Category: Contemporary fiction

Check Out A Hard Day’s Night by Mia Kerick (excerpt and giveaway)

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A Hard Day’s Night by Mia Kerick
Release Date: September 1, 2015


Goodreads Link
Publisher: Cool Dudes Publishing
Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

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Buy the book: Amazon  | All Romance (ARe) | Gumroad

Blurb

High school senior Kalin (Lennon) Macready knows several facts for certain: John Lennon is his hero. Beaumont Finley Danforth II (Fin) is his best friend. And—this is the complicated one—he feels more for Fin than mere friendship.
For weeks, Lennon pesters Fin, who like Lennon admits to questioning his sexual orientation, for a commitment to spend twenty-four hours together exploring “the gay side of life.” Fin reluctantly agrees. Each boy will seek to answer the daunting question, Am I gay? Lennon pre-plans the day, filling the hours with what he assumes “gay life” is all about: shopping for fashionable clothing, indulging in lavish dessert crepes, boogying to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, and yes, listening to show tunes.
However, Lennon quickly realizes that in creating his plan he has succumbed to the most common and distorted of gay stereotypes. Can he be gay and not fit them? And more importantly, is it possible that spending one very hard day and night together will help Fin accept that he’s gay, too? If so, maybe Lennon has a shot at winning the heart of the boy of his dreams.
“A Hard Day’s Night” is an amusing young adult contemporary romance about two boys who seek to discover if they must fulfill stereotypes to be together.
In the end, maybe all you need is love.

Pages or Words: 21,500 words
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance

 

Excerpt

“Fin and I have managed to get locked into what I will refer to as a repetitive pattern of affable behavior, and, in my opinion, it’s working out splendidly. We are the dearest of friends.”
Scratch that. Starting over.
And since I know it’s well past time for some brutally honest self-talk, I sit up in my bed, and by the warm glow of my Yellow Submarine nightlight, study my frayed picture of John Lennon. To complete the visual, it’s the photo from Mom’s retro record set, The White Album, that I pinned to the wall beside my bed and have worshipped regularly since I was in the seventh grade. Behind those round wire glasses, the man’s piercing eyes don’t lie—John was a brutally honest sort, often to his detriment. After all, back in 1966 didn’t he assert that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ? Now, that is certainly calling it exactly as he sees it.
Not that I necessarily agree with the sentiment, I respect that kind of direct- ness in a person.
I owe him this much.
Out of respect for John, I revise and reissue my previous assertion.
“The Finster and I are stuck in a rut of pleasant compatibility… an unusually
deep rut, at that.”
This attempt at telling-it-like-it-is is definitely an improvement, but it’s still
not right on the money, and I’m nothing, if not specific.
I prop up my pillow and lean hard against the creaky antique headboard (call it like you see it, Lennon—the headboard is just plain old), with the certain knowledge that I’ve completely outgrown this flimsy, twin size bed of my childhood.
So maybe it’s more like this….
“Fin and I each have one leg semi-submerged in a muddy ditch, and we’re in it well past our knees. This is the kind of murky and dark, seemingly bottomless, pit that will suck the rubber boot right off your foot with a single, hollow, slurping sound, and then belch with satisfaction.” For the third time I speak aloud in an effort to make my declaration official. “It appears that the two of us are gonna be stuck here in this mucky BFF-swampland for the long haul— bootless and slowly sinking into the sludge—unless, of course, I act decisively and with haste. And with great vigor—because, to accomplish the task I have in mind, I’m most likely going to have to shift into full-hyper-dunk-mode, possibly coupled with the drama-queen-approach. Neither of which poses a problem for me, other than that they require an excessive expenditure of energy.”
That was most definitely a mouthful, but an accurate mouthful.
And all I need is one day. Just one gay day.
Thankfully, ever proud of the open-mindedness he hides so well from his ultra-conservative family, Fin has granted me my greatest wish. On Saturday, March 21st, Beaumont Finley Danforth II (IMHO this BFD is a Big Fucking Deal) is mine for the day to do with as I please. I sincerely hope that a single day is sufficient to help Fin figure out what I already know.
Um, Lennon…maybe now is not the right time to start suffering with a debilitating bout of self-doubt.
Confidence is of key importance in this endeavor.
No, I do not have any worries, and yes, I do have twenty-four feminine-side-ex- ploring, team-switching, relationship-igniting hours to make my homeboy see the rainbow-hued light. Starting bright and early tomorrow morning.
On that note, I’ll get started with my beauty sleep. I sure hope I’m gonna need it.
I wiggle down so I’m flat on my back with my feet sticking six inches over the end of the bed, pull the covers up to my chin, and listen to my mental arrangement of “Imagine” until I fall asleep.

RC

About the Author

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, and CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.
Mia is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights, especially marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaKerick

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $15 Amazon gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Dates & Stops:
31-Aug

Bayou Book Junkie: http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-blast-mm-hard-days-night-by-mia.html

SA McAuley: http://samcauley.com/2015/08/31/releasing-tomorrow-mia-kerick-a-hard-days-night/

1-Sep

TTC Books and More: http://www.ttcbooksandmore.com/2015/09/a-hard-days-night-by-miakerick.html

My Fiction Nook: http://www.myfictionnook.com/2015/09/blogtour-hard-days-night-by-mia-kerick.html

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews: http://wickedfaeriesreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-hard-days-night-by-mia-kerick-blog.html

2-Sep

Hearts on Fire: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/mia-kerick-a-hard-days-night-tour-excerpt-and-contest/

MM Good Book Reviews: https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/a-hard-days-night-by-mia-kerick-blog-tour-excerpt-giveaway/

Up All Night, Read All Day: http://upallnightreadallday.blogspot.com/2015/09/blog-tour-had-days-night-by-mia-kerick.html

3-Sep

V’s Reads: http://vsreads.com/2015/09/03/loving-a-hard-days-night-excerpt-and-giveaway/

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents: http://fangirlmomentsandmytwocents.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-hard-days-night-by-mia-kerick-blog.html#.VehJTLQni-I

4-Sep Cathy Brockman Romances, Mikky’s World of Books, Jessie G. Books

5-Sep Kimi-Chan, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

7-Sep Amanda C. Stone, Inked Rainbow Reads

8-Sep Velvet Panic, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Divine Magazine

9-Sep Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Parker Williams

10-Sep Prism Book Alliance

11-Sep BFD Book Blog, Ogitchida Book Blog

 

A MelanieM Review: No Place Left to Run by Zarah Detand

Rating:  2.75 stars out of 5

No Place Left To RunAfter a lengthy world tour, pop star Samuel Gibbs is looking forward to a nice, quiet break—sleep in, write a bit of music, do his own cooking for a change. He doesn’t want his time spoiled by the constant presence of bodyguards, and he is certainly not willing to have someone tail him each time he so much as goes to the shops. No way, no how. It’s a good thing, then, that his head of security relents on the matter—or so he leads Samuel to believe.

The break is starting to look even better when Samuel runs into his new neighbor. Ryan Halston is smart and hot and, quite possibly, everything Samuel wants. However, he doesn’t know that Ryan is part of the rejected security detail, tasked with protecting him from the dangerous attentions of an unknown stalker.

No Place Left To Run by Zarah Detand  had a promising plot but I found the author’s  characters and lack of continuity kept her story from coming close to achieving the potential it promised.

You can forgive a story many things if you believe in its characters and that’s a hard thing to do here, starting with Ryan.  Ryan Halston, age 24,  is supposed to be an accomplished bodyguard, nerves of steel, best in the business. etc. The author spends time framing out the man’s character and background and then uses the rest of the book to ignore everything they established.  Ryan is acts one way on one page and then can appear to have an entire different persona on another.  And Ryan’s lack of a solid characterization extends to others.  From Gary to the bodyguard Mike, the author spends time and many descriptions “telling” the reader how responsible and remarkable they are at their jobs, then proceeds the demonstrate just the opposite in the events that occur.  Mike seems to act more like a smitten kitten and Gary?  His actions felt the very antithesis of someone trying to protect this client.  One after the other, Detand’s characterizations were so flexible that they became unrecognizable as real or believable.  And don’t get me started on their timelines.  If ever there was an author in need of a storyboard, it is this one.  Ryan is 24, Sam is 20, Ryan said he lost his  parents when he was 13 in the  early 90’s, but the time frame of this story is now.  See the problem?  You can delve further into the dates but it just gets worse.

Samuel Gibbs is a rocker but that aspect of the story is missing.  We get little of the reason Sam is a rock star, his love of music, what drives him. We do get his exhaustion, his age (20), his friends like Sumi.  But again, it all feels as though we are left needing more of his character.

The resolution and the reveal is possibly the worst thing about the story.   Not just the person, but the way it happens and the aftermath.  It finishes off what little is left of several characterizations here, and continues on with an Epilogue which is really just another chapter.  Does the author not understand what an epilogue is?

This is the first story that I’ve read by this author, so I will see what else they have on their shelf.  I try not to judge on one book alone.  I only wish I had liked the story as much as I had liked the synopsis and the cover.

Cover artist Paul Richmond.  I like the cover. It contains an element of the story.

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

Book Details:

ebook, 210 pages
Published March 25th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632165404
edition language English

A Stella Review: Speedy Rewards (Working Class #1) by Jeff Erno

Rating 4 stars out of 5   ★★★★

Speedy Rewards coverPhil Mitchell pours his heart and soul into his job as manager of Speedy Mart, a local convenience store. He loves his work and he loves his fellow employees, but when it comes to his personal life, Phil is lonely and depressed and still pining for his long-departed ex.

He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.

Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.

First step in his plan… do something about his love life.

Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil’s team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.

As is Brandon, the local cop…

And Mark, the homophobic boss…

Perhaps, with a little… luck, the next week will be better.

When I started Speedy Rewards I couldn’t believe this was going to be my first book by Jeff Erno. It’s a well known author and I’m pretty sure at least one of his book was translated in Italian. Still, I missed him and his talent.

What first lured me into reading this book was the cover, I found it funny and cute and different from the usual ones with naked man on them. And different can totally be the key word for my review.

Speedy Rewards was so different from all the m/m I read daily, like a breath of fresh air, I couldn’t help but like it so much.

The particularity was that in almost every new chapter the author gave me a new character, not making it part of the MCs’ like but making it a true MC, with its own personal story.  Justine, the OCD casher; Ezra, the tattoo guy; Vince, the a*****e guy; and so many more. And if you’re are thinking it could be confusing, it wasn’t at all. I couldn’t have requested a book with better defined characters. It was like reading different stories but tightly woven to each other and set in a conventional store, managed by Phil. Jeff Erno was able to put so many occurrences in just a few days. He gave a rhythm to the story that kept me coming back to the book at every free minute I had during the day. A sequence of events never boring. And I was so caught in all the stories that at some point when I was already plenty halfway through the reading, I asked myself who was supposed to be the other MC in the apparent “main couple”. If it wasn’t for the cover, I wouldn’t have never guessed with whom the supposed by the blurb MC would have ended.

I want to highly recommend Speedy Rewards to all of you who is looking for something different but well written, detailed and engaging. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out. Meanwhile I’m browsing through the other books by this author.

Cover art by Jay Aheer. Lately I came across a lot of her works and I’m liking them more and more *adding Jay to my favorite cover artist*

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

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 250 pages
Published June 5th 2015 by Wayward Ink Publishing
ISBN13 9781925222449
Edition Language English
Series Working Class #1

Rock Out with the boys of L.A Witt’s Running With Scissors (giveaway)

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Running with Scissors by L.A. Witt
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L. C. Chase

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L.A. Witt blog tour for Running with Scissors by L.A. Witt”

Blurb

Eighteen months ago, drummer Jude Colburn made the biggest mistake of his life when he walked away from his band just as they were on the brink of success. Now, he’s got a second chance. The band’s bassist just quit, and Jude plays bass almost as well as he plays drums. The other band members aren’t thrilled, but they are desperate.

Running with Scissors needs him, but there’s one condition: no hooking up with bandmates. That’s what ruined things eighteen months ago, after all. Jude’s on board, but no one warned him about the drummer who replaced him. A.J. Palmer is shy and unassuming . . . until he hits the stage. He gets Jude’s attention from the first beat, and suddenly that “no hookups” rule isn’t so easy to follow.

Keeping secrets on a tour bus isn’t easy either, and it’s only a matter of time before the band catches on. When everything hits the fan, Jude has to choose: a second chance at the career he’s always regretted leaving, or a shot at the man of his dreams?

Running With Scissors 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 Running With Scissors) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 5th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to leave your email so we can contact you if you win!  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.

 

In Out Spotlight: Like a Lover (Housemates #2) by Jay Northcote

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Like a Lover (Housemates #2) by Jay Northcote
Release Date: September 4, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Jaybird Press
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

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Blurb

Josh has a plan: get through uni with a good degree and no debts. Focused on his goals, he’s working as an escort to pay his way. He enjoys the no-strings sex and doesn’t have the time or inclination for a relationship. Falling in love definitely isn’t part of the deal—especially not with a client.

When Rupert meets Josh in a bar, he’s smitten on sight. He’s never paid for sex before, but when Josh propositions him, he can’t resist. He should have known one night would never be enough. Luckily for him, he has an inheritance to support his addiction to Josh, because his job in IT wouldn’t cover the cost.

With each appointment the lines get increasingly blurred. Something is developing between them that feels more like a relationship than a business transaction, but they come from different worlds and to go from client-and-escort to lovers seems impossible. If they want a future together, Josh and Rupert have a lot to overcome.

Pages or Words: 48,450 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

“I like your lip ring,” Rupert said. His gaze dropped lower to Josh’s collarbones. “What are your tattoos of?”

“Swallows.” Rupert would just be able to see the wing tips that showed in this low-necked T-shirt. “Two of them.”

“Have you got any other tattoos?”

Josh gave a slow, teasing smile. “Maybe. Do you want me to show you?”

Rupert met his eyes again. There was a flicker of uncertainty before he answered. “Yes. I’d like that.”

Josh turned over the possibilities in his mind. It had been a long time since he’d had sex for anything other than for money. He usually saw clients at least three nights a week. They scratched the itch for him, and he didn’t have the time or inclination to hook up with other guys. He hadn’t dated since he’d started working as an escort. Josh didn’t like lying about his job, but most guys didn’t want to date escorts.

It would be easy to pick Rupert up tonight, though, and have no-strings sex with him for fun rather than cash. But Josh’s rent was due.

“Me too. But it’ll cost you,” he finally said.

Rupert frowned, obvious confusion crossing his features as he tried to make sense of Josh’s words. “What? I don’t—”

“You’re hot, and I wish I could do this without asking you for money. But a client let me down this evening. I have a hotel room booked and paid for next door, and I need someone to cover the cost for me.” The lie came smoothly. “I can’t afford to have sex for free tonight.”

Rupert’s mouth dropped open. Shock was evident on his face, but there was something else that was harder to read. His cheeks flooded pink again and his eyes went dark. “You’re….” His voice came out husky, and he cleared his throat. “You’re a….”

“A sex worker. An escort, to be precise. Hooker, rent boy, you get the gist. I’m an expensive one too. But my clients think I’m worth the money.” Josh waited, tension making a muscle tick in his jaw as he forced himself to stay still and hold Rupert’s gaze. On the occasions he’d tried picking up clients face-to-face, their reactions had varied. Interest, anger, excitement, disgust… he’d seen them all. He steeled himself, ready for rejection.

Rupert licked his lips. “How much?” he finally asked.

Buy the book:  Amazon | Amazon UK |  All Romance (ARe) | Smashwords

About the Author

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

Where to find the author:

RC


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Bayou Book Junkie, Bookaholic Confessions, My Fiction Nook, BFD Book Blog, Reviews by Jessewave, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Carly’s Book Reviews, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Louise Lyons, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, Multitasking Mommas, Boys on the Brink Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Nephylim, Iyana Jenna, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly, Mikky’s World of Books, 3 Chicks After Dark, V’s Reads, Velvet Panic

Final Jay Northcote Revised

Giveaway

Enter to  win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Amazon gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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WillPride

A Mika Review: Trust by Sarah Masters

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ★★★

Trust coverSometimes, trusting your instincts leads to happiness and love.

After coming out, life took a turn for the worst. I knew people would view me differently, of course I did, but… See, here’s the thing. How does a person cope when a few of their work colleagues play such a cruel trick that it leaves them wondering if they’ll ever trust anyone again? It happened to me, and trusting isn’t something I do easily now.

Until James comes along. He’s a work colleague too, but my issue is, I keep thinking he’s playing another trick. You know, reeling me in, making me think he’s a good bloke.

He’s asked me to go out with him and although I should maybe get to know him a bit better first, I’ve said I’ll go. I need to get back out there, live a little. And if I get hurt? Well, I’ll just have to deal with it. Again.

But maybe he won’t hurt me. Break my heart and all that. Please God.

Definitely a short, sweet and cute read. Trevor is basically humiliated at work by his co-workers after them finding out about his sexuality. I thought it was cute of Trevor talking to himself and trying to reassure himself in the most sensible way that things were going to get better. Enter admin guy, who Trevor doesn’t know if anything coming out his mouth is genuine, and he takes a chance on him. These guys seem like they are in their awkward teenage phase of life, but they are adults dealing with being out in two different ways. We learn that sweet admin guy is just boring James as he describes his name, like Trevor, I see nothing boring about him. I think it took a lot of confidence to come up and talk to someone who’s basically being shamed at work. James gives off the aura of confidence when he has his own insecurities as well. I really liked how they came together, and were better with each other.

Cover Art by Posh Gosh. I liked the display of Trevor at the Art center where he and James can be themselves. No one is judging them, and they are happy being their own bent selves!

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published August 11th 2015 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781784307103
edition languageEnglish

A BJ Review: Give An Inch by K.D. Sarge

Rating:  5 stars out of 5  ★★★★★

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice, and all the stories are edited by the group and given away FREE. This particular story was written for the prompt I submitted! Woot!

Give An Inch coverPrompt:

Dear Author,
The court settlement left me with enough money to buy a house as isolated from other people as I could get. I vowed I’d never let anyone close again and spent my days fixing the place up and trying to forget. Then a feral cat dropped her litter in the shed out back and disappeared. I couldn’t leave newborn kittens to die, but a city boy like me had no clue how to care for them. Thank goodness for Google. Supply list in hand, hair tucked under a hat that shadowed my face, and eyes covered by glasses, I dared to venture into town. I met him (picture) at the local feed store. I guess he’s not into watching the news, since he didn’t seem to know who I am. He helped me save the kittens. He’s dyslexic, which he thinks makes him stupid. He’s far from that. He’s kind and gentle, and he’s starting to slip under my barriers. Starting to make me crave his touch. But how can I bare my body to him after what they did to me? What they made me?

Tully

Photo Description:
A young man in a beanie lies on a couch, a gray-and-white kitten asleep on his chest and a black-and-white kitten exploring. He smiles at them.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

I was extremely excited when K.D. Sarge chose my prompt as I knew I could expect to get something special. I’m going to try not to give away too much of the plot in this review because I think its something best experienced in the slow bits of insight given. For that reason, I won’t say much about Marlow’s background, but as the story opens he’s purchased a secluded home in a rural area and has found a litter of NINE kittens abandoned by their mother. NINE! How can he possibly care for that many little critters on his own, right? Thankfully, young Pax who works part-time at the feed store rides into the picture on his trusty bike. Marlow had forgotten one of his bags of purchases at the store and Pax came to deliver it in person. Like Marlow, Pax is sucked in by the little furballs and is soon on board with the fight to save them… and maybe Marlow, too.

Wonderfully written story that gave me all the sweet adorableness I’d hoped for offset by some lovely touches of dark. I enjoyed reading this and am thankful to the author for bringing my prompt to life so eloquently!

Both Pax and Marlow are interesting characters. The story did end a bit abruptly for me, and left me longing for a sequel or expanded version to show more. I must know if the guy’s initial hook up continued and what ended up happening to the kittens. Did they keep one? Basically, it was completely intriguing and I was totally not ready for it to end. MORE please.

The cover was created by the DRitC team as part of the event and doesn’t relate specifically to this story.

Free Story to be Found Here

Book Details:

ebook, 52 pages
Published August 30th 2015 by MMRomanceGroup.com
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=278481

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Throwback Thursday Review: The Summer House (English Hearts #1) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

English 1 the summer house jpgThe last thing veterinarian Connor Lawson needs in his life is a sexy, rich playboy like Ashby Sterling-Haynes. Connor once had a relationship with a wealthy playboy, and once was enough. In fact, not even his best friend knows the dark secret and emotional pain Connor carries from that encounter, but it is still affecting his life, and if he has any hope for a future with a man, he has to find a way to deal with it.

Ashby Sterling-Haynes is the youngest son in a wealthy, titled family. Currently the chief of the accounting department at the corporation’s headquarters in London, he’s staying at the country estate while his brother Ben, who manages the estate, is on his honeymoon. A mild flirtation with the vet leads to so much more, and a summer in which Ash thought he’d be bored, turns into a journey of self-discovery when he apprentices with a local carpenter to indulge his creative side and his itch to work with wood. Once only a dream, he discovers that his “hobby” may indeed turn out to be his career, at the same time he discovers that his flirtation with Connor is leading to a rich and fulfilling friendship and a deep and abiding love.

There are both struggles and poignant moments as Connor and Ash interact in the community. And there’s both humor and heartache as Connor works through his past fears, and Ash discovers what love is all about and realizes that he’s not only willing to fight for Connor, he’s eagerly looking forward to it.

I loved this couple. I haven’t loved another couple so much since I first met Jack Campbell and Riley Hayes in The Heart of Texas. Their chemistry was spot-on, and both their individual personalities and their behavior as a couple were genuine and exciting. The secondary characters, especially Landon and Rachel and Mick were all vital to the story and complemented the whole.

I highly recommend this one to those who love their M/M romance with a nice mixture of humor, angst, hurt/comfort, and sexy times all rolled into one very enjoyable package.

~~~~
Cover design by Meredith Russell depicts two young men with an English estate in the background. The men look exactly the way I would picture Connor and Ashby after having read the story, so IMHO, it’s perfect.

Sales Links:  RJ Scott  –  All Romance (ARe) –  Amazon    Buy It Here

Book Details:

A standalone, English Hearts story

ebook
Published May 29th 2015 by Love Lane Books Limited (first published May 27th 2015)
urlhttp://www.rjscott.co.uk
seriesEnglish Hearts #1