Blog Tour

Of Magic and Scales by Natalina Reis: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

March 4, 2020 by Denise

With a serial killer on the loose, the baffling mystery of Aiden’s past, and their tenuous budding romance, Aiden and Fouchard tread through a world of magic and myth on padded shoes, terrified to stir up something neither can control or defeat.

Aiden Mercer’s life now centers around lounging on the sunny beaches of his adopted country with a beer in one hand and a coffee in the other while admiring the local male population. After a rough life as a respected detective in DC, playing it cool shouldn’t be too hard, right? With the magical community on his case and dead bodies piling up around town, the responsibility of finding their killer seems fated to fall on him and deny him of his easy living.

Then there is Naël.

Cantankerous merman Naël Fouchard’s life is focused on bringing up and protecting his little sister. When DNA found at the scene of the murders mark him as the prime suspect, Naël seeks out the help of Aiden, whose reputation as a detective grossly belies his lazy lifestyle and apparent lack of ambition.

The chemistry between the strong, stoic Naël and the easygoing Aiden is undeniable, no matter how many walls Aiden builds.

If this unlikely pair can’t come to terms with their feelings for each other long enough to catch the killer, their emotional turmoil might yet allow the murderer to kill them instead.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Murder Mystery

Pairings: MM

Tropes: Reluctant hero

Keywords/Categories: merman, romantic comedy, mythology, detective, police investigation, murder mystery, shifters, humor

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I’m not sure what I am, but I certainly know what I am not. I know I’m not a witch because—well, I’m male. I’m definitely not an elf, since I have no sudden urges to hop onto somebody’s shelf around Christmas. Vampire I am not. My perfectly straight teeth have never once turned into fangs, neither have I ever had a sudden, strange craving for human blood. I’m not a werewolf either. I do have hair on my body but nothing that would qualify me as a wolfman. Besides, I am still pretty much myself during full moons.

But I am not a regular either, because unlike most normal humans, I can see magic beings. By “seeing,” I mean I recognize them as such. Anyone can see them, unless the magicals choose for them not to. I, on the other hand, can always recognize them, unless they purposely hide themselves behind a special magic charm.

I don’t remember not having the ability, so I’m guessing I was born like this. Whatever this is. Good thing that I’m used to it, because seeing magical beings for what they are can be a pretty traumatizing experience, as it was the time I freaked out during a trip to Greece, when I had a close encounter with a minotaur. Nice chap as it turns out but not a pretty sight.

I’ve lived a pretty normal, average life running Bicas R Us, a coffee shop in a small coastal town in sunny Portugal, for the past year or so. After an incident in Northern Virginia that put me on the pages of the local news—don’t ask; it involved a pretty handsome elf and his irate troll boyfriend—I thought it would be better to start again somewhere new. I had visited the tiny nation some years before and fallen in love with its never-ending beaches and kicked-back lifestyle, so I packed my bags, contacted a real estate agent and the immigration office, and got myself a brand-new life.

I had played with the idea of buying a coffee shop on the beach, but I figured it would be a mother to keep the place—and the coffee—free of sand. So, I bought a store nearby in the town square, a short walk from the beach. Portugal is littered with three things: tourists, ancient churches, and coffee shops. Nobody would notice me, the brown haired, blue-eyed American who came to explore the locals’ passion for the hot brew.

The other perk of living here was that magical creatures were not spotted as often. Vampires were virtually nonexistent because of the year-round sunny weather, trolls and ogres were limited to the mountains in the north and, unless you visited the nearby mountain of Sintra that crawled with magical activity, the only thread of magic on the coast was the sporadic water sprite and the beachcombing witches who sold their wares in local shops. All in all, a pretty placid place for someone like me to live in.

I enjoyed today’s cool breeze blowing from the ocean, sitting on a chair in my small esplanade under a red umbrella with a glass of cold beer in my hand. Yes, in this sunny paradise I was allowed to sell and buy alcohol in my coffee shop. Behind my light pinewood counter, the wall shelves were covered in bottles that held more than coffee flavorings. What a great nation this was.

While Cristina, my only employee, was busy serving the few customers who loitered inside the café, I could enjoy the local fauna as they hurried from shop to shop or headed out to the beach. Summer hadn’t quite arrived yet, but the sun had warmed the air enough for the locals to shed their wintry clothes and don more relaxed apparel. From behind my shades, I followed the trek of three young men, all shirtless and in swimming trunks. Hot. Not the weather, the guys—tanned, lean and muscular, shorts low enough on their hips to reveal that sexy vee—

“Olha para ti, a salivar como um cão por um bife.” Cristina had sneaked up from behind and interrupted my yummy thoughts.

“Speak English, woman,” I told her, sliding my glasses down my nose to look at her over the rim. “You’d think you’re Portuguese, or something.”

She slapped me mercilessly across the back of my head and plopped herself on the chair next to mine. “Idiota.” Without so much as a may I, my small Portuguese friend and employee grabbed the glass from my hand and took a long swig of my beer. “Are you going to sit here all afternoon watching the hot guys walking by?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Cristina spoke flawless English but enjoyed confusing me with spurts of Portuguese once in a while. She pulled up another chair and placed her feet on the seat, her legs crossed at the knees. “What exactly did you call me just now?”

“A dog salivating over a steak.” She took another swig before I could retrieve my beer. “Don’t you have more important things to do with your life, Aiden?”

I wiped her foam mustache with a finger. “Not really. Why do you think I moved here from Virginia?” She blinked her eyes at me, pretending not to know what I was talking about. “Easy living, sunshine, and hot, half-naked guys.”

Cristina laughed, her face turned to the sun. She had skin the same color as the cork in a wine bottle, a honeyed brown made darker since the early spring weather replaced the cool air of winter. “You’re something, Aiden. You have no other dream or ambition? Just basking in the sun and ogling sexy men?”

Not quite correct but part of the truth. “Are you jealous?”

The skin crinkled around her green eyes as she turned her gaze to me. “Only if you flirt with guys I have my eyes on.” She spotted a couple of newly arrived customers and hopped to her feet. “Customers. Unlike you, I have some interest in making a buck here and there. I enjoy having a roof over my head.”

As she walked away, I yelled, “No need. You can always sleep on the beach.”

In my effort to go out of my comfort zone- both new to me authors and/or tropes, I dove into (hahaha, I kill me) this book that had “magicals” and a merman (merrow) shifter. Because why not.

So. Much. Potential. But it just fell flat.

First, Aiden quit his job as a detective in Washington DC and moved to Portugal to open a coffee shop. Ok. How it stays running and making money when he only has one employee and he shows up sometimes is a mystery.

He also has some sort of magical power. He can see magicals, even when they are disguised as humans. He thinks that is all he is though. More than one magical laughs him off though because they think he is just denying what he is. What is he? We never find out. Come on.

Next is Naël. the Canadian American who lives in Portugal. He is, apparently, independently wealthy and raising his preteen sister. And he is a merrow- a merman shifter. He claims to be socially awkward, but really he is just kind of a jerk. To Aiden. And Aiden just puts up with it.

I did like the sister and Aiden’s best friend/only employee though.

Honestly, the plot was good. There was a murderer of magicals running around and Aiden the former detective is tasked with solving the crimes. He really isn’t very good as a detective though. But the story line following Naël and Aiden was decent, the murderer and reason well thought out.

A few more details that affect my rating. Contractions. USE THEM. It is awkward when characters don’t use them. That isn’t how people talk.

And the last name thing. Like WHY do they always have men calling each other by their last names? Ugh. It is so dumb. Is it a macho posturing thing? Sometimes it is appropriate- cops, sports guys, etc. But just guys? Nah. I have a lot of male friends and I can honestly say they never use last names.

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted more merrow shifting. I wanted to know what Aiden is. But too much took me right out of the story.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

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Natalina wrote her first romance at the age of 13 in collaboration with her best friend. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes. She’s the author of We Will Always Have the Closet, Desert Jewel, Loved You Always, and Lavender Fields.

After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She lived in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she’s taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit.

Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two adult sons.

Author Website: https://natalinareis.com/

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/authornatalinareis

Author Facebook (Page): https://www.facebook.com/authornatalinareis/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/TichaB

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reisnatalina/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14883335.Natalina_Reis

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/natalina-reis/

Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Natalina-Reis/e/B01ADQ9FJW/

Virgin Flyer by Lucy Lennox: RB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

March 4, 2020 by Denise

Wanted: One night together, no strings attached. Hold me, make love to me, treat me like I’m the most important person in the world. No talking. No names. And don’t be surprised if I’m gone in the morning.

After crushing on my best friend for years, I realize he’ll never want someone inexperienced like me. So I decide to get it over with, play the V-card once and for all with an anonymous hook-up. The terms are simple: no talking, no names.

It isn’t as easy as it seems. Now I can’t get the handsome stranger who greeted me with soft kisses and gentle touches out of my mind. Those hands, those lips… But it was just a one-time thing, and I need to forget about him once and for all.

At least I know I won’t ever see him again—until I board a flight and catch sight of a familiar profile in the cockpit just as the door closes.

Cover Designer: Steamy Designs
Photographer: RafaGCatala

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When we finally made it to my apartment, I opened the door to discover a giant mess. Somehow, a bag of popcorn I had safely put away in a closed kitchen cabinet had been retrieved and scattered all over the studio apartment. I groaned and looked for the culprit. Waffles was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile Socrates was curled up in a tight ball on my neatly made bed as if nothing had happened.

Typical.

“Crap, I’m so sorry,” I began, stooping to begin the cleanup. “She’s such a jackass sometimes. I don’t know how she does it, but Waffles is like… she’s like goddamn Houdini or something, but only with snacks and toilet paper rolls.”

Jack began picking up the spilled popcorn next to me, making a little tsk sound with his mouth periodically until Waffles, the jackass snacker, came slinking out from under my bed.

“C’mere, baby,” Jack murmured, holding out a hand toward Waffles. For a split second, my stomach did that little flippy thing it always did when he spoke to me in that tender voice. But he wasn’t talking to me, he was talking to the destroyer.

Waffles waddled her way over and sniffed Jack’s hand before prancing a figure eight through Jack’s legs and rubbing up against him like a slut.

I sighed. “Seriously? She’s a menace.” I continued cleaning while Jack sat down and made room for Waffles on his lap and continued to massage the cat like this was some kind of feline day spa.

After most of the popcorn was cleaned up, I realized I was staring at Jack’s hands as he stroked his long fingers through Waffles’s coat. Those hands had been all over my body. Those fingers had been inside of me. Just thinking about it ramped me up and made me want him again. In some ways, I felt like an adolescent who’d just discovered masturbation. Except… it was sex, and now I wanted it every minute of every day.

I wiggled my hips, trying to unkink my dick without making it obvious I needed to shift things around.

Jack’s eyes met mine, and the corner of his mouth ticked up. “Whatcha looking at, cutie?”

“Nothing,” I said stupidly. “Um, the cat.”

My face flooded with heat. Why hadn’t I just said, You, you sexy fucker. Want to bang?

Jack gently nudged Waffles out of his lap and stood up, reaching out a hand for me. “C’mere, baby.” This time the words were meant for me. A knowing glint in his eye told me he knew exactly what he was doing. “Now would be an excellent time for your first advanced sex lesson.”

“Um…”

“Take off your clothes, Teo.”

“But, ah…” I looked around, wondering if I was ready for advanced moves. I’d barely gotten my basic competency on the regular moves.

“Get naked, or the first advanced move you’re learning involves my palm leaving a nice pink mark on your ass.”

Okay, first things first, I hate best friend Chris….I hated him from the first page to the last one and he never redeemed himself. I hope he stays miserable. I’m also not a fan of fake relationship tropes or love triangle type reads, but this was seriously the cutest story and even if you’re like me and hate those things, you’ll adore Teo and Jack…

Jack is also my dads’ name, so I had to put that out of my mind when I was falling in love with him. But fall in love with him, I did. Lemme tell ya why.

So, Teo has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember. He’s held himself back from even looking for anyone else because his best friend promised him that one day, they’d be together. He just had to be done being selfish first and little spoiler, it doesn’t happen. It was never gonna happen, he just liked having his fun and having Teo there for everything else. But, as Theo was a twenty-six-year-old virgin, having only ever waited for his bestie to grow up and realize he loved him back as promised…. He decided to get that pesky virginity out of the way, so when Chris came calling, he’d be ready. I wanted to smack him. Both of them actually. I think I actually said, Ew….

HOWEVER, a grindr app proposition from a guy looking for one night of romance and someone to treat them like their whole world…. Teo wanted to feel like he’d never got to feel before, he wanted to be someone’s everything, even if it was just for one night. And who better to answer that proposition, other than pilot and workaholic, Jack, who didn’t want a commitnment and liked living the jet-set life.

Their night together is everything they both expected and so much more. I feel like we didn’t only saw a tiny glimpse of Teo up until he met Jack, and then he opened him up as this whole new person that was impossible not to be completely smitten by.

When one night turned into a chance meeting a couple of weeks later, it started something between the men that they tried so hard to deny, even and most especially to themselves. They tried to stick to the rules because Jack didn’t do relationships and Teo loved his best friend, right? Wrong. These two had the cutest chemistry… I loved their banter and I love the person Teo got to be when he was with Jack. And Jack… so nurturing, so compassionate, so understanding. He not only cared about Teo, but he was so attentive and sweet with Teo. He was protective and a smidge possessive at times and if you could’ve ….well, I was going to say that if you could’ve thought up a most perfect person for Teo, it would be Jack, but hello… that’s exactly what was done 😛

And Teo, it was like he thought he was asking too much by just wanting to be loved and that love to be acknowledged. Man, unrequited love is the worst and my heart broke for him here. I was so happy he found Jack!

I loved the secondary characters (minus Chris, I mentioned him being a selfish blow hard already… no need to revisit)…. But both of Jack’s and Teo’s families were so great and supportive and they all just wanted the men to be happy, especially together, because you could see how happy they made each other already.

Is this book as sappy as I’m making it out to be? Probably not, you must’ve caught me on a particularly mush day… but I loved them. I loved both of them individually and I loved them so much together. They were good for each other and they pushed each other to be better and sighhhhhh…. It was all so worth it in the end. Even if I didn’t get to smack imaginary Chris upside his literary visualized in my mind, head.

5 pieces of eye candy from me! Great read!

After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!

To celebrate Lucy’s new release, we are giving away 3 eBooks copies of Virgin Flyer

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Tricks and Bids by Jacqueline Grey: Exclusive Author Guest Post, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

February 27, 2020 by Denise

Today, we have something exciting for you! Jacqueline Grey is here with her new release, Tricks and Bids. And she brought not only an excerpt and giveaway, but a fantastic story about when the story was first published, her uncle, and the Christmas she won’t ever forget. We can all imagine that relative who will look at us and say “we need to talk”…Enjoy the guest post, and make sure you sign up for the giveaway!

When Michael Nole propositions Dillon Spade outside a BDSM club one evening, all he is looking for is a potential client and a little kink. He gets much more than he bargained for. As a prostitute, Michael enjoys sex but keeps an emotional distance between himself and the men he sleeps with. His priority is to keep himself safe, but after a night in Dillon’s bed, he finds the line between enjoyment and occupation blurring.

Dillon hasn’t taken another man home since his previous lover passed away six years ago, but there is something about Michael that calls to his inner Dominant in a way he cannot resist. His instincts want to claim the boy even as he reminds himself that he is only paying Michael for temporary company.

Their relationship may have started as a business transaction, but it’s difficult to remain professional when breaking all the rules.

Title: Tricks and Bids

Series: Suit of Harte’s, Book One

Author: Jacqueline Grey

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: February 17, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 20300

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, romance, contemporary, gay, sex industry, prostitution

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I am so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

A Christmas I’ll Never Forget

When Tricks and Bids first came out in 2014 it was paramount that my mother and my uncle hear about it. They were the biggest supporters, so how could I not tell them? The thing is, how do you tell your dearest uncle that his precious niece has written a very kinky, very steamy romance novel?

Well, I did, and he gave me his usual reply when I ramble on about interests he doesn’t understand: “Ok.” The genre was beyond him, but he was proud of my accomplishment and happy for me which is what mattered. It wasn’t until Christmas Eve dinner of that year that I learned just how supportive my uncle was of me.

The first thing my uncle said when he arrived for dinner that night was “We need to talk.” I’m sure that when any parental figure says those words, no matter what their age, the person they’re talking to will immediately think that shit hit the fan or they’re in trouble. Attempting to remain calm I said, “Ok, do you want to talk now? Is everything all right?” He reassured me that everything was fine, and we would talk later, but he followed that up with repeating “we need to talk” so the reassurance didn’t stay for long.

We sat down for dinner and everyone began eating and chatting. During a quiet moment over the antipasto my uncle announced, “I read a book.” Now the thing you need to know is that my uncle is not a reader. The number of books he’s read for pleasure in his life could probably be counted on one hand. Therefore, I was shocked, and I asked, “What book?” Mom got it before me. As soon as I heard her “oh” I understood what book my uncle was referring to. All he said was “we need to talk.”

There I was sitting at the table feeling like my father had just read my diary, but I’m a big girl, and I have always been honest whenever people ask me questions. I’m a terrible liar and I’m blunt so I figure it’s easier to tell the truth than come up with something false, so I said, “whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

He said, “I don’t think I want to know.”

The main thing he was wondering was how the little niece he’d watch grow up suddenly knew about things like BDSM, wax play and gay sex. I told him I learned most of it through books and television.

“You had to say ‘mostly’?” was his reply.

Like I said, I’m blunt and honest.

I give my uncle props for making it through my book. For not being a reader and to read something that was way outside his comfort zone was an immense show of support. He’s purchased the other books in the trilogy but hasn’t worked up the nerve to read them. I told him that’s fine. He should read Ghost House instead. There’s no kink and the only sex is at the end. If necessary, he could skip that part.

If you’re into reading (unlike my uncle) and you like your romance kinky then look no further. Tricks and Bids is back on the shelves and will soon be followed by the second and third books in the Suit of Harte’s series.

“Hey. Wanna play?”

Dillon glanced up to find a young man leaning against the hood of his car. At Dillon’s pointed look, he took a step back, so he no longer touched the automobile.

“What gave you the impression I want company?”

“You obviously didn’t find what you were looking for in there” came the reply with a nod back at Harte, the BDSM club Dillon had just exited. “If you had, you wouldn’t be leaving this early.”

“And you think you’re what I want?”

The boy shrugged.

Dillon peered at him. He appeared to be in his midtwenties, fit and tight in the way Dillon remembered being before he’d hit thirty-three. He was shorter than Dillon with dark-brown hair long enough to grip: two things Dillon liked in a submissive. There was something familiar about him as well. If Dillon wasn’t mistaken, he’d seen him heading into a nearby motel a few times and never with the same “date.”

“Are you a prostitute?” Dillon asked.

The blunt question evoked an expression of surprise, but it rapidly morphed into a smooth smile. “‘Prostitute’ sounds like a job. It’s more of a hobby.”

“One you get paid for.”

“It’s a good hobby.”

Dillon cracked a smile. “How much do you charge?”

“Depends on what you want to do.”

That was reasonable enough, and if he’d been waiting outside Harte, he must know to expect kink and charge for it accordingly. “Are you clean?”

“Yes, and condoms are necessary and at your expense.”

“Expense? That sounds like a job term to me,” Dillon teased.

He considered his options. The boy was right. He hadn’t found what he was searching for in the club, and he held no illusions he ever would. Even after six years, he couldn’t help comparing every submissive he came across to the lover he’d lost. Harte called him a stubborn old goat, but the thought of building a relationship from scratch exhausted him. It was so hard to find someone whose rhythms and tastes fit with his own. Granted, the club was designed for negotiation and mutually desired play, but that was for the scenes that took place there. What about the rest of the time?

Dillon didn’t want a casual play partner. That did nothing more for him than scratch an itch that would return in no time. He wanted someone he could build a life with. He wasn’t going to find that with a prostitute, but something about the stranger brought forth yearnings Dillon hadn’t felt in years. He could take the boy home with him, indulge in what he wanted in his own territory and under his own rules. It would be a purchased illusion, but it beat going home alone and sleeping in an empty bed.

“Come on,” he said, pulling his car door open and unlocking the other side. “We’ll talk details when we get to my place.”

“Your place? Don’t you mean a hotel?”

“My place,” repeated Dillon. “I don’t do quick fucks.”

I am not totally sure if this is a first time author or not. The dedication at the front made me think so, but there are several other books with authors of the same name. So, I am going to go with first time author. Well done.

I don’t always love novellas or shorts, unless it is an established couple I know. I just feel like so much is sacrificed for a shorter story. I like to sink my teeth in while getting to know these characters. And I did.

Mike (Michael) is a prostitute. BY CHOICE. This was actually really refreshing. Some people actually choose to be a sex worker. Their reasons are their own. But for Michael, it’s because he makes good money, can choose his sex partners and hours AND he has fun.

Dillon is a Dom without a sub. And he isn’t super broody or anything. He knows what he wants and he isn’t willing to compromise with a quick scene in a club. And even though he has to pay Michael, he is getting what he wants on his turf.

Their connection is quick and intense, but not rushed. It didn’t feel like an instalove to me at all. Instalust yes. Their scenes are H.O.T.

This is obviously the start of a series and I definitely want to read more.

4 pieces of eye candy

Jacqueline Grey currently lives on an island on the east coast of the United States. She spends her time outside her day job juggling her many interests which include reading, writing and drinking tea. She loves M/M romance, usually focusing on stories that include BDSM themes to one degree or another.

Jacqueline has always been driven by characters. She loves a good plot, but it’s the characters that pull her into a story. She loves romance and believes everyone has a right to be happy. She enjoys seeing her characters find that happiness for themselves.

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Tour Schedule

2/24 MM Good Book Reviews http://mmgoodbookreviews.com

2/25 The Blogger Girls http://thebloggergirls.com/

2/26 Love Bytes Reviews http://lovebytesreviews.com/

2/27 Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy https://twochicksobsessed.com/

2/28 BFD Book Blog http://bfdbookblog.net/

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Cancer Ships Aquarius by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour and New Release Review

February 21, 2020 by Denise

Prepare to dip your toe into the biggest adventure of your life, Cancer. There’s romance in the air, and it smells deliciously salty.

Dumped by the fifth girl in two years and abandoned by his best friends, Reid Glover is alone and in need of a home.

Desperate, he interviews to become a live-in manny aboard widowed Sullivan Bell’s yacht, the Aquarian.

The job? Not to look after thirteen-year-old Joanna. No, this child-mastermind needs Reid to befriend her dad, urge him to participate more in family life, encourage him to date, oh, and become his closest confidant and help him unleash his bottled emotions.

No pressure.

At least he’s not entirely out of his depth.

Okay, so he may have a slight aversion to the ocean. And possibly attract more than his fair share of misadventure.

But he is a pro at crying.

Watch out, Sullivan. Reid is on his way with a family-sized carton of tissues. He will help Sullivan through his fears. Will help him find love again.

Will absolutely not fall for him in the process . . .

Caution, Cancer, how long will you fool yourself?

Title: Cancer Ships Aquarius

Author: Anyta Sunday

Series: Signs of Love #5

Release Date: February 17, 2020

Subgenre: Contemporary m/m romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Their gazes snagged, and Reid’s knees wobbled.

Sullivan pulled him into the main room beside the bed. Through a crack in the curtains, dim light seeped in from the light-spangled city below. Sullivan stood, and Reid heard every shift of his clothes, felt the heat of Sullivan’s body, smelled the scent of vanilla soap and under it Sullivan.

Reid licked his lip, trembling at what they were about to do. Waiting for it to happen.

Sullivan pinched Reid’s tie and drew if off him slowly, keeping the knot in place.

“Sullivan?” Reid watched Sullivan set the tie carefully on the bed beside their pillows. “This is my first time with a man.”

Sullivan plucked gently at his buttons. His words tickled over Reid’s nose. “I bet you’re wondering what I will do with you. How it will feel.”

Yes. “I need you to take my breath away.”

Reid, freshly dumped with the same ol’ line he’s been hearing his whole life, “it’s not you, it’s me”. Even from his own dad when he left, he’d long since read between those lines and figured out they meant the exact opposite. The common denominator was him afterall… So, finding himself broken up with and homeless, save for sleeping on the floor of his friends place, he needed the manny job he was applying for the same day as his broken heart. That’s when he meets Johanna, the daughter he’s interviewing to be looked after. Only, she’s almost 14 and Reid is only there because she talked her widowed father into needing a nanny as a guise to find him a new love.

It’s been 3 years since Sullivan’s husband passed away and though he’s an excellent father, he’s running from the hurt of losing the love of his life and dragging his daughter with him while he researches and invents great things! Sounds great, and a lot of fun, unless you’re a teenage girl who wants a place to call home so she can make friends and like boys, especially the one at the marina who lives a few docks down. She’s the mastermind here and she’s honest with Reid from the start and Reid, being the caring heart that he is, along with really needing the job, he’s determined to help this family.

He isn’t prepared for the gorgeous Sullivan to naysay him at every turn and genuinely not want him there. He’s isn’t prepared for liking him and his daughter so much and falling for them the more he gets to know him. And it’s funny and sweet and I completely fell in love with Reid and Johanna, especially. Unfortunately, Sullivan wasn’t prepared for Reid at all and wasn’t ready to move on from his husband. This is why I don’t care for widowed romances because it’s so hard to have a one true love when you’ve already had one. I know, I know, it’s not realistic, and of course Sullivan deserved a second love, but I felt like it was at the suffering of Reid…..he deserved more. Especially at the end… I HATED that Sullivan used those words on him “it’s not you, it’s me” knowing how painful they were to Reid. I hate that even after that, Sullivan wasn’t the one who chased after Reid and showed him that he did love him, but instead, it was Reid chasing Sullivan AGAIN and showing him that he loved him. Reid asks at one point, do I put others happiness and needs before my own? And the best friend said, you already know the answer to that… well, of course, he did… and he deserved for someone to put him first for a change and Sullivan didn’t do that.

I was literally floating through this whole book, loving every single second of it. I ugly cried and then felt so let down by that at the end. I wanted so badly for Reid to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was wanted and loved. He deserved that, didn’t he? He shouldn’t have had to work so hard for it. And don’t get me wrong, it ended beautifully, and I loved the two of them together, I just wish it didn’t feel so one sided at times. My stomach literally sank and it felt empty and I wanted Sullivan to show him that he was worthy after a lifetime feeling anything but.

Other than that, it’s an entertaining and sweet read with lots of giggles, plenty of tears and of course, horoscopes of love. I adored every book in this series and this one was no different. I can’t wait to see who’s next.

4 pieces of eye candy

A bit about me, Anyta Sunday: I’m a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

My books have been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Thai.

Author website: http://www.anytasunday.com/

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BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday

Slow Dances Under an Orange Moon (Colors of Love Book 4) by V.L. Locey: Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

February 20, 2020 by Denise

Can the love they once shared be saved or has the pain of the past eclipsed it?

It’s been twenty years since Kye McLeod left the quaint little mountain town of Spruce Lake, Maine to play professional hockey. He’s had his share of ups and downs, but his choice to hit the big city and not look back has paid off handsomely. The future hall-of-famer is now ready to retire and come out of that dark closet he’s been sequestered in since his first secretive kiss with Davy Aguirre in high school. Now that he’s heading home to keep an eye on his feisty grandfather, there might be the chance to rekindle the flame between him and Davy.

Kye quickly learns that the boy he left behind isn’t the man he’s now knocking heads with. He always imagined grown-up Davy—who now insists on being called David—would be beyond the pain that Kye’s youthful blunder caused him, but now he’s not so sure. When the wildlife conservation officer squares off with the ex-hockey captain their connection is incendiary, and there are more than just fireworks. However, winning back the man he walked away from may not be as easy as he thought…

Cover Design: Designs By Sloan

Amazon

Book #1 – Lost In Indigo – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 – Touch Of A Yellow Sun – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #3 – The Good Green Earth – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Kye has had a good career. After leaving his tiny town to go on to the NHL, he lived it up the best he could while keeping his sexuality a secret. Small price to pay for fame and the love of the game, right? But now he’s retired and his grandpa is getting up there in age and he needs to come back and make sure he’s okay.

Sounds good, right? And while he’s home, he might as well pick up the love of his life that he left 20 years ago when they were both teenagers and start back where they left off, eh? That’s honestly what he expected to happen. I can honestly say that Kye was not my favorite of any guys in this series. His ego and lightheartedness was too much, so much in fact that he honestly couldn’t see what the big deal was after leaving his teenage boyfriend/best friend and not calling or coming to visit or even send him a letter for 20 years and now that he’s back, he’s confused as to why game warden Davy is upset. Why he doesn’t trust him? Why doesn’t he just jump back into bed with him, when at first, that’s really all he’s offering… I just didn’t understand Kye at all.

Now, don’t get me wrong, he kiiiiiind of grows on me a little bit somewhere around the middle, when he stops making a joke of everything and gets serious about winning Davy back, but it just didn’t feel genuine to me until the end.

And the way they just jumped back into not only bed together but the relationship, it was just like…. Really? The man up and left you for 20 years!!! I dunno.. I’m glad it worked out for them in the end, but I wasn’t feeling this one as much as I did the others in this series. They can all be read as a standalone because the only correlation between them all is hockey stars and Arn, their agent.

I was happy that when Kye decided to up and come out after 20 years like it was no big thing, that his family and most of the townspeople were supportive. I’m glad that the bad guys didn’t get away with being bad guys, if you read any of my reviews, ever, you’ll know I hate not getting karmic justice and although they weren’t scalped alive and thrown into a deep dark hole, they do get their traps shut, legally, so there is that. There are really cute geese with weird names, an ornery granddad and plenty of steamy nights between these two second chancers… alls well that ended well, I was happy they worked it out in the end, even if it did take me a while to get there.

3.5 pieces of eye candy from me on this one.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

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Pros & Cons of Vengeance and Pros & Cons of Deception by A.E. Wasp: Audiobook Tour and Reviews

February 19, 2020 by Denise

There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. And what a group we are: a hacker, a thief, a con artist, a thug, and a Federal agent with an axe to grind. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.

Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I’m up first. I’m Steele Alvarez, ex-Special Forces Close Protection Specialist (aka, a bodyguard for some not so nice guys).

After learning what the job is — taking down a seemingly untouchable senator with a penchant for beating up young male prostitutes — I’m in. No questions. A bullet ought to do the trick.

Then I met Senator Harlan’s latest victim: Breck Pfeiffer, the gorgeous hooker with a heart of gold and the soul of a fighter. One look at him and I’m gone. That kid laid me out harder than any punch ever did. I’ll do anything to protect Breck, even kill for him. But Breck doesn’t want the senator dead, he wants vengeance.

If we’re going to find a way to bring down the slimebag and get the blackest mark on my record erased, I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Like it or not, we’re all in this together.

BOOK 1

Book Title: Pros & Cons of Vengeance

Author: A. E. Wasp

Publisher: Tantor

Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele

Release Date: April 2019

Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy

Trope/s: Bodyguard. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay

Themes: Vengeance

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 8 hours 54 minutes

It is a standalone story.

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This is a new series to me. I’ve grabbed a couple of A.E. Wasp’s books, but I’m pretty sure they are in my TBR pile (although I will be digging through to find what I have!) What a great concept this series is! A bit of Charlie’s Angels but more gay (and with way more technology). 🙂 And the first book starts off with a bit of a bang.

This book is a bit more insta-love than I’ve read in a long while, but these two were definitely good contrasts for each other. Steele was all about protecting, and Breck definitely needed some additional protection as the entire group tried to work through Charlie’s first assignment for them. And wow, these assignments are no small feat. Taking someone down like the Senator they were working to demolish needed an entire team. I loved how these men all worked together to destroy this common enemy, despite them not having met previous to Charlie’s funeral.

I was not a huge fan of the narration of this book. I might have been okay (although I don’t know for sure) if there had only been one narrator. However, with two narrators, it pulled me out of the book in two different ways. One of the narrators, I just didn’t really like his voice a lot. And that happens of course, in every day life. I can usually get through that with audiobooks. In addition, though, one of the MC’s, (and I really only noticed it when it was one of the MC’s, and only when he was “speaking”). The two narrators’ voice for that MC were so different it was really confusing for me. Again, that happens. However, one voice was very deep, almost scratchy, while with the other narrator is was much higher pitched. I really struggled with the narration.

Definitely looking forward to the next story (see below) and seeing what Wesley has in store for Danny. 🙂

In the end…

Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 2.5 pieces of eye candy

There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.

Job number two lands right in my lap. I’m Bond. Wesley Bond. (I can’t resist saying it that way. Blame my dad, if you can find him.) You could call me a hacker. I redistribute wealth – moving it from rich slimebags to poorer but infinitely more deserving people – and make a tidy profit as I do. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to bring down some modern-day slave traders.

With the life of the one person in this world I love on the line, I can’t afford any screw-ups or distractions. Unfortunately, my biggest distraction is my biggest asset – Danny Monroe. Danny is a leftover complication from our first job. He’s a smart, funny, gorgeous ex-prostitute, who can’t seem to keep his clothes on. I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around him. But I need a fake boyfriend, and Danny is the only option.

We don’t know who the bad guy is; we have no idea how to prove anything. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to need all the help I can get. Like it or not, we’re all in this together.

Book Title: Pros & Cons of Deception

Author: A. E. Wasp

Publisher: Tantor

Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele

Release Date: June 2019

Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy

Trope/s: Fake boyfriends. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay

Themes: Justice

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 8 hours 13 minutes

It is a standalone story but it helps to read the first one.

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This story, for whatever reason, resonated with me more than book 1, even the narrators.

I enjoyed this one a bit more, and laughed at a lot more of the dialogue. “Big Daddy”, the tiny little shorts, and all the quick comebacks were all very well done. The group seemed to coalesce a little more with their second case in.

Wesley and Danny were really sweet together, once Wesley got past his hangup with Danny’s age. And everyone allowing Danny to do something besides work on his tan, was great. He wanted to be useful for more than eye candy, although that ended up being some of what he did anyway, and that worked out well.

The narration was not as rough to me this time. It seemed to be less of a jump around for me on this book, and I enjoyed that more.

This series is starting to really come along, and I am looking forward to then next book in the series.

Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 3 pieces of eye candy

A dreamer and an idealist, Amy writes about people finding connection in a world that can seem lonely and magic in a world that can seem all too mundane. She invites readers into her characters’ lives and worlds when they are their most vulnerable, their most human, living with the same hopes and fears we all have. An avid traveler who has lived in big cities and small towns in four different continents, Amy has found that time and distance are no barriers to love. She invites her readers to reach out and share how her characters have touched their lives or how the found families they have gathered around them have shaped their worlds.

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