Category: Uncategorized

A MelanieM Review: Double Up by Vanessa North

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Double Up coverWakeboarding legend Ben Warren is retired, 40 and feeling every bit his age.  It was 15 years ago that Ben won the Lake Lovelace Doube Up tournament to considerable aclaim and much pain after a wakeboarding accident put him into the hospital.  Now Ben runs a pro shop and teaches other the tricks he used to win contests with.

Architect Davis Fox wants to learn how to wakeboard.  Specifically, he wants to be able to enter the Lake Lovelace Double Up tournament to get close to a half brother he was forbidden to see when he came out to his conservative family. Davis’ half brother just happens to be Ridley Romeo, the hottest thing to hit the water in wake boarding contests country wide.  This is just the ticket to get him closer to Ridley once more but first he needs to find a teacher.

When Davis Fox arrives at Ben’s pro shop asking Ben to teach him how to double up, Ben tries to warn Davis off about the risks inherent in this sport for a newbie but Davis won’t be denied.  Ben accepts the job but finds teaching Davis renewing his passion for the sport and for David himself.  Davis too is falling fast but old issues from Ben’s past reappear, ones he hasn’t told Davis about.  Ben is going to have to learn some hard lessons all over again before he can accept that he has a future not only with Davis, but back in the sport he loves so much.

I just love Double Up so much that I can’t believe this is the first book that I have read by Vanessa North.  I had to go through her  backlist to be sure (and to start marking stories to read) but, indeed, this is the first time this author has come to my attention.  I love it when that happens and now I have a whole new stack of stories to go through.  Life is good!  But back to Double Up.

What made me love this story so?  I think its because Double Up is such a complete package.  For starters, the plot is great.  Wakeboarding is a new sport for me and within the boundaries of the plot, North manages to be both informative and entertaining about wakeboarding, its maneuvers, terminology, and its equipment.  Her descriptions were so clear, especially once Ben jumped into the water, that I could almost feel the muscles strain when the rope between man and boat pulls taut. Using the extreme sport of wakeboarding as a framework for her story is especially appealing.  Retired athletes, their glory days behind them, are a staple as main characters in romances.  But with wakeboarding as the backdrop, it becomes fresh and contemporary.  Ben is a legend but there are very good reasons other than age, as to why his extreme sports days are behind him.  By his side as friend, boss, and occasional hookup, is Eddie, who came so close to stealing this novel away from Ben and Davis.  Flamboyant, smart, and an athlete in his own right, Eddie was an amazing surprise from start to finish.  When secondary characters are this good, then you can figure on the main characters being fully realized, complex people as well.

Davis’ attraction to Ben is immediate, but Davis also knows what he wants in a relationship and it’s not a quick hookup.  Ben has a past that makes him question his ability to have not only a romance but a real relationship with anyone.  How those two disparate individuals come together against a backdrop of sunshine, water, and wakeboarding is a true joy here.  Throw in a younger brother, a bisexual tournament queen, and a transgendered wakerboarder as well and the gifts from this author never stop coming.

I thought the dialog here crackled with humor, warmth, and a good bit of sarcasm.  The characters?  Top notch.  From gorgeous aged athlete Ben Warren to , successful architect Davis Fox to Eddie Russell, Ben’s oldest friend (and scene stealer), each character flew off the page lively, vivid, and totally believable in their human frailties and idiosyncrasies.  There are actually some spew moments here during a phone call between Eddie and Ben.  It was unexpected, the humor deep, knowing, and yet totally real in demonstrating the depth of the friendship between these two men.  Love, love, loved it!

This book was so much fun and still managed to be exciting, romantic with moments of angst and reflection as well.  I highly recommend this story.  Grab it up today and start your visit with this entertaining, wonderful cast of characters.  Plus you get to add a sport for your watching pleasure too, at least I have.

 

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing        All Romance eBooks (ARe)        Amazon            Double Up

Cover art by L.C. Chase.  It’s perfect.  If you didn’t have a clue what wakeboarding is, this cover would give you an idea (as it did me)

To watch wakeboarding in action, check out this youtube trailer.

Book Details:
ebook, 118 pages
Published August 25th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491595
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/double-up

Mix it Up with B.A. Tortuga’s Deconstructing Channing Book Tour and Contest!

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Today our focus is on a blog favorite, B.A. Tortuga, and her latest shifter release, Deconstructing Channing!  It’s a M/M/F story and typically Tortuga hot!  Enter to win an eBook copy of Deconstructing Channing by using the Rafflecopter link here or at the end of the magnifying glass and bookpost!  Happy Reading all! Don’t forget, you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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Book Name: Deconstructing Channing
Author Name: BA Tortuga

Author Bio:
Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy’s Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she’s not doing that, she’s writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing porn sites in the name of research. BA’s personal saviors include her wife (still amazing to say that), Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has gone to the high desert mountains and fallen in love. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.

Author Contact:

deconstructingchanning_msrTitle:  Deconstructing Channing
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Cover Artist: Kelly Martin
Pairing: M/M/F menage

Sales Links:   Ellora’s Cave          Amazon
Blurb:
When they were young together back in their werecat pride, Bowie and Channing experimented with love and sex, as well as flirting with a threesome with their best friend, Emma. Channing and Emma both ran from their needs, leaving Bowie to break away and find his own life. Now a confident master dominant, Bowie discovers Channing again through a video of a consummate sub, one who Bowie knows he needs to find once more.

When Bowie shows up on his doorstep, Channing feels like a teenager again, all confusion and need. He doesn’t date his own kind, only humans, and he’s not in the market for a full time master. Bowie is impossible to deny, a force of nature, and while both men know they’ll have to think about Emma eventually, now is the time to see if they can get to know, and love each other, all over again.

Excerpt:

The trip was designed to give him time. Time to figure out what he was going to say to Channing Lanier when he saw the sorry son of a bitch again.
He could start with “Hey, you rat bastard. Amazing how you came out after you dropped me like a hot rock.” That would be fun. Or maybe, “I thought you weren’t into spanking and bondage, and your precious asshole was sacrosanct, but now you’re a bottom in the underground BDSM scene,” would work better.
Bowie wouldn’t even be going to see said bottoming asshole if it wasn’t for the flyer tucked neatly away in his briefcase.

Tawny Catnip.

Seriously?

Their Emma was a fucking stripper?

A Vegas stripper? The revue was touted as a classy burlesque show and topless nightclub called Catnip Crazy.

Hell, the crazy thing was that both of his ex-lovers had called him a goddamn perv.

Him. Because he’d wanted them both. Because he’d wanted Emma over his lap. Because he’d wanted to see Channing bound and on his knees between the both of them.

Fuckers.

BlueBadgeChanningTour Dates: 8/27/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Cate Ashwood, Inked Rainbow Reads, Andrew Q. Gordon, Prism Book Alliance, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fallen Angel Reviews, Love Bytes, the Twins: Talon ps & Princess so, Iyana Jenna, Tara Lain, Wake Up Your Wild Side, MM Good Book Reviews, Carly’s Book Reviews, The Hat Party, Michael Mandrake

Rafflecopter Code to win an eBook copy of Deconstructing Channing...
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

On Tour with the Forever Man’s A.J. DeWall! Author Interview and Book Tour Contest.

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A.J. DeWall has stopped by on her Virtual Book Tour for Forever Man today for a wonderful interview.  She also brought along a contest for everyone to enter.  

The author will be awarding a $25 Barnes & Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter (enter here) during the tour, and a $25 Barnes & Noble GC and a print edition of Forever Man (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. A free download of an Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack (US ONLY) will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the tour.  As usual, you must be 18 years of age or older to enter!

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A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with A.J. DeWall…

STRW:  1.  The plot behind Forever Man is incredibly poignant.  Do you personally believe in a love that can last thru the ages, even when parted?

A.J. DeWall:  Absolutely. I am one of those romantics who believes love never dies. Maybe it changes; maybe you find out that you’re better off as friends, or sometime lovers, but it’s always there.

In high school, my great love was tall redheaded boy who wrote me love letters and talked with me for hours about our future, about art, about who we would be become together. We both realized we were gay—he was first, and I fell in love with a woman a few years later. We went off and lived our own lives, staying in touch every few months. Today, I’m happily married to that woman and he is the father of our son. We’re our own, made-up family. That love is still there; it’s just different.

STRW:  2.  I have always loved plots that bring together lovers parted who finally reconnect.  What is it about that idea that resonates with you?

A.J.DeWall:  Me too! I love the idea of getting another chance to make things right, a fresh start. And when two people who love each other have a chance to be together—again, or for the first time, as is the case in Forever Man—they will move heaven and earth to make it happen. I like underdogs, stories about doing the impossible; strength of will, doing whatever it takes. Don’t we all wish we would shine in those make-or-break moments?

STRW:  3.  A favorite question of mine is which came first?  Character or storyline?

 A.J. DeWall:  Character. For me, story comes from character. Whenever I’ve tried to write based on a plot idea, or theme, it takes me forever to write it and I end up with a bunch of useless stuff.

I get a sense of a character when a scene pops into my mind. It’s usually just a few seconds of a scene. Then I have to figure out where in their life story the scene falls, and if I want to tell that part of their story, or another. It’s like getting a glimpse of someone’s life, and then knowing right away I want to get to know them better.

STRW: 4.  Some authors say their characters “talk” to them, so much so it can bump a secondary satellite persona up to main.  Has that ever happened to you?

A.J.DeWall:  I certainly have experienced days when the writing flows effortlessly, and dialog is a joy to write—every time—but I can’t say I hear characters talking to me. Talking to each other in the story, sure. I started out as a playwright, and so I still think of the writing as a series of scenes. I see it, and I hear it, but I’m always aware that I’m creating that world.

STRW:  5.  With contemporary fiction that stretches over time it is important to get the historical aspects accurate.  How much research did you do for your story?

A.J. DeWall:  With respect to time, I did not do any research. Nothing revealed about Ren and Cole’s shared past required research, as most of their memories had to do with the emotion of turning point moments—when they met, when each of them realized their feelings for the other, the various times they chose not to act on their feelings—and less to do with the specific time period in which their memories took place.

STRW:  6.  What comes first?  Title or plot?

A.J. DeWall: Title, usually. Titles have always come easily to me, but starting with title every time is a habit I picked up working as a ghostwriter. Authors tell us the so much when they title a book—what is most important to them about their own story, the point of it, the heart of it.

STRW:  7.  Tragic lovers have been a staple since before Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  What new twist do you bring to this storyline?

A.J. DeWall:  I’m not sure it’s a new twist, but the forces that keep them apart are internal. It’s their own doing, those idiots! They let their own assumptions and fears get in the way of going after what they want—each other. They settle. They pine. They move on with their lives—until fate steps in to give them one more chance.

STRW:  8.  Favorite characters?  And if so, who? And in what story?

A.J. DeWall:  I’m a massive fan of ensemble stories with interweaving plots and characters that show up again and again. I’m particularly fond of the Tales of The City series by Armistead Maupin. The final book in that series just came out, and it’s amazing.

Also Louise Erdrich has a number of books with ensemble characters, the most famous and critically acclaimed in that group is Love Medicine. I think I’ve read it four times. It’s one of the few books that I felt I had to read out loud it was just so good.

Thank you so much for asking such thoughtful and interesting questions!

STRW:  And thank you, A.J. DeWall, for the wonderful and fascinating answers.  It’s been delightful.  And now a closer look at  the book and author, Forever Man by A.J. DeWall

Cover_Forever ManForever Man
by A.J. DeWall
Buy Link:   Interlude Press

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BLURB:

A bond forged in Catholic school, an unspoken attraction that outlasts years of separation and other relationships.

Ren and Cole never acted on that thing that always bubbled beneath the surface of their friendship, not until a chance encounter in a Santa Fe bar and a song that would tip the scales forced them to confront their feelings. Will the influence of a music superstar, a New York socialite and a mystical property manager finally bring them together, or will a history of missed opportunities, their own fears and an impending wedding keep them apart? Can they just have one night, and then walk away?

Forever Man is a story of the consequences of the choices we make, and how the courage to change can last a lifetime.

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Excerpt:

Ren turns to see Cole standing not five feet away, a bit out of breath.

“Did you mean it?” Ren asks.

“Yes.”

“You’re in love with me?”

“Yes.”

Ren doubles over again, trying to catch his breath. Cole crosses to him, rubbing his back but saying nothing. After a moment, Ren straightens out and asks, “How long?”

“I want us to be together—”

“No. How long have you been in love with me?”

The answer to this one question is all Ren needs to know. Because this man, this friend, this lover of his has always given in to whims and drama and intensity, and Ren has to be sure that he is not that. He has to be sure that this is not new.

Cole steps into Ren’s space, tilts his chin up and kisses him. The kiss is firm, an answer, a promise.

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with you.”

Excerpt Three:

“I was a coward, Ren. And I’m… I’m so very sorry.”

Ren touches Cole’s cheek. “You were an idiot.”

“I was an idiot.”

“I was an idiot, too. I still am, I think.”

“Why do you say that?” Cole asks, his heart in his throat.

“Because this idiot is hopelessly, madly, undeniably in love with you, and has been for a very, very long time… and, aside from admitting to a schoolboy’s crush once up on a time, never did a damn thing about it.”

Cole lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. His head drops in relief, falling on to Ren’s thigh, and he’s kissing Ren’s hand—fast kisses, a dozen or more, in gratitude.

“Oh Ren, Ren. Say it again. Say it one thousand times.”

Ren lifts Cole’s head, and just as he did not two hours before, holds his face in his hands. But this time is different. This time he looks down on Cole with shining eyes and says, “You are so in love with me.”

Cole whispers, “Yes, yes, yes.”

“And I am so in love with you.”

“Oh God. Yes.”

Their kiss is long and deep. Cole feels it in every cell in his body: this opening up, this rightness. When it’s too much he pulls away, plasters his face into Ren’s neck until he catches his breath and then dives back in again, taking hold, slipping every secret wish into Ren’s mouth as his tongue lays claim over its contours. He feels like Ren is sucking the truth right out of him, pulling him down, down, down until they are both panting and dazed with the enormity of it all.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A professional writer for more than 20 years, A.J. DeWall began her career as a playwright. She is the ghostwriter behind dozens of nonfiction books, including several award-winning bestsellers. As a writer of fan fiction, her online titles have hundreds of thousands of reads. Forever Man is her first novel. She lives in New York with her wife and son.

VBT_ForeverMan_CoverBannerBook Tour Stops:

August 4: Sharing Links and Wisdom
August 5: Prism Book Alliance
August 6: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
August 7: Long and Short Reviews
August 7: Behind Closed Doors – Promo
August 8: Romance Novel Giveaways
August 11: Mia Downing
August 11: Booklover Sue
August 12: Carly’s Book Reviews
August 13: ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords
August 13: Dawn’s Reading Nook
August 14: Erotica For All
August 15: Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
August 15: We Love Kink

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A MelanieM Review: Not Fade Away (Hell or High Water #3.5) by S.E. Jakes

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

not fade awayProphet Drews and Tom Boudreaux are still adjusting to living together.  That includes Prophet’s habit of stealing his neighbor, Cillian’s couch, as a part of an ongoing bet, something that irritates Tommy.  For Prophet, pushing Tommy’s buttons is a favorite pastime, even better than stealing Cillian’s couch.

Nothing is worse for Prophet than boredom and one icy winter night sees Tommy and Prophet engaged in a game of Truth or Dare, the outcome of which sees Tommy stealing Cillian’s  couch for the last time.  But Truth or Dare brings into light a few truths that Prophet has been holding back from Tommy.  Can Tommy handle the truth from Prophet one more time?  And what will Tommy’s answer be in return?

What a pair Prophet Drews and Tom Boudreaux make!  Passionately wild about each other, torn between their present and uneasy future, Not Fade Away is an interlude that steps away from the immediate mystery and concentrates on moving their relationship forward yet one more level.

I thoroughly enjoyed this side story.  In a way, I think it is every bit as important to Prophet and Tommy’s saga as the main stories.  Sometimes the complexity and newness of this duo’s relationship, along with its challenges and personal highpoints, can get lost under the mysteries and intricacies of the plot threads running through the Hell or High Water series. The other stories must balance out other characters needs and appearances such as Mal and Cillian, along with the rest of the group. Prophet and Tommy has to be folded in, with SE Jakes juggling all their stories along with the overall plot the author wants to tell.  But there is so much to Tommy and Prophet’s love story and relationship that it needs it’s own time to shine.  And Not Fade Away puts that focus squarely on this dynamite pair.

I love that there is always some new revelation about Prophet’s and Tommy’s background.  And each new fact(s) brings a set of ripples that carry an increasingly large impact on both men and those around them.  Nothing is ever easy for these two and aren’t we thrilled that’s the case.  Here boredom brings about a game of Truth or Dare that explodes into a sexual melee, game forgotten until later.  It’s incredibly sexy, totally hot and once again demonstrates just how perfect these two are for each other.

Prophet pushes Tommy’s buttons and Tommy pushes back.  Their give and take, the balance they (and the author) maintains works here perfectly.  From action to dialog, this 52 page story sings with verve.  It’s fun, smoking hot, and this story deepens the relationship and love between Prophet and Tommy, taking their love and trust further than before.

If you are new to this pair and their convoluted story, this might not make too much sense.  It needs to be read in order so the events and character development makes sense.  I have listed the books in the order they were written and should be read at the end of this review.  I love the Hell or High Water series.  SE Jakes and her men just do it for me.  Start with Catch a Ghost and read your way through.  You are going to love these men and their growing relationship.  The ongoing mystery is pretty wild too.  You are going to love it!

Cover art by LC Chase. Love it!

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing   All Romance eBooks (ARe)  Amazon        Not Fade Away

Book Details:

ebook, 52 pages
Published August 18th 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published August 16th 2014)
ISBN139781626490994
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://riptidepublishing.com/titles/not-fade-away
seriesHell or High Water #3.5, Extreme Escapes, Ltd

Hell or High Water Series in the order they were written and should be read:

Catch a Ghost (Hell or High Water, #1)
Long Time Gone (Hell or High Water, #2)
Daylight Again (Hell or High Water, #3)
Not Fade Away (Hell or High Water, #3.5)
If I Ever (Hell or High Water, #4) Expected publication: October 1st 2014

Associated Series: Extreme Escapes Universe: Men of Honor and Dirty Deeds:

Dirty Deeds (Dirty Deeds #1) Mal and Cillian 
Free Falling (Extreme Escapes, Ltd.) Blue and Mick

Book Blast: Morticia Knight’s Dangerous Wish Book Tour/Contest

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Its a Book Tour!  It’s A Contest!  And It’s A Scavenger Hunt!

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: Signed copy of Dangerous Wish.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Please take note of the Dangerous Wish Fact below.  You will need it in order to enter the Rafflecopter entry for the contest!

dangerouswish_800Book Name: Dangerous Wish (Uniform Encounters 6)
Although part of a series, all installments can be read as standalones. For more information, visit Morticia Knight’s author page at Totally Bound:

  • Set Ablaze (Uniform Encounters 1):Hunky fire chief Eric is out of the closet after twenty years of marriage. Can he find true love, or will a spate of arson fires destroy his chances with Tom, the sexy young firefighter?
  • Arresting Behaviour (Uniform Encounters 2):Native American Quinn and Detective Jake come from two opposing worlds. But when opposites attract, the result is explosive.
  • Lust Emergency (Uniform Encounters 3): The new ER doctor is smoking hot, and the exotic African American paramedic can’t keep his eyes off of him. Tricky relationships and subterfuge at a Phoenix sex club almost drive a permanent wedge between the two, but a bombing at City Hall changes the endgame.
  • Guarded Desires (Uniform Encounters 4): A sexy young National Guardsman, a snarky bear of a DEA Agent and a vicious Mexican drug cartel. Someone’s going to be sorry.
  • Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5):Police officer Zach and Fire Marshal Daryl would be perfect together—if they would ever quit fighting long enough to find out. A devastating fire and the secret behind it almost keeps them from getting what they really need—each other.

Author Name: Morticia Knight
Author Bio:

M/M Erotic Romance author Morticia Knight enjoys a good saucy tale – after all, who doesn’t? Since she loves several genres, you may find your heroes in a contemporary, historical, paranormal or sci-fi setting. One of her passions is bringing people’s fantasies to life on the page, because life is too short for even one boring moment. Her stories are volcanic in heat, deep in emotion, and sprinkled with doses of humor.

When not indulging in her obsession for books, she loves the outdoors, film and music. The Pacific Northwest is the ideal spot to enjoy both hiking and beachcombing. Once upon a time she was the singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She now resides on the northern coast of Oregon, where the constant rain and fog remind her of visits to family in England and Scotland when she was a child.

She is currently working on a new series about men in uniform entitled Sin City Uniforms and a BDSM spin-off to the Gin & Jazz series entitled The Hampton Road Club.

Cover Artist: Posh GoshFireRed600x600Banner
Publisher: Totally Bound
Buy Link:   Totally Bound   Amazon US     Amazon UK

Dangerous Wish Blurb:

Love is a dangerous emotion that EMT Jared won’t risk. But it looks as though a sweet and sexy National Guardsman is about to make him wish for that—and much more.

EMT Jared Li loves his job, his friends and clubbing. There’s nothing like a night of fun getting glammed up, throwing on some heels and shaking his ass to the latest Britney tune. Life is all about having a good time with as many hot guys as possible.

Dan Harrison has been in the National Guard for about six months and out for not much longer than that. At twenty-two, he’s somewhat innocent, a little shy and not interested in meaningless hook-ups. One night at a karaoke bar changes everything for him when his fellow Guardsman Joseph introduces him to his friend Jared. Dan’s never met anyone like the luscious twink who’s filled with so much life and laughter.

A night of passion shakes them to their very cores. Jared really likes Dan, but doesn’t want to get caught up in any type of exclusive thing. Dan wishes there could be more between them, but is willing just to be friends in order to remain near the androgynous stunner.

Hanging out strictly as friends proves to be almost impossible for them both. Not only does Jared continuously lust after the muscular soldier, but he’s also falling for the caring and compassionate man. Dan’s every sex fantasy stars Jared in one of his daring club outfits, but his heart is what really matters and it’s already been lost to Jared.

A traumatic event breaks down the barriers between them and gives them the chance to be together the way they both want. But after Dan is called up by the Guard to assist at a natural disaster, the same bravery that Jared admires in Dan might be the final thing that separates them forever.

 

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Dangerous Wish Fact: Fact #7 – EMT Jared Li’s favorite heels are a sparkling silver, but he’s decided they’re too uncomfortable to dance in.  (you will need this for the contest).

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Excerpt: 

There was a line to get in.

Unbelievable.

It wasn’t even a Saturday night. And it wasn’t as if they were in Phoenix, for heaven’s sake. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with it. Mesa and the surrounding ‘burbs might have underestimated their gay population just a tad. Although, he wasn’t so sure they should all be standing on display out on the sidewalk dressed as they were. He was fairly certain that picketing and hate crimes weren’t completely out of the question.

“Sorry, it’s not usually this crowded unless it’s ladies’ night.”

Dan frowned at him, obviously puzzled.

“If you’re dressed as a lady, you get in free.”

Dan’s mouth formed a small ‘o’.

The door to the club opened and a few people exited, another few ushered in.

“Dammit.”

“That’s okay, Jared. I don’t mind waiting.”

“Oh, that wasn’t what I meant. They’re playing Crazy Law, my favorite Kazaky song, and I’m not even in there to dance to it. Where’s the justice?”

He wrapped his arms around himself. If he’d known they would be stuck outside, he would have brought his jacket. It hadn’t seemed like it would be worth the hassle to bring it to only go from the cab right into the club then back out again. Jared startled as Dan wrapped his bomber around his shoulders.

“Oh, Dan, no. You’ll be cold.”

Dan shrugged. “I’m fine. I’ll consider it part of my non-active duty training.”

“I’m not sure how a scantily clad gay man in heels fits in with your Guardsman training.”

Dan chuckled, his dimpled smile drawing Jared’s gaze.

“What I meant was that we do various types of scenarios that you might encounter in a battle situation, such as extreme heat or cold. As a matter of fact, there’s an unusual heatwave predicted for this time of the year, so Joseph and I are headed out to the Mojave Desert this weekend for some extreme heat training. We’ve done it before, but they have some new exercises planned.”

“Wow.”

Jared let his eyes wander over Dan’s muscled torso now that he’d sacrificed his coat to Jared’s cause and Jared wasn’t so vainly caught up in his own fashion drama. The tight black T-shirt that had some sort of rock music festival logo on it hugged Dan’s body perfectly. Jared hadn’t been oblivious to the stares they’d been getting. Although he was sure that Dan was completely unaware they were drawing any attention, Jared made it his business to be aware of any and all attention he might be drawing. It was clear that their fellow would-be clubbers thought they were a couple. That the muscular stud he stood next to was the top to his very cute bottom. Somehow, the idea didn’t bother him.

“So, Dan, what other manly military exercises have you done?”

Dan regarded him with a lazy smile. “Well, my favorite one was the pre-dawn vertical insertion.”

Jared dropped his mouth open. “Excuse me? That sounds dirty.”

“It can be if you land wrong.”

Dan chuckled, leaning in, his warm breath giving Jared gooseflesh as it hit the skin on his neck.

“It’s a parachute drop.”

“Oh my God, you are so bad.”

Tour Dates/Stops:DangerousWishBadge
August 8: Kimi-Chan, Rainbow Gold Reviews
August 11: Hearts on Fire, MM Good Book Reviews
August 12: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Love Bytes
August 13: The Hat Party
August 14: Prism Book Alliance
August 15: Tara Lain
August 18: Parker Williams, The Blogger Girls
August 19: Emotion in Motion
August 20: My Fiction Nook
August 21: Decadent Delights, Lee Brazil
August 22: Smoocher’s Voice
August 25: Amanda C. Stone
August 26: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
August 27: LeAnn’s Book Reviews
August 28: Reviews and Ramblings
August 29: Nephylim

WillPride
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal for Lissa Kasey’s Hidden Gem!

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Lissa Kasey’s Hidden Gem is about to be released and here is a sneak peak at the Hidden Gems cover!

For more about Lisa Kasey and Hidden Gems,and the cover reveal keep reading….

Book Name: Hidden Gem
Author Name: Lissa Kasey
Author Bio: Lissa Kasey lives in St. Paul, MN, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing, and collects Asian Ball Joint Dolls who look like her characters. She has three cats who enjoy waking her up an hour before her alarm every morning and sitting on her lap to help her write. She can often be found at Anime Conventions masquerading as random characters when she’s not writing about boy romance.

hiddengem_final03Cover Artist: Siobhan
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Buy Links:   Dreamspinner Press ebook        DSP Paperback

Blurb:

Misaki “Aki” Itou is a psi—a person with mutated DNA granting him psychic abilities. He’s also a contracted companion—a whore. It may not be the perfect profession, but having a roof over his head, food to eat, and not being subjected to torture is a dream come true. He is the top companion at the Hidden Gem, and it makes him enough money to buy the prettiest, most sparkly shoes he can find.

Shane McNaughton is an Irishman who survived the Third World War and works as a cop. Head of Missing Persons, he’s good at finding people, but after the plague of the Third mutated his DNA, he has a hard time letting anyone see the monster inside. He’s been paying for Aki’s services for two years, both the psi and the sexual kind, but he wants more from the companion.

Shane needs Aki’s ability to see into another person’s past to track down a serial killer murdering the children of rich and powerful men, but the more they work together, the clearer it becomes that they are linked through a darker past than either of them realizes.

Excerpt:

 

Jack pulled out a file. He took a bag with a thin piece of cloth and glared at it. “This one may still be alive. Ransom isn’t set to be paid until tomorrow evening.” He glanced down to the money. “If money motivates you, we can get more, but know this is a sixteen-year-old girl missing. We just want to know if she has a chance.”
Aki closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, for a moment remembering the one other time he’d done this. The pain had been immediate, a beating gone wrong, a strike to the head not hard enough to kill, but enough to do a lot of damage. He’d lingered, well the man had, but Aki had felt it, suffered for hours while the man slowly bled to death and finally drowned in his own vomit.

One touch would show him it all. The more Aki fought, the more detailed the memories would become. He’d much rather go back downstairs and find a nice old man to jack off for the cash instead of this. Though he’d have to entertain a couple dozen clients to make even half of what was on the table. Then there was the girl. What if she was still alive and he could save her? He hadn’t been much older himself when Bart and Paris found him half-starved and begging for a chance to live or a fast death. Bart had had a brother who’d been psi and taken from them when they were young, never seen again. Sometimes he still looked at Aki with that sorrow in his eyes. But Aki wasn’t his kid brother. He was no one’s kid brother, just an abandoned psi who played the role of whore really well. But where would he be if no one had given him a chance?
He held his hand out for the bag.

“If she’s dead, it will be bad,” Jack pointed out.

“Yeah, well, hand it over before I change my mind.” Aki grabbed the bag from him and carefully opened it. “I’m not contaminating anything by touching this, am I?” Objects didn’t always give him anything, not like people did. He could get everything from touching the shirt or nothing. Aki found that most objects didn’t hold enough life to pass on memories. Good for him, not always good for McNaughton.

“No.” McNaughton left his seat and eased down on the bed beside Aki.

“If you come from watching this, I’m totally charging you twice my normal rate,” Aki told him.

McNaughton laughed. “Deal.”

HiddenGem600x600BannerTour Dates: 8/26/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Redz World, Amanda C. Stone, Hearts on Fire, My Fiction Nook, Love Bytes, Velvet Panic, Kimber Vale, Havan Fellows, MM Good Book Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Reviews and Ramblings, Prism Book Alliance, Cate Ashwood, 3 Chicks After Dark, Iyana Jenna, Fallen Angels Review, Rainbow Gold Review

 

Contest:  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Contest prize provided by Pride Promotions and Lissa Kasey’s Cover Reveal is a Rafflecopter Prize of a $20 Amazon Gift Card.
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal for Rae Brewer’s David’s Dilemma!

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It’s Cover Reveal Time!  Rae Brewer is unveiling her cover for David’s Dilemma today. To celebrate, there is a contest to win one of 3 copies of David’s Dilemma.  Use the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post to enter to win.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. 

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Book Name: David’s DilemmaDavidsDilemma600x600Banner
Author Name: Rae Brewer

Author Bio:

Rae Brewer is new to writing romance and has found a niche in the M/M paranormal genre. After growing up in San Francisco, Rae now calls Chicago home.
Author Contact: Author Page on Facebook

 

 

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Title:  David’s Dilemma by Rae Brewer
Publisher: JK Publishing, Inc
Cover Artist: Jess Buffett

Sales Links:
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Smashwords
Kobo

  David’s Dilemma Blurb:

It’s been three years since David broke up with Michael. He’s ready to find his mate. Only the only man he’s attracted to at all is a hookup from a bar. After hours of passion they separate and David only discovers the next morning the man was his mate. Where can he find him again? And what is his name?

 

 

 

 

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 David’s Dilemma Excerpt:

David woke late Sunday afternoon with a headache, which didn’t seem fair because he hadn’t drunk very much the night before. Damn head cold! He still remembered every minute of the night before. Part of him wished he’d broken his own rule and let the handsome hunk stay over. He got what he wanted, he would have blown me off when he saw me in the light of day. Getting out of bed he stumbled to the bathroom sneezing. He decided to take a hot shower, the steam would clear up his sinuses, for a while. He wanted a clear head so he could convince himself it was time to settle down and find a forever love. No more casual sex!

Setting the temp as hot as he could stand, he stepped into the oversized stall. The room quickly filled with steam and his nose started running. He gave a fleeting thought to the scents he was washing down the drain before he remembered his sheets. His cougar wasn’t very happy with him for kicking HH, the handsome hunk, out of their bed and was pouting by being silent. Of course his cougar was generally subdued when he was showering.

After twenty minutes in the steam his muscles were loose and he could breathe again, for now. Stepping out of the shower onto the bathmat he grabbed a clean towel off the shelf and after a quick rub down, wrapped it around his waist. Taking a look in the mirror he decided to take some cold medicine and spend the day being lazy. He was already envisioning a long afternoon on the couch snuggled in a blanket with a pitcher of lemon water and some chicken soup within easy reach. I’m wallowing, because I already miss him.

First though, he needed to strip the bed and put the sheets in the wash. Later, he knew he’d want cool fresh sheets to sleep in. And right now he was as awake, alert, and as energetic as he was going to be for the rest of the day. Walking through the door to the bedroom the scents from his sheets hit him all at once. His inner cat roared and David was so surprised he didn’t stop the shift.

Leaping onto the bed in his puma form, he rolled around in the sheets before sneezing. Sitting up in the bed he had a sheet wrapped around him, the end flopping over his head. He could see his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. Big tough cat, not! Mate! We found our mate!
Shifting back into his human form allowed him to say what he was thinking. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Untangling himself from the bedding he began to pace around the room. I don’t even know his name!


DavidsDilemmaBadgeTour Dates: 8/26/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Love Bytes, Cate Ashwood, Fallen Angel Reviews, Amanda C. Stone, Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Emotion in Motion, Foxylutely Book Reviews, For the Love of Bookends,  Michael Mandrake
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: One of three copies of David’s Dilemma

Book Blast: Adrian Smith’s Keep Me In Mind Book Tour (Contest)

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For the Book Blast today, ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords has Adrian J. Smith’s For by Grace.  Check out the blurb and excerpt!  Don’t forget to enter the contest where the prize is 2 books by Adrian J. Smith. Enter here or at the end of the post for the Rafflecopter Prize: Ebooks of ‘For by Grace’ and ‘Forever Burn’.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Book Name: For by Grace
Author Name: Adrian J. Smith

Author Bio:

Adrian J. Smith, or “AJ” as she is often called, is a part time writer with an epic imagination, sharp wit, and kind heart that gets her into a bit of trouble when it comes to taking in all the neighborhood stray cats. Being obsessed with science fiction, Smith often goes off on tangents about the space-time continuum. She is also a part time lunatic with a secretive past. It’s been rumored that she was once a spy for the government, but anyone who has gotten close enough to know the truth has never lived to tell the tale. When traveling around the world on various classified tasks, Smith requires the following be provided: buffalo jerky, mimosas, and eighty six pennies. This is all we know about the reclusive woman.

Author Contact:
Facebook

Cover FullTitle:  For by Grace by Adrian J. Smith
Cover Artist: Heidi DeCausemaker
Publisher: Supposed Crimes, LLC

Sales Link: Amazon US
 Smashwords 
Kobo
  Barnes & Noble

 For By Grace Blurb:

Being a Sheriff’s Deputy is not all about saving lives and arresting criminals, and each day Grace wonders if she’ll make it home. 

While kids at the schools Deputy Grace Halling visits see her as the knight in blue-cotton armor, people involved in the cases she is dispatched to have a different opinion. She has every confidence in her ability to do her job and arrest criminals. She easily takes down a knife-wielding woman and a drunken combatant teenager without hesitation. Everyone—victim, suspect, or witness—has a story to tell or to lie about, and Grace is never perturbed by their tales. 

That all changes when she looks down the barrel of a gun. She loses confidence in her ability as a deputy, she loses trust in herself and fellow officers, and she struggles to stay afloat as shift after shift passes. Grace cannot find her rhythm of being a deputy again. And when the Police Chaplain unexpectedly barges into her life, her personal and professional lives are flipped upside down. Grace struggles to find her even ground, worrying that the next time she stares a murderer in the face will be the last.

 For By Grace Excerpt:

Deputy Halling tensed her shoulders as her cruiser sped up—she was always ready for the next suspect. The truck was already four blocks ahead of her and did not look to be slowing down. She reached up and hit the mouthpiece of the radio at her shoulder, tilting her head as she spoke. “337—speeder on Hosmer and 126th, heading northbound. Red Ford Ranger, early model, plate is boy-boy-charles-seven-zero-nine. In pursuit.”

“10-4,” dispatch responded.

Hitting the gas, Grace got as close to the truck as possible. They weaved in and out of traffic, cars pulling over to the side and hitting their brakes as the driver either caught sight of the truck or heard her sirens. He blasted through a red light, horns beeping continuously at him as she drove to catch up.

Grace slammed on her brakes. She let out a quick breath as a black mustang came to a forceful stop, letting her drive past them. She picked up her speed, scanning the roadway ahead to try and see where the Ford had gone. Biting her lip, Grace cocked her head to the side, skimming the intersections to make sure everyone had stopped or was coming to a stop before she went through them. One car was too close of a call for her.

GraceBadgeTour Dates/Stops:
8/18: Prism Book Alliance
8/25: The Hat Party, Velvet Panic, ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords
9/1: SA McAuley
9/8: Jade Crystal
9/15: Cate Ashwood
9/22: Fallen Angel Reviews
9/29: Hearts on Fire
10/6: My Fiction Nook
10/13: Wake Up Your Wild Side
10/20: Love Bytes, Regular Guys, Hot Romance
10/27: Parker Williams, Iyana Jenna
11/3: Dawn’s Reading Nook, Amanda C. Stone, LeAnn’s Book Reviews

 

WillPride

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Prize: Ebook of ‘For by Grace’ and ‘Forever Burn’

Author Spotlight: Kimber Vale On Shooting Stars and a Hard Act To Follow! (contest)

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The Shooting Stars of Kimber Vale!

Hard Act To Follow coverDouble Takes (Shooting Stars #2) coverForever is Now cover

Kimber Vale is here today to talk about her latest release in her Shooting Stars series, Hard Act To Follow and offers a contest as well as the ABC’s of Romance, K.Vale style!

The ABCs of Romance: D is for Denial by Kimber Vale

Hi, y’all! Kimber Vale here with my ABCs of romance. Today I want to talk about the letter D. I had Dogs written on my list, but I’m pretty sure I’d had a few glasses of wine when I wrote that. Not that dogs can’t be an integral part of a romance; it’s just that you can have romance without dogs. I’m a perfect example. My hubs and I have a crazy romantic relationship sans dogs. In fact, we have two cats, a rabbit, and lots of fish. Oh, and three kids. Maybe it isn’t all that crazy romantic now that I think of it, but I’m pretty sure the wine helps.

So, D is for Denial in the sober light of day. I defy you to name me a romance novel that doesn’t include denial in some form. Heck, name any novel that doesn’t. Any short story, even. It’s the conflict that creates the tension—whether it’s a hero searching for that elusive McGuffin or a lover unable to have the person he or she wants for whatever reason—denial fuels the story. It makes us read on. In romance, it makes us sympathize with the characters, pine with them, root for them, and stick with them until all of the obstacles standing in the way of their love are overcome.

In my new release, Hard Act to Follow, denial is the name of the game. It takes Greg and Kyrie a good chunk of book before they’re honest with themselves and each other about their feelings. There is some major freakin’ denial going on for a while—hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t know it—and (I hope) that the two best friends refusing to act on their attraction makes the reader all the more invested in their romance. I know I was invested in getting them to the happy ending. 😉

 

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HATFbanner6Excerpt from Hard Act To Follow:

“How can you see with that thing?”

“Some sort of one-way fabric.” Kyr’s voice was muffled under the dome.

Greg peered into the black bunny eyes, but couldn’t make out anything.

“Here.” Kyrie pulled the head off and held it out to him. “See for yourself.”

“Yeah, I don’t…”

Kyrie cut Greg off by cramming the thing down over his face.

“Hah!” Kyrie smiled on the other side of a grayed layer. “Can you see me now?” He turned and shook his tail at him. “How many fingers am I holding up?” He turned back around, flashing four fingers that changed to five and then to…

“One and a half?”

“See. Told ya. All right, give me back my head. We’re ruining the magic of Easter for these poor kids.”

Greg took one more deep breath, inhaling the magic of Kyrie instead. It was something he could almost recreate between his herb garden and his pantry—cracked black pepper, ginger, and a hint of orange zest. It was probably cologne, but was always subtle enough to pass as his natural smell. It worked with his natural smell. Greg pulled the bulky helmet off, holding his breath in for an extra moment.

“I need help.” A preschooler Greg recognized tugged on Kyrie’s white leg fur.

“Let’s hop to it!” His voice belonged on a cartoon. Bending both arms at the elbows, paws together, he swung them comically in the direction of the egg conundrum in question and bounced away with more juice than the Energizer Bunny. Greg shook his head. Kyrie hiked the kid up on his shoulders to reach an egg resting in the crook of a gutter, and then swung him back to the ground in a graceful arc. It was easy to think of Kyr as slight and delicate just because he was short compared to Greg’s six feet. And though he probably only weighed a buck fifty-five soaking wet, he was all muscle thanks to youth, regular gym dates, and great genes.

Skinny washboard—that’s what Greg always thought when he saw him bare-chested on occasion: rare weekends at the Lis’ beach house, those two times Kyrie decided to change into a different shirt before they went out. That instance where he spilled beer on his lap while they were playing Call of Duty, and he stripped down to his underwear still battling the enemy the whole time. Greg had gotten his ass kicked that round, his gaze sliding sideways instead of focusing on the screen. He hadn’t trusted himself to stand up until Kyrie was dressed and he’d guilted his dick into calming the hell down.

Stop!

Kyrie was sixteen when Greg and Jazz met. Eighteen when Greg graduated with his law degree and tied the knot.

You taught him how to drive after he failed his freakin’ test the first time, for fuck’s sake!

Greg closed his eyes and tried to twine that memory with this awful longing—big brother becomes big boyfriend. I wish.

You are fucking sick. Just stop, Greg. Stop. Before you do something you can’t erase. Before you ruin the best thing in your life.
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HATFbanner4Hard Act To Follow Blurb:

Kyrie is an actor with a physical aversion to telling lies, a one-eyed cat, and horrible taste in men. His ex-brother-in-law and best friend, Greg, harbors a secret crush he can’t shake. After denying his feelings for Kyrie for too long, Greg finally gives in to desire one drunken night. Come the morning, the facts get twisted. Kyrie pretends he doesn’t remember a thing—a lie that eats him alive—and Greg can’t stop thinking about how he screwed up the best thing in his life.
Before they can clear the air, Kyrie follows his dreams to New York City, but could he also be running away?

A mistake from Kyrie’s past detonates their silence, and Greg is forced to confront the man he loves. Is their new truth strong enough to support a relationship, or are they doomed to crumble under old fears? Their friendship could evolve into something a million times stronger, but maybe Kyrie’s act is just too hard for Greg to follow.

Book Details:

ebook
Expected publication: August 18th 2014 by Liquid Silver Books
edition languageEnglish
seriesShooting Stars #3

Buy links:
Shooting Stars Series from Liquid Silver Books
Kimber’s Amazon page
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
BeFunky_Stenciler_6Kimber Vale Bio:
K. Vale writes erotic romance of all stripes, from hot hetero to mouthwatering manlove. Find her MF work published under Kimber Vale. Come for the sex. Stay for the story.

Stalk Kimber on Facebook and Twitter @KimberVale, and check her site for updates, new releases, and freebies at her website linked below.

Contacts:

Website
Blog


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Kimber is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to celebrate her new release!
Rafflecopter code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway