Galactic Conspiracies review updated

I have updated my review of Rob Colton's Galactic Conspiracies series to include the latest novel, The Degan Paradox.

You can read the updated review here.

Felice Stevens' M/M Romance One Step Further

Title: One Step Further

 Author: Felice Stevens

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: June 29, 2015

Alex Stern has it all; good looks, charm, a job he loves and everyone calls him a friend. He lives life to the fullest at a breakneck pace, in the city that never sleeps. But Alex is also a master pretender; not even his best friend sees the pain that Alex hides so well. Alex himself isn’t sure who he is or what he’s searching for, he only knows that he hasn’t found it yet.

As a veterinarian, Rafe Hazelton loves each animal that crosses his path; they don’t care if he stutters a bit or that prefers men. Their love is unconditional, but his life is still empty; they can only give him so much. New friendships convince him it’s time to break the wall of loneliness he’s hidden behind since childhood and discover what he's been missing.

Alex and Rafe forge a friendship that turns physical, and they both swear that the relationship will last only as long as the fun does. But when old heartaches come to light and secrets hidden for years are revealed, Alex and Rafe discover if they accept what’s in their hearts and take it one step further, the greatest reward is waiting for them in the end.

Through his years of practice and experience, Rafe had learned to help and comfort, to step in when his expertise was needed, and step away when there was no hope left at all. What Alex didn’t know was that Rafe always held out hope for life, and though he might give the appearance of a man ruled by quiet and calm, in truth he was tenacious as a bulldog and refused to accept defeat.

So Rafe allowed Alex to sit in his moody silence until their beers came and they both took long, bracing swallows.

“Can I speak now?”

Alex shrugged. “Suit yourself.” That offhand comment led Rafe to believe Alex didn’t expect much from people or life in general. Perhaps he too had been disappointed by the people who should have always been there for him and weren’t.

“All my life I’ve been told I was different and that kids wouldn’t like me because of my stutter. When I realized I was gay, I knew my struggle only increased ten-fold. It made me retreat even more.”

Alex traced the lip of his beer bottle with his finger. “Yeah. I can understand that to an extent.”

“That’s my point. You can understand it to an extent, but not really. I’m not saying this in a spiteful way.” It was so important to Rafe to make Alex understand where he was coming from. “You’re a big, good-looking man with a great personality. Everywhere you go, you make friends so easily; people gravitate to you naturally. It’s a gift, if you think about it.”

“I have many gifts,” said Alex with a wink and smiled for the first time since they sat down. Rafe wasn’t fooled.

“You’re deflecting,” he stated, and like Rafe knew he would, Alex stopped smiling, his mouth thinning to a tight line. “Don’t get angry with me.”

“I’m not. I’m only wondering when you decided to appoint yourself as my therapist.”

Rafe pinned Alex with a stare and a raised brow. “When someone sticks their tongue down my throat, it’s a signal to me that maybe we’ve gone beyond a handshake and a ‘Hi, how are you.’”

Alex stared at him for a moment, then his eyes creased with amusement and he started to laugh. He didn’t stop, even when the waiter arrived with their food.

Rafe folded his arms and glared. “I’m not finished. You make friends easily but it’s all on the surface, isn’t it? I bet people don’t ever really get to know the real you, do they?”

Once again, Alex stopped laughing, only this time it seemed he’d had enough. “I don’t have to listen to this shit.” He looked around for the waiter. “I’ll get my food to go.”

“That’s what you always do, don’t you. Instead of talking about things, you make a joke or run away. It’s easier to run away.”

As Rafe spoke, Alex’s face grew dark with anger. Now that he’d started talking, Rafe couldn’t stop; the words spilled like water rushing from a dam.

“I know what it’s like. My reason is obvious. I spent almost my whole life hiding behind a wall of silence. But what reason do you have to play the class clown all the time? People would like you no matter what.”

For a moment Alex stared at him, then smiled a real smile, the first all night. It kindled a glow in his deep blue eyes.

“Do you realize something?” He leaned forward and Rafe swore he could feel the warmth radiating from Alex’s body across the table.

Caught up in the moment, Rafe couldn’t look away. The sounds of the pub faded in the background, including the music, which unfortunately had gone from ’80s retro to modern day rap. “Wha-what?” His mouth tasted dry even with the beer he’d drunk.

“You barely stuttered, not at all until now.”

Alex’s large warm palm slid over his own hand and gave it a squeeze. “That’s great isn’t it? You must be getting more comfortable with me.” A wide grin broke across his face. “Guess that tongue down the throat action worked for something.”

I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.

But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.

I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HOSTED BY:

Coming soon: One Step Further by Felice Stevens

Check out my review of One Step Further by Felice Stevens in my Book / Stories Review blog

Wednesday briefs - Evans Woodworking chapter 7

Chapter 7 of my new Wednesday Brief's story is now on line. You can read it by clicking here.

If you have just come across my blog and would like to read the entire story, you can click here to get to the Wednesday briefs page.

This week I chose the prompt 'Have a character smoke a cigar.'

Here is a sneak peek at what you'll find in chapter 7:

"One moment please." The enforcer picked up the telecommicator and informed the chief enforcer of Troy's presence. "The chief enforcer will be with you shortly. You can have a seat over there."

"Thank you." Troy took the indicated seat. A short time later the chief enforcer approached him with his hand outstretched. "Mister Evans? I'm Chief Enforcer Andrews. Thank you for coming in. Follow me, please." He was taken to a room with a large glass wall. Despite all the advanced in technology, the old-fashioned police lineup still worked.

The chief enforcer told the enforcer guarding the suspects to bring them in. "Please take as much time as you need to be absolutely sure."

Troy's face slowly turned red with anger. "I don't need time. It's number 6." He grit out through clenched teeth.

Heading Down The Long Road chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Heading Down The Long Road, book 4 in The Long Road series, has been posted.

You can read it here.

An interview with Aaron Suarez

From all the feedback I have received, it is apparent that Aaron is the most popular character in The Long Road series.

For all of Aaron's fans, I have posted an interview between Aaron and myself. You will find it on the menu bar for each blog.

Enjoy!

Recovering book/story reviews

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that I was able to recover the book/story reviews.

The bad news is that I was unable to recover all of them. I will, over the next few weeks, attempt to recreate them. Wish me luck.

For some weird reason, all of my book/story reviews have disappeared. I am working on restoring them.

I appreciate your patience and will let you know when all of the reviews have been restored.

Series review: Galactic Conspiracies by Rob Colton

Galactic conspiracies.

Every science-fiction fan has heard of them. But how many of them have heard of a galactic conspiracy so epic that it takes not one, not two, but three full length novels to cover it?

The novels I’m referring to are The Degan Incident, The Cassini Mission, and The Degan Paradox, all best-sellers, written by an incredible writer, Rob Colton.

The first book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The Degan Incident.

 Blurb:

Lonely spaceport worker Devin McSmith meets Bastian Drago, an exotic and beastly alien from the planet Dega, and begins an adventure that takes him to the stars and beyond.

While working at Earth's Spaceport Prime, Devin McSmith meets Bastian Drago, an exotic and beastly alien from the planet Dega.

Devin and Bastian get to know each other and their relationship quickly heats up. Just as they begin to fall in love, Bastian disappears without a trace.

When Devin's encounter with Bastian triggers a startling change in his body, he is taken captive and held in a top-secret research facility.

Will Bastian find Devin before it's too late?

Excerpt:

I stepped off the magtrain and made my way up the concourse pushing my way through the crowds of people. I looked up at one of the wall displays and noted the time. I was cutting it close, but I still had a few minutes before the start of my shift.

While weaving between a trio of blue-skinned aliens speaking in a foreign tongue, I reached into the pocket of my uniform and pulled my headset out. I looped it over my ear and pressed the silicone nub into my ear canal. I pulled my comPad from the side leg pocket, then slid my finger across the razor-thin flexi-glass screen. The screen came to live with colorful graphics, waiting to scan my thumbprint to log me in. Pressing my thumb against the indicated area flashing on the screen, it dinged with a chime that indicated success, and automatically linked up my headset and signed into the Spaceport network. After the chime, the pleasant female computer voice announced into my ear, Devin McSmith; login successful.

With another swipe of my finger, I flipped though my day’s manifest and headed to the first gate on my list to start work.

~~~~~

Review:

The blurb and the excerpt pretty much say it all. What neither of them say is how captivating and real the characters are.

Through Rob’s incredible writing it’s very easy to feel Devin’s terror at being kidnapped, poked and prodded, helpless to do anything about it.

It’s just as easy to identify with Bastian’s ultimate anger when he learns what has happened to the person he loves more than life itself…Devin.

Politics, intrigue and suspense, along with a huge dose of familial love and bonding come together to create an absolute must read story. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give The Degan Incident a definite 10 and put it on the ‘You haveto read this book!’ list.

~~~~~

The second book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The Cassini Mission.

Blurb:

The adventure continues in this action-packed sequel to The Degan Incident!

Dr. Aron Adler is ordered to take part in a rescue mission to a research colony located on an uninhabited planet in the outer rim. He is to immediately report to the U.S.C. Cassini, which will take Aron, two other scientists, and a unit of Union Marines to the colony. Once there, they are to assess the situation and retrieve any data or specimens.

Formerly a scientist in the Union Navy, Aron was dishonorably discharged following a court-martial for failing to obey orders. Stepping foot on the Cassini brings up old feelings he would rather forget. Shunned by the crew of the Cassini, Aron finds comfort in the arms—and bed—of Marine corporal Kane Robertson.

Upon reaching the colony, it becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems. Once again, Aron is faced with a difficult decision:  follow orders or follow his heart.

Excerpt:

Doctor Aron Adler; access granted.

As the computer’s pleasant announcement, the security lock disengaged and the door opened with a swoosh.

Not looking up from my comPad, I made my way to my lab’s main workstation. Once seated, I transferred control from the pad to my workstation and activated the scanner. I had just gotten the electron scanner calibrated and it was not streaming bio-chemical data to the large computer screens mounted on my lab wall.

“Yes,” I said in triumph as I skimmed over the new data. Everything looked to be in order.

~~~~~

Review:

We first meet Dr. Aron Adler, exobiologist, in The Degan Incident as he was discussing Devin McSmith’s unusual medical condition with Devin’s doctor, Dr. Flynn. This sets up a chain of events leading up to the The Cassini Mission.

Research colony RC-8460 has gone silent. The USC Cassini, carrying Aron, Geneticist Kenji Kanataka and cyberneticist Bradley Brimley along with a unit of Marines is dispatched to investigate. 

What they find there horrifies them.

Rob does an awesome job weaving suspense, suspicion, fear, lust and jealousy together to create an awesome page turner, one that is difficult to put down.

He cleverly links The Cassini Mission back to The Degan Incident through flashbacks and conversations.

After reading both novels, I found it easy to figure out who subjects H1 & D1 are, but who are subjects H2 & D2? I have my suspicions, but I’ll keep quiet on them until Galactic Conspiracies 3 comes out.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give The Cassini Mission a definite10 and put it on the ‘You have to read this book!’ list.

~~~~~

The third book in the Galactic Conspiracies series is The Degan Paradox.

Blurb:

The adventure continues in this action-packed follow up to The Degan Incident and The Cassini Mission.

Peri McSmith is aboard the U.S.C. Cassini, en route to the Degan Homeworld. A routine medical examination reveals a startling yet impossible link between Peri and the Cassini’s last mission.

Beshel Drago, Chief Investigator for the Degan Federation, searches for leads on the rogue scientists conducting illegal genetic experiments using Degan citizens. He hits yet another dead end—until the rescued embryo’s human parent is identified.

When the Degan Science Institute is attacked, and the embryo stolen, it’s up to Beshel and Peri to not only recover the child, but to prevent all-out war between the Degans and the Galactic Planetary Union.

Excerpt:

Perin McSmith picked up the last item on top of his dresser. Instead of immediately packing it away in his box, Peri stopped and took a good look at it. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. It was a picture of him and his best friend, Devin. Taken when they were younger, it was one of his favorites.

He remembered the day like it was yesterday. It was the night before his high school graduation. They’d gone out to celebrate one last time before school was out, just him and Dev.

That next week Peri would start his brand new job at Spaceport Prime, the largest port on the North American continent servicing flights bound for space travel. Dev had been working as a docking gate technician for the past year and was able to get Peri an interview. Dev put in a good word with the supervisor, and Peri got the job.

Review:

In this third installment of the Galactic Conspiracies series, Rob brings the gang back together. Devin. Bastian. Peri, Martan, Aron, Kane, Kenji and Brian. The specimen discovered in the illegal research colony, RC-8460 turned out to be a something created from subjects D2 & H2 (we find out who they are in this novel). The specimen is delivered to the Degan Science Institute. This is where the story starts to twist and turn, leading the gang to discover a new cybernetic horror.

How will they overcome seemingly unbeatable odds to defeat these new cybernetic abominations and rescue the embryo? You will just have to read The Degan Paradox to find out.

Once again Rob brings the three books together. One of the great things about the Galactic Conspiracies series is you don’t have to read previous books in the series in order to understand what’s happening in each book. However, you will have a much more enjoyable reading experience if you do read each book in succession. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

I must point out that there are a couple of sentences in The Degan Paradox which I believe, and this is my own personal belief based on what I read, is an easter egg pointing to a 4^th book in the Galactic Conspiracies series.

As with The Degan Incident and the Cassini Mission, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give The Degan Paradox a definite 10 and put it on the ‘You have to read this book!’ list.

Well done, Rob; very well done.

After reading The Degan Incident, The Cassini Mission and The Degan Paradox, if you hunger for more of Rob’s incredible storytelling (and I’m sure you will), be sure to check out Timber Pack Chronicles and Enforcers:  Timber Pack Chronicles book 2. I’m absolutely positive you won’t be disappointed.

Author bio:

Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.

Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.

Cover art, blurbs, excerpts, and author bio copyright © Rob Colton, all rights reserved.

Wednesday briefs - Evans Woodworking chapter 6

Chapter 6 of my new Wednesday Brief's story is now on line. You can read it by clicking here.

If you have just come across my blog and would like to read the entire story, you can click here to get to the Wednesday briefs page.

Here is a sneak peek at what you'll find in chapter 6:

They had all seen enough medical dramas to note the stress that always appeared on a doctor’s face when he was about to give bad news was absent. “Are you relatives of Ethan Evans?”

“Yes, he’s our brother,” Chris responded. “How is he?”

“Why don’t we all sit down over here?”

Alison gasped at the suggestion. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Well,” the surgeon began slowly, “it’s neither good nor bad. It just is.”

“Would you please explain to us how he’s doing?” Chris asked.

New release from Dreamspinner Press - No More Hiding from Renee Stevens

***Available Now***

Dreamspinner Press – eBook

Dreamspinner Press – Paperback

Blurb

Phillip Jorgensen tried to live the straight life and ended up divorced. But he wouldn’t trade his two kids, Jacob and Samantha, for the world. His ex-wife has kidnapped them and he's been searching for them for six long years. But he’s not giving up—never, not for anything. His twin brother has encouraged him to start living again, but how is he going to find romance with all his baggage?

When he meets Vance Pierce at the new gym, Phillip sees a chance to find some happiness.

Phillip has to explain the whole sordid mess to Vance and pray that he understands that he’ll never stop looking for his children. That’s easier said than done. Telling Vance might be risky. Is their connection strong enough to convince Vance to stay? Or will he think that Phillip is too damaged to love? This is Phillip's chance at the life he never thought he could have. But is it possible?

Excerpt

Bree was pulled away from him, and he was doused from head to toe in ice-cold water. He wiped his face and turned, only to be met by his brother’s laughing face.

“Hey there, little brother.” Robert smirked and pointed the hose at him.

“You’re so going to pay for that.” Phillip advanced. He was already drenched. It wasn’t like Robert could get him any wetter. “And you’re how much older? That’s right, ten minutes.”

“I’m still older.” Robert grinned evilly. He covered the tip of the hose with his thumb, and the ensuing spray engulfed Phillip. “Do you really think you can best me?”

“I think so,” Phillip answered with a mischievous grin as his gaze settled on movement behind Robert. Bree and Corey had gotten their hands on the other hose and were sneaking up on their dad. “You are going to get so wet,” Phillip warned. Seconds later the kids turned the hose on Robert, causing him to drop his own hose as he yelled in surprise. Phillip dove for it and proceeded to help them drench their dad. “You give yet?”

“Never.” Robert roared playfully. He launched himself at his brother, sending them both sprawling in the mud and struggling to gain control of the hose. Childish laughter reached their ears and water showered down on them, courtesy of Bree and Corey.

“On the count of three, you get Bree,” Robert whispered to his brother as they wrestled in the mud.

“Sounds good.” Phillip kept his own voice low enough that he couldn’t be overheard. They maneuvered until they were in a position where they could get to their feet quickly.

“One… two… three,” Robert yelled, and Phillip lunged to his feet next to Robert.

Author Bio

Renee Stevens first started writing in her teens but didn’t get serious about being an author until her mid-twenties.  Since then she’s written a number of contemporary stories, as well as delved into the paranormal.  When not writing, or spending time in the outdoors, Renee can usually be found working on GayAuthors.org in her capacity of admin and Anthology Coordinator.

Renee resides in Wyoming with her wonderfully supportive husband and a menagerie of four-legged critters.  Making the most of the nearly constant negative temperatures and mounds of snow, Renee spends much of the winter months in hibernation with her laptop, the voices in her head keeping her company while her husband works. When she needs a break from writing, Renee takes to the sewing machine to design, and make, beautiful quilts.

When the snow finally disappears, usually around May or June, Renee can be found in the great-outdoors.  She spends her time on the mountain, at the lake, and just anywhere that she can do some camping, take some photos, and ride the four-wheelers with her hubby.  Once back at home, it’s back to writing.

Twitter * Blog * Facebook * Goodreads

Wednesday briefs - Evans Woodworking chapter 5

Chapter 5 of my new Wednesday Brief's story is now on line. You can read it by clicking here.

If you have just come across my blog and would like to read the entire story, you can click here to get to the Wednesday briefs page.

This week I chose the prompts “Never say that to me again” and have a character trip


Here is a sneak peek at what you'll find in chapter 5:

Troy reluctantly asked if Ethan’s wounds were self-inflicted. Caught completely off-guard by the question, the doctor replied, “No, they weren’t. I can’t be sure, but it looks like he was hit by a vehicle of some sort. Why would you ask that?”

“He just found out he’s HIV positive. He was infected intentionally.” Troy paused for a minute, considering how much he should reveal. Since Sam was a doctor and a close friend to all of them, he decided to tell him everything. “Sam, Ethan was gangbanged by several guys. The person who infected him admitted to doing it intentionally, and that he drugged Ethan with Rohypnol.”

“Oh my god. Poor Ethan. He’s such a good kid. He doesn’t deserve any of this. Do you have any evidence the rape?”