Denise

Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn : Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

March 28, 2016 by Denise

Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.

The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.

When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.

I read this book basically in one sitting. It definitely kept me hooked in. So many things going on this book, but not overly done in that respect.

From minute one in the book, you are already anticipating what you know is ahead, the death of a beloved young man, and the growth into a new relationship. I’ve never read a book that walked its reader through the entire grief process, as part of an mm romance. The author did an amazing job with it, though. The book takes place over the span of a year, and yet, you see every stage of Ollie’s grief at losing Samuel, and every stage of Thomas’ losing Ollie over and over again.

The story never dragged on, it allowed the reader on the journey as Ollie learns how to be himself, and how to learn to love someone in an entirely new way (actually two someones). What a blessing for him to find a way to not only let go of the past, but find a way to incorporate it into his future.

I really enjoyed following along on this journey to Ollie becoming a new man, a family man, and Thomas finally getting what he had wanted since the first day he met Ollie.

4 pieces of eye candy

Amazon

After living in Michigan, USA for seven wonderful years, Indra Vaughn returned back to her Belgian roots. There she will continue to consume herbal tea, do yoga wherever the mat fits, and devour books while single parenting a little boy and working as a nurse.

The stories of boys and their unrequited love will no doubt keep finding their way onto the page—and hopefully into readers hands—even if it takes a little more time.

And if she gleefully posts pictures of snow-free streets in winter, you’ll have to forgive her. Those Michigan blizzards won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Connect with Indra:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/indra.vaughn.7
Twitter https://twitter.com/VaughnIndra

To celebrate, Indra is giving away an ebook from her backlist at EVERY BLOG STOP! She’ll also be giving out a grand prize of $25 in Riptide credit. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 2, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Close to You by Skylar M. Cates : Release Day Review

March 28, 2016 by Denise

It’s hard to recover from a first love. Some people never do.

How hard would you fight to keep your best friend? Marc Lucas and Tomas Santos have been best friends forever, but now their friendship is in a crisis. When they were boys, betrayals ripped their world apart. They thought it was fixed, but some parts remained broken. Ever since he saved him from a humiliation at school, Marc has loved Tomas. The last thing he expects is for Tomas to love him back. To keep his best friend, Marc revisits an abusive past he’s tried to forget.

For Tomas, loving Marc has been anything but easy. His upbringing told him it was wrong, so why did it feel so right? Accepting who he is as an adult, Tomas decides he needs a committed relationship. To his deep sorrow, he can’t seem to find it with Marc.

When the two find themselves alone and in the grip of a hurricane, long-buried feelings emerge. Being “just friends” is no longer an option. They must risk it all on love.

Title: Close to You
Series: Sunshine and Happiness: Book Three
Author: Skylar M. Cates
Release Date: March 28, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 248

I started reading this one not knowing it was part of a series. The story is strictly about Marc and Tomas but there are a vast number of characters from the previous books that I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read those first.

Marc and Tomas met in high school, Tomas new to town and Marc a boy from the wrong side of the tracks with an abusive father. It’s a beautiful first love and they both fall hard but circumstances beyond their control tear them apart. Years later they come back together with Marc stating they must only be friends, even though both of them are still in love. I believe Marc is afraid to lose Tomas all together and to make sure that doesn’t happen he tucks him safely in the friend zone.

Tomas realizes they are stuck in a holding pattern and moves away to try to move on with his life. Marc realizes he needs to make some changes and let down some walls or he may lose Tomas forever.

Aside from not having read the previous two books this was a good read. The POV pulled me out of the story at times and without chapter titles it was hard to know if I was reading about the past or the present.

Skylar Cates has created and interesting cast of characters. I could feel the pull between Marc and Tomas. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Forgive and Forget by Charlie Cochet : Blog Tour, Pre-Release Day Review and EXCLUSIVE Giveaway

March 28, 2016 by Denise

Hello all! Thank you so much for joining me here today for the first stop of my blog tour celebrating the upcoming release of my Dreamspun Desires story Forgive and Forget. For those who may not know about Dreamspun Desires, it’s Dreamspinner Press’s category romance line. Like many romance readers, I grew up reading all kinds of romance, including category romance from Harlequin. You know the ones. Those fabulous tropes about secret babies, amnesia, heiresses, mistaken identities, and secret heirs. We had billionaires and cowboys, sheikhs and secretaries. I had so much fun with those books, so when the opportunity came up to write my own category romance, I jumped all over it.

Obviously with category romance there’s a certain level of predictability. The lovers will always get their HEA. The fun part is what happens on the way there. In Forgive and Forget, we get a sweet, fun little romance with humor and even sexy times. We meet Joe Applin, a somewhat eccentric, awkward, and shy pie maker who rarely leaves his little pie shop in the heart of New York City. Joe doesn’t believe in happily ever afters. Not anymore. He’s content with his life of baked goods, and making his customers happy. He has his motley crew, Bea, Elsie, and Donnie who help him run Apple’n Pies. Enter our mysterious stranger. Well, more like, find a mysterious stranger face down in the garden. Which is where Joe finds the man he calls Tom. Tom has amnesia. Que dramatic music! Tom is sinfully handsome, dangerous, and gives Joe the impression he tastes sweeter than pie.

Joe’s uneventful life is turned upside down and inside out. Just who is Tom and what kind of trouble is he in? How far is Joe willing to go to help a man he knows nothing about? A man who doesn’t even know who he is or what he does? Is apple truly the king of pies? Will Joe ever get the last word over Bea? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Forgive and Forget.

Do you have a favorite category romance trope? Is it mistaken identity? Amnesia? Secret billionaire cowboy sheikhs with secret babies??

As the owner of Apple’n Pies, Joe Applin leads a quiet, uneventful life, content to spend his days serving customers who come from all over to eat his delicious homemade pies. Along with his motley crew—Bea, Elsie, and Donnie—Joe couldn’t be happier in his little kingdom of baked goods and java.

Experience has taught Joe that love is overrated—and at times dangerous. He has no intention of repeating past mistakes. But then he meets a mysterious, handsome man with amnesia, and Joe can’t deny something sweet is in the works. He isn’t one to take risks, not with his heart and certainly not with his life, but the more time he spends with the man he knows as Tom, the closer he is to losing both.

Genre: Gay Contemporary Category Romance
Length: Novel, 194 Pages
Published: April 1st, 2016
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Ebook ISBN-13: 9781634770170
Paperback ISBN-13: 9781634770163

ADD TO GOODREADS
READ AN EXCERPT

Dreamspinner Press eBook | Dreamspinner Press Paperback
Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble

OUT APRIL 1st

I will admit to being a bit of a Charlie Cochet junkie. I mean how can you deny it when you have the same books (yes, multiple) in three different formats? But whatever, we all need some addiction in our lives, right? So, getting to read Forgive and Forget early was no hardship, I’ll assure you. And I have been enjoying the Dreamspun Desires series so much!

This book had intrigue, amnesia, guys with guns, and a sweet guy named Joe who just wanted to live his life contentedly making his pies and enjoying his quirky friends. Tom falls into his life, and Joe turns all his previously staunch beliefs that he should be alone on its side. What an enjoyable ride this was!

Always some sexy times with Charlie’s book, but this book was fun, with some hotness, bad guys flirting around the edge, and a mystery to unravel. In the end, Joe…and Tom…get their man, and of course there is your HEA, because it wouldn’t be a Harlequin-esque book, or a Charlie Cochet novel, if there wasn’t an HEA.

I finished this book smiling, and wanting to go right back and read it again, and isn’t that exactly what you want in a novel?

4.5 pieces of eye candy for this one. And a re-read for sure!

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

[Each tour stop has its own exclusive giveaway. That’s five chances to win a nifty prize! ]

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

March 28th – Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
March 29th – Love Bytes Book Reviews
March 30th – Prism Book Alliance
March 31st – Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance
April 1st – The Novel Approach

Touch the Sky by Nyrae Dawn and Christina Lee: Release Day Blitz including Excerpts and Teasers

March 28, 2016 by Denise

Touch the Sky

Free Fall, Book 1

Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn

New Adult M/M Romance

COVER DESIGN: Natasha Snow

PHOTOGRAPHY: Giovanni Dall’Orto

RELEASE DATE: 03.28.16

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1Ryugwl

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/25oGoY7

AMAZON AU: http://bit.ly/1SbDVGP

B&N: http://bit.ly/1ZBf8S5

iBook: http://apple.co/22rX0iC

Lucas Barnett and Gabriel Stewart didn’t have it easy as kids. They were only trying to deal with bad situations at home when they became lifelines for each other. Their pipe dream was to someday meet in LA, where Lucas would design skyscrapers, and Gabriel would learn to fly. But then Gabriel disappeared without so much as a goodbye, and Lucas got himself in trouble with the law.

Five years later, both men are at a loss when they run into each other at a Hollywood bar. Lucas is still angry, but it’s not as if Gabriel could control how his mind and body had betrayed him. Being found on the ledge of that bridge had changed everything.

The attraction is immediate, but it’s more than their inability to keep their hands off each other. Neither man expects the fierce connection pulling them together. Unfortunately, ignoring their problems doesn’t make them disappear. Gabriel’s internal struggles are serious…dangerous. And no matter how much Lucas wants it to be true, saving Gabriel won’t make up for not being able to save his mom. If they don’t find the strength to face their own demons before the darkness takes hold, they risk more than just losing each other forever.

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29145268-touch-the-sky

touch the sky teaser 5

Small airplane against a stormy sunset sky

I grab a piece of pizza and we finish the whole box, while drinking soda and watching a horror flick on TV. With each minute that passes, Gabe gets closer to me. It’s not one of those lame-ass things you see in movies, where the distance keeps shrinking while they get the balls to make a move. I just think Gabe craves contact—skin and flesh and warmth. And even though I’m not typically like that, I suddenly want to give it to him. Or maybe I’m just a selfish bastard and I’m fooling myself because I really just crave him.

So I do it, blatantly just move closer. Our legs touch, jeans against jeans. Our arms though? That’s skin against skin and I think maybe I really do crave skin and flesh and warmth the same way he does. At least when it’s him, I do.

The movie ends, and out of the corner of my eye, I see his head turn. Feel his gaze on me.

I want to taste him.

Me taste him. I’ve felt his lips twice and both times were both Gabe’s doing. This time it’ll be mine. I turn to him, touch his cheek with my left hand, let his hair slide through my fingers and then grab on.

Then I’m leaning forward, my tongue at the seam of his lips. Gabe opens up for me and I thrust my tongue inside. The feel of him, the taste of him goes straight to my head—both my dick and the one on my shoulders.

He moans into my mouth as I push closer to him. Reading my body language, Gabe turns, lies down so that he’s on his back and I’m between his legs, leaning over him.

My dick aches. I feel his, hard and thick against my stomach as I kiss him deeper.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say as my lips slide down his neck. I can’t believe I just said that either.

Gabe’s hand tightens in my hair and his hips move, as he rubs his erection against me.

“I can’t believe it either.” He’s breathless, his voice hoarse with lust. It rocks through me and I suddenly want nothing more than to see what he looks like when he comes.

Nyrae Dawn

Nyrae Dawn pic

Nyrae Dawn can almost always be found with a book in her hand or an open document on her laptop. She couldn’t live without books—reading or writing them. Oh, and chocolate. She’s slightly addicted.

She gravitates toward character-driven stories. Whether reading or writing, she loves emotional journeys. It’s icing on the cake when she really feels something, but is able to laugh too. She’s a proud romantic, who has a soft spot for flawed characters, who make mistakes, but also have big hearts.

Whether she’s writing young adult, new adult, or adult you can always count on a healthy dose of romance from her books. She likes to tackle tough subjects, and believes everyone needs to see themselves in the stories they read.

Nyrae is living her very own happily ever after in California with her gorgeous husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two incredibly awesome kids.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/nyraedawnwrites/?fref=ts

Website:

http://www.rileyhartwrites.com/p/home.html?zx=48696725e5833865

Blog

http://www.rileyhartwrites.com/index.html

Twitter: @NyraeDawn

Christina Lee

Once upon a time, I lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. I spent my days shopping for photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my favorite hangouts.

Now I live in the Midwest with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I’ve been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn’t until I wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that I realized I could turn the fairytales inside my head into the reality of writing fiction.

I write Adult, New Adult, and M/M Contemporary Romance. I’m addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. I believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristinaLee

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Christina_Lee04

Irrefutable by Jennifer Rose: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Teaser

March 27, 2016 by Denise

Irrefutable

The Eternity Series

Book 2

Jennifer Rose

M/M Romance

Cover Design: Karrie Jax

Cover Photo: StockPhoto

Release Date: 03.15.16

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RlV582

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/25af9jR

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1SZJtsw

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1R5WvSX

Fresh start, new beginning, a clean slate…

Brice Taggerty, better known simply as Tag, wasn’t worried about coming out after all these years. Actually, he delighted in the idea of feeling free enough to face who he always knew he was. He didn’t need acceptance, nor was he around to be admired or win any popularity contests. In fact, all he wanted was an average humdrum, mundane life. After making a successful career out of flying around the world photographing the world’s most beautiful models in exotic locations, he was excited to throw away his passport and plant his feet firmly on solid ground…and find that someone special.

Fletcher Davis, a former search and rescue helicopter pilot, was ready to start his life again. After fifteen years of dealing with danger on a daily basis and his past at long last behind him, he secured a new job flying for a commercial airline and just may have found the perfect place to call home. What he didn’t count on was a hot enticing neighbor or his past to catch up with him. All Fletcher wanted was a sense of normalcy, routine…and someone special to share it with.

When finally they meet, will sparks fly, fireworks go off, will it be love at first sight, or will their histories keep them apart?

Fletcher’s got his sights set on a certain blond haired neighbor…and Tag You’re It!

This is book 2 in The Eternity Series and can be read as a standalone.

Irrefutable TEas 2

Standing in the middle of the hallway, an awkwardness that hadn’t been there before came over me. There wasn’t normally a timid bone in my body, yet here I stood feeling every bit the epitome of uncertainty. Fletcher shamelessly closed the distance between us, placing his hands on either side of my neck, his thumbs stroking the rough line of my jaw, while his eyes mapping out my face. My heart was beating so hard, I could feel the blood rushing through my veins.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered against my lips, his hot breath on my face.

“Kiss me,” I whispered back, as his eyes shut and his lips fused to mine.

My hands immediately went in search of a hold, slipping into Fletcher’s back pockets and pulling him closer, as the kiss intensified. Fletcher pressed his chest to mine, stepping me back, hugging me tight as he forced me against the door. We were so close to the same height that every intimate part of our bodies converged, the heat bleeding through the layers of clothing.

Fletcher reached back, pulling my hands free from his pockets, laying my palms against his chest and breaking the kiss. My chest lifted with each irregular breath, as did his. Fletcher slowly shook his head smiling, biting into his bottom lip as he took a step back.

“Let’s take a minute and think about this,” he licked across his lips and smiled again. “I like you, I do.”

“But?” I asked, waiting for a smooth brush off.

“I don’t think we should rush into anything,” he scrunched his nose.

I grudgingly nodded, because I knew he was right, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t sting a bit. Rejection was rejection no matter how you put it.

“Got ya.”

“I mean,” Fletcher said, slipping out of my jacket. “I’ve made so many mistakes in the past, not that this is a mistake…I mean…it’s just…I refuse to make mistakes.”

“Relax, Fletcher, before you have a kitten,” I told him, as he handed me the jacket. “I wasn’t expecting jack-shit from you. You want to just be friends, I’m okay with that.”

“I’m just saying that jumping into the sack isn’t my thing,”

“Someone thinks highly of himself,” I chuckled, searching my pockets for my keys and unlocking the door. “Just so you know, you didn’t have a chance of getting into my pants tonight, flyboy.”

The was a good book. I haven’t read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed this story. The characters were very well developed and the story was interesting. Tag and Fletcher were entertaining and fun. The author did a good job building the story. I did think parts of the story were a little rushed. I also thought that there were too many drama’s going on in the story. By the end of it I admit I did feel a little worn out. Overall, though it was very well done and I enjoyed it.

4 pieces of eye candy.

Jennifer Rose lives the glamorous life in Canada working as a part-time office clerk/manager. A mother of three grown boys, she decided to give up cleaning, cooking and day to day household chores in favor of sitting with a favorite beverage, be it coffee or wine and her trusty laptop, after a friend and author convinced her that she had what it took to write romance novels, so she took a creative writing course and finally started writing.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Jennifer-Rose/231674010318730

Jennifer Rose Street Team Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1450195771938815/?fref=ts

Website: www.jenniferroseauthor.wix.com/jennifer-rose

Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/1GtEQAp

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8571193.Jennifer_Rose

Tsu: www.tsu.co/JenniferRose62

Naughty Little Bookshelf

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1544596515804351/?fref=ts

Instagram: @jenniferrose62

Twitter: @JenniferRose62

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jroseauthor/

Bankers’ Hours by Wade Kelly: Release Day Review

March 25, 2016 by Denise

Even though bankers’ hours leave long weekends for romance, cosmic intervention is Grant’s only option when money doesn’t buy happiness and he’s got virginity in spades.

Grant Adams is a twenty-six-year-old bank teller who’s unlucky at love, yet hopelessly hopeful. After years of horrific first dates, he’s convinced he’s saving himself for true love. Surely he has bad taste in men because it couldn’t possibly be his persnickety nature that’s sent them packing.

Tristan Carr has been in a holding pattern since his daughter was born fifteen years ago, which suits his workaholic lifestyle just fine. This ex-Navy turned auto mechanic never wanted anyone interfering with being a weekend dad. For Tristan to rearrange his perfectly orchestrated life, a guy will need to be special. Or in the case of the newest employee at his bank, the guy will need to be adorable, shy, and open to the prospect of forever when it shows up at his window.

Title: Bankers’ Hours
Author: Wade Kelly
Release Date: March 25, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 290

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

ARe

This was a crazy book. The characters were quirky and fun. I thought the story was well done. Tristan was such a wonderful character. Grant was nuts. I thought Wade Kelly did a wonderful job creating two characters that fit together. The story was so much fun to read. Fast paced and really funny. I highly enjoyed this story and look forward to more from this author.

If you are looking for more to read by Wade Kelly, TCO recommends My Roomate’s a Jock? Well, Crap! (the audible version is good as well).