Are You Looking for an Angel?

August 24, 2018February 12, 2019 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 2 Comments

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.

Angel-and-Firebird 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.

books2read.com/AngelAndFirebird *

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?

* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Friday Reads: Winter Blossoms by Paul Iasevoli

August 18, 2018February 12, 2019 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

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

books2read.com/WinterBlossoms

* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Release Day Once Around Seven (Nortown #5)

July 30, 2018February 12, 2019 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Nortown I’m a bit out of practice, it was such a long time ago I had a release day – not since Worth His Salt in January. But, now we’re here, and it’s time to let Once Around Seven out into the world.

Once Around Seven is the fifth story in the Nortown series. The novellas can be read as standalones, the short stories are all about Aiden and Tristan so it might be best to read them in order.

Once Around Seven is part of the Seasons of Love anthology from Beaten Track Publishing. I love writing anthologies, and this time there are several authors I’ve never worked with, or even read, before so that’s great.

You’ll find the authors and stories in the anthology here:

Seasons of Love
Tourist Season by Deven Balsam
Machete Betty by Neptune Flowers
Once Around Seven by moi
Winter Blossoms by Paul Iasevoli
Year of the Guilty Soul by A.M. Leibowitz
The Great Village Bun Fight by Debbie McGowan
A Springful of Winters by Dawn Sister
Out of Season by Bob Stone
Seashell Voices by Alexis Woods
Courting Light by A. Zukowski

If you’ve read any Nortown stories before you know they’re tropy M/M romances and this is no exception. Oswald left his finacé and has been living in his car ever since, but he’s running out of money. In Nortown he can get a job, not that really wants to, but everyone needs to eat.

Joshua notices the stranger in the parking outside Jen’s café, he isn’t looking for love, but something about Oswald pikes his interest.

Oswald Sattle is out of money and out of options. After more than eight months of sleeping in his car, when an acquaintance from his past offers him a job opportunity in the middle of nowhere, he can’t turn it down. No matter how much he’d like to.

Joshua Roth moved to Nortown four years ago, and he has everything he needs—a job, friends, peace and quiet. He’s not interested in a relationship, or anything else that would upset the life he’s built for himself.

But sometimes fate has other plans, and a single glimpse can completely change the course of a life.

In a small town, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, reaching for what you want can feel like a risk. But some risks are worth taking.

The real release day is tomorrow but we’re making a false start on Amazon where the stories are available right now.

Get Once Around Seven Here!

* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.