Tag Archives: KZ Snow

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Electric Melty Tingles by K. Z. Snow [CONTEST CLOSED]

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Congrats to Donna, who won Maggie’s Mates by Bronwyn Green!

Many thanks to K. Z. Snow for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Electric Melty Tingles, for a lucky commenter to win! Electric Melty Tingles will be released on September 28 by Loose Id as part of their National Coming Out Day series of book releases.

It’s August of 1970, and the friends of 21-year-old Oliver Duncan are having a blast at his bachelor party. Except Ned Surwicki. He isn’t an Ivy Leaguer. He doesn’t appreciate female strippers. And although he’s been Oliver’s best friend since they were 14, Ned isn’t much inclined to celebrate his pal’s impending marriage.

Ned is gay, something he’s known since he kissed a boy and got the melty tingles. Ned is also in love with the groom-to-be. Ned is miserable.

On the night before his wedding, Oliver realizes that he’s miserable, too. Of course Ned comes to his rescue.

Thus begins a romance that spans forty years, requires one coming-out after another, and survives a broken engagement, a menage with War and Pees, world travel, an ill-advised marriage, scores of fuck buddies, a father who thinks his son is destined to be a clone of Liberace, parents who reject their son, and, worst of all, the failure of two misguided men to pursue their fondest dream.

The most important coming-out for Ned and Oliver is summed up in a declaration they spend too many years trying futilely to forget: “I love you. That’s never going to change.”

Excerpt

M/M Romances Also Available

About K. Z.

K. Z. Snow has published close to thirty shorts, novellas, and novels in a variety of genres and with a variety of publishers, including Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books, Dreamspinner Press, Changeling Press, Samhain Publishing (under a different name), and Double Dragon Publishing. At the urging of two headstrong characters, she began writing m/m romance about three years ago and fell in love with it. Her work has since been exclusively in that genre.

K. Z. lives with her boyfriend of nine years in rural Wisconsin, where she still loves all creatures great and small… except wood ticks, mosquitoes, and chicken-killing raccoons.

You can visit KZ at her blog, where you’ll find more information about all of her books, including her m/f and menage titles.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, September 27.
  • 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 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 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!

“Don’t try this at home, kitties! This is an advanced cleaning technique!” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Leapin’ linkity lizards!

42 Comments

Congrats to Nikyta, who won Wild Thing by Mia Watts! Wild Thing will be released on August 23 by Total-E-Bound.

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Gluten-Free

Knitting & Crochet

Linkity Peeps

Huh

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Fugly by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about three extremely superficial friends who hit on the wrong man’s husband in a bar. Afterward, they discover that the men they find attractive and hit on now shun them due to a mysterious rash that has appeared on their faces.
A Red-Tainted Silence by Carolyn Gray. ebook. Very good, emotionally draining m/m romantic suspense about two successful musicians, who’ve loved each other since their teens, and the outside forces and people that have torn them apart and nearly destroyed them. Constantly switching between the present and the past, half the story is told from one’s perspective; the rest from the other’s.
Chaos Magic, Love Runes, and Personal Demons (The Gods & Chaos Series) by Jay Lygon. ebooks. Very good kinky m/m urban fantasy series about a willful submissive who’s also a powerful witch and who worships an unusual set of gods: the God of Traffic, The God of Negotiation, etc. As he tries to stay out of the way of his abusive ex, he meets a powerful and compelling dominant and his whole life changes.
The Harem Boy by Jay Lygon. ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance about Ophir and Chris, two of the characters from the Gods & Chaos series.
Chain-Male by Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks. ebook. Good, quirky m/m romance about a librarian who meets a guy in the history class he’s auditing and gets a history lesson he won’t soon forget.
His Hearth by Mary Calmes. ebook. Good m/m paranormal romance about a guy who’s wildly successful in his advertising career, but much less so when he dates.
Stirring Up Trouble by Z.A. Maxfield. Good m/m romance about a chef who only lasts a few months at any job before getting fired. He ends up working at a failing neighborhood restaurant owned by an anti-social guy who looks pretty tasty when he’s cooking in his Utilikilt…
A Big Hunk O’ Love by Hunter Raines. ebook. So-so short m/m romance about a recently divorced, deeply in the closet mechanic who takes a trip to Alaska with his (gay) best friend, who’s an Elvis impersonator.
Blind Faith by Claire Thompson. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy, blinded in a car accident, who sees himself as damaged goods that no one could find attractive anymore.
Continuum of Longing by Claire Thompson. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about two guys who work together in a bank, neither of whom realizes that their attraction is mutual.

“What?!!” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Fugly by K. Z. Snow [CONTEST CLOSED]

54 Comments

Today’s a two-post day, so make sure you check out the Misadventures in Stock Photography, too!

Many thanks to K. Z. Snow for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming modern m/m fable, Fugly, for one lucky commenter to win! Fugly will be released by Liquid Silver on August 2.

When a wizard is happily in love, he tends to get complacent. When he gets complacent, he tends to let magick fall by the wayside. Jackson Spey hasn’t thrown around any mojo in a while. Here’s his chance.

What happens to a young man’s self-image, and his sex life, when he wakes up one morning to see his good looks significantly altered for the worse? In this modern fable, three gay friends find out the answer when they hit on the wrong guy in a club one night.

Todd, Fallon, and Jake think they’re pretty damned hot. As a result, their standards for worthwhile hook-ups are appallingly superficial. The men aren’t total jerks; they just need an adjustment in perspective. And they get it, in spades, from a mysterious stranger who’s sick of seeing his beautiful partner pawed by dawgs.

As the trio of friends try to understand and cope with their new appearances, the pretty boys they normally pursue continue to shun them. But in the eyes of three ordinary, overlooked men on the sidelines of their lives, it’s the heart that matters far more than the hot.

M/M Romances Also Available or Soon To Be Released

About K. Z.

K. Z. Snow has published close to thirty shorts, novellas, and novels in a variety of genres and with a variety of publishers, including Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books, Dreamspinner Press, Changeling Press, Samhain Publishing (under a different name), and Double Dragon Publishing. At the urging of two headstrong characters, she began writing m/m romance about three years ago and fell in love with it. Her work has since been exclusively in that genre.

K. Z. lives with her boyfriend of nine years in rural Wisconsin, where she still loves all creatures great and small… except wood ticks, mosquitoes, and chicken-killing raccoons.

You can visit KZ at her blog, where you’ll find more information about all of her books, including her m/f and menage titles.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, August 2.
  • 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 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 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!

“Clean paw, clean paw, I’m going to have a clean, clean paw!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Here, linkity, linkity, linkity…

45 Comments

Contests

  • Kris is having a really incredibly complicated super cool contest in which you could win m/m romance ebooks from Wren Boudreau, Stephani Hecht, Jambrea Jo Jones, Sean Kennedy, K.Z. Snow, and Angelia Sparrow. Since no one who’s entered so far has any clue what the right answers are (even those of us who’ve read the books in question) and we’re all guessing, your odds are no worse than random! Go! Go now! Guess away! Contest closes at noon Perth Australia time, May 23. According to the World Clock, that is 11 pm CDT, May 22, and 4 am GMT/UTC, May 23.
  • Amora’s having her very first blog contest and she’s a little excited/anxious about it – stop by and help calm her down, ok? 🙂 She’s giving away an ebook copy of Barbara Sheridan’s paranormal time travel samurai novel, Falling Through Glass, to someone who comments by May 28.
  • Nicole’s had some contest luck lately and now has duplicate books. She’s giving away the duplicates (Dear Sir, I’m Yours by Joely Sue Burkhart; Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione; Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham) to three different people who comment on any of her posts from May 14 through midnight PDT, May 31. Make sure you mention which book you’d like in your comment!

Books & Reading

Ebooks

  • I really like this iPad/ebook reader stand. (Book stands are great for saving your wrists and for letting you knit while you read. If you swing that way. To knitting, that is.) *ahem* Apparently I’ll have a review of how this stand works with my handy, dandy ereader in the near future, since I just bought one – I can’t resist a cool book stand…

Minnesota

Learn, Do, Make, Think

  • Qwotebook is a new site that lets you save your favorite quotes and find new favorites.
  • I can’t decide if I’d love the pixelated rug or if it would drive me nuts.

LOL

  • I’m just waiting for this cat to start scratching his business and yelling for a beer…
  • Poor Basement Cat – he has minion fail. (Oh! Chaos has his very first minion! He’d like to welcome Lea to her new life of minionhood.)

Awwww

Reading Update
The Angel of 13th Street by Eden Winters. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a bar owner and former rentboy who, with help, turned his life around and now helps other young men get off the street and out of the life… and then one of his rescues really starts to get to him.
Valentine Wish by Eden Winters. ebook short. Like The Boy Under the Bridge, this was another good spinoff from The Wish. In this short m/m romance, Anton’s out with his friends and employers, celebrating his Valentine’s Day birthday. Will he be going home alone again, or will he get his birthday wish?
Mobry’s Dick by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Very good paranormal romance about guy who purchases an extremely mysterious object at a flea market and is not prepared for all of the interest it generates.
Handcuffs and Leather (Rawlings Men, Book 1) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a constable who was briefly held prisoner and has to talk to a psychiatrist about the experience – the same psychiatrist he’s been dreaming of submitting to.
Lessons in Mastery 1-3: Under Control, Under Restraint, and Under Fire by Laine Williams. ebook shorts. Good m/m romances about a nurse, abused in the past, whose cop lover isn’t quite comfortable with exercising his dominance. Each of these books focuses on a critical life/relationship event.
Pool Hall Green by Sara Bell. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a former pool player whose white trash family kicked him out when he came out, yet keeps calling him to clean up their expensive messes… and he does.
Be the Air for You by T.A. Chase. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a rock star and his best friend, who he’s loved for 20 years but done nothing about. Is it time to change that? This just seemed to have a theme or two too many, and I never got emotionally invested.
Never Let Go by Jourdan Lane. ebook short. Decent short m/m romance about a writer who got tired of being the backup lay for his friend, a porn photographer, and kicked the guy to the curb six months ago.
What the Heart Wants by Cassidy Ryan. ebook short. Ok m/m romance about a guy who takes his cat Hellion to the vet and discovers that the vet is the guy he once loved… and left without a word.
Acquisitions and Mergers by Lucius Parhelion. ebook short. Ok m/m romance that I think was set in the 1950s (although I’m not sure it was ever stated). Anyway, it’s about two friends, one gay, one straight (and a widower), who own a company that’s in the process of being acquired. The story was fine, but for some reason the style kept me distanced from the whole thing.
Secret Skin by Sean Michael. ebook short. This ok short m/m encounter features Dal and Dillon from Secrets, Skin and Leather.
Nine-tenths of the Law by L.A. Witt. ebook. Very good m/m romance about two guys who start seeing each other after they discover they both had the same boyfriend… and neither was aware of the other. When something has such a messed up beginning, does it have a chance?
Carnal Intentions (Lost Shifters, Book 4) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. This was a good m/m paranormal about the continuing search for the jaguar shifter brothers who were kidnapped when they were very young. But I did realize that there’s only one more lost shifter in the immediate family this series has been about… will the next book be the last one?! There are still multiple unmated siblings…
Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson. Not an ebook, not m/m. 🙂 Ok addition to Gibson’s books about the Seattle Chinooks hockey team. This was about the embittered and difficult former team captain, who won’t ever be able to play hockey again, and the actress the team hires in lieu of a home health care assistant (since the health care assistants never last longer than an hour).

*sunbeam blissout* -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: Mobry’s Dick by K. Z. Snow [CONTEST CLOSED]

39 Comments

Thanks to K. Z. Snow for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Mobry’s Dick, for a lucky reader to win! This book will be released by Loose Id on May 18.

Late-19th-century illusionist Alain Mobry, a short, homely man with a clubfoot, is known primarily for his elaborate clockwork automata. But his private life is even more complex than his mechanisms. Mobry is a homosexual and a member of the Green Carnation Club, a secret gathering place for gay men of the theater. He’s also dabbled in “real” magick. There are hints of it in an illusion called the Fountain of Youth – in which a beautiful youth called Puck, never seen in public, emerges from a diorama and disappears back into it – and in a profane automaton Alain has devised specifically to entertain the Green Carnation’s members. He would like his creation to be for one man in particular, a fellow magician with whom he’s infatuated. But he never gets the chance to offer his gift…

Over 100 years later, a peculiar item turns up at an outdoor flea market. It looks something like a blunt-nosed artillery shell to Cameron Waters, the young real estate broker who buys the piece out of curiosity. It looks like the legendary automaton known as Mobry’s Dick to Paul Patrillo, a graduate student who’s been researching the history of stage magic. It looks like a blessing as well as a curse when it brings the two men together.

While Cameron inches his way out of the closet and Paul struggles to free himself from a sugar daddy who’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants, the unlikely pair grow closer as they tackle the mystery of Mobry’s Dick – with some surprising and nearly tragic results.

NOTE: This novel-length e-book is primarily a contemporary but does have a number of historical chapters. It also contains explicit scenes of m/m sex.

M/M Romances Also Available or Soon To Be Released

About K. Z.

K. Z. Snow has published close to thirty shorts, novellas, and novels in a variety of genres and with a variety of publishers, including Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books, Dreamspinner Press, Changeling Press, Samhain Publishing (under a different name), and Double Dragon Publishing. At the urging of two headstrong characters, she began writing m/m romance about three years ago and fell in love with it. Her work has since been exclusively in that genre.

K. Z. lives with her boyfriend of nine years in rural Wisconsin, where she still loves all creatures great and small… except wood ticks, mosquitoes, and chicken-killing raccoons.

You can visit KZ at her blog, where you’ll find more information about all of her books, including her m/f and menage titles.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, May 17.
  • 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 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 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!

“Why are  you calling me a stealth tabby, Mom?! I am a black kitty!!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

These are a few of my linkity things (well, ok, more than a few)

33 Comments

Congrats to Deanna, who won the copy of A.M. Riley’s recent m/m romantic suspense, Son of a Gun!

Contests

Reading & Beyond

  • For info on new and upcoming releases, contests, interviews, and more: Lily (m/m romance), Literary Escapism (paranormal romance, urban fantasy), Katiebabs (all sorts of romance), and SciFi Guy (urban fantasy, paranormal romance, etc).
  • Both KMont and Katiebabs found examples of cover art reuse last week!
  • Jenre did a really interesting series of posts at Desert Island Keepers on category romance themes in m/m romance: historicals, westerns, and others.

Learn-Do-Make

Sad

LOL

WTF

Squee!

Reading Update
Jude in Chains by K. Z. Snow. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a gay journalist who attends a “reparative therapy” camp pretending to be a straight journalist.
Out of the Blue by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Very good m/m historical romance about a British and an American pilot in France during World War I.
The One That Stayed by T.C. Blue. ebook. Poignantly sweet m/m romance with characters who will be familiar to those who’ve read TC Blue’s The One That Was Lost and The One That Got Away. The story is told in a mixture of present day and flashbacks, with perhaps a bit too much headhopping.
Cinnamon Dreams by Vic Winter. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance a guy who ditches his hated office job to work in a bakery, where he spends a lot of time drooling over the hunky baker…
Officers in Need and Uniform Hardness by John Simpson. ebook shorts. These short m/m stories had some of the most stilted, least natural sounding dialogue I’ve ever read. They weren’t meant to be humorous, but I laughed out loud more than once. Ouch.
Man Down by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Enjoyable m/m romance about a paramedic student with a secret past and a paramedic who doesn’t really want to find him intriguing. While the characters from Running Hot do make brief appearances in this book, I think either book could be read first.
Still the One (The Best Gift, Book 2) by Shawn Lane. ebook short. This sweet m/m romance takes place five years after The Best Gift. Malcolm and Dusty are deeply committed to each other, but what will happen when they end up on opposite coasts for their careers?
Until the End of Time (At Long Last, Book 2) by Shawn Lane. ebook. Good m/m romance follow-up to At Long Last. Prescott and Scott have been together for seven months, but is Prescott ever going to admit to his parents and friends that Scott’s not simply his roommate?
Finding the Divine by J.L. Jensen. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a nurse who becomes friends and roommates with the sexy new doctor at the hospital. They’re attracted to each other, but neither knows the other is gay. This was part of Torquere’s “Arcana” series and was the first one I’d read in which the Tarot played a major part in the story instead of just being added as an afterthought. Also, it was set in the Twin Cities, which is always fun for me to read.
If I Must by Amy Lane. ebook short. reread. After reading the great review of this sweet m/m romance short at Reviews by Jessewave, I had the urge to reread it myself. Just as good the second time as it was the first!
The New Client by J.M. Snyder. ebook short. Meh short m/m mystery about a PI who’s hired by woman to find her missing twin brother. Not much of a mystery, plus a pretty glaring condom gaffe.
Savage Awakenings (Lost Shifters, Book 3) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. I have to confess I’ve put off reading this m/m paranormal because it’s Rat’s story; since I’ve always had this urge to punch Rat in the previous two books, I wasn’t sure I could make it through his book. Instead, I got totally sucked into the story. 🙂
Bound by Nature (Force of Nature, Book 1) by Cooper Davis. ebook. I really liked Boys of Summer by Cooper Davis. Alas, this m/m werewolf romance does not measure up well. While I don’t mind books in which flashbacks are used well (such as in Amor en Retrogrado and Son of a Gun), the alternating chapters of present and past in this book drove me nuts. As did a glaring continuity error in which one character puts on his glasses… and then picks up and puts on his glasses a paragraph later. How many simultaneous pairs of glasses can one person wear?! *ahem* Anyway.
To Hate and To Hold by Dakota Rebel. ebook. Good m/m paranormal romance about two vampires who hate each other and get bonded together as part of a mysterious curse. Their cursed bond forces them to get very, very familiar with each other… (Yes, that’s Slouching Open Black Jacket Guy on the left!)
A Pint Light by Devon Rhodes. ebook short. Enjoyable paranormal m/m romance about a vampire who’s expected to mate with a mage and is somewhat surprised to discover the mage is male.
Love Me Dead by A.M. Riley, Lex Valentine, & William Maltese. ebook collection. Good m/m paranormal romance collection about ghosts. (That cover scares me more than any ghost would…) I particularly enjoyed the two stories by A.M. Riley. Lex Valentine’s story was pretty good, but maybe a bit too sweet for me at the end. And, as is par for the course, I skipped the story by William Maltese.
Fire Season (Tales of the Darkworld, Book 3) by Lex Valentine. ebook. Ok m/m paranormal romance about a straight dragon shapeshifter whose fated mate turns out to be male. I thought the strongest part of this story was the time it spent showing how Holden dealt with (and didn’t deal with) his sudden attraction to a guy, which gets glossed over in a lot of fated mate stories. I didn’t like that Garrett made a lot of pronouncements, but never followed through on them. I also really wish I hadn’t read the epilogue, which suggests that their story isn’t finished… and I definitely won’t be reading the rest of it, based on that.
Caging the Tiger (Animal Attraction, Book 4) by Michelle Houston. ebook short. Ok m/m paranormal romance about a tiger shifter who’s finally going to meet the magician with whom he’s been corresponding for years. I think I’m done with this “series” of unrelated shorts, though – I just don’t care enough.
Guardian by Kalita Kasar. ebook short. Ok m/m romance about a guy who has no memory of his life before he was hit by a car when he was ten. And why does he have a recurring dream, from which he wakes yelling for Ben? He doesn’t know anyone named Ben… (Oh, good eye, you! That is BBG on the cover!)
Laying a Ghost by Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance set on a Scottish island, about a fisherman who’s lived there all his life and a guy who comes to the island to live in the house his uncle left to him. Even with the insta-love aspect of the story, I really enjoyed this book. I know there are two additional books (and I have them already), but I’m not not sure I’ll be reading them soon because this really felt like a complete story unto itself.

“But I don’t want to use the other portable kitty cave, big kitty. I want to use this one.” -Mayhem

“Tough luck, May. I got it first and I’m prepared to defend it with my laser eyes!” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which the linkity thing gets incredibly out of hand (yes, even more so than usual)

39 Comments

Congrats to Nancy, who won the copy of Stephani Hecht’s Man Down (which was released today)!

Contests

Reading & Books & Lions, Oh My! (Ok, I made up the lions bit)

  • All sorts of book news, interview links, new release info, and more: Lily (m/m romance), SciFiGuy (urban fantasy, paranormal romance, etc),  Literary Escapism (urban fantasy, paranormal romance), Smexy Books (contemporary & paranormal romance), and Katiebabs (assorted romance genres).

Learn Things, Make Things, Do Things

  • Have you voted in the Webbys yet? Goodreads is nominated in Websites – Connections – Social Networking… and voting closes April 29. Thanks for the heads up, Ralph!

Things That Made Me Happy or Amused Me

  • Colin. Really. You must read it.
  • Oh, Hyberbole and a Half, how I do love thee! Favorite recent quote: “As a grammatically conscientious person who frequents internet forums and YouTube, I have found it necessary to develop a few coping mechanisms.”

Ewww

Squee!

Reading Update
The Prayer Waltz by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a writer who returns to the Wisconsin town in which his lover had been a priest (before he left the church), looking for understanding and closure, but finding so much more. A gorgeous and highly recommended read.
The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Very good m/m fantasy romance about a finder of magickal books who’s interning in England from the American Confederation and gets drawn into something more complex than he realizes. I did spend the first quarter of the book with my usual “I am reading a fantasy” frustration of trying to remember all the specialized details, but I enjoyed the story enough that I got beyond that. Recommended.
Colliding in Free Fall by Vivien Dean. ebook. Good m/m romance about a closeted Midwestern firefighter who, in his early 40s, wants to keep doing his job, no matter what the doctor thinks.
Of the Clan O’Grady by A.M. Riley. ebook. Good m/m urban fantasy about the (male) banshee of the Clan O’Grady who befriends a naive young fae lost in New York City.
Son of a Gun by A.M. Riley. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a writer who returns to the small Texas town where he grew up. He’s there for the funeral of his best friend, but why won’t anyone give him a straight answer about what happened? Highly recommended.
The Nest by G.S. Wiley. ebook. Good m/m romance about a young man struggling to take care of his three younger siblings and keep them out of the hands of Social Services while living on the wrong side of the tracks.
Mightier (The Seven of Swords) by G.S. Wiley. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a writer who’s staying at a friend’s Irish cottage trying to get past his writer’s block.
Heart Song by Sara Bell. ebook short. Nicely done m/m romance about a guitar player who’s forcibly outed and the impact it has on the rest of the band. What I really like about Sara Bell? She can write a sweet story without making it sappy.
The Lovers by Sara Bell. Another good m/m romance from Sara Bell about a soap opera star whose drug addict mother threatens to out him unless he pays her off (again).
Making Lemonade by T.C. Blue. ebook. A sweet m/m romance about a guy whose partner just died, but whose blossoming friendship with his partner’s nephew helps ease his grief.
In Hot Pursuit by Kate McMurray. ebook. Good m/m romantic suspense about a closeted NYPD cop, whose boyfriend was killed by a shot meant for him and who has been working too much in the years since then, is sent by his captain to a timeshare in Tampa on vacation to avoid burnout. Oh, the excitement he finds on his vacation…
Lynx by Joely Skye. ebook. Pretty good paranormal m/m romance about Trey, a werewolf who hides his nature and works for a blacks ops group in the US government. When running as a wolf in the Canadian Shield, he encounters a giant lynx shifter, and life will never be the same for either of them. While I enjoyed this book, I had trouble with how large, critical parts of it occurred offsides… and it distanced me from the story. The author’s note at the end of Lynx actually explains the offsides bit. Trey has been in Skye’s books Monster, Zombie, Minder, Marked, Feral, and The Strength of the Wolf and it was finally time for his story. Since Lynx was occurring at the same time as those books, with much of the critical stuff happening in other books, it ends up being sort of an odd read.
Bi Now, Gay Later (Perfect Timing, Book 5) by Kim Dare. ebook. Good m/m romance about a dominant who doesn’t believe that bisexuality exists, which causes a problem for his bisexual submissive.
Sandalwood and a Potato by Andy Slayde & Ali Wilde. Enjoyable m/m romance about two guys who work at a mall – one owns a New Age shop and the other’s a banker who’s sworn off relationships. The best part? Finding out how the potato fit into the story!
Finding Chandler (free), A Test of Love, Switching Gears, and Stardust (The Solitary Knights of Pelham Bay, Books 1-4) by Claire Thompson. ebooks. These m/m romances are decent reads and remind me quite a bit of a Carol Lynne series. The Solitary Knights of Pelham Bay are a group of extremely cynical guys who’d given up on love and get together to bitch and moan about fools who believe in love. Then the bartender issues them a challenge…
Balance by Zahra Owens. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a desk jockey whose fascination for being tied up leads him to an introductory session at a kinky club, at which he meets a very intriguing tattoo artist.
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by M. King. ebook. Interesting m/m romance about a guy working in advertising who becomes involved with a guy who works in the adult film industry. Usually this particular dynamic feels completely unrealistic to me, but in this book, it felt more plausible because it addressed the emotional complexity of the situation.
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Aaron Michaels. ebook. Cute m/m romance about a guy whose obsessive roommate keeps sending him to the store for very specific items – good thing the assistant manager of the store is so helpful, hmm?
Finding the Words by Terry O’Reilly. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a speech therapist who finds himself increasingly drawn to one of his patients.
One Good Turn (Turner & Turner, Book 1) by Amber Green. ebook. M/m romantic suspense that’s really too complicated for me to even attempt summing up. Not sure if it was my state of mind while I was reading or what, but this felt disjointed. Plus I really disliked the abrupt ending – I think this book needed to be longer or more tightly edited or both. (Yes, very good, that is Candy Cane Guy with the smiley face!)
Never Say Goodbye (Slippery When Wet, Book 3) by Jenna Byrnes. ebook. Ok m/m romance about an ex-con who’s been hired as a live-in lover by a wealthy and unscrupulous man. Had the insta-love thing, which is never a favorite of mine.

*bathing in the sunshine sounds* -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook Giveaway: The Prayer Waltz by KZ Snow [CONTEST CLOSED]

43 Comments

Congrats to Joder, who won the copy of Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker!

Many thanks to author KZ Snow for donating an ebook copy of her recently released m/m romance, The Prayer Waltz, for one lucky reader to win!

For eight months, the peculiar circumstances surrounding the sudden death of Steven Brandwein’s lover, an enigmatic ex-priest, have weighted his mourning with mystery. Desperate for emotional closure, Steve makes a journey he’s put off for years: he travels to the town that was once an integral part of his late lover’s life. Steve hopes his pilgrimage will help him better understand Frank, serve as a final farewell, and allow him to move on.

His visit to St. Jerome’s Church one snowy, silent night proves more consequential than he’d ever anticipated. Evan McAllister, an unassuming man still grieving over the death of his son, befriends Steve. As their bond grows, they both make startling discoveries – not the least of which, for Steve, is that he’s ready to love again.

From Reviewers

  • Recommended Read and Top Pick of the Month, Helen, Dark Diva Reviews
  • Five Star Read, Aunt Lynn, Reviews by Jessewave
  • Excellent rating, Jenre, Well Read

M/M Romances Also Available or Soon To Be Released

About K. Z.:

K. Z. Snow has published close to thirty shorts, novellas, and novels in a variety of genres and with a variety of publishers, including Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books, Dreamspinner Press, Changeling Press, Samhain Publishing (under a different name), and Double Dragon Publishing. At the urging of two headstrong characters, she began writing m/m romance about three years ago and fell in love with it. Her work has since been exclusively in that genre.

K. Z. lives with her boyfriend of nine years in rural Wisconsin, where she still loves all creatures great and small… except wood ticks, mosquitoes, and chicken-killing raccoons.

You can visit KZ at her blog, where you’ll find more information about all of her books, including her m/f and menage titles.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Monday, April 19.
  • 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 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 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!

“If a bird chirps in the tree outside, but the window isn’t open for me to hear the bird, does the bird make a sound?” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

La-la-la-la-la-linkity!

41 Comments

Congrats to Jody, who won the Not Quite Wicked ebooks! Rumor has it there may be another contest starting tomorrow… 😉

Contests

Book and Reading News

Neato Cool

Stuff That Didn’t Fit Anywhere Else

Well, I Was Amused

Reading Update
Fatal Shadows, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, Death of a Pirate King, and The Dark Tide (The Adrien English Mysteries, Books 1-5) by Josh Lanyon. ebooks. I read books one through four last August and was amazed at how much emotional impact this m/m mystery series had on me. As I reread the first four books last week, preparing to read the fifth (and final) book, I was amazed again, because the books affected me just as much this time. When I wasn’t reading, I’d find myself thinking about Adrien, about Jake, about their complicated history. I was both looking forward to reading The Dark Tide and afraid to read it, knowing that it would most likely take me through the emotional wringer yet again. It did. I cried a few times. But at the end of the fifth book? I smiled.
Love Dot Come by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Absolutely adorable short about two geeky, klutzy guys who meet via an online personals site.
Aquamarine by Sara Bell. ebook. After a college football player is seriously injured during a game and learns that his publicity loving boyfriend won’t stick around, his life changes in unexpected ways in this sweet m/m romance.
The Manny by Sara Bell. ebook. Another sweet m/m romance from Sara Bell. This one’s about a male nanny/custom motorcycle designer and his evil landlord.
Crimson Regret, A Taste of Darkness, A Glimpse Inside, and Windows and Walls (Inches of Trust, Books 1-4) by A.R. Moler. ebook shorts. These m/m shorts are about an architect and a cop who meet as a devil and Zorro at a Halloween costume party. I enjoyed these, but found them frustrating at the same time – they read as sort of serial novel. I’d rather read the novel or collection.
Knowing Caleb (Hawkins Ranch, Book 4) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Pretty good m/m that I guess I’d categorize as a very steamy paranormal Western romance. (Hot demon cowboys!) I haven’t read the others in this series, but I’m sure I’ll read at least a few others.
You Were Always On My Mind by Deirdre O’Dare. ebook. Um. Yeah. I think I damaged my eyeballs from rolling them so much while reading this m/m romance. *shakes head at self for finishing this book*
A Promise Kept by Stormy Glenn. ebook. What is it about Stormy Glenn’s m/m romances? This one was about miscommunication and misunderstanding (with a stalker thrown in for good measure) – I was alternately sniffling, then rolling my eyes at the hokey bits. (My eyeball muscles are strong! Strong! after reading this story.) But I kept reading (er, skimming)… even though this book should have been about 1/3 the length it was, based on the amount of actual story.
Beautiful Viking by Steve Sampson. ebook. Well, the cover’s nice… Unfortunately, the writing in this m/m romance was clumsy and choppy and the characters unrealistic and gushing.
In the Rough (By Degrees, Book 2) by J. B. McDonald. ebook. Pretty good m/m romance about two guys, longtime friends who are both survivors of childhood abuse and who slowly realize that even 20 years later, they’ve been allowing their pasts to control them.
Bastards and Pretty Boys by K. Z. Snow. ebook. Well done m/m romantic suspense about a guy who buys a cabin on a quiet Wisconsin lake, hoping to work through his hydrophobia. Alas, I’ve never stayed at a cabin that had such a scenic next door neighbor!
The Night Sky Man by Mallory Path. ebook. Nicely done dreamlike m/m romance about a model and a modeling agent.
As Serious as the Grave by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Well. Yes, I read an m/m zombie romance and liked it. (Anyone who knows how I feel about zombie stories probably just spit the beverage of their choice on their screens.) Both Jenre and Tam have said far more eloquent things about this short than I will ever manage, but don’t let the zombie aspect squick you out. As Tam kept reiterating, “He’s not a zombie, he’s reanimated.”

“If you really loved me, Mom, you’d buy me a super-fancy kitty house instead of making me live in this plastic tub.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Whole lotta linkity goin’ on

46 Comments

I’m going to experiment with this post and I’d like your opinions – is it easier to read linkity posts with or without bullets? Discuss. (And thank you for your input!)

  • J, Kaye’s giving away a $25 US Amazon gift certificate or up to $25 at the Book Depository in three separate contests: Canada, US, and outside the US/Canada. Read the rules carefully! Winners will be announced January 30 and are responsible for checking the blog to see if they’ve won.
  • If you sign up for the 2010 M/M Romance Challenge by January 31, you’ll be entered for a chance to win $15 ebook bucks from All Romance eBooks!
  • Author Marta Acosta has all sorts of fun blog sidebar badges, such as for the Naked David Boreanz Club, the Association for the Admiration of Edward Cullen, the Gerard Butler Is Hawt Society, and the Jacob Black Society for Werewolf Acceptance.
  • Do not click this link if you are easily offended by graphic ice sculpture. Please. I implore you. Yes, I took the featured photo, but you’ll notice I haven’t featured it on my blog. Consider the various book covers I have featured before you click, ok? (It is not a cat picture, if that helps.)
  • Although the experience of reading a physical book is different than that of reading an ebook, does it really matter to readers? (I gotta say that I’m liking reading ebooks more than physical books these days.)
  • TeleRead reports on the most pirated books of 2009 – The Kamasutra and Adobe Photoshop Secrets held the top spots. The only best-selling authors to make it into the top 25 were Dan Brown, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, and J. K. Rowling. None of Rowling’s books have even been released as ebooks, which instead of protecting them seems to be a lost revenue opportunity.
  • Even though I told Trek that I suck at guessing contests, I won not only her guessing contest of some months ago (dollar value of an unknown number of quarters that fit into a particular tea tin), but also Nicole’s recent contest (how many books she’d read by the end of the year). Hmm. Perhaps I don’t suck at guessing contests after all? (Thanks to Nicole and Trek!)
  • This DIY magnetized coffee cozy is very cool and very clever! Heck, I can see the potential for sticking my coffee to my car when I’m rummaging for my keys. (And, wait, I already have a coffee cozy from Caribou Coffee with a mysterious zipper pocket on it – this might actually make the pocket useful!)

Reading Update
Chicken Soup for the Soul, and All That Crap: A Tigers & Devils Short by Sean Kennedy. free ebook short. Very sweet short that takes place while Declan’s recuperating from his surgery.
Warrior’s Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about about a waiter and the mysterious guy who sits in his section every Tuesday evening. I cried more than once while reading this. My only complaint is that I wanted just a little more substance (or maybe detail or maybe time) at the ending.
The One That Got Away (Second Edition) by Rhianne Aile and Madeleine Urban. ebook. Excellent m/m romance – I’d read the original version, but who could resist the new version with added scenes? (Although, sad to say, the second edition still has inconsistencies about David’s age – he fusses about how awful his 45th birthday was, but then is referred to as 42 for the rest of the book.) One of the differences I noticed was that Trace’s cat was now named Mabel instead of Gail and and she had an entire enjoyable subplot devoted to her. (Plus she’s a black kitty. Really, what’s not to like?)
Rules of Engagement by L. A. Witt. ebook. Very good m/m romance (that I had a hard time putting down) about a recently divorced guy who finds himself powerfully drawn to a guy he meets playing pool in a bar. Yes, I got sniffly, so you know there was some angst. I think my only complaint was the abruptness of the ending. I really liked this quote from one of the other characters: “If I knew how a lot of my relationships would have turned out, I never would have gotten involved in them…. And I would have missed out on some of the best times in my life.” (Of course, for me, I would also have missed out on some of the worst times in my life – you?)
Uncorked by Andrew Grey. ebook. This m/m romance is set several years after Bottled Up; Sam and Sean of Bottled Up play more of a peripheral role in this one. I’ll confess that while the beginning of this story didn’t really grab me, the middle did, but then I just wanted to smack heads together at the end. Make of that what you will. 🙂
Just Like Scrooge by Clare London. ebook short. Imagine The Christmas Carol redone (and redone well) as an m/m romance set in modern times.
In the Closet by Clare London. ebook short. Cute m/m romance about two feuding guys whose coworkers lock them in the cleaning closet to work out their differences… although maybe the coworkers didn’t expect the form that process would take…
Special Delivery by Cassandra Gold. ebook short. Sweet m/m romance short about a secretary and a delivery guy.
Fantasies: Independence Day by Cassandra Gold. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s finally had enough of his father running every aspect of his life, so he escapes to work as a waiter at a Hawaiian resort. (Total points for style on that one.)
Reunion by Vic Winter. ebook short. In this enjoyable m/m romance, the ostracized high school nerd returns for his ten-year reunion as a fit, handsome millionaire ready to shove his success in his former classmates’ faces.
Christmas for Gary by Vic Winter. ebook short. Gary’s spending some time with his very active grandmother and her friends, who are determined to find a boyfriend for him, no matter how much they embarrass him in the process.
A-Viking by Kiernan Kelly. ebook short. Ok time travel m/m romance about a Viking who mysteriously washes up on a contemporary Florida beach after his longboat capsizes.
Re-Ignition by A.R. Moler. ebook short. Good m/m romance about a former FBI agent who’s not doing so well after a career-ending injury, until he wakes up hungover, in bed with someone he doesn’t recognize.
When Work Is a Pleasure by Alix Blevins. ebook. While this m/m romance was well done, I had a problem (my very own problem and not necessarily that of the book) with how relatively easily a reporter dealt with his new boyfriend’s career as a pr0n star.
InDescent by K.Z. Snow. ebook. Another very good m/m romance that I had trouble with – this time, it was because of one of the main character being emotionally and physically involved with two other people. Not a menage (which I hate), but still – I kept getting stuck there. However! This was still a very cool story about a wizard/woodworker living in Milwaukee who notices that there’s suddenly an awful lot of paranormal activity in the city… (And really, what’s not to like about a story that has Baba Yaga’s hut in a Milwaukee city park?)

“My life sucks.” -Chaos