Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Book Reviews

Illegal Motion (The Package Deal, Book 4) by Rheland Richmond & Emerson Beckett: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

.                                        .

Callum Kennedy

I should have known behind that deep sexy southern drawl, and beautiful face lived the world’s biggest asshole.

I’ve tried my damnedest to put him behind me. But it was hard to do when I saw his face every night in my dreams and couldn’t forget how he worked my body over.

It was okay. I had my work as a vet, my equine rescue to manage, and my friends. I’d forget him or work myself to death trying.

Except there’s one problem.

Turns out he’s the new free-agent running back who just signed a one-year deal with the Portland Pirates. The infamous Declan Miller has turned my world upside down and reinserted his unforgettable self back into my life for the next year.

Declan’s the last person I want help from, but it looks like I don’t have a choice.

Declan Miller

When I walked into Alejandro’s Bar that night in late July, I never expected to meet someone my first night in town.

But the sexy guy with wavy dark blond hair and hazel-green eyes sitting alone at the bar caught my attention immediately. Or maybe it was the way he was sniffing his own shirt.

After a night of the best sex of my life, I knew I had to push him away. I wasn’t doing relationships anymore, and this gorgeous, funny man had the power to break me.

But when I find out my unforgettable hookup is part of my new friend group, Dr. Callum Kennedy wants nothing to do with me until he has no choice but to let me help.

Illegal Motion is an MM sports romance and the fourth book in The Package Deal Series about the hot single dads of the Portland Pirates football team.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, close proximity, found family, one-night stand to forever, sports romance.

Title: Illegal Motion
Authors: Rheland Richmond & Emerson Beckett
Length: 90k
Series: The Package Deal, Book 4
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

I was gonna be sick. Declan was here and with some girl at the bar. Jesse was talking to me, and I hadn’t heard a word. My eyes wouldn’t leave Declan, and the pain that shot through me had nothing to do with my arm. It was my heart. And now it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer and busted it into tiny pieces.

Evidently, he’d moved on from me and what we’d shared — more like what I thought we’d shared—at the stable. Why I thought he ever cared about me proves how stupid I’ve been.

Jesse was pretty sharp and knew me well. When he threw his arm around my shoulder and leaned in to whisper, I knew he’d figured it out.

“I’m guessing that’s Declan.” He squeezed me tighter. I think he actually held me together.

I nodded, mute from the pain. I refused to show him he’d again taken a battering ram to my heart. So I steeled my expression and acted as if I hated him. And right now, I did.

“Let’s go.” Jesse unhooked his arm from around my shoulder, took me by the hand, and led me to a booth in the back, out of sight from the bar. I couldn’t see him from where we finally sat, which was a good thing.

I slid into the booth, and Jesse slid in beside me. “Are you okay?” The concern on his face was worn by my best friend for as long as I could remember. His concern was genuine.

I shook my head. “No, not one part of me is okay. I need a drink. And something to break or throw. Do they have darts?” I looked around.

“Damn, Callum. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you react this way to anyone.”

I shrugged and laughed to cover up my misery. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love that asshole.” I laughed bitterly. “I’ve got to find a way to get over him. It’s been almost a year, and then the two weeks at the stables. God damn!” I shut my eyes, rubbing my chest over my heart. It was literally breaking in my chest.

“I told you how to forget him,” he said. “I’d fuck you, but I don’t think it would hold the same appeal.”

I looked at him and scrunched up my face. “Gross, dude! You’re like my brother!”

This is book 4 in the Package Deal series by these authors, and it was definitely a different feel than the others, to me. It was a lot about learning to communicate, even as it’s something you’ve never done well before. And finding forgiveness, so much forgiveness.

Let’s face it, Declan was an a-hole after their one night stand. Rather than acknowledging how it felt for both of them, he just basically told Callum “yeah, you were one night, and I’m done”, without even learning his name. This comes back to haunt him months later, despite him having thought of Callum the entire time. In his defense, Declan’s ex-wife was a piece of work, and caused him to feel that he was the one who effed up their relationship.

Callum, a sweet vet, with a lot of steel in his spine. He didn’t put up with crap from Declan. Even when Declan declared their one night stand meant nothing, Callum didn’t hesitate to tell him to get out. Their interactions when they were still enemies were hilarious to me though. Callum declaring they were not sleeping together again (for a third time) and Declan basically laughing and saying “you go ahead and think that”.

Declan kept trying to apologize in his own way, but honestly didn’t really understand well enough how to communicate to do it well, and figure out that what he wanted was what Callum was looking for. Emotional intelligence, thy name is NOT Declan. He learned, but what a hard head. 🙂 I did love though how he was able to recognize Callum being stretched too thin, and jumped in where he could, with a specialty that Callum wasn’t quite as good at. Declan took time to come around, but when he did, he still had to figure out how to bring Callum back around.

I’ll leave some of the surprises, but it is an enjoyable book, and I always love a book that has a good sports theme. This one is a little spare on the football part, but it is still a big part of the background for the MC’s and all their friends.

4 pieces of eye candy

Rheland Richmond:

For as long as she can remember, Rheland’s had her nose stuck in a book, getting lost in the world of someone else’s creation (She still does). Her love for writing came from her love for reading. She could never have one without the other.

Writing has always been a hobby and a cathartic experience for her. There are many stories lost to the never to be completed or published pile but needed to be written at the time.

She’s just a girl that loved stories so much she decided to write hers.

Rheland would love to hear from her readers and learn more about y’all. So if you get a chance… Get in touch.


Connect with Rheland:
www.rhelandrichmond.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@rhelandrichmondmmauthor
https://www.instagram.com/rhelandrichmond/
https://www.facebook.com/rhelandrichmond.author.58
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RichmondsRiders/

Emerson Beckett:

Emerson Beckett is new to the publishing world. As an avid sports fan and lover of well-written M/M romance books, Emerson loves her new career as an author of gay romance. It’s even more fulfilling for her when she can combine the two.

The journey to becoming an author started with an idea while reading on the sofa. That idea became an email that ultimately resulted in Emerson using those teacher skills to edit novels for three phenomenal MM romance authors. The third referral led to an opportunity to co-write a book series with one of the most genuine and kindest people she’s ever had the pleasure of knowing- Rheland Richmond.

Emerson is the co-author of The Package Deal Series, which includes The Quarterback Keeper, Pass Interference, Unnecessary Roughness, Two-Point Conversion, and three more upcoming books in the series. She will release her first solo novel in late spring 2023.

Besides being a retired teacher and author, Emerson lives in North Carolina and has been married to the same man for 32 years. She is the mother of three beautiful adults, one of whom is proudly part of the LGBTQ Community and completely responsible for her addiction to MM Romance. Even though the kids no longer live at home, they filled the empty nest with an Australian Shepherd, three cats, and a cute bunny rabbit.

Emerson would love to hear from her readers. So if you get a chance… Get in touch.


Connect with Emerson:
www.emersonbeckett.com
https://www.instagram.com/mm.author.emerson.beckett/
https://www.tiktok.com/@mmauthoremersonbeckett
https://www.facebook.com/author.emerson.beckett
https://www.facebook.com/groups/beckettsbookbrigadea Rafflecopter giveaway

Drive by Courtney Maguire: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

.                                                 .

Red has all but resigned himself to a life in the closet when he’s propositioned by the dashing, wealthy Victor Itachi. The small East Texas town of Black Creek isn’t the most hospitable environment for those who are different.

His secrets keep him–and more importantly, his sixteen-year-old half-sister, Katie–safe. But Victor’s dominance challenges everything Red thinks he knows and he finds himself swept up in an intense sexual relationship that forces him to confront his deepest desires, both in and out of the bedroom.

When an unlikely friendship with the only out gay man in town triggers Victor’s jealousy, Red must make a choice: submit fully to the relative safety of Victor’s control or risk it all for a chance at something real.

Title: Drive
Authors: Courtney Maguire
Length: 228 pages
Genre: BDSM, Kink.
Tropes: small town, rich love interest, friends to lovers.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, reaching for a beer out of the bucket perched between us. “How was your sister’s first day at school?”

“Good. Kind of amazing, actually.” Now, I couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ve never seen a kid so excited about homework.”

“Where is she going, now?”

“Oak Forest Charter School.”

He whistled. “It’s hard to get in there. And expensive. How’d you manage it?”

“I manage,” I said with faux indignation. “Just because I’m not heir to a lumber fortune doesn’t mean I’m impoverished, ya know.”

“First of all, I’m not heir to anything. My father saw to that,” he said, jabbing a finger in the air. “And that’s not what I meant. I just—”

“Relax, I know it’s not.” I picked at the label on my bottle. “We…had help.”

“Oh. I see.” He took a long pull off his beer and eyed me shrewdly. “You got a sugar momma, Red?”

I coughed violently as my drink nearly came out my nose. “Jesus Christ, Sean.”

“Hey, I don’t judge,” he said, laughing and holding up his hands. “A man has needs. So, who is she? An old widow who inherited a fortune? The wife of a rich oil man who hates her husband, but just can’t get enough of the hunk who rotates her tires?”

I threw a chunk of sod at him and he rolled out of its path, laughing like a hyena. “There’s no sugar momma, all right.” I wrinkled my nose. “And I’m not a hunk.”

“You kind of are, actually.” He shrugged as I arched an eyebrow in his direction. “So, sue me. I noticed.”

The heat on my neck spread to my whole face and I prayed he couldn’t see it in the dark. The beehive turned into a full-on hornets’ nest. He noticed? What did that mean? That he found me attractive? If I was honest with myself, I would admit I’d noticed him too. The moment he peeled off his sweaty shirt was the best part of my day. But I’d shoved it down deep, down into the same place I put all the other inappropriate emotions I couldn’t act on.

But what if I did?

I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone lit up with that chorus of barking dogs. Sean rolled on the grass laughing as I fumbled in my pockets, kicking and swearing until I managed to rip it out and silence the ringtone. Victor. Shit.

“Speak of the devil?” Sean asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“It’s nobody.” Nobody? Fuck. I swiped across my phone until I reached his message, not that I needed to read it.

Heel.

I glanced at the time. Nearly midnight. He’d never called so late before. With a knot in my stomach, I tapped out a quick response.

Can’t. Busy.

“If you need to go…”

“I don’t.” I flinched as it went off again.

“You know, some girls might find that ringtone offensive.”

I rolled my eyes and checked the message.

Now.

A sliver of fear slid up my spine. Do I dare say no?

“Seriously, it’s fine,” he said, giving me a friendly punch in the arm.

“Really?”

“Yeah. At least one of us is getting laid.”

I groaned and pushed myself to my feet. Normally, a call from Victor would leave me electrified with desire, but my muscles were heavy and sore. I wanted to stay here, curled up on the grass in front of a fire that was too hot.

But my Master called.

This is a new to me author, but the blurb sounded good so I figured I would go for it.

The story started out well enough. Mechanic, in the closet, raising his teenage sister, small town Texas. Seemingly ultra rich guy gets his car serviced there and surreptitiously invites him for a night at an exclusive club.

The mechanic, Red, also ends up befriending the only out gay man in town when he needs help getting graffiti off of his car.

And from there, it was so much surface stuff. It takes forever to know why Red is raising his sister. He seems to fall into and accept the Dum/sub situation Vincent offers. He is too afraid of people seeing him with Sean, the out gay man. We know Vincent is a lawyer, but basically that is almost it until toward the end. I never really connected with the characters because they didn’t go deep enough.

This is hard without spoilers, but I will do my best.

Big ole plot twist. I was like, wha? And then, The End. I was mad. Mad. Build up this and then we get that. And we get that without any real satisfying story or conclusions or happily ever after or anything! GAH!

This seriously should have been two separate books. Instead of the plot twist, that should have just been a separate book. Because nothing was fleshed out at all.

3 pieces of eye candy

Courtney Maguire is a University of Texas graduate from Corpus Christi, Texas. Drawn to Austin by a voracious appetite for music, she spent most of her young adult life in dark, divey venues nursing a love for the sublimely weird. A self-proclaimed fangirl with a press pass, she combined her love of music and writing as the primary contributor for Japanese music and culture blog, Project: Lixx, interviewing Japanese rock and roll icons and providing live event coverage for appearances across the country.

Connect with Courtney:
Website: https://www.courtneymaguirewrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PretentiousAho
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyMaguireWrites
Mastodon: https://mas.to/@CourtneyMaguire

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Like I Needed by Charlie Novak: New Release Review

by

.                                       .

One night isn’t supposed to lead to love.

Jamie Stone is rich, beautiful, and bored out of his skull. The past few years have been an endless round of parties, and the decadence has lost its lustre. When a late night decision to get away lands him in the small seaside town of Heather Bay, Jamie’s convinced he’s made a mistake.

Heather Bay is no Ibiza, but it does have Will.

Will is stressed, stretched, and doesn’t have time for anything but work. He’s too busy trying to keep his head above water to focus on the London party boy who keeps ending up in his bed. Jamie is nothing but a distraction, but Will can’t resist coming back for more, especially with the harsh realities of farming nipping at his heels.

With the clock ticking on Jamie’s stay and the chaos of lambing season fast approaching, both men will have to look beyond themselves and let go of their fears. If they can, they might find the one thing they’ve always needed.

Like I Needed is a steamy and sweet hook-ups to lovers contemporary MM romance featuring a city boy with a hedonistic reputation, a gruff farmer in need of a break, endless amounts of snow, friends with no boundaries, terrible scrambled eggs, and the breathtaking beauty of the Yorkshire moors.

It is book three in the Heather Bay series and while it can be read as a standalone, it’s best enjoyed as part of the series.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

This series just has my heart. This is the third book in the Heather Bay series, and I hope that it goes on for a while. It is not high angst, has lots of happy endings (of all kinds) and the characters are such varying personalities, but yet all have something to contribute to the group of friends. I can imagine hanging out with them on one of those Friday nights and having a blast as they all harass each other.

Jamie, a rich boy who is mostly ignored by his parents, and partied and slept with anyone and everyone finally decided he needed something different in his life. So, he heads out to Heather Bay, and finds what he was looking for without knowing that was what he needed. He transitioned slowly throughout the book, going from never having seen a sheep to having one give birth in his hands, and bottle feeding baby lambs. It was gradual, but he just slotted himself in well at the farm, and into Will’s life.

Will, a workaholic by necessity as much as desire, really didn’t have time for Jamie, but he made time. First with a little fun in Jamie’s hotel room, then as Jamie came to the farm showing him how he could help Will with some of the farm’s needs. Will grew as well, learning to trust that Jamie wasn’t on his way out of town, and finding ways to show him that he was needed on the farm.

This was a low angst book, there wasn’t a huge breakup and makeup, no angry words. It really was just two men slowly falling in love, while learning to trust and feel, something they never knew how to do before.

I loved this, and can’t wait to read the next story, and (hopefully!) get to listen to this one on audiobook, as well.

4 pieces of eye candy

Stitch Me: MM Romance (Bears-4-U) by K.C. Carmine: Release Day Review

by

A cuddly bear with a burning need for a steady relationship. A bad-boy immigrant who’s down on his luck and desperate for security. When a new dating app brings them together, their chemistry is instant and explosive.

His career a mess and the excitement of his sex life fading, Rod is ready for a change. He needs someone who can fit into his world as a true partner, but also feed his dominant and sadistic sides. Impossible? Maybe, but he needs to try. He signs up for a new dating app, just as a feisty young man catches his eye.

Desperate to escape his dead-end existence in the US, Caleb flees to England in search of a different life. But without a proper job, he might be forced to return home. Along comes a trusted friend, a new dating app, and a chance to find a cuddly bear to submit to.

Consumed by his white-hot passion with Caleb, Rod pushes hard for their relationship to progress. He refuses to let his perfect sub slip from his grasp, and he’ll do whatever it takes to earn his love before they run out of time.

A high-heat MM romance.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this book. I haven’t read this author before, and I didn’t read any of the other books in this series yet. But this was a cute premise, basically an app that matches people who are looking for Bears.

That isn’t how the MC’s initially meet, though. They meet following a bar fight, where the sweet Bear Rod takes care of Caleb, and gets a smoking hot kiss in return.

Caleb has a lot of issues around what he left in Chicago (Shout out to Portillo’s! Just had it last week!) and trying to find a way to work within Bristol in the UK. Since he doesn’t have a work visa, and is waiting for that, he resorts to illegal means to get whatever money he can to survive. And his mom…and entire family…what a piece of work. Caleb deserved so much better than what he received in return.

Meanwhile, Rod just wants to take care of Caleb, make sure he isn’t hurt, and do whatever he can for him. Caleb accepts some of it, but not as much as Rod would like. Rod was so patient, knowing that he wanted to lock up Caleb to keep him safe, unsure if he would even return to him when he left, but he never wavered.

There were a few places that left me wanting a deeper resolution, although one of them came through at the end. That being said, it almost felt like an afterthought, in how easily it resolved.

Overall, a book I would recommend if you’re wanting a BDSM with a side of sweet bear.

4 pieces of eye candy

The Best Man’s Problem by Sera Taino: Release Day Review

by

.                                   . 

He can’t forget the kiss he shared with the best man.

But is he the best man for him?

His sister’s wedding isn’t the ideal place for Rafael Navarro to reconnect with the man he kissed in a moment of reckless abandon. But it’s impossible to avoid best man Étienne Galois! The gorgeous Haitian photographer hasn’t forgotten the intimate moment they shared, even if Rafi is the most maddening person he’s ever met. Can the two find common ground, proving opposites not only attract—they can become lovers for life?

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

The Navarros

Amazon 

Harlequin

This book is from a traditional publishing, Harlequin Special Edition. These are the books that as a teenager, if I got one…oh my…lol. I’m glad to see how they’ve evolved more. More diversity in the MC’s as well as the side characters, and different sexualities are referenced. This isn’t your grandma’s romance novel, and that was all right with me. 🙂

This book had such great representation. In fact, there really was only one character who was a white male, and cisgender. Both Creole and Spanish language phrases were sprinkled throughout the book as well. I really enjoyed that. Quite often, when MC’s speak different languages, you might see one or two references to it, but this book had the languages represented from beginning to end.

Rafi was a control freak, trying to keep everything exactly in the path that he laid down, and love wasn’t really in his life’s plan. The guilt over how his mother died permeated every interaction he had in his life. This made the book a bit of a slow burn, from enemies to lovers. Their first kiss was before the book started, then the first reader read kiss wasn’t until over halfway through the book. It took them a while to get from calling each other names to calling each others’ names.

Étienne, meanwhile, was very much the opposite of Rafi. He was open to love, open to life and new experiences. He’d had his own tragedy on his island in Haiti, before moving to NYC. For Étienne, it caused him to not want to waste a minute of life. It did lead to some heartbreak for him, as well.

There were some issues that I felt were unresolved, or not fully resolved to my satisfaction. In addition, the book is written very formally. The everyday language used was stilted in some places, using words that are not normally in the vernacular. That piece definitely harked back to the older days of romance novels.

This was definitely opposites attract with, of course, a Harlequin guaranteed HEA. An enjoyable read.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Fairy Cakes in Winter: An M/M Age-Gap, Grumpy/Sunshine Romance by Lane Hayes: New Release Review

by

A grumpy baker, a quirky ad man, and a recipe for forever…

Scott

So this cute guy sits next to me on the plane and proceeds to talk my ear off for hours. Not good. I don’t like talking and I don’t like strangers. But Theo’s sweet, smart, and sexy—the perfect distraction from business woes and personal worries.

Okay, things get overly friendly, but we’re adults who know the score. I’m too old, he’s too nice, and we live on different continents.

Then, out of the blue, he shows up at my bakery with that pretty smile and a list of wacky marketing ideas—like how to make fairy cakes a thing.

I don’t like fairy cakes.

But I do like Theo, so…maybe?

Theo

The new me takes risks. The new me is brave and confident. The new me flirts with hunky, imposing bears on planes while traveling to a foreign country.

It’s going well, thank you.

However, my plans to sight-see, drink tea, and eat my weight in biscuits every day are derailed when I realize there might be a way to help Scott and prove a few things to myself.

Don’t worry. I won’t fall for the grumpy baker. No way. He’s complicated and broody and—

Uh oh…it might be too late. Help!

Fairy Cakes in Winter is a bisexual, age-gap, grumpy/sunshine MM romance featuring a sexy baker, a sunny tourist, and a few dozen fairy cakes.

This was a cute, fun, no angst romp.

I don’t often read blurbs of authors I like. I just jump in. So I honestly was thinking that Theo was the baker and Scott was a stuffy businessman when they first met on a flight from Seattle to London. Nope. Scott is grumpy, a bit, but he is a baker. And Theo is sort of between jobs. He left a marketing job to become a CPA. In the interim he is off for a month long vacation to see his mother.

His month long vacation turns into vacation fling and some of his previous marketing experience to help Scott’s bakery become more successful.

Theo does spend time with his mother. Seeing the sights in her town. It just so happens that Scott has a pop up shop one town over. How convenient.

Yes, the story is very sweet, but also spicy. But the sexy times are well placed and not used to simply take up page space.

There was a brief thing at the beginning with a friend maybe flirting with Scott by text, but it’s never mentioned again.

This is a quick, fun, happy read for the winter blahs. Grab a fairy cake and a cup of tea and jump in.

4 pieces of eye candy