Randomness

Killer Bond (Ward Security Series Book 5) by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: New Release Review

June 16, 2019 by Denise

Daniel Hendricks wants a vacation. Ward Security’s accountant and resident code breaker just needs a little R&R from the chaos and usual shenanigans of the office.

But what was supposed to be a sexy vacation hook-up explodes in his face when he’s mistaken for a rogue secret agent.

Now he’s on the run with CIA agent Edward Raines from Bermuda to Barcelona to Paris as they try to find the secrets the real rogue was attempting to sell before another foreign spy does.

The chemistry between them is off the charts, but how is Daniel supposed to trust a man who had originally set out to kill him?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What a fun book! Even though this is Book 5 in the Ward Security series– which is a spin off of the Unbreakable Bonds series– it is definitely the stand aloniest of all of them. (Yes, I made up a word. You’re welcome)

The story gets almost immediately into the action. Daniel, quiet accountant for Ward Security, is finally on vacation. He doesn’t care that he is alone. Well, not really. But a super hot guy sits next to him on the beach. Flirting leads to dinner leads to what Daniel thinks is a one night stand. But Edward thinks Daniel is a rogue agent out to sell government secrets to the highest bidder. Until the rogue agent and Daniel are in the same room and the similarity is shocking.

And so begins a very James Bond like adventure. With really hot sex. Because as freaked out as Daniel is at the beginning of this adventure, being lied to by Edward AND realizing that Edward had fully intended on killing the rogue agent (him, but not him), he really doesn’t want a roll in the hay again. Buttttttttttt… he can’t help it.

Edward and Daniel traipse through several European countries trying to not only find the information that was set to be sold, but to also figure out who the real rogue agent’s partner is. I loved how Daniel insisted on seeing the sights while also basically running for their lives. It cracked me up. But hey, if that was probably going to be my one and only time in France, I might do the same.

There is very little mention of “the guys” at Ward Security and mostly only one of his coworkers in involved very slightly. So it wasn’t the typical rousing of the troops to save the day. It was pretty much just Daniel and Edward.

Fun, exciting, sexy….and a happily ever after. Must read.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

The First Step (Coastal Carolina Book 1) by Shira Anthony: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Guest Post

June 14, 2019 by Denise

Okay, I love this post so much! Shira Anthony is here talking about two of my most favorite places…the ocean, and the Wilmington, NC area. She brought a fantastic guest post below, even including a picture of her boat, Prelude, and her upcoming adventure sounds amazing! On top of it, the upcoming series sound pretty darn great! So, check out her post, the beautiful cover, and let her know your thoughts!

The first step is the hardest. After a scandal, New York political reporter Reed Barfield is lying low at the North Carolina coast, writing a story about the seafood industry. But it’s the harbor pilots on the Cape Fear River who capture his interest—men who jump across ten feet of open ocean to grab a rope ladder and guide huge container ships into port. Men like sexy but prickly Justin Vance.

After surviving an abusive childhood and a tour in the Navy, Justin isn’t fazed by his dangerous job—it’s certainly easier to face than Reed’s annoying questions. Justin isn’t out at work, and he doesn’t need Reed digging into his personal life or his past.

But Reed’s no stranger to using his considerable charm to get what he wants, and as he wears Justin down, they realize they have a lot in common—and that they like spending time together. Moving beyond that, though, will mean Justin confessing his sexuality and learning to trust Reed with his secrets—if Reed even decides to stay. Both men want a future together, but can they find the courage to take the first step?

Title: The First Step

Series: Coastal Carolina

Author: Shira Anthony

Release Date: September 17, 2019

Category: Contemporary

Pages: 229

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase http://www.lcchase.com

Dreamspinner Press

My husband and I will be cruising for about two years aboard our 38 foot Admiral catamaran sailboat, Prelude, starting in December. The water is my Zen place, and the place where I’ve written a good deal of my books.

Over the years, I’ve imagined many stories set on the water. I’ve written mermen shifters in my Mermen of Ea Trilogy and even a story about a pirate movie being filmed at the Carolina Coast, Take Two. But the inspiration for my brand new series with Dreamspinner Press came from our many trips from Wilmington, North Carolina, down the Cape Fear River to Bald Head Island and beyond onto the Atlantic Ocean where we’ve come within a few dozen yards of the enormous container ships headed to and from the Port of Wilmington.

It was on one of those trips that I learned those immense vessels—some up to four football fields long!—aren’t sailed into port by their captains (or “masters,” as they’re called), but are guided by local pilots who meet the ships out in the middle of the ocean and climb from a small pilot boat, up a rope ladder, and onto the container ships to sail them into port.

River pilots, or harbor pilots, as they’re sometimes called, get paid a lot of money for their work. Why? Because it requires a great deal of skill to sail a boat the size of several city blocks up narrow channels and their apprenticeship can take years. Not only that, transferring from pilot boat to container ship in the middle of the ocean incredibly is dangerous work. Every year, pilots are injured or killed doing their jobs.

Learning about the harbor pilots and their treacherous work inspired my Coastal Carolina series, which focuses on the lives of men who live and work at the Carolina coast. The first book, The First Step, is the story of closeted harbor pilot Justin Vance and the New York City political beat reporter, Reed Barfield, who decides to write a story about the Cape Fear River pilots.

The First Step is a sexy romantic adventure set against the backdrop of the beautiful North Carolina Coast. Life on the edge of the Atlantic can be beautiful, but it can also be deadly, as Justin and Reed discover while their weather a major hurricane and its aftermath. I love the gorgeous cover L.C. Chase created for this first series book with its backdrop of a stormy ocean, a tiny pilot boat, and the huge shipping vessel.

I can’t wait for you to read The First Step and I hope you enjoy stepping into the shoes of the working men of North Carolina! The book is now up for preorder at Dreamspinner Press and releases in September. Here’s the link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/coastal-carolina-10779-s Until then, have a great summer and, if you see one a container ship sail past you while you’re enjoying your beach vacation, imagine the man or woman who is guiding her way! -Shira

Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. You can hear Shira sing an aria from a live performance of Puccini’s Tosca by clicking here: “Vissi d’arte”

Shira’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle. When she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. Her favorite place to write is at the Carolina coast aboard Prelude, a 38’ catamaran sailboat, with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.

Whether contemporary romance, high fantasy shifters, or time-traveling vampires, Shira writes what she loves and never writes a story without a HEA. Her Mermen of Ea trilogy book Into the Wind was named one of the best books of 2014 by both Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and Hearts on Fire Reviews, and was a finalist in the 2014 Goodreads M/M Romance Member’s Choice Awards. Her Blue Notes series of classical-music-themed gay romances was named one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ best series of 2012, and the most recent book in the series, Dissonance, was named one of the best books of 2014 by Hearts on Fire Reviews. Her book A Solitary Man, coauthored with Aisling Mancy, won a 2016 Rainbow Award Honorable Mention for Best Gay Mystery/Thriller.

Shira can be found on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: www.shiraanthony.com
Email: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

Nothing Special by A.E. Via: Audiobook Review

June 13, 2019 by Denise

Detective Cashel “Cash” Godfrey is big, tattooed, and angry so people typically keep their distance. He’s fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six-foot-four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn’t expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis “Leo” Day.

Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic and the only one that can make Cash smile. He’s proud, out, and one bad-ass detective.

Together, Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta’s ever seen. Able to communicate and understand each other, without even having to voice it, they quickly climb up the promotional ranks.

When Cash saves Leo’s life in a raid that turns deadly, Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does…something special. But Leo fears he’ll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash’s heart.

Audible

Amazon Ebook

I love this series, it’s at the top of re-read list. So, imagine my excitement when Mrs. Via said she was working to put it out in audio format. I may have fangirled a little.

God and Day and two of the most entertaining and lovable characters I have ever read. They are funny, caring, compassionate and tough as nails. Not only do we get to see God and Day transition from partners are work to partners at home, we also get to ride along with some of their hilarious antics on the job. This story has it all; jokes, gun fights, closeted co-workers, and just enough of a sad backstory to balance out the story.

If ever there was a man that was made to be the voice of Detective Cashel Godfrey it was Aiden Snow. His voice is the perfect mix of deep rumbles and smooth honey. He was able to bring to life a story that I have read too many times to count and make me fall in love with it all over again. It was almost like reading it for the first time. I can’t wait to see what magic he brings to Embracing His Syn.

5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Prince of Killers (A Fog City Novel) by Layla Reyne: Exclusive Excerpt, Interview, Blog Tour and Giveaway

June 13, 2019 by Denise

No indiscriminate killing. No collateral damage. No unvetted targets.

These are the rules Hawes Madigan lives by. Rules that make being Fog City’s Prince of Killers bearable. Soon, he’ll be king—of an organization of assassins—and the crown has never felt heavier. Until the mysterious Dante Perry swaggers into his life.

Dante looks like a rock god and carries himself like one too, all loose-limbed and casually confident. He also carries a concealed weapon, a private investigator’s license, and a message for the prince. Someone inside Hawes’s organization is out to kill the future king.

In the chaos that follows the timely warning, Hawes comes to depend on Dante. On his skills as an investigator, on the steadiness he offers, and on their moments alone when Hawes lets Dante take control. As alliances are tested and traitors exposed, Hawes needs Dante at his back and in his bed. But if the PI ever learns Hawes’s darkest secret, Hawes is sure to get a knife to the heart—and a bullet to the brain—instead.

There’s no shortage of twists and turns in this new romantic suspense trilogy from Layla Reyne. Prince of Killers is book one of three. Fair warning: buckle up, cliffhangers ahead!

Prince of Killers by Layla Reyne

Series (name + # in series): Fog City #1

Publisher: Layla Reyne (Self-Published)

Release Date (Print & Ebook): June 10, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook): 216 pages (52K words)

Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense

Warnings: Explicit sex including mild kink; explicit language; violence; instances and/or discussion of homophobia; off-page instances and/or discussion of PTSD, drug use, and abuse of minor characters.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Get to know more about Layla Reyne in this fun Review Tour Q&A!

Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, are there any you’d recommend?

Yes! One of my day jobs is as a legal resource editor, and I always have an audiobook playing when I’m doing that work. The Tales of Verania series by TJ Klune, narrated by Michael Lesley, is an absolute treasure.

What are your five favorite words?

I just need one: Fuck, especially the way Tristan James says it narrating audiobooks 😉

Do you have a favorite cover from one of your books?

This one! Cate Ashwood who did all the Fog City covers sent me the cover concept for Prince of Killers first, and I screamed “Holy Shit!” so loudly that my dogs startled. And I kept repeating “Holy Shit” for like the next week. She deserves so much credit, as does Wander Aguiar for the gorgeous photos, and Patrick Sean (the model) for just being that damn gorgeous.

He was starting to think Dante was right. Whatever was happening now was connected to what had happened then, on the night Isabelle Costa died.

That fact acknowledged—and the anxiety and unease that came with it internalized—a calm settled over Hawes. He counted the panes in the windows, waited for his breath and heartbeat to slow, then dropped his arms and turned back to his condo full of visitors. “I’ll see what I can find out today at the pier.”

“I’ve got a hearing at ten.” Helena dumped her empty paper plate into the trash. “If I don’t go by the station beforehand, I’ll swing by there after. I can be at HQ by one.”

“No,” Hawes said. “Things need to appear as usual. I would normally be in this morning. You wouldn’t.”

“I’ll go in with you,” Holt said. He patted Lily’s back through the sling. “She’s having fun being out today.”

Dante pushed off the fridge. “And I’ll have their backs.”

Helena blocked his forward momentum with her arm. “Look here, Mr. Hair—”

“Hena,” Hawes chided, while Holt laughed.

Their sister, however, held the steak knife at-the-ready and had drawn nose-to-chest with Dante, though you wouldn’t know it by her stance. For all she cared, she was taller than Dante, not a good foot shorter. “You’ve gotta give us more before I let you walk into this with my family.”

“There’s a flash drive in my coat pocket.”

“I’ve got it,” Hawes said, saving Holt the trouble of reaching around the baby and laptop. He retrieved the flash drive—generic, drugstore model—and held it out to Holt.

Holt’s wary gaze split between him and Dante. “I’m not putting that in my computer without checking it for viruses.”

“I wouldn’t either,” Dante said. “Which was why I checked it before I put it in mine. No viruses, I swear.”

Holt still hesitated. Hawes slapped the drive into his hand with a firm, “Just do it.” They didn’t have time to argue.

Hawes moved behind Holt so he could view the screen as Holt disconnected from servers and wireless networks before inserting the flash drive. No blue screen of death appeared. Holt released a held breath, and Hawes put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Then harder, unintentionally, when Holt opened the first unnamed folder and the screen filled with surveillance photos—of Hawes. From various spots around town, from the pier, from outside the family fort in Pac Heights, and in front of his condo. Each had a bull’s-eye drawn on his head.

About Layla Reyne: RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. Layla is a 2019 RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laylareyne

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laylareyne/

Newsletter: https://www.laylareyne.com/signup

AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/author/LaylaReyne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne

Enter to win 2 sets of signed backlist paperbacks (Trouble Brewing or Changing Lanes, winner’s choice); if international, signed book plates.

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Chef vs. Chef (Sizzling in the Kitchen Book 2) by M.J. O’Shea: New Release Review

June 12, 2019 by Denise

Bobby Diaz has worked his whole life to get where he is – running a restaurant with his two closest friends, no boss, no stress. When his best friend Baldwin gets the opportunity of a lifetime, he asks Bobby to take over the restaurant while he’s gone. Bobby will miss his friend, but he’s excited to put himself to the test. He can’t believe he’s getting the chance to finally be in charge.

Cal Mayer is thirty and starting over. His last relationship was a failure. His job went down the drain. So when his cousin Pete, a.k.a Baldwin Powell celebrity chef, offers him a gig in his restaurant, he can’t help but to jump at the offer to reinvent himself.

Bobby and Cal don’t exactly hit it off—to put it lightly. Bobby resents getting Cal dumped in his lap. Cal doesn’t appreciate Bobby’s frosty attitude. They’re stuck together day and night, and their chemistry is undeniable… but will it be sweet summer love or a case of too many chefs in the kitchen?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was totally meh. It’s readable, but utterly forgettable.

Quite a bit of the book is spent before the two main characters even meet each other. Both went through a big change in their lives so it is them (separately) getting their feet under them again.

Then they do meet and because of a stupid misunderstanding, one hates the other.

Then finally, FINALLY, they kiss. And it’s like this fast forward through all of the fun stuff. “Spring turns to summer…”. Uh, ok. What about THEM? As a couple? Dating? Cute flirty stuff?

Even during the hate period, it wasn’t even competitive fun hate. It was just one guy being a total jerk.

Weak storyline that really had potential. Weak characters. Weak romance.

Just meh.

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

His Consort by Mary Calmes: Audiobook Review

June 11, 2019 by Denise

A new life in New Orleans is all Jason Thorpe had hoped: His quaint little store attracts a devoted staff, and his warm, loving heart grants him a loyal circle of friends. He’s perfectly content, having left behind the chill of a confusing and danger-filled night in Washington, until he discovers something unbelievable lurking in the steamy darkness of the shadowy streets of the Vieux Carré, something that turns out to be terrifying…and utterly mesmerizing.

The prince of the vampires, Varic Maedoc, is visiting New Orleans when he finds out the man who once helped his counselor is there in the Quarter. He thinks to simply meet and thank Jason – until he lays eyes on him. Varic’s devoted himself to protect the honor of his race, and he’s never wanted a mate before…but he immediately knows he must have this man, and no one else will do.

Varic may want to bring Jason safely into his world, but someone who doesn’t like the human’s soothing influence on vampires has deadly plans that would disrupt Varic’s dreams. Now, unable to tell friend from foe, Jason finds himself wondering how to hold on to the prince’s heart when he’s fighting for his life.

Title: His Consort
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Scott Smith
Release Date: December 20, 2018
Category: Vampires
Length: 6 hours, 33 minutes

Audible

Amazon Ebook

I am a huge fan of Mary Calmes, I will read or listen to just about anything she writes. When I saw His Consort I was a little skeptical, I have a hard time finding vampire stories that keep my interest. I feel like most of them are too cliche, almost campy.
This one grabbed my interest from the first word. The story itself was entertaining with just the right amount of intrigue to keep my interest peaked. Mary’s vampyrs introduce you to a whole new vocabulary which at first I thought was going to be difficult to remember because, hey I’m listening and my memory is crap, but I didn’t have a problem.

I haven’t had the pleasure of listening to anything else narrated by Scott Smith, but holy cow that voice. He gives life to Varic Maedoc like I don’t think anyone else could. His voice is cultures and smooth as honey. His voice has a rich cadence that draws you in.

I can’t say enough good things about both the story writing and the narration, both are amazing. I’ve already read almost everything by Mary Calmes, I will definitely be looking up more work by Scott Smith.

4.5 Pieces of Eye Candy