Tag: @crazybookfanatk

Book Review ~ Broken Dreams by Deja Black

12/01/2021
Blurb:

A human, a wolf-sprite, and a Sandman. How could life for these three go wrong?

Darren Carpenter is running from his love of Samuel and his future as the Coimeádaí of a Sandman.

Samuel Tolliver just wants what he wants and is willing to raise a little mischief to get it.

Dailon knows he is more than human but has no clue what he is or what he needs.

But the Fates have a plan for them, even if family, friends, and fairy royalty must get involved.

When everything goes wrong, can they make it right again?

Amazon  |  Goodreads

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Release Blitz ~ Ache by Marley Valentine (Reviews + Excerpt)

06/24/2021
Ache Banner

Release Blitz & Excerpt:
Ache by Marley Valentine

ache marley valentine ecover 5

I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Gael Herrera, but I wish I knew how to make it stop.

Falling in love with a straight man is a rookie mistake. But falling in love with my soon-to-be-married-to-a-woman best friend is nothing but heartache.

Through all the years, and all the men I’ve fooled around with, he’s always been at the back of my mind. An unrequited crush I wish I could shake. A dream that was never going to come true.

When I whisk him off to a surprise bachelor party weekend in Vegas, I surrender to the idea that this is an opportunity for me to finally let go of my feelings for him and say goodbye.

But after a heated exchange and an even hotter kiss, everything I thought I knew about our friendship changed.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe, after all this time, we were more than best friends. Maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

Universal Link

Goodreads

Continue reading “Release Blitz ~ Ache by Marley Valentine (Reviews + Excerpt)”

New Release Review ~ Unburied by Various Authors

06/03/2021

Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction

Edited by Rebecca Rowland

Dark Ink Books (an imprint of AM Ink Publishing)

Available in print, Kindle eBook, and Audible audiobook

Release: June 1, 2021

ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-943201-50-1 ($26.99)

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-943201-43-3 ($19.99)

Library of Congress 9781943201501

280 pages

An asteroid miner recovering from an accident learns that the cure might be scarier than the trauma. A man discovers a mirror in an antiques shop that allows its gazers to climb inside and visit paradise. A teenager is haunted by the memory of a strange boy who appeared in his bedroom when he was a child. A future pandemic survivor is forced to make a terrible sacrifice in order to save the world’s gay male population. A cult survivor sees a man who reminds him of someone from the past and begins to lose a bit of his hard-earned control. An entity that exhibits characteristics of both angel and vampire tells its peculiar story to an anonymous confessor and potential lover in the shadows of an LGBTQ club.

Silent film actresses who haunt a Hollywood Hills mansion, mysterious beings who lurk in the closet, and witches who may or may not live under the bed: these and many other dark fiction entities from this twisted box of curiosities come together to serve the reader a cornucopia of chilling horror, sci-fi terror, and dark fantasy. In a bloody twist on the antiquated trope of “burying the gays,” sixteen established and award-winning genre fiction scribes from around the globe, including Felice Picano (Lambda Award nominee and co-founder of The Violet Quill), Greg Herren (Lambda Award winner and co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival), Daniel M. Jaffe (Rainbow Award and American Fiction Prize finalist), Robert P. Ottone (2020 Bram Stoker Award nominee), and Thomas Kearnes (2019 Lambda Award nominee), put forth a dazzling array of creature features, shadow fables, and dreadful delusions spotlighting LGBTQ+ characters.

Prepare to unearth your deepest nightmares.

For more information on authors and stories, visit the editor’s book page: https://rowlandbooks.com/unburied

Target audience/genre: adult, gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans, speculative fiction, short stories, horror, fantasy, science fiction

Buy Link: Amazon

Available on KU

 All proceeds from sales of the anthology during the month of June are going to Rainbow Railroad https://www.rainbowrailroad.org  if you’d like to include that detail to help the charity.

Continue reading “New Release Review ~ Unburied by Various Authors”

Release Blitz ~ The Ballad of Crow Sparrow by V.L. Locey (Review + Giveaway)

05/13/2021

 

ALL BUY LINKS

Cover Design: Designs By Sloan

Length: 74,337
Blurb

Sometimes a man’s biggest blunder can turn into his greatest triumph.

Orphaned at fourteen, Crow Poulin now has to hunt and trap the White Mountains of Arizona, as his father had taught him, all alone. It’s a lonely existence, until one morning, while checking his trap line, Crow finds more than a rabbit in a snare. He stumbles across the outlaw Jack Wittington lying half dead in the wilds. He takes the wanted man in, heals him, and in return for saving his life, the smooth-talking criminal invites Crow to join his family. Starved for human interaction and a father figure, Crow leaves the mountains behind for what he assumes will be a brighter future.

Six years pass. Crow is now a man, as well as a member of the Wittington Gang. He may be considered an outlaw, but his father’s morals are warring loudly with the lifestyle of his adopted family. When the gang decides to rob a train, Crow has no choice but to go along to keep a tight rein on the more bloodthirsty members. It doesn’t take long for the scheme to go horribly astray.

Instead of gold-filled coffers, the gang finds Spencer Haughton, son of cattle baron and railroad tycoon Woodford Haughton, cowering in the family’s opulent private car. The outlaws grab the sickly heir in hopes of ransoming him off. Things then go from bad to worse for them when the law rides down on the Wittington hideout and Crow is given Spencer to hide until the ransom is paid. The pretty young man is nothing at all like anyone Crow has ever met before. Delicate, refined, well-educated, and possessed of a singing voice to rival the songs of the birds in the trees, Crow slowly finds himself falling for the winsome rich boy. But can two such opposite souls find the love they’re both seeking in each other’s arms?

Continue reading “Release Blitz ~ The Ballad of Crow Sparrow by V.L. Locey (Review + Giveaway)”

Release Blitz ~ Hold Tight by Sue Brown (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)

05/05/2021

 

HOLD TIGHT By Sue Brown

Biker Daddy Bodyguards, Book 4

Price: $3.99

Universal link: https://readerlinks.com/l/1799593

Series link: https://readerlinks.com/l/1564675

Blurb:
Griff spends his evenings unofficially protecting the successful club owner, Jem Peacock, for the Biker Daddy Bodyguards. But Jem is a boy in need of a Daddy and Griff is desperate to take that job. He will wait patiently for Jem to trust him with the secret of his heart.

This young Daddy, all wiry muscle and compact strength, is not Jem’s type. But when Jem’s world implodes, Griff is the one by his side, guarding him, and offering Jem the chance to explore his little side. Jem has longed for a special kind of Daddy, one who loves a femme little. Is he too old to have his dream? Can he trust Griff with that secret?

To his fellow bodyguards, Jem is a client. To their community, Jem is a boy in need of a special Daddy. To Griff, Jem is a little to be treasured. Will Jem give him that chance?

 

Book 1: Hold Firm: https://readerlinks.com/l/1800454

Book 2: Hold Close: https://readerlinks.com/l/1554518

Book 3: Hold Safe: https://readerlinks.com/l/1564674

Continue reading “Release Blitz ~ Hold Tight by Sue Brown (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)”

Review Tour ~ Safe (In Midsummer #5) by Jessica Frances

01/15/2021
Title: Safe
Series: In Midsummer Series #5
Author: Jessica Frances
Genre: M/M Mystery Romance
Release Date: January 8, 2021
 
 

 

One big day. One missing groom. One answer. One life-changing event. One life-threatening disaster. Multiple targets.
Conner:
I never pictured myself getting married, but then I met Rocky and knew I found my perfect match. So, why are so many people determined to ruin our happiness? Why can’t we just have some peace and quiet? And why has Rocky disappeared on our wedding day?
Rocky:
I never thought I would get married again, but that was because I never knew what true love really was until Conner. I never had a true partner who was always there for me. And now I can’t wait to be married to him. I can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together. But, just like our entire relationship has had hurdles, why should this event run smoothly for us?
Between sabotage, grabby fans, exes, and an unwanted wedding planner, our wedding is looking more impossible by the minute. However, we’re both determined enough to get down that aisle and say I do. We will be married, and not even a crazed killer will stop us.
I hope.
Hell, are we going to survive this wedding?

 

Continue reading “Review Tour ~ Safe (In Midsummer #5) by Jessica Frances”

Review Tour ~ Secrets (In Midsummer #4) by Jessica Frances (Excerpt)

11/12/2020
Title: Secrets
Series: In Midsummer #4
Author: Jessica Frances
Genre: M/M Romantic Mystery
Release Date: November 6, 2020

One storm. One Santa Claus. One stalker. One secret. One surprise. One question. One answer.

Christmas is meant to be a jolly time of year, right? So, why is everyone acting like the plague is around the corner? Every year, I’m always the grumpy guy. Yet, this year, I might as well be sunshine personified.

Conner is definitely hiding something from me, River is unusually moody, and the townspeople have clearly lost their minds. Unfortunately, I can’t arrest everyone in my life and demand they explain themselves … can I?

Since my relationship with Conner is becoming more vital to me than ever, I need to find out what has everyone acting so strange. This Christmas will be the first for Conner and me together. I need to make it special. That means I have to ensure nothing can come between us. Not a Hollywood hunk, not a creepy stalker, and definitely not a snowstorm.

So, will we make it through our first Christmas together? Or will this end up being the worst day of the year?

Continue reading “Review Tour ~ Secrets (In Midsummer #4) by Jessica Frances (Excerpt)”

New Release Review ~ Sort of Dead by Rob Rosen

11/04/2020

Book Title: Sort of Dead

Author: Rob Rosen

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: October 31, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, Paranormal M/M Romance,

M/M Romantic Comedy, M/M Mystery

Trope/s: Ghost story

Themes: Redemption, unfinished business

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 65 200 words/ 182 pages

It is a standalone story.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Because sometimes it takes dying to have the time of your life.

 

Blurb

Nord wakes up to find himself sort of dead. Well, that is to say, he’s dead, alright—murdered, in fact—but not in heaven, at least not yet. In this limbo-like state, he meets Max and learns that everyone there is waiting for the final poof, hopefully to a better place. Only, with unfinished business back in the real world, like bringing his murderer to justice, Nord’s poof is nowhere in sight. And so, he and Max set out to find the killer and make things right again. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’re nothing more than a couple of randy spirits.

With the help of Voltan, a diminutive mystic with a predilection for turbans, and Clark, a nerdy computer geek eager to shed his loner past, plus a ghost accountant, Bruce, Bruce’s drag queen brother, Eve O’Destruction, and Nord’s kick-ass mom, the newly enamored pair set out to hunt for the murderer, and are quick to discover how much they’d taken for granted when they were alive.

In this hysterically funny and often poignant mystery about fate and love and family, it ultimately takes dying for our heroes to have the times of their lives.

Continue reading “New Release Review ~ Sort of Dead by Rob Rosen”

New Release Review ~ The Trapped Daughter by Jay Kerk (Excerpt)

10/31/2020

 

The Trapped Daughter
Jay Kerk
Publication date: September 12th 2020
Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller

Have you ever been trapped somewhere? I have.

Have you ever found that the world does not believe you? I did.

I have been betrayed by the people I trusted the most. They coil around me like snakes, lulling me with whispers about protection and safety and for your own good.

They offer up pills like sweets, promising me relief. Just take the meds and everything will be fine, Belle – the meds, Belle, the meds.

Everything will not be fine, and it never will be again. Justice is gone from the world. I have been wronged by Gabe, the man I loved most, and when I turned to others for backup, they sided with him because he’s a star. When I ran to my father for safety, he locked me up in his great big mansion and threw away the key. Now I drift like the ghost Gabe pretended I was, my bare feet tasting the coldness of rich tiles, my breath turning to ice.

Gabe isn’t real, they tell me. They insult me, they spit at me, then smile and pretend that they wish to help. Meanwhile, Gabe is out there, luxuriating in all that I won for him, and I suffer and burn.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

Continue reading “New Release Review ~ The Trapped Daughter by Jay Kerk (Excerpt)”

Audio Tour ~ Blue Moon: Too Good To Be True by A.E. Via (Reviews + Excerpt)

09/25/2020

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Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True
AE Via
Gay Romance
Listening Length: 8 hrs and 32 min
Narrator: Tim Paige
Publisher: Tantor
Audio Release Date: 08.25.20

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Blurb

Angel DeLucca is one of the most sought after gay bachelors in Virginia Beach. He’s smart, successful, lethal, and more than anything he’s drop dead gorgeous. When a one night hook-up goes terribly wrong, Angel comes into contact with the breathtaking Maximus “Max” Strong.

Max is a firefighter for the Virginia Beach Fire Department. Max is beautiful, charming, and also very straight. One meeting with the mysteriously sexy Angel DeLucca and a whiff of that silky, jet black hair, Max finds himself questioning everything he’s known to be true about himself. Max tries desperately to understand the new feelings he has for another man and turns to his gay, older brother…Ryker.

Ryker has always been Max’s protector and his guide their entire lives, which has left him feeling uncared for and alone to handle his own life’s problems. Ryker craves to be taken care of, he craves the attention and praise of a Master. No one knows the dark desires within him until Angel’s Chief of Security, Sebastian “Bass” Bagatelli, shatters that secret with their first intense encounter.

Contains mature themes.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/BlueMoonI

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Continue reading “Audio Tour ~ Blue Moon: Too Good To Be True by A.E. Via (Reviews + Excerpt)”

Release Blitz ~ Cocky Hero Club by Various Authors (Review)

09/13/2020
COCKY HERO CLUB
Release Date: September 13, 2020
Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward are excited to bring you the Cocky Hero
Club: original works from various authors inspired by Keeland and Ward’s New
York Times bestselling Cocky Bastard series.
BRASH BOSS
BY A.S. ROBERTS
NICO
Ruthless, unstoppable, downright relentless.

I know what they say about me,

And they’re right.

I’m Vegas, mafia royalty. I deal with business the only way
I know how, arrogantly.
But, in life listening to the matriarch of our family is
really all that matters.

However, settling down,

Getting married,

And playing it straight,

Just isn’t me.

But what Nonna wants,

Nonna gets.

BARBARA
The roll of the dice,

The flip of the cards,

I love it all.

The risk,

The chance,

The odds.

Which is why I’m here again,

In over my head,

Drowning in debt,

With no clear way out.

But when a sexy, commanding mob boss makes me an offer.

I can’t refuse.

After all,

It can’t be that hard being married to the Brash
Boss. 
But deals struck over money should never involve the
heart…
Purchase Links
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU Free in Kindle Unlimited

Blog Tour ~ Winds of Fear (Fearless Book #3) by Gledé Browne Kabongo (Review + Giveaway)

08/22/2020

Winds of Fear
Glede Browne Kabongo
(Fearless Series #3)
Publication date: October 23rd 2019
Genres: Adult, Psychological, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Their dark secret could destroy her family

When Abbie Rambally meets the couple next door for the first time, she’s convinced something isn’t right. Why are the Paynes so fascinated with her oldest son and why do they ask so many probing questions about him? Then Abbie’s loyal and dependable nanny quits without giving notice, and Jenna Payne is only too happy to step in and help out. But Abbie begins to suspect that the Paynes’ choice of neighborhood was no accident.

Though Abbie wants to believe she can trust her neighbors, too many things about the couple don’t add up. So when a stranger in a café calls Jenna by a different name and insists they’ve met before, one thing becomes clear. If Abbie doesn’t uncover what the Paynes are hiding, her family will be in terrible danger.

From an award-winning author comes the latest installment in the “gripping and powerful” Fearless Series. This nail-biting psychological thriller can be read as a stand-alone, and will leave you breathless until the final, jaw-dropping twist.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Continue reading “Blog Tour ~ Winds of Fear (Fearless Book #3) by Gledé Browne Kabongo (Review + Giveaway)”

Blog Tour ~ Blood Ties Series by K.L. Lamar (Review + Giveaway)

08/20/2020
Blood Ties
Blood Ties Series Book 1
by K.L. Lamar
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Great hitman, devoted brother, and reluctant father.
Jason finds out he’s going to be a dad, so he vows to leave his dangerous job behind, His good intentions evaporate like mist when his brother is murdered. All the clues points to two crime lords, but one wrong move and Jason is next.
He finds his moral compass has shifted when he delves into the underworld of crime during a war between the two biggest drug cartels of the north and south. Things become complicated when he learns that everything, he knows was a lie.
If you like author’s in the vein of James Patterson and Lisa Jackson, then you will love this new series by K.L. Lamar. Buy this exciting crime novel and read it now!

Blog Tour ~ The Horrors Hiding in Plain Sight by Rebecca Rowland (Review + Giveaway)

08/15/2020
The Horrors Hiding in Plain Sight
by Rebecca Rowland
Genre: Psychological Horror, Transgressive Dark Fiction, Short Stories
Three adolescent bullies discover that the vicious crime for which they were never charged will haunt them in unimaginably horrific ways; a dominatrix and a bondage fetishist befriend one another as one’s preoccupation grows to consume his life. A man persuades his wife to start a family, but her reluctant pregnancy comes with a dreadful side effect. A substitute teacher’s curiosity about a veteran teacher’s methodology provides her with a lesson she won’t soon forget. An affluent, xenophobic lawyer callously kills two immigrants with her car with seeming impunity; a childless couple plays a sadistic game with a neglected juvenile each Halloween. An abusive father, a dating site predator, a neglected concierge, and an obsessed co-worker: they are all among the residents of Rebecca Rowland’s universe, and they dwell in the everyday realm of crime and punishment tempered with fixation and madness. There are no vampires, zombies, or magical beings here; no, what lurk in this world are even more terrifying. Once you meet them, you will think twice before turning your back on that seemingly innocuous neighbor or coming to the aid of the helpless damsel in the dark parking lot. These monsters don’t lurk under your bed or in the shadows: they are the people you see every day at work, in the supermarket, and in broad daylight. They are the horrors that hide in plain sight, and they will unsettle you more than any supernatural being ever could.
Trigger Warning: 
Contains graphic violence (though not continually) including accidental death, murder, and suicide; sexual content, and occasional graphic language. Sexual assault is implied but not described in a graphic nature. No animals are harmed. 
3.5 Stars!

Wow, some of these stories gave me the chills, some weren’t my cup of tea but then others were just downright fun. Mainly, though, this book is filled with somewhat realistic horrors we may see or hear about on the news. It’s that realism that makes this book so creepy along with criminals and villains that are disturbing, unrepentant, and callous.

Unfortunately with this ARC, I did not get titles for the individual stories so I’m not quite sure exactly how to break this down but I’ll start by saying that the last story, “The One That Got Away” was definitely my favorite. It was more of a fun read that really played out in front of my eyes. Baby Jessica was quite interesting and the little twist at the end made it even more creepy. Elio’s Story was more of a revenge story that borders a bit on the paranormal possibly but was a good way to start the book off, not to mention entertaining.

“Richard Had Crossed The Boundary” was good but left me somewhat uncomfortable. Where I couldn’t help but kind of like the voice when reading “The One That Got Away”, in this particular story, I couldn’t stand Richard and it made his story more chilling.

C, L, and M or Class 315 (not sure of the name) was definitely not my favorite and Jesse and Rebekah’s story was one I definitely could have done without (A Sadist into extreme bondage and a Dominatrix).

Overall, I’d say that if you’re looking for fun yet disturbing this is the book for you. I didn’t mention all the stories in the book so you can make up your own mind about which is the best or the most chilling. There’s something there for everyone (at least for fans of horror or dark reads that is).

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***

Rebecca Rowland is the transgressive dark fiction author of the short story collection The Horrors Hiding in Plain Sight, co-author of the novel Pieces, and curator of the horror anthologies Ghosts, Goblins, Murder, and Madness; Shadowy Natures, and the upcoming The Half That You See and Unburied. Her writing has appeared in venues such as Coffin Bell, Waxing & Waning, and the
WiHM online collections The Ones You Don’t Bring Home to Mama and Final Girls with 20/20 Vision and has been anthologized in collections by Red Room Press, Transmundane Press, Forty-Two Books, Emerald Bay Books, Twisted Wing Productions, Thurston Howl Publications, J. Ellington Ashton Press, and Dark Ink. To surreptitiously stalk her, visit RowlandBooks.com.
$50 Amazon gift card
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Release Blitz: Never a Saint (Polished P & P #2) by Lila Rose (Reviews + Excerpt)

08/04/2020
Title: Never a Saint
Series: Polished P & P #2
Author: Lila Rose
Genre: MM Romance
Release Date: August 4, 2020

 

Blurb
Kylo Lee, prospect to the Diamond MC, makes a career shift
to help better his future. He doesn’t know it will change him in more ways than
one, and it’s all to do with a certain man who confuses and annoys him, while
sending his emotions wild.

Just when everything is falling into place, life takes a turn down a road where
Kylo doesn’t want to go. His past comes back to bite him in the ass. Pain
surrounds him and all that can make him happy is vengeance, and the man who
surprisingly still stands at his side.