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Cara Dee

I’m Not Your Enemy (Enemies Book #2) by Cara Dee: Excerpt and New Release Review

by

The line between love and hate has never been so thin, and Blake and Sebastian return in this sequel with bottled-up hurt that somehow just brings them even closer.

Sebastian was right. I was a coward. I ran my closeted tail all the way back to Georgia. Once I got there, I had no place left to hide. My life imploded. But when I was welcome nowhere, I still had to go somewhere.

I could barely look my sister in the eye, facing Sebastian didn’t even exist on my radar, and I was prepared for my brother-in-law’s protective hostility. I just didn’t have a choice. For once in my life, I wanted redemption. I wanted to belong somewhere, and I was ready to work for it.

Sebastian was the exception—hard no. I might have screwed up royally, but he wasn’t so damn innocent. He’d hurt me too, and he better not push me. In fact, it was best we avoided each other altogether.

So it didn’t make a lick of sense for me to seek him out to provoke a reaction.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want.

I’m Not Your Enemy by Cara Dee

Series: Enemies Book #2
Genre: Gay Contemporary Romance
Tags: #LoversToEnemies #EnemiesToLovers #BestUnclesEver #Family #OutForYou #SouthernBadBoy #BeachCowboy #OppositesAttract #CamassiaCoveUniverse #StandaloneDuet #Book2

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

It was still weird for me to be part of a family dinner where no one said grace. It’d been the rule for as long as I’d lived. If dinner was among family and you sat at a table, someone said grace.

Fuckin’ heathens up here.

I removed my ball cap and left it on my lap.

“Momma, can we live in an RV?” Teddy asked.

“You think we have too much space at home?” Soph smirked.

Teddy grinned sheepishly. “No, but we could go anywhere!”

I chuckled and grabbed myself a Coke.

“Where would all your toys go?” Dylan asked.

Teddy hadn’t considered that. “Maybe in my room at Bastian’s house?”

Sebastian shot him a little grin but didn’t say anything. He was usually so vocal. Now, because I was here, shit was weird. He hadn’t looked my way once. Not a glance as far as I knew.

Isabella was getting fussy in Dylan’s arms, and Soph said she couldn’t put off feeding her any longer. She excused herself to head inside and nurse the little one.

“Don’t step on Oppy and Percy, please,” I said.

“Oh! I wanna see them, Uncle Blake!” Teddy pleaded and almost knocked back his chair when he stood up. As if I could deny him. “Momma, I go with you.” He grabbed a new pizza slice and tumbled toward Soph.

Dylan turned a perturbed look Soph’s way. “You’re leaving me with those two?” He just didn’t know how to whisper.

Soph thought that was hilarious and just giggled in response. Then she disappeared into the trailer with the kids, and the tension automatically turned awkward and agitated. The latter came from Sebastian, because without Teddy around, he didn’t have to pretend.

“Are you gonna fucking eat or what?” Sebastian asked irritably.

I glanced at Dylan, who was in the middle of finishing a slice, and it dawned on me that the question was for me.

“Huh?” I managed. Wow, he was talking to me.

Sebastian flicked me an impatient look. “You’ve lost weight, and you’re not eating. Are you sick or just dumber than you look?”

“This is nice,” Dylan said. “We should do this more often.”

I furrowed my brow and wondered what the hell Sebastian’s problem was. Okay, I could venture a guess, but if he wanted to avoid me, avoid talking to me, he didn’t have to worry about what I ate.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about—I haven’t lost any weight.”

“Dumber than you look, then. Because yeah, you have.” He tossed a crust into one of the boxes and leaned back, his posture and expression saying he was letting it go. He didn’t wanna talk anymore.

“So how are the Pugs doing, Blake?” Dylan interjected. “Or was it Bulldogs?”

I slid my stare to Dylan instead and let some humor seep in. Bless him. “You don’t have to run interference, buddy. When Sebastian’s ready to hash things out like a real man, these passive-aggressive little bitch fits will be history.”

“Boy, there’s nothing passive about my aggression,” Sebastian laughed. “Unlike that snide remark you just offered.”

“What was that, baby? Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Dylan abruptly left his seat and fled inside.

Christ. We knew how to clear a room. Or a patio.

“We might as well get this out of the way so we can move on,” Sebastian told me, and I lifted a brow, admittedly curious. “Soph told me you were building them a house, and it goes without saying that I will be here to help out whenever I can. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason you and I gotta talk. We’ll act civil around Teddy, and then—” He shrugged. “I’ll just wait until you run back into your closet in Georgia again.”

Nice speech. He had it all figured out, huh?

“All right.” I nodded with a dip of my chin. “I take it you’re not interested in an apology for leaving the way I did.”

He smiled faintly, a humorless twist of his lips that left me a few degrees colder. “No, you can save your excuses for someone who gives a rat’s ass.”

“Got it,” I replied tightly.

You really have to read book 1. There’s no getting around that. Book one is A New Enemy. It sets up all of the relationships. It isn’t super long, maybe about 100 pages or so. And honestly, I think it should have been all one book. Splitting it up doesn’t make sense.

On to the review.

After Blake ghosting Sebastian at the end of book one, we pick up not long after that with Blake back home on the family ranch in Georgia. But after coming out to his parents, things are strained and Blake ends up back in Washington state. Except he is laying low and no one knows he is there until his brother in law sees him out getting coffee.

There are a lot of hurt feelings. With his sister, his nephew, and with Sebastian. He not only lied and withheld information, but he left without warning. Things are ugly.

Sebastian forgiving Blake isn’t instantaneous, nor does it drag on indefinitely. Sebastian doesn’t hold a grudge just because he wants to. It takes a minute, but he listens. And then they can’t help but be all over each other.

Most of Cara Dee’s books have an element of BDSM in them. And while this isn’t a BDSM book, there are definitely elements of it in the story. And I just think that just makes it hotter. It’s not labeled. Not what they are doing or what they are. It’s just totally natural and they feed off of each other’s roles. Without defining them.

I loved the portrayal of the relationships that Blake and Sebastian each had with Teddy- who is Blake’s nephew and Sebastian’s best friend’s son. He has Down syndrome and it was an authentic look at someone with the condition. Of course, there are a varying degree of Down syndrome and how it affects a person and this just showed one person, but it was done really well without being gratuitous.

There was one thing that I believe was a bit unnecessary. It didn’t move the story along or become a big plot point but it made my ugly cry. GAH!

Read both of these books, one after the other as it is a smooth continuation. And a nice addition to the Camissa Cove world.

4 pieces of eye candy

About Cara Dee:

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

 

Finished (Auctioned #5) by Cara Dee @caradeewrites: RDB, Excerpt and Release Day Review

by

The Auctioned Series is a journey packed with action, nail-biting suspense, family, and love. In Gray and Darius’s fight for freedom and a future where they aren’t haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, they’ll make you laugh, cry, possibly yell at your e-reader, and swoon just a little bit.

In a race against time, Gray didn’t allow himself to consider defeat. He refused. They couldn’t lose now. Darius had to be okay. Oh God, he had to be okay.

One minute and twelve seconds had passed since the guys in the compound had started collapsing, and Gray could hear Darius in his mind, calling him knucklehead in that sharp tone that demanded attention. Pull it together, focus, get the job done. So with his heart threatening to pound its way out of his rib cage, Gray let this final task become his one and only mission. They were gonna finish the operation once and for all, and they were gonna walk away with a bright future ahead of them. A future that promised family, new adventures, and freaking farm animals.

This was it.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want. The Auctioned Series should be read in the following order: Auctioned, Stranded, Deserted, Played, and Finished.

#caradeewrites #elizaraeservices #mmromancebooks #biblio #TBR #mmromancenovel #amazonbook #whatareyoureading #foundfamily #SeriesIsComplete #GrayAndDarius #SuspenseRomance #RomanticSuspense #AgeDifference #ReluctantHero #RomanticAction #FamilyRomance #Crossovers #RiverAndReeseTenley

Book 5 of 5 | Romantic Suspense | Hurt/Comfort | Trauma | Age Difference

Finished by Cara Dee

Series: Auctioned #5
Genre: MM Romance/Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Military Romance, Reluctant Hero, Alpha Male, Age Difference, Family, Action, Suspense, HEA

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

There was no point in telling Reese to go faster. He was going as fast as the truck allowed, his hard stare pinned on the dark road ahead, his knuckles white from his tight grip on the wheel.

Gray couldn’t take his eyes off the speedometer. Except for when he glanced down at his watch.

One minute and twelve seconds had passed since Willow screamed out that the guys were collapsing in the compound.

One minute and twelve seconds since Gray’s heart had become firmly lodged in his throat.

A million thoughts constantly tried to stab at Gray’s concentration, and he couldn’t afford to let a single one in. The whispers, the questions, the fears—all of them swirled around in his head. I didn’t know there were gonna be so many victims. Darius better fucking live. Did Alicia release the carbon monoxide anyway? How do we get the guys to the hospital? Gray swallowed hard, his knees bouncing restlessly. He was squeezed into the middle seat between Reese and Niko, and it was suffocating. The second they made it back to the old brothel, he was gonna dive out of the truck. He already felt like Niko was in the way and would delay him.

Precisely everything had gone sideways.

Because Alicia had fucked them over. She’d been working against them from the start.

Gray wanted to murder her.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and tried to take a deep breath. Focus. Get to the compound. Find Darius. He had to be okay. He had to. Willow hadn’t been able to see him on any of the cameras she’d hacked into, and apparently there were only three. One in the showroom where they’d hosted auctions, one in the back where victims had been held, and one concealed in the lobby.

River was passed out in the back, in the same room where he’d been interrogating Alfred Lange. Dante and Elliott had dropped in the showroom, and—

“G-guys,” Willow stammered. Gray adjusted his earpiece to hear better, past Willow’s panic and heavy breathing. “We have m-movement. Tariq—mask—he’s dragging—” She cut off with a pained whimper that felt like a knife to Gray’s chest. “I-I have to c-call someone.”

“Don’t talk,” Gray commanded, barely recognizing his own voice. It came out sharp and dark, reminding him too much of someone with more authority. “We’re almost there. Focus on your breathing, Willow.”

She’d already saved them more than once.

“Twenty seconds,” Reese said quietly, just as tense as the rest of them. “Gear up.”

Gray reached for his gas mask on the dash and strapped it properly around his head. Niko did the same. The rescue unit wasn’t supposed to face any threats whatsoever, so they didn’t have full combat gear, just utility pants, long-sleeved tees, boots, handguns, and a knife or two.

“Gray, I understand you’ll run for Darius right away,” Reese said. “Just like I will get my brother out of there first—but there’s no playing favorites after that. We help whoever we find.”

That went without saying.

Nausea crawled up Gray’s throat as the brothel came into view, but he pushed it down. He pushed everything down, leaving only his training. Darius’s voice in his head was as clear as ever, and Gray clung to it. He needed to hear Dare’s rough yet smooth whiskey voice calling him knucklehead.

In that voice, he imagined Darius reminding him that panic did no one any good. Keep your emotions in check. Focus.

To Niko’s credit, he opened the door and flew out before Reese had stopped fully behind their other truck, and it catapulted Gray into action. With his heart threatening to pound its way out of his body, he rounded the big truck, ran up to the remains of the brothel, and tore through it. Then down the concrete steps in one of the back rooms and into the compound’s lobby.

I’m coming for you, baby.

He’d just veered left when he came to a screeching halt in the narrow corridor. Tariq was there, wearing a mask, and dragging a lifeless…someone. Gray peered closer, just a quick glance, and recognized Ryan’s face.

“You’re here. Go,” Tariq urged, breathing heavily. “Hurry! Darius is in the kitchen.”

Gray didn’t need to be told twice. He left Tariq behind and ran down the hall, grabbing his gun on the way just in case. Through the showroom, where Gray did everything in his power to shut out the images that wanted to assault him. He’d been through too much, and tonight he’d seen too much, too.

The bodies strewn all over the floor didn’t bother him in the slightest. Justice had been served. It was the knowledge that young, innocent people had stood before the vile monsters that sickened him. Monsters that put a price tag on someone’s life.

“River!” Reese yelled somewhere.

“Niko, Dante and Elliott are here!” Gray barked out. He was sure he just saw Dante move, too; maybe he wasn’t out completely.

Gray darted through the doorway on the other side of the large room. It was darker back here, and he felt his senses sharpen, his heart beat faster, his pulse going through the roof. Too many doors, too many fucking doors. But one was open, two doors down, and he poked his head in. At the same time as his hand found a light switch, his vision adjusted enough to notice the big form on the floor.

“Darius.” He didn’t register flicking on the light or tucking away his gun, only that it was suddenly bright, and he rushed forward to roll Darius onto his back. “Baby, wake up.” He smacked Darius’s cheeks lightly and quickly searched the floor for a gas mask. When he didn’t find one, he removed his own and placed it over Darius’s face. “I’ll get you out of here.” Then he stood up and hitched his arms under Darius’s armpits.

You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.

Gray gnashed his teeth and dragged Darius out of the room. Or kitchen. Christ, all impressions registered too late. Same with the cuts and scrapes on Darius’s face. Or… Shit. The blood. Darius was losing blood.

After reading book 4, which left us hanging off a cliff, I couldn’t wait for book 5, the last book in the series. I was…underwhelmed. I loved the whole story from book 1 through and including book 5. But I kind of wish book 4 ended earlier to give us more in book 5. To me, there wasn’t a lot of closure, but there was a lot of fluffy fill.

Of course you need to read it if you’ve read the series to this point. It’s a must, just to KNOW that these guys get their happily ever after. But don’t expect anything even close to the first 4 story wise.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

Played (Auctioned Book 4) by Cara Dee: RB, Excerpt and Release Day Review

by

The Auctioned Series is a journey packed with action, nail-biting suspense, family, and love. In Gray and Darius’s fight for freedom and a future where they aren’t haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, they’ll make you laugh, cry, possibly yell at your e-reader, and swoon just a little bit.

One last mission. One last operation—and the stakes had never been higher. Truth be told, Darius was exhausted. He didn’t want his past mingling with the life he was building with Gray and the kids, but he had no choice.

They were facing their biggest threat yet, and in order to even stand a chance, Darius had to revert to the man he’d once been. He had to set aside fatherhood and love and be the grunt, the private contractor, the soldier who went deep behind enemy lines.

It was time to rally the troops. With Gray by his side, Darius cashed in the last of his favors and put together a crew that would hopefully help them bring an end to this chaotic year. The desert waited for them. Again. So did Las Vegas.

The problem with Vegas…?

Just when you thought you knew how to play the game, it played you.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books/series’ stand on their own, unless otherwise stated. The Auctioned Series should be read in the following order: Auctioned, Stranded, Deserted, Played, and Finished.

Played by Cara Dee

Series: Auctioned #4
Genre: MM Romance/Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Age difference, The Job, Adoption, Camassia Cove, Military Romance, PMC, Reluctant Hero

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Pizza delivery!” Ryan’s booming voice echoed and sent a pack of birds fleeing the trees. “I have two brothers here too, bitching about how I drive!”

The cavalry had arrived.

Darius descended the steps and lit up a smoke. Sorry, knucklehead, the two-smoke limit wasn’t in effect tonight.

First to appear out of the shadows was his brother, the person Darius preferred to work with the most. A skilled marksman and sniper, bold, two steady hands, a happy-go-lucky grunt who knew how to go oorah.

“Brother.” Ryan handed over a stack of pizza boxes and eyed the cabin. “You’ve come a long way since last time. Good shit.”

“Maybe next time you bring the family,” Darius replied. Because they had to fucking stop meeting up only for work they’d supposedly quit doing.

“Amen.”

After leaving the pizza on the porch, Darius went to greet the next two men. River and Reese Tenley. They’d met in the field maybe ten years ago. A set of batshit-crazy twin brothers who’d taken more risks than Darius had. Mainly because River’s job had usually involved handling sensitive information, and as soon as that was the case, you had a red laser dot on your forehead. His brother, Reese, had been in charge of security. He was loud and outgoing where River was quiet and observant.

“For the record, Riv was bitching, not me,” Reese stated. “Ryan was always good at operating heavy machinery.”

“I love you too, sunshine,” Ryan hollered from the porch.

Darius shook his head in amusement.

“Good to see you again, guys.” He shook their hands firmly.

“Not too good,” River noted with a wry smirk.

Darius chuckled.

“Fuck it. I’m stoked.” Reese looked it too. “Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t retire a minute too soon, but it’s still a rush, innit?”

No one could deny that.

“I am too fucking old for these rushes, boys.” The voice emerged from the darkness and revealed Alicia Dawson, a petite ballbuster with an impressive résumé. Everyone coming here tonight was in their early to mid-forties, but Alicia had the most experience, though not that many years in the field.

Once a wunderkind who’d started college at fifteen, she’d been recruited into the private sector from MIT when she was just two shits high. Granted, she was still only two shits high. She’d worked all over the place, it seemed. For one, she was former CIA. As a biochemist specializing in chemical warfare, she’d always been able to pick freely among employers. So it was no wonder she’d returned to the private sector eventually. That was where the money was.

“Ally.” Darius smirked and offered to grab her luggage.

She huffed and handed it over, then promptly lit up a smoke. Fuckin’ menthols. “I guess these heels weren’t made for walking in grass. Christ—ever the heathen, Quinn.”

She didn’t like the woods. She preferred penthouses, deathtrap heels, and lipstick the color of blood.

“How the fuck are ya, darlin’?” Reese asked.

“I’m rich, bored, and I’ve been trying to pin something on Lange for years. I guess that works in your favor,” she replied coolly.

Darius smiled. “By the way, we have a funder.”

Alicia smirked and raised her hand.

Ryan had never met Alicia before—they only knew each other through the grapevine—so while Reese handled introductions between the two, Darius shifted his focus to the next car that pulled up.

“We can talk and eat at the same time. I’m starving,” Ally announced.

Darius spotted two guys, so that had to be Elliott and Tariq. They were close, and both lived in the LA area. Elliott Jones shared a similar background to Darius. Semiretired, twenty years in high-risk security and extractions, and these days, he ran a bodyguard business.

Tariq Amin was a short guy nicknamed The Fly. Because he was the proverbial fly on the wall who got access to information nobody wanted to share. He’d started out as a photographer in combat zones who’d seen the demand for interpreters early on. He was fluent in nine languages, and Darius had worked with him more than a few times, especially in the Middle East.

“I see retirement’s working out great for you, Quinn.” Elliott slapped his hand into Darius’s and shook it.

“I got five years of peace.”

Elliott grinned. “That’s more than most, I guess.”

Darius chuckled and shook hands with Tariq too. “Good to see you both. There’s pizza and beer on the porch. Dig in.” He saw their last arrival parking now too.

Dante Williams. Another fucker with an impressive résumé. Born in Jamaica but came to the US before he’d started first grade. He was ex-Army, ex-NYPD, ex-PMC, and now worked as a consultant in risk assessment, all while running a martial arts center in Queens.

“Of course you have to live in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere, Darius,” he said with a laugh.

“Of course I do.” Darius smacked Dante’s shoulder and offered to grab one of his bags. “You’ve been promised food and a briefing, so let’s get to it. How’s your ma? Do you tell her I miss her cooking?”

“She asks about you sometimes.” Dante slid him a crooked smirk. “She worries for your restless soul.”

Darius barked out a laugh. “Oh—I guess that’s one thing you can appease her with. I’m settled down and have two kids now.”

Dante did a double take. “What the fuck? I wasn’t too shocked to hear you’d hooked up with a guy, but kids? You fuckin’ with me? How many times have I heard you swear you’d never have any?”

Darius chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Safe to say, he had a fair bit of shit coming his way for all the years he’d been vocal about never settling down.

The two joined the rest on the porch, where the table was already filled with open pizza boxes. Despite having brought two extra chairs to the short end of the table, Darius had known it wouldn’t be enough. But he had no issues using the railing. Ryan was already seated there with pizza and beer for them.

Darius grabbed a slice and got comfortable too. “Y’all need foreplay first, or can I dig right in?”

“If that’s what you tell Gray, I feel for the kid,” Ryan said with his mouth full of pizza.

All right, so the first laugh at Darius’s expense was out of the way.

“Don’t be gentle with us, hon,” Alicia said. “Just cut to the chase. I’ve been waiting far too long to end that motherfucker.”

That was a good place to begin.

Ok, don’t read this review or the book unless you have read the previous four. And even though they are stand alones, the characters from The Job, Breathless and several others are featured as well.

Now that that is out of the way…

Gray and Darius are living a happy domestic life on Darius’ farm with their 2 foster sons. But there is a big loose end that needs to be tied up. The king pin of the human trafficking operation that kidnapped Gray is still free.

So Darius brings together a team of military veterans, special ops and computer masterminds. We follow them meeting, training, planning one final op to take him out. Some of it was a little tedious and repetitive, but that also speaks to how well prepared they needed to be. Going over the plan until they could recite it in their heads.

Aside from all of that is still Darius and Gray and their relationship. Even though they live in domestic bliss with 2 boys, both are still a bit uncertain that they other wants the same thing. There’s a tiny bit of angst with that, but noting major. Just moving the relationship along.

Their two boys are completely adorable. Jayden is losing a bit of his snark and street smarts and Justin is getting more comfortable in his new life. That whole little situation just makes your heart warm.

And then I wanted to throw my kindle. Why? CLIFF HANGER! GAH! That’s all I will say because I am not going to spoil anything. Luckily, there is only about 4 or 5 weeks until the 5th and final book comes out.

I really, really enjoyed this series so far. From such a dark place, following Gray and Darius to where they are now. If anyone deserves a HEA it is these two. The only thing I don’t really like is the use of nicknames for each other. Knucklehead, sweetheart, honey. The final two are said by Gray the most to all of them, but I don’t know. I don’t think it really fits who Gray is. And Knucklehead is just a nickname that rankles me. But I am like that with most books with nicknames. I don’t know why it bugs me but it does.

Anyway. If you read the previous three, you will definitely want to read this and the next to finish out their story.

4 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

The Job by Cara Dee: Excerpt and New Release Review * 2

by

With the help of their ball-busting daughter, some questionable morals, and an important job to get done, Casey and Boone will steal you away to the grit and glitz of Las Vegas in this fast-paced romance.

I’m not supposed to do this job without Boone.

We may not share genes, but it’s been us against the world since his mom took me in as a toddler. The rowdy O’Sullivan boys who raised all the hell that Vegas could handle. Not that all my memories are wild and make my heart race. After all, I realized I was in love with the bastard at some point, so there’s been plenty of pathetic yearning and jealousy too.

Even so, it’s been him and me. Brothers, partners in crime, and, for the past six years, co-parents to an amazing little girl. But that’s another story. Right now, I gotta focus on the job our cousin gave us, and I need Boone by my side.

The problem is we haven’t really been on speaking terms for four years now.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want.

The Job by Cara Dee

Series: Standalone, Camassia Cove Universe
Genre: MM Romance/Crime Romance
Tropes: Organized Crime, Comedy Romance, Suspense, Bad Boys, Family, Single Dad, Hurt/Comfort

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“By the way, do you love me, Daddy?”

I shrugged to myself. “You’re all right, I guess.”

She giggled and peered up at me.

I smirked and dipped down, pressing a smooch to her forehead. “Of-fucking-course I do. What do you want, and how much is it gonna cost me?”

She knew that one. “Lunch at Denny’s. And I want Dad to come along.”

Fuck. This was one of those times I didn’t allow myself to hesitate or get bitchy. “Okay.” I nodded and swallowed the resentment that bubbled up. Not at her, just…our fucked-up situation. “The three of us will go out after the game.”

“Yes!” She fist-pumped the air, only making me feel like a dick.

Boone showed up shortly after, and she forgot I existed for a beat. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms, to which he picked her up and positioned her on his hip like back when she’d been little. To him, she was still tiny, I guessed. He dwarfed most people around him, including me, even though he only had a couple inches on me in height.

“Can you braid my hair?” she asked, holding up a rubber band.

“Sure thing.” He set her back on the ground when they reached me, though he paid me no mind whatsoever.

Something was wrong with him, and it pissed me off. He looked tired and couldn’t pretend to be happy to be here. He usually loved coming to her games.

As soon as he finished with her hair, Ace beamed up at him and gave him a big hug before she ran off to join the team. With the game about to start, I bent down and picked up the two camping chairs I’d brought and my cooler and walked off to the side.

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Boone wasn’t following. “Oi. You comin’ or not?”

He looked my way, visibly exhausted, and made no reaction. He followed, but his face was blank. It was as if someone had punched the life out of him.

It rattled me. My hatred toward him took a shitload of energy to maintain, and if something was seriously wrong with him, I feared what it would do to me.

I unfolded the chairs in a spot where we’d have the perfect view of our daughter scoring goals, and I sat down and opened the cooler.

“You want a beer?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I popped two cans into a couple koozies and handed him one.

Like shit attracted flies, one of the mothers was quick to come over to us.

“You can’t drink beer here,” she snapped.

I eyed her over the brim of my shades and held up my can. “Are you blind? It says right here.” I pointed to the text on the koozie. “‘It’s just soda, dumbass.’” Last year’s Father’s Day gift from Ace.

“You think this is funny?” The woman did not like me. “For heaven’s sake, it’s ten in the morning.”

That one pissed off Boone. “Never you fuckin’ mind what we do at ten in the mornin’. Take a hike.”

For one brief second, I was flooded with energy and memories from better times when it’d been Boone and me against the world. When it’d been us, like a team, raising Ace together. Working together. Spending most of our time together.

It was a kick in the gut.

I’ve fairly recently discovered Cara Dee. I know, I know. I’ve loved everything I read so I jumped at this. I started reading and I wasn’t connecting. So after a couple pages I went back to read the review request and saw that it recommends reading Auctioned, Deserted and Stranded as they are loosely connected. So guess what I did? Read Auctioned, Deserted and Stranded. Then I started The Job over (I was only like 10 0r 20 pages in) and it made more sense. Now I knew who Darius was and why he was asked these 2 main characters to do something for him.

So back to it!

Best friends who literally became brothers when the mom of one adopted the other. And when another friend dies, they are tasked with raising her daughter. Together.

Flash forward 4 years. Now they share custody- they each get a week at a time- and they barely tolerate each other. Huh. It takes some time before we find out what exactly that is all about. But when their cousin calls with a job for them, they immediately fall back into their established roles when doing a job. They pretty much stop bickering and sniping at each other AND Boone weasles his way back into living with Casey. And their daughter.

Their daughter. OMG she is hilarious. She has a potty mouth on her, which usually seems forced like it is only there for comedic purposes, but that mouth of a trucker completely fits the 8 year old’s personality. And for a kid who’s mother died when she was 4, doesn’t know her real father, is being raised by brothers who don’t really speak and has a grandmother who watches her often- she is pretty well grounded. And I LIKED that. Yes, a lot of kids would have trauma from any one of those things. But not every kid would. It was nice to see.

Casey and Boone work great together on the recon for Darius. Working together also gives them the time to work on their relationship. Because Boone doesn’t understand why Casey kicked him out of his life and Casey doesn’t understand how Boone doesn’t see him pining over him.

The entire story, from them doing the job to reconciling, just flows. Nothing was awkward or forced. And above all else- these two guys put their daughter first. Everything they did was to make her life better.

Do you HAVE to read the first three books? Nope. Is it worth it to read the first three books? Yup. They are different and definitely not a normal romance story AT ALL.

Fun, hot, funny with a good story to back it up. Definitely recommend.

4 pieces of eye candy

I love Cara Dee‘s books. I will say though I didn’t read the Auctioned series, simply because I can’t do angsty generally. That’s Erin’s cup of tea. 🙂 However, this book was a great departure from angsty, as it was full of humor, action, and a whole lot of “when are they going to just go it already”. My favorites.

One of my favorite things about this book was how different the MC’s were from what you might normally read. Quite often, the MC’s are good “upstanding” citizens, working their day jobs, saving kittens, etc. However, these guys are petty criminals, have done jail time, are in the process of committing crimes in the book, and yet are still really good guys, who just want to do right by their daughter. They don’t care that they live in a trailer park, or that she curses as much as they do. Just that she is healthy and happy, and can count on them both to be there no matter what.

I really enjoyed this book, and these two were great together. And even better with their sweet daughter, Ace. I would love to read more about these three. Recommend!

4 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

We Have Till Dawn by Cara Dee: RDB, Excerpt, and Release Day Review

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It wasn’t like he’d never done this before…

Nicky Fender retired from sex work two years ago and never looked back. Then an offer he can’t refuse comes his way, and he agrees to one last exclusive arrangement. Good money and an apartment in Manhattan? He’d be a fool to turn that down.

The deal is dusk till dawn for two months. But once he meets Gideon—an older, quirky, autistic, filthy, uncertain businessman who wants to explore his sexuality—Nicky wishes sunrise would never come.

Title: We Have Till Dawn

Author: Cara Dee

Series: Standalone

Genre: Gay Romance

Tropes: Autism, Musician, Age Difference, Role Play, Family, First-Time Experience

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Nicky Fender

“Let me get this straight,” I said, scanning the document. “The wife is the client? I mean, she’s the one setting her husband up with a male escort?”

“Correct.” Tina sat back as our server approached with dinner. “Well, her fiancé.”

I hummed and kept my mouth shut until we were alone again. Fuck, the pizza looked good. Of course, meeting with Tina meant it had to be some fancy pizza. She wouldn’t be caught dead with a regular slice. She wouldn’t be caught dead in Brooklyn either, which was why I’d met up with her in Manhattan at some swanky Italian place. But hey, she was buying.

“I’m waiting for the reason for why I’d agree,” I admitted bluntly. I hadn’t whored out my sweet ass in two years, and I was doing much better now. I worked three jobs for very little pay, I lived with my big brother, and I had practically no time for any hobbies. What’s not to love?

I’d thought about going back to Tina for some time, but whenever I considered it, there was this rock in the pit of my stomach that no amount of money could crush.

“I wanted you to see the requirements first,” she replied.

Well, there were a lot of them. I hadn’t gone through the entire list yet. After placing the document next to my plate, I cut into my fancy pizza and continued reading the list. There was plenty on hygiene, but nothing that went beyond what I was used to. I was to be blindfolded the whole time? All right… I’d never see the client’s face—or the client’s fiancé—which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I get the impression from the client that the man wants to explore something before he agrees to marry her,” Tina revealed. I’d heard of weirder dynamics. “She hinted that it would be a one-time arrangement, and she placed emphasis on following instructions that seem to cover every inch of your body.”

Lovely.

“That’s a lot of exploring,” I pointed out. “He wants to meet with me four nights a week for two months.”

Tina lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug and sipped her wine.

More specifically, I had to be available for him between the hours of ten PM and six AM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

I scratched my ear.

The pay better be out of this world, ’cause I would have to quit at both Applebee’s and Starbucks. Not that I’d mourn those shifts, but I’d been at Applebee’s long enough to possibly make assistant manager when the current one quit next month. She was having a baby and moving to Jersey.

I stuck a piece of pizza into my mouth and eyed the requirements for safety, at which I almost choked on a pepperoni slice.

“How loaded is this couple?” I asked through a cough. The man demanded exclusivity, meaning I wasn’t allowed to be sexually active with anyone else for the duration of our arrangement. And that cost a fucking mint.

“Read on…” Tina smirked wryly.

I furrowed my brow—then spotted one of my few hard limits. I shook my head and wiped my mouth with the napkin. “No fucking way. Tina, you—no. Fuck this.”

I didn’t mess around without protection. Not a chance in hell.

“This is why I asked you, Nicky,” she told me patiently. “Considering your stance on protection and your sad little Facebook statuses on how single you are—” she ignored my glare “—not to mention that you’re not the type of guy who walks around with a string of hookups, I can count on you passing a screening with flying colors and taking on someone who wants exclusivity. You’re my only candidate.”

“Candidate to say no,” I retorted.

Tina adopted a smug expression and reached down to dig something out of her purse. “There’s a reason I wanted to save the perks for last,” she said. “Okay, so you know the requirements. An exclusive arrangement for both parties—during which you’re sexually active only with each other—four nights a week for two months. You won’t see him. He won’t violate your limits—”

“Going unprotected is a limit, Tina,” I grated. Fuck, I was getting pissed. Part of me had carried foolish hope that this would be such a golden case that I’d jump on the opportunity and earn some good dough before the rock in my stomach returned.

“And when you’re an escort dealing with multiple clients a week, nothing else would make sense,” she answered, extending another document to me. “I wouldn’t even try to approach my other sex workers with this, Nicky. You’re the exception only because you quit the field.”

“Hmpf.” I cast a disgruntled look her way before I lowered my gaze to the piece of paper.

Ahem.

Holy fuck.

Three grand a week—minus Tina’s finder’s fee of ten percent—plus living arrangements. There would be a studio apartment in my name, so to speak, rent and utilities paid for by the client. Corner of West 39th and Ninth Avenue—not a shabby address at all. One of my best friends lived in the Garment District. Adjacent to Hell’s Kitchen where another friend lived.

A Manhattan address and $3,000 a week for two months.

A guy could do worse.

I shifted in my seat and cleared my throat. “Is there, uh, any way to ensure safety by making sure the guy gets tested too?”

“Of course, Nicky.” The compassion in Tina’s crystal-blue eyes reminded me of the fact that she ran an ethical business based on choice and vetting. She didn’t headhunt sex workers; they had to come to her, and they—we—had to go through a selection process before she could, in good conscience, give us work.

Today, I was an exception for her, and my answer would be an exception too.

’Cause it looked like I was moving to Manhattan.

Most, if not all, of the Cara Dee books I’ve read have been BDSM in nature. This one wasn’t- but it did involve kink and a sex worker. It is also set in NY, which I enjoy since it is “my” city (but I live in the ‘burbs).

This book had so much! First time gay, autism, rich, poor, family, kink, sex work…whew!

Nicky is a former sex worker who’s former boss/manager contacts him for a unique job. Five nights a week for two months from about 10pm to 6am. There are rules to follow including a blindfold and no talking. Nicky doesn’t want to do it really, but the money is just way too good. AND he would get a nice studio apartment in Manhattan for the duration. Meaning he can move out of his brother’s place in Brooklyn at least for a little while.

Gideon is super rich, has autism, is bisexual but never had the chance to explore, and is engaged to be married to a woman. Apparently she is giving him this time to explore that side of himself before they marry.

And so they begin with a bit of a clinical association. Nicky is blindfolded, lights off, no talking and he isn’t allowed to reciprocate or touch. Honestly, it was pretty hot. Because Nicky wanted so much to reciprocate, make noise, encourage. One of the hottest submission scenes that wasn’t even meant to be a submission scene.

In between his time with Gideon, we see Nicky with his brother quite a bit. They work together at his brother’s music school in Brooklyn. We also get their Nonna- and trust me, if you are from NY or NJ, you know a Nonna just like her- and their father. Gideon remains a mystery. Which is interesting since he is such a mystery to Nicky. We are only seeing Gideon as Nicky sees him.

But Nicky wears Gideon down slowly. If Gideon really wants to explore this side- he needs to let Nicky participate. Being that Nicky works with some kids with autism, and talks to his brother who has more experience with autism, he really tries to understand what Gideon is good with, not good with, how far to push him, when to step back. And he did it all so respectfully. There was never any condescension. They seemed to fit together like 2 puzzle pieces.

Nicky and Gideon overcoming what they thought were obstacles was swoony. There was a misunderstanding, but no big drama. No big fight and weeks of angsting over each other. They realized what they had together was special- even after two months.

This was one of the most “real” connections I have read in a long time.

Back to the NYC thing. I loved how authentic 99% of it was. Brooklyn vs Manhattan, “the neighborhood”, the crazy mix of languages, everyone knows everyone and gets in your business and rumors spread like wildfire. Even most of the slang was awesome. There was only one slang Italian curse word was wrong, but not many will know that.

This is definitely my favorite of hers. I really hope Nicky’s brother gets his story. He deserves a happily ever after as well.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

Uncomplicated Choices by Cara Dee: Random Review

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When life gave you lemons, you learned who stayed and made lemonade with you. Or something to that effect. And the day Ellis Hayes kidnapped me—or, he borrowed a yacht and didn’t know I was on board—he’d definitely been handed too many lemons.

We faced a dilemma when I woke up hungover in the middle of the ocean. He needed to get the hell out of town to do some soul searching and decide whether or not to divorce his wife, and I needed to get back on land because humans didn’t belong on the water. There was also better cell service on land, and I had my four-year-old daughter on vacation in Paris to check in with.

Then I remembered I wasn’t a complete tool. Ellis wasn’t doing all right, and we were practically family. I had to stay and make lemonade with him. Of course, me being me, seemingly un-dateable and complicated, I had to develop feelings for him, too.

 

Amazon

The first book I ever read by Cara Dee was Aftermath, a book about two men who survive a five month kidnapping, only to find that they need and want only each other. (If you haven’t read that book, I highly encourage you to. It is truly amazing. In fact, I may need to go re-read it now that I am reminding myself of it. 🙂 )

Anyway, since that was my first book of Cara’s, I had some idea how strongly she writes from a character’s perspective. The character’s are not often living their “normal” lives, but some sort of different existence that makes falling in love, possibly with the “wrong” person a challenge, yet it feels so right.

Uncomplicated Choices is another such book. I’ll put this right out front, and this could be a spoiler…Ellis is married, to a woman, at t the time that he and Casey begin their relationship. However, it works in this book. I didn’t AT ALL feel like Ellis was cheating on his wife. It worked in this story, because Ellis is trying to find himself, outside of a marriage that went sour so long ago.

Casey was really a fantastic character. First, he was snarky AF. I loved that. He was snarky when he was speaking to Ellis (or anyone else for that matter), and he was snarky in his head. It worked for him. He was able to find the humor in so many situations that others would not, and I absolutely loved that about him. He was a great father, and it was as obvious how much he loved his daughter. She was the light of his life, and didn’t care who knew that, or if that was a stereotype that didn’t match what he “should” be doing.

Both men work on themselves throughout the book, even as they work on finding a relationship that works together. Ellis began the book being “elusive”, yet along the way was able to learn to talk through his feelings, and communicate with Casey as their connection grew. Casey, meanwhile, needed to learn that he was loveable, despite all the bad experiences he’d had with people thinking he was not worthy. Seeing these two men connect with each other, while connecting with their own thoughts and feelings made for a reader experience that went above “falling in love with someone else”. They were able to fall back in love with themselves, as well.

My one issue with the book was that although it was “mostly” a stand alone book, there were periods where I was lost. People were introduced or mentioned that likely had a previous book in this series, or possibly a book ahead that I had no knowledge of, and there was little explanation. This left me wondering if this was a necessary mention, or just a one off comment that would not come up again. Several people I had to infer who they were based on the people who were in the room, and still wasn’t sure I knew who they were. Although this happens often in books in a series, usually there are some descriptions as to how they fit in to the situation to help the reader understand in the event they hadn’t read the previous books. This didn’t happen with several of the characters who were not even in place in the book, but merely brought up in conversation. This did not detract from my enjoyment of the story of Casey and Ellis, however, it did leave me wondering if I was missing a big piece of a story.

All in all a well done book, by an author that I just love to read. 4 pieces of eye candy.