Review: Bite Me (Kitchen Gods #1) by Beth Bolden

Rating: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 5

Grab a great Chardonnay and a chocolate sweet of your choice before you settle in to read the delightful romance of pastry chef Miles and producer Evan.

Honestly, these stories of Beth Bolden’s just make you want to grab for a wine glass and a bite of something sinful to go along with her heartwarming romances such as Bite Me, Miles and Evan’s tumultuous road to HEA.

As with all of this series books, you get the entire circle of characters from the series included in the storyline as well as the main characters, their backgrounds, and current dynamics.

In this case, it’s the development of the online cooking show Pastry by Miles,with all the elements it takes to develop a successful show. Between that and the rough and tumble romance, Bite Me is a hugely entertaining story with a great couple at its center and recipes to make one drool.

I loved the ending and the epilogue sets up Wyatt for his story and romance while giving Miles and Evan a terrific ending for theirs.

Bite Me is a another winner is a series I can’t stop reading. Love this!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/224661-kitchen-gods

Go above for the complete series ~ all recommended

The Rivalry (The Riptide) Kindle Editionby Beth Bolden

LGBTQ2+ Sports Romance

Rating: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Romance amongst the men of the LA Riptide Football team! How sexy, endearing, and just outright wonderful it is.

The first in a series, The Rivalry is typical Beth Bolden. Beautifully written, characters of charm and depth, and a story with many layers that grip you from start to finish.

It’s also typical in that along with a love story that engages your heart, the author explores more serious issues of child abuse, parental alcoholism and child abandonment. That’s for starters. But it’s never with a heavy narrative hand but as elements that are revealed through one man’s struggles to achieve happiness and love.

Realistic, painful, and eventually so rewarding to watch as Heath battles through both his emotional and physical trauma. And Sam , there with his own path to tread, needing support in his own battle with insecurity and new position and team.

What a story! What men and couple!

You find yourself cheering, laughing, and crying a bit for both men as they fight their way towards their happy ending. And what a delightful one it is. I could spend books upon books with the Riptide men.

Consider this a fantastic starting point and one I highly recommend.

Books In This Series (2 Books)- both highly recommended

The Rivalry

Rough Contact

by Beth Bolden

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsThe Rivalry by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com › showWeb resultsRough Contact by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

Review: Top Shelf (Boston Rebels #1) by RJ Scott and VL Locey

Rating: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Top Shelf (Boston Rebels #1) by RJ Scott and VL Locey is the first book is a new hockey romance series by two of my must read authors

Long and eagerly awaited, as is any new LGBTQ2+ hockey romance tale, Top Shelf more than delivers

As you all know hockey is my jam! And Rainbow 🌈 hockey love stories? Well, be still my heart 💜! There are many excellent authors in this genre and the writers RJ Scott and VL Locey are at the top of my list among them.

Why? Because like the others, they are passionate about the sport of hockey, it’s players and teams. They know the sport and it’s translates into excellence in fast, accurate action on ice scenes that gets the reader going and engaged with the team and it’s season while still threading through the storylines, full of romance, rocky paths and heartwarming emotions.

That’s all presented here as we meet a team in need of rebuilding. That’s a highly volatile situation for all involved. It means saying goodbye to older players not yet ready to go and learning to accept new younger players stepping into holes in teams not ready for them to be filled.

Add in several players admission of LGBTQ2+ identification when one player comes officially out? And for everyone the team becomes a new uncertain future for all, especially management.

This is the universe we are meeting throughout this story. Various players, a team and people in transition

First it’s the tight friendship, on and off the ice, of Xander and Eli. Brothers in all but name and Railers, they’ve had a third tagging along most of their lives. Mason, Eli’s younger brother

Mason, never much interested in hockey past the fact that Eli and his forever crush Xander played, is now grown. And determined to make Xander see him in a new light.

Xander has recently come out after hiding his sexuality. Here the authors excelled at showing Xander’s confusion and fragility over how exactly he becomes a truth he’s never allowed himself to have or be. He’s raw, more than a little depressed, and no one is picking up on his uncertain emotional state.

The team’s turmoil is adding stress all around to major players and again the elements and reactions feel so realistic. Our own emotions fall readily into the storylines filling out before us. We not only want more of these teammates histories but we need to know

That’s on top of Xander and Mason’s romance which has its own tensions with Mason’s new business (that remains unresolved in my mind) and Xander’s future

I honestly thought the realism here, all the various issues raised as well as the feeling that the relationship needs more work and communication was wonderful. After all, it’s new. Both men have so many new elements to deal with as well as making their relationship work that leaving this a HFN, a work in progress to return to makes sense

It’s great and leaves me wanting to bribe the authors for much much more. Not just the next couple in the series which is coming in Back Check- see below.

So yes, I loved my story, the new series, and team

So yes, I loved my story, the new series and team.

Top Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56990636-top-shelf

Back Check:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57875135-back-check

Review: Top Shelf (Boston Rebels #1) by RJ Scott and VL Locey

Rating: 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Top Shelf (Boston Rebels #1) by RJ Scott and VL Locey is the first book is a new hockey romance series by two of my must read authors

Long and eagerly awaited, as is any new LGBTQ2+ hockey romance tale, Top Shelf more than delivers

Add in several players admission of LGBTQ2+ identification when one player comes officially out? And for everyone the team becomes a new uncertain future for all, especially management

This is the universe we are meeting throughout this story. Various players, a team and people in transition

First it’s the tight friendship, on and off the ice, of Xander and Eli. Brothers in all but name and Railers, they’ve had a third tagging along most of their lives. Mason, Eli’s younger brother

Mason, never much interested in hockey past the fact that Eli and his forever crush Xander played, is now grown. And determined to make Xander see him in a new light.

That’s on top of Xander and Mason’s romance which has its own tensions with Mason’s new business (that remains unresolved in my mind) and Xander’s future

It’s great and leaves me wanting to bribe the authors for much much more. Not just the next couple in the series which is coming in Back Check- see below.

So yes, I loved my story, the new series, and team

Bring it On! Highly recommended!

Top Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56990636-top-shelf

Back Check:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57875135-back-check

Review: Family According to Liam (According to Liam #5) by V.L. Locey

Rating:🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

According to Liam is a series I never want to end. Each story merely enriches this already warm, fabulous universe of the Kneller-Mettler family that we’ve watched grow through many great stories.

From the fretful, loving beginning of Michael and his adorable nephew,Liam,and their meeting with the goalie Bryn Mettler ,of the Pittsburgh Ravens, all through their courtship,their wedding,and now adoption of their daughter. We’ve been there with them as they’ve stumbled, soared, loved, cried, and become an amazing couple and family.

Each story has brought me closer to this family, their tight circle of friends and family, and made me love them all the more. I dove into each new installment with all the anticipation and joy of seeing old friends again and getting caught up.

This story is a wonderful example of why I love these men and by extension the people around them as well as why I hope Locey will continue to bring more tales and journeys to their series far into the future.

The realism of the stresses of adoption, from both perspectives, both of the parents and that of the child, feels poignant and tender. I ached and cried for everyone in parts, rejoiced for the family in others.

The same could be said for the other transphobia experienced by Michael’s close friend and co worker here daily. Threaded in along homophobia in the workplace, the author carefully brought home how hurtful it is to deal constantly with such ignorance and outright abuse through a character we have come to care deeply about.

Well written, memorable characters, and a terrific plot and series I keep returning to , this story and series has it all.

Highly recommended.

Family According to Liam (According To Liam #4)

Join Us for the Release Blitz with Excerpt for Adam Bomb by Kilby Blades

Adam Bomb

Kilby Blades

M/M Romance, Best friends to lovers

Release Date: 01.21.20

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Cover Designer: Alexandria Corza

Blurb

Levi’s best friend, Adam, has always been larger than life: a smoking-hot billionaire hotelier with imposing charm. When Manhattan stops being big enough for both of them—at least if Levi ever wants to fall out of love with Adam—Levi accepts a job in in San Francisco.

But when Adam pulls an Adam—upending Levi’s calm new life with a plea to lend his photography talent to a worthy cause—Levi is helpless to resist. Adam will be the first Fortune 100 CEO to come out of the closet in grand fashion. He needs a trusted ally on his PR team. And he only needs Levi to help for three weeks.

Levi accepts on one hidden condition: he’ll keep his new friends away from Adam, certain that if they get a whiff, they’ll fall under Adam’s spell. Bent on keeping his two lives separate, Levi barely makes it through the first two weeks unscathed.

Then, Adam drops another bomb….

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/kilby-blades-adam-bomb

Excerpt

Three things happened to Levi every time he saw Adam: anticipation prickled his neck, he quelled the impulse to wet his lips, and his dick got a little hard. Then there was the tunnel vision thing—the way that, when Adam walked into a room, noises dulled and periphery faded for a pregnant moment and there was no one but the two of them.

They weren’t alone, of course. Adam was never alone. Today, a gaggle of smartly dressed flight attendants flocked around him.

“Fucking Adam,” Levi muttered. Even as he shook his head, Levi’s lips curved into a smile. Adam didn’t notice him at first. But that was the way it always was—Adam busy noticing whoever’s pheromone he liked best, and bystanders busy noticing Adam.

Levi had forgotten how comical it could be. Adam had that kind of charisma. When he walked into a room, records scratched to astonished silence, and people stopped what they were doing to look. Levi had seen babies stop crying to smile at him and fierce-looking dogs leave their masters’ sides to be petted by this man. It wasn’t just Levi. Everyone was attracted to Adam.

Recollection of what a nuisance Adam’s ridiculous magic could be didn’t stop Levi’s grin from widening. The man was a golden-eyed god. He had his Iranian-born parents to thank for regal bone structure, pouty lips, and luminous, polished-bronze skin. Levi appreciated Adam’s utter perfection as a specimen of the male ideal just as much as anyone else. But unlike everyone else, Levi saw Adam for more than sex on legs. Levi knew his heart. They’d known one another since they were boys.

“Come out with us tonight.” A flight attendant in a dark pencil skirt suit smiled with suggestive lips painted in the same shade of vermilion as the ascot around her neck.

“Sorry, babe… I got plans.” Adam said it with a billion-dollar smile. She leaned in and gazed at him dreamily, as if he’d just invited her to join him in a suite at the Kerr instead of turning her down flat. Adam was the only person Levi knew who could hand someone a steaming, stinking shit burger and have the person he served it to beg him for more.

And just like that, Adam’s gaze slid right to Levi—with precision—as if he’d known where Levi stood all along. Adam kept walking, never missing a beat, disentangling both women from beneath his arms.

“Sonofabitch,” Adam said, the corner of one lip quirking into a smile and his eyes glowing soft embers as he looked at Levi; it was a frat boy thing to say, but Adam was kind of a bro. Adam threw his arms around Levi and they shared a bear of a long hug.

“I missed you, brother,” Adam murmured a second before releasing his embrace and holding Levi by the shoulders, at arm’s length. He said it with earnest intensity that got Levi every time.

“Ladies….” Adam let his eyes linger for a final moment before shifting his gaze to the women who hung on his every word. It bought Levi time to swallow the lump in his throat. “This is my best friend, Lev.”

Apart from family, Adam was the only one who shortened his nickname with correct pronunciation. Most people Americanized it to sound like the jeans. Levi’s parents were Argentinian. Back in the motherland, it had a short e.

“Lev can come out with us too….” This from a different flight attendant. They had all stopped when Adam stopped, including the ones who hadn’t been tucked under Adam’s arms. They all looked hopeful—even the adoring pilot. If any one of them could’ve torn their gaze from Adam, Levi could’ve shot a commiserating glance.

Sorry, guy. He’s taken. And his partner’s completely gorgeous, the glance would’ve conveyed.

“I’ve been away for….” Adam looked at his watch, then looked at Levi. “What is it now? Nine months?” It was cheesy as hell, but Adam pulled it off. “Me and him have a lot of catching up to do.” He turned to his entourage and gave a small bow. “It’s been lovely. I mean it. Thanks.”

Levi didn’t miss the small folded paper that Red Lips pressed into Adam’s hand before whispering something in his ear and kissing his cheek, or the rueful, silent waves of the others. Levi watched Adam as Adam watched Red Lips walk away. Adam slid his gaze back to Levi, who was shaking his head again. If Levi had missed Adam’s incorrigible flirting, Adam had missed Levi’s mock-disapproving looks. Levi stared at Adam and Adam at him, each of their grins growing as the moments passed.

God, it’s great to see his face.

“You look good, man.” Adam clapped a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “San Francisco’s treating you right.”

“I love it here,” Levi admitted. He’d said as much the one time they’d seen each other in all that time. They’d met for dinner one night, when they both happened to be in London for business. Adam had asked Levi when he was moving back to New York. Levi had simply said that the project that had lured him to San Francisco had been ongoing. He hadn’t said that New York no longer felt like home, and he wouldn’t say—not right now—that his project had been over for two months. That he planned to sell his family house in Queens and stay in San Francisco.

But Adam’s project was over, and he was moving back stateside. San Francisco was a four-day stop. After a long weekend catching up, Adam would go back to headquarters in New York.

“You got luggage?” Levi asked. By then they’d begun walking.

Adam held up a small duffel Levi hadn’t noticed before. “If I need more clothes, I’ll stop by the hotel.”

Levi had forgotten how light Adam traveled. Being heir to a hospitality empire meant that Adam had a closet and a place to stay in every major city. It wasn’t until they started toward the doors—until the gaggle of flight attendants had disappeared from view—that Levi pulled out his phone.

“Lemme call an Uber,” Levi said. It was a short ride into the city. Brutal during rush hour but not bad at one o’clock on a Thursday afternoon.

“No need. The hotel sent a car.”

Adam lagged behind Levi, just by a step, as air from outside blew in along with the whoosh of the sliding double doors. He hovered his fisted hand over a trash can, and when he opened his fingers, the pink folded phone number of the flight attendant fell to its demise.

Adam wouldn’t have actually hooked up with the flight attendant—not as long as he was with Leila. But he might have given her a call to find out where the party was. No. Adam wasn’t a cheater. He was a party animal, an attention whore, and a flirt. And he didn’t spend much time alone.

“So it’s true….” Levi smiled his most nonchalant, most supportive-best-friend, and utterly-unaffected-by-Adam’s-love-life smile, even though this was a moment he had dreaded. “Your days of flight attendants are over. You popped the question. Leila’s finally gonna make an honest man out of you.”

Adam stopped outside, right on the other side of the doors, where the air was cool and the wind was sharp, as it tended to be on late spring afternoons this side of the bay. Levi needed him to say it—to speak out loud the big news Adam had insisted he be there to deliver in person, and ask the favor he wanted to ask face-to-face. It had to be that he and Leila were engaged and that he wanted Levi to be his best man.

“Leila and I broke up.”

The tip of Adam’s nose had begun to pink, and his cheeks were doing the same. Levi wished them back inside, wished to divine whether Adam’s color owed to emotion or to the winter of San Francisco spring wind.

“When?” Levi blurted inelegantly.

Adam scanned distractedly. If they wanted to reach the limo line, they had to go to an outer curb across the street. Adam started walking and Levi kept in step, barely heeding traffic to study Adam’s face. On the crosswalk, Adam replied, “A couple months ago.”

Puzzlement pierced through Levi’s stark relief. It was stupid, the way he was happier when Adam was single. Such news delivered the same foolish rush of hope that swelled over Levi when one of his celebrity crushes filed for divorce or came out. So what if Adam broke up with his girlfriend or fine-ass Wentworth Miller came out of the closet? It didn’t mean Levi had a chance.

The color on Adam’s cheeks as he spoke his confession was definitely a blush of shame. What kind of best friend forgot to mention for “a couple of months” that it was Splitsville between him and the girl his father wanted him to marry?

“You wanted to tell me in person you broke up with your girlfriend? That’s your big news?”

Adam had the decency to look chagrined. “None of it has to do with her.”

“You’re being cryptic,” Levi pointed out. “Adam. What the hell is going on?”

Levi’s heart raced faster than it had when he’d merely believed his best friend, whom he’d nursed no small crush on over the years, had taken himself permanently off the market. But Adam was being weird—his Adam, the most shameless and least apologetic person Levi had ever met. Had he screwed up in Tehran and put the company in jeopardy? Lost his fortune? Committed a crime? And what was the favor? Did Adam need Levi to hide him in Argentina with his grandparents, or to donate a kidney? Oh God. Was Adam sick?

Adam looked over his shoulder, paranoid, as if he would be recognized at any moment. He was far from famous, but he’d had his share of press.

“Let’s talk about it in the limo,” Adam whispered, splitting his attention between placating Levi and signaling to the car bearing his hotel’s name. “It’s nothing bad. It’s just… not public yet.”

“What’s not public?” Levi pressed the moment the limo stopped at the curb.

Adam threw him a pointed look and sighed. “I’m coming out. Again.”

Author Bio

Kilby Blades is a 40-time-award-winning author of Romance and Women’s Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a two-time Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly).

Social Media Links:

http://www.instagram.com/kilbyblades

http://www.facebook.com/kilbybladesauthor

http://www.twitter.com/kilbyblades

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kilby-blades

https://www.goodreads.com/kilbyblades

Blog Tour with Excerpt for Rules to Obey (Davey’s Rules #5) by Susan Hawke

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Rules to Obey

Davey’s Rules Series Book 5

Susan Hawke

M/M Romance, Daddy/boy

Release Date: 12.12.19

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Blurb

Davey’s Rule #83: Daddy will encourage his boy to be the best he can be and be supportive of his boy’s career choices.

Marcus Alves has waited most of his adult life to find the perfect match. A sweetheart who will love cuddles, need a Daddy to help him thrive, and most importantly… be the type of boy that might want to use the binky that Marcus keeps hidden in his pocket. Now in his forties, he’s refusing to give up on his dream—or the unused playroom that’s waiting for someone to enjoy.

Jeff Robustelli has had a rough life. Growing up in a commune with absent parents was hard for a rule-following straitlaced guy with a genius IQ. When the uncle who saved him died, Jeff did what he does best—buried his head in the sand and pretended life wasn’t changing. Working in a Daddy club has shown him what he really wants, but Jeff is too afraid to take a chance on something new.

When Jeff has a sudden need for a fake fiancé, he strikes a deal with the older man who always seems to be there when his world is crumbling and makes him feel safe. In exchange, he agrees to a fake Daddy/boy experiment designed to let him try out being little without any pressure.

While Marcus and Jeff navigate their “deal” and the unexpected new feelings that begin to emerge, Marcus also must help the younger man through a series of life changes that put him on the road to being the adult he’s been too afraid to be. When everything in Jeff’s life is in turmoil, Marcus is his one stability. But can Jeff trust his own heart when nothing else in his life is making sense anymore?

This is the fifth book in a series about not-so-perfect Daddies, adorable “boys,” and one sassy brat with an insane list of rules. Grab your fan and tissues because this series comes with both a high heat advisory and all the squishy feels you’d want from a Susan Hawke book.

getbook.at/RulesToObey

Excerpt

My heart raced with excitement as I thought about the surprise I’d left for him among the coloring books. “How about we start easy? First off, I would like to call you Jeffy when we’re together like this. Is that okay?”

He seemed to consider that for a moment, his lips silently forming the little name a few times before finally nodding. “Jeffy. I like that because it’s not too different from normal but sets me apart when I’m being…” He paused, lowering his voice to a whisper as he finished his sentence. “Little. It sets me apart when I’m little.” He was so earnest and sweet that I wanted to eat him up.

“Good boy. Thank you. The name suits you, Jeffy. Now, why don’t you look down on the bottom shelf and choose a coloring book? There is also a plastic box filled with crayons that you’ll want to use.”

Jeffy licked his lips and hesitated for half a second before crouching and carefully examining the stack of coloring books. I held my breath as I waited for him to get to the bottom. Somehow, I thought I was safe ignoring Davey’s advice about not having Jeff make choices when I’d hidden the perfect surprise for him. It only took a few moments as he neatly slid each book from the top of the stack and moved it to the bottom while he carefully examined each one. I knew when he found it because he blew out his breath so fast that it whistled through his front teeth.

He looked up at me with shining eyes and held the coloring book high like a trophy. “Transformers? You have a Transformers coloring book? And I can use it?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not only can you use it, but I got it especially for you. Why don’t you look at the plastic box beside them now? That was also chosen just for you.”

He picked up the blue box with the metallic logo, and the smile I got was worth the time I’d spent searching online for the Transformers pencil box. After he put the other coloring books back on the shelf—taking a moment to meticulously straighten them first—Jeffy stood, hugging his prizes to his chest. He still looked like he had half a mind to take off at the slightest provocation, but he wasn’t looking quite as overwhelmed as he had a few minutes ago.

As an avid reader and big romance fan myself, I love sharing the stories of the different people who live in my imagination. My stories are filled with humor, a few tears, and the underlying message to not give up hope, even in the darkest of times, because life can change on a dime when you least expect it. This theme comes from a lifetime of lessons learned on my own hard journey through the pains of poverty, the loss of more loved ones than I’d care to count, and the struggles of living through chronic illnesses. Life can be hard, but it can also be good! Through it all I’ve found that love, laughter, and family can make all the difference, and that’s what I try to bring to every tale I tell.

I’m a happily married mom with one snarky teenage boy, and three grown “kids of my heart.” I’m more widely known for my mpreg writings as Susi Hawke; this new name is a departure from that. Whether written by Susan or Susi, the books are filled with that all-important love, laughter, and family I mentioned; the only difference is that this name has no male pregnancy. I look forward to sharing my stories with you, and to bringing more romance and laughter into this world that needs it so very badly.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2Hdgwvl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanHawke/

Catch up with the series here:

Rules to Follow: getbook.at/RulesToFollow

Rules to Break: getbook.at/RulesToBreak

Rules for Santa: getbook.at/RulesForSanta

Rules for Growing: getbook.at/RulesForGrowing

Blog Tour for Rules to Break (Davey’s Rules #2) by Susan Hawke (excerpt)

Rules to Break

Davey’s Rules Series Book 2

Susan Hawke

M/M Romance, Daddy/boy

Release Date: 09.26.19

Rules to Break ebook

Blurb

Davey’s Rule #91: Daddy never loses faith in his boy.

Bryan Miller is satisfied with his uncomplicated life. He’s a discipline Daddy who’s not in the market for any kind of permanent relationship. And why should he be? Like the waves he surfs in the small beach town he calls home, there’s always another body available to warm his bed when he tires of the current flavor of the week.

Preston Wallace is a snotty rich brat with enough attitude to keep all the Daddies from giving him a chance. He gets it… people are jealous of him for being rich, hot, and fit. It would take a strong Daddy to take him in hand.

A casual conversation on the night of Preston’s twenty-fifth birthday ties these two stubborn men together in a bet right out of the musical My Fair Lady. Can Daddy Bryan turn the obnoxious brat into a dateable boy within a ninety-day timeframe?

Strap in for a roller-coaster of emotions as Bryan takes firm control of a brat who might just need to know someone cares enough to try

This is the second book in this series about not-so-perfect Daddies, adorable “boys,” and one sassy brat with an insane list of rules. Grab your fan and tissues because this series comes with both a high heat advisory and all the squishy feels you’d want from a Susan Hawke book. Possible trigger for the death a background character.

Universal Link: mybook.to/RulestoBreak

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Excerpt

My back was rigid and my nostrils flared, but I bit my tongue and kept any arguments to myself. If a little water splashed out of the bucket when I jerked it from his hand, that wasn’t my fault. The rinsing process went a lot faster than the washing, mostly because I had a better idea of what I was doing this time. Once again, Daddy stood there jerking himself off while I worked.

Seriously? What was his malfunction? Did he think I had a humiliation kink? I really needed to set him straight one of these days. Just… yeah. Probably not today.

As I worked my way back toward the front of the bathroom, I thought of ways to get even. When I got close enough to the sink that I spotted his toothbrush sitting in the holder, I knew what I wanted to do. Every so often, I’d noticed that he’d close his eyes for a moment or so while he was jerking himself. I timed it so the next time his eyes closed, I rose to my knees and grabbed his toothbrush in a flash.

Thanks to my seriously awesome poker face, I was able to keep from grinning when he opened his eyes to see me scrubbing the grout between the tiles with his toothbrush. He watched me for several seconds before he began chuckling under his breath. “While I like to see you thinking on your feet, perhaps my personal toothbrush wasn’t the best choice of cleaning tools? How will I ever get toothpaste into my mouth now? This is a problem, don’t you think? Hmm. Stand up, brat. Drop my toothbrush in the wastebasket and bend over the counter.”

Oooh. Bend over the counter? Yes, please. This could only mean good things, right?

I was practically vibrating with excitement when he walked over and stood behind me. I’d leaned over the end of the long marble counter and stretched forward over its length. But thanks to the mirror, I was able to see him clearly when I glanced to my left. I gulped and started to jerk up when I saw him reach for the toothpaste. Shaking my head, I started to point out his mistake when he held me in place with his other hand.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2Hdgwvl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanHawke/

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Don’t Miss Out on the Release Blitz with Excerpt for Rules to Break (Davey’s Rules #2) by Susan Hawke

Rules to Break

Davey’s Rules Series Book 2

Susan Hawke

M/M Romance, Daddy/boy

Release Date: 09.26.19

Rules to Break ebook

Blurb

Davey’s Rule #91: Daddy never loses faith in his boy.

Strap in for a roller-coaster of emotions as Bryan takes firm control of a brat who might just need to know someone cares enough to try.

Universal Link: mybook.to/RulestoBreak

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Excerpt

When Davey looked like he was feeling sorry for me as he passed my drink over with an overly nice smile, it was all I could do not to grab the glass and throw it at him. Or toss its contents all over the Daddies. Either way, it would be equally satisfactory. Instead, I forced myself to take a polite sip and pretend their words were just bouncing off me. “Excuse me, I’m sitting right here. I find it funny that you’re talking about me like I’m the bitchiest bitch ever to bitch while you’re sitting there rudely discussing me.”

Bryan made a humming sound, completely ignoring me as he turned to Marcus. “I don’t know, I think it could be done if the right person were to take on the challenge.”

Marcus’s eyes bugged out. “Do you really think so? You’re a better man than me, because I don’t think it’s possible.”

I turned to Raphael. “You see me, right? I haven’t gone invisible? I’m literally sitting right here, aren’t I?”

The look of pity disappeared from Davey’s eyes when he started snickering. “Maybe if you weren’t such a little jerk, people would acknowledge your existence. Just saying.” I stuck my tongue out at Davey, then blushed when I noticed Bryan giving me a measuring glance.

I sat up a little straighter when he leaned out to the side and craned his head while he gave me a slow up-and-down. A few seconds later, he sat back up and turned to Marcus. “I don’t know, man. I might have to kick the tires, but I think this old junker could be rehabilitated.”

“Excuse you, who are you calling old? Puh-lease. You’re the one that’s old. What are you, pushing forty? Twenty-five is hardly old.”

Raphael frowned at me. “Aging yourself, boy? You and I both know how old you are.”

I rolled my eyes then immediately blushed all over again when I realized that everybody was looking at me. Raphael winked and popped a finger gun at the champagne glass. “Calm down, cutie. I know damn well it’s your birthday. Why do you think I told Davey to pour you a glass of the good stuff? Hold on, I forgot something.” He bent over and fussed with something under the bar before coming back up with a party hat. He set the paper cone on top of my head and fastened the elastic string under my chin like I was seven years old.

It’s stupid how good that silly act made me feel.

Raphael was humming the birthday song as he motioned to Davey. “When this glass is empty, top it off. Keep it flowing, it isn’t every day that a guy turns a quarter of a century.” Davey smiled a little more kindly at me and murmured “Happy birthday” before turning to greet a customer that had walked up.

Nobody else acknowledged the exchange and the Daddies went back to their conversation. Andrew must’ve been feeling brave, because he looked around Bryan to give me a once-over himself before turning back to their conversation. “So let me see if I have this right. You think that you have what it takes to turn him into a decent boy? What kind of timeframe are we looking at here? I mean, look at him. He’s not hard on the eyes. It’s the ears that get hurt when he starts with that mouth.”

“Hey, be nice.” Raphael immediately came to my defense. “It’s the boy’s birthday. It’s one thing to joke around, but you guys are straddling the border of bullying. Take it down a notch.”

Marcus snorted. “What, are we supposed to forgive his rudeness the rest of the year because it’s his birthday?”

Andrew really must have thought he was hot shit with the other Daddies sitting there, because he tested my resolve to not tell the truth of the bathroom story. “And can we all just take a moment to remember how he ran off with my clothes a few months ago?”

Nope, I definitely wasn’t touching that one. Not on my birthday. Nope. Not today, Satan. Let’s just say that Andrew was a man I wouldn’t touch with a stray dog’s dick—I wasn’t into animal cruelty. Asshat.

I tapped Bryan’s arm. “Go ahead, answer Marcus’s question. I’m curious. If you’re such a fabulous makeover artist and I’m nothing but a rusty junkyard heap of crap, how long would it take you to turn me into a rehabilitated boy that any Daddy would want on his arm?”

Bryan glanced at me with a cocky smirk. “Please. I could turn you into a decent boy within three months. Ninety days with me and I’d wager that any Daddy in this place would be proud to have you as his boy, Preston.”

Marcus snorted so hard he sprayed whiskey through his nose. “Impossible. It couldn’t be done. Especially not in that short of a timeframe.”

“If I say I can do it, then you can take my word for it that it’s possible.” Bryan motioned for a refill on his beer, tossing me a wink in the process.

Marcus drummed his fingers on the counter, looking me over with a thoughtful frown. He shifted his eyes to Bryan and began slowly nodding. “You know what? Okay. Prove it. I dare you. Put your money where your mouth is, Bryan. I’m willing to bet you can’t make this brat into a decent boy within ninety days.”

Bryan leaned back on the barstool, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his head from left to right to look at first me, then Marcus. “Name your terms, Marcus. I’ve never backed away from a bet.”

I started getting irritated as the old musical My Fair Lady suddenly played through my head, and I slammed my palm down on the bar. “What? Hell, no! If you think you’re going to do some sort of Eliza Doolittle action with me, then you’ve got another think coming.”

Davey cracked up and grabbed a broom. He started dancing behind the bar, pretending the broom was his partner as he sang “I Could Have Danced All Night.” That is, he did until Raph took the broom and held his hand out instead. Davey took it and let Raphael swirl him around the bar area while he lifted his knees higher and attempted a tango as he switched songs.
As an avid reader and big romance fan myself, I love sharing the stories of the different people who live in my imagination. My stories are filled with humor, a few tears, and the underlying message to not give up hope, even in the darkest of times, because life can change on a dime when you least expect it. This theme comes from a lifetime of lessons learned on my own hard journey through the pains of poverty, the loss of more loved ones than I’d care to count, and the struggles of living through chronic illnesses. Life can be hard, but it can also be good! Through it all I’ve found that love, laughter, and family can make all the difference, and that’s what I try to bring to every tale I tell.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2Hdgwvl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanHawke/

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Book Blast for NoX by Adrienne Wilder (excerpt and giveaway)

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: NOX

Author: Adrienne Wilder

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Adrienne Wilder

Genre/s: Science fiction, M/M Romance, dark fantasy

Length: 138 000 words/514 pages

Heat Rating: 5 flames

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One is a dying man. The other died to live.

Blurb

A nude man invades Luca Suarez’s home and protects him from creatures who cannot exist.

Creatures hunting him.

The stranger can’t tell Luca why. He can’t even tell Luca his name.

He remembers nothing until the moment he sees Luca.

The only hint Luca has to the stranger’s identity is a tattoo on his wrist: N o X

Nox doesn’t know who he is, but he’s sure of three things, his memory loss is temporary, the monsters chasing Luca are called Anubis, and his Alpha, Koda, sent Nox to protect him.

There’s just one problem… Koda is Luca’s brother who was murdered five years ago.

With each passing hour, Nox fills in the pieces painting an impossible truth. And with each passing hour, both men find themselves unexplainably attracted to each other.

Something Luca is willing to embrace because he has nothing left to lose.

And one Nox can’t let happen because it could get Luca killed.

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Excerpt

Fifteen minutes under a stream of hot water sounded perfect.

A basket wrapped in translucent cellophane sat on the pink countertop of the exterior vanity. Other than lubricant, Luca had no idea what the other tiny bottles could be, but the little foil squares were self-explanatory.

He stepped into the bathroom off to the right and braced as he turned on the lights. White tile, white tub, plain white toilet, pink towels with red hearts, pink shower curtain. At least they spared the room any permanent scars.

Luca closed the door and gripped the hem of his shirt.

Nox’s voice came from the other side of the door. “I called for pizza, it should be here by the time you’re out.” Then the door opened. Luca spun around.

Nox wore nothing, leaving every curve of muscle, every ripple of perfection, every inch of intimidating cock, bare.

God, that hooker had been right.

There were only so many things a guy standing around naked could mean. Would Nox expect something like that? He’d saved Luca’s life. And with that kind of debt could Luca even tell him no?

Worse, did he want to?

Did he want to know what it felt like to be touched, to be kissed, to be tasted and do all those things to another person in equal amounts?

The idea teased his insides until his balls pulled tight and his cock threatened to swell.

Luca jerked his gaze back up.

“Your clothes.” Nox held out a hand.

Luca pulled the edge of his shirt lower. “What about them?”

“Give them to me so I can lay them on the heater to dry.”

“It’s okay, they can just hang in here.”

“They won’t dry in here.” Nox was right. Luca knew he was right. And since these were the only clothes he had….

Luca gave Nox his back and peeled off his shirt. He set it on the sink and kicked off his shoes, then unbuttoned his pants. He froze with his hands on the waist of his jeans.

Nox pulled Luca around. The man’s presence, the rich musk and spice of his skin, the heat radiating from his body rushed over Luca, sucking the air from his lungs. Nox lowered his head, parted his lips and inhaled, carrying away Luca’s exhale. Nox moved to Luca’s cheek, his neck. There his breath heated Luca’s skin. Nox tilted Luca’s head back and followed the column of his neck with another deep inhale.

Luca’s heart skittered in his chest. “What…what are you doing?”

“Smelling you.”

Smelling him.

“Why?” Luca leaned away only to have Nox move closer. So close his cock brushed Luca’s hip.

Nox swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He made another lap, huffing in quick short breaths rather than long slow ones. Nox loosened his grip. He cupped the back of Luca’s head and made circles on his arm with his thumb.

For several long moments, Nox stood there, then slowly he raised his gaze. “You’re sick.”

Luca’s stomach dropped.

Nox seemed to catch himself. He let Luca go and retreated. “I’m sorry, that was…” He turned.

“Leukemia.” Luca had no idea why he said it. Nox was right, it was none of his business. Even if he could smell the disease.

Could other people smell Luca’s cancer? He’d never even considered the idea.

Nox turned back around but stayed at the door. “Are you getting treatment?”

“Not this time.”

The muscles across Nox’s shoulders tensed, and he balled up his hands.

Luca shrugged. “I’ve had it twice before. Treatment isn’t an option this time.” Luca gave Nox his back again and stripped off the rest of his clothes. He left them on the sink, climbed in the tub, and closed the curtain.

Nox was a momentary blur behind the sheet of gaudy pink plastic, then he closed the door.

About the Author

I am a writer of contemporary and speculative fiction and artist of all things monster. I live to create new worlds and the people in them. Several of my books have been best sellers both nationally and internationally. I have also been a finalist in the LAMDA awards, the “Oscars” of gay literary works.

I do my best to write original stories with powerful characters and emotion as well as a fast-paced plot. My goal isn’t just to deliver a good story but to take the reader into the story and let them experience the characters as if they are right there with them.

While almost all my books have a romantic element, I will be the first to admit, they are not traditional romance. In fact, I’d like to think there is nothing traditional about them. And the stories I paint are done so way outside the lines of traditional genres.

One of my favorite things to do as a writer is push the boundaries of what makes a story and to deliver the unexpected and maybe even change the perspective of the reader.

My characters are more often than not, beautifully flawed, not always the good guy, and make mistakes. Their stories will take dark turns which, in the end, make the light at the end of the tunnel all the brighter.

If you’re looking for something different, exciting, and unique, my books are for you.

Check out my website for updates and how to contact me. I love hearing from fans.

Author Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Facebook group | Twitter

Newsletter Sign-up | Patreon

Giveaway

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