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Confetti Hearts by Lily Morton: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review *2, and Giveaway

March 15, 2023 by Denise

. .

Joe Bagshaw doesn’t believe in love or marriage anymore, which is rather a hindrance for a wedding planner.

His own marriage was a whirlwind affair that ended before the ink could dry on the wedding certificate. Nevertheless, even with his divorce pending, he’s getting by. Or at least he was until he finds himself snowed in at a remote Scottish hotel with the wedding party from hell, a terrible ABBA tribute band, and his soon-to-be ex-husband.

Lachlan has missed Joe from the second his husband walked away. He wants Joe back and is prepared to do anything to get him. Being snowed in together seems to offer the chance Lachlan needs, but does he have what it takes to get Joe to trust in love and their marriage again?

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy about love, matrimony, and the best of second chances.

This is the first book in the Confetti Hitched series.

Title: Confetti Hearts
Authors: Lily Morton
Length: 81k
Series: Confetti Hitched, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary romantic comedy.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Lachlan says, looking a little awkward.

“Well, unless you get married and can’t organise things on your own, it would be unlikely.”

“Joe,” Louis snaps. “I’m waiting.”

I ignore him and grin at Lachlan. “So, how long are you here for?”

“Until tomorrow.”

“Well, this has a familiar feeling.”

He studies me, his eyes dark and knowing.

“Joe?” Louis snaps.

I spin to face him. “Louis, do you remember ignoring my words of advice? In fact, do you remember the lovely afternoon when you called me a nagging old woman?”

He shuffles his feet. “I thought it would be fine.”

As if on cue, a cascade of clothes comes sailing past us. Freya has obviously moved to the second balcony. Maybe she’s filled in the other pool and is looking for other options. The clothes land in the pool and sink, rather like the subject of the song currently playing. “Recent events are proving that’s fairly wide of the mark.”

He rallies. “Well, I think you’re being paid as our wedding planner. You got an enormous amount of money to do your job so you should get on with it.”

I put my hands on my hips. “And are you married now?”

“Yes, but—”

“But me no buts, Louis. You’re married. Ergo my work is done. I’m the planner. The clue is in the title. Are you expecting that I’m going to stay with you for a few years afterwards and smooth your way through life? Maybe until you’ve had your fifth child. Does that need to go into my job description now? I’m a wedding planner. Not Nanny McPhee.”

He subsides. “I’ll wait.”

“Thank you,” I say graciously.

Right guy, wrong time. Grumpy, sunshine. Forced proximity. Second chance love. This book was filled with all of the tropes. And I loved it.

Part of the book, I think less than half, is a series of stories of Joe and Lachlan together. How they met. How they accidentally met again. How they met on purpose, etc. It’s quite a whirlwind romance between the two. But that ends when they break up and we get a six month time jump.

Joe is a wedding planner in Scotland for a client’s wedding. And so is Lachlan. His ex he hasn’t spoken to in 6 months. The ex who broke his heart. And then there is a snowstorm stranding them at the hotel/wedding venue. And GASP! no rooms left for Joe so he will have to room with Lachlan.

Over the course of just a few days, they finally LISTEN to each other. Talk to each other. Figure out what happened. Admit their true feelings. And while they had some distractions, including a manager who is sick and devil like twins, they were able to focus on each other without regular life interrupting.

I really enjoyed how they came together on something they will do every year to solidify their marriage. They are also, finally, on the same page.

There were some weddings in there that offered some great humor as well as some smoking hot sex scenes. A page turner for sure.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

It seems like I’m always gushing about Lily Morton‘s books, but there is a solid reason. As I’ve said before, this author is one of the best in this genre in romantic comedy. Hands down. In fact, I very rarely highlight books at all, even less so with ARCs. I had over 10 highlights of some of the most hilarious parts of this book. I’m not going to quote here, because you have to read them yourself, but a couple of ones to watch for are 1) Acapulco 2) game night. I could NOT stop laughing. (I might have scared a cat off my lap…she’s fine, she resettles quickly. 😉 )

Some of my favorite tropes were in this book. Second chance at love, only one bed, and a marriage planner who didn’t believe in marriage. And it all worked so well!

These two took a while to figure their sh1t out. They were both idiots in one way or another…mostly Lachlan, but Joe was not that much better. Lachlan was so afraid of commitment (despite asking Joe to marry him) that he basically pushed Joe out the door. Meanwhile, Joe, Mr. Impulsive, wasn’t exactly a great communicator (they both sucked at it, tbh). His go-to was run, far and fast.

When they finally have no choice but to be in the same room together, they slowly start to work their way through the mess they both made of their marriage. Lachlan turns out to not be a bad guy, just was stupid there for a while. In the end, Lachlan did a lot of great things to help Joe, while Joe was working on what would have been one of the most stressful weddings.

I didn’t get a chance to read Vow Maker because it came out right after I had a pretty major leg injury, and I’m sad that I didn’t get to meet Joe that way, and now I need to go back and read that one, to finish off the Mixed Messages series, which is also hilarious. **Seriously if you haven’t read Rule Breaker with Dylan and Gabe, and the emails…oh, you have to…in fact, maybe I need to go back to that now! Apparently, I will be reading Lily Morton again for a while. 🙂

Loved this one, grab it, read it, laugh with it, and enjoy the happy. And now…who do we get next in this series? Hmmm….

Off to read the additional short story! Yeah!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – Chocolate Baileys.

Dangerous (Shifter Scoundrels Book 2) by Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake: New Release Review

March 13, 2023 by Denise

. .

A grumpy lion shifter duke with secrets, a sassy human who knows nothing of the shifter world, and a fiery arrangement neither of them expected.

Cormac Donegan, Duke of Everard, is all too familiar with the perils of his shifter world, especially as a Dahlia, one of the dragon king’s elite spies. After a mission nearly costs him his life, Cormac is sidelined, healing and grieving his heavy losses. Then a different kind of trouble shows up on his doorstep, a human claiming to be his fiancé.

When Jason Reaves is nearly killed in a house fire, it becomes clear that someone is trying to murder him. With his already fragile health deteriorating, Jason’s only hope is to call in the debt a stranger owes his father– a favor that promises safety, protection… and marriage.

Jason’s escape leads him and his service dog, Mouse, to an impressive country estate. He’s expecting the older man who’d made the promise, not his ruggedly handsome son–who happens to be a Duke, as in rich and royal.

Will this Cinderfella find his happily ever after in the arms of a dashing–if somewhat irritable–duke? Or will Cormac’s secrets prove to be more dangerous than the shifters hunting him?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

This is book 2. And while there is a bit of a recap here and there, you really need to read book 1. Even though this book picks up partway through book 1. You’ll see. Trust me.

Book 1 left us with a dead prince and the King’s Dahlia’s trying to find out who is responsible. In this book we find out that the mine explosion and collapse also killed another Dahlia and left a third, Cormac, severely injured.

So Cormac is home still recovering when a human, Jason, shows up at his door with a letter the claims Cormac promised to marry him. In case of emergency. The emergency being that someone wants Jason dead. Well ok then.

Oh, and Jason has a medical condition that causes him to faint, so he has a service dog as well. No big whoop.

Jason is integrated into the house quickly. Cormac has a valet and a bodyguard (?) as well as a house keeper and they all seem to enjoy having him around. And not just because he is a human with a cute dog named Mouse. Cormac also begins to enjoy having him around.

This book differs from book 1 in that the first book really took the time to build this magical world for us. And it happened during The Season, so there were a lot of parties and balls and characters. This time it is off Season and while we do get some of the previous characters, the world they live in is already established for us. So now we mostly get to see Jason and Cormac get to know each other. Fall for each other. Jason’s personality begins to really shine once he is comfortable. Jason and Cormac really thrive together.

Yes, there is that little issue with someone, or someones, trying to kill Jason. Who and why? We still don’t know who, but the why has become more clear. And with that the Dahlias go back to work.

This book was just as fun as the first, just in a different way. I adored Jason (and Mouse!) and several things he did and said really cemented that for me. The way that Jason was tied into the continuing story of the mine collapse and murder were perfect, nothing forced at all.

So while he got one answer, a new couple and an awesome car chase, there is still one big answer waiting in book 3. Which I would like right now thankyouverymuch.

Fun, fun, fun. Great story, great romance, great characters.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Suddenly, Last Summer by Michael Robert: New Release Review and Giveaway

March 13, 2023 by Denise

. .

TREY BARNES

I professed my love for Jordy when I was seventeen. He was leaving for his last year of medical school after working another summer at my family’s Banks Lake resort in the Pacific Northwest.

Desperate for him to know how I felt even though he was my older brother’s best friend, and fearing that he wouldn’t return after that summer, I decided to take the plunge and admit my feelings while I had the chance.

As the adult in the situation, Jordy wisely chose to discount my confession as simply a teenage crush. But my last spoken words to him were that I’d wait patiently for him.

And I always kept my promises.

JORDY HALL

I’d been away from my small hometown for nearly five years. Life and a stressful medical residency had kept me busy, but I finally returned to fulfill my best-man duties for my best friend’s upcoming wedding.

His younger brother, Trey, was a sweet, sensitive kid when I left years ago. The shy, lean teenager who’d tearfully professed his love for me my last summer there had grown into a sexy, confident man. I was intrigued by what I saw, though I probably should have walked away again.

Had he actually waited for me to return? Did I hope he had? He was nine years my junior and my best friend’s little brother. But he could be so much more.

After five long years, it was suddenly last summer.

Title: Suddenly, Last Summer

Author: Michael Robert

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

This was an author I had not read before, so I decided to give it a shot, as it was a second chance age-gap romance. Whew, I struggled to cross the finish line with this book.

The premise of the story was good. Trey tells Jordy on the day he is leaving for his medical school residency that he’s in love with him, and that he will wait as long as it takes. And Trey really does wait. When Jordy finally comes back home, four years later, Trey is still a virgin, never having been kissed, still in love with Jordy, but all grown up at the age of 21.

When Jordy left he had some feelings, but let’s face it, Trey was underage, and he’d watched the young man grow up, so yes, it would have felt uncomfortable. I did like that Jordy respected himself and Trey’s parents enough to leave. However, I didn’t understand never communicating with Trey during that time.

There were several things that never quite clicked for me. Why Trey’s brother was so “emotionless”, yet wanted Jordy to stay away from Trey. Why Jordy was best friends with him in the first place. The cringey conversations in the sex scenes, that was tough for me to get through. And the conversations between Trey and Skippy, or even Trey and his parents about “the gays”. At one point , Trey calls his best friend a f*g, as they are talking about Skip passing out. These conversations were a bit disturbing for me, since they came from the MC’s or close side characters. There were just too many things that didn’t make sense, or hit me the wrong way.

The relationship between Trey and Jordy did make sense, though. They really were very well matched, personality-wise. However, it just wasn’t enough to pull this story back from some of the difficulties that I felt were there. I think this could have been a really good story, but in the end, it didn’t leave me feeling happy as an HEA should for me.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

Michael Robert is an author residing in Seattle, Washington. The Crow Flies Free is his debut novel. Michael enjoys traveling and he aspires to visit the locations of his upcoming novels so as to provide vivid and accurate descriptions of them. He enjoys tennis, road trips and fast cars. Please look for his future projects, the next story coming soon.

Connect with Michael:
https://linktr.ee/AuthorMichaelRobert

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Room for Dessert by Dann Hazel: Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

March 10, 2023 by Denise

. .

In this “tasteful” HEA gay romance, not all of the action occurs in the best restaurants!

For almost ten years, Sebastian and Matt lived happily together as romantic partners.

Then, Bobby enters the picture and Matt’s infidelity tears Sebastian’s world apart. For a long time, Sebastian has no appetite for a second course of romance.

That is, until Aladdin casts his unexpected spell during drinks at a tapas and cocktails bar.

Sebastian hadn’t bargained for how sweet a second round of love could be!

Then, something happens. A tragedy which sends Matt back into Sebastian’s life, begging for a second chance.

Hungry for love, Sebastian faces an impossible choice. Should he pick Matt, the man who betrayed him?

Or Aladdin, the troubled man whose family roils in a scathing public scandal?

Tropes: Second Chance Romance, Coming Out, Foodies and Chefs

Trigger Warning: One chapter in this novel focuses on a parent’s suicide.

Title: Room for Dessert
Authors: Dann Hazel
Length: 62k
Series: Some Like It Haute, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

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The handsome, erudite Sebastian Crudite was passionate about his work as an ad designer for the Orlando office of the Lakeview Public Relations and Marketing Group. But today had been an unusually taxing one. First of all, he’d been assigned an uncharacteristically heavy workload due to a higher-than-usual attrition rate. Additionally, each and every one of his clients had concerns, issues or questions about their campaign that had to be handled now.

So, when his best friend, Andrew Salisbury, asked Sebastian to meet him for dinner at the Twirling Fork Authentic Italian Trattoria, he jumped at the chance.

Now that his workday had taken a sharp turn south? He wondered whether it would have been a better idea to take a raincheck. Because Andrew sounded down in the dumps—which probably meant that he needed Sebastian to be a sounding board. His armchair shrink. After work, he wasn’t sure he would be down with the role of either.

As Sebastian drove to Celebration, the once-controversial Disney-inspired community where the restaurant was located, he felt remorseful for entertaining second thoughts about dinner. Being a professor at a prestigious university—Andrew’s profession—was no cakewalk, either. And yet, when Sebastian broke up with the impulsive, nonconventional Matt after a committed relationship lasting ten years, Andrew always showed up for him. He was always ready to help with Sebastian’s problems. During the two hours separating his last two classes of the day, Andrew dried Sebastian’s tears and soothed his broken heart. Andrew said all the right things. Listened without judgment, even though Sebastian was sure his best friend graciously concealed many observations about Matt, whom he never particularly cared for anyway.

“He’s cocky,” Andrew once said, after Sebastian first introduced them. “A know-it-all. I bristle in the presence of people like that. Are you sure he’s the man you want?”

Then, when Matt moved in with Sebastian, Andrew tried his best to be amiable. He wasn’t always successful, but Sebastian appreciated the effort.

All the while, self-absorbed Matt remained blindly oblivious to Andrew’s disdain for him. That’s how naïve and out-of-touch he was. Or perhaps it was evidence of Andrew’s acting chops.

Sebastian admired Andrew’s best qualities, one of which was his ability to read people accurately. His insights into personality and character were uncanny, even after chatting with new acquaintances for only a few minutes. Andrew, polished and intellectually inquisitive, had a wonderful sense of humor (though occasionally, he came across as a bit haughty, which Sebastian knew to be a defense mechanism), and was a dedicated friend. There were times when Sebastian wished they could be a couple. Their values matched. They enjoyed similar music, movies and books. But despite their similarities, Andrew just didn’t have the physical attributes that turned Sebastian on. It wasn’t that Andrew was unattractive. He wasn’t. But his good looks trended toward a studious, bookworm-ish kind of handsome. Which made sense, since he was a Humanities professor at the University of Central Florida, known locally as UCF. Andrew wore stylish clothes, kept himself well-groomed and well-coiffed—a contrast to his impoverished childhood with blue collar parents who worked much too hard and spent too little time with their son. Thin with well-defined muscles, he worked out daily at the university gym. He sported a friendly face, wore glasses with wildly colored frames, and at least once a week, showed up to his classes wearing a gaudy bowtie—just to keep my students amused.

He relished the image of the quintessential quirky college professor.

There must be many men who found his type attractive. Based on the number of women who came on to him, surely that must be true. Though he was hardly a slut, he never had a problem finding a date (though, in truth, Andrew enjoyed playing the game of “hard to get” more than the actual conquest).

Sebastian took the busy exit from the Interstate toward Celebration’s Town Center. Maybe his evening was looking up, as he quickly found a parking space in a high-demand area.

My lucky day! Unsuccessfully, Sebastian resisted the smug, self-satisfied smile stretching across his face as he pulled into the one remaining space before the Tesla could.

He entered Twirling Fork just as his stomach growled on cue. Like many Italian restaurants, the place was noisy, exuberant. After a short wait for the busy hostess, he informed her that he was meeting a friend. He’d barely finished his sentence when he spotted Andrew, waving vigorously to get his attention.

“Never mind,” he told the hostess. “I see my friend now.”

Sebastian and Andrew greeted one another with an embrace.

Dann Hazel has been writing both fiction and nonfiction for more than twenty years. Besides writing, he has taught English on the high school level and psychology on the college level. He has also directed grants and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital. His fiction genre interests include thrillers, horror and gay romance.

Personal interests include reading and writing, cinema, running, Broadway, keeping up with current events and travel.

Dann lives in Central Florida with his husband, Josh, and their American Eskimo dog, Flurry.

Connect with Dann:
www.dannhazel.com
https://www.facebook.com/OriginalPressPublishing/
https://www.instagram.com/dann.hazel/

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Fairy Cakes in Winter by Lane Hayes: Release Blitz , Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

March 9, 2023 by Denise

A grumpy baker, a quirky ad man, and a recipe for forever…

Scott

So this cute guy sits next to me on the plane and proceeds to talk my ear off for hours. Not good. I don’t like talking and I don’t like strangers. But Theo’s sweet, smart, and sexy—the perfect distraction from business woes and personal worries.

Okay, things get overly friendly, but we’re adults who know the score. I’m too old, he’s too nice, and we live on different continents.

Then, out of the blue, he shows up at my bakery with that pretty smile and a list of wacky marketing ideas—like how to make fairy cakes a thing.

I don’t like fairy cakes.

But I do like Theo, so…maybe?

Theo

The new me takes risks. The new me is brave and confident. The new me flirts with hunky, imposing bears on planes while traveling to a foreign country.

It’s going well, thank you.

However, my plans to sight-see, drink tea, and eat my weight in biscuits every day are derailed when I realize there might be a way to help Scott and prove a few things to myself.

Don’t worry. I won’t fall for the grumpy baker. No way. He’s complicated and broody and—

Uh oh…it might be too late. Help!

Fairy Cakes in Winter is a bisexual, age-gap, grumpy/sunshine MM romance featuring a sexy baker, a sunny tourist, and a few dozen fairy cakes.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

“You’re here.” Scott shot a scrutinizing glance at me before moving to the urinals.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have to pee and I certainly wasn’t going to stand next to him with his dick out after what I’d said, so…I washed my hands again, my gaze fixed on Scott’s broad shoulders in the mirror.

He joined me at the sink a minute later and gave me a sideways once-over. “What was that all about?”

“What?” I squeaked.

“The code.”

“Uh…” I licked my lips nervously and shrugged. “Nothing. I didn’t, um—”

“Yeah, you did.” He straightened and moved to the dryer.

“You shouldn’t use that. Germs and bacteria,” I blurted, citing my findings regarding health and sanitation concerns.

Scott arched a brow, ignoring my lame attempt at a subject change. “Thanks for the info. I’m going to guess you wanted me to follow you in here.”

“Yes.”

“And then…what?”

“I hadn’t worked that part out,” I admitted.

He chuckled, low and deep. “Really? ’Cause I think you did, and if it’s what I think it was…you need a tactical lesson or two.”

“Excuse me,” a young man with a lilting British accent and wet hands gestured at the hand dryer.

“Sorry about that.” Scott stepped aside, pulling me with him. “Number one, you can’t just say ‘code,’ and number two…you gotta watch out. There are a lot of shitheads in the world who—”

“Shh!” I smacked his biceps and glanced frantically around the empty-for-now restroom. “We can’t talk about this here.”

“Relax. He’s gone.” He waited a beat. “And you started this. That was your code, Theo.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and winced. “I know. Bad idea.”

“A reckless one, for sure.”

“Now what?” I whispered, following Scott to the sink when someone walked in.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. N-never mind.”

He raised his brow and hiked his thumb toward the stalls. “You want—really?”

“Sure, or…I’m open to suggestions,” I choked out.

Scott’s slow, pirate’s smile scared and thrilled me at the same time. “Suggestions. Right. Well, you’re the one calling the shots now. Tell me what you want, Theo.”

This was a cute, fun, no angst romp.

I don’t often read blurbs of authors I like. I just jump in. So I honestly was thinking that Theo was the baker and Scott was a stuffy businessman when they first met on a flight from Seattle to London. Nope. Scott is grumpy, a bit, but he is a baker. And Theo is sort of between jobs. He left a marketing job to become a CPA. In the interim he is off for a month long vacation to see his mother.

His month long vacation turns into vacation fling and some of his previous marketing experience to help Scott’s bakery become more successful.

Theo does spend time with his mother. Seeing the sights in her town. It just so happens that Scott has a pop up shop one town over. How convenient.

Yes, the story is very sweet, but also spicy. But the sexy times are well placed and not used to simply take up page space.

There was a brief thing at the beginning with a friend maybe flirting with Scott by text, but it’s never mentioned again.

This is a quick, fun, happy read for the winter blahs. Grab a fairy cake and a cup of tea and jump in.

4 pieces of eye candy

Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, 2018-2019, 2020-2021 Rainbow Awards. She loves wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

Connect with Lane:
My Readers’ Group, Lane’s Lovers: https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg
My Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3cICfaK
Blog: www.lane-hayes.com
Twitter: twitter.com/LaneHayes3
FB: facebook.com/LaneHayesAuthor
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/lanehayes
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/lane-hayes
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayes3/
Goodreads: goodreads.com/LaneHayes
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@lane_hayes
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The Skeptic (Arcana Books, Book 1) by Lily Morton, Narration by Joel Leslie: Audiobook Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, Audiobook Review and Giveaway

March 8, 2023 by Denise

. .

As the best friend of a psychic, Will Buchanan can’t help but believe in the dead. It’s the living that he finds to be problematic. However, after a spate of betrayals, he finally has the chance of a new life within his grasp, and he’s not going to risk it for anyone or anything. Staying safe is the name of Will’s game.

Jem Dawson defines the word temporary. A talented cameraman, he’s here today and will undoubtedly be gone tomorrow chasing adventure and danger. But, while he’s in York, he’s made it clear he wants Will, and Will can’t help liking the charming daredevil.

This inconvenient attraction results in Will accompanying Jem to the site of a notorious poltergeist outbreak. A malevolent spirit has targeted a family, and now the ghost hunting team for whom Jem does camerawork are going to be locked down in the house for three days.

The house is strange and filled with sinister and violent undercurrents. One by one, the group experiences threatening incidents, and as events escalate, Will has to ask himself if he’s risking not just his heart but also his life with this impulsive gesture.

This is the first book in the Arcana Books series featuring characters from the bestselling Black and Blue series.

The Sceptic

By Lily Morton

Arcana Books, Book 1

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Audible – Audiobook

Goodreads

“Cheers.” Jem takes a sip before putting the mug down and fiddling with the little paper label.

“You okay?”

He smiles. “Just working out what to say.”

“Don’t think. Just say what’s in your head, Jem.” I look around. “I had some biscuits somewhere. Biscuits always help.”

With a rustle of paper, the packet of chocolate bourbons slides slowly across the counter, coming to rest in front of me. Jem’s mouth falls open.

“Thanks, Rosalind,” I call. I kick his ankle, and he jerks.

“Oh. Okay, thank you, Rosalind,” he says, obeying my silent urging.

I smile at him and push the packet towards him. “Take one.”

He reaches out his hand, and we both stare as the packet is moved very firmly away from him.

“Erm,” I say.

He tries again, but once more, the packet moves until it settles by my side.

He bites his lip. “Either she thinks I need to go on a diet, or she doesn’t like me.”

“Why wouldn’t she like you ?” I ask in amazement.

He smiles. There’s a breath of cold air and the smell of lily of the valley, then we both watch as his cup is pushed away from him, and his bag is lifted from the chair and set at his feet.

“Rosalind,” I sigh. I hesitate and then look imploringly at Jem. “I’m going to do something now. Can we please forget what is about to happen and never mention it to another living soul?”

“I don’t think I can promise that,” he says solemnly. “This has the feel of something good.”

I take a breath. “Rosalind, this is Jem. He’s a friend, and he means well. He’s very nice, and you’ll like him. I promise.”

An invisible hand runs through my hair, and I shiver at the cold blast of air.

Jem stares at me, his eyes wide. “She just ruffled your hair. Wasn’t she a famous murderess?” he whispers.

“Yes. But it’s rude to mention it,” I say firmly. “Say hello.”

“This isn’t a prank, is it? There aren’t any cameras in here, are there?”

“At least thirty recording your every move. Say hello.”

“H-Hello,” he finally stutters. “Lovely to meet you, R-Rosalind.”

The cold wind eddies around us, sending the biscuits rolling off the table. Then, the cupboard doors fly open one by one before the kitchen door slams shut. Footsteps thump loudly on the stairs. The warmth slowly returns to the kitchen, and I get up and close the cupboard doors. When I settle back into my chair, I find him staring at me.

Is there a Lily Morton book that I haven’t loved? Haven’t found one so far. Yes, I like some more than others, but this author writes humor better than most any author in this genre, and The Sceptic is no exception. Even with the mystery surrounding the house that Will and Jem are helping at, there are lots of little snarky moments, courtesy of Jem, quite a bit, but also Will as he became more comfortable.

I will not give anything away about the mystery and suspense in this story, except to say that I would have been out of there pretty quickly myself. 🙂

Will, Blue Billings’ best friend, definitely got the short end of the stick more than once in his life, and someone who was a gentle giant like him, I don’t know how that character wasn’t hard and cynical. I would guess the only reason he wasn’t cynical and hard was because he had his best friend for so many years. Instead, he was looking forward to going away to college, now that he didn’t have to take care of Blue. However, with the circumstances he had dealt with, it was fairly easy to see how he didn’t trust that anyone would be there for him, when the chips were down. Jem, though, did not let him down, and that had to have been just one more reason why Will was willing to let his heart feel again.

Jem, a photographer with mad wanderlust (his word), but also felt a strong pull towards the gentle man who he met through Blue. He was quick witted, funny, and determined to work his way into Will’s heart slowly. It was very sweet how he let Will know right away that he was chasing after him. And Will, slowly became less nervous around Jem, until he realized he wasn’t any longer. They were very much opposites, yet their personalities meshed so well together, supporting and caring for each other.

And the hugs-the sweetness of the hugs! There just isn’t enough simple hugs in romancelandia, and we need to correct that.

As usual, Joel Leslie knocks another one out of the park. I don’t know how he does it to, be honest. He’s able to give each character distinct voices and mannerisms, no matter their gender. The listener knows who is speaking/narrating at all times, whenever he is on tap for a book. His voice can wrap you up in the story, exactly like one of those comforting hugs between Will and Jem. When you are done, you feel better for having spent the time in a marvelous story with a marvelous narrator.

The blurb on this says it is the first book in the series, and I am hopeful there is more to come. I do enjoy my romance filled with suspense.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – Chocolate Baileys.