Category: Contemporary fiction

Coffee Sip and Book Break with Keep Me Wanting by Avril Ashton (excerpt)

Keep Me Wanting cover

Keep Me Wanting by Avril Ashton
Publisher: Self Published
Word count: 30,951
Genre: GLBT Romance

  Buy it at Amazon | All Romance | iBooks | Kobo

Blurb

The last thing on Damian Archer’s mind is a relationship. He’s focused on running the family business and keeping up appearances. He’s fine with the way things are, until the tattooed help at a friend’s party takes one look at him and calls him on his bull.

Fired from a brand new job, Fin Thornton is homeless and penniless. He knows men like Damian. He abhors men like Damian. Despite the wealthy man coming to his aid when he desperately needs it, Fin is hesitant to lower his guard. Yet Damian insists on being in Fin’s face, demanding things and offering help.

In spite of their differences, something keeps them wanting each other. The same connection that has Damian desperate to stake a claim on the skittish Fin. But it will take a ghost from Fin’s tragic past to show both men that what they have is worth more than money.

EXCERPT

“We need to talk, Fin.” Damian opened the limo door. “Get in.”

“Fuck off.” Fin didn’t want to be near him like he’d been last night. Didn’t want to smell him. Didn’t want to want him. He walked away, speeding up, but the vehicle was right there beside him, Damian peering out the window.

“This isn’t a request, Fin. Now.”

Why did those rich fuckers always use that tone of voice? The one that hits you like whiplash and have you wanting to scurry along, to do anything to please them? Fin yanked open the car door and jumped inside. Before he got his ass on the plush leather seat, the driver was already peeling away.

He turned to a smug-looking Damian, barely managing to keep a lid on his fury. “Let me tell you something, Archer. I’m not one of your fucking lemmings, I don’t come when called. You get me?” He slid away from close proximity to Damian, all the way to the seat facing him. “Tell me what the hell you want from me so I can be on my way.”

Damian just stared at him, eyes haunting, face blank.

“Christ, I don’t…” Fin dragged his fingers through his hair. Frustration and hunger set his teeth on edge. “Just tell me what you want.”

“Why did you allow yourself to get arrested for something you didn’t do?”

Fin barked a harsh laugh. “Are you fucking serious? Allow? You think I wanted to get arrested, I wanted to spend the night in a cold cell with two other strangers?’

Damian leaned forward, hands folded on his knees. “Why didn’t you tell the truth?’

“Are you for real?” Fin flung the question at him. “Who listens to the truth when evidence to the contrary is right there for all to see? Would you have believed me if the same thing happened, if you didn’t know the story?”

A muscle ticked in Damian’s otherwise impassive face, and Fin scoffed.

“Of course not. The help ripped off the jewelry, it’s a familiar story, and no one there last night wanted to hear the truth. My truth.” He shook his head. “‘But you know what? I’d like to know what gives you the right to stick your upturned nose in my business.”

“You’re innocent.” Damian spoke the words like that should explain it all. “I had to do something.”

“No.” Fin couldn’t understand him. “No, you didn’t have to do anything except mind your own damn business. How in the fuck is that hard?” he asked.

Damian’s eyes narrowed, the first sight of any emotion in a long while. “You’d rather sit in jail for who knows how long instead of me helping you out?”

“Yes!” Now the frustrating man was getting the picture. Damian opened his mouth, but Fin cut him off. “Because then I wouldn’t be beholden to you, Mr. Archer. I wouldn’t owe you.” He sat back in his seat and folded his arms. “Because you want something, I can see it your eyes.”

Damian didn’t deny it, he simply held Fin’s gaze, unflinching. They eyed each other in silence, and Fin swore he could hear his heart beating out of his throat. As much as he hated men like Damian Archer, men with money to burn and unending power to wield, he was attracted to the older man. Attracted to the bald head, the eyes that pinned him in place, the trim goatee.

He was attracted to the very power and money that had taken everything from him and driven him out into the streets.

“Go on,” he said softly. “Tell me what you want already, you know you want to.”

Damian shifted slightly and Fin dropped his gaze, groin tightening in response to the bulge in Damian’s black slacks.

“Or do I already know?” Fin purred. He slid to the floor of the car, between Damian’s legs. He expected the other man to move, do something, but Damian held himself still, barely breathing and stared down at him.

“You want me, don’t you?” Fin placed his palm over the bulge. Fucking impressive. Hard as steel. Fin’s own cock throbbed, ached, but the anger overrode the arousal. “I bet you thought you could buy my ass by getting those charges dropped?”

He squeezed Damian and even though a pulse leapt in his throat and his eyes darkened, Damian showed no other reaction. “I bet you thought I’d be so grateful I’d spread ’em for you, fuck you until you couldn’t remember your name.” His voice turned raspy as those images played out in his mind’s eyes. Still, that bastard had to know he wouldn’t win.

Fin pushed Damian’s knees apart roughly and cupped his erection, stroking, squeezing as his balls drew up.

“Guess what?” He rose up slowly, bringing his face as close to Damian’s as he could bear without inhaling the other man’s heat and spice. “I don’t whore myself out, and no amount of your money will change that. I don’t fuck for money, never have. Never will. So keep your shit and don’t do me any favors.”

He moved to turn away, but Damian’s hand shot out, closing around his wrist, holding Fin’s hand hostage where he cupped Damian.

“Are you finished?” Damian rasped. “Because you talk a lot of shit for a man with his hand on my cock.”

About the Author

A West Indian 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 she’s back to loving it). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing the 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.

Addicted to cake, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Gay and Erotic Romance.

A MelanieM Review: Children of Noah (Mahu #9) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Children of Noah coverA few months after the birth of his twins, openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka and begins a temporary assignment to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Kimo and his HPD partner Ray Donne are quickly thrown into an investigation into threatening letters sent to a U.S. Senator. Are these screeds about racial purity related to an escalating series of attacks against mixed-race couples and families on Oahu?

When arson at a day care center on the Windward Coast brings Kimo’s partner, fire investigator Mike Riccardi, into the case, Kimo worries about the future of his and Mike’s newborn twins on an island falling prey to hate and a cult leader bent on death and destruction.

I fell under the spell of Neil S. Plakcy and his Hawaiian detective Kimo Kanapa’aka in the very first book, Mahu, hawaiian for gay.  There a very complicated and closeted young Kimo, trying to deal with his sexuality, was outed during a horrific murder case.  Its ramifications on his career, family relationships and private life would reverberate through the following stories.  Plakcy’s ability to bring not only Kimo to life but his multicultural family history and the vibrant racial mixing pot that is Hawaii to life is amazing.  From the variety of languages spoken, the nuances of levels of Hawaiian race in your background, even the language designations for north, south, east and west are different.  Yet, here they flow off the tongues of the characters with the ease of native speakers,   Very few authors have the ability to use local colloquialisms and dialects to hone their characters personas and locations the way Plakcy does and by the ninth book, its usage is so subtle and well woven into the narrative, I hardly notice any more.

Kimo and Mike have come a long with in their partnership.  Now the coparents of twins along with a lesbian couple, Kimo takes on a case that hits at the heart of his family’s safety.  Both Mike and Kimo have families from mixed racial background, and their sons parentage is equally so when their mothers backgrounds are included as well.  When each man handles a case with similar clues, all leads start to point towards a cult bent on the worship of racial  purity.

I loved this book for so many reasons, none  of which really had anything to do with the mystery.  Kimo’s parents which have figured largely in all the stories are now frail, older figures here, especially Kimo’s dad.  Their relationship, always so strong, sees a change in position here that is so realistic and painful.  Mike’s parents, once so against the relationship, now move forward into new positive roles.  So much is changing within the family  structures for them both, including that of their foster son.  Here all the relationships strain against their bonds and come back for support once more.  Its all so remarkable in its human dynamics and believable interchanges.  Sometimes angst-filled, often humorous, it will be so easy for all the readers to relate to the relationships in flux here, whether it be brother and brother, father and son, or new fathers and new babies.  This is what made this book for me.  Its all about the changes in life that we all go through.

And its even starts at the beginning with Kimo leaving the Honolulu P.D. to join FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force along with his partner.  New beginnings even at the job level.  But that brings us to the murders and the mystery.

That was my least favorite part of the story.  I figured out early on who the murderer was and where the problem was occurring.  The author all but had a giant arrow pointing the way.  That doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of scenes where the suspense was high, because that happened.  There was danger, and angst enough to go around, just not the usual amount of guessing I expect from this author.

However, Plakcy’s style of writing moves the story along so quickly towards the end that your mind is consumed with the safety of the main characters and the capture of the culprits.  And so much more.  I want more books.  I want to know how Dakota is doing with his new boyfriend, how Kimo’s dad’s doing, and the family in general.  They got into my heart, every single one of them.  If you give them a chance, they will get into yours too.  But why start here?   This is a fantastic series.  Go to the beginning Mahu and read your way through until you arrive here.  With each book it just gets better and better.  I highly recommend them all.

Cover art is nice but I sort of miss that primitive art work of the original covers.

Sales Links:  MLR Press |  All Romance (ARe)  | Amazon  | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 231 pages
Published August 9th 2015 by MLR Press

A Jeri Review: Deliver Me by Faith Gibson

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Deliver Me coverTaggart Lee has it all.
Fame.
Fortune.
Everything except love.

Tag is the jaded lead singer for 7’s Mistress, the biggest rock band in the world. After fifteen years in the business, he’s drowning in it all. When tragedy strikes, he takes a break from the road and the monotony his life has become. When he meets a gorgeous man on a park bench, he sees his lifeline.

Dr. Erik Henrikson thought he’d met the one.
He had.
The wrong one.

A year after his breakup, he still has a lock on his heart. Then he meets Lee, someone whose life has just been turned upside down. When he finds out Lee’s true identity, Erik throws away the key.

Tag has two weeks to make the doctor want him. He has three months to prove he won’t hurt him.

Tragedy brings them together.

Lies and betrayal push them apart.

Is love enough to deliver them?

I loved this book! Faith Gibson is an author I had never read before. Wow am I glad I read this one.

Taggart Lee is a rock star suddenly back in his home town with a newborn girl after a tragedy. Dr Erik Henrikson is the pediatrician who comes to the rescue with a colicky baby. Erik doesn’t know Tag is famous, he knows him as Lee, a single dad doing his best. Sparks? Check. Cute baby? Check. Dog? Check. Hot rock star and hot alpha doctor? Check.

When Tag has to finish the final leg of the tour, the doctor offers to watch the baby while he is gone. Erik knows he is going to fall in love with the little girl, he doesn’t expect to fall for the man. Tag and Erik spend two weeks together without expectations knowing Tag will be leaving for a 3 month tour. In that two weeks they become a family, something Erik desperately wants and Tag never thought he wanted.

Yes, this is a pretty classic romance story. There are misunderstandings, romance and hot sex. But the characters really kept me turning the pages. I immediately liked both Tag and Erik. Tag’s bandmates (for the most part) and manager are super cute in the way they want to be in the baby’s life. Erik’s best friend breaks my heart (holy shocker batman!) Even though Tag is a rock star, he does not come off like one of those “I am so much better than you guys”. And Erik, the super sweet doctor, is quite a bit different behind closed doors. I really enjoyed watching them grow together.

Honestly, I think one of my favorite parts of the book was the epilogue! I love a good epilogue and this one absolutely wrapped everything up with a pretty bow. I closed the book with a smile on my face.

The cover art perfectly depicts Tag the rock star, but honestly in the book we get WAY more of Lee, the unexpected dad. Still a pretty hot cover.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published October 2nd 2015 by Smashwords Edition
original title Deliver Me
ISBN13 9781311939678

A BJ Review: Just a Bit Wrong (Straight Boys #4) by Alessandra Hazard

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Just A Bit Wrong CoverZach Hardaway is one of the best physiotherapists in Europe. Tristan DuVal is a young soccer star with a groin injury and adopted brother to Gabriel from book three of the series.

Zach and Tristan despise each other from the moment they meet. As far as Zach is concerned, Tristan is a rich, spoiled brat who is too used to getting his own way. As far as Tristan is concerned, Zach is a bossy, presumptuous jerk.

Tristan hates Zach. He does. The problem is, he also wants to shove Zach against the nearest wall and climb him like a tree.

Zach is in an open relationship with a woman, but they are engaged to be married and plan to become monogamous once they tie the knot. He’s straight. Except that he can’t seem to keep his mind or hands off his infuriating new patient.

This well-written series hasn’t disappointed me yet! This is actually book five, if you count Straight Boy (book 0.5) and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. The series deals with straight guys who discover and come to terms with their sexuality a bit later, usually with some bits of trauma along the way.

Like Gabriel in the past book, Tristan Duval’s one messed up guy. I must admit that I abhorred him in book three. While Gabriel was a bit co-dependent and obsessive/possessive of Jared, Tristan is the opposite. He never has relationships, just sex. And it’s all tied up with defense mechanisms he created to deal with rejection and loss in his early childhood. He is a brat, but despite that it didn’t take too long for the author to dispel my former dislike once she let’s us inside the façade he’s created, and I was soon rooting for Tristan to find happiness.

Due to their combined hectic, traveling lifestyles, Zach and his longtime friend/lover Donna have been in an open relationship, but having decided it’s time to start a family they’ve made plans to tie the know and the wedding invitations have been sent. He gives in his desire for Tristan just to get it out of his system before the wedding… except that once he starts, he cannot stop coming back for more.

This installment of the series adds in a bit of BDSM twist with some spanking action. Tristan and Gabe together are hot! Yes, folks… like the rest of the series, this book is sexy (hate me/take me) and angsty. Tristan and Zach both fought their feelings and budding relationship tooth and nail, which resulted in some funny and sweet moments.

Enjoyable ending in which Tristan began to open up but has not truly yet changed. I would love to have seen a bit more development between him and Gabe’s relationship, but perhaps in the next book. The seeds that were planted for book five have me chomping at the bit and hoping to see Tristan and Gabe both continue in their growth and maturing. There certainly seems to be the set up for it, and I hope we will get to find out very soon.

Cover was changed from the time I purchased it. Originally a white background showing a guy with bright aqua eyes, now a darker cover in which the eyes color doesn’t show. I preferred the first actually.

Sales Links:   Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:

ebook, 203 pages
Published September 15th 2015 (first published September 14th 2015)

Can’t Get Enough of the Bluewater Bay stories? Rain Shadow by L.A. Witt is Here! (Tour and contest)

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Rain Shadow (Bluewater Bay #10)
by L.A. Witt
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by L. C. Chase

Buy Link at Riptide Publishing

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Rain Shadow, the latest installment in the multi-author Bluewater Bay series! BWBlogo_Web

Blurb

Jeremy Rose came to Bluewater Bay to work as Anna Maxwell’s bodyguard, not to escape his increasingly bitter relationship with his estranged kids. He just wants to focus on his job and be alone for a while. He’s done with love, especially now that three years after his long overdue divorce, he’s got a front-row seat to the rapid deterioration between Anna and her girlfriend. Cynical doesn’t even begin to describe him.

Then Anna and Leigh’s attempts to reconcile put him in the crosshairs of marriage counselor Scott Fletcher. Scott’s exactly what Jeremy needs right now: gorgeous, hot, horny, single, and 100% uninterested in a relationship. The problem is, too much no-strings-attached sex — and too much time in each other’s company — inevitably builds emotional connection.

Except Jeremy refuses to seek counseling for his broken family, and Scott refuses to get seriously involved with men who work dangerous jobs. They both need to realize they can only hide for so long from the pain they came here to escape. They must face their pasts before they lose their shot at a happy future.

Rain Shadow is available from Riptide Publishing.

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Giveaway


Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Rain Shadow) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 24th, and winners will be announced on October 26th.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.  Leave your email address in the comment.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

About the Author

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on  her blog or on Twitter @GallagherWitt.

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Bluewater Bay

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield, Aleksandr Voinov, Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, and Jaime Samms. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay, #1) by L.A. Witt
There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay, #2) by L.B. Gregg
Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield
Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov
The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz
Lights, Camera, Cupid (A Bluewater Bay Valentine’s Day Anthology; Bluewater Bay #6)
Wedding Favors (Bluewater Bay, #7)by Anne Tenino
The Deep of the Sound (Bluewater Bay, #8) by Amy Lane
When to Hold Them (Bluewater Bay, #9) by G.B. Gordon
Rain Shadow (Bluewater Bay, #10) by L.A. Witt

Author Special: April Kelly on Writing & Real LIfe and her Book ‘Coming Back Home’ (excerpt and giveaway)

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We are happy to welcome April Kelley here today. April Kelley is the author of the popular Pickelville series and is here to talk writing and her latest release, Coming Back Home.

Writing When Real Life Creeps In by April Kelley

The past couple weeks have been the hardest I’ve had to go through in a long time. My Grandfather got seriously ill and was in the hospital. He passed away just a few days ago. My whole family was at the hospital the entire week being with him through it all. There was no doubt in my mind that the man who helped raise me was loved. I think it goes without saying that I will miss him more with each passing day.

Sadly, my family started arguing and feelings were hurt. Maybe it was the stress of the situation or the fact that we all were in such close quarters for an entire week. Whatever the reason, the arguing just made the whole thing that much worse and caused some irreversible damage to our relationships with each other.

All this made it impossible to work on my usual stories. As someone who writes full time, this is a huge problem. A problem that needs to be solved quickly.

So what did I do?

I wrote something else. Not the paranormal story I was working on before Grandpa went into the hospital. My emotions were to all over the place for that story. All my fabulous readers can tell you I very rarely write angsty stuff. If it’s in a story it’s brief. I’m all about the romance. But my normal was disturbed and I just couldn’t seem to get in the right frame of mind. So I started writing something else. I’m a few pages into a story called 27 Lies My Mother Told Me. It’s complete fiction but it’s helping me work through all those emotions of the past week. It’s also completely different than anything I’ve written so far. I had an idea for the story months ago, but it seems the characters want to take it in a different direction.

So I added a fourth story to my list of things to write, but this one I’m writing during those particular times when the stress seems unbearable. After all, writing is therapeutic all by itself. I might as well use it to de-stress and work through whatever emotions I’m feeling to get to a better place.

AboutTheBook

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Title: Coming Back Home
Series: Pickelville

Author: April Kelley
Publisher: Extasy Books
Cover Artist: Carmen Waters

Length: 31,435 words
Release Date: October 15, 2015

Blurb

One huge fight changed Seth’s life forever.

Seth Murray just might be the most stubborn man on the face of this plant. He refused to move back to Pickleville because of one fight with his father. That is until he gets a call saying that his dad has passed away suddenly. The first person Seth thinks about is the one man he gave up because of his stubborn pride. Five years ago, all Seth wanted was to be with Carter. Now he doesn’t know what he wants. And Carter has his own life. One that Seth certainly didn’t see coming when he finally reconnects with the man again. One that revolves around a certain blonde haired, blue-eyed little girl that completely melts Seth’s heart the minute he meets her.

Excerpt

Seth knew Carter saw him. How could he not. Carter walked right passed him into the horse barn like Seth had been invisible, though. Seth followed him in and stood there for a second watching Carter go into the tack room. Seth followed him in and then closed the door after him, plunging them both into darkness.

“Open the door, Seth.”

“No.”

“Then at least turn on the light.”

“No, I like it this way.” It made the conversation they needed to have that much easier. Still scared the crap out of him though, not that he would be admitting that anytime soon to anyone.

“Seth.”

“I’ll turn on the light when you tell me what your problem is.”

“I don’t have a problem. Now, turn on the light before you trip over something.”

“Right, like you’re really worried about my wellbeing at the moment.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Well, it’s a little too late for that, now isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the way you’ve been treating me. Like I have the damn plague or something.”

He heard Carter sigh. “Seth, please. Just open the door so I can do my job.”

“The sooner you tell me what your problem is, the sooner I let you out.”

“I can physically remove you from in front of that door.”

Seth narrowed his eyes. Logically, he knew Carter couldn’t see him, but he didn’t care at the moment. Seth didn’t say anything. The more he talked the more Carter wanted to argue about everything, but the real problem. Instead, he decided to wait Carter out.

BuyLinks

eXtasy Books

AboutTheAuthor

 

Living in Southwest Michigan, April resides with her husband and two kids.  She has been an avid reader for several years.  Writing her first story at the age of ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories.  If April isn’t reading or writing she can be found outside playing with the animals or taking a long walk in the woods.

||  Blog  || Website  ||  Twitter  ||  Email  ||

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Winner’s Prize: E-copy of Coming Back Home.

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TourSchedule

October 15:

World of Diversity Fiction

MM Good Book Reviews

Drops of Ink

October 16:

Divine Magazine

Bayou Book Junkie

Love Bytes Reviews

October 19:

Prism Book Alliance

Bike Book Reviews

Wicked Faeries Tales & Reviews

October 20:

The Purple Rose Tea House

Diverse Reader

October 21:

Hearts on Fire

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

 

A Jeri Review: Triple Play (Homeruns #3) by Sloan Johnson

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Triple PlayDrew Jackson seemed to have it all. He has a family who loves and supports him, a tight circle of friends, and is a rising star with the Milwaukee Mavericks. Then, it all begins to unravel. Cam, the only man he’s ever loved, falls head over heels for Drew’s teammate. He makes a critical mistake in the playoffs that he’s not sure he’ll be able to recover from. And then, his world really crashes around him…

Eric Sapp may no longer play for the Mavericks, but he’s still one of the guys. No one could have imagined how much his life would change when he agreed to help his former teammates mourn the end of their run for the pennant. After stopping a brutal attack, Eric is forced to face the feelings that’ve been growing for his roommate, Drew. That’d be much easier if Drew wasn’t hell-bent on pushing everyone away as he recovers.

Neither of them were counting on Bryce Shaw. He and Drew enjoyed the one night they spent together, but knew it was unlikely they’d be anything more since they lived in different parts of the country. After Bryce is relocated to help a failing LGBT homeless outreach, he wants to explore something more with the Mavericks’ short stop.

As much as Eric wishes he could be the one to help his friend, he knows Bryce holds the key to Drew’s recovery. Will pushing the two back together be the biggest mistake of his life or will they all learn there is strength in numbers?

Baseball players are right up there on my list of guys to read about. And Sloan Johnson knows how to write baseball players. She began with Wild Pitch, continued with Curveball and now the third in the series Triple Play.

The Maverick’s baseball season just ended and Drew is licking his wounds, convinced that he ruined their playoff chances. The guys convince him to go out for a beer anyway, but on his way to the bar he is the victim of a hate crime. He is rescued- barely in time- by a former team mate and sometimes roommate Eric. Keeping the attack on the down low and the fact that his attacker isn’t caught, turns Drew into a bit of a recluse.

Bryce is a friend of Drew’s team mate and a man he had barely gotten to know before he was attacked. Bryce wheedles his way into Drew’s life and Drew is caught with being attracted to both men, Eric and Bryce. Each are willing to walk away for the other, but that might not be necessary.

I have read quite a few MMM stories, and while most of them were pretty good, this one was REALLY good. Usually it is the man that can’t decide between his two lovers that introduces the idea, but this time it is one of the lovers who introduces it. And while all three seem a little surprised by the suggestion, all are willing to give it a try.

I felt like the author really treated not only the 3-way relationship with respect and love, but also the three men individually with respect and love. Of course there are some misunderstandings along the way, but because they all went into it with their eyes open and communication as key, it really blossoms into something beautiful.

All three men are equals in the relationship, but Bryce really comes out as the alpha. And a hot alpha he is! Drew and Eric, while not “alpha” are certainly not quiet and submissive in the relationship. Which just makes it all the more sizzling.

I’ve heard that there will be a fourth in this series and I really hope so. Not only because I enjoyed the first book and then this one (I somehow missed the second in the series), but also because I would like to see these three navigate through spring training.
I liked the cover art and it would have drawn me in to at least read the blurb because of the baseball on the front (did I mention I love baseball?), but it would have been nice to see the other two men represented as well.

Sales Links: Amazon • Nook • Kobo • iBooks

Book Details:

eBook, 222 pages
Published October 13th 2015

Love Gets Into the Game with Sloan Johnson’s Triple Play (giveaway)

TriplePlayBlogTour

Triple Play
by Sloan Johnson
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Sports

Triple Play

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Drew Jackson seemed to have it all. He has a family who loves and supports him, a tight circle of friends, and is a rising star with the Milwaukee Mavericks. Then, it all begins to unravel. Cam, the only man he’s ever loved, falls head over heels for Drew’s teammate. He makes a critical mistake in the playoffs that he’s not sure he’ll be able to recover from. And then, his world really crashes around him…

Eric Sapp may no longer play for the Mavericks, but he’s still one of the guys. No one could have imagined how much his life would change when he agreed to help his former teammates mourn the end of their run for the pennant. After stopping a brutal attack, Eric is forced to face the feelings that’ve been growing for his roommate, Drew. That’d be much easier if Drew wasn’t hell-bent on pushing everyone away as he recovers.

Neither of them were counting on Bryce Shaw. He and Drew enjoyed the one night they spent together, but knew it was unlikely they’d be anything more since they lived in different parts of the country. After Bryce is relocated to help a failing LGBT homeless outreach, he wants to explore something more with the Mavericks’ short stop.

As much as Eric wishes he could be the one to help his friend, he knows Bryce holds the key to Drew’s recovery. Will pushing the two back together be the biggest mistake of his life or will they all learn there is strength in numbers?

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About Sloan Johnson

Sloan Johnson

Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass.

When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after.

Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?

Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.

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Giveaway

Enter to win a Giveaway Prize of $50 Gift Card (Amazon / iBooks, Winner’s Choice). Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and IndieSage Promotions  [  @indiesagepromo  ] .

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