Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

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Blog Tours

One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge: Blog Tour with Giveaway

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Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Cash Plays, book three of Seven of Spades.

Shattered by their devastating breakup, Detective Levi Abrams and PI Dominic Russo find themselves at war right when they need each other most. While Dominic is trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction, Levi despairs of ever catching the Seven of Spades. The ruthless vigilante’s body count continues to climb, and it’s all Levi can do to keep up with the carnage.

When Levi’s and Dominic’s paths keep crossing in the investigation of a kidnapping ring with a taste for mutilation, it feels like history repeating itself. Thrown together by fate once again, they reluctantly join forces in their hunt for the mastermind behind the abductions.

But the Seven of Spades hates sharing the spotlight, and they have an ace in the hole: a new batch of victims with a special connection to Levi. Their murders send shockwaves through Las Vegas and change the rules of the game forever.

The Seven of Spades has upped the ante. If Levi and Dominic don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up losing everything.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

 

Thanks for checking out the blog tour for One-Eyed Royals, the fourth book in the Seven of Spades series!

We left Levi and Dominic broken up and broken-hearted. But there are new threats facing Las Vegas, and crossing paths on a case again is just their luck…

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

To celebrate the release of One-Eyed Royals, Cordelia is giving away a $10 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 15, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Safe Place (Rainbow Place #2) by Jay Northcote: Blog Tour and New Release Review

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Where do you go when your home is no longer a safe place?

Alex is about to turn eighteen and is firmly in the closet. He’s been biding his time, waiting to escape to uni, and finally come out away from the oppressive influence of his homophobic father. When he flunks his exams, he’s stuck in the small town of Porthladock—and what’s worse is that he’s working for his dad. The only thing that makes it bearable is Cam.

Cam’s comfortable with his bisexuality, but he doesn’t broadcast it. Young, free, and single, his social life revolves around playing rugby and hanging out with his mates. He’s attracted to Alex, but with the six-year age gap, Cam’s wary of getting involved. Plus, he thinks Alex needs a friend more than he needs a lover, and as their friendship grows, Cam decides he’s not willing to risk ruining it for casual sex.

When Alex’s dad finds out about his sexuality, Alex is suddenly both jobless and homeless. He finds work at Rainbow Place, the local LGBT-friendly café and Cam lets Alex stay in his flat for a while. But Alex would rather be sleeping in Cam’s bed than on his sofa. With them both living under one roof, their feelings for each other grow stronger, and the sexual tension is hard to ignore. Will giving in to it ruin their friendship and complicate things for Alex even more?

Although this book is part of a linked series, it has a satisfying happy ending, and can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Length: 48,000 words approx.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

So, I loved Seb and Jason in book one, though I did want to strangle Jason a time or two. I was glad to see things had worked out so well with them. Not only that, but remembering Alex from their story had me really hoping for his own story.

Alex is young, only seventeen with a very influential father in town; he’s kept his sexuality a secret from everyone apart from the people at Rainbow Place. It’s his sanctuary of sorts, the only place he can really be free to be himself. If you’ve read the first one, you know that Rainbow Place is a place coffee shop for both the LGBT+ community AND their allies. I love the concept, I so badly wish every place had someplace like that. Especially smaller towns where it could be dangerous for people to be themselves. Alex and his friends though, they fit right in thanks to Seb…

And then there’s Cam, a part of the rugby team that helped Seb when the shop was vandalized. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were taken with each other…However, just when Alex gets the nerve to acknowledge Cam and Cam makes a move…he discovers who Alex’s father is.

A bit about Alex’s dad…not only is he a terrible father, he’s also a bigoted, hateful and controlling man. He wrote the letter in the paper that no doubt had everything to do with Seb’s café being vandalized, if he wasn’t behind it altogether, I’m still not sure; but the things that come out of his mouth…He’s just an ugly person. My heart broke for Alex having to grow up around that…His mother too, but I felt that maybe she just more uneducated…stupid to what she didn’t understand, and she got there in the end, and I was glad for that for Alex’s sake.

When Alex’s dad finds out his secret, he not only tells him how much he does not approve but he also physically hurts him… Alex knows he can’t go back to living under his dads roof and working under his thumb, luckily, he’s got lots of friends and of course Cam. Cam tries to keep things platonic, he doesn’t want to lose the friendship he’s built with Alex, but the attraction to each other goes deeper than either of them expected. It’s nice seeing Alex stand up for himself and learn to depend on himself. I love Seb for his help and the way Cam and his roommate step up for Alex.

Overall, it was a great addition and I’m curious to see who’s next.

4 pieces of eye candy from me!

 

August 31 – Mikku-chan, Gay Book Reviews, Two Chicks Obsessed, My Fiction Nook, Lelyana’s Reviews, My Mind’s Landscape, September 3 – Katie’s Book Corner, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, September 5 – Bonkers About Books, September 7 – Queerly Reads, September 10 – Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, The Way She Reads, The Day Before You Came, September 12 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales, Wicked Reads, September 14 – BooksLaidBareBoys, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Geekery Book Review, September 17 – Nicole’s Book Musings, September 19 – Xtreme Delusions, Book Lovers 4Ever, September 21 – Drops Of Ink, Valerie Ullmer, Mirrigold, Lillian Francis, Making It Happen, OMG Reads, Bayou Book Junkie

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Website

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Jay’s books

*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***

Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn: BB, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.

The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.

When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house—Sam’s house—and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.

Cover Design: Dar Albert

 

Length: 205 pages

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I have no words….

I’ve been literally staring at this page for a solid five minutes trying to figure out where to begin.

First, we have Ollie, having met the love of his life at ten years old. They’d been together ever since, as friends until they were old enough to be more, and then they were. Even years later, the love they had for each other was so beautiful in a way that it was so obvious, it would never end. They didn’t just love each other, they were in love with each other. Nothing matter to either of them, the world could be falling down around them both, and as long as they had each other, they’d die happy. It felt so real. That’s why….when tragedy struck and Ollie lost Sam, I felt it so deep. It felt like I lost him too. How did you do that??

You can imagine the grief that comes with losing the other piece of you. It’s all-encompassing and folks, I ugly cried my little heart out. Body wracking sobs, I am not in the least bit exaggerating, it hit me HARD…
BUT, having the best friends, Cleo and her boyfriend Inram, and their other best friend, Thomas as well as Ollie’s mom….They rallied, they were there for Ollie and without them all, I don’t know what Ollie would’ve become, but I was so glad he had them.

Eventually, though, Ollie came out of the grief and started living again….Nothing happened quickly, it was real in that aspect too… Some days were hard…really hard, but overtime, they got easier. And with the gentle nudge from Cleo, he decided to date again… It was good to get back out there, but Ollie knew that he wasn’t ready… it was a good experience though and I was impressed with the way in which it was handled. Even if I did feel for Peter, I hope he found someone nice in this fictional world… I wouldn’t mind a story about him! <hint hint>

So, after a little more time to get used to what life would be like without Sam, Cleo let’s Ollie in on a secret… Now, in saying this… I’ll admit that I didn’t feel Thomas’s attraction for Ollie at first… it was subtle and I admired the respect he had for Sam and Ollie. My heart broke for him because I couldn’t imagine the unrequited love he had for Ollie. The way Ollie had felt about Sam, Thomas had been feeling that for Ollie… can you even imagine that? Knowing that your heart was lost to someone who had no hope of feeling the same way…. I couldn’t imagine.

BUT, the little things that Thomas did that showed Ollie how he felt…. man, I fell for him so hard. He was amazing! The best friend and everything that Ollie needed. Ollie realized it a little too late though and Thomas needed to try to get over him. He tried…. he really tried, and I was frustrated when he’d met someone else, but I feel like they both needed that.

With some time apart, both guys realized that they needed each other….Ollie needed to realize he loved Thomas in a way that had nothing to do with losing Sam, and Thomas just couldn’t stop his feelings for Ollie, even when he was somewhat happy with someone else. It just didn’t work, because his heart belonged to Ollie.
Sigh…. Seriously, I wish I could explain how I LIVED this book. I felt as if I was living it, experiencing it and it ripped me apart and then in the most beautiful way, it put me back together again…..

THEN, a bombshell…. Thomas, being bi, had a casual relationship with a friend way back that resulted in a baby. The situation was as such where the babys mom needed treatment so Thomas was in charge of the baby while she was getting better. It was tough and he was way out of his element….. but of course he had Ollie. It was time for Ollie to return the favor. They’d switched roles in a sense, because now it was Ollie who had fallen in love with Thomas, and then his little boy, Milo, but he pushed it aside to be what they needed….just as Thomas had done for him when he’d lost Sam…

I could gush about this for AGES… I really good, it was that amazing. I laughed outloud, I cried (a really ugly cry), I swooned and I fell hopelessly in love with these characters…
The only part I somewhat hated, was Sam’s parents and the awful way they treated Ollie. I understood that it helped reiterate what the house meant to Ollie, but I hate that they were so selfish and they never got the karmic justice that they deserved. But, like everything else with this story, it was real. Ollie was understanding to a point and out of respect for Sam, he kept his mouth shut and just exited their lives….at least he got the house, because not only did Sam want him to have it, but, it was home to him. I was glad about that.

All in all, I wish I could buy this book for everyone and just make them read it. If you choose to skip it, you’re really missin out! It’s one that I know will stick with me for a long time, and one I know I’ll revisit again. One of the best reads I’ve read in a while. And I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful ending…

I give it all the stars!

5 pieces of eye candy

After living in Michigan, USA for seven wonderful years, Indra Vaughn returned back to her Belgian roots. There she will continue to consume herbal tea, do yoga wherever the mat fits, and devour books while single parenting a little boy and working as a nurse.

Amazon Profile | Goodreads 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***

Threepeat by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams: Exclusive Guest Post and New Release Review

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Can two Doms open their hearts again for a young man desperately in need of their help?

Two years ago, Aaron Greene and Sam Thompson were devastated when their submissive broke the contract that bound the three of them together. They still wonder what happened and whether they can find a way to move forward. When Aaron finds a sick young man by the curbside, his protective instincts kick in, and after consulting Sam, he takes Tim home.

After being thrown out of his home, Tim Waterman finds himself on the street, doing whatever he needs to survive. Until a bear of a Good Samaritan scoops him up and saves him. Then one bear becomes two, and a chance discovery gets him thinking about what might be, if he’s bold enough to make a move.

So what happens when Aaron and Sam wake up one morning to find Tim naked in their bed? Will they get a new chance at life, or will history Threepeat itself?

Title: Threepeat
Series: Secrets: Book Three
Authors: K.C. Wells and Parker Williams
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Category: BDSM, Contemporary
Pages: 330

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Vic Prentiss

  1. What is the best gift you ever gave?

After Sebastian broke the contract he had with Aaron and Sam, the two men sunk into a deep funk. They stopped going out, stopping having friends in. It was like they just stopped existing. While I was out of town working on a project, I saw a painting in a shop. It was a young man, facing the sea, looking for something. It called to me, and I knew I had to get it for Aaron and Sam, because they needed to find someone who would complete them. They loved the picture, and it led them to finding a new young man.

Rob Daniels

  1. What was your favorite subject in school?

You’re kidding, right? I hated school. They always wanted you to do things a certain way. I…had issues following rules. Jamie and I would get up into trouble all the time. To be honest, I wish I had paid more attention, especially in Maths class. It might have helped when I got the new job.

Ellis Mann

  1. What’s the last thing you tell your partner before bed?

What do you mean you can’t go again? LOL. Just kidding. Rob told me he said that to Vic, which got him corner time. I thought it was hilarious. When Wayne and I go to bed, emotions I’ve suppressed for so long rattle around in my head. Wayne brings them out, and helps me to find out who I am and how badly I need his guidance. Of course, the only thing I can possibly say is ‘I love you, Sir.’

Maggie Pierce

  1. What is your motto?

My motto is simple. Love your family with your whole heart, because they’re the ones who will take care of you when you’re old. And one day, when I’m old, I hope Jarod remembers the good things I did for him, and not some of the… not so good things. (If you read Threepeat, you’ll see what I mean.)

 Wayne Dwyer 

  1. What is your biggest strength?

Believe it or not, my biggest strength is Ellis. I know people tend to think of the submissive as the weaker partner, but that’s never the truth. In fact, Ellis has far more strength than I do. When he got shot, I fell apart. All I could see was him on the ground, bleeding out. My heart could have stopped in that moment, because if he’d died, I wouldn’t have wanted to go on without him. He’s doing his best to handle what happened. Sometimes I’m the one with the issues, because he’s my sub, and I want to take care of him. What happens when you have no power to fix his problems, though?

The house we based Aaron and Sam’s home on. Check out that theater!

I usually don’t read menage romance. I think it’s because my brain has a hard time wrapping around how three people can be in a relationship and there isn’t any jealousy or conflict from the aspect of a triad relationship. I really had a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea of two Doms with one sub, after those two Doms had been alone together in a relationship for several years. However, sometimes as a reader it’s good to challenge yourself, and read outside your box. I also had read and loved Books 1 and 2 in the series (as well as the previous series by these two authors). So, I decided to give this one a go. In the case of Threepeat, I am glad I did.

One of the things that I appreciated about the beginning of this book was that it focused on Aaron and Sam, before they ever meet Tim. The story begins by showing how the two men were still grieving the loss of the sub that had left them two years prior with no explanation. They were still partners, still had some types of sex, and still went about their daily routines, but it was obvious that the strain between them was there, and it needed a good strong kick from an outsider to bring them out of that grief.

Tim had everything ripped away from him, and had spent a few months on the streets getting sicker and sicker, until he couldn’t take care of himself. He had resigned himself to not living. What a sad, tragic mindset he was in. When Aaron found Tim, it was as if he needed Tim as much in that moment as Tim needed Aaron and Sam. He needed something to focus on, someone to bring him out of his grief, and out of his own personal hell, and taking care of an ill person will do just that.

The fact that Aaron and Sam never once brought up BDSM, or even the dynamics of their relationship was so important to the relevance of this story. If any of that had happened, it would have felt as if they were pushing Tim into a relationship, and even into a BDSM relationship, when he was young, vulnerable and had nowhere else to turn. Instead Aaron and Sam both declared that there was no need for a relationship, that they wanted Tim healthy, and happy, and they would do whatever was necessary to assist with that. They asked what he had wanted to do with his life, offered to help him with classes, finding friends, etc. All of that outside of the boundaries of any sort of romantic and/or BDSM relationship. This is exactly as it should have been, and as a reader, it made the book so much better for me.

This book wasn’t about the sex, or the BDSM, although there was plenty of it…including things I hadn’t ever thought of from a BDSM perspective, but most of all it was about taking a young man who had once had a family (loving or not) and showing him he could have a new one, even outside their home, and still be important to himself. It was truly heartwarming from that perspective. Just like Maggie, I wanted to wrap up Tim and keep him as he worked through his pain.

There had to be a big conflict, and there was. The reader could see it coming. However, I will say I was pretty shocked at how Aaron and Sam reacted in the moment. That I DID NOT see coming. But it reinforced the reality of life that you never know how someone is going to act in a given situation. And their repentance after the fact was perfect. Doms are not perfect, they are human beings and they eff up, and they acknowledged that right away.

All in all, so much better than this “no, thank you, I don’t really read menage” reader was expecting. (Side note…at the time I was reading this one, I happened to be listening to an Audible book that was also an mmm book…that’s never happened!).

Highly recommended.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

K.C. Wells started writing in 2012, although the idea of writing a novel had been in her head since she was a child. But after reading that first gay romance in 2009, she was hooked.

She now writes full time, and the line of men in her head, clamouring to tell their story, is getting longer and longer. If the frequent visits by plot bunnies are anything to go by, that’s not about to change anytime soon.

If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT

You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places:

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

https://www.facebook.com/kcwells.WildWickedWonderful/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6576876.K_C_Wells

Amazon:    https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00AECQ1LQ

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/k.c.wells/

Twitter:     https://twitter.com/K_C_Wells

Blog:         http://kcwellsworld.blogspot.co.uk/

Website:   http://www.kcwellsworld.com/

 

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come with melding lives together.

Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to move on and try new things. He’s enjoying his new life as a stay-at-home author because work always frowned on naps.

Connect with Parker on:

Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641

Or you can visit his website: www.ParkerWilliamsAuthor.com

*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***

Promises by Ruby Moone: Blog Tour, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Captain Charles Hawkins has returned from the Napoleonic wars desperate for solitude. When the man who saved his life asks a favour, he feels honour bound to agree, but the request fills him with horror.

Sebastian Farrah knows the only useful thing he can do with his life is join Wellington’s army. He has tried everything else and failed. He agrees to his brother’s ridiculous request to spend a month in the country because it is the only way his brother will agree to purchase him a commission.

Charles and Sebastian clash but quickly form a bond that deepens into much more. However, they are running out of time. Charles begs Sebastian to stay, but Sebastian knows to do so he will be forced to reveal what it is that stopped him from succeeding in everything. The shameful secret he carries from the schoolroom.

Length: 32,000 words approx.

Publisher: JMS Books

Amazon

JMS Books

 

Another week passed, and Farrah had become an integral part of the household. He was everywhere. Working in the garden, eating with him, accompanying him when he left the house to tour around the estate, working with him with the shipping company, although he was still curiously resistant about that. Charles watched him apply himself to his evening meal with gusto. The man ate like a horse but hadn’t a spare inch on his frame. All the physical work meant that he had arrived in reasonable shape for someone who did nothing but gamble and drink, but now, now he was bursting with good health, humour, and a physique that made Charles want to weep with envy as he thought about his own skeletal frame. There was a warmth to his companionship that made getting up in a morning easier. He realised just how much he was enjoying having him in the house. As they talked, he hoped that he was helping Farrah to see that there were options open to him that didn’t involve him risking his life on the continent. To see that there were a whole host of things that he was good at. Farrah’s comment about the army being all he was good for had stayed with him and it surprised him how annoyed it made him that his family had allowed him to feel that way, and constantly surprised that Farrah seemed to believe it.

Coulson arrived with the tea tray and Charles smiled as he realised Farrah had lost that slightly frantic look he’d had on realising there was no port or brandy on his arrival. When Coulson had retreated, Charles raised his cup in a toast.

“Congratulations on another sterling week Mr Farrah.”

Farrah laughed and raised his cup in response. “Congratulations on putting up with me for another week. You deserve a medal, Captain Hawkins.”

“Nonsense. No medals required.”

Farrah tilted his head on one side and observed him. “You really are the best of men. I know I’m not easy to have around. Too loud, too … much.” He laughed again.

And there he went again. He really seemed to believe that his company would not be valued. That he would be some sort of burden. Charles was stunned when he realised that in that moment he wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms and tell him in no uncertain terms that having him in the house was no hardship, and not only that, he discovered he wanted to hunt down the people who had told him that he was a burden, or a nuisance, and hurt them. It was a disconcerting.

He had to fight to retain his composure and answer in kind. “Piffle. You’ve brightened the place up no end. Once you’d sobered up, that is.” He kept his tone light, but his heart was thumping.

“Really?”

For a big, handsome, seemingly confident man sometimes there was a hint of such wistfulness about him, and it was there full force in that softly spoken word. It was filled with such fragile hope it hurt something inside Charles.

“Really.” Charles spoke softly and something in Farrah brightened. “Now, stop fishing for compliments and tell me what the plan for tomorrow is.” He had to resume his usual brisk tone because if he didn’t, he would have … Charles’ heart stopped in his chest. Oh God. Oh God.

He wanted to kiss him.

Charles is a war veteran and while he was saved by fellow officer Edward, most of the men under him perished. Charles owes Edward a lot and feels compelled to do him a favor even though it makes him exceedingly uncomfortable: put Edward’s wastrel younger brother up for a month at his country home. Edward hopes the time spent with upstanding Charles will help straighten out his brother, Sebastian, while dissuading him from wanting to join the army.

Sebastian has spent his life not succeeding in anything he tries: school, the clergy, business. Instead he spends his time drinking, gambling and generally wasting away. But now he’s decided the thing for him is to join that army, something his brother is adamantly opposed to after losing two other brothers in the war. Sebastian agrees to spend a month with a friend of his brother and if he can go a whole 30 days without making a nuisance of himself, his father will purchase him a commission.

This was a story where the two MCs have issues that hurt my heart. Charles suffers from PTSD and survivors guilty and prefers to spend his life as a recluse. If you don’t care about people,  they can’t hurt you. Sebastian has been told his whole life what a mess he makes of everything, and we learn eventually (spoiler, though you can kind of guess this) he has dyslexia and never learned to read properly. Charles and Sebastian get off on a wrong foot initially, but they quickly form a bond and something more. I love when the MCs help the other recover from childhood and adult hurts as no other person can. I want to hug Sebastian for all the rejection he went through his whole life because no one understood that he wasn’t stupid, he needed special help learning to read. It’s so interesting to me to see historicals address what we today label PTSD and how it was thought of and dealt with in the past. My guess is not very well and it was widely misunderstood and for that Charles gets a hug from me, too.

I love historicals. This was a lovely read with secondary characters I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. I did think it was a little farfetched that one MC would be so open about his preference for other men to near strangers, but I was able to overlook it and overall, I liked it.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

 

August 25 – My Fiction Nook, Xtreme Delusions, August 27 – Two Chicks Obsessed, August 29 – Making It Happen, August 31 – Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, September 3 – Mirrigold, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Valerie Ullmer, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis

 

My name is Ruby Moone and I love books. All kinds of books. My weakness is for romance, and that can be any kind, but I am particularly fond of historical and paranormal. I decided to write gay romance after reading some fantastic books and falling in love with the genre, so am really thrilled to have my work published here. The day job takes up a lot of my time, but every other spare moment finds me writing or reading. I live in the north west of England with my husband who thinks that I live in two worlds. The real world and in the world in my head…he probably has a point!

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/RubyMoone/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter – @RubyMooneWriter

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Shelter From the Storm by Kate Sherwood: Blog Tour Post with Giveaway

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A healer and a warrior fight to survive the winter . . . and each other.

Grif is tired of life as a mercenary—tired of life, period. So he heads off into the mountains, not much caring whether he lives or dies. But when his indifference leaves him unconscious in a snowbank, a stranger finds him and insists on dragging him back from death.

Kiernan doesn’t really have time to nurse a stranger back to health; he’s on an important mission. He doesn’t know why the message he’s carrying is significant, but he’s determined to deliver it, even if it means risking his life in the winter mountains. Still, he can’t just walk away from a fellow traveler in need.

Grif didn’t want to be saved, and he sure as hell doesn’t want to be stuck with an annoying, naïve do-gooder. But since when do the mountains give men what they want?  The snow is too deep to travel. Food is scarce. Grif and Kiernan learn to depend on each other, and eventually to care about each other. Neither of them wanted it to happen. But sometimes the mountains don’t give men what they want; sometimes, the mountains give men what they need.

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Riptide Publishing

Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!

Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!

Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?

Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.

After five years of writing, Kate is still learning, still stretching herself, and still enjoying what she does. She’s looking forward to sharing a lot more stories in the future.

Connect with Kate:

Website: http://katesherwoodbooks.com/
Twitter: @kate_sherwood

To celebrate the release of Shelter from the Storm, Kate is giving away a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 26, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!