BLOG TOUR for Bite Me (Kitchen Gods #1) by Beth Bolden (excerpt, and giveaway)

BITE ME

KITCHEN GODS BOOK 1

BETH BOLDEN

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 02.12.17

COVER DESIGN: AngstyG

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

BLURB

Talented pastry chef Miles Costa is bored. Working at the celebrated Napa Valley restaurant Terroir is supposed to be the cherry on top to a promising career, but instead it’s a creative desert. So when he gets an offer to turn his online video series into a career, he leaves his three best friends in Napa and swaps Terroir for Los Angeles.

With the resources now at his fingertips, turning his pastry series into a hit should be easy. Then Miles meets his producer, Evan Patterson, and realizes he’s screwed. And not even in the good way.

It’s not a meet-cute . . .

Evan lives to work and loves every minute detail Miles loathes. Not only that, he seems hell bent on micromanaging every aspect of Miles’ show despite the fact he knows nothing about the culinary arts. Evan doesn’t even like sweets—until Miles seduces him with a rainbow of delectable confections he can’t resist.

. . . it’s a collision.

With every confrontation, the intensity between them flares even hotter until they’re not sure if it’s hatred they feel . . .or something else. Is it possible for two people with nothing in common to discover common ground and romance?

EXCERPT

“You’re late,”Evan said, head bent towards his screen, fingers not missing a beat as he typed furiously.

“I know, I’m sorry, I thought I’d grab a coffee.”Miles slid into the chair next to Evan, but Evan still didn’t look up.

“Oh thanks for bringing me one too,”Evan said levelly, even though he had to know that Miles only had one cup in his hands.

“I . . .uh. . .didn’t know you wanted one?”Miles said sheepishly. He’d made it back into the building two minutes late, and then had raced to Evan’s cubicle, only to not find him there. He’d made the rounds, until one of the writers stopped him and said Evan was in the conference room, still working after the meeting had ended.

Why hadn’t it occurred to Miles to bring him coffee? He liked the good coffee place as much as anyone else. It was probably because instead of actively trying to charm anyone in particular, Miles just fallen into bed with willing people and had never wanted someone who didn’t want him back—or wanted him but fought it. Miles knew he was going to have learn to be more aware and less selfish if he was ever going to convince Evan to consider dating him. A great almost-blowjob wasn’t going to cut it. Not with Evan.

Sex was probably off the table now, even though Miles knew Evan wanted it. Miles wasn’t familiar with the sort of self-denial Evan practiced; if he wanted someone and the feeling was mutual, sex happened. It was an easy way to live, and an easy way to get off. Everything about Evan was complicated, but Miles wanted him anyway. Inexplicably.

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring you coffee,”Miles said when Evan remained silent, typing away, the staccato of the keys all the response he probably deserved.

“It’s okay.” Evan paused. “I wouldn’t expect you to be looking out for other people. Me, especially.”

And yeah, that was galling. Especially galling when Miles had spent the last half an hour discovering that nobody had probably ever really looked out for Evan before. It probably wouldn’t take an extraordinary amount of effort to make him feel special and considered. And Miles still couldn’t figure out how to meet even the lowest of expectations.

“I’m sorry, I’m . . .I know it isn’t an excuse, but I was with Lucy, and Chloe and Steph and . . .”Miles hesitated, trying to find the best way to say, sorry, we were gossiping about you and they told me you were a foster kid and I wish you had told me yourself.

All Miles knew was that was definitely not the way to break the news.

Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn’t have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She’s a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published eight novels and two novellas, with Catch Me, the next novel in the Kitchen Gods series, releasing in May 2018.

Order Bite Me Recipe Cards: http://bit.ly/2EeQiCJ

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RELEASE BLITZ FORSAKEN by J.R. Gray (excerpt and giveaway)

Forsaken by J.R. Gray
Release Date (Print & Ebook): February 26, 2018

Book blurb:

Titus has lived and breathed religion his entire life, tucked away from the rest of the world in a compound in northern Wyoming. He’s destined to be the next leader of the church, deemed so by the Prophet.

God spoke and with His word He created. But God made a mistake. Titus isn’t worthy. He was born sick and it’s solidified when he rescues the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.

Torn between fidelity to his faith or his soul, Titus must reconcile the two parts of himself before he’s discovered hiding among the chosen.

Links:

https://jrgraybooks.com/coming-soon/

Teaser excerpt #1:

He set down what he was doing and turned toward Angel to gage his reaction. But he hadn’t gotten as far back as Titus had thought.

They were close, too close. Closer than he should be to another human being. He should step back. He tried to focus himself, but Titus couldn’t make himself move. He was close enough to smell Angel, and he didn’t want to stop. There was the beer, of course, on his breath from dinner, but there was also summer there. Sunflowers and sunshine. Bright and happy. The sun bleached parts of his hair showed in the shop light, making him glow. Titus wondered what he himself smelled like. Cold and darkness, if he had to guess. They were such polar opposites. Raised different in every way. Angel was allowed to be himself, and Titus would never be. He had to give up a part of himself no matter if he chose this or not.

“I’m trying really hard not to ramble. Is everything okay?” Angel lifted a hand like he was going to put it on Titus’ hip, but he froze midair. Titus didn’t know if he could bear being touched by Angel. It might all be over if he let it happen.

But they were magnets, and Titus couldn’t stop it. His lips brushed over Angel’s, and the earth stopped. It sent Titus stumbling. He went from traveling at one thousand miles an hour to stopping dead on his axis. He was dizzy, and as Angel parted his lips, Titus got closer and further all at the same time. Closer in presence but further in his mind. It wanted to throw up walls and shut everything down. Pretend this wasn’t exactly what he wanted. No, not exactly what he wanted. He wanted more. He wanted to feel all of Angel, every inch of his bare skin, but he’d spent so damn long denying and lying to himself, he couldn’t handle it. Just as Angel’s tongue touched his lips, he pulled back. His pulse was thundering in his neck, and his heart was beating so hard it was painful. Every fiber in him was screaming, “Run!”

“I can’t,” he said breathless. “I just…” His feet finally responded to a command, and he stepped back.

About J.R. Gray:

When not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it’s half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.

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RELEASE BLITZ for Captive Hearts (Deviant Hearts #1) by A E Ryecart (excerpt and giveaway)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Captive Hearts (Deviant Hearts #1)

Author: A E Ryecart

Publisher: A E Ryecart

Cover Artist: Meredith Russell

Genre/s: Contemporary MM romance

Length: 77,200 words

Blurb

“Too young, too blond, too skinny. Billy Grace was everything my head told me I didn’t want. Too bad my heart had other ideas.”

When Dashiell Slater uses his fists to stop a vicious assault, the last thing he expects is to be offered a job as reward for being a Good Samaritan. Out of work and short of cash, all he has to do is chauffeur Billy around. It’s easy money so saying yes should be a no-brainer. And if the offer’s not quite legal, so what? Dashiell’s smart and savvy, and knows how the world works. But there are strings attached, and Dashiell doesn’t want to get entangled. He’s ready to say no and walk away – until he sees the fear, despair and fathomless sadness in Billy’s jade-green eyes.

“He was everything I wanted, but couldn’t have. What was the use in dreaming when I was already bought and paid for, the property of another man?”

Billy’s life is a daily round of fear and abuse. One wrong word or one wrong look can mean a beating, or worse. Dashiell’s everything Billy’s heart craves – a man who’ll love and protect him, who’ll keep him safe and catch him when he falls. But Billy can’t have what he yearns for, because to give in to his heart means breaking a promise he’s vowed to keep at all costs.

A soul-searing kiss, a whispered promise, and the chance of a future together is there for the taking. But life is never that simple and danger surrounds them at every turn. Imprisoned by devotion, duty and obligation, Billy’s heart is captive, but can falling for Dashiell finally set it free?

Buy Links – Available on KU

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

Excerpt

“It really does look better.” Dashiell smiled and touched the bruise with gentle fingers, and this time I didn’t flinch.

“You need to eat, and then get some more sleep because you look worn out,” he said as he pulled open one of the cupboards.

“No, I don’t want—”

“You need to eat. Just a bit of soup, that’s all I’m asking.”

He wasn’t pushing, and he’d done so much for me it felt kind of wrong to say no, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a little something.

A couple of minutes later a bowl was placed in front of me, at the table. I didn’t have the strength to argue about not wanting it, he was trying to look after me, and all I had to do was let him.

“No arguments.” He had a mock stern don’t-mess-with-me look on his face.

“As if I would.” I spooned up some of the soup, and though I had no idea how much of it I’d be able to eat I was determined to try, but my hand was shaking and most of it dribbled back into the bowl.

Without saying anything, Dashiell took the spoon from me, dipped it into the soup and held it to my lips. I was twenty-three, and being fed like a baby but I didn’t care or put up any resistance. What should have been awkward and embarrassing wasn’t. How could it have been, not when he’d already seen the shameful way Frankie treated me, and had dealt with the results? After that, being fed from his hand faded into nothing.

I nibbled at the soupy bread he tempted me with but it wasn’t long before I was shaking my head. I didn’t have much, but I felt better for it though I knew the real reason for that was having Dashiell next to me. I sighed and sagged back into my seat. Dashiell scraped his chair closer, and snaked an arm around my shoulders and without even thinking I settled into him and closed my eyes as he swept his fingers through my hair. The house was quiet. There was no Frankie barking orders and no zombies jumping to them. With the rhythmic back and forth of Dashiell’s fingers, there was only that moment. What should have happened next was that he kissed me, but he didn’t, and I was kind of glad of that. I’d have kissed him back, no question, but that wasn’t what I needed. It was his warmth, and strength, and just knowing he was there.

“Come on,” he said, helping me up. “The best thing for you is sleep.”

I nodded, too tired for words, as I let him lead me out of the kitchen and upstairs.

About the Author

If you’ve a yearning for stories about complex men who make bad choices and wrong decisions, I’m your woman. Readers tell me they want to shout at my men, and shake some sense into them, before giving them a hug and a good talking to. And yes, I’m responsible for more than one repair bill to an ereader or smartphone that’s been thrown against a wall! But who said the road to a HEA was an easy one? Not me, that’s for sure. I make my men suffer, I put them through the wringer, I cause them to trip up… but in the end they come through despite all my best, and worst, efforts.

So where will you find me putting words on the page? In my favourite café, that’s where. A walk across the park, or an early swim, before I settle down with a steaming hot coffee, ready to make my characters’ lives hell. My stories are set largley in London, the city I was born and raised in, but I now live somewhere quiter and greener just outside. I’ve no kids, or pets, but I do have a husband and as long as I keep him fed and watered he leaves me alone so I can spend time making life difficult for the men in my head rather than the man in my life.

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Giveaway

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A MelanieM Review: Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Only love can heal an impossibly broken heart

There’d forever been a thread running through Trevor Estes’s life—his son, Riley, strong and constant like a heartbeat. But when Riley is killed in combat, everything in Trevor’s life unravels into a mess he doesn’t know how to mourn.

Then Jesse Byrne, Riley’s friend and platoon mate, arrives on Trevor’s doorstep with a box of Riley’s things. Jesse’s all-too-familiar grief provides an unlikely source of comfort for Trevor: knowing he’s not alone is exactly what he needs.

Trevor never imagined he’d find someone who fills his heart with hope again. As the pair celebrate Riley’s memory, their unique bond deepens into something irreplaceable—and something neither man can live without.

But diving into a relationship can’t be so simple. Being together means Trevor risking the last link he has to his son…leaving Jesse to wonder if he’ll ever be enough, or if Trevor will always be haunted by the past.

Be prepared for Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen to break your heart and leave you sobbing on multiple occasions. You have to figure that from the synopsis but the actual reading of it will rend your heart into little pieces, especially if you have children of your own.

All due to Hansen’s terrific writing and beautiful characterizations. In Point of Contact we actually get to know and come to love Riley, the son and center of Trevor Estes’ life. Through countless scenes of family intimacy that will seem so familiar to those with children, we connect with their fierce bond and familial love, and we watch with gut wrenching horror because we know the pain that’s approaching the oblivious father and son. And no, you can’t and won’t want to stop reading.

Everything that happens within this story are events that happens to families everywhere. Sons and daughters die in combat overseas leaving their grieving parents to try and deal with their deaths, their absences, their lack of futures…everything. In part, this story deals with one father’s grief and inability to deal with his son’s death. Point of Contact and the author takes us with Trevor and Jesse from the moment Riley dies. For Jesse, he’s there and that will impact him and their squad for the rest of their lives. For Trevor? It’s a ring of his doorbell and two military men with a somber duty to carry out.

All the intertwining threads here that continually bring Jesse and Trevor together with their love of Riley being the magnetic force and his love for them holding them all together. Hanson also works with both Jesse’s and Trevor’s PTSD along with their deep-seated grief, problems within Riley and Jesse’s squad of survivor guilt and many more authentic elements pertaining to subject such as these. All handled with sensitivity, believability, and great respect.

Flowing through all this is the growing relationship between Trevor and Jesse. I love how the author builds the relationship between these two men as they work their way through their loss and pain. I felt their sorrow and yes, anger, and connected to them emotionally on this journey to love and HEA. What an deeply moving story.

I loved this story and I highly recommend it.

Cover art is ok. Its hard to tell if one man is older than the other.

Sales Links: Carina Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 451 pages
Expected publication: March 26th 2018 by Carina Press
ISBN139781488097058
Edition LanguageEnglish

Book Blitz – Penny Brandon’s Blind Passion (excerpt)

Universal Buy Link

Length: 82,000 words approx.

Blurb

Attraction for Adam was not a handsome face, a striking smile, or beautiful eyes, but a scent that would drive him to distraction or a voice that could make his heart beat faster. When the combination of the two walked into his life in Luke, Adam couldn’t help but want him. But how was he supposed to know if Luke felt the same attraction? He had no prior experience, no past encounters, nothing to help him. Not even his sight.

One look at Adam and Luke wanted him. Sensual, gorgeous, kind, with a strength that Luke was drawn to, Adam was everything Luke desired. Being in Adam’s arms, showing him the pleasure of a man’s body, being touched, held, and desired in return, had Luke wanting more, had him wanting what he knew he couldn’t have.

It didn’t matter to him that Adam was blind, but Adam deserved more than someone like him. Luke was a man with a broken past and falling in love with Adam was a foolish thing to do, especially because Adam would never love him back if he found out what Luke was hiding.

About Penny

Penny is a complete romantic who believes everyone can fall in love if only they’ll open their heart to the possibility, which is why she writes these hot erotic stories that will always have a happily every after. However, it doesn’t mean that she’ll make it easy for her men to get there. A lover of things that go bump in the night, Penny’s imagination can sometimes run riot, so magic mirrors and evil dolls are only the beginning.

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An Alisa Review: The Cowboy’s Son by Patrick Mangan

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Justin Denton has his eighteen year-old life all figured out. He just graduated high school and is about to head away from the family ranch in the middle of nowhere to go to college in a bigger city.

But when his dad blows out his shoulder, the family hires a young college student to fill in as the hired man and help Justin get the ranch through the summer season. It doesn’t help that the new guy is nice. And cute.

Yep, Justin doesn’t have anything figured out. Accepting his own sexual identity, or his growing attraction to the new ranch hand, his relationship with his parents, his future goals and plans as he leaves his small town, and certainly not how his best friends will react when he finally comes out as gay.

It’s going to be a long summer.

Justin meets Ben when his dad hires him to help on their ranch while he is healing from surgery. They butt heads initially but quickly learn to work together. Near the end of the summer they begin to trust each other and don’t fear hiding their growing attraction as much.

So, I guess I didn’t expect the whole story to really be about Justin accepting his sexuality, I thought it would just be a portion. Justin has been hiding his sexuality from all those around him for years and fears their reactions. When he and Ben let the other know about their attraction Ben becomes his “gay yoda”. I can’t say I enjoyed it, there attraction to each other is there but they keep each other at arm’s length and then end up going in different direction while friends.

I’m not a fan of the stereo type that gay guys can sleep with their friends and not have problems with developing feelings or jealousies and that is how this story portrays it to me. All the talking and actions throughout the story seemed exaggerated (with way more exclamation points than necessary) and the jumping from one topic or person to the next didn’t help the flow of the story either.

The cover art by E Keith is nice and gives nice setting for the story.

Sales Links: Painted Hearts Publishing | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 121 pages

Published: January 10, 2018 by Painted Hearts Publishing

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: Just Here For The Pain (Underdogs #2) by KA Merikan

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

—. Whips and chains – not optional .—

Sid. Drummer for The Underdogs. Secretly yearning for pain and submission.
Asher. AKA Stan. Stalker. More than meets the eye.

It’s hard to find good hookups while on tour. Sid wants pain, humiliation, and the kind of sex that isn’t easy to get from one-night stands. So for now, he’s given up, settled for an online Dom to get his rocks off, and focused on his band instead. The Underdogs are getting increasingly popular, but there is one fan who has followed Sid since before he even joined the band, and he’s driving Sid mad! Rich, spoiled hipster brat looking for the bad boy experience. If he knew what Sid was really into, he would run for the hills.

Asher is convinced that Sid is The One, his One True Love, his endgame. Years ago, Asher lost his virginity to Sid, and from that moment on, he knew it was meant to be. They had a spark, that honest connection that couldn’t be faked. The members of Sid’s band call him a stalker, but all he wants is to offer Sid his love. When Sid finally chokes out what he wants, Asher is more than ready to unleash it on him.

But the last time Sid was out as gay and submissive, he got badly burnt when his former band kicked him out, and the doors to many opportunities slammed in his face.

Asher wants the whole world to know that he’s dating Sid. Problem is, Sid would much rather keep the relationship as pain-with-benefits.

Sid and Asher have been dancing around each other for years, since their one weekend together. Sid assumes that Asher could never be what he needs while Asher assumes Sid wants romance, they quickly learn otherwise and find that they may be perfect for each other.

Once Sid slips his needs Asher quickly shows him that it’s right up his alley. But Asher needs someone to support and love him in return and giving his all without that isn’t helping.

These two characters have been so alone for so long and no one around them even knew it. I felt Sid’s pain and fear when they needed to rescue his sister and how he must have felt as a teenager on his own. Asher seems so put together but hasn’t had the love and support of a family since his past away years ago and he has never let Sid see that side of him. Once again a simple discussion may have helped but then they wouldn’t have had the opportunity for the grand gesture. I am loving these guys and I can’t wait for Dawn and Mage’s story.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is great. I love the picture of Asher and Sid.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 240 pages

Published: February 4, 2018 by K.A. Merikan

Edition Language: English

Series: The Underdogs #2

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Heart2Heart Anthology

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

A very enjoyable charitable endeavor by eleven talented authors. My review is done by story:

The Set-up

A short chapter about “how Bailey the geeky programmer lost his focus.” The segment focuses on Bailey as he’s setting up the final algorithms for the new Heart2Heart dating app. He’s distracted by a sexy window washer who pantomimes calling him. The story breaks here and is then continued at the end of the anthology.

The Professional Gamer and the Paranormal Photographer by Alison Hendricks – 3 stars

Shy photographer meets gregarious gamer—at first glance, the match seems destined to failure, but when the two get to know one another over a game—of course—they find they have much more in common than they’d thought. And the interesting paranormal experiences Allen has captured on film intrigue Lawrence enough to continue their friendship to a relationship and they realize the match wasn’t so bad after all. I didn’t feel the character chemistry in this one so only 3 stars here.

The Magician and the Mortician by AE Wasp – 4 stars

A very sweet story of a 42-year-old magician who lost his husband five years ago and has finally agreed to a blind date arranged through Heart2Heart. The mortician turns out to be a quiet, sexy man who first saw Beto perform ten years ago and lost his heart to the magic of magic shows. A pleasant surprise and coincidence that the two are destined to meet again. Another unlikely match finds love. I enjoyed the pace of this story and the characters were charming.

The Assassin and the Dog Walker by Charlie Cochet – 5 stars

What an adventure! Charlie Cochet captured the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the sweet temperament of Daniel, the cute dog walker, and the cutting-edge, dangerous personality of the assassin, Lymond. Another two unlikelys who found their way together through the H2H app. I know a story is a keeper (and a future re-read) when I’m smiling as I read along, enjoying every minute of the adventure, totally immersed in the lives of the characters. Kudos, Charlie!

The Criminal and the Sommelier by Chris Owen – 5 stars

Phillipe is the Sommelier who is impressed, despite his initial misgivings, by the restaurant and their sommelier’s selection of wines—all provided by Heart2Heart for his first date with Angelo. And Angelo? Oh my! Phillipe is very impressed with him as well—even when he finds out he’s an international art thief, or broker, as Angelo prefers to call himself. Full of humor, witticisms, adventure and fun, this fast-paced short story is only the beginning of the adventure in store for these guys. I hope Chris Owen brings them back for a full-length novel.

The Superhero and the NSA Agent by Hailey Turner – 3 stars

This story was a lot of fun to read – from the beginning to about midpoint. The characters and the setup were intriguing and I especially fell in love with Damien in his Superman outfit—who wouldn’t? It looked like it would be a sweet Valentine’s Day romance, but then the author fell victim to throwing them into hot, panting sex and canceling their romantic Heart2Heart dinner date. To be honest, it felt out of character for them—especially for Damien, and I was no longer interested in them after that.

The Tattoo Artist and the Writer by Lily Morton – 5 stars

Well, this one showed me that I can find an outstanding new author anywhere. I never expected that this would be the story that would be OTT for me, but it was. Two best friends, matched by Heart2Heart, find their way to love—a love that’s apparently been there for years but never acknowledged. I’m definitely going to check out this author’s other work. Excellent story.

The Uber Driver and the Phone Sex Operator by Lucy Lennox – 4.5 stars

I feel like I’m the only one of my friends who hasn’t read Lucy Lennox yet, but that’s now taken care of with this humorous, sweet MM romance. Travis is filling in for his brother Brody as an Uber driver when he picks up a cute, young guy who is having phone sex while in his back seat. Lots of laughs later when it gets straightened out, and lots of cuddles and loving when the two get together to solve Azrael’s problem of being a 25-year-old virgin. Add to that, the compatibility of their “real” careers and this was a romance made in heaven. All right, not heaven—the Heart2Heart app. Very enjoyable!

The Baker and the SEAL by May Archer – 5 stars

Another new-to-me author that hit her story out of the ballpark. Nothing like a big, strong, ex-Navy SEAL with a heart of gold to melt this old lady’s heart. But add to that a snarky, strong, independent baker with a penchant for vanilla—only in his cooking—and you have the perfect recipe (pun intended) for a sweet Valentine’s Day romance. Loved it!

The Event Planner and the Electrician by Poppy Dennison – 3 stars

May-December romances are one of my favorite tropes and this sweet story captured the angst of the younger guy who falls in love yet again with an older guy, only to have their age difference thrown in his face, yet again. I loved Theo ‘s character. He reminded me of a sweet, energetic bundle of energy with a heart of gold. And I enjoyed Harvey’s character as well—older, good-looking, gentle giant. Though it took awhile, they finally got their Valentine’s Day wish.

The Lawyer and the Lobsterman by Ruthie Luhnow – 2 stars

This one was my least favorite of the stories. The lawyer, Isaac, had an abrasive personality and the lobsterman, Will, was super-casual and flirty. Of all the couples, they not only seemed ill-suited, but also had poor communication and I couldn’t quite get behind their togetherness. And though all the stories are about men who shouldn’t have been matched but were, in this one I couldn’t find their commonality—their spark, so to speak. They ended up together but it wasn’t as satisfying to me.

The Florist and the Lawyer by Sloane Kennedy – 3.5 stars

This little tidbit was sweet and sexy, but to be honest, there was an overabundance of sex scenes. I would have liked more face-to-face, get-to-know-you time and less of the highly descriptive in-your-face sex time. Don’t get me wrong, Sloane Kennedy is one of my favorites, and I love her writing and storytelling style, but in this instance, less would have been more. Another abrasive lawyer in this story, Harrison is matched with Nate, a cute, flamboyant twink, who eventually melts his heart, puts a smile on his face, and brings color to his black-and-white world.

The Fallout

A continuation of The Setup, which was the intro to the anthology. It’s not clear who wrote this segment, but it’s really quite sweet and a story unto itself. The window washer has distracted the programmer from the last testing of the algorithm of the Heart2Heart app and because of that, all the previous couples were mismatched. Thankfully, the previous couples are more than happy with their mismatches and have contacted Heart2Heart to express their gratitude. So the window washer and the programmer live happily ever after. A very nice way to introduce and wrap up this anthology, the proceeds of which will benefit several different LGBTQ charities.

In summary, not only is this an enjoyable group of stories, the authors have donated proceeds to their favorite charities. I highly recommend this one to lovers of MM romance—especially to those who enjoy reading opposites-attract stories.

~~~

COVER DESIGN: AngstyG/www.angstyg.com’ .The cover features a photo of two guys, one with his arm draped over the other’s shoulder, walking down a road. It’s a nice representation of the “coupledom” of the stories within.

BUY LINK: http://getBook.at/Heart2Heart

Anthology Details:

It will only be available for 90 days, so Tuesday, May 8th will be the last time you can purchase this anthology.
Over 162k words total, contemporary MM romance

100% of the proceeds to 3 wonderful charities:

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Bisexual Resource Centre: http://biresource.org/

One n Ten: http://onenten.org/

Charlie Cochet on her Characters for the Heart2Heart Anthology Blog Tour (Interview, Excerpt, and Giveaway)

HEART 2 HEART ANTHOLOGY

May Archer * Charlie Cochet * Allison Hendricks * Sloane Kennedy *

Lucy Lennox * Ruthie Luhnow * Lily Morton * Chris Owen *

Poppy Dennison * Hailey Turner * A.E. Wasp

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 02.07.18

COVER DESIGN: AngstyG/www.angstyg.com

ANTHOLOGY EDITOR: Leslie Copeland

BUY LINK: http://getBook.at/Heart2Heart

BLURB

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… What if a dating app that guaranteed you a love match broke down just in time for Valentine’s Day? What if you found yourself on a blind date with a random guy who might be your opposite in every single way? It could be a disaster. Or… When the code breaks down, fate just might take over.

Eleven of your favorite gay romance authors have joined forces to light up your Valentine’s Day with a collection of sweet, sexy, silly, and hot short stories, featuring a wacky cast of characters chosen from your reader suggestions! Morticians and magicians, superheroes and spies, lawyers and lobstermen, will all learn that love has nothing to do with algorithms… and sometimes you find it in the least-likely places.

And the best part? All proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

It will only be available for 90 days, so Tuesday, May 8^th will be the last time you can purchase this anthology.

Over 162k words total, contemporary MM romance

Charlie Cochet

The Assassin and the Dog Walker

Can you tell us a little bit about your characters?

Lymond is a gruff, broody assassin who’s just trying to have somewhat of a normal life, though his hope has been slowly dwindling until he’s signed up for a blind date through the Heart2Heart app by his younger brother Jerrott. Daniel is a professional dog walker who’s always surrounded by furry friends. He’s sweet, snarky, and looking to be swept off his feet by Mr. Right.

Was writing this story easy for you to do? Or was it a little bit outside of your normal writing zone?

It was a little outside my normal writing zone as I decided to go with first person point of views for this little story, and I generally write third. I also had to make sure I focused more on the romance than the action, which I normally try to balance out the two, but this story was more about two men finding each other under the somewhat strange circumstances. It was so much fun to write.

The characters you had to choose from were readers’ submissions, correct? Were there any other characters you considered writing about before you chose this couple?

That’s write. Well, when I saw assassin, how could I not, right? As I went through the list, there were so many fabulous characters to choose from, but I needed someone who would be perfectly opposite my broody assassin, and when I saw sassy dog walker, I knew I had my couple.

What were some of the reader submissions that stood out to you, and why?

There were so many of them. Really they were all fabulous! Everything from dancers to lumberjacks. FBI agent was one I ran across before I got to my assassin, but I loved the challenge of trying to write a romance for Lymond. Keeping the story light when an assassin is involved was certainly not any easy task.

Since the anthology is only available for a limited time, (90 days) do you have any plans for your story after that?

I’m not sure yet. I have had readers asking me about Crispin and Jerrott, so it’s very likely they’ll be getting their own story.

What do you think of the line-up of authors? How does it feel to be in such great company?

It’s amazing. They’re all authors whose books I own, many favorites of mine so it was an absolute honor to be a part of this, especially since it’s for such a good cause. It’s been a lot of fun, and a fantastic experience.

Is this something you’d like to be a part of again in the future?

I would certainly work with these authors again. Schedules can sometimes make things tricky, and I tend to take part in things like this when I personally know the people involved. Many of these authors I consider friends, so there really was no question.

You’re donating the entire proceeds to charity – can you tell us more about where the money is going?

The proceeds of the anthology is going to three charities: The Trevor Project, The Bisexual Resource Center, and One-N-Ten.

Have you ever been set up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?

No, I’m not that adventurous. LOL

If Heart2Heart were to match you with someone, who do you think you’d get paired with?

If the app were looking for my opposite, probably the Math professor-who’d be thoroughly horrified by the C’s I got on the subject at school, and by the blank stare on my face when they tried to explain some math formula to me. I had straight A’s and a few B+’s in everything else, but Math? Nope.

EXCERPT

“Breathe. Just breathe.

Why the hell was I so nervous? It’s not like I hadn’t gone on blind dates before. One of these days I was going to put my foot down, and Lissa might actually listen to me. I knew my best friend just wanted to help, but every date I went on ended in disaster. It wasn’t because of the guys she picked. It was me. Or so everyone told me. According to my mother, my standards were too high, and outside of a romance novel, I was never going to find the man of my dreams, so I should stop trying to find Mr. Right, and settle for Mr. Good Enough. Thanks, Mom.

All I wanted was a little romance. Was it too much to ask to be swept off my feet? To be treated like something special, and not just a hot piece of ass? Yes, my ass was fabulous, but there were other body parts attached to it. Unfortunately, the guys I had a habit of falling for weren’t interested in those parts, especially outside of the bedroom. I had a type. Big, strong, alpha dudes were my Kryptonite. A sexy voice and chiseled jaw turned me into a puddle of whimpering need, my resolve vanishing into nothingness, much like the men in my bed did the morning after. It’s like they all turned into David fucking Blaine the moment the sun came up.

I’d even caught one guy sneaking out my bedroom window at dawn. I’d asked him if there was something wrong with my front door. He’d been so startled, he lost his balance and fell into my downstairs neighbor’s rosebushes. Served him right. When I’d looked out of my window at him, he had the nerve to tell me he forgot his gym bag, and could I could bring it down to him. I said “sure”, and tossed it out the window, ignoring the manly yelp that followed shortly after.

“

CHARITIES

We are pleased to be donating 100% of our proceeds to 3 wonderful charities:

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Bisexual Resource Centre: http://biresource.org/

One n Ten: http://onenten.org/

We encourage all readers to learn more about these groups and consider making a donation of your own. Every little bit helps.

BACKGROUND/TITLES

What began as a random idea quickly turned into a collaborative and completely voluntary effort from 11 authors, more than 130 readers, cover designer, 2 proofreaders, and one cat herder to keep it all together.

Readers were asked to submit ideas for characters, both typical and off-the-wall, and from that list, each author picked 2 seemingly mismatched guys and helped them find love.

May Archer – The Baker and the SEAL

Charlie Cochet – The Assassin and the Dog Walker

Poppy Dennison – The Electrician and the Event Planner

Alison Hendricks – The Professional Gamer and the Paranormal Photographer

Sloane Kennedy – The Florist and the Lawyer

Lucy Lennox – The Uber Drive and the Phone Sex Operator

Ruthie Luhnow – The Lawyer and the Lobsterman

Lily Morton – The Tattoo Artist and the Writer

Chris Owen – The Criminal and the Sommelier

Hailey Turner – The Superhero and the NSA Agent

AE Wasp – The Magician and the Mortician

99 cents BOOK BLAST for As You Wish by Isobel Starling

99c BOOK BLAST

Buy Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

AS YOU WISH (Book #1)

1 wedding, 2 best men, one hell of a love story!

Declan Ramsay was to be best man at his brother’s wedding in Scotland, sharing best man duties with the bride’s gay kid brother Sam. The best men wouldn’t meet for the first time until a few days before the wedding, so communicated by email for more than a year.

But on meeting Sam Aiken, Declan is surprised to see he isn’t a kid at all, but a striking, athletic blond man with a wicked sense of humor. Declan is alarmed by the ferocious attraction he feels for Sam. And as the attraction is reciprocated, the events at Dunloch Castle change everything Declan has ever believed about himself.
But is Sam Aiken all he appears to be?

About the Author

Isobel’s novel “As You Wish” (Shatterproof Bond #1) is an Amazon Best Seller on Amazon.com and Amazon France. Nine novels into her writing career Isobel has just released The Shatterproof Bond box set which contains all three novels in the series, and the first book in the M/M Romantic Comedy mystery series “Dick and the Sidekick” -“Detective Fox and the Christmas Caper”

“As You Wish” has been translated into French under the title “Comme Vous Voudrez”
The rest of the Shatterproof Bond novels will soon be available in French and German.