Celebrate 2017 With My Favorite Book of the Year!

It's been a quiet year for me, blog wise. I've had a lot of personal issues, particularly related to my mental health, that have kept me from posting. One of the things that has gotten me through is doing what I do best, losing myself in a good story. Although I haven't written many reviews, I've read some fantastic books this year that have uplifted me during some of my darkest times. In order to ring in the New Year and give thanks for my many blessings, I'm asking you, my readers, to share the books that made the biggest impact on you this past year! I'm going to do my best to post a few of my favorites during this month as well, so follow along as I celebrate the gifts of inspiration and creativity. ~Carly

Touch The Sky by Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn: #CoverReveal @Christina_Lee04 @NyraeDawn

Touch The Sky

(Free Fall, Book 1)

by Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn

Release Date: March 28th, 2016

Genres: Contemporary, Gay (M/M), Young Adult, Romance

Lucas Barnett and Gabriel Stewart didn’t have it easy as kids. They were only trying to deal with bad situations at home when they became lifelines for each other. Their pipe dream was to someday meet in LA, where Lucas would design skyscrapers, and Gabriel would learn to fly. But then Gabriel disappeared without so much as a goodbye, and Lucas got himself in trouble with the law.

Five years later, both men are at a loss when they run into each other at a Hollywood bar. Lucas is still angry, but it’s not as if Gabriel could control how his mind and body had betrayed him. Being found on the ledge of that bridge had changed everything. 

The attraction is immediate, but it’s more than their inability to keep their hands off each other. Neither man expects the fierce connection pulling them together. Unfortunately, ignoring their problems doesn’t make them disappear. Gabriel’s internal struggles are serious…dangerous. And no matter how much Lucas wants it to be true, saving Gabriel won’t make up for not being able to save his mom. If they don’t find the strength to face their own demons before the darkness takes hold, they risk more than just losing each other forever.

My Hero: The Olympian by Max Vos - #GuestPost #NewRelase #Giveaway @Max_Vos_Author

Cover Artist: Alex J. Corza

The Olympian

(My Hero, Book 2)
by Max Vos

Length: 518 pages
Genres: Gay (M/M), Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

After a romantic evening, Rich and Johnny face the light of day as a couple. Johnny’s coming out forces them to face some serious repercussions as the world of collegian jocks adjust to their first openly gay football player. 

Rich is still working towards the World Diving Championships with his hopes and dreams set on the 2012 London Olympic Games, while as a couple they deal with concerns closer to home. 

With the support of friends and family, the young couple grow closer together, but with prejudices and adversity at every turn will Johnny and Rich be able to tackle the world together? 

No matter what, Rich will always be Johnny’s hero.

Aspect of Winter by Tom Early: #Review #Excerpt #NewRelease #Giveaway

Aspect of Winter

by Tom Early

Length: 260 pages
Genres: Gay, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

It’s hard enough being gay in high school, but Fay must also deal with hiding his magical ability—powers he barely understands and cannot possibly reveal. His best friend Sam is his only confidante, and even with her help, Fay’s life is barely tolerable.

Everything changes when Janus University, a college for individuals with magical capabilities, discovers the pair. When the university sends a student to test them, Fay and Sam, along with their classmate Tyler, are catapulted headfirst into a world of unimaginable danger and magic. Fay and Tyler begin to see each other as more than friends while they prepare for the Trials, the university’s deadly acceptance process. For the first time, the three friends experience firsthand how wonderful and terrible a world with magic can be, especially when the source of Fay’s power turns out to be far deadlier than anyone imagined.

Fiery by Alyssa Astra: #NewRelease #Excerpt #Giveaway @AlyssaAstra

Cover Artist: BSClay

Fiery

by Alyssa Astra

Length: 70,000 words

Genres: Transgender, Contemporary, YA, Romance

Aiden Adams, a transgender teen, begins writing in a journal when he moves to a new town named Ashmore and begins “passing." He is counting on everyone to believe that he is the every bit the male he appears to be. Writing in his journal helps him unclog his brain as he writes about the daily struggles he faces as a transgender teenager, his painful past that he is trying to forget, the new friends he is making, and the beautiful girl named Abby whom he has fallen in love with. Aiden has already come out to his open-minded mother, but will Abby be just as understanding?

When Aiden loses his journal, he worries that the secret he is trying so desperately to keep will come out. And if it does, how will everyone react? Will Abby be able to cope with everyone knowing that he is transgender? Will his new friends accept Aiden for who he really is—a boy—or will everything fall apart?

Finding Love Boxed Set: Newly Edited on ARe, Amazon & in Paperback!

Finding Love
Boxed Set of M/M Stories That Celebrate Pride
by Jamie Lynn Miller, T.K. Paige, M. LeAnne Phoenix, Carly Rose & D.C. Williams

5 Authors - 5 Stories - 1 Charity

The authors banded together with the goal of raising funds for The Trevor Project and the proceeds are being donated to help support their efforts to provide life-saving and life-affirming services to LGBTQ youth. The five full length stories share the theme of celebrating Pride, and are exclusive to Finding Love through September 2015.

His Fragile Heart by Jamie Lynn Miller

Do you believe in the power of love, even after death? After losing his lover in a car accident two years ago, actor Nathan Marshall wasn't interested in another relationship. Until he meets waiter Justin Kowalski. Something about him seems so familiar that Nathan is instantly drawn to the younger man. Surprised at his capacity to love again, his relationship with Justin blossoms. But then an unbelievable truth is revealed - one that could break both their hearts for good.

Through New Eyes by T.K. Paige

Roommates Jed and Doyle have been best friends since meeting in college. Now that they've graduated and are starting new jobs they have no intentions of letting that change anything. Doyle is everything Jed isn't, smart, cute and active at the LGTB center. Jed has always looked out for his friend and been there for him. They have plans and an amazing relationship, everything planned out to the smallest degree. Any changes could make it all go off the rails. So why can't Jed get over how annoying he finds Doyle's ex turned friend, who seems to be around way too often? Why can't he stop noticing Doyle in new ways? If Jed doesn't take a risk, he could miss what's been there all along.

Iridescent (An Angels All Fire Series Short) by M. LeAnne Phoenix

Best friends, trusted confidants, partners in crime— call it what you like, Phai and Jen have been two halves of a whole ever since they met just over five years ago. The trouble is, that while Phai is falling more in love with his best friend every day, Jensen Whitfield seems content to call him brother. Hephaistion Amyntoros has faced many challenges during his long, long life, but the idea of confessing his heart’s desire to Jen and discovering that he doesn’t feel the same, terrifies him... but what happens if he does share his feelings? When the whole of Phai's past rages into blistering life, ready to consume the very sun, Phai must focus on getting them out alive. Will they emerge from the fire intact or will the love in his life burn like a supernova once more?

Unexpectedly Lucky (The Bradford Boys, Book 1) by Carly Rose

Lincoln and Ryan have been best friends since the fifth grade. Their friendship has always been effortless, but a single night of passion threatens to change everything. Will the emotional fallout drive them apart or will they be lucky enough to find love unexpectedly?

What the Heart Wants by D.C. Williams

Will has just graduated from high school and is struggling with coming out. A surreptitious visit to NYC Pride brings Kev into his life. Will is immediately attracted to Kev, but they're separated by a huge age difference, and Will is still coming to terms with himself. Their friendship grows over the course of a year, but can it become more?

Helping Hand by Jay Northcote: #Review #Excerpt #NewRelease #Giveaway @jay_northcote

Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

Helping Hand

by Jay Northcote

Length: 33,000 words

Genres: Gay (M/M), Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Wanking with a mate isn’t gay—as long as you keep your hands to yourself.

Jez Fielding and James MacKenzie—Big Mac to his mates—are in their second year at uni. After partying too hard last year, they make a pact to rein themselves in. While their housemates are out drinking every weekend, Jez and Mac stay in to save cash and focus on their studies.

When Jez suggests watching some porn together, he isn’t expecting Mac to agree to it. One thing leads to another, and soon their arrangement becomes hands-on rather than hands-off. But falling for your straight friend can only end badly, unless there’s a chance he might feel the same.

The Geek and His Artist by Hope Ryan: #Review #GuestPost #Giveaway

The Geek and His Artist

by Hope Ryan

Length: 320 pages

Genres: Gay (M/M), Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Can Simon let go of his fear and have love, family, and a normal life with Jimmy?

Simon Williams spends his lunch periods drawing his geek and trying not to think about the nightmare waiting for him at home. He needs to get away from his abusive father before he suffers the same fate as his mother. He's counting the days until his eighteenth birthday because he's learned the hard way running away doesn't work and he can't trust child services. 

Jimmy Bennet should be studying at lunch. He doesn't want to screw up his senior GPA and possibly college. But he can't seem to focus thanks to his distracting artist. When he's given the opportunity to tutor Simon in Trig and discovers Simon’s home-life nightmare, he wants nothing more than to get Simon out of danger. That only gets more desperate as he falls further in love with Simon and finds the feelings returned, especially when Simon comes to school the Monday after their first date with bruises. It's not until he gets a call from Simon in the hospital with a broken leg that he can finally convince his boyfriend the Bennets really want him. 

Finally safe, Simon can focus on finishing high school, applying for college, working on his new relationship and planning for prom. But the danger he thought was past shows up at the most unexpected time and Simon must now stand up to the fears he's held so long to protect not only himself, but the man he wants to spend his life with.

Love Spell by Mia Kerick: #GuestPost #Review #Giveaway @MiaKerick

Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

Love Spell

by Mia Kerick

Release Date: June 1, 2015

Length: 44,300 words

Genres: Gay Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Strutting his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug orange tuxedo as this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon feels so very right to Chance César, and yet he knows it should feel so very wrong. 

As far back as he can remember, Chance has been “caught between genders.” (It’s quite a touchy subject; so don’t ask him about it.) However, he does not question his sexual orientation. Chance has no doubt about his gayness—he is very much out of the closet at his rural New Hampshire high school, where the other students avoid the kid they refer to as “girl-boy.”

But at the local Harvest Moon Festival, when Chance, the Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue, the Pumpkin Carving King, sparks fly. So Chance sets out, with the help of his BFF, Emily, to make “Jazz” Donahue his man. 

An article in an online women’s magazine, Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You (with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure), becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart. 

Quirky, comical, definitely flamboyant, and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.

Love Spell by Mia Kerick: #CoverReveal #Excerpt #Giveaway

Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

Love Spell

by Mia Kerick

Release Date: June 1, 2015

Length: 44,300 words

Genres: Gay Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Strutting his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug orange tuxedo as this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon feels so very right to Chance César, and yet he knows it should feel so very wrong. 

As far back as he can remember, Chance has been “caught between genders.” (It’s quite a touchy subject; so don’t ask him about it.) However, he does not question his sexual orientation. Chance has no doubt about his gayness—he is very much out of the closet at his rural New Hampshire high school, where the other students avoid the kid they refer to as “girl-boy.”

But at the local Harvest Moon Festival, when Chance, the Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue, the Pumpkin Carving King, sparks fly. So Chance sets out, with the help of his BFF, Emily, to make “Jazz” Donahue his man. 

An article in an online women’s magazine, Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You (with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure), becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart. 

Quirky, comical, definitely flamboyant, and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.

The Ragnarok Chronicles by Nicki J. Markus: #Excerpt #Giveaway @NickiJMarkus

The Ragnarok Chronicles

Nicki J. Markus

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mythology, M/F, Romance, Young Adult
(Not recommended for readers under 16 years of age.)

For Ragnarok will be completed....

Nothing marks Cassandra out—except her visions. She’s only ever seen small, insignificant things. That is until the strange frost arrives.

With her normal life turned upside down, Cassandra is plunged into an extraordinary and terrifying world of Norse gods and rampaging giants, ancient feuds and broken prophecies.

A handsome stranger offers aid. But can Cassandra really trust him? More importantly, can she trust her own judgment when his slightest touch sets her heart and her body aflame?

A Message From Me & Reviews of The Transitions Series by Will Parkinson

The Transitions Series
by Will Parkinson

Genres: Young Adult, M/M, Contemporary, Romance

As young people transition to adulthood they are faced with many choices. To continue school. To get a job. To start a family. 

What happens when some of those choices are taken from you? Be it by accident or design, life doesn’t always go the way we plan.

Taylor Andrews never dreamed he would meet someone like Jackson Kern. Benny Peters never imagined falling in love with Addy Dean.

Two different couples, each with an abiding love and understanding of what it will take to make it work, despite insurmountable odds.

Descent by L.A. Starkey: Cover Reveal @LAStarkey @XpressoReads

Cover Designer: 99Designs.com

Descent

(Soul Keeper, Book 3)

by L.A. Starkey

Expected Publication: January 2015

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult, Suspense

The path of truth lies hidden deep,

To find the light the climb is steep.

But in despair resolve is sound,

What once was lost will now be found.

All is lost and the prophecy seems null and void. Samantha is dead to the living world, and Marcus and Nicolas completely destroyed, but things aren’t always as they seem. To save the one they love, the boys will have to traverse the Descent, a darkness that all will enter and few will ever leave. The interference of gods and goddesses on the chessboard of blood has left the door open for a new player to enter the scene, and she holds the most powerful gift of all—sacrificial love.

Will the exit clause be invoked, dissolving of the chain that binds the trio together?

Will the Descent be the final setting for their love story or will they rise again?

As the curtain draws closed on this tale of old, who will rise and who will fall?

And what if their choice is no choice at all?

Deceived by L.A. Starkey: Review, Guest Post, & More!

Deceived

(Soul Keeper, Book 1)

by L.A. Starkey

Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA, Suspense

They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose? 

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.

Review: Hope and Love Anthology

Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing are proud to present the debut of their YA/NA collection of LGBTQ short stories, a multi-author anthology featuring best-selling authors in the genre. The Hope & Love Anthology, a LGBTQ Charity Collection, will be available September 26, 2014 at Amazon.com!

Hope and Love is a donation anthology to benefit the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center from various authors around the world that want to see them, and other centers like theirs, prosper and grow! That starts with hope. It’s what LGBTQ Centers all over the world give us, the hope, the community, the care and education we need in a world that is often hate filled, fearful of the unknown, and downright scary. When first introduced to community many of us rejoice as it’s often the first time we’re able to be out and be our true selves without fear or shame. This anthology is for the benefit of one such center, one that touches many, many lives, and like others, needs help and nourishment as well. Centers like the MKE LGBT Community Center depend on the love and support of others so that they may help and support us. Within this collection of stories, you will find hope, family, love, and community. Take a chance on a new author or one of your beloved… read, enjoy, and know that you are helping children, adults, teens, and elderly alike in our greater LGBTQ community!

*100% of the income from this volume goes directly to The MKE LGBT Community Center in Milwaukee, WI USA*

Claimed by Light by Reese Monroe: Guest Post

Claimed by Light

(Bound by Hades, Book 3)

by Reese Monroe

Forgiveness softens even the hardest of hearts…

College senior Slade Bennet is so close to his degree he can taste it…until his sister becomes tangled with a coven of demons and he must trade his soul to save her. But first he must kill the assigned target: a sexually charged beauty who ignites his protective instinct.

After the devastating loss of her Companion, the last thing Halena Girard can stomach is the emotional connection to a Mate. She lives for only two things: vanquishing demons, and seeking Artifacts rumored to lead to Lucifer’s downfall. That is, until she’s attacked by a…frat boy? Worse, a newly-demonic frat boy wearing the mark of her Mate. 

Halena would rather kill Slade than give him her heart. Unfortunately, the only way Slade can find his sister and Halena the Artifacts is to work together. As they face the darkest of evil, Slade’s ability to crush Halena’s carefully erected walls might prove to be the most lethal battle of all.

Hope & Love Anthology - a LGBTQ Charity Collection: COMING SOON!!

Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing are proud to present the debut of their YA/NA collection of LGBTQ short stories, a multi-author anthology featuring best-selling authors in the genre. The Hope & Love Anthology, a LGBTQ Charity Collection, will be available September 26, 2014 at Amazon.com!

Hope and Love is a donation anthology to benefit the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center from various authors around the world that want to see them, and other centers like theirs, prosper and grow! That starts with hope. It’s what LGBTQ Centers all over the world give us, the hope, the community, the care and education we need in a world that is often hate filled, fearful of the unknown, and downright scary. When first introduced to community many of us rejoice as it’s often the first time we’re able to be out and be our true selves without fear or shame. This anthology is for the benefit of one such center, one that touches many, many lives, and like others, needs help and nourishment as well. Centers like the MKE LGBT Community Center depend on the love and support of others so that they may help and support us. Within this collection of stories, you will find hope, family, love, and community. Take a chance on a new author or one of your beloved… read, enjoy, and know that you are helping children, adults, teens, and elderly alike in our greater LGBTQ community!

*100% of the income from this volume goes directly to The MKE LGBT Community Center in Milwaukee, WI USA*

Stone of Destiny by Laura Howard: Review

Stone of Destiny

(The Danaan Trilogy #2)

 by Laura Howard

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Allison thought it was crazy enough when she found out her father, Liam, wasn’t entirely human. But now she has to join his magical allies to unravel his former mistress’s plans. Aoife wants to keep Allison’s parents apart forever.

Despite Allison’s efforts to keep Ethan, the only guy she’s ever cared about, out of this supernatural mess, fate keeps throwing him back into the mix.

Will Allison be able to find the amulet that holds the enchantment Aoife placed on Liam and destroy it? Are Ethan’ s feelings for Allison strong enough to endure the magic of the Tuatha De Danaan?