Category: Book Reviews

In the Spotlight: Dianne Hartsock’s ‘Stuck on Rewind’ (Character interview, sexy excerpt and giveaway)

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Stuck on Rewind by Dianne Hartsock
 Release Date: March 15, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Emmy Ellis

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Lance from Dianne Hartsock’s book STUCK ON REWIND. Hi Lance, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself.

  • What are you most proud of about your life?

You’ll probably think I’m vain, but I believe I’m one of the best dancers in this city. But isn’t it okay for an artist to be proud of their work? And I do work hard at this, practicing every spare chance I get. Oh, you meant on a personal level? I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to keep Ashton as my best friend. He’s amazing. So much smarter than I am. It makes me proud that he still wants to be with me.

  • What are you most ashamed of in your life?

Not a very nice question to ask someone. But if you want a confession out of me, I guess I’m most ashamed of the men I’ve used in my life. I mean, mostly the guys I’m with are just out to have a good time, like I am. But sometimes I’ll be with someone simply because I’m lonely, or because they’re hot. Shallow of me, I know. And now I see the hurt in Ashton’s eyes and wish I hadn’t dated any of them.

  • What are you most afraid of?

I’ve tried to show Ashton that I’ve changed. That I don’t want to date anyone but him. But with my history… I’m afraid I can’t convince him and that I’ll lose him, even though I love him more than anything.

  • Tell me about your best friend. What do you like about this person? What do they like about you?

Ashton is the best friend anyone can hope for. He stood by me all through high school when I was just finding myself. Even when my parents were confused and ashamed of me, Ashton picked me up and kept me going with his support and kindness to a messed up kid. What does Ashton like about me? He says it’s my kind heart, but I’ve seen his face when he watches me dance. I think it’s more than that.

  • What’s your idea of a good marriage? Do you think that’ll happen in your life?

*A pretty blush colors Lance’s face* Marriage? I’ve never really thought about it. I guess it’s a good idea to be friends, and to trust each other. Have fun and great sex together. But do I think I’ll ever marry? *His blush deepens* Maybe. If Ashton ever asks me. I could be his husband. Definitely.

Thanks, Lance, for stopping by.  Want to know more about Lance and Ashton?  Keep reading…

Blurb

Ashton has been in love with his best friend for years, watching him grow from a pretty high school boy to the gorgeous erotic dancer at the club where they both work. The problem is that Lance enjoys the attention of a variety of men while Ashton wants him for his very own.

After a day spent denying his attraction for Lance, standing by while their friend Trey openly flirts with him, Ashton decides it’s time to make his move or risk losing his man forever. Once Lance knows how he feels, he’ll realize they should be together. Or is it already too late?

 

Pages or Words: 10,308 words
 Categories: Contemporary, Erotic, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

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Excerpt

“Fuck!” Ashton shouted in a mixture of anger and ecstasy as Lance swallowed again, then let Ashton’s softening cock slip from between his perfect lips. Ashton leaned on his elbows, his chest heaving while he caught his breath. With a last kiss on his thigh, Lance climbed off the bed, sleek-limbed and graceful, and walked to the dresser with a sassy sway of his hips.

Ashton stared after him and groaned, not sure if he wanted to pull his friend’s ass back into his arms or punch him in the face. It would be incredible to wake up with Lance every morning and make love to him. But he sternly reminded himself that they were only friends and Lance needed to stop climbing into his bed at night uninvited.

“You do remember you have a bed of your own?” he asked, more sharply than he’d intended.

Lance gave him a smirk over his shoulder, making a show of licking the last of Ashton’s spunk off his swollen lips. “You told me to wake you at seven.”

“I didn’t mean… Oh hell.” Ashton fell back on the pillows and threw an arm over his eyes. He swore in exasperation when the mattress dipped and Lance’s familiar scent surrounded him. “Damn it—”

Soft fingers touched his mouth. “Don’t be mad, baby. I didn’t mean anything.”

Ashton peered at him through the dark curls that had flopped into his eyes. The guy looked positively forlorn, and Ashton sat up, giving him a one-armed hug. “I’m not mad. But you don’t need to keep doing that, either. You’re my friend!” He kissed Lance’s cheek, the velvet skin warm with a blush. “You make a terrific roommate, and I like the company.”

“And I like you.” Lance walked his fingers up Ashton’s leg.

Ashton laughed and shooed the hand away, but couldn’t help staring at the enticing evidence of his friend’s arousal between his legs.

“Can I take care of that for you?”

“Not at all.” Lance stood up, waving off Ashton’s offer. “I’ll deal with it in the shower. You have to save your attentions for Mister Man.”

“Who are you talking about…? Wait!” Ashton rolled off the bed and trotted after Lance as he crossed the apartment.

Lance giggled, slipping behind the bathroom door but holding it cracked open an inch. He smiled at Ashton with his pouty, kissable lips. “You know, the boss. Mister Kent.”

“I’m not saving myself for—”

Ashton blinked at the closed door. Why in the world would Lance think he was interested in his boss? Sure, the man was handsome as sin, but he was also an egomaniac and tyrant. Why only yesterday, he’d…

Hot blood scorched Ashton’s neck and face, his arm tingling where Morgan Kent had gripped it, towering over him. The man had bent to his ear, swamping Ashton’s senses with subtle cologne and a hint of sweat as he’d whispered, “If you can’t type a simple letter without mistakes, I’ll find a secretary who can.” He’d tightened his hand almost painfully on Ashton’s arm. “Or maybe I should just bend you over this desk and smack your ass for each mistake?”

Ashton’s dick jumped at the memory. He told it sternly to behave. “We’re not falling for that bastard. We’ll stick with the sweet boys at the club and call it good.”

Buy the book

Pride Publishing | Amazon | AmazonUK | Barnes & Noble

Meet the Author

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from.

Dianne now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee warming her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

15-Mar: BFD Book Blog, Man2ManTastic, 3 Chicks After Dark, Full Moon Dreaming

16-Mar:A.M. Leibowitz, Velvet Panic, Louise Lyons, Mikky’s World of Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

17-Mar: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Nephy Hart,

Oh My Shelves

18-Mar: Alpha Book Club, Havan Fellows, The Dark Arts, Making It Happen, Bayou Book Junkie

19-Mar: Outrageous Heroes, Inked Rainbow Reads, Love Bytes

21-Mar: Elin Gregory, MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, MM Book Escape

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 ARe gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

 

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A Jeri Review: Him (Him #1) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Rating: 4  Stars out of 5

HimThey don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.

I love to watch love and romance grow and bloom. Especially when they start as friends as kids. Developing that bond that can seemingly get them through anything- as long as they are together.

Him is such a story but with a slight twist. Jamie and Wes were friends, but only saw each other during hockey camp in the summer. In between camp they lived on different coasts and communicated with a box that they would fill with something related to them and mail and it back and forth.

As they grew, Wes not only realizes that he is gay, but goads Jamie into experimenting with him on the last night of cap. That was the beginning of the end of their friendship. Wes thinks he ruined it all and Jamie is just completely confused. When their college hockey teams are playing in the same tournament 5 years later, they both blame themselves and begin a tenuous relationship again.

I found this story to be emotionally gripping, tender and heartfelt. The heart break Wes feels because Jamie is “straight”. The confusion Jamie feels because he doesn’t understand his feelings for Wes and wants his best friend back. Coming to grips with themselves and their maturing relationship.

Deeper than the confusion and muddling through a potential romantic relationship was the true friendship of men who were best friends and so desperately wanted that again.

Being together means a lot of different things to both of them. They have to reevaluate and look at their lives. Trying to decide if being together is worth the potential consequences.

Sweet, hot, tender and romantic. With humor and lots of hockey on the side. A must read.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 276 pages
Published July 28th 2015 by Rennie Road Books
Original TitleHim
ISBN139781942444077
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHim #1
CharactersJamie Canning, Ryan Wesley
Literary AwardsGoodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2015)

A Lila Review: Balls Up (Blowing It #2) by Kate Aaron

Rating: 5 stars out of 5        ★★★★★
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Handsome man holding a briefcase in a vintage interior

Owen Barnes’s life is finally going the way he wants. He’s making a living as an author, and his relationship with building surveyor Magnus Cassidy is going from strength to strength.

When Owen finds a lump, he buries his head in the sand. He’s too busy for doctor appointments and besides, it’s probably nothing. He pushes concern away and is soon swept up in a whirlwind of distractions. His best friend’s husband is falling apart and Owen needs to be strong for them, not burdening them with his fears.

He says he’ll deal with it when the new book is released, when Ryan and Sameer are more stable, when he’s done writing. Owen has a hundred excuses to hide one simple fact: he’s scared.

Eventually, Magnus drags him to the doctor, and the news isn’t good. Can Owen cope with the unexpected turn events have taken, or is his perfect life about to go balls up?

Eventually, Magnus drags him to the doctor, and the news isn’t good. Can Owen cope with the unexpected turn events have taken, or is his perfect life about to go balls up?

Balls Up is more than a romance, it’s the diary of a cancer patient and his caretaker. Yes, they are a couple, but as the disease progresses, we get to understand the challenges their love faced and how they managed to make it flourish during their darkest time together.

I read this story as a stand-alone but in reality, it is book #2 in the Bring It series. This is not the type of story I usually read, but I’m glad I did. Unless you want to know how Owen and Magnus got together and read more about the secondary characters, there’s no need to read the previous book to enjoy this installment.

Owen’s cancer is the central plot of the story, everything else is secondary. It is a hard book to read. It feels real, and it takes the reader, step by step, through the complete process– from diagnosis to resolution. We live the ups and downs with Owen and take part of his fears, hopes, and treatment.

There are happy moments mixed within the story. Great secondary characters, and perfect scenarios for the events to take place. The pacing flows well, getting us through the hard moments with a little hope to look forward. Owen’s and Magnus’s relationship is the perfect example of a caring love.

The author not only wrote a beautiful story about a real couple with believable problems, but she also gave us a story that everyone can relate to. Like the characters in the story, we all know someone with cancer or had experienced it. Writing about a topic many men are not comfortable to talk about, open the door for their partners to reach to them. It gives us an opening to get more information about a serious issue. And we get to see how the complete medical process works.

Another thing I enjoyed was the characterization. We get outstanding characters, settings, and events from a British perspective. What I liked the most it’s that the author didn’t feel the need to Americanized the story as other do even when they take place outside the United States. The terms, the experiences, and everything surrounding the characters and their stories was believable and perfectly crafted.

The title and the cover go hand in hand with the topics and several scenes in the story. Plus, it matches the cover of the previous book in the series.

Sale Links: Croft House | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 310 pages
Published: June 6, 2016, by Croft House
ISBN: 9781310202261
Edition Language: English

Series:  Blowing It
Book #1: Blowing It
Book #2: Balls Up
Book #3: Dom on the Side

Its Love and War with ‘Between Ghosts’ by Garrett Leigh (Giveaway)

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Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by Garrett Leigh

Read an excerpt/buy it here

About Between Ghosts

In 2003, journalist Connor Regan marched through London to add his voice to a million others, decrying the imminent invasion of Iraq. Eight months later, his brother, James, was killed in action in Mosul.

Three years on, Connor finds himself bound for Iraq to embed with an elite SAS team. He sets his boots on the ground looking for closure and solace—anything to ease the pain of his brother’s death. Instead he finds Sergeant Nathan Thompson.

Nat Thompson is a veteran commander, hardened by years of combat and haunted by the loss of his best friend. Being lumbered with a civilian is a hassle Nat doesn’t need, and he vows to do nothing more than keep the hapless hack from harm’s way.

But Connor proves far from hapless, and too compelling to ignore for long. He walks straight through the steel wall Nat’s built around his heart, and when their mission puts him in mortal danger, Nat must lay old ghosts to rest and fight to the death for the only man he’s ever truly loved.

About Garret Leigh

Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Black Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken, and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her boys work for it.

Garrett also works as a freelance cover artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com.

Social media:

http://garrettleigh.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks
Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com – See more at: http://www.riptidepublishing.com/authors/garrett-leigh#sthash.t8NCJ3A0.dpuf

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Giveaway

Leave a comment for a chance to win $20 in Riptide credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 19, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Its Release Day for the Riverdance Anthology (excerpts and giveaway)

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Riverdance Anthology
Authors: L. J. Hamlin, Asta Idonea, Dale Cameron Lowry, Morwen Navarre, Lynn Townsend.
Cover Artist: Kris Norris
Publisher: Torquere Press
Release Date: March 15, 2016

Book/Buy Links: Torquere

Synopsis

Riverdance is a compilation of all things Irish. From fae flitting hither and thither trying to trick their quarry, to a modern-day Highland games, complete with caber tossing and traditional dance, our romantic compilation of Celtic tales and lore are sure to remind readers that love is the pot-o-gold at the end of the rainbow.

Morwen Navarre brings us The Sidhe’s Apprentice, a tale of a young man desperately wanting to be a wizard, like his grandfather, who never banked on falling in love with his mentor. In Finding Balance, Lynn Townsend sets readers in the middle of the Highland games, as well as between two former lovers who need to forgive and forget. L. J. Hamline’s tale, Luck of the Irish, tells of some lucky days that turn into lucky nights. Born of Fire, Dale Cameron Lowry’s offering, brings readers the abduction of a human by fairies, and the greatest lesson of all: love is more than superficial. Finally, Asta Idonea’s The First Swallow of Spring chronicles an annual pilgrimage to the land of the fae, and how the wiley lord tries to keep a human for his own.

Heat Level: 5
Pairing: M/M, F/F
Length: 32,900 words
Categories: BDSM, Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal

Excerpt

From Morwen Navarre’s The Sidhe’s Apprentice:

There was nothing for it but to follow the path which Master Lorc·n had indicated. Master Lorc·n’s parting words had not been comforting, and Alistair had a feeling this Master Cian·n would be no warmer.

Alistair took the opportunity to look around as he walked, wondering how much magic was required to maintain this place. The transition was completely seamless, as though the door to the embassy had been a gate to another realm. None of the whispers had even hinted at the existence of such a portal, though, and Alistair was not too sure he would want to ask. The illusion was flawless, the sky a pearly glow above the tall treetops. The light was softer than sunlight, but far brighter than moonlight, and he wondered if it was designed to duplicate the sun of the Sidhe realm. He could hear faint birdsong, and there was a gentle breeze that brought the scent of honeysuckle with it. If this was Sidhe magic, he wanted to learn all he could.

The stream was not very wide, where Alistair approached it. A single stride would take him over it, but he had been told to wait, and not to cross it. Obedience was mandatory for a student of the Sidhe. That much was common knowledge. There was no place to sit, so Alistair stood and waited. He let his thoughts drift, trying to imagine what it would be like to live in this tranquil place for a year and a day.

“Are you contemplating running away? I wouldn’t recommend it.”

The speaker was Sidhe, and there was a definite lilt to his English. Alistair felt his cheeks grow warm, and he bowed hastily as he straightened up. He swallowed as he got a good look at the speaker on the other side of the stream.

Author Bio
Publisher of GLBT fiction books:  http://www.torquerepress.com to offer the finest in erotic LGBT romance available.
Author Links:
Torquere Facebook Page | Torquere on Twitter |Torquere Blog
Torquere on Pinterest | Torquere Website

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Giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: eBook copy of the Riverdance Anthology. Must be 18 years or older to enter.

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