Category: Contemporary fiction

Review Tour and Giveaway – The Sinner &The Saint (Ellery Mountain #8) by RJ Scott (excerpt)

 

Universal Buy Link
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Length: 40,000 words approx.
 
Ellery Mountain Series
 
Book #1 – The Fireman & The Cop
Book #2 – The Teacher & The Soldier
Book #3 – The Carpenter & The Actor
Book #4 – The Doctor & The Bad Boy
Book #5 – The Paramedic & The Writer 
Book #6 – The Barman & The SEAL
Book #7 – The Agent & The Model
 
Blurb



Army medic Ben Rockwell is in Ellery to work with the Veterans Center creating a new specialist unit for post trauma care. Desperate to make amends for battlefield decisions he regrets, he is focused on the unit and nothing else. Until some stranger moves in next door and throws him a curveball. He’s no hero, even though everyone says he is, and the lies burn inside him.


Leaving drama and chaos in his wake, Nicholas Merrick fled London and is hiding out in his friend Jason’s house, until everything back home dies a death. The choices he made in his life were to keep his best friend safe, but as a result everyone sees him as the bad guy.


When these two meet, the attraction is instant. Can they ever be their true selves, and find love as a result?

 
 
April 25 – Xtreme Delusions, Hearts On Fire Reviews, Megan’s Media Melange, Gay Media Reviews
April 27 – Reading In Sarah’s Corner, Diverse Reader
April 30 – Love Unchained, Jim’s Reading Room, Blazing Zane Book Blog
May 2 – Mainely Stories, MM Good Book Reviews
May 4 – RAM PA Group, Bonkers About Books, Katie’s Book Corner, Sexy Erotic Xciting
May 7 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
May 9 – Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books, Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, OMG Reads
May 11 – Dog-Eared Daydreams, MM Midnight Cafe, Valerie Ullmer, Drops Of Ink, Wicked Reads, Bookaholic & Kindle, The Geekery Book Review, Padme’s Library, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis
 
Excerpt



Chapter 1


Loud banging, with added yelling, pulled Nick out of a nightmare. After a restless, irritable, crunchy-messy night of tossing and turning, he had finally fallen asleep some time before dawn, and now at fuck o’clock in the morning there was knocking at the front door. And some asshole shouting words that he couldn’t make out. Was this part of his dream? He couldn’t tell.


For the longest time he lay flat on his back, unwilling to move. The sheets were wrapped around him like a mummy, the quilt on the floor, and he was still in that half world between nightmare and reality. Even closing his eyes didn’t help dispel the vivid images of him walking up to the Oscar podium completely naked and with the Queen pointing and laughing at him.


Naked as the day he was born, hanging loose and free, and no one saying a thing. Apart from the laughing that was. Like it was okay that one of the Oscar nominees was walking up the steps free of any and all clothing.


Not to mention no one commented on the Queen throwing popcorn at him.


Yep, it had been that kind of nightmare, and it wasn’t the first time he’d had it. And where the Oscar fear came from he didn’t know. There would never be a chance of an Oscar for. Not for the guy whose acting career had happened by accident and formed only because of a personal rebellion against his straight laced family. His resume included two sequels to the highly profitable, but formulaic, shit-bad, Angels of Bedlam franchise, with his entire fee going charity because he didn’t need the money.


Nick hadn’t been in the first UK funded Bedlam film. Said film had been praised for its ingenious twist on a dark horror romance. No, he was the handy British villain in the next two, the studio cashing in on any money that was left out there in a saturated market by ticking all the boxes. Explosions, tick. Strong, but mostly naked, female lead, tick. Sexy down on his luck, in te wrong place at the wrong time, male lead, tick.


And him, the ubiquitous bad guy with the English accent.


The follow up were certainly not Oscar material, and once Nick pulled his fragmented sleep-addled thoughts into line, he focused on the statistical likelihood of even being nominated for an Oscar in the first place, let alone accepting it naked.


“Fuck me,” he muttered to the empty room and rolled onto his front. The banging had stopped and no one actually knew he was here, so, he wasn’t going to answer the door in a place that wasn’t even his.


Jason McInnery and his husband, Kieran, lived in this stunning home, in the small town of Ellery, Tennessee. Glass floor to ceiling, wide open rooms, a pool in the garden, and the most comprehensive jungle gym he’d ever seen for Jason and Kieran’s son, Jonas. Even the damn guest room was beautiful, a huge wood carving took up nearly one wall, and the view from the window out to the mountain was stunning. At least that was the adjective he was supposed to use for what he could see. Objectively, he could see it was spectacular, but was too lost in confusion since he got here to think about it too much. A quick glance at the clock showed him it was five am, like midnight or something back in London, and still dark in the shadow of the mountain, so he rolled over and pulled the covers up to his neck.


Even in the middle of the chaotic remnants of his nightmare he welcomed the heat that cocooned him and willed the knocking to stop. Which it did. The mess of dreams forgotten, he drifted on as many good thoughts as he could muster and was very nearly asleep when the banging started up again. He groaned and hid his face under the pillow, willing the person creating the noise to go away. Then it ceased again, and he closed his eyes, but didn’t remove the pillow. Dawn was too close now and the room would fill with light because he hadn’t even taken the time to pull the drapes.


Unfortunately, his bladder had other ideas about what he needed to do, and cursing, he grabbed the sheets and untwisted himself. Feet planted on the floor he scrubbed a hand over his face, the untamed beard was just another reminder of everything that was horribly wrong about his life right now. Normally he would have just the right amount of stubble, but the last instalment of Angels of Bedlam, cunningly entitled, Bedlam Adrift, called for him to be a castaway, hence the beard, which he’d left to tangle.


No point in worrying about it anyway. He’d left London to get away from paparazzi, and their incessant need for more, and he was in unofficial hiding. Therefore, no one would see his beard, or his bloodshot eyes.


He caught sight of himself in the mirror.


“Jesus, you look fucked.”


Bedhead. Bags under his eyes. Beard. It was a whole cacophony of B-shit. Yawning widely, he padded across the bedroom to the half bath, emptying his bladder and washing his hands. He’d gone to bed as nature intended. Well, warm nature anyway, completely naked, which probably led to nightmare. Packing back home had been done in less than five minutes, his priority was money, passport, his phone, his laptop and associated chargers. It seemed like his messed-up head hadn’t thought any kind of pajamas were needed, or indeed underwear.


The next choice was shower or bed, and the exhaustion of the past few days, the media attention, making sure Heather was okay, fleeing the UK, ending up here in the middle of rural Tennessee, it was all too much and he sighed.


“Bed it is,” he muttered to his reflection. As soon as he woke up he was going online to order everything he’d forgot to pack. Jason had said to help himself to anything he needed but helping himself to his friend’s clothes didn’t feel right.


He yawned again, and stepped out into the cooler bedroom, eyes only half open.


“Hands where I can see them,” someone shouted, and Nick, startled, his heart pounding, fell backwards into the bathroom, catching himself on the jamb as best he could. He blinked to focus on the man in front of him.


The cop.


The gun.


The cop holding a gun on him. Immediately he raised his hands, and then lowered them to cover his junk, and then raised them again when the cop didn’t move.

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)
Goodreads Page
RJ’s Blog
RJ on Twitter
Facebook
Library Thing Page
Tumblr (some NSFW (not safe for work) photos)
Pinterest

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Review Tour – A Love To Remember by Sarah Hadley Brook (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Universal Buy Link
 

Length: 27,000 words approx.


Publisher: JMS Books

 
Blurb
 

Graham Hayes decided long ago he’d never be in a relationship. It was better to stay single than to fall in love only to be left alone, which he was certain would happen to him. He’d seen Alzheimer’s ravage his family members all his life, leaving their loved ones to deal with the fallout. Some of them stayed, but some didn’t. Graham isn’t going to risk it.


When he hires nurse Sam Morgan to take care of his dad during the day, his pledge to stay single is put to the test. He soon finds it difficult to maintain a professional distance.


Graham’s guarded his heart for so long, but his resolve is crumbling. Will he be able to conquer his fear to give himself a chance at love? Can he trust Sam to stick around for better or worse?

April 28 – Lost In Love, MM Midnight Cafe, Xtreme Delusions, BooksLaidBareBoys, Gay Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Gay Media Reviews
April 30 – The Novel Approach, Mikku-chan, Archaeolibrarian, Hearts On Fire, Nerdy Dirty & Flirty
May 1 – Gay Book Reviews
May 2 – Book Lovers 4Ever, BFD Book Blog
May 3 – Diverse Reader
May 4 – Slave To The Written Word, Making It Happen, Slashessed
May 7 – MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
May 8 – Love Bytes
May 9 – A Book Lovers Dream, Valerie Ullmer, Drops Of Ink, Sarandipity, Mirrigold, Padme’s Library, Jim’s Reading Room, Bayou Book Junkie, Bookaholic & Kindle, Virginia Lee

 
Excerpt
 

The doorbell rang just as Graham took a seat at the table, preparing to try and get some work done. It had been days since he’d even opened his laptop. He groaned. Looked like it wasn’t meant to be for the moment. His dad had finished his granola cereal and was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. It was still early enough in the morning where he seemed to have most of his faculties.


Assuming it was the home health care aide the agency was sending over, he didn’t bother to check the peephole or the window next to the entrance and swung the door open.


Graham’s jaw dropped and he stood in place, his feet frozen to the ground. Was he hallucinating? What the hell was going on? He stepped out and pulled the door partially closed behind him so he could speak to the man on his doorstep. The man currently grinning down at him.


“What are you doing here?” Graham hissed. “How did you find me?” He glanced up at the man he’d met at the club and wondered if he should call the cops. Wasn’t this considered stalking? It didn’t matter that his body reacted in all kinds of weird ways. He could be dangerous. And compared to Graham, the guy was huge.


The man stepped back and held up his hands, palms out. “Hey, I had no idea you lived here.”


Graham’s eyes narrowed.


“No, seriously,” he insisted. “The agency sent me here.”


“Agency?” Shit. “You’re the … home health care aide?”


S.G. nodded and offered his hand. “I’m Sam Morgan. Nurse for hire.”


Graham stared up at him — probably a little too long at the man’s massive chest — and finally shook his hand, shaken by the jolt of electricity coursing through his arm. “Okay. Um, come inside?” His voice was trembling. Get a grip!


S.G. — Sam — followed him inside, ducking his head as he walked through the doorway.


His dad didn’t look up, so Graham led the man to the kitchen table, gesturing for him to take a seat. He wasn’t even sure what to say. Or ask. He felt awkward. And silly for thinking the guy was stalking him. Graham had only been a quick fuck at the club for Sam. A means to an end. Nothing more.


He sat across from Sam and stared. The man was even sexier in the daylight. Dirty blond hair cut close to the scalp, a little longer on top. In the light he could see his eyes were the color of caramel. Hazel, maybe? He fought the urge to reach across the table and stroke the stubble still covering his jawline. And shit, the man was broad. Huge. He’d thought of him as a warrior that night and he found himself thinking that was still an apt description.


“You’re a nurse?” he blurted out.


Sam frowned. “Hey, don’t stereotype me,” he said quietly. “I love being a nurse.”


Graham’s face heated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean … I guess I’m just kind of shocked at seeing you here,” he admitted.


Sam’s frown turned into a grin. “Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting this morning, either.” He tilted his head toward Graham’s dad on the sofa. “I assume I’m here for him?”


Graham cleared his throat, tried to clear his head. “Yeah. That’s my dad. Thurston. Thurston Hayes.”


“So you must be Graham Hayes?” Sam’s voice was quiet, his gaze on Graham.


“Yes. I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself.” Shit. He was blundering this. He’d never felt so off-kilter when it came to a man. “Do you want something to drink?”


Sam shook his head. “No thanks. Right now, can you fill me in on your dad? Let me know what’s going on. I have some basic information, but it always helps to get specifics from family.”


“Sure.” Graham glanced at his dad and saw he was still engrossed in his book. He wondered if he’d even turned a page. Was he struggling with reading, too? Graham turned back to Sam, who was watching him, patiently waiting for him to continue. “I’m not sure what you want to know?”


Sam leaned back and offered him a small smile. “My job is to make your life easier and help the patient feel better. Why don’t you just tell me a little about your dad?“


Author Bio


Sarah Hadley Brook lives smack-dab in the middle of the Heartland and is the mother of two wonderful young men, as well as two cats. During the day, she works in the nonprofit world, but reserves evenings for her hobby-turned-passion of writing, letting the characters she conjures in her mind take the lead and show her where the story will go. When not working or writing, she can be found reading, working on dollhouses, trying her hand at new recipes, or watching old movies and musicals. In her ideal world, Christmas would come at least twice a year, Rock Hudson and Doris Day would have costarred in more than three movies, and chocolate would be a daily necessity. She dreams of traveling to Scotland some day and visiting the places her ancestors lived. Sarah believes in “Happily Ever After” and strives to ensure her characters find their own happiness in love and life.


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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Life of Bliss (Love Life #2) by Erin McLellan

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

I loved this story! In an enemies-to-lovers theme, Todd and Victor start off as men who love to hate one another. But here’s the rub: they really don’t. Or, at least Victor doesn’t hate Todd. He goes to great lengths to keep Todd from knowing how much he cares about him, and their sexy, snarky behavior lights up a room. Heaven forbid they’d get into a relationship! But they do.

These characters were engaging right from the beginning and by the time they were planning to head to Victor’s cousin’s wedding, I was caught up in their story. When they actually arrived at the wedding and were embraced by his huge family, I was convinced this one was a book I’d like. But then it got even better. Their behavior toward one another at the wedding was spell-binding. Both men got a bit tipsy even before the ceremony, so their words and gestures toward one another were more subconscious and definitely more sexy and endearing than either had planned for—the looks, the touches—ahh, so satisfying to this reader. They continued to drink and then to dance and then they woke up married. Somewhere along the way it made perfect sense to them to go into the quaint little wedding-oriented town and tie the knot. They even had matching silicone wedding bands. And lo and behold, when they awoke the morning after, Todd didn’t pack up and run. They decided they’d give it a try over the course of the summer. Todd was, after all, a teacher so had the summer off. And since Victor lived in Oklahoma City, not Bison Hills where their besties Niles and Rusty lived, they could get away with keeping it a secret until they made their decision.

Of course, the best laid plans and all that. Here’s the thing: their personalities were very different. Victor was an all-in, “here’s my heart on a platter” kind of guy, but Todd was “let’s test the water, no one has ever wanted me in their life for long so I shouldn’t make plans to stay” sort of man. Their first months were fine, and the author spent most of that time cementing my love for both characters. And then the cracks started to appear when Victor was faced with financial insecurity from loss of employment and Todd was faced with a decision to quit his job, relocate, and lose his circle of friends—friends that were more like family to him.

In fact, it took me a while before I realized the secondary characters, Niles and Rusty, were the MCs from <i>Life on Pause</i>. Todd and Victor only had cameo appearances in the first book so I just didn’t make the connection. To be honest, I not sure why this isn’t billed as a sequel, but it really does stand alone and reading book one first should have no impact on a reader’s enjoyment of this story. Long story short, it just doesn’t matter. This one is perfect as is.

I really enjoyed the way the author managed to engage me in their lives—both of them. I cried with them, laughed with them, and labored over their decisions with them. And then I shared their heartache. Thankfully, by the end I was able to share the joy as they made their final decision and started down the path to their HEA. Totally satisfying, fulfilling, enjoyable story! Very highly recommended.

~~~

The brightly colored cover depicts two young men, one hugging the other other from behind. Both are laughing and apparently having fun—the perfect depiction of Todd and Victor.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EkB3aU

B&N: https://bit.ly/2GyuHqa

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2GvhZMW

iBooks: https://apple.co/2H6hiXk

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2GvampN

Smashwords: https://bit.ly/2GxnlHq

Books2Read/Universal Links: https://books2read.com/lifeofbliss

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2qv6qLz

Book Details:

ebook
Published April 30th 2018 by Erin McLellan
Original TitleLife of Bliss
ISBN139781732173415
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesLove Life #2

Erin McLellan on Writing, Locations, and her release Life of Bliss (Love Life #2) by Erin McLellan

 

Life of Bliss (Love Life #2) by Erin McLellan

Release Date: April 30, 2018

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Erin McLellan here today to talk about the characters in her latest story, Life of Bliss.  Welcome, Erin.

~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Erin McLellan ~

Who inspired Victor’s character? 

He was very likeable as the BFF who was a rock for Niles while Skyping with him from his job on a cruise ship throughout Life on Pause. I don’t usually go into detail on a secondary character in a review but I did for him when I reviewed Life on Pause. 

Is he based on someone you’ve met?  And, by the way, thank you for giving him his own story in this sequel.  

You’re welcome! I am so happy you loved Victor! He was one of those characters that just seemed to jump off the page when I started writing him. When I was drafting Life on Pause, I didn’t have clear plans to write him and/or Todd a sequel, but he ended up being so charismatic and fun that I didn’t want to let him go.

I wouldn’t say that Victor is based on any one person, but when I originally wrote him, I thought a lot about the friends in my life. It was really important to me that he be an awesome friend, and I’m lucky to have had a lot of good examples to pull from. Also, a handful of Victor’s one-liners are courtesy of my friend, Dillon. They both have very snarky, quirky senses of humor, and I’d often have conversations with Dillon that ended with me saying, “Can I steal that joke for my book?” And he always says yes because he’s wonderful. Life of Bliss is dedicated to him.

What was your favorite scene in Life of Bliss?

Oh! This is such a hard one. My favorite is the scene during Remy’s wedding reception. Todd and Victor get increasingly tipsy and their feelings for each other peek through. Of course, when their inhibitions start to lower, they get this crazy idea that they should elope! It was the first scene I envisioned—the origin, so to speak—when I thought of the story!

I also have a soft spot for the scene with the possum, and any scene that involves sticky notes.

Who or what inspired this enemies to lovers story?

In Life on Pause, where the characters first meet, their disdain for each other is pretty explosive, but their chemistry was somewhat of a happy accident, I guess. I hadn’t planned it. Though, I have to admit that my husband and I were not the best of friends when we first met, so perhaps I pulled sub-consciously from that experience a bit!

Other parts of the story had more real-life inspiration. My husband and I went to Eureka Springs, AR, one of the settings in the story, before we were married. We loved it and were really tickled by all the wedding-themed stuff. A lot of the Oklahoma City scenes are based on real places, like the gay bar and some of the restaurants. Lastly, the idea for this story came from one of my late-maternal grandmother’s diary entries. She wrote about how a lot of her friends didn’t have weddings during the Korean War, but instead eloped to Arkansas where there was no marriage-license waiting period. That tidbit has always stuck in my head, especially as some places in Arkansas, like Eureka Springs, have very wedding-themed economies.

What do you enjoy most about writing MM romances? 

It’s important to me to write queer characters, and while I’ve now written three m/m romances, I plan to write m/f and f/f as well. In fact, I’m writing an m/f with a bisexual woman right now!

I’ve had fun writing m/m romances set in the Great Plains (like Oklahoma) because it’s not a setting I’ve seen very often in m/m romance, and when I have, it’s the place people are trying to escape from, or they’re all cowboys. Not to knock cowboys, because they’re great, but they certainly aren’t common anymore. I grew up in Oklahoma, so I know a ton of queer people who have built their lives there, who cope with the good and the bad of living in a conservative, flyover state every day. It’s important to me to show what that might look like.

Lastly, I enjoy writing soft, squish-worthy heroes, so why not write two in one story!

Life of Bliss Tagline:

Pretending to be boyfriends is easy. Being accidental husbands is not.

Blurb:

Nobody plans to accidentally marry their frenemy-with-benefits.

Todd McGower and Victor Consuelos do not like each other. They can’t have a conversation without insults flying, and Victor seems to get off on pushing Todd’s buttons. The fact that their antagonism always leads to explosive sex . . . well, that’s their little secret.

Victor has a secret of his own. His full-blown crush on Todd is ruining his sex life. He hasn’t looked at anyone else in months, and he’s too hung up on Todd to find a date to his cousin’s wedding.

In a moment of weakness after a heart-stopping night together, Todd agrees to be Victor’s fake boyfriend for the wedding. Victor will have his plus-one—which will get his family off his back—and Todd will get a free mini-vacation. It’s a win-win.

But pretending to be fake boyfriends leads to real intimacy, which leads to too much wine, and suddenly, Todd and Victor wake up with wedding bands and a marriage license between them. That was not their plan, but a summer of wedded bliss might just change their minds.

Series: Love Life #2 (note: can be read as a standalone)

Genre: m/m contemporary romance

Length: 53,000 words

Buy Links:

Author Bio:

Erin McLellan writes contemporary romance with characters that are complex, goodhearted, and sometimes a little quirky. She likes her stories to have a sexy spark and a happily ever after.

Erin has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Oklahoma. Though no longer a public librarian, Erin still enjoys being surrounded by books and readers, but now she hopes to find her stories on the shelves as well.

Originally from Oklahoma, she currently lives in Alaska with her husband and spends her time dreaming up love stories set in the Great Plains. She is a lover of chocolate, college sports, antiquing, Dr Pepper, and binge-worthy TV shows.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.erinmclellan.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emclellanwrites

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinmclellanwrites/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorerinmclellan/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/erinmclellanwri/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/erin-mclellan

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16700859.Erin_McLellan

 

Giveaway

Here is a Rafflecopter giveaway for 3 copies of Life on Pause. It runs from April 30-May 7 and the author will contact the winners! Must be 18 years of age or older.  Good luck everyone!

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Release Blitz and Giveaway – Whisper (Skins #2) by Garrett Leigh

 

Universal Buy Link
 
Cover Design: Black Jazz Design
 
Length: 260 pages
 
Skins Series
 
Dream (Book #1) – Universal Buy Link
 
Blurb
 

Standalone second book in the Skins series.

Lonely physiotherapist Harry Foster has the world at his feet. A full client list, a six figure Instagram following, and a publishing deal for a book he doesn’t have time to write until his agent offers him a break—a retreat to the wild south west coast.

Cornish horseman Joe Carter is lonely too. Rescuing horses and managing Whisper Farm takes up most of his days, and by night he plays chicken with the farm’s perilous bank accounts.

At his sister’s unwelcome suggestion, he rents his only bedroom to a bloke from the city, and when Harry arrives, he’s everything Joe isn’t—calm, patient, and gorgeous enough to be exactly the kind of distraction Joe doesn’t need.

Harry doesn’t have time for distractions either—even shirtless farmers riding bareback past his bedroom window—but his moody host proves impossible to ignore.

On paper, they have nothing in common, but Joe is beautiful…glorious, and when an accident puts his life in Harry’s healing hands, the whisper of true love is inevitable. If the trouble that put the farm on its knees in the first place doesn’t get in the way.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.


Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.


When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.


Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with photographer Dan Burgess.


Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

A MelanieM Review: Hard to Get (Haven’s Cove #2) by Jaclyn Quinn

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Gabe D’Angelo has it all. Designer clothes, luxury cars, a cool confidence most would envy, and a never-ending supply of money—and men. When he arrived in Haven’s Cove to be there for his best friend, he never imagined he’d end up extending his stay indefinitely. Small town living isn’t so bad after all, and the views are magnificent—especially the view of a sexy, rugged blond. But when that mysterious, brooding man refuses all Gabe’s advances, he is forced to take a step back and truly look at the person he’s become.

Nate Black moved from Boston to Haven’s Cove for his family. He’s missed small town living and the simple, tranquil life that comes with it. What he doesn’t bargain for is the pushy, spoiled playboy who’s set his eyes on Nate as his next conquest. Knowing this man has the potential to crack the foundation of his quiet life, Nate will do everything he can to protect his safe, closed-off world.

Is one man worth loving? Is the other worth the sacrifice? Or is the love they’re searching for not just hard to get but completely out of reach?

After the first story (Hard to Let Go) in Haven’s Cove series where we met both men, I was curious to see where the author was going to take these men an their relationship.  Now we get our answer in Hard to Get (Haven’s Cove #2). For starters, Nate Black is someone you like immediately and Gabe is that individual you don’t.  At least for me.  And that opener for this story increased that tenfold.

Gabe became that person who see’s others as an object to triumph over, to “win” and move on.  When a reader such as me is already on the side of Nate, a character like Gabe is already in the losing position here as far as my heart and connections go.   And he stayed that way for some time.  It drew down my ability to invest in his redemption and my belief that he truly felt something for Nate and his daughter in such a short amount of time.

Even his friends in the story didn’t believe him (via the author).  Trust me that didn’t help either when trying to build the case that the man had an unrevealed character he has yet to show people.  Or that a huge change of heart and ways was coming.  As it was.

What really makes this story, and in fact, the entire series work, is that Jaclyn Quinn can write wonderful characterizations.  So in effect, you are mad at the people she’s created that feel so believable for behaving in such an abominable manner and not the writer. Yes, you don’t like their actions but you believe in their story.  So great job there.

The rest of the romance that follows the growth of Gabe’s character and Nate’s ability to learn to trust in Gabe.  While the pace feels sweet and fast, especially when a child is involved, it’s still comes across as real.  As does their friends and family.  Mothers push when not wanted, although I found her actions surprising again when there is a child involved.  I won’t even begin to discuss Gabe’s family and father.

The Haven’s Cove series has become a romantic gem of stories that  started with Hard to Let Go and now with  Hard to Get.  I already see the next couple on the horizon and can’t wait for their story as well.  I don’t really consider this a standalone because it’s great to have the background and foundation work of the first novel before reading this one.  Read them both in order.  I highly recommend them if you’re a lover of contemporary romance.

Cover art:  Cate Ashwood Designs does a very good job of capturing both characters.

Sales Links:AMAZON US/AMAZON UK

Book Details:

ebook
Published April 19th 2018 by self-published (first published April 17th 2018)
Original TitleHard to Get: A Haven’s Cove Novel
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Haven’s Cove :

Hard to Let Go (Haven’s Cove #1)

Hard to Get (Haven’s Cove #2)