Category: Self Published

Release Blitz for Doll Baby by Kayleigh Sky

Doll Baby – Kayleigh Sky

Length: 330 pages
 

Blurb

Todd Rifkin has sworn off love forever—until he loses his heart to a badly scarred rent boy and stumbles into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a brutal stalker out for revenge.

Struggling to make enough money to buy a friend’s bar and grill to fulfill a promise, Todd Rifkin vows to let nothing stand in his way. Nothing, that is, until a friend’s call for help. Bailing his friend out of trouble might cost Todd his dream. Now he is scrambling to make up the loss and reluctantly takes on the job of errand boy for his boss’ spoiled ex-lover.

Bliss Busby has no memory of the attack that scarred his face. Scared and reclusive, he has no interest in Todd’s intrusion into his life. No interest, that is, until somebody starts scattering cinnamon hearts at his door. Now Todd is the only one standing between Bliss and a mysterious stalker.

Years ago, Todd lost the love of his life in a violent twist of fate. After a night with a knife-wielding maniac, Bliss lost everything. Thrown together by circumstance, Todd and Bliss must unite to battle a hidden force from the past. As Bliss struggles to remember the attack that wrecked his life, and Todd struggles to save him from an attacker that is closer than either of them realizes, their reluctant friendship becomes a passionate love that just might have the power to heal their wounded hearts.

If they live.

Author Bio

Kayleigh Sky is a m/m erotic romance writer.

Kayleigh’s stories are tales of struggle and pain, loss and despair. Love is won in the battle to rise out of the depths of darkness. Victory is in the sweet bliss of happily ever after.

Once upon a time Kayleigh hid out in a cold dark garage reading a book her parents forbid her to read. She was nine years old. The book? Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, a story of love between two men–well, actually the story was a little more complicated than that, but hey, she was nine.

In the dark of the garage, a light, a passion, a sheer joy for love in all its manifestations awoke.

And love between two men–Hot!

Kayleigh’s men are often broken, always brave, and always memorable.

You can find Kayleigh here.

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In the Spotlight: Ash and Cinders (A Gabriel Church Tale #3) by Rodd Clark (excerpt and giveaway)

ash-and-cinders

Title:  “Ash and Cinders”

Genre:  M/M Romantic Thriller

Author:  Rodd Clark

Ash and Cinders is the third book in the Gabriel Church Tales. It’s been a successful series from the debut of Rubble and the Wreckage, and continues the story of a killer’s transformation from a soulless and driven madman to someone desperate to understand himself and his place in the universe in Torn and Frayed.

The final book, Ash and Cinders, places our main character of Gabriel Church in the greatest danger of his life. As a successful serial killer with delusions of some grand design in every murder, he proves to the reader that he is a remorseless and dangerous man. But the Gabriel Church tales are not what they appear, as fans find themselves rooting for the killer’s success and hoping that he will find love and peace with his one-time biographer, Christian Maxwell.

The series has received glowing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, so I encourage you to see for yourselves what the fuss is all about. The first book in the series, Rubble and the Wreckage will be only 99c, and the second book, Torn and Frayed only $2.99, during the tour and up to the release of Ash & Cinders on December 5.

“…this book pulls no punches, makes no apologies, and basically kicks ass and takes names! Grab it if you want a mindbending, sexy read that will leave you wanting book two with a quickness!” (Bike Book Reviews)

“The sequel to RUBBLE AND THE WRECKAGE has torn and frayed my nerve ends to the extent that it’s difficult to write about it. This book is a careening ride to hell in an old Dodge truck, its slick tires and rusty chassis eating the miles along the hard pavement of southwestern U.S. highways, up the spine of California, to the bones of the northwest its driver had once left behind. It’s a road trip through a diseased mind. It’s the odyssey of a killer, and it’s the voyage of a pitiable soul seeking God.” (Amazon reader)

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Book Blurb:

“It’s just the devil’s share. When life evens itself out and every bad guy gets what’s coming to em’ . . . it’s one of the few balancing things life really offers.”

Gabriel Church

Gabriel Church has done a bad, bad thing . . . and normally that doesn’t bother him too much. But everything changed when he met Christian Maxwell. Chris became his unholy grail. The thing he sought more than any other treasure, yet still a priceless pearl beyond his reach. Nothing he does seems to solidify any prospect of them being able to remain together, to live that happily-ever-after story. Even if he were to make a promise to stop his killing in the name of God, it would still only be a salty futility to wet and tempt his lips.

Christian Maxwell discovered a damaged soul inside Church, with a goodness plumbed somewhere below the visible surface. He saw pain shadowing his killer like some trailing footprint left moist in the sand. But he failed to recognize each victim, or the costs of every action the fugitive took for granted. He simply pushed those faceless victims to the dark recesses of his mind, hiding them from plain view as if they were discarded things, recollections intentionally forgotten.

The one thing Church knows with certainty is the writer is the only person who really knows him, and the only man other than himself who possibly understands where they are both headed. But life is about to get more twisted and dangerous. It begins with a backwards Deputy Sheriff and that same ill-fated chance that always prevented him from slowing down his pace or finding a peaceful place to rest with Chris Maxwell by his side.

Excerpt:

Looking at the man from across the room, one would never have imagined how dangerous he actually was. The serial killer was hot and threatening in his own physical way, but there seemed to be a sympathetic kindness scratching below the surface of those mirror-like pupils of his. At times they looked bluish, while other times they appeared to be color of industrial slate. But in that instant, they reminded the deputy of humid childhood summers and seeing a cool slab of concrete in the shade beckoning him to rest upon it.

He had been drawn like a magnet after meeting the man he only knew by the name Carl Whiting. And from the first second they spoke, he found himself wavering under the killer’s impressive build and mischievous crooked smile. He hadn’t known at the time, but the name Carl Whiting was only an alias. Nor did he know that he was meeting a killer who’d claimed a multitude of victims over several years and many miles of this vast country. He only knew there was something unique about his country drawl and those sinful eyes that hinted with sexual tension and risk.

Facing Gabriel Church alone in a room without backup would be intimidating to anyone, to say the least. Even the weight of Deputy Corso’s holstered sidearm didn’t seem to offer him much security. The killer strangely didn’t appear anything but relaxed and surprisingly at peace with himself.

“You know I kinda like the idea of being hunted,” the killer said quietly. “It sort of makes my dick hard, as if you couldn’t tell.”

As he said that, Gabriel readjusted himself in his chair, shifting slightly and opening his legs wider apart. The deputy could see that even concealed under his faded blue Levi’s there was a sizable bulge exposed that indicated he’d been telling the truth. The killer’s smile hadn’t evaporated once since they’d begun talking, and it made the officer think it was intended as his own challenge, daring the deputy to make his move as was expected that he would.

rod-clark

Author Bio

Rodd lives in Dallas, TX and can be reached through his web presence at RODDCLARK.COM.

He is interested in the M/M Mystery, Romance and Thriller genres, but has varied interests and enjoys many different types of books. With a dark and distinctively disturbing voice, he creates characters which are flawed yet intriguing; such as the Main Character of Gabriel Church in his Romantic Fiction “Rubble and the Wreckage” and “Torn and Frayed.”

Author Social Media

Website: http://www.roddclark.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RODDCLARK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodd.clark.96

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/roddclark96/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7741007.Rodd_Clark

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rodd-Clark/e/B00KGDSYSQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

In the Spotlight: The Bucket List: Lots of Love, Low Angst M/M Romance (LoLLA Book 1) by Tricia Owens (excerpt)

the-bucket-list-by-tricia-owens

The Bucket List: Lots of Love, Low Angst M/M Romance (LoLLA Book 1)

 by Tricia Owens

Release Date: November 10, 2016
Sales Links

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The Bucket List Blurb:

When Quinn nearly dies in a skydiving incident, his life flashes before his eyes…and it’s pretty boring. Though he’s moved to Las Vegas to rebel against his strict Mormon upbringing, he still hasn’t done much to liven up his life. He’s far too comfortable with his boring routine. After the accident, however, he vows to change this. He draws up a bucket list with all the best intentions, yet somehow nothing changes. Quinn worries that he really is a dud, until a gorgeous man walks up to him and suggests an indecent proposal.

Gabriel has had a lot of sex. He’s fantastic at it and he’s good-looking, so he never lacks for people willing to jump into bed with him. But after a rough break-up, he’s determined to make hooking up a secondary priority. It’s too bad that when he first sees Quinn and his heart goes pitter-patter, Gabriel’s first instinct is to make a bet with Quinn involving sex.

With one spin of the roulette wheel, Gabriel and Quinn embark on a series of sexually adventurous dares, each more exciting than the last. But what happens when one of them pushes for something more? LoLLA books are standalone novellas with lots of love/sex, low angst, and a Happily Ever After ending for a quick dose of happiness.

The Bucket List excerpt

“What’s the big deal, Quinn?” Gabriel was watching him intently, in a way no one had ever watched him. Like a wolf would, maybe. “There are thirty-eight numbers. What’s the chance you’ll hit mine? Live a little.”

Quinn didn’t like that Gabriel had automatically assumed he was gay. Quinn played it pretty straight out of a lifelong habit of concealing himself. It bothered him that this stranger had read him with ease.

But that’s just smoke and mirrors. What you’re really afraid of is finally doing something to spice up your life. When did you become such a chickenshit? When did you decide that this was the best your life could be?

“It wouldn’t be so bad to lose,” Gabriel continued. The corner of his mouth curled. “You’ve been staring at me since I walked up. I know it’s not me you have a problem with.”

Quinn felt heat in his cheeks, but told himself he was flushed from anger. Gabriel might be the most attractive man that Quinn had ever seen, but that didn’t mean he would automatically fall all over the guy. Quinn had too much practice controlling and suppressing his urges.

And that’s the problem, genius.

“You’re not afraid you’ll lose, are you?” Gabriel pressed, as insistent as a terrier. Quinn recognized that under different circumstances his persistence would have been sexy, but at the moment, Quinn only found Gabriel annoying.

He thought furiously. Thirty-eight to one were bad odds, especially when Quinn had the ability to pick and choose which number he did—or didn’t—hit. He relaxed slightly as he realized he could choose how this story ended.

But isn’t this about living a little? Isn’t this about having a story to recall the next time you’re falling out of the sky?

He reached into the wheel well for the ball.

“Agree to the bet before you spin it.”

Quinn didn’t bother hiding his glare at the order. Gabriel merely continued smiling. “Be a good sport, Quinn. You’ve got nothing to lose.”

Nothing to lose but the status quo which was safe. Which would have kept him away from a failing parachute.

After another glance at his supervisor, Quinn finally said, “Fine. It’s a bet.”

The Bucket Info:

M/M Contemporary Romance

Book one of LoLLA series, but each are standalones

High heat level

33k words

Tricia Owens Bio:

Tricia writes m/m romance, ménage, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. An avid traveler, she has visited over 80 countries and now makes her home in Las Vegas.

  • Twitter: @Juxtaposefantsy

A Jeri Review: Double Dealing: A Marriage of Inconvenience: An Arranged Marriage by Nicole Colville

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

double-dealing-by-nicole-colvilleI loved the premise of this book- a modern day marriage of convenience to further a business deal. Ryder is mega rich, running the company started by his family. Trace isn’t quite as rich, but he isn’t shopping at Target either. They have a chance meeting and a super hot night together; without knowing who the other was. Even though it was one night, there was practically “insta-love”. First turn off for me. But Trace is firmly in the closet and plans on staying that way if he wants to take over his family business.

Fast forward a few months when Ryder’s company is trying to take over Trace’s company. Friendly turns hostile turns into a marriage for a year to cement the deal.

So while I liked the premise and like parts of the book and story line, my issues were these. Trace had a big problem with Ryder acting like he could buy whatever he wanted- including people. Yea, kind of he did act that way. He was pompous and arrogant and while there were hints that there was a nice guy under there, I didn’t see it. His ruse for the marriage was that he was in love with Trace. But he didn’t act like it.

On the other side I really did feel like Trace cared about Ryder quite a bit but was not only scared, was totally railroaded. By a man who supposedly loves him and by his completely homophobic father who seemed to readily agree to the marriage.

Trace swears there will be no sex- and yet they constantly have sex. Ryder swears they won’t mess around at the office. And they mess around at the office.

So a decent story, hot sex, but a bit disjointed. I don’t regret reading it, but I can’t say I would read it again.

 Kellie Dennis Book Cover by Design (Illustrator) details story elements and the couple. Eye-catching definitely.

Sales Links

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 240 pages
Published October 31st 2016 by Hidden Pleasures Publishing
ASINB01MQCM84M
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A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Heart & Soul by Shae Connor

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

heart-soul-by-shae-oconnorUnder a hundred pages, this story seems much longer due to the author’s crafty way of weaving us into this tale of a very slow burn romance.  There’s so much character development in an interesting story arc that I simply couldn’t believe it was so short.  And though I would love to read more of this couple, the story ended on a perfect note (pun intended).

Kellen is a pianist in a local bar a few nights a week and weekends as needed. In addition, he teaches piano lessons and has a degree in music education with a concentration in jazz piano, so he’s in the perfect position to help out the new owners who want to mix in some R&B and jazz with the current music selections.  Not one for casual sex, or for relationships for that matter, Kellen is attracted to men but rarely acts on that attraction. So it comes as a surprise to him when his friendship for one of the new owners gives him little tingles in more than just his heart.

Terrence Harvey, former pro football player, finally has a chance to use his business degree when he and his attorney brother purchase the bar together. Though out to his family, the bisexual man has remained closeted to the public due to his career choice, but he finds Kellen fascinating and is more than willing to act on that attraction. Regardless, it isn’t until after the 60% mark in the story that they finally have more than a simple kiss, and oh my, what a scorchin’ hot, complex kiss it is when these two finally set off rockets together.

I enjoy the author’s writing style and appreciate the sense of family, warmth, and connection she brings to her books, not to mention the light touch of humor and a load of romance.  I highly recommend this one to lovers of romance, slow burn, and/or stories featuring musicians.

The very attractive cover by AngstyG features Kellen playing the piano in the bar—a perfect representation of his character.

Sales Link

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 87 pages
Expected publication: November 14th 2016 by Shae Connor
ASINB01LX2XSXW
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Review: Stroke of Luck by Posy Roberts

RATING 3,5 out of 5 stars

stroke-of-luckAfter everything Marc owned burned to a crisp, he’s living off the kindness of others. A model condo is his temporary home, and his last dime went to essentials. He doesn’t need another distraction, but the fates conspire against him, setting up a chain of encounters that bring him face to face with Cas.

Cas’s love life has been in limbo for years, lovers moving on as soon as they discover how close he is to his best friend, Maisie. Then he meets Marc. The attraction between the two men can’t be denied, but Cas isn’t sure he can risk his friendship for a guy who will only end up leaving when he sees how close he and Maisie are.

When Marc and Cas discover they live in the same building, it’s kismet. But Marc has to invite chaos into his life if he and Cas stand a chance, and Cas faces a choice between friendship and love. Luck may be on their side… if they’re willing to risk it all.

Stroke of Luck is the latest story by one of my favorite authors, Posy Roberts. The story is quick and sweet, just what I needed when I read it. Nothing in common with the angst I got from books like Silver Scars.

Marc has lost everything he owned in the fire that burnt his apartment, he is now living in a condo offered by his friend Sylvia and shopping at Goodwill for his basic necessity. And just at the Goodwill he meets Cas, who is looking for Halloween costumes. Cas, who can’t keep none of his boyfriends cause they are all too scared and  not trusting of his friendship with his bestie Maisie. The chemistry between Cas and Mark is so strong, they fall for each other pretty soon.

I think the author did great, the story is funny and very light and the writing is good as always with Posy style. I loved Marc, he is definitely my favorite, while I couldn’t connect with Cas, probably his attachment with Maisie left me a little dubious. The relationship between Cas and Maisie is not the typical friendship, she is still in the closet and afraid to come out to her parents. She is basically using Cas in my opinion, so I couldn’t fully enjoy Cas until almost the end of the book when things finally started to change. By then it was too late to have more space for the MCs and I wanted more of Marc and Cas together. That’s why, althought I really liked the story, Stroke of Luck didn’t fully satisfy me and I’m still craving for more.

I like the cover art, especially in the use of the colors and well, the model smile is pretty good too.

Sale Link

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Book Details

Kindle Edition, 86 pages
Published October 26th 2016 by Labyrinth Bound Press
ASIN B01M29RHHU
Edition Language English

Its Release Week for Falling Down by Eli Easton

Falling Down – Eli Easton

Author: Eli Easton
 
Release: November 9 2016
 

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2eBueEO

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fdTqVY

 
Blurb

Josh finds himself homeless at eighteen, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves were done and the harsh winter came, Josh would find a place to curl up and let go. It would be a relief to finally stop fighting.

Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now an ex-Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.

Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expected that he’d be the one to fall.

The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries fall?

Author Bio

Having been, at various times, and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of metaphysical thrillers, an organic farmer and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.

As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest writing.

Eli currently publishes with Dreamspinner Press and has a few self-pubbed titles as well.

She also publishes thrillers under Jane Jensen.

 
Email: eli@elieaston.com

A VVivacious Review: Before Lovers by Wayne Mansfield

Rating: 3.75 Stars out of 5
 

before-loversCalvin is convinced that he has met Paul before and for the first time in his life he seems to be attracted to a man. As Paul and Calvin start to explore this rather unusual occurrence they discover a genuine love for each other. 

 
But everything isn’t right, because every time Paul and Calvin have sex Paul seems to get flashbacks that feel vividly like memories.
 
This story is a paranormal romance. I liked the story’s plot and it was a quick and interesting read.
 
The best part of this book was its plot, how Calvin and Paul meet and how their relationship develops, and gets complicated by these flashbacks that Paul has, and how they resolve the issue is very interesting. The plot of this book while simple was also very intriguing and it made for a good read.
 
I liked the characters in this book especially Linda and Rick. Linda is a hopelessly pessimistic person but her dry take on the world was actually quite amusing and entertaining meanwhile Rick is a big brawny man who loves to cross dress. In fact Linda and Rick while not the focus of this story left quite an impression with their unique personalities. Paradoxically at the end of this story I feel that I had a better grasp on Linda and Rick then Calvin and Paul, even though Paul is the narrator of this story.
 
In regards to Calvin I think that there were a lot of things that we could have explored about his character that we didn’t probably because the book was from Paul’s POV and there were way weirder things happening to Paul. But I would have loved to know his opinion on this newly discovered aspect of his sexuality and how it was affected by the revelations in the end.
 
What I didn’t like about this book was its lack of detail to the extent that I was actually making up my own sentences in between transitions. This is especially true in the beginning of the book. Towards the end this is less obvious but this lack of detail made for some stilted transitions.
 
Also the scene which settles the conflict of this book could have done with better descriptions. I feel like the scene is good as it is but could have been better and more impactful if it was written from another perspective because right now even though it is written from Paul’s perspective it seems to be written solely for the benefit of a third party and is narrated completely devoid of any emotions on Paul’s part. On the whole if the author still wanted to keep the tone of the scene as it is it would have been better if a third person like Calvin was describing it so that we could better understand the implications of this scene.
 
Overall this book is a light, quirky and quick read that is very enjoyable and interesting.
 
Cover Art by Written Ink Designs. I like the cover with its bright and vibrant colours.
Sales Links
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Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 66 pages
Published October 15th 2016
ASINB01LYNEO21
Edition LanguageEnglish