Posted by Mrs Condit on May 19, 2012
Today we have a special contest – leave a comment to enter the contest to win a copy of Eden Winters’ FALLEN ANGEL. You will also be entered in the Hop Against Homophobia contest to WIN A KINDLE AND A BOOK! .
From May 17 – May 20 this blog will focus on celebrating the acceptance of diversity. Every blog involved in the hop will have comments, posts, contests, and book reviews on that theme. Here at Mrs Condit and Friends each daily comment between May 17 and May 20 is an entry in our contest, so visit everyday and leave tracks. On May 21 we’ll award a basic Kindle to one random commentor! Come on, you know you want it, so Leave. Comments. Here. And click the Hop Against Homophobia icon to visit all of the blogs on the hop. See what they are saying and offering.
Kind regards,
Becky, Lady, Danielle, and John
Posted by Mrs Condit on
BLURB: Ten years of rescuing lost youth from the streets wear a man out, and Noah Everett buckles under the pressure of being “The Angel.” What began as a two-man mission is now going corporate, meaning rules, regulations and inexperienced volunteers needing guidance in a field Noah makes up as he goes along. On top of this, his latest prospective rescue doesn’t seem to go to plan. Is he losing his touch? Normally he’d turn to his mentor, Doc, in times of trouble, but the old man’s strength isn’t what it used to be. Noah’s lover would be the next most obvious choice to share this burden with, but Jeremy Kincaid is about to leave for college. After all Jeremy’s endured to achieve this goal, Noah won’t stand in his way, even though he fears losing the man to the joys of student life.
Jeremy may be young and caught up in his own fights, but he’s not blind to Noah’s plight, and now questions his own choices. Four years at State with a full ride will launch his future, but his present includes Noah–and a meth addict who’s become Jeremy’s own personal mission.
When a physical attack sends Noah spinning out of control, Jeremy must reevaluate his life and plans before the man he knows and loves disappears forever.
Title: Fallen Angel
Author: Eden Winters
Series: The Angel of 13th Street #2
Genre: GLBT, rentboy
Length: 212 pages
Favorite Character: Noah
Favorite Quote: “Life is short and unpredictable.”
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: Eden Winters often writes about the underbelly of society, the sordid lives of those we try not to notice and assume are someone else’s problem. FALLEN ANGEL is the second book in THE ANGEL OF 13TH STREET series, but it is a well-crafted stand-alone book as well as a continuation of the series.
I’m never sure whether Ms Winters stories are character-driven or plot-driven so we’ll say this one is both as the characters are integral to the plot and would not be as fully developed without the story behind them.
This book tells Noah’s story, during his rentboy years up to his present day calling to rescue other rentboys. It is full of flashbacks to his former boyfriend Billy and a much younger Jeremy. We are privy to Noah’s thought process, telling us how he got where he is and what it cost him to leave others behind. We see the evolution of Doc’s organization and how much it worried Noah to see the changes occur. Noah, unfortunately, sees Jeremy as not quite as capable as himself and therefore keeps critical secrets from Jeremy, which takes a toll on their relationship. Noah is great at justifying what he is doing but not so great at realizing how wrong he is until it’s too late and he has to work very hard to correct his mistakes.
Noah is tired but unable to allow others to pick up the slack for him. When he is forced to look at what he is doing to himself he fights that image and takes it out on the one person who loves him the most.
The ending is more HFN than HEA and one character’s story is overlooked in the drama of the closing chapter. I know from reading Ms Winters’ comments that there will be at least one more book and possibly a short story, and I need them like an addict needs a drug. I’m absolutely committed to these characters and this story. If you are looking for a little light reading put this one aside for another day, but definitely don’t overlook it. When you are in a thoughtful mood about society, people in need, or what is going on in places you dare not go, pick this book up. It is an honest story that you deserve to read, and so well written you won’t be disappointed.
I’ll end with a shout out to one of our reviewers, John, who is mentioned in the dedication of this book. It is a well-deserved tribute to a good man who values his friends and works at keeping connected to them. Kudos, John.
MRS CONDIT’S RATING: 4 1/2 Sweet Peas!
COMMENT PROMPT: Leave a comment to enter the contest to win a copy of this book!
BUY LINKS:
Posted by Mrs Condit on May 18, 2012
WIN A KINDLE!
From May 17 – May 20 this blog will focus on celebrating the acceptance of diversity. Every blog involved in the hop will have comments, posts, contests, and book reviews on that theme. Here at Mrs Condit and Friends each daily comment between May 17 and May 20 is an entry in our contest, so visit everyday and leave tracks. On May 21 we’ll award a basic Kindle to one random commentor! Come on, you know you want it, so Leave. Comments. Here. And click the Hop Against Homophobia icon to visit all of the blogs on the hop. See what they are saying and offering.
Kind regards,
Becky, Lady, Danielle, and John
Posted by Mrs Condit on
BLURB: After quiet, closeted years working as a librarian, Clayton decides to quit his job and use his inheritance to buy a small bookstore in the gay-friendly resort town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It’s the beginning of what he hopes will be a new life free of his old repressions.
Alex, an ex-military man and former cop, decides to retire to Rehoboth and buys a house three blocks from the beach. Determined to fill his time with more than chasing hot guys, he visits the local bookstore, where he meets Clayton.
As winter sets in, the town is all but deserted, and Alex and Clayton find themselves together more than apart. Clayton would like a relationship, but his fear of coming out keeps getting in the way. Alex’s sex appeal might be enough to convince Clayton to take a chance in the open… but it will take something more to make it happen.
Title: Alex and Clayton
Author: John Simpson
Genre: GLBT, romance, closeted
Length: 196 pages
Favorite Character: Alex
Favorite Quote: ”I had to deal with homophobia on the job, the queer jokes, and the asinine comments about gay men. But after being on the job about twelve years, I came out to a couple of close buddies on the force and they accepted me without question.”
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: John Simpson’s book ALEX AND CLAYTON is the story of missed opportunities over half a century. It is the story of homophobia wreaking quiet havoc in the life of a gentle gay man, who is so afraid of coming out that he lives a completely stifled life, although he doesn’t see it that way. (more…)
Posted by Mrs Condit on May 17, 2012
WIN A KINDLE!
From May 17 – May 20 this blog will focus on celebrating the acceptance of diversity. Every blog involved in the hop will have comments, posts, contests, and book reviews on that theme. Here at Mrs Condit and Friends each daily comment between May 17 and May 20 is an entry in our contest, so visit everyday and leave tracks. On May 21 we’ll award a basic Kindle to one random commentor! Come on, you know you want it, so Leave. Comments. Here. And click the Hop Against Homophobia icon to visit all of the blogs on the hop. See what they are saying and offering.
Kind regards,
Becky, Lady, Danielle, and John
Posted by Mrs Condit on
BLURB: Tim Conroy knows all about patience. He’s waited three years for Rory McCown to get out of jail after doing time for stealing horses from the Blue River Ranch. Now that Rory is eligible for parole, Tim makes it his goal to persuade his boss, Hunter Krause, to give Rory a second chance.
He almost regrets it when Hunter agrees. Rory is a morose loner one moment, then arrogant and overconfident the next. The attraction between them is still there, but as soon as they start to get close, an old enemy throws a wrench in the works… and their fledgling relationship may not be strong enough to weather the coming storm.
Title: Floods and Drought
Author: Zahra Owens
Series: The Wranglers #3
Genre: GLBT, western, erotic
Length: 290 pages
Favorite Character: Rory
Favorite Quote: ”He doesn’t care,” Tim was quick to reply. “Correction. He does care. He’s my brother. Of course he cares, but only because he wants me to be happy.”
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: Zahra Owens always puts tension in her stories, and then turns up the heat. FLOODS AND DROUGHT is the third in her Wrangler series, and all of the characters from the first two books come back to help or harm in this one. (more…)
Posted by Mrs Condit on May 16, 2012
WIN A KINDLE!
From May 17 – May 20 this blog will focus on celebrating the acceptance of diversity. Every blog involved in the hop will have comments, posts, contests, and book reviews on that theme. Here at Mrs Condit and Friends each daily comment between May 17 and May 20 is an entry in our contest, so visit everyday and leave tracks. On May 21 we’ll award a basic Kindle to one random commentor! Come on, you know you want it, so Leave. Comments. Here. And click the Hop Against Homophobia icon to visit all of the blogs on the hop. See what they are saying and offering.
Kind regards,
Becky, Lady, Danielle, and John
Posted by Mrs Condit on
BLURB: Hunter Krause knows better than anyone that running a ranch is hard work. Wranglers are hard to find, and even with Hunter’s foreman and entire extended family on hand, the busy ranch is constantly short-handed. So when horses go missing, Hunter’s brother-in-law hires a man Hunter would never have considered: Grant Jarreau, a man Hunter can’t forgive for leaving Hunter’s best friend Gable after an incapacitating accident. Grant quickly fits in, befriending Hunter’s sister and making himself invaluable. Despite Hunter’s misgivings, he can’t quite control his body’s reactions to Grant, and he isn’t sure what to do about it. Then Grant saves Hunter’s young nephew from drowning and one thankful kiss opens doors Hunter never knew existed. While Hunter and Grant tentatively move toward a relationship, the family’s in an uproar, the ranch is struggling, they can’t figure out what happened to the horses, and to top it all off, Grant is hiding something. Can Hunter learn to trust Grant, or will the turmoil already tearing up his family claim another victim?
Title: Earth and Sky
Author: Zahra Owens
Series: The Wranglers #2
Genre: GLBT, contemporary, western
Length: 330 pages
Favorite Character: Grant
Favorite Quote: ”As if they’d both come to the conclusion that making love was not a sprint, but a marathon; that it wasn’t about getting off, but about what it felt like to share, to enjoy and give enjoyment; that it mattered more how they made the other one feel than how they felt themselves; that giving the other pleasure would automatically ensure their own pleasure as well.”
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: Zahra Owens’ EARTH AND SKY continues THE WRANGLERS series and is everything I was anticipating. It includes romance, cowboys, family drama, men, women, and the beautiful Idaho landscape as a background. (more…)
Posted by Mrs Condit on May 15, 2012
WIN A KINDLE!
From May 17 – May 20 this blog will focus on celebrating the acceptance of diversity. Every blog involved in the hop will have comments, posts, contests, and book reviews on that theme. Here at Mrs Condit and Friends each daily comment between May 17 and May 20 is an entry in our contest, so visit everyday and leave tracks. On May 21 we’ll award a basic Kindle to one random commentor! Come on, you know you want it, so Leave. Comments. Here. And click the Hop Against Homophobia icon to visit all of the blogs on the hop. See what they are saying and offering.
Kind regards,
Becky, Lady, Danielle, and John
Posted by Mrs Condit on
BLURB: Flynn Tomlinson has drifted for several years, working odd jobs when he needs the money and moving on when he doesn’t. He’s content with his freestyle life, not tied down, not responsible for anyone but himself. Then he comes across a Help Wanted ad in a post office in Idaho and meets Gable Sutton. Gable can’t pay Flynn until he sells his horses, but a serious accident has left him unable to work his ranch alone.
Working with horses beats stacking shelves at the supermarket, and so Flynn agrees to Gable’s terms. What Flynn doesn’t bargain for is being captivated by this gentle, lonely man who captures his heart and moves Flynn to take on an incredible burden: saving Gable’s ranch.
Title: Clouds and Rain
Author: Zahra Owens
Series: The Wranglers #1
Genre: GLBT, contemporary, erotic, western
Length: 250 pages
Favorite Character: Gable
MRS CONDIT’S OPINION: Zahra Owens is one of my favorite authors and CLOUDS AND RAIN is a great example why. Her characters are fully developed complete with flaws as well as endearing qualities. The plot isn’t just a wrapper for a character study. It has teeth from the grab you right away beginning to the satisfying end.
Gable is damaged inside and out. He has trust issues from the way his previous lover abandoned him. When we first meet Gable he’s trying to get work done on his horse farm while limping painfully on a badly injured leg. When Flynn shows up looking for work, Gable immediately is suspicious of his motives for wanting to work at a job where he isn’t going to get anything except room and board, yet he appears to have the qualifications for a job on a more prosperous farm. If Gable weren’t desperate for help he would have run Flynn off.
Watching these men come to an understanding and then more was powerful and emotional. Their interactions with their neighbors and people in the town gave them depth and a richness to the story. All characters, main as well as supporting, are well defined and become people you care about.
If you love contemporary westerns, an in-depth look at life on a working ranch with all of its hardships and challenges, and a romantic love story that overcomes odds to build into a steamy relationship, this is the book for you.
MRS CONDIT’S RATING: 4 Sweet Peas!
COMMENT PROMPT: How does a debilitating injury affect a person’s outlook on life?
BUY LINKS:
May 17 – 20 Hop Against Homophobia
