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Ghosts by Jackie Keswick : Blog tour and Review

February 18, 2016 by Denise

GHOSTS
by Jackie Keswick
The Power of Zero #2
Publication Date: February 10, 2016
Genres: Adult,Contemporary, LGBT, M/M, Novella, Romance, Suspense

BUY: Amazon • B&N • KOBO • iBooks • ARe • Dreamspinner Press

Synopsis: Jack Horwood doesn’t do families. Or Christmas. From the time his mother sold him to her pimp to the moment he walked out on the man he loved, Christmas has always been about change and painful choices. This year seems no different. Helping Daniel and Nico recover from their imprisonment and hunting down those responsible puts Jack in a frame of mind he doesn’t want to inflict on anyone. Least of all Gareth and the tentative relationship they’ve started to rebuild.

But Gareth, for whom Christmas is all about new beginnings, won’t let Jack take the easy way out. He makes him face his ghosts instead. Even when said ghosts invade their bedroom.

When Daniel’s parents are found, Jack is determined to settle the matter without involving Daniel at all. But fate decrees otherwise, and it’s Gareth who helps him finally understand that the strongest bonds are those forged together. Once he gets that, Jack can step up and make a decision designed to lay his ghosts to rest—for good.

Leaving his lover frustrated on Christmas morning had not been Gareth’s intention. In fact, he’d planned on a little relaxation for both of them before the house filled with guests, and he’d risen early to get the turkey started and to treat Jack to breakfast in bed.

Jack hadn’t complained. Not about the early start to their day—though he had wrapped himself around Gareth’s pillow, burrowed back under the quilt, and muttered something about turkeys and the outer circle of hell when Gareth got out of bed just after six—and certainly not about the large mug of coffee and warm cherry pies Gareth had brought up a while later.

The come-hither smile Gareth so adored found its way onto Jack’s face while the coffee did its work, and then Jack leaned to set his empty plate down—on Gareth’s bedside table—the quilt sliding to expose the small of Jack’s back and that perfect ass.

Gareth resisted the urge to drag his teeth down that elegant spine, to tease the sensitive spot just above the swell of a cheek, and hear the deep, husky groan spilling from Jack’s throat. Instead, he slid one hand into mussed, inky spikes while the other gripped a shoulder, and pulled Jack’s face up. “You’ve had your taste of coffee,” he declared firmly. “Now I want mine.”

It so wasn’t Gareth’s fault that his phone rang just as things got interesting.

Or that he was too conscientious to ignore it.

“That was Rose. They’ve just finished debriefing,” he said moments later, draping his weight over Jack’s warm back.

He was grateful that he didn’t need to explain how one felt at the end of a long night debriefing a mission. Jack knew, and he wouldn’t mind that Gareth had offered breakfast to the team, but the tension in the slim frame spoke volumes.

“I’ll make it up to you later tonight—” Gareth whispered the promise, blunt nails scraping over Jack’s scalp. “—and tomorrow… and the day after.” Every word was a soft brush of lips against Jack’s nape until Gareth could feel the shivers running down Jack’s spine.

“Not helping, Gareth,” Jack grumbled. “Go take a shower. I need a minute.”

The story picks up at Christmas time and we get to see how Jack and Gareth’s relationship is progressing and how Nico and Daniel are recovering.

For Jack Horwood Christmas has always been about change and hard choices while for Gareth it signifies happiness and new beginnings. Gareth can feel Jack pulling away, but can he convince him that a family not of blood but of his own choosing can make him feel whole and grounded? After learning Daniel’s parents have been found Jack realizes he will do anything to protect the boys, even making them his. Maybe this Christmas will be different for Jack and the changes will be good for all of them.

I enjoyed this story as a continuation of Job Hunt but I still have some unanswered questions. I’m hoping that they will be answered in book 3. Overall the story was enjoyable and I loved seeing the same familiar characters.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE POWER OF ZERO SERIES…

JOB HUNT
by Jackie Keswick
The Power of Zero #1
Publication Date: May 13, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, M/M, Romance, Suspense

BUY: Amazon • Amazon PRINT • B&N • KOBO • iBooks • ARe • Dreamspinner Press

Synopsis: You don’t greet your new boss dressed like an underage rent boy. But when Jack Horwood—ace hacker and ex-MI6 operative—opens the door to Gareth Flynn, he’s too busy to worry over details like that. And anyway, his potential new boss is his former Commanding Officer – the same guy Jack has had a crush on since he was seventeen. So he should understand, right?

When he applied for the job in Nancarrow Mining’s corporate security division, Jack had hoped for peaceful days repelling cyber attacks. Maybe a bit of corporate espionage on the side. His plans didn’t include rescuing abused children, hunting pimps, or dealing with his overly protective and hot-as-hell boss, Gareth Flynn.

Walking away is not an option. Jack never takes the easy way out. More than that, meeting Gareth raises old ghosts that Jack needs to put to rest. Rescuing kids. Taking risks. Saving the day. Jack can do all that – but deciding what to do about his attraction to Gareth isn’t the sort of cloak-and-dagger game Jack plays well. Yet Gareth, strong and smart and always on hand when needed, might be Jack’s salvation.

ABOUT JACKIE KESWICK

Jackie Keswick was born behind the Iron Curtain with itchy feet, a bent for rocks and a recurrent dream of stepping off a bus in the middle of nowhere to go home. She’s worked in a hospital and as the only girl with 52 men on an oil rig, spent a winter in Moscow and a summer in Iceland and finally settled in the country of her dreams with her dream team: a husband, a cat, a tandem, a hammer and a laptop.

Jackie loves stories about unexpected reunions and second chances, and men who don’t follow the rules when those rules are stupid. She has a thing for green eyes and tight cyclist’s butts and is a great believer in making up soundtracks for everything, including her characters and the cat.

And she still hasn’t found the place where the bus stops.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Spencer Cohen Series, Book 1 by N.R. Walker : Release Day Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway

February 18, 2016 by Denise

Title: The Spencer Cohen Series, Book 1

Series: The Spencer Cohen Series

Author: N.R. Walker

Genre: M/M Contemporary

Release Date: February 18, 2016

Spencer Cohen is the guy who gets answers to relationship questions. Playing the role of the new lover, his job is to make his client’s ex realise one of two things: he doesn’t want to break up or he really does. Either way, his client gets answers.

The ex would either apologize and beg, or turn and walk. But in the end, Spencer’s client won. If he wanted his ex back and got him, it was great. If the guy walked away, then as hard it was for the client, he knew it was over. Regardless of the outcome, Spencer’s work was done.

Andrew Landon’s ex left him without so much as an explanation. But his sister can’t stand to see him miserable, so, much to Andrew’s dismay, they hire Spencer to be Andrew’s new boyfriend to get the ex back.

For Spencer, it is never personal. Merely a business transaction. No emotions, no strings, no complications.

Yeah right.

Even a blind man could see how this would end.

“This book was not long, per se, but it wasn’t a short novella either. But it simply flew! I felt like I read it in the course of an hour. A start to another winning series for Walker, for sure.” -5 Star Goodreads Review

“N.R. Walker will leave you begging for more of this series which has started out with a bang! I simply cannot wait for books 2&3 — excellent book!!!” -5 Star Review Alpha Book Club

“This book is definitely a re-reading material, a comfort food for my soul, and I’m kinda obsessed with Spencer and love him like I love Travis in RDH. Sigh. Highly recommended!” – 5 Star Review Reading Addict Mom’s Blog

“Come on,” Andrew said, standing up. “Let’s go.”

I slowly closed my laptop. “Uh, where exactly are we going?”

“You’re going to buy me my first Jeff Buckley album.”

I grinned at him. “Oh, am I?”

“Yes, you are. Unless you want to give me that one.” He pointed to my record player.

“Like hell. That’s my favourite.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said, walking to the door. He turned back to look at me—where I hadn’t moved from—and clapped his hands together. “Look alive, Spencer.”

“Alright,” I said, collecting my wallet and keys. I quickly grabbed two bottled waters out of my fridge and handed one to him as we walked out the door. “Are you always so pushy?”

He laughed, and those little lines crinkled the corners of his eyes, and the sun gave a warmth to his skin. He went down the stairs first and waited for me to get to the bottom. I guessed he was unsure of which direction to go. I pointed my thumb to the tattoo shop’s dead bolted door. “Can’t access the shop from the outside, so we’ll have to go around,” I nodded toward the end of the building, and we settled into a comfortable stride next to each other.

“I assume there’s a music store around here somewhere,” he said as we neared the street.

“There’s a few,” I told him. “Did you want CD or LP? I could have just downloaded it for you if that would have been easier.”

“I want LP.”

“Do you have a record player?”

“Well, no. But I think I’ll have to get one. I would imagine jazz and blues from vinyl would be incredible.”

I grinned at him. “I’ve created a monster!”

“You can’t just play classic vinyl albums to a music lover and not expect him to want it.”

I grinned. “True.”

We walked the two blocks, the banter between us never stopping. He talked with his hands when he explained things, which I found to be rather endearing, and I’m pretty sure I hadn’t stopped smiling since we left my place. I led him down a side alley off the boulevard and stood in front of the door to the music shop. “Before we go in, you must promise me something.”

He was suddenly serious. “What?”

“This place is special, and thus, must remain a secret.”

“Thus?”

“It’s a word.”

“That no one has used in two hundred years.”

“Not true. I just used it now.”

He laughed. “Okay, so I’m not supposed to tell anyone I came here?”

“Nope. It’s like Vegas.”

“As in ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’? Really?”

“Yes, really.” I nodded. “It’s too awesome to be popular.”

“Isn’t that redundant to their business profitability?”

“Possibly. But it’s completely old-school indie. I think the owner was a pot-smoking surfer from the sixties and has principles against corporations, though I’ve never asked him. Anyway, if too many people know about it, then it becomes mainstream. And that would ruin it.”

He frowned at me. “Then it’s not like Vegas. It’s more like Fight Club.”

I laughed and bowed my head. “Ah, Grasshopper. You have passed the test. You may enter.” He beamed, and I opened the door with a laugh.

He stepped inside. “Okay, wow.”

Friday dragged. Like really dragged. I helped Emilio and Daniela in the shop for a while, made arrangements for when and where to see my next client on Monday afternoon. I cleaned my apartment, I read, I ate, I did all those things, and then I spent a good few hours getting ready and picking out clothes while the clock ticked down like its battery was dying. Because I was losing my mind.

But, like a good boy, at seven o’clock, holding a pizza as requested, I knocked on Andrew’s front door. I heard what sounded like him coming down the stairs, the rattle of the lock on the door, and then he swung the door inward and smiled.

And like some cosmic shift, time was good again. “Oh good,” he said. “I’m starving.”

“Hi, not bad. Yourself?” I joked at his complete lack of greeting. “Cab here was okay, but I don’t think the cabbie appreciated the smell of pizza in his car.”

Andrew laughed. “Sorry. Hi, how are you? That’s good. How was your cab ride here?”

I handed him the pizza box. “You’re welcome.”

He walked through the living room, slid the pizza onto the table, and went straight into the kitchen. “Beer or soda?”

“Beer’s good.”

“Yes it is,” he replied, came back out, and handed me one. He was wearing jeans and an old button-down shirt that looked well-worn and soft. Jesus. His feet were bare. I couldn’t remember ever telling him that I found jeans and bare feet hot, but damn.

“They don’t smell bad,” he said, wiggling his toes. “Promise.”

God help me. I totally got caught staring at his feet. When I glanced up at him, he took one look at my face and a slow smile spread across his lips. “Oh.”

“Shut up.”

He chuckled and clinked his beer bottle to mine. “So? Pizza? Or do you wanna stare at my feet a little longer?”

Ignoring him before I died of embarrassment, I rolled my eyes and sat at the table. I opened the box and took a slice. “So? Anyone at work giving you a hard time about the photo we posted on your Facebook?”

He almost bit into his first slice but stopped before it got to his mouth. He groaned. “It’s been painful,” he said. “All week.” He took a mouthful and hummed appreciatively. “Mmm, this is good.”

He devoured four slices to my two. “Didn’t you eat today?” I asked.

He shook his head and washed his food down with a mouthful of beer. “Nope. I’ve been avoiding the lunchroom because, well, because the latest game around the department seems to be ‘Let’s ask Andrew 101 questions about his new boyfriend.’”

“New boyfriend, huh?” I smiled. I liked that way more than I should have. “What’s he like? Bet he’s handsome.”

A rush of heat coloured his cheeks and crept down his neck. “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

I picked at the label on my beer bottle. “I’ve been called worse things.”

His smile faltered. “By jealous ex-boyfriends?”

“Actually, more by the client,” I admitted. “The guy who I’m trying to help. Clearly I’m not their type, and they find my boredom at city gala openings or nights at the opera a little uncouth.”

“Really? You had to go to gala openings and the opera?” He frowned. “And they belittled you for it?”

“You’d be surprised,” I said softly. “They’re paying me to do a job, I guess. They treat me the same way they treat the people who dry clean their clothes or wash their car.”

Andrew nodded slowly, and there was a brief look of hurt on his face before he replaced it with a tight smile. He cleared his throat. “You must think it’s terribly boring to have a Friday night of pizza and a movie then.” It wasn’t a question. More like a confirmation to himself. “I’m not much into going out.”

“Are you kidding me? This is perfect. Pizza and a movie is my kind of night. Sure, getting all frocked up in a suit is cool every now and then, but that shit gets old.”

He smiled somewhat more genuinely, but it was still a little forced. “Frocked up?”

“You know, dressed up?” I shrugged. “I swear, everyone I know should take a lesson in Australianisms so I don’t have to keep explaining these things.”

“Or I could just book myself in for an elective lobotomy…”

I gaped at him. Literally. My mouth fell open. He roared laughing and put his foot up on the table. “Here, look at my bare foot.”

“Fuck you.”

That only made him laugh some more.

“You suck.”

He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Yes. Yes I do.”

I groaned, in part because his pun was lame, and in part because now I was thinking about him sucking dick.

“Shut up and put the movie on.”

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

The Spencer Cohen Series, Book Two
Release Date: March 17, 2016
The Spencer Cohen Series, Book Three
Release Date: April 21, 2016

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The Art of Hero Worship by Mia Kerick : Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

February 17, 2016 by Denise

Trembling on the floor, pressed beneath a row of seats in a dark theater, college freshman Jason Tripp listens to the terrifying sound of gunshots, as an unknown shooter moves methodically through the theater, randomly murdering men, women, and children attending a student performance of Hamlet. Junior Liam Norcross drapes his massive body on top of Jason, sheltering the younger man from the deathly hail of bullets, risking his life willingly, and maybe even eagerly.

As a result of the shared horror, an extraordinary bond forms between the two young men, which causes discomfort for family and friends, as well as for Jason and Liam, themselves. And added to the challenge of two previously “straight” men falling into a same-sex love, are the complications that arise from the abundance of secrets Liam holds with regard to a past family tragedy. The fledgling passion between the men seems bound to fade away into the darkness from which it emerged.

Jason, however, is inexplicably called to rescue his hero in return, by delving into Liam’s shady past and uncovering the mystery that compels the older man to act as the college town’s selfless savior.

The Art of Hero Worship takes the reader on a voyage from the dark and chilling chaos that accompanies a mass shooting to the thrill of an unexpected and sensual romance.

Author Name: Mia Kerick

Book Name: The Art of Hero Worship

Release Date: February 14, 2016

Pages or Words: 212 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Crime Fiction, Gay Fiction,

Goodreads Link

Publisher: Cool Dudes Publishing

Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris

How the Cookie Crumbles by Jaime Samms: Blog Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway

February 16, 2016 by Denise

After losing a rigged cooking show competition—and a potential lover—to another baker, Frederic Jackson packs up his considerable baggage and moves to Bluewater Bay. He uses the network’s hush money to buy a new bakery where he hopes the small town’s revitalized economy will let him start anew.

Blaire Caruthers never wanted to work for his father at Caruthers Industries. He should have known that fixing the company’s show results was a mistake, and that choosing another man over kind, generous Frederic was an even bigger one. But the damage is done. To escape the fallout, he’s gone to Bluewater Bay to oversee the company’s interest in Wolf’s Landing merchandise.

Stuck in a small, nowhere town doing a job he hates, Blaire wants nothing more than to prove to Frederic he’s changed. However, Frederic struggles to trust the man who betrayed him once already. As Blaire loses ground with his father, and Frederic starts falling back into self-destructive habits, they both have to find the balance and control that’s been missing from their lives.

Guest Post

I was thinking about topics and there are so many to chose from. Like the ubiquitous “Five Fun Things About Yourself” Post. But…Not that I’m not a fun person, I’m just not all that interesting. So how about “Five Fun Facts About My Characters”?

Coffee. So much coffee. In fact, I made an effort in this book to create a character who isn’taddicted to the stuff. It was a chore, trust me. I had to consciously give him a reason not to drink gallons of it, so I didn’t accidentally make him yet another caffeine guzzling-fiend.

2.The Struggling Artist.

So many of my guys are of the creative persuasion. Graphic artists, writers, painters, dancers, photographers, models, the list goes on, even to include a baker, now. Who doesn’t like a sweet confection that is also a work of art to look at, right? This latest book is no exception, then. It seems to be a theme.

Everyone Reads. Everyone. It’s a thing. I can’t imagine writing a character who isn’t as addicted to the written word as I am to coffee. It would be weird and unsettling. Some read for recreation, some for escape, some to relax. Some to hide. But 4 out of five of my guys will be readers. In fact, one was even a librarian. Him, I liked.

Take Out Kings. None of them can cook. Either they never learned, or can’t be bothered, or don’t have time to feed themselves. Even my little baker subsists on take out Italian and pizza delivery, poor dear. The fast food places in my imaginary worlds will never go out of business, that’s for darn sure!

Introvert Extraordinaire. Don’t get me wrong. Some of my guys are brash, bold and in your face. But the vast majority tend toward the introverted, quiet, shy and/or retiring type. Safe to say: I write a lot of beta guys.

So there you have it. Five Fun Facts About My Characters. Wait….Let me look those over again… Five Fun Facts About My Characters Me.

Well, they do say “Write what you know”. It makes me wonder how much more of myself is in these guys than I even realized. I do identify strongly with Frederic in this book. Not that I bake, because no. No one wants that. But I understand him in a lot of ways. It made this story a lot of fun to write.

Amazon

Jaime has been writing for various publishers since the fall of 2008, although she’s been writing for herself far longer. Often asked, “Why men? What’s so fascinating about writing stories about men falling in love?”, she’s never come up with a clear answer. Just that these are the stories that she loves to read, so it seemed to make sense if she was going to write, they would also be the stories she wrote.

These days, you can find plenty of free reading on her website. She also writes for Freya’s Bower, Jupiter Gardens, and Total E-Bound, Dreamspinner Press, MLR Press, and Riptide Publishing.

Spare time, when it can be found rolled into a ball at the back of the dryer or cavorting with the dust bunnies in the corners, she’s probably spending crocheting, drawing, gardening (weather permitting, of course, since she is Canadian!), or watching movies. She has a day job, as well, which she loves, and two kids, but thankfully, also a wonderful husband who shoulders more than his fair share of household and child-care responsibilities.

She graduated some time ago from college with a fine arts diploma, and a major in textile arts, which basically qualifies her to draw pictures and create things with string and fabric. One always needs an official slip of paper to fall back on after all. . .

Connect with Jamie:

Website: www.jaime-samms.com

Blog: www.jaime-samms.com/blog

Twitter: twitter.com/JaimeSamms

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/jaimesamms

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2631049.Jaime_Samms

Leave a comment for a chance to win $20 in Riptide credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 20, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Bondage Rescue by Morticia Knight : Release Day Blast, Excerpt and Giveaway

February 16, 2016 by Denise

Kyle’s best friend Marshall resurfaces and he’s in a lot of trouble. Can the men at Kiss of Leather convince a former Dom to take on the mouthy sub?

Master Derek and his new sub Corey have signed a contract and enjoy their first scene together. The love between them is strong and Derek is as protective of his boy as ever. The only thing left that would make their world perfect would be to bring Corey’s ex-Dom and abuser to justice.

The legal firm that represents Kiss of Leather is charged with hiring a private investigator to flush out the man who orchestrated Corey’s gang rape. Stone Manning is hesitant to take the job, though. He was once wrongly accused in the death of a sub and swore never to enter a BDSM club again. But he owes attorney Glen Sharp his life after the lawyer got him acquitted.

Their meeting is disrupted when Kyle’s missing friend Marshall calls for help. Master Josh promises to help the mouthy Marshall get back on his feet under one condition: Marshall must sign a six month D/s contract as a fulltime sub and prove he can fully submit to a man as well as learn to respect those around him.

Stone Manning suddenly finds himself charged with taming the brattiest sub ever. In truth, the bigger the brat, the more his heart races with excitement. Marshall promises to be just the type of challenge to inspire Stone to be a Master again. As Stone learns more about him, he sees the pain that Marshall has always tried to numb with drugs and alcohol. Stone also sees a man he could love – if he can ever reach him.

In the meantime, Stone and his investigative partner, Chuck, continue to search for Corey’s attacker. The abusive Dom appears to have gone underground. But what they don’t realize is that the closer they get to their prey, the more dangerous he becomes.

The Fireman in Unit C by Kris Cook: New Release Book Blast and Giveaway

February 15, 2016 by Denise

Title: The Fireman in Unit C

Series: A Mockingbird Place Novel

Author: Kris Cook

Genre: M/M Romance Standalone

Release Date: February 15, 2016

A serial arsonist sets fire to the unit next to Jackson’s apartment—the unit the sexy fireman Eli lives in.

Things really heat up when Jackson offers Eli a place to stay until Unit C is livable again. Jackson, being OCD, requires everything in his life to be neat and orderly, but Eli’s life is chaotic and messy, especially because of the man’s ex, who keeps pushing his way back into the fireman’s life. Living with Eli turns out to be much more than he bargained for. As much as he would love to just throw caution to the wind, Jackson believes it is best to keep things between him an Eli on the friend level. Nothing more. But an unexpected kiss rocks his world and he must figure out the real reason he’s terrified of the feelings Eli is bringing out in him.

Will Jackson see that a future with Eli can help him let go of the guilt from his troubled past?

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Though starting in straight erotic romance, Kris’s total focus now is on gay romance. When asked why recently, his answer was “My muse finally came out of the closet. Isn’t it about time? I’ve been out since I was twenty-five.” A voracious reader, Kris loves many genres of fiction, but this writer’s favorite books are romances that are edgy, sexy, with rich characters and unique challenges. Kris’ influences include Anne Rice, JR Ward, Lexi Blake and Shayla Black. Last year, Kris married the love of his life Stephen.

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