Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

Check Out the Release Blitz for Where Love Grows by Jay Northcote

 

Buy Links: 
– Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited
 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
 
Length: 70,000 words approx.
 
Blurb



When two broken men look to each other for help, an unexpected romance blooms.


Stephen’s home, deep in the heart of the Welsh valleys, suits his reclusive nature. However, as he recovers from illness, he’s struggling to manage alone. As nature reclaims the land he’s poured his heart into cultivating, he becomes increasingly unhappy. His only outlet is his blog, where he documents the decline of the garden that had been his pride and joy.


Luke is more used to a concrete jungle. He was a high-flyer, living and working in London, until addiction sent him into free fall. Now on the road to recovery, he still wants to make some changes, but he’s unsure where to find the purpose and fulfilment he craves.


A mutual acquaintance suggests Luke visits Stephen to help him out for a while, and a seed of hope is planted. From prickly beginnings, shoots of friendship emerge, blossoming into a deeper connection when they act on their mutual attraction.


This was only ever supposed to be a temporary arrangement, and soon Stephen will be able to manage on his own again. But both men need each other in ways they’re afraid to admit. If their love is going to last for more than one season, they’ll need to find the courage to be honest.

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.


One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.


Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press.


Website: https://jaynorthcote.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jay_Northcote
Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/jaynorthcotewriter
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/jaynorthcotefiction
Facebook author group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jaysplayground
Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/JN-readers
Jay’s books: http://author.to/JayNorthcote

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A Lila Review: All This Could Be Yours by J.V. Speyer

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Can a straightlaced FBI agent fake a relationship with a mob rat long enough to close the case?

There’s only one way out of this family, but Tanner thinks he’s found another one. He’s going to fake a relationship with a straightlaced undercover FBI agent and help him take the organization down from within. That is, if the two of them don’t strangle each other first.

Maddox hates the Mob. He doesn’t have a lot of respect for mob rats either. He knows why he was stuck with this case, and he’s not thrilled about it. He wants the win, but having to play nice with gorgeous criminal Tanner might be more than he can take.

When secrets come out, Tanner and Maddox will have to trust each other with everything they have. They may be opposites, but they’re exactly what each other will need to get through this job with their bodies and souls together.

All This Could be Yours is a bit of a washout. The premise is great, the story starts strong, but it lacks a lasting connection to the characters.  It was easy to forget what was all about.

The plot did carry this book. It was short but to the point. I wanted more of everything. More conflict, more passion, more moments to remember.

Tanner’s family and their mob world were well crafted. As well as Maddox reactions to all of it. I enjoyed how easy it was for them to be together. And how convincing they were.

And by the way, Junior was one of my favorite characters.

The cover by Melody Pond is pretty but generic. It can be the cover for any law enforcement or spy book.

Sale Links: MLR | Amazon | Nook

Book Details:
ebook, 136 pages
ISBN: 9781641222693
Published: August 11, 2019, by MLR Press
Edition Language: English

A MelanieM Review: Not Another Statistic (Yuri Sorenson Mysteries #1) by J.M. Dabney

Raring: 4.5 stars out of 5

Former Federal Agent Yuri Sorenson had left the bureau behind to become a private investigator. A friend from his old life came to him with a favor, not knowing who else to trust. Yuri had always had a way of keeping his emotional distance from the people he protected, yet that changed the day Clarkson hesitantly limped into his life.

What happens when love is confused with pain? That’s the exact question Josh Clarkson had asked himself for years. He’d grown up in an overburdened foster care system, and from what he knew of love, he couldn’t expect anything but to be something tolerated. Was he meant to be more than a plaything or a piece of scenery; he could hope.

Two men who know nothing but being broken find that patience and acceptance are harder than losing hope. Is the leap of faith worth the reward of letting someone else in? Maybe they’ll find the strength to find out before the danger of Josh’s past tries to tear them apart.

J.M.Dabney writes broken people and does it well.  That’s never more apparent then here in their latest novel Not Another Statistic, the start of a new series, the Yuri Sorenson Mysteries.

I always look forward to a Dabney novel.  I anticipate the broken men, the horrific pasts, the abuse, the violence, and yes, the kink.  But I want to see how the author will spin it in a new story and situation and romance.  As this is the beginning of the series, Dabney is laying the groundwork, pulling in characters that I feel will form the sort of “found family” that surrounds the main characters the writer is so good at.    I can certainly see the beginnings of that here.

But with all things, it starts with the main couple.  It’s age gap and Daddy kink romance but of course that’s a superficial tag for the deeper story here.  One that covers domestic violence, child abuse, adult abuse, assault, body image, and a person so beaten down that they have come to equate pain and extreme punishment with admissions of love.  That is has occured to both men in different ways …well…the imprint of violence and the shattering of self has left its impact.  The author is able to show that devastation on both sides, despite the age differences and how it was delivered home.  It’s a brutal and realistic element here and if it’s one of your triggers, then you need to be aware of it.

The relationship between Yuri and Josh is formed rather quickly and that is usually a sticking point with me.  However, given their backgrounds, the circumstances under which they meet, and the events that follow, it feels that each fills a need for the other.  In other words, the author makes their case for the relationship and it works.    You can see the need, the healing response, so the timing seems less essential. Plus it’s really a HFN, given it’s the first in a series and the relationship is just starting out.

Once again, the suspense is great, the feel of the “city” gritty and true, and I can’t wait to see what the next installment holds for us and the characters.

If you like your romance with some mystery or murder, hot kinky sex, and damaged men in love, look no further than the latest new series from JM Dabney.  I definitely recommend Not Another Statistic (Yuri Sorenson Mysteries #1) by J.M. Dabney.

Cover art by JM Dabney.  That definitely looks like Yuri. Eye catching !

Sales Links: 

Universal Link – https://books2read.com/u/bw2vV0

Book Details:

Kindle Edition
Published September 24th 2019 by Hostile Whispers Press, LLC
ASINB07WJWJQL2
SeriesYuri Sorenson #1

A Lucy Review: Dine With Me by Layla Reyne

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.

But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cup of joe.

As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.

I have to get it out there right away that the foodie parts of this book were outstanding to read.  As an aficionado of Food Network, Cooking Channel, Check Please, and so on, I love to hear about amazing food.  The fact that I have absolutely no palate makes the reading and watching all the more for me.  We definitely get that here but that isn’t the whole of the story.

This was a rough read for me because I’ve lived through the cancer hell with my husband (who is nearly five years cancer-free, thankfully).  I can’t imagine what I would do if he had decided he would have no treatment, which is what Miller does.  His year has been horrific.  He and his best friend wife, Sloan,  are divorcing – a good thing but a painful change nonetheless; his first solo restaurant has just closed due to lack of customers and he has been diagnosed with throat cancer, the treatment of which has only a 50% chance of success and could very well rob him of his sense of taste.  Since Miller lives and breathes food art, this is unacceptable for him. “He swept his hand over their plate, then gestured at the table.  “I can’t imagine a life where I can’t taste any of it, which is a very real possibility if I get the treatment.”   He wants to go out as is and he also doesn’t want his friends or family to have to go through that with him with no guarantee of a positive outcome.  It is heartbreaking.

The book begins with the ad  – “Dine with me – the culinary experience of a lifetime.”  For the bankroll of the tour, someone will get to go along with Miller (who remains unnamed) for a two week, eight meal foodie heaven of Miller’s favorite places, the ones he wants to say goodbye too. Of course Clancy, who is gifted this trip by his parents as a gift before beginning practice with his dad as a plastic surgeon, doesn’t know why Miller is doing this, just that he gets to do it. 

Clancy has his own issues – he wants to work oncology and not plastic surgery but he loves his dad and doesn’t want to disappoint him.  “He didn’t want to disappoint his father; he looked forward to working with him too.  Who wouldn’t want to work with their best friend? Even if the work wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do, Clancy was good at it.”

The tour destinations are not disclosed, although Sloane knows and Clancy’s mother knows (as she is a travel expert, she books the hotels and travel to the destinations) but Miller won’t tell Clancy until they arrive at each place. Clancy is unaware of the health issues of Miller, but of course he studied oncology, so he does eventually figure it out.

I did think it was unfair of him to make Sloan promise not to tell anyone, including their other best friend, Greg.  Greg and Sloan are having a double wedding in the summer, a wedding that Miller won’t be alive for without treatment.  The moment when Greg asks Miller to be his best person and Miller says no, I wanted to just hug Greg.  Miller won’t tell him why and what kind of best friend does that?  He’s so worried about people knowing, but as Sloan says, “If you don’t get treatment, you’re going to be dead in six months.  Everyone’s going to know anyway.”

The whole Sloan aspect shows what a loyal, caring person Miller is and it makes it even harder to watch as he gets sicker.  It adds such an air of sorrow to the story as Miller faces his death, gracefully but so stubborn you want to shake him.  The more he and Clancy fall for each other, the harder it gets. “You’ll be an amazing oncologist.  You made the end of my life more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.  Thank you.”  Yep, cue the crying.

Both men have soul-searching to do, though only one has a time bomb ticking in his body.  The connection between Clancy and Miller was absolutely believable and I loved that Dr. Clancy Rhodes usually wore t-shirts and hoodies and was a crabby when hungover.  Adorable.  And that Miller, the award-winning, Michelin rated chef, loves simple, comfort food most of all.

I would recommend this for the characters, the writing and the food!

Cover art, showing an elegant table, fits perfectly.

Sales Links: Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: September 16th 2019 by Carina Press
ISBN 148805391X (ISBN13: 9781488053917)
Edition Language English

Don’t Miss Out on a Great Story! Check Out the Blog Tour for Dine With Me by Layla Reyne (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 

 

Layla Reyne’s DINE WITH ME is a contemporary m/m romance following a dying chef on a last tour of his favorite meals, and the travel companion who must convince him he’s more than his taste buds and that the cost of love is worth living for.

Title: Dine With Me

Release Date (e-book and audio): September 16, 2019

Blurb:

Life never tasted so good.

Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.

But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cuppa joe.

As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Links:

AMZ: https://amzn.to/2CNDzbA

Universal: https://books2read.com/DineWithMe

 

About Layla Reyne:

RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Fog City, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. Layla is a 2019 RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laylareyne

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laylareyne/

Newsletter: https://www.laylareyne.com/signup

AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/author/LaylaReyne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne

Giveaway: Signed limited edition paperback + swag (equivalent value for international)

Code: Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f03103/

 

Exclusive Q&A with Layla Reyne, Blog Tour:

  • Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

LR: It’s not just Miller and Clancy in this story. There’s a supporting cast of characters—family, of the blood and found sort—that I absolutely adored writing. And they support, first and foremost. No one here is trying to foil or divert our main characters, and I love that about this story. They are there to support Miller and Clancy, as best and as full-of-heart as they can.

  • Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

LR: Every place Miller and Clancy visited is a place I’ve dined or based on a place I dined. (Sadly, a few of my favorites had closed!) Each place in this book is as special to me, for my own reasons, as it is for Miller and Clancy. For instance, one of the stops is The French Laundry, which is where my husband and I got married, so it holds a special place in my heart too.

  • Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

LR: Ohmigod, they both do. This story has been rattling around in my head since 2015. It was on the initial list of project ideas I gave my agent. There’s a lot of me in both Clancy and Miller (more so Clancy, my husband more so Miller), but it’s really a love letter to all the amazing dining experiences I’ve been so lucky to have in my life.

  • What is the significance of the title?

LR: It starts as the opening line of the advertisement Miller posts for the tour. It also ends the book in a way that still makes me happy sigh.

  • What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?

LR: This is a standalone, so there won’t be a sequel. Though keep your eyes peeled for a special project involving one of the secondary characters.

  • If you had to describe character Miller Sykes in three words, what would those three words be?

LR: Loyal, Self-Sacrificing, Stubborn

  • If you had to describe character Miller Sykes in three words, what would those three words be?

LR: Earnest, Honest, Risk-taker

  • If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?

LR: Oh, this is easy (since the book has been in my head for YEARS). I’ve always had Clive Standen as my fancast for Miller and Grant Gustin as my fancast for Clancy.

  • Was the writing process different and what challenges did you face writing contemporary romance versus romantic suspense?

LR: I couldn’t just throw a car chase or explosion in when I needed to pick up the pace! But seriously, I really did have to dig deep to center this one more on emotions, more on the journey of these two men, individually and potentially together in the future. That’s what’s driving the story, versus my usual twisty plot.

Exclusive Excerpt 1:

By the time they were on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, all of Clancy’s thoughts and words were fighting to get out. He watched through the windshield as Miller stood by the ferry’s rail, a lone figure seemingly oblivious to the blowing snow flurries as he stared straight ahead.

To the island where they would be stuck together for the weekend.

Fuck. Clancy had to say something or else this was going to be the most awkward Christmas Eve weekend ever.

He tossed his empty coffee cup aside, grabbed his scarf from the back seat, wrapped it around his neck, zipped up his hoodie, and buttoned his coat over everything. Bundled, as well as an LA boy could be, he shoved open the car door, took one step out, and had to cling to the door to avoid wiping out. Steadying himself, he carefully made his way to the rail where Miller stood. And just as carefully, he approached the conversation, starting with something easy. “Thank you for the coffee and beignets this morning.”

“I promised you,” Miller answered flatly, not giving him a glance.

Careful and easy took a flying leap off the side of the boat. “Do you still want to be here?” The next second, Clancy registered how that question could be taken, beyond just this trip, and he wanted to jump over the rail himself. “On this trip,” he clarified. “Because if you’re just here because you promised, we can call it off. You can keep the money—”

“It’s not about the money.”

“Fine, but Miller…” He leaned a hip and hand against the rail, trying to get Miller to look his way, to no avail. “If this trip is making you miserable, if you don’t want to be around me, if you—”

Miller’s hand over his silenced the rest of Clancy’s words. “I want to continue, and I don’t want to do it alone.”

“But do you want to do it with me?”

Miller finally gave Clancy his eyes, and they were red-rimmed and bloodshot. Clancy sucked in a sharp breath, fearing the worst.

“Yes,” Miller said softly.

Clancy didn’t hide his huge exhale, and Miller’s answering smile was worth it. The world steadied below Clancy’s feet even as the boat rocked over the waves. He drew his hand back and shoved both of them into his coat pockets. “Where are we going, then? On Martha’s Vineyard?”

Miller glanced back out over the water, toward the island that was growing nearer. “The first place I chef’ed.”

“I thought that was in New York, with Greg.”

He shook his head, a strange mix of pain and longing streaking across his face. “When Sloan and I left home, we came here first. A friend of Ma’s ran a B and B in Edgartown. It was the summer season and she needed the extra help. She rented us a dingy little basement apartment for cheap, Sloan cleaned and helped manage the inn, and I was the on-site handyman and landscaper. But I still needed to get out and make some extra cash.”

“So you found a restaurant to work in?”

“The kitchens in New York and San Francisco might have refined my skills, but Oscar M’Raihi gave them to me.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

Love a Story with Broken Men in Love? Check out the Review Tour for Not Another Statistic (Yuri Sorenson Mysteries #1) by JM Dabney

ReviewTour-Not-Another-Statistic-Banner

Not Another Statistic

Yuri Sorenson Mysteries

J.M. Dabney

Genre – MM/Gay Fiction/Romance, Mystery/Suspense

Release Date: 09.24.19

NotAnotherStatistic-Final-QRI

Cover Image – FuriousFotog (Golden Czermak)

Cover Model – Kevin R. Davis

Cover Art – J.M. Dabney

Blurb

Former Federal Agent Yuri Sorenson had left the bureau behind to become a private investigator. His ex-partner came to him asking for a favor, not knowing who else to trust. Yuri had always had a way of keeping his emotional distance from the people he protected, yet that changed the day Clarkson hesitantly limped into his life.

What happens when love is confused with pain? That’s the exact question Josh Clarkson had asked himself for years. He’d grown up in an overburdened foster care system, and from what he knew of love, he couldn’t expect anything but to be something tolerated. Was he meant to be more than a plaything or a piece of scenery? H could hope.

Two men who know nothing but being broken find that patience and acceptance are harder than losing hope. Is the leap of faith worth the reward of letting someone else in? Maybe they’ll find the strength to find out before the danger of Josh’s past tries to tear them apart.

Universal Link – https://books2read.com/u/bw2vV0

NotAStatistic-Teaser-What-IfNotAStatistic-Teaser-ExpectationNotAStatistic-Teaser-Reward

Excerpt

I awakened from the best dreams I’d ever had. One of the few times I hadn’t come to with a scream and then I froze as I found myself draped over Yuri. My thighs on either side of his hips and I tried to slip to the side without being noticed only to squeak as a very strong, large hand squeezed my ass to keep me in place. This was so not good. I bit my lip and tried again only to be stopped by a deep growl that rumbled the chest under me.

All I remembered last night was falling asleep as far on the other side of the bed as I could get. I’d never really shared a bed with someone before. Usually when the man I was with went to sleep, I left or found a couch or a portion of the floor to curl up on. At Vernon’s I had my own tiny room which he locked me in every night.

This was the first time I’d ever cuddled with a man and I wasn’t sure it was a welcomed act. I needed to get away before he woke up. His opinion was important and I didn’t want him to think that I’d done this on purpose. I planted my hands beside his ribs, and then lifted onto my toes.

I was able to get an inch between our bodies before my hips were slammed back down onto a very impressive bulge.

“Shit.” I whispered and started the attempt again.

“Baby boy, what do you think you’re doing?”

His gruff question had me lifting my gaze to his and realized he was very much awake. “How long have you been awake?”

“Maybe an hour or so.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize—” My apology ended when I noticed the corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. It made the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes deeper.

“Sleeping you didn’t seem to mind rubbing on me.”

I surged to a seated position and stared down at him. “I was sleeping. I could’ve done anything.” His smile got wider. “What else did I do?”

“Nothing, but we have shit to do today so get on up.”

He smacked my ass and rolled out from under me, dumping me onto the bed. I hurriedly crawled off and followed him. I was too shocked by the grin and the suddenly playful attitude to protest the swat.

“What did I do,” I demanded.

“You get pretty affectionate, now, are you going to watch me piss and demand to know every grope you didn’t get to enjoy?”

JM logo

J.M. Dabney is a multi-genre author who writes Body Positive/Diverse Romance and Fiction. They live with a constant diverse cast of characters in their head. No matter their size, shape, race, etc. J.M. lives for one purpose alone, and that’s to make sure they do them justice and give them the happily ever after they deserve. J.M. is dysfunction at its finest and they makes sure their characters are a beautiful kaleidoscope of crazy. There is nothing more they want from telling their stories than to show that no matter the package the characters come in or the damage their pasts have done, that love is love. That normal is never normal and sometimes the so-called broken can still be amazing.

The author is Gender Nonconforming are uses the preferred pronouns They/Them.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/J.M.DabneyAuthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/jmdabney_author

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authorjmdabney/?hl=en

Reader Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/585182991553194

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/J.M.-Dabney/e/B006QZIFLE

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-m-dabney

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An Ashlez Review: Goalie Interference (Hat Trick #2) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn

Rating – 5 out of 5 slapshots

It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn… 

Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.

Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom is looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.

Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.

In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.

I said this after the first book but I truly adore hockey romances, especially when they’re done well and have a lot of hockey in it – it’s like I’m in the game but not and it’s amazing.  The worldbuilding for the Venom is just amazing to me, the whole team and everything about them.
My brother was a goalie throughout his school years and I know what hard work and how hard they work to get where they are, and some of the descriptions in this book are so on par it’s unreal.
I loved Ryu he was my favourite side in the first book and I’m so glad I got to continue on with his story – he seemed so father figure and rigid and I’m glad to see Emmitt was so good at bantering with him – I loved the relationship progression of course, it felt smooth and easy.

Hockey fans/steamy romance fans ..definitely check out this book it’s 5/5 slapshots for sure!

Cover art: Goalies, so apt, but the contrast colours are so appealing and popping!

Sales Links: Carina Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: September 30th 2019 by Carina Press
ISBN 1488053804 (ISBN13: 9781488053801)
Edition Language English
Series Hat Trick #2
Characters Ryu Mori, Emmitt Armstrong
setting Atlanta, Georgia (United States)

Hat Trick Series

Off the Ice

Goalie Interference

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review : The Secrets We Keep by Rick R Reed

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Rick Reed delivers a powerful love story wrapped in a multitude of emotions. Jasper Warren, the principal character, is a young gay man living in Chicago with his bestie, Lacy. She’s perfectly happy tagging along as his wingman when he hits the nightlife Chicago offers. But when tragedy strikes, Jasper blames himself for not realizing how much Lacy really loved him. He’s spent most of his life alone, ever since his mother and younger sister were murdered and his father grew so remote, quiet, and introspective that he never interacted with Jasper, the only family he had left. He grew up in the same house as his dad but without the love and support one would expect from family. And, until she’s gone, Jasper never realizes she had become the family of his heart.

When Lacy’s uncle Rob befriends Jasper, the two bond over their losses. And, actually, Jasper wouldn’t mind more than friendship from the handsome, older silver fox. Those who enjoy family drama will love this story as there is both past and current familial drama as well as drama related to family of choice. The story primarily focuses on relationships: parents and children, friends and lovers, and, more subtly, a focus on the words and actions we use to hurt others, whether purposely or accidentally. In fact, sometimes, it’s not the action, but the failure to act, that causes the most harm.

Within the story, Rob, who happens to be a well-known author, cites the differences between fiction and real life and notes that “in real life, we need to think about using few words and making the ones we do use more meaningful.” So very true! Missed opportunities, lingering misunderstandings, and the complexity of our very human day-to-day existence can all cause far-reaching relationship problems. I loved the way the author wove these experiences into the story so readers could draw their own conclusions and see the life lessons as simply human experiences, for better or worse.

Over and above the outstanding plot, the author’s love for Palm Springs comes through loud and clear, as does his familiarity with the Chicago area.

Jasper’s fierce independent streak carries throughout the story, and there is a potentially happy future for him and Rob on the horizon, but he has also learned to value his self-confidence and his newfound positive relationship with his dad as the story closes. 

I highly recommend this to lovers of strong characters and those who enjoy age gap, hurt-comfort, redemption, and independence. 

The cover by Reese Dante, done in a black-and-white tone, features two men—one turned toward the camera, and one in side view. The overall effect is that of strife, anxiety, fear, and shame—all emotions evoked by the secrets they keep. 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Book Details:

ebook, 195 pages
Published September 17th 2019 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN1 39781644055656
Edition Language English

Review Tour Goalie Interference (Hat Trick #2) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn (author interview)

 

 

Goalie Interference by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn

Series (name + # in series): Hat Trick Series, #2

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date (Print & Ebook):

Ebook: September 30, 2019

Print: October 1, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook):

Ebook: 75,000 words (approx.)

Print: 297 pages (approx.)

Subgenre: Contemporary romance, hockey romance, m/m

Warnings: tense family situations, racial microaggressions (called out on page)

All buy links or pre-order links:

Universal link: https://books2read.com/goalieinterference

Book synopsis:

It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn…

Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.

Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom are looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.

Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.

In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

About Avon Gale:

Avon Gale lives in a liberal Midwestern college town, where she spends her days getting heavily invested in everything from craft projects to video games. She likes road trips by car, rock concerts, thunderstorms, IPAs, Kentucky bourbon and tattoos. As a queer author, Avon is committed to providing happy endings for all and loves to tell stories that focus on found families, strong and open communication, and friendship. She loves writing about quirky people who might not be perfect, but always find a place where they belong.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon:

Twitter: twitter.com/avongalewrites

Facebook: facebook.com/avongalewrites

Newsletter: eepurl.com/bGLSrD

Instagram: instagram.com/avongale

Website: avongalewrites.com

***

About Piper Vaughn:

Piper Vaughn is a queer Latinx author and longtime romance reader. Since writing their first love story at age eleven, they’ve known writing in some form was exactly what they wanted to do. A reader to the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book.

Piper grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago and loves putting faces and characters of every ethnicity in their stories, making their fictional worlds as colorful as the real one. Above all, Piper believes there’s no one way to have an HEA, and every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page.

Connect with Piper:

Twitter: twitter.com/pipervaughn

Facebook: facebook.com/pipervaughn

Instagram: instagram.com/piper.vaughn

Website: pipervaughn.com

***

Teaser 

“Can I tell you something and you’ll keep your mouth shut about it?” Emmitt asked. “I’m serious, man. This cannot go beyond you and me.”

“Dude! When do I not keep my mouth shut?” Morley scowled. “Like, when are people gonna get it that I’m like, a good guy?”

Emmitt smiled. “You are. I know. Sorry, it’s just…I might be seeing someone.”

Morley stared at him. “Is it another dentist?”

It took Emmitt a moment to remember how he’d told Morley about his ex, and he laughed despite himself. “No. This time it’s actually a hockey player and…yeah.”

Morley did a fist bump and shouted, “People owe me money, motherfuckers!”

“What?” Emmitt hissed. “This is why you’re not getting any cred! People? Who, people?”

“On the Internet,” Morley said, mysteriously. “Don’t worry. I don’t use my real name.”

Emmitt just stared at him. “I don’t want to know about this. I don’t. I’m not asking. And I can’t tell you who it is, because he’s not out, so don’t ask, okay?”

“I won’t. But…it’s not the goalie on the Marauders, is it?” His voice lowered. “People write erotic stories about you two, bro.”

Emmitt blinked. “What? Where? Why?”

“Enemies to lovers, man. It’s a Thing.” Morley waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay?” Emmitt gave a helpless laugh. “I don’t know what to even say about that, except I hope those stories end better than my relationship did. It’s not the goalie for the Marauders, by the way. Our archrivals? Give me some credit, dude.”

***

Author Q&A:

Piper Vaughn:

Name the five biggest distractions from your writing.

-Reading.

-Cross stitching.

-YouTube. I watch a lot of ASMR videos to relax, but I’m also really into cooking videos, crafting tutorials, music videos, and skincare vlogs.

-My cat. Look, she’s too cute to resist. She deserves all the pets and treats and love.

-Social media. Especially Twitter!

What is your ideal writing space?

In a perfect world, I’d have my own office, with a door that locked. There’d be a desk/work station, book shelves stuffed to the brim with paperbacks and knickknacks, a cozy reading nook in the corner for when I needed a break, a few plants near the window, and space to display all of the vintage typewriters I’ve collected over the years.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to travel, listen to music (my tastes are eclectic, but at heart, I’m still a 90s grunge and alternative kid), read, and marathon TV shows or true crime podcasts. I also love cross stitching, which I’ve only been doing for about 4 months now, but I’m totally obsessed with the craft and have amassed quite the collection of supplies and patterns and have even started hand-dyeing my own fabric and creating my own designs.

What drew you to this genre?

I’ve been a romance reader pretty much from the start, when I first got my hands on a few Harlequin category romances around the age of eleven. YA was a much smaller genre at the time, and while I was reading some of it—Christopher Pike, LJ Smith, RL Stine, Sweet Valley High, etc.—a lot of it also contained romantic subplots. At the end of the day, I just really enjoy watching two (or more) people form a connection and fall in love, with all the ups and downs that come along with that journey. And given that I grew up around a fair amount of death and violence, I really clung hard to the idea of happily ever afters. I still do.

Avon Gale

Name the five biggest distractions from your writing.

Definitely video games. I love them, especially epic RPGs with a huge world map and a thousand pointless sidequests. There’s nothing I love more than fighting with my ragtag group of party members, gallivanting from town to dungeon, rage-quitting boss battles (they cheat!) and putting off saving the world to collect vegetables for that one merchant, or find the lost sheep of a poor villager. I love RPGs because they’re basically found family narratives with a strong emphasis on the power of friendship, which are also things I love to write about in my books.

After that, it’d have to be crafting — I like to knit, embroider, sew, paint, make jewelry, anything like that. I’m always up for learning a new craft (sewing and embroidery are my most recent) and I can spend a lot of time in our local yarn shop, the quilt store with the fabric I won’t let myself buy because I am still not that great at sewing in a straight line, or Michaels looking at embroidery thread.

YouTube — I watch a lot of YouTube videos, as the shorter format works well with my attention span. I love Jenny Nicholson, who has hilarious videos about bad fanfic, movies, and theme parks — I highly recommend her snark-tastic video about that awful “Escape from Tomorrow” movie shot guerilla-style in Disney parks.

My four month old kitten is also a distraction from writing, sometimes a welcome one and sometimes not so much. But it’s hard not to play with her when she’s so cute!!

For the last one, I guess I’d have to say cleaning. Sometimes I have found myself vacuuming instead of writing, in which case I’m sure somewhere my mom is weeping quality for the twelve year old I might have been, haha!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Video games are my biggest hobby at the moment, alongside with crafting (though the kitten makes doing that sort of hard, she likes to pounce on literally everything but especially string/yarn!). I also love to travel, especially road tripping to visit friends or go to concerts. I love to swim, either outside in a nice cold river/lake or at the gym. I obviously love reading, I still love my fandom and shrieking over fanart/fic, and I love watching horror movies. I’m pretty easily entertained, to be honest!

What drew you to this genre?

I’ve been a romance reader since I was about 11, and I started reading gothic romance (“The Lost Duchess of Greyden Castle” was my first!) and then moved on to contemporary and historical. I love character-driven stories, especially ones with a happy ending. Romance has always appealed to my positivity and inherently optimistic nature, and I love being able to write in the genre I’ve read and enjoyed for so long. I especially love seeing queer characters thrive and end up happy, those narratives were ones I didn’t have growing up and I’m committed to making sure they’re out there.

 

Don’t Miss Out on the Special Review Tour and Giveaway for The Secrets We Keep by Rick R Reed (Excerpt)

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
 
Length: 195 pages
 
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
 
Cover Design: Reese Dante
 
Blurb
 

Jasper Warren is a happy-go-lucky young man in spite of the tragedy that’s marred his life. He’s on a road to nowhere with his roommate, Lacy, whom he adores, and a dead-end retail job in Chicago.


And then everything changes in a single night. Though Jasper doesn’t know it, his road is going somewhere after all. This time when tragedy strikes, it brings with it Lacy’s older, wealthy, sexy uncle Rob. Despite the heart-wrenching circumstances, an immediate connection forms between the two men.


But the secrets between them test their attraction. Will their revelations destroy the bloom of new love… or encourage it to grow?

Excerpt
 

It’s always exciting for me, both as a writer and as a reader, when the two main lovers in a book first meet. In THE SECRETS WE KEEP, that first meeting is at a funeral home wake, for someone both men loved deeply (and for whom many of the secrets in the book are kept).

***



When he stepped out of the bathroom, someone was waiting for him. An older man.


Jasper tried to thread his way around the guy. “Did you want to go in?” Jasper gestured toward the open bathroom.


“No. I was waiting for you.” The guy eyed him. He was probably a good twenty years older than Jasper, but as inappropriate as it was at a time like this, Jasper couldn’t help noticing how sexy he was. Trim, a little on the short side, it was obvious, even in his impeccably tailored black suit, he was in very good, and very powerful, shape. Jasper was certain those weren’t shoulder pads testing the seams at the tops of his arms.


He had kind eyes. And they were the most amazing shade of pale gray. Jasper had seen a husky once with eyes like that; he couldn’t say he’d ever seen anything like it on a human being. Those eyes were mesmerizing, arresting, and chilling, framed in long, black lashes.


His hair was silver, shorn close on the sides with a bit more on top, spiked with some gel.


He wore a fashionable five-o’clock shadow that Jasper couldn’t deny he wanted to feel—either with his fingers or against his own smooth cheeks.


“For me?” Jasper smiled. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”


He simply smiled enigmatically. “Probably not. But I bet I know you. You’re Jasper, Heather’s roommate, right?”


“Yeah. And you are?”


“I’m Robert. Robert Burroughs.” He extended his hand.


Jasper gripped the warm hand, slightly soft and a little damp. He didn’t take his eyes off Robert the whole time, and the “whole time” was much longer than the duration of a handshake for most guys. It sent a shiver through Jasper.


“Burroughs?” Jasper had a terrifying thought. What if this is her dad? Good Lord, I’m flirting with Lacy’s dad! At her funeral! The very thought caused beads of sweat to pop out on Jasper’s forehead. He held in a giddy burst of laughter. “Are you, um, related to Lacy? Er, Heather?”


Please don’t say you’re her father.


“I’m her uncle Rob. Did she never mention me?”


Jasper wracked his brain. One thing neither of them did much of was talk about their respective families. They liked to believe they were each other’s family now, “chosen family” was the term they used. The idea, the memory of this, brought a lump to Jasper’s throat, bringing home for real that his best friend was gone. “I’m not sure.”


“It’s okay if she didn’t. I hadn’t seen her in quite some time. My schedule doesn’t afford me much opportunity to see family, as much as I might want to.” He smiled, and Jasper noticed the sadness around his eyes despite it. Robert went on softly, “I wish I’d had one more chance to talk to her, to tell her how I loved her. I’m afraid she didn’t know.”


Jasper nodded. “Me too. If I could just talk to her one more time, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”


Robert cocked his head. “No?”


Jasper didn’t want to disabuse him of the notion that Lacy had not killed herself, if that was what he was choosing to believe. So he simply said, “Who knows?”


“Heather used to write sometimes, a long time ago. She’d shoot me a text, you know, a birthday emoji or a holiday one. We were close when she was a kid. I used to take her places with me whenever I could. Her parents never really got her, you know?”


“Oh, I know.”


“They were always trying to change her. Like, she was left-handed naturally, and they worked and worked and worked on getting her to use her right. They tried to get her to hang out with what they deemed the popular girls. They bought her American Girl dolls when all she wanted was a set of paints and a good book, preferably horror. I could stand here all day and tell you how little my brother and sister-in-law knew their girl. But I won’t.


“I just wish I’d stayed in better touch with her. Once my career took off, back when she was just becoming a teenybopper, I kind of got preoccupied and we lost touch.” He paused and Jasper noticed the tears standing in his incredible eyes. Unexpectedly, he laughed. “When she was a little girl, and I mean like three or four, she would sigh and say, ‘Woe is me.’ What little girl says that?”


“Lacy. It so figures.”


“You call her Lacy. Why?”


“That’s how she referred to herself. She was even thinking of legally changing her name. She hated Heather.”


Robert nodded. “I get that. I never thought of her as a Heather. I’m glad she found something else.” He glanced over his shoulder into the viewing room. “I wish they’d respected that.”


I do too. Jasper felt, suddenly, even sadder. For his own loss, sure, but more for Lacy’s loss. The rest of her life. She could have done so much. She could have been happy. He just knew it.


He placed his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Look, I intended to stay longer, but I need to get out of here. This place is too oppressive. And it honestly feels like someone else is being waked, not the girl I know. So I’m gonna book. But it was nice to talk to you.”


Robert nodded. “Will you be at the funeral tomorrow morning?”


The funeral was set for one of Rogers Park’s Catholic churches. Then they’d fly the body back to California for burial in the family plot.


It was all wrong. All not what Lacy would have chosen.


Jasper shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. This isn’t her. I think I’ll just remember her as I knew her.”


Jasper turned away, feeling on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to cry in front of Lacy’s uncle—or anyone else gathered at the funeral home, for that matter.


As he reached the door, Robert’s voice stopped him.


“Jasper?”


He turned.


“Would you mind if I came with you? I need to get out of here too.”

 

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 5 star Review here.  We highly recommend it.

 

Real Men. True Love.


Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” You can find him at www.rickrreed.com or www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix.


FIND RICK ONLINE



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Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com

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