Tag: first in a series

Coffee Sip & Book Break with Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks (excerpt and giveaway)

Shades of Power

Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks
Release Date: September 21, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Rainbow Ninja Press
Cover Artist: Beany Sparks

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Buy the book:  Smashwords

Blurb

An explosion sends Ethan running…straight into the arms of his mate.

Ethan White is a witch whose days are spent in his apothecary with his familiar, Beema. While making potions for the townsfolk keeps him busy, nothing exciting ever happens—until one day when a surprise visitor walks in and his world crumbles around him. Suddenly Ethan and his familiar are on the run, heading for the Fae to seek sanctuary.

Grayson is an alpha wolf. His two best friends are his betas, but there’s one thing missing—a pack. It’s for that very reason that the three of them were volunteered by the council to act as representatives. Their mission? Try to convince the Fae Queen to get the Fae involved in a battle with the Midnight Coven, the witches suspected of using the dark arts. However, the mission takes a back seat when Grayson meets his mate for the first time.
With revelations and lies around every corner and a battle looming, they have to be ready to fight if they want to have a life together.

When a prophecy about the Shades of Power comes to light, both sides want the power for the battle against the other. The question is—who will unite them first?

Pages or Words: 36,444 words
Categories: Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal

Excerpt

“What are you doing here?” he asked, feeling proud his voice remained level.
“My, my, is that any way to speak to a customer, Ethan?”
“You are not a customer, nor will you be a customer. Tell me what you want and then get the hell out of my shop.”
Ethan had a second to regret his rudeness when she narrowed her eyes at him, but reminding himself that nothing good could come of her visit had him standing there with his head held high.
“I would watch how you speak to me, Ethan, since we both know who the stronger witch is.”
“Well, if you are the stronger witch, then there’s absolutely no reason why you would be in my shop. Make sure the door doesn’t hit you on the way out.”
Ethan watched as her eyes narrowed even further, to the point where he wasn’t sure she could even see him. All the while he waited for her reaction—or rather, the explosion that was likely coming.
Suddenly she blinked and then smiled, which was far scarier than anything Ethan could remember seeing before.
“You’re right, Ethan, I am the stronger witch, and as such, I have better things to do than waste my time making potions. So here I am, ready to purchase the potions I need and help my dear little brother make some money so that he can survive in this big, bad world we live in.”
Ethan almost sighed, wanting to forget about being related to the monster in front of him. No one had believed him when he had accused her of being evil. While everyone else had seen her as a gifted child, Ethan had seen the dark side of her early on. Deep down he’d known that she would turn to the dark arts, but everyone he’d told thought he’d just said that to get attention, even their parents. When they’d died, it had left a huge hole in his heart, but he’d finally been able to escape his sister by using some of his inheritance money to move towns and buy his cabin. Although, he couldn’t really call it escaping when on her way out one day she’d told him to pack his things and be gone when she returned. For the first time in his life, he’d obeyed her.
Snapping back to the present, Ethan tried to focus, knowing that if he didn’t, things could go badly.
“What do you want, Des?” he asked.
She frowned at him for a moment before speaking. “Actually, it’s Ravyn now, Ravyn Darkh. Maybe you’ve heard of me?”
Oh shit!

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Meet the Author

Beany lives in Western Australia. She first started reading romance novels in 2008, but it wasn’t until January 2010 when her Kindle got delivered that the world of erotic romance opened its doors to her, and she hasn’t looked back.

With suggestions and support from friends, her muse—“affectionately” known as PITA—was finally able to break free, and in January 2014 her first story was written. Since she can’t put PITA back in his box, Beany has decided to give in and team up with him. Together they’ve made plans to write both MF and MM stories.

She can be reached at beany.sparks@gmail.com
Or visit her at http://www.beanysparks.com

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beany.sparks
Twitter: @BeanySparks

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Mikky’s World of Books, The Jena Wade, Havan Fellows, My Fiction Nook, Divine Magazine, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, For the Love of Bookends, The Hat Party, Molly Lolly, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Inked Rainbow Reads, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Carly’s Book Reviews, Ogitchida Book Blog, Nephylim, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

 

Final

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: e-Copy of ‘Shades of Power’ by Beany Sparks. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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A Mika Review: Fret (The Rock #1) by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars 

Fret coverFormer Navy SEAL Axel Blaze lives a solitary life. He doesn’t do emotions, and he doesn’t do babysitting. Used to being on his own, his job consists of Wetwork (a charming term coined by the KGB) for his former Master Chief, Mac. When an out-of-the-ordinary job lands on his doorstep, Axel heads down a path that includes a famous heavy metal rock band and one quiet, vulnerable, guitar-shredding virtuoso named Gareth Wolf.

Gareth Wolf’s life changed in an instant when a car he was a passenger in crashed, hurting his brother’s best friend and the band’s lead guitarist. They created the band, Skull Blasters, as kids. Gareth had always been happy in the background, playing roadie. With the lead guitarist’s injury, Gareth is suddenly thrust into the limelight and into a frenzied life he never imagined for himself. Finally fed up with living a lie, Gareth comes out as gay in a newspaper interview and finds himself in the bulls-eye of a crazed stalker. Somebody wants Gareth hurt – or worse – and Mac has been hired to be sure that doesn’t happen. Babysitting duty is NOT Axel’s strong suit, but Mac won’t be budged.

Enter Axel Blaze.

Against his better judgment, the big man takes the job to protect the shy musician. The more time he spends with Gareth Wolf, the more he admires the man. Where’s a simple assassination when you need one? The situation becomes more volatile for each man as the attempts on Gareth escalate just as Axel finds himself falling for the quiet lead guitarist.

Strong, funny, smart-ass — and kinda sweet Axel is everything Gareth has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s off limits. As the stalker grows bolder, Gareth and Axel move closer emotionally – but is it too late? All Axel knows is that they don’t stand a chance if he can’t find the maniac trying to kill the man he’s come to care about. A lot. 
Everyone knows that relationships that begin in pressured or volatile situations eventually fizzle out. 
Or do they?

I’m used to  Sandrine Gasq-Dion‘s bodies of work. I’m sure I’ve read 98% of her published catalog. I know what to expect out of her stories before I start reading them. Be it the Men of Manhattan Series, or my obsession with her Assassin/Shifter series. I can expect pure smut, unadulterated sweetness, a lot of gyrating, some closeted a-holes, a lot of acceptance from straight guys, and just fun reading them. You can say I’m familiar biblically with her work. I wrote that to say, this seemed like a first draft for me. I don’t think I ever had an issue with the editing, and proofreading of her stories. It took a toll on the rating for me. You know a handful of errors is doable, the entire story is unacceptable. The writing errors, speech errors, and the constant point of view changes made the story unexciting.

It was very monotonous to have to go over what I read. The plot wasn’t a mystery. I think it was a good concept, but conception wise it fell very short. This does not feel like a SGD book at all. I wasn’t happy with it. I liked the characters, but I felt like it could have been more. I think Axel and Gareth could have been better characters if they were developed more. I never got attached to them. I felt like we were treading water throughout the story. Of course I’ll continue to read her work, but this one left me unsatisfied and disappointed.

 Cover Art by unknown:  I think the cover was nicely done. It fit well with the blurb and plot of the story.

Sales Links:  Amazon  |  Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 232 pages
Published September 1st 2015 (first published August 28th 2015)
series
The Rock #1

A Stella Review: Beyond the Surface (The Breakfast Club #1) by Felice Stevens

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Beyond the Surface coverOn 9/11, firefighter Nick Fletcher’s world changed forever. He’s unable to rid himself of survivor’s guilt, made worse by the secret he hides from his family and co-workers. Nick’s life is centered around helping burn victims, until he is reunited with the man he’d once loved but pushed away. Now he has a second chance at a love he thought lost forever.

For fashion designer Julian Cornell, appearances mean everything. His love affairs are strictly casual, and the only thing he cares about is making his clothing line a success. A chance encounter with the man he loved long ago has Julian thinking for the first time in years there may be more to life than being seen at the best parties and what designer labels to wear.

When Julian’s world takes an unexpected turn, it’s Nick who helps him regain perspective on what matters most in life. Julian, in turn, helps Nick accept who he is and understand he isn’t responsible for tragedies he couldn’t prevent. Lost love found can be even sweeter the second time around and after all the years apart, both men learn to look beyond the surface to find the men they are inside.

“I see the real you, the man underneath the scars at the surface. Those mean nothing to me. I’ve looked beyond that. A person’s body is merely a place card for their soul, their heart, and their mind. And in that respect?” Julian bent down and kissed him softly. “You’re the most perfect man I know.”

Beyond The Surface was my first Felice Stevens book and it will not be my last. I know it sounds rhetorical but I really loved her writing style a lot.

This story was a joy to read, a hurt/comfort book hard to ignore since it’s well written and so full of good feelings. I was afraid it was going to be more angsty since Nick being there on the 9/11. Instead everything was showed us in the perfect way, delicate and thorough. It simply filled my heart.

I love “second chance at love” stories and this one was amazing. After being left by Nick without a second though in high school, Julian met him again almost twenty years later; Nick who, in spite of everything, is still the man of his life. Both their lives have changed so much, but the chemistry is still there waiting for them to act on it, especially for Nick to finally be brave and come out. Pretending to be straight is what Nick has done all this time, afraid to disappoint his family, already wounded by his injuries and impossibility to work as a firefighter anymore. He’s afraid when he shouldn’t be cause his family is really great. That’s one more thing I liked, the acceptance and the no drama his coming out was met with. Beautiful and light to see.

“I’m gay.” Julian expelled a long breath and leaned his forehead against Nick’s.
“Thank God.” He kissed Nick then, a soft sweet brush of his lips like the wing of a bird. “It’s the first step. I’m so proud of you.”
Nick kissed Julian back, and he knew he’d finally come home.

There is a great second characters’ cast, some made me laugh, others, the boys and girls at the burn center, broke my heart with their pain and their courage, but they represented the turning point in the MCs’ relationship. In a couple of scenes that played around these young people, I admit I shed some tears, almost of all them were happy tears. It’s an emotional book so it was inevitable.

Beyond the Surface is the first book in a new series called The Breakfast Club, set around three young friends who are used to meet for breakfast. Julian is one of them, then there’s Marcus, club owner always looking for the next man to seduce, and the sweet and shy geek Zach. I’m dying to get their stories too. With this first installment, Felice made me fall in love with her talent and her boys and I’m waiting for the next couple.

Highly recommended!

Cover art by Reese Dante is sweet and simple, it fits the book perfectly in every little detail.

Sales Links:  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details;

Published August 17th 2015 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Kindle Edition, 229 pages
ASIN B013JB97QY
Edition Language English

 

A MelanieM Review: Buttermilk Ranch (The Hard Riders #1) by Patricia Logan

Rating:   2.5 stars  out of 5

Buttermilk RanchWendell Blackowl has spent all his life in the working cow horse show ring where toiling with sweaty cowboys all day is the fodder for wet dreams. Though privately he’s come to terms with his sexuality, publicly Dell’s had to build a façade. When his beloved horse Buttermilk dies, Dell finds himself at loose ends so he decides to pick himself up by his boot straps and do what he’s always wanted to do… open an environmentally friendly organic vegetarian café.

Pace Avila, well known music critic, has been drawn to Austin by the live music scene. When friends invite him to check out a fresh new dinner experience, Pace reluctantly agrees to push the deadline on his national column. He isn’t interested in vegetarian food or a restaurant with the cheesy name of Buttermilk Ranch Café, but the moment Pace lays eyes on the stunning cowboy chef, things begin looking up.

When openly gay Pace walks into his cafe and his life, Dell realizes he’s tired of living a lie and tired of being alone. When Mother Nature throws an unprecedented storm at Austin, the muddy waters threaten to wipe out everything Dell’s worked so hard to build. He soon realizes that with a man like Pace by his side, love really can conquer all.

I love my gay cowboys and a gay cowboy turned chef?  Well, that had all the makings of a book to rope in my heart! See? Got cute, combined cooking and rodeo analogies…oh never mind.  Enough of the diversionary tactics.  From that gorgeous cover which is finely detailed right down to the wooden spoon in the back pocket to the blurb, I was gleefully anticipating a new story to trumpet.  I really need to stop getting ahead of myself.

The author’s narrative starts derailing from the beginning.  Patricia Logan has her characters use what I like to call “countryspeak”, call it an author’s country answer to Spanglish.  Its not really true to any regional location you can pin down, or to specific sayings or colloquialisms, its just that the author throws in a “ya” or “heya” here and there enough for their people to sound like the way the author thinks someone from that  part of the country sounds like.  Compounding the issues is the problem of continuity.  The “ya” is then quickly followed by a “you” or “your” not “ya’ll” or what have you.  Sometimes “countryspeak” rules, other times its completely forgotten, a disruption in character foundation and all around displacement the story’s setting that is echoed in other segments that work against the story as well.

The most basic of these elements is characterization.  Patricia Logan’s Wendell Blackowl has a very detailed background, from his family history, life on his parents ranch to his long time with the rodeo, all closeted and with good reasons set down for that status.  From the prologue on, Logan present’s Dell as a well defined man.  I liked his Buttermilk Ranch/Restaurant, even thought Logan made the argument for Dell’s vegetarianism logical and appealing.  However, none of that lasts very long.  With the entrance of Pace, comes instant love (yet no charisma) and Blackowl’s characterization is forgotten as a new one is created along with the needs of the storyline.  Dell is a virgin.  Dell and Pace and going to go slow.  And no they don’t.  Dell loves and respects his mother.  Then comes out to her at…no, its just too sad.  Would you really take the chance of doing that to your beloved mother just before she gives an important speech at a Pride event?  It makes no sense the way that it was written.  Or given the way the relationship dynamics were laid out in the story.

Yes, there are some nice moments. Also some weird ones with a bdsm club.  Perhaps, there is another series this book is temporarily connecting with, I’m just not sure because its not adequately explained. Maybe they will arrive in later books.  Either way, the country-speak, the characterizations and continuity…all big Cs that went wrong in this story had already brought the rating down past the 3 stars.

For some of you,  the sweet love story that exists, buried underneath the structural defects I see, will be enough for you to enjoy because its a quick story.  For you, have fun reading.  For all the others, there are other cowboys in love for you to discover, whose dialog and colloquialisms will drop you into their romance and location as though you are part of their lives and  scenery.  I wouldn’t settle for less than that.

Cover art by AJ Corza.  This is one of my favorite covers.  With the long hair in a braid that shouts Dell to the chef’s spoon in the back pocket.  Its marvelous right down to the colors.

Sales Links:   Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 189 pages
Published August 29th 2015 by Westburg Publishing
ASINB012J29SQI
edition language English
series The Hard Riders #1

Coffee Sip and Book Break with Lee Brazil’s Keeping House (Truth or Dare #1) (excerpt and giveaway)

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Keeping House (Truth or Dare #1) by Lee Brazil
Release Date: August 31, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Lime Time Press
Cover Artist: Laura Harner

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Buy the book: Amazon  | ARE  | Smashwords

Blurb

Mischa knows his brothers are up to something. He doesn’t realize it will lead him to Donovan Holloway and change his carefree lifestyle forever.

Having grown up in a free-love hippie commune taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him, Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he’s worked for twenty years, has come a long way. He’s worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he’s ever wanted is a normal family life—house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to, to care for, to care for him has been his dream since he was a small boy.

Green-eyed, liberally pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife, Mischa Blake has made a terrible mistake. In a fit of childish pique, he’s accepted a dare from his older brothers. The dare? Live on his own, supporting himself completely, for a year without accessing his trust fund. No problem. Except Mischa has never worked a day in his life, hasn’t finished college, and has absolutely no skills to bring to the table.

When he sees Donovan’s ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really…how hard can it be?

Pages or Words: 28,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Romance

Excerpt

Donovan Holloway flung the heavy oak front door of his new dream home open with a thud. He peered out at the extremely tardy final interviewee for the position of housekeeper and groaned inwardly. The person on the other side of the door was not the one he’d been expecting.

“Yes?” He didn’t have time for neighborhood boys selling magazines, cookies, or candy bars, even if they were sexy as hell. The person at the door might, might, have been seventeen. He should just shut the door and hope the kid went away. On second glance, shutting the door on temptation incarnate seemed like a damn good idea.

Wearing a tight black T-shirt, black skinny jeans, and black skate shoes, his visitor carried a skateboard under one arm and a black backpack hung off the other. His head was shaved on both sides leaving a strip down the center that was ink-black and, despite the rain, stood in four-inch porcupine spikes. He was pale, eyes red-rimmed, and literally drenched. Damn. That wet look sure was effective. Pervert! He snarled at himself. Note to self— get out of the office and get laid this weekend.

Donovan stepped back, prepared to slam the door, but something sad in those green eyes gave him pause. “Hey, are you all right? Do you need help?” He scanned the quiet neighborhood, looking for a reason the kid might be knocking on his door, envisioning gangs of hoodlums stalking the as yet silent boy through upscale neighborhoods.

He shuddered and then swallowed audibly before speaking. “I’m Mischa Blake.”

Donovan stared uncomprehending.

“Mikhail?” Deep green eyes stared at Donovan expectantly. When no response was forthcoming, he added, “Michael? Blake? I have an interview?”

Donovan shoved his hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a pink phone slip from his secretary. M. Blake was his sixth scheduled interview for the position of housekeeper/cook/gardener.

The first applicant, a beady-eyed battle-axe, had taken one look around his yard and at the clutter in his house yet to be unpacked and announced that she most emphatically did not work for pigs.

He knew the place was a mess. He’d found his ranch style house on the market at the right price and decided to celebrate his recent promotion to vice president of the advertising agency where he’d worked for the past twenty years by moving out of the tiny apartment he’d lived in for years and into a real home. It was the house he’d imagined so often as a kid, boasting a large yard, open floor plan, huge kitchen, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, gorgeous picture windows, and vaulted ceilings.

Of course, in his childhood fantasies, the house had been occupied by him, and a beautiful wife—a golden-haired, blue-eyed, petite Florence Henderson look-alike—and a bevy of beautiful, intelligent children. He’d suffered a minor setback at seventeen when he discovered he was gay, but after due consideration, he’d replaced Florence with Phillip Henderson and been instantly back in business.

The housekeeping candidate hadn’t cared about his dream-turned-nightmare. She’d flounced out before he could even give her the job description. The second applicant had sat sipping coffee in his office, murmuring noncommittally in response to his job description for several moments. He nurtured high hopes for the middle-aged lady, until she abruptly interrupted him to demand, “Are you one of them? Because I’m looking at you, and I’m guessing, Myrtle, he’s one of them. You’re a gay man, aren’t you?”

He’d sat in stunned silence, mouth hanging open a bit too long as she began to spout fire and brimstone and call upon God to wreak his vengeance on all sodomites. She’d still been spewing vitriol as he clasped her elbow and hustled her the few feet from his home office to the front door and out onto the sidewalk.

“I’m looking for someone to cook a few meals and scrub the toilets, not validate my existence!” he called after her as he slammed the door.

The third applicant hadn’t spoken a word of English, and since he had zero chance of learning to speak Hmong, he’d nodded, shaken his head and hustled her out the door as quickly as he could as well. The fourth applicant had been a no-show. It was depressing. He’d really screwed up his chances of fulfilling his lifelong dream by purchasing the house before he’d found the Phillip Henderson to manage it!

Hiring a housekeeper to manage his home life much as his secretary managed his business life was a brilliant option. The housekeeper could handle the dream house that had become a nightmare, and he could concentrate on finding that Phillip Henderson after he got his work life sorted out again.

Instead, the only candidate he would even consider hiring had been the fifth. She’d been a perfectly wonderful grandmotherly type who’d labeled him adorable and patted him on the cheek like he was a six-year-old boy instead of a forty-year-old businessman. He’d fallen more than a little in love with her right at the moment her soft wrinkled hand patted his cheek so sweetly. Unfortunately, she looked to be about ninety-six, and delicate—as though her spun sugar white hair would melt in the rain. He’d have felt guilty as hell asking her to clean up after him. He’d kept her number, just in case he could come up with a reason to invite her back over after his house was in order. She’d be the perfect grandmother figure for the children he had yet to adopt. Phillip Henderson, where are you?

Sighing, he looked up from the scrap of paper. “You’re applying to be my housekeeper?”

About the Author

Meet Lee Brazil:

Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.

Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.

Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don’t fit?

Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.

I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now. It’s why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.

If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and I’ve come to realize that’s the best thing in the world to be, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.

If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.

Where to find Lee Brazil:


RCTour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, Kimi-Chan, Christy Loves 2 Read, Charley Descoteaux, Inked Rainbow Reads, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, The Jena Wade, Carly’s Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Multitasking Mommas, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Molly Lolly, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Dawn’s Reading Nook

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Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $5.00 ARe gift card. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize(s) provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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A Paul B Review: Alpha Coder (Geek Pack #1) by Kathryn Sparrow

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Alpha Coder coverWhen Liam Reed meets his very male mate who is interning at Soft Corp, his place of employment, will it add to the already high tensions that exist in his pack?

Liam Reed never wanted to be alpha. His brother Jason was groomed to take over for their father. When Jason and his family die in a single car accident, Liam agrees to take over, as the alternative, Bradley, is worse. Though Bradley never really challenges Liam directly but does everything he can to make Liam’s life miserable. When he tries to add his friend Thomas to the pack council, Bradley utters a homophobic comment under his breath just loud enough for Liam to hear. Frank, the pack beta, tells Liam that he needs to do something soon or else the pack will split apart.

Cody Jones is a student at MIT. He is the newest intern at Soft Corp. When he meets his supervisor, Liam Reed, things take a turn that neither man expects. They realize that they are mates, even though neither has had any feelings for a man before. Things are complicated on three fronts. First, Liam is dating a woman named Alice whom he has recently suggested that things were leading toward a marriage. Second, pursuing a relationship with each other is strictly against company policy and the director of human resources is fanatical about the policy. Third, they have to deal with Bradley and his friends who will not accept a gay alpha, let alone a gay member of the pack council.

I thought this first book in the new Geek Pack series was a decent novel but the amount of angst throughout the book was a bit much for my tastes. Liam is concerned he does not compare to his father or brother as alpha. Liam is worried about Alice’s feelings and whether or not she will turn them in for the office romance. Liam and Cody are concerned that Tiger Johnson, the human resource guy will figure out what is going on. They both worry about Bradley and his plans for the pack when it is known that they are now the alpha pair. Add in the fact that Cody and Thomas think that Jason and his family had help in their accident and one can go on overload quickly. I think one less subplot would have sharpened this book a bit.

The cover art by Mina Carter shows Liam and Cody shirtless with the full moon above them. They are over a keyboard that has a bullet on top of it. It is a decent cover but with a title of “Alpha Coder” I would think of something different would be in order.

Sales Links:   Loose id LLC |  All Romance (ARe)  |  Amazon |  Buy It Here

Book details
Ebook: 261 pages
ISBN: 978-1-62300-953-3
Edition: English
Published: July 2015 by Loose ID
Series: Geek Pack (first book)

A Little Bit of Coffee and Kink with Building Bonds (Kiss of Leather 1) by Morticia Knight

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Building Bonds (Kiss of Leather 1) by Morticia Knight
Release Date: August 26, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Cover Artist: Posh Gosh

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Sales Links: Pride Publishing | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | iTunes | Kobo | Google Books

 

Blurb

Kyle’s a natural sub who builds dungeon furniture, yet has no interest in BDSM. It takes a hunky Dom to show him just what he’s been missing.

After Kyle’s partner of five years leaves him for another man on the night of their housewarming party, the shy early thirties carpenter needs to do a serious reassessment of his life in addition to raising some serious cash. With no one else to help him pay the lease on his Los Angeles condo, he worries how he’ll survive. His best friend sets up a meeting with one of the Doms and partners at Kiss of Leather, a gay BDSM Club being built as a premiere destination for those who want the best of the best.

Master Gavin not only wants the best – he demands it. When he meets Kyle, he assumes that part of the builder’s reticence to share anything personal with him must be due to his experiences with an abusive former Master. Not one to back down from a challenge, Gavin determines to break through the walls surrounding the beautiful man he can’t get out of his mind. He’s certain that once he convinces Kyle to sign an initial contract, Kyle might be the first sub to open up his heart.

Misunderstandings and accusations almost destroy everything between them before it has a chance to begin. However, the true obstacle becomes not only whether Kyle will embrace BDSM as a lifestyle, but whether he can handle a fulltime D/s relationship with a big bad scary Dom who’s as sexy as hell.

Pages or Words: 173 pages

Categories: BDSM, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt

“I don’t have to be naked, right? You’re sure I won’t have to be naked?” Kyle sucked in a gulp of air. “Of course, if everyone else is and I’m not…Oh God, they’ll all be staring at me. Maybe I should be naked.”
Gavin stepped from the shower and the sight of his stunning frame with his semi-erect cock swaying, rivulets of water trailing down his beautiful skin over his rock hard abs – it made him want to…
“Kyle. Did you hear what I said?”
“Huh?”
Gavin chuckled then advanced on him. He grabbed Kyle by his nape then pulled him in for a deep kiss. He broke their connection, except he kept his hand circled around Kyle’s neck, holding him there, safe.
“No one expects you to be naked, least of all me. You have a wonderful body that I hope you’ll someday allow others to see, but tonight isn’t about pushing your boundaries.”
“Are you kidding me? They’re not being pushed, they’re being trampled.”
“Kyle. Now would be a good time to remember that you need to address me properly at all times.”
“Oh. Sorry. Are you kidding me, Master?”
Gavin narrowed his eyes at him. “We’ll revisit the tone of your voice later. I don’t want to be late.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. He was such a mass of jangled nerves about going to the dungeon owned and run by Gavin’s friend, he hadn’t noticed how his words might’ve come across.
“I am sorry. I’m just a little freaked out, that’s all.”
Gavin placed another light kiss on his lips. “All right. I’ll let it go this time. I’ll also acknowledge that I might be on the verge of trampling your boundaries. But I think you can handle it and I believe you’ll do very, very well. Focus on your desire to make me proud and let everything else fall away.” Gavin stroked Kyle’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Your safewords always apply, no matter where we are, boy.”
Kyle took in another deep breath. “Okay. Thank you. That helped. I just don’t want to, I mean, of course I want to make you proud, but won’t people be expecting you to have someone more, uh, not only experienced, but either super pretty and twinky or hot and-“
“Stop it. Don’t say another word or there will be a punishment and it’ll involve the cock cage with the penis plug I showed you.”
Oh shit.
“Please. Not that.”
“Then remember how stunning I think you are and how angry it makes me that you would denigrate my beautiful boy.” Gavin pulled him close, nuzzling him behind his ear, placing soft kisses on his skin. “I want only you.”

About the Author

Author Morticia Knight spends most of her nights writing about men loving men forever after. If there happens to be some friendly bondage or floggings involved, she doesn’t begrudge her characters whatever their filthy little heart’s desire. Even though she’s been crafting her naughty tales for more years than she’d like to share – her adventures as a published author began in 2011. Once upon a time she was the lead singer in an indie rock band that toured the West Coast and charted on U.S. college radio. She currently resides on the northern Oregon coast and when she’s not fantasizing about hot men she takes walks along the ocean and annoys the local Karaoke bar patrons.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormorticiaknight?fref=nf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorticiaKnight

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Tour Dates & Stops: August 11 – 17, 2015
11-Aug Decadent Delights, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, LeAnn’s Book Reviews
12-Aug BFD Book Blog, V’s Reads, My Fiction Nook, Divine Magazine
13-Aug Amanda C. Stone, Jessie G. Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Mikky’s World of Books, Charley Descoteaux
14-Aug Molly Lolly, Velvet Panic, Parker Williams, TTC Books and More, Love Bytes
17-Aug Prism Book Alliance, Happily Ever Chapter, Rainbow Gold Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark, Wake Up Your Wild Side, The Jena Wade

Final

Giveaway

 

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: A signed paperback of Building Bonds, flogger keychain and a $25 Amazon gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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