TCO Reviewer: Denise

Screens Apart by Charlie Novak: Exclusive Book Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

June 29, 2020 by Denise

Simon has one secret and two problems.

The secret? An anonymous blog featuring satin and lace.

The problems? Two crushes. One on his gorgeous, charming roommate, Taylor. And another on his charismatic online admirer, Mr. Smith.

When Taylor suggests they start hooking up, Simon is more than happy to agree, even if it means putting a lid on his feelings. After all, no-strings fun is better than nothing at all, right?

Except Simon’s not sure that lid will stay shut, especially when he starts to fall in love. But with Mr Smith in the same situation, advice is in short supply.

And there’s no chance Taylor and Smith are the same person… is there?

Screens Apart is a 55,000-word comedy of errors featuring panties, pining, and two men falling in love, complete with plenty of heat and fluffy feels. Originally released as a serial, this is the full collection with a new bonus epilogue. It contains no love-triangle and no cheating.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Taylor

I looked at the row of shops, reading the neat signage and examining the window displays, until one on the end caught my eye. The frontage was dark red, with elegant white lettering that read Desires, but it was the display in the window that made me stop and stare.

In it was a beautiful array of lingerie from delicate, sweet lace, to silk, to pieces that were darker and more seductive. They were all exquisite, and all I could think about was how incredible Simon would look in each and every one of them.

My dick throbbed as my imagination ran wild. I pictured Simon spread out on my bed, wrapped in sweet, pink-and-white lace while he begged me to fuck him. Whimpering as I teased him, edging him for hours until I finally gave him what he needed.

Then the picture melted into one of Simon in sheer black panties, wet with precum, with a dark corset-style garter belt wrapped around his waist, straps stretching over his thighs, holding up silken stockings as I bent him over the bed, using him over and over until we were both spent.

I’d joked about buying cheap panties to rip off him, but I couldn’t deny I’d thought about spoiling him with beautiful lingerie as well. Simon had said good underwear was expensive, and since he’d bought his entire collection himself, I thought he deserved to feel spoilt. He was still so unsure, even when I told him how sexy he was. For once, I wanted him to feel the way I felt whenever I looked at him.

I swallowed hard, trying desperately to think unsexy thoughts as I stepped up to the door and pushed it open, hearing a little bell ringing somewhere.

I could already tell this was going to be expensive, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

So, this new release was originally a newsletter serial that the author decided to put into an ebook format. Sometimes those can be iffy, but not in this case. The author did leave it in the original format, so the chapters are quite long. And the author threw in a little bonus content to make it even sweeter. 🙂

Simon and Taylor, what a sweet opposites attract couple. Simon is the big guy, normally seen as the dominant one in a relationship, but he was super sweet, submissive and shy, liked wearing lingerie and had himself a sweet little side gig with his sexy blog. Meanwhile, Taylor, though the smaller of the two, really enjoyed being in charge (which Simon was all about!) and found himself wanting things he had never expected to want in his roommate.

I loved that neither one of the MC’s knew about the blog in respect to the other initially. It can be difficult to get past a break in trust when that kind of information is lied about from the beginning of a relationship.

This book is steamy…really steamy…so be prepared. I loved it, because it wasn’t just hot sex on paper, but it was interspersed with honest reactions from both characters as their relationship evolved.

Give this one a go, especially if you like a little heat with your sweetness. 🙂

4 pieces of eye candy

Charlie lives in England with her husband and a severe lack of dogs. She spends most of her days wrangling other people’s words in her day job and then trying to force her own onto the page in the evening.

She loves cute stories with a healthy dollop of fluff, plenty of delicious sex, and happily ever afters — because the world needs more of them. Charlie also believes that loves comes in all shapes and sizes.

Charlie has very little spare time, but what she does have she fills with cooking, pole-dancing, reading and ice-hockey. She also thinks that everyone should have at least one favourite dinosaur…

Connect with Charlie:

Website: https://charlienovak.com/
Newsletter https://charlienovak.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/charlienovakauthor/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/charlie-novak
Twitter https://twitter.com/charlienwrites
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/charlienwrites/
Facebook Group, Charlie’s Angels https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlienovaksangels/

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Come On, Get Lucky by Jacqueline Rohrbach: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

June 9, 2020 by Denise

Grant is looking for love, but there’s one big problem—himself. Due to Grant’s massive size, not to mention the fact he’s also a werewolf, all the eligible bachelors steer clear of him, preferring men who are a little less ginormous and a lot less monstrous. Only Lee, Grant’s best friend and vampire extraordinaire, sees him as a gentle giant who longs to give awesome backrubs, cupcakes, and endless affection to his lifelong mate.

Lee is tired of the same old song and dance of dating and then breaking up. The only steady presence in his life has been Grant, a tried-and-true friend who always knows what to say and the right spot to scratch. So, when Grant finally breaks up with his flighty boyfriend, Lee sees an opportunity to let his carefully guarded heart out of its box and try for something real and lasting.

There’s a problem, though: Lee has always forbidden romance between friends, an order he’s drilled into Grant’s head over and over again.

That means Lee might need to throw their friendship to the fire. To find passion, they’ll have to become enemies. To find love, they’ll have to get lucky.

Title: Come On, Get Lucky

Author: Jacqueline Rohrbach

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: June 8, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 59300

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, werewolf, vampire, best friends to lovers, humor, sarcasm, socially awkward character, slow burn-UST, men with pets

Amazon

NineStar Press

Goodreads

Chapter One

Grant wiped sweat from his brow. Hands trembling, he struggled to maneuver the oversized shirt button into its tiny hole. It was like being a virgin all over again. Should he lube the damn thing? Would that make it glide right in to everyone’s satisfaction? Scratch those thoughts; Grant couldn’t afford a sexual itch right now. If he stiffened, he might have a stress boner all night in the fancy restaurant where he’d booked a table for two. And, oh Jesus, everything was a mess. A total, awful mess.

“Knock, knock, big guy,” Lee said, tapping on the wood frame of the doorway. “You almost ready?”

“Come on in. Help me out. Get this thing in there.”

“Goodness, dear heart. I hope you won’t have to say that tonight.”

“I’m trying to not think about sex!”

“Boring.”

As lithe and graceful as Grant was bulky and clunky, Lee glided in on a cloud of glitter and sarcasm. His slender fingers made quick work of the task, and before Grant knew it, his dress shirt was smoothed down the length of his torso and tucked neatly into his black slacks. Standing to the side, his palm supporting his chin, Lee inspected his handiwork. Grant, for his part, stood straight under his critical eye and endeavored not to dwell on the lingering tingle along his spine where Lee’s fingers had touched him.

Muttering and twirling his finger, Lee said, “Turn around.”

Grant rarely dressed to the nines because it made him feel like he was ten. Lee, who searched him over for any flaw, didn’t help matters, especially not when he tsked like a disappointed mother.

“Well, do I pass inspection?” Grant asked him.

“Oh, you’re delish. Real wagyu beef.”

Grant dipped his head and made a show of inspecting his shoes to hide the sudden rush of heat to his face, which no doubt stained his cheeks a telltale shade of alarm-bell red. Then, to his mortification, he noticed a toe poking through a hole in one of his socks. Shit, he’d forgotten his shoes. Disaster. This night was going to be a total disaster.

Practically hyperventilating, Grant asked, “Where are my wingtips? The nice ones.”

Lee tapped his chin. Casually, as though he’d organized Grant’s closet himself, he kicked—literally—the polished wingtips onto the bedroom floor. “There are your big, goofy shoes. But, trust me, tonight is a big mistake. David is not the one. ”

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Yes, I know you couldn’t manage without me. But don’t ignore my warning.”

Wagging his finger in Lee’s face, Grant said, “No, no. We’re not playing the David-is-no-good game tonight. Tell me what wine should I order, instead.”

“Are you asking me what pairs nicely with showing your flighty, dimwitted boyfriend your werewolf form?”

Exasperated, Grant said, “I’m bringing this one home for good, Lee.”

Relenting with a sigh, Lee flounced around the bedroom, windmilling his arms in dramatic fashion as though getting ready to run a marathon. Was he stretching? Yes, yes he was. Lee hadn’t surrendered: he was ramping up to continue the fight. Grant should have learned to not underestimate his best friend when it came to matters of the heart, which he saw as his expertise as a vampire. The undead, according to him, had their fingers on the pulse of life. Werewolves, well, they had their noses in its crotch. The long-term rivalry between their species was great. Truly.

Ever since Grant brought David home, Lee had gone on about how it was a poor fit. Things heated up between them when David farted and blamed Lee. Fangs out, Lee had said, “Vampires can’t even pass gas. He’s messing with the wrong Edward. I will glitter bomb his ass to hell. My sunlight sparkle will burn out his eyes.” From there, matters got worse.

“You’re being petty,” Grant said, dabbing a bit of cologne on his neck. “Get over the whole fart thing. He was nervous. That’s all.”

“This is more than passing gas, dear heart. Although your little beau does disturb the oxygen balance of the room.”

“You’re a brat.”

Lee said, “I know, dear heart. That doesn’t change anything. David is… David is yuck. I’d eat him but it’s an affront to my sensitive palate. Blah.”

“Say ‘blah’ again but do it in a Transylvanian accent.”

“If I do, you have to listen to my rant. You can’t block me out, not even for a second.”

Grant’s inner survivalist debated the merits of the proposal. On one hand, the Transylvanian accent version of blah never failed to put a smile on his face, and he could use a bit of humor to settle his nerves before his big date. On the other, Lee’s rants lasted as long as an immortal desired, which was a very long time indeed. Grant couldn’t gnaw his foot off to get out of the trap should he decide to walk into it.

“Decisions, decisions,” Lee said as a taunt without bite.

“You make it so hard.”

“That’s what all the guys say.”

This book, had a good premise. However, it didn’t quite deliver like I had hoped. I liked the characters. The sweet and “fluffy” Grant, and the snarky and caustic Lee. However, they didn’t quite mesh for me as a couple. Grant was depressed about his ex-boyfriend, and rumors that were spread about him. Lee’s idea was for them to f**k it out over a week at an event in the woods. I felt like they were great friends, but the transition to trying to be more was not a normal friends to lovers. There wasn’t much flirting, it just kind of happened.

There was also a lot going on in this book. Some I didn’t understand why it was there…like Lucky, I didn’t get why Lucky was a thing, but he was cute, so there’s that. It just seemed to jump around quite a bit. It also seemed as if this was a follow up book, maybe not to this couple, but I felt like I was missing pieces I should have understood,

The storyline itself was cute and had some suspense, but overall, I would say it’s a read it once for the cuteness, but not really a reread.

3 pieces of eye candy

Jacqueline Rohrbach is a 36-year-old creative writer living in windy central Washington. When she isn’t writing strange books about bloodsucking magical werewolves, she’s baking sweets, or walking her two dogs, Nibbler and Mulder. She also loves cheesy ghost shows, especially when the hosts call out the ghost out like he wants to brawl with it in a bar. You know, “Come out here, you coward! You like to haunt little kids. Haunt me!” Jackee laughs at this EVERY time.

She’s also a hopeless World of Warcraft addict. In her heyday, she was a top parsing disc priest. She became a paladin to fight Deathwing, she went back to a priest to cuddle pandas, and then she went to a shaman because I guess she thought it would be fun to spend an entire expansion underpowered and frustrated. Boomchicken for Legion! You can find Jacqueline on Twitter. https://www.twitter.com/ImmutableMoon

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Variable Onset by Layla Reyne: New Release Review

June 9, 2020 by Denise

To catch a killer, a special agent and his former student will need to get close—to their target, and each other. Layla Reyne returns with a stand-alone romantic mystery.

When the serial killer known as Dr. Fear seemingly reemerges after a cooling-off period, Special Agent Lincoln Monroe wants on the case. He knows his research on the calculating criminal, who targets couples and uses their worst fears to kill them, could prove invaluable. But nothing can prepare Lincoln for the agent waiting for him in Apex, Virginia: a brash and cocky former student. Carter Warren is everything Lincoln is not, and somehow everything he wants. And they’ll be going undercover. As newlyweds.

For Carter, seeing Lincoln again—and flustered to boot—pokes his raging bear of a crush something fierce. He thinks posing as lovers will provide the perfect bait for Dr. Fear. But pretending to be married forces them to confront fears of their own…like giving in to the very real chemistry between them.

With evidence pointing to the possibility of a copycat killer, Lincoln and Carter will have to race to separate truth from fiction. But when another couple goes missing, finding the killer will test every ounce of their training, skills and the strength of their bond like never before.

This book is approximately 72,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Amazon

Okay, let’s start with YES!!!! I love Layla Reyne’s books. This author does suspense so well!!! This book says it is a stand-alone, and I’m not sure with how this book ended how the author could make this into a series, but please figure it out!

I really enjoyed these two characters, both together, and separate. Lincoln is such a nerd, a true academic, but clearly adores his family. And had a bit of a crush on his student. Meanwhile, Carter is his exact opposite, bold and cocky, and although he wants to go after what he’s been wanting for years, he is patient, and waits. They worked together so well, finding the clues they needed to find their serial killer, but also to find the answers to a long held secret of Carter’s…which guaranteed, it will make you cry.

I really would like to see these two work together again. I’d love to see this author take this series and run with it. I mean…if the author is asking. 🙂

4 pieces of eye candy

The Engineer by C.S. Poe: New Release Review

June 9, 2020 by Denise

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.

Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.

If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.

Title: The Engineer

Book #: 1

Series: Magic & Steam

Author: C.S. Poe

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Genre: Steampunk, gay romance

Release: May 28, 2020

Amazon

BookBub

Goodreads

The thing about C.S. Poe’s writing is she writes characters and storylines so different than what you might see in a “typical” contemporary romance novel that it is easy to suspend belief when it comes to the reality of a steampunk storyline.

This was a short novella, really a prelude, to what I am hoping is another fun series by this author. I love that the author always writes characters with heart, some serious flaws, and gifts that you just can’t quite imagine. This book had a lot of 1881 references, but also some references to things that would not have been available back then, and that’s what made it so fun! Steampunk can be whatever the author wants it to be, and then some. You haven’t really visualized a book until you visualize a transformer train in the streets of the Wild Wild West…just sayin…

Gillian and Gunner are going to be a fun couple, and I would guess going to keep each other on their toes.

A fun start to another anticipated series.

4 pieces of eye candy

C.S. Poe is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and a FAPA award-winning author of gay mystery, romance, and speculative fiction.

She resides in New York City, but has also called Key West and Ibaraki, Japan, home in the past. She has an affinity for all things cute and colorful and a major weakness for toys. C.S. is an avid fan of coffee, reading, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best to distract her from work on a daily basis.

C.S. is an alumna of the School of Visual Arts.

Her debut novel, The Mystery of Nevermore, was published 2016.

Author Media:

| C.S. Poe’s Curious & Mysterious |

The Hideaway Inn (Seasons of New Hope Book 1) by Philip William Stover: New Release Review

June 8, 2020 by Denise

High school wasn’t the right time or place for their relationship to grow, but now, fifteen years later, a chance encounter changes both of their lives forever.

No one in the charming river town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, needs to know that Vince Amato plans on flipping The Hideaway Inn to the highest bidder and returning to his luxury lifestyle in New York City. He needs to make his last remaining investment turn a profit…even if that means temporarily relocating to the quirky small town where he endured growing up. He’s spent years reinventing himself and won’t let his past dictate his future.

But on his way to New Hope, Vince gets stuck in the middle of nowhere and his past might be the only thing that can get him to his future. Specifically Tack O’Leary, the gorgeous, easygoing farm boy who broke his heart and who picks Vince up in his dilapidated truck.

Tack comes to the rescue not only with a ride but also by signing on to be the chef at The Hideaway for the summer. As Vince and Tack open their hearts to each other again, Vince learns that being true to himself doesn’t mean shutting down a second chance with Tack—it means starting over and letting love in.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Amazon

I was really looking forward to this book, and am definitely glad I picked it up. I will be honest though…at about 40%, I literally threw my phone and said “I cannot stand this character” out loud. That hasn’t happened in a while. To me, Vince was not likable character at all until about halfway through the book. He was just so angry and didn’t care about anyone else, including the people he was supposed to be helping.

However, I will say this…Vince does redeem himself, and for that I was grateful. Tack was super sweet, and deserved to be with someone who would care about him, and what Tack had going on in his life at that time. Once they connected as a couple, they seemed to mesh well, even when Vince didn’t quite know how to handle things like a child that he didn’t know about.

I did end up enjoying this book, and really loved the relationship that Tack had with his child, and that Vince was willing to go all in with the entire family.

3 pieces of eye candy

Pieces of You (Missing Pieces Book 1) by N. R. Walker: New Release Review

June 3, 2020 by Denise

Dallas Muller has everything he never expected he’d have. He owns a successful motorbike mechanic shop in Newcastle, and he’s madly in love with his boyfriend of four years, Justin Keith.

Justin has always struggled to find where he fit in, never realising his true worth or what it means to be loved—until he met Dallas. Living and working together might be too much for some, but Dallas and Justin wouldn’t have it any other way.

When a terrible accident tears their world apart, Justin’s left with no memory of Dallas or their relationship. Trying to put the pieces back together is almost impossible when some pieces are blank and some are missing altogether. Dallas has to let Justin find his own way back to him and just hope that their love will light the way.

Title: Pieces of You

Author: N.R. Walker

Genre: MM Romance

Series: Missing Pieces, Book 1

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

A story that takes place 85% in a hospital room with one guy who can’t remember the last 5 years, including his live in boyfriend, and said boyfriend. Boooorrrriiiinnnnggg, right? WRONG!!

I don’t always love books with an already established couple. I like to watch them fall in love and experience all of the firsts. But this book starts out with an established couple, and ends with new firsts.

Justin and Dallas are stupidly in love, working together at the motorcycle shop Dallas owns and living upstairs together with their cat. Until a horrible car accident breaks Justin’s body and steals the memories of the past five years.

When I say the story is 85% in the hospital, I am not kidding. But it is written in such a way that you are just rooting for Justin to regain his memory, for Dallas’ heart not to be totally broken. Dallas sits there with him every single day. Even though Justin has no idea who he is. But all of that time together makes Justin accept Dallas as his friend. He learns to trust him. It is so sweet.

Book 1 ends with Justin returning to their home. I can’t wait for book 2.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

After reading the blurb on this book, I was hesitant, I won’t deny that. Angsty books scare me, and I mean how could a book about an established couple basically broken up by amnesia be anything but angsty. Someone remembers and loves the other, while the other person has no knowledge, doesn’t care about that person. Leave it to N.R. Walker to once again prove me wrong.

Yes, I did cry a little in this book, how could you not? For two men who were so in love to suddenly have their lives ripped out from under them…has to lead to some tears. However, what the author managed to do was create a story of one man’s unwavering love for the other, and the slow falling in love of the other. Dallas never questioned his love for Justin, never wavered, never allowed himself to stop wanting the best for Justin. He helped Justin find his way back to health, but also to what his new normal would be, all without pushing Justine to “come back to him”, start their lives over. It was moving the strength and power of that love.

This is a trilogy that I can’t wait to finish reading. And with Justin having returned back to their home to heal, and starting to get small pieces of memories back, it is a hopeful transition to book 2.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

For more about N.R. Walker you can find her at: