Monthly Archives: January 2012

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Giving In (Wanting #2) by Piper Vaughn [CONTEST CLOSED]

70 Comments

Many thanks to Piper Vaughn for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Giving In (Wanting #2), for a lucky commenter to win! Giving In will be released by Less Than Three Press on February 8.

It’s Jonah and Laurie’s first Valentine’s Day. What could be a better way to celebrate than with a little kinky superhero role-play? According to Laurie, pretty much anything. Bummed, but unwilling to pressure his boyfriend into something he doesn’t want to do, Jonah resigns himself to celebrating a more traditional Valentine’s Day. But Jonah isn’t the only one who hates to see his boyfriend unhappy…

Other Books

About Piper

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book – fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a thousand book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book. You can find out more about Piper at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and joint blog with M.J.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Tuesday, February 7.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Hey! Whatcha doing, Mom?! Can I see?!!” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the 105th (Starey Glarey Guy)

16 Comments

Welcome to another edition of the Misadventures in Stock Photography! Today we’ll be meeting Starey Glarey Guy (SGG). (Don’t forget that you can hover your mouse pointer over the covers to see how I used the titles in the Misadventure.)

felt that

was the

, as it allowed him both the

and the

of the

so he could

, who reminded him how important it was to

and beware

– succumbing to that

would only lead to

and

.

Ah, it’s been a while since I had a good run-on Misadventure! 🙂

*miffed* -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Leave it to linkity

16 Comments

Congrats to Tracy F, who won A Life Without You (Boston Boys #1) by Erica Pike!

Congrats to Elisheva CN, who won The Yearning by AJ Rose! The Yearning is being released today by MLR Press.

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Cookity

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

  • Gah! (Thanks?!?, Jeanne!)

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Something Different by S.A. Reid. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a guy in a loveless marriage who’s merely going through the motions of life. When he goes to the park in search of a prostitute because he desperately needs something different to happen in his life, he’s surprised yet strangely intrigued to be picked up by a young man. (Because this story starts with infidelity, it isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste.)
Texas Winter (Texas #2) by RJ Scott. ebook. Very good m/m romance continuing the story of Jack and Riley, in which Riley gets some life-changing news.
Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper. ebook. arc. Very good humorous m/m romance about a slutty but goodhearted college student who’s just realizing that his habit of seducing straight guys has gotten him a bit of a reputation. Maybe it’s time for a change…
Tomfoolery by Lou Harper. free ebook short. arc. Cute free short paranormal m/m romance about a computer programmer who thinks he’s going crazy because his stuff isn’t in exactly the same place when he gets home from work as when he left in the morning…
Permanently Legless by JL Merrow. ebook short. Funny yet sweet short m/m romance about a guy who came back from Afghanistan without his legs and runs into a gorgeous young man he’d screwed right before shipping out.
After Dark (After #1) by Luisa Prieto. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a guy who’s unable to mourn his brother’s death for various reasons – particularly since his brother doesn’t seem to be completely dead…
After Midnight (After #2) by Luisa Prieto. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance continuing the story of the mage and the werewolf started in After Dark. Please note that this ends with a mild cliffhanger and the next book is still in draft form. Also, Luisa is working on revised and expanded versions of this and the first book.
Choices by Penny Brandon. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s shown the love of his life in a magical mirror and is shocked to discover that the love of his life is a man, seeing as he isn’t gay…
Relearning the Ropes by DC Juris. ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance about a dom who inherits a fulltime sub when his friend dies and finds he has to reevaluate how he deals with the young man. This really needed to be longer for the amount of potential story!
Deconstruction by Kit Zheng. ebook. Good kinky m/m mystery about a stripper who lives with his cop boyfriend and turns tricks on the side to help make the mortgage. But things aren’t going the greatest for them right now as secrets build up between them…
All Bets Are Off by Marguerite Labbe. ebook. Good m/m romance about a college professor who gets involved with a student before he knows the guy is a student. Will he be able to resist temptation as his department head tries to get rid of him and someone keeps rummaging through his stuff? I’m not exactly sure why, but I never got emotionally invested in this book.
Broken by Jessica Freely. ebook. Good m/m romance about a naive, closeted, yaoi-loving enforcer who works for his mobster brother. Things start to fall apart for him when he becomes entranced by a prostitute his brother has just purchased from China.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Cinder (A CinderFella Story) by Marie Sexton [CONTEST CLOSED]

101 Comments

Many thanks to Marie Sexton for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m fairy tale romance, Cinder (A CinderFella Story), for a lucky commenter to win! Cinder will be released by Silver Publishing on February 4.

It’s all fun and games until somebody loses a shoe…

Eldon Cinder would give anything to see Prince Xavier one last time, but only women are invited to the royal ball. When the local witch offers to make Eldon female for just one night, he agrees.

One spell. One night. One dance.

What could possibly go wrong?

Other Books

About Marie

Marie Sexton was always good at the technical aspects of writing but never had any ideas for stories. After graduating from Colorado State University, she worked for eleven years at an OB/GYN clinic. She quit the clinic at about the same time she started reading M/M romances. At some point in the ensuing months the static in her head cleared and her first story, Promises, was born.

Marie lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

You can learn more about Marie and her books at her website.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Friday, February 3.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Ha! I am in Mom’s lap and May is not! Ha!!” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Fall into the Sun by Val Kovalin [CONTEST CLOSED]

70 Comments

Many thanks to Val Kovalin for donating five ebook copies of her forthcoming m/m romance, Fall into the Sun, for five lucky commenters to win! Val will release Fall into the Sun on January 30.

They should have spent the past 22 years together, but life took some unexpected turns for Bobby Gallegos and Alejo Sandoval. Heartbreak and rejection can harden the hearts of two passionate, stubborn men. One, deeply devout, wanted to attend college. One, who perfected a tough act to deceive his brothers, might have followed his dad to prison. Now, at 40 years old, they maintain a long-distance relationship as sex buddies, who don’t quite trust each other.

Their lives have sharply diverged. One is now divorced with two teenagers, who bring him joy and despair. One has just had a near-death experience on the job. When Bobby returns to Albuquerque, he will use sex, persuasion, and memories of their shared past to try to convince Alejo to take a chance on him and reach for the future together that they were meant to share.

Excerpt

Also Available

About Val

I’m what you might expect – female, married, and an avid reader. I like humor, strong plots, and complicated characters, and I hope to offer you the same. I deeply appreciate readers for giving my books a try and especially for taking the time to write a review. If I avoid commenting, or expressing direct thanks for a review, it is only to respect the readers’ privacy to discuss books without author interference. I love feedback and I learn from all my reviews. Feel free to email me at veekay2000 [at] gmail [dot] com, and thanks for reading!

You can visit Val at her blog and at her website.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Friday, February 3.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“You really should be more considerate when we kitties are trying to sleep.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: The Decisions We Make by RJ Scott [CONTEST CLOSED]

62 Comments

Many thanks to RJ Scott for donating an ebook copy of her freshly released young adult m/m romance, The Decisions We Make, for a lucky commenter to win!

Daniel Keyes is an orphan, fostered by the Walkers. The product of a lonely childhood, he is thrown into the chaos of the Walker family and into the life of his new foster brother Jamie. This story is the journey of Daniel and Jamie finding their place in the world. Through Jamie being a victim of hate crime to coming out to family and friends, there are many decisions the boys have to make before they become men.

Excerpt (scroll down)

Other Books by RJ

About RJ

RJ Scott lives in the Chiltern hills just outside London, England. She loves reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror; however, her first real love will always be the world of romance. Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and more than a hint of happily ever after.

She is published with Silver Publishing an-d Dreamspinner Press and was nominated in the Love Romance Cafe Awards of 2010 as Best GLBTQ Author, for Best Gay Paranormal / Horror (Oracle) and as Best Paranormal Author. Oracle was also nominated for Best Gay Paranormal / Horror 2010 in Elisa Rolle’s Rainbow Awards and was awarded an Honorable Mention (5th). RJ’s contemporary romance, The Christmas Throwaway, remained at number one on Amazon and at All Romance over Christmas and into the New Year. She cannot believe how lucky 2010 was for her and her foray into the world of MM writing.

RJ writes across all the genres, but if pushed she says she enjoys writing contemporary romance over the rest. Her newest release, Back Home, has already received favourable reviews on the Silver site and on Goodreads.

You can find out more about RJ and her books at her website, on Facebook, and via Twitter.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Friday, February 3.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“I was sleeping, Mom!” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: All the Gear, No Idea by Kim Dare [CONTEST CLOSED]

58 Comments

Congrats to Joanie, who won King’s Conquest (Mending the Rift #1) by Valentina Heart! King’s Conquest was released on January 21 by Silver Publishing.

Congrats to Dee, who won Tailor Made by Josephine Myles! Tailor Made was released by Amber Allure on January 22.

Many thanks to Kim Dare for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming kinky m/m romance, All the Gear, No Idea (I Blame Brett #2), for a lucky commenter to win! All the Gear, No Idea will be released on February 1 by All Romance eBooks.

Can Brett really succeed in matching kinky up strangers perfectly, two Valentines Days in a row? He’s going to have a damn good try.

Twelve months ago, Brett had a great time setting up his master’s friend Jack with his own friend, Ricky. When he sees a new novice sub walk into the club – one who obviously has all the gear and no idea – Brett is instantly convinced that he would be the perfect guy to compliment McCormack’s hard core attitude.

McCormack’s not impressed. Theo is damn near terrified. Can clueless and hardcore live happily ever after? It’s time to find out.

Kim’s Other Books

About Kim

Kim Dare is a twenty-eight year old full time writer from Wales (UK).

First published in December 2008, Kim has since released over fifty BDSM erotic romances. That means that well over one hundred characters have chattered away inside her head during that time – and that’s not even taking into account the fact that there are over three times that number of people clamouring in the wings for a chance to tell their stories. It’s no wonder she loses track of what’s happening in the “real” world at times…

While Kim’s stories range over male/male, male/female and all kinds of menage relationships and have included vampires, time travellers, shape-shifters and fairytale re-tellings, they all have three things in common – kink, love and a happy ending.

You can visit Kim at her website and her blog.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Tuesday, January 31.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Comfy lap is comfy!” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Sacrifice and Blood (Drone Vampires #14) by Stephani Hecht [CONTEST CLOSED]

46 Comments

Congrats to Joanie, who won King’s Conquest (Mending the Rift #1) by Valentina Heart! King’s Conquest was released on January 21 by Silver Publishing.

Congrats to Dee, who won Tailor Made by Josephine Myles! Tailor Made was released by Amber Allure on January 22.

Many thanks to Stephani Hecht for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming paranormal m/m romance, Sacrifice and Blood (Drone Vampires #14), for a lucky commenter to win! Sacrifice and Blood will be released by eXtasy Books on February 1.

Because of his turbulent childhood, Kale tries to make safe life choices. He stays by his twin brother’s side, serves his coven leader, and never sleeps with the wrong kinds of guys… until he finds himself drawn to the most unsafe man in the word – fellow warlock Ian.

Once Ian was part of the most dreaded coven known to the supernatural word. Although he left the coven at the same time his brother and cousin did, Ian still feels as if those years surrounded by evil stole all the good from him. Many fear him and Ian likes it that way, because he never wants to be seen as weak or vulnerable. He’s confused when he falls for a quiet warlock with a noble spirit, but that doesn’t stop Ian from making a great sacrifice in order to save Kale… a sacrifice that leaves Ian weaker and more vulnerable than ever.

Now Kale must protect Ian from the enemies hunting them. As death draws closer, Kale discovers that maybe the safest choice isn’t the best. But will he be strong enough to save both of them or will they become the next causalities of the war?

Also by Stephani

About Stephani

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings! You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.

You can visit Stephani at her blog or her website.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Tuesday, January 31.
  • By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
  • If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
  • Winners will be selected by random number.
  • You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
  • Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
  • If you have an email account with AOL or Netscape, I will not be able to send email to you.
  • If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
  • If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
  • This contest is open worldwide!

“Talk to the paw!” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the 104th (Emo Blond Guy)

23 Comments

Congrats to Cathy M and Alder, who each won their choice of Saving Valor (Fanged Love #1) or Chalice (Planetary Submissives #1) by Amber Kell! Saving Valor (Fanged Love #1) was released by Silver Publishing on January 14. Chalice (Planetary Submissives #1) was released by Total-E-Bound on January 16.

Welcome to another edition of the Misadventures in Stock Photography! Today we’ll be meeting Emo Blond Guy (EBG).

Because

had

that

couldn’t match, a

began to develop between the crews on

as everyone felt

to choose sides. Even

got involved when he declared to Robert’s VP, “I’ll do

! Don’t despair –

all the time. I mean, look at me and the Sun – I’ll be

tomorrow. Oh, I just can’t wait for him to be

with me again!”

“I’m just going to sit here and stare at you until you stop with this naughty boy nonsense, Mom.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity contemplates the merits of winter hibernation

27 Comments

Congrats to Mandy B, who won Forever in One Second by Finn Marlowe!

Congrats to Cathy M and Alder, who each won their choice of Saving Valor (Fanged Love #1) or Chalice (Planetary Submissives #1) by Amber Kell! Saving Valor (Fanged Love #1) was released by Silver Publishing on January 14. Chalice (Planetary Submissives #1) was released by Total-E-Bound on January 16.

Contests

Bookity

  • RJ Scott explains how Edit Minion works – it’s not going to replace actual editors and proofreaders, but it can certainly help you spot issues with your writing.

Ebookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Galley Proof by Eric Arvin. ebook. Excellent gay fiction (with romantic elements) about an author who lives a very predictable, safe life ruled by lists and habit… until his attractive new editor shakes things up. As with so many books by Eric Arvin, this book was simultaneously fun, funny, and thought-provoking – pretty much like life itself.
Pole Star by Josephine Myles. ebook short. arc. Excellent short and smutty m/m romance about a stripper who gets injured onstage and ends up in the emergency room in his firefighter costume, flirting with the cute radiographer. I had really good intentions of waiting until closer to the release date to read and review this one, but… I couldn’t resist. 🙂
Tailor Made by Josephine Myles. ebook. arc. Sweet and smutty m/m romance about an unapologetically slutty art student who wants to get his advisor in bed. But he’s not expecting to find himself so drawn to the fashion student he tries to shanghai into helping him with his senior project…
The Heart of Texas (Texas #1) by RJ Scott. ebook. Very good over-the-top m/m romance reminiscent of the tv show Dallas, complete with oil wells, villains, lies, a marriage-of-convenience, and more!
Heatstroke by Taylor V. Donovan. free ebook. Very good m/m romance told via nearly 50-year old journal entries being read by a young man trying to figure out the mystery of why his cold grandmother is so adamant he stay out of her attic.
Raven’s Mark (Sandpipers #2) by Jade Archer. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a chef who becomes fascinated by Raven, the guy who’s just started watching the owners’ son along with his own. However, Raven suffers from crippling PTSD… and his past hasn’t given up on him yet.
A Life Without You (Boston Boys #1) by Erica Pike. ebook. Good m/m romance about a gay college student who has a crush on his engaged straight best friend and roommate… his apparently bi-curious straight best friend. Emotions definitely run high in this one (and the POV is first-person present), but it worked for me. And I’m very curious to see who the next book will be about!
Just Like Cats and Dogs by BA Tortuga. Good m/m paranormal romance about an orphaned panther shifter who grew up with a pack of wolf shifters, but was never really accepted. So when he runs into a wolf shifter who tormented him while they were growing up, he’s surprised at the attraction between them. The repetitive style of writing isn’t so noticeable for short works, but it definitely grated during this longer book.
There’s Cock in This Book (The Hockey Story) by Isa K. free ebook short. Good short m/m story about a deeply closeted minor league hockey player who survives by keeping his head down and blending in… until the new guy on the team hits on him. With a bit more proofing and a less abrupt ending, this would have been a Very Good read.
How to Keep the Love of Your Life (After Mistaking Him for a Serial Killer) by Maureen Willmann. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who thinks someone is following him right up to the door of his apartment… and it turns out to be his neighbor across the hall. Too sugary sweet and implausible for me. Also, so very tired of stalkers.
The Man Who Spoke My Name (Joey #2) by Azalea Moone. free ebook short. Meh short m/m story about a guy torn between the ex who cheated on him and the guy he slept with on New Year’s Eve.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos