Release Blitz: Of Sunlight and Stardust by Riley Hart & Christina Lee

OF SUNLIGHT AND STARDUST

RILEY HART and CHRISTINA LEE

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 09.21.18

Cover Design: JAY AHEER/ Simply Defined Art

Cover Image: Strangeland Photography

Blurb

After the death of his wife, Tanner Rowe takes a step toward making her dream come true and buys the house with the dilapidated barn she’d been inexplicably drawn to in the picturesque Upper Peninsula. But after a year, he still can’t get past his grief long enough to make the repairs he’d promised.

Recently out of prison, Cole Lachlan has little to his name. Homeless, broke, and without many options as a felon, Cole heads to Red Bluff with hopes of a second chance. There, he meets Tanner, whose loneliness mirrors his own and soon, Cole is trading room and board for rebuilding the burned-out barn on Tanner’s property that hasn’t been touched in seventy years.

Turns out, the barn holds a lot more secrets than either of them could have imagined. After unearthing a hidden journal from 1948, Cole and Tanner spend their evenings poring through the pages and reading about a young man pining after his best friend. As they delve deeper into this forbidden affair from the past, the more Cole and Tanner’s own relationship shifts—from acquaintance to friend…to undeniable attraction.

But as they begin to deal with the newness of falling in love amid Cole’s past and Tanner’s loss, they also become more determined to unravel the mystery of the young lovers who’ve captured their hearts, the rumors about the fire, and what really happened that fateful night.

Goodreads

Excerpt

Tanner’s eyes snapped open. He didn’t know what had woken him so suddenly, but the moment he did, he realized he’d fallen asleep with Cole on the couch, that Cole’s head was on his shoulder.

It was a little weird…and a little not weird…or maybe he was looking for it to be weird or not? As he sat there a moment, focusing on the heat of Cole against him, the feel of his head on his shoulder, it felt good. Christ, Cole felt good to him.

It wasn’t the first time that seeing Cole, touching his skin, studying his hands or his back, felt right. That truth hit him in the gut, so the moment Cole groaned in his sleep and turned his head, Tanner slipped out from under the blanket.

For a moment he considered trying to lay Cole down. Did his knee hurt? Was the position uncomfortable? But he didn’t know how to do it or if he should do it, and he suddenly really fucking needed to get out of the house.

Tanner shoved his feet into his shoes. Thankfully, he was wearing jeans and a tee he’d put on before going to look for Cole last night. His keys were on the kitchen counter, so he swooped them up and quietly sneaked out of the house.

Last night had been…something. How he could breathe easier after the loss of Emma, how much Cole’s friendship meant to him, Tom and Charlie, and falling asleep on the couch. It was…a lot, and he wished like hell he had his fishing supplies so he could go fishing.

So what could he do?

ARC Review: The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

From the blurb:

The bravest of heroes. The brashest of rebels. The boldest of lovers. These are the men who risk their hearts and their souls—for the passionate women who dare to love them… 

He is known only as The Rook. A man with no name, no past, no memories. He awakens in a mass grave, a magnificent dragon tattoo on his muscled forearm the sole clue to his mysterious origins. His only hope for survival—and salvation—lies in the deep, fiery eyes of the beautiful stranger who finds him. Who nurses him back to health. And who calms the restless demons in his soul… 

A LEGENDARY LOVE 

Lorelei will never forget the night she rescued the broken dark angel in the woods, a devilishly handsome man who haunts her dreams to this day. Crippled as a child, she devoted herself to healing the poor tortured man. And when he left, he took a piece of her heart with him. Now, after all these years, The Rook has returned. Like a phantom, he sweeps back into her life and avenges those who wronged her. But can she trust a man who’s been branded a rebel, a thief, and a killer? And can she trust herself to resist him when he takes her in his arms?

Heather's rating:





The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo was my first book from Kerrigan Byrne, and if you can get past the kitschy name, there is a really lovely story inside.

I have a thing for disabled characters in romance, and I liked caring, sweet Lorelei who suffered and survived for years under the hands of her abusive brother. I loved that Ash saw past a girl with a crippled ankle and saw her complete inner and outer beauty.

Though Ash was a cold and remote character, he completely stole the show for me. I enjoyed Lorelei, but I loved Ash, and my heart ached for him. I liked his obsessive, dark nature (yeah, I know, it was a little much but I still loved it), and his willingness to fight and kill to be with the only person he's ever loved.

ARC Review: Honey from the Lion (Love Across Time 2) by Jackie North

Blurb:

Soulmates across time. A love that was meant to be.

In present day, Laurie, tired of corporate life, takes a much-needed vacation at Farthingdale Dude Ranch.

The very first night a freak blizzard combined with a powerful meteor shower takes Laurie back to the year 1891. When he wakes up in a snowbank, his only refuge is an isolated cabin inhabited by the gruff, grouchy John Henton, who only wants to be left alone. His sense of duty prevails, however, and he takes Laurie under his care, teaching him how to survive on the wild frontier.

As winter approaches, Laurie's normal fun-loving manner make it difficult for him to connect with John, but in spite of John's old-fashioned ways, the chemistry between them grows.

Sparks fly as the blizzard rages outside the cabin. Can two men from different worlds and different times find happiness together?

Dani's rating:

In North's first Love Across Time book, a WWI soldier travels to the present. That story was told in an alternate POV, and both MCs were aware that one of them was a time traveler.

In Honey from the Lion, which is a standalone with no relation to the first book except for the time travel theme, one MC (Laurie, a 24-year-old software developer taking a much needed vacation on a Wyoming dude ranch to unwind and get away from it all) travels to the past (the year 1891 to be precise).

The story is told only from Laurie's perspective; the other MC (John, who works for the railroad and lives alone in a remote cabin in the Wyoming mountains) never finds out what the first MC sacrificed to be with him.

This story is intensely romantic and warm. It made me feel cozy and happy inside. Imagine the connection two people must share to be drawn together across centuries.

If you're a history fiend like me, you'll enjoy the descriptions of life in the late-19th century American frontier. I have always loved REAL history, not the wars and politics and treaties, not history written and rewritten by the "winners" (white, male, wealthy, hetero), but TRUE history about people and their everyday lives.

As such, I loved reading about Laurie and John making breakfast, sweeping snow out of the cabin, playing checkers, tending to their boots, and traveling to town to buy butter and bread.

If you're not a history buff, fair warning: this is a slow-burn, quiet story filled with minute details about life in an Old West cabin, entirely focused on the relationship between two men, one of whom has never known a man's (or, I suspect, a woman's) touch.

ARC Review: Unwritten Law by Eden Finley

From The Blurb:

Being an identical twin doesn’t come without issues. 

No one can tell us apart, not even our parents sometimes. We don’t usually use that to our advantage, but it comes in handy when my brother needs help breaking up with his boyfriends—which happens more than I’d care to admit. I know it’s enabling him, but I can’t say no to Anders. I will do anything for my twin. The breakups always go the same; they’re swift and simple. 

Until Reed. 

He’s everything I've fantasised about but never allowed myself to have. When I give in to temptation and begin to freak out, it’s not because he’s a guy. It’s because he thinks I’m my brother, and I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. 

**Unwritten Law is a 52,000 word stand alone with a HFN/HEA guarantee and no cliffhanger. It contains a mistaken identity trope. Please check trigger warnings in the front matter.**

Karen's rating:

This one's got a hot guy and equally hot twins but...

It's also got a definite twist to it, but before we talk about the actual story I just want to be clear there may be twins in this story but what there isn't is twincest.

Anders and Law are twins so of course they're close but are they maybe too close if Law is the one breaking up with Ander's boyfriends...they've got their reasons for why this happens and while Law would prefer not to do this but there are reasons and until the day that Anders calls Law to come to a restaurant ASAP and break his blind date it hasn't caused any real problems...but, Reeds not like the other dates and while he's not Anders' type it turns out he's very much Law's type.

This one captured my attention from the very start it was good and I enjoyed the concept and the more I read the more I liked what I was reading. "Unwritten Law' is twin story with a bit of a different twist and the story really didn't go as I had expected it would which was definitely a pleasant surprise. While Reed and Law are definitely the MCs in this story Anders plays a very strong supporting role and I came to really like all three of these men but 'Unwritten Law' courtesy of Anders really does belong to Reed and Law and it's their story that we are being given in this first book of Eden Finley's 'Steele Brothers' series.