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Let The Love Continue ALL NOTE LONG–Review & Giveaway!

All Note Long Blitz BannerHi there! I’m so excited to share in the release day hoopla for a fantastic new contemporary M/M romance from Annabeth Albert. ALL NOTE LONG is a sweet and tender “fake boyfriend” romance which suddenly melds into the real thing. #Swoon! While this follows TREBLE MAKER and LOVE ME TENOR, ALL NOTE LONG can be fully enjoyed on its own.

Be sure to drop below and check out the excerpt, review, and $20 GC giveaway!

All Note Long (Perfect Harmony, #3)About the book:
Giving true love a spin . . .
Michelin Moses is a country music star on the rise. With a hit single under his Texas-sized belt buckle and a sold-out concert tour underway, his childhood dreams of making it big are finally coming true. But there’s one thing missing—a promise to his dying mother that he’d find it—him—when the time was right. With a little luck, he won’t have to wait too long . . .

Lucky Ramirez is a hunky boy toy who dances at The Broom Closet, one of West Hollywood’s hottest gay bars. He loves what he does, and he’s good at it—almost as good as he is at playing dumb when he spots Michelin Moses at the bar. What happens next is off the charts—and keeps Michelin coming back for more. He’s just not sure it’s the right move for his career. But if Lucky gets his way, Michelin will get Lucky—and no matter how the media spins it, neither of them will be faking it . . .

How about a delicious taste?

Michelin Moses had no business at a gay bar, especially not one as notorious as West Hollywood’s The Broom Closet. And the line to get in totally underscored that—the vestibule was a long, narrow tunnel filled with kids out to enjoy their Friday night. Babies, really. Fresh-faced young things who probably didn’t even need to shave jostled one another in the tight space, laughing and joking as they admired one another’s club wear and gossiped about who was fucking who.

Not that Michelin was listening in, but the space was so tiny it was hard not to. He didn’t have club wear to ogle. He had “please for the love of God don’t notice me” clothes. And the idea of openly pointing to another dude in line and announcing to one’s friends, “Oh yeah, I hit that last weekend” was so totally foreign that he couldn’t help but gape a bit. The plexiglass walls of the tunnel gave off weird shadows—neither the lights outside the club nor the dim track lighting along the bottom edge of the tunnel were enough illumination.

He tugged at the collar of his Henley shirt. Damn, it was hot in here. Too small. Too tight. Not enough air. Shut up. He was not claustrophobic. If this line ever moved, he’d feel better once he was inside the Closet.

If that’s not a metaphor for your whole damn life…

“ID please.” Finally, the line reached the bouncers who were taking ID. Michelin couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had to stand around like this, show ID. At least unlike these nineteen-year-olds with their fake identification, Michelin’s Oregon driver’s license was likely to hold up. The bouncer was a huge guy—so tall and jacked that Michelin felt for the tiny stool that held him up—with surprisingly small, delicate hands.

He held the card aloft before finally handing it back and nodding. “Okay, cowboy. Enjoy your night.”

At least he hadn’t laughed outright at the name. That was something. Shoving his license back in his wallet, he stumbled a bit coming out of the tunnel.

“Watch it,” someone barked behind him.

“Sorry,” Michelin mumbled. Hell, he couldn’t even successfully enter the Closet. A nervous laugh bubbled up in his throat, something he stamped right back down. Forget the stupid bar, coming out of his personal closet was out of the question, and he didn’t need the crowd jostling behind him to remind him of that.

“This your first time here?” a kid to the left of him asked—short little guy with far more bravado than brains. Michelin made a noncommittal response but the kid grabbed his sleeve, his eyes going soft and hooded. “How about you be my daddy for the night? We can make sure it’s your lucky night.” The kid winked.

Ugh. Getting lucky wasn’t even remotely in the cards for his night.

“No thanks.” He pulled away from the kid, scanning the cavernous space for signs of the private party room his friends had promised. And oh holy hell, knowing in the abstract that this place had go-go dancers was a far cry from actually seeing said dancers dispersed through the place on platforms and in cages and even on something resembling a trapeze. Gleaming bronze skin and tiny shorts everywhere he looked.

Fuck the private room. I need a soda. Something to relieve his suddenly parched throat. He turned toward the main bar area and ran smack into one of the elevated dancers’ platforms.  Two platforms flanked the opening of the club, directing the stream of traffic toward the bar, sort of like how a different sort of place might have large statues. Only instead of works of stone or ice, this…piece of art in front of Michelin was all man.

And what a specimen he was. The dancer probably wasn’t much older than the kids waiting to get into the club, but there was nothing juvenile about his tall, ripped body or that juicy bubble butt that he worked to perfection the way Michelin’s guitar player did a solo—each muscle working in concert with the others, each wiggle carefully choreographed for maximum appeal. Said butt was encased in a pair of shorts. Or at least Michelin guessed that one would call them shorts—they were longer than underwear, but not by much, and made of a clingy, silky red material. The stitching did things to the guy’s package that shouldn’t be legal.

Those muscular legs and that smooth, oiled chest also needed outlawing. The dancer had completed his look with thick, chunky combat boots, sunglasses, and a necklace with a medal on it. The boots and glasses upped the hotness factor to supernova, giving him an untouchable appeal that made it no surprise that he had a fair-sized crowd around his platform. Right as Michelin completed his muscle-by-muscle catalog of the guy, the dancer’s glasses slipped, revealing chocolaty eyes. His eyebrows went up, and the message he sent Michelin was unmistakable: You gonna stay there all night?

Oh fuck. Michelin was blocking the line of traffic, and more important, blocking access to the platform for the patrons who wanted to slip tips in the guy’s waistband.

Should he? He shoved a hand in his pocket, considering. Did he dare risk touching a piece of that gleaming skin? The lights reflecting off the dancer’s body totally made Michelin think of caramel dripping off flan—rich golden tones only enhanced by the contrast of the shiny black combat boots and his closely cropped black hair.

What the fuck was the protocol in a situation like this? Hi, I’m sorry I’ve been eye-fucking you for the last ten minutes, here’s a five? He’d never been to a straight strip club either. Hell, he avoided most bars like the plague. And eye-fucking? He never ogled—and not just because it could be disastrous to his career. Most of the time he simply felt oblivious, but something about the dancer perked up parts of Michelin that usually stayed dormant. Two people shoved around him to stuff money in the dancer’s shorts, their arms trapping Michelin briefly in place. Coming here had been a giant mistake, just as Gloria had warned him.

“You can’t go to that party! Gossip is already high about you mentoring two gay groups—”

“They’re not gay groups. They just happen to have gay members,” Michelin said wearily, already tired of this latest publicist the label had shoved at him.

“Whatever.” Gloria flipped her bony wrist. “They’re a risk you can’t take right now.”

“It’s no big deal. There will be straight people at the party.” Michelin didn’t bother with the “other straight people” pretext. Gloria knew the drill. “There’s no risk in celebrating a friend’s birthday.”

Except now, looking at the dancer, Michelin knew how wrong he’d been. This place was risk personified, and that dancer was the embodiment of everything Michelin denied himself. The dancer was a triple pour of top-shelf whiskey and Michelin couldn’t stop thinking about the heady rush touching him would bring. He should turn around now. Get back to his car now before he really embarrassed himself—

“Mi—boss! There you are!”

Oh thank you, small mercies, that Lucas stopped himself before he said Michelin’s name. Still, Michelin turned toward him warily. Play it cool, he tried to tell Lucas with his eyes.

Lucas nodded, just slightly. Message received. Like everyone else in the club, Lucas was in his early twenties and about a decade younger than Michelin, but at least he was one of Michelin’s favorite kids, especially because he was here to lead Michelin away from the temptation that was the dancer with the sculpture-worthy ass.

“The party room is back this way.” Lucas motioned with his hand. “Follow me.”

“Babe!” A familiar rangy figure with a punk haircut draped himself over Lucas. “You found him.” Cody had a smile for Michelin, but his affection was all for his boyfriend.

Ordinarily, Michelin loved being around the two of them and the other guys he mentored. Their energy was infectious, and their passion for music renewed his own.  But tonight, Michelin’s stomach cramped as he followed the two of them to the rear of the club. Happiness practically rolled off them and their movements were totally in sync with each other. Once Michelin had thought he might get to know what that was like, but those days were long past.

“Don’t even think about doing anything now. You’ve got too much riding on this year. Don’t be foolish. You’ve got the number one country song in America right now. Don’t mess with your momentum.”  Gloria’s voice rang in his ears. Nope. No way was Michelin ever getting what his friends shared. No sense in pining for it either. He had a career he loved, friends who made him laugh, and family at his back. He’d known what the trade-offs were when he decided to trade his rock stardom for country crossover success.

Tonight’s strange melancholy mood had him aching to get back home, push all these feelings into working on a new song. With any luck, Michelin could say happy birthday to Jalen, make a round of greetings to the other musicians he was mentoring, and get the hell out of Dodge. Preferably without running into the dancer again. He didn’t need another reminder of how little he fit into this world—or how much he wished life were a bit different.

My Review:
4.5 Stars for this contemporary M/M rock romance.
This is the third book in a series but can be read as a standalone.

Michelin Moses is a rocker-turned-country singer. He’s in his late 30s and hardly ever been kissed. Yes, for realz. He’s a closeted gay man, who is also demi-sexual. That one falls under the Ace spectrum. In short, he’s generally only able to be sexually active with people with whom he shares an emotional connection.

While attending a birthday party for one of his proteges, Michelin finds himself seeking connection to one of the go-go dancers, Lucky, who is actually quite polite to him. Their interaction soon balloons into a gigantic mess that outs Michelin. Part of the damage control involves getting Lucky to pose as Michelin’s boyfriend–and that’s super awkward because Lucky is out-and-proud, loud on the YouTube, while Michelin is a veritable hermit.

The aftermath is not pretty. Michelin is attacked by the country music machine for being less than wholesome, and he fears his new record will be canned, panned and banned. It’s a heartbreaking experience for him. In the meantime, Lucky is a steady support. He makes it very clear that he will accept nothing from Michelin–he’s been burned by rich men in the past–and he puts up the most believable front of “true love” as could be conjured by the PR spin doctors.

I really liked Lucky because he was kind and compassionate, for the most part. He saw how difficult all of this was and kept his own emotions in check. Lucky’s world was tipped sideways too, and whatever notoriety he may have gained from publicly dating Michelin won’t actually pay the rent, or get him into the Vegas reviews he longs to dance in. Michelin soon forms the connection he needs with Lucky, it’s impossible given their close quarters, but just when he’s actually ready to embrace Lucky as his second gay (or any) lover, he gets more bad news from his record label.

Expect some really emotionally frustrating experiences for Michelin. He’s a man all about his music, and having his professional life ripped apart because of his personal life is essentially soul crushing. He doesn’t want to be the Gay Country Singer, he just wants to be A Country Singer, but he soon realizes that he really has no control over his perception by others. I could respect his feelings on being a standard bearer; not everyone is capable of shouldering those expectations. I could also relate to his private self and public persona, and how those two people were very different. It was good that Lucky wasn’t an opportunistic jerk, and I really loved how he grounded Michelin, in many ways, but most of all affectionate touch. What a balm to Michelin’s soul to have Lucky at his side.

The end is a giant grand gesture sort that definitely had the tears filling my eyes. The sexy sexplorations that Lucky guides Michelin through were my fave combo of sweet and hot. It looks as if we’re poised for another book in this series, and this time the MC seems to be a guy we won’t immediately like. I’m eager to continue in this world of music and steamy man love.

Interested? You can find ALL NOTE LONG on Goodreads, Kensington Books, Amazon (US & UK), Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Google Play, and Kobo. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $20 GC.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

Annabeth Albert avatarAbout the Author:
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children. Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Find Annabeth online on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.
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Dangerous Allies? CERVENA–Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway!

BannerTemplateHi there! Today I’m excited to share an exclusive excerpt and giveaway in support of a new contemporary M/M romantic thriller from Louise Lyons. CERVENA is the story of a man who finds love, only to get caught in the crossfire between gangsters and his business partner.

Check out the little taste below, and be sure to enter the giveaway for a $10 GC or a backlist book!

Cervena-HighResAbout the book:
When Joel Jones finds a homeless Russian, Sasha, outside his gay nightclub in Prague, he cannot find it in his heart to turn him away, so he offers him a home and a job as a dancer and stripper.

Despite a fifteen-year age gap, romance develops between them, but is interrupted when Joel has to return to England for many weeks to deal with a death in the family.
Upon Joel’s return, he is horrified to discover his business partner, Karel, has gambled away the club’s money and put them all at risk. Joel buys him out of the club, but when Karel continues to gamble, the people he owes pursue Joel for the debt instead—and they’ll stop at nothing to get paid.

Suddenly Joel and those he cares about—especially Sasha—are in danger, and Joel finds himself with no choice but to seek the help of known criminal, Vincenc Jankovic. Ensuring a happy future for himself and Sasha will mean a struggle and some difficult decisions, but Joel is determined to protect what they’ve built together.

How about a taste?

The sound of my cellphone ringing penetrated my sleep and I jerked awake, heart pounding. I sat up and grabbed my phone from the bedside table.

Rosalyn Calling.

“Shit!” There was only one reason my sister would call at—I glanced at the luminous hands on my clock—four thirty in the morning. I touched the green button and held the phone to my ear. “Ros, what happened?”

“Joe, you have to come home.” Her voice was thick with tears and I jumped out of bed, groping for the light switch. “We’re at the hospital. Mum’s bad.” She broke off on a sob. Panic filled me and my stomach turned over.

“All right, Ros, I’m getting dressed now.”

“Give me the phone, love.” Steve spoke in the background, and after a muffled sound, he came on the line. “Joel, Marie had a heart attack about an hour ago. They brought her in by ambulance. They had to shock her, but we don’t know yet how she’s doing.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I dragged on a pair of boxer briefs and struggled one-handed with a sock. “I’ll get a taxi to the airport and book a seat from my iPad. Where’s Rachael?”

“We left her with Andy and Clare next door. Their little girl, Emma, is her best friend.”

“Yeah, I know. Go take care of Rosalyn. I’m on my way.”

“Safe trip.” Steve hung up and I dropped my phone onto the bed. Within ten minutes I’d dressed in jeans, a warm sweater, boots, and coat, and had a large piece of hand luggage packed. I dug my passport out of a drawer, slipped my iPad into its case and my phone into my pocket, and rushed to the door.

Luckily I found a taxi in Wenceslas Square. The driver had just dropped off a customer and I hurried toward the car, waving my arm. He waited and I dived into the back seat.

“Airport,” I panted. “Quick as you can.”

Wow! This book sounds packed with feels and action. I’ve heard great things in the reviews already!

Interested? You can find CERVENA on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US or UK), Barnes & Noble and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click this Rafflecopter giveaway libk for your chance to win a backlist book from Louise and a $10 Amazon gift card.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Louise Lyons comes from a family of writers. Her mother has a number of poems published in poetry anthologies, her aunt wrote poems for the church, and her grandmother sparked her inspiration with tales of fantasy. Louise first ventured into writing short stories at the grand old age of 8, mostly about little girls and ponies. She branched into romance in her teens, and MM romance a few years later, but none of her work saw the light of day until she discovered FanFiction in her late 20s.

Posting stories based on some of her favorite movies, provoked a surprisingly positive response from readers. This gave Louise the confidence to submit some of her work to publishers, and made her take her writing “hobby” more seriously.

Louise lives in the UK, about an hour north of London, with a mad Dobermann, and a collection of tropical fish and tarantulas. She works in the insurance industry by day, and spends every spare minute writing. She is a keen horse-rider, and loves to run long-distance. Some of her best writing inspiration comes to her, when her feet are pounding the open road. She often races into the house afterward, and grabs pen and paper to make notes.

Louise has always been a bit of a tomboy, and one of her other great loves is cars and motorcycles. Her car and bike are her pride and joy, and she loves to exhibit the car at shows, and take off for long days out on the bike, with no one for company but herself.

You can find Louise online on her website, Facebook, twitter and Pinterest.

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Uncomfortable Truths Might Be ANYTHING BUT LOVE–Review And Get A FREE Book!

AbLblogTourHi there! I’m so excited to share my review for a new contemporary romance from Daisy Prescott. I really enjoyed the first two books in her Wingmen series, READY TO FALL and CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT, so I couldn’t wait to return to idyllic Whidbey Island in ANYTHING BUT LOVE.

Check out the links below so you can catch get READY TO FALL FREE (for a limited time) to whet your appetite.

AnythingbutLoveAbout the book:
Another wingman bites the dust in this enemies to lovers story…
For the past year, I’ve been working my butt off to start my own coffee company on Whidbey. A weekend in Cabo with sun, tiny bikinis, and vacation hook-ups is exactly the kind of tension relief I need.

What I don’t need is a bruised jaw, having to bribe my way out of jail, a hellion set on ruining my life, and my mother seeing a picture of my assets on “The Twitter.”

Caribou Caldwell is my worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, she’s also the star of my sexiest dreams.

What happens when a small town guy becomes the focus of a million fantasies? As Erik Kelso navigates his sudden notoriety, will his feelings for Cari turn out to be anything but love?

Anything but Love is the third book in the Wingmen series, a spin off of Modern Love Stories. Like all Wingmen books, it can be read as a standalone romantic comedy.

My Review:
This is the third book in the Wingmen series, but can be enjoyed on its own. Expect cameos from the other MCs Tom and Jon, but this story is all about the youngest Kelso brother.

Erik Kelso is a 28 y/o single, tri-athlete running a coffee business on Whidbey Island, Washington. He lives with his slightly elder brother, Carter, in a house the locals have dubbed the “Phallus Palace” because it’s just the two dudes and Carter isn’t shy with the ladies. Erik actually is. He rarely dates and hooks up even rarely. His life is pretty much Whidbey Joe, training, and taxiing his drunk father home from local hangouts.

Carter and Erik sneak off on a low-budget Cabo vacation and the final night out is a whirlwind. Erik and Carter hit a bar, Erik bumps a gal with a D-Bag boyfriend who proceeds to spark a fight. While sweet-talking the policia is not his specialty, he manages to keep both himself and the D-bag from arrest for a mere $50. The girlfriend isn’t thrilled, even if she’s smoking. Erik can’t believe such a fox would hang with such a loser.

The next day, Erik and Carter go cliff-diving, and Erik takes a dive sans suit. He’s got a tight body from all his training, and he’s not especially shy about it. He’s not quite prepared to have his butt plastered all over the Interwebs, with speculation that those Buns of Glory belong to a popular celeb, however. When the hordes learn they don’t, the chase is on to find out WHO IS THAT GUY!!!

Mortified, Erik does some tracking to find out the source of his shame–none other than the smoking girl from the bar. He tries to legal eagle his way out of the mess, but he can’t; no one can find Caribou, that bar gal who pretty much haunts Erik’s sexy dreams. And when Cari shows up on Whidbey to set the record straight, well, the t-shirts will fly.

Oh, this was a rollicking romp of a romance. It’s really fun because Erik is a near-recluse with phobias that play out in his horror-soaked brain. Like, he’s always thinking someone bad–or even, say, zombies–might attack, and how to survive in the advent of an apocalypse. It did crack me up. He’s painfully shy around women, but talks a big game in front of his dude friends–which was a fun juxtaposition. He’s also very sensual, and when he and Cari do connect, it’s hot. Lots of special attention, and extra orgasms.

In the meantime, he’s fending off the cougars who pretty-much make a game of spotting his butt and posting pics on the ‘net. There’s an exuberant ‘zine gossip columnist who makes it his mission to bag this Hot @ss Guy, and the web posts are a scream.

I liked the enemies-to-lovers angle. I liked Erik’s weirdness and awkward approach to everything. For being an introvert, Erik’s a very approachable character, endearing and sweet. I really connected to his internet infamy and the fear that his mother might find him bared to all. It’s so true that once posted, it’s there forever, and it was really interesting to have a male character react to such a predicament. His constant embarrassment is entertaining to everyone, except him, and yet he’s totally good-natured about it. Still, he does manage to turn his 45 minutes of fame into some new business that helps out his folks and others in the community. He and Caribou have their HEA and the book sets up two more books in the series, for singles Carter and Dan.

As a critique, I had a little trouble getting into the story. The book is written in first person-POV and Erik’s name isn’t mentioned until Chapter FOUR. I kept turning pages, waiting to see who was telling me this story, and that was a pretty long wait. It made it hard for me to connect. Also, Erik’s a little agoraphobic, suffers a little anxiety and a little ADHD, I think. His thoughts zip along faster than my 7 year old on Pixy Stix. Just saying that I had a teeny bit of trouble keeping up at times. Especially when he dipped into his “survival modes.”

I really did enjoy, and look forward to further Wingmen shenanigans.

Interested? You can find ANYTHING BUT LOVE on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

READYTOFALL_FREE

Get READY TO FALL (Wingmen #1) for FREE!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

24327646

CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT (Wingmen, #2)

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

————–

new daisy prescott full sizeAbout the Author:
USA Today Bestselling author Daisy Prescott lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband and an indeterminate number of imaginary housegoats. When not writing about people falling in love, she can be found traveling, gardening, baking, and reading a good book. Her novels include the Modern Love Stories series, the Wingmen series, and several short stories. She’s also working on expanding the world of Bewitched this fall.

Catch up with Daisy on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, or sign up for her Newsletter.

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Where We Stand: ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS–Excerpt & Kindle Giveaway!

E&B-BannerHi there! Today I’m sharing an exclusive excerpt and giveaway in support of a contemporary BDSM M/M romance from KC Wells and Parker Williams. ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS is the eighth–and final–book in the Collars and Cuffs series, and should be read in order.

Be sure to drop down and check out the excerpt, interview and get in on the Kindle Fire giveaway!

EndingsandBeginningsFSAbout the book:

In all his relationships, Darren Fielding never found the level of intimacy he witnessed between Thomas Williams and his sub, Peter, the day of Peter’s “rebirth.” Not only that, he never realized such intimacy was possible. For two years, Thomas’s business card has been burning a hole in his wallet. When Darren’s lover moves on, maybe it’s finally time to see where that card takes him.

Collars & Cuffs’s new barman, JJ Taylor, is really conflicted right now. He went to the club with a very specific purpose, already convinced of what he’d find there. Except it’s not what he expected at all. He certainly didn’t anticipate finding himself drawn to the new wannabe Dom. Nor could he have guessed the direction that attraction would lead him.

Old love, new love, vows, pain, rage, moving in, moving on…. The members of Collars & Cuffs face an event that touches some of them deeply, but it will only reinforce what they already know: together they are stronger, and some bonds cannot be broken.

A tender tidbit!

The alarm clock would be going off in ten minutes, but I hadn’t been asleep for the last half-hour. I lay there, tousling Peter’s hair while he slept. The weight he carried on his slender shoulders always seemed to disappear when we had a vigorous night of lovemaking, followed by sleep. I loved waking up a few minutes early so I could count my blessings.

Six minutes until the clock would be going off. I sigh. I wish I could stop time right now, so that we could both simply lay here and be together. It’s a foolish dream, I know, but I’m not willing to give it up. Until the day that Peter walked into my life, I never realized what I had been missing. His presence brought a warmth on the chilliest of nights, and made me want to soak it all in.

Five minutes. I know that Peter worries about me dying before he does. He fears being alone almost as much as I do. But I’ve taken steps to ensure he’s taken care of. Hell, even Jarod has put something aside so Peter won’t have to worry if something happens to me. Or when.

Four minutes. What would I do without Peter? That bastard, Curtis Rogers, almost took him away from me. I could have lost my boy without ever telling him I love him. I take the time to do that every day now. Peter has to know that he’s a good, kind soul, and that he means everything to me. How I ever thought I could live without him is beyond me. Having him now makes me realize how empty my life had been.

Three minutes. He’s stirring. He must know that it’s close to the time we would both be starting our day. He’ll make breakfast while I shower, then he’ll start on his chores. I’ve never seen him happier than when he gets to work in the library. I order more books now than I ever have, just because it pleases him. I might be his Dom, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil my boy. Funny how the books I used to order were stodgy old research books, but now I order more mysteries, thrillers, and even some romance books that I know Peter likes.

Two minutes. His eyes are fluttering. Is he dreaming? I hope it’s a pleasant one. He’s had far too many nightmares for someone so young. If I could go back and change things so that Peter never met Curtis, I would do it without hesitation. Even though it would cost me the chance to be with him, I’d do it. Whatever it took to make Peter happy.

One minute. Oh, how I wish I had more time to watch him sleep. His dream must be a pleasant one, because he’s murmuring. Whispering Sir over and over. I see the covers tent, and hope that he’s reliving our passion from last evening, when he cried out for me, clung to me as he achieved his orgasm. God, that’s the most beautiful sight.

The alarm goes off, and Peter reaches over to turn it off. He cuddles against me, and smiles. “Good morning, Sir.”

My heart fills, knowing this incredible man is all mine. I kiss his head. “It is. The best.”

Oh, wow. Such a sweet scene!

Interested? You can find ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

In honor of this being the final book in the series, KC and Parker are giving away a Kindle Fire! Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win.

Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Authors:
About KC Wells…
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….

Catch up to KC on twitter and Facebook.

About Parker Williams (or at least his voices):
Good day! We are the voices that live inside Will’s head. The ones who whisper to him constantly, beckoning him to speak of our adventures, to tell of our love, and perhaps, if we’re in a mood, kill a person or two.

We guide his hand as he tells our tales where love is the most powerful force, but must be worked for, molded, and finally, embraced. There can be no shortcuts or substitutions on the path to a happily ever after.

We hope you will join with us as Will fulfills his obligation to ensure our stories are told and, we hope, enjoyed.

You can find Parker Williams on his website, twitter and Facebook.

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More Than Love INTO THE BLUE–Review and Giveaway!

ITB-BannerHi there! Today I’m so excited to share a review and giveaway for a New Adult M/M romance from Pene Henson. INTO THE BLUE is a sweet and tender tale of two surfer best friends who fall harder than a breaking wave.

Catch the excerpt and be sure to enter into the book and $25 gift card giveaway below.

Into The Blue 1600px FRONT (Smashwords, Amazon)About the book:
Tai Talagi and Ollie Birkstrom have been inseparable since they met as kids surfing the North Shore. Now they live with their best friends in a pulled-together family, sharing life and the saltwater in their veins.

Tai’s spent years setting aside his feelings for Ollie, but when Ollie’s pro surfing aspirations come to fruition, their steady world shifts. Is the relationship worth risking everything for a chance at something terrifying and beautiful and altogether new?

How about a little taste?

Across from them, one of the Brazilians plays guitar. Ollie doesn’t recognize the song even when a couple of others sing along. The beach is wider and the sand finer than on the North Shore, but every beach is a little like home. Ollie misses the Blue House; he misses the surf and the palms and the shoreline he knows so well. He misses Jaime and Sunny and Hannah. Still, though he’s as far from home as he’s ever been, Ollie’s comfortable. These are his people, too. He leans back on his arms and looks up into the dark.

He’s watched the night sky since he was a little kid, but down here in the Southern Hemisphere he doesn’t recognize the hundreds upon hundreds of stars. The Southern Cross is up there. Ollie tries to orient himself.

Tai shifts toward him, then looks up and follows Ollie’s gaze. The warmth of Tai’s body settles into Ollie’s heart, grounds him. Ollie leans into him a little, and their arms brush to the elbow. The contact simmers in the air between them.

Unexpectedly, Ollie knows what he wants. “Come back to the hotel,” he says quietly to Tai. He pitches his voice low. It hums across the tiny space between them. No one else can hear him over the pounding surf and the sound of the music. It’s easy to be bold in the dark of a beach where Ollie’s never been before. He’s shocked by that same boldness.

Some thoughts on writing from Ms. Henson

Do you pay attention to literary criticism? If so, how do you handle it?
This is my first book and I’ve only had a few reviews so far. Those have been positive which is a joy, but with negative comments too, of course. Like every human I find it hard not to obsess over the negative and ignore the positive. I’m working on having a thick skin and being more realistic as I read. I am also trying to take those criticisms on board rather than thinking of them as insurmountable. And when it gets hard I ask my greatest cheerleaders to give me a pat on the back.

How do you come up with your titles?
This one started as OUT OF THE BLUE which was honestly an attempt at something sort of bright and a bit cheesy. I just threw it in as a working title. INTO THE BLUE started to seem more natural as barely anything in the book is a shock, but a lot of it is about being willing to let go and go deeper.

My next book had a long song lyric as a working title but a bit of brainstorming about the setting got me a lovely new title.

What new authors have grasped your interest?
I hate to mention some authors and not others, but I’m choosing the authors that captured me most quickly: Jude Sierra who has such a complex and soft-hearted understanding of humans alongside a poetic ability to describe the physical. And Michelle Osgood who writes women in love with women and whose characters are hilarious and strong.

What is the hardest part about writing?
Sometimes I find myself stalled and I think it’s lack of interest and battle with myself but then a few days later I realise there’s some critical plot or character point that I haven’t worked out properly. Those days are tough. And then also the daily grind of getting something from my head onto the page. I love it, and some days my fingers fly across the keys, but it can be hard some days.

Wow. I can relate to A LOT of that!

My Review:

Ollie and Tai have been best friends since childhood. They live together in a house with Ollie’s teen brother Jaime and two women, Sunny and Hannah. They’ve made their own family, as Ollie and Jaime are orphaned, and Ollie is Jaime’s guardian. Tai is an out gay man, and Ollie has no problem with that. They live on O’ahu in a run-down beachfront house that each adult chips in to afford, and many times in the past five years they have had trouble paying the rent and the electric.

Ollie and Jaime have a strained relationship; it’s not easy being the parent of a 16 year old. Tai, mediator and confidant, is the glue that holds them together most days. Add to that stress, Ollie’s career is in question. He had been set to join the pro surfing circuit two years ago, but an injury beached him. He’s rehabbed as much as he can, while working full-time at a resort, and knows that he’ll have one shot to regain his dream career:  to win one of two wildcard entries into the Bonzai Pipe Masters competition. If he makes that tourney, he could win some serious money–otherwise, he needs to enter the hospitality training program, so he can securely support himself and Jaime.

This is a romance, but it’s very quiet and develops over the course of several months. Ollie has virtually no sexual experience. By choice, it seems. He’s an introvert in the extreme, even has trouble allowing his closest friends to touch him, or be around him. Except Tai. Tai has always been there, and they have a very strong friendship. Tai makes surf boards, and helps train Ollie–has for years. Ollie’s on the cusp of greatness, and Tai can’t be more proud, but he could be more, for Ollie. He’s always been Ollie’s best friend, but Tai has held a serious love to Ollie for many years now.

I don’t want to give away too much plot, because a lot of it relates to Ollie’s successes or failures in surfing. That said, Ollie has some success, and his prize money is sufficient to pay the bills. He gets Tai to come along on a competition tour. Tai’s so good at relating to people, and calming Ollie, too. In fact, Ollie can’t conceive of a life without Tai in it. While his last several years have been a morass of grief and injury, scrabbling to make ends meet, being with Tai on tour gives Ollie the space he needs to see that his affection for Tai is more amorous than he’d ever noticed. He’s so awkward, however, that he struggles to make this clear to Tai. Tai knows that going along with the “tour romance” will break his heart completely, but he also can’t resist the opportunity to make love to the only man he’s ever loved.

There are some steamy, and tender, bits, with Tai educating Ollie in the ways of sex. Naturally, when the tour ends, life gets pretty complicated. Ollie doesn’t know how to be in a relationship, and doesn’t think free-spirited Tai even wants one. Tai steps back, so he doesn’t hurt himself, or Ollie, any more than he already has. Their lives are changing; Ollie’s success brings experiences and opportunities that were unforeseen and are unwelcome, to some degree. Tai’s surfboards are gaining interest with pro surfers, thanks to Ollie’s performance. It means long hours and new partnerships–less time for hanging, or training, Ollie.

Can their friendship survive this new status quo? It doesn’t look likely. Nope, because Ollie wants more than Tai would have given any of his other hook-ups. And Tai’s scared to hand over his heart, if Ollie isn’t willing to love him completely. Spoiler alert: this book is an HEA, and it’s a fantastic one, at that. This make-shift family is so interesting, and the romance is so tender, I didn’t want it to end. The writing is lyrical and paced much the same as island time–we get there when we get there, mahalo. It gave the prose a lilting feel, and I adored the surfing terms and experiences, because this was a whole new world for me. Also, I liked the interracial romance, and the strong community that surround Ollie and Tai.

Interested?  You can find INTO THE BLUE on Goodreads, Interlude Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Smashwords, AllRomance, Book Depository, and Indiebound.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $25 Interlude Press Gift Card or one of FIVE first prizes of an e-copy of ‘Into the Blue’ by Pene Henson.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Pene Henson has gone from British boarding schools to New York City law firms. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, where she is an intellectual property lawyer and published poet who is deeply immersed in the city’s LGBTQIA community. She spends her spare time enjoying the outdoors and gazing at the ocean with her gorgeous wife and two unexpectedly exceptional sons. Into the Blue is her first novel.

You can find Pene on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
pride

Out Today! ANYTHING BUT LOVE… And, get a FREE Book!

AbLReleaseDay
Hi there! I’m so excited to share in the release day festivities for a new contemporary romance from Daisy Prescott. I really enjoyed the first two books in her Wingmen series, READY TO FALL and CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT, so I couldn’t wait to return to idyllic Whidbey Island in ANYTHING BUT LOVE.

I’ll share my review in a couple of days, but you can catch get READY TO FALL FREE (for a limited time) to whet your appetite.

AnythingbutLoveAbout the book:
Another wingman bites the dust in this enemies to lovers story…
For the past year, I’ve been working my butt off to start my own coffee company on Whidbey. A weekend in Cabo with sun, tiny bikinis, and vacation hook-ups is exactly the kind of tension relief I need.

What I don’t need is a bruised jaw, having to bribe my way out of jail, a hellion set on ruining my life, and my mother seeing a picture of my assets on “The Twitter.”

Caribou Caldwell is my worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, she’s also the star of my sexiest dreams.

What happens when a small town guy becomes the focus of a million fantasies? As Erik Kelso navigates his sudden notoriety, will his feelings for Cari turn out to be anything but love?

Anything but Love is the third book in the Wingmen series, a spin off of Modern Love Stories. Like all Wingmen books, it can be read as a standalone romantic comedy.

Interested?  You can find ANYTHING BUT LOVE on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

READYTOFALL_FREE

Get READY TO FALL (Wingmen #1) for FREE!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

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CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT (Wingmen, #2)

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

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new daisy prescott full sizeAbout the Author:
USA Today Bestselling author Daisy Prescott lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband and an indeterminate number of imaginary housegoats. When not writing about people falling in love, she can be found traveling, gardening, baking, and reading a good book. Her novels include the Modern Love Stories series, the Wingmen series, and several short stories. She’s also working on expanding the world of Bewitched this fall.

Catch up with Daisy on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, or sign up for her Newsletter.

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Delighting in THE HOUSE OF FOX–Excerpt and Giveaway!

HoFBannerwithslogan
Hi there! Today I’m helping to get the word out on an erotic adventure from SJ Smith. HOUSE OF FOX is sure to please those who love reading about sexy-sex, with a side of sex. Oh, and some scheming and celestial interference.

Drop down to catch and excerpt and enter the $20 GC and book giveaway!

2016-291 eBook The House of Fox 6x9About the book:
After a drunken night on the town, four friends awake to find themselves in the House of Fox, the ultimate brothel in the universe, where every sordid fantasy becomes reality.

But all is not as it seems.

The House of Fox harbours many dark secrets, and factions are plotting against one another.

The four newcomers must choose their friends carefully and take care not to lose their minds on the thrill ride of perversion that will carry them to the ends of the Earth and beyond.

The Great Voyeur in the Sky is watching . . .

How about a delicious taste?

“Jane!” Dylan called from the stage.

She kept her gun trained on Donna a moment longer, relishing the fear that had wiped away that look of smugness, and then turned to face him. “Dylan the Dick.” She readjusted her aim, pointing the muzzle at his crotch. “Soon to be Dylan the Dickless if you give me any trouble.”

He smiled. “I’m sensing you have some anger management issues, young lady.”

Jane did a double take, incredulous he could be quite so dumb. “Oh what a great idea, Dylan: Hey, let’s make jokes at the expense of the lady who has a gun trained on our prize shlong. That’ll certainly prove you aren’t the moron everyone claims you are.”

“Have people been saying I’m a moron?” He rolled his eyes. “Not that old chestnut.”

“It’s a well known fact you have more dong than ding.” She cocked her head to one side. “Which is what got us all wondering – how could someone as retarded as yourself possibly manage to put this little insurrection together? It’s patently obvious you’re merely the puppet, so if you want to spare yourself an eternity of agony, start naming names. Who put you up to this, Dylan?”

“Funnily enough, the person who put me up to it also provided me with this.” He held out his hand to show her a silver device sandwiched in his fist. “If my thumb lets go of this button, a V bomb will take out this entire level and we’ll all spend eternity in agony.”

Jane took a step back and waved away the encroaching militia. Her bravado died pitifully inside her chest. She should have known it was too good to last.

“Looks like the moron stole a march on the Fox Girls.” Dylan waved the silver device in the air. “Guess that makes you pretty stupid, huh?”

“Put it down,” Jane shrieked, raising the muzzle of the gun level with his head.

“Put it down? Okay, I’ll put it down.” Dylan bent forward, making as if to drop the device on the floor.

“Stop!” Jane backed up another step, panic bubbling at the realisation she’d fucked everything up. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“You think so? Do you know what a V bomb is, Jane?” Dylan’s twisted smile mocked her to the core. “It’s a very powerful piece of black witchcraft that essentially turns every vagina within a hundred yard radius into a hydrogen bomb. Your little ginger quim will explode with the force of ten Hiroshimas, blowing you and everyone else within a mile into a billion pieces in the blink of an eye.”

Jane stared at him, trying to work out if he was bullshitting or not.

Some thoughts from author SJ Smith…
Secrets of the House of Fox
“The House of Fox was created halfway between heaven and hell, so the devil could kiss our ass and God could suck our cock.”

The House of Fox is the ultimate brothel in the universe, a hedonistic retreat built by those seeking to escape the dogma of the Puritans. It has existed for centuries as a secret known only to the privileged few, who celebrate their carnal desires under the ever watching gaze of the Great Voyeur in the Sky.

But who exactly is the Great Voyeur in the Sky? Is there some secret code hidden in the never ending lists of numbers? What exactly are the meanings of the riddles our heroes must hope to solve?

There are many mysteries lurking around every corner in the endless corridors. Doors opening onto entire worlds await those brave enough to step inside. Every sordid fantasy will be plucked from the deepest recesses of your imagination, and made real by the witchcraft woven into the House’s foundations.

If you are a man, then sultry, brazen nymphomaniacs will seduce you. If you are a woman, then muscle bound studs will fuck you all the way to the stars. Every pleasure is catered for, every taboo relished. There are no boundaries to what you can do and no limits to how far you can go.

The House offers exquisite opulence and filthy depravity in equal measure. It does not discriminate as to who it serves. Pleasure is the only dish on the menu, served just the way you like it.

Are you brave enough to enter? Are you willing to leave your morals behind and give in to your basest cravings? Admission costs only a silver sixpence and perhaps your soul.

BWAHAHAHAH!!! Oh, sorry, I let a creepy laugh escape there… A-hem.

Interested? You can find THE HOUSE OF FOX on Goodreads, Amazon (US and UK), Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win books and a $20 Amazon giftcard!
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
SJ Smith is a neurotic recluse who lives in North Wales. It has long been his dream to become a full time filth monger.

You can catch you with Mr. Smith on his blog, Facebook and twitter.

Living An Undefined Life: GAYS OF OUR LIVES–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a release day review for a new contemporary M/M romance form Kris Ripper. GAYS OF OUR LIVES is the first in a new series of contemporary LGBTQ romances that are built soap-opera-style around the queer community in La Vista, California. I really enjoyed it.

Gays of Our LivesAbout the book:
Emerson Robinette only leaves his apartment to get laid and go to work. Having MS—and trying to pretend he doesn’t—makes everything more complicated, especially his fantasies of coming on strong and holding a guy down. Finding a partner who’ll explore that with him isn’t Emerson’s idea of a realistic goal.

Until a chance meeting with a hipster on a bus makes him reconsider. Obie is happy, open-hearted, and warm; what’s more, he gets his kicks being physically dominated, spanked, and teased until he’s begging. It would be perfect, except for one thing: Emerson isn’t made for happiness, and he doesn’t see how a guy like Obie would settle for a cynic like him.

But as far as Obie’s concerned, the only thing keeping them apart is Emerson. Can Emerson handle a boyfriend who’s more invested in his future than he is? Emerson’s barely convinced he has a future. But when Obie’s smiling at him, anything seems possible.

My Review:
Emerson is a 28 year old man who learned he had MS (multiple sclerosis) just under a year ago. He’s not at all happy. Nope. He has no family connections, one solid friend, and one close acquaintance. He teaches English language classes and GED-prep classes at a community center, in addition to some other administrative tasks. The random pain and general fatigue of MS, in Emerson’s experience, has soured much of everything for him. Even sex, because he’d love to be the dominant lover he admires from porn. But, he’s wasting away and barely able to keep himself upright, most days. So how can he manhandle a lover into submission, huh?

It’s not super trendy to be the bitter cripple, but sometimes I can’t help it. I hate this. I hate that I can’t trust my body. I hate that there’s no cure. I hate that some people with MS seem totally fine, like you can’t tell their body is betraying them, and I’m this skinny prick who can’t even get sucked off in a bathroom without falling apart.
I didn’t bang my head into the wall. Self-pity is so much prettier when you don’t have blood running down your face.

Emerson meets Obie on his bus to work. The attraction is instant, and infuriating. Obie’s a hipster and still over-friendly. He wants Emerson, and that only gets stronger when he recognizes Emerson’s got a kinky streak. I must say, Obie is a treasure. His positivity rattles Emerson, sets him emotionally off-balance time and again. Where Emerson would like to curl up in a ball, Obie’s determined to pull him out of himself. That was so endearing. And, I loved Emerson’s response to Obie–most of the time.

Then he was kissing me, and yeah, give me fucking more of that. I bit lightly on his lower lip and he grabbed my waist.
Not so much, son. I shifted my weight and turned both of us, leading with my right leg, until I could press him against the door.
He groaned. And, god, he had a sexy groan.

I get having a chronic illness. I get being depressed about it. Emerson wallows, and I got that, too. I dug how Obie turned his world around, made Emerson realize that, yeah, MS sucks, but it doesn’t have to define you. They have some pretty intense sexytimes, where Emerson turns Obie inside out, in ways he hadn’t quite envisioned, but still were thoroughly satisfying. Obie’s a real creative sort–and I don’t exclusively mean in the bedroom. His attention and his compassion give Emerson the license to confide, to depend upon another person in ways he hasn’t done since being a young child. See, Emerson is wound so tight, he’s trapped in a shroud of self-sufficiency, and I absolutely related to his inability to ask for help. Having a steady partner, like Obie, opens Emerson so that he reaches out for more help when its needed–and he even offers help to others, notably Obie’s psuedo-sister, the very pregnant, not-so-happy, Mildred. Mildred is an emotional mirror of Emerson, and they bond over their collective misery.

The book moved in ways I enjoyed, especially as I hadn’t predicted them. I pretty much lost my heart to Obie, much the same as Emerson, and I was so glad that they had an HEA. It also looks as if Emerson has found himself more than a boyfriend, he’s constructed a new family that accepts him as he is, even if he isn’t rainbows and sunshine and never will be.

Interested? You can find GAYS OF OUR LIVES on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

There’s a Riptide-organized blog tour featuring excerpts and insights–and you can enter to win by commenting on the listed blogs. Kris is offering a book from zir backlist as the prize. So, check it out!

About the Author:
Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and has no pronoun preference, but the z-based pronouns are freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Catch up with Kris on zir website, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Is This Really TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?—Excerpt and Giveaway!

BannerTemplate(28)Hi there! I’m so excited to get the word out on a contemporary M/M romance from Deanna Wadsworth. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE is the fifth book in her 1Night Stand series, but it’s easily enjoyed as a standalone

Catch the excerpt and book giveaway, below!

TooGoodToBeTrueFinal_1300x2000About the book:
Disgraced former FBI agent Tim Burkhart desperately wants to reclaim his life and find happiness. Relocating his fledgling private security company to Miami—where his ex-wife moved their two daughters—hopefully is a start. When he’s hired to provide protection for an antiques dealer on his way to Scotland to sell a priceless ancient dirk, Tim believes the break he’s been waiting for has finally arrived. Maybe now he can make enough money to hire a lawyer and get shared parenting of his little girls.

Elliot James runs the antique shop he inherited after his grandfather’s death. Lonely and swimming in debt, he longs for a way to turn his life around but keeps making one mistake after another. Then he finds the ancient dirk tucked away among junk as he’s cleaning out his grandfather’s home. Placing it up for sale, he is thrilled when an out of country buyer purchases the priceless antique. The buyer wants the dirk immediately and sends Tim to ensure Elliot safely delivers it on time.

The moment Tim and Elliot meet, however, everything falls apart. Between break-ins, shoot-outs, stalkers, totaled cars, and the cops, it seems Tim and Elliot will never get to Scotland by the deadline. Despite all the obstacles, an unexpected attraction pulls them together, offering each man a glimmer of hope. But if they don’t deliver the dirk on time, they won’t get paid and neither of them will be able to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Will they complete this job and find a happily ever after, or is all of this really too good to be true?

How about a little taste?

Staring down the sights of his Colt 1911 and into the panicked eyes of the young man, Tim said, “Keep your hands where I can see ’em. I want to know where Mr. James is and why you’re in his store.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw a flash of metal. Instinctively he dropped to the floor. The sharp crack of a bullet shot through the store, shattering something on his left.
The guy behind the counter made a run for the door.
Tim rolled behind the armoire, gritting his teeth when the door slammed shut and the first guy got away. Careful to stay out of sight, Tim assessed the shooter who’d come from the back room. He looked as young and inexperienced as the one who’d run. Tim recognized the weapon in his hand—a 9mm semi-automatic Beretta. Though Tim’s .45 could out-shoot the little pea-shooter at the range, he had no interest in finding out who was the better shot in real life.
“¿Adónde vas? ¡Esperame!” the shooter yelled to his retreating friend.
Wait for me. Tim knew enough Spanish. The guy planned to make a run for it, too. He clambered to his feet. Before he could tackle and subdue him, the kid aimed his Beretta in the general direction of the armoire and fired off a volley of shots.
“Shit!” Tim dove behind a stack of rugs to dodge the bullets.
The gun went silent.
Tim rolled fast onto his back, his 1911 aimed, only to watch the kid flying out the door behind his friend. The door bounced a few times until it closed, the bells clanging.
“Shit! Shit!”
The scraping sounds in the back room, louder than before, drew his attention once more.
As fast as he could, he crept around the counter, his heart pounding. Both hands on his gun, trigger finger resting on the frame and trigger guard, he took a quick peek into the room, ducking back before a possible third perp could make him.
In less than a heartbeat, his brain registered what he’d seen. He exhaled. Keeping his gun lowered but at-the-ready, he entered.
In the center of what looked like a storage room sat the man Tim had been hired to escort to Scotland. He’d been gagged and duct-taped to a chair.
Elliot James.
“Is anyone else here?” Tim murmured.
Mr. James shook his head wildly.
With a relieved sigh, he rushed over to the man and yanked the gag out. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He gasped for air. “I’m fine.”
“Were there only two?” he clarified, eyes still peeled for danger.
“Yeah,” he managed, his face flushed and startling green eyes wide. Sandy-brown curls fell across the brow of a very frightened but very beautiful man. He took a few slow, ragged breaths, obviously trying to calm himself. “Just the two of them.”
Tim took a steadying breath of his own and slowly released the hammer on his Colt and flipped the safety up, never taking his gaze off Mr. James. “What happened?” He holstered the weapon then tore the duct tape from the man’s wrist.
“Aarrghh!” Mr. James jumped, the chair bouncing.
Tim winced when he noticed the arm hairs stuck to the tape in his hand. “Sorry ’bout that.” He paused over the other strip. “This one’s gonna hurt, too.”
Mr. James pursed his lips and nodded bravely. He let out a tiny hiss when Tim freed his second arm. That one didn’t take as much hair because a silver bracelet had protected most of the skin. Obviously, those punks had been amateurs in restraining.
“Sorry,” Tim said again.
Rubbing his wrists, he let out a breathy laugh. “It’s okay. Thank you for saving my life.”
“I believe that’s what I was paid for. I’m Tim Burkhart, your private security detail.”
Mr. James’s smile made his heart flutter. No, probably just the adrenaline. Tim didn’t get butterflies.
“Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Burkhart.”
“Call me Tim.” He stood and withdrew his phone. He gestured toward his bound legs. “You okay to get those? I gotta call the cops.”
“No!”
Tim almost dropped his phone when Mr. James shouted. He gaped at the man. “What do you mean no?”
Prying tape off of his khaki pants, the man paused. Those big green eyes grew even wider. “You can’t call the cops. My whole life depends on it!”

Some insights from author Deanna Wadsworth:

Hi, Deanna, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

How do you develop your plots and characters?

I can’t really say where my muse gets her ideas from, but plots tend to just pop into my head as fully developed stories. The characters however are more one dimensional until I begin writing. Then the characters kinda teach me who they are and I learn as I write them

 

Who doesn’t love a good hero? Tell us about your protagonists. Was there a real life inspiration behind them?

No real life inspiration, LOL but Tim and Elliot are just normal guys in a bad place. Tim is a former FBI agent trying to get his life back on track after an ugly divorce. He sees this private security job protecting Elliot and an ancient Scottish dirk as a way to fix his financial worries. What he doesn’t know, is that it’s also going to fix his romantic worries as well.

Elliot is a high strung antiques dealer living by himself and swimming in business debt his grandfather left him after his death. Elliot could sell the shop but it’s all he’s ever known and he is afraid to venture out on his own. Fortunately he discovers the dirk and if he can get it to Scotland on time to please his demanding buyer, he just might live happily ever after.

 

What real-life inspirations do you use when world building?

Depends on what I’m working on. I am a hairdresser by trade and I talk to so many kinds of people and I hear the wildest stories. When I wrote TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, I relied on the hubby’s knowledge of firearms to make Tim’s use of a gun believable and natural. I asked a few detective clients I have about some of the cop stuff, and the EMT in the book is really my friend JD who helped make that scene read true. I also picked the hubby’s brain for all the motorcycle bits in EASY RYDER. So I pretty much ask a lot of questions of the experts that I know until the scene is right and when that avenue is exhausted (aka annoyed) there is always Google, LOL

 

Did you learn anything from this book and what was it?

LOL. I learned the names for all the parts of a Colt 1911!

 

It’s your last meal on earth. What do you choose?

Hmmm, well if I’m going out it’s with a seven course spread! I looooove food….

The first course would be my girlfriend’s homemade grape leaves with hummus, feta and olives. Second course, big crab cakes loaded with crabmeat. Third course, crusty warm bread with a gorgeous pesto and plenty of olive oil for dipping. Fourth course, gazpacho with the fresh tomatoes from my garden. Fifth course would be a bubbly, crispy pizza with mushrooms, onions and ham. Sixth course would switch up to shrimp and lobster tail with a baked potato on the side, loaded with butter and sour cream. And I’d bring it all home with a slice of homemade strawberry pie.

LOL I think it would be my last meal because I would explode!

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE sure sounds like a fun one night stand…and then some!

Interested? You can find TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE on Goodreads, Decadent Publishing, Amazon and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a copy of TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE (one winner) or a backlist title (three winners!).
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions at her local RWA chapter and with Rainbow Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.

You can find Deanna on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, goodreads, Amazon and Instagram.

You can also find her young adult alter ego, K.D. Worth Facebook and Twitter.

Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook seller like Amazon

pride

The World Shifts Behind SMOKE & MIRRORS–Review and Giveaway!

THIRDS-Series-BannerHi there! Today I’m sharing a release day review for the latest book in the M/M alt-world shifter, police romance saga that is THIRDS by Charlie Cochet. I’ve loved all SEVEN books in this series, and SMOKE & MIRRORS is no exception. Want more info on the previous books? Click THIRDS, RACK & RUIN, RISE AND FALL, and AGAINST THE GRAIN.

Smoke & Mirrors (THIRDS, #7)About the book:

Life for Dexter J. Daley has never been easy, but he’s always found a way to pick himself back up with a smile on his face. Taken from his home, and the arms of his boyfriend and THIRDS partner, Sloane Brodie, Dex finds himself in a situation as mysterious and lethal as the Therian interrogating him. Dex learns what he’s secretly believed all along: his parents’ death wasn’t an accident.

Discovering the whole truth about John and Gina Daley’s homicide sets off a series of events that will change Dex and Sloane’s lives forever. As buried secrets rise to the surface and new truths are revealed, Dex and Sloane’s love for each other is put to the test, with more than their relationship on the line. If traversing the waters of murder and secret government agencies wasn’t enough, something inexplicable has been happening to Dex—and nothing will ever be the same.

My Review:
This book is the 7th in a series and really best enjoyed when read in order. THIRDS is set in an alternate world where a disease resulted in an altered human state–Therians are a new race of shifters that exist side-by-side with Humans, and there’s often trouble. Police officers of THIRDS are matched Humans and Therians partnerships, and they are sent out to settle civil, criminal and domestic disputes (think SWAT, but for shifters) that involves shifters.

Dex and Sloane have been partners in THIRDS and partners in love for over a year. They have survived many a tragedy, together, and are now openly living together. Sloane recently “marked” Dex, scratching him with his jaguar claw. This is a very dangerous bargain, because marking results in an open link between their emotions. Dex can feel Sloane at all times, and comes to crave being in Sloane’s presence. Also, the scent of Sloane on Dex is a cause for problems, as other Therians see Dex as a mark to be claimed–a prize to be won. It results in quite a lot of conflict, fending off these would-be mates.

Dex, Sloane and the rest of their THIRDS team have been steadily, covertly, training in TIN–Therian Intelligence Network–physical tactics, and it greatly benefits Dex when he’s kidnapped and needs to escape what is clearly certain death. His torture by a Therian Spook called Wolf sets Dex on a path of discovery about his parents. John and Gina, who were murdered when Dev was only 5, may have been covert operatives, but for whom? Unreliable sources say they helped incorporate Sloane, Ash and other First-Gen Therians into the youth experimentation project that was little more than torture for years on end. It’s more than Slaone can take, thinking that Dex’s mother was somehow involved in his horrible youth–and that’s a big wedge to their otherwise healthy relationship.

It’s also clear that Dex isn’t exactly unchanged after his rescue. The Therians around him are experiencing some odd, and downright baffling, responses to his presence. When Ash buys Dex gummi bears we KNOW there’s something BIG happening–and I liked how both the mystery of Dex’s parents and Dex’s subtle transformation were two intertwined plot-lines. This adds a whole new layer to the THIRDS saga, and still keeps the other relationships intact.

Speaking of relationships, there are two that are brought front-and-center in this book. A reunion and a revelation, and I think readers will be happy with both. Also, sexytimes for Dex and Sloane have never been more molten. Good gravy! And, there’s still that winsome humor to lighten up the dark moments. Lots of seriously good counseling from supporting cast–never thought I’d be saying this, but thank goodness for Ash! I experienced a small trip down memory lane going through Dex’s treasured childhood belongings, as I was a Care Bear Kid back in the 80s, too. This one’s going to bring out the feels in so many unexpected ways; even as I cursed Sloane, I still wanted to love him up. And then smack some sense into him. And then love him up again.
Don’t judge me! I wanted to love Dex up, too!!

The end isn’t a cliffhanger, but it certainly leaves a wide range of possibility for new stories, adventures, and mayhem. Me, and my Cheesy Doodles, can’t wait.

Interested? You can find SMOKE & MIRRORS on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance.

ALSO!!! Dreamspinner Press is having a THIRDS anniversary sale. Get 30% off Books 1 – 6, including paperbacks! Sale ends at 11:59pm (Eastern US time) Sunday, July 10th.

****GIVEAWAY****

Check out Charlie’s THIRDS 2nd Anniversary post for you chance to snag one of the MANY prizes Charlie’s offering!
5 winners: THIRDS agent T-shirt.
5 winners: Destructive Delta tote bag and character cards.
4 winners: THIRDS swag pack (Destructive Delta tote bag, character cards, THIRDS postcards, stickers, bookmarks).
3 winners: THIRDS audiobook of your choice.
3 winners: $10 Amazon Gift Card.
3 winners: Mini Sloanes with character cards and dog tags.
1 winner: THIRDS agent coffee mug with character cards.
1 winner: Star Wars Leia and Han Solo bag with compact mirror.

About the Author:

Charlie_Cochet_by_madison_parker150Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters, to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

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Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!