M/M Romance

They Are SEARCHING FOR SHELTER–Excerpt and Giveaway!

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Hi there! Today I’m sharing an excerpt and giveaway for the newest book in the Sin City Uniforms series by Morticia Knight. SEARCHING FOR SHELTER is a standalone book that features a teen shelter worker falling for a search and rescue officer.

Catch the excerpt below, and be sure to enter the signed book and $25 Amazon GC giveaway!

searchingforshelter_800_2About the book:
Teen shelter volunteer Rich searches for love until Diego, from LVMPD Search and Rescue, finds him.

After declaring his love life officially dead, Rich wonders if maybe he should stick with his shifter book boyfriends instead. It’s not as if he has much free time to date anyway. Between working long hours at a coffee shop, guarding his sodas from his hygienically challenged roommates, and running the programming at the Vegas LGBTQ teen shelter he founded – how could there ever be space for love in his life?

Diego Espinoza enjoys taking his downtime from working Search and Rescue, at the Lucky Cup coffee shop. He can set up his laptop, peruse good sport climbing spots and observe the blond barista he’s been pining over for a while. He imagines that the pretty boy has more offers than he knows what to do with, so it takes Diego time to work up the nerve to approach him.

Rich isn’t so sure about the rough looking Diego – even if he’s always thought he was hot – but once he decides to gives Diego a chance, there’s an immediate heat and connection that takes him by surprise. As they learn more about each other and try to find the way to a future together, strange and scary things start to happen.

It isn’t until Rich is injured in a bizarre accident that it becomes clear that there’s someone out there who not only doesn’t want Rich to find love – they want him dead.

A little taste…

Diego stood next to Rich in the line at Burgers & More. He rested his hand on his waist, still perplexed as to why he felt compelled to do such a thing. But he didn’t want to stop, so he didn’t.

“I want a shake too. A strawberry one.” Rich turned to him, his eyes bright, his expression happy.

“Then you should get one.” Diego thought he’d probably give Rich whatever the hell he wanted if he could possibly manage it.

“What are you getting?”

“Double stack with cheese. Onion rings.”

“And a shake?”

Diego couldn’t help but smile. His cheeks ached from the workout of muscles that he rarely ever used. “Shake sounds good. But I’m going for chocolate.”

Rich furrowed his brow. “Hmm. Chocolate, huh? Now I don’t know which to get.”

Diego squeezed Rich’s torso. “Get the strawberry, then we can taste each other’s.”

Rich snorted a laugh. “Yeah. I’d like to taste each other’s.”

Rich ducked his head, glancing around as if checking to see whether anyone had heard. His blush was prominent and he kept his face turned away, tracking various things in the restaurant with his eyes. Diego wouldn’t take him home. Not yet. He sensed that Rich had been herded into men’s beds quite a bit over the years. It was understandable given how beautiful and sexy he was, but Diego didn’t want to be just another one of those men. He’d show Rich that he wasn’t going to treat him that way. He’d bring Rich to his bed once they’d had a chance to get closer.

They made it to the front of the line, Diego ordering for them both. There was a minor squabble over paying, but Diego convinced Rich he shouldn’t pick up the tab because Rich had insisted on buying their snacks at the theater. After their food was ready, they grabbed their trays, seeking out a more remote spot to sit.

Rich took a bite of his burger then groaned. “Oh my God. This is so evil. I’ll never be able to finish it after all that popcorn though.”

Rich set his sandwich down then licked some ketchup from his fingers before wiping his hands with a napkin. Diego’s cock twitched in interest. After the popcorn sharing incident at the movies, he’d always associate Rich’s fingers with decadent pleasure.

Wooing. Not jumping.

Diego dug into his own food to prevent himself from turning into creepy staring guy. They munched some more, Diego having to avert his gaze from Rich’s enthusiastic eating more than once. Rich’s occasional lip smacking or tongue flicking in order to catch a dollop of sauce that had dribbled had turned into a ball-aching torture session. However, he couldn’t help but appreciate that Rich was really enjoying himself. Diego had worried that Rich wouldn’t be the type to give into the occasional junk food binge – that he’d turn up his nose at the mere thought of such a thing.

More reasons to find out what we’re both all about.

Interested? You can find SEARCHING FOR SHELTER on Goodreads, Pride Publishing, Amazon (US and UK) GoogleBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $25 Amazon GC and a signed copy of Searching For Shelter.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

Morticia KnightAbout the Author:
Author Morticia Knight spends most of her nights writing about men loving men forever after. If there happens to be some friendly bondage or floggings involved, she doesn’t begrudge her characters whatever their filthy little heart’s desire. Even though she’s been crafting her naughty tales for more years than she’d like to share – her adventures as a published author began in 2011.

Once upon a time she was the lead singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She currently resides on the northern Oregon coast and when she’s not fantasizing about hot men she takes walks along the ocean and annoys the local Karaoke bar patrons.

You can find Morticia online on her website, Goodreads, Totally Bound, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook.

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Out Today! Will and Patrick FIGHT THEIR FEELINGS–Review and Giveaway!

wake-up-married-banner-4Hi there! Today I’m sharing the release day festivities for the fourth episode in the Will and Patrick series. FIGHT THEIR FEELINGS is a sweet and sexy continuation of this M/M romantic comedy. You can check out my reviews for WAKE UP MARRIED, MEET THE FAMILY, and DO THE HOLIDAYS–but let’s also get to this next books shall we?

Catch the excerpt, my review and enter to win any of the Will & Patrick serial episodes (two winners!).

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00075]About the book:

Follow Will & Patrick in this fourth installment of the romantic-comedy serial, Wake Up Married, by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!

Will and Patrick have embraced adding hot sexy-times to their fake marriage, but as their emotions deepen, they confront whether or not they want to be more than friends-with-benefits. Freshly free of a restrictive relationship, Will’s not ready for more than exploratory fun. And no matter how Patrick feels about Will, his own difficult past has left him wary of love.

The heat is high (and occasionally kinky) in this episode of the Wake Up Married serial, but Will and Patrick struggle to accept their mutual affection, much less confess it. How long will they fight their feelings?

How about a tasty morsel?

Wrung out after the long night, Patrick shovels in the eggs and toast he ordered from room service. His mind drifts lazily as he eats, but when he hears the shower turn off, his stomach churns. He hates that his brain can ruin a perfectly good moment with memories that make him twitchy.

“About last night…” Will’s voice cracks slightly.

Patrick’s heart stops.

“Maybe it shouldn’t happen again?”

A sharp, deep pain lances into Patrick and he can’t breathe. It’s so unexpected, this horrible feeling, and he can’t think of anything to say. But hope and lust surge together as Will shoves away from the door. He grabs Patrick so hard it hurts and kisses him until the world shifts under their feet.

Yep, it had happened again. Had it ever. God, their second night in a row of sex had been—

Patrick jerks back to the present as the bathroom door swings open and Will strides out fully dressed in a pair of trousers and a button-up shirt. The eggs churn faster in Patrick’s stomach.

Will sits at the breakfast table. He tests, calculates, and injects his insulin before starting on his cottage cheese on toast. He looks up, fixing Patrick with a resolute gaze.

Patrick dodges the look and pokes his eggs with his fork. “Do we have to talk about it?”

Will takes another bite and chews deliberately.

“Because I don’t want to talk about it.” Patrick’s much more interested in a “don’t think, just do” policy when it comes to sex with Will. He’ll take that over revisiting the surprising pain of Will’s near-rejection the night before.

Will’s brows draw low and he chews for a long, tense moment. Patrick’s heart lurches like a skipping record until Will speaks. “Really? So you think there’s nothing to talk about?”

“Nope.” Patrick’s fork scrapes against his plate. “I don’t see why there would be.”

Will, of course, has other ideas. Like that’s anything new. “Patrick, we had sex again last night. Three times.”

“I know what we did, Will.”

“And?”

“And I liked it. And I don’t regret it.”

Will pulls his lower lip between his teeth. “You really liked it?”

“Puddin’-pop, you were there. Do you doubt you’re the best lay I’ve ever had?”

“The best?”

“Unequivocally.”

Will grins and eats some more of his cottage cheese on toast, joy rising up like the sun on his face. “You too. I mean, you’re the best I’ve had.”

Shocking. Patrick wants an award for not saying that out loud. He reaches out and takes hold of Will’s fingers. “I like being with you. I like what we’re doing and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Will pulls his hand away and scratches his ear uncertainly. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want us to stop.” He clenches his fist on the table and summons the strength to say, “Unless you want to stop?”

Will shakes his head and studies the food. After putting some eggs on his plate and compiling another cottage cheese and whole-wheat toast sandwich, he clears his throat and tentatively meets Patrick’s eye again. “So you think it’s okay if we—”

“Screw without professing our undying love first?”

Will flushes but nods.

“We’re having sex, not committing a crime. Of course it’s okay. Why make it into something it’s not?”

Will butters his toast and carefully doesn’t meet Patrick’s gaze again. This. This is why Patrick doesn’t want to talk about things. “What did I say wrong now?”

Will shrugs and takes a bite of toast. He finishes chewing and swallows. “What would we make it into that it’s not?”

“That’s what I don’t want to talk about.”

“Because you think I’ll say we can’t have sex anymore if there’s no hope of us really falling in love and making a little family together?”

Patrick breaks into a fine sweat. “Won’t you?”

He has no idea what thoughts the tiny hamsters on the wheels in Will’s mind are cranking out, but he can imagine they’re racing overtime as Will gazes at him silently. He feels like he might puke.

Will’s mouth tilts up at the corner. “No.”

“What?” Patrick chokes on his toast and has to grab a swallow of water.

“No, I won’t say we have to stop. We’ll keep on…you know.”

“Having sex.”

Will’s eyes go hot with lust. “Yeah. We’ll keep having sex.”

“I knew you liked it.” He leans forward, smirking. “Now, tell me what you liked best. In detail.”

Will adjusts his napkin in his lap. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I didn’t want to talk about ‘Oh, woe, it was wrong, and I’m still hurting over Ryan, and we’re getting divorced as soon as possible,’ because I know all that.”

Will finishes off his cottage cheese sandwich. “I get it.”

“Tell me all the dirty stuff. I want to hear how much you loved it.”

Will’s smile is soft. “Oh, I loved it.”

My Review:
This is the fourth episode in a serial novel, and should be read in sequence. I’ve read the first three and while the romance was slow to build–it truly began in the third episode–it is in full force now. While technically a novella, it’s over 40K words–so it’s a juicy read that’ll keep you occupied for hours.

Summary of the past three books: Will and Patrick have lived in the honeymoon suite of the Tallgrass Hotel in Healing South Dakota ever since their drunken “I Do”s in Vegas in early November. It’s now the beginning of January and they have finally consummated their marriage–twice. They cannot get a quickie divorce because doing so will cause Will to lose control of the Molinaro Trust–former mafia money that he has funneled into Good Works, a multimillion dollar humanitarian foundation. Patrick had lost his staff position in Atlanta and is now the chief neurosurgeon in the new Healing Hospital that Good Works has funded. Will had an emotionally abusive partner, Ryan, whose callous phone break-up triggered Will’s Vegas bender, and Will’s a recovering alcoholic and diabetic that Patrick has managed to keep healthy and sober for their entire marriage (barring the wedding night!).

In this episode, FIGHT THEIR FEELINGS, that’s exactly what’s going on. Will and Patrick have finally become sexually active, much to their mutual delight. Will has a lot of baggage to unload regarding sex, in part because his and Ryan’s sex life was horrendous and in other part because his family has rather peculiar ideas about sex, and homosexuality.

Will felt guilty having relations with a person whom he didn’t “love” but Patrick is someone that he does love–though he holds back from hoping/wishing/praying that they have a future together. Patrick continues to make it clear that he’s only sticking around until they can manage to get divorced. But that’s because Patrick doesn’t want to admit that he’s hopelessly in love with Will.

See, because he’s fighting his feelings…

This is a real emotion-driven episode with both Will and Patrick airing their vulnerabilities and asking for absolution in the only way they can. I liked it so, so much. Also, the sexytimes. GAH! Smoking hot and not skimping on the deets. Expect a bit of kink to make an appearance. (I don’t consider that a spoiler as it’s part of the disclaimer at the front of the book.)

The connections deepen. Will and Patrick build strong bonds that both satisfy and frighten them. And, of course, just when I think these guys are FINALLY on track, well, Will’s family manages to screw it all up. Again. Perhaps.

I’m going to leave you with this song, this freaking song that always brings tears to my eyes, and pretty much sums up Patrick’s feelings for Will.

Dan Hill’s Sometimes When We Touch has QUITE SERIOUSLY been haunting me ever since I finished this episode. So, yeah, I’ve been filled to the brim with melancholy, bittersweet, sentimental, impossible love for three days now. Thanks Leta and Alice.

As the series goes, it’s just getting more and more delicious. Can’t wait for the next episode.

Interested? You can find Will and Patrick FIGHT THEIR FEELINGS on Goodreads and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Clink on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win any of the Will and Patrick episodes. (Two winners!)
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Authors:
Leta Blake
Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

You can find out more on her website, Facebook and twitter.

Alice Griffiths
A long-time reader of romance novels, Alice Griffiths finally took the plunge into writing, teaming up with best-selling author Leta Blake for the ‘Woke up Married’ serialized comedy. A lover of tropes, Alice enjoys mining old ideas and putting a fresh, funny spin on them. Formerly working in the newspaper industry, Alice is now an art curator. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

You can find out more about her by following her on Twitter and Facebook.

Love Like a CHERRY BOMB–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a sweet contemporary M/M romance from Samantha Kane. CHERRY BOMB is the sequel to CHERRY PIE, and while it features a new romantic couple we still get to catch up with our old friends John and Conn.

Cherry Bomb (Mercury Rising, #2)About the book:

Their spark could be too hot to handle…or bring a dying town back to life.

Officially, Turnstiles CEO Brian Curland is in Mercury to set up a new data center. Unofficially, he’s using this trip to re-evaluate his life, because for a man who has everything, he’s feeling pretty empty.

He could buy any car he wants. But no, he had to rent a piece-of-crap Chevy—which is now broken down on the side of the road. When he’s rescued by a sexy local, Brian does what he always does. Go for what he wants, even if it’s just temporary.

Evan Michaels stops to help because that’s what good guys do. He grew up in Mercury, eventually becoming minister of the local Unitarian church. Though everyone knows him, being gay and being in a gay relationship are two different things. He wants Brian, but their affair has to be secret or he can’t play.

When Evan unleashes his long-suppressed sexuality, Brian is more than up to handling the heat. Yet even though they fall hard for each other, it might take the whole town to convince them it’s a forever kind of love.

Product Warnings: Contains an inexperienced minister, gay comic-book role play, dirty dancing in antebellum mansions, and some very naughty fireworks. Protective gear recommended.

My Review:

This is the second book in the Mercury Rising series and does not have to be read in sequence–though I recommend the first book, CHERRY PIE, too.

I really enjoyed this quaint contemporary M/M romance.

Evan Michaels is an out gay Unitarian minister in Mercury North Carolina who also runs the halfway house where his childhood friend Conner stayed after he cleaned out of drugs in prison. (Brief recap of the first book:  Conn and John were the MCs of CHERRY PIE and have developed a strong relationship. John is an internet millionaire, an app creator who’s eschewed the Cali life and decided that the cozy, but dying, town of Mercury is his new home. And John’s friend, CEO of an Internet portal company, Brian Curland has committed to building a call center in Mercury to provide jobs to the poor populace.)

Well, Brian thinks John’s lost his mind to move to “the middle of nowhere” and decides to do a bit of his own reconnaissance, and talk John into working for him back in Cali. Only, Brian’s not really an adventurer. He rents a wreck of a car, breaks down in a cellular dead zone, and is rescued by a beautiful, built man who seems to have a curious eye. And soft lips that Brian, without any ado, ravages. Yep, Brian’s impetuous.  Kiss a strange, muscular man you have known for 38 seconds? He’s lucky that he didn’t become a back woods missing person.

Evan’s shocked, but pleased. He’s attracted to the man in his truck, and he’s intoxicated by the feeling of being wanted sexually. Evan’s been a minister for several years, and while he’s out regarding his sexuality, everyone in Mercury sees him as being The Reverend, not just an ordinary man with needs. Plus, there are no secrets in Mercury. If he goes out with a man, the whole town will know. Would they still accept him as the spiritual leader he feels called to be?

So, fast forward about four hours, and Evan’s in Brian’s bed at the hotel living out some of the many sexual fantasies he’s indulged in during his last SEVEN YEARS of celibacy. I really loved the playfulness of this couple. They don’t expect a lifelong romance, and so they cast their fears aside and screw with abandon. It’s charming, really. They spend a week together, and it’s no secret between them that there is more than a fling happening. But, life gets int he way. Brian’s plans for the call center aren’t exactly what John (and Evan and the good people of Mercury for that matter!) had hoped. The truth of is it is a bit of a kick in the nuts for Evan, who loves Mercury and all his parishoners. It also marks the end of “Brivan” and their “secret” romance. For a time.

Expect some serious Cupid activity on the part of Brian’s on-again-off-again Trey, a popular bisexual actor with starry-eyed dreams for reuniting Brian and Evan. And expect for jaded Brian to go through an existential crisis that is entirely the fault of falling for a selfless man of God. There is little to the reunion, which was disappointing, as their chemistry was explosive and I’d have liked a parting pairing before this one ended.  That said, there’s another book in this series, and I’m sure it will feature Brian and Evan helping Trey with his (possible) pain killer + alcohol addiction. And I have my pick for Trey’s romantic interest all lined up.

This is a quick read with a sweet romance and a compelling plot arc in guise of reinvigorating a dying town. Americana is in full display from the formica-topped greasy spoons to the local color. I gotta get myself out to Kure Beach one of these days. Check out if it is as relaxing and romantic as it sounds.

Interested? You can find CHERRY BOMB on Goodreads, Samhain Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:

Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, two boys and one girl. With a master’s degree in American history, she spent seven years as a high school history teacher before becoming a full-time writer and mom.

She’s written books in all of the following series:  THE BIRMINGHAM REBELS, BROTHERS IN ARMS, THE SAINT’S DEVILS, THE 93RD HIGHLANDERS and MERCURY RISING

Catch up with Samantha on her website, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: WHISTLE BLOWER

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Hi there! I’m excited to share a cover reveal and giveaway for what looks to be a contemporary M/M romantic suspense novel from Dev Bentham. WHISTLE BLOWER is on my TBR, so look for a review in the coming weeks.

Until then, check out the cover, excerpt and get in on the book giveaway! Pre-order links below, too…
WhistleBlowerFS

About the book:
Money can’t buy happiness. Jacob Nussbaum knows this better than anyone. He’s a corporate lawyer deep inside a huge New York firm, where he works overtime, sacrifices any chance at a personal life, and has been selling his soul for years. With a secretary as his only friend, he trudges on, until his whole world is blown apart by a manila envelope of photos—evidence that one of the firm’s partners is the dirtiest lawyer in one hell of a filthy business.

In search of the truth, Jacob travels to a small northern Wisconsin fishing resort. There he meets Ben Anderson, a brutally lonely man, who knocks him off his feet. Ben prompts Jacob to reevaluate his life. He’s a dozen years older than Jacob, still recovering from the death of his long time love, and doesn’t want to leave anyone a widower. But a jaded New Yorker on a soul-searching mission might be just the man to convince the grieving Ben that it’s never too late to begin again.

How about a little taste?

Ben got waylaid by a bunch of little things, so it took him longer than he’d expected to get back to the dock for Nussbaum’s—Jacob’s rowing lesson. As Ben approached the dock, Jacob was facing away, staring out over the lake. Which was good, since he was naked except for a skim of bright red Lycra that barely covered his ass. And what an ass. What a body in general. It had been a long time since Ben had seen a muscular olive-skinned back on which dark hair grew in such fascinating patterns. Manny had a back like that. Ben had loved to run his tongue along the thin lines of fur along his lower back. Manny hadn’t been hairy, really, just never quite naked. Jacob had that same look, except he was younger, stronger, and better built.

Feeling uncomfortable with that comparison, Ben tore his eyes away from Jacob’s body. Aside from leaving him feeling unfaithful to Manny’s memory, this was neither the time nor the place and, in all probability, not the man to indulge that kind of fantasy. Ben cleared his throat, and Jacob turned around. Jesus. Who’d have thought under all those clothes, there’d be this—high definition, perfect tone, and all that gorgeous skin. Ben forced himself to meet Jacob’s eyes. He reached into the boathouse, pulled out one of the clean tee shirts he kept for changing after rowing, and handed it to Jacob.

“It’s easy to get sunburned out here.” For the love of God, he had to cover up the guy if he was going to teach him anything, other than…. He cleared his throat again. “The beginner scull is up here.” He walked back up the dock to the boat rack, yelling at himself the whole way for unprofessional thoughts.

As Ben uncovered the practice scull, he was hit by an unexpected wave of memory. Manny had bought it for him their first summer in the Northwoods. It had taken Ben two years to outgrow the added stability and another to decide to try Manny’s MAAS. He ran a finger over the fiberglass patch from when he’d run the boat into the shore. Manny, from his own scull twenty feet away, had admonished, “Never get in a fight with a rock. The rock always wins.”

From behind him, Jacob asked, “Need any help?”

Ben straightened and walked to the far side of the boat. “Get the stern, would you?”

Jacob picked up his side of the boat, and in a monkey-see-monkey-do motion, lifted it onto his shoulder. Ben turned around, settling the bow onto his left shoulder, and led the way back down to the dock. On three they flipped the scull into the water. Ben squatted beside the boat, pointing and describing the various parts until he felt comfortable enough in his role as teacher that he could glance over at Jacob, who knelt beside him. Jacob was focused on the boat, taking in Ben’s instructions. Ben exhaled. Jacob covered up and concentrating on the boat was easier to deal with than he was as a just-about-naked man basking in the sun at the end of the dock.

Ben noticed Jacob’s shoes for the first time. No shorts, no water shoes. Evidently Mr. Nussbaum had been expecting an entirely different resort vacation, probably involving mai tais on the beach and plenty of bikini-clad young women. If he tipped over in the scull, which he was going to do, everyone did when they were starting out, those shoes would take a long time to dry. Ben had an extra pair of water shoes. Maybe they’d fit.

“What size feet do you have?” he asked.

Jacob glanced up. “Ten. Why? Does it matter for the stirrups?”

Of course he wore tens, because otherwise the physical comparison wouldn’t be perfect. “Your shoes will be awkward as hell in the stirrups. You need something lighter and better in the water. Don’t worry. I’ve got some you can borrow.”

Jacob wouldn’t fit in Ben’s nine and a halfs, but Manny’s old tens were still where they’d always been, on the top shelf in the boathouse. Ben found them. He brushed off the dust and cobwebs. The shoes weren’t sacred, and it wasn’t disloyal to let Jacob wear them. They were just old water shoes with cracks in the soles. Ben grabbed a pair of oars and stepped back onto the dock, dropping the shoes by Jacob. “Try these. I’ll get the oars set up.”

Ben fixed each oar in its oarlock, concentrating hard so he wouldn’t have to watch another man put on Manny’s shoes. Then he set about teaching Jacob Nussbaum the rudiments of rowing.

I got my hands on a review copy of this one, so be sure I’ll share all the fantastic bits with you very soon!

Interested? WHISTLE BLOWER comes out Feb 5th, but you can pre-order it now on Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Kobo, AllRomance and Barnes & Noble.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a signed paperback copy of Nobody’s Home OR an ebook, reader’s choice, from Dev’s backlist which can be found here.

About the author:
Dev Bentham writes soulful m/m romance. Her characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know what they are missing, but whose lives are transformed by true love.

You can find Dev on her website, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dev.bentham
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Daddy’s OUT! What Next?

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a just-released M/M romance form JL Merrow. OUT! is a contemporary romance that features a mature divorced man getting his new life started, with a hot young boyfriend. Oh, and his daughter’s there to take him down a peg, or three.

Out! (Shamwell Tales, #3)About the book:

When the costs are added up, will love land in the black?

Mark Nugent has spent his life in the closet—at least, the small part of it he hasn’t spent in the office. Divorced when he could no longer deny his sexuality, he’s sworn off his workaholic ways and moved to Shamwell with his headstrong teen daughter to give her a stable home environment.

His resolve to put his love life on hold is severely tested when he joins a local organization and meets a lively yet intense young man who tempts him closer to the closet threshold.

Patrick Owen is an out-and-proud charity worker with strong principles—and a newly discovered weakness for an older man. One snag: Mark is adamant he’s not coming out to his daughter, and Patrick will be damned if he’s going to start a relationship with a lie.

Between Mark’s old-fashioned attitudes and a camp, flirtatious ex-colleague who wants Mark for himself, Patrick wonders if they’ll ever be on the same romantic page. And when Mark’s former career as a tax advisor clashes with Patrick’s social conscience, it could be the one stumbling block they can’t get past.

Product Warnings: Contains historically inaccurate Spartan costumes, mangled movie quotes, dubious mathematical logic and a three-legged pub crawl.

My Review:

This is the third book in a series but can be fully enjoyed as a standalone.

4.5 Stars.
Mark is a 39 y/o closeted gay man, who is recently divorced from his wife and assumed custody of their 14 y/o daughter Fen. His ex-wife is the only one he’s told of his sexuality, and he thinks he’s been canny enough that no one will suspect. He’s given up his lucrative career as a tax advisor (one of those blokes who tells the uberwealthy where to hide their money from the taxman) and moved out of London into Shamwell, a countryside village that is the location of all books in this series.

Mark hasn’t had regular contact with Fen in a long time. Even when he lived with her, he was basically a workaholic and hardly saw her. He has fond memories of her being a doting child and immediately thinks he can quell her spate of rebelliousness–that which got her expelled from her school–by installing her in a private school in Shamwell. Oh, poor deluded father. Fen has no trouble giving dear old absentee dad the raw side of her tongue. Or, well, the silent-but-haughty treatment. Don’t get the wrong idea about Fen, she’s aces.

Patrick is a 25 y/o aid worker who is well-out as bisexual, and still gets along mighty well with the locals in a men’s social group, the Spartans Society. He meets Mark when Mark shows up for the club, and begins going out with the group. Patrick’s drawn to Mark, but Mark puts him off. He doesn’t want to tip Fen off about his sexuality. (Oh, poor deluded father!!) Funny thing, Fen KNOWS all about Daddy Dearest, even if he doesn’t wish it so.

I adored how addled Mark was regarding being a parent. I guess I thought he had it coming to him, on account of being a bit pompous and overconfident and still endearingly oblivious. He felt like he was so slick, and so savvy and this 14 y/o girl thwarted him, and befuddled him, and figured him out and played him, by turns. In truth, Patrick owes that girl a life-debt, as she was the one who not only addressed her father’s closet full of skeletons, she pushed her father to find a new partner. Fen, for herself, wants a stable family. And she doesn’t care if she has two dads in her home. At all. Turns out two of the people she most bonds to in the book are Mark’s flamboyant gay former-assistant, and Lex the genderfluid assistant to Patrick.

There’s some issue issues between Patrick and Mark regarding Mark’s former job as a tax (cheat’s) advisor. This has to do with social services in England, and the lack of them when people don’t pay their taxes. It was a very minor part of the story. I liked it for my own self, mostly because I’m rather sanctimonious about people paying their “fair share”, but I doubt that’s the case for every reader. That said, its a SMALL part of the narrative and the one part that Patrick’s mother–a bit of “tarty” lady who disapproves of her son’s choice in partner–actually tries to smooth over.

There isn’t too much heat here. There were a few frustrating interrupted trysts and false-starts (for the characters and myself) Every time Mark and Patrick seem to get things rolling there’s an interruption–for the first two-thirds of the book. That said, I liked the book a lot. It’s funny and smart and I loved that Fen was so great a kid. That girl has a right head on her shoulders. I did really like Patrick, and I liked how Mark had to really grow up, and become the adult he’d rather been playing at his whole life.

Interested? You can find OUT! on Goodreads, Samhain Pblishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an 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 the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through was a 2013 EPIC Award finalist, and her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards.

JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

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

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Cover Reveal: THE ART OF HERO WORSHIP

HERO-BannerTemplateHi there! Today I’m so excited to present a cover reveal for a new book coming from Mia Kerick. As you know, Ms. Kerick’s work focuses on LGBT teens in trouble, and I’m sure that’s to be the case in THE ART OF HERO WORSHIP, as well. Cannot wait to get my hands on this one!!

Without further blathering…

TAOHW Front Cover-1

About the book:
Trembling on the floor, pressed beneath a row of seats in a dark theater, college freshman Jason Tripp listens to the terrifying sound of gunshots, as an unknown shooter moves methodically through the theater, randomly murdering men, women, and children attending a student performance of Hamlet. Junior Liam Norcross drapes his massive body on top of Jason, sheltering the younger man from the deathly hail of bullets, risking his life willingly, and maybe even eagerly.

As a result of the shared horror, an extraordinary bond forms between the two young men, which causes discomfort for family and friends, as well as for Jason and Liam, themselves. And added to the challenge of two previously “straight” men falling into a same-sex love, are the complications that arise from the abundance of secrets Liam holds with regard to a past family tragedy. The fledgling passion between the men seems bound to fade away into the darkness from which it emerged.

Jason, however, is inexplicably called to rescue his hero in return, by delving into Liam’s shady past and uncovering the mystery that compels the older man to act as the college town’s selfless savior.

The Art of Hero Worship takes the reader on a voyage from the dark and chilling chaos that accompanies a mass shooting to the thrill of an unexpected and sensual romance.

How about a little taste?

Pop-pop-pop….

No, I’m not even remotely safe. But thankfully I play dead far better than my dog did when I taught him that trick at the age of seven.

The shots are earsplitting and getting louder because the shooter’s heading our way. I’m so fucking scared I’m trembling violently, but I promised the guy lying on top of me that I’d stay still. I concentrate on taking short shallow breaths, one after another, in my effort to stop trembling. To stay frozen—like I’ve been since I pulled Ginny to the floor and promptly let go of her hand so I could curl up into a tight fetal ball.

Somebody near me sits up, scrambles to his knees, and impulsively crawls toward the far aisle.

Pop-pop-pop…

“Bang, bang… you’re dead.” The voice comes from directly above me; it’s blank and monotone and controlled. The weird snicker that follows is chilling. I want nothing more than to throw the big guy off my back and run like hell toward the double doors, but I just keep on going with the short breaths and stay as still as I’ve ever been in my life. Even in my terrified state, I know that the guy on top of me is totally exposed and I can’t move because I’ll cheat him out of his life, for sure. Which is so not cool when he’s trying to save mine.

I smell blood. Never noticed the smell of blood before. It reminds me of Grandma’s penny collection… if it got spilled onto the sticky floor of the theater. The scent of old copper is everywhere… like wet pennies strewn all around me on the floor.

Pop-pop-pop…

Shooter’s right above us now. Don’t move… don’t move… don’t move….

“Dear God, help us!” This request seems to catch the shooter’s attention and he turns around and steps away from us. I curse myself for feeling as relieved, and maybe even glad, as I do.

Pop-pop-pop….

We wait and it seems like forever. We wait as voices beg and plead and pray and he shuts them up with bullets. We wait as the sound of shots moves to the front left near the exit, where I figure he’s shooting at anyone who tries to get out through the double doors.

And then, for a second, it’s quiet.

“Now….” The big guy’s voice is whispering but it seems to blast into my left ear. “We have to make our move now.” Before I agree, the heaviness of his body lifts and I feel cold and exposed. “This is our chance to get outta here….”

His hand is attached to the back of my wrist, clutching me so hard that I know I’ll have fingerprint bruises for a week… if I live so long.

Interested? You can pre-order THE ART OF HERO WORSHIP on Amazon in advance of it’s release on Feb 14th.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card.
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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Revolution and Romance: SONG OF THE NAVIGATOR–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a futuristic M/M sci-fi romance from Astrid Amara. SONG OF THE NAVIGATOR is part Dune, part Star Trek, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. I found it engaging and would love to read a sequel.

Song of the NavigatorAbout the book:

Worst Possible Birthday: Being sold into slavery by none other than your lover.

Tover Duke’s rare ability to move anything instantly across light-years of space makes him a powerful, valuable asset to the Harmony Corporation, and a rock star among the people of the colonies. His life is luxurious. Safe. Routine.

He has his pick of casual hookups passing through Dadelus-Kaku Station. His one brush with danger of any kind—the only bright spot in his otherwise boring life—is Cruz Arcadio, a dark-haired, hard-bodied engineer whose physical prowess hints he’s something much more.

When a terrorist abducts Tover, hurling him into a world of torture, exploitation and betrayal, it’s with shattering disbelief that he realizes his kidnapper is none other than Cruz. As Tover struggles to find the courage to escape his bondage, he begins to understand the only way to free his body, his mind—and his heart—is to trust the one man who showed him that everything about his once-perfect life was a lie.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of extreme violence and assault. It also contains graphic sexual depictions. It also has a lot of birds. And pirate movies from the future. And romance.

My Review:

4.5 Stars for this futuristic M/M adventure romance.

Tover Duke is one of 42 navigators in the galaxy. He is esteemed by all for his ability to shift cargo and people, using his voice and some sophisticated technology and body implants, and is well paid for his service to the Harmony Corporation. He loves his beautiful hotel suite home, and his aviary stocked with tame birds, but he doesn’t love how he has to sneak around to find men for his pleasure. Harmony Corp doesn’t approve of same-sex relationships, and Tover has had to hide behind trysts with women. He has one special man he routinely seeks out–Cruz, an engineer who occasionally pops into the space station where Tover lives and works, but those reunions are few and far between.

On Tover’s 30th birthday there’s a huge celebration–and it’s interrupted by the advent of a disheveled Cruz popping in and taking Tover hostage. Cruz convinces Tover to “jump” them both to a remote space station. As soon as they arrive, Tover is taken into custody, and traded to pirates aboard the station to secure the release of Cruz and his associates. (It seemed clear that this was the best of a lot of bad options for Cruz, and one he agreed to reluctantly.) While imprisoned on the pirates’ vessel, Tover is beaten and tortured for his unwillingness to assist moving the pirates’ cargo.

He’s rescued later, but the damage has been done. His torture has resulted in psychological damage that causes him physical and visceral pain whenever he even considers “jumping.” That doesn’t bode well for Tover’s illustrious career in transport. While recuperating in a locale that’s surrounded by enemies, Tover begins to see that his early life was not a roasy as it seemed, and his work for Harmony not as straight-forward. Cruz is back, and his true colors are shown in a way that earns Tover’s grudging acceptance.

I loved how this story worked. It had excellent elements of futuristic life, and technological elements that thrilled my inner-geek. The love story between Tover and Cruz is rocky, but took it’s natural course toward an eventual and appropriately delayed HEA. In the reading I was struck by parallels to Dune: galaxy-bending transport, falling in with a native of a foreign world, understanding and championing the underdog against a galactic behemoth hierarchy.

I’ve had this one in my TRB for too long, and relished the rich world-building. I think the big disappointment I had was a lack of the dialogue/culture uniqueness. Cruz and his associates speak Spanish, and have a deeply Hispanic culture. While I liked that there was some cultural inclusion, it was not terribly different from today’s speech or manner. And, that was my disappointment. Having been a long time fan of the richness of alien culture (think Enemy Mine, think Star Trek etc) having these CO2-breathing humanoids sit down to a table full of tamales was…anti-climactic. It’s like having a Klingon sit down to the traditional feast of hamburgers. That said, the story was truly compelling and the love story one to root for. There are few sexytimes, but what exist are tender and passionate. I really enjoyed this one and hope there might be more work in this world to enjoy.

Interested? You can find SONG OF THE NAVIGATOR on Goodreads, Samhain Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance.  I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Astrid AmaraAbout the Author:

Astrid Amara lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, three dogs, three goats, and a horse. By day she is a civil servant. Her free time is devoted to her writing, working for animal rights and rescue organizations, and sleeping.

She is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and a graduate of Western Washington University.

Her novel The Archer’s Heart was a finalist for the 2008 Lambda Literary Award for Best Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror. Hell Cop won the XXXX Rainbow Award for best anthology.

You can find Astrid on her website, Facebook, and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

New Love TIED TO TROUBLE–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new M/M romance from Megan Erickson. TIED TO TROUBLE is a part of the Gamers series, which is a M/F romance series, but I felt like this was an integral part of the series, not written as a book to be skipped, as with other mainstream M/F authors. I liked the gaming aspect, and the interconnectedness of the characters. For a mainstream romance writer to pick up M/M, it was a smooth transition.

Tied to Trouble (Gamers #3)About the book:
Between love and hate, there’s a whole lot of trouble…
Chad Lake only showed up at his sister’s party for the free food, but when he spots an uptight nerd at the edge of the crowd, he can’t resist trying to ruffle the guy’s perfect bow tie and impeccable hair. The hottie’s ready for him, though, and in the end, it’s Chad who’s left wide-eyed, his ears still ringing with the filthy things Bow Tie whispered in his ear. No one gets the upper hand on Chad. Ever.

Owen Hawkins has heard all about the cocky Adonis from Chad’s sister—the same sister who holds Owen’s career advancement in her hands. He has every intention of steering clear of the other man…until Chad’s sexy taunts push him too far. There’s something intriguing about Chad, and even though Owen knows that getting tangled up with the infuriating man is trouble, he can’t seem to stay away…

**This is part of an M/F series but can be read as standalone**

My Review:
While this is the third book in a series, it’s easily enjoyed on its own.

Chad is the bad boy younger brother of Marley (MC from a previous book) and shows up at her house on the promise of 1. free food 2. free drink. That’s where he “meets” “Bow Tie,” a svelte geeky member of Marley’s staff at <i>GAMERS</i> magazine. Bow Tie ties Chad’s guts into knots when he doesn’t immediately fall for Chad’s come hither. The wearer of the eponymous bow tie, Owen, (or:  Oh-Oh-Owen because Chad wants to give him an “Oh! Oh!” face, not because of a stutter!!) is interested, but not willing to let on how inadequate he feels in the presence of sexy-sexy Chad.

Owen wants Chad, bad, but doesn’t want Marley–his direct superior–to find out about their bathroom shenanigans, or supply closet shenanigans. Or that time they did it on the floor… Meanwhile, Chad wants more floor time. Or naked in the park time…or any time with Owen.

Chad’s always felt like a ne’er do well after flunking out of college. He pays his bills, and lives alone, but he can’t stick with a job. He has aspirations in graphic design, but doesn’t know if he has the staying power to commit to going back to school. And how would he pay for it anyhow? Plus, Owen’s whole life had been commitment-phobic. He’s bisexual (some people claim that’s a commitment thing–not me, but it was there), and his longest stint at a job is his current one–four months as a topless bartender. Chad’s starting to realize that this is not the best life for a 27 y/o man, and one who sincerely desires a successful man like Owen to find him desirable.

Trouble is, Chad’s immature. Turns out that it might be better if he’d been forced to stick it out–in anything–because then he might have learned conflict resolution skills that are better than juvenile. Every time Chad gets upset, it seemed, he did the adult-equivalent of yelling “You’re a poop-head” and taking his ball home from the park. (Which, honestly was pretty close to what he actually did.)

I adored Owen, who is a fully-functional adult. He may not be happy with Chad’s behavior but he endeavors to root out the cause, instead of being smug. I guess finding the person to challenge him was what Owen needed. And, he helps Chad grow up. Chad decides to do some growing up of his own, on his own. Marley’s there as a confidante, and there’s a big part of the plot that hinges on Marley’s boyfriend Austin’s very public, very cosplay wedding proposal, and that keeps Owen and Chad in very close proximity when they would ordinarily not see each other. As a device it wasn’t too obtrusive, and the proposal scene will definitely satisfy readers of the predominantly M/F romance series.

This is a quick read with steamy sexytimes and delicious dirty talk. Expect pornographic graphic arts and bow ties to go where no bow ties have gone before…  HEA All The Way.

Interested? You can find TIED TO TROUBLE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google Play. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Megan EricksonAbout the Author:
Megan worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she’s not tapping away on her laptop, she’s probably listening to the characters in her head who won’t stop talking.

For more, visit Megan’s website, twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Nutty Fun: NUTS ABOUT YOU–Review and Giveaway!

Nuts- BannerTemplate
Hi there! I’m sharing a review for an adorable M/M shifter romance from Kate Lowell. This fun and fresh novella, NUTS ABOUT YOU, follows the, initially, unrequited interest of a squirrel shifter and the customer who makes him nutty.

Catch my review and enter to win a cute plush squirrel buddy!
nuts
About the book:
Nathan’s been crushing on one of his regular Bulk Mart customers for a while now. In his squirrel form, he sits on Vince’s bird feeders, munching on seeds and enjoying the eye candy. Until the day Vince catches him raiding the feeder…

A voyeuristic taster….

The best part was coming next. Nathan took an absentminded bite of the sunflower seed in his paw and hung a little further out from the feeder to get a better view. Because now, the body wash was coming out. Vince’s hand stretched past Nathan’s field of vision, returning with what looked like the Natural Sea Sponge Vince had bought at Bulk Mart a month ago. He flicked open the cap on the almond-scented body wash and spread it on the sponge. Though Nathan couldn’t smell it through the window, he knew that scent. It drove him wild—he stopped to sniff it every time he walked down the aisle, and he even had a bottle on his bedside table. Not to use, just to smell every night as he lay in bed, wishing it was Vince’s hand on him instead of his own.

There it went, the sponge traveling over all the places where Nathan would like to run his tongue. Vince started on his neck, smooth up and down movements covering his skin with a rich lather. The bubbles slid down his body, clinging in a way that made Nathan irrationally jealous of them. The sponge followed the bubbles down, making circles over the sleek chest, then crisscrossing back and forth over the flat stomach and past his bellybutton, with its narrow trail of hair leading down to—OH MY WALNUTS!

My Review:
I breezed through this cute little story that centers on Nathan, a squirrel shifter and workaday cashier at a big box store. Vince has been a regular customer for the past few months, coming in to purchase bags of seed for his many bird feeders. Nathan does a little bit of stalking, and a lot a bit of peeping on his crush.

Crashing out in his squirrel form, munching quality bird seed from Vince’s feeders, Nathan revels in the lack of window coverings for Vince’s bathroom and bedroom. It certainly feeds all his fantasies…until an irate Vince startles him from his perch and apprehends him!

I really liked the pace here, with little beating about the bush…Nathan and Vince are well on their way to enjoying more adult activity. The elements of squirrelness were adorable, and, as Nathan tells this tale, we get a whole lot of his nutty point of view. Okay, okay, enough with the puns already. This is a short read, perfect for a sexy lunch break.

Interested? You can find NUTS ABOUT YOU on Goodreads, Amazon, iTunes, and AllRomance.

Squirrel****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a plush “Nathan” squirrel. (Shifting not guaranteed!)

Meet the author:
Kate Lowell lives on the east coast of Canada, in an old farm house that has way more personality than it has any right to. During the winter, she spends her time dreading snow, cursing at snow, shoveling snow, and scheming ways to shove it down the kids’ necks. During the summer, she prays not to have snow. 🙂

Kate likes to play in ALL the sandboxes. While her main genres are paranormal and contemporary suspense, she is also interested in science fiction, fantasy and–weirdly–romantic comedy. She’s willing to pay large amounts of money to anyone who can come up with plot-bunny repellent, which she will first use on herself, then sell to LA Witt for an exorbitant price to recoup her costs.

You can contact her at katelowellbooks (at) gmail.com . If you think you’d like to try writing gay romance, come visit her critique group (Link can be found at http://katelowell.com). New members are always welcome.

You can catch up with Kate on her website, Facebook, https://twitter.com/, and Goodreads.
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Dangerous Terrain–GONE AWAY-Excerpt Review & Giveaway

GA-BannerTemplate
Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a contemporary M/M reconnection romance from Elizabeth Noble. GONE AWAY is a thriller with a romance mixed in. I really was blown away by the plot and how realistic the danger felt.

Be sure to drop down and enter the giveaway for your chance at winning one of Elizabeth’s many published titles.

GA Final Draft 101515About the book:
Mason Arquette isn’t one for mincing words. In fact, he often rubs people the wrong way—with the exception of Riece Burrell. Riece came with his own set of social issues, but he saw right through Mason’s tough exterior, and they made a perfect couple. Or so Mason thought… until Riece abruptly ended their relationship without much explanation.

Years later, Mason and Riece are thrown back together. As a US Forestry Service photographer, Riece is sent on assignment to the Black Hills, where Mason works. When Mason is tasked with guiding Riece around the territory, old feelings quickly are rekindled.

But nothing is ever easy. Just as Mason and Riece begin to work things out, they’re targeted by people with motives so vile and twisted they defy imagination. In a desperate race for their lives, they must depend on one another and take a big step out of their personal comfort zones to find their way back to safety—and back to love.

How about a little taste?

“Hungry?” Mason poked at the campfire he’d started. This spot was a popular one. There was already a fire pit rimmed with rock and stone, set against an outcrop and facing a small stand of trees. Whoever constructed it had clearly thought out the location well. The trees were far enough away to be of minimal danger from the fire, yet close enough to be convenient for hanging food from. Their fire was protected by the outcrop and the shallow pit.

Riece turned and studied Mason and their camp. He grinned and raised his camera to take a few more pictures. “You photograph very well.” Riece walked over and sat beside Mason. “Want to see?”

“Sure. If I don’t like them, do they get deleted?”

“No,” Riece said and rolled his eyes. He settled on the ground beside Mason and leaned against him while going through the photos he’d taken that day.

Without thinking, Mason lifted one arm and put it around Riece, tucking him close to his side. “Those are pretty good. Even the ones with me in them.” Both of their actions seemed natural and easy.

Riece snorted and pulled the micro-memory chip out. “Of course they are. I have excellent technique.”

Mason laughed and handed Riece his bag. Riece extracted a plastic case, slipped the chip into one of the slots, and put a new one in the camera. “What’s on the menu?”

“Chicken burritos—well, my version. I threw some potatoes on to bake too, and the all-time campfire favorite of s’mores.”

“Oh, nice. I haven’t had those since I was a kid. My mom used to make them for me over the stove.”

“You haven’t had s’mores until you’ve had them made over an open fire,” Mason said.

Riece tucked his camera away, and they set about assembling and eating their dinner. Mason squeezed shredded chicken from foil pouches onto tortilla wraps. They added shredded cheese, some salami, and dried fruits and spices to the mix. Mason rolled them in foil and set them on the hot embers from the fire to warm up. Dried power-drink mix to add to their water completed the meal. It was completely dark by the time Mason loaded skewers with marshmallows for roasting.

“That was pretty good.” Riece leaned against his pack and gazed up at the sky.

Mason laughed. “What were you expecting, squirrel meat?”

“I was worried about what we were going to eat. I’ll admit I had visions of freeze-dried food packets. I didn’t really pay attention when you were packing. I was afraid to look too closely,” Riece confessed.

“Tomorrow we’ll be near a river, and we can score some fresh fish and use our water filters to refill our bottles. I’ll show you how to spear fish.” Mason stood and stretched. When he began collecting their food stocks and garbage, Riece immediately joined in, helping him. “Anything like toothpaste or mouthwash we’ll store in our sack as well. That stuff smells good to wildlife too.”

“We can keep the lube with us, right?”

That made Mason laugh. “I wouldn’t dream of having it any other way. It’s nice enough out tonight. I can set the tent up, or we can sleep without it.”

“If you don’t mind, and if the wildlife will cover their eyes, I’d like to be able to see the open sky.” Riece sat cross-legged near the fire and pushed his hands against the ground. “Sort of hard and lumpy.”

“You’re such a city boy,” Mason said with a chuckle. “That’s what I brought a sleeping pad for.”

“Now who’s being a city boy? I was thinking more along the lines of how comfortable you are to sleep on.”

Mason smiled, rolled his eyes, and shook his head before he went about completing the task of getting their sleeping area readied. Riece packed their food in the bear bag they would use to secure it high enough off the ground it would be safe. Using a rock and some utility cord, Mason showed Riece how to rig it between two trees.

“We’ll use this as a base camp, hike farther out tomorrow, and come back here to sleep before heading to the next area you need to go to,” Mason explained. He’d spread the map out and traced their path with one finger.

Riece looked over his shoulder. Mason could feel his warm breath on the back of his neck and how he nodded every few seconds. Eventually Mason spread the sleeping pad out, and Riece inflated it before arranging their bedrolls over it.

The temperature dropped fast after the sun went down. Riece was lying on his back, arms bent under his head, looking up at the sky. They’d hiked quite a way that day, and Mason was getting tired. He spent a few minutes watching Riece. He’d folded his clothes and neatly placed them in his backpack, which made Mason smile. Even in the wilderness, there were some things Riece would do to follow his routine, and there was no stopping him. Mason had learned long ago trying to make Riece give up too many of his habits too quickly would cause him to close off and withdraw. Something Mason wanted to avoid at all cost.

Mason stripped off his clothes before he slid into the bedroll with Riece and wrapped one arm around his waist. Despite the cool night air, he was warm in seconds with Riece’s body against his.

My Review:
While this is the fourth book in a series, it can be fully enjoyed as a standalone.

Mason Arquette is a mixed-race (white and First Nations!) gay US Forest Service ranger whose territory covers the Black Hills region of South Dakota, his homeland. Years ago he met Riece Burrell at college. Both Riece and Mason have some emotional issues; Mason has a temper and Riece has OCD and crippling social anxiety, but they fit well together in spite of those impediments. They had a satisfactory relationship that ended when Riece left suddenly, with no discussion. As it turned out, Riece’s mother counseled her son to leave–making it clear that Mason wouldn’t continue to tolerate Riece’s tics indefinitely. (Thanks, Mom!!)

So, after three years they are reunited when Riece is assigned to photograph parks in Mason’s jurisdiction. Mason surprises him at the airport, and again, when he takes them to a romantic inn en route to their destination. While Riece and Mason have separate rooms, Riece can’t take the separation any longer. They seem to get on like a house afire, burning up the sheets anyway….

After getting Riece settled in Custer the ardor ebbs, a bit. Mason wants time to regroup, and be sure he can trust Riece again. They have an extended hike planned so Riece can get images of some of the more remote vistas, and while their reconnection is still going strong, it suddenly gets thrust into overdrive. Encountering some shady characters on the trail has Mason thinking of remote meth labs or poachers, but it’s far, far worse.

No, Mason’s soon employing all his backwoods tracking skills to keep himself and Riece out of the range of lethal crossbow bolts. Nothing like some psychotic killers to make a scenic trail harrowing, amiright? I really got into this thrill ride, as it truly was something I hadn’t expected. Expect bloodshed, mayhem and daring forays. Expect Mason and Riece to fully repair their breach and become better than the couple back in college–excellent sexytimes, yo. Also, expect slurs of all varieties–including homophobic and racial. Just sayin’.

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

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a book from Elizabeth Noble’s giant backlist!
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Elizabeth Noble started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.

Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess and one tabby cat. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she’s not writing she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives. Three of Elizabeth’s books have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards.

You can catch up with Elizabeth on her website, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, or sign up for her newsletter.

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