Blogtour: Buried Secrets by John Petrie

Please welcome John Petrie with 

Buried Secrets

Timothy and Wyatt Mysteries #1

Hi, I'm John Petrie.

I love a good mystery. Who did it? And why? But, damn, they’re really hard to figure out how to write. I wrote a lot of Buried Secrets sitting next to a corkboard with a lot of index cards on it. 

And I still managed to screw up names and dates without even realizing it…

But, to me, it was as much a love letter as it was a love story. When I was young (many moons ago) I read Nancy Drew over and over. I didn’t really get into the Hardy Boys until after the TV show. You remember Pamela Sue Martin, Parker Stevenson, and Shaun Cassidy, right? And now, if you’d like to do your own detective work, you can figure out how old I am. Very, very old.

But it was more than Nancy, Frank, and Joe. I was always a big fan of Ned Nickerson, Nancy’s boyfriend. Poor long suffering Ned, who always did whatever Nancy asked, but never asked too many questions. I’d wondered how Ned felt about being the sidekick. The muscle. 

But it was more than Nancy, Frank, Joe, and Ned. It was also about the fact that I wanted Frank and Ned, who at one point were almost-sort-of-kind-of rivals for Nancy’s affection, not to be. I wanted them to hook-up. 

I’m not sure if anyone else is my age. (Anyone? You? No? Okay.) But, if you are, you remember that back in the day LGBTQ people weren’t allowed to be heroes. We could be brave, especially if you were a gay man, because you were shown living with (and by the end of the book/movie/mini-series, dying from) AIDS, but you couldn’t be a tough guy. You couldn’t throw or take a punch. 

There’s a little bit of wish fulfillment with Buried Secrets. I’d like to be Timothy. More accurately, I’d like to have been Timothy when I was seventeen. Too smart, too sure, too self-aware, but a good guy. I’d like to have been able to physically take care of myself the way that Timothy can. And I’d like to be as brave as he is. I’d like to be as kind as Wyatt. I’d like to be as strong as he is.

Maybe, just maybe, someone will read the book and think: Yeah. I can take care of myself the way that he does. Maybe, someone won’t worry that being LGBTQ doesn’t mean you can’t be as smart as Nancy Drew, as tough as Frank and Joe Hardy, or as loving and loyal as Ned. 

Maybe, a gay, teen detective isn’t far-fetched, after all.

Blurb:

The son of an alcoholic mother, Wyatt Courtland skips school to work construction to help the family survive. When he finds a lockbox containing a series of articles about Bobby LaFleur, a student who went missing four years ago, he enlists the help of sheriff’s son Timothy Mitchell to learn what happened to Bobby.

Timothy wants to go into law enforcement, even if it’s against his father’s wishes. He figures solving this case will convince his dad he can handle police work, but as he digs deeper, he uncovers a string of missing boys—and the truth about Wyatt’s desire to find out what truly happened to Bobby. As the two grow closer, they realize the mystery is far more sinister than they imagined—and it’s a secret someone is willing to kill to protect.

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About the author:

Blogtour: Drawing The Prince by Kim Fielding

Please say hello to Kim Fielding with

Drawing The Prince 

a Stars From Peril novel

a Dreamspun Desires title

Hi! I’m Kim Fielding, here to celebrate the release of Drawing the Prince.

In this book, Cal is an artist from small-town Nebraska who falls for a European prince named Teo. And really, I can hardly blame him. Not only is Teo handsome and charming, but he lives in a castle. A castle.

I love castles. Not just because the architecture can be amazing and the scale and sumptuousness spectacular, but because they tell stories. If you walk the halls of a castle, you know you’re following in the footsteps of royalty; it’s pretty damn cool to know that kings and queens once stood exactly where you are.

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit several French chateaux with Shira Anthony. Each of them was different, but they were all wonderful. I think maybe Chenonceau was the most beautiful. It’s built right over a river and has a long gallery that served as a hospital during WWI. It’s such a beautiful place that after King Henry II died in 1559, his widow, Catherine de Medici, forced Henry’s mistress to trade it to her for a different chateau. I was also especially fond of Chateau d’Amboise, which contains some whimsical sculptural details. But you have to be careful—King Charles VIII died there after bashing his head on a door lintel.

Of course other countries have fascinating castles too. Also this year, I enjoyed visiting Gravensteen in Ghent. It has an interesting history as a court and prison. In fact, I try to stop at castles whenever I can. I have yet to sleep in one, which is a little disappointing, but I did have lunch in a German castle once, so there’s that.

One drawback of living in the United States is that we’re woefully short of castles. I mean, the Hearst Castle is very impressive, but not as much as places that have been around for hundreds of years. I think if I somehow became fantastically rich, I’d find myself a nice castle somewhere in Europe and move on in. I’d want a large staff to take care of the upkeep and gardens, of course. And I think I’d opt for modern heating and plumbing. But I’d definitely want a dungeon.

The castle in Drawing the Prince is loosely based on a real one, Ljubljana Castle in Slovenia. Some parts of it date back about a thousand years. Since it’s atop a hill, nowadays you can get there by funicular and then climb a tower to enjoy some wonderful views. Alas, no dashing princes live there today. For that we’ll have to join the fictional world of Cal and Teo.

Blurb:

Painting themselves a life together will be a royal ordeal.

Small-town boy Cal Walters doesn’t know whether he owes his phenomenal success as an artist to talent or to his connections to famous people. Doubt leaves him secluded—until a lost bet lands him on yet another blind date. But this one is different.

To Teofilo Vabriga-Kastav, playboy prince of the tiny nation of Porvunia and passionate art lover, Cal’s paintings are as intriguing as Cal himself. When Teo invites Cal to his country for an art competition, a whirlwind romance sweeps them up. But it can’t last—loyalties and obligations bind them to lives that are worlds apart. 

Cal and Teo might’ve found their perfect complements in each other, but to hold on to their happiness, they’ll have to get creative.

Get the book:

  

About the author:

Release Blitz: Love On The Hudson by KD Fisher

Title: Love on the Hudson

Author: KD Fisher

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: September 30, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 98400

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, contemporary, friends to lovers, second chance love, coming out, artist, farmer, family drama, hurt/comfort, in the closet, coming out

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Synopsis

Art historian David Webster left his childhood home of Saugerties, New York ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. Intelligent, successful, and proud of his sexuality, David has built a comfortable, if lonely, life in Chicago. But when he learns his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he decides to leave his prestigious museum job and move home to care for his dad. Until now David has never questioned his devotion to academic and professional success. Suddenly he’s forced to confront and reevaluate his desires, chief among them, his former best friend Nick.

Nick Patras has spent his entire life trying to be the perfect Greek son. From devoting himself to football, to forgoing an athletic scholarship to work at his family’s diner, to denying his sexuality and getting married to his high school sweetheart, Nick got used to putting his family’s dreams ahead of his own. The facade shattered, however, when Nick divorced his wife and left the family business to follow his dream of starting an organic farm. Finally content with the life he’s built for himself, Nick is still haunted by the mistake that ended his friendship with David a decade earlier.

When David and Nick reunite their old feelings are undeniable, but can David trust Nick with his heart a second time around? As David embarks on a new career as an artist, he must decide whether or not Nick fits into this composition.

Excerpt

Love on the Hudson
K.D. Fisher © 2019
All Rights Reserved

I step onto the salt-white sidewalk and into a stream of traffic noise. Rush hour commuters pour their anger into their car horns, laying on them for what feels like minutes at a time. The familiar scents of bus exhaust, cigarette smoke, and the caramel-sweet fragrance of roasted nuts from the stand on the corner overpower the rich steam rising from the to-go cup of coffee in my hands. It’s cold. I know March in Chicago is always cold, really still winter, but the bite of the wind makes me edgy. I find myself constantly checking the weather forecast the moment I wake up, hoping I can stow away my heavy, unattractive coat for the season.

I rush toward the museum, knowing I’ll be early for my meeting but hurrying nonetheless. As I walk, I mentally go over the presentation I’d practiced endlessly the night before. We can work with Chicago Public Schools to widen the reach of the museum and diversify visitorship. I’ve already talked to the assistant superintendent, and she loved the idea, saying the partnership would help supplement the arts programs that got cut a few years ago when the state couldn’t agree on a budget. I’m lost in thought, half hoping I’m not practicing my talking points aloud, when I realize I’m already standing at the bottom of the lion-flanked steps of the museum. It bothers me that I do this—zone out and navigate the streets on autopilot. I chastise myself for taking the aesthetics of the city for granted. On any given day I pass the spaceship-like hulking form of the Thompson Center without batting an eye. I breeze by major public artworks by Picasso and Miró. I whisk past Burnham and Sullivan buildings with my eyes trained on the ground.

When I first moved to Chicago for undergrad, I was fascinated by the city. Everything was vibrant and engaging, unlike Saugerties, the small town where I’d grown up. Every chance I had I hopped on the bus, pretentious leather sketchbook in hand, and went north from my school’s South Side campus to the center of the city. I took silly architecture boat tours filled with tourists who largely tuned out the information pouring from the scratchy PA system as the boat chugged through the dingy river. Spending hours on Google Maps, I planned walking tours of Oak Park for myself, enjoying the lull of the suburban streets as I basked in the gorgeous lines and thoughtful details of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

Again I’m lost in thought because I’m now enveloped in the quiet of my office, coffee still in hand, coat and scarf still on, but seated behind my desk. Shaking my head, I set my coffee down and busy myself with the tasks of a Monday morning. Check my voicemail, start my computer, glance at the Post-it-covered Stendig calendar tacked to my wall. As I’m about to reread my notes for the thousandth time since I woke up, my desk phone rings and the small light for the main museum reception line blinks red.

I pick it up on the second ring, running my fingers through my hair as I speak. “This is David Webster.” I always lower my voice when fielding an unexpected call. Although I tell myself it’s to sound professional, I’m a bit self-conscious about the soft, lilting cadence of my words.

A timid female voice responds. “Uh, hi, Mr. Webster? I have a call for you from a, uh, hospital. The nurse said she tried your cell but…” The woman’s voice trails off, growing somewhat hoarse.

“Oh, sure. Okay. You can go ahead and put her through.” The tremble in my voice does not surprise me. My heart races and my fingers shake as I reach for my bag to retrieve my cell phone.

“Mr. Webster?” My name is tinged with the upstate New York accent of my youth.

“Speaking,” I squeak out. “What’s going on?” I know it’s something with my dad. Or fuck, could it be Anna? There’s a sickening swooping sensation in my stomach. Did something happen to Nick? Unbidden, his intense gray gaze appears in my mind’s eye. I shake my head to clear the thought. No one would call me about him.

“You’re listed as next of kin for Dr. Richard Webster. You are his son, correct?”

Blogtour: Fated Hearts by Garrett Leigh



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited.

Length: 60,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Blurb

"He's not a wolf."

Devastated by the death of his best friend, Zio is a soldier with one thing on his mind: revenge. Consumed by a conflict that's raged as long as he's been alive, he's had little time or inclination to learn the legends of the shifter world he was raised in. And he certainly doesn't have time to deal with a shifter of a different kind, even if it's for the good of the war effort. For the good of his pack. The fact that he's already crossed paths with the new face in his unit is almost irrelevant.

Almost.

Do no harm. Give life not death: it's the oath Devan was reborn to live by, so when he's sent abroad to embed with a wolf pack as their resident healer, he doesn't hesitate. In the supernatural world, some bonds are instant--soldiers become brothers, pack become family. But others run deeper and before long, Devan's at the mercy of instincts he can't control. Zio's inner wolf is desperate to be with Devan, while Devan struggles to keep the pack safe. But as the war escalates, and new love is tainted by anguish and pain, the battles within might prove the toughest of them all.

"I won't let him die."

About the author:

ARC Review: Amalgamated by Becca Seymour

From the Blurb:

Escape with Leo and Zak in outback Australia as they discover it sometimes takes time, distance, and interfering family to amalgamate. 

After five years of living in the UK, it's time for Leo to return home to his dad's stud farm in outback Australia. He has no idea what to expect when he arrives. He didn't exactly leave with balloons and banners. 

Nope. His farewell involved destruction and his own heart split in two. 

He knows seeing the man who's always held his heart, Zak, is going to be awkward. The older farm manager made his feelings pretty damn clear when Leo hightailed it out of there. 

Leo quickly figures out life is going to get complicated and a whole heap more exciting as his trip home becomes so much more.

Ky's rating:

Amalgamated was my first read by this author. It was quick and enjoyable and exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up.

Leo is coming home to his dad's stud farm for a few weeks, after being away for five years. However, that time wasn't enough for him to forget his teenage crush in the slightly older farm manager, Zak, that's been in his life for years. When he left he did so in fashion, leaving behind somewhat of a mess.

Now, being back he has to face Zak and ask for forgiveness while hoping to save something of the relationship they used to have. Leo knows that Zak will never see him as anything more that the son of his boss and the kid that used to follow him around everywhere and is resigned to it hoping to salvage something of the friendship they developed over the years.

ARC Review: Their Boy (The Game 2) by Cara Dee

Blurb:

Left all alone in the world—and in a very big house—after the loss of his parents, Kit Damien has struggled to find his place in society and in the kink community he longs to be a more active part of.

Daddy Doms Colt and Lucas have been a happy, committed couple for eight years. But two Tops need a bottom, and their quest for a Little to make their lives complete has led them to Kit’s empty doorstep.

But just as with his physical wounds, Kit’s emotional scars won’t heal overnight. Colt and Lucas must challenge him at every turn to force him to open up and let them in, to let them use their own individual methods to make him whole again. Together, the three will embark on a journey to learn about true love, growing up, the importance of sprinkles, and the rules of The Game that can make them all winners.

Dani's rating:

Until approximately 80 percent, this was a 5 star book for me. I am not a big fan of Daddy/little kink, but I loved Power Play, Madigan and Abel's story, and enjoyed the first The Game book, which serves as a prequel to Their Boy.

This book is told from Kit's perspective, with Kit being the boy of the title. Having lost both his parents and suffered extensive injuries in a car accident, Kit is restless and insecure. He longs to have a Daddy of his own but doesn't dare dream he can have not one but two amazing Daddies: Colt, cocky and sadistic, and his husband, Lucas, who's more gentle and nurturing.

The relationship angst in the story is almost non-existent. Kit's bratty side comes out, but Lucas and Colt are ever patient with their boy. When Kit acts out, his Daddies dole out appropriate punishment.

Kit's ice cream with sprinkles obsession, as well as his furvor to redecorate his entire house to please his Daddies, were freakin' adorable! Kit was very cute when he allowed himself to regress and let go.

The sex is out of this world hot and perfectly kinky. I loved the dynamic between the three men and liked visiting with Madigan and Abel again (Kit and Abel are good friends).

Blogtour: Pure Dumb Luck by Dahlia Donovan

Pure Dumb Luck

by Dahlia Donovan

Blurb:

When two small-town country dudes win the lottery, they finally find the courage to speak their truth.

An unexpected adventure follows.

Linwood "Woody" Robinson has a routine. He works for his baby brother in construction, buys three lottery tickets every week, and lusts after his best friend from high school. He's done the same thing for twenty years.

Eddison "Eddie" Howard owns the only gas station in their small South Carolina town, sells lottery tickets, and lusts after his best friend from afar. They joke around but never speak their truth. He knows they're cowards but can't seem to find the courage to bridge the gulf between them.

And then they win eighty million dollars.

Life changes.

They go from never talking about their feelings to facing the world together.

Can anything pull them apart?

Hot Tree Publishing | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | iBooks  Barnes and Noble |Kobo | QueeRomance Ink | Goodreads

I had to dig into my roots for Pure Dumb Luck. Eddie, in particular, has some choice southern phrases.  My adoptive family are mostly centered in North Carolina, so I was able to pull from my memory for some amusing ones.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. Bless Your Heart, the quintessential phrase that can be anything from a curse to an insult to a comforting statement.

2. Kiss My Grass

3. Crud Muffin

4. Mother Trucker

5. Fart Knocker

6. Shut Your Pie Hole

Bless your heart is still my favorite (and one I use occasionally.)

Excerpt

“Go inside. Buy your lottery tickets. Shoot the shit—all calm and natural-like.” Woody gripped the steering wheel of his pickup truck tightly, trying to talk himself into getting out of it. A familiar pep talk. Familiar and oft repeated. “You’ve known Eddie since elementary school. You’ve been staring at his ass since he played quarterback to your running back in junior high. No point in getting all fucking weird around him now.”

Patting the bobblehead football player on his dashboard for good luck, Woody reluctantly slipped out of his truck. He slammed the door and plastered a grin on his face. Lottery tickets wouldn’t buy themselves.

And Eddie had already seen his truck. If he ran away now, he’d never hear the end of it. The temptation to get back into his vehicle was strong.

C’mon.

This is not even close to the hardest part of your day.

Except it had definitely become the most difficult daily event. Woody had never considered himself a coward, yet every single morning, he walked into the gas station to see his best friend, the person he’d been in love with for years, and said nothing beyond small talk.

He never told the truth of the ache in his heart growing too painful to ignore. He couldn’t. What if Eddie rejected him?

“Your usual?”

ARC Review: Their Boy (The Game, #2) by Cara Dee

Blurb:

Left all alone in the world—and in a very big house—after the loss of his parents, Kit Damien has struggled to find his place in society and in the kink community he longs to be a more active part of.

Daddy Doms Colt and Lucas have been a happy, committed couple for eight years. But two Tops need a bottom, and their quest for a Little to make their lives complete has led them to Kit’s empty doorstep.

But just as with his physical wounds, Kit’s emotional scars won’t heal overnight. Colt and Lucas must challenge him at every turn to force him to open up and let them in, to let them use their own individual methods to make him whole again. Together, the three will embark on a journey to learn about true love, growing up, the importance of sprinkles, and the rules of The Game that can make them all winners.

Jewel's rating:

"Scars are like book covers. They hint at a story. We know the story is there, but we are the authors, and we tell it."

To be honest, DD/lb isn't really my kink. That said, Cara Dee knows just how to write it so that I kind of love it, and Their Boy was no exception. Do be sure to read Top Priority, first, however, so you can experience Colt and Lucas establishing their relationship and their need for a little. There's not really kink in book 1, but there definitely is in this book.

Their Boy introduces Kit, a little who has never really gotten to experience the kink scene in the ways he's needed. Kit has lived an incredibly sheltered life and his parents, his mother, especially, were very much over-protective of Kit, never allowing him to do things like take a bath or take the Metro. Since their death, Kit has floundered. The accident that killed his parents, also left him heavily scarred, which even covered in tattoos, makes Kit very self conscious.

Review Tour: Where Love Grows by Jay Northcote

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link 

Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Length: 70,000 words approx.

Blurb

When two broken men look to each other for help, an unexpected romance blooms.

Stephen’s home, deep in the heart of the Welsh valleys, suits his reclusive nature. However, as he recovers from illness, he’s struggling to manage alone. As nature reclaims the land he’s poured his heart into cultivating, he becomes increasingly unhappy. His only outlet is his blog, where he documents the decline of the garden that had been his pride and joy.

Luke is more used to a concrete jungle. He was a high-flyer, living and working in London, until addiction sent him into free fall. Now on the road to recovery, he still wants to make some changes, but he’s unsure where to find the purpose and fulfilment he craves.

A mutual acquaintance suggests Luke visits Stephen to help him out for a while, and a seed of hope is planted. From prickly beginnings, shoots of friendship emerge, blossoming into a deeper connection when they act on their mutual attraction.

This was only ever supposed to be a temporary arrangement, and soon Stephen will be able to manage on his own again. But both men need each other in ways they’re afraid to admit. If their love is going to last for more than one season, they’ll need to find the courage to be honest.

Dani's review:





Where Love Grows is a sweet, quiet, hurt-comfort story about two broken men who find a home in each other. Jay Northcote excels at writing tender stories where most of the characters’ struggles are internal. In this book, both MCs, Stephen and Luke, have been hurt, physically and emotionally.

Luke grew up with a mother who was an addict. She died when he was young and even though he’s very successful in his career, Luke is a recovering alcoholic who’s hit rock bottom. When his business manager suggests he take some time away in the country to get back on track, Luke jumps at the chance.

Stephen was blindsided by an unexpected illness that has left him weak and in constant agony. Formerly a gardener, Stephen now struggles with day-to-day chores, and his beautiful garden is in disarray.

Luke arrives to help Stephen take care of daily tasks and bring Stephen’s previously nurtured garden back to life. But Stephen, defensive and standoffish, doesn’t accept help easily.

Release Blitz: Amalgamated by Becca Seymour

Book Title: Amalgamated

Author: Becca Seymour

Publisher: Rainbow Tree Publishing

Cover Artist: Soxsational Cover Art

Release Date: September 28, 2019

Genre/s: Small-Town M/M Romance

Trope/s: Friends to lovers, May to December, 

Themes: Forgiveness

Heat Rating: 3 flames 

Length: 18 000 words/70 pages approx.

It is a standalone story.

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Realigned (Coming Home #1) – FREE READ

 

 

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

iTunes | Kobo | Nook

Escape with Leo and Zak in outback Australia as they discover it sometimes takes time, distance, and interfering family to amalgamate.

Blurb

After five years of living in the UK, it’s time for Leo to return home to his dad’s stud farm in outback Australia. He has no idea what to expect when he arrives. He didn’t exactly leave with balloons and banners.

Nope. His farewell involved destruction and his own heart split in two.

He knows seeing the man who’s always held his heart, Zak, is going to be awkward. The older farm manager made his feelings pretty damn clear when Leo hightailed it out of there.

Leo quickly figures out life is going to get complicated and a whole heap more exciting as his trip home becomes so much more.

Amalgamated is a fun and steamy M/M short story in Becca Seymour’s Coming Home series. Stand-alone romances complete with heat, wit, and happily ever afters.

Excerpt

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

Groaning, I shook my head. Any request starting that way was going to result in me being pissed off. “What did you do?”

This time her glance my way had me tensing. Concern flickered in her eyes. When she focused on the road ahead, she blew out her cheeks, her lips pursed. “We’re heading to mine.”

“Okay?” I dragged out the word. I’d figured that out since we weren’t heading towards Dad and Michelle’s.

“Dad kinda got excited about you coming home.”

My stomach dipped. I just knew where she was heading with this. Slamming my eyes shut, I waited for her next words.

They came out in a rush. “Sohekindainvitedaheapofpeopleover. But…” She gasped for breath. “…it’s not technically a party, as there aren’t banners or balloons.”

My eyes sprang open, and I stared at her wide-eyed.

She glanced at me, a mix of horror and amusement on her face. “You owe me big for talking him out of that.”

“Yet you couldn’t have talked him into a small family meal?”

ARC Review: Tallowwood by N.R. Walker

Blurb:

Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.

Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.

When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.

But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

Jewel's rating:

I truly enjoyed Tallowwood. I love suspense and I love NR Walker's story telling and Tallowwood was damn near perfect. And while there are a couple things that would have increased my enjoyment of this story, it was so well done and I'm definitely recomending it.

August Shaw is a detective in Sydney who works cold cases. He has very personal motivation to do his job and he hates that so many people haven't gotten justice. He's a loner on the force, keeping to himself and working his cases alone, and he's good with that. His desire to be around people died with his boyfriend, Christopher, 8 years before. That Christopher is one of at least 8 murders that were set up to look like suicides isolates him even more, because no one will believe him.

Jacob Porter is a small town cop in Tallowwood, who has looked up to August for years. Being a gay cop in a small town is never easy, but Jake loves it and loves his work, and being Tallowwood's LGBTQIA+ Liason Officer as well as it's Aboriginal Liason Officer are things he is quite proud of. He loves playing footy and working with kids and being around his family and friends. Jake is very grounded and was such a calming influence in Tallowwood I could not help but be soothed by his presence almost as much as August was.

I enjoyed the mystery and the process of solving it and even though I had trouble reconciling the fact that even with the exact same MO, August's fellow officers wouldn't see the deaths as murders, I was able to suspend my disbelief there. Of course, since the victims were all gay men, maybe it shouldn't surprise me since law enforcement doesn't exactly have a good track record there.

ARC Review: The Mystery of the Bones, Snow & Winter #4 by C. S. Poe

From The Blurb:

Snow and Winter: Book Four 

It’s been a full year since the mystery that brought antique shop owner and part-time amateur sleuth Sebastian Snow together with NYPD homicide detective Calvin Winter. Patience, sanity, and their very lives have been put to the test, but love has persevered. Although Sebastian is now New York City’s best-known busybody, he’s done solving crimes and wants nothing more than to plan a romantic budget wedding. 

Then Snow’s Antique Emporium receives a decapitated human head in the mail and the holidays are gory once again. Sebastian patently disregards the mystery of a lifetime because he is done with death and danger—but the killer escalates. Before Sebastian knows it, his closest friends and family are dragged into a series of horrific murders with antiquated clues hinting to the infamous Victorian American Bones Wars. 

The clock is ticking to recover a long-lost artifact linked to paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope and to capture a murderer. But it’s not Sebastian who may become the next target—it’s Calvin.

Karen's rating:

I was a little nervous going into this one...

...because it's been said that all good things must come to an end and while I know that this is the end of the road for this series I was also a bit nervous that...given how my luck works sometimes, this might also be the end of my good-book-reading-streak. I've been on a bit of a roll with the last few books that I've read and I've really, really enjoyed them so I admit I was worried that might end with this one...not for any particular reason other than that's just how my luck rolls sometimes and because this is the final book in the series I really wanted things to end on a positive note and since I've happily given this one 5 stars I think it's safe to say that things wrapped up on a very positive note.

I've read each of these books and I've absolutely loved them but this one is without a doubt my favorite.  While Snow & Winter might not be everyone's cup of tea for me each story has brought hours of reading enjoyment as well as listening pleasure with the release of the audio books and seeing Calvin and Seb go from what at best could be called frenemies to a committed couple as they stumble through Seb's amateur sleuthing adventures has often been an emotional roller coaster ranging from the hilarious to breathtakingly scary but here in 'The Mystery of the Bones' Sebastian is faced with his most important case yet because not only does his future happiness depend on him solving the case, but for Calvin it could literally be a matter of life or death.

Sebastian's got to rely on his own wit and cunning to figure this one out but Quinn's determined to see her partner rescued and of course Max will do whatever his boss and friend needs him to but these aren't the only people determined to help Sebastian figure things out...Neil's still around and even more surprising than the growth and change that's happened with and between Calvin and Sebastian, is the change in Neil. He's gone from someone who had me muttering 'should die in a fire' every time he was on page' to someone that I want some happy for. I think more than any other character in the story Neil has changed the most and this time he's determined to have Sebastian's back even if it cost him what means the most to him...his job.

Author Of The Month - Darien Cox - Grand Finale

Welcome to our Grand Finale celebrations for the amazing 

In our final post, we'll take a look at two more books, Criminal Pleasures and Seducing Professor Coyle. We also have our author interview and one more chance to win one of Darien's books.


First up, Criminal Pleasures

Blurb:

When young attorney Brendan Burke opens his first law practice in a new city, he knows things are about to change in his life—though he never expected one of those things to be getting his first serious crush on another man. But when he meets Marcello, a sexy and mysterious stranger working at a restaurant in Providence’s Little Italy, he can’t fight his compulsion to pursue him.

But while Marcello is willing to let Brendan into his bedroom, he’s stubbornly elusive about his past and his family. Fixated on discovering the truth, Brendan’s passion for Marcello turns out to be far more dangerous than he ever anticipated.

Excerpt:

Brendan lifted his ass off the bed, wanting to keep the contact, maintain the ecstasy even as the blast of pleasure ebbed. As Marc’s sweat soaked body collapsed on top of him, he sighed and eased back down. 

Brendan struggled to catch his breath. When finally he could speak, he laughed softly. “That,” he said, “was by far the best apology I’ve ever gotten.”

Marc chuckled, his face buried in the side of Brendan’s neck. “Grazie. My pleasure.”

Finally peeling himself off of Brendan, Marc got out of bed and disappeared from the room. Brendan sat up, propping himself on his elbows. His eyes had adjusted and he took in his surroundings. A beam of moonlight shone through one window in the corner, falling onto a sturdy, dark wood dresser. To his right was a double door closet. In the corner, a laundry basket. 

He looked up as Marc stepped back into the room. He tossed a towel at Brendan, who caught it. It was warm and wet, and he used it to clean himself up, his eyes locked onto Marc’s naked form across the room as he tugged on a pair of pajama bottoms from the dresser. 

Marc turned and faced the bed, his face shadowy, shirtless in white cotton pajama pants with red stripes. The addition of the PJ bottoms did nothing to hamper his striking image. If anything he looked even more alluring than he had completely naked, like a shiny package to be unwrapped. Already Brendan wanted him again.

“You have to leave,” Marc said. “Someone is coming by in the morning and you can’t be here.”

Brendan’s stomach dropped, the hazy euphoria of post orgasmic bliss fleeing like a slapped horse. He ordered himself to remain dignified. He had no right to expect anything from this. He’d wanted to have sex with a stranger. And he had. End of story, apparently. Letting out a long sigh, he sat up, and searched the floor for his clothing. “All right,” he said. 

Marc drifted over and sat on the end of the bed, his chin-length hair draping over his eyes as he stared at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish I could ask you to stay.”

Brendan glanced at him as he zipped up his pants. “It’s all right, I understand. Who’s coming over?”

Marc’s head lifted, his pale brown eyes glimmering in the soft moonlight from the window. “My fiancée.”

Brendan froze, his shirt gripped in his hand. “Your what?”

Get the book:

Book 2 in today's line-up, Seducing Professor Coyle

Blurb:

College senior Ben LeClair has always been driven to perfection, so when a grade mix-up threatens to keep him from graduating, he confronts the problem head on.

When he meets with his handsome professor, he finds him to be arrogant and unyielding, and their argument leaves him furious.

But during a chance social engagement over the weekend, he spies his teacher involved in a shocking display of debauchery.

Suddenly, Ben’s feelings for his teacher take an extreme turn, and now his inherent determination is channeled in a new direction: Seducing Professor Coyle.

Excerpt:

It had been a few days since his display of weakness with Ben LeClair, and Peter hadn’t heard a word from him. He hadn’t seen him. And that was a good thing. It was also a good thing that no one had come knocking on his office door to fire him, or tell him that a student reported him for inappropriate behavior. While he knew he should be the adult here, and seek Ben out to apologize, he was hoping the problem would simply go away. 

You weren’t being the adult when you shoved your tongue down a student’s throat in the woods.

He winced at the memory. How could he have been so stupid, so out of control? Christ, he’d just gotten laid at Thorn’s party, it wasn’t like he hadn’t had it in a while. But Benjamin...the intensity in that kid’s eyes. The desperation in his kiss.

He squeezed his eyes closed. He couldn’t let his mind go there. He should just go home, the day was done, and being on campus only made him think of Benjamin. But being at home sounded lonely. Silly really; he was as alone in this office as he would be at home. And he loved his house. But he’d felt an uncharacteristic emptiness since Thorn’s party. He didn’t want a boyfriend, it had been years since he’d been serious with anyone, and his life had benefited from the lack of emotional chaos. But he craved...something. 

ARC Review: Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

Blurb:

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease. 

When Ollie meets his dream guy, Will, over summer break, he thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After. But once summer’s ended, Will stops texting him back, and Ollie finds himself one prince short of a fairytale ending. 

To complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country—Will’s school—where Ollie finds that the sweet, affectionate and comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted—and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk. 

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship. But as Will starts ‘coincidentally’ popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, Ollie finds his resolve weakening. 

The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again. 

Right?

Right.

Todd's rating:

 
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease.

With all of the many, many dramatics of the straight friends in the book, I definitely got a "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" vibe from the story, no doubt.

But "Clueless" was extremely funny, which this book had its moments, but I didn't personally feel that humor played much of a role here. At least not constantly, like in "Clueless".

And "Grease"? Ummm, I didn't really feel that many Grease-like moments, but I'm not completely obsessed with that movie in the same adoring way that my hubby is. The boy has a problem, I'm telling you. heh

As the story began, it was Ollie's first day at a new school in North Carolina, then over the course of the story, we got flashbacks of a summer fling that he'd had with a local, closeted basketball player, Will, which seemed to end fine, only to be followed by a bout of extreme ghosting.

Will had expected the end of summer to also signal the end of their short relationship, but when Ollie enrolled at his new school, Will freaked out pretty badly, exactly as I'd figured he would. Talk about your chickens coming home to roost.

Blogtour: Into The Deep by Amara Lynn



Hello, everyone!

My newest book, Into the Deep, is a pirate fantasy adventure romance. That’s a lot of things to cram into one book, and you can bet that makes it a wild action-packed ride! In this post I’m going to break that down into the whys!

Why pirates, you might ask? Pirates are in my blood. From the first time I saw the first Pirates of the Carribean film, I’ve been taken with pirates. That love has remained with me for over 15 years and I’m pretty sure it isn’t going anywhere! So naturally, when I started writing, one of the first things I wanted to write was a pirate story, in the same vein as POTC.

Why fantasy? Why did I do fantasy elements instead of realistic, age of sail pirates is a simple question. It goes again back to POTC, which while based in the real life age of sail period, alaso has magic and mythical creatures. I loved that aspect, and as I writer I’ve always leaned towards stories with fantasy elements, so I knew it had to be fantasy pirates for me. The world of Into the Deep is a fantasy world rather than our own, mostly so I had more room to play.

Why adventure? Again, POTC. Pirates are adventure seekers, above all else. They want freedom and to sail the open seas, so naturally, a story about a pirate must be an adventure. Treasure Island, the classic pirate adventure tail, also served a big role in inspiring my own book.

Why romance? Romance is something that’s always at the heart of my stories. I love that spark of first love, that connection. Some element of romance always seems to make its way into my stories. And of course it’s always queer!

Why a merman? Ok, I know that wasn’t up there, but it’s in the blurb! So you know, there’s a merman! And he’s the love interest! I love merpeople probably almost as much as I love pirates, and to be honest, I’ve never been able to figure out why I do. It might just be because of my own story! I loved The Little Mermaid as a kid, so that probably helped a bit. That, and pirate love naturally translates into a love for all things nautical. And so, yes, merpeople!

If all this seems amazing and awesome to you, then you’re sure to enjoy Into the Deep, out now!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Length: 45,000 words approx.

Blurb

Luck has never been on Lamark's side.

After his father's untimely death, the new captain casts Lamark off the ship, leaving him in a dinghy in the middle of the ocean. Lamark is sure his life is over.

In a stroke of luck, Lamark encounters a merman, who saves him from drowning and brings him to a deserted island. Lamark quickly learns that on this mysterious island, not everything is as it seems, and danger lurks in every nook. This island may very well be the death of him.

Adventure, romance, and maybe some swashbuckling await Lamark, so long as he's not too lily-livered to venture into the deep...

Into the Deep is a 45k pirate fantasy adventure novel with a heavy helping of slapstick comedy and a sweet, steamy m/m romance.

About the author: