A Kind of Home by Lane Hayes

Isaac Dalton is the guitarist for Spiral, arguably the biggest rock band in the world. The band’s meteoric rise to superstardom has its perks, but fame and fortune aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Nonstop touring and performing exhaust him, and when an overzealous fan makes it imperative that Isaac travel with a clingy bodyguard, he is ready for a break from the madness. More so when his newly single first crush shows up on his doorstep. The man is strictly off-limits. He’s a memory from a place Isaac would rather leave behind. And he’s straight.

Fun-loving former athlete slash construction worker Adam McBride desperately needs a new beginning. And New York City is the perfect place to start over and think about how to rebuild his life. A short stint as roommates with his brother’s best friend from high school seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, when friendship gives way to fierce attraction, both men find themselves in uncharted and possibly dangerous territory. Isaac has to decide if he’s willing to take the ultimate risk for a kind of love and a kind of home he never dreamed possible.

Book 4
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series and concentrates on lead guitarist, Isaac, although we do get snippets about the rest of the band too. I would say that it could be read as a standalone, but be much richer as part of the series.

An interesting mix of storylines ensures that this book moves along at a fair pace. Featuring a rock star, already sets up the issue of fans and loss of privacy – add in the fact that his best friend's brother/teenage crush is staying at his apartment, and that he has a stalker – Isaac is near the end of his tether. Somehow the grounded Adam gets under the mask he has created, and a rather lovely, passionate, and heated romance starts to blossom. Obviously life is not that simple, and a number of issues have to be resolved before we can get to the happily ever after that he deserves.

A good addition to the series, and hopefully we will get some more about these guys in future installments.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
Spiral has come so far! Each book in this series captures the band at a different stage in their career. In Isaac’s story, he is a famous rock star with rock star problems. Like a stalker. And a family friend turned houseguest who just won’t leave.

I like that Isaac is a bit of an entitled dick at times in this book. We saw the band scrambling to get ahead, we saw the sacrifices made along the way, and now we get to see Isaac’s frustration with the consequences of the success they’ve worked so hard for.

Adam is much more likeable than Isaac. I love the reality he injects into Isaac’s life. I don’t always like the way Isaac treats him and I don’t always know why he stays, but I love the chill, the calm, and the care he brings into Isaac’s life. Some of the later drama and miscommunication in this relationship felt contrived and it really annoyed me.

The stalker storyline really wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t a consistent story thread. The tension didn’t build naturally and I’m still not sure what purpose it served.

This isn’t my favourite book in the series but I did love catching up with Spiral at the peak of their success. I love this band and I love the growth we get to see from book to book. I am very much looking forward to the next story.

Also Available in the A Kind of Stories Series

Book 1
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Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our A Kind of Truth post.

Book 2
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Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our A Kind of Romance post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our A Kind of Honesty post.

Lane is a designer by trade who is extremely grateful to be spending more of her time these days doing what she truly loves...writing. She loves chocolate, wine, travel, but most of all, she loves books. Lane's debut novel, Better Than Good, was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist. She lives in So. California near the beach with her amazing husband, three teenagers & a gorgeous old Lab named Rex.

Connect with Lane

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Kind of Home (A Kind of Stories #4) by Lane Hayes to read to and review.

Elliott Redeemed by Scarlett Cole Release Blitz

A single mom and tortured musician find common ground in Scarlett Cole's Elliott Redeemed, the second standalone romance about the band Preload.

Elliott “Pyro” Dawson burns up the lead guitar like a legend. But the nickname Pyro isn’t just a clever play on words. It’s much darker. A past he's fought like hell to overcome.

Grocery store cashier Kendalee Walker is at her wits end and homeless. She's watched her fourteen-year-old son, Daniel, go so far off the rails, he can no longer see the tracks.

When the two are brought together, attraction flares, but can Elliott find the family he never had with the sexy woman and her son, or will he fall back on dangerous habits?

Book 2
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When all the wood was finally stacked next to his clearing, Elliott dove into the lake to cool down. Excitement began to trickle through his veins. Once he was cool, he dried off a little and wandered into the house to get one of the now-cold beers and his box of supplies.

The piano intro to “Pretending” started, and he laughed. Shuffle was reading his fucking mind.

He walked back to the fire pit and put the box down carefully on one of the Muskoka chairs nearby. He took a swig of beer, eyed his supplies, and ran his hand over the rough logs. He’d build a stack of pallets and logs similar to an inukshuk. The Inuit had used them as landmarks, and it would be one for him. It would mark home.

Elliott took his time sorting the logs into pairs of similar sizes and began to cautiously stack them. If they fell over too soon as they burned, it would ruin the effect, so he used some of the smaller pieces to build a frame to stop the logs from rolling. Periodically, he would lay a wooden pallet across the logs. When he’d used up his supplies, the structure was nearly as tall as he was. Need coursed through him. The matches were in the box, calling to him as they always did. The compulsion, the urges were so very strong. But giving into the gratification too soon ruined everything. By holding out, he could convince himself that he was the one in control. And, anyway, lighting it before it was truly dark would ruin the effect.

Forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other, he turned away and walked back into the house to make some supper. He cut up the pre-cooked chicken and served himself some of the ready-made sides he’d picked up at Loblaws, periodically looking out the window to check his structure. It would burn well, the pallets igniting faster than the logs, sending flames high into the air. Elliott took a step toward the door, desperate to strike the first match, but then turned back. He forced himself to grab a fork from the drawer, another beer from the fridge, and the plate from the counter, and wandered outside, taking a seat on the patio.

The sun went down as he ate his fill. Thoughts of Kendalee spending another night in the hospital eating takeout food kept going through his mind, and he wondered what she would think of him if she knew this was the reason he’d had to get out of Toronto for a couple of days.

Why did he think he was capable of helping Daniel when he couldn’t even stop himself? Daniel needed someone stronger than him. Someone who had enough self-control to take the extra few minutes to clean up the dirty dishes from dinner before stepping down toward the pier.

Elliott opened the box reverently, and pulled out his favorite lighter. He loved the sound it made as his thumb ran quickly over its rough surface. At his command, it came to life, a flame snapping high into the dark night. He grabbed four long matches and placed all four tips into the flame at once. They hissed to life, the smell of sulphur filling his nostrils, calming him as much as it excited him.

There was no way he’d ever be good enough for someone like Kendalee. He placed the first long match down in the corner of the fire pit, watching as the kindling took hold. He walked to the next corner and repeated the action, savoring the crackle and snap of the wood in the fire’s path. The heat began to lick at his skin, but he couldn’t step away. He would never be able to tell her why he understood Daniel, and that would always get in the way. He placed a match in the third corner and breathed deeply in a bid to control his heart rate. Moving quickly, he stepped to the fourth corner, but before he placed the match in the tinder, he ran it along the underside of his arm, pausing near his elbow. He grit his teeth tightly as the heat seared his skin. The bite of it cleared all thoughts from his head. Thoughts of the band, the tour, a small boy in the hospital, and a strawberry blonde he wanted to know better. None of them could compete with this.

Delicately, he placed the fourth match down and stepped back. The whole structure roared to life as flames climbed the wood.

Fire would always be his mistress. He didn’t have room for anyone else.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Triggers: Click HERE to see Mary Jo’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Kendalee is living a mother's worst nightmare. Her child, her son was sexually abused in her home by her husband's identical twin. Compounding that nightmare is the day her son burned their home down, with him still inside.

Her soon to be ex-husband is estranged from Daniel because he didn't believe Daniel when he finally had the courage to tell his parents what was happening to him.

At a time when there are no bright spots in her world, Elliott stops by the burn ward to spend some time with Daniel and forms a connection with him. Elliott likes Daniel and sees a lot of himself in the boy, in the trials that he's facing, and their shared demon: fire.

Elliott has a hard time controlling his urges and love for fire. What started out as a painful memory, fire has now become a way for him to release the demons inside him, even though he knows it’s not healthy.

What Elliott didn't expect was falling for Kendalee. He doesn't care that she's a decade older than he is, what he sees is her heart, her love for child, and how being in her arms calms the demons inside him.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This was a great story about Elliott and Kendalee. We start out with knowing a little about Elliott – he has a love of fire. Along with his band brothers, they have made it big and now do special events at children's hospitals and the like. When Elliott is asked to go and visit a kid in the hospital, his old fears and anxiety returns. He knows what it's like to be in the hospital, having been abused as a child.

Daniel is hurting physically, emotionally, and mentally. His father has cheated on his mom, left their family six months ago to be with his secretary and essentially left Daniel and Kendalee without anything. Daniel was subjected to abuse from his uncle, his father's identical twin, for several years and when he gathers enough courage to tell his parents, his father doesn't believe him. Despite all that Kendalee has going on, she sticks by her son. Daniel is triggered every time his father tries to see him in the hospital and so Kendalee has to stand firm and tell Adrian that he is only allowed to hear what the doctors know, from the doctors.

While this is all happening, there is the underlying issue that one of the reasons that they are in the situation is because Daniel set fire to the house where the abuse occurred and with that gone, he and his mom are homeless.

In walks a member from Daniel's favorite band – Elliott. Elliott knows what it's like to watch fire burn, smell burned flesh, and how it feels to be abused. He connects with Daniel on a level that nobody else there can do. Elliott is also wildly attracted to Kendalee and the attraction is definitely reciprocated.

We get to watch Elliott figure out how to deal with his own feelings and protect and love both Daniel and Kendalee. Even though there is some drama, this was mostly about learning to deal with the long and buried issues that Elliott has so that he can move forward with Kendalee and Daniel. I do wish that we had more of a resolution in regard to the ex-husband, but overall, this was a very well done story.


Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
I'm very much enjoying the spin-off Preload series! The boys of Preload all grew up together in a group home. They all have their own issues and demons and this story is Elliott's, lead guitarist and diagnosed pyromaniac. Elliott comes from an abusive home and had a rough past.

Kendalee's son, Daniel, is in the burn unit after having set fire to their home after being abused by his uncle. While Elliott is at the hospital meeting with young cancer patients, he's asked to visit a huge fan having issues in the burn unit. Elliott agrees but finds Daniel's issues hit very close to his own.

Elliott also finds Daniel's mother amazing. Kind, caring, and the best mom a kid could want, Elliott finds himself drawn to this small family like a moth to a flame. He will have to come clean about his past and how close his problems mirror Daniel's, but he just wants to enjoy their budding relationship.

Kendalee can’t believe she's attracted to a much younger, heavy metal band member! Elliott is a flirt and a very sexy, confident man. It's nice to have his attention after her lackluster marriage to Daniel's father.

The two together were a great read! Lots of layers both with Daniel and Elliott that gave a huge depth of emotion and the will to overcome the past. I found the story written well and the characters, while flawed, redeeming. Absolutely loved the rock star treatment moment in the hotel between the two characters – HOT! HOT!


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Wow. Wow. Wow. I love Scarlett Cole more with each new book. The Preload books are absolutely brilliant and once again, Elliott’s story grabbed me by the heart and refused to let go.

Like the rest of the Preload band members who met in a Toronto group home, Elliott survived horrific childhood trauma before becoming a music superstar. Meeting a fan with a similar history brings the past back to Elliott and he is forced to confront his issues and realise that his coping strategies aren’t very effective.

As a foster carer, the childhood experiences of the Preload guys are a little too familiar. In this story, I love the way the author draws Elliott with both insight and empathy. She doesn’t minimise the effects of trauma and abuse, but she also refuses to make Elliott a victim. He’s a survivor. He’s resilient. And it was impossible for me not to fall in love with him.

I love that Kendalee is considerably older than Elliott. She’s wonderful and she’s also a most improbable partner for a heavy metal star. When we meet her, the single mum is homeless and trying to navigate a series of explosive family problems. She’s a lifelong good girl and a devoted mother. With Kendalee and Elliott coming from such different worlds, the author didn’t need to add any further conflict.

This is as much a story about personal growth as it is a romance. Elliott, Kendalee, and her son Daniel all have to overcome huge obstacles before they can work as a family. This is a gritty, high angst story and I was immediately emotionally invested in all three characters.

As with the previous books, this story is full of potential triggers. The depictions of child abuse are graphic and uncomfortably realistic. Daniel’s burns are distressing. Elliott’s mental health issues aren’t easy to accept or understand. But what I love about these books is the sense of hope, the wonderful friendships, and the chosen family that keeps these men strong.

I don’t think this book would stand alone and I don’t know why anyone would want to miss the previous stories. Readers should start at the beginning of the Second Circle Tattoos series with The Strongest Steel or if they really want to skip to the first Preload book, they should start with Dred’s story The Purest Hook. I have loved all of these books and I can’t wait for the next one.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I adored Jordan Reclaimed, so I had very high expectations for this new installment in the series – well let me tell you, this is at least as good, possibly better, because I was already invested in the group. If you have not read either yet, then you have a huge treat awaiting you.

This book revealed to me that the tortured-soul rock star who has a wide romantic streak for the right woman, is possibly one of the sexiest characters I have ever wanted to... meet – Jordan gave me a hint, but Elliott completely guaranteed it. He is such a credit to Ellen and Maisie. His nascent relationship with Daniel is one of the most lovely that I have read, when potential boyfriend has to bond with son. Oh, more proof of Elliott's unexpected perfection!

I found the fire issues which Elliott has to deal with, exacerbated by Daniel's accident, to be very carefully addressed, and so incredibly moving at times. It was an inspired way to draw him out of the average pampered, rich musician, and give him a huge obstacle to overcome in order to win the woman of his dreams. The support he gets from the rest of the band is epic too.

Kendalee is also well created, as she is someone who is prepared to accept that her previously easy life is gone and she will do anything for her son, even working at a checkout and sleeping in his hospital room. She is also hilarious with her opinion of Preload's music – it made me laugh a lot!

So, if you are ready for a deep, sexy, and still fun read, this should be top of your list.

Also Available in the Preload Series

Book 1
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Jordan Reclaimed Blog Tour.

Born in England, Scarlett Cole traveled the world, living in Japan and the United States before settling in Canada where she met her own personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. She now lives with her husband and children in Manchester, England where she's at work on her next book. She is the author of The Strongest Steel.

Connect with Scarlett

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Elliott Redeemed (Preload #2) by Scarlett Cole to read and review for this tour.

Deacon by Kit Rocha Release Blitz

Ana has trained most of her life to achieve one goal: to prove that anything men can do, she can do better. Now she’s Sector One’s first female Rider, and being the best is the only way to ensure she won’t be its last. Distractions aren’t allowed--especially not her painful attraction to the reserved but demanding leader whose stern, grumpy demeanor has already gotten into her head.

Deacon has spent the last twenty years trying to atone for his past, but the blood he spilled as a mercenary and assassin will never wash away entirely. If his riders knew the extent of his sins, he’d lose their trust and respect. It’s easier to keep them all at arm’s length, especially Ana. But his newest recruit’s stubbornness is starting to crack his defenses.

And their sparring matches are driving him wild.

The passion sparking between them can’t be denied, but neither can the vengeance barreling toward Deacon. When his old squad comes back to punish him for his betrayal, Ana and the Riders are squarely in the line of fire. The only way to save his people may be to make the ultimate sacrifice.

But first, he has to convince Ana not to follow him straight into hell.

Book 2
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B&N  ~  Google+  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆☆
Book #2 in the Gideon's Riders series was everything I've come to expect with Kit Rocha! The first book was good, but this one is fantastic. Previous books have already set up the world in Sector One, and the Riders have all been mentioned, so Deacon's story was quick to start.

Deacon is the original Rider – he's the leader of the group (not including Gideon) and he knows his men. Being at the top, though, hasn't given him the chance to really allow the guys to get to know him or his past. When his past has come calling, though, it's time for Deacon to face the life he left behind. Will the Riders accept the man he was or will they trust the man he's become?

Ana (oh I LOVE thee) – she's the first and ONLY female Rider. She's strong and fierce, but still is insecure in her position. Trying to live up to her father's legacy, she always feels judged. When impossible expectations are placed in front of Ana, she just fights harder to prove herself.

Ana and Deacon are a total kickass couple, literally. I could feel their emotions – the frustration, the passion. I couldn't put this book down, I honestly read it all in one sitting, it has everything: action, adventure, romance, mystery, and not a single dull moment. Did I mention the erotic scenes were explosively hot? They were scorching!

I can't wait for Ivan's book.


Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
Deacon was perfection. This spin-off of the Beyond series is based in Sector One, the temple where Gideon reigns and his Riders protect the masses. The Rider's pledge their lives to Gideon and his followers and will die willingly to protect all. This means no long-term relationships and no children for the Riders, leaving no one behind grieving when they reach saint status by dying for the cause. It's a lonely existence, but one that Ana, the very FIRST woman Rider, knew going in. She's trained her whole life for this chance, and emotion, especially love, would never be in the cards for her. Until she's falling for the man in charge, Deacon. These two characters had chemistry up the yin yang and the first steamy scene between the two was one of the best I've read in a long time! The buildup, the longing, and the forbidden aspect were absolutely beautifully executed! Ana was vulnerable but strong, smart, and quick on her feet. My perfect heroine! Enjoyed the story cover to cover!

Also Available in the Gideon’s Riders Series

Book 1
Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Ashwin post.

Kit Rocha is the pseudonym for co-writing team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas and stories as Moira Rogers, they branched out into gritty, sexy dystopian romance.

Connect with Kit

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The Broken Circle VIP Lounge Facebook Group

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Deacon (Gideon’s Riders #2) by Kit Rocha to read and review for this tour.

Escape to You by Jennifer Ryan Blog Tour

A Montana man always protects the woman he loves

He discovered her during a Montana blizzard, freezing cold, impossibly vulnerable, a little boy by her side. Undercover DEA Agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke is astonished to recognize Ashley Swan—award-winning actress, famous beauty—and missing for over a year. To keep her and the child hidden from a sadistic madman, he secrets the pair away to his isolated home.

No longer a prisoner, and protected at Hope Ranch, Ashley recovers and learns the tall, tempting federal agent may have a dark past, but it hasn’t destroyed his sense of honor.

As they shed past roles and find common ground, Ashley and Trigger can’t help but fall slowly, carefully, in love. But danger still lurks outside the boundaries of Hope Ranch, for until her crazed captor is brought to justice, and Trigger’s undercover past is laid to rest, none of them will ever be truly safe…

Book 1
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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

“What’s wrong?” Trigger asked.

The softness in his voice made Ashley look up at him. Way up. The man was so tall.

She found her voice under the wave of fear gripping her. “I know you don’t mean to, but you’re scaring me.”

“Look at me, Ashley.”

She sucked in a breath, found a shred of bravery from the tatters of her will, and raised her gaze to meet his.

“I will never hurt you.”

She fell into the depths of gray and flecks of blue in his eyes and drowned in the sincerity and promise she found there. Deep down, she believed him. Part of her needed to believe him, because she needed something real to hold on to before she sank any deeper into despair and the paranoia that everyone wanted to hurt her.

She nodded. “If he finds me, he’ll kill me.”

“He’ll have to get past me first.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Rachael – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 Stars

So this book is really one of those books that teeters between four and five for me. While I really loved the story and plot line and the fact that these two very broken and struggling individuals find strength and comfort in each other, I also had a few issues. The relationship borders on insta-love and, well, I always have a hard time with that in any story. They could've shared most of what they did without it turning so quickly into this "I love you and can't live without you" type of situation. In fact, in my opinion, it would've made them feel more real because of their crazy situations, but that's not how it worked out. Then there was the ending and the judge and I felt like it was a bit overboard and it sort of ruined the story a bit for me. The same thing could've come about just in a different way, but again not the way it went.

That all being said, I absolutely loved the way we get to know someone who went from being Hollywood's hottest star to this battered and abused woman who has been so worn down by her captor. Trigger, her somewhat rescuer, is already dealing with his own issues, but by being able to focus on hers and her focusing on him, they find this excellent balance especially with Adam as a buffer to help both of them find where they need to be.

I'll admit, I felt like we missed out a lot on the whole Caden and Mia story, but then I don't know if that is another series or not, so that could just be me. I will say the story does have a lovely little wrap up that makes it very clear this is the end of Beck and Ashley's story, which makes me wonder where the next book in the story will be going.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆
Betrayed by a man she thought was a friend, Ashley Snow has been held as a prisoner for a year. Was it kidnapping if she willingly went with him? Was it her fault that she didn't see the signs that he was just a little left of normal? After being beaten, starved, and mentally abused for the past year, she knows that her will to live is fading. The last time she tried to run, her beating was so severe she was afraid she would die.

However, when he makes a mistake, she does just that: she runs. But not before grabbing the little boy who has suffered almost as much as she has. Running through the cold Montana night in nothing but heels and an evening gown, Ashley does her best to outrun the monster that will kill them both. As the snow falls, her energy wanes but she is determined to protect the child at the cost of her own life.

Beck Cooke has his own set of problems. As an undercover DEA agent, he has lived a life full of danger and regret. He has hurt people he was assigned to protect and the guilt of surviving is almost as bad as the guilt he carries for being unable to save the innocent.

As their two lives intersect, each must learn to trust their instincts and to make peace with their pasts.

Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted, McBride, and Montana Men series. She writes suspenseful contemporary romances with outrageous plot twists, deeply emotional love stories, high stakes and higher drama. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find. Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Connect with Jennifer

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Escape to You (Montana Heat #1) by Jennifer Ryan to read and review for this tour.

Eating the Moon by Mark David Campbell

During his twice-weekly sessions, Guy, a sixty-seven-year-old anthropologist, tells Richard, his thirty-two-year-old psychiatrist, a fantastic tale about a society where almost everyone is homosexual and sex is considered the most basic form of communication.

As a young man, on a cargo ship that sinks in the Bermuda triangle, Guy is saved by the first mate, Luca, and they wash up on the shore of an uncharted tropical island. There, Guy must undergo a brutal initiation ritual, endure a crazed shaman, and swim across shark-infested waters in order to win the love of a local man. Meanwhile, Luca, who cannot accept his sexuality, is obsessed with being rescued and soon degenerates into drug dependency. Serious trouble ensues when Luca discovers that the locals have a large stash of gold, and he devises a plan to steal it. When Luca’s scheme falls apart, Guy must choose between remaining on the island with the man he loves or saving Luca’s life.

Could there really be such a society, or does it only exist within the fantasy of lonely old gay man?

Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
DSP Publications

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Dawn – ☆☆☆
This was a hard review to write, mainly because I really enjoyed half the book and didn't enjoy the other half.

Let me start by saying the world the author created was great. I don't think I've read a book like it before, it was very creative.

Sadly, what I didn't enjoy was the present day parts of the book. I understand we needed some of it to understand why Guy was the way he was; however, I felt that it was a little drawn out and slowed the pace of the book down.

The ending of the book was worth reading through the slow parts, it caught me off guard. I like it when that happens.

So three stars for the other world he created.

For the past twenty years, MARK DAVID CAMPBELL has been living in Milan, Italy, with his husband, where he writes, paints, and helps Italian academics and business people prepare presentations and compose papers in English.

Prior to moving to Italy, he spent twenty years studying and working in archaeology and anthropology in Canada, Central America, Jordan, Egypt, and Greece. He earned his PhD in social cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto where he taught as a part-time professor.

Since 2009 he has been writing a monthly column for The American | In Italia entitled, “That’s Queer,” which looks at the irony, struggles, and frustrations of being openly gay and living in Italy. In February 2016, he published a re-edited collection of these on Amazon, more than sixty articles, called That’s Queer: Excerpts from My Gay Life in Italy.

In addition to writing, he has shown his paintings at numerous individual and group shows in Toronto, Canada, and throughout Italy, and one of his sculptures, “San Sebastiano,” is part of the permanent collect of the Museo di Centro, Italy.

In his spare time, Mark David likes scouring second-hand stores, swimming and boating on Lago Maggiore, and eating pizza and drinking beer with friends.

Connect with Mark David

DSP Publications  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Eating the Moon by Mark David Campbell to read and review.

The Time in Between by Kristen Ashley Spotlight

After a painful loss, Cady Moreland is coming to Magdalene to start the next chapter of her life. A chapter that began eighteen years ago but had a heartbreaking ending. The time in between was full of family and friendship, but Cady could never get the man she fell in love with all those years ago out of her heart.

Coert Yeager has learned to live without the girl who entered his life right when she shouldn’t and exited delivering a crippling blow he never would have suspected. The time in between was full of failing to find what he was missing…and life-altering betrayal.

But when that girl shows up in Magdalene and buys the town’s beloved lighthouse, even if Coert wants to avoid her, he can’t. A fire in town sparks a different kind of flame that won’t be ignored.

As Cady and Coert question the actions of the two young adults they once were thrown into earth-shattering circumstances, can they learn from what came in between and find each other again?

Author’s Note: 5% of the proceeds from the first week of sales of The Time in Between release will be given to HALO Animal Rescue in Phoenix, a no-kill shelter. HALO stands for “helping animals live on” and is a shelter started by a mother/daughter team of committed animal advocates who have done a huge duty for animals in this area, and continue to do so with unwavering love, support and energy. For more information on HALO or to donate to the work they do, go to their website.

Book 3
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Present day…

I took in the mess of the large, circular room we were in and at first saw nothing but the mess—decaying furniture, a soot-covered stone fireplace, a kitchen that might have been put in in the forties but had not only not been touched the last nine years, it perhaps had not been touched the last nineteen (or more).

Then I saw more.

The extraordinarily carved railing to the sweeping wood staircase that ran the curved side of the house. The red brick walls. The plank wood floors.

“Once upon a time, long ago,” the realtor was suddenly talking wistfully, “someone loved this place. Put that love into building it. Put that love into keeping it. Nine years and more when no one really gave a whit, and still you can see it once had a lot of love.”

Oh yes.

You could see that.

“It’s got a basement, more like a big crawl space,” the agent declared, surprising me with his quick change in tone back to businesslike and informative. “The furnace is down there. You can get down there through a door in the floor. The furnace was put in a while back, and full disclosure, though an inspection will catch it, it probably needs to be replaced.”

Through his words I stared at the fireplace, which scoured would be magnificent, and I noticed it didn’t have a chimney as such, but the smoke probably went out a vent in the wall.

“This floor has a powder room under the stairs,” the realtor kept on. “You can look at it if you want, but if you wanna save yourself that, I’ll just tell you straight, it needs to be gutted.”

I decided to take his word for it and told him that.

He looked relieved when I did before he stated, “Place has a garage, two car. Not in good condition, but think you saw that. Still, it’s close to the house and there’s a covered walkway to that door over there.” He pointed at a door that was across from the door we’d walked in. “Means you might feel a chill but you won’t get wet, unless it’s raining sideways, which happens.”

With a breeze that plastered my jacket to me on a sunny, early spring day, I did not doubt that.

“Garage has a loft space above it, which could be renovated as a studio rental if you’ve a mind to do that sort of thing. As for the property itself, it also has a building where the generators are stowed,” the realtor carried on. “Hook up for a washer and dryer and good space in there. Lots of it for storage. Which is good because there’s not a lot of storage in here for tools and Christmas decorations and whatnot.”

I glanced around seeing he was right. There wasn’t even enough cabinetry to house the things a decent cook would need in her kitchen. Though there was room for them. In fact, if you fought back the gloom, there was quite a bit of room.

“And there’s a place outside, could call it a studio, could call it a mother-in-law house,” he shared. “Whatever, it’s got goodly space, two bedrooms, big kitchen. Could be renovated to be a guest house. Or like I said, a studio if you’re artsy. Or you could rent it out like a B and B. I’ll show you all of that after we have a look at the lighthouse.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Now, since I mentioned full disclosure, you have to know it all,” the realtor continued.

Slowly, my eyes went to him.

When they did, he launched in. “Like I said, it’s automated. And like I said, you won’t really have to concern yourself with the functionality of that unless the electricity goes out, but then the generators automatically kick in. There are two. But you’ll need to keep fuel on hand to keep them going in case a blackout lasts awhile. And just to say, this is coastal Maine. We get weather. Blackouts can last awhile.”

When I nodded to share I took that in, he kept going.

“And if you’re, say, away on vacation, you need to make sure someone is playing backup in such a case.”

“Okay,” I replied when he stopped talking, thinking this probably wasn’t a good thing since I knew no one in Maine (or not anyone who wanted to know me) and thus couldn’t call on anyone to do something like that.

I also didn’t hold high hopes I’d make friends and win people. I hadn’t had a lot of success in that in my life.

And last, although Patrick believed it completely, I held no hope that the reason I was out there was going to come to fruition.

That being me having a happy ending.

That being what Patrick thought would be my happy ending.

Which might mean I’d have someone, a certain someone, or actually two (at least), even though I knew I never would.

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen's Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing's changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she's blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.

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