Category: Riptide Publishing

A MelanieM Review: The Best Corpse for the Job by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Best Corpse for the Job cover

Tea and sympathy have never been so deadly.

The private school of Lindenshaw St Crispin’ has long lost the luster it once had.  Once a sought after place of high education, it has now sild slowly into the ranks of lesser schools and its dwindling enrollment reflects that.  But the governors want a return to its glorious days and to do that they need to hire a new Head Master or Head Teacher as the title is now called.  Among those chosen for the selection panel is schoolteacher Adam Matthews.  All Adam wants is to chose the best person for the children and go home to his quiet life at the end of the day.  But when one of the applicants is found strangled in the school, everyone looks to be a suspect, even Adam himself.

Inspector Robin Bright isn’t thrilled to be back at St. Crispin’s. the scene of the crime and his old alma mater.  The school and its grounds,  as well some of the old staff that still remember him, bring back old painful memories Robin would rather stay forgotten.  The one bright spot is one that he shouldn’t be thinking about? That would be the handsome and kind schoolteacher, Adam Matthews.

 

All the secrets of Lindenshaw St. Crispin’s start to surface as another body is discovered.  As the stakes get higher and the murderer becomes more desperate, Adam and Robin have to decide who they can trust and rely on, even deciding if that includes each other.  The complications rise up and the race is on to find the killer before Adam and even Robin himself are targeted.

If you look up the definition of Cosy Mystery in the dictionary, it includes this statement ”

“Cozies are mystery novels typically set in English country houses, villages, or other benign environments. Cozies feature very little violence, aside for the murder, and few gory details. The term arose from the relatively genteel settings, the common use of amateur sleuths as protagonists, and the fact that all loose ends are tied up and the villain caught and punished by the novel’s conclusion.”

To that I will add, the Cozy Mystery is a popular trope found in all forms of media, from Agatha Christie, the grande dame of Cozies to Murder, She Wrote.  It has a timeless appeal with its small town settings and the intimacy found between all the various townspeople… victims, murderers, suspects alike.  It lacks the brutality and rawness of other mysteries, concerning itself with the amateur sleuth and their ability to reason.  Small wonder that Charlie Cochrane, that marvelous author of stories composed of civilities, history, and relationships has written a cozy to delight us all.

The Best Corpse for the Job brings us into the small English village of Stanebridge and a school in decline.  Lindenshaw St. Crispin’s is a school mired in its past.  And its teachers, well, most of them, realize that to survive it needs a new Headteacher (formerly known as Headmaster) and direction to pull it into the present.  A panel is chosen to decide who is the best candidate for the job and then hire that person.  So deceptively simple a decision and yet so fraught full of politics, personality clashes, and ambition that you know it will go wrong right from the start.  And it does, deliciously so.

Cochrane brings us into the civilized halls and playing  fields of this most austere establishment, letting us feel our way through the aged paneled hallways, noting the deep history of the school while subtly highlighting the wear, tear, and worn nature that its lowered status has caused.  Through Cochrane’s descriptions one doesn’t have to had stepped foot in such a school to feel the atmosphere of stress, age, and years of children of all ages trooping in and out have wrought upon St. Crispin’s.  It’s all marvelously there, a perfect setting for murder most foul.

Adam Matthews, a kind and caring teacher who prefers to keep his homosexuality quiet from some of the more bigoted members of the staff, is such an attractive main character.   His geniality, his concern for his students and the future of the school make him immediately likable.  We get his concerns and we adore the way in which he appreciates his life, from the school to his small house, complete with enormous Newfoundland called Campbell.  He’s the perfect amateur Cozy sleuth and he acquits himself handsomely here from start to finish.

More complex, definitely more brooding, Inspector Robin Bright has a painful history that is deeply rooted in the very school that is the scene of the crime.  And this crime has brought up all the old hurtful memories and issues that Robin thought he had put in the past.  Again, Cochrane makes us feel the bitterness and anger Robin has carried with him all these years and it’s a stark contrast to Adam and the type of teacher he represents. Robin too is someone the reader will care about greatly.

And at the heart of this story is the crime and murderer who remains hidden for most of the story.  It’s a twisty little mystery, one that the reader will enjoy puzzling out along with Robin and Adam, as the scares, clues, and suspense ratchets up the stakes for all.  Is there a heart thumper or two?  Why, yes, there is and it makes the ending all the more enjoyable.

I hope that there are further mysteries ahead for Robin and Adam, they make quite the team.  And Charlie Cochrane’s ability to bring the gentility, intimacy, and sometimes deadly village goings on to life makes her a Cozy Mystery author to write home about.   Consider The Best Corpse for the Job, and its author, Charlie Cochrane both among Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words highly recommended reads.

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase.  I have to admit to being disappointed in the cover.  Too modern for a Cozy, it missed so many opportunities to highlight the story and the mystery it involves.  It looks more like a modern office than ancient private school.

Sales Links:  Riptide Press (available for pre order)   All Romance eBooks   Amazon – all links to follow

Book Details:

ebook, 298 pages
Expected publication: November 24th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
original titleThe Best Corpse for the Job
ISBN139781626491571
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/title

Let’s Go Back to Bluewater Bay with Starstruck by L. A. Witt (book tour and contest)

Welcome to Bluewater Bay!BWBlogo_Web

This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by ten award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors:  L.A. Witt,  L.B. Gregg,  Z.A. Maxfield,  Aleksandr Voinov,  Heidi Belleau,  Rachel Haimowitz,  Anne Tenino,  Amy Lane,  SE Jakes, and  G.B. Gordon. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Join L.A. Witt and L.B. Gregg for the Welcome to Bluewater Bay Tour, and check out Starstruck and There’s Something About Ari to meet the cast, crew, and locals!BWB_150x300

About Starstruck

Starstruck_150pixels4pwHollywood is full of dirty secrets, but Carter refuses to be Levi’s.

Retired action star Levi Pritchard has made a quiet life for himself in the sleepy logging town of Bluewater Bay, Washington. But then Hollywood comes to film the wildly popular television series Wolf’s Landing, and Bluewater Bay isn’t so sleepy anymore. His retirement doesn’t stick, either, because he’s offered a part on the show—exactly the kind of complex role he’d always wanted, one that would prove him more than a glorified stuntman. The only catch? He has to stay in the closet—no matter how attractive he finds his co-star.

Carter Samuels is the critically-acclaimed male lead on Wolf’s Landing. And now, the man who inspired him to take up acting—and made him realize he’s gay—is joining the cast, and sparks fly between them instantly. But Carter is out and proud and determined to stay true to himself.

Remaining just friends is the only thing to do, as both the studio and Levi’s disapproving, dysfunctional family keep reminding them. Except their friendship deepens by the day, tempting them with what they can’t have but both desperately need.

About L.A. Witt.

L.A. Witt is an author of gay erotic romances, and has been recently exiled from Okinawa, Japan, to Omaha, Nebraska. She resides there with her husband, a telekinetic goldfish, and two incredibly spoiled cats. It’s unclear if the exile was the result of the mostly classified “Aquarium Incident,” or if she’s actually being hidden, for her protection, from the Polynesian Mafia and her arch nemesis, erotic romance author Lauren Gallagher.

Should you encounter Lauren, don’t tell her L.A. is in Omaha. This bio will self-destruct in 17 seconds.

Connect with L.A.:

Contest:  Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Starstruck) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 9th, and winners will be announced on November 10th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

A MelanieM Review: The Circus of the Damned (Deal with a Devil) by Cornelia Grey

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

TheCircusoftheDamned_500x750Magician Gilbert Blake has spent his entire life hiding the fact that his power is real.  Instead, Gilbert journeys from town to town, along with his patient companion, Emilia the mouse, trolling for easy marks in the worst of places and pubs along the way.  Gilbert’s love of drink and quick temper has often gotten him into trouble but  never like the hornets nest he stirred up in the town of  Shadowsea.  A dark, disreputile place, home of  the infamous slumlord Count Reuben,   who gets wind of his abilities after a fight in one of his pubs.  Gilbert’s flees with Emelia until his only option to survive is hiding within the Circus of the Damned .

Only the Circus of the Damned isn’t merely an unusual name but a unique circus with dark secrets of its own.   It’s handsome ringmaster Jesse’s responsiblity to make sure their numbers stay the same.  And when a performer dies, a new replacement must be found within 24 hours or all is lost, including their souls.   A recent death in their ranks makes Gilbert exactly what they need.  A soul in exchange for safety inside the Circus as a performer.  Only Gilbert doesn’t exactly believe in the pact or the Circus for that matter.  For Gilbert expediency is everything until its not and reality sets in.

But something far darker looms on the horizon, for Gilbert and the Circus of the Damned.  For Count Reuben hasn’t forgotten about Gilbert and is pursuing him still.  As the danger grows all around them, and other mages start disappearing, Gilbert, Jesse and the Circus of the Damned  place everything on the line for survival and for love.

Just the blurb for The Circus of the Damned was alluring enough for me to pick up this story and start reading.  Never quite the fan of clowns and circuses, the premise was one I found easy to believe in, a company of damned souls and supernatural talents who journeyed around the world holding special shows whose audience was often as unusual as the performers themselves.  Yes, I was hooked well and good.

But Cornelia Grey’s marvelous execution of this premise and the complex,haunting universe she has created for The Circus of the Damned exceeded all my expectations and then stomped them into the dust.  Part steampunk , part hellmouth, always fascinating, from the miserable town of Shadowsea to the encircled caravans of the Circus of the Damned, no little detail goes unnoticed or fails to enchance Grey’s tale of magic, devilry, and romance.

Circuses as I have said, are the perfect devil’s playground, From the garish makeup, tents, trailers and oddities of the side show, this venue lends itself to otherworldly elements like a duck does to water.  And the foundation is always in its performers, as it is with the characters Grey has created here.  But first, let’s start with Gilbert Blake, an often drunken mage with anger issues who often takes the  easy road in life.  He drinks, cheats, and scurries along, accompanied by only the most tolerant mouse alive, Emilia.  Gilbert is everyone’s problem at the beginning, including the readers.  He’s just not that likable to start off with.  Luckily that will change once he is forced to enter the Circus, but even then he can be a problematic leading man.  Only as he starts to accept his fate and really takes notice of his fellow performers and situation does this character grow and our liking of him along with it.

But even as we are having problems engaging with Gilbert, there’s Jesse, Dora, Ramona, and Constance.  There’s the remarkable Olivia, and Mildred, and of course, Farfarello, to delight, horrify, and pull us forever into their stories and lives.  It’s that damned Circus of the Damned that’s so mesmerizing and fanciful that you just can’t get enough of the place or people (or beings for that matter). Here is Cornelia Grey’s Pinterest Inspiration board, as scary and haunting as you will find.  That circus and the history behind it is the hook that will pull you in and keep you enthralled while you are waiting for Gilbert to develop into a character you and Jesse can love.  Yes, that happens, along with so many other startling plot threads that I remained happily ensconced in this world 347 pages to the end.  And then wanted more.

And I do want more.  I want to see what happens next, I want more backstory, and definitely more of their future.  Another story perhaps?  That would be delightful and satisfying.  Of course, Farfarello appears in other tales, Devil at the Crossroads, the first in Cornelia Grey’s Deal with a Devil series.  And by the title here, it would appear that more Deal with the Devil tales are coming.  Now only if they can include a certain circus….

Make your introduction to these devilishly entertaining group of performers and the fantastical world Cornelia Grey has created for them here with The Circus of the Damned.  It delivers a new perspective from which to view the big top, magic, and captured souls looking for love.  It’s a recommended read here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  Grab it up today.  Happy Reading.

Cover art by Kanaxa.  Oh! How I love that cover. Spooky, haunting, and totally captivating.  If the title didn’t already pull you in, that cover would.  One of the best of the year.

Sales Links:    Riptide Publishing      All Romance eBooks    amazon    The Circus of the Damned

Book Details:

ebook, 347 pages
Expected publication: November 3rd 2014 by Riptide Publishing
original titleCircus of the Damned (A Deal with a Devil Story)
ISBN139781626491656
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/titles/circus-of-the-damned
seriesDeal with a Devil

It’s Hellish Great Times on Tour with Cornelia Grey and The Circus of the Damned !(contest)

 SteampunkWeek_150x300Introducing into Center Ring, Cornelia Grey and The Circus of the Damned!

Cornelia Grey is here to tell us about the chracter inspiration for the supporting folks in her captivatingly scary new story, The Circus of the Damned.  And don’t forget to follow along on the tour for more chances to win a $250 gift certificated to Harlots and Angels Steampunk Corsetry!   Take a look at these items that could be yours if you won!

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The Circus of the Damned – Character Inspiration Pics Pt. II

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for having me – happy to join you to talk a bit about my newest release, the paranormal novel The Circus of the Damned!

I love supporting characters, love making them interesting and colorful and, with the circus setting, I was really looking forward to working with an ensemble cast. My characters tend to be underdogs, living at the margins of society, relying on their wit and abilities to scrape by in a hostile world, and the perforrmers of the Circus of the Damned are just that – a ragtag crew of odd creatures, people with supernatural abilities that they cannot reveal to the world, hiding in plain sight under a circus tent…

As I was toying with a few ideas about their ideas and their performances, I decided to look for inspiration browsing vintage photos and cabinet cards of acrobats and assorted artists, that would be a perfect match with the Victorian-esque, slightly creepy atmosphere I had in mind… while I didn’t have much luck finding photos matching my guy performers, let me introduce you to the ladies of the Circus of the Damned!

First, I knew I wanted a strong woman, who would be beautiful and confident and unstoppable, with a taste for elegant earrings and dainty plumed hats… and I came across this gorgeous lady, who instantly became my Constance!

Then, I wanted an aerialist – slash – contortionist, who would swing from the trapeze and stroll around on stilts. This young lady was a good inspiration for Miriam…

When I came across this elegant woman, instead, the opposite thing happened – I was captured by her expression, her posture, her dress, and instantly knew Dora inspiration for the Circus of the Damnedshe had to belong to the Circus of the Damned, and set about discovering just who she might be. By the time we meet her at the Circus, Dora is elderly, but she is still just as intriguing and magnetic as she does in this picture…

The same happened when I stumbled across the picture of this young acrobat: I was instantly struck. I had been struggling, trying to zero in on the character of Olivia and on what her performance would be like and, when I saw this girl – with her curls, and her piercing, knowing eyes – I knew I had found her.Olivia image pinterest

And, last but not least, a character that has already made a brief appearance in another of my stories (you win a cookie if you recognise which one!). I am fond of scattering ‘Easter eggs’ here and there in my books – subtle references to another story, for example, or maybe a song… and Ramona’s appearance is one! There was no chance to talk about her backstory in this book, but she Ramona Circus of the Damned inspiration photosis from Genoa, Italy. Give her some basil and percorino cheese, and she will prepare a mean pesto sauce!

If you’d like to see some more inspiration pics – for the setting of the Circus itself, and the general atmosphere I had in mind for the story, you can check the Circus of the Damned board on Pinterest!

And speaking of atmosphere, I will be chatting about the music that inspired me in my next stop on the Gaslamp Fortnight tour!

If you’d like to see some more inspiration pics – for the setting of the Circus itself, and the general atmosphere I had in mind for the story, you can check the Circus of the Damned board on Pinterest!

And speaking of atmosphere, I will be chatting about the music that inspired me in my next stop on the Gaslamp Fortnight tour!

Now onto the story details from Cornelia Grey and The Circus of the Damned available for preorder now!

The Circus of the Damned Blurb:

TheCircusoftheDamned_500x750

Magician Gilbert Blake has spent his entire life conning drunkards in the seediest pubs in the darkest towns, careful to hide the true depths of his power. But when he spends a little too much time in Shadowsea and the infamous slumlord Count Reuben gets wind of his abilities, hiding within the Circus of the Damned may be Gilbert’s only chance at survival.

But there’s more to the Circus than meets the eye. Every time a performer dies, a new one must take his place, or the entire circus suffers the consequences. And while the handsome ringmaster Jesse isn’t one to coerce unwilling performers into giving up their souls to the devil, a recent death in their ranks makes Gilbert exactly what they need.

Yet the longer Gilbert stays with the Circus, the more danger he seems to bring them. Being with Jesse is more than Gilbert could have hoped for, but as Count Reuben’s men continue to search for Gilbert and the Circus loses another performer, they all face running out of time long before the Devil claims his due.

– See more at Riptide Publishing!

Author: Cornelia Grey
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62649-165-6
eBook and print release: Nov 3, 2014
eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-166-3
Word count: 91,500, Page count: 322
Type: Standalone
Cover by: Kanaxa

This title is part of the A Deal with a Devil universe.  Read an excerpt here.

more goodies from Harlots and Angels Steampunk Corsetry!

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Barb, a Zany Old Lady, Review: Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Starstruck coverI’ve been “starstruck” by an amazing storyteller named L.A. Witt. The author put together the best and longest slow burn- ust story I’ve ever read, and when the two MCs did finally come together, they exploded in a supernova!

Levi Pritchard, aging (late 30’s), former Hollywood superstar, is known best for his role as Chad Eastwick—an action hero role he despised because it completely stifled his creativity and smothered his acting ability. He also despised the whole Hollywood scene, especially the press vultures who refused to let him live his own life—a gay man deeply closeted who only wanted to be allowed to love his partner Dylan, but instead had to deny him to the world, bringing about their eventual breakup. He’s also the victim of two alcoholic parents who, though now in recovery, are still critical of his life and would never accept him as gay so he can’t find the courage to out himself and force the expected estrangement. In short, Levi is a deeply closeted, frustrated man who is running away from the career he loves and running to the family he hates, rather than being true to himself. When he’s offered a chance for a small role in Wolf’s Landing, the successful show that’s been filming in his town, Bluewater Bay, he’s considering it for two reasons. The first is that his good friend, Anna Maxwell, is the highly esteemed director and the second is Carter Samuels, a young actor who caught Levi’s eye when he first came on the Hollywood scene a few years before.

Carter Samuels is thrilled when he learns that Levi Pritchard, his idol and the man on whom he’s had a secret crush for years, is going to be joining the cast of Wolf’s Landing. In fact, Levi is the reason Carter became an actor. He first fell in love with Levi and Levi’s talent when he was exposed to several indie films in which Levi starred in his early career. Even once he was typecast as Chad Eastwick, Carter saw through the constraints that role placed on Levi to the talent hidden below the surface. Now, to have a chance to work with him, whether it’s for this first “walk on” role, or whether the role becomes ongoing, Carter has all he can do to contain himself.

When the two meet, there’s a definite sexual chemistry, though neither wants to acknowledge it. A chance private encounter brings them together in a kiss that neither can ignore. They do acknowledge that the kiss happened and that it was good, but they make a conscious decision to avoid the entrapments of a relationship. They’ve found that they have a lot in common, including a love of obscure indie films, and want to focus on their friendship because they each accept that Levi is firmly in the closet and not interested in coming out.  Spoiler alert: Continue reading “Barb, a Zany Old Lady, Review: Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt” →

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Anchored by Rachel Haimowitz

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Anchored Riptide CoverDaniel Halstrom was born a slave, brutally indoctrinated into sex slave behavior before he even reached puberty, and then sold by his master to NewWorld Media at the age of ten. Fortunately, they wanted him for a different role and now, twenty-five years later, the handsome, blond news anchor who began his climb to fame as a field reporter is fairly secure in his role in the newsroom—or so he thinks. When NewWorld informs him that he’s been leased to Carl Whitman, a talk show host on a rival network, for the amazing sum of $6 million for the year, he’s seized by total and complete panic and frozen by fear as old memories of what it means to be a sex slave come back to haunt him. So much so, that he doesn’t recognize Carl’s attempts at being friendly and compassionate and it causes much unnecessary angst and frustration for the both of them.

Carl seems determined to include Daniel at the dinner table and as a companion while he watches television in the evenings. He doesn’t order Daniel around and fails to give Daniel the direction he’s come to expect from his masters. In fact, Daniel really isn’t capable of making his own decisions, having been born a slave and punished severely all his life for any attempt to do so. When Daniel fails to engage in any conversation with Carl, remaining mute and remote, in frustration, Carl reports his disappointment to the brass at NewWorld.

Once his bosses learn that Carl is not happy with him, they take Daniel to their punishment room. Spoiler alert. Continue reading “Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Anchored by Rachel Haimowitz” →

A MelanieM Review: Merry Christmas, Josh! (A Josh of the Damned Free Ficlet) (Josh of the Damned #4.5) by Andrea Speed

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

Merry Christmas, Josh coverIt’s looking like another crappy Christmas for Josh, especially when he has to share the store with a creepy Santa cutout. But the surprise arrival of a snowman gives Josh a little holiday cheer, along with his vampire boyfriend of course!  Merry Christmas, Josh, indeed!

Merry Christmas, Josh is a funny, free ficlet (say that fast) from Andrea Speed.   It’s Christmas time in the warped and wonderful world (alliteration abounds) of Josh of the Damned and he’s not a happy boy.  Seems that Christmas is full of miserable memories and malignant melodies for Josh and its enough to make him crabby and cross.But a very peculiar and cantankerous  snowman arrives and changes the way Josh will forever look at the holidays.

Only 18 pages long, Merry Christmas, Josh, contains some of the characters,weirdness, and snark that epitomizes this series while bringing in some of the poignancy and sadness also associated with the holidays for some people, in this case Josh.  Sad childhood memories and the forced gaiety (as well as one awful cardboard Santa) of the season have Josh in a crabby frame of mind, one that some share at this time of the year.  Josh is that voice of sanity and reason (sort of) in the convenience store from Hell and that juxtaposition continues to make this a wonderful story and series.

I wish we had seen more of the characters like the Yeti and a tooth fairy or two but at 18 pages you can only bring in so many characters.  This is a fun, quick read.  And for those of you new to the Josh of the Damned series, it should give you a taste of the characters and wonderfully bizarre universe(s) they inhabit.  It’s free at Riptide Publishing.   So don’t forget to run over there and pick it up today!

Happy Reading.

Cover artist did a wonderful job.  Love that cover.

Free at Riptide.  See the link above

Visit the Series page at Riptide for all the stories in the Josh of the Damned Universe

 

Book Details:

ebook, 18 pages
Published October 6th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492509
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/merry-christmas-josh
seriesJosh of the Damned

Series stories in the order they were written and should be read:

Let’s Get Naughty with Anne Tenino’s Billionaire with Benefits Blog Tour and contest!

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BillionaireWithBenefits_150x300Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to welcome Anne Tenino here today on her Billionaire with Benefits Blog Tour.  Check out Anne’s latest story and the wonderful excerpt she has brought along today.  Guess what else Anne Tenino has brought along with her?  A fabulous giveaway but I will let her tell you that herself…

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Hello, and welcome to the Billionaire with Benefits Blog Tour! *fanfare, etc*

You might have noticed this book took me a while to write . . . or maybe you didn’t notice, but take my word for it, it did. That might be why it ended up longer than it needed it to be. Ultimately we trimmed over 15,000 words from the original Billionaire manuscript, so posts from me (as opposed to spotlights and reviews) are all going to be cut scenes from the book. Sort of like the extras on a DVD, but, you know, not.Voodoo-Ken

A list of stops on the tour can be found here. Why would you want to follow the tour? Well, because I’m giving away a fabulous, one-of-a-kind Voodoo Ken Kit, which the winner can use to seek revenge on any or all of their exes. How do you win? Check the bottom of each tour post for details.

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Billionaire with Benefits

It’s just a friend thing

Before confessing his gayness to his best friend, Tierney Terrebonne’s sex life is strictly restroom. After confessing his gayness to his best friend . . . it doesn’t improve much. Why bother trying when the man he’s loved for fourteen years (see: “best friend”) is totally unattainable? Good thing Tierney is an old hand at accepting defeat; all it takes is a bottle of bourbon. Or fifty. Repeat as needed.

Dalton Lehnart has a history of dating wealthy, damaged, closeted, lying, cheating, no-good, cowardly men, so of course he’s immediately attracted to Tierney Terrebonne. Fortunately, Tierney is so dissolute that even Dalton’s feelings for the man would be better described as pity. Which becomes sympathy as they get to know each other. Followed by compassion, concern, caring, and hopefulness as Tierney struggles to change his life. When the man comes out very publicly and enters rehab, Dalton finds himself downright attached to Tierney. And as everyone knows, after attachment comes . . .

Uh oh.

But post-rehab Tierney can’t handle more than friendship, so Dalton should be safe from repeating his own past mistakes, right? Right?

Buy it here at Riptide!

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Want a chance to win Voodoo Ken? Well, keep looking, because this isn’t the post with the magical question. FYI, I’ll ship worldwide, so anyone can enter.

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webvatarRaised on a steady diet of Monty Python, classical music and the visual arts, Anne Tenino was—famously—the first patient diagnosed with Compulsive Romantic Disorder. Since that day, Anne has taken on conquering the M/M world through therapeutic writing. Finding out who those guys having sex in her head are and what to do with them has been extremely liberating.

Anne’s husband finds it liberating as well, although in a somewhat different way. Her two daughters are mildly confused by Anne’s need to twist Ken dolls into odd positions. However, other than occasionally stealing Ken1’s strap-on, they let Mom do her thing without interference.

Wondering what Anne does in her spare time? Mostly she lies on the couch, eats bonbons and shirks housework.

Check out what Anne’s up to now by visiting her site. http://annetenino.com

Links:

 

BillionaireWithBenefits_400x600Billionaire With Benefits by Anne Tenino
Publisher:  Riptide Publishing

Details: eBook Formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Print ISBN: 978-1-62649-197-7
eBook and Print release: Oct 20, 2014
Word count: 117,500, Page count: 443
– See more at Riptide Publishing’s Billionaire with Benefits page

 

Billionaire with Benefits Excerpt (nsfw)!

Prologue

Fourteen Years Ago

One night in October, Tierney discovered an honest-to-fucking-God glory hole. He’d been on the way back to his room from a midweek party and stopped at Cambridge Hall to visit the facilities, going all the way to the basement restroom for a little (drunken) contemplation.

As soon as he sat on the throne, he spied the opening in the stall wall. His palms went sweaty. He’d watched enough porn on the internet to recognize it, but still thought he might be hallucinating. Any moment it would disappear.

It didn’t.

No way.

He leaned sideways—barely keeping his wasted butt on the john—to look through the hole.

Shit! There was a guy in there. Tierney’s pulse really took off then, all the blood draining from his head. Instinctively he leaned forward, putting his face between his knees—and into his briefs, hanging between them—to keep from fainting.

Tap tap tap. For a split second he knew it was his mother’s habitual knock on his bedroom door, and he jerked his head out of his underwear, eyes opening so wide they strained his lids.
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