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Midnight Heist by Katherine McIntyre: Promo Post with Giveaway

March 1, 2021 by Denise

Heist rule number one? Never fall for your mark.

Grif’s always followed the one rule in the high stakes business of heists: never fall for your mark. At least until he meets Danilo Torres…

Grif Blackmore’s team of thieves, the Outlaws, take down wicked corporations and nab fantastic paydays. However, when their latest heist fails, they end up in debt to the mafia, which puts the pressure on for their next job targeting Torres Industries to go off without a hitch.

There’s one problem. The CEO of Torres Industries, Danilo Torres, happens to not only be dead sexy but unaware of his company’s corruption. When the sparks flare between Grif and Danilo, Grif can’t help but fall for his mark.

Grif is left with a decision to make. Is he willing to throw it all away for the man who’s caught his interest or is there a chance to play Robin Hood without losing it all?

Title: Midnight Heist

Author: Katherine McIntyre
Genre: Gay Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 27th
Word count: 78k

Amazon US

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Amazon AU

Kobo

Nook

Apple

Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes—and there’s an equally high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who’s always stepped to her own beat, she’s made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there, from different cultures and races to all varieties of men and women.

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Breakaway by Kindle Alexander: New Release Review

February 24, 2021 by Denise

Greer Lockhart set out to save the world from itself when he organized his first beach cleanup at the age of twelve. Now, as a uber-successful venture capitalist for eco-friendly startups, he doesn’t let anything get in the way of his goals—whether personal or professional. When a new fitness app schedules a site-wide cycle race, Greer’s competitive side won’t let him back down. Not even when his undivided attention turns to the one racer he can’t beat: Biker101.

Dallas Reigns learned a long time ago to keep his head low and his focus forward. He gives his all to a business he started with his brothers, BikeBro. But he worries his all might not be enough if they can’t gain traction before their financial ship sinks. A chance meeting with a hard-hitting venture capitalist is just what they need. Until his resistance is tested when the striking blond man shows interest in more than just his company, challenging all Dallas’s etched-in-stone boundaries.

When the illusion of Dallas’s life threatens to crumble under the weight of his own desire, can he find a way to fortify his iron will, or will Greer help him breakaway from the restraints of his past?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I am about to incur the wrath of Kindle Alexander fans. I get it. She has a cult following and can do no wrong. But oh this book is wrong. It seriously needs help. There will be a spoiler of sorts below, but I will warn you.

We start out with 3 brothers working on a product that brings training into your house. Like Peloton. But of course not Peloton. Youngest brother does all of the computer stuff because he is the stereotypical introvert nerd surrounded by computers. The middle brother is the trainer. He leads I don’t even know how many classes a day. And the older brother is just a jerk. I don’t know what he does except belittle his brothers.

A good portion of the beginning of the book was all about BikeBro (Peloton). It was boring.

And we meet Greer. A money guy who is all about green energy, saving the planet, etc etc. Except he uses k cups. Little details like that make me crazy. Greer is connected to another trainer who is Dallas’s (middle brother) best friend from childhood. And when Greer goes out one night and meets up with his friend, Dallas is there and drunk. And the best friend points out a million times that Dallas isn’t gay.

“Everyone is a little gay” says Greer who doesn’t like labels. Blinkblink

**Spoilery ahead**

So they hook up, then Dallas freaks out, then the Big Misunderstanding, then back together.

THEN AN 8 MONTH TIME JUMP!

Greer and Dallas worked together a lot but were able to keep their relationship secret for 8 months? From Dallas’s brothers? From Greer’s sister? And we don’t get any of that story?

And then, boom, proposal. Which leads to a very anticlimactic showdown between Dallas and his homophobic father and then separately between Dallas and his homophobic jerk face brother.

I’m sorry, but this book was lacking. A lot. There was story that they didn’t need to have, story that was missing, angst that was glossed over, angst that was unnecessary, and the first 8 months of a relationship we didn’t witness.

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Schooling the Jock (Nerds Vs Jocks, Book 1) by Eli Easton & Tara Lain: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

February 23, 2021 by Denise

Only an unfair universe makes a guy who’s that gorgeous so damned obnoxious.

A-hoe!
Poindexter!
Snarky, superbrain Dobbs and snooty football star Jesse stare at each other from their rival frat houses on opposites sides of the street — and opposite sides of everything else.

Alpha Lambda Alpha and Sigma Mu Tau have been sworn enemies for decades. Then one disastrous prank proves to be the last straw, and the college dean blows his cork!

Work together or lose both your houses.

Question – -How can Dobbs win his coveted Quiz Bowl championship with when he’s forced to put a dumb jock on his team?
Answer — Lots of personal schooling.

But when personal becomes very personal, Jesse risks causing his overtaxed family one more huge worry and the running back starts running.

Will Dobbs give up on the shocked jock, or show him that the answer to the big question is, Yes?

SCHOOLING THE JOCK is an enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, campus romance – with one hell of a lightning round.

Title: Schooling the Jock

Series: Nerds Vs Jocks, Book 1

Authors: Eli Easton & Tara Lain

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodread

BookBub

After lunch, Jesse’s mom said she’d clean up if Jesse watched Eli, so the three of us went out to the barn with the family dog, who I’d learned was named Mack, at our heels. Bella, the brown cow, wasn’t in the barn, but she was out in the pasture. When Jesse called her, she lazily ambled toward the fence. Eli stood on the lower fence railing and held out a baby carrot. The cow walked up and took it with an alarmingly huge gray tongue. Eli clapped his hands and petted her head.

“Look, Dobbs!” Eli said. “She’s real.”

“She certainly is,” I agreed. “She has pretty eyes.”

Eli didn’t say anything.

“And shapely legs. For a cow.”

I glanced at Jesse who rolled his eyes but smiled.

“She’s the prettiest cow in the world,” Eli pronounced.

“Well, she needs a crown then, don’t you think?”

Eli looked at me like I was nuts. I glanced around. I spotted a holly bush by the barn and went over. I took out my handy-dandy pocketknife and cut some branches. I bent them to form a circle and wove the ends together to make it stay.

When I presented it to Eli, he grinned. “This isn’t a crown! A crown is gold.”

“Au contraire, little dude. A crown can be made of all sorts of things. This is a cow crown.”

Eli placed it on Bella’s head, looping it over one ear. Bella looked unimpressed. She tr

ied to nose Eli’s hand, looking for more carrots. Finding none, she started walking along the fence, eating grass. The holly circle dangled.

Eli followed her along the fence line, chattering to her. Jesse and I stayed where we were and watched.

“Thanks for, you know, being nice to Eli.”

I gave him a don’t-be-weird look. “Despite what you might have heard, I reserve my venom for grown men.”

“Ah. That explains it. And here I thought you might have a kernel of decency.”

“Nope. Although, I can’t be mean to you today either. Not after you fed me sloppy joes and, uh, helped your mom at lunch.” My cheeks heated. That was such a lame thing to say even if I’d been thinking it. I tried to make up for the compliment. “You guys have a whole routine. You should take it on the road.”

He shrugged. “We’ve all learned how to get things done as efficiently as possible, I guess.”

And yet, you’re at Madison. “Bet she misses you when you’re gone.”

Jesse’s face tightened. “I got offered a good football scholarship to Madison, so it made sense. And my mom wanted me to go.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You’re not that intolerable.”

He rolled his eyes. “I think she wanted me to get away from it for a few years. To be more independent.” He made a face. “Not that it’s bad, Eli and Micah. It’s just…”

“Challenging?”

He shrugged. “More like all-consuming. The first five years were really rough, especially since my folks were trying to get a diagnosis so they even had a clue what to do. But they’ve come a long way. Eli especially.”

“Yeah, I noticed Eli’s really affectionate with you. That’s great. I thought autistic people didn’t like to be touched.”

Jesse nodded. “None of us can touch Micah. Eli’s like that with most people. Even my mom and I can’t touch him sometimes. But, when he’s in the mood, he lets me. I think he missed me. And you were there. Like, he was maybe feeling a little jealous or insecure? And he’s upset because Micah’s in the hospital.”

That all might be true, but I knew what I saw. “Grammy Dobbs always said, the eyes speak louder than words. Eli looks at you like you’re his hero. He loves you a lot.”

Jesse’s face softened. “Yeah. I don’t know. It’s kind of a brother thing.”

“A brother thing?”

“Eli and Micah are in their own world. Micah’s non-verbal, so Eli talks for him. I guess, as their older brother, I’m sort of on the fringes of that bubble too.”

Jesse’s tone made that sound like a special thing. And I wasn’t sure what to feel about that, or this farm, or this family. He looked so ridiculously handsome standing there with the red barn behind him, the snow under his boots, and that sheepskin-lined corduroy farm jacket, hair mussed by the wind, pink cheeks, eyes bright. Like, if he were a calendar model, I’d leave it on that page for perpetuity. And he was looking at me in a way Jesse Knox had never looked at me before. His face was open and his eyes warm. Hot even? He stared at me. And I stared back. His gaze flickered to my lips.

A frisson of lust shot down my body, lighting me on fire. I suddenly had a bone-deep urge to kiss him. I coughed, shocked at myself. I mean, I was only human, and Jesse was…Jesse. But I was getting way out over my feet here. Thinking of him that way was extremely unwise.

“So! I hear there are chickens,” I said to lighten the mood.

Jesse waggled his eyebrows. “There are. Real live ones.”

“Oh, my God. This is practically a safari!” I shouted.

Jesse laughed.

This was a fun story of two guys who are seemingly complete opposites. Two frat houses who aren’t really rivals since one is a jock house and the other is a nerd house, but being that they are across the street from each other, they play pranks on each other. Until one prank got a little out of hand and the dean comes down hard on them. The jock house has a competitive flag football team and the nerd house has a quiz bowl team. And they each have to send two people to the other teams.

This story focuses on the 2 jocks sent over to compete on the quiz bowl team. Dobbs (a nickname from his last name. Seriously- why do guys always do that?) is the quiz bowl team captain and he takes his position and his team VERY seriously. And when Dobbs and Jesse, the jock, end up stuck with each other for a weekend, expectations start to fall away.

Of course Jesse is in the closet. But he doesn’t even try to fake it with girls. He is committed to football because of his scholarship, and his college program because he is all about being a nurse. But you know the jock is going to fall for the nerd. And the nerd is going to figure out that the jock is pretty smart and a giant softie.

I loved how the entire story really involved a lot of different characters from both houses, as well as Jesse’s family. It made the whole story more believable.

One of the things that bugged me was the 2 frat guys who were responsible for the final prank never got any repercussions from their house. I understand how the dean was punishing everyone, but you would think that those two guys would face disciplinary actions.

And there were two sides to the punishment from the dean. But the flag football story will be in book 2.

If you enjoy college stories, opposites attract, etc, you will enjoy this story. Low angst and mostly fun.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Coming from a background in computer game design, Eli has written over 35 books in m/m romance since 2013. The Mating of Michael (2014) and A Second Harvest (2016) both won The William Neale Award for Best Gay Contemporary Romance, and Eli’s books have won many awards from the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s Reader’s Choice Awards. She is best known for her Christmas romances, the Howl at the Moon series of rom coms featuring dog shifters, and her Sex in Seattle series, which revolves around a sex clinic in Seattle.

Connect with Eli:
www.elieaston.com
Facebook: Eli Easton
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/164054884188096
Twitter: @elieaston

Tara Lain believes in happy ever afters – and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn’t believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories that star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara’s characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey and her soulmate dog decided they wanted less cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon where Tara’s creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Tara loves animals of all kinds (even snakes), diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers.

She has around 57 books published or scheduled for publication.

Connect with Tara:
Website: https://taralain.com/
Facebook Reader’s Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/255111391312743
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taralain/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taralain
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralainauthor/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tara-lain

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Unforgotten (Forgiven Book 2) by Garrett Leigh: New Release Review

February 22, 2021 by Denise

Billy Daley hasn’t been home in years, and he likes it that way. He’s just fine on his own—he has a cash-in-hand job at a scrapyard, a half-feral cat to keep him company, and many miles between him, his hometown and all the baggage that comes with it.

Until the job goes sideways. Suddenly he’s back in Rushmere, working for none other than his brother’s best friend—a man whose kiss Billy can’t seem to forget.

Gus Amour’s memories of Billy Daley are all spiky edges, lips crushed against lips and a reckless streak that always ended in trouble. But when Billy needs a place to stay, Gus steps in. He’d do anything for the Daley family, including living, and working, side by side with a man who makes his heart beat too fast and his blood run too hot—two things he’s been running from for years.

It doesn’t take long before their easy banter, lingering touches and heated glances become a temptation too hard to resist. But falling into bed and falling in love are two different things, and love has never come easy to either Billy or Gus. Only when fate threatens to steal away their opportunity for a second chance will they realize they don’t need easy.

They just need each other.

Forgiven

Book 1: Forgiven

Book 2: Unforgotten

Amazon

Carina Press

This is book 2, but can easily be a stand alone. I didn’t read book 1 as it is a traditional MF romance and that isn’t my jam any longer. It was pretty easy to extrapolate the background story that was explicitly told.

So there’s Billy. Left home when he was old enough and lived a bit like a nomad. Six months here, six months there, before moving on. Working odd jobs, sleeping where he can and dealing with the residual pain after and accident and shoulder surgery. His time at his current location is cut short when he gets fired for punching someone who hurt his cat. The cat is ok, don’t worry. I’d punch someone for hurting my cat too! With pretty much no options, he figures he would head back home where his brother lives. But they have a strained relationship at best AND his brother’s girlfriend lives with him. But Gus, Billy’s brother’s best friend. And the brother of Billy’s girlfriend, said he could stay with him.

And so begins forced proximity, grouchy Billy, far too sunshiney Gus and a fabulous cat named Grey.

Billy and Gus had kissed once about five years ago. And they both continue to think about it. But as men are wont to do, no one brings it up. They brood and daydream and fantasize about each other. While working AND living together.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Gus and Billy. They learned to live and work together before they learned how to be together. But of course there were still issues with that- mostly from things unsaid which lead to misunderstandings.

There were a couple of things that I would have wanted- Billy discovering that he was demisexual for one. It was never said, but it was fairly obvious to me. Gus had a breakthrough with Billy about his past, but never with Luke (Billy’s brother) or Mia (Gus’s sister). So I feel like a lot was left unsaid.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this book. The time spent building the relationship between Billy and Gus made for a deeper story.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Crossed Hearts (Arrowood) by J.R. Gray: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

February 22, 2021 by Denise

Small towns thrive on gossip, and as the owner of the local bar I consider myself keeper of those secrets. The bar is like a confessional, a place to unload. My sanctuary where my secrets stay hidden and the focus is never on me.

I keep my world orderly. None of the bad touching the good. Little dividers allow me to live with myself, which isn’t easy in Arrowood.

It worked until my one lapse in judgement showed up to bite me in the ass.

My best friend’s arrogant, moody, and persistent little brother who just won’t take no for an answer. I’ve never wanted and hated someone so much in my life. He’s determined to pull my secrets out of me—I’m determined to resist him.

Title: Crossed Hearts

Series: Arrowood, Book 3

Author: J.R. Gray

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

All of a sudden he picked me up and flipped me over his shoulder like some beast of a man, carrying me out of the kitchen.

“Adam!” I pretended to protest but anyone who’s ever watched Beauty and The Beast wants to be manhandled by the massive man in the scary forest, and don’t tell me I’m lying.

Bitches want libraries and a man who knows how to take charge.

When he turned towards the stairs, I yelped. I was no small boy. I weighed nearly as much as Adam did, I was sure, and mine was not as well placed as his.

“You’re going to fall down the stairs and kill us both!”

“I’m not.” He laughed, taking them.

“I will never forgive you if you cause my premature death! I’m your size. This is something you do with twinks.”

“You’re in shape. Are you telling me you don’t think I could carry a man up the stairs? I’ve carried people off the side of mountains.”

“I’m not in ‘rescue people’ shape. I’m in Grindr shape. This is all specially sculpted by a six-hundred-dollar-an-hour trainer so I can still drink a lot, but my pictures still look good enough to not get laughed off the app.”

“That sounds like a lot of work for not a lot of rewards.”

“Sex and alcohol aren’t rewards?” I don’t know what planet he was living on, but to me, they were the reward.

“The hiking is the reward. My body is a bonus.” He stopped at the top of the stairs. “See, I win.”

“It is a bonus.” I grabbed his ass for rubbing in my face what he did.

He pushed me into a bedroom and tossed me down on the bed. He pointed at my pants. “You going to take those off? Or are you going to make me pop more buttons?”

Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes realistic and damaged characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after.

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The Elven King’s Captive by Devon Vesper: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

February 22, 2021 by Denise

An omega elven king finds his alpha. Unfortunately, he’s human.

Casersis Ardal, the former Sun King, is a First Generation elf of over three million years. He meets his match in Dustin Juniper, a twenty-year-old human construction worker.

Dustin has been in charge of his whole life since he was sixteen. But when he meets Casersis, destiny strips all his control away. His body, his heart, his whole world change when he comes into contact with a magical amulet and starts changing species. And falling in love with an ageless elven king makes him question everything.

Casersis has been alone on earth for millennia. Having a burgeoning elf around brings feelings he isn’t comfortable with. But he can’t let Dustin go. If the humans find out Dustin isn’t human, Dustin would become a science experiment. The only option Casersis has is to keep Dustin captive. He must protect Dustin from himself as the young man fights Casersis—and fate—every step of the way.

If they want to be together, Casersis and Dustin must find a way to compromise. Once in a lifetime takes on new meaning when you live forever.

This 73,000-word non-shifter omegaverse novel is set in a world where mpreg (male pregnancy) is a fact of life, however this series does not end with a baby or pregnancy.

Title: The Elven King’s Captive

Series: Fated Elves, Book 1

Author: Devon Vesper

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

My heart pounded as I raced to Dustin’s side. I could not be too late. I would not be too late.

Dustin…

Even with all of my magic pushing me forward, I felt like I was not moving fast enough. I was running out of time. I heard a snarl, the snap of ravenous jaws. The beauty of the forest around me held no allure as I maneuvered around trees, between trunks and through the thick underbrush. Twigs and branches ripped at my hair, at my clothes, scratched my face and hands, but I did not care. Nothing mattered except getting to Dustin in time.

Voices up ahead signaled that I was close. I slowed myself down, not wanting to startle Don, knowing he had his gun with him. If I startled him when he fired, he could hurt Dustin.

Or kill him.

The wind changed direction, and I could smell my beauty’s fear mixed with Don’s. The scent of polished metal mingled, making my stomach roll. I had to make it in time. I had to.

Erastus’s feral growl grew louder. As I rounded another tree, I saw them. Dustin had fallen face-first onto the ground, the side of his face covered in dirt, moldering leaves clinging to his cheek. Erastus stood over him, his front paws in the center of my beauty’s back.

And Don had his gun drawn.

I stopped as suddenly as I had moved, right beside Don. As his finger squeezed the trigger, I shoved his hand up so the bullet went into the air.

Deafening silence fell, and all I could hear were four sets of heartbeats on the breeze, and the gentle rustle of falling leaves.

With a breath, I released Don’s hand and stepped in front of him. “Put your weapon away.”

“Sir?”

I stared Erastus down, looking him directly in his golden eyes. “Put the gun away and head back for the house. Now.”

“But, sir—”

“Do as I say, Don.”

The man sighed and I felt him back up, heard the click as he re-engaged the safety, the slither of metal against leather as he holstered his weapon. With each sound, the tension in my shoulders and back eased.

As I felt his presence recede, I backed up a step, spoke low and with a tone colder than Dustin had ever heard from me, that I had hoped he would never hear from me. “Erastus. Get off of Dustin.”

The wolf snorted and narrowed his eyes at me as if to say, “Make me.”

I’m a mother, furbaby spoiler, and a girl who can’t get enough of pretty, pretty boys. As a kid, I traveled the world, too young to appreciate the gift I was given, but now those adventures spur on stories that my brain just can’t keep up with. Well, my brain tells me it keeps up just fine, but my fingers are the slow ones. I’ll let you decide. But the boys, man. The boys I remember make my heart sizzle looking back on them. Being a kid at nude beaches, I never cared, but looking back on those memories of Sicily, WHEW! There are some really great childhood images that I wish I could have been an adult to savor.Home is some place I call “rustic”. I’m used to large cities, stores everywhere, gas stations on every corner. Here in rural Pennsylvania, it’s rustic and beautiful. And quiet. Too quiet. With all this quiet, all there is to do is write stories, and let the hot men in my head out to play. We all benefit, yes? I like this development. The only thing I dislike about this rusticness is the fact I can’t find a coffee shop that sells a proper chai latte. They make it from powder. Ew. This makes for a disgruntled Dev. Ugh. I miss my chai.

Most of all, I am a down-to-earth southern girl at heart from spending 16 years in Florida. If you chat with me, you’ll hear endearments like darlin’, sweetheart, and hon/hun/hunnie. It’s who I am, and if we chat, you’re almost instantly family, so get used to it.

Connect with Devon:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDevonVesper/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/devonsdreamersden
https://www.instagram.com/devonvesper/
https://twitter.com/DevonVesper
https://www.pinterest.com/devonvesper
https://www.amazon.com/Devon-Vesper/e/B072KBRC51
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/devon-vesper

To celebrate the release of The Elven King’s Captive, Devon is giving away a $5 Amazon Gift Card & an e-copy of The Elven King’s Captive!

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