ARC Review: This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman

From the blurb:


The first book in a new Regency romance series, an heiress and a rogue accidentally end up in a secret marriage of convenience.

In a desperate bid to keep her fortune out of her cousin's hands, shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed marries a condemned criminal in Newgate prison. The scoundrel's first kiss is shockingly heated, but Georgie never expects to see her husband again. Until she spots him across a crowded ballroom. 

Notorious rogue Benedict Wylde never expected a wife. He was in Newgate undercover, working for Bow Street. To keep their marriage of convenience a secret, Wylde courts Georgie in public, but the more time they spend together, the more their attraction sparks. 

Could an heiress with the world at her feet find happiness with a penniless rake? Kate Bateman's This Earl of Mine is a delightful start to the Bow Street Bachelors series, with witty banter, dynamic characters, and swoon-worthy romance.

Heather rating:





An enjoyable historical romance from new-to-me author Kate Bateman.

I love strong female characters in any novel, but I especially love them in historical romance. Give me an independent, smart, unique woman and I'll give you my heart. Kate Bateman managed that and more in This Earl of Mine.

Review Tour: Gentleman Wolf by Joanna Chambers



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Length: 216 pages

Cover Design: Felix d'Eon

Blurb

An elegant werewolf in Edinburgh...

1788. When Lindsay Somerville, the most elegant werewolf in Paris, learns that the man who held him in abject captivity for decades is on his way to France, intent on recapturing him, he knows he must leave the Continent for his own safety. Lindsay cannot take the risk of being recaptured—he may have been free for a century but he can still feel the ghost of his old chains under his fine clothes.

… on a mission...

While he’s in Edinburgh, Lindsay has been tasked with acquiring the “Naismith Papers”, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It should be a straightforward mission—all Lindsay has to do is charm an elderly book collector, Hector Cruikshank. But Cruikshank may not be all he seems, and there are others who want the papers.

… meets his match

As if that were not enough, while tracking down the Naismith Papers, Lindsay meets stubborn architect Drew Nicol. Although the attraction between them is intense, Nicol seems frustratingly determined to resist Lindsay’s advances. Somehow though, Lindsay can’t seem to accept Nicol’s rejection. Is he just moonstruck, or is Nicol bonded to him in ways he doesn’t yet understand?


Note: this is the first book of a duology – the story continues and will complete in the second book, Master Wolf.

Karen's review:

Ok so I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating…I’m not a big fan of historical books but when I read Ms Chamber’s ‘Enlightenment’ series I was totally enchanted. I loved that series, her writing was superb, and each story just enchanted me…and when I saw the blurb for ‘Gentleman Wolf’…in spite of this, I still had reservations because…shifters; again not a big favorite for me but surprise! I was good with this part of the story as well. 

This has all led me to the conclusion that Ms Chambers is magic. She took two of what is quite honestly my least favorite story genres and mixed them together and created something that I really, really enjoyed…magic I tell you, her writing is sheer magic!

Lindsay Somerville has been hiding in Paris and I say hiding because that’s where Francis and Marguerite have been hiding him from Duncan MacCormaic after freeing Lindsay from the dungeon in which he’s been held prisoner for years.

When news reaches them that Duncan is heading for Paris, Lindsay is sent to Edinburgh on business in an effort to keep him out of Duncan’s hands. His task is to acquire the Naismith Papers, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It’s during the commission of this task that Lindsay meets the very staid architect, Drew Nicol. The man who turns out to be Lindsay’s bond-mate.

Blogtour: The Witchstone Amulet by Mason Thomas

Please welcome Mason Thomas with 

The Witchstone Amulet 

Blurb:

Protect it at all costs.

That’s what rugby player Hunter Best’s mother told him before she died. But when Hunter surprises an intruder in his Chicago apartment, he discovers her amulet stolen. Hunter pursues the thief—all the way through a strange vortex. He wakes in a bizarre and violent world, a benighted realm on the threshold of civil war.

The queen has become a ruthless tyrant, punishing any who oppose her, weakening the kingdom’s defenses against the brutal Henerans. To survive, Hunter must depend on the man who robbed him, a handsome former spy named Dax, now a leader of the resistance that believes the queen is an imposter—a Heneran disguised by magic… who also looks identical to Hunter’s mother.

There’s no love lost between Hunter and Dax, and even if Hunter grudgingly agrees with the resistance, he just wants to reclaim his property and go home. But he might be the only one who can oppose the queen and end her reign of terror.

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Tackling the Question of Show Vs Tell

The first advice writers are given from very early on is “show, don’t tell.” This means, instead of stating what the reader needs to know, or what is occurring, you instead pull the reader into the scene in a way that they experience it for themselves. Easy enough to trumpet from rooftops, but its execution tends to be a tad more elusive. It is a technique that requires intention and ongoing practice.  

New writers have often asked what the difference between the two really is. And is it as important a rule as people make it out to be? As in all things regarding art, rules exist to guide the artist, yet there are occasions when you can break those rules. The “show don’t tell” rule is no exception. But it has become a cliché for a reason. It makes for better writing. 

Can you get away with just telling sometimes? Yes. In my view, sometimes telling is more appropriate. The important distinction however is to know when it’s better to tell. And to do that, you have to deeply grasp the greater significance of showing. 

Admittedly, “showing” requires more effort, and it takes up considerably more real estate on the page. Telling might be a single sentence on the page. And it can do the job just fine if the circumstances are right. For example, if the information that is being conveyed is important but doesn’t have any emotional depth, then telling is perfectly fine. If the information needs to get out quickly so it doesn’t slow down furious pace of the action scene, tell away!

But if you want your readers to feel it more than know it, then the obvious solution is to show them what is happening. 

Character development is one of the areas you need to lean heavily on showing. Simply announcing a character’s traits doesn’t have the necessary depth or impact to draw them in. You have to show the reader who they are. When asked to provide an example of this, I tend to draw from a real-life example—something that occurred in my family’s past. 

My grandfather died when I was still rather young. He had lived a long life and died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 88. He had many children, and a ridiculous number of grandchildren. I was a mere ten years old when he passed, and I can honestly say that I didn’t know him all that well. He was a kindly old man that lived far away from me. I interacted with him once a year when the we went to the family reunion. I remember him being soft spoken and gentle, but that was about all I knew about him.

The irony however is I feel like I knew him better years after he died than when he was alive. 

My grandfather was a farmer, and his farm—still in existence today—is in northern Michigan about thirty minutes from Traverse City. At the time, he grew potatoes mainly, but other crops as well, and he would sell his products in Traverse City. When he was in his mid to late twenties, an unthinkable tragedy struck.

Audiobook Release: Dirty Mind by Roe Horvat

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Narrated By: Vance Bastian

Length: 5hrs 10mins

Blurb

Alexander Popescu is a university lecturer in a quiet German town. He’s a respectable man in his thirties who stays fit, has a decent career, and travels alone - his only vice is an occasional greasy meal. And beer. And violent computer games. Nobody has to know about the other Alex - the acclaimed porn writer. His ingenious erotic fantasies earn him good money and keep his capricious mind harmlessly entertained.

When his young friend and protégé Christian transfers to Freiburg for medical school, Alex is overjoyed...and terrified that Christian will find out about Alex’s indecent alter ego. The time they spend together, as lovely as it is, could overturn Alex’s carefully balanced life. Suddenly, the writing is not good enough, his hair seems to be thinning, his careful hookups leave him unfulfilled, and his dreams are haunted by the innocent young man he’s vowed to protect.

However, Christian is not a boy anymore. He’s a grown man of 21, clever, and deadly attractive. And he’s hiding some secrets of his own.

About the Author

ARC Review: Release (Rent Boys #1) by A.E. Ryecart

Blurb:

Selling his body since he was a fifteen-year-old runaway, rent boy Sean Farrell has learned the hard lesson that the only way to survive the streets is to act tough and cocky. But an act is all it is, because underneath he’s never felt more adrift as he struggles with crippling self-doubt. Sean’s distilled life into three simple rules: earn enough cash to get by, stick close to the friends who have become his family — and don’t let anyone steal his heart.

Art is Laurie Cassell’s profession and passion. His calm and ordered life is just how he thinks he wants it, but it’s becoming harder to ignore the creeping feeling that calm and ordered has become dull and predictable. Laurie craves more but doesn’t know what, or not until a man with dark hazel eyes and a bad attitude swaggers into his life — and leaves with his heart.

Two men who should never have met, let alone fallen in love. Can Sean and Laurie release the other from lives that are holding them captive?

*** Release is a slow burn opposites attract MM romance. Found family, good friends who give advice our men don't want to hear, and the redemptive power of love can all be found between the pages. and is the first in the Rent Boys series. No cliff hanger, and a guaranteed HEA***

Todd's rating:

After really enjoying this author's "A Kiss Before Christmas", I had high hopes for this story, too, but unfortunately, this one fell a bit short for me.

I did really like both Sean and Laurie, but there was just so much internal monologue that several times I found myself feeling slightly bored and dying for more on-page dialogue between the MC's.

Also, for a story involving a sex worker, the book was strikingly "unsexy", which I found odd, seeing that even the beginnings of the story, before Sean reconnected with Laurie, only contained acts of physical violence and mental abuse.

For better or for worse, IMO at least, stories about rent boys typically elicit an expectation of titillation; otherwise, authors would simply write about tax accountants, you know?

I did adore Laurie's boss and several of the other side characters, some of which were actually from a previous story, "Company for Christmas", and the author's "Barista Boys" series, which I do plan to read soon.

Release Blitz: Code Name: Liberty by Marshall Thornton



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Length: 290 pages

Blurb

In the summer of 1980, the news is full of the upcoming election and the hostage crisis in Iran but Patrick Henry Burke is not paying any attention. He’s met a Persian prince and his head is full of romance. All of that changes though when a sexy CIA agent, Gary Walker, approaches him and asks that he spy on the prince and his father. 

They’re attempting to prevent the hostages from being released to guarantee Carter won’t win the presidency in hopes that the Reagan administration will be grateful enough to assist the prince’s father in becoming the new Shah of Iran. 

As Patrick gathers information about an impending illegal weapons deal, he struggles to understand who might be lying to him and who might be telling the truth.

Author Bio

Blogtour: Love Under Glasse by Kristina Meister

Please welcome Kristina Meister with 

Love Under Glasse 

Blurb:

This runaway might want to get caught.

El Glasse’s mother controls her life. What she does, who she dates, even what she’s allowed to say. El only has two ways of holding onto her freedom. One is her popular anonymous blog, hidden from Mama Glasse. The other is what she so often blogs about: her feelings for Riley, the girl who works at the ice cream parlor. Riley is fierce, free, and rides a killer motorcycle, and El cannot help but love her. But Mama Glasse can never find out about her sexuality—unless El is willing to rebel.

When El runs away, Riley feels responsible. She knows what it’s like to be alone, and she can’t deny her deep desire to learn El’s story. In a move she might end up regretting, she makes a devil’s bargain with Mama Glasse to hunt El down.

Riley isn’t trying to bring her home though, because she knows an evil spell when she sees one—a spell of fear and shame El is finally starting to break. This huntress might lose her own heart, but it’s a risk she’s willing to take.

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Writing a fine line

One of the most difficult scenes for me to write in Love under Glasse was actually one of the first I envisioned. The trouble was, I couldn’t justifiably stage it the way I really wanted to, because that would make me a terrible influence.

Writing for young adults creates a unique series of challenges and all the authors in the genre whom I know all express this sense of walking a fine line. We can discuss difficult subjects, like substance abuse, sex, or potentially dangerous behaviors like running away from home, but we have to be cautious that we are responsible and don’t end up encouraging kids to try these things out. We can’t vilify or glorify, but must express things as honestly and accurately as possible. This is one of the reasons that despite all her plans and savvy, our Snow White character El, had to have a horrible encounter on her cross country trek. It couldn’t all be sunshine and the hills of West Virginia.

She’s run away from an abusive home, true. She’s being chased by people who want to force her back to it. She’s being smart and circumspect, but even so, she has to cross paths with someone truly dangerous, for her situation to ring the least bit realistic or frankly, socially responsible. I had to remove that shiny coating of adventure from the concept of solving problems by escaping them. 

Blogtour: After She Fell by Amber Laura

After She Fell
Amber Laura
Publication date: July 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Blurb:

She’s tried for years to convince herself that she isn’t in love with him. If it hasn’t worked, at least she’s managed to convince him of it, anyway.

A tragic love affair from her past had shattered Christina’s illusions of romance—it’d shattered her entire world, left her utterly broken and blamed. She’s fallen once before. She isn’t about to make the same mistake twice!

Jason Gordman is off-limits. Charming, playful, confident—he’s everything dangerous to her defenses. Worse yet, he’s the boss’s son. Hiding behind antagonism and indifference, Christina manages to keep him at a careful distance. That is, until one fateful night when she finds herself snowbound with him in a blizzard and she slips, allows herself one, forbidden kiss…Struggling to reconcile her feelings, Christina is entirely unprepared for where that one stolen moment will lead her.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Thank you so much to My Fiction Nook for having me here today as a guest blogger. My name is Amber Laura and I’m the author of the newly released romance and women’s fiction novel, After She Fell. I was asked to provide y’all with a list of my top ten vacation destination spots. So, buckle up, here we go: 

10. Great Barrier Reef (♫♪A whole new world♫♪ anyone? I mean, c’mon!)

9. Banff, Canada (One of my all-time favorite authors, Diana Palmer, wrote a novel set in this area and she wrote the scenery so well and so beautifully that I’ve wanted to go ever since. And that, my friends, is a level of writer I aspire to be.)

8. Bath, England (Let’s get real: the history, the beauty, Chaucer…)

7. Amsterdam, Netherlands (My goodness, those canals! Also, another favorite author of mine, Betty Neels, frequently wrote her books based in and around Holland and the Netherlands. So, obviously…)

6. Sydney, Australia (It’s a place my dad has always wanted to visit. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to take him.)

5. Cairo, Egypt (Again, the history! The splendor and the mystery and romance that abounds. I want to feel the energy, breathe in the fantastical mythology of that time.)

4. Paris, France (My sister absolutely adores this city. I absolutely adore my sister. How could we not have fun there together? And really, the art?! Sign me up, please.)

Blogtour: An Uncommon Whore by Belinda McBride

Please welcome Belinda McBride with 

An Uncommon Whore 

An Uncommon Whore—Revisited

It’s not often that you get the opportunity to go back to a previously published book and take a second shot at the story. In my case, the book went out of publication when the publisher closed, and was quickly acquired by Dreamspinner Press, who wanted an additional 20,000 words added to the book. (I gave them 22K!) 

I’ve always loved this story and the characters, but it’s really a larger story than I had the chance to write originally. It’s about a planet that was destroyed, and the survivors having to move on with life on another planet. I never really felt that I really conveyed the impact of the destruction, and ironically, it took seeing that sort of catastrophe up close and personal for me to do so. 

A year ago, I came home after being evacuated from the massive Carr Fire. The disaster totally threw me off my schedule for completing this book, but when I saw the aftermath of the event, it gave me the material to add to the book, from a first-hand perspective. 

In the original version, Griffin and Helios travel from the site of Helio’s enslavement to their new home, re-kindling their romance and hoping that Helios would recover his memories. But as I reconsidered the story, I felt that as Helios had no memory of the near extinction of his people, he should see it in person.

So, Griffin takes him home.

It was a painful scene to write, not only from the perspective of the character, but for me, because I drove to neighborhoods and places I’d grown up in, that were ravaged by the Carr Fire. So, when you read that scene, it’s not much different from the day I drove through Keswick and saw the site of the fire tornado that leveled miles of homes and trees. 

My hope is that this scene ups the stakes for Helios and makes him understand what he’s facing when he returns to his people as a king rather than as a citizen. There are other added elements to the story, but thankfully, I didn’t remove or change any of the existing story. 

I’m very lucky, and very grateful that I had the opportunity to bring this book out a decade after it was initially released. And I hope readers enjoy it.

Blurb:

Pasha is a slave, whoring for travelers at the most treacherous bar on Warlan. The day Pasha spots the dangerous pirate in the bar, he knows he mustn’t let the stranger slip away, no matter what he must do to draw his attention.

Captain Griffin Hawke spent the better part of a decade searching for his lost king, only to find Helios Dayspring crouched between his legs, swathed in the robes and shackles of a whore. Though he is appalled by the downfall of his king, Grif falls for the sensual creature who has taken his place. After a brutal invasion stripped his people of nearly everything, they desperately need Helios to lead them. But returning him to the throne means smuggling him off the planet, disabling the chip that keeps him submissive and forgetful. They will face old enemies, traitors, and greedy opportunists who’d like to strip their new planet of its wealth.

It might mean Grif losing his lover… and they’ve both lost too much already.

Second Edition

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About the author:

Release Blitz: Top Priority by Cara Dee

Title: Top Priority

Series: The Game Series, Book 1

Author: Cara Dee

Genre: MM Romance

Pairings: BDSM/Kink

Amazon Universal

Goodreads

Synopsis:

In a perfect world, Lucas West would meet someone in one of the BDSM communities he was active in, someone who ached for a Daddy Dom as much as Lucas longed for a Little to care for. They would date, play, build something that was just for them, and share a future together.

In a perfect world, Colt Carter would get through his next deployment and then move closer to DC where he could create at least a semblance of a personal life. He wanted something outside of the Air Force, something kinky, something worth leaving everything behind for eventually. For years, he’d kept his inner Sadist and Daddy Dom locked up, only letting him out to play on rare occasions.

In a perfect world…

In reality, Lucas and Colt met each other.

---

Top Priority is the first novella in The Game Series, a BDSM series where romance meets the reality of kink. Sometimes we fall for someone we don’t match with, sometimes vanilla business gets in the way of kinky pleasure, and sometimes we have to compromise and push ourselves to overcome trauma and insecurities. No matter what, two things are certain. This is not a perfect world, and life never turns out the way you planned.

“It’s a funny coincidence,” I said, picking up a rib. “We have a lot in common all while…”

“We’re entirely different?” he chuckled.

I smiled and dipped my chin.

Two Daddy Doms, two gay Daddy Doms, at a hole-in-the-wall bar in Richmond in the middle of a storm—what were the odds?
I wasn’t supposed to be so drawn to him. It would never work.

We learned some minor tidbits about each other while we ate. He was thirty-six and happy his folks had moved to Virginia. His rank in the Air Force was Captain, though his buddies called him Top, which apparently was painted on the side of his headgear when he flew.

“Do I want to know the meaning?” I wondered.

Release Blitz: Safe by Jess Bryant

Title: Safe

Series: A Fate, Texas Novella

Author: Jess Bryant

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: August 26, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 17600

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, friends to lovers, coming out, baseball, gay, bisexual

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Synopsis

Trevor Thorne has always played it safe.

He’s a ballplayer. The game has had his heart and soul since he was just a kid. He learned early on that living in the testosterone-fueled world of baseball meant living a lie. He couldn’t afford to be openly gay, not when he had his whole career ahead of him. But his days behind the plate are numbered and he’s tired, so damn tired of hiding who he is, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to deny himself what, and who, he wants.

Rodrigo Cruz is the opposite of safe.

He’s young, ballsy, and bold. Out and proud, Cruz has never shied away from going after what he wants. He wants a career as a big-league ballplayer, and he wants it on his own terms. No hiding his sexuality or his past but also no throwing himself at his beautiful, blue-eyed bunkmate. Not even if he suspects Trevor isn’t quite as straight as he claims.

Crossing that line, testing that theory, it could put his entire career at risk. If he swings for the fences and strikes out, he’ll always be that guy in the locker room who can’t keep it in his pants. But what if he’s right and they’re more than just teammates?

What if they’re soulmates?

Excerpt

Safe
Jess Bryant © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Rodrigo Cruz was wavering. He was fucking wavering. If he was honest with himself, he’d been wavering for a while. It wasn’t the first time he’d considered abandoning his self-imposed rules about not pursuing teammates. But tonight, in the dimly lit bar after a long day in the sun and a couple of drinks, he was wavering way too close to crossing the line he’d drawn in the sand before he’d ever even met Trevor Thorne.

How could he not?

The man was gorgeous. Hot as hell. A Greek god encased in all-American good looks. Full lips. Dimpled chin. Spiky golden-blond hair and those eyes. Fuck, those eyes. They were blue, only blue wasn’t the right word. It wasn’t descriptive enough. They were jewels, diamonds in the rough of his handsome face.

Trevor had a nickname in the league. The Ice King. He was cold. Unemotional. Detached on the field and off. And those eyes of his were glaciers, impossible to delve past the surface without feeling the chill.

Only, Cruz had seen past the icy veneer. Trevor had let him past it. After months of shared hotel rooms, tiny bus seats, and 24/7 forced proximity, Trevor had slowly begun to let him in. He’d started to lower the walls he kept so high around him, and Cruz was proud to call him a friend instead of just a teammate.

The Ice King had thawed for him. Cruz had seen those blue eyes twinkle with laughter. He’d seen them warm with amusement and pleasure. And more and more, he thought about what it would be like to see them full of heat, full of passion and fire.

Cruz stared across the crowded bar, caught himself drowning in those blue pools like they were the goddamn Bermuda Triangle and there wasn’t a life preserver in sight.

Cruz lowered his gaze when Trevor looked away, returning to his phone call. He squinted at the tumbler of liquid sitting in front of him on the table, trying to remember how many he’d had. Too many.

He was drunk. So. Damn. Drunk. He knew he was drunk which meant he was way past the point of no return. He shouldn’t have had that last drink. Or, rather, considering he was in the presence of the one man who made him want to throw his rulebook out the window, he really shouldn’t have been drinking at all.

Release Blitz: A Noble Cause by Mickie B. Ashling

Title: A Noble Cause

Series: Legacy, Book Two

Author: Mickie B. Ashling

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: August 26, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 64500

Genre: Fantasy, NineStar Press, LGBT, fantasy, mpreg, magic, royalty, gay, age-gap, men with children, intersex, demons, wedding, kilts

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Synopsis

Having achieved his heart’s desire at a high price, Prince Colin of Sendorra and his fiancé, Nobel Prize winner Alain de Gris, find themselves at the epicenter of a twisted plot. Colin’s cousin, Drake Bradford, and his grandmother Maura, the high priestess of the Bradford Coven, have conspired for years to bring down the royal family.

Resembling his cousin in features and coloring, Drake, the soulless rat, has been using their similarities—and black magic—to his advantage. Princess Charlotte, Colin’s ex-girlfriend, is unwittingly drawn into the feud, blissfully unaware she’s been sleeping with an impostor.

In this anticipated sequel to A Tangled Legacy, Colin and Alain, along with their fearless group of witches, ghosts, and familiars, embark on a convoluted journey to save the people they love and ensure the royal succession.

Excerpt

A Noble Cause
Mickie B. Ashling © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Prologue

Charlie’s head lolled back against the leather seat of the BMW as Drake Bradford, still in his disguise as Prince Colin of Sendorra, navigated the crowded streets of Biarritz before merging onto the toll road heading toward Paris. He’d cast a sleeping spell on his “fiancé” to avoid the interrogation he was sure would follow once she realized they were on their way out of town. He needed privacy to confer with Granny Maura to formulate a new plan while the royals were busy drawing up countermeasures to deal with him.

Drake grew impatient as Granny’s phone rang and rang. Like many seniors, she didn’t have her mobile at her fingertips, defeating the whole purpose of instant availability. Finally, after the seventh ring, she picked up.

“It’s about bloody time.”

“I couldn’t find my phone,” she replied apologetically.

“We’ve already talked about this on several occasions,” Drake scolded. “Put it on your kitchen counter so you know where to look.”

“What’s the problem?” she asked dismissively.

“I’ve managed to kill off the dowager and Colin in one fell swoop.”

“You what!”

“They should have stayed out of my business,” Drake defended.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Maura ordered tersely.

“Plans started to unravel the minute Colin showed up unexpectedly. He wasn’t due home for another couple of days, and Charlie and I would have announced our engagement by then. There was nothing he could have done to stop us from marrying, but then it all went to shit.”

“Where are you?”

“Driving to Paris.”

“Is Charlie with you?”

“Of course she is,” Drake snapped. “She’s mine and I have every intention of marrying her. Plus, she’s carrying my child.”

“Don’t come to Paris,” Maura advised. “It’s the first place they’ll look.”

“What do you suggest?”

ARC Review: Paint It Black, Beneath the Stain II by Amy Lane

From The Blurb:

A Beneath the Stain Novel 

Everybody thinks Mackey Sanders and Outbreak Monkey is the last coming of Rock’n’Roll Jesus, but Cheever Sanders can't wait to get out of his home town and make a name for himself where nobody expects him to fill his famous brothers’ shoes. He’s tired of living in their shadow. 

Blake Manning knows the feeling. He's been Outbreak Monkey's second lead guitarist for ten years. He’s come to terms with the fact that he’ll never be Grant Adams, the guy he replaced, and that Kell Sanders will never love him like Mackey loved Grant. He got this gig on luck and love, not talent. So watching Cheever blow through Outbreak Monkey's hard-earned money in an epic stretch of partying pisses him off. Blake shows up at Cheever's nonstop orgy to enforce some rules, but instead of a jaded punk, he finds a lost boy as talented at painting as Mackey is at song-making, and terrified to let anybody see the real him. It’s something he and Blake have in common. 

Both men have to make peace with being second banana in the public eye. Can they find the magic of coming absolute first with each other?

Karen's rating:

There's no monkey business here...well, not much...

I'm not sure that I'd say you 'have to' read 'Beneath the Stain' to follow this story but I do think it would be very beneficial and honestly, it's such an awesome story and if you're a fan of Amy Lane, I can't imagine that you haven't or wouldn't want to but that's for each of us to decide.

I loved 'Beneath the Stain' I read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the audio book. No matter what the format this story just worked for me but now we're faced with the second book 'Paint It Black' and I admit I was nervous...could Ms Lane pull it off could she write a second book that was worth of what she started with and the answer for me was...yes. Was it as good as 'Beneath the Stain' I think that's a matter of individual opinion but for me it was and comparing them was also a little bit like comparing apples and oranges. Both had their own strengths and weaknesses and each story brought a different perspective to the same time frame and some of the same events through the eyes of different characters.

In 'Paint It Black' the focus is on Cheever Sanders younger brother to men of 'Outbreak Monkey' whether by blood or of the heart these men are brothers and 'Blake' his membership to this band of brothers was a little harder earned by he's every bit as much a brother as the the others, he just doesn't realize his own self worth.

Cheever has reached adulthood but it hasn't happened without a price and while his brothers have spent the intervening years trying to reach him. He's had his own reasons for keeping them at arms length, they just weren't as good as he believed them to be. it's said that it takes a village to raise a child...well it can also take a village to pull that same child from their path of self destruction and that's where Blake finds Cheever.

ARC Review: Top Priority (The Game #1) by Cara Dee

Blurb:

In a perfect world, Lucas West would meet someone in one of the BDSM communities he was active in, someone who ached for a Daddy Dom as much as Lucas longed for a Little to care for. They would date, play, build something that was just for them, and share a future together.

In a perfect world, Colt Carter would get through his next deployment and then move closer to DC where he could create at least a semblance of a personal life. He wanted something outside of the Air Force, something kinky, something worth leaving everything behind for eventually. For years, he’d kept his inner Sadist and Daddy Dom locked up, only letting him out to play on rare occasions.

In a perfect world…

In reality, Lucas and Colt met each other.

---

Top Priority is the first novella in The Game Series, a BDSM series where romance meets the reality of kink. Sometimes we fall for someone we don’t match with, sometimes vanilla business gets in the way of kinky pleasure, and sometimes we have to compromise and push ourselves to overcome trauma and insecurities. No matter what, two things are certain. This is not a perfect world, and life never turns out the way you planned.

Jewel's rating:

You can't always choose who you fall for.

Top Priority wasn't quite what I expected. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though. I was expecting a lot more kink than there was. There really was very little. That said, the story really excelled in the relationship department. The author nailed it and given just how short this novella is, I find that fairly remarkable.

Colt is a fighter pilot, with an emphasis on 'control freak'. I love that in a Dommy MC. He's also got a sadistic streak, so the fact that Lucas also loves pain, there's definitely some delicious compatibility there, even if Lucas claims to not be submissive, much less a "little". I loved Colt's cockiness and the fact that he knows what he wants and how to get it.

Blogtour: Beauregard And The Beast by Evie Drae

Please say hello to Evie Drae with

Beauregard And The Beast

a Dreamspun Desires title

Blurb:

A Once Upon a Vegas Night Tale

His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.

Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he prepares for the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.

Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn't expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But Bo is pleasantly surprised when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won't be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.

But just as their relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge.

Exclusive Excerpt:

With a soft smacking of his lips, Adam turned his head away but showed no other sign he’d registered Bo’s presence. Inching a little closer, Bo angled his knees for leverage and laid both hands on the firm warmth of Adam’s shoulder. This time he shook with all his might, calling Adam’s name as he did.

A startled snort signaled Adam’s first step into the land of the living. Bo let go as soon as those sleep-heavy gray eyes fluttered open and locked on to his own. He leaned over, grabbed the first cup of coffee, and held it out as the peace offering it was. “Morning. Sorry. Hope I didn’t scare you.”

Adam slow-blinked a few times before scrubbing a hand over his face and pushing to an elbow. The muscles in his chest and shoulders rippled beneath his taut skin, their contours sharpened by the shadows thrown from the dim bathroom light. He accepted the caffeinated liquid and grunted in thanks before downing the whole thing in one long swallow.

After taking the empty mug from Adam, Bo hopped off the bed. He gripped the porcelain between both palms and stared into the dregs Adam left behind to keep his eyes from wandering over his boss’s naked torso as he stretched himself awake.

“Thanks for the go-go juice, my man.” Adam yawned, and his jaw cracked with the movement. He fluffed up his pillow and leaned against the headboard. “What’s on the agenda today? Anything mind-numbingly boring I should start planning an out for now?”

Bo snapped his gaze to Adam’s, swallowing a whimper at the sight of his sleep-mussed hair and lazy morning smile. He set the empty cup on the nightstand, scooped up the full one, and passed it to Adam. He’d already learned one cup was never enough, and discussing the monotonous details of Adam’s schedule always went over better paired with that extra jolt of caffeine. “Other than your regular training, Eddie is supposed to come by this afternoon with some more footage of Zaragoza for you to review. Oh, and Kyle wanted to go over a few new proposals for sponsorship contracts. He said he’d be around before dinner.”

“Of course he did.” Adam huffed out a laugh, then brought the mug to his lips. The second cup always went down with a little less desperation than the first. More sipping, less gulping. “The damn parasite just wants a free meal.”

Offering a noncommittal hum in response, Bo backed toward the door. He needed to break free before Adam tossed off the covers and gave him any more fodder for his relentless imagination. “I’ll get your shake started. Are you feeling chocolate or vanilla this morning?”

Release Blitz: Kept in the Dark by Charlie Cochet

Kept in the Dark

Locke and Keyes Agency Series, Book 1

Charlie Cochet

Gay Romantic Suspense

Release Date: 08.20.19

Blurb

Former Army Ranger turned government assassin Álvaro Montero and CIA Officer Caiden Cardosa crossed paths two years ago in Vienna, where their encounter ended less than amicably—despite the explosive sexual chemistry between them.

Now Caiden is riding a desk at Langley after his cover is blown. And Álvaro—who was “killed”—has a new identity and purpose as Delta/D, an operative for the Locke and Keyes Agency, under the leadership of the mysterious Alpha Orion.

When D and Caiden team up in a deadly black ops mission, the urge to kill each other will have to take a back seat to the desire for revenge against the man who betrayed them both. Surviving the mission won’t be easy. Resisting the passion between them—that might be impossible.

Universal Link

Excerpt

“You don’t need to be a designer to know how not to decorate your house,” D said, scowling at the vintage floral loveseat across from the blue velvet couch. “I think my grandmother had a couch like that. Except it was vacuum sealed in plastic. Nothing like sitting on a plastic-lined couch in the summer with no AC.”

Caiden gasped. “Wait, you had a grandmother?”

“Have. Yes.”

“Which means you had a mother.”

“Have a mother. Yes.” D squinted at him.

“Where are you going with this?”

“Well, damn.”

“What?”

Caiden shrugged. “I was under the impression you emerged from the darkness below. Clawing yourself out from the dirt, like a zombie or a great evil that’s come back to life after a misguided loved one buried you in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary.”

D didn’t appear impressed. “Funny.”

“What does the Dark Lord look like?” Caiden asked, moving to inspect one of the pillars between two bookcases. “Was he like Tim Curry in Legend or sexy and British like Tom Ellis in Lucifer?”

Author Of The Month - Lily Morton - Grand Finale

Welcome to our Grand Finale celebrations for the amazing

In our final post, we'll take a look at The Summer Of Us and Best Love. We also have our author interview and one more chance to win one of Lily's books.


First up, The Summer Of Us

Blurb:

It’s going to be a long hot summer.

John is an exceptionally good lawyer. He’s driven, arrogant and hides a warm heart underneath a façade of cool politeness. He’s used to people disliking him but for some reason when meeting Matt in London the other man’s open dislike of him bothers him. He’s therefore surprised to find himself offering Matt a place to stay in his villa in the South of France while he’s working nearby. He’s surprised because he’d actually planned to spend the summer working on his book and plotting to get his ex-wife back.

However, his perfect plans take a blow as the long hot summer progresses and the two men get closer, and John starts to nurse an unexpected attraction to his houseguest from hell.

Matt is John’s polar opposite. He’s warm, funny, sociable and scruffy. He loves people and they love him back. However, to his consternation he hates John more than he hates Marmite, and Marmite makes him vomit. He hates his arrogance, his public school voice and the air of superiority that he carries around. The idea of staying in his home with just him for company sounds torturous and not in a good way.

However, as the hot, lazy days slip by he’s forced to realise that maybe he’s not such a good judge of character after all, because underneath that arrogance is a warm, funny, vulnerable man who’s incredibly sexy. The only problem is that while Matt is gay John is completely straight and Matt now wants him more than he’s ever wanted anything in his life.

Excerpt:

I shake my head, my thoughts trailing away like smoke, and focus to find him racing around the side of the car to open my door and help me out. “John, I’ve cut my arm, not sawn it off,” I say irritably, feeling like some sort of Victorian maiden. He’ll be covering up the legs on the tables next in case I have impure thoughts. I snort out a laugh and he looks at me curiously.

“Ookay.” He elongates the word. “The hospital said to keep an eye on you because you said that some pain medications make you stupid. Apparently, if you were going to have a bit of a funny reaction to the painkillers it would hit you quite quickly. Luckily we’re home now.”

I laugh again. “Funny ha ha,” and then I lapse into giggles at the look of puzzlement on his face. “There’s that word again,” I sigh lavishly, pointing at him until he relocates my finger so that I’m actually pointing at him. Fuck. “Home. I like being at home with you.” 

He looks at me in complete abject bewilderment, his brow furrowing, and I poke the line between those spectacular eyes. God you’re pretty, I think, and then see the look of consternation on his face. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

He nods, a grin tugging at his lips. “I am not pretty, Matthew. I am extremely good-looking with a brain the size of the Tower of London. That makes me handsome, not, I repeat, pretty.”

“Hope other things are the size of the Tower of London,” I laugh, and get up with a groan and then stand swinging idly back and forth on his door enjoying the breeze, while hoping that my mouth stops talking right about now. A reaction to the painkillers, I muse. Right, at this point, really, could it get any stupider?

He looks at me as I hum a song that’s just come into my head and attempt to thread my good arm through his sweater. “Case proven for the painkiller reaction, I think.” He shakes his head and takes the sweater off me. “That’s back to front, babe.” He throws it onto the back seat and pushes his shoulder under mine. “Come on,” he growls, sending shivers down my spine. 

I like that noise. It goes straight to my balls. He freezes. “Shit, I said it out loud again, didn’t I?”

He shakes his head and closes his eyes. “Maybe we need to get some food down you, Matty? Mop up the painkillers.”

I nuzzle into him. “Let’s get some protein in me,” I growl. “Let’s have a liquid lunch. I promise that I’ll swallow.”

He closes his eyes in what looks like pain. “Fuck, the things that you say.”

“It’s not what I say, it’s what I do.” I’m starting to feel very weird now, so to take my mind off it I attempt a lascivious wink, but judging from the consternation on his face I don’t think that I quite pull it off. “I’m very, very good at the things that I do, Johnny,” I say proudly.

“Matt, you’re actually shouting, did you know that?” he says nervously, still attempting to get me up the stairs. Good luck with that, I think distractedly, because my legs don’t appear to be working.

“Oh my God,” I shout in panic, and it must be loud because he nearly drops me. “My legs don’t work. I can’t walk.”

“It’s okay,” he soothes. “The hospital said to let you sleep and the reaction will wear off. I’ve just got to make sure that I wake you up occasionally.”

“To check that I haven’t died,” I say slowly and painstakingly. “You must definitely do that, Johnny. Hey, you know what?” He jerks to a stop again. “We should get in bed together, then you can keep a check on me.” He closes his eyes and I go to nudge him and miss his arm by what feels like quite a lot. I smirk, or try to. My face is so numb now that I might be dribbling, for all the fuck I know. “My face feels funny, but my penis is still working,” I reassure him.

“Oh my God,” he groans.

I laugh. “I know, that’s what they all say. ‘Oh my God, Matty, that’s so fucking good.’” I shout the last and I think that I end it on a bit of a howl because his shoulders are shaking with laughter. I nuzzle into him. “You smell really nice, babe, like blackberries and sunshine and hot skin. Sometimes I want to lick you,” I say dreamily and his steps falter.

Get the book:

A free short called Matt and John's Wedding is available here.



Second in our line-up, Best Love

Blurb:

Noah and Sage have been best friends since they were seven when Sage climbed over the wall between their childhood homes. They know everything about each other apart from one small thing. Noah is hopelessly in love with Sage and doesn't ever intend to tell him.

However, fate has other plans. A dating website with a glitch in its system leads Sage to challenge Noah. Two days in which they will show each other their best dates. What could possibly go wrong?

At the end of these two days will the men discover that the best love comes with someone who really knows you, or will they fall back into being just good friends?


This short story was originally featured in the Heart2Heart Anthology. It has had a new scene and epilogue added to it.

Excerpt:

I look up at the sign again and let resolve fill me. My supposed perfect match is waiting for me a few feet away. If it’s a failure, then no one will know, and if it’s a success I just might find everything I’ve been looking for, and also someone who might prevent me from dying a lonely, single, old man and being eaten by my grumpy dog, Charlie.

Filled with resolution, I nod and stride forward grimly. Maybe too grimly. I pause and adjust my face so it isn’t demonstrating resting bitch. Sorted.

I reach out and push open the door. I’m instantly socked with a wave of warm coffee and sugar scented air, and predictably, my glasses immediately steam over. I curse and remove them, polishing them and popping them back on my nose. 

The place comes into focus and I look around nervously. It’s fairly quiet for a weekday. Normally, coffee shops in York are filled to the rafters with tourists, but the rain and wind must have kept most people away. There’s an old couple sitting together but staring in any direction other than at each other, a young couple attempting to share one chair, and a man tapping away furiously on a laptop.

I stare hard at him, but he’s not wearing a red jumper, which is what my mystery man promised to be wearing. I straighten my own navy sweater and look around, my brow furrowing. Disappointment sears me. He hasn’t come. 

My racing thoughts come to a stop when I hear a throat clearing behind me. I turn slowly and see a small table and leather armchairs tucked away in a quiet corner. Sitting in one of the chairs is a man wearing a scarlet jumper, and… my thoughts come to a screeching halt. 

“You!”

Sage, my best friend in the entire world, gives a startled laugh. “Me. And you?” I laugh, and he shoves the spare chair forward with his foot. “What are you doing here?” he asks. “I thought you’d bunkered down to get through the revisions.”

I subside into the chair thankfully and take a grateful sip of his hot chocolate which he pushes over to me with the ease of practice. I curse as I notice pen ink all over my hands, before focusing on the question. “I have got a lot to do, but I had a message from that dating site I was telling you about.”

Something crosses his face, a flare of what looks like recognition, before a slow smile lifts his full lips. “So, you’re here for a date then? Don’t tell me. You’re wearing a navy sweater to identify yourself, and your profile name is Ink Sprinkler, which, by the way, either sounds like a porn name or like you’re incontinent.”

I pause, and then realization rushes through me. “Oh, my God. Are you Picture Man?”

He waves his arms about gracefully as if conducting a symphony. The sleeves of the sweater are rolled up, and the colours from the tattoos on his arms and hands shine in the warm light of the coffee shop. “I thought it was appropriate,” he smiles, and just for a second my gaze snags on those full lips and the twinkle in his warm, cognac eyes.

Then I snap back into reality with the ease of practice. “So, we’ve been matched by a supposedly zero percent failure matchmaking agency.” I snort. “We’re going to detract from their perfect score, that’s for fucking sure.”

He sits back, and something crosses his face too quickly for me to figure it out. Then he assumes his normal expression of lively curiosity and welcome. “Why?”

It takes me a second to work out what he’s asking, and then I laugh. “Fucking hell, we’re about as far from a match as Russell Grant is to marrying Jordan Barrett.”

“I personally am really shipping for that to happen,” he says solemnly. “They’re a match made in heaven.” He folds his arms and sits back. “Are we really that different?”

I smirk and drain his hot chocolate with a flourish. “Just look at us.”

He frowns and it sits uneasily on his open face. “What do you mean?”

I wave my hand at him. “Look at you, and then look at me.” 

“I am,” he says, and there’s suddenly a deep note to his voice that I’ve never heard directed at me before.

I clear my throat. “You’re cool and sociable and outgoing. Good looking and a good friend.” I look down at myself. “I’m boring and colourless. I hide away in my flat behind a pen name, and I’m anally retentive to boot.”

He stares at me for a long second, and I squirm slightly under that focused gaze. “You forgot to mention kind, funny and a brilliant author,” he says steadily. “And the anally retentive bit I can really get behind.”

I raise my middle finger at him and shake my head. “I’m not under any illusions. Richard always used to say I was boring.”

He scowls and shifts in his chair. “I don’t know why you paid any attention to him.”

I stare at him. “You went out with him for four years. I’m your best friend. Of course I paid attention to him.”

“I wish I’d heard him say that,” he says fiercely, and then sighs. “Anyway, if that’s the sort of crap he was spouting, it’s a good job I’m not with him anymore.”

I shoot a look at him. “You never did say why you split up?”