Category: Self Published

A Jeri Review: The Law of Attraction By Jay Northcote

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Law of AttractionWhen a professional relationship turns personal, it’s impossible to resist the law of attraction.

Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm whose career is his life. He doesn’t have time for relationships and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec’s world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning—as the new temp on his team.

Ed Piper is desperate to prove himself in his new job. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by a crush on his boss. It’s hard to ignore the attraction he feels, even though Alec’s a difficult bastard to work for.

Both men strive to maintain a professional relationship, but tempers fray, passions ignite, and soon they’re both falling hard and fast. If they’re ever going to find a way to be together, Alec needs to be honest about who he really is because Ed won’t go back in the closet for anyone.
This was my first book by Jay Northcote and it won’t be my last! (For the record- 3 ½ stars means I really liked it!)

Alec is a closeted lawyer at a very successful law firm. His goal to become partner is becoming a reality- but he feels like he has to stay in the closet for it. His best friend acts as his arm candy/ girlfriend at various events to keep questions at bay. But sometimes his needs are too much.

Ed is out and proud and ready to start his new job. A night on the town leads to a seriously hot encounter with a stranger. Until he finds out the stranger is his new boss. They agree to be platonic work colleagues but you know the saying, the best laid plans….

The chemistry between Alec and Ed is off the charts hot. Alec turns into a jerk to try to deny the attraction to Ed, and honestly the way Ed just kind of accepted that but then also fell into his arms at the same time put me off a bit. But Ed’s strength to NOT go back into the closet. That made me want to cheer.

Watching Alec come to terms with who he is and accepting himself was a page turner. Even though he was a jerk, you knew why and you were cheering for him to own his truth. And Ed- standing up for himself- for HIS truth- was awesome. I just wanted to high five him!

Definitely give this book a read. Although there is the closet/no closet thing, the angst level is fairly low and the hotness level is very high.

The cover art with the smirking guy is such a perfect representation of Alec!

Sales Links:   Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 173 pages
Published February 5th 2016 by Jaybird Press
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Edition LanguageEnglish

A Stella Review: Second to None (The Breakfast Club #3) by Felice Stevens

RATING  3 out of 5 stars

Second to NoneNightclub owner Marcus Feldman never met a man he didn’t love, at least for the night. Although his best friends have all found love, Marcus shuns their advice to commit to one man and settle down. His past has taught him monogamy and marriage is for fools, and Marcus is anything but a fool.

Tyler Reiss’s dream of dancing professionally is unexpectedly cut short and replaced by a different kind of love. He trades in his ballet slippers for go go boots, and spends his nights dancing at the hottest gay club in the city. Flirting with the customers for tips is easy, but resisting the dark and sexy Marcus is becoming harder to do with each passing day.

Unforeseen circumstances bring Marcus and Tyler closer and though they give in to their mutual passion, both still struggle to guard their hearts. When crises threaten, Tyler and Marcus find their strength in each other rather than falling apart. Tyler must choose to either run, or stay and fight for the life he wants, while Marcus realizes that love doesn’t mean losing himself and opens his heart, making him a better man in the end.

I loved The Breakfast Club series by Felice Stevens but this third installment, Second to None, disappointed me. I’m not saying it’s a bad book because it isn’t, and in fact I gave it three stars. The plot worked well, the development of the relationship between Marcus and Tyler was good. Maybe I was so eager to read Marcus’ story, my expectations were too high, I don’t know. I simply didn’t like it as well as the other books in the series.

I read this book and even though it is ( or better, it could have been) emotional and bring tears to my eyes, I felt nothing. I surprisingly struggled a lot to connect with the characters and I was detached through the whole story.

Probably my biggest problem with Second to None was it didn’t felt real. Especially in the character of little Lily. I was disconcerted about what happened around the girl and how the MCs acted with her. I have read a lot of book with children in them because I’m a sucker for these kind of stories, but in this case in my opinion she wasn’t well defined for a child of four years. I get the feeling they weren’t very considerate of her. And at the end what I got was a shallow portrait and lacking in a lot of background about Tyler’s past (just to make an example, but I honestly was dubious about few little details during the whole book).

Yes I’m very disappointed, Second to None is not what I was hoping to read, Felice is a great author, I am used to her great stories and I am astonished she didn’t surprised me with something amazing.

The cover art by Reese Dante is the only thing that worked to me. Well done, in line with the whole series’ covers and in perfect Reese style.

Sales Links:   ARe | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 248 pages
Published January 28th 2016 by Felice Stevens
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Breakfast Club #3

Series The Breakfast Club with links to Stella’s reviews:

A VVivacious Review: Einstein’s Peep Show by Josephine Myles

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars                                  ★★★★★
 
Einstein's Peep ShowNathan is a gay cam model which basically means he does solo sex acts for money to pay for his education. But when his highest tipper wants a private show with Nathan aka Einstein blowing another human being, Nathan is in a bit of a fix.
 
Rory is Nathan’s next door neighbour and when Nathan propositions him, he agrees because, who can turn down a blow job. But before he knows it things get out of control and turns out he might be in a real danger of losing his heart if only, Nathan would return his feelings…
 
This is the most charming romance I have ever read. These two were just so cute they had me going aww… and between that and the humour, I had a big smile slapped on my face for the entirety of the book and that is truly saying something because Rory had me giggling by the end of the first paragraph and the smile on my face never dimmed from there on out.
 
Nathan is this adorable geek who takes everything literally, so he can be a bit dense at times and a little too sensitive at the others. But he has had his heart squashed in a previous relationship and doesn’t want to suffer from another hormonal imbalance (if you are unfamiliar by the term, you might refer to it by the name of ‘love’).
 
Rory is this adorable (yes he is adorable too, you can get why this book is so charmingly funny and cute and romantic!!) guy who made me smile throughout this book, with his actions and words. He is such a nice guy, I loved the way he was open to talking and how he was always smiling and also how he was always trying to get Nathan out of his shell, and trying to make him really enjoy life.
 
Nathan and Rory together were oh so cute and just fit so well. And this really geeky quote from the book sums them up pretty well –
 
“Rory’s legs and arms were wrapped tight around him, pulling him inside, like the two of them were no longer separate integers. Like they’d been added together to make the most perfect prime number. Indivisible by anything but themselves.”
 
This book is perfect in length; it is a complete story and covers all the bases. What I loved was how this story imparts the true essence of Nathan and Rory just through their words and actions; I mean I loved how the plot had them in these adorable yet sexy situations and how they were trying to navigate this quagmire of a situation with their hearts intact, but failed… quite horribly.
 
If I could put a big arrow with the words READ THIS next to this book, I would. It’s short, it’s sweet, it will make you fall in love with the characters, it will make you laugh and in the end will still be a very satisfying read. Josephine Myles has hit a home run with this one.
 
Cover Art by Lou Harper. I think the cover is really cute (I am falling abysmally short of adjectives with this book), even though Nathan probably might not smile so much, but then he totally would if Rory was making him smile. I think the cover about covers up the content of this book.

Sales Links:   Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 90 pages
Expected publication: February 23rd 2016
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Edition LanguageEnglish

A Sammy Review: Cronin’s Key III (Cronin’s Key #3) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4 out of 5

“For every birth of light comes the birth of darkness. It is an honor to call you our enemy.”

Cronin's Key IIIAlec, Cronin, and the entire gang come back for one last epic battle. They’ve dealt with mummies and terracotta armies, not to mention the stress of Alec’s change. He’s just starting to get the briefest understanding of his powers when the world throws another potentially earth-ending situation their way.

This time it’s a legend that’s spanned ages and cultures. What they’re up against now come with many names – lycans, Zoan – all doing little justice to just how wretched the actually creatures are. Once again, Alec must use his powers as the key and get a little help from his friend to save the world and maybe finally get a little bit of peace.

Humans confuse mythology and fact. What they choose to believe as myth and folklore quite often is the truth, but that truth is horrific and frequently unexplainable, so they choose to paint it as a fairytale.

The third and final book in the series is a bit bitter sweet. It’s been an awesome journey to follow Cronin, Alec, and all their friends through so many adventures. This book delivers just as the previous did. It has a nice combination of alternate history that makes you think and a nice dash of heat to spice everything up.

What was lacking a bit in this book were some of the fighting scenes. They felt less tangible and tense. To a certain degree, it makes sense that the author wouldn’t draw them out, but the last fight scene in particular felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, I also had issues visualizing it.

Still, the book was a lot of fun. It also was somewhat sad, which I didn’t expect. I’ve grown to have little notches of love for each of the characters. They have such personality. That in itself speaks volumes because there are a whole lot of characters in this, but a reader can get a grasp for pretty much all of them. Not everyone makes it out of this book, and that’s quite simply sad, but also understandable and fitting.

While I understand N.R. Walker is done with this particular series, I wouldn’t mind if she gives us some more of stuff from other covens and couples. Might be fun! I’d love to see more of Kennard.

The cover by Sara York fits well with the others and does a nice job of capturing the topic of this book.

Sales Links:  ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

175 pages
Published September 18th 2015 by BlueHeart Press (first published September 1st 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCronin’s Key #3

When Loss Turns to Love…Grein Murray’s ‘Capturing Oliver’ (excerpt and giveaway)

1 Capturing Oliver E-Book Cover


Release Date: February 5, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Grein Murray
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis  

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Blurb

Oliver seems to be settling into his new life after losing his parents. With an apartment and college to pay for on his own, Oliver works hard to make ends meet. A handsome Italian man who comes to the restaurant Oliver works at has caught his eye. The man not only makes Oliver nervous but excited at the same time.

One night changes everything yet again for Oliver; his world is turned upside down. Could being at the wrong place at the wrong time actually turn out to be the best thing to happen to Oliver or the worst?

 

Pages or Words: 156 pages
 Categories: Gay fiction, Romance

Excerpt

“I’m so sorry, Oliver.” Amondo pulled Oliver’s wrist to his mouth and kissed the red marks that encircled them. “I’ve never been that turned on before. I was too rough.” A sad look took some of the sparkle out of Amondo’s eyes.

“It was perfect, Amondo. Don’t apologize. I’ve never felt anything like that before. I’m okay.”

Amondo took Oliver’s face gently in his hands and kissed him. Then he rolled so Oliver was laying on his chest. “I’ve wanted to do that from the first day I saw you.”

Buy the book:  Amazon

Meet the author:

When I’m not writing I like going to concerts. Music is a big part of my life, I’ve played bass guitar since I was a teen. I love nature and enjoy hiking and working with causes that help protect our planet and wild animals.

I have loved books all of my life and have always enjoyed escaping the ordinary world by getting lost in a good book. I read a lot of different genres of books but have fallen in love with MM. I support the gay community and hope one day people will see that love is love and that it is a beautiful thing no matter your gender, race or religion.

I am an avid animal lover and have quite a collection of pets in my home. I love ancient history and have studied Alexander the Great as well as Egypt and it’s pharaohs. I also am very interested in angels and have researched them and will put that to use in future books.

I hope that my readers continue to fall in love with my characters and that my stories touch their lives and bring them happiness.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops: February 17, 2016

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Velvet Panic, Full Moon Dreaming, Bayou Book Junkie, The Hat Party, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, MM Book Escape, My Fiction Nook, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Jessie G. Books, Iyana Jenna, Charley Descoteaux, Unquietly Me, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, Alpha Book Club, Kirsty Loves Books, Mikky’s World of Books, Man2ManTastic

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $5.00 Amazon gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

 

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Out of the Darkness Comes ‘The Shining Ones (The Eternal Dungeon story)’ by Dusk Peterson (excerpt and giveaway)

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The Shining Ones (The Eternal Dungeon story) by Dusk Peterson
 Release Date: January, 2016

Goodreads Link:
Publisher: Love In Dark Settings Press
Cover Artist: Dusk Peterson

Blurb

“He was skilled by now at making innocuous remarks in the presence of the Shining Ones. Nobody had even guessed that he knew what they were.”

The Eternal Dungeon is filled with prisoners who shine like the sun.

No one knows this except Barrett Boyd, a guard notorious for having survived a disciplinary punishment that should have killed him. He is also notorious for his rebellion against the authorities of the royal prison. At a pivotal time in the Eternal Dungeon’s history, when abusive practices of the past may finally be abolished, Barrett finds himself drawn to the mystery of a younger guard, Clifford Crofford, who claims that he and Barrett are love-mates.

Barrett has no memory of this. He has no memory of anything before his punishment. What does the past matter, compared to Barrett’s determination to protect the prisoners? But Barrett cannot ignore his bond with Clifford, and the closer that Barrett comes to Clifford, the more the danger arises that Clifford will question Barrett’s sanity. . . .

This novelette (miniature novel) of disability and love can be read on its own or as a side story in The Eternal Dungeon, an award-winning speculative fiction series set in a nineteenth-century prison where the psychologists wield whips.

The Eternal Dungeon series is part of Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of alternate history series (Dark Light, Waterman, Life Prison, Commando, Michael’s House, and The Eternal Dungeon) about disreputable men on the margins of society, and the men and women who care for them. Set between the 1880s and the 1910s, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. One of the series in the cycle, Waterman, combines elements of the 1910s with retrofuturistic imagery from the 1960s.

 

Pages or Words: 12,000 words
This is a side story to the series.
 Categories: Alternate Universe, Historical

Excerpt

“I don’t want you to mistake why you’re here.”

Clifford quickly shook his head. “No, sir. I know you’re not inviting me into your bed. But we can be work partners, can’t we? To be able to work with you again – to help you fight to protect the prisoners against abuse . . .” He took a deep breath and said more steadily, “I want that more than anything else in my life.”

It would have been easier if he could have told Clifford the truth. If he could have said, “Everyone believes that my brain was changed, and it’s true. Ever since this dungeon’s High Seeker nearly beat me to death for shielding a prisoner against his cruelty, I’ve seen the prisoners here in a way that no one else sees them. I’ve seen the light that shines within them, as bright as a sun. I’ve seen how wondrous they are, and how fragile at the same time. I’ve dedicated my life to serving them in the only way I know how. . . . And I am dedicated to you as well. You are the only one, besides the prisoners, who shines with that deep, bold light. I am your servant, now and forever. I’ll give you anything that I can – anything that will please you. Anything but the love of a love-mate, for if I touched you for more than a few seconds, I would die of the exquisite pain.'”

He had always possessed enough sense not to say that to Clifford or anyone else. Always, from the first few weeks of his awakening.

Buy the book:

http://duskpeterson.com/darkfics/#shiningones

 

Meet the Author

 

Honored in the Rainbow Awards, Dusk Peterson writes historical speculative fiction: alternate history, historical fantasy, and retrofuture science fiction, including lgbtq novels, original slash, and other types of diverse fiction. Suspense plays an important role in many of the tales; the conflict in those tales is both external and internal. Peterson’s stories are often placed in dark settings, such as prisons or wartime locations. The mood of the stories, however, is not one of unrelieved gloominess; romance, friendship, family affection, and faithful service are recurring themes. Visit duskpeterson.com for e-books and free fiction.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, MM Good Book Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Inked Rainbow Reads, Book Lovers 4Ever, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Molly Lolly, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Anna Butler Fiction, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Multitasking Mommas, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Alpha Book Club, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Unquietly Me, V’s Reads, Up All Night, Read All Day,

Carly’s Book Reviews, Full Moon Dreaming, Velvet Panic, Iyana Jenna, A.M. Leibowitz, Louise Lyons, Foxylutely Book Reviews

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of the story.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

 

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The Holiday Romance Fun Continues with Catherine Lievens’ ‘Benoit’s Christmas Surprise’ (excerpt and giveaway)

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Benoit’s Surprise Christmas by Catherine Lievens
 Release Date: January 20, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Blurb

Belgium expat Benoit Girault has only worked in the administrative department of Toys for All in Milwaukee for a few short months, but it’s long enough for him to miss everyone back home and to fall for coworker Jake Manning—not that Jake ever notices him. Or so Benoit thinks.

Jake notices Benoit all right, but he doesn’t want to risk mixing business with pleasure, not when it could create problems in the office. So when Jake’s friend and boss, Randall, tells him to team up with Benoit to organize a Saint Nicholas party, he’s less than thrilled. But as they work together and Jake nurses Benoit through an illness, he realizes some people might be worth risking it all for.

 

Pages or Words: 50 pages
 Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance

Excerpt

YOU WANT me to do what?”

Jake’s boss smiled at him as if he were asking nothing much—the bastard. Randall knew exactly what he was doing, just like he knew Jake would react like he did. He hated parties, and everyone in the office knew it.

“Organize a party for the new clients.”

“Janet usually organizes the parties.”

“She’s busy with another contract. The Belgian clients are yours, Jake. It seems obvious to me that you should be the one in charge of this.”

“But I don’t know anything about the saint you’re talking about.”

“You have enough time to learn something about him and about the Belgian traditions that go with it.”

“You can’t do this to me, Randall. Please. I’m already busy with this new contract. I don’t have time to organize a party.”

“The clients were delighted when I told them there would be a party.”

Jake gaped at his boss. “You told them?”

“Of course. When Mr. Leblanc said he was bringing his wife and son along, I just knew we had to do something for the kid.”

“Someone could take him to the zoo,” Jake muttered.

“Jake, we’re a toy company. Why would we take a kid to the zoo?”

“It’s not like we actually have the toys in this office. That’s what the stores are for.”

Randall set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He obviously wasn’t going to be swayed by Jake’s protests. But what about pleading? “Randall, I just don’t have the time to do everything on my own, especially if you want a kiddie party.”

“That’s why Benoit is going to help you.”

Buy the book

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | All Romance (ARe)

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Meet the Author:

Catherine Lievens has always loved books. She’s not sure how she managed to marry a man who doesn’t read, but she deals with it and buys enough books for both of them. Just ask him—he frequently wonders if the books on her shelves mate with each other to produce new ones. She never told him it’s only her buying more books.

After brushing up her English to graduate in English language and translation, she decided to put it to good use and write the characters she always dreamt of. She likes writing about creatures people say don’t exist, like shifters and harpies, because her life’s too boring to write about what she knows, and she always wanted to be a cat anyway.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, The Hat Party, Man2ManTastic, Havan Fellows, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Jessie G. Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Mikky’s World of Books, MM Good Book Reviews, Alpha Book Club, A.M. Leibowitz, Kathymac Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Inked Rainbow Reads, Book Lovers 4Ever, Molly Lolly, Louise Lyons, Anna Butler Fiction, Velvet Panic

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: 2 copies of the e-book.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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Its Release Day for Louise Lyons’ ‘Favorite Toy’ (excerpt and giveaway)

Favorite Toy cover


 Release Date: January 31, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Louise Lyons
Cover Artist: Simon Searle

Blurb

Determined to stay single, Dean Simpson and his best friend Ryan have been playing a game, where each man chooses a potential hook-up for the other, usually someone nothing like their usual type. But with Ryan now off the market, Dean agrees to one final round of the game and allows his friend to choose his toy for the evening.

Casper Mancuso is about as far from Dean’s type as he can get. Casper is pretty, flamboyant, and attention-seeking, but sexy with it. Dean decides one night can’t hurt, but when Casper makes it clear his aim is the same as Dean’s – to have one bit of fun and then move on – Dean finds himself surprisingly disappointed.

With both men keen to avoid a relationship at all costs, it seems there can be no chance for anything between them. And yet the pair are drawn to each other and despite some hurtful comments and a very public argument, they just can’t stay away from each other. Eventually Dean is forced to admit that the very antithesis of what he usually likes is exactly what he’s been waiting for.

 

Pages or Words: 35,600 words
 Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance

Excerpt

My heart sank as one of the other trainers from the gym caught up to me. “Wait up, Dean. I’ll go with you.”

I glanced at Mark and nodded. “Okay.”

“Where are you headed?”

“Not sure yet. I just wanted some fresh air. Maybe Subway.” It was the first thing that came into my head, although I really didn’t fancy a sandwich.

“I could go for that. Meatball marinara. Mmm.”

“I like the tuna.”

“I always have cheese and slather it in ranch dressing, and get a cookie.” Casper’s words made me smile and I wondered if he’d be having Subway today. Shit.

“Are we eating in, or taking it back to work?” Mark pushed open the door and walked inside.

“Um, maybe sit outside here?” I followed him to the counter, lining up behind a family ordering an early lunch. Most of the tables both inside and outside were empty and I stared up at the menu board as I waited, even though I knew I’d order tuna. Mark bought a foot-long meatball marinara with cheese and salad and I requested a six inch with cheese, salad, and ranch dressing. As we sat down at a table outside the window, I looked around and caught sight of Casper, just yards away and heading right for us. Automatically I ducked my head and unwrapped my sandwich, hoping he wouldn’t see me. My heart thumped wildly and my dry mouth made me wish I’d ordered a drink.

“Are you okay?” Mark raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

Casper entered Subway, apparently not having noticed me. I’d kick myself if I didn’t speak to him. I might not get another chance. The fact that he’d happened to turn up at this exact moment, when he could have gone anywhere, or not even taken a break at this time, was too much of a coincidence for me to throw away. Hesitating, I debated going into the shop to speak to him, or waiting for him to come out where Mark might hear. While I thought about it, Casper got his sandwich and came out again and then I had no choice. I jumped up quickly, scraping my chair noisily on the pavement, and his eyes immediately met mine. He halted, half in and half out of the door, then shuffled forward to get out of the way of someone trying to enter.

Mark looked up at me and frowned. “Dean?”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” I moved away from the table toward Casper, aware that only about six feet separated us from Mark. “Can I speak to you for a minute?”

“What about?” His eyes narrowed.

“I wanted to say sorry. I─”

“Don’t bother. Like we both said, it was a hook up.” His voice was much too clear and I glanced anxiously at Mark, who stared back at me with wide eyes.

“Casper…shh. Can we just…?”

“Don’t shush me!” Clutching his wrapped sandwich fiercely in one hand, he planted the other hand on his hip and glared. “I don’t know why you even bothered speaking to me! You slept with me for a bet, and we all know what your real type is. Don’t think I didn’t see you with that blond guy on Friday.”

“Fuck.” Grabbing his arm, I tugged him a few steps along the street until he wrenched free. “Thanks a fucking bunch. You just outed me to one of my workmates.”

“Oh!” His scowl vanished and his cheeks flushed. “Shit. I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Dean.”

“Forget it. Like you said, I shouldn’t have bothered.” Mortified, I turned away and went back to the table. Mark’s expression said it all. I didn’t need to hear anything he might have to say, but I listened anyway. Casper had already disappeared.

Buy the book

Amazon UK | Amazon US  | Smashwords | All Romance Ebooks  | Barnes & Noble

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Meet the Author

Louise Lyons comes from a family of writers. Her mother has a number of poems published in poetry anthologies, her aunt wrote poems for the church, and her grandmother sparked her inspiration with tales of fantasy. Louise first ventured into writing short stories at the grand old age of 8, mostly about little girls and ponies. She branched into romance in her teens, and MM romance a few years later, but none of her work saw the light of day until she discovered FanFiction in her late 20s.

Posting stories based on some of her favorite movies, provoked a surprisingly positive response from readers. This gave Louise the confidence to submit some of her work to publishers, and made her take her writing “hobby” more seriously.

Louise lives in the UK, about an hour north of London, with a mad Dobermann, and a collection of tropical fish and tarantulas. She works in the insurance industry by day, and spends every spare minute writing. She is a keen horse-rider, and loves to run long-distance. Some of her best writing inspiration comes to her, when her feet are pounding the open road. She often races into the house afterward, and grabs pen and paper to make notes.

Louise has always been a bit of a tomboy, and one of her other great loves is cars and motorcycles. Her car and bike are her pride and joy, and she loves to exhibit the car at shows, and take off for long days out on the bike, with no one for company but herself.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Open Skye Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Caraway Carter, Gay Media Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, The Jena Wade, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Jessie G. Books, Happily Ever Chapter, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Making It Happen, Multitasking Mommas, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Charley Descoteaux, 3 Chicks After Dark, Unquietly Me, Molly Lolly, Divine Magazine, Nephy Hart, Elin Gregory, Mikky’s World of Books, V’s Reads, Alpha Book Club, Velvet Panic

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: An e-book from Louise’s backlist.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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A BJ Review: Wildfire Psi (Guardians of the Pattern #4) by Jaye McKenna

Rating:  5 stars out of 5          ★★★★★

Wildfire PsiThings are finally going well for Luka Valdari. He’s found a home and family at the Institute for Psionic Research, and he has a job he loves. When a training mission takes him back to the streets of downside Riga, he’s got plenty of reason to be uneasy, and when a psionic cry for help leads him to a nightmare from his past, Luka’s ready to bolt.

Things are not going so well for Damon Korsov. He’s got voices in his head, a hole in his memory, and strange dreams that may or may not be glimpses of his past. The one man who might hold the key to Damon’s past is the one man he can never ask. Because somehow, Luka knows Damon, and it’s clear to Damon that Luka hates him.

Unwilling to expose anyone else to the danger Damon represents, Luka volunteers to train him. He wants to hate Damon, but instead finds himself fascinated. Before they get a chance to sort things out between them, the two men are thrown into the middle of a terrifying plot that puts every human life in the galaxy at risk. Can Luka and Damon confront both of their pasts and work together to prevent disaster? Or will all the human worlds burn in the flames of wildfire psi?

This book takes place right after the events of book three. Initially, there are two parallel storylines: one follows Tarrin and Miko as they continue their mission from the end of book three, and the other follows Luka who has returned to his duties at the Institute. I admit that sometimes it can be hard for me to read books that switch around like that, but in this case I was so involved with both storylines and both groups of characters that it never did. I was always eager to get back to the other couple so the switches never pulled me from the story or made me want to put the book down. In fact, one of the things I enjoy about this series is how we get to follow along with all the characters even when the primary focus switches to another couple. But also, the author did an absolutely seamless job of bringing the two storylines together perfectly and naturally at about 60%.

This book’s main couple is a doozy. I totally did not see this one coming. At all. We first met both Luka and Damon in book one, Psi Hunter, where Luka was a central character, but not a romantic lead. And Damon… well, Damon was someone else. I won’t say who as you should read it to find out.

I enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers story, and if you do too, then you should adore the heck out of this book! This isn’t your typical version of that trope. NO generic enemies where the guys are on the opposite sides of something but after getting to know each other as individuals, they overlook that and become loving adversaries. NO personality conflict that’s offset by intense physical attraction and results in lots of hate sex that gradually leads to the real thing. And thankfully, NO simple misunderstanding that could easily be cleared up by talking (those kinds often make the characters seem sort of clueless for me). Nope. None of those. This is the real deal. Two guys with a legitimate “I hate you because of what you did to me” reason to be enemies. No easy fix kind of hate here! And I loved that.

Since I knew these guy’s background from prior books, I just couldn’t imagine how the author would manage to move those two to a place where they could trust and love one another. Heck, I couldn’t even foresee how she’d make me like one of the characters given what I knew of his past. But she did both. Believably and well.

While the plot and action moved along at a satisfying clip, the gradual change in the relationship between Luka and Damon was built on plausible reasons that weren’t based on physical attraction. I enjoyed the natural development of an emotional bond and the slow formation of a tentative, but fragile trust that made it possible to move past hate. But when the past came back to bite them in the ass, could that trust stand up? The way they built that final bridge, an integral piece of the overall story arc, felt natural and right.  A unique and exceptionally well done take on the enemies to lovers trope.

In this series overall, the world-building is complex and exceptionally detailed. While there’s a complex overall story arc running through the series, each book focuses on a new main couple and how their involvement moves everything forward. But past characters aren’t dropped. Nor do the guys from previous books  just make random cameos like in some series. They continue to play their own important roles in the overall arc and to grow while still remaining in character.

Which leads me to mention a favorite character of mine ever since book 0.5, the ever-mysterious Draven. The more I know of him, the more intrigued I am and the more I want… well, more. A few of the scenes he had in this book have me absolutely chomping at the bit to learn more about that illusive man. Mysterious, smart, scheming, a bit broken… rather reminds me a bit of Laurent in Captive Prince. And just like with him, I absolutely cannot wait for more Draven.

The cover by Chinchbug shows Damon with the red crystal artifact and aptly represents this story. Also I’d never noticed until recently when a bundle of the first four came out that each cover fits side by side, half faces with the next. Nice touch.

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Book Details:  

ebook
Published January 27th 2016 by Mythe Weaver Press (first published January 2016)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesGuardians of the Pattern #4.0

Guardians of the Patterns Series (with links to BJ’s reviews):

Guardians of the Pattern is a science fiction series in which the line between science and magic blurs. In the galaxy-spanning Federation, psions are still fighting for basic human rights. Some worlds adopt a live-and-let-live policy, but on others, psions are hunted down and murdered because the public fears their psychic talents. When ancient weapons of mass destruction are unearthed on a planet populated by primitive nomads who still believe in magic, psions may be the Federation’s only hope for survival.

Can the people of these two very different cultures come together to prevent disaster? Or will the Federation’s hunger for power trigger a psionic chain-reaction that has the potential to threaten all of humanity?