Tag: contemporary

Time to Go Nuts with Jackie Nacht’s A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas! (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Jackie Nacht

Author Bio:

Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Where to find the author:

Website: http://www.jackienacht.com
Blog: htttp://www.jackienacht.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

Publisher: MLR Press
Cover Artist: Zathyn PriestA Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas

Sales Links:    MLR Press LLC

 A Paranormal Chipmunk Christmas Blurb:

It’s time for the chipmunk brothers to take their bear and wolf home to meet the family for the holidays.

A vicious horde of chipmunks? Dallas and Gunner knew that meeting their mate’s family wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. How could it be when they had eighteen brothers and sisters? This bear and wolf are about to be put to the test, surviving this family holiday. Will they be able to escape just the four of them or will they be taking some of the siblings back to White Pine…involuntarily?
Categories: Holiday, Paranormal, Contemporary

Excerpt: Chapter One

Gunner gripped the armrest, stale air brushing over his face from the tiny fan above. He fucking hated to fly, he really did, but the destination was well worth it in the end. His mate, Phillip, sat next to him, smiling out the window as they flew toward Atlanta. Phillip and Nikko had grown up there and their mother had invited him and Dallas to spend the holidays with them. Gunner was all too excited to meet the family of his mate. Phillip talked about them often and Skyped with them frequently. Gunner had talked to a few of them, but he had a feeling that he was ill prepared for meeting eighteen of Phillip’s brothers and sisters.

The plane tilted, and Gunner blew out a breath, feeling his stomach churn, his eyes frantically searching for the tiny bag in the pouch in front of him but coming up empty. The seats had seen better days, and he focused on the tear in the corner of the seat in front of him until the plane leveled off, praying he didn’t throw up in his mate’s lap.

A hand touched Gunner’s sweaty one, and he glanced over at Phillip, who eyed him with concern. “Didn’t you take the Dramamine?”

Gunner swallowed thickly. “I took three.”

“Three!” Phillip shouted in alarm, turning toward him. “You’re supposed to take one, no more than two.”

“I thought…” I was going to crash and die. “Being a bigger guy, it wouldn’t work, and it hasn’t.”

“When did you take it?” Phillip placed his soft hands to his forehead. Silly chipmunk, Gunner wasn’t running a fever, just feeling the effects of motion sickness and fear take hold of him. He might be a bit clammy, but hot he was not.

“Right before we took off, and I’m a big guy. It goes by weight.” Gunner blew out a quivering breath.

Phillip was staring at him, shaking his head as if he’d lost his damn mind. “You’re a doctor…”

“Dentist,” Gunner interrupted.

“You know better. This is going to knock you on your ass,” Phillip hissed at him. Gunner wasn’t sure what Phillip was worried about. His mate should be reading the damn emergency brochure because they were starting to have turbulence.

Oh shit! We’re gonna die!

Nikko stared at them from across the aisle. “What the hell is your problem? It’s not that bad.”

Not that bad.

He was going launch himself out of the seat and choke his brother-in-law. That is if he could unglue his hands from the armrest. Like the pieces of plastic would save him if they plummeted to their death, but the grips were a damn security blanket for him right now, so screw it.

Dallas shook his head from next to Nikko. “He hates to fly.”

“Well, it’s all fun and games until we’re dragging his ass all over Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. You know how big that airport is. Did you hear how much motion sickness medicine he took?” Nikko tattled on him to Dallas.

“They have a train,” Phillip defended him.

Nikko gave his brother an incredulous stare. “Then you carry him to the train yourself. By the time you’re through, you’ll look like fucking road kill.”

CCBadgeTour Dates: December 19th, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Gaylist Book Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Molly Lolly, Bayou Book  Junkie, Tara Lain, My Fiction Nook, Christy Loves To Read, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, The Hat Party,  Rainbow Gold Reviews, Love Bytes, Queer Town Abbey, Fallen Angel Reviews, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Havan Fellows, Nephylim, Up All Night, Read All Day, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

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Get Hot and Heavy with Julia Talbot’s Georgia Knights Book tour and contest!

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Book Name: Georgia Knights
Author Name: Julia Talbot

Author Bio: Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved

Author Contact:
. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at http://www.juliatalbot.com

Georgia KnightsPublisher: Torquere Press Inc
Cover Artist: Alessia Brio
Pairing:  M/M/F  Menage

Sales Links:  Amazon         All Romance             Torquere Books

Georgia Knights Blurb:

When anthropologist Georgia Cortez heads to rural Georgia from New Mexico, she’s on the trail of a juicy old legend. Haley Falls seems like just the place for old-time ghost stories and spooky hauntings, but she’s on the hunt for something far rarer, a survival of an old sect of medieval knights.

Caid and Alton are Haley Fall natives, and they used to be best friends. A falling out years ago ended in them not speaking, even after Alt left town and returned older, if not wiser. They unite when it comes to a nosy scholar like Georgia picking apart their heritage, and putting their whole town in danger. When boys meet girl, though, they decide wooing is far better than scaring the lady off, and they set about distracting Georgia in the best way.

While their three way romance heats up, so does the intrigue in Haley Falls, until the three of them are facing a danger far worse than falling in love with each other.

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Ménage, Thriller

Georgia Knights Excerpt:

“Boys…” She felt all flushed and tipsy, like her skin was too hot. It was amazing.

“Alt…” Caid stared at Alton over her head. “You. Damn it.” There was no anger there. Just a strangled heat.

Alton lifted one eyebrow. “Whut? We’re all adults here. There’s no reason not to enjoy ourselves.”

Well, that was true enough. She sure was enjoying them. A lot.

Georgia took a bit of pizza and offered it to Caid, holding it up to his lips. “Want some?”

“Mmmhmm.” Caid nipped it out of her fingers, licking at a little sauce that slid down to her knuckle.

She watched as he licked her finger clean, then offered a bite to Alton, going from sweet smile to wicked grin.

“Tasty.” Alton was more blatant, nibbling her fingers along with the pizza, loving on her.

Her nipples were hard as rocks, her belly taut and tense.

“Lord, Caid. She smells good, huh?” Alton leaned on her, smiling across at Caid, hand pushing Caid’s against her under the table.

“You both do.” Caid said it on a moan, Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Y’all are enough to make me breathless.” Talk about mating rituals. Jesus. She could write a bestselling erotic thesis about them.

“You’re the hottest thing I’ve seen since I laid eyes on Caid, and he’s been resisting me for years.”

Oh. Oh, God. Alton obviously had no filters. She took a moment to visualize that — fine bodies moving, rubbing. Kissing. Oh. Pretty.

Caid made another one of those noises, sounding almost pained. “Y’all.”

“I. Is there somewhere… The cook’s watching us.” And she wasn’t putting on a show for the sixteen-year-old, acne-ridden mouth breather.

“My place.” Alton threw a bunch of bills on the table, waving to the little teenagers who watched them avidly. “I need a box, kids.”

“Alton has a place almost up to the falls,” Caid whispered, breath hot on her neck.

“Okay.” She sounded like a phone sex worker, all breathy and husky.

They packed up the pizza and headed out, Alton hustling them back to her little rental SUV. He didn’t give either one of them time to think, either, just groped them both impartially.

“Alton, you’re dangerous. Sit in the back seat.”

“What? Why?” He pouted at her, but Caid punched his shoulder.

“Because no one can drive with you all over them, Alt. Get.”

She gave in to her baser instincts and went up on tiptoe to kiss the corner of Alton’s mouth. “I have to focus, huh?”

“Oh.” Alton blinked, those pretty gray eyes bright. “Got it. I’ll just sit in the back and…” He made an unmistakable motion with his hand.

She swatted him, chuckling. “Now, now. Don’t pop too soon.” She winked at Caid, offering him a quick kiss, too.

Caid surprised her with a kiss that curled her toes, capturing her mouth for a long moment before moving away. He went and sat in the passenger seat, staring, focused.

“Oh.” Wow. Okay. Driving.

Driving would be good.

KnightsBadgeTour Dates: September 29th, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Love Bytes, Inked Rainbow Reads, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon, Prism Book Alliance, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fallen Angel Reviews, Iyana Jenna, Amanda C. Stone, Velvet Panic, Havan Fellows

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: 25.00 Torquere Press gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link for the entry form and for additional contest  details.

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Review of Grade-A-Sex Deal (College Fun and Gays, #2) by Erica Pike

Grade-A-Sex Deal (College Fun and Gays #2)

Rating: 5 stars

Daniel Corrigan hates his life.  He used to have it all.  Affluent lifestyle complete with great paying job, loving wife, two children, great house and even a dog.  Now all gone because he simply couldn’t live a lie any longer.  With two little words “I’m gay”,  he’s lost everything and everyone in his life, with the exception of his brother, a college principal.

Now depressed, penniless and living in a college dorm room, Daniel makes a living teaching macroeconomics at his brother’s university. The only bright spot in his life is Troy Anderson, a sexy student in his class.  The deal they made, exchanging sexual favors for a favorable A in his class, is about to come to an end along with the semester and Daniel is not sure he can handle the loss. What will happen when the Grade-A-Sex deal comes to an end?

I love surprises and this short story is all that and a cupcake with dark chocolate sprinkles on top. From the title, I would never guess at the angst, bitterness, and despair that is emerges from the tale of Daniel’s life after he comes out.   I am always amazed at the courage it takes for someone to come out of the closet, whether they are a teenager or a middle aged adult.  While you hope with all your heart for acceptance and love, the stories you most often hear of those of loss, contempt, and pain.  Daniel is no different.  His expectations of his family’s reaction might have been naive but the actuality of their disgust and rejection was crushing. Erica Pike got this so right, I often had tears in my eyes as I read the story (and this is a short story mind you).

Daniel’s room is littered with the debris of his life, left over food containers, clothes he can’t be bothered washing, all symptoms of a deeply depressed man just going through the motions.  Every detail Erica Pike paints for us is meticulous.  There is not a false word or emotion here.  Troy Anderson has surprises of his own in store for us.  Needless to say, my lips are sealed here.  Just know that Troy is no cardboard figure, he too is fully alive and breathing.  It just takes a little longer to get to know him.  The sex is hot, fast, and overlaid with desperation.

When I first read about the sex for grades issue, it bothered me, but as I got further into the story, it became easier to accept. Daniel had only done it a few times and it fit right in with his poor self esteem and “hitting rock bottom.” If one ignores the depression cycle he is on, his behavior is hard to understand. As it is, he is not a likeable human being at the beginning of the story. However, the deal entered into between the teacher and the student here is a way for the older man to have any type of a relationship with this man he has come to love. It is more a ploy of desperation than something he does with others, and he despises himself for it.

I have not read the first College Fun and Gays story. I really don’t feel its necessary in order to read and appreciate the beauty of this little gem.  But you know that I won’t be able to rest until I go back to the beginning of the series.  I will let you all know what I find.  In the meantime, you will just love this!

Cover:  I don’t know if it is just me but any cover color in the red range is hard on my eyes and this is no exception.  There are some wonderful graphics in the background that really clue you into the story but they are lost with the highlighted image of the college.  I also  prefer a stylistically plainer font. IMO, it’s just easier to read. Grade A story, Grade C cover.

Book available from No Boundaries Press, Amazon, and ARe

Review of Fall Into The Sun by Val Kovalin

Reviewed for JoyfullyJay blog on 4/10/12:

Rating: 4.75

Bobby Gallegos and Alejo Sandoval met when they were 6.  It was 1972 at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.  Alejo was being picked on by three boys who had stolen his marble.  Bobby came to his rescue and into his life.  From that time forward, they were inseparable even though their families were so different.  Bobby came from a rough family of four boys whose dad was in prison. His older brothers were petty criminals following in their fathers footsteps who only saw the youngest boy as a punching bag.  Alejandro’s family were strict, ran a family restaurant and was devoutly Catholic.  But none of that mattered as the years passed and their connection deepened into love.

The summer of 1982 changed all that with a series of devastating events that would separate the boys for 22 years.  Over time, Alejo got married, and had a family and ran the family restaurant, his bisexual tendencies buried deeply in the closet.  Bobby  moved away, went to law school in Houston, Texas where he was now a gay successful criminal lawyer. Only once did they try to reconnect but bad timing and distance interfered.

Now they are both 40, their lives at an impasse. Alejo is divorced and Bobby has returned to Albuquerque to persuade Alejo to make a change so they can finally get their happily ever after they have been denied for so long.  Bobby has seven days.  Will it be enough time?

Let me say right from the start that I love stories about first loves getting their second chance at happiness so this pushed all the right buttons.  Val Kovalin also did such a wonderful job with her characters that identifying with them was easy.  There is never any doubt as to who these men are and how their pasts molded them.  Both men have real depth and layers to their characters, including their flaws which help drive them apart.

Bobby was the easiest of the two to empathize with.  His obstacles to overcome are so clearly black and white, starting with an abusive family that he managed to escape from while staying true to who he is.  Alejo had it much tougher in a way.  His parents love, expectations and strict adherence to the Catholic church buried Alejandro’s own career choices and sexuality under a blanket of guilt and parental love.  Now at 40 and getting ready to attend his ex-wife’s marriage, his children, especially his wayward son, keep him from reaching out to Bobby and a new future.  The reader’s frustrations with Alejo’s indecision and inability to parent his son mount with Bobby’s .  Yet, so skillfully is Alejo drawn that his rational is clear and in keeping with his history.  Both the reader and his lover understand his actions even if you don’t like them.  It’s your flaws that make you vulnerable and oh so human. So you are never ready to give up on Alejo and neither is Bobby.  I thought their entire relationship realistic as it grows and adjusts from ages 6 to 40.

I really enjoyed this book and notice that it is called Fall Into The Sun Bobby and Alejo #1.  I am hoping that means we will be seeing more of these two and their hard won future together.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Cover:  I loved this cover.  The models were perfect for Bobby and Alejo.  Just wonderful from the expressions in their eyes and that they seem more in keeping with the age of the characters.  Great job.

Available at Amazon and ARe.

Review of The Only Easy Day by R.J.Scott

Rating: 4.75 stars

The Only Easy Day

Navy Seal Joseph Kinnon has just returned from a covert mission to find his commander waiting with tragic news, his stepsister has been murdered.  The facts surrounding the case are slim and the media are painting an inaccurate and damaging portrait of the dead girl.  Grief stricken and determined to redeem his stepsister’s reputation, Kinnon takes leave and heads to Albany, New York for answers and retribution.

Dale MacIntyre, ex-Navy Seal, now works for Sanctuary, a private organization that investigates crimes and protects the victims of those crimes. Where the CIA, FBI, and all the other government “alphabets” have failed, the Sanctuary and its agents step in.  MacIntyre’s current case involves protecting Morgan Drake, witness to the murder of Elisabeth Costain. He is also the lover of Nik, fellow Sanctuary operative.  When word gets to MacIntyre that a Navy Seal hellbent on revenge is headed their way, he is sure that their case has just exploded, their mission in danger of exposure.

The two men clash immediately, each convinced theirs is the only way to bring down the criminals and solve the reason behind the murder. MacIntyre and Kinnon are forced to work closely together as connections to the Mafia, local Police and even Congress are revealed the deeper they investigate. Kinnon, MacIntyre and his Sanctuary team must race to mount a rescue when an inside informant is uncovered and tortured.   Can they put aside their differences and growing attraction long enough to battle the odds against them and reach the truth? Or will the criminals win?

What a great story! It has everything you could want in a action/adventure novel.  Danger, murder, sexual heat, and intrigue as well as a monumental clash of personalities.  Joseph Kinnon is absolutely realistic as a Navy Seal.  He is patriotic, intense, beyond capable, and lonely.  Dale MacIntyre is another wonderful creation.  Haunted by a tragic event in his past, MacIntyre too is lonely, mistrustful, and envious of his colleagues who have found lasting relationships.  When these two alphas meet, the sexual tension and testosterone leap from the pages.  I found it totally believable that the men couldn’t decide whether to pound or kiss other other as they slammed into the wall the next time they met.  If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought the author had a Navy background so well researched are the descriptions of the Seals and their training without it being an “information dump”.  From start to finish, R. J. Scott does a excellent job of keeping the reader engaged as the two men juggle their professional and emotional needs.  I loved  Kinnon and MacIntyre and clearly a sequel to this book is on its way.  The ending is realistic and, as in true life, not all involved have been brought to justice.

The Only Easy Day is a continuation of the Sanctuary series started with Guarding Morgan.  I have not read that one yet( note: I have since read the first in the series, please see my review), but you don’t need to in order to love this book. It is Joseph Kinnon and Dale MacIntyre that have me hooked.  And it is my hopes for their future  that will keep me coming back for more.  I loved this and hope you will too.

Cover:  My wish here is that the fonts  were easier to read, perhaps a different color, as the author’s name and A Sanctuary Story fade into the picture. Grade B for the cover but I did love those guys.

Review of All The Kings Men by R.J. Scott

Review written for JoyfullyJay blog on 3/24/2012

Rating: 4 stars

Review of All the King’s Men by R. J. Scott

When Nathan Richardson and his boyfriend, Ryan Ortiz, broke up over Ryan’s cheating, Nathan headed for LA to pursue his acting career.  But all those miles between them didn’t stop their love or need for each other.  Months later, Ryan is heading for Los Angeles, determined to reunite with Nathan, beg his forgiveness, and hope that love will bring him home.  But Nature throws the biggest obstacle of all in their path, when the doomsday earthquake hits southern California.  Now LA is destroyed, Nathan is trapped under the rubble and Ryan is his only hope.

I liked the characters of Nathan and Ryan although they did not seem to have the usual amount of layers to them that I have come to expect of R. J. Scott.  Ryan’s insecurity that led to his infidelity never felt particularly real, in fact of the two main characters, he is the least fleshed out.  Nathan on the other hand, with his impetuous flight to California, and then his regret over ending his relationship, seems credibly young in outlook and emotions.  It is RJ Scott’s vivid descriptions of the destruction of Los Angeles, the fires, the carnage that make this book come to life.  The shear desperation that comes from the inability to get to a road, use a cell phone, and even finding a method of transportation when all is collapsing around you rises up from each and every page as Ryan struggles with the new harsh reality of the earthquake and its aftershocks.  The author skillfully pulls you along with Ryan up the hills above LA, now burning with wildfires.  All the angst and heartbreaking moments that occur during that climb will stay with you and remind you of similar scenes on the screen during any natural disaster.  Nathan, trapped under the rubble of his building, alone with his fears and pain, brings the plight of the disaster victim home, the reader empathizing with him in the dark wondering if anyone will come.

In many ways this story is also a cautionary tale of how easily the infrastructure we all depend upon can crumble.  While it is clear that RJ Scott has done her research, it is a credit to her that it never feels that way, from the National Guard to the makeshift mobile medical tents, all beautifully rendered in every detail. The true main character here is not Ryan or Nathan, it is the earthquake and the destructive power of Nature.  It will leave the greatest impact upon the reader.

If you are wondering why this book did not get a higher rating with all I have said about it above, it comes down to two things, one minor and one huge.  The prologue and the epilogue to be exact.  The Prologue is short and gives us information that most of us already know, that California is prone to earthquakes and that the biggest is yet to come.  This is all general knowledge, but ok, just a minor quibble.  But oh, that Epilogue. That’s simply not needed, and to be it bluntly kind of cheesy.  And not in a good way cheesy.  I mean cheesy in the way they tacked on endings to the disaster films of the 70’s and 80’s way.  As the last credits rolled, pictures popped up of the survivors along with a couple of lines of text, telling us what happened to them.  You know what I mean,  something like  ” Little Sally, cute child, lived to become a famous Astronaut/Brain Surgeon,  likable Granny lived to a ripe old age of 100.  Peter Everyman died in a car accident a year after fill in the blank happened.”  I believe the SyFy channel is still carrying on this proud tradition in its over the top “cheesy in a good way” movies.  That I applaud while this appalled.  I would not have minded if it stated that Ryan and Nathan moved where ever but it gave too much information about them and everyone else, more than I needed or wanted to know.  But the worst was to come.  That would be the ridiculous future of Los Angeles laid out here.  It looked at though it was a outline for a book she meant to write but then threw it in a part of the epilogue.  It had nothing to do with Nathan and Ryan, more like History of LA, part Deau.  In fact, that almost brought the rating down to a 3 I disliked it that much.  But if you discard the prologue, ditch the epilogue, then you have a great tale.  So yes, read this, but like an Oreo cookie, start with the Middle, then the prologue if you have too and give the end away.  Really, you don’t need it! Trust me.

Cover:  I liked the cover with the flames and helicopter but wonder at the pictures of the naked guys.  Did they lose their clothes in the fire?  Because as both protagonists were so badly injured for the entire book, sex was the last thing on their minds. *Head desk*.  Half a great cover.

Review of The Wrong Note by Isabella Carter

Rating: 4.45

Rue has a problem.  The new store next to his is blaring its music so loud he can’t think, and the new owner is taking his parking spot.  What is a guy to do?  When he can’t stand it anymore, he rushes over to confront the owner and meets Jocelyn.  Green eyes, triple earrings and oh so hot.  Now he has a new problem.

This was such a cute story, perfect for Valentine’s Day.  There are really only 4 characters in the whole story, all well done in such a short length.  I could feel Rue’s frustration building as the heavy metal pounded through the walls, and his snarky assistant rolling her eyes at her boss.  Short, sweet but not sappy.

At 3,800 words, it is part of the Kiss Me Quick collection of short stories celebrating love from Less Than Three Press.  If the rest of the collection is as sweet as this one, I can’t wait to read them. Great for Valentine’s Day or any day where love is in the air.

Cover:  The cover is just a picture of storefronts.  I wish that a little bit more of imagination had been used to make it more relevant to the story.

The Wrong Note is published by Less Than Three Press.