Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Spark (North Star Trilogy #1) by Posy Roberts

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 91,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: Olive Us Designs
 
North Star Trilogy Pre-Order
 
Fusion (Book #2) – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Flare (Book #3) – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

A love story with a seventeen-year intermission.


Hugo Thorson fell in love when he was sixteen. He’s maybe been in love since, but probably not. He’s been too busy directing plays to devote much time to men who can’t accept all of him. No one ever made him feel like his first love did.


Kevin Magnus married a woman and has two children, but the marriage wasn’t happy. In the shadow of divorce, he’s striving to be a better father, but he’s still a work in progress.


When Hugo and Kevin bump into each other at the lake, memories of their last kiss incite a new first kiss. Visions of the life they always wanted are vivid, but so much stands in the way of their dreams. Hugo is out and proud but no one knows Kevin’s bisexual. If Kevin comes out, he risks losing custody of his kids. If he doesn’t walk hand in hand with Hugo, he risks losing the love of his life.


The curtain may never rise on their second act.



June 26 – BooksLaidBareBoys, Mainely Stories, Kimmer’s Erotic Book Banter, June 28 – Cupcakes & Bookshelves, June 30 – Katie’s Book Corner Reviews, Dog-Eared Daydreams, July 2 – Diverse Reader, July 4 – Bayou Book Junkie, MM Good Book Reviews, Xtreme Delusions, July 6 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Lillian Francis, Making It Happen, Gay Media Reviews, Mikku-chan

 
Author Bio
 

Posy Roberts started reading romance when she was young, sneaking peeks at adult books long before she should’ve. Textbooks eventually replaced the novels, and for years she existed without reading for fun. When she finally picked up a romance two decades later, it was like slipping on a soft hoodie . . . that didn’t quite fit like it used to. She wanted something more.


She wanted to read about men falling in love with each other. She wanted to explore beyond the happily ever after and see characters navigate the unpredictability of life. So Posy sat down at her keyboard to write the books she wanted to read.


Her stories have been USA Today’s Happily Ever After Must-Reads and Rainbow Award finalists. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family and friends and doing anything possible to get out of grocery shopping and cooking.


Follow Posy on BookBub | Subscribe to Posy’s Newsletter | Join Posy’s Reader Group | Website

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Series Review Tour and Giveaway for Shadow Unit Series by Jamie Lynn Miller

 

Shadow Unit Series
 
Book #1 – Broken Soldier Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Rogue Solder Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Hunted Soldier Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Dying Soldier Payhip
 

Series Blurb

Meet Sergeant Connor Finley and Sergeant Shawn Weller – elite covert ops soldiers with Shadow Unit – a joint UK/US anti-terrorism task force.

Connor and Shawn’s harrowing missions take them across the globe from London to Kuala Lumpur to India to Pakistan to Bangladesh and Sierra Leone. Fighting to stem the flow of ever-increasing terror attacks and to protect innocent civilian lives, they battle arms dealers, drug smugglers, biological weapon threats, and a madman hell-bent on revenge, facing death at every turn. Their private lives are fraught with struggles as well, both Connor and Shawn battling personal demons from their past that threaten their future.

Amidst a backdrop of guns, bloodshed and violence, Connor and Shawn’s love and dedication for one another never wavers, standing resolutely side by side, drawing strength from each other to continue their never-ending fight.

August 27 – Making It Happen, Jim’s Reading Room, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, August 29 – MM Good Book Reviews, September 5 – Drops Of Ink, Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, Book Review By Virginia Lee, We Three Queens
 

Author Bio

Jamie Lynn Miller has been writing fiction since childhood and decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2008, finding to her amazement that people truly enjoyed her love stories. She’s a romantic at heart, and her tales reflect the desire we all have to find “the one,” persevering through trials and heartache for that happy ending.

Jamie has a degree in fine arts and has spent the last twenty years working as a graphic designer, though she’d much rather be writing. She was born in Chicago and still lives there today with her husband and their two furry, four-footed children, er… cats.

If she’s not brainstorming story ideas, you can find Jamie at a sci-fi convention, in front of a furnace doing glass blowing, or on a mat twisted into a yoga pose.

Email: jamielynnmiller@live.com
Blog: http://www.jamielynnm.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamielynn.miller.3

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Release Blitz and Giveaway – Burning Fall (Hot Seasons #1) by EJ Smyth

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 31,443 words.

Cover: EJ Smyth

Blurb

Opposites attract, but can they ever work together?

Damien is an ambitious young lawyer. After moving to Germany, he doesn’t expect to feel quite so out of his element. Apart from hating his job, a rumor spreads that he is a homophobe.

To redeem himself, he is put in charge of the firm’s signature event Burning Fall. He has no choice but to hire Yannik, a gorgeous yet unconventional event manager.

But from their first disastrous meeting, everything possible goes wrong.

Can the two men find a way to work together, or will Damien’s career, Yannik’s future, and the most important client event of the year go down in flames?

Find out in this steamy and fun short novel, the first book in Frankfurt Hot Seasons.

Author Bio

Hi there! My name is EJ Smyth, I live in Frankfurt, Germany and I’m passionate about romance. Not luffy-duffy romance, but stories with other elements mixed in. Paranormal romance, romantic thrillers, gay romance, if it’s got two difficult characters finding each other, I’m on board!

I write at my living room table, usually covered with folded laundry because I couldn’t be bothered to tidy before sitting down. And my kids are teenagers, so not much help there either <eye roll>. I do love having them around and I’ve gotten used to writing with a background noise of Grand Theft Auto and teenage histrionics. Maybe that’s why I prefer writing action scenes over descriptive settings! Except for the 18+ scenes which I have to write in a separate room, because, well, embarrassing…

I’m currently working on a series of short stories Keith is Awesome about a young man exploring his sexuality. Not something I’ve ever written before but the research alone was quite a bit of fun Check out my Pinterest account to see my inspiration. I love to talk to my readers, online and offline, so please feel free to drop me a line!

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An Alisa Review: Down to Earth (Directions #2) by Jena Wade

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Everett Surlin longed for the day that his Fated mate finally recognized him. It’d been eight years since he’d first met Matt Jenkins, he’d never imagined it take this long for his mate to realize their connection.

Matt Jenkins had done his best to put his past behind him. The abuse he’d endured as a child stayed locked away inside him, never to be shared with anyone. He’d assumed that as a result of his upbringing, he was broken and he would never have a mate. That didn’t stop him from desiring Everett and wishing that they could be together.

When tragedy strikes, Matt stays at Everett’s side, which just might be the push he needs to discover what had been there all along and a future he never dreamed would be possible.

I enjoyed seeing Matt and Everett build their relationship.  Everett has tried to give Matt the space to hopefully realize what they are to each other but with every passing day it gets harder and harder.  While Everett helps Matt when he is put out of his home, Matt helps him when he loses someone important.

There was a chunk of the book where these two were not together and were pretty much distant “friends” since Everett is so gruff but I could see how he was trying to protect himself if Matt never realized who they were to each other.  Truthfully, I don’t think Matt even realized it until he claimed Everett and then there was explaining to do but they quickly meld their lives together.  I thought this story had bit more depth than the last in the series and they had multiple conflicts to resolve they did it together.

The cover art by Silver Heart Design Studio is nice and follows the style from the previous book

Sales Links: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 127 pages

Published: June 23, 2018

Edition Language: English

Series: Directions #2

Release Tour – Drifting Sands (The Warfield Mysteries #1) by CJ Baty

 

 

 Amazon US | Amazon UK
Available for the first time in Kindle Unlimited

 
Length: 211 Pages
 
Blurb
 

As he approaches his fortieth birthday, Justin Warfield feels alone, drifting like the sand that blows along the beach near his family’s hotel. He has done exactly as his father wanted. Married the right girl and carried on the family tradition of running the Warfield Hotel. On paper things seem perfect, but happiness hasn’t been a part of his life for a very long time.


Marcus Drummond once spent a summer with his best friend Peter at the Warfield Hotel and fell hard for Peter’s much older brother. Five years later he’s back, and this time he hopes that Justin will see him as more than his kid brother’s friend.


Sparks fly when the two meet again, but there are a few things standing in their way. The closet that Justin has himself buried in and someone on a killing spree, dumping bodies on the Warfield beach . . . victims that indicate Justin may be involved in some way.


Author Bio


C. J. Baty lives in southwest Ohio. Her heart, however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.


The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to fan fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.


She has a loving and supportive family who don’t mind fixing their own meals when she is in the middle of a story, and a network of friends who have encouraged and cheered her on in her quest of being an author.


One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is: “You are never too old to follow your dream!”


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New Release Book Blitz for Looking Forward by Michael Bailey (excerpt and giveaway)

 Looking Forward RDB Banner

Looking Forward

Michael Bailey

Gay Fiction

258 Pages

Release Date: 08.22.18

Looking Forward Cover 

 

Cover Design: Jay Aheer

Looking Forward Graphic

BLURB:

Owen Hannity was nineteen when he lost almost everyone he thought he could trust. Each loss more painful than the last.

With the unwavering support of his best friend, Andy, Owen put the pieces of his life back together. Now, more than two decades later, Owen owns and operates a successful comic shop. Despite his modicum of success, he still feels like a shell of a man, carrying the emotional scars from his past.

Without warning, Owen’s past returns. Secrets come to light. Secrets that could either destroy Owen or finally give him the strength to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about Andy, himself, and the way in which he views the world.

To see that he is truly worthy of loving himself and finally begin…

…Looking Forward.

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Mwajgw

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2PA2FPM

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2w8oyhc

Looking Forward Teaser 1

Looking Forward Teaser 2 

EXCERPT

I extended my hand for him to shake.  He gave it an odd look, like he wasn’t understanding what I was doing.  He gently batted it away. He laid his hands on my shoulders, and looked at me, almost like he was asking for permission.  I shivered, either from the cold or the look he gave, I couldn’t tell.  He pulled me to him, wrapped his arms around me, and held me tight.  On instinct, I did the same.

My head was spinning with questions, but I pushed them away.  There would be plenty of time for questions later, much later.  Now was about being held, feeling his arms around me and memorizing as many details as possible.

I don’t know how long we stood like that, wrapped in each other’s arms with my drunk friend and his sister passed out in the car.  Time seemed to stand still, and I found myself living in that moment, in that bubble, and in his arms.  I don’t know if he realized at the time, but I breathed him in, studying the scent that I somehow knew to be uniquely his, vanilla and pine.

He loosened his hold and kissed the top of my head again, and for a moment I wondered why.  There was no one around to impress, no one he had to demonstrate to that I was his.  That kiss sent a warmth radiating through me, deeper than the one in the bar.

He pulled away slightly and looked down as if he were studying me.  I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was doing the same.  Maybe I would see him before he left, and maybe I wouldn’t, I didn’t know.  I did know, however, that something like this had never happened to me before, and I was determined to remember every detail.

Finally, he cleared his throat.  “I should go.”

No! my brain screamed.  Stay!

“Yeah.  Okay.  You should.”

He pulled away.  “I hope to see you before I go.”

My brain was still playing catch-up.  My throat felt constricted, and it was suddenly hard to breathe. “Me too.”

For the same reasons?  I couldn’t be sure.  I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m the oldest of three, from the Glass Capital of the world, Toledo Ohio.

Don’t laugh too hard.

I’ve dreamed of writing since I was eleven years old when I wrote a truly awful Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. It sold exactly zero copies. I think my mother may have a copy lying around somewhere. Mothers keep that kind of thing.

Through junior high and high school, I wrote a number of short stories, one actually published in the first (and only) issue of his high school’s literary magazine.

Life took control shortly thereafter, as it often does, and the dream of writing was put on hold. Then, in November of 2016, I took a leap of faith, and began writing my first novel as part of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition. The goal of the competition is to write a 50,000-word novel in a thirty-day period.

I failed.

However, on the advice of a friend, I “pushed through”. And so, in September of 2017, my first novel was published.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015119775212

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6949227-michael

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mikel71670/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Mikel701

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A MelanieM Review: Pretty Man by Ryan Field

Rating:  2 stars out of  5

Roland Marcus, still not over the fact that his twenty year relationship has ended, accidentally bumps into a hot young guy in a used book store…a strapping male hustler whom he decides to hire for one week to accompany him to charity events while he’s in New York. He offers him five thousand dollars, with no strings attached, to just stand by his side and look pretty.

Josh Holden, a young guy who is helping to support his son and saving money to buy a business with his best friend and ex-wife, is only too happy to escort Roland anywhere he wants to go that week. And he’s not doing it just for the money…

Unlike most stories, where the rich and powerful husband dumps the hard working, devoted life partner for someone younger, this one takes a turn in the opposite direction when the rich husband is the one to get dumped. But with young Josh’s help, Roland learns in less than a week’s time that his future can still hold both earth-shattering sex and a love of real substance.

I admit it. I love the movie Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.  I can visualize scenes based on a laugh and a clap of a jewelry box.  The sight of a outside escape ladder on a building will immediately call up memories of that ending where he heads up the ladder and she tells him that the fair maiden rescue’s the Knight right back.  Swoon!  Because of course, that’s the point.  She rescued him just as much as he did her.  There was an odd vulnerability on both parts and a toughness.  A relationship we could give our hearts too.

All of which is what’s missing here.

Ryan Field says in his introduction that he wants to write happy gay romances because there was none in the 20th century for him to read.  And while I may quibble about his timeline, I get his point.  Field goes on to say that’s why he writes today, to insure that there’s happy romances for others like him to read and enjoy.  Again, terrific.  But he seems to be making a career of rewriting  classic romantic movies with  M/M roles (An Officer and His Gentleman, When Harry Met Sal, Sleepless In San Francisco).  It seems like a cute idea but if Pretty Man is any indication he’s missing the point of (at least) why these movies are so popular.

In Pretty Man, he left out most of the elements that made the movie so wonderful and the characters so likable. If in fact you are going  to emulate a dearly loved movie, than at least know why that movie worked. Understand the chemistry between the characters, the difference in stations and why that romance sticks with people no matter the decade.  I’ll give you a clue.  It wasn’t because the power was one sided.  As it is here all the way to the end.  Roland rescues, and rescues, and rescues.  Josh continually needs saving.  Plus there was an actual relationship there.

In fact, most of the book has so many sex scenes that any relationship development is all but forgotten.  Why does  Roland go after Josh?  Well, Field makes it sound like it’s because Josh is a pretty good looking man and the sex is great, torn jeans and all.  There’s no “rescuing back” here.  No give and take.  That’s completely lost.   In fact all the characters have little depth, even the storyline seems so light as to have been constructed of cotton candy.

So, no Pretty Man didn’t do it for me.  I think I be honest I’ll have to see what other things this author has written that aren’t associated with movies but perhaps are based more on original concepts and see how that goes.  In my opinion this was a cute idea but just didn’t work out in an actual story.

Cover art is cute but doesn’t accurately portray both characters as Roland is much older than Josh

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 2nd edition, 169 pages
Published August 10th 2018 by Riverdale Avenue Books (first published 2009)
Original TitlePretty man
ASINB07GCVBY1S
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersJosh Holden, Roland Marcus settingUnited States of America