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Book Excerpt

I’m Not Your Enemy (Enemies Book #2) by Cara Dee: Excerpt and New Release Review

by

The line between love and hate has never been so thin, and Blake and Sebastian return in this sequel with bottled-up hurt that somehow just brings them even closer.

Sebastian was right. I was a coward. I ran my closeted tail all the way back to Georgia. Once I got there, I had no place left to hide. My life imploded. But when I was welcome nowhere, I still had to go somewhere.

I could barely look my sister in the eye, facing Sebastian didn’t even exist on my radar, and I was prepared for my brother-in-law’s protective hostility. I just didn’t have a choice. For once in my life, I wanted redemption. I wanted to belong somewhere, and I was ready to work for it.

Sebastian was the exception—hard no. I might have screwed up royally, but he wasn’t so damn innocent. He’d hurt me too, and he better not push me. In fact, it was best we avoided each other altogether.

So it didn’t make a lick of sense for me to seek him out to provoke a reaction.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want.

I’m Not Your Enemy by Cara Dee

Series: Enemies Book #2
Genre: Gay Contemporary Romance
Tags: #LoversToEnemies #EnemiesToLovers #BestUnclesEver #Family #OutForYou #SouthernBadBoy #BeachCowboy #OppositesAttract #CamassiaCoveUniverse #StandaloneDuet #Book2

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

It was still weird for me to be part of a family dinner where no one said grace. It’d been the rule for as long as I’d lived. If dinner was among family and you sat at a table, someone said grace.

Fuckin’ heathens up here.

I removed my ball cap and left it on my lap.

“Momma, can we live in an RV?” Teddy asked.

“You think we have too much space at home?” Soph smirked.

Teddy grinned sheepishly. “No, but we could go anywhere!”

I chuckled and grabbed myself a Coke.

“Where would all your toys go?” Dylan asked.

Teddy hadn’t considered that. “Maybe in my room at Bastian’s house?”

Sebastian shot him a little grin but didn’t say anything. He was usually so vocal. Now, because I was here, shit was weird. He hadn’t looked my way once. Not a glance as far as I knew.

Isabella was getting fussy in Dylan’s arms, and Soph said she couldn’t put off feeding her any longer. She excused herself to head inside and nurse the little one.

“Don’t step on Oppy and Percy, please,” I said.

“Oh! I wanna see them, Uncle Blake!” Teddy pleaded and almost knocked back his chair when he stood up. As if I could deny him. “Momma, I go with you.” He grabbed a new pizza slice and tumbled toward Soph.

Dylan turned a perturbed look Soph’s way. “You’re leaving me with those two?” He just didn’t know how to whisper.

Soph thought that was hilarious and just giggled in response. Then she disappeared into the trailer with the kids, and the tension automatically turned awkward and agitated. The latter came from Sebastian, because without Teddy around, he didn’t have to pretend.

“Are you gonna fucking eat or what?” Sebastian asked irritably.

I glanced at Dylan, who was in the middle of finishing a slice, and it dawned on me that the question was for me.

“Huh?” I managed. Wow, he was talking to me.

Sebastian flicked me an impatient look. “You’ve lost weight, and you’re not eating. Are you sick or just dumber than you look?”

“This is nice,” Dylan said. “We should do this more often.”

I furrowed my brow and wondered what the hell Sebastian’s problem was. Okay, I could venture a guess, but if he wanted to avoid me, avoid talking to me, he didn’t have to worry about what I ate.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about—I haven’t lost any weight.”

“Dumber than you look, then. Because yeah, you have.” He tossed a crust into one of the boxes and leaned back, his posture and expression saying he was letting it go. He didn’t wanna talk anymore.

“So how are the Pugs doing, Blake?” Dylan interjected. “Or was it Bulldogs?”

I slid my stare to Dylan instead and let some humor seep in. Bless him. “You don’t have to run interference, buddy. When Sebastian’s ready to hash things out like a real man, these passive-aggressive little bitch fits will be history.”

“Boy, there’s nothing passive about my aggression,” Sebastian laughed. “Unlike that snide remark you just offered.”

“What was that, baby? Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Dylan abruptly left his seat and fled inside.

Christ. We knew how to clear a room. Or a patio.

“We might as well get this out of the way so we can move on,” Sebastian told me, and I lifted a brow, admittedly curious. “Soph told me you were building them a house, and it goes without saying that I will be here to help out whenever I can. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason you and I gotta talk. We’ll act civil around Teddy, and then—” He shrugged. “I’ll just wait until you run back into your closet in Georgia again.”

Nice speech. He had it all figured out, huh?

“All right.” I nodded with a dip of my chin. “I take it you’re not interested in an apology for leaving the way I did.”

He smiled faintly, a humorless twist of his lips that left me a few degrees colder. “No, you can save your excuses for someone who gives a rat’s ass.”

“Got it,” I replied tightly.

You really have to read book 1. There’s no getting around that. Book one is A New Enemy. It sets up all of the relationships. It isn’t super long, maybe about 100 pages or so. And honestly, I think it should have been all one book. Splitting it up doesn’t make sense.

On to the review.

After Blake ghosting Sebastian at the end of book one, we pick up not long after that with Blake back home on the family ranch in Georgia. But after coming out to his parents, things are strained and Blake ends up back in Washington state. Except he is laying low and no one knows he is there until his brother in law sees him out getting coffee.

There are a lot of hurt feelings. With his sister, his nephew, and with Sebastian. He not only lied and withheld information, but he left without warning. Things are ugly.

Sebastian forgiving Blake isn’t instantaneous, nor does it drag on indefinitely. Sebastian doesn’t hold a grudge just because he wants to. It takes a minute, but he listens. And then they can’t help but be all over each other.

Most of Cara Dee’s books have an element of BDSM in them. And while this isn’t a BDSM book, there are definitely elements of it in the story. And I just think that just makes it hotter. It’s not labeled. Not what they are doing or what they are. It’s just totally natural and they feed off of each other’s roles. Without defining them.

I loved the portrayal of the relationships that Blake and Sebastian each had with Teddy- who is Blake’s nephew and Sebastian’s best friend’s son. He has Down syndrome and it was an authentic look at someone with the condition. Of course, there are a varying degree of Down syndrome and how it affects a person and this just showed one person, but it was done really well without being gratuitous.

There was one thing that I believe was a bit unnecessary. It didn’t move the story along or become a big plot point but it made my ugly cry. GAH!

Read both of these books, one after the other as it is a smooth continuation. And a nice addition to the Camissa Cove world.

4 pieces of eye candy

About Cara Dee:

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

 

Dead Serious Case #1 Miz Dusty Le Frey: (MM Paranormal Romance) (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed) by Vawn Cassidy: RB, Excerpt, Release Day Review, and Giveaway

by

In the business of unfinished business…

Tristan Everett had always preferred the company of the dead because they were quiet and didn’t talk back. As a slightly awkward introvert working as a pathologist at the Hackney Public Mortuary suited him just fine. That is, until a freak accident with a rogue ice cube and suddenly he can see ghosts. No longer content to just lie on the table and let him figure out how they died, they’re now peering over his shoulder critiquing his work and confessing their most lascivious sins before skipping off merrily into the afterlife.

Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any weirder, London’s most infamous drag queen, Miz Dusty Le Frey, is wheeled in with a toe tag and she’s not prepared to go quietly into the light. Not only is she furious at the prospect of spending eternity in last season’s gold lamé, she’s determined that he help her solve her murder.

Suddenly Tristan finds himself thrown into a world of sequins and fake eyelashes, and worse still, he may have developed a bit of a crush on Scotland Yard’s brand new drool-worthy detective, Inspector Danny Hayes, who’s been assigned to Dusty’s murder. Oh, and as the icing on top of a really crappy cake, the killer now wants him dead too…

All he ever wanted was a simple life but suddenly he’s juggling work, a deliciously sexy detective, a stubborn ghost and a relentless murderer… and things have just gotten dead serious….

From author Wendy Saunders writing as Vawn Cassidy comes this hot and funny, slow burn, opposites attract paranormal mm romance.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

He’s wearing another suit that, god help me, clings to every inch of a six three body, which has clearly been hand carved by the gods while angels harmonised in the background. His suit jacket is unbuttoned, his white shirt stretched across a broad and obviously well-toned chest, his tie is loosened, and his top button undone.

Jesus holy moly Christ, the man is nothing short of temptation incarnate. All he needs is a trench coat and I’d have my very own spank bank version of Constantine. He lifts his hand, raking it through his dark blonde hair, and I swear it looks like he is in slow motion. I almost reach up to check my chin in case I’m accidentally drooling.

He turns, his gaze sweeping the room, and as his piercing blue gaze lands on me, his mouth breaks into a smile, causing his eyes to crinkle slightly and revealing, not dimples exactly, but fascinating creases either side of his mouth that I find myself desperately wanting to trace with the pads of my fingers.

He crosses the room in smooth confident strides until he’s standing on the opposite side of the table to me, with Dusty’s body between us.

Great, I realise with a sinking feeling. I’ve now added my hot crush to my rapidly expanding list of hallucinations. There is no way he’s really the guy from last night. He didn’t even know my name let alone how to find me. At this rate, I’m going to have to check myself into a mental hospital.

‘Tristan Everett?’ He smiles as he holds out his hand.

Without thinking, I reach out and grasp his hand, ignoring the little zip of electricity and letting out a startled gasp. When I’d tried to touch Dusty, my hand had passed straight through as if she weren’t there, but Mr Blue Eyes’ hand is warm and his grip firm.

‘You’re real,’ I whisper as he studies me, slightly puzzled by my response. ‘Uh, I mean.’ I clear my throat and offer him a polite, professional smile. He really doesn’t need to know how much I’d like to lean forward and press my mouth to those soft looking lips of his, especially considering I’d missed out last night as I was unconscious when he had his mouth on mine, while he was busy saving my life. ‘How did you find me?’ I ask curiously, momentarily forgetting everything in the room but him.

‘Serendipity,’ he replies softly, his mouth curving as he watches me.

‘I’m sorry?’ I blink owlishly in confusion.

‘Inspector Danny Hayes, Scotland Yard,’ he introduces himself, as his gaze flickers momentarily down at Dusty’s body. ‘That’s my case you’re about to post-mortem.’

‘Ohhh,’ I reply slowly as his words sink in. My mouth forms a small, silent ‘o’ as I stare at him, lost in his denim blue gaze, only marginally aware of the soft smile playing on my lips.

‘Oh my God, are you two seriously eye fucking each other over my dead body?’ a dry voice interrupts. ‘Er…rude…’

I haven’t read this author’s other books, including the other MM, Suddenly Beck. However, after reading this book, I did go grab it on KU, so that I could read it when I get a chance.

This book was funny, sometimes laugh out loud hilarious. I highlighted several portions of the book, because I laughed so much. This book also broke my heart so many times! Dusty was a force to be reckoned with in death, so you can imagine in life, she was just a wrecking ball (look for this in the book 😉 ). She was loved by so many in her life, and found a few more devotees upon her death. What a fantastic character! I’m going to need more of her in what I hope is the beginning of a series.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Danny were very much lust/love at first sight, and it was super cute, and oftentimes quite awkward. Exactly how I would have wanted it to be. They definitely would need to work on their trust of each other, but that comes with time, right?

All the side characters were fantastic as well. Chan, Benny, even a certain Madam with a crystal ball. Dusty had a lot of people trying to find her murderer, as it should be for such a great character.

My one issue with the arc, which I almost never mention, because as an arc, it is expected to have some errors. However, because I received the arc less than a week before publishing, I have to assume it had already been through editing, but there were many glaring errors that should have been caught with a thorough editing. Sometimes, these can even be attributed to American English versus UK English, but this was not the case.

All in all, a book I would highly recommend if you like some mystery with your romance, and if you love drag queens, this is even more for you.

4 pieces of eye candy

Vawn Cassidy is the MM pen name of author Wendy Saunders. She lives in Hampshire in the UK with her husband and three children. She writes Supernatural and Contemporary Fantasy Fiction as Wendy Saunders and Romantic Suspense as WJ Saunders.
Suddenly Beck is her debut MM novel and was borne of her love and enjoyment of MM Romance. During the lockdown, she wanted to write something fun and light-hearted, and as a quirky and unapologetic Brit herself, she wanted to set a story back home in the UK as opposed to her other fiction which is primarily set in the states.

Connect with Allison:
www.vawncassidy.com
www.facebook.com/vawncassidyauthor
www.instagram.com/vawncassidyauthor

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Elliot, Song Of The Soulmate (Love, Austen Book 5) by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

When you have the love of your life, you hold on tight.
You don’t let go.

Debate champ extraordinaire Elliot Anneston is a master in persuasion. He wins at everything. Until he meets sexy Scottish transfer Wentworth McAllister. Suddenly he doesn’t know what’s up and what’s up. The world is a whirlwind of feeling, and when it comes to the debate of his life, to lose is inevitable. How can he not, when his argument is a lie?
I can’t love you. I don’t.

When you lose the love of your life, you don’t get a second chance.
Or do you?

~ ~ ~

“Elliot, Song Of The Soulmate” is a contemporary gay retelling of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Their first official date was a midnight picnic at the beach. They chose a full moon and a sheltered bay, and they shared their hopes and dreams over crackers, grapes, cheese, and Elliot’s mum’s lemonade.

“What do you want to do when . . . well, when you’ve finished school?”

“Study psychology, and travel the world.”

Waves rushed to shore and breezes sprayed sand over them. Wentworth hooked his arms behind his head and stared at the stars, smirking. “You can do that living on a boat, you know.”

Elliot snickered, shaking his head. Wentworth, Wentworth, Wentworth. “Let’s make a rule.”

Wentworth rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbow. “What kind of rule?”

“The kind we follow and don’t break.”

“What is the purpose of this rule?”

“To discourage distorted expectations.”

“Why do I have a feeling I won’t love this?”

Probably because he wouldn’t. “Rules are meant to be respected, not loved.”

Wentworth grumbled. “You’ll make an excellent Head Boy next year.”

“I might not get elected.”

He scoffed. “You’ve more than convinced the student body. Now what rule do you want me to follow, Head Boy?”

Elliot felt as light as the breezes around them. “I want us to enjoy each moment.”

“Done!”

“And, not talk of the future more than a week ahead.”

“But—”

“Promise me.”

“Two weeks ahead?”

“Wentworth.”

Wentworth pressed his lips together on a laugh, and nodded. He caressed a lock of hair off Elliot’s face. “Whatever makes you happy, bumblebee.”

These books keep getting better. This is the first of the series that I don’t know of or haven’t read the book it is loosely based on. But no matter. And even though this is book 5, it stands alone really well.

I feel like this is the first book in this series that was really ANGSTY. Meeting in school as teenagers, Elliot and Wentworth were practically inseparable. Wentworth made a declaration the night the met about their future. But they knew they were 17 and had a lot of life to live first. But they still wanted to do it together. Until life got in the way and Elliot broke Wentworth’s heart.

Fast forward 15 years. Wentworth followed his dreams and became a fairly famous singer/songwriter. And his most popular song was about their break up. But life brings them back together again. With a lot of hurt feelings, words unsaid and a love for each other still there but hiding under the pain.

Watching the navigate work together without being together, other people flirting with them, keeping an emotional distance from each other- ugh. It all just broke my heart. Because it just felt so real. They didn’t come back together after 15 years, throw out some “I’m sorrys” and jump into bed together.

There was a real maturity about both of them that they got from the 15 years of life they had apart and in the end, I felt that it made them that much stronger together.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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 emotion, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

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

Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/about-anyta/
Sign up for Anyta’s newsletter and receive a free e-book:
http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Contact Anyta:
Join my Facebook group to chat all things Slow Burn Romance:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

You can also find me here:
 www.anytasunday.com

For information about new releases and freebies, follow me on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday


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Bad at Love by Aimee Nicole Walker: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Bad at making decisions or bad at love? Either way, Kendall Blakemore doesn’t trust his judgment. He falls too hard, too fast, and always for the wrong guy. Needing a major shakeup, Kendall moves into his own place for the first time and seizes a new career opportunity. But everything he thought he wanted turns out to be the last thing he needs. When loneliness threatens to derail Kendall’s good behavior, he decides to rent out his spare bedroom. What could go wrong? Try a tenant who’s temptation incarnate.

Bad at commitment or born to roam? Either way, US Deputy Marshal Kurt Dandridge feels trapped. Maybe staying in one place for too long is the source of his unhappiness, or maybe it’s because he’s engaged to the wrong person. Finding his fiancé in bed with another man takes care of one problem but creates another. Ridge needs a place to live. He’d leave Savannah altogether if not for his vow to apprehend an elusive fugitive. Renting a room from Kendall Blakemore seems like the perfect solution until Ridge finds himself falling for the alluring man. Would one kiss derail his course? And could he stop at just one?

Hurts so good. Chemistry burns between them—hot, consuming, and impossible to ignore. And why should they? Kendall and Ridge are consenting adults who know the score. Being bad has never felt so good, but it’s a slippery slope to navigate. One misstep could have disastrous consequences for both men.

Bad at Love is a standalone novel within the Sinister in Savannah universe where both characters first appeared. It is not necessary to read that series first. Bad at Love is a romantic suspense that’s heavier on the romance than the suspense.

Title: Bad at Love
Authors: Aimee Nicole Walker
Length: approximately 100,000
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Tropes: hurt/comfort, opposites attract, and forced proximity.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Ridge pushed a glass of milk toward him, but Kendall waved it off.

“Not choking, just clumsy.”

“Doubt it,” Ridge said. “I watched you glide to my table.”

“It was more of a saunter.”

“It was graceful and fluid.” Ridge’s eyes darkened, and Kendall was quite sure of the direction his thoughts had gone.

Damn it. Kendall’s mind followed down the same path. He’d definitely invite his fist to the slumber party when he got home. He needed to head in that direction and catch as much sleep as possible, but thoughts of never seeing Ridge again kept his ass planted firmly in the chair.

“What sorrows are you trying to drown in a plate of wings?” Kendall asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a safer direction.

“I feel like this is all give and take here,” Ridge replied. “I’m doing all the giving while you’re lying back and…” His cheeks turned bright pink. “That wasn’t very appropriate.”

“Please,” Kendall said, casually waving him off as if his dick weren’t stiffening in his spandex boy shorts. No, he wasn’t imagining himself at the mercy of Ridge’s big body as he rammed into him over and over.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Kendall met his gaze once more. “Really? That’s the cheesiest pickup line ever. It’s almost a dad joke.”

Ridge winced. “Ouch.”

“Sorry.” Kendall took a deep breath. “You have a deal, but you’re going first. Spill.”

“I caught my fiancé in bed with his boss about twenty minutes ago.”

Whoa. “Seriously?”

“Uh-huh.” Ridge’s lips curved upward at the corners.

“And you’re smiling?” Kendall couldn’t imagine something so awful.

Ridge tilted his head for a second as if considering his circumstances. “Yeah, I am. The asshole did me a favor. I mean, I’m not thrilled about finding a new place to live, and I’m going to miss Sammy.”

“Who’s that?”

“Todd’s cat.”

“Todd, huh?” Kendall asked. “That’s the male equivalent of Karen.”

Ridge laughed. “So it is.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I really loved that cat.”

Kendall leaned closer. “Want someone to steal the cat for you? I’m not qualified, but I know a guy who knows several guys.”

Ridge assessed him through narrowed eyes. “You really are trouble.”

Sighing, Kendall said, “I don’t try to be.”

“It just comes naturally?”

“Something like that.”

You can check out Erin’s 4.5 piece of eye candy review here.

Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me at:
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/aimee-nicole-walker
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AimeeNWalker
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/aimeenicole.walker
Instagram – http://instagram.com/aimeenicolewalker
Blog – AimeeNicoleWalker.blogspot.com

Want to be the first to know about my book releases and have access to extra content? You can sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/dlhPYj

My favorite place to hang out and chat with my readers is my Facebook group. Would you like to be a member of Aimee’s Dye Hards? We’d love to have you! Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AimeesDyeHards/

Connect with Aimee:
https://linktr.ee/AimeeNicoleWalker

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Dark Horse (The Braided Crop Ranch Book 3) by AE Lister: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

by

Adam Marsland has a plan.

He’s been managing the Braided Crop Ranch for six years and wants to bring everybody he can find back for a week of games, competition, and celebration.

Henry Swift was a ponyboy at the BCR during its very first year. He learned to trot, pull a cart, and submit to his trainer. He’s never quite left the experience behind and is excited to receive Adam’s invitation to return.

But it’s not only the Ranch and its sex-positive atmosphere pulling Henry back to the seclusion of the Muskoka wilderness.

Ever since their first frantic and lustful encounter in the woods, Henry’s had a thing for Adam Marsland and his memories of his tumultuous time on the ranch have haunted him for years. Adam’s still at the ranch, and now Henry can go back and discover if the older man has any regret for the way things turned out in the past.

But the gymkhana Adam’s planning means the return of a plethora of ponyboys and trainers and Henry wonders if he will have trouble reminding Adam how much they wanted to be together back then, and how possible it might be for them now, in the midst of the excitement and testosterone.

No one ever said love was easy, but Henry is determined to make the most of his chance.

Title:  Dark Horse

Series: The Braided Crop Ranch, Book Three

Author: AE Lister

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 10/19/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 64100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, pony play, age-gap, entertainment, humiliation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, over 40, second chance, reunited

Amazon

Nine Star Press

Goodreads

As I grabbed my bag and headed toward the main house, my nerves got the better of me. I stopped at the steps to the front porch and waited a few moments to get myself together. I took a deep breath, tousled my hair so it wasn’t sitting flat from the heat, and walked forward.

The door creaked open, and I stepped inside the air-conditioned interior. I glanced to the end of the hall where Adam had spoken of placing a gift shop to sell photos and other items related to the BCR. And there it was—a stylized horseshoe on the sign that said Snacks and Souvenirs. I grinned, then focused on the young man at the front desk. There had been so many cars going through the gate they’d posted a staff member there, so I hadn’t yet spoken to anyone at the main house.

“Hi, there,” I said. “I’m registered for the gymkhana.”

The young blond man looked me up and down and pulled out a pen. “Can I have your name, please?”

“Swift. Henry Swift.”

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice say, “Connor, can you get me a readout of everyone who’s arrived so far? I think we’re still waiting for—”

I looked up to see Adam Marsland walking toward me, having emerged from his office. He stopped dead when he saw me.

The hairs on my arms stood up, and my face flushed as our gazes met.

“Henry?” he said, sounding awed. “Is it you?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, grinning.

He looked just the same. Maybe there was a little more salt and pepper in his dark hair, and the wrinkles beside his eyes were deeper. But he was even more handsome than I remembered.

Suddenly, he was embracing me, and I couldn’t believe how familiar he felt after all this time. Six years without him and I still felt this way?

He pressed me against his body, a little longer than having been good friends would have dictated was appropriate, then withdrew as if I’d burned him. He glanced around us, laughing nervously.

“It’s wonderful to see you! You’re just as gorgeous as I remember.”

I blushed. “Aw, shucks. Thanks. You look just the same.”

He held my gaze, and the energy that had sparked between us all those years ago was still there.

This is the third book in this series, with the manager of the ranch being one of the MC’s. The ponyboy is someone the reader hasn’t met before, having been at the ranch the first year it opened, six years prior.

I struggled a little more with this book, than book 2. Not as much with the main characters. They were working their way back to each other, after having had a fling when Henry had been at the ranch the first time. When the event was announced, Henry decided to go and try to work it out with Adam. My struggle was more with returning characters.

Kamal and Owen return for the gymkhana, as well as Jensen, Luke and Noah. And I just can’t seem to get the dynamic with Kamal and Luke. It’s clear that Luke gets off on being humiliated, and that’s cool, and Kamal doesn’t have a problem dishing that out, also cool. However, it’s just such an odd space to be in, and watch from the sidelines. In any other type of book, I would likely see this as a prelude to cheating, and turn away from it instantly. However, these books have sex, a lot of sex, sex between couples, sex between strangers, so it’s obvious that there are a lot of open relationships. But these two are just a bit too angry at each other for my tastes.

I did like the development between Adam and Henry, and really enjoyed having the owner show up and the entire ranch put a show on for her. It was fun to read, even as Adam stressed himself out for it.

3 pieces of eye candy

Spellbound (Fallen Messengers, Book 2) by Ava Marie Salinger: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Can Cassius and Morgan overcome an elusive enemy and save a young girl’s life?

Eden Monroe has spent her entire existence believing she has no magic. Shunned by her mother Brianna and the magical bureau Hexa, she runs away from home when she is forced to embrace a future she never chose, only to fall into the hands of ghastly monsters from the Nine Hells. After being rescued by a mysterious Dryad with secrets of his own, Eden realizes there is more to her past and future than she could ever have imagined.

When San Francisco PD asks Argonaut to assist them in solving a series of strange bank robberies, Cassius Black and Morgan King uncover a disturbing plot that points to an unknown artifact hidden somewhere in the city. Their investigation soon has them crossing paths with a desperate Brianna, who seeks their help in finding her missing daughter. When the witch reveals the shocking circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth as well as the deadly magic sealed inside the young girl’s body, the Argonaut agents realize their case is linked to Eden and the weapon of devastating power the bank robbers are after.

Can Cassius and Morgan defeat the malevolent organization behind it all and save Eden from her cursed fate? Or will the young girl suffer a destiny worse than death itself?

Spellbound is the second novel in the gay urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like your paranormal adventures full of action, magic, snark, and a host of steamy angels and demons, then you’re not going to want to miss this jaw-dropping, fun-filled ride!

Spellbound

Fallen Messengers, Book 2

By Ava Marie Salinger

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

It was dark by the time Eden logged out of the public computer. She shivered when she stepped out of the cafe. A chilly wind was blowing across the city from the bay, heralding the change of seasons. San Diego in autumn would be warmer than San Francisco. She hunched her shoulders and zipped up her parka.

I should buy some food before I go back.

She got Chinese takeout at a small restaurant close by and decided to eat it while she headed for the hostel. A strange feeling settled over her as she strolled along the half-empty streets, her steps light. It took a while for her to figure out what it was.

Freedom.

She had never felt as relaxed and carefree as she did in this moment. It was as if a giant weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders.

For the first time in years, Eden experienced a surge of optimism.

Getting away from my mother and Hexa was the right thing to do.

She’d almost finished her food and was wondering what to do the next day when a sudden stillness descended around her. Eden slowed and stopped, her skin prickling.

She’d cut across a narrow lane running past a cemetery and church, a shortcut to the hostel. She looked over her shoulder, unease quickening her pulse.

The path behind her was deserted.

Eden stared into the shadows for breathless moments before turning to resume her route. Something shifted in the gloom some hundred feet ahead of her. She froze.

A figure was blocking the lane exit. Another stepped into view next to it. A stench wafted toward Eden. Her eyes widened.

It was the smell of rotting meat.

The guttural rasp that reached her next had her belly clenching in terror. It was a hungry sound. One that craved mayhem and death.

Eden knew instinctively that she was in mortal danger. Yet, her limbs refused to budge.

Move! MOVE, dammit!

The figures lunged toward her.

She twisted on her heels, her body finally unfreezing, the carton of cooling food dropping from her grasp and spilling onto the ground. She staggered to an abrupt halt in the next instant, her breath locking painfully in her throat. Two more shapes were racing along the ground toward her from the opposite end of the lane.

They were not human.

Eden whirled around and jumped onto the fence to her right. She scaled it in a flash, climbed over, and landed awkwardly in the grounds of the cemetery, cuts blooming on her hands from the barbed wire.

The night closed in around her as she darted between trees and bushes, the gravestones looming out of the shadows silent witnesses to the chase. She didn’t have to look behind her to know her pursuers were hot on her trail. She could smell their foul breath on her heels and sense their murderous gaze on her back.

She emerged into an open area next to a water fountain and saw a faint light in one of the rear windows of the chapel that abutted the church. Her heart thumped with a wild burst of hope.

“Help!” Eden shouted. “Please, help—!”

She tripped and fell, her words choking off to a gasp. Air whooshed out of her as she hit the ground hard. Her head struck the courtyard paving. Stars exploded across her vision.

Eden lay stunned for a moment, the world swimming dizzyingly around her.

Get up!

She gritted her teeth and crawled onto her hands and knees, sticky wetness trickling down her forehead from the gash in her hairline. Growls sounded behind her, hot and ravenous.

Eden fumbled for the knife in her pocket, her fingers made clumsy by panic. She staggered to her feet and turned, knuckles white on the handle of the blade, knowing she would have to make her final stand here.

The monsters loomed out of the shadows, their grotesque shapes finally taking form under the starlight. A whimper tumbled from Eden’s lips, unbidden.

I didn’t like this as much as book 1. Sorry. I actually enjoyed the YA secondary characters more than Cassius and Morgan which for those readers wanting a pure MM storyline with character development it may be a little disappointing.

It was still a good book but I would class it as fantasy with romantic elements more than a romance.

I’m not going to rehash the plot but save to say there was a lot of action for those that want it and a large supporting cast.

Just not for me.

3 pieces of eye candy

Ava Marie Salinger is the pen name of an Amazon bestselling urban fantasy author who has always wanted to write scorching hot M/M urban fantasy. In 2021, she launches FALLEN MESSENGERS, her first M/M urban fantasy romance series. She also writes contemporary M/M romance as A.M. Salinger. When she’s not dreaming up hotties to write about, you’ll find Ava creating kickass music playlists to write to, spying on the wildlife in her garden, drooling over gadgets, and eating Chinese.

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