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Friends Like Them (Redemption Ridge Book Four) by Aimee Nicole Walker: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Owen Doyle’s rough beginnings taught him not to form attachments, yet he’s drawn to Tyler Booth like a magnet. Their relationship has blossomed from strangers to the best friends, with each twist in the journey weaving their connection tighter. But Owen has a six-year secret that’s become unbearably painful to keep. As the seams of his resistance fray, Owen will lean into a new mentoring opportunity to keep from ruining the best thing in his life.

Tyler will never regret going to jail and getting sober because meeting Owen saved his life and taught him how to trust again. Their inseparable bond has earned much teasing over the years, but Tyler doesn’t recognize himself without Owen. When he senses a yawning chasm between them, he’ll turn to mutual friends for help. Their well-meaning advice opens Tyler’s eyes to unexplored possibilities and will snap missing puzzle pieces into place.

Some hopes are too big to stifle, and some truths are too big to ignore. A photo booth, smoking-hot kisses, and honest revelations will take Owen and Tyler’s intimacy to a whole new level. But before they can achieve their happily ever after, they must unload the baggage from their pasts. Will the road to discovery guide them to the necessary healing, or are the guys destined for the highway to heartache?

Friends Like Them is book four in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. Friends Like Them contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

“I have a hard-on,” Tyler whispered. He lifted his head, met Owen’s gaze, and swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. “For you.” Tyler stepped closer and swallowed hard. “And you’re hard for me too.”

The wondrous expression on Tyler’s face made Owen want to smile and laugh, but he didn’t want Tyler to think he was making fun of him. That was the absolute last impression he wanted Tyler to have about their first kisses. But how honest should he be? He didn’t want to scare Tyler off after yearning for this opportunity for so damn long. Owen wanted to believe Tyler’s erection signified something deep and meaningful, but it could have resulted from friction and loneliness. Please let it be door number one. Owen tempered his naturally assertive personality and aimed for chill. He took a step forward, too, so that they were toe to toe in the cramped space.

“I am very hard for you.”

Tyler closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Owen longed to lean forward and kiss his neck, but he didn’t dare move. Tyler twisted his fingers in Owen’s shirt again and opened his eyes. “I don’t know what to do with this.” He didn’t mean literally. They’d shared a small jail cell for two years, and Owen had heard the unmistakable sounds of Tyler jerking off when he thought Owen was sleeping. Tyler had meant he didn’t know what to do with an erection for his best friend, who also happened to be a guy. Tyler wasn’t raised in a world where men chose other men. Yes, he’d been around gay and bisexual men for the past four years on the ranch, but he never pictured that future for himself.

The turmoil in Tyler’s voice made Owen’s heart fall. In a perfect world, one kiss would prove they were meant to be together. Hell, that sounded more like a fantasy than any version of the world they lived in. “We don’t have to do anything about it, Ty. We could pretend it never happened.” Well, Ty could. Owen would hold on to the moment until his dying breath.

Tyler darted a glance toward the photo tray. Owen removed the strips, folded them in half without looking at the images, and tucked the pictures in his pocket. He’d take them out later when he was alone and let his mind run as free as a wild mustang.

“We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, Ty. Nothing has to change. You’re still my best friend.” Owen’s voice came out a little shaky, and Tyler’s eyes widened. One of them sounded terrified, and the other looked it. Their friendship was the single most important thing in both their lives. Owen would do anything to keep Tyler in his life, even if it meant an end to his impossible dream.

Tyler swallowed hard. “You want to pretend it didn’t happen?”

“I didn’t say that,” Owen replied carefully. “I said we could.” He again debated just how honest to be with Tyler because he couldn’t get a good read on his reaction. Tyler seemed upset by the idea Owen could forget about their encounter, but he didn’t sound encouraged by the notion Owen wanted to remember it. He felt damned no matter how he responded. Someone thumped into the booth again, giving him a valid excuse to postpone a further response. “Can we talk about this in private?”

Tyler searched his eyes for several seconds before nodding.

“We should probably get back out there,” Owen suggested. He received another nod, but neither made a move toward the door. “You should probably turn loose of my shirt first.”

Tyler looked down at his hands but didn’t release Owen’s shirt. “I can’t.”

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. Somehow I missed the third (I’ll be remedying that) and here we are at book four. There is nothing wrong with this book at all. It just lacked a big emotional punch for me.

Tyler and Owen have been around since the beginning of the series. Best friends practically connected at the hip. We didn’t get to know a ton about them except that they met in prison, became best friends and both came to Redemption Ranch upon release. And normally I really love friends to lovers stories. It’s one of my favorite tropes. But besides Tyler getting jealous at the beginning because Owen was helping a new employee, there was just no bang. No sizzle.

Owen was out and proud. Tyler was very closeted. But they went from best friends to kissing to a relationship in a blink. Not a blink, but literally one night.

Then I was expecting angst later on in the story. Nope. Previously Tyler had been very intimidated by Hope, local shop owner, hippie free spirit. But after he got with Owen, totally fine there too.

The book was fine. The story was fine. These two guys belonged together. But this story just felt like filler.

3 pieces of eye candy

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Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me at:
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/aimee-nicole-walker
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AimeeNWalker
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/aimeenicole.walker
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Blog – AimeeNicoleWalker.blogspot.com

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My favorite place to hang out and chat with my readers is my Facebook group. Would you like to be a member of Aimee’s Dye Hards? We’d love to have you! Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AimeesDyeHards/

Connect with Aimee:
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Daddy Christmas by Cara Dee: Excerpt and Release Day Review

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Standalone • Holiday Romance • Age gap • Comedy • Silver Fox • Age Gap • Daddykink

The annual holiday office party is the one occasion my silver fox boss isn’t his rigid, uptight self—not to mention completely liberated of a sense of humor. For a single, magical evening, he replaces Armani with a Santa suit and grabs a couple drinks with his employees. He might even chuckle once or twice!

Through no fault of my own, I end up half-naked and embarrassingly drunk on candy cane Jell-O shots. I plant my sweet rear on his lap, call him Daddy Christmas, tell him I’ve been a good boy, and ask for a very specific gift.

So I’m pretty sure I’m about to get fired.

Amazon – All Regions

I cleared my throat to get his attention. “Mr. Abrams?”

He stopped typing on his computer and peered at me over the rim of his glasses.

“I have a delivery for you from Mr. Williams on the ground floor,” I said. “Suravi’s not here, but I can leave it on her desk if you’d prefer.”

He dismissed that and motioned for me to come forward.

I could make some serious strides on my Fitbit in his office, it was that big. At least compared to the tiny office I shared with Mya and Kim. And “office” was a stretch. Only a single single wall separated us from the cubicle area.

“It sounds like a Christmas gift, sir,” I commented as I handed him the parcels.

“It makes sounds?” He wasn’t pleased. “Then please stay here while I open it so I can decide whether to send it back with you.”

Hey. Rude. “Maybe Santa can replace it with a lump of coal.”

“Perhaps,” was his only reaction.

While he carefully tore the wrapping, I inspected his boring desk. I mean, the desk itself was nice, probably some expensive mahogany or oak thing, but he had nothing personal on it. No photos, no knickknacks. I knew he was unmarried and had no kids, but he had several nieces and nephews.

“It’s a nice rug you have here,” I offered. “I kinda wanna do cartwheels on it.” Or break-dance all over it with Kim.

He paused his unwrapping and glanced up at me. “You don’t have to fill the silence.”

“No, I know. I do that voluntarily.”

“That’s a shame,” he muttered and returned to his gift.

I suppressed a sigh and stuck my hands down into the pockets of my slacks.

The only thing that was a crying shame was this fun-sucker of a man. I could count my interactions with him on one hand—in the four years I’d been here—and they’d all required some serious aftercare to brighten my mood again.

Underneath the plain wrapping paper was a bottle of whiskey or scotch, and he held it up to read the tag strapped to its neck.

“This is a nice bourbon,” he commented. “I’m sure my uncle will enjoy it.”

“Sir?”

“It’s addressed to Clarke Abrams, my uncle.” He set the bottle aside, along with the other parcel, and I cursed to myself. “I assume this package is for him too. I’ll be at corporate tomorrow—I can deliver them to him.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Very few things embarrassed me, but this kind of mistake definitely did. My collar felt tight, and my ears started burning.

“I’m so sorry, sir. That’s my mistake,” I managed to say. “Mr. Williams told me to personally deliver it to Mr. Abrams at corporate, and I just assumed he meant you—and you’re here on Wednesdays, so… I’m sorry. This isn’t actually my job, so you don’t have to worry about this happening again. I’ll be back at my desk as soon as the servers—”

“Please, for the love of God, stop rambling.” Mr. Abrams leaned back in his seat. I swallowed uncomfortably. He observed me. “If Mr. Williams gave you the instructions, your assumption feels…foolish.”

“Yep. Well aware. It’s been a long week.” Fuck, let me get out of here, please.

“It’s Wednesday.”

“So people keep telling me.” I gestured to the packages. “May I have them back? I need to go downtown before your uncle leaves for the day.”

“He won’t get them, regardless.” He checked his watch. “He leaves right after the breakfast meeting on the days my aunt gets dialysis.”

That was…sweet, I supposed. Clarke Abrams was in his seventies, if I wasn’t mistaken. It probably wouldn’t be that many years before he handed over the corporation to two of his sons and the nephew in front of me.

I suddenly had an idea. “You’re going to corporate tomorrow.”

“As I mentioned.”

 “And you live in Santa Monica, right?”

His forehead creased. “I do.”

“So you’re passing Culver City on the way,” I said. “We can carpool. Pick me up outside the office tomorrow, and that way, I can follow Mr. Williams’s order and deliver the packages to Mr. Abrams myself. What do you say?”

“I was unaware that you were capable of following orders.”

“Hey.” I put my hands on my hips, getting a tad irritated. I knew I’d fucked up. How long did I have to suffer? “You’ve never complained about my work before. Please cut me some slack.”

He frowned at me. He was good at that. “I don’t even know who you are, what your name is, or what it is that you do here.”

“My name is Parker Jacobson, and I’m a mildly insulted graphic designer,” I replied. “I designed your business cards, among other things.”

Such as this year’s gift to the employees from corporate.

“I see.” He leaned forward and picked up one of his business cards from the little holder. “Well, Parker Jacobson, it’s not normal behavior to ask your boss for a ride.”

My ears felt hot again. The man made me feel like Bambi on ice, which I’d already thought was my default setting in life. I usually tumbled around and hoped for the best. And I knew I wasn’t always normal. Most people had a little voice in the back of their head that let them know what was okay to say out loud. Well, that voice fell out and died when my mom dropped me as a baby.

“Excuse me for trying to save the planet,” I fibbed. “We’re in a global climate crisis, you know.”

He snorted at that, and for a fraction of a second, I swore I spotted a smile. I took that as a huge win.

Then he pushed the packages my way again. “Be downstairs at seven thirty on the dot, and if you speak excessively in the car, you’ll walk the rest of the way.”

“Thank you so much, sir.” I grinned and hurriedly scooped up the packages again. “I’ll have the bottle rewrapped. I’m looking forward to my walk. See you tomorrow.”

Gotta love a Christmas brat and a Christmas Daddy…

I loved the dynamic between Parker and Wyatt. Parker is goofy and silly but also takes his job seriously but is all about being a bratty brat. Especially with Wyatt. Who everyone thinks is a grouchy curmudgeon, which kind of he is. Until Parker changes him. Then Wyatt turns into a pile of goo with cartoon heart eyes.

But don’t you worry, he embraces the Daddy role in the bedroom no problem. And out of the bedroom without the sex. He and Parker are like 2 pieces of a puzzle and just meld together perfectly.

This whirlwind romance is a great read. Even though it is short the characters are well developed, the story doesn’t seem rushed AND we get a character cameo appearance. A Cara Dee specialty.

The *only* thing that didn’t jibe was that Parker and his 2 work mates seemed to be tech support at the beginning but then were graphic design. Tiny detail.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex. 

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly. 

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write. 

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

No Backing Down (Zone Defense Book 4) by Becca Seymour: New Release Review

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When we’re both needy and tactile AF, it’s no wonder everyone thinks my best friend and I are an item. But that’s so not what’s going on.

Cassius Britton, the mouthy basketball player for the Minnesota Eagles, is my soul mate. He has been since he shared his gummy bears and let me have all the red ones.

Because that’s the kind of person he is—selfless and sweet. But he’s so much more than that. He’s the man who rescued me from my homophobic parents. He’s the man who brought me and my sister into his family home and wrapped us in love and sunshine.

All of that, and so much more, makes us soul mates—which doesn’t mean he’s meant to be mine.

And when I become a dad and have to balance being a cop in our small town while dealing with grief, of course he steps up, because that’s who Cassius is.

But when I need to get married, when I need a man to step up and be by my side, maybe Cassius is too close. Too much of a risk.

Because how can I possibly marry my best friend and not start to fall, especially when the secrets between us are so explosive, they’ll either burn us to the ground or set our hearts free forever?

Trigger warnings can be on the Blurb page at the beginning of the e-book or on my website’s product page.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I love a good friends to lovers story. And this was guys who had been friends since they were 5. So I was ready.

Overall, it was a good story. I enjoyed that it started back when they were kids. But there were quite a few as they touched heavily on big moments in their lives. Then there is a time jump of like 6 years. I’m unsure of the exact time but college is over and they are both well established in their careers. I wanted to see a continuation of their connection instead of a time jump that brought them together because of a crisis.

Working through the crisis we get explanations of how and when different things happened. But I feel like those things deserved more attention than they got. A lot more.

It was an enjoyable read, but I wanted a little more.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

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Becca Seymour is the #1 gay romance best seller of the True-Blue series. Known for “steamy and endearing” and “emotionally profound love stories” (InD’tale Magazine),
her books have been nominated for multiple RONE Awards.

Becca lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, Becca’s life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.

Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, sheep, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.

Once Upon a Christmas House by A.D. Ellis: Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

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Ivyrson is the quintessential Scrooge when it comes to anything having to do with the holidays. However, the chance to win a hefty chunk of money and free repairs on his old home is enough to entice the man to take part in a holiday-themed reality game.

Emory has had a crush on his older brother’s best friend for years. When the chance to help Ivy possibly win a reality game comes along, Emory doesn’t hesitate. After all, that’s what friends are for.

The two men have known each other forever, but living together and pretending to be a couple means getting to know each other on a whole new level. Can they convince the viewing audience their fake relationship deserves to win the grand prize? Or will Ivy and Emory get swept up in the holiday magic and find themselves falling in love for real?

Once Upon a Christmas House is a steamy, forced-proximity, fake relationship, M/M Christmas romance between a grumpy Scrooge and his best friend’s cheery little brother.

Title: Once Upon a Christmas House
Authors: A.D. Ellis
Length: 70k
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Emory winced. “Do you think we should try to have separate rooms?”

“No way,” I said, then paused. “Unless you don’t want to share my room? I’m just thinking we run the risk of getting caught if we’re not playing the part of loving boyfriends the whole time.”

“Agreed. I just feel bad making you sleep with me.”

I wrapped an arm around his neck and ruffled his hair, the minty citrus scent tickling my nose. “As long as you don’t snore like Trevor, we’re all good.”

“Be thinking of questions and logistics we need to hammer out,” Emory said. “I’ll bring dinner.”

“Aww, already such a sweet boyfriend,” I teased.

“I’m a damn delight,” Emory said with a wink and made me laugh.

Those words stuck with me the rest of the day as I worked in my shop—my dream career, my pride and joy, the way I kept myself from going insane—and by the time I set to work on my last appointment of the day, I couldn’t help the smile that lingered.

Emory Bell was a damn delight.

I’d miss Trevor on this adventure, but I wasn’t going to complain about getting to know Emory a bit better.

For a guy who didn’t have a lot of close relationships, I’d take what I could get.

Maybe I’d never find love—wasn’t looking for it, wasn’t cut out for it—but having a couple good friends, a gorgeous old house, and my shop was just what my heart needed.

It would have to be enough.

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Escape into addictive, sexy, emotional M/M romance.

A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as an instructional coach/teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of over two decades haven’t driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.

She loves chocolate, hot tea, sweet wine with friends, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don’t leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.

A.D. uses she/they pronouns.

Connect with A.D.:

ALL LINKS LISTED- https://www.adellisauthor.com/mylinks/
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Kicking it with my Best Friend: Out and Kickin’ Book 3 by Riley Long: Blog Tour Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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.                              .

A childhood pact changed everything.

I loved my life. Sleeping around. No commitments. But my mother kept prying into my love life, wanting to see me happily settled down.

The remedy seemed to magically reveal itself when I stumbled onto Travis, my childhood best friend, on a dating app. When we were in elementary school, we promised to marry each other if we were still single at thirty.

Reconnecting, I proposed we give the pact a real shot. To my surprise, Travis agrees. Somewhere in the midst of planning our wedding, the unthinkable happens. Our feelings for each other become… real.

As the day of our fake marriage grows near, how do I tell Travis I want the real thing and for him to be mine forever?

Title: Kicking it with my Best Friend
Author: Riley Long
Length: 40k
Series: Out and Kickin’, Book 3
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, marriage pact, player/virgin, opposites attract, slow burn

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“Doesn’t it seem like a good idea? Don’t you think it would solve most of our problems?”

I shook my head and laughed. As outrageous as it seemed, the idea was taking root in my mind. I didn’t hate it. “Problems?”

“Yeah. We’re both single, you’re thirty already and I’m about to turn thirty, and we both have families that won’t stop meddling in our love lives and pestering us to settle down with someone. We agree that living alone can be lonely. Besides, we like each other. We’re friends. Hell, you know my past better than anyone. And, if we move in together, we can both save a ton of money on bills—which will help you with that park ranger salary you mentioned. Plus, we promised.”

He had good points. I was tired of coming home to a dark house every night, and I acutely missed having Parker in my life. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, would it?

I took a deep breath. “Well… I’d hate to let younger me down. But what if we start all this and decide we hate each other?”

“We won’t. It’ll be so easy, like we never spent any time apart. But if we hate each other, it’s not like we can’t back out. Wedding planning takes a while. We can cancel it. Or get divorced or whatever, if we have to.”

“What about money? Weddings cost money. Are you going to talk your parents into paying?”

He laughed. “I do okay working at the agency. I can pay for it. I can cover the wedding and the honeymoon.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Honeymoon?” When I said it, my voice came out sounding a little choked, heat flooding my gut and groin. I didn’t hate the idea of a honeymoon with Parker, even if it meant… well, I’d think of that later. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

He nodded. “Hell yeah, I’m sure.”

“You always were impulsive.”

“This isn’t impulsive. This is decades in the making,” he protested.

Book 3 which can be a stand alone. And while this book was fun, it was the weakest for me, so far.

I loved the premise. The one guy in the friend group who loves hooking up and one night stands, reconnects with his childhood friend-who happens to be a virgin. Oh. And they made that silly little “if we are still single at 30 we’ll marry each other” pact.

(We’ll ignore the fact that same sex marriage wasn’t legal then, mmmkay?)

Instead of rediscovering each other first, they pretty much immediately decide to get married. As friends. When one of them loves to hook up. And no long engagement either.

So, ya, it was a fun story, but so much of it was wedding planning, convincing their friends that they were seriously getting married and not communicating with each other. DUH! I guess what I was missing was the romance. And it could have been there. There was some, but just not enough. And the most romantic, completely swoony thing happened near the end. While it was awesome where it was, I wish there was more leading up to it.

Fun, quick read with a HEA.

3 pieces of eye candy

Riley Long is an author of gay romances novels spanning many genres from contemporary to paranormal. They live a quiet life in Virginia, with their husband, son, and two very silly pit bulls.

They spend their evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television (or not so bad television).

For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo, GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs.

They like things with silly acronyms.

Riley can tell you two different stories about getting covered in dairy products for a hug.

Connect with Riley:
https://www.facebook.com/WriterRileyLong
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https://www.instagram.com/writerrileylong/
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You Can Do Magic: Carnival of Mysteries by RL Merrill: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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From the author of Foreword Indies Finalist Summer of Hush and BookLife Prize Quarterfinalist Brains and Brawn comes a new installment in the series, a contemporary gay romance with a side of time travel and magic.

Musical prodigy Kallos Alexandrou has played his calliope for countless visitors at Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, but his one-year residency has come to an end. Scars from a terrible tragedy in his past are the only explanation he has for his loss of speech and memory, but it’s time to move on, so when a music festival sets up next to the carnival, Mr. Ame sends him off with identification, a bottomless billfold, and a set of new clothes. Outside the carnival’s perimeter, Kal finds himself in an unfamiliar world surrounded by strange instruments and vibrant people like nothing he’s ever seen.

Ryan Wells is the troubled and celebrated lead singer of the metal band Backdrop Silhouette. He’s brought more than his share of baggage on the last cross-country Warped Tour, including harsh restrictions placed on him by his parole officer and the band’s label, but it’s the treatment from his bandmates that have him feeling unsettled. After a tough morning, he spots a strange young man playing carnival music on a keyboard backstage, and the sound takes him back to a particularly vulnerable time in his youth. Intrigued, Ryan asks the young man’s name, but he flees only to appear later as a replacement stagehand for the tour.

An invitation from the band Hush to ride on their bus gives Ryan and Kal a welcome distraction. They find the camaraderie and support they’ve both been craving…as well as a little magic and a fresh new romance. But personal secrets and the music business make relationships difficult to maintain, and when the tour ends, Ryan and Kal will have to make a choice: move forward together on an uncertain path, or let fear keep them from trusting that sometimes you really can have everything you desire.

You Can Do Magic is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains a Depression-era calliaphone, a Ouija board with a purpose, and tour bus hijinks that will warm your heart and make you gigglesnort. Reading Summer of Hush and Brains and Brawn before this book will give you the full Warped Tour experience, but You Can Do Magic can be read as a standalone as well as the other books in the shared universe. Recommended 18+

Title: You Can Do Magic
Authors: R.L. Merrill
Length: 60+k
Series: Summer of Hush/Carnival of Mysteries Shared Universe. Summer of Hush #3
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Despite Krish and Silas insisting I go with them to the carnival tonight, I’d convinced myself I would stay in, maybe write, maybe lay in my bunk and stare at the ceiling for many hours. I had this hollow feeling that, in the past, I would have filled with alcohol until I either passed out or found someone to fuck. Now that I’d made a promise, a commitment, that I wouldn’t partake of mind-altering substances, music was the only thing that kept me from drowning.

I’d had it out with Parker before the rest of the guys left to go to a bar in Nashville and hear some local music.

“I know the guys are annoying, but Ryan, you gotta get your priorities straight, man. If you can’t get along with them in the long run? Maybe we need to think about making some changes.”

What he meant was, changes that involved my future. Oscar and TJ had been embraced by the fans and were favorites at our signings, and they might accept me being out of the band by now. There had been a vocal minority who’d said I shouldn’t be allowed back after my prison stint. But the majority had welcomed me. I’d received letters from other ex-cons and even folks still locked up that thanked me for showing them there was life after prison. That meant more to me than being worried about Parker’s veiled threats.

“It’s carnival time, dude.” Silas hopped up the steps of the bus toward me and stuck out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled him into a bro hug, holding on a little longer than normal. He didn’t know it, but he’d just saved me from yet another downward spiral. He’d done it once before, the night he’d sang “Angel’s Son” with me. I’d been ready to say fuck it that night and go out looking for booze, but he’d agreed to my plan, agreed to help me finish the album I’d written with Gavin. Silas’s friendship was one of the only positive things keeping me going right now. I should tell him, but he probably wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Shit. We’re doing this. Okay. Let me grab my wallet.”

I took a minute inside the bus to brush my too-long hair out of my face. It was scraggly at the ends. I barely looked presentable anymore. I grabbed a ball cap someone had given us from a canned water company called Liquid Death. “Murder Your Thirst” it said. So cheeky. I shoved it on backward and put on some lip balm, then turned back to Silas. He was bouncing his knees and looking up at the white board we had hung up on the wall for notes to each other. At this time, we had our schedule for the next five days, and then there were a couple of vulgar drawings.

“I can see you want to add something.”

Silas grinned at me and picked up the marker. He hummed as he drew pictures of TJ and Oscar, and then drew a giant dick ejaculating on them. He popped the pen cap back on and turned to face me. His shit-eating smile made me laugh for probably the first time since…well, since I’d met Kal.

“I mean, it’s not going to win me any awards, but you can tell it’s those two, can’t you?”

I sighed and gestured for him to exit the bus. “Yes, you can tell. I’ll probably hear about it later.”

He stopped and pushed past me. “Then let me leave my name. I don’t want them thinking it’s anyone other than me.”

He signed the drawing Love, Silas, July 2018.

“There! Perfect. I always take credit for my shenanigans.”

“Fucking Franklin. All right. Let’s go. You get Los to agree to come? He seemed leery about hanging out with some colorful folks tonight.”

“Nah, he’s staying behind, but we brought someone else.”

I followed him down the steps, watching as I went because I’d already stumbled twice getting off the damn bus. The steps were really funky. When I finally looked up, there was Kal.

He held up a hand and waved hesitantly.

I wanted to hug him even tighter than I’d hugged Silas. I couldn’t believe how happy I was to see him. After I’d walked away from him earlier, I’d known it was the right thing to do, and yet it took all of my strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I wanted him near me. I wanted something good in my life.

Knowing full well I was an asshole for being happy, I grinned at him. “You survived your first day, huh?”

Silas put his arm around Kal and beamed. “He sure did, and if he survives the rest of the tour, I think we might poach him. Theo is going back to school and wants to be close to Merch Girl Mischa, so we’ve got an opening for a tech, and since we’re headed to Europe, we could really use someone good.”

Silas patted him once more and let go. Kal watched him with a shocked expression. I wondered what he thought about all that.

“I suppose it also matters whether Kal wants to remain with you heathens.”

Silas looked at me like I’d just suggested someone might actually be immune to his charms. “What do you mean? What could be better than touring with us?” His confusion quickly morphed into laughter. “You’re right. Kal, I won’t be offended if you think me and my band of messy men are too much of a mess for you. So, do you have other plans? Headed home after Warped? What do you think?”

Kal opened his mouth and then shut it, his cheeks flushing. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts—

Lord, whoever’d dressed him deserved my gratitude. His legs were paler than his arms, but they were sculpted like a statue I’d once admired in a museum, I forget which one. Long and lightly dusted with golden hairs that caught the fading light of the sunset.

My silence must have been noted by Krish. He cleared his throat. “We gave him some of the sample clothes from Roxanne’s brand. It’s so hot out—”

“Hot. Yes. Looks good.”

It was clear I was ogling him, and though these guys were used to my quirks, it was an awkward moment. I’d drawn Silas once. He wasn’t a good model, as he fidgeted and talked the whole time. I knew there were rumors about what happened at my drawing sessions. Nothing had happened with Silas. Couldn’t say that for all of my models.

“Right, well. Shall we?” Silas gave me a look like down, boy. “I keep smelling that damned cotton candy and my sweet tooth is begging me for some.”

I stood next to Kal and looked up at him. I liked the way he met my gaze, unafraid, unashamed, as if he were accepting my challenge, or challenging me. This back and forth had me fired up.

“We shall.”

This book sounded interesting to me. And it’s a stand alone that is set in the same world as 12 other books. But I think I missed the point by not reading at least the first of the others.

After a year in a magical carnival, Kal rejoins the world. He was in the magical world because something bad happened to him. And although we find out WHAT happened, it still doesn’t explain why he was in the carnival.

He meets Ryan, a musician in a band on the Warped tour. Ryan is also a mess- for several reasons. We get an explanation of them all but it didn’t feel complete.

I just felt like there was no real cohesion to the story. Kal is seemingly unsurprised at everything in the world even though a lot has changed since he was last in it. I know he saw things while working in the carnival but definitely not everything.

And everyone seems to crap on Ryan even though he is trying to make amends. He even goes out of his comfort zone so the band doesn’t lose money and they STILL treat him like crap.

I think I would understand Ryan and all of the different things going on with the bands if I had read those books by the author.

If you are a fan of this author and had read previous books with a lot of these characters, I think you will like this book more than I did. But there were too many loose ends that didn’t get tied for me.

3 pieces of eye candy

Whether she’s writing swoon-worthy contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

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