Cover Reveal: Moment of Silence by Karen Stivali

Moment of Silence (Series: Moments In Time) by Karen Stivali
eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7096
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7097

Blurb: Growing up, Jason Stern led a charmed life complete with devoted sisters, a father who was one of Brooklyn’s most respected rabbis, and a mother who made the world's best babka. He headed to NYU ready for anything—except falling for the wrong guy, coming out, and getting disowned by his once-loving family. In spite of that, Jason managed to graduate with honors. He's got friends who treat him like family, and he's proudly running the largest LGBTQ teen shelter in Manhattan. Life is good, but he's still falling for the wrong men.

When charming, sexy Quinn Fitzpatrick begins work at the shelter, Jason falls hard and fast. Quinn is tall, blond, funny—damn near perfect. Only if Quinn’s gay, even he doesn't seem to know it. If he does, he's not telling anyone. And he's about one ceremony away from becoming a Catholic priest.

Long hours of work turn to long nights of talking and laughter, and Jason dares to hope this time he's falling for the right guy. But Quinn's got a past to deal with and major decisions to make about his future. When Quinn leaves for a silent retreat, Jason knows the silence may change everything.

( Excerpt )

About the author: Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies, and fictional British men. She's also the multiple award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romances. She writes novels about love...like real life, only hotter.
Karen's lifelong fascination with people has led her to careers ranging from hand-drawn animator, to party planner, to marriage and family counselor, but writing has always been her passion. Karen enjoys nothing more than following her characters on their journey toward love. Whether the couples are m/f or m/m, it’s guaranteed that Karen's novels are filled with food, friendship, love, and smoking hot sex—all the best things in life.
When Karen isn’t writing (and often when she is), she can be found on Twitter attempting witty banter and detailing the antics of her fruit-loving cat, BadKitteh.

Where to find the author:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenstivali
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenstivali
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karenstivali/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali
Blog: http://karenstivali.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/KarenStivaliAuthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali

Tour Dates & Stops:
Parker Williams, BFD Book Blog, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Gay Book Reviews, Jessie G. Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Inked Rainbow Reads, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, V's Reads, Open Skye Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Andrew Q. Gordon, The Hat Party, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Divine Magazine, Velvet Panic, Love Bytes



Rafflecopter Prize: eBook copy of 'Moment of Impact' (Book one in the Moments in Time series).
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2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Operation Stop Hate by Jessie Chandler

Operation Stop Hate: Book 1 in the Operation Series by Jessie Chandler
Lesbian Mystery / Thriller
Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Train Wreck XPress (February 24, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1633048039
ISBN-13: 978-1633048034
Amazon: Operation Stop Hate: Book 1 in the Operation Series
Amazon Kindle: Operation Stop Hate: Book 1 in the Operation Series

Special Agent Cailin McKenna and her National Protection and Investigation Unit partners are drawn into a case that started with a pair of school shootings in Minneapolis. They soon learn that a hate group is recruiting teenagers on school grounds, handing out metal music rife with violent messages, and plotting a terrorist offensive on a major Twin Cities venue.

The case gets personal when the stabbing of Cailin's brother is linked. To complicate matters, Cailin's fiery new relationship is threatened by the return of a psycho stalker ex-girlfriend hell-bent on getting Cailin back.

Cailin soon finds herself in a fight for her life. And the clock is ticking--can she prevail in time to stop the worst terror attack that Minnesota has ever seen?


The cover grabbed me and I had to read it. A timely subject involving the school shootings. I would recommend this to anyone.

2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Greater Love Hath No Man by Tinnean

Greater Love Hath No Man by Tinnean
Gay Historical Romance
Publisher: JMS Books LLC (July 12, 2015)
Amazon Kindle: Greater Love Hath No Man

James Trevalyan came from a long line of men who served the British Crown with their gift of a voice with compelling power, and kept that tradition going while he loved and lived with Jeremy Waters. When Jeremy died in his arms, James resolved to live without love. His family keeps him connected to life -- Jamie, his son from his brief marriage to an American, and Pamela, his beloved little sister, caught in a loveless marriage to a cold, cruel man.

Then Tanner comes into his life, a clever and handsome agent who joins him in an ongoing undercover mission. How long will it take James to realize he and Tanner are meant for each other? And can Tanner survive the assignment that’s thrown him in with mobsters who want him dead simply because he knows too much?


A fun, occasionally affecting 20th century historical story with a smooth, confident, breezy narrative style and just enough period detail as it moves through the decades. There are some sweet moments, a bittersweet gut-punch in the middle, and a happy ending. I was left wanting more of these guys, but satisfied with where it ended.

2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Memory by Doug Lloyd

Memory by Doug Lloyd
Gay Historical Romance
Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (March 2, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632168146
ISBN-13: 978-1632168146
Amazon: Memory
Amazon Kindle: Memory

Paul Nelson, a military veteran home from Korea, refuses to stand by and watch Kenneth Pittman, a young man he’s just met, get beat up by a group of teens. After a few chance encounters with Kenneth, Paul questions parts of his identity he’s been trying to suppress, and despite his struggles re-acclimating to civilian life and his personal fears, Paul finds the courage to ask Kenneth on a date. The two then begin a relationship.

But in the 1950s, cultural and societal norms threaten openly gay men. Paul and Kenneth can only see each other in secret, and Paul’s new boss, a former investigative journalist and proud bigot, has a habit of meddling in his employees' lives. After tragedy strikes close to home, the two men question whether their slice of happiness is worth the trouble or if safety is more important.

After vacationing together in Provincetown, a gay haven, to escape the chaos, they decide to stick it out, only to return to the consequences of being outed to everyone they know. Ultimately, Paul realizes the freedom he fought for should apply to them too, and he must bravely act in defiance of society’s expectations to be with the man he loves.


This story is slow and not overly dramatic. The flavor of the time, in the Korean-War-era home front, is well-conveyed. There are conflicts and joys, smoothly-told and believable. I wasn't pulled deep into the narrative, until the end. There the emotion made my throat catch as the arc of time, the changes through recent history, the suppressed lives and losses, were powerfully rendered.

2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Chained in Darkness (New Haven 1) by Nicholas Bella

Chained in Darkness (New Haven 1) by Nicholas Bella
Gay Anthology / Collection / Erotica
Publication Date: April 23, 2015
Amazon Kindle: Chained in Darkness (New Haven 1)

Follow Noel, a captured rebel of the human Resistance, as he endures his punishment at the hands of his supernatural enemies, the vampires. See where his fate lies. Highly erotic and extremely dark and twisted. Prepare yourself .

I’ve been betrayed by someone I trusted. Because of him, I was captured by my loathed enemy: The vampires. Right now, the sun is still high in the sky, but I know when it sets, I’m as good as dead. They can’t wait to get their fangs into me. I guess some would say I have it coming. I did raise a lot of hell with my Resistance crew, and I was planning on raising a hell of a lot more at dawn before I was sold out by Jonah. The vampires, werewolves and dragons, have been trying to track me down for months and I’d always been two steps ahead of them.
*Laughs* I guess my number is up. I just hope they make it quick. You see, the vampires in my reality aren’t the romantic lot you read about in books. They don’t sparkle or hang out at high schools with their teenage girlfriends. Hell no, vampires are brutal, calculating, sadistic and bloodthirsty. As a matter of fact, all of the monsters are! That’s how they were able to take over the world so easily and change an entire civilization to suit their needs. Whatever happens, I know it’s not going to be pretty, so I’m preparing myself for the worst. May God help me.


This story was INTENSE! This is what I'd consider hard core BDSM with a bunch of psycho Vampires in between. There's a LOT of extremes happening here; rough sex, Sex, humiliation, Sex, non-con, did I mention Sex? And more! And once you get used to one thing, BAM! you're hit with the next and each is worst than the previous, more painful, more radical, more nerve wrecking! LOL I hated Master Theoden, though, simply because it didn't matter what Noel did, he never showed caring. I was hoping that by the end he'd show some sort of 'feelings' but he's too big of an evil bastard to care for anyone but himself :(  Not bad for a Debutante! I'm tempted to say I'd like to read the next episode of this saga but I'm scared shitless! :P Maybe...Maybe not...

2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Winter Duet by Anne Barwell

Winter Duet (Echoes Book 2) by Anne Barwell
Gay Historical Romance
Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 6, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632162083
ISBN-13: 978-1632162083
Amazon: Winter Duet (Echoes Book 2)
Amazon Kindle: Winter Duet (Echoes Book 2)

Sequel to Shadowboxing

Echoes: Book Two

Germany 1944

With Kristopher finally fit enough to travel, he and Michel leave the security of their safe house and continue their journey across Germany toward Switzerland. Caught in a series of Allied bombings, they stop to help civilians and narrowly escape capture by German forces.

While investigating a downed aircraft in the Black Forest, the two men discover an injured RAF pilot. After they are separated, Kristopher and the pilot are discovered by a German officer who claims he is not who he appears to be. Determined to find Michel again, Kristopher has to trust the stranger and hope he is not connected to those searching for him and the information he carries. Meanwhile Michel is intercepted by one of the Allied soldiers he met in Berlin. His help is needed to save one of their own.

Time quickly runs out. Loyalties are tested and betrayed as the Gestapo closes in. Michel can only hope that they reach safety before information is revealed that could compromise not only his and Kristopher’s lives, but those of the remaining members of their team—if it is not already too late.


Wonderful story with a solid 5 star. This is a very enjoyable story, easy to read, paced perfectly for the time it's based on and Anne makes it quite believable. I'll leave it at that. I'd recommend this one to anyone who likes wartime stories based in that era. Great read!