Serena Yates's Blog, page 5

5 days to go...




...until The Solstice Mistletoe Effect (Mistletoe Science, #2) is published.

To give you a little preview, you can read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/dxoLiJ.

If you like what you see, you can enter the draw for one of three free e-copies at http://bit.ly/acTx73.

And, of course, you can buy the e-book at Dreamspinner Press (http://bit.ly/dxAImQ) as of June 23, 2010.

...until The Solstice Mistletoe Effect (Mistletoe Science, #2) is published. Enter the draw for a free e-copy at http://bit.ly/acTx73.

The Solstice Mistletoe Effect
This is good news for everyone who has been waiting to hear how the story of Lance, Magnus and Jakob from The Mistletoe Phenomenon continues.

When they first met last Christmas, Lance and Magnus kissed under the mistletoe, changing their lives forever. They're happy as a family with Magnus's nephew Jakob. But Magnus's parents are not enthusiastic about his choice of life partner and try to separate Magnus and Lance while they vacation in Sweden with Jakob. The woman they think more suitable for Magnus is Sigrid, an ex-student who is his intellectual equal and has loved and pursued him for years.

Magnus seems oblivious, but when an attractive offer from the University of Stockholm is added to the mix Lance faces a crisis: What if Magnus chooses the new job and a life with Sigrid over the family he's started with Lance and Jakob?

Out on June 23, 2010 with Dreamspinner Press at http://bit.ly/dxAImQ

This is the first in a series of Lust Bites with Total-E-Bound. The theme is "New Horizons" and I'm very excited about it! Release date for the first one is August 30th.

Here's what it's all about:

What happens when a shy librarian meets a gorgeous hunk who used to be a gay pornstar?

Anton Collins is a research librarian who works at the Santa Barbara Komlos Museum. He needs a major grant to make progress on his research into the history of astronomy.

Scott Black, a former gay pornstar and wanna-be actor, comes to Anton for help on an audition and the sparks fly. But when Anton's grant presentation doesn't go as hoped, Scott takes charge and offers Anton a way out. Scott's family owns a library full of manuscripts that need cataloguing and he's been thinking about trying theatre.

Will Anton fight for the grant so he can stay in his secure job or will Scott be able to rescue him and tempt him to explore new horizons?


Let me know what you think...

Serena

The Mistletoe Phenomenon by Serena Yates
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Short Story (71 pgs)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 5 cherries
Reviewed by Peppermint



Magnus Carstens, an eminent glaciologist, recently had to change his life: he's become his nephew Jakob's guardian after the boy's parents died in a plane crash, he's taken a new job as a park ranger, and he's moved them to Mistletoe, Wyoming, so he can offer a stable home to Jakob while still contributing to science. There he meets Lance Rivera, a disillusioned physical therapist who is working in his sister's store to make a living after his lover took off with all their money. When the two men come together--literally under the mistletoe--both realize all they really want, despite adversity, is a family to love.

Lance figured out a way to melt the ice man. Magnus had never known how to express his feelings so he kept them bottled up. Then Lance came along and showed Magnus it was okay to feel emotion. With his newfound ability to express his feelings Magnus realized he needed Lance for more than just a life lesson.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. These two men will leave you longing for the relationship they have together. They both were looking for what each other had to offer and once they were able to get past the reservations about expressing their feelings toward one another they fell right into place in each other’s lives.

Unlike many erotic romance stories, this one included a child in the cast of characters. So not only did Lance have to woo Magnus he also had to woo his eight year-old nephew. I enjoyed the twist that Jakob added to this story. It made it seem more realistic. There are many people raising a child and still looking for love. And, as an added perk, not only do you fall in love with Magnus and Lance you find yourself quickly falling in love with Jakob also.

This story did not include very many sex scenes, as it really focused on the emotion and, to be honest, I did not mind one bit. Some couples you want to see a spicy sizzling sexual relationship from. With this couple, although the sexual chemistry is there, you just want to see the sweet happily ever after type of story. The characters required the relationship to be more emotion and relationship-driven than sexually charged, so the author could do nothing other than oblige the characters' needs.

With a strong plot and great characters, this story should be added to your must read list.

Source: http://bit.ly/cISjiM

If you want to find out more about me, there's an interview up at MichelenJeff Reviews:

http://michelenjeff-reviews.blogspot....


There are more questions than you can shake a stick at, but they were fun to answer. I hope you enjoy reading some or all of the details. Go have a look - let me know what you think?

Serena

Be it in another time, another dimension, or another world, the authors of the Stealing My Heart Anthology will take you away to a world where male/male love and passion reign.

Stephani Hecht, Jambrea Jo Jones, A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly, Carol Lynne, Jaime Samms, and Serena Yates, have all contributed their talents and their time to make this exciting contribution to male/male erotic romance..

All proceeds will go to help fight illegal e-Book downloading.


Stealing My Heart

Stolen Memories by Carol Lynne
On the eve of his mother's funeral, Aden Brousseau met Victor DePasse for the first time. For years his mother had warned him to stay away from the dark-haired neighbour, but on that particular evening, Aden hadn't listened. He'd been fascinated with the handsome man since the day he'd overheard his mother and grandfather refer to Victor as a vampire.

Now, twenty years later, Aden once again is in the presence of Victor DePasse. Only this time he's older and knows exactly what he wants.

After years of visiting his charge in his dreams, Victor suddenly has the man he's fallen in love with in front of him. Does he defy his orders and make Aden his, or does he obey and give Aden up to his destiny?

Stealing Rain by A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly
In the not too distant future, water becomes so scarce the hunt is on for any drop on other planets. Drew and Trace, former lovers find that love, not just rain, is high at any price.

Drew Lecour was once the pride of the military, until he'd decided to leave the federation and became a rogue, selling water to the highest bidder. Trace had a history with Drew, one that involved some hot sex and broken promises. And now, after not seeing him for years, Drew and his crew suddenly show up on a planet Trace has been contracted to protect, a planet where Drew is set to drill for water.

Trace doesn't have a choice. He has to defend the water supply. His men are waiting for their leader to give the order to kill, but he can't bring himself to do that. So he confiscates Drew's equipment and takes him prisoner; but having Drew naked and at his mercy proves far more challenging than he'd anticipated, and then, there are others forces at play.

Hotwired Heart by Jaime Samms
A good car thief needs sixty seconds, but grand theft heart might take even less time than that.

Freedom and trust; opposite sides of the same coin that could give expert car thief, Marky, the win he's looking for. Little does he know escaping his gang ties will lead him through heartbreak and into cuffs he hadn't even thought to watch out for. Now he can trust the powerful man who wants to help, or he can keep running.

It all depends on how much he values his freedom, and whether or not Roland has managed the impossible; hijacking Marky's carefully guarded heart.

The Magic Thieves by Serena Yates
Elryk Muyd'omir is the most powerful lightning wizard born on Tah'Nut in two hundred years and a pacifist. When he refuses to co-operate with the illegally ruling Xoh'kas family they torture and kill his lover. Rather than risking the death of thousands by losing control over his lightning magic in his rage, he flees to Earth—a place without magic. When the gateway that connects Tah'Nut to other worlds opens Elryk knows that the Law Forces have found him. It is time to either face cruel punishment or fight.

Kaythan Vs'urr is a Law Force Commander who is sent to retrieve the criminal wizard Elryk. He is expected to return him to Tah'Nut for ‘reprogramming'. Secretly disgusted with the Xoh'kas' lack of determination to stop the magic thieves, he has decided to win Elryk for his plan of defeating them. All they need to do is find the fabled Magic Shield to prevent further thievery.

Can Elryk trust the gorgeous Law Commander who wants his help? Will the two men be able to work together to defeat the Xoh'kas and eliminate the magic thieves?

Stealing Michael by Jambrea Jo Jones
Can one wrong make it right?

Robert's mother pushes him into stealing a painting. He is in over his head when the homeowner catches him in the act. It leaves him wondering what to do now?

Michael's life turns in a new direction when a stranger enters his home and the urge to protect the thief overcomes his common sense. He knows he should be angry but who can resist a thief that looks like an angel?

Dragon's Eye by Stephani Hecht
After a decade of living under the iron rule of a sorcerer, dragon shifter, Duncan Moore finally has his chance for freedom. With his former master dead, all Duncan has to do is steal the very thing that has been holding him captive all these years, his dragon's eye. The stone holds his magic and his dragon self and without it, he can never go home again.

What should be an easy theft turns complicated when he finds that someone has beat him to the eye and he has no idea where it could be. To add to things he suddenly finds himself teamed up with the dead sorcerers' son, Trent. For years Duncan has longed for Trent, but had never dared act on his desires. Then one night of passion between the men changes everything and Duncan realises that he could lose something far more valuable than his dragon's eye, he could lose Trent.

Will Duncan be able to save them both? Or will he have to make the ultimate sacrifice?



Adam Killian's statement:

"I said yes when AJ asked me to do the cover of Stealing My Heart, because like the book industry, mine is being affected by piracy. I said yes because if it's good for AJ, it's good for me. I said yes with pleasure and pride. I am proud to be the face for this groundbreaking book. From my heart to yours,

Adam Killian."

A friend of mine (Eric) wrote this blog and I think it needs to be read by more people. So I have posted the link here to give you all a chance to go and see for yourselves.


http://easygaylife.com/2010/02/the-en...


The point he makes, that of the current freedoms available in the USA being under severe threat, is a good one. The similarities with Nazi Germany in some of the actions that have been taken are striking and beyond scary.

And in case you'e thinking that these measures 'only' affect GLBT people - think again. They threaten all basic Human Rights, no matter which group you belong to.

Articles like this (http://tcrn.ch/cuHanr) about e-book pricing disputes between major publishers and powerful retailers such as amazon have ignited more debates about 'the right' level for e-book prices.

Some people say if prices are set too high shoppers will stop buying e-books and e-piracy will be further encouraged. Since nobody knows the answer, an author friend of mine, Brenna Lyons, has taken the intitiative and set up a poll for people to vote on how much they are willing to pay.

Sounds right, doesn't it? Do research and create some facts - rather than speculating.

This is what she said about it:

"Okay... I, for one, am heartily sick of the hysterics from the NY Times over NY conglomerates "raising" their e-book prices and how this is going to raise piracy rates (as if they need raised more). NY is not the only game in town. They aren't even the first game in town, and indies have had 15 years to figure out what readers are willing to
pay for e-books.

But, for the sake of argument, let's assume we don't
know. Let's assume we're complete idiots about our pricing and ask the readers outright. I've placed a polling on my blog. You can pass this along to whoever you want to. Encourage people to come respond to the polling. All it asks is how much they are willing to pay for a
novel-length fiction e-book. One simple question. I'd really like to get this polling into the thousands, if we can.

http://brennalyonsden.blogspot.com/

Brenna"


I think this is a very useful initiative. If you agree, please support her by going to vote and then spread the word amongst your friends.

Thank you for your support!

Serena

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M/M Contemporary
Rating: 5 cups

Magnus Carstens is a glaciologist who has recently become the guardian of his young nephew. Because of this, he has to give up his globetrotting around the world looking at glaciers so he can raise Jakob.

Lance Rivera is having nothing but bad luck. His lover ran off with all their money, and he has to work in his sister’s store because he cannot find work as a physical therapist.

When Magnus and Jakob come into Lance’s sister’s store, he can tell right away that the two are having a hard time communicating with each other. When Magnus sends the little boy to pick out the Christmas ornaments and decorations he wants, Lance is really confused. Why is not the man helping his son? So, he goes to help Jakob instead. Lance bonds with Jakob right away when the little boy reveals that Magnus is his uncle, not his father, and it is then that Lance discovers that Jakob recently lost his parents. Magnus admits that he knows nothing about Christmas, and Lance, more attracted than he wants to admit to himself, brings up mistletoe. Between Lance’s sister, Katie, and Jakob, Magnus and Lance are encouraged to do an “experiment” by kissing under the mistletoe. Fireworks go off for both of them, and it is not long before they are spending a lot of time together. However, Lance wants more than to just be Magnus’ lover and Jakob’s friend, he wants to be part of their family forever. Will Magnus see the light, or will he lose Lance forever?

The Mistletoe Phenomenon is another winner from Ms. Yates in my opinion! I really got a kick out of Lance’s sister, Katie, and Jakob playing match maker for Lance and Magnus. I loved Jakob’s personality, he is just so cute! Poor Magnus is so totally clueless that you just have to love him. When Magnus and Lance finally come together, the lovemaking is explosive and emotional for both of them. Throw in a meddling aunt and uncle who want custody of Jakob for their own nefarious ends and you have the makings of a really great story. The Mistletoe Phenomenon personifies the Christmas season and what it is all about. I cannot recommend it enough!

Regina
Coffee Time Romance & More