Promotions

Finding One’s Self–FIERY

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Hi there! I’m getting the word out about a newly-released contemporary YA romance with a transgender main character. FIERY from Alyssa Astra is sure to push the boundaries. It sounds so interesting!

fiery1400About the book:
Aiden Adams, a transgender teen, begins writing in a journal when he moves to a new town named Ashmore and begins “passing.” He is counting on everyone to believe that he is the every bit the male he appears to be. Writing in his journal helps him unclog his brain as he writes about the daily struggles he faces as a transgender teenager, his painful past that he is trying to forget, the new friends he is making, and the beautiful girl named Abby whom he has fallen in love with. Aiden has already come out to his open-minded mother, but will Abby be just as understanding?

When Aiden loses his journal, he worries that the secret he is trying so desperately to keep will come out. And if it does, how will everyone react? Will Abby be able to cope with everyone knowing that he is transgender? Will his new friends accept Aiden for who he really is—a boy—or will everything fall apart?

A tasty morsel…

The beautiful eyes belong to the beautiful girl from the library. The one I notice every day for one reason or another. The one I sketched on a page in my journal. I’m such a creep.
“Hi,” she says loudly.
I take out my earbuds and turn off my radio that’s still in my pocket. “Hi,” I say back.
She’s on one knee to be eye-level with me, but she spins and sits down beside me, really close. Wait a minute…
SHE’S GOT ON THE COOLEST BOOTS!
They’re shiny black leather and they go up to her knees. The bottom of them is a three-inch platform, all clunky and sexy—I mean cool. She has black skinny jeans tucked into them.
“I just wanted to make sure you were alive,” the girl says. “Why are you all the way over here, by yourself?”
“I don’t know anyone,” I admit.
She holds out her right hand. “I’m Abby Abernathy.”
I grasp her hand. Handshakes are always awkward. Her hand is really warm or mine is really cold.
“I’m Aiden Adams.”
“Nice to meet you—now you know someone.” She smiles.
“I guess I do.”

Interested? You can find FIERY on Amazon, Amazon UK, All Romance eBooks, and Torquere Press.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win an e-copy of FIERY.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Alyssa Astra lives in a mildly haunted house in North Carolina. She started writing stories by hand in high school. Now she types them. When she is not writing she spends her free time attempting art and listening to music.

You can find Alyssa online on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art and Tumblr.
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Being Loved JUST THE WAY YOU ARE–Excerpt & Giveaway

imageHi there! Getting the word out on E.E. Montgomery’s contemporary M/M romance, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. This sounds a like such a powerful book! It’s about a domestic violence survivor, and the love he needs to give himself.

Check out the excerpt and giveaway below!

imageAbout the book:
After ten years in an abusive relationship and a near-fatal knife wound, Jonathan Watson is finally free. Unused to being able to make even the smallest decision and smothered by family and well-meaning neighbors, he’s floundering in the real world. Jonathan is afraid of falling into another relationship too quickly and realizes he needs time to rediscover who he is before he attaches himself to another man.

He never counted on meeting Ben Urquhart, though. Ben tempts Jonathan to forget everything and take a leap. For Ben, it’s love at first sight, and he doesn’t want to take it slow. He wants to build a life with Jonathan, free from harm and full of laughter. But before they can take the next step, they must protect Jonathan from his possessive, threatening ex. Jonathan must find the courage to confront him and break the chains of his past before he can be truly free to build a future with Ben.

How about a little taste?

JONATHAN SHIVERED in the early morning air but not from the chill. He wrapped his arms around himself and groaned as his wound tugged against the movement. He relaxed slowly as the pain eased. From where he stood, he could see between the two apartment blocks to where the sun glinted off the Brisbane River. Five years ago he used to watch the ferries puddle their way up and down the river, dropping passengers here at Hamilton and across the way at Bulimba. He’d missed that view for a long time. He wondered if he’d miss the house now that he was leaving it.

The house was gray—morning gray, Anthony had called it, but it had always looked like unwashed, neglected underwear to him. The lines of the house were precise and symmetrical, unlike the yard. The front lawn bore scars, just like his chest. They were from his Cruiser skidding to a stop the night Anthony had sent him to kill Mark. His eyes burned as he thought how close he’d come to doing what his boyfriend told him to.

At the time, he didn’t think he had any other choice. It was kill or be killed. Literally. By the end of that night, Mark had been the only one left uninjured. Liam’s leg had thankfully healed quickly where Anthony had stabbed him. Anthony was still in hospital with a self-inflicted knife wound to the stomach, and Jonathan… Jonathan was done with that life. Anthony’s knife in his chest—so close to his heart it was clearly intended to be fatal—had cured him of whatever delusions he’d held onto that let him believe he was in love with the man. Even Anthony’s assertions that Jonathan was responsible for him being in a wheelchair since the car accident two years before wouldn’t get him to stay.

He was out of it now, or at least he would be as soon as the removalists came and took his stuff away. Then he could begin to heal. The first step had been to learn to breathe again after his lung collapsed when Anthony stabbed him. The next step… he didn’t know what the next step after this was. He wasn’t going to admit it to anyone, but he was just as terrified now, starting a life of his own—on his own—as he was when he thought he was going to die.

The trembling began again. Dizzy. Couldn’t catch his breath. He leaned beside the front door and forced himself to bring his mind back to the here and now and looked around again. There was a new section of fence now, and the Cruiser had been repaired and sat at the curb, waiting for him. His cousin must have had the damage repaired while Jonathan was in the hospital—learning how to make his lung work again after his boyfriend had tried to kill him. He shook the thoughts from his head. He had to stop thinking like this or he’d go mad.

Sleep last night had been impossible. The house had been cleaned, but nothing was going to completely remove the blood splattered on the white carpet. His blood.
A low rumble burbled through the air, and a truck turned onto the street. Jonathan’s heart raced. “You can do this,” he whispered, although he wasn’t quite sure which part of “this” he was talking about. It could be dealing with strangers on his own, or it could be leaving Anthony—finally. He pressed the heel of his hand over the dressing on his chest. Staying with Anthony was no longer an option.
The truck stopped and turned to reverse into the driveway. The high-pitched beeping made Jonathan jump and, to calm himself, he focused on the two men sitting in the cab. The driver looked young and blond, the passenger older and shriveled, his hair sticking out in unkempt tangles.

“Two people. Not Anthony. You’re outside, everything’s marked. You don’t need to go inside with them at all if you don’t want to. You can do this.” He counted his breaths in and out. The beeping stopped, the engine cut out, and the driver’s door opened.

Long, well-formed legs slipped from the cab, by-passing the step completely as a muscled body slid to the ground. Khaki cargo shorts bunched enticingly around a spectacular package before settling loosely around slim hips as the man’s boot-clad feet landed on the ground and he stood away from the truck. Jonathan moved his gaze up the body. The worn T-shirt did nothing to hide the trim stomach and prominent pecs and the sleeves framed the rounded deltoids perfectly. Jonathan sighed as he lifted his focus higher to see the man’s wide smile.

Interested? You can find JUST THE WAY YOU ARE on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon,

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a copy of the book.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
E E Montgomery wants the world to be a better place, with equality and acceptance for all. Her philosophy is: We can’t change the world but we can change our small part of it and, in that way, influence the whole. Writing stories that show people finding their own ‘better place’ is part of E E Montgomery’s own small contribution.
Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of inspiration for stories that show people growing in their acceptance and love of themselves and others. A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news, there’ll be a story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere.

Where to find the author:
You can contact E E Montgomery on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter.
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Life At The Party: LODESTONES–Excerpt and Giveaway

Lodestones Banner
Hi there! Today I’m excited to share the word on LODESTONES, a YA/New Adult M/M romance from Naomi MacKenzie. Early reviews are very favorable for this ensemble story.

Don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway for a $25 gift card or a free book!
Lodestones 1600px COVER-FrontAbout the book:
On the eve of a new school year, several groups of college students cross paths as they seek out a secret end-of-summer lake party—including Robin and Charlie.

These two inseparable friends discover, over the course of twenty-four hours, that their relationship is something much deeper than simple friendship.

How about a little taste?

Larry holds up the flyer to study the map Florence drew. Barry is leaning to look at it, too, when it’s ripped from between Larry’s fingers.

A greasy man in a campus security uniform stands over them with a pinched expression. His faded nametag reads: Ron Anderchuk. “Another one,” he all but growls. “Where in heck did you get this, boys?”

Barry tries his best to look innocent. Which isn’t all that hard, since he knows nothing.

“Found it on the ground,” Larry lies.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” the security guy says. “Extra trouble for littering.” He glares hard at the paper for nearly a minute before looking back at them. “You do know parties like this are illegal, don’t ya, boys? And frowned upon by this here establishment.” He raps his knuckles on the table. “I think it best you stick around here this weekend. That would be best, don’t ya agree?” He widens his beady eyes while he waits for their assent.

Barry looks to Larry. Seeing him nodding, he mimics the gesture.

The security officer’s answering grunt sounds disbelieving. He mutters as he walks away; the flyer with their map is gripped in his fist.

“What are we—”

Larry holds up his hand, stopping Barry’s question in its tracks. “Not to worry; I have a photographic memory. I’ve got the map in here.” He taps a fingertip against his temple.

“Even after all of that? And we do have another problem, if Florence is to be believed.”

Larry hums and strokes his chin. He picks up Barry’s tray and they walk to the windows. The orientation officers are indeed spread across the entire expanse outside, handing out pamphlets and organizing games of lawn bowling and oversized croquet. The entrance to the student parking lot is completely blocked.

Barry should throw in the towel, admit defeat and convince Larry to do the same. And he would, if not for one thing. The one detail that has roped him into the excitement over the lake festivities fully and completely is Kate Zimmermann, captain of the Dicaroon Seadogs field hockey team. Barry was looking through the school’s website while Larry was plotting behind him and he caught sight of her picture. He informed Barry that she was one of the girls who was carrying the van’s bench seat into her dorm room and invited him to the party early that morning.

Barry is in love with Kate Zimmermann. He has been since seeing her on the Dicaroon University website the previous summer. Well, he’s in love with the image of her and her red hair and blue eyes and adorable freckles that are so voluminous that they connect on her face. He has dreamed of red-haired kids calling him Daddy and hitting balls with sticks. Possibly. And she’s throwing the party, so even if Barry will never get up the nerve to speak to her should he live for a thousand years, he has to go. For his future dream-wife.

“Well, then,” Larry says. He sets Barry’s lunch tray down on the bussing station and rubs his hands together. “I guess we are in need of a foolproof plan.”

“A stratagem,” Barry says. He feels immediately foolish for being such a huge dork.

But then Larry grins at him. “Ooh, yes, I like that. A stratagem.”

Some thoughts on LODESTONES from Author Naomi MacKenzie:

Lodestones is a humorous coming of age story about five groups of high school and college students searching out and finally finding a party at a lake in the middle of nowhere. Each group has a different sort of relationship going into the story, be they old friends, new friends, or potentially more-than-friends. It takes place over the course of 24 hours on the last weekend before the new school year begins.

Interested? You can find LODESTONES on Goodreads, Interlude Press, Amazon, Smashwords, and Indiebound.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $25 Interlude Press Gift Card, or one of 5 e-copies of ‘Lodestones’
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Naomi MacKenzie is a writer and photographer from the eastern coast of Canada. She considers herself a Maritimer first and a Canadian second, or so she told the standardized testing people in essay form during the eleventh grade. She enjoys vegan baking, walks in the woods and, contrarily, hiding from the sun. Lodestones is her first novel.

Connect with Naomi MacKenzie on her website, on Twitter and on Facebook.
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Out Today! A Whole Lotta Carolina Lovin’

CBBs release day-promoHi there! You know I’ve loved me some of the fantastic Carolina lovin’ books from Rie Warren. Well, in preparation of her next release, there is a BONUS for all her devoted readers. Today marks the release of the BOXED SET of her three full-length novels, STONE: AT YOUR SERVICE, LOVE: IN THE FAST LANE and STEELE: INTO YOUR HEART, plus some early chapters from CHROME:FORGED IN A HEART OF STEELE, coming soon!

All these books feature sexy, foul-mouthed, hot blooded Carolina men who have given up on love and find it in the most unlikely of places. They are sweet and sassy and super-duper sexy.

CBBs Box Set--Final Tall versionInterested? Carolina Bad Boys Box Set is available on Amazon and Goodreads. The release week price for all three novels is $.99!

Chrome: With a Heart Forged in Steele (Carolina Bad Boys #4)

Chrome: With a Heart Forged in Steele

Is coming soon to an Amazon near you…

Boomer Steele is big. He’s bad. He’s the Retribution MC pres. He’s been dealt the worst hand imaginable and bears the scars inside and out. Not that anyone knows it. He’s watched his younger brother and sister hook up and hitch up with the loves of their lives, and now he’s the last Steele standing alone. Maybe he should keep it that way.

Then one feisty honey makes him feel, gets in his grill, pisses him off.

She goes by the name of Rayce. And that’s exactly what she does on her motocross bike when she’s not busy getting her hands dirty with her fellow grease monkeys as the only female mechanic at Stone’s Garage. She’s into fixing bikes, racing hers, and making Boomer’s life a living hell just for the fun of it. Oh, and she hates being treated like a girl.

Sparks flying? That’s an understatement where these two are concerned. Yet when Rayce needs a place to live, and Boomer offers her a room in his house, their unquenchable attraction wins out over antagonism. Sometimes. Rayce’s crappy upbringing makes her think love is for stupid fools asking for heartbreak. She’s not willing to go there for any man. Not even Boomer Steele.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Preorder it here.

Ride: In Between the Covers (Carolina Bad Boys #2.5)Ride: In Between The Covers

Also available, the sexy novel that brought Josh Stone and his Lady LeeLee together back in STONE: AT YOUR SERVICE….   Amazon

Rie WarrenAbout the Author:
Badass, sassafras Rie Warren is the author of Sugar Daddy and the Don’t Tell series—a breakthrough trilogy that crosses traditional publishing boundaries beginning with In His Command.

She lives in gorgeous Charleston, South Carolina with her small family where she basks in the sunshine during the day, and adjourns to her woman cave at night. A nocturnal creature, she stays up way too late talking to herself, her characters, and anyone who will listen. She’s all about writing with heat, heart, and a hint of the dark, and she doesn’t shy away from the impossible.

Rie’s work has been called “edgy”, “daring”, and “some of the sexiest smut around”.

You can find Rie online Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Coming Soon! WOLF CREEK–Excerpt & Giveaway

Wolf Creek banner
Hi there! Today I’m helping to get the word out on Nikko Lee’s upcoming release, WOLF CREEK. This is a contemporary M/M shifter romance that hits the digital shelves 9/9/15, so tomorrow…

Check out the excerpt and book giveaway below.

Wolf CreekAbout the book:
Being the Silverbane pack’s omega is killing Josh. His plans to escape are foiled when he is blackmailed into finding a new alpha capable of controlling the largest pack in New England before the Amazons cull it. Josh has no clue how he is going to accomplish this task, let alone stay out of the sights of his power-hungry cousin, Bryce, who is convinced he is the pack’s next alpha.

Josh befriends Andrea, an erratic Amazon trainee, who talks to the ghost of her dead mother and has her own agenda when it comes to the wolf pack. When he is rescued by Gavin, a handsome park ranger driven to live in the furthest reaches of civilization, Josh feels a pull toward him that is more than just physical attraction. The three develop a bond that is stronger than friendship and tested at every turn.

With the help of his new family, Josh must find the strength within him to save the Silverbane pack and defeat the evil that threatens to turn them into killers. Only then can he finally be free.

How about a little taste?

“I don’t know about this.” Josh waited with Andrea outside the ranger station.
Gavin would be off duty in a few minutes. Andrea’s harebrained scheme was the only plan they had time for. Instead of slowly baiting Gavin into revealing his true nature, they were going to have to shock him into it, but Josh was starting to have doubts.
“What if he isn’t a werewolf?”
Andrea frowned.
“Okay, what if he is and he tries to kill me?”
“I’ll protect you,” Andrea said, but it didn’t give Josh much assurance.
“Have you ever won a fight against a werewolf?”
Andrea tore her shirt at the collar, then unbuttoned her jeans.
“Almost,” she said with a smile.
Josh didn’t have another second to protest. Andrea pulled him against her so suddenly that their lips collided and her teeth cut into his lips. Just as suddenly, she was pushing him away and screaming.
“No!” Andrea fought to get away from him without really letting go of him. She shook him back and forth. “You’re hurting me!”
Then, Josh was being hurled backwards.
“What the fuck is going on?” Gavin shouted.
Josh scrambled to his feet.
“I don’t know,” Andrea said through sobs. Blood smeared her lips and tears drenched her cheeks. “He said he wouldn’t share me, that I was his.”
As ridiculous as it sounded, Gavin looked utterly convinced that Josh had attacked Andrea. Gavin’s chest expanded from more than just heavy breathing. The fabric of his uniform strained against flexing muscles, but it was the wild look in his eyes that worried Josh. Gavin was on the verge of losing control. He actually looked like he could transform.
“Go inside,” Gavin said to Andrea, without taking his eyes off Josh. “I’ll deal with this bastard.”
Josh scrambled backwards as Gavin stalked toward him. The normally good-natured ranger was seething with rage. His soft brown eyes were hard and flinty.
“I told you to stay away from her.” He hauled Josh up by his collar and threw him against a tree.
Josh cowered against the tree trunk and waited for the inevitable beating. Gavin loomed over him, his breathing ragged, but no blows came. He seemed to be struggling within himself, his hands clawing at the tree bark and his eyes shut. Josh could see him regaining control over his anger. If he didn’t act soon, Gavin would calm himself enough that Josh would never know if he could save the pack.
“She’s mine,” Josh said. It was a timid challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. “I saw her first. I’m not going to give her up without a fight.”
He stripped off his shirt and tried to remember how Silverbane looked just before he transformed. At a foot shorter and fifty pounds lighter, Josh wouldn’t have been surprised if Gavin laughed at him. But Gavin was lost to his anger, taking off his shirt and backing away, ready to fight.
“Come on,” he said, and motioned for Josh to attack him. “Let’s settle this.”
The air was electric on Josh’s skin. He could feel the gravel shift under his feet. He smelled the forest behind him and the testosterone of the menacing male in front of him. For the first time in his life, he was going to have to fight to save those he cared about. Even if it meant getting hurt or dying, Josh had to bring out Gavin’s beast and test him as Elaine would.
He took a swing at Gavin, but Gavin had already moved to the side. A crushing pain in Josh’s ribs was followed by a blow that knocked him from his feet, and he scrambled to put space between them. There was no doubt that Gavin could best him in a fist fight. The only other person Josh had ever taken a swing at was Andrea, and she had dealt with him like he was no more than a child throwing a temper tantrum.
If he was going to challenge Gavin, Josh had to transform. He felt close to it. His muscles ached to expand. Inside his body, he felt the howl of the beast that cried to be set free but refused to break the invisible pack bond that held it in check. The full moon was so close. Even Elaine and Bryce looked ready to heed its call earlier. Why couldn’t Josh?
Gavin attacked, but it was Josh’s turn to evade. He might not be a fighter, but he was an expert in avoiding getting hurt. The more he evaded Gavin, the angrier Gavin got. His body was beginning the transformation. The seams of his pants split and the leather of his boots creaked under the force of expanding feet.
“Fight me.” Gavin’s voice was little more than a barely intelligible grunt. “Fight.”
As close as he was to transforming, something was holding him back. Maybe he didn’t have control over it.
Josh had seen teenage pack members experience their first transformations without a command from Silverbane. It was a struggle that could last hours. His own first time had come at Silverbane’s command. He’d been fourteen, older than most werewolves who transformed when they reached puberty, and even after he’d taken wolf form, he had cowered until Silverbane released him.
Gavin’s swings were faster and harder, but less coordinated. It was getting harder for Josh to predict where they’d come from and how to avoid them. Josh had only transformed a handful of times under Silverbane’s command. Now that his alpha was gone, he had to find out if Gavin was his new alpha.
“You want me to fight?” Josh said stepping out of the way of a wild haymaker.
“Yes, fight me now.”
The pull from Gavin was undeniable. Josh realized then that there was nothing he could refuse Gavin; not because he was infatuated with him, but because Gavin was his alpha. Josh would do whatever it took to satisfy him. Right now that meant having the strength to give him the fight he needed.

Interested? You can find WOLF CREEK on Goodreads, Torquere Books, and Amazon. Preorders happening now, with digital delivery 9/9/15.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a copy of WOLF CREEK.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Nikko Lee is a scientific curator who enjoys writing genre fiction from erotica to horror under the pen name Nikko Lee. Born in Canada, she moved to Maine after completing a PhD in Zoology and her post-doctoral training. She resides near Bar Harbor with her husband, daughter, two cats and malamute. The author blogs about hiking, writing and science at http://www.nikkolee.com.

Find Nikko online on Goodreads, Facebook, twitter, and Pinterest.

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Loving a HARD DAY’S NIGHT–Excerpt and Giveaway

HDN-banner
Hi there! Today I’m sharing some love for Mia Kerick’s new release, HARD DAY’S NIGHT. I’ve reviewed a few of Mia’s books, THE RED SHEET, RANDOM ACTS, and LOVE SPELL, and I just adore her heartfelt, and compelling M/M fiction.

Make sure to drop down and enter the giveaway for a $15 Amazon gift card.

HDN CoverAbout the book:
High school senior Kalin (Lennon) Macready knows several facts for certain: John Lennon is his hero. Beaumont Finley Danforth II (Fin) is his best friend. And—this is the complicated one—he feels more for Fin than mere friendship.

For weeks, Lennon pesters Fin, who like Lennon admits to questioning his sexual orientation, for a commitment to spend twenty-four hours together exploring “the gay side of life.” Fin reluctantly agrees. Each boy will seek to answer the daunting question, Am I gay? Lennon pre-plans the day, filling the hours with what he assumes “gay life” is all about: shopping for fashionable clothing, indulging in lavish dessert crepes, boogying to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, and yes, listening to show tunes.

However, Lennon quickly realizes that in creating his plan he has succumbed to the most common and distorted of gay stereotypes. Can he be gay and not fit them? And more importantly, is it possible that spending one very hard day and night together will help Fin accept that he’s gay, too? If so, maybe Lennon has a shot at winning the heart of the boy of his dreams.

“A Hard Day’s Night” is an amusing young adult contemporary romance about two boys who seek to discover if they must fulfill stereotypes to be together.
In the end, maybe all you need is love.

How about a little taste?

“Fin and I have managed to get locked into what I will refer to as a repetitive pattern of affable behavior, and, in my opinion, it’s working out splendidly. We are the dearest of friends.”

Scratch that. Starting over.

And since I know it’s well past time for some brutally honest self-talk, I sit up in my bed, and by the warm glow of my Yellow Submarine nightlight, study my frayed picture of John Lennon. To complete the visual, it’s the photo from Mom’s retro record set, The White Album, that I pinned to the wall beside my bed and have worshipped regularly since I was in the seventh grade. Behind those round wire glasses, the man’s piercing eyes don’t lie—John was a brutally honest sort, often to his detriment. After all, back in 1966 didn’t he assert that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ? Now, that is certainly calling it exactly as he sees it.

Not that I necessarily agree with the sentiment, I respect that kind of direct-ness in a person.

I owe him this much.

Out of respect for John, I revise and reissue my previous assertion.

“The Finster and I are stuck in a rut of pleasant compatibility… an unusually deep rut, at that.”

This attempt at telling-it-like-it-is is definitely an improvement, but it’s still not right on the money, and I’m nothing, if not specific.

I prop up my pillow and lean hard against the creaky antique headboard (call it like you see it, Lennon—the headboard is just plain old), with the certain knowledge that I’ve completely outgrown this flimsy, twin size bed of my childhood.

So maybe it’s more like this….

“Fin and I each have one leg semi-submerged in a muddy ditch, and we’re in it well past our knees. This is the kind of murky and dark, seemingly bottomless, pit that will suck the rubber boot right off your foot with a single, hollow, slurping sound, and then belch with satisfaction.” For the third time I speak aloud in an effort to make my declaration official. “It appears that the two of us are gonna be stuck here in this mucky BFF-swampland for the long haul— bootless and slowly sinking into the sludge—unless, of course, I act decisively and with haste. And with great vigor—because, to accomplish the task I have in mind, I’m most likely going to have to shift into full-hyper-dunk-mode, possibly coupled with the drama-queen-approach. Neither of which poses a problem for me, other than that they require an excessive expenditure of energy.”

That was most definitely a mouthful, but an accurate mouthful.

And all I need is one day. Just one gay day.

Thankfully, ever proud of the open-mindedness he hides so well from his ultra-conservative family, Fin has granted me my greatest wish. On Saturday, March 21st, Beaumont Finley Danforth II (IMHO this BFD is a Big Fucking Deal) is mine for the day to do with as I please. I sincerely hope that a single day is sufficient to help Fin figure out what I already know.

Um, Lennon…maybe now is not the right time to start suffering with a debilitating bout of self-doubt.

Confidence is of key importance in this endeavor.

No, I do not have any worries, and yes, I do have twenty-four feminine-side-ex- ploring, team-switching, relationship-igniting hours to make my homeboy see the rainbow-hued light. Starting bright and early tomorrow morning.

On that note, I’ll get started with my beauty sleep. I sure hope I’m gonna need it.

I wiggle down so I’m flat on my back with my feet sticking six inches over the end of the bed, pull the covers up to my chin, and listen to my mental arrangement of “Imagine” until I fall asleep.

My Review:

This is a tender, loving story about two best friends figuring out their sexuality together. Kalin, a Beatles aficionado who’s been called “Lennon” since middle school, has a serious crush on his best friend Fin. Fin is the only son of a wealthy family, and is expected to go to Stanford, become a lawyer, and enter the family firm–even though he’s really only interested in film making.

Fin is a champion skier, and usually spends all his weekends on the slopes, but he’s due to stay home this weekend and Lennon has convinced him to spend 24 hours in the “gay experience.” This includes “gay” makeovers, including guyliner, Zumba dancing, and frilly cappuccinos. What he didn’t plan, but is grateful to find, is Fin’s especially serious take on the whole day’s events.

These two guys are so tender, and so earnest. They know they are way closer than two hetero guys should be, and they are afraid what that means. Well, Fin is. He has a lot of expectations to live up to, and he is a born “pleaser,” working hard to please everyone. I think he went along with Lennon’s plan simply to please him, at first, and finding that some of the gauche stereotypes they indulged in were more appealing then he could have imagined.

For a short read, this novella is very powerful, and would surely appeal to questioning teens. Expect some dark moments, too, when Fin and Lennon have barely acknowledged their sexuality and run afoul of some serious hate. I feared they wouldn’t come out of it well, but they shined on, and it was very touching. I totally loved the integration of Beatles wisdom, thoughts and lyrics into the prose. It was true that love was all they needed.

Interested? You can find HARD DAY’S NIGHT on Goodreads, Amazon, AllRomance and Gumroad.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, and CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.

Mia is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights, especially marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Where to find Mia online: Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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Happy Book Birthday to THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS! Excerpt and Giveaway

foxglove killings blitz bannerHi there! Today I’m sharing in the release day blitz for Tara Kelly’s YA suspense novel THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS. This one looks fascinatingly creepy. Don’t forget to pop down and enter the giveaway.

foxglove coverAbout the book:
Gramps always said that when the crickets were quiet, something bad was coming. And the crickets have been as silent as the dead. It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps’s diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He’s almost like a stranger now. I can’t figure it out…or why I’m having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn’t be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.

When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it’s up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I’ve ever known about myself—and Alex.

How about a little taste?

Alex saw it first.

We were cutting through Neahkahnie Park, the morning sun warm on our backs. I was telling him we should take his grandpa’s El Camino SS and drive down the coast to California for the summer.

“He left that car to you,” I said. “You know he did.” I reached over to muss his light brown hair. It always stood straight up afterward, as if he’d been electrocuted.

“We can’t, Nova. I—” He stopped walking, his eyes widening at the playground.

Clumps of fur blew across the grass, like the cotton blooms did in July. I didn’t think it was real at first. Some kid’s stuffed animal, maybe.

But the stench was unmistakable. I’d practically been raised in my grandpa’s diner. I knew the smell of meat past its prime. Raw. Metallic. Even a little sweet.

A deer’s carcass was a twisted heap in the playground, its legs jutting out like winter branches. Bits of flesh, ranging in color from pink to dark red, were strewn across the wood chips. The head of the deer sat on the middle bucket swing. A misty film covered its eyes, and its mouth was open, as if it were gasping for air.

My stomach muscles began to knot.

I saw a dog get hit by a semi once. The scene replayed in my mind for months. The thud of the impact, the way he’d yelped. The last second of that dog’s life seemed to echo forever.

This was worse. Someone planned this. Put it on display, like it was entertainment.

“What the hell…” Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t look.”

Alex had been on an animal-saving crusade since birth. He’d tried to bring a rabbit back to life the day I met him.

In fifth grade he’d called the police on his neighbor for yelling at her cat.

This wasn’t something he could handle. Especially not now.

“There’s nothing you can do,” I said, the words slipping out automatically.

“I know. I’m not nine anymore.” He glanced down at his busted Vans. Years of skateboarding had turned them from black to gray.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah, you did.” He held my gaze this time. His eyes looked almost yellow in dull light. Usually they were green.

I knew whatever came out of my mouth wouldn’t be the right thing to say. He’d been so weird since his grandpa died last month. Happy one minute. Pissed off the next. Sometimes he didn’t talk at all.

I slowly moved toward the deer, wishing I could ignore its vacant eyes, the drone of the flies pecking at its belly. My gramps used to clean up crime scenes back in the day. He swore by downing a few dozen peppermint Tic Tacs, claiming it obliterated his sense of smell. He was also a chain smoker…

A handful of mints wouldn’t take this image out of my head. Nothing would.

“We should call someone,” Alex said behind me.

Neither of us had a cell phone. He couldn’t afford one, and my mom thought they caused brain cancer.

I held my breath, trying not to gag. If I wanted to be a detective one day, this was the crazy shit I’d be dealing with. Too bad I’d inherited my mom’s weak stomach.

Something bright purple sat on top of the deer’s limp tongue. Darker spots peppered the inside, like a rash.

As I leaned closer, I realized it was a wilted foxglove. Or deadmen’s bells, as Mom called them. They were bell-shaped flowers that grew all over coastal Oregon. When I was little, she told me not to eat them or I’d end up like Sleeping Beauty. I used to think they belonged to the fairies. The evil ones, anyway.

A chill swept across my skin, the kind that came from inside.

Click here to continue reading Chapter 1!

Interested? You can find THE FOXGLOVE KILLINGS on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo Books.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on the Rafflecopter link for your chance to win one of three prize packs from Tara Kelly!
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

foxglove authorAbout the Author:

Tara Kelly adores variety in her life. She’s an author, one-girl-band, graphic designer, editor, and photographer. She lives in Sin City with her beloved guitars, sound design master husband, and a fluffy cat named Maestro.

Find Tara online on her website, Goodreads, and Twitter, and Facebook.

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Happy Book Birthday to INDECISION by Elisabeth Grace

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Do you love a man in uniform? Us too – and boy, has Elisabeth Grace supplied one for us! Jamie is sweet in the streets and sizzling in the sheets, and you most definitely want to get your hands on him in INDECISION, which is available now!

 

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About INDECISION

Jackie Davenport will try anything once, especially in the bedroom. Anything except falling in love. She lives a carefree existence packed full of fun, but free from emotional entanglements and that’s just how she wants to keep it. When she meets the new police officer in town, she’s unable to deny the connection between them. His over confidence and bullish ways grate on her…still she can’t help but find herself falling into his bed AND falling for him.

Jamie McTavish is man enough to admit that he probably didn’t make the best first impression when he met the 911 Operator. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still sizzling sexual tension between them. He’s a man of action and he’s not content to sit on the sidelines until Jackie works out her issues. But trying to tame this tiger might be too big of a challenge for even him.

Add INDECISION to your Goodreads list here!

Excerpt

I pulled the cruiser into Jackie’s driveway. What the hell was wrong with me? It was only yesterday that I’d gotten her off and yet here I was, sitting unannounced in her driveway like a stalker.

If I’d thought it difficult to get her off my mind before, what had happened in the wine cellar had made it damn near impossible.

Everyone I’d talked to had said the same thing—that she’d turned down each and every cop or fireman that had asked her out. No one was sure if she was just trying to keep her personal life outside of the work environment or what, but I intended to find out. The insane pull between us didn’t leave me any other choice.

With a sigh, I unbuckled my seatbelt and glanced at the small bungalow. It was cute with white siding and black shutters. Hanging baskets of colorful flowers hung from hooks around the veranda and a kickass bicycle was leaning against the side of the house. That helped to explain why she had such a firm ass.

I opened the door to the cruiser when the front door of the house burst open, and Jackie stood there frozen, her hand held to her chest and such an expression of fear on her face that I bolted out of the car and up the front steps.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded as soon as I was in front of her.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” she asked in barely a whisper.

I relaxed a fraction once it was clear she was okay. “I figured you could use a lift to Don’s place for your car. Didn’t think you would’ve driven home last night.” I shrugged. “It’s been quiet today, so I popped by to see if you wanted me to drive you over.”

She released a pent-up breath and relief washed over her face. “Oh, thank God.”

I frowned and gripped her upper arms. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”

She glanced down at where my hands lay on her soft skin and looked back up to me, blinking twice. “It’s nothing. When I saw the cruiser in the driveway…never mind.” She shook her head.

I studied her for a moment. She was sexy just rolling out of bed with her hair thrown in a messy bun and last night’s make-up still on her face. “You sure?”

She nodded and her eyes flicked down to my hands once more. “Why are you always touching me whenever I see you?” Her voice had come out all breathy, not at all convincing me that she didn’t like my hands right where they were.

I grazed her collarbones with my thumbs, causing goose bumps to form on her skin. “I think you know exactly why.”

 Get it now: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

Giveaways and Release Festivities

Want to win? Enter via the rafflecopter below!

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Elisabeth Grace isn’t giving away just one prize in celebration of INDECISION – she’s giving away a ton more! Be sure to keep an eye on Elisabeth Grace’s Facebook page this week for more information about a lot of really cool prizes you can win!

Happy Hour Book Bash

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Join Elisabeth Grace with Faith Andrews, RE Hunter, Livia Jamerlan, and BA Wolfe on September 1st from 6pm – 11pm EST for some end of summer fun and giveaways! Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook!

Newsletter

Be sure to sign up for Elisabeth Grace’s newsletter – she’s releasing a new chapter of BUILT TO LAST every two weeks, which will be available to newsletter subscribers only as she writes it!

Connect with Elisabeth Grace

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+ | Instagram

If you’re US based and you want to receive a text message when Elisabeth has a new book go LIVE, text ROMANCE to 313131!

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Happy Book Birthday COWBOY VALENTINE–Excerpt & Giveaway

Cowboy Valentine RDLHi there! Today, I get the pleasure to welcome a new book into the world. COWBOY VALENTINE by Mia Hopkins is a New Adult erotic romance fresh off the press over at Samhain Publishing. And it is yummmmmmmy. Don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway!
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About the book:
Forget chocolate and flowers. This homegrown honey is all the sweetness he craves.
Small-town life is nothing but a waiting room for eighteen-year-old honor student Corazón Gomez. Work and school leave little time for love, but with a full-ride Ivy League scholarship and a one-way ticket out of the boondocks, who needs it?

The answer appears on Valentine’s Day when her old cowboy crush ambles into the ice cream parlor where she works, inviting her to go on a late-night ride in his truck. For the first time she wavers between staying on the straight and narrow, and going off-road with the handsome heartbreaker.

After four years working on ranches all over the country, Caleb MacKinnon is back on the family farm helping out his mom and brothers while his father fights cancer. The one bright spot: smart, funny, and wickedly sexy Cora.

From the start, they both know this blazing-hot love affair can’t last. But when autumn comes and Cora has to leave for the East Coast, Caleb must find a solution to keep himself—and his heart—from falling apart.

Warning: Contains hard, cherry-poppin’ sex in a pickup truck and a cowboy charmer who talks dirty in two languages.

How about a little taste?

The cigarette calmed her down some, so she turned back to the shop to finish closing. When she reached for the handle of the door, a pair of headlights lit up the storefront and a big engine shuddered into Park behind her.

She stubbed out her cigarette on the rim of a trash can and turned around. The driver’s side door squeaked open and shut.

“We’re closed,” she said to the figure who walked up to her, a tall man in jeans, a plaid shirt and a cowboy hat.

He looked up in the faint light coming from the store window. “That so?” he drawled. His voice was deep.

“Afraid so.” Cora squinted at him. “Do I know you?”

The man stepped farther into the light. “Maybe.”

He was about six feet or so, with high cheekbones and a clean-shaven chin. His skin was tanned and freckled, as though he spent long hours in the sun. He tipped his hat back, and at once Cora saw his eyes—green but with pupils rimmed in gold. He was handsome as hell.

“You’re a MacKinnon kid,” she said, although she knew full well which one he was, and that he was no kid.

“Caleb.”

“I remember you from school. You graduated like three, four years ago.”

He looked down at her. His scrutiny scorched her cheeks. “I want to say I remember who you are, but I can’t,” he said at last. “What’s your name?”

“Cora. Corazón Gomez.”

Caleb put a boot on the parking block and hooked his thumbs onto his belt. “Wait. I think I remember you too. You were that really smart one. The freshman in my chemistry class who knew all the answers. I think I had you in Spanish too. The teacher always made a big deal about your name meaning… What was it?”

“Heart. Corazón means heart.”

His eyes locked on hers and he nodded slowly, in no hurry to respond. To keep from fidgeting, she put her hands in the pockets of her uniform, wondering if he was going to say anything more. In the quiet, the wind rustled through the ocean of sagebrush that grew across the road.

“Well, I have to finish closing up.” She tried to sound casual. “Nice seeing you again, I guess.”

He still hadn’t stopped staring at her, but when she broke eye contact with him and turned toward the door, he cleared his throat. “Um, any chance I could get a sundae? I’ve had a hell of a night. I’d appreciate it.”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to let you in after closing time.”

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

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I can tell you right now, that this book is a steamer! Watch out for my review next week.

Interested? You can find COWBOY VALENTINE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Samhain Publishing, Books-A-Million, and Kobo.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win books from Mia!
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

HEADSHOT(1)About the author:
Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends.

When she’s not lost in a story, Mia spends her time cooking, gardening, traveling, volunteering and looking for her keys. In a past life, she was a classroom teacher and still has a pretty good “teacher voice” and “teacher stare.” She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.

Catch up with Mia online on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
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Spotlight on ONCE A HERO–Excerpt and Giveaway

Hero-BannerHi there! Today I’m spotlighting a new contemporary M/M romantic suspense novel coming August 26 from the writing team of Ari McKay. HERC’S MERCS: ONCE A HERO sounds like a good one! Check out the excerpt and giveaway below to find out more.

Hero CoverAbout the book:

Ezra Levin spent years as a soldier, just as his father had wished. But after stints in the Israeli military, the Mossad, and finally as a member of Hercules Security, the man once known as “Ghost” decides to retire and pursue his own dreams of being a chef. At forty-five, he knows his yearning to have a partner and a family of his own are probably unattainable, but as a private chef for Judge Mason Whittaker and his young son, Jamie, Ezra finds some measure of fulfillment.

Unfortunately, Mason’s past as a District Attorney has made him a lot of enemies – one of whom seems to be looking for payback. When a series of unsettling events disturbs the Whittaker household, Ezra immediately steps up, wanting to protect Mason and Jamie. He calls upon his old friend, Cade Thornton, for help, as a cunning criminal plays a game of cat and mouse that endangers Mason’s life. Ezra realizes that Mason has come to mean far more to him than just an employer, and that he’s going to have to use all his old skills to stop a killer – or else he just might wind up losing the man he loves.

How about a little taste:

Mason shook his head. “I wasn’t paranoid enough,” he said. “You were. You knew it could get bad. I didn’t believe it — didn’t want to believe it. It almost killed me.”

“I did not want to believe it either. I hoped I was wrong, but my instincts were telling me something bad was going to happen. Now that it has–” Ezra’s voice broke, and he brought Mason’s hand to his cheek, clinging tightly. “I cannot be objective. When I saw you there, saw all that blood…” He shook his head, and Mason thought he saw the glimmer of tears in Ezra’s eyes before Ezra looked away. “I cannot be merely an employee. I tried. If you want me to recuse myself, I will.”

“What?” Mason was confused, but he could see Ezra’s pain, and he reached over with his free hand, touching Ezra’s cheek. “Are you saying you want to leave Jamie and me?”

“No!” Ezra stared at Mason, wide-eyed. “No, I don’t want to leave. But if you want me to remain only your employee, I cannot do that any longer. I tried to maintain my professional distance, especially after I overstepped so badly, but I cannot do it after this.”

Interested? You can preorder ONCE A HERO in advance of its release on 8/26 on Goodreads, Torquere Books, Amazon, and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a copy of THE BIGGER THEY COME.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the authors:
Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who collaborate on original m/m fiction. They began writing together in 2004 and finished their first original full-length novel in 2011. Recently, they’ve begun collaborating on designing and creating costumes to wear and compete in at Sci Fi conventions, and they share a love of yarn and cake.

Arionrhod is an avid costumer, knitter, and all-around craft fiend, as well as a professional systems engineer. Mother of two human children and two dachshunds who think they are human, she is a voracious reader with wildly eclectic tastes, devouring romance novels, military science fiction, horror stories and Shakespeare with equal glee. She is currently preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.

Where to find the authors online:
Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Website | Goodreads | Amazon

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