Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Easy Evenings (Mangrove Stories #4) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Continuing in the Mangrove series, Mary Calmes brings us the story of Lazlo Maguire, part time rent boy, part time Mangrove Florida business owner, and his lost love, Attorney Britton Lassiter.

Readers of the series may recall that Laz’s best friend, Mia, had decided to expand her law practice by bringing on a new attorney—an attorney whose name happens to be the same as the man Laz once loved but refused to give up his escort career for. Well, Laz’s worst fears are realized when it turns out that Britton is one and the same, and he no longer wants Laz. In fact, he’s put out a restraining order against him.

Lazlo Maguire works as an escort in NYC for six months of every year then heads to Mangrove, Florida for the rest of the year where he hones his metalworking craft and sells his unique sculptures to townsfolk, and collectors. He’d love to do this work full time, but he’s supporting his mother and sister, ungrateful though they may be, and he can’t afford to do that without the money he makes as a rent boy.

The only time he’d ever let his guard down was with Britton Lassiter, a gorgeous work-driven attorney who found that Laz was the only person who could meet his needs and get him to relax. Laz never acted as his escort; they met on an even playing field and fell in love. Unfortunately, Laz felt he couldn’t put himself first due to his need to support his family, and he broke Britton’s heart when he left town. No wonder Britton is hurt when he sees Laz again—he thinks Laz followed him to Florida but is going to run off again.

Enter one sweet three-year-old girl and the attorney escorting her who informs Laz that he is not only a father, but he now has custody of his child since her mother passed away. After the initial chaotic feelings run rampant through his system, he wholeheartedly embraces being a father. First stop is to his friend Mia’s law office so that he can get an ironclad agreement that once Kitty is his, she can’t be taken away. And who happens to be working that day instead of Mia? Britton, of course. Despite his antipathy toward Laz, Britton helps him with Kitty, and that action proves to be the first step toward getting back together with his lover.

The two men find themselves revealing their hurts, their past misunderstandings, and their innermost feelings, and they very quickly realize that the only way forward for either of them is together.

This is a fairly short story, no more than a novella length, but it’s typical Mary Calmes in that there’s hot, hot sex scenes, heartwarming love declarations, and a touch of alpha action in the bedroom—this time from the physically smaller man. There were some instances and experiences in the story that I felt required a stretch of my imagination, and I would have loved to have had the time to explore more about their past and to have allowed more time for Britton and Laz to get back together, but that wouldn’t have been possible with the length of this book.

Overall, I found this MM romance very satisfying and sweet. It would be an excellent beach read or the book you’d want to curl up with on a cold winter day.

~~~
Cover Art by Resse Dante is very bright and colorful, depicting a young man smoking a cigarette while leaning on his deck which overlooks dense Florida greenery. Though attractive, I don’t feel the cover represents the character as portrayed in the story. It looks more like what Laz may have been before the story started, but nothing like the Laz depicted as a young father in this book.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 77 pages
Expected publication: November 18th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634765915 (ISBN13: 9781634765916)
edition languageEnglish

Series Mangrove Stories with links to our reviews:

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Stranded by HelenKay Dimon

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

What happens when two hired assassins who each believe the other is dead find out they’re not? Lots of anger, lots of action, lots of sex, and then more anger.

Cabe nearly died when the mission he was on to release a kidnapped woman fell apart, and the man he was trying to bring down was able to trace the names of all those involved in the mission. When he’s finally hunted down and faces the barrel of a gun, it’s his lover who pulls the trigger. Betrayed and hurt, Cabe’s current goal is to find Brax Hughes and bring him down.

Cabe arrives at a remote cabin in Alaska, sent there by his boss on a last mission before he retires. His boss claims he’s the only man who can get the code from the man holed up in the cabin, so imagine Cabe’s surprise when the man turns out to be his former lover. Brax pulled some strings to get his former boss to help him set up this meeting with Cabe in a very remote area of Alaska. He figures he has only a few days to convince Cabe that he planned to shoot him to save his life, and he never intended to kill him. He also hopes to win Cabe’s heart and convince him of how much Brax loves him.

But when another of the boss’s operatives shows up, and Brax agrees, behind Cabe’s back, to keep the operative’s presence hidden, he’s actually sealing the deal on Cabe never being able to believe Brax is capable of telling the truth. The two go around and around with the shame and blame, he said-he said, and they have lots of sex—hard, punishing sex. They don’t demonstrate the love they supposedly feel, and Brax continues to screw up to the point where Cabe finds out about the latest deceptions, and it’s doubtful he can ever forgive Brax.

This story was okay, some of it even good, but I didn’t care for the alpha man, angry sex scenes over and over again. Nor did I like their backstory. It was complex and complicated, and with the number of times that either one or both found out the other had been deceiving them, it became difficult to follow. And, although the setup was there for an assassin to attempt to kill them while at the cabin, and certainly both were hated by many enemies, there was no shoot ’em up action in the story at all, making it feel incomplete.

On a positive note, most of the later action in the story takes place around Christmas, and there is indeed a HEA to bring a warm holiday note to the finale. I would recommend this to those who like stories of assassins, spies and mercenaries and big, beautiful men fighting it out for mastery of their relationship. In fact, with the added bonus of the Christmas season in this story, it would be a good stocking stuffer for friends who like that type of story.

~~~
Cover Art by LC Chase features a handsome man in winter gear standing against a background of snow-covered trees. This is a nice representation of the MC in the story.

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

Book Details:

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-363-6
eBook release: Nov 23, 2015
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-364-3
Print release: Nov 23, 2015
Word count: ~41,000,Page count: ~155

This title is part of the Love for the Holidays: A Charity Bundle Benefiting the GLBT National Help Center collection. Check out the collection discount! – See more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/stranded#sthash.z3PXwBF8.dpuf
Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website:glbthotline.org

Coffee Sip and Book Break with Elizabeth Wilde of Defiant Loyalties by Elizabeth Wilde (interview,excerpt and giveaway)

Defiant Loyalties by Elizabeth Wilde
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: November 23, 2015

Purchase Links: NineStar Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Elizabeth Wilde here today to talk about Defiant Loyalties and tell us a little bit about herself and the writing experience. Welcome, Elizabeth!

Hello! I’m thrilled to be here for my very first ever guest post/novel/you name it. Defiant Loyalties is my debut.
It’s not every day—or any day—you get to reach out to people like this, so whilst I was scrabbling to come up with something interesting to say, a thought struck me. Quite simply, I’m petrified!

I never expected the actual writing of this book to be the easy part.

Defiant Loyalties is the story of Jack Preston, the son of a corrupt politician, as he fights for the things he deserves: love, freedom, peace of mind. He’s thrown headlong into the world of mysterious assassin Alex, often by his own stubborn and curious nature, and together they must navigate the colliding of those worlds, the risks they’re willing to take.

Now I am no Jack Preston, but I feel a little thrown headlong into a new world myself—my own stubborn and curious nature notwithstanding.

Going from a fairly unassuming job to publishing something feels like a huge step. So huge, in fact, that I still can’t buy it, even though it’s happening to me right this minute.

The other day someone told me I seemed surprisingly nonchalant about the whole affair. Apparently, I have an amazing poker face because what I’m actually experiencing is more akin to internal silent terror—with a touch of excitement, which comes and goes depending on the day. It’s a strange combination, like riding up the chain of a rollercoaster, approaching that first hill. Surreal and out of your control, the only way forward is barreling down at eighty miles per hour screaming.

Perhaps that’s a good thing, though. This awestruck fear keeps me appreciating this opportunity, remembering that nothing is ever certain in this world, and that when good things come along, to grab on with both hands and make the absolute most of it.

Book Blurb

All Jack Preston has ever wanted is freedom: from his father’s oppressive political reign, from his mother’s dying memory, from his own guilt in the part he’s played to get George Preston to the top. When an assassination attempt is made on his father’s life, Jack is thrown into a dangerous game of lies and espionage, and as his whole world destabilizes, he finds himself turning to the most unlikely person for help.

Alex—the assassin who started it all; the man whose face haunts Jack’s dreams—becomes his only ally. As they come together to fight a bigger enemy, Jack’s attraction becomes a risk too large to take and too powerful not to. Will falling in love with a dangerous killer play right into his enemy’s hands? Or will Alex risk everything to protect the son of the man he was sent to murder? Loyalties will be tested and sacrifices made, but Jack will learn that some things are truly worth fighting for.

Genre: Gay, Romantic Suspense
Pairing: M/M
Length: Novel

Excerpt

He approaches the thoroughfare in a daze, drugged off the powerful sensation of gravity tugging him home, and the shadowy figure he spots halfway down doesn’t concern him for half a minute or so while he happily indulges himself.
Until suddenly it does.
His steps falter but don’t stop, axis of gravity abruptly shifted, and now Jack’s walking toward the figure instead, in the grip of some terrible, warped sense of inevitability with his heart rate kicking up.
His boots against the ground feel like a march, and he finds he’s angry. Fraught with fear, yeah, but angry nonetheless. Worse, it’s a petty anger, a kind of outrage that’s got him thinking how dare you even though he’s almost positive he brought this one on himself.
The figure stands with his stance wide and easy and his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, casual as anything. He’s wearing All Stars and Jack has to be fucking hallucinating right now, spent too long obsessing over this with no exposure to the outside world to ground him.
The figure tells Jack, “Hey,” thoroughly doing away with that notion.
“Hey?”
The Goddamn assassin raises his eyebrows. “It’s a term of greeting.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jack snaps. “Gotta say, it’s a massive improvement from your first one.”
The guy shrugs a shoulder, mouth quirking up at one corner, and fuck, Jack had somehow forgotten how striking he was. Under the sodium lampposts, standing against the gray-shaded sugar maples, he’s almost otherworldly—or maybe that’s just Jack’s abused brain whirring, fever-pitched imagination running wild with him like a kid let out for the first time on its own.
“Is this it, then?” Jack goes on, still dripping in sarcasm. “Time to say my prayers?”
“Walk with me?”
Jack does an honest-to-God spit-take, levelling a glare. “Walk with you.”
“You can keep repeating what I say if you like.”
Jack does, thanks. “Walk with you?”
“You haven’t gone running to your armed guard for help,” he points out and then, with a quiet weight, “It’s important.”
I’m sorry about this. Jack hears it over and over, a litany always inhabiting him, and this man had stood in his father’s study with a gun, apologizing for a murder he was a split-second away from committing. Two days ago he’d handed Jack a threatening note, flirting with him while he did it.
Jack shakes his head. He wrenches himself away, one, two steps, turning his back on the face that’s been dogging him for a week now because if he doesn’t—
“Jack.”
If he doesn’t, Jack’s going to do something like fucking walk with him.
Back still turned, Jack states the very obvious. “You know my name.”
“Lotta people know your name. Your real one, anyway.”
He spins at that. “How did you—”
“This is important,” the man repeats gravely, but there’s still an easiness to his stance, a kind of open appeal. He’s drawing Jack in just like the flirting; good at his job, Jack thinks dizzily.
“Tell me your name, first.”
He doesn’t answer right away, sound of nothing but the trees swaying while he looks up at Jack with his head tipped down—really good at his job, then. There’s a definite reluctance there, but beyond that, Jack really can’t guess what he’s thinking; maybe games of chess in his head, working out moves and countermoves, assessing Jack for danger.
“Alex.”
Jack tries it out in his mouth—“Alex”—and finds it suits him whether it’s real or not. “Fine, Alex, let’s walk.”
Alex cocks his head, gesturing to the end of the thoroughfare so Jack supposes they’re heading away from the house and out into the city. A small mercy, at least.
They fall into step, Alex tossing Jack curious little sideways glances but otherwise staying perfectly quiet, until they come out onto the boulevard and under the open night sky, clear except for the spotty clouds moving time-lapse fast in the lower atmosphere.
There, Alex belatedly speaks. “You’ve been drawing attention to yourself.”
“That an art pun?”
Another curious glance and Jack stays looking resolutely forward; he’s really not sure indulging himself or this guy is the right thing to do.
“Maybe. Thanks for the sketch, by the way.”
“Oddly polite for someone who handed me a threat in return.”
“Which you didn’t take seriously.”
“So that is why you’re here, because I googled some asshole judge?”
“Look, Jack—”
Jack immediately bristles. “Why am I drawing attention to myself? What’s so important that you gotta follow me around town and spirit me away into the night like this, after you—after you tried to fucking—”
“I was sent to give you the note,” Alex interrupts, carefully placing every syllable like they’re practiced. “I wasn’t sent tonight.”
Jack turns his head, trying to get some sort of equal footing here. “And what does that mean?”
“I’m trying to help you.”

About the Author

Author Bio
Elizabeth is a debut author from the north of England. With a long-time passion for writing, at eight years old she attempted to write and illustrated her very own Goosebumps books, as well as an ongoing series of solve-it-yourself mysteries, and several stories about a single lady living her life with an unfortunate perm. One day she hopes that practice will pay off, but until then she’s been recently adopted by two cats and gets by working for the government.
Email: libbydwilde@hotmail.com
Website: http://elizabethdwilde.wordpress.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/elizabethdwilde

Giveaway

NineStar Press is hosting a Rafflecopter Giveaway to run for the duration of the tour. Prizes will include a $10 Amazon Gift Card and a credit for a free book from the NineStar Press website. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by NineStar Press.

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Coffee Sip and Book Break with ‘Black Lace’ by LJ Hamlin (excerpt and giveaway)

Black Lace by L.J. Hamlin
Release Date: November 18, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Blurb

Jed Chance is the lead singer of Black Lace, a very successful rock band. It’s gone through a few lineup changes: first, Jed was outed by a former bandmate, and now they’re looking for another new member. That’s when Donnie comes to audition.

Donnie is ten years younger than Jed, and he’s beautiful, with a complicated past. He instantly gets a crush on Jed, but is afraid to act on it. Still, Jed and Donnie can’t keep away from each other. But getting together isn’t their only problem: Jed has attracted a dangerous stalker, who means to do Jed serious harm.

Pages or Words: 36,000 words
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Mystery, Romance

Excerpt

Reading about yourself on the Internet might be a bad idea — masochistic even — but during the audition break, Jed has the urge to see the latest gossip. He’s found an article that starts with a recap of Black Lace’s history; his history.

Lead singer of Black Lace, Jed Chance, shocked the world when he confirmed that he is, in fact, gay. Rumors started when ex-Black Lace member Bert Goode sold his story about his affair with the married man.

Jed winces, because it hadn’t been that simple, and because Bert’s betrayal still hurts, even though it’s been nine years. Jed skips over the speculation of why he’d played it straight, marrying Jamie Pierce, his now ex-wife and manager.

At the time, it seemed like the scandal would be the end of Black Lace, but two years after they went on “hiatus” the band was back with a new guitarist, and a new attitude. Mrs. Cherry Lee was a welcome addition to the band, and a breath of fresh air. The once great rock band was back again, delivering some memorable music.

But now Cherry Lee has retired from the band to spend more time with her family, having given birth to three children during her seven years in the band. Cherry Lee and the rest of her bandmates all claim to be parting on good terms. But what this reporter wants to know is what will happen to Black Lace now that Cherry Lee is gone.

The band’s record company claims this isn’t the end of Black Lace; there will be another tour soon and even a new album. Who will step into Cherry Lee’s shoes? And will it be the same? Better? Worse? Watch this space.

Buy the book: Torquere Books

Meet the Author

L.J. Hamlin is a twenty-something (getting older every day) author, who has been writing all her life, mainly in notebooks no one else ever saw. Then she discovered M/M groups online and was encouraged by friends to share her stories. After a while (and with a lot of pushing) she grew brave enough to attempt getting published. Now she shares her stories with others and hopes never to stop. L.J. loves cats and pretty much all animals, is a collector of many things, often weird, but most of all books.

Where to find the author:

Blog: https://www.blogger.com/profile/02717576317697299159
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L.j.hamlin91
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/lizibabes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LjHamlin

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, The Hat Party, A.M. Leibowitz, BFD Book Blog, Divine Magazine, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Chris McHart, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, 3 Chicks After Dark, Book Lovers 4Ever, Velvet Panic, V’s Reads, MM Good Book Reviews

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Black Lace’ by L.J. Hamlin. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Contemporary Spotlight: Becca Burton ‘Something Like A Love Song’ (excerpt and giveaway)

Something Like a Love Song by Becca Burton
Release Date: November 19, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: C.B. Messer

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Becca Burton, author of Something Like a Love Song. Hi Becca, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Thank you for having me. Something Like a Love Song is my first novel, a story about two long time boyfriends who find themselves facing a life changing tragedy and have to find the courage and love for each other to fight through.

While this is my first novel, I have posted many stories online, and have been writing ever since I learned how. I currently work as a nurse in a Neonatal ICU, and medicine has been a big interest in my life, and always seems to find a way into my writing. I am passionate about diverse, LGBTQ fiction, and am very excited to contribute to this genre.

What genre is your book and what drew you to this genre?

Something Like a Love Song is a LGBTQA fiction story. As a member of the community, I believe there are so many stories still to be told in this genre. LGBTQA fiction is just as rich as any other genre, and I believe it has so much to offer, and I’m so excited to be a part of it.

How many days a week do you write?

Working as a nurse, I can be pretty busy and tired on the days that I work, but I try and write when I’m not working. I make a goal to write at least a few days a week, and often try to make myself go to a coffee shop or a library where I can focus on my writing, but I am trying to be more diligent and go more often!

On average, how long does it take to write a book?

Something Like a Love Song is the only book I’ve officially finished, and it took me a few months to write, not factoring in editing time. I think with practice and learning how to better outline, I could probably decrease the time it takes me.

Do you have a trailer for your book? If yes, give us the link. If not, do you think you’d like to have one done at some point?

I don’t have one, but it would absolutely love and feel so honored if I had one at some point. Even if it wasn’t for this one, but a future novel, that would incredible. I’ve seen some amazing trailers for books, and I think it’s such an interesting medium to engage readers, I would love to try it sometime!

If I could be a character in a book, I would be _______?

Oh, this is a tough one. Well, I think it’s almost a given that I am Cather from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but that one is too easy. I think I would love to be more like Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, because she’s such a stunning, intelligent girl, and such and amazing role model for young girls. If I could be even close to the caliber of awesome that Hermione is, I would be very happy!

Blurb

One tragic night left Landon and Dylan’s dreams of happily ever after in apparent ruin. Forced to overcome physical and emotional trauma, the young lovers turn to a network of family and friends as they attempt to rebuild their lives. But can their one constant—their love—survive the changes both undergo on the road to recovery?

Pages or Words: 308 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

Landon’s bed is in the center of the room, and Dylan’s heart begins to pound in his chest as he takes a step forward, hesitates. Landon looks so small, tucked into the middle of the bed, and everything about the scene is unnatural and wrong. His head is wrapped with thick bandages, for which Dylan is grateful—he isn’t sure he could handle that. Just the thought of what’s happening to Landon, to his fiancé, is enough to make his throat constrict, his chest tighten.

A ventilator tube parts Landon’s lips, and his chest rises and falls in equal, rhythmic whirrs. IVs line his arms; the wires snake from under his hospital gown. His freckles stand out starkly against the unnatural pale hue of his skin, except where the deep purple of a bruise creeps from under the bandages and swells down to his left cheekbone. It seems impossible that only hours ago they were laughing in the park, holding hands and eating ice cream from the small corner stand; it’s like some distant memory, a fading dream. But the ache deep in Dylan’s chest, the way his stomach is knotting itself, the too-clean smell of the hospital burning his nose, Landon’s face, battered and bruised—Dylan can’t look away—all this is too real to be a dream, no matter how badly Dylan wants to just wake up, wants all this to go away and everything to be okay.

“You can touch him, if you want,” Brittany says, her voice soft. “We need to make sure to reduce extra stimulation, to allow his brain time to recover, but it’s okay to hold his hand.”

Dylan looks up at her. Her smile is kind and understanding. Then he turns back to Landon and takes a small step forward. Landon’s hand is right there, resting above the covers, and Dylan doesn’t know why he’s so nervous; he’s held Landon’s hand more times than he could begin to count. But, surrounded by machines and tubes, Landon has never looked so utterly fragile, as if he could shatter at the lightest touch.

“It’s okay,” Brittany says from behind him, and Dylan squeezes his eyes shut, tears pricking behind his eyelids. “You won’t hurt him.”

Landon’s skin is cold; his hand is unnaturally still. Even in sleep Landon’s hand would always find Dylan’s, their fingers would curl together like a reflex.

Not now.

“I’m so sorry,” Dylan whispers, holding on a little tighter. “I’m so…”

His voice catches, the words bottling up in his throat, unable to escape. Landon’s chest rises, falls, in, out.

In, out.

“You’re so hurt, and it’s my fault,” Dylan manages, his voice barely audible above the machines keeping Landon alive. “It’s all my fault and I’m…” He exhales slowly. “I’m so sorry.”

He swipes his thumb across Landon’s knuckles, over the dips and grooves, and vaguely notes that Brittany has left them alone. He sinks down into the small chair beside the bed, not letting go of Landon’s hand.

“You need to fight, okay? I need you here, with me, and I can’t…” There’s nothing left inside him except an empty, hollow feeling and the knowledge that Landon can’t hear him. Landon’s engagement ring is in a dish on a table beside the bed, along with his watch, and Dylan fishes them out and tucks them into his pocket.

Buy the book:

IP Web Store: store.interludepress.com

Amazon | Smashwords | Apple iBook Store

Meet the author:

Becca Burton penned her first Nancy Drew fan fiction at the age of nine and has been an avid writer ever since. Currently working as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse, Becca is a recent Oregon transplant from the Midwest. Becca has a weakness for coffee, the smell of old books, rainy days and her cat, Luna. Something Like a Love Song is her first novel.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: facebook.com/missbeccaburton;
Twitter: @missbeccaburton

Tour Dates & Stops:

19-Nov: Lee Brazil, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Velvet Panic, It’s Raining Men, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Hearts on Fire

20-Nov: Three Books Over The Rainbow, Mikky’s World of Books, Happily Ever Chapter

23-Nov: Jessie G. Books, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Michael Mandrake, Boys on the Brink Reviews

24-Nov: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Divine Magazine

25-Nov: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, MM Good Book Reviews

26-Nov: Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog

27-Nov: Alpha Book Club, The Blogger Girls, Elaine White

30-Nov: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Dawn’s Reading Nook, QUEERcentric Books, Love Bytes

1-Dec: My Fiction Nook, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

2-Dec: Gay Media Reviews, Just Love Romance, Inked Rainbow Reads, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize: $25.00 Interlude Press Gift Card. First Prize: 5 e-copies of ‘Something Like a Love Song’. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Good luck and happy reading.

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Will & Patrick Are Back in Will & Patrick Do the Holidays by Leta Blake & Alice Griffiths (contest)

Will & Patrick Do the Holidays (Wake Up Married, Episode 3)
Author: Leta Blake & Alice Griffiths
Publisher: Leta Blake Books

Release Date: November 23, 2015

Book/Buy Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

Book Blurb

Follow Will & Patrick as they do the holidays in this third installment of the romantic-comedy serial, Wake Up Married, by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!

A couple’s first holiday season is always a special time. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are magical when you’re in love. Too bad Will and Patrick’s marriage is a sham and they’re only faking their affection for each other. Or are they?

Sparks fly in this episode of the Wake Up Married serial. Will the sexual tension between Will and Patrick finally explode in a needy night of passion? Or will they continue to deny their feelings?

Episode 3 of 6 in the Wake Up Married serial.
Length: 117 Pages
Pairing: M/M, Heat Level: 5!!!! Super hot!!

Excerpt

“Ah, the acrid smell of insulin in the morning.” Patrick’s voice is still gravelly from sleep as he turns on the shower and pulls down his black boxer-briefs revealing his tight ass.

Will looks quickly away and back to the syringe he’s filling by the bathroom sink. “I can never get the last dose to eject from the insulin pens. I always have to pull it out with a needle.”

“After living with you, I have an entire list of ways they can improve insulin pen injectors.”

“I should have my lawyer queue up an appointment for you with the pharmaceutical company.”

“You do that, puddin’-pop, and I’ll be there with a PowerPoint presentation. It’ll consist of four words over and over. ‘Do your damn job.’ If pushed, I might throw in a ‘Don’t make me do it for you’ as a closing argument.”

Will pinches a bit of fat from his abdomen and sticks himself quickly. He’s done this for years, but he never stops hating it. Especially syringes. They’re somehow worse than the insulin pens. “I’ll ask Owen to make that happen.”

Patrick snorts from behind the curtain. Will glances over and heat floods his gut as he notices the shadow outline of Patrick’s morning wood. “Oh, um, let me just—” He hustles to deal with the used needle and ends up dropping the syringe in the sink. The scent of insulin grows stronger. “Why does it smell like Band-Aids?” Will muses as he finally gets rid of the used needle and cleans up the syringe, tossing the now-empty insulin pen.

“It’s the preservative. Meta-cresol,” Patrick says. “Mmm, so clinical. So sexy.”

“And you’re so weird.”

“Nothing like the smell of a hospital to get my motor running.”

Will glances back at Patrick’s shadow behind the shower curtain. He’s still got a half chub flopping around as he washes his hair. Will clears his throat.

“Have you considered an insulin pump?” Patrick asks.

Will tries to drag his mind from Patrick’s erection. “I don’t want one.”

“Because?”

“I don’t like the idea of having something attached to me. All the time. Something I have to rely on to do its job.”

“You trust insulin pens have the right dosage, that the dial works, that they’re—“

“I know, Patrick. But I have the right to my own preferences when it comes to my medical treatment.”

“Fair enough. So what’s the deal with your daddy?” Patrick asks sans segue.

“What are you talking about?” Will packs up his testing kit and uses a black marker he keeps in his murse to make a dot on the back of his left hand. He can’t forget to drop by the pharmacy and pick up his replacement insulin pens.

“Papa Molinaro. What’s the deal with him and the holidays? He wasn’t around for Thanksgiving. Will he be dropping down the chimney on Christmas Eve with a bag full of presents for you and a nice hard dick for your mommy? Or what?”

Will rolls his eyes. “Thanks for that image.”

“You’re welcome.”

“He spends Christmas with his daughters. Or at least he used to. I don’t keep in touch with him.”

“Ah, the half siblings you’ve never met. So, no Christmas phone call from Papa?”

“No.” Will feels the familiar hot, impatient squirm of nastiness in his gut. Conversations about his father usually bring it on.

“No Christmas card stuffed with cash?”

“No card, no text, no Skype, no email.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“He’s obsessed enough with you to have you followed by mobster spies but he can’t pick up a phone. At best, that’s inefficient.”

“At worst?”

“At worst, Starshine, you have a deeply dysfunctional father/son relationship.”

“Wow. You really are a genius.”

Patrick barks a laugh and then begins to hum the new Madonna song he’s been singing off and on for the last two days.

“That’s still stuck in your head, huh?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Better than ‘We Three Kings’ mixed with ‘Scarborough Fair,’” Will mutters. Finished with his morning insulin rituals, he starts the water in the sink to begin his shaving routine. “Tony doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do, and being a reliable member of our family was never something he was good at.”

“When did you last see him?”

“It’s been three years. It can be ten more for all I care.” Will pumps shaving cream into his hand and smears it on his face. “He sweeps in on a whim, wreaks havoc on our lives, and sweeps out again.”

Patrick is quiet behind the curtain and Will glances over to see that he’s rinsing out his hair.

“There’s no pattern, unless you count my mom getting serious with anyone. As soon as my dad gets wind of her being happy with someone else, he has to come to town and wreck it.”

“With his dick.”

Will sighs. “Everything’s about sex for you, isn’t it?”

“Nope. A lot of things. But not everything.” He turns off the water and throws back the curtain. Will averts his eyes quickly, but his hands are already shaking enough that he’s not sure he should be trusted to shave himself. Patrick goes on. “But it’s all about sex between your parents. The Hurting Times churns with scintillating tales of your mom inappropriately hopping on your dad’s pole.”

“Like you know anything about ‘inappropriate’.”

Patrick laughs. “Like I know about that time they banged in the bathroom at some old lady’s funeral. The Hurting Times forum had pages dedicated to that one.”

Will’s ears grow hot.

“And, hey, for the record, even I know a funeral home toilet is a bad place for sex. Public bathrooms are tourist destinations for germs.” He shudders and slings a towel around his hips, thankfully covering his dangling dick. “It’s not sanitary.”

“You are such a jerk.”

“So you tell me.” Patrick grabs a hairbrush and runs it through his wet hair. The dark auburn looks almost brown and glistens brightly in the overhead bathroom lights. “There’s evidence of a genetic component to addiction.” Patrick’s eyes go foggy as he muses, “But is it addiction or abuse? Both probably.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You, mainly. But I’m also talking about them. If The Hurting Times gossip about the two of them is even half true, they are their own kind of addicts. Addicted to each other. Addicted to sex. Addicted to falling in love. Especially your mother. But it’s possible your father uses the intense sexual connection between them as abuse.”

“I…” Will’s fingers clutch at the razor and he drags it against his skin carefully. “I didn’t think you believed in psychology mumbo-jumbo.”

“I don’t believe in spiritual mumbo-jumbo. And, yes, psychology is a lot of bull-honky, but as a neurologist, I can’t deny that thoughts and experiences have physical effects on brain tissue. Dubious and whoo-hoo as most psychological theories seem compared with hard science. What’s your dad’s sign?”

“Really?”

Patrick shrugs and sidles up next to Will at the sink, examining his own face in the mirror.

Will sighs. “Early November. So, what’s that? Scorpio?”

“Ah. And your mother’s a Scorpio too.”

“How do you know? The Hurting Times again?”

“I know because I’ve met her.”

Patrick’s arm slides against his as he reaches for the can of shaving cream. Will moves slightly to the side but Patrick just scoots closer. Will can smell soap on his skin and shampoo in his hair. He wonders what those curls would feel like slick and wet under his fingers.

Patrick rubs on shaving cream and reaches for his razor. His naked chest slides against Will’s bicep.

Will tries to concentrate on shaving, but Patrick’s reflection in the mirror is distracting. His normally pale skin is flushed from the shower and his nipples are pink and peaked. Will clears his throat and scrapes his razor over his face again.

“Addiction,” Patrick muses on. “You didn’t stumble into that on your own. You drink…and your parents screw. That’s how these genes play out. And with both of them being Scorpios…”

Patrick’s arm rubs against him, and Will clicks his tongue against his teeth. Between this touching and Patrick’s speculation about his parents’ sex life, Will can’t tell if he’s going to pop an inconvenient boner or if his balls are going to shrivel up into his body.

“Two Scorpios can burn down a barn from the heat of their mutual orgasms.”

Ball-shriveling wins out. “Okay, well, this conversation has covered everything I never wanted to think about. I’m going to be late to work.”

Patrick studies Will in the mirror.

Will wipes his face clean of cream, decides not to care that he’s got one stripe of shiny skin on an otherwise stubbly face, and, grabbing his murse, leaves the sink to Patrick.

He dresses quickly. He really is going to be late. Not that anyone at Good Works would say anything to him.

“Do you have surgery scheduled?” Will calls out as he slides his wallet into his back pocket and hitches his bag on his shoulder.

“No.”

“Meet you here tonight?”

“Will there be more Capheus?”

“Yes. And more Lito.”

“It’s a TV date with the hubby, then,” Patrick says, stepping out into the room with his sharp grin in place.

The hubby.

“First person home calls room service,” Patrick adds. “Order stuff we both like. We can share.”

“Deal.”

“Oh, and Will? For the record, you’d still be hot even if you wore an insulin pump.”

“Thanks. But I’ll stick with the pens.”

Walking out of the pharmacy twenty minutes later with his new insulin pens, Will wonders what kind of sex Libras and Aries are supposed to have. You already know the answer to that. Hot enough to burn down a barn.

“God, just stop.”

He rubs a hand over his hair and decides to focus on the day ahead. He’ll take it one step at a time. Just like AA has taught him.

Genre: Romantic Comedy M/M Romance
Tags: gay, woke up married, tropes, rom-com, mafia, forced marriage, disabled heroes

Wake Up Married series:

About the Authors

Leta Blake

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

You can find out more about her by following her online:

On the web: http://letablake.wordpress.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letablake
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetaBlake

Alice Griffiths

A long-time reader of romance novels, Alice Griffiths finally took the plunge into writing, teaming up with best-selling author Leta Blake for the ‘Woke up Married’ serialized comedy. A lover of tropes, Alice enjoys mining old ideas and putting a fresh, funny spin on them. Formerly working in the newspaper industry, Alice is now an art curator. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

You can find out more about her by following her online:

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alice_Author
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.griffiths.7169

Giveaway

Enter to win 2 copies of Will & Patrick Do the Holidays (Wake Up Married, Episode 3). Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the authors. and Indigo Marketing.

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Tour Schedule

23-Nov	3 Chicks After Dark	http://3chicksafterdark.com/
23-Nov	Inked Rainbow Reads	http://www.inkedrainbowreads.com
23-Nov	Prism Book Alliance	http://www.prismbookalliance.com
23-Nov	Bike Book Reviews	http://bikebookreviews.blogspot.com
23-Nov	Unrandom Randomness	http://bronwynheeley.blogspot.com.au
23-Nov	Gay Book Reviews	http://gaybook.reviews
23-Nov	World of Diversity Fiction	http://wodfreview.com
23-Nov	V’s Reads	http://vsreads.com
23-Nov	The Novel Approach	http://thenovelapproachreviews.com
23-Nov	Joyfully Jay	http://joyfullyjay.com
24-Nov	BookWinked	http://www.bookwinked.com
24-Nov	Literary Nymphs Hot List	http://literarynymphshotlist.blogspot.com
24-Nov	two chicks obsessed with books and eye candy	http://twochicksobsessed.com
24-Nov	Sinfully	http://sinfullymmbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk
24-Nov	Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words	http://ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.com
25-Nov	Gay.Guy.Reading and Friends	http://ggr-review.com
26-Nov	JB’s Book Obsession	http://jbsbookobsession.blogspot.com
26-Nov	QUEERcentric Books	http://www.blog.queercentricbooks.com
26-Nov	Mikky’s World Of Books	http://mikkysworldofbooks.blogspot.fr
27-Nov	Abbey’s 1-Click Book Blog	http://www.abbeys1clickblog.com
27-Nov	Bayou Book Junkie	http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com
27-Nov	Teatime and Books	http://www.teatimeandbooks76.blogspot.com
27-Nov	MM Good Book Reviews	https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com
27-Nov	Alpha Book Club	http://alphabookclub.org

A Stella Review: What Happens at Christmas by Jay Northcote

Rating 4 stars out of 5

When two friends pose as boyfriends, could what happens at Christmas turn into something more?

Justin is recently and unhappily single. Christmas is coming, and he doesn’t want to face his ex alone at their office party. So Sean—Justin’s best mate and long-time secret crush—volunteers to go with him and pretend to be his new flame.

Sean has always lusted after Justin from afar, but there’s never been a good opportunity to ask him for more than friendship. Posing as Justin’s boyfriend isn’t a chore, and if Justin wants to rebound onto him, Sean’s more than willing. At the party pretence and reality blur, and a kiss on the dance floor leads to a night of passion.

In the aftermath, they both assume it was a one-time thing until fate intervenes. Stuck together in London over the holidays, they give in to temptation again. But what happens at Christmas stays at Christmas… right?

What Happens at Christmas is a fabulous friends to lovers story by Jay Northcote. I know the blurb could almost seem too simple and maybe a cliché with the fake boyfriends theme, I admit I was a little worried but don’t let it fool you, the author did great.

Justin has just broken up with his coworker/boyfriend Andy and the office Christmas party is approaching, he doesn’t want to go alone and see the cheating Andy with his new flame. Luckly he has Sean to act as his boyfriend just for a night. Sean is Justin’s best friend since they were seven years old. Now after spending some time traveling, he’s back. Sean is exactly Justin’s type, dark, tall and handsome. They’ve both had a crush on each other since forever but the timing for them to be together always seemed to be wrong. They just need a little push to act on it. Could it be the fake boyfriends thing? But when the pretending ends what is going to happen?

First of all I want to say that I liked the writing a lot, it was easy to read, engaging and most of all it made the story real. The plot is simple but Jay didn’t base all the story on the fake boyfriends part, because that ended at halfway. The author overcame what could have easily developed into the old cliché with more than fifty pages focused on the birth of a possible relationship between Justin and Sean. She came up with a so good story, slow in the understanding of the evidence of something real between them, but it wasn’t a slow burn sex, in fact the chemistry and the deep feelings were really strong. I liked the characters a lot and I was happy with their HEA.

Shortly I think the author did a great Christmas story, no drama, no tears, no angst, just good feelings. Adorable. Most of all it was so believable. I enjoyed it a lot and it is already on my “to re-read” shelf. Highly recommended!

The cover art by Garrett Leigh is well done and the snowflakes in the background recall the title and the Christmas setting, I like it.

Sales Link: Amazon only | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 113 pages
Published November 19th 2015 by Jaybird Press
original titleWhat Happens At Christmas
ASINB017W1NZ88
edition languageEnglish

In Our Book Spotlight: Love In Uniform Anthology with authors Angora Shade, Kay C. Sulli, DC Juris, Jean Wolfe, Shannen Malone, Kassandra Lea, Dale Cameron Lowry, Louise Blaydon, and Aiden McKenna (excerpts and giveaway)

Authors Name: Editor: Paige Prince. Authors: Angora Shade, Kay C. Sulli,
DC Juris, Jean Wolfe, Shannen Malone, Kassandra Lea, Dale
Cameron Lowry, Louise Blaydon, and Aiden McKenna

Book Name: Love in Uniform Anthology
Release Date: November 11, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Blurb

There’s just something about a man in uniform…whether it’s the delivery man bringing a special package to your door, the airline attendant taking care of your every need, or the cop with a set of handcuffs on his belt and a gleam in his eye, Love in Uniform provides fodder for every fantasy.

The Encounter – Hoping to escape the hot dance floor at a crowded club, a pilot finds himself wandering a dark secluded hallway. He’s pleased to see a table, but he’s startled when a shadow moves. Suddenly face to face with his ideal man candy, the pilot discovers the beauty of strangers and the thrill of sex in public places.

Wishing on the Perseid – Zach Johnson went looking for an adventure in the Rocky Mountains before settling into grad school. Little did he know Park Ranger Ryan Jenkins was exactly what he was looking for.

Special Delivery – An unexpected phone call turns Camden’s boring day off into a potential disaster when he ends up taking his cousin’s delivery shift with Axel, the tattooed hunk he dreams about. But Axel’s got a plan…and a special delivery that’ll leave Camden wanting more.

Westward Avenue Matchmaker – EMT Peter is getting tired of being called to Westward Avenue again and again for Mrs McKinney’s kitchen fires, but the chance to flirt with an attractive fireman makes it all worthwhile.

On the Wing – Traveling the world for work doesn’t leave a lot of time to find love on the ground. But maybe on the wing.

Let it Hurt – All Leo Shelton wanted to do was patch things up with his boyfriend Caleb Hart. When an accident threatens to take it all away the two realize just how much they need one another.

Loggerhead – Soon after they fall in love, Jake makes Eric a promise inspired by an old track uniform. But demanding work schedules at Jake’s four-star restaurant and Eric’s newspaper keep them from following through. Six years later, they take the honeymoon they never had, heading to the Florida coast in search of sea turtles—and rekindling their passion for each other in the process.

The Night Shift – Jonas Kelshiker works the night shift in the Evidence Room at the police depot, where the crimes have become monotonous and the policemen unremarkable – until the night Dan Harris shows up at his window.

Roadside Assistance – When Robert sees flashing lights in his rear view mirror, he doesn’t know just how wild a turn his night is going to take. With the threat of his first speeding ticket imminent, he tries to use his clever mouth to get him out of trouble. But this cop won’t let him get off that easy.

Pages or Words: 46,366 words
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

“I like this hallway,” he says, turning back to me and placing two hands directly upon me. His fingers flex over my pecs and the tips of his short nails dig playfully into my shirt. He pushes his body square against me, the movements of his breathing mimicking my own surprised and excited rhythm. Bringing his face closer to my ear, he speaks in a teasing whisper. “I prefer my company in the dark.”

I’m a little shocked at his bold and aggressive personality, but I like it. I hate how so many men I’ve been with have played the come-chase-me game, or the, I’m-only-going-to-pretend-I’m-into-you thing. This guy is different; clear intentions. No games. No jokes.

No problem.

I’m about to introduce myself when he pushes me backward against the wall. I hit the brick with a genuine oof of both astonishment and force, and find my hands have shot out around his hard waist. His muscular abs flex under my thumbs, and I feel drowned by his intense gaze.

His breath falls warm against my face. “I think you want what I want.”

What I want… I want this man. Every inch of my body is ready to fly at him, twitching and pushing for release like the stiff nudge of my dick against my government issue boxer briefs. Screw Jay. He’s late and I’m feeling attention starved. I’m single and I don’t want to be.

He looks me up and down, licking his lips. “God, I love a man in uniform.”

-from “The Encounter” by Angora Shade

Buy the book: Torquere Books Amazon ~ Are ~ B&N ~ Google Play

Meet the Authors:

Angora Shade: Angora Shade is an American author living in what she lovingly refers to as “Sheep Shit Nowhere” Europe. In an attempt to add some spice to her small town life, Ms. Shade began writing explicit erotica as a form of self-entertainment. Exploring the boundaries of acceptable sexual literature, she often seeks to create stories that not only entertain others, but also expose and push against the negative stigma surrounding sex in modern day society. She believes that sex in literature, art, personal thought, and physical nature, should be celebrated and expressed openly and as easily as any God-given freedom. Her favorite themes in writing include revenge, self-discovery, alternative materials for love play/BDSM, as well as anything that produces a good tingle, sizzle, or laugh. When not writing, Ms. Shade enjoys red wine, travel, dancing, classic cartoons, baking, and creating fine art.

Kay C. Sulli: Kay C. Sulli is a queer asexual writer often found scribbling in the wilderness. She writes from the heart with a passion for history, nature, and the American West.

DC Juris: Romance author, sci-fi fan club Captain, cosplayer, reigning Queen of Monkeyland, and random menace. Yep, we’re talking about DC Juris. She’s a cupcake making, football watching, rubber duck collecting, drag show loving, full of fabulous with a Capital F kinda gal. She’s also an Ordained Minister and an amateur photographer. She lives in Upstate NY with her husband, three dogs, and two cats. When she’s not writing, you can find her in her favorite chair watching “Star Trek” and “Supernatural” repeats on Netflix, or surfing the web for porn. Er…research. Surfing the web for research. She may speak softly but she lives and loves loudly. Just ask the neighbors.

Jean Wolfe: Jean Wolfe would really rather go hide under a rock somewhere than have to fill out author bios.

Dale Cameron Lowry: Dale Cameron Lowry is a writer and editor living in the Midwest with a partner and three irritable cats. This is Dale’s second story for Torquere Press.

Shannen Malone: Shannen Malone is an Irish student studying English, in the second year of her degree. When not scaling the monolith of her required reading list, Shannen can be found in her blanket nest, writing all things queer.

Kassandra Lea: Kassandra Lea has been writing for far longer than she cares to admit. She lies in southern Wisconsin with her mother, a gang of furry little monsters, and a ghost lovingly dubbed Bob.

Louise Blaydon: Louise is an academic, editor and writer. She primarily writes m/m and f/f fiction, and has published a number of novels and novellas and many short stories. She lives in England and has too many cats.

Aiden McKenna: Aiden McKenna is a writer and editor living in the dirty south. When not bent over the writing desk, she enjoys time spent with family on her farm and relaxing on the porch with a strong drink and a good novel.

Where to find the author:

Angora Shade

Author Blog: www.angorashade.blogspot.com
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/angorashadeauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/angorashade

Kay C Sulli

Website/Blog: http://kaycsulli.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kaycsulli
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kaycsulli

DC Juris

Facebook: www.facebook.com/danielchristianjuris
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dcjuris
Other: http://dcjuris.blogspot.com

Jean Wolfe

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeanWolfe/

Dale Cameron Lowry

Website: dalecameronlowry.com
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/dalecameronlowry
Twitter: twitter.com/DaleCLowry
Tumblr: dalecameronlowry.tumblr.com
Goodreads: goodreads.com/dalecameronlowry

Shannen Malone

No social media information available

Kassandra Lea

Website: http://leakassie.blogspot.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leakassie

Louise Blaydon

Website: https://louiseblaydon.wordpress.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/louiseblaydon

Aiden McKenna

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aidenmckennas
Email: aidenmckennawrites@gmail.com

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, The Hat Party, A.M. Leibowitz, BFD Book Blog, Divine Magazine, Dawn’s Reading Nook, KathyMac Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Jessie G. Books. Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Chris McHart, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Book Lovers 4Ever, Velvet Panic, V’s Reads, MM Good Book Reviews

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of the anthology, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the authors and Pride Promotions.

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Can Love Find Its Way Back? Find Out with Stranded by HelenKay Dimon -part of Love for the Holidays Charity Bundle (giveaway)

Stranded by HelenKay Dimon
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Artist: L. C. Chase

Release Date: November 23
This title is part of the Love for the Holidays: A Charity Bundle
Benefiting the GLBT National Help Center collection – See more here.

It can be purchase here at Riptide Publishing

About the Book

Cabe got out of the gun-for-hire business the hard way—by nearly dying. Except then his former boss calls in one last favor for one final job. The mission should be simple: get a message to a retired operative in Alaska. But it puts Cabe face-to-face with the one man he doesn’t want to see and can never forget. Not after all the secrets and lies. Not after Brax almost killed him.

Brax Hughes lived hard and retired young to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Well, that was the plan, but before he can hang up his sniper rifle, he has one last mission: win back Kyle Cabe. Brax wants another chance, wants to come clean, but after months of lying to Cabe, he knows he could face a bullet—or worse—when they meet again. And they will meet. Brax made sure of that.

With a storm moving in and someone lurking outside the cabin, time is running out. Brax needs to talk fast and keep his weapons ready. And his best weapon is the truth.

Stranded is one of Riptide’s 2015 charity titles.

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website: http://www.glbthotline.org/

“http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/stranded”

About the Author

HelenKay Dimon is a former divorce attorney turned full-time romance author. She has sold over thirty novels and novellas to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Kensington, Harlequin, Penguin, Carina Press and Riptide Publishing. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named “Red-Hot Reads” and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine.

Website: “http://www.helenkaydimon.com/”

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Stranded, HelenKay is giving away a $25 Amazon or B&N gift certificate (winners choice)! Your first comment at each stop on “http://riptidepublishing.com/events/tours/stranded-blog-tour-helenkay-dimon“this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 28, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway! Don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win! Must be 18 years or older to enter.

In the Spotlight: My Hero: The Olympian by Max Vos (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

Olympian_BT_Banner

I’m happy to have Max Vos here today to talk about his latest release, My Hero, and the inspiration behind the story and series. Welcome, Max!

I love your idea of the Hero series. What prompted the series? Did it have an inspiration?

I started My Hero just after the 2012 Olympics and it was just before Football season here. I wanted a good football story. There was a player for University of Tennessee that was the inspiration for Johnny.

I see that the setting for this book is the 2012 London Olympics. What a year! Was there anything in particular, like a certain athlete that said “hmmm, a story should be told”?

I really just wanted a good football story and finish this story and that meant going back to 2012.

With the rugby players coming out this year, can we expect to see that in a book soon?

Probably not. I know nothing about Rugby. Sorry

What characters are really so close to your heart in this series? Do you have favorites?

Johnny. I just love his goofy but determined attitude.

If you could whip up a perfect Olympic Hero menu for this couple what would it be?

If it were just Rich, that would be easy. If it were for them both… It would have to be a full-on buffet to fill Johnny up. LOL

Do you know how many books you have planned for this series?

This was the last for My Hero.

Can I beg you to write a rugby book?

You can. You can even bribe me. Doesn’t mean it’ll happen. he he he If I were to write another sports story, I think it would be about Australian Football, but that means I’d have to go back to Australia.

8 What’s next for Max Vos?

I have 5 books in the works already, probably enough to keep me busy through most of next year.

Thanks, Max.

AboutTheBook
TheOlympian_FS TITLE: My Hero: The Olympian

SERIES: My Hero Series #2

AUTHOR: Max Vos

COVER ARTIST: Alex J. Corza

LENGTH: 129,600 words approx.

RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2015

BLURB: After a romantic evening, Rich and Johnny face the light of day as a couple. Johnny’s coming out forces them to face some serious repercussions as the world of collegian jocks adjust to their first openly gay football player.

Rich is still working towards the World Diving Championships with his hopes and dreams set on the 2012 London Olympic Games, while as a couple they deal with concerns closer to home.

With the support of friends and family, the young couple grow closer together, but with prejudices and adversity at every turn will Johnny and Rich be able to tackle the world together?

No matter what, Rich will always be Johnny’s hero.

Excerpt

“No, I’m not going to and there is nothing you can say that will make me either.” Johnny crossed his arms, a defiant look on his face, his eyes narrowed slits.

“Oh come on, John, I wear them.” Rich held up the skimpy black racing briefs. “For me?”

Johnny looked away. “No. I said no and I mean no.”

Rich leaned in close to Johnny so only he could hear. “If you wear this, I can guarantee you some of the best sex in your life. If you think I get turned on by jock straps…”

Johnny glared down at Rich. “You don’t play fair.”

“Wasn’t it you who recently said that all is fair in love and war?” Rich smirked as he dangled the tiny briefs in front of Johnny.

“It better be the best ever.” Johnny let his arms drop. “Okay. But you promised.”

Again, Rich leaned in close. “Maybe even join the mile high club.”

Johnny’s eyebrows shot up and a grin blossomed on his face. “Deal.”

“Are we done here?” Dan called to the two college men. He was standing at the counter, credit card in hand.

“One more thing, Dad.” Rich hurried over to him. “This.”

Dan raised his eyebrows slightly. “Oookay then.”

Rich snickered when he saw Johnny blushing.

“I think this will be all,” Dan said to the clerk.

“I’m going to give you a discount,” the young woman said as she rang it up. “It isn’t every day that we can say an Olympian wore some of our gear.”

“I’m not an Olympian yet,” Rich commented.

“Rich Miller, I’ve known you my entire life, and if anyone is going to be an Olympian, it’s you.” Michelle Stubbon smiled at Rich as she started putting the pile of swimsuits, track suits, shorts, and other things that he and Johnny needed for London in a bag.

“Thanks, Michelle. I appreciate the confidence everyone has in me.”

“Just remember us lowly folk when you come home with Olympic gold,” she laughed as she handed Dan the receipt.

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AuthorBio

Max Vos is the bestselling author of My Hero. He is loved by his readers for his ‘inappropriate’ side, bringing hot and steamy sex to his writing. Not hemmed in by a single genre Max has the ability to woo you with sweet romance, move you with the power of his words and make you question your definition of love.

Having retired in 2011 after more than 30 years as a chef, Max turned his creativity to writing. You can always find wonderful Southern charm, well rounded and vibrant characters with a good meaty story line in a Max Vos book. Each book will give you something new and amazing to love.

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