Tag: first in a series

Charity Release Spotlight: Bailey Bradford’s ‘Destined Prey (fundraiser, excerpt,giveaway)

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Destined Prey (Wild Ones #1) by Bailey Bradford

Thank you for joining us! This book was written as a fundraiser for Peyton Hollingsworth, a family friend of Bailey’s who has been diagnosed with cancer.

*All proceeds and royalties from this book will be donated to help pay the medical bills for Peyton Hollingsworth. While he is currently being treated at St. Jude’s for Ewing’s Sarcoma, and treatment there is free, there are accumulated bills from his treatment and diagnosis before being sent to St. Jude’s.

About Peyton:

Peyton is a funny, loving, 11-year old boy who loves playing outside, riding go-carts, and Batman. In April, we found out he had cancer. Peyton has asthma, and often had to have nebulizer treatments, so when he was having trouble breathing, his doctor thought it was asthma. But nothing worked to ease his breathing, and the doctor sent Peyton to the hospital for a suspected collapsed lung.

From one day to the next, it went from us thinking he had a severe bout of asthma to finding out that he had a tumor pressing his lung up until it was almost completely obscured, and he couldn’t get much, if any, air into it.

Peyton was sent to St. Jude’s and diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. The mass was attached to one rib, and was spreading. He has undergone radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy, several transfusions and MRI’s, numerous tests and received numerous shots. It’s been a rough, rough time for the Hollingsworth family, and we are hoping to help them out.

While St. Jude’s doesn’t charge for treatment, the Hollingsworth family has accumulated medical bills from Peyton’s doctor and hospitalization before he was sent to St. Jude’s. Cherri, his mother, has been unable to work during this time, and the financial constraints are something they could really use help overcoming.

We are currently awaiting another MRI to be scheduled and done to see if all the cancer has been eradicated. We are hopeful and have faith that Peyton will be in remission and the cancer will not have spread or reoccur.

I will keep updating this as we get more information. We should know more within a few days, but I wanted to go ahead and get a jump start on this, so that we can help his family financially, so this will be one less thing that they have to stress about.

If you’d like to help, a Go Fund Me campaign has been set up: https://www.gofundme.com/okwdr0

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and donations.

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Destined Prey (Wild Ones #1) by Bailey Bradford
 Release Date: December 18, 2015
(available for early download on December 14 from Rainbow Ninja Press).
Goodreads Link

Hi Bailey, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Give us a to-do list for one of your characters.

Ben is a coywolf shifter. He is also a mechanic. One a typical day, he’d get up, shower, have breakfast while bickering with his siblings, then he’d go to work. Business has been slower than he’d like, but it’s not too bad. Getting his hands greasy and taking an engine apart is his idea of a good time at work.

Ben’s to-do list:

  • Survive breakfast and don’t give in to the impulse to smack a sib.
  • Order the parts for the old Mustang I’m restoring.
  • Finish the oil changes and tire rotations scheduled, then have fun with the ‘Tang.
  • Stop by the grocers, glare at Gregg. He is not getting my man. Pick up a double chocolate cake from the bakery there for Jack, and his favorite ice cream.
  • Go home and fight off the siblings trying to eat Jack’s cake and ice cream.
  • Shower at Jack’s instead.
  • This one is rated x. Sorry, folks.

 

Blurb

Wild Ones book 1

Destined Prey

All Jack Tucker wanted was to come home for a little while and try to figure out where his life had gone wrong. Moving from Wyoming to New York hadn’t turned out the way he’d thought it would, and a bad breakup leaves him bruised in more than just the emotional sense.

He doesn’t expect to be glad he’s back on the Double T Ranch with his brother, Rhett, and he sure doesn’t expect to find the place crawling with coywolves, wolves, and coyotes. There seems to be some kind of animal-warfare going on, and he and Rhett are caught in the middle of it.

Coywolves—the hybrid of wolves and coyotes, hated by both, and more predatory than either. Add in the fact that all the battling species are shifters, and there’s bound to be trouble.

Ben Akers is part of his brother’s pack. The only coywolf shifters in existence, they find themselves under constant attack from wolf and coyote packs determined to make the Akers pack extinct. But coywolves don’t die out so easy, and when Ben’s life takes a surprising turn in the form of one sexy human named Jack Tucker, they’re both in for surprises, danger, and, if Destiny rules, an abiding love that most people—and shifters—only dream of.

Pages or Words: 43,000 words
 Categories: Erotica, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Paranormal, with a dash of Western/Cowboy.

 

Excerpt:

Jack Tucker watched his brother retrieve the rifle from the gun cabinet in the office. “Um. Rhett? What’re you doing?”

Rhett didn’t even glance back at him as he loaded the gun. “What does it look like I’m doing? You been living in the city so long you forgot how a Wyoming rancher lives?” Then he did look over his shoulder at Jack, and Jack kind of wished he hadn’t.

He hated seeing that judgment in his brother’s eyes, and knowing he’d never be good enough for Rhett, never be the man his brother was. “No,” Jack mumbled, “I didn’t forget.”

Rhett sighed and turned until he faced Jack. “Look, that was uncalled for. I’m… I’m sorry, okay?”

Jack was so startled by the apology that he gulped and couldn’t think of a word to say.

Rhett grimaced. “Yeah. Well, okay. Gotta check on some tracks Eddie said he found leading from his property to ours. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He left, striding from the room without seeming to hesitate.

Jack groaned and closed his eyes. Of course Rhett didn’t hesitate—he never had. Rhett always knew what to do, and how to do it, and who he was, and that he was right… Except, he apologized to me, and it screwed my head right up.

“Worse than it already is,” he muttered. Jack couldn’t stop himself from touching his left side, where his bruised ribs throbbed as the pain meds wore off. He was lucky, very lucky, that Rhett hadn’t pushed him on the accident that had sent Jack running home from New York, and possibly into the unemployment line. His boss hadn’t been happy with Jack taking off, even with a medical note as an excuse. Jack hadn’t told Rhett much about any of that. As far as Rhett knew, Jack had fallen down some icy steps, and that was all he was going to ever know about the incident.

Jack replayed his brother’s apology in his head and somehow it mingled in with Alex’s. Cold fear trickled down Jack’s spine and his gut cramped hard enough to make him worry about the dinner he’d just eaten.

After several minutes of trying to calm himself down, Jack stood and left. He’d wanted to sit and talk with Rhett about finances and try to decide if he should offer to let Rhett buy him out. Jack wasn’t made to be a rancher. He wasn’t made to be a New Yorker, either.

Jack didn’t know what he was supposed to do in life, and at the age of twenty-seven, he kind of thought he should have an inkling.

His cell phone was ringing when he stepped into his bedroom. Without looking, he knew it was Alex calling. “Who else would it be?” he huffed. It wasn’t like he had any friends left.

Rather than check to see how many times Alex had called and how many texts he’d sent, Jack turned the phone off, then stuck it in the nightstand. He eased himself onto the bed, then took a couple of prescription pain meds and washed them down with the rest of the water he’d brought in earlier.

The glass was old and familiar, and he felt a pang of regret as he looked it over after he set it down. Green glass, nothing special about it, yet he remembered so much as he stared.

He could see his mom in the kitchen, fixing a pitcher of tea, talking to him, and listening as he told her about his day at school or the chores he’d had to do around the ranch. She’d always been so kind and understanding, Jack had to believe she’d have been okay with him being gay. He’d spent many afternoons in the kitchen, helping her prepare meals or just basking in her presence. Losing her had almost broken him.

For a few more minutes, he let his mind go back to happy childhood days. His dad wasn’t in nearly as many of those good memories, but Chauncey Tucker hadn’t been a bad man. His dad had been more like Rhett—stoic, focused on the ranch and less on the people around him.

Jack ran one finger around the rim of the glass. He was surprised, really, that there were any of the old things left.

The sound of gunshot startled him so badly he jerked and nearly sent the glass flying.

“Shit!” He winced as he pushed it back, then stood as quickly as he could manage.

Another shot rang out, then a third, and fear quickly overtook every other sensation he’d felt until then.

Rhett had always been an ace shot. If he’d had to use three bullets, then there was something bad outside—a bear or a whole pack of wolves.

Jack didn’t like guns, but he went and got one from the gun cabinet anyway. He loaded it as he walked to the front door, and hoped like hell Rhett wasn’t hurt.

As soon as he stepped outside, the fine hairs at his nape seemed to stand up and vibrate, like some kind of primitive survival instinct warning alert system. Jack froze, his back to the door as his heart slammed hard against his ribs.

Another shot sounded, and it jolted Jack into action. “Rhett! Rhett!” He rushed down the steps and toward the direction the shots had come from. “Rhett! Are you okay?”

When Rhett didn’t immediately answer, Jack ran, careless with the gun, aware of that but unable to make himself do anything other than find his brother as soon as possible.

“Rhett!” He stumbled over something on the ground and almost fell before he managed to flail enough to keep himself upright.

Pain tore down his injured side, but he ignored it as he called out for his brother yet again. He cursed himself for not thinking to grab a flashlight. The sky was overcast and there was no moonlight to assist him in his search, and once he was past the barns there was no light coming from the house or other structures, either.

Jack realized that the cattle in the closest field were making enough noise to drown out his voice or Rhett’s, making it impossible for them to hear each other.

The sounds of the gunshots must have scared the cattle. Jack worried about a stampede, but he’d never seen any of the critters take out a fence, so he dismissed the idea.

“Rhett!” His throat burned as he hollered again.

Lightning streaked across the sky, blinding Jack for a moment, then thunder followed and he couldn’t contain his startled yelp as his ears rang from the sound.

Or his shriek when six pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared between him and the fence line.

“Shit!” Jack skidded to a halt and hoped he could steady his hands, and force himself to do what he had to do.

 

Buy the book:

Destined Prey available Monday 14th December:  Rainbow Ninja Press

Destined Prey available Friday 18th December:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Smashwords

 

Meet the Author

A few things about me…

I am a married mom of four who spends most of the day writing, either on stories or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick and irritate me.

And it’s really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I’ll just let y’all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there’s something specific you’d like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio.

Where to find the author:

 

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Tour Dates & Stops:

14-Dec: Decadent Delights, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, BFD Book Blog, Hearts on Fire, Mikky’s World of Books, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Unquietly Me

15-Dec

Open Skye Book Reviews, Nephy Hart, MM Good Book Reviews, I Read Selfies, Havan Fellows

16-Dec

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Carly’s Book Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Love Bytes, Divine Magazine, Wake Up Your Wild Side, A.M. Leibowitz

17-Dec

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Happily Ever Chapter, 3 Chicks After Dark, QUEERcentric Books, My Fiction Nook, The Hat Party

18-Dec: Jessie G. Books, Bayou Book Junkie, The Novel Approach, Inked Rainbow Reads, Kimi-Chan, Molly Lolly, Book Lovers 4Ever

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Destined Prey’ by Bailey Bradford.  Must be 18  years of age or older to enter.  Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review : The Subs Club (The Subs Club #1) by J.A. Rock

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

TheSubsClub_600x900Dave is hurting and angry. He’s lost one of his closest friends in a scene gone wrong. Hal was asphyxiated when Bill, the Dom working with him, left the room to get him water, and the rope around Hal’s neck wound too tight. Dave and his closest friends, Gould, Kamen and Miles all hung out together with Hal and shared a close bond as submissives from the time they first entered the lifestyle. Not knowing where or how to direct his anger when he finds out Bill has been allowed back into the club where Hal died, he comes up with the idea to form The Subs Club in Hal’s memory. It’s set up as a blog where submissives can review Doms and rate them on how well they follow safe practices. The blog quickly takes off but with unexpected results—both Doms and other subs are up-in-arms about the rating and review process, arguing that the rating system violates a Dom’s privacy. What started out so simple has ripple effects which eventually impact most of the group, including Dave himself.

Early in the story, concurrent with the events which led to forming the Sub Club, Dave encounters a Dom he refers to as Pornstache. Though ostensibly very plain, something about him captures Dave’s attention, and when he and his buddies are looking over the Fetlife profiles one evening, he realizes that Pornstache is actually The Disciplinarian. In a fit of temper that anyone would have the audacity and ego to call himself a name like that, Dave applies to be one of the Disciplinarian’s subs. He’s immediately rejected. Knowing his answers were bratty, he tries again, being a bit more honest, and he gets his appointment. But once there, the experience isn’t what he thought it would be, and he leaves dissatisfied and angry. His temper and general brattiness are just not conducive to good submission, but deep in his heart he wants to find a Dom who will make him obey, give up control, and find peace.

Trying again and finally getting to know the man behind the Disciplinarian persona, Dave learns his Dom’s name is David—an omen of good fortune or a doomed coincidence? Pushing David’s buttons is sometimes as easy as calling him D instead of Sir, but Dave’s the one who learns that David is not so easily pushed into rash behavior. It isn’t until he’s finally giving up control to D that he realizes his emotions have been all over the board this year in a frantic effort to keep his friends from sinking into grief and despair after Hal’s death, and he never allowed himself time to grieve. Could this be why he’s acting out so much recently? Is the solution as simple as giving up complete control to David? He reminisces that he knew as soon as he first saw Pornstache, he wanted to have sex with him and have the Dom spank him and hopefully make his life better, but now he’s giving up control like he’s never done before, and he’s afraid he’ll never get it back.

He’d thought submitting to D was going to be simple, but it’s far from that, and some of Dave’s most introspective moments are the best passages in the book. Thinking about Hal’s death and his reaction to it, helping the others to heal from the grief, actively hating and badmouthing Bill are all things he’s been doing to keep the focus away from what he really needs. He finally realizes if he stops focusing so hard on others, he might actually be able to think about what he could do with his own life if he would just quit procrastinating.

I laughed out loud during some of the scenes in this story but wanted to cry during others. I love JA Rock’s sense of humor, the way these characters come to life, and the snarky attitude Dave displayed, all while endearing himself to me as the damaged brat he is. One of my favorite lines was his description of D: “He was wearing a casual sweater and khakis, looking like Daniel Boone had discovered a sale at LL Bean.”

As soon as I finished this story, I immediately sat down to register my first impressions. Top of the list is I love a story where a sub meets a Dom who is up to the challenge of finding what really makes him tick. This brat has found the perfect Dom in The Disciplinarian. The second thing I love is that the Dom is not some gorgeous hunk of manhood with toned abs and arms to die for. D is a perfectly ordinary-looking man who leads a quiet, simple life before Dave bursts in to turn his world on its axis.

There’s plenty of conflict between D and Dave, between Dave and his friends, between Dave and the owners of the club where Hal died, and finally, between Dave and the members of the Sub Club. This book is highly entertaining, educational, humorous, thought-provoking, and gives us a beautiful love story to boot. I highly recommend this one to all lovers of M/M romance, and especially to those who enjoy BDSM themes. I plan to be first in line for the next stories in the series.

~~~~~

Cover Art by Kanaxa shows a cane against a red argyle background. The background, using different colors, will be repeated throughout the series, and a different BDSM-related symbol will be displayed on the cover each time. I like the way the general look of the cover links all the stories in the series.

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Get into the Game of Love with Status Update by Annabeth Albert (excerpt and giveaway)

9781459290594-COV

Status Update by Annabeth Albert
 Release Date: December 7, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Carina Press
Cover Artist: Carina Press

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Blurb

Adrian Gottlieb is winning at life. He’s a successful video game designer with everything a man could ask for, including a warm comfy ride to Denver and a date for his sister’s wedding. But he finds himself in need of a total reboot when he’s left stranded at a snowy campground in Utah. Holiday plans? Epic fail.

That is until Noah Walters offers him shelter for the night and a reluctant cross-country ride. Nothing about the ultraconservative geoarchaeologist should attract Adrian, but once he discovers Noah’s hidden love for video games, the two connect on a new level. Soon, a quiet but undeniable chemistry sparks.

Something doesn’t add up, though. As the miles accumulate and time runs out, Noah must face the most difficult choice of his life. Meanwhile, Adrian must decide whether he’s ready to level up. Is their relationship status worth fighting for, or has this game ended before it’s even begun?

Book 1 of the #gaymers series

Pages or Words: 64,000 words
 Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance

Excerpt

Chapter One

Noah knew the dog was trouble as soon as he and Ulysses entered the campground’s off-leash dog area. The little guy—some sort of Chihuahua/mini-pin mix in a yellow-and-green checked coat—stood in the center of the scrubby grass, barking his fool head off. The only human in the dog area sat at the picnic table on the far side, completely absorbed in his shiny phone, oblivious to his dog strutting around like all eight pounds of him would be enough to keep potential threats out.

Ulysses gave Noah a look, like “you really expect me to ignore that?” Noah tightened his hold on the tennis ball chucker. Ulysses never did well competing with smaller dogs for his toys. He unclipped Ulysses with a stern look.

“Be good.”

Still yapping, the little dog rushed over to inspect his new enemy. Predictably, Ulysses wandered away to do his business. He was too old for these sorts of games.

Noah gave a halfhearted wave in the direction of the owner, but the guy didn’t look up from his phone. The young guy was a typical hipster tourist—thick tortoise-framed glasses, artfully messed-up dark hair, with a thick purple streak, falling over his forehead. Slim build, but his wide shoulders stretched his too-thin jacket, making the shiny fabric ripple with his motions. He wasn’t any more prepared for November in Utah than his designer dog. Still, he was a cute guy, if one was the type to notice things like that, which Noah was not.

Noah looked away, studying the sheer cliffs that surrounded the Capitol Reef National Park. Didn’t matter how much time he spent in Southern Utah, he never got tired of the view. Phone guy was missing the light shifting into one of those perfect late fall sunsets that made the early dusk worth the loss of daylight. Pink streaks mingled with gray sky to cast a rosy glow over the scrubby grass and low fence of the dog area.

Rowwwr. Ulysses flopped at Noah’s feet, a deep beseeching whine rattling out of his barrel chest. He was eighty pounds of unhappy. He’d waited patiently all afternoon while Noah worked, and now he was missing out on his ball time thanks to the teacup gatekeeper.

“Okay, but play nice.” Noah threw the ball hard with the chucker toy, going for enough distance to outstrip the tiny dog’s ability to keep up with Ulysses. Not surprisingly, the little guy was tenacious, cutting off Ulysses’s path to the ball. Ulysses gave a warning woof, and Noah broke into a run, heading after the dogs.

“Down,” he called out. Ulysses wouldn’t attack the smaller dog, but he wasn’t above a major tantrum. And despite the smaller dog acting as instigator, people would see the huge black dog and toss out the “aggressor” label. Noah preferred to exercise him late in the day—Ulysses simply didn’t enjoy playing with other dogs, and Noah wasn’t one to force his dog into uncomfortable situations.

The little dog stood over the ball, yapping up a storm while Ulysses barked and growled, ignoring Noah’s command to sit.

Finally, the owner hefted himself off the picnic bench.

“Pixel, baby, what are you doing?” the owner called in a melodic voice that didn’t inspire Noah’s confidence in the man’s ability to control his dog. “Did the big doggie scare you?”

Hah. Typical. Noah snorted. “Can you grab the ball?” He didn’t trust those little dog breeds—too quick to snap. He’d nearly been bitten trying to retrieve a ball more than once.

“Oh sure.” The guy reached under Pixel—typical cutesy name for an annoying dog—and delicately plucked the ball free, but instead of handing it to Noah, he gave it a toss, sending both dogs running.

Oh great. Noah let out a slow breath, little puffs of vapor in the crisp evening air that did nothing to defuse his tension.

“It’ll be okay.” The way-too-handsy guy patted the sleeve of Noah’s parka. “They just need to work it out. Pixel loves to play.”

Noah took a step to the side. Who did that? Touched complete strangers? But the guy kept up his friendly grin, not unlike his dog, who kept gamely chasing Ulysses. Ulysses won the race to the ball this time and hightailed it back to Noah. Not releasing his prize, he whined softly.

“Hey, boy. You got a toy?” The guy knelt to dog level and extended a hand, but instead of sniffing, Ulysses shook his head.

“Sorry. He’s not much on new people.” Neither am I. Noah’s voice sounded rough to his own ears—too many days with only Ulysses to talk to.

“It’s okay.” The guy straightened, then extended a hand to Noah. “I’m Adrian Gottlieb. You been at Capitol Reef long?”

“Couple of weeks.” He returned Adrian’s handshake, hating it when a little buzz shot up his arm. Unlike his own gloved hand, Adrian’s hand was bare, a hint of a tattoo playing peekaboo with his cuff, his grip strong and firm. And Noah had absolutely no business noticing anything more than the guy’s relentless friendliness.

Adrian smiled expectantly as he released Noah’s hand.

“Oh, I’m Noah. And that’s Ulysses,” he added, because dog people always wanted to know all about the dog. No doubt the guy was bursting to tell Pixel’s life story.

“Add-dreeee-an,” a heavily accented voice called from the gate. A beefy guy close to Noah’s age leaned on the fence, bald head gleaming in the setting sun. “I’m lonely. When are you coming back?”

“Coming,” Adrian shouted, then gave Noah a shrug with a “what can you do?” expression on his face. He grabbed Pixel and jogged across the field.

Noah nodded like he knew anything about handling demanding friends. Adrian greeted the mammoth dude with a quick peck. Okay then. Not a friend. He should have guessed, but he was a bit slow about relationship stuff. The country was changing, even way out here, but no one would dare try even that much PDA in his tiny West Texas college town. His stomach gave a weird flip—not quite discomfort, but something else he refused to name. Time to return his attention to Ulysses. He hurled the tennis ball as hard as he could.

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Googleplay

RC

Meet the Author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.

Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency

Where to find the author:

 

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, The Hat Party, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, 3 Chicks After Dark, Havan Fellows, Bayou Book Junkie, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, V’s Reads, Jessie G. Books, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Divine Magazine, MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Just Love Romance, Mikky’s World of Books, Happily Ever Chapter, Book Lovers 4Ever, The Jena Wade, Charley Descoteaux, Louise Lyons, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Michael Mandrake, It’s Raining Men

 

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $20 gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Cover Reveal for M. Leanne Phoenix’s The Covenant ( Covenant Series #1) (excerpt and giveaway)

CoverThe Covenant E-Book Cover with logo

The Covenant ( Covenant Series #1) by M. LeAnne Phoenix
 Release Date: January 15, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: CoolDudes Publishing
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis

Blurb

When love is forbidden, who can you trust?

Seventeen year old David has been best friends with Jonathan for as long as he can remember, but the day he sees the pastor’s daughter press a soft kiss to Jonathan’s cheek everything changes. Overcome by jealousy, his explosive reaction reveals a deeper connection that sends their relationship spiraling down into dangerous territory.

When their clandestine love is discovered, they have nowhere to turn for help. The brutal circumstances of their parting test David and Jonathan’s covenant to each other in unimaginable ways. Forced to face their fears, it is in their darkest moments that the two young men discover that the courage, hope, and strength they need to to fight for their love, has been the foundation of their covenant all along.

 

Pages or Words: 280 pages, 71,000 words
 Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Poetry, Romance

Excerpt

David opened his locker to get out his Biology, History, and Music History books and shoved them into his backpack, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. Jonathan’s comforting hand lit on David’s side as he came to lean on the locker to the right of David’s own, holding up in one paint-besmeared hand, a small piece of black cardboard. On it, David saw symbols, ones he thought might be Greek. Remembering the foreign exchange student from Thessaloniki shared Jonathan’s sixth period art class, he smiled and turned to his boyfriend as he took the proffered gift.

“What does it say?” David couldn’t help but smile at the joy lighting Jonathan’s eyes. “This has to be something that Kallias helped you make—”

“You aren’t wrong,” Jonathan interjected. “That is Greek writing and Kallias even taught me how to say it.”

“Enlighten me, please!” David rasped, focusing wholly on Jonathan’s gift. “Say it and then tell me what it means.”

“If I say it right, it’s agape menomou—”

David furrowed his brow, repeating, “A guppy man oh moo?”

Jonathan slid down the locker in a giggle. “Noooo! I must have said it wrong because your face… oh my gosh, your face!”

Blushing and biting his lower lip, David sank down to his haunches in front of Jonathan. “Then say it again, slower, and tell me what it means!”

Jonathan looked around, and seeing no-one in their locker bank, leaned up to whisper the Greek in his ear, the sounds slower… thicker. “Agape menomou means O love of my heart.”

Buy the book:  links to come

 

RC

 

Meet the author:

M. LeAnne Phoenix would tell you that the worst time of her life was the two years that she attempted to take off from writing. If you asked her to explain exactly why she did such a thing, you would most likely get the mad attempt to arch an eyebrow like her dad and then a shake of the head as she told you it was unlucky to speak of such things. Suffice it to say, it will never happen again!
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas in the mid-1970’s, Ms. Phoenix was young and wild (and even free!) during the crazy wondrous decade known as the 1980’s and the even crazier but now grungy decade of the 1990’s. Music is second only to the muses that live and breathe to fill her mind with beautiful men, and music always helps them to tell their stories. She is never without her iPod or her computer no matter where she goes, although, she does like to hike and take pictures of the sky and the moon, and even the occasional shot of the sun through the branches of a tree.
An avid cat lover, Ms. Phoenix has been owned by many throughout her life, though her current owner is one Lily-Rose, who really would like for her to step away from the keyboard and pay her some attention! After all, hasn’t she earned it?

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, Gay Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Hat Party, Happily Ever Chapter, Divine Magazine, Love Bytes, Carly’s Book Reviews, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Nephy Hart, MM Good Book Reviews, KathyMac Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, A.M. Leibowitz, Velvet Panic, Alpha Book Club, Moonbeams Over Atlanta, Mikky’s World of Books, Book Lovers 4Ever, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake

Final

Giveaway

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A Paul B Review: Deep Dive (Tidal Crest #1) by Jeff Erno

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Deep Dive coverSam Lewis is a former Olympic diving champion who now works at Water World, an aquatic park similar to the real life Sea World.  He entertains the park visitors a couple of times a day doing dives that he would normally use as warm up from his competition past.  At the age of thirty-two, Sam knows his glory days as a competitive diver are long past but these shows give him some of his past glory.  His one wish is that now that he is no longer under judges’ scrutiny is to fins someone to share his life.  The one perk at working at the park is to see the other attractions.  He is particularly fascinated with the real life robotic merpeople, especially the merman.

Percy is a special effects designer at the same park that Sam works at.  One of the perks of his job is to watch his favorite Olympic diver perform at the park.  He is sitting at a bar when Sam approaches him.  Sam is surprised when Percy recognizes him, saying that he is a has been.  Percy states that is not the case at Water World where they both work.  When Percy reveals that he works with the animation of the mermaids, Sam comments how the merman looks exactly like Percy.  As things begin to heat up, Percy suddenly leaves.  Sam is left high and dry.

Sam begins to wonder what is wrong.  Is there something about himself that drives Percy off?  Or is there something wrong with Percy himself?  And what about this man Todd who seems to be a threat to the growing relationship of Percy and Sam?

I usually enjoy most things that Jeff Erno writes and this is not an exception.  This is the author’s first foray into the world of shape shifters and it appears that he is off to a good start.  The author does a good job at describing the pressures both of the main characters have faced in finding someone to have a relationship with.  He does not follow the fated mate route that is often used in these types of books in the normal sense, which is refreshing to see.    The main reason that I did not rate the book higher is that the ending seemed a bit rushed and the meeting with Percy’s parents was rather anti-climatic.  However, the twist with Percy’s mother almost makes up for it.  I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series.

The cover art by Angela Waters shows a well-built man surrounded by water.  He is shown in his merman form on the cover.  It is a well-executed cover for the story.

Sales Links:  Extasy Books |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details

ebook, 114 pages
Published November 15th 2015 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487405823
edition languageEnglish
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A BJ Review: Chrysalis Corporation (Chrysalis Corporation #1) by T.A. Venedicktov

Rating:  3.25 stars out of 5

Chrysalis Corporation cover

Together, they can change the rules of the galaxy and the definition of humanity.

When Damion Hawk is offered an opportunity to escape the destitute life of a miner on Mars and become an elite Alpha Fighter pilot, he jumps at the chance. Within the Chrysalis Corporation, Damion must learn to work with his Core—a man with computerized implants, no human emotions—and no rights. But unlike other Fighters, Damion can’t treat Core 47 as a tool. He sees 47 as more than a machine, and he’ll take deadly risks to help 47 find the humanity inside him.

Fighters and Cores are designed to work together and enhance each other’s strengths in defense of their employer. Damion and 47 will need each other’s support as suspicions about the all-powerful Chrysalis Corporation arise. Someone wants Damion and 47 gone, and they need to find out who and why while hiding 47’s growing emotions and the love forming between them. If they can succeed, they might save not only themselves, but all Cores enslaved by the Corporation.

The fundamental storyline we’re presented with in this book is extremely intriguing as are the various characters for the most part. I adored 47 and felt absolutely awful for the life he’s been handed at the same time as I admired his steadfast determination to make something of it. Some things 47 said during this story got to me in a major way. So I’ll begin this review by saying that the writers definitely achieved the single most important thing I hope for in any story I read—to make me connect to a character. On the other side of that coin, being that I admired 47 so much, I found that the way others treated him, even Damion towards the end, thoroughly angered me.

The first half of the book kept me entertained, but as the pages slipped by, I began to have quite a few quibbles. First off, while the Fighter/Core team’s purpose is to fly their ships and defend against enemies/rebels, they really do very little of that… at least not on page. There’s a couple simulation runs, then later a reference to some off-page flights. Only at the very end do we get to see action, see the two working together in a space fight. For the length of the book and it’s set up, I’d expected more. But this book dealt more with relationships between the characters, and to be honest, it rather devolved into more sex than I felt the story warranted. Now, believe me I like the sexy bits, but I was left wanting more than that from the story, more sci-fi or action or something. Another quibble stemmed from the frequent debate/bickering between the characters, after a while that started to get wearisome.

But the single thing that bugged me the most was Damion’s treatment of 47. The Corporation creates the Cores from infants and controls their entire lives. We’re told the Cores are expensive and time-consuming to create and thus are valuable. Yet they’re not treated as if they have value but as if they are extremely disposable. The Corporation and even many of the Fighters, treat Cores as tools, not as human. Cores have no say over their own body or life–ever. It’s really very heartbreaking. Then comes Damion, and yes, he’s a better Fighter for 47 than those he’s been assigned to in the past. Yet he’s not very considerate, caring, or even smart in the things he does and says to 47. It bothered me that he (and his Fighter friend Juni) had so little concern about how what they chose to do would ultimately affect their Cores.

Given that Cores are programmed to obey their Fighters, while Damion may not have thought he was ordering 47 around, in essence, he was all along. I tried to mark this treatment and lack of empathy down to youth. However, it reached a point where Damion’s treatment of 47 really started to get to me. In the second half, he came across to me as rather selfish, inconsiderate, and unfeeling. I could see that he was frustrated, but still! He just seemed to make very little attempt to understand what 47 was going through when the Core was obviously being pulled apart inside. I didn’t feel the consideration/concern from Damion enough, which bothered me and kept me from really liking or feeling connected to him.

From a writing perspective: there were times the POVs slipped, times when the way the dialogue was handed confused me because it didn’t flow smoothly and had me sometimes looking back to try and figure out what the speaker was responding to again, and there was quite a bit of redundancy and repetition. In my opinion, the story would’ve benefitted by being tightened up, especially since it ended up quite lengthy at 350 pages.

Being that this book is from DSP, I wasn’t expecting a traditional HEA/HFN ending, however, neither was I prepared for the abrupt cliffhanger, to-be-continued ending. Do be prepared for that when you pick this story up! If you’re the type who hates waiting for the rest of a story, perhaps read this together with the rest when available.

For me, while I’m not a fan of cliffies, I will be coming back for the next book. And hoping with fingers crossed.

The cover by Anne Cain is as intriguing as the blurb, both did their job of draw me to the story admirably. But one thing that bugged me just a tiny bit is the cityscape at bottom when mostly the story revolves around spaceships.

Sales Links: DSP Publications |  Amazon | Buy It Here


Book Details:  

ebook, 350 pages
Published November 17th 2015 by DSP Publications
ISBN13 9781634761727
edition language English
series Chrysalis Corporation #1