to do some telling in pictures in this section because I can't do all the talking. But a bit more talking and then you can see some pictures that isn't me rambling :p! I am a proud owner of some unlikely creatures, my little rats. Yes rats that's right! I also have the typical rabbits and dogs. I was a 4-H and FFA member (can you say nerdy kind of hick), I have the most amazing group of friends from DelVal who support my bookish antics and like I said earlier know that I have recs for them and some can say I give more than I should. You might actually get to see some of them on here from time to time with a guest review (Scott). Oh and if you ever want a Harry Potter, LOTR, Marvel, or Merlin or some other fandom chats I'm your guy! Alright I talked more than I thought I would have talked right now and I promised pictures! So pictures time!





















Well that's all folks for this rambling little piece and I leave you with Porky Pig signing off!


Thursday, July 2, 2015

Blog Tour - The Choice


 Title: The Choice
Author: Allison J. Kennedy
Release Date: May 23, 2015
Publisher: Booktrope
Format: e-ARC

Rating 4/5 Stars
About the book: How do you heal from your past when you're still trapped within it?

I lost myself the night of the party. Just like that, my innocence and my sanity were torn away.

I would like to say that time heals all wounds, but it doesn't. And I would like to say that falling in love is what rescued me, but it wasn't. Nobody told me what to expect in the coming days and weeks and months after conceiving a rapist's child. Years later, my wounds are still just as fresh as the night they were made. It would be so easy to disappear and allow the memories to consume me.

But that's the choice, isn't it? To live instead.

**This book contains rape triggers. Discretion is advised.
 Excerpt:

I squeezed the remaining water out of my hair with a towel as I stood naked before my bedroom's floor-length mirror. I examined a few bruises on my legs and one on my shoulder from where Tyler pinned me down with his elbow. They were yellow and purple and seemed to be fading. I touched them lightly and saw in my mind's eye the entire thing from start to finish, thankful that this time I didn't fall apart.
But nightmares followed me to bed that night just like before. Only this time, I didn't wake up from them. They plagued me from the moment I fell asleep until a sound outside jolted me back to life.
I lunged upright in bed, heaving for breath. Sweat trickled down my face and neck. The room was too dark; it was suffocating me. I reached for my lamp but it wouldn't turn on, so I darted across the room to flip on the light. The power was out. The tree outside crashed against my window with a gust of angry wind. I raked air into my lungs, pressing my back against the wall as I sank to my knees. I couldn't even remember what I had dreamt. I only knew what I felt.
My body shook with each sob, my bare legs hugged tightly to my chest. This all just needed to end. I felt like I was losing my sanity more with each passing hour.


 Review: 
Allison wrote this wonderful read. I know what you're thinking; how is a book about rape wonderful? Well it's wonderful because she wrote this about such a difficult subject and managed to not glamorize anything about it. This book managed to hit me right in the feels because I could feel the pain and the agony right along with her. 

May even ended up pregant with her rapist's child and all I could think of was what was she going to do. It is her choice after all and while this is never an easy subject to read or write about, it hit several points on this.

If you're looking for a book in which will make you feel and explores a subject that is almost never talked about then The Choice is the one for you.



About the author: Allison was born and raised in the mountains of Oregon, birthed of the crisp, clean air and rainy forests. She now resides in Oklahoma City, though she is still thoroughly attached to her home and finds much inspiration for her stories whenever she has a chance to return. As the spouse of a police officer and a full-time photographer, she is on her toes 24/7.

Purchase Links
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Choice-Allison-J-Kennedy/dp/1620158051
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-choice-allison-j-kennedy/1121089743?ean=9781620158050