Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

blog tour

World Turned Upside Down by Elyse Springer: Exclusive Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

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Today is National Book Lovers Day, a perfect day to check out this novella by Elyse Springer. I am reading it right now, and am loving the descriptions of Antarctica that Elyse has in her book. I’ll have a review later, but I am super excited to have Elyse here for her book release TODAY! Check out her awesome guest post. I live in the cold of the Midwest, and totally get this entire post, as our winters can get down to close to these numbers, (although not for an entire winter). And she has a fantastic giveaway for you, as well. Check it all out below!!!!

 

After three winters in Antarctica, Simon Bancroft is an old hand on the ice. The harsh weather and extreme isolation aren’t for everyone, but he enjoys the tight-knit community at McMurdo Station… and lately he’s enjoyed watching the hot new researcher, Asher Delaney, who’s recently arrived to study the aurora. But Simon’s just a janitor. Asher doesn’t even know he exists.

When Simon’s friends propose a wager, he gets a chance to introduce himself to Asher at last. But Asher defies all of Simon’s assumptions, and suddenly he finds himself reevaluating everything he thought he knew about Asher, himself, and falling in love at the bottom of the world.

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

Title: World Turned Upside Down
Author: Elyse Springer
Release Date: August 9, 2019
Category: Contemporary, World of Love
Pages: 90

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Kobo

iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Dressing for Antarctica

Antarctica is cold.

That seems like such an obvious statement, but the bitter iciness of Antarctica is something most people in the world will never even get close to experiencing. While I was at the South Pole, the average summer temperature was about -30°F, but the temperature in winter can drop to -100°F.

McMurdo, where Simon and Asher spend the winter, is a little more tolerable. Winter temps range from about -20° to -50°F… though it did hit -85°F with windchill for a couple of days when I was there!

So how on earth do people survive that? Answer: Clothing. Lots and lots of very high-tech clothing.

 

There was a running joke in Antarctica about sex—

First he took of her jacket. Then he took off her sweater. And then he seductively slid her coveralls off her shoulders and down her legs. And then he stripped off her thermal shirt, and her jeans. And then she lay before him on the bed, wearing nothing but her base layers, wool socks, and hat.

Simon huffed out a laugh, thinking about it, and propped his elbow on the table so he could rest his chin in the palm of his hand.

 

That’s the opening scene of World Turned Upside Down, and Simon is absolutely right to laugh. The number of layers residents on ‘the Ice’ have to wear is frankly ridiculous!

Based on my personal blog, here’s what I wore on August 19, 2011. The temperature was -67°F with windchill:

  • three shirts – each one is wool or silk and pretty thin, so I can remove layers while inside
  • three pairs of leggings – again, silk or wool
  • fleece sweater
  • thick wool socks
  • leg warmers (fuzzy and colorful!)
  • Carhartt overalls – these are standard issue and lined for wind protection… everyone wears them!
  • another fleece sweater
  • a jacket shell
  • “Big Red” – the standard-issue fluffy red parka that all contractors and scientists wear
  • heavy insulated boots
  • two neck gaiters – one for the bottom of my neck, and one to cover my ears/cheeks
  • base layer thin hat and a thick wool hat
  • goggles
  • wool glove liners
  • wool-lined mittens

Suffice it to say, getting dressed (or undressed!) can be an ordeal, but after a few days you get pretty good at getting the layers on (or off!) pretty quickly.

This links from a NASA scientist in Antarctica gives a pretty comprehensive overview of the standard-issue ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear that’s issued to every employee and researcher: https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/archive/tiger/ecw.html

But sometimes you just don’t want to bother with all the stuff. It’s not uncommon to see people dashing between buildings in jeans and sneakers, trying to spend as little time in the cold as possible.

 

Simon gave a little shimmy in front of the mirror, turning to the side to study the way his clothes clung to his flat stomach and round ass. This was the outfit he’d worn back in the Real World when he wanted to pick up at a club; maybe it was overkill for a night out in Antarctica, but at least Simon knew that he looked good.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance, Simon grabbed his jacket, zipped it up tight, and made his way down the hallway from his dorm room. He hovered at the door leading outside, enjoying one last moment of warmth. Then, with a deep breath, he opened the door and darted outside.

Holy shit it’s cold. Negative twenty wasn’t really that bad by Antarctica standards, but wearing just jeans and a T-shirt beneath his jacket meant he could feel every bitter cold sub-zero degree. His breath pooled in front of him as he darted between buildings, careful where ice had formed, and rushed to the old wooden shack that housed the bar.

 

Yes, I absolutely did get a little bit of frostbite once because I went outside without being properly dressed.

Of course, as Simon and I both will tell you, the trade-off for bearing these unbelievably cold temps is well worth it! Check out World Turned Upside Down to learn more about Antarctica, or feel free to shoot me a message on Twitter.

Elyse is an author and world-traveler, whose unique life experiences have helped to shape the stories that she wants to tell. She writes romances with LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships, and believes that every person deserves a Happily Ever After. When she’s not staring futilely at her computer screen, Elyse spends her time adding stamps to her passport, catching up on her terrifying TBR list, and learning to be a better adult.

You can find Elyse online at:

Website: http://elspringer.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ElyseSpringer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elysespringerwrites

To celebrate the release of World Turned Upside Down, I’m giving away a t-shirt from McMurdo Station, Antarctica (yes, actually purchased in Antarctica!) and an e-copy of WTUD in the format of your choice. Two additional winners will also receive an e-copy of World Turned Upside Down in the format of their choice, or an e-copy of any book from my backlist.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide over age 18. Closes 8/21 at 11:59 PM EST.

Small Town Sonata by Jamie Fessenden: Guest Post – Exclusive Excerpt

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Jamie Fessenden is here today with an exclusive excerpt from his second chance romance, Small Town Sonata. What a gorgeous cover this book has as well. This book has been on my TBR for a while, and I can’t wait to dive in this weekend. Check out the extended excerpt, let us know what you think.

Can the trusted town handyman rebuild a broken pianist’s heart?

When a freak accident ends Aiden’s career as a world-renowned classical pianist, he retreats to his New Hampshire hometown, where he finds the boy he liked growing up is even more appealing as a man.

Dean Cooper’s life as handyman to the people of Springhaven might not be glamorous, but he’s well-liked and happy. When Aiden drifts back into town, Dean is surprised to find the bond between them as strong as ever. But Aiden is distraught over the loss of his career and determined to get back on the international stage.

Seventeen years ago Dean made a sacrifice and let Aiden walk away. Now, with their romance rekindling, he knows he’ll have to make the sacrifice all over again. This time it may be more than he can bear.

Title: Small Town Sonata
Author: Jamie Fessenden
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 249

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Dean listened in absolute silence, his eyes seemingly transfixed by Aiden’s hands as they flowed across the keys, his coffee forgotten. “Brahms,” he said, after the final chord had settled. “Intermezzo in A-Major.”

Aiden quirked an eyebrow at him in surprise. “Yes. I wasn’t aware you listened to classical music.”

“Some,” Dean said, frowning down into his mug. He suddenly seemed uncomfortable. “I picked up a record of piano music when we were… whatever we were doing as teenagers… because I knew you liked it. I can’t say it beat out Springsteen, but I listened to it now and then. That was one of the tracks on the album.”

“You like it, then?”

“Uh… yeah. Why don’t you play something else?”

Aiden had the distinct feeling Dean wasn’t telling him something. Had he been insulted by Aiden not expecting him to recognize the piece? He’d never given Aiden any indication he liked classical music when they were in high school, though he’d seemed to enjoy listening to Aiden play.

Not having any idea what else to do, Aiden began playing again, this time some Chopin and Debussy. After a while, he realized he’d been monopolizing Dean’s attention for a long time, and it was getting late. His hands were aching too. So he wrapped up “Clair de lune” and said, “I suppose that’s enough.”

To Aiden’s delight, Dean nuzzled his ear, kissing him on the earlobe. “Thank you. It was wonderful.”

“Anytime.”

“You’re gonna call that orchestra in Manchester, aren’t you?”

Aiden was startled by the change in direction, and it threw him. “I, uh… I don’t know.”

“You’ve gotta do it,” Dean said, looking at him sternly. “You know you’re not gonna be happy hiding out here in the music room where nobody can hear you. You were meant to be on stage!”

Aiden knew he was right, but things weren’t that simple. The dull ache in his tendons was a harsh reminder of that. But he didn’t want to think about that—not right now. He got up from the bench, went to the filing cabinet, and opened one of the drawers. “You play clarinet?”

“Yeah. But… not all that well.” Dean sounded nervous.

Aiden found what he’d been searching for in the hanging folders and withdrew it—Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A Major.” He pulled out the second movement, the adagio, and set the rest of it on top of the filing cabinet. Then he closed the drawer and went back to sit on the bench. “Do you remember when we watched Out of Africa on DVD?”

“Jesus.” Dean rolled his eyes. “I remember we both cried like babies, and I told you I’d kill you if anyone at school ever found out.”

Aiden laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “Your secret’s still safe.”

“It better be.”

“But remember when Meryl Streep and Robert Redford danced to a piece of music playing on an old Victrola?”

“Yeah. I loved that. That scene was one of the reasons I picked clarinet when I joined the school band.”

Aiden hadn’t known Dean was in the school band. But he supposed he had to have learned to play somewhere, and that was the most likely starting point. “Do you read music?” he asked, handing Dean the pages.

As Aiden played the beginning of a piano version of the orchestral part of the Concerto, Dean glanced at the music. “I can read music,” Dean said. “Are you saying you want me to learn this?”

“I’m asking you if you’d like to learn it. This is a version for just a solo clarinet and a piano. I already know the piano part.”

“Wouldn’t it be kind of a waste of your time, then?”

“Performing with you? I don’t see that as a waste. I think it would be fun.”

Dean took a long time to think about it before responding, “Okay. Sure. I’ve always wanted to learn this piece.”

“Then take it home and give it a try.”

Dean let out a puff of breath and glanced up at the clock. “I should get going.”

Aiden escorted him back through the kitchen, and they kissed at the door…. Then they made out at the door. At last Dean growled and said, “All right, this time I’m really leaving.”

Aiden looked down into his soft brown eyes. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Count on it.”

Aiden gave him a final kiss good night and watched him head out to his truck. This idea of taking it slow wasn’t going to last long, he knew. At the rate they were going, they’d probably end up in bed together tomorrow night.

What am I doing?

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Dean. He liked him a lot. As in… a lot. But was stirring things up between them a good idea? He’d been desperate to escape Springhaven when he was a teenager. Was he really ready to give up on his career and settle down there for good? The last thing Aiden wanted to do was hurt Dean—again.

Jamie Fessenden is an author of gay fiction in many genres. Most involve romance, because he believes everyone deserves to find love, but after that anything goes: contemporary, science fiction, historical, paranormal, mystery, or whatever else strikes his fancy.

He set out to be a writer in junior high school. He published a couple short pieces in his high school’s literary magazine and had another story place in the top 100 in a national contest, but it wasn’t until he met his partner, Erich, almost twenty years later, that he began writing again in earnest. With Erich alternately inspiring and goading him, Jamie wrote several novels and published his first novella in 2010. That same year, Jamie and Erich married and purchased a house together in the wilds of New Hampshire, where there are no street lights, turkeys and deer wander through their yard, and coyotes serenade them under the stars.

Blog: https://jamiefessenden.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/349365308959423/

Digging Deep by Jay Hogan: Blog Tour, New Release Review * 2

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A Digging Deep Story

Drake Park has a complicated life. As a gay male midwife, he’s used to raising eyebrows. Add Crohn’s disease and things get interesting—or not, considering the sad state of his love life. Experience has taught Drake that most men are fair-weather sailors when it comes to handling his condition—gone for dust when things get rough. Staying healthy is a full-time job without adding in any heartbreak, so a little loneliness is a small price to pay. If he says it often enough he might even believe it. One thing for sure, the cop who arrested him isn’t about to change that.

Caleb Ashton does not have a complicated life. A senior detective with the Whangarei Police Department, he likes his job and is good at it. He works hard and plays hard, happy to enjoy as many men as he can while he’s still young enough—or at least he was. These days he feels adrift for the first time in his life, and the only thing sparking his interest—a certain prickly young midwife.

But can Drake find enough faith to risk opening his heart again? And does Caleb have what it takes to cope with the challenges Drake’s condition presents?

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This book will take you on a journey about a young man living with Chron’s disease and a playboy cop who thinks he may have found “the one.” Drake will need to decide if he can open his heart again or if the fear of rejection is too much to overcome and Caleb needs to decide if he can be by Drake’s side for the long haul or if he’ll run at the first sign of trouble.

As someone that doesn’t have Chron’s disease I can’t speak to the validity of Drake’s story. However, the disease and symptoms were well researched and presented in a way that didn’t read as a clinical encyclopedia. The characters were well developed and the story flowed so organically. The supporting cast of characters were just as charming and engaging as the main characters. I would love to see more of Carmen in a future book.

4 pieces of eye candy

This is a first for me with this author, and I saw the length of this book and was a little wary about it. It’s hard to hold my attention, but I love love love realistic reads about real-life problems and relationship hurdles. In this one, we meet Drake, who has Chron’s disease. Now, I’m not going to lie… I don’t know much about the disease, other than the generic, basic info you can look up, but it seemed to be Drake’s entire life. He literally can’t make one decision about anything without factoring in how it’s going to affect his day-to-day living with the disease.

An emergency trip to the bathroom is common, and when he has to go… it has to be
NOW… so when he enters a restricted area of a building during a protest, of course, he gets questioned by the police. His attitude was probably the reason why he was taken in… had he calmly explained, …. But then that would’ve been boring, eh? So, that’s where he meets Caleb… a detective on parole at the building during said protest.

Caleb is made to seem like a jerk, but the dude was just doing his job. If you look at how cops work here in the states, right or wrong, they wouldn’t have had as much patience as Caleb did with Drake. He tries to understand his predicament, but again, the man was just doing his job. Not only was Drake on a watch list because of the protest, he also ignored (because he had to) a direct order, several times and then gave the cop attitude for doing what he had to.

That seems to be the general goings-on in the whole book. Caleb, though not one for relationships and having never had a serious one, ever… seems to like Drake and his snarky comebacks and flair for dramatics. He tries several times to even get that first date, and I’ve gotta be honest… I dunno if I’d have bothered. I understand, at least a little bit, having been described in detail about what Chron’s does to one’s body and how living with it affects not only the person who has it but everyone else, especially a partner… but my goodness…. How many times can you tell someone no and to go away before they’re just like.. okay, see ya!
Infinity, it would seem, if you’re Caleb…

I couldn’t handle the push and pull… like, Drake pushed him away and then got upset when he went away…not even just once, but throughout the whole book. I felt for him, I really did… this story gives you a really clear picture of the disease and I couldn’t imagine it. My heart broke for him in so many ways… but romantically. I just wanted to punch him. I know he’s been hurt before in large part because his partner of two years couldn’t handle the complications of the disease, but, Jared wasn’t Caleb and he tried and tried and tried to show you that he was all in….

I also didn’t care for such meddlesome friends. Believe me, I have the most in your face, nosiest, well-meaning but annoying friends, but each of their friends were just obnoxious to me.

Annnnnnyway….it ends sweet and I’m a sucker for a happy ending, so I can’t be too hard on it, despite what it may look like. I actually fell for Caleb a bit, because the man truly had patience of a Saint and didn’t often let Drake get away with pushing him away before letting him have it right back… but, still… I’m exhausted. I need a nap now lol

3 stars from me

Heart Unbroken by Andrew Grey: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Car restorer Dean Milford knows how to make damaged things beautiful again. Only, after a bad breakup, he loses sight of who he is, playing the field and distracting himself with any man he comes across. But now there’s only one guy who really matters to him. And maybe with his latest restoration job—a vintage Cobra—he’ll get the chance to let him know.

Losing his sight wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Lee Studer—losing his independence was. It’s taken a while, but he’s finally found his place in the world—in a garage. Funny enough, his acute hearing allows him to pinpoint engine problems just by listening. And even better, he’s going to have a chance to help his long-time crush, Dean, rebuild his fantasy car.

As the restoration comes together, so do Lee and Dean, building a friendship that quickly turns into so much more. But before they can think about a future together, they have to deal with the past. Only that turns out to be more dangerous than either one ever dreamed….

Title: Heart Unbroken
Series: Hearts Entwined: Book 4
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 192

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Lee  and Scott were done with the Cadillac. Scott was just moving the car out of the bay  when a hand touched Lee’s shoulder. Lee tensed until he smelled Dean. “You two do amazing work.”

“I hear the problems, and he sees them. I know my way around most engines, and he guides me. I wouldn’t be able to do this job without him.” Lee was well aware that Scott would be a great mechanic whether he was there or not. He was grateful that Scott worked with him, and he hoped he was helping Scott more than he was slowing him down.

“Trevor and I have come to an agreement. I’ve been restoring cars for the last decade out of my home garage, but I can’t keep my head above water. So he and I are going to partner together.”

“Down at the old Sears place? Trevor has been looking into that lately, and he always seems to be able to find the right fit for his ideas.”

“Yeah, exactly. And he said you and Scott might be interested in working with me. I do a lot of the body work—that’s my specialty—but I need experienced people to rebuild the engines and things like that. I can do it, but I’m better at other parts of the process.”

“I can talk with Brent and Scott.” Lee was excited about the possibilities. He’d heard one of the guys mention that Dean had just come across a Cobra he intended to restore. Lee’s hands itched to spend some time with that engine.

“Please do that. We’d all be working for Trevor, so things wouldn’t really be that different. But you’d have the chance to work on classic cars for a change, bringing them back from the dead.” Excitement filled Dean’s voice, and it was catching.

Lee nodded as his nose filled with the richness of Dean’s cologne , even over the garage’s exhaust fumes and grease. “Okay. I’ll think about it,” Lee said, wishing he had more questions, if only so he could get Dean to stay and talk with him a little while longer.

Where to start….

First.. love the cover!

Okay, so in this one, if you’ve read the first two in this series, you should remember
Dean, who is best friends with Trevor and Brent. He’s a bit of a player and still stuck in the bachelor life, even though his friends are both loved up and living their own lives… he seems a bit bitter about it, and to be honest, he was hit and miss with me in the other books, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him… even at the beginning of this one, I didn’t really… but it all changed when he met Lee…

Lee works with Trevor at the garage, he’s the ears in the duo of him and Scott, who is deaf. A blind and deaf mechanic? I know… it’s hard to wrap your head around, but they seem to make it work and they’re both good at it…. Plus they have very supportive friends, whom I love.

Because Dean is a restorer of old classic cars and Trevor owns his own garage, he offers Dean a partnership of sorts to work for him but still do his own thing… which Dean appreciates because he was barely keeping his head above water financially as it was. A bonus was getting to work with Lee, who he had his eye on for a while but never did anything about because a bad breakup had him playing the field and not interested in getting hurt again, and Lee was a bit younger than him as well….which showed, a lot in my opinion.

Dean seemed kind of jerky until he caught Lee’s attention too. I liked watching them get to know one another and watching them both kind of navigate something new. Dean because he was opening himself up for something more than random hookups and Lee just getting to experience a normal type relationship with a normal guy… not that his impairment was abnormal, but it was just the way he felt. I can understand how hard it would be feel normal when everyone treated you with kid gloves…

And that brings me to the few things that I didn’t like…. There was the stereotypical overbearing mother… which I get… I’m a mother of two teenagers and sometimes I still treat them like they’re 10…. And they let me, why? Cuz I’m their mom and sometimes you just gotta humor your mom…but my goodness, Lee’s mom was too much….every conversation with her, literally every single one was him telling her that he’s not a kid… that he wants to be independent… that he cares about Dean, because yes, she was even a jerk to Dean…” what are your intentions with my son”, and “I think you need to break up with him”… like, really?? … I understand her concern, but it was too much, though she did redeem herself by the end I guess.. was still very stereotypical.

Also, things kept happening at work and when the guys went out to the club… elaborate things that you’d expect in a superhero movie with over the top villains … I knew exactly who was causing problems though I didn’t guess how they were related, I was annoyed when nobody seemed to know who was behind it all when it was so glaringly obvious.

Lastly…. Lee can smell illness? Is that a superpower? Someone walks up and asks to talk to Dean and he’s like…. Hepatitis or HIV? … I can smell it.
That whole part had me like…. Whaaaaat?

Overall though, I love this author’s stories and I love the way in which he uses impairments and real life problems with life and love. I like the complex situations and realistic views and solutions in handling things. I like the little embarrassing moments that some author’s skip over and I love the happily ever after’s that we get in this series. I was glad to see Dean get his happy and I loved the way he loved Lee.

It was a sweet read and I hope the series continues.

4 pieces of eye candy

Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)  He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Author Links

Amazon Author Page

Barnes and Noble Page

Dreamspinner Press

Facebook

Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey

Goodreads

Twitter @andrewgreybooks

Website

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Team Luker by Nell Iris: RDB, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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What if this is the last time we lie like this?
Uncertainty is keeping Ellery Luker awake at night and robbing him of his appetite. It’s been five days since the love of his life and partner of twenty-five years, Jools, went to the doctor. Five days since the biopsy. Five days of going crazy with worry and what ifs?
What if Jools suffer from the same disease that stole Ellery’s mother when he was just eleven?
What if all Ellery’s worst fears come true?
What if…?

Length: 5,500 words approx.

Amazon

JMS Books

This story had all the fixin’s to emotionally ruin my life. Luckily, it didn’t… but it did make me cry.

Jools and Ellery have been together since college, when Jools would see Ellery in the library and take his breath away. Now, twenty-five years later, they were still just as in love now as they were all those years ago… so what would Ellery do if something happened to his beloved Jools?

Having lost his mother to cancer when he was eleven, the thought of losing his husband to the same thing had him losing sleep and unable to eat out of worry. He’d lay awake at nights watching his husband, scared to death that it could be the last time….

Dramatic? Maybe… but I understood it, because I’m the worrier in our family, and if anything were to happen to my husband, I just don’t think I’d survive it. I don’t know how people go on living after losing their other half. It’s a great fear of mine, so it hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting for such a short read that packed a lifetime of love with these two.

Lying in bed together, Jools can feel Ellery’s worry, so to get him to relax, he starts telling him the story of how they met… it was so very sweet, and seemed to help.
But the next day Ellery had work and it was the day the find out if the biopsy was something to be worried about or not.

I won’t spoil the ending, but you should definitely give this one a read. It’s short and sweet and leaves you reminded to hug your loved ones a little tighter… you never know what could happen.

5 Pieces of Candy

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along but, let’s face it, she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (“Make it so”). She loves words, poetry, wine, and Sudoku, and absolutely adores elephants!

Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a forty-something bisexual Swedish woman, married to the love of her life, and a proud mama of a grown daughter. She left the Scandinavian cold and darkness for warmer and sunnier Malaysia a few years ago, and now spends her days writing, surfing the Internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food. One day she decided to chase her lifelong dream of being a writer, sat down in front of her laptop, and wrote a story about two men falling in love.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angst, and wants to write diverse and different characters.

Email contact@nelliris.com

Web www.nelliris.com

Twitter @nellirisauthor

Facebook page www.facebook.com/nellirisauthor

Facebook profile www.facebook.com/nell.iris.12

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/nelliris

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nell_iris/

QueeRomance Ink https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/nell-iris/

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Beautiful Trauma by Aimee Nicole Walker: Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review and Giveaway

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Does trauma define or motivate a person? 

Homeless and rejected, Henry Sullivan arrived on the doorstep of Ryan’s Place with nothing but the clothes on his back. Life as he knew it was over. Within those walls, Henry found the encouragement and love needed to turn hopeless into hopeful. Enrolling for summer classes at his community college was the first step toward achieving the dreams he thought were lost to him. There was just one little snag: the professor standing in the front of the room taught Henry the true meaning of human sexuality.

After a crushing breakup, Professor Ezra Meyer moved to the Queen City for a fresh start where everything was new—job, home, and friends. His first challenge: prove the benefits of his biology of human sexuality course outweighed the controversy. Ezra agreed to teach the class during the summer semester at a community college associated with his university to gauge interest. There was just one little problem: Ezra had personally demonstrated the unit on Sexual Technique and Behaviors with one of his students.

Random or Fate?

It was supposed to be a harmless hookup on a night when Henry was celebrating his birthday and Ezra was trying to ease his loneliness. Fast forward six months later, the attraction blazed hotter than ever, but acting on it could have dire consequences neither man was willing to risk. Or were they? Could true love be Henry and Ezra’s ultimate reward, or were they destined to become just another sad lesson learned? 

Beautiful Trauma is a story about triumph over tragedy, embracing the unexpected, and a reminder that family is more than biology. Are you looking for a feel-good romance with witty banter, toe-curling passion, and a story that stays with you long after the final page? Look no further. Beautiful Trauma is the third book in the Queen City Rogues series but reads as a standalone book. It contains sexually explicit material and colorful language and is intended for adults 18 and over.

Beautiful Trauma 

Queen City Rogues Series, Book 3

Aimee Nicole Walker 

M/M Romance 

Release Date: 07.18.19

Cover model: Joel Leslie 

Photographer: Christopher John 

Cover artist: Jay Aheer

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Ezra lifted his head and smiled down at me. “I like the way you think.”He started to lower his head to kiss me but jerked back. “Fuck!”

“What is it? A muscle spasm?”

“Hey now,” Ezra said, sounding offended. “I’m not that old.”

“There’s no age requirement for a muscle spasm. Remember my limp earlier tonight?”

Ezra nodded to acknowledge my point. “It wasn’t a spasm; a mosquito bit me on the ass.”

He looked so outraged that a mosquito would dare take a bite of his ass. I couldn’t stop the laughter building inside me. “I-I’m sorry,”I managed to say before the dam broke and it burst from my chest. “I’d bite your ass too if I were her.”

Ezra tried not to laugh, but he joined me until he got bit a second time. “That’s it,”he said firmly, leaping to his feet. “It’s time for a bath, then you need to get some sleep.”He blew out the candles and crooked his fingers for me to follow. 

On our way to the bathroom, I watched in puzzlement as Ezra stopped by his bedside table and picked up his phone. 

“Checking your messages?” I asked. 

“Adding citronella candles to my shopping list before I forget,” he quipped. He looked at me with a raised brow. “Not a single smartass joke out of you about faulty memories at my age.”

I held up my hands in surrender. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”My lips quivered and threatened to give way to laughter yet again. 

“Get in the bathroom,”Ezra said, pointing to the doorway. 

“Yes, sir,” I said cheekily then gasped when Ezra’s hand landed soundly against my bare ass. I spun around to face him. “Spanking wasn’t in the lesson tonight.”

“Keep it up, and you’re going to get a firsthand lesson in spankings, Henry.”

The idea thrilled me to the core, and I suddenly wanted to be naughty—very, very naughty.

Check out Jennifer’s 4 pieces of eye candy review here.

Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day. I’d love to hear from you 

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