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Blind Date by Kay Doherty: Release Blitz, Excerpt and Review

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Dekker Callan is content with his life though he knows something is missing. Wanting the kind of love his friends share with their partners, Dekker is talked into taking part in a modeling and dating show as part of a fundraiser. He immediately falls in love with the anonymous, sexy voice on the other side of the wall, but fate has a surprise in store–his mystery man isn’t single.

Slade Gannon wasn’t supposed to take part in the dating show. That spot was for his roommate, Phil, who becomes ill and asks Slade to take his place. Slade has just recently gone through a breakup with his cheating boyfriend. Shocked and pleased when he wins the interest of handsome Dekker Callan, before he can go on the obligatory blind date, his ex asks for a second chance. Believing Dekker can’t possibly be as good on the inside as he looks on the outside, Slade gives George a second chance.

Dekker and Slade hit it off immediately, drawn to each other despite Slade being involved with someone else. They finally get their chance to be together when Slade finds out his boyfriend is still cheating, but just as they seem to discover the happiness they’ve been waiting for, George throws them one last hurdle—and this one may prove to be insurmountable.

Title:  Blind Date

Series: Back in the Game Book 1

Author: Kay Doherty

Publisher:  Ninestar Press

Original Release Date: 8/29/2016

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 158 pages

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

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If he’d known a week ago that Dekker was more than a handsome face and hot body and would turn his crank as hard as he did, Slade would have told George he’d lost his chance. Why he’d taken the cheating bastard back was beyond him at this moment. Slade would bet any amount of money that Dekker wasn’t like that. Dekker would be loyal and faithful and love the man in his life with everything he had. Dekker had already asked more about Slade’s life and business than George ever had. How sad was that?

Slade closed his eyes as the hand he was holding disengaged from his fingers to find his waist. Strong arms encircled him and a hot, hard body pressed against his back. He felt Dekker’s erection press against his ass as the man moved perfectly in time with Slade’s dancing. The song had a fast Latin beat, and Slade rolled his hips, loving the feel of Dekker’s body and prominent arousal pressed against him from behind. Slade placed one hand on top of Dekker’s at his waist, threading their fingers together, and reached his other hand behind him to pull Dekker’s head forward. Dekker lowered his head without argument and buried his face in Slade’s neck.

The song ended, and Dekker pulled away slightly, but still maintained his hold on Slade’s waist. The waiter found them on the dance floor, and Dekker took the beers while Slade pulled a twenty from his wallet and handed it to the server. He accepted his beer from Dekker and took a long pull. Slade was in so much trouble right now. He wanted Dekker badly, but Dekker deserved to be the center of his lover’s attention, not just a piece of ass on the side.

Dekker drank his beer quickly, took Slade’s from him, and discarded the bottles on an empty table nearby before pulling Slade back into his arms. Slade slipped his arms around Dekker’s neck. Dekker led them in a slow dance despite the fast-paced music blaring around them. Each step caused their pelvises to grind against each other, moving their erections up and down and across one another. Slade pulled Dekker’s head forward so their foreheads touched. Damn, he liked being close to Dekker like this. Slade liked the fact that he was the only one Dekker had eyes for; that he was the only one Dekker was dancing with.

Dekker’s hands slid south over Slade’s butt and then one slipped back up under Slade’s shirt. Slade’s skin was on fire where Dekker’s palm massaged. Slade pushed his hips forward, seeking out more of Dekker’s hardness. The man was an addictive drug. The more of him Slade got, the more of him Slade wanted. Dekker gripped Slade’s ass and pulled him tighter against his body. Slade lifted his eyes to Dekker’s molten hazel gaze. He licked his lips, and Dekker’s eyes dropped to his mouth. Dekker groaned and kissed him, hard. Slade opened his mouth to Dekker’s assault, and the kiss deepened, tongues battling for dominance.

Both men came to their senses at the same time, and they pulled apart. Dekker kept his hands on Slade’s waist, and Slade held onto Dekker’s elbows. Both of them knew the line they had just crossed, but neither was willing to stop touching the other. Dekker pulled Slade back into his arms, and they started dancing again, though this time there was a distance present that had been missing before.

“Fuck,” Dekker said in his ear.

“Yeah,” Slade agreed. He had no words for what just happened between them, but “fuck” seemed to sum it up well.

I hadn’t heard of this series, but I liked the idea of a blind date, and a little bit of longing from afar. The funniest part of all of this…I hadn’t heard of indoor skydiving before (what Dekker and Slade do on their first date), and then the day after I finished the book, I happened to be in Virginia, and literally walked around the corner and found an indoor skydiving. **Side note, in the book Dekker and Slade talked about how sore they were the next day, and as I went in and watched a little bit of it, I can absolutely see why! It looks fun though!)

Anyway, onto the book. This book was a little confusing to me in spots, because I didn’t know how I felt about Slade not quite cheating physically on George, but definitely emotionally cheating, despite all the reasons that he had to do so. It wasn’t necessarily cheating, simply because it was obvious what the situation was. However, I had a hard time not feeling that Slade should have chosen to break up with George knowing how he felt. And also knowing the Dekker wasn’t hiding that he was going after Slade, with full effort.

I did love their relationship though, it was easy for them. They were able to connect well, and it allowed them to be comfortable with each other from the start, not necessarily because of physical attraction, but because they understood each other. I was really enjoying their relationship. And all their friends! The side characters were fun and made such a great addition to the book.

Definitely would like to read a second book in this series.

4 pieces of eye candy

Kay lives in Colorado with her husband and their animal children. Family is important to her, so there are weekly visits to her parents and frequent text messages with her brothers. She has a severe addiction to coffee and Mexican food. Kay loves to read and write and can easily become consumed by it for hours, much to the dismay of the husband and dogs. On occasion she can even be convinced to venture out into world of the living.

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Tour Schedule

10/17 Amy’s MM Romance Reviews

10/17 Two Chicks Obsessed

10/18 Slashsessed

10/19 Bayou Book Junkie

10/19 Megan’s Media Melange

10/19 MM Good Book Reviews

10/19 Southern Babes Book Blog

Slide & Rare by Garrett Leigh: Retro Tour, Quick Reviews and Giveaway

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Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back…

Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.

Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.

Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Sheeeeeeeeew.

That’s how I feel right now. Emotionally wrung out and lifeless. Lets discuss.
So, part one, we have Ash’s POV. A newish tattoo artist with a lot of talent and a really shady past. After losing his mother at a young age, he spent the rest of his youth in group homes, foster care, hostels and eventually on the street. That’s where his best friend Ellie found him and took him under her wing. You’ll like her, she’s great….

When Ellie pulls him off the street and with her, she saved his life. When she found him a roommate, paramedic, Pete, Pete saved him from himself.
When Pete met Ash, he was a shell of a person; quiet and withdrawn and at times, he’d gaze far away and get lost in himself. Flashbacks and bad dreams of a life better off forgotten the only time Ash felt okay was when he was with Pete.

I adored these two together because Ash needed Pete so much, he literally couldn’t function without him, and Pete would do just about anything to lessen the pain he saw in Ash. I guess I could see some co-dependent issues, but who cares? When you find someone who gives you peace, you hold on to that, and I was glad that Ash didn’t push Pete away.

I also loved the secondary characters; Pete’s mom, Ellie, her family (though her sister I could’ve done without, or at least if someone would’ve punched her in the face a time or two, that’d been okay). Her dad really surprised me and wasn’t at all how I pictured him when he was described by the guys. I was grateful he wanted to help Ash so much. I loved Joe, I hope we see more of him and even Charlie, I suspect he has some demons.

It was a tough road, seriously, my heart hurt so bad for Ash, because I have experienced myself with mental illness and I love someone who suffers from it as well, so from both sides, I was just a mess.
The only part I didn’t care for, was the coincidence about Daryl Hunter. I mean, of all the places in the world, they came from the same place and ended up in the same place? It wasn’t like he followed Ash there, he’d never seen him again, it was just by chance… that seemed a little too much for me, but it made for an angstier story.

Overall though, it was hard for me to get into this story at first, but once I was in it… I was hooked. I’ve already snatched the other two and I’m jumping right in. I cannot wait to see what’s next for these two.
I hope Ash gets well and truly healed, as much as he can from the past he’s remembering… and I hope that Pete continues being there for him and they get their HFN…. I’m a sucker for a HEA, so I hope they have one coming!.

4 pieces of eye candy from me.

Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.

Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.

Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Holy effing angst…

If you thought we were done with the angsty, and on to a steady, smooth ride… you are so wrong. I think this one might’ve hit me harder than the first one did.  Everything was going great for the guys, and I felt like they were finally in a good place. Work sucked for Pete, and he was thinking about finding something else to do, having gotten burnt out on all the death and destruction… I could understand it… but things with Ash were going well and I loved seeing that.

For Ash, he was coming to terms with his past and maybe getting to a point where he could accept things… he was even seeing a therapist. When a trip to Philly with Ellie, turned into an ambush he didn’t see coming… it sent his world spiraling again… (though not like last time). I could understand his hesitance, absolutely. Though, it turned out to be best the thing that ever happened to him.

Also, be prepared for another huuuuuge coincidence. Just like the first one, this one doesn’t seem believable either… it’s just too far-fetched that you’re left like… okay, what are the odds… seriously? If we’re going to have such random coincidences, they should at least be believable….and while I loved this one, and I loved how all ended up, but getting there was…. Tough…. I want to tell you all about it, but seriously… just go read it, you’ll see what I mean.

What I wasn’t prepared for, was part II…. When an accident throws everyone up in the air. Ash has to be the strong one this time, and in a time where he’s not even sure he can be there for himself, let alone Pete… He does it though, of course, he does. He loves him. They love each other so much, even when things go wrong…..

The connection between these two is so tangible, even through a computer screen (which is how I’m reading it). You feel their need for each other, and as long as they have each other, then everything else is just a small bump in the road. I loved that. The possessiveness and protectiveness. I loved seeing the roles kind of reversed here a little bit, and even with all Ash had going on, he pushed it all away to be there with Pete… even when Pete was pushing him away. (Only for a little it)

Overall, though… I’m loving this series and I’m a bit obsessed with these two as a couple. I loved seeing their family grow, and Ash accepts the people in his life who just wanted to love him. I hope we get more of all of them in the next one, and I’ve already bought it, so I’m jumping right into it, for sure!

I love this series… I love the HFN, and I really hope these two get their perfect HEA… they both deserve it so much!

4 pieces of eye candy for me on this one
On to the next!

 

Book #1 – Slide – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 – Rare – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #3 – Circle – Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

 

October 16 – Two Chicks Obsessed, October 18 – We Three Queens, Open Mind For A Different View, October 20 – Love Unchained Book Review, Book Corner Reviews, Mikku-chan, October 22 – The Secret Ko, Wicked Reads, October 24 – Mainely Stories, Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, MM Good Book Reviews, October 26 – Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, My Fiction Nook, Lillian Francis, Xtreme Delusions, Jessie G Books, Book Review By Virginia Lee, Mirrigold, Jim’s Reading Room, My Book Filled Life

 

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock sitemoonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

 

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Devil Take Me Anthology: Exclusive Author Guest Post – Rhys Ford, Blog Tour

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Devil Take Me Blurb:

Temptation lurks around every corner in worlds sometimes dark, sometimes lurid. Giving in is both dangerous and satisfying, though never in the ways one expects. While these enticements offer a vast range of benefits and boons, the cost is a soul and the devil expects his due. Sometimes suave and charming or calculating and cruel, these devils have schemes and desires of their own. They can be creatures to run away from… or toward.

Join the most unique and celebrated authors of LGBT urban fantasy and paranormal fiction for a fast-paced and unpredictable ride, from a city on the other side of reality, to a world suspended in dusk, to a twisted version of the 1960s and 70s.

Meet devils in top hats and waistcoats, a defrocked motorcycle-riding priest, and a genderfluid antihero—among many more. Full of humor, romance, horror, action, intrigue, and magic, these stories have one common element….

They’re one hell of a good time.

Wonderland City Blurb

Author: Rhys Ford

When Xander Spade went through the Looking Glass, he wasn’t looking for salvation. He’d been running from the devil who took his soul, only to fall prey to the greatest monster in Wonderland City, the Queen of Hearts. Years later, the Queen is dead and Xander has a chance to go through the Looking Glass and back home where he belongs.

Xander’s devil wants him to find a little girl who escaped into Wonderland City, before her presence brings down an apocalypse of uncontrollable chaos to the already mad world. Along with Jean Michel, the former Knave of Hearts, Xander now is in a race against time to find the missing child before all Hell breaks loose and he loses his chance to go home.

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I love Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. I found these books when I was younger and devoured them. I can’t even tell you how many times I bought them because they didn’t survive me or were lost in one of my many moves. I currently own four copies, including the Kindle version because why not.

So when we started to talk about doing the Devil Take Me anthology, I knew I wanted to dive into that world but not during the timeline of the books. Especially since I wanted to explore what would happen to Wonderland after the Queen of Hearts fell and how a little girl — a very human little girl — would affect the chaotic carousel of Wonderland’s infrastructure.

Because nothing can mess up chaos more than a little girl.

But I didn’t want to write one.

Instead, I wanted to introduce a new take on the Queen’s deck of cards. A sort of Battle Royale situation where she pitted people against one another to become her favourite and right before she was taken down, that position was held by Xander Spade, a human who’d traded his soul to the devil in order to escape the life he was living on Earth.

This change up allowed me to expand on Wonderland, evolving it from the place Carroll left it to a post-industrial revolution sprawl where magic might be king and any inventions have to be cobbled together by whatever technology is brought through the Looking Glass. So in essence, I had a sort of Victorian-influenced society with bits of modern touches populated by Wonderland’s creatures as well as a couple of humans I tossed in for good measure.

I wanted to keep this in a more noir vein, a bit of that language and tone because I felt that smoky, metal taste in the words would enhance Wonderland’s current state.

And well, there’s always the fun and dabs of violence and horrific to play with.

I had a lot of fun writing this somewhat familiar world with a different twist to it. I loved figuring out the machinery and tech brought into the world, extrapolating how Wonderland City would adapt things like cars and landlines to the reality and also what was the realm’s normal.

Telling the story from the POV of a human who’d been there a while was a great challenge because he was rooted in the familiar of an Earthen perspective yet still be able to function in the Looking Glass world without being overwhelmed by the fantastical.

Because we had a lot of room to play with word wise, I was able to introduce Xander as a character and establish a bit of the world before plunging directly into the main part of the story. Since I always view the environment as its own character in the story, it gave me some time to play with the surroundings and at the same time, embed Xander into the space.

Also, I could have a really great time playing with the Looking Glass characters and explore how Xander would fit into it. And since he really just wants to go home, explore how he could get out of the crazy realm he’d been thrust into after signing his name on that dotted line.

I hope you all have as great of a time reading Wonderland City as I had in writing it. I am beyond honoured to be included in this cast of great writers and the anthology was a fantastic project for us to let loose and stretch our wings, letting us take our imaginations to places for a brief jaunt and delve into storylines we hadn’t yet explored.

Thank you for having me along for the ride and I hope you enjoy your trip through the Looking Glass.

Rhys Ford

 

Tour:

10/10/18 – My Fiction Nook: Jordan L. Hawk

10/11/18 – It’s About the Book: TA Moore

10/12/18 – Love Bytes Reviews: Ginn Hale

10/13/18 – Joyfully Jay Reviews: C.S. Poe

10/15/18 – Two Chicks Obsessed: Rhys Ford

10/16/18 – The Novel Approach Reviews: Jordan Castillo Price

 

Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and is a two-time LAMBDA finalist with her Murder and Mayhem novels. She is also a 2017 Gold and Silver Medal winner in the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Book Awards for her novels Ink and Shadows and Hanging the Stars. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and DSP Publications.

She’s also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of something personal and really, who doesn’t mention their cats, dog and cars in a bio? She shares the house with Harley, a grey tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled alley cat who isn’t sure living inside is a step up the social ladder as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering make-believe people.

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Point of No Return by N.R. Walker: Audio Book Review

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Book one in the Turning Point series.

Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives. He’s been labeled the golden boy of the Fab Four: a team of four detectives who’ve closed down drug-rings all over the city. He’s smart, tough and exceptionally good at his job. He’s also a closeted gay man.

Enter Kira Takeo Franco, the new boxing coach at the gym. Matthew can’t deny his immediate attraction to the man his fellow cops know as Frankie. But in allowing himself to fall in love with a man known to his colleagues, Matthew risks outing them both.

Matt and Kira work to keep their relationship and private lives hidden from Matt’s very public life, fearing it would be detrimental to their careers. But it’s not the other cops who Matthew should be worried about finding out his deepest, darkest secret…. It’s the bad guys.

Third edition – has new cover and has been re-edited, though no new content has been added.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

I always love NR Walker. This series is no different. It follows Matthew Elliot, a closeted LA detective and Kira Franco, the new boxing trainer at the police gym. Insta-lust ensues and it doesn’t take long for these two to hook up. So, sexy times are taken care of pretty quickly, but why then are there 3 books? Well. Naturally there are issues. Let’s start with Matt being closeted, and Kira sort of is too. Matt also has some abandonment issues from his youth, which hurts my heart because he’s rather sweet. Then of course there’s also the bad guys we’re dealing with as part of Matt’s job. Matt is mostly happy keeping his private and work lives separate for now and he’s in no rush to come out with Kira, who is also mostly okay with that. But his Enemy #1 uncovers his weak spot and puts Matt in that position he wasn’t yet ready to be in. I can always get into the skin of Walker’s characters and I’m gutted and torn and confused like they are when they have to consider what their issues are and determine if this new person in their life is worth them trying to overcome these issues, whether it’s coming out to others, trusting your heart with another person, the logistics of creating a new life with someone — and their family. Matt and Kira are sweet together and they make me happy.

In book 2, Matt has quit his job as a detective and has joined an underground MMA fighting club. See, Matt has slowly developed a liking for the physical pain because he feels guilt for putting Kira in danger at his old job. But while he’s taking his penance in the ring, he’s not being entirely honest with Kira. As the months go by Kira sees Matt changing into a kind of rage-aholic and he doesn’t know why. Guys, my heart *hurt*. I even cried a little. Poor Kira doesn’t know what’s wrong and Matt isn’t shedding any light on the situation, even though it’s tearing him apart.

Starting Point is also heartbreaking in its own way, as Matt seems to have finally shaken his demons and begins working with kids in self-defense training and drug counseling. Matt feels a bit helpless when it comes to the underserved kids he works with daily, but as time goes on, he learns to better distance himself while still providing guidance and opportunities for the kids. This book is really about Matt learning to find a new passion for work, with Kira by his side rooting him on.

The audio for the series was read by Sean Crisden, and I’m always torn by Crisden’s work. He reads well and has distinctive voices, most of which are really good. But one of his “voices” just sounds so … unenthusiastic about everything. It makes me feel like the character is just a mopey Debbie Downer. But the story is good and I liked the characters, and I soon got past it. Don’t let that stop you from listening.

4 pieces of eye candy

Flash Me by K.M. Neuhold: Exclusive Guest Post, Excerpt, Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Liam

I was kicked out at sixteen for being transgender, but it turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to me. At twenty-one, I have a fantastic new family made up of my brother and a handful of wonderful friends, I own my own photography business, and I’m happier than I imagined possible. There’s just one thing missing… Okay, maybe two…

Wyatt

When I took the position volunteering as a therapist at Rainbow House, I knew I’d found my place in the world: helping teens who had been rejected by their families. What I didn’t expect was the friendship I formed with Liam or how it would grow over the years into a crush I just couldn’t shake. I’m happy to see him finally opening himself up to dating with someone he trusts like Owen. But when he comes to me and asks if I can help his boyfriend, I feel like there’s more to the request than just a few therapy sessions. The more I get to know Owen, the more I like him, too.

Owen

I’m not sure why I believe so much in fate when she’s dealt me nothing but crappy hands—a stint in prison and enough childhood horrors to fuel all my adult nightmares. But I still hold on to the idea that everything happens for a reason. What I can’t figure out is why fate would plop me naked into Liam’s bed under the pretext of helping him with a photo series for a gallery showing. Or why my stomach goes funny every time he smiles at me. Liam is too sweet to be exposed to my demons, but I don’t know how to protect him…Maybe that’s why fate gave us Wyatt.

***This is the seventh book in the Heathens Ink series. Each book in the series CAN be read as a stand-alone, but characters do re-occur so it’s more fun to read them all!

FLASH ME

A Heathens Ink Novel

K.M. NEUHOLD

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 09.03.18

 

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON CA

Why I Love Writing MMM

My latest release, Flash Me (Heathens Ink, 7) is a MMM romance between a sassy, transgender man, a mysterious tattoo artist, and the bowtie wearing therapist who completes them. This is the third MMM story I’ve written so far, and there will DEFINITELY be more to come because MMM is by far my favorite trope to write. So, why do I love MMM so much? Buckle up because I’m about to tell you.

Ménage was something I stumbled upon quite by accident. At the time, I was strictly reading MF it wasn’t very common to find. I almost stopped reading the first time, assuming it would be similar to a love triangle, which is one of my main reading turn-offs. I suppose to explain what I truly love about ménage, I have to explain what I personally don’t enjoy about love triangles.

Love triangles seem to be extremely common in hetero romance, at least at last I’d read. Even more prominent in YA romance stories, almost a requirement it felt at times. I came to detest the trope through my hours of reading YA and adult romance because I loved romance for the LOVE, and love triangles always left my heart feeling bruised for the poor soul who didn’t get the girl in the end. And how often was it so clearly the wrong boy chosen by the flighty woman?! I could hardly keep myself from throwing my Kindle across the room at times with the injustice of it all. And truly, how much can you love a person if it was so difficult to choose between the two?

Needless to say, I’d gotten to the point that love triangles were automatic DNF stories for me (and still are). So, when I first stumbled upon a ménage, I was wary. I was worried it would be little more than another way of presenting a love triangle- one unfortunate character always fighting for crumbs of love while the other two rode of into the sunset. What I discovered was something else all together.

As I said, what I love about romance is…well….LOVE! Nothing in the world makes me happier than the fuzzy, sweet, happiness of love. And as I came to discover, poly romances were all about love being multiplied rather than divided! A well written poly romance sees partners who find everything they need and more in partners who also need each other. It’s not all about the bedroom fun (although poly sex scenes are VERY interesting). But the way these characters love and care for each other, strengthen each other, and complete each other is truly beautiful.

If you’ve never read a ménage or poly romance, check one out and see why I fell so in love with the trope!

If you want to check out the MMM stories I’ve written, here’s a quick list (the books in my series CAN be read out of order, but I very much recommend reading Going Commando before Flash Me):

Going Commando (Heathens Ink, 2)

Flash Me (Heathens Ink, 7)

Heart (Ballsy Boys, 3)

And many more to come!

Alright…. sooooo, again… I am not a fan of m/m/m… I am far too psycho to share. I know this about myself, and I don’t ever understand how there can be no jealousy and whatnot… In saying that… I adored both triad’s in this series, and i have been looking forward to Owen and Liam for what feels like, so long! I didn’t feel like they were missing anything together until I met Wyatt. He fit with them perfectly, and my heart hurt for him so bad when he was on the outside looking in, crushing on them both, but being too good of a friend to do anything about it. I loved Wyatt, plain and simple. I was so glad he got his HEA.

With Liam, I was so incredibly impressed with the way he was handled. While I can think of the obvious ways in which a trans man or woman would feel, or think… I was so clueless about so much. I loved the realness of him and his insecurities. I loved the way he viewed himself and the way he let the guys in. It was a little exhausting in the beginning, jumping from POV to POV to POV… and I thought it took them all a while to get “there”….. but it was so worth it, once they did.

Owen… broody at first, secretive, hardend, convict, Owen… you wouldn’t believe his transformation in this story. He’s like a different person than he was in the beginning, but in the best way, because he’s accepted the fact that he has feelings for Royal’s little brother….who he suddenly stopped seeing as Royal’s little brother and the confident, flirty and sometimes shy and vulnerable man that he is. …. I loved his progression and the person he came to be with the help of his men.
Knowing what he’d been through was tough… especially not getting justice for what he was imprisioned for and why…. that gutted. I hate when people get away with being terrible, especially to their family…. in Owen’s case, it was his dad.
I hated that he got away with what he did and Owen paid for it, and he got no consequenses. That isn’t fair and it makes me a little sick to think about. That’s really the only problem I had with this one….it might even be one of my favorites of the series. I’m really hoping to see Kyle next!!

And lastly… the growing of everyone’s family. Madden and Thane and their babies, Gage and Adam getting a piece of preciousness…. I’m just loving it all over. I really hope this isn’t the end for these guys. I could read about them forever!

5 pieces of eye candy from me!

Holy fuck.

My eyes greedily memorize the way Owen’s soaked shirt clings to his muscles. The colorful skin of his arms glisten under the fluorescent lights of the coffee shop, and the scent of his sweat tickles my nose. I can’t say I’ve ever found anything particularly sexy about a sweaty man. Sex sweat is fine, but not something that revved my engine. Consider me a convert, because it’s taking all my willpower to keep myself from flattening my body against Owen’s and drenching myself in his sweat, licking it off his neck, and rubbing against his slick body until sweat isn’t the only thing he’s drenched in.

Fuck, I’m such a bad person. His date with Liam was last night and here I am imagining humping him like an unneutered dog.

“Out for an early run?” I guess, looking down at his running shoes.

“Yeah,” he answers without any further elaboration.

I’ve known all the guys from Heathens Ink for years now but Owen is the only one I’ve hardly  talked to, and I’m not sure why. Maybe because he’s always come off as more standoffish than the other guys? That doesn’t usually stop me with people, but I don’t have any other explanation. It feels like an oversight I should rectify. If Liam’s going to be dating him, I should get to know him better.

My stomach clenches, hot with jealousy knowing I was too late. Not that I was even too late, that I never had a shot with Liam to begin with. How can it hurt this much to know I can’t have him, when I only just realized I wanted him?

“How was your date with Liam?” I ask conversationally as the line inches slowly forward. Owen looks surprised by my question. “Liam and I are close,” I explain.

“Oh, yeah, I guess I should’ve realized. I’ve seen you two together a lot. It was great, Liam is…” Owen trails off, seeming to try to think of an adjective to describe Liam. I could help him out with that— Smart, funny, adorably shy at times, flirty and playful others, sexy, perfect.

“Yeah, he is,” I agree with his unfinished sentence, knowing he must be thinking the same things I am based on the smile tilting the corners of his lips.

I’m an author of m/m and new adult romance. I have a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well.

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Victoria Sue Montly Author Guest Post with Giveaway

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Author Victoria Sue’s monthly guest post is all about her conferences this year. She has had quite a year, as you’ll see. Damon Suede’s “ass babies” made me snort laugh. Check it out, and make sure you comment for a chance to win one of her backlist books. Thank you Victoria for stopping by! 

My Conference Year

I thought I would talk about something completely different this month, and share how my love of reading and writing has led to traveling.

This year I’ve been to Daytona, Florida. Paris, France. Reno, Nevada and Denver, Colorado – whew!

Oh, and I also snuck in our Dreamspinner author weekend in Orlando – nearly forgot about that one!

Coastal Magic – What’s the expression about a picture painting a thousand words? Well, this one is the great Damon Suede and I discussing the merits of MPreg, or ass-babies as he calls them which I find very insulting as none of my guys have ever had an ass-birth.

They may have been an ass, but that’s a whole other story…

Coastal Magic started out as a paranormal con, but has expanded and is my favorite. Not least because it’s on the beach. (Or specifically has a beachside bar which is the best way to appreciate sun and sand in my opinion.)

The three-day event includes Cinema Craptastique – where you get to see Damon being -well, Damon (always a treat) Lunch With An Author (included in Registration) A Mardis Gras party and lots of panels and prizes. https://coastalmagicconvention.com/ Check it out.

Paris – Salon Livre. I have NEVER seen so many people buying so many books in all my life. Dreamspinners along with MXM and Juno (French publishers and translators of many gay romance titles) were incredibly busy (rammed is a good Brit word to describe how busy it was) In fact the Dreamspinners stall looked like locusts had been through by Sunday afternoon. This is me and Nalabela who translates many of our titles.

I’m lucky to write for such a fab publisher who puts on an author weekend every year where we get the chance to learn new cool stuff – Geoff Symon who is a Federal Forensic Investigator walked us through a real-life case and showed us how they worked out the who, the what, and the how on earth did they manage it??

We also get to meet up and connect with other authors, share experiences, and network… Okay, that’s a lie. We met in the bar. Well, we networked in a bar with a very nice exchange student waiter called Sven…

But that is definitely another story.

 

 

On to Nevada. Wanna bet what I was doing? The hotel had a casino which I think is a given there. I attended the last ever Romantic Times (Think the magazine and reviews etc.) conference.

I’m actually very lucky to be an attending author next year at the conference which will replace RT –https://www.bookloverscon.com/ in New Orleans next May and it’s going to be fabulous! Check out the authors and events and better still if you register before September the 15th you go in a draw for a free hotel night’s stay.

And last but not least Denver, Colorado. This is a conference for romance writers but includes a large public signing. It’s three days of learning about every aspect of craft imaginable and helping us get a better book to you every single time. As you can see Charlie Cochet, Mary Calmes, Jessie Potts and I were all working very hard. There might have been a bar. (You can sense a theme here, huh?”)

There are lots of cons I couldn’t get to this year. I’m bummed to be missing GRL, but neither my budget or my marriage (!) would stretch to another one. I haven’t decided where I will definitely be attending next year, but so far Coastal Magic and Book Lovers are confirmed.

Sooo… watch this space.

A standalone in the Enhanced World 

Deaf since childhood, Sebastian Armitage had a promising musical future until his dreams were shattered when he transformed at twelve years old. In a world where enhanced humans are terrorized and imprisoned, his life shrinks around him even more as he suffers the torment of his father’s experimental research to enable him to hear.

Gray Darling—struggling with the scars left by his experience in Afghanistan—agrees to provide short-term personal protection when anonymous threats escalate into assault on those closest to Seb.

As the lines between protection and attraction blur, Gray and Seb can’t ignore the intense feelings drawing them together. But secrets and betrayals might prove deadly, unless Gray is willing to risk it all. And Seb must find the strength to make his own future and sing his own song.

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Dreamspinner Press

 

Leave a comment for Victoria Sue, and you could win a backlist book of hers.