first in a series

Release Blitz for Bedside Manner by DJ Jamison (giveaway)

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Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2lYMN9K

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2mjp99O

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/bedsidemanner



Length: 56,000 words


Blurb


Dr. Paul Johnston can’t get a set of dark, somber eyes out of his head, and the timing couldn’t be worse.


The last thing he needs is to fall for a patient. Not now, when he’s been put on paid leave pending review of a formal complaint. One that most likely accuses him of sexual harrassment or impropriety of some kind. It’s possible he let his newfound freedom as a divorced, out-of-the-closet gay man go to his head, but he’s certain — mostly — he didn’t do anything wrong. Now, he’s struggling to handle the reality that his job is in danger and the only guy he wants should be off-limits.


Zane Kavanaugh is floundering, and there’s only one man who soothes the storm inside him.


Reeling from an assault that landed him in the hospital and the painful estrangement from his family since coming out, Zane is trying to get his feet under him and find his independence. He moves in with a roommate and searches for a job, all while recovering from a fractured arm and cracked ribs. None of that hurts as much as the emotional damage he’s suffered. When he connects with Dr. Paul Johnston outside of the ER, he’s drawn to the man’s calm, collected manner. It doesn’t hurt that Paul’s lack of experience with men is sexy as hell, and so are his over-the-top responses when Zane gets his lips on him.


There’s no right time to fall in love.


Paul is afraid to start a relationship, and Zane can only handle so much more rejection. Will these two find their perfect moment, or will they realize you can’t choose when and how you fall in love? If Paul can’t take a risk, he may have to choose: the career he loves or the first man to capture his heart.


Bedside Manner is Book 1 of the Hearts & Health series. This is a spin-off series from the book Heart Trouble and includes characters from that novel, but it can be read as a standalone.

 
Author Bio
 

DJ Jamison worked in newsrooms for more than 10 years, which helped tremendously when she began her series centered on The Ashe Sentinel, a fictional small-town newspaper in Kansas. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two sons and three glow-in-the-dark fish.


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A VVivacious Review: Insight (The Community #1) by Santino Hassell

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Rating: 5 Stars out of 5
 
Nathaniel “Nate” Black is a loner, shunned by the people of Brookside, Texas and also a psychic. In fact, the entire Black family is known for being drunks and lunatics and for their high tendencies to commit suicide stemming from the psychic potential that runs strong in their bloodline. So no one is too shocked when news of Theo’s suicide reaches Brookside.
 
And Nate would believe it too, if not for the fact that he is assaulted by a vision of Theo’s impending death which convinces him of the fact that Theo’s death may not have been a suicide. As he makes his way to New York to uncover a whole nest of lies and secrets, he finds a partner in crime in the form of Trent.
 
As Nate and Trent’s attraction continues to grow, Nate is blindsided by knowledge of his own abilities which leaves him questioning the nature of his relationship with Trent.
 
I want the next one already!! Oh my God! This book was simply amazing. I am awestruck.
 
This book is a paranormal mystery romance, in that order. I loved the plot of this book. It was so complicated and yet so well thought out and extremely well executed. It was just so interesting that I kept turning the pages till I reached the last one because it was almost impossible for me to stop in between.
 
This book is dark but nowhere near dystopia dark and definitely nowhere near ICoS (In the Company of Shadows) dark. In fact if you were to compare it to ICoS this book is almost hunky-dory but it definitely has darker elements with a lot of suspense and foreshadowing that you generally don’t find in romance novels.
 
Also this book focuses on the paranormal mystery more than it does on the romance but I never felt like the romance was side-lined. But frankly the murder mystery is so interesting that sometimes I wished I could skip the romantic parts, not that the romance was in any way boring, it was just that I had become a whole lot more invested in Theo’s murder.
 
Personally I loved Nate and Theo as individuals and as a couple. I loved their banter on their road trip and loved how Theo was Nate’s sounding board. I especially loved how Theo is written. This book is entirely from Nate’s POV and it is essentially Nate’s story but at no point in the book did I feel that Trent was not a character in his own right or that he was just someone to help Nate and further the plot which I feel is truly amazing given the fact that the book is entirely from Nate’s POV.
 
The most amazing part of this story was that it introduces a lot of characters. In order of introduction they would be – Nate, Dade, Eric, Trent, Eveline, Beck, Chase, Elijah, Holden, Jericho, Lia, Taìne and Felicia. But all these characters stood out, like they were all people whose stories were worth knowing and I can truthfully say I am actually interested in all their stories. Also I would love to read about Theo, who is dead in this book and whose death is the catalyst for the plot, and who is pretty deplorable if his actions towards his twin brother are any indication but I still wanted to know his story. By the end of the story I was sad about the fact that Nate and Theo would never make up and I know my emotions are totally fuelled by Nate’s inability to not defend his brother but I really want to know what Theo’s character was actually like was he bad like his teenage years suggested or was he actually a good person and would Nate and Theo ever make up had Theo lived. I must say for a guy who only shows up in memories Theo ended up making quite an impression which lent an urgency to bringing his murderer to justice.
 
Also yes, there are a lot of psychic abilities showcased in this book, some more impressive than others. But the fact that Nate is pretty much in the dark about other psychic abilities means that this book is not inundated with the paranormal something I think will be ramped up in the next book with Holden being the narrator who is very much in control of his abilities.
 
This book is self-contained in the sense that Theo’s murder mystery is resolved but there are a lot of new elements about the Community that are introduced in this book which will probably be the focus of books later in this series and I can’t wait to learn more.
 
All in all, this book was amazing. I can’t wait to read more in this series and I really hope we get a book about Chase in the future.
 
Cover Art by Kanaxa. The cover is impressive!
Sales Links
other  links to come
Book Details:
ebook, 320 pages
Expected publication: March 13th 2017 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626495050
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Community #1

An Alisa Releases Day Review: Warlock in Training (Studies in Demonology #1) by T.J. Nichols

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Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

warlock-in-training-by-tj-nicholsAngus Donohue doesn’t want to be a warlock. He believes draining demons for magic is evil, but it’s a dangerous opinion to have—his father is a powerful and well-connected warlock, and Angus is expected to follow the family tradition.

 

His only way out is to fail the demon summoning class. Failure means expulsion from the Warlock College. Despite Angus’s best efforts to fumble the summoning, it works. Although not the way anyone expects.

 

Angus’s demon, Saka, is a powerful mage with his own need for a warlock.

 

Saka wants to use Angus in a ritual to rebalance the magic that is being stripped from Demonside by warlocks. If Angus survives his demon’s desires and the perils of Demonside, he’ll have to face the Warlock College and their demands.

 

Angus must choose: obey the College and forget about Demonside or trust Saka and try to fix the damage before it’s too late. Whatever he does, he is in the middle of a war he isn’t qualified to fight.

 

This is wonderful and thought out story.  Angus has been struggling with himself since his father placed him in Warlock College and has been trying to figure out how to get out without just quitting like he wants to.  When Saka takes him back to Demonside most of his beliefs and research about the use of demons in his world are confirmed.

 

Both Angus’s and Saka’s worlds were well developed and I wasn’t questioning the actions of the characters throughout the story as can often happen with little things seem to be missing.  While the “relationship” between Angus and Saka is not the main focus of the story it is important for this story for the future in this series.  They both have a deep connection to the other, but are unable to actually voice this to others or really themselves.

 

We see the views of both Angus and Saka in this story.  Angus is trying to figure out how to help Saka while also not being a rogue on his side; unfortunately he has more confrontation than he planned on.  I couldn’t help, but feel his desperation and how hopeless his situation felt at many points throughout the story.  Saka has never fully agreed with what many on his side deem the proper solution for bring the worlds back into balance, but as long as he is able he will work to do what he thinks is the best solution.  This is a great start to this series and I look forward to more of these stories.

 

Cover art by Catt Ford is wonderful and shows both of the worlds Angus is trying to live in.

 

Sales Links: DSP Publications | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages

Published: February 14, 2017 by DSP Publications

ISBN-13: 9781635332674

Edition Language: English

Series: Studies in Demonology #1

Release Day Blitz: Leaning Into Love (Leaning into Stories #1) by Lane Hayes (excerpt and giveaway)

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Title:  Leaning Into Love

Series: Leaning Into Stories, #1

Author: Lane Hayes

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: February 10th

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: Approximately 24K words

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Friends to lovers, surfer, white collar, San Francisco, bisexual

Available for Purchase ata6e28-amazon

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Eric Schuster is a successful guy. He’s part owner of a highly successful tech firm, he has a supportive family and a great group of close friends. But something is missing. Or maybe he’s reacting to his business partner and ex’s wedding news. He knows his former lover is making a big mistake but he also knows it’s time to move on. And hopefully avoid falling for another friend.

Zane Richards is an avid sailor and surfer with a laid-back approach to life. He firmly believes there’s a time and place for everything if you’re willing to take a chance. Like letting his best friend know he’s interested in being much more than friends. Eric has always been half in love with Zane but going from friends to lovers isn’t an easy sell for someone protecting his heart. Eric will have to decide if he’s willing to risk it all by leaning into love.

INCLUDES BONUS CONTENT

Excerpt

Zane refilled my glass and returned it to me with a naughty smirk. “You get kinda corny when you’re tipsy, Schuster. It’s cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah. You get goofy. Your ears turn red and it makes the freckles on your nose stand out. Then you do that thing with your hair where you swipe your hand through it so many times that it looks like you just rolled out of bed.”

“Uh…okay. That’s embarrassing.” I searched for a reflective surface as I attempted to pat my unruly brown hair into some semblance of order. “I was going for debonair and I got bar mitzvah kid chic,” I grumbled.

Zane leaned forward and gave me an intense look I didn’t understand.

“You don’t have to be anyone but yourself with me, Eric. I like you just the way you are.” He sat back again and cocked his head. “So let’s talk about this stupid engagement party. What’s the dress code?”

“Um… it’s probably dressy casual,” I replied with a furrowed brow. I wanted to back up a sentence or two and analyze his words and dissect the meaning of “I like you just the way you are”.

“The usual oxymoron,” he snarked. “You are going with me, right?”

“Sure. If you want.”

“I want. It’ll save us both the trouble of finding some poor unsuspecting sucker to drag to a fancy shindig.”

“True. Speaking of suckers, don’t you have a date tonight?”

Zane glanced at his watch and then stretched his legs out on the bench so his shoe nudged my thigh. “I’ve got time. Talk to me. What else have you been up to lately? I noticed there’s a new exhibit at the Modern Museum. Have you gone? I think it’s a midcentury retrospective with Motherwell and de Kooning. I know you like the scribbly art and…”

His conversation was easy. The gentrified version of his former surfer dude accent had a lilting quality I could have listened to for hours. I felt myself truly begin to relax and let go of the invisible hold I’d had on my emotions, like a swimmer grasping onto a ledge who finally realizes he can reach the bottom of the pool. Being with someone who knew quirky details about me and accepted them without judgment or reservation was a gift.

I treasured all of my friends, but Zane was special. Our friendship was rooted in geography and history and now time. He wasn’t making a romantic advance when he asked me to attend Nick’s engagement party with him. That was latent wishful thinking on my part. Zane was simply being who he always was. My oldest and best friend.

Available at Amazon for only 99 cents

Meet the Author

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in an almost empty nest.

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A Stella Review: Whiteout (Seasons of Love #1) by Elyse Springer

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RATING 4 out of 5 stars

whiteout_600x900Noah Landers wakes up one day with a headache and no memory of where—or who—he is. Jason, the man taking care of him, tries to fill in some of the blanks: they’re in a cabin in Colorado on vacation, and Noah slipped on ice and hit his head. But even with amnesia, Noah knows Jason is leaving out something important.

Jason O’Reilly is sexy as hell, treats Noah like he’s precious, and seems determined to make this the romantic getaway they’d apparently dreamed of together. But Noah’s more concerned that he’s trapped alone with Jason in the middle of a blizzard while his slowly-returning memories bring hints of secrets and betrayal.

Noah’s not sure what’s the truth and what’s a lie. But as he learns who he is—and who Jason is to him—he’s forced to reevaluate everything he believes about himself, about loyalty . . . and about love.

Noah wakes up from a fall and can’t remember his own name and who is the person with whom he is sharing a cabin on Christmas time in the middle of a blizzard. He seems to be Jason, his boyfriend but is this the truth? Are Noah and Jason their true names?

Whiteout is the first book in the Season of Love series by Elyse Springer and the author debut novel. A lovely debut book, well written, engaging and with loveable characters. I’m so happy I found a new author I truly enjoyed.

In Whiteout we see Noah slowly get his memories back, flashback after flashback. We see him doubt Jason and their love, but he can’t deny (and it’s clear for the reader too) the attraction and chemistry between them. We see him finally remember everything and be brave and honest with himself and Jason. The book is divided into two parts, in the first one the plot is focused on the MCs, being in a cabin in the middle of nowhere there is really no space for secondary characters. And there, I started to understand where the story was going but I was very curious to see how the author would develop the novel. I have to say I loved this book very much, although it didn’t surprise me in the plot, it surprised me in the development, especially in the second part. I loved how determined Nathan was at showing Jason who he really was and how powerful his love was. I liked the secondary characters I met later and I can’t wait to read their own stories.

I can say Whiteout was a success to me and I’m very interested in reading the coming books even if not all of them will be mm stories. Highly recommend it.

The cover art by Natasha Snow is well done, I like the artist style and all the covers in this series are well done and fitting.

Sales Links

Riptide Publishing

BOOK DETAILS

only listed at Amazon in paperback

Kindle Edition, 276 pages

Published January 23rd 2017 by Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-62649-511-1

Edition Language English

Series Season of Love #1

A MelanieM Review: The Case of the Wandering Wolves (Trickster’s Eye #1) by Mell Eight

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Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

the-case-of-the-wandering-wolvesSix years ago Latrans found his mate—and had to let him go. Now York has returned pleading for Latrans’ help. His daughter has been kidnapped and Latrans is the only person York trusts to get her back. But a simple matter of rescue proves to be far more complicated than anticipated, and even having his mate at his side may not be enough to win the day.

I dive right into every Mell Eight book with enthusiasm and a certain amount of expectation on what I’m going to find in her stories.  Her imagination almost certainly provides me with something new to think about, great characters and a wildly entertaining story.  However, The Case of the Wandering Wolves (Trickster’s Eye #1) by Mell Eight did provide some a couple of elements I liked, it mostly had me scratching my head in disappointment.  Why?  Because there are huge holes in the narrative here and in the thinking of the characters and plot.

It all revolves around the mate bond and what happens when that occurs.  Unfortunately here, the mate bonding is between were and human, twice over.    In the first pairing… Latrans and York, Latrans first pushes his attraction/need for his mate unto the human with disastrous results.  It didn’t help that York is closeted, only has the slightest leanings or interest in men (he might be bisexual, a path not investigated here). But Latrans does eventually leave his mate alone, knowing that as a human, York cannot feel the same as he does.  Realistic, and  totally abandoned when another were/human pair appears later in the story.

That human is expected to adjust to the fact that they are a part of a bonded pair, a fact that shocked me given the factors surrounding that pair’s history. (Spoilers) .  Its even more unbelievable given York’s stilted little speech about forgiving Latrans’ stalking bonding behavior etc. at the end of the tale.  One, where did that language come from?  A therapist? A brochure? It didn’t sound like anything the man had said previously in any of his conversations, so it was jarring. Secondly, the child and her welfare.  Let’s just say, that got a little mixed up here as well.  At least in my opinion.

There is a mystery.  Two actually.  One gets solved fairly quickly.  The other?  Well the villain is not really never in doubt.  The ending is a HFN and this story a set up for a series that seems to revolve around the detective agency that Latrans runs with his friend called The Trickster’s Eye (Latrans is a were coyote). I will mostly likely pick up the second book to see what happens.  It can only get better.

Cover art is so so.  It could also be so much better.

Sales Links

Less Than Three Press

Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published January 11th 2017 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620049358
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesTrickster’s Eye #1

Love Wins in ‘Touchdown (Game Day Book 1)‘ by T.S. McKinney Tour (excerpt and giveaway)

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Title: Touchdown
Series: Game Day Series Book 1
Author: TS McKinney
Publisher – Dark Hollows Press
Genre: M/M Romance
Published: September 7, 2016
Alexander Bryant has lived his entire life making everyone else happy. After meeting Lincoln, will he have the courage to finally do what makes him happy?
Alexander – I like to consider myself a rebel – an ass-kicker that takes what he wants regardless of what others think. I make my own path and flip off the people who don’t agree. I laugh in the face of conflict. Nobody tells me what to do.
In reality, everything about me is a lie – past, present, and future. The Bryant family name requires certain things and all my decisions are based on those requirements. I like football, but the family name demands I love it. I want to be an artist, but the family name demands I be a lawyer. The family demands I fall in love with a nice girl, but I’m falling for, well, the opposite of nice AND girl. I’m a coward and a liar.
Lincoln – I like to imagine myself a loner – a cold heartless bastard that takes what he wants. I lived the biggest part of my life with parents that were ashamed of me for more reasons that one could begin to count, so I trust no one. I have a low tolerance for bullshit and hate liars. So why did I go and fall in love with the biggest liar of them all?

“Sexy, charming, hot and delightful book!” – Amazon Review 
“Touchdown is funny, naughty and delightful” – Amazon Review 
“Super sexy and sassy!!” – MM Book Escape

 

 

Alexander

I lay there, or at least I think I’m lying down on some sort of soft surface. Soft and cozy. Smells nice. Yeah, it feels like a mattress, but it also feels like I’m floating on a fluffy cloud. I can hear things, some soft music playing, but it sounds like everything is so far away. I’m toasty warm. Even in my sluggish mind I know I’ve never felt this relaxed in my entire life. I can’t explain it – other than I never want the feeling to go away.

I should probably open my eyes and try to at least wake up, but it feels so damned good that I keep them clenched tightly together. There’s a nagging twitch in the back of my mind, telling me something isn’t quite right and I should be concerned, very concerned, but I don’t want to listen. I try to shut out my mind and focus only on what my body is saying.

I want to relax and enjoy whatever the hell this is. I don’t use drugs, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to start if this is the result of pill popping. Did I drink too much? Nope; if I had, I’d be feeling more like a rattlesnake being poked instead of a cuddly slug cocooned someplace…that smelled so damned nice. What the hell was that scent? I liked it. I’m pretty sure if I was able, it would turn me on. For the first time in my life, I feel like I might not have the energy to even get it up…and it feels so good that I don’t even care.

What had I been doing? Where was I? What had happened and how could I make it happen again?

“Alexander.” A husky voice invaded my state of peace and relaxation.

I peeked an eye open and immediately wished I hadn’t. Fuck. Fuck. Double fuck. What the double fuck? I tried to scramble away from the man looming over me but my limbs felt like fucking jelly that had been left out in the sun. My arms wouldn’t work. My fucking legs wouldn’t work. The only thing that was fucking working was the voice inside my head screaming for me to run for my fucking life. Well, shit. I’m naked. Yep, naked and apparently I’m in another man’s bed. I don’t belong in the beds of other men. Nope, not me. Especially not the bed of Lincoln Montgomery, spanker of bare asses.

“Calm down, Alexander,” Lincoln said in that deep, sexier than sexy voice. “You’re going to feel weak after our scene. It’s natural so don’t be alarmed. Don’t move,” he ordered as he turned away to reach for something. Before I could even consider trying to at least slide across the bed and belly crawl for the window so I could jump to my death, he was back around and offering me a bottle of water. No way was I drinking that shit. I’m sure it’s drugged; just like whatever I drank last night had to have been drugged. That’s why I was feeling so weak. And fucking wonderful.

Oh, shit. The scene! I had actually let another man spank me with a crop. In front of a crowd. Practically naked. I’m pretty sure I begged for it. I eyed the window again, calculating if I could make it before Lincoln grabbed me and hauled me back to his bed. Sure, I’d die naked and humiliate my parents and grandparents, but that would have to be their fucking problem. For the first time in my life, they would just have to deal with me breaking the rules. Technically, I suppose, I wasn’t breaking them. Mother just always said to have clean underwear on in case you are in an accident. I suppose in her mind no underwear would surely beat dirty underwear.

“Stop acting like a child, Alexander. We’re on the tenth floor. You would splatter,” Lincoln scolded. “Now drink your water. After an especially intense scene, you need plenty of rest and fluids. You’ve gotten the rest, so let’s drink our water, shall we?”

Apparently he could read my mind. Perfect.

“I don’t want your water, Lincoln. You’re probably just trying to drug me again,” I spat. Hell, I knew he hadn’t drugged me, but it sounded a hell of a lot better than I was stone-cold sober when I stripped in front of strangers and let a grown-ass man spank me. Oh wait, I’m also naked in his comfy bed. We probably fucked, too.

It gets better and better.

I wiggle a bit to see if I’m sore in places I shouldn’t be sore. Yep, I sure the fuck am. Of course that could very well be from the spanking I received, but, then again, it could be from something much worse. Shit, did I let this man fuck me? Double shit, why does the thought of that not piss me off like it should?

“Are you implying I’ve drugged you, Alexander?” Lincoln asked as he opened the bottle of water. I opened my mouth to tell him I damned straight thought he drugged me, but before I could get it out, he had scooped up my head and forced the bottle against my lips. “Drink,” he ordered.

So I drank it.

“Very good,” he praised and I glowed like a fucking moron. Why the hell would I care if he was happy or not? I should be feeling the opposite. Actually, I should probably punch him the face – if only my damned arms didn’t feel like a ton of lead. Since an angry glare was the only weapon I possessed at the moment, I glared. And glared. And glared.

He laughed – the motherfucker.

“You’ve got a pretty pout, Alexander. I’m sure you use it to get your way on most occasions, but it won’t work with me so put it away. Don’t waste your time and mine.”

His voice sounded like a growl. A very sexy, very arousing growl. Something inside of me wanted to purr. I settled for, “Fuck off, Lincoln.”

“Do you remember what happened earlier?” He pulled a chair right up against the bed and leaned closer to me than I felt comfortable with. No, scratch that. He leaned closer than I wanted to feel comfortable with. As it turns out, what I think I want and what my body wants might be two different things, as in on opposite ends of the chart. My head is screaming “no” but my body is dying to get closer to him. As my nostrils flare, I realize the scent that has been driving me crazy with lust is none other than Lincoln Montgomery. Could it get any worse?
“I’m straight,” I blurted out, trying to convince myself more than Lincoln. “Not gay.” Yeah, clarify it like he didn’t have a clue what straight meant. I’m a fucking idiot.

He smiled. It was one of those indulgent smiles that parents give children when they say or do something ridiculous. “Yes, thank you for telling me, Alexander. Again.”

Oh yeah, I had already told him that. Shit.

“Don’t worry. Straight men end up on the other end of my crop and then naked in my bed all the time.” Another indulgent smile. “It happens alllll the time.” He mocked.

“Did we?” I asked. I had to know. Shit, I didn’t want to know.

“Did we what?” Lincoln asked with a smirk. He knew damned well what I wanted to know. “Did we fuck?” I hissed, furious he made me say it and even more furious at the blush creeping across my body.

Lincoln remained perfectly quiet and I knew the delay was only meant to make me suffer as long as humanly possible. His eyes, a deep midnight blue, twinkled with merriment at my expense. I wasn’t sure of a hell of a lot of things at the moment, but I was one hundred percent certain that if Lincoln had fucked me, I enjoyed it. There was an aura of arrogance that he wore like a second skin – not the stupid kind of arrogance, but the kind that one got from being told how incredibly awesome they were. At fucking. He was probably awesome at fucking.

Finally, he said, “Trust me, Alexander; you would know it if I’d fucked you.” He leaned closer to me. “Every inch of you, inside and out, would know you’d been properly fucked.” His hot breath tickled my cheek as he spoke the words…the words that tickled me somewhere else. Fuck. How horrifying would it be if my cock got hard right about now? Pretty fucking horrifying.

“Plus, you’re straight, remember?”
T.S. McKinney lives in East Tennessee with her high school sweetheart/husband and all the countless dogs she picks up from deserted country roads. Her professional career has been in business but her heart has always belonged to the fantasy world found in books.
Creating wicked worlds where one can meet the perfect hero – and then do anything to him that you want – has been a hobby that has brought her plenty of hours of fun and naughty entertainment.
When not working, reading, or writing, she loves to spend time with my family and forcing them (because they don’t really have another choice) to allow me to redecorate their houses…and listen to my naughty…sometimes sadistic stories.

A Caryn Review: Pictures of You (’90s Coming of Age #1) by Leta Blake

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

pictures-of-you-by-leta-blakeFirst, a disclaimer:  as the blurb says, this book is the first in a series.  The beginning of the story of Peter is completed, as he goes through his senior year in high school, falls in love for the first time, and learns painful truths about himself and about the world around him.  The book ends, not quite on a cliffhanger, but Peter’s future is unclear and the reader is left wanting to know more.

Peter is an only child, son of parents who are kind, but distant, oblivious, and mostly uninvolved.  He was bullied in public school, so for his senior year transfers to a local private school, determined to keep his head down and avoid notice.  At orientation he meets Adam and his twin sister Sarah.  They are truly parentless, shipped off to live with their older brother while their mother and father stay in Jordan.  The twins are beautiful, worldly, charismatic, and Sarah is determined to join the popular clique, so when Adam befriends Peter, Sarah takes him along for the ride as well.  Peter is helplessly attracted to Adam, and when that attraction becomes mutual, the friendship becomes sexual – Adam has been with both women and men in the past, but Peter is a virgin, and lets Adam take the lead in all things.

I admit I am a sucker for stories about this time in a person’s life.  That transition from child to adult, when you start to define both who you are, and who you want to be.  Peter is an amazing character, mature in some ways, but painfully naïve in others.  He’s a photographer, an artist, and Ms. Blake truly captured the intense way that teenagers feel about everything.  The story was so believable, and throughout the first half I was alternately devouring the book and looking away because I was both attracted and repulsed by the train wreck I saw coming.  I knew it would end in tears.

I wanted to be angry at Adam, at Sarah, and at Peter’s parents for all the secrets they kept.  For the way they let past injuries make them afraid of facing the truth, or owning it.  But these characters also were written very sympathetically, and I could understand what made them cruel, what made them twist themselves in knots to justify the actions that in retrospect were bound to cause pain.

In the second half of the book, once some of the underlying motives were revealed, the pace slowed down.  At that point, it was mostly about Peter’s internal struggle to come to terms with who he’d let himself become, and to try to find his path forward and do the right thing.  Several secondary characters were introduced, their personalities and actions defined just the right amount for their involvement in the story.  Renee/Robert, the drag queen that gives Peter a job; Leslie and Susan, the high school friends; Dr. Landry, the perceptive and encouraging English teacher, and even Peter’s father who becomes more engaged in Peter’s life.  I also appreciated the way that sex was introduced into Peter’s and Adam’s relationship, the initial intensity – despite Peter’s inexperience and embarrassment – and the fact that Adam held out for months before he topped Peter, even though Peter begged him for it.  Points to the author for describing that first time as painful, messy, and admittedly done more to prove a point than for physical pleasure.  Not typical for this genre, where bottoming for the first time is usually amazing and the best sex ever.  Um, not.

It’s hard to say more without giving major spoilers, but I can say that the book ends on a mostly positive note, even though there is no HEA, and not much of an HFN either.  Things got messy and stayed that way, because in real life, problems don’t get resolved that easily either.

Fans of Jay Bell’s Seasons series will enjoy this book.  I loved it, and will be waiting anxiously for the sequel.  Highly recommended!

Cover art is amazing, poignant and perfect.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

ebook, 316 pages
Published September 19th 2016 by Leta Blake Books
ISBN139781626227590
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series’90s Coming of Age #1

An Alisa Review: A Little Blood (The Blood Bond Trilogy #1) by Aimer Boyz

Standard

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

a-little-bloodCan you handle forever?

Eternity comes with a price. Forever is a lonely word and Etienne Vaillancourt needs more than blood.

Andrew Delaney needs to pay down his student loans, maybe save enough money to fix up his relic of a Honda. No rush, Andrew’s got his whole life ahead of him.

But one lifetime isn’t always enough.

A chance meeting in a movie theatre is the start of a future neither man had thought possible. A future together … if they can handle forever.

 

I really enjoyed this book.  The main characters are wonderful with great secondary characters to enhance the story.  The author didn’t try to completely change how many would think of vampires, but also wasn’t too cliché either.

 

Etienne has been alone a long time, it’s better to keep his secret and to not get attached to his food.  However, Andrew completely throws him for a loop when they begin talking at the movie theatre.  They quickly grow to care for each other, but neither really know how they want to navigate their relationship.

 

Etienne and Andrew feel an immediate connection to each other when they meet that only grows with time.  This story was told from both characters’ points of view which gave me the opportunity to see both characters feelings.  Etienne would do anything to protect and be with Andrew, but is afraid of his reaction.  Andrew needs to decide if forever if what he really wants.  I can’t wait to read more stories in this series.

 

Cover art by James at GoOnWrite.com is perfect for this book.

 

Sales Link: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 235 pages

Published: September 9, 2016

Edition Language: English

Series: The Blood Bond Trilogy #1