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Color Me In by Riley Hart: Exclusive Excerpt and Release Day Review

January 30, 2018 by Denise

Caleb White has been a lot of places and made a lot of decisions he isn’t proud of. He’s ready to settle down and figure out who he really is. Where better to do that than Last Chance, the home he was ripped away from at sixteen? A fresh start is in order, but he has no idea how the hell to do that when he’s not even sure what he wants in the first place.

Ryan Daily is a pro at hiding his insecurities. He’s never fit in and has spent most of his life knowing there’s something missing. Just when he thought he’d found it, his whole world fell apart and he lost everything.

Then comes a sleepless night in a twenty-four-hour café, where Caleb and Ryan forge a connection full of laughs, junk food, and whispered secrets. In the middle of a budding friendship, they see the blossoming of desire neither of them expected. Ryan has kept his heart protected after having it shattered, and Caleb—no stranger to attraction—finds what he has with Ryan is on a whole new level from anything he’s experienced before. In a world of black and white, they bring each other color.

But life is never simple. When the past comes knocking, Ryan and Caleb will have to reach through the darkness to find the light they see in each other or risk slipping into the shadows for good.

COLOR ME IN

LAST CHANCE, BOOK 2

RILEY HART

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 30, 2018

COVER DESIGN: X-Potion Designs

COVER IMAGE: Stone Creek City

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2ByOVfZ

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“It’s weird…getting touched by you this way…by someone this way. I feel it in my bones. Like this sweet, relentless sensation I’ve been denied so long.”

Jesus, he really fucking wanted to kiss Ryan. His lips tingled with the need, but Caleb knew it wasn’t the time or place.

When Ryan’s eyes opened, he saw a moment of panic there. “I’m not trying to get heavy. I know what this is, and frankly, that’s all I can handle. We’re friends. For whatever reason, we’ve connected with each other and I’m attracted to you. I know it ends there, and truthfully, I don’t know how far it’ll even go sexually.”

Was that a warning, or was Ryan just being honest? Caleb didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it either way. It wasn’t as if he was looking for anything serious either, but Ryan’s need to put it out there did make discomfort slide down his spine. If those were the rules, he guessed he should know about them.

Caleb dropped his hand and nodded. “bGotcha. Sounds like we’re on the same page. I appreciate your honesty.” He could keep this at just making Ryan feel good. Fuck, he wanted to keep touching him until he lost his fucking head, and when they were done, they’d be done.

“We should probably go inside.”

“You think? I’m not sure…”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “So damn funny.”

“Glad you think so.”

When they got out of the car, they were both smiling. *

Ahhhh…yet another Riley Hart book I loved. This is book 2 in the series, but seeing as how I missed book 1 (who??) you definitely don’t have to read book 1 to enjoy book 2.

Caleb returns to Last Chance- the town he grew up in until he was 16. That was when his parents forced them to move without notice or word to his best friend Shane. Shane, the boy he had been friends with forever and who he started experimenting with. And then they got caught.

After a quick reconnection with Shane, Caleb is out of sorts. He still feels like things are unresolved with Shane, he has no job- and doesn’t need one- and he is living in a big house by himself. He finds himself at the town’s all night diner where he runs into Ryan. They quickly bond over cars and late night snacks. And even though Caleb is out, he thinks Ryan is straight. So instead of a flirtatious romance, Caleb shoots for friendship.

Their friendship is, at times, awkward. But they forge ahead, both needing the connection. Caleb never crosses the line though. Lots of fantasies and longing looks- but hands off. Until they start talking one night and it comes out (haha!) that Ryan just doesn’t feel sexual attraction to anyone. Caleb gives him a name, a label, of demisexual. And it is like a light bulb went off.

Their friendship turns a corner. It grows into experimentation, flirting and a bit of romance. But they are both holding back secrets that need to be told.

I really love that more colors of the rainbow are being represented in books. Acknowledging that there are more than gay/straight/bi people out there. And this was beautifully done. Seeing Ryan blossom into the man he was meant to be, accepting affection and enjoying sex. He is still scared of what the world will think, but that isn’t surprising. Identifying as straight his whole life and now being with a man can rock the boat.

Caleb and Ryan have their ups and downs. And even though some of their misunderstandings are silly- they always end up talking to each other and working things out. Being that they started out as friends, they have that solid base to work from.

Ms Hart does an excellent job of explaining demisexual. Not only to us, but to Ryan. It was really well done, sensitive and loving. Of course I am going to recommend this book!

4 pieces of eye candy

Riley Hart is the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a hopeless romantic, a lover of sexy stories, passionate men, and writing about all the trouble they can get into together.

She loves reading, flawed characters, and hanging out with her husband and children, who she adores. She and her family live in Southern California, soaking up the sunshine while also missing seasons. Not a day goes by that she isn’t thankful she gets to wake up and do what she loves.

Life is good. Riley also writes young adult and new adult under the name Nyrae Dawn.

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When the Devil Wants In by Cate Ashwood & J.H. Knight: Release Day Review

January 30, 2018 by Denise

John Turner has been living a lie most of his life. Growing up in the rural Georgia town of Magnolia Ridge, he’s only ever let one person truly know him: his best friend, Chloe. To the rest of the world, they’re the perfect couple, but just between them, she’s helping John hide in plain sight.

Matt Kinsley, a cop from San Francisco, moves to town looking for a slower pace and to reconnect with his Southern roots. Starting over in Magnolia Ridge means taking a step into the closet, but Matt finds that with John for company, he doesn’t mind so much.

As the two start to explore a possible relationship, a horrific murder rips the town apart but brings John and Matt together in ways neither could’ve imagined. Matt must decide where his loyalties lie while John resists the urge to run again. Together, they have to discover who the real devil is before another life is destroyed.

Release Date: January 30, 2018
Word Count: 90,000 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary m/m romance with some suspense elements
Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

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California native, Matt is in for a culture shock when he moves from the big city of San Francisco into a tiny backwoods town in Georgia. In a place where everybody knows you AND your Mama .it takes a bit of getting used to…especially how backwoods some of them seem. There were a couple, *who I suspect, and hope will come out in the next book, and I hope its Santiago that blows him wide out in the open!!* But, anyway…I did not like the use of the word Fag and nobody calling anyone out on it, but that was really the only problem I had with the whole book…

So, now that Matt was in town, he decided one night to take a drive, too hot to stay in his apartment, he didn’t plan on going a couple towns away, or having a random hookup with the only guy hes felt attracted to in while…Having the guy run out on him afterwards wasn’t something he was used to. Still…they had a connection and were left wanting more for them…Or I was at least!

Wouldn’t ya know it…Small world and all that, the hookup must’ve had the same idea, because a week later, with his partner, he runs into the guy he hadn’t been able to keep off his mind. Only one problem…he had a fiancé! A woman fiancé…

But, of course, not everything is as it seems.. not for any of them. Matt wasn’t out at work and who could blame him, especially with that A hole, Jay…. I wasn’t fond of him and I never warmed up to him…tho I do suspect he’s the one Santiago was talking about…Fingers crossed…Santiago is Matt’s old partner from the force in San Fran…but, still very much apart of his life.

Now, things get a little muddy because everyone, including Johns family thinks hes been with his bestie Chloe for the last decade and since neither of them dispel the rumors, neither of them say otherwise. Its just easier for everyone…Until something happens to Chloe and everyone seems to blame John…

Well, not everyone…I was kind of upset by that too…How everyone had known him his entire life and yet, some didn’t believe his innocence or nonability to do something like that. He loved Chloe, she was his best friend….more than that really, they were all each other had. Sure, they both had family, but not ones that knew them heart and soul like they did about each other. I loved their relationship and I was gutted by what happened and how and who did it…Cuz I gotta be honest, who I swore done it the whole time was nowhere near accurate… I love that. It kept me on my toes, that’s for sure! It was a page turner for sure!

One thing though, Matt never lost faith in John and eventually, John gave in and stopped running from Matt…Well, and everything else really as well. There were a few unanswered questions that I would’ve liked the answer to, but I’m really hoping for another story after this one and maybe that’ll shed some light on a few things.

Other than that though, it was a fantastic, suspenseful story and I really, really enjoyed it!

4 pieces of eye candy from me

Hurricane Reese by R.L. Merrill: Exclusive Guest Post, Release Day Review and Giveaway

January 29, 2018 by Denise

The life of Tony-winning musician Reese Matheson resembles a natural disaster, and caregiver Jude De La Torre is caught in the eye of the storm. But can the love of two opposites survive caring for an ornery octogenarian with wayward balls and a meddling family insistent upon tradition?

Fresh off the successful London run of his musical, the last thing Reese expects when he comes home is a house surrounded by paparazzi and his girlfriend throwing his stuff into the pool. All he wants to do is spend time with his beloved grandfather and musical mentor who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Reese knows he doesn’t have much time left before the elder Matheson forgets who he is. In classic “Hurricane Reese” form, he moves into the cottage by the sea and displaces Jude, the intriguing caregiver he hired two years before. When Grandpa proves too much for Reese to handle on his own, Jude comes to his rescue, taming Grandpa… and the Hurricane as well. Soon all Reese can think about is how to get Jude out of his scrubs and into his bed—permanently. Will Hurricane Reese destroy everything in his path, or will this odd couple learn to harmonize together?

Title: Hurricane Reese
Author: R.L. Merrill
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 205

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Hurricane Reese is the result of many pieces coming together to create a funny and heartfelt romance. Those pieces include a beloved grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease, interracial dating in the LGBTQ community, musical theater, the Rat Pack days, and a new relationship with not only a power differential, but an age and cultural gap that threatens to halt any progress Reese and Jude make. Throw in an ex hell-bent on making Reese’s private life public, homelessness, a disappearing best friend, and a troubled younger brother and you have the natural disaster that is Hurricane Reese. Readers who enjoyed my self-published works like the Teacher trilogy and The Rock Season will find this new book a natural progression and new readers to my books will hopefully fall in love with Reese and Jude and the crazy families they bring along for the ride.

I haven’t read anything by R.L. Merrill before, but I knew when I read the description that I wanted to. And in a way I was not sorry, but more like I paid the price to read it. For the last six months, I’ve been dealing with something similar to what Reese was dealing with. My father had a couple of strokes, and has been left with some lingering effects that six months later we are still trying to manage, and cope with. So, reading about the deterioration of Grandpa and how Reese and Jude dealt with it, had me in tears more than once. I’ve felt some of the pain that Reese felt when my father didn’t recognize me. Or when he said things to me that were hurtful, because it was his disease talking and not him. So, I wasn’t sorry I read it, but my gosh, there were so many flashes of pain there, that it tells me that she hit me a little bit hard in the feels.

The story was well planned and thought out. The characters all written with such detail in their backstory, it really helped to understand things like why Jude struggled with coming out. The opposite side, you could see why Reese really didn’t give a fig about who knew what. There were pieces in the story that I certainly wasn’t expecting, but certainly made sense when you figure that stories like this don’t happen in a vacuum. As your characters are living their lives, so too are the other characters in the story living their own.

There were some areas that seemed a bit rushed, but I think that had more to do with the number of side stories rather than not wanting to hit those areas at all. It didn’t detract from the story, it just made me want just a little more length to some of the scenes where they are acknowledging and addressing their feelings.

In the end, I was happy to read this, and find a good way to address what has been a dark cloud looming over our family for a while. Reminding me that the world does continue to turn, and love continues to flourish, even during dark days was a great way to look at it overall.

4 pieces of eye candy

Once upon a time… a teacher, tattoo collector, mom, and rock ’n’ roll kinda gal opened up a doc and started purging her demons. Several self-published books and a debut gay romance with Dreamspinner Press later, R.L. Merrill is still striving to find that perfect balance between real life and happily ever after. She writes stories set in the places she loves most, such as Hollywood, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Northern California—and Iowa. Ro also loves connecting with other authors online, at the annual Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, and chapter meetings for the Romance Writers of America, of which she’s been a member since 2014.

A sucker for underdogs, Ro has adopted a wide variety of pets including cats, dogs, rats, a snake and fish. Her love of horror is evident the moment you walk in her door and find yourself surrounded by decorative skulls and quirky artwork from around the world. You can find her lurking on social media where she loves connecting with readers, educating America’s youth, being a mom taxi to two busy kids, in the tattoo chair trying desperately to get that back piece finished, or head banging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Connect with Ro:

Website: www.rlmerrillauthor.com

Twitter: @rlmerrillauthor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rowritesrocknromance

And stay Tuned for more Rock ’n’ Romance.

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2001762376761722/

Spotify Playlist Link: https://open.spotify.com/user/rlmerrillauthor/playlist/79BaPjDRZXUwVr5tPI9FNC

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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.

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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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La Famiglia by Deanna Wadsworth: Exclusive Guest Post and Excerpt

January 25, 2018 by Denise

Forrester Giordano comes from a huge, nosy Italian family, and with their homophobic jokes and slurs, he’s decided to stay in the closet. He finds respite in his bookstore in the quaint village of Gilead—where he has a huge crush on one of his customers, Kyle Benson.

Kyle is determined to live his dreams, and though life isn’t easy being deaf, one by one he’s making them come true. He’s scored a great job practicing law, bought a cute bungalow where he can finally have a big flower garden, and he has a dog he loves, Jasper. Now he just needs one thing to complete his happiness: a family of his own to make up for the one he never had.

Forrester and Kyle’s relationship starts off hot and heavy, and neither man can deny the depth of their connection. When Forrester’s little brother gets mixed up with their heroin-dealing cousin and his mother falls ill, Forrester has a decision to make—maybe the hardest of his life. For the first time, he’s found a man worth coming out for.

Unfortunately nothing ever goes according to plan with la famiglia.

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Thanks for hosting me, Two Chicks Obsessed! I brought along a sexy and funny excerpt exclusive for your readers. For those of you who fell in love with Phin and Scott from THE RHUBARB PATCH, my first Men of Gilead novel, you know that Scott was working on a short story about an alien with three cocks. LOL, crazy right? Well, Forrester from my latest book LA FAMIGLIA, owns a bookstore and that’s where he meets Kyle. Naturally two guys into books and sci-fi would read a book about an alien with three cocks as foreplay, right?

Enjoy!

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

Forrester followed Kyle to the sink to wash their dishes, letting his hand linger on the small of Kyle’s back. “You got plans today?”

“I was going to plant my flowers, but the weather isn’t cooperating. Don’t you have plans?”

“Nope.” Forrester glanced out the window into Kyle’s little backyard. The rain was still coming down, but not as torrential as last night. He grinned at Kyle. “I was planning a lazy Sunday curled up with a good book. Care to join me?”

Kyle grinned too. “I know just the book.”

As Kyle put the disgruntled Jasper in his kennel—he would give them no peace if he were free—Forrester retrieved the book from the laundry room. He headed for the stairs, but Kyle halted him with an “Ah-ah! We’ll read in the living room like civilized people.”

Grinning, Forrester followed him. They sat on the love seat, Forrester positioning himself sideways so Kyle could sit in front of him and between his legs.

Kyle put his feet up and cuddled back into Forrester’s arms. “I haven’t had story time in years.”

Forrester chuckled and gave him a squeeze. He opened the book. “Ever read a book as foreplay?”

“Can’t say as I have.”

“Me neither. How many pages before the sex starts?”

“Page four or five? Aren’t you going to read it from the beginning?”

“Nope, I wanna get to the good parts,” Forrester said.

“Impatient, impatient.”

If this book was as hot as advertised, it wouldn’t take long before reading led to fucking. And after discovering Kyle’s offer to sleep over had been far more significant than mere sex—though that had been amazing—Forrester longed to be connected to Kyle again, to solidify what was already building between them.

Forrester held the book in front of them and speed-read the first couple of pages. “Lonely bear in the woods, taking a bath all by himself,” he summarized for Kyle. “Woah! Here we go.” He began to read, surprised by his husky voice. “The village was busy this time of year, so I hadn’t had a chance to be alone in some time. I immediately took my cock in hand, stroking myself to erection. My shaft was long and thick, warm beneath my fingers. At night, alone, I dreamed of having a cock like mine—or even bigger—inside me. They were never big enough.” He chuckled. “Well, I don’t know about that.”

Kyle giggled with nervous excitement.

Forrester read on. “I tugged on my nipples, pulling them until they were aching and hard. Grunting, I shifted to the edge of the bank, opening my legs so I could play with my asshole while I imagined being stuffed with a bigger cock than the one in my hand.”

Kyle traced a finger down Forrester’s arm then up and down Forrester’s thigh. When he moved, Forrester was more than aware of the heat of Kyle’s body leaning against him. Inside his khakis, his cock throbbed.

Smiling, he shifted until he had one knee up and Kyle’s bottom pressed against his groin. He thrust a little, dreaming about making Kyle feel as good as he’d made Forrester feel last night.

“Keep reading,” Kyle said.

“Where were we?”

“The guy was about to finger his ass.”

“Jeez,” he said, trembling. He found the page but couldn’t concentrate long enough to make sense of the words because Kyle’s fingers were toying with his inner thigh and making his insides flutter and ache.

“Am I distracting you?” Kyle shifted and took the book, his eyes alight with mischief. He studied the page, then turned it. “Here ya go, bright light, spaceship, green alien, and now: My gaze traveled down the corded muscles of his torso, and much to my surprise, I saw three long shafts hanging above a large smooth ball sac. Arousal began to burn within me, and my mouth watered. I was already fully erect, and my cock ached to come. The green man with three cocks saw this and smiled. He took a cock in each of his hands and began to stroke them, leaving one neglected in the middle. He came toward me, and I fell to my knees, knowing what I had to do.”

Forrester groaned. “Enough.” He took the book and dropped it to the floor. He was already so primed his ears were throbbing with the static of his pulse. He turned Kyle’s upper body so he could kiss him.

“Too much stimuli for you?” Kyle asked.

“You’re too much stimuli.”

With very little effort he had Kyle’s shirt off and him on his back. Smiling, he undid the button on Kyle’s pants and slowly, teasingly, slid the zipper down.

Mmmm, black boxers.

When he revealed the bulge, he palmed it, running up the warm length. Kyle thrust into the touch, and a visceral jolt shot through Forrester’s body.

“I know we just had breakfast, but I’m still hungry.” Forrester kissed his way down Kyle’s body, in no hurry, sucking at his nipples along the way.

“Well, by all means, help your—oh!” His words ended in a cry of surprise as Forrester mouthed the ample swell still hidden beneath those boxers.

Forrester inhaled the savory scent and a sudden flash of heat and desire whipped through him. Touching Kyle still felt new and exciting.

But it also felt as easy as if they’d done it a million times.

Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions for different RWA chapters, including President of the Rainbow Romance Writers in 2017. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. An avid reader, she also loves gardening, cooking, music, and dancing. Often she can be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.

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You can also find her young adult alter ego, K.D. Worth Facebook │Twitter

Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook seller like Amazon

Sound of Silence by Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney: Exclusive Excerpt, Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

January 24, 2018 by Denise

High school senior Renzy Callen hasn’t uttered a word in years. He likes being invisible to all around him; it keeps life safe and predictable. In his attic bedroom, he experiences a world far from the drama of his family. He doodles, listens to music, and contemplates the troubled souls he observes when attending self-help meetings designed for people with problems he doesn’t have. Renzy lives his life like a spectator, always on the outside of life’s games, looking in at others.

Everything changes when Seven and Morning Moreau-Maddox relocate from their glitzy lives in Paris to boring, picturesque Redcliff Hills, Missouri. Tall, platinum blond, and as put-together as a pair of European high-fashion models, the sophisticated siblings befriend Renzy, drawing him in and then pushing him away. What starts as nothing more than a means to an end for Seven, however, quickly becomes something more. Could icy-hearted Seven be thawing for the silent, quirky charm of Renzy Callen?

Determined to find the cause of Renzy’s selective mutism, the three teens set off on a road trip, during which they discover that flawless physical facades can conceal the most scarred souls, and that sometimes silence is better than golden.

Title: Sound of Silence

Authors: Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney

Release Date: January 23rd 2018

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

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EXCERPT

Renzy

Maybe someone “like me” is supposed to feel shitty about himself. Maybe I’m supposed to feel small and broken and weak. But I never really did. When I was small, I thought of it like a superpower. It vanquished my stutter and got the other kids to ignore me. It was like turning invisible and even had a name, so sayeth the GP I saw when I was seven.

Selective mutism. Isn’t that amazing? Selective mutism is such a misnomer, at least to me. That makes it sound like seven-year-old Renzy could talk, but he chose not to. I promise you this, I wasn’t hoarding my words back then. I couldn’t speak. When I would try, I would become so anxious and get so dizzy, my nose would bleed. I even passed out a couple of times.

Does that sound like a dragon hoarding his prized words? No. I couldn’t speak.

So here’s the big Q. Can I speak now? Am I physically able to vibrate those ol’ vocal cords? Could I force a few words out if I were alone in the attic? I honestly don’t know, and right now, even thinking about talking makes my throat seize up. I rub my neck and the muscles there are tight. I was okay until the thing with Seven at the lockers, then I started to feel closed in. The gazelle to Seven’s cheetah—socially claustrophobic. In that moment, I felt more like the seven-year-old with selective mutism than the nineteen-year-old who doesn’t worry about these things. If it came down to vocal confrontation or taking a punch, I would gladly go home with the black eye.

It’s the questions.

It’s when I can’t get away from the questions.

Jesus, even thinking about it is making me crazy. I’ve got to get back to Heart Aflame. What’s going on tonight? Overeaters and a knitters’ prayer group, I think. That’ll do. No one will ask me anything. I can sit in the corner and design some tats. Everything will be fine.

Hmmmm, I did not expect this one. Not usually one for YA’s , I was intreiged by the premise of this story. Renzy, had his voice ripped away from him at a young age, for so long he couldn’t speak, but now that he’s a teenager, he just doesn’t. He doesn’t know if he can or not, he just knows that he doesn’t… It’s fine with the people of his house, though… they just seem to overlook him after all this time. My heart broke for him so much in the beginning, because imagine that, what it would be like to live in a home where nobody even saw you. You were just a shadow that lives in the attic…. Never fitting in anywhere, never belonging, but always wanting to. It was just…sad. Renzy though, he just keeps on, keeping on….

However, Renzy has a thing for group therapy… all kinds, any kinds, he doesn’t care. He just goes. The same building, different groups, he just observes….getting what he needs from all of them, even if he doesn’t quite know what that is. That’s where he meets Morning; at a rape survivor’s meeting. She’s annoyed with him at first, but, he kind of has a way about him. He’s charming and he doesn’t seem to let anyone get him down. Even mornings older brother Seven.

Seven…. Is something else… Have you ever seen the Ryan Phillipe movie, Cruel Intentions? He reminds me so much of that character. He’s arrogant and douchey and thinks mighty highly of himself because he’s so cultured and educated. He was annoying at first and I wasn’t sure I was going to like him. However, something tragic happened to his sister and with absentee parents, he had to take on the role of her mother and father, brother, friend, babysitter, ….everything. He was everything to her, and then she got hurt and he was everything times ten! He took that job very seriously and he liked being needed. He wanted to fix her, and in the beginning, she needed it. Upon meeting Renzy though, they turned their focus on him, on fixing him… and sure, Seven goes about it the wrong way at first and I really wanted to knock him out, but heart was always in the right place. He meant well and once he started caring about Renzy, he just wanted the two people in the world that he cared about, to be happy, instead of haunted. And they both were, they both were haunted by something tragic from their past.

So, here is where it gets tricky…. Trying to find out the reason Renzy didn’t speak. Trying to figure out the thing that happened to him, that caused him to lose his voice. After a big blow out with his parents, Renzy, Seven and Morning jump in the car with what little clues that have and set out about finding out what happened to Renzy. It’s crazy, the whole thing and just when you think you have it figured out…. You don’t.

It’s crazy because, with mysteries such as these, I often find myself bored and skipping to the end to figure out what everything was about… but this one, I was gripping every page until the end. Again, what you think you know…. You don’t.

The ending was a bit bittersweet for me. I hated how it ended so abruptly, just as things were finally okay with Renzy and Seven. It’s like… we went through this whole thing and get a tiny glimpse of their happy and BAM, it’s over. Didn’t like that.

What I loved through all of it though, I loved that Morning and Seven was there for Renzy when he needed someone most. I love how they took care of him and wanted to help him so much and just make him happy. And I loved the way in through all that, it helped Morning to heal. I loved how Seven and Renzy was there for Morning, in a way that gave her something to care about again. It was kind of surprising that these were supposed to be just kids, because their problems were so real and expertly handled. I never once felt like they were kids, in a YA situation.

I also loved Renzy’s dad. His family and how finally, after all the years of overlooking him, they truly did care for him. Especially his dad. I loved that. What a good dad he turned out to be.

Overall, it was a really good, emotional read. I’d definitely recommend it!

4 pieces of eye candy from me!

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—a daughter in law school, another in dance school, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son still in high school. She writes LGBTQ romance when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing English papers. Her husband of twenty-four years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on emotional growth in turbulent relationships. As she has a great affinity for the tortured hero, there is, at minimum, one in each book. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of said tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press and Harmony Ink Press for providing alternate places to stash her stories.

Her books have won a Best YA Lesbian Rainbow Award, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, and a Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, among other awards.

Mia is a Progressive, a little bit too obsessed by politics, and cheers for each and every victory in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com. Visit her website for updates on what is going on in Mia’s world, rants, music, parties, and pictures, and maybe even a little bit of inspiration.

Links: Facebook | Twitter

Raine O’Tierney loves writing about first loves and friendship. She believes the best thing we can do in this life is be kind to one another, and hopes her stories always reflect that. Raine loves encouraging people to write and has been known to repeat the phrase “I believe everyone has a story to tell” endlessly, until she breaks down even the most stubborn non-writer!

Raine lives outside of Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband, fellow M/M author Siôn O’Tierney. When she’s not writing, she’s either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job.

Contact her if you’re interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or about which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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