Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

New Release Review

Cancer Ships Aquarius by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour and New Release Review

by

Prepare to dip your toe into the biggest adventure of your life, Cancer. There’s romance in the air, and it smells deliciously salty.

Dumped by the fifth girl in two years and abandoned by his best friends, Reid Glover is alone and in need of a home.

Desperate, he interviews to become a live-in manny aboard widowed Sullivan Bell’s yacht, the Aquarian.

The job? Not to look after thirteen-year-old Joanna. No, this child-mastermind needs Reid to befriend her dad, urge him to participate more in family life, encourage him to date, oh, and become his closest confidant and help him unleash his bottled emotions.

No pressure.

At least he’s not entirely out of his depth.

Okay, so he may have a slight aversion to the ocean. And possibly attract more than his fair share of misadventure.

But he is a pro at crying.

Watch out, Sullivan. Reid is on his way with a family-sized carton of tissues. He will help Sullivan through his fears. Will help him find love again.

Will absolutely not fall for him in the process . . .

Caution, Cancer, how long will you fool yourself?

Title: Cancer Ships Aquarius

Author: Anyta Sunday

Series: Signs of Love #5

Release Date: February 17, 2020

 Subgenre: Contemporary m/m romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Their gazes snagged, and Reid’s knees wobbled.

Sullivan pulled him into the main room beside the bed. Through a crack in the curtains, dim light seeped in from the light-spangled city below. Sullivan stood, and Reid heard every shift of his clothes, felt the heat of Sullivan’s body, smelled the scent of vanilla soap and under it Sullivan.

Reid licked his lip, trembling at what they were about to do. Waiting for it to happen.

Sullivan pinched Reid’s tie and drew if off him slowly, keeping the knot in place.

“Sullivan?” Reid watched Sullivan set the tie carefully on the bed beside their pillows. “This is my first time with a man.”

Sullivan plucked gently at his buttons. His words tickled over Reid’s nose. “I bet you’re wondering what I will do with you. How it will feel.”

Yes. “I need you to take my breath away.”

 

Reid, freshly dumped with the same ol’ line he’s been hearing his whole life, “it’s not you, it’s me”. Even from his own dad when he left, he’d long since read between those lines and figured out they meant the exact opposite. The common denominator was him afterall… So, finding himself broken up with and homeless, save for sleeping on the floor of his friends place, he needed the manny job he was applying for the same day as his broken heart. That’s when he meets Johanna, the daughter he’s interviewing to be looked after. Only, she’s almost 14 and Reid is only there because she talked her widowed father into needing a nanny as a guise to find him a new love.

It’s been 3 years since Sullivan’s husband passed away and though he’s an excellent father, he’s running from the hurt of losing the love of his life and dragging his daughter with him while he researches and invents great things! Sounds great, and a lot of fun, unless you’re a teenage girl who wants a place to call home so she can make friends and like boys, especially the one at the marina who lives a few docks down. She’s the mastermind here and she’s honest with Reid from the start and Reid, being the caring heart that he is, along with really needing the job, he’s determined to help this family.

He isn’t prepared for the gorgeous Sullivan to naysay him at every turn and genuinely not want him there. He’s isn’t prepared for liking him and his daughter so much and falling for them the more he gets to know him. And it’s funny and sweet and I completely fell in love with Reid and Johanna, especially. Unfortunately, Sullivan wasn’t prepared for Reid at all and wasn’t ready to move on from his husband. This is why I don’t care for widowed romances because it’s so hard to have a one true love when you’ve already had one. I know, I know, it’s not realistic, and of course Sullivan deserved a second love, but I felt like it was at the suffering of Reid…..he deserved more. Especially at the end… I HATED that Sullivan used those words on him “it’s not you, it’s me” knowing how painful they were to Reid. I hate that even after that, Sullivan wasn’t the one who chased after Reid and showed him that he did love him, but instead, it was Reid chasing Sullivan AGAIN and showing him that he loved him. Reid asks at one point, do I put others happiness and needs before my own? And the best friend said, you already know the answer to that… well, of course, he did… and he deserved for someone to put him first for a change and Sullivan didn’t do that.

I was literally floating through this whole book, loving every single second of it. I ugly cried and then felt so let down by that at the end. I wanted so badly for Reid to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was wanted and loved. He deserved that, didn’t he? He shouldn’t have had to work so hard for it. And don’t get me wrong, it ended beautifully, and I loved the two of them together, I just wish it didn’t feel so one sided at times. My stomach literally sank and it felt empty and I wanted Sullivan to show him that he was worthy after a lifetime feeling anything but.

Other than that, it’s an entertaining and sweet read with lots of giggles, plenty of tears and of course, horoscopes of love. I adored every book in this series and this one was no different. I can’t wait to see who’s next.

4 pieces of eye candy

A bit about me, Anyta Sunday: I’m a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

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

Author website: http://www.anytasunday.com/

Author newsletter signup: http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/anytasunday

Instagram: https://instagram.com/anytasunday

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday

Slow Dances Under an Orange Moon (Colors of Love Book 4) by V.L. Locey: Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Can the love they once shared be saved or has the pain of the past eclipsed it?

It’s been twenty years since Kye McLeod left the quaint little mountain town of Spruce Lake, Maine to play professional hockey. He’s had his share of ups and downs, but his choice to hit the big city and not look back has paid off handsomely. The future hall-of-famer is now ready to retire and come out of that dark closet he’s been sequestered in since his first secretive kiss with Davy Aguirre in high school. Now that he’s heading home to keep an eye on his feisty grandfather, there might be the chance to rekindle the flame between him and Davy.

Kye quickly learns that the boy he left behind isn’t the man he’s now knocking heads with. He always imagined grown-up Davy—who now insists on being called David—would be beyond the pain that Kye’s youthful blunder caused him, but now he’s not so sure. When the wildlife conservation officer squares off with the ex-hockey captain their connection is incendiary, and there are more than just fireworks. However, winning back the man he walked away from may not be as easy as he thought…

Cover Design: Designs By Sloan

Amazon

Book #1 – Lost In Indigo – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 – Touch Of A Yellow Sun – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #3 – The Good Green Earth – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Kye has had a good career. After leaving his tiny town to go on to the NHL, he lived it up the best he could while keeping his sexuality a secret. Small price to pay for fame and the love of the game, right? But now he’s retired and his grandpa is getting up there in age and he needs to come back and make sure he’s okay.

Sounds good, right? And while he’s home, he might as well pick up the love of his life that he left 20 years ago when they were both teenagers and start back where they left off, eh? That’s honestly what he expected to happen. I can honestly say that Kye was not my favorite of any guys in this series. His ego and lightheartedness was too much, so much in fact that he honestly couldn’t see what the big deal was after leaving his teenage boyfriend/best friend and not calling or coming to visit or even send him a letter for 20 years and now that he’s back, he’s confused as to why game warden Davy is upset. Why he doesn’t trust him? Why doesn’t he just jump back into bed with him, when at first, that’s really all he’s offering… I just didn’t understand Kye at all.

Now, don’t get me wrong, he kiiiiiind of grows on me a little bit somewhere around the middle, when he stops making a joke of everything and gets serious about winning Davy back, but it just didn’t feel genuine to me until the end.

And the way they just jumped back into not only bed together but the relationship, it was just like…. Really? The man up and left you for 20 years!!! I dunno.. I’m glad it worked out for them in the end, but I wasn’t feeling this one as much as I did the others in this series. They can all be read as a standalone because the only correlation between them all is hockey stars and Arn, their agent.

I was happy that when Kye decided to up and come out after 20 years like it was no big thing, that his family and most of the townspeople were supportive. I’m glad that the bad guys didn’t get away with being bad guys, if you read any of my reviews, ever, you’ll know I hate not getting karmic justice and although they weren’t scalped alive and thrown into a deep dark hole, they do get their traps shut, legally, so there is that. There are really cute geese with weird names, an ornery granddad and plenty of steamy nights between these two second chancers… alls well that ended well, I was happy they worked it out in the end, even if it did take me a while to get there.

3.5 pieces of eye candy from me on this one.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dead of Knight (Guardians of Camelot, Book 2) by Victoria Sue: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Victoria Sue is stopping by today, to bring an exclusive excerpt from her most recent book, Dead of Knight (Guardians of Camelot, Book 2). If you haven’t checked out this series, it is a good one, combining some historical, some contemporary, some paranormal, and a whole lot of love. Check out the excerpt, and the giveaway at the end. 

A battle is coming…

…and the immortal knights aren’t ready.

Will an orphan be the key?

For fifteen hundred years Lucan has waged war with the greatest enemy the world has ever known

…and fought the ancient curse that means loving someone with all his heart and soul might be the reason they die.

Tom wasn’t supposed to be born… twice.

How, as a young child, had he even heard the monsters at all?

How, as an adult, is he caught up in a deadly battle to fight evil, but cannot get one stubborn man to even acknowledge he exists?

Time is running out, not just to unravel the secrets of Tom’s destiny, but for Tom to show Lucan that loving someone with all that they have doesn’t mean breaking their heart.

Or does it?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“How will we know where to look?” Ali shot a worried look at Lucan. Lucan had already walked around the perimeter railings. The cemetery had shut at 4.30 p.m., but it wouldn’t be dark for another hour. They needed to find Tom, and fast. Lance pulled up, and he and Mel got out. Mel didn’t speak, just gazed at the ornate gates and dipped his hand under the collar of his jacket.

Kay looked over the huge area. “Where do we start?”

“Fan out?” Ali suggested. Lucan closed his eyes. He’d hoped for something, anything to say Tom was here, but there was nothing.

Mel brought out the pendant he wore around his neck and glanced at Lucan. “Do you feel him?”

Lucan shook his head. “But I don’t know that I would do.”

Mel scoffed, making his opinion of Lucan’s answer abundantly clear.

Kay looked around. “He would want somewhere as isolated as possible.”

“No,” Mel said slowly. “I don’t think he would. The college wasn’t isolated. I think he enjoys hiding in plain sight.”

“Are there any other places near?”

Mel tilted his head on one side, seeming to think. “He’s not here.”

Lucan growled in frustration. There was nowhere else. They could search the city if they had a few spare years maybe, but Tom barely had an hour before dusk. Tears clogged his throat, and he swallowed hard. He didn’t have time for this. He didn’t—

“Wait.” Everyone looked at Charles, a frown marring his features. “That makes no sense.”

“Nothing makes any sense,” Lucan bit out.

“No. I’ve been going over in my head all the things Gawain told me. What you know about them. The safeguards Merlin made as much as he could. But didn’t Father Joseph just say when Tom was born he heard the Ursus?”

“We assume so,” Lance agreed. “He wouldn’t know what the sound was, but he described it perfectly.”

He glanced at Gawain. “And I know humans can’t hear them even if they are standing next to them, but what if the night Tom was born caused something to go wrong?” He grimaced. “That’s the wrong word, but if great magic is generated when the Tresors are created, what if it was taken from somewhere else?”

“What do you mean?” Mel queried.

“Magic doesn’t exist in a bubble. Earth magic cannot be created without harnessing power from elsewhere.”

Gawain glanced at Mel. “Do you remember when I explained rebirth?”

Mel nodded. “That the way I use fire draws on the power of the earth.”

“And the way Merlin altered Morgan’s spell. Dark magic could only come at a heavy cost,” Lance added. “And how we will only be able to defeat it when we are joined as whole.”

Gawain chewed the inside of his cheek. “But I don’t think you’re saying that, are you?”

Charles shook his head. “Or not just, no. One of the notebooks mentions the word tentoria. It means devoid of soul, and I took it to mean how your souls were originally split, but it appears with the phrase incompleta mortem which means incomplete death and renascentia which as you know means rebirth.”

Gawain leaned forward, his face a study of concentration. “You are worried that one causes the other, and that incompleta mortem means tentoria or that bringing someone back doesn’t make them whole.”

“I have absolutely no idea what either of you mean,” Lance said with frustration.

Neither did Lucan.

“Necromancy is a forbidden art,” Gawain explained. “Morally it was always so, but the notebooks explore a deeper meaning.”

“What?” Lucan asked, running out of patience rapidly.

“That bringing back someone from the dead means they have an incomplete soul.”

Mel shuddered, and Lucan and Gawain both noticed. “I don’t mean you,” Gawain said hurriedly. “Your soul was reborn; you weren’t brought back from the dead.”

“And what has any of this got to do with Tom’s birth?” Lucan said, his voice gaining in decibels.

“Sorry.” Charles was immediately contrite. “That was my roundabout way of explaining there has to be a balance. Gawain told me about the teenager, and I have seen many things in my life to doubt any possibility, no matter how fantastic it sounds. What if he’s incomplete? What if it takes magic to generate him? But he doesn’t have enough? What if good magic can only take power from bad, the same as good and evil being two sides of the same coin? He’s been in the chapel twice. What if he’s a warning? What if he’s trying to tell us something? And Mel said about Aalardin hiding in plain sight. I just—”

Lucan stared at Lance, comprehension and horror registering on his face.

Lucan was running for his bike before Charles had finished his sentence. He heard the shouts behind him and the start of car engines. He swore under his breath because if Charles was right—and Lucan knew, absolutely knew he was—Tom had been under their noses all day.

This series….Oh, this series…I really do like this series a whole lot. It has a lot of what I look for. I love historical, and this definitely has some aspects of King Arthur’s Court in it. I love some suspense, and there is definitely plenty of that. This author really excels at suspense in my eyes, throwing out a few clues here and there, then just tossing it all on the table. And even some contemporary aspects, although they are a bit smaller in book 2, than they were in book 1.

For my tastes, I think I preferred book 1 more simply because it had more romantic elements than I felt Dead of Knight did. In book 2, it wasn’t insta-love, because they really had loved each other the entire time, age was what was holding Lucan back. It was more a breakdown of the walls that had been holding Lucan back, and a realization that they really did belong together. This book was far more, in my opinion, heavily towards the suspense side. That was fine, just not what I had expected.  There were a lot of small details in this book that the reader needed to keep track of, in order to understand why something happened, or would happen. I always enjoy a book that makes me think.

Lucan was exactly what you want for your Valentine, steadfast, loyal, and when he loved it was with everything in his heart. Meanwhile, Tom was discovering who he was, who he was to become, and dealing with a past that wouldn’t let him go. During that though, he never gave up on his love for Lucan…well, there was one tiny moment, but…you’ll see. 🙂

Seeing how everything worked out, at the end, even with Lucan and Tom’s HEA (well, really right now it can only be a HFN), I’m looking forward to how the story arc continues to play out. Kay gave us a little bit of a shock at the end of this book, so seeing where it goes will be interesting.

4 pieces of eye candy

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but never stopped loving her heroes and decided to give them the happy ever afters they fight so hard for.
She loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—and creating a family for them to adore. Thrilled to hear from her readers, she can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

www.victoriasue.com

@vickysuewrites

https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182647028418709/

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/VictoriaSueNewsletter

For a chance at a $5 Amazon US voucher an ebook from her backlist, just leave a comment on this post.

Stay Lucky by Leta Blake: New Release Review * 2

by

A second chance to build the family of their dreams…

Dr. Grant Anderson long ago gave up on a relationship with Leo Garner. After all Leo left him for a movie star, and who can compete with that? But now, Leo’s back with his adorable, genius daughter in tow, leaving Grant consumed by three important questions:

1)Did Leo come home without the movie star because he’s looking for a fresh start?
2)Does he want a do-over with Grant too?
3)Why else would Leo be hanging around Grant’s hospital so much anyway?

The attraction between Grant and Leo is undeniable, and soon their affection reignites as well. But will their luck hold out through health scares and family drama so they can find their happy ending at last?

*This book is a single dad, opposites attract, second chance, hurt/comfort, medical romance by Smoky Mountain Dreams author Leta Blake, featuring over 60,000 words of an emotional, moving m/m romance with a happy ending you’ll love!

*Originally published in 2018 under the same title using the pen-name, Halsey Harlow.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was cute, a bit silly, but a smiling feel good second chance story with a kid that is way too smart for her own good. Even with a main character that was kind of hard to like, unless he was interacting with said smart kid.

Remember the show “House. MD”? And the main character was such a grouchy jerk that you wondered how anyone was friends with him? Ya, that. Grant was NOT a likable person. I wondered how his best friend, Alec, put up with him. Ugh.

He definitely got better once the romancing with Leo started. But seriously, the whole surgeon who makes nurses cry is just boring.

I thought it was a big second chance love story thing, but really they had only been on a few dates years ago before Leo was swept off of his feet by his ex boyfriend, leaving Grant in the dust. (there’s also a time line issue but probably no one will notice expect me)

So when Leo comes back, sick and with a daughter in tow, Grant does everything to make everyone hate him. Sorry, but eye roll.

They did, obviously, get back together. But we didn’t even really get the romance of it. More of a whole “huh, I guess we have been dating for the last month” kind of thing.

A bit too saccharine sweet for me, a bit too eye rolling, just a bit too schmoopy.

3 pieces of eye candy

Okay, so, I’m not a fan of movie stars and celebrities and rock stars… the whole rich and unattainable just isn’t for me, so I was apprehensive about this one when I read that Leo had up and left his high school boyfriend to live the high life with his ex, who’s a movie star and never looked back. I am, however, a sucker for a cute kid and a hot dad, so I overlooked my apprehension and jumped in with this one.

I will say, that Grant is a big pill to swallow. He is not likable in the beginning and his condescending attitude leaves very little to be desired… seeing the guy he could’ve fallen for all those years ago and who had a big hand in turning him into the pompous p*ick he that he turned into, seeing him back in town and chronically ill, well, that was a kick in the gut that made his sour attitude and lack of charm all the more appealing. Especially to Leo himself and Grant’s best friend Alec (who I wouldn’t mind reading about. I need to look into that)

Now, in saying all that…. Grant tries hard to not get close to Leo again, still stinging from the last time he left, it seems like the universe (and Alec) is determined to throw these two back together at all costs. See, Leo is sick and having to do dialysis three times a week at the hospital where Grant is a broody surgeon that everyone scurries away from. He’s charmed by the outspoken Lucky, who is Leo’s daughter and she’s taken with him and his inability to sugar coat. She trusts him and I adored their relationship with one another.

Dr. Grant will grow on you, I promise you. He’s brazen and outspoken and brutally, brutally honest, but he falls for Leo and Lucky so hard. It’s hard, especially with a meddling Memaw, a junkie sister who keeps letting them down and an ex that doesn’t try to be drama, but just is….(though the story isn’t any love triangle stuff, I hate that and he doesn’t make trouble in that way, which I’m glad about because I’m the least angsty person around.)

Overall though, watching Dr. Grant have a change of heart and do anything he can to protect his people… it’s well worth the read. I adored his relationship with Leo separately from how I adored it with Lucky, but I equally loved them all together…. Especially when you realize why Grant is the way he turned out to be and knowing that Lucky and Leo thawed that cold and lifeless heart of his.

5 pieces of eye candy

Find Me: An Omegaverse Story (Finding Free Book 4) by A.M. Arthur: New Release Review

by

Layne Higgs grew up with a clear plan for his future: find his bondmate, mate during heat, and raise a family with the same love and devotion his parents showered on him. Until two years ago, he never anticipated that future would be with his best friend-now-boyfriend Peyton, and Layne has never been happier. Then an unexpected, impossible pregnancy obliterates everything Layne knows about himself as an omega.

Peyton Tovey has lived his entire life on borrowed time and that time is running out. With a baby on the way, Peyton agrees to participate in a risky gene therapy trial to save his life and give him the future he wants with Layne and their son. But the cost of the trial is more than anyone anticipates, and to have their happy future, Peyton and Layne will both have to find their way back to each other—or lose everything.

FIND ME is the fourth book in the “Finding Free” omegaverse series, which is a spin-off of the fan-favorite “Breaking Free” series. This is an original universe featuring mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, heats, knotting and an alpha-dominated society that is starting to see advances in omega rights. Content warnings for dark themes apply. Please see interior book blurb for an additional, spoilery warning.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Oh man I have been waiting for this story. So yes, you really need to read the other books. Since book 6 of the previous series, Feel, I have been waiting for this story. In Feel, Peyton was a child newly diagnosed with a disease that would likely kill him by the time he was 25. And then Demir, a beta still a teenager himself, decided that he would become a doctor to go into research for the specific purpose of curing the disease so Peyton wouldn’t die.

For several books, Peyton and his disease have been in the background. Often mentioned, but never the main focus of the story. This spin off series dealing with the children of the men in the first book focuses more on not only Peyton and his disease, but his best friend Layne. And then we watch their relationship morph in the previous book. And now. NOW! FINALLY! Not only the love story of Peyton and Layne, but also that horrible third wheel, Donal Syndrome.

Think you’re going to get a tidy little wrap up of this story? HA! You don’t know this author very well.

There were so many gasps, tears and smiles. My heart broke over and over again. Things I never expected to happen. I mean, there were parts that my mouth was just hanging open.

We do, ultimately, get to witness the happily ever after, with a few adjustments.

My only real critique is that there are SO many characters, the author takes the time to explain who they are and how they fit and any important plot points regarding them we need to know. So yes, this makes it easier for people who haven’t read all of the books or don’t remember everything, but it gets a bit tedious. Those paragraphs are easy enough to skim over though.

This was, by far, my favorite of this spin off series. I feel like through it all Peyton and Layne were the central couple before they were even a couple. Everyone was rooting for them. And we got our pay off.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Candy Hearts by Erin McLellan: Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

by

Mechanic Benji Holiday is so over Valentine’s Day and men who don’t get him. A weekend getaway with friends to escape the holiday hubbub is exactly what he needs. But William O’Dare—a stern and silent nightclub owner with “Be My Valentine” practically stamped on his forehead—throws a wrench into Benji’s plans.

William has spent years focused on his career, and it has cost him friendships and love. Inexperienced in the business of romance, he’s on the hunt for the perfect partner, and he’s armed with specific criteria to guide him. But William didn’t expect a hunky mechanic wrapped in satin and lace to show up on his doorstep.

Unable to resist their attraction, Benji and William agree to be secret fake valentines for the weekend, but secrets have a way of getting out. William gets struck by Cupid’s arrow, and as the weekend winds down, he doesn’t want fake or secret. He wants Benji to be his valentine for real and for keeps.

Candy Hearts is a male/male Valentine’s Day novella featuring a house party power outage, meddling friends and siblings, naughty lingerie and naughtier toys, homemade Valentine’s Day cards, and a happily ever after.

Candy Hearts by Erin McLellan

Series: So Over the Holidays #2

Publisher: Erin McLellan

Release Date (ebook): Feb. 3, 2020

Length: 50k word

Subgenre: contemporary romance, holiday romance, erotic romance

Warnings: explicit sex and language

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited 

 

Benji rubbed his face against the best pillow ever. It smelled good too, this pillow. Like pricy aftershave and jizz.

His head shot up, and he met the dark eyes of William O’Dare. William had taken his glasses off, and his eyes looked sleepy and large and unguarded without the specs.

Not a pillow, then, but William’s firm, perfect chest.

“How long have I been holding you cuddle hostage?” Benji whispered.

“Not long.”

William rubbed a hand over the back of Benji’s neck, sending a wash of tingly heat through him.

Benji’s resolve to crawl off this beautiful man dissolved completely. He slumped back onto William’s abdomen. So hard yet so comfortable.

“Like ten minutes?”

“Like an hour and a half.”

Benji yelped. “I slept on top of you for an hour and a half!”

“Yes.”

“Oh no. I’m such a jerk. Did you sleep too?”

William was silent for a long beat before he shrugged and said, “Yes.”

“Liar.”

“It was like dozing. Relaxing here with you, not worrying about … well, anything.”

“What do you normally worry about?” Benji asked.

“Work.”

“Blah. Boring.”

William laughed and touched Benji’s chin. “It can be, but it’s been the only thing in my life for a very long time.”

William’s serious gaze sent a shot of fear from Benji’s heart to his fingertips. This was getting a little heavy, and they needed some ground rules. Benji needed ground rules, or he was going to get his hopes up.

He’d get his hopes up or get his heart broken. Either way, he was a total sucker for assholes who were married to their jobs. Or married to other men. He’d fallen into that trap once too.

God, guys sucked sometimes.

“Will. Can I call you Will?”

“Wish you wouldn’t,” William said with a laugh.

“Fine. William. What are we doing?”

Suddenly, William seemed very interested in the thick curtains behind the couch, his gaze shifting away from Benji. “Cuddling. Or cuddle hostaging?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

A small, unhappy smile marred William’s stern face and he wrinkled his big nose. Benji adored that nose, especially when it wrinkled up like that.

“I know,” William said. “I wasn’t planning on a fake valentine this weekend.”

Benji frowned and took a deep breath. He hadn’t been planning on fucking a stranger either. He definitely hadn’t been planning on cuddling with one. Or being a fake valentine, but he’d suggested it, and here they were. Ground rules. He needed them!

“I have a problem,” Benji blurted. William frowned. Now they were frowning at each other like two very unhappy cuddlers. “It’s a personal problem. A love-life problem. And I’ve been trying to solve it. Trying to figure myself out. To figure out how to be healthy when it comes to relationships and friendships and boundaries. I’m worried I just fucked that up.”

William let out a shuddery sigh. A disappointed sigh, maybe? Or a scared one? Then William lifted a hand and cupped Benji’s cheek. “Sweetheart. Can I call you sweetheart?”

“Wish you would. Like, all the time,” Benji admitted.

“Sweetheart, whatever you’re worried about, I’ll help if I can. If you’re freaked out about what we did, we can fix it. I’m not here to hurt you or complicate things for you. It’ll be okay. If I can make it okay, I will.”

Okay, so this was super cute, super fun, sexy AF, and I just all around enjoyed it. Something about men in lingerie, that is just super sexy.

Benji, despite being a mechanic, which I think would generally give someone a less than sunny attitude, was sparkly, and had a great joy of life. I felt like he would be young, no matter his age. His love of pretty things on his skin was just a part of his overall charm. He definitely had self-esteem issues, but they were not worked through by being with William. He had already been working through them, in my estimation.

William, meanwhile needed someone sparkly and fun and joyous. The workaholic was (to use Benji’s phrase) boring. I mean, who under the age of 60 mentions playing Canasta? lol In the end, though, Benji was exactly what he needed when he needed it. He loved giving all he could to Benji, not just in bed, but even in their conversations. Benji needed compliments and pet names, and William was able to pick up on that quickly.

They really blended together so well, in a “stuck in the dark” situation. But as always, can they make it work in the real world? Finding that “sweet” spot will be tons of fun for these two characters!

Not angsty, loads of sexy, fun times. Perfect for a Valentine’s read.

4 pieces of eye candy

Erin McLellan is the author of several contemporary romances, all of which have characters who are complex, goodhearted, and a little quirky. She likes her stories to have a sexy spark and a happily ever after. Originally from Oklahoma, she currently lives in Alaska and spends her time dreaming up love stories set in the Great Plains. She is a lover of chocolate, college sports, antiquing, Dr Pepper, and binge-worthy TV shows.

Connect with Erin:

Facebook Group: https://smarturl.it/ErinMcLellansFBGroup

Newsletter: https://smarturl.it/mclellannewsletter

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emclellanwrites

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

Website: https://www.erinmclellan.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/erin-mclellan

Website: https://smarturl.it/erinmclellan