Category: Book Giveaways

Need a Blast of Science Fiction and Romance? Check out The Tide of War by Lori A. Witt (giveaway)

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The Tide of War by Lori A. Witt
Publisher:  Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by L.C. Chase

Defending Epsilon series
Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/Lori A. Witt blog tour for The Tide of War!

Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (including books written as L.A. Witt or Lauren Gallagher, excluding The Tide of War) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 28th, and winners will be announced on July 29th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries and you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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About The Tide of War 

Lieutenant Commander Kyle West is one of Earth Fleet’s greatest fighter pilots. Every day, he leads his squadron into battle over Earth’s cities in a seemingly endless war against a vicious alien race, defending his home and his loved ones.

Millions of miles away, the Fleet’s Elite Squadron attacks from another angle, engaging the enemy on its home turf. Casualties are high, and the Squadron needs more of the Fleet’s very best. But joining the Elite is a death sentence—a surety Kyle isn’t willing to face. Until a devastating attack wipes out the family he refused to leave.

Commander Andrei Dezhnyov, an Elite Squadron gunner, isn’t sure what to make of the cocky new American pilot. Kyle is equally uncertain about the snarly Russian, but as they warm up to each other, their tentative alliance becomes a deep bond—one that endangers them both when a daring and disobedient rescue reveals secrets that call into question everything they’ve ever believed about their enemy. Secrets that their superiors would kill to protect.

The Tide of War is available July 22nd from Riptide Publishing.

About Lori A. Witt...

Lori A. Witt is the fourth corner of the Gallagher-Witt quad, and prefers to play in the genres of science fiction and fantasy over all that romance nonsense. Okay, so romance does show up sometimes, but these are the books she writes when she needs a change of pace. Sword and sorcery, spaceships, and just general weird nerdy goodness—Lori writes it all. Like the other members of the quad (  L.A. Witt, Lauren Gallagher, and Ann Gallagher), Lori is in the process of relocating from Omahabad, Nebraskastan to the southwestern coast of Spain. In her spare time, she tries to stay out of the middle of L.A.’s and Lauren’s ongoing rivalry, while never missing a chance to trip Ann when she’s not paying attention.

Connect with Lori:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorloriawitt
Website:http://www.gallagherwitt.com
Blog: http://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GallagherWitt

In the Spotlight: Branded (Ash and Flames #1) by Ana J. Phoenix (excerpt and giveaway)

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Branded (Ash and Flames #1) by Ana J. Phoenix
Release Date: June 23, 2015

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Publisher: Ana J. Phoenix
Cover Artist: Ana J. Phoenix

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Sales Links:  Amazon

 

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Asher doesn’t like people, and people don’t like him. He’s cool with that—all he needs from them is sex, anyway. But when he’s suddenly thrust into a strange and dangerous world filled with magical creatures, joining forces with other people may just be the only way to survive. 

It’s not all bad though—in this new world, he can turn into a fire-breathing dragon! Which would be awesome if it weren’t for José, the pesky fire elf sharing his fate whose goal in life seems to be to stop Asher from ever having fun. José is hot, though and Asher wants to get into his pants just as much as he wants to get home. But José is also blind, and Asher has no clue how to charm a man without relying on his looks. 

Somehow, Asher has to show José that he’s more than a sex-obsessed pyromaniac with no filter between his brain and mouth. Preferably before either of them ends up dead. Civil war rages around them, and finding the way home isn’t going to be easy. And for Asher, getting there in one piece, and with his heart intact, might just prove impossible.

Pages or Words: 70,000 words

Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

The ruins of a small town stretched out before Asher. Flames were nibbling at huts here and there, but most of the buildings had already burned out, leaving nothing but black, charred and empty shells of what they might have been. Smoke still rose in the air and made Asher’s eyes water as he walked deeper into the ghost town.

“Asher!”

He turned around to see Blind Guy catch up with him. Judging by the dirt on his clothes, he’d either run into a tree on his way or kissed the ground. A leaf stuck to his hair. Door number one, then.

“You know you wouldn’t crash into so many trees if you’d just let me burn them.”

“Never!”

Asher stepped closer to him. “Let me take the decoration out.” He stroked the leaf out of Blind Guy’s hair. It was a little ridiculous, but when he drew his arm back, and he was face to face with Blind Guy, close enough to kiss, his only thought was Damn, I want you to fuck me.

“What?” Blind Guy furrowed his brow.

Shit, had he said that out loud? Knowing himself, he probably had.

 

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Ana is a writer of m/m romance and erotica. Her interest in hot guy-on-guy action was first sparked by reading scandalous Japanese mangas. A dirty secret she couldn’t resist. In a long bout of insanity – also known as her life — she decided to learn the language and escape to the land of sushi, sumo, and yaoi.

She’s since moved back to Europe to be with the love of her life – delicious European chocolate.

Now she resides in the sunny part of Germany where she fills her days chasing her dreams and writing about men in complicated relationships. Her family believes she’s writing “erotic manga stories.” She’s pleased they got the erotic part right, at least.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006860593164
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anajphoenix
Website: http://anajphoenix.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8334506.Ana_J_Phoenix

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Tour Dates & Stops: June 23, 2015
Parker Williams, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Divine Magazine, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Inked Rainbow Reads, Bike Book Reviews, Kimi-Chan, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Chris McHart, Carly’s Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Mikky’s World of Books, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter, Velvet Panic

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 ARe gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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In the Book Spotlight: Sword of the Gladiatrix by Faith L. Justice (author interview and giveaway)

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Sword of the Gladiatrix by Faith L. Justice
Release Date: May, 2015

STRW In The Spotlight Header

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Raggedy Moon Books
Cover Artist: Todd Engle

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Sales Links: 

Amazon.com Worldwide (US, UK, Canada)
BarnesandNoble.com 
CreateSpace (print only)
iBooks (ebook only)
Kobo (ebook only)
Smashwords (ebooks–all formats)

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My Interview with Faith L. Justice…

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Faith L. Justice, author of Sword of the Gladiatrix. Hi Faith, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Thanks so much for having me here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. I’m a science geek and history junkie and have been all my life. I knocked around a bit and worked as a lifeguard, paralegal, systems analyst, human resources executive, and college professor before settling into full-time writing. I live in Brooklyn with my family and the required gaggle of cats. For fun, I like to dig in the dirt—my garden and various archaeological sites.

My current book is an action adventure, lesbian romance set during Nero’s reign. A departure for me. I usually write novels based on real historical women—ones who should be in the history books but aren’t. Sword of the Gladiatrix features two fictional characters from the far ends of the Roman Empire: Afra, scout and beast master to the Queen of Kush; and Cinnia, warrior-bard and companion to Queen Boudica of the British Iceni. Both try to replace lost friendship and love in each other’s arms, but fate intervenes. Before they complete their journeys, I toss in a pair of trained hunting cheetahs, a nasty snake dancing bitch, a natural disaster or two, a neurotic emperor, and several gladiator fights.

Whenever I pitched Sword of the Gladiatrix as my “lesbian gladiator novel,” I encountered raised eyebrows and skeptical snorts. The first question everyone asked: “Were there really lesbian gladiators?” My answer: “Of course!” We know there were females fighting in arenas for a couple of centuries, although far fewer than men. Some had to be lesbian. What really surprised people was the fact of female gladiators. They rarely appear in popular culture. Despite the popularity of Xena Warrior Princess and the myths of the Amazons, they don’t come to mind in the media-soaked imaginings of brutal, bloody, gladiatorial games. Women warriors? Maybe. Women gladiators? No. Yet they are there in classical literature, art, grave markers, and archaeology. All you have to do is look.
• Was there a basis for your story? A previous experience or something else?

I love museums (see science geek and history junkie above). I spend days wondering around and reading all the labels. When I visited the British Museum several years ago, I came across a stone carving, from the first or second century, found in Turkey. It showed two women named Achilla and Amazon fighting with swords and shields, their helmets on the ground. Female gladiators! At that time, I didn’t know they existed. I researched the topic and found that females (in small numbers) fought regularly over a two hundred year period

The image of those two women haunted me. They were real women who lived and died centuries ago. Who were they? Where did they come from? How did they feel about their lives? That’s when I decided to tell their story. Well, not their story precisely—no one knows their background or fates. So I created Afra and Cinnia to stand in for those two women carved on the stone.
• What skills do you think a writer needs?

Writing is a craft and can be taught. There are aisles full of good how-to books on writing in bookstores and libraries, but the one thing any writer—fiction or non-fiction—needs to master is storytelling. How do you develop your characters, plot, and setting in such a way that it draws the reader in and keeps them turning the pages. A good storyteller can get away without sparkling prose, but the opposite isn’t true.

Also persistence and a thick skin help. I’ve known several people over the years who (I felt) were wonderful writers with original voices and compelling stories, but they gave up after getting a couple of rejections. Write your story or novel to the best of your ability, put it out there, and move on to the next. All writing is practice and useful. Someone once said you need to write one million words before you get good. Rewriting the same sixty thousand over and over doesn’t count.

Oh, and either a deep understanding of English grammar or a crack copy editor. I loved your rant: Win a Celery Stalks At Midnight Can A Balled Bare Bear Bee Far Behind?: Vocabulary Goes Bad with Homonyms! I haven’t laughed so hard in ages. I recently caught a blooper in one of my draft blog posts where I talked about “navel battles”—belly button wars! Glad I caught it before I posted it, but if it made it into a book, shame on me and my editor.

• What for you is the perfect book hero?

I like complicated and flawed. If s/he is perfect, everything comes too easily, there’s no conflict or risk—boring! I’m also partial to the underdog and the odd one out like Tyrion from Game of Thrones. A hero has to make mistakes and overcome the consequences, not just overcome external obstacles; otherwise there is no growth or emotional throughline. They also have to learn from their mistakes. In my first book, Selene of Alexandria, my protagonist is an impulsive young woman who—like most young people—suffers from a feeling of invincibility. She learns her rashness has consequences—sometimes deadly—but also understands that her impulsiveness comes from a deep need to do good and make the world a better place. Some actions she regrets, others she doesn’t.

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

No so much the craft. My challenges go back to persistence: getting my butt in chair and fingers on keyboard. In today’s connected world, it is so easy to get distracted and fritter the day away on the internet. Working at home doesn’t help. Stuck on a scene? Oh, there’s laundry! Or cats to play with. Or…you name it. I schedule a minimum of three hours—preferably in the morning before I look at email/Facebook/Twitter—that is dedicated to new writing (not rewriting!) I take my ancient laptop to the couch in the parlor (no TV, no Wi-Fi) and sit staring. Sometimes the words flow and I’m “in the zone.” Other times it’s like pulling teeth, but I sit there until I write one word, then the next, then the next. Each word gets easier.

• Tell us about your favorite childhood book.

Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians by Mary Nash (1962, Little, Brown & Co.). My parents signed me up for a book-of-the-month club and this was one. The story is simple: Three siblings on their own because their parents are on a trip, their housekeeper won a cooking contest, and their substitute babysitter is in bed under a voodoo spell that the youngest child Theodore (Toad) put on her. Malcom and Molly, the oldest two children, work hard to keep the house going and make it a nice Christmas for their younger brother, but things keep getting weirder and weirder. Chaos, hilarity, and an impossible snowstorm ensue.

It’s not great literature. The dialog sucks and the gender stereotypes are…1962, but I read this to my little sister every year at Christmas till she could read it herself. It wasn’t Christmas until we read Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians. I found my old hardback copy with the battered dust jacket a few years ago and gave it to my sister. Best Christmas present ever! Sweet memories of a lovely time.

Thanks again for letting me visit your site. Many hours of great reading to you all!

STRW Author BookSynopsis

From the far edges of the Empire, two women come to battle on the hot sands of the arena in Nero’s Rome. They seek to replace lost friendship, love, and family in each other’s arms; but the Roman arena offers only two futures: the Gate of Life for the victors or the Gate of Death for the losers.

Pages or Words: 260 pages, 75,000 words

Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, Historical, Lesbian Romance, Action/Adventure

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

A slave wraps my lower legs with felted wool and straps a gilded greave to my left shin, because I fight as myrmilla. He smells of sour sweat, as do I. I’ve already fought once today, tested fate, and won. The gold sand that Nero favors in the arena still crusts my hair and rasps the skin under my sweat-soaked breast band. I will go again before the ravenous crowds to satisfy their bloodlust. For what? An emperor’s whim? The crowd’s passing fancy? A sacrifice to their gods?

I swallow the bitter gall that surges into my mouth.

Across the room, another slave straps armor on Cinnia, my beloved. She looks at me with pride in her eyes and a brief smile on her lips. We said our goodbyes last night, clasped breast to breast, thigh to thigh, a stolen moment before being sent to our lonely cells. My heart beats an irregular rhythm.

My love. Light to my dark. Fire to my ice. ‘

Cinnia is goddess-given to me; from a land of mists and forests, so different from my country of desert and blistering sun. Without her, I would be dead. Without me, so would she. We have suffered, struggled, lived, and loved. Now we go out upon the sands of the great arena to die. One by her lover’s hands, the other by her own.

It is not the life or death I chose for myself, but it is the one the gods gave me.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

About the author:

FAITH L. JUSTICE writes award-winning novels, short stories, and articles in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has appeared in Salon.com, Writer’s Digest, The Copperfield Review, the Circles in the Hair anthology, and many more. She is a frequent contributor to Strange Horizons, Associate Editor for Space and Time Magazine, and co-founded a writer’s workshop many more years ago than she likes to admit. For fun, she digs in the dirt—her garden and various archaeological sites.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/faith.justice.7
Twitter: https://twitter@faithljustice
Author website: https://www.faithljustice.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/profile/view?id=64543293

 STRW Spotlight Contest Header

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Copy of ‘Sword of the Gladiatrix’ by Faith L. Justice

Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Dates & Stops:
15-Jun
The Hat Party

16-Jun
Hearts on Fire
7-Jun
Love Bytes
18-Jun
All I Want and More Books
Amanda C. Stone
19-Jun
Bayou Book Junkie
22-Jun
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
23-Jun
Bike Book Reviews
24-Jun
Prism Book Alliance
25-Jun
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
26-Jun
Inked Rainbow Reads

Can Love Heal? Find out with Posy Roberts’ Silver Scars (guest post and giveaway)

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Title: Silver Scars
Author: Posy Roberts
Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press
Genre: MM Romance, Contemporary Romance
Length: 86,700 words, 282 pages

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Sales Links

 

SS Vulnerable

You need people to love you, especially when you shove them away.

A bomb destroyed high-powered lawyer Gil Lemieux’s seemingly perfect life, and PTSD has ruled every decision since the explosion that left him scarred inside and outside. Moving home with his mom is meant to be a temporary measure, just like proofreading for a medical editorial firm is meant to be a stopgap. But two years after taking on the wrong court case, he’s still living in fear.
Keith Kramer might be based 1,500 miles away from Gil, but their shared work brings them together—a chance meeting that’s life-changing. Gil is drawn to Keith’s good looks and intelligence, but it’s his innate understanding that Gil is more than the scars on his skin that is truly attractive. He’s everything Gil used to be and more. It blows Gil’s mind that his attraction might be returned.
Only doubt could widen the distance between them. Keith’s hopefulness, borne out of surviving some tough challenges of his own, isn’t enough to bridge the distance alone. Gil will need to believe he has as much to offer as Keith if they’re to build a life together.

We happy to have Posy Roberts here today to talk about her latest  book, Silver Scars.

Thanks for hosting me today. I’m excited to be here to talk about my new book, Silver Scars and it’s beautiful cover.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” How old were you when you first heard that? I was around ten. Yet, most of us still do judge a book that way though, right? A great cover can make you immediately buy book and a less than stellar one can make you walk right on by. Covers are candy for our eyes, tempting us to find out more.

Because of legalities, author’s images choices are limited. We go to stock photo sites where we can buy images or photographer sites or Flickr where we can negotiate using photographs people have taken. But when you already have a story written and a character so well developed in your head, very few images/models live up to the person a writer knows so intimately. Write about a character that’s doesn’t fit a few very well defined attributes, and it’s even harder to find the right image.

That’s what happened with my book Silver Scars. Gil is bald, and because of a bombing at his old house, his scalp and face are scarred.

Go to any stock photo site and search for “bald man” and the images that come up are often ridiculous. They essentially fit into three categories: stressed out man, huge body builder with greased muscles, and complete dork with crazy expressions, emoting… what? I’m not sure.

None of those worked for blend-into-the-shadows Gil. I found a photo I seriously considered using on Flickr and contacted the photographer. He wanted close to $400 for it. Well out of my budget.

I wanted an image of a man who was bald and that possibly had scars, but if his forehead were hidden, that would work too. Or a man in a hat, since Gil loves hiding under hats. He also had to be fairly somber to match the tone of the book. A guy grinning like a fool would not work at all.

And then I found an image I loved. I kept on looking, but at the end of each search, I came back to this beautiful image of a man hiding under a hood, lit from the side so his face was still partially shadowed. It fit beautifully with a scene in my book too: the moment Gil takes a risk and puts himself out there to be with Keith.

My cover artist, Natasha Snow, gave Gil brown eyes and found a font that helped represent scars. This is a passionate love story between Gil and Keith, but it truly is Gil’s story. He needed to be on the cover.

I love what Natasha did. I love the cover. It brings Gil to life even more for me, despite spending so many months living inside this character’s head. This cover is on my phone. I might even get a cell phone case made with him on it. That’s how much I love what Natasha did.

What makes a cover jump out for you?

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About Posy Roberts…

Posy Roberts writes about romantic male 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.

Amazon | Website | Twitter | Facebook Group | Facebook Page | Pinterest

Contest:

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tour Dates & Stops: June 22 – 26, 2015

22-Jun
Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
My Fiction Nook
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

23-Jun
Inked Rainbow Reads
3 Chicks After Dark
As The Pages Turn
Cate Ashwood
Happily Ever Chapter
Prism Book Alliance

24-Jun
Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance
Molly Lolly
Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
Bayou Book Junkie

25-Jun
MM Good Book Reviews
Hearts on Fire
Bike Book Reviews
BFD Book Blog

26-Jun
Rainbow Gold Reviews
Love Bytes
Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy
Chris McHart
Multitasking Mommas
Carly’s Book Reviews

Snuggle Under the Covers with Cardeno C’s Strange Bedfellows (tour and giveaway)

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WLK synopsis

Strange Bedfellows - cover
Can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.

As the sole offspring of the Democratic United States president and his political operative wife, Trevor Moga was raised in an environment driven by the election cycle. During childhood, he fantasized about living in a made-for-television family, and as an adult, he rejected all things politics and built a highly successful career as far from his parents as possible.

Newly elected congressman Ford Hollingsworth is Republican royalty. The grandson of a revered governor and son of a respected senator, he was bred to value faith, family, and the goal of seeing a Hollingsworth in the White House.

When Trevor and Ford meet, sparks fly and a strong friendship is formed. But can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.

Excerpt:

“Where’s your bedroom?” asked Ford Hollingsworth as he tipped his head back to make room for the man licking a path down his neck.

The handsome stranger shoved Ford’s coat to the floor, slammed him against the wall, and wedged his thigh between Ford’s legs, rubbing up against his balls.

“Oh. Oh.” Ford bucked. “Your bedroom?”

Despite being mostly clothed, Ford was seconds away from coming in his pants. The inner voice he’d spent most of his life ignoring piped up to remind him that he’d never been this aroused with any woman and never would be. But acknowledging that voice meant walking away from his family and his aspirations, so Ford tried ignoring it, something that had gotten increasingly difficult with every passing year and was now impossible.

“Trevor?” Ford had no idea if that was the dark-haired guy’s real name or if he’d created an alias to use with a bar pickup, which was what Ford himself had done. Either way, he was proud he remembered the name, considering he was more turned on than he’d ever been in his life.

Without responding, the man reached for Ford’s shirt buttons and popped them open while he caressed Ford’s chest.

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Amazon / iTunes / ARe / Smashwords / Kobo

 

WLK Author Bio

 

 

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Cardeno C. – CC to friends – is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few “awwws” into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.

Cardeno’s Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, “You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day.”

WLK Giveaway
Winner’s choice of ebook from author’s backlist (excluding box sets or anthologies).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Links and prizes provided by the author and WLK Book Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

presented by:
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For The Trevor Project: Finding Love: Box Set of M/M Stories That Celebrate Pride

Finding Love book cover

Celebrate  Pride with the Gift of Giving

Finding Love: a box set of M/M Stores That Celebrate Pride is up, available, and helping to raise funds for The Trevor Project!

Finding Love: Box Set of M/M Stories That Celebrate Pride
Participating Authors:  Jamie Lynn Miller, T.K. Paige, M. LeAnne Phoenix, Carly Rose, D.C. Williams
Publications Dates: June 8, 2015 – September 30, 2015

BUY LINKS: Amazon US Amazon UK (Coming soon to ARe and in Print)
Goodreads Book Page
Cover artist: Dakota Trace

Finding Love book coverBook Details:

ebook, 277 pages
Published June 8th 2015 by Purple Rainbow Book Services
ASINB00ZAM87IK
edition languageEnglish
GENRES INCLUDE: Gay (M/M), Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Fantasy

Giveaway
RAFFLECOPTER: June 12th – June 30th

a Rafflecopter giveaway  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter  Links provided by the authors as are the prizes.

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/14d4e2e979/
BLOG TOUR PAGE:   Follow the tour for additional excerpts and chances to win.

 

5 Authors – 5 Stories – 1 Charity

Available for purchase through September 2015, Finding Love is a limited edition box set of brand new, full length, stand-alone M/M romance stories that share the theme of celebrating pride.

The authors banded together with the goal of raising funds for The Trevor Project and the proceeds are being donated to help support their efforts to provide life-saving and life-affirming services to LGBTQ youth.

His Fragile Heart by Jamie Lynn Miller
Do you believe in the power of love, even after death? After losing his lover in a car accident two years ago, actor Nathan Marshall wasn’t interested in another relationship. Until he meets waiter Justin Kowalski. Something about him seems so familiar that Nathan is instantly drawn to the younger man. Surprised at his capacity to love again, his relationship with Justin blossoms. But then an unbelievable truth is revealed – one that could break both their hearts for good.

Through New Eyes by T.K. Paige
Roommates Jed and Doyle have been best friends since meeting in college. Now that they’ve graduated and are starting new jobs they have no intentions of letting that change anything. Doyle is everything Jed isn’t, smart, cute and active at the LGTB center. Jed has always looked out for his friend and been there for him. They have plans and an amazing relationship, everything planned out to the smallest degree. Any changes could make it all go off the rails. So why can’t Jed get over how annoying he finds Doyle’s ex turned friend, who seems to be around way too often? Why can’t he stop noticing Doyle in new ways? If Jed doesn’t take a risk, he could miss what’s been there all along.

Iridescent (An Angels All Fire Series Short) by M. LeAnne Phoenix
Best friends, trusted confidants, partners in crime— call it what you like, Phai and Jen have been two halves of a whole ever since they met just over five years ago. The trouble is, that while Phai is falling more in love with his best friend every day, Jensen Whitfield seems content to call him brother. Hephaistion Amyntoros has faced many challenges during his long, long life, but the idea of confessing his heart’s desire to Jen and discovering that he doesn’t feel the same, terrifies him… but what happens if he does share his feelings? When the whole of Phai’s past rages into blistering life, ready to consume the very sun, Phai must focus on getting them out alive. Will they emerge from the fire intact or will the love in his life burn like a supernova once more?

Unexpectedly Lucky (The Bradford Boys, Book 1) by Carly Rose
Lincoln and Ryan have been best friends since the fifth grade. Their friendship has always been effortless, but a single night of passion threatens to change everything. Will the emotional fallout drive them apart or will they be lucky enough to find love unexpectedly?

What the Heart Wants by D.C. Williams
Will has just graduated from high school and is struggling with coming out. A surreptitious visit to NYC Pride brings Kev into his life. Will is immediately attracted to Kev, but they’re separated by a huge age difference, and Will is still coming to terms with himself. Their friendship grows over the course of a year, but can it become more?

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Excerpt from His Fragile Heart by Jamie Lynn Miller

“Nate? Everything okay?” Justin called out.

Nathan sighed as he gingerly picked up the ruined popcorn package and dropped it in the trash. “Great,” he muttered, then louder, “Um, yeah, everything’s fine.”

With a sigh he opened the refrigerator and freezer, looking for something else suitable to eat while watching a movie, and nodded when he saw the half gallon of rocky road ice cream.

Walking toward the living room, Nathan stuck his head around the kitchen wall. “Hey, how ‘bout ice cream instead?” he asked, seeing Justin standing in front of one of his bookcases, staring at one of the shelves.

When Justin didn’t answer or turn to look at him, Nathan walked into the living room. “Justin? You want ice cream instead?” he asked again, coming to a stop next to Justin.

Justin slowly turned his head toward Nathan, and Nathan immediately noticed how pale Justin suddenly looked.

“Hey, are you all right?” he asked, concerned, putting a hand on Justin’s upper arm.

Nathan saw Justin visibly swallow. “Who – who is this? In the picture with you?” Justin asked in a tight, strained voice, pointing at a framed photograph on the bookshelf.

Nathan turned to look, and saw himself and Mark, the blond haired man standing behind Nathan, arms wrapped around him, matching smiles on both their faces.

And suddenly Nathan didn’t have to wonder any longer how to broach the subject of Mark with Justin.

With a sad smile Nathan took the photo down and rubbed his thumb over it, remembering the day it was taken, the day they both arrived in California.

“This is Mark,” Nathan started, voice quiet. “We met when we were both twenty-one, waiting tables in Dallas, each of us with our own dream of making it to California. I wanted to be an actor and Mark a screenplay writer.” Nathan paused and smiled softly.

“We fell in love, and about a year later made it out here. We were together for four years. And then—” Nathan took a shaky breath. “And then two years ago we were in a car accident. I made it out with some broken bones, but Mark was killed.”

Nathan looked away from the photo and up at Justin as he finished his story, and Justin looked even worse than before, visibly shaken, his eyes bright with moisture. But before Nathan could say anything, Justin was backing away from him, turning quickly, his movements jerky, agitated in a way Nathan had never seen him.

“I’ve gotta go,” Justin suddenly said, voice rough, heading for the door.

“What? Why? Justin, what’s wrong?”

The words tumbled out of Justin’s mouth, tripping over one another. “I just – I just remembered that I’m supposed to be covering someone’s shift at the restaurant tonight. I’ve gotta go.”

Justin was moving fast, out of the living room and to the front door by the time Nathan set the picture frame back on the bookshelf.

“Justin, slow down!” he called out as Justin threw open the door.

“I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t,” Justin called back, voice breaking, not looking at Nathan as he practically ran for his car, parked at the curb.

It was as if Justin couldn’t get away from Nathan fast enough, his motions nearly frantic as he tore open the car door and sped off down the street, leaving Nathan staring after his taillights, wondering what had just happened.

About The Trevor Project

Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

The life-saving, life-affirming work of The Trevor Project springs from the powerful intersection of storytelling on stage and film.

In 1994, producers Randy Stone and Peggy Rajski saw writer/performer James Lecesne bring to life Trevor, a character he created as part of his award-winning one-man show WORD OF MOUTH. Convinced Trevor’s story would make a wonderful short film, Stone and Rajski invited Lecesne to adapt it into a screenplay. Rajski directed the movie and TREVOR went on to win many prestigious awards including the Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short Film.

The Oscar-winning film eventually launched a national movement. When producer Randy Stone secured an airing on HBO with Ellen DeGeneres hosting, director/producer Peggy Rajski discovered there was no real place for young people like Trevor to turn when facing challenges similar to his. She quickly recruited mental health experts and figured out how to build the infrastructure necessary for a nationwide 24-hour crisis line, and writer James Lecesne secured the funds to start it. On the night their funny and moving coming-of-age story premiered on HBO in 1998, these visionary filmmakers launched the Trevor Lifeline, the first national crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of young people in crisis have reached out to The Trevor Project’s multiple in-person and online life-saving, life-affirming resources–Trevor Lifeline, TrevorChat, TrevorSpace and Trevor Education Workshops.

The Trevor Project is the premier organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ teens and young adults.

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Watch ‘Trevor’ on YouTube, find it on Facebook and listen to Sir Ian McKellan’s impassioned plea for our youth here
(20 minutes)
AUTHOR PROFILES:

Jamie Lynn Miller has been writing fiction since childhood and decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2008, finding to her amazement that people truly enjoyed her love stories. She’s a romantic at heart, and her tales reflect the desire we all have to find “the one,” persevering through trials and heartache for that happy ending.

Jamie has a degree in fine arts and has spent the last twenty years working as a graphic designer, though she’d much rather be writing. She was born in Chicago and still lives there today with her husband and their two furry, four-footed children, er… cats.

If she’s not brainstorming story ideas, you can find Jamie at a sci-fi convention, in front of a furnace doing glass blowing, or on a mat twisted into a yoga pose.
Website – Facebook

T.K. Paige picked up her first book to read around the age of four and hasn’t stopped since. She discovered the M/M genre in August of 2012 and an addict was hooked.

If you see her and she is not reading, then she is thinking about the books that live in her head. It doesn’t matter what else she is doing, it is guaranteed half her brain has a plot running through it.
A stay at home mom for more years than she would like to think about, she is lucky enough to be married to a wonderful guy who encouraged her to write throughout their years together.

Then when she finally did it and she told him what she was writing, he turned only slightly green and asked “Do I have to read it?” Apparently, he had dreams of her being the next Urban Fantasy sensation with her taste in movies.
Website – Facebook – Tumblr

M. LeAnne Phoenix would tell you that the worst time of her life was the two years that she attempted to take off from writing. If you asked her to explain exactly why she did such a thing, you would most likely get the mad attempt to arch an eyebrow like her dad and then a shake of the head as she told you it was unlucky to speak of such things. Suffice it to say, it will never happen again!

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas in the mid-1970’s, Ms. Phoenix was young and wild (and even free!) during the crazy wondrous decade known as the 1980’s and the even crazier but now grungy decade of the 1990’s. Music is second only to the muses that live and breathe to fill her mind with beautiful men, and music always helps them to tell their stories. She is never without her iPod or her computer no matter where she goes, although, she does like to hike and take pictures of the sky and the moon, and even the occasional shot of the sun through the branches of a tree.

An avid cat lover, Ms. Phoenix has been owned by many throughout her life, though her current owner is one Lily-Rose, who really would like for her to step away from the keyboard and pay her some attention! After all, hasn’t she earned it?
Website – Facebook – Twitter

Carly Rose was named after her grandmother, an accomplished poet, and a character her mom met in a romance novel while awaiting her birth, I guess you could say that writing has always been in her blood.

As a child her parents used to threaten to take away her books and make her play outside when she wasn’t getting her chores done. Now she’s all grown up and her roles as wife, mother of two, and part-time nurse keep her hopping. As a blogger, book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, she still manage to spend time each day with her nose in a book.

She’s a student of life who’s always looking for new opportunities to learn and discovered early on that the love of family, friends and a positive attitude are all you really need. A free spirited motorcycle enthusiast who loves butterflies, dancing in the rain, and believes that everything is better in purple, she love to hear from reader so stop by and say “hi” anytime!
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Book Review Blog

D.C. Williams is a funny little middle aged woman who mostly lives in Pennsylvania and writes romance novels you wouldn’t expect.
Website

Its A Quick Stop for Love with Jeff Ermo’s Speedy Rewards (tour and giveaway)

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Synopsis

Phil Mitchell pours his heart and soul into his job as manager of Speedy Mart, a local convenience store. He loves his work and he loves his fellow employees, but when it comes to his personal life, Phil is lonely and depressed and still pining for his long-departed ex.

He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.

Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.

First step in his planÖ do something about his love life.

SpeedyRewards-smallpreview

Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil’s team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.

As is Brandon, the local cop…

And Mark, the homophobic boss…

Perhaps, with a littleÖ luck, the next week will be better.

Buy Links

Don’t miss the 1 Year Anniversary 40% off Sale on Wayward Inkís Publishingís site!

Book trailer

Giveaway

Prizes: $20 WIP Gift Card, $10 WIP Gift Card, ebook copy of Speedy Rewards.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Eyes on Books Promotions.

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About the author

JEFF ERNO began writing LGBT fiction in the late 1990s. Although an avid reader and amateur writer from a very young age, Jeff pursued a career as a retail store manager in Northern Michigan. When his first gay-themed novel was published, he was shocked that anyone would even want to read it. So far, he’s published over thirty novels. Jeff lives in Southern Michigan, where he works part time at a convenience store.

Jeff’s writing credits include a variety of themes and sub-genres including male romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, erotica, and BDSM. He is the winner of a 2012 Rainbow Award and an Honorable Mention in 2011. His style is unpretentious and focused upon emotionally-driven, character-based stories that touch the heart. Jeff is especially passionate about young adult literature and combating teen bullying and youth suicide.

Gorgeous Covers to the Gorgeous Men Inside – Check Out Dragon and Crow(Deluxe 2 Vol. Set) by Alex A. Akira! (guest post and giveaway)

  • D-&-C-BLOG-TOUR-BANNER-TEST

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is delighted to host author Alex A. Akira today.  The author’s guest post on Yaoi, M/M romance and the History of the Bishounen is sure to be a highlight of the month.

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Guest Post by Author Alex A Akira

YAOI, M/M ROMANCE AND THE HISTORY OF THE BISHOUNEN

While researching my yaoi romance novel, Dojo Boys: Dragon & Crow, I was as astounded at the depth of history relating to romanticized sex between males, which led to Japan’s current yaoi empire. I was also struck by how the development of yaoi and male-male romance in the East and West appeared to reflect the liberation of women in both cultures. What is now a rapidly growing group of females who read, write and relish in romantic tales of homoerotic sex between men, may in fact have started as women’s quiet rebellion against each society’s antiquated ideals of females. The Japanese history of the bishōunen and of romanticized sex between men who are not necessarily homosexual is vast and during the five- week blog hop of Dojo Boys: Dragon and Crow, I’ll be sharing some of what I learned through a series of posts. I hope you’ll join me on this fascinating journey.

PART SEVEN: THE ROUGHNECK AND THE SMOOTHIE:

In my last post I wrote of how the collapse of the Japanese feudal system and the influence of the West drove Japan’s ambition for modernization, resulting in the Meiji Restoration. The new government’s reforms to adopt the West’s “morality and civilization” ideal, set out to modify a ten-century long tradition in which male-male eroticism was not only acceptable, but was thought of as a virtuous masculine pursuit. Social class may had been legally abolished, but regional and political views still differed as each citizen sought to find their place in this new Japan. By the 1870’s education, especially that of post-primary school students became the topic of much public discourse. As symbols of the new Japan and its future inheritors, male students in particular became the focus for much discussion and male-male sexuality proved to be a key topic of such dialogue.
As the general populace fought to find its place in new Japan, the new dichotomy of male sexuality fought itself out in the schools. With standardized education an integral part of the Meiji government’s “Westernization” process, close relationships between seniors and juniors at schools, military academies and universities began to develop. School dormitory systems that housed younger and older boys together coupled with the still-fresh remnants of the samurai bushidō code created a lively reinvigoration of same sex practice. While school authorities did not endorse the practice of senior students storming the freshmen sleeping quarters after lights out, the punishments for those caught were not harsh. Older students would generally have two to three younger students as lovers and offered their “guidance and protection” for the duration of the sexual relationship.

By the 1880’s male students were divided into two classifications of masculinity: the nanpa or “smoothies”, boys interested in fashion and women, and the koha or “roughnecks”, male students who idolized military figures, liked sports and rejected women under the credo that association with females endangered one’s masculinity. These two styles of masculinity encompassed all aspects of each sector’s behavior including apparel, mannerism, past-times and speech. Smoothies tried to over win women by dandifying themselves, wearing kimonos and white socks, and personified the new intellectual elite. Roughnecks wore coarse garments, rolled up their sleeves and tended to swagger in an overt declaration of masculinity that emulated the samurai ideal… and they pursued bishounen students.

The bishounen or beautiful boy was still viewed as the objectified beautiful boy, neither male nor female; simply a symbol of the idyllic beauty and the student body accepted that as such he would be pursued. In truth, in the early fight for the new vision of masculinity within Japanese schools, the entire student body acknowledged that the koha displayed the proper attitude of masculinity. As the nanpa with the help of social reforms, began to gain ground as the new face of masculinity, regional prejudice came into effect with allusions that most roughnecks were from the southwestern regions. The Satsuma domain, (Kagoshima) the province of the Satsuma Rebellion (1877) was one such region, and bigotry about the Satsuma populace reared its ugly head as aggression against powerful Satsuma government officials grew. The Satsuma Rebellion deserves its own post, but for the purposes of this post: Saigō Takamori was the leader of this “last” attempt to find a place for the unemployed samurai in Japan’s new civilization; the movie, The Last Samurai, is loosely based on his story.

But another powerful work came from the Satsuma region in the form of the book Shizu no odamaki (The Humble Man’s Bobbin). This romantic tale details the story of two 16th-century warriors, one younger, one older, who fall in love and engage in nanshoku (eroticism between adolescent and adult males). In the story their romantic bond provides them the will to heroically wage battle after battle until they die in each other’s arms in a great final rebellion. The contents of Shizu no odamaki illustrate the proper way of engaging nanshoku according to the samurai code of conduct, and swiftly became a cult favorite for roughnecks and others who were slow to let go of the samurai honored traditions. No one is certain who penned what came to be a rare treasure that pays homage to Japan’s practice of nanshoku, but it is rumored that it’s author may have been a female. Here’s a lovely bit of this early BL tale that soothed a nation on the rise:

“As the shadows lengthened, the night sky was bathed in a gentle rainstorm and the air perfumed with the fragrance of spring flowers. No longer able to restrain himself, Daizō clasped Sangorō’s sleeve, As raindrops pattered outside the window, Daizō pledged his love anew with each caress of Sangorō’s snow white skin”

With their avid pursuit of young bishounen the roughnecks became the subject of much attention and brought a new interpretation to the practice of shudō. Same-sex fever swept through the schools and into the cities and writers of the period seized upon the exploits of roughnecks to captivate their readership. Turn of the century newspapers provide numerous stories of gangs of roughnecks and teenage juvenile delinquents prowling the streets of Tokyo seeking out bishounen, preferably from upper class families to abduct and rape. Roughneck fights and showdowns were attributed to rivalries over beautiful boys. Sensationalistic accounts of student misbehavior served to confirm existing anxieties over the period’s youth culture, but also amplified them. Young bishounen were taught stay home after dusk and a warning whistle system was implemented; upon hearing a whistle a few streets away, bishounen would rush to find safety. Moral panic erupted when the roughneck’s gang behavior appeared to have a vampire affect; once indoctrinated into an organization, the new recruit would set out to ensnare his own beautiful prey. By late 19th- and early 20th-century scandal-rags reported nearly weekly on sensationalized stories of attempted kidnappings, gang fights and other crimes all laid at the feet of adolescent nanshoku-enthusiasts, whipping up a decades-long moral panic.

Join me in my next post ARE WE NOT MEN? Where I reveal the quelling of the panic and the rise of the bishounen with the publishing of propaganda fiction, forerunner to modern Boys Love.

Tour schedule – see below.

Alex A. Akira is the author of the yaoi romance series Dojo Boys, racy tales of young, male martial artists navigating some unorthodox and adventurous paths to find love. The prequel of the e-book series, The First Misunderstanding and the first two-volume box set of Dragon and Crow are available at Amazon:

  • DOJO BOYS: THE FIRST MISUNDERSTANDING
  • DOJO BOYS: DRAGON AND CROW

 

About Dragon and Crow

Title: Dragon and Crow – Deluxe 2 Volume Set
Series: Dojo Boys
Author: Alex A Akira
Publisher: Triple A Press
Cover Artist: Alex A Akira
Length: Volume 1 – 275 Pages; Volume 2 – 390 Pages
Release Date: 25th May, 2015

Blurb: Twenty-three-year-old, Native American, Michael Black’s well-ordered life is disrupted one evening when he is ambushed at the dojo he frequents by a mysterious Japanese youth who goes by the name of Kiyoshi.

Soon circumstances have the gorgeous teen staying with Michael at his apartment. The gifted nineteen-year-old is an intriguing mix of angst, innocence and crafty intelligence, but Michael is honor bound by a promise to his sensei to keep his distance. Michael tries to keep his desire in check, but what can he do if the exquisite teen keeps kissing him?

Volume two finds Michael in deep water when, in trying to help Kiyoshi, he is persuaded by his sensei to participate in a joint government undercover operation to bring down a Yakuza lord.

Before long Michael is immersed in beautiful men, martial arts and espionage all to gain the trust and love of Kiyoshi. Secrets, lies, sex and action combine in this racy, romantic, adventure of two men, Michael Black and his sensei, Ichiro Kimura, navigating a dangerous path for true love.

Excerpt

D-&-C-VOL-1-800X1200-COVERMichael groped for the light switch, a smile of triumph playing at his lips. Damn, I did it! I beat him! Flicking the switch, he turned, eager to view his skilled opponent and to bask in the accolades that he was sure to receive from Sensei Kimura.

His triumph descended to dismay in a flash. Who the hell is this?

A slight figure lay crumpled at the center of the practice room. Cautiously approaching the limp form, Michael’s heart sank even further. Lying unconscious on the gleaming bamboo floor was a Japanese boy. He looked to be about five-foot-seven, was very pale, and quite young.

“A kid? I beat up a kid?” Quickening his pace, Michael knelt beside the slim figure. Jesus, he’s like fourteen, fifteen? Beautiful. He looks like Ichiro. Better, actually, Michael admitted, surprised at his internal betrayal of his long-held crush on his sensei. He continued to stare down at the slight, fragile boy, eyeing the long blue-black hair that trailed sensuously around the figure’s unfamiliar gray karategi.

Who the hell is he? Why would they have me beat up a kid for my test? Puzzled, he glanced around the room, noting that he and the boy were alone. Ignoring his impending alarm, he gazed back to the unconscious figure.

D&C-VOL-2-800X1200-COVERThe youth’s face was truly beautiful. Michael’s inner artist drank in the smooth, pearly skin, the long, sooty lashes, and the pale apricot color blushed across the boy’s delicate cheekbones. God… An aching hunger preceded the lurch of Michael’s cock, which nudged his lower abdomen telegraphing its interest. Get it together. He’s like … twelve! Suddenly realizing that the boy showed no sign of regaining consciousness, Michael snapped from his trance and shook his opponent’s shoulder.

“Hey!” He leaned over the placid body, hand stretching toward the longish neck for a pulse. The telltale thump throbbed beneath his fingers, but his proximity to the boy’s face had him pausing to stare at the youth’s sculpted lips. Christ, get away from him before you do something you’ll regret. Frowning, he started to shift upright when a relentless grip clutched his hair.

Caught off guard, Michael fumbled helplessly as his head was tugged abruptly toward the face beneath him. The beautiful mouth claimed his lips, stealing his breath and muffling his gasp as a hot tongue invaded his mouth. The agile member eagerly caressed its counterpart, igniting Michael’s senses. The tantalizing scent of ripe apricots surrounded him, dizzying him with sensual promises, and urging him to surrender.

 

Buy Links

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About the Author

Alex A. Akira is the author of the yaoi romance series Dojo Boys, racy tales of young, male martial artists navigating some unorthodox and adventurous paths to find love. The Deluxe two-volume box set of Dojo Boys: Dragon and Crow are available at Amazon:

Author Links –

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Three Winners get $25 Amazon Gift Card each.

Seven Runners-up get a free e-copy of the prequel to this series – DOJO BOYS: The First Misunderstanding.

Enter the Rafflecopter NOW.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Creative Minds Promotions.

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Tour Schedule