Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Sentinel (Until You #2) by Karrie Roman

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This is my first book by this author and book two in the series called Until You, but can be read as a standalone. However, I think reading the first book would be best for maximum enjoyment. At the beginning Lucas and Ryan, who are famous from being on a TV show, are giving a press conference to ask for privacy as they take a break from whatever traumatic thing happen to them in the first book. Ethan, their personal bodyguard, is the focus of this book.

Ethan had been living under the radar, but was brought back into the spotlight due to guarding the two stars. There was something about losing his whole family eight years ago due to his brother. Slowly, we get a recap interspersed throughout the book about some sort of trial against his brother who was a serial killer of young girls. None of Ethan’s guilt made sense to me until chapter nine, when we find out Stewart was a cop also. I’m not sure if I would have known that if I read the first book or not. Anyway, the only reasons it matters is that the topic is part of a pivotal scene where Ethan opens up to Ben, and his reluctance to go to the police is more believable. Ben is our other main character. He has been Ethan’s colleague and friend for the last two years, and we know Ben is in love with him. Ben is also friends with Ryan. Lucas and Ryan obviously consider Ethan family.

Ethan has feelings for Ben, who somehow got shot and has been in the hospital. Because he is afraid Ben will be mad that he never trusted him with the truth about his past, Ethan basically quits his job with the agency they work for, takes a new private job as a personal bodyguard to Ryan and Lucas, and disappeared, refusing to visit Ben in the hospital. Ethan knows there is something there between them, but the horrible rejection he faced from family, friends, and colleagues in the past makes him wary of being vulnerable.

Cameron is Ben’s brother, a rescue pilot for the sheriff’s department in the town called Cody, where Ethan’s sister Maggie lives. She finally finds and calls him after eight years because she has cancer and her ex, Peter, took their twin girls Maya and Riley away. She was afraid to go to the police since Peter was raised in a religious cult run by Arnold Piper, who has enough control over the group that a Jonestown scenario is likely. Once the set-up is done, this book is an action adventure with a rescue mission. Things never have a chance to get dull–there is always something happening. While Ethan’s background is in law enforcement, Ben was an army sniper and they lean heavily on his experience to plan the rescue. This gives Ben his chance to show Ethan how good they can be together and Ethan his chance to have the real intimacy he has been craving. The men work out their relationship throughout the mission.

I love that Ben and Ethan do those cute, stupid things that couples do and talk about the stupid things couple talk about. Once Ethan knows Ben loves him, knows Ben won’t leave him, he falls into this relationship. The mission makes Ben have to open up to Ethan about his past in the military and with the government. The ethics here are murky, so if you like your white hats super shiny, this may not be the book for you.

We get a lot of information about the cult and I found one of the lines very apropos of our current political climate: “it was hard to convince people they were living in a shared delusion when they were still essentially living in it.”

A major player is Alec Banner, an FBI agent that served with Ben in the military. No one wants a Waco either, so the author was good at building the tension with the cult, but it was a bit of a letdown that all the actual action here with the compound happens off page. This makes sense though because we stay with Ben and Ethan’s perspective during the faceoff with authorities. Another major player is the cult leader’s son, Zach who helps them to save the children. I would expect a future book with both of these characters. Zach has been raised without any idea about different types of sexuality and seeing Ben and Ethan together is eye opening. I will say the author made me care about the victims of the cult and then we have no idea what happens to them; being rescued and thrown into a world they know nothing about off page.

Yes, Maggie living in the same town as Ben’s brother is a huge coincidence. Yes, the plot is a little over the top. Yes, it was lucky that they had help from former cultists just when they needed it. Yes, they are making out in the woods in the middle of a mission. So what? This is entertaining, cute, hot, and romantic, rather than realistic. Since I didn’t read the first book, Ryan and Lucas are two dimensional to me right now and I don’t know anything about the Krispins (they own the company Ben and Ethan worked for as bodyguards), who it seems will still be involved as the series moves forward. I liked this book, so I will likely go back and read the first book before continuing on in this series.

The cover art is by Natasha Snow. I believe it shows Ben with the wilderness they had to hike through in the background. It seems a little placid for an action adventure.

Book Details:
ebook
Published September 10th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949340693
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttps://ninestarpress.com/product/sentinel/
Series Until You :

Cover Reveal – Love’s Trials (Revolutionary Heart #2) by Janice Jarrell (excerpt)

COVER REVEAL

Book Title: Love’s Trials (Revolutionary Heart, Book 2)

Author:  Janice Jarrell

Publisher: Janice Jarrell

Cover Artist: Robin E. Vuchnich  

Release Date: October 12, 2018

Genre/s: Contemporary Gay Romance

Blurb

After half a lifetime spent in short-term liaisons that allowed no intimacy, charismatic Irish police officer, Colin Campbell, found the love of his life. Dark-eyed, steady Joshua Abrams burned through Colin’s emotional barriers and taught him to look at life through new eyes, eyes that made room for the love and closeness he had always denied himself. Deeply in love and completely happy, their life together remains idyllic and their fiery passion for each other seems limitless.

They survive the Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ riots, though not without scars. But later that month Colin’s position with the campus police force places him in charge of an informant program designed to crack a dangerous drug ring. Fully aware of the risks, he swears to Joshua that he will oversee the program without becoming directly involved. But Colin’s promise begins to crumble when he becomes the only one who can save a young Nigerian exchange student from a deadly drug lord.

Excerpt

The morning of the ‘Unite the Right’ riots in Charlottesville.

Joshua poured a cup of coffee and took the seat next to Colin. “I damn joined the counter-protesters last night.”

Colin wheeled to face him, his eyes narrowed to dark slits. “Do not do that!” He grasped Joshua’s arm in a tight grip. “I mean it, Josh. Do not come down there!”

“It was a fleeting impulse which David immediately quashed. He told me he’d stop me if he had to tie me to a chair.”

“Thank god,” Colin said, still gripping Joshua’s arm tightly. “Josh, I mean it. Please stay home. I understand why you want to join the counter-protestors and fight these Nazi bastards and I love you for it. But it’s going to get ugly down there today, Josh. Very ugly. Especially for someone with your ethnic heritage. Knowing you’re safe at home is the only way I’ll be able to do my job.”

Joshua frowned, but nodded. “I understand.” He leaned forward to kiss Colin’s cheek. “If you promise to hang onto your phone and to call me when you can.”

“I will,” Colin told him. “But don’t worry too much if you don’t hear from me. I suspect I’m going to have my hands full.”

“How bad could it get today, Colin?” Joshua asked.

Colin’s brow furrowed. “You know what we’re dealing with. I’m afraid it could get very bad today.”

A rustling at their back door startled both of them, and they turned to see David and Nate walking through their utility room carrying bags obviously filled with food.

“We brought breakfast!” Nate told them, setting the bags on the table. “Get some plates.”

Colin rose. “I can’t stay, I’m due at the station.” He bent over the table and sniffed the contents. “Smells good though!”

David took Colin’s hand in both of his. “Please be safe.”

Colin nodded but did not speak then turned to accept Nate’s hug. “Thanks,” he whispered.

“Don’t worry about Josh. We’ll be with him.”

Colin nodded then turned to Joshua who stood watching, teeth clenched against the dread that filled his mind and heart.

“Gotta go, babe,” Colin said.

Joshua walked to his side, wrenching his mind away from his fears, resolved that Colin’s last view of him today would reflect his faith in the man he loved and the courage to face whatever this day might bring.

They embraced tightly but neither man spoke. Then Colin drew in a deep breath and kissed Joshua lightly… briefly. “Chin up, bud,” he said. “Be home later.”

“Please be safe,” Joshua said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

“Always my intention,” Colin replied with a quick grin, then his expression grew grim. “Remember what I said, Joshua. No matter what you see… stay home!”

Joshua hissed out a breath, his mind burned with reservations. But he couldn’t bring himself to add to the stresses already weighing on his lover and gave a tight nod. “Got it.”

Colin bent toward him, his lips brushing Joshua’s ear. “Ta`mo chori istigh ionat,” he whispered, Gaelic for ‘my heart is within you’, a phrase Joshua knew well.

“Ani Ohev Otcha,” Joshua choked out, responding with the same words in Hebrew.

Without another word, Colin wheeled and strode out the back door. He didn’t see Joshua sink into a kitchen chair and collapse forward, the heels of both hands pressed to his forehead.

About the Author

My name is Janice Jarrell. I am a retired grandmother who lives in Seattle, WA. I have two children and three grandsons. I’ve been writing gay romance since I was twelve years old, only back then it wasn’t called ‘gay romance’. In fact, it had no name at all. It was the fifties, and it was worth your life to admit to being gay, let alone confess to being a girl who constantly fantasized about relationships between gay men. Hell, I didn’t even know what a homosexual was. I lived on a farm out in the sticks in a tiny Michigan village and I’d never, to my knowledge, even heard the word. I just knew I loved the thought of boy on boy romance. I just knew that there was something hot going on between Tom Corbett and his Space Cadets and all those guys on ‘Combat’.

I wrote slash fanfiction for 30 years, writing over 337 stories, some as short as 100 words (a drabble) some as long as a series which was over 119,012 words. I enjoy writing my stories. I enjoyed the feedback I received from my readers. It was a creative release I’d been searching for my entire life and I blessed the Internet for leading me to this artistic oasis for my spirit.

Love’s Magic was my very first step into writing my own characters. I will always be grateful the slash fanfiction community for nurturing the budding author until she was ready to blossom into a fully realized novelist. It’s been an amazing thing to watch the gay community’s growth over these past twenty years. My own journey has echoed theirs in many ways, and I’m grateful to all those gay activists who fought to give the gay community the rights and privileges they always deserved.

I’m also grateful to the gay romance community, readers, authors, publishers and promoters, who are making these, my retirement years, the most creative ones of my life. When I’m not writing, I’m traveling, walking, hiking, knitting, crocheting, and weaving.

I’m very excited about the upcoming release of my second contemporary gay romance novel, Love’s Trials. Those of you who fell in love with Joshua and Colin in Love’s Magic are in for a treat because they are the STARS of Love’s Trials, though they may not thank me for it given the very difficult ‘trials’ they are about to face.

me purple hair

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Review Tour and Giveaway for In This Iron Ground (Natural Magic #1) by Marina Vivancos

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Cover Design: Natasha Snow
 
Length: 85,000 words approx.
 
Blurb
 

Damien is nine years old when his parents die. What should have been the worst moment of his life begins a journey shadowed by loneliness and pain. The night of a full moon, four years and seven foster homes later, Damien flees to the forest, desperate to escape everything.

Instead, he finds the Salgado pack, and the earth beneath his feet shifts. Damien has seen the Salgado children in his school: Koko, who is in his class, and Hakan, two years older and infinitely unreachable. Damien is suddenly introduced into a world that had only ever existed in his imagination, where there is magic in the forest and the moon. He meets creatures that look like monsters, but Damien knows that monsters have the same face as anybody else.

Over the years, Damien and Hakan grow closer. First, just as friends and foster brothers in the Salgado house, and then into something heated and breathless when Damien joins Hakan at college. Despite what he may yearn for in the darkest part of the night, Damien knows, deep down in that bruised and mealy part of his core, that he’s not good enough to be part of the Salgado family, their pack. He’s not worthy of calling Hakan his home.

Even though he knows in the end it’ll hurt him, he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can.

CONTENT WARNING: This book contains themes of emotional and (nonsexual) physical child abuse and the subsequent emotional, cognitive, and behavioural impacts.

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 stars Review here.
Author Bio
 
When Marina was a child she couldn’t sleep. Night after dissolving night she just couldn’t sleep. Nothing much worked – until she started making up stories in her head. Suddenly, the transition into unconsciousness was a smooth dive into calm waters.


Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did decades ago.


Marina hopes to write in a variety of romance sub-genres, from contemporary to supernatural to sci-fi. Her style, however, tends to focus on character-centred stories that explore different facets of the human experience, such as mental health. She also enjoys writing explicit, drawn-out sex scenes, so expect those to be a prominent feature of her stories.


Marina tends to keep to herself unless prompted, so don’t be shy in approaching her! 
 

Giveaway

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In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Riptide Publishing
Cover By: Garrett Leigh

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Cordelia Kingsbridge here today on tour for One-Eyed Royals, her latest release in the Seven of Spades series.  Welcome, Cordelia!

♠️

 

Thanks for checking out the blog tour for One-Eyed Royals, the fourth book in the Seven of Spades series!

We left Levi and Dominic broken up and broken-hearted. But there are new threats facing Las Vegas, and crossing paths on a case again is just their luck…

 

About One-Eyed Royals

Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Cash Plays, book three of Seven of Spades.

Shattered by their devastating breakup, Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo find themselves at war right when they need each other most. While Dominic is trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, Levi despairs of ever catching the Seven of Spades. The ruthless vigilante’s body count continues to climb, and it’s all Levi can do to keep up with the carnage.

When Levi’s and Dominic’s paths keep crossing in the investigation of a kidnapping ring with a taste for mutilation, it feels like history repeating itself. Thrown together by fate once again, they reluctantly join forces in their hunt for the mastermind behind the abductions.

But the Seven of Spades hates sharing the spotlight, and they have an ace in the hole: a new batch of victims with a special connection to Levi. Their murders send shockwaves through Las Vegas and change the rules of the game forever.

The Seven of Spades has upped the ante. If Levi and Dominic don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up losing everything.

 

About the Seven of Spades Series

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

 

About Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of One-Eyed Royals, Cordelia is giving away a $10 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 15, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review here.  We love the book and the series!

A VVivacious Review: Breaking the Bonds (Cascade City Pack #2) by Rebecca James

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

A year has passed since the events of “A New Beginning” and Jax finds himself deep undercover trying to find the root of evil that had infiltrated the Human-Shifter Congress.

A year in he finds himself closer to his goal but having to try harder to keep appearances, when he finds out that things are worse than he could have imagined.

Jax finds himself in the middle of an omega sex-trafficking ring where omegas are kept constantly in heat by the use of a compound that is causing a whole lot of side effects in the shifters who have been targeted with it.

It is time for everybody to work together as they break this vicious cycle and overcome the elements who have worked so hard and for so long to destroy any attempts at a peaceful existence between humans and shifters.

I really don’t know what to rate this book, it was a compelling follow-up to this saga but while it lacked the intensity of the first in the Cascade City Pack series that could be because this one was very different to its predecessor. This one is all about the human-shifter dynamics and about breaking the cycle and putting both species on an equal till. Personally, I was very satisfied but the ending felt like coming full cycle it made me feel like this was it and that we were saying goodbye to this series and its characters who we have known for almost five books now and that gave my feelings a very melancholy edge. Most of the times I come out of reading a book pretty sure of what I will be rating it, sometimes as I write the review my rating changes to a little extent as I realise more things I liked or didn’t as I process my thoughts but this one was not one of them. Sometimes and this is really rare because you can most assuredly rate the ones you really like as 5 stars and the ones you didn’t a single and the ones which you liked but not too much three but what do you rate a book that feels unrateable it’s like I can’t quantify the quality that the book has. This is shaping up to one of those books, so I’m just winging it when it comes to the rating. But thankfully reviews aren’t all about ratings and I do actually get to share my thoughts and try to relay in words what I couldn’t in numbers, about this book’s unquantifiable quality.

Like most books in these series (River Wolf Pack, Angel Hills Pack & Cascade City Pack) this book is also told from multiple POVs (I almost wrote all but then I realized that the first two books in the River Wolf Pack series only had dual POVs if even that, I can’t be very sure but I think those two books are told from the POV of both main characters in those books). I personally have been loving this way of storytelling especially as it pertains to this story because there are already a ton of characters I’m invested it and this way I get to know how they all are in a more intimate way as I get to spend some time in their head and see their troubles because not everyone’s involved in human-shifter politics and they have other worries which is immediately brought to fore as we start this book with Sam’s POV and how he isn’t feeling well and how he is worried about his alpha. It was kind of nice in hindsight to have some characters be more grounded. This story ultimately reveals the bigger scandal that was hinted at, at the end of the first book and everyone is distressed by it but not everyone can be directly involved so it was nice to have Sam be worried for other reasons. It was nice for Sid to world towards a human-shifter alliance but in a different way. It added gravity to the sex-trafficking that was happening unbeknownst to many.

I had a moment of epiphany in this book when I was reading Josiah’s POV and it was just the thought that I have known River and Josiah for so long and I still wanted to know more about them. I loved their dynamic in this one, it was more settled and not as explosive as in the previous book but still such a comfortable relationship. I loved how much both Josiah and River have grown thanks to their relationship, how it has opened River’s eyes to being more open-minded and not as entrenched in the past and how Josiah has realized that a bit of caution would be the better part of valour when it comes to jumping into a situation head first. There is still much ahead for these two but it is amazing to see River as the Alpha he is hands down the best Pack Alpha around, he is amazing and David is right when he says that it says something about River that he has not one but two prolific packs to his credit.

David has to be my favourite character. I love him so much and every relationship he has is a treasure to witness. I loved that we could focus on River and David for a bit in this one and see how close these two are and how open with one another. I always love David and Briar because I honest to god forget they are brothers but we didn’t get much of them in this one.

Though we finally got to see David and Jax and considering everything that has happened, these two deserve their happy ending. That scene where David just happens to come across Jax is so surreal, God! These two have such an intense chemistry it is hard to breathe at times.

We also get to see Jax’s POV in this one and it was much needed and I know I really wanted it and I am really happy that I got it. Jax has been in a very tough situation the past year working as a sort of double agent and when he comes across the omega sex-trafficking ring, he is right in the middle of that depravity forced to keep his cover. I really understand all his feelings and for a moment I was scared he would run away but I guess David can work miracles, all in all, the situation kind of forces Jax’s hand but I was so glad in the end, because David, Jax and Brooks deserve a happy ending after all they have been through.

We do also get the conclusion of Jaime and Mark’s storyline and I am happy with how things ended there. I had forgotten a lot of characters because it has been quite a while since I have read “A New Beginning” but the moment I was reintroduced to the characters that I had known but had forgotten somehow I felt as invested in them as if I had remembered them the whole time. I am really happy for these two.

So yeah as the book ended I was really wondering if Rebecca James was ending the series here but then I thought about it and I was like no there is so much more that I need to know especially, about Sid and Grier. Sid is a character that has been very interesting to me and I really want his story to have a happy ending and this twist in the form of Grier seems like a pretty innovative one and I want to see where these two end up.

I am so happy with this one, I love these characters so much and their individual struggles just make them even more endearing but somehow if for some reason this is actually an end I feel like we are leaving these characters at a very optimistic note with a whole world of possibilities in front of them. Until next time!

Cover Art by Written Ink Designs. Loved the cover.

Sales Link:   JMS Book LLC  |  Amazon

Book Details:Kindle Edition
Published August 18th 2018 by JMS Books LLC
ASINB07FZG5H4F
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCascade City Pack #2

 

 

A Caryn Release Day Review: The Second Time Around by Rowan McAllister

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Fans of the hurt/comfort trope are going to really enjoy this book!  When I first started reading, I was prepared for it all to be fairly shallow, but I was pleasantly surprised by the end to find there was more to it than that.

Jordan Thorndike was the middle child of a wealthy, conservative family, treading the path that his father had laid down for him, ivy league law school and all.  The book opens with Jordan driving away from his home with a few suitcases the only things he has left of his previous life of privilege, after he came out to his parents and was cut off from the family.  He had never been on his own before, had no idea where to go or what to do, when a reminder popped up on his cell phone about a planned visit to the B STAR ranch – Better the Second Time Around – a shelter for abused and neglected farm animals that was one of his mother’s favorite charities, and a place Jordan remembered fondly from childhood visits.  It seemed like as good a place as any to retreat to, and his plan was to work for bed and board and try to figure out what to do next with his life.

When he arrived at the Texas ranch, he was welcomed by Phyllis, the owner, but not so much by her foreman, Russ.  To Russ, Jordan was just a spoiled rich kid who wanted to slum it for a while, a nuisance rather than a help to a busy ranch.  Jordan didn’t tell anyone why he was there, and spun a tale of “taking the summer off” and kept up a charming facade to put off any unpleasant questions.  His truth couldn’t be kept a secret forever, and when it did come out, the response was better than he could ever have hoped for:  Russ really saw him, their walls came down, and they got together even though they both expected it to be only temporary until Jordan healed enough to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

Jordan’s own healing process was nicely reflected in the work they did with the neglected animals, especially the horse that had to get worse before she could get better.  He seemed very shallow and immature in the beginning of the book, but that made sense given his sheltered background and the emotionally stunted family he grew up in.  The preoccupation with food, his looks, “good” coffee, all made sense to me eventually, and I liked that although he did mature and start seeing the real world a lot more clearly after a few weeks at the ranch, he didn’t miraculously lose all of those bad habits just because he was in a relationship.  Russ was “over 40” – his actual age was never mentioned – but the 20 year age gap wasn’t really addressed at all, which I thought was a little strange (in my mind, Russ was 34, which made more sense to me given how he acted alone, and how he behaved with Jordan).  The suddenness of the two of them getting together was a bit jarring, Russ’ change of heart being a complete about face over the period of a few hours, but after that it seemed believable.  Mostly.  I’d call the ending more of a “happy for now” rather than HEA because I still felt their relationship needed a lot more growth to be permanent.

Not a book to knock my socks off, but definitely a nice relaxing read.  I did most of it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I would recommend this as a vacation read.

Cover art by Adrian Nicholas incorporates a lot of the scenes from the book, but wasn’t particularly eye-catching.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: September 11th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640804814
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: New York Nightwings Collection by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

The Nightwings Complete Collection contains all three novellas in the New York Nightwings MM hockey romance trilogy. The first two—On Broadway and Rookie Moves—were previously available in the Changing on the Fly charity anthologies. The third novella—Transitions—is a brand-new story written for this collection.

On Broadway (New York Nightwings #1)

Riley Zeally is captain of the New York Nightwings pro hockey team and in the closet. Young, handsome, highly talented, he was drafted at 18, skipped college, and is now a key player for this winning team. When he and his friend Otto spot a kid playing hockey on the rink at Rockefeller Center early one morning, he has no idea of how much his life is going to change. The kid, Rocket, is a street hustler who was pushed from his Christian home before he was fourteen and has been on the streets ever since. Not really a kid, more of a twenty-something, and when Reily finally meets him a few weeks later, the two hit it off in more ways than one. Long story short, they end up together and Reily comes out of the closet for his love for Keiffer, aka Rocket. The major problem I had with this story is that Keiffer was an abrasive character, definitely difficult to like, and the insta-love “I’m willing to come out for you” trope just didn’t do it for me. This was a 2.

Rookie Moves (New York Nightwings #2)

Picking up where book one left off, this story focuses more on Keiffer—who he really is, what are his dreams, and what’s he willing to do to achieve them. As Reily promised, if Keiffer gets his GED, Reily will pay for his college degree and will get the Nightwings pro scouts to look at him if Keiffer makes his college hockey team. When Reily’s parents and sister come to town for the playoff games, we learn even more about Keiffer, and the author cleverly lets us see his big heart, his care and concern for LGBTQ kids on the streets, and his true dreams and goals, and they don’t include hockey, but they do include a degree in social work and setting up a shelter for the kids who are like he used to be. This one was much more complex with deeper characterizations and a loving, giving family. Keiffer was a much more interesting character and brought out my soft side. I gave this story a 4 star rating.

Transitions (New York Nightwings #3)

This is the story I really enjoyed. It featured Tommy Handsome, real name Hector Alvarez, a street kid who served as a big brother to Keiffer and other young LGBTQ boys on the streets. Tommy moved from being a hooker to being a three-card monte hustler, and now is helping with outreach for the new shelter Keiffer and Reily founded. When he meets Vincent Madeux, the goalie for the rival Brooklyn team at a fancy benefit, the two hit it off very well. But Vincent is older and in his last year of hockey and has no desire to come out before retirement. So, they can be together—just not in public. This story explores Tommy’s persona—his kind heart and sense of responsibility for the kids who are still on the street—and it touches on his friendship with Keiffer and his pride in his new position. There’s plenty of time for relationship development between he and Vincent as well, and the author gives us a very nice HEA. I love age-gap romance and this one was spot-on. Definitely 5 stars.

So overall? I’d recommend the trilogy to those who enjoy hockey MM romance.

The cover done by Designs by Sloan features headshots of three handsome young men, all the “stars” of the enclosed stories.

Sales Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Q3kzLf

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Q0N1NI

Book Details:

ebook
Published September 5th 2018
Edition Language English

New Release Blitz for Sentinel (Until You #2) by Karrie Roman (excerpt and giveaway)

Title: Sentinel

Series: Until You, Book Two

Author: Karrie Roman

Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC

Release Date: September 10, 2018

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 71700

Genre: Contemporary, bodyguards, hurt-comfort, grief, men with children, rescue operation

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Synopsis

Never allowing anyone too close, Ethan Stone has lived a solitary life since he was disowned by his family when he discovered their darkest secret. He spends his days as a quiet sentinel, protecting others to make up for the ones he didn’t. Love, friendship, and family have no place in his world.

Ben Cronin is a warrior, haunted by a past he excelled at, which almost robbed him of his humanity. He became a professional bodyguard to save lives rather than take them. And he has loved his stoic colleague, Ethan Stone, from the day they met.

When Ethan’s sister suddenly comes back into his life in desperate need of his help, Ethan doesn’t hesitate to do whatever he needs to do. To his surprise, Ben—the man who makes him want things he shouldn’t—is right there beside him, risking everything to help him and finally coaxing Ethan’s feelings back to life.

A desperate race to find his missing nieces leads Ethan to a place he never thought he’d be and takes Ben exactly where he wanted to be—in a life filled with love and desire. But how long can they keep it when evil stalks their every step?

Excerpt

Sentinel
Karrie Roman © 2018
All Rights Reserved

Prologue
“Last question.”

“What now for you, Ryan?”

“Um…the short answer is I really don’t know. I’m going to take some time with Lucas while the show is on hiatus and think about what’s next for me. I hope people will understand why I’ve chosen to step away from the spotlight and will be gracious enough to give me the space I need to work out where to go from here. But for right this minute, Lucas and I are getting on a plane to locations unknown and we’re going to relax and enjoy being us.”

The press conference was a compromise between the very intrusive media and Lucas and Ryan. They wanted some peace, some space to recover from the events of the last couple of months, and now that their show, Witches’ Hammer, had wrapped up for a break, and Lucas had been given a clean bill of health, they were taking some time for themselves. Nobody deserved it more after what they’d been through.

Ethan watched, ever vigilant, as they stepped down from the podium and walked hand in hand toward the waiting car. His gaze rested on their joined hands for a second or two too long, but it was hard to look away from something that he desired for himself so very much. Not that he wanted either Lucas or Ryan. They were both great men and smoking fucking hot, but they weren’t for him. What he wanted was what they had—intimacy and love.

After years of self-imposed isolation from anything resembling a close relationship, Ethan wanted more.

Once his two charges were settled in the car, Ethan climbed into the passenger seat and gave the nod to Max. The big car roared to life and Max deftly drove them toward the airport and their waiting plane.

His former bosses, Patricia and Roger Krispin, had let Ethan go from their security agency when he called to resign, as he’d breached their no-skeletons-in-the-closet rule, but Lucas and Ryan had hired him as their personal bodyguard and had kept the Krispin’s professional teams as backup whenever needed. Ethan would be traveling to Australia with them, and Harry and Christina would meet them there for extra security, if needed.

“Looking forward to the Aussie girls in their bikinis, Ethan?” Ryan asked from the back seat.

“I’m more of a man in…what do you Aussies call them…boardies type of guy.”

“Oh, shit…sorry. Well, there’s plenty of them too. Maybe we can find a hot lifeguard for you while we’re there.” He didn’t need to turn to know Lucas and Ryan would be giggling to themselves, no doubt planning some kind of setup for him. He loved working for these two men and often wondered at his good fortune, especially after the shit had hit the fan following the revelation of who he was.

For almost four weeks, Ryan and Lucas had dominated the front pages and headlined the news. When the media had discovered that Ethan Lockard had come out of the woodwork and was somehow embroiled in the Lovers saga, the scrutiny had begun to border on the ridiculous. Ethan had offered to resign and had given serious thought to running again. It would be harder to pick a new identity and hide this time, but he’d manage. He was so tired of running and so fucking tired of being lonely.

Eight years ago, he’d lost his entire family, and though he hadn’t allowed any of them to get too close, the men and women he’d worked with over the last few years had become a family of sorts. He wasn’t going to let his brother take another family away from him this time.

“Okay, jet’s fueled and ready. Wheels up as soon as you arrive.” Paulina’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Copy. We’re about ten minutes out. All clear,” he replied. Despite the press coverage and the revelations that had been made about him, nobody from Krispins had seemed to care. They’d all accepted his apology for lying to them and admitted they’d have probably done the same if they were in his shoes.

The only person he hadn’t seen or spoken to since his true identity had been discovered was Ben. He hadn’t been back to see Ben since that day at the hospital when he’d been exposed. Ben’s brother, Cameron, had called to let him know the doctors had successfully woken him and called a few more times with updates, but Ethan had refused when Cameron had told him Ben had been asking for him to visit. He was such a fucking coward, but he knew he couldn’t bear to see disappointment in Ben’s eyes. What if Ben hated him for lying and keeping his past quiet? Ethan could stand anybody else’s hatred—but not Ben’s.

The private jet was waiting on the tarmac as promised, and Max drove them virtually to the open door. Ethan scanned the area as the car pulled up. He expected no trouble, and thankfully, he found none. Once satisfied, he stepped out and moved around the front of the car so he could open the back door nearest to the plane. Lucas stepped out, closely followed by Ryan, their hands immediately re-entwined as soon as they were both clear of the car. Ethan felt that pang of envy bite into him again at the intimacy the two men shared. God, he wanted it.

It wasn’t the first private jet he’d been on, but it was one of the nicest. Lucas and Ryan were already seated on the sofa that ran along one side of the cabin by the time he boarded. Ethan took the single seat across from them. He’d seen the bedroom toward the back of the plane as he’d entered the jet and wondered, with a sly grin on his face, how long it’d take before Lucas and Ryan made use of that.

“How are you with flying, Ethan?” Lucas asked as he continued to settle himself in and clip his seat belt.

“No problem with it. I can’t say I’ve done a huge amount, but I don’t mind it. Once the captain turns the seat belt sign off, I’ll pop this chair back, shut my eyes, and keep them closed until we touch down.” Ethan didn’t miss the look the two men opposite him shared, no doubt delighted they would, more or less, have the jet to themselves.

The engines had been idling since they’d boarded, and Ethan both felt and heard them roar to life now.

“All passengers, please ensure your seat belts are engaged and prepare for takeoff,” came a disembodied voice over the PA. The jet eased forward, slowly rolling toward the runway. It turned easily—nothing like the clunky turns of much larger passenger planes—before coming to a brief stop.

As the engines rumbled louder and louder and he was pushed back into his seat as the jet surged forward, increasing its speed to get it off the ground, Ethan had a sudden, inexplicable urge to run to the door and jump from the moving craft. He knew deep in his gut he was leaving something—or someone—behind.

He was sure he had everything he needed, and anything he’d forgotten he’d be able to buy in Australia, but he couldn’t escape that feeling of loss. Then, as he looked over the lights of the city below, he thought about pale-blue eyes that were usually dancing with laughter or mischief but had instead been filled with pain and determination the last time he’d seen them open, and he knew in his heart what he’d left behind—or rather who.

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Meet the Author

Karrie lives in Australia’s sunshine state with her husband and two sons, though she hates the sun with a passion. She dreams of one day living in the wettest and coldest habitable place she can find. She has been writing stories in her head for years but has finally managed to pull the words out of her head and share them with others. She spends her days trying to type her stories on the computer without disturbing her beloved cat Lu curled up on the keyboard. She probably reads far too much.

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