New Release Review

Knowing Me, Knowing You by Renae Kaye: Exclusive Guest Post, Excerpt and Release Day Review

November 1, 2018 by Denise

Can friends turned occasional lovers move beyond past mistakes and wrong assumptions to build something that can last?

Quiet bookworm Shane has a big secret—one he’s kept for fifteen years. AFL superstar Ambrose Jakoby grew up next door to Shane. They were close friends, and Shane supported Ambrose through school.

One night, everything changed.

Before Ambrose left Perth as a scared eighteen-year-old to head to Melbourne and take up his new footy career, Ambrose and Shane slept together.

For the next nine years, they continued a secret friends-with-benefits situation whenever Ambrose was in town. Shane never knew exactly where he stood or how to define Ambrose’s sexuality—and Ambrose didn’t know either. Then last Christmas, everything changed again, and a disagreement strained their friendship. Shane vowed to get over his unrequited love.

But Ambrose is back, recovering from an injury and hoping to make amends. He claims he’s ready for a real relationship. But Shane has to decide whether Ambrose means it and whether his Hufflepuff soul can take the chance.

Title: Knowing Me, Knowing You
Series: Loving You: Book 4
Author: Renae Kaye
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 238

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Jay, Liam and all the gang are back for the fourth instalment of the Loving You series.

I really had a lot of fun writing them, and you will see that throughout the book, there’s an anonymous interviewer who’s asking each of them some questions. You get another peek at some of their love stories. It’s quite wonderful to write the whole gang again.

In this story we’re concentrating on Shane, the quiet one of the group. Being quiet doesn’t mean you don’t have exciting things going on in your life – and Shane has a bloody big secret he’s been keeping from them all. Not because he’s ashamed of it, and not because he doesn’t want to tell them, it’s more that he doesn’t think they will believe him. Plus, it’s not his secret to tell.

You see, Shane’s been close friends with Ambrose Jakoby since childhood. They grew up together and their mothers are best friends. Ambrose has gone on to play football at the elite level, being drafted into a team on the other side of the country. He’s known to the media and fans as Bro-Jak, yet maintains a close bond with Shane. And when Bro-Jak comes home to visit, he and Shane have continued a friends-with-benefits relationship.

Now Ambrose is home, an injury halting his season. He’s determined to make a real go of a relationship with Shane, but Shane is hesitating. Who would believe that Wallpaper Shane and the mighty Bro-Jak are a couple?

I’ve prepared a short excerpt for you, where the entire gang have organised to attend a football game to celebrate the Pride Round the AFL has. Ambrose has insisted on coming, along with another of his Hawthorn team mates, Daniel. It’s the moment Shane’s friendship with Ambrose is revealed.

I hope you enjoy!

By the time we parked, there were a bunch of messages on the group chat—Vinnie telling us all he was at the gate and he had our tickets, Hiram saying he was running late, Liam saying they were arriving, Aaron complaining that he felt exposed by lingering outside the gate at a Dockers game and what if an Eagles fan saw him? Tate told Aaron they no longer hanged people for treason.

We arrived on time but were delayed by Ambrose, who couldn’t walk that fast on his crutches. It meant all my friends—apart from the running-late Hiram—had already assembled.

“Oh fuck. I’m going to be in so much trouble,” I mumbled as we approached the group. They were hard to miss. Vinnie and Jamie were holding rainbow flags. Tate wore a straw hat with a rainbow ribbon on it. Jamie’s sister, Jackie, was there too, dressed in a rainbow skirt with a rainbow bandana tied around her hair. One of Vinnie’s sisters was sporting two temporary tattoos of the rainbow flag on her cheeks as well as an equality shirt identical to the one Ambrose was wearing. Of those I could see, Kee, Tate, Vinnie, and Aaron were all wearing some sort of Pride T-shirt.

“Why?” asked Dan, confused about me being in trouble.

Confession time all around. “I’ve never even told them I’m friends with the mighty Bro-Jak. Now I’m turning up to a game with him and the famous Dan Egan?”

He looked shocked. “They don’t know about you and Ambrose?”

I was full of sympathy for his mistake. “Who would ever believe me?”

He couldn’t reply because we were upon the group. Kee was the first to notice me. “Shane’s here.”

They all turned. Vinnie, who was in the act of hefting a bag onto his shoulder, dropped the bag with a thump. It landed on Aaron’s foot.

“Ow. What the fuck, Vin? Why did you—? Holy shit.” Aaron obviously recognized Ambrose immediately too. And I thought Dan and Ambrose were well disguised wearing sunglasses and hats.

“Fuck me to hell.” That was Liam’s brother Ben.

“Oh my God!” That was Vinnie’s cousin Ricky.

“Seriously?” John looked amazed.

Some of the others evidently didn’t recognize my two famous tagalongs, but from the whispers in ears and the shocked expressions that filtered through our gathered crowd, they were quickly informed. I took a deep breath.

“Guys, this is my childhood friend, Ambrose Jakoby. We lived next door to each other when we were growing up, and our mothers are best friends. And this is Daniel Egan, his friend from Melbourne. When Dan heard I was coming to the game to cheer on Micah, he asked if they could tag along. You don’t mind, do you?”

They were all stunned to silence. It was awkward until Liam limped forward. “Of course they can join us. Welcome.” He stuck out his hand, and Ambrose shook. “You’re in good company. I spent close to three years on crutches of some sort. You’re just lucky you’ll get better.”

I pointed to everyone in the group. “Dan, Ambrose—this is Liam, Jamie, Kee, Tate, John, Jackie, Vinnie, Aaron, Ricky, Sandra, Tony, Lachie— no, sorry. That’s Lachie, and the little one is Tony. And that’s….” I had to stop while Patrice confirmed her name, because I always mixed her up with her cousin Linda. “Patrice, Mario, Frankie, Ben, aaaannd”—I pointed behind Ben—“that’s Hiram, who’s running because he’s late to meet us.”

Hiram raced up behind the group, some of whom were still staring at Bro-Jak and Daniel in shock. “Hey, everyone. Sorry I’m late. I had to stop and—holy fuck. Who brought Bro-Jak?”

“Shane.” My name came in stereo from around the group.

Oh yes. I was going to cop so much shit.

I’ve enjoyed this series since I heard book 1, Loving Jay, on Audible when it first came out. And on top of it, it’s Renae Kaye, so that was a double yes to if I should read and review this book. 🙂

This one was a bit of a surprise, because it wasn’t your traditional friends to lovers, or even hookups to lovers. It was a combination of both, yet no one even knew they knew each other, other than their mothers, which created such an interesting family dynamic.

I always enjoy reading all the fun Aussie sayings and cultural references, and with the added Aboriginial references, it made this book very multi-layered. Then we have the group of friends that Shane has made part of his family, and you have a fun, but passionate book.

Shane standing up for himself after nearly 10 years of allowing himself to fall into patterns that could only continue to hurt him was good to see. He loved Ambrose, but knew that he would never be Ambrose’s love if he continued to allow himself to be at the beck and call of a man who barely acknowledged him. Shane was sweet, and quiet, with fantastic internal musings (e.g. “I helped myself to a piece of cake–free cake doesn’t contain calories.“) and hated his job, but loved his people. 🙂

Meanwhile, Ambrose finally opened his eyes and realized that as much as footy had always meant to him, and it gave him an avenue he would have been unable to achieve any other way, it was not something he wanted to be the catalyst to losing the person he cared about most.

With a little help from all those around them, and a little extra footy from the sidelines, they could finally connect.

What a sweet, fun, funny read.

Definitely recommend this one, in fact the entire series!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Renae Kaye is a lover and hoarder of books who thinks libraries are devilish places because they make you give the books back. She consumed her first adult romance book at the tender age of thirteen and hasn’t stopped since. After years – and thousands of stories! – of not having book characters do what she wants, she decided she would write her own novel and found the characters still didn’t do what she wanted. It hasn’t stopped her though. She believes that maybe one day the world will create a perfect couple – and it will be the most boring story ever. So until then she is stuck with quirky, snarky and imperfect characters who just want their story told.

Renae lives in Perth, Western Australia and writes in five minute snatches between the demands of two kids, a forbearing husband, too many pets, too much housework and her beloved veggie garden. She is a survivor of being the youngest in a large family and believes that laughter (and a good book) can cure anything.

How to contact Renae:
Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.au
Website: www.renaekaye.weebly.com
FB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9
Twitter: @renaekkaye
Instagram: @renaekayeauthor

All He Ever Needed by Cate Ashwood: New Release Review

November 1, 2018 by Denise

Some secrets are too heavy to hold on to forever.

For Ethan, pretending has become second nature. After all, he’s spent the last decade pretending to be straight, pretending to be happy, and pretending he isn’t desperately in love with his best friend. But in a single moment of raw honesty, all those lies come crashing down around him and he’s left wondering what to do next.

When Jase learns his best friend is going through a breakup, his first instinct is to come to Ethan’s rescue, and he knows just the thing to help. The cabin where they spent summers as kids is sitting vacant, and a week there is the perfect remedy to start healing a broken heart.

In the seclusion of the mountains, long-buried fears and emotions take their friendship into unexplored territory that will either bring them closer together… or tear everything apart.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What an emotional, loving, sexy story. I love Cate Ashwood’s writing, and this book was no exception. It had so many raw moments, but so many sweet and loving moments. These two men loved each other, not just as lovers, but as best friends.

Being best friends with a guy for more than two decades forged a kind of love I’d never experienced anywhere else. We were closer than brothers, and now that he was hurting, I’d do whatever I could to take care of him.”

It was obvious how much Jase was willing to risk to help Ethan through what was such a devastating time. He didn’t question it, he literally picked up Ethan, packed the car and drove away with him for a week. Giving him time to heal, time to tell him exactly what happened, and then time to figure out that what they really needed was each other, as lovers, and as the most important person in each other’s lives.

It created such a touching dynamic for Ethan to be as devastated as he was, knowing that part of it was that he knew without a doubt (as did Allison) that he was gay, had been hiding it, and was in love with his best friend. At the same time, Jase’s only concern was picking up the pieces, and making Ethan whole again. It was obvious that their devotion to each other had been melded over many years, and yet, the final piece remained stubbornly out of reach for both of them.

This book had so much heart, and so much caring, not just for the two MC’s, but also for the other important people in these two men’s lives…including their ex’s. I loved that! No one walked away from this story without their own version of a happy ending (and speaking of which…oh my, there were some seriously HOT sexy times!), and that made this reader very happy.

Highly recommended! 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Trex or Treat by Tara Lain: Release Day Review

October 31, 2018 by Denise

Josh Harris is all dad all the time. A busy college professor and devoted single father, Josh tries to be happy with only his son for company. But then Bradley “Trex” Trexler moves in across the street with his stepbrother, Bogo, and takes advantage of their empty home, making it into a haunted house for Halloween.

Josh’s son, Ernie, can’t wait to go, so Josh dresses up like a movie cowboy and saunters over. It’ll be the best Halloween of Ernie’s life, but there’s another sharpshooter roaming the dark corridors, and this one might have a special treat for Josh….

Title: Trex or Treat
Author: Tara Lain
Release Date: October 31, 2018
Category: Contemporary, Holiday
Pages: 34

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This was a quick short story, but fun! I really enjoyed the fact that these two, although had not “officially” met, Trex knew of Josh and his books, and already wanted to connect with him. That took this short story from a sexy one night stand (although with kids connected, that usually keeps it from being just a hookup) to potential relationship material.

It was cute, and had just enough sweetness that it felt more romantic. And I really loved how Trex really thought the entire date evening through. I’d actually have loved a little more of their story.

3.75 pieces of eye candy

Nova Praetorian by NR Walker: New Release Review

October 31, 2018 by Denise

Quintus Furius Varus is one of the best lanistas in Rome. Tall and strong in build, fearsome in manner, and sharp of wit, he trains the best gladiators bound for the arenas of Rome. When Senator Servius Augendus seeks personal guards, he attends the Ludus Varus for purchase of the very best. He puts to Quintus an offer he cannot refuse, and Quintus finds himself in Neapolis, contracted as a trainer of guards instead of gladiators.

Kaeso Agorix was taken from his homelands of Iberia and delivered to Rome as a slave. Bought by a senator to be trained as a guard, his fate is handed to the man who would train him. Absent free will, Kaeso knows his life is no longer his own, though he soon realises the gods have favoured him when he learns his new master has a kind heart.

Quintus and Kaeso forge a bond that far exceeds the collar at Kaeso’s neck, and together they discover the senator’s move for promotion has an ulterior motive. Thrown into a world of politics and conspiracy, of keeping enemies close, they move against time to save Rome before traitors and the gods themselves see to their end.

And in doing so, see the dawn of the nova praetorian—the new guard—rise.

Tag Line: A new guard. A new love. A new Rome.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I am a big fan of NR Walker. I’ve not read anything of hers I didn’t like. Most of her works contemporary, although Evolved was kinda sorta scifi-ish? I guess? Which I am not a fan of. And I still really liked it! I am also not a big fan of historical, but sometimes books surprise me. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. Because NR Walker.

This is set during the Roman empire. Gladiators and togas and all that. With that comes a very different way of speaking. And really, if the book was set during the Roman empire but the characters spoke with modern language, I would hate it. So it had to take a big mind shift to suddenly write like this.

And she never faltered. The plot line. the characters, the language, all stayed true to the time period. The politics involved in the story were a bit complex, but it made for some good intrigue.

Quintas, a gladiator trainer, is bribed/threatened into providing security for a senator. He is also given a slave to train. A slave who was stolen from his country after Romans killed his parents. He’s a bit pissed off and mouthy. But Quintas is nothing but respectful and fair and they fall for each other.

There is a lot of training and a lot of politicking. And while there were a lot of details that pertained to the time period, they weren’t overwhelming at all. And reading a book like this gives me lots of possible Jeopardy answers in the future.

Quintas and Kaeso are inseparable throughout. The insecurities are still there for each of them. Quintas thinking Kaeso is with him only because he is a slave and Kaeso thinking Quintas is taking advantage of having his own slave.

The plot never fell flat or veered off course, the romance and sex were plentiful but not overly so and the ending was fantastic.

4 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

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

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

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

She’s been writing ever since…

Contact N.R. Walker

Email:

nrwalker@nrwalker.net

Death of a Bachelor by M.A. Hinkle: RDB: Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

October 29, 2018 by Denise

Cathal Kinnery is an arrogant, overeducated jerk, and Damon Eglamore is not afraid to tell him so. But Damon married Cathal’s best friend, so they have an uneasy truce. Then she passes away. Now they’re stuck together in close quarters, trying to honor her memory without shouting at each other all the time.

At first, they have no idea how to move forward. Damon is a chef, but all his favorite recipes remind him of his late wife. Cathal would love to start tomcatting around town again, except for that annoying promise he made to his best friend about looking after Damon.

Then Damon’s son comes to them for help, convinced the only way to win over his first crush is a gender-bending Shakespeare production. After that, Cathal talks Damon into taking up baking as a new way to use his talents. Next thing they know, they’ve begun a new life working as a team instead of jumping at each other’s throats. But can they trust each other long enough to make it last, or will they fall into old bad habits again?

Title: Death of a Bachelor

Author: M.A. Hinkle

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: October 29, 2018

Heat Level: 1 – No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 75,200

Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, bisexual, enemies to lovers, grief/grieving, UST (unresolved sexual tension), teenage kids, family drama, humorous

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NineStar Press

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First Prologue: Cathal Crushes Olives and Damon’s Dreams.

December 31st, 1997

The man sitting at the end of the bar was older than Damon, maybe twenty-four. He had a thin, foxlike face and long, dark hair that he twirled around a finger as he wrote on a napkin, and he was wearing a Cherrywood College shirt under his suit jacket. A martini sat untouched in front of him, and his eyes were lost in thought. Definitely gay, but he wasn’t…intimidating. Unlike every other man who wasn’t on the dance floor or making out with someone else.

Damon sat next to him and gestured to the bartender for a beer. He was already a little drunk, but if he wanted to relax, he’d have to get a lot drunk. The other patron continued writing out a math problem. He finished his equation, considered it, and then scribbled the whole thing out, his brow furrowed. Scowling, he drank the martini at one go. Only then did he glance in Damon’s direction. “Fuck off,” he said, biting the olive from the swizzle stick. “I’m not looking for company tonight. I came here to get drunk.”

Damon colored, but he kept the embarrassment from his voice. “Why’d you think I came here for anything different?”

“There’s plenty of room, but you sat by me.” He looked at Damon, taking him all in, and his eyes narrowed further. The scowl fit his face too well, and Damon didn’t appreciate his scrutiny. “And guys like you don’t come here for the conversation.”

Damon didn’t care for the man’s tone. But he was the first to admit he didn’t know what he was doing—and, anyway, he was drunk enough not to care. “I wasn’t aware anyone came here for conversation.”

The man snorted. “It’s not the fucking sixties anymore. Gays can have meet-cutes as easily as everyone else.” He gestured to the bartender for another martini, rubbing his forehead.

Damon didn’t know what he meant, and he wanted to ask what kind of guy this man thought he was. But he had a feeling that would piss him off, and he was looking for a good time. Instead, he took another drink of his beer. “I’m Damon,” he said, without expecting much.

The man accepted another martini from the bartender and sipped it, looking at Damon over the top. “Cathal.”

Damon drummed his fingers on the bar, wondering if he ought to cut his losses and head to a straight bar after all. But he settled for finishing his beer in one long drink.

Cathal watched him. Not friendly watching. At this point, Damon didn’t know how to leave, so he signaled for another beer. “What were you working on?”

Cathal glanced at the napkin and made a face. “Bullshit. It doesn’t matter.”

Damon screwed the cap off his second beer and took a drink. “Who comes to a bar and does their homework?”

Cathal raised his eyebrows. His face was dangerous, but he couldn’t be that bad. Too scrawny. “Who comes to a bar already drunk?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled. Not a nice smile. Damon was starting to wonder if he had a nice smile, or if he always looked like someone had pissed in his drink. “Oh. I know. Guys like you.”

Damon frowned, feeling the first stirrings of anger. “You said that before. What do you mean?”

Cathal leaned toward Damon. His voice was calm, unhurried, but his eyes were full of fire, the sort that burns unnoticed and then flares up to take a tree down in seconds. “Guys like you. Guys who are maybe straight, maybe not, who come to one of our places for a little fucking fun and then go home to their wife or girlfriend or whatever. Never mind that it’s guys like you—guys with enough gay in them to be scared when they see one of us—who cause the goddamn trouble in the first place, because you’re not man enough to face down what’s inside you.” He drank the rest of his martini and bit off the olive again, viciously. “Don’t say you play for both teams if you’re only going to bat for one side.”

Damon blinked. It wasn’t only that he was surprised by the onslaught. He was hurt, too. “Are you this much of an asshole to everyone, or just me?” His temper was throbbing now, but he wasn’t drunk enough to punch Cathal. Even though he wanted to be, because he could never match him with words.

“Everyone,” said Cathal, like he was proud of it. He got up. “If you want a fuckbuddy for the night, that’s fine. So do plenty of guys here. But go find someone who doesn’t care if you’re throwing the rest of us under the bus, because I do.” He reached to tuck the napkin into his pocket; Damon grabbed his wrist, even though he had nothing to say. Cathal shot him a look that promised every possible bad thing in the known universe. And some unknown things.

Damon let go of him, scowling. “I’m not like that. I’m not.”

Cathal smiled that prim, insipid smile again. “Yes, you fucking are.” He walked off without another word.

Damon sat there, stunned. Then he turned around and finished his beer at a go.

I went into this book completely blind. I liked the cover, and the first sentence of the blurb, so I went with it, and I am so glad I did!!!! I loved this book!!!! I laughed through most of the first half of the book, and kept right on enjoying their banter to the end

How Cathal’s brain and snark worked was amazing. He said whatever he was thinking, and often things he should not have been thinking. His post-it notes were epic. And how he talked to his nephew made me giggle. Cathal was the person you want to hang out with when you just want to be catty and snarky, and just not give a sh*t what anyone thinks. 🙂

Meanwhile Damon, who’s heart was broken after his wife died (she was also Cathal’s best friend, and was equally devastated when she died) decided that cooking things he’d never made before for his wife was the way to work through each day as he grieved alongside his son, and his wife’s best friend. And the results were epic! Then you add Cathal’s snark of what was in the food? I couldn’t have enjoyed their banter more.

Felix’s teenage angst, I think, helped these two MC’s heal as well, simply because it allowed them to believe in love again, to have something and someone to focus outwardly on.

In the end, the “UST” as Felix called it was there, on a slow build, apparently for almost twenty years. I’ll admit, I would have liked to have a little bit of sexy times, rather than fade to black, but it absolutely did not ruin anything for me in this one. Great read!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

M.A. Hinkle swears a lot and makes jokes at inappropriate times, so she writes about characters who do the same thing. She’s also worked as an editor and proofreader for the last eight years, critiquing everything from graduate school applications to romance novels.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

http://maryannehinkle.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SkysongMA/

https://twitter.com/SkysongMA

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Embracing Fate by C.C. Dado: Release Day Review

October 29, 2018 by Denise

Sometimes you just have to embrace your fate.

Seth has a secret: he has a crush on the human next door. His brilliant plan to meet Jack, the man of his dreams who happens to be an animal trainer? Take wolf form and ask his best friend, Max, to take him next door for training. Seth is the only one surprised when things go horribly awry.

Still, can this shy wolf and a human meet their fate as mates?

Title: Embracing Fate
Series: A Series of Fate: Book 2
Author: C.C. Dado
Release Date: October 26, 2018
Category: Paranormal
Pages: 91

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Having not read the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure if I could pick this up and just read it, but thought I would give it a shot.

The first thing I will say, is I will be going back and reading book 1, because if I don’t get to see more of Max, my life will not be complete. 🙂 I absolutely loved Seth and Max “together”. I know that they weren’t the main couple, but what a great friendship these two have. I laughed so much during this novella! Max was so much fun, and with Seth, a sweetheart who seems to get himself in a little trouble, those two could create some trouble for themselves.

Seth broke my heart a bit, not knowing why he had such low self-esteem, other than having two different colored eyes. However, it was obvious that he had tons of love to give, not just to his best friend, and business partner, but also to Jack…and Jack’s dog! 🙂

Changing “Nancy’s name” was hilarious! As well as the pregnancy…poor Zeus! And if you want to know what all that is about, you really have to read this quick novella. I also can’t wait to go back and read book 1, and knowing there is a book 3, about Zeus, I’m super excited!

4 pieces of eye candy