Looks like Fiction Friday has gone monthly

Well, it looks like Fiction Friday has gone monthly. Prepare for a big post.

All four star reads unless marked otherwise.

New Status Needed by Annabeth Albert. Cute catch up with Adrian and Noah from Status Update as they cope with one of the milestones they mentioned in the original book. Oh, and did I mention it is free :)

Beta Test (#gaymers #2)by Annabeth Albert. Opposites attract. Slow burn. Road trip. Multicultural. Interracial. Do I need anymore reasons to give this 5 stars? Written by Annabeth Albert. Nuff said.

The Art of Mutual Pleasure by K.A. Merikan. If you're expecting hearts and flowers you've come to the wrong authors. The title says it all, and Benjamin gets pleasured over and over and over again.
Heed the warnings, they are not there to make up the word count ;)

Death Goes Overboard (A Detective Heath Barrington Mystery #2) by David S. Pederson. I hadn't read the first in the series but this didn't affect my enjoyment at all. I enjoyed this as a historical mystery with gay characters. I wasn't sold on the romance though. N.B. This is a Bold Strokes book and their e-books are really expensive, if you can grab this one in a sale I'd do that. I'm certainly going to look out for the first book that way.

Threshold (Whyborne & Griffin #2) by Jordan L. Hawk. Exciting, horrific entertainment. I adore these two and their second adventure was as heart-stopping as their first. 5 stars.

The Return of the Earl by Sandra Schwab. New to me author. Mostly an m/f writer., this is only their second m/m book. Firstly, the cover is awful. But the book, I enjoyed. Historical, for those of you where that will make a difference. I'd have liked alternate POV in order to get some idea of the true Bryn (Con's opinion was tainted by his mood).

At Your Service (At Your Service #1) by Ariel Tachna. That the author is invested both in Paris and publishing shined through in this novel. This is a story of second chances where everyone (including the reader) had to work for happiness all round but that made it all the more satisfying when it came.

A-Viking by Kiernan Kelly. Suspend your disbelief and fall into this cute and genuinely funny story.

Baked Fresh (Portland Heat #2) by Annabeth Albert. Change of pace from the first book. Both guys were damaged in their own way with serious self-image issues.

Take This Man (anthology). To celebrate gay marriage. A 3 star read over all but worth inclusion here for this story alone. Ink Stained by Krista Merle. Historical. I could happily read a whole book about these guys. I stalked the author for any more work. There isn't any :(

Keep Me Still by Stephen Hoppa. My surprise read of the month. I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. For some reason I thought this would be a generic shifter story. Why? I don't know, It's not even a shifter story *facepalm* Recommended.

Frostbite by Alexandria Bellefleur. Short (under an hour) fairy tale of the type LT3 do so well. Adorable. And LT3 have 30% off for the next couple of days. Recommended, especially at that price.

Phew, told you that would be a long list. And that doesn't even include the comics I've read.

First 5 star review!

I'd been so close with those 4.5s. And then this review appeared.

"Oh my. Renaissance was nothing like I expected it to be. It was so much better than whatever expectations I had!"

"This was more of a slow burn romance, a journey of sorts as Smudge and Raleigh realized that they actually could be friends and maybe even something more, if they gave themselves half a chance and if they believed they were worthy of the other's affections."

"Without a doubt, Renaissance deserves five stars. ♥"

DogEaredDaydreams

Buy Links

Amazon US // Amazon UK // Kobo // Payhip // Smashwords

RJ Scott’s Annual Autism Awareness Blog Hop

Today is my turn to host RJ Scott’s annual Autism Awareness blog hop.
The masterpost showing all the stops on the hop can be found here on RJ’s blog.

Is it possible that animals are the answer? Dogs. Horses. Guinea Pigs.

"Interaction with animals can help children with autism become more physically developed and improve their strength, coordination, and physical abilities. More importantly, many people derive much joy from their relationship with animals, which can help autistic children have a better sense of well-being and more self-confidence."

"Other research has shown how social behaviors in children who have autism temporarily improve after even a short play period with a live animal such as a guinea pig (versus a toy)."

Research is continuing in the area of animal therapy but initial findings appear positive.

Now for the giveaway part of the hop.

Animals play a big part in one of my books. Theory Unproven is set on an elephant sanctuary in South Africa. So to celebrate this year's blog hop I'm giving away a copy of Theory Unproven. 

Leave a comment below and I will use random.org to pick a winner. 

Another satisfied reviewer

"Renaissance by Lillian Francis was a pure joy to read."
"...there is no sex scenes and it was perfect. Imo it shouldn’t have been different and I want to thank the author for the respect she showed to Raleigh with this choice."
"The writing was so engaging, it made the reading easy to follow and I particularly enjoyed it in the descriptive scenes. With her style Lillian brought me to Sloppy Bottom and its people and it was a great place."
"I feel to highly recommend Renaissance by Lillian Francis, one of the best book I read in 2017." 

4.5 stars from Stella at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

And well deserved praise for Garrett Leigh's cover art. 

Buy Links

Amazon US // Amazon UK // Kobo // Payhip // Smashwords

Love Bytes Reviews gives Renaissance 4.5 stars

"The story is well written and held my attention right up to the last page. I didn’t put it down once, which is a compliment."

"I highly recommend this series if you’re looking for a sweet, miscommunication, enemies to friends sort of book. It is totally outside my normal dark reads, but I’m enjoying the series. Give it a try."

"I’m hoping for a story that includes Bruce the big bear who loves bacon… but we’ll have to see what she brings us. I personally can’t wait to see what is next."

"I think I liked this one the best so far. The story is told with the same level of writing as the first two, and the various characters that we met previously, tie directly over into this one. I would definitely tell you to read the two previous installments before reading this one, since they aren’t long. I think it is important so that you know who everyone is. I love the residents of Slopy Bottom, and I’m sure you will as well."

4.5 hearts. Dan at Love Bytes Reviews

Buy Links

Amazon US // Amazon UK // Kobo // Payhip // Smashwords

Reviews are in for Renaissance

"This was what I would describe as a very sweet book, they very slowly develop in to friends, then friends who sometimes kiss but thats where it ends.
I know all books can't be wildly passionate and full of fun under the covers and I'm glad this one wasn't as it wouldn't have fitted the story.
We get to meet back up with Rick, Mal and the villagers from book 1 and they all play a part in bringing the two characters together.
This author always writes a good book and this didn't let me down.
Looking forward to book 3.
4 out of 5 stars." Sue at Books Laid Bare Boys 

Buy Links

Amazon US // Amazon UK // Kobo // Payhip // Smashwords

Your questions answered

Well actually they're my questions, but I've answered them because I know they're what you guys are thinking.

About the Series
Renaissance is book 2 in my series, Village Love. Village Love is set in the fictional Sussex village of Slopy Bottom. I'll let Rick (from Resistance) tell you how Slopy Bottom got its name.

“It’s one p, Slopy Bottom. The village has been there centuries. Local historians think it started life as Slope Bottom since the oldest houses are on the low slope at the bottom of a hill. The rest of the village spread out into the valley as the years went by but the name stuck. At one point the village was all but owned by a French lord, which could account for the mispronunciation, and it appears to have been Slopy Bottom ever since.”

Who’s this Rick you mention? I notice he’s in the blurb for book two, as well.
Rick is the village gardener/handyman. His story of how he struggles to fit his sexuality and his London-born Pakistani boyfriend in to his life in his sleepy village home is told in Resistance (Village Love #1). Rick and Mal’s  meet-cute is told in a short story, Resonance. As Resonance doesn't take place in the village it has been assigned as Village Love 0.5.

Do I need to read the other books in the series to read this one?
No. Each book deals with a separate couple. However, in such as small village people bump into each other all the time. So yes, characters will appear that the reader is introduced to in the previous books. 

Where can I buy the previous books?
Resistance Universal Amazon link myBook.to/Resistance_LF
Resonance Universal Amazon link  myBook.to/ResonanceL_F

At all the other usual suspects: Kobo // B & N // Smashwords. And on my Payhip page. If you buy there and share on social media you’ll get a discount.








Will there be more books in the series?
Definitely. I'm gearing up to start work on Book 3, Trevor’s tale. I have very brief story lines, if they work out, for at least a Book 4, and maybe a Book 5. If you read a particular character that you like drop me a line and let me know, I've undoubtedly got a plan to pair him with someone!
I've already been asked about Adam, the coffee shop owner. Yes, he will definitely get his story told.

Why are you telling me this now?
Because Book 2, Renaissance, is now out. So if you've read Resistance and wanted Smudge's story, it's here.

Buy Links: Kobo // Payhip // B&N // Smashwords

Universal Amazon link: myBook.to/Renaissance_LF

Renaissance at Kobo

For all those readers that prefer an epub, Renaissance is now available at Kobo.

If you do chose to buy there, could I ask for you to leave a review. In fact if you've bought any of my books from Kobo a review would be appreciated. The review facility there is hardly ever used.

Opposites Attract

It's opposites attract week over at Joyfully Jay. I'm there giving away a copy of Resistance.

There are loads of other brilliant prizes too. Pop on over and see what you could win.

Renaissance - Out today

It's finally here. Release day for Renaissance, book 2 in the Village Love series, and Smudge's story.

Cover Art: Garrett Leigh

Smudge really needs to get laid, if only to stop himself wondering about the softness of Raleigh’s curls and why he keeps running away.

After his tumultuous teenage years, Smudge has settled into his quiet life in the sleepy English village of Slopy Bottom. He’s his own boss with the time and space to indulge his artistic creativity. And he has friends. He’s happy. Satisfied. Lonely. And the pool of potential soulmates is almost non-existent. His friends, Rick and Mal, flush with their own happy romance, keep trying to set him up with the most incompatible men, and he's never finding true love on Grindr. Hell, he's not even going to manage a hook up based on the kinky messages he’s been getting recently. He'll just have to slake his desire to find his own HEA in the pages of bosom-heaving romance novels.

Raleigh is the darling of Slopy Bottom’s blue rinse brigade: church organist, mobile librarian, and apparently wedded to his trademark cardigans. He seems to be the polar opposite of the artistic Smudge, whose brightly coloured mohawk and piercings should be a red flag to Raleigh. Yet he’s yearning for company too. It’s just that Raleigh has less expectation and definitely less courage to chase after it, for reasons that he keeps very close to his chest. Reasons that don’t stop him from being drawn irresistibly to Smudge.

Smudge is sure that the way Raleigh runs from him whenever he sees him is cruelly deliberate. A reflection on his bad boy looks and his disdain for Raleigh’s precious church. So why can’t he stop thinking about the softness of Raleigh’s curls and his delicate body? Then Raleigh offers an olive branch of sugar and caffeine, Smudge’s favourite combination, starting them on a road to an awkward truce. And when they are conned into working together on a community project at the local hospital, the proximity ignites a spark that can’t be ignored. But navigating the murky waters that could take their relationship beyond tentative friendship all depends on whether Raleigh can release his secret fears – and whether Smudge is the man to share and allay them.

Buy Links

Amazon US // Amazon UK // Kobo // Payhip // Smashwords