Record breaking

The Craft Club had their yarn bombing on Bank Holiday Monday and smashed the record with 13,388 pieces of crochet on display. Makes me feel proud to have been a small part of it (click on the link to see all the wonderful photos).

So on the reading front I have caught up with all the downloadable stories from Love's Landscape from before the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's 5th anniversary celebrations. Now to see if I can keep up with the remaining ones :D

Game On by Olley White 4*

Woven by Lor Rose 3*

Into the Wastelands by Gwynn Marssen 5*

Blood In The Water (An Act of Piracy, #1) by Tami Veldura 5*

Fleece, Fleas, and Flirtation by Ava Penn 4*

Omissions by Taylor Law 4*

One Step at a Time by S.N. Kat 4*

Apart from reading the above I also read two more Planet Alpha stories and listened to an audio book or two whilst starting on my gift crocheting.

Bondmate (Planet Alpha #1)by J.J. Lore 4*
BLURB: Decorated Alphan warriors Mateen and Bynton are on a clandestine mission to one of Earth’s refugee camps, in search of the one woman who might complete their bond. Tempering their instincts to capture and hold, both men realize they must court their chosen woman to win her trust.
Avanelle Rein is merely trying to survive in the chaos of a dying society. The last thing she expects is rescue at the hands of golden-skinned alien men. Despite her attraction to them, she fears their warrior ferocity.
Facing danger from Xyran raiders draws the three together as they explore their new relationship and one another. An unexpected challenge during an ancient claiming right forces Avanelle, Bynton, and Mateen to decide if their bond is strong enough to survive.
My Review: For me this was yet another great erotic, adventure story from the Planet Alpha series even though it is the first in the series. It's really fun to see how each author has their own twist on the ménage relationships predominant in these stories.

Proposition (Planet Alpha #3) by Beth D. Carter 4*
BLURB: Geoffrey DeWinter and his wife Keirah live on a dying Earth. The only refuge is an alien world that needs human women as mates, only Keirah refuses to leave her husband to save herself. Geoff decides to bring them to an auction house that takes married couples, accepting that he will have to share her with another.
Their shuttle is attacked by Xyran raiders looking for women and it's Keirah who defends them. When Captain Krig sees Keirah looking like an angel come to life, he wants her. The Alphan warrior wants her enough to accept her husband, thinking he will deal with Geoff in some way or another. But when a vengeful Xyran comes after Keirah they have to take refuge on a wilderness moon, forcing them to work together to survive. Is their love for Keirah enough to turn them into a family?
My Review: This was a lot different to the others in as much as the heroine was already happily married before meeting her Alphan mate. I liked the way Beth managed to show how the two guys interacted with each other without making the whole story clichéd and sloppy. I hope that the Planet Alpha stories continue to be this good.


Audiobook: Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro Narrated by: Hilary Huber Narration: 5 Story: 5

Audiobook: Magic's Promise The Last Herald Mage, Book 2 by Mercedes Lackey Narrated by: Gregory Nassiff St. John Narration : 5 Story: 5

Feeling like T-1000 at the end of Terminator 2!!

I am melting... it has been so hot lately (currently 28 degrees Celsius) that I haven't felt like doing much of anything. I have made a bit of bunting (two lengths of 5m each), a dancing fairy and two doughnuts (one with lemon icing and sprinkles and one with chocolate icing) for the yarnbombing next month. I have also read a lot of Love's Landscape stories:

Cataclysmic Evolution by Alicia Nordwell 5*

Clicking by Alex Gale 4*

Mating Balance by Gina A. Rogers 4*

A Thoreau Affair by Hunter Frost 3*

Foxes Over Flowers by J. Colby 3*

Spring, Bax & Butterflies by Riina Y.T. 2*

The Book & the Rose by Douglas Glen 4*

Under Pretenses by Jessa Ryan 4*

The Court of Lightning by Amy Rae Durreson 4*

Trying Not to Love You by N.J. Nielsen 4*

A Sonnet for His Vaquero by N.D. Wylders 3*

Sugar and Sawdust by Debbie McGowan 3*

Achievement: Tentacle Lust by NK Layne 3*



Plus I listened to:

Audiobook: Inside Out by Andrew Grey Narrated by John Solo Narration 5* Story 5*

Audiobook: Gust Front: Legacy Of The Aldanata, Book 2 by John Ringo Narrated by Marc Vietor Narration 5* Story 5*

Updates and keeping busy.

So I've been keeping busy with visits to Newport to see the daughter, knitting my first ever pair of socks (for said daughter) and doing some catch up reading and listening. Once the second pair of socks is finished I shall be doing more crocheting for The Craft Club Ladies.

Post by The Craft Club.

So to continue, the books I've read/listened to and the list of LL stories:

Finding Connor (The Borillian Twist #1)by Toni Griffin 4*
BLURB: Mark, a RAAF fighter pilot, is on leave for the first time since the aliens decided to say 'Hello'. He meets Connor, a numbers man for a casino, at a gay bar and danced the night away. Their one night together changes their entire lives and what people think they know about life on Earth.
My Review: This was a lovely little Science Fiction m/m story with a great twist on male pregnancy. I think it's a great start to a new series, that I will probably end up regretting due to the drain on my already stretched book finances. I really liked Mark and Connor and look forward to reading more about their friends in future books. I also hope to read more about the Aliens too.

Audiobook:Sliding Scales: Pip & Flinx, Book 9 by Alan Dean Foster Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki Narration 5* Story 5*

Audiobook: Superhero by Eli Easton Narrated by Tristan Wright Narration 5* Story 5*


Love's Landscapes stories read

The Bigger They Are by Kim Alan 4*

Until Death Do Us Part by Janel White 4*

A Pale Shadow by Eon de Beaumont 4*

Soaring Past Death by Morticia Knight 3*

Wet Dreams and Adult Revelations by Tara Spears 3*

Knight Owl by C. Dallas Floyd 4*

Where Willows Won't Grow by Lia Black 5*

In A Whole New Light by Marie L. Nickett 3*

Little Haven Hospice and tattoos

I sent off the stuff for the yarn bomb at Little Haven's Hospice. It's being done August Bank Holiday and if you want to help out here's the link for participation info. I've also gone to Raging Swan Studio and had a tattoo done in memory of my late husband Tony.
(looks a lot less red now of course as photo was taken at the studio when the tattoo was first finished.)


On the book front has been the following reading and listening done:

Wheels by Vic Winter 4*
BLURB: Gordy is a walking disaster, or so he thinks. Clumsy, socially inept, and a lot tongue-tied around cute guys, he just doesn't get out much. Meeting people on the Internet is much easier, especially when it's someone like "Wheels," who's really fun to talk to. Meeting Brian, aka Wheels, in person is a lot more intimidating at first, but Gordy soon sees past the wheelchair Brian is bound to and finds the most wonderful match, someone who really likes him, insecurities and all. With a good dose of heat and a lot of heartwarming fun, Gordy finds out through Brian that maybe he's not such a disaster after all. At least not when it comes to love.
My Review: I picked this because of the opening line in the blurb. Gordy was so like me, the walking disaster zone! I finished it thinking, what a wonderful story and what great people the main characters were. For such a short story there is a lot of depth.

Recent Love's Landscape reads:

He Didn't Have To Be by Tracey Michael 4*

That Day in Spring by B.J. Sheppard 3*

From the Ashes by Leah Miranda 3*

More Than He Can See by Nicole Forcine 4*

His Heart Belongs to Daddy by Harry H Malone 4*

A Chance to Fight by Lila Leigh Hunter 4*

Dance of Memory by R.L. Robinson 2*

Faire Play by Chris Cox 4*

Yarulf's Duty by Vicktor Alexander 4*


Audiobook: Reunion: Pip & Flinx, Book 7 by Alan Dean Foster Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki Narration 5* Story 5*