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Cia

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  1. Cia
    Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars
     
    Okay, I picked up Second Hand simply because I love this series from Tucker Springs. Of course I’d read several of the later books so I know the pairing would work out, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. It was nice to get the backstory I’d missed since I started off with Dirty Laundry, book 3 in the Tucker Springs world.
     
    I’m a big fan of Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton. I like both of their work singly, and they mesh together quite well. Of course knowing Heidi wrote book 3, which is my favorite, was a draw that led me to want this book in particular. What I enjoyed most was watching both author’s style come together in this story. The characters are real, and the setting and plot believable.
     
    El’s one of those guys, the ones not looking to settle down, that we see in a few books of this series. They’re often taken by surprise by their love interest, but it’s never one of those ‘instant we love you drips from lips every other page’ even if the pairing is pretty obvious. In this case, I felt like Paul was one of the most real characters I’d read lately.
     
    The gay for you trope has been done, quite a bit, but this story doesn’t quite fall into those lines. I do think that Paul struggles quite a bit with his sexuality in this story but there’s nothing false about it. It’s plausible, which is vital in a contemporary story that I enjoy. Watching him make those steps forward, and back when the bitch of a girlfriend shows back up, was quite the trip.
     
    If you’re in the mood for a romance that takes you through a journey of highs and lows, but never outside the realm of what could happen, letting you almost step into the world of Tucker Springs … this book will definitely be for you!
     
     
    View all my reviews
  2. Cia
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15843233-the-plain-of-bitter-honey" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Plain of Bitter Honey" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365862414m/15843233.jpg" /></a>
    This story was full; full of danger and peace, hatred and love, bravery and fear. I want to go on and on about the story, but I absolutely refuse to post any type of a spoiler at all. To be honest, this book sat on my to read shelf for a while because I expected there to be a lot of philosophical treatise and political ranting. <br /><br />What I found was an emotional tale with intriguing characters ... mixed with some philosophical and political ranting. However, it only came in when it was relevant to the story and to the character's motivations and personalities. I never felt lectured, I felt enlightened. The romance wasn't very prominent, but I found I didn't really need it. <br /><br />That isn't to say that this wasn't a great, entertaining story just to read for fun. If you're fond of dystopian style plots, you'll love this. It doesn't have anything really 'new' but what the author chose to include in the story was very real. There was a great action theme and some serious suspense. With so many elements to include, the weaving along the plot arc could have become muddled, but I felt that it was seamless. <br /><br />Now, before this appears to be all vague and general praise ... there were a few flaws. I found the minor protagonist's journey�of self to have taken too abrupt of a U-turn. I also would have liked to have seen the ending�of the story a bit more drawn out. It felt like the climax wasn't quite ... climactic. Still, I enjoyed this story immensely. I've already recommended it to several friends who have placed it on their to buy shelves. <br /><br />A solid 4.5 rating from me, and I've definitely found an author I wasn't sure of to add to my buy list myself. <br />
    <br/><br/>
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5881541-alicia-nordwell">View all my reviews</a>
  3. Cia

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Cia,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    Are you having a good weekend? I intend to spend mine relaxing and writing! I might even fit in an answer to one of this week's prompts! Or maybe I'll read some of this week's updates from our Hosted and Promising Authors.
     
    Running Far Afield by Libby Drew was our featured story on Monday. This 17k short story was reviewed by Fishwings. A huge fan of hers, he had this to say: I was more than just pleasantly surprised. “Running Far Afield” proved to be one of the best stories I have come across all year. Check out his other thoughts about this teenage fiction in his review.
     
    Libby also provided us with a great tip this week with an article, Editing Isn't for the Weak. She shares her thoughts on editing, author's prerogative, and the relationship between the author and editor when it works well.
     
    In Prompt Me this week Comicfan brought us two new prompts, #230 First Line and #231 List of Words. The list of words prompt includes silk, leather, and a dog dog among other words. Quite the combo! James Savik took on prompt #229 which involved entering a contest to spend a day with a favorite 'star'. Check out his take on the prompt and all the comments. Then why not try your hand at a prompt?
     
    Site Announcements:
    Please welcome Andy021278 as GA's newest Promising author. Congratulations Andy!
    Don't forget to check out 2010-2012 RCA Anthology winners for CSR's Book Club this month!
     
    Anthology Announcements:
    Roll the Dice: Summer Anthology Due June 8th!
    *PAID* Premium Anthology: 3 Summer Themes Due June 15th!
     

    New Reading
     

    In Premium:
     
    Binding by Lugh
     

    From Our Hosted Authors This Week:
     
    Legacy by Altimexis
     
    Line of Sight by Renee Stevens
     
    Waiting Outside the Lines by Comicality
     
    Second Shot: The Senior Year by Andrew Q. Gordon
     
    9.11 by Mark Arbour
     
    Odyssey by Mark Arbour
     

    From Our Promising Authors This Week:
     
    A Cook's Tale by Mann Ramblings
     
    The Talents of the Fallen by JMH
     
    Pour Me Another by K.C.
     
    Have a great rest of your weekend, and remember, if you're going to read rate and review! It's the least you can do for our site authors to let them know what you think about the stories they work so hard to write.
  4. Cia
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17450349-prince-claimed" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Prince Claimed (Thresl Chronicles #2)" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362032155m/17450349.jpg" /></a>
    This story really is a 3.5 star rating for me. I liked Soldier Mine quite a bit ... but was really anxious for the overall story to be further in the sequel. When it finally came out as Prince Claimed, I was very excited. <br /><br />That being said, I felt a bit let down when I finished reading Sarler and Bleine's story. There was so much potential story left not shown, I felt a bit disappointed. We got a heap of info about the Thresl society and their history, which was absolutely fabulous. I felt like a lot of that was missing in the first book in the series. However, the author went a little bit too far in that direction. <br /><br />I feel like we lost a lot of the relationship between Sarler and Bleine. One of the fascinating things with the Thresl's is how they bond and change to match their 'person'. We didn't get to see that, and I missed it. The set up with all of Bleine's history, his past partner's, and his new 'gay for you' relationship was under-written, imo. <br /><br />I dearly enjoy Amber Kell's writing, however, and will buy the next book in this series, probably the same day it comes out, lol. I just hope that when she writes that one, she balances the characters' stories along with the underlying plot a bit better.
    <br/><br/>
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5881541-alicia-nordwell">View all my reviews</a>
  5. Cia

    Weekly Wrap Up!

    By Cia,


    Weekly Wrap Up
    From Cia this week! So much going on on the site, so this will be a long one. Please bear with me and read on! There are a lot of announcements; we've been busy! Check out the special announcement below our look back at this week's blog posts!
     
    Monday's feature, To Move Forward by Randomness, a special look at how to people whose paths diverged in their past have met again ... and how they move forward. You can still check out the story here.
     
    Wednesday we hosted yet another wonderful tip from Libby Drew; this time it was all about Writing Groups. One of the focuses on GA's writing community goals is to bring authors together with people who can give them feedback on their writing. Libby's post shows the pros and cons that come from using any type of writing groups. Check it out!
     
    This week our lovely prompt guru, Comicfan, got a bit of a break this week when Renee's announcement for our yearly Poetry Anthology went live. Use the banner link below to read some great poems!
     
    Special Announcement: Premium Content Anthology Submission Call
    GA would like to announce our first ever Premium section short story anthology call for our site authors. We want you to write a short story for our Premium section that will be published in the summer of 2013. You can even submit more than one story if you’re really inspired. Check out the information below and get your creative juices flowing.
     
    Premium Short Story Series Guidelines:
    Submission Deadline: 06/15/2013 (The earlier the better)
    Length Range: 5k-25k
    Themes:
    ‘My day at the …’
    Backstage Passes
    Wishing Well
    With your submission please include: Title, Prompt Chosen, Word Count, and Genre with your initial submission. Further information, such as the tags and a story description, will be requested if your story is chosen.
     
    Each story must be edited prior to submission. Please submit your stories in .docx, .doc, .rtf, formats via email to cia@gayauthors.org. A decision made within (2) weeks regarding acceptance into the anthology. Stories will be purchased for use by CDEJR, Web Services Inc for a flat fee based on length and quality. Purchase gives CDEJR Web Services Inc. the rights to publish the story in the Gay Author's Premium section with possible publication as an e-book anthology. Any distribution of the story by the author must be discussed and agreed upon with CDEJR Web Services Inc. Copyright remains with author.
     
    Site Announcements:
    April is Team Recognition Month - Authors, please be sure to recognize your Team members! There is a topic in the Lounge for everyone to post in if you care to do so publicly.

    April's Can't Stop Reading Book Club is featuring Josh's Blog by Hosted Author CarlHoliday. We hope you join many in the community and read this great story so you can join in our discussion which will be held on Monday, April 29th!

    Anthology Announcements:
     
     
     




    Now live! Check out some of the great poems submitted by authors on the theme: Whispers in the Dark. Summer Anthology "Roll the Dice" - Due June 8th *See Anthology forum for more info*

     
    NOW READING
     
    In Premium This Week:
     
    Binding by Lugh
     

    By Our Hosted Authors This Week:
     
    Palouse by Rec
     
    Harry Potter and the Destiny of Prophecies by dkstories
     
    The Second Shot: Senior Year by Andrew Q. Gordon
     
    9.11 by Mark Arbour
     
    One Night by Cia
     
    In The Arms of an Angel by Nephylim
     
    Adverse Effects by Cia
     
    Odyssey by Mark Arbour
     
    Legacy by Altimexis
     

    By Our Promising Authors This Week:
     
    The Talents of the Fallen by JMH
     

    Have a great week everyone! Read, Write, REVIEW!!!
  6. Cia
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17304538-never-a-hero" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Never a Hero (Tucker Springs, #5)" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359485180m/17304538.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17304538-never-a-hero">Never a Hero</a>
    Never a Hero is yet another installment set in the small town of Tucker Springs. This eBook, written by Marie Sexton, was full of a lot of angst regarding personal appearance and conditions, much like Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan. <br /><br />Owen has a physical disability that created a lot of emotional blocks. He’s drawn to his new neighbor, though, despite misgivings on both their parts. A big part of Owen’s draw to Nick is his complete comfort with his disability … which makes sense since Nick’s sister has the same one! That was a tiny bit too convenient a plot device, but hey, it could happen. <br /><br />There are a lot of twists and turns in latest novel set in Tucker Springs. We got to see a lot of cameos by earlier couples, or parts of couples, like Seth. We also got a sneak peek at who I hope is coming up next. *fingers crossed* <br /><br />I think what impresses me the most about this series is that the authors have blended their styles so well that I would never guess that they were written by different people. They all seem to have a good balance of plot and action versus sex and emotional bonding. The couples all face obstacles, but nothing so dramatic that I can’t believe that these are ordinary people I could meet if I could just find this Tucker Springs on a map.<br /><br />All in all, a definite 4 star read. I didn’t give this 5 stars because of the somewhat contrived plot device and the clichéd ‘villian’ as it were. I’d have liked more depth to the wicked witch, as I’ll call her, to flesh out her character more, since she was such an integral part of the plot motivation. <br />
    <br/><br/>
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5881541-alicia-nordwell">View all my reviews</a>
     
    This eBook will be available to purchase on May 13th!
  7. Cia
    Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars
     
    I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this eBook and delved right into it. I adored Tucker Springs #3 and couldn't wait for books #4 and #5 in this series. Each book focuses on a different couple, so they can be read alone, but couples show up from each in the community in this series.
     
    In Covet Thy Neighbor, Seth's conflict was quite well done and clear. He was obviously the main character and had a lot to deal with. I agree with another reviewer in that he didn't come across necessarily as a non-believing atheist, but a person whose faith had been nearly obliterated by bad experiences in a judgmental and hostile religious environment.
     
    His inability to believe he can be accepted by Darren, when they have this major difference, creates a rift inside him that he doesn't know how to bridge. The fact that Darren doesn't just believe, but is a pastor, freaks Seth out. He cannot seem to see past how he believes Darren must act, as a Christian, to how Darren is acting.
     
    Darren's character wasn't nearly as fleshed out in my opinion. He had less emotional conflict about the situation between him and Darren. I liked his interpretation of faith more than most religious characters. A fundie Christian would probably scoff, but then I don't think most fundies read MM romance, lol.
     
    I enjoyed the story, and while I wouldn't say the plot wasn't complete, I felt like it was understated. The complex emotions just didn't resonate with me, and I felt like that was less to do with me as the reader, as to the immediacy of the writing of those emotions. Even with that, L.A. Witt's ability to craft a well written story has to be applauded. I would recommend this, but not as readily as other eBooks in the series that I enjoyed just that much more.
     
    View all my reviews
  8. Cia
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17201647-fragile-bond" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Fragile Bond" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357056386m/17201647.jpg" /></a><a
    I read Fragile Bond last night and wanted to write the review while it was fresh in my mind. I read, A LOT, but this book caught my eye and went on to my wishlist when it came out. I finally got a chance to read it, uninterrupted, and it kept me interested start to finish.<br /><br />The synopsis of the book actually sums up the story quite well, in my opinion, without giving too much away. Several of the plot elements have been used in science fiction books I've read before, like the pheromones, mistaken status of non-sentient creatures for sentient beings, and a first contact/military character. <br /><br />Still, I enjoyed this ebook quite a bit. I felt the tawnies, aka furrs, were amazing characters. We got several glimpses into their society and social structure throughout the story, enough to get a detailed picture of their culture. The sensory perceptions of the world, or Soma as Hamm named the planet, were amazing and it was nearly visible to my mind's eye. Hamm and Marc's bonding was confusing and arousing and not neat and tidily wrapped up in a bow-which I fully appreciated. <br /><br />However, I did still have a few issues with the story. The human culture made ZIP sense. We didn't get much explanation of the 'Mother Commander', or their ship, or their evolution. I'd have loved it if the author had seen fit to share more of that since to me, the reader, both cultures were foreign, not just the 'aliens'. It was integral part of the story that I felt was missing. I also disliked the rapid head hopping between multiple characters, though that was more the 'style' not any sort of mistake, and while I'm not alone in my aversion to it, it's a style preference more than anything.<br /><br />Overall, a good story, but one that I had to really focus on to understand-especially at the end with the large cast of characters-to follow and understand. It was an intriguing plot, and I loved the poignancy at the end which really capped off the story well. Even with my quibbles I completely enjoyed this eBook.  A definite recommendation with a 4 out of 5 star rating. <br /><br />
    <br/><br/>
    <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5881541-alicia-nordwell">View all my reviews</a>
     
  9. Cia

    What's New?

    By Cia,


    Reviews
    So, we ran out of reviews members have written for the blog about our site authors, so I picked a few stories that members seem to have liked over the last few months, myself included, and pulled a few reviews and comments. If you'd like to share a review on a story you've enjoyed lately please contact Trebs or Renee Stevens. We'd love to feature your thoughts on some of the great work available here!
     


    Kiss Me Deadly


    By Nomoretears



    Length: 15,941 Status: Complete


     
    This story is a new take on an age old tale. Judas, aka Jude, has a story you would never imagine. A mix of historical, modern, and paranormal, it is a story not to be missed!
     
    Some member reviews:
     


     
     
     

    Wolf


    By: NightOwl88



    Length: 7,435 Status: Complete


     
    A young boy's misadventure leads to the creation of a unique friendship between man and beast that lasts a lifetime.
     
    Some member reviews:
     



     
     
     
    I hope you enjoyed getting to read about a few of the great stories available on this site! Don't forget; read and review!
  10. Cia

    Featured Story: No Fairytale World By Tiff

    By Cia,


    Featured Stories
    I read this story when I first came to GA. I thought the new blog was an excellent place to review it so that other readers who might not have come across it yet can get a bit of a sneak peek at the story and then go read it! You won't be sorry!



    No Fairytale World by Tiff

    Review by Cia
     
    The title promises exactly what the story delivers. The fact is that most lives, in this world, are not a fairytale. In fictional worlds they are, but not in this story. Here we meet Andy, a thirty-ish man who is in the midst of a messy divorce with his wife because she caught him with another man. He’s torn from the loss of seeing his five year old son every day and the new way he’s being viewed by friends and family. Add in the emotional stress made him lose his job and Andy’s world is really messed up.
     
    Thankfully he has a really good friend helping him out and letting him stay in his house for free, while Mark lives with his girlfriend. Mark also hooks him up with an interview for a new job. It pays a lot less, but in life we do what we have to do, right?
     
    We watch Andy struggle for balance, and just about when we think he might be making some progress, his friend breaks the news that Andy is going to get a roommate. A young, surly and obviously damaged Pete that is friend with Angela. Andy can’t stand the guy after just a few days, but Mark doesn’t want to turn down his girlfriend’s plea, for obvious reasons. Over time, it’s clear that Pete’s story is even worse than Andy’s, but he’s not sharing.
     
    At least, not until the two friends come home one night and find Pete in a world of trouble. About to be kicked out of the house, Andy begs Mark to let him talk to Pete even if he doesn’t really like him. What follows is an emotional tale of two damaged men helping and supporting each other through the bumps and sometimes sheer drop offs life can take a person on.
     
    When I read this, I absolutely loved how dramatic, and yet real, Tiff made her characters and her story without going over the top. There are small moments of levity and joy in the story that balance out the angst and drama. Sometimes it’s the little things details that bring in the emotional drama the characters are facing and Tiff is a master at sharing the repeated blows that just seem to keep coming until Andy and Pete realize just what they need to do to fix themselves without making me think the story is too divorced from reality. The story could be formulaic but she manages to skirt that in my opinion.
     
    This story is just about as clean as they come when it comes to errors, and she has engaging, likable characters that make me want to find in real life just so I can help them. Intimacy is there, and handled very well in the story. She writes kissing in ways I can only dream of! There are some off-scene and written abuse/force moments in the story that tug at the heart strings, but they are not graphic enough to bother most readers.
     
    If you have time to spare, open No Fairytale World by Tiff. At close to 75,000 words this story is long enough to drag you in and give you a phenomenal read without being too short or too long. Don’t forget to rate, like, and above all, review!
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