Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

New Release Review

Nothing Special VII – Ex Meridian by A.E. Via: Release Day Review

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Police Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle.

Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine—now imagine two of them.

Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for ‘guaranteed death’ to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently—lethally—together.

When Ex returns from an op in Bolivia to learn his little brother has been accidentally killed in a feud between drug gangs, he’s stateside before he can consider the rules he’ll be breaking, and of course Meridian is right beside him. There’s mayhem on the streets of Atlanta and the police are losing control. If Godfrey and his elite team of detectives can’t get the job done then they’d be happy to lighten their caseloads for them. And Ex nor Meridian care about doing it quietly.

“I know who you are.” The man grunted when Ex turned to leave. “You’re the fucking devil.”
Meridian walked past, glaring one final time. “Say that loud enough… maybe God will save you.”

But after their first run-in with the big lieutenant and his protective husband, Day, Ex and Meridian start to reevaluate their own relationship. Wondering if they could be even deadlier if they let loose the feelings for each other that they’ve been forced to suppress for years.

Meridian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his, “A man who can fight beside the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker, Ex—it makes him more dangerous.”

No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a HEA.
Note: This is a partners-to-lovers, out-for-you, action romance.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This story was overwhelming and intense and as much as I love this series, these guys and all the guys of God and Day’s team. I actually had to put it down a couple of times to get rid of the pit in my gut. I was ON EDGE, y’all.

These guys make God, Day and their crew of rowdy boys, look like kittens compared to America’s most savage defenders. Ex and his partner Meridian are the typs of guys you only hear about in movies. Jason Bourne type guys, chemically and physically modified to be killing machines for our country. They’re the baddest of the bad, because they’re basically robots… or they should be… but when Ex’s baby brother is killed in God’s neck of the woods, the guys go rogue in order to exact vengeance on his killers.

And oooh, what a ride it is. These two have been through everything together, but being off on their own without their handler in their ear, and Ex going through the loss of one of the only few people in the world who ever meant something to him, was messing with his head. He felt it.

That opened up all kinds of feelings he didn’t know he possessed, and the biggest of that, aside from anger, guilt and pure rage at the persons responsible for his brtohers death, is his love and need for his partner, Meridian. And it wasn’t one sided, Mere would do anything for Ex, including this off the radar mission to get justice for Ex’s baby brother.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as getting in, getting messy and getting out… no, they’ve got dirty DA’s, dirty cops and God and Day’s crew to get around, because as we know, if anything goes on in God’s city, he knows about it and he and his guys go above and beyond to stop it. Except this time, there’s a couple of rogue Ravens they’re unsure about, though they don’t know how dangerous these guys are at first…

I wish I could tell you this whole story, I feel like I could talk about it forever.. but I won’t, because it needs to be experienced like it was for me. We see all the guys and their guys, we get the guns and explosions, but it’s more intense because these guys don’t have rules. They don’t have red tape, they don’t have anyone to answer to… not even God and Day. They don’t have to be clean and by the book. They get in, they get messy and they get out, before anyone even knows they’ve been there. It was impressive and scary and it makes you think about how real these kinds of guys are and how terrifying it would be to come face to face with one, but how badly I want to do it anyway.

What a frickin ride this one. I’m still flummoxed lol I’m impressed and I cannot wait for Fox and Bull. Every book is my new favorite, though I still have such a soft spot for Ruxs and Green, and it didn’t change after this one, especially after how big this story played a part with them… They’ll forever be my favorite, but these guys, Ex and Meridian are coming in a hot, close second. And I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing more of them in the future, too. I hope we do anyway.

Overall, an amazing read. I wouldn’t suggest skipping any book in this series, but if you do… make sure it isn’t this one.

FAVORITE LINE: “A man who can partner with the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker… it makes him more dangerous.”

“If you had stopped breathing,” Meridian said hoarsely, looking Ex dead in his eyes. “I would’ve laid here holding you until I did too.”

5 Pieces of Eye Candy

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

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

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

Then there is Naël.

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

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

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

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Murder Mystery

Pairings: MM

Tropes: Reluctant hero

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

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Amazon UK

Amazon CAN

Amazon AU

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QueeRomance Ink

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2.5 pieces of eye candy

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

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

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

Author Website: https://natalinareis.com/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cover Designer: Steamy Designs
Photographer: RafaGCatala

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

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

Typical.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Um…”

“Take off your clothes, Teo.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5 pieces of eye candy from me! Great read!

 

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

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

Connect with Lucy:
Facebook Page | Lucy’s Lair Facebook Group
Twitter | Pinterest
Website | Newsletter
Amazon Page | Goodreads | BookBub

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Title:  Tricks and Bids

Series: Suit of Harte’s, Book One

Author: Jacqueline Grey

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: February 17, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 20300

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

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

 

A Christmas I’ll Never Forget

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Like I said, I’m blunt and honest.

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

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

“Hey. Wanna play?”

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

“What gave you the impression I want company?”

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

“And you think you’re what I want?”

The boy shrugged.

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

“Are you a prostitute?” Dillon asked.

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

“One you get paid for.”

“It’s a good hobby.”

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

“Depends on what you want to do.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Your place? Don’t you mean a hotel?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4 pieces of eye candy

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

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

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Hard Ride: A Gay Cowboy Romance (Clean Slate Ranch Book 5) by A.M. Arthur: New Release Review

by

Five Weddings and a Fake Boyfriend

City slicker Derrick Massey has always had a thing for cowboys. So a roll in the hay with Kendall “Slater” Stamos during a rustic weekend wedding is more than A-OK. But when Slater’s forced to hang up his saddle for the season, Derrick surprises even himself with his proposition: be my fake boyfriend and get my family off my back about finding a permanent partner.

Though unexpected, the arrangement is a win-win. Derrick gets a plus-one for a slew of summer weddings and Slater gets a place to stay while he recuperates…with lots of casual fun in between. Which is just how the sexy cowboy likes it: casual. Yet it’s obvious the chemistry between them is anything but.

With the countdown to their “breakup” on, the more time the two men spend together. And the more it becomes clear that what they have could be real, if only they let it be.

This book is approximately 83,000 words

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

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Giddy up! We are getting back in the saddle at Clean Slate Ranch!

We met Derrick way back in book one as the brother of the groom in the wedding party that brought Wes to Mack. Poor Derrick. Hooking up in all the wrong places or getting turned down flat. So when he finds himself on the ranch again and can’t sleep, he runs into Slater working out at in the garage. And then they work out together. *wink wink* And then they part ways having agreed to a one time thing.

Fast forward a bit and circumstances have brought the two men together again. And they make a mutually beneficial arrangement. A place to stay for one guy, 5 wedding dates for the other. Simple right?

Fake boyfriends can get tricky. Sometimes they either hate each first or don’t know each other at all. But these guys get along and at least are fairly acquainted with each other.

It actually plays out really well. There is little to no awkward between the guys as they establish their fake relationship. They just kind of go with it. And being that Derrick’s brother at least knew of Slater, he is totally accepting of it.

There was a fun cast of characters in this one. Getting off the ranch for almost the entire story opened the world up. My old home town was even mentioned-which is kind of rare based on the fact that it is a good sized city.

I loved the neighbors Dex and Morgan. The friendship that developed between Dex and Slater was seamless. That was a bit of a pun. You’ll get it when you read it.

Slater has his secret(s) which eventually come to light. But Derrick is just Derrick. He is a good guy without being gullible or naive.

OF COURSE I want to know more about the upstairs neighbors George and Orry. I’m sure I sniffed a spin off there somewhere.

I really enjoyed this ride, a little off the beaten path, but she reins it in.

I’M SORRY! I’m just feeling punny. Go read it so I don’t pun you more.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Eryx: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn: New Release Review

by

My father once told me, above all else…
Live and die for Sparta.

Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most.

And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood… love.
There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way. But then Axios stood in my way, ever vigilant, never failing to bring me back to myself.

Love had no place in Sparta, they said. It made you weak.

So why did I feel stronger with him by my side?

*Eryx: A Spartan Tale is a 149k word historical gay fiction featuring a love story between Spartan warriors. Although told in an alternate point of view of the events in Axios, it includes extended scenes and more content. It can be read as a complete standalone.*

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This is a sweeping epic spanning nearly 30 years, set in ancient Greece. I am not normally one for historicals, but I read Axios based on reviews by people I trust and loved it. This is the same story, but told from the perspective of Eryx. And although it is the same story, it is a wholly different story.

This book follows Axios and Eryx from the time they were young boys and first sent off to the Spartan version of boot camp until their last battle.

In the first book, we got the story from Axios’ perspective. He was a dreamer, a lover, never one for fighting and war. He did his duty to Sparta but he questioned it all of the time. He hated it.

Now we get to hear directly from Eryx. His mother died in childbirth, his father took his own life in shame for abandoning the army (really the poor man has serious PTSD). Eryx couldn’t wait to become a warrior. He knew he sole purpose in life was to fight for and possibly die for Sparta. And he looked forward to it.

Axios and Eryx really were like Yin and Yang. Two halves of a whole that balanced each other out. Whereas Eryx pushed Axios to be the warrior he needed to be, Axios taught Eryx that there were other things in life- friendship and love. Over the years they became inseparable, and filled out their circle with a few more boys they called their brothers.

As the book is very long and spans quite a long time, the first half is them growing and training. They begin discovering their feelings for each other when they reach their teenage years. It was so innocent and beautiful in the middle of this horrible training.

Once they reach the age to go to battle, they are still inseparable. Everyone knows that they are together and really no one discourages it. The battle scenes are brutal and horrific. This is not something for the weak hearted. Although you can skim over.

Get the tissues. A box of tissues. I convinced myself that I wouldn’t cry this time because I cried during Axios and I knew what would happen. HA! That was a big lie I told myself as I sobbed. More than once. Ok, a lot.

The entire love story is just beautiful. How they lived, trained, fought, was heart breaking. And as vicious as it was, in real life it was probably a lot worse.

If you read Axios, read this book. If you didn’t read Axios, read this then go back and read Axios. Or read Axios and then this. The order doesn’t matter and you don’t have to read both. But you’ll want to.

4.75 Pieces of Eye Candy