A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: American Love Story (Dreamers #3) by Adriana Herrera

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The third in what continues to be a top favorite series, the author brings us a completely different sort of romance from the others in the series. Set in Ithaca, New York, home of Cornell University, this time it’s Patrice’s turn in the spotlight, and he certainly shines. Oh my, does he shine! A quick word about the cover: it’s to die for! The stunning black man, his locs tied back, the smile on his face, the dimples… Oh my gosh, he’s gorgeous and should definitely attract attention to this book. I know he attracted my eye. And throughout this story we learn he’s as beautiful inside as he is outside.

This series features four young men who grew up together in New York City. All sons of Caribbean immigrants, the men are of an age to strike out on their own. In American Dreamer, Nesto pursued his dream by taking his food catering business to Ithaca, where he met the man of his dreams. In book two, Camilo Santiago Briggs, or Milo to friends and family, is a social worker and project manager in a nonprofit that serves victims of domestic abuse. He meets his dream man in the City in the least likely location—his workplace. Their story is told in American Fairytale.

Now it’s time for Patrice, who has been hired as a professor at Cornell University—the greatest achievement of his life. He wants to make his momma proud since she worked two jobs to raise him after they fled from Haiti on their own when he was a child. Patrice is not only a professor, however. He’s also an activist and his Black Twitter feeds have thousands of followers. Now, shortly after arriving in Ithaca, he learns about the narrow-minded cops who pull over young men for “driving while black.” And Patrice is full on board with bringing that to an end.

Last summer, Patrice showed up in Ithaca to help Nesto set up his business and at the same time met Easton Archer, the tall, gorgeous, intelligent assistant district attorney. Now he’s back and he’s not sure he and Easton stand a chance, because Easton’s job puts him in conflict with Patrice’s activism, and though they are sizzling in the bedroom, their personal and professional lives continue to collide until a single traffic stop sends them into disaster.

Just like with the previous books, there’s so much to like about this story—the writing, the pace, the Haitian cultural information, the relationship-building, the secondary characters, and the core message of drawing strength from family and friends. When Patrice finally lets his guard down, he and Easton face a very nice happy ever after.

I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author in future and I very highly recommend this book to all lovers of MM romance, and especially to those who enjoy stories so rich in cultural heritage that readers are inspired to learn more.

Cover is one of STRW Best of 2019.

Sales Links:  Carina Press | Amazon | Kobo | | Audible

Book Details:

ebook, 352 pages
Expected publication: October 7th 2019 by Carina Press
ISBN 1488053936 (ISBN13: 9781488053931)
Edition Language English
Series Dreamers #3

Dreamers Series

American Dreamer

American Fairytale

American Love Story

Release Blitz for Lost and Found by Liv Rancourt (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Length: 75,000 words approx.
 
Price: 2.99 (4.99 from October 20)
 
Blurb
 

A dancer who cannot dance and a doctor who cannot heal find in each other the strength to love.


History books will call it The Great War, but for Benjamin Holm, that is a misnomer. The war is a disaster, a calamity, and it leaves Benjamin profoundly wounded, his mind and memory shattered. A year after Armistice, still struggling to regain his mental faculties, he returns to Paris in search of his closest friend, Elias.


Benjamin meets Louis Donadieu, a striking and mysterious dance master. Though Louis is a difficult man to know, he offers to help Benjamin. Together they search the cabarets, salons, and art exhibits in the newly revitalized city on the brink of les années folles (the Crazy Years). Almost despite himself, Benjamin breaches Louis’s defenses, and the two men discover an unexpected passion.


As his memory slowly returns, Benjamin will need every ounce of courage he possesses to recover Elias’s story. He and Louis will need even more than that to lay claim to the love – and the future – they deserve.

 
Excerpt
 

The table on the other side of me was empty, at least until I’d poured myself a second glass of wine. Then, crossing the room in a familiar halting rhythm, my neighbor, the man from the café on the Place du Tertre, took a seat.


I raised my glass in a toast of alcohol-fueled enthusiasm. “It’s nice to see you.”


He blinked as if surprised by my words. “I’m not sure I know you.”


His gaze suggested otherwise. “A while ago, you were at L’Oiseau Bleu.” I swirled the wine in my cup. “Are you following me?”


“I had a taste for fish.” Hooking his cane over the edge of his table, he shrugged again. “And I have better things to do than observe the habits of a drunk American.”


We were interrupted by the arrival of my dinner. There might have been humor in his tone, but still, the sting of his words quashed the impulse to invite him to join me.


Turning to the waiter, slick black hair gleaming, he placed his own order. When the waiter brought his wine, I took the opportunity to raise my glass a second time. “Cheers.” I deliberately did not smile. “Comment allez-vous?” How are you, using the formal “vous,” not the more intimate “tu.”


Tu. In all my time in France, I’d never regularly used the personal form of address. To be honest, if English had an equivalent construction, I could have said the same about my friends and family at home.


Bien. I am well.”


His tone, and the slight tremor of his fingers on his glass of wine, hinted otherwise. He turned as if to shield himself from my appraisal. I couldn’t help myself. It was my nature to observe. Assess. Diagnose. “I’m Benjamin Holm.” The distance between us was too great to bridge with a handshake.


He raised his glass. “Louis Donadieu.”


I forced my fork through the crisp crust of fish. Juices ran free, and my mouth watered. I ate, hunger keeping my attention fixed on the food on my plate. Though it had been almost two years since I’d last sat at an army canteen, I still attacked each meal as if someone might steal it away.


At my last bite, I glanced at Louis. He watched me, a pool of stillness amidst the confusion around us. “Did you even taste it?”


“Yes.” Swirling my fork through the drippings on my plate, I fought the urge to smile, unsure of the rules for the game he played.


He sniffed. “Bien.” Shifting in his seat, he poured himself more wine. As long as he wasn’t looking, I continued my assessment. He held his right leg extended, as if he was unable to bend it at the knee, but was otherwise quite vigorous, virile even.


I finished my peas and potatoes, bemused by my strange dinner companion. After a week in Paris, I’d had no luck with my main goal, and this conversation, though tentative, intrigued me.


“Were you injured?” I gestured at his feet with my wine.


“What?”


“In the war. Your leg.” His narrowed gaze suggested I’d transgressed. So, no questions about his health. “Pardon. I did not mean to—”


“No, I was unable to participate in the grand conflict.”


He turned his attention away, leaving me confused. This was less a game than a jousting contest. Rather than bring another helping of rudeness on my head, I swallowed the rest of my wine and prepared to leave.


“What are you doing?”


I paused in the act of reaching for my wallet. “I’m finished. I need to be going.” Though I had no real destination beyond the poor comfort of my solitary rooms. Instead of my wallet, I fished out the photograph. “Here.” I stood, leaning over his table and offering him the picture of Elias. “I’m looking for my friend Elias. Have you seen him?”


Always the same words, bringing the same blank response.


“Maybe he doesn’t want to be found.” He tapped the white edge of the photograph, and I snatched it away.


“He’s my friend.”


“So?”


His acid tone burned through my good humor. Who is this man to follow and then abuse me? “Have a good evening.”


“Good evening, though if you give up so easily, you must not really want to find him.”


Surprise kept me planted by his table. “Do you know where he is?”


He tipped his glass in my direction, the corner of his lips curling in what could not truly be called a smile. Though it wasn’t a scowl either. “No, but if I do see him, I will send him to the heavy-footed American man who lives on the floor above me.”


Tired of being the target of his sport, I straightened, falling into the habitual pose of a military officer. “Again, good evening.” Annoyed beyond what the situation called for, I departed.



About Liv Rancourt



Liv Rancourt writes romance of all kinds. Because love is love, even with fangs.


Liv is a huge fan of paranormal romance and urban fantasy and loves history just as much, so her stories often feature vampires or magic or they’re set in the past…or all of the above. When Liv isn’t writing she takes care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether she’s at work or at home. Her husband is a soul of patience, her kids are her pride and joy, and her dogs – Trash Panda and The Boy Genius – are endlessly entertaining.Liv can be found on-line at all hours of the day and night at her website (www.livrancourt.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/liv.rancourt), or on Twitter (www.twitter.com/LivRancourt). She also blogs monthly over at Spellbound Scribes (https://spellboundscribes.wordpress.com/). For sneak peeks and previews and other assorted freebies, go HERE to sign up for her mailing list or join the Facebook page she shares with her writing partner Irene Preston, After Hours with Liv & Irene. Fun stuff!
 

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A MelanieM Review: Land of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

East meets West. City meets country. Though there’s no denying opposites attract, can a college kid from New Jersey and a New Mexican cowboy learn to speak the same language, let alone trust each other?

When Mason Wild heads out West to escape his past, he doesn’t have a plan or a penny to his name. Luckily he finds a job with a roofing company run by a rodeo cowboy who’s kind, easy to work for, and even with his jaw wired shut, hotter than July in the high desert.

Bull rider Levi Yost knows what it’s like to be down on his luck. He’s not much older than Mason, but he’s been around the block a few times, or at least around the rodeo arena. He takes a chance on the kid, giving him a job and a place to live on his ranch. The two of them discover a surprising amount of common ground, but trouble has a way of finding each of them. Mason has to learn to be fully honest with Levi, who in turn has to realize he’s not just riding out for himself anymore.

Land of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga is such a sweet and endearing contemporary romance.  It contains so many of the elements that I just love from hurting cowboys (bull rider in this case), friends to lovers, a great setting, sense of place and community.  And a believable cast of characters to support the main ones and a firm foundation upon which to base a wonderful plot.

The clear strengths here?

The main characters who are firmly drawn from the beginning but still given plenty of room for individual growth throughout the story.  That especially holds true for Mason Wild who finds his true self in the heat and beauty of the New Mexico land and blossoms under the hard work, friendship and acceptance he finds there.  There’s such a connection here in sharing Mason’s deep satisfaction and joy as he learns more skills at the construction jobs, becomes friends, establishes himself, finding his center and feeling at home.  We feel him expand internally and it’s wonderful and due to the writing that brings Mason alive and makes us feel all the changes he’s undergoing.

Another character pondering changes?  That would be Levi Yost.  The life and career of a bull rider is short and physically painful.  And if the bull doesn’t decide when to end a bull rider’s career, then it’s up to the bull rider when to retire.  How many more trips to the ER? How many more broken bones? We meet him with a wired jaw and needing help to work on his construction jobs.  That’s where Mason gets hired.  And both of their lives change.

The element that didn’t really work for me?  That would be the scenes with the sister. Where I should have felt sympathy towards her character instead I was irritated, wishing her off the page and just into therapy. I wish there was more groundwork laid out for them.  And later on more of a resolution scene between them (for reasons of spoilers I won’t go into).  She just came off as a “lesser” element here.

I love everything about Levi and Mason’s relationship from early stages until the end, and thought the character of Allmon was another favorite.    This is a story to lean into and deeply enjoy, a cowboy romance to savor!  And I did.  You will too.  I absolutely recommend this to all lovers of contemporary romance and cowboys looking for love.

Cover art by AJ Corza is perfect with Mason’s tennis shoe’s and Levi’s boots.  I just love that cover.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 330 pages
Published September 24th 2019 by Tygerseye Publishing, LLC
ASINB07XJHS2VW
Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Daddy Bear : The Complete Series by B.J. Smyth

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

This book is the five DADDY BEAR stories compiled into one book.

Immaturity, Jealousy, Envy, Insecurity can Carter and Frank survive them all?

When Carter and Frank meet, it is an attraction that pulls them together in a heated desire for one another.

All Carter has ever wanted is the Daddy he craves, someone to love and care for him.

But will his immaturity be the downfall of this relationship or can Frank deal with his tears and tantrums?

Frank’s life is complicated, when he meets Carter, he is still confused by his feelings for his Ex-Partner and dealing with his mum’s deteriorating health.

Carter’s immaturity has always been difficult to handle. However, following an incident at Carter’s flat, Frank made the rash decision to ask him to move into his house, into his life, now Carter is around full-time.

But did he think about how that decision would change things between them?

As life’s complications enter their world, can they learn to share life together?

Will this Daddy & Boy make it from that first heated attraction to a long-term relationship?

It’s been a few days and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about these stories, it was okay but I think too many little things hurt my enjoyment.  I couldn’t help but think of Carter like a puppy, looking for attention and being so happy when he got it that he kept coming back for more and when he was unhappy or unsure he would run away or react negatively.  Now, Frank, I thought he was okay until we saw the story through his eyes and then I just had the feeling that he was playing Carter at time because he would act very sincere and 100% into their relationship but be doubting the whole time.

It seems that in the end they were able to figure it out but it was a quick turn around and can easily see them going back into the same routine they had.  I know they cared about each other I just don’t think it was the same way and I never felt that Frank was genuine while Carter was an open book from the beginning.

I like the cover art works well for the story with a partial visual of Frank.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 241 pages

Published: August 16, 2019

Edition Language: English

Series: Daddy Bear

Here is a Collection of Stories Not to Be Missed! Check Out the Charity Blog Tour for Heart2Heart Anthology, Vol. 3 Tour

Heart2Heart Anthology, Volume 3

Supporting LBGT Charity

A Collaboration of Short Stories By:

Annabeth Albert, May Archer, Mary Calmes, Charlie Cochet, Eden Finley, Susan Hawke, Sloane Kennedy, Lucy Lennox, Lily Morton, K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix, Layla Reyne, Piper Scott (writing as Emma Alcott), Damon Suede, Hailey Turner, Aimee Nicole Walker

This collection will be available for only 90 days before it’s gone forever.

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Once upon a time, a group of authors wondered… What if the Heart2Heart app — the dating app with a glitch that matched up the oddest, most perfect couples, and sponsored the charity date raffles that helped dozens of people find love — offered a classifieds section, too?

Need a handyman who knows how to wear a tool belt? Have a closet of drag costumes that needs a new home? How about finally tracking down that guy who made the perfect drink, or who’s just the right height to reach the top shelf?

Join some of your favorite authors of gay romance as they bring you sixteen brand-new stories inspired by reader suggestions!

Once again, all proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its forms will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!


Book Buy Links

All Proceeds Go To Charity:

Amazon US

Everywhere Else


About the Heart2Heart Anthology Series:

The first 2 volumes of Heart2Heart made a combined total of more than $50k USD. The net proceeds were donated to six incredible charities, including One-n-Ten, Ali Forney Center, Trevor Project, Rainbow Railroad, Trans LifeLine, and the Bisexual Resource Center. These volumes are no longer available, but thankfully the passion for the project hasn’t faded. Every step of the process has been donated:

  • Cover design, logo, and promotional graphics by AngstyG
  • Beta reading, editing, proofreading by the team at LesCourt Author Services, as well as Allison Roy
  • Promotional posting by LesCourt Author Services and the A Novel Take PR group
  • And of course, the authors’ time and efforts

More information on the Charities chosen for Volume 3:

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LGBT Youth Line

‍🌈 LGBT Youth Line: a Queer, Trans, Two-Spirit* youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario. We do this by:

-Providing anonymous peer support and referrals;

-Training youth to provide support to other youth; and

-Providing resources so youth can make informed decisions.

Homepage


Kind Space

‍🌈 Kind Space: committed to providing accessible resources, events, social, and educational programming to celebrate and support people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

Home


The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity

‍🌈 The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity: aspiring to support and transform Canadian and indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast in a shared vision of a discrimination-free gender and sexually diverse world.

http://ccgsd-ccdgs.org


These are all great Charities and we need to take care of our youth and the next generation. Love is Love. Be safe and kind. No one should have to suffer for who they are or who they love!!

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Check Out the Release Blitz for Powder Burns (Shatterproof Bond #5) by Isobel Starling

 

 

POWDER BURNS by Isobel Starling

Series: Shatterproof Bond #5

Publisher: Decent Fellows Press

Release Date (Print & Ebook): 4th October 2019

Length (Print & Ebook): 102,000 words, approx 570 pages

Subgenre: M/M Romance Thriller

Warnings: Mild BDSM

Buy it now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XP9PMR7

 

 

Book blurb:

One book, Two Missions, and a memory-key full of secrets!

After a series of terrorist attacks on fracking sites owned by a Gas multinational named Drilsink, Sir James Aiken’s agency is bought in to find the radical Eco-terrorist group responsible. He sends Sam and Declan to work undercover at Imperial College where Intel suggests the group are recruiting. While Sam works behind the scenes, Declan takes on the identity of Geologist Dr. Tobias Hunter and soon makes an enemy of a fellow science geek- a man who Declan comes to despise more than Sir James Aiken!

When the operation moves from London to Munich and then Vienna, Sam, and Declan are thrown headlong into a spy scenario straight out of the thriller novels they love to read—but with a distinct and disturbing sexual twist! Sam meets an old friend and uncovers shocking information about James’ past.

With Erik Madsson still imprisoned inside the A.L.L. HQ, James comes to realize that he should have listened to his son. Keeping the enemy inside his own home is about to be the biggest mistake he has ever made.

Release Blitz Teaser :

“Can ye not give me anything?  No’ even a wee clue?”  Declan hollered as Sam continued flitting around the apartment collecting his possessions.

“Will it be dangerous?  Will ye need a weapon?  God’s I don’t even know which country you’ll be in.”  Declan mother-henned.

Sam looked up from his task and met Declan’s worried gaze.  There was still so much about Sam’s work life that he was not permitted to share.  His gut coiled like a spring as he’d observed Declan pacing up and down in front of the apartment door like a guard dog, growling anxiously every time Sam made a move toward it with another item for his bag. 

“Look,” Sam’s shoulders sagged.  “I’m allowed to tell you that I’ll be in the UK, and I’m gathering Intel.”  Sam conceded. 

“I will be armed—with my natural wit and derring-do!”  He joked, wagging his brows to try and make light of the difficult situation. 

About the author:

Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional career making art in Ireland.  She relocated to the UK and, faced with the dreaded artist’s creative block, Isobel started to write in 2014 and found she loved writing more than making art.

Isobel is currently working on her twentieth book.  Most of her titles are also available in German, French, Italian, and soon, Spanish.

“As You Wish” (Shatterproof Bond#1) narrated by Gary Furlong won the Independent Audiobook Award for Romance 2018. It is the first M/M Romance audiobook to win a mainstream audiobook award. “Sweet Thing” was nominated for the Independent Audiobook Award LGBTQI Audiobook 2019.

Connect with Isobel Starling:

Twitter: @isobel_starling

Instagram: @Isobel_starling

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/isobel_starling

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Isobel-Starling/e/B00U1MKE5I

Sign up for Isobel’s newsletter at https://isobelstarling.wix.com/books

 

Giveaway: Readers, join us as we celebrate the release of POWDER BURNS with a giveaway! Prizes include: 1) Shatterproof Bond Art Zine. This limited edition glossy zine features artwork of the main characters, Sam and Declan, by a host of artists the author commissioned, and art by the author herself. 2) 1 set of audio codes of books 1 – 4 in the Shatterproof Bond series! 

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Time Travel to Find Your Soul Mate? Don’t Miss Out on the Blog Tour for Ride the Whirlwind by Jackie North (excerpt and giveaway)

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Ride the Whirlwind

Jackie North

M/M Romance, Time travel, Historical

Release Date: 09.17.19

Ride the Whirlwind-ebook

Cover Designer – Jay Aheer

Blurb

Soulmates across time. Two hearts, stronger together.

In present day, Maxton is good at finding trouble and bad at everything else. Then he receives a letter from his friend Laurie, who went missing. The letter is dated over one hundred years in the past.

In 1892, Trent Harrington, sheriff of Trinidad, Colorado, cast off by his family, lives a respectable but lonely life, devoid of any closeness. He knows he will be alone forever.

Trying to escape a past that keeps chasing him, Maxton drives south to Mexico. When his car spins off the road, he is swept up in a desert whirlwind, which takes him back in time to the year 1892. There, unused to the laws of the wild west, Maxton gets arrested, and is subject to the terrifying whims of two deputies who can do whatever they want to him.

Sheriff Trent Harrington of Trinidad is tasked with escorting Maxton to Trinidad. The request isn’t unusual, but the young miscreant is. Maxton draws Trent’s heart out of its shell with his flashing green eyes and lush head of hair. It isn’t right. It isn’t natural. It’s illegal. Yet Trent cannot resist the impetuous young man.

As the two men travel through the dry, lonely desert to their destination, will they find in each other the love and companionship they never thought they’d have?

A male/male time travel romance, complete with the scent of desert roses, brilliantly colored sunsets, starlit nights, roast rabbit over an open fire, growing honesty and trust, and true love across time.

Contains references to Honey From the Lion and Wild as the West Texas Wind but can be read on its own.

Buy Link: http://mybook.to/RideTheWhirlwind

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Excerpt

Trent stepped off the stagecoach, took his small, leather-handled carpet bag from the top of the coach, and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that he got sick on stagecoaches, no. It was that there were so many people jammed into a space that rocked for hours and became filled with dust, that is, when it wasn’t filled with the smell of stale sweat and the scent of nerves on edge. Stagecoaches had to be the worst way that God invented for man to travel. There were better ways, like on foot or by horseback. Never mind. He had arrived in Dilia.

Taking off his hat, he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, which left a broad sweat stain on his shirt sleeve. He sighed again, put his hat back on and looked up and down the street for the jail.

He had two telegrams in his breast pocket beneath his vest, but he was no closer to understanding what was going on, or why he’d been waylaid from his plans, his very straightforward plans, to head back to Trinidad from Deming, deep in New Mexico Territory, where he’d been asked to witness a hanging.

Deming had been quite far to travel for such a gory, unsavory task as a hanging. However, the governor of New Mexico Territory, one LaBaron Prince, had asked for him in particular, seeing as how he’d been present at the capture of Fenton Barrow, otherwise known as Pretty Boy Barrow, known for stagecoach holdups and petty larceny and the stealing of cows.

Now that the unpleasant task had been completed, with witness documents signed, he’d been more than ready to head home to Trinidad. Unfortunately, he’d gotten a telegram from the small town of Dilia, instructing him to detour to Dilia to transport one Maxton Barnett to Trinidad.

In Dilia, the sheriff and his two deputies had in their care a young miscreant who they wanted taken away before the whole town rose up in rebellion. It all sounded rather dramatic, and not what he’d expect from a fellow sheriff, even if the telegram explained, in very short words, the crime of picking pockets and, mysteriously, other unsavory acts.

Only his sense of duty would encourage him to follow through with the request to pick up the low-life criminal and escort him back to Trinidad, from whence it was said he’d come. Then, of all the queer things, just before he’d gotten on the stagecoach in Deming, he’d received a second telegram, this time from Mr. Laurie Quinn of the Adeline Hotel in Trinidad.

Mr. Quinn was known to him, a recent newcomer to the town with enough energy for three young men, a dazzling smile, and a sweet laugh that would light up the darkest room. Trent had done his best to remain unmoved, but it was hard, especially when Laurie had the most beautiful brown eyes, and dark auburn hair shot with gold. He was like a handsome out of a painting, with slender hips, and long legs, and a vivacious air and zest for life.

But not only did Laurie’s companion, a dour, grim-faced, broad-shouldered man by the name of John Henton, keep Trent from responding, he was also held back by his own promise to himself. He could not make the same mistake that he’d made back home in Aiken, South Carolina, one that had involved kissing a sweet-faced choir boy after church one Sunday.

The kiss had been brief and there’d been an energy in Trent to pull the choir boy into his arms and do more than just kiss. But he’d been unable to act upon that flash of heat and desire as his father had discovered him, waited till his mother died, and then banished him, separating Trent from his sister Lucy.

It had been five years since he’d talked to either of them, though once in a while a letter would come from his father berating him further and taunting him with news about Lucy, but never really telling him anything about what was going on with her. It was like part of him had been cut off, leaving him numb and aching, staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, wondering how it might have turned out differently if Father hadn’t discovered him.
Jackie-logo1

Jackie North has been writing stories since grade school and spent years absorbing the mainstream romances that she found at her local grocery store. Her dream was to someday leave her corporate day job behind and travel the world. She also wanted to put her English degree to good use and write romance novels, because for years she’s had a never-ending movie of made-up love stories in her head that simply wouldn’t leave her alone.

As fate would have it, she discovered m/m romance and decided that men falling in love with other men was exactly what she wanted to write books about. In this dazzling new world, she turned her grocery-store romance ideas around and is now putting them to paper as fast as her fingers can type. She creates characters who are a bit flawed and broken, who find themselves on the edge of society, and maybe a few who are a little bit lost, but who all deserve a happily ever after. (And she makes sure they get it!)

She likes long walks on the beach, the smell of lavender and rainstorms, and enjoys sleeping in on snowy mornings. She is especially fond of pizza and beer and, when time allows, long road trips with soda fountain drinks and rock and roll music. In her heart, there is peace to be found everywhere, but since in the real world this isn’t always true, Jackie writes for love.

Website – http://www.jackienorth.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jackienorthMM

Pintrest – https://www.pinterest.com/jackienorthauthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JackieNorthMM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18128460.Jackie_North

Queeromance Ink Author Page –

https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/jackie-north/

Sign Up For My Newsletter – http://eepurl.com/drakS1

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Love a Romance with Kink? Check Out the Book Blast with special excerpt for Daddy Bear : The Complete Series by B.J. Smyth

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Daddy Bear: The Complete Series

Author: B.J. Smyth

Publisher: Self Published

Cover Artist: Benjamin Smith

Release Date: August 16, 2019

Genre/s: Erotic – M/M Romance

Trope/s: Daddy Kink – Age-Gap

Themes: Daddy/Boy

Heat Rating:  4 flames 

Length:  71 694 words/ 241 pages 

Add on Goodreads

Blurb

Immaturity, Jealousy, Envy, Insecurity can Carter and Frank survive them all?

All Carter has ever wanted is the Daddy he craves, someone to love and care for him.

But will his immaturity be the downfall in this relationship or can Frank deal with his tears and tantrums?

Frank’s life is complicated, when he meets Carter, he is still confused by his feelings for his Ex-Partner and dealing with his mum’s deteriorating health.

Carter’s immaturity has always been difficult to handle. However, following an incident at Carter’s flat, Frank made the rash decision to ask him to move into his house, into his life, now Carter is around full-time.

Frank is adjusting to having Carter in his home and enjoying the Daddy \ Boy games they play. 

However, when Carter’s jealousy takes hold after seeing Frank with his Ex-Partner his insecurities and jealousy may just be the end of this relationship.

Will this Daddy & Boy make it from that first heated attraction at the swimming pool to a long-term relationship?

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Universal link  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Excerpt 

 We walk down the corridor past the showers into the pool area. Getting into the water, we swim along together, not speaking much, but there still seems to be a connection between us. Once we finish the thirty lengths, we get out of the pool, grab our towels, and head to the showers.

Standing next to each other under the showerheads I can almost feel the heat of his skin against mine. He pushes down on the button and water cascades from the shower onto his body. I do the same, sneaking looks at him when I think he is distracted by the shower. I remove my trunks first today, sliding them down my legs to the floor, I kick them to the side and give my cock and balls a squeeze.

He removes his trunks and his cock is hard, causing mine to stiffen more. Taking a handful of body wash, he rubs his hands over this chest, the soapsuds running over his abs and dripping into his pubic hair. He is only a foot away from me; the thought of feeling his gorgeous hairy body in my hands sends shivers down my spine and my skin tingles. I’m too shy to make a move like that, though, the fear of his reaction if I have misinterpreted things makes me keep my hands to myself.

I watch his hands glide over his chest, then down to his abs as he massages the body wash into his skin. Licking my lips as his cock stiffens, his foreskin pulls back away from the head as it raises towards his body. Lathering up my chest, my hands soon slide down and grasp my cock. I close my eyes and lean my head back as the pleasure of my hand sliding along my shaft flows through me. Opening my eyes, I look back at Frank; he is now massaging his balls and stroking his shaft. His eyes connect with mine.

Time seems to stop as we stare deep into each other, I can see the desire within him as his eyes search mine, trying to read my thoughts. My lips part as my tongue pushes out, licking along my lower lip, giving him the sign he has been searching for.

He moves closer and my body tenses as I feel his hand slide over my arse. I stop stroking my cock and turn to face him, our bodies covered in soap bubbles. My acceptance of his touch gives him a green light. Pulling me into his body I feel his cock slide against mine as they become trapped between us. His other hand grabs my arse and crushes my cheeks with his strong grip. The coarse hair of his beard brushes against my face as I feel his breath warm my lips.

Any thoughts or worries of where we are drain from my mind as his lips meet mine. The thick hair on his chest makes my nipples stiffen as it rubs against them. His mouth, rough and raw, kisses me, my body giving into his strong, muscular hands, his tongue pushes into my mouth, searching for mine. He moves me back onto the shower wall, grinding his rock-hard cock into me as he continues exploring my mouth. I have been yearning for this all week, wanting to be in this daddy’s arms. Sliding my hands over his back, tracing along his spine, down to rest above his arse, I pull him tighter into me as I grind my cock between our wet, soapy bodies. The showers switch off as we lose ourselves within each other. His hands grab my arms as he bites my lower lip, then softly nibbles his way down to the nape of my neck. All the time we continue grinding our cocks together, I can feel my balls tightening, preparing to release the frantic pleasure building inside me. Our thrusting gets faster as we both edge towards the point of no return.

About the Author 

B.J. enjoys writing gay romance weaved with hot action to tease and entertain his readers. Having experienced some of the situations in real life he brings these into his books. Preferring to have mature characters in the stories, escaping the cliché of college boy romance.

His books have been described by many as short but scorching hot so be warned you may need a cool shower after reading them. Remember the old saying it’s not about the length but what you can do with it lol.

I hope you read and enjoy his books as much as he enjoys writing them.

If you already enjoy gay romance books or are just curious about gay love. Why not have a browse of the books, you may surprise yourself.

Follow the rainbow to your dreams.

Author Links

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A Free Dreamer Review: The Musician and the Monster by Jenya Keefe

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Hatred is a spell only true love can break.

Ángel Cruz is a dedicated session musician, until loyalty to his estranged family forces him to work for Oberon: the feared and hated envoy from the Otherworld. Overnight, Ángel is taken from his life, his friends, his work, and trapped in a hideous mansion in the middle of nowhere, under constant surveillance, and with only the frightening fae for company.

Oberon’s poor understanding of humans combined with Ángel’s resentment and loneliness threaten to cause real harm to the pair. Then a long winter together in the mansion unites them in their love of music. Slowly, Ángel’s anger thaws, and he begins to realize that Oberon feels alone too.

Gradually, these two souls from different worlds form a connection like none other. But hate and prejudice are powerful things, and it’ll take all the magic of their love to stop the wider world from forcing them apart.

I love a good story involving the fae and “ The Musician and the Monster” promised to be a new take on them. And I have to say, I quite enjoyed it.

I will admit it took a little till I fully connected to the story. It was a little slow in the beginning and I struggled to understand Oberon. I really think his POV would’ve made it much easier to understand him. He might not look all that different from your average human, but he doesn’t act like a human at all. I guess that would have also made it hard to write his voice, but I have seen this done successfully before.

After a while, it did click and I started to really enjoy the book. Once Ángel, and we, slowly get to know Oberon, the fae turns out to be a really interesting person. The author does a pretty good job at making him more accessible to the reader and I really liked him. I would have loved to learn a little more about the world of the fae, though.

The pace is rather slow and there’s not that much action, other than one big bang toward the end. I think the pace fit the story, even if it didn’t create any suspense in the traditional sense of the word. But I did find it harder to put down the book the further along I got.

I especially liked the end and I’d love to see a sequel. It felt like such a wonderful new beginning for everybody involved.

Overall, “The Musician and the Monster” is a good, enjoyable book that keeps getting better and better the more you read. I do think Oberon’s POV would have helped push it more towards “great” instead of just “good”. Still, if there is a sequel at some point, I will most definitely read it.

If you like quiet Urban Fantasy with a very slow burn, then you should give this one a try. If you want a fast-paced, suspense filled story full of action and magic, then this probably isn’t the book for you.

The cover by Shayne Leighton is gorgeous and fits the story perfectly.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

 

Book details:

ebook, 300 pages

Published September 30th 2019 by Riptide Publishing

A MelanieM Audio Review:The Rising (Badlands #2) by Morgan Brice and Kale Williams (Narrator)

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

A big storm is brewing, there’s a killer on the loose, and the ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his sexy cop boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato, have their hands full helping the Grand Strand brace for rough surf, driving rain, and high winds as a winter storm roars toward shore.

Everyone’s on edge, and rumors are rampant about sightings of Blackcoat Benny, a ghostly omen of danger, and worse, the Gallows Nine, the spirits of nine infamous criminals hanged back in the 1700s, a harbinger of disaster. Rough tides wash the wreck of an old pirate ship into shallow waters, high winds threaten to damage an old mansion with a dark past, and the citizens of the beach town hunker down to ride out the storm.

As the skies grow dark and the sea turns wild, several men from prominent local families end up dead under suspicious circumstances. Simon’s premonition confirms Vic’s gut feeling – the killing is just getting started. As Simon tries to reach out to the spirits of the murdered men to help the investigation, he’s attacked by malicious ghosts that don’t want anyone getting in the way of their long-overdue vengeance.

When I first started listening to audiobooks, if you had asked me if I would be listening to stories I had already read, I would have said no..  But as my appreciation for this format and the gifted narrators has grown, I find I not only find myself listening to stories I have  already read bit actovey seek out the audio versions.  Why?  Because I have long since learned that a superb narration  not only sometimes elevates the story past my previous experience, maybe because of distractions or moods or what have you. But because that narrator’s voice and acting ability allows me to see into the characters and stories in ways I hadn’t seen before.

Love it when I am able to discover new facets to characters or pickup on new clues overlooks because I missed a sentence reading it.  Can’t do that while listening.

So it happens here with the marvelous audio version of The Rising (Badlands #2) by Morgan Brice as narrated by Kale Williams.  I’m more than thrilled with the seamless combination of author and narrator, the same one, Kale Williams who is the voice behind Morgan Brice’s other audio series.  I’m dropped into the still new relationship of Simon and  Vic as they settle in together into their lives in Myrtle Beach.  But there’s a huge storm brewing, and the atmosphere is heavy, as only that ominous way that foretells danger and foreboding.

Such an excellent story.  As with all such plots there is murder which bring’s in Vic, and the methodology and strange circumstances which brings in Simon, each in their area of expertise.  This is one of power, and haunting, and pirates.  And while I remembered it all so clearly.  Now, well, now, as voiced by Williams, this story sang of mystical powers and a need for revenge that even death couldn’t quench!  I couldn’t stop listening, hooked by story, hooked by voice.  it was as though it was new all over again.

I love how we start off pointed in all directions, yet all layers, the past, the present, and yes, even the future, come together when all the clues mesh with a crescendo to a chilling, thrilling, heart stopping ending! The Rising is truly one of my favorite stories with one of Brice’s favorite couples (and that’s saying a lot)!  It has it all.  Romance! Mystery! Suspense! The Mystical and Paranormal.  And even Pirates with revenge on the mind.  You can’t ask for more.  But you get it with Kale Williams as the outstanding narrator.  Don’t miss out on this superb series ! The audio version rocks!

Cover art is dark and the models work for the characters but I wish for a tad more elements from the storyline.

Buy Links

Audible US  |  Audible UK 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

 

Audio Book Details:

Listening Length: 6 hours and 48 minutes.

Audible Audio, 7 pages
Published June 18th 2019 by Tantor Audio (first published February 13th 2019)
ASIN B07SLGN28Y
Edition Language English
Series Badlands #2

Badlands Series linked to GR

Badlands

Lucky Town 1.5

Restless Nights 1.6

The Rising 2

Cover Me: A Badlands Short 2.5