5 stars

Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker: EXCLUSIVE Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

February 14, 2018 by Denise

Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need. Or will it just be a painful reminder of all they had lost?

Second chance: an opportunity to try something again that failed one time. Rush and Lincoln have shared a lot of firsts—friendship, young love, and heartbreak. Cruel reality forced the two men to choose paths that took their lives in different directions. Twenty-six years later, they get a second chance to fall in love with each all over again. Can it really be that simple, or will the same issues ruin their happiness a second time?

Happily ever after: to live happily for the rest of one’s life. Rush and Lincoln know that love and life can’t be defined by words alone. Patience, commitment, and the determination to do whatever it takes will be the only way the two men achieve their happily ever after.

Second Wind is a funny, sexy, and endearing standalone romance novel about love, loss, and rediscovery. It contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Rush wanted to believe me; I saw that in his eyes. It was also evident how much he longed to be the one holding my hand in the hallways at school and proudly wearing my varsity jacket, but in his green gaze too was the heartbreaking acceptance that it would never happen.

“I wish it could be you, Rush,” I said when silent tears slid down his face. I begged him with my eyes to see the truth and hear it in my words. “I only want you.”

He said nothing for several moments, so I closed my book and rose from his bed. Rush’s hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist. “Don’t go.”

I sat back down and slowly tugged my arm until his hand slid down to mine. Then I curled my fingers protectively around his like I wished I could protect our hearts. I knew no good would come out of the love building between us, but I was powerless to stop it. Only Rush could stop me from hurting him by sending me away. Instead of telling me to go, he leaned into me and pressed his mouth against my throat.

“Promise me that you’ll only give this to me,” he said, placing his hand over my wildly beating heart. “I’ll share your time if I have to, but I won’t share this. Tell me it’s mine, Linc. Please.”

“Only yours, Rush,” I easily promised.

Let’s start off right away with, this is not a romance, this is truly a love story. Yes, there is romance, sweet, sexy, humorous, two men (along with others in the family!) falling in love. But above all this is an out (pun intended) and out LOVE STORY! And I can’t even express how much I absolutely cherished reading every word of it.

This second chance love story brought two men full circle, from falling in love as children, to broken hearts as teenagers, to having lived their lives missing something to finding each other once again in middle age, and instantly reconnecting.

There was no extreme angst, although this reviewer cried more than one or two tears, just lives that were lived only halfway until that moment they look up and see each other when the time was right for them to find their happily ever after.

If you are looking for a story where you have instant gratification, and revengeful angry reconnections, this is not the story for you. A good portion of the first half of the book is about these characters finding themselves, and becoming the men they needed to be in order to be able to love the man they’d love their entire lifetime.

However, if you are looking for a story where you can feel how deeply two men connect, as they re-connect, one where love shines through their story, as well as the stories of those they love, one where you just enjoy each moment, each picture in their lives, this is an amazing story for that.

It still has quite a bit of the heat that Aimee Nicole Walker is known for (who says your sex life goes dark in your 40s????), so don’t think it is just a sweet little love story. As someone who might be able to relate to these mens’ ages, it is fantastic to read a book sometimes where the characters are not all 28, beautiful hair, and not a single crows foot to be found.

Lastly, that cover. What an amazing cover Jay Aheer did for this book. Creative, beautiful, and really poignant to the love story.

5+ pieces of eye candy, without question.

Denise loved this book so much she wants to give away two ebook copies of it. Leave a comment about the book, the excerpt, the cover…anything.

The Winning Edge by Keira Andrews: New Release Review

February 12, 2018 by Denise

After an explosive locker room confrontation with his Russian rival ends in the most intense sex of his life, American pairs skater Dev Avira is distracted to say the least. He’s worked for years to have a chance at Olympic gold, and he can’t let himself—or his partner—down. Playing cat and mouse with the steely and smoldering Mikhail Reznikov is the last thing he needs as he prepares for the biggest competition of his life, but they can’t keep their hands off each other as the Games approach.

Dev soon learns that beneath Mikhail’s arrogant and aloof exterior is Misha, a passionate man who warms Dev’s heart and scorches his bed. They’re both determined to win, but for Misha his freedom could be at stake if he and his partner take anything less than gold. Who will stand atop the podium? And can secret lovers from different worlds make a life together once the competition ends?

This gay sports romance from Keira Andrews features enemies to lovers, two alpha men, sequins, and of course a happy ending. Content previously published as novellas Cold War and Holding the Edge.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Just like always, Keira rocked another amazing read. I enjoyed getting to watch the relationship between Dev and Misha grow and evolve from a passionate dislike to an extreme love throughout the course of the story. It made me look at skating differently as well. It’s always so much fun getting to watch these amazing athletes perform and having a story written about the sport had me excited as hell. I ate this up. Wonderful characters and well written from start to finish. Hot, steamy, sweet and emotional. I definitely recommend taking an afternoon to get lost in Dev, Misha, Bailey and Kisa.

Dantès Unglued by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: Double Release Day Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 25, 2018 by Denise

When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.

Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.

But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.

With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

After one quick knock on Rowe’s door, he stepped inside without waiting for him to call since he was already expected. But he stopped short when he saw the tall man standing next to Rowe’s desk, his hands on his slender hips as he grinned down at Rowe. Quinn couldn’t stop his eyes from quickly sweeping over his broad shoulders and chest that tapered into a narrow waist. His eyes snapped back up to find a pair of brown eyes that twinkled as they finished checking him out as well.

“Sorry,” Quinn mumbled, instantly taking a step backward. “I can come back.” Rowe rarely saw clients. He had customer representatives that handled talking to the clients. Of course, with Rowe’s lack of a filter, it was better if he didn’t talk to the new clients directly.

“No, come in, Quinn,” Rowe said sharply. He stood behind his desk, drawing Quinn’s gaze to his shorter but broader frame. His dark red hair stood up slightly as if he’d been running his fingers through it. Quinn never took that as a particularly good sign.

With a quick jerk of his head, Quinn stepped in and shut the door behind him. The other man was smiling at him, that assessing look still in his eyes, and Quinn didn’t want to think about the fact that he was dying to take another longer look at him, but not with the freaking boss in the room.

“Quinn Lake, this is Shane Stephens. He’s a private investigator with The Merleau Detection Agency,” Rowe introduced.

Shane extended his hand to Quinn and Quinn clenched his teeth, trying to hide his discomfort at taking Shane’s hand. His own palms were sweaty, making the momentary contact awkward. Why the fuck was he always so damn awkward around hot guys?

“Rowe tells me you’re the best,” Shane said, releasing his hand.

Quinn couldn’t help the skeptical look he shot at Rowe, who only shrugged as he sat down again. “Well, I said you and Gidget are the best.”

“Is this about a job?”

“Sit, Quinn.” Rowe absently waved toward the two chairs in front of his desk. He shuffled some papers around without seeming to actually look at them, placing them in piles at the edge of his desk.

Shooting one last uncertain look at Shane, Quinn moved to the farthest chair and sat, his tablet clenched in both hands. His mind raced as he tried to figure out why he’d been called into this meeting. Clients didn’t meet with Rowe, and Quinn didn’t meet with clients unless they’d already been assigned a bodyguard. And while they’d worked with some private investigators in the past, Rowe wasn’t usually involved. He had a company to run.

“Shane recently acquired a client who is the victim of a hacker,” Rowe started.

Quinn looked up at Shane, who was still standing beside Rowe’s desk, his mind finally turning away from too many questions to a problem he could understand. “Identity theft? Bank accounts drained?”

“No, not yet.” Shane shook his head, some of his dark curly hair falling forward against his temple. “At least, not that we’ve uncovered.”

“Then how do you know this client was hacked?”

“There are other signs…but I can’t go into it.”

Quinn frowned for a second. That certainly wasn’t going to make his job easier. “Well, do you just need improved protection? Alerts on accounts? We’ve got a comprehensive list of things we can do to help shore up the client’s account protection and privacy.”

“Shane isn’t looking for protection from the hacker for the client.” Rowe paused until Quinn looked back at him. “His client has hired him to track down the identity of the hacker.”

“Whoa…” Quinn said on an exhale, sitting back in his chair. That…that was not an easy task. Most hackers were pretty damn good at not being found. You had to be if you wanted to survive as one. If you sucked, you were usually snagged by the FBI pretty damn fast. Quinn would know. He’d started hacking at a young age—not stealing other people’s money but just breaking through security systems because he could. It took the feds a solid five years to catch him. But his boss knew all this. Rowe knew everything about the people working for him.

“We’re not equipped to handle this level of…” Shane frowned at Rowe’s computer as if he blamed it for his problems. “Well, we’re not staffed yet to handle computer things like this. I can do some of the forensic research in accounting matters, but I need a computer genius like you.”

“That’s why I agreed to loan you to Shane and his business partner, Ethan, for one month,” Rowe announced.

Quinn was out of his seat in a shot, hovering over the edge of the desk as he looked down at his boss. Pain shot through his chest, and he was suddenly having trouble catching his breath. Panic clouded all of his thoughts. He loved working for Ward Security. He’d been there for just less than two years, and he’d never found another place where he’d felt like he fit so damn perfectly. This was home. These people he worked with, they were his friends. He didn’t have to hide or pretend or feel uncomfortable.

And Rowe…Rowe had always been amazing. Sure, he could be cranky and a little crazy. He was always loud and tended to speak before thinking. But Quinn always knew exactly where he stood with Rowe. He always felt like Rowe had his back.

But this…

“Are you getting rid of me?”

“What?” Rowe snapped. “Where the fuck did you get that idea?”

“You’re hiring another IT person. I saw the listing. And this? Putting me ‘on loan’?”

Rowe groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. With a heavy sigh, he pointed back at the chair Quinn had just vacated. “Sit.” Grudgingly, Quinn followed direction while Rowe looked over at Shane. “Can you give us a minute?”

Sigh….I love this series.

In this one, we have Quinn… very cute, shy and insecure IT nerd who works for Ward security, and Shane, who works for a fairly new start-up PI company who’s been hired by the mayor or Ohio.

Someone’s been sending him threatening emails, signed by his ex-wife who had recently passed away. The mayor seems like an alright family man, with two daughters, so, Shane takes on his case and promises discretion. Because Shane and his friend don’t have the money or recourses for an IT guru like Ward does, Rowe loans Quinn for the month until reelection to help Shane out.

Of course, they’re attracted to each other, but Shane is a serial bachelor and not a bit interested in relationships or monogamy and Quinn is inexperienced and not all impressed with the experiences he has had.

A month of long nights in the office together, working side by side with a man you’re attracted to each other, leads to hooking up, of course it does… what neither guy was expecting was to fall for each other. But, as things heat u between them, they get more complicated with the investigation and its hard to figure out who’s the guilty one in the scenario. Things just aren’t making sense, and after some miscommunication and differences of opinion, the guys take time to get their heads together.

Although I loved Quinn and his blushing and backbone when it came to Shane. I liked how Shane seemed to do a 180 with his feelings of commitment and relationships once he got to know Quinn better. It wasn’t hard to break him of all that and he didn’t fight it.

I feel like both of these guys got to prove themselves and I kept hoping that the misunderstanding would get cleared u for Quinn. I honestly thought it was going to be forgotten about, but… nay, it made me love them both more. Quinn for being able to ask about it and Shane for being awesome about it.

I loved these two. Im gonna have to go back and reread about Frost and Jude, cuz… just their small appearance, made me remember how hot their story was together. LOL, I’m such a sucker for the guys in this series. I might just go back and read them all. I’m very much hoping for more about Royce. That’ll be a good one, I just know it!

If you haven’t, you most definitely should!

5 well deserved pieces of eye candy from me!

First off, you really need to read book one. I guess *technically* you could get away without reading it but that would be silly. Trust me. Would I lie to you?

We had gotten to know Quinn and Shane a bit in previous books. Quinn is one of the computer geeks at Ward Security and Shane is part owner of a private investigator agency- way more gumshoe than smoking gun. When he is hired to track down a hacker, he has to enlist the help of Ward Security and Quinn.

Quinn and Shane have immediate chemistry and fight it for a bit. Partly because Shane only does one time things and Quinn was built for relationships. But after a steamy kiss, they come to a compromise- a short term “relationship” while they are working on the case.

Quinn and Shane are HOT together. And even though it is Shane who doesn’t want a relationship- he is the one who seems to be super sweet and almost romantic. Those little touches, brushing Quinn’s hair back, staring at him across the room when they are supposed to be working. Just swoony.

That being said, I think Quinn was the more developed character. Shane could have given me just a little more.

Like in all of the previous books there is excellent banter between not only the main characters, but the supporting characters as well. And we see most of them- I think only Lucas was left out. He might have been in there though. Apologies Lucas if you made an appearance and I missed your arrogant self.

The overall story was a bit convoluted, but it was ok. I really expected more than what I got. With focusing on the “hacker” and how it isn’t something you just pick up and do, I wanted a bit more explanation of how the hacker did it. I hope that made sense. I hate spoilers so I am trying desperately not to spoil.

And I didn’t love the title. I get it, but meh. After Psycho Romeo, and Shiver, Shatter, Torch, it was a bit weak.

4 pieces of eye candy

Who are Drake & Elliott?

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

Author Links

Website: http://drakeandelliott.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrakeandElliott

Tumblr: http://drakeandelliott.tumblr.com/

Email: drakeandelliott@gmail.com

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Romantic Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z: Blog Tour with Giveaway, Double New Release Review

January 19, 2018 by Denise

Detective Andreas Ruffner is no fool—he’s found a man who loves him, puts up with him, and has stuck with him through hell and back, and it’s time to put a ring on it. Darren Corliss is the love of his life, and he wants the whole world to know it.

Now the fun part—the wedding!

Well, after the not-so-fun part of planning the wedding in between dealing with overbearing and impossible-to-please family members. With future mothers-in-law driving them both up a wall, the guest list growing out of control, and the wedding getting ever more complicated, Darren and Andreas have to wonder if they’re in over their heads.

But they’re going to make it to the altar if it kills them . . . and at this rate, it just might.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

Finally, finally, Darren and Andreas are going to ride off into the sunset. Or are they? If you’ve seen my other reviews for this series, you’ll know I’m a little obsessed. If LA Witt and Cari Z could put out another Darren and Andreas (I tried to ‘ship their names, I’m way too old, so I’ll just keep typing them) every week of the year, I might get tired of them.

Nothing goes smoothly for poor Andreas. The good news is they can laugh about it right along with the readers. With some other couples, the mishaps may have seemed contrived or a bit too much, but not with these guys.

This review is short and sweet, because again, I can’t give away the story and I’m afraid anything I say can or will be held against me. To sum it up, if you haven’t read the Behavior series, you’re totally missing out. Romantic Behavior is, quite possibly, one of the best proposal/marriage stories out there!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I have to go with Heather’s review here. Short and give very little away.

I’ve loved these men since the first book, through all their many trials and tribulations, and so few actual peaceful times. And although this book is about their Happily Ever After, it certainly isn’t without its own trials. But these men keep smiling and laughing through it, even as it is killing them a little.

The authors have given these guys exactly what they needed, some much needed comic relief when they need it most.

A couple fun quotes from the book (and I just can’t give you the best one, because you just HAVE to read it!):

“…he’d saved the wedding planner as “Satan” in his contacts.”

“You can pick my mom out of a crowd at twenty paces?”

“When she’s the only woman in the crowd who’s both old enough to be your mom–“

“Hey!”

I just love that these men can sit back and laugh and love each other, and know that they are each other’s ports in the storm, no matter if it’s the storm of Andreas’ kids being kidnapped, or Darren nearly dying, or deal with the wedding planner from hell.

Isn’t that what love is really about?

5 pieces of eye candy

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 Romantic 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 20, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

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

January 16, 2018 by Denise

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.

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www.victoriasue.com

Twitter: @vickysuewrites

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

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

January 1, 2018 by Denise

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.

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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 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 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.’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!