Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

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Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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When Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend Beth, he never expected a tragedy to leave his newborn and three-year-old motherless. Beth’s loss has totally thrown his life into chaos: his lover has left him, his house isn’t anywhere near childproof, and his boss feels the restaurant has been patient enough with Jeff’s time off.

Donny has always known he wanted to work with kids, and he just finished his degree in early childhood education. He didn’t count on the prejudice he’d face as not only a male nanny, but a gay one at that. Job-hunting has been frustrating to say the least, so when he knocks on Jeff’s door and is greeted by the sounds of things breaking and a pair of screaming children, he thinks maybe he can begin this particular interview with a trial by fire.

Becoming the nanny to Jeff’s children might be a dream come true for Danny and exactly what Jeff needs, but are either of them ready to really be a family?

Title: Daddy, Daddy, and Me
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: February 23, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 162

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Thank you to Two Chicks Obsessed for hosting me today.

As Daddy, Daddy and Me features a couple of kids, I thought I’d share my top five favorite kids’ books growing up. I read all the following multiple times as a kid. And yes, I adored series because that meant I got to stay in the world I loved.

 

Top Five Favourite Kid’s books

  1. Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My copies of these were dog-eared. It was fascinating reading about this little girl who grew up a long time ago.

 

  1. The Hobbit by JJR Tokien – I read the Lord of the Rings books in my early teens, but this book in my childhood and it helped form my lifelong love of fantasy/sci-fi

 

  1. Z is for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien – I remember taking this one out of the library (more than once.) If The Hobbit turned me onto fantasy, this book turned me onto post-apocalyptic fiction.

 

  1. Anne Of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery Anne taught me that it was good to use my imagination and that being ‘normal’ and ‘just like everyone else’ were not the be all and end all.

 

  1. Famous Five series by Enid Blyton – I was first introduced to these at the English bookstore in Heidelberg and loved them beyond reason. We would go back every week and get a new one until I had them all 21 of them. Then I re-read them.

There were many more of course, we started going to the library as early as I can remember and my mother stuck a book in my crib to keep me company in the mornings from six months on, but those are five that stick out in my mind.

 

Sean Michael

Smut fixes everything

This one is such a sweet read with really cute kids and an awesome Uncle/manny love story.

Jeff agrees to be a sperm donor for his best friend in the world, thinking he could be a totally awesome uncle and nothing else. Until tragedy strikes and he is left raising two little people who miss their mom while trying prove life goes on without a best friend and now an absentee boyfriend.

Donny has recently graduated with a degree in early childhood education but is having a tough time finding a job. Once people find out he’s gay they can’t get rid of him fast enough. Praying this next interview is his last, Donny is surprised to find Jeff might need him just as much as Donny needs this job.

Trial by fire doesn’t even begin to cover it. Jeff is in way over his head, overworked and running on no sleep doesn’t help when dealing with grieving kids. Donny steps in to help and Jeff can see a noticeable difference in the kids in such a short time. It seems Donny has been good for all of them. Jeff just needs to stop the inappropriate thoughts he’s having about Donny before he scares him right out of their lives. Little does he know, Donny is fighting his own attraction.

When Jeff’s ex returns to cause trouble for the new couple, Jeff and Donny will need to decide if they’re stronger together or apart and what’s best for their little family.

The story is really entertaining , but I love that all the drama in the story revolves around outside characters. Donny and Jeff are pretty chill, letting the love evolve naturally. It felt so real, never forced. The was they come together as a family is so beautiful.

If ever I have wanted to throat punch a character Jeff’s ex would be number one on that list. What a tool! But his resurfacing just proves how blind a person can be and what they thought was love was just mere lust because true love makes everything else dull.

Great read. I couldn’t put it down.

4 pieces of eye candy

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/seanmichaelpics/

Monthly Guest Post: Victoria Sue – Exclusive Excerpt from Joshua’s Rainbow

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As always, we love it when Victoria Sue drops by for her monthly blog post. She brings something fun, exciting, maybe a little on the the dirty side, but we are glad to have her! So check out the exclusive excerpt she brought to TCO this month from her book that is just out today, and on KU! Welcome Victoria!

Rainbow Key – an idyllic island retreat off the west coast of Florida. Think wedding destination, white sandy beaches, lurve… except at the moment Joshua is struggling to pay the electricity bill, they’ve no paying customers, and even if they did they can’t afford the repairs from the devastating hurricane that struck three years ago – and to top it off they have to take in Daniel, a grumpy businessman who has been ordered by his doctor to take some time off before he has a heart attack from too much stress.

Funnily enough, Daniel owns a very expensive hotel chain that has been trying to buy the island for the past two years. Not that Joshua knows that yet, and boy are sparks gonna fly when he thinks he’s been set up.

Of course, sparks of a different kind are also soon flying between them.

Then there’s Matt who just got let out of prison, Charlie who ran away from home, and Ben, a famous model until a devastating house fire destroyed his face.

Welcome to Rainbow Key – held together by love, family, and sticky tape.

“Joshua?” Daniel reached out and gently pulled his face around to look at him. “I’m so sorry for what I said last night. It was a culmination of a month’s worth of stress, and I’m afraid I took it out on you.”

Joshua shook his head. “Not your fault. You were right, and”—he took a breath—“I haven’t had much luck with relationships.” He paused and Daniel’s heart went out to him.

“I find that very difficult to believe,” Daniel said lightly and nudged his arm.

Joshua looked incredulously at Daniel and waved a hand at himself. “Then you’re blind,” he said shortly.

“Do you know what I see when I look at you? It’s your eyes first,” Daniel mused. “They have been pulling me in since the first time I laid my own on you.”

“I’m huge,” Joshua said flatly.

“Well, your heart is, certainly.” His lips parted and Daniel knew he wanted to tell him something, but they closed on silence. “Joshua, Josh, you are trying to provide a home for people that don’t seem to have one, with barely any facilities and no money to do so. I am in awe at your generosity of spirit.” He nudged him. “You’re also sexy as all hell and I’m struggling to keep my hands of you.”

Joshua stared in astonishment and opened his mouth again, but just then they heard a shout from the hotel and turned to see Susie waving at them trying to get their attention. Daniel sighed to himself and offered his hand to pull him upright. He ignored the tingly warmth as Joshua placed his hand in Daniel’s and let himself be pulled up.

“So, you’re staying to help me feed fifty people?” Josh’s tone was doubtful, but the question seemed loaded with other things. Daniel threw away caution and every sensible thought he had ever had. In the same pile, he buried his guilt at the deception and told himself if he was going to try and buy the island he was being very altruistic by helping them first. Though, he admitted to himself, if he was really the savvy business man he had been accused of being—and not always politely—then helping Joshua should be the last thing he was doing.

“Not just that,” he said with meaning, and let his eyes trail suggestively over Josh’s body.

Josh stiffened and Daniel knew instantly he’d made a huge mistake.

“Hey.” He snagged Josh’s hand, incredibly relieved when he didn’t pull away. “That came out wrong. For a marketing consultant, I seem to be doing a bad job of communicating my feelings.” He took a deep breath, gratified that Josh hadn’t told him to get lost.

“I am incredibly attracted to you. I think that much is obvious.” Daniel laughed awkwardly when he didn’t get a reaction. “But this is business. After twenty jaded years I get a kick out of helping someone start up, running with an idea.” He nudged Joshua. “How about when the wedding’s a tremendous success and you have bookings flooding in, we talk again and see what we both want? No expectations or promises.”

Josh regarded him quizzically for a second then took a step nearer. He whispered because Susie was nearly within hearing distance. “I like expectations,” he said throatily, and Daniel made a soft noise in the back of his throat that might have been a whimper. Damn.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

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 Author Page

Facebook Group

www.victoriasue.com

@vickysuewrites

Joshua’s Rainbow – https://goo.gl/VaFELb

Leave a comment on Victoria Sue’s monthly blog stop, and you are entered to win an ebook of one of her backlist books.

Hard To Let Go by Jaclyn Quinn: Release Day Review

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Owen Richards lives a quiet life in his small hometown of Haven’s Cove. He has a rewarding life consisting of three very supportive—not to mention feisty—women, and a successful bakery that he owns and absolutely loves. Yet, Owen can’t seem to shake this emptiness inside or the intense feeling that something is missing. A sudden encounter with a man from his past, one he despises, turns his entire world upside down. When Owen finds himself attracted to that sexy man, he questions everything, including his sanity. After all, only an incredibly disturbed person would find that he can’t stop thinking about his high school bully.

Brody Walker never expected to return to Haven’s Cove. He’s made a life for himself in Boston where he can truly be the person he was always meant to be. But an unexpected call has Brody facing all the demons he’d left behind so long ago. Now, he’s faced with not only a difficult goodbye, but one long overdue apology to a man who is no longer that lanky kid from high school. The challenge is to convince the guy he’s changed—and also prove he’s worth taking a chance on.

When passions ignite, truths are exposed, changing beliefs these men have held on to for years. Faced with the knowledge that things aren’t always what they seem, will they choose to hold on to the incredible thing they’ve found…or is it easier to give in to the fear and let go?

Hard To Let Go

Jaclyn Quinn

Release Date: Feb 19th

Genre: M/M Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

I don’t do love triangles so I was a little bit worried about this one in the beginning. See, Owen and his boyfriend Jonah were best friends that turned into more, Jonah was there for Owen when he needed him the most and he’d always have love for him…. Unfortunately, as of lately, they both knew that things weren’t that way with them anymore. They had all the love in the world for each other, but they weren’t in love with each other. I respected how maturely they handed everything and was glad that there wasn’t a bad guy in the situation; they were both very likeable characters.

Now… on his way to work one morning, Owen runs into an old high school bully, Brody. Brody and his friends weren’t just bullies, they were BULLIES… especially the ring leader, Chuck, and it’s heartbreaking what they put Owen through…. What’s even worse though, is the heartbreaking, terrible life that Brody was hiding from. I couldn’t stomach the way his father treated him and I’m really bummed that he didn’t get the karmic justice that he deserved. Somethin akin to ripping his flesh off the bones and keeping him alive for days to be tortured…. Too much? Meh, doubtful….

Anyway, although Owen is angry at seeing Brody and very mistrusting of him, he didn’t know that Jonah had already hired him to some remodeling work at Owen’s house. It starts off terribly, but, once Owen knows why Brody is back in town and finds out the way he suffered alongside Owen all those years ago, just in a different way… things change for the pair.

I love how jealous both men get in regards to the other man while they try to hide their feelings for each other. I love Owen’s family and Brody’s best friend Gabe, I really hope he gets a story with Nate, as well as Jonah gets his happy with someone perfect. I love that Owen cared so much about Brody and was there with him every step of the way when tragedy strikes and Brody needed him.

These two had the best chemistry, and not even just during sexy times….this author done an awesome job expressing such deep feelings of confusion, lust, anger, regret, guilt, sadness and overall love. This is my first by this author, but it for sure won’t be my last!!

4 heartbreaking and hopeful stars from me.

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune: Throwback Thursday Review

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Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City Of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King’s Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam’s fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle—Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or so he thinks.

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This book is ridiculous. Over the top. Bananas. Bonkers. Weird. Funny. Smart. Corny. Sweet. Hilarious. Too much. Not enough. Spot on. I didn’t know what to expect with this book. I mean look at the beautiful cover: it’s unassuming and seems perfectly respectable. Who would think insanity awaits you? And on virtually every page — EVERY PAGE — I lol’d (yes, literally), snorted, and/or had to just put the book down to laugh and ponder every detail of the moment. And the craziest part is this the first time I’m reading TJ Klune. Lesson learned.

This is an odessey/adventure tale. Sam is a brilliant and promising wizard apprentice. He’s beloved by pretty much everyone. He’s fiercely loyal to his family and friends and his King. He’s resourceful, which helps since he’s captured, like, a lot and finds himself in the most absurd situations. He’s confident in his abilities, yet awkward and completely clueless when it comes to his longtime crush Knight Ryan Foxheart. Will Sam be able to find the cornerstone for his magic, survive the trek to rescue a prince and *finally* lose his flower (preferably to Knight Ryan?) The answer to those questions is almost not even the point because there’s just so much more to this book than that.

It’s not just the cursing. Or the bizzare situations Sam finds himself in. Nor is it the oversexed gay unicorn and half-giant BFFs. Or the just crazy things they all say to each other. It’s somehow all of it together that totally works for me. Pretty much every character is so well drawn, I can see and hear them. And the technical aspect to Klune’s writing just works. Sometimes he’ll walk completely away from the insanity and tell us so much about Sam with a handful of words. Klune finds a perfect rhythm and the narrative flows in a way that I just adore. I will say there are a very few times when the joke/insanity goes on just a wee bit too long, and that coupled with how much the narrative and language just does not conform to the typical fantasy/adventure/romance book, I can see this book has the potential to rub some readers the wrong way.  I get it, and that’s cool but absolutely none of that bothered me. I felt like this was a book that I could have written, actually, style and language wise …  I also realized there is not much difference between me and a 20-year-old gay wizard apprentice, maturity wise, so Sam and his travails totally resonated with me. I loved it. This book is epic, and I rec it so hard.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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

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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.

Family Ties by Poppy Dennison: New Release Review and Giveaway

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Every family has a story to tell…

Blake Bartlett needs a do-over, so he’s going back home to Havendale, Florida, with his three-year-old daughter in tow. The perfect life he built is in ruins and he’s determined to create a new one. The Bartletts are fixtures in the small town of Havendale, and Blake’s extended family welcome him back with open arms. He’s settling in and getting back in his family’s good graces, when he meets Lincoln Coleman. Suddenly, he’s starting to want things he shouldn’t, and their relationship is beginning to heat up.

Linc may have the reputation for being a one-night stand kind of guy, but the rumors aren’t quite right. When he meets Blake and his daughter, he imagines family life and settling down for the first time. There’s only one problem: Blake has taken on a leadership role in the Bartlett Construction business and now Linc works for the man he’s falling in love with.

Blake’s well-intentioned family may have them tied up in knots, but only they can untangle their heart strings…

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What an incredibly cute story!

Anyone who knows me or my reviews, knows that I am a sucker for a single dad. In this one, we have Blake and his daughter Caroline. They’re moving back to Florida to be closer to his gigantic family after losing his husband (who he was separated from), and Caroline’s other Daddy, Michael. Not telling his family about the separation was hard, but he found it easier to avoid them than disappointing them; but now he’s going home to face the music and lean on his family for a while.

Blake’s family is…..amazing. He has the biggest extended family, filled with cousin’s who are more like brothers and sisters and, Aunt’s and Uncle’s, and of course, his parents and actual siblings. There are a lot of them, but every one of them are there for Blake and head over heels in love with Caroline… and how could you not be, she’s so cute!

Going to work for his Uncle, doing office work at his construction company….that’s where he meets Linc. Linc is gorgeous and ripped and charming and good friends with the family, so when he asks him out, of course he goes. We’re kind of lead to believe that Linc is a playboy, but we never see any of that. He seems smitten with Blake from the beginning.

Because they work together and Linc is so close to the family… they belatedly remember all this and think maybe it’ll cause problems. In all honesty, I thought all that was ridiculous and unneeded.   I loved the way Linc was with Caroline and how much he cared about her and Blake. He might’ve been apprehensive and went about things the wrong way, but, he showed Blake what he meant to him, I felt like. I wanted to smack Blake a time or two. Luckily, his family talked him around, and alls well that ends well…. But it was an unnecessary bump in the road I felt like.

Overall though, it was such a cute read and you really can’t go wrong with big families and cute babies. I’d love to read more of this family, and especially Blake, Linc and Caroline!!

4 pieces of eye candy from me!

For a chance to win an ebook copy of Poppy’s latest book, leave a comment describing what family ties means to you.