Category: Contemporary fiction

Release Blitz – Brave For You by Crystal Lacy (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 86,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Jay Aheer – https://www.simplydefinedart.com
 
Blurb
 

Less than a year after moving to Hawaii, construction foreman Nate Ellison’s wife leaves him and their infant son for another man. Months into single-fatherhood, Nate meets Andrew “An” Hoang and is slowly drawn into An’s life. Through An’s friendship, he finds himself finally enjoying his new home in paradise.


An Hoang hasn’t had a real relationship in years. With his pediatrics practice and a niece to care for on his days off, he doesn’t have the headspace for more than a simple roll in the sack. But when he meets Nate—who just happens to be the gorgeous construction worker he encountered in the lobby of his apartment building—something about Nate makes it impossible for him not to care. When Nate needs An’s help with his son, An doesn’t refuse.


What happens when Nate’s past and An’s old-fashioned parents interfere just as the two men begin to fall for each other? Will they find the means to be brave and give their love a chance to flourish?

 
Excerpt
 
He stared at the sweet curve of Nate’s lips on his screen and felt his cock twitch in his hand. His other hand must have twitched in response, too, because the very next thing was that he could hear Nate’s voice on the other line, “Hey,” followed by a slower, “Hello?”


An sucked in a sharp breath. He’d answered the phone. Nate was on the phone and An’s cock was still hard in his hand. He brought the phone up to his ear, the glass casing cold and slippery against his cheek acting as a welcome shock to his system.


“Hi.”


“Hey, man.” Nate’s voice was warm and cheerful, as though he’d been waiting all day to hear from An. An knew that wasn’t a possibility, knew this was probably just how Nate sounded to everyone over the phone, but it didn’t keep his body from responding automatically. His face split into a wide smile and then, An noted rather ruefully, his cock pulsed against his palm.


Picking up the call had been a mistake, and An would have to rectify that mistake any moment now, make some kind of excuse and hang up on Nate. He had been about to seal the deal with whoever it was on Grindr, and he didn’t need to be on the phone with his neighbor at this moment. Not when Nate was only a few steps away. Not when Nate was unavailable.


Tell him you’ll call him back. Hang up.


He cleared his throat, swallowing thickly before speaking. “Hi,” he said, and realized this was a repeat of the last words he’d spoken. Embarrassment, he discovered, did not cause him to lose his erection. “What can I do for you?”


“Oh, I wanted to check if you guys were doing anything next weekend. Going hiking again, or…” Nate sounded unsure. “Am I interrupting something? You seem kind of… Are you sick?”


“No, no. A little cold. I was in the process of getting dressed.” Not technically a lie. It was chilly in here from the central air and he would have to get dressed eventually if he wanted to drive to wherever he was meeting Jay. An forced his hand away from his own cock and ran it through the hair on his head in an effort to calm himself. He needed to focus on the question Nate was asking and not on how intimate Nate’s voice sounded so close to his ear. This was the first time he’d heard from Nate all week, though Nate had left the car on Saturday with a promise to be in touch.


“Dai mentioned she wanted to go down to the Halona Blowhole look-out point,” he managed to say without losing his train of thought. “Walk down to the cove. Swim. Do you know the place?”


“Never been.” Was it wishful thinking or was that hope in Nate’s voice?


“If you’d like to tag along, we could carpool. Perhaps have a picnic. Let the children play.”


“We’d love to, if you don’t think we’re imposing.”


“How could you impose when I’m the one who suggested it? Dai will be very pleased. If there’s nothing else you have planned for next weekend.”


“No. No plans.” Nate’s laughter rang golden over the phone line. “I’m kinda pathetic, aren’t I? Calling you up and forcing you to make plans that include me.”


“We were going anyway,” An lied, feeling touched by the easy vulnerability of Nate’s words. “You didn’t force me, I promise. I’ll text you the details once I find out when we’ll be ready to go. I’m not sure if I’ll have Dai on Saturday or Sunday.”


“Oh, yeah… I’ll let you get back to—to what you were doing.” There was a shyness to Nate’s tone that made An smile, made him pretend that maybe Nate had remembered that An told him he was getting dressed, and maybe that made Nate think about An talking to him on the phone in a state of undress. An reached down again, passing a hand over the hard length of his cock, holding the phone away from his mouth so the quickening of his breath wouldn’t reach the microphone.


“It’s fine.” He spoke a little louder so Nate could hear across the distance of his mouth and the phone. “I’ll talk to you later about next weekend. Or text you.” They said their goodbyes. Nate wished An a “nice weekend” and then the call cut off. An’s display was back on the Grindr chat window.


Show me urs was still the last message on the chat log, right underneath Jay’s dick pic. An swiped up to the camera app. He snapped a quick shot of himself, hard and heavy in his own hand, leaking a drop of clear fluid at the tip. Then he deleted it.


An: Sorry, something came up tonight. Maybe another time.

Crystal Lacy lives with her loving family in Hawaii, where it is always either drizzling or sunny and never snows—which is a shame, because she prefers being cold to being damp and hot unless it’s for Very Good Reasons. She writes queer romance, mainly M/M, but also some F/F. She has aspirations to one day write a YA novel about cats.


Crystal is a long-time fangirl and writes slash fanfiction for the Harry Potter and NBC Hannibal fandoms. She has a deep love for fandom culture, and can be frequently spotted on Twitter and Tumblr reblogging pretty fan art.


Join Crystal’s readers group on FB for sneak peeks, bonus content, and ARC opportunities or subscribe her newsletter for monthly book giveaways, recs, news, and more! You can also follow Crystal on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. 

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Cover Reveal for Love Spell by Mia Kerick (giveaway)

Title: Love Spell
Author: Mia Kerick
Re-Release Date: August 27th 2018
Published by: Ninestar Press
Genre: Young Adult, LGBT

Sales Link:  NineStar Press

BLURB

Having come to terms with being gay, Chance César is still uneasy with his gender identity, or, as he phrases it, “being stuck in the gray area between girl and boy.” This concern, however, doesn’t stop him from strutting his fabulous stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug-in-all-the-right (wrong)-places orange tuxedo as the winner of this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon Festival at the local Beans and Greens Farm’s annual fall celebration, serenaded by the enthusiastic catcalls of his BFF, Emily Benson. Although he refuses to visually fade into the background of his rural New Hampshire town, Chance is socially invisible—except when being tormented or beat up by familiar bullies. But when Chance, the Harvest Moon Festival’s mockingly-elected Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue (Jazz), the legitimate winner of the Pumpkin Carving King contest, sparks fly. Chance wants to be noticed and admired and romantically embraced by Jazz, in all of his neon orange-haired glory.

And so at a sleepover, Chance and Emily conduct intense research on their laptop computers, and come up with an article in an online women’s magazine called “Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You.” Along with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure, it becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart.

Quirky, comical, definitely “sickening” (this is a good thing), and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.

 

What reviewers are saying about LOVE SPELL ~

“Kerick devotes most of the book to sassy fun and first-love desire, but her depiction of the loneliness caused by apathetic parents, the insecurity of extra pounds, the stress of college applications, the meanness of bullies, the importance of forgiveness, and especially the uneasiness of being “stuck in the gray area between girl and boy” make this novel thoroughly enjoyable. The book not only hits upon all manner of teenage angst, but also on the significance of true family values and on the joys of such simple pleasures as high–thread-count sheets, sharing homemade pizza, and playing card games instead of “head games” on a Friday night. The characters are memorable and the dialogue is consistently bright and believable, featuring authentic-sounding teenspeak. The author even defines Chance’s invented vocabulary words (such as “Randatorbs” and “Dooza-palooza”) in a back-of-the-book glossary for readers who can’t keep up.

A comical, thought-provoking YA novel for those who believe in the magic of love without all the hocus-pocus.” – Kirkus Reviews (2015)

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About the Author

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—a daughter in law school, another in dance school, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son still in high school. She writes LGBTQ romance when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing English papers. Her husband of twenty-four years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on emotional growth in turbulent relationships. As she has a great affinity for the tortured hero, there is, at minimum, one in each book. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of said tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press and Harmony Ink Press for providing alternate places to stash her stories.

Her books have won a Best YA Lesbian Rainbow Award, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, among other awards.

Mia is a Progressive, a little bit too obsessed by politics, and cheers for each and every victory in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com. Visit her website for updates on what is going on in Mia’s world, rants, music, parties, and pictures, and maybe even a little bit of inspiration.

Links: Facebook | Twitter

A Lucy Review: Erik the Pink by Matthew J. Metzger

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

While this is a love story, it is more the story of a first year with a new baby and how much it can take for someone to bounce back from it.  Andreas and Erik are an established couple who, as the book starts, are having their first baby.  A girl, named Beatriz.  Both of them have some trauma in their past.  Erik is very English and was abandoned by his mother at 18 months and then bounced around foster homes until he aged out; Andreas is from Spain and was verbally abused and kicked out of his home when he came out to his family as trans.  These two couldn’t be more different.  Erik is a red-headed giant of a man who has wanted nothing more in his life than a family he could call his own. “He’d waited his entire life to be here, and the enormity of it threatened to burst him right out of his own body.”  Andreas is slim, fashionable and has wanted nothing for than for his body to match who he really is and while he wanted a baby, the consequences to himself were really horrible.  “Nine months of absolute hell-unimaginable hell, from the horrifically persistent misgendering to the disgusting betrayal of his own body.”  His dysphoria was out of control, “…nine months of hating himself for hating being pregnant…” 

Beatriz is everything Erik has dreamed of, except he’s too terrified to touch her.  “She’s too small.  I’ll break her.”  Despite what he had to go through, Andreas does as well.  “He’d been so scared it wouldn’t be worth it. But here she was.  And despite all of his fears, he already know he loved her.”

There are a lot of baby details here so those who don’t like to read about children should be aware.   There is sweetness to the point of overload at times, but for me it matched the enormity of what Erik was feeling.  “Erik didn’t care it he looked a bit bonkers, having a cry while holding his baby and hugging his partner.  He’d wanted her for his entire life – he was allowed to have a bit of a meltdown now she was actually here.”

What made the book more balanced in terms of the sugar was the incredible struggle Andreas was going through to try to get back to himself.   He had already been struggling with dysphoria and now genital dysphoria has been added.  “The dysphoria had taken everything from him – the gym, his job, the spa, Saturday mornings in coffee shops while Erik was at work, even going to the pub for an evening meal to walk home with Erik after he’d closed up for the night.  Everything.  And it had been a struggle to remember it hadn’t been Beatriz taking it all away, but himself.”  I can’t even imagine the pain he had to go through to have this baby he’s always wanted so desperately that turns him into something he’s hated.  He has always called the worst days his “dizzy days” and the pregnancy and aftermath are nearly all dizzy days.  Erik knows he can’t understand but he tries so hard to make things easier for Andreas.  He doesn’t look at just Beatriz as what he spent a lifetime waiting for but Andreas as well. He knows how much Andreas has struggled since starting to show.  “And I miss you, and I know I can’t make it better because it’s all tangled up with your body and how it makes you feel, but I love you and I hate seeing you down, so I want to make you feel good for a bit, even if it’s just surface good.”

They have some great friends in Jo (a former foster sister of Erik’s), her husband, Mike, and Lauren.  The airport broke my heart for Erik, I have to admit it. I know it was always to help Andreas but once in a while Erik’s feelings should be considered too.  The dysphoria did affect him during the pregnancy as well.  “It had been nine months of juggling his excitement with his partner’s horror.  It had been nine months of trying desperately to navigate when he could be excited, when he had to pretend it wasn’t happening and when he had to consider the possibilities of termination without outright begging Andreas not to do it.”  While maybe not as painful as what Andreas is going through, still painful. 

The writing is very realistic and even without the added trauma of being trans, I appreciated the attitude toward being pregnant.  Despite what some would have us believe, not everyone enjoys being pregnant.  Some people hate it.  That doesn’t mean hating the baby, Andreas shows that very well, but hating the process, what it does to your body, the aftermath of trying to get that body back while you are exhausted and trying to adjust to having this new person in your care.  As a cisgender person I can’t speak for how much it would affect a trans man but I definitely was in the not loving pregnancy group.   There were a few baby things that made me say “huh?” but those were minor.  The major focus of this book was adjustments.  Adjusting to a new life for all of them.  Getting back to the real him for Andreas.  I loved the reason for “Erik the Pink”, probably the sweetest thing in the whole book for “An abandoned, unwanted, unloved survivor.”  The book is sweet without being overly fluffy.  It ends on a high, hopeful note and I can only wish the best things for all of them.

Cover art, showing a baby held in gentle hands, conveys the feeling of the book well.  Soft and sweet.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC  | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 212 pages
Published June 30th 2018 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07DK7MFG1
Edition LanguageEnglish

Davidson King on The Power Of Readers and the new release ‘A Dangerous Dance’ (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

A Dangerous Dance Tour Banner

A Dangerous Dance

Haven Hart Series, Book 3

Davidson King

Publication Date: July 17th

M/M, Romance, Suspense, Drama

 A-Dangerous-Dance---EBook-Cover-Only 

Cover Design: Morningstar Ashley @ Designs by Morningstar

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2uEiJr5 

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2mw2wzC

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Davidson King here today on   tour for A Dangerous Dance, the latest in the Haven Hart series.  Welcome, Davidson.

♦︎

The Power Of Readers and How The Made This Book Possible by Davidson King

Truth is, I never planned on Bill having a book. That’s right. After Snow Falling released – my first book in this universe—so many readers asked me if Bill was going to have a book. Each person that asked me I was like, “Um, I don’t know?”

It was while I was writing Hug It Out, book two, I saw it happening. Mace was born, he teamed up with Bill, and the idea came to fruition.

These two were like oil and water. Now I had to come up with their plot while mingling it into this universe I was building.

The power of reader’s is what inspired this book and took it to the heights it did.

I wrote Snow Falling not one hundred percent sure there would be more. I knew I’d write more but where this universe was going wasn’t clear until this book. Readers pushed this universe to new places. Now, yes there is an end game for it, but we aren’t there yet.

There are so many characters to meet and loved ones to get their happily ever afters, and that is thanks to readers. They are powerful and inspire. Perhaps they are wizards?

 

Synopsis

Finally working for a man he can trust has given Bill a new purpose. His boss, Christopher Manos, commands respect and absolute loyalty, and Bill has proven himself worthy of a seat at Christopher’s table. Becoming best friends with Christopher’s husband, Snow, has further proven his allegiance and cements a place for him in the Manos family. When Snow’s life is in danger, Christopher places his full trust in Bill to destroy anything and anyone that poses a threat to his husband. But hunting and wiping out the enemy for the safety of everyone Bill cares about means partnering with the one person he has vowed to never see again.

Mace wears a mask of vain cockiness and uses his model good looks to his full advantage. Known to many as Without a Trace Mace, he’s a deadly assassin well known for wiping out whole families and getting away without a trace. With a dangerous past and an unknown future, Mace uses his veil of conceit to keep others at a distance, rarely trusting anyone. When his boss, Black–the one man he trusts above all others—gives him his next assignment, he learns his newest partner is none other than Bill, the man he’d do anything to avoid.

With the safety of the Manos family on the line at the hands of a brilliant maniac, Bill and Mace begrudgingly put their differences aside to ensure Snow, and his loved ones, are protected from harm.  With their lives in grave danger and the clock ticking towards zero hour, they navigate deathly perilous situations and uncertain outcomes, hoping they survive long enough to keep the Manos family safe.

Bill and Mace’s traitorous hearts draw them closer together no matter how hard they fight the inevitable. With the lives of their loved ones hanging in the balance, they find themselves in the middle of a dangerous dance. But when the music stops, will they both be left standing?

Amazon Exclusive/KU

Length: 57,400 words

Good Reads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40663791-a-dangerous-dance

A Dangerous Dance Teaser 4

A Dangerous Dance Teaser 3

Excerpt

“Billy Boy!” Mace said loudly with a clap, making Snow jump.

“Well, if it isn’t fuck face Mace.” Watching Mace’s smile fall and morph into anger made my entire week. If I was going to find any joy in this job, it was going to be repeatedly knocking that pretty boy off his self-made pedestal.

“Let’s put the pissing contest off for a later date.” Black’s gravelly, booming voice was powerful enough to make you snap to attention. But I couldn’t help myself. I shot Mace a wink and joined Snow when he sat on the couch.

“I’ll rip those eyes from your head while you sleep, fucker,” Mace whispered so only Snow and I could hear. I knew Snow was about to go rabid, so I beat him to it.

“You assume I sleep.”

Mace wanted to say something else, but when Christopher slapped a folder on the coffee table between us, it was all business.

Davidson King Logo

Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.

When she’s not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.

If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17286464.Davidson_King

Twitter: @DavidsonKing11 https://twitter.com/DavidsonKing11

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MCMD5r

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsonkingauthor/?hl=en

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/DavidsonKingAuthor/

Facebook Group: King’s Court: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DavidsonKingsCourt/

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Release Day Blitz for Risk Taker (Mixed Messages #3) by Lily Morton (excerpt and giveaway)

 Risk Taker RDB banner

Risk Taker

Mixed Messages Series, Book 3

Lily Morton

M/M Romance

Release Date: 07.22.18

Risk-Taker-Generic 

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2Oal9WI

AMAZON UK: https://amzn.to/2LD9u0F

 

BLURB

Being in love with your best friend is hard.

Henry’s the odd man out. All his friends are settling down, and his reputation as the Hook-Up King of London seems more like a curse than a blessing these days. Especially when it keeps photojournalist Ivo, his best friend and the brilliant man he’s loved since they were fifteen, at arm’s length. But that’s where Ivo wants him, right? Putting aside his feelings, Henry decides to give up casual sex and look for the real deal. After all, he has no chance with Ivo – or does he?

Henry is everything to Ivo. Best friend, soul mate, the one person who has never let him down. The one person he is loyal to above everything and everyone. But Henry’s in a box marked best friend and that’s where Ivo’s kept him for nearly twenty years, despite steadily falling in love with the gentle man. And besides, why would Henry want to date Ivo? Burned out and injured, he’s the walking embodiment of damaged.

Distance has helped Henry and Ivo keep a lid on their attraction, but when they find themselves in the same city for a change—Ivo hurt and needing assistance, and Henry more than willing to provide it—the two best friends grow closer than ever, forcing a realization, and a decision. Risk their friendship for their hearts? Or can they have both?

From the bestselling author of Rule Breaker and Deal Maker comes a tender love story about two best friends who are perfect for each other, and always have been – if only they knew it.

This is the third book in the Mixed Messages series, but it can be read as a standalone.

RiskTaker-Teaser1

RiskTaker-Teaser2
 

EXCERPT

The bell in the shop rings as the door opens, and I smile as I feel his presence behind me.

“Is there a particular reason, Henry, why I am standing in an art supply shop rather than sitting in a perfectly good restaurant eating lunch?”

I shift the basket over my arm and turn to face one of my best friends. “Gabe, you really should be a bit more highbrow. Otherwise, you’ll never keep that pretty totty you’ve got.”

His perfect-looking face scrunches up in disgust. “Totty. What an utterly disgusting word.”

“I know,” I say cheerfully, turning back to the shelf I was perusing and chucking in another tube of Rose Gold oil paint.

“Makes you sound like your father,” he says snippily, and I nudge him.

“Now that’s petty. Anyway, I’m nothing like him. I have all my own teeth, and my complexion is milky-white perfection, if I do say so myself.”

He snorts. “Apart from those freckles.”

I shake my head and touch a finger to my face and my bête noire, the multitude of freckles that span my nose. “I wish that cream I got off the internet at uni had worked,” I say forlornly, and he laughs loudly, making it echo around the shop.

“I did so enjoy the way your face turned that shade of green. Made you look like Grotbags from The Rod Hull and Emu Show.” He reaches over and grabs a tube of paint. “It was this shade precisely. Hmm, Pistachio Green.” He chucks it into my basket, and I patiently remove it and put it back on the shelf.

I toss a couple of tubes of Prussian Blue into the basket while he leans casually against the shelf looking like the perfect picture of a lawyer in his dark grey, hand-tailored suit.

“Why are we here, Henry? Because if you’re thinking of giving up the law and becoming an artist, I really will have to stage an intervention.”

I laugh. “I think I’d make a very good artist.”

“Piss artist, more likely,” he says, poking my arm with one long finger. “So, if we’re not shopping for what would be the shortest career in art history, who are we shopping for?” His gaze sharpens, and I mentally groan because aside from Ivo there is no one who knows me better. “Hmm. Would we be shopping for a six foot four blond photographer who a certain red-headed lawyer has had the hots for, for years?”

“That’s such a non-Gabe expression,” I sneer. “Has Dylan been influencing you?”

He looks startled and shakes his head. “Those fucking phrases of his and Jude’s. They’re messing up my vocabulary. Yesterday one of the senior partners asked me if I was okay and I said I was cool. He went out and asked his assistant to tell maintenance that the building heating needed to be turned up.”

I laugh helplessly, and he gives me a rueful grin. “Don’t distract me, Henry. Is Ivo back?” I nod slowly and his expression darkens. “Is he okay?”

I shrug, picking up a brush and studying it intently so I don’t have to look at him. “Not really. He’s got a hole from a fucking bullet in his side, and broken ribs and bruises all over him from being near a car bomb when it went off.”

“What?” he says instantly. “Is he okay?” Gabe has always had a complicated relationship with Ivo. He loves being with him, and they can talk for hours, but he hates the effect that he unknowingly has on my life.

“He’s fine. Silas checked him over.”

He checks with his hand out to grab the brush from me. “Henry, isn’t Silas a vet?”

I shrug. “He was very good at biology at school.”

“I was good at it too. You don’t see me turning up at St Bart’s Hospital and performing a few appendectomies during my lunch hour though, do you?”

“The only biology you were any good at was the male anatomy kind,” I say tartly, and chuck the brush in the basket.

He smiles. “That I was. I’m a very learned man in that area.”

I snort. “You’re practically PhD material.”


Lily Morton Logo

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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Release Blitz – Finding My Way Home ( Doyle Global Securities #2 ) by Kendel Duncan (excerpt)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Finding My Way Home – Doyle Global Securities #2

Author:  Kendel Duncan 

Publisher: Dare Publishing & Design

Cover Artist:  Dara Nelson & Dan Skinner

Release Date: July 25, 2018

Genre/s:  Gay Romance, MM

Length: 53 000 words/230 pages

It is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone.

Add on Goodreads    

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   

Amazon UK 

Blurb

“Have you ever been so lost that you couldn’t remember what home looked like, what it felt like?

So lost that home was a distant memory – a place that you never had hope of finding it again?

That’s how I felt, how I’d felt for years, for longer than I could remember.

Until I found you, Bas.

I just wish I could tell you that….

I’m coming.  I’m coming for you, Bas.  And I’m going to do my best to try….for you.”

~Ten                                                                                                                                               

For longer than he could remember Tenley ‘Ten’ Pinkerton had been lost.  Wandering this earth with no hope, no soul, no heart, no purpose.  The day the love of his life, Sawyer, had been brutally murdered was the day that everything beyond the basic elements of survival – like breathing and a beating heart – had been shut down.

Until him.

Sebastian ‘Bas’ Monroe.

Fucking Bas Monroe.

Somehow the man had wormed his way past Ten’s defenses, past the armor plates surrounding his heart, past the pain.  Somehow he’d gotten inside.

Ten wasn’t really sure how he felt about that.

But the day that Bas went missing?

Ten knew that he would die if he that’s what it came to in order to find Bas, in order to save him.

The question that remained:

Was he going to be saving Bas Monroe?  Or was he going to be saving himself?

Excerpt

Tenley ‘Ten’ Pinkerton stepped out onto the balcony of the hotel room.  For a brief moment, he glanced down at the pool twelve stories below and thought, I could make that.  I could jump, land in the pool and just fucking disappear. Leave my job, leave my home and leave this pull that fucking Bas has on me.

Just thinking Sebastian’s name brought a growl from his chest.  He hated thinking about the man, even though he couldn’t help doing it almost every moment of every day.  

Sebastian ‘Bas’ Monroe.

The asset that that Ten had been assigned to protect on his last assignment.

The lawyer who was assigned to help out the prosecution in the case against Jacob Knight.

The lawyer who had coached and guided Jacob’s two victims, Noah Pierce and Jesse Miller, so well that it was their testimony that sent the man to prison for life, where he belonged.

Bas Monroe….the man who had somehow, for a brief second, made Ten forget all about the man who owned his heart, who would always own his heart, his murdered boyfriend Sawyer.  

Sawyer would always be the love of Ten’s life, always.

Oh, he knew he’d have hook ups from time to time, he’d have to slake that itch.  But those would be with no-named men in the bathrooms and alleys behind clubs – blowjobs and hand jobs with random strangers when his own hand wasn’t enough.  But they would never, ever involve kissing.  And he would never lust after the person, never want them again. He would only need a willing hole.

But Bas, fucking Bas Monroe had to come along and somehow, someway, weave his way past Ten’s defenses.  He’d found a small crack in Ten’s armor, pulled it open and he’d snuck inside.

But it wasn’t their brief moment of passion that had Ten so pissed off.

No.

It was the fact that Ten had wanted it.  Fuck, he’d desperately wanted it. He’d wanted it so bad that he couldn’t control himself.  And he’d kissed Bas.  No, that’s not exactly true. He’d devoured Bas’s mouth with his own.

And he’d liked it.  Even worse, he wanted it to happen again.  Sure, he’d pushed Bas away the second it had happened.  He’d turned, with the evidence of what they’d done covering his stomach, and he’d ran away.  

But he was honest enough, and angry enough, to know that running had been the last thing he’d wanted to do.  What he’d wanted to do was melt into Bas’s strong embrace and never leave.

Fucking Bas Monroe.

With a sigh, he forced his focus back to the task at hand.  He glanced to his left and right, noting that both balconies were a good fifteen feet away, not a jump that most people could make. And there weren’t balconies on the rooms above or below him.  He turned and walked back into the room, “We’re good,” he said with a nod to his partner on this protection detail, Dante.

About the Author

I was born and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California but have made my home in the Pacific Northwest for the last two decades.  My husband & I live on a small farm surrounded by chickens, goats, rabbits, a turkey, 5 dogs and a cat, in the shadow of stunning Mt Rainier.

With my grown children and grandchildren nearby, my life is always busy, happy and full of laughter.

I am an active Blogger, having created Love Unchained Book Reviews out of my love for all things MM books.

Owner of Dare Press – Offering quality, affordable services for indie authors, including:

Editing, Publishing, Book Cover Design

NY Literary Magazine Best Story Award 2017 Nominee

When I’m not on the phone with my best friend (which is at least once every day) – I am an avid, addicted reader.  It is my passion, my escape, my joy.
And I am most definitely a writer. The characters in my head are constantly demanding that their story be told.
But above all that – I am a human being. My passion for people is unparalleled, my firm belief in Love is Love unwavering, my hope that all can be accepted, undying. I do not write because I want to, I do it because I have to.  I write because these voices, these beautiful men, have chosen me to tell their stories – and how damn lucky am I for that?

As an author, I write under both my name and a pen name, with total transparency and honesty:


Dara Nelson is the author of:

Author of the wildly popular ‘Healing Hearts’ series (Love in the Aftermath, Love After Chaos, Love Worth Fighting For – and more to come soon)

“5 stars 5 stars  Amazing!!”

“Highly recommended”

“This is not your average romance story. It is so much more. A book that touched my heart.”

“OMG!!! This was probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.”

“This is the first time I’ve read anything from Dara Nelson, but it won’t be the last. I need more of her writing!”

Under the pen name Kendel Duncan:                                                                                         

Author of the popular & critically acclaimed ‘Black Ops Heroes’ series and the new top-selling ‘Doyle Global Securities’ series

“I can’t recommend Kendel Duncan or Black Ops Heroes ENOUGH!!!! OMG, everyone who likes strong vulnerable men will love these stories!!!”

“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THIS AMAZING SERIES!!!!!”

“I love how you keep the story going and keep all the characters interesting. Can’t wait for the next book!”

“The emotions are so raw and just I don’t have the right words to express how amazing the books are. You have to read them to understand. I can’t wait for the next installment!!”

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Release Blitz with Serving Him (The Retreat #1) by L.M. Somerton (excerpt)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Serving Him – The Retreat #1

Author: L M Somerton

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Cover Artist: Cherith Vaughan

Genre/s: MM BDSM

Length: 57,670 words/151 pages

It is a standalone story 

Add on Goodreads 

Buy Links

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Blurb

An escape from the real world can only ever be temporary.

Rowan Stanton knows he is submissive. He loves to look after people but the country hotel he works at can’t quite fulfill his need to serve. When he succeeds at getting a new role as houseboy at The Retreat, an exclusive BDSM hideaway in the New Forest, he believes it’s his dream job. Inexperienced in many ways, he soon realizes he’s not as prepared as he thought for the demands placed upon him.

Lorcan Wilder is young, rich and successful. He’s also haunted by nightmares and has sacrificed a decade to his business. Selling it gives him the freedom to explore his Dominant side and four weeks at The Retreat are the start of a new life. He doesn’t expect the young submissive employed to serve him will have such a profound effect on him. Exploring and pushing Rowan’s boundaries is exactly what Lorcan needs to separate himself from his past.

Lorcan makes full use of The Retreat’s facilities, from the genuine dungeon to the secret toys concealed in every room. He rediscovers his energy for life and gradually re-engages with the world. However, his efforts to compartmentalize the past ultimately fail and he comes to realize what he’s always known—that true submissives have an inner strength he can only envy.

By the end of his stay, Lorcan can’t let Rowan go, though he thinks he must. What will convince him that he’s allowed a happy ever after, and will he find the courage to accept it?

Excerpt

“Who’d have thought there would be so many applicants for a role where the job description includes nudity and a willingness to get your arse whipped?” Carey Hoffman leafed through the pile of paperwork in front of him. “This is a lot harder than recruiting for club servers.”

“Relax, Sir. It’s important we find the right people. The more applicants we get, the better chance we have of finding someone perfect.” Alistair Easton, Carey’s submissive, kneaded his Master’s shoulders. “Our first paying client deserves the best.”

“That’s so good.” The tension melted from Carey’s shoulders as Alistair loosened knotted muscles. “Maybe we should go upstairs for an hour so that you can relieve other parts of my anatomy.”

Alistair giggled. “Not a good idea if you want to invite people in for interviews this week. We have work to do.”

Scowling, Carey turned to his friend and bar manager Harry Croft. “What’s a Dom to do, Harry, when his sub takes charge?”

“Generally,” Harry replied, “I find it’s best to do what I’m told.” He ruffled his sub’s hair. Kai Smithson was seated on the floor between Harry’s legs. “You can always spank him later, but for now, Alistair is right. We have to get through all these applications this evening. We only have one post left to fill, don’t we?”

Alistair knelt at Carey’s side, hands folded in his lap, his serenity in complete contrast to the noise and activity going on all around them. The Underground was always busy, but Friday nights tended to be hectic. Carey had sequestered a quiet corner for their discussion. A low table held paperwork and drinks, and cushions softened the floor for Alistair’s knees and Kai’s backside. Carey still found it hard to concentrate. He blamed Alistair for looking so tempting in leather trousers and a sheer silk shirt. He imagined removing the shirt, exposing Alistair’s smooth skin inch by inch, then watching his lover wriggle out of the trousers…

“Carey?” Harry brought him out of his daydream.

“Sorry, I got a bit distracted. Where were we?”

“The last vacancy—if you can keep your mind on recruitment and off whatever it is you’re planning to do to Alistair?” He shared a conspiratorial grin.

“Oh, yes. Right. Well, I’m thankful Mr. Wilder’s requirements are not too onerous. Tor Halvorsen will act as executive chef. He cooked for Joe and Heath when they had their taster weekend with Olly and Aiden and their reviews of his cooking were first rate. Olly said, and I’m quoting here, that Tor’s double chocolate brownies were better than an orgasm after two days in chastity.”

Alistair and Kai both burst out laughing.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Olly would be proud. He can create chaos even when he’s hundreds of miles away. That’s two extra strokes for you tonight, young man.” He gave Kai’s hair a gentle tug. Kai sucked on his lower lip but his eyes sparkled and he rubbed his cheek against Harry’s thigh.

“Tor has recruited two kitchen assistants, both, I might add, stolen from here at The Underground,” Carey said. “As Mr. Wilder is traveling alone, Tor says that will be more than adequate to cover his stay and allow for days off for each of them. Tor intends to work through and take some time off in between clients. He’ll also take on training Benjy and Frank. Going forward, I think we should consider rotating the junior kitchen staff through The Retreat. Then they’ll all get experience of different kinds of catering.”

“That’s a great idea. At least they won’t be shocked by anything they see at The Retreat.” Harry grinned. “Right. Goran has sorted all the drink supplies, so Mr. Wilder won’t starve or go thirsty.” Goran was Harry’s very capable deputy bar manager. “He can always take a quick trip down there if Tor needs him for anything. It’s always possible that the client will want to throw a party while he’s staying. Goran’s already offered to run the bar for events like that.”

Carey nodded. “Excellent. Then we have Luke Redding as general manager. He’s ex-forces, like Tor.”

“The Retreat is going to be run like a military campaign,” Harry said. “Tell me about Luke. I know he’s a member here but not much else.”

“He’s a well-respected Dom. Kept up his membership even when he was overseas on active duty.”

“Well, you do give service personnel an excellent discount.”

“I do, and they deserve it. Whereas Tor was in the army, Luke is ex-Navy. Served fifteen years then took an honorable discharge to care for his father who died last year. Mother passed when he was a child so his dad brought him up. He told me at the interview that he gave himself to his career, then to his father, now it’s his time. He was very open. He doesn’t have to work for the money but needs a purpose. He’s a very experienced manager and won’t take shit from anyone. He’ll be perfect for mentoring the young men that will be working at The Retreat, as well as the contractors. Management of the house and garden staff as well as all the arrangements related to housekeeping and maintenance will sit with him, and if our guests want any training in a particular technique, Luke can either handle it himself or bring someone in from the club if he doesn’t feel qualified. He knows the area well too—he was based at Portsmouth for many years and the New Forest was a favorite daytrip destination.”

“I hope I’ll get to meet him one day,” Harry said. “I’m surprised I’ve never come across him here.”

“I’m sure you will. I intend to have post-stay debriefings with The Retreat’s management team here at the club.”

“Good idea. So, when you Skyped with Mr. Wilder…”

 “Lorcan. He prefers to be called Lorcan.”

“When you Skyped with Lorcan, did he have any special requirements for other staff?”

“I think he’s going to be a low maintenance client—he was reserved, but friendly. The stay is a personal reward for selling his business. From what I could make out, he’s done little else but work for many years. He’s had some training as a Dominant and has excellent references from a couple of clubs I know in the U.S. He wants to see whether immersion in the lifestyle is what he wants because, as he said, he thinks it is but he’s never had time to prove it to himself.”

“Sounds like he has his head in the right place.”

Nodding, Carey flicked through a few applications. “I’ve done a full background check. There was an incident in his late teens, which I won’t go into here because it shouldn’t cause any issues. It marks him as a survivor. He plays hard when he has the time but that isn’t often. He admits to a preference for blonds. Smaller than him and not too muscled.”

“How tall is he?” Harry asked.

“Six feet one.”

“That rules out three of these—all within an inch of that height. There are also several brunets and one redhead in here so I’ll put them aside. That still leaves six possibles.”

“Whoever we choose has to be prepared to be very flexible.” At Harry’s feet, Kai giggled. “Not that kind of flexible, brat,” Carey chided. “Lorcan wants one man to be his personal assistant, valet and submissive. He doesn’t want a lot of people around the place because his break is about getting some breathing space, so this man will be at his beck and call twenty-four seven. Experience isn’t needed. I think Lorcan wants someone he can mold to his requirements, so we’re looking for a relative innocent—but one who knows what he’s getting into.”

“And who understands the difference between furniture wax and candle wax.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Talk about mission impossible.”

“The housework will be light, just Lorcan’s bedroom and bathroom. The contracted cleaning service will handle the rest. We’ll need someone bright enough to be an effective assistant…”

“And who doesn’t mind taking notes naked, with a plug up his arse.” Harry laughed. “Sorry, I’m being facetious.”

“You may not be that far off the mark. Nudity and minimal dress are non-negotiable.”

“Well, that helps us narrow the field a bit more. Two of these applicants are house subs here. I know them both and I don’t think either of them could be called sweet and innocent—they’re a pair of brats. Of the remaining four, two have university degrees and one went to work straight from school but got very good grades at A level. The last one seems to have drifted from job to job but does have waiting experience.”

“Drop him for now and ask the other three to come in. When we have time, I want to see all the applicants we’ve rejected for this job in case they’d like us to hold their details for future opportunities. It would be nice to be able to offer clients a portfolio of staff to choose from rather than having to go through this process all the time. That way we can also broach the subject when we recruit staff for The Underground. Whoever we choose this time will be permanently employed, but The Retreat is fully booked for months. We’ll need to alternate between clients so that the houseboys can take some time off and that means we need to line up someone else for the next booking after Mr. Wilder. We can cover unexpected illness or, God forbid, walk-outs, with staff from the club in the meantime.” Carey caught Alistair’s eye. “What do you think, love?”

“The catalogue is a brilliant idea. I’d be happy to take pictures for it, but maybe you should ask some of the members what they think, too? You have an instant audience for research here.”

“You’re right, of course.” Carey surveyed his club. The Underground was his pride and joy and he fully intended to make The Retreat just as perfect. “I’ll leave the interview arrangements to you, Harry. Time for me to make sure my members are happy. I think the boss giving his sub a public spanking might go down well tonight, don’t you?”

“You know it will.”

At Carey’s side, Alistair shivered. Carey stroked his hair. “Would you like that, sweetheart?”

“If it makes you happy, Sir.” Alistair kept his eyes downcast but Carey could see he was smiling.

“Oh, it will, you can be sure of that and if you’re very, very good you might even get to come. Emphasis on the might.” Carey raised his glass. “A toast. Here’s to finding someone for Lorcan Wilder who lives up to our exacting standards.”

Harry pulled Kai onto his lap. He clinked his glass against Carey’s. “Bottoms up!” He avoided spilling his drink by the narrowest margin as Kai shook with laughter.

“They soon will be.” Carey chuckled while Alistair tried, unsuccessfully, to conceal a groan.

About the Author

LM lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and some not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

LM is winner of the National Leather Association’s Pauline Reage Award for best novel and the 2016 Golden Flogger Award for best BDSM novel in the LGBT category. She has received multiple Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards and won the Action and Adventure category of Divine Magazine’s Book Awards in 2015.

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An Alisa Review: Professor Hot Pants by by Ember-Raine Winters

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Ryan

My mom always told me that I was better than random hookups but she was a drug addict, what did she know. Sex fulfilled a need in me. I’m not your average college student, but like many students I have one professor I fantasize about. Professor Marks is a great big no-no in the hookup department, so why can’t I stay away?

Philip

I’m a professor of psychology at the University. Being in my position, it was necessary to keep him at a distance. But, he’s slowly becoming an obsession of mine, the sexual tension between us is stifling. Now, we are expected to work together when all I want to do is bend his ass over the table. How will I be able to keep my hands to myself?

Can an unexpected ally bring these two people together and teach them the meaning of family?

Trigger warnings: child abuse, rape

This is really a story that makes you feel for the characters.  Ryan has spent was too much of his life having to be an adult well before he should have.  Philip loves his work and has never been tempted by a student until now but Ryan’s shadowed eyes really pull him in.

The little girl who pulls them together even more, Abby, is absolutely adorable and the things that have happened to her are horrible but she has the best advocates and supporters in Ryan and Philip. She really gives Ryan a reason to keep going after the death of his mother and something to focus on.  Phillip has really gotten to know Abby over the years and Ryan’s connection with her brings them even closer together.

The story really touched on some hard issues but does show that it can work out, not everything needs to be negative.  I got to see the story through the eyes of both Ryan and Philip so it was easy to connect with them.  I still have some trouble with some of Philip’s actions that really brought them together, I just feel like he made some really dumb moves and it he was as adamant about them being apart as he said then he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.  Also, the death of Ryan’s mother was never really settled to me.  Both Ryan and Philip had to adjust their lives throughout the story but found it is worth it to have real love and a family.

The cover art by Heather Bryant is a nice romance cover but nothing remarkable to me.

Sales Links: Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 173 pages

Publication: June 19, 2018

Edition Language: English