Frank Tuttle ~ The Broken Bell
From: Samhain Publishing

Frank Tuttle is just one of those quiet authors from Samhain on my auto-buy list and if you are not reading The Markhat Files you ought to be. Frank is also one of the few really good writers out there I never see over exposing themselves on the internet with promotion. What ever is done is always top notch and well thought out much like Frank’s covers.

REFRESHING!

Otherwise Frank seems to be all about keeping the pen to the grindstone and putting out good book after good book.

I wish more authors did that.

K.A. Mitchell ~ Bad Boyfriend
From: Samhain Publishing

Sarah over at Rain On The Roof is doing her best of 2011. I am impressed because frankly I cannot even begin to do one. I think the closest I got was adding Marquesate ~ Her Majesty’s Men to my Christmas must have eBook list.

So of course I am going to have to buy that other Marquesate book that Sarah mentioned in her list along with this K.A. Mitchell number. There you go Sarah and I both like Marquesate. That’s two whole Military Gay Romance books by the same author, buy now, go!

The facts are too many Gay Romances this year even from some of the top epublishers blew the fuck up over content editing. Lots of lazy drawn out highly noticeable instances of telling the reader instead of showing. The authors in many cases had written top heavy (Too many setup chapters) or bottom heavy (Too many closing chapters to get to their idea of an HEA) stories with parts in need of trimming and/or fleshing out and the Editors were obviously absent to tell them to fix the content issues. Then in the “candy wrapper” crew you have Gay Romance epubs like Dreamspinner getting away with what seems to be absolutely no editing or direction at all. I simply refuse to buy from them anymore because they are tragic and from their lame excuses you know, they know, they are selling rough drafts.

When an epub “Editor” (I use that term loosely… Because when did pushing a button in a Spell Checker and maybe one of those new Grammar Checkers qualify you as an Editor?) has no clue what the basic “no brainer” difference is between a Gay Romance and your typical everyday Gay Fiction and that slapping on a few chapters at the end for a quick sex scene and maybe a kiss does not make up for having no focus on any developing relationship arc the rest of the book well I just have no time for pathetic excuses or people who promote themselves as selling “Gay Romance” trying to tell me their books suddenly do not have to follow “Romance rules” because they are now “Dark” or “M/M” or whatever newly made up definition they want to use mid-conversation…

Yeah, whatever you freaking prima donna. If you cannot prove you know what something is in the first place and sell it to readers properly labeled and edited how can we trust you to know how to get anything else right?

Sure it’s my opinion, and a few others mind you, but I am first and foremost a Romance reader of both traditional Straight and the newer Gay type of books for years now and I have a great deal more experience than these clowns even reading Gay Fiction growing up back in the good old days when we had Gay Fiction or as they like to call it now Gay Lit writers worth reading so get the hell out of my face with the whole “I don’t understand”. I might be a dinosaur but you are a fucking putz so fuck you!

Anyway, 2011 for me was frankly a disappointment when it came to discovering new writers to talk about because unfortunately in most cases the authors I thought had something going for them chose to be published by crappy “candy wrapper” epubs with no real Editors in sight to say the least. The few authors I talked to honestly about this issue knew they were choosing this and made some off the wall excuse for it. How do you even begin to recommend that mess? I can’t, that’s how. I won’t. If you want to stay amateur in thinly veiled fan fiction land with the pretty covers and nothing else to offer. I’ll let someone else shower charity upon you precious. Oh, she’s such a nice person even though she knows she is ripping off her readers with unedited rough drafts and bare outlines of stories. Isn’t that special?

Pretty pictures might make the sale but your unedited story was a big old fail.

Catch me I’m bustin a rhyme! Don’t worry Pookie there is always the idiot zombies on Goodreads that will tell you how great you are and slather you with endless five star reviews and make excuses for every failure. You won’t learn anything and your writing will still be packaged like so much fan fiction but hey the fanbois are there for your little “self pubbing” ego boo when in reality none of that makes up for a professional Editor that tells you “no” often and never let’s you off the hook and a couple of really honest critique groups that know where you live and will hound you till you get it right.

From what I have seen and been involved in just the few years of blogging about Gay Romance if you are trying to do this all by yourself with no professional help and without any honest interactions or confrontations to your vanity you are so fucked. Shallow back patting and social niceties are for dinner parties not books. Smart bitches expect an honest answer even if it means they might have to go back to the drawing board.

So no big 2011 lists from me. It would be too short to matter.

Lauren Dane ~ Once And Again
From: Samhain Publishing

I was reading Erec and caught this….

Congrats to the ever talented Lauren Dane & Samhain Publishing for making the NYT Bestseller List… Again!

Josh Lanyon ~ Come Unto These Yellow Sands
From: Samhain Publishing

Lauren Dane ~ Giving Chase
From: Samhain Publishing

I followed Lauren Dane back when she moved to Samhain from Ellora’s Cave. At the time I was following her Cascadia Wolves series and had really enjoyed the first three books and was looking forward to the continuation of the series over on Samhain. BUT…

Then I started reading her Chase Brothers and frankly I think this series not only defined how I like my Lauren Dane romance reads but also it defined the old school straight forward romance style I enjoy most from Samhain along with say Beth Williamson a western romance writer I also have managed to collect a butt load of eBooks from.

I was surprised to find a wonderfully retro blue collar style small town “Mayberry RFD” romance series that really makes for a go to comfort read in my opinion. Sure it’s not sexed up werewolves or angst ridden ghosts or kick ass vampire hunters it does not even have cowboys. It’s more Walmart and meatloaf but sometimes you really want a juicy tomato sauced meatloaf on a cold chilly night.

And Lauren Dane serves her meatloaf up with style baby.

Despite how much I liked the first few werewolf romances it was here in these simple small town romances that her writing really sang for me. I also loved that these eBooks recently got newer covers too which tells me they are still doing well for Samhain. And they should!

So I really need to backtrack and get some type of review together for this series since I am taking a break from reviewing new books at this time. So keep a lookout for it and feel free to pick these up for a good read while I makeup for the fact I have overlooked these gems for so long.

Shelli Stevens ~ Going Down
From: Samhain Publishing

I have been eyeballing this mantitty cover series for some time now on Samhain but seeing the latest in the series hit the Amazon Top Ten I figure it is time to jump in. Small town sheriff and woman in trouble… sounds very Chase Brothers like. I bet I will enjoy myself.

Christine Phoenix ~ I Will Follow You

Here is an excerpt…

Sebastian looked around and took everything in, trying to decide who he would tear apart first. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met and shifted on full moons since it was far outside town. If a werewolf had the ability to shift, the pull of the full moon was too much for them, and they shifted. Sebastian didn’t have that problem. Lycans learned to control their shift at puberty. The location was good for him, no witnesses to their fight, and it was good to be close to the earth, surrounded by nature As a shape-shifter, his magic was defined by the elements, so he was stronger if surrounded by its source.
The fragile Omega went limp, nearly succeeding in making the two men holding him let go. It didn’t work, but it surprised them all enough to allow the little man to get a good kick in. He hit the third man, who was wrestling with his pants, right in the mouth. Blood flew as the man’s head jerked to the side. Blood splattered over the Alpha.
“You little bitch.” The man the Omega had struck stepped forward, doubled up his fist, and popped the Omega right in the temple.
The little man collapsed, his head lolling forward on his neck.
Sebastian saw red. A growl erupted from his throat and drew the attention of all the men. They dropped the unconscious Omega and turned toward him.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man in the green shirt demanded.
The Alpha blinked over at him and put his hand on the man who’d been tugging on the Omega’s pants. “This, I imagine, is Sebastian Killian. The reason we were meeting out here in the first place.” The man raised a brow. “Do we have a problem, Mr. Killian?”
“Yes.” Sebastian glanced at the Omega sprawled on his stomach in the grass. He sensed a heartbeat coming from the man, and it was strong. It was the only reason the men in front of him weren’t already dead. “Explain to me why the five of you are beating up on an Omega?”
The smallest of the men frowned. “Who do you think you are, mister? This is a pack matter.”
“I’m Sebastian Killian, and as Alpha of the East coast packs, I’m your Alpha as ordered by Prince Gabriel. I’m here to keep an eye on your pack and any others in my territory. You do not get to refuse me anything! Where I come from, we treat our fellow wolves, especially Omegas, with a little more respect than what I see here. If you touch that boy…”
“You’ll what, asshole? We don’t answer to Lycans,” the big man sneered and stalked toward Sebastian.
Sebastian was ready for him. He caught the man’s fist in one hand, crushing it, and slashed his other over the screaming man’s abdomen, raking him wide open, ripping through muscle. He really would have loved to kill every single one of them, but he wanted to get to the little man on the ground more.
The man staggered back, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach with his broken hand.
The two men who’d been holding the Omega charged Sebastian. He dispatched them as effortlessly, stabbing one in the stomach with his claws and slashing the other across his throat. It was pathetically easy. Sebastian was an eight hundred year old Lycan warrior. They had no chance.
He looked up at the Alpha and the man in the green shirt, while the others writhed on the ground at his feet. Sebastian grinned. “Who’s next?”
The man in the green started forward though Sebastian saw the hesitation and he reeked of fear. The Alpha’s hand reached out and landed on his shoulder, stopping him. “Not now.”
The man’s eyes widened, but he said nothing and backed away.
The Alpha shook his head, his eyes never leaving Sebastian. “Gather them up, and let’s go.”
Sebastian glared back at the leader, keeping the others in his peripheral vision. They were injured, but they were weres and healed extremely fast. He should just kill them and get it over with. They were trouble, and with their lack of intelligence, it would come to him killing them anyway.
The green-shirted were managed to get the other three on their feet, mostly, half carrying the first two guys, and headed toward the cars.
The pack leader walked past Sebastian, head held high. Sebastian turned and watched them go, keeping his front to the weres.
“I do hope you know what you are doing, Lycan.” He spat it out like it was a dirty word. To him, it probably was.
“Because you have just challenged me, and I can’t have that. You will be hearing from me.” The Alpha followed his men through the trees to the parked cars.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. He was right. The Alpha was stupid and suicidal. “I really should just kill them,” he muttered, disgusted.
Sebastian hesitated, torn between following them to make sure they didn’t mess with his truck, and getting to the Omega to see how bad his injuries were. He closed his eyes, focusing on his truck, with a thought he bespelled it against tampering, then quickly turned to the little man lying unconscious on the ground. Sebastian could feel the others leave without incident. He shook his head at how even now the weres had no real understanding of Lycans. Sebastian thought the werewolves let their human side run the show which he believed kept most from being able to shift. They had no real connection to their wolf.
Sebastian checked the Omega for injuries but luckily found none, reaching up and touching the man’s delicate back. He felt static shocks move through his fingertips as he stroked the man’s neck. He drew his hand back, looking at it curiously. That had never happened before. He had learned control over his magic at an early age and had never had even a tingle without calling out for it. He focused on the Omega more intently, continuing to touch his face, feeling his magic move like a soft shock. The Omega moaned, but didn’t move.
Mate.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. He now understood the pull. A grin stretched across his face. The little man was his mate, and he would also be his Omega.

Anything seem remotely familiar here?

Now here is an excerpt of J.L. Langley ~ With Love

Dev looked around and took everything in, trying to decide the best point of attack. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met before they hunted on a full moon.

The Omega went limp, nearly succeeding in making the two men holding him let go. It didn’t work, but it surprised them all enough to allow the redhead to get a good kick in. He hit the third man who was wrestling with his pants, right in the mouth. Blood flew as the man’s head jerked to the side. Crimson splatters splashed over the Alpha.

“You little son of a bitch.” The man the Omega struck stepped forward, doubled up his fist and popped the Omega right in the temple.

The redhead collapsed, his head lulling forward on his neck.

Dev saw red, a growl erupted from his throat and drew the attention of the five men. They dropped the Omega and turned towards Dev.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man in the green shirt demanded.

The Alpha blinked over at him and put his hand on the man who’d been tugging on the Omega’s pants. “This, I imagine, is Mr. Devlin Johns. The reason we were meeting out here in the first place.” The man raised a brow. “Do we have a problem, Mr. Johns?”

“We just might.” Dev glanced at the Omega sprawled on his stomach in the grass. He had no idea if the man was still alive or not. A blow to the temple like that could kill a human, but the man was a wolf, even if a weaker one. “Would someone like to explain to me why the five of you are beating up on a much smaller, much weaker man?”

The largest of the men frowned. “Who do you think you are, mister? This is a pack matter.”

“Since I’m considering joining your pack, I’d say I have a right to know what’s going on. Where I come from we treat our fellow wolves with a little more respect than what I see here. If that boy is dead—”

“You’ll what, asshole?” The big man stalked towards Dev.

Dev was ready for him. He caught the man’s fist in one hand and slashed his other over the man’s abdomen, raking him wide open.

The man staggered back, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach.

The two men who’d been holding the redhead charged Dev. He dispatched them as effortlessly, stabbing one in the stomach with his claws and abrading the other across the face. It was pathetically easy. Dev was quite a bit quicker than them.

He looked up at the Alpha and the man in the green shirt, while the other three writhed on the ground at Dev’s feet. “Who’s next?”

The man in the green started forward but the Alpha’s hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back. “Not now.”

“But—” the man sputtered.

The Alpha shook his head, his eyes never leaving Dev. “I said not now, Peter. Gather them up and let’s go.”

Dev glared back at the leader, keeping the others in his peripheral vision. They were injured, but they were wolves and healed extremely fast.

Peter managed to get the other three on their feet and headed towards the cars.

The pack leader walked past Dev, head held high.

Dev turned and watched them go, keeping his front to the five wolves.

“I do hope you know what you are doing, Mr. Johns, because you have just challenged my authority and I can’t have that. Rest assured, you will be hearing from me.” The Alpha followed his men through the trees to the parked cars.

Dev hesitated, torn between following them to make sure they didn’t mess with his truck, and getting to the kid to see if he was all right. Dev couldn’t do much for the kid if he couldn’t get them out of here. So he followed the men, standing in the tree line glaring at them until they piled into the three cars. They left without incident, but Dev was certain he hadn’t seen the last of them. He shook his head and hurried back to the clearing as soon as the last car drove out of sight.

Dev had been taught from an early age that Omegas were to be respected, not mistreated because they were weaker. They were the ones who held a pack together, they ran interference, they coordinated and listened to the pack’s complaints and took them to the Alpha, they were the pack ambassadors, the peacekeepers. What did this little redhead do to piss off his pack leader so badly?

He knelt by the smaller man, touching his back. Only then did he realize his hands were still claws. He relaxed and willed his hands back to normal. His canine teeth remained and his vision shifted, going black and white again, probably due to the adrenaline rush. It would wear off eventually and there was no one there to see him anyway. The rise and fall of the little Omega’s breathing was easily discernable. Thank God. He leaned down next to the redhead, meaning to gently turn him, and gasped as he caught scent of him.

The man’s scent was like nothing Dev had ever smelled before. He smelled like a wolf and he was definitely a weaker, submissive wolf, but he was…enthralling? That was the only word that came to mind. Dev’s cock, which was still hard, began to throb.

Come on, Dev, get a grip. He rolled the smaller man over on to his back and nearly swallowed his tongue. Happy freakin’ Valentine’s Day to me. The Omega was beautiful.

Hello Samhain! Hello, you in there? I think you need to look at this. Hello?

J.L. Langley ~ My Fair Captain
From: Samhain Publishing

My Fair Captain is going Japanese!

News from Samhain is good they are launching into the Japanese market with some of their top titles. One just happens to be the SciFi Gay Romance from J.L. Langley ~ My Fair Captain.

March 27, 2011
32. FLASH POINT, by Shelli Stevens (Samhain)

February 27, 2011
25. COLTERS’ DAUGHTER, by Maya Banks. (Samhain.) After disappearing without a word, Max Wilder is back in Callie Colter’s life. Book 3 of Colters’ Legacy.

February 20, 2011
21. COLTERS’ DAUGHTER, by Maya Banks. (Samhain.) After disappearing without a word, Max Wilder is back in Callie Colter’s life. Book 3 of Colters’ Legacy.

The second eBook from Samhain Publishing in as many months made it on the big list.

Good job people.

J.L. Langley ~ With Abandon
From: Samhain Publishing

Yes! Finally!