Category: M/M Book Reviews

BLOG TOUR Commitment Collection Box Set by Karen Botha

COMMITMENT COLLECTION BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Buckle Up, G-Force and Jump Start Collection

Author: Karen Botha

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Jarmilla Takac

Genre/s: Contemporary gay romance

Release Date: October 18, 2018

Heat Rating: 4 flames

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Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Blurb

On the road of life, passion is what drives us, but love makes us stay the course.

Elliott Judd is a superstar race car driver and hotter than hell. Men and women fall at his feet and he enjoys the easy pickings.

Kyle Beaumont, a straight mechanic with a body to die for, joins the racing team of his dreams with his mind fixed on the job.

But as the racing seasons come and go, these men realize they might be racing to the same trophy, each other. With their physical and emotional exploits driven to new depths. they face devastating disruptions when the past crashes into them. Are their feelings for each other enough to keep them on the right track?

Find how passion and lust turn to love, and whether these driven men focus on happiness in the journey or the destination in this hot, sexy three-book series.

Download your copy of Commitment Collection 1 – 3 now.

Buckle-Up #1

Passion, lust and desire are the fuel that drives us. So, buckle up for the ride of your life.

Elliott Judd is a superstar race car driver and hotter than hell. Men and women fall at his feet and he enjoys the easy pickings. No one has tamed this wild stallion, but is he ready to settle down for the right person?

Kyle Beaumont, a straight mechanic with a body to die for joins the racing team of his dreams, and with his mind fixed on the job, he doesn’t realise that he is Elliott’s next trophy of choice.

As the racing season and the fight to be the world number one starts, so too does Elliott’s game of seduction.
Will Elliott crash and burn, or will Kyle succumb to this gorgeous man’s onslaught?

Buckle Up is the first book in a gay romance series by Karen Botha and a story of unlikely love.

G-Force #2

Love breeds intensity.
Intensity breeds passion.

Recovered from a life-threatening accident, Kyle Beaumont is a powerhouse who is eager to show Elliott Judd just how far he can push his hotter than ever physique. Their physical and emotional exploits are driven to a depth neither has ever experienced with anyone else.

As a racing driver superstar, Elliott loves handling power, and he’s geared up for taking everything Kyle throws his way. In fact, he craves it. But, when the past smashes into their lives, is the couple prepared to handle possibly devastating disruptions?

Set in a world of fast cars, intense love, and a burning desire to win at all costs, this is a love story brimming with unbridled lust. Join Elliott and Kyle as they race their demons to the finish line in hopes of taking home the ultimate prize-their undying love.

Jump Start #3

Falling in love is easy.
Making it work, well, that’s where the fun begins.

Falling in love with Kyle Beaumont helped Elliott Judd find a romantic piece of himself he didn’t know existed. The two men take the next step in their relationship when Kyle moves into Elliott’s place, but despite the passion he feels for his talented mechanic and lover, the scorching hot race car driver suddenly feels out of place in his own home.

Kyle adores Elliott, and thinks of him as the love of his life he didn’t see coming. But calling a mansion home and fitting into Elliott’s space is more of a culture shock than he’d anticipated.Join Kyle and Elliott as they adjust to sharing their lives with one another, both in and out of the spotlight. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder if these two will ever get it right.

Excerpt from Buckle Up

“It’s the first day of my new job as a race mechanic for one of the leading motor teams in the world. I can’t explain how long I’ve waited for this. The company had me jumping through hoops before I finally received the letter inviting me to come on board.

The pay isn’t as considerable as you’d expect, but the prestige is tremendous. And the lifestyle, well it’s one for a single man, that’s for sure. I’ll be abroad for the best part of eight months out of twelve, traveling around the globe to compete in races that test my skills to the core. The rest of the year, I’ll be running flat out developing next season’s car.

I’ve entered into this late. It’s the first day of track testing the new car. A disagreement with a previous employee means I’ve been offered a chance to show them what I’m made of. It’s a huge deal, so I’m grabbing this opportunity with both my greedy hands.

“We’ll practice pit stops.” James, the number one mechanic, says.

“I snatch my tire, remove it from the cover which keeps it up to temperature when we take it off the heating chamber, and run to the front of the garage.

“Keep the cover on. Elliott will be practicing his pit stop procedure too, so the tires don’t need to be fitted,” James says.

“Oh, OK.” Fuck, first rookie error and I’m only five minutes in. I start beating myself up. Hopefully the tires will warm back up to temperature again before we need them.

I don’t have time to be overly hard on myself. The two drivers, Elliott and Brad, make their entrance.

But only one stands out.

Elliott Judd.

He’s dressed the same as Brad, they walk at the same pace, and they’re even roughly the same size. But he’s brighter. The only way I can describe it is that he has color around him like no one I’ve ever met. A star quality. The tabloid hacks are right.

The second driver pales away against the white walls of the garage while Elliott glows.”

About the Author

Karen Botha  was born in Lincolnshire England where her father was in the royal air force. As a young girl she always had a passion for reading and writing. Working most of her adult life in digital marketing didn’t leave her much time to pursue her passion for stories. at the age of 36 She retrained for a reflexologist and started working for herself. This helped her free up more than enough time to enjoy a  re-found  passion  for writing.

Her first novel was inspired by true life experiences and tales from clients. But don’t believe everything you read.

She enjoys traveling rugby and motor sport, this gives her inspiration and ideas for her books.

The first in the new LGBT series is a mm romance novel about a race car driver and his mechanic.

She currently lives in London with her husband and rescue dog called Shadow.

Social Media Links

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Amazon US | Amazon UK

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In the Spotlight: Building Forever (This Time Forever #1) by Kelly Jensen (special excerpt and giveaway)

Building Forever (This Time Forever #1) by Kelly Jensen
Riptide Publishing
Cover Art: Natasha Snow

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Kelly Jensen here today on on for Building Forever, a story we highly recommend. The author has   brought along a excerpt and giveaway for all to enter.  Check out both below.

Building Forever is the first in a series of standalone novels focused on older characters who think love has passed them by. I loved writing these second chance romances, and I hope you enjoy reading about the books—especially this one because Charlie and Simon will forever be the characters who started me on this journey.

 

About Building Forever

A new town, a new neighbor, and a new chance to build a forever.

Charlie King is doing fine. Sure, he’s a widower raising a teenage daughter who just got her first boyfriend, his book series isn’t writing itself, and he has a crush on his new neighbor — the guy next door. But everything’s just fine.

Simon Lynley is doing better. He moved to Bethlehem to fall out of love and rebuild his career. An affair with his neighbor isn’t part of the plan, but the attraction between them is too hard to ignore.

But when Simon’s ex follows him to Pennsylvania seeking reconciliation, and Charlie’s life starts to feel like a video on repeat, everything comes apart. Charlie worries that he’s failing as a father, and Simon is a distraction he can’t afford. Meanwhile Simon doesn’t know if he could survive being left again, and he hasn’t come all this way to make the same mistakes. But despite their fears, it’s only together that they’ll find the strength to slay old foes and build the forever they’ve been waiting for.

Now available from Riptide Publishing!

Building Forever Excerpt

Charlie’s daughter, Liv, is out on her first date, and Charlie is trying not to obsess over the fact that everything is changing. His daughter has met someone, Charlie has too—and he doesn’t know what to do with all his new anxieties or where to put them. Best friend Phil to the rescue! He and Phil head out for Chinese takeout and a little shopping and Phil does a lot of listening while Charlie struggles to come to terms with the changes in his life.

Everything Is Changing

Charlie followed the girl to a curtained alcove at the rear corner of the shop, accepted two different pairs to try, and pulled on the first. Stepping outside the curtain, he called to Phil, “What do you think?”

“They look like jeans.”

“Well, duh.”

“Why are you trying on clothes?”

“My old jeans are getting pretty, um, old.”

“Liv isn’t going to be coming in this direction, is she?”

“No. Banko’s is in the other way.” Someone had recently reopened the small local theater—and renamed it. Charlie could never remember the new name, though. “I just need new jeans.”

Charlie ducked back into the changing room. He studied himself in the mirror and admired the jeans. They made his legs seem longer and all of him more lean. He didn’t even have to suck in his gut, though that could have been all the jogging and projects around the house. As he turned to the side to inspect his profile, his thoughts wandered toward Simon again.

Would he notice the new jeans?

Did Charlie want him to?

“Here. I picked out some shirts for your updated wardrobe,” Phil called through the curtain.

“Uh-huh.”

Phil thrust a handful of material through the gap at the side. Charlie took the shirts and shook the first one out. It had Cute But Psycho printed across the front. “Very funny!” A muffled snort sounded from near the front of the shop. The second read: Sassy Since Birth.

“I think I see Liv!” Phil called.

Charlie dropped the shirts and scrambled for his own jeans, falling against the wall as he yanked them up his legs—over the pair he already had on. Shit. Tempting as it was to run, getting arrested for shoplifting would stick a wrench in his evening plans. Charlie pulled the new pair off and the old pair on. He pushed through the curtain with his fly half undone and nearly bowled Phil over. A laughing Phil.

“Just foolin’,” his new nemesis reported with an evil grin.

“Jesus.” Charlie melted back through the curtain and into the wall at the rear of the dressing room. He so wasn’t cut out to be the father of a teenager. Then there was this business with the jeans. What was he doing? Why was his life so weird all of a sudden?

“Everything okay in there?” Phil asked from outside the curtain.

Charlie drew it aside. “Yeah. I guess.”

“The jeans looked really good. Clean. Um . . . slimming.”

“Now you’re trying to distract me?”

“Is it working?”

“I dunno.”

Phil took the new jeans from Charlie’s hand. “C’mon, our food is probably ready.”

They paid for the jeans, collected their takeout, and turned back toward the beer store. By the time they got to the truck, Charlie felt drained. Not just empty, but as though he’d spent energy he didn’t have. He leaned against the side of the truck and closed his eyes.

“How are you doing?” Phil asked from his side of the truck.

Swallowing, Charlie shook his head.

Phil came around the back and stopped in front of Charlie. “Wherever you’re doing in that whacko brain of yours, stop. Okay?” Easier said than done. “Liv’s a good kid.” Phil delivered an encouraging shoulder squeeze.

“She was always a good kid. Thing is, she’s not a kid anymore, is she?”

“Don’t make me hug you on Broad Street.”

Charlie let go of something that might have been a whimper.

Phil put on a reassuring expression. “They’re always gonna be our little girls, man. Always. Even when they’re our age and we’re too old to even try for Maximum Overdrive.”

Charlie waved in the general direction of their heads. “Virtual reality. If we can think it, it will happen.”

“That’s kinda your problem.”

Charlie sighed. He wanted to tell Phil he was scared, but Phil already knew. “Everything’s changing,” he whispered instead.

He wasn’t sure Phil had heard him until his friend patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

Charlie straightened his spine. He had to own this, whatever it was. The good and the bad. The jeans he could return tomorrow. Simon . . . Simon needed more thought. Liv, though, she was his, irrevocably, until the end of time, and he had no regrets there.

None.

But if he could have done things differently— No. Some things just couldn’t be changed. You had to own them. Fully.

 

About the This Time Forever Series

Small towns and second chances.

Simon, Frank, and Brian think love has passed them by. Each is facing down his fiftieth birthday—Simon in a few years, Frank next year, and Brian soon enough. Each has loved and lost. But for these men, everything old really is new again, and it’s only when they return to their roots that they’ll find their second chances and the happily ever after they’ve been waiting their whole lives for.

This time it’s forever.

This series includes:

  1. Building Forever — releasing October 15, available now!
  2. Renewing Forever — releasing November 12, available for preorder!
  3. Chasing Forever — releasing December 10, available soon!

About Kelly Jensen

If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories about the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.

Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas, and short stories, including the Chaos Station series, cowritten with Jenn Burke. Some of what she writes is speculative in nature, but mostly it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.

Connect with Kelly:


Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Building Forever one lucky person will win a $25 Riptide Publishing gift card and a swag pack of stickers, art cards, and bookmarks! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 20, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review Tour and Giveaway for Boy Shattered by Eli Easton

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

Brian
You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear.
I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?


Landon
Will you kiss me?
When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.



October 16 – Romantic Ramblings, My Fiction Nook, Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, Gay Book Reviews, Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, Dilyana’s World, Funzee’s Cozy Couch, Lelyana’s Reviews, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Boulevard des Passions, October 17 – Love Bytes Reviews, October 18 – The Librarian’s Corner, Xtreme Delusions, Megan’s Media Melange, Urban Smoothie Read, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Reading In Sarah’s Corner, Kaidans Seduction, Dream Love Imagine, October 19 – The Novel Approach, October 20 – Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Book Corner Reviews, Jim’s Reading Room, We Three Queens, Making It Happen, Wicked Reads, V’s Reads, October 22 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews, Open Mind For A Different View, MM Good Book Reviews, October 23 – Mirrigold, October 24 – Bonkers About Books, Valerie Ullmer, Sanaa’s Book Blog, BFD Book Blog, Lillian Francis, Jessie G Books, Books Laid Bare Boys, Love, Sawyer, October 25 – Gay Book Reviews, October 26 – Bayou Book Junkie

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 star review here.

About Eli

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.


Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.


In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.


In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse.


Her website is www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

Giveaway

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A Free Dreamer Review: Yakuza (Guns and Roses #1) by Lilia Blanc

Rating: 1 star out of 5

The people of Tawano are used to the yakuza. They know to avoid them, to get off the streets when fights are brewing. At least, most of them do.

When college student Hiroshi makes a fatal mistake, and finds himself held at knife point, there’s only one person who can help him: Kazuo, the yakuza who controls Tawano, and the one who started the fight in the first place.

They’re completely different, and as their paths keep crossing, neither of them can understand the other—but it’s clear they’ll have to, or the dangers that follow Kazuo could claim more than just the lives of a few city-folk.

Oh boy. This book was a mess. To say that I didn’t particularly like “Yakuza” would be the understatement of the year. I don’t think there’s anything I liked about this book.

I picked this up because I’m a huge fan of Japan but was very disappointed. This has absolutely zero “Japanese vibe”. The MCs have Japanese names and Hiroshi is obsessed with manga but that’s about it.

The writing style was awkward. It read like the text was originally written in a foreign language and then badly translated into English. It annoyed me from the very beginning.

Then there’s Hiroshi. I’ve come across a few too stupid to live characters in my reading life but he’s probably one of the worst cases ever. Seriously, it’s a miracle he managed to stay alive this long. He’s absolutely obsessed with his books. Unrealistically so. He’s caught up in a gun fight, ends up being held hostage, with a knife to his throat, and drops his newly bought book. And all he can think of is his damaged book. Seriously? Oh, and he gets awesome discounts at the bookshop where he works because he’s so popular with the female customers. I’ve worked as a bookseller for almost four years now and let me tell you, that’s not how it works. At all.

Kazuo wasn’t much better. He wasn’t quite as stupid as Hiroshi but he was seriously creepy at times. He turned into an obsessive stalker and endangered Hiroshi. And he just made ridiculous assumptions. Just because a guy forgets a hot bondage Yaoi in your car, doesn’t mean that guy wants to try out bondage himself. Much less with a random stranger who almost got him killed the first time they met. And then turned into a creepy stalker.

After the first couple of pages, I figured this would turn into somewhat hot bondage porn. There’s a completely ridiculous sex scene at Hiroshi’s workplace pretty early on. But there isn’t all that much more explicit sex after that. At least porn would have been mildly entertaining.

It didn’t help that there was a weird love triangle that came out of nowhere toward the end. And the ending itself will definitely disappoint anybody who was at least somewhat invested in the MCs. Personally, I didn’t really care. It was just annoying and ridiculous, like the rest of the book.

Honestly, I can’t imagine how anybody could enjoy this book. The romance is seriously lacking, there’s really only one very explicit sex scene and the rest of the plot is harebrained. Honestly, it reminded me of a bad Yaoi, without the added benefit of pretty pictures.

Sales Links:  Amazon

The cover is okay, I guess. Probably the best part of the entire book.

Book details: Kindle Edition, 220 pages

Published September 4th 2018 by Deep Desires Press

A Lila Review: Rebuilding Hope (Kindred #1) by Jessie G.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Holden Bancroft was born with a better than average brain and not much else. Often described as strange and sickly, his attempts to conform only made him look foolish and a life-long diet of pills hasn’t provided a cure. Deciding to strengthen the only tool in his arsenal was liberating and learning became his greatest joy. But each episode is another reminder that his time is limited, and Holden intends to use everything he’s learned to help the small town of Hope before he dies.

Alpha Crowley Lomond, Zenith of the Americas, isn’t exactly happy with his ascension. Leading isn’t the problem, it’s acting like he’s somehow better than every other shifter that chafes. But while living and working beside them may seem noble, Crowley is more than just an alpha. As Zenith, he’s their example, their teacher and guide, and the one they will turn to when their way of life is threatened.

Meeting changes them in ways they never could have predicted and unveils a web of deceit that began long before they were born. Together, they will have to unravel the lies and reconcile the consequences if they are to protect the shifter way of life. Along the way, Crowley will become the Zenith his Kindred was born to love and their enemies will learn that there’s nothing more dangerous than fated mates.

Rebuilding Hope is a refreshing take on shifters and fated mates. I had trouble following the start of the story but after re-reading the first two scenes it was easier to follow. There’s a lot of new terms and background information that can be confusing too. And the timeline is a bit murky.

I enjoyed Crowley’s and Holden’s first meeting on how taken with each other they were. It was truly a sweet hook-up. It was interesting to see how the fates brought them together, and how they worked as a couple.

The story has a great set of supporting characters and a world build that would take more than one book to understand. There’s a lot more to learn and discover about these characters. It’s definitely a good start to a new series.

The cover by Andrew Reyna matches the author’s styles, but it takes away from the series individuality. I guess it’s a good issue to have when the reader has to stop to see if it’s a new book to an older series. The models do match Crowley and Holden.

Sale Links: Amazon | Nook | iBooks

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published: September 24, 2018, by Jessie G Books, Inc.
Edition Language: English

Series:  Kindred
Book #1: Rebuilding Hope

M.D. Grimm on the Need to Write and the new SyFy Saga ‘Leopold (Saga of the Bold People #1)’ (guest post, excerpt, and giveaway)

Leopold

Leopold (Saga of the Bold People #1)

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host M.D. Grimm here today on tour for their latest release, Leopold.  Welcome!

✒︎

Discovery of the need to Write by M.D. Grimm

Good day folks!

Thanks for joining me to celebrate my newest release, Leopold (Saga of the Bold People 1). It is an m/m romance sci-fi epic, and it’s the first book of a 6-book saga. I am super excited to finally release this bad boy that’s taken me around eight years to revise and edit.

I realized I wanted to write in the second grade. No joke. We had a silly assignment to write a short story (1 page long) using all or most of the words the teacher provided on the blackboard. I loved it way too much. Every time there was a story-writing assignment, no matter how silly or simple, I leapt on it, giving all the effort I could muster. I started writing really short stories off and on, and then I entered middle school and became a voracious reader.

During my college years, I collected ideas but didn’t write, due to time and mental capacity restraints. However, during my study abroad in Ireland one summer I wrote a short m/m romance titled “A Giant’s Friend.” It became my first published book. Granted, it got mixed reviews, and some nasty negative reviews, but I was still proud of it (it has since been re-pubbed in my anthology “Guardians of a Giant’s Treasure”). I submitted my second story to Dreamspinner Press, and it received better reviews than the first. That story was “Psychic Moon,” the first book in my The Shifters series.

It was only after several more submissions and releases that I started to get a feel for this “writing thing” that I do. I’m still learning and growing and each story is an opportunity to flex my muscles and challenge myself. I’m still learning my own style of writing and what characters and situations I tend toward.

Leopold came out of the blue one fine summer day. He beamed his thoughts into my mind, and I was off to the races. Unfortunately, I wasn’t equipped to write his story correctly the first time so after years (!) and countless edits and re-writes I finally know he’s ready to be released.

Now I have to jump on book two. I never do anything the easy way. Counting Leopold, I am now currently working on four series simultaneously. And I work 40 hours a week at my day job. Shot me now.

I have three stories contracted with Dreamspinner Press for 2019: a vampire story, the latest shifter book (#13), and the prequel to “On Wings of Thunder.”

Until next time,

May dragons guard your dreams,

M.D. Grimm

✒︎

M.D. Grimm has a new MM sci fi book out:

How does a human survive in an alien dominated InterGalactic Community? By becoming an assassin, of course.

At least, that’s what Leopold thought when he became an assassin for the elite. Pretending to be an alien known as Voidstriker, Leopold feeds his appetite for vengeance, killing aliens as well as taking their money. It’s a win-win to his mind. That is, until a bounty is placed upon his head.

With his true identity now revealed to the IG Community, Leopold knows it’s only a matter of time before the powerful family members of his victims come for blood. Far worse is the fact that the one who put the bounty on his head, is the one he most fears.

A routine job three cycles ago brought him face-to-face with Mastrodai, a prince of the powerful Mrrog Nation. Not only did Leopold—accidentally—destroy part of Mastrodai’s moon, but one glimpse of the mighty alien had him feeling desire for the first time in his life. He ran, and like predator after prey, Mastrodai never stopped hunting him.

Leopold is convinced that Mastrodai wants bloody revenge. But when he finally confronts the mrrog, he is stunned to realize Mastrodai wants something very different. Something surprisingly intimate—the one thing that scares Leopold more than torture.

Amazon | Smashwords

Giveaway

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Excerpt

Leopold meme

I climbed out the broken window onto the platform and tried to activate my holo-cuffs again. After several failed attempts, I realized they weren’t going to help me. Damn things were shit! Swallowing my curses, I jammed on my helmet and started to climb down. By the third floor, the ladder had been broken. I would need to jump. Fantastic. Three levels down. If I landed slightly wrong I would at worst break something, at best sprain something. I had no choice. My helmet impeded by vision so I took it off. I dangled it from my fingertips for a moment before letting it drop. To me, the sound it made upon impact was like a crack of thunder, but it was merely a thud. I took a deep breath and crawled down as much of the ladder as I could, and hung there a moment, gauging my descent.

One, two… three.I let go and hit the ground on my feet and rolled, taking off most of the pressure. It jarred me, but nothing sprained or broke. Success!

I stood, about to grab my helmet, when I saw figures coming toward the mouth of the alley. I froze. I recognized them. They were mrrogs, and that meant he couldn’t be too far behind.

I shivered violently, demanding my legs to move. It took them a moment before they finally got the idea. I crouched slowly on the ground before moving silently backward. One foot, one hand, one foot… on and on until I reached the other end of the alley. I kept myself against the wall, in the shadows, and knew they hadn’t seen me. They were too busy contemplating my land cruiser. If they tried to deactivate the security system it would blow them up, along with the cruz. I would lose my baby, yes, but I would rather it be trash then have it in their hands.

I reached the end of the alley and continued to crouch until I turned the corner, and was out of their line of vision. My heart thundered annoyingly in my ears, and I bowed my head, steadying my breathing. Okay, my cruz was screwed. I couldn’t open fire on them without alerting everyone in the vicinity. I couldn’t run the distance to my ship and needed another way to get to it. I would have to steal a transport.

Great, I had a plan, such as it was. I stood, took two steps back for good measure, and ran into something. I stilled. It wasn’t a building and it wasn’t a transport as I was on the bloody sidewalk. No, it was a body. My heart fluttered, and I knew who it was without a doubt. My body knew, my damn, traitorous body. I could feel his heat pump against my own cold body, and I felt his chest move as he breathed. How did I not sense him behind me? My mouth opened in a silent scream because I knew this was it, I was caught. I shouted mentally at my legs to move but it was as if they were rooted to the blasted ground.

A small breeze blew from behind me, behind us, and I caught his scent. My stupid cock jumped to attention. Kill me now, please. He smelled wonderful. I wanted to close my eyes and wallow in it without any other thought in my head. I wanted to melt against him and have those strong arms—

My eyes had nearly closed when I popped them open. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I tracked the large arm, covered in a black sleeve, and the golden hand as it lifted and came toward me. My legs finally kicked into action, and I ducked agilely and rolled under his raised arm before straightening, and running faster than I ever had in my life. I heard him shout out orders in a deep voice. I realized it was the first time I’d ever heard him speak. Despite the situation, I thought he had a lovely voice. I jerked out of that stupid thought when I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Was he chasingme?

I glanced behind, saw the truth in those blazing yellow eyes, in that golden face, and pumped my legs faster. I wove and dodged around large trash bins, unable to keep myself from glancing back. Mastrodai simply leapt overthe trash bins, landing on his hands, and continuing on all fours to chase me, quickly gaining ground.

Shit, shit, shit!

Clouds rolled in overhead, and the moon grew darker, mistier. I needed to lose him. How? His large nose indicated his overdeveloped scent glands, and the way his eyes glimmered in the dark, when I dared another look behind, told me he had no problem hunting in the shadows.

I was so dead.

Recognizing the buildings around me, I swerved sharply to my right and raced down several narrow alleyways. The confined spaces forced him to throttle his boosters. He was still way too damn agile for someone his size, but he couldn’t use his full speed in the alleys unless he wanted to run into a wall. The turns forced him to slow down just enough, and more and more I was starting to lose sight of him whenever I glanced back.

I let my own nose lead me to the large, festering trash pile set along a creek with questionable cleanliness. Trash was rarely collected this far out and, in this case, it would prove to be my savior. Granted, I enjoyed being clean, but survival called for disgusting measures, at times.

After a few more turns, I burst out in the opening and dashed to the trash. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and dove inside. Eewwww!I swam through the garbage and shut down my mind from speculating what it consisted of. After what felt like forever, I popped out the other end and sucked in a gigantic breath of the foulest air I’d ever tasted. That would kill his ability to track me, no matter how powerful his nose. Without stopping, I rolled forward and dropped to the ground. I didn’t look behind for Mastrodai before staggering toward the creek and jumping it. The water was swift and sure and carried me farther down the city.

I managed to lose him for now, but it wasn’t over, yet. Not even close.

The hunt was on.

Author Bio

M.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!).

After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?) she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier.

Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, (or else what’s the point?) finding their soul mate in the process.

Author Website: https://www.mdgrimmwrites.com/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001710645622

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=md+grimm

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/

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Release Blitz – Fling (A Nothing Serious Novel) by Baylin Crow (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Buy Link
 
Length: 275 pages approx.
 
Cover Design: Baylin Crow
 
Blurb
 

Our time together has an expiration date.


HAYDEN: I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love him.
The only guy I’ve ever wanted sees me as nothing more than the kid next door and his younger sister’s best friend. But when Dean comes home after college graduation, things are different. I’ve grown up, and the way his golden-brown gaze scorches a path over my body tells me he’s noticed. When he makes me an offer I should refuse, I’m caught between my feelings for him and logic screaming that this idea is doomed to end in heartbreak.


DEAN: I’m not interested in anything serious but I need to have him.
I plan on spending a few months at home relaxing before beginning my dream internship. What I don’t count on is my little sister’s best friend sending me for a loop. He should be off-limits, but the pull I feel toward him is too strong to ignore. When I come up with a solution to spend the summer together in secret, I’m sure I have it all figured out. I just need to work him out of my system.


It’s supposed to be free of complications…a fling. By the end of summer, it’s anything but simple.

 
Excerpt
 

I must have drifted off because I woke up dry mouthed and thirsty. After removing Reese’s arm from where it lay on my chest, I slipped my glasses on and climbed off the bed. My steps were light as I slipped from her room and padded downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filling it with filtered water from the refrigerator dispenser.


The cool liquid slid down my parched throat as I downed every drop before refilling it. The second disappeared just as quickly and I set the empty glass in the sink. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I turned to go back upstairs. As I passed through the large foyer, a sound caught my attention and I froze. Keys jingled. Then the lock on the front door clicked once more and the door swung open revealing Dean with a large gym bag slung over his shoulder. He wasn’t supposed to be home until the next day and judging by his wide-eyed stare, he wasn’t expecting to run into me either.


“Hi,” I squeaked, while frozen in place.


He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft snick before re-locking it. “If it wasn’t for the glasses and dark hair, I wouldn’t even recognize you.” He kept his voice low. I’d finally hit a major growth spurt over the last year and had put on enough weight that I didn’t resemble a beanpole. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Hayden?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion.


“Sleeping. I got up for a glass of water.” He paused and his lips flattened into a thin line so I hurried on. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”


“I decided to go ahead and make the drive and got a flat for my trouble. Otherwise, I would have been here earlier.” He said with a tired sigh. “It’s good and weird to see you.” His gaze scanned the length of my body and chills raced over my skin.


When I couldn’t find my voice, he adjusted the strap on his shoulder. “I’m beat so I’m going to head to bed. I’ll grab the rest of my things tomorrow.”


I nodded and followed behind him up the stairs. Halfway up, he glanced over his shoulder with a frown but kept going. “Aren’t you headed in the wrong direction?”


“No, I’m staying the night.” Didn’t I already say that? When I paused outside Reese’s room, Dean’s eyes narrowed to slits.


“You’re staying in Reese’s room? I mean, I always thought you two would end up together.”


Why would he think that? Reese had to have told him I came out earlier this year. “We’re not.”


If he heard me, he didn’t acknowledge what I said. “Does Mom know you’re having sleepovers though? Like in the same room?” He didn’t let me respond. Again. “And I’m assuming in the same bed.”


I couldn’t wrap my head around why he was worried. Dean continued his whispered rant, and without thinking, I stepped into his personal space and slapped my hand over his mouth.


The impulsive action seemed to startle us both. His eyes grew wide and he froze.


I couldn’t believe I’d just done that, but he wouldn’t listen. I held eye contact. “Shh.”


Dean didn’t remove my hand, and I wasn’t sure he’d let me finish if I moved it so I kept it there. “Reese and I aren’t together. I’m gay.” He cocked his head and seemed to study me. How could he not know? “She didn’t tell you?”


When he shook his head, I became aware of his soft lips against my palm. His breaths tickled the sensitive flesh and I realized my gaze had locked onto that connection. Clearing my throat, I ripped my hand away.


As I waited for his reaction, I pushed my glasses up my nose in a nervous tic I wished I could kick.


Dean’s gaze roamed the length of my body, making my breathing race in and out of my lungs. His gaze seemed to caress my skin causing butterflies to take flight in my stomach while long, tan fingers rubbed his squared chin. And unless I was imagining things, his pupils had dilated. “How did I not know?”


It was the same question I’d been asking myself. Their mom knew, so why hadn’t Reese told him? “I only came out this year and I don’t advertise it. But I don’t hide it either.”


Having no idea what he’d think, I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin while repressing the desire to flee into Reese’s room.


“Calm down, I get it.” Dean held his hands up in surrender. Just as he opened his mouth to continue, a loud chime cut into our whispered conversation.


“Shit.” He scrambled to pull the phone from his pocket and silenced it. His gaze shot from one end of the hallway to the other as if searching for any sign of someone being woken up. Glancing down at the screen, he scowled.


“What’s wrong?” I asked, my arms loosening and falling to my sides.


Dean’s gaze held mine, pausing long enough that I thought he wouldn’t answer my question.


He stood straight so I mimicked his posture. “Someone I used to date.” He grimaced as if the word left a sour taste in his mouth that rivaled the pit developing in my stomach. I didn’t want to hear this. “Well not date exactly. His name was Brady.” He cocked a brow with a shameless grin.


His words took a minute to process and even when it registered, my shock held me mute. Unfortunately it didn’t hinder my jaw from dropping.


“Oh.” Brilliant response, Hayden.


“Oh?” He snickered. “I guess my baby sister didn’t divulge my sordid secret either? Well, it seems we’ve both had a big year. Honestly, I wasn’t positive I was bi until a few years ago, but it turns out I have a thing for both.” He shrugged, pressed the side button on his phone, and then stuffed it back in his pocket. “This guy, he’s a clinger. I told him I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but I guess he refuses to accept it.”


Offering a weak smile, I attempted to hide the disappointment weighing me down. The blasé way he spoke about hookups made my chest ache. Dean hadn’t changed at all. Not that I’d expected him to or had a right to wish it. “The downside of playing the field,” I managed to make it sound like a joke.
He chuckled. “I guess. Well, I’m going to go…” He hitched his thumb over his back toward his room and turned to go. Rooted to the spot, I stared long after his door closed behind him.

Bios are challenging. I don’t have a clue how to write about myself. Fictional characters, sure! Me? Not so much. Lol. It’s the reason my author bio stayed practically blank until after I finished my second novel.


Who am I? Well, I live in Texas where the heat and I don’t get along. One day I hope to call Northeast USA home. I’m a wife and mother of 2 ridiculously cute kids. I have 2 dogs and 1 cat, the latter of which is a spoiled brat, but she’s my spoiled brat. ❤


I fell in love with writing during elementary school with my first “bare book”. And only within the last few years have I been able to try my hand at it as a career (which I have high hopes for btw!).


Spending the day under a fluffy blanket reading or writing away on my laptop with a mountain of coffee is my idea of time well spent. I get to live so many lives through books that I consider myself genuinely lucky to call myself an avid reader.


That’s me in a nutshell. I hope I’m finding my place among like-minded people. ❤❤❤ And I hope you’ll enjoy reading the stories I write.

Giveaway

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Release Blitz and Giveaway for Roads Series by Garrett Leigh

 

 

Roads Series – Available Exclusive to Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited
 
Book #1 – Slide – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Rare – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Circle – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Cover Design: Black Jazz Design
 
Slide
 

Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back…


Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.


Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.


Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.

 
Rare
 
Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.


Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.


Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.


Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.


When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.


Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock sitemoonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.


Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

Giveaway

 

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