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Gideon (Finding Home Book 3) by Lily Morton: Audiobook Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

August 6, 2020 by Denise

Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.

A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.

Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.

However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?

From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.

This is the third book in the Finding Home series but it can be read as a standalone.

Gideon by Lily Morton

Narrated by Joel Leslie

A Finding Home Novel, Book 3

Audible US

Audible UK
Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Eli grins at me happily before turning round and mounting the stairs in his characteristic long-legged strides. I’ve noticed that he never seems to rush anywhere, but somehow he seems to get to places quicker than anyone else. I follow a bit more slowly, and when I round the deck, I look around curiously.

The sky is a clear, pale blue and there’s every sign that it’s going to be a scorching-hot day. However, the breeze blowing across the deck has ensured that it’s still cool at the moment. Set along the deck are padded mats in bright colours, and a group of people dressed in colourful yoga gear chat happily amongst themselves.

As Eli comes onto the deck, a slender dark-haired woman detaches herself from the group and comes over with a huge smile. “Eli, you came,” she exclaims with as much enthusiasm as if Eli were her long-lost brother. “I’m so pleased.”

My eyes narrow. When did he meet this woman?

He grins lazily at her, oblivious to the fact that she’s currently eye-fucking him so hard I’ll need a cigarette when she finally looks away. “I said I would,” he says happily, the Welsh lilt very evident in his early-morning voice.

I shoot him a look of total incomprehension. As far as I know, he’s been ensconced in the suite with me for the last few days, insisting that I sleep and relax. Yet every time we’ve left the cabin since then, people have hailed him left, right, and centre. How is this possible?

I come back to the conversation as Eli pats my arm. “This is Gideon.”

I bite my lip because his tone of voice and gestures are currently suggesting that rather than being a famous actor, I am, in fact, a raggedy old sheepdog. She gives me a cursory glance and smiles before returning to eye-fucking my nurse.

I can actually feel my mouth drop open. I’m not being conceited but… Oh, okay, I am being conceited but goddammit, there aren’t many people that overlook me. I’m too famous. I pause. Or infamous. I shrug. Either fucking way, I’m bloody memorable. Apart from on this fucking ship where my nurse appears to be the headline act.

I wonder whether I should be annoyed, but I’m far too amused to bother with that, so I stand, trying not to smile as she engages Eli in a very animated conversation while he shoots me occasional glances to check whether I’m okay or if I’ve died from boredom. Finally, when the group starts shifting about like sheep getting bored, she breaks away from the conversation and heads back to the front of the deck.

I turn to face Eli, leaning my elbows on the rail. “She seems very…” I pause, searching for words. “Very awake.”

He starts to laugh. “It’s usually better for the back and forth of conversation that both parties are conscious.”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure about that. Sometimes I think it would be better for people if they were asleep when I spoke to them. Less chance of them taking offence.”

He nods solemnly. “You might be right. Either that or dead.”

I’ll start by saying, I really love Lily Morton’s books. I haven’t been able to read the first two books in this series, because…well, I really don’t know why at the moment, because now I have to go back. 🙂 But when I saw this, I knew that I needed to listen to it. Between Lily’s love of snark, and Joel’s absolutely amazing ability to voice the character’s so authentically, there was zero chance this was going to be anything but fantastic!

These two main characters could not have presented more oppositely. Gideon was simply a sarcastic cynic who had been around the block so many times that the reader would get dizzy by proxy. Meanwhile, Eli was nothing but calm and patient with his patient. No matter what Gideon gave Eli, he simply gave it right back or moved on. It wasn’t love at first sight as much as learning to love yourself, and someone else as a side benefit. Gideon’s trials brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet he made me laugh out loud even more often.

I really loved how realistic some of this book was. Giving Gideon time to find himself is very adult, and really shows that Eli cared more about Gideon than Gideon cared about himself. And Gideon taking that time and knowing that it was what he needed in order to be what Eli needed. That is as it should be in life.

Then there’s Joel’s narration. What can I say…each time I listen to one of the books he narrated, I initially am concerned that I will somehow associate his voice with another book I passionately loved that he narrated. This has happened to me with a few other narrators (don’t worry, I get into them either way usually). However, that never happens with Joel. I am always immediately immersed into the story and know that I will hear that voice in my head as that person forever. Joel has an amazing ability to not only create a distinct voice for each character, but manages to flip back and forth instantly within a book. Perfect example…towards the end, the entire group of men, including a few side characters, are all in one room near the end of the book, gathered around to see what Gideon does (no spoiler here!), and everyone speaks at some point, and yet, the listener could immediately tell who was speaking by the voice, and not just by the words. It’s amazing to me the range that Joel has. I’d also be willing to bet that if I went back to listen to Oz (Book 1) and Milo (Book 2) (and by if, I actually mean, I am going back right now to listen to them-just grabbed Oz 🙂 ), the voices are exactly the same as what I just listened to with Gideon (Book 3). Joel is a master at his craft, and listening to his narration is simply about immersing yourself into the story and letting go.

*Side note* I generally take about 2 weeks to listen to an audio book this length, because I can’t multitask very well. I soaked this one up in 4 days…that says SO MUCH!!!!

Anyway, the story is great, with the good guys getting the happy endings (epilogue is awesome!) and the bad guy getting his comeuppance. My perfect way to end a book. Give this one a shot, listen and enjoy!

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 5 pieces of eye candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

About the Narrator

Joel Froomkin, a eight-time Earphones Award-Winning narrator, is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of British and American sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike. He has won Earphones Awards for 1st person British, American and Australian narrations.

He was the winner of three 2020 Independent Audiobook Awards, including Best Male Narrator. He has nearly 300 full-length audiobooks to his credit and over 25,,000 five star reviews on audible. His narration of JJ McAvoy’s Ruthless People was a #1 Romance Best-Seller on audible. He served as Director of Drama at Manchester University and has been a Theatre Professor at Indiana/Purdue University.

He is a dialect specialist and has taught accents and speech at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts as well as coached accents for major regional theaters, Broadway stalwarts and national tours.

He has had the pleasure of working with Audible Studios, Penguin Random House, Dreamscape, Scholastic, Podium, Blackstone, Harper, Bee Audio, Brilliance, Deyan Audio, Tantor, Punch and Hachette.

Joel also records in the romance genre as ‘Joel Leslie’ and has developed a very strong following and garnered many awards including m/m Audiobook Narrator of the Year 2018 from openskyebookreviews and numerous Audiobook of the Year-winning titles.

Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.

Connect with Joel:
Facebook | Joel’s Facebook Group
Twitter | Instagram
Website

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Healing Lance by M.D. Grimm: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

August 4, 2020 by Denise

A baby’s laughter.

A mind uncaged.

Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid.

And everything changes.

When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes.

As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.

Amazon US

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Smashwords

Chapter One

The baby shouldn’t matter. But she did.

He easily held her small body in his broad hands. He knew the baby was a girl because she was naked. She kicked her legs as if she wanted to dance, and her wide amber eyes gazed at him in seeming fascination. He stared down at her, wondering why she didn’t scream. Didn’t babies scream? Adults certainly did when they saw him. He didn’t like the sound. All he wanted to do was silence the noise.

The baby stared at him a moment before her mouth curled up at the corners, and she laughed. He froze at the unusual sound. With eyes alight, she grabbed her feet and continued to laugh. It was… all the things foreign to him. It wasn’t cruel or dark but careless, showing a freedom he’d never known. She wiggled in his hands, her pale, pink body flush with life and potential.

Battle roars and the cries of the dying met his ears again, in stark contrast to the little life he held. He wrenched his gaze away from her and looked around the charred hut and over the collapsed roof. The light from the fires consuming the village illuminated the destruction and the blood splattered on the walls and floor. It was a view he was accustomed to, one he understood. The weight of his sword was one he only noticed when it wasn’t there. He returned his gaze to the baby. This was something he didn’t understand. She was confusing.

She laughed again as goosebumps broke out over her body. She was cold. He scanned the area and spotted a blanket that only had blood on one corner. He wrapped her as best he could, another thing unfamiliar to him, and his black armored gloves made the action awkward. Then he pressed her against his steel chest. He wanted her to survive. He didn’t know why—he just knew he didn’t want her to die.

“Please….”

A young woman lay on the floor at his feet, one he thought was dead. It appeared she had only been knocked out. She lay on her side, one arm stretched out to him, her normally golden skin sickly pale. Her dark brown hair was short, barely reaching past her ears, and one side of her head was caked with blood. The southern part of the kingdom of Grekenus didn’t seem too fond of hair as most of the men in the village were bald and beardless while the women grew hair no longer than their chins.

“Please don’t kill her,” she said, dark eyes wide and dazed. “Don’t kill my daughter. Please, I beg you.”

She spoke in Spart, the native language of the kingdom. He knew it well enough to communicate effectively.

He looked at the baby and then back at the woman. If he wanted the baby to survive, she needed a caretaker. Since the woman was her mother, who better? He strode over to the woman where she struggled to rise and grabbed her arm. She winced at his grip as he tugged her to her feet. He shoved the baby into her arms before dragging her outside.

“What are you—?”

“Silence,” he said curtly. He observed the chaos through the smoke and beyond the fires. The broken dead littered the ground and fire ate everything it touched. A horse galloped toward them, one that belonged to the village since there was neither a saddle nor bridle on the beast. He let go of the woman and pointed to the ground.

“Stay.” Then he strode in front of the horse and held up his hands. The beast reared on her hind legs, neighing in fright. Unlike with humans, he knew how to speak to horses. It wasn’t long before he’d calmed her and had her under control. He petted her neck and muzzle, whispering kind words. The frantic look in her eyes eased, and he led her over to the woman and the baby. She swayed on her feet and had stayed where he told her to, not that he’d doubted she would. The hope for escape let her trust him.

He quickly found a length of rope and looped it around the horse’s nose and neck.

“Get on.”

She didn’t question him this time. She struggled to follow his command, and he realized the horse was just too tall for her to mount without help. He shoved her up, and she sat unsteadily on the horse’s back, her daughter clutched to her chest. She stared at him, and he noted the blood from her head now stained the side of her face and dress. She would see nothing of his face since his black armor covered every piece of flesh, and his eyes were barely visible through the narrow visor slit of the helmet.

“Go.” He slapped the horse’s rear and the mare bolted. The woman leaned over the horse and let the mare lead them away from death.

Another warrior, part of the warband, nocked an arrow and leveled it at her. He strode over and kicked the warrior’s knee, sending the man crashing to the ground with a scream of pain. The arrow flew wide. Another warrior was about to give chase on horseback, and he dashed over to grab the sword from his hand before shoving the warrior off the saddle. A few other attempts were made to stop the fleeing woman, and he stopped them all, causing various injuries and not caring in the least. He had no affinity to any of the warriors in the warband. He had no affinity to anyone… except the tiny girl.

He still couldn’t figure out why. He wondered if he ever would.

He stood there, on the muddy ground soaked with blood, staring after the woman. The smoke burned his throat and stung his eyes. The scent, the noise, the mess of battle he knew like he knew his name. He’d never been curious about anything beyond his current life. Now he did.

He hoped she took good care of her daughter.

“Lance!”

He blinked and turned around. The warlord Ulfr, known throughout the Nifdem Empire as Mad Blackwolf, stalked over to him, expression like a thundercloud, his black, bushy beard and thick head of hair obscuring most of his ruddy face. He wasn’t as tall as Lance, although he was much broader, and there wasn’t a weak bone in his burly body. The quality of his black long-sleeved tunic, trousers, and boots showed a hard but fruitful life, and a few glistening red splatters indicated he didn’t leave all the fun to his warriors.

A few of the warriors that Lance had attacked hobbled after their commander, scowling and muttering curses. All the men sported beards of one length or another. Lance remained clean shaven since the helmet made having a beard quite painful as it tugged on the strands and chafed his skin.

“You will explain to me why you disobeyed a direct order!” Ulfr said when he reached Lance. He spoke in Taris, the official language of the empire. His clenched fists and tight jaw indicated his fury, and the rest of the men and women in their warband cowered at such a sight.

Not Lance. He didn’t feel fear.

Lance took off his helmet, long honey blond hair sticking to his face, pressed there by the constriction of the helmet and sweat glistening on his pale skin. Frosty blue eyes stared at Ulfr, eyes hollow from years of war and brutality. Yet, if Ulfr had looked closer, he would have seen a spark of life newly lit in the void.

Lance tucked the helmet in the crook of his arm and smoothed back his hair, the armor grinding and clanking.

“I didn’t want the baby to die.”

Ulfr blinked. “What?”

Lance frowned. He knew Ulfr had heard him clearly enough. “I did not want the baby to die,” he said, slower this time. “She couldn’t survive on her own, so she had to have her mother with her.”

Men and women gathered around them, filthy warriors stained with the evidence of their raid and slaughter. Everyone wore trousers and tunics, though some of the women chose more form-fitting clothing that extenuated their feminine attributes. The ethnicities in Ulfr’s band were as varied as the colors of their wardrobes. Though none dared wear purple or, worse, silver and purple combined. A person could be killed for being so presumptions. Only imperial royalty wore those colors.

Several men were retying their trousers, having violated their victims before killing them. Lance observed the crowd with a detached eye. He knew what would happen now. He’d known it the moment he made the decision to save the infant.

“You disobeyed me!” Ulfr gripped the collar of Lance’s breastplate and yanked him closer until their faces were inches apart. “You showed mercy when I told you all to slaughter those who don’t give us tribute. These people spat on us as if they were better, and so they deserved their punishment. You’ve followed my orders before, Lance. Why not now?”

“I told you.”

Ulfr shoved him away. Lance stumbled back two steps before standing still, like an oak tree against a high wind.

The complete slaughter of a village or town wasn’t what Ulfr usually did. He wouldn’t raid if they paid him. Normally, if they resisted, Lance would only kill one or two people to make a point, and then the villagers would hand over whatever Ulfr wanted to make him go away. This village had done that in the past, and yet they recently decided to fight back against Ulfr’s protection racket. They paid the ultimate price, an example to all who dared defy Mad Blackwolf.

The village was close to the border between the kingdoms of Grekenus and Cairon, and mostly safe from the ravages of the civil war, since it was deep into the protective territory of one of the kings. And yet sometimes, like that day, warlords got through. Ulfr’s band had had scuffles with army units now and then over the years that gave Lance more of a challenge, but none recently.

“You disobeyed me for a wench and her spawn?”

“I did not want the baby to die,” Lance repeated.

“You will go after her.” Ulfr pointed in the direction the woman had fled in. “You will redeem yourself and escape my wrath but only if you go now.”

“No.”

Every single man and woman there gaped, eyes wide.

Ulfr’s eyes bulged and his face grew red. “You ungrateful maggot! Who raised you? Trained you? Who saved you from becoming crow food or sold into slavery? You owe me your loyalty!”

Lance stared at Ulfr. Yes, all he said was true. But there was no way Lance could ever hold his sword over the neck of that baby and kill her. Her laugh echoed in his mind and seemed to unlock something. Something scarred shut.

No, she would live.

He dropped his helmet to the bloody mud, followed by his sword, which had taken countless lives without mercy or hesitation. He stood before the warriors, those he’d trained and slaughtered alongside. Despite living with them, killing with them, he didn’t know them at all. He never cared to.

“I am done,” he said.

I adore fantasy romance and the cover and blurb for this sounded perfect. It reminded me a little of some of the Roman gladiator stories, the children trained to be killing machines from adolescence.

Which is basically the theme of this book.

Fantasy stories are usually all about the world building, and this was very well done, with maybe a couple of slip-ups on some twenty first century idioms, but it’s fantasy so in their world they may use them.

So definitely five stars for the background and the world.

Where this story came a little unstuck in my opinion was the plot and the romance. The author is completely upfront that Lance–the warrior–is child-like in his simplicity because of his training with the war lord who got his cruel hands on him at an impressionable age.

The problem is that this isn’t really resolved enough to make the budding romance–which there is very little of–believable, even being a trilogy.

The plot is also quite obvious and if the romance had balanced this it would have been a five star all the way though.

If it hadn’t been described as a romance I would have easily have given four stars, but it is, so I would knock another star off for that.

Having said all that if very slow burn is your thing with great world building this would be a good book to read.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

M.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!).

After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?) she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier.

Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, (or else what’s the point?) finding their soul mate in the process.

Author Website: https://www.mdgrimmwrites.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001710645622

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=md+grimm

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/

Author Amazon: https://amzn.to/31h0EPs

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Too Close to the Flame by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood: Exclusive Author Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway

August 3, 2020 by Denise

One of my favorite exclusives is Author Interviews. I just love to get to know the authors better, and what they think about the characters they’ve written. Today we have a great interview with the authors of the new release Too Close to the Flame, Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood. We get a little bit of everything in this interview. Love! 🙂 So take a look, read the excerpt and don’t forget the giveaway down below!

Can he ever learn to trust again?

Brandon Weber’s old boyfriend almost beat him to death. Brandon survived, but still bears the emotional scars. Eighteen months later, he has withdrawn into himself, convinced he’ll never be able to trust another man.

Devin Macadam, fresh out of law school, has an exciting new job. He is also on the lookout for just the right guy, someone to take care of and love.

When Devin shows up for the first day of work at his new office, he meets Brandon, a legal assistant there. Sparks fly, but Brandon is paralyzed by fear and isn’t about to give another man the power to hurt him again. Devin, never one to give up easily, doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Both men feel the magic, but can their relationship ever get past the friend zone?

Too Close to the Flame is a dark-to-light, sweet romance featuring out and proud gay men, lots of feels, steamy love scenes, and a wonderful happy ending. The book is approximately 86,000 words and has X-Ray enabled for your reading pleasure.

Trigger Warning: Too Close to the Flame contains specific memories of physical abuse.

Title: Too Close to the Flame

Author: Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood

Publisher: Wainscott Press

Release Date: July 31, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 86,000 words

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort Gay Romance, Sweet Gay Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Interview with Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood on the Release of Their New Book, Too Close to the Flame

Tell us about yourselves. You’re married, right?

RYAN: We are married. We met in law school and were attracted to each other right away. Soon, we started dating, and eventually got married several years later, in 2017.

JOSH: Ryan practices law, and writing is a side gig for us. We spend as much time as possible together, and have a constant companion in our big, goofy German shepherd.

How did you start writing?

RYAN: Josh started reading gay romances, and after he made me read a few, I got hooked on them too.

JOSH: A lot of the books out there are really good, even inspirational. We have such a beautiful love story of our own that we wanted to share parts of it. Also, we thought we had a unique perspective from which we could portray gay male characters as authentically as possible.

RYAN: We wanted to find issues that were important to us and gently work them into our stories. For example, in What He Really Needs, we dealt a bit with immigrants’ and women’s rights in the workplace.

Josh: When we got back from our honeymoon, we started our first book, No Brief Affair. It took us a year to write, and it tells some of our own story with a lot of fiction thrown in.

Do you still write a book a year?

RYAN: No, we’ve gotten faster. Our current goal is to put out three or four books a year.

JOSH: That’s a lot, considering that Ryan works fulltime, but we’re dedicated to trying.

Let’s switch to the book that was just released, Too Close to the Flame. What can you tell us about it?

RYAN: Too Close to the Flame is a slow burn, hurt/comfort, sweet love story about Brandon and Devin. Brandon works as a legal assistant in a law practice, and Devin, who has just graduated from law school, goes to work there. As soon as they meet, they’re smitten with each other.

JOSH: Each tries to resist the attraction, for his own reasons. Devin soon gives in and tries to get Brandon interested in dating, but Brandon holds back. He has a secret—his old boyfriend was an abuser and almost killed him.

RYAN: Devin eventually finds out, and the two men become friends. Eventually, they become boyfriends.

JOSH: There are some hard patches as Brandon begins to recover from what he went through. Devin’s there to help him, and once Brandon lets him in, their romance blooms into something beautiful.

RYAN: There’s nothing like true love to help you recover from bad things, which is one of the points we wanted to make.

JOSH: The other thing we want to do is bring attention to the often neglected issue of domestic violence in gay relationships.

RYAN: Brandon suffered, but Devin begins to draw him out of his shell. The romance blooms and takes off. The rest of the book is about Brandon’s increasing confidence as Devin shows him unconditional love. Brandon also helps Devin by trusting him so much. The book absolutely roars into an extremely happy-ever-after ending.

It sounds really good. Is it intense?

JOSH: There are only a few places early in the book where the abuse is discussed graphically. Other than that, it’s something their love overcomes.

RYAN: We put a trigger warning on the book for people with special sensitivity to the topic, but everyone else should be fine. Too Close to the Flame is a happy book—it’s just that the characters have to earn their happiness.

JOSH: We hope people will appreciate the beautiful story and celebrate everything Devin and Brandon find in each other.

A few more questions. What do you guys like to do in your spare time?

RYAN & JOSH: (Laughing.) Write.

JOSH: Fulltime work and putting out three or four books a year doesn’t leave a lot of spare time.

RYAN: We enjoy hanging out a lot. Sometimes we watch movies or play games, and we love to cuddle up and read.

JOSH: I like gardening. I used to watch my grandpa do it, and as an adult I wanted to try. It’s very Zen.

RYAN: I love to swim, and I was on my high school and college swim teams. Now, I especially enjoy it when my husband joins me in one of the Speedos I buy him.

JOSH: You goofball! I do not wear Speedos, hardly ever.

RYAN: I know. You make me wait for it!

JOSH: (Poking Ryan in the ribs.) Is it worth the wait?

RYAN: (With a straight face.) I keep buying them, don’t I?

Anything else you like to do?

RYAN: We love bike rides and walks. The dog loves to play, so we spend as much time doing that as we can.

JOSH: Cooking. We like to cook together, but we both love making food for each other too.

All right, every interviewer has to ask a few silly questions, so here we go. Salty snacks or sweet?

RYAN: Josh prefers salty and I like sweet.

Wine or beer?

JOSH: We enjoy both, but Ryan’s a big fan of craft beers. I usually prefer a nice wine.

Tea or coffee?

RYAN: We’re definitely a split household on that issue. I love coffee and Josh is a tea man.

What’s your favorite place to vacation?

RYAN: Anywhere we are. We love to travel, especially in Europe, but we have a trip to Australia on the books. We were going to go this summer, but with everything that’s happening, it wasn’t possible. We’ve rescheduled for December and hope we can go then.

JOSH: We love nice beaches. The Caribbean, Hawaii, and Spain have the best, of the places we’ve been.

RYAN: We both love the winter and it’s fun to ski and go snowmobiling.

JOSH: Ryan likes to snowboard, but I don’t do that.

RYAN: (With a hopeful smile.) Do it with me this year?

JOSH: Not on your life. I prefer having all my limbs in one piece.

Thanks for being with us today. Anything else you’d like to say?

JOSH: We’d like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who reads Too Close to the Flame. You guys have a lot of books to choose from, and every time you read one of ours, we are very thankful to you.

RYAN: Let us know how you like it. Also, consider joining our Facebook group, Ryan and Josh’s Room. We’re in there every day, so it’s a good way to stay in touch. We’ll leave a link right below.

I raced into the kitchen like a madman, afraid that something was on fire. Acrid, gray smoke billowed out of the toaster, and I barely kept from yelling in frustration. Everything was going wrong this morning. My alarm hadn’t gone off, the water in the shower was cold, I cut myself shaving, and my best blue suit had come back from the dry cleaner with a stain on the lapel.

After unplugging the toaster, I used a fork to coax out the pieces of charcoal that used to be a bagel. Damn it!—it was the last one. Now I’d have to take time to scramble eggs, because there was no way I could go to my first day at a new job on an empty stomach.

Returning to the bedroom, I decided my gray suit would have to do. A white shirt and maroon Hermès tie made it look better than it was, and I wore my black cap toe oxfords. They were comfortable and looked great with the suit. Another glance in the mirror and I headed back into the kitchen, where I barely had time to cook and inhale three eggs. The drive to the office had taken about fifteen minutes when I did a practice run a few days earlier, but I wanted to leave half an hour early just in case.

The extra time turned out to be a good thing. Traffic on Massachusetts Avenue was mostly fine, but there was an accident where I was supposed to turn onto 9th Street. I sat for ten minutes waiting to make the turn. “Fuck!” I yelled about five minutes into the delay, and banged on the steering wheel for good measure. I ended the tantrum with a long blast of my horn.

My new job was a good one, and I wanted to do well. I had to be ready to do anything, as soon as I was asked to do it. Furthermore, I had to do a kickass job because I didn’t want anyone thinking I got the position because of my last name. But being the best wasn’t only measured by doing great work. Early and eager were watchwords I needed to live by.

Waiting for the intersection to clear, I thought back over the last few months. When I graduated from law school in May, I felt like I had the world by the tail—law degree, awesome boyfriend, and a job waiting at one of the hottest boutique firms in the nation’s capital. Things changed when I got home from bar exam prep class one day and heard a strange knocking noise in the bedroom. Afraid someone had broken in, I picked up a baseball bat that was leaning against the wall—I hadn’t put it away after our game the night before—and slowly crept through the apartment. When I pushed the bedroom door open, I almost threw up. My awesome boyfriend was riding one of our supposed best friends in the middle of our goddamned bed, his face screwed up in the ecstatic expression I’d thought was only for me to see. He must have heard the door creak, because he opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, Dev. Want to join?”

Barely resisting the urge to wield my bat on both of them, I left the apartment and went to cry on my friend Jacob’s shoulder. He was a 2L, a year behind me, and was my best buddy since I helped with orientation for his class. After listening to me curse fate for a while, he pointed out that the lease to the apartment I shared with my ex–boyfriend was in my name. After a beer to soothe my nerves, he and I walked back the building where I lived. The ex-boyfriend was gone, so Jacob and I packed up his stuff and carried it out onto the front steps.

A honking horn brought me back to the present. Traffic was moving again, and I made it to the office with five minutes to spare. After introducing myself to the receptionist, I asked for Liam Macadam, my new boss. She made a quick call, but it wasn’t Liam who came around the corner thirty seconds later. An impossibly beautiful man with light blond hair and sparkling, sapphire eyes, put out a hand. “I’m Brandon Weber.”

I took his hand and —whoa!— the spark flew right up my arm. I jerked away. “Sorry. Static electricity?”

We both chuckled but he seemed frozen in place as he didn’t put his arm down. Seeing too good an opportunity to pass up, I reached for his hand again. He widened his eyes and I realized I needed to say something. “I’m Devin Macadam. Today is my first day.”

Brandon broadened his smile and nodded. “I know who you are. I’m Liam’s assistant. He’s running a little late, but he’ll be here soon.”

I gave him a flirty smile but couldn’t seem to move. After a moment, Brandon tugged his hand away. “Why don’t I show you your office and give you a tour?”

The spell was broken, and I quickly put my professional expression back on. “That sounds good. This is a nice place.”

“We like it. It’s an old warehouse, and you should have seen it when Liam and Michael—the first two partners—rented it. The building was a disaster and needed to be completely renovated. I can’t believe it’s the same place.”

A small cleft in Brandon’s chin caught my eye, and it was a few beats too long before I answered. “Yeah, it’s nice.” Oh God, get a grip. He’s a guy, that’s all.

Brandon put a hand on my elbow and guided us down the hallway. I noticed that he moved with an unusual, stiff gait. Three doors in, on the right, he held out his hand. “Here we are.”

Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood met in law school and were married in 2017. They live in a suburb of Washington, DC, and share their home with a big, cuddly German shepherd. Ryan and Josh enjoy travel, friends, and advocating for causes dear to their hearts. In addition, Ryan loves to swim, and Josh likes to pretend he has a green thumb every chance he gets. Both men love writing, and the romance they were so lucky to find with each other inspires their stories about love between out and proud men. You can contact them through their website at www.ryanandjoshth.com.

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8/3 Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy https://twochicksobsessed.com/

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8/5 Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews http://wickedfaeriesreviews.blogspot.com/

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The Harp and the Sea by Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell: RDB, Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

July 29, 2020 by Denise

In 1605, Robbie Elliot—a Reiver and musician from the Scottish borders—nearly went to the gallows. The Witch of the Hermitage saved him with a ruse, but weeks later, she cursed him to an ethereal existence in the sea. He has seven chances to come alive, come ashore, and find true love. For over a century, Robbie’s been lost to that magic; six times love has failed. When he washes ashore on the Isle of Skye in 1745, he’s arrived at his last chance at love, his last chance at life.

Highland warrior Ian MacDonald came to Skye for loyalty and rebellion. He’s lost once at love, and stands as an outsider in his own clan. When Ian’s uncle and laird sends him to lonely Skye to hide and protect treasure meant for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s coffers, he resigns himself to a solitary life—his only companion the eternal sea. Lonely doldrums transform into romance and mystery when the tide brings beautiful Robbie Elliot and his broken harp ashore.

A curse dogs them, enemies hunt them, and war looms over their lives. Robbie and Ian will fight with love, will, and the sword. But without the help of magic and ancient gods, will it be enough to win them a future together?

Title: The Harp and the Sea

Author: Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: July 27, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 84200

Genre: Historical Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, historical fiction, fantasy, fated love, Scottish Isles, Jacobite revolt

NineStar Press

Amazon

Goodreads

1605 the Scottish Border Marches

Robert Ker of Cessford, Lord Roxburgh wielded nearly autonomous power at the turn of the 17th century as Warden of the Scottish Middle March. Often called the Debatable Lands, the Border Marches had rough and fluid application of law. A violent nature and loyalty to kin and ally were all the tools Cessford needed to enforce his judgements. His position made him a powerful man, and though he owed allegiance to Scott of Buccleuch, he marched mostly to his own drummer.

But in the year of Our Lord 1603, King James VI of Scotland became also James I of England, and set about unifying the two countries into Great Britain. His “pacification” of the Border Marches in truth meant abolishing the office of Warden, renaming all the Marches the Middle Shires, and killing enough Borderers to make the rest bend the knee. Having lost autonomy, Ker wormed and weaselled his way into the king’s courts at Whitehall and Edinburgh and commenced warring on the people of the March without mercy as a way to impress the monarch.

On a rain-soaked day in autumn, 1605, the rough men who served Ker of Cessford and King James Stuart shoved Robbie Elliot into a damp prison cell beneath Hermitage—a stark and haunted castle located almost dead centre in the Middle March, a place Robbie had once called home. When he heard the heavy oaken door thunk shut behind him, rattling the rusty iron chains and window bars, he fell to his knees in the filthy straw that lay scattered over the stone floor. He and a half-dozen others had been force-marched sixteen miles from Hawick, bound, handled rough, and prodded with sticks. Now Robbie tried in vain to find a few square inches of his body that didn’t cry out in pain.

“There’s water, Robbie.” The weak, high-pitched male voice came from the darkest corner of the cell, and it gave Robbie a start for he’d thought himself alone. “In the barrel there,” the man continued. “It’s clean enough.”

Robbie’s legs obeyed him after only a brief argument, and he stood and walked to the barrel. Dust and chaff floated on the top, but when he dipped the single iron ladle and brought the water to his lips, it had no foul smell. “I’ve had far worse,” Robbie said, and then drank.

When he’d slaked his thirst enough, he turned to his cellmate, who’d stepped out of the shadows. “How’d you come to be here, Keithen?”

“Same as you, I’d wager. I’d heard the warden’s men were on the march, and I meant to hide at my old da’s holding, east of Kelso. But I was caught no more than ten miles from Hermitage castle and strung along with five others—including your stepbrother Jem. We’d thought we’d go no further than the gallows on the hill, but they brought us here.”

“Jem? He’s here?”

“Alas, Robbie, he was a lucky one, for he’ll never see these cells. He fell on the trail, and the warden’s man kicked his head a mite hard. Snapped his neck.”

Robbie piled up some straw and sat, slumping back against the wall, his own head pounding as if he’d been the one kicked. Keithen, who tended to prattle on most of the time, stayed blessedly silent until Robbie spoke up a few minutes later. “Yes, probably lucky to die then, quick like that. Do you ken why they brought us here? What they’re planning for us?”

A sudden rattle of heavy keys beyond the door interrupted the prisoners’ conversation, and a single, crusted pot was pushed inside, its contents warm enough to steam in the perpetual cold of the below-ground keep.

Keithen said, “Porridge, or what passes for it,” and then got up and lumbered stiffly to fetch the pot.

Robbie realised all at once that his insides had gone so hollow he’d be happy to fill them with a brick if it was all he had, and he wasted no time. Given no utensils, the two men scooped the thick, sticky oatmeal with their hands, minding neither the slight burn nor extra flavour of the dirt and blood on their own skin. By the time they finished, Robbie had forgotten his last question entirely until Keithen answered it.

“I heard a couple English talking yesterday—their voices come down clearly through the shaft, just there.” He pointed at a corner of the ceiling, a black, empty rectangle amid the grey stone. “They said we’ll be marched to Carlisle, and wicked James himself, the king, travels there too. They’ll hang us all at once—for his entertainment.”

Robbie said nothing for a long while, his mind focused instead on whether he could find a way to die sooner rather than give the king his satisfaction. He could think of nothing short of refusing water or smashing his head against the stones, and he knew he wouldn’t do either. Although small in stature, he’d proven himself brave in battle when he was no more than fourteen, and he’d borne his wounds as well as any man. But courage has its limits, he thought, and the pain of drying to dust from the inside out or smashing my own skull is beyond mine.

At last he said, “Well, Keithen, some comfort. At least we’ll die among our own, and not alone.”

The Scottish borders, Bonnie Prince Charlie, a Jacobite rebellion, and a witch’s curse…

I am awed by the amount of detail and research that has gone into this book. Two men, one a highlander ready to fight for Scotland and to see their own King back on his throne, one a simpler man in the wrong place at the wrong time and about to get hung.

Enter the witch and fast forward a hundred and fifty years later. Robbie might be saved from the hangman’s noose but he will always be permanently cursed by the witch until he can be freed by the one person–Ian–that falls in love with him. Ian rescues Robbie the first time when he is sent on a mission to take treasure to fund the Scottish uprising.

Ian’s responsibilities constantly war with the growing feelings he has for Robbie, and not only the danger as they flee from the soldiers intent to stop Ian and the rebellion, but the magical curse that threatens so many times to take Robbie from him forever.

The language and the setting were amazing. My only wish, maybe, that their quest would have been a little less protracted midway, and I became guilty of skipping a few pages.

Fantasy lovers, history buffs, and possibly fans of Outlander (Jamie that is not Claire) should check this out.

4 pieces of eye candy

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning.

In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.

Anne’s books have received honorable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

Lou Sylvre loves romance with all its ups and downs, and likes to conjure it into books. The sweethearts on her pages are men who end up loving each other—and usually saving each other from unspeakable danger. It’s all pretty crazy and very, very sexy. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, lover of languages, and cat-herder—of mixed cultural heritage. She works closely with lead cat and writing assistant, the (male) Queen of Budapest, Boudreau St. Clair. She lives in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, and hearing from a reader unfailingly brightens the dreary weather. Find her through her links listed here, or drop her a line at lou.sylvre@gmail.com.

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It’s A Steal by Arden O’Keefe: RDB, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

July 28, 2020 by Denise

Edric Wilcher has realized growing up that there are simply two things in this world he can never imagine his life without—music and coffee. This is the reason why he chooses the life of a famous rock star—at least, famous in his own small town, and then, goes ahead and opens up Rockstar’s Hideout Café. Every morning he serves his regulars and has a nice, long chat with them before they go back to their daily routine. His charms work wonders on them. Thanks to the good genes bestowed upon him, he doesn’t look half bad. So, it strikes him as odd that this new customer who walks in that morning carrying a heap of books doesn’t seem to even spare him a second glance.

“Coffee” is what he orders and Ed goes out of his way to make him feel special. But the redheaded nerd—okay, a cute nerd, probably cutest he’s seen in his life—just leaves with his books, leaving even the muffin-on-the-house completely untouched. The mystery surrounding this guy gets the best of Ed and when he finds a book left behind by this customer, he can’t help follow the trail to see him just one more time. Even if it is to get a name.

Dean Harrett has somehow misplaced the one thing that was supposed to help him out of his current problems—and that thing is not a cheesy, romance novel. What matters to him the most is what he’s kept in the book—the perfect plan that can make or break his future. And that book has gone now. Only if he can remember where he’s last seen that book…

Of course! The café, where that annoying barista just wouldn’t leave him alone so he had to leave.

But now Dean has to get back there and look for himself before anyone can lay their hands on it. He doesn’t even want to think about the worst-case scenario of someone finding out what he is up to. But this only means he will have to face the annoying, but handsome barista again. Ugh!

It’s A Steal by Arden O’Keefe

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

For no reason whatsoever, his thoughts jumped back to the library’s reading room, where he’d sat with Edric earlier that day. Thinking about the guy, gave him a distinct courage. He knew he had that annoyingly happy smile on his lips again.

Dean bit his lower lip and closed his eyes. He rested his head back as imagination filled his mind again. What if he could have shared a kiss—or maybe something more—hidden away from all the peering eyes, somewhere in the maze of bookshelves? His teeth dug deeper into the soft flesh of Ed’s lips, nibbling on it till they’d become swollen. He could easily fantasize how tender it would be. A tender brush of his tongue on those fuller lips would send shivers through his whole body.

“Edric,” he whispered his name, as he sank into his bed. His hands automatically finding the length of his erect cock.

He liked that name so much—the way it simply rolled off his tongue. It sounded like desire.

“Tell me what you want me to do, baby,” he’d ask him, raising his eyes to look at him. His pupils would be dilated—irises would shine with lust. He’d recognize the fire in them, the hunger for more.

And yet, Ed would wait for him to tell him what he wanted.

Dean swallowed hard.

Ed’s gaze in his fantasy world felt like a physical touch that would plant shivers wherever it landed. “Do you want me, Dean?” He would ask again, and a moan would escape Dean’s throat, giving away his excitement before he could even say anything.

Of course, Dean wanted him, he’d wanted that hunk ever since he’d laid eyes on him in that library. He wanted his hard body against his skinny form, his forehead resting against his, their nostrils flaring with desire, and breathing heavily.

“I want to be yours, Edric,” he whispered into an empty apartment, as he came all over again.

Dean kept his eyes closed, letting his head indulge in that sweet illusion for a little while longer. He wasn’t sure if his fantasy involving Edric Wilcher would ever come true, but in the meantime, he’d let the imaginary version in his head satisfy his urges.

Tonight, he was going to bid goodnight to Dean the shy-and-scared guy, and resurrect the daring hacker within him, that he’d buried way back in the past, and maybe then—if everything went well—he’d be able to stay and give a chance to whatever there could be between him and Edric.

His face blushed. Even whispering his name made his back arch with pleasure now. How was he going to survive the casual meetup they’d planned for the next day?

Arden O’Keefe has several passions and reading is one of them. It is through reading the works of several loved authors that O’Keefe was inspired to craft out some personal creations. The muse never stops to motivate and that’s how the story of Edric and Dean just developed by itself. This is where O’Keefe begins the journey hoping that it doesn’t end anytime soon.

Connect with Arden:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arden.okeefe.50
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorardenokeefe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArdenKeefe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okeefe_arden/
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVaKPdfdi1QCQMVpdWMs1oQ

To celebrate Arden’s debut release they have organized a MASSIVE giveaway!
Head over to Facebook to enter for you chance to win:

https://www.facebook.com/authorardenokeefe/posts/127174749062744

💥💥𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄💥💥

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗖𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 $𝟮𝟬𝟬 and some amazing goodies are up for grabs!!!

An enormous, gigantic THANK YOU everyone who has pre-ordered IT’S A STEAL! This is a way of me showing how much I appreciate it. By following THREE easy steps (refer below), you stand a chance to win one of over TEN prizes!!! I call this giveaway MASSIVE for a reason … read on 😉

Pre-order Link: getbook.at/itsasteal

Here’s what you’re competing for –
❣️ A grand prize winner who’ll receive $50 Amazon Gift Card (Chosen on September 1st, 2020)
❣️ 5 lucky winners who’ll have a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card (Chosen every Sunday in the month of AUGUST)
❣️ 2 lucky winners who’ll be chosen at random any time during the contest to receive $10 Amazon Gift Card
❣️ 1 lucky winner will be chosen at random at the end of the contest to receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card
❣️ 1 lucky winner will also be picked on September 1st to receive a pack of amazing goodies!

Enter the contest in THREE easy steps over on Facebook –
Step 1: Like Arden’s Facebook Page. (Please note you will also be invited to my Facebook Group “The A-OK Squad”)
Step 2: Fill out this Google Form: https://forms.gle/cYuEqk5GK7GGzQgv5
Step 3: Come back and tag AT LEAST 10 friends in your comment on the Facebook post HERE.

And that’s it!

Good luck everyone… let the contest begin!

Hardwood (Four Bears Construction Book 3) by K.M. Neuhold: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release and Giveaway

July 20, 2020 by Denise

I’ve spent forty-four years of my life telling the world I’m a carpet man. Is it too late to admit to myself and everyone else that deep down I’m really all about the Hardwood?

It took me over thirty-five years to admit to myself that I’m gay, another seven to find the courage to say it out loud to anyone else, and exactly thirty seconds to develop a massive crush on my daughter’s music teacher. It’s really not my fault, have you even seen those cute bowties he wears?

After everything it’s taken to get here, am I going to work up the nerve to come out to my ex-wife and my best friends? Am I ready to shake up my comfortable, simple life and take a chance on Watson? Or am I going to throw a wrench in my own chance for happily ever after?

***Hardwood is a steamy, seriously so much delicious tension, single-dad, gay awakening, low angst story, which happens to be the third in the Four Bears Construction Series. It CAN be read as a stand-alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.

Hardwood

Four Bears Construction Series, Book Three

K.M. Neuhold

Release Date: 07.01.20

M/M Contemporary Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

It must be nice to be handy. My kitchen sink has had a small drip for a year that I’ve pretty much just ignored because I don’t know what else to do with it,” he confesses.

“I can take a quick look next time I come over. I’m no plumber, but it’s probably something basic. You might just need a good caulking.”

“Tell me about it,” he agrees. “Oh caulking. Yeah, totally, that.”

I quirk an eyebrow at him and laugh when his face goes red. “If anyone’s mind should be in the gutter, shouldn’t it be mine?”

“There’s plenty of room down here for all of us,” he assures me.

I show him to the living room, realizing once we sit down that I left my laptop out and open when I left the house earlier.

“Oh shit.” I close it quickly so he can’t see what I was looking at.

“Porn?” he guesses. “Don’t be shy, if you found something good, you really should share it with your friends.”

“It wasn’t porn. Although, that goes both ways, feel free to send me any interesting porn links you find.”

“Honey, I’m not sure you want to open that floodgate. But if you’re feeling brave, I’m sure I could fill up your inbox with links,” Watson says, grinning wickedly. My cock perks up at the image of him enjoying himself with some porn. Without my permission, my eyes dart to the crotch of his pants.

He laughs again, letting me know I’m totally busted. “And you’re claiming I’m the one with my mind in the gutter.” He tsks and shakes his head. “So, if it wasn’t porn, what’s so secret on your laptop?”

“It’s nothing,” I lie.

“Come on, we’re best friends, you said so yourself.”

“I was setting up a dating profile,” I confess. “I didn’t finish it though. It’s probably a bad idea.”

“Let me see.” he insists, waving at me to open the laptop back up.

“It’s bad,” I warn, opening it up and logging on. I pass him the computer and sit back to wait as he reads my half-finished profile.

There’s a half smile on his lips as his eyes are glued to the screen. I watch as different emotions pass over his features as he reads— amusement, tenderness, a cringe or two.

“This isn’t horrible,” he says.

“It’s not great,” I hedge.

“No, it’s not,” Watson agrees. “It’s fixable though, if you’re serious about posting it.”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I started it on a whim this morning while I was sitting here thinking about my friend’s wedding coming up in six months and how much I’d love to have a date to take.”

“You want my honest opinion?” he asks.

“Please,” I say emphatically, sitting forward with my elbows on my knees, ready to hear whatever truth he’s about to lay on me.

“These sites are great for hookups, but not so much for finding the kind of guy you’ll want to take to a friend’s wedding.”

I sigh. “I kind of figured as much.” Leaning back, I pull my hat off and toss it onto the coffee table, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Where do I go to find the kind of guy I’d want to take to a wedding then?”

Watson snorts a laugh. “Babe, if I knew that, I wouldn’t be forty and living alone with a hedgehog.”

Author K.M.Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together. She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series. When she’s not writing she’s a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero…just kidding, she’s likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.

linktr.ee/KMNeuhold

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