Book Blast for Kiss Your Scars (Loose Ends #3) by Avril Ashton (excerpt and giveaway)

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KISS YOUR SCARS

LOOSE ENDS SERIES, BOOK 3

AVRIL ASHTON

RELEASE DATE: 02.20.18

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Being the king of Atlanta’s underworld used to have its perks, but lately all undercover agent Renzo Vega has seen is the downside. Someone is auctioning off women in his city, and he’s damn sure not about to let that offense stand. Just as he’s set to make a move, Renzo’s club is ambushed and he’s shot. Unsure of who to trust, he turns to the one man he definitely knows wants him dead.

Yanked from his bed, blindfolded and spirited away in the middle of the night, Lowell Scott is shocked to find the darkly gorgeous Renzo bleeding and in need of his help. The very last thing he wants is to come to the aid of the man responsible for his cousin’s death, but the knife at his throat doesn’t give Low much options.

Close proximity doesn’t temper the hatred Low harbors for Renzo, it only brings up new problhen they’re exposed, those secrets will bring far-reaching consequences that could sever not just their shaky bond, but Low’s family ties as well.

This is book three in the Loose Ends series, but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: Contains references to subjects that may be triggering. Please read with caution.

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EXCERPT

Everything about him was magnetic and dangerous, and he moved like a rogue wave on an abandoned beach, wiping away your foundation before you had a chance to prepare for the hit.

Right now his gaze devoured Low, making it hard for him not to squirm.

“There is something between us.” Renzo put his hands in his pockets. Low tried not to notice the way that action tugged his pants waist lower and rucked up his shirt. “You and I both know that.”

“No.” Low held up a hand when Renzo took a step forward, but that didn’t stop him from coming closer. “I have a boyfriend.” So yeah, he’d upgraded Chance. “I don’t want you.”

“Yes.” Renzo got in Low’s space, trapping Low between him and the locked door. “You have a boyfriend but here you are, sneaking off to see me. Why are you at my club? Are you here looking for love? Looking for a fuck?”

Low’s eyes widened and Renzo touched him, a slide of his knuckles down his cheek. That touch. He’d thought about. He’d fantasized about it. He’d grieved for the loss of it.

“Doesn’t matter which. I’m good for either one.”

Low jerked his head up and slid closer. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t fight the coil in his belly that pulled tighter with every word Renzo spoke, bringing them together until their bodies made contact, front to front.

Step away. He should step back. But Renzo kept him right there with his heat and the smell of him. Low leaned forward slowly, seeking more of it.

The heat.

The scent.

His lips brushed Renzo’s neck.

Renzo groaned. Low’s entire body clenched.

Have mercy. “Leave me the fuck alone,” Low whispered. But there was no force beyond that plea. Just empty words mocking him, because the truth was he wanted Renzo closer.

Renzo grabbed him by the arm and pushed him up against the mirror overlooking the main area of the club. They could see out, but no one could see them as they stood, Renzo at Low’s back, humping him, sliding his hardness all over Low’s ass. Slowly.

Fucking painfully slow.

“Watch him,” Renzo murmured at his ear. “Watch your boyfriend. Does he know he’s your second choice, Low?”

He shuddered, panting, but he still held his head high, squirming as he tried to get away from Renzo’s hold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Renzo laughed. “You know.” His tongue slid over the shell of Low’s ear.

Low’s breath hitched as he locked his knees to keep from falling. Renzo melted him. He destroyed Low and he remained in that grip, loving their destruction.

“Where does Chance think you are, Low? Men’s room? Outside getting some air? When you leave here, will you tell him where you were, I wonder?” Renzo nipped at his earlobe and Low gave him everything. Every shudder, every gasp. “You gonna tell him you were rubbing your ass all over my cock, Low?”

“No.” He moaned. God. Fuck. Low gave up his moans, too. “Please.”

“You gonna tell him you can’t stay away from me? That you only brought him here to make me jealous?”

“I don’t want you.” His voice was an embarrassingly thin thread of sound that wavered under the weight of Renzo’s touch, like a ribbon wrapped around a tree branch, fighting against a heavy wind.

“Doesn’t matter how much you tell yourself you hate me,” Renzo whispered. “You still close your eyes when Chance touches you and pretend it’s me.”

The stark truth in those words buried him. “No.”

Renzo ignored his weak protest. “Does he know what you like, huh?” He touched Low, one hand at his chest, lips at his ear. “Has he fucked you lately?”

“Renzo.”

“Yes.” Renzo moaned, too, the sound hitting Low in the balls. “The way you say my fucking name.” He pressed closer, rocking against Low. He clasped Low’s throat, tilting his head against his shoulder. “Good?” he asked, voice turned husky. “He fucks you good, Low? The way you want, the way you need?”

“I don’t…” Low choked, but he was moving with Renzo, on him, sliding up and down, riding the hard ridge of Renzo. Unable to stop. Just for a second. He’d forget himself just for however long it took for this hunger to work its way through him.

“Does he eat you out? Lick it up?” The hand around Low’s throat tightened. “Does he tell you you’re the best?”

Low sobbed for him, trembling, fingers clinging to the hand Renzo had splayed over his lower belly. Done, he was fucking done.

“You’re the best I’ve ever had, Low, and I haven’t even fucked you yet. Let me get that.” He touched lower, cupping Low’s erection through his jeans and squeezing. “Let me tear it up while you call me Daddy. Let’s stay here, like this, you riding me till we both come.”

“No!” Low wrenched himself away, stumbling as he glared at Renzo as arousal crawled along his spine. “You killed my cousin.”

Renzo shrugged. “Did I?”

Avril Ashton Logo

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Stone Mountain, GA. with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.

A lover of cake, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Erotic and GLBT Romance.

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A MelanieM Review: Why I Trust You by Colette Davison

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Martin is the larger than life funny guy, the one who’s quick to soothe other’s pain, whilst hiding his own. He wants nothing more than to find ‘the one’, but his love life consists of a string of break-ups. He’s close to giving up on love, until he meets Ryan online, the artist whose work speaks to his soul. There are just two problems: Ryan already has a boyfriend and he lives in California, which is one hell of a long way from England.

Working with Martin to develop a game is supposed to be purely business; a way for Ryan to earn the money to leave his abusive boyfriend. Except, he finds himself falling for the enigmatic Englishman. Wondering what kind of spark there might be if they were in the same country is one thing, escaping his boyfriend is another.

Wounded by their past relationships, Martin and Ryan have to learn to trust each other in order to have a chance at building a future together.

I am a real fan of this series by Colette Davison so I’m always excited to see a new one released. Why I Trust You is centered around Martin, friend of Noah and Fin from Why I Need You (a favorite story of mine).   Martin is well off, having managed his money carefully and invested wisely in new projects that pay off handsomely.  However, all his romantic interests can see him as is their money ticket to an easy life.  And this inability to find someone to see himself for himself  has made him lonely and wary.

I liked Martin but I did wonder about his love life. Here, there are agencies and people who vet/screen out some of the potential gold diggers he seems to have dated.  Hell, even Match.com might have done a better job.  So a sort a narrative red flag was raised for me there.  Don’t they have that in the UK?

Anyhow, over in the US ,  Ryan is being severely abused by his boyfriend of 8 years.  Little by little, through mental and emotional manipulations by Zane, Ryan has removed himself from his friends and all his support system, turned over his bank accounts and credit cards,  and is now completely isolated and feeling ashamed.  He’s also being beaten.  Please note if this is one of your triggers.  From Ryan’s perspective, he has that victim’s mentality that comes from being controlled for such a long period of time and the feeling that he let it happen. He knows he needs to escape but where to and how. It’s  gut wrenching to read, especially when you think of all the people out there in the same situation.

All this feels so realistic due to Davison’s fine writing and ability to make us emphasize with her characters.  We believe in them and care greatly what happens to them.

An ad to create and illustrate characters for a new mobile action game is the ticket to meeting Martin and Ryan’s path out of his relationship.  I will leave the details of the  journey to the story.

I really enjoyed this novel and the relationship that built up between the characters.  I think the author “did” all the right things here with Ryan and Martin.  Martin realizing that Ryan needed someone other than him to talk to about the effects of years of domestic violence will leave on a person and suggestion he see a psychologist.  I wish it hadn’t dropped there but at least that suggestion was made.  Martin giving Ryan his space.  All the time spent in London…just lovely.  Some of the best parts of the book actually.

I think my reason for not connecting more with this story or giving it higher ratings is the manner in which the whole domestic violence issue was dealt with.  I’m surprised that there was fully applied BWS or battered woman syndrome which pertains equally to men or women and includes PTSD.  If you  are going to make this a major element in your stories, then I feel you should include a  realistic followup.  That often includes long term PTSD which makes sense for those used to being beaten on a daily basis which Ryan was for years.  The effects of that upon body and mind does not dissipate within months.

That doesn’t happen here  other than a mention or two.  It sort of goes away.  Like his abuser.  Especially one in control of a bank account, credit card, and access to your essential data. Again, that does not add up either.  Look up the statistics.  And I hate loose ends.  So unless the author is planning a sequel to Martin and Ryan’s story, this felt like a huge narrative hole that bumped along all the way to the end.

So while I liked Martin and Ryan and enjoyed their romance, some of the elements included needed a little more expansion and resolution for me to place it up with the other two stories which I totally adored.

Cover art is nice but again not a fan.  Both Martin and Ryan wanted to see each other on equal standing together finally. .  It would have been nice to see that reflected on the cover.Instead you have Martin over top Ryan.

Buy Links – Available on KU

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads  

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 363 pages
Published April 23rd 2018 by Smudged Ink Press
ASINB07C1SL22R
Edition Language English

Series:

Why I Left You 

Why I Need You

Why I Trust You

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: High Test by Elizabeth Noble and Colin Darcy (Narrator)

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

At times elementary, this story is loaded with trope—though in a way that’s to be expected with these Dreamspun Desires stories. Some of the writing was too unpolished and not what I expected. It’s possible though, that some of my impression of the simplistic prose is from the narrator, who told the story in a somewhat singsong voice, although thankfully, he used a different voice for each MC. The non-dialogue portions of the book sounded as if a high school kid were standing in front of the class trying to read in a way sure to please the teacher.

I liked the overall plot concept and I especially love May-December romances, though this one was a bit much—one MC was twice as old as the other. Neal Kirchner, wealthy and well-known architect meets Hayden Owens at the Owens Coffee Company shop one morning when he stops by to try a cup of their brew. He strikes up a conversation with the cute barista and from then on, coffee becomes a part of his morning, and sometimes evening, routine—especially when Hayden is working the closing shift.

He and Hayden go out together, though Hayden never lets him see his apartment and soon becomes convinced that Neal thinks his family owns the Owens coffee shops. Hayden is finishing graduate school, majoring in auto design and engineering, and he and Neal find they have a lot in common due to their technical interests. Though he tries several times to tell Neal that he’s not wealthy and is in fact a poor, struggling student, something, or someone, always interferes just when he’s ready to spill the beans.

Naturally, this causes an issue when the truth comes out, but it’s not what Hayden thinks it’s going to be and it was entertaining and interesting, even though it was a tried-and-true romance trope. I did want to smack Hayden upside the head a few times and I wanted to fast forward my audiobook each time he fell into his self-inflicted angst, but on the whole, I liked the story and the characters, and I think much of my negatives simply came from the narrator’s performance.

If you are interested in May-December romance and like the old romance tropes many of us grew up with, this one should fill the slot.

Cover art by Bree Archer depicts an older dark-skinned man in a business suit against the backdrop of a coffee shop—the perfect depiction of Neal Kirchner, the older architect who falls for the young barista.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio. Length 5:12
Published March 22nd 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ASINB07BFHXHHQ
Edition Language English

A Stella Review: Alaska (Sawyer’s Ferry #1) by Cate Ashwood

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

Nobody says no to a Prescott.

Not even one of their own.

Holden:
Living up to expectations had never been easy, but when I went after something, I got it. Success. Money. Victory. I was standing on the doorstep to having it all. There was only one thing standing in my way.

Gage:
Power and prosperity are overrated. Especially when they come at a price. When enough became enough, I walked away. Nothing had ever tempted me to look back, until one day the past showed up in my backyard.

I’m not so sure I can walk away a second time.

Finally a book that truly satisfied me and left my heart full. I’m so happy Cate Ashwood wrote Alaska, she did an amazing work and missed nothing. A perfectly written book, with well defined characters, a good plot, clear and real chemistry and love between the MCs, hot sex scenes, a dreamy ending. And so much more. What else could I request?

Gage and Holden conquered my heart from the beginning, I was caught into their minds and was so curious to know how they were going to get their HEA, I couldn’t put my Kindle down. Maybe for the first time I’m glad the blurb told me pretty much nothing, that’s why I’m not going to reveal nothing in this review. Just know it will be almost impossible to be disappointed by the story, it’s funny, sweet and sexy, an easy read, with just a tiny bit of drama. I loved Alaska, every words and every characters. I can’t wait for the next book and the next couple to love.

With this first installment in the new Sawyer’s Ferry series, the author gave me everything I want to find in a story. It was a huge success and I can’t stop myself from recommending it to all of you. I think I’m going to reread it right this second.

The cover art by the same author is lovely, I can see Gage in the model even if his face is eyes are cut off.

SALE LINKS:  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 183 pages

Published April 22nd 2018 by Cate Ashwood

ASIN B07CKMRZ1J

Edition Language English

K.C. Burn on her Favorite Firefighter stories and her new release ‘Set Ablaze’ (author guest blog and giveaway)

Set Ablaze by K.C. Burn
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Jennifer Vance

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have KC Burn here today sharing her top 5 firefighter romances and talking about her new release Set Ablaze.  Welcome, KC.

♦︎

 

Hello! I’m KC Burn and I’m thrilled to be at Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words today to celebrate the release of my newest book, Set Ablaze.

There aren’t many hero types I won’t read about. And I’m pretty equal opportunity about the ones I do love (although blind heroes and nerd/geek heroes are probably my absolute favourites). But firefighters are pretty damned… well… hot! I’m not sure how I’d feel about having a firefighter significant other in real life, what with all the danger and shift work, but to read about ‘em? Yes, please!

Set Ablaze features a firefighter hero – Hayden Hurst, and because of that, I thought I’d share a list of my top 5 firefighter romances. I bet one of the books on my list is on EVERYONE’S list! And I know there are a lot more good ones out there than what I’ve listed.

In no particular order…

  • Hot Head by Damon Suede
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate by R. Cooper
  • Love Happens Anyway by RJ Scott
  • By The Numbers by Chris Owen & Tory Temple
  • Fire Balls by Tara Lain

Let’s hear about your favourite firefighters! I could use some reading recommendations!

Blurb:

California firefighter Hayden Hurst is starting to realize there’s more to life than fighting fires and drinking with his buddies. He has room in his home and his life for someone special, but no one has stood out among his hookups. And while he’s out at work, admitting he’s gay is very different from showing up at social functions with a man. He’s afraid that’ll be too much for his less-than-accepting “friends.”

Broadway dancer Jez Bouchet hasn’t been mistaken for straight since he was gay-bashed at seventeen. After getting a lucrative job offer in Hollywood, he uproots his life in New York and drives to Los Angeles. His brother, who is Hayden’s best friend, arranges for him to crash at Hayden’s place.

The attraction between Hayden and Jez is unexpected but fiery, and they succumb before they’re even sure they like each other. But Jez hates Hayden’s homophobic friends, and Hayden knows Jez is too flamboyant for him to fly under the radar. Then there’s the complication of Jez’s brother.

Despite those hurdles, they fling themselves into a relationship. But Jez has secrets: a tiny spoiled dog and a determined stalker. If he doesn’t come clean, he might torch their burgeoning relationship before it has a chance to bloom.

Set Ablaze is available at Dreamspinner Press and Amazon.

About the Author

KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds).  After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own — getting published.  After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does. 

Visit KC at her website, on Twitter, on Facebook, or find out about new releases by signing up for her newsletter.

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Release Blitz for Why I Trust You by Colette Davison (excerpt and giveaway)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Why I Trust You

Author: Colette Davison

Publisher:  Smudged Ink Press

Genre/s: Gay contemporary romance

Length: 76,000 words/363 pages

Release Date: April 23, 2018

It’s a standalone story but part of a loosely linked series (Why I Left You and Why I Need You)

Blurb

Martin is the larger than life funny guy, the one who’s quick to soothe other’s pain, whilst hiding his own. He wants nothing more than to find ‘the one’, but his love life consists of a string of break-ups. He’s close to giving up on love, until he meets Ryan online, the artist whose work speaks to his soul. There are just two problems: Ryan already has a boyfriend and he lives in California, which is one hell of a long way from England.

Working with Martin to develop a game is supposed to be purely business; a way for Ryan to earn the money to leave his abusive boyfriend. Except, he finds himself falling for the enigmatic Englishman. Wondering what kind of spark there might be if they were in the same country is one thing, escaping his boyfriend is another.

Wounded by their past relationships, Martin and Ryan have to learn to trust each other in order to have a chance at building a future together.

Buy Links – Available on KU

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads  

Excerpt 1

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask, do you surf?”

Ryan blinked at Martin’s question, which had seemingly come out of the blue just as they were wrapping up their latest call.

He adjusted his position; the laundry room floor wasn’t exactly comfortable. “Uh, no, I can’t surf.”

Martin chuckled softly down the phone. “Isn’t that what all you guys do in California? You surf, have bleached-blond hair and golden skin, and say, ‘Totally rad, dude’ a lot.”

Ryan couldn’t stop himself laughing, which actually felt really good, though he did smother the sound with his hand. Not that anyone in the apartment block was likely to be awake at three in the morning, let alone wanting to do laundry.

“You don’t?” Martin’s voice was full of fake shock.

Ryan laughed even harder. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a hand against his ribs, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like that.

“No,” he gasped.

“Really? Because I keep expecting you to say, ‘Cowabunga, dude.’ So, I guess pizza isn’t your favourite food, either?”

“Umm… I think you’re confusing the ‘surfer dude’ stereotype with the Ninja Turtles.” Ryan wiped his eyes. He leaned back against the washing machine he was sat in front of, careful to keep his bruised lower back from making contact with the unforgiving metal. “If that’s what you think I’m like, does that mean you wear a three-piece suit, carry an umbrella and drink tea constantly?”

“Oh, yeah,” Martin said. “That’s an absolutely spot-on description of everyone in Britain. Even the women wear tweed suits all the time.”

Ryan tried to hold the fresh burst of laughter inside him, but his ribs hurt too much to manage it. “And you’re all soccer mad.”

“Football,” Martin corrected. “And we all dunk biscuits in our tea.”

“What? Yuck. Seriously?”

“Yes,” Martin said in a very serious tone. “Trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve dunked a chocolate digestive in your tea.”

Ryan grimaced. He wasn’t sure what a chocolate digestive was, but the thought of dunking a biscuit in a hot drink turned his stomach. Surely, it would just make a horrible mess? When he was a kid, his mom had given him milk and cookies, which he’d happily dunked, but cookies were way more solid than biscuits.

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, not eager to ever try it out.

“You don’t have to. I’ll make you tea and biscuits if you come visit.”

About the Author  

Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.

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Release Day Blitz for Love in Spades by Charlie Cochet (excerpt and giveaway)

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LOVE IN SPADES

CHARLIE COCHET

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 04.24.18

 LoveInSpades-300x600

COVER DESIGN: REESE DANTE

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Ex-Special Forces soldier Anston “Ace” Sharpe is fighting a different battle these days—one involving the world of private security across the state of Florida. As part owner of Four Kings Security, Ace and his fellow Kings tackle everything from armed transport and investigations to cyber intelligence and executive protection. Cocky, fearless, and brash, Ace isn’t afraid to take risks.

After years of working alongside his father, Colton Connolly is ready to take the helm at Connolly Maritime, but his father’s retirement is put on hold when Colton begins receiving death threats. If that isn’t bad enough, his father signs a contract with Four Kings Security to provide Colton with round-the-clock protection, despite his adamant refusal. Colton’s life has been turned upside down, the last thing he needs is a shadow, especially in the form of infuriating, sexy-as-sin Ace Sharpe, who seems to be on a mission to drive Colton mad.

Sparks fly the moment Colton and Ace meet on a sultry night club dance floor. But getting involved with a client, even one as fiery and beautiful as Colton Connolly, is a line Ace is unwilling to cross. Colton might be attracted to Ace, but he’d been burned before. He might be willing to put his life in Ace’s hands, but not his heart.

As the Florida nights heat up, so does their passion, and Ace and Colton are faced with a difficult choice—take the plunge and risk it all, or play it safe and walk away?

If Ace can keep a deadly threat from robbing Colton of a future….

LisGraphic4

 

EXCERPT

“Do I get a gun?” Colton asked.

“Have you ever fired a gun?”

“No. I’m not really a fan.”

“It’s amazing how many clients believe we’re going to arm them. Even if you were an expert marksman, you wouldn’t get a gun. You get a pen.”

Wait…. “A pen?”

“Yep. Titanium.” Ace handed Colton a silver pen, and Colton hesitantly took it from him. He held it up in front of him and peered at it.

“I’m supposed to fend off an attacker with a pen?” Was it a Bond pen? If he clicked the end or twisted it, would it release a toxic gas or set off an explosive? He clicked the end, and the ink nib popped out. Nope. It was just a pen.

“It’s a tactical weapon,” Ace assured him. “With the right amount of force in the right place, it can cause some serious damage.”

Colton eyed him skeptically. “You’re messing with me.”

“No.”

“What if they have a gun?”

“That’s a different lesson.”

Colton sighed. “Okay, show me.”

“Not if you’re going to give me attitude.”

“I’m not giving you attitude.”

Ace held his hand out. “Give me the pen.”

“No. It’s my pen.” Colton clutched it to his chest.  “You gave it to me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. This is the only defense I have. You’re not taking it from me.”

“Colton, you do realize I could take it from you without you even realizing.”

“Oh yeah, Mr. Hot-Shot-Green-Beret? Then do it.”

“Colton,” Ace warned.

“Come on. I want to see your super-secret moves.”

“I don’t even know what to say to you right now, other than you’re being ridiculous. And I have your pen.” Ace held up a silver pen.

“What the hell?” Colton gaped at his empty hands before his head shot up. “How’d you do that?”

“With years of practice. Now, are you going to pay attention?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Can I have my pen back?”

Ace pressed his lips together like he was trying to keep from laughing. The guy was so fucking sexy. Colton wanted to climb him and do terrible things to his body. Instead he took the pen Ace handed him.

“Thank you.”

“Okay, put that in your pocket. First I’m going to demonstrate the moves.” Ace pulled his own pen from his pocket.”

“Ooh, yours is black. It looks very serious.”

“It’s the same as yours, but black.”

“It camouflages with your clothes.”

“Yes.”

“Does it come in different colors?”

“You should know that I’m two seconds away from putting you in a sleeper hold.”

CharlieLogo2018Website

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters, to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Website: http://www.charliecochet.com

Blog: http://www.charliecochet.com/blog

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Release Blitz for Orderly Affair (Hearts & Health #6) by DJ Jamison (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Length: 75,000 words approx.
 
Hearts & Health Series
 
 
Blurb
 

A hospital orderly explores his bisexuality with an adorably geeky lab tech, but can their sparks lead to love outside the closet?

When Ian Connolly installs a hookup app to explore his long-suppressed attraction to men, he doesn’t expect to connect with anyone he knows, especially not lab tech Callum Price. But from their first scorching encounter, he’s hooked.

Callum hasn’t had the best luck with love, and he’s suffocating under a pile of responsibilities. But when he sees an opportunity to blow off steam with Ian, he takes it. The man is smoking hot, big all over, and sweet as pie.

Their chemistry is off the charts, but a relationship is more challenging. Callum remains stubbornly self-reliant, while Ian tries too hard to be his rock. But if Ian can be honest with his family about loving a man, maybe Callum can admit his own truth: He wants a man he can count on, a man just like Ian.

 

Here’s an excerpt of an app hookup that serves as the catalyst for Ian and Callum’s relationship. Enjoy!

Excerpt


Callum Price swallowed hard, staring at Ian Connolly’s massive … everything.
The orderly was six-foot-four, compared with Callum’s modest five-foot-eight height. Broad and muscled, Ian could toss Callum across the room with very little effort. That sent a thrill of fear through his body and a frisson of excitement straight to his cock.You are one screwed up puppy.Callum knew the guy from the app might be someone he knew, but he never would have guessed him to be Ian “straight guy” Connolly.

He licked his lips and raked his eyes over Ian’s chest and stomach, too obscured by the loose scrub top to hint at the goodies beneath. “I didn’t know you were …”

“Me either,” Ian said. Then coughed with embarrassment. “I mean, I’m bi and just now exploring my … curiosity.”

“Bi or bi-curious? They’re not the same.”

“Are we really going to have a serious talk about sexuality in the john?”

Ian had a point. Callum’s pulse raced, sending all his blood south and muddying his thoughts, as he stared at BigBiGuy. Ian. He knew the hospital orderly only through a loosely organized group of hospital staffers who played basketball every now and then. They nodded and smiled hello in the halls, but their paths didn’t cross all that much.

Yet, here they were.

Callum had noticed Ian was a big guy; it would have been impossible to miss. But he’d filed him into the unavailable category with all the other straight men, and as a result, hadn’t fully appreciated the man’s body.

He wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to correct that mistake.

“Take off your shirt.”

 

DJ Jamison is the author of more than a dozen m/m romances, including the Ashe Sentinel series and the Hearts and Health series. She writes a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual to asexual, with a focus on telling love stories that are more about common ground than lust at first sight. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems: money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that, and continues to avidly devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, two fish and, regrettably, one snake.

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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Ginger Snaps (Belladonna Arms #5) by John Inman

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Though I normally love John Inman’s stories and I’ve salivated over the Belladonna Arms books, alternating between laughing and smiling over the sweet, sappy MM romances, this one just didn’t reach the bar set by the other four. 

Usually, the stories are about a very nice young man who’s down on his luck and finds his way to the Belladonna Arms where the world’s biggest (and largest) drag queen, Arthur, takes him under his (considerable) wing and then the love pollen that seems to saturate the former hotel works its magic.  And lo and behold, after some starts and stops, he falls in love with another very nice young man.

And that’s the case here at the beginning of the book: Reed has left his wife, having realized that he can’t push his homosexuality any further inside than he’s been doing for years.  Gideon has broken up with his boyfriend, who very cruelly took all of Gideon’s possessions and donated them to Salvation Army.  He only saved his laptop because it happened to be in the trunk of his car.  Arthur has put both young men in apartments next to one another and is simply waiting for the love pollen to sprinkle their way.  The Belladonna Arms seems to be infested with love pollen that has worked to bring other couples together in the past.  The only issue with these two is that both young men are redheads and neither wants to fall in love with a redhead. 

Soooo, of course, that’s what happens.  They bond over the sorry state of their apartments, so Reed pulls out hammer and tools and sets about repairing both his and Gideon’s apartments, both having been sorely neglected in the past.  For several weeks, all is well and then Reed’s ex-wife throws a wrench in the works just before Arthur’s wedding.  Coinciding with all the usual craziness associated with wedding preparations, the San Diego area is experiencing tremors and small earthquakes—all of which send Arthur into screaming and hiding mode. The stress takes its toll on him and he ends up in the hospital—but not without visits from all the residents of the Arms. The big guy is a sweetheart and everyone secretly loves him.   

Then Reed breaks Gideon’s heart…and leaves pieces all over the floor.  He totally goes against all the promises he’s made to Gideon and leaves him in tatters.  To be honest, this reader would not have taken him back.  He pulled a really stupid, IMHO, stunt and should have been cut from the book, never mind from Gideon’s life.  But love is blind, and this is fiction, so the two end up back together in time for the grand wedding event.

As I said earlier, this story just didn’t cut it for me.  I don’t think my sense of humor has changed drastically over the years, but the Arthur earthquake and wedding scenes were too OTT for me. And Reed’s wife?  Not even worth the pages she occupied in the book.  Then there’s the chapter devoted to Reed and Gideon babysitting little Artie—the baby Sylvia and Raymond adopted—which I suppose to many may have been funny, but not to me.  I had no interest in it or patience for it at all, and in fact, I’d have preferred the chapter be cut from the story. 

I can stretch this to a 3 star rating, though if we all rated in half scales, I’d likely give it 2.5—mostly due to Reed’s ex-wife who is still irritating me, days after I finished reading the book.  For those who have read other books in the series, I’d recommend reading this one and would be interested in other reviewers’ opinions. For those who haven’t read the series, this can’t stand alone and needs to be read after the others.  Start with Serenading Stanley, which to me was the best, and work your way through.  It’s a nice series of MM romances and worth taking the time to read.

~~~

Cover art by Aaron Anderson depicts a ginger young man at work welding, with open shirt, low-rise jeans, and with a darkly shaded apartment building in the background.  Nicely done, it depicts Reed and the Belladonna Arms.   

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 240 pages
Published April 24th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Original TitleGinger Snaps
ISBN139781640800311
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series The Belladonna Arms #5

An Alisa Release Day Review: As I Am by Melissa Collins

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Chase Hansen. Broke. College drop out. Male stripper.

My life wasn’t at all what I imagined it would be. I should have been finishing up college, interning with a well-respected business, partying with my friends. But instead, I was raising my seventeen year old brother, struggling to make ends meet. Love wasn’t even on my radar. Besides, what did I have to offer? A few crumpled singles pulled from my G-string? Defeated and exhausted, I knew I had zero chance of finding someone to love me just as I am.

Noah Carpenter. Angry. Betrayed. Doctor.

Just when I thought my life was going exactly as it should, everything turned upside down. With my final rotation in medical school complete, I finally achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. What I never expected was to catch the man of my dreams in our bed with the man of his. Beyond infuriated, I struggled to piece together the remnants of my life. Just when I’d decided to give up on love altogether, I found a man who loved me just as I am.

Oh man, both of these guys and everything they have been through, they totally deserved to find love and that it’s together is even better!  Chase had to make some hard decisions after his parents died and hasn’t really had any support or help.  Noah has given himself over to being a doctor and after his last relationship ended he doesn’t really see the point in trying again.

Chase is at the point where he is just trying to survive and in his own mind he knows that no one would want him if they really knew everything he had going on.  Noah has a great group of friends around him but is quick to think the worst after catching his ex cheating.

I couldn’t help but feel for these guys.  I was easy to relate to Chase because I know what it’s like to feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders even if I couldn’t in other ways and I loved watching Noah just take care of and support him when he needed it, it was just what his fragile heart needs.  I still couldn’t really like his friend Gavin though, even if at times he thought he was helping he didn’t do much and thought about himself first.  Noah is very cynical in his assumptions but I loved that he was willing to apologize and accept when he was wrong and the unconditional support from Chase was just what he needed.  I loved these guys so much and the only reason it’s not 5 stars is that there were just too many points that I felt the characters didn’t fully resolve what they were talking about or doing.

The cover art by Sommer Stein is great and I love the picture of these characters together.

Sales Links:

Amazon
iBooks
Nook
Kobo
Google Play

Book Details:

ebook, 320 pages

Published: April 25, 2018 by Melissa Collins

Edition Language: English