Poly

Art and Love OUTSIDE THE LINES–Review and Giveaway

Hi there! I’m sharing another SMOKING HOT December review with a M/M+F romance from Anna Zabo. OUTSIDE THE LINES is one of the latest books in the Bluewater Bay series. It’s actually book 20, but totally enjoyable on it’s own. I’ve not read anything from Anna Zabo before, but I’ll be on the lookout for more. This story features a gay man who falls for the husband in a open, poly couple, and isn’t sure if he’s prepared for more.

Scroll down for my review and to catch the $25 GC giveaway link!
About the book:
Miniature artist Ian Meyers has one week to rebuild his damaged set. Needing help, he goes to End o’ Earth, the local comic and gaming shop. Owner Simon Derry pushes all of Ian’s buttons, and he also has steady hands and the skills Ian needs.

Before they can even grab a beer, Ian meets Lydia Derry, Simon’s wife. If Ian had any interest in women, he’d suggest a threesome, but then Simon explains that he and Lydia are polyamorous, and if Ian wants Simon, neither of them will complain. If anything, Lydia encourages the relationship.

Ian’s all in, and it’s fantastic working with Simon to piece together his set and then take each other apart at night. His friendship with Lydia grows too. The only problem is, the more time he spends with Simon, the more he wants everything Simon already has with Lydia: A house. A cat. A commitment. So Ian runs, and shatters the trust he has with them both—right when they need him the most. Piecing their relationships back together might prove harder than a smashed set.

My Review:
Ian Meyers builds sets, props and miniatures for Wolf’s Landing, and one of the key pieces–a model-miniature Sacred Grove was ready for the pyrotechnics…until a clumsy stuntman crashed into it. Now, Ian has a week to rebuild the model, and he’s low on supplies. So, he (reluctantly) heads into Bluewater Bay and End o’ Earth comics, which holds models and supplies for gamers in stock. Ian has kept a wide berth from the comics shop because it’s hard to keep his distance from townies and tourists, and there’s been some issues in the past. Also, the local Wolf’s Landing licensed shop Howling Moon is right next door, and that’s a place all the cast and crew avoids.

That said, he’s desperate, and once he steps foot inside End o’Earth Ian’s desperation takes a more personal turn. He’s deeply attracted to the owner and model painter, Simon Derry. Ian charms Simon, who’s willing to provide the space and supplies Ian needs, but they both feel the heat building between them. And, it’s a stunning disaster when Ian meets Simon’s beautiful and talented wife, Lydia. He’s frustrated that Simon was flirting with him, and thinking they both were on the same page, but Ian’s charmed by Lydia, and guilty that he wishes Simon was single. Simon’s a sweet man, and loves Lydia with his whole heart, but…they’re poly, and he’s always missed having a man pleasure him. They’ve been together ten years, and Lydia knows this is an issue. She encourages Ian to share her husband, and Ian doesn’t need a second invitation.

Ian and Simon work together on rebuilding the set, and they spend nights together burning up the sheets. Lydia’s happy to be a bystander who watches their love grow, but Ian’s sure he’s just a side piece…a fling for this swinging couple. Meantime, Simon’s fallen hard, and wants to bring Ian into their relationship permanently. Lack of communication causes some problems, and they have to be fully honest in order to keep their fledgling love growing. There’s lots of cameos from the cast and crew of the show, and I liked how they brought everyone into this book. Simon and Lydia are starry-eyed, seeing the actors and all, and Ian’s reminded about how he was so affected on his first meetings. I liked all the sweet and tender moments.

For people who like menage, this doesn’t really feel like that, because Ian and Lydia aren’t sexually intimate, but they do develop an emotional connection. This is reinforced when Lydia has a professional crisis and needs a solid shoulder to cry on. Ian has the connections to make it right, but he follows Lydia’s advice to not rock the boat. Simon’s not so docile about it, however, and it leads to deeper connections for all of them, both personally and professionally. For Simon and Ian expect hawt sexytimes that include some light elements of bondage, dominance and submission. The resolution is totally sweet and yummy.

Interested? You can find OUTSIDE THE LINES on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo. I read a review copy provided by NetGalley.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this link to comment on the giveaway tour over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for a chance to win a $25 Riptide GC.
Good luck, and keep reading my friends.

About the Author:
Anna Zabo writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which isn’t nearly as boring as most people think.

Anna grew up in the wilds of suburban Philadelphia before returning to their ancestral homelands in Western Pennsylvania. As a child they were heartily disappointed to discover that they couldn’t grow up to be what they wanted (a boy, a cat, a dragon), so they settled on being themself whenever possible, which may be a combination of a boy, a cat, and a dragon. Or perhaps a girl, a knight, and a writer. Depends on whom you ask. They do have a penchant for colorful ties and may be hording a small collection of cufflinks.They can be easily plied with coffee.

Anna has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where they fell in with a roving band of romance writers and never looked back. They also have a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.

Catch up with Ann on twitter.

Getting Past the BAD MAGIC–Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway!

BannerTemplate-6Hi there! Today I’m so excited to share an exclusive excerpt for a fantasy M/M romance form Evelyn Elliot. BAD MAGIC is the first book in her Spell Slave series, and certainly looks intriguing!

I’ll admit, I was *supposed* to post a different excerpt, but it was a randy sex scene, and my blog is PG-13, so….sorry! If you want a bit more risque read, check out the excerpt I could have shared on The Novel Approach.

Also, enter to win your own copy of BAD MAGIC below!

BadMagicFSAbout the book:
Morality is relative. At least that’s what young sorcerer Regis Teller convinces himself. He’s done what he must to survive: working for a witch since he was nine, helping her throw the kingdom into anarchy, and taking his only comfort in her mysterious son, Crow. And soon, Regis is going to commit his first murder.

A do-gooder named Jonathan White has information the witch needs, and it’s Regis’s job to get that information and slit Jonathan’s throat. But then Regis actually meets Jonathan. And Jonathan is perfect—a hero with a passion for justice and little regard for civility.

Lucky for Regis, Jonathan has a weakness for attractive men. Lucky for Jonathan, Regis is fast developing a conscience and a heart. But for Regis, keeping both of them alive at their adventure’s end means breaking a magical oath and surviving his ruthless boss—all without telling Jonathan the truth. Falling in love is never easy, especially when everyone involved is lying through their teeth.

This tasty bit…

They stopped at dusk. Regis set about making a fire to stave off the cold, Jonathan vanished wordlessly. Regis didn’t bother to ask where he was going.

As soon as Jonathan left, Jonathan’s dragon friend—Chartreuse—slunk over. What did you do to Jonathan?

“What did I do? He kissed me.”

Kissed you, hm? She sat on her haunches. That’s one of those pre-mating rituals, isn’t it? You don’t smell like you mated.

“I rejected him.”

Truly? Disbelief colored her voice. Regis frowned at her. Well, it’s nothing personal, but…. Jonathan is skilled. Protective. Fierce. You are small, ill-tempered, and easily bruised. You’re not going to find a better mate.

“Oh, stop. You’re just angry I rejected your precious hatchling.”

How dare you. Flirting with him for weeks, then shattering his hopes. I have a question for you, Regis. What drives you to such sadism? Do you simply enjoy ripping out hearts?

“Oh, shut up.” He kicked a rock. “If I’m such an awful person, I did the right thing, pushing him away.”

Well, do it more nicely, Chartreuse said. He won’t talk to me.

He was saved from further debate by the reappearance of Jonathan. Empty-handed, Jonathan stopped at the edge of the campsite and looked at Chartreuse with an expression that neither confirmed nor denied that he had heard any part of their conversation.

Chartreuse could “speak” to only one person at a time, if she so chose. Regis remembered this from their time on the river. Had Jonathan heard the whole conversation or only half? Had he heard anything at all?

“No game tonight?” Regis asked. Jonathan shook his head. Chartreuse curled around him, her back facing Regis. Cold, irritated, and hungry, Regis lay down close to the fire. He wished he could share body heat with Jonathan like they had before, but likely the attempt would get him a black eye.

After a few minutes, he remembered something. “Hey,” he said, sitting up. He untied Jonathan’s sword from his pack. Jonathan gave him no attention. Irritated, Regis laid the sword next to Chartreuse. Shivering, he retreated to his side of the fire.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

He awoke in a pile of warmth. A cloak lay over him. Thick, expensive, heavy with fur trimmings. The cloth was blue bordered with gold. Jonathan’s cloak.

He glanced at Jonathan, who poured water on the campfire, extinguishing the last embers. Was the cloak a peace offering? Regis wrapped it about his shoulders and hugged it close. It smelled like sword oil and leather.

Jonathan relaxed after that but remained silent as a corpse.

Sometimes, Regis caught him looking from the corners of his eyes.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Chartreuse spoke to him again. Jonathan says I should apologize to you.

The man in question was out of earshot. “So?” Regis said. “Are you going to?”

I suppose, she said heavily. You’re not so bad for a human creature. I still think this quarrel of yours is ridiculous, but it’s just as much Jonathan’s fault as yours. Besides, something has been bothering me. I must ask. Why did you fertilize two females at once during that human mating dance? To increase your chances of producing offspring?

Regis made a face. “Gods, no.”

I thought not. Well, aren’t you worried? What if you come back in a year or two and find a hatchling with gray eyes and a surly face?

Someone really ought to tell her that humans didn’t hatch from eggs. That person was not going to be Regis. “No worries. There’s this herb called childsbane. Any man who chews it becomes sterile for a few days. I had some last night. It’s a pretty common practice.”

But why did the two females want to share? There were other males available.

He shrugged. “Some people like that sort of thing.”

Are all Tyrians so promiscuous?

He was surprised. “Promiscuous?”

I take it this kind of behavior is common, then.

“I’m not promiscuous,” he said. “I generally sleep with the same person, it’s just that he’s not around right now. And even if I was, so what? It’s not like he cares. I’m not ashamed of it. If he wanted me to stop sleeping around, I would. Gods know he’s fucking every barmaid from here to the Frozen Wastes.” He kicked the grass. “Do dragons only have one mate forever?”

Chartreuse sniffed. Dragons form prides. We females band together, select one superior male mate, and produce offspring with him. Is mating with both sexes common among humans?

“Pretty common, yeah. I hear they’ve got some weird taboos elsewhere.”

Chartreuse hummed to herself. The noise was bloodcurdling. The humans where Jonathan is from don’t use childsbane. Perhaps it does not grow in cold climates.

He shrugged. “Probably. It would explain why they’re so uptight about sex. I mean, if they can’t sleep together without producing children, then of course they associate sex with pregnancy. Of course they think men sleeping with men is unnatural. Of course.”

I have a counter-theory, Chartreuse said.

Regis perked up. “Oh?”

Tyrians are whores.

“You’re a dick,” he said, and went back to ignoring her.

This one sounds absolutely fun. I do know that it’s got some serious naughty bits, too. Yay!!

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

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a copy of BAD MAGIC for yourself!
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
At first glance, Evelyn Elliott seems like a perfectly normal person. Do not be deceived. Her hobbies include watching grisly horror movies, torturing her characters, and tending to her flower garden. She enjoys long walks on the beach and collecting the souls of small children. Whenever she reads a book, she always roots for the villain.

Avoid her at all costs. Certainly do not find her on Facebook or befriend her Goodreads. You have better things to do.

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Growing Love: FARM FRESH–Excerpt and Giveaway!

FF-BannerTemplate
Hi there! I’m sharing a review and giveaway for a new release from Posy Roberts. FARM FRESH is a M/M, poly, romance that features a commune of organic growers and the young man who finds love in their midst.

FarmFresh-f-1About the book:
Jude Garrity visits the farmers market every Saturday. As an environmental engineering student, he’s curious about living off the grid and sustainable agriculture.

And one particular farmer.

Hudson Oliva has worked hard to support his commune, where queer people live without fear of harm or retribution. When Jude asks pointed questions about living there, Hudson realizes he needs to be honest about his home. Few people know what the farm is actually about, but Jude is insistent.

Jude moves to Kaleidoscope Gardens, however, his sexual hang-ups make it hard to adjust. He’s an uptight virgin living among people who have sex freely and with multiple partners. When Jude finally loosens up, Hudson is flooded with emotions. Falling for Jude wasn’t part of Hudson’s life plan. But when vindictive rumors about the commune begin to spread, love might be all he has left.

How about a little taste?

“You wanted to know where I’m from,” Hudson said. Jude nodded but remained tight-lipped. “I grew up north of Miami in a small city. I couldn’t wait to get out, so I tried to hitch a ride to Seattle. Didn’t get that far.”
“How far did you get?” Jude looked surprised as he asked, so Hudson reached out and pressed his palm to the center of Jude’s chest.
“About five miles away. I’ve been here ever since.”
“What made you run? I mean… maybe that’s too personal.”
Hudson coasted his hand over the slight swell of Jude’s pec and thumbed over his nipple, which stood at attention, pert and flushed, like his lips and cheeks. It was a good color on him.
“My parents sent me away to one of those ‘pray away the gay’ places, which obviously didn’t work, but it probably saved my life since my mom had to haul Papi off me when she told him why I needed to go there. He had so much pride, and having a gay son wasn’t something he could live with. It was as if me being gay made him gay. I was accosted by religion and hatred for who I was from that day until I left, so I became an expert at being secretive and learned to lie through my teeth while living with them. My eighteenth birthday Papi and I fought, and I ended up with another black eye. I packed a bag and snuck out of the house while they were sleeping.”
“Did they call the cops or anything?”
Hudson shook his head and knew his smile was pathetic. He still held hope he and his father could reconcile. He knew Papi would be proud of him and what he’d accomplished on the commune. “I left a note and eventually let them know my address, but in all the years, I’ve gotten one letter.”
“I’ve talked to my parents twice since I left, and both times left me feeling shredded inside.”
“I’m sorry.” Hudson scooted closer and pulled Jude into a tight embrace. The feel of Jude’s warm skin against his own had Hudson’s body responding in no time flat. He kissed Jude’s neck and the sharp line of his jaw. He thrust his fingers into Jude’s spun-gold hair and drew their mouths together.
Jude moved his lips, pressing chaste kisses to Hudson’s, and then he snaked his arm between their bodies. Jude splayed his fingers across Hudson’s chest and pushed him away. He hung his head, looking down at the mattress in what appeared to be shame.
Hudson took the sting out of the rejection by thumbing over Jude’s bottom lip, shiny with saliva. “You have a delectable mouth, like it’s made for kissing.”
Jude laughed. “So do you.” Then he bit his lip and made brief eye contact before scooting back a few inches.

Interested? You can find FARM FRESH on Goodreads and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a book of Posy’s backlist.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the author:
Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is married to a man who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep. Her daughter, a budding author and dedicated Whovian, helps her come up with character names. When Posy’s not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.

You can find Posy on line on Facebook, twitter and Pinterest.

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A BEAR WALKS INTO A BAR–Cover Reveal, Review and Giveaway!

bear--BannerTemplateHi there! Today I’m reviewing an erotic M/M poly romance between oodles of sexy shifters. A BEAR WALKS INTO A BAR sounds like a bad joke, but, whew! It’s seriously erotic. The dominance, the sexytimes, the unexpected tenderness… I loved.

Catch my review and enter to win your own copy below. But first, the COVER. Yum. Looks a bit like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, amiright?

A Bear Walks Into A BarAbout the book:

It takes one strong alpha with a tight grip to keep a mountain full of shifters under control. Sawyer Ballantine’s contending with an uppity wolf leader and a herd of shifter elk bound and determined to take over. He might be the lone bear on the mountain, but he’s not going to allow another four shifters to just move in, especially not when they whiff of power. They’ll either be his in all ways, or they’ll be gone.

Dillon, Jerry, Kevin, and Brad have no one but each other since their shifter groups kicked them out. The young bear, wolves, and fox make a merry ménage, pooling their meager shifter skills and serving beer. They’ve stumbled into more than they understand, caught in the dispute between the Urso of Ballantine Mountain and the elk. But winter’s setting in, and they don’t know how to keep Dillon safe for hibernation.

And then a bear walks into their bar.

A delicious teaser….

“Where exactly are you going? Would you at least tell me that?”

“A town nobody’s heard of about thirty-five miles from home.” If Sawyer needed to hide, he’d find a similar out of the way spot. Too bad this particular spot sat on the border between elk and predator. Just because they lived off vegetation didn’t mean his rivals weren’t a threat—an expert marksman had joined the herd a few years ago. He’d been tough and stringy, but ceased being a problem.

Conversation grew impossible when Sawyer fired up his bike. Mother Moon, but he loved the rumble of the big Harley between his thighs, the wind on his face, tempting his sensitive nose with a million different scents: moss, pines, rabbit, clover, chicken barbequing on a grill at a campsite downhill, all awaiting him once he reached his mountain.

Fluffy clouds overhead cast shadows over the scenery, and the crisp scent of snow drifted over the highest mountaintops. Colorado. No greater place existed on earth.

Occasionally he caught a whiff of human emotions: anger, fear, sorrow, lust. Especially lust.

Damn, he needed to get laid.

My Review:
This is an erotic M/M menage/poly shifter romance that is HEAVY on the sexy. It features regular interspecies sex and multi-partner scenes.

Dillon is a bear shifter who was banned from his sleuth for being gay. In the years since, he’s has collected two outcast wolves, alpha Jerry and his cousin beta Kevin, and Brad a sexypants fox shifter to become a happy family for each. They’ve scrounged and scraped to get the money to buy a bar on Ballantine Mountain in Colorado. Together these four work the bar and frolic in bed. And out of bed. And anywhere, pretty much. Especially Brad who–as a fox shifter–is totally promiscuous.

Sawyer Ballantine is an Urso bear–he should be leading his own sleuth of bears, if they hadn’t been massacred a decade previously. Now, Sawyer leads the many shifter packs on his mountain with a ruthless manner, subduing all by violent or sexual means. He keeps the alpha of the wolf pack, Rudy, as his second-in-command, recognizing that the elk shifters are encroaching and wolf politics could turn against him at any time. But first, Sawyer must deal with the four rogues taking up space on his mountain. With sexy results.

This is a COMPLETE erotic adventure of shifter politics and hierarchy. There is so much sex, of all M/M varieties–partners, triads, foursomes, orgies–some of (initially) dubious consent that I’m reminded of a category on a Book Review Blog called “Books you read one-handed.” A BEAR would most probably fall into this category. The book fairly steamed up the screen of my iPad.

Despite all the multi-partner and non-monogamous action on the page there is no abdication of emotion. The players involved are thoroughly invested in what’s happening, and reveling in true hedonistic fashion. Even where there are partnerships, the inclusion of others is welcomed, and understood. For one, a wolf-fox partnership, Sawyer attempts to inject a dose of reality. Foxes, in this world, have no concept of monogamy, but he counsels both parties to “play together” to foster intimacy even as partner-sharing will be expected.

As to the plot, Sawyer’s domination of the shifters on his mountain has become a stress and burden, one he’s willing to share with Dillon. Thing is, being with Dillon, and observing Dillon’s management of his merry band of sexy shifters, Sawyer begins to recognize that domination isn’t always necessary and that mutually beneficial partnerships might could be the best policy. It’s worth exploring, in any case, as a cougar threat looms on the horizon.  Also, this hardened Urso surely benefits from the TLC he gets from Dillon and his buddies. Furthermore, the traditional ban on interspecies loving seems antiquated in this new progressive management strategy; it’s removal is fully applauded by those randy foxes!

Expect roughly 65% of the book to be sexytimes. And the rest is a rather simple plot that’s engaging and interesting. I’d re-read this in a hot second.

Interested? You can find A BEAR WALKS INTO A BAR on Goodreads, and pre-order it in advance of the Jan 16th release on Amazon and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link to enter to win an ecopy of A BEAR WALKS INTO A BAR.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
You will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!

Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.

She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures she has written fourteen m/m romance novels, has won several Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.

When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s a mild-mannered business executive, mother, grandmother, vegetarian, and PFLAG activist.

Her natural habitats are airports, coffee shops, and on the backs of motorcycles.

Where to find Eden online:  Facebook and twitter.

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