Category: Contemporary fiction

Release Day Blitz for Taught by Tarilyn Sparks (excerpt and giveaway)

 Taught RDB Banner

TAUGHT

CYPRESS SPRINGS TRILOGY, BOOK 1

TARILYN SPARKS

MMF ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 08.06.18

Taught Cover 

  

BLURB

If two are better than one, then three must be… perfection?

Out of housing options while she works to complete her thesis, Kara Clarke sneaks into the drama building to spend the night—and almost finds herself kissing a wrecking ball the next morning.

When she’s rescued by Jack Donoghue—the fun-loving, sexy foreman of the crew responsible for demolishing the building—he takes pity on her and takes her home to meet his boyfriend while she figures out what to do.

Dr. Theo “Teddy” Whitman is Grecian-sun-god-gorgeous, highly intelligent, and feared by all the students at Cypress Springs College—especially his TA, Kara.

Although they both want to run the other way when they realize who Jack is trying to introduce them to, Kara and Teddy find a way to make peace once Teddy discovers the situation she’s in and Kara realizes that he’s not as gruff as he pretends.

Kara feels safe enough to take the men up on their offer to stay in their guest room. Besides, how much trouble could she get into by staying with two gay men? Except… they aren’t gay. They’re not only bi, they’re both intrigued by the sweet PhD student.

While Teddy helps his grad student finish her thesis, Kara helps him—and Jack—learn how much fun it can be when you add a third heart to your home.

This is the first in a trilogy about three best friends finding their forever. Each book can be read as stand-alone and definitely has an HEA. It is intended for audiences over 18 years of age since it includes scenes between all three characters in every way you can imagine—and maybe a few more.

 

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2vlzffZ

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2vhupjE

 

 Taught Teaser 1

EXCERPT

Teddy stood up and leaned over to kiss me. “And you think you have nothing to contribute,”he said. I reached up and threaded my fingers through his.

Kara’s eyes darkened. “Is it time for bed?” She asked, her voice hinting toward what we all knew that meant.

That night, like so many nights since the night we went bowling, Kara walked up the stairs to our bedroom, her hands in our hands. We formed a chain, three in a row, her in the middle. For weeks, we’d done this. Every night we made love, and she stayed in our bed and slept between us, like she’d been there all along.

That night I lay awake long after she and Teddy had fallen into gentle breathing and drifted off to dreamland. The drapes were open, and the warm night air billowed the fabric framing the window.

I watched Teddy and Kara, sunken into the bedding and spooning like old lovers. The breeze fluttered Kara’s hair, and Teddy adjusted to pull her closer.

We made a great trio. And everything between us was so good and easy. Why couldn’t it be like this forever? But thinking that way, even hoping for it, was unrealistic.

All good things must come to an end, especially flings with temporary house guests who were just getting ready to start their lives.

The last thing Kara wanted was to be tied down to us. She had her whole future ahead of her. Only an asshole would try to take that away from her for his own selfish desires.

I inhaled as deeply as I could, steeling myself against melancholy. I just needed to enjoy this time while we had it. It felt so magical, I had to memorize it, soak in every detail, so I could remember it always.

I looked out the window, trying to remember my place in the universe. Trying to keep perspective on it all. High in the sky, a waxing moon shone down on us. The moon would get larger before it would shrink again. It worked in cycles, just like life did. I just had to enjoy this cycle.

After a moment, I squeezed my eyes and opened them again, this time looking beyond the moon. There, deeper in space, in a larger place than our solar system, glittered billions of stars. I knew they moved, and I knew their light might be years old, but they seemed constant to me. More constant than the moon. Maybe they only lived millions of years, but that was almost like forever.

Maybe we could have Kara for the lifetime of a star, and not just for a cycle of the moon.

But maybe that was too much to hope for.

 Tarilyn Sparks Logo

 

I’m a fun-loving chickadee who’s probably either cuddling my precious kitten, dreaming about my latest book-boyfriends, or plotting my next book about some lucky lady caught in the middle of a beefcake sandwich. I wrote my first short story in a college English class, and have been hooked ever since! Now if I’m secretly writing my own alpha male fantasies into my books, well… you can’t blame a gal for dreaming.

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In the Spotlight: Happy Endings (Cozzi Cove #5) by Joe Cosentino (character interview)

Happy Endings (Cozzi Cove #5) by Joe Cosentino

Cover Design: Fred Wolinsky
Release date: August 1, 2018

 

Interview with Cal Cozzi the leading character in

Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings, the fifth novel in the Cozzi Cove series

By Joe Cosentino

Welcome, Cal Cozzi. You must be tired. This is your fifth Cozzi Cove novel.

Cal: I’m game for five more.

How does Joe Cosentino, the author, feel about that?

Cal: He writes what I tell him to write.

You are described in the books as tall, muscular, in your thirties, with auburn hair, green eyes, and a wide nose.

Cal: I’m on the book cover of book one. My husband Michael joins me on the cover of book two.

Who’s on the other covers?

Cal: My brother George is on book three. My ex-houseboy Billy Dean is on book four, and my current houseboy Carlos is on the new cover.

How come your first houseboy, Connor, was never featured on a cover?

Cal: Speak to his agent.

What led Joe Cosentino to write a fifth novel in the series? Was it you whispering in his ear at night?

Cal: Partially. My legs get stiff living inside a book. But mostly it was the readers. Joe received messages on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and his web site begging him to write another Cozzi Cove novel. One reader wrote that she misses me more than her family! They also said they missed the quirky characters, mystery, drama, sweet romance, plot twists and turns, beautiful locations, and happily ever after endings. I missed them too!

What was it like for you having another Cozzi Cove adventure?

Cal: It was amazing as usual to revisit the old crew: my hot husband Michael, my legend in her own mind sister Taylor, Taylor’s wife Carla who owns the restaurant in town, and my bald and muscular tattooed buddy Tommy at his bar. It was also great fun meeting the new guests this summer and finding out their stories. As usual, their stories are full of humor, secrets, and shocking surprises. And of course, lots of hot romance!

In case anybody hasn’t read the Cozzi Cove series so far—

Cal: They should!

—Tell us about the series.

Cal: Cozzi Cove is a magical place on the New Jersey Shore where nothing is what it seems, and romance is always in the sea air. In each of the novels, you get my story, and four additional interwoven stories about the tantalizing guests in my bungalows.

Give the readers the order of the novels.

Cal: They are Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, and now Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings.

Is Cozzi Cove a real place?

Cal: It is to me. It’s my home. Actually, Joe made it up. But it’s based on a spot at the New Jersey Shore that he visited every summer as a kid. His family had a bungalow near the beach, bay, and a private cove that formed when soft rocks were worn away by the sun and salty water faster than the harder rocks surrounding them. This created a stunning bay of turquoise water shielded by large rocks in the distance and smaller rocks near the water’s edge. Every summer Joe swam and made sandcastles at the beach, waded in the bay, played miniature golf, ate salt water taffy, and jumped up and down on trampolines. We get to do the same things in Cozzi Cove.

How did Cozzi Cove become a gay resort?

Cal: My great-grandfather built the town and all the bungalows on the resort. My father, sensing his son’s orientation, decided to run it as a gay resort. I took control after my folks passed away.

What’s the story in book five?

Cal: I’m thirty-four years old. My husband Michael and I enjoy sharing the cove with our one-year old son, C.J., Cal Junior. When I worry about our financial future, Kevin Donovan, my old football buddy from high school, appears at Cozzi Cove offering to buy the resort for a hefty fee. Of course, my top one-percenter sister, Taylor, is ready to call a moving company. However, Michael does some investigating and finds out Kevin’s offer isn’t exactly what it seems. I also hire a new houseboy and nanny and romantic sparks fly. Carlos is an exhibitionist who believes he is the reincarnation of Adam, the first man. Alfred has Mormon paraphernalia is his bureau. However, this is Cozzi Cove. Nothing is actually what meets the eye. Nobody knows that better than me. Also, a professional matchmaker, Gilead, checks in with his clients: Marine Master Sergeant Matt Pummel, young businessman from Hawaii Keone Paoa, and young writer Luis Lui. Two matches are made, but who ends up with whom will surprise you. Finally, another guest, Nyx believes he was abducted by aliens in the woods. When he meets Kurt, who believes he is a sexy werewolf, the two share some tantalizing moonlit nights leading to a shocking climax that could affect the whole world.

Will each couple have a HEA?

Cal: Of course! This is Cozzi Cove.

What’s the theme of this book?

Cal: We all need to feel special, love, and be loved.

Why do you think the readers love the Cozzi Cove beach series so much?

Cal: Cozzi Cove is a magical place, where anything can happen.

Which other character do you enjoy the most?

Cal: That’s like asking a parent the name of their favorite child. Though my parents would have no problem answering me.

How come?

Cal: You’ve seen my sister Taylor in the books. She’s quite a character. Of course, my favorite character is my young husband, Michael. He’s handsome, sexy, devoted, honest, and true. As for the new characters in this book, they’re all quite entertaining and interesting. My new houseboy, Carlos, is a nudist who believes he was famous nudists in his past lives. His relationship with my new nanny, Alfred, has lots of surprises. Oh, Gilead the matchmaker made me laugh out loud. I love his outlook on love and life.

Which character didn’t you like?

Cal: Kevin and I have a strange relationship.

How so?

Cal: You’ll have to read the book to find out. It’s quite a story with lots of emotional peaks. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a game changer. 

And you’ve won Favorite Book of the Month at The TBR Pile and Rainbow Award Honorable Mention.

Cal: But Joe got all the accolades.

Your books are quite cinematic.

Cal: Joe’s written a teleplay pilot. Hear that, producers! Make him an offer! I’m ready for the screen.

Will there be more Cozzi Cove novels?

Cal: There will if I have anything to say about it.

Readers have compared the books to Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series. How do you feel about that?

Cal: Incredibly humbled and thrilled.

What frustrates you?

Cal: People who demean and attack the rights and self-worth of others, including those who hide behind their religious or political beliefs to do so. Religious freedom means freedom to practice your religion, not discriminate against others. We all need to stand strong against intolerance and hate. And I do in my books.

Tell us about Joe’s gay novellas published by Dreamspinner Press.

Cal: I’m not in them. But you should check them out anyway. In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star are loosely based on Joe’s high school and college years respectively. They were so popular as individual e-books, Dreamspinner Press published them together in one paperback.

In the Bobby and Paolo Holiday stories, Bobby, an American law student, takes a trip to the romantic and gorgeous island of Capri, Italy, where he embarks on a relationship with his captivating third cousin, Paolo, in A Home for the Holidays. In The Perfect Gift, Bobby and Paolo move to Philly, marry, and adopt a child.

The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland is Joe’s hysterically funny gay take on his favorite beloved fairytales like Cinderella, Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, Pinocchio, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Snow Queen.

Joel Leslie did the incredible audiobooks.

The Cozzi Cove novels have mysterious elements, but Joe also has two mystery series.

Cal: Again, I’m not in them. But they’re still pretty terrific. Joe’s Nicky and Noah mystery series are farcical, gay, cozy, who-dun-its. In Drama Queen theatre college professors are dropping like stage curtains. With the inept local detective more interested in getting into Nicky’s pants than solving the murders, it is up to well-endowed Directing professor, Nicky Abbondanza to use his theatre skills (including playing other people) to solve the case, while he directs a murder mystery onstage. Complicating matters is Nicky’s intense crush on Assistant Professor of Acting, gorgeous Noah Oliver, the prime suspect in the murder, and Nicky’s eventual lover. In Drama Muscle Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In Drama Cruise Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship. In Drama Luau, muscular male hula dancers are dropping like grass skirts as Nicky directs the Luau show. It’s up to Nicky and Noah to figure out whodunit and why. In Drama Detective, Nicky and Noah do a musical Sherlock Holmes play and actors drop faster than hammy actors at a curtain call. Once again it’s up to Nicky and Noah as Holmes and Watson to save the day. The games’ afoot! In Drama Fraternity, Nicky and Noah shoot a slasher film movie on campus, and life imitates art. It’s up to Nicky and Noah to catch the murderer before they end up on the cutting room floor.

In the Jana Lane mysteries (the Wild Rose Press), with straight leading characters and gay supporting characters, Jana Lane was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. In Paper Doll Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. In Porcelain Doll Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. In Satin Doll Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. In China Doll Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, where she is faced with murder on stage and off. In Rag Doll Jana stars in a television mystery series and life imitates art on the set. The novels are full of mystery, romance, humor, and theatricality. Since they take place in the 1980’s, Jana’s best friends are gay, and Jana is somewhat of a gay activist, the AIDS epidemic is a large part of the novels.

How can your readers contact you?

Cal: Through Joe. We love hearing from readers! They can contact us at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

So grab your Speedos, suntan lotion, and shades and head back to Cozzi Cove. I have a bungalow waiting just for you. I hope to see YOU there!

COZZI COVE: HAPPY ENDINGS

The fifth novel in the Cozzi Cove series

by JOE COSENTINO

http://mybook.to/CozziCove_HE

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/835400

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cozzi-cove-joe-cosentino/1128860553?ean=2940155279358

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Query=Cozzi+Cove%3A+Happy+Endings

It’s summertime, the perfect season for another trip to Cozzi Cove: the magical place where nothing is what it seems and romance is always in the sea air. Welcome back to hunky Cal Cozzi’s seven guest bungalows on the New Jersey Shore. This summer Cal is visited by Kevin Donovan, a handsome man from his past who makes Cal a tempting offer to buy Cozzi Cove and provide financial security to Cal and Michael’s baby. Cal’s Wall Street sister, Taylor, has hopped aboard Kevin’s green wagon. However, Cal’s husband, Michael, and Taylor’s wife, Carla, aren’t convinced, sensing something much deeper in Kevin’s offer than meets the roving eye. Cal’s exhibitionist new houseboy, Carlos, is smitten with Cal’s sweet-faced nanny, Alfred, who carries a shocking secret in his magic Mormon underwear. Middle-aged matchmaker Gilead has matched guests Marine Master Sergeant Matt Pummel and much younger businessman Keone Paoa to the chagrin of cute young lawyer Luis Lui. As skeletons come out of their closets, the bears and cubs search for their true honey. Woodsy guest Nyx Oberon meets a sexy werewolf at the cove and they share a howling moonlit night. Nyx believes his newfound lover could be part of a much larger plan that would change his life and the world forever. Will Cal, his family, and his guests have happy endings? It’s Cozzi Cove after all.

Praise for the COZZI COVE series:

“I loved this story. It carries you through the full range of emotions, from joy to sadness, from happiness to anger. The characters are beautifully written…I look forward to a return visit to the Cove.” TBR Pile Book of the Month

“In true Joe Cosentino style, this book is packed full of drama! This cast of characters will have you laughing out loud one minute before ripping your heart out the next.” Joyfully Jay

“Joe Cosentino has the amazing ability to combine heartwarming, feel good moments with droll, sometimes biting humor, along with insights into the frailties and peccadillos of being human….Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back is the very finest in literary fiction with a romance theme, yet it’s more than just that—it’s about human connections and empathy and finding a way out of the fear and inertia faced by so many. It’s also about courage and strength, about respect and coming to terms with all that life has to offer, and it’s about letting go. I loved this book and look forward to the next in the series. This is a highly recommended read, well-deserving of Five Stars.” GGR Reviews

“Who knew that 7 bungalows set surrounding a beautiful cove, could hold so many secrets, love and intrigue?…The humour, whether subtle or not-so-subtle was superb, the timing delivered with perfection, Joe Cosentino is a natural comedian and another reason why I love reading his books. He is also very clever, he weaved moral messages throughout the entire storyline….Great fun entwined with the Cosentino romantic magic that brings his books alive, I loved it.” Three Books Over the Rainbow

“Oh, Cozzi Cove, you are fast becoming a favorite vacation destination with your action and excitement! Joe Cosentino once again wins his way into your heart and soul with this fun, flirtatious romance. Love, laughter and smoldering intimacy await all who dare to venture to the clear blue waters of the Cove.” 3 Chicks After Dark

“Imagine a beautiful getaway where the hot, sexy, and wealthy gay men go…it’s a place where there’s never a dull moment. Every page of this new title brings readers nothing but excitement, intrigue, and an intensity that will burn away the night’s quiet. Most novels offer readers one journey in which readers travel upon, however, readers are brought not one but several journeys that will leave them breathless and hooked. As with all of Joe Cosentino’s novels, humor comes in abundance and fits in perfectly with all of his stunning characters….Joe sweeps his readers into his characters’ lives by creating realistic characters with real issues. The book automatically captures your heart from page one and forever holds it. After reading the story, readers will be begging for the next grand adventure. Funny, heart melting, and swoon worthy, readers will finish reading this in one sitting. I loved reading this riveting tale, and I highly recommend it to readers everywhere.” Urban Book Reviews

“Spending a week in the sun with the permanent and transitory residents of Cozzi Cove makes for a superb, unputdownable, read. There are laugh out loud moments, lots of chuckles, some very heartwarming as well as heart wrenching moments, lots of gorgeous men and women, love, lust and even some tears. Joe Cosentino has a brilliantly unique sense of humour, and a masterful way of writing stories containing farce, larger than life men and women, and often over the top characters you’ll fall in love with. For all that his characters come across as completely relatable and realistic. His books are one of a kind and utterly addictive. I have yet to read a Joe Cosentino book that was less than 5 Stars, and this book is no exception. Do yourself a favour and grab this book with both hands. I guarantee you’ll be very glad you did.” Divine Magazine

“There is plenty to feast upon within each sudsy storyline, including intrigue, deception, desire, romance, and sex….As the pages turn quickly and events unfold, the ensuing antics are irresistibly entertaining, but more importantly the characters are likeable and deserve our genuine interest and concern as some of their relationships are put to the test. Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings is clearly just that — the beginning — for Cal and Michael, and this highly engaging, enjoyable novel examines both their past and present history as proof that they were destined to be together.” Edge Media Network

“I adore this series so much. I adore it partly because of the setting, the writing, the romance, but also because each one of the guests at Cozzi Cove has a story beyond their face value….There is so much packed into this book’s short 174 pages and I loved every single one of them!” Alpha Book Club

Bestselling author Joe Cosentino won Divine Magazine’s Readers Poll for Best LGBT Mystery Novel, Best LGBT Humorous Novel, and Best LGBT Contemporary Novel of the Year. He wrote the Cozzi Cove beach series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (TBR Pile Book of the Month/Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, and Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings (NineStar Press); the Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Queen (Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Favorite), Drama Muscle (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, Drama Fraternity; the Dreamspinner Press novellas: In My Heart/An Infatuation & A Shooting Star (Rainbow Award Honorable Mention), the Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays and The Perfect Gift, The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland; and the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press). He has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. Joe was voted 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Author of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards! Upcoming novels and novellas are Drama Castle, Drama Dance, and Drama Faerie, Nicky and Noah mysteries; The First Noel, Bobby and Paolo Holiday Story Book 3 (Dreamspinner Press); and Holiday Tales from Fairyland, Tales from Fairyland Book 2.

Language: English

Length: 225 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1720665014

ISBN-10: 172066501X

ASIN: B07DGVLCMX

Excerpt of Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings, the fifth Cozzi Cove novel, by Joe Cosentino:

The porch door swung open to Carlos Araujo. The young man was in the buff with his large olive-toned muscles and club-like penis on display. “Good morning.”

Cal moved behind his desk in the living room, not quite believing his own eyes.

Carlos approached the desk. His dark eyes glistened in the morning sunlight emanating from the window. “I’m ready for a new adventure.”

“It seems you forgot to get dressed this morning, Carlos.”

He unleashed a row of white teeth. “One of the many benefits of working at a gay resort in the summer.”

“Not exactly.” Cal felt older than his years. “This isn’t a nudist camp. If you want to work here, you’ll need to put on some clothes—and keep them on.”

Carlos sighed. “You may want to rethink that, Cal.”

Cal did a double take. “Excuse me?”

“Many brilliant people were nudists, including some past presidents like Roosevelt, Adams, Johnson, Kennedy, and Richter. Though I wouldn’t want to have seen any of them naked, except maybe Kennedy. He was pretty hot.”

Cal stifled a grin. “Richter wasn’t president.”

Alfred said, “He invented the earthquake measuring system.”

Noticing someone else was in the room, Carlos flexed his huge biceps. “And Richter would have shaken like an earthquake if he measured these.”

Cal said, “Carlos, this is Alfred Castle, C.J.’s nanny.”

“Hey,” Carlos replied, checking himself out in the wall mirror.

Alfred put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes.

Cal cleared this throat. “Carlos, how about you put some clothes on.”

Carlos said like an adolescent facing curfew, “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you have to,” Cal replied.

“You’re the boss.”

“Yes, I am.”

Carlos shrugged his large shoulders, sprinted out to the parking area, pulled some clothes out of his trunk, dressed, and hurried back into the main bungalow. With his pec, back, ab, thigh, and calf muscles bursting out of a lime tank top and white shorts, he spun in front of Cal’s desk. “Better?”

“Much,” Cal replied.

Cal looked out the window as Michael got into his sports car and drove off. The sun was already out in full force casting a golden ray over the bay.

Carlos followed Cal’s gaze. “This place is like paradise.”

“No argument here. My great-grandfather and Michael’s great-grandfather built it. My brother renovated it with my sister’s money, including the solar panels on the bungalow roofs.”

Cal noticed Carlos was combing his hair, clearly not listening. He sat and turned on his computer. “Any questions about your duties, Carlos?”

“No. They seem pretty basic, especially stocking the night table drawers with condoms.” His dimples appeared. “I’m accustomed to that.”

“It’s for the guests.”

“Speaking of the guests, I do have one question.” Carlos rested his palms on the desk and his pecs swelled like melons. “Can I take off my clothes when I make up the bungalows?” He grinned. “I imagine the guests would love it.”

A MelanieM Pre-release Review: Love at First Hate (Porthkennack #11) by J.L. Merrow

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 

Bran Roscarrock has been living in the closet all his life. As heir to an expansive family legacy in the town of Porthkennack, old-fashioned ideals of respectability and duty were drummed into him since childhood, and he’s never dared to live—or love—openly.

Sam Ferreira, an old friend of Bran’s brother, Jory, is a disgraced academic desperate to leave his dead-end job. When Jory asks him to take over as curator of a planned exhibition on Edward of Woodstock, the fourteenth-century Black Prince, Sam leaps at the chance to do what he loves and make a fresh start.

But Bran’s funding the exhibition, and though sparks fly between the two men, they’re not all happy ones. Bran idolises Prince Edward as a hero, while Sam’s determined to present a balanced picture. With neither of them prepared to give ground, a hundred years of war seems all too possible. And if Bran finds out about Sam’s past, his future may not be bright, and their budding romance may be lost to history.

Bran Roscarrock has been a troublesome, complex character, along with his twin sister Bea, in all his appearances in JL Merrow’s previous Porthkennack stories.  Stern, righteous even in his belief about the Roscarrock position in the Porthkennack at the top of the  community and keeper of its  history, Bran has not been one that the reader sought to connect with.  Same with with his sister.  We knew there were reasons for their remoteness and often troubling behavior towards others (younger brother, Jory’s upbringing underneath them bordered on the horrible).  But the narrative walls remained high around these characters and the readers  feelings stood well back from any emotional connection.

Now with Love At First Hate, JL Merrow starts to bring all those narrative walls she has constructed over Bran and Bea the last two tales down and it’s an arduous journey.  Hundreds of years of Roscarrock upbringing and tradition stand in the way of both Bran and Bea’s freedom from their pasts,  and the stasis of their present behaviors.  They aren’t even aware of how totally mired in just how much the past has cost them until an attack on Bran brings a crashing halt to the routine of their lives.

That’s the startling introduction to this story.  An assault on Bran.  A shocking event that rattles the lives of everyone in the Roscarrock enclosed circle and without in Porthkennack, a clannish and tight-knit village culture that has existed for hundreds of years.  As chief landowner and landlord in town, Bran is not well liked for his policies of business first, people second or even third.  So the fact he can’t remember who attacked him, puts him at risk of another assault from any and everyone around him.

It also opens the door for a young historian to step into job of Curator of a project close to Bran’s heart.  That of an exhibition of the Black Prince.  Enter Dr. Sam Ferreira, someone with his own demons to fight and a past that follows him.  Sam is in need of a new start in life and Bran’s fight with the last curator has left the job open for Sam.  Because Jory is a friend, that let’s Sam glide right into the job he needs desperately and starts to love.

JL Merrow, understandably gets the every day inner workings of museums (see JL’s bio), their staff, the politics of the curating big exhibits and manages to make it all so lively, informative, and entertaining.  But even more, something I became totally invested in, was the passion and enthusiasm of the historians and Bran for their subject and era.  And the need to see it conveyed in a truthful and wide ranging manner for the public.  JL Merrow uses her characters arguing…madly, wonderfully, loudly…about the inclusivity of women, the poor, the middle class vs knights, the Black Prince perception, homosexuality, carnage vs taxation….just incredible well researched discussions…to illuminate her character’s personalities.  Merrow brings them closer together, makes them re-examine their own thought processes and emotions through the very way they look at the Black Prince’s exhibits and interpretations.  And in the journey through sifting out the “old” preformed ideas they  now realized were based on their pasts, the men become closer and find common  ground with each other.

It’s amazing to watch, it’s intimate and joyful in the change that occurs with Bran and yes, Sam as well.  In a way history was setting the men free of their pasts by loosing old preconceptions and providing paths for new ones.

As Bran and Sam hesitantly make their way through the Black Prince exhibit, others are also being affected. That includes Jory and Mal (and his son heir to Roscarrock), Bea who has been just as stock as her brother in that great grey rock of a hall of a house, bound by the sea and haunted by the ghosts of their parents.  So many lives get tossed about here, upset, and finally freed.

And yes, the mystery of Bran’s assault is solved as well.  I can’t help but feeling we haven’t seen the last of that one as well.

Love at First Hate demonstrates why JL Merrow and the Portthkennack series are a must buy for me.  The writing is superb, the characters are memorable (two characters who found redemption after being some of the least liked  people going), history made lively, vivid, and incredibly important in how its presented, and a whole HEA that made my heart sing.

Plus another visit to Porthkennack, a place that’s found a permanent spot deep in my heart.

There are 11 books now in the Porthkennack series, three of them by JL Merrow.  I have listed them below.  Real them all, I highly recommend them, starting with the first one and working your way here to Love at First Hate.

Cover art: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design.  That is a gorgeous design.  Both men work for Bran and Sam, plus that tone and design is great for the story and a place by the sea.  Love it.

Sales:  Riptide Publishing | Amazpm

Book Details:

ebook, 325 pages
Expected publication: September 3rd 2018 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626498327
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Porthkennack #11

Connected stories by JL Merrow in this series:

Wake Up Call

One Under

Love at First Hate

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Rainbow Rodeo by BA Tortuga

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

As a teenager, Dalton Jakoby made Tank an offer-one Tank turned down gently. It was still embarrassing as hell, so when Tank returns to the Jakoby Rodeo Company after a big-time bull riding tour, Dalton decides polite but distant is the best course of action.

Tank is hurting from some tough injuries and ready for a lighter workload. He’s also ready to admit Dalton is an adult now, one he wants to get to know much better. While Dalton’s past makes him suspicious of Tank’s attention, he can’t stay standoffish for long… not with Tank.

The new romance burns hot, but problems inside and outside the arena threaten what Tank and Dalton might have together.

Trust me, there is nothing finer than frog hair as when BA Tortuga combines romance with cowboys and rodeo, two of her absolute loves.  Then place these men and their search for a HEA in Texas where the sun beats hot, the salsa even hotter, and the bulls are both reviled and heroic, and you know that BA Tortuga is at home.  Her characters will talk, move, love across the page with cowboy and redneck oozing from their personalities at a cellular level.

It’s in the names of the characters, in the pet names they call each other, the epitaphs that let fly across paddocks that stand in for terms of endearment among those toughed by years on the rodeo circuit, by loss, by experience, by seasoning.  And it’s not just the men but the women of the circuit as well.  All are here and well represented in the Jakoby outfit.

This romance is one of second chances.  Tank, a bull rider on the top circuit, returns back to the Jakoby operation to recuperate and work at assisting in the operation.  At one time, a teenage Dalton had a crush on him and he had gently refused the underage boy’s awkward first advances.  Now, he’s returned to find Dalton a man, and the attraction flares up once more, this time with nothing to stop it.  And nothing does…almost.

We get a marvelous look into the daily operations of a rodeo.  What it takes to put it out on a circuit, the grind, the fact that not all towns are welcoming, and the general wear and tear on body and soul.   On both people and animals.  Plus the very real need to seek some grounding somewhere….a home, a person to be centered in.

I loved the characters, the sense of camaraderie between the twins,Tank, the family and all the rodeo family.  Tortuga gives us a real picture and feel for how being on the road could bring everyone so close together…depending upon one another to have each other’s backs.  It all rang authentic, you could smell the dust, and the heat, and the love that springs up between Tank and Dalton.

There is also mixture of danger to go along with the hot sex and love, a really nice combination.

But what always keeps me glued to the page is the people, the places, and the love that flows there.  All types of love.  The family, the friends, and  above all the romance.  Really, you just can’t beat it.  All in the Texas heat and some rodeo.

What more do you need?  Yes, I highly recommend it.

Cover art : Paul Richmond.  I enjoy this cover by Paul Richmond. The stripes in the background almost look like part of the flag being pulled into the center with the  wonderful outline of the cowboy or cowgirl. It’s really gender neutral if you look at it. Perfect for a rainbow rodeo. Outstanding.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published August 7th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640804876
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Jeri Review: A Dangerous Dance (Haven Hart Universe #3) by Davidson King

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

The book previous to this was a first time author for me. I mean, she was a new author and this is only her 3rd book. I didn’t read book 1, but I plan to. I really really liked book 2. This one was…not as good. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to the previous.
Bill and Mace are sort of enemies that are tasked with a job to wipe out an entire crime family before the head of that family carries out what he has threatened. And although Bill and Mace don’t really get alone, Bill knows he needs Mace’s skills as an assassin but Mace also needs Bill’s muscle.
The story line (based on the previous books) is not implausible in their world. That’s why it is fiction, right? They had this grand plan at the beginning about how to carry out this annihilation of a crime family and after step 1, they didn’t follow through on it at all. In fact, there was never even mention of what they didn’t do.
It was obvious in the previous book that Mace and Bill were hot for each other. That whole love/hate thing. And after they finally got naked, I saw Mace grow as a person. He went from completely cold and unfeeling to this guy who really cared about Bill. I didn’t see Bill grown much though. He was just kind of the same throughout.
It was a fairly exciting read, very fast paced. The sex was super steamy and they had some fun banter between them. Overall it was just lacking that emotional edge I like in my stories. I will definitely read more by this author, especially if they continue in this ‘world’. And while I enjoy seeing past couples and what they are up to, I don’t know that I care all too much about seeing Bill and Mace again.
Sales Links:  Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 242 pages
Published July 15th 2018 by Davidson King
ASINB07FMF24LS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHaven Hart Universe #3

Release Blitz for Goal Line (Harrisburg Railers #6) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 54,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Harrisburg Railers Series
 
Book #1 – Changing Lines – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – First Season – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Deep Edge – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Poke Check – Amazon UK | Amazon UK
Book #5 – Last Defense – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

Fear and sadness mark Bryan’s life, can Gatlin show him that you have to trust before you can love?


Gatlin Pearce is creeping up on thirty-eight and is still single. It’s not that he wants to be alone, it’s just that he’s too damn old to be in clubs filled with glittery gay boys who can’t even tell him who the Rolling Stones are.


Better to just spend his evenings at Hard Score Ink – his tattoo and artwork shop – creating masterpieces on human flesh, listening to the Railers games, and nursing a cold beer.


His solitary life is about to end when Bryan Delaney, the new Railers backup goalie, shows up at his shop looking for new artwork for his helmet. There’s some sort of sad story in those beautiful eyes of Bryan’s, and Gatlin finds himself more than a little infatuated with the tender new goalie.


Bryan Delaney leaves home at fifteen to live with a billet family. He just wishes that he could have escaped his alcoholic father and strictly devout mother earlier. Drafted to the Arizona Raptors he finds a new family, and his first love affair even if that relationship is marked with violence.


Being traded to the Railers is a shock to the system but the team isn’t like any other he’s ever played on and they truly seem to care about him. It’s only when he meets artist Gatlin, with their shared love of music and hockey, that he realizes how hard it is to escape the past.


Excerpt


Keep your eye on Ten, he’s trouble.


That was all the text said, and I re-read it a few times as if more words would suddenly appear.


I don’t know why I looked for affection in any text that Aarni sent me because, in my kind-of-boyfriend’s own words, he wasn’t the demonstrative type. And he would always point out that someone could get hold of my phone. Then they would know that Aarni Lankinen, the villain of the Arizona Raptors, wasn’t everything he made himself out to be, that he wasn’t the playboy who fucked every woman within his reach. That he had a boyfriend on the side, and that it was me.


The phone rang, and I answered as soon as I saw his name. Aarni wasn’t the most patient guy on earth, and he liked it when I was fast to respond.


“Did you get my text?” Aarni asked without preamble.


“I did.”


“Don’t let me down now.”


I got the feeling, as he laughed, that he expected me to do that very thing. I still wasn’t sure what would count as letting him down. But given the kind of person I was—clumsy, quiet and only really focused when I was dressed for hockey—I kind of expected to fuck up.


The Arizona Raptors had chosen me in the 2014 draft, not long after my eighteenth birthday. I was the second highest ranking goaltender drafted that year, something to be proud of, I guess. But I’d not managed to stay up at NHL level, spending the rest of the time in the Raptors’ development team in Tucson. Until last year, when I’d actually been a starting goalie after both main goalies had been injured.


I hadn’t been stellar, and Arizona put me on waivers, leaving me vulnerable to being picked up by who the hell ever. My confidence had been rocked. I was a solid goalie for the development team, but the minute I got up to the primary team, NHL level, I choked. Why the hell did the Railers even want someone who hadn’t lived up to their early promise? I assumed I’d attend this training camp, and that would be it. They’d push me down to the Railers’ development team, and there I would stay.


Which wasn’t a bad thing, except they’d taken me from Arizona and from Aarni and it was the first time I’d been really on my own.


“Hello? Are you even listening to me?” Aarni snapped.


“Of course, I won’t let you down,” I lied.


I’m a good goalie, I stop pucks, I can be strong and focused and stay in my own head to track the plays in front of me.
Still, Aarni knew about me what I knew about myself; I’d choke at NHL level just as I had for the majority of my time with the Raptors.


I’m not ready. I should go back down to the minors.


“Also, don’t get comfortable there. They’re not going to keep you for long.”


“I know.”


“And don’t forget what assholes the Railers are. Don’t trust them, particularly wonder-boy Rowe. Arrogant fucker.”


I didn’t see Ten as arrogant at all, but then I was basing my assessment on TV interviews, including the one he’d given with Jared when they’d announced their relationship. I’d been proud of Ten and Jared for doing that, and part of me, the dark, hidden, ruined part, was green with envy that they were able to be open with the world.


I’d said that to Aarni, but he’d reacted badly and hadn’t talked to me for three days. His disappointment was a knife in my gut, and I hated every second of it. That was not happening again. He was right. Ten was a Stanley Cup Champion, a superstar, and if there had been NHL players at the Olympics, then he would undoubtedly have been on Team USA. No team would ask him to leave just because he had a boyfriend. It didn’t seem to be hurting the Railers, and they had a growing reputation as being LGBT-friendly.


“Jesus Christ, Bryan, are you even on this phone call?”


I pulled myself back from the edge. Aarni had said something about Ten being arrogant.


“I won’t forget,” I spoke with confidence so he’d realize I was listening.


“And remember I’m not there to watch your back.” He sighed deeply. “I worry there’s no one to look after you when you attract trouble. Especially from defenders like Max van Hellren. Asshole should have been thrown out of that game against us for what he did to me. Fucker lost us the chance at a championship. So fucking pleased he ended up collapsing. He deserved it.”


My chest tightened. Max wasn’t part of the Railers anymore. He’d retired after the cup win, but Aarni was right. There would be other guys there to step up in his place. Aarni had been furious, with a side order of mean, over what Max had done to him, checking him into the boards. But he’d finally calmed down, said he’d show Max what was what the next time the two teams met. He’d been so disappointed when Max had retired.


But Aarni was a good guy. He was the one who’d gotten involved when the bullying on the Raptors had gotten to be too much for me to handle. When the guys in the toxic locker room got on my case. I’d only played a few games at that level with the Raptors and had fucked every single one of them up. They’d hated it, but Aarni had been there for me.


He seemed to know the point when the rest of the team pushed it too far, always stepping in just before I was going to run from the room. He’d helped me so much, but he was back in Arizona, so far away.


“I’ll be okay,” I murmured, fear gripping me again about the kind of things I needed to face with this new team.


“I doubt that.” He sighed. “But you weren’t enough of all that for the Raptors to keep you, so you have no choice, and there’s nothing we can do about it, can we?”


“No.”


He must have heard the desperation in my voice. I hadn’t wanted the Raptors to give up on me, but that was hockey. One day I had woken up in Arizona as the backup to the backup, fucking things up, and the next day, the team had put me on waivers, and I was suddenly in snowy Pennsylvania.


“Good boy,” was all he said, but it was enough.


He hung up, but those two words gave me a shot of steel to my spine, and I settled my breathing before opening the car door. Security had let me right through to the player parking lot, and my Toyota sat right next to a sexy red Porsche. My salary had taken a hike, up to three million for the two-year contract I had here, so I probably needed a new car.


Even if the Railers saw through me and sent me packing, I’d still have enough money to buy a car.


“Hey,” someone called from behind me, and I immediately assumed that I was standing somewhere I shouldn’t have been. The man was in a guard’s uniform, tall, built and smiling at me benignly.


“I’m sorry. They told me to park there.”


“Of course. Bryan Delaney, right?” he asked and extended his hand for me to shake, which I did immediately after wiping the sweaty palm on my jeans.


“Yeah, Bryan,” I said when I realized I hadn’t answered his question.


“Welcome.” He thumbed at himself. “Name’s Pete. They said I needed to keep an eye out for the new guy.”


He dropped my hand, and I forced a smile onto my face, even though my stomach was churning. “Thank you.”


“This way.” He chatted on about the weather, life, hockey and something about his sister who lived in Arizona. By the time he dropped me outside an office, I knew enough about Pete to write a book. Thing is, his chatter stilled my nerves, and I wasn’t going into this room blind. I knew the name on the door, Alain Gagnon, former goalie for Vancouver, and one of the best goalie coaches in the business. I’d skyped with him once in his capacity as Goalie Coach for the Railers after they’d claimed me off waivers. He’d seen me coming to the Railers as a positive thing, a great thing. All I’d seen is my failure at NHL level hockey with the Raptors, and I remembered going back to Aarni and needing to be held.


Of course, Aarni had said he didn’t need to hug me, but he’d reassured me that, however I played, he would always have my back. I’d needed the comfort. His words of advice stayed with me even now.


I just want you to realize what you are and what your place on the team will be. Ten acts friendly, but he won’t care about you like I do. Stan? He’s had some lucky saves, and as for that fucker Van Hellren? You saw what he did to me in our last matchup. I wish you weren’t so naïve, Bryan. It’s unlikely you’ll get many starts, so don’t be disappointed when you get sent down to the minors.


I won’t be disappointed. I’d promised Aarni, and I’d made a vow to myself not to get too excited and involved.

RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.


RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.


She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.


She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below:


Email RJ (rj@rjscott.co.uk)

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, Dr. Who, Torchwood, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, two Jersey steers and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.


When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.

Series Recap Blitz and Giveaway for the Montana Series by RJ Scott

 

Montana Series now Available in Kindle Unlimited

 

Book #1 – Crooked Tree Ranch – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – The Rancher’s Son – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – A Cowboy’s Home – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Snow In Montana – Amazon US – Amazon UK

Book #5 – Second Chance Ranch – Out August 28 – All Info Here. 



Crooked Tree Ranch (Montana #1)

The Cowboy and the City Slicker.

On the spur of the moment, with his life collapsing around him, Jay Sullivan answers an ad for a business manager with an expertise in marketing, on a dude ranch in Montana.

With his sister, Ashley, niece, Kirsten and nephew, Josh, in tow, he moves lock stock and barrel from New York to Montana to start a new life on Crooked Tree Ranch.

Foreman and part owner of the ranch, ex rodeo star Nathaniel ‘Nate’ Todd has been running the dude ranch, for five years ever since his mentor Marcus Allen became ill.

His brothers convince him that he needs to get an expert in to help the business grow. He knows things have to change and but when the new guy turns up, with a troubled family in tow – he just isn’t prepared for how much.


 
 
The Rancher’s Son (Montana #2)
 

A man without memories, and the cop who never gave up hope.

When he wakes up in the hospital, the victim of a brutal beating, John Doe has no memories of who he is or who hurt him. The cops can find nothing to identify him and he can’t remember anything to help… except the name Ethan and one recurring place from his dreams. Two words, and they’re not much, but it’s a start: Crooked Tree.

Detective Ethan Allens has never stopped searching for the two boys who vanished. When a report lands on Ethan’s desk that may give new leads, he jumps at the chance to follow them up. The man he finds isn’t his brother, but it’s someone who could maybe help him discover what happened twelve years ago.

What neither man can know is that facing the very real demons of the past could destroy any kind of future they may have together.

 
 
 
A Cowboy’s Home (Montana #3)
 

One burned and broken man finds his way home. Can he find peace in the arms of a man easy to love?Justin made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, battling domestic terrorism, never the man he really was, using hate to avenge the death of his best friend. The friend he’d killed.

What he doesn’t count on is getting shot, and if he’s going to die he wants it to be on Crooked Tree soil. Home.

Sam is as much a part of Crooked Tree as any of the families, and the offer to buy into the ranch is a dream come true. But falling for a hidden, secretive, injured man isn’t the way to keep his head in the game.

 
 
Snow In Montana (Montana #4)

An actor in the closet, a sheriff in love, and memories that won’t stay hidden.

Jordan Darby is known as the King of Christmas. The star of eight made-for-TV Christmas movies, the leading man who always gets his girl. Filming at Crooked Tree Ranch in Montana, in the ice and snow, Jordan is fighting to make a go of his new company and dealing with fears of exposure over one huge secret. After all, who the hell would buy into him being a romantic straight lead if rumors about him being gay were proven to be true?

Sheriff Ryan Carter is advising on the new movie being made at Crooked Tree. He hoped this would be one day of work and nothing more. Until, that is, he meets the hero. But while Jordan is sexy, he’s also very much stuck in the closet—everything that Ryan doesn’t need in his life. And then lust becomes part of the equation, and Ryan’s quiet life is thrown into turmoil.

Their story unfolds against the chaos that overtakes the ranch, with Adam regaining memories that terrify him and make him look at Justin differently, and Justin leaving the ranch to make things right. Only through trusting in love and friendship can Justin and Adam learn to look to the future instead of letting the past destroy everything. But will they ever see clearly enough to do that?

RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.

She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below:

Email RJ (rj@rjscott.co.uk)

 

 

 

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