Monthly Archives: March 2010

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Three Minute Man by Kim Dare [CONTEST CLOSED]

38 Comments

Many thanks to author Kim Dare for donating a copy of her kinky romance, Three Minute Man, for me to give away to one lucky reader!

Three minutes doesn’t give Ian much time to prove he’s the dominant that Susan had given up on ever finding, but it’s amazing what the right man can do in three minutes!

Ian had plans for the submissive he’d seen playing casual games with other dominant men in the local leather bars, but she disappeared off the kinky scene before he had a chance to claim her. When he finds her working in a speed dating club, he’s determined not to let her slip through his fingers again.

Susan made a conscious decision to give up on the lifestyle. She’s not going to change her mind just because some dominant strolls into her life and starts snapping his fingers. The fact that Ian calls to the very part of her that she’s been trying to repress for the last eighteen months isn’t important. She’s not going back on her decision.

Unfortunately for Susan, she’s never been able to resist a bet – not when there’s more than money at stake.

Says Kim about Three Minute Man:

I’m 26 years old, from Wales, UK. I’m a full time writer, and apparently incapable of resisting writing books to fit a certain kind of title.

The Perfect Timing series came about because, for reasons I’ve never quite been able to work out, I ended up writing about half a dozen books in a row that all revolved around the many and varied ways timing can make or break a relationship.

I figured that anyone reading them would either think I was obsessed with time or working on some sort of themed collection. The second option made me look a bit saner than the former, and so the series was born. For reasons that probably seemed good at the time, I decided there should be twelve books in the series. So I needed a few more than I had.

As soon as I started digging around in the back of my mind for a timely sort of title, Three Minute Man jumped out at me. I couldn’t resist. This book is the direct result of me giving in to that temptation.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CDT, Thursday, March 25.
  • 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 luck and counterintuitive espionage 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 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’ll get you, my pretty, and then I’ll eat off your tail! Oh, wait… I already did that.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Absolinkity

31 Comments

Contests

  • Jane of Quiddity is celebrating her sixth blogiversary with a contest – guess how many pairs of socks she’s made since she started knitting and you could win yarn, a project bag made by Jane, and a calendar of her gorgeous flower photos. Contest closes at midnight EDT, March 21.

Books & Reading & Beyond

  • I’m quite intrigued by the Spring Designs Alex eReader, but I’ll be waiting a while so I can read some reports from users after it ships mid-April.

Learn Stuff

Geekery

Huh

  • When you’re desperate for that caffeine fix, you might want to try the Coffee Inhaler.
  • Arachnophobes might want to avoid this gadget stand (and completely skip the spider story in the post about the stand).

Moment of Silence

LOL

  • Wren posted a great list of random thoughts. Here’s one of my favorites from the list: “MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.”
  • Love xkcd’s take on romance novels… (as always, hover your mouse over the cartoon for additional amusing text)

Teh Cute

  • Chaos does the same thing, only he manages to splatter a much larger area.

Reading Update
A to Z by Marie Sexton. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a video store owner who hires one of his customers. They become best friends and… 🙂 I would definitely recommend that you read Sexton’s Promises first, as there’s a bit of character congruence. Definitely shouldn’t be a hardship, since both are good reads (although I think Promises is the stronger book). And after you’ve read both, there’s a free short story about the guys from Promises – it takes place shortly after A to Z.
Only in His Dreams by Shawn Lane. ebook. Sweet m/m romance about a law firm billing manager who has a crush on one of the seemingly unattainable partners at the firm.
And Call Me in the Morning by Willa Okati. ebook. In this very good m/m romance, two straight doctors, whose friends always tease them about being a couple, kiss each other just to prove there isn’t anything like that between them. Whoops. (And, as many others have mentioned, neither of the characters is described as looking as old as the guys on the cover look.)
Saying I Do (Quinn Security, Book 3) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about the two guys from Finding Home (Quinn Security, Book 1) during their hotel stay in Vermont the week before their wedding.
Finding Home (Quinn Security, Book 1) by Cameron Dane. ebook. And then I had to reread this one. Still smokin’ hot.
Netting Neptune (Southern Cross Resort, Book 1) by KC Kendricks. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a resort owner who helps out a stranded and skittish traveler on the beach.
Damn Gorgeous by Jaye Valentine. ebook. Decent paranormal m/m romance about a tabloid reporter doing a story on Lizzie Borden’s house who gets involved with the mysterious owner of the inn where he’s staying.
The Wedding Planner by G.A. Hauser. ebook. An m/m romance about a stockbroker and his wedding planner that started strong, but about 2/3 of the way through deteriorated down to preteen girl gushing. *sigh*
Calling Dr. Love by G.A. Hauser. ebook. Disclaimer: This was a free m/m romance from ARe over the holidays, or I wouldn’t actually own it. So why did I read it? Um, I figured, since I already had low expectations based on how the previous book panned out… It didn’t help. Gah. And then… I kept reading out of sick fascination. I’m so ashamed. Especially after reading “Phil cuddled Phil…” and continuing.
Lifting Spirits by Alexandria Rayne. ebook. Um, should I confess that I bought this m/m romance simply to see if the continuity error in the excerpt was actually in the book? Yup, it sure was. Might’ve had potential, but with editing issues and way too much weird self-referential stuff from the author, it was a confused mess.
Nowhere Man by Jamie Craig. ebook. Good m/m romance about a grad student who tracks down a reclusive writer and works to break through the writer’s shell. (Yup,  you’re right – that is Neck Crick Guy on the cover!)
Calendar Boys March: Kiss Me by Jamie Craig. ebook. Ok sort of holiday (St. Patrick’s Day) m/m romance about a photographer who starts to date a p0rn star.
Carey’d Away by J.M. Snyder. ebook. So-so m/m romance about two guys working at a comic book convention who hook up. I could definitely have lived without the slanguage.
A Feral Christmas (Lost Shifters, Book 2) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance being the continuing story of a family of jaguar shifters searching for their lost siblings.
Sex, Lies and Wedding Bells by E.M. Lynley. ebook. Reread. Very enjoyable m/m romance in which a snarky Manhattan columnist researching a runaway bride story finds himself falling for groom #4.

“I love you, pink fluff, even if you aren’t sparkly!” -Mayhem

Contests, Knitting, Randonymity

Dear City of Minneapolis: I would be much happier if my tap water didn’t smell like dead fish. Thank you.

52 Comments

Congrats to Janna, who won the copy of Julia Barrett’s newly released steamy romance, Beauty and the Feast!

Oh! You only have until 8 pm today (March 17) to enter your picks for DA BWAHA! The grand prize is an iPad…

  • I wish I was kidding in the title about my tap water.
  • Ewww!
  • Minneapolis gets its water out of the Mississippi River.
  • All hail the Brita pitcher!
  • On Sunday, we hit a record-breaking high temperature of 64F.
  • Very, very unusual for March in Minnesota.
  • All the snow is gone, except for the biggest piles.
  • The rivers are flooding, since the snow melted before the ground thawed.
  • Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
  • Is it weirder that my cats have their own email addresses and respond to comments directed at them, or that some of you carry on conversation with my cats in email? 😉
  • I wonder how long I’ll have this post-it reminding me to throw out the scary old eggs in the fridge before I remember to throw out the scary old eggs in the fridge?
  • I continue to slog away on the leg of the first sock.
  • Would you like to see the sock?
  • Tough. You’re going to see it anyway:

“Oh, what have we here?” -Mayhem

“Needles or yarn, needles or yarn – which to bite through first?” -Mayhem

  • Eeep! *rescues sock and needles*
  • Maybe next time I’ll get a cat-free photo.
  • Well, I can always dream, right?! 🙂
Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Hideout by Katie Allen [CONTEST CLOSED]

53 Comments

Many thanks to Minnesota author Katie Allen, who has donated a copy of her brand-new m/m romantic suspense release, Hideout, for me to give away!

When Officer Peter Giordano is assigned to keep Trevor Haas safe until he can testify against his murderous father, he expects the hardest part of his job will be keeping his hands off the gorgeous witness. The two men hide out in the small, sleepy town of Honeysuckle, fixing up their dilapidated safe house by day…exploring each other’s bodies by night.

Their small-town neighbors have some secrets of their own, however, including one that someone is willing to kill to protect. Soon, a neighbor is dead and Pete and Trevor are thrown into the middle of a murder investigation. The two men struggle to keep Trevor’s true identity a secret, knowing his father will stop at nothing to silence the star witness against him – even if that means killing his own son.

Note: Pete and Trevor won’t have to go it alone. Wash and Rhodes, the crush-worthy heroes from Private Dicks, are along for the ride once again.

As I’ve mentioned before, I really enjoyed Private Dicks (sheesh, where are your minds?! It’s about private investigators – duh) and it’s become one of my comfort reads.

Oh, and Hideout already got a 4.75/5.00 review over at Jessewave. Congrats, Katie!

About Katie:

Katie Allen grew up in the Midwest with a horde of sisters (five) and one beleaguered brother. After an enjoyable four years working on her creative writing/art degree, and two not-so-pleasant years struggling towards her MBA, Katie somehow ended up as a mechanical engineer in Denver, Colorado. When her job disappeared during the recession, it was the kick in the rear that she needed to head back to Minnesota and jump into writing full-time.

When she’s not writing (many books are necessary to pay for her unfortunate equine addiction), Katie rides horses, reads (of course), does gymnastics and looks for new (and occasionally insane) ways to research her books (cop school, anyone?). Katie loves to hear from readers.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CDT, Monday, March 22.
  • 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 luck and counterintuitive espionage 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 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 are growing very, very sleepy… When you awake, you will remember nothing about having sent me sparkly pink feather toys. Nothing at all…” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the Fourteenth (The Candy Cane Guy Tank Top Edition)

41 Comments

As usual, Candy Cane Guy has been up to no good whatsoever since the last time we checked in on him.

he veered

and started to do some

work, ultimately ending up

. (Will he never learn that long hair isn’t a good look for him?! At least it wasn’t blond this time…)

Alas, things didn’t work out, so our unhappy

went out and found himself a

. Only,

was he ever in for a

as one of

until he and the other cowboy decided that they wanted to be

together and rode off into the sunset, leaving Christie behind.

Whew!

Please note that this post was completely and totally not approved by Miss Doreen.

“What? I wasn’t doing anything. Really. Nothing to see here. Move along.” -Chaos

Knitting, Randonymity, Those Cats

Random Post of Randomness and Poop

59 Comments
  • I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that our two weeks of glorious sunshine have given way to a week (so far) of clouds and rain.
  • I miss the sun.
  • The snow is mostly gone, since it’s also been unseasonably warm.
  • I think I’m preparing for the start of Daylight Savings Time this weekend by already feeling tired.
  • Ok, I’m back. The previous reminded me that some of contests from yesterday’s linkity post actually end in EDT/CDT instead of EST/CST. All fixed now.
  • I have started a new pair of socks.
  • I’m already past the heel and into the leg on the first sock!
  • Too bad my sister-in-law’s birthday is tomorrow and I’m sure she really wants two completed socks instead of one sock, 2/3 done.
  • Earlier this week, I was sitting innocently on my couch, type typing away on my laptop when a yowling black blur of stench hurtled past me and shit-o-caust arrived in my living room.
  • *blink blink*
  • What caused this most horrible and inauspicious event?
  • Chaos exiting the litterbox at high speed with poop attached to his butt by one of my hairs that he’d consumed.
  • He was, apparently, fleeing in terror from the poop chasing him.
  • I must have missed the chapter in the cat owner’s manual where it prepared you to have to chase down your pet as he fled from his own poop, hold him down, and clean his butt with toilet paper.
  • Because? I’m pretty sure I’d have remembered that chapter.

“Have no doubt that I will get you for sharing that, Mom. And also? It never happened.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Kitty toes and linkity

32 Comments

Congrats to Kathy K, who won the copy of LB Gregg’s Catch Me If You Can (Romano & Albright, Book 1)! (Don’t forget about LB’s review contest, which runs through March 16.)

Contests

Books & Reading & Readers, Oh My!

Learn Things

Things That Didn’t Fit Elsewhere

LOL

Reading Update
The Larton Chronicles by James Anson. I heard about this delightful m/m romance when Josh Lanyon mentioned on his blog that it was one of his comfort reads. The book is about Robert, ex-policeman and mystery author who moves to the obscure village of Larton, and Michael, the horse-mad and out of control village “squire”. Written in a fabulously understated style that seems quite British indeed to me (Jenre and EH will have to confirm or deny this for me), the book chronicles the ups and downs of building a life together. (Also, all sex occurs entirely offsides and is only referred to in the most discrete terms.) I’d definitely recommend picking this up directly from the publisher and not from Amazon – the price difference is quite significant. Recommended.
The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon. ebook. As previously mentioned, I won this historical m/m romance over at Jessewave’s. This was an extremely well-done story about a reporter from NYC in central Illinois to follow up on a union-related massacre when he becomes intrigued by a medium who is staying at the same boarding house. From Josh’s comments on Jenre’s review of this ebook, I was sort of prepared for the abrupt ending to the story, which is modeled on ghost stories from the period (early 1920s), but I found myself really wanting to know more about these characters! Recommended.
No Souvenirs (Florida Series, Book 3) by K.A. Mitchell. ebook. Very good, steamy, and intense m/m romance about that mysterious ER doctor we met in previous books. Hard to go wrong with K.A. Mitchell! Recommended.
Custom Ride by K.A. Mitchell. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who has an anonymous encounter with a mysterious stranger at Pride (in Minneapolis!), then keeps encountering the guy again back home in St. Cloud.
Scared Stiff by Laura Baumbach, William Maltese, Josh Lanyon, & Sarah Black. ebook collection. This was a good m/m paranormal romance collection overall, although each story had its foibles. Baumbach’s was unfortunately plagued by egregious editing errors such as misused words, missing words, and randomly introduced names. (Wait, I thought that Eli and Mason were in bed together. Where did this “Josh” come from?!???) Black’s story suffered somewhat from the main characters overusing each other’s names in conversation, so their conversations seemed stilted. (Handily, author Patti O’Shea just posted about this very problem.) Lanyon’s story was very good, with just a condom use issue. I skipped Maltese’s story because I’m not a big fan of his style, plus it was fantasy.
Primal Passions (Lost Shifters, Book 1) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Enjoyable paranormal m/m romance about a paramedic who suddenly discovers that the world is much weirder than he knew when he’s imprisoned by thugs and rescued by a feline shapeshifter.
Fire and Ice by A.J. Llewellyn & Stephani Hecht. ebook. I definitely like Stephani Hecht’s work on her own better. This m/m romance about a former boxer and a hockey goalie was all over the place, with instalove and bits of story that didn’t fit very well.
Garron’s Gift and Rawley’s Redemption (Good-Time Boys, Books 2-3) by Carol Lynne. ebooks. Ok m/m romances being the continuing story of the Good brothers, their guys, and dangerous homophobes in their small Nebraska town. It appears that this series, like Campus Cravings, also intersects with the Cattle Valley series. Apparently Cattle Valley is like the Borg…
Now and Forever by Addison Albright. ebook short. Sweet m/m romance short about a couple planning their wedding reception, during the all-too-brief time gay marriage was legal in California.
Moving On and Moving Along by Addison Albright. ebook shorts. These are sweet m/m romance shorts about a guy trying to move on after his lover was killed in a car accident a year ago.
Aidan and Ethan (Seeking Redemption, Book 1) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Angsty m/m romance about a guy who vanishes without a word after planning a life together with his best friend, then reappears over a decade later. I started out feeling as if the entire premise of the story was extremely flimsy, but that was actually addressed a bit later. (Also, not so good with the condom thing in this book.)
Private Dicks by Katie Allen. ebook. This m/m romantic suspense was a reread – it’s one of my comfort reads. Obviously I think it’s a good book! 🙂 And you’ll have a chance to win a copy of the sequel in the not-too-distant future…

“Mom, do I really want to know why you’re taking a picture of my back toes?” -Chaos

If you commented on this post before 7:30 am CST, March 11, your comment has vanished. Sorry! My fault entirely.

Randonymity

For want of content, a meme was done

32 Comments

Usually I don’t do memes or awards. I’ll thank you politely in your comments for thinking of me, and then occasionally will toss the award into my sidebar for a while. But every once in a while, an award hits when I’m not coming up with blog content for the next day… Such was the case with the Over the Top blog award presented to me by Tam of Tam’s Reads. Gee, thanks, Tam! 😉

Shall we see if I can, as directed, answer the following questions using a single word? (Additional questions and editorializing added for fun.)

Your cell phone? Dumb
Your hair? Out-of-control
Your mother? Estranged
Your father? Enthusiastic
Your favorite food? Peanut butter (hmph – I’m not going to pick a food that isn’t my favorite simply to comply with an arbitrary rule!)
Your dream last night? None
Your favorite drink? Water
Your music? Eclectic
Your dream/goal? Happiness
What room are you in? Living room (see previous aside)
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Spinning blades (anyone else see a pattern developing here?)
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Canada
You? Non-conformist
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren’t? Patient
Muffins? Cherry-Almond
Wish list item? Ebooks
Where did you grow up? Minnesota
Last thing you did? Ate dark chocolate (gold star if you can say that using a single word)
What are you wearing? Clothes
Your TV? Unplugged
Your pets? Bossy
Friends? Virtual
Your life? Comfortable
Your mood? Level
Missing someone? No
Vehicle? Beemer
Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
You? Whimsical
Your favorite store? Varies
Your favorite color? Black (it is so a color)
When was the last time you laughed? Today (I laugh a lot – I’m easily amused)
Last time you cried? Unsure (but there was an angsty book involved)
Your best friend? Mysterious
One place that you go to over and over? Google Reader
Facebook? Abstaining
Favorite place to eat? PizzaPizza (frightfully inconvenient that it’s in Toronto)

Feel free to tag yourself if desired. 🙂

“Mom, make the big kitty stop snoring! He woke me up again! We panther princesses need our beauty sleep!” -Mayhem

“Hey! I don’t snore!!” -Chaos, offsides

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Beauty and the Feast by Julia Barrett [CONTEST CLOSED]

41 Comments

Many thanks to author Julia Barrett for donating a copy of her forthcoming steamy romance, Beauty and the Feast (to be released March 16), for me to give away to one lucky blog reader!

Eva Raines is an uncomplicated country girl who’s all about food. Eva moves to the Napa Valley where her culinary skills come to the attention of the owners of a start-up and Eva finds her niche as a personal chef. Now all she needs is a man as perfect as her cooking, but she has serious doubts such a creature exists.

When wealthy entrepreneur, winery owner, and noted lothario, Gabriel Abbott, makes plans to seduce his flavor of the month, his assistant hires All Things to All People to cater a gourmet dinner. Eva expects to use her way with food to showcase the startup. What she unexpectedly discovers is that her culinary skills showcase far more. Gabriel Abbott finds himself seduced by her voice and the sensual flavors and textures of her food and his previous plans are quickly forgotten. He begins to obsess about meeting his little chef in person. He’s not alone. Once Eva hears Gabe’s voice and spends time in his home in the Napa Valley, she begins to wonder about the real man and her dreams of him are so hot they could ignite a barbecue.

When Eva and Gabe finally come face to face, the question is, how hot will their fire burn?

A bit about Julia:

Julia Rachel Barrett has been writing most of her life, poetry, nonfiction, short stories and now, romance. In addition to writing, Julia is a registered nurse and a pastry chef. She is passionate about her family, her pets, the great outdoors, cooking, reading and dreaming.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Leave your comments by 7 pm CDT, Monday, March 15.
  • 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 luck and counterintuitive espionage 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 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!

“Wait, why did you wake me up? I was snoring? That’s a lie – I don’t snore!” -Chaos

Yeah, that’s what they all say, Chaos…

Eva Raines is an uncomplicated country girl who
Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Thirteenth)

52 Comments

It’s Read an Ebook Week!

Congrats to Northmoon, Beth P, Seanna Lea, Kelly, and Sheryl VV, who all won copies of Crazy Aunt Purl’s new book!

And congrats to Jase and RachelT, who each won an ebook short story bundle from Addison Albright!

I had a lucky weekend myself – thanks to Josh Lanyon and Jessewave for the copy of The Dark Farewell that I won. And thanks to Janey Chapel and Jenre for the copy of Maritime Men that I won!

While I don’t have a clever name for this guy (Weird Facial Hair Guy is all I’ve come up with Thanks to Jeanne’s suggestion, he’s now Caterpillar On Chin Guy – check out some stock photos of him and see if you agree), I do have a sordid tale to share with you today. It’s the story of a woman

with finding

to call ”

“. (Can I get a show of hands from those who are convinced they could make a better cover than the one for My Captive Lover above, even without a working knowledge of PhotoShop? Yeah, me, too.)

Whoops! Looks like that lady’s pretty fickle, huh? Poor Caterpillar On Chin Guy…

(Good thing the designer used capital letters for the title on that cover is all I’m saying…)

In his despair over being so quickly captured and ditched, COCG decided to try

. Silly COCG – I fear that can only end in bloodshed and scarring. Both Jeanne and CJ can tell you that merely entering the Chaos Kitty’s territory (aka my condo) leads to poofing, hissing, growling, and all around general menacing. Mastering? Eeep.*

I have one more cover, the title of which has me simultaneously rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

Time for another show of hands! Anyone out there think the title is actually referring to wintery precipitation? Me, either.

“…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..” -Chaos

*He looks singularly unworried about being mastered, doesn’t he?