A Melanie M Review: Texas Wedding (Texas #7) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 5 stars out of 5     ★★★★★

Texas 7Sometimes Riley and Jack have to be the ones to fight other people’s battles and stand up for what is right.

Faced with the life changing prospect of a yes vote from SCOTUS on the issue of same sex marriage, Riley and Jack realise they have decisions to make. Add in some distressing family news and the very real possibility that old secrets may resurface, and this last book in the Texas series pulls together as many threads as the boys can manage to handle.

But through all the ups and the downs, children, family events, laughter, and tears, there is nothing as special as the forever love between these two men.

With a vote from SCOTUS, RJ Scott was able to bring her Texas series to an end with the wedding story it deserves in Texas Wedding.  And she does it in a way that is layered with elements both sweet and bluntly realistic.

Through seven books, Riley and Jack have gone from hatred to tolerance to lust to deep and abiding love.  They have been married three times.  But in only once of those ceremonies, have their hearts been engaged.  They have four children, a large extended family and a growing list of charities, one of which is based at their ranch.   Life hasn’t slowed down at all but instead the increasing hectic pace is getting to them. In Texas Wedding, RJ Scott brings all the characters we have grown to love together to celebrate the lives of Riley and Jack Campbell-Hayes, their children and to tie up loose ends.

I have always loved the realistic manner that RJ Scott folded Max, Jack and Riley’s adopted autistic child,  into the family.  Now Jack and Riley have further challenges in helping a older Max to adjust to changes in his environment and schedules, including those that happen at school.  In the story, that means that Jack and Riley need a support group, to try to “see” an issue from Max’s standpoint.  Its a wonderful side story, and  it helps to show how the future might work out for Max and his family.  No magic pills to cure Max, just support and working things through as a family.  Same goes for their daughter, Haley, who has a health crisis that is dealt with common sense and the facts.  Its hard to part with this family that I’ve grown so fond of just as the twins are getting older, Haley is starting to date, and the boy she is determined to marry is….well, let’s not go there…save  it for the book.  Let’s just say I miss them already.

All the side couples, some in flux, some not, are here.  One or two old plot threads return to be tidied up, not  neatly, life’s not like that.  But enough so, that it works here at the series end.

Jack and Riley.  Still at the heart of the series.  Still hot.  Still sexy.  And still so very in love with each other.   While their start may have been more  of a “fairytale”, the way they go out is filled with authenticity, heart and realism.  Overworked dads, (ok, extremely wealthy overworked dads) who need to make time for each other, adoption issues (Texas again), children  problems, so many things ring true for this parent, and all these elements, all the various subject matters hang on a foundation of hope. And love.  That final ceremony had me in tears.  It was the perfect ceremony to end this book and the series.  So many different things included here and all perfectly balanced with RJ Scott’s warm scripted narrative, full of heart and intelligence.

Is RJ Scott done with Jack and Riley? Maybe.  Perhaps.  At least she is for  now.

We have seven books to remind us how much we love these two men and their story and we can revisit them as much as we want.  Start at  the beginning and continue on.  It only gets better.  Meet up at Texas Wedding!  Its an ending you will treasure!   I highly recommend them all.

Cover art by Meredith Russell.  My only problem with this is that the models haven’t aged but Riley and Jack have.  Maybe they should have been put in frames or something.  It doesn’t work here.

␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

Sales Links:  RJ Scott Blog |  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 216 pages
Published September 25th 2015 by Love Lane Books Limited

A MelanieM Review: Sloe Ride (Sinners #4) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4.5  stars out of 5

Sloe Ride coverIt isn’t easy being a Morgan. Especially when dead bodies start piling up and there’s not a damned thing you can do about it.

Quinn Morgan never quite fit into the family mold. He dreamed of a life with books instead of badges and knowledge instead of law—and a life with Rafe Andrade, his older brothers’ bad boy friend and the man who broke his very young heart.

Rafe Andrade returned home to lick his wounds following his ejection from the band he helped form. A recovering drug addict, Rafe spends his time wallowing in guilt, until he finds himself faced with his original addiction, Quinn Morgan—the reason he fled the city in the first place.

When Rafe hears the Sinners are looking for a bassist, it’s a chance to redeem himself, but as a crazed murderer draws closer to Quinn, Rafe’s willing to sacrifice everything—including himself—to keep his quixotic Morgan safe and sound.

Rhys Ford’s  “Sloe Ride” is the perfect title for the final story in the Sinners series.  A combination of Sloe Gin and (at least in my thinking) Foghat’s ‘Slow Ride”, it works on so many levels for a story that brings together a virginal Morgan with the attributes of a mage and a wild musician looking for redemption and love.   In “Slow Ride”, the beat and the lyrics are in total harmony, guitar riffs changing speed and climaxing towards the end, simulating love making.   And the sloe berry of the sloe gin, tastes bitter unless its soaked in gin with a little sugar, ingenuity for using something not wanted, turning  it into a drink that’s layered and warm. Perfect for Quinn and Rafe, two character who are in harmony with each other  (if no one else).  First they have to recognize their feelings about each other.  Once that is done, along with the Morgan family’s acceptance of their relationship, Rafe and Quinn can explore what that means in terms of sex and their future.  If they can survive another killer.

Yes, Quinn is a virgin at 30 and realistically so.  He has chemical imbalances (not exactly spelled out, OCD, depression..not sure) that caused him to try to commit suicide when he was younger, and he was committed to a institute for a while.  Of all the Morgans, he is the one that fell so far from the Morgan mold that the others continue to regard him as an frail oddity .  Brilliant, his mother Brigid once remarked that Quinn could probably tell them why Stonehenge was built because he had been there.  I love Quinn, he’s a remarkable character, strong, yet so vulnerable.  Scattered yet earthbound.  I adored him.  And the wounded Rafe is perfect for him.

Yes, another deeply scarred musician in need of a Morgan to love and love him  back.  Rafe was a outlier of the Morgan family in his younger years, pulled closer when they realized how poor his family was. He had his own band but crashed and burned under the weight of touring, drugs and alcohol, but mostly drugs.  A dead boy, overdosed in his hotel room, finished off Rafe’s career.  Dumped by his band, Rafe’s life detonated.  Only a final humiliation and a save by the Morgans, saw Rafe sober but ostracized by everyone he knew.   Until Quinn.

Ford bluntly spells out Rafe’s drug addiction and the manner in which he burned all his bridges.  Those “bridges remained burned”, sometimes you don’t get a second chance with people, and yes, you remain a addict.  There is no miracle  cure for Rafe’s past here and I liked that, just as there is no magic wand for Quinn’s chemical imbalances. You deal with what you’ve got and move on.

There is a rhythm here different from the other stories.  Slower, moving to a different beat, which works, considering the main characters are each so different from the ones in the previous stories (Miki and Kane, Damien and Sionn, Connor and Forrest). So it stands to reason that the murder mystery is just that much off kilter too.  I really didn’t see that denouement coming.  The reveal was a total surprise.  Some people will  hate that, others love it that they didn’t have a clue.

By the end of the story, the band is reformed and has a new name.  I have loved each and every story.  Each and every romance and couple.  And I am so sorry to see it complete.  It may be the end of the band but surely Rhys Ford can dig up another Morgan or two in need of love, along with a killer determined to stop them?  I so want the Morgan stories to continue.  Fingers crossed the author is listening.

If you love rockers, murder mysteries, and contemporary love stories, here is a series to love.  Grab up all the books in the Sinners series and get started.  Put on a little Foghat to set the mood.  I highly recommend them all.

Cover art by Reece Notley is one of my favorites as it works the best for the characters involved.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press  |  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 246 pages
Published September 4th 2015 by Dreamspinner press

A Jeri Review: Beautiful Thunder by Louise Lyons

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Beautiful Thunder coverAlex is a trust fund kid with nothing but time. His sister bugs him to do something with his life, but his only passion is singing, so he auditions for a local rock band and makes the cut. He gets along great with 2 of the members, but the 3rd, Lindsay, is pretty quiet and doesn’t seem to talk much.

Lindsay is gay and in an emotionally abusive relationship that ends up physically abusive. Alex helps him recover and they begin to fall for each other.

This book was refreshing for me in that it was set in the very early 90’s. That difficult music transition from straight up rock and glam rock into what comes next. There are no computers, no cell phones, no texting. If someone didn’t answer their phone, they weren’t home. It was also a time of HIV, when not all people realized yet the importance of using condoms.

Long hair, make up, midriff baring shirts and spandex. And that was on the guys. This book brought me right back to my early adulthood and growing up surrounded by this.

This is Alex’s first relationship. With man or woman. Lindsay is scared that Alex is going to freak out and leave because of that. What tears them apart is something else entirely.

I liked seeing the relationship grow with these two men. Even though one had been hurt and the other pretty much didn’t know what he was doing, they stumbled through it together. Friends first, lovers later, bandmates always.

I’d say what pulled my rating down to 3 ½ stars is that the ending of the book seemed to wrap up too quickly, too neatly. One character basically disappears (ok, there is a reason, but come on. He won’t call his old friends to say hello?), and another is introduced but kind of left hanging.

If you are a fan of old school glam rock like Bon Jovi and Poison, you’ll love this book for that alone. The romance between Alex and Lindsay will make you love it more.

Cover art by Maria Fanning is gorgeous, stunning in design and model.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages, also in paperback
Published August 31st 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
original titleBeautiful Thunder
ISBN 1634763947 (ISBN13: 9781634763943)
edition languageEnglish

A Stella Review: ACID by Wulf Francu Godgluck & S. van Rooyen

 

RATING 4,5 stars out of 5
(4 stars for the story and 5 for the cover, too beautiful to ignore!)
ACID cover

Dear Author,
This is obviously a real tough guy – he likes his guns, booze and cigarettes. His new robo arms are pretty damn awesome, even if the story of how he lost his normal arms isn’t pretty and it took a long time to get used to the new ones. He’s a man of action, not words, and you’ll never hear him spout sappy declarations of endless love. The love of his life clearly needs to be just as tough to keep up with him.

Basically, I want a story with this tough guy and his equally tough love interest(s). Romance shouldn’t be the main focus of this story, I want a kick-ass plot with at least a bit of world building, please! Established couple or not, ménage or not and the genre is up to you. Kinky sex would be a huge plus, but only if you can work it into the plot. I’m fine with whatever ending works for the story, I don’t need a HEA. Every shade of consent is fine by me. Kink-wise I’m pretty much open to anything, even extreme stuff like med-kink and sounding.

Photo Description (see it here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17401437-acid-by-wulf-franc-godgluck-s-van-rooyen-8-31):

A man with bionic mechanical arms sits in a dusky room holding a cigarette between his robotic fingers. A shot glass with amber liquid in his right hand. Faded scars and wounds cover his collar bone and abdomen; he stares at nothing, obviously bored with the world he lives in.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Story and Content Information:
Genre:science fiction, horror

Tags:revenge, slaves, dystopian, genetic mutations, dark, cliff-hanger

Content Warnings: cannibalism, premastication, rape, forced pregnancy and childbirth (only mentioned), gore, extreme violence and murder, no HEA/HFN, and swearing (It’s Wulf Francú Godgluck; what else did you expect?)

 

“So, let’s get some shit cleared and out of the way. There aren’t many rules… but these are mine.
The first rule of ACID City: Avoid. Do not get involved in other people’s shit. People will fuck you over, in any way they can. And enjoy it.
Two: Lie. Everyone lies. There has not been hard, honest truth in this world for God knows how long. Except for one…
Three: Fake it. No one is who they seem— not even ourselves. Your heart will fuck you over. Your feelings are a bunch of shit made up to make you believe you once were human… but there might as well not be any more humans left. The ones that are… just don’t have the humanity to give a shit.
I broke every one of my own rules.
And I hate him for it.”

Please read the warnings because they are there for a reason, ACID is not for everyone so if you are not comfortable with dark books, don’t even think about reading this one.

This is not a nice story, you can’t sympathize with any one character. It is really violent, not just in the death scenes, too many times it was very disgusting.

The book is set in the ACID city, a dark place with no natural light, lived in by criminals and the altered (a new species created in laboratories where human DNA is been mixed with animal ones), there are no laws to obey, just stronger (or sicker) men to follow.

The Dark Heart Cartel is run by Vex Noux, a cryo-ibernated man with mechanical arms who woke up seven hundred years after his death and his life was nowhere to be found. He was married with Johan and had a son, Danny, who was only four when Vex had to leave to join the war, where four months later he died on the battlefield. He’s not a nice guy so don’t let you be moved by his story. There is not one drop of good feelings in it.

There are a lot of characters in ACID, like the gungers,the city enemies and slave traders or Jozi whose parents had been killed when they couldn’t afford the rent anymore and now he’s looking for revenge. But you are going to meet more, all of them well defined. As in the world development, amazing and so well done. Nothing is said in a general way, every little detail is well explained. It’s a complex world and it could have been difficult to follow it but the authors did  clear work, so there was no confusion for me.

Some parts are really hard to take, too strong even if you are used to reading dark stories. I overlooked them because I knew what I was getting myself into. Still, even if I shouldn’t have been surprised since I know Wulf’s mind , this is a scary place, ACID did surprise me. It’s a book full of hate, betrayal, f***ed up beings and things. They gave me chills more than once and the authors went often where they shouldn’t have gone. And of course I can’t talk about the ending but be ready for a big cliffhanger, something I was expecting from the start of the second half of the book. I have no clue who got the idea, I don’t know S. van Rooyen but I know Wulf and I was sure he would have created something twisted and cruel like that ending.

I still can’t believe it I liked this really sick (please let me use the adjective) story, but I couldn’t put it down for a minute, it was addictive, no other word can describe what I felt. Just a suggestion, if you’ll decide to give ACID a chance: don’t read it while having dinner as I did. Bad mistake!

Cover art by Wulf Francu Godgluck. I LOVE this cover so much! The lines, the front, the colors, everything is perfect. 5+ stars!

SALE LINKS (free) Goodreads M/M Romance Group

BOOK DETAILS

ebook, 78 pages
Published August 31st 2015 by M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads
Edition Language English

 

Its Menage in Memphis with It Takes Two (Memphis S.W.A.T.#1) by Theresa Hissong (excerpt and contest)

IttakesTwo1400

It Takes Two (Memphis S.W.A.T.#1) by Theresa Hissong
Release Date: September 23, 2015

 

 

Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w61d8ZzMtAw

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Buy the book:   Torquere Books | Amazon | All Romance (ARe) | iTunes

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Blurb

Twelve years of friendship turns into something more when Eva Porter’s two best friends confess their love for her after a heated night between the sheets. Her only dream over the years had been to be the woman for Max and Sam. Living a ménage lifestyle was new to her, but she knew, deep down, that this was what she needed. Eva soon realizes it will take two men to love her completely.

When a threat to Eva’s life presents itself, Max and Sam step up security around their home to keep Eva from being harmed, but the man who wants her dead will stop at nothing to take her out. The suspect will risk everything, even death, to take Eva away from the two men sworn to protect her.

Pages or Words: 37,900 words
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, Ménage/Poly (MMF), Romance

Excerpt

Max left the station with the two files in hand. It was close to mid-morning and the evidence from the storms the night before dotted yards and roadsides on his way back to his property just outside the city limits. Small trees were down and although there was no tornado, there was some wind damage to homes close to his.
Thankfully, it looked like they only lost a few limbs on the large oak trees in the sprawling five acres of his front yard of the property. So, it was no surprise to see Eva and Sam spending their Sunday morning cutting and hauling away limbs to a pile to be burned later.
Max stopped on the long gravel driveway up to the house. Eva was tossing limbs into a small trailer that was being pulled behind one of the four-wheelers they owned. Sam approached Max’s SUV, swiping away dirt from his cheek.
“Hey,” Max said when Sam was close enough to hear him. “Eva doesn’t need to be using that shoulder.”
“Tell her that,” Sam laughed and hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Stubborn, remember?”
Max noticed how Eva was lifting and huffing with a heavy limb. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail and she was bundled up in jeans, boots and one of the hoodies that Sam had bought for her the day before. After the storm had rolled through, the temperatures dropped quickly and they’d be expecting snow in the next few days.
“I’ll go in and build a fire,” Max said, keeping his eyes on Eva’s small body as she worked. She really was beautiful.
“Okay, we’ll finish up and meet you at the house,” Sam winked.
“Hey,” Max said suddenly, stopping Sam from turning away.
“Yeah,” Sam replied.
“How is she this morning?” Max asked, worried. Would she panic and run?
“Perfect,” Sam looked back at Eva. “She’s absolutely perfect.”

About The Author

Meet the author:
Theresa is a mother of two and the wife of a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. After seventeen years traveling the country, moving from base to base, the family has settled their roots back in Theresa’s home town of Olive Branch, MS, where she enjoys her time with family and old friends.
After almost three years of managing a retail bookstore, Theresa has gone behind the scenes to write romantic stories with flare. She enjoys spending her afternoons daydreaming of the perfect love affair and takes those ideas to paper.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thissong
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authortheresahissong
Twitter: @AuthorTHissong
Website: http://authortheresahissong.com

RC

Tour Dates & Stops:
3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Divine Magazine, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Happily Ever Chapter, Hearts on Fire, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly, Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, The Hat Party, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

 

 

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘It Takes Two’ by Theresa Hissong.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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The Wedding Is On with RJ Scott’s Texas Wedding (Texas #7) (excerpt and giveaway)

Texas 7

Texas Wedding (Texas #7) by R.J. Scott
Love Lane Books
Cover Artist:  Meredith Russell

Buy Link:   RJ Scott Blogspot UK

RJ Scott – Texas Wedding

The final book in the Texas series which started with The Heart of Texas is available 25 September.

In Texas Wedding there is a moment towards the end that will make sense if you read the book. However, I wanted you to see what five characters thought of the main couple Jack and Riley, and Sean decided to help by interviewing them.

Texas Wedding is only possible because SCOTUS supported same sex marriage. Thank you SCOTUS. Love is love.

 From RJ Scott:

Texas Series Characters– Beth (Jack’s sister)

“I had to bring him in with me,” Beth apologized. “He’s teething and he wants is his momma.”

Sean looked at Beth, and a sleeping Cam in her arms. “No worries, how’s he doing? Can I hold him?”

Beth handed Cam to Sean who cuddled him close. “He loves his Uncle Sean,” she said with a smile, the straightened her shirt and patted her hair. “I’m ready.”

Sean pressed the button on the camera. “So, tell me about your brother and Riley.”

Beth smiled. “Jack is my brother, Riley his husband. They met because of me.”

“You want to talk about that.”

“It’s a long story,” Beth said with a shake of her head. “I want to talk about what kind of daddies they are.”

“Go for it.”

“I found Jack once, just watching the twins sleep. I should explain for the camera I wasn’t well as a kid, and he and Josh, my other brother, were very protective. Jack is all about family, and he and Riley have become more than just the two of them now. Started something new. And he turned to me and he just said one thing.”

“That was?”

“That he and Josh would take it in turns to watch me when I was ill. That family was an important thing, and that love was at the center of it. I think  that is what I want to say on film. Family is everything and love is the glue that holds it all together. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man and a woman, two men, two woman, whatever. Love is love, and that is all.”

Read Beth’s story in The Heart Of Texas, and all the sequels!

Blurb

Texas 7Sometimes Riley and Jack have to be the ones to fight other people’s battles and stand up for what is right.

With the life changing prospect of a yes vote from SCOTUS on the issue of same sex marriage, Riley and Jack realise they have decisions to make. Add in some distressing family news and the very real possibility that old secrets may resurface, and this last book in the Texas series pulls together as many threads as the boys can manage to handle.

But through all the ups and the downs, children, family events, laughter, and tears, there is nothing as special as the forever love between these two men.

The full book list (with Goodreads links):

The Heart of Texas (Texas, #1)
Texas Winter (Texas, #2)
Texas Heat (Texas, #3)
Texas Family (Texas, #4)
Texas Christmas (Texas, #5)
Texas Fall (Texas #6)
Texas Wedding

About The Author

RJScott icon

About RJ

RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.

As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.

With over seventy titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.

Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

Giveaway

Competition to win $15 Amazon/Are giftcard, and 2 further prizes of RJ Scott e-books – closes 8th October at 00:01 GMT (London).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the link below.  Link and prizes provided by the author.

OR DIRECT LINK:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f922301b59/?

Excerpt


Chapter One

Jack slid his arms around Riley from behind and pressed his cheek to the space between broad shoulders. He couldn’t stop himself from moving his hands under the soft T-shirt material and caressing the warm skin. Touching Riley was an addiction.

“You all done?” he asked.

Riley turned in Jack’s hold, the laundry in his hands crushing between them.

“It’s like these tiny T-shirts multiply,” Riley groused. “I turn my back for one minute and suddenly there’s another ten of the damn things.”

Jack smiled up at his husband, at the narrowing of his beautiful hazel eyes and the stubborn set of his mouth. Then he released his hold of his waist and instead cradled his face.

“It was your idea to sort out the twins’ old clothes,” he reminded Riley.

“I wanted to box it away….”

“We can do it together at the weekend.”

“I want to do it today—”

“It’s a Tuesday.” Jack interrupted Riley’s reasons why. “I thought you said you had that report to read from Tom?”

Riley huffed a little. “I can’t concentrate.”

“So, you’re sorting clothes?”

“Is that a bad thing?” Riley sounded so defensive.

Jack sighed. “What are you avoiding?”

Riley raised an eyebrow, and Jack couldn’t help but press a kiss to his lips. After all this time together, he had learned these weird domestic chores Riley undertook were usually a way of avoiding things he didn’t want to do. Whether it was Riley’s way of thinking about things, or pure procrastination, Jack didn’t know.

“I have a shareholder meeting the first week of February.” Riley finally said.

“I know. I got the same letter, but I wasn’t planning on going. Why will this be different from any other meeting?” Jack was confused. Hayes Oil meetings were dry and boring, and he’d survived the only two he’d attended by slouching back in a chair directly opposite Riley. He would eat as many of the complimentary mints as he could manage and gently disrupt the meeting by rustling the wrappers. This never failed to make Riley smile. Mostly Jack conned Josh into going, or gave Riley his proxy. Still, when he did go, he loved nothing better than insolently lazing around and being all cowboy in the room full of suits. Inevitably, this led to hot sex with Riley, who couldn’t keep his eyes off Jack throughout the entire meeting.

“I have something to admit,” Riley said with a sigh. He eased himself away from Jack and leaned back against the cabinet. “Dad has appointed this new manager to the team, and we have a history.”

Jack huffed a laugh. “Riley, you have a history with so many people, I lost count.”

Riley looked affronted for a second, but that emotion didn’t slip into a ready smile, so Jack realized this was serious. Jack stood next to Riley and waited for the man he loved, to admit what the hell was going on. In fact, Riley had been weird for a few days: less quick to smile, less easy to poke at, in a hurry to go find a quiet space away from everyone.

“Not like that,” Riley said. “The woman’s name is Charlotte Harrold, and her dad is Josiah.”

Jack nodded. He and Josiah had their own kind of history, one where Josiah had tried courting Donna and failed, where Josiah looked down at Jack, and where Jack refused to give a rat’s ass. The fucker had blocked Hayes Oil on several occasions and didn’t have a high opinion of Riley, nor of Riley and Jack. Add to that, Tom, Riley’s right-hand man at work, had unfortunately had a run-in with Josiah Jr., Charlotte’s brother. Too much history between the Hayes and Harrold families.

“Why would Jim hire her, then?” Jack paused to think about what he knew concerning Charlotte. “I remember her being a bitch with daddy issues.”

Riley shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I asked him, and he said she’s good at what she does, and that she’s changed, whatever that means. Oh, and I should give her as much of a chance as people gave me.”

“Cryptic. So you think she’s going to cause trouble.”

Riley looked at Jack sharply. “Hell no. I know her work, and she’ll be an asset. It’s only….”

Jack tensed. “You slept with her.”

“Jesus, Jack,” Riley said instantly. “No way. She was Jeff’s. I mean she and Jeff were having an affair. He called her Charlie, and I damn well walked in on them once. The wedding photos were still wet at the printer’s, and there he was, fucking around on Lisa.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. And we’re going to be in the same room as her. All I can remember is that Jeff was balls-deep in Charlie, and he had his hands—” Riley demonstrated with his hands in front of him in a ring. “—around her neck.”

Jack immediately realized what the problem was. The joined families, whether Campbell or Hayes, had quietly consigned Jeff and everything he had done to something never to be talked about. Riley never shared cute childhood stories where he, Eden, and Jeff were friends; no tales of brotherly misadventures. To Jack’s mind, Jeff had been born a sadistic bastard, and likely there were a lot of stories Riley hadn’t told him about the kind of things Jeff had done to both Riley and Eden.

“Seeing her makes you face what he did,” Jack said. He reached over and held Riley’s hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. This was what he did best. He was there for Riley, supporting him, holding him up, knowing as much as he needed to know, and still being there for the man who was his other half.

Riley sighed and bumped shoulders with Jack. “Yeah,” he whispered.

“So your dad doesn’t know that Jeff and Charlie were…?”

“No. I’m sure I’m the only one.”

“Lisa didn’t know?”

Riley squeezed back. “She always knew he was unfaithful, but with Charlie, no, I don’t think so.”

For a second, Jack allowed the words to settle. Lisa was damaged by much more than physical pain. She had a world of hurt where her dead husband was concerned, not least of which was the end result of what he did to her. The secret she carried with her was too awful for Jack to contemplate knowing how she lived with it.

“We don’t see enough of Lisa and the kids,” he said.

That was true. Lisa hadn’t visited in a while. Although to be fair, whenever Jack and Riley organized a family gathering of any sort, they always invited her. She’d moved to San Antonio with her fiancé, Ed, and was building a place for herself and the kids well away from the life she’d had here. Luke was sixteen, Annabelle coming up for nineteen. They weren’t at the ranch as often as Josh’s kids. They had lives of their own, but still, Jack was all about family.

“We’ll get them over, or maybe we’ll go visit them,” Jack said. He wasn’t going to let Riley focus on this one thing to distract himself from the central issue. “Back to the meeting. When you sit there, it will be all business, and if she comes over to talk to you, you smile, nod, and put on the best goddamn Riley act you can.”

“You’re not planning on being there.”

“I hate them,” Jack said, then he felt guilty. Riley was clearly concerned about the meeting, and he should make the effort. “I can try.”

“Don’t say that.” Riley smiled at Jack. “As much as I like it when you do that ‘I don’t care, I’m a hot, dusty cowboy’ thing, I seriously think you should stay away.”

“Yeah?”

Riley looked at him again. This time, the shadows had disappeared from his eyes. “It’s like torture for you.”

“Tell me more about how you like the cowboy thing,” Jack growled.

Riley grinned. “When you push the chair back and you kind of sprawl there, with your thumbs in your belt. You smile and nod when you need to and all I want to do is crawl over the table and ride you right there in the meeting.”

Jack’s cock swelled and pressed against his jeans. Riley’s voice was husky and low and sent every molecule of blood south.

“Jesus, Riley.”

“Sometimes you unwrap those stupid little mints, and you press one to your lips, and then you suck it in.”

“I like the mints.”

“All I can imagine is my cock in your mouth, and I’m so freaking hard I can’t concentrate on the numbers.”

Jack wriggled to get comfortable, and he had to press his free hand to his zip to ease some of the pressure. “Like it’s easy for me,” he muttered. “You in your suit, and those ties you wear, and all I can imagine is ripping it all off, tying you down and fucking you into tomorrow. That’s the only reason I go.”

Riley moved so quickly Jack didn’t have time to draw breath. He straddled Jack and pushed him back on the bed.

“Carol.” Jack mentioned their nanny’s name with the last remaining moments of having the presence of mind. “People…,” he added as a warning, as Riley stole his words with the deepest, dirtiest, messiest kiss he’d had since the last time they’d been in the barn.

Riley pulled back enough so Jack could look into his eyes. “Barn,” Riley said. “Now.”

Riley scrambled up and away, unbuttoning his jeans and adjusting himself. “Now,” he repeated.

With determination, they made it out of the house. Hayley was at school, Max out with Robbie and the horses, the twins were happy with Carol, so they had nothing to stop them. It didn’t matter it was ten in the morning, this was happening.

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A MelanieM Review: Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners #3) by Rhys Ford

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Tequila Mockingbird coverLieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

Rhys Ford teased her readers with a pivotal scene from Tequila Mockingbird towards the end of Whiskey and Wry.  The scene was apparently an old one at the Morgan house, one that occurred multiple times over the years. Donal waits in the library for one of his children to tell him what’s been tearing at them emotionally so they can go over it together to solve the problem.  Only this time, the child is an adult Connor, the eldest who has followed in his father’s  footsteps who has an emotional bombshell for his Da.  He, Connor, the straight one, is in love with the gay victim of his latest case and he doesn’t know what to do.

Having that little emotional explosion (and Donal’s heartfelt reaction to it, how I love that character) firmly in our heads, the reader is ready for Tequila Mockingbird to start.  Of course, it does with a blast! From there the narrative roars to life with the ferocity of those magnificent Detroit muscle cars, and often with  as much subtlety.

I’m ok with all of that.  Because the engine driving this story is Connor Morgan.  He’s such a impressive figure, not quite as elemental, “henge-like” as Donal, but close. In Tequila Mockingbird, Connor retains all those qualities, yet Ford lets the fractures start to show that imbue him with the vulnerability we need to connect with him.  Those fractures come with his meeting with Forest Ackerman,  son of the victim of his case. And we see that scene again, from Connor’s perspective, this time with all the facts of the case and how he met Forest.

Normally, I have a hard time with “instant love”.  Very few authors out there have been able to make me  believe in their romances that include this feature.  Some have, true.  This is one of them.  And again, its comes back to Connor Morgan.  That character is so solid (as is my belief in him) that if he says he’s in love, ok, got it.  He’s in love.  With Forest Ackerman, that’s such a wounded soul that having found a safe haven for his heart (and body) in Connor, that case is made as well, albeit a little more cynically.  Plus there’s Brigid who’s finally found a son in law who needs her. How I love Brigid too.

I thought the murder/mystery was a tad on the weaker side this time.  For me, it didn’t have the strong power of the motives that the others did or the depth of the previous villains.  It also doesn’t help that when you compare Forest to Miki and Damien, he suffers by comparison. He’s just a little too sweet.

Still, the heart of this story is Connor, finding himself, moving past what he conceived his role to be in the family,  accepting his homosexuality and his love for Forest. Connor drives this story all the way to the end.  His family, that incredible, can’t begin to get enough of them Morgans, they are the frame work, and the love of Forest  and the man himself, well, that’s the fuel.  Put it all, together and it adds up to to one wild ride of a story, taken at high speed, and one to be savored once its over.

Plus there is some very hot, hot, hot, first time gay sex scenes to burn up the pages.

But now three of the four band spots are filled. One to go.  I hate coming to the end of a series I love.  Next up, the series finale, Sloe Ride (Sinners, #4).  We have one final band member to find, one space to fill.

Until that happens, I highly recommend this story and the entire series. The Morgan men and the wounded musicians they love are highly addictive, their stories fueled by high octane music, murder and hard won love. Once you start, you can’t put these books down.  I’m only sorry that I’m seeing the end of the road for this series in sight.  The Morgan Clan and this band should keep on living, loving, solving crimes, wailing on…singing, guitar strumming, and drum pounding for as long as Rhys Ford can write.  I wonder if she takes bribes?

Cover art by Reece Notley does a good job of branding the cover, but no model could really live up to my idea of Connor.  The one standing in for Forest is fine.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 250 pages
Published June 27th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published June 26th 2014)

A Stella Audiobook Review: Going Up by Amy Lane, Paul Woodson (Narrator)

Rating: 3,5 stars out of 5

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Going Up Audiobook CoverEvery dreary day, Zach Driscoll takes the elevator from the penthouse apartment of his father’s building to his coldly charmed life where being a union lawyer instead of a corporate lawyer is an act of rebellion. Every day, that is, until the day the elevator breaks and Sean Mallory practically runs into his arms.

Substitute teacher Sean Mallory is everything Zach is not—poor, happy, and goofily charming. With a disarming smile and a penchant for drama, Sean laughs his way into Zach’s heart one elevator ride at a time. Zach would love to get to know Sean better, but first he needs the courage to leave his ivory tower and face a relationship that doesn’t end at the “Ding!”

Going Up is the lovely story of Zach and Sean, two beautiful men so different from each other in every little thing and just for this so complementary in their relationship, as in every heartwarming book like this one. It was romantic, cute and sweet. I couldn’t have asked better from Amy Lane.

I appreciated it wasn’t one of those insta-love stories I often read, the romance was slow paced and I so enjoyed the MCs’ conversations, their numerous “elevator times” that brough them each time a little more together. A drama-free, light and quick story that caught my attention from the start. You can always count on Amy Lane for some good laughs (if you like me stay away from all those tearjerker books she writes) and this book, with all its positive feelings, was a winner. When I rethink about it, I soon have a smile on my face.  And the Rapunzel fairytale in my mind. It left me with almost a magical vibe. Well done!

I liked the narration by Paul Woodson, I’m not sure but my research says Going Up is his first MM audio. I think he did great. It was always understandable (essential quality to my WIP English) and he made me smile a lot, a perfect match for Amy’s writing.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson. I love it! It’s clean, simple and so fitting.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press  |  Audible |  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Published February 27th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
Audiobook, 2 hours and 39 minutes
Edition Language English
Narrator Paul Woodson

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Empty Nests (Nested Hearts #1) by Ada Maria Soto

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Empty Nests coverThis is a sweet, slow burn romance between two men in their thirties, one a workaholic CFO of a tech company, and the other a man who’s been a father for more than half his life and has never enjoyed a relationship with a man, even though he’s always known he was gay.

Gabe Juarez is a gorgeous, Mexican-American, wealthy, and charming CFO who’s just been named most eligible bachelor for five years in a row. The problem is that he’s been out since he turned sixteen and no one seems willing to acknowledge he prefers men, or at least no one among the female vultures who salivate over him as potential husband material. But even if Gabe could find time in his busy schedule to devote to dating, the thought doesn’t really appeal to him, especially not after he was burned three years ago by a man who turned out to be the worst gold-digger of all.

When James Mason was fourteen he was caught kissing a boy, so he had sex with a girl in his class who said she was on the pill. Problem was she was only on it two days, so he found himself a father at fifteen. When he found out his girlfriend’s parents had arranged a shady adoption behind his back, he sued for custody and won. He managed to finish high school, parent Derek, work part time, go to a community college, and eventually take a position in the IT department at Berkley. He’s now the head of the tech support department and still working on a tight budget to pay the bills and save money for Derek’s college education.

When these two finally find time to get together, it’s sweet and simple, with just a few lunch dates at first, progressing to more intimate time together later. And when Gabe finds out James is a gay virgin, he’s willing to slow down as much as James needs. But can these two very different men really find a way to make a relationship work? Can Gabe in his high tech, jet-set world really settle down with James in his very simple, very plain lifestyle? And would Gabe want to take on Derek, James’s now seventeen-year-old son and fierce protector?

I loved this story not only for the story content but for the way it was written. The author clearly captured the social differences which impacted the dynamics between the MCs, as well as the loving and respectful father-son relationship between James and Derek. Gabe’s business partners and their families provided a great deal of unwanted advice to the workaholic bachelor, but their emotional support and concern for him came through loud and clear. The sweet, slow buildup of the romance, the even slower introduction of sexual experiences to the relationship, and the bond building between the men by the end of the story all made the story so much better than I had anticipated.

By the time I got to the end, I was fully invested in this couple and rooting for a happy ending. Unfortunately, the story is to be continued, so all I got was a HFN, but thankfully, it was that and not an angst-filled cliffhanger. I definitely plan to continue with their saga when the next book is released, and I certainly recommend this one to those who love slow burn M/M romances. Well-written, with engaging characters—both MCs and secondary— and a variety of social situations to which most of us can relate. Don’t miss your chance to read this one.

~~~~~
Cover Art by Paul Richmond features the back end view of two cars: the first a bright blue new model Tesla and the second a bright yellow old Volvo sporting bumper stickers: I love Little League; Baseball Dad; My Child is an Honor Roll Student; etc. These cars symbolize the MCs: the wealthy playboy Gabe Juarez, and the thirty-two-year-old single father of a teen, Paul Mason. The cars are the perfect representation of the differences between the two men featured in the story.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 214 pages
Published June 12th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632169945
series Nested Hearts #1

Time to Heat Things up with H.C. Brown Science Fiction Thriller ‘Stalked’ (excerpt and giveaway)

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Stalked by H.C. Brown
Release Date: September 24, 215

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Momentum, Pan Macmillan

Sales Links:  Amazon | Kobo | Google play | Barnes & Noble

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Blurb

Who’s more dangerous – a stripper, an assassin, or a serial killer?
The Stripper Ripper is stalking the streets of New York City, preying on male strippers, and the press is making mincemeat of a helpless police force.

In desperation, the police refer the serial killer’s case to the Slayers, a team of enhanced, undercover super soldiers. The commander of the Slayers puts his team on the streets to watch over the Ripper’s favorite targets.

One of these targets is Micah, a twink stripper and a desirable sub. Micah’s baby sitter is one of the newest members of the Slayers, Sorren, as cold-blooded an assassin as they come, and the last person you’d expect to harbor feelings for his charge.

True to form, Sorren is as surprised as anyone at his new infatuation, but Micah is hiding something. Will Micah learn to trust his protector, or is he destined to be the next victim on the Stripper Ripper’s list?

Pages or Words: 68,000 words

Categories: BDSM, Contemporary, Crime Fiction, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Excerpt: Stalked by H.C. Brown

Chapter 1
Club Surrender, New York
As the commander of the Slayers, Delano Briggs had his hands full controlling a unit of nano-enhanced super soldiers in a constant state of pissed. He leaned back in his office chair, glaring at the brooding form of Sorren, and cleared his throat. The six-seven hunk of muscle-bound “don’t fuck with me nasty” stared right back, unblinking.
Although Sorren had accepted his new duties without question and his professionalism was faultless, he couldn’t put a finger on the underlying uneasiness he had for him. The stripper named Snake from the leather club, Pinkies, had been under Sorren’s surveillance for ten days and nothing had occurred. The man standing before him folded thick arms across his broad chest and glared at him with intimidating menace. He would have to come down heavy to keep this alpha with cybernetic enhancements in line. “Report.”
Sorren placed both large hands on the table and pushed a long straight nose one inch from Delano’s face.
“How long do you expect me to remain sane on butterfly duty?”
“I said report, soldier.” Delano pushed to his feet then noticed Rhys, his second in command, move into the room and take a defensive stance.
Sure, Sorren was a loose cannon, but then nobody walked away from capture by Middle Eastern extremists without repercussions. His captors had not been able to brainwash him or retrieve any information by torture. His nanos had kept his secrets safe and his body in peak condition, but Sorren was suffering from three years of pent-up crazy. The nano enhancements did that to a man left alone with only his palm for company. Delano lifted his chin and repeated the order. To his relief, Sorren straightened and narrowed his unusual blue gaze.
“Nothing to report. The butterfly does his act then goes home. Guys hang around him looking for a little action but as far as I can tell, he isn’t interested. Although, he is a nervous little shit. On stage, the club bills him as Snake but his friends call him Micah, which fits him but it’s not the name you gave me. I think he is hiding his past.” He jerked a thumb over one shoulder toward Rhys. “Tell your boy to stand down unless he wants me to drag his ass downstairs to my dungeon.” He smirked. “I need a heavy scene, sending me to watch strippers every night makes me overheat – ah, sir.”
“I don’t do switch play and if I did you’re certainly not my type.” Rhys grabbed Sorren’s arm and spun him around to face him. “Why don’t you go and fuck your butterfly, then you won’t be loitering outside his apartment with a hard-on all night.”
Sorren’s wide mouth twitched at one corner then curled into a sadistic smile.
“Have you seen my five-feet-two eyes of blue?” He grasped his package. “I’d break him in half. Nah, you’ll do just fine, but just so you don’t get your panties in a twist later, you should know, I don’t do cool-down cuddles.”
“I’m bonded to Dylan and you fucking know it, but if you wanna fight, I’d be happy to grind your face into the floor anytime. Here we fight by Slayer rules, which, as you are the new kid in town, means no rules, asshole.”
Before Delano blinked, Sorren had locked one hand around Rhys’s throat.
“I like no rules just fine. Do I get to fuck you when I win?”
In a flash, Rhys cupped Sorren’s balls in his bionic hand and the color drained from the new recruit’s face.
“Wanna play?” Rhys grinned in a flash of perfect white teeth.
Delano rounded the table. Both these men could take him apart before taking their next breath and Rhys could crush an Mk.16 in one hand without taking a breath. “Stand down.” He moved closer and, standing shoulders braced and feet apart, dropped his voice to a menacing whisper, a method he employed to get his men’s full attention. “Rhys have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Nah, just teaching pretty boy here how we play in my yard.” Rhys dropped his hand and wiped it on his jeans in a repulsed gesture. “I can’t believe you trust him to guard the strippers, he’s not safe on the outside without a leash.”
“Sit down, both of you.” Delano leaned one hip on his desk and glared at them. “We run a club and the strippers who work here are good for business. These murders are bringing all strip joints under scrutiny and I’m sure you both understand why we don’t want eyes on Club Surrender. It would put the entire unit in danger. The cops have zip on the Stripper Ripper, no DNA, no witnesses, so we’ll have to find him and deal out justice, Slayer style.” He glared at Sorren. “This means surveillance and I’ve assigned a man to every local stripper that fits the victims’ profile.” He glanced at Rhys. “Small, young looking, with dark hair. From the images we were able to intercept from the local PD database it would seem the Stripper Ripper has a taste for twinks.”
Rhys grimaced. “Fuck, that covers fifty percent of the guys who work here and Jay but somehow I don’t think the fucking Stripper Ripper will be a problem for him.” He chuckled. “I guess we could throw him out as bait?”
Delano shook his head. “Not a chance in hell. Jay might be sixty percent cyborg but I’m not risking anyone until I know who we’re dealing with.” He jerked his chin toward Sorren. “The murderer is smart, very smart. It’s possible he could be a kinetic Black Ops rogue, one of Sorren’s old unit or similar. We don’t have numbers on the soldiers the government nano enhanced but we are aware of at least twenty enhanced Marines on the government’s ‘kill on sight’ hit list.”
“If they are from my unit then they’re some nasty SOBs. I can’t imagine anyone capable of catching them. I just hope they linked up and are doing much the same as you are here.” Sorren grinned. “My men are very different from your guys, although Rhys here comes close. Taking into account your unit’s compassion and adherence to the Special Ops code even though they screwed you makes me believe they added something special in the way of crazy to the nanos they shot into my guys.”
“Maybe, your blood work came back pretty fucked up. Kurt is still running tests. We all have anger management and sex-drive problems but they enhanced yours tenfold.” Delano shrugged. “It’s just as well we have Kurt as our doctor. He was on the first nano experimental team. Although, he has no idea why you carry different levels of enhancement. To date you are the only man we know of, apart from Jay, who can use mindspeak over a long distance.”
“Why didn’t Kurt ask me about mindspeak during the debriefing? Fuck! He wanted to know how many times I shit a day.” Sorren’s lips quirked into a smile. “The mindspeak distancing is a technique much the same as the one used to shield personal thoughts and easily taught. I do hope you’ve kept our mindspeak ability ‘need to know’ and the enhanced soldiers’ little weapon against Uncle Sam is still safe?” Sorren gave an exasperated sigh. “FYI, sex is used as a cooling system. Haven’t you worked that out yet?” He rolled his broad shoulders. “They didn’t enhance my anger but they did modify my brain chemistry.” His attention drifted to Rhys then back to him. “You see, I don’t have a conscience. They turned me into a psychopath – in other words when I kill I don’t give a fuck. No flashbacks, no regrets.” He rubbed his chin. “They tossed the Slayers on the trash pile because you fucking care and having feelings puts everyone in the unit in danger. The doc who treated me said it was a weakness in your nanos the government couldn’t afford.” He pointed at his face and grimaced. “The bionic eyes, well they needed soldiers who could switch from daylight to infrared without night vision goggles and with the ability to record missions.” He snorted. “I was beaming a vid straight to Black Ops the entire two fucking years I spent in prison. I had no rights because Uncle Sam didn’t classify me as human. I was one of many information-collecting drones.” He gave a cynical bark of laughter. “I’m surprised you found me, let alone got me out.”
Delano met Rhys’s incredulous stare and connected in secure mindspeak. “Fuck, just how many units are out there?”
“Sorren has been to hell and back.” Rhys grimaced. “I’m not surprised he’s crazy, but I don’t believe for one minute he has no feelings. The way he cares for the wellbeing of the stripper he’s watching tells me there is a man inside, not a machine. But I don’t like him, he is an arrogant SOB.”
Delano cleared his throat and made a conscious effort to pull back on the interrogation. “Bret, the electronics expert, picked up your transmission and we put boots on the ground. Once we got you out of that hellhole, he took over your video link and faked your execution.” He dropped back into his chair. “Don’t look so surprised. Everything in the Slayers is ‘need to know’ until you gain full clearance.” He met Sorren’s disturbing electric blue gaze. The man’s pupils moved like the lens of a camera, constantly adjusting in a circular motion.
“Need to know?” Sorren snorted. “I’m just like you, man. I’ve been here almost a year. It’s about time you started to trust me.”
“Right now, I don’t know if you’re working undercover and although we’ve destroyed all your military tracking devices, we can’t stop you communicating by mindspeak.” Delano glared at him. “And you will refer to me as ‘sir,’ do you understand, soldier?”
“What you ‘need to know’ is I’m not doing this yes, sir, no sir, three fucking bags full shit any longer. I’m not a Marine or part of some pseudo military service under your command.”
“Yeah, well actually you agreed to join the Slayers and I didn’t force you to wear our mark.” Delano indicated to the tattoo of a dollar sign on Sorren’s wrist. “We gave you a new identity, a job, and a place to stay. Not to mention all the ass you need to keep cool.” He lifted his chin and glared at him. “Right now it looks like I made a big mistake taking you into our confidence. I admire a man’s grit but I sure as hell want to keep control of my unit. Most of us are Black Ops, Green Berets or mercenaries and prefer a degree of leadership from me. I’m not running a fucking Sunday school.” He scowled at the arrogant man. “You do know Bret has devised a program to decommission you? He can take away your special vision, slow your implants, wipe your memory, and make you almost human again. That’s the only way you leave here alive, soldier.”
Delano didn’t miss Sorren’s shudder of disgust. He stared at him, waiting for a reply, and it was like watching the cogs of an old clock grind into gear. Sure, Sorren had been alone for a long time and no doubt his art of conversation had become a little rusty but he’d had long enough to adjust. He would give him time to consider the situation because he wanted to keep this man in his unit. He’d yet to see a better specimen of nano enhancement and the doctors in the complex would learn a great deal from his advanced technology.
Sorren was magnificent and he could see why he carried the handle “The Reaper” during his call of duty. He’d selected the moody Adonis for stripper duty in an effort to calm him down. Sorren was a loner. He’d taken his edge-play domination to extremes with the house subs and sure wasn’t looking for a cozy relationship. Rhys had nicknamed him “Shadow Man” because they rarely saw him in daylight. Sorren stalked the gloom like a phantom of menace. In fact, the man might just as well hang a sign around his neck with the message, “I hate everybody” printed in bright red letters. The only time he’d seen him crack any semblance of a smile was after winning an arm wrestle with Adryck.
He rolled his shoulders. “Well?”
A crack of thunder rolled in the distance as if it had come straight from the flash of disgust on Sorren’s face.
“Your decommission threats won’t work on me. I have a failsafe reboot on my system. You’ll have to decapitate me to take me down.” Sorren straightened and his menacing look flicked over him dismissively. “I understand you integrated the Fury boys into the unit without making them jump through hoops and yet, I am one of you, military – not the fucking enemy. I agreed to do butterfly duty because I want to catch a murderer not because I plan to inform on the Slayers. If I’d wanted to betray our kind I would have contacted my commander the fucking day I arrived and neither you nor your cybernetic boy would have been able to stop me.” Sorren pushed to his feet. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late. The stripper you assigned me to protect is due to walk home alone in twenty minutes and it is twenty-two minutes to his gig.”
Delano stood and waved him toward the door. “Sure, we’ll talk again in the morning. Do you have a med kit in the car – just in case?”
Sorren gave him a curt nod and slipped out the door. He moved like a ghost, not one sound from his boots echoed on the tiled floor.
“What new intel do we have on the murders to date?” Rhys drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “I know they’re bloody but there must be something the cops haven’t disclosed. What has Bret dug up?”
“Nothing, the murderer is a phantom, he drops out of nowhere, strikes and vanishes. You mentioned bloody, yeah, but how does a man rip someone apart and not leave one footprint or one drop of blood?” Delano moved around his desk and sat down.
“Maybe he’s a vampire.” Rhys gave him a speculative look. “Hey, crazy scientists made us didn’t they? How do we know they didn’t experiment on cross-species DNA as well and now some guys can change into bats and fly away?”
“Scent.” Delano placed the heel of one shit kicker on his desk and tipped back his chair. “I’ve visited all the crime scenes. I would have smelled a giant bat and picked up the pheromones of anyone remotely like us. No, I’m pretty sure the Stripper Ripper is one sick human.”

BlueRC

About the Author

H.C. Brown is a multi-published, bestselling, award-winning author of Historical, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, BDSM, Time Travel, Action Adventure, Suspense, and Contemporary Romance.
In 2015, she was delighted to be named Luminosity Publishing’s Bestselling Author of 2014.
In 2015, Highlander in the Mist was placed 3rd in Historical and Rock ‘n’ Leather was placed 3rd GLBT in the Easychair Bookshop Competition.
In 2011, she was delighted to receive nominations in three categories in the 2011 CAPA Awards: Favorite Author, Best GLBT Romance, and Best Science Fiction Romance.
She was nominated for Best Historical M/M in the 2013, Goodreads Book of Year Awards.
H.C writes about strong alpha male heroes and girl next door heroines in complex settings, and all her stories have happy endings.
H.C. welcomes feedback from her readers.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.brown.169
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @HCBrownauthor
WEB: http://www.hcbrown-author.com
Blog: http://www.hcbrownauthoroferoticromance.blogspot.com.au/


Tour Dates & Stops: September 24, 2015


Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, Havan Fellows, Jessie G. Books, The Hat Party, TTC Books and More, Bike Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Prism Book Alliance, Just Love Romance, Inked Rainbow Reads, 3 Chicks After Dark, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, BFD Book Blog, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Iyana Jenna, Mikky’s World of Books, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, VS Reads, MM Good Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, Molly Lolly, Amanda C. Stone, Bookaholic Confessions, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Divine Magazine

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: PDF Copy of ‘Stalked’ by H.C. Brown. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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