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Author Spotlight

Under His Protection by LaQuette: Exclusive Guest Post & Excerpt and Release Day Review

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TCO is very excited to have LaQuette here today, talking about her new Dreamspinner Press release, Under His Protection. In her guest post, she talks about that one moment…where you fall in love in that instant. Check it out!

They can escape their enemies, but not the desire between them.

Prosecutor Camden Warren is on the fast track to professional nirvana. With his charm, his sharp legal mind, and his father as chief judge in the highest court in NY, he can’t fail. Nothing can derail his rise to the top… until an attempt on his life forces him to accept the help of a man he walked out on five years ago.

Wounded in the line of duty, Lieutenant Elijah Stephenson wants to ride his new desk job until retirement—not take a glorified babysitting gig with more risk than it’s worth… especially not protecting the entitled lawyer who disappeared after the best sex of their lives.

The threat against Camden’s life is real, but their passion for each other might prove the greatest danger they’ve yet to face.

Title: Under His Protection
Author: LaQuette
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 250

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Hello, I’m LaQuette, and I’m so happy to be here at Two Chicks Obsessed.  Sending a huge shout-out to Denise for inviting me to chat for a bit.

As both a romance author and reader, I’m always looking at life events through a romance lens.  It’s a quirky habit of mine, but it also makes it so much fun to live in my head.

When writing my latest release, Under His Protection, I was thinking of how sometimes a single experience with a certain person can have an enormous impact on our future lives.  Hence, when crafting Elijah and Camden’s story, I wondered if one night with the right person could lead to forever.

Love at first sight is something we all laugh at.  It’s improbable if not impossible, and no one can build a future on today’s whim.

Although I don’t know how wise it is to jump in with both feet so to speak, I do believe that all it takes is an instant for hearts to connect.  Camden and Elijah are the perfect example of that.  They met once, had an amazing encounter, and five years later when their paths crossed again, they still couldn’t forget that one night.

Perhaps the idea of wagering your future on a whim seems ridiculous.  But, if there is magic in the world, I believe it’s love. How great would the world be if we all stopped for a second to embrace the magic of love the way romance novel characters do?  It might not be realistic, but it sure is an amazing thought to have.

Check out the excerpt below to see how the sparks still fly between Camden and Elijah when they meet for the first time five years after their initial encounter.

Camden turned around at the call of his name. His gaze followed the familiar sound until he was staring into eyes he hadn’t seen for five years.

Still tall, with long locs still hanging just below his shoulders, and a trimmed goatee. Skin still the same color as smooth, tanned oak. Camden’s eyes continued to travel down a broad chest and shoulders that made his fingers itch to caress them. Arms still wide with carved muscle, and a lean waist that tapered down into a thin vee made Camden swallow to push the dry knot blocking his airway free.

He forced his eyes closed as his gaze fell on the metal belt buckle sitting at the bottom of this walking memory’s waist. If he continued his perusal, if he kept remembering the fire that burned through him with every touch and taste of his tormentor’s body parts, this encounter was liable to turn into something very different from a police matter.

“Elijah?”

Camden shook his head, uncertain why he’d said the man’s name as if it were a question. This was Elijah Stephenson. Hard, beautiful, and so sexy he made Camden’s mouth water.

“You remember my name? I’m impressed,” Elijah added.

Remember? Camden laughed at that. Who in the hell could forget a real-life walking sex dream? If big, muscular men with an imposing presence were your cup of tea, Elijah Stephenson was a person you wouldn’t soon forget.

Camden was no slouch. His bulk remained tight with a personalized fitness plan that kept his muscle shirts filled and his jeans fitted. But Elijah didn’t need a gym plan or a personal trainer. His physique and power came from things like running down criminals on the street and lifting cinder blocks or some such real-world thing Camden would never engage in. He didn’t care to get his own hands soiled, but a man who liked to play in the grit of life was always Camden’s weakness.

Camden blinked his eyes again, flipped the switch in his head that turned on his prosecutor’s facade. Hands on his waist, shoulders pushed back, and eyes narrowed at his target. Camden stepped toward Elijah, refusing to let his memories or the delicious sight Elijah made shake his fortitude.

“Why are you here, Elijah? How are you involved with my case?”

“I’m your assigned babysitter, Counselor.”

Camden caught the faint hint of amusement in Elijah’s voice, and his mood soured. To keep his calm, he dismissed Elijah with a cold glare and turned to the captain at his side. “Not a possibility. Get someone else,” he demanded.

“Mr. Warren,” Captain Searlington began. If the deep breath she’d taken just before she said his name was any sign, she wasn’t all that thrilled with Camden now.

Camden sighed and pressed his fingers firmly against his temple. If he were the man his father raised him to be, he’d be throwing his weight around right now, making demands of everyone in the room. But after how poorly Camden behaved five years ago, treating Elijah like a discarded one-off, he found it difficult to muster up his practiced asshole tendencies.

“Mr. Warren, Lieutenant Stephenson has an impressive career record. He is the best at what he does.”

Camden ran a frantic hand through his raven locks. “And what does Lieutenant Stephenson do?”

“He has a nose for sniffing out the bad guys. He’s the best tactical mind I’ve seen in our house in a long time. He also has a protective streak for simpletons who find themselves in situations they can’t get out of. And when he’s called on to protect someone who can’t defend themselves, he locks like a Pit and doesn’t let go until either he or the threat is destroyed.”

Camden’s shoulders rose with every breath he drew in through his flared nostrils. Did she call him a simpleton? Did she reprimand him without so much as raising her voice?

“So,” Captain Searlington continued, “are there other officers I can assign this case? Yes. But if you want to live through this experience, I’d suggest Lieutenant Stephenson is the man for the job.”

Not gonna lie. It was the cover that sucked me in. I mean. Did you see it? Because damn.

Camden and Elijah are a second chance love story. I guess my biggest issue was that really they had one date, one night before Camden ghosted. So ya, there was chemistry and attraction and everything. But I wish there was more than a one time thing between them to spark back up five years later.

Still, I really enjoyed this story.

Camden is prosecuting the leaders of a cult who want him dead. Because they think that will stop the trial I guess? So Elijah, a lieutenant in the police force coming back from medical leave after almost dying in a bust gone wrong is tasked with keeping him safe for a week. Elijah was hoping to sit at a desk and work cyber crimes but he can’t say no to this job and the one that got away.

The hide out in Elijah’s house outside the city thinking they will have peace and quiet. Except Elijah forgot he invited his family for a long weekend. What could have been awkward was really just kind of fun. Mom wasn’t too over bearing, Dad wasn’t too scary, brother wasn’t too annoying. It was just a family enjoying themselves and hanging out. And Camden and Elijah rediscovering each other.

There was a few things that were just far too convenient- a house Elijah bought with a shell company (plus what cop can afford a house in Westchester AND an apartment in Brooklyn?), a garage apartment at his house that is unoccupied, etc.

The chemistry between the men was undeniable. And she can write a sex scene like no one’s business. They flowed though, the scenes weren’t forced at all.

The entire book only took place over the course of a week but it wasn’t rushed at all. Elijah’s family added to the story instead of getting in the way and the ending wrap up was well done without being contrived.

Won’t be my last story by this author, that’s for sure.

3.75 pieces of eye candy

LaQuette is the 2016 Golden Apple Award Author of the year winner. She writes bold & sexy tales for diverse characters who are confident in their right to appear on the page. Represented by Latoya C. Smith of LCS Literary Agency.  Visit her at LaQuette.com and LaQuette@LaQuette.com

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Sink or Swim, an Anchor Point title by L.A. Witt: Blog Tour Spotlight, Quick Review and Giveaway

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When need meets fear, can two very different men find common ground?

Alhazar Bukhari spent his Navy career in the closet. Now he’s retired, divorced, and hungry for the love he’s never had a chance to experience. He tries to put his faith in Allah to bring the right man into his life, but it’s hard to be patient after all this time.

Chaplain Dylan Pedersen spends his days counseling Sailors, and his nights with men he doesn’t know. Months after finally escaping an abusive relationship, he’s terrified of anything more than a physical connection. Maybe it’s a sin, but he’s too lonely to not let men into his bed, and too scared to let them into his heart.

When Alhazar’s civilian job brings him aboard the USS Fort Stevens, and his daily prayers bring him into Dylan’s chapel, the chemistry is instantaneous. Sex and friendship quickly evolve into more, but Dylan’s too haunted by his recent past to be the man Alhazar wants. Alhazar needs love, Dylan needs time, and if they can’t find some sort of balance, they’ll sink before they ever have a chance to swim.

 

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

Welcome to Anchor Point!

Nestled on the northern coast of Oregon, this small town is home to Naval Air Station Adams. On base, you’ll find freshly minted Sailors who’ve just graduated boot camp, salty officers counting down till retirement, grounded pilots who’ve landed behind desks, and everyone in between—and they’re all looking for love. Well, not all of them, but that won’t stop love from finding them.

So pull up a barstool, grab a beer, and get ready for some sea stories as these men in uniform—or not—navigate the waters of love and life in the military.

Anchor Point stories can be enjoyed in any order. Hop in wherever you’d like!

I finished this book by Lori Gallagher Witt today, and I was so astonished at all I learned. In the Midwestern suburbs, it is very difficult to connect with people of the Muslim faith (and to be honest, people in the Navy-cause “fly over country”) and it was so fascinating to me to read a gay romance with someone of the Muslim faith as an MC, where his faith was a vital part of the story-but not in the way people might think. Knowing how Lori researches (follow her on twitter, and you will absolutely see), I can imagine this was not cobbled together from several blog posts someone wrote 6 years ago in passing. This turned how I thought of Muslims living day to day lives on its ears. I cried, for sure, but I also left that book feeling like I gained an, admittedly small, understanding of the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly (the things they deal with-my heart broke at some of it) of people who are Muslim. This book hit me hard, and I am left knowing that I have much more to learn. I’m not sure if that was what Lori was going for, but if she was, she hit it on the head for me.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut. L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

To celebrate the release of Sink or Swim, L.A. is giving away reader’s choice of two eBooks off of her backlist and a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 21, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

Cash Plays (Seven of Spades #3) by Cordelia Kingsbridge: Blog Tour with Giveaway

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In this game, the stakes are life or death.

The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance—the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City. A devious saboteur is wreaking havoc in Las Vegas’s criminal underworld, and the entire city seems to be barreling toward an all-out gang war.

As Detective Levi Abrams is pushed ever closer to his breaking point, his control over his dangerous rage slips further every day. His relationship with PI Dominic Russo should be a source of comfort, but Dominic is secretly locked in his own downward spiral, confronting a nightmare he can’t bear to reveal.

Las Vegas is floundering. Levi and Dominic’s bond is cracking along the seams. And the Seven of Spades is still playing to win. How many bad hands can Levi and Dominic survive before it’s game over?

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

 

Thanks for checking out the blog tour for Cash Plays, the third book in the Seven of Spades series!

After the Seven of Spades returns at the end of Trick Roller, they resume their vigilante mission with a vengeance. Levi and Dominic do their best to keep up, but a bloodthirsty serial killer isn’t the only threat they face…

About the Seven of Spades Series

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

To celebrate the release of Cash Plays, Cordelia is giving away a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on June 9, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Kiss Your Scars by Avril Ashton: Exclusive Author Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

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Being the king of Atlanta’s underworld used to have its perks, but lately all undercover agent Renzo Vega has seen is the downside. Someone is auctioning off women in his city, and he’s damn sure not about to let that offense stand. Just as he’s set to make a move, Renzo’s club is ambushed and he’s shot. Unsure of who to trust, he turns to the one man he definitely knows wants him dead.

Yanked from his bed, blindfolded and spirited away in the middle of the night, Lowell Scott is shocked to find the darkly gorgeous Renzo bleeding and in need of his help. The very last thing he wants is to come to the aid of the man responsible for his cousin’s death, but the knife at his throat doesn’t give Low much options.

Close proximity doesn’t temper the hatred Low harbors for Renzo, it only brings up new problems. Like the vicious attraction Low struggles to control, and bullets that won’t stop flying. It’s a tough sell to believe there’s anything good in a man as unapologetically dangerous as Renzo. And even if Low could forgive the unforgivable, Renzo is still shadowed in secrets. When they’re exposed, those secrets will bring far-reaching consequences that could sever not just their shaky bond, but Low’s family ties as well.

This is book three in the Loose Ends series, but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: Contains references to subjects that may be triggering. Please read with caution.

KISS YOUR SCARS

LOOSE ENDS SERIES, BOOK 3

AVRIL ASHTON

RELEASE DATE: 02.20.18

 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

 

So happy to have Avril Ashton joining TCO today, with a fantastic post about her take on being an #AOC, an Author of Color. Avril’s Brooklyn Sinners series was some of my first books in the m/m genre, and still some of my favorite. They’re gritty, raw, and hit at the heart. I hope you’ll read her guest post, and give us your thoughts on this topic.

Back when I picked up my first romance novel, the couple on the cover looked nothing like me. I didn’t let it stop me from flipping those pages, because I didn’t pick up that particular book because of the cover models. I picked it up because the story hinted at on the back cover intrigued me and I wanted to know it.

I wanted to experience it.

So I read it.

And I did.

I experienced. I learned.

The next romance novel I picked up also wasn’t about people blessed with my particularly gorgeous shade of the brownness. Not the next one. Or the one after that. But I’m a reader.

It’s what I do. Who I am.

Took a lot of books before I found one with people that looked like me. Surprise. A good surprise. But for every one book that had a POC on the cover, there were hundreds—probably thousands—of books that didn’t. I accepted that. I knew what it meant, don’t get me wrong. I just accepted it. Until I didn’t.

I finally started writing my own.

There is a feeling in your chest when you see people who look like you on a book cover. When you see them loving and winning at love, at life. There’s a sense of belonging that you can never know, unless you’ve actually experienced the opposite.

The “not for you”.

The “not good enough”.

The “lesser than.”

I write for those people who aren’t afraid to reach for and embrace different. I write for those readers willing to experience something they’ve never had before. My characters have always been POC. I will always hit you with the diversity.

Kiss Your Scars is my latest M/M romance featuring a diverse couple. Renzo Vega is Brazilian and Lowell Scott is Grenadian. Some of you will have never heard of Grenada. It’s a tiny island in the West Indies where I was born.

Back when I picked up my first romance novel, there was nobody out there writing love stories about people who sounded like me, who ate what I ate and lived where I lived.

Aye, today somebody can say that’s no longer true.

“I can’t relate.” Somebody, somewhere always says that when it comes to a POC romance.

There’s always something to learn, though.

Everything about him was magnetic and dangerous, and he moved like a rogue wave on an abandoned beach, wiping away your foundation before you had a chance to prepare for the hit.

Right now his gaze devoured Low, making it hard for him not to squirm.

“There is something between us.” Renzo put his hands in his pockets. Low tried not to notice the way that action tugged his pants waist lower and rucked up his shirt. “You and I both know that.”

“No.” Low held up a hand when Renzo took a step forward, but that didn’t stop him from coming closer. “I have a boyfriend.” So yeah, he’d upgraded Chance. “I don’t want you.”

“Yes.” Renzo got in Low’s space, trapping Low between him and the locked door. “You have a boyfriend but here you are, sneaking off to see me. Why are you at my club? Are you here looking for love? Looking for a fuck?”

Low’s eyes widened and Renzo touched him, a slide of his knuckles down his cheek. That touch. He’d thought about. He’d fantasized about it. He’d grieved for the loss of it.

“Doesn’t matter which. I’m good for either one.”

Low jerked his head up and slid closer. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t fight the coil in his belly that pulled tighter with every word Renzo spoke, bringing them together until their bodies made contact, front to front.

Step away. He should step back. But Renzo kept him right there with his heat and the smell of him. Low leaned forward slowly, seeking more of it.

The heat.

The scent.

His lips brushed Renzo’s neck.

Renzo groaned. Low’s entire body clenched.

Have mercy. “Leave me the fuck alone,” Low whispered. But there was no force beyond that plea. Just empty words mocking him, because the truth was he wanted Renzo closer.

Renzo grabbed him by the arm and pushed him up against the mirror overlooking the main area of the club. They could see out, but no one could see them as they stood, Renzo at Low’s back, humping him, sliding his hardness all over Low’s ass. Slowly.

Fucking painfully slow.

“Watch him,” Renzo murmured at his ear. “Watch your boyfriend. Does he know he’s your second choice, Low?”

He shuddered, panting, but he still held his head high, squirming as he tried to get away from Renzo’s hold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Renzo laughed. “You know.” His tongue slid over the shell of Low’s ear.

Low’s breath hitched as he locked his knees to keep from falling. Renzo melted him. He destroyed Low and he remained in that grip, loving their destruction.

“Where does Chance think you are, Low? Men’s room? Outside getting some air? When you leave here, will you tell him where you were, I wonder?” Renzo nipped at his earlobe and Low gave him everything. Every shudder, every gasp. “You gonna tell him you were rubbing your ass all over my cock, Low?”

“No.” He moaned. God. Fuck. Low gave up his moans, too. “Please.”

“You gonna tell him you can’t stay away from me? That you only brought him here to make me jealous?”

“I don’t want you.” His voice was an embarrassingly thin thread of sound that wavered under the weight of Renzo’s touch, like a ribbon wrapped around a tree branch, fighting against a heavy wind.

“Doesn’t matter how much you tell yourself you hate me,” Renzo whispered. “You still close your eyes when Chance touches you and pretend it’s me.”

The stark truth in those words buried him. “No.”

Renzo ignored his weak protest. “Does he know what you like, huh?” He touched Low, one hand at his chest, lips at his ear. “Has he fucked you lately?”

“Renzo.”

“Yes.” Renzo moaned, too, the sound hitting Low in the balls. “The way you say my fucking name.” He pressed closer, rocking against Low. He clasped Low’s throat, tilting his head against his shoulder. “Good?” he asked, voice turned husky. “He fucks you good, Low? The way you want, the way you need?”

“I don’t…” Low choked, but he was moving with Renzo, on him, sliding up and down, riding the hard ridge of Renzo. Unable to stop. Just for a second. He’d forget himself just for however long it took for this hunger to work its way through him.

“Does he eat you out? Lick it up?” The hand around Low’s throat tightened. “Does he tell you you’re the best?”

Low sobbed for him, trembling, fingers clinging to the hand Renzo had splayed over his lower belly. Done, he was fucking done.

“You’re the best I’ve ever had, Low, and I haven’t even fucked you yet. Let me get that.” He touched lower, cupping Low’s erection through his jeans and squeezing. “Let me tear it up while you call me Daddy. Let’s stay here, like this, you riding me till we both come.”

“No!” Low wrenched himself away, stumbling as he glared at Renzo as arousal crawled along his spine. “You killed my cousin.”

Renzo shrugged. “Did I?”

 

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Stone Mountain, GA. with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.

A lover of cake, the ID Channel and the UFC, Avril writes Erotic and GLBT Romance.

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PATREON

AMAZON AUTHOR

Loose Ends Series

 

 

 

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Operation Green Card by G.B. Gordon: Blog Tour, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Arkady Izmaylov is a family man. He’s also gay. In Russia. His sister Natalya has been telling him to get out for years, but it’s only after an attack in the street that he finally concedes and says yes to her desperate plan of him marrying a stranger for a green card.

Jason Cooley was taught from birth that he’s no good to anyone. Then the military taught him he was good enough to save other lives, but that purpose got amputated along with his leg. He’s now working security at Wolf’s Landing and sending monthly checks to his ex for their daughter’s education. When Natalya asks him to marry her brother, Jason knows right away he’ll do it more for the mission than the money she’s offering. But when he actually meets Arkady, his mission turns complicated.

Jason quickly discovers he’s not as straight as he thought. He’s also the man of Arkady’s dreams. Arkady must convince Jason that he’s worth loving, and that Arkady won’t disappear from his life like everyone else. Because Arkady has always wanted a family of his own, and he’s not letting go of this one.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

I won’t lie, I am going to miss the Bluewater Bay series by Riptide (last book is out next week!). There have been some really great books in this series. This was a good one in the series, for sure. I like that it was one of the last two, going out in style! 🙂

Green card marriage is a trope which if you grew up reading Harlequin romances, you likely came across a time or two. And this one is based around that trope. However, I did like how this one came about. With as much as you hear in the news about how gay men are treated in countries such as Russia, this makes more sense than not.

There was an instant connection on both sides for these men. Arkady knowing he was attracted. Meanwhile, Jason, never having considered himself to be bisexual, gave himself a ton of excuses, yet didn’t have any problem with it once he realized that he was attracted.

I loved that Arkady was free with his love. He loved his family and friends that he moved from, and wanted to have a new family and friends in his new life, throwing himself fully into loving and caring for the people around him as much as possible. Even down to wanting to do renovations for Jason. The reader could feel that it wasn’t just boredom, but a need to do something for someone who meant something to him.

Jason’s lack of belief in himself, didn’t start with his amputated leg, but as a child, and carried through his adult life. His belief that he couldn’t trust anyone to stay, or to appreciate him, not just himself made it difficult for Arkady to get through. So, he did it in small ways. Whether beers on the couch, or shooting at nuts on a log, he worked his way into Jason’s subconscious minute by minute.

I loved that their moment of realization came while sitting in a government office, it seemed so poetic. Another good entry into this fantastic series.

4 pieces of eye candy

About Bluewater Bay

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield,  Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, Jaime Samms and Ally Blue. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Check it out at Riptide Publishing!

G.B.Gordon worked as a packer, landscaper, waiter, and coach before going back to school to major in linguistics and, at 35, switch to less backbreaking monetary pursuits like translating, editing, and writing.

Having lived in various parts of the world, Gordon is now happily ensconced in suburban Ontario with the best of all husbands.

Connect with Gordon:

To celebrate the release of Operation Green Card, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 16, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Jared’s Evolution by Riley Hart: Exclusive Author Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway

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He wants to dominate me…to discipline me. He wants me to call him Daddy… 

I’ve always taken care of myself–worked hard to become king of the courtroom and excel in the cutthroat business of winning cases. I’m fierce…brutal…confident. I’m a lie. Underneath my armor, I’m drowning, losing myself under the weight of life. At thirty-three years old, I should be able to handle the pressure.

My neighbor Kieran sees past my spotless suits and manufactured control to the real Jared. The one who secretly craves being dominated, to serve, and to give up control–not just in the bedroom, but in every aspect of my personal life.

I can’t want this…but I do… When I’m under Kieran’s command–spanked, rewarded and caged–I’m free. With Kieran’s care and guidance, my mind is unburdened as my body soars to new heights, and Kieran becomes what we both need him to be: Daddy.

It’s a journey of dominance and submission–of rules, schedules, security and discipline. He opens my world, teaches me, changes me…but he doesn’t let me in. It’s temporary, Daddy tells me, and I’d be wise to remember that, so I don’t get hurt.

Warning: Jared’s Evolution contains BDSM elements, domestic discipline, spanking, and daddy kink–without age play–between two consenting adults. If any of those things offend you, reading this book might not be a good idea.

Jared’s Evolution is part of the Desires Unleashed collection. Some books in this collection will have darker themes. Please be aware Desires Unleashed are er*tic and not your typical Riley Hart romance. You can expect the mental and emotional journey to be led by the physical/s*xual moments–which will be intense, frequent and kinky.

 

Today we have Riley Hart stopping by to chat about her new release Jared’s Evolution.    Welcome Riley!! Thanks so much for having me!

Jared’s Evolution is the start to a new collection from you.  How is it different than your Contemporary Romance books? Jared’s Evolution is part of the Desires Unleashed collection. So far, any books that I have planned for the collection will likely have BDSM and kink themes. Some will be darker than others and they’ll likely all be erotic romance instead of just really sexy romance like I usually write. These books will be about journey and discovery—often times sexual or through sex and kink. I’ll be very true to these books in how they come to me, which means some typical “romance rules” could be broken. But as of now, any of the books I have planned in this collection will have an HEA.

Where did the idea of Jared’s Evolution come from?  I’ve wanted to write a book like this for a long time—years, honestly. I’m fascinated with BDSM and kink and I really wanted to write a book about someone coming into their own and learning who they are through it. So much of BDSM and kink is mental and not just physical. It’s about a connection that’s deeper in so many ways. That’s so interesting to me.

Jared’s story is done in 2 parts.   Why did you separate the 2 parts? The story really did unfold that way to me. Plus, it takes place over quite a long time. Each part does almost feel like it’s own story—a different stage Jared and Kieran are in their journey.

When will part 2 be released? End of November/beginning of December. Release date coming soon!

The book has a warning attached to it stating it is not your typical romance.  Can you elaborate on what that means? I think there are certain expectations in a romance novel, as there should be. Romance has it’s “rules” the same as horror, or thrillers or any other genre and romance readers come into romance expecting those things—again, as they should. While there is love and sex in their journey, and there will be an HEA…this is about more than the romance. It’s about Jared’s journey and how he comes into his own. About discovering who he is, how strong he is, what he wants. That kind of discovery takes exploration, and things that often happen in real life, but don’t happen in most books. Not every relationship plays by the same rules and not playing by those rules don’t make it wrong…just different. Some people share…some people break up…some relationship are open. I won’t close the door on any possibility that’s right for the couples in these books.

There has been some discussions within the community regarding BDSM/kink and whether or not it is a trend.  What are your thoughts on that?  I don’t see it as a trend. BDSM/kink is a niche market that will always have a smaller reader base than “mainstream” (except those few books explode onto the scene) but I feel like people are more comfortable being sexual, and exploring BDSM and kink in ways we haven’t always been. I’ve always believed everyone should see themselves in the books they read, and that means everyone, so I see the growth in BDSM as more people giving readers the chance to see themselves and their relationship in books and to explore desires they might not have felt comfortable exploring a few years ago.

What is it about Daddy Kink that draws you in?  How did you incorporate that into Jared’s book? I love the dynamic. For me it’s not about the word Daddy but about the give and take…it’s about someone who needs to take care of another person, and that person who needs to be taken care of. The world is such a big place and to find someone who’s needs match your own…that’s a beautiful thing.

How did you decide it was time for you to write a BDSM/Daddy kink book? I got tired of being scared…tired of waiting for the right time. I went into this book knowing that some of my current reader base wouldn’t be into it—and that’s okay! We read for pleasure so we should read the kind of books we want but I felt this story so deeply and kept it inside because…what if it scared some of my readers away? What if everyone hated it? What if I couldn’t do this story justice. I don’t know if people realize how many “what ifs” plague us as writers. I stressed and worried and over thought—should I wait? Should I use a pen name? And finally I just…let go…and wrote…and fell in love. I didn’t know what I would do with Evolution when I finished…I just wrote. And in the process, I let go of the fear and followed my heart.

If you could choose one thing that readers would take out of Jared’s Evolution, what would it be? That different doesn’t mean wrong…just different. That there are so many different ways to love and be in a relationship and as long as it’s consensual, and you’re not abusing someone, then there’s no wrong way to do it. That what’s right for me might not be right for someone else, and that’s okay. That it’s okay to be who you are. That BDSM and kink are about more than whips, ropes and commands. That it’s about connection, a fulfillment of needs, and that it’s very much a give and take. That there are so many places to find beauty and wherever someone finds that beauty, is okay. I guess that’s more than one thing. Lol.

How many books do you have planned for the Desires Unleashed Collection?  I have no idea! There are two Jared and Kieran books but I plan to keep writing kink and BDSM along with my other books. Whatever I write that fits with the Desires Unleashed theme, will go into that collection.

What can we look forward to from you in 2018? I plan to release the second Last Chance book (Color Me In) January or February. I have the third Wild Side book to write and a novel called His Truth already written. And whatever else I co-write with Christina or Devon. LOL.

Thank you so much for stopping by.   Congratulations on your new release!!! Thank you!

 

The next couple days, I did exactly as Kieran had told me. Or Daddy. Should I think of him as Daddy? I still wasn’t sure about that. All of it felt weird and made me slightly uncomfortable, if I was being honest. But still, I did as I was told, because that part felt right. The schedule calmed me. I also went to bed at nine as he’d said, ate three square meals a day, and browsed the site he’d given me.

Some things I learned right away weren’t for me. I wasn’t sure the idea of most pain did much for me…but my dick got hard when I read about getting spanked. The confusing part was I also knew I wanted the spankings for discipline. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much care went into that act. How much care went into making sure I was good, and letting me know when I wasn’t. For teaching me a lesson when I was bad so I wouldn’t do it again. So how could something both turn me on and be used as punishment at the same time?

I also didn’t like it when men spit in another man’s face, or slapped his face. Watersports, I didn’t think were my thing either. I couldn’t imagine a situation where I would want Kieran to pee on me or to drink his urine. I didn’t knock it of course, because to each their own. It was all so much fucking information; I wasn’t sure what to do with it all.

I felt very settled on both Thursday and Friday though. I liked the schedule, knowing exactly what I had to do outside of work to take care of myself. It took a lot of the pressure off me. There was a security to rules that soothed me, likely because I’d lacked them most of my life. Nothing was ever stable, growing up. My parents left me for days at a time and they weren’t really parents even when they were there. But as soon as I thought about it that way, I got nauseated and weak because who in the fuck wanted someone else to schedule their life for them because they couldn’t handle it?

I’d never had anyone there for me. Everything I’d done in my life, I’d done on my own and I was damn proud of that fact.

Why was my brain playing tricks on me now?

I was nervous to go to Kieran’s condo on Saturday. More nervous than I’d ever been for anything in my life. My brain was at war with itself and I hadn’t figured out who was the winner—the part of me who felt weak by the things I’d read, or the part of me that quietly desired them.

I’d decided I was going to tell him no.

Then yes.

Then no again.

In the end, I figured I’d wing it. We’d talk and would likely both realize this was a mistake and go our separate ways.

My hand shook as I knocked on Kieran’s door.

He opened it a moment later and smiled. His white-blond hair was wet, and he didn’t have a shirt on. Droplets of water slid down his shoulders, and chest, some even racing down the lines of his clearly defined abdominal muscles. He was bigger than me, both taller and broader, and I liked that very much. His size made me feel as though he could protect me.

“You don’t play fair,” I told him as my dick stirred at the sight of him. He knew exactly what he was doing.

“I play to win, Jared. Come in.”

I did so automatically. Kieran walked toward the dining room table, rather than the one we often sat at in his kitchen.

“Sit,” he told me.

I did before saying, “I don’t know if I want this.”

He cocked a brow at me. “Don’t you? Ignore what you think the answer is supposed to be. Ignore what society would say, and answer honestly. Did you have to think twice before doing as I said the past few days? Sitting when I told you to just now? Even before you realized you were obeying me the past few weeks, you were. You follow direction so beautifully, Jared, and it would be a crime to yourself not to take what you need.”

What I needed? Not what he thought I wanted, it’s what he thought I needed? He was fucking crazy. This wasn’t a necessity. Maybe a part of me wanted it but that’s as far as it went.

“I don’t need a damn thing.”

“Time will tell about that.” He sat in a chair beside me and asked, “You did as you were told since Wednesday, right?”

“Yes,” I answered before shifting uncomfortably. It didn’t sit well with me how easily I’d obeyed Kieran and the peace I’d found in it.

He smiled. “I knew you would.” I tried to turn away but he grabbed my chin and didn’t let me move. “Did it help? Answer truthfully. I’ll know if you’re lying. I’ve been studying you these past few weeks, Jared. Learning to read you as a good Dom should. Don’t disappoint me by lying.”

“Yes,” I replied, without fighting his grasp. “But that doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I like schedules.”

“Maybe you like my schedules. Maybe you like giving up control because it’s so goddamn hard to know what to do sometimes, isn’t it?”

I opened my mouth but, before I could reply, he said, “Don’t lie.”

“I can’t.” I shook my head and he dropped his hand. I missed the contact instantly. My skin tingled where he’d held me. “I don’t know.”

“See?” he asked. “You told the truth. You said you don’t know. You won’t always have all the answers, Jared, no one does. But you were a very good boy because you admitted that, rather than saying no.”

I nodded as a jolt rushed through my body and I trembled. Good boy. I had been Kieran’s good boy and it made my body come alive in ways I tried to deny. It made me feel like too much electricity was running through my body, making it hard to sit still.

Riley Hart is the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a hopeless romantic, a lover of sexy stories, passionate men, and writing about all the trouble they can get into together.

She loves reading, flawed characters, and hanging out with her husband and children, who she adores. She and her family live in Southern California, soaking up the sunshine while also missing seasons. Not a day goes by that she isn’t thankful she gets to wake up and do what she loves.

Life is good. Riley also writes young adult and new adult under the name Nyrae Dawn.

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