HELLO FRIENDS, BOY DO I HAVE A POST FOR YOU TODAY! TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF LOVELIGHT PRESS: A LGBT PUBLISHER DEDICATED TO GAY AND LESBIAN BOOKS, I HAVE SEVERAL OF THE MM TITLES FOR YOU, ALONG WITH MINI REVIEWS FOR THE ONES I HAVE READ, AND I EVEN HAVE A FEATURED TITLE WHICH I HAVE A BLOG POST AND EXCERPT FOR! UNDER EACH BOOK WILL BE IT'S LOVELIGHT LINK (PSST...SOME OF THESE ARE ON SALE!) GRAB EM NOW, THE SALE WON'T LAST FOREVER :p! I WILL ALSO INCLUDE LINKS TO LOVELIGHT, SO LET'S GET STARTED!
THIS ISN'T AN OFFICIAL LOVELIGHT QUOTE, I JUST LIKED IT AND THOUGHT IT FIT :) NOW FOR THE BOOKS:
SPARK:
Once a gourmet baker designing elite desserts, Kevin Walker now works at a second-rate bakery and dreams of opening a dessert bar with his best friend, mixologist Troy. When Troy secretly applies for a Main Street storefront on Ember Isle, an exclusive gay millionaires’ retreat, they’re accepted – despite how Kevin’s always said he’s straight. Kevin’s not worried; he’s secure enough in his sexuality. He’s never been with a woman, but then, he’s never found the right one… right?
Billionaire Eli Black thought he had it all until he walked in on his high-rolling actor boyfriend Tom rolling in the hay with another man. His closest friend Dean drags him to Ember Isle to make him have fun while they wait for Tom to make the news public. He doesn’t think he can flirt again, but before he can even set foot on the island, he’s proven wrong. When he later spots a dessert bar and can’t resist a peek before opening time, the man he met earlier catches his eye. He wants Kevin over his knee and in his bed… and he doesn’t believe for a second that Kevin is straight.
Eli and Kevin try to understand their intense mutual attraction at first meeting, and they’re drawn together for fun in the island heat. Wires cross afterwards as they realize they’re more than a one-night stand, yet Kevin thinks Eli is lying to him about being single. Can their budding relationship survive its first test?
I HAVEN'T READ THIS ONE, BUT IT IS NEXT ON MY LIST, AND I CAN'T WAIT!
WOLF & BEAR: OMEGA HEART PART 1:
Throughout certain magical circles, a male omega wolf’s heart is considered a valuable commodity. Used for all manner of spells and potions, the heart of an omega is renowned for its fertility properties.
When Benjamin Noble woke up in an operating room, his wolf howled with despair. The lone survivor of an attack on his pack, Benjamin was taken alive for his omega heart. With one look to his right, that heart recognized its true mate.
Holden McKenna had been held captive for three days. Alpha grizzly bear blood is worth its weight in gold. Recognizing Benjamin as its mate, Holden’s bear breaks loose. Saving Benjamin is only the start, though.
Between them, intimacy blooms. Around them, a mystery unfolds. As the threat of recapture looms, Holden’s worldview collides with Benjamin’s leanings toward the mystical.
As the two make their way to the safety of Holden’s home and sleuth, their connection grows. But can a wolf and a bear who come from such similar but disparate worlds ever transcend their differences to become one?
I HAVEN'T READ THIS ONE EITHER, BUT I CAN'T WAIT, THIS IS ONE OF THE ONES ON SALE ;)!
LION'S CLAIM:
Josh Kinder has been burned before. After a messy breakup, he’s resigned himself to being alone. When a friend talks him into a night out at an exclusive club, the last thing Josh expects is to lock eyes with a handsome stranger—only for him to tell Josh that they’re destined to be together, whether he likes it or not!
Oh, yeah, and that he can turn into a lion.
Lion shifter Mercer Steele is the heir to his pride’s fortunes, with a catch. Unless he can find his fated mate before time runs out, he has nothing. On the verge of losing it all to a rival faction, he’s ready to give in… Until he sees Josh, and knows he’s found the one.
But when he tries to claim his mate, Josh runs.
Josh doesn’t believe in love at first sight. Mercer can’t afford to believe in anything else. With his rivals hot on his trail, can he win his mate in time to save his empire, or will they lose everything they didn’t know they had?
WOO HOO, CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS ONE EITHER! ON SALE ALSO, (ALL THESE BOOKS ARE PRICED REALLY WELL I MIGHT ADD!)
BLIZZARD IN BEARSKIN: FULL MOON VIGIL 1:
Abram Chernov isn’t a man of half measures. After a string of personal tragedies, he left everything behind to become an arctic bush pilot. A rugged refrigerator of a man, he now spends his days content in solitude, delivering mail and supplies to the remotest corners of the Alaskan tundra. When he’s not piloting his ski-plane, or grabbing a drink in the tiny town of Yakutak, the gruff shifter roams the wilds in his other, more comfortable skin: that of a giant kodiak bear. He’s not lonely, he reminds himself constantly; solitude suits him just fine. Some days, he almost believes it.
Nikan Parande, a slick young werewolf from Chicago, wishes his employer would stop sending him on assignments to the middle of nowhere. He’s been looking for a more substantial, serious relationship than what the Boystown club scene has to offer, but the demands of his career at shifter-owned Holloway Industries have relentlessly gotten in the way. One day he’ll find true love, he tells himself in between flight delays and full moons.
By the time Nikan hitches a late night ride into Yakutak, he’s sporting nothing but his wits, his gear, and a hastily scrawled out name… The name of a local bush pilot who’s supposed to be sympathetic to shifter causes. A small, remote silver mining operation—owned by the werewolves of Holloway Industries—has gone completely dark, and it’s Nikan’s task as a newly recruited “security specialist” to find out what’s happened. Although eager to prove himself, he won’t get far without Abram’s help. Together, this unlikely pair of shifters will face subzero temperatures and supernatural horrors in the land of the midnight sun. While struggling to survive the coming storms, they might even kindle a new flame – in each other’s arms.
OK GUYS, THIS ONE I DID READ, AND HOLY CRAP WAS IT GREAT!! THE STORYLINE AND EXECUTION WERE STELLAR, AND YOU REALLY CAN'T MISS THIS ONE!
the 5 wolf paw print rating!
KINDLING:
When a stage accident leaves his left hand permanently damaged, guitarist Silas St. Clare is left barely working out a living as a technician at a low-rent sound studio, convinced his dream of a life on stage is dead forever.
But when up-and-coming alt-rock star Asher Danes rents out the studio, it’s not long before the singer has Silas questioning everything he knows – and not just about music. Will Silas stay in his comfortable misery, or reach for happiness with both hands? And will he be able to grasp it, if he does?
LET ME JUST SAY, THIS BOOK IS JUST BRILLIANT! I WILL READ IT OVER AND OVER FOR SURE! I LOVED IT COVER TO COVER, AND YOU WILL TOO! (ON SALE :p)
the 5 tequila bottle rating ;)
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE WONDERFUL OFFERINGS THAT LOVELIGHT HAS, HERE IS THE FEATURED BOOK OF THIS POST, WITH A BLOG POST AND EXCERPT:
BOBBY AND THE BEAST:
Beauty. Beast. Not your grandma’s fairy tale…
Prince Christopher is as conceited as he is handsome. After his overwhelming ego offends an evil sorcerer, Christopher is robbed of the source of all his arrogance: his looks. Transformed into a hideous beast, Prince Christopher has only a limited time to fulfill a near-impossible condition or the curse will remain with him forever.
Bobby Farmer is a stunning and innocent twink. When Bobby’s father is imprisoned as a trespasser at Prince Christopher’s castle, Bobby offers himself in his father’s place, and Prince Christopher accepts the brave young man’s deal.
It isn’t long before a friendship begins to blossom between the happy-go-lucky Bobby and the newly-humbled Prince. Friendship isn’t enough to lift the sorcerer’s shapeshifting curse, and unless Prince Christopher can win Bobby’s heart, his fate will be sealed… But as the Prince-turned-beast wonders, how can a man whose beauty is more than skin-deep ever come to love a creature such as himself?
A MM BEAUTY AND THE BEAST IS JUST A TOTAL HELL YEAH IN MY BOOK, EVEN MORE SO WHEN I READ IT! IT WAS CLEVER, CATCHY, AND I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED IT! YOU WILL TOO!
the 5 skeleton key rating ;)
OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS ONE: HERE IS A POST FROM AUTHOR MARK PACE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF THE BOOK:
Why Create a Gay Version of a Classic Fairy Tale?
Some people might wonder why an author would want to create a gay version of a classic fairy tale such as Beauty and the Beast or, indeed, any new version of such a well-known tale. As a writer, I find it quite enjoyable to put a fresh spin on material that people already know so well. In our business, the saying goes that if the writer had fun writing it, then the reader should have fun reading it.
I also like to play with reader expectations. They are used to certain elements of the story unfolding in a certain way. The new version surprises readers and gives them a new way to enjoy the material.
That leads to the more specific question of why produce a gay version. You've heard the advice to writers hundreds of times – write what you know. I doubt too many of us have first hand knowledge of evil sorcerers turning gorgeous studly princes into grotesque beasts! Magic and other paranormal activity is a strong element in Beauty and the Beast and most fairy tales. However, at their hearts, these timeless tales are really about the same issues we as gay men and women (along with our straight counterparts) face today in our daily lives. These include: making the right choices, struggling with good versus evil, and, as always, finding love.
Although we may find Prince Charming or Snow White on the other end of an Internet connection instead of on the other side of the castle moat, the underlying concepts remain the same. They're both modern and timeless all at once.
Making all or most of the main characters gay fulfills the earlier points well. It's like they say in Hollywood, they want "more of the same, but different" or they want "new, but familiar" to ensure "built-in" audiences will feel comfortable with the material ahead of time.
Depending on how old you are, you may remember a time when there were no gay characters on TV and gay books and stories were either hard (or impossible) to come by depending on where you lived. Of course, thanks to the Internet, the floodgates of gay material have opened up. Authors now have the opportunity to make up for lost time.
Here's an interesting thought to ponder – maybe some of the authors of classic fairy tales and other time-honored literature really did want to write the stories with gay and lesbian characters, but they dared not do it. Maybe some brave souls actually did write about homosexual characters and the material was suppressed and lost to the ages. Maybe we're just telling and experiencing the stories the way the original authors intended them!
One question I've received when completing projects like this is whether an adaptation is easier than just making up something new from scratch. I do think it's technically easier since the bare-bones structure of the story and character types are already in place. However, I find that it takes longer than working on something wholly original. As I get farther and farther along on an adaptation, my challenge becomes making the remainder of the source material fit with the new ideas I've introduced, rather than the other way around as you might expect.
Finally, one more reason to create a gay version of Beauty and the Beast or any other classic story of its kind is so I can use puns about the stories "coming from the oral tradition" and being true "fairy tales" which I hope are as entertaining to read as they are to write.
OMG I FREAKING LOVE IT! EVERY FAIRY TALE SHOULD BE WRITTEN AS A MM, WHO'S WITH ME ON THIS? ;P! HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM BOBBY AND THE BEAST: ENJOY FRIENDS:
The pealing bells startled the handsome prince who owned the castle as he reclined in his reading room. "Who could be ringing the bells at this late hour on a stormy night such as this?" he said aloud as he rose and looked out the window. Seeing the storm in full force, he thought perhaps the wind itself had taken hold of the rope.
Rather than wake his already sleeping servants, the prince decided to check the door himself. If a hunky passing knight needed a place to stay, well, the prince would be glad to share his bed!
The prince walked down the long stone corridor. He descended the winding staircase which led to the front entrance. "Hark! Who goes there?" the prince called through the door.
His voice was like music to the troll's ears. It had been so long since he'd come in contact with a man with a masculine voice like that. Its richness and deepness conjured all kinds of visions of how handsome its owner must be.
"A poor and weary traveler," the troll replied in answer to the prince's question. "May I trouble you for shelter from this horrendous storm and perhaps a morsel of food?"
When the prince heard the troll's high-pitched and whiny voice, he knew he would be short of stature and certainly no threat. The prince removed the heavy wooden bar from its holder. The huge door creaked open.
The candelabras from the foyer provided a sudden patch of bright light. The troll blinked in surprise. He covered his eyes with his hands.
The prince blinked in disgust at the sight of the creature on his doorstep. The misshapen, stooped over troll could not have been more than four feet tall. His scraggly beard went all the way down to the top of his chest. His pointy ears stuck out from under his dirty hat. His fingernails were so sharp, they resembled claws.
"How dare you, an ugly little troll, disturb my reading?" the prince roared.
"Begging your pardon, sir, I lost my way in the dark and I need a place to stay to wait out the storm–"
The prince cut him off. "What you need is a miracle. With the way you look, I shouldn't doubt that terrible storms follow you everywhere you go!"
The troll shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was obvious that his old joints were aching from the weather. Ignoring the prince's rude remarks, the troll tried another tactic. "I can offer you something in return for your hospitality."
The prince rested his hands on his gold-laced belt. He stared down at the obviously indigent beggar. "What could you possibly offer me, troll?"
The troll produced a small, compact mirror from his pocket. The prince thought it must have been the only possession the troll had in the world. As he held the mirror out towards him, the prince noticed the troll had tiny hairs growing in the palm of his hand.
The prince gestured at the beautiful castle furnishings behind him including several full-length mirrors which he used to admire himself from many angles. "I have no need of your trinkets. As you can see, I have gold aplenty to purchase mirrors and anything else my heart desires."
The troll reached into the soaking wet pocket of his vest. He pulled out a handkerchief decorated with intricate embroidery. He held it up in the prince's line of vision.
Curiously, the handkerchief was completely dry despite the wet conditions from which it was retrieved. The prince thought the troll's vest pocket must have been lined with some type of water-resistant material. In any case, he had no interest in the little piece of fabric.
"Will you consider this handkerchief a fair trade for a bite to eat and a night's lodging in the castle?" the troll asked.
The prince scoffed. "I have royal tailors who create these magnificent clothes you see me wearing before you. I hardly need your pitiful scrap of material."
The troll tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket. "Ah!" said the troll, "I have skills which Your Majesty might find pleasing."
YES, YES, YES FRIENDS, THIS WAS GREAT: WHAT ABOUT SOME LINKS TO LOVELIGHT? IT IS A GREAT SITE, SO LOOK AROUND:
USE THESE LINKS FRIENDS, ALL OF THEM! YOU WILL REALLY ENJOY THE SITE AND THE BOOKS AS WELL! THANKS FOR JOINING ME, SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
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