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You Can Do Magic: Carnival of Mysteries by RL Merrill: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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From the author of Foreword Indies Finalist Summer of Hush and BookLife Prize Quarterfinalist Brains and Brawn comes a new installment in the series, a contemporary gay romance with a side of time travel and magic.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour.

An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But personal secrets and the music business make relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire.

You Can Do Magic is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a Depression-era calliaphone, a Ouija board with a purpose, and tour bus hijinks that will warm your heart and make you gigglesnort. Reading Summer of Hush and Brains and Brawn before this book will give you the full Warped Tour experience, but You Can Do Magic can be read as a standalone as well as the other books in the shared universe. Recommended 18+

Title: You Can Do Magic
Authors: R.L. Merrill
Length: 60+k
Series: Summer of Hush/Carnival of Mysteries Shared Universe. Summer of Hush #3
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal

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Despite Krish and Silas insisting I go with them to the carnival tonight, I’d convinced myself I would stay in, maybe write, maybe lay in my bunk and stare at the ceiling for many hours. I had this hollow feeling that, in the past, I would have filled with alcohol until I either passed out or found someone to fuck. Now that I’d made a promise, a commitment, that I wouldn’t partake of mind-altering substances, music was the only thing that kept me from drowning.

I’d had it out with Parker before the rest of the guys left to go to a bar in Nashville and hear some local music.

“I know the guys are annoying, but Ryan, you gotta get your priorities straight, man. If you can’t get along with them in the long run? Maybe we need to think about making some changes.”

What he meant was, changes that involved my future. Oscar and TJ had been embraced by the fans and were favorites at our signings, and they might accept me being out of the band by now. There had been a vocal minority who’d said I shouldn’t be allowed back after my prison stint. But the majority had welcomed me. I’d received letters from other ex-cons and even folks still locked up that thanked me for showing them there was life after prison. That meant more to me than being worried about Parker’s veiled threats.

“It’s carnival time, dude.” Silas hopped up the steps of the bus toward me and stuck out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled him into a bro hug, holding on a little longer than normal. He didn’t know it, but he’d just saved me from yet another downward spiral. He’d done it once before, the night he’d sang “Angel’s Son” with me. I’d been ready to say fuck it that night and go out looking for booze, but he’d agreed to my plan, agreed to help me finish the album I’d written with Gavin. Silas’s friendship was one of the only positive things keeping me going right now. I should tell him, but he probably wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Shit. We’re doing this. Okay. Let me grab my wallet.”

I took a minute inside the bus to brush my too-long hair out of my face. It was scraggly at the ends. I barely looked presentable anymore. I grabbed a ball cap someone had given us from a canned water company called Liquid Death. “Murder Your Thirst” it said. So cheeky. I shoved it on backward and put on some lip balm, then turned back to Silas. He was bouncing his knees and looking up at the white board we had hung up on the wall for notes to each other. At this time, we had our schedule for the next five days, and then there were a couple of vulgar drawings.

“I can see you want to add something.”

Silas grinned at me and picked up the marker. He hummed as he drew pictures of TJ and Oscar, and then drew a giant dick ejaculating on them. He popped the pen cap back on and turned to face me. His shit-eating smile made me laugh for probably the first time since…well, since I’d met Kal.

“I mean, it’s not going to win me any awards, but you can tell it’s those two, can’t you?”

I sighed and gestured for him to exit the bus. “Yes, you can tell. I’ll probably hear about it later.”

He stopped and pushed past me. “Then let me leave my name. I don’t want them thinking it’s anyone other than me.”

He signed the drawing Love, Silas, July 2018.

“There! Perfect. I always take credit for my shenanigans.”

“Fucking Franklin. All right. Let’s go. You get Los to agree to come? He seemed leery about hanging out with some colorful folks tonight.”

“Nah, he’s staying behind, but we brought someone else.”

I followed him down the steps, watching as I went because I’d already stumbled twice getting off the damn bus. The steps were really funky. When I finally looked up, there was Kal.

He held up a hand and waved hesitantly.

I wanted to hug him even tighter than I’d hugged Silas. I couldn’t believe how happy I was to see him. After I’d walked away from him earlier, I’d known it was the right thing to do, and yet it took all of my strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I wanted him near me. I wanted something good in my life.

Knowing full well I was an asshole for being happy, I grinned at him. “You survived your first day, huh?”

Silas put his arm around Kal and beamed. “He sure did, and if he survives the rest of the tour, I think we might poach him. Theo is going back to school and wants to be close to Merch Girl Mischa, so we’ve got an opening for a tech, and since we’re headed to Europe, we could really use someone good.”

Silas patted him once more and let go. Kal watched him with a shocked expression. I wondered what he thought about all that.

“I suppose it also matters whether Kal wants to remain with you heathens.”

Silas looked at me like I’d just suggested someone might actually be immune to his charms. “What do you mean? What could be better than touring with us?” His confusion quickly morphed into laughter. “You’re right. Kal, I won’t be offended if you think me and my band of messy men are too much of a mess for you. So, do you have other plans? Headed home after Warped? What do you think?”

Kal opened his mouth and then shut it, his cheeks flushing. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts—

Lord, whoever’d dressed him deserved my gratitude. His legs were paler than his arms, but they were sculpted like a statue I’d once admired in a museum, I forget which one. Long and lightly dusted with golden hairs that caught the fading light of the sunset.

My silence must have been noted by Krish. He cleared his throat. “We gave him some of the sample clothes from Roxanne’s brand. It’s so hot out—”

“Hot. Yes. Looks good.”

It was clear I was ogling him, and though these guys were used to my quirks, it was an awkward moment. I’d drawn Silas once. He wasn’t a good model, as he fidgeted and talked the whole time. I knew there were rumors about what happened at my drawing sessions. Nothing had happened with Silas. Couldn’t say that for all of my models.

“Right, well. Shall we?” Silas gave me a look like down, boy. “I keep smelling that damned cotton candy and my sweet tooth is begging me for some.”

I stood next to Kal and looked up at him. I liked the way he met my gaze, unafraid, unashamed, as if he were accepting my challenge, or challenging me. This back and forth had me fired up.

“We shall.”

This book sounded interesting to me. And it’s a stand alone that is set in the same world as 12 other books. But I think I missed the point by not reading at least the first of the others.

After a year in a magical carnival, Kal rejoins the world. He was in the magical world because something bad happened to him. And although we find out WHAT happened, it still doesn’t explain why he was in the carnival.

He meets Ryan, a musician in a band on the Warped tour. Ryan is also a mess- for several reasons. We get an explanation of them all but it didn’t feel complete.

I just felt like there was no real cohesion to the story. Kal is seemingly unsurprised at everything in the world even though a lot has changed since he was last in it. I know he saw things while working in the carnival but definitely not everything.

And everyone seems to crap on Ryan even though he is trying to make amends. He even goes out of his comfort zone so the band doesn’t lose money and they STILL treat him like crap.

I think I would understand Ryan and all of the different things going on with the bands if I had read those books by the author.

If you are a fan of this author and had read previous books with a lot of these characters, I think you will like this book more than I did. But there were too many loose ends that didn’t get tied for me.

3 pieces of eye candy

Whether she’s writing swoon-worthy contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

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Josh’s Jackpot: An MMM Age Play Romance (Littles & Lace Book 6) by Anna Sparrows: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

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.                                        .

A Daddy, a dom, and a Little walk into The Grove. What could go wrong…or right?

Detective Josh Walker has been walking a tightrope, suspended between his deepest desires and what he feels people expect from him. Add an embarrassing condition and a punishing job, and it’s a recipe for disaster. After all, he’s convinced he will only ever be accepted for bratty scene play, and no Daddy will ever want him as a forever Little.

Emmett Reid has been secretly crushing on his boss’s younger brother. With twenty odd years between himself and Josh, he knows it’s a pipe dream. At least, that’s what he thinks until a night at The Grove, the city’s premier BDSM club, brings him up close and personal with Josh…and throws in a wild card in the form of one smoking hot -if kind of short- blonde dom. Then, suddenly, he can’t get either man out of his head.

Meanwhile, Max Dalton’s been telling himself that he messed up with Josh six years ago and he isn’t going to repeat those mistakes. Besides, he’s a dom, not a Daddy. How could that even work? But when he finds himself playing co-Daddy with Emmett -smoking hot counsellor extraordinaire- Reid for a night, a whole world of possibilities open up before his eyes.

Will Josh believe that he deserves not only one Daddy, but two? How on earth are they going to manage a three-way friends-to-lovers relationship anyway? And, worse, what is Charlie -Josh’s brother, Max’s former partner, and Emmett’s boss- going to say??

Title: Josh’s Jackpot
Authors: Anna Sparrows
Length: 75k
Series: Littles & Lace, Book 6
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM, Poly, Kink, Age Play, MMM.

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Check Out the Series Here

Josh nods slowly, considering my suggestion. “I like rewards,” he admits shyly. There’s more lip biting before he says, “I do like to be a brat sometimes, though. There’s a reason I have that reputation.”

“I’m more than happy for you to explore brat play with me,” I tell him. Then I tilt my head, gesturing towards Max, and smirk. “But I think your other Daddy will have fun punishing naughty behavior. I think he might be more creative than me in that regard.” At least, as a dom, I hope he is.

Josh squeaks excitedly, then his gaze seems to go a little distant when he repeats ‘other Daddy’ with blatant awe.

Max chuckles a little and gives my hand a tug until I look at him and we share a fond glance at Josh’s expense. Then I sober a little and ask, “And while we’re on the topic of punishments, what do you want from us in order to still indulge your dom side?”

That gets Josh’s attention quickly. Max doesn’t rush to answer, though. He’s quiet and contemplative, and I appreciate that he’s actually giving the matter real thought. When he finally starts to talk, he surprises me with just how brutally honest he is.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “We’re going to have to revisit it as it comes up. I’ve always been pretty flexible with the kink. I don’t have a preference for any particular D/s practices. I dabble in it all, depending on what my subs need. So…maybe punishing Josh’s bratty behavior will be enough? But, I will say, the idea of tying you up, Emmett, and having you spread out for me is incredibly appealing.”

Immediately, I can picture it in my head and it’s not at all a turn off. I swallow. “Like shibari? Or…regular bondage?”

His eyes take on that hungry sheen from earlier. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Josh moans.

Max chuckles. “You think anything’s hot as long as people are naked.”

I’ve been writing* for as long as I can remember. I started with silly short stories as a kid, moved on to fanfiction in my teens (and still write it now), and am also a published MF romance author under a second pen name.

I have been an avid reader of MM romance my whole life. (Ask me about my beginnings with Buffy fanfic, haha.) I wrote a sweet and kinky MM romance novel in 2021 and the reader response changed my life. From there, I knew I had found my niche.

And thus Anna Sparrows was born.

*All of my writing is 100% my own. No part of it is generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) software of any kind. Yes, that means that it’s sometimes flawed, but I’m okay with that.

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We Could Do This Forever by Emerson Beckett: Blog Tour, Exclusive Book Excerpt, and Giveaway

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.                             .

Preston James did things to me. Things that had me wanting more of him and his dirty mouth, even though I knew better. Things that made my heart race. Things that made me come to realize there was more to my boss’s best friend than met the eye.

Nick Reed
As one of the bartenders at Alejandro’s Bar, I’ve seen it all. I’ve even watched my friends, Christian and Cooper, both find the loves of their life. Six years after breaking up with my college boyfriend, I’m convinced that’s not the life I’m supposed to have until forty-five-year-old Preston James makes me the target of his relentless sexy stares and his straight-forward, dirty propositions.

Maybe being the object of his desire wouldn’t be so bad.

Preston James
The first time I laid eyes on Nicholas Reed, I knew I had to have him. There was something about my best friend’s bartender that captivated me. And I always got my way. But this twenty-eight-year-old grad student has me jumping through all kinds of hoops to get his attention. There’s nothing I won’t do to prove to him I’m exactly what he needs. I’m relentless like that and I won’t stop until he’s mine.

We Could Do This Forever is the first book in the We Could Do This Duet and is an MM Bisexual Romance. Additional tropes: Age Gap; Mutual Pining; Boss’s Best Friend; Secretly Wealthy; Humor.

Title: We Could Do This Forever
Authors: Emerson Beckett
Length: 88k
Series: We Could Do This Duet, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary

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Once the door had closed behind us, I turned and caged Nick up against it, my body blanketing his.

My hands went to his face, and Nick leaned into my touch as I skated them through his soft hair to cup his cheeks. His arms wound their way around me to pull me closer.

“I don’t know how much longer I can restrain myself from kissing you.”

“Then don’t,” he whispered, inching closer.

When our lips met for the first time, the slow sensual glide of our tongues, tasting and devouring each other, became our world as everything else fell away. We could have been in the middle of the street and we wouldn’t have cared.

Releasing a year’s worth of sexual tension made me yearn for more, but I pulled back and placed an adoring kiss on his forehead and on each cheek. I never wanted to take my hands off him.

“Now I really wish I hadn’t waited so long to do that.”

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

I laughed and looked at him. “What if I can’t stop?”

“I hope you don’t.”

One kiss wasn’t enough when I’d waited so long. I leaned back in with a sensual swipe of my tongue over his lips before diving in for another kiss to explore his beautiful mouth, beginning the journey to learn what he liked and what turned him on. Nick’s moans and whimpers were a road map to pleasuring him.

Breaking the kiss, I laid my forehead against his and swiped my thumbs along his stubble. “For the record, I knew I was right.”

Nick chuckled as he inhaled a shuddered breath. “About what?”

“That we were going to be good together.”

“It’s been less than five minutes. What makes you so sure?”

I looked into his light blue eyes that swirled with the same lust I was feeling. “You’ve had my full attention since the first time I met you. You’re been camped out up here in my brain, and every time you looked at me or told me you didn’t like my shirt, it just threw another log on the fire. And now that I’ve kissed you, it’s like the world is on fire.”

Nick grinned as I turned his head to the left and kissed down his neck. “And I’m sure because of the way you hold on to me like you’re afraid I’ll stop,” I whispered into his ear. I placed more open-mouthed kisses along his neck and down to his shoulder.

Nick was lost in my sensual treatment as he shivered and moaned. When his hips bucked and his cock brushed mine, I almost lost it.

I dug down for the control to stop and pulled back. I watched his tongue snake out again to lick away the remanents of our kiss. And there he went again, throwing another log on my fire. We had to get out of the alley.

“Let’s go, Nicholas,” I whispered, running my hands down his arms to take his hands. I pulled him from the door. “We have work to do.”

Emerson Beckett is an avid sports fan and lover of M/M romance books. She loves her new career as an author of gay romance. It’s even more fulfilling for her when she can combine the two.

Emerson is the co-author of The Package Deal Series, which includes The Quarterback Keeper, Pass Interference, Unnecessary Roughness, Two-Point Conversion, Illegal Motion, Ineligible Receiver, and Roughing the Kicker.

Besides being a retired teacher and author, Emerson lives in North Carolina and has been married to the same man for 33 years. She is a mother of three, one of whom is proudly part of the LGBTQ Community and completely responsible for her addiction to MM Romance. Even though the kids no longer live at home, they filled the empty nest with an Australian Shepherd, three cats, and a cute bunny rabbit.


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You, Again: MM Small Town/Hockey Romance (The Elmwood Stories Book 1) by Lane Hayes: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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The hometown hockey hero and his best friend’s brother…

Vinnie

Hockey is in my blood. I learned to skate before I learned how to ride a bike. I’ve been on a wild ride, playing at the highest level for some of the biggest and best teams in the league. But now it’s over, and I’m not sure what to do with myself.

So I’m going home to Elmwood.

But I’ll tell you what I’m not gonna do—I’m not going to coach my buddy’s junior hockey league. No chance. I don’t know how to deal with kids, and besides, the other coach—who happens to be my best friend’s brother—hates me. With reason.

That may be old news, yet something tells me we’re going to have to deal with the past.

And that’s almost as scary as coaching teens.

Nolan

No, I don’t hate Vinnie, but he drives me nuts.

He’s cocky, goofy, selfish, and yeah…after all these years, I’m still attracted to him. But I’m a responsible adult now. I run my family’s business, and with the help of my ex, I’ve made Elmwood Diner into a New England institution.

So maybe my life isn’t particularly exciting at the moment, and maybe Vinnie isn’t the worst. Nonetheless, I have no desire to rekindle a friendship with the hockey hero who no doubt will be on the first flight out of town the second he gets bored or gets a better offer.

And I’m not coaching with him. No way.

Ugh…

I can’t believe I’m doing this again.

You, Again is an MM bisexual, best friend’s brother, frenemies to lovers romance featuring old friends, a new quest, and a little hockey HEA!

Title: You, Again
Authors: Lane Hayes
Length: 57k
Series: The Elmwood Stories, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: Bisexual awakening, Best friend’s brother, small town, hockey, frenemies to lovers

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We sipped our coffee in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

“Are you staying with your dad?”

“No,” Vinnie replied. “He’s in London for the summer, so I suppose I could have, but I bought the Asburys’ old place. It’s private and it’s in good condition.”

The Asbury estate was more like a log cabin on steroids than a basic house. It was situated at the very edge of town, accessible via a winding dirt road, and surrounded by woods. The perfect spot for someone who needed a little privacy. But it was a lot of house for one person.

I didn’t say that, though. I went with, “I heard the Collinses redid the kitchen and bathrooms before they moved to Burlington last September.”

“Yeah, they did some nice work. You should come by and see it.”

Like that was ever gonna happen, I mused sarcastically.

I cocked my head. “How long are you staying?”

“Through the summer…I think.”

“Then you should coach for Ronnie.”

Vinnie widened his eyes comically. “You think I should do it. Why?”

“Ronnie could use a break. If that’s you…so be it,” I said flatly.

He furrowed his brow hard enough to give himself a headache. “Now I’m really suspicious.”

“Don’t be. It’s a simple proposition.”

“But?”

I sipped my coffee thoughtfully before setting the mug on the counter, my gaze locked on his. The ensuing stare-down was epic. Standing gave me a bit of an advantage, but Vinnie’d had years of practice intimidating opponents on the ice.

I finally looked away and leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “But…I think you’ll walk away when it gets tough or when you get a better offer, or when you just get bored of this place. Like you always do.”

“Ouch. That’s gonna leave a mark.”

“I’m not being a dick. I’m being honest. Your life isn’t here…Ronnie’s is. You can walk away whenever you want and not lose a thing. It’s a little different for the rest of us,” I continued conversationally.

“And this is the part where you’re not being a dick?”

“Trust me, it is,” I huffed.

This is a nice, cozy, friends/enemies to lovers small town story. They kind you wish you were under a blanket in your favorite chair with tea or hot chocolate. And cookies.

Pro hockey player Vinnie is hanging up his skates. Not really going out on top, but definitely not at the bottom. With no real friends and definitely no family in Washington state, he heads home to New England and his small town of Elmwood. There are his best friend, his best friend’s brother and their mother. All of whom he considers family. Except the brother isn’t happy to see him and Vinnie has no idea why.

Nolan has crushed on Vinnie pretty much since he figured out he was gay. He was the third wheel in the friendship trio, but he was always welcome. He’s also back in Elmwood after giving up a career to take over the family diner after his father died unexpectedly. He isn’t happy Vinnie is back. Or that they are working together to coach hockey at his brother’s rink.

Vinnie is that happy go lucky guy who just wants to be friends with everyone. Even after growing up with a father who treated him as an afterthought on a good day, Vin always looks for the silver lining.

Nolan isn’t bitter, really, about giving up on his career. Especially since he redid the diner and make it into a restaurant with a wait list. He adores his mother, his brother and his niece. Vin, he hates but secretly still wants.

Being forced together as coaches plus Vin’s affable charm slowly break down Nolan’s walls. AND Vin actually get him to tell him why he is so mad at him. And honestly, it was with pretty good reason. But they clear the air and keep whatever is going on between them on the down low. Because that always works.

I absolutely adored Nolan’s niece. Precocious, a book worm and a wicked slapshot on the ice, I loved the scene’s with her in it.

The story was a bit cookie cutter, but the characters really made the book so enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the next book who I hope is this guy and that guy. LOL

4 pieces of eye candy

Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. She loves wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and her fabulous pup, George.

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A Boy Called Rainbow by Robin Knight: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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.                                   .

Love comes in all colors…

Art evaluator Miles Tate is finally about to start living his dream… that is if he can get the funding in place to open his own art gallery in New York. But when an unexpected turn of events finds every one of Miles’ perfectly-planned dreams turned upside-down, it’s time to escape Manhattan and reluctantly take up a well-paid job in the tiny seaside town of Hope’s Bluff, Georgia. For Miles, it’s his only chance to make some money, claw back what little dignity he has left, and figure out what the hell to do with his life.

But evaluating the art collection of a deceased estate isn’t made easy by the grandson of the dearly departed in question. Indeed, the young man who calls himself Rainbow is a hot-tempered, hotter-than-hell artist whose secrets run deep and passions run raw. He is talented, troubled, tempestuous and deaf… and possibly the one person who can save Miles from his own heartache.

Can Miles finish the job he’s been paid to do… or will two opposites find that they have more in common than they first imagined? Can the pair of them find the strength in each other to rebuild their lives… or will the traumas of their pasts drive them both away? Will Miles turn his back on the handsome, hurt, artistic genius he’s stumbled upon… or will he finally find true love in the arms of a Boy Called Rainbow?

Title: A Boy Called Rainbow
Authors: Robin Knight
Length: 62k
Genre: Contemporary

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I stood from my spot on the floor and nodded, “You want to see me dance? Then let’s dance!”

Rainbow jumped up and down, clapping excitedly before racing off to Odette’s closet and returning with an old record player. He set it down on the floor, plugged it into the nearest socket, disappeared again, then returned with an album cover in his hands.

He spun it in his fingers before presenting the cover to me.

“Oh wow! Whitney Houston. You’re serious about this!”

Rainbow nodded confidently, looking extremely pleased with himself.

“But wait… you can hear music?”

Rainbow laughed again and shook his head. He crouched and placed his hand against the floor, then ran his fingers over his bare feet, up his legs and torso, and finished with a thump-thump-thump against his heart.

I felt stupid. “The vibrations. You dance to the vibrations.”

He nodded again, then slid the record delicately from its sleeve. Holding it between is fingertips, avoiding any chance of leaving his prints on the vinyl, he placed the record on the turntable with the utmost care, as though he was cracking a safe or setting an explosive with sticks of gelignite. He set the turntable in motion and the record started spinning, and with one final act of precision, he placed the stylus in the groove—

Side A.

Track One.

Rainbow turned the volume up as high as it would go, the crackle of the needle in the groove filling the room before the beat of Whitney’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody kicked in.

Instantly Rainbow’s feet began to move, his body light as a feather, his every step in time with the music.

His hands curled up and his fists began to shake like he was holding maracas.

His hips began to gyrate ever so slightly, feeling the rhythm.

His shoulders tipped left then right, shimmying in such a sexy way I wanted his jeans off then and there.

But first there was music to dance to.

With a mischievous gleam in his eye, Rainbow hustled his way toward me.

He craned his eyebrows suggestively, then did a turn in perfect time to the song, letting me know that the music was all that mattered right now, and if I wanted to join in… now was my one and only chance.

Stiffly I began to move my hips.

I felt like the Tin Man trying to boogie, which was clearly the impression Rainbow got too.

He grinned and reached for me, taking my hips in his hands and swaying me into a smooth and sexy groove, left and right, then back and forth, forcing my feet to move in time with my hips.

I laughed joyfully and shouted over the music, “Fuck, I think I’m dancing!”

But Rainbow wasn’t watching my lips. He was far too caught up in the beat, far too busy passing his moves onto me until we began to dance in unison together.

I felt my shoulders freeing up, as though Dorothy had just squirted oil from her oilcan into my rusty limbs.

I watched my feet step in time with the rhythm… almost… while my legs bent and straightened, freeing themselves of the stiffness that might have set in for the rest of my life had I never met Rainbow.

He twirled and so did I.

He swiveled his hips and soon had me doing the same.

He threw his arms in the air as if he didn’t have a care in the world, whooping with sheer delight over the blasting music, and I did the same.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me close, but he moved too quickly for my fledgling feet.

I stumbled into him.

I stood on his foot and we both staggered, me forward, him backward, until soon we completely lost our balance.

Rainbow fell and thudded onto his back on the floor, making the needle skip to the start of the song.

A second later I fell on top of him, knocking the wind out of him.

Rainbow wheezed as I mumbled, “Shit, fuck, I’m so sorry! God I was doing so well!”

He caught sight of my lips as I said that, and through his gasping and spluttering for air he started to laugh, shaking his head in disagreement.

Two things I am an absolute sucker for. Dancers and deaf or hard of hearing characters. So I was all in.

Let’s start with main character #1 Miles. Art evaluator/wanna be gallery owner who catches his long term boyfriend cheating. Of course the boyfriend gaslights him into thinking he is the my boring, arrogant person out there. Throwing all of the ex lovers in Miles’ face was a bit much.

Off he goes to a small town outside Savannah, Georgia to appraise a collection by a completely unknown, and now deceased, artist. His first meeting with the man who hired him had me rolling me eyes. Talk about some crazy stereotypes. And not for nothin, Miles putting up with the slurs from this guy was ridiculous. He is also waiting to kick his brother out of the house formerly owned by his grandmother- the deceased artist. The hatred was ridiculous.

Off Miles goes to a bed and breakfast of sorts even though there are only 2 rooms for guests. And the B&B owner is a bit of an eccentric cat lady. Literally 13 cats. And the stereotypical talk again. And what she cooks makes it sound like they are in the bayou of Louisiana, not coastal Georgia.

Finally we meet Rainbow. Who is deaf and no one bothered to tell Miles. Rainbow is the only character who isn’t a giant stereotype. He is desperate to keep his grandmother’s art private as was her wish. And to keep the roof over his head.

Miles begins learning ASL at a very rapid pace from a handwritten book. Sigh. ASL is a language. There’s no way to learn it as fast as he did. Anyway. There are sparks between them, Miles learns more about Rainbow, his grandmother and their family.

Beyond the ASL thing, I really did feel like Miles and Rainbow had a connection and belonged together.

There are a couple more quirky characters, a couple more stereotypes and a hurricane.

Overall I liked the story, there were just more than a few things that ruffled my feathers. A few things that were just far too unbelievable that just took me out of the story.

3 pieces of eye candy

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Robin Knight is the author of gay fiction novels, novellas, and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense, and gay comedies.

The heroes of Robin’s books love to spend their time jumping off the page, stumbling through misadventures, and falling in love.

Robin has worked in advertising, politics, journalism, and event management, but nothing is as fun as telling stories.

Connect with Robin:
Website – www.authorrobinknight.com
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Like You Hate Me by Bethany Winters: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate him.

The day my sister died, I told her best friend I never wanted to see him again, and I meant it.

I lost her because of him. Everything I used to care about means nothing now because of him.

It’s all because of him.

So when he shows up on my driveway two years later and tells me he’s moving in with me for his freshman year of college, I kick his ass and tell him to disappear. For good this time.

But I already know the defiant little brat’s not gonna listen. He never does.

Being near him again makes me crazy. I’m supposed to be the college basketball star my father raised me to be, but now I’m focused on a new game. I’m obsessed with watching him, touching him, breaking him. His body, his head, his heart, anything I can get my hands on…

I’m gonna take it all until he’s got nothing left.

And even though he knows exactly what I’m doing to him, he’s gonna let me do it anyway.

Title: Like You Hate Me
Authors: Bethany Winters
Length: 90k
Genre: Contemporary

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“Since when do you venture all the way over here?” Frankie asks, grinning at me over her shoulder as I follow her into the coffee shop.

“Shut up.”

She chuckles and moves up to the counter to place her order. Looking around, I find Xavi sitting at his usual table by the window, wearing a dark gray hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head. I force my face to remain cold and impassive as I watch him be, enjoying the way he shifts in his seat and pulls his sleeves down over his knuckles. His eyes crinkle at the corners when they find me, like he’s trying not to wince.

My face is a punishment for him. And if he insists on sticking around, I’ve got no problem going out of my way to make him look at it every chance I get.

“Nate,” Frankie says, probably not for the first time.

“Yeah?”

“What do you want?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine.”

She raises a brow at that. “A pumpkin spice latte?” she asks, and I scrunch my nose in disgust. “That’s what I thought.” She laughs, turning back to the barista. “He’ll have a cappuccino.”

Once we’ve got our drinks, we sit side by side at one of the empty tables in the corner, both of us people watching for a while as we warm our hands with our cups. We don’t say anything, but it’s not awkward. It’s easy with Frankie. Comfortable.

A group of people rush inside the shop, relieved to be out of the cold, and I don’t miss the way the guy at the back of the group turns his head to look at Xavi, chewing his lip as he takes in his form.

“Does that happen everywhere he goes?” Frankie asks, subtly tipping her chin at Xavi. “Girls and guys?”

I nod, my hands clenching into fists on the table.

“He has no idea, does he?”

“Not a fucking clue.”

He’s always been this way. Even back in high school, the kid was oblivious to all the attention he got. He’s oblivious now too, his head lowered as he tries to pretend he’s not peeking up at me every five seconds to check what I’m doing. I like that I’m his sole focus, that he’s clearly jealous of me and Frankie, but at the same time, that sad, broken look in his eyes makes me want to throttle him. All I can think about is forcing him to his knees, digging my thumbs into his jugular, and shoving my cock down his throat so hard he chokes on it. Taking him as hard and as roughly as I can and giving him something to really be sad about.

“Jesus, the way you look at him…” Frankie mutters. “I wish someone would look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like they wanna fight me and fuck me at the same time.” She smirks, and I smirk right back, leaning into her space and taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “You hate it, don’t you?” she whispers against my lips, playing along like the good friend she is. “The way you want him. It pisses you off.”

“Right now, the only thing pissing me off is you,” I tell her, digging my fingertips into her skin, but not hard enough to hurt. Never as hard as I’d do it to Xavi.

“That’s not very nice.”

“I’m not a very nice person, Frank.”

“I know,” she says. “That’s why you’re my favorite.”

Fighting a grin, I tilt my head to the side, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Is he gone?”

“Mhm.”

My grin slips free, and I kiss her cheek this time. She playfully pushes my face away, and I drop back in my seat, resting my arm on the back of her chair. Lifting my coffee to take a sip, I laugh under my breath as I watch Xavi storm off through the courtyard.

Do I love angsty books? You know I do! And this one delivered. Drug addiction, death of a sister and best friend, self loathing, hate, blame, meddling best friends, you name it.

Xavi and Nate haven’t seen each other in two years. The why is shown in various flash backs that just break your heart. Xavi the misfit who becomes best friends with the blind girl. They are both from wealthy families where appearances are everything and they do not fit the mold. Katy’s older brother Nate did fit the mold. Everything changed with Katy accidentally overdosed.

Xavi retreated deeper in drugs and alcohol. Nate fueled himself with hate for Xavi who he blamed for Katy’s death. Xavi got clean after rehab (his reason for getting clean gutted me) and is finally going to go to college. And stay in the house Nate rents. It was the original plan before Katy died. And Nate’s best friend convinces Xavi that it’s fine.

It’s far from fine.

Xavi takes a lot of emotional abuse from Nate. But at the same time, Nate has to sometimes remind himself that he hates Xavi. That Xavi is the reason his sister is dead.

Nate moves to using Xavi for sex. And then ignoring him after. And Xavi thinks he deserves it. Self flagellation much? It’s brutal. Xavi hates himself as much as Nate hates him.

I’ll say that I didn’t love that Xavi’s depression seems to lift when Nate is nice to him. And I really wish Nate had more of a wake up call with how he treated Xavi. AND his friends. He really treats Carter and Easton like crap. Carter I can almost see because they had been friends for so long. But Easton? There’s also Frankie, the lone girl in the group (and house) who seems to have a bit of a tragic back story that we don’t get.

So there were a few things I didn’t like that much but there was a lot that I loved. This was my first book by this author and I hope there are more dark and angsty stories in her backlist.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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Bethany Winters is a Romance author based in the UK.

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