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Ponyboy (The Braided Crop Ranch Book 2) by AE Lister: RB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Owen Lipke is looking for adventure. When he hears about a ranch in the Muskokas catering to kinky men who don’t want to settle for backroom amateurs, he signs up in a second.

At the Braided Crop Ranch, Owen finds what he’s looking for: A sex-positive space with safety protocols and Doms (trainers) who know their business. And a stable full of well-behaved ponyboys to prove it.

Owen thinks his trainer, Kamal, is hot as hell but finds being a ponyboy isn’t as intuitive as he expected. As he struggles to learn the basics of equine pet play under the firm hand of his trainer, he finds himself falling for the experienced older man.

And perhaps Kamal is developing a thing for the young, adventurous newcomer. But there are rules about fraternizing with staff at the ranch. And Owen wonders if it’s wise to fall in love with the pragmatic trainer who unravels him layer by layer to expose his deepest needs and most secret proclivities.

But perhaps wisdom is overrated. And maybe the rewards of adventure are only achieved when you abandon caution and take a huge leap of faith.

Title:  Ponyboy

Series: The Braided Crop Ranch

Author: AE Lister

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 04/12/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male, Male/Male Menage

Length: 71200

Genre: Contemporary BDSM, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, pony play, puppy play, cowboys, entertainment, sex toys, menage, rewards, punishments, insta-love, voyeurism

Amazon

Nine Star Press

Goodreads

Shadows and dim lighting made the inside of the club appear deceptively edgy. The Stocks boasted a selection of the most overrated brews and clientele in the city, in my opinion. But this particular club was one of the few places I could go to try to find the kind of man I was looking for.

“Hey, Lipke, what are you doing here again?” Sandro smiled, clapping a hand on my shoulder and taking the stool next to me. “I thought you had the real deal? You know, a nice cozy apartment with your man.”

“We broke up,” I said, staring at the bar and trying not to let the fact I didn’t feel much disappointment about the end of my relationship bother me.

“Ah, shit, that’s too bad,” Sandro replied, but I saw a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes as he motioned to the bartender. “Hey, a drink for my buddy here, Paulo.” He turned back. “What are you having, Owen?”

I shook my head and tossed the dark hair out of my eyes. It was getting way too long in front. I’d been meaning to get it cut, but I was so unmotivated to do anything these days. “Thanks, but I’m hoping for some action tonight.”

I never trolled for Doms with alcohol in my system. I’d learned that lesson a long time ago.

“How about a Coke, then?”

“Okay, sure. Thanks.”

He was trying to butter me up because he wanted to hook up. He’d tried with me before, but I had been in a relationship that didn’t allow for “extras” so I’d had an excuse to turn him down.

“A Coke for Owen, please. And a ginger ale for me,” he said, throwing a tenner on the bar.

“Thanks,” I said again, looking Sandro over and wondering if he could give me what I wanted.

He wasn’t a bad-looking guy; a little heavier in the gut, but it worked for him. He had a decent “Daddy” vibe going on and appeared to be pushing forty. Maybe he had the experience to give me something…more. Something solid and demanding and ruthless.

The Stocks was an underground fetish bar, where I’d come innumerable times to find the type of hook-up I was after. But anyone I’d ever gone home or played downstairs with, had disappointed. It wasn’t operating on the down-low. The club was literally underground, which made it even darker and dingier inside than most places—almost claustrophobic.

Everyone played games. That was often the point with fetish and BDSM, and a lot of guys were perfectly happy with that. But I was tired and bored with it all.

I’d had a connection with Simon, my ex, but even he couldn’t give me what I wanted in the end. I couldn’t define that particular desire but I knew I hadn’t fulfilled it—ever.

At night I’d dream about a Master who took total control, put me in my place easily and perfunctorily, without a thought to my comfort, yet took care of my needs like they were his own. This mystery man became a shadowy, elusive presence in my waking world. I’d never encountered an actual human being who could measure up to the Dom in my dreams. Maybe no one ever would.

Maybe I should make the most of what I could get, here and now.

This is the second book in the series, and I enjoyed this one much more than the first. The first book didn’t quite work on the romance level for me. Meanwhile, Ponyboy really hit a lot of high notes in the romance department, especially for a specific genre such as bdsm, with pony and puppy play. Not all bdsm books need to be romances, and certainly not all romances need (or should be) bdsm. That being said, if you are going to do a bdsm romance, it needs to feel like there is a romance happening, and not just sex for the sake of showing bdsm. The first book didn’t do that, but it didn’t hit romance touchpoints for me. Ponyboy definitely had a much more romantic feel to it.

I also really enjoyed seeing Owen find and discover something about himself that he had no idea he was looking for. He had never seen or experienced pony play, but as soon as he moved into the arena (pun intended) it felt natural to him. He wanted to be the best pony Kamal had ever had.

Meanwhile the romance between Owen and Kamal flowed naturally. They just found a connection, and small things along the way that worked for them. Whether it was discovering puppy play was a thing they enjoyed, to Owen being a bit of a smart ass, to even spending time out in nature. Their relationship evolved, which any and all relationships should.

Their communication was on point. They talked (when Owen was able to speak 🙂 ) and had discussions about what was right for them, in both bdsm, as well as their lives. And they disagreed, and still found a way to each other.

**small spoiler** There isn’t necessarily “cheating”. However, some readers do not want their MC’s having any sort of sex with others, and there was definitely some of that going on in the book.

Overall, a good portrayal of a part of bdsm not often seen in books.

4 pieces of eye candy

AE Lister/Elizabeth Lister is a Canadian non-binary author with a vivid imagination and a head full of unique and interesting characters. They have published many other books, one of which (Beyond the Edge) received an Honorable Mention from the National Leather Association–International for excellence in SM/Leather/Fetish writing.

Author Links

Website: https://www.aelister.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aelister.elizabethlister/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizbethlister

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Velvet Cuffs (Kink Awakenings Book 3) by Charley Descoteaux: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Josh Keller never thought he’d host a wedding reception—his kink club is a place where he tends bar and chains willing men to the padded wall in his private room. He also never thought he’d see the love of his life again. When both happen on the same day his life will never be the same.

Pax Dupont never stopped loving Josh, not when they fought and broke up and not during the fifteen years they spent a thousand miles apart. Coming face-to-face with the man he left behind is a surprise, but learning Josh is part owner of the club intrigues Pax enough to share his own love of silk, lace, and domination.

Will Josh and Pax put past hurts behind them and admit their feelings still run hot, or will Pax’s attempts to dominate Josh break them up for good?

Warnings: This book contains a brief scene of violence and a hero in peril, mentions of past abuse of a child, grief over the death of siblings, a man who loves the feel of silk and lace, and one who thought he understood his own kinky nature.

Velvet Cuffs
by Charley Descoteaux
(Kink Awakenings, #3)
Publication date: April 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

He went in search of the grooms. He’d seen them arrive, heard the cheers and congratulations from his post behind the bar, but waited for the energy to settle before seeking them out. He caught sight of Eoin’s dark red hair near the cake table and smiled. It figured they would be there—as the man who served them probably half of their meals, Josh wasn’t surprised that Wes wanted to get at the cake before sampling the savory dishes.

The grooms had both been at the monthly meeting that morning to have pictures taken with the wedding cake. Wedding photographers are busy in the summer and one of the guys Eoin works with had a friend who squeezed them in.

A perk of that was the gal had two weddings to shoot that day, so she couldn’t stay for the reception. The downside, all the guests were encouraged to snap candid shots and tag Wes on Instagram with the pictures. Josh wasn’t camera-shy, but he didn’t exactly love the idea of having his face plastered all over social media. He had Facebook and Instagram accounts to show off his blades and support fundraisers for various LGBTQ youth activities, but as far as he knew, his face wasn’t there.

He approached the table and had just rested a hand on Eoin’s shoulder when he heard someone say his name. The voice sounded familiar in a way that made his throat tight, but he turned to look anyway.

“Josh?”

Josh froze. Standing in front of him, radiating charisma, was a sleekly-muscled man with the perfect amount of scruff surrounding his full lips and dark hair that nearly reached his ass. Rock star hair that looked like it had spent days in a braid only it grew out of his head like that. Josh knew because they had grown up together, had spent the first seventeen years of their lives joined at the heart.

“Pax?”

He should have known that at some point his high school sweetheart would return to Oregon, but he hadn’t thought in his wildest dreams that Pax Dupont would show up at his club.

“Josh?”

At least he seemed as thunderstruck as Josh felt. If Josh hadn’t been panicking inside he might have found it amusing, seeing Pax speechless. It hadn’t happened much as far as he knew. Maybe never. But at that moment Josh was too busy holding himself back to be amused by anything. The feelings warring inside him rooted him to the floor—he wanted to run and hide but also to grab Pax in his embrace and never let him go. Neither seemed like decent options. Running would only draw attention to the drama, and he’d given up the right to touch—let alone embrace—Pax a long time ago. He pulled himself together as best he could and tried to act natural.

Small talk, that’ll save me. What do people talk about at a wedding reception?

“How do you know the grooms?” Josh covered his relieved sigh with a quick sip of his punch. Falling back on etiquette, on the rote give-and-take of small talk, had gotten him through more than a few social occasions. He’d done a lot of listening and learning in the years since he’d met the other club owners. If panic still hadn’t been on the table, Josh might have been proud of himself for remembering the question and using it as a shield, proud of himself for keeping his voice level and even pleasant.

“How do I— What? I haven’t seen you for half a lifetime and that’s what you want to know?”

“This is a wedding reception. It’s Wes and Eoin’s day.” Josh leveled a stare with absolutely nothing behind it but a pleading hope that Pax would let it go, wouldn’t try to have the conversation he seemed to want. At least not right there, in front of the wedding cake with the grooms coming up beside them. The area surrounding them had grown quiet and Josh saw heads turning in his peripheral vision, neither of which helped him find more words. “How do you know them?”

Pax sputtered for a moment and then said, a little too loudly, “Eoin. I work with Eoin. At the clinic.”

Josh nodded. He’d exhausted his ability for small talk, it seemed.

This is a true second chance romance, and what I liked about it most was that it was very realistic. These two men have loved each other for the entire time that they had been apart. Never wavering from that, and honestly never finding another man to love during that time.

In addition, their breakup reasons…completely relatable to that age range. When you are 18, ready to take on the world, anything small in your path seems insurmountable, and you are selfish, unable to find compromise. That is exactly how these two men ended up on different paths, and found their way back so many years later.

Josh’s path was definitely not one that you would normally see forged (hahaha little inside reference there) for someone of his age, being handed a large wad of cash for someone to whisk his mother away to another country, but it allowed him to find what he needed to do in life. Finding his kinks…well that turned out to be waiting for Pax.

Meanwhile, Pax had no idea he had kinks. He forged a completely different path, and I will admit I was very curious how he ended up in that particular area of work, as it definitely would not be something most people think of as a career path of choice. However, he clearly was passionate about it.

It took a bit for these men to get out of their own ways, and communicate enough to find their way back to each other, but it was very well done, and seemed perfect for them.

**There was one scene that was very difficult for me, especially as someone who lives very close to the area where George Floyd died. (Don’t worry…small spoiler…nobody dies!) However, I did have to read it slowly, because it brought up some frightening moments.

Well done second chance romance

4 pieces of eye candy

Charley Descoteaux is the author of the Buchanan House Love Stories. Book One is a USA Today Must-Read Romance.

Charley has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through a single day without stories.

Charley also writes under the pen name Charli Coty. Under that name you’ll find LGBTQIA+ fiction that’s a little different but always has a happy ending.

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Dressed in Desire: An M/M Daddy Romance (Club DeSires Book 1) by Quinn Ward: New Release Review

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He left home to find acceptance. When he falls for a supposedly straight bouncer, can he awaken the man who’s everything he needs?

Living in the shadows has always been easier for Maverick. One trip to Annandale was all it took for him to see what life could be like if he let both sides of his personality shine. After all, what good was a closet filled with pretty clothes and killer makeup skills if he couldn’t show them off?

His best friend thought he was crazy for moving cross-country, but it was exactly the move he needed to finally live in the light.

John’s known as the token straight guy at work. But can he claim that when one encounter with a pretty boy has haunted him for months? His attraction to men isn’t the only thing that’s fully awake after they meet again. Yes, he wants to see if he’s more than just bi-curious, but he also wants to be the one to take care of Maverick and show him how special he is.

When a chance encounter leads to a love John never expected, can he accept who he is and be the Daddy his boy deserves?

Dressed in Desire is the first book in the Club DeSires series, set in the kinky town of Annandale. While there are cameo appearances from characters in the other series, you can jump in wherever you are without a problem! This book features a bi-awakening for an older man, and the genderfluid boy who sometimes wants to be Daddy’s princess. Together, they’ll explore kinks that might be better left as fantasies..

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I saw Daddy in the description and jumped on this one, I didn’t care about anything else. Unfortunately, I hadn’t read any of the other ones in this series, or pertaining to this series, so I feel like there are several couples that I might’ve missed out on. I’ll be fixing that. In saying that, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything major….

So, first, we meet Maverick, who lives in a close-minded town where he feels he can’t really be himself. Liking makeup and dressing pretty, he couldn’t live openly where he was. Even if he did hate the prospect of leaving his best friend Tanner behind.

Moving to Annandale to stay with some friends he met online, he was excited to start over someplace new, they even offered him a job at one of the clubs they were opening. And that’s where he officially meets John. (he met him once before but that must’ve been another book that I haven’t read yet, but they did know each other slightly in passing)…

John is the token straight guy who’s working construction on the new club with a couple of friends he’s recently got to know. He knew the kind of club it was and had no problem with it, even if it wasn’t necessarily his thing… he’d been with a guy once, and though that guy was exactly what he wanted, he’d never been attracted to a guy before, so other than thinking about the guy non-stop since he’d last seen him, he didn’t expect a gay club to be a problem….nor did he expect to run into the guy he couldn’t get off of his mind…to be there.

I don’t want to give anything away because I loved this book so much and finding out the little surprises and little tidbits was half the fun. There is a part where there’s a bit of sharing, but not enough for my psycho self to be jealous or think it’s out of the way. It fit perfectly into this and I really hope there’s a part in this series for Doctor B…or Blake, as he’s otherwise known as. There’s also a new kink explored that I’ve never experienced or even read about, and I’ll admit that it’s new to me but it has me intrigued. I’ll have to find more books on this one later….

I like that these two took it slow because John was trying to figure out where falling for a man fit into his life with his brother and his brother’s biker club he’s trying to get John to join, and understandable, Mav wanted to take it slow because John kept putting his foot in it in the beginning and he was wary for a minute about getting hurt… It all worked out in the end though and the way it’s navigated and worked through felt real. I like that in stories…the ones that feel real.

Overall, I loved this one and I cannot wait to see who’s next. I’m definitely going back and read the couples that I missed. I’m looking forward to it!

4 pieces of eye candy

Secret Daddy by J.R. Gray: New Release Review

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I hadn’t admitted to myself that my life was going nowhere until I first had him.

Living back in my small mountain town, in my childhood home, with my older brother, working at the library wasn’t as exciting as I imagined.

That was until a stranger came to the library one night and turned my world around.

Night after night, month after month, I waited for him after dark.

He never let me see his face but he always showed me how well he knew me. No one had ever read my needs so well or pushed me so far and I was in too deep before I even knew who he was.

I just called him Daddy.

****Secret Daddy is a Holiday MM romance featuring a small town, a librarian, a park ranger, and some forced proximity.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

That opening chapter is NOT for the faint hearted. Wooo boy. This book jumps right in with some kinky sex between the 2 main characters. I mean, I am fine with that. But just letting you know, there is no foreplay.

There is virtually no set up to the story. We didn’t really get to know the characters until they get snowed in together. And Aiden learns who his secret Daddy is. So even though they had this kinky, secret sex relationship together for months, we only got to see one scene.

And one of the things Aiden asks or points out several times is that he doesn’t want to lose that. But it never happens again in the book. I mean, they do continue their relationship and there is some kinky af happenings. But never again at the library.

There is also a back story that we only get a glimpse of with an older estranged brother. It made me think that I was missing a previous book. I wasn’t and apparently we are getting more of that story in another book.

This book wasn’t my favorite- from the kind of backwards storytelling to Aiden being just a complete brat13, like way over the top and no Dom would deal with that, to the missing pieces of the back story. But the kinky scenes were well done and I could really feel how much Jensen cared for and loved Aiden.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Dear Daddy, Please Hold Us (Naughty or Nice Book 3) by Colette Davison: RB, Excerpt and New Release Review

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All Zeke wants for Christmas is a Daddy for two. Can his wish come true?

Dear Santa,
If I could make one wish this Christmas, it would be for a Daddy with a big enough heart for two. We both want a Daddy who can be loving, but also firm when he needs to be, who enjoys spanking his boys and making their asses red, and with big enough arms to hold us both.

We need a Daddy who can help us let go and relax.

Lastly, but probably most importantly, we need a Daddy who can meet both our needs. I don’t have many boundaries as long as I can trust my Daddy, and I’m open to trying new things. Rett…well, he’s a little more reserved but he has a huge heart, and he’s the sweetest boy you’ll ever meet.

Here’s the thing, Santa: I have a little over a week to convince Rett to stay. I don’t know if you can magic up a Daddy who can love us both, but I’m making this wish anyway.

With hope,
Zeke

Dear Daddy, Please Hold us is an MMM Christmas romance, with a pair of army brats, an Englishman in New York who knows how to handle them, a purple triceratops teddy, and lots of sweet cuddles.

This book is part of the Naughty or Nice multi-author series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but there are so many boys hoping that holiday magic will bring them their perfect Daddy, why not grab them all?

Book Title: Dear Daddy, Please Hold Us

Author: Colette Davison

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Release Date: December 8, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: MMM, Daddy kink, age gap, age play

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 70 000 words

It is a standalone story.

It’s part of the Naughty or Nice multi-author series.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

As they helped me clean up after dinner, I tried to work out what kind of scene would make them both feel cared for and wanted in equal measure.

Then came a moment when we were all in closer quarters than we had been the whole evening. There wasn’t a lot of space between the kitchen counters and the breakfast bar, so while Rett was loading the dishwasher, I was drying the pots that couldn’t go in, and Zeke was putting the wine glasses away, both young men were within touching distance.

I put down the pot I was drying and the tea towel, and as soon as Zeke had closed the cupboard door, I hooked my finger through his belt loop, tugged him close, and mashed my lips to his in a commanding kiss. He let out a throaty chuckle. When he pressed his body against mine, I felt the makings of an erection through his jeans.

Rett was crouched down by the open dishwasher, eyes wide as he watched us. Had he ever seen his best friend kiss another man before? As I wrapped one arm around Zeke’s back, I wriggled my fingers at Rett, inviting him to join us. For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t, but then he stood, closed the dishwasher, and edged closer, one tentative step at a time. As soon as he was close enough, I put my arm around his waist and pulled him to me. They were standing shoulder to shoulder, their bodies tracing mine. I tore my mouth from Zeke’s and, with his saliva still damp on my lips, kissed Rett.

“Oh, Daddy, that’s hot,” Zeke breathed as he watched the two of us kiss.

Hearing him call me ‘Daddy’ sent blood pulsing to my cock. It was good to know Zeke felt comfortable enough to say it, and it made me long for the moment ‘Daddy’ would cross Rett’s lips too.

Rett put his hand on my chest and gripped my shirt in his fingers. He relaxed a little against me, but there was still far too much tension in his slender body.

“Now kiss each other,” I commanded.

They didn’t hesitate. They kissed each other dirtily for me, sucking each other’s tongues as I held them. Then Zeke’s mouth was on mine again, and a few seconds later, I was kissing Rett once more. Zeke sought out Rett’s neck with his mouth, sucking and kissing in a way I was sure was going to leave a mark. Rett moaned as we both lavished attention on him, and his body became a little more pliant in my arms.

I ran my hands down to their arses and squeezed, tugging them so I could feel every inch of their bodies against mine.

“Let’s move to the bedroom.”

Zeke and Rett are best friends and in love. Except that they are both bottoms and submissive. They both want a Daddy and it never really occurred to them to get one Daddy for the both of them. Until Santa sends them Micah.

Micah was great at meeting the needs of both boys, as well as encouraging-without pushing- one to find some peace as a little. I have to say that when they were talking about their rules that there would be no sexual contact when Rett was in little space.

The sex scenes were inventive and incredibly hot; even if sometimes I had a hard time picturing how it would all work.

I will say it was verrrrrrrrrrrry schmoopy and sweet. The only angst was some grieving over a mother lost years ago and a father lost more recently. It was a little too perfect. I would have liked to see them worth through a real issue. An emotional issue, not the unavoidable issue they did deal with.

Cute, hot, kinky, very sweet… but I definitely could have used more feels.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |   Facebook Page   |  Facebook Group: Colette’s Cosy Corner

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The Last One to Let You Down by K.L. Hiers: RDB, Excerpt, Review and Giveaway

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Thomas Hill is a lonely embalmer who’s in some big trouble – his ex-boyfriend has been forcing him to illegally sell dangerous chemicals with no signs of stopping, and Tom doesn’t know what to do. His situation gets even more complicated when Cypress Holmes, a smoking hot local florist, walks in on Tom making a deal. Cypress agrees to keep quiet, but his silence comes at a price.

He wants Tom to do exactly as he says and to give him complete and total control over his body at all times. Tom now has no choice but to obey Cypress’s every command to stay out of jail. But when Cypress starts spanking him and tying him up, he realizes he doesn’t mind the rough treatment at all. With or without the threat of blackmail hanging over his head, he likes what Cypress does to him… and he doesn’t want it to stop.

Author’s Note: This book includes intense sexual scenes, rough spankings, and depictions of death and embalming as they relate to the funeral industry. If this material offends or may upset you, please don’t read this book.

Book Title: The Last One to Let You Down

Author: K.L. Hiers

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Covers by Jo

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, BDSM Romance

Trope/s: Funeral Director/Florist Romance, Blackmail Leads to Love, BDSM Virgin

Themes: Personal Growth, Dealing with Death, Difficult Jobs,

Learning to Love Yourself

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 102 000 words

It is a standalone story.

Goodreads

Amazon US- Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK  – Kindle Unlimited

Tom was an embalmer, and he’d been working at Crosby-Ayers Funeral Home in Mayfield, North Carolina, for over ten years. He’d done his apprenticeship there after graduating mortuary school and had stayed on once he’d gotten his license. The funeral home was busy enough to support him working solely as an embalmer, and he didn’t have to meet with families like Aaron, who was a funeral director.

Aaron had the right look for it. He was handsome, olive skinned with curly black hair and a confident smile. He could offer sympathy with ease and wore a suit well.

Tom… not so much.

He felt like a silly kid playing dress-up when he wore a suit, and they were always too tight no matter how much he tried to lose the stubborn weight he carried around his stomach and thighs. He was only wearing one today because he thought he was going to have to help out on a funeral.

They hadn’t needed him after all, which was fine by Tom. He didn’t do well with the living, and he’d been told more than once that he came off as creepy.

He was quite pale with chin length mousy brown hair, and his big blue eyes gave him an owlish appearance. He thought it made him look startled or afraid, not quite right for instilling confidence in a family that he was going to help them through their difficult time.

It also didn’t help that he was painfully shy.

Fortunately for Tom, his embalming talents usually kept him in the preparation room and away from families. His specialty was restorative art, repairing those who had suffered traumatic deaths so that their families could see them again.

The woman he had just finished was a Mrs. Jan Winslow, who had died on a Friday, and her body was not found until Monday. During that time, her beloved Pomeranian, Mister Doodles, had eaten the entire right half of her face.

“Walk me through it,” Aaron asked eagerly. “Like, tell me how you do it?”

“Well, you can’t do anything really until after you’ve embalmed them.” Tom stood up and stretched, peeling off his gloves and dropping them into the biohazard trash. “Makeup and the wax we use doesn’t stick that great to unembalmed skin. Slides right off if you’re not careful.

“The next step is cauterizing all of that exposed tissue. Embalming helps dry it out some, but you really wanna make sure it doesn’t leak so we use other chemicals, cauterants like Dryene, to help. Once the skin is good and dry, then we start filling.”

“What do you fill it with? I mean, I saw her before. There was a lot… missing.”

“You can use a bunch of different things depending on how big the wound is,” Tom replied, pulling open the prep room door and ushering Aaron out into the hallway.

It was often full of freshly delivered caskets, stretchers, and bags from the linen service, and today was no different. Tom had to carefully navigate around two caskets and a stack of towels, trying to lead Aaron back out to the offices to continue their conversation.

“Old school embalmers would use newspaper or cotton,” Tom went on, grabbing his suit jacket off the rack by the office door. “These days, they actually make compounds called ‘wound filler’ to well, fill wounds. And then—” He paused when he heard a loud slam, glancing back over his shoulder to see what it was.

At the other end of the hall were three doors. The one on the right led into the walk-in cooler, the one directly opposite the office door was an exit that led into the side parking lot, and the one on the left connected the hallway to the garage. The coaches and limos were stored there, and there was a special door in the corner for flower deliveries.

All of the doors for employees required a code to enter except for that one, and it stayed unlocked during business hours for flower deliveries. Someone could get inside the garage to drop off arrangements, but they wouldn’t be able to get into the hallway.

The hallway door to the garage had been left propped open, probably from a casket being delivered earlier, and the sound Tom had heard was the flower delivery door slamming inside the garage. As his heart began to pound in anticipation, he forgot all about Aaron.

HFG might be here.

Hot Flower Guy.

“Hey, where are you going?” Aaron protested.

“Just go to the office!” Tom called back, already halfway back down the hall. “I’ll meet you in there!”

“Okay,” Aaron replied reluctantly. “Then you’ll finish telling me about wound filler stuff?”

“Scout’s honor!” Tom slowed down as he approached the open door, putting his jacket on and trying not to appear too eager as he stepped inside the garage. He broke into a huge smile when he saw it was HFG in all of his bulging glory.

HFG was black, tall, and broad with thick shoulders and an even thicker beard framing his dark brown face, and Tom had daydreamed about running his hands all over his body. They had barely even spoken more than a few words, but Tom had a definite crush.

The funeral home hours didn’t give Tom much freedom and being on call almost every night killed any chance of an active social life. After a nasty breakup followed by a disappointing string of one night stands through dating apps, he’d committed to staying single until the funeral home hired more help.

In the meantime, he’d grown quite fond of HFG’s deliveries. He didn’t even know his name, but he’d been trying to find out for weeks. HFG was always in and out too quickly to ever strike up a conversation, and Tom wanted a name to go with that gorgeous face.

It didn’t matter that HFG was painfully out of his league—unless he happened to be into pasty white brunettes who had never grown out of their baby fat with big chins and an awkward little gap between their front teeth.

Tom had been cruelly teased about his smile since he was a little kid, no doubt the root of his introverted nature, but he was too excited about seeing HFG to care for once. As he stepped into the garage, however, his joy instantly faded.

HFG was there, but he was arguing with the assistant manager of the funeral home, Gerald Ayers.

Gerald was a prick.

No, he was the absolute king of pricks.

Lesson learned. No more by this author. Honestly, I didn’t remember the author’s name as anything I had read before. But I did. And, well… let’s just say my fondness hasn’t grown.

I wanted to like it. Slightly overweight guy who works at a funeral home, black guy who owns and runs his families floral shop. Some BDSM. A little mystery as a plot. But no.

First, the BDSM was so sloppy. I mean, they went to a “house party” were not only was there drinking, but the dungeon master was acting as a bartender. Cypress did not come off as a real Dom, more like a guy playing as a Dom.

And, honestly, I love learning new things in books. But the pages and pages and pages of procedures for embalming someone were just a little too much.

Tom is whiny and needy and it is not attractive at all. Even with Cypress making him do affirmations in the mirror everyday didn’t help. Sorry, but I laughed out loud when Tom was fighting with his ex and called himself a tiger.

I won’t continue. I think you get the gist. Oh, there really should be a suicide trigger warning as well.

2 pieces of eye candy

K.L. “Kat” Hiers is an embalmer, restorative artist, and queer writer. Licensed in both funeral directing and funeral service, she’s been working in the death industry for nearly a decade. Her first love was always telling stories, and she has been writing for over twenty years, penning her very first book at just eight years old. Publishers generally do not accept manuscripts in Hello Kitty notebooks, however, but she never gave up.

Following the success of her first novel, Cold Hard Cash, she now enjoys writing professionally, focusing on spinning tales of sultry passion, exotic worlds, and emotional journeys. She loves attending horror movie conventions and indulging in cosplay of her favorite characters. She lives in Zebulon, NC, with her husband and their children, some of whom have paws and a few that only pretend to because they think it’s cute.

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