Book Excerpts

Hold Me Up (Chasing Gold Book 1) by Colette Davison: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

January 30, 2020 by Denise

Can second chance love survive past trauma?

Reece has one goal: to compete in the Olympic Games. With the gymnastics World Championships looming, his dream is one step closer to becoming a reality.

When his childhood sweetheart, Alex, walks back into his life unexpectedly, Reece’s world is turned upside down. Alex was the boy who inexplicably pushed him away and broke his heart; the boy he still loves.

When the truth behind their break-up is revealed, Reece wants to hold Alex up and give him the strength to heal.

But can Reece be Alex’s rock, and remain focused on his training, or will his Olympic dreams suffer in the process?

Hold Me Up is a MM second chance romance, with a slow-burn relationship and lots of hurt/comfort. It’s the first in a series of books that follows male artistic gymnasts as they chase gold.

Trigger warnings: Hold Me Up features a character who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, due to a past event that is briefly described.

Book Title: Hold Me Up (Chasing Gold Book 1)

Author: Colette Davison

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Colette Davison

Release Date: January 29, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Second chance, sports, slow burn, hurt/comfort

Themes: Forgiveness, trusting others, dedication, self-care

Heat Rating: 2 – 3 flames

Length: 68 500 words

It is a standalone story.

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“Pizza and beer, as requested.”

Alex’s smiled deepened as he stood back, allowing Reece to enter.

“Are we eating at the table, or are we going to be uncouth?” Reece made eyes at the sofa and then frowned playfully. “How can you be uncouth when you can’t be couth?”

Alex chuckled. “You’re an idiot.”

“It’s true, though,” Reece pointed out, kicking the door shut behind him. “Just like you can be over- or underwhelmed, but you can’t actually be whelmed. The English language is weird.” Raising the hand carrying the beer, he pointed to the table and then the sofa. “Table or sofa?”

Alex considered the question. The sofa would be far more relaxed, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. In just a few days, most of his barriers regarding Reece had crashed down. He was enjoying having Reece back in his life, but he felt like it was for all the wrong reasons.

Reece took the decision out of his hands. “The table is occupied by your laptop. Let’s take the sofa.” He put the pizzas and beer on the coffee table before flopping down on one end of the sofa. He looked up at Alex expectantly. “Are you joining me?”

Alex glanced at the table, wondering if he should offer to move the laptop. It would have taken him two seconds to close the lid and prop it against the wall and only slightly longer to take it back through to his bedroom, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he wandered to the kitchen units and grabbed the bottle opener from the drawer.

“Good call,” Reece said as he pulled two bottles out of the cardboard pack. He held them both while Alex flipped the lids off, and then gave one to Alex. “I got us garlic bread,” he declared. “And I seem to remember that you’re not much of a fan of topping on pizza, so I’ve got a margherita for you and pepperoni for me.” He took a swig of beer before opening up the pizza boxes and handing Alex his. Then he reclaimed the bottle. “We should have a toast.”

Alex raised his eyebrows as Reece lifted his bottle.

“To you. Reporter extraordinaire.”

Alex felt heat creep up into his face. “I don’t—”

“I do,” Reece cut him off. “Like I said earlier, your article was amazing.” He glanced around the room. “You should cut it out and frame it.”

The heat swept up to Alex’s hairline and into his ears. “My boss already did.”

“Where is it? I don’t see it up anywhere.”

“At work.”

“On the wall?”

Alex shook his head.

“You need to bring it home. I’ll help you put it up, if you want?”

Alex dipped his chin. “I—”

“It’s your first article. It’s a big deal, Alex and you should be bloody proud of yourself.”

I’ve read a few books by this author, but what really drew me in was that the one main character was a gymnast. We get tons of baseball, hockey and football players. Lots of dancers (although I could always use more dancers), but gymnasts? Few and far between I’m afraid.

The author definitely did their research as far as the technical portion of the gymnastics. That was refreshing. I am going to ignore that Reece had zero recovery time after training.

Instead, let’s focus on the relationship. Reece and Alex were high school sweethearts. There was no closet for them to come out of. Their parents were totally accepting. Until Alex suddenly broke up with Reece for seemingly no reason.

Fast forward a few years when their paths cross. Actually their paths sort of crash into each other. And even though Reece was the one left blindsided with the break up, he is willing to forgive and forget. Once he gets a valid reason for the break up.

I am going to call this book NA because they are young-ish. I want to say 21 or 22? Alex has no experience outside of the teenage fumbling they did together and Reece has very little experience. Together they rediscover each other, first as friends, then again as lovers.

Reece is incredibly patient with Alex. Working to help Alex overcome past trauma and eventually heal the relationship with his mother.

Reece and Alex are the type of adorable couple that you just root for. High school sweethearts that just belong together.

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.

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Earnest Ink by Alex Hall: Book Blast, Excerpt and Review

January 28, 2020 by Denise

While twenty-year-old FTM Hemingway is making an excellent living as a tattoo artist in a near-future version of Hell’s Kitchen, the rest of the country is splintered and struggling in the wake of a war gone on for too long. Technology has collapsed, borders rise and fall overnight, and magic has awakened without rhyme, reason, or rule, turning average unwitting citizens into wielders of strange and specific strands of magic.

Hemingway’s particular brand of magic has made him a household name. Not only is he a talented artist, but his work comes to life. Literally.

When NYC’s most infamous serial killer—the East River Ripper—abducts Hemingway’s best friend, Grace, he has only days to save her. Hemingway teams up with his stoic cop roommate to hunt for the killer and rescue Grace before she becomes the Ripper’s latest victim. But as the duo chase clues to the serial killer’s identity, Hemingway begins to fear the magic he and the Ripper share might eventually corrupt him too.

Book Title: Earnest Ink

Author: Alex Hall

Publisher: Nine Star Press

Published: October 14, 2019

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Genre/s: Queer Spec Fic, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense

Trope/s: Found family

Themes: Mystery/adventure

Heat Rating: 1 flame

Orientation: Asexual, Pansexual

Identity: Cisgender, Trans

Warning: Depictions of Trauma, Blood, Violence, Murder, Eating disorders, Body hatred, Transphobia, PTSD, War

Length: 72 100 words/244 pages

It is a standalone book.

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I work without speaking because that’s the way I prefer it. The vibration of my machine, the softer buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead, the tap of my foot on the pedal—it’s the best music in the world.

When I hit a ticklish spot, the girl I’m working on gasps, jolting in my chair.

“Don’t move,” I say. And then, with a salesman’s false cheer: “Almost done!”

The girl is sweating down the crook of her neck. She’s got silver glitter paint on her eyelids and cheeks, a new fashion trend I just can’t quite get behind. Under my lights the mix of perspiration and makeup looks like a blurry constellation.

She wanted a bee inked onto her collarbone, one of those tiny honeybees you find on good tequila bottles. Easily done, and she met the cash requirement. She’s eager, nervous, and breathing in and out in little puffs.

I can’t remember her name, but that’s fine. Customer relations is Eric’s job.

There’s another kid leaning over my glass counter, watching eagerly as I work. “Does it hurt?” he asks. “When the magic happens?”

The bee’s fat yellow thorax wriggles from side to side as it begins to wake, fighting the pressure of my needle, hungry for life.

“It looks like it hurts,” the kid says. I ignore him.

One minute more and—thanks to my peculiar magic—this bee will fly free.

I’m perched on a swivel stool, a wet paper towel in my hand to wipe away ink. It’s too hot in my studio, even with the industrial fans whirling overhead and the door propped wide open. Evening light slants in through the door and the north-facing, floor-to-ceiling window panes that look out onto West Forty-Sixth. It’s muggy, too warm for New York in October, and all of Hell’s Kitchen is wilting, including my client.

“What does it feel like?” the kid demands. He’s leaving greasy fingerprints on the surface of the glass as he strains to get a better look at what I’m doing. I study him out the corner of my eye, wiping sweat off my nose with the back of my wrist before it drips on my customer. He looks like one of the street punks who have taken to running in packs near the cruise terminals, sleeping in old, abandoned cargo containers and panhandling up and down the marina.

He’s skinny and tall, hair dyed an unsettling violet and styled into spikes all over his head. He’s got a silver ring in his septum and more hoops in his ears; his eyelashes are coated with purple mascara to match his hair. Green glitter paint sparkles on his lids. His T-shirt and jeans are torn and dirty, and he’s got a pack of black-market cigarettes rolled into one sleeve against his upper arm.

I am trying to branch out more. Take on a book to review that maybe I normally wouldn’t automatically reach for.

Earnest Ink is not a book I would automatically grab. It is a dystopian serial killer mystery. And I am glad I took a chance. In fact, I want more.

The blurb says Hemingway is a FTM trans tattoo artist. Honestly, except for representation, him being trans has no bearing on the story at all. There are a few passages throughout the book about it, but it isn’t an overall theme at all.

Instead the themes are serial killers, magic, friendship and a really messed up world post- World War III.

The East River Ripper kills on a schedule. He is very methodical about kidnapping someone, holding them for a few days, using magic to literally suck the life out of them before slicing their throats and throwing them in the river.

Hemingway almost seems like a bystander in this story that is at it heart, his. He just wants to create art. His magic turns his tattoos three dimensional. But he is sucked into this murder mystery by his roommate who is obsessed with it since her brother became a victim. And because there aren’t a lot of people out there with magic and they are under the watchful eye of the government.

The first 25% at least of the book was world building, but much of it seemed self indulgent. Prose with fifty cent words to describe a scene on the street. It got to be a bit much. But after that we got more into the different characters and the meat of the story.

And it was a good story. Well thought out with interesting characters that didn’t just take up page space. I actually wanted more story behind what exactly happened to the United States that fateful day that changed everything. Instead of describing the entire trip to meet his therapist, more time on what actually happened to leave the country in a shambles.

But don’t take that to mean I didn’t like the book. Because I did, very much. It was so different from anything I’ve read. Once I really got into it (past that first 25ish%) I didn’t want to put it down.

If you are a fan of dystopian, you will really like this. Even if you aren’t, give it a chance.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Sarah Remy/Alex Hall is a nonbinary, animal-loving, proud gamer Geek.

Their work can be found in a variety of cool places, including HarperVoyager, EDGE and NineStar Press.

Author Links

Blog/Website | Twitter: @sarahremywrites

Adam Bomb by Kilby Blades: Exclusive Author Interview, Excerpt and Release Day Review

January 23, 2020 by Denise

We love it when authors stop by TCO to talk about their latest releases (or even old releases!), and I’m very excited to have Kilby Blades stop by and talk about her latest release, Adam Bomb. I kept putting off reading this book, not because I didn’t want to read it, but because I was a little too excited to read it, and wanted to allow myself to relax a little and take the time to enjoy it. 🙂 And the author interview that Kilby has below hits on a topic that was very prevalent in the book, the heritages of these two very different, but so compatible men. With two heritages that are just not seen often in romance novels, it was fantastic to see how they were able to integrate their worlds. Take a peek and let us know what you think!

Levi Cossio’s best friend Adam has always been larger than life: a smoking-hot billionaire hotelier whose charm can bend the world to his whim. When New York City stops being big enough for both of them—at least if Levi ever wants to fall out of love with Adam—he leaves it behind for a job in in San Francisco.

But when Adam pulls an Adam—upending the calm new life Levi has come to love with a plea to lend his talent to a worthy cause—Levi is helpless to resist. Adam will be the first Fortune 100 CEO to come out of the closet on a grand scale. He needs a trusted ally on his PR team. Levi is a lauded portrait photographer. And the job will only last three weeks.

Levi accepts on one hidden condition: he’ll keep his new friends away from Adam, certain that if they get a whiff, they, too, will fall under Adam’s spell. Bent on keeping his two lives separate, Levi barely makes it through the first two weeks unscathed—and then Adam drops another bomb….

Title: Adam Bomb
Author: Kilby Blades
Series: Moguls, Royals, and Rogues
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Category: Contemporary Romance, Dreamspun Desires, Bisexual, Gay
Pages: 240

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Q: So your heroes are named Levi and Adam. Can you describe them for us, physically? You know…not that we care whether they’re hot.

Kilby: (Laughs). Well they are hot and I’d date both of them, ideally at the same time. Levi’s the one on the cover of the book. He’s got hazel eyes and a cropped beard and this really silky hair that kind of falls in front of his eyes and that he’s always pushing back so he can look through the view finder of his camera (he’s a photographer). Adam is an inch or two taller, so about six-foot-two. He’s also got dark hair and he vacillates between being clean shaven and letting it go until he has a little sexy stubble, but he also has a dimple that Levi really loves. Adam’s other distinctive feature are his golden eyes.

Q: Can you say more about heritage? The two heroes in Adam Bomb have backgrounds that are seldom represented in romance. How did you come up with their characters?

Kilby: Levi’s parents are from Argentina, but Levi himself has never been to Argentina; that circumstance—as well as South American identity—aligns to my own family ties. Adam’s parents are from Iran and his ethnicity is Persian Jewish. His family is loosely based on the family of a friend of mine. Being raised by driven, ambitious immigrant parents explains the parallels in some of their world views. But a lot of the tension between them comes from the inevitable encroachment of their class differences. Their dynamic is one I’ve personally lived. They’re dealing with some layered issues related to that.

Q: Uh-oh. Adam Bomb sounds angsty. Is it?

Kilby: There’s no high angst on the page. Actually, there are a lot of funny parts because Adam and Levi are best friends of twenty years, so they’re half-old married couple, half-bro banter and they really enjoy one another. The chemistry is really fun. Still, Levi is desperately trying to fall out of love with Adam and when he makes the unilateral decision to move to San Francisco, it forces both of them to talk about what it means for their friendship.

Q: Let me get this straight: Levi is in love with Adam so he moves away from where Adam is? How does this remotely make sense?

Kilby: (Laughs). It’s an act of self-preservation. Not only is Levi in love with Adam—Levi has been in love with Adam for ten years. He’s never going to tell Adam because he’s not willing to risk losing their amazing friendship in case things get weird. And he’s also realized he can never get over Adam if they live in the same city. Adam has been away from the U.S. for nine months because he was running the Tehran hotel. When the story starts and Adam announces he’ll be there for an extended stay, it upsets the cocoon of psychological safety Levi has built. That’s where the title comes from: Adam Bomb.

Q: So Adam Bomb means that Adam’s return is running, or, “bombing” Levi’s plan?

Kilby: Adam has a big personality and he has a tendency to disrupt. Levi has a tendency to get steamrolled by Adam. But it’s more nuanced than that—Adam isn’t a heartless, oblivious dick and Levi isn’t a shrinking violet. Like a lot of relationships, it’s complicated 🙂

Three things happened to Levi every time he saw Adam: anticipation prickled his neck, he quelled the impulse to wet his lips, and his dick got a little hard. Then there was the tunnel vision thing—the way that, when Adam walked into a room, noises dulled and periphery faded for a pregnant moment and there was no one but the two of them.

They weren’t alone, of course. Adam was never alone. Today, a gaggle of smartly dressed flight attendants flocked around him.

“Fucking Adam,” Levi muttered. Even as he shook his head, Levi’s lips curved into a smile. Adam didn’t notice him at first. But that was the way it always was—Adam busy noticing whoever’s pheromone he liked best, and bystanders busy noticing Adam.

Levi had forgotten how comical it could be. Adam had that kind of charisma. When he walked into a room, records scratched to astonished silence, and people stopped what they were doing to look. Levi had seen babies stop crying to smile at him and fierce-looking dogs leave their masters’ sides to be petted by this man. It wasn’t just Levi. Everyone was attracted to Adam.

Recollection of what a nuisance Adam’s ridiculous magic could be didn’t stop Levi’s grin from widening. The man was a golden-eyed god. He had his Iranian-born parents to thank for regal bone structure, pouty lips, and luminous, polished-bronze skin. Levi appreciated Adam’s utter perfection as a specimen of the male ideal just as much as anyone else. But unlike everyone else, Levi saw Adam for more than sex on legs. Levi knew his heart. They’d known one another since they were boys.

“Come out with us tonight.” A flight attendant in a dark pencil skirt suit smiled with suggestive lips painted in the same shade of vermilion as the ascot around her neck.

“Sorry, babe… I got plans.” Adam said it with a billion-dollar smile. She leaned in and gazed at him dreamily, as if he’d just invited her to join him in a suite at the Kerr instead of turning her down flat. Adam was the only person Levi knew who could hand someone a steaming, stinking shit burger and have the person he served it to beg him for more.

And just like that, Adam’s gaze slid right to Levi—with precision—as if he’d known where Levi stood all along. Adam kept walking, never missing a beat, disentangling both women from beneath his arms.

“Sonofabitch,” Adam said, the corner of one lip quirking into a smile and his eyes glowing soft embers as he looked at Levi; it was a frat boy thing to say, but Adam was kind of a bro. Adam threw his arms around Levi and they shared a bear of a long hug.

“I missed you, brother,” Adam murmured a second before releasing his embrace and holding Levi by the shoulders, at arm’s length. He said it with earnest intensity that got Levi every time.

I waited a bit to read this book, for several reasons. I was a little too excited to read it, because I knew it had many elements that I love, and I wanted to give myself time to chill out and read it with that mindset. But also, sometimes when you are too excited, there’s a concern that a book is bound to let you down. I shouldn’t have been concerned. The author absolutely didn’t let me down.

As this is a category romance, it had one of the classic tropes of unrequited love. And poor Levi, he had it BAD! He loves his best friend, and he’s in love with his best friend. And he’s not willing to risk his best friend in order to love him by being physically close to him. He knew he needed to keep his distance, so that he had a chance to find a life that didn’t revolve around his love for Adam. I was very impressed with what he did. He was confident, moved himself across the country, took his career to new heights, and was able to make new friends, and a new life for himself that did not include Adam.

Until Adam decided to insert himself there. And so the story begins. 🙂

Adam was definitely a force to be reckoned with. That much personality is hard to come up against and come out the other side feeling like you are not second best. Levi did a great job of doing that, and trying to keep his two lives separate was his mental way of keeping that in place. However, Adam being Adam, he did not allow that for long. 🙂

I loved that their heritages were a huge part of who they were, and ones that are rarely represented in any romance genre, much less m/m romance. However, it wasn’t everything about them, even as some of their motives were driven by their heritages.

The author broke the book into four parts (more three in my eyes, but who am I? 🙂 ) and it was definitely relevant to how the book played out. This isn’t often done, but it provided the reader with the opportunity to see how things evolved during the course of the changing of these two best friends relationships.

This easily could have been way more angsty, but by it being a category romance, I’m glad it was fairly low angst. Levi loved his best friend, just as much as he was in love with him. He never wanted to change him, just to change how they loved each other. With Adam, the type of person he was, that easily could have been a huge issue. That is a lot of personality to go up against.

Overall, I recommend it, especially if you love the trope of unrequited best friend love. That is on the mark 100%.

4 pieces of eye candy

Kilby Blades is a 40-time-award-winning author of Romance and Women’s Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a two-time Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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Damaged Hearts: Book 1 in The Boys of Venice Beach Series by Jan St. Marcus: RB, Excerpt and New Release Review

January 21, 2020 by Denise

Tragic Pasts. Unexpected Love. Unseen Danger.

When 19-year-old military veteran Brandon Hawkins is attacked on Venice Beach by a gang of frat boys, he is saved by Michael Angelo Curtis, a passer-by. Michel Angelo was roaming the boardwalk grieving the death of his twin brother six months earlier. The two men’s unexpected encounter forges a strong bond between the damaged and lonely men.

Inviting the homeless Bran to his place for some food and a shower, 25-year-old Michel Angelo finds himself drawn to the younger man. Neither of the men is gay. But before long, their friendship morphs into something like love and takes them both by surprise.

And they have something else in common: The frat boys are out for revenge.

Book Title: Damaged Hearts: The Boys of Venice Beach, Book 1

Author: Jan St. Marcus

Publisher: SBPRA (Paperback), Blue Ascot Media (eBook)

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, LGBTQ Romance, LGBTQ Fiction

Trope/s: Hurt/Comfort, First Time Gay

Themes: Rescue Me, Romantic Thriller

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 138 000 words/ 466 pages

It is Book 1 of a planned Series

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BRANDON

But a little ways down, the pizza joint is just closing down. They have those ridiculously big slices of pizza and most people who don’t weigh at least three hundred pounds can’t finish their slices. Fuck the hot dogs. Half of a giant slice of pizza will do me just fine. Besides, trying to remember to say “catsup” instead of “ketchup” would make my brain hurt. And if I’m being honest, I do see the frat boy douchebags laughing and being all loud and douchey, but I really want to see if they’ll leave some of their slices uneaten. So I hang back a little and pretend to be looking for something on the ground. After about a minute or so, they drop their slices on the counter and start walking away. Score! I walk towards where they left their pizzas with my head down, like I haven’t noticed what they left for me. They’re about twenty feet away when one of them turns back and clocks me checking out their pizza. The fat one grabs the other one’s arm and points to me. I look up and see them seeing me seeing their pizza. Did that make sense? Fuck it. So anyway, as soon as they notice me, I kind of figure that they are going to be douchebags about their pizza, but I hold out hope. The fat one doesn’t need any more pizza, that’s for sure, but my stomach is getting the better of me, so I speed up a little bit. They’re closer and they return to the counter, beating me there by three steps.

Then the fat one, who seems to be the leader of this fucked-up pack of douchebags, picks up what’s left of his slice and lifts it up in my direction, like he’s offering it to me. Really? Maybe they aren’t such douchebags after all. I lift my eyes and start to smile. I’m going to thank him. I’m actually going to say “Thank you.” I do manage to smile as I approach because I realize that I haven’t said two words to anyone all day. He looks me in the eye and when I start to reach out my hand, he hocks a big ol’ lugey and splats it right on the pizza. Then he holds it out like I still want it. Okay, I know it’s probably gross, but I do still want it. His aim was pretty good and the glob of spit and snot has landed pretty much in the middle of the slice. But I could tear the pizza around the gross part and still have a pretty good amount of food. So I reach for it and he must have seen my eyes studying the pizza because he hocks another one and it lands on one of the good sides. He starts laughing and then his friends start laughing and they’re staring at me and laughing like it’s the funniest thing in the world. Assholes.

I turn around, about to say, “Fuck my life” again when one of the other guys apologizes and offers me his piece. It’s not as big as the fat guy’s, but it still looks good to my hungry young ass. And I can’t believe I am so hungry that I start to walk back over and take it, but I do. You can probably guess that he does the same thing his leader does and hocks a lugey and spits on his piece, too. My stomach growls with as much anger as I am feeling and I turn around and start walking back towards the boardwalk. It’s going to be a long night.

Their laughing stops and I hear a deep voice talking to them. “Why would you do something like that? What kind of asshole do you have to be to fuck with someone who is obviously hungry?”

As I turn around, I see the fat guy step in front of the other guy, who is six inches taller, and the frat-boy leader guy speaks in this bullshit little sing-song voice: “What business is it of yours, asshole?”

The guy just stands there, hands by his sides, not seeming to be bothered by the fact that there are three of them. Then he laughs. He looks right at the fat-assed guy and laughs.

If you cut out probably half of this book, my review would go up by at least a star. But since you can’t, let’s talk about it.

This book is loooooooooooong. 450 pages long. And while I love long books, they have to say something. The words need to move the story along. The words should actually answer several fairly big things in the book. And with all of those words- the ending should bee satisfying. Not tied up in 5 pages.

And it started out so good!! Michelangelo basically rescues homeless Bran from 3 frat boys who are just tormenting him. Then he takes him home, feeds him, clothes him and offers he the spare room for however long he wants.

I mean, a stretch, but ok. Michelangelo is lonely and he is a good guy. He seems like the hero type. And Bran desperately needs and wants someone to care about him. And they keep it platonic (we’re not gay!) for a while.

But then… the frat boys who started it all want retribution. Michelangelo recorded the whole thing and it went viral. By whom? We never find out. What follows is so convoluted it was eye rolling.

NSA, FBI, private investigators, a rug merchant? I don’t even know.

Because of those things, Michelangelo is told by his handler to go on vacation for 5 days. Specific, but ok. Of course he knows a private pilot who just happens to be flying to Hawaii. And since Michelangelo rented a 6 bedroom air b&b, he invites the pilot, co-pilot, pilot’s friend and the flight attendant to stay with them. What?

So many unanswered questions. Such a lame ending, So many words that DID NOTHING. It did have 4 words that made me want to throw my Kindle. “I love you, dude”. Dude? DUDE? ARGH!

Unless you are looking mind numbing to put yourself to sleep, give this a pass. Which is so unfortunate because it had great potential.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

Jan has been a professional writer since he 15 and got a job writing for a local paper in the Washington, D.C. area. Since that time, he has travelled the world and enjoyed a myriad of experiences, meeting interesting people and sharing epic experiences. He is currently a full-time professional photographer and completed his first novel, DAMAGED HEARTS, the first book in a series partially inspired by his experiences living and working in Venice Beach, California.

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Fire and Onyx (Carlisle Deputies Book 5) by Andrew Grey: Exclusive Guest Post, Excerpt and Release Day Review

January 20, 2020 by Denise

Andrew Grey is stopping by today (Yeah!) to talk about his newest book in the Carlisle Deputies series, Fire and Onyx. He’s brought a character profile on Wes, the MC who is raising his nephew. Check out the profile as well as the 4 star review on it. Enjoy!

A Carlisle Deputies Novel

Undercover sheriff’s deputy Evan Whittaker is close to infiltrating a vicious local gang. He just needs to find an opening. Instead, he finds Wes Douglas, a web designer who is raising his irresponsible brother’s son. Wes agrees to help with a stakeout, but he pays the price when his home is destroyed in a shootout.

Evan’s always been a loner, but when he invites Wes into his home, living together feels right, and the two men only grow closer as they adapt to each other’s lives and rhythms. A future as a family looks brighter by the day, but all of that could collapse when Wes’s brother—and his connection to the drug dealers—crashes into the life they’re carefully building.

Title: Fire and Onyx

Author: Andrew Grey

Series: Carlisle Deputies #5

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance/Law Enforcement

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: Jan 14, 2020

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

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Dreamspinner Press

Character Profile

Full Name: Wesley Douglas

Nickname (if applicable): Wes

Age: 22

General physical description: slim, lanky, and bright eyed.

Hometown: Carlisle PA

Type of home/ neighborhood: lower middle class

Relationship status: Single

Current family: Mom, dad, brother, and nephew.

Family background (parents, previous marriages, etc.): Wes lives at home and takes care of his irresponsible brother’s child.

Friends: A few from school

Relationship with men: He’s had a few, but mostly his effort is taken with raising his nephew

Relationship with women: None

Job: Web designer

Dress style: Casual

Religion: Not if he can help it

Attitude to religion: Neutral

Favorite pastimes: Playing with his nephew

Hobbies: None really.

Favorite foods: Whatever he can grab when he isn’t looking after the baby.

Strongest positive personality trait: Loyal, hard working

Strongest negative personality trait: Fear of getting hurt

Sense of humor: Definitely. Desperate to laugh

Temper: Sometimes

Consideration for others: He’s willing to put himself behind his nephew and raise him.

How other people see him/her: Most people don’t see him as anything other than a nerd. But Evan sees so much more.

Other traits, especially those to be brought out in story: Nurturer and caring. He puts other ahead of himself.

Ambitions: To build his own family.

Philosophy of life: What you put out comes back to you.

Most important thing to know about this character: He is an amazing parent and blossoms with love and support.

Will readers like or dislike this character, and why? I thin k they will love him.

“Yeah, but you need a diaper because you forgot to bring extras, right?” Evan winked. “I have a few in my trunk.” He slid out of the booth. “I’ll be right back.” He jogged out of the restaurant, and Wes was beginning to wonder what the heck this ruse was about. Evan was a decent guy, and Wes had seen his badge so he knew he was a real cop and not some guy trying to run a scam on him or something.

Greyson gnawed on his cookie and fussed, squirming in the high chair until Evan got back. Then he grinned and played keep-away with his cookie again, smiling each time Evan reached for it so he could pull it away.

Wes nearly swallowed his teeth when Evan handed him a diaper. “Okay, you have these in your trunk. Why? In case you arrest a baby for poop-and-run?”

Evan actually smiled at his joke. “No. I have a box of general things in the back, and a few diapers are in there. One of my friends works for children’s services, and he has a list of things that he wants us to carry so we can be prepared whenever we encounter children. There’s a stuffed bear in there and a small blanket.” He shrugged. “You never know.”

“Did you get the info you needed?” Wes asked as Evan began to eat, seemingly much more at ease than he had been.

“Yup.”

Wes ate his salad. He loved the ranch dressing they had here, and when he was done, Nadine cleared the dishes and brought his sandwich and some more dressing for the fries. He handed one of them to Greyson, who gummed it happily, grinning and sometimes waving his fry around.

“Does he always do that?”

Wes shrugged. “He isn’t really hungry, but he needs something to do, so a fry or two will keep him happy. And hopefully he won’t start fussing until it’s nearly time for us to go.” There were always limits to the amount of time he was capable of sitting relatively quietly. “I’d ask you about your work, but I don’t know if you want to talk about it.” It seemed strange with how cagey Evan was being.

Wes is living with his mom and dad, raising his brother’s almost one-year-old son. He has guardianship of baby Grayson, but if it were up to him, he’d have his brother sign his rights over and adopt him himself. Unfortunately, his brother uses the baby as a “just in case”, he’s needed to help him gain something. It’s disgusting, but Wes doesn’t try to push, for fear that he’d take the baby and leave out of spite. Their parents sometimes seemed like decent people, but other times, just not… I never warmed up to them.

When Wes starts suspecting that his brother is getting in with the wrong crowd, it’s right at the same time Evan is trailing a crew that he suspects is running drugs in Carlile. When they run into each other not once but twice, Evan thinks that he Wes can be of some help to see if he can get an IN with his brother, and Wes hopes that Evan can help his brother get OUT. If only it were that easy.

When a shootout happens in front of Wes’s house and a fire leaves him temporarily homeless with baby Grayson, but thankfully, Evan is there and ready to offer the cute guy and his baby a place to be safe. Unfortunately, they both underestimate Wes’ brother and his importance and involvement of what’s been going on.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, because there are some twists that I didn’t see coming and it shocked me. But like all the guys in this series, if you enjoy a hot dad (or uncle that turns into Dad), babies, hot cops, lots of action, both in the streets and in the bedroom, and a sweet ending that’ll leave you wanting more… don’t pass this one up! It doesn’t disappoint!

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

Please Be Sure To Stop by His Website to See All of His Works

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book from RBTL Book Promotions and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I will leave my Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. 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”. *

All the Way to Shore by CJane Elliott: Audio Book Release Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 7, 2020 by Denise

What happens when a cruise ship romance crashes on the rocky shores of reality?

Poor-little-rich-boy Jonathan Vallen is the heir to Vallen Industries, but is more interested in music and gardens. He clashes with new CEO Marco Pellegrini, a self-made man and rising star in business, who is brought in to salvage the company. Jonathan gladly leaves Vallen and moves to Cape Cod. When they meet again on an LGBTQ Caribbean cruise, Marco doesn’t recognize Jonathan, who has spent a year transforming from an ugly duckling into a very sexy swan. After Marco shows interest and sparks fly, Jonathan reluctantly assumes a false identity, egged on by his cousin Anthony. None of them expect a shipboard fling to deepen into true love.

Back on land, the romance crashes when Marco discovers his perfect man is not only a lie but the son of his boss, Frederick Vallen. Jonathan resolves to win Marco back, but Frederick takes vengeful action. Jonathan and Marco must battle their own fears as well as Frederick’s challenge to get to the future that awaits them on the horizon.

Title: All the Way to Shore

Author: CJane Elliott

Narrated by: Tim McKiernan

Publisher: Self-Published

Original Release Date: 11/23/16

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

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The strains of a steel band mingled in the air with the tantalizing aroma of meat on the grill. Jonathan was thinking about getting something to eat when Anthony suddenly clutched his arm.

“Jonny! Over there!” Anthony practically hissed the words as he jerked his head to the right.

“What?” Jonathan took another sip of his sangria, not too concerned. Anthony got worked up about everything.

“I think that’s Marco Pellegrini!”

He lifted his head and stared in the direction Anthony indicated. A tall, dark-haired man in glasses stood surveying the crowd next to a younger woman bearing a strong resemblance to him. Both were stunningly good-looking. The man’s tousled curls were longer than Jonathan remembered Marco’s being. But when the breeze lifted them from his face, his Roman nose and defined cheekbones were unmistakable. So was the amazing body clad in a tank top and shorts ensemble that managed to combine elegance with sexiness. Damn. It was Marco. “On this cruise? I thought he was engaged or something. And straight.”

“Guess not. I knew that guy was gay!”

“I think you mean bi.” Jonathan’s mouth grew dry as Marco squinted in their direction, and the humiliation of their past encounters rose in his mind. “Oh, damn, damn it, Tony. What’s he doing here?”

He was about to turn and flee to their stateroom when Anthony said, “He’s staring at you, Jonny. I think he likes what he sees. Stop fidgeting! Let’s go over and say hi.”

“Are you kidding?” Jonathan whispered. “I never want to see that guy again. And he for sure doesn’t want to see me!”

“No? Then why’s he walking over here? My God, the man is gorgeous! If you don’t want him, I get him.”

“You—” Jonathan cut himself off because Marco was indeed strolling in their direction, the woman at his side.

Anthony grabbed Jonathan by the arm and all but dragged him closer, then beamed at Marco. “Hello, there!”

While Jonathan tried not to die a thousand deaths, Marco smiled and said, “Hello.” He showed no recognition that he’d ever met Jonathan before. What he did show, shockingly, was a rather blatant interest in him, running his eyes up and down Jonathan’s body before saying, “I’m Marco.” Jonathan had never seen Marco in shorts or a close-fitting tank before and was having a hard time breathing at the sight of his tanned shapely legs and muscled shoulders.

The woman, who had to be his sister or cousin, nodded at them and smiled warmly. “And I’m Sophia. We’re also known as the Pellegrini twins, only we’re not really twins. Just sister and brother.”

Before Jonathan could respond, Anthony jumped in. “Nice to meet you! I’m Andrew Arrington, and this is my cousin, Jonah Rutledge.”

Jonathan felt his mouth drop open. Then he gave a weak smile, still poised to flee, sure that Marco was going to recognize him any moment. “Um, hello. Where are you from?” After they got through this fiasco, he planned to kill his cousin.

After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.

CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.

In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop. Be sure to check out CJane’s new Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowReadersClub.

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