3 stars

Ricochet by Reese Knightley: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Review

July 26, 2018 by Denise

WITSEC victim Noah Bradford knows secrets that could get him killed, and staying hidden seems like a good plan. What he didn’t plan on is losing his heart to a man who is sworn to protect him.

Battle scarred US Marshal Robert “Mac” Mackenzie has a job to do, and guaranteeing the safety of Noah Bradford is at the top of that list. Mac will do whatever it takes to keep Noah safe, even if it means walking away.

Mac and Noah, brought together during extreme circumstances, have been separated by evil. It’s been six years, give or take, and Noah is coming for vengeance against the men who killed his mother. He’s on a collision course with Mac, who has no idea of the man Noah has become. Sparks fly and the heat sizzles when these two powerful men are reunited, but will they survive the passion the past created?

RICOCHET

Out for Justice, Book 1

REESE KNIGHTLEY

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.07.18

COVER DESIGN: Morningstar Ashley @ Designs by Morningstar

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

Noah sat watching Mac through the windshield of the SUV. Mac had gotten off the freeway before pulling over next to a roadside stand. The man got out and bought a bunch of flowers and although Noah wondered why, he didn’t ask.

A few miles down the road, Mac pulled into a cemetery.

“I’ll be right back,” the marshal said after parking the SUV. Mac got out and walked across the grass, avoiding headstones until he stopped before one and placed the flowers in the vase in front of it. He looked so totally alone, standing strong against the wind.

Mac’s lips moved as he talked to the grave, and Noah could tell this was someone important to Mac by the way his fingers lingered on the gray headstone. Something about Mac standing alone near the grave caused a tightness in Noah’s chest, and he found himself leaving the warmth of the SUV.

Mac looked up when he shut the vehicle’s door, and their eyes met across the distance. Noah didn’t approach. He just wanted Mac to know he was there if the man needed him. A moment later, Mac approached and they both silently got back into the vehicle.

“Was that a friend?” Noah asked tentatively.

“Family,” Mac said brusquely, and Noah turned to glance out the window, swallowing the lump in his throat, and then looked back at Mac.

His gaze was drawn to the dark-haired man with a sexy five o’clock shadow growing along a chiseled jawline. Although he couldn’t see it from this side, the scar running down the left side of the man’s face gave Mac a dangerous look. In the close confines of the vehicle, Noah was very aware of the power in Mac’s corded arms and shoulders. The muscular chest he’d been held against during the escape drew his eyes time and again.

Mac took a series of side streets before getting them back to the safe house. Sitting on the couch, he tracked the marshal with his eyes, watching as the man turned on the television and selected a station. Jake and Jenny were on their way back but had stopped for a bite to eat.

He found himself staring at Mac’s trim hips. His eyes darted away before returning after a brief moment to lock on Mac’s ass. Freaking hell, no way would a man like Mac want him. Yet that didn’t stop him from wishing. He would have given anything for Mac to look at him and see someone other than a needy WITSEC victim.

Mac stalked back toward him, and Noah jerked his gaze to the television. Despite feeling displaced and scared, he felt better with Mac nearby. The man hadn’t said a word since they’d returned from the cemetery, and Noah couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong.

Mac dropped onto the couch next to him. The marshal’s scent reached his nose, and his overactive imagination pictured Mac’s scent on his body and how that would possibly work. His pulse suddenly hummed in his ears. The man’s weight dipped the cushion, and one massive thigh innocently brushed against his leg. Instant arousal hit, and Noah lifted one of the small decorative pillows to clutch in his lap.

Mac scowled at him, and Noah shifted beneath the somewhat angry stare. Again, he wondered if he’d done something wrong. The normally kind man was missing, and in his place was an irritated stranger.

The marshal’s phone rang, and Mac’s eyes narrowed before he answered it.

“Mackenzie,” Mac snapped.

“If you have stuff to do, I’m fine on my-” Noah stopped when Mac shushed him with a stern look.

Check out Jennifer’s 3 pieces of eye candy Release Day Review here.

A native Californian, Reese spends her time creating stories from the characters rattling around in her head, which has caused her to talk to herself on more than one occasion. Her love for reading mystery, fantasy, action and adventure, and contemporary romance led to her love of writing, which keeps her up day and night. Next to writing comes her love for coffee and wine, in no particular order. When not writing, Reese can be found working a part-time job where she day dreams of writing. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at Reeseknightleyauthor@gmail.com

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Daisy, Yellow by Angelique Jurd: New Release Review and Excerpt

July 19, 2018 by Denise

Just months after breaking up with his boyfriend, Noah Jenkins inherits his grandfather’s farm and he decides it’s time for a change of scenery. He packs his bags, buys a dog, and moves onto the property. When his Labrador puppy Daisy gets hurt he meets local vet Hunter Ross and life starts to look interesting again.

Hunter Ross has always lived in small, conservative Newton, in rural Illinois. At 39 he’s never been in love and never had a lover and mayhave neglected to tell anyone he’s close to that he’s gay. It’s never been a problem – until Daisy, Yellow and her owner, Noah, show up.

Is Noah’s love enough for Hunter to risk everything? Does Hunter have the strength to make the hardest choices he’ll ever make and survive?

Book Title: Daisy, Yellow

Author: Angelique Jurd

Publisher: Small Black Cat Media

Cover Artist: May Dawney Designs

Genre/s: Contemporary Gay Romance

Length: 177 pages

Add on Goodreads

Amazon US

Amazon UK

The great thing about small towns it turns out is that delivery is free and it’s quick. His new furniture will arrive tomorrow morning, which gives him time to get the living room ready. The parking lot in front of the clinic is empty but Noah can see Hunter’s truck parked further back and, on a whim, he follows the driveway down. He parks, unbuckles Daisy from her harness, and clips her leash on before he gets out of the car. When he turns around, Hunter is leaning against the doorway, wearing low slung jeans and a threadbare tee-shirt, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Noah croaks. His mouth and throat have gone dry and when Daisy pulls the leash free from his grasp, he barely notices. Hunter pushes the screen door open with a bare foot and she rushes inside.

“Shit, sorry!” He leaps after her, but Hunter doesn’t seem concerned, only amused.

From the depths of the house comes a volley of high pitched barks followed by an angry hiss.

“Sounds like she’s found Rosie.”

Noah trails behind him as Hunter goes inside, taking in his surroundings as walks. The cluttered living room is small with plain, simple furnishings in faded colors. In contrast, Noah notices, the sounds system, hooked to a laptop and a flat screen television, is state of the art. In the middle of the room stands the cat from the clinic, back arched and tail puffed up. Daisy bounces forward with a yip only to be met by a grey and white paw that smacks her nose three times in quick succession and sends her scuttling back to Noah with a yelp and a whimper.

As he picks her up he spots two scratches across her nose, both beading with blood.

“Hey, your cat scratched my pup.”

“Your pup tried to chase my cat.”

Annoyed, Noah clutches Daisy to his chest and braces his shoulders. She’s bleeding.

“You should control her better.”

The statement is met by laughter. That he likes the sound of it annoys Noah even more than the laughter itself.

“She’s a cat. How do you propose I control her?”

“I don’t know but you’re a vet, you should be able to think of something.”

Hunter steps over and peers at the scratches on Daisy’s nose.

“She’ll live. You can trust me on this, I’m a vet.” The mocking tone makes it very clear what Hunter thinks of Noah’s reaction. He bends and gathers Rosie up and puts her on the back of an armchair. She immediately jumps off, flicks her tail at the room and saunters down the hallway.

In Noah’s arms, Daisy quivers and whimpers.

Noah is about to protest again when Hunter leans forward and brushes a kiss over his mouth. It’s brief and rough, over before Noah can even register it’s happening. Stunned, he runs his finger over his bottom lip and hugs Daisy to his chest as he watches Hunter walk away, calling over his shoulder as he goes.

“Do you want coffee?”

Two hot guys and a cute puppy? Absolutely!

So, Noah inherits his grandpa’s little farm house in smallminded USA. After catching his boyfriend of a year cheating on him, literally in the act, he figures the country life would be a nice change of pace. Afterall, he can do his job anywhere… something about bridges and architecture or something? Anyway… he packs up, buys a puppy and settles in just fine. It’s tricky, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but it feels good and he’s happy….

When Daisy, his new puppy gets a bee sting, he gets scared, thinking it could be a snake bite and rushes her to the vet… that’s where he meets hot veterinarian, Hunter. Now, Hunter has lived in this town his entire life. He knows everybody and everybody knows him and his family…..which I think is why this upset me so bad.

Small town livin’ ain’t easy…. This, I know…. But Hunter is forty years old and never had a relationship, never even so much as dated, all because he knows the town won’t be accepting of his sexual preference. How sad is that? His entire life he’s been alone, taking care of everyone’s pets and genuinely being a good person. I hated that he went so long without at least companionship, until Noah….

The two were so cute together, I really liked them together. Noah with his puppy and Hunter with his cat, they were the epitome of adorbs! But, it was hard because Hunter knew that they couldn’t be “out”…. And boy, he was not wrong…. After an accident leaves Noah in the hospital, someone sees them together and assumes, then spreads that gossip like wildfire… in twenty-four hours, the town was bent on making these guys lives miserable.

People were so mean and hateful; vandalizing cars and businesses…. Burning houses down… and though the guys get to have their say to a couple of the terrible people….it in no way made up for the horrible things they went through….and to me, it was so disappointing, because the story itself was so cute, so, so cute…but I cannot get over the ending… sure, the people got arrested, (it was merely mentioned)…. But then what? I was so disappointed by the end. Ugh, I hated that they just ran away. It felt like they let the bigoted townspeople run them off… they won…. They got exactly what they’d set out to do and I HATE that. I hate when the bad people get away with being bad people. It’s kind of made me sick to my stomach a little bit, if I’m honest. I wasn’t expecting that.

I did love how amazing both men’s parents were though… Both sets of parents loved their boys unconditionally and it was nice to see.

So, in conclusion…overall, good story…. Hated the last 15-20 percent. Don’t think I’ll follow up in the series.

3 pieces of eye candy from me.

Author, acafan, Buddhist. Angelique is owned by four cats, three adult children, two temperamental computers, and a very patient boyfriend (not a partridge in a pear tree).

A former print journalist and editor, she has over the years, written about a wide variety of topics from politics to duck breeding to rock concerts. Her interest in fandom studies was sparked in 2015 when she watched Supernatural for the first time and she has been fascinated by the intersection between fans and creators ever since and is currently completing an MA (Media Studies) in the subject.

She likes cold champagne, hot coffee, neat whiskey, loud Springsteen, and the Winchester brothers kicking butt. When she’s not writing she likes to color, watch movies, and get more tattoos.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Twitter @AngeliqueJurd

Instagram: angeliquejurd

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The Pet Stylist and The Playboy by Rebecca James: New Release Review

July 17, 2018 by Denise

Swish has been in love with Dante since the day the tough biker found him homeless and miserable in a gas station restroom, but Dante’s never shown the younger man anything more than brotherly affection. Deciding it’s time to move out of the MC’s clubhouse and away from Dante, Swish takes a live-in job working in a privately-owned animal shelter where he can continue his pet stylist business. What he doesn’t realize is he’s not going to be as far away from the object of his affection as he thinks.
Dante’s time of being a playboy biker is fast coming to a close. At summer’s end he turns 30, and that means fulfilling his promise to his parents and returning to high society in the Hamptons. That dim prospect should be all Dante can think about, only Swish is moving out, and suddenly Dante can’t do anything but obsess over the kid he’s always thought of as a younger brother. Telling himself he’s only making sure Swish is doing okay on his own, Dante takes a summer job landscaping at the animal shelter where Swish has taken a job. There he learns a few things about the young man he’s never bothered to find out before, including that Swish’s real name is Isaac, and he enjoys wearing a certain something under his jeans–something that Dante’s surprised to find he would really like to remove–preferably with his teeth.
When Dante gives in to his need for Isaac, the playboy biker quickly finds that disentangling himself from the man he once thought of as a kid brother proves harder than expected, and that perhaps after years of one-night-stands and partying, his priorities need to change. Only not in the way his wealthy and controlling parents want them to.

Amazon

I read book 1 of this new to me author because one of the main characters was a ballet dancer. And while I didn’t love it, I wanted to read book 2 because the supporting character, Swish, really drew my attention and I wanted more.

And I really enjoyed getting to know Swish more. Dante though. Dante was kind of a dick.

For whatever reason, he is keeping a secret from EVERYONE except for one guy in the MC. His big secret is that when he turns 30, he has to go work for his father and eventually take over the family business. He feels that he owes it to them. His cold, unfeeling parents. Makes no sense. But what was even more out there to me is that the family business is several high end car dealerships. I wasn’t expecting that. AT ALL. I don’t see how owning car dealerships gave his parents to prestige they had on Long Island in their circle, but ok.

Anyway. Swish was awesome. He took care of himself. When he is offered a place to live and a job doing something he loves- he takes it. I cheered for him. But Dante just had to encroach on that as well.

Basically Dante was a selfish jerk through most of the book. And Swish tried to fight it, but ultimately he couldn’t. He had been crushing on Dante for too long.

But Swish had his new job. His new place to live. New clients with the pet styling. Things were looking up for him.

But Dante keeps coming back.

Yes, he finally gets his head on straight and all of that- but it was pretty outlandish. Kind of silly, like the title. Seriously. Poor, poor title.

Swish kept me reading definitely. AND figuring out who the next book is about will make me read the next. And as much as I love a HEA, I really would have liked it if Swish had told Dante to ride off into the sunset.

3 Pieces of eye candy

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Ricochet by Reese Knightly: Excerpt and New Release Review

July 11, 2018 by Denise

WITSEC victim Noah Bradford knows secrets that could get him killed, and staying hidden seems like a good plan. What he didn’t plan on is losing his heart to a man who is sworn to protect him.

RICOCHET

Out for Justice, Book 1

REESE KNIGHTLEY

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.07.18

COVER DESIGN: Morningstar Ashley @ Designs by Morningstar

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

After the day at the beach, Mac would steal him out of the house to eat burgers and fries or go to the lake, if not the beach again. Sometimes, Noah imagined he saw affection in Mac’s eyes, but the look would disappear as quickly as it appeared. The man certainly didn’t realize he starred in every one of Noah’s fantasies.

“How long do I have to stay in WITSEC with you?” Noah shifted in his seat, keeping his voice low. They were currently sitting at a coffee house, hours from the safe house.

“You’ll need to stay until you can testify. Then you’ll get a new identity. But all that won’t be until we catch Stevenson and Manning,” Mac said.

“So I won’t always be Noah Bradford?” Noah tested out his new last name. It felt funny saying it, but it wasn’t too far from Brown, so it grew on him quickly.

“No, not if you go to the trial.”

“Well, at least I get to keep my first name.”

“Mmhmm,” Mac agreed.

“And I really have to testify?” Noah licked the whipped cream from his lips and swallowed more mocha.

“Yes,” the man replied, nodding and shifting in his chair. “You’re the only one.”

“I’m the only one willing,” Noah pointed out since Jenny was wavering on testifying. Currently, his best friend was with Jake, trying to find a new outfit to wear to the movies. She’d stopped using heroin and the withdrawal had been brutal. Jake had taken her to the doctors and they had a plan to help people like her. As a result, Jenny had gained some much-needed weight, and to stop her from complaining about her clothes being too tight, Jake had offered to take her shopping today.

Mac sighed and pointed his straw at him. “Quit that. I have a surprise for you.”

“What?” Noah couldn’t help the feeling of excitement.

“Come on.” Mac smiled and stood.

A short drive away, Mac parked the SUV and entered a small warehouse-style building through the back entrance.

“Whoa,” Noah drawled, walking into the wide room until he stood beside a thick wrestling mat. The room was a massive gym, but only a few people were using machines in the far end of the room.

“Ever learn any self-defense?”

“Nope.” Noah grinned, putting an extra emphasis on the P, causing Mac to grin back.

“Well, you are now.”

After that, Mac brought him there as much as possible and taught him street fighting.

Noah loved every minute of it. Even though he got his ass handed to him more times than not, at least he got to do some hands-on with Mac. And hands-on with Mac made Noah’s day.

The day Noah knew he was getting better at fighting was when he managed to trip Mac to the mat and get the marshal in a headlock. Mac tapped out and Noah jumped to his feet and bounced on his toes, doing the Rocky Balboa dance.

“That was good. Let’s do it again. Remember, stay focused.” Mac’s deep voice grounded him, and Noah drew in a long, slow breath and then just as slowly, pushed it out. Mac cautioned him to stay calm and not get overexcited. The man said that keeping his cool would help him win a fight.

“Mind over matter,” Noah stated, reciting Mac’s words back to him.

Mac chuckled. “That’s right,” he agreed, and then lifted one hand and gave Noah a come-at-me gesture.

Noah willingly dodged in and then jumped back. They circled each other, waiting for the other to show weakness. Or, as Mac had told him many times, wait for your opponent to take the step that would put him off-balance.

Noah craved the times they were close. The sweaty marshal was so freaking hot. He smelled so good; like sweat, soap, and masculine power.

Frustratingly, Mac never gave any indication that he was interested in having more with him than a friendship. Mac pointed out that a nine-year age difference separated them. Plus, he was a minor. It wasn’t a big deal to Noah. In fact, he preferred older guys. Well, he hadn’t actually dated any guys, but when he looked at pictures, he had always been drawn to older men.

This one was tricky for me….I’m not sure how I feel about it just yet.

Noah, had a very messed up start in life. After his mother was killed and his step-father, the leader of some drug running, compound living, very abusive situation, camp… I was surprised Noah had survived it. Everything happens so fast in the beginning and there are a lot of people to try and keep straight. It was abuse and gunfire straight away. It kind of made me sick to my stomach if I’m honest.

However, US Marshall Something Mackenzie, I honestly don’t remember his name and I just finished it; they just called him Mac, was on the SWAT team that rescued Noah and his friend Jenny, who’d also been held captive by this life on the compound. She was just as abused as Noah… I believe they were seventeen, but when Mac first looked at him, he guessed 14, which was kind of weird because he had this instant attraction to Noah….. why would you if you thought he was 14? I mean, 17, I get it, but I found that a little weird.

Now, because it was a surprise raid, they didn’t catch Noah’s step-dad or the people who helped keep him captive, they all got away… so Noah stayed in Mac’s custody until they could get him into witness protection…. Then we somehow jump to 2 months later, then 2 years later then the next chapter five years later, where now Noah isn’t this twinky little abused kid, he’s now a BA, super secret elite team member fighting war crime, named Ghost?? Seriously?? I found that incredibly unbelievable and way off character from the kid I’d been reading about for the first third of the book….

All the while… Noah and Mac had no communication for six years but were still in love with each other. Mac dreaming of Noah and Noah saying he let his love for Mac go, but, he’s all he thinks about, ever….Then, we get more people that we have to keep straight, different characters just popping in and out, I couldn’t keep them all straight….and then Mac’s ex Ben and his boyfriend were around popping in and out and it all just seemed to unbelievable and far-fetched with them, I was glad to see the karmic kick-back that they got. I wish Ben would’ve gotten a bullet in his head too.

Meanwhile, while Noah and Mac just forgot years of being apart and get together, they go on the hunt for all the bad guys together and with the help of both teams, and a surprise visitor…. They get them all and it’s all over. For a long book, it really went by quickly.

I believe there will be other books in the series, probably with the super secret elite team that Noah is on, but I honestly don’t think I can be bothered to keep up with them….even if Frost seems kind of broody hot….we’ll see I guess….

All’s well that ends well, and I can’t hate a happy ending…so…

3 pieces of eye candy

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Love’s Magic by Janice Jarrell: Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

July 3, 2018 by Denise

If you love gay romance that contains both heated passion and steadfast love, Love’s Magic is for you! Professor Nate Reese rushes to protect a female student and is severely injured at the hands of her assailant. Traumatized by the attack, Nate sets his feet on a no-holds-barred path of activism designed to force university officials into addressing the issue of on-campus assault. At the same time, terrified of losing his hard-won status at the university, his partner, David Gardener, a veteran of 12 years as a very popular Professor, is reluctant to support Nate’s militant efforts. Seemingly abandoned by his partner, Nate sees David’s aversion to his activism as indifference to the trauma he suffered. Day by day they watch as their relationship disintegrates, while still struggling to resolve the disruptive issues engulfing the school they love.

In the meantime, Irishman Colin Campbell, handsome and charismatic Sergeant for the campus police force, fights his own on-going war against campus assault. But behind his obsessive desire to gain justice for victims lies a devastating secret which could forever destroy his fiercely independent facade and expose his deepest fear. Ultimately, it is Colin’s powerful connection to a steady, dark-eyed Title IX consultant which threatens to tear down his defenses and shatter the barriers protecting his heart.

Cocky and irresistible, the dynamic police officer was everything Joshua Abrams had ever longed for in a man, but Colin simply didn’t ‘do’ relationships. Unless Joshua would settle for a one night stand, or a very short-term liaison, there was no room for him in Colin’s life. Yet even knowing this, he couldn’t keep himself from falling hopelessly in love with his ‘magic man’. Despite the passion between them, he knew his quiet, reclusive nature could never hope to entice the vibrant, freedom-loving Irishman, so eventually he begins to back slowly away.

Eventually, a disagreement over an oddly disturbing case causes Colin’s hot Irish temper to erupt and their relationship is irrevocably shattered. Heartbroken, and convinced that Colin is gone forever, Joshua flees Charlottesville without a word, leaving Colin adrift and inconsolable.

But Joshua Abrams hadn’t merely stepped over the indelible line Colin had drawn between his heart and the dangers of real love, he had burned through it like hot lava. Finally forced to acknowledge his love for Joshua and his desperate need to have the quiet, Jewish man by his side, Colin must now face the dark and long-suppressed memories which are irrevocably linked to his love for the handsome consultant. Without even a forwarding address to guide him, he vows to find Joshua and bring him home. Colin’s struggle to conquer his pride and fear in order to find the love of his life and achieve their happily ever after will touch your heart.

Four lives in turmoil fighting for the relationships they cherish, and at the heart of the struggle, a great university struggles to survive its most harrowing challenge.

Length: 82,406 words

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Love’s Magic is about two couples, Nate and David, who live together and Colin and Josh, recent friends with benefits. All four work at the university but only meet each other after Nate thwarts a would-be rapist on campus and is sent to the hospital badly beaten. From there, the conflict between Nate and David arises from Nate’s determination to have the school acknowledge the security issues on campus and implement real change for student and staff safety. David is afraid it will affect both his and Nate’s careers and the two grow increasingly estranged. Colin finds himself falling for Joshua, but refuses to commit further than casual dating.

This book was just okay for me. It had some yummy angst between both couples, and I admit I was sad when it looked like Nate and David were caput. The issues I had were the mechanics of the writing. There were many typos, mistakes or misused words (advice vs. advise) or incorrect homonyms (peaked vs. piqued). String enough of those together and it can drive me mad. There are also odd word choices, for instance, the author chose to use “quarreled” almost exclusively and that’s just an odd word for people to use today. There’s mention of a fax machine — what? There are many, many exclamation points which prevent me from feeling the characters and their conversations are real. It isn’t until several chapters in, after we’ve met Nate and David and learned the mechanics of their relationship, that we learn David has an ex-wife and two children. It seemed completely out of nowhere. The plot itself was okay, and I was happy when David finally realized why Nate was slowly being driven away, because David’s dick behavior was getting on my nerves. Colin and Joshua are perfectly fine together though they have their own angst as the two fight about the future of their relationship and Joshua leaves town without telling Colin or leaving him any forwarding information. Angst like that, I like. But it was a little slow going with all the problems I found with the writing itself.

3 pieces of eye candy

June 25 – Mirrigold, June 26 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, June 27 – MM Good Book Reviews, June 28 – Bayou Book Junkie, July 2 – Love Bytes, July 3 – Two Chicks Obsessed, The Novel Approach, July 4 – Joyfully Jay, July 5 – Drops Of Ink, Sarandipity

My name is Jan Jarrrell. I am a 74 year old retired grandmother who lives in Seattle, WA. I have been a writer of Lord of the Rings slash fan fiction for almost twenty years under the name Rakshi. I have written both RPS fiction and FPS and my list of works stands at three hundred and thirty seven, including stories as short as drabbles (stories of 100 words) and a series entitled ‘Time’ that was 119,012 words long. I have never had a work officially published, though two of my stories, Char ar’ I’ear (Earth and Sea) and ‘To The Distant Shore’ were included in the Vilya II fanzine. You can find my works on Archive of our Own and on LiveJournal under the username Rakshi.

I began writing original character fiction about a year ago and found I love it more than anything. I tend to fall in love with my characters and always want to give them that happy ending that I just know they deserve.

Reach me at: jjarrell@lovesmagic.online

Facebook: Revolutionary Heart- Love’s Magic

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Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) by Jay Northcote: Blog Tour, Release Day Review

June 21, 2018 by Denise

Can Jason find the courage he needs to be the man Seb deserves?

When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city, and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe–bar.

Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he’s deep in the closet. He’s never had a relationship with another man—only allowing himself the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet.

The attraction between the two men is instant and impossible to ignore. But while Seb is out and proud, Jason is terrified of being exposed. With the grand opening of Rainbow Place approaching, tension is growing among some locals who object to Seb’s plans. When things escalate, Jason is forced to choose whether to hide in the shadows and let Seb down, or to openly support the man he’s fallen so hard for.

Although this book is part of a series, it has a satisfying happy ending and can be read as a standalone.

Length: 54,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Amazon

So, I think I seem to be a minority on this one.
I was really on the fence…..
Seb seems to be one of the only out gay men in his town, everyone else seems to be deep in the closet, wanting to be discreet or way too young for him. So, at the insistence of his out and proud married neighbors, after running an idea by them, he decides to make the cafe he was going to open, an LGBT+- friendly cafe. I loved the idea of this, man, if there were more places like this, especially in smaller communities, like mine… it would go such a long way in opening some minds and making our community a safer place for those who need it.
Sighhhh, if only.

Finding a contractor who sees his vision might be tricky, but he lucks out when he gets Jason and his assistant Will…. I was pleasantly surprised by Will, I thought he was going to be a problem, but he wasn’t, he was so great…. Jason, on the other hand, was deep, deep in the closet to everyone except his ex-wife, who he remained best friends with and they raised their daughter together.

Because Jason was so deep in the closet, the attraction he and Seb felt towards one another had to be kept a secret… I couldn’t imagine how that would feel for either of them. Seb being out, and Jason being afraid… I understood it, I seriously did; I don’t think anyone should be forced to come out before they’re ready, and some may never be ready… but it’s selfish to ask the person you have feelings for and who has feelings for you, to keep that a secret. Not keep your secret a secret, but keep a relationship or their feelings a secret. I didn’t like that. I felt like, even though I understood it, I still felt it selfish, because I knew that Seb had deeper feelings for Jason.

In saying that, I really didn’t feel much of a connection between these two until the very end. It was very clinical hookups, it almost felt like a doctor and patient exchanging of mutual pleasure.
I’m sure it was enjoyed, but the way it was explained and the dialogue just seemed….I dunno, clinical is the only way to describe it. I didn’t get it, didn’t feel it at all.

I was also disappointed when things go wrong and the one time…. the absolute time in which Seb would need Jason, he cut and run and hid away. That was….. I couldn’t believe that, it made me incredibly sad. I dunno if there would’ve been redemption for me. Of course, he makes a grand gesture that I thought was nice, but it seemed to me like he did it for the wrong reason and I dunno, I just didn’t like it.

What I loved, was when Seb needed it, the community came together to support him and his cafe.
You don’t have to be a memeber of the LGBT+ community, to support them, and I loved loved loved seeing that!!

By the end, I was glad that it worked out because I love getting a HEA, but I mostly wanted it for Seb because I thought that he deserved it and because I know he had feelings for Jason.
Jason I felt got lucky and I never really warmed up to him. I’m not sure I’ll continue the series, but I would like to see more from this Alex, who was the bigots son… so perhaps we’ll see?

3 pieces of eye candy from me.

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

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