Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

New Release Review

The Teddy Bear Club by Sean Michael: Release Day Review with Giveaway

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Two lonely men. One perfect family.

Aiden Lake adopted his institutionalized sister’s two daughters, and he’s a good dad. He works nights on websites and gets in his adult time twice a week at the Roasty Bean, where he meets with other single gay parents.

Devon Smithson wants to be a good dad now that his sixteen-year-old sister asked him to babysit her newborn… three months ago. But he’s overwhelmed with the colicky baby. An invitation to the daddy-and-kid gatherings at the café is a godsend. The pot is sweetened when his friendship with Aiden develops into more—maybe even something that can last.

But the mother who kicked Dev out for being gay wants to get her claws into the baby, and she doesn’t care if she tears Dev, Aiden, and everything they’re building apart in the process.

Title: The Teddy Bear Club
Series: The Teddy Bear Club
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 208

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Hot dads with their kids, is there anything cuter?

In this one, we have Aiden, who with his friends, Logan and Zach have a weekly routine to meet up for coffee for a little “dad-date” kind of thing. Just a little group to get away and have some time with other adults, as a mother, I can 100% relate to. Dev, is the new guy to the group and brand new dad to his sisters abandoned baby. She just up and left him without a trace, leaving Dev to figure out how to do this dad thing on his own. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to, because Aiden, with his two little girls, invite him into their home for play dates and adult conversation. It starts off as a platonic friendship but soon turns into more, the more they get to know each other and spend time with each other. Plus, all the kids get along really well, Bee (Aiden’s daughter) and U- short for Unicorn (Dev’s new son), are roughly around the same age, so I can imagine how difficult that would be, but handy, as I loved having kids close together.

Unfortunately for Dev, his sister disappeared, so getting custody of U before his homophobic mother caught wind that he had him, was proving pretty difficult. Luckily, Logan’s a lawyer and set to work on it pretty quick.

I loved these two together because it all seemed so real. The dynamic wasn’t perfect between them, Dev brought some baggage and needed help, which he wasn’t afraid to ask for and Aiden was wasn’t afraid to offer it. It was a story of friendship first that turned into more. I liked that it wasn’t just, “hi, nice to meet you, we both have kids and you’re hot so I love you”… I enjoyed reading about their every day stuff and them getting to know each other and got used to being a family, together. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times but it works for these two. I really enjoyed it.

I would’ve liked to seen some karmic justice served up on the mom who was seriously, a terrible person, but other than that. It ended on a good note and I wouldn’t mind reading more about Dirk, Logan and Zach. <Heavy hinting here> J

4 pieces of eye candy from me!


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One Plus One by P.A. Friday: Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

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James Cape has been in love with his mother’s best friend Laurie since James was sixteen and Laurie an inaccessible twenty-six. When he’s turned down flat by the older man just after his nineteenth birthday, James’s best friend Al encourages him to forget Laurie and find someone else. And James tries, he really does. But can he cope with his feelings for Laurie, his best friend’s home-life problems, and the deteriorating health of his father, all at the same time? And will Laurie ever notice the young man who’s right in front of him?

Title:  One Plus One

Series: Maths, Book Two

Author: P.A. Friday

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 7/31/17

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 40400

Genre: Contemporary, gay, bi, age gap, friends to lovers, grief, slow burn

Goodreads Link

NineStar Press

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Excerpt from Chapter One

James Cape was fourteen years old when he realised he was gay, fifteen when he came out to his best friend, and sixteen when he realised how he’d recognised he was gay in the first place. He’d thought he’d ‘just known’ until his mother’s friend Laurie came over one day with his new boyfriend, Kieran—the first boyfriend he’d ever bothered bringing round—and James had felt his heart explode with jealousy and rage. Kieran couldn’t have Laurie. Laurie belonged with him.

The longed-for relationship wasn’t—quite—as inappropriate as it might have sounded. Laurie was his mother’s friend, yes, but he wasn’t his mother’s age. Gillie, James’s mum, was thirty-nine; Laurie, twenty-six. They’d met online when James was about nine and had made friends over the next year, despite the age gap. When Gillie had discovered that Laurie was a student at the university she herself taught at, she’d invited him over, and he’d become a regular visitor. To start with, James hadn’t been much interested—the gap between ten years old and twenty was a big one, and James had been more interested in playing with Al, his best friend both then and now. Between them, the pair had teased and hassled and joked around with Laurie, treating him as something between a friend and an older brother; but as the years had passed, James’s feelings towards Laurie had changed. He just hadn’t realised quite how much they had changed until Laurie turned up with Kieran by his side.

It wasn’t as if Laurie had never had boyfriends in the past. He had. But he’d never brought them over to James’s house before, and that made all the difference. When Laurie had been at James’s house, he hadn’t belonged to anyone else. He’d been theirs. With Kieran there, the dynamic was different—spoilt. Al, also over for the weekend—as usual—cocked a knowing eyebrow at James’s moodiness and dragged him out for a long walk.

“You don’t like the boyfriend,” Al said when they were in the woods and miles from anywhere. Trust Al to get straight to the point.

James shrugged. “Bit of a wanker, that’s all. Laurie could do better.”

“Mm.” Al didn’t sound convinced. “D’you remember telling me that you weren’t interested in Laura Fielding because Mary MacDonald had bigger tits?”

“What?” James looked at his best mate in bewilderment. “That was nearly two years ago. Why are you bringing that up again?”

“You weren’t interested in Laura Fielding because she was a girl, and you weren’t interested in girls,” Al said bluntly. “By the way, I’m still pissed off it took you nearly a year to tell me you were gay. You can’t have thought I’d give a toss.”

“You’re still the only person who knows,” James pointed out.

James and Al’s school was not the sort of place where it was safe to be ‘out’. James had no intention of telling anyone else about his sexuality until he’d left. Telling Al was different—Al was Al. And he was quite right; James knew he could tell Al anything and Al wouldn’t care. You could say what you liked about Al—and most people did—but he was intensely loyal. To James, at any rate. When it came to relationships, it was a different matter. Unlike James, Al liked girls and had a steady stream of girlfriends, but none of them lasted longer than a month before he got itchy. Usually it was considerably shorter.

“They get so clingy,” Al had complained. “They want stuff.”

“That’s called dating,” James had told him unsympathetically.

He was amazed anyone still agreed to go out with Al, but there was something about his best friend. He had a strange sort of manic charm, and his very unpredictability seemed to draw people in. However, that was a different matter. Why Al had gone back to harping about old news, James couldn’t imagine.

“Thing is,” Al said, scuffing the last of the autumn leaves with his shoe—the woods didn’t seem to have cottoned on to the fact that it was March, “it didn’t have anything to do with Mary MacDonald.”

“Al, you’ve lost me.”

Al—so very like James to look at in some ways: dark-haired, regular features, similar body shape, albeit several inches shorter—looked seriously at his friend.

“It’s not Kieran you don’t like,” he said. “It’s Laurie having a boyfriend.”

“He’s had boyfriends before,” James said defensively.

“Ah. Hasn’t brought them home, though, has he? Different thing altogether.”

James shrugged petulantly. “I just think Kieran’s an idiot, that’s all.”

Al knew when to stop—usually. “Whatever you say, mate. Just…don’t piss Laurie off by being too rude to his guy, you know? Probably a bad plan.”

Which, as James admitted and worked by, was a sensible idea. But when Laurie turned up a fortnight later alone, James couldn’t help his heart lifting.

This is a contemporary college-age romance focusing on 19-year-old James, who’s in his final year of high school. James realized he was gay, and in love for the first time, at 16 when his mother’s best friend Laurie brings his new boyfriend over. James is jealous and realizes his hatred for Laurie’s boyfriend stems from James actually wanting Laurie for himself. Aww! Been there done that, James!

Okay, don’t freak out: James’ mom is near 40, but Laurie is a much younger 26. Whew! So, while right now these two aren’t quite age appropriate, one day soon a 10-year gap could be doable. James pines away for Laurie, but in the meantime, he’s got a life to lead. His loyal friend Al pretty much lives with James and his family under sad circumstances, his father has advanced MS, and his mom … is kind of cool, actually. The bulk of the book shows James as he progresses through his university years: making friends, finding (and breaking up with) romantic partners, moving in with friends at school, deciding what he wants to do after he graduates. He continues to think about his first love Laurie, hoping one day they can take their new budding friendship to a romantic level. Will James’ patience pay off, or will he find someone else while he’s waiting?

There are some nice relationships in the book. I love that the mom can have not only a guy bff but she has a likable husband that Laurie calls friend, too. Al is sweet and affable, though his parents essentially don’t care about him. Al, who is bi-sexual, wants no parts of a serious relationship and has multiple romantic partners. He seems genuinely happy with that, so no judgement here. James is just a regular guy who likes and gets along with his parents and his pseudo-brother Al.

The story doesn’t drag and is a quick read. I admit my surprise in a few places. A romantic/sexual relationships James enters into and then how that relationship is completed. We also didn’t really get to know Laurie very well at all and I was surprised that James still thought about him after so much time has passed. It didn’t disappoint me exactly, I just wasn’t sure which way the story would end until it was, well, near the end. The story has a few somewhat graphic sex scenes with a happy, if not abrupt, ending.

3 pieces of eye candy

P.A. Friday fails dismally to write one sort of thing and, when not writing erotica and erotic romance of all sexualities, may be found writing articles on the Regency period, pagan poetry, or science fiction. She loves wine and red peppers, and loathes coffee and mushrooms.

Email: penfriday@gmail.com

Website: http://www.penelopefriday.com

Twitter: @penelopefriday

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/penelopefriday

Other books by this author

All About the Boy

Maths Series

Love Plus One


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Chasing Destiny by Megan Erickson: New Release Review and AWESOME Guest Post

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Some live on memories…

Almost dying during a pack uprising has a way of shaking things up. I’m no longer Mr. Laid Back now that there’s an itch under my skin I can’t scratch.

On a volunteer mission that goes beyond the walls of our compound, we enter the territory of a pack long thought dead, and find ourselves on the business end of their spears.

What I’m not prepared for is what I find within their walls—The one shifter I never thought I’d see alive, the one I’d mourned twice, the one I’d always loved. He is alive, and if I have anything to do with it, he’ll stay that way. But he’s got secrets, and exposing them could lead us to an enemy worse than the bloodthirsty undead shifters wanting to kill us all…

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Oddest things I found while researching for the Silver Tip Pack series:

  1. Don’t search Etsy for werewolf. Don’t do it! I thought I’d mosey on over there to see if they had any cool things for giveaways and instead I came away with the knowledge that someone, somewhere, makes werewolf dildos. I never needed to know that, and I don’t think I’m a better human for it.
  2. There are a million YouTube videos about werewolf shifting. This one is a great compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfUrSodTwDw There is even one entitled “Man shifts into werewolf live on camera.” Okay. Sure, Jan.
  3. I need to thank the Underworld movie franchise for their lychan special effects because they have provided me with endless gifs to promote these books. Thanks Underworld producers! http://gph.is/28VF6yy
  4. Plumbing! My characters might be shifters, but the have working toilets and showers.
  5. Building supplies! My packs live in fortified compounds. I had to figure out how they’d build these compounds, and what they would use. Also farming. Dystopian writing is hard, but fun. 🙂

Okay, I seriously don’t read paranormal wolf/shifter, etc books, and I REALLY don’t read dystopian, cause well…I don’t know, I just don’t. However, with it being Megan Erickson, and with the above guest post, how could you not? I mean really…I had to!

And I loved it. I need to just stop judging a book by…well what I think it will be like. 🙂

Chasing Destiny, being book 2 in the Silver Tip Pack series, can be read as a stand alone (and since I didn’t read book 1, I can vouch for that). The author does a great job explaining the things you (likely) would have learned in book 1 that you need to know. And I was able to follow along, and get to meet, and fall in love with all the characters.

This is a second chance love (if being young teenagers when you lose your first love counts) between Bay, the brother to the Silver Tip Pack leader and Nash, the man who everyone thought was dead.

What an emotional punch when these two see each other again. Bay never stopped thinking that Nash was out there, and never stopped wanting him back. Meanwhile Nash did everything he could to keep himself away, knowing it would likely kill him to stay away and everyone he loved if he considered returning. His mind told him to stay away, but his heart and his mate would not let him go, and that was the emotional punch the reader takes as they read this. There is so much love between these two, no matter how hard Nash tries to deny it, and push it away, for the betterment of everyone, it can’t be denied, and we are fortunate enough to come along as Bay fights for Nash, until Nash is strong enough to fight for himself. *Spoiler* Nash gets there, but it takes a HUGE revelation for him to do it, and the reader will love every second of it.

So, here’s what I learned…that there better be a book 3, because I want to know what happens to Bay and Nash as they continue on their path, and there might be a couple others in the pack that I definitely want to follow into their HEA’s.

Once again, Megan draws me in, as she always does, and I don’t want to leave…except now I have to go read one of her series I haven’t yet… 🙂

4 pieces of eye candy

 

Runner by Parker Williams: Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

Title: Runner
Author: Parker Williams
Release Date: July 28, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

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Dreamspinner Press

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This new book from Parker was such a creative premise to write from. To write from the perspective of Matt, with all his trauma, and his extreme OCD really draws in the reader. I honestly was hooked from the very first page.

Matt, having been through such a trauma literally turned everyone and everything away, including his family. What a tragic start to young adulthood. And to not have any human contact, and not search any out, what a sad existence. On top of it, he didn’t even venture outside his own set of books, almost as if time literally stopped for him from that moment on.

I loved how Charlie came into his life. Not with any forcefulness, merely a presence who ran by his home…for months, allowing Matt to see him not as a threat, but almost as a part of the landscape outside his window. Happening at the same time every day, in the same direction, until one day he doesn’t, and Matt’s world turns upside down even more.

Their relationship took time, and I loved the fact that finally Matt was able to face his demons, fighting through every step of the way, because he wanted to be there, not merely because Charlie wanted him to be there.

At the end of the book, I found myself confused, not quite understanding the timing of how things happened, and in fact, I thought things happened in a different order. It left me wondering if I had missed a piece or if a chapter was moved.

In the end, though, I really enjoyed this book, and I loved the way Matt kept fighting to find himself back in the world, with his family, with his love, and mostly with the person he wanted to become. Well done.

4.5 pieces of eye candy


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Peepshow by Clare London: Release Day Review with Giveaway

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Ever wanted to spy secretly on other people’s lives?

Ken doesn’t have a choice: his student summer job is manning the CCTV screens for the new central London shopping mall. But instead of spotting criminals or vandals, he becomes fascinated by a cute waiter from the local bistro who sneaks out to the backyard for his break—and plays sexy to the camera.

Is he an old friend, or just an anonymous exhibitionist? Should Ken be excited by this naughty peepshow, or will people think he’s a voyeuristic pervert? Poor Ken’s confused and thrilled in turn. It’s like living in one of the movies he’s studying at university. He knows the man can’t see him, yet Ken feels a connection of some kind. It all encourages Ken to continue with his guilt-ridden Waiter Watch.

Ken bears the suspense as long as he can, until a chance meeting and an abortive blind date provide the explanation to the secret assignations. But will this guide Ken to a real-life chance of romance?

First Edition published by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure, 2013.

Title: Peepshow
Series: London Lads: Book Four
Author: Clare London
Release Date: July 26, 2017
Category: Contemporary, Perchance to Dream
Pages: TBD (Novella)

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Okay, I will admit, I truly enjoyed this short novella! It was a little like crack. So much fun!

Fairly simple concept. Ken spies someone while working who captures his attention, and seems to be “eyeing” the camera, just for him. He is intrigued, and although he thinks it’s wrong to be as intrigued as he is, he can’t help but be fascinated.

He finally gets to meet his guy, and turns out he really was doing it just for him, because he had been wanting him for several years.

This was just a fun novella. No real angst (unless you count Ken’s angst at the handy in the security office 😉 ). What I enjoyed the most though…was Ken’s snarky internal monologue. As a university student in film, he clearly had tons of time watching movies, and quite often had an internal movie quote for every situation, from Forest Gump to Star Wars. They made me laugh every single time.

I had not read any of the London Lads stories prior to this one, but now I want to go read all of them! I enjoyed her writing so much.

4 pieces of eye candy


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Treading Water by Jessie G: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway with a Cause!

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Title: Treading Water
Series: Forgotten Soldier #2
Author: Jessie G
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: July 18, 2017

After devoting eighteen years of his life to the US Navy, Petty Officer First Class Shane Parker is struggling with the very real possibility of becoming unnecessary. If he doesn’t make Chief Petty Officer before his twenty—and it doesn’t seem likely that he will—he’ll be retired from active service and placed on the Fleet Reserve list until his mooring lines are officially cut forever. While it would all be very honorable and ceremonial, he simply wasn’t civilian material.

Before even swearing-in, Julian Brand knew he wasn’t cut out to be a soldier, but refusing wasn’t an option. Generations of Brand man made careers in the military and the expectation of every Brand son was to follow in those prestigious footsteps. Though the prospect of being rolled back dodged his every step, somehow he made it through boot camp and did his time. Six years after not reenlisting, Julian still struggles to find familial acceptance as he fights to live life on his terms.

On the surface, they couldn’t be more different, but when Jared Ramos calls, neither are capable of refusing. If they can find a way to work together, they might be able to save a wounded warrior and each other in the process.

NOTE: The first story in this series is a 6K word short story originally written for an anthology. While it’s a different couple, I’m happy to provide that to reviewers as they have a brief appearance in the new book and are central characters to this benefit series.

 

I was counting down the days until this book was released and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Just like I thought, Jessie certainly didn’t disappoint!

Jared Ramos has started a charity, The Ramos Foundation, that helps soldiers in need. When he comes across Sean, a man involved in a two-seater plane crash causing him to be trapped between cargo containers on the deck of an aircraft carrier. The crash left him partially paralyzed. Jared brings together Shane, Sean’s best friend who was back home recovering from a torn rotator cuff and hadn’t heard of the accident and Julian, Sean’s cousin. Julian’s parents had been taking care of Sean but refused to call Julian, whom they haven’t spoken to in ages because of his sexual preference.

Once Shane and Julian are on board all the necessary steps are made to help Sean through recovery. Julian owns a B&B and renovates his living space to accommodate Sean. As the two navigate a plan for recovery with Sean they are also dancing around a growing attraction to each other, but Shane isn’t out at work and doesn’t really have any plans to be. Julian doesn’t want to be his dirty little secret, but can he walk away from the man?

This story blew me away. I loved that we got the POV of all three men. It made Sean’s struggle with recovery that much more realistic. To see that it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, it was days of depression and wanting to give up and pushing through that to find the new normal.

The relationship between Shane and Julian developed so organically, it never felt forced. It was so natural, I think it even snuck up on Shane. Julian never pressed for more, but at the same time he never lost sight of what he wanted and needed and Shane was able to give him that.

The secondary characters were an added bonus. Julian’s parents were written with just enough snark and religious undertone that I couldn’t hate them for their misguided opinions. I certainly didn’t like them, but Jessie didn’t make me hate them. Esme was another surprise, so colorful and full of life. I was so happy to see the part she played in Sean’s recovery.

The moral of the story is, if you haven’t read the book yet stop what you’re doing and read it. You won’t be disappointed.

5 pieces of eye candy

Happily Ever Chapter – “Well-written story, strong characters.”

Bookobsessed – “Wonderful read”



10% of royalties earned from this and future books in the Forgotten Soldier series will benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation, but I’m not content to stop there. I’ve set up a fundraising page directly on the Foundation’s website and I’m asking for your help in reaching (and maybe surpassing) my goal. Every donation of $10 equals 1 entry to win signed books. If you donate more than that, every multiple of 10 will be an additional entry (so $20 = 2 entries and so forth).


1 Grand Prize Winner will receive all my paperbacks signed (8 books) 
4 Runner Up Winners will win a signed copy of Treading Water

In addition: TCO will donate all affiliate dollars raised from the sale of Treading Water to the Gary Sinise Foundation via Jessie G. 🙂

Seeing Sean fall apart was something Shane wasn’t likely to forget. Never could he have imagined a single scenario that included this big, strong, strapping sailor curled up in his blankets sobbing. As Julian climbed back onto the bed, absorbing that pain as if it were his own, Shane feared he was the wrong man to help them. He was barely treading water and the overwhelming emotions coming off both men were like a rip tide threatening to pull him away.

Over the years, he heard Sean worry over his cousin’s emotional stability enough that he thought he was doing the right thing by offering Julian a safe place to vent. It wasn’t like his own emotions were in danger of getting involved—he only had a couple and none of them were tied up in a man he didn’t know. The same couldn’t be said for Sean. They were more than friends, more than the honorary brothers, and this breakdown had his own eyes itching in an alarming way.

Were those tears? It had been decades. For sure, never in his adult life. Not since…no, it was best not to think about that now. Talk about being useless. If he went down that path, Sean and Julian would be taking care of him.

A warm hand slid along his and the ease in which their fingers twined gave him pause. Cautiously, he looked over and found brown eyes filled with understanding and invitation. He had promised Julian he wouldn’t be alone and the quiet reciprocation had been nice, but nothing he expected to count on. Without consciously thinking about it, Shane found himself sitting on the edge of the bed. Though it wasn’t built for three grown men, he was able to wrap his arm around his little unit and was surprised how right it felt.

“We’re going to get through this, Sean. Will you let us take care of you?” Julian was still speaking when Shane felt Sean nodding against them.

For better or worse, they were in it together now and Shane refused to let them down no matter how uncomfortable it might get for him.

 

Like many readers, the dream of being a writer has been with me a long time. After three decades of trying, I’d begun to doubt. Thanks to social media, I followed my favorite authors hoping to glean some words of wisdom as I pounded out half-formed ideas with alarming regularity. Two repetitive themes emerged: to be a great writer you must read a lot and your butt must be in the chair every day like it’s a job. The more you write, the easier it will be to write and the better you will be at writing. I took that advice to heart and write every day. With three series in the works and a full schedule of releases planned for the next two years, it’s been amazing to have made this dream my reality.I am a firm believer in marriage equality, love at first sight, power dynamics, and happily ever after. I’m a lover of strong secondary characters, and series filled with families—biological or chosen. All are themes you’ll find throughout my books.



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