Category: Books

New Release Blitz for There’s Something about Flying ( There’s Always Something #3) by Schuyler L’Roux (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: There’s Something about Flying

Series: There’s Always Something. Book Three

Author: Schuyler L’Roux

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: January 7, 2019

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 13100

Genre: Contemporary, Contemporary, Second chance, HEA

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Synopsis

After walking away from Gerry, Thom is back home in Minnesota living his best life. He’s flying through the air, embracing the sexual power he reclaimed in a lonely dungeon with Gerry. Yet when Gerry arrives unannounced and full of inexplicable hope, Thom has another choice to make. Does he let Gerry go and finally close the book on their tryst? Or does Thom open up his heart to the reality of their past and the potential of their future? The third and final chapter of the There’s Always Something trilogy stays true to form: there’s always an ending.

Excerpt

There’s Something about Flying
Schuyler L’Roux © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One: Falling
Thom gave a thumbs up and fell face first to earth.

His hands gripped his parachute harness as he tipped forward. He could feel his tandem partner behind him let go of the plane, because suddenly they went from the relative safety perched on the edge of the plane, as safe as you get 12,000 feet high, to emptiness.

The surge of adrenaline was pure ecstasy. At least, that’s what Thom told himself since there was nowhere to run and nothing to fight. All he could do was enjoy the coursing flood of hormones and blood as he ripped through the sky, succumbing to gravity.

Thom did remember what his instructor told him to do fifteen minutes ago when they were still earthbound. The tall, skinny, dark-skinned man was standing in front of him, the large parachute pack in between them.

“When we’re first out of the plane, I need you to arch your back and lean your head into my chest. You’re going to want to look down, but you need to resist that urge, OK?”

“Sure,” Thom said, ridiculously aware of the overlarge blue and orange wind suit he was wearing. “But if my head’s back, how will I see anything?”

The instructor smiled and slapped Thom lightly on his shoulder. “My man, when the parachute goes out, you’ll have all the time in the world to see what you’re going to see. But for free fall it’s all about feeling, not seeing. Now when we fall, are you into spinning or would you like me to keep it stable?”

“You mean, outside the falling?” The instructor, who looked far more attractive in his red, formfitting wind suit than Thom felt in his trash bag aesthetic, laughed and nodded. “I’m here to fall out of a plane,” Thom said. “Anything else you want to do, I’m game.”

“Good man.” He picked up the heavy pack, hefting it to one shoulder. “Then let’s get hooked up.”

“Careful what you promise,” Thom said with a smirk, at ease with his newfound ability to flirt.

“Oh, I know what I said,” the instructor said over his shoulder. “And call me Tay, all right?”

Thom arched his back and pressed his head into Tay’s collarbone as they dropped. The wind roared in Thom’s ears, filling his body with a pressure he’d only ever experienced on the inside, not out.

Even though the wind was deafening, Thom could still hear Tay’s loud voice telling him they were going to spin around before popping the parachute.

Thom didn’t have a chance to reply before Tay took them on a dance through the light-blue sky. Thom’s stomach did lurch, but that was the only moment of hesitation, and after it passed, there was a nothing but lightheaded giddiness. Thom flew past everything on the ground, however momentarily, and he rejoiced.

Tay tapped him on the shoulder. Thom struggled but finally saw Tay was trying to show him the red altimeter. The needle was dropping fast, steadily approaching the 2,500 feet mark, which was where Tay had said again and again they’d open up the parachute. Thom nodded as best he could, quickly trying to prepare for the sudden rush to be over.

He didn’t want it to end. Not after the summer he’d had—the strange amazingness and awfulness of Gerry. Thom wanted to be stuck in the clouds, falling and flying with nothing waiting for him and nothing to run from. It was a ridiculous wish, but it’s what he wanted. And Thom was trying to be OK with accepting what he wanted. Wanting Gerry. Not wanting him. Walking away. Forgetting Gerry.

Struggling to forget. If he’d been successful, Thom doubted he would’ve been hurtling through an almost empty sky right now, strapped in with a stranger. A handsome stranger with a beautiful smile but still a stranger.

Thom squeezed his shoulder harness hard, anticipating the sudden pull of his parachute. But he wasn’t ready for the jarring stop. His head snapped forward, wanting, Thom was sure, to fall off and continue the headlong drop toward earth. But his head stayed attached, and he remained tethered to Tay.

The parachute unfolded above them with a massive sound, like a giant shaking out the wrinkles of a flat sheet before making a bed. Once the chute opened, Thom’s free fall shifted effervescently out of control to a moderate forty miles per hour rush back to earth.

The wind still raged, but the inevitability of catastrophe was gone, and with it went Thom’s giddy peace. All of a sudden, the same problems and turbulence Thom thought he left back on the plane came back to him. It was disappointing, though at least he had found sixty seconds of peace in the free fall.

And then Tay tapped him on his shoulder. “Smile for the camera,” he shouted.

Thom looked to his left. He’d forgotten Tay was wearing a GoPro on his left hand. It snapped Thom out of his depressive reverie. He smiled and meant it. He wasn’t going to let what was waiting for him influence his experience of this magical thing.

This floating. This flying.

Thom let out a yell as he looked out onto the flat, patchwork earth beneath him. Rivers crisscrossed roads and farms and fields filled with either cars, buildings, or animals. He could see all of it, imagining all those lives and experiences carrying on beneath him. His imagination gave Thom a titanic feeling like he had old power in the seconds that were trickling out of his hands like the sands of time.

Thom whooped again, this time Tay joining him. The adrenaline, almost threatened by the dam of worry, was still there. But so was the joy. His voice was already hoarse after the two yells, so he gave away to grinning stupidly.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

A Southern boy deeply proud of his Welsh heritage, Schuyler L’Roux is a writer who passionately believes in the power of sex—funny, world-changing, scratch-the-hell-out-of-my-back sex. He’s a new author and cannot wait to join the world of erotica with his own brand of thoughtful characters engaged in meaningful interactions and entertaining situations. With lots and lots of sex, of course. When he’s not traveling, Schuyler currently calls Germany home.

Website | Twitter | eMail

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:Something Like Forever (Something Like #11) by Jay Bell

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It’s a shame that there’s no way to squeak a higher rating than 5 in a 5-star rating system, but if there were, I’d give this story at least a 10.  It’s everything I’d hoped for and more.  I’m going to attempt to do this review without spoilers, so if some of the things I write seem vague, my advice is to run to your e-book reader and get this downloaded.  Immediately. 

Jay Bell gives us lots more of Ben and Tim. Who knew that this couple, with whom we’ve become very familiar over the course of the series, could still have many surprises for us and would continue to demonstrate a solid love and commitment to one another—one that would indeed last forever?  During this story, the men have had the wedding William and Jason gave them at the end of <i>Something Like Rain</i>, and they now react to the SCOTUS ruling on same sex marriage when it comes, and they ultimately find a way to hold their own private ceremony, sealing their love and commitment to forever.   

Have the tissues ready because we witness the death of Chinchilla, Ben’s faithful bulldog, and we face a life-threatening illness for one of our favorite couple.   We get to learn the outcome of Jason’s trip to Astoria to see William (<i>Something Like Rain</i>) since that ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, and we have an opportunity to visit the clearing in Warrensburg where Jace spread Victor’s ashes and Ben, in turn, later spread Jace’s.  Ben has learned that Nathaniel is Victor’s son and has done his best to impart as much knowledge, gleaned from his time with Jace, as possible so that Nathaniel can learn a bit about the father he never knew.  To make it complete, he even takes him to that special clearing that he’s previously never shared with anyone so Nathaniel can connect with Victor.  It also gives Ben time to spend a few quiet moments of reflection with Jace. 

Throughout the story, though the principal couple is Ben and Tim, the author reinforces Ben’s love for Jace.  I love how he conveyed the spirit of Jace, in part through dreams and in part through memories, and I loved the way Tim always reiterated that Jace would be a part of their lives forever.  Tim is more than okay with that and is totally accepting of his role in Ben’s life.  It’s difficult for me to put this whole subplot into words, but suffice it to say, the author conveyed it beautifully. 

Speaking of Jace, he visits Ben’s dreams throughout the years—an interesting concept of how we can stay in touch with our loved ones who have passed on to heaven.  I enjoyed their time together in Ben’s dreams and recollections, and I especially liked the little hints Jace threw that later helped Ben resolve a problem—or find a missing cell phone. 🙂

Marcello is present front and center, and in the early part of the story, he’s convinced Tim to help set up a special museum for artists in Tokyo, where Tim meets Corey, a young man who had a crush on him in high school.  Missing Ben so much after six weeks apart takes a toll on his libido, <spoiler>but I’m happy to share that Tim remained faithful to Ben. Thank you, Jay Bell!</spoiler>

I really appreciated the epilogue, which is approximately fifty years in the future.  I not only enjoyed the follow-up on the characters still living and those who are now deceased, but I loved the twist the author gave to technology changes.  Imagine being able to have a health screening in the home through use of a device similar to a television.  Having witnessed a host of changes throughout my own life, I have no doubt this could easily happen. 

And last but not least, I must say that although I sobbed out loud at the ending of Ben and Tim’s tale, I have no regrets.  There’s joy in my heart from having known this beautiful couple and the author’s gentle handling, again with some humor, of the end of the story was absolutely perfect.  I can’t begin to recommend this series, and in particular this last book, highly enough.  It truly is outstanding!  Thank you for bringing this to us, Jay Bell.  You are exceptionally gifted. 

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 354 pages
Published December 13th 2017 by Jay Bell (first published December 5th 2017)
Original Title Something Like Forever
ASINB077WCB7JN
Edition Language English
Series Something Like #11

A Caryn Release Day Review: Devouring Flame by E.J. Russell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I have been looking forward to this book since Smith was introduced in Nudging Fate, the first of the Enchanted Occasions series.  This book is not a stand alone, although the MC’s from the first book do not show up outside of brief remembrances in this one.  Smith was one of the most intriguing of the talented group of outcasts running the event planning business, and after his one night stand with the ifrit, I knew we would see him again.

The setting is a year after the faerie wedding in the first book, and Enchanted Occasions has survived, and even thrived a little bit.  But not so much that they can afford to turn down a request from the North American sector vampires to manage their Centennial Feast.  Unfortunately, the Centennial Feast can only be hosted in the Las Vegas Interstices, a place of continuous twilight and ambiguous morals.  Vegas has terrible memories for Smith, who had languished there for decades before he was hired by Enchanted Occasions.  But there was another reason Smith was apprehensive about Vegas…

Hashim is the ifrit who appeared at the Faerie Prince’s coronation with the dastardly plot cooked up by the Faerie Queen, which was foiled by the employees of Enchanted Occasions.  Instead of seducing and capturing the prince, Hashim ended up spending a glorious night with Smith, where they connected so completely that Smith told Hashim his true name – and for Smith, as a fire demon, the owner of his true name has incredible power over him.  Hashim left without giving his true name in return, which Smith could only regard as betrayal of the worst sort.  When Smith passed through Vegas and saw Hashim performing in a circus sideshow, all of the anger, sadness, and dread came back.  Hashim was the last person he wanted to see, and being forced to interact with him to arrange the Centennial Feast was agonizing.  In part because despite what he felt was Hashim’s treachery, Smith still wanted him, as the only other being he ever felt so complete with.

Hashim felt much the same about Smith, but his circumstances were much more dire than he was willing to admit.  His very nature was something Smith had never considered – remember that classic line from Disney’s Aladdin?  “PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER!  Itty bitty living space…”  Hashim had almost no control over his life, and his master, Ringmaster, was cruel and corrupt.  When Smith finally understood the situation, he decided to fix it, because he was the guy that got shit done.

There was definitely a darker twist to this book than there was to the first one, with themes of slavery and exploitation, and the victim’s response to them, probed from both sides.  It is always difficult for someone on the outside to understand how an abuse victim could ever think that their abuse is deserved, and both Hashim’s rationale and Smith’s response to it were well done.  And there was of course the usual humor and banter, provided primarily by the incredible case of secondary characters.  The goblin-berserker Chef was especially good, as were the vampires and all the jokes about them in this post-Twilight era.  And for those who wondered how Rion could possibly be so sweet and innocent, the answer was both surprising and absolutely adorbs.  That was one of my favorite parts of the book!  The search for and discovery of Hashim’s true name was disappointing though, and the primary reason I didn’t give the book 5 stars.  Still, I hope there will be more to come in this universe in the future!

Cover art by Aaron Anderson shows a great model for Smith, but I would have loved to see Hashim in there as well.

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon: http://ejr.pub/devouring-flame-amz

Other: http://ejr.pub/devouring-flame-b2r

Publisher: http://ejr.pub/fb-devouring-flame

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 176 pages
Expected publication: January 8th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB07JZ5WPR8

 

New Book Blitz for My Fake Canadian Wife by M. Hollis (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: My Fake Canadian Wife

Author: M. Hollis

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: January 7, 2019

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 25600

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, lesbian, student, waitress, photographer, holidays, immigrant, Brazil, Canada, fake marriage

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Synopsis

When Dora receives a letter from the immigration service in Canada saying she will be deported soon, as her visa is expiring, a friend suggests she marry a woman. Since she doesn’t currently have a girlfriend, faking a relationship might be her only option since she can’t muster the desire to return to school for advanced photograph studies.

Abby is a reserved librarian who seems enthusiastic about helping with the marriage plan. As the two girls get to know each other through dates in snowy Toronto and meeting Abby’s family for Christmas, Dora starts to wonder how much of this relationship they are faking and how much is real.

Excerpt

My Fake Canadian Wife
M. Hollis © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One
My hands shook around the letter, the words blurring before my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Almost two years living in Toronto, without any complications, and now I received notice I was going to be deported. Thrown out of the place I was learning to love as my own. And honestly? I was to blame for missing the expiration date on my student visa.

Now, I had to race against time to legalize my immigrant status, or I’d have to go back to Brazil. To a home I barely thought about anymore.

I sat on the couch, letting the letter fall to my lap. I was screwed. Completely screwed.

My roommate, Julie, came out of her room, stopping in her tracks to give me a curious glance. “Geez, you look like someone died,” she said. “Don’t you have to go to work?”

When I didn’t say anything, Julie gave up and walked to the kitchen. I heard mugs being moved around and cupboards opening and closing. A few seconds later, she came back, a small frown creasing her forehead.

Julie was a cute tomcat bisexual girl who was into indie movies, the ones with barely any dialogue, where one watched people live through a vintage faded screen. Some of them were actually nice, if one was in the right mood to understand its meaning behind the many layers of subtext.

Technically, the apartment we shared belonged to her. She was the rich kid of a famous Canadian producer, and her mother was a well-known director in the Toronto film community, so her family paid for most of her expenses. Or, well, now our living conditions. I couldn’t really complain since I had a bedroom to myself, a cozy living room, and a kitchen large enough for more than two people to move around comfortably.

What more could a girl like me ask for in life?

Right, citizenship.

“Okay, please tell me no one actually died,” Julie said, her bangs falling in front of her dark eyes.

I shook my head, finally coming back to myself and jumped from the couch. “I need to go to work.”

“Well, you can still get there in time.” And then Julie was back to her morning coffee rituals.

I had a life to take care of. This situation wasn’t going to fix itself if I sat around, missed work, and stared at this letter all day. I moved quickly, shoved the letter into my backpack before grabbing my keys and my bike helmet.

“Have a good day!” Julie said from the kitchen as I opened the door. “And be careful with the traffic.”

I rolled my eyes at her worry. Julie had been struck by a car last year when she was biking around the city, and now she believed bicycles were monsters from hell, instead of realizing drivers can be the real assholes. She even tried to get rid of my red beauty, but I obviously didn’t let her touch my baby.

“Don’t worry! You have a good day too,” I said as I closed the door behind me.

Racing down the stairs, I almost tripped over someone. I took a step back, cursing to myself when I caught a glimpse of dark blonde hair. It was our neighbor from downstairs, Carol.

“Hi, Dora,” Carol said with a sly smile. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

She played with her hair in a flirtatious way, leaning closer. I tried to get past her, but she was quicker and trapped me against the wall.

So maybe I had slept with our super-hot neighbor when I had just moved in and desperately needed to get laid. I still regretted the decision. Not that the sex was bad, but Carol didn’t seem to get the message that casual sex with her wasn’t something I was going to make a habit of.

I pushed past her to gain a little breathing space. “You know how it is. Super busy with work and life.”

Carol’s mouth formed a little pout. “If you ever have free time, you know where to find me. I’m right under you.” She winked at me and waved before saying, “Bye, bye,” and walked the last steps to her floor, swaying her hips suggestively.

I blinked a few times, trying to bring myself back to reality. Work. I needed to get to work. I ran the last steps, opened the garage door, grabbed my bike, and left the building.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

M. Hollis could never decide what to do with her life. From the time she was a child, she has changed her ideas for a career hundreds of times. After writing in hidden notebooks during classes and daydreaming during every spare moment of her day, she decided to fully dedicate herself to her stories. When she isn’t scrolling around her social media accounts or reading lots of femslash fanfiction, you’ll find her crying about female characters and baking cookies.

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A Lucy Review The Replacement Husband by Eliot Grayson

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Goddess-blessed Owen Honeyfield is destined to enjoy perfect good fortune, and the arrival of handsome and eligible Tom Drake in his country town appears to be just the latest manifestation. Tom’s proposal is the fulfillment of Owen’s desires, but Owen is left heartbroken and at the mercy of Arthur, Tom’s disapproving elder brother, when his betrothal takes a disastrous turn. His reputation ruined and his bright future shattered, Owen must choose between loneliness and practicality.

Arthur Drake has taken responsibility for Tom’s scandalous behavior all their lives. He doesn’t think much of his brother’s engagement, knowing that even Owen’s sweetness won’t be enough to influence Tom for the better. When Tom’s impulsive selfishness threatens to ruin the lives of everyone involved, Arthur has only one honorable choice. He’ll need to repair the damage Tom has done and fight for his own happiness, knowing all the while he may never be able to take Tom’s place in Owen’s heart.

I am a huge fan of historicals and I was interested in this one because many of the social norms of, say the Regency era, were not present.  The Goddess worship, for one, as well as the acceptance of same-sex relationships and marriages and the acceptance of divorce .

Owen has been Goddess-blessed and this means he will enjoy good fortune and a good life.  This extends to those he cares about.  He meets the brothers after a fall on the moors and falls for Tom.  However, when his beloved turns out to be a cheating jerk, it is up to Tom’s brother, Arthur, to try to salvage the situation. In this way it was interesting – Owen’s reputation would be ruined for being jilted because he is Goddess-blessed, so how could this happen? Very reminiscent of true historicals where the female is ruined.

I adored Arthur.  So stoic and steadfast, wanting to make things right while battling feelings for a man (Owen) who was sort of forced into this marriage and who not only loves another, but loves Arthur’s own brother.  Arthur was the highlight for me. 

Owen I wasn’t so enamored with, if only because he comes across as a damsel.  His father wrote the marriage settlement, that Owen didn’t bother to read.  Then I questioned- why do two men need a marriage settlement?  Owen seems very young, very “let’s act stupid so as to not upset the men” which reminded me so much of females in Regency times. “Owen knew very well he was not wrong, but intelligent, confident men of the world were seldom pleased to be corrected by their pretty young husbands, as unfair as that was.”    Even some of the descriptions, “…his hands smoothest up, coming to rest around Owen’s waist, where they nearly spanned its circumference.”

There were times I wanted to shake Owen for not seeing what was in front of him and for pining for Tom.  Owen’s treatment of Tom’s wife was lovely, as was Arthur’s behavior after the “…not unprovoked pillow.” 

This was my first time reading Eliot Grayson and I look forward to more of his books. This twist on the historical worked very well for me.

Cover art by Fiona Jayde fits the style of the book, just a man dressed in era-appropriated garb.

Sales Links:  Goodreads  |   Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 160 pages

Published December 28th 2018 by Smoking Teacup Books

ASIN B07MD3K885

Edition Language English