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Forever, Con Amor (For Him, Book 4) by A.M. Johnson: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review, and Giveaway

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Chance,

I never in a million years thought I would want a guy who smells like a tree and probably hugs them on the daily, but alas, you’ve somehow snuck your sexy, khaki-covered ass into my life. It doesn’t help that we’re stuck living in this apartment together for God knows how long, but I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. I know I said it was one and done, and maybe that’s the smart thing to do since I’m not convinced of your emotional availability. Maybe I’m a masochist. Or, maybe I might kind of like you. I said what I said.

No regrets, Marcos~

***

Marcos,

Your ability to simultaneously compliment and insult me is probably one of my favorite things about you. I think it’s part of your charm. Does that make me a masochist as well? I definitely like to torture myself. The night I kissed you, I knew it had the potential to push you away, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you. I still can’t. You can flirt and bully me all you like. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve finally found my home, and it’s here. And just in case you need me to be more specific, I like you too.

Forever, con amor…

Chance~

Forever, Con Amor

For Him, Book 4

By A.M. Johnson

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – Universal

Goodreads

God, he tasted all warm and minty and something perfectly him. His beard burned my skin, something I hoped would linger long after this kiss ended. I scratched my nails through the coarse hair, gripping his chin, his jaw, anything to get him closer. His large hands snuck under the hem of my shirt, and the heat of his palm enveloped my waist. I was fragile in his hold, delicate in a way I’d always wanted, breakable, and I wanted him to break me. A low, rough sound rumbled in his chest as his hands slid along my rib cage. I was surrounded by him, by the scent of clay and sandalwood and rain, and as I pulled my fingers through his hair, he groaned, tugging my hips forward, dragging me from the countertop until I was in his arms. He held me like I weighed nothing, our mouths melded together in a scorching war of teeth and lips, and walked me toward the living room, dinner somewhere distant in the background of my memory.

Panting, he broke the kiss long enough to utter one word. “Couch.”

I smiled against his mouth before I bit his bottom lip. “You sound like a caveman.”

He hummed, his tongue pushing into my mouth, taking control of the kiss as he sat us both onto the sofa. I adjusted my legs, straddling him, the kiss more frantic as I rocked against him. I planted my knees against the cushion, leaning back, I took a moment to breathe. Chance brushed the back of his fingers along my cheek, his eyes on my mouth, and swept a curl from my forehead as I stared back at him.

“These are my favorite,” he said, drawing the tip of his finger along the bridge of my nose.

“What?”

“Your freckles.” His touch was reverent. My stomach clenched at the sincerity of his tone. The room overly warm all of a sudden. “You cover them when you wear makeup, but I think they’re beautiful.” The blue color of his eyes danced with shadows as the flames of the candles flickered on the coffee table. “You’re beautiful.” The force of his gaze was too much. No one had ever looked at me like this, with such raw candor. 

This is book 4 and while it can be read as a stand alone (I didn’t read the other three), the backstories of some of the other characters intrigued me. So if I have time I might go back.

Chance is the guy who puts duty above all, especially himself and his relationships. But he finally has a job that keeps him in one place, as the director of an LGBT nonprofit.

Marcos is finally himself. Kicked out at 17 for being gay, in the Air Force at 18, he is once again a civilian wanting to be a clothing designer. He isn’t afraid to express himself with clothes, heels or make up either. Basically the opposite of Chance. Like, complete opposites.

The snark Marcos uses toward Chance “tee hugging hippie”, etc is both cute and an obvious way of Marcos trying to keep Chance at a distance. Because those two have sparks. So when Marcos is suddenly in need of a place to live, Chance offers up his second bedroom. It almost kills Marcos to accept but he does.

They had a great back and forth kind of snarky, but also flirty thing going on for a while. ALL of their friends saw the sparks. ALL of the kids at the house saw the sparks. But it takes them a while to get there. And it’s worth it.

And as much as Marcos makes fun of Chance in his t shirts and cargo shorts, Chance is very free with the compliments to Marcos. Telling him he is beautiful. Loves him with make up but also without when his freckles show. Just swoony.

Chance always had a sense of duty which sent him all over the world, but he is really a romantic relationship guy. He just needed how to put himself and his partner, if not first, then second only behind the kids they help.

Fun, sexy, snarky…definite recommend from me.

4 pieces of eye candy

Amanda is an award winning and best selling author of LGBTQIA and contemporary romance and fiction. She lives in Utah with her family where she moonlights as a nurse on the weekends and hikes in the mountains as much as possible.

If she’s not busy with her three munchkins, you’ll find her buried in a book or behind the keyboard where she explores the human experience through the written word, exploring all spectrums and genres.

She’s obsessed with all things Hockey, Austen, and Oreos, and loves to connect with readers!

Stay up to date by signing up for her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/NewsLetterAMJBooks

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To celebrate this exciting new installment, Amanda is giving away the Winner’s choice of the Illustrated or Amazon Cover of a Signed Paparback of Forever, Con Amor!

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Embrace Me (Love in the Pacific Northwest Book 2) by Beck Grey: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Tadhg: After a nasty breakup with my manipulative ex, I returned home to Seattle to lick my wounds. I’m done with relationships. From now on I’m focusing on my career.

There are just a few issues with that.

1. It’s not that easy for a Deaf man to succeed in a Hearing world, even with the right degree and experience.

2. Quinn MacDougall. He’s my co-worker. He’s also incredibly talented, driven, and distractingly handsome.

3. He’s hearing. And that’s the biggest problem of all. How can someone who isn’t Deaf ever truly understand and accept me?

Embrace Me is a 95,000-word contemporary MM romance about language barriers, loving but demanding families, crappy bosses, and sexy guys in speedos. It contains no cheating, and a guaranteed Happily Ever After.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

I glance back at Tadhg to find him watching me curiously. I drain my beer and jump up. ‘Need another. You want one?’

He finishes his bottle and stands. ‘I’ll come with you.’

Oh. Okay. That’s. Fine? Sure. It’s fine. We’re just two people who work together, getting a beer. Together. As co-workers. I spin on my heels and hurry into the kitchen, with Tadhg trailing behind me. I toss my empty bottle into the recycle bin and pull two fresh beers out of the fridge. When I spin around, Tadhg is so close I have to lean back so I don’t bump into him. “Oh!” His beautiful blue eyes look into mine and it sucks all the air out of the room. I stand there like an idiot holding a beer in each hand, panting as if I’ve just run a mile flat out.

He gently pulls one bottle from my hand and carefully opens it, his eyes never leaving mine. I hadn’t even noticed he’d picked up an opener. He hands the opened beer back and takes the second one, repeating the process just as easily, like he does this solely by touch all the time. It’s kinda hot.

We stand there, so close I can feel warmth rolling off his body, and he smells so damned good I want to press my face into his neck and inhale lungfuls of him. His gaze drops to my mouth and then snaps back up to meet my eyes. And oh god, he’s going to kiss me. He leans forward and I move closer, unable to fight his pull.

This was my first book by Beck Grey, but it won’t be my last. And although this is book 2, it is easily a stand alone.

First, big props to the author for not only deaf representation, but Deaf representation. That isn’t seen as often- at least not in books.

This book does a great job of combining Deaf culture with hearing people. How difficult it can be, how isolating. But Tadhg is lucky in that he meets Quinn in a coffee shop when he steps in to try to help. And then finding out that he works at the same architectural firm Tadgh is starting at that day.

Quinn works on his rusty ASL with his roommate and other friends who speak it. Good thing as they are put together on a project. Another employee, Tom, is also put on the project as the landscape architect. On his own, Tom starts learning ASL (a little too quickly to be true, but still).

The beginning of the book had a lot of descriptions of various ASL signs. To me, that is hard to visualize. Signs that use two hands with various motions, etc. Luckily that mostly stopped as I felt like it was taking me out of the story instead of pulling me in.

I also loved that Tadgh was just fine with being Deaf. He didn’t wish he could hear, wish he could speak, wish his life were easier. It was just part of who he was. Even when he was starting a new job he only had an interpreter the first day and then at the end for a big presentation.

The entirety, pretty much, of this book is Tadgh, Quinn and Tom working on one project. But they were picked by the one owner who generally doesn’t do that kind of work (green, eco friendly, low footprint) and the other owner who’s passion is green design was never heard from. It was odd since their difference was pointed out.

ANYWAY

Quinn’s family is big, loud and very loving. And while they welcome Tadgh with open arms, the communication issue is what finally drove the conflict with he and Tadgh. And that conflict kept them apart “on a break” for a bit. I hate when they get in a fight and then just make up the next day. After some stubbornness on Tadgh’s part, they actually hashed out their issues and problems.

Besides a couple of minor missteps, I really did enjoy this book. I really loved that Tadgh was never the victim, never acted like a victim.

4 pieces of eye candy

Beck Grey is an LGBTQ romance author who lives in the Northeastern United States with their partner and two adorable dogs. Weekdays are passed spending their employer’s money. Evenings and weekends are devoted to writing stories involving hot characters, favorite tropes, and happily ever afters.

Any additional time is spent laughing with friends, drinking red wine, printing and painting minis, and playing D&D. There might even be video games. If there’s cake involved at any point it’s a win!

Connect with Beck:
www.beckgrey.com
Twitter: @BeckGreyWrites
FB Group: Beck’s Blanket Fort https://www.facebook.com/groups/789307111722835/
Pinterest boards for Beck’s books: @Beck_Grey
IG: beckgreyauthor

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Forever After (Finding Forever, Book 3) by Marie Sinclair: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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After a fire destroys his apartment, Diego has no choice but to move in with the person least likely to welcome him with open arms: Alex, the recently divorced, presumably straight guy who didn’t take kindly to Diego hitting on him at a friend’s wedding.

Unfortunately, Alex isn’t exactly in a position to complain about the living arrangements. After his wife cheated, he moved across the country to San Francisco to start over. The place he’s living in belongs to a friend, so when Jake also offers Diego a room, Alex needs to figure out how to deal with the exceptionally hot, sex-positive, queer youth counselor whose gaydar has picked up that Alex isn’t as straight as everyone thinks he is.

Forced to live in the same house, Alex and Diego are about as combustible as fire and gasoline. But when Alex’s thirteen-year-old comes out as trans masc and moves into the house with them, Alex begins to see another side of Diego, and Diego realizes this sullen, complicated man has a heart of gold that’s been stomped on a few too many times.

Once the walls start to come down, Alex and Diego realize they have a lot in common. Not to mention an attraction that blazes hotter the more they get to know each other.

Forever After is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, bi-awakening story. It is Book Three in the Finding Forever series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Title: Forever After
Authors: Marie Sinclair
Length: 85k
Series: Finding Forever, Book 3
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, bi-awakening

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Book 1: A Kind of Forever

Book 2: Nothing Like Forever

Alex waited for Jesse to wind down.

“So,” he said, “you probably know some of what I’m going to say.”

“Yeah, Dad.” Jesse grinned and sat at the kitchen table, primly folding their hands on the surface. “I just want you to know that whatever you have to tell me, it doesn’t matter who you love, you’re still my dad, and I love you.”

Alex stared at his kid until they couldn’t hold back the laughter, and then he joined Jesse at the table. “I guess we are doing this a little backwards, huh?”

Jesse shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t want you coming out to me to suck as much as me coming out to Mom.”

“Thank you. So this is the part where I tell you that I’m bi, right?”

“Pretty much. And I ask, does Mom know, and is this why you guys broke up?”

“Yes, Mom knows, and no, it’s not why we broke up. At least not directly.”

“Are you going to tell her about Mr. D?”

“I think I’m going to have to.”

“You two have been like a couple since I got here. I kind of thought, at first, but it was weird because I had no idea that you…I mean, it wasn’t impossible, but…” Jesse suddenly blushed. “You guys gave off a certain…vibe. And Mr. D is really hot, so who wouldn’t want him?”

“What about me?” Alex asked and laughed when Jesse wrinkled their nose and shook their head. “Are you telling me my boyfriend’s out of my league?”

The mix of emotions that crossed Jesse’s face had Alex laughing even harder: surprise, embarrassment, but most of all, a confused mix of horror and shock. They scrambled off Alex’s lap. “Ew. Don’t make me think about the two of you…ungh. Just no. No!” They started for the stairs. “I’ve got some homework to do. Try to remember there’s an innocent child in the house when you’re with your boyfriend, Dad.”

Enjoyable book, but I feel like they should have focused on one or two things outside the budding relationship between Diego and Alex rather than a little bit of a bunch of sub plots.

Alex is newly divorced and moved back to San Francisco where he has friends from when he went to college. One of them has a beach front bungalow that is empty and offers it to Alex; he will also work on some renovations in the house.

Diego is a youth counselor at an LGBT+ center in the city. But when his apartment building burns down, he also moves into the bungalow until something better comes up. SF living is not cheap.

The forced proximity was what it was, nothing really new there. But then Alex’s oldest comes out as trans and moves across the country and in with him- and Diego. Luckily Diego has experience in this. Alex’s ex wife is a bit transphobic to put it mildly.

There are also subplots with a kid staying at the LGBT center, a new volunteer looking for a boyfriend from 40+ years ago, a house renovation that uncovers the history of a lesbian couple, one of which may have been trans, etc. There’s just all of these little things sprinkled about and while they all got closure, I don’t think any of them got the depth that they deserved.

The romance between Diego and Alex was fairly generic for a bi-awakening guy with an out gay man. It was nice, but nothing overly special.

This is book 3, but I read it as a stand alone. I don’t know if I enjoyed this one enough to go back and read the previous 2.

3 pieces of eye candy

Marie Sinclair is a queer writer living in San Francisco. Though she’s been a writer all her life, it wasn’t until she stumbled upon MM romance that she knew she’d found a home for herself and all the characters in her head.

Her focus is on contemporary romance, usually on the steamy side. While HEAs are guaranteed, it will always take some work for the couples to get there, and it might not look the way they expected at the beginning. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Marie believes in rooting her stories in the real world of queer culture and showing how love can survive even in challenging times.

Connect with Marie:
Facebook group: Marie’s Sin Bin
Instagram: marie.sinbooks
Twitter: @marie_sinbooks
Website: www.sinbinbooks.com

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Play By Heart by Ariella Zoelle: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Giveaway

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Iason’s known worldwide for his romantic lyrics, but he never thought he’d fall in love. Will his luck change when the stars align to bring Orion into his life?

Iason Leyland

My love songs may have made me famous, but they were beautifully written lies that hid the fact I’ve never loved anyone. I had almost given up hope of finding true love, but then I meet him. Orion is all my wishes on stars who can make my dreams come true. He’s my perfect partner in every way except one: he’s straight. Why, universe? Why?

But the cosmic force that brought us together apparently knows what it’s doing based on the sweet way Orion blushes every time we’re together. Can I convince him that we could make beautiful music together that will be worthy of my most romantic ballad yet?

Orion Donati

I’ve been a fan of Iason and his beautiful voice and lyrics for years. I never expected him to know I even exist, let alone fall in love with me. But regardless of that impossibility, he looks at me like I’m the sun, the moon, and all the stars in his universe. As a straight man, I probably shouldn’t be interested, much less tempted by his flirtations. But despite that, everything in me wants a chance to be his magical muse for the songs I love so much.

Meeting him makes me realize that I’m not quite as straight as I thought. The most unbelievable thing of all is that someone as amazingly famous as him could ever want a shy nobody like me. But I don’t want to doubt his sincerity. I want to be brave enough to believe he’s interested in me for real.

Maybe I don’t have to settle for being a fan who adores him from afar. What if I dare to dream that I could be his boyfriend who loves him with all my heart instead?

Play By Heart is the first book in the Harmony of Hearts series and part of the Sunnyside universe. This novel features a bi awakening, insta love, rock star, shy/flirt, gay romance. If you love cute sweetness, sexy fun, and no angst stories that will make you laugh and swoon, you’ll enjoy this satisfying HEA without cliffhangers. Each book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in order.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

My heart thudded hard as I stared up at Iason in disbelief. Was he talking about me? I would never forget him singing along to that song in my car on the way back to my place after dinner that first night, but Iason couldn’t possibly mean me, right? On what planet was it possible that our first date was his favorite? I hadn’t known we were on a date!

He winked at me, leaving no doubt in my mind he meant me. Hearing him crooning along in my car under his breath was one thing. Him singing it in earnest was something else entirely.

I forgot how to breathe, how to think, how to do anything other than experience every note he sang on an intimate level. When he tossed his head back and opened up his huge voice on the big climax of the song, I almost lost the battle against my body. I experienced the fullness of Iason’s voice with the entirety of my being, leaving me trembling and on the brink of release.

When the last note faded, everyone burst into applause and cheers, but I couldn’t react. It was too much for me to handle—especially knowing he sang that song because of me. His eyes met mine, causing the theatre and crowd to disappear, leaving only us. He smiled just for me, making me swoon.

Iason lifted his gaze to stare out over the audience, allowing me to gasp for air. I hadn’t realized I had been holding my breath until that moment. They began playing another one of Iason’s songs, but I was still lost in hearing the echo inside my soul of him singing “Last Goodbye” just for me. It suffused me with warmth, serving as further proof that he treasured me in a way nobody ever had before.

He played a single off his last album, pulling me from my thoughts as I got caught up in listening to him. I was still on the brink of embarrassing myself from my body’s intense reaction to him. While I had always had sensitive hearing and had been to concerts before, no one’s voice had ever affected me on such a sexually stimulating level before.

Now, his voice intimately penetrated me, with every rise and fall of his vocalization a satisfying thrust. The desire pent-up inside me became more unbearable with each song he sang. How would I make it back to the hotel without coming first?

I lost myself in the experience of being surrounded by Iason’s magnificent voice, which filled the enormous theatre space with its fullness. I forgot about everything that wasn’t him as I let him carry me away with his music.

Ariella Zoelle adores steamy, funny, swoony romances where couples are allowed to just be happy. She writes low angst stories full of heat, humor, and heart. But sometimes she’s in the mood for something with a bit more angst and drama. If you are too, check out her A.F. Zoelle books.

For real time updates on her writing progress, please join her Facebook group for exclusive teasers or follow her on Twitter or Instagram. You can also sign up for her newsletter to gain access to bonus chapters, previews of upcoming books, exclusive visual guides, and more.

Connect with Ariella:

Website: https://www.ariellazoelle.com/

Newsletter: https://www.ariellazoelle.com/newsletter

Amazon Author Profile: https://amzn.to/3zzxJWg

A.F. Zoelle’s Books: https://amzn.to/3BAgypg

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amazingafzoelle/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/extraafzoelle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriellaZoelle

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ariellazoelle

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ariella-zoelle
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Not a Boy (All American Boy Series) by Elle Keaton: Blog Tour, and Exclusive Excerpt

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Henry should have kept on walking by when he spotted the younger man sitting alone on the beach. He should never have stopped, never sat down, and certainly never kissed him. Because now Henry is experiencing feelings. And he doesn’t like it one bit.

Things happen for a reason, even random hook-ups. Ben was supposed to get off work early that night. It was no accident the sexy stranger stumbled on his beach hiding spot. The Kiss was destined, as well as what happened afterward. It wasn’t as if Ben believed in love at first sight, but this was damn close.

It’s a good thing Henry lives three-thousand miles away or he might do something stupid, like ask for Ben’s phone number.

Ben’s hometown boss begs him to return and he agrees, only regretting not being able to say goodbye to his snarky divorce lawyer. But all the wanting in the universe isn’t going to bring them together again, he doesn’t even know Henry’s last name. Besides, home is on the west coast, not Maine.

Sometimes the universe is a funny place.

#foundfamily #agegap #acceptance #oppositesattract #boynextdoorisnotaboy

Title: Not A Boy
Author: Elle Keaton
Series: All American Boy Multi-Author Shared World Series
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: age gap, small town, hook up leads to love, parents can be stupid

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Ben leaned as close as he could and whispered in Henry’s ear. “I’m twenty-six, Henry Carr, not a boy, and if I want to exchange bites with the sexiest man at this table, I will. If you’re worried about Chuck because of something he might say or do to you, let me know, and we’ll keep the whole thing under wraps. But before you make your choice, let me be clear. I want to go home with you tonight. The only good about this…” he glanced around the table, “travesty of a wedding is the fact that it brought you here to me. I’ve missed you and since I didn’t know your last name, where you worked, or what city you lived in, I couldn’t find you. It’s rare for me to buy into Marigold’s tarot readings, but we’re meeting again for a reason, and I’m going to make it hard for you to say no.”

Henry’s mouth opened and closed. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Ben leaned back, giving Henry space.

Now Henry closed the distance between them. “Yes. I want you to come home with me tonight. I want to spend the weekend with you. I want you naked and in my bed.””

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 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

StrangeLove (The Young Americans, Book 3) by TL Bradford: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

by

Archer

The year began great for me.

Became the starting quarterback for an NFL team – check.
Secured a multi-million-dollar contract – check.
Moved to LA and lived the glamorous life – check.

What could possibly cause me any issues?

Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m gay.

I was outed a couple of years ago to my former team and my family, but it hasn’t been made public knowledge yet. Well, that is, until now. I’ll be known as the first LGBTQ+ active player in the league’s history. And if I stick to the conditions of my contract, it won’t be a problem. The thing is, I’m not really a guy known for playing by the rules.

Most people think of my personality as the three B’s: bold, brash, and blunt. My mouth has gotten me into more predicaments than I can count. Even my best friends have told me I’m stubborn as a mule and have the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. This presents a big problem for me because I have my eyes set on winning over the guy who stole my heart years ago, only he doesn’t know it yet.

Getting his attention is going to be challenging. It’s a good thing I’m tenacious.
Unfortunately, it’s not great timing and could get me into a whole mess of trouble.
Why does falling for a guy need to be anyone’s business but mine?

 

Kai

The past couple of years were a whirlwind of activity. My career took off after my guest shot appearance in Americana. I appeared in a few indie features and finally got a shot at my first major motion picture release. The work came as a great distraction from my personal life, which took a further nosedive after I found out the guy I was falling for had already fallen for someone else.

Why should I be surprised? He was another in a string of failed relationship attempts. I swore I wouldn’t get involved with anyone else, choosing to stay focused on my career instead. That is, until the force of nature known as Archer McMillan came storming into my life.

To be the pursued instead of the pursuer was not in the cards. To top it off, he’s everything I’m not. Yet, there’s something to be said for a guy who can make you laugh when it’s the last thing you want to be doing. I’ll admit he’s got a playful and determined spirit. Archer also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever known. Not the mention the cute way he… Hold on. What am I doing? We cannot be a thing. Nope. Not gonna happen. Ever. Right?

***

Follow Kai and Archer as they cross the lines as friends, partners-in-crime, and confidants, to discover a love beyond boundaries that needs no definition.

(StrangeLove is a funny, heartwarming, slow-burn love story. It contains a cast of fully developed characters that encounter romance, laughter, and life lessons. It contains adult language, mature themes, and is best enjoyed by those over the age of 18. It can be read as a standalone; however, if you would like to know the backstories of some characters, check out the prior books in the series.)

StrangeLove

The Young Americans, Book 3

By TL Bradford

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

To my chagrin, it’s Xander who opens the door when I arrive. I swear, this never gets any easier. First Noah, now Xander.

He starts cracking up the minute he sees me, bending over and holding his stomach.

“What’s so damn funny?” I ask him, annoyed.

I immediately look down to see if my fly is open or if I have toilet paper stuck on my shoe. I must look like a dog chasing his own tail.

He never has a chance to tell me why he’s laughing before Kai shows up and whaps him across the back of his head.

He says to him, “Xander, I thought you said you were gonna leave, like hours ago.”

“I was, but I had to see for myself, and Archer, man, you did not disappoint.” He starts laughing anew and Kai pushes him to the side.

“Come on in, Arch. Can I get you something to drink before we go?”

“No, I’m good.”

We stare at each other, then I remember to hand the flower arrangement over to him.

“It’s a full bird of paradise. Isn’t it great! What do you think?”

He awkwardly struggles to hold it.

“It’s… uh… big.”

“Yeah, right! It’s huge! I thought it would look good on your living room table.”

“Wow, this is… so much.”

“I saw it and right away I thought of you.”

“You did?”

“Sure! It’s unique, strong, and majestic. Just like you. That plant will probably live forever!”

“Ooh… I bet it will.”

“Yeah, no matter how hard you try to kill it, Kai.” Xander falls over, laughing again. I fail to see the funny.

“Don’t listen to him. It’s beautiful. Just give me a minute to clear some space on the table.”

“It can be a centerpiece. All the super bright colors lighten up the room,” I explain.

“That it does. That it does.” He nods.

I help him move items off the table to place the enormous flower arrangement on the table.

“There! Perfect! It’s a real conversation piece,” I say.

“Yep, we’ll be talking about this for years!” Xander barely manages to get out.

Kai quickly gets his jacket by the door and takes my arm to lead me outside.

Confused over Xander’s reaction, I ask him, “What was that about? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Archer. You… did everything just right.”

He smiles at me. I smile back.

T.L. always hated math, so it was a good thing she had a way with words. Since she was a shy and quirky kid; words were her best friends. She would imagine entire worlds in her head and talk to herself endlessly. Her mother wondered if she was speaking with ghosts for a while.

Her older sister was a voracious reader of trashy romance novels and would pass them down to her after she had finished them. T.L. was the only 10-year-old kid sitting in class reading “The Stud” by Jackie Collins during reading time. Oddly enough, she never got called out on it.

As she grew older, her tastes evolved, but one thing held fast; her undying attachment to love stories. One day out of the blue, she decided to write the love stories she always wanted to read instead of searching for her story. Since then, writing has been a dream fulfilled for her and she could not be happier.

She enjoys writing about love, regardless of gender and is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community.

T.L. calls the Pacific Northwest her home and enjoys the quiet rural life of her little oceanside home with her playful/crazy husband and their giant dog Noah.

Catch up with T.L.:
Instagram – @tlbradfordauthor
Twitter – @tbradfordauthor
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