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Book Excerpt

Not Another Statistic by J.M. Dabney: RDB, Excerpt and New Release Review

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Former Federal Agent Yuri Sorenson had left the bureau behind to become a private investigator. His ex-partner came to him asking for a favor, not knowing who else to trust. Yuri had always had a way of keeping his emotional distance from the people he protected, yet that changed the day Clarkson hesitantly limped into his life.

What happens when love is confused with pain? That’s the exact question Josh Clarkson had asked himself for years. He’d grown up in an overburdened foster care system, and from what he knew of love, he couldn’t expect anything but to be something tolerated. Was he meant to be more than a plaything or a piece of scenery? He could hope.

Two men who know nothing but being broken find that patience and acceptance are harder than losing hope. Is the leap of faith worth the reward of letting someone else in? Maybe they’ll find the strength to find out before the danger of Josh’s past tries to tear them apart.

Not Another Statistic

Yuri Sorenson Mysteries

J.M. Dabney

Genre – MM/Gay Fiction/Romance, Mystery/Suspense

Release Date: 09.24.19

Cover Image – FuriousFotog (Golden Czermak)

Cover Model – Kevin R. Davis

Cover Art – J.M. Dabney

Amazon

I awakened from the best dreams I’d ever had. One of the few times I hadn’t come to with a scream and then I froze as I found myself draped over Yuri. My thighs on either side of his hips and I tried to slip to the side without being noticed only to squeak as a very strong, large hand squeezed my ass to keep me in place. This was so not good. I bit my lip and tried again only to be stopped by a deep growl that rumbled the chest under me.

All I remembered last night was falling asleep as far on the other side of the bed as I could get. I’d never really shared a bed with someone before. Usually when the man I was with went to sleep, I left or found a couch or a portion of the floor to curl up on. At Vernon’s I had my own tiny room which he locked me in every night.

This was the first time I’d ever cuddled with a man and I wasn’t sure it was a welcomed act. I needed to get away before he woke up. His opinion was important and I didn’t want him to think that I’d done this on purpose. I planted my hands beside his ribs, and then lifted onto my toes.

I was able to get an inch between our bodies before my hips were slammed back down onto a very impressive bulge.

“Shit.” I whispered and started the attempt again.

“Baby boy, what do you think you’re doing?”

His gruff question had me lifting my gaze to his and realized he was very much awake. “How long have you been awake?”

“Maybe an hour or so.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize—” My apology ended when I noticed the corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. It made the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes deeper.

“Sleeping you didn’t seem to mind rubbing on me.”

I surged to a seated position and stared down at him. “I was sleeping. I could’ve done anything.” His smile got wider. “What else did I do?”

“Nothing, but we have shit to do today so get on up.”

He smacked my ass and rolled out from under me, dumping me onto the bed. I hurriedly crawled off  and followed him. I was too shocked by the grin and the suddenly playful attitude to protest the swat. 

“What did I do,” I demanded.

“You get pretty affectionate, now, are you going to watch me piss and demand to know every grope you didn’t get to enjoy?”

I’ve been on such a suspense kick lately and this one was one hit after another, it had me on my toes. So, as the title suggests, we have Yuri, an almost retired cop turned PI who’s running out of funds and needs to figure out what he’s going to be doing…. all that, when his ex-partner West drops by with an unsuspecting case in the form of a broken down and badly abused man, Josh.

Josh has been used and abused for what seems like his whole life so when a
Senator’s son keeps him locked away for his sick enjoyment, he’s only too happy to get away by chance and has to go into hiding until the trial to put the twisted, evil man away. Unfortunately, like anyone with a little bit of power, he controls the very people designed to help keep him safe, so he doesn’t know who to trust. That’s where West comes in and takes him to Yuri.

Yuri doesn’t trust West and to be honest, I don’t either, even still at the end. What he said and his little “joke” to Josh, it didn’t feel like a joke to me and I hate that Yuri even a little bit trusted him. A “joke” like the one he made was awful, especially given Josh’s history. Had I been Josh, I’d have maybe taken a shot at his knee caps or his jaw bone or something….

So, while Yuri hated his job at first, he couldn’t help but fall for the younger, tortured man, even when he was trying to do what’s best for him. I loved how Josh came into his own the more he felt safe with Yuri, it wasn’t hard to fall for him. I also liked how Josh wanted to do what he could to help Yuri too, it wasn’t one-sided, even though Josh needed a little bit extra for the time being. I loved the people Josh had on his side, too. Arianna especially, she reminded me a lot of Peaches.

I cannot wait to see what happens with Kluge…doesn’t he just seem perfect? I really hope we see more from him and maybe West, if he’s gonna be around for a while, he can redeem himself and at least apologize for the horrible way he treated Josh.

Either way, I was happy to see that all is well that ended well, I kind of wished for a more karmic justice for the Senator and his son, but, there’s always next time, eh? I don’t think it’s the last we’ll be seeing or hearing from those two. I’m very much looking forward to what’s next.

Great start to what I know will be an awesome new series!

4 pieces of eye candy

J.M. Dabney is a multi-genre author who writes Body Positive/Diverse Romance and Fiction. They live with a constant diverse cast of characters in their head. No matter their size, shape, race, etc. J.M. lives for one purpose alone, and that’s to make sure they do them justice and give them the happily ever after they deserve. J.M. is dysfunction at its finest and they makes sure their characters are a beautiful kaleidoscope of crazy. There is nothing more they want from telling their stories than to show that no matter the package the characters come in or the damage their pasts have done, that love is love. That normal is never normal and sometimes the so-called broken can still be amazing.

The author is Gender Nonconforming are uses the preferred pronouns They/Them.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/J.M.DabneyAuthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/jmdabney_author

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authorjmdabney/?hl=en

Reader Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/585182991553194

Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2lKNlGh

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-m-dabney

 

Tallowwood by N.R. Walker: Excerpt and New Release Review

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Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.

Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.

When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.

But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

(August and Jacob have just been given the identity of a man who was found deceased. They’re about to inform the family)

 

Two hours later, they sat in the car in a quiet suburban street in Cronulla. They had a name, the case file, and the address of the parents and were about to drop a bombshell on the guy’s family.

Tristan Kurtz was twenty-six years old when he was reported missing by his mother, when he never arrived home in Sydney from an LGBTQIA+ music festival in Byron Bay. He’d reportedly hitchhiked from Byron Bay to Coffs Harbour, having travelled with local residents who he’d met at the festival, and had given him a lift. The missing person’s report had said Kurtz was dropped off in the main street, and had waved them off. He was later seen on CCTV footage walking toward the highway, at 8:11pm.

He never arrived at his parents’ house, he never contacted them to say his plans had changed, which was out of character for him. His parents had called everyone he knew—friends, workmates, old boyfriends—to no avail, and twenty-four hours later he was reported as a missing person.

Well, he wasn’t missing anymore.

He was only twenty-six. A kid, August thought, with his whole life in front of him. A life stolen, stripped away, and thrown away like garbage.

August stared at the house and sighed. He was spread too thin, he was stretched as far as his skin would allow. Another murder, another gay man slaughtered for no other reason than pure bigotry and disregard for human life. “I hate this. I hate everything about it.”

Jacob was quiet for so long, August looked over at him. “Yeah, me too,” he said flatly. He was reading through Tristan’s file. He finally closed the folder and met August’s gaze. “We need to find this bastard.”

“We do.”

“We need to see his parents and tell them.” Jacob looked over at the house and frowned. “Fuck, I hate this part.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. “Is it better to know?” Jacob asked quietly. “Is it better to find out what happened, for closure? Or is it worse, because when you don’t know you still have hope?”

August was pretty sure it was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but it was one he knew the answer to. “It’s better to know. In the long run.” He cleared his throat. “Hope can break your heart every day for years, and living with false hope is hell on earth.”

Jacob stared at him, and August wondered if he’d said too much. But Jacob nodded and unclipped his seatbelt. “Then we shouldn’t wait another minute.”

August got out of the car and together they walked up to the front door and rang the bell. They’d called ahead, so they were expected, but when a tall, middle-aged man opened the door to greet them, Jacob took off his hat and with that single gesture, the man nodded and began to cry.

Hope was a cruel and brutal thing.

One of the things I love about NR Walker is that her books are always different. I am sure I have mentioned that before. This time she is tackling murder mysteries. And as much as I love her books- including this one- maybe no more murder mysteries.

August is a detective who strictly works cold cases. He believes that there is a serial killer on the loose but can’t get anyone in power to corroborate that. Instead, they are all labeled as suicides.

There was so much wrong with that from beginning to end. They were all killed the same way, with the same instrument and 2 things left on the body that are the same with all of them. But he can’t get any of the higher ups to say, oh ya, serial killer? And a huge piece of evidence is never looked into. So, yea. I mean, I am overly analytical most of the time so maybe others won’t notice. Or care. But when I am shaking my kindle saying “WHAT ABOUT …???” I can’t look past it.

But if we take that poor detective work out, it was a good book. Oy, I know! I’m sorry!

August was such a broken man. You just wanted to love him and make him better. With all of the roadblocks he had investigating these cases, it’s a wonder he didn’t just give up.

Jacob is the complete opposite. He is a cop, but in a very small town bordering a rain forest. As he said, his toughest cases are old ladies fighting over a recipe. Until a dead body shows up. He is all sunshine and happiness. The August of old is everything Jacob wanted to be. Out, proud, a working cop with a boyfriend on his arm.

At least half of the book is Jacob falling for August, but August totally oblivious to it. But slowly but surly Jacob gets him to notice him. It is so sweet to see August slowly come back to life.

I loved the setting of the small town with Aboriginal ties. Jacob is Aboriginal and sprinkled throughout the book he mentions different way he is STILL discriminated against.

If you are a fan of NR Walker you are going to want to read this. Above all, she is a great story teller with characters you really can’t help but love.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

For more about N.R. Walker you can find her at:

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Email:

nrwalker@nrwalker.net

Mystery of the Bones by C.S. Poe: Release Day Review

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It’s been a full year since the mystery that brought antique shop owner and part-time amateur sleuth Sebastian Snow together with NYPD homicide detective Calvin Winter. Patience, sanity, and their very lives have been put to the test, but love has persevered. Although Sebastian is now New York City’s best-known busybody, he’s done solving crimes and wants nothing more than to plan a romantic budget wedding.

Then Snow’s Antique Emporium receives a decapitated human head in the mail and the holidays are gory once again. Sebastian patently disregards the mystery of a lifetime because he is done with death and danger—but the killer escalates. Before Sebastian knows it, his closest friends and family are dragged into a series of horrific murders with antiquated clues hinting to the infamous Victorian American Bones Wars.

The clock is ticking to recover a long-lost artifact linked to paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope and to capture a murderer. But it’s not Sebastian who may become the next target—it’s Calvin.

Title: Mystery of the Bones
Series: Snow in Winter: Book Four
Authors: C.S. Poe
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Category: Mystery, Suspense

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

It’s no secret, I kind of have a crush on Sebastian Snow. In my family, sarcasm is our second language, so if an author can create that kind of character…well maybe my crush is on the author as much as the character. 😉 I highlighted more passages in this book than I have in years, and I’m not sorry about that in the least. The snark was strong with this one.

Small spoiler: This book is a little different than the previous three in that Seb was absolutely determined to keep his snooping to a minimum, or even zero, and yet he is forced into doing it in order to save Calvin’s life.

Seb’s knowledge and fascination with the Victorian era (another reason I love him, always my favorite time in history) is what gets him into the situation he is in. Side note: I have always wanted to look up the books’ events in history (E.g. Bone Wars), but what if they were not real events? I did look up Bone Wars and it was real, including the Cope-Marsh rivalry, so I can only assume CS Poe does an incredible amount of research on each book to find just the perfect situation to draw Sebastian Snow into the mystery.

In this book, we don’t see a lot of Calvin, but the reader definitely feels the emotions between Snow and Winter throughout. Their reunion will bring tears to your eyes. I’m definitely not ready to let go of these two characters.

There was one piece in the book that wasn’t solved to my satisfaction (I was hoping to see it in an epilogue, etc), however, I can only hope that we will see that resolution in a future book? Is it too much to ask? J Also, let’s not forget Max. Oh, and Neil…so many places this series could go, if the author wants to take it there. But always, always, we need Sebastian Snow’s snark.

Picking one line that was my favorite was hard, and I’m not sure I can even call any my favorite, (it’s like your children) but here is one that I loved:

“Do you know the deceased, Mr. Snow?”

I stared at her, at Rossi, then back at her again. “Do I—know—the head? We’re not acquainted, no.”

Another winner for me. 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Arctic Heat by Annabeth Albert: Exclusive Author Guest Post and Interview, Blog Tour, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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A lasting connection needs more than simply surviving a winter together—they’ll have to outsmart danger, let down their defenses and open their hearts.

Owen Han has a fresh lease on life—he’s kicked cancer’s ass and is roaring through his bucket list. The former investment banker hopes to find his next challenge in Alaska, volunteering alongside park rangers and fulfilling his childhood dreams of snowy winters and rustic life. Of course, those dreams did tend to feature big strapping mountain men in vivid detail…

Ranger Quilleran Ramsey would like to be anywhere other than dealing with newbie volunteers. And really, the only thing he needs less than a green volunteer “partner” is the flirty attentions of a buff city boy who doesn’t look ready to last a week, let alone an Alaskan winter. They’re all wrong for each other, even if Quill’s traitorous body enjoys the flirting more than it should.

As the weeks pass, the two snowbound men give in to temptation. But can their seasonal romance last until spring? For them to have a future together, each will have to trust the other…while hoping that the harsh elements and omnipresent dangers don’t destroy what happiness they’ve found in the moment.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

This book is approximately 89,000 words

ARCTIC HEAT by Annabeth Albert

Series: Frozen Hearts #3

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: Sept. 23 (ebook/audio), Oct 1 (print)

Length (Print & Ebook): 89,000 words

Subgenre: m/m contemporary romance/ action adventure m/m romance, interracial romance

Warnings: None.

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Hi! I’m so thrilled to be here on Two Chicks Obsessed, one of my favorite blogs! I’m here with some Q&A  about ARCTIC HEAT, my newest release in the Frozen Hearts series set in Alaska. As with the other two books in the series, this one stands alone fine—there’s only the briefest of mentions of the prior books’ couples and no spoilers. This is my opposites-attract, odd couple roommates, snowbound romance as a seasoned ranger finds himself paired with a newbie volunteer for the winter season where they’ll be snowed in together at a remote Alaska state park. Quill and Owen were so much fun to write, and I can’t wait for readers to meet them! Got other questions for me? Be sure and hit me up on social media! I love hearing from my readers!

  • Where did you draw inspiration for an Alaskan series from?
    • I’ve always loved the Arctic setting, and I have a fond place in my heart for the old-school Alaskan romances from authors like Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber and other category romances taking place in Alaska. When I was brainstorming a new series, I wanted to capture that feel—big scenery, rugged terrain, real dangers, isolated settings—but in a modern way that welcomed some LGBTQ pairings and reflected changes, both in Alaska itself, but also in the romance genre. I wanted romances that felt fresh and real but still had all the appeal of some of my favorite Alaska tropes, like snowbound and close proximity!
  • How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?
    • For this series, there was a ton of background research. Maps. Biographies. Websites. Message boards. State documents. Documentaries. I tried to really immerse myself in the world as best I could and then started fleshing out the plot from that point. While completely fictional, I did try to ground the series in reality, basing locales on actual places I discovered in my research and trying to make the plot points feasible. I also do a lot of characterization work before I start writing, really digging deep into conflict, motivation, wants, need, and desires for each character.
  • When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
    • Each book in the Frozen Hearts series has a different couple with unique background and unique hurdles to their HEA. This keeps things fresh for me because each character needs different things and as a result, each book is very different. I also kept things fresh by doing different times of year—Book 1 is Summer into Fall. Book 2 is Late Spring into Summer. Book 3 is Fall into Winter. Also the tropes vary from book-to-book within the series. Book 1, ARCTIC SUN is very much an opposites-attract, hurt/comfort romance. Book 2, ARCTIC WILD is a May/December romance with a plane crash at its center. Book 3, ARCTIC HEAT, is a fish-out-of-water, close proximity, snowbound romance. Varying the tropes kept me on my toes, and I think it also lets each book stand on its own with readers. I also tried for not too much crossover between books so that each truly can stand alone and reader can read in the order that they prefer.
  • What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
    • Writing from Oregon, my biggest challenge was in not being there! Absolutely, not being able to take a weekend trip to explore a locale in the book was a big issue for me throughout the series. I had AMAZING beta readers for the series who were from Alaska, and I owe a huge debt to them.
  • What’s your favorite scene from this book?
    • Without giving away too many spoilers, I have to say that while this isn’t a holiday romance, the Christmas scene is probably my favorite romantic moment in the book, but there were so many little moments and scenes I loved!

Thank you so very much for having me! I hope you check out ARCTIC HEAT!

“Tea for everyone. Then a hot shower and lots of blankets,” Owen declared as they entered the building, bossy streak making a blessed reappearance right when Quill really needed to not be the one thinking. If Owen had a plan, so much the better because Quill wasn’t good for much besides stripping off his gear, stowing his piece, stomping upstairs, and flopping into a kitchen chair. Owen draped one of the blankets from the couch around his shoulders before doing the same for himself, wearing it like a cape as he made tea. “Bourbon in yours? I found a bottle in the cabinet the other week.”

“Yeah.” Quill didn’t often imbibe, but he needed the burn of the liquor even more than any warmth-giving properties. The bourbon was there exactly for nights like this one where Quill had done his best and it still hadn’t been enough. Fucking universe and its random acts of cruelty.

After adding a healthy glug of liquor to each of their mugs, Owen shoved a cup at Quill. He also put a plate of cookies from the batch that got baked on the table. “Here you go. Eat something so the alcohol doesn’t hit too hard.”

“Feels like I should be the one taking care of you,” Quill admitted after he’d had a few sips of tea, let the warmth and burn work past the tightness in his throat and chest.

“We can take care of each other,” Owen countered, pulling his chair close to Quill’s. “That’s what we’re here for, right?”

A few hours ago, Quill would have argued that being alone was the best way to cope with something like this—find a way to push through and on to the next day either with the aid of some strong drink or just a restless night spent replaying the events until sleep did its thing, softened the edges of the awfulness. But when Owen grabbed his hand, squeezed, and looked at him with such compassion in his eyes, Quill couldn’t find it in himself to pull away.

“Yeah,” he said, even as he knew that he shouldn’t let himself come to need Owen like this, to lean on him. He and Hattie had always tended to retreat to their own corners after a hard shift, and he prided himself on being a strong man. Sure, accidents like this affected him as they would anyone, but he’d always tried to handle those emotions on his own. Harsh memories of his father’s comments about men who showed their feelings didn’t help any, but lately all those memories, all the family drama, seemed more distant. Less sharp.

And funny how without that mantle of a painful past, his present seemed somehow more hopeful, old wounds and past fears no match for Owen. In fact, they’d been on the verge of another disagreement when Owen had dropped everything to come help. And now here he was, taking care of Quill yet again. Owen simply didn’t seem to have it in him to hold a grudge too long. Quill would be a fool to pull away now, even if he knew the next night like this, the inevitable one after Owen left, would hurt that much more. But that moment, all he wanted to do was hold Owen close, take every comfort he offered from Christmas lights to hot toddies to underdone gingerbread to that strong hand of his, holding on when Quill needed it most.

Sweet, slow burn, opposites attract. It was….nice.

The third in the series she set in Alaska, this time we get the introverted park ranger and extroverted volunteer. Of course they are paired together.

I really loved the story- Owen the volunteer trying so hard to at least be friends with Quill. Hearing about all that they do as rangers and volunteers. The Northern Lights, the super short days, the cabin fever.

I just didn’t really feel the heat with Owen and Quill. And even though I really liked Owen, I just didn’t see him living a remote life like that. Several times in the book he stated he was going crazy from not having anyone to talk to.

The story is definitely readable- especially if you are a fan of the author and/or Alaska. I’m just not going to put it in her top ten.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance series include the #FrozenHearts, #OutOfUniform, #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat, #RainbowCove and #PerfectHarmony series.

To find out what she’s working on next and other fun extras, check out her website: annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.

Connect with Annabeth:

Website: http://annabethalbert.com/

Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/Nb9yv

Fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annabethsangels/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477494.Annabeth_Albert

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Annabeth-Albert/e/B00LYFFAZK

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnabethAlbert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabethalbert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabeth_albert/

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The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard by Charlie Cochet: RB, Excerpt and New Release Review

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Prince Owin

Being a fierce predator—not at all adorable, despite my graceful stature—the last thing I needed was a bodyguard. Especially a wolf shifter, whose presence alone was an insult to my princely principles. As Prince of the Ocelot Shifters, I prided myself on my infallible feline instincts, uncompromisable dignity, and flawless fashion sense. If having a canine follow me around at all times wasn’t bad enough, I now faced the most important moment of my entire life. The time had come to prove I was worthy of my crown. If only I could find a way to get rid of the pesky bodyguard.

Grimmwolf

When the King of All Shifters asked me to guard Prince Owin, I admit I had no idea what to expect. Cat shifters tend to be a little intense, not to mention kinda cranky. Owin was no exception, though he seemed crankier than most. Being his bodyguard was proving to be one of the greatest challenges of my life—but not nearly as great as convincing him there was something special between us. When Owin is faced with a perilous quest to prove his worth, I was determined to keep him safe, even if the same couldn’t be said of my heart.

Title: The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard

Series Title: Paranormal Princes Book # 1

Author: Charlie Cochet

Length: Novella

Genre: Paranormal Shifters

Word Count: 31, 417

Release Date: September 19th, 2019

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“What the—” Grimm dropped the orb, and we both jumped back. To my utter disbelief, it spread upward and sideways until it was roughly the size of a large doorway, a forest appearing inside. “Hmm. What do you know? A portal that will take us where we want to go.”

How cross would the king be with me if I accidentally pushed Grimm off a cliff? Or left him with the Cù Sìth? Not like he didn’t have plenty of wolf shifters. What was one less in the grand scheme of things?

Grimm narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re not leaving me behind.”

How did he do that? “Are you sure you’re not a seer wolf?”

Grimm didn’t look impressed. “You’re right. I’m a seer. My curse is that I’m limited to visions of you being a jerk.”

I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it. “Can we just go?”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” He bowed and motioned for me to go ahead. Clearly, he thought I was an idiot.

“What if it’s a trap and I step through and burst into flames? You go first.”

“Your generosity knows no bounds, my liege. Fine. I’ll go first, but if I meet my demise, my blood is on your hands.”

I shrugged. “I’ll get over it.”

“So mean.” He shook his head at me and stepped through. On the other side, he turned and held his arms out. “See? All good. Wait….” He gasped and clutched at his chest. “What’s happening to me? It burns!”

“Grimm?” My heart lurched in my chest, and I stepped up to the portal.

“I can’t,” he gasped, falling to his knees. “I can’t….”

“Can’t what!” Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess. I never expected him to actually burst into flames! I flailed around feeling utterly helpless. “What do I do? Is it flames? Are you bursting into flames?” I frantically looked around. “I don’t see a fire extinguisher!” Not that I knew how to use one. I’d just have to toss it at him and hope he could do it himself.

“I can’t….” He gasped for breath. “I can’t… believe you fell for that,” he said with a laugh.

“I’m going to kill you!” I darted into the portal, ignoring his laughter as he took off, his long legs putting him out of my reach in a heartbeat. “I hate you!”

“Admit it! You were worried about me,” he called out from across the field.

“Worried you’d die and I wouldn’t be able to pry the magic purse off your cold, dead, dog-smelling corpse!”

“It’s a satchel!”

A new shifter series by Charlie Cochet! YAY!

Trust me, this ain’t THIRDS. Yes it has shifters and snark and witty dialogue, but that’s where the similarities end.

In this world there are all sorts of shifters, magic, a King, many princes, alphas and don’t forget the Hellhounds. At first I thought it would be complicated to follow along in a different world, but really the story is so focused on Owin and Grimm with different magical creatures being introduced one at a time, so it was no big deal. Ok, that makes it sound like I can’t follow a book. I can, I promise. I am just more of a contemporary reader so the otherworldly thing is just different for me.

Back to it. Prince Owin is tasked with a quest by the King of all shifters to prove his worthiness. He is allowed to bring his bodyguard, who is an Alpha in a wolf pack, with him. Grimm, the wolf, pretty much sees right through the King’s ruse, but Owin is a bit bratty and doesn’t.

So we follow along on Owin’s quest which brings him to different places meeting different magical creatures. With Grimm loyally by his side.

Did I mention that Owin is also a shifter? An ocelot. Which is just awesome. There are dog and cat jokes a plenty.

Read it. If you love Charlie’s other work- especially THIRDS, you will love this. All the shifting, all of the snark, all of the sexy times without the drama.

 

Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Website: www.charliecochet.com

Email: charlie@charliecochet.com 

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The Secrets We Keep by Rick R. Reed: Exclusive Guest Post and Excerpt, Giveaway

by

Jasper Warren is a happy-go-lucky young man in spite of the tragedy that’s marred his life. He’s on a road to nowhere with his roommate, Lacy, whom he adores, and a dead-end retail job in Chicago.

And then everything changes in a single night. Though Jasper doesn’t know it, his road is going somewhere after all. This time when tragedy strikes, it brings with it Lacy’s older, wealthy, sexy uncle Rob. Despite the heart-wrenching circumstances, an immediate connection forms between the two men.

But the secrets between them test their attraction. Will their revelations destroy the bloom of new love… or encourage it to grow?

Title: The Secrets We Keep
Author: Rick R. Reed
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Category: Contemporary Romance

Length: 195 pages

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Design: Reese Dante

Amazon US

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Universal Link

It’s always exciting for me, both as a writer and as a reader, when the two main lovers in a book first meet. In THE SECRETS WE KEEP, that first meeting is at a funeral home wake, for someone both men loved deeply (and for whom many of the secrets in the book are kept).

***

When he stepped out of the bathroom, someone was waiting for him. An older man.

Jasper tried to thread his way around the guy. “Did you want to go in?” Jasper gestured toward the open bathroom.

“No. I was waiting for you.” The guy eyed him. He was probably a good twenty years older than Jasper, but as inappropriate as it was at a time like this, Jasper couldn’t help noticing how sexy he was. Trim, a little on the short side, it was obvious, even in his impeccably tailored black suit, he was in very good, and very powerful, shape. Jasper was certain those weren’t shoulder pads testing the seams at the tops of his arms.

He had kind eyes. And they were the most amazing shade of pale gray. Jasper had seen a husky once with eyes like that; he couldn’t say he’d ever seen anything like it on a human being. Those eyes were mesmerizing, arresting, and chilling, framed in long, black lashes.

His hair was silver, shorn close on the sides with a bit more on top, spiked with some gel.

He wore a fashionable five-o’clock shadow that Jasper couldn’t deny he wanted to feel—either with his fingers or against his own smooth cheeks.

“For me?” Jasper smiled. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

He simply smiled enigmatically. “Probably not. But I bet I know you. You’re Jasper, Heather’s roommate, right?”

“Yeah. And you are?”

“I’m Robert. Robert Burroughs.” He extended his hand.

Jasper gripped the warm hand, slightly soft and a little damp. He didn’t take his eyes off Robert the whole time, and the “whole time” was much longer than the duration of a handshake for most guys. It sent a shiver through Jasper.

“Burroughs?” Jasper had a terrifying thought. What if this is her dad? Good Lord, I’m flirting with Lacy’s dad! At her funeral! The very thought caused beads of sweat to pop out on Jasper’s forehead. He held in a giddy burst of laughter. “Are you, um, related to Lacy? Er, Heather?”

Please don’t say you’re her father.

“I’m her uncle Rob. Did she never mention me?”

Jasper wracked his brain. One thing neither of them did much of was talk about their respective families. They liked to believe they were each other’s family now, “chosen family” was the term they used. The idea, the memory of this, brought a lump to Jasper’s throat, bringing home for real that his best friend was gone. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s okay if she didn’t. I hadn’t seen her in quite some time. My schedule doesn’t afford me much opportunity to see family, as much as I might want to.” He smiled, and Jasper noticed the sadness around his eyes despite it. Robert went on softly, “I wish I’d had one more chance to talk to her, to tell her how I loved her. I’m afraid she didn’t know.”

Jasper nodded. “Me too. If I could just talk to her one more time, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”

Robert cocked his head. “No?”

Jasper didn’t want to disabuse him of the notion that Lacy had not killed herself, if that was what he was choosing to believe. So he simply said, “Who knows?”

“Heather used to write sometimes, a long time ago. She’d shoot me a text, you know, a birthday emoji or a holiday one. We were close when she was a kid. I used to take her places with me whenever I could. Her parents never really got her, you know?”

“Oh, I know.”

“They were always trying to change her. Like, she was left-handed naturally, and they worked and worked and worked on getting her to use her right. They tried to get her to hang out with what they deemed the popular girls. They bought her American Girl dolls when all she wanted was a set of paints and a good book, preferably horror. I could stand here all day and tell you how little my brother and sister-in-law knew their girl. But I won’t.

“I just wish I’d stayed in better touch with her. Once my career took off, back when she was just becoming a teenybopper, I kind of got preoccupied and we lost touch.” He paused and Jasper noticed the tears standing in his incredible eyes. Unexpectedly, he laughed. “When she was a little girl, and I mean like three or four, she would sigh and say, ‘Woe is me.’ What little girl says that?”

“Lacy. It so figures.”

“You call her Lacy. Why?”

“That’s how she referred to herself. She was even thinking of legally changing her name. She hated Heather.”

Robert nodded. “I get that. I never thought of her as a Heather. I’m glad she found something else.” He glanced over his shoulder into the viewing room. “I wish they’d respected that.”

I do too. Jasper felt, suddenly, even sadder. For his own loss, sure, but more for Lacy’s loss. The rest of her life. She could have done so much. She could have been happy. He just knew it.

He placed his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Look, I intended to stay longer, but I need to get out of here. This place is too oppressive. And it honestly feels like someone else is being waked, not the girl I know. So I’m gonna book. But it was nice to talk to you.”

Robert nodded. “Will you be at the funeral tomorrow morning?”

The funeral was set for one of Rogers Park’s Catholic churches. Then they’d fly the body back to California for burial in the family plot.

It was all wrong. All not what Lacy would have chosen.

Jasper shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. This isn’t her. I think I’ll just remember her as I knew her.”

Jasper turned away, feeling on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to cry in front of Lacy’s uncle—or anyone else gathered at the funeral home, for that matter.

As he reached the door, Robert’s voice stopped him.

“Jasper?”

He turned.

“Would you mind if I came with you? I need to get out of here too.”

 

Real Men. True Love.

Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” You can find him at www.rickrreed.com or www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix.

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