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Posts Tagged ‘Heidi Belleau’

Giving an Inch by Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley

Posted in Authors: A-C, Authors: G-I, B+, BDSM, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , , on April 17, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

GivingAnInch_500x750Title: Giving an Inch
Author: Heidi Belleau and Amelia C. Gormley
Length: 11,400 words
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: m/m/m BDSM contemporary romance
Grade: B+

Blurb:
History grad James Sheridan thinks his biggest problem in life is trying to find a suitable outfit for his upcoming Ph.D. candidacy exam. That is, until he accidentally texts a changing-room selfie meant for his fashionable sister to his ex, the domineering Professor Carson.

James and Carson haven’t seen each since James fled their power games two years ago. Back in his undergrad days, Carson was his Professor, and not just in the academic sense: a man of unusual tastes and extreme sexual demands, James had been happy to sate Carson’s savage appetites. Too happy, in fact. He never could trust himself not to let Carson push too far.

Now James is older and wiser, and sharing some seriously flirtatious vibes with a cute menswear rep. When Carson replies to James’s errant text, ready to pick up where they left off, James can’t help being drawn back into Carson’s control. It’s only when Carson suggests involving the salesman that James has to ask himself how far is too far, and whether he’s willing to go there with Carson again.

Review:
I think the blurb for this short story may end up being longer than this review so I won’t bother rehashing what the story is about.

There are a few interesting ideas in this short. Firstly there’s the relationship between Carson and James. They’ve been apart for two years, but as the story develops we gradually discover the nuances of that past relationship, how it started and what ended it. The mistaken text and following text conversations stirs up feelings in James and I liked the mix of remembered desire, love, fear and attraction shown in James as the story develops. I also enjoyed the comparisons that James makes between how he was with Carson and the older, perhaps wiser man he is now. We discover quite a lot about Carson, just through text message and James’ thoughts and recollections. It was all rather cleverly done so that by the end of the story I felt that I had a firm grounding in the basics of the relationship without ever having met Carson.

Secondly, because the story is from James’ point of view we discover quite a lot about what makes him tick. His disordered life and internal sarcastic voice was amusing and He comes across as nervy and unsure of himself which I personally found rather appealing.

Finally, the story is a hot encounter between James and Satish, the shop assistant in the store. I really enjoyed the slow build to this, with casual touches, admiring looks and conversation which was laced with promise. In fact in many ways I enjoyed the build up more than I did the sex itself. I’ve put this as an m/m/m story because Carson is very much involved in orchestrating the encounter and without his prompting, James would not have encouraged Satish.

The story ends on a bit of a crossroads. James has reconnected with Carson and there’s a probability that things will be taken further. James and Satish also have a possible future and it will be interesting to see where these authors take the story. Until then I can recommend this story to those who like a touch of BDSM to their contemporary romance.

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Guest Post: The Flesh Cartel Blog Tour

Posted in Authors: A-C, Authors: G-I, Guest Post, tagged , , on October 6, 2012 | 39 Comments »

Thank you for joining us for The Flesh Cartel virtual book tour! All week long, we’ll be giving readers an up-close look at our new psychosexual thriller, The Flesh Cartel. The first episode in this serial story, Capture, is now available for purchase via the Riptide Publishing website. Because October is also Riptide Publishing’s Anniversary Blog Hop Bash month, we’re giving away an extra special reader prize at every stop along this tour—and all month long! One commenter from every stop we make in October will win a $10 credit to Riptide Publishing. Simply leave a comment below by 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 7th (email address included) to enter. Visit the First Anniversary Blog Hop Bash page for our complete October schedule, and make sure to check out each stop to increase your chances of winning great prizes all month long!

Today we’ve managed to retrieve a special transcript to share with you all—a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the processing center where our heroes were taken to be evaluated and sold. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the world of the Flesh Cartel.

 

Subject M-36-527 – Mathias Carmichael
Age: 29
Procurement District: Las Vegas
Audio Recording 1A Transcript
3 Days Post-Procurement

Interviewer: Hello, Mathias. Did the men who brought you in here explain what would be happening now?

M-36-527: [Struggles against straps  binding wrists and ankles to his chair] They were a little too busy kicking my ass to stop and chat. But I can’t think of any good reasons to tie a guy up, so whatever you’re gonna do, just hurry the fuck up and get it over with, okay?

Interviewer: That’s not how things work here, I’m afraid. I’m [name redacted], I’m here to talk with you, nothing more. Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re tied to that chair?

M-36-527: Because you’re all afraid of me? Can’t handle fighting a guy who isn’t strapped down?

Interviewer: Would you really call what happens here “fighting”, Mathias?

M-36-527: [scoffs] No, I’d call it torture. You all wouldn’t last three seconds in a fair fight.

Interviewer: So you’ve been struggling against all this, have you? Physically as well as mentally?

M-36-527: As opposed to what? Lying down and taking it? Being a willing bitch to every fucker in this building? Oh please sir, can I have your cock? Fuck that. Come on.

Interviewer: Honestly? Yes, actually. Your brother seems to be surviving relatively well following that general mode of behaviour.

M-36-527: [Lurches against bindings.] What’ve you done to Dougie? Where is he? If you’ve hurt him I swear to god I will kill every single fucking one of you—

Interviewer: Interesting. I wouldn’t call you calm by any stretch of the imagination, but you get particularly incensed at the mention of your brother. Do you consider yourself his protector?

M-36-527: He’s just a kid! He’s still in school, for God’s sake. And I’m . . . Well, I may not be good at much, but I am good at protecting him.

Interviewer: I’m sensing that in order to justify your role, you have to infantilize him quite a bit. Do you—

M-36-527: Infantalize? Fuck you, man. You don’t know him. He’s sweet. He’s . . . he’s twenty-three.

Interviewer: My point. As I was saying. Do you worry that if you or he started seeing and treating him as a grown man, you wouldn’t be able to justify your behaviour toward him anymore?

M-36-527: My behavior? What behavior? Maybe I couldn’t be his guardian when he was thirteen but I can damn well watch over him now and I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. I don’t fucking cloister him, you know. I don’t police what he does or who he fucks or how he spends his time. And so yeah, I pay the bills and I keep a roof over his head and I deal with all the real-life shit so he doesn’t have to, so he can focus on finishing school and going out into the world on his own and making something meaningful and important out of that brilliant mind of his. Don’t you fucking judge me for that, asshole. That’s what family does. That’s what responsible older brothers do. And if that makes me kind of a parent, well, it’s not like our dad’s been here to watch over him and teach him, now has he?

Interviewer: So you consider yourself something of a surrogate father? Is that why you’re so angry, because you’ve failed him on every conceivable level in that respect?

M-36-527: [Thrashes against bindings again, hard enough to scrape the chair across the floor.] You fucker! How dare you! Failed him? I didn’t fail him! Look at him! He’s happy! He’s brilliant! He’s out there making something of himself! He’s never once had to worry about what he was gonna eat or where he was gonna sleep or how he was gonna pay for school. You think it’s my fault you sick fucks dragged us out of our house at gunpoint?

Interviewer: I don’t think anything. However, despite your impassioned words, I do believe you—on some level, whether you admit it or not—believe it is your fault that the two of you are here. If I were in your situation, I certainly would.

M-36-527: No. No. I don’t know you people, any of you. I didn’t expose us to you.

Interviewer: And yet you didn’t prevent this from happening, either. Didn’t stop it before it got to this point.

M-36-527: Those goons had a gun! They had a gun pointed at Dougie. I fought, okay? I fought. I tried. I took down two of them and I would’ve gotten the third even with the gun if they hadn’t fucking Tased me.

Interviewer: Do you think, on some level, that you were wrong to make the decisions you did? That perhaps the both of you would be better off dead now? Do you regret the choice you ultimately made for the both of you?

M-36-527: To live? No. You know why? Because Dougie asked me to. Dougie wanted to live. And I am never leaving him alone in some strange fucking place again. And I am gonna kill every fucking one of you when we get out of here and we will go on with our lives and you can not take that from us, you get me?

Interviewer: Of course. Do you have a lot of violent fantasies, Mathias?

M-36-527: Yeah, I’ve been fantasizing for the last ten minutes about driving my fist right through your ugly fucking face. [shakes head] Violent fantasies? What the fuck kind of question is that? Who do you think you are, my shrink? You know, just because I’m a fighter doesn’t mean I like to hurt people. But I’d sure as fuck make an exception for you.

Interviewer: Actually, I’m just an interviewer. We outsource the psychological evaluations based on a variety of data sources, including these transcripts. Two or three weeks from now and I expect there will be a big thick file on you.

M-36-527: Two or three weeks from now we’ll be long fucking gone from here.

Interviewer: That’s a pretty tiring way to live. The path of most resistance, right down to the restraints you’re in. Most of the people I interview don’t need to be restrained by this point. Your brother was just happy to see a friendly face. Do you ever consider giving in, making it easy on yourself?

M-36-527: I’d be shit at my job if I thought like that, wouldn’t I. And don’t you fucking talk shit about my brother. Don’t you fucking dare.

Interviewer: You’re not at your job anymore, if you hadn’t noticed. Maybe it’s time for a change of tacks to go along with your change of venue. And I’m not “talking shit”, I’m stating facts. He’s been very cooperative.

M-36-527: The day I give in is the day I let you change who I am. And you can beat me and rape me and restrain me all you like—fuck, you can even interview me to death, for all I fucking care—but you can’t change me. You can’t have that. I won’t let you.

Interviewer: I’m only here to help evaluate what you are, Mathias, not change you or break you or train you. That’s someone else’s job.

M-36-527: I meant the proverbial you, dicksplash.

Interviewer: I guess that makes us monsters cut from the same cloth, then. I’m just one more cog in your torture machine, and you’re just one more hole out of thousands.

M-36-527: Yeah, and? What’s your point? You wanna switch shoes for a little while, maybe? Or are we done here?

Interviewer: In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re not wearing any shoes, Mathias. But I am. It is the little things, isn’t it? Oh, but I suppose you meant “proverbial” shoes. Well, no matter, the end result is the same. I wonder if when next we meet you’ll be better adjusted to that fact.

M-36-527: When I get out of here, I’m gonna come back and “adjust” you.

Interviewer: More threats. Charming. I suppose it’s one way to make up for your impotence.

M-36-527: And I suppose you make up for yours by interrogating guys bound to chairs?

Interviewer: And ones who aren’t bound to them, in the case of your brother. But I think I’ve got everything I need here for today.

M-36-527: [Jerks against bindings again.] You forgot to stuff your cock down my throat. Everyone else has. Or wait, maybe you can’t find yours.

Interviewer: No, thank you—I’d catch a disease if I put my cock in something as filthy as your mouth. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll ask those four guards on the other side of the door to do so in my place. Enjoy your afternoon, Mathias.

M-36-527: Die in a fire, fucktard.

Blurb:

In this first installment of the exciting new psychosexual thriller, The Flesh Cartel, orphaned brothers Mat and Dougie Carmichael are stolen in the night from their own home. Taken to a horrifying processing facility, they are assessed, microchipped, and subjected to unspeakable brutality—all in preparation for sale to the highest bidder.

In a world where every person has a price, the beautiful and subduable PhD student Dougie is highly prized. His brother, a rough-edged MMA fighter, is less desirable—and potentially too dangerous—but he still has his own appeal.

Abused and locked up under round-the-clock surveillance, with no idea where they are or even why they’ve been taken, escape seems impossible, which leaves staying together their only hope. And after being separated once by the foster system, they’ll do anything to keep it from happening again. Anything at all.

Purchase your copy here.

Author Bios:
Rachel Haimowitz is an M/M erotic romance author, a freelance writer and editor, and the Managing Editor of Riptide Publishing. She’s also a sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, and quite proudly pervish. Fortunately, all those things make writing a lot more fun for her . . . if not so much for her characters.

When she’s not writing about hot guys getting it on (or just plain getting it; her characters rarely escape a story unscathed), she loves to read, hike, camp, sing, perform in community theater, and glue captions to cats. She also has a particular fondness for her very needy dog, her even needier cat, and shouting at kids to get off her lawn.

You can find Rachel at her website, Tweeting as RachelHaimowitz, chatting in the Goodreads forums, and blogging at Fantasy Unbound. She loves to hear from folks, so feel free to drop her a line anytime at metarachel (at) gmail (dot) com.

Heidi Belleau was born and raised in small town New Brunswick, Canada. She now lives in the rugged oil-patch frontier of Northern BC with her husband, an Irish ex-pat whose long work hours in the trades leave her plenty of quiet time to write. She has a degree in history from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in British and Irish studies; much of her work centred on popular culture, oral folklore, and sexuality, but she was known to perplex her professors with unironic papers on the historical roots of modern romance novel tropes. (Ask her about Highlanders!) When not writing, you might catch her trying to explain British television to her newborn daughter or standing in line at the local coffee shop, waiting on her caramel macchiato.

You can find her tweeting as @HeidiBelleau, email her at heidi.below.zero@gmail.com, or visit her blog: http://heidi-below-zero.blogspot.com.

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The War at the End of the World by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane

Posted in Authors: A-C, Authors: V-Z, B-, Historical, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , , on July 23, 2012 | 6 Comments »

Title: The War at the End of the World
Author: Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane
Length: 10,000 words
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: m/m historical paranormal romance (sort of)
Rating: B-

Blurb:
September, 1941.

War correspondent Joseph Byrne has been cheating death all his life, ever since he spent two years in an iron lung as a boy diagnosed with polio. In the years since, the Fetch, a strange being charged by Death with collecting Joseph and transporting him into the unknown, has been condemned to watch and wait.

Now, with Joseph working in a Finland caught in a tug of war between Nazi and Soviet forces, it seems a foregone conclusion that the Fetch’s sentence is at its end and Death will have Joseph for her own at last. Joseph, an openly Jewish American, has no doubt where his allegiance lies, no matter the danger. But after all these years at Joseph’s side, watching him overcome adversity to grow into a brave and principled young man, the Fetch has come to realize that there are forces stronger and so much sweeter than even the purpose you were made for.

Review:
This writing pair are getting a name for writing unusual paranormal stories and this one was no exception. In fact, it was a little too unusual and slightly obscure, so much so that I wasn’t sure what was happening for much of the time. Maybe it was just me being a bit thick!

The story tells of American journalist Joseph, who is crippled after surviving polio as a child. He’s in Finland reporting on the Finnish involvement in the Second World War, and in particular trying to show how false their neutrality seems when they are siding with Nazi Germany over the protection of their borders against Russia. This aspect was particularly interesting for me because it was something about which I was completely ignorant. I thought the authors had done a very good job of being very even handed with this part of the book, showing the bravery of the Finnish people, as well as the less savoury parts of their uneasy relationship with Nazi Germany.

Joseph’s life is viewed through the supposedly dispassionate eyes of a ‘fetch’ a spiritual being which was called to bring Joseph to death during the polio outbreak, but which failed to do so. Since then, this being has been with Joseph, waiting for an opportunity to claim him, whilst all the time growing to love and admire Joseph. This being is the narrator of the piece and it took me a while to work out what he was and his role in Joseph’s life. This confusion bothered me a little, especially when the story takes a different turn towards the end and I was left with some questions about the new characters who appear towards the end of the book.

Another aspect which confused me was whether this story ended happily or not. I thought perhaps it did, but, then again, it also didn’t. I’m being deliberately vague so as not to give anything away but the reincarnated souls plot never really works for me and in this case I was left slightly disappointed and scratching my head in confusion. Maybe if the ending had been extended a little I might have been happier. I’ve put that the story is sort of a romance. It’s certainly not erotica since it has no erotic content whatsoever, but the romance is very low key so don’t come to this story expecting a conventional romance.

Having said that, the writing in this story really is superb, with crisp imagery and a vivid character in Joseph, with his struggles and conflicts clearly shown. It’s also completely free, so there’s no excuse not to read it and see whether my confusion was valid or not!

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Introducing Heidi Belleau

Posted in Author Interview, Authors: A-C, tagged on June 30, 2012 | 8 Comments »

Heidi Belleau was born and raised in small town NB, Canada. She now lives in the rugged oil-patch frontier of Northern BC with her husband, an Irish ex-pat whose long work hours in the trades leave her plenty of quiet time to write. She has a degree in History from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in British and Irish studies; much of her work centred on popular culture, oral folklore, and sexuality, but she was known to perplex her professors with unironic papers on the historical roots of modern romance novel tropes. (Ask her about Highlanders!) When not writing, you might catch her trying to explain British television to her newborn daughter or standing in line at the local coffee shop, waiting on her caramel macchiato.

Welcome to the blog Heidi. They have coffee shops in the hinterland? LOL I kid, I kid. On with the questions. 

1. If someone was coming to the Canada on vacation, tell them one place they MUST visit (can be as large as the Rocky Mountains, or as specific as a unique museum)?

Elk that wander through the campground to visit the tourists in Jasper.

You’ve gotta drive through the Rockies! I’ve gone through many times on my way to and from Vancouver or visiting my grandparents in the Okanagan, and it’s always a beautiful, scenic trip, with lots of wildlife and breathtaking mountains. I’d really like to go through sometime and take a night in a cabin or campground in Jasper, which is a beautiful little town right smack in the middle. Just stunning!

2. Can you ice skate? Do you understand the rules of hockey and have a favourite team? (please don’t be the Maple Leafs)

Yes, I can, but not terribly well! I have a hockey player cousin who used to love skating circles around me. Basically, my skills are limited to: moving forward at a leisurely pace, and coasting to a stop by skating in slow circles. As for hockey, it remains a mystery to me. And when it comes to team allegiances, my father’s a Leafs fan, my grandfather’s a Canucks fan, my brother’s a Flames fan, my roommates an Oilers fan, and being in the middle of all that I try not to pick sides!

3. Do you think there is a quintessential Canadian food? What would you serve guests who demand some real Canadian food?

My mother’s split pea soup. I’m French Canadian (thus, Belleau!), and there’s really nothing quite so hearty and comforting and full of love.

4. How many provinces/territories have you visited? Have you ever been to the arctic?

I live in BC and was born in New Brunswick, and we drove from there to here. So I’ve been to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI (where I took summer vacations as a kid), Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC. On our trip we skipped Manitoba by driving through the States for a bit, and Newfoundland was out of the way, so we didn’t get to either of those, or any of the territories. HOWEVER! I really want to take a vacation to Newfoundland (HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR TOURISM COMMERCIALS? OMG so beautiful and I must go there!), and I live in the sub-arctic (get a Northern living allowance and everything!) So yeah. I am a pretty well-travelled Canuck!

5. What was your first published story?

The Saturnalia Effect, which was published by Storm Moon Press last year for their line of Christmas stories. It’s a Christmas-in-prison story with a sizzling D/s relationship between inmates and a paranormal twist, and what’s more, it’s getting an awesome extended re-release this December complete with all-new content, so keep an eye out!

6. Have you ever written a story set in Canada? Which one?

Technically Bookended is set in Canada, but because it’s such a contained story, you don’t really get a sense of its Canadian…ness. I’ve also trunked (but may eventually revive!) a story about rig workers in Northern Alberta, because I think exploring homosexuality in that hyper-macho context should be really interesting and fun. Also, it’s my home turf! (Sort of!)

They were so cute, shame about the break-up.

7. Who is your favourite Canadian actor or actress?

Actor? Ryan Reynolds, who is a bucket of smarmy charm and uh… abs. Actress? Rachel McAdams, who seems to sparkle on screen and plays one hell of a romantic lead, even in movies that otherwise kinda suck (Time Traveller’s Wife, I’m looking at you!)

8. Who is your favourite Canadian musical artist?

Mother Mother! They’re an awesome Indie Rock band from Vancouver and I loooove them.

9. If you could be a Canadian animal shifter, what would you be?

Um…? I guess a raven? Oh but then I’d be eating road kill and garbage. Really I wouldn’t want to be any kind of animal. I hate the wilderness in general, and I like my house cats, but that’s about my limit on the animals front.

10. Winter – yay or nay? Discuss. :-)

NAYYY. People who say “yay” to winter are people who have never had the profound joy of a place where it is winter for 8 months straight, it snows in June, and -50 is a regular occurrence. NAY. NAAYYYYY.

11. What’s the best thing about being Canadian?

Living in a country with so many social liberties and that values things like universal healthcare. Living in a country where a man like Jack Layton achieved the success that he did, even if he was taken from us too early. :waves tiny socialist flag:

Jack Layton 1950-2011 – Leader of the Opposition (NDP)

Thanks so much for joining us Heidi. You can find Heidi on the web at any of the links below. 

HeidiBelleau.com | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads | Tumblr

New Release Mailing List for Heidi and Violetta Vane (new releases only)

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Harm Reduction by Violetta Vane and Heidi Belleau

Posted in Authors: A-C, Authors: V-Z, B, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , , on March 20, 2012 | 8 Comments »

Title: Harm Reduction
Author: Violetta Vane and Heidi Belleau
Length: 17 pages
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: B

Blurb:
It’s 1992 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and Magic Johnson has just gone public about being HIV+. Out of the news but right at the frontlines, Julio Torres works the streets and the parks, doing everything he can to keep more people from dying. He meets a young hustler named Linley who doesn’t stand a chance. But no matter how hopeless, Julio never gives up trying to do the right thing.

It’s 2012 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and there’s a Whole Foods around the corner selling organic flowers for Valentine’s Day. The city has changed, and so has the world, but Julio is still holding on to his past. He’s moved on with his life, taken up new causes, but he just can’t let Linley’s memory go.

Review:
This was an unusual story about second chances and how the decisions we make when young can affect others for the rest of their lives. It tells of Julio who has gone to a basketball court to play ball with his teenage foster son. The court was a familiar haunt for drug users when Julio was a young idealistic man and he would come to the court to talk to the drug users and distribute clean needles. Visiting the court again brings back memories of a young teenage boy who Julio rejected cruelly in an attempt to shock the boy out of his spiral of prostitution and possible drug abuse, and he always wondered what had happened to Linley.

The story is structured in a back and forth style, starting in the present and shifting back twenty years so that we get the story of how Julio and Linley meet as well as the day Julio firmly, but not wholly unkindly, rejects Linley. The present day parts are at first rather melancholic as Julio regrets the way he handled his friendship with Linley all those years ago. What came across quite strongly was that Julio was young and idealistic with lots of enthusiasm but no proper training. I really warmed to his ‘save the world’ mentality, and even the parts in the present day with an older and wiser Julio there was still a strong sense of a man who wants to do good in the world, even if his grand plans have been watered down a little.

There’s a lot of ‘then and now’ comparison in the story. The setting of the basketball court and its environs is an obvious way that things have changed, but it’s also about how Julio and Linley have changed too. This was done in a subtle way with Julio but by the end there is still much more we could know about Linley who remains a little hidden to the reader. This was a little frustrating especially when we are given so little about Linley, other than his job. There’s also a little odd moment when Julio tries to touch under Linley’s hat and Linley shies away which contains a story somewhere but is left hanging. I found that I wanted to know about how Linley gets from the pathetic and unhappy young man he is in the past to the well dressed and seemingly happy man who we see in the present. Perhaps there’s another story planned for this. I hope so.

Overall, I enjoyed this story which can be found as a freebie at the publisher’s site. It managed to fit in a whole wealth of emotion and background on Julio into what was quite a short format, and I would recommend the story to those looking for a well written short with an urban setting. This is the second story I’ve read by this writing pair and I continue to be impressed.

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