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Always (Single Dads #4) by RJ Scott: Release Day Review

March 31, 2021 by Denise

Lives change in an instant, but with family found and forever love, there is always hope.

Impetuously putting his life on the line, Adam saved a child trapped in a car wreck and suffered career-ending injuries. Living with chronic pain, and at his lowest moments, he had friends who wouldn’t let him give up, a family who had his back, and even though his future was different from what he’d always planned, he at least had hope. When Cameron and Finn land on his doorstep, he never dreamed that he would fall in love with the small family or that maybe he’d get to be a hero again.

Cameron goes from being a devoted husband to a single dad overnight. With his neatly planned future in ruins, he will do anything to make a new life for his son, even if it means moving to the other side of the country. Renting a room from Adam is the first step in making a home for him and Finn, but falling for the former firefighter was never part of the plan.

The shadows from Cameron’s past might take a long time to touch this fragile future, but will he have to face the consequences alone when they do? Or will there always be hope?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Siiiiiiigh, single dads are my trigger.

Is there anything sexier than a hot dad? I mean, really?
I say no… especially when you have a protective one, like Cam. Let’s discuss.

Cam’s life falls apart when his husband is accused of murder and losing millions of his clients money, leaving Cam and his son, Finn, fending for themselves against an angry mob of New Yorkers that swear he knows where their lost money is. He doesn’t…. he just put his trust in the wrong man and it destroyed him. Forced to start over and keep his son safe, an old childhood best friend gives him a safe place to land and get back on his feet, even if the blow out between them has Cam having second thoughts about it. With no other option and a kid to think of, they hop on a bus and move cross country to California, with Adam.

Now, Adam was a firefighter, I’m sure you’ll remember him, he’s friends with Eric, Leo and the rest of the hotties that used to live in his house… but he was injured on the job and is struggling with chronic pain and finding where he fits in now that he can’t do the hero stuff anymore. Fortnately, Nick volunteered his (Adams) house as safe spot for them to land, knowing that since the falling out with Cam a while back, he wouldn’t want to stay with him…. This is where Adam and Cam (and Finn) meet.

First things first…. I love Adam… I love how sweet and sensitive he is, and I love how quickly he falls for Cam and his son. I love how he wants to protect them and even though Cam has his heart set on leaving as soon as everyone in New York forgets his name, he can’t help but fall for Adam too.

This is probably my favorite story of the series and I just loved these two together. I wanted to shake Cam a time or two, but as a one time single mother, I can one hundred percent see where he was coming from. He hadn’t planned on staying and his kid was his number one priority… he already felt as though he let him down once, he didn’t want to do it again. Cute right?

Anyway….I won’t give away the whole story, but I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the other guys I’d missed from previous books, it was nice to see them all again… Overall, great read! If you love single dads, cute kids and slow burning romances, this one is totally for you. If you haven’t read the others, I would suggest doing that too, cuz they’re all really great!

5 pieces of eye candy

The Harder We Fall by Rebecca Raine: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

March 30, 2021 by Denise

For years, I’ve been bound by sleeplessness and sorrow.
His voice threatens to set me free.

Insomnia. It’s part of the penance I pay for my greatest mistake. But when an ill-timed doze behind the wheel of my car nearly introduces me to a pole, I know something has to change.

Sleep with Me, a locally-made meditation app, promises a cure. I don’t expect it to work. Nor do I expect to become enthralled by the voice of its creator, Sam Stephenson. His ability to coax forth my nightly surrender is unnerving. I have to meet this man and learn the secret behind his techniques, so I can evict him from my head—and still get a good night’s sleep.

In person, the quiet and reclusive Sam is his own kind of complicated. He needs my business skills as much as I need his meditation skills and we forge an unlikely partnership. But the attraction between us soon flares into passion and, as we grow closer, I start to long for more than my guilty conscience will allow.

I have no right to love, not after the damage I’ve done. How can I give Sam all he deserves, when our chance at a happy ending was ruined before we even met?

The Harder We Fall
By Rebecca Raine

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“You sound different than you do on the app.” The quiet words break the silence, bringing the spiral of thoughts in my head to a grinding halt.

My cheeks warm. I’m well aware of the wide vocal chasm between Siren Sam and my usual bumbling self. I put it down to the hour or so I spend preparing before I even begin recording a meditation for my app. Meditation takes me to another place within myself, a place where I’m grounded and peaceful. It’s quite the opposite of how I feel in my everyday life. Especially today, when I’m sitting in a public place with adrenaline spiking in my veins and Dreamy McDreamface watching me from across the table.

“Is that bad?” I ask. If he wanted to meet Siren Sam, he’ll be disappointed. It’s nothing more than a name someone else created and plonked on top of me, like an ill-fitting costume.

“No.” Tristan shakes his head. “I like your voice.” He blinks at his own words, and then it’s his face gaining colour. “I mean, both voices are nice.” That doesn’t seem to work for him either and he makes a sound of frustration. “I mean, they both have the same effect.”

My eyebrows lift and for once I don’t feel like the most awkward person in the room. “Does that mean you’ll fall asleep if I talk too much?”

“What? No. I didn’t mean—” The sentence cuts off as he rubs his hands over his face.

I can’t help but grin. Tristan Whitmore is delightful.

“Let me start again,” he says with a shadow of a smile. “I’ve gotten more sleep in ten days of using your app than I have in years. That’s why I wanted to meet you, to learn more.” He gestures towards me. “As well as provide help in return.”

My chest expands as I take a deep breath. I may not be good at much, and my weaknesses outweigh my strengths by an embarrassingly large margin, but Tristan’s words are proof I can still make a difference in the world. They fill me up in a way I don’t experience often. “I’m so glad my work has helped relieve you of your burden.”

The shadow smile, barely there though it is, snuffs out. Tristan’s face shutters and his gaze drops. He leans back in his chair, increasing the distance between us. Whatever energy connected us from the instant he walked up to the table, it’s gone now.

I have no idea what I did wrong.

Frozen in my chair, I watch Mr Nguyen bring Tristan his coffee. He thanks the older man before reaching into his backpack for a big, black notebook and a blue ballpoint pen.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” His tone is clipped now, formal. The smile he pulls onto his face is rigid and fake. “How about you tell me about your business, and we’ll see what we can do to give it a jump start.”

My hands clench tightly in my lap as I try to refrain from squirming. It turns out Tristan has two types of voice as well. I don’t find them equally appealing and they definitely don’t have the same effect on me.

“What about—” My throat closes up and I swallow before trying again. “Your sleep?”

“We can get to that later.” Opening his notebook to a fresh page, Tristan clicks the end of his pen several times in quick succession. “For now, I’d prefer to focus on you.”

But I don’t want to focus on me. That’s not what we agreed on. This is supposed to be a mutual thing; we’re supposed to be helping each other.

My gaze darts between Tristan’s face and his ready pen. He actually expects me to spill my financial guts while he gets to stay locked up tight for reasons unknown. Beneath the silent chaos of knotted fingers and twitchy limbs, my jaw clenches. That’s not going to happen.

His fake smile drops into a genuine frown at my continued silence. It’s an improvement, I’ll give him that, but it doesn’t change my mind. It took a great deal of mental effort for me to show up here today. If he can’t respond in kind, this will never work. I’ll leave empty-handed if I have to.

Granted, I’ll probably feign sickness and make a run for it before he has time to object, but the outcome will be the same. I’ll never have to see him again, so the humiliation of my exit should only haunt me for, I don’t know, a decade or so.

With a mental shrug, I look towards the cafe entrance. Who needs financial stability, anyway?

I’ll be honest. This book surprised me. Rebecca Raine was a traditional romance (male/female) writer who made the jump into gay romance. This is her third book in the genre. The first two…well, better left unsaid.

I was intrigued by the premise of this one. It wasn’t something I had read before and wanted to give it a go. I’m glad I did.

Tristan has been plagued by insomnia since a family tragedy years before. He has tried it all. A coworker suggests an app that was created by a meditation teacher his wife goes to. He finally decides to try it and is surprisingly lulled to sleep by the voice on the app.

Sam is the ultimate introvert. Except when he is leading his meditation classes. But his meditation classes aren’t quite enough to pay the bills- even with the app he has. So when Tristan has a proposal, business advice for how to fall asleep advice, Sam is wary but knows he needs to do it.

Tristan is a MESS. As his story begins to be told and you see why he is a mess…it is just heartbreaking. But even so, he is drawn to Sam. He wants to help him and take care of him. Which goes against how Tristan normally is.

But Same needs the help. His mother died leaving him alone in the world as she was his only family. He is afraid of his introvert nature becoming agoraphobia like his mother. He also needs help with his business as he has no other means of supporting himself.

Once Sam got to know Tristan and trust him, I loved how aggressive he got. Like most introverts, once he trusted Tristan, Sam’s real self came out They played well off of each other, the fit well as a couple. Watching them each open up was wonderful.

The one this that really bothered me was the lack of therapy for either of them. But especially Tristan. After what he went through, he should have been in therapy for years. As well as Sam. And it didn’t seem as though either one was avoiding it as there was never mention of it.

The resolution was well thought out and it was a very satisfying conclusion to the story.

And there was a lovely epilogue.

4 pieces of eye candy

Rebecca is a long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two quirky kids and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books, her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.

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Bounce (Outback Boys Book 2) by Becca Seymour: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

March 29, 2021 by Denise

Standoffish Aiden is content keeping people at a distance and ensuring his boundaries are impenetrable. There’s safety in not opening up, but there’s also a loneliness he doesn’t realise exists until he meets Riley, a new member of the LGBTQI+ adventure group Outback Boys.

Fascinated by the new guy, Aiden is quick to discover his flirtation skills are rusty and his sweet-talking is cringeworthy. But sweet and clumsy Riley doesn’t seem to mind so much.

Even though Riley doesn’t quite know how to handle Aiden’s intensity, he’s willing to step out of his comfort zone and see how their tentative friendship unravels.

Between a surf lesson that resembles a kangaroo on acid and paddle boarding that is trickier than walking a tightrope, Aiden and Riley discover love may be a possibility after all.

Happiness relies on honesty and openness, though. And with both men holding on tightly to past struggles, their future together is at risk. Can the two Aussies bounce back and heal themselves and each other, or are some wounds too raw to recover from?

Outback Boys is a sweet and sexy M/M romance series complete with bruised butts, rope burn, and overworked muscles… all in the pursuit of adventure, of course!

Trigger Warning: Contains themes (discussions) of mental illness and suicide.

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Stumble (Outback Boys Book 1)

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I turned to head towards Pete, only to catch my foot and stumble. I felt myself tumbling forwards, slow motion beginning to play out as I tried to move my hands to protect my face. Not even halfway down, I jerked abruptly, coming to a stop.

“Whoa there.” Aiden’s firm hands were on me, one arm wrapped around my chest. “You okay?”

Wide-eyed, I nodded, angling to face him. With Aiden wrapped around me, it was impossible not to see the green flecks in his grey eyes. “Yeah, thanks.”

He shifted, helping me get myself upright. With my face on fire, I was eager to escape, to hide behind Pete or perhaps jump in the river I could hear in the distance.

“I can be such a klutz.” I forced humour into my words, trying to overcome my mortification. “My parents used to legit carry a first aid kit with them everywhere we went, even if just to the supermarket as a kid. I once broke my little finger playing hopscotch.” My eyes swept over Aiden’s face, still so close his breath brushed against my skin. “Yeah, I know. Hopscotch. How’s that even possible, right?” I seriously needed to stop talking, else I’d end up telling him how I got circumcised after a devastating encounter with a zipper.

That thought had me stepping out of Aiden’s grasp. “Thank you,” I managed again. “For preventing me from bouncing on my arse or my face.” I turned abruptly, giving an awkward over-the-shoulder wave while trying not to spend too much time contemplating how strong Aiden must really be to prevent my backside from meeting dirt.

One thing I could be sure of, between him being untouchable and me being my usual charming, awkward self, it wouldn’t take long for Aiden to forget this encounter as well as my name.

I jumped into the second one without having read the first one first, but I’ve already got it and I cant wait to jump into it. If this one was any indication, I won’t be disappointed.

Okay, so, first things first… this story features Riley and Aiden, who meet at a weekend camping retreat or something like that. I forget what they called it but it was a weekend of adventures, like rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and outdoorsy stuff. I could sense that Riley wasn’t really much of the adventurous type normally but he’d gone with his friend Pete, who I was unsure of at first but grew to love, especially with the hard time he’s having, and I definitely filled out the survey at the end so we can hopefully get his story next… but I digress lol

So, at this adventurous weekend, Riley meets Aiden, who is a guide on said adventure, and he’s gorgeous and stacked and easy-going and though he’s the center of a lot of folks attention with his easy smile and friendly attitude, no one has captured his attention since he lost his partner a few years prior. I didn’t feel like it followed him around like a black cloud, but he definitely kept a part of himself back from people …..until Riley, that is.

The two had instant chemistry, and how could you not be completely smitten over Riley. He’s shy, clumsy, non-confrontational to a fault and there’s just this thing about him that you want to wrap him up in a little bubble and put him in your pocket… he’s so cute, I didn’t blame Aiden for taking an interest.

After the weekend is over, the two exchange numbers and though they live a good distance apart for driving every day and Aiden was living with his Pops (who is very outspoken and hilarious and cares about Aiden and soon after meeting him, Riley as well) but he’s running their cow farm or whatever it is cows do on farms or ranches or whatever… so it isn’t like the two can just pop out and meet up just anytime, but they do make an effort to spend time together through the week and get to know one another.

It’s easy-going for the most part, though both men do have some hang-ups that do cause a little hiccup… not a bump per se, but something they needed to work out before things progressed.

As I’ve noticed with any story I’ve ever read by this author, she does not disappoint. It of course, gets worked out and in the most perfectly swoon-worthy way possible.

Again, I was not disappointed… I adored this story. I adored Riley and Aiden, and I cannot wait to see what happens with Pete. He deserves some happy. <3

5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Becca Seymour lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.

Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.

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Finding His Boy (An MM Age Gap Daddy Romance) by K. D. Ryan: Blog Tour, Excerpt and New Release Review

March 26, 2021 by Denise

A lonely Daddy. An innocent boy. A twenty-year age gap. Whatever happens next is in Daddy’s hands.

Finding his way in life all on his own hadn’t been easy for eighteen-year-old Elliot Hedrick, but he’d managed to hold it all together so far.

Even though it was just by the skin of his teeth.

Between his warehouse job and pursuing a career as a professional ballet dancer, he’d been working sixteen-hour days and was still barely making ends meet.

He was fraying at the seams. And he was so damn lonely.

There was nobody for him to lean on, nobody to come to his rescue when things fell apart—it was all up to him to achieve his dreams.

Then suddenly Grant Weston charged into Elliot’s life, his knight in shining armor—literally and figuratively—and despite their twenty-year age gap, Grant couldn’t seem to leave the boy alone. Even though Grant knew he should.

There were too many obstacles between them—and not just their ages. Grant had secrets of his own, ghosts from his past that made him hold back from taking what he really wanted from Elliot.

And what Grant wanted was to make Elliot his boy.

To have a true partner.

But Grant was afraid to trust himself—afraid that history would repeat itself and leave him with a broken heart yet again.

Is age really just a number, or will the years between them end their relationship before it can even start?

Finding His Boy is the first book in a duet taking place in the Safe Harbor universe but can be read as a stand-alone and has an HFN ending. This book is a 90+K word slow burn, steamy romance that features a Daddy/boy relationship between two consenting adult men. No age play. Dual POV. There are explicit descriptions of sexual acts, so this book is intended for a mature audience (18+).

Trigger Warning: On-page physical assault (not between MCs), mention of sexual assault.

Book Title: Finding His Boy (An MM Age Gap Daddy Romance)

Author: K. D. Ryan

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: K. D. Ryan

Release Date: March 25, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Age Gap, Slow Burn, Daddy Kink

Themes: Self-confidence, Trust, Exploring Sexuality

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 96 000 words

It is the first book in the series – Safe Harbor #1

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Amazon AUS – Kindle Unlimited

Grant knew he should pull back, he should close the door—that would be the smart thing to do. He should be respectful of Elliot’s privacy.

Because if he crossed this line, there would be no going back—all of his noble rationalizing about not taking advantage of Elliot’s vulnerability would be out the window.

But fuck, the boy was incredibly gorgeous—the planes of his slim muscular body highlighted in a soft blue glow from the moon, his face a study in shadow and light. He looked so young, so vulnerable, and so ripe for the taking. Exposed, ready for Grant to sink his teeth into the pale expanse of flesh on display, to mark Elliot as his.

If Grant stepped further into the room now—and he wanted to, oh he’d never wanted anything so badly in his life, he could taste the wanting like metal on his tongue—where would that choice bring them?

Because the boy had no clue what Grant wanted to do to him.

He couldn’t know how Grant wanted to use him. To flay him wide open with word and action and touch, and pick apart the soft tender insides of him, to leave him wanting and vulnerable and his. To deliver the safety and comfort and pleasure that his boy craved and that only he—Grant—could give.

Grant’s own possession.

His boy.

Those words—his boy—they acted like a bucket of cold water—a wave of uncertainty and apprehension to temporarily subdue his lust. Was this just history repeating itself? Would Elliot realize a year down the line that Grant couldn’t give him what he wanted, and Grant would be left high and dry once again?

Could Grant risk his heart like that again? The thought of sharing that experience with someone, only for his heart to be trampled, handled carelessly, and discarded…

He should leave now, back out and pretend he’d never been here. Just leave and act like nothing had changed the next day. Leave this beautiful boy whole and innocent and let someone else break him in gently, softly, like he deserved. Someone he could grow with, change with, learn with.

Fuck, he was a coward.

But then.

But then Elliot opened his eyes. And he parted his lips. And he kept on pumping his hand up and down as he locked his eyes with Grant’s, his heated gaze burning with open desire.

Desire for Grant.

And Grant knew he couldn’t walk away.

Former high school Language Arts teacher turned professor, Grant, has to use the student gym showers if he wants to make it to his class on time after a workout…. Hoping to hurry through a quick shower, his plans are thwarted when he runs into someone dangerously close to being sexually assaulted in the showers, he never dreamed it would be two former students that he taught in high school. Elliot’s been trying to ignore the dumb jock that been creepin’ on him at the gym, but sometimes ignorance is bliss, right? Until it isn’t.

On his own since he was 16, Elliot is just doing the best he can to survive until he gains a little bit more experience on stage and can be free from the debt his father left having unexpectedly passing away when Elliot was a teenager.
I have to say, I loved Elliot. Yes, he was immature at times, but he’s 18, what do you expect? He’s also very sweet, stronger than anyone gives him credit for and his shy innocence is only half the reason Grant feels so attracted to him.

It’s a slow burn type of read, where both men go slow, even though their attraction for each other is immediate and page-scortching. Grant having been burnt by a younger man once before and Elliot just not knowing how to navigate a relationship because he’d never been in one before….but it was sweet and real and well worth the wait, especially when we get to Grants kink and how effortlessly Elliot falls into it.

I did spend half the book wondering why this assaulter seemed to get away with what he did and intended to do in the showers, but fear not… the bad guy does not get away with being a bad guy, although I do wish we’d have gotten to see those consequences!

Overall though, once I picked this book up, I did not put it down. I enjoyed watching these two navigate a new relationship and work through such normal and everyday problems, as well as some pretty heavy stuff that they worked out together. I feel like there was a few things I would’ve liked to have been resolved, like what was going on with Grants brother? Does he ever come around? What about Elliot’s dad’s lawyer stuff? Something seemed way fishy about that. Will Aerick and Kyle get a story? I’d be intrigued by that…. Will Elliot meet Grant’s family? I feel like his mom could love Elliot and give him the mom he never had…

So, okay… I wouldn’t mind another book or two about these two, or really anyone (aside from creepy shower guy, unless his is from prison and we get to see all the terrible, awful things that happen to people who do what shower guy tried to do)…

It’s a great read and if you like slow burns with dirty talking Daddy’s and shy, sweet, innocent boys… well, this one is definitely for you. I’ll be (im)patiently waiting to see who’s next!

4 pieces of eye candy

Just a dreamer fueled by coffee who’s been writing about love that comes in all forms since she got her first word processor. Passionate bibliophile and lover of science, caretaker of humans and friend to dogs.

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Gamer’s Choice by Valerie Ullmer: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

March 25, 2021 by Denise

Neko-Ren Ellison

Love wasn’t in the cards for me.

My first relationship ended with a dramatic event, and police involvement. Needless to say, I wasn’t keen starting a new one. But a knock on the door one random night changed everything. After exchanging some witty banter through my closed oak door, safety first, I threw it open to find an exquisite bearded man, hair tied back, muscles on display… all-in-all, my fantasy come to life.

I wove elaborate dreams around the two of us within minutes, yet my illusion shattered when I learned he was straight. But the protective and intense man became a fixture in my life, and no matter how many times I tell myself he’s not available, I stubbornly hold out hope.

Graham Norris

I’m screwed.

I can’t figure out what shocked me more. The realization I’m not only attracted to a man, but to my dazzling, openly gay, younger next-door neighbor who makes every protective instinct in me flare. Or at the ripe old age of thirty-four, I’m stupidly fighting against my one chance at happiness.

Despite my grumpy and staid personality, the brilliant and funny man introduced me to his world, his family, and worked his way into my heart. The more I’m immersed in everything Neko, my desire for him only grows.

Yep, completely screwed.

Gamer’s Choice features an age gap, bisexual awakening romance between a professional let’s player and his new neighbor. It’s a standalone gay/bisexual romance with an instant connection and a ten-year age difference.

~Descriptions of domestic violence and stalking, includes abuse from an ex-partner, descriptions of an attempted assault with a weapon. Please avoid if the subject matter is triggering.~

Book Title: Gamer’s Choice

Author: Valerie Ullmer

Publisher and Cover Artist: Valerie Ullmer

Release Date: March 25, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Friends-to-lovers, Age Gap, Bisexual Awakening, Gay/Bisexual Romance, Instant Connection

Themes: Accepting oneself, moving past partner abuse

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 51 000 words

It is a standalone story.

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I don’t know why I did this to myself.

The situation was not tenable. I hunched my shoulders close to my ears, spine frozen in place and arched away from the back of my ergonomic chair, and if I tensed any more, I’m sure I would sprain something.

My gaze darted around the darkened room and I listened out for any signs of the upcoming attack, and I realized I hadn’t spoken in several minutes. I found a locker for a momentary reprieve and slipped inside.

But as I opened my mouth, hoping whatever words I spewed forth came across as witty and brilliant, the ghost girl who’d stalked me for two hours popped up in front of my hiding space with no warning, baring her teeth with a growl.

To add to my humiliation, she surged toward me with a screech. An embarrassing scream punched up from my chest and past my throat as I wretched the headphones from my ears and covered my eyes with my hands.

I listened to my heart thumping hard in my chest, worrying me for a long minute, until the rhythm decreased and my fear dissipated.

It’s not real. So not real.

By the time I opened my eyes, I caught sight of the screen as the fake blood dripped down from the top of the monitor and the words ‘Game Over’ flashed at me.

My eyes tracked up toward the camera and I said, “Well, that’s all I have time for today. Yes, I am going to pass the last few minutes off as though they never happened. I hope you enjoyed that as much as Echo will, and I’ll catch you next time. Later.”

I held up two fingers, flashing the peace sign, my signature, I stopped the recording before reaching for the stainless steel bottle I kept handy. With the last remnants of the ice-cold water swirling around, enough to sustain me and sooth my sore throat until I dragged myself downstairs for a refill and cooked myself dinner, I tilted the bottle back and swallowed.

My best friend, who was the greatest editor I’ve ever known, was waiting for my text. She’d handle everything for the upload.

It’s ready for you. Don’t laugh too hard.

Got it. I’ll laugh the right amount, thank you very much.

I shook my head and stood.

Like me, Echo started her career because of an interest in something she loved. She cut her own movie trailers, which she somehow included proper voice overs, and they were so much better than what a normal Hollywood production churned out.

When I started gaming online, she offered to edit my videos, which involved me rambling through whatever game I was playing, hoping whoever watched paid more attention to the game than my acne covered face and squeaky voice. My excuse for the awkwardness… I was sixteen.

Since then, I’ve developed into a lanky, long-limbed, acne-free, deep-voiced man who enjoys speaking to others through the internet and connecting them to a community they are proud of. I thank the deities above I moved past puberty without causing harm to myself or others.

But Echo followed my channel and realized before I did that I’d gained subscribers at a steady rate. She promoted herself to my full-time editor when we were nineteen. Although she has her own successful channel, a fashion and beauty one, I keep her busy with my upload schedule.

My stomach growled, and I shot a glance at the clock. Two hours past my normal recording time. I stretched my arms over my head, hearing the usual popping sounds in my joints from whenever I sat too long at my desk.

Done for the day, I tucked in my chair and reached over to shut off the three monitors, but as I turned to exit, I noticed my opened office door.

“Well… fuck.”

Although my house was on the corner of a cul-de-sac with a gigantic yard surrounding it, I attempted to keep my profession from bothering my neighbors. So I closed the door whenever I recorded because I’m not quiet. And when I remodeled the house a few years before, I added soundproofing to the entire top floor.

I’d chosen to buy the house because the bedrooms were on the second floor. The rooms were spacious enough my setup was away from the windows, and the bonus had been the rest of the place. Curved doorways, wooden floors throughout, the modern kitchen that included a farmhouse sink along with the dual oven gas range, and the sunroom that faced the backyard.

The three-bedroom house was enormous for only me. But my family lived close by and on the weekends, and sometimes during the week when mom and dad hounded them about homework and the possibility of their interest in either boys or girls, my parents weren’t picky, my twin sisters stayed over with me.

It wasn’t as if I had a social life they could interrupt. I’d tried years before, and it turned out to be a disaster, so I’d given up. Instead, I concentrated on my career. And when I wasn’t working, I divided my time between Echo or my family.

Tired of my depressing thoughts of being alone with no man in my bed, I headed out of the room and downstairs, wondering what I might make for dinner. After, I would indulge in a true crime YouTube marathon.

The moment I hit the last step, a knock from the front door stopped me in my tracks. At close to nine on a school night ruled out my sisters dropping in for a visit, and Echo was busy editing. Curious, I padded over to the front door.

Thinking myself stealthy in my woolen-clad feet, I stopped about a half a foot in front of solid oak and placed my hands on the smooth wood before inching forward. Through the peephole, my eye focused on a solid figure facing away from me. He was tall, so my tired brain played out a fantasy where a gorgeous man realized he could no longer live without me and was waiting outside to declare his feelings.

But what’s the likelihood of that?

Still freaked out from being immersed in a horror game and catching the damp chill of the night air from the thunderstorm earlier, I opened my mouth and forced words through my tight throat.

“You are unfamiliar to me, so before I open this door I have to ask, are you a serial killer?”

Yeah, my conversation skills rock.

The man turned toward the door, but his height prevented me from seeing any defining features. The deeper voice on the other side answered, “Um, that’s a new one. I’m not, but I don’t know if you’re going to take my word for it.”

“Shit! You make a good point. Well, let me ask you this? Are you here to use my phone because your car broke down and your mobile ‘died’?”

My dumb ass used air quotes as if he could see me. To be honest, I’m surprised I’m still alive.

The stranger huffed out a snicker. The sound did not send flutters of pleasure through me.

“Are you always this suspicious?”

My head nodded up and down before I slapped my forehead and replied, “I think that’s what an untrustworthy, immoral man would say, using reverse psychology to make me feel guilty for being unhelpful, which would make me lower my inhibitions and let you inside.”

The man had the nerve to laugh, a deep, throaty, sexy sound. He asked, “You read that in a book, right?”

“Well, I didn’t read it, per se, I heard it in an audiobook from a retired FBI agent about how following your instincts could save your life and the only reason I listened to it because both of my sisters refused. I admit, it scared the poop out of me, but if I can keep them safe, I would do it again.”

“That’s fair, I suppose. But no, I’m not here to harm you and I’m not a criminal. I heard a scream and thought it was a woman in distress, so I thought I would check.”

My hesitation forgotten in that moment, I jerked open the door and glared at the chest in front of me.

Sometimes I hated being short.

I gulped as my eyes traveled upward until I met amused gray eyes, one eyebrow arched in question.

“I knew that would do it?” The tall man who I would love to climb said.

“Shit, did I say that aloud?”

Another chuckle and I forced my eyes up again.

Valerie resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband. While she had been interested in writing a romance novel for years, it wasn’t until she wrote her first book that she really became hooked, and now she can’t stop. She has notebooks full of ideas, and she plans to write most of them in the years to come.

When she’s not writing or learning about the craft of writing, she can be found surfing the internet way too much, watching Investigation Discovery and thinking that her neighbors are up to no good, and finding new ways to get her husband to laugh.

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Reinventing Cato (Unfinished Business Book 3) by Barbara Elsborg: Release Day Review

March 24, 2021 by Denise

Fate is not always written in the stars…

Being headhunted by NASA might be his ultimate dream, but Cato’s life still sucks. He’s tired of anonymous one-night stands. He’s tired of being lonely. And, frankly, he’s tired of himself. As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, he realises the only thing to do if he wants to be happy is to reinvent himself.

Persuaded by his sister to spend New Year’s Eve in Scotland with his parents, Vigge can’t escape the memory of why their family fractured eighteen years ago, and his part in it. He’s channelled the guilt he feels into finding truth and justice for others, but his own life is empty and cold.

A chance encounter at a snowbound airport has Vigge and Cato colliding in more ways than one. Someone seems to have it in for Cato, and as Vigge gets drawn into the mess of Cato’s life, he finds himself falling for the sexy scientist. If only Vigge can make peace with his past and step away from the darkness, they just might have a chance at a future as bright as Cato’s beloved stars.

Book 3 in the Unfinished Business series – but a stand-alone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Let me first say, I love the cover. It’s just totally Cato.

I’ve really enjoyed the first two books in this series (and the 2 shorts), and was excited to read about Cato finding his happily ever after. And it did not disappoint.

Cato is kind of a playboy. More into one night stands, except for a relationship with one guy that turned into a triad and he was left as the third wheel. He is focusing on finishing his doctorate and he was headhunted by NASA. Time to grow up.

But then he is about to be stranded to Scotland and he needs to get back to England for his NASA interview. He begs a ride from a stranger at the airport going the same way. A hot stranger. Sparks fly on the ride so much that they stop at a motel for the night with little intention of sleeping.

Turns out hot guy is in the closet and Cato takes off and gets another ride.

But this isn’t just a story about two guys reuniting after a hot hook up. Cato is being threatened to not take the NASA job and Vigge is trying to solve 2 murders he believes are connected. Add in family strife from almost 20 years ago, a missing person, a pair of exes who wanted him back but for different reasons, a roommate who won’t stop flirting and a cop in the closet. Whew!

Even with two big misunderstandings in quick succession, Cato and Vigge start communicating and pieces start coming together that many things in their lives are connected.

I really loved Cato. At first I was afraid he would be too much like Jonty (as a character) and although he was witty and snarky, he wasn’t like that all of the time- much like Jonty. Instead, he had a serious side when it came to work and his family and his humor came out at appropriate times. Or mostly appropriate times.

Vigge broke my heart. He internalized responsibility for his brother’s assumed death and stayed in the closet 98% of the time. His family knew he was gay, but they were in Scotland and he was in England.

Vigge took some professional risks that could have really turned out badly, but eventually worked themselves out. The crime ended up basically solving itself, but it was still fairly satisfying.

I have to say what I did really enjoy was the ending. I won’t spoil, but I wasn’t really expecting it and it was a happy surprise.

For those who are big Jonty and Devan fans- you do get some good scenes with them. Always fun.

4 pieces of eye candy