LOOKING FOR HOME by Aria Grace

Hi there! Just sharing in the blog blast for Aria Grave’s novella release: LOOKING FOR HOME. It looks to be a sweet, sexy read! Don’t forget to scroll down for the $25 Amazon GC giveaway. 😉

About the book:
Evan spends half the week on the road, literally, and the rest of his time sitting around in an empty house. Killing time and drowning his hopes of ever finding someone to share his life with. Someone to come home to.

When he meets Georgie at a New Year’s Eve, Evan’s entire perspective changes.

How about a little taste?

Bill, bill, coupon, coupon, bill, and a big black envelope addressed to me. An invite, maybe? I don’t see my name in calligraphy very often but it looks good.

Mr. Georgie Kelton

Most of the mail that comes to the penthouse is not for me so I rarely look through it. I mostly toss it in a pile for Spencer or Dylan to take care of when they’re in town. But for the past two weeks I’ve been checking every day for something important. Not just something. The one thing that could get me pointed in the right direction for a real career in fashion.
The Bijou Design Summit for Fashion in New York accepts six up-and-comers with no experience or schooling into their Page program for the week of the event. It’s not glamourous work but if I get accepted as a page, it’ll be worth a few years of practical experience right there. Fast-tracking my fashion aspirations from a ten year plan to a five year plan would be huge.
I’ve had dreams of starting my own fashion line since I was a kid but I couldn’t risk anyone catching me with a sketch pad full of wedding gowns so I put those dreams on hold.

Once I ran away and started dancing, I all but forgot about the goal. It wasn’t until Spencer and Dylan encouraged me to start sketching again that I even considered a career in fashion was possible.

But here I am, waiting for a letter from New York that will tell me if my dreams are more than fantasy. If I have what it takes to even stand in the same room as the people I’ve idolized since the day I thumbed through my mom’s Cosmopolitan magazine.

And as much as I want to say getting to New York is all about fashion, I know that’s a lie. It’s about more. I want more.

My friends are all beginning to couple up around me and it’s becoming harder to ignore the lack of a better half in my own life. I have fun with my tricks and I’m physically satisfied but watching them get dressed and go home to their wives or kids or wherever they go after they get their rocks off with me is starting to wear me down.

A five-year plan is perfect. Just enough time for me to put together a decent portfolio, make some contacts in the industry, and work my way out of whoring. It’s a good gig while you can get it but I can’t do this forever. And I won’t try. Wouldn’t want to even if I could.

Dropping all the junk mail on the counter, I take the invitation with me as I flop on the white leather couch. The Christmas tree is still standing in the corner but the unusually sunny day drowns out all the holiday cheer that filled the penthouse just twenty four hours ago.

With Dylan and Spencer back in California to spend time with Andre and his new boyfriend, Frankie, the penthouse is more lonely than ever.
Pulling open the corner of the black envelope with my teeth, I shake it sideways until the single notecard falls into my lap.

You’re Invited
Ring in the New Year with Chance and Vinnie
Black Tie Attire
10pm
Private Mezzanine at The Heathman Hotel

A party at The Heathman? Are Chance and Vinnie going all 50 Shades on us? I haven’t spent much time with those guys but what I do know about them is all good. It sounds like just the kind of party I love but I have other plans.

Theo promised to ditch his wife on New Year’s and spend the evening with me. The tyrant he’s married to keeps his holiday schedule locked up during the entire month of December but he’s already given her an excuse about having to entertain some colleagues from the United Arab Emirates.

If all goes well, that ball in New York won’t be the only one getting some action on Saturday night. Being a high-end rent boy guarantees I have sex nightly when I’m working, but Theo will cuddle.

Sometimes.

If he doesn’t have to rush out, he’ll hold me until I fall asleep. But it’s been too long since he hasn’t had to rush out so Saturday can’t come soon enough.
While I’m thinking of him, I can’t resist a quick text.

I’ve sent the proposal.

Because his wife is always monitoring his phone when she’s around, I have to start every text with an innocuous phrase that won’t raise any suspicions.

Thanks. In a meeting. Will review tonight.

Tonight? I wasn’t expecting him to come over tonight. I quickly thumb through my scheduling app to make sure I’m free. I have one client at 7:00 but will be free by 9:00 so I send him a coded reply.

I’ll be offline until 9. Will look for your comments then.

Confirmed.

Confirmed! He’s coming tonight.

I toss the invite onto the coffee table and jump out of my seat. If I’m going to see my sugar daddy tonight, I need to do some prep work. I haven’t waxed in a week and I could use a pedicure.

Theo also likes lace so I spend the next hour trying on lingerie until I find a pair of panties that displays my package the best. The red lace against my pale skin has the same classic thing that my girl Taylor rocks.

The best part is they’re assless. The straps that hold the front together fit snugly under my cheeks, giving me a bit more of a bubble butt than nature intended. Again, exactly how Theo likes me.

Personally, my style is more about beauty and comfort than purely being femme. But, Theo has a thing for princesses. His wife is a princess but more beast than beauty.

So I give him what he wants. He doesn’t pay me anymore, not in terms of my nightly rates. He gives me something far more valuable than the cash I get from every other trick. Theo gives me affection. It’s not a perfect relationship right now, but as soon as he leaves the ice queen, we can be together.

Of course, if the page job in NYC comes through, I may have to reevaluate everything, including my patience with Theo.

Interested? You can find LOOKING FOR HOME available for preorder on Amazon, Nook, and iTunes.

GIVEAWAY

Click the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon GC and a copy of LOOKING FOR HOME, or another Aria Grace title.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Aria enjoys the year round sunshine and laid back environment of the west coast. She lives with her husband and two children on a quiet hill that gives her lots of time to read and write. Once she ventured into the exciting world of gay romance, she never looked back. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to drop her a note or visit her at http://www.ariagracebooks.com.

Find Aria online on her Facebook, Amazon Author Page, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Soothing Two LONELY HEARTS–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for the long-awaited third book in the Love Lessons series from Heidi Cullinan. I have previously reviewed the very excellent NOWHERE RANCH, CARRY THE OCEAN, and SLEIGH RIDE from Ms. Cullinan, who I should mention is a veritable Auto-Buy for me at this point. The Love Lessons series is a New Adult M/M contemporary romance series that centers around students who perform with the a cappella chorales at (fictional) Saint Timothy’s college near Minneapolis, Minnesota. In LONELY HEARTS, Baz Acher and Elijah Prince–who have been side characters in previous stories–find the kind of love the fans have surely wanted to see these broken men find.

About the book:
Even hot messes need a happily ever after…

With the quiet help of his wealthy family, Sebastian “Baz” Acker has successfully kept his painful past at bay. But as the end of college draws near, his friends—his buffer zone—are preparing to move on, while his own life is at a crippling standstill.With loneliness bearing down on him, Baz hooks up—then opens up—with Elijah Prince, the guy Baz took a bullet for last year. The aftershocks of their one-night stand leave giant cracks in Baz’s carefully constructed armor. For the first time, the prospect isn’t terrifying.

Accustomed to escaping his demons by withdrawing into his imagination, Elijah isn’t used to having a happy herd of friends. He’s even less comfortable as the object of a notorious playboy’s affections. Yet all signs seem to indicate this time happiness might be within his grasp. When Baz’s mother runs for a highly sought-after public office, the media hounds drag Baz’s and Elijah’s pasts into the light. In the blinding glare, Baz and Elijah face the ultimate test: discovering if they’re stronger together…or apart.

Warning: Contains sex in a Tesla, sex in a cupboard, sex under a piano, kinky role play, and a cappella RuPaul songs. Just a couple of boys groping, battling, then finally loving their way to becoming men.

My Review:
This is the third book in the Love Lessons series and can be fully enjoyed as a standalone.

Welcome to the love story between Sebastian “Baz” Acker and Elijah Prince. Their lives have intersected in brief and dangerous ways: Baz found Elijah living on the Mineapolis streets and sent him back home, with all his cash, years before. Baz might not have if he knew the home Elijah had fled from was abusive, with parents brimming with radical ideas of how to “fix” their gay son. On campus at Saint Timothy’s, just a few months before, Elijah’s parents learned he lied about his conversion, and drove to the university to kill him–failing only because Baz jumped in front of the bullet.

Baz had been gay bashed as a teen and still deals with both the physical and emotional fallout–he has chronic pain, many titanium parts, and photophobia due to damage to his retinas. He must wear dark colored contacts and sunglasses In any kind of light, except when he’s at home and his red lamps don’t hurt. He suffers migraines and loneliness–he’s stinking rich and prime marriage bait, but Baz doesn’t want to be coddled, and he doesn’t want to feel fragile despite his many infirmities. He’s watching all his friends graduate college and feels aimless, and decides to hit on the one guy he should stay miles away from: Elijah.

Elijah’s abusive family is one thing; surviving and having a huge outreach of help is a totally different mind bender. He’s used to taking car of himself, so, even though his friends raised a ton of money for his schooling and living expenses, Elijah works menial jobs to keep his sense of self. He is a throwaway child, in his own mind, and cannot fathom what Baz Acker would want except to use him and throw him away–and Elijah is fully warned this will likely be the case. But the sense of connection from heir one night runs deep, and it’s doubly humiliating when he hears nothing from Baz for WEEKS after–especially knowing that Elijah is supposed to move into a house Baz shares with several other students.

Their meet-cute never happens, because life happens. They have old and new scars that keep them separate, and yet when Baz is on the spot to provide a date for himself to one of his mother’s political functions it to Elijah that Baz turns. Their chemistry is off the chart, but maybe it was just their chemical activity that enhanced an otherwise unspecial encounter. See, Baz and Elijah are skilled in the Pharma dabbling. Expect a lot of highly questionable self-medicating events.

The love story grows slowly, and only under Baz’s gale force front of keeping Elijah in exactly the place he needs: beside him. I absolutely adored the Miyazaki references, and how Baz and Elijah modeled themselves after Howl and Sophie, (Howl’s Moving Castle). The music references were to be expected, because Baz and many of the series characters are acapella singers for Saint Timothy’s choral ensembles. I truly appreciated how Baz dealt with his mother’s machinations, and how fiercely he loved Elijah.

As he snuggled deeper into the delicious cocoon of their bed, Elijah made himself acknowledge how hard Baz had pursued him not only tonight but also every other time Elijah had tried to withdraw. Tonight he’d found Elijah when everyone else kept walking right past him—Baz seemed to zero in, as if he’d known exactly where to look. He with the shit vision. Baz had found him, swept him away in his moving castle and talked him into sanity. Confessed that he loved Elijah, loved taking care of him. Baz wasn’t a little bit of affection. He wasn’t a flame like Aaron or Giles or Mina or Lejla. He was a goddamned lighthouse calling Elijah’s moth-eaten soul home.

A-freaking-men.

This book doesn’t have as much external conflict as I expect other books in this series have had, but it’s a sucker punch of feels and a romance that any reader could applaud. Two men, broken both body and soul, finding real love.

Can I get a Hallelujah?

I really like the Pastor in this series, and his wife! They are some prime examples of God’s unfailing love. I also enjoyed many a secondary character in this story. I know most of them have their own stories, and I’ll likely check those out.

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

About the Author:
Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her husband and teenaged daughter. Heidi is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality. Find out more about Heidi, including her social networks, at her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Death Has Momentum–A Review of JUGGERNAUT

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for JUGGERNAUT, by Amelia Gormley. This is the “prequel” book to STRAIN, a post-apocalyptic dystopian future story about survivors of a virus that killed billions. In Juggernaut we see the world before and immediately after the viral outbreak. If you have read STRAIN (published a year ago), there are no spoilers below. If you haven’t, well, I don’t think I give away more than the blurb will tell you….

About the book:
They helped destroy the world. Now they have to survive the new one.

For rentboy Nico Fernández, it’s a simple job: seduce a presidential advisor to help cement approval to launch Project Juggernaut. He’s done similar work for General Logan McClosky before, and manipulating people for his favorite client beats the hell out of being trafficked for slave wages in some corporate brothel.

Zach Houtman feels called to work with the most vulnerable outcasts of society. But his father, the Reverend Maurice Houtman, insists that Zach work for him instead as he runs for Senate. Zach reluctantly agrees, but is horrified to see his father leave behind Christ’s mandate of love and mercy to preach malicious zealotry and violence instead. Zach even starts to suspect his father is working with fundamentalist terrorists.

When Project Juggernaut accidentally unleashes a deadly plague that claims billions of lives, Nico and Zach are thrown together, each bearing a burden of guilt. With only each other for safety and solace, they must make their way through a new world, one where the handful of people left alive are willing to do anything—and kill anyone—to survive.

My Review:
This story is set approximately 100 years into the future, when long military campaigns had decimated the recruitment of soldiers. In this brave new world, wealth is highly concentrated, and poverty is likewise concentrated–in corporate-owned slums. The ways out are not plentiful, but soldiers could get their families out, and people could take up prostitution, legally, if they worked for a corporate brothel. Education was only for the wealthy, because who else could afford to download their digital lessons?

Nico is a rentboy in a special place–his mother broke away from her corporate brothel and opened a boutique business in providing educated, charming companions to the upper echelon of society. He has all the advantages of his courtesan education, including the regular clientele of Gen McClosky. Nico steps in and accepts a job for McClosky to ‘entertain’ a high ranking advisor: Secretary Littlewood. The night goes according to Littlewood’s sadistic plan, leaving Nico wrecked–and especially so when he learns what his efforts enabled: green lighting Project Juggernaut, infection of several army battalions with the Bane Alpha virus to give them super strength, super agility, advanced stamina and healing power–but also turning their blood into a chemical weapon. When cut, any non-Alpha immune person would contract Bane Beta and become violently ill with a terrible flu. Only, something goes epically wrong. (PS, this is not a spoiler if you have read STRAIN)

Zack Houtmann is a former divinity student working on his father’s, Reverend Maurice Houtmann, political campaign, and he’s not happy about it. He struggles with the anti-homosexuality message being touted by his father and also the lack of compassion he sees displayed by his father and younger brother, Jacob. It’s not a small thing that Zack seemingly overhears plans of a terrorist hate-crime to coincide with his father’s campaign kick-off. As the virus is unleashed on American soil, Zack is forced to hole up with his increasingly paranoid and zealous father and Jacob.

Nico is saved from the virus by the guilty hand of Gen McClosky–who also sets Nico on his way once the worst of the outbreak has happened. Nico and Zack cross paths in America’s crossroads–Indiana, en route to the survivors’ camp in Colorado Springs. Getting there is quite the battle, but surviving quarantine and staying is even more dangerous.

This is a fantastic post-apocalyptic story with great characterization and incredibly well-crafted plot tie-ins to STRAIN. We meet the Jugs (infected soldiers) and witness the crippling issues of starting society over. Zack and Nico develop a love story, but it is one of mutual self-sacrifice. Expect more bitter than sweet in this book, and expect to immediately want to jump into STRAIN if you have not read it–or BANE, STRAIN’s sequel–if you have. The book has the typical zombie-like menace, marauding revenants who are just as deadly as the Jug’s toxic blood, but it is the uninfected humans who provide more terror. Their justifiable paranoia leads to inhumane action–it’s a cruel, cruel world for real.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. Just excellent.

Interested? You can find JUGGERNAUT on Goodreads, Riptide Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:

Amelia C. Gormley may seem like anyone else. But the truth is she sings in the shower, dances doing laundry, and writes blisteringly hot m/m erotic romance while her son is at school. When she’s not writing in her Pacific Northwest home, Amelia single-handedly juggles her husband, her son, their home, and the obstacles of life by turning into an everyday superhero. And that, she supposes, is just like anyone else.

Her self-published novel-in-three-parts, Impulse (Inertia, Book One; Acceleration, Book Two; and Velocity, Book Three) can be found at most major ebook retailers, and be sure to check http://RiptidePublishing.com for her latest releases, including her Highland historical, The Laird’s Forbidden Lover, the The Professor’s Rule series of erotic novelettes (co-written with Heidi Belleau), and her upcoming post-apocalyptic romance, Strain.

You can contact Amelia on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Learning to Love BEYOND THE SCARS–Review and Giveaway

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for Louise Lyons’ new contemporary M/M romance BEYOND THE SCARS. I really enjoyed her novella, IN DARKEST PERU, so I jumped at the chance to read her latest novel. I definitely enjoyed the emotional ups and downs of a man finding his footing after suffering an abusive relationship.

About the book:
After years of physical and mental abuse, Tommy Chadwick finally finds the strength to leave Colin, his tormentor. But Tommy soon finds that escaping his violent boyfriend was only the first step on his path to recovery.

Now he must overcome feelings of worthlessness in order to rebuild his battered self-esteem.

Tommy’s lack of self-confidence prevents him from going out… at first, but then has him ricocheting from one man to another, desperately trying to please them in his search for love and acceptance.

After being rejected on New Year’s Eve, and then beaten after leaving the gay bar, he agrees to accompany his best friend, Sarah, to a martial arts club. There Tommy meets Marcus, a strong older man, who at first becomes his friend, introducing Tommy to new interests, and later, tentatively asks him on a date.

Will Marcus be the man to help Tommy put his past behind him and fall in love for real?

how about a little taste?

Two years, ten months, nineteen days. That was how long I’d been here. But today was different. Today I was leaving. My life was no longer worth living, and if I didn’t change it, I thought I might die, whether by his hand or my own.

I’d met Colin Woods in June 2004 on MySpace. I’d been nineteen then and reasonably happy in my own skin. But the fishing port of Grimsby wasn’t the best place in the world to try meeting other men. It didn’t have much to offer the GLBT community, and most people either went out of town or used online dating and chatrooms. I’d opened an account on MySpace, and within a few weeks I’d connected with Colin. He lived close to Grimsby, too, in one of the villages not far from the outskirts, and we met just days after our online introduction. He’d seemed so different then.

I jumped and glanced over my shoulder as I heard a sound outside. Our neighbor, slamming his car door. I let out a shaky sigh of relief and continued stuffing my clothes into a bag. My hands trembled, and I tried talking to myself in my head. You’ve got time. He won’t be back for hours. Calm down. Don’t forget anything important.

I fastened the bag and grabbed another smaller one which I took into the bathroom to collect my meager amount of toiletries. Then back to the bedroom for my CDs. Half an hour at the most and I’d be out of here. Free. Safe.

A few more minutes passed. I thought I had everything, but I took another look around to make sure. If I left my wallet or car keys, I’d be in trouble. I patted my pockets and found the keys in my right, front, jeans pocket and my wallet in the back pocket on the same side.
I picked up the smaller bag again and shoved in a few odd socks which were on the floor next to the bed. Every moment that passed was a moment too long, and I tried to hurry up. The silence in the flat was so loud my head pounded with it. Then in an instant it was shattered by the front door flying open and crashing against the wall. The bag I was holding fell from my hands, and items scattered across the floor. I took a step back as Colin appeared in the doorway, eyebrows raised.

“I… um… I thought you were g-going fishing,” I stammered.

“I was, but you have to ruin everything as usual,” he growled. “I rang you at work. You know, your place of work where you went two hours ago. Only you didn’t go there, did you? They said you booked time off!” He bellowed out the last sentence, and I flinched. “So tell me, Tommy. Why would you take time off work and not tell me? Why are you here, packing stuff into a bag, ruining my day, when I should be out fishing with my mate?”

“I’m leaving,” I said in a small voice. Maybe he’d let me go. Just maybe he’d be mad enough to think it wasn’t worth it anymore. I’d ruined his day, after all. I could imagine the words coming out of his mouth, and I prayed silently he’d say them. Go then, Tommy. I’ve had enough. Get out of my sight, and take all your shit with you.

“The hell you are. Get that stuff unpacked right now.” He clenched his fists at his sides, and his jaw twitched. I was impressed he hadn’t hit me yet. “Actually, I changed my mind. Leave that. First you can tell me exactly what you thought you were doing. Haven’t I said a hundred times you’ll never leave me? I won’t let you leave. You have nothing without me, anyway. No one else would want you, useless waste of space that you are.”

“I… I’m sorry. I thought I’d….” I racked my brains desperately for the right words—words which might not result in me being forced to take more time off until the bruises faded. Usually he avoided my face, but if he was really mad he seemed to want to pummel the features he repeatedly told me were a turn off to everyone except him.

“You thought what? I’d let you go, just like that? You thought you’d sneak off like the little coward you are while I’m not here?” He stepped closer, and I gulped, my mouth dry with fear. I knew it was going to be a lot worse than it had been before. I’d never really done anything before to deserve it. Tiny little mistakes—an item put away in the wrong place, his dinner later than he demanded, something not done quickly enough or the way he wanted. Here I was packing, intending to leave and daring to make my own decision. He’d beat the shit out of me.

I took a step back and came up short when I bumped against the wall. Colin lifted his hand, and in a second he had fastened it around my throat.

“You’ll never leave me, Tommy. Do you hear me? I’ll make sure of it.”

My Review:
Tommy is a 23 y/o man just coming out of an abusive relationship. He moves in with a good friend and her mother. While he’s no longer suffering the physical abuse, it’s still not easy finding his way in his new life. He has very low self-esteem and runs from man to man–whomever finds him sexy at the nearby gay bar.

At first, Tommy is satisfied, feeling attractive and worthwhile, but the anonymous sex soon loses it’s luster. His housemates, Sarah and her mother Shirley, are kind and offer good advice, helping him to take good steps. Sarah encourages Tommy to start Jujitsu classes with her and her boyfriend. Having been a victim of abuse and gay bashing, Tommy thinks it’s a good idea to gain some skills in self-defense. There he meets Marcus, a big burly gay man, who is one of the dojo’s black belt instructors. Marcus and Tommy share more in common than being gay–they like Jujitsu, and both have Mini Coopers, and Marcus is part of a “Mini” club. At first Tommy doesn’t find Marcus attractive. He’s not ugly, just not his type, but the more time they spend together, the better friends they become. Soon, Tommy is very much attracted to Marcus, but neither man is sending out strong signals and a Tommy is too tentative to make his interest plain.

I liked how Tommy worked through his emotional issues, how he took steps to improve his new life and build positive relationships. Marcus is a good man, and has also suffered partner abuse, so he’s an excellent match for Tommy. Their tentative courtship is sweet, and causes the romantic tension to ramp slowly. While Marcus and Tommy take slow steps toward each other, they are able to bring friendship into the relationship–something Tommy didn’t do with any of his previous lovers/partners. I adored how they took it slow and built a solid foundation of affection, respect and desire.

Expect some sexytimes, but the best parts come when Marcus and Tommy are honest with each Other about their true feelings. The book is very sweet, with a decent heat in the final third. I had just a little trouble with pacing–sometimes Tommy overthinks his actions, which is an improvement on his non-thing moments–but repetition over his past slowed the pace, for me. Otherwise, strap in for an HEA.

Interested? You can find BEYOND THE SCARS on Goodreads, Wayward Ink Publishing, Amazon (US and UK) AllRomance, and Barnes & Noble.

GIVEAWAY

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Connect with Louise online on her blog, Facebook, and twitter.

He Loves a TREBLE MAKER

Hi there! Today I’m sharing in the blog tour for TREBLE MAKER by Annabeth Albert. This contemporary M/M romance is part The Voice, part GLEE, and all good. You know I loved the Portland Heat books, so I jumped at the chance to review this one! Don’t forget to page down and enter the giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card.

About the book:
On Perfect Harmony, the ambitious competitors heat things up on stage and off…

Cody Rivers is determined to be a rock star, but couch-surfing between bar shows gets old fast. Joining an a cappella group for a new singing competition show could be his last chance at real fame—unless the college boy from the heart of the country messes it up for him. Lucas Norwood is everything gothy, glittery Cody is not—conservative, clean-cut, and virginal. But when a twist in the show forces them together, even the sweetest songs get steamy as the attraction between them lights up the stage. Lucas wants to take it slow, but Cody’s singing a different tune—and this time it may be a love song…

How about a little taste?

The bass singer was gay. Cody wiggled his hips in an exaggerated move that always got him company on dance floors, waited a beat, and … there. Right on cue, the curly-haired singer gave him another sidelong glance.

A straight dude might grant Cody the occasional double take because, yeah, it was damn hard to ignore Cody’s style of fabulousness. Today, for example, the style gods had smiled on him—his hair was the perfect combination of deliberate spikes and casual falls, the silver specks in his eyeliner complemented his studded leather belt, and his red skinny jeans showed off his ass. So when the bass’s double take had turned into something more like a quintuple take, Cody knew what those lingering glances meant. Knew it despite the fact that the bass looked fresh off the farm, all wholesome and rosy-cheeked and wearing a tie/sweater vest combo perfect for performing in a church choir.

Crash. The bass missed a step, sending a speaker skidding across the stage. One of the camera guys groaned. On second thought, maybe the bass hadn’t been checking out Cody. Maybe he had trouble controlling his big blue eyes the same way he had trouble controlling his big-assed feet.

Whatever the dude was, he was screwing up Cody’s big break. Twitchy farmer boy and the rest of his all-boy group had screwed up multiple run-throughs of the opening number for the new season of Perfect Harmony. No one would notice Cody’s singing if the other groups kept crashing into one another and losing the chorus. He’d worked damn hard to earn this solo, and he didn’t need farmer boy messing it up with his clodhopper feet that kept tripping over thin air.

My Review:
4.5 Stars for this contemporary M/M New Adult romance.

Cody is a 23 y/o goth/glam singer trying to make it in LA. He’s barely coasting with a van nearly his own age stuffed full of his belongings, couch-surfing until he can land some more gigs. His newest gig is the lead vocalist of an acapella singing group on the reality show, Perfect Harmony. He’s already figured out the ins-and-outs of surviving this competition, and it might-could involve some private time with one of the assistant directors. And, no matter what, Cody’s not going to seduce that clod-hopper of a corn-fed Iowa bass who keeps giving him the eye.

Lucas is a 21 y/o out gay man, but he’s a virgin. He’s never even shared a kiss with another man. He attends a conservative college and is the poster boy for his father’s religious writings; essentially, he’s signed on to the school’s morality code–that he will save his virginity for marriage. While his parents accept his sexuality, they want for him to find a sweet, kind gay man to spend his life with; Lucas is attracted to men who are not quite sweet and probably not kind. Being part of the competition puts Lucas in direct contact with all sorts of flamboyant persons, and, unfortunately, Cody is exactly Lucas’ type.

These two are an odd couple, indeed. Cody’s almost horrified at Lucas’ lack of experience. He can’t bear the crap way Lucas’ singing group treats him, however, and he helps Lucas learn the choreography steps he needs. Their interactions are definitely fraught with sexual tension, but they are also filled with misunderstanding, and a bit of prejudice. Lucas really has a lot of trouble accepting himself as gay–as an adult who can and should make his own decisions regarding his sex life. I really loved how Cody called him on this, and also how Lucas didn’t simply dismiss it.

I was raised in a very conservative church environment, and knew many people who committed to abstinence/celibacy. Lucas and his friends reminded me so much of them. He’s got a lot of expectations to be a moral and upstanding gay man, one who indulges in nothing. I could sense that pressure, from his group, friends and parents. Having Cody, the physical embodiment of many of his desires, so close, and so willing to be more than a dancing coach, was the ultimate temptation.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, but it simmers with attraction, desire and self-denial. Cody is willing to play into some of Lucas’ fantasies, but he is a demanding lover, too–and he wants Lucas to grasp what he is missing by shielding himself from experimentation. All Lucas’ friends continue to warn him off Cody–thinking that Cody will corrupt him, but Lucas believes he can’t really be corrupted, having long since understood that he has been corrupting himself for years, assuaging his unhealthy desire with raunchy porn. There are many challenges to Lucas’ morality code–and his broadening experience is crammed with revelation. I loved how Lucas took charge of himself. He more than desires Cody; over the weeks of intense connection he develops love for him, and is shattered when it seems that Cody is willing to prostitute himself for an advantage in the show.

Meanwhile, Cody learns a lot about himself, and his own desires. He has always been a lone wolf, but working with his group, and Lucas, gives him a greater goal outside of his own self. It creates a need for community that he has eschewed since he left home the night of his high school graduation. I really enjoyed how vulnerable he made himself, and also how that dovetailed with Lucas embracing his own path–separate from the promises he made as an untried child.

I also dug how Lucas’ parents reacted to his newly-asserted independence. They could have been obstructive, but it didn’t happen that way. The book doesn’t end with the standard “finale” win, and I liked that, too. I was so glad, actually, that these folks got to live out their new dreams because I think I’d have been sad if it all crumbled and only Lucas and Cody remained. I did enjoy the behind-the-scenes of the TV show, and all the strategy involved.

Interested? You can find TREBLE MAKER on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. I received an ARC of this book for review via NetGalley.

GIVEAWAY

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

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

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

You can catch up with Annabeth online on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.

Cephalopod Coffehouse July 2015–LOVE SPELL–A Review

Hi there! Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month. Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

Hi all! Today I’m sharing my review for LOVE SPELL by Mia Kerick. This is a contemporary YA M/M romance which is wholly clean and really compelling. Chance is a gender-fluid teen–that means he’s as likely to dress male or female. He’s confident that he’s gay, and 58% (or so) sure that he’s not transgender, but he really doesn’t want to think about it. Or talk about it. He just wants to find the right guy, and he’s pretty sure (probably 95%) that this right guy is Jasper.

My Review:
Chance Cesar is an out gay teen, a senior in his rural New Hampshire high school and the new Miss Harvest Moon. That’s right, he was voted to be the pageant queen, as a cruel joke, but he werks it, strutting down the aisle in an orange tux and black pumps. That’s how we meet Chance, and henceforth his fabulousness cannot be denied.

Chance has always known he’s attracted to boys/men, but he’s still not clear on his gender identity. He struggles with his daily wardrobe–dress or pants–and he wants a boyfriend. A nice boyfriend. He kinda has his heart set on a boy from the vocational school, Jasper Donahue. “Jazz,” as Chance dubs him, is a burly boy with lots of responsibilities. He works to help support his mother and sister, and when he isn’t working, he’s babysitting his sister so his mom can work. Still, Chance is smitten, and he’s not even sure if Jazz swings his direction. Jazz seems to invite Chance’s attention, but there is no clear movement into Boyfriendland. All the discussions and intimate moments could be construed as simple friendliness.

So, Chance comes up with The Plan–well it’s more like The List for The Plan–of ten things to do to capture the heart of a boy. He spends weeks getting to know Jazz, hooking him in–if he can–and having hilarious misadventures. At the heart of this is a serious connection that Chance needs to make with himself, coming to terms with his gender and how that might affect a potential partner. Chance is a reliable narrator, and his narration is funny. He’s a diva, and his brilliance is often overwhelming to his objective: getting Jazz to love him. Thing is, he is super insecure, and that softens his manic edges. It’s a lot Notting Hill, with a boy standing in front of a boy, asking him to love him. This is a completely innocent book, sexually. The romance appears to be completely one-sided but it develops into a very tender friendship as Chance learns to love, and to give love, for no other reason than to help Jazz find happiness. Also, I enjoyed how Chance saw Jazz’s life, and how his privilege of money didn’t make for near as happy a home as Jazz’s criminally broke but bursting with love family.

I think the Love Spell part of it was rather short, and not the main focus, at all. It was great to walk through Chance’s gender-fluid shoes and get a better sense of the insecurity and frustration of not really KNOWING if he was a he-girl or a she-boy or somewhere in the middle, and I’m certain it will resonate with questioning teens. This is the second LGBTQ YA novel I’ve read from Ms. Kerick and the characters are always intense and sincere with real life plights that are honestly told. It took me a little time to settle into Chance’s voice because he’s got a flamboyant speech pattern, which is part of his quirky charm.

Interested? You can find LOVE SPELL on Goodreads, Amazon, Cool Dudes Publishing, and Barnes & Noble.

Thanks for popping in! Don’t forget to check out my fellow Coffeehouse reviewers, too!

1. The Armchair Squid	2. Trisha @ Word+Stuff
3. mainewords	4. V’s Reads
5. Sparrow Tree Journal	6. Life Before the Hereafter
7. StrangePegs — “The Nameless City”	8. StrangePegs — “The Festival”
9. Two Square Dogs	10. StrangePegs — “The Colour Out of Space”

Fragile Hearts CLAIMED BY DESIRE–Review & Giveaway

Hi there! Today I’m sharing my review for a newly released M/M paranormal romance from Skye Jones. CLAIMED BY DESIRE will bring the disputes between shifters and vampires into sharp focus. Oh, and love. Expect sexy love.

Don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway. You could win copies of the book, or a $25 Amazon gift card.

About the book:
Dylan Roberts returns to the Wales of his birth a changed man after the violent death of his mate. Having turned his back on being a bounty hunter and sworn off love for life, all he wants now is revenge.

When he meets Aeron Lombardo, his new farmhand, Dylan resents the intense attraction that blossoms between them. But Aeron won’t stop pushing and soon things take a hot and sexy turn.

As passions rise, danger rears its ugly head. Now Dylan and Aeron must choose whether to separate or commit to one another totally. Will Dylan take the final step and claim his new mate?

My Review:
This is the second book in a series, but enjoyable as a standalone.

Aeron is a 29 year old, shy gay man living in a rural Welsh village and caring for his chronically ill mother. He has had few positive experiences of his life, but he counts his new job as a farmhand to be one of them. The stable work enables Aeron to save some money for his mother’s care. She has multiple sclerosis and a rapidly declining prognosis. Aeron is determined to do a good job, but he’s unprepared for his attraction for the big burly farm owner, Dylan Roberts.

Dylan lost his husband, his shifter mate, two years ago when rogue vampires tore his pack to literal shreds. He harbors immense guilt, and lives only to avenge his mate. All Dylan’s friends want him to come back to their packs, but he remains isolated, hoping to pull the vamps into a trap. Meeting Aeron is unexpectedly upsetting. He feels an immediate attraction for Aeron, which only frustrates him further. How could he even look at another man? His heartsblood was shed and he vowed to never love again.

Aeron recognizes the need he observes in Dylan–he’s so terrifyingly lonely, and Dylan seems the same. He convinces Dylan to have a friendly arrangement, hoping that it might escalate into something more. And, it does, but not in the way Aeron expects. He has no idea that Dylan is a wolf shifter, or that he’s now under surveillance by ancient vampires.

Meanwhile Dylan’s inner wolf longs to be mated to Aeron–who is inconveniently human. Even if Dylan could confess his secrets to Aeron, it’s impossible to believe the beautiful young mane will be willing to change in to a shifter adn leave his home behind.

This was an interesting addition to the shifter genre. Dylan is a kind and conscientious man who fears the possibility of losing another mate. He’d rather shut himself away than try again, but Aeron is fiercer than he’d first seemed. I loved the interaction between Aeron and Dylan. Once the secret is revealed the tension only climbs. The addition of vampires creates a solid bit of drama, and Aeron’s mother is also part of all equations. The canon of shifterdom is a little looser here, with less emphasis on the discomfort of shifting, and of turning humans to shifters. Dylan’s alter ego, as a renown paranormal investigator–a force for justice as it seems–only bolsters Aeron’s interest.

The sexytimes are definitely yummy, and the story wraps with and HEA that includes all the affected parties. It was a well-paced interesting love story that had great side characters, likely ones who had big parts of the first book, and the door is open to another story in the future.

Interested? You can find CLAIMED BY DESIRE on Goodreads, Liquid Silver Books, Amazon (US and UK) and Barnes & Noble.

GIVEAWAY

Click on the Raffle copter link below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, or one of two e-copies of CLAIMED BY DESIRE.
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:

Skye Jones is an erotic romance author who likes to write about that moment when lust and love meet head on. So expect some sexy times, as well as articles about writing and publishing – and maybe the odd thing about food, clothes, and furbabies – just because.

Skye’s writing began as a child with a story which was all about a hobby horse that talked. Skye moved on from talking wooden horses to writing about sexy alpha males, and the lucky characters who cross their path. Skye writes menage, m/f, and m/m erotic romance.

You can find Skye online on Facebook, twitter, and writing blog.

Cover Reveal for DEMON OF MINE

Hi there! Just sharing in the cover reveal for DEMON OF MINE by Rayna Vause. This paranormal M/M romance looks hot, and not only because one of the leads is a demon… 😉

About the book:
Climbing the corporate ladder can be hell….

As a Collections Demon, Zavier grants his “clients” one wish in exchange for their souls. His job sucks, but once you make a deal with Corporate South, they own you. The trouble is, Zavier’s not a very good Collections Demon, with his tendencies to spurn authority and find loopholes to help deserving clients out of their contracts. He’s under scrutiny from the head of his department, who would quite literally like to see him burn. He just needs to close a simple deal to get upper management off his back. Instead, he meets Ryan.

Ryan is desperately searching for a way to save his dying sister. He doesn’t believe in magic and demons, but he’s out of options. Zavier’s not what he expects in a demon, and even more unexpected is the strong sense of familiarity—very intimate familiarity.

While trying to free Ryan from his contract, Zavier discovers secrets unscrupulous even by South standards. Exposing them could cost Zavier everything, but it might be Ryan’s only hope.

Release Date: August 28th 2015

How about a little taste?

“What person in their right mind would text a random stranger and tell him to come to the middle of a field in farm country?” Zavier rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know. People do stupid things just for shits and giggles all the time.” The man shrugged, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

“For that matter, what idiot follows those instructions unless they have a damn good reason?”

Again the man simply shrugged, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Look, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to ask for proof that you are who you say you are and that you’re actually capable of doing the things that book said you could do.”

Zavier paused for a moment, considering, impressed by his guts. Most took his abilities on faith, hope, and a bit of greed. Instead of turning on the intimidation as he usually did in an effort to keep these encounters short, he decided to oblige. He balled his fist and squeezed. When he opened his hand, an orb of electricity danced in his palm. The man gaped and stumbled back a step. After a moment, his expression changed from fear to fascination. He stepped closer to Zavier in an attempt to get a better look.

“Can I touch it?” The man inched his hand closer to the tiny lightning flashes that danced across Zavier’s hand.

“Only if you’re in the mood to be electrocuted.”

The man jerked his hand back, tucking it under his arm.

Zavier stifled a laugh, then turned down the intensity until the ball dissipated and all that remained were strings of power arcing between his fingers like a Tesla ball. “Here, touch my hand now.”

The man hesitated, then reached out and placed his palm over Zavier’s. “Wow. That’s awesome.” Leaving his hand there, seeming to enjoy the light tingle Zavier’s abilities had generated, the man laughed a warm sound that rolled through Zavier.

Zavier took a moment to study the hand touching his. He had long, slim fingers, like those of a pianist and soft, yet slightly calloused palms. The man’s jacket hid his arms, but the opening revealed a form-fitting white T-shirt molded to a rather impressive set of abs and a broad, muscular chest. Very nice. Oh yeah, a night or two with this guy could definitely improve his mood. Call him shallow, but he couldn’t help but admire a well-toned body.

Tearing his focus from the guy’s pecs, he scanned upward to take his first good look at the man’s face. Strong chin, lips made for kissing, and long, dark lashes that shielded the man’s eyes. Zavier wanted to see those eyes.

“Convinced?” He spoke a little louder than necessary in an attempt draw the man’s attention.

The man’s head jerked up. When their gazes met, Zavier froze. The world stopped spinning as he stared into gorgeous, green eyes. Something about them tugged at his memory, causing a tingle at the base of his skull. Zavier shifted his attention to study the rest of the face before him. He clasped the man’s wrist, preventing him from backing away.

Think dammit, think. You know this face. Vague irritation churned inside of him at his inability to remember. Sometimes the rules and regs of demon life sucked, especially the “Swiss cheese memory” policy.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

Zavier’s attention turned back to his potential client, when both the words and the tugging on his arm finally registered.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that.” He released the man, who took a step back. “So, let’s get on with this.” Zavier stared at the ground as he stepped back, needing to regroup. Nothing about this assignment was going as expected.

“Uh, sure. H-how do we do this? Do I need to say some type of special incantation? Offer up more blood?”

“No, just tell me what you want. This is demonology 2.0, the upgraded edition. We’ve phased out a lot of that old school, bodily fluids stuff.”

Interested? You can find DEMON OF MINE on Goodreads and preorders are on at Dreamspinner Press (ebook or paperback).

About the Author:
Rayna Vause loves to craft romances that mix a little action, a little adventure, and, often, a touch of the paranormal. She’s voracious reader and a perpetual student. Rayna has collected more degrees and certifications then she cares to admit and eventually she’ll probably earn a few more just because. She is a proud geek who injects a little bit of her geeky, tech obsessed soul into every story she writes.

When Rayna isn’t busy make up stories, she’s likely indulging her love of video games. Why? Because playing through the action, adventure, and romance in a role playing game is as good as reading a romance novel and is sometimes great inspiration for her writing. She’s a martial artist having studied American Kenpo Karate. She is also a Disney fanatic of epic proportions.  

Rayna is a member of RWA, RRW, and a founding member of Liberty States Fiction Writers. She lives in southern NJ, just a bit outside of Philadelphia and shares a home with a cat who thinks she’s royalty.

Catch up with Rayna online on her website, Facebook, twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Thanks for popping in. And keep reading my friends!

He’s Sweet as COTTON CANDY–Blog Tour and Giveaway

Hi there! Today I’m getting the word out about a new cowboy M/M Romance from Mae Hancock. COTTON CANDY is a contemporary romance that features a love interest who struggles with OCD–Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s bound to bring a new perspective to the love story.

Don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway!

Cotton Candy (Wyoming Lovers Book 2) About the book:
Cowboy Cotton Reid is the laid-back type of guy who accepts people as they are, no matter how flawed. People think he’s fun, honest and crazy about his boss and friend the sexy rancher Bay Redman.

Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is something that family man Bay has done his whole life. Bay can be like a bear with a sore head if the hay isn’t stored symmetrically or his fridge contains an odd number of jars.

When the two men begin a hot affair, Cotton keeps an important secret from Bay. If he can’t find the courage to tell him the truth before someone else does, Bay may never be able to let it go.

How about a little taste?

The heat of the spring sunshine made the air thick and heavy like midsummer as Cotton and Bay rode back toward the ranch after a long day rounding up cattle for market. A faint breeze caught strands of Cotton’s hair, blowing it into his face beneath the tan Stetson. He lifted the hat off and ran his fingers through his damp mop of hair. Then, pulling a band from his wrist, he secured the locks into a familiar small bunch, leaving a fingerbreadth of tail hair at the nape of his neck.

Glad for the momentary relief from the heat, he placed the hat back on and took in Bay’s broad shoulders as he rode in front. For some reason today, Cotton had not been able to break away from studying each movement Bay made. Twice before, Cotton had stared at the man too long and noticed Bay’s brown eyes searching his own. Has he noticed me watching him? The man’s deep, smoky cedar scent carried to Cotton on the wind, the smell so rich and bountiful it made his senses stir with desire.

Starting to get darn near obsessed with the man who doesn’t even notice me—not in a carnal way anyhow.

Bay and he were boss and hired help. Bay didn’t chase, pursue, desire—or even demand anything of Cotton, which served to make the man more attractive. Bay’s sensual, deep-brown eyes tugged at Cotton with each glance, and Bay’s thick lashes fanned out, flattering his dark-bronze skin. A simple, meaningless smile had far-reaching and significant implications for Cotton. Put simply, it meant Bay approved of him and the things he did. The rancher’s soft, full lips framed milk-white teeth, and sent urgent ripples right through Cotton’s body, leaving his fingertips tingling and the reins slippery with his sweat.

Notes from the Author:

I’ve already touched on the topic of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) before in a blog when Enticing Hart was released. It only seems fitting to do a small blog on OCD from the perspective of Bay in Cotton Candy. This second story in the Wyoming Lovers series depicts the relationship between cowboy, Cotton Reid and rancher, Bay Redman.

I realized early on I’d given myself a tall order by combining an alpha male with OCD, nevertheless OCD can often be a sign of an individual with a lot of anxieties and hang ups which are locked away deep in the psyche. I guess we often think that these troubles are the antithesis of what we deem to be the dominant male. However, these people are often highly dominant because they have obsessive/control tendencies and these manifest in different ways. In Bay’s case his angst over personal tragedies are channeled into the control and symmetry surrounding everyday/inanimate objects.

OCD affects thousands of people’s lives everyday, often causing misery but often it comes with a high degree of professional success and is also seen in many people with extremely high IQ’s. These idiosyncrasies can often help a person achieve goals, which are unimaginable to many of us.

In the long term, whether Bay will be able to overcome the differences caused by his OCD, remains to be seen. The first step though has been making the essential move to acknowledge the problem and ask for help with the support of his lover and family. In many cases people with OCD go through their whole lives without being able to change it. Perhaps we will find out what happens to Bay in the next story of the series of Wyoming Lovers, Sayers Way.

Interested? You can find COTTON CANDY on Goodreads, Loose Id, Amazon, AllRomance and Barnes & Noble.

GIVEAWAY

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway.
Click on the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card
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Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Mae Hancock enjoys writing both academic and fiction material. Her research interests include focus on people who experience marginalization, both in historical societies and modern. Themes include disability, neurosis, homosexuality, addiction, mental illness, slavery and prostitution. The most important part of her work is creating multi-dimensional, believable characters that are able to build lasting romantic relationships against the odds. She wants all her readers to laugh, cry and enjoy the erotic journey towards a happy ending.

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

Loving all the Portland Heat!

Hi there! I’m sharing some love for a series of novellas that have been steadily filling up my “read books” list. The Portland Heat series by Annabeth Albert is a contemporary M/M romance series featuring men, from all different backgrounds and stations in life, finding real love. The books all center on working men, who own or manage artisan-style cafes, you know those staples of foodie goodness. And I find the stories to be just as delicious.

About the series:
Portland, Oregon, aka Hotlandia, where the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are ready to serve everything piping hot, fresh, and ready to go—like the hard-working, hard-bodied men behind the counters—with no reservations…

About Served Hot:
Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but “the usual”—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?

My Review:
Robby is a biracial Korean-American out gay man in Portland. He owns his own coffee cart and works very hard to support himself. He has a bit of a crush on one of his regulars, David (vanilla latte at 11:50 precisely).

David’s a tall, well-built man, a bookish sort, and Robby would love to make a move, but Robby’s not that sort. He’s also rather shy, and can’t get a definite read on David. It seems he’s got a curious eye on Robby, but is he gay? Robby’s very nervous, but finally makes a move, discussing the upcoming Pride festival. David’s non-committal, but surprises Robby there–revealing his attraction, and overwhelming grief.

Turns out, David had been in a long-term closeted relationship for years, until his partner died–inadvertently “outing” both David and himself in their rural Idaho community. David’s never had a true boyfriend–he and his lover never lived together, never went out as a couple, and experiencing the gay scene in Portland is a serious culture shock.

Robby had been with a closeted man before, and he doesn’t relish repeating the experience. David is out, but very quiet, very tentative, and still seeking grief counseling for his partner’s loss. Robby wants a real relationship, but it seems David is so used to being a filthy secret, he has no skills at being with an out man. Robby’s patience is long, and he really has to dig out his courage and force himself to be a more assertive partner.

It’s an excellent slow burn, with Robby and David having fits and starts, and exploring their relationship both physically and through conversation. There’s a bit of steam, but the focus is always on the relationship. These two are a good couple, and I enjoyed their sweet and tender story.

About Baked Fresh:
Vic Degrassi is a baker on the rise, and it’s all thanks to his rare ability to make—and keep—his New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s losing weight, giving up smoking, or graduating from culinary school, Vic goes after what he wants—and gets it. This year? He wants Robin Dawson, the sweet-hearted hottie who volunteers with him at the local homeless shelter.

When he learns that Robin is suddenly single after being unceremoniously dumped, Vic is more than happy to offer a shoulder to cry on—or at least a fresh-baked pastry to bite into. But it’s been a long time since Vic’s gone on a date, and he’s nervous about risking his friendship with Robin. So when their flirtation turns into a steamy night together, Vic and Robin have to figure out if they’re friends with benefits or lovers in the making, and if Robin is ready for something more than just a rebound. There’s only one way to find out: turn up the heat…

My Review:
Vic is a 33 y/o baker who’s had a lot of loss in his life. He is father, uncle and cousin all died young to heart disease, so Vic had gastric bypass surgery a year ago. Since then he’s watched his diet, exercised and shed 110 pounds. He feels good, but his self-consciousness lingers. Vic does a lot of volunteer work helping to distribute day-olds from the bakery to a local homeless shelter, where he enjoys some repartee with Robin, a former shelter inhabitant who now volunteers there part-time. Vic’s had his eye on Robin for a couple of years now, but never approached him, well, because Robin is a young, beautiful man. And Robin’s also had a boyfriend…until recently.

In fact, Robin doesn’t want another boyfriend. He’s had a not-so-great past that included running away from home as a teen, doing drugs and turning tricks to survive. Sober for the past three years, he has difficulty with penetrative sex, and feels he’s “damaged goods” anyway. That the beefy baker, Vic, has any interest in Robin is a bit mindblowing.

Vic proceeds slowly with Robin, trying to gain any part of his attention. They agree to a fling, no commitments–because this is what Robin can tolerate and Vic will take any scrap Robin with throw him, but it ends up being supremely tender. Vic wants, more than anything, to reveal his deep attraction to Robin, but he’s afraid that will push Robin away, so he shows Robin in all the other ways how special he is. I really enjoyed watching these two build into a couple.

Robin is astounded at Vic’s patience and consideration as a lover. But, real life exists. Robin’s involvement at the shelter brings him into contact with kids who make the same choices he had. He feels as if not saving these kids, as Robin himself had been saved, is a personal failure, and it cuts deep. Vic wants to be there for Robin, but Robin’s emotions are everywhere. There’s a blow up, breakdown, and big love in this book. It’s sexy and somber, and whimsical and tender, by turns. For a novella there’s a whole lotta story, and enough sexytimes to remind us that dudes like it hot and ready.

About Delivered Fast:
Sure, Chris O’Neal has problems. His restaurant is still co-owned by his ex. His flannel-and-tattoos style is making him accidentally trendy. He can’t remember the last time he went out and had fun. But he’s not lonely, he’s driven. And the hot bakery delivery boy is not his problem, no matter how sweet his buns.

Chris is old enough to know Lance Degrassi’s sculpted good looks and clever double entendres spell nothing but trouble. Lance is still in college—he should be hitting the clubs and the books, chasing guys his own age, not pursuing some gruff motorcycle-riding workaholic. Especially when he’ll be leaving for grad school in a few months. But Lance keeps hanging around, lending a hand, charming Chris to distraction. Maybe some steaming hot no-strings indulgence won’t hurt.

Then again, maybe it will…

My Review:
Chris O’Neal is part owner of an independent coffee shop in Portland. His new bakery delivery man, Lance, is beautiful, young, and virile. And Lance is really into Chris, despite his beard, flannel and the ~15 year age gap. Chris really can’t fathom the attraction, plus, he’s not up for being hurt again. His previous boyfriend still owns part of his coffee shop, and Chris rather resents it. Also, Lance is really just too beautiful to be involved with such a broody bear. Or is he?

Lance makes no bones about what he needs–he wants a guy who will be casual, but not with anyone else. Lance is finishing college and applying for grad school. He works two jobs and helps out his family and friends all the time. He is focused and driven, but wants an occasional partner, and is sure that mature Chris can be that for the next several months. He cajoles Chris into it, but Chris balks continuously, always fearing that he’ll get attached and Lance will hurt him.

I loved the dynamic here. Lance really is a social butterfly and the shiniest gem in the jewelry box, yet he’s kind, selfless and generous. He sweet talks cantankerous Chris with ease, and aplomb. Chris tells this story, so we are caught in his self-torture over Lance’s age and inexperience. We see all Chris’ relationship regret and know why he chooses to hurt Lance rather than risk Lance reworking his future to include Chris. It’s all very O. Henry, and still reasonable and approachable.

I liked both of these guys, but I must say I liked Lance more. I was so glad that Chris got over his hang-ups, and liked the side characters who popped in. Will Barista Brady get his book next? This book is far seamier than the two previous, likely because of the friends-with-benefits strategy Lance employs to lure Chris in. Steam? Get ready to sweat! Yummy and engaging. A delicious love story.

Interested? You can find all the books here:
SERVED HOT: Goodreads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble

BAKED FRESH: Goodreads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble

DELIVERED FAST: Goodreads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble

You can catch up with Annabeth online on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

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