Book Reviews

Confessions: Bailey (Confessions Series Book 6) by Ella Frank: Release Day Review

October 28, 2019 by Denise

Black and white. Right and wrong.
That’s how Craig Bailey has always lived his life.
The son of a fallen, decorated police officer,
he’s had no choice but to follow the rules.
Until he met the ultimate bad boy
and decided to follow him instead.

Henri Boudreaux is everything Bailey never knew he wanted.
Mysterious, sexy, and hiding more secrets than friends.
He’s exactly the kind of man Bailey knows could break his heart.

But there’s a vulnerability to Henri that calls to Bailey.
A longing for a connection that Bailey is unable to resist.
And while Bailey has always lived his life on the straight and narrow, he is now beginning to understand that falling in love is never so black and white.

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We all know Ella Frank can write a hot book. And this is definitely hot.

Book 6 is the conclusion of this series that started with Confessions: Robbie. You really don’t need to read the first 4 books, but the 5th, Confessions: Henri is a must before this. Let’s be honest though, if you want to read this, it is because you were waiting for it like the rest of us.

Henri is still keeping a lot of secrets from Bailey- who seems to be kind of ok with it. I get it. Henri is HOT. The chemistry is out of control. Henri keeps odd hours like Bailey. He doesn’t care that Bailey hasn’t really done a relationship. But dude, you need some answers.

And he does get some. Or at least THE BIG ONE. But there is a lot that is just brushed under the rug. Years of “what the hell did Henri do”? Because you know it wasn’t on the up and up.

Ultimately, Henri is contrite. He is willing to accept whatever happens. He is a bit redeemed. We always want to see the bad guy redeemed, right?

Anyway, the story was decent. The books could have easily been combined though. Any fan of Ella Frank is going to love this book. They won’t be disappointed as it follows her MO. And there is nothing wrong with that.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Under Pressure (Love and Football, Book 1) by Lauren Ashley: RB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

October 9, 2019 by Denise

Rookie quarterback, Drew Carmichael, is under pressure like never before.

When Drew abruptly and unexpectedly comes out of the closet, his life is upended. The media is hounding him. Fans and haters are scrutinizing him nonstop. Worst of all, team management is wary of him, unsure if he’s worth all the hassle.

He’ll do anything to stay on his homestate’s NFL team, including pretending to be in a serious and committed relationship. The only problem is his fake boyfriend is Scott Hunter-the irresistible pop-country music star and his secret teenage crush.

Scott Hunter is used to being under pressure. He’s dealt with it his whole life, handling it all with grace and an unwavering smile on his face.

When his manager presents him with the long-awaited opportunity to come out of the closet, he jumps on it, no questions asked. Pretending to be Drew Carmichael’s boyfriend should be easy. Simple. Fun.

He never expected or wanted to start caring about the golden boy of football. That’s definitely not part of the plan. Neither is fooling around with him on a football field…

Touchdown.

Under Pressure by Lauren Ashley

Series (name + # in series): Love and Football, Book 1

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date (Print & Ebook): October 8th, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook): approx. 50,000

Subgenre: Contemporary Romance; LGBT romance, sports romance

Warnings: Brief mentions of religious upbringing/unsupportive parents, past sibling death from car accident.

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My stomach suddenly rumbles, loud enough for Scott to hear, ruining the moment.

“Hungry?” he asks knowingly.

My stomach rumbles again.

“Maybe just a little,” I joke, already feeling my cheeks heat up. So much for not blushing.

“We’d better get you fed.” There’s an easy, amused smile on his face that puts me at ease.

“Let’s see what breakfast essentials you picked up,” I declare, rubbing my hands together. “This is going to be the true test of compatibility. I take my breakfast foods very seriously,” I say, half-jokingly, wiggling my brows up and down in an exaggerated manner.

“Bring it on.” He leans back slightly, casually crossing his arms over his chest, and watches as I lean over the kitchen counter.

I grab one of the three medium-sized white boxes, using my powers of deductive reasoning to determine that they contain the much needed breakfast essentials. I pop the box open and am surprised to see six donuts topped with just about everything you could think of. Cereal, crumbled candy bars, marshmallows, gummy bears, candied bacon bits, icing, and powdered sugar.

I groan, tempted beyond belief. My football career calls for a pretty strict diet, but at heart I’m a sugar addict.

“Do the other two boxes have donuts in them as well?” I ask, curious.

“Yup,” Scott confirms. “There from a local favorite of mine. A place called Baked N’ Glazed.”

“Good to know I’m not the only one with a sweet tooth.” Between Mary Alice’s cupcakes, last night’s Oreos, and now these, I’m slowly but surely turning into a fatass. My trainer is going to fucking kill me come Monday morning.

“I have no idea what you’re taking about,” Scott denies. If it weren’t for the twinkle in his eyes, I might actually believe him.

“This is a judgment-free zone. You could admit that you dip French fries in milkshakes or that you put pickles in peanut butter sandwiches and I wouldn’t even blink.”

This was cute. An overly sanitized, pretend boyfriend romance between a rookie quarterback and a country music star. Of which, I am guessing, the author knows nothing about.

What we get is a nearly perfect world. Where the just out of college rookie quarterback not only rarely goes to practice, but he is also the first string starter. There’s a brief mention of some of his team mates not being happy that he is out and proud, but other than that there are no repercussions whatsoever. Not from his team, not from other teams, not from the media or the fans. Lucky him. Even his conservative all American Texas family is totally fine with it.

Same with Scott. Although he has been in the spotlight for several years, when he suddenly announces he is gay, with a hot football boyfriend, there is no back lash. I’d like to live in this perfect world.

The fake boyfriend ruse doesn’t last long as it is pretty much love at first sight. Nerves? Nah. Freak outs? Definitely not.

It had a good premise and could have gone somewhere, but this was like the Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood version of a gay romance.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

Lauren Ashley discovered her love for books at an early age. She is a hopeless romantic at heart and believes that everyone deserves their happily ever after. An East Coast native hailing from the Tri-State area, Lauren hates the cold weather, but loves her chunky sweaters and cups of coffee. When she’s not writing, she can be found traveling, binge-watching TV, spending time with loved ones, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorlaurenashley

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorlashley

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/100794438-lauren-ashley

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Conspiracy Theory (Hamarsson & Dempsey #1) by Elle Keaton: New Release Review and Giveaway

October 8, 2019 by Denise

Years of grueling police work have left Niall Hamarsson jaded and disillusioned with life…although it’s likely he’s been that way all along. The last straw lands when the DA refuses to try a case Niall worked for years to bring to justice. Within hours he finds himself heading to the only place he’s ever been able to call home—a place he knows he doesn’t belong.

Mat Dempsey returned to Piedras Island after his father’s death. These days he’s Island County’s sheriff. He’s happy enough, even if moving home from San Francisco effectively forced him back into the closet. Mat’s well-ordered universe collapses when a local’s body is discovered floating in the cold waters of Hidden Harbor’s marina. All hell breaks loose in the community, and accusations fly…all coinciding with Niall Hamarsson’s return.Niall and Mat have a history, and it’s not one Mat’s proud of. He owes Niall an apology, even if it means getting down on his knees. However, Mat’s first priority is investigating the murder before his community tears itself apart and he may have to ask the aloof Niall Hamarsson for help.

Push apart, pull together, yes or no… The chemistry crackles between them but will the two men be able to put aside their pasts and embrace a future?

Maybe.

Length: 78,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

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Okay… there’s a lot to go over here, so first, we meet Hamarsson when he’s handing in his resignation letter to his boss (which she doesn’t accept), and he’s hitting the road/ferry, back to the island of Piedras where his grandparents took him to live after his mother disappeared, leaving him in a closet for an undetermined amount of time. Now, I do love a good wounded bird and Hamarsson, who’s name is Niall, has a lot of baggage from his childhood…. So much so that he can’t even sleep inside the small cabin he’d once lived in, he slept out in a tent in the yard, in snowy weather… but, we’ll come back to that.

Now, leaving the city, his job, his now kind of ex boyfriend that we didn’t meet, he’s back on the island at the cabin that he inherited after his grandparents passed and he’s upset to find that it hasn’t been taken care of like he’d thought. With nothing else to do while he hides away on the island, he starts fixing it up, but injures himself, leaving him with nothing to do at all. That’s when he hears of the goings-on in town that just so happened to have started around the time he got to town.

A murdered young woman, a conspiracy theorist group, a generations-long feuding historical family, a closeted sheriff and a wounded and hiding homicide detective are all thrown together and seriously, it’s just one big ol’ coincidence after another for Sheriff Dempsey. The small island never sees much crime and certainly nothing like murder and conspiracy… but Mat Dempsey’s got his work cut out of him with a mediocre department and a meddling blast from his past that he’s at odds with more often than not.

I am going to say that it took me way too long to get into this one, as the two guys never really got together and didn’t even kiss until 97% in. I figured it was the start of an upcoming series and I liked the fact that the two have history. Not only did they kind of grow up together, Hamarsson didn’t have the upbringing Mat did, even though his grandparents did try their hardest to love him all better, he just didn’t trust… especially when leaving the abuse and neglect from his mom to the tormentors of the town bullies and school and being the weird kid, I could understand that chip on his shoulder. It made me want him to get a happily ever after that much worse! I think I shipped Nial and the dog more than anyone else because Niall and Mat didn’t get along the majority of the book and when they did admit it and attempt to do something about it, the book was over!

The big conspiracies were also hard for me to get into because they just seemed too many to be believed. It spanned both mens families, exes, random women in town and Niall hadn’t been back to the island in ten years and how did everyone know everyone? It was just a jumbled mess for me and I hate that I couldn’t follow along because two cops? The wounded bird syndrome, a big protective pupper, a wonderful, loving, accepting mother, karmic death of bigoted bad guys… I mean, these are all my favorite things!

I want to say that I might give the next one a chance, because I do feel like the next one will tie so much together that I felt was missed out on in this one, but I”ll have to wait until Spring of next year to find out and to be honest, I just don’t know if I have the patience; not only to wait until spring of next year, but also to get through a whole other book to get some sort of happy for Hamarrson.

At least the bad guys didn’t get away with being bad guys?

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Thanks for stopping by, I’m Elle Keaton and I hail from the northwest corner of the US where we are known for rain, rain and more rain. I write the Accidental Roots series, set here in the Pacific Northwest featuring hot mm romance and the guarantee of a happy ending for my men. They start out broken, and maybe they end up that way too, but they always find the other half of their hearts.

I started writing way back when but only began publishing about two and a half years ago and now have nine books out. Each features a couple in my little universe, sometimes there is added mystery and suspense.

Thank you for supporting this Indie Author,

Elle

Find me, follow me, friend me:

Website: https://www.ellekeaton.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElleKeatonWrites

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Dog Tagged by James Brock: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 7, 2019 by Denise

Drill instructor Sergeant Clay Norris has his hands full. Between new recruits and a Senior Drill Sergeant with an attitude hanging over him, the last thing he needs is to develop a crush on one of his trainees, but Private Chevy “Banksy” Banks is an Adonis he is unable to resist. A natural leader, the young man draws the other troops in with his easy manner and warm-as-the-Sun smile, a combination that melts the trying-to-sound-tough young Drill Sergeant.

When the Senior Drill manages to tear the two men apart before anything beyond fantasies and longing glances can happen, Clay tries to move on and forget Banksy, throwing himself into his career, knowing that he may have to wait until he retires from the military to be able to partner up, while understanding the irony that he is defending a freedom he is not yet allowed, the freedom to be who he is and to pursue the person he loves.

Fate brings Clay and Banksy together again for a brief and joyous reunion when they are able to begin planning a future, that same fate cruelly ripping them apart once more, with each facing a trauma alone.

Dog Tagged is set post DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and pre the policy’s repeal; a time when being openly gay had seen many a lost career in the service. Sexually explicit in places, this story offers only a glimpse of how some men and women serving their country are not afforded the same rights as the heterosexuals with whom they fight side by side.

Author Name: James Brock

Publisher: LaVation Publising

Release Date: Wednesday, July 31 2019

Format: Paperback, eBook

Is This Book Romance?: Yes

Price: 1.99

Story Type: Novella 20k-50k

Word Count: 33K

Cover Artist: Joleen Naylor

Genres: MM romance, MM Military Romance

Tropes: Soldier meets Soldier, Soldier loses Soldier, Soldier fights like hell to get Soldier back.

Keywords/Categories: Insta love, Military, Military romance

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“We need service from the hottest clerk in the place,” I jauntily bellowed, loud enough to be heard over the pulsing music blasting from the sound system as we swung up to the counter.

Well I was more drunk than jaunty and holding the blond (who must have had a name other than ohfuckyeah, which is what I had been calling him the last few days) so tightly it was as if we were one unit. Truthfully I doubt I could have stood alone without some serious swaying going on.

Evan, hot as ever, came out of the back room, smiling wide he when he saw me and dropping the bundle of clothing in his arms, running across the room and into a hug with me, ignoring the blond.

“You Jerk!” he yelped, tightening his arms constrictor like until my breath was nearly gone.

Lucking I was mostly operating on liquor by then, air had become somewhat secondary. “I’ve been checking my phone fifteen times an hour waiting for an update! Where’s Chevy?” his ability to ignore the blond hanging on my left side made me wonder if he had lost use of some of his vision. “And, um, seems like you have been celebrating something…,” he said with a sniff toward my liquor-soaked body then let his eyes trail up and down my frame before finally cutting them to the guy I was with. “Is it a career change, have you left the Army and taken up stripping?” he finished while looking up and down my outfit of cut off jeans and a far too tight tank top stretched over my torso.

“Nope, but yup on the celebrating! Did my tour and heading back for another so we are gonna keep our party going and YOU,” I said with a jab as his chest while hooking a finger down into the deep vee neck of the tee shirt he wore, “have to come have fun with us!” My finger lingering on the smooth skin of his chest as I felt my cock thicken.

For the second time that day I was not thinking of Chevy.

Smiling in a very controlled way Evan took step back.

“And you might very well be invited back to Caesar’s-own-Fucking-Palace-Hotel where I have a fucking room with a fucking Jacuzzi tub….,” I slurred with a leer as the blond humped my leg and Evan carefully kept out of the range of the finger I was desperately trying to snag his tee shirt with again.

“How about,” Evan countered, smile brightening while he took another careful step back to stay out of my range, “we go have some dinner, my treat, as a welcome home?”

“How about we drink some dinner, let’s go paaaaaaarrrrrttyy, ‘m man!” I yelped back, thinking myself so clever and so genuinely glad to see him. Reaching back out I stroked a finger down the center of his chest again. If I had done that the first time I met him in the shop he would have drug me into the back room and thrown me down on the floor and ridden me like a circus pony.

“I’m really sorry, could you excuse us?” Evan said to my “date” while forcing his fingers down into the pocket of his jeans and bringing out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill. He thrust it at the young man attached to me like a barnacle. “Why don’t you go over there,” he pointed to one of the many, many frozen beverage stands the city has to offer a thirsty guy with a healthy libido, “and have one on me. We won’t be long.”

The blond snatched the bill and turned before Evan finished speaking.

Clearly money talks in that town as the guy who had been my rock, my shoulder, my friend the last few days turned away from me without a look back, making a beeline for the adult Slushee stand.

“God it’s good to see you,” I said, not noticing or caring that the man attached to me a second ago had left as quickly as a witch in Oz as I pulled Evan in for another hug. I’d had many arms around me in the last two weeks but this was the first real set of arms, arms that cared as it were, since Chevy had pushed me away.

Seeing Evan brought a wave of memory about Chevy to the forefront of my mind, which I pushed away as quickly by glancing over at the back of the blond who was already sipping a neon colored drink and openly flirting with the hot guy behind the counter. There was no passion in his eyes, no warmth in his smile and no wings inked across his scrawny chest but he was there, which was all that mattered now. I might have to pull him off the guy he was drinking with but that was of small matter to me then.

“It’s great to see you too, Clay, but what the fuck is going on? You don’t live here so you don’t know the skank you have hooked up with. I hope you are being safe because that one,” he said with a nod of his head toward the adult Slurpee sipping blond, “has a tenth-visit-free punch card at the free health clinic. There aren’t many gay clubs here, so the locals get to know each other. To be blunt and kind that one,” he said with another nod toward my date who was now stroking a finger along the arm of the server at the adult Slushee stand, “is one of the many guys who live off the kindness of strangers with his body. He doesn’t have a job other than picking up men in bars and telling them they have pretty eyes before asking them what they have in their refrigerator. He is one of more than a few around here who are way too long in the tooth to still be trying that act. He’s a sad case now and his story is going to end up tragic.”

I knew Evan was being honest and probably speaking the truth, but I just wanted to forget.

Chevy had told me he did not want to be the charity case of anyone so by the Gods I would not be a savior the anyone. If I could not save Chevy Banks what did I care for the outcome of a blond whose name I could not remember?

This one was a hard one for me to read. Lots of sex with others outside the main couple and call me old fashioned or bitter either one, but I just don’t like that. It was hot and smutty, sure, but I’m a sucker for a one and only…I don’t wanna read about how much you love somebody but sleep with other people. Even if the circumstances forced it to be that way. I get where they were coming from, forced apart by a homophobic higher up and one outranking the other making it impossible for them to have anything, I get it… but as long as DADT was a thing and everything had to be done in secret anyway, why not? I dunno…. And then later when you get pushed away and don’t fight for him, I mean, yeah… sure. I guess.

I just couldn’t get past it.

I know life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows with happily ever afters and lovers that don’t cheat and wars don’t kill innocent people and all that, but I just don’t want to read about those lol I get enough bad news in real life.

If you like loads of army talk, cringy dirty talk, closeted homophobes that literally get away with ruining people’s lives and hookups with others outside the one you claim to love, then this might be the book for you. It just was not for me.

2 pieces of eye candy from me because at least they ended up together.

James Brock is an Amazon number one best selling author, with fifteen M/M romance novels published and two family autobiographies.

Once upon a time he sold comedy to Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller, was published in every gay men’s magazine on the market (when there was a market, those dinosaurs were killed off by DVD, which were in turn eaten by streaming and on demand…), the Seattle Gay News and Seattle Standard and essays with the late great Alyson Publications.

James lives in Seattle.

Author Website: JamesBrockBooks.com

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/Men-Overboard-100109810041126/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrockbooks

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I’ve Got This by Louisa Masters: Blog Tour, Exclusive Guest Post & Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 4, 2019 by Denise

Derek Bryer loves his life. His job as an assistant director at Joy Universe, the second-largest theme park complex on the planet, makes him indirectly responsible for bringing joy (pun intended) to millions of people. So what if none of his relationships are that close? Everyone he meets loves him.

Except Trav Jones. For some reason, the visiting Broadway performer would rather Derek just go away. He appreciates Derek’s work ethic, though, and after Trav steps up when Derek desperately needs someone to fill in for his sick staff, Derek seizes the chance to convince Trav he’s not such a bad guy.

Falling in love while distracted by a murder at the park, food poisoning, and colleagues laying bets on their relationship won’t be easy, but between the two of them and with the magic of Joy Universe, they’ve got this.

Title: I’ve Got This

Author Name: Louisa Masters

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: Tuesday, September 24 2019

Story Type: Novel >50k

Word Count: 72000

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Genres: Contemporary romance

Pairings: M/M

Tropes: enemies to lovers

Keywords/Categories: enemies to lovers, theme park romance, dancer, businessman, mm romance, gay romance

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Top Five Things to Expect from I’ve Got This

The worst Monday morning ever. Ever gone to work to find a grisly murder and a food poisoning crisis that puts over a hundred staff out of commission? That’s what happens to Derek Bryer, one of the assistant directors at Joy Universe, the second-largest theme park complex in the world.
Hate at first sight. Trav Jones has had bad experiences with charismatic people in the past, so Derek, Mr. Charisma, rubs him the wrong way. Their first meeting does not go well. Their second meeting… does not go well. Their third meeting, however… wink, wink.
Thousands of coworkers gossiping about relationships… and laying bets. Where they met, when they met, when they started dating, how serious it is, what will happen next—odds are available on anything you care to name.
Past emotional trauma rearing its head. Trav’s been running from his own fears for years, but now he has to face them. Can Derek help him work through it, or will it leave them both broken?
A murderer bent on causing trouble. Even after the arrest, there are ways to create problems, and Derek gets caught up in the middle of the storm that follows. As Joy Universe deals with the backlash, Derek has to wonder if he’ll still have a job at the end of it… and if this failure makes him unworthy of Trav.

He grins at me. “Can I use your number for more than just confirming dates?”

Heat climbs up my neck and floods my face, and I know I must be red. Christ, I’ve always blushed easily, but I spend more time red-faced around this guy than anyone else I can remember. “Maybe.” I meant it to sound flirtatious, but it comes out sounding more like a parent who means no, but doesn’t want to say it for fear of incurring a tantrum.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m no Casanova, but I’m not a reclusive virgin, either. I usually have a pretty good dating life. I know how to flirt.

I pull out my phone. “What’s your number? I’ll text you.”

He rattles off the digits. I put them in my phone and then send him a text. The faint ding from his pocket tells me he got it.

The rest of the ride back to my resort is silent, and I’m pretty sure it’s my fault. Our conversation over dinner was so easy and fun—but my stupid failed attempt to be flirty seems to have killed the vibe. Is he regretting the whole thing? Wondering how he can get out of our date on Thursday?

He turns off the road onto the driveway of the resort, but instead of pulling up to the entrance, he takes the road that loops around the property to the four parking lots and the three other shuttle stops.

“Where—” I begin, but he interrupts me.

“Which is the closest parking lot to your room?”

Oh. He’s being thoughtful and saving me the seven-minute (no, I didn’t time it—the receptionist told me when I checked in) walk from the main building to the building that houses my room.

“The west one,” I tell him, and then we both fall silent again as he skilfully navigates along the deserted, mostly dark road. I rack my brain for something to say. How did this happen? Twenty minutes ago I was one half of an interesting, fun conversation. How did we go from that to awkward silence?

It has to be the idea of dating that’s turned us into mere acquaintances with little in common. Right? Until he confirmed that we were on a date, and I asked him on another one, everything was fine. After that, it all went downhill.

Wait… he knew all along that we were on a date. I was the one who wasn’t sure what he thought it was. Does that mean this is all me? Am I the reason for the awkwardness?

I’m saved from further introspection (although I suspect it’s going to keep me up most of the night) when Derek pulls into the west parking lot and finds a spot at the far end. The lot is pretty well-lit, but back in this corner there are more shadows.

I undo my seat belt. I’m almost desperate to get out of the car and away from this tension, but at the same time, I’m terrified that if I leave it like this, I’m going to get a text from Derek, canceling our date. What can I say to make it all better?

Derek’s hand on my face makes me jump.

“Whoa! Sorry, I didn’t mean….” He starts to pull away, but I grab his hand and hold it against my cheek. I like having him touch me.

Is this weird? Maybe he was just trying to get my attention and didn’t actually want to hold my face.

I drop my hand to my lap, giving him the opportunity to pull back. My face is hot, and I’m thankful for the dim light. He can probably still see that I’m blushing, but not exactly how red I am.

His fingers lightly stroke my cheek.

My breath stutters. I slowly turn to him. His face is closer than I expected, and there’s a soft smile on his lips. Even in the dimness of the car, I can see how warm the expression in his eyes is.

I swallow. His smile grows.

“I love when you blush,” he says. “It’s so—”

“Sweet?” I interrupt acidly. He shakes his head.

“Hot.” The word sits between us. Hot? Does he mean literally? Because, yeah, my skin gets hot when I—

Derek leans in and kisses me, and I get it. Hot. Derek thinks it’s hot when I blush. Really?

Also, man can he kiss.

I gotta be honest, the next few minutes kind of blur out. I’m too focused on Derek’s mouth on mine, his hands, his body—because my hands get busy too. The only words I can actually think are adjectives: warm, hard, wet, silky….

I’ve got my hands in his pants (and can I just say wow?) when it finally occurs to me that as cushy as Derek’s car is, it’s not roomy enough for us to fuck—well, not comfortably. I jerk back from his kiss. “Not here,” I pant. Crap, Kev’s likely to be back at our room by now. He was saying earlier that he was exhausted, not having had a day off, and wanted an early night. “Your place?” He’s gotta live in Joyville, right? That’s what, half an hour away?

Maybe we can get a room. We’re at a resort. I’m sure he gets an employee discount here too.

Derek sighs and pulls back, stroking my chest under my polo one last time before drawing his hand out. I miss it instantly.

I really enjoyed this. Having a book set in a place that looks very much like I’d imagine the World of Mouse in Orlando looks was a very different feel, not something you read about often.

Poor Derek, talk about a bad day in what is supposed to be the happiest place on earth. Not just a dead body, but a murder, along with a “little snafu” with his performers made for him having to use all his skills to keep the park running like the well oiled machine he had made it.

Meanwhile, Trav immediately didn’t like Derek, which just made Derek that much more confused because everyone LOVES Derek. So, finding out not only why Trav didn’t like Derek, but also the deeper reason why he didn’t like him made for great reading.

Everything was solved pretty satisfactorily, which I originally wasn’t sure would happen. The author did a great job of completing the story circle. And I am definitely looking forward to the next in this series.

4 pieces of eye candy

Louisa Masters started reading romance much earlier than her mother thought she should. While other teenagers were sneaking out of the house, Louisa was sneaking romance novels in and working out how to read them without being discovered. She’s spent most of her life feeling sorry for people who don’t read, convinced that books are the solution to every problem. As an adult, she feeds her addiction in every spare second, only occasionally tearing herself away to do things like answer the phone and pay bills. She spent years trying to build a “sensible” career, working in bookstores, recruitment, resource management, administration, and as a travel agent, before finally conceding defeat and devoting herself to the world of romance novels.

Louisa has a long list of places first discovered in books that she wants to visit, and every so often she overcomes her loathing of jet lag and takes a trip that charges her imagination. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she whines about the weather for most of the year while secretly admitting she’ll probably never move.

Author Website: http://www.louisamasters.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/louisa.masters.31

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/LouisaMastersAuthor

Author Twitter: @AuthorLouisaM

Author Instagram: @AuthorLouisaM

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5755521.Louisa_Masters

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/louisa-masters/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Louisa-Masters/e/B008YBZT0S

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All For Wesley by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

October 4, 2019 by Denise

A B&B owner takes on a posh hotel developer in this enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of South Florida heat.

The grudge match is set to get nasty.

Wesley and Nathan are willing to pull out all the stops to achieve their dreams.

They just never expected the heat between them to carry over to the bedroom.

After one reckless night burning up the sheets, Wes and Nathan can’t stay away from each other.

But is there any hope of them having their happily ever after when it means someone has to give up his dream?

All For Wesley is a standalone enemies-to-lovers MM romance with sneaking, spying, family troubles, helpful movie stars, one poorly timed hurricane, and all the feels.

Title: All for Wesley

Series: Pineapple Grove #2

Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Publisher: Drake and Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: October 4, 2019

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 67,000

Genre: Romance

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Closing his eyes for a moment, Wesley mentally chastised himself. This whole plan had been insane. Following Nathan into the gym only to trap himself? Freaking brilliant. At least he knew if the B and B thing didn’t work out, his future was not in private investigation.

Wesley hid among the lockers for what felt like a long time, listening to some low conversations, though none were Nathan’s voice. A couple of lockers slammed shut, and it sounded like people were heading for the shower. When it grew quiet, Wesley released the breath he’d been holding for far too long. He sneaked out from the last row of lockers, aiming to make a beeline straight to the exit and back to Wilton Cottage.

Except Nathan was waiting for him, leaning against the lockers.

In a towel.

They were alone in the locker room.

“You positively suck at being inconspicuous, do you know that? That bright shirt can be seen a mile away.” Nathan chuckled and crossed his arms over his wide, bare chest.

The towel slipped an inch lower, and all Wesley could do was stare at the light-brown happy trail below his navel and wonder how it would feel under his tongue. He could drop to his knees and tug that towel off, wouldn’t take much to dislodge it…

“Blake!”

He blinked up to find Nathan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at him. Heat crept up his neck, and he worked to remember why he was there. Hell, he could barely remember his name right then. His gaze slipped down that muscular chest again. He couldn’t help himself. Damn, but Nathan Randall was built. A lot more than he’d expected. Those damn suits hid all the good stuff.

“Are you even capable of conversation right now?”

“Hmm?” Had that towel moved when his abs contracted?

The soft laugh that met his ears did little to pull him out of his stupor. Had his mouth been dry before? Because now it was watering something fierce.

Nathan stepped closer and lifted his chin with warm fingers. “There’s an…interesting scent coming from you.”

That slammed Wesley right back down to earth. “I stepped in dog shit.” The humor of the situation got to him all of a sudden and he snorted.

Nathan grinned and Wesley was stunned at how such a little thing could transform Nathan’s entire demeanor. Had he really never seen Nathan smile at him? Well, he was sure he had, but there had always been a look of calculation in his eyes. Like he hadn’t really felt the warm emotion that went with the smile. He’d only done it to put Wesley at ease. But this time, the grin was matched with amusement in his eyes and those adorable little crinkles that stretched out from the corners. “It’s not a pleasant smell,” Nathan murmured.

“I promise, I usually smell better.”

“I’m aware.”

Wesley and Nathan, they were a little slow going for me at first, even though I am kind of a sucker for enemies to lovers. I’ve been so ready for Wesley’s story, I just knew he was going to be so sweet.

So, in this one, we have Nathan, a hotel developer who is set to stop at nothing to get Wesley, the owner of a quaint little homey, B&B in Pineapple Grove, right on the ocean. Where the B&B is a place where Wesley spent years transforming it into the perfect place for the members of his community to come and feel at home and welcome, Nathan’s idea to tear down the building and put in a newer and fancier hotel and his “dream” was built on revenge because of his own childhood in the community.

Now, don’t get me wrong… did I see where he was coming from? Absolutely! He had a terrible childhood because of his father and he wanted to show everyone who ever ignored his need for help as a child, that he wasn’t someone to discarded as trashy or unworthy, so what better way to show them, than showing them his success…. But, his dream seemed kind of immature, especially when he started having feelings for Wesley.

And I cannot lie, their back and forth, in the beginning, was a little bit repetitive, the first half of the book was just Wesley snarking at Nathan about wanting to tear his place down… I mean, it was sometimes cute and he got a couple of good digs in, but it was mostly the same thing over and over but at the same time, he was having feelings for Nathan and Nathan for him. When they decided to let their guards down though, I enjoyed them together, especially when Wesley was the type Nathan had needed as a kid and it was impossible to see that he loved and cared about his community so much, oftentimes more than himself. I loved that about him and I loved watching Wesley start falling for that part of him because it felt so important.

Anyway… I don’t wanna give the whole thing away, but there are some bumps and bruises along the way, but if you adore anything this duo writes together, you’ll love one just the same. It’s a nice change of pace from the guns and action sequences I swear that I can see in my head, and it’s sweet and sometimes sappy and I loved every second of it.
Another hit in a pretty awesome series and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Lincoln and Jamison!!

4 pieces of eye candy from me!

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

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