British Romance

The Heights Of Deception: ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN–Review and Giveaway

wrong-twin-release-bannerHi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary M/M romance from Clare London. ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN sounds like a steamy comedy-of-errors.

Be sure to scroll down to read the excerpt and get in on the gift card and book giveaway!

perf4.250x7.000.inddAbout the book:
How tangled can a romantic web get?
When gruff mountaineer Dominic Hartington-George seeks sponsorship for his latest expedition, his London PA insists on a more media-friendly profile—like dating celebrity supermodel Zeb Z.

Zeb can’t make the date, so he asks his identical twin, Aidan, to stand in for just one evening. Aidan, a struggling playwright, shuns the limelight to the extent people don’t even know Zeb has a sibling, but he reluctantly agrees.

When the deception has to continue beyond the first date, Aidan fights to keep up the pretense. Dominic likes his sassy, intelligent companion, and Aidan starts falling for the forthright explorer. But how long can Aidan’s conscience cope as confusion abounds? Will coming clean as “the other twin” destroy the trust they’ve built?

How about a yummy taste?

The pretty young woman who met Aidan at the door smiled warmly. “I’m Tanya, Mr. Hartington-George’s personal assistant. I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Z. I’m quite a fan.”
“Zeb,” Aidan said, hoping he hadn’t hesitated for too long. “Please just call me Zeb. And… yes. Thanks.”
“Come on through.” She gestured him into the hallway. “You’re on time.”
Aidan wondered why she sounded surprised at that. He repitched his natural voice a little higher to Zeb’s teasing tone and smiled brightly in return. “Of course.”
A sneaked look in the hallway mirror had him rolling his eyes. Mission accomplished, Zeb! He barely recognized himself. Usually he was most comfortable in a sweatshirt and jeans, but now he was dressed in what Zeb Z would wear on a daily basis: a pair of skintight, distressed-denim jeans with inexplicable splits across the knees; high-top boots in soft purple leather that screamed expensive yet were surprisingly comfortable; and two lightweight T-shirts under an off-the-shoulder, electric blue sweater. Admittedly the blue brought out the color of his eyes—no one ever said Zeb didn’t have a well-developed sense of personal style—but the rest of it made him look like an overaged member of a boy band.
A younger man darted out from what must have been the living room, clutching a leather jacket to his chest as if in protection. He saw Aidan, glanced at Tanya with widening eyes, then back at Aidan. Then he thrust out his hand and said perfectly cheerily, “I’m Eric. He threatens to kill me on a daily basis.”
Aidan just shook hands and nodded. He had no idea what to say to that, or even what it meant.
Tanya frowned at Eric. “Whatever. We’re just going. The car will come for you at seven. In the meantime, if you’d like a drink?”
But Eric took her arm and guided her toward the front door. “They can cope with that themselves, Tanya. Come on.”
And Aidan was left on his own in the hallway.
He took a deep breath to center himself. The house wasn’t huge, but it was in a very fashionable area of Ladbroke Grove and far more luxurious than his own small flat. That said, there wasn’t much furniture and the decoration wasn’t modern. The hallway walls were painted in plain, cool colors. No pictures hung on the walls, and there was only a single bureau and hat stand, albeit in quality wood. Eric had left the living room door ajar behind him, and Aidan took a quick peek inside before announcing himself. From what he could see, again the walls were plain and the furniture sparse. It was as if the owner was in the process of moving out—or had never really settled in.
A male figure paused in front of the half-open door. He was distracted by something on the other side of the room, so Aidan got a first secret glimpse of the man he’d been told so much about.
H-G.
He was much more handsome in real life than on TV, though in most of the documentaries, H-G was wrapped up in furry parkas or oilskins with his face more than half-hidden with a scarf and balaclava. Today he was wearing a very smart pair of dark trousers, a startlingly white dress shirt—which had to be brand-new to still have that sheen—and a well-cut suit jacket that settled comfortably across an impressive set of shoulders. H-G’s hair was a fabulous thatch of dark curls, and he had a dark beard and mustache to match. Guiltily Aidan recalled Zeb’s mischievous nickname: Hairy Guy. But that conjured up a Wild Man of Borneo kind of image, and H-G was far from that. The hair was naturally unruly but had been styled to a level just off his shoulders, and the beard was well trimmed.
Aidan had never been attracted to hairy bears, not that he’d ever had much of a choice. As Zeb had gleefully pointed out more than once, Aidan seemed to attract needy and spiteful wankers who got off on bleeding him dry of any compassion and care. Oh, and his money too.
Okay. Self-pity over, right now. I’m not Loser Aidan now. I’m the charismatic and disgustingly fascinating Zeb Z.
For the first time in this bizarre performance, Aidan felt the tickle of mischief. This just might be fun after all. He pushed the door fully open, walked into the room, and cleared his throat.
H-G turned slowly around to face Aidan fully. His gaze ranged over Aidan’s body, and his eyes widened. “Well. They didn’t lie.”
“Who didn’t? What about?”
H-G raised his eyebrows. “Well, firstly, they said you were a bit feisty.”
Feisty? Aidan hadn’t heard that word outside of romance-novel blurbs.
“And you wouldn’t be fazed by… you know.”
“No, I don’t know. By what?” Aidan bit his lip to stop a laugh escaping.
“My celebrity.”
Jesus. Zeb was right. The man was one big blob of arrogance. “No,” Aidan said coolly. “I’m not.”
“That’s from working in the business, I suppose.”
“Business?” Oh, right, he was meant to be Zeb. “Yes, of course. When you’ve seen so many guys without the spray tan and makeup,” he gabbled without thinking first, “you soon realize they’ve got the same equipment under it all.”
H-G blinked twice, hard. And then he laughed—a loud, bold sound, echoing warmly in the bleak room.
Aidan wanted to laugh with him, but maintained his cool stare. “What’s so funny?” Had he blown it already? He hadn’t even left the house with the man yet.
“They didn’t tell me you were witty, Zeb. I may call you Zeb?”
Why? “Oh yes, right. Of course.”
Dom’s language was quaintly old-fashioned, but Aidan found it rather charming, especially after the theatrical bickering of the Dreamweavers and his brother’s exuberant and affected chatter.
“And secondly?” Aidan prompted.
“I’m sorry?” H-G frowned at him.
God, what a scowl he has. “You said they didn’t lie, and then you gave the first reason.”
H-G raised his eyebrows. “You have a good memory.”
Yes, he does have lovely eyes. “Yes, I do. Especially when I’m listening.”
H-G’s mouth twisted as if he were trying not to smirk. “Secondly, they didn’t lie about your looks, and that you were even better-looking in real life. I concur. You’re bloody gorgeous.”

My Review:
Dom is a burly, strapping, quietly gay mountaineer following his father’s expeditionary exploits. Unfortunately, despite his blue-blood pedigree, he’s rather out of funds for the final leg of his newest climbing plan. His publicist suggests a celebrity date with out-gay model Zeb Z.

Aidan and Zeb are identical twins. Aidan stays so out of the limelight that few people even know he has a sibling. Zeb’s got an engagement that he can’t miss, however, not even for the fees he’s make to go out on the town with Dom. So, he begs Aidan to cover for him. And, Aidan has a great time with Dom, as he pretends to be Zeb.

Dom is super attracted to sexy “Zeb” but not just because he’s gorgeous. No, “Zeb” is intriguing and articulate, even knowing about the climbs Dom’s made and sharing his own experience on some smaller mountains. The first date has a rough ending, but Dom really wants to meet with “Zeb” again, and Aidan only agrees to stand-in after Zeb reveals that he’s out of the country caring for an ill, beloved friend, a man Zeb’s loved a while on the down-low.

The more Dom and Aidan interact, the more they really connect. Aidan’s so mystified to find such a compatible man, he’s loathe to reveal his subterfuge. Plus, using Zeb’s persona gives Aidan the freedom to be bold in a way he never indulged in before.

This is a sweet romance with the right amount of angst, for Aidan. Dom’s a blustery, gruff man who’s rough edges are softened by his good behavior around “Zeb.” The hard truth of Aidan’s identity becomes an issue at the very end–but not for the reasons I expected, which was fun. Dom and Aidan are really sweet guys. I wanted to spend even longer with them, to just roll around in the glow of their budding romance. They have a nice bit of sexytimes, and they are two stalwart British blokes, which, yeah. #Swoon

Expect a sweet and sexy romance and a happy ending to rival the highest peaks.

Interested? You can find ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US and UK) Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Clink on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $15 GC and a backlist book from Clare London.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

copy-of-clarelondonheadshotAbout the Author:
Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

Catch up to Clare on her website, blog, Facebook, twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, and Google+.

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Growing Up PANSIES–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a newly released contemporary M/M romance from Alexis Hall. PANSIES is also an enemies-to-lovers romance that is lush and beautiful. I’ve also loved FOR REAL, LOOKING FOR GROUP, and WAITING FOR THE FLOOD from this author, so I couldn’t pass the chance to pick up PANSIES.

pansiesAbout the book:
Alfie Bell is…fine. He’s got a six-figure salary, a penthouse in Canary Wharf, the car he swore he’d buy when he was eighteen, and a bunch of fancy London friends.

It’s rough, though, going back to South Shields now that they all know he’s a fully paid-up pansy. It’s the last place he’s expecting to pull. But Fen’s gorgeous, with his pink-tipped hair and hipster glasses, full of the sort of courage Alfie’s never had. It should be a one-night thing, but Alfie’s never met anyone like Fen before.

Except he has. At school, when Alfie was everything he was supposed to be, and Fen was the stubborn little gay boy who wouldn’t keep his head down. And now it’s a proper mess: Fen might have slept with Alfie, but he’ll probably never forgive him, and Fen’s got all this other stuff going on anyway, with his mam and her flower shop and the life he left down south.

Alfie just wants to make it right. But how can he, when all they’ve got in common is the nowhere town they both ran away from.

My Review:
Highly recommend! This is a fantastically lyrical, deeply emotional story of two unlikely lovers and their complicated history.

Alfie Bell is a big beast of a man, nearly thirty and only recognized his gayness two years ago. He’s from the north Atlantic coast of England, a rundown beach village called South Shields. Having been smart he did his schooling, got a masters and took a job in investment banking. He’s fabulously wealthy, living his openly gay life in London, and quietly caring for his family up north. He’s had a falling out with them, over his sexuality, and he really wants everything to be normal in his life. He wants a committed relationship, and a family some day. His ambitions are much simpler than his profession might indicate. And, ultimately, Alfie’s been feeling rather empty of late, wishing he had stronger connections and feeling disenchanted with London’s shiny veneer.

While on a rare trip home, Alfie inadvertently outs himself to his best friend–while at his wedding. It’s a mortifying event, and Alfie takes a drive to clear his discomfort. Popping in to a nearby bar, Alfie spots a slight, slim man with silver-blonde pink tipped hair and the most gorgeous body…ever. He offers to buy the man a drink, and the reaction he gets is not welcome. Fen, as he calls himself, doesn’t believe that a strapping man would ever find him sexually attractive, but they do get on with an interesting evening adventure–which turns out really good, as far as Alfie is concerned. Until Fen reveals his full identity the next morning–that Fen was the shy gay boy that Alfie and his mates all tormented throughout grade school. Alfie’s world shifts. He’s not the same uncouth boy who did those horrible things, and those memories are terrifying related through Fen’s point-of-view.

When he returns to London, Alfie simmers on this new development. He’s filled with shame, and wants to make amends however he can. He books some time off to make the long trip north again, and turns up at Fen’s business–a flower shop called Pansies that used to belong to his late grandmother and mother. Life hasn’t gone to Fen’s plan much; he’s only running the shop (into the ground) out of grief for his mother’s early death. It’s a way of connecting to her, even as it meant giving up his own career, breaking it off from his boyfriend, and losing his half of their mortgaged flat. Alfie knows none of this, he only wants to be near Fen. The encounter isn’t much better than their recent meeting, ending with a comic spectacle in Fen’s run-down bath that requires repairs. Alfie, always the fixer, attempts to make that right, too. And ends up needing his own rescue. From his estranged family.

Fen, honestly, has a very conflicted experience with his former tormentor. He was bizarrely attracted to Alfie as a teen. He was so strong, and sure, and manly, yet still had a softer side, like rescuing trapped butterflies. Seeing Alfie so committed to helping him in his suffering now is turning all the right switches, awakening long-buried attraction. Alfie is tender and compliant in a way Fen had imagined in his deepest adolescent fantasies–you know the type: getting one over on your nemesis, only with sexytimes.

As they spend time together, Alfie recognizes that he’s really falling for Fen. He also loves the idea of being back home. There’s so much familiarity, and he envisions being a partner to Fen in more than just Fen’s broke-down futon. He convinces Fen to let him look over his finances and help with the flower shop. It’s not easy for Fen to let go–and Alfie’s continually blundering when it comes to the homophobic incidents that they keep getting involved in. See, Fen’s not even gay, exactly, (probably pansexual though Fen calls himself queer) and yet he endured a lifetime of teasing and abuse for his queerness. And, Alfie’s only been out in London, where there’s less of an in-your-face homophobia. He can’t bear to have himself and Fen called out for just existing. It’s all very chilling, for Fen. He wants a lover, not a felon–and he knows how dangerous it can be to engage with homophobes in groups. Plus, part of Alfie’s issue is his own internalized homophobia. Fen helps him to tease apart all the “masc” constructs that have really been lead weight surrounding his neck for thirty years. Alfie is so utterly vulnerable, and deeply in love with Fen after a couple of weeks–and that’s when it’s got to end.

Fen’s not meant to stay in South Shields, nursing his memories for a dead mother–even his father thinks so. And, while Alfie would be happy to give up his posh London life and build a new one with Fen, Alfie’s pretty-well decided he wants to do it in his hometown. It’s not fair!! There’s a kerfuffle, and a break, and more grand gestures to win Fen back–and I can’t actually do any justice at all to this without giving away too much. The book is so lush, and the writing so lyrical. I’ve never been to England, and yet I feel like I moved into Fen’s shop, and got insulted by Gothshelley, and ate finger-burning chips on the beach and curried paneer at Raj’s Indian restaurant. I could see the spun silk of Fen’s silver-pink-blonde hair, and hear the creak of pain in Alfie’s voice when he tried, once again, to connect with his baffled father. There’s an all-encompassing accessibility to Alfie’s point-of-view that absolutely dropped me into his brain, and his experience. His youthful regrets are intense, and his determination to quietly fix all and sundry is unquestionably endearing. The book has a sweet HEA that is sure to please any romance fan.

Interested? You can find PANSIES on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret. He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ice cream maker, fortune teller, lab technician, and professional gambler. He was fired from most of them.

He can neither cook nor sing, but he can handle a 17th century smallsword, punts from the proper end, and knows how to hotwire a car. He lives in southeast England, with no cats and no children, and fully intends to keep it that way.

Catch up with him on his website, twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Lessons in Love and Art: THE TUTOR–Review, interview and Giveaway!

tourbutton_thetutorHi there! Today I’m sharing a review, giveaway and special insights from KD Grace on her newest erotic contemporary romance. THE TUTOR is a different kind of story, and weaves a bit of sensual magic for the reader, as well as the characters.

thetutor_coverAbout the book:
Struggling writer, Kelly Blake, has a secret life as a sex tutor. Celebrated sculptor and recluse, Alexander ‘Lex’ Valentine, can’t stand to be touched. When he seeks out Kelly’s advice incognito, the results are too hot to handle. When Kelly terminates their sessions due to what she considers her unprofessional behavior, Lex takes a huge risk, revealing his identity to her at a gala exhibition, his first ever public appearance. When Kelly helps the severely haphephobic Lex escape the grope of reporters and paparazzi, rumors fly that the two are engaged, rumors encouraged by well-meaning friends and colleagues.

The press feeding frenzy forces Kelly into hiding at Lex’s mansion where he convinces her to be his private tutor just until the press loses interest, and she can go back home. They discover quickly that touch is not essential for sizzling, pulse-pounding intimacy. But intimacy must survive the secrets uncovered as their sessions become more and more personal.

Some fab thoughts from Author K D Grace…

Thanks so much for hosting me on The Tutor blog tour and giveaway, V! It’s a pleasure to be back at your lovely blog again and celebrate the release of The Tutor with your fabulous readers!

In so many ways The Tutor is all about making substitutions. We all know what it feels like when we can’t get exactly what we want, so we make do with something less than. We know it’s only a stop-gap but we do what we have to. Still, let’s face it, celery and carrot sticks will never satisfy the longing for chocolate, and an hour sweating it out in the gym, or a cold shower will never scratch the itch for good raunchy and rowdy sex.

In Alexander ‘Lex’ Valentine’s situation, though, a substitute will just have to do. Lex is a renowned sculptor, who leads a reclusive life. His work is praised for its sensuality, for his ability to breathe life into marble. What the world doesn’t know about Lex Valentine is that the man is severely haphephobic – has been ever since the car crash that killed his mother and nearly took his life as a young boy. The truth is, no one even knows who Alexander Valentine really is. They know him only from his exquisite work. Lex remembers little of the accident other than the snippets from the nightmares that visit him regularly, but since the crash, Lex has been unable to touch another human being and unable to tolerate being touched. Both cause severe physical reactions. This means he’s lived the better part of his life without human touch. Thus the substitution. Lex infuses the power of touch, the touch he cannot experience himself, into his sculptures. His work is his vicarious life, sensual and expressive in ways his real life can’t be.

Writing The Tutor made me think a lot about the substitutions all writers make when we write a story. The tale we tell is always a life lived vicariously. Though it’s not an effort to experience human touch which, fortunately, we don’t lack, it’s very much an effort to feel, to experience, to involve ourselves in what we’ve not experienced – what we may not even want to experience in real life. Still, to write about it, to bring it close enough to us that if fills our imagination and makes our heart race and our palms sweat, is to experience vicariously something we would never otherwise know.

Lex has come to view his art this way. He has no reason to think he’ll ever have a normal life and, at least, he has something. But like many creative people, Lex has a powerful sex drive – one he can do nothing about. When his best friend, and PA, Dillon, suggests he talk to a sex tutor, Kelly Blake enters his life. The spark between them is immediate, but so is the obstacle course of his haphephobia. For Lex and Kelly the attraction between them and the journey to intimacy is a dance of substitution – very creative substitution, substitution that just might lead to the real thing. Here’s a little excerpt.

When physical touch is impossible, intimacy may become a powerful work of art or a devastating nightmare—but, above all, it’s an act of trust.

And how about a taste of this intriguing story?

Art and Sex:

She nabbed a cookie and came to stand behind him while he drew, but when his efforts on the curve of her cheek slowed and then stopped, she stepped back. “I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?” she managed around a mouthful of cookie.

He shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just that, well as lovely as you looked, in that dress tonight, stunning actually, it wasn’t the real you. It was all show for the event and for this nebulous Alexander Valentine you were expecting to meet.” He waved the piece of charcoal in the air dismissively. “Black tie affairs are no less masked ball just because you can see peoples’ faces.”

“True,” she said, plopping down in the chair. “My feet may never forgive me for those damn shoes.”

“You’re real now.” He chuckled softly and looked down at the charcoal gripped delicately in his fingers. “Everyone’s a bit more real in the darkest hours of the night. And a lot more vulnerable.” He shuddered.

“Nightmares, you mean?”

He nodded, but then made a dismissive grunt. “I don’t sleep much.”

“Dreams about what happened at the gallery?” She asked, slumping in the chair so that her feet hung over one arm and her shoulder rested low on the other.

“Oh no,” He offered a flirty smile that surprised her. “If I’d been dreaming about that, the dreams would have been far from nightmares.”

She felt his words like a caress, and a tingle ran down her body as though her skin were bathed in the expensive Champagne from the gallery’s party. “Then I’m sorry that you weren’t dreaming about the gallery.”

“Me too,” he said, and then he flipped the sketchpad to a blank page. “Is it all right if I sketch you? Like you are now, I mean.”

She nodded to the collection of female nudes tacked to a corkboard along one wall. “As long as I don’t have to take my clothes off.”

This time his smile was positively wicked. “If you take off your clothes, woman, I won’t be able to concentrate on sketching at all, and I’m not really in the mood to discuss my self abuse problems right at the moment.”

She laughed and shook her hair back over her shoulders. “Self abuse, oh pa-lease.” She shifted again to get more comfortable and the hoodie slipped down off her shoulder leaving her neck and clavicle exposed along with the swell of one braless breast.

“Leave it,” he said, when she started to zip the offending garment a little higher. “I want to sketch your erogenous zones.” And fuck if it didn’t feel like he had just touched her there along the nape of her neck and traced a calloused finger over the her collar bone and down onto the top of her breast.” He chuckled knowingly at the trail of raising goose flesh along the path she had just imagined his hand following. “Did you feel that? My sketching you there?”

“You have eyes,” came her breathless reply. Then she caught a little breath and shivered. “Jesus, how do you do that?”

“There’s a connection between what I see and what I sketch. It’s a brain thing. That’s why people who are paralyzed from the neck down can still draw even without the use of their hands. But I think there’s a much bigger connection than simply exceptional hand-eye coordination. I think it’s the ability to translate into physical form what we perceive and how it affects us. I’ve read your books, Kelly. You do the same thing, only your vision is all internal, but it’s no less magic when you elicit the feeling you want in your reader.”

She shivered again and her nipples hardened. “I’ve never made a reader feel this.”

“Oh, I imagine you have,” he said. The look on his face was something beyond concentration, something very much like Kelly had seen in the eyes of lovers in good romantic films when they made love.

“It’s a substitute for touch,” she managed in a breathless gasp.

“Of course it’s a substitute for touch,” he said. “It’s the connection to the flesh that I’m no longer capable of having in the real world. It’s tactile voyeurism. It’s everything I can’t experience, but dream about.” He huffed out a little breath. “When I’m not having nightmares, that is.”

“Jesus, That’s … that’s uncanny.” She was suddenly struggling not to squirm in the chair. “Do you do this with all your models?”

“God no! Of course not. I don’t know them. They don’t know me. I … ” He stopped sketching for a second and looked around the room as though searching for the right words, and Kelly felt the disconnect as surely as if he’d been caressing her breast and then stopped. “I have no intimacy with them. When I sketch models for a given commission for which I have a deadline, I sketch them … I don’t know … once removed. It’s not personal. It’s a job. They do theirs, and I do mine, and it’s as if we’re all working with a barrier between us. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t feel that with you?” He began to sketch again and she leaned back and closed her eyes as the Champagne bubble feeling returned in force. She might have moaned. Just a little. And he might have done the same in return.

“You know what you said about self-abuse,” she finally managed, struggling to breathe.

He only grunted in reply, his hand moving at speed over the sketchpad, which he didn’t look at. His eyes remained locked on her.

“Well, what happened at the apartment when we were together …”

“There’s a connection, Kelly. That’s all I know. I know you aren’t the kind to take advantage. I knew that from what Dillon’s nephew said. You gave me the first true intimacy I’ve had since the accident. Does that sound like taking advantage to you?” He laid the charcoal down on the easel and began to stroke the sketch with his ring finger, blending and shading and she practically came out of the chair, the response of his touch was so strong. Her nearness to orgasm was startling and a little bit frightening.

“Are you fucking feeling this?” she gasped. “How can this be? How can I feel what you’re doing on that sketchpad?”

“Of course I’m feeling it. How could I look at you, at your response and not?”

“Jesus, Lex. Jesus!” His eyes were on her but his finger still stroked the paper on the easel. “If you don’t stop.”

“Do you want me to stop?” His voice cracked with the last word. From where she sat, she couldn’t tell if he had a hard-on, and though his voice was as tight and breathless as her own, he clearly wasn’t touching himself. One hand gripped the edge of the sketch pad and the other made strokes and circles on the paper, blending, shading, evening out the tone. She knew that, of course she knew that, so why the hell did it feel like what he was doing to a simple charcoal drawing, he was doing to her body?

“Of course I don’t want you to stop,” she hissed, shifting against the phantom sensation of what she imagined his fingers were doing to the sketch of her. “Oh … Oh God! I definitely don’t want you to stop!”

The room dissolved in the sound of heavy breathing and moans and grunts –some hers, some his, all blended together. In the beginning, she might have been posing on the chair, but the situation had devolved to the point that she could not have held still if her life depended on it, and there was no other word for what she was now doing in the chair but writhing.

From behind the easel, Lex stood and gave the stool a hard shove, knocking it over with loud kathunk on the floor that resulted in a hissed curse. He mantled the sketch of her like a hawk over its prey. When she could focus through the growing fog of arousal, she saw that he once again sketched with the charcoal, his hand moving with a motion not unlike how she would want him to stroke her right now, with her so close. How she had fantasized about him stroking her since that night in the apartment, even though she tried not to. And she couldn’t keep from wondering if he were stroking the drawing there, right where she needed it. His other hand still rendered and smoothed and shaded and moved across her body, until the only thought she could hold in her head was the thought of his hands drawing her, drawing her, drawing her ever closer until she could stand it no longer, and then she arched her back. With a startled cry, she dragged a breath into her lungs as though it were her last. She tumbled out of the chair hitting the floor hard with her ass, bruising an elbow and thumping her head on the stone tiles as she convulsed and shivered, and the world dissolved into pinpoints of light behind her tightly clenched eyes.

She heard the deep-chested groan followed by a hard thump from behind the easel and, when she opened her eyes again, he was on his knees beneath it, one hand cupped to the front of his shorts, the other braced against the floor as though he feared gravity would disappear and it would toss him into the void. His eyes were wide, darkened with lust and with, quite likely, the same look of shock mirrored in her own. His bare chest heaved and shuddered over and over again. Kelly couldn’t stop watching him, couldn’t take her eyes of the quiver of muscle, the sheen of perspiration, the clench of charcoal dusted fists, and for an instant, she wished like hell that she could draw him.

My Review:
Lex Valentine is a reclusive sculptor, renown for his beautiful marble renderings, even if no one has seen him. Romance author and personal sex tutor, Kelly Blake, is a big fan of Mr. Valentine, but had no idea that she’s tutoring him directly–because he uses a pseudonym. See, Lex is haphephobic, a person who cannot bear to be touched, or touch others. This is the result of a horrific car wreck which killed his mother and left him scarred physically as well as emotionally as a young child.

Lex is referred to Kelly by a mutual friend. She’s a sweet lady, who only wants to help her clients find their way to better sex, but she’s a “hands off” instructor, and is blindsided by her attraction to Lex, even before she learns his true identity. She breaks off their lessons, and Lex can’t abide. He hasn’t had any intimacy with anyone, and their two sessions were breakthroughs, in his mind. He concocts a scheme to meet Kelly in person–at one of his gallery events. It means going public, and possibly being accosted by his fans–something akin to volunteering to be boiled in oil for a haphephobic. Kelly recognizes his distress and rescues him, making a powerful enemy in the process.

It’s fun and sweet that Kelly’s bestie and Lex’s bestie con everyone into believing Lex and Kelly are engaged to be married. While the hubbub dies down, Kelly hides out at Lex’s secluded mountain estate. There she learns all about his tragic history, and builds a secure rapport with Lex. It’s so sweet, and with a few kinky turns. He still can’t touch her, at first, but the connection they develop certainly fosters an intimacy that’s new for both Kelly and Lex. The more time they spend together, the more they are able to connect, until Lex has his first voluntary physical contact with another person in twenty-five years.

I really felt in tune with Lex’s POV, and his serious problems with intimacy. The excitement he feels with Kelly–as if he’s experiencing a whole new life–is so poignant and tender. They take the tiniest steps, and still move forward. The book has a lot of viewpoints, mostly Kelly and Lex, but also their friends and a big nemesis. There is a catty reporter who’s bent on ruining the fledgling couple, if she can. I liked how this got resolved, and how Lex really grew into his own skin, and moved past such trying emotional scars.

Its a bit of a slow burn, and there’s a lot of “alternate” type sexytimes. They do get it on, in the end, and talk about sweet. It’s a whole different type of erotic romance, and I really dug the flipped script. I’ve not read a book with a character that’s has such a severe phobia to physical contact before, so getting inside this person’s brain was really interesting. And, his joy at having even somewhat normal contact is really a rush. Kelly is a great gal–always conscientious of Lex’s needs, and considerately managing his fears. Plus, she’s totally falling for this sweet, damaged man. I really liked the story, and definitely recommend it for readers who are willing to experience and “out there” type of romance.

Interested? You can find THE TUTOR on Goodreads, Totally Bound Publishing, Amazon (US and UK), Barnes & Noble, iBooks (US and UK), Google Books, and Kobo.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $30 (or £20 if you’re in the UK) Amazon GC. Catch other stops on the tour to increase your odds of winning.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About Author KD Grace/Grace Marshall:
Voted ETO Best Erotic Author of 2014, and a proud member of The Brit Babes, K D Grace believes Freud was right. In the end, it really IS all about sex, well sex and love. And nobody’s happier about that than she is, otherwise, what would she write about?

When she’s not writing, K D is veg gardening. When she’s not gardening, she’s walking. She walks her stories, and she’s serious about it. She and her husband have walked Coast to Coast across England, along with several other long-distance routes. For her, inspiration is directly proportionate to how quickly she wears out a pair of walking boots. She also enjoys martial arts, reading, watching the birds and anything that gets her outdoors.

KD has erotica published with Totally Bound, SourceBooks, Xcite Books, Harper Collins Mischief Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Black Lace, Sweetmeats Press and others.

K D’s critically acclaimed erotic romance novels include, The Initiation of Ms Holly, Fulfilling the Contract, To Rome with Lust, and The Pet Shop. Her paranormal erotic novel, Body Temperature and Rising, the first book of her Lakeland Witches trilogy, was listed as honorable mention on Violet Blue’s Top 12 Sex Books for 2011. Books two and three, Riding the Ether, and Elemental Fire, are now also available.

K D Grace also writes hot romance as Grace Marshall. An Executive Decision, Identity Crisis, The Exhibition, Interviewing Wade are all available.

Catch up with K. D. on her website, Brit Babes page, Facebook, and twitter.

His World Changed While CAUGHT INSIDE–Review and Giveaway!

caught-inside-bannerHi there! Today, I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary M/M New Adult romance from Jamie Deacon. CAUGHT INSIDE was a real heartbreaker for a boy who went to the beach with a girl…and fell for her gay cousin.

Catch the excerpt below and be sure to enter to win the $20 gift card!

CaughtInside
About the book:
Luke believes he has his life figured out…and then he meets Theo.
It should have been simple—a summer spent with his girlfriend Zara at her family’s holiday cottage in Cornwall. Seventeen-year-old Luke Savage jumps at the chance, envisioning endless hours of sunbathing on the private beach and riding the waves on his beloved surfboard. He isn’t interested in love. Though his rugged good looks and lazy charm mean he can have his pick of girls, he has no intention of falling for anyone.

Nothing prepares Luke for his reaction to Theo, the sensitive Oxford undergraduate who is Zara’s cousin and closest friend. All at once, he is plunged along a path of desire and discovery that has him questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. No one, especially Zara, must find out; what he and Theo have is too new, too fragile. But as the deceit spirals beyond their control, people are bound to get hurt, Luke most of all.

How about a little taste?

I swallow against the dryness in my throat. “We need to talk.”

No response.

Slowly, as though wading through deep sand, I cross the room until I’m standing right behind him. He grips the edge of the worktop.

“Theo?”

Still nothing. Only the convulsive tightening of his fingers shows he even heard me.

“Theo,” my voice cracks, “don’t do this.”

Theo sucks in a breath. When he replies, his tone is even. “Do what?”

“This. Shutting me out.”

“I’m—”

“And don’t say you’re not, because we both know that isn’t true.” I’m aware of my voice rising, and lower it with an effort. “Just…don’t.”

Theo exhales in a long sigh. He turns to me, his expression distant but not unkind. I wish he’d glare at me, shout, whatever. Anything to show he gives a damn.

“Luke, I’m sorry about this morning. It was a mistake. If you got the wrong impression—”

“The wrong impression? You kissed me. What impression was that supposed to give me?”

He casts a nervous glance at the window.

“What’s wrong, Theo? Worried Giles might hear? I don’t blame you. He’d probably make you bathe in disinfectant for a year if he knew you’d kissed scum like me.” Theo starts to protest, but I shake my head. “You know what? Forget it. So sorry I embarrassed you.”

I need to get out of here. Humiliation, hot and clammy, coils like tar through my veins. Still, what did I expect? Theo’s made it perfectly clear how he sees me, that he thinks I’m beneath him. I grab for the nearest glass, intending to pour myself a liver full of whatever’s in that jug, but my hand shakes so much it slips through my fingers. Glass collides with oak in a minor explosion, glittering fragments flying.

“Shit.” I drop to my knees, begin picking up the larger pieces. I fumble, a jagged shard slicing my palm. “Shit.”

“Luke?” Theo crouches beside me.

“I’m fine.” I turn away from the phony concern in his eyes, fist clenched around the cut to hide it from view. Blood trickles through my fingers and onto my jeans. The pain is almost a relief.

“Let me see.” Theo holds out his hand, but I jerk away.

“I said I’m fine.”

He ignores me. With gentle firmness, he takes hold of my wrist, uncurling my fingers to examine the wound. My body stills. I scarcely breathe. Every nerve ending, every particle of my being is aware of him, the pressure of his fingers on my wrist, his warm palm supporting the back of my hand.

My Review:
This is an interesting and tense coming-out story for a 17 year-old boy who finds himself hopelessly attracted to his girlfriend’s gay cousin while on summer holiday. Before anyone gets antsy, I’ll say this: it’s based in Great Britain, the age of consent is 16.

Zara is the only child of wealthy attorneys. She invites her boyfriend of a few months, Luke, to spend the summer at her family’s country house on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall. Luke, a virtually penniless boy has no better prospects and likes Zara well-enough to accept the invitation. Their chaperone is Zara’s cousin, Theo, a newly-graduated Oxford man who’s having trouble in his personal life. He had a bad break-up with his boyfriend and his father isn’t speaking to him since he came out.

Theo is a sweet man, who is highly attracted to Luke–and tries to pull back this attraction so he doesn’t hurt Zara. Unfortunately, Luke shares this attraction; he’s always dated girls, but had attraction to other boys before. Luke finds sex with girls to be less satisfying than he’d imagined. Zara’s full-on with her like of Luke, and she’s mostly a sweet girl. She has a *bit* of rich girl petulance, but it didn’t bother me overmuch; she sounds like a 17 year-old girl whose sexy summer is heavy on the sun, light on the lovin’. I got that, and I was also sympathetic to her situation. As well as that of Theo and Luke.

See, once Luke gets hooked on Theo, he’s not super attentive to Zara. He doesn’t want to hurt Zara or Theo, and this all might have blown over easier if Theo’s posh friend Giles hadn’t shown up. Giles is a Grade A Jerk, but his girlfriend Meredith is super nice, and she picks up on the Luke + Theo vibes early. She encourages then to come clean, but Theo wants to wait–wants to ensure there’s something to confess before they go breaking Zara’s heart. Plus, Giles seems, boorishly, to be hitting on Zara right in front of Meredith in some ill-conceived effort to get Luke to wake up and realize he’s dissing a great catch.

So, yeah, there’s a lot of crossed wires here, and Luke does halt his physicality with Zara in favor of Theo, but the bad juju comes back to bite both of them in the butt–just when Luke’s made the clean break from Zara he’d been avoiding.

Luke narrates his story which had a high probability for anguish, but never quite bogged in the potential melodrama. It’s not an easy read, because there’s lots of sneaking around–in the effort to not hurt anyone. In reality everyone gets hurt in that sort of scenario, and I think that’s what happened–but no relationship or person was permanently damaged. For all that there’s some serious shenanigans going on, and behind Zara’s back, this is a New Adult romance. The characters are between 17-23 years old, and they are gong to make impetuous mistakes. Luke and Zara have been together barely a few months; while that equates to roughly a decade in secondary school, it’s a blink for adults. Luke had always thought he was a bit of fun for rich girl Zara to slum with, and his insecurity is further inflamed by Giles’ artless recriminations. In contrast, Theo is a soul-match for Luke as they have more commonalities and develop a strong rapport–despite the income gap. In the best sense, it’s a case of right partner, wrong time, (or the reverse for Luke and Zara!) and Luke has a choice to make regarding his future–if Theo will be a part of it.

Come out, or carry on?

The end is really sweet. Luke makes good choices and he faces all his worst fears head-on. He also faces Theo’s worst fears, and the result is heartwarming. There are a few scenes of heat between Theo and Luke, though they are fast and on the down-low. That said, the emotions are out in full color on the page, and I was happy the resolution was so positive.

Interested? You can find CAUGHT INSIDE on Goodreads, Beaten Track Publishing, Amazon (US and UK) Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, AllRomance, and Smashwords.

****GIVEAWAY****

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

About the Author:
Jamie lives in a tranquil spot close to the River Thames in Berkshire, England, and has always been just a little out of place—the only redhead in a family of brunettes; an introvert far more at ease with dogs than with people; a connoisseur of simple pleasures in a society intent on the quest for wealth and fame. Despite an outward cynicism, Jamie is a romantic at heart, and, when not immersed in a book, can mostly be found writing emotional stories where young men from all walks of life are thrust headlong into the breathless, euphoric, often painful whirlwind called love.

Catch up with Jamie here: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
pride

Falling Right INTO YOU–Review & Giveaway!

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for a YA/New Adult M/M romance from Jay Northcote. INTO YOU is a sweet–and a little sexy–enemies-to-lovers “body swap” story that puts two former best friends on the right path.

intoyouAbout the book:
What do you do when the body you wake up in isn’t yours?

Olly and Scott promised to be best friends forever. They grew up on the same street, went to the same school, and did everything together. But one hot summer night, teenage experimentation caused hurt feelings and confusion, and their friendship was destroyed.

Four years later they’re both eighteen years old and in their final term at school. Scott is a football star and Olly’s preparing for a main role in the school play. After a heated argument in the street—witnessed by their mysterious, elderly neighbour—they wake up the next morning stuck in each other’s bodies.

With no idea how to get back to normal, they have to co-operate in order to hide their secret. Spending time together rekindles their friendship, yet feelings run deeper for both of them. With the end of school fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Unless they discover how to change back, they could be stuck in the wrong bodies forever.

My Review:
This is an upper YA/New Adult type of read which features two 18 yo boys who finally experience a real love.

Olly and Scott were best mates from the ages of 9-14. Then there was a kiss. And, their friendship dissolved. Olly admitted he was gay, and Scott would never admit to such a thing, not with his extremely homophobic father pressuring him to keep away for Olly.

Now, they are 18, and finishing their A-levels (think: senior year in high school here in the US). The pressure is on, and their coming exams will determine which uni they’ll attend. When Scott takes a bad turn and injures Olly by mistake, their animosity is exposed out on the street. Miss Wychwood, odd neighbor to Olly, takes a particular interest in the melee, and it’s not long before Olly and Scott have their lives turned upside down. Olly wakes inside of Scott, and Scott is trapped in Olly’s body.

It’s a body swap! I’ve loved this trope since the original Parent Trap (with Hayley Mills!!) and I really enjoyed how it worked here. Instead of Olly and Scott helping others connect, they get a unique chance to discover all the good and bad bits of the other, and come to terms with their true feelings. While “Olly” is brushing up his footie skills so as to not shame Scott on the school pitch, “Scott” is learning all the lines for Romeo, as he’s now the lead in the school play. If it means “Olly” gets the chance to flirt with boys–and even kiss them (as Scott has secretly desired for a while), well then “Scott” must also snog “his” girlfriend. Poor Olly! He sure knew he didn’t have a single scrap of heterosexuality after those experiences in Scott’s stead. Thing is, Scott becomes more and more convinced that he’s the one living the lie–and that Olly is the love of his life. Olly already knew that about Scott; it’s why he broke off their friendship four years ago–he couldn’t bear to watch Scott date girls.

This book is a *little* light on the sexytimes, compared to other books by this author, but it fit reasonably well with the story. These are boys trapped in the others’ body–and it feels like an invasion of privacy to indulge even in manual stimulation. They do break down those barriers, as they build a better rapport and reconnect with each other. I liked how their bond had some time to develop, and it’s SOOO tender. And sweet. And just a bit hot, too.

I really liked how Scott’s parents dealt with the changes they are noticing in “Scott.” Olly, in Scott’s stead, is exposed to Scott’s dad’s homophobia, and that’s pretty rough. Olly’s own parents are super open and loving, and it was interesting to see the careful steps that Scott’s mother took to open communication and build a better rapport. Scott’s girlfriend, on the other hand, wasn’t a nice gal, and Scott was better off being fully shot of her. I liked his friends, on the whole, and I LOVED how conscientious Olly was–to be mindful of Scott’s needs and not trying to make any permanent changes that would play out unfavorably when/if he and Scott swapped back to their original selves.

Ultimately, this is a sweet read, with lots of excellent introspection, a little magic and a YA-ish level of sexual exploration. It’s probably a bit racy for young teens, but the emotional accessibility will appeal to all age levels.

Interested? You can find INTO YOU on Goodreads, Amazon (US and UK)

About the Author:
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

You can find Jay on her website, Twitter, Facebook Author Page, and Amazon.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

signal boost

Finding Love While LOOKING FOR GROUP–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary M/M romance from Alexis Hall. I really liked WAITING FOR THE FLOOD and FOR REAL, so I jumped at the chance to read LOOKING FOR GROUP. It’s a New Adult romance between two gamers who meet in cyberspace.

Looking for GroupAbout the book:

So, yeah, I play Heroes of Legend, y’know, the MMO. I’m not like obsessed or addicted or anything. It’s just a game. Anyway, there was this girl in my guild who I really liked because she was funny and nerdy and a great healer. Of course, my mates thought it was hilarious I was into someone I’d met online. And they thought it was even more hilarious when she turned out to be a boy IRL. But the joke’s on them because I still really like him.

And now that we’re together, it’s going pretty well. Except sometimes I think Kit—that’s his name, sorry I didn’t mention that—spends way too much time in HoL. I know he has friends in the guild, but he has me now, and my friends, and everyone knows people you meet online aren’t real. I mean. Not Kit. Kit’s real. Obviously.

Oh, I’m Drew, by the way. This is sort of my story. About how I messed up some stuff and figured out some stuff. And fell in love and stuff.

My Review:

Drew is a 19 y/o student in video game design in Leicester. He’s a gamer, but not obsessed. Well, he’s good at Heroes of Legend and is super pissed when his Guild doesn’t value him, or his skills, so he ragequits them. He searches for a new Guild and joins one that’s specifically less intense than the one he’d been with the past three years. These folks are far more engaged in game for game’s sake playing, and take time to study the game, and the lore of it, for funa dn enjoyment, not simply moving forward to rack up points and prestige. It’s different, but oddly welcome, and Drew finds himself really enjoying the game in a way he hasn’t in a long time.

He’s also intrigued by the main Healer, Solace, whose winged Elf avatar is strangely compelling. Drew spends more time in HoL than ever, messaging with Solace thinking that she might-could be a gamer girl. It’s been more than a year since Drew’s dated, and he’s a bit smitten. Then he learns that Solace is really Christopher, call him Kit, and a physics student at Uni of Leicester. It’s frustrating and confusing, because he’d built a bit of a rapport, and now thinks it was all a hoax. But, it wasn’t, and Kit is just a shy gay man who’s never ever dated. His friends are all virtual, though he’s met many in person over the years.

Drew wants to meet Kit in person, and there’s a lot of angst around this, but the do eventually, and they hit it off. Drew never imagined being with a man, but he’s clearly attracted to sweet, shy and stunning Kit. And, he wants more IRL (in real life) time than Kit is quite comfortable with giving, at first.

This was a sweet book that is very low steam, lots of self-investigation, and tons of gaming. Like, so much gaming I might have felt I was IN THE GAME with the avatars of our characters. That was not entirely awesome, for me, as I really prefer being in the character’s heads and so much happened in the game space I was often left behind. It took me a while to catch on to the gaming lingo and syntax, and I found out–way too late–that there was a Glossary just waiting for me at the end of the book…and, it’s a British read, so the Brit slang plus game slang was challenging, for me.

About the romance, it was low-key, but high stakes. Drew’s a straight man, falling for a man he’s only virtually known. Their immediate connection in real life is as scary as it is thrilling. Drew’s friends are less-than-charmed with all his gaming time spent in HoL with Kit, however, and this becomes a problem, because Drew’s sensitive to Kit’s lack of life experience and fears he has a gaming addiction Drew hopes to fix. Kit’s never had a real boyfriend, and finding Drew, who also knows HoL, seems like a dream come true…yet, it isn’t.

I liked the sweetness, but I’ll admit to wishing there was more steam and less Steam (that’s a gaming joke; Steam is where you go buy/play games…). The big conflict left a rift that Drew made right in the only, and best, way possible. I loved how his grand plans were so intricate and really relied on his gaming skill. It was charming. The book is sure to appeal to readers who also have a more-than-casual interest in gaming-slash-gaming romance. The M/M aspect was limited to kissing and exhilaration, with no other descriptions on the page. Still, first love/new love is always fun to absorb.

Interested? You can find LOOKING FOR GROUP on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

About the Author:

Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret. He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ice cream maker, fortune teller, lab technician, and professional gambler. He was fired from most of them.

He can neither cook nor sing, but he can handle a 17th century smallsword, punts from the proper end, and knows how to hotwire a car. He lives in southeast England, with no cats and no children, and fully intends to keep it that way.

Catch up with him on his website, twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Reality Bites in HIS ROYAL FAVORITE-A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a fabulous contemporary M/M royalty romance from Lilah Pace. HIS ROYAL FAVORITE is the sequel to HIS ROYAL SECRET, but I found it easy to enjoy despite not having read the first book.

His Royal Favorite (His Royal Secret, #2)About the book:

The conclusion of Lilah Pace’s racy, romantic male/male duology following His Royal Secret…

James, Prince of Wales, is making history. He’s decided to come out to his subjects—and the world. However, telling the truth means exposing his relationship with lone-wolf reporter Benjamin Dahan. Although Ben never wanted commitment, the unexpected depth of his feelings leads him to join James in the media’s harsh spotlight.

When the news story explodes across the globe, Ben can endure the mockery and dirty jokes. But after his tragic past is cruelly revealed, his life begins to implode. Can even his love for James be worth this?

James has it no easier. His revelation divides the country and sparks turmoil within the royal family. He must struggle to defend not only himself and Ben, but also his younger sister, who hovers on the brink of a breakdown that could endanger her life.

Is Ben strong enough to survive the onslaught and stand by James’ side? And will James have to make a choice between Ben and the crown?

My Review: 

Ben and James met in Kenya, nearly six months ago. Ben is a financial reporter who has traveled the world and seen a lot, but suffered the deaths of his parents when he was young, and also the cruel manipulations of a much elder lover when he was just a boy. James is the Prince of Wales, next in  line for the throne. They reconnect in London, and their clandestine relationship has grown to the point of love. To risk a spoiler of the first book, James is now the Price Regent, leading the monarchy as his grandfather ails. His uncle, Prince Richard, is none-too-pleased to learn of James sexuality, and certainly sees how he can use this to his own benefit.

James has decided that he can no longer live in the closet, and he’s given Ben the opportunity to walk away–but both men feel a love deeper than either expected, and Ben agrees to come out by James’ side. And it’s horrible.

Yep. The tabloids. The royal in-fighting. Ben’s personal insecurities about all the beautiful young gay men being foisted at James, men more suitable partners for their aristocratic blood and genteel manners. Plus, Ben’s job is a source of stress, as a leak seems to be spilling into the papers, there. James is heartsick for all the Ben has lost, but joyous that he can love his man openly.

There are many bumps in this road, and not all of them are relationship based. James’ sister, Princess Amelia, is unwell, and has been since their parents died. Her self-harm is at the crisis stage, and James knows that once his “reign” ends, he’ll have no power to get her the psychiatric help she needs; the rest of their family would never institutionalize her for fear of the scandal. And, Richard’s been very chatty with the Archbishop regarding the impossibility of an openly gay man becoming the Governor of the Church of England, as James will, when his grandfather dies and he continues in succession. A grand objection from the church would nullify James’ coronation, and he’d not fight for the crown, if it came to that.

Beyond the political, the love story is one that simmers and boils. There are many questions for each man to face, and it’s new to each of them. Neither has had a stable adult relationship before, and they are terrifyingly in love, but is it enough to overcome all the stumbling blocks? Ben is an intensely private man, and he’s being plastered all over the tabloids. He’s fiercely independent, and the security needs relegate him to giving up his flat and essentially moving in with James. His job? Oh man, that’s the worst part.

So, it’s an HEA, but in a very realistic way. Life does not go back to “normal” as it cannot, but there are new expectations of normal, and new paths to forge, together. Ben must adapt to life in the spotlight, at least for now, and he gets assistance from some unlikely partners. I really liked how that part worked, because I wanted to see a bridge built between Ben and James’ friends. There is so much bittersweet going on, but the undercurrent of honest love and affection is the most delicious bit. The Epilogue sweeps up nicely all the leftover bits, and helps the reader know that this is a real and true happiness that lasts, not simply the giddiness of first love. No, we can expect that James and Ben make a life together.

The whole pomp and circumstance of the Royals is not really my thing, but this book gave it more than just a fantasy role. It’s hard work, and constant pressure, and a whole lot of protocol that keeps it all in order. While I hadn’t much interest previously, I definitely gained a larger appreciation for the institution and I surely loved James for all his selflessness in executing his duties. Ben did, too, and was a giant support when James needed him. Their tenderness was so beautiful, but their sexytimes were tons of fun, too.

Interested? You can find HIS ROYAL FAVORITE on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:

Lilah Pace is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author, so she can’t give away too much about herself here, but she has lived everywhere from Italy to the United Kingdom before putting down roots in the American South.

She’s addicted to Diet Coke, loves her dog, and daydreams about several British movie stars (though usually no more than two at a time).

And while it took her a long while to get up the courage to write books, now she hopes she’ll never stop.

Catch up with Lilah online on her website, twitter, and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

 

 

Audiobook Love: THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for an audiobook release of THE LAW OF ATTRACTION, a contemporary M/M Romance from Jay Northcote. THE LAW OF ATTRACTION is a fantastic standalone workplace romance that strikes the right balance of communication, tension and sexytimes. Add in a D-Lish Brit sexy-growling his way through the prose? #Swoon

TheLawofAttraction_finalAbout the book:
When a professional relationship turns personal, it’s impossible to resist the law of attraction.
Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm whose career is his life. He doesn’t have time for relationships and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec’s world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning—as the new temp on his team.

Ed Piper is desperate to prove himself in his new job. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by a crush on his boss. It’s hard to ignore the attraction he feels, even though Alec’s a difficult bastard to work for.

Both men strive to maintain a professional relationship, but tempers fray, passions ignite, and soon they’re both falling hard and fast. If they’re ever going to find a way to be together, Alec needs to be honest about who he really is because Ed won’t go back in the closet for anyone.

A little taste…

His companion was still watching him, seemingly waiting for him to make his move. Alec felt irrationally irritated. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Even though he only did it occasionally, picking up men was easy for Alec. Buying a drink was more than he usually bothered to do for the twinks he hooked up with when he was in the mood for a warm body to fuck. Alec was well aware of his own attractiveness and used it to his advantage. A crook of a finger, a tilt of his head, or even just a look was usually enough to make them come running.

But this guy didn’t seem to know the rules of the game.

“Strong, silent type, huh?” He suddenly grinned at Alec, all neat white teeth and dimples. “You could start by telling me your name. Mine’s Ed.”

“Alec.” He handed a note to the barman as he came back with their drinks. “Keep the change.”

“Cheers, mate.” The barman winked as he pocketed the tip.

Ed’s eyebrows lifted. “Change from a twenty? You must have money to burn.”

“Something like that.” Alec let his gaze rake deliberately down Ed, examining him from the front this time. His arms were still folded over his chest and his T-shirt had ridden up enough to expose a feathered line of hair on his belly, leading down to a nice-looking package in obscenely tight skinny jeans. “I hope you bottom?”

Ed blinked and choked on his mouthful of rum and Coke. Alec suppressed the urge to grin, enjoying the fact that Ed had momentarily lost his cool.

“I’ve been known to,” Ed replied, rallying. He licked his lips.

“Good.” Alec held his gaze, noting with satisfaction that Ed’s pupils had blown wide and his lips parted as Alec looked at them. God, he had a pretty mouth. Alec lifted his glass and downed his drink. The burn of the whisky tore through him and made his nerves tingle with anticipation. He needed a good fuck; it had been too long. “Drink up, then.”

Oh, that Alec is a right git, inn’t he? This is an auspicious meet-cute, but dang does their chemistry reach combustible levels.

My Review:
Alec is a hardworking corporate attorney hoping to make partner in his law firm. He puts in extraordinary hours as he has nothing else to do with himself. He’s a deeply-closeted gay man who’s hidden his orientation ever since that fateful day he was expelled from school for having a dalliance with a schoolmate–and that wasn’t even the worst that happened to him that day.

Ed is a newly-minted attorney, back in London and seeking employment. The weekend before he’s due to report at a firm as a temporary associate, he’s out with his flatmate and gets picked up by a suave, wealthy, older man. Alec. Their connection is immediate. Ed’s not a player, and he doesn’t go for older guys, per se, but something about Alec’s swagger turns him on. And, it’s the same for Alec. He usually hits on mealy-mouthed younger men who’d never challenge him in any way, but Ed stands up for himself. Demands a drink and some conversation before he allows himself to be wooed.

Their night together is incendiary. Neither has the guts to call it quits, and they share Alec’s bed in his barren home. The morning after is worse than shite, but it becomes all the more complicated when Ed turns up as the temp on Alec’s team handling a huge hotel merger. Alec’s so fearful of Ed revealing his dark secret, and Ed’s a peach.

Lookit, I loved the book. I didn’t always love Alec, but Ed–he’s a dream. A good dream. The kind you wake from and immediately wish you could fall back to sleep into. He’s kind and charming and funny, and hardworking–even surpassing Alec’s insane work ethic. Alec’s in turmoil. He’s so attracted and so scared and so bitter seeing Ed openly admitting to his sexuality and it being accepted without a qualm. Alec’s been carefully cultivating a hetero persona in the office, using a longtime friend as a beard. He’s fearful that coming out now will convince his workmates that he’s a liar, and jeopardize his partnership hopes.

It’s all very real, and the romance that brews is so bittersweet. Working together for days on end becomes a struggle for both of them–and Alec gets vindictive at one point. The result: pure passion.

I thoroughly loved the loving here. And the parts of tense separation only stoked the fires. They are honest with each other. Alec does not want to come out. Ed will not be a dirty secret. There seems no accord to be made, and yet Alec knows the only way to find happiness for himself is to take it. To make it happen. He has real fears of being ostracized in his family, and makes a choice to be honest–and to reveal why he hid his true self for so long. The emotions will run high for the reader, I think, without being caught in too much angst.

The HEA is real, and spectacular. Highly recommend.

The audiobook is just as lovely as the ebook. Matthew Lloyd Davies has a deep tenor voice that is absolutely delightful. I swooned, listening to his growly-purr for Alec, and still distinctive, but also deeply-voiced Ed. And, wow, the steamy sexytimes were absolutely molten as he gave life to all those yummy bits. This is the first time I’ve listened to one of his narrated books, but I’ll be looking out for new ones. He’s thoroughly engaging and managed to modulate his voice for female dialogue as well as adding appropriate accent for characters who had different dialects. At just over six hours of running time, I was able to listen to this book a few times over the course of a lengthy road trip. Each time I liked it more.

interested? You can find THE LAW OF ATTRACTION on Goodreads, Audible Audiobook and Amazon eBook.

About the Author:
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

You can find Jay on her website, Twitter, Facebook Author Page, and Amazon.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Surviving a BLOW DOWN

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary M/M mystery/romance from JL Merrow. I’ve recently enjoyed her recent books, PLAYED! and OUT! so I stepped into her murder-mystery M/M romance Plumber’s Mate series, and I was not disappointed! BLOW DOWN is the fourth book in the series, but I had no trouble loving it despite not reading the earlier books.

About the book:
Death is what happens while you’re making other plans.
The last thing newly engaged plumber Tom Paretski needs is to stumble over another dead body. He’s got enough on his mind already as the reality of his impending marriage sinks in. Not only is his family situation complicated, his heroism at a pub fire made him a local celebrity. Now everyone and their uncle wants a piece of his psychic talents.

Hired to find a missing necklace, Tom and his fiancé, private investigator Phil Morrison, wind up trying to unmask a killer—and there’s no shortage of suspects, up to and including the local bishop himself.

As Tom and Phil try to uncover the truth, they find themselves pulled in all directions by the conflicting pressures of their families and their own desires. But the murderer they’re up against is a ruthless schemer who won’t hesitate to kill again. If Tom and Phil aren’t careful, their love—and all their plans for the future—could be blown down like a house of straw.

Warning: Contains a bishop of questionable Christian charity, a necklace of questionable taste, and a plumber of questionable nationality who may be running out of time.

My Review:
This is the fourth book in a series, but I didn’t have any trouble enjoying it without having read the previous three books.

Tom Paretsky is a plumber with a skill that allows him to find “lost” things. Unfortunately, he often finds dead bodies, it seems. He’s newly engaged to Phil Morrison, a private investigator. Tom’s called in as a favor to his sister Cherry, to find something lost, a valuable diamond necklace, for uppity Amelia Fenchurch-Majors. This puts him on the cross side of Amelia’s step-daughter, Violet Majors.

And, when he discovers a body in the midst of the church picnic fundraiser it’s a big, big problem.

Okay, so this is a mystery and it has lots of peril–some bits more mild than others–but it’s also a character study. Tom is fantastic. His language is sublime. I never, for an instant, was confused about his Britishness.

“So, I’ve had everyone and his bloody dog asking me all kinds of crap ever since, up to and including Will it rain tomorrow? and Can you just fill in this lottery form for me? ta very much.”
“That’s just silly. You can’t do anything like that.” She paused. “Can you?”
“Sis, I live in a two-bed semi in Fleetville. What do you think? But try telling them that. Everyone seems to think psychic means whatever they bloody well want it to mean.

Tom and Phil are a sweet couple, still trying to figure out what to do with their relationship. When will they marry? Where? Will they move to Tom’s house, Phil’s flat or elsewhere? Tom has yet to meet Phil’s family–and that’s a fun Sunday roast dinner scene.

Seriously, I was so entertained by Tom I almost didn’t care at all about the murder mystery. Though, the investigation continues and it’s complicated and sordid and there’s plenty of dead-ends and fits and starts. Tom has such a fun and fresh outlook. His dry humor just sings to my soul. I love his bestie, Gary, who makes it perfectly clear that he and his hubs wouldn’t mind a bit of four-way with Tom and Phil. Those sassy blokes! This regular-guy-with-a-gift mystery is just good reading. Expect a harrowing moment or two; the killer sure doesn’t want a psychic getting the better of him (or her!) and might take the opportunity to snuff Tom’s candle. Little bit of sexytimes, but it’s not a big part of this story at all. That said, I liked that their relationship progressed nicely, and in a way that very likely leads us into further mystery stories down the pike.
Sign me up!

Interested? You can find BLOW DOWN on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
JL Merrow is that rare beast, and English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and and mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy and her novella Muscling Through and novel Relief Valve were both EPIC Awards Finalists.

JL Merrow is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Verulam Writers’ Circle and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online on her website, twitter and Facebook.

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Recognizing Love ON THE OUTSIDE–Review & Giveaway!

BannerTemplate-15Hi there! Today I’m sharing a release day review for a new contemporary M/M romance novella from Louise Lyons. ON THE OUTSIDE recounts the developing love between two former cell mates, now that they’re out of prison.

Catch the excerpt, my review and enter to win a book and $5 gc below.

On The Outside 400 x 600About the book:
When Craig Ferguson is released from prison after a year’s sentence for fighting, he returns home to his father and brother, and the family business. Throwing himself back into the life he left, with family, work, and women, Craig tries to forget his time on the inside, but there’s one thing he just can’t get out of his mind.

Cell mate, Rocky Kirk, still has six months of his sentence to go, and after a year together in a tiny cell, Craig misses him more than he cares to admit. He does his best to forget, but when Rocky is released, and arrives on Craig’s doorstep, homeless and hurt, everything that happened between them comes flooding back.

Craig’s family takes in Rocky, now known as Kirk, and gives him a home and a job, but he’s reluctant to join in with their partying, and never seems entirely comfortable in their home. A few months later Kirk announces he has to leave, and when Craig presses him for an explanation, Kirk blurts out that his unwanted feelings for his friend are hurting him too much to stay. His admission changes everything, but Craig’s uncertainty, and fears of his father discovering their secret, threatens to ruin anything that could develop between them.

How about a little taste?

I turned away from him, barged past Dad, and took the stairs two at a time. The bathroom door shook in its frame when I kicked it shut behind me. My temper rapidly subsided, and I risked a peek at myself in the mirror above the sink. The color in my face faded, leaving me pale and wild-eyed, breathing hard. What the hell just happened?

I replayed the scene in my head, starting with the almost-kiss between Stuart and Catherine. Was there something between them? Was it really nothing? Was I pissed off because she was supposed to be dating me, or was I actually hurt? I didn’t feel hurt. It didn’t seem that important anymore. She probably wouldn’t want to see me again after my outburst and I wasn’t convinced I minded all that much. What the fuck did that say about us? The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was only angry with myself, mostly because when I’d finally got what I wanted, I didn’t want it that much anymore.

“Craig?” A gentle tap came on the door. Kirk.

My rapid heartrate escalated, and I scowled at my reflection. “Leave me alone.”

“Come on, that hand needs looking at.”

Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bath. “Come in.”

Kirk slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just fucking brilliant.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“You know what I mean. Do you think there’s anything going on with her and Stuart?”

“How the fuck should I know? It looked like it, didn’t it?” I shrugged and blew my breath out hard. “I don’t fucking care anyway.”

“I thought you liked her.”

“Yeah, well. Maybe I should have stuck with the one-nighters.”

“You don’t mean that. I thought you wanted a relationship.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” I didn’t want to think about it anymore either. My hand stung like a bastard, and I noticed for the first time that blood was dripping all over the tiles under my feet. Before I could move, Kirk grabbed a folded towel, placed it on my knee and laid my hand on it, palm down.

“There’s a lot of glass in there.”

“You reckon you can get it out?”

“I’ll try.” He found tweezers and tissues in the bathroom cabinet, and dropped to his knees at my feet. Some of the droplets of blood soaked into his jeans and I grimaced.

“You’re getting blood on you.”

“It’ll wash.” He dabbed carefully at the back of my hand, and the tissues turned red. “This looks bad. You might need stitches.”

“I’ll be all right.” I clenched my teeth as he plucked out the first glass splinter and looked around for somewhere to put it. I reached for Dad’s can of shaving foam and flipped off the lid. “Put them in there.”

Kirk dropped each tiny piece of glass into the lid, and I counted eighteen pieces before Dad spoke from outside the door.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No. Thanks. Kirk’s fixing it.”

“Right. Good.” His feet thudded on the stairs as he returned to the football match.

“I’m missing the match.”

Kirk looked up at me and grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. “You’d rather bleed to death than miss the football?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“I think I got it all.”

“What?”

“The glass. I think I got it all out.” I dropped my gaze as he dabbed at the myriad tiny wounds with the wad of tissue. “Does it feel like there’s anything still in there?”

“No.”

“I think I saw some bandages in the cabinet.” Kirk got up and rifled through the cupboard. I stayed where I was until he kneeled down again and placed a dressing on the back of my hand. “Hold that there a minute.”

“Were you a paramedic in a previous life?”

“I did a first aid course a few years ago. I can remember most of it.” He wrapped a bandage around my hand, binding the dressing in place and making a surprisingly neat job of it. When it was done he stayed where he was, and I realized he was holding my bandaged hand in both of his and stroking my palm with one thumb. A few strands of hair had escaped the knot on the back of his head, and I had a sudden urge to tuck them behind his ear. I held my breath, staring at the top of his bent head. The only sound in the room was his breathing, and the intermittent drip from the bath tap that had needed fixing for a while.

“Thanks.” The word came out croaky, my mouth so dry I could barely speak at all.

“No problem.” Kirk jerked away, dropping my hand as if it had burnt him. Snatching up the wad of tissues, he tossed them into the toilet, and used the bloody towel to mop the floor. I stayed where I was until he opened the door and left me alone. His bedroom door opened and closed, and I made my way downstairs. I felt less concerned about my likely imminent break-up with Catherine, than I was about the moment in the bathroom.

What the hell happened? Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Did he still think about what happened between us and try not to? Jerk off and try not to remember me fucking him? Did he feel anything when he held my hand and stroked my palm, then jumped away? Jesus Christ. My heart hammered, and this time when I told myself it didn’t mean anything, and that I just kept remembering the person I’d been close to on the inside, it didn’t work.

My Review:
Craig and Kirk were cell mates in prison for a year. During that time they developed an escalating level of physical intimacy, which included sex. Craig is released six month ahead of Kirk, and struggles little on his re-entry to society. His father owns his own construction company, and Craig returns home to live with his father and younger brother, Stuart. They want Craig to go out and party on the weekends, bringing home a different gal every time, as they do. Craig would much rather find a steady girl, and struggles with the memory of his intimacy with Kirk.

Then Kirk turns up on his doorstep–friendless, homeless, and penniless. Craig’s dad accepts Craig’s recommendation to conditionally hire Kirk, and even gives him the spare room in their home until he can save up for his own flat. It seems as if everything is going well, weeks go by and Kirk fits right in, except Kirk doesn’t like to go out pulling for women. Craig meets a gal he really likes, and the friendship with Kirk suffers. Even when Craig is single, things with Kirk are strained. That is, until Kirk reveals his complete crush on Craig.

I really understood Craig’s confusion. He’s always considered himself straight, and his “bent” time in the pokey, well, that was circumstances, wasn’t it? If so, why has Craig struggled to exclude Kirk from his thoughts, and fantasies? Craig admits to himself and Kirk that he must be bisexual, and they decide to see if they can make a go of it, under cover, though. They spend some sexytime holidays, but it’s not enough, and the only way to make it work is for Craig to come out–and that is not a pleasant prospect, or experience. I kinds wanted to kick Craig in the wobbly bits, for a few moments. Good thing Stuart is a level-headed brother; his support was fantastic!

The book ends with an HEA, one given a bit of time to develop, which I appreciate. The book is about half romance, half making life work after prison. Seeing the reality side of it–the unfairness of hiring and housing practices, which are prejudiced against ex-cons, was enlightening, and poignant. It made reconciliation with Craig and his father so very important. I was glad his father didn’t allow his initial prejudice to make life harder for Craig or Kirk.

Interested? You can find ON THE OUTSIDE on Goodreads, Amazon (US or UK), AllRomance, and Smashwords.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a backlist book from Louise and a $5 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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