Ofelia Gränd's Blog, page 67

Friday Reads: Angel and Firebird by Nell Iris

I picked up Angel and Firebird by Nell Iris a while ago, but I didn't get around to reading it until now. I love a good short story, love that despite having a thousand things to do I can read a story from start to end and for a few minutes laugh or cry alongside a character. This is more of a cry story...definitely a cry story.



Phoenix lost his lover, Gabriel, in a hate crime five years ago and hasn't been able to move on. How can you? He's functioning, goes to see his parents every week, works out, goes to work. He does what's expected of him, but he isn't living.

At night, his dreams are filled with memories and images of Gabriel and waking up is tearing him apart. Then there is a fire and Phoenix has to decide if he's gonna leave the flat he and Gabriel shared to save himself...or not.

There are some heartbreaking moments in this one so if you're in the mood for a good cry, snuggle up with some tissues.





Five years ago, Phoenix lost his lover Gabriel, his angel, in a horrific hate crime. All he wanted was to follow him into death and he struggled a long time trying to get his life back together. All this time later he still hasn’t been able to put the past behind him and forget about the love of his life.

On the anniversary of Gabriel’s death—and 25th birthday—Phoenix’ apartment building catches fire. Will Phoenix do the reasonable thing, or will he rise from the ashes to reunite with his beloved angel?

Friday Reads: Winter Blossoms by Paul Iasevoli

A Friday Reads post...on a Saturday...again. I need to rethink this whole posting on Fridays, Friday is my most hectic day of the week, and while there is this thing called scheduling I have a hard time motivating myself to blog beforehand.

This morning I got up to a quiet house, almost. My husband took the kids crawfishing, so it's just me, the cats, the fishes, the hamster, and the dog at home. I went for a short walk with the dog, made myself breakfast and a big pot of coffee and sat down to read Winter Blossoms by Paul Iasevoli.

Chris is a twenty-something young man struggling to get over a failed relationship as he's looking for love in the New York bars. Normally, I don't read YA or NA books, I've lived through the struggle of becoming an adult, I don't want to be reminded of what it was like LOL, but this story shouldn't be missed!

It's so carefully crafted it almost made me feel bad for the way I haste through my stories when I write. I've never been to New York, and I was just a baby during the 1980s, and yet it felt as if I was there walking the streets with Chris. Beautifully done!





Chris, a naïve twenty-four-year-old, breaks up with the first man he’s ever lived with. In the months that follow, he travels from Queens to The Hamptons, Manhattan to Brooklyn to find love. In the process, he discovers more about himself and realizes the man he hoped to meet has been in front of him the entire time.

Winter Blossoms will take you on a ride through the streets and subways of New York City. Every stop along the way highlights the 1980s’ vibrant, gay nightlife. Part nostalgic romp, part coming-of-age story, Winter Blossoms will delight the reader as it comes into full bloom.

Part of Seasons of Love Anthology

Once Around Seven (Nortown)

Once Around Seven will be out on the 31st of July. That's soon, people!

For this release, I'm trying out a new thing. Have any of you heard about Booksprout.co? I hadn't until a few days ago, but I thought I'd give it a try, so if you want an ARC I think there are 14 left to claim...I think. I'm still figuring booksprout out :D

https://booksprout.co/arc/4328/once-a...

Friday Reads | Oskar Blows a Gasket

Today isn't just another Friday, it's the release day of Oskar Blows a Gasket by Claire Davis and Al Stewart.

Now, if you've read anything by this duo you know you're in for a ride, this time to the tunes of Duran Duran, A-Ha and other bands from the 80s. What did you expect when one of the main characters is the secret love child of Simon Le Bon - no it's true, it's such big secret, not even Simon himself knows it LOL.

Oskar Braithwaite is a sassy kid who wears his makeup as armour and spins his lies like a pro - everything is better than the reality, right? There were so many times I wanted to strangle Oskar because while I started out really feeling for the kid (he has a lot of baggage to carry around), he is just plain mean at times.  And I know he's just a kid, but I couldn't quite forgive for how he treated Bear.

Bear is the sweetest person, but the lies Oskar is making up aren't far from Bear's reality. Not that he wants the attention, all he wasn't is Oskar.

I love the language and the character development in this story, both Oskar and Bear come out different from how they started - they are stronger, more mature, and in love. I've read all Davis & Stewart books, most of them make me cry rivers, this one didn't, but that doesn't mean it isn't an emotional read. Neither Oskar nor Bear has had an easy life, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do to survive...and if that means that you have to pretend you're Simon Le Bon's kid, then so be it.

Don't miss it, it's.... Bodacious!





Oskar Braithwaite is bold, brash and gorgeous. Just ask him.

Armed with designer backpack full of make-up and retro music galore, Oskar sets off for college. And, with attitude even spikier than his heels, nothing is going to hold him back. Except maybe one thing…his past is shouting louder than the 80s songs he adores and it won't be ignored. Behind the effervescence are secrets, lies and sadness. Try as he might, not even Oskar can hide forever, and one day it isn't only pop icon Simon Le Bon who's going to catch up.

Who is writing letters? And why is a spy secretly following?

Enter Bear, with dancing eyes and secrets of his own. Bear's kindness sparkles brighter than Lycra leggings, and everyone knows Oskar loves shiny things. Like every prophecy, their fates seem inevitably linked. As the walls of Oskar's defence crumble, Bear shows his hidden strength, but will it be enough to save them?

Find out in this far-out, zany tale of fame, first love and retro DJs.

Friday Reads | A Casual Weekend Thing

I just finished reading A Casual Weekend Thing by A.J. Thomas. I read it back when it was new but didn't remember much more than one of the MCs being an ultra marathon runner.

Christopher Hayes is a San Diego Detective who's brother is a paedophile who kills himself on Christopher's birthday. He leaves a note behind that lets Christopher know there's another paedophile in town and that he has to stop it.

I liked the beginning of the book a lot, but it's pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy is, and despite the FBI agents telling Christopher, the love interest Doug, and Christopher's partner from San Diego what good Detectives they are, I found them to be pretty slow on figuring it out.

But, if you're in the mood for some creepy bad guys, some hot Detectives, and a lot of running you should give it a go.





Doug Heavy Runner left the life of an openly gay Miami police officer and returned to his home on the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation when his mother got sick. In the two years since she passed, he’s carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex.

When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother’s suicide, he doesn’t expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother’s case. He certainly doesn’t mind spending more time with Doug—but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.

As they investigate, they discover Christopher’s dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer….

Friday Reads | A Matter of Time

Usually, I never check the author of the month in the Goodreads M/M Romance group, but I went in to look at something and the first thing I saw was the cover of Frog by Mary Calmes. I've read and was sure I had it, but I'm hopeless when it comes to backing up my files and I can't find it so... So instead I read A Matter of Time Vol 1...and then Vol 2 because Jory has this ability to make me forget the world around me.

It's many years ago I first read A Matter of Time #1, it was one of the first M/M books I read and even though it's been years since I read any Sam and Jory they've always stayed with me.

I'll admit that I was bit afraid to start reading them again because what if I didn't like the books anymore? I do, Jory will always be Jory, and it's few series where you actually get to follow the character through their partying days, to their moving in together, to being married, to starting a family, to being kidnapped, blown up, punched, arrested etc etc.

There is never a dull moment, and if you haven't read these books, and like a strong possessive Detective and a golden, pretty boy with a knack for getting people to do what he wants then you definitely should.





Vol. 2 (Books Three and Four)

Three years ago, Jory Harcourt changed his name and shut the door on a past full of pain, only to emerge stronger on the other side. He has a new career, a great working partner, and a satisfying life—except for the hole in his chest left behind when police Detective Sam Kage walked out with his heart.

Now Sam's back and he knows what he wants... and what he wants is Jory. Jory, who doesn't know if he can survive another break up or losing Sam to his dangerous job, resists returning to the arms of the only man he has ever truly loved. But when a serial killer with a score to settle targets Jory, he will have to decide if love is worth the danger as he tries to solve the case and keep Sam safe.

Friday Reads | Dance With Me

For today's post, I've re-read Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan. I read it the first time many years ago. I went to check my GR profile and it says 2014, but that's only because I added it then, I read it long before that, and when the second addition came a few years ago I got that too. Didn't read it, but hey, pretty cover - don't judge! - so I have two copies.

I've read about half of Ms Cullinan's books and liked most of them. I most often have a funny thing going on when reading her stories, though. She often puts in a character that's just too much for me. Apparently, I'm fine with gory violence, dub-con, non-con etc etc, but as soon as there is someone who, say, tries to persuade someone into having a foursome I skim the pages until I'm safely back with just the two characters I want to read about LOL.

This is a lovely story. Laurie is a dancer, all grace and talent. Ed is a former football player who got injured and can't play anymore. Both men have lost their way and their drive, both are fighting apathy, both are telling everyone they're fine - they're not, but together they can be.

Laurie has the most terrible family and the creepiest godfather in the world (though if you aren't as great a fan of monogamy as I am you might find him hot...maybe. I wish I can unread him LOL)

I love this story despite icy mothers and pervy men, I loved it last time I read it and I loved it now. I wonder if I'm up for Special Delivery again...or maybe Nowhere Ranch (that I also got a second copy of - the cover, people, the cover! LOL).

What are your favourite dancer stories??





Sometimes life requires a partner.

Ed Maurer has bounced back, more or less, from the neck injury that permanently benched his semipro football career. He hates his soul-killing office job, but he loves volunteering at a local community center. The only fly in his ointment is the dance instructor, Laurie Parker, who can’t seem to stay out of his way.

Laurie was once one of the most celebrated ballet dancers in the world, but now he volunteers at Halcyon Center to avoid his society mother’s machinations. It would be a perfect escape, except for the oaf of a football player cutting him glares from across the room.

When Laurie has a ballroom dancing emergency and Ed stands in as his partner, their perceptions of each other turn upside down. Dancing leads to friendship, being friends leads to becoming lovers, but most important of all, their partnership shows them how to heal the pain of their pasts. Because with every turn across the floor, Ed and Laurie realize the only escape from their personal demons is to keep dancing—together.

FridayReads | Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn

I'm not one to re-read books, normally. So far this year I've found myself to re-read quite a few, though. Once I opened my folder with ebooks - I used to read epubs on an e-reader and only switched to using the Kindle app on my iPad when the e-reader broke down, so I have hundreds of books I haven't even glanced at for a couple of years - I've found myself oohing and aahing over books forgotten.

One book that will never be forgotten as far as I'm concerned is Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn. I didn't mean to read it again, but here we are. Yhalen is captured by ogres and ogres are not nice creatures.

There is a lot of violence, lots of blood and pain, lots of evil, but there is also a political game, a long journey, and fight for a better life. In a harsh world where no one will do you any favours your worst enemy might become your friend...and maybe even your lover.

This is not a lighthearted romance, it's slow torture ending with love. I'm so utterly impressed by P.L. Nunn's ability to keep me interested all the way through the 660+ pages that this book is, so impressed by the way I'm getting invested in the characters and how I love them despite all the heinous things they do.

Hats off.





A son of a forest dwelling people, Yhalen knows little of the world outside the ancestral forest, until he is captured by a band of ogres on a slave-taking mission. Only grim tales of the barbaric giants had reached the forest, but Yhalen soon learns that even the darkest fireside story only hinted at the brutality of these Northern warriors. He discovers the meaning of true fear at their hands, and only the awakening of ancient magic saves him from destruction.

Surviving ogre viciousness, he finds himself given to Bloodraven, the half ogre, half human war leader as a slave. Yhalen, refusing to bend, soon pays the price for offending prickly ogre pride.

But Bloodraven is no mindless, violent ogrish beast. Bloodraven has an agenda and Yhalen finds himself drawn in the wake into human and ogre politics, into bloodshed and cruelty and into the forbidden magic that is damnation in the eyes of his own people, but which might mean the difference between death and salvation.

Come join me on Facebook!

I'm not big on social media, don't get me wrong, I like talking to people, it's just the world out there is so big and I like to hide by my desk. Facebook is probably the platform that freaks me out the most or maybe twitter is because I just can't wrap my head around how it works, how to respond or simple twitter manners.

But, back to Facebook. I most often post things on my author page where no one will see what I write - not much use in that, is there? And therefore I've created a group. It's nothing big or flashy, I just thought we could hang out, talk books, and have a little fun.

It's a closed group so you'll have to ask to join, this to keep what's written in group hidden from the rest of the FB users. I don't know about you, but I get a little tongue-tied when I think about any of the 2.2 billion (probably even more now) Facebook users out there can read what I've written. Maybe that's just me...but since it's my group, I've decided to have it closed.

I would love it if you came and joined me, though. You'll find the group here.

TEASER TUESDAY: Falling Through

It's Teaser Tuesday time! Today I thought I was gonna write a little something about Falling Through.  I had such great plans...

Falling Through is just a short little thing, 12k or thereabout, and I first wrote it to be part of an anthology but it didn't feel right so I pulled it and Debbie over at Beaten Track Publishing took mercy on it. I had a whole world painted in my head with ghosts, and evil queens, and power imbalances and with James Dean of course, but other writing projects came in between and I never continued it. Now I only have a vague idea of what it was I wanted to write because stupid as I sometimes am I didn't write it down.

I still intend to write a sequel, or several, because I do love these characters, it's just that every time I think about it a wave of panic washes over me because what if I fuck up the story I had in my head? The one I can't even remember properly.

There are too many stories in my mind. I have a list of 14 stories I need to finish, and that is the list of the started stories, the list of want-to-write stories is even longer *sigh*. It's not really surprising that some stories fall behind but that doesn't mean it isn't frustrating.

Still, I do have a crush on Larry.

Larry shook a cigarette out of the pack, rolling it between his fingers before raising it to his lips. He wanted to stay with Travis, wanted to sit next to him on the sofa, wanted to reach out and touch him. Even if he could never touch Travis, he wanted to spend his time watching him.

Larry didn’t care much for people’s appearance these days. Everyone on TV had an unreal look about them, but Travis was nothing like those people.

Larry’s favourite thing in the whole world was summer nights. If the temperature was high enough, Travis went to bed naked. Larry spent those nights lying close to him, memorising every little ridge, every dimple. Had he been able to, he would’ve turned on the lights and mapped out every tiny little birthmark, every scar marring his skin. And no, it didn’t make him weird. Shadows did that…probably. What else would they do at night?

Larry slumped on the sofa. He didn’t know much. He didn’t know how anything worked anymore, didn’t know what he was allowed to do, and not allowed to do, and he couldn’t very well ask anyone.

But it didn’t matter. Sixty years he’d been loitering in this flat. Sixty years without a purpose—disheartening, if he let himself think of it. It was time he took some responsibility. If he and Travis were going to continue to live here, he needed to help out somehow. He would stop moping around and actually do something, even if it meant he would be sapped and had to spend some time in the Nothingness.

Travis is running himself ragged. He's trying to keep two jobs just to pay his rent. If he has to flirt with some creepy old women at the pub to get a little extra tip money then so be it. One day, he'll have someone special waiting for him when he gets back home from work, or is that too much to ask? Right now isn't the best of times to get a boyfriend anyway since Travis is going mad, but one day... Every so often, Travis gets the feeling of not being alone, and sometimes, he sees things. But he tries to stay positive; maybe there's a strapping young fella waiting for him in the looney bin.

Larry's existence was dead boring until Travis moved in. Now he spends his time watching Travis, fantasising about touching him, kissing him... Their movie nights would be a bit cosier if Travis knew he was there, but sometimes, you have to settle for what you can get. As far as roommates go, Travis is the best Larry has ever had, and it isn't Travis's fault he can't see Larry - no one has been able to since the day he died.

When Travis loses one of his jobs, both he and Larry fear for their future. Larry can't imagine being without Travis, and Travis is desperate to find a way to pay his bills. While Travis searches for a solution to his money problems Larry has to decide if he's willing to risk existence as he knows it for a chance of a better life.