Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Ghost of a Chance by Kris T. Bethke: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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Only love makes life worth living—over and over again.

Ghostwalker Blake Jones dies every day. It’s his job and how he helps trapped souls cross over. But to return to life, he needs an anchor. His new partner, Derek Scott, is a surprise. Not only is he male, but his appearance belies a caring and gentle heart. Despite attraction and a strengthening relationship, they know they shouldn’t take things further.

But there’s a big difference between knowing and doing.

Their growing love presents a problem, though not the one they expect. Blake and Derek have to decide if they should take their relationship to the most permanent level—an unbreakable metaphysical bond. Doing so offers both risk and unimaginable reward. Can Blake let go of his fears and put his complete trust in Derek in order to have the happily ever after he’s always craved?

Title: Ghost of a Chance
Series: Requiem Inc.: Book 1
Author: Kris T. Bethke
Release Date: January 16, 2018
Category: Paranormal: Ghosts, Dreamspun Beyond
Pages: 216

 

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Hello everybody! I’m Kris T. Bethke, and let me start by saying a great big thank you for allowing me to take up a little bit of your time today.

Ghost of a Chance releases today, and it’s a supernatural romance that’s part of Dreamspinner Presses Dreamspun Beyond line. It’s also the first in a series, with other books coming out later this year.

When Blake Jones and Derek Scott first meet, they have a bit of a rocky start. But they also get the opportunity to sequester together for three days in order to really get to know one another. It’s vital for them to connect, or else they can’t do their jobs.

But I was faced with a particular problem. How do I get these guys to share details about their lives with each other without it being a great big info dump for the readers? And have it be fun an interesting too. Fortunately for me, Derek came up with the answer.

He asked Blake to play the Or Game.

The rules are simple enough. Each person asks an “or” question, and everyone has to answer. It’s a great way to break the ice, and often gives you an insight into the other person. Blake and Derek start out playing that first night together with “Chocolate or Strawberry” and continue on from there. They find out a lot about each other by playing the game, and fall back on it when they need to ease the tension between them.

I had a great time thinking up questions that would both be fun to answer and also move the story forward. My characters made it easy on me, and I think they liked it as much as I did.

You can see my MCs answers, and watch them fall in love. The book is out now, and I hope you get a chance to check it out.

I’ve been enjoying the Dreamspun Beyond series of books, and have to say Kris Bethke created an alternate universe that was different, and morbid, and still quite positive all at once. How Kris managed that, I have no idea!

I’m not going to lie, I did NOT like Blake dying for his job…especially how he dies. But I did like that it wasn’t sugar coated. It was quick, a little painful, but made sense.

And Derek. Well, he has to be the nicest guy you will ever read about. He was amazing, so patient and understanding when Blake was…well for lack of a better word…resistant to the idea of having a male anchor. Derek never stopped believing, trusting in their bond, and doing everything he could to make sure Blake’s ghost walking was as painless as possible.

This world intrigued me, and which doesn’t always happen with these types of books…honestly very rarely…it made me want more. It made me want book 2 (and there better be a book 2!!!), which hopefully will be Sam and King. Please?!?!?!?!

This was a surprise of a book for me. I’m glad I decided to take the chance on it, though. Worth it!

4 pieces of eye candy

  

Kris T. Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long.  An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head.  She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project.  Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time.  A classic muscle car will always turn her head, and naps on the weekend are one of her greatest guilty pleasures.  She lives in a converted attic with a way too fluffy cat and the voices in her head.  She’ll tell you she thinks that’s a pretty good deal. Kris believes that love is love, no matter the gender of people involved, and that all love deserves to be celebrated.

Find her on her site https://kristbethke.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Kris-T-Bethke/100014524539852 or on Twitter https://twitter.com/kristbethke

 

 

Beneath This Mask by Victoria Sue: Exclusive Monthly Guest Post & Excerpt with Giveaway

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As always, we are super excited to have Victoria Sue here for her monthly guest post. Today is release day for Beneath This Mask, and she has brought us an exclusive excerpt from the book. )I’ve read this one, the entire series in fact, and this one is fantastic. Gael is AMAZING! Jake isn’t so bad either 😉 )

Welcome to Victoria Sue!!!

 

Gael Peterson has spent years hiding behind the enhanced abilities he wears like a mask, even though he is an important, confident member of the FBI’s exclusive H.E.R.O. team. The hurt and betrayal of his mom’s abandonment and his father’s fists are secrets buried deep beneath the ugly scars on his face, and he doesn’t trust Jake, his new regular human partner, with any of them. In a world where those with special abilities like Gael’s are regarded as freaks and monsters, it won’t be easy for him to rely on Jake to have his back, especially when the abilities of a vulnerable, enhanced, nonspeaking child make that child a murder suspect.

Tempers rise and loyalties are challenged, and when the serial killer targeting the enhanced finally sets his sights on Gael, not only will Gael have to trust Jake with his secrets, he might have to trust him to save his life.

Title: Beneath This Mask
Author: Victoria Sue
Release Date: January 16, 2018
Category: Paranormal Other, Science Fiction
Pages: 206

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Gael was exhausted. Derrick had wiped him out, even though he couldn’t wait to tell the team. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had slept a full night from when he got the letter from his sister. Half sister. He needed to call Wyatt, but Wyatt was visiting his girlfriend’s family, and Gael thought he ought to check out Louise first.

And now, on top of everything else, as he walked into the field office, he was nervous. He hadn’t been lying exactly when he’d told Jake he could rent a room. He could, and he knew his biggest terror would have been the size of the cockroaches that scurried up the walls.

Or was it? Jake had been quite obvious. A harsh man would have said pushy, and it wasn’t like Gael was a virgin. It was true when they said one could buy almost anything. He just had no idea why Jake would have said what he did. Jake was gorgeous. Deep gray eyes he could drown in if he looked for long enough. The intense military cut, and the way he stood at attention without even meaning to. It certainly made certain parts of Gael stand at attention, at least the bits that weren’t attempting to melt, anyway.

Oh my God. Gael came to a stop. Did Jake think that because of his scar he was an easy target? That he was desperate? No, no, no. That didn’t make sense. He might admit to being so sometimes, but Jake was gorgeous. All he had to do was beckon a finger, like every cheesy romance moment he’d ever thought of, and someone would come running. He didn’t need Gael.

Gael blew out a long breath. Jake was stunning. Beautiful pin-up girls should hang from those biceps. Gael put the brakes on his thoughts—just because he was ugly didn’t make “gay” ugly. In fact, it was downright breathtaking sometimes.

He had spent the afternoon with Derrick, but Derrick had mostly slept it away. Dr. Maya had come in a few times and asked what Gael knew about Derrick, but obviously it wasn’t enough. After Gael managed to coax Derrick to eat something before he fell asleep again, his precious tablet clutched tightly, Gael had been all set to call Jake. Then the nurse, who had taken a keen interest in the signing, having done some himself, offered him a ride into town.

“Gael?” Gregory peered at him, and Gael tried to look like he was okay. “How was the boy?”

“He seemed calmer, sir. I’ll type up my report now.”

“Your team is in the gym” was all Gregory said before smiling and walking away.

Gael let them be for a while as he shot into the office and wrote his report on what had happened. Forty minutes later he walked into the gym and found Vance sitting on a bench and Jake laid flat out on the ground. Gael took in Vance’s amused look and Jake’s groan.

“You’re not supposed to kill your partner, you know,” he scolded Vance.

Jake groaned again and sat up. Gael walked to the vending machine and got a bottle of water. He unscrewed it and headed back to Jake, holding it out. Jake grabbed it, tipped his head back, and Gael followed every swallow down that smooth throat. He nearly repeated Jake’s groan.

“You staying here now?” Vance stood. “I’m going for a shower, then finishing my report. Talon says we can leave whenever we want so long as he has them for the morning.”

“Was the separate gym put in so all the other agents wouldn’t see our humiliation every time Vance put one of us down?” Jake asked, still sitting on the floor.

Vance chuckled and walked out.

“Walk it off a little,” Gael said, grinning.

“How’d it go?” Jake got carefully to his feet and rolled his shoulders.

Gael shook his head. “Incredible. Humbling. I have a ton to tell you. How did your session go with Vance?”

Jake shot him a level look. “For a mammoth he’s surprisingly agile,” he said appreciatively. “You gonna work out or did you just want to see me taken down?” He smiled, softening the question.

Gael chuckled and looked over Jake critically. “You feel okay?”

Jake nodded and quipped, “Still standing.”

“Vance has gone for a shower now that I’m in here.”

Jake’s brows creased a little. “He didn’t actually hurt me or anything.”

“We’re never allowed in here on our own,” Gael explained, and Jake raised his eyebrows. “It’s one of Talon’s rules.”

“Teambuilding?”

“No. The doc does an awful lot of tests on us, and she isn’t sure if adrenaline contributes to our abilities developing.” Gael looked behind him to make sure the doors were closed. “The thing with my skin? It happened suddenly when I was in a shoot-out. When the team first formed, it was me, Talon, and Vance, and they didn’t really know what to do with us. Vance knew a DEA guy, and he asked us for back up. Everyone just thought we were cannon fodder, I suppose. Anyway, the op went wrong, and Vance and Talon were pinned down.”

Jake stilled, waiting for Gael to finish.

“I thought I was gonna die anyway, so I used myself as a shield.”

“Gonna die,” Jake repeated woodenly.

“Cancer.”

“What?” Jake nearly shouted the question and took two steps right up to Gael, raking his eyes over him in concern.

“I’m fine.” Gael smiled. “Remind me to bore you with the science sometime. Anyway, my skin became a barrier for the first time, and the bullets bounced off me. More agents arrived and everything worked out okay. They started proper training for us after that.”

Jake gazed at Gael. His warm gray eyes seemed to slide over Gael’s skin. Gael took another breath, not wanting to see something in Jake’s eyes that wasn’t there. Jake had gotten a loud no the last time he had come on to Gael.

“What I’m trying to explain is why Talon won’t let any of us use the gym on our own. Safety. He always wants someone here in case our abilities increase, alter, whatever.”

“But I’m not enhanced.” Jake said it as almost an apology.

“Doesn’t matter,” Gael said. “You’re part of the team, and Talon doesn’t have separate rules depending on who you are.”

“And you’re sure you’re okay?”

Gael suddenly realized how close Jake was. He’d taken another step while Gael was desperately trying to rein in his imagination. Gael swallowed, and Jake’s gaze fell to his mouth, staring. Gael’s throat was so dry. For a second he wanted to step back in panic, but he was cold, suddenly, and the heat coming from Jake was so inviting.

“I’m not going to do anything that you wouldn’t welcome,” Jake said bluntly. “I want you to feel safe with me.”

Safe? That wasn’t the word Gael would use. The nerves in his gut tripled, but the tingles in his groin were fiercer. He ached. Just one more step and they would be almost touching.

Victoria Sue…

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but managed to dream up quite a few heroes. Loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—especially with a paranormal twist—but always with a happy ending. Is an English northern lass currently serving twenty to life in Florida—unfortunately, she spends more time chained to her computer than on a beach.

Loves to hear from her readers and can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

Amazon

www.victoriasue.com

Twitter: @vickysuewrites

Facebook

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Leave a comment for Victoria Sue and we’ll pick a winner to receive an ebook from her backlist.

 

Relay by Layla Reyne: Blog Tour, Exclusive Guest Post, Review and Giveaway

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Welcome to the RELAY Blog Tour, presented by Layla Reyne and Riptide Publishing! RELAY, by Layla Reyne, is Book 1 of the Changing Lanes sports romance series featuring Olympic swimmers. RELAY is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance between Alex, the team captain, and his closeted ex, Dane, swimming’s biggest star. Read on to learn more about RELAY, Changing Lanes, and Layla Reyne!

Captain is not a title Alejandro “Alex” Cantu takes lightly. Elected by his teammates to helm the US Men’s Swim Team, he proudly accepts the role, despite juggling endless training, team administrative work, and helping out on the family farm. And despite his ex-lover, Dane Ellis—swimming’s biggest star—also making the Olympic Team.

Dane has been a pawn in his celebrity parents’ empire from crib to pool, flashing his camera-ready smile on demand and staying deeply in the closet. Only once did he drop the act—the summer he fell in love with Alex. Ten years later, Dane longs to cut his parents’ strings, drop his too-bright smile, and beg Alex for another chance.

Alex, though, isn’t ready to forgive and forget, and Dane is a distraction he doesn’t need on his team, until an injury forces Alex to accept Dane as his medley relay anchor. Working together, their passion reignites. When Dane’s parents threaten reprisal and Alex is accused of doping, the two must risk everything to prove Alex’s innocence, to love one another, and to win back their spots on the team, together.

Researching for Olympic Swimming

 Relay and Medley are contemporary sports romances featuring Olympic swimmers as they train for and compete in the Olympics. Relay’s Alex and Dane, and Medley’s Bas and Jacob, make-up the four-man medley-relay squad for USA Swimming.

While the Olympics are broadcast and we see what goes on at the meet portion of the event, training leading up to it isn’t as much of an open book. In researching and drafting Relay, which is focused more heavily on the training portion of Olympic competition, I gathered what information I could about past Olympic “training camps.” The teams do have domestic and international training camps, which are increasingly covered and attended by the media and fans. There are pictures, for instance, from the past camps that were very helpful in describing facilities and setting the scene.

As for what actually goes on at training camp, practice regimens, etc., that sort of information is not as widely available, so yes, some creative license had to be taken. That said, I have a number of friends who swam at the collegiate level, and I peppered them with questions—from diet, to pool versus dryland training, to swimwear and terminology. They were an invaluable resource to helping me get the details as close as I could.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

 

About Changing Lanes

A chance at gold or a chance at love? Members of the US Men’s Swim Team fight for both in this sports romance duology following two couples on one medley relay team as they train and compete in the world’s biggest sporting event: the Olympics. To reach the top of the podium, they’ll need to depend on one another and be willing to change lanes—in their lives and hearts, and in the biggest race of their athletic careers.

Check out Changing Lanes!

Anything Olympics related, especially swimming and gymnastics (anyone on that one???) and I will snap it up right away, without question. So when I saw this up for preorder, it was with grabby hands that I requested this one, and I was not disappointed. The author did a fantastic job with this story.

It has to be difficult to write about an area of sports that is only really seen by the public every four years, but well done by the author to connect with those that have an inside track into how that world works.

Alex and Dane certainly had their work cut out for them to come back together. Lovers at 16, then Dane turned his back when his parents said he had to leave. The anger and hatred that burned between them was palpable from the first day they were back in each other’s orbits. With Alex as captain, he was able to make decisions, along with the coach, who would swim what group events, and he didn’t hesitate to use that power to push Dane to the side, even knowing there was a chance it could affect the team’s chances of bringing home gold. In the end, the choice was taken away from him, once their anger was so out of control, it affected the entire team.

It took time for Alex to come to terms with where Dane was at in his life that he would walk away from what was clearly love, and even when he began to, Dane found a way to make it worse, allowing Alex’s belief in him to falter, because he knew there would be no way he could save him otherwise.

They worked together to overcome the outside forces that worked against them as individuals and a couple, even overcoming a small twist I didn’t see coming.

I do like a book that doesn’t tie everything up neatly, 100%. That to me is real life. There were several unanswered questions, along with people who definitely needed more of a comeuppance, but that is how real life is sometimes. Not all the questions are answered, and not everything ties up in a neat little bow. And that works just fine for me.

These two got their HEA, and the reader gets a glimpse of the next book, and even through how the secondary characters react, what their issues will be. I’m looking forward to it.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bicoastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.

Social Media:

Website: http://laylareyne.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/laylareyne

FB Profile: www.facebook.com/laylareynebooks

FB Fan Page: www.facebook.com/laylareyne

FB Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/216903272072959/

Tumblr: laylareyne.tumblr.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/laylareyne

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

Amazon: amazon.com/author/laylareyne

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bN9ncH

 

To celebrate the release of Relay, one lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 13, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Someone to Kiss by Scotty Cade: Exclusive Guest Post-Character Bio

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Dane McCormick’s job negotiating leases and building out furnished office suites takes him all over the country. He stays until the job is done—and then he moves on. As satisfying as the job is, it leaves him no place to call home and no chance to build a personal life. After arriving in Greenville, South Carolina, for a job, a severe stomach virus knocks Dane for a loop. He finds a local urgent care clinic… and a tall, dark, and handsome doctor who goes well above and beyond his duties to treat Dane. The doctor’s bedside manner makes Dane forget all about his stomach flu.

Carter Baldridge has dedicated his life to caring for others. Since graduating from medical school, he has spent all his time and energy building his urgent care business. But the morning he steps into his examining room and sees Dane McCormick on the table, he realizes it might be time to devote some attention to a part of life he has neglected. The spark is there, but so is a major obstacle in the form of Dane’s peripatetic lifestyle and a bad experience in Carter’s past. Both have to decide if the risk is worth the reward.

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

 

Happy New Year All!

First, I’d like to thank Denise and Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy for allowing me to spend a little time with you and chat a little about my latest release, Someone to Kiss.

Today you’re going to meet Dr. Carter Baldridge, one of the main characters up close and personal. He’s the kind of guy you can’t wait to bring home to your mother. You can take it from here, Carter.

Thanks, Scotty.

Hi there! My name is Carter Baldridge. Yeah, my formal title is Doctor Carter Baldridge but I’m just an informal guy and I hate all that pomp and circumstance. All of my patients call me Carter and that’s the way I like it.

This is my first costarring role in one of Scotty’s books so I’m a little nervous. Sorry if I babble.

Where do I start Carter? Okay. Let’s start here and get this out of the way. I’m a Yankee living in Greenville South Carolina. There I’ve said it. I know what you’re probably thinking. “A Yankee. How’d he get in.” That’s a line from one of my favorite movies, Gone with the Wind. Thank you Aunt Pittypat Hamilton.

Anyway I grew up in Peru, Vermont and worked at my family’s small ski resort until I left for college. I’m sure you’re wondering how I ended up in Greenville? Well, I had this crazy idea that I wanted to be an ER doctor and they had an opening for a resident in Greenville. But after a very short time I figured out an ER doc was not in the cards for me. Too much blood and gore. So now what I thought? Relocate? I considered San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago, but then I wondered why not Greenville? It’s ample in size—not too big, not too small—and has a lot to offer in the way of my profession. So I stayed and started my own Urgent Care practice or “doc in the box” as its most often referred. And I love it.

I get some kids with scrapes and bruises, a few busted heads, or a broken bone or two, but mostly I focus on the business traveler who wanders in with mostly colds and flu or the occasional stomach virus. I started to see a lot of business travelers so after a while I contacted a lot of the big companies in Greenville, offered my services and carved out a niche for myself. So now that’s mostly what I focus on and where I spend my advertising dollars. Think about it, business travelers are in the air a lot, always on the go, and that combination means…Bingo! A lot of germs and a weak immune system.

And that’s where I met Dane McCormick, my costar. He came into the office with a dreadful stomach virus and lost his stomach right in my office. Poor guy. But what a hunk. He’s got the most gorgeous emerald eyes. I was thrilled when we went out on our first date, until I learned what he did for a living. You see I had a very bad experience with a long distance relationship and I promised myself I would never do that again and I stuck to my guns.

But I guess you’ll just have to read the book to see how that turns out. Well…it was great sharing a little of me you won’t read about in the book and I hope you’ll drop a note below just to say hi. And if you do, you will be entered into a drawing to win an eBook of Someone to Kiss, costarring yours truly.

Thanks for spending the time with me and Scotty and I wish you and yours all the goodness the New Year has to offer.

Scotty Cade left Corporate America and twenty-five years of Marketing and Public Relations behind to buy an Inn & Restaurant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with his partner of over twenty years. He started writing stories as soon as he could read, but just five years ago for publication. When not at the Inn, you can find him on the bow of his boat writing gay romance novels with his Shetland sheepdog Mavis at his side. Being from the south and a lover of commitment and fidelity, all of his characters find their way to long healthy relationships, however long it takes them to get there. He believes that in the end, the boy should always get the boy.

Here’s where you can find me:

www.scottycade.com

www.facebook.com/scotty.cade

www.twitter.com/ScottyCade

scottycade@gmail.com

scotty@scottycade.com

 

You can check out our Release Day Review of Someone to Kiss by Scotty Cade here.

Reckless Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z: Release Day Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway

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After too many years of putting his job first, Detective Andreas Ruffner is getting his priorities straight. He’s ready to spend some quality time with his adult kids, not to mention come clean about some things he should’ve told them a long time ago. And introduce them to his partner and boyfriend, Darren Corliss.

But in a heartbeat, a family dinner turns into Andreas’s worst nightmare. When the dust settles, one of his kids is hurt, and the other three have been abducted.

Andreas is going to find his kids, and nothing, not even a broken ankle, is going to stop him. Thank God for his sharp, level-headed partner . . . who has a crisis of his own pulling him away when Andreas needs him the most. As both men try to support—and lean on—each other, they get no closer to finding the kids. And the longer the children are missing, the less likely it is they’ll ever be found.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

 

Sometimes, you sit down to read and want a wildly passionate, steamy story about two men falling in love. Other times, you need something… more. And that’s what you’ll get with the entire Bad Behavior series from LA Witt and Cari Z. Somehow, I’d completely missed the second book in the series, but that didn’t stop me from clutching Reckless Behavior, book three, in my greedy little hands as soon as possible.

I absolutely loved Andreas and Darren when I read Risky Behavior. They didn’t meet, fall in love, face issues, and live happily ever after. That’d be far too sweet for an ass like Andreas (and I mean that in the best possible way). He didn’t want Darren as a partner. Didn’t like knowing why Darren was there, but something made the rookie detective impossible to resist.

A lot of times, I get bored by series that continue with the same main characters. Once I’m certain they’re stable in their relationship and are going to make it through whatever comes after the end, it’s hard to keep my attention. Andreas and Darren are an excellent departure from this issue.

There’s so much I can’t say about Reckless Behavior because it’ll either spoil this book or the books before, but basically, it comes down to people holding grudges over that first big case, determined to teach Andreas a lesson. Again, it could’ve turned incredibly cliche, but the writing talents of this duo kept me turning from one page to the next until… I’m not going to admit how late it was when I finished and went to sleep. I’m a responsible adult who would never stay up until nearly sunrise in thedead of winter, all because she needed to make sure the couple was going to be okay. That everyone was going to be okay.

I can’t wait to see what comes next for Andreas and Darren. They’re one of my favorite couples of 2017!

5 pieces of candy (preferably the peppermint butter mints, because YUM)

About the Bad Behavior Series

It’s “hell no” at first sight for newly partnered detectives Andreas Ruffner and Darren Corliss. Darren is too chipper, Andreas is too gruff, and that whole “IA wants me to prove you’re a dirty cop” thing really doesn’t get them off on the right foot.

It doesn’t matter if they like each other. They’re partners and that’s final. Though Andreas is easy on the eyes. And Darren is kind of cute. And . . . okay, maybe they can make this work.

They’d better, because as their cases get more horrifying—and more personal—they’ll have to trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts.

Check out Bad Behavior!

About Cari Z

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at http://cari-z.net/  or via her blog, http://carizerotica.blogspot.com/

About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . .

L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

To celebrate the release of Reckless Behavior, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice in an ebook from each of Cari and L.A.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 6, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Rebel by Rhys Ford: Double Release Day Review

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The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something—it’s standing up for himself.

Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating breakup a few years ago.

Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life.

For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold on to. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt, but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul.

When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.

Title: Rebel
Series: 415 Ink
Author: Rhys Ford
Release Date: December 29, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 220

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

I wanted to love this book. And there were parts that I did, but….

As an avid m/m reader this was actually the first Rhys Ford book I’ve read. I liked the blurb, second chance love, set in one of my favorite cities, so I jumped in. But I was a bit disappointed.

Gus is part of a rag tag family of brothers. Some related by blood, others by circumstance. After running away to try and find himself after a bad break up, he returns to San Francisco and the brothers he left behind. And the man who broke his heart.

Being that this is the first of a series there is a lot of getting to know all of the various characters. Sadly, I didn’t feel like any one character was really fleshed out. Even Gus and Rey, the main characters of this book felt incomplete. And while Rey was the more likeable guy, Gus was broken and didn’t seem to want to put the pieces back together.

As for the group of guys, his one “brother” Mason seems to really be a bit of a jerk when it comes to Gus. They treated each other horribly- and not in the brotherly way, in my opinion. There were parts of the book where I was just shocked that two guys who considered themselves brothers, lived together for years, but treated each other with such animosity. The oldest “brother” Bear is the typical curmudgeon with a soft side, Ivo- Gus’ half brother- was my favorite of the bunch and I actually look forward to his book. Luke rounds out the five and he intrigued me as well. He went down a different path than the other four but still is one of them.

To complicate Gus and Rey finding love again is the love child that Gus didn’t know he had. And while I understand that he had a crappy childhood and wanted to do better for his son, he is very repetitious with “I can’t think about me, only my son”. A man needs to have a life.

But like I said, there were parts that I did like. I am all for a good angsty book. I love families that are made and not born. And the story arc was decent, but it was just overdone. Too much descriptors in different parts, relationships that didn’t seem genuine and circumstances that seemed a bit over the top.

I am going to take it all with a grain of salt that this was the first in the series and there are a lot of characters to get to know and a world to build. I will definitely read the next (especially if it is about Ivo), and hope for the best.

3 pieces of eye candy


Second chance romance, tattoo artists, and a group of (mostly) non-blood-brothers that have formed their own family? Gimme.

Rey and Gus were crazy about each other but broke up 3 years ago. Gus didn’t seem to want to settle down, and Rey didn’t tell him that that’s what he wanted. Gus skipped town right after, but now he’s back and ready to get serious about his life. Rey wants a second chance, but Gus has a new set of baggage with him: he just learned that his post-breakup one-night stand produced a son.

Gus has had a tough life and I totally feel for him. He had a horrible family trauma as a child, lived through the foster care system and now has a small band of brothers who are also foster care survivors. I love people forging their own family, made of members who’ve chosen each other. Rey had a more stable childhood and he’s now a firefighter. He has seen the happy family and wants that for himself, but Gus is wary of that life.

I have to say it took me a little bit to get into this book. Sometimes the writing sort of confused me and it took me a while to understand who all the “brothers” were and how they met. But eventually I did get into this and liked it. Gus’ past trauma just hurts my heart. Rey has had a more stable upbringing and I want him to be just what Gus needs in his life. Gus wants to be the dad he didn’t have to his own son, and seeing him try is very sweet. These two are clearly still in love with each other, I hate seeing them apart!

Gus’ brothers are all pretty different and I expect there will be further books for each of them. This is the first book I’ve read by Rhys Ford, and while the writing sort of weirded me out initially, I will definitely read more from her.

3 pieces of eye candy