It’s December again, so last year’s author donation only collection Gay Apparel is back. 24 tales seasonal themed stories in advent calendar style LGBTQIA flash fiction form.🎄
Don we now our gay apparel (again!)
Tag: book
Suicide By Ghost Is Free For The First Time!
🍁 If you signed up for GreatAce.Club you can find this book in your in box right now! If you haven’t, you can still download the ebook for free today only!
★★★★★ Found Family Warmth
Content / Spoiler Warning: There is no suicide in the book, but there is frank discussion of trans / homophobia and by the end the novella left me with feelings of optimism, and hope. (Full Review)
About The Book: Spiritually divorced from the church, former exorcist Ryan Macy is finding his own path as a ghost hunter. Traveling with only what can fit in his trusty truck, he road trips around America trying to prove the paranormal.
When he’s called to a church to investigate a demon possession, what he finds is unexpected and, perhaps, just as divinely in need: A seventeen-year-old kid named Andrew. Ryan is certain something evil lives within the house: home-grown hate. Kicked out for being gay, Andrew hitches a ride and joins the ghost hunting team. But something is following them…
Press Start Release Day!!
I’m so excited to bring you my cute book full of queer people having fun and being silly!!
If you preordered the ebook, unfortunately you’ll have to order it again do to an amazon error. But everything is good to go now for both ebook and paperback versions on Amazon or GreatAce.Club!
Haven’t heard about Press Start? Now is a great time for this fun, low stress read about a group of friends bonding over video games.
Blurb: A new app has turned the whole world into an augmented playground. By reinventing retro party games, HoloHeroes makes sure it has something for every player. However, Loren worries she’s been missing out. The death of her father and a move across the country makes it feel as though she has to start life over. As a sweet sixteen gift, Loren’s given Ghost Glasses, allowing her to be her own HoloHero. Local meetups serve as a jumping-off point to make new friends, find herself, and win cash prizes. But what started as casual fun turns into an accidental rivalry with a veteran champion of the game and a race towards the national stage.
So are you ready to —
Press Start Cover Reveal!
It’s here! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
This beautiful leap day I get to show off our newest book cover!!
It’s so cute! We wanted it to really showcase the story’s inspiration of Pokemon Go and other party games. The map is actually based on a cool area around where John lives. If you need a break from everything because the world sure is wild this year, you’re going to love this soft playful story.
I can also officially announce the release day of May 5th! The paperback and ebook version will have an exclusive chapter. Until then, be sure to add it on Goodreads!
Here’s the blurb if you want to learn more:
A new app has turned the whole world into an augmented playground. By reinventing up retro party games, HoloHeroes makes sure it has something for every player. However, Loren worries she’s been missing out. The death of her father and a move across the country makes it feel as though she has to start life over. As a sweet sixteen gift, Loren’s given Ghost Glasses, allowing her to be her own HoloHero. Local meetups serve as a jumping-off point to make new friends, find herself, and win cash prizes. But what started as casual fun turns into an accidental rivalry with a veteran champion of the game and a race towards the national stage.
🌹 Reviews: Waking Up The Sun
Waking Up The Sun front loads a protagonist who has anxiety and has already learned ways to cope with it. It mentions magic almost right away too, but my favorite part of that is that a potion is considered magic instead of just having a spell go “cure” him. It’s a great bit of world building I wish more things had. Having a lead character who has to consider their racing thoughts and find medicine because that’s part of their basic needs is so a plot point, instead of a casual one off line. That’s amazing to see.
Around the 20% mark you see the consideration of being lost in the woods and having to wash your clothes. These are such small things that most writers just ignore because they think it will ruin— whatever. But these are the exact things that makes Waking Up The Sun real and something that feels new.
The only criticism I have of this was I thought the writing could be tighter. Sometimes I thought why is this being mentioned now, or at all. It may not be the best read for the sex repulsed for similar reasons but maybe this review can serve as your content warning.
With that said, this book is why I like to read from LGBTQ authors, generally found from small publishers. They have a number of important things that aren’t found elsewhere. Both men in the pairing are sweet. Awkward only in an realistic way instead of being an often sexist adorkable trope. I think my favorite thing is how much they check in with each other, ask if the other is okay.
[Learn more or buy your own copy here.]
🌹 Rose Reviews: Waking Up The Sun
Waking Up The Sun front loads a protagonist who has anxiety and has already learned ways to cope with it. It mentions magic almost right away too, but my favorite part of that is that a potion is considered magic instead of just having a spell go “cure” him. It’s a great bit of world building I wish more things had. Having a lead character who has to consider their racing thoughts and find medicine because that’s part of their basic needs is so a plot point, instead of a casual one off line. That’s amazing to see.
Around the 20% mark you see the consideration of being lost in the woods and having to wash your clothes. These are such small things that most writers just ignore because they think it will ruin— whatever. But these are the exact things that makes Waking Up The Sun real and something that feels new.
The only criticism I have of this was I thought the writing could be tighter. Sometimes I thought why is this being mentioned now, or at all. It may not be the best read for the sex repulsed for similar reasons but maybe this review can serve as your content warning.
With that said, this book is why I like to read from LGBTQ authors, generally found from small publishers. They have a number of important things that aren’t found elsewhere. Both men in the pairing are sweet. Awkward only in an realistic way instead of being an often sexist adorkable trope. I think my favorite thing is how much they check in with each other, ask if the other is okay.
[Learn more or buy your own copy here.]
If you like our quick book reviews, be sure to check out more from the rose garden archive.
🌹 Reviews: Our Bloody Pearl
Our Bloody Pearl cycles in ace places because Dejean is an ace of color and everything is respectfully done when it could have easily been a trash fire if written by someone who didn’t care about the community. But ace rep isn’t the only plus this book has going for it. The story ✨ shines ✨ as it talks about disability and healing from abuse. That’s where the heart of this novel is to me and almost every line about accepting your disabilities is a popular highlight for good reason. If you even passively like mermaids and pirates I’d absolutely recommend this book. Also, I love Dejean v much, kthxbuy!
🌹 Rose Reviews: Our Bloody Pearl
Welcome to another edition of Rose Reviews today we have Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Dyrn! The book review series where I quickly since you my opinion of a book, and then allow you to run off so you can enjoy it for yourself. Because I’m sure you will!
First stop in this treasure hunt? Our Bloody Pearl has a great cover.
I see this book cycle around from time to time in ace places. The books protagonist, Dejean, is an ace of color and everything is respectfully done. Honestly that can turn into a trash fire if written by someone who didn’t care about the community. It’s super clear D. N. Bryn did here.
But wait there’s more! Ace rep isn’t the only plus this book has going for it. The story ✨ shines ✨ the brightest when it talks about disability and healing from abuse. That’s where the heart of this novel is to me. Almost every line about accepting your disabilities is a popular highlight. For good reason.
If you even passively like mermaids and pirates I’d absolutely recommend this book. Hell, if you don’t. Try this. Let Our Bloodly Pearl change your mind.
Be sure to check out our other reviews here. Also, I love Dejean v much, kthxbuy!
Review: Culture’s Skeleton by Adam P. Knave
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Culture’s Skeleton by Adam P. Knave
First off, the paperback is such a small, cute, and perfect size.
Culture’s Skeleton has the vibe of Hitchkicker’s Guide to the Galaxy while having its own voice. Things in Mur work by their own rules and Mur is really its own character. A lesser writer might have made characters from different time periods tropes of that era, but instead readers get a feeling of how people are connected despite where (or when) they are from. If you are looking for something with a lot of style and heart look no further!
Culture’s Skeleton by Adam P. Knave – Rose Reviews
First thoughts about Culture’s Skeleton? What a perfectly small size! So few publishers print in this size, but it’s really great to see as the standard edition instead of having to wait years for a mass market paperback version to come out.
Culture’s Skeleton by Adam P. Knave get’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from us!
Culture’s Skeleton has the vibe of Hitchkicker’s Guide to the Galaxy while having its own voice. Things in Mur work by their own rules, and this city is really its own character. A lesser writer might have made characters from different time periods become tropes of that era. Instead readers get the feeling of how people are connected despite where (or when) they are from.
If you in the mood for something with a lot of style and heart look no further!
Looking for the rest of our book reviews? Check them out here!
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