Randomness

The Way to a Man’s Heart by Ann Marie James: Blog Tour, Exclusive Author Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

June 24, 2021 by Denise

The heart wants what the heart wants…

Christian Diaz grew up as the best friend and unofficial bodyguard to the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Corazón. After an incident left him questioning his place in the castle, Christian joined the military and didn’t return for ten long years.

Now he’s been assigned to the castle as Royal Military Liaison to investigate the source of some recent threats against the crown. The annual Midsummer’s Ball is the perfect place for the anti-monarchy group to make their next move, so that’s where Christian will be too. If it gives him a chance to reconnect with his friends in the castle and make a play for the man he has compared all others to, it’s even better.

Max Ramirez is now the head chef for the castle. He started as a sous chef at age twenty when Christian was just an awkward teen. Now that Christian’s back at the castle, all grown up and interested in Max, the chef is determined not to let an opportunity with Christian pass him by.

When someone tries to sabotage the Midsummer’s Ball, Max and Christian need to work together to track down the people determined to make this event their last.

Title: The Way to a Man’s Heart

Author Name: Ann Marie James

Publisher: Totally Bound

Release Date: Tuesday, June 22 2021

Story Type: Novella 20k-50k

Word Count: 33982

Genres: Contemporary Gay Romance

Pairings: m/m

LGBTQ+ Identities: Gay

Keywords/Categories: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Gay, LGBT, LGBTQ, Royals, Thrillers and Suspense, gay romance, mm romance, gay, new release, announcement, giveaway

Warnings: This book contains mentions of drug use, obsession, references to parental abuse, drink spiking, violence, attempted rape, and attempted murder.

Amazon

Pride Publishing

Ann Marie James sitting down with one of the characters from The Way to a Man’s Heart

Ann Marie: Greetings, Princess Zia. Thank you for agreeing to an interview.

Princess Zia huffs, while crossing her arms over her chest: My parents didn’t give me a choice. They said you’ve interviewed everyone else and I have to do it.

Ann Marie: Well, I appreciate you being here at any rate.

Princess Zia: I’m here what do you want to know?

Ann Marie: Are you excited for the Midsummer’s Ball?

Princess Zia: Not really. I mean my sister invited so many people. She wanted it to be inclusive. Really? It’s supposed to be an event and she invited the gardener and his wife. She said he earned it with all the hard work he has done for her.

Ann Marie: I understand it’s quite different from your event.

Princess Zia: Oh yes. My ball, you had to be someone to make it on the list. It was wonderful. Everybody being so nice to me to try to get an invite. I was sorry the event was over and people went back to their regular lives. Not that the lives aren’t fabulous of course. I can’t live a life that’s not absolutely spectacular.

Ann Marie: I can see that. I don’t think there’s one thing on your person that isn’t designer. Let’s move on to a new topic. Your sister heads to college in the fall. Your brother also has his bachelors and masters. Any plans for you to attend college?

Princess Zia: Who has the time? I have responsibilities here. I can’t leave.

Ann Marie: We would be interested in what those are?

Princess Zia: Making sure this family stays relevant. I mean my parents are rather boring. They would rather stay in and eat as a family. We need to be seen. Make sure everyone knows who we are.

Ann Marie: I’m sure everyone in the country, if not the world knows who you all are, would they really forget if you went to school for four years?

Princess Zia: The people on this island need something to aspire to. They look at me with my perfect hair and my perfect clothing and they want to be me.

Ann Marie: I hear more about Prince Sebastian and Princess Katarina whenever I talk to people on the island. They do a lot of good in the community.

Princess Zia sniffs: Like I care about what the people on the island think. You obviously haven’t spoken to the right people. The people with money and power.

Ann Marie: Ah. So it’s really just the rich people you want to impress.

Princess Zia: Exactly. And I do impress them. As I said, they want to be me.

Ann Marie: Okay then. Well, I think we’ve covered everything. Anything you would like to add?

Princess Zia: Only that if people think that Katarina’s ball is something, then they should have been at mine. Oh wait, they couldn’t. (Princess Zia laughs her way out the door.)

The royal family of the Kingdom of Corazón greeted their guests for the Midsummers Ball as Christian watched. He ran a hand down the front of his dress military uniform to straighten it while he waited for his turn to be announced. This was his first formal duty as the newly appointed Royal Military Liaison, and he needed to make sure he looked his best. He shifted his feet to find some relief for his ankle, which was still sore from him standing for a long time. His last mission had not gone to plan, and a broken ankle had been the result. Although the cast had come off a couple of weeks prior, it still wasn’t one hundred percent.

“Royal Military Liaison Lieutenant Diaz,” the herald announced. Christian caught the eye of Crown Prince Sebastian toward the end of the greeting line and his best friend’s eyes widened in surprise before his face lit up with happiness at seeing him. As the only child of the Castle Commander, Christian had grown up here, but he’d been in the service away from the castle for ten years. At thirty, Christian was the same age as Crown Prince Sebastian. They had been best friends from the time they had been in diapers, and even though Christian and the prince still got together when their schedules allowed, it wasn’t the same as seeing and being with him every day. Christian had missed him fiercely.

The royal children of the kingdom were usually paired with a young playmate from the age of about ten. Christian had started earlier than age ten as Sebastian’s companion, since he was always with him anyway. As Castle Commander, his father was the head of the guard slash castle security. He’d taken the companion idea a step further and trained Christian to be as good as he could be in martial arts and marksmanship. In his father’s eyes, Christian was to act as another line of defense for the Crown Prince. While Christian had not carried a gun—that was the role of the actual bodyguards—he was trained in case he ever had to use one.

With a nod to the herald, Christian stepped forward to greet the Queen of the Kingdom of Corazón. Queen Tania reached out both hands to Christian, and he clasped them and raised them to his lips while bowing over them. “My Queen… It is a pleasure to see you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Lieutenant Diaz, it is a pleasure to see you as well. Ten years is way too long. We have missed you.”

“I apologize for the lengthy absence, Your Highness. I needed a change, but I am assigned here for the foreseeable future, so you will have time to get sick of me again.”

“So my husband has told me. I am excited to have you home, although in a different capacity as the Royal Military Liaison. I look forward to catching up.”

“As do I.”

The queen turned a stern eye on her eldest daughter, who was standing to her right. “Princess Zia, isn’t it wonderful that Christian will be back with us for a while?”

Christian tried to mask his sneer as his gaze went to Zia, who was not at all happy this evening. Of course, she wouldn’t be, since she wasn’t the center of attention. She wasn’t a very nice person and never had been. She was also part of the reason he’d left and joined the military. What she did… No, he wasn’t going to think about it. It was in the past. He was stronger and even more deadly now. It was time for him to face his demons. The military had finished the training his father had started, turning him into a true weapon. At twenty-eight, Christian had hoped Zia would have grown up and stopped being so self-absorbed, but the affliction seemed to have gotten worse instead of better in the time Christian had been away.

Christian gave Princess Zia a shallow bow. “Princess Zia.” That was all he could manage. He wasn’t going to lie and say he’d missed her.

Princess Zia tossed back her hair and gave him her haughtiest look. “Mr. Diaz.”

“It’s Lieutenant Diaz, actually, Your Highness.” Christian didn’t wait for her to respond, instead turning to greet the king of the Kingdom of Corazón. A striking man, even in his fifties, King Raul Hart exuded a sense of calm authority that Christian had always admired, making him seem larger than life. “King Raul.” Christian bowed low in front of the man. When he straightened, Christian was shocked to realize that he was now taller than the king. When they had met briefly the day before, the king had been busy on a phone call and had just waved him into his office and into a chair. Christian had experienced another surprise growth spurt after he had joined the military at age twenty and was now six-three, but he hadn’t realized that made him taller than the king.

“Hello again, Royal Military Liaison Lieutenant Diaz.” The king’s eyes twinkled at him as he ignored protocol and pulled Christian into a hug. “I didn’t get a chance to do that when we met yesterday. I wanted to correct that error.”

“Yes, sir.” Christian returned the hug before stepping back and offering him a crisp salute. “Lieutenant Diaz reporting for duty, sir.”

“As you were, Lieutenant. Now I think there’s someone here who can’t wait to greet you. It was hard keeping this a secret from him.”

“I know. I talked to him earlier, and I almost spilled the beans.”

Christian moved down the line and tried to keep a stern expression on his face as he saluted before grinning at one of his best friends. “Crown Prince.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were being assigned to the castle as Royal Military Liaison?”

“I thought you would like the surprise of it. It just happened a few days ago.” Christian once more ran a hand down the front of his military uniform. “First mission, the Midsummer’s Ball. It’s a very tough assignment.”

Ann Marie James is fluent in two languages, English and sarcasm. She believes that you will never learn anything new if you don’t read as much as you can, and/or talk to every stranger you meet. She always looks for the best in people and to treat people the way she wants to be treated. Above all Ann Marie believes in love, whatever form it takes. Relationships are hard, love is the glue that keeps it together.

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011440126760

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1937561223055168

Author Twitter: @AuthorAnnMJames

Author Instagram: author_ann_marie_james

Author Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xFQJl3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shai: A dark gay romantic suspense novel (Malicious Gods: Egypt) by H.L. Night: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Giveaway

June 21, 2021 by Denise

Malicious Gods: Egypt, Book 2

How do you play a game when there aren’t any rules?

Petty crook and drug dealer Elijah Page’s plan was simple. Stay off the feuding crime-lords’ radar for long enough to make a quick buck in the city, and then get out. He couldn’t have been more naïve. Captured and beaten by McIntyre, he escapes death, only to find himself in the hands of McIntyre’s opponent. Shai is an enigma, a man as charming as he is twisted. And he’s set his sights on possessing Elijah—body and soul.

Shai will stop at nothing until he’s ousted McIntyre. In the meantime, fate has provided him with an interesting distraction in the shape of the stubborn and rebellious Elijah. Elijah’s lips may say one thing, but his body says something else entirely. Elijah might think he has what it takes to go up against a man like Shai, but he’s wrong. He’s nothing but a fly in Shai’s web, and Shai will always be two steps ahead.

A game ensues. One that Elijah may not even realize he’s playing, or just how big a pawn he is. Everything is at stake. Possibly even his heart and mind. By the time Shai has finished with him, there might not be anything left of the man he used to be.

Let the games begin.

A dark mm romantic suspense featuring snakes as a weapon, a manipulative main character, and a few twists and turns along the way.

Welcome to the dark world of Malicious Gods: Egypt. A collection of standalone modern tales, both magical and non-magical, featuring deities from Ancient Egypt. You’ll find reincarnated Gods, assassins, gangs, madness, and different realities. Expect high heat and morally ambiguous themes. Seductive and often twisted, they are not for the fainthearted.

Shai
By H.L Day writing as H.L Night

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

The kiss wasn’t really a kiss. It was more a demonstration of power and domination, Shai’s lips brutal as he ground them against mine, his arm a steel band holding me in place and leaving me with nothing else to do but accept it. There were no tongues involved, no finesse. It seemed to go on forever, my palms plastered against Shai’s chest in a feeble attempt to push him off and get him to stop.

When he finally released me, I could taste copper, my fingers coming away from my mouth tinged with blood where he’d wrought damage with his teeth. I stared at the red on my fingers, my mind performing the usual mental gymnastics that any time spent with Shai seemed to require. Was that it? Was that what he’d wanted? Would I be allowed to leave now? Was his twisted version of a date now complete?

He spun away from me, his long strides eating up the space between himself and the door. He was leaving. Thank fuck! I could go to my room and regroup. One thing was for sure, I wouldn’t be repeating today’s mistake of seeking him out, no matter how lonely I got. I’d rather go crazy in my room than place myself in a predicament like this one again.

Shai came to a halt in front of the door. Instead of pulling it open, he twisted the lock before turning back to face me. “There. Now we won’t be disturbed.”

It was an automatic reaction to take a few steps back, Shai retracing his steps to come after me. He was slow and deliberate—a panther stalking its prey. I made it all the way over to the other side of the room before the wall at my back brought my retreat to a premature conclusion. And then Shai was there, turning me so that my front was pressed against the wall, the cool surface feeling good against my splayed fingers. He plastered himself against my back, his body a hot, hard brand, his cock already swelling as he fitted it against the curve of my ass. “I’ve wanted to do this all evening.”

H.L Night is the darker alter-ego of H.L Day.
They’re still juggling teaching and writing but in a more sinister way with a much bigger moustache and more cape twirling. They’re still working on their evil laugh.

Connect with the Author:
My FB group Day’s Den – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2214565008830022/
My FB page – https://www.facebook.com/HLDay/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/HLDAY100
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14785113.H_L_Day
Website: https://hldayauthor.co.uk/
Newsletter sign up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/j7q6r7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/h.l.day101/?hl=en
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/h-l-day
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HLDay a Rafflecopter giveaway

Real Trouble: M/M Romantic Suspense (West Coast Forensics Book 1) by Elle Keaton: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

June 14, 2021 by Denise

Two men on opposite sides of the law: will they be able to set aside their differences and trust love?

Danylo Peters has issues, lots of them. He’s not on Piedras Island by accident, he’s not a nice guy, and Peters isn’t his real name. Dany’s hiding, trying to escape his family’s influence and start a new life. But he must have been born under a bad sign because the very man he’s really running from is one of the first he runs into.

A new life in a new town seemed like the right decision for Soren Jorgenson, especially after a difficult case left him recovering from a gunshot wound and lonely as he’d ever been. Finding Dany living on Piedras brings back all the feelings he’d tried to lock away. He’s angry and bitter and Dany is not going to continue to get away with his old tricks. Too bad Dany is just as compelling as he ever was.

The two men find themselves on opposite sides of Soren’s first case on Piedras, but neither is able to deny the attraction between them. They keep finding themselves in compromising situations; if they’re found out there will be Real Trouble.

Real Trouble is set in the Veiled Intentions world, while familiar characters appear Real Trouble can be read as a standalone. Real Trouble is a dual POV following Soren Jorgenson and Danylo Peters as they fight their way to their HEA and is the first in the new West Coast Forensics series. These characters originally appeared in the Shielded Hearts series (formally Accidental Roots).

Real Trouble By Elle Keaton

West Coast Forensics, Book 1

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“He tromped back to the cruiser, glad to be out of the wind. The clear nights were nice but cold. Out on the main road, Soren drove aimlessly toward the south end of the island, passing through Killegen’s Point again. Chester’s Grocery-Mart was closed, as was the hardware store across from it.

As each day passed, there were more and more people visiting the island, and some of the rental houses that had been dark all winter now had lights on in the living rooms and front porches. Even with the temperature dropping to the low forties, Soren spotted smiling people wrapped up in parkas, scarves, and knit caps hanging out on patios and decks with glasses of wine or bottles of beer in their hands.

It made him feel lonely. Or maybe lonelier.

He’d been lonely in his hometown too; the feeling wasn’t anything new. He hated that he wanted to belong to someone, wanted to be someone’s person. He could swear sometimes his heart clenched with the wanting.

The evening stretched out in front of him. He’d prefer to be out knocking on doors, rattling cages and finding out who’d killed Bryan Reynolds—and set the fire at Brooch. It was possible the two events had happened within hours of each other. Were they related? What would the murder of a struggling, but generally liked, islander have to do with arson at the resort? If they were related, it was because Bryan knew something that worried the perpetrator, and Soren needed to find the connection.

An image of Dany Petyr, dark and dangerous, wormed its way into his head. He’d spent all day shoving thoughts of the other man aside. His mental lockbox was weakening as the night of no sleep took its toll. Why, of all the men on the planet, did Dany Petyr have to be the one Soren’s heart wanted? He’d wanted Dany from the first second he’d laid eyes on him, and he wanted him now.”

Elle Keaton writes contemporary gay romance and MM romantic suspense set in the Pacific Northwest. Elle’s books are known for their hot mm romance, complex characters, and unique sense of place. The men start out broken, and maybe they’re still banged up by the end, but they always find the other half of their hearts.

Elle published first in 2017, now she has over seventeen books available for you to read or listen to. She loves cats and dogs, Star Wars and Star Trek, pineapple on pizza, and is known to start crossword puzzles with a ballpoint pen.

Love always wins, thank you for supporting this indie author!

Connect with Elle:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElleKeatonWrites
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HighwayToElle/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elle-keaton
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellekeatonauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PirateQueenRdz1
MeWe: https://mewe.com/profile/5ac2766f310a7853d4ce8ad4
Website: https://www.ellekeaton.com/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/ek-amazon-profile
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/ek-gr-profile

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cameron Wants To Be A Hero by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Giveaway

June 8, 2021 by Denise

Love, Austen (Book 2)

Lake: Did you get his number this time?
Cameron: Yes. But I’m not sure I should use it so soon.
Lake: What’s soon? Didn’t you last see him yesterday?
Cameron: I thought you’re meant to wait three days? Otherwise it looks desperate.
Lake: You are desperate.
Cameron: Thanks.
Lake: From everything you’ve told me, sounds like this could be something.
Cameron: You think?
Lake: Message him. Keep it sexy.

When it comes to romance books, Cameron Morland can always read between the lines. When it comes to real romance, he may need a dictionary.

Or Jane.

It’s Northanger Abbey, complete with a neo-gothic mansion and charming misunderstandings. But contemporary. And gay.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

To: Cameron17Morland @gmail.com

From: Henrybatilney @gmail.com

Dear Cameron,

I’m sure I barely slept at camp last night. I’m sure I was wondering how you were taking my first letter, what you think of me.

I hope you slept well.

One part of last night’s email was left on a cliffhanger . . . The armchair you tossed your gloves on when we danced.

The moment your gloves hit the upholstery, thoughts of Ralph and his padded glove hit me. How desperate he was for love behind his stoic façade. Then I looked at you struggling to voice what you wanted but saw in your eyes how much you wanted us to kiss, and I felt like Ralph looking at Laurie. I realized we are them. All of us. Anyone who faces choice in their life, and the battle it takes to follow the call of our souls.

That’s what makes the book so powerful.

It becomes a part of you, and in random moments, the emotion of reading it rises like full tide threatening to spill over a bank.

I’ve had a few of these moments since meeting you, and the gloves were not the first.

Our first night in your office, analyzing your desk and your personality, I flashed to Laurie at school observing Ralph’s desk, and at the end, when he observes it again, how much it revealed.

Then your mention of Lanyon in our first chats.

The broken gramophone, reminding me of Laurie and Andrew.

Every other day, another flash. Like an airplane runway lighting system.

Seeing you read the book makes me feel vulnerable, exposed, touched. Like you’re reading a part of me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sleep well. I’ll be dreaming of you.

Yours always,

Henry

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 emotion, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

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

Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/about-anyta/
Sign up for Anyta’s newsletter and receive a free e-book:
http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Contact Anyta:
Join my Facebook group to chat all things Slow Burn Romance:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

You can also find me here:  www.anytasunday.com

For information about new releases and freebies, follow me on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday

Cover Illustrator: Lauren Dombrowski

Lauren Dombrowski is a comic artist and illustrator based in the Chicago area. Previous publications of their work include co-written comics in Tabula Idem: A Queer Tarot Comic Anthology published by Fortuna Media, Dates! An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction (Volume 3) published by Margins Publishing, internal illustrations in Conventionally Yours, published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, and an internal illustration in Say You’ll Be Nine by Lucy Lennox.

laurendombrowski.com
https://www.instagram.com/l.e.d.light/
https://twitter.com/callmekitto

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bad Daddy (Unexpected Daddies Book 3) by Victoria Sue: Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

May 3, 2021 by Denise

Bad so bad.

Caleb DeLuca knew that tattooed, scarred ex-cons didn’t usually get trusted with anything precious. He’d spent the second half of his forty-three years atoning for the lives he had destroyed in the first half and was shocked to get invited to the club his brother-in-law owned, especially when he found out what type of club it was.

Max was too young, too beautiful, and too fragile for Caleb to get any ideas they could ever be more than friends. Besides which, Max was searching for a man that could inflict the pain he craved, and Caleb was done hurting people.

Even if that was what they wanted.

Bad Daddy is the story of a man who doesn’t believe he deserves anything good and the boy who finds out that sometimes the best things might come in the most unexpected packages.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Book 1: One Cup Of Daddy and a Dash of Love

Book 2: A Daddy for Christmas

“Max?” Caleb called out loud enough to rouse him but not to frighten him. Max grunted but didn’t open his eyes. “Max, you’re going to have to take the cock cage off. It needs to come off.”

Max mumbled and tried to turn on his side again. Caleb sighed, then as quickly as he could, eased the strap that the key was hung from over his head. Max never stirred, and he eased the shorts down and unlocked and removed the cock cage, trying really, really hard not to look. He would not lech over a barely conscious man. Even if he would really like a second look when Max was conscious.

Although when Max knew where he was and who he was with, he would probably go back to being disdainfully polite. He’d seen the dismissal in Max’s eyes when he’d walked in and had taken the hint that Max had dropped like an anchor. Not that he blamed him. At forty-three, Caleb had to be at least double his age. Caleb huffed as he eased a pair of his sleep pants on Max. They were ridiculously large, but he hoped Max would appreciate waking dressed. He followed that with a too-tight T-shirt—or too tight on him anyway—and managed to rouse Caleb sufficiently to get him to swallow a couple of sips of water before rolling him over and putting a bowl on the floor in case it was needed.

Now what?

He could go downstairs and sleep on the couch. That was easy, and he’d slept in far worse places, but what if Max got sick again? He was still pretty much out of it, and Caleb wondered why. He’d been better at the club, but this seemed like more than exhaustion, and he knew he’d had a glass of wine, but he knew two was everyone’s limit. Not that that had stopped him from drinking anything beforehand.

Or taking anything.

Should he get him to a doctor? Although Adrian hadn’t suggested it. It was a good job he was off tomorrow. He’d just finished the Morgan order and was ridiculously proud of it, and he had at least twenty-four hours before he needed to start his next one. His new part-timer, Rachel, could handle orders.

Caleb chewed his lip and gazed at Max. Then, getting a cloth from the bathroom and a little moisturizer he occasionally tried to use on his back, he very carefully wiped the black smears away from under Max’s closed eyes. If he slept with all that on, they could be sore in the morning. Max never moved. He was completely out of it. Caleb pushed a pillow against his back so he couldn’t roll on it, then tucked him up. Caleb’s lips curved into a smile. He was really cute.

He got the spare blankets from the cupboard and a pillow and made himself a bed on the floor. Close enough to be near in case Max needed him, but far enough away to resist temptation.

A little while later, Caleb wasn’t sure what had woken him at first until he heard the toilet flush, and everything came back to him in a rush. He immediately sat up as the bathroom door opened and Max crept out.

“You feeling any better?”

Caleb kept his voice low and steady, but Max still jumped a little, then groaned. “My head’s going to explode.”

Caleb stood, glad he had sleep pants on, and walked over to where Max sat on the edge of the bed, shivering. “Did you have anything earlier that would interfere with taking some Tylenol now?”

Max hesitated for a fraction of a second, and Caleb knew he was going to lie before he did so.

“No.”

Caleb’s heart sank. He guessed this was what had been wrong earlier, and he sat on the bed next to him. Much as Caleb wanted to wring Max’s pretty little neck, Max was an adult, even if he wasn’t acting like one. “How about we try that answer again?”

Max’s head shot up, and his eyes widened as if he hadn’t been expecting to be called out.

Caleb could see his pupils were normal even in the dim light. He was conscious and alert, just miserable. “I’m not going to give you anything.” Max shivered again and seemed to fold in on himself. Caleb’s heart went out to him. “Come on, let’s get you back in bed.” Max obeyed instantly, shuffling down and closing his eyes.

“I assume this is your place?”

“Yep,” Caleb acknowledged. “You felt sick in the car, and according to my GPS, your address was over twenty minutes away.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Max murmured, opening his eyes again and biting his lip. Caleb didn’t correct the “sir” again. Whatever made Max feel comfortable was fine by him.

“No worries. Try and get some more sleep. Is there anywhere you have to be in the morning?” He checked to make sure Max had some water.

Max’s response was really quiet, but Caleb heard him loud and clear. “There’s never anywhere I have to be.”

Caleb didn’t reply. What could he say? He closed his eyes again, determined to get some more sleep, but when Max had turned over for what seemed the hundredth time in half an hour, he sat up again. “Is it your head?”

Max waited for a moment before answering. “I-I guess.”

Caleb thought about that. He didn’t seem at all sure. He also didn’t sound in as much pain as before, just frankly miserable. His eyes narrowed on the mound in bed. Maybe he was cold? He seemed to be trembling. Caleb got up and padded over to the bed, perching on the edge and touching Max’s forehead, which was about the only part of his body visible. He trembled again.

“Are you cold?” For an awful moment, he was worried it was fear that was making Max shake. He didn’t exactly inspire confidence in a lot of people. Which was ironic as for years he’d tried to make himself as frightening as possible.

“I think it’s a reaction from earlier,” Max whispered pitifully. “I’m sorry I disturbed you. I’m afraid I don’t sleep very well.”

Caleb chewed his lip indecisively, which was totally not his thing. Mel would have asked Max if he needed a hug, but Max didn’t know him, and he knew he scared a lot of people. Max shivered again. Sighing inwardly, and hoping he wasn’t making things worse, he lifted the top blanket and comforter and got in, making sure a sheet still separated them. He tugged at Max’s arm wordlessly, but Max didn’t seem to need things spelled out because the speed at which he rolled over and practically buried himself against Caleb’s side shocked the fuck out of him.

Caleb tucked all the blankets firmly around Max and shushed him soothingly. In another moment, Max had stopped shivering. Maybe five after that, his body relaxed. Caleb doubted it took another five minutes before he was asleep.

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

Victoria Sue Amazon Page

One commenter on this post will receive anything from Victoria Sue’s back list plus a $5 Amazon gift card (US)!!!! Just leave your comment.

Split Shift by TA Moore: Blog Tour, Exclusive Short Story, and Giveaway

April 15, 2021 by Denise

The hard thing about Night Shift is when you realize werewolves are bad news, but people can be worse.

After Night Shift officer Kit Marlow solved the murder of child star Haley Jenkins, he figured he was due a little down time. Maybe even a dinner date with Cade Deacon, the sarcastic security consultant, very good kisser, and werewolf who’d helped with the investigation.

That was before someone in a Night Shift uniform drove them both off the road. With the full moon up the only dinner date Cade is interested in…has Marlow served up on a plate. And not in a sexy way.

It’s the second time that corrupt Night Shift officers have tried to kill Marlow. If he has his way, it will be the last. Problem is he only has twenty-eight days before the next full moon. If he hasn’t identified who wants him dead by then, he’ll have to take to werewolf filled streets with a team at his back he can’t trust.

First things first, though. Get through the next twelve hours alive and uneaten, and hope that if a second date is still on the cards it’s less eventful.

Title: Split Shift

Publisher: Rogue Firebird Press

Release: April 19

Link: https://books2read.com/splitshiftbook2

Amazon

First of all, thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here with my new release, Split Shift by TA Moore, the second novella in the Night Shift series.

For the blog tour I’ve written a short story set in the Night Shift world. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Still no text from Brian.

From the icon positioned next to it he had read it, but that was it. Marlow leaned against the back wall of the briefing room and stared at the screen as he tried to work out where he stood.

He started to type and got as far as the second ‘r’ in sorry when he stopped, deleted it, and started again.

I’ll make it up to you?

Or use a full stop and make it a promise. That projected a lot more confidence than he had right now.

He held his thumb over the send button as he debated whether to hit it or not. The rest of the team’s arrival interrupted the debate. He closed the app down.

“Phones away, Marlow,” Bailey said as she headed to the front of the room. “If you make me take it off you, then you won’t get it back till the end of shift.”

A few chuckles circled around the room as everyone took their seats. Piper gave Marlow a glance as he came in, an eyebrow raised to suggest a question. Presumably about the earlier conversation.

Marlow nodded as he tucked his phone into his back pocket.

“OK, Last night went well. No-one died while we were around, so I’m calling it a win,” Bailey said. “We did have an accusation of unnecessary force brought by some bleeding heart from St Michael’s–”

Bennett raised her hand and pointed at herself.”

“–against Bennett,” Bailey confirmed. “So IA is all over that, but I’ve reviewed the files and, unless and until new information comes up, they’re happy to let me keep you on duty. Like I said, no-one died.”

Bennett leaned back in her chair, balanced on just the two rear legs, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Damnit,” she said. “I thought I’d get a night off.”

Everyone laughed. Even Bailey gave an amused snort. “You wish,” she said. “OK. We have a VIP in town, big time lawyer slumming it down here for a client. They can’t get out to the Reserve and make court tomorrow, so dawn hits check the Crate for this guy.”

She held up a photo. The trim, grey-haired man in it didn’t look like someone who’d get tossed in the crate, but the wolf wasn’t the man.

Bailey ran through the rest of the briefing. A wolf in the Gaslamp District with a fixation on someone’s house, drug runners in Encinitas that had used the full moon as a distraction, and pack activity in Mesa Verde that needed broken up. Wolves were mostly solitary, meetings usually lead to fights, but sometimes they weren’t. No one knew why–plenty of people had theories about ‘natural alphas’ or population pressure, but they couldn’t back them up–but everyone agreed it wasn’t something to encourage.

It was supposed to be a pack of wolves that kicked off the French Revolution, when they broke into the Royal Preserve and slaughtered rings around them. Nothing that dramatic had ever happened in San Diego, but even small groups of wolves could be dangerous and destructive. It was best to nip it in the bud.

“Last on the agenda, but not least,” Bailey said as she flipped the folder closed. She waved her hand to the front of the room, where Franklin had taken up residence at one of the desks. “We have a new Night Shift officer on deck. Officer Franklin passed his PFQ with flying colors, and we’re glad to have him here. Keep an eye on him, show him the ropes, and make sure he doesn’t break that other hip.”

Franklin stood up and held his arms out. “I’ve already given one hip to the city,” he said. “I’m here to put the other on the line.”

Someone threw a balled up bit of paper at his head. He caught it before it hit his face and tucked it in his pocket.

“Love notes already,” he said. “I’m touched.”

“Settle down!” Bailey barked. “You are one night in, two nights to go. You’ve held the silver line so far, don’t slip up now. Get out there.”

There was only lime-and-lemon Gatorade left in the cooler stashed under the seat in the back of the Bearcat.

“Sorry,” Franklin said with mock-contrition as he finished his swig on the blue liquid. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I guess I took the last cherry Gatorade. Is that your favorite?”

Marlow grabbed a green bottle and dropped back into his seat. “No, it’s fine,” he said as he twisted the lid off. “I don’t care.”

It was the truth. He didn’t even like cherry flavor. Even if he’d been parched and that was all he was allowed to drink, he’d not have taken Franklin’s bait. If it turned out that they couldn’t work together, Marlow wasn’t going to take the blame for it.

Franklin stared at him and then sniffed to himself as he twisted the lid back on the bottle. Next to him Bennett paused mid-check on her gun to laugh.

“C’mon, Marlow,” she said. “Throw the guy a bone and be pissy about something. It’s his first night.”

Marlow took a drink of the tart, over-sugared energy drink. It cleared the taste of smoke and blood from the back of his throat. There had been a fire in an apartment building. The fire department had handled that, but it had been Night Shift’s job to keep the place clear until it did. “There’s nothing to be pissy about,” he said. “As long as he does his job and I can do mine.”

“Oh yeah?” Bennett jabbed her elbow into Franklin’s ribs, hard enough to make him grunt. “Want to see how it’s done, rookie?”

He gave her a dour look. “You know I’ve been Night Shift before, right?” he said. “Back in Frisco?”

“Didn’t ask and don’t care,” Bennett said. “You want to see how a real San Diego Night Shift officer gets under Marlow’s skin?”

Franklin put the bottle between his knees and crossed his arms. He grinned slowly. “Go on then.”

Great. They’d teamed up. Marlow watched them both grimly as he left the bottle to his lips again.

“That firefighter was checking you out,” Bennett said. She waggled her eyebrows at him. “The hot one.”

“With the hair?” Franklin asked. “The redhead?”

Bennett’s grin widened. “Not his type. No, the Korean guy with the tats.”

“Oh,” Franklin said. He thought about it for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, I can see what you mean. I mean, I think he checked my ass first but who can blame him.

The tips of Marlow’s ears were hot. He tried to pretend they weren’t as he swallowed and put the cap back on his bottle.

“I was too busy doing my job to notice,” he lied. Senior Firefighter West was not someone who went unnoticed, even by someone who had a boyfriend. At least, they did until said boyfriend got around to dumping them. “And I’m sure he was too.”

Bennett rocked back in her seat and slapped her knee. “Please!” she said. “He was ‘thank you for your service’ and bedroom eyes at you. You could have absolutely closed that deal if you’d made a move, Kitty.”

The back of Marlow’s neck stung and he glared at Bennett. “If I–”

He was interrupted by the static of the radio and the clipped urgency of Dispatch’s voice.

“–we have a 19-03c at Bishop and 9th,” Dispatch conveyed. “Can you respond, David-10?”

“On it,” Piper told them. He glanced over his shoulder into the back. “Hold on.”

The Bear-cat took a hard left and peeled through the intersection. There was, for once, no one else on the roads. A stray wolf shot over the tarmac after something and went under the wheels. Marlow felt the bump of it as it rolled under them. Years of injunctions to be a good driver made him feel guilty, even though the wolf would be back on its feet in a minute.

“19-03,” Franklin said. “That’s a wolf-fight, yeah?”

Marlow drew his gun.

“Just a question,” Franklin said with a smirk.

“19-03c,” Marlow corrected him as he checked the action of the gun and holstered it again. “Wolf-fight with children in the area.”

Bennett pulled her helmet on and tightened the strap under her chin. She ran her finger under it to uncrease her ears.

“Or as they like to call them,” she joked grimly. “Hors d’oeuvres.’

TA Moore is a Northern Irish writer of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance novels. A childhood in a rural, seaside town fostered in her a suspicious nature, a love of mystery, and a streak of black humour a mile wide. As her grandmother always said, ‘she’d laugh at a bad thing that one’, mind you, that was the pot calling the kettle black. TA Moore studied History, Irish mythology, English at University, mostly because she has always loved a good story. She has worked as a journalist, a finance manager, and in the arts sectors before she finally gave in to a lifelong desire to write.

Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.

Website: www.tamoorewrites.com

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

Twitter: @tamoorewrites

a Rafflecopter giveaway