Category: Book Giveaways

Release Blitz and Giveaway for The Copper Horse: Love & The Copper Horse Box Set by KA Merikan (giveaway)

The Copper Horse: Love & The Copper Horse Box Set – KA Merikan

Author: KA Merikan
 
Cover Design: Natasha Snow 
 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 

Blurb

London

1907, twenty years into the zombie plague

Just as Reuben finally settles into the role of Copper, his master’s proud stallion, his life gets turned upside down by a revolution that has been long brewing in London. But the men who come for Erik at his home bring much more than havoc. They uncover lies that Erik has fed Reuben, and the truth creates a rift between them that might be impossible to cross.

Even if Reuben still wanted to be Erik’s pony, is it possible for them to be together if his master loses all power and property? With no harness to hold him, no bit to stop him from speaking, can Reuben still be what Erik wants? Does he have anything to offer as a man?

The relationship they have established gets shaken to its core, and on the run from Erik’s enemies, they will both have to find out if the bond they share will survive, or if it will break.

thecopperhorse-boxsetThe Copper Horse Ponyplay Box Set

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Comprising of The Copper Horse: Fear, The Copper Horse: Pride, The Copper Horse: Love, Jack’s Punishment (Side Story) and The Stable Girl (an m/f story set in The Copper Horse world)

Author Bio

K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken for sisters with surprising regularity. Kat’s the mean sergeant and survival specialist of the duo, never hesitating to kick Agnes’s ass when she’s slacking off. Her memory works like an easy-access catalogue, which allows her to keep up with both book details and social media. Also works as the emergency GPS. Agnes is the Merikan nitpicker, usually found busy with formatting and research. Her attention tends to be scattered, and despite pushing thirty, she needs to apply makeup to buy alcohol. Self-proclaimed queen of the roads.

They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of – it will be full of surprises.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAMerikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgnesMerikan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150530.K_A_Merikan
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAMerikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgnesMerikan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150530.K_A_Merikan
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/

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Release Blitz and Giveaway for Sue Brown’s Alpha Barman

Alpha Barman – Sue Brown

Author: Sue Brown
 
Release Date: November 24
 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh
 
Length: 48,000 words
 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | AllRomance | KOBO | B&N | iTunes
 

Blurb

Jake Tyler walked out of Special Ops two years ago, a devastated, broken man after he discovered his sister brutally murdered by her husband, Riley. Since then he’s found a kind of peace running a rural bar. The last thing Jake Tyler expects is his former team to turn up with grim news. Jake’s ex-brother-in-law has escaped from prison and is heading Jake’s way. The team is here to protect Jake, whether he likes it or not – a decision reluctantly shared by their leader, Jake’s ex-lover Mitch Mitchelson.

Mitch is angry and hurting. The man he trusted – the man he adored more than anything – abandoned both his team and Mitch. Jake never gave Mitch a chance to help or come to terms with his desertion. Regardless of mission protocols, Mitch isn’t about to open his heart again to that kind of pain.

But the strong attraction between them can’t be denied. How are they ever going to work together when Mitch still resents Jake’s disappearance, and to Jake, the team represents everything that destroyed him in the first place? And meantime they wait for Riley to find them… and to settle the threat once and for all.

Author Bio

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot, and has become an expert at ignoring the orders.

Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. She had an Aha moment and put pen to paper that same day. Sue may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.

Come over and talk to Sue at:
sue@suebrownstories.com
Her website can be found at:
http://www.suebrownstories.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/suebrownstories
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/suebrownstories
Blog:
http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.com/

 

 

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In the Spotlight: Stuck With You by Jenna Kendrick (excerpt and giveaway)

swy-banner

STUCK WITH YOU

JENNA KENDRICK

M/M ROMANCE

stuck-with-you-cover 

AMAZON GLOBAL

ARe

iBooks

NOOK

KOBO

 

 

BLURB

The Assignment: Discover if forced proximity leads to increased intimacy by being handcuffed to a partner for five days.

Jamie O’Connor’s closet is tightly closed and full of secrets. Attending college on a baseball scholarship, he’s hiding an injury along with his sexuality. A college degree is the key to escaping his family’s oppressive expectations. Until he graduates, he needs to play ball, both on the field and off. Being partnered with an openly gay classmate for a sociology project threatens to put more than just his free college ride at risk.

Seth Lerner’s closet is empty, but that’s because his baggage is always right by his side. Managing his severe ADHD while trying to overcome an earlier setback leaves him little time for any kind of social life, much less a relationship. He certainly can’t afford the distraction of falling for his closeted project partner.

Neither Jamie nor Seth plan on letting this assignment get in the way of their objectives. But secrets come out and goals change when you’re stuck together.

EXCERPT # 1

The finest denim-clad ass Jamie had ever seen brushed past him, and Jamie almost dropped his textbook. He should be used to this reaction by now, but every glance at Seth Lerner caused him to lose all sense.

Seth went to his usual seat, one row ahead and three chairs over. Jamie was fascinated by the precise way Seth always lined up his blue pen and two highlighters, one yellow and one green, to the left of his composition-style notebook. While almost everyone else in the class typed their notes directly into a computer, Seth wrote his by hand. Once everything was aligned to his satisfaction, he pulled the earbuds out of his ears and bent over to shove his phone into the front of his backpack and zip it resolutely away. This was Jamie’s favorite part of Seth’s pre-class ritual, as Seth’s shirt rode up enough to give Jamie a glimpse of dimples and the faintest smattering of light brown hair at the top of his ass.

Jamie adjusted himself under the guise of settling into his seat. The stadium seating of the Kellogg 2A lecture hall sucked for a discussion-based class of only 30 students, but he was grateful for the long tables that ran the length of each row, hiding both illicit cell phone use and erections. He’d spend the majority of class half-hard, attuned to Seth’s every movement. The precision of Seth’s placement of his textbook to the right of his notebook belied his almost incessant leg-bouncing and finger tapping. More than once, Jamie had needed to borrow Christian’s class notes because he’d gotten too caught up in the rhythm of the song that obviously flowed through Seth’s body. Not that he ever admitted to Christian why he’d been unable to keep up with the professor’s lecture. After all, Jamie was straight.

Seth, of course, was oblivious to Jamie’s attention. Jamie had chosen his self-assigned seat with care, able to view the object of his attention throughout class without being obvious about it. If Seth ever felt as if he were being watched, he certainly never turned around or gave any other indication of paranoia. Good thing, too, because awareness would ruin the fantasy forever. Jamie could barely admit his interest to himself; he’d never be able to work up the courage to confess to anyone else. Especially not Seth himself. And he’d be more apt to walk across the quad naked than to act on his desire.

As the room filled with students, Jamie pulled his attention away from the way Seth’s wide shoulders narrowed to his lean torso and forced himself to focus on the front of the lecture hall. Dr. Pulaski was running late, as usual. She often left a discussion question on the board to get the class thinking and talking. But what did she mean by the single word she’d written today?

“Tethered? I didn’t see anything about bondage in the syllabus,” someone behind him said, accompanied by loud laughs from his friends. Donny Stewart had a joke for everything. If it could be at someone else’s expense, even better.

“It could mean the baggage we all carry with us,” a girl in the front row offered timidly. Mary, Marjorie—her name was something like that. Jamie had seen her waiting up for Seth outside the lecture hall and walking around campus with him, but for some reason they never sat together in class.

“You mean the baggage you’re carrying around your hips?” Donny’s sycophants laughed long and loud at his quick comeback. Hadn’t these idiots dished out enough of this shit in high school?

“More like the helium balloon that is your brain, Stew.” Jamie fired back. Few people stood up to Donny because they feared being the next victim in his crosshairs.

Seth turned in his seat to see who’d spoken. Jamie was startled as they made direct eye contact for the first time. The depth of Seth’s chocolate brown eyes captured him to the point that he almost missed Donny’s retort. Shit, if that asshole caught him making goo-goo eyes at a guy, not even Jamie’s status as pitcher and captain of the baseball team would save him from becoming a target of his bullying.

“Are lame comebacks what you’re pitching instead of baseballs these days, Windup? That’d explain why you’re not making it into the strike zone.” And sometimes even being a jock wasn’t a safety net. Especially a jock having a crap season and trouble performing up to expectations.

Jamie forced himself to look away from Seth and lean back casually in his seat, hoping the rest of the class thought he was just too cool to continue engaging with Donny. He was spared any further embarrassment—of the inappropriate attraction or sports performance varieties—by the belated entrance of Dr. Pulaski.

“Sorry I’m late, gang.” Dr. P greeted the class with the same refrain every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Jamie wondered how she’d react if they all recited it to her en masse one day. “The daycare center was a madhouse, and Lily was clingy.” She talked about her daughter at every opportunity and often raced across campus to the nearby daycare center between classes and office hours.

She dropped an oversized tote on the floor next to the podium with a heavy thud and removed her silly hat with the strings and pompoms. “So let’s get started. I didn’t leave you much to go on today, so I’m figuring either you all spent the last ten minutes on Snapchat—“ She looked up from where she’d been setting out her lecture notes and glared in Donny’s direction. “—Or making inappropriate comments.”

Everyone laughed, including Jamie. Although not part of his major, Sociology of Emotions was his favorite class this semester. He rolled his shoulders, ignoring the dull ache that was a constant companion, and settled in to enjoy the hour.

stuck-with-you-teas-3

EXCERPT # 2

Seth looked over at Jamie as they crossed the once-again hushed campus, students breaking off from the pack as they approached their own dorms. After taking off in his usual rush, Jamie had shortened his strides to match Seth’s, but his long fingers repeatedly squeezed around the hat he continued to hold as if barely containing his temper.

“Mari was only taking a wild-assed guess.” Seth attempted to break the silence. Jamie glared at him and picked up the pace.

The short walk felt like a death march. Seth’s thoughts kept cadence. Left foot, Jamie’s voice in his head whispering “I’m gay.” Right foot, a reminder of how conflicted he’d felt all day, wagging his tail like a puppy at Jamie’s praise and then feeling like he’d soiled the carpet when that affection had been withdrawn. This was why he didn’t do people. Except Mari. And she’d turned on him, too, and gone out of her way to turn Jamie against him just when Seth’s tail started twitching again.

I’ve spent too much time with Grand’s dogs.

They climbed the three flights of stairs to his room, and Jamie shifted his feet impatiently while Seth shoved numb fingers into his jeans pocket. Nerves and cold made him drop the key. With a grunt, Jamie bent to retrieve it, then hip-checked Seth aside to insert it into the lock. He pushed the door open so hard, it bounced off the wall, and he raised his arm in time to prevent it from hitting his face on the rebound. Seth was leery of entering the room with the clearly angry guy, but Jamie didn’t give him any choice, tugging him inside before slamming the door shut.

“Jamie, I’m sor—“

Jamie pushed him roughly against the back of the door. Seth’s head hit with a crack. Oh, shit! As he raised his arms to defend himself, Jamie’s lips crashed against his own. Seth’s breath left him in a whoosh, sudden fear replaced just as quickly with excitement. Jamie’s tongue dove into Seth’s mouth, its hot sweetness bringing his entire body to attention. When Seth tilted his head to a better angle, Jamie slid his hands up Seth’s arms and drove his long fingers into his hair, forcing him to stay still as Jamie tasted and explored, nipping Seth’s lips with his teeth, stroking Seth’s tongue with his own. If their first kiss had been a shy hello, this was an entire conversation. Jamie’s hands enveloped his head like a helmet, palms cupping his jaw on both sides and thumbs stroking over his cheekbones while his fingers rubbed gently at the spot where Seth’s skull met the door, soothing the hurt. His hands were icy from the snowball fight, and Seth shivered.

The goosebumps on his skin increased the sensation as Jamie’s body pressed against him. Even wet and chilled through, feeling the hardness of Jamie’s jeans-covered cock acted as a match to kindling, instantly heating him up. He wanted to move, to get more of that delicious friction, but squeezed between Jamie and the door, all he could do was feel whatever Jamie chose to allow him. With Jamie’s hands holding his head still, the only place Seth could rest his own within the confines of the tether were around Jamie’s neck.

stuck-with-you-teas-2

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Kendrick writes contemporary, new adult, and paranormal romance about smart guys with a propensity for snark. Jenna went to a small college in the woods of Western Massachusetts, where she alternated between bare feet and hiking boots and used dining hall trays as a mode of transportation in the winter. She fell in love with creative writing after writing a satirical essay to get out of yet another literary analysis assignment. Unable to choose a coast or climate zone, she bounced around the country before settling in Upstate New York. She lives with her husband and several furry creatives, some of whom think of her desk as their own. This may be why Jenna’s developed a sudden urge to write about shifters.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennakendrickauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennakendauth

Tumblr: http://jennakendrickauthor.tumblr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennakendrickauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jennakendrick

Website: http://www.jennakendrick.com

GIVEAWAY

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How to Deal by T.M Smith and Narrated by Joel Leslie Audiobook tour (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Welcome to the How to Deal Audiobook tour, hosted by TTC Books and more.


How to Deal is the 3rd book in the All Cocks Stories and is now available in Audiobook format in addition to E-book and Print. 

 

Jon Brennan comes from a long line of men in uniform; all born and bred to both bleed and wear blue. His family and the majority of his co-workers support him every step of the way, so he doesn’t need to hide the fact that he prefers men over women. Between the job and his larger than life, loud and rowdy half Irish, half Italian family, there isn’t much time for dating, much less finding a guy who can deal with the stress and demands placed on the shoulders of an NYPD detective.
Kory White is cocky and abrasive with most people, but it is all a facade he hides behind to keep his heart safe. As a child, Kory lost his mother to an act of violence. Soon after, he and his baby sister Kassandra were separated by the system. Kassandra was immediately adopted, but Kory spent the next 10 years cycling through foster homes before moving to the Big Apple. In an effort to keep everyone at a distance, Kory has meticulously built himself an alter ego: Hayden Cox, All Cocks cockiest model.
These two strong-willed men definitely prove opposites do attract. Both are stubborn and hard headed to a fault, Kory more so than Jon. But Jon is used to being in control, the one calling the shots, and Kory fights him at every turn. Just when it seems they have found a way to navigate the unchartered territory that is love, tragedy knocks on Kory’s door yet again. Volatile and strong, even in the face of adversity, both men refuse to give up on each other – or their love.
©2015 TM Smith (P)2016 TM Smith

 

Buy links Audiobook: iTunes | Amazon Audio | Audible
Buy links E-book or Paperback: 
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | ARe | Smashwords | B&N
 

Meet the Narrator!

Joel is a UK transplant, growing up with an American parents in a British commonwealth.  He is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of both American and British sounds.  His wit and comedic timing also appeal to producers.  He has developed a strong body of work for young audience, historical, fantasy, new-adult, romance and m/m fiction.  
His author’s have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery”,  and a “true delight…” “legendary, and his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with”, “Anyone else would only be second best”.  
Joel records under two names, for mainstream and children’s fiction as Joel Froomkin, and for m/m and adult material under Joel Leslie and has consistent access to home studio for all production needs. 
{Image compliments of Author TM Smith (flying monkey) and Joel Leslie (Sexy Tinman) via GRL 2016 in Kansas City}



Narrator links: Audible | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Follow the tour: 

Nov
21st
BikeBook Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW
MMBook Escape – Spotlight & Guest Post
Nov
22nd
ScatteredThoughts and Rogue Words – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
HappilyEver Chapter – Inspiration/Gran Brennan & REVIEW
Nov
23rd
TwoBook Pushers – Spotlight only
OpenSkye Book Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW
Books
let us live a thousand words – Spotlight & REVIEW
Nov
24th
LoveBytes – This or That Thanksgiving edition (Author and Narrator)
GayBook Reviews – Narrator Interview & REVIEW
TripleA – Spotlight only
Nov
25th
FangirlMoments and My Two Cents – Spotlight only
MorticiaKnight – Spotlight only
Nov
26th
GayMedia Reviews – Playlist & REVIEW
CathyBrockman – Spotlight & REVIEW
TDCBook Reviews – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
Nov
27th
BayouBook Junkie – Playlist & REVIEW
TheO’Raven Chronicles – Spotlight only
Nov
28th
BookBoyfriend Heaven – Spotlight only
WickedFaerie’s Tales and Reviews – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
Nov
29th
Man2 Mantastic – Spotlight only
PurpleRose Teahouse – Guest post
TwoChicks Obsessed With Books and Eyecandy – Spotlight only
MakingIt Happen – Spotlight & REVIEW
Nov
30th
DivineMagazine – Guest post & REVIEW
SinfulReviews – Spotlight only
PrismBook Alliance – Spotlight & REVIEW
Heartson Fire Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW

 

 

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A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant, she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good book, or ticking away on her next novel. 

 
Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because, seriously people, Love is Love!
 
 
Author links: Amazon || ARe || Smashwords || Website || Facebook || Twitter 

Goodreads || Pinterest || Youtube

 

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How to Deal Audiobook tour Exclusive Excerpts

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Excerpt

Today was the last day of filming and no one could be happier than Kory. He hadn’t seen Jon in over a week and he was beyond ready to curl up on the couch with his man, eat bad takeout and watch something mindless on the television. His man, the thought made Kory laugh. If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be exclusively dating just one guy, and a cop no less, he would have laughed in their face and told them to fuck off. And yet, that is exactly what was happening. It was a slow start for them, Kory hesitant to date anyone that had followed him online in the beginning, but in the weeks since meeting at Club Berlin they had gradually grown closer. 

Jon Brennan was a force of nature, stubborn to a fault, demanding and temperamental at best; but he had managed to do the one thing no other man since Paul had done, sink his hooks into Kory. He had blown into Kory’s life that night at the club and in the days that passed, he managed to worm his way past the wall he had erected around his heart. Not to mention, the hard headed half Irish half Italian cop had laid claim to Kory, and refused to leave. Their relationship was a series of ups and downs that sometimes got physical, and not in the biblical sense, but for whatever reason, they seemed to cling to each other. 

The last time they had seen each other before Kory had to play Hayden for a couple weeks, they wound up arguing because they couldn’t agree on what to watch on TV or what to order for dinner. It was ridiculous and meaningless in hindsight – they were both so hard headed, but what Kory remembered fondly was the blow job he received while being pinned to his living room floor when he tried to stomp away from Jon. 

November 21st MM Book Escape Exclusive Excerpt part 1

November 22nd Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Exclusive Excerpt part 2

November 23rd Open Skye book Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 3

November 26th TDC Book Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 4

November 28th Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 5

November 29th Purple Rose Teahouse Exclusive Excerpt part 6

Love Mythology & Romance? Check out Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft (giveaway)

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Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Simoné

Release Date:  November 21, 2016

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here

About Labyrinth

Kikeru, the child of a priestess at the sacred temple of Knossos in ancient Crete, believes that the goddesses are laughing at him. They expect him to choose whether he is a man or a woman, when he’s both. They expect him to choose whether to be a husband to a wife, or a celibate priestess in the temple, when all he wants to do is invent things and be with the person he loves.

Unfortunately, that person is Rusa, the handsome ship owner who is most decidedly a man and therefore off-limits no matter what he chooses. And did he mention that the goddesses also expect him to avert war with the Greeks?

The Greeks have an army. Kikeru has his mother, Maja, who is pressuring him to give her grandchildren; Jadikira, Rusa’s pregnant daughter; and superstitious Rusa, who is terrified of what the goddesses will think of him being in love with one of their chosen ones.

It’s a tall order to save Crete from conquest, win his love, and keep both halves of himself. Luckily, at least the daemons are on his side.

Labyrinth is now available from Riptide Publishing! http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/labyrinth

About Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City Paper, LA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog Speak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

labyrinth_tourbanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Labyrinth, one lucky winner will receive their choice of an eBook off Alex’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 26, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Sometimes You Fall, Sometimes You Fly…Check out Gravity by Juliann Rich (LGBT YA romance tour and giveaway)

 

Young Adult Romance (LGBT)

Date Published:  11-15-2016

Publisher:  Bold Strokes Books

Sometimes you fly. Sometimes you fall.

Blurb

A dream at Olympic gold in ski jumping. It’s a dream that’s been the exclusive property of male Olympic athletes.

Until now.

For seventeen-year-old Ellie Engebretsen, the 2011 decision to include women’s ski jumping in the Olympics is a game changer. She’d love to bring home the gold for her father, a former Olympic hopeful whose dreams were blown along with his knees on an ill-timed landing. But can she defy the pull of gravity that draws her to Kate Moreau, her biggest competition and the girl of her dreams?

How can Ellie soar through the air when all she feels like doing is falling hard?

Excerpt

Prologue

Prologue
This is not a story about a girl who found the courage to come out as gay.
Wrong girl. Wrong book.
Sorry. (Not really.)
This is a story about a ski jumper—me. And an auburn-haired girl—Kate. And the biggest
jump of all.
Ask any ski jumper and they’ll tell you a truth that never airs on ESPN.
None of us jumps for the judges. Or the scores. Or to nail some fucking form.
We jump for those four, five, six seconds of airtime. Against the rush of the wind, despite
the hard ground beneath us, we jump.
And in the jumping, we fly free.
So no, this isn’t a story about a girl who found the courage to come out as gay.
Wrong girl. Wrong book.
Sorry. (Not really).
This is a story about a girl who found the courage to jump, to fly, and—for a brief, precious
time—to be free.
But here’s the thing.
All flights come to an end.
Ask any ski jumper and they’ll tell you that’s another truth that never airs on ESPN.
For better. For worse. Gravity always wins.
2
PART I: THE INRUN
It’s all about resistance.
Until it’s not.
3
Chapter One
I need to throw myself off a mountain. I need to push myself until the only pain I have is in
my body. That pain, I know. That pain, I can handle. Unfortunately, all I’ve got is Freefall, a
steep vertical wall covered in ice and snow on the sheer north face of Moose Mountain at Lutsen
resort. It’s a Minnesota mountain. In other words, a glorified hill, but it will have to do.
Freefall.
I stab the snow with my poles and laugh aloud, an angry burst of breath crystallizing in the
night air.
The price of falling is never free.
A girl in a pale blue jacket and rented skis zooms past me without pausing long enough to
take in the view or assess the danger. Happens every year during the week between Christmas
and New Year’s. Some dumb tourist gets lost or cocky and tackles a black diamond run. It never
ends well, but it does keep the ski patrol employed.
I aim my left ski straight down and, in one fluid motion, push against my poles and kick off
with my right ski. The black-green blur of the evergreen trees to my right and left pick up speed
as I do. Stark against the snow and strong, they refuse to shed so much as one needle in the coldass
Minnesota winter.
The text. The text. The goddamn text. Never meant for my eyes. Impossible to forget.
Be an evergreen, I blink and tell myself. Shed nothing.
But I’m not an evergreen and the stinging hotness edges down my cheek where it freezes, an
icy pimple of pain, and eventually falls onto the snow beneath me. I’m used to leaving a bit of
myself on the slopes, but not like this.
Enough!
Crying over a broken heart is for the girls who count calories, not push-ups. Girls who drink
lattes, not whiskey shots. Girls who spend their Sundays in the mall, not throwing themselves
down ice-covered mountains. I plant my pole and kick against the beaten-down bed of snow,
promising myself that the frozen tear, now forever a part of Freefall, is the last I will shed for
Blair.
Ahead of me I spot the girl in the blue jacket. She’s crouched low, head tucked, like she’s in
some goddamn hurry to have her death wish come true. Fucking idiot. Freefall isn’t for skiers
who want a vacation break from their lives. Freefall is for people who need to face death to feel
alive.
The girl in the blue jacket is coming up on Freefall’s rough patch where rocks jut out
without warning. To make it worse I’m not seeing the sparkle of diamonds in the snow that
indicates fresh powder. I’m seeing a flat whitish-blue patch that means only one thing. Ice.
“Oh, shit,” I say, my boots biting into my calves as I try to slow down. This girl doesn’t
know she’s about five seconds away from having a search and rescue party thrown in her honor
as she hits the ice patch at full speed. I cringe, but then she’s cutting through it with sharp left
and right turns, leaning forward (forward!) until she clears it and reaches the bottom. She doesn’t
stop there to catch her breath or count her blessings or scratch off one of her nine lives. Most
skiers have nothing left when they hit the bottom of Freefall and have to ice skate Valley Run,
the trail that leads to the front of Moose Mountain, but not this girl. She harnesses her
momentum and lets it propel her over Valley Run until she disappears from sight.
Well, shit. No way am I letting a girl like that ski my mountain without at least knowing her
name. I bury my poles in my armpits and crouch low for maximum speed. The broken crusts of
ice, compliments of mystery girl, are annoying but nothing I can’t handle, and when I hit the
bottom of Freefall, I, too, fly onto Valley Run, my eyes searching for a bit of pale blue until I
spot her already standing in line for the lift that leads to Eagle Ridge. Impossible. She must have
taken Valley Run at record speed, which means I have to as well if I’m going to ride with her up
the lift that leads to the top of Eagle Mountain. I’m puffing when I ski up to the two skiers
between the girl in the blue jacket and me, but a tap on the shoulder and a toss of my head sends
them scurrying behind me. I don’t often play the Eleanor Engebretsen card, but this is a special
occasion, and I claim my place next to the mystery girl who isn’t even breathing hard, though her
cheeks are a sexy shade of red.
The ski lift carries the two people in front of us up, up, and away and we ski-shuffle onto the
lift pad. She chooses the left and I go to the right. The chair hits the back of my knees and then I
am sitting next to this girl, arms and hips and shoulders touching, and she’s futzing with her
goggles while I’m being swept away.
I should talk to her. I want to talk to her. I have a million questions to ask her, but my brain
won’t work. It’s too busy trying to figure out how to steal sideways glances at her without
getting busted. The first glance confirms what I suspected. No pro would be caught dead in
rented skis and some off-brand jacket probably bought at Walmart. The second glance reveals a
mess of auburn curls trying to escape a hand-knitted hat. The third glance gets me busted, but not
until after I’ve checked out her long eyelashes dusted with snow, her full nibble-worthy lips, her
slight overbite that makes her perfectly imperfect.
I was wrong.
So wrong.
This girl has all the right equipment.
“Hello, I’m up here.” She looks at me until I pull my gaze off her body. A puff of smoke
from her breath hits the freezing air and obscures her face for one second. Long enough for me to
realize I like looking at her face. “I’m Kate Moreau.”
“Ellie.” I should say more, explain why I’ve been checking her out, but my brain has quit
working.
“It’s my first time at Lutsen. How about you?” Kate tries to rescue me from the awkward
moment, but I hate small talk. Though I’m willing to listen to Kate’s voice for hours, as long as I
don’t have to respond.
I stare through the V of my skis at the ski run and the tiny zooming skiers beneath us. I stare
ahead at the gray-blue expanse of Lake Superior that begins at the foot of Lutsen and spreads
across all of Minnesota’s North Shore, ending who knows where. I stare at my knee, my boot,
the clump of snow stuck to my ski—anything but the girl sitting next to me—and try to think of
something clever to say.
“I asked if this is your first time at Lutsen, too.” Kate looks at me, waiting for an answer I
obviously should give her, but once again I’m rescued because the chairlift bounces to a stop and
the bar lifts up. Kate quick steps it to the left while I stand there like an idiot and get my ass
smacked before I realize I need to make a move.
“Uh, K-Kate?” My tongue, my fucking tongue. Such a traitor.
“Yeah?” She turns to look at me.
“It’s my first time skiing Lutsen, too.” I have no idea why I’m lying. No, that’s another lie. I
know perfectly well why I’m lying to Kate. Because I wish it was my first time. I’d give
anything to start over.
“Cool. I’m heading to Mogen. Want to join me?” Kate asks and I notice her eyes for the first
time. Gray streaked with slivers of pale blue. Little crinkles of skin around the corners. It makes
me want to hear her laugh.
“Yeah, sure. Love to,” I lie for the second time.
Mogen is Lutsen’s terrain park. It’s infested with snowboarders and peppered with deformed
hills that insult real ski jumps. It’s also Blair’s favorite run and I can’t think of Mogen without
thinking of Blair. And I can’t think of Blair. Not yet.
I am about to suggest another run, any other run, but Kate is a moving blur and, like on
Freefall, she doesn’t stop when she hits the top of Mogen. Someone really should tell her she’s
missing the best views, but that someone isn’t going to be me.
I kick off and follow Kate. The run splits and she heads to the right toward a quarter-pipe
jump. She slices through a swarm of snowboarders in a way that makes me proud to know her,
even if it has only been for three whole minutes. I watch Kate approach the jump. I watch for the
telltale signs that signals an amateur: A split second of hesitation. Surrendering to the reflex to
pull back. Veering off at the last minute. But Kate does none of those as she takes the jump and
somersaults through the air like she exists beyond the rules of gravity, and when she sticks a
perfect landing, I forget how to breathe.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Kate fist pumps the air and whoops for joy, and then it’s
my turn to take her breath away. I shift my weight and aim straight for the quarter-pipe jump. My
repertoire plays through my mind. A flatspin, an alley-oop, a twister? As usual, my body makes
the decision for me. A Lincoln Loop it is. I bury my poles in my armpits and crouch low. The
quarter-pipe rushes me and I feel it, the moment when my muscles take over. Wind slaps me
across the face. My stomach presses against my spine. The sky tilts and then—
Images flood my mind.
A soft body, the ins and outs of which I know better than my own.
Laughing eyes. Lying eyes.
Long dark brown hair that bleeds blond. Ombré, she calls it. I should have known better than
to fall for a girl who couldn’t even be faithful to one hair color.
Blair. Blair. Goddamn Blair. Never meant for my heart. Impossible to forget.
My muscles contract. All of me contracts. The earth tilts on its axis. Fast and out of control,
a wash of white. It’s a different kind of fall, but like the others, it isn’t free.
7
When the sparkling white starts to spin away, I spot Kate’s face hovering above me and I
pray to die right there at the foot of the quarter-pipe jump on Mogen.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Kate asks.
I lie in the me-shaped indentation of snow, wriggling toes and bending wrists and trying to
suck in air through lungs that have betrayed me as well. “Yeah, I think so.”
Kate grabs my hand. “Let me help you up.” She pulls me into a one-legged perch. I look for
my other ski and spot it a few feet away, skewering a mogul. A sharp pain hits like a punch to
the gut. I double over and grab my side. First Blair and now this—boffing a jump that on any
other day would have been my bitch. The world wobbles again.
“Hey.” Kate reaches out an arm and I grasp it like a kid in SkiWee holding onto the T-bar
for dear life. “You sure you’re okay?”
The pain begins to subside until I can straighten and look into her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine.
Sorry.”
Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “For what? Falling? It happens.” Kate yanks her hat off and
a mop of wavy auburn hair tumbles around her face.
“Thanks for picking me up.” Jesus! Did I say that? “From the ground, I mean. From the
ground. You know, where you found me and…picked me up.”
Kate laughs and I realize maybe Jack was right. She usually is when it comes to girls. Jack
is my butch best friend whose real name is Lisa Marie, but she’ll kick you in the balls if you call
her that. Doesn’t matter whether you have balls or not. She earned the nickname Jack when she
came out, all at once and without giving a shit. Like that kid’s toy, the one with the clown that
couldn’t take the pressure anymore and had to pop out of the damned box. That’s Jack. Happy to
be out, but always looking for the next box to pop into. Which, according to Jack, is precisely
what I need to do to get over Blair.
Step one: Get a little tourist pussy. The sooner, the better.
Jack’s words, not mine, and even though Jack can be crude, she’s also brilliant as hell. She’s
got it all planned out—how I can get over my cheating girlfriend. She even named her master
plan The Blair Bitch Project, but so far I’ve yet to find a tourist willing to sign up for some
meaningless, heartbreak-erasing revenge sex. Still, Jack’s plan is devious in a way that makes me
sad she and I have zero chemistry, because I sure as hell love how her mind works.
8
I steal another glance at Kate. There’s a sexy little glint in her eyes and a half smile on her
face that could be interpreted as flirty. As Jack would say, no time like the present to get down
with The Blair Bitch Project.
“How about I buy you a cocoa as a thank you?” Heat surges on my face until I’m certain I
look like a friggin’ stop sign. Round and red and telling Kate to stop, to not cross this lane.
Talk about a contradiction.
“I don’t think so,” Kate says and my stomach tightens. “But you could buy me a burger and
fries to go with that cocoa.”
“You got it.”
Kate looks down the hill at my ski sticking out of the mogul. “Be right back.” She skis over
and yanks out my ski, then side steps her way back up Mogen. She drops the ski in front of me
and I step into the binding. “You’re lucky. You could have really hurt yourself.”
It’s subtle, but it’s there. Kate’s assumption that I couldn’t handle the quarter-pipe jump, and
it stings. So much I almost tell her I followed her down Freefall. That it was easy! That I’m
Eleanor Engebretsen, the Eleanor Engebretsen, for crying out loud, and that I’m only off balance
because my ex-girlfriend sent the wrong lover a text. But instinct tells me to shut the fuck up, so
I do.
Kate surveys the slope and shakes her head. “We’re going to take it slow and skip the rest of
the jumps. If you get in trouble, for God’s sake, sit your ass down and yell for help. Got it?”
“Yeah.” My ego takes a hit, but my libido surges. “I got it.”
“Okay, then. Follow me.” And she’s off.
One quick dart toward the moguls would clarify things once and for all, and yeah, it’s
tempting. But then Kate looks back at me, and it strikes me that following this girl might lead me
exactly where I want to go.
As promised, Kate takes it slow, hugging the curves of the hill in a way that makes me see
more than just her body. I see her form, the way she uses the slope and the pull of the hill to her
advantage. The way she reacts without thought or fear. Three minutes down the hill, I’m pretty
sure Kate’s talent is more born than trained. Five minutes down, I’m certain it doesn’t matter.
“We made it!” Kate says when we reach Rosie’s Chalet. She’s too polite to say what she
really means—that I made it, miracle of miracles. She slides her rented skis into the rack and
smiles at me.
9
“Thanks to you.” I lay it on thick as I slide my Rossignols next to Kate’s skis. “C’mon.
You’ve earned that burger and fries.”
“Don’t forget the cocoa.” Kate grins as she takes off her gloves and shoves them in her
pockets.
“Absolutely not,” I promise her.
We walk toward Rosie’s, where cocoa is going to be served, hopefully with a heavy
sprinkling of sweet talk. Kate holds the door for me and I walk forward, my attention
momentarily drawn to her long fingers circled with silver rings and her neatly trimmed nails.
It’s impossible to stop my imagination from fast-forwarding as we step into the women’s
locker room to ditch our jackets and clunky ski boots. I sit on a bench and bend over to unclamp
my buckles. It’s the perfect vantage point to steal more glances at Kate as she unzips her jacket,
but she catches me and smiles a Mona Lisa smile. Indecipherable. Infuriating. My stocking feet
hit the floor and soak up the snow that has dripped in clumps from my boots and turned to
puddles. I shiver.
“What’s wrong?” Kate asks me.
“Nothing.” I tell her. “Just cold feet. I’ll warm up soon enough.”
She laughs like she’s reading between all my stupid lines. I put on my tennis shoes and lead
Kate upstairs to Rosie’s. Of course, getting her on my turf is only the first part of my plan. The
next part depends on whether or not Jack is working the front desk at Eagle Ridge Lodge. She’d
better be. Otherwise The Blair Bitch Project is dead in the water before I can give Kate a reason
to take off all those rings.
NOTE: ALL CONTENT IS THE COPYRIGHTED PROPERTY OF JULIANN RICH.N RICH.

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Advanced Praise for Gravity:

“A spicy novel about two young women daring to fly free in life and love while accurately depicting the thrill of ski jumping!”

~ Sarah Hendrickson, Olympic Ski Jumper and member of the US Ski Team Women’s Ski Jumping Team

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‘Tis The Season for A Family For Christmas by Jay Northcote (release day tour )

A Family For Christmas – Jay Northcote

Author: Jay Northcote
 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh
 
Release: November 18
 
Length: 45,000 words
 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 

Zac never had a family of his own, but Rudy has enough to share.

Shy, inexperienced Rudy has a crush on Zac from the moment his new colleague walks through the door. On an office night out before Christmas, Rudy finds the courage to make a move, and they form a tentative bond. When he discovers Zac will be alone at Christmas, he invites Zac to come home with him.

Zac prefers to keep people at arm’s length. Yet when Rudy offers him a family Christmas it’s impossible to resist. With no parents of his own, Zac is pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by Rudy’s. The only drawback is that everyone assumes they’re a couple. Unwilling to disappoint Rudy’s mum and make Christmas awkward, they decide not to deny it.

It’s not a chore for Zac to pose as Rudy’s boyfriend, but the pretence makes him want things that scare him—things like a real relationship with Rudy. Zac’s suffered enough rejection in his life already and is afraid to risk his heart. If he can get over his past rejection and let Rudy inside his armour, he might get more for Christmas than he ever imagined.

 

 

Author Bio

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.

 

Release Blitz & Giveaway- J M Snyder’s Not Another One Hit Wonder

Not Another One Hit Wonder – J. M Snyder

Author: J.M Snyder
 
Publisher: JMS Books
 
Length: 43,700 words
 
Release Date: November 19 2016
 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | KOBO 
 

Blurb

When best friends Jamie Eckert and Derek Duran realized they were in love, they took their relationship to the next level. But then Derek’s budding music career took off, and so did Derek.

Twenty years later, Jamie still lives in the small town of Ashbury, Virginia, where he grew up. He’s grown up and moved on — now he owns the family funeral home business and is raising Riley, his precocious six-year-old adopted daughter.

But emotions Jamie thought long buried are stirred up again when he gets an early morning removal call. The deceased is Derek’s mother and Riley’s babysitter, Mrs. Duran. Now Derek’s back in town for the funeral, and he turns to Jamie for support … in more ways than one.

Angry at Derek for not keeping in touch, and angrier at himself for still loving the man who left him behind, Jamie is torn between his professional duty and his feelings for Derek. Will he be able to put aside his past with Derek to carry out Mrs. Duran’s final wishes? Or is Derek interested in rekindling their relationship after all this time?

Excerpt

I pull into the red-striped area next to my usual parking spot and pull up my handbrake hard enough to jerk the car forward a little. The striped spot is double-wide — during a funeral, the police who will accompany us to the graveside park here — but I pull in as close to the other car as I can. I don’t care if the other driver is grieving over a long-lost relative; that’s no excuse for driving like an idiot and parking where he doesn’t belong. And I plan to tell him just that, too. Even if he storms into the funeral home and tries to duck me, he has one hell of a surprise coming when he finds out I’m the person he’s here to see.

I glance over but the driver has his head down, digging for something on the seat beside him, and I can’t see his face. Which means he knows he’s done something wrong and is going to wait until I drive off before he gets out of the car. Surprise, I work here. What’s your excuse?

Grabbing my cup of coffee, I get out of the car and slam the door shut, hard. As I turn, the other car’s door opens. I see a shaggy head of dark hair — still not looking at me, as if ignoring me will make me go away — followed by a lithe male body. A Rolling Stones concert T-shirt with the sleeves torn off, skinny black jeans so tight they almost creak, a faded pair of black Converse that look as old as I am.

Really? I shake my head. That’s what you wear to a funeral home? Show some respect …

Wait, I think I recognize those shoes.

My heart skips a beat, and my fingers go numb. I set down my coffee on the hood of my car before I can drop it. “Jesus Christ.” My voice squeaks a little when I ask, “Derek?”

The guy looks up, finally, giving his head a familiar little shake to toss his hair out of gray-green eyes I used to stare into for hours when I was younger. The same eyes that still haunt my dreams from time to time. Derek Duran, in the flesh. He’s no longer eighteen and perfect — he’s aged like me, and the lines around his eyes and mouth suggest he’s had a rougher time of it than I have.

But when he smiles, one corner of his lips pulls up higher than the other to show off the eyetooth he broke on a seesaw when he was eight. In that instant, the years fall away from him, from us both. My body flushes hot all over and I feel like I did the last time I saw him, the last time I held him close.

“Hey, Jamie. Long time, no see.”

His voice is throatier than I remember, smoked out and husky and, I’ll admit it, more than a little sexy. It suits his grown-up appearance, and helps distance me from the boy I used to date.

I ask, “You know you’re in my spot, right?”

With a guilty start, he looks around, his gaze settling on the sign in front of his car. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I can move –”

“Don’t worry about it.” My earlier anger is gone, shocked out of me by his sudden appearance. Sudden? Who am I kidding? I knew he was on his way; I’ve been looking for him ever since we spoke on the phone.

You’ve been looking longer than that, a voice inside me whispers, but I tamp it down quickly before my thoughts can run away with it.

A smile spreads across my face as I look him over again. Damn, he still looks good. Not quite the same as I remember, but better in some ways, and I’ll take what I can get. I find myself falling right back into the way we were, as if no time has passed.

“Come on inside,” I tell him. “We can go over the plans your mother made for her funeral. I’m sure that’s why you’re here.”

“Yeah, sure.”

He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. It’s a snug fit, and the way the black denim stretches across his crotch draws my gaze down where it doesn’t belong. You know nothing about him now, I remind myself. Where he lives, who he’s dating, if he’s married. He’s here to talk about his mother’s funeral, for Christ’s sake. At least act professional.

As he steps around my car, I reach for my coffee, ready to lead the way. My mind is already several steps ahead — I see me holding the door open for him, the two of us sharing an awkward grin, then the shocked look on Molly’s face when she realizes who’s followed me in.

But his hand catches mine before I can pick up the Starbucks cup. I raise a questioning eyebrow as he comes closer, right up on me now. When I take a step back, the car’s sideview mirror stops me.

“Jamie,” Derek sighs, his thumb stroking the inside of my wrist. His touch is warm and velvety and strong, and I can imagine his hands on other parts of my body all too easily. He stares at me, his eyes hungry, the same look in them that I remember from when we were together. His voice drops to a sexy rumble. “God, I’ve missed you.”

My knees go weak at the admission. “Me, too,” I breathe. “I mean –”

Before I can explain what I mean, his mouth covers mine with a needy, desperate kiss.

♥︎Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review here….its a Recommended Story!

About the Author

I’m a writer whose main interest lies in gay erotic fiction. Why? Why not? I write what’s in my head and I guess that’s just how my mind works. You’ll find that my stories run from contemporary to science fiction, because I like a variety of different genres, but the characters are all gay men. They’re just who I like to write about, and who I’ve found my fans like to read about. And I don’t shy away from the sex, either (though some people say I don’t write enough). Gay erotic romance, you could call it. Works for me.

Currently I live in Richmond, Virginia, and work full-time running JMS Books and Queerteen press. I have two very spoiled cats named Marley and Lew. On those rare occasions when I’m not writing or editing or marketing my books, I like reading (mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and non-fiction), visiting Civil War historical sites, watching cheesy 80’s TV shows, and playing video games (I’m a Legend of Zelda fanatic).

I graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. While there, I was the Fantasy Editor of The Fractal, our campus sci-fi/fantasy journal. After graduation I started my own speculative fiction webzine, Disenchanted, published quarterly for almost two years. Though it was mostly fantasy, I began to explore gay fiction in the last few issues.

At some point I stumbled upon slash fan fiction and thought, “I can do that.” I dabbled in various fandoms (X-Men, Star Wars, an awesome video game called Suikoden), but when I finally got serious about fan fic, it was in “real person slash,” specifically Justin and Lance from the boy band, ‘N Sync.
Other Writings

If you enjoy my writing, you might like to visit some of my other websites:

J.M. Snyder : my blog
Vic and Matt : a site dedicated to my gay superheroes
J. Tomas : gay young adult romance
J.T. Marie : fantasy fiction and lesbian romance
Shawna Jeanne : MMF erotic romance
Written Ink : cover art and book layout services
Contact Me

E-mail: jmsnyder23@yahoo.com. Find me on Facebook or Twitter.

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