5 Star #Review of “Sloe Ride” (Sinners 4) by Rhys Ford #ReleaseDay #LGBT

Yes! Moonbeams over Atlanta welcomes Rhys Ford back for another review in the Sinners series: Book 4 – Sloe Ride which releases today! I will be at DragonCon, so I will only be here in spirit (the power of scheduling posts, especially for a one-woman blogger like me). However, I have the app, so go ahead and comment and reblog. I’ll make sure to approve. 😉

 

The Review:

Rhys provided the story to me for an honest review back in late July.  Thank you for the opportunity. True story: I received a couple of Rhys’ stories in advance for review so far. I’ve been a bit behind this last year or so because of a variety of reasons. Figuring I was going to have to read a couple back story books, I was pleasantly surprised that I am in fact, caught up. (I have a database that tells me what I’ve read and not read.) And I was supposed to review Tequila Mockingbird. Crap, did I review it? Shoot. (Goes searching for post. Sure enough, published June 2014.) So I reread Tequila and started in on Sloe Ride.

5 Stars

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As expected, Sloe Ride continues the saga of the rock band started in Sinner’s Gin and it’s re-formation with new band members. And we get Quinn’s story. 🙂 I’ve been looking forward to this all series.

Quinn Morgan is my favorite supporting character through out the series. He’s a little quirky, a lot of fun, and coddled by the Morgan family. As the title implies, it is a slow ride to watch Rafe Andrade return to Quinn after years being a drug addict, general bad-boy bassist, and all around typical reason a lot of rock stars die young. Rafe had a spectacular falling out with his former band due to unusual circumstances and ultimately resulted in him getting off the drugs. There is plenty of angst on both sides but Quinn begins to rely on Rafe and help lead him to his own dreams.

I did end up reading it one sitting. Go figure. I typically do that with Rhys’ books. So, be prepared for that hanky because there are parts that will make you cry (well, they made me cry), and have enough time to read it in one sitting. You won’t want to put it down.

With this, I give Sloe Ride 5 stars.

Eloreen Moon

Book Links:

Goodreads Dreamspinner

5 Star Review of “Tequila Mockingbird” (Sinners 3) by Rhys Ford

Moonbeams over Atlanta welcomes Rhys Ford back for a guest post AND a review of Tequila Mockingbird which released on June 27, 2014!  They are actually separate posts this time so make sure you check out the guest post from Rhys Ford too.

 

The Review:

Rhys provided the story to me for an honest review along with A Devil’s Brew.  Thank you.  I absolutely love the Sinners series and can’t wait for another installment. 🙂

5 Stars

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As per usual, Rhys continues to keep Sinners’ series flowing well.

We are introduced to Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division and the return of the Morgan clan with his first scene: A raid on a trailer for drugs that turns out to have a murdered man he tried to save.  Enter the murdered man’s adopted son Forest Ackerman, a drummer who’s trouble with a capitol T.  Connor is the the eldest son in the family who has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a typical family. He doesn’t expect to fall in love with a man that started with comforting Forest after that raid. Trouble comes in the form of attacks on his coffee shop intent on killing Forest, and Connor steps in to save him.  Through it all, Connor and Forest circle one another like magnets as they fall in love.

And fall in love they do.  I liked that there were more suspense and a little darker with the scenes.  It provided a realism that brings depth to the series, the characters, and the lives of everyone touched.  We see more of the Morgan clan, including Connor’s parents Donal and Brigid, and all of the sisters and brothers.  It’s great to see more secondary characters get into the action.  I enjoyed it immensely and would love to see more, especially with Quinn. 🙂

With this, I give Tequila Mockingbird 5 stars.

Eloreen Moon

Book Links:

Goodreads | Dreamspinner

5 Star Review of “A Devil’s Brew” (Sinners 2.5) by Rhys Ford, Interview, and a Giveaway!

This is a double post with a review of A Devil’s Brew AND an interview with Rhys Ford!  Pull up your comfy chair, grab your coffee (or tea), and read on…be sure to read the entire post.  There’s a giveaway at the end. 🙂

 

First, The Review:

Rhys provided the story to me for an honest review.  Thank you.  I absolutely love the Sinners series and can’t wait for the next installment. 🙂

5 Stars

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I have to say that when I finished it, I wanted it to be longer. 😉  Then it would defeat the purpose of being a novella, as Rhys so graciously pointed out to me…

We see Miki, the lead singer, and Damien, his best friend and guitarist, looking in a jewelry story for a Valentine’s Day present for Sionn, Damien’s lover.  Much drama ensues while they are there and it kicks off Miki’s angst when it comes to his lover, Kane Morgan, and his feelings on Valentine’s in general, and his lover’s happiness with his own presents in specific.  It it woven well, and I love how it is written.  While it had been a while since I had read Whiskey and Wry, it was easy to pick up the names again without having to pull up a character chart.   The secondary characters are present and makes you fell like they are primary characters.  It was fun, and despite the angst, light and short to give a better understanding of Miki and his character.  And the sex is hot, too. 🙂

Because of the wonderfulness that is A Devil’s Brew, I give it 5 Stars.

Eloreen Moon

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And now,  The Interview:

Rhys contacted me after I had agreed to review A Devil’s Brew looking to grab some space to promote it’s release this month and Tequila Mockingbird next month.  Be sure to come back for a guest post and review in celebration of Tequila Mockingbird‘s release at the end of June.

Please welcome Rhys Ford to Moonbeams over Atlanta!

Thank you for letting me be here.

Thank you for  participating! So, please provide a summary of Rhys Ford to the readers. 😉

Ah, a summary? I was born and raised in Hawai’i and am now in San Diego. I am owned by three cats, two dogs, a few laptops and a vintage Pontiac Firebird. Oh, and I write. *grins*

What inspired you to write your first book? 

I was actually twelve when I wrote my first book. I remember writing it but don’t recall what it was about. It couldn’t have been any good. Hell, I can’t even tell you the genre. It probably was pretentious and angsty. God only knows. I’ve been writing and daydreaming since as long as I could remember.

On average, how long does it take you to write a book in general and The Devil’s Brew in specific?

The Devil’s Brew is hard to judge because it started off as a short story then increased to a novella. So a couple of months. Some things come very easily and others I fight with. The one I’m writing right now is a fight.

The Devil’s Brew is between Whiskey & Wry and Tequila Mockingbird (set to release at the end of June) in the Sinners series.  Do you plan on more books in the series?

There will be one more band-related book called Sloe Ride then a Miki and Kane focused book which doesn’t have a name yet. That’ll deal with Miki’s issues from his past. And probably how he’s going to deal with Brigid who really does love him—he’s just wary of parental figures in general.

I really like your covers.  What is your process from concept to finished cover?

I have no process. Usually I go with my gut. Some of them I really like and others I am all…what was I thinking? It’s hard to find good stock photo because so many of the really nice guys are taken and used by so many people. I might have to stalk gyms to get pretty guys on my own. Really, that’s the hardest part of it.

How many of your Sinners characters were sparked by real-life examples?

Wow. Um… Brigid and Donal are probably amalgamation of relatives I have. There’s a lot of me in Miki. Damie—no clue. He just fit into Miki’s character so well. And well, who wouldn’t want a Morgan?

How much research did you do for the Sinners series?

Not a lot of research because most of it is emotional stuff. The murdering part is stuff I pick up over the years. Bodies are dismayingly easy to dispose of but evidence is always lingering. San Francisco’s background probably is where I spent the most research. I always want to make sure the city flows well in the stories.

Where there any things you found in research that surprised you?

Oddly enough I found out Cousin Oliver from the Brady Bunch was the bus driver in Sharknado. That surprised me a hell of a lot.

What story, or stories, are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on Down and Dirty, a side story featuring Cole’s younger brother Ichiro and Bobby Dawson, Cole’s very badly behaved best friend. It’s a bit of a fight because I can’t kill anyone. Really, a well placed bloodbath is never to be discounted. *nods*

What is one random fact about yourself that no one knows about?

God, I think I’m pretty open about everything. One random fact? Um… I don’t like pears? Well people know about that. Wow. Huh. I’ve got nothing. No dark secrets. Or if I do, I’ve conveniently forgotten them. *grins*

Thank you for having me and I hope you enjoy the novella! I am so appreciative of everything you’ve done for me here. Thank you again!

You are very welcome, Rhys.  Come back anytime.

And that concludes our interview with Rhys Ford!

Oh! I promised a giveaway. 🙂

Finally…The Giveaway:

Rhys has graciously agreed to provide one ebook copy of her backlist to one lucky commentator to this post.  This does not include A Devil’s Brew.  Please make sure you leave an email address so she can contact you for your choice of book and format.  Giveaway ends on 5/25/2014 at 11:59 PM.  I will be picking with random.org and will provide the lucky winner’s information to Rhys within 24-48 hours.  I will announce it here as well.

You must be 18+ in order to participate.

Good luck!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Dreamspinner