TCO Reviewer: Jennifer

Natural Twenty by Charlie Novak: Quick Review

March 1, 2021 by Denise

Plants are easier than people—that’s Leo’s rule of thumb. After all, nobody really wants a man who looks like he belongs in a biker gang but would rather spend his time buried in books and flowers. It’s just easier to be single. Until he meets the owner of the new book shop.

Jacob Morris knows two things: he’s really attracted to the man who runs the local flower shop, and he doesn’t date. Not when he’s still healing from a bad breakup, has a new business to run, game nights to organise, workshops to host, and a website to build.

When friendship blooms into something more, Leo and Jay must decide whether to roll the dice and take a chance on love or keep forging ahead on their quests alone. Will their roll yield a one or a perfect, natural twenty?

Natural Twenty is an 80,000-word contemporary MM romance featuring Dungeons & Dragons, secret flower language bouquets, a spoilt Staffy (or two), and a best friend who is basically a gothic prince. It is book one in the Roll for Love series and can be read as a standalone

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

So, okay, I have a thing for big beefy tattooed guys who you think can squish you into little bits if you were to find them in a dark alley somewhere, but are actually romantic softies that wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, we get that in Leo.
He’s big and intimidating and can be awkward when it comes to socializing and being around people, but he has a big ol soft heart and it’s impossible not to completely fall in love with him from the beginning. Owning a flower shop, he tends to stay behind the scenes when he can, but when a new bookshop opens up down the block, his employee Emily encourages him to take some flowers to the new owners to welcome them to the hood and congratulate them on their grand opening. That’s where he meets Edward and Jay.

Now, Edward, I will say, I was smitten with. I hope he gets his own story next, but Jay completely took Leos breath away and they bonded instantly over books and cosplay and dungeons and dragons. I will admit that I had to skim over all those bits, I haven’t a clue what any of that is, but it was cute to see how excited they all were over it.

The two of them, as well as Edward and Emily and her husband, they all become friends, having bi-weekly I think it was, game nights and stuff… I adored these secondary characters as well, so the fit so well in the stories, I could see where each guy needed them around. With their budding friendship though, it was impossible to not feel the connection between the two, though neither of them were ready for a relationship or to jump into anything. I was glad to see them take it slow, but I definitely wanted to shake them both a couple of times, Jay especially when he tried to push Leo away. He more than sweetly made up for it, but I was rooting for them from the very start.

Because Leo felt awkward and Jay was still healing from a toxic relationship where his ex cheated with his best friend and never even apologized for it, I could understand his hesitation. Being betrayed like that sometimes never heals, but Leo was patient and understanding and sighhh, he was just perfect.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, I’ve been told recently that I do that and people straight come for me, so I’ll just say…. if you like a slow burn, with friends to lovers, good friends and cute puppy… you will adore this story. I know I did!
I really wanted that ex to get a peek at Jay and Leo and know what he lost and how happy he is without him, but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next!

4 Pieces of eye candy

First (99 Daddies Book 1) by Casey Cox: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

December 2, 2020 by Denise

First: (adverb)
a: before another in time, space, or importance.
b: for the first time.
See also: Stirling “First-Time Daddy” Bishop.

A boy who can’t find what he wants.
A Daddy who doesn’t know what he needs.

With his big blue eyes, lean frame, and propensity for adorkable clumsiness, Mikey Harrison is a Daddy magnet…for the wrong type of Daddy. Those who mistake his desire to serve as an open invitation to mistreat him and abuse his trust.

But all of that changes when he lays his eyes on Stirling Bishop. Sure, the strong, silent (and irresistibly sexy) type ticks all of his boxes, but it’s the tenderness underlying Stirling’s strength that makes him achingly irresistible.

For Mikey, it’s insta-love.
For Stirling, it’s insta-huh?

Despite looking like he was put on this earth to be the Daddy of every boy’s dreams, the thought of dating a younger guy has never even crossed Stirling’s mind, much less the idea of being a Daddy.

But there’s no denying that Mikey awakens something deep within him—the desire to dominate, the need to care. It’s been dormant, yet bubbling under the surface within him for his entire life.

Can Mikey help Stirling find the strength he needs to be the Daddy he was meant to be…and become the Daddy of Mikey’s dreams?

FIRST
First is a Daddy/boy, May-December gay romance featuring a strong, silent, first-time Daddy, and an eager boy who can show him the way. Come along for the ride and enjoy some crazy/sexy/cool shenanigans including: impromptu foot rubs, naked butlers, a crew of sassy friends, lots of LOLs, and all the feels on the way to a heartwarming HEA.

First is the first book in the 99 Daddies series. Each book in the series will contain overlapping characters and storylines, so you may enjoy them more by reading them in order.

99 DADDIES
99 Daddies is a hilarious, entertaining, and heartwarming Daddy/boy, May-December MM romance series.

Escape to Daylesford, the (fictional) Daddy capital of America. If you love steamy and complex Daddy/boy dynamics, May-December gay romances with a twist, sweet and sassy MM age-gap romances, and chasing those guaranteed HEAs, you’ll love it here.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

He closed his eyes. I loved seeing his massive chest rise and fall with every breath in and out. We didn’t need words. There was something happening here, something between us that defied logic and sense, but it was as real as the floor I was sitting on.

Did he feel it too? What was going on inside of him? I could feel his whole body starting to loosen, to relax under my firm touch. As I looked up at him, I could see his jaw unclench and his face start to soften.

He had to be feeling this too. It couldn’t just be me, could it, imagining something that I wanted so badly? Seeing only what I wanted to see?

Oh fuck, it probably was. I always did this. I always let my imagination and my desires run away with me, pulling me toward what I hoped for and wanted, while choosing not to see what was actually right in front of me. I’d done it with Brian before, was I doing it again with Stirling now?

I sighed loudly, which made him open his eyes. He looked around as if he had just woken up and wasn’t entirely sure where he was. He was so freaking sexy I couldn’t handle it. I smiled up at him.

“What you’re doing feels so good, Mikey,” he said, looking straight at me.

Hearing him say my name for the first time made my heart do cartwheels of joy.

“Good,” I said, looking straight back. “I’m happy to keep going for as long—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Steel’s voice cut in.

He was standing beside me. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of judgement in his voice or in the look that he gave me. And trust me, I knew a thing or two about being judged.

“We need to go, Stirling. I just saw a cake being wheeled out. Sorry.” He looked at me when he apologized.

“It’s fine,” I said, releasing Stirling’s feet gently. “You are the birthday boy, after all. You’re kind of needed for that whole cake thing.” I said as I stood up.

“Yeah, that’s usually how these things work,” he said with an apologetic smile, as Stirling started to put his socks and shoes back on. Slowly, of course.

Once he was done, he stood up in front of me. He was a good four inches taller than me, which I really liked for some reason.

“Uh, thanks,” he said. He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but then quickly snapped it shut.

“You’re…welcome.” It was all I could think of to say as Steel grabbed Stirling by his arm and the two men began to walk away from us.

Nick stood next to me as we watched them make their way across the room, rejoining their friends and turning their attention to a massive chocolate cake filled with candles, that was being brought out by two naked butlers.

“Now those are some seriously sexy Daddies.”

Nick’s words hung heavily in the air between us.

“Uh huh.”

It was all I could manage.

“So,” Nick said as he placed his hand firmly on my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “That whole I’m-over-men thing, then?”

I didn’t even have to turn my head. From the corner of my eye, I could see the shit-eating grin stretching across his face.

“Yeah, totally over that.” My eyes were fixed on Stirling, following his every movement. “I am one hundred percent back into men.”

Okay, so… I have a thing for hot dads. It’s no secret, not to those who know me, and especially not to those who follow my reviews. In saying that, this one, in my definition, is not a Daddy/boy book.

I mean, sure, they toss it out there every once in a while, but the lifestyle and mechanics behind such a trope. No. It was hard to keep my interest after I figured that out.

So, in the beginning, Mikey and his best friend since high school, Nick, are naked waiters… which somehow gets them into being naked furniture, which somehow morphs into being human footstools, which I didn’t like. I mean, you could ask first, couldn’t you? Don’t just take off your socks and put your clammy feet on my naked back, ew… but, it’s where Mikey meets Stirling…

Now, Stirling is fresh out of a relationship where his husband not only cheated but then took him for half of everything and still blamed him. So, he’s jaded, if only a bit.
He’s a first time ‘Daddy’, which is no surprise, and he really doesn’t know what he wants at first, though it doesn’t take him long to realize that what he wants is Mikey… and Mikey, he’s a little too much at times for me, but he’s funny and clumsy and his brain to mouth filter is a bit delayed, but he’s a loveable type. I did like the pair of them together.

Of course, it isn’t all cute and sweet and getting to know one another, there are a few bumps in the road that I would love to rant about for a while, but as I’ve recently been told that my ranting is mostly all spoilers, I’ve tried to tone it down a bit…. I will say that you will NOT like any of the exes in this book, and that’s putting it lightly. (especially from me)

Overall though, if you like a couple of cute guys who find love in each other after heartbreak, some really good friends, and some very very very very light Daddy kink… you’ll likely enjoy this one.
Especially if you’re a sucker for a good HEA.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Casey Cox is devoted to delighting readers with sassy, sweet and sometimes steamy MM gay romance tales of gorgeous, good-hearted and complex men chasing that thing we all love: a guaranteed HEA.

Casey’s writing has an escapist, wanderlust quality to it because, let’s face it, these days there are plenty of reasons to run from reality.

Casey lives on the east coast of Australia, loves the beach and is a proud paw-parent to two utterly adorable French Bulldogs named Ralphie and Lilly.

Connect with Casey:
Website: https://caseycoxbooks.com/
Goodreads
BookBub
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.cox
Email: caseycoxbooks@gmail.com
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bully King: An MM Bully Romance by Andi Jaxon: Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 19, 2020 by Denise

I’m the pastor’s son.
He’s the star quarterback for a small Kentucky high school.
While the town worships him, I pray for God to take my life.
He makes my life a living hell by making me his victim.
This perverse game we play could end us both.
How can something that feels so right be so wrong?
The price if the truth is discovered is death, but I can’t stop.
Neither can he.
No one can know.
Can I risk it?
Is Roman King worth dying for?

*This story is an m/m bully romance including dubious consent, assault, talk of suicide and is intended for readers 18+. Please proceed with caution.*

Title: Bully King

Author: Andi Jaxon

Release: October 15, 2020

Genre: M/M Bully Romance

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Jonah.” My name is growled.

Roman grabs my shirt when I spin around and pulls me into a classroom with no lights on. Did he not hear the sermon? We can’t be caught together. Expecting to hit the wall, I stumble into the gloomy room with Roman shutting the door behind me.

“What are you doing in here?”

He doesn’t answer me, just grips my shirt again and pushes me against the wall where we won’t be seen by anyone walking past the door and he’s pressed against me. His lips are harsh and demanding against mine. He’s pissed off, but I’m too hurt by my father’s words to be angry yet. It’ll come, but right now, my heart is heavy and broken.

Gripping his face, I kiss him back just as hard, frantic for his touch. My tongue duels with his and my teeth latch onto his lip. He growls, the rumble of it vibrating my chest. He’s pressed against me, mouth to thigh, and hard as steel. Blood pumps through my veins, filling my cock at his closeness.

He reaches for my pants, and I break our kiss.

“Roman,” I pant, my hands reaching for his wrists.

“Why do you come here?”

His question catches me off-guard. He’s still crowding me against the wall, his deep blue eyes searching my face for something, but it’s hard to think with him this close to me.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m a son of God.”

Confusion leaves me open for his next assault. Roman’s lips crush mine, taking no prisoners. This kiss is hard, demanding, brutal. It’s exactly what I need. The pain, the desperation.

I kiss him back just as hard, biting at his lips, sucking on his tongue, ravaging his mouth. My dick aches in my pants, hard, desperate for attention. Roman’s body moves against me, his dick just as hard behind his zipper.

Reaching down, he grabs my leg and pulls it around his hip to get a better angle. His thick cock sliding against mine has my eyes rolling back into my head and he swallows my moan.

My hands grip his shirt, pushing him away from me, forcing him to let go of my lips. We stand there for a long minute, panting, not saying anything.

“We can’t do this here.” I’m finally able to get the words out.

Roman smirks that damn look that says, “I can do whatever the fuck I want.” His hands cup my ass, forcing me to grind against him. My eyes close and a groan rumbles from my throat.

“Stop,” I pant. “We can’t do this here. Not in the House of God. It’s sacrosanct. It’s wrong.”

“Does it feel good, Jonah?” Roman lips brush against my ear. “My dick against yours?”

“Yes,” I hiss through clenched teeth, pleasure overriding the common sense part of my brain.

“Does it feel right? Me touching you like this?” His teeth nip at the skin of my neck. “Huh? Does this feel perverted? Does this feel like something you can just stop wanting?”

Roman’s hand moves to the front of my pants once again, his palm pushing and stroking against my dick through my pants. My hips buck against him on instinct, wanting more.

His lips drop to mine again, shutting down all logical thought. My hands move to his hair, pulling on the gold locks he wears so proudly.

Okay… I hope you’re ready for this…

Page 1, I’m flat out, ugly crying, like….body-wracking, soul shattering sobs. Think Farrah from Teen Mom, but like… worse, cuz I’m not on camera but in my room, feeling this kids’ words to God like I’d heard them before. Wanna know why? Because I have. This story hit me in ways that I was not prepared for and I want to tell you all the reasons, but I’ll spare you the pages of sob story for me and just tell you how I related to this so hardcore.

First, I was raised in a Pentecostal church with these very same rules and all the hate that accompanies them. My mom, though not as crazy as Jonah’s dad, were so similar. My heart broke for him and his home life because imagine…. Imagine that life. A kid, scared in his own home, pretending to be something he’s not and warring with himself because he wants so badly to change. To be normal. How heartbreaking, right? Then, starting highschool in a new town, the Bible Belt, where I live, he’s got to hide from everyone there as well, on top of being targeted by the most popular, untouchable highschool bully… The harassing that goes on here, is disgusting, and it made me sick a time or two at what he went through at the hands of them. Especially, Roman, the beautiful one that makes it all worse and better at the same time.

In the beginning… I did not believe that there was a single thing that Roman could do to redeem himself and all the ways in which he tormented Jonah. He wasn’t just a bully, he was downright criminal about it more than once. I hated him. I hated him so much!

And don’t get me wrong, I understand that a tough home life is kind of a staple for bullies, right? It doesn’t give you a free pass to be so angry that you assault people. Torture people… and I hated the way that he treated Jonah, and I hated the way Jonah took it because he felt like he deserved it in some way. He also really liked it, but that’s just an aside lol There were lots of reasons to hate Roman King.

Fortuntately, and I don’t even know when it started happening because nothing really changed in the way that Roman treated Jonah, but something changed in Roman. There is a triggering part in a locker room and I wish someone would’ve warned me about that, not that I get triggered by much at all, but I almost found it unforgivable. I’m still kind of warring with that. I don’t think it’ll be something I forget for a while.

So, living in a small southern town with the Lord on your back, I can understand how scary it was for these kids an I hurt for them. Also relatable because my own kid came out just a couple of years ago with the very same fears about the rest of his family. Those same prayers, asking to be struck down if he couldn’t be made normal… for God to change him or change his family that would cast him out. As he cried to me the night he was outed in middle school, begging me to let him leave at 13. Over my dead body, right? I said that I’d take the brunt of whatever fallout and I’d keep his secret and tell anyone whenever he was ready. When he was, I laid out our conditions and we were set to cut out any and all who had a negative word to say about my boy or his “situation”…. Even one word. I almost dared it.

That’s the way a parent is supposed to react when their baby has a secret that feels like it’s weighing down their soul. You take that burden because that’s literally what you signed on for. It’s your job.

I also hated all the parents… Jonah and Roman’s moms for being so weak that they couldn’t/didn’t put their babies first. What kind of mother does that make you? No mother at all, I’ll say it right now. Their dads, both of them, garbage. I won’t give either of them another word. I’m glad at least one of them got the karmic justice they deserved.

What I loved though, was Jonah’s little sister and biggest champion, Mary. I loved best friend Taylor and his mom Krystal. (I hope we see more of Taylor in what I hope will be future stories of not only these two, but also him)… I loved the school friend, Anna, and despite the emotional roller coaster that was this story, I absolutely fell in love with Roman and his possessiveness , though I still think he borders criminal and definitely needs some couseling for his need to hurt people to feel in control…. You can’t help but love him though, because he loves Jonah in the only way that he knows how, and he loves him in a way that’s kinda skewed, but that’s honest and raw and sometimes hurts… and to me, that’s the best kind. I don’t think that anyone could love Jonah more than Roman, and I think the same is true for Roman.

What a crazy, angsty, tear-jerking, terrible, yet amazing read. I really, really, really hope this isn’t it for them. It feels like their story is just beginning. 4 stars from me! I need more!

4 pieces of eye candy

This is a new to me author. I chose to read this, honestly, because of the grief the author got by using the same title as another (MF traditional romance) book. It just wasn’t cool.

Well…uhm…ya. This book was not for me. It starts off with a really long prayer by one of the main characters, Jonah. His father is a preacher and they just moved to Kentucky from Washington state. At first it doesn’t seem like his father is one of the “fire and brimstone” kind of preachers. He started off pretty normal I thought. Until the Sunday sermon about GAYS and their inherent evil. EEK!

He is also being bullied at school by the football team. Total cliche. The head bully is the golden boy football quarterback. And once we got to know Roman more, you see why he is the way he is. Alcoholic, abusive father who used to be in the NFL. Bullied at home, so he bullies at school. But he is drawn to Jonah, which is confusing for him. Or not. He has bedded most of the girls in his high school apparently, so when Jonah and his sister arrive, he immediately goes for her. But there’s still Jonah.

As expected, they start hooking up. But Roman is horrible to Jonah. Treats him like utter crap. He is all about appearances at school so he “has” to treat him like crap there. But he revels in causing Jonah pain. Sorry, 17/18 years old is a bit too young to be messing around with S/M especially since neither of them ackowledge it as such. And Jonah doesn’t like it. But he is so desperate for acceptance, that he takes it. And rough sex like that between teenagers was a little cringy.

Roman says it is because of the town’s history with gays and how they are treated. So when Roman’s best friend is caught kissing a boy, he helps him get out of the immediate situation, but then beats the shit out of him the next day in front of the school.

It was all too much. Roman was never redeemed, in my opinion. Jonah never stood up for himself. I honestly understand that these things still happen in 2020 in the US and elsewhere. But the main characters should have some sort of public redemption. He beats up his best friend and nothing?

I hated Roman. I disliked Jonah. Their parents are all awful in different ways. The only likable character was Jonah’s sister, Mary

Sarcastic and snarky, I love to laugh and read dark fucked up shit. I write about tortured pasts and hot sex, a happily ever after that has to be worked for. My stories tend to be a little dark but with some comic relief, typically in the form of sarcasm.

Social media Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H9ajlb

BookBub: http://bit.ly/AndiBookBub

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17435346.Andi_Jaxon

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

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/AndiPinterest

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/andisjunkies

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andijaxon

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorandijaxon

Website: http://www.andijaxon.com

Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e42677cb7ccd/andinewsletter

https://kingsumo.com/g/2smulu/bully-king-release-day-giveaway

Soothe Me, Daddy by Elouise East: Exclusive Author Interview, Excerpt, Release Day Review & Giveaway

September 10, 2020 by Denise

Soothing his boy is a pleasure in more ways than one

Once upon a time, there was a boy who wanted a Daddy…

Henley knows what he wants from a relationship: to be taken care of by a Daddy. He’s under no illusions that he can be a handful. When he starts a new job, his gaze is taken to a prime specimen. Maybe Henley could persuade him to be his Daddy…

Isaac is worn out from the clubs, the scenes, the boys who say they want a Daddy then change their minds. When he’s given the responsibility of training the most obedient guy he’s ever met, Isaac is hooked. But does the guy even know what a boy is, despite acting like one?

They are powerless to stop their relationship. They complement each other so well.

Is Isaac the right Daddy for Henley, and is Henley the right boy for Isaac?

This is a 40,000 words sweet Daddy/boy romance

Book Title: Soothe Me, Daddy

Author: Elouise East

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Elouise East

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Daddy kink

Themes: Workplace romance

Heat Rating: 3 – 4 flames

Length: Approx. 42 000 words

It is a standalone book.

Goodreads

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK- Kindle Unlimited

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since May 2019 officially, but I actually have been writing since I was a teenager.

What made you decide you wanted to put yourself out there to be published?

A friend pushed me to try. I was beta reading for them, and in one of our many conversations, I mentioned about my writing. They told me to try. That I had nothing to lose from creating a story. They were right.

Your first published book?

My first published book was First Kiss from the Crush series. It is a taboo nature and follows two brothers who cross a line and end up being blackmailed.

Would you ever write a hetero romance? Why or why not?

Yes, I definitely would and have, although it’s not for sale at the moment. I have several female characters within my Crush series who want their stories told, and I will get to them at some point in the future.

What is your opinion on the “chicks with dicks” analogy? In your opinion, is it wrong for your males to be emotional or romantic?

Not at all. I love it when guys are who they want to be, be it emotional, strong, romantic, withdrawn. What I love most is when guys are able to let go of all the preconceptions that are thrust on them, and they can become who they were meant to be.

Name your favorite authors and some of their stories? What do you like about the writing?

CJ Bishop is one of my favourites. She has several series which are interlinked, The Phoenix Club, Cowboy Gangster to name a couple of series. I love how the characters rise above the horrors they have lived with to become amazing people.

I also love JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It’s fantastic. She make everything see so real and unique. She doesn’t leave you scratching you head because you can’t figure out how something has happened.

What book are you reading at the moment? It’s okay to give a fellow author a plug!

I’m reading A Hate Story by Abrianna Denae.

What are you currently working on?

I have just started the Crush Book 5, which is Casey’s story, who was a side character in Deep Down and had a very minor role in Instant Desire. I’ve had readers request this character, so I thought I best get on with it, lol.

When creating your characters, do you have models in mind or are they totally fictional?

Usually, they start out completely fictional and then I search to find a photo that links with what I envisage the character being. Occasionally, I’ll find a photo and just know who it is. I don’t know how that works, but it does.

If you write gay romance or erotica, just how descriptive are you in their sex scenes?

I am fairly descriptive in the sex scenes. I think of it like a movie playing in your head. If things seem disjointed or jump from one place to another, I find it difficult to stay in the story. So, that is why I detail a fair amount.

As a gay fiction or m/m romance author, do you feel that the trend is changing where it is becoming more mainstream?

I definitely feel that MM romance is becoming more popular, but I’m not sure if it’s on its way to mainstream. It’s certainly not a taboo genre anymore, which is fantastic, but I think there is a long way to go before it’s properly mainstream. Just my opinion, though.

Recently, a writer sabotaged her career by answering a bad review on a blog. How would you have handled this and do you think authors should answer their reviews?

This is a tricky situation. Personally, I will never respond to a negative review. In fact, now I have a PA, I don’t read my reviews. I have heard several well-known authors recommend that you respond to positive reviews with a “thank you” or something similar, but at present I don’t do that either. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on your work. There is nothing you can do to make every single person happy. It’s impossible. So, it’s better to allow readers to comment their opinions and I will stay quiet. As far as I’m concerned, if I didn’t like the book I had written, it wouldn’t be published.

As an m/m romance or gay fiction writer, what stereotype of gay men bothers you the most?

That they look like twinks, and you can spot them a mile away. I know several gay men, and until they told me, I had no idea. Every person is individual.

Fun questions

Your favorite gay TV show or movie?

I enjoyed Love, Simon. But also a German movie called Free Fall.

Do you feel that celebs who are gay or bi should come out the closet?

Not if they don’t want to. They shouldn’t be forced into something they are not comfortable doing.

Have you attended a pride parade? If so, where you inspired when doing so?

No, but I would really love to one day.

“I don’t want you to change yourself for me, Henley.”

“What do you mean?”

“You need to be yourself from the beginning. Don’t act or speak how you think I want you to. If I think something about your behaviour needs correcting, I will discuss it with you and help you alter it.”

“Through punishments?” Henley asked, eyebrows raising.

“If I believe that is the best way to remind you, yes.” Isaac hesitated. “For me, being a Daddy is a twenty-four-seven responsibility. I would need you to realise that everything I do for or to you is for your own benefit. I want to help you become all that you can be, and in return, you need to trust me wholeheartedly. Telling me the truth at all times, even when it scares you. You need to trust that I will catch you should you fall. I will hold you close and protect you with everything I am.”

Isaac gazed at Henley, seeing a shimmer begin in his eyes before they filled and overflowed.

“Come here.” Isaac issued the order, and they both scooted out of their opposite seats, Isaac guiding Henley to slide over in the booth seat so he could sit next to him. Isaac wrapped his arm around Henley’s shoulder, hugging him close and resting his fingers against the side of his face as his tears continued to fall soundlessly.

Once Henley had calmed, Isaac lifted his face. “Are you okay?” Henley nodded. “I need your words, sweetheart.”

“I’m okay,” he croaked. “I…You…It’s everything I want.”

“Alright. Let’s eat our food, and once we’re full, we can talk some more.”

Isaac reached for Henley’s plate from the opposite side of the table and placed it in front of Henley. Henley smiled, and though a little watery, it filled Isaac’s heart with joy. He couldn’t believe he had found someone who already knew about Daddies and boys, and in fact, was one.

After they had finished their meal and Isaac deduced Henley didn’t want a dessert, he gripped Henley’s hand and left the restaurant. It wasn’t particularly late, and the air was warm, so he suggested a short walk.

“For a relationship to work with me, I would need to give you a routine to stick to—”

“What kind of routine?”

Isaac raised his eyebrows at Henley, waiting until he apologised for interrupting before continuing, “Things like when you’d need to go to sleep, when to wake, when to eat. I don’t do this because I think you are incapable of doing them yourself. I do it because then I will know you are looking after yourself like I have asked you to. I trust that if I ask you to do something, you will do it. For example, if I ask you to eat at midday, and you agree, I expect you to eat at midday, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”

“That sounds good.” Henley glanced up at Isaac from underneath his eyelashes. “I do sometimes forget whether I’ve eaten or not.”

“Good to know, and thank you for being honest with me. I have seen that you can be a little excitable at times. I would like to help you find a way to manage that. I think your work, however amazing you already are at it, would benefit a great deal from you being calmer and more in control of your actions.” He paused and smirked. “And mouth.”

“Hey!” Henley pouted for a second before grinning. “Yes, okay. I know I can be a chatterbox. But I have so much to say.”

“And I wouldn’t ever want to stop you from saying it, but I do think there is a time and place for certain topics of conversation.”

Henley scrunched his nose up. “Is there really?”

“Yes,” Isaac said firmly.

They walked in silence for a few steps before Henley asked, “What should I call you?”

Isaac exhaled deeply. “I would love for you to call me Daddy. But you don’t have to. Isaac is fine, too.”

Henley rested his head against Isaac’s shoulder, wrapping his free hand around his biceps. “I would love to call you Daddy.”

“Does everything sound okay so far?”

Henley nodded, and when Isaac raised his eyebrows, he added, “Yes…Daddy.”

Isaac inhaled and briefly closed his eyes, his pulse skyrocketing at the word. “Perfect.”

Okay, sooooo….I’m not usually big on boss/employee type tropes because it’s just so much drama and I’m just too emotionally messy to handle it, and there was a little bit in this one, but not enough to make me an angsty mess, so that was a plus for me.
Henley, cute name btw, applies for a job within the company he thought was only a pit stop job and as luck would have it, he gets the position AND the hot guy to train him!

Isaac, ready to get back to life after his last failed relationship has given up the prospect of finding exactly what he wants and wouldn’t you just know it, that’s when the perfect one usually falls right into your lap. Enter Henley….

He’s chatty and sassy and knows exactly what he wants. He also knows who would be great to fill that position… I liked that he didn’t play coy or try to hard, everything seemed to start naturally, though very quickly, even for Daddy tropes sake.
I loved how supportive each of their families were, especially Henley’s dad. I thought Isaac’s setting her sister up with the barista was a bit pimpish and I couldn’t understand all the nicknames for Isaac, Is and Isie, like… how is that a nickname for Isaac?
I also thought they were both a bit extra at times, but Daddy’s sometimes have to be, don’t they?

Alls well that ended well too, I don’t want to give everything away (I’ve recently been told I do that from time to time), but I’ll say that it was a short and sweet read with very low angst and a cute little ending. I wouldn’t mind reading more about these two and seeing who might be next in the series!

4 pieces of eye candy

Elouise East is a bestselling author of contemporary MM romance. She writes a variety of themes: sweet and fluffy to high angst to taboo, but there is a huge nod in the direction of friendships being integral to each character’s experience. She writes books that are emotionally realistic, even if liberties are taken with other aspects of her stories.

Reading and writing have always been a part of her life, although her debut book wasn’t published until July 2019, when she was 36 years old. Her experience has come from reading thousands of books over the years and being a perfectionist when it comes to trying to make things right. She lives in the centre of the UK with her two children, who make life worth living, keep her (in)sane and make her laugh. She loves Zumba, yoga and walking, all things that can be done alone as she is very introverted.

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Natural Twenty by Charlie Novak: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

August 27, 2020 by Denise

Title: Natural Twenty
Author: Charlie Novak
Length: 80k
Series: Roll for Love, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary
Tropes: Nerds, secret flower language bouquets, small-town vibe, shop owners, tattoos

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Jay

I was still half looking at Leo though, and the table slipped from my fingers and dropped onto my foot. “Mother fishcakes!”

I cringed, squeezing my eyes tightly as my toes throbbed. The table wasn’t the heaviest thing in the world, but it had landed awkwardly on my foot, and I was only wearing Vans. I’d always been clumsy as fuck, and my knees were covered in scars from falling over on the playground or out of trees as a kid. It hadn’t gotten any better as I’d gotten older, except these days it was more dropping heavy things onto myself or tripping downstairs. And there’d been one memorable trip to Accident and Emergency when I’d gotten glass in my foot.

“Are you okay?” Leo asked.

“’M fine.” I shoved the table off my toes. “Totally fine.”

“Sit down for a minute.” Leo’s voice was gentle but firm. I opened my eyes to see him standing right in front of me, looking down with eyes full of worry. It was moments like this, when we stood close, that I realised how much taller he was than me. I barely made five foot six on a good day because I was a complete short arse, and Leo must have been well over six feet. My face was eye level with his chest, and I was trying not to focus on the way his body sat under the thick, knitted jumper he was wearing, or how beautifully broad his shoulders were, or how I just wanted him to wrap his arms around me.

Leo put his hand on my arm, gently steering me into a chair before kneeling in front of me. “Is it okay if I take your shoe off?”

“You don’t have to. It’s really not that bad. It just stings a little.” I looked away, trying not to squirm in my seat while my face and neck grew impossibly hot. “I just banged it.”

“True, but I’d rather check they’re not bleeding or obviously broken.”

“Okay.”

Leo gave me a little smile and eased off my shoe. I probably should have been embarrassed I was wearing pink socks with little avocados all over them, but I thought they were cute. Apparently, so did Leo.

“Are those avocados dancing?” He sounded amused as he gently tugged at my sock, and I felt the warm, rough touch of his fingers against my skin. This should not be making me feel the way it did—embarrassed, awkward, and almost turned on. Apparently, my body had decided that any touch from Leo was a good one, even if it came from him trying to check for broken toes.

“Y-yeah. I’ve got another pair with doughnuts on.”

“They’re cute. Like you.” Leo stilled, and my heart stopped. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what it should be. My brain seemed to have frozen, and all I was getting were fucking error messages.

So cute!

Because Leo felt awkard and Jay was still healing from a toxic relationship where his ex cheated with his best friend and never even apologized for it, I could understand his hesitation. Being betrayed like that sometimes never heals, but Leo was patient and understanding and sighhh, he was just perfect.

4 pieces of candy for me!

Charlie lives in England with her husband and a dachshund named Biscuit. 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…

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Nothing Special VII: Ex Meridian by A.E. Via: Audiobook Review and Excerpt

August 23, 2020 by Denise

Police Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle.

Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine—now imagine two of them.

Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for ‘guaranteed death’ to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently—lethally—together.

When Ex returns from an op in Bolivia to learn his little brother has been accidentally killed in a feud between drug gangs, he’s stateside before he can consider the rules he’ll be breaking, and of course Meridian is right beside him. There’s mayhem on the streets of Atlanta and the police are losing control. If Godfrey and his elite team of detectives can’t get the job done then they’d be happy to lighten their caseloads for them. And Ex nor Meridian care about doing it quietly.

“I know who you are.” The man grunted when Ex turned to leave. “You’re the fucking devil.”

Meridian walked past, glaring one final time. “Say that loud enough… maybe God will save you.”

But after their first run-in with the big lieutenant and his protective husband, Day, Ex and Meridian start to reevaluate their own relationship. Wondering if they could be even deadlier if they let loose the feelings for each other that they’ve been forced to suppress for years.

Meridian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his, “A man who can fight beside the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker, Ex—it makes him more dangerous.”

No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a HEA.
Note: This is a partners-to-lovers, out-for-you, action romance.

Title: Nothing Special VII: Ex Meridian

Series: Nothing Special

Author: A.E. Via

Genre: M/M Action Romance

Publisher: Tantor

Narrator: Aiden Snow

Length: 9 Hours

Audio Release Date: 07.07.20

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Neither of them spoke while they ate. Ex never felt the need to fill their long moments of silence with idle words, and his partner wasn’t a big talker. Besides, Ex could enjoy Meridian by him simply being there. His presence was just that powerful.

“So, what’s next?” Meridian asked after he’d pushed his empty plate to the side.

Ex drank some of his water, the coolness feeling good to his parched throat, but he wished he had something stronger. He reclined in his seat, mimicking Meridian’s posture and trying to appear casual.

“First and foremost, we go to Virginia and get our supplies. My contact there is ready for us, we should be in and out,”Ex explained. “Oay night. Of course, flying would be faster but we can better stay under the radar if we avoid TSA. Amtrak will be easiest to transport our cargo as well.”

“Works for me. He knows what we need?”

“Yes. As soon as we get back we can start to have some conversations around town. We’ll backtrack over the task force’s recent arrests and see what we can find. I also wanna keep an eye on that deputy district attorney. Something seems off there to me,” Ex said.

“Agreed.”Meridian put his cigarette into his mouth and finally lit it. He blew the aromatic smoke away from Ex but he still caught the robust scent of cloves.

Ex thought the smoking habit was atrocious, but he found he liked it when Meridian did it. The addiction made him seem less programmed. It was something his partner did when he was battling on the inside, and it was also something he only showed Ex.

Meridian’s eyes were half covered by his long black eye lashes, appearing as if he was enjoying what he was doing. He had one arm braced on the back of the seat and Ex could see the shiny Italian silk lining of Meridian’s jacket and the butt of his chrome Wesson Valor resting against his rib cage.

This story was overwhelming and intense while I was reading it… but hearing it? Experiencing it through this deep voiced narration had me ON EDGE. In the best way of course, but I”ll tell ya, these two make God, Day and their crew of crazies, look like kittens compared to America’s most savage defenders. Ex and his partner Meridian are the types of guys they make movies about. Jason Bourne type of guys, chemically and physically modified to be killing machines for our country. They’re the baddest of the bad, because they’re basically robots… or they should be… but when Ex’s baby brother is killed in God’s neck of the woods, the guys go rogue in order to exact vengeance on his killers. Sounds cray, right?

And oooh, what a ride it is. These two have been through everything together, they’re like two halves of the same person, so naturally, when one wants revenge, the other is at his side. Being off on their own without their handler in their ear, Ex goes through the loss of one of the only few people in the world who ever meant something to him and it was messing with his head. He felt it. Which meant Meridian felt it as well.

It opened up all kinds of feelings he didn’t know he possessed, and the biggest of that, aside from anger, guilt and pure rage at the persons responsible for his brother’s death, is his love and need for his other half. Now, I’m a reader. I read and I narrate in my own mind and it’s good. I think I’ve got a good imagination on a good day… but hearing the emotion and the longing and the torture of doing what you feel you should and doing what you need, and it was a need… I had zero words. It honestly left me speechless and when in the world has that ever happened to me? I’ll tell ya, not often.

it wasn’t one sided either, which I loved. Mere would do anything for Ex, including this off the radar mission to get justice for Ex’s baby brother. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as getting in, getting messy and getting out… Nay, we were up against dirty DA’s, dirty cops and God and Day’s crew to get around, because as we know, if anything goes on in God’s city, he knows about it and he and his guys go above and beyond to stop it. It was fun to see God’s crew stumped for a change… it made things more exciting, though, it was a lot to handle. They weren’t prepared for how dangerous these guys are at first… And it all plays out like the most gloriously action packed audio.

I wish I could tell you this whole story…but honestly, it needs to be experienced first-hand. We get to see all the guys and their guys, we get the guns and explosions and heart-stopping emotions that I’m just not used to when I’m simply reading myself. It’s about a thousand times more intense because these guys don’t have rules, they don’t have red tape, they don’t have anyone to answer to… not even God and Day and Aiden Snow is a master at conveying every feeling you’re supposed to have and ones you weren’t even ready for. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t even like audio books! I wasn’t converted until I heard this narrator and I swear to you, every time, he’s different.

And I’m borderline obsessed with these guys…They get in, they get messy and they get out, before anyone even knows they’ve been there. It was impressive and scary and it makes you think about how real these kinds of guys are and how terrifying it would be to come face to face with one, but how badly I want to do it anyway.

What a frickin ride this one. I’m still flummoxed lol I’m impressed and I cannot wait for Fox and Bull. Every book is my new favorite, though I still have such a soft spot for Ruxs and Green, and if you haven’t, you should listen to all of them too. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing more of these guys in the future, too, and I am READY for it!

Overall, I wouldn’t suggest skipping any book in this series, but if you do… make sure it isn’t this one. This one deserves all the stars.

5 pieces of eye candy

A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for six years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay literature for over twenty years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great, new up and coming MM authors.

A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her.

Writing.

A.E.’s novels embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

She’s recently celebrated her 20th book anniversary, and is well-known for her hardcore, love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.

Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peek at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48195130-bishop

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