Looking for a New Romance to Read? Check Out the Blog Tour for “I’ve Got This” by Louisa Masters (excerpt and giveaway)

Louisa Masters has a new MM contemporary romance out in the Joy Universe series: “I’ve Got This.”

Derek Bryer loves his life. His job as an assistant director at Joy Universe, the second-largest theme park complex on the planet, makes him indirectly responsible for bringing joy (pun intended) to millions of people. So what if none of his relationships are that close? Everyone he meets loves him.

Except Trav Jones. For some reason, the visiting Broadway performer would rather Derek just go away. He appreciates Derek’s work ethic, though, and after Trav steps up when Derek desperately needs someone to fill in for his sick staff, Derek seizes the chance to convince Trav he’s not such a bad guy.

Falling in love while distracted by a murder at the park, food poisoning, and colleagues laying bets on their relationship won’t be easy, but between the two of them and with the magic of Joy Universe, they’ve got this.

Giveaway

Louisa is giving away a $20 gift certificate for Amazon, iBooks, B&N, or Kobo – enter via Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d4787/?

Excerpt

He grins at me. “Can I use your number for more than just confirming dates?”

Heat climbs up my neck and floods my face, and I know I must be red. Christ, I’ve always blushed easily, but I spend more time red-faced around this guy than anyone else I can remember. “Maybe.” I meant it to sound flirtatious, but it comes out sounding more like a parent who means no, but doesn’t want to say it for fear of incurring a tantrum.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m no Casanova, but I’m not a reclusive virgin, either. I usually have a pretty good dating life. I know how to flirt.

I pull out my phone. “What’s your number? I’ll text you.”

He rattles off the digits. I put them in my phone and then send him a text. The faint ding from his pocket tells me he got it.

The rest of the ride back to my resort is silent, and I’m pretty sure it’s my fault. Our conversation over dinner was so easy and fun—but my stupid failed attempt to be flirty seems to have killed the vibe. Is he regretting the whole thing? Wondering how he can get out of our date on Thursday?

He turns off the road onto the driveway of the resort, but instead of pulling up to the entrance, he takes the road that loops around the property to the four parking lots and the three other shuttle stops.

“Where—” I begin, but he interrupts me.

“Which is the closest parking lot to your room?”

Oh. He’s being thoughtful and saving me the seven-minute (no, I didn’t time it—the receptionist told me when I checked in) walk from the main building to the building that houses my room.

“The west one,” I tell him, and then we both fall silent again as he skilfully navigates along the deserted, mostly dark road. I rack my brain for something to say. How did this happen? Twenty minutes ago I was one half of an interesting, fun conversation. How did we go from that to awkward silence?

It has to be the idea of dating that’s turned us into mere acquaintances with little in common. Right? Until he confirmed that we were on a date, and I asked him on another one, everything was fine. After that, it all went downhill.

Wait… he knew all along that we were on a date. I was the one who wasn’t sure what he thought it was. Does that mean this is all me? Am I the reason for the awkwardness?

I’m saved from further introspection (although I suspect it’s going to keep me up most of the night) when Derek pulls into the west parking lot and finds a spot at the far end. The lot is pretty well-lit, but back in this corner there are more shadows.

I undo my seat belt. I’m almost desperate to get out of the car and away from this tension, but at the same time, I’m terrified that if I leave it like this, I’m going to get a text from Derek, canceling our date. What can I say to make it all better?

Derek’s hand on my face makes me jump.

“Whoa! Sorry, I didn’t mean….” He starts to pull away, but I grab his hand and hold it against my cheek. I like having him touch me.

Is this weird? Maybe he was just trying to get my attention and didn’t actually want to hold my face.

I drop my hand to my lap, giving him the opportunity to pull back. My face is hot, and I’m thankful for the dim light. He can probably still see that I’m blushing, but not exactly how red I am.

His fingers lightly stroke my cheek.

My breath stutters. I slowly turn to him. His face is closer than I expected, and there’s a soft smile on his lips. Even in the dimness of the car, I can see how warm the expression in his eyes is.

I swallow. His smile grows.

“I love when you blush,” he says. “It’s so—”

“Sweet?” I interrupt acidly. He shakes his head.

“Hot.” The word sits between us. Hot? Does he mean literally? Because, yeah, my skin gets hot when I—

Derek leans in and kisses me, and I get it. Hot. Derek thinks it’s hot when I blush. Really?

Also, man can he kiss.

I gotta be honest, the next few minutes kind of blur out. I’m too focused on Derek’s mouth on mine, his hands, his body—because my hands get busy too. The only words I can actually think are adjectives: warm, hard, wet, silky….

I’ve got my hands in his pants (and can I just say wow?) when it finally occurs to me that as cushy as Derek’s car is, it’s not roomy enough for us to fuck—well, not comfortably. I jerk back from his kiss. “Not here,” I pant. Crap, Kev’s likely to be back at our room by now. He was saying earlier that he was exhausted, not having had a day off, and wanted an early night. “Your place?” He’s gotta live in Joyville, right? That’s what, half an hour away?

Maybe we can get a room. We’re at a resort. I’m sure he gets an employee discount here too.

Derek sighs and pulls back, stroking my chest under my polo one last time before drawing his hand out. I miss it instantly.

Author Bio

Louisa Masters started reading romance much earlier than her mother thought she should. While other teenagers were sneaking out of the house, Louisa was sneaking romance novels in and working out how to read them without being discovered. She’s spent most of her life feeling sorry for people who don’t read, convinced that books are the solution to every problem. As an adult, she feeds her addiction in every spare second, only occasionally tearing herself away to do things like answer the phone and pay bills. She spent years trying to build a “sensible” career, working in bookstores, recruitment, resource management, administration, and as a travel agent, before finally conceding defeat and devoting herself to the world of romance novels.

Louisa has a long list of places first discovered in books that she wants to visit, and every so often she overcomes her loathing of jet lag and takes a trip that charges her imagination. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she whines about the weather for most of the year while secretly admitting she’ll probably never move.

Author Website: http://www.louisamasters.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/louisa.masters.31

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/LouisaMastersAuthor

Author Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AuthorLouisaM

Author Instagram: @AuthorLouisaM

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5755521.Louisa_Masters

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/louisa-masters/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Louisa-Masters/e/B008YBZT0S

Release Blitz and Giveaway for Life According To Liam by V.L. Locey

Buy Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2nM2Hey

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2oy5DeD

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/LATL

Length: 40,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Blurb

There’s always that chance that your heart’s desire is one click away.

Someone needs to pinch web designer/humor blogger/Pittsburgh Ravens mega fan Mike Kneller. Hard. For years, Mike has been living his life for his younger sister Kelly and his four-year-old nephew Liam. He’d opened up his home to Kelly when she found herself pregnant at sixteen and facing having a baby alone. Sure, his days are filled with skinned knees, snotty noses, and the occasional mishap with stuffed superheroes, but he’s perfectly happy because he loves Liam as much as he loves his baby sister. Giving up a social life and going to bed alone is a small price to pay. Little does he know that someone on the Ravens is about to show Ravens goalie Bryn Mettler one of his vlog posts. Of course he’s not going to believe it when his phone rings and the world-famous netminder—and his goalie crush—is on the other end. I mean, life doesn’t work that way for ordinary, hardworking uncles like Mike. Does it?

Bryn Mettler is a superstar athlete and a major part of the Pittsburgh sports society. He seems to have it all. He’s well-dressed, handsome, wealthy, an elite goaltender, a famed philanthropist, and the holder of numerous medals and trophies. To date, there are two things that have avoided him: lifting that big shiny silver cup over his head and finding a man to settle down with. Now that he’s over thirty, Bryn is finding the gay club scene is wearing thin. His teammates’ wives have decided it’s their duty to the team—and to Bryn—to find him Mr. Right. He’s relatively sure the man who’ll capture his heart surely won’t be found on a humor blog. Funny how life likes to take the things that you’re most certain about and flip them—and you—on its ear. When Bryn meets Mike, he is instantly drawn to the warm, funny, sexy man who shares his hectic days with thousands of Pittsburgh natives. Now he just has to convince Mike he is who he says he is so he can get to know him better. Thankfully, Bryn isn’t a quitter. But does he have what it takes to leap into life with Mike, Kelly, and Liam?

USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

A Karen Review: The First Step (Coastal Carolina #1) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I got to learn about a new and interesting job in this book – that of river pilot. I hadn’t really thought about it, but never would have guessed that the pilots of the big container ships didn’t do the job all the way from port to port, but had separate pilots to guide them that last bit from the harbor to the docks. The fact that one MC of the book was a reporter who was himself learning about river pilots as he did a feature on them made it almost feel like I was reading his article myself!

Reed Barfield is a reporter from NYC who had been covering a high profile political beat, when he disgraced himself by punching a politician (yay, my hero!). His boss sent him to North Carolina to do a few fluff pieces, with the promise that if they were good enough, he would be able to return to his old job. While there, he learned about the river pilots, was fascinated, and even more so when he met Justin Vance. The exile to North Carolina became a lot more bearable when he found that Justin was to be his subject to learn the personal aspects of the job.

Justin is one of the best river pilots on Cape Fear, but he is extremely private. He keeps to himself, and his only real friends are his mentors – one of whom is in the early stages of dementia in a local care home, and the other has moved to Florida after a severe on-the-job accident. He is mostly estranged from his family. His co-workers don’t know that he’s gay, and he goes out of his way to keep them at arm’s length so they don’t find out. Reed is exactly Justin’s type, and his attention and personal questions are exactly what he doesn’t need at work.

Despite my initial interest in the characters and their jobs, I found myself unable to connect with them. Everything about them seemed fairly superficial – Reed’s passion about his job, Justin’s fear of being out, and even their shared history of being bullied. These were the things that supposedly brought them together, but I never felt the emotions they should have brought out in me as a reader. I didn’t even feel the emotions were very real to the men themselves. The thing that I found most real was how both men were stereotypical in their desire not to admit that they might ever need help, or that they worried for others, or were pleased that someone was worried about them. For that, I give the author kudos, and that bit of reality made me feel like these were genuine men I might actually meet in North Carolina.

Overall a decent read, but nothing I will go back to again.

Cover art by L.C.Chase is rather generic, but the models are what I envisioned the characters to look like.

Sales Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ITunes | Kobo

Book Details:

ebook, 229 pages
Published September 17th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 139781644055274
Edition Language English
Series Coastal Carolina #1

Blog Tour for Love on the Hudson by KD Fisher (excerpt and giveaway)

Love on the Hudson by KD Fisher

Release Date: September 30, 2019

Subgenre: Contemporary LGBTQ+ romance (m/m)

Order here:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Hudson-KD-Fisher–ebook/dp/B07Y8QKRF1/ref=sr_1_3keywords=kd+fisher&qid=1569490513&s=books&sr=1-3

Ninestar:

https://ninestarpress.com/product/love-on-the-hudson/

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47508320-love-on-the-hudson

Synopsis for Love on the Hudson:

At historian David Webster left his childhood home of Saugerties, New York ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. Intelligent, successful, and proud of his sexuality, David has built a comfortable, if lonely, life in Chicago. But when he learns his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he decides to leave his prestigious museum job and move home to care for his dad. Until now David has never questioned his devotion to academic and professional success. Suddenly he’s forced to confront and reevaluate his desires, chief among them, his former best friend Nick.

Nick Patras has spent his entire life trying to be the perfect Greek son. From devoting himself to football, to forgoing an athletic scholarship to work at his family’s diner, to denying his sexuality and getting married to his high school sweetheart, Nick got used to putting his family’s dreams ahead of his own. The facade shattered, however, when Nick divorced his wife and left the family business to follow his dream of starting an organic farm. Finally content with the life he’s built for himself, Nick is still haunted by the mistake that ended his friendship with David a decade earlier.

When David and Nick reunite their old feelings are undeniable, but can David trust Nick with his heart a second time around? As David embarks on a new career as an artist, he must decide whether or not Nick fits into this composition.

Teasers:

“Can you give me another chance?” The naked hope in Nick’s face sends a jolt of warmth right through my heart. “I know I don’t deserve it but I want to at least be your friend again. And if you’d be willing, I want to be with you for real.”

Excerpt :

Five hours later I find myself behind the wheel of a white rental sedan barreling up I-87 in the direction of Saugerties, a perfectly nice town I’d hoped never to see again. The sky is the same mottled gray as it was back in Chicago, the snow along the highway the same dirt-tinged pewter. The passing cars are spattered with white salt stains. I drive in silence, every radio station bothering me with shrill commercials or horrendous blends of the 80s, 90s, and today.

My mind falls into a chaotic tailspin. I want to call Marc and see how the meeting went. I want to call Jimmy again and see if there is any update on my dad’s condition. The doctors are worried his vision was compromised but needed to run another test. I want to call Anna to hear her soothing voice and ask the one question that absolutely shouldn’t be on my mind right now. Has she seen Nick recently? Again, his gray eyes and those dark lashes flit across my mind and I grip the wheel harder. I need to focus. Plus I won’t even see him. He moved across town when he got married. He doesn’t live in the house across the street anymore.

Author Bio:

KD Fisher is a queer New England-based writer of authentic, heartfelt LGBTQ+ narratives. KD grew up all over the United States, bouncing from North Carolina to Hawaiʻi to Illinois, and finally settling in Maine where she spends far too much time at the beach.

When KD isn’t writing, she can usually be found hiking with her overly enthusiastic dog, obsessing over plants, or cooking elaborate meals. She loves classic country, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and falling asleep in the sun.

Author links:

Website: https://www.kdfisherromance.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdfisherauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kdfisher_author

Newsletter: https://squarespace.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=f5e2b33c3ff839fc7ef512330&id=e20f3c6133

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdfisherauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18177834.KD_Fisher

Giveaway:

Win one of 3 packages of a signed physical copy + postcard of LOVE ON THE HUDSON by KD Fisher!

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f03107/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Adore a Friends to Lover Romance? Check Out the Release Blitz for Amalgamated by Becca Seymour (excerpt and giveaway)

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Amalgamated

Author: Becca Seymour

Publisher: Rainbow Tree Publishing

Cover Artist: Soxsational Cover Art

Release Date: September 28, 2019

Genre/s: Small-Town M/M Romance

Trope/s: Friends to lovers, May to December,

Themes: Forgiveness

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 18 000 words/70 pages approx.

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

Realigned (Coming Home #1) – FREE READ

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

iTunes | Kobo | Nook

Escape with Leo and Zak in outback Australia as they discover it sometimes takes time, distance, and interfering family to amalgamate.

Blurb

After five years of living in the UK, it’s time for Leo to return home to his dad’s stud farm in outback Australia. He has no idea what to expect when he arrives. He didn’t exactly leave with balloons and banners.

Nope. His farewell involved destruction and his own heart split in two.

He knows seeing the man who’s always held his heart, Zak, is going to be awkward. The older farm manager made his feelings pretty damn clear when Leo hightailed it out of there.

Leo quickly figures out life is going to get complicated and a whole heap more exciting as his trip home becomes so much more.

Amalgamated is a fun and steamy M/M short story in Becca Seymour’s Coming Home series. Stand-alone romances complete with heat, wit, and happily ever afters.

Excerpt

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

Groaning, I shook my head. Any request starting that way was going to result in me being pissed off. “What did you do?”

This time her glance my way had me tensing. Concern flickered in her eyes. When she focused on the road ahead, she blew out her cheeks, her lips pursed. “We’re heading to mine.”

“Okay?” I dragged out the word. I’d figured that out since we weren’t heading towards Dad and Michelle’s.

“Dad kinda got excited about you coming home.”

My stomach dipped. I just knew where she was heading with this. Slamming my eyes shut, I waited for her next words.

They came out in a rush. “Sohekindainvitedaheapofpeopleover. But…” She gasped for breath. “…it’s not technically a party, as there aren’t banners or balloons.”

My eyes sprang open, and I stared at her wide-eyed.

She glanced at me, a mix of horror and amusement on her face. “You owe me big for talking him out of that.”

“Yet you couldn’t have talked him into a small family meal?”

She shrugged. “I did try, but, Leo.” She paused, emotion swirling in her eyes, and I swallowed. This was just one of the reasons I’d stayed away. Guilt still clawed at me whenever I gave it life. “Dad was so excited you were coming home. You know he still doesn’t understand why you left. If it had just been heading to the city, that would have been a struggle, but you travelled to the other side of the world.”

My gut clenched. I still felt shit for leaving my dad, but I had my own life to live, and taking over my dad’s stud farm wasn’t what I wanted. Plus there was the major screw-up with how I destroyed any semblance of a friendship with Zak.

“There’s more.”

I flashed Jen a resigned look.

“Dad obviously invited Zak.”

My heart seized, and my gut churned. This could not be happening. While I’d anticipated seeing him, I wasn’t prepared for it to be the first night I got home. In hindsight, this was ridiculously naïve of me, considering his place was only a hundred metres or so away from the main house on the property.

“I know, I know, but best to get the whole awkwardness out of the way, right?” She reached out and gave my hand a small squeeze. After I’d run out on Zak the night I’d left, it had taken just a handful of calls from Jen for her to recognize something was wrong and for me to spill my guts. We remained close, even with the distance of the past five years, and without her in my corner, life certainly would have been trickier.

“Yeah, I suppose.” There was something to be said for ripping the Band-Aid off, but my gut clenched in anticipation.

About the Author

Becca Seymour lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.

Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.

Author Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter: @beccaseymour_

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Follow the tour and check out the other blog posts and reviews here

Don’t Miss Out on the Release Blitz with Excerpt for Rules to Break (Davey’s Rules #2) by Susan Hawke

Rules to Break

Davey’s Rules Series Book 2

Susan Hawke

M/M Romance, Daddy/boy

Release Date: 09.26.19

Rules to Break ebook

Blurb

Davey’s Rule #91: Daddy never loses faith in his boy.

Bryan Miller is satisfied with his uncomplicated life. He’s a discipline Daddy who’s not in the market for any kind of permanent relationship. And why should he be? Like the waves he surfs in the small beach town he calls home, there’s always another body available to warm his bed when he tires of the current flavor of the week.

Preston Wallace is a snotty rich brat with enough attitude to keep all the Daddies from giving him a chance. He gets it… people are jealous of him for being rich, hot, and fit. It would take a strong Daddy to take him in hand.

A casual conversation on the night of Preston’s twenty-fifth birthday ties these two stubborn men together in a bet right out of the musical My Fair Lady. Can Daddy Bryan turn the obnoxious brat into a dateable boy within a ninety-day timeframe?

Strap in for a roller-coaster of emotions as Bryan takes firm control of a brat who might just need to know someone cares enough to try.

This is the second book in this series about not-so-perfect Daddies, adorable “boys,” and one sassy brat with an insane list of rules. Grab your fan and tissues because this series comes with both a high heat advisory and all the squishy feels you’d want from a Susan Hawke book. Possible trigger for the death a background character.

Universal Link: mybook.to/RulestoBreak

rtb-1 rtb-3 rtb-2

Excerpt

When Davey looked like he was feeling sorry for me as he passed my drink over with an overly nice smile, it was all I could do not to grab the glass and throw it at him. Or toss its contents all over the Daddies. Either way, it would be equally satisfactory. Instead, I forced myself to take a polite sip and pretend their words were just bouncing off me. “Excuse me, I’m sitting right here. I find it funny that you’re talking about me like I’m the bitchiest bitch ever to bitch while you’re sitting there rudely discussing me.”

Bryan made a humming sound, completely ignoring me as he turned to Marcus. “I don’t know, I think it could be done if the right person were to take on the challenge.”

Marcus’s eyes bugged out. “Do you really think so? You’re a better man than me, because I don’t think it’s possible.”

I turned to Raphael. “You see me, right? I haven’t gone invisible? I’m literally sitting right here, aren’t I?”

The look of pity disappeared from Davey’s eyes when he started snickering. “Maybe if you weren’t such a little jerk, people would acknowledge your existence. Just saying.” I stuck my tongue out at Davey, then blushed when I noticed Bryan giving me a measuring glance.

I sat up a little straighter when he leaned out to the side and craned his head while he gave me a slow up-and-down. A few seconds later, he sat back up and turned to Marcus. “I don’t know, man. I might have to kick the tires, but I think this old junker could be rehabilitated.”

“Excuse you, who are you calling old? Puh-lease. You’re the one that’s old. What are you, pushing forty? Twenty-five is hardly old.”

Raphael frowned at me. “Aging yourself, boy? You and I both know how old you are.”

I rolled my eyes then immediately blushed all over again when I realized that everybody was looking at me. Raphael winked and popped a finger gun at the champagne glass. “Calm down, cutie. I know damn well it’s your birthday. Why do you think I told Davey to pour you a glass of the good stuff? Hold on, I forgot something.” He bent over and fussed with something under the bar before coming back up with a party hat. He set the paper cone on top of my head and fastened the elastic string under my chin like I was seven years old.

It’s stupid how good that silly act made me feel.

Raphael was humming the birthday song as he motioned to Davey. “When this glass is empty, top it off. Keep it flowing, it isn’t every day that a guy turns a quarter of a century.” Davey smiled a little more kindly at me and murmured “Happy birthday” before turning to greet a customer that had walked up.

Nobody else acknowledged the exchange and the Daddies went back to their conversation. Andrew must’ve been feeling brave, because he looked around Bryan to give me a once-over himself before turning back to their conversation. “So let me see if I have this right. You think that you have what it takes to turn him into a decent boy? What kind of timeframe are we looking at here? I mean, look at him. He’s not hard on the eyes. It’s the ears that get hurt when he starts with that mouth.”

“Hey, be nice.” Raphael immediately came to my defense. “It’s the boy’s birthday. It’s one thing to joke around, but you guys are straddling the border of bullying. Take it down a notch.”

Marcus snorted. “What, are we supposed to forgive his rudeness the rest of the year because it’s his birthday?”

Andrew really must have thought he was hot shit with the other Daddies sitting there, because he tested my resolve to not tell the truth of the bathroom story. “And can we all just take a moment to remember how he ran off with my clothes a few months ago?”

Nope, I definitely wasn’t touching that one. Not on my birthday. Nope. Not today, Satan. Let’s just say that Andrew was a man I wouldn’t touch with a stray dog’s dick—I wasn’t into animal cruelty. Asshat.

I tapped Bryan’s arm. “Go ahead, answer Marcus’s question. I’m curious. If you’re such a fabulous makeover artist and I’m nothing but a rusty junkyard heap of crap, how long would it take you to turn me into a rehabilitated boy that any Daddy would want on his arm?”

Bryan glanced at me with a cocky smirk. “Please. I could turn you into a decent boy within three months. Ninety days with me and I’d wager that any Daddy in this place would be proud to have you as his boy, Preston.”

Marcus snorted so hard he sprayed whiskey through his nose. “Impossible. It couldn’t be done. Especially not in that short of a timeframe.”

“If I say I can do it, then you can take my word for it that it’s possible.” Bryan motioned for a refill on his beer, tossing me a wink in the process.

Marcus drummed his fingers on the counter, looking me over with a thoughtful frown. He shifted his eyes to Bryan and began slowly nodding. “You know what? Okay. Prove it. I dare you. Put your money where your mouth is, Bryan. I’m willing to bet you can’t make this brat into a decent boy within ninety days.”

Bryan leaned back on the barstool, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his head from left to right to look at first me, then Marcus. “Name your terms, Marcus. I’ve never backed away from a bet.”

I started getting irritated as the old musical My Fair Lady suddenly played through my head, and I slammed my palm down on the bar. “What? Hell, no! If you think you’re going to do some sort of Eliza Doolittle action with me, then you’ve got another think coming.”

Davey cracked up and grabbed a broom. He started dancing behind the bar, pretending the broom was his partner as he sang “I Could Have Danced All Night.” That is, he did until Raph took the broom and held his hand out instead. Davey took it and let Raphael swirl him around the bar area while he lifted his knees higher and attempted a tango as he switched songs.
As an avid reader and big romance fan myself, I love sharing the stories of the different people who live in my imagination. My stories are filled with humor, a few tears, and the underlying message to not give up hope, even in the darkest of times, because life can change on a dime when you least expect it. This theme comes from a lifetime of lessons learned on my own hard journey through the pains of poverty, the loss of more loved ones than I’d care to count, and the struggles of living through chronic illnesses. Life can be hard, but it can also be good! Through it all I’ve found that love, laughter, and family can make all the difference, and that’s what I try to bring to every tale I tell.

I’m a happily married mom with one snarky teenage boy, and three grown “kids of my heart.” I’m more widely known for my mpreg writings as Susi Hawke; this new name is a departure from that. Whether written by Susan or Susi, the books are filled with that all-important love, laughter, and family I mentioned; the only difference is that this name has no male pregnancy. I look forward to sharing my stories with you, and to bringing more romance and laughter into this world that needs it so very badly.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2Hdgwvl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanHawke/

MichelleSlagan---VibrantPromotionsLogo---FiveStarDesigns---150ppi

Review Tour and Giveaway for Romancing The Rough Diamond (Romancing the #4 ) by Clare London

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Length: 244 pages

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Design: Alexandria Corza

Blurb

Romancing The…

Trust is the most precious jewel of all.

When Mayfair jewelers Starsmith Stones wins the commission for a gay royal wedding, CEO Joel Sterling is recommended to the brilliant young designer Matt Barth—only to discover Matt’s the man with whom he shared an anonymous and passionate kiss on the celebration night.

Disenchanted with the commercial jewelry industry, Matt nowadays prefers muddy archaeological digs to designing. Openly resentful of Starsmith’s hostile takeover of his family’s firm, he is horrified at the realization he’ll be working with the man who engineered that deal—but the opportunity to create something fabulous and unique for the royal couple is too tempting to refuse.

Working as a team reignites the spark between Joel and Matt. But when betrayal from within Starsmith threatens both the project and Joel’s confidence, will they have built enough trust to keep their newfound love as precious as the royal jewels?

Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!

Website | Facebook | Mailing List | Twitter | BookBub

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Kel’s Keeper by KC Wells

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I enjoyed this story of twenty-four-year-old Kel Taylor, home from school for semester break when tragedy strikes his family, and he’s left without his parents. His next-door neighbor, Luc Bryant, steps in to help him, and Kel virtually moves in with the silver fox as he becomes dependent on the older man. Luc is forty-OKseven, runs a software development business from home, and has a crush on Kel ever since Kel reached maturity. Luc is a caretaker, a loving, giving person so it’s no hardship at all for him to help Kel, and when they each learn the other is gay and they are attracted to each other, their relationship becomes more.

And here’s where I had my first negative reaction: I was a bit put off by how quickly they went from zero to full-on penetrative sex. Kel was raised by a preacher father and very zealously religious family, including his grandfather who is a missionary. He’s still a virgin, even though he knows he’s gay. I would have liked to see his intimacy with Luc develop slowly, with a little frottage, blow jobs, hand jobs, kissing, and more before they have anal sex. But in one night they went all the way. Granted, the scene was hot. After all, this is KC Wells. Still…

During the rest of the time that summer their relationship continues to grow. Luc stresses the importance of truth and full disclosure; he reinforces Kel’s behavior with assigned tasks; they go out to eat and out to Kel’s first gay club, Luc explaining and answering all Kel’s questions. But they both realize they love the other and yet neither admits it out loud. And not only that, they both perpetuate the idea that Kel will go back to school and possibly move away. Then there’s the daddy issue. Luc wants his boy to be his forever, with all that encompasses. He wants to take care of Kel, guide him, discipline him, etc. And he wants to be Kel’s Daddy. But daddies are barely mentioned in the early chapters of the story. Yes, Kel learns what they are, mostly by watching porn videos, but I had hoped Luc would explain that his own dream is to have a boy who can freely call him Daddy and let him be his Daddy in every way. And that’s where the story fell short for me. I wanted it. Luc wanted it. Kel wanted it. But nothing happened until the end of the story. So although my impression was this story was about Daddy kink, it really wasn’t, not to me.

That being said, it is still a lovely romance and great story, with lots of hurt-comfort, recovery from grief, coming out, growing up, and falling in love. I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy age gap romance.

The cover, designed by Meredith Russell, features an older man gazing down at a young man sporting a chest tattoo. Both men exactly match the descriptions of the MCs in this story.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 240 pages
Published September 1st 2019
ASINB07WDYTJF1
Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Clueless Cabot by André D. Michaels

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Young gay professional Cabot MacCrae has been in love with his sexy best friend, Lloyd, since high school. They’re in perfect sync on almost everything. The only problem is that Lloyd is straight.

Cabot resigned himself long ago to pining hopelessly. Then Lloyd, a roofer, takes a bad fall and injures his collarbone. When he needs some TLC, there’s no question that Cabot will be the one to nurse his friend back to health. But Lloyd’s scantily clad presence in Cabot’s house brings out Cabot’s old longings.

But when Lloyd’s well-meaning mother and aunt fix Cabot up with a blind date, Lloyd reacts like a jealous boyfriend. Lloyd’s reaction makes Cabot wonder if those longings are as unrequited as he’s always assumed. What if Lloyd has been pining for him all these years? Has Cabot just been clueless all along?

This was a nice story though I hated that they continued to make it out that Cabot was clueless about what was going through Lloyd’s head while Lloyd wasn’t able to vocalize his own desires either. I liked that Cabot and Lloyd have stayed such great friends since they were in school.

I liked both of these guys and even though we say everything through Cabot’s eyes I could see people trying to hint to him about Lloyd and Lloyd’s joking around but I understood his viewpoint of not wanting to possibly screw up their friendship. I don’t know if Lloyd thought his joking and kinda flirting would work but I get why it didn’t. I did hate that Lloyd’s mom put him in such a bad situation trying to get him fixed up with someone that was essentially a jerk.

The only reason I went with 3 stars instead of 4 is that I hated that they tried to make out that it was all because Cabot wasn’t paying attention was why him and Lloyd weren’t together.

I really like the cover art by Natasha Snow and the pie that is so important in the story.

Sales Links: Nine Star Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 25,900 words

Published: September 16, 2019 by Nine Star Press

ISBN: 978-1-951057-38-1

Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Pure Dumb Luck by Dahlia Donovan

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

When two small-town country dudes win the lottery, they finally find the courage to speak their truth.

An unexpected adventure follows.

Linwood “Woody” Robinson has a routine. He works for his baby brother in construction, buys three lottery tickets every week, and lusts after his best friend from high school. He’s done the same thing for twenty years.

Eddison “Eddie” Howard owns the only gas station in their small South Carolina town, sells lottery tickets, and lusts after his best friend from afar. They joke around but never speak their truth. He knows they’re cowards but can’t seem to find the courage to bridge the gulf between them.

And then they win eighty million dollars.

Life changes.

They go from never talking about their feelings to facing the world together.

Can anything pull them apart?

Pure Dumb Luck by Dahlia Donovan is a sweet, contemporary romance from one of my favorite authors. A story on the shorter side, it goes quickly, especially as the two men have been in love with each other since they were teenagers, although they never really acted on it. So you have a, more or less, established relationship that moves into a next stage during a series of trips around the world. It’s cute, full of romance, not much angst (a tiny bit) and a nice cast of secondary characters.

Things I especially enjoyed was the fact that this was an older couple, the men having known each other for years. But that same element also made me wish for more of their past history, perhaps scenes or a more solid foundation for their relationship to spring into a full born deep love that’s seen here. They apparently have loved each other for 20 years yet it takes a win and a kiss for all that to come pouring out?

I wanted to know more about them. Instead I actually got too much of a travelogue. Too much hiking or whatever they were doing when all I wanted was more of their dynamics or interaction. Dahlia Donovan is excellent at layered characters and interesting relationships and I was looking forward to a couple who had delayed theirs 20 years. Instead I got a tour.

Yes, parts of this story was undoubtedly endearing and some scenes were sweet. But I still wanted more depth. Or perhaps a balance between travel and relationship that felt was missing.

I did enjoy it and the reading went quickly as I said. It was a nice, sweet story. And I always love seeing a older couple get their HEA.

Cover art: Well at least one half of the couple looks like they could be the right age. Cute and eye catching.

Book Details:

ebook, 129 pages
Published September 28th 2019 by Hot Tree Publishing
ISBN139781925853841

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: