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Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Audio Book

Save Me by Beck Grey: Audiobook Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

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Deputy US Marshal Jamie MacDougall assumes his latest assignment is just another security detail, but when he finds himself falling for the gorgeous key witness he’s sworn to protect, it takes everything he has to keep things professional.

When Ashley Pandy enters the WITSEC program, with a new identity and a new life far away from Seattle and Jamie, he tries to move on, but a year later, with no hope of seeing him again, he still can’t forget the man who stole his heart.

Ashley walked away from love for noble reasons. Jamie let him go because it was the honorable thing to do. When a foolish decision gives them a second chance to be all kinds of wrong, can they finally get it right?

Amazon

Audible

Goodreads

“Jamie.” I step close and slip my fingers into his curls, pressing against him from chest to hip. “I want this.” I nuzzle against his jaw, letting my need for him fill every word. “I want you.  I have wanted you since the day we met.”

His whole body relaxes, and he pulls me further into the room, setting the lamp on the dresser.   “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

“Good.  Then let me show you, too.”  My fingers are back in his curls, my lips against his, our mouths sliding together, tongues and hands never still. I touch everywhere I can reach, chest, arms, back, ass, as I guide him towards the bed.  When his calves hit the frame he stops, but I don’t, and we tumble onto the mattress.

He glances up at me, eyes dark, sparkling with amusement, his hair a mess from my fingers.  Fuck, he looks edible.  “Very smooth.”

I smirk and cock an eyebrow.  “Wait ‘til you see my other moves.”

His beautiful eyes stare into mine with an intensity that steals my breath.  “Show me.” 

Beck Grey is an LGBTQ romance author who lives in the Northeastern United States with their partner and two adorable dogs. Weekdays are passed spending their employer’s money. Evenings and weekends are devoted to writing stories involving hot characters, favorite tropes, and happily ever afters.

Any additional time is spent laughing with friends, drinking red wine, printing and painting minis, and playing D&D. There might even be video games. If there’s cake involved at any point it’s a win!

Connect with Beck:
www.beckgrey.com
Twitter: @BeckGreyWrites
FB Group: Beck’s Blanket Fort https://www.facebook.com/groups/789307111722835/
Pinterest boards for Beck’s books: @Beck_Grey
IG: beckgreyauthor

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A Veiled & Hallowed Eve (Soulbound Book 7) by Hailey Turner: New Release Review

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Death is the last lover you will ever know.

SOA Special Agent Patrick Collins has lived a life full of lies, and it has finally caught up with him. There’s no denying his past any longer, not after giving up the truth to save himself from a murder charge. But truth alone can’t set Patrick free, and time is running out to stop the Dominion Sect from turning his father into a god.

Jonothon de Vere knows survival isn’t a guarantee, but he’s desperate to keep Patrick safe, even as hope slips through his fingers. With the future unknown, Jono will follow Patrick wherever he goes, even to Salem, where a family reunion reveals a bitter secret that was never going to stay buried.

With New York City under control of their god pack, Patrick and Jono must fall back on every alliance they’ve brokered to fill the front lines of a war coming directly to the city streets. The veil is always thinnest on Samhain, and what awaits them on the other side is the stuff of nightmares. For when it tears, all hell will break loose, and the gods will be summoned to face a reckoning the world isn’t ready for.

The stakes have never been higher, failure has never been so deadly, and the Fates have never been kind to heroes. Patrick knows that better than anyone—because everything has a price, every debt always comes due, and it’s finally time for Patrick to pay his.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

You need to read this entire series, or listen to it. Either way, don’t miss a single book in this series. This is not a stand alone. While the author does reference and explain things as the book goes along, you really want to make sure you read or listen to the first six books in the series. But it is not in any way, shape or form, time wasted. This is a fantastic series, from beginning to end. Hailey Turner takes world building to a new level with this series, and with the conclusion to the series, it is no less amazing. If you want to visualize the setting your MC’s are in, this author is who you want to read.

This was seriously an epic conclusion to this series. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it, as it twisted and turned through the streets of NYC, and a bit of time spent in Salem, MA.

I’m not gonna lie…Patrick leaving…well that just broke my heart. But Jono, Wade (who was the sweetest in his devotion to Patrick) and their pack did not give up any hope, knowing he would be back. They continued on in their lives, knowing he would be back home.

Patrick finally pays his soul debt, in, of course, one of the most heart breaking ways, yet absolutely how it needed to happen. I honestly would not have been surprised if the author had not planned that particular portion of the story since the conception of the series.

I do not want to give any more away, but this book, this ending…perfect conclusion to what has been an incredible series.

Also, if you get a chance, I highly recommend the audiobooks of this series, narrated by Gary Furlong. So very well done. As a good narrator can do, he enhances what is already a fantastic storyline with the varying voices, inflections and character changes.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

What If? (Lost and Found) by Barbara Elsborg: New Release Review

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When 16-year-old Crispin stumbles across Kennedy’s Emporium, he’s transported into a magical world of the impossible. Unicorns, snow globes where the snow never stops falling, bubbles that never pop, paper fireworks that explode and refill, and most magical of all—Garrett Kennedy, youngest son of the owner, who makes Crispin’s heart leap in new and exciting ways. Crispin promises he’ll never forget Garrett, but when he loses Garrett’s gift of a jewelled bee, he also loses his memories of the time he spent with him.

Eight years later, the bee is returned to Crispin, along with memories of Garrett and his amazing world. But how can any of what Crispin now recalls be possible?
And yet…

What if it wasn’t a dream?
What if Kennedy’s Emporium exists?
What if magic is real?
What if Garrett’s been waiting, wondering why Crispin never came back?

And what if Crispin takes a chance on the best thing that’s ever happened to him, assuming he can find Kennedy’s Emporium again?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Book 2 in this new magical/paranormal romance series. You don’t have to read book 1 as this stands alone.

I had just come off of reading two highly emotional, angsty reads. So I say to myself, yes this one will be good. It’ll probably make me giggle a bit like Jonty did. It’s Christmas-y, it won’t be sad. FALSE! Sigh.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t ALL sad and there is definitely a happily ever after but getting there led to tears. Many tears.

The book is set in modern day London, but faeries, shapeshifters, werewolves, etc are all real. But regular people don’t know they are real. A human, Crispin, stumbles across a shop he shouldn’t have been able to see but he did. And he spent 24 hours immersed with Garrett in that world. When he left, the shop disappeared, everyone thought Crispin had disappeared and he was left with no recollection of what had happened.

Crispin’s life isn’t fabulous. His family is wealthy, but his mother is very cold and his older brother tortures him, even as adults. The only family member he is close to is his father. And his father tends to hover because he had a brain tumor as a child and he is always worried that it will come back.

Through a series of events, Crispin gets his memory of those lost 24 hours back and is determined to find Garrett again. A little magic helps him find his way back.

Garrett is ready to leave the fae world behind to stay with Crispin. But Garrett believes that Crispin must have some fae in him that let him see the shop all those years ago.

While Crispin and Garrett unravel a mystery with many connected threads, they are inseparable. Love at first sight, soul mates, whatever you want to call it. It is so sweet how Garrett wants to figure out a way to be together but Crispin wants Garrett to go back to Fairyland and forget him. I won’t say why. But remember all the crying I did? Uhuh

I want to hug Crispin’s dad and smack his mother and brother. As well as Garrett’s brother. We did get to check in with characters from the first book which was fun. And at least that part made me giggle.

All of the tears were redeemed although there were quite a few twists that I didn’t expect. What started as a sob fest ended up being a feel good Christmas story. Mostly.

4 pieces of eye candy

Code Red by N.R. Walker, Narration Nick J. Russo: Audiobook Review

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Maddox Kershaw is the main vocalist of the world’s biggest boy band. He’s at the top of every music chart, every award show, every social media platform, and every sexiest-man-alive list. He’s the bad boy, the enigma, the man everyone on the planet wants a piece of.

He’s also burned out and exhausted, isolated and lonely. Not in a good headspace at the start of a tour.

Roscoe Hall is Maddox’s personal manager. His job is high-flying, high-demand, high-profile, and he loves it. Maddox has consumed his entire life for the past four years. Roscoe knows him. He sees the real Maddox no one else gets to see.

He’s also in love with him.

When the tour and stress become too much, when the world begins to close in, Roscoe becomes Maddox’s lifeline. But as Maddox knows already, and as Roscoe is about to learn, the brighter the spotlight, the darker the shadow.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

I admit that I am an NR Walker junkie. I just love how prolific she is, always writing LGBT (MM) romance, but the tropes are always different. This one is probably classified as a rock star romance, but it’s a group of 5 guys who make up the band. And besides Maddox playing guitar, I think on stage they sing and dance, no instruments. I hesitate to call it a boy band, but…

I read the book when it came out and really enjoyed it. So of course I had to listen to the audio version. Kind of an epic task for Nick Russo as there are 5 members of the band, 3 hands on management people, a couple of big wigs from the record label and a couple of security people who are in the background but still have dialogue. And it was really well done.

As for the story, the 5 members of Atrus are about to embark on a world tour. For the 5 guys there are 3 hands on managers/handlers. Maddox has been pushed to the forefront as the face of the band and as such has his own manager Roscoe. The other four guys are split between the other two managers.

Throughout the tour Maddox has really bad anxiety issues and Roscoe becomes his rock. Maddox also flirts shamelessly until Roscoe caves. Not that Roscoe wasn’t into it- but it is strictly forbidden and part of his contract.

We follow them on their tour, different cities and countries. Going out sight seeing, fighting jet lag, bodies pushed to the max. Roscoe really does try to do the right thing but can’t deny Maddox.

The book shows a pretty good glimpse into what celebrities go through. From how hard they really work to how they are stalked in real life.

As for the narration. As I said, he did a really great job. The nuances between the voices were subtle, but there. I knew who was talking easily but none of it was over the top. I have no idea how narrators keep all the voices straight. Amazing.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune; Narration Kirt Graves: New Release Review/Audiobook Review

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Welcome to Charon’s Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Amazon

Audible

Okay, full disclosure…I received an arc (thank you!) from the publisher for an honest review. HOWEVER, when I saw that Kirt Graves was doing the audiobook narration, I decided to wait for the audio. It’s actually the first time I’ve preordered an audiobook. I knew that I would enjoy TJ Klune’s book, but I knew I would love it even more, with Kirt’s narration. And thanks to these two men, I spent the better part of 3 hours crying…all in the name of a true HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

I’m not even sure where to start with this book. The author’s world building is so incredible, bringing life to what should be a dead place. All of the characters were rich and nuanced, not only the main characters. In fact, there really weren’t two main characters in this romance, but five total, and we learn so much about them throughout the book. Meanwhile, Wallace learns a lot about himself, who he was before he died, and who he really wanted to become. And in the end, he did all he could to redeem the wrongs that he did in life, as well as the ones that he saw after his death.

I loved that Hugo couldn’t touch Wallace…it was such a small thing, but it really spoke to what these two men were dealing with as they fell in love. Their lives were going in separate directions, they couldn’t touch, only see and talk, so Mei had to be the one to make any contact…well unless you could Nelson’s cane (haha). On top of it all, this book was hilarious. I’m still working from home, and was super glad that I was not at work listening to this book, for all the laugh out loud moments…as well as the bawling I did for the previously mentioned 3 hours.

There were so many little scenes in the book that moved it from an average book to amazing. Wallace playing with Apollo out back, or hanging out with Nelson and just talking all night. Even how much he clearly grew to respect Mei and all she did for her found family. Seeing Cameron’s life, and doing what he could to help in the tea shop. Every small step Wallace made brought him from a man everyone hated in the first chapter, to someone who you rooted to find his happy ending. Wallace built himself a family simply by being the man he wanted to be.

The narration by Kirt Graves was spot on once again. I enjoy the little inflections he adds to each and every book he narrates. He takes something mildly funny, and with just a simple pause, or a tiny gasp he turns it into a laugh out loud moment. His vocal range always allows me to know which character is speaking, even if the words don’t, something that is much appreciated. Kirt is definitely my top 3 narrators in this genre, and I’m always happy to spend a few hours in the world that he works so hard to recreate from the author’s vision.

In the end, you could not have asked for a happier ending, or a more fulfilling ride along the way. Full of humor, joy at the little things (like tea!) and so uplifting. I may have had puffy eyes for a full day after, but it was all well worth it.

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Shift Work: Night Shift, Book One by TA Moore: Audiobook Review

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You’d think the werewolves would be the worst thing about the Night Shift; you’d be wrong.

All Officer Kit Marlow wanted was a cup of coffee and some downtime before his next night shift. Instead, he got a naked man in the elevator and an unaccounted-for dead girl in the morgue. He’s going to need to deal with both before he can head for his bed. Or anyone else’s. Although not much chance of that.

Reluctantly partnered with the acerbic security consultant Cade Deacon—last seen naked in the elevator—Marlow delves into the dead girl’s life. Between them, they uncover a new crime scene with the whiff of old corruption. A corruption that, five years ago, nearly took Marlow’s life and ended his career. Finding out who killed the dead girl on the slab might only be the start of this investigation.

Oh, and it’s the second night of the full moon. So 80 percent of the city, including Cade, will turn into werewolves in the middle of the case. So, there’s that.

Amazon

Audible

Split Shift (Book 2) – Amazon

Shift Less (Book 3) – Amazon

I enjoyed falling back into this world again with Marlow and Cade, as they finally get themselves to a point of dating, with lots of snarky comments, some murder and a bit of fun thrown in. Their internal monologues were so much fun for me, and as they continue to work their way towards a relationship, it’s going to be fun.

Here’s my original review of the ebook.

This was my first book with this narrator, Michael Fell.  I know that for me, it takes time to get the feel of a specific narrator, and their speech patterns. I struggled a bit with this one, because it was just a bit slow paced for me. I generally listen at a speed of 1.2-1.3X, and found myself speeding this up to 1.5X in order to feel like it was the normal speed I listen at. And there were a few mispronunciations that I noticed.

However, the speech pattern was good to listen to, and the voices varied enough to be able to pick out differences in characters. I liked the cadence (once I moved the speed up), so would definitely listen to him again.

Overall, 3.5 pieces of eye candy