Friday 26 August 2016

Waiting for a Spark

As of a week or so ago Waiting for a Spark is currently out of print.

I intend to re-release under Finally Love Press at some point in the near future. It needs little in the way of work, just a new cover and then some formatting. Maybe a new blurb.

I'm on the look out for something sweet with a London vibe, quite similar to the original cover (which I had quite a heavy hand in designing). Preferably something premade since they are generally cheaper. If anyone finds anything they think is appropriate leave me a link here or give me a poke on GR, FB, or Twitter.

I'm off to scourer my fave cover artists' premade sites.

In the meantime if you really must read WfsS now then it's still available in the Lashings of Sauce anthology.


Fiction Friday

My last few reads have been excellent enough that I wanted to make sure I did another Fiction Friday post straight away.

I mentioned How to Howl at the Moon in the last post. That was a 5 star read for me.

And I followed that with yet another 5 star read. Megan Derr's Tournament of Losers. This book can only be described as a fairy tale. Rafe, our lead, may be a wharf rat and sometime time whore but he is loyal, patient, generous with the little he has. Tresse, the noble he falls in love with, is adorable and, well, the secret he's hiding is obvious to anyone who has read any sort of fairy tale before but it doesn't matter. The tale may be as old as the hills but the execution is glorious.

And another. 5 stars to Annabeth Albert's Status Update. Adorable. It's brimming with tropes. Road trip. Snowed in. 35 year old virgin. Geeks in love. Dogs. If quite extreme internal homophobia with a backdrop of religion isn't your thing then you may not enjoy this. But while the religion was the main reason for the internal homophobia I didn't feel that it dominated the story in any way. Mostly this is just the story of a chance meeting that changes two people's lives for the better and the fight they have to keep things that way. And it is adorable.

Anthologies are, by their very nature, hit and miss. For a start not everybody likes short stories, and some story ideas are not suited to the length impositions (several stories in this collection suffer from this), but you can always find a few gems among the more mediocre stories and they are a great way to introduce you to new writers. Stranded, a Wayward Ink anthology is all about being stranded in some way or another. My favourite stories of the bunch were Say Cheese, Out of Order, and Dating for Deafies. I loved The Raider, too, but desperately wanted it to be a longer story. Of the rest there were only four that I wasn't overly keen on.

Continuing the 5 star theme, Custom Fit by Josephine Myles. The long awaited (by me in particular) sequel to Tailor Made. Witty, sexy, with a distinctively British voice and men in lacy undies. What more could you want.

Returning Home by Alex Jane. An extended epilogue to book 1 with Caleb and Jacob returning 'home' to be married, several years after the end of book one. There is a small amount of angst but overall it is a sweet tale of acceptance and coming home.

I've also been betaing reading for Sue Brown and Elin Gregory. Two great stories but very different. More about those as the stories come to fruition.

Looking forward I plan to mix it up with some of the very old reads that have been hanging about on my Kindle.

Let me know what you've enjoyed reading recently.






Wednesday 24 August 2016

Coming soon from Jay Northcote

IntoYou_prerelease

I've just finished reading this. So good. I'll be pimping with buy links nearer the time but for now why don't you add it to your Goodreads shelf.

What do you do when the body you wake up in isn’t yours?

Olly and Scott promised to be best friends forever. They grew up on the same street, went to the same school, and did everything together. But one hot summer night, teenage experimentation caused hurt feelings and confusion, and their friendship was destroyed.

Four years later they’re both eighteen years old and in their final term at school. Scott is a football star and Olly’s preparing for a main role in the school play. After a heated argument in the street—witnessed by their mysterious, elderly neighbour—they wake up the next morning stuck in each other’s bodies.


With no idea how to get back to normal, they have to co-operate in order to hide their secret. Spending time together rekindles their friendship, yet feelings run deeper for both of them. With the end of school fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Unless they discover how to change back, they could be stuck in the wrong bodies forever.


If you want to read a teaser pop over to this post at Jay's website.

Guest Post - Custom Fit

Today I'm pleased to introduce a friend and one of my favourite authors.  Josephine Myles is here to celebrate her latest release, Custom Fit (book 2 in the Tailor Made series), and is sharing an exclusive excerpt.

Thanks for inviting me, Lillian! As you know, you are in many ways responsible for this book ever seeing the light of day. It was your enthusiasm to know more of Felix and Andrew’s story that encouraged me to turn all those ideas into a sequel… even if it did take me a long time to get around to it!
I was so pleased when you chose this rather saucy excerpt to share as it’s one of my favourite scenes too. I wrote it in the depths of winter, dreaming of it being hot enough to enjoy the feel of a spray mister on bare skin. I often write summer scenes in the winter and vice versa. If I ever wanted to write something set in Antarctica I’d probably have to head to the tropics to cope with imagining all that cold!
Anyway, read on to find out how Felix and Andrew cope with the heat in the bedroom of their new attic flat…

Kissing Andrew was the best thing on earth.
Well, maybe the second best, after Andrew fucking him. Or maybe the third, because kissing while they were fucking was even more incredible.
Yeah, Felix had to get both their clothes off, this instant!
He clawed at Andrew’s T-shirt, pushing it up, only breaking the kiss long enough to get it over his head.
Something was wrong, but Felix was buggered if he could put his finger on what it was.
Actually, that was precisely the problem. Andrew wouldn’t let him get even a fingertip near his holy-of-holies. And it was such a pretty hole too.
Softly, softly, catchee monkey and all. Felix would just have to exercise restraint. Actually, that gave him an idea. “Let’s take this to the bedroom,” he murmured, as he unzipped Andrew’s shorts.
“It’s too hot in there.”
“Nah, it’s just hot enough. And besides, there’s something I want to try that’s only going to work on the bed.”
Andrew narrowed his eyes, so Felix licked his lips, fluttered his eyelashes and put on his best come-hither pout. “Come on, big boy. I’ll make it worth your while.”
The flirty tactics worked their magic—Andrew was always a sucker for them—and Felix led the way through.
“Bloody hell, it’s like an oven in here!” Felix glared at the sun streaming in through the open window. The sun glared back like the unrelenting bastard it was.
“Told you. It’s too hot for sex.”
“No such thing. Despite what Ella says.” Felix started humming Too Darn Hot as he stripped naked. “Come on, get your kit off. You’re wearing way too much. How come you’ve got socks on in this weather?”
“Protects my feet from my work shoes rubbing against them. We can’t all work in sandals, you know. I wish we could afford air conditioning,” Andrew grumbled, sitting down to take off his socks.
“Air conditioning, schmair conditioning. We’ve got a water spray.” Felix picked up the plant mister and aimed it at Andrew’s face. “Stick ’em up, cowboy.”
Andrew grinned and stuck his two middle fingers up, so Felix doused his naked body in a good dose of spray. It was on the fine mist setting though, so it didn’t have quite the impact Felix had hoped for. But Andrew seemed to enjoy it, sighing and lying back on the bed with a contented smile.
“Yeah, that’s better. Give me some more.”
Felix misted Andrew’s chest, paying special attention to his nipples. They pebbled up and he flicked one of them.
Andrew moaned, but he sounded way too sleepy for Felix’s liking, and he’d closed his eyes. Time to take the spray somewhere more… motivating.
Down between his legs, for instance.
Andrew was lying in the perfect position, legs spread wide, and Felix aimed the mister right against his balls, up close. He also twirled the nozzle to give a jet rather than the gentle mist.
He squeezed.
“Jesus Christ!” Andrew jerked up to sitting, clamping his hands over his balls. “You could have given me some warning.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
“Give me that.” Andrew wrestled the mister out of Felix’s hands and proceeded to squirt him in the face.
Felix spluttered. “Oi! That’s so not sexy.”
“Aha, so it’s sexy you want, is it?”
The next spray ended up hitting Felix square on his dick, which was surprisingly erotic once he’d got over the shock of it. “Ooh, do it again!”
Andrew looked all kinds of wicked as he squeezed the trigger, raining water down Felix’s treasure trail and onto his stiffening cock.
Felix reached out with wet hands and pushed Andrew’s hair back. It stuck up at a jaunty angle. Maybe he could style it into horns to complete the devilish look…
“Whoa!” Felix exclaimed, as his love pushed him down onto the bed. “Ooh, caveman style. You gonna get all primitive on my arse, big boy?”
“Shut up, wench.”
“I’m not sure wenches were around in those days. I always think of that as more of a medieval thing.”
“Got that off the telly, did you?” Andrew said, grinning. He kissed Felix thoroughly, which was a bit of an underhand tactic. Having something in his mouth was generally about the only way Felix stopped talking during sex. He just couldn’t help himself. There was so much fun to be had, teasing Andrew.
The minute Andrew pulled back for air, Felix took his chance. “Could you get a couple of ties out of the wardrobe?”

Readers, what’s your favourite way to cool down on a hot day?


Custom Fit


Felix and Andrew are back, in the long-awaited sequel to Tailor Made!

Being “wrong” has never felt so right!
Felix McAvoy is having an identity crisis. No longer the bad boy of art college, he’s now employed as a human billboard, roaming the centre of Bath dressed as a Roman soldier while attempting to fight off his nicotine cravings. It’s a comedown for the former conceptual artist, although there are compensations to the costume. The skirt, for one…
While Felix hasn’t made a secret of his desire to wear women’s clothing, he’s never dared try it until now. He’s always been worried once he goes down that road, he won’t want to come back, and the prospect of cross-dressing 24/7 terrifies him. Of course, he can’t tell that to Andrew, who’s now busy making Felix a slutty red dress.
Andrew Wheeler loves coming home to Felix and their cosy city centre flat. He just wishes Felix would let him know what’s bothering him. And maybe then, Andrew could confide what he really wants. Felix might not see him as anything other than a top, but Andrew’s yearning to switch things up.
Living together is one thing. Actually plucking up the courage to talk about their secret desires is going to be a whole other—and excruciatingly embarrassing—kettle of fish.

Author bio


English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it.
Jo’s novel Stuff won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Romance, and her novella Merry Gentlemen won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Romantic Comedy. She loves to be busy, and is currently having fun trying to work out how she is going to fit in her love of writing, dressmaking and attending cabaret shows in fabulous clothing around the demands of a preteen with special needs and an incessantly curious toddler.

Website and blog: josephinemyles.com/
Twitter: @JosephineMyles
Newsletter: eepurl.com/hrQ4s


Monday 15 August 2016

5 Star Review - Resistance

5 stars for Resistance - C. E. Case at Inked Rainbow Reads

"(Resistance) is pure romance stuff: hot sex, family issues, internalized homophobia. But while the story feels familiar, it doesn’t feel old fashioned. Rick and Mal inhabit a modern world. Francis shows us that world with tenderness and depth."

"Resistance gets better as it goes along. It twists from two blokes getting it on into a true tale of a relationship where the only enemy is fear."

"It’s a wonderful book to spend a day with."



Resistance is currently available exclusively at Amazon and to borrow on Kindle Unlimited. Universal Amazon link: myBook.to/Resistance_LF

Friday 12 August 2016

Fiction Friday is back

So, according to this blog (and I have no reason to doubt it) my last FF post was on 1st July!

Also according to Goodreads I've hit 150 m/m books this year.

Must have loads to report this month then, it's been nearly six weeks after all.

Erm, no, I've been reading a lot of fanfiction, mostly Teenwolf and Merlin. I particularly enjoyed  The Lonely King by Cori Lannam.

I've also read a fair few of those freebies that you pick up from Amazon all the time and then clutter up your TBR pile forever. Sometimes you can pick up a good one, most of this batch weren't worth reading but I did enjoy The Dystopia Spell (Multiverse Mashup Book 1) by Brian Olsen.

But what have I read and enjoyed?

Not Quite Shakespeare - a Dreamspinner anthology of stories with a British feel. There are some excellent stories in this anthology by some of my favourite authors. These were my favourites:
Ninety-nine Problems by Becky Black - 4* Loved this story of feuding ice-cream families.
Chanctonbury Ring by Sarah Madison -4* Excellent second chance at love story.
Wrong Number by Megan Reddaway - 3.5* Amusing story about a guy who drunk dials his boss. It's predictable but fun.
In the DogHouse by Chris Quinton - 4.5* love this story of second chance love. And greyhounds. And shady gangster types.
Rough Tackle by Annabelle Jacobs - 4* Cute.
The Jacobite by Bette Brown - 3.5*
Tops Down, Bottoms Up by Jay Northcote - 5* Morris dancing! LOL. Loved it.

More Than Anything by T.T. Kove - 4* Uh huh. This book had me a sobbing mess from about the 75% mark. Note to self: Don't forget to read the sequel.

Rustic Melody (Rustic #1) by Nic Starr - 4* A lovely gentle story.

The Gilded Scarab by Anna Butler - 5* Loved this historical action adventure set in a steampunk version of 'Victorian' London so much that I begged the author for a sequel only to discover there is one already in the works. Yay!

And the book that took me to that GR 150 Reading Challenge,

How to Howl at the Moon (Howl at the Moon #1) by Eli Easton - 5* This book is just the cutest thing. I love Lance, the gruff stoic cop, who is hiding a furry secret,

Update on my challenge to read a book by all of the attending authors at the UK Meet this year: 43/65. I don't think I'll manage the whole challenge but it's not too bad an achievement.




Thursday 11 August 2016

Series review for Village Love

4 'feels good' hearts for the Village Love series (so far) from Dan at Love Bytes. And 4 hearts for each individual book. Find his full review here.

I love that these stories spoke so personally to him... "The whole MRI sequence, the shoulder injury, and the mate named Smudge, all played to my personal experiences, and in the case of Smudge, got me thinking about a friend from the UK that I lost touch with more than thirty years ago."

"The tale of these two meeting and overcoming each of their fears and concerns along the way was a fun read. I really liked the men, as well as the background characters in the little village of Slopy Bottom. Dare I hope for other tales from Slopy Bottom? Only time, and the author, will tell…"

"I highly recommend the two stories I’ve reviewed here today. I guess you could read Resistance without reading Resonance first. But why would you? They are both a delight."



Resistance is currently available across all retailers
Kobo // B & N // Smashwords. And on my Payhip page. If you buy there and share on social media you’ll get a discount.
Universal Amazon link: myBook.to/Resistance_LF

Resonance is currently available at 
Kobo // B&N // Smashwords // Payhip

Universal Amazon link:  myBook.to/ResonanceL_F


Wednesday 3 August 2016

What they're saying about Resistance

Resistance has had some positive reviews over the last few weeks. Thought I should probably share some of them with you.

4 hearts from Pixie at MM Good Book Reviews

"both Mal and Rick are great characters that you can easily see care a lot about each other."

"some of the secondary characters made this story shine just a little more; Edna, Rick’s elderly neighbor, was a little star she shone brilliantly in the couple of scenes she was in. Smudge was a shining beacon as he lends a shoulder to Rick, I’d also love to see Smudge’s story in the future."
"I recommend this to those who love village stories, fantastic characters, overcoming fears, budding love and easy going stories where love shines through."

Laura at From Top to Bottom Reviews 


"I love small town stories, and this certainly was one of those, on top of being a feel-good story with a low level of angst."

"I loved Rick and Mal, and the two of them together had great chemistry, and I liked all the secondary characters, too."
" Rick’s fears, and the moments when Mal may have doubted he was ever going to admit he was his boyfriend, were really well done by the author."
"All in all: a sweet, cute, feel-good story with lovely characters and a lot of Britishness. And I can’t help it, I love the Britishness. Recommended."

4.5 stars from Mari at Bayou Book Junkie 


"I adored Rick and Malik... They were awesome together and had the kind of chemistry and love you know it's everlasting."

"The villagers were amazing as well, and having them interact with both Mal and Rick, gave the book depth and many scenes that had me laughing out loud."
"This was one of the most disarmingly charming British books I've ever read, it was funny, sweet, romantic with fantastic characters that I fell in love with. Definitely recommendable!"

Rayne at Thorns and Ink

"It takes a lot of balls to bring casual racism front and center and force the characters to deal with their ignorance. I give Ms. Francis props for that. She handles this subject matter well."


For the first 3 months Resistance will be exclusively available to buy at Amazon and to borrow on Kindle Unlimited. Universal Amazon link: myBook.to/Resistance_LF


Add it to your Goodreads bookshelf here


Keep scrolling for links to other reviews.




Dog-Eared Daydreams - 4 stars
Bella's Blog 5 stars
Blissfully Bookerized - 4 out of 5
Books Laid Bare Boys - 4 out of 5 
Naughty Book Eden - 4 stars
Melissa Feist


All the above reviews were provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.



Monday 1 August 2016

It's release day for Elin Gregory

If you follow my babblings on a regular basis you'll know I've been waxing lyrical about this book forever. Even in its unpolished form this was probably my favourite book of 2015. I honestly can't wait to read the finished article.

30820566

Eleventh Hour by Elin Gregory 


Borrowed from the Secret Intelligence Service cipher department to assist Briers Allerdale - a field agent returning to 1920s London with news of a dangerous anarchist plot - Miles Siward moves into a 'couples only' boarding house, posing as Allerdale’s 'wife'. Miles relishes the opportunity to allow his alter ego, Millie, to spread her wings but if Miles wants the other agent’s respect he can never betray how much he enjoys being Millie nor how attractive he finds Allerdale.

Pursuing a ruthless enemy who wants to throw Europe back into the horrors of the Great War, Briers and Miles are helped and hindered by nosy landladies, water board officials, suave gentlemen representing foreign powers and their own increasing attraction to each other.

Will they catch their quarry? Will they find love? Could they hope for both?

The clock is ticking.







Eleventh Hour is published by Manifold Press

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy links
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords