excerpt – Page 111

ImposterinZebraStripedBriefsFS (1)

When recent college graduate Nathan Harris makes a life-changing move out from under his mother’s thumb and into his own place, he is determined to take some risks. He is tired of not being good enough, tired of allowing his fears to control him.

What he thought would be an exciting adventure ends up being one jaw-dropping mishap of embarrassment after another, leaving him with a life he doesn’t even recognize anymore.

His once boring, lonely existence has been replaced by a brownstone filled with colorful friends, a rough around the edges, tattooed bad boy best friend, and a stripper for a boyfriend who’s not even sure he’s gay.

Author Name: C.C. Dado
Book Name: Imposter in Zebra-stripes Briefs
Series: The Seattle Chronicles
Book: Two (can be read as a standalone)
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Word Count: 22,810 words
Categories: Contemporary, Humor, M/M Romance, New Adult

Ding…. He heard his phone go off again as he was grabbing an orange from the fridge. Nathan set the orange on the counter and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Maybe I’m jumping the gun here. What are you into?

Nathan wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. He leaned back against the kitchen counter and stared at the keypad fo BannerTemplate (1) r a second before responding. Guys?

Ding…. I’m literally shaking my head at you right now….

Ding…. Josh instantly followed up his last text. I meant what turns you on about a guy. Eyes? A nice ass? I need to know what I’m working with here.

Nathan felt like the entire world could see his words as he typed his response. I think men’s feet are sexy.

Ding… Josh responded, apparently not fazed at all by Nathan’s answer. All right then, let’s start at the toes and work our way up.

Character Interview Questions

Now that you’ve gotten together, what comes next? “Meeting the family!” Nathan’s own family wasn’t a fan of him so he didn’t have high hopes for meeting David’s. (The Seattle Chronicles: Say it with Ink, you will get to see Nathan meet the family.)
What was the hardest thing for you to overcome that you didn’t expect to be an issue? “Dating a hot guy. Since I never thought a hot guy would date me in the first place.
Who or what makes you laugh out loud? “Josh. Every time.”
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? “Dairy hates me”
What movie will you watch over and over again? “Well I’m not sure if I’d watch it over and over but I definitely have to watch Poltergeist now, to see why David hates clowns.”

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Okay, I have to admit that the title of this book intrigued me to no end. I mean how could you title something “Imposter in Zebra-striped Briefs” and not want to know what the book is about. So, when I saw this blog tour, I jumped on it. Glad I did!

This was a fun story, full of little misunderstandings by poor Nathan who was trying to get out from under his mother’s thumb. His entire life he felt inferior, as if he was an embarrassment to his family, and taking the opportunity to come out (again!) by leaving that nest and venturing into life was frightening for him, and yet he jumped in with both feet.

Isn’t that what we would all want to be able to do in that situation? Be strong enough, brave enough, confident enough to do that? I’m sure Nathan would say he wasn’t any of those things, he was frightened to pieces, but that is exactly what made him such a wonderful character. You wanted him to succeed in his new quest, to find his gay side, and enjoy it, and all life had to offer. He was not willing to sit back and wait for life to come to him, he was finally willing to go out and find that life he wanted for himself.

I devoured this book in one sitting, and found myself wanting to know when the next book was coming, which I don’t often do, even with books I love. It’s a novella, so normally I move forward with them, and don’t concern myself with another story. This one, though, had me wanting to know more about Nathan, and the entire crew of guys as they move forward.

Definite 4 pieces of eye candy for the quirky character of Nathan, and his merry friends. Can’t wait for more!

About the author:

I write painfully awkward, usually embarrassing, romance because long confident gazes followed by sexy dancing never happens to me.

I am a native of the Pacific Northwest, and will probably never leave since I’m a hypochondriac sundae, with claustrophobic sprinkles, and a cherry of anxiety on top. I read and write to relax my mind and I love getting lost in someone else’s story, even if it is only for a little while.

Where to find the author:

Twitter: @C_C_Dado

Goodreads Link: http://bit.ly/1K3drrJ

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Dreamspinner Press

Tour Dates & Stops:

1-Jul

2-Jul

3-Jul

6-Jul

7-Jul

8-Jul

Boys on the Brink Reviews

9-Jul

Jessie G. Books

10-Jul

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

13-Jul

14-Jul

15-Jul

16-Jul

17-Jul

20-Jul

Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy

21-Jul

My Fiction Nook

Molly Lolly

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Title: One Step Further

Author: Felice Stevens

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: June 29, 2015

Alex Stern has it all; good looks, charm, a job he loves and everyone calls him a friend. He lives life to the fullest at a breakneck pace, in the city that never sleeps. But Alex is also a master pretender; not even his best friend sees the pain that Alex hides so well. Alex himself isn’t sure who he is or what he’s searching for, he only knows that he hasn’t found it yet.

As a veterinarian, Rafe Hazelton loves each animal that crosses his path; they don’t care if he stutters a bit or that prefers men. Their love is unconditional, but his life is still empty; they can only give him so much. New friendships convince him it’s time to break the wall of loneliness he’s hidden behind since childhood and discover what he’s been missing.

Alex and Rafe forge a friendship that turns physical, and they both swear that the relationship will last only as long as the fun does. But when old heartaches come to light and secrets hidden for years are revealed, Alex and Rafe discover if they accept what’s in their hearts and take it one step further, the greatest reward is waiting for them in the end.

Denise’s Review:

There are several things you can count on with a Felice Stevens novel. First, that there will be an HEA. No matter what, she will make sure that the men you have learned to love on her pages will learn to love each other, and find their way to their happy ending (and yes, I mean that in both senses of the word! 🙂 ) Second, there will be emotion, lots of it. Whether that is you, as the reader, dealing with the angst right along with the characters, or just reading how the characters react to the situations they find themselves in. Third, there will be animals. And I truly love this about Felice’s books. She adds in a mix of animals, because she believes, as I do, that animals enhance our lives, and bring us so much joy. And fourth, you will love these sexy, strong men. Although they may not see themselves as strong in the beginning these men, no matter how crippling their issues, find their strength, in each other, and in themselves. This book hits all of these notes, without question, and I was happy to be along for the ride.

Rafe, Lucky’s veterinarian from Memories of the Heart, is a shy, lonely man who has never been in love, and is very inexperienced. His life has been about his vet practice and keeping himself as invisible as possible, with a stutter that he has allowed to oversee much of his life and personality. Meanwhile Alex is vivacious, outgoing, always the life of the party, and quick to throw a joke, especially if it throws people off track from delving further into the depths of his private life. Even his best friend Micah has no idea the secret that he has held close to his heart for 15 years.

These two men begin their relationship as friends, moving to friends with benefits, and into lovers. Their relationship naturally evolves, as they support each other through some very difficult times. As Rafe deals with the passing of a mother that clearly has never felt love for him, Alex is there to help him find a way to deal with all the emotions that come with that. As Alex finds himself soon dealing with his own family situation, Rafe, as he has become more confident, is right by Alex’s side to support him through those challenges. One of the things that I appreciated about this book was their unwavering support. Even when these men thought they didn’t need or want the others support, they got it, and realized how much they really DID need it.

This is another Felice Stevens story with lots of heart, passion, and some angst thrown in the mix. As always, Felice brings you two men who need each other more than they each realize. It was sweet, sexy, and such a great example of true friends to lovers. These men needed a true friend just as much as they needed a special man in their life. It showed the men the impact of true friends, and allowed them to move forward in their outside relationships as well.

What a joy this book was to read, as all of her books are. Felice can pack a lot of emotion into one book, and has hit a winner with One Step Further. (And how about that gorgeous cover! Another Reese Dante winner!) 4.5 pieces of eye candy for me!

Morgan’s Review:

I’ll start by saying I adore Felice. She always writes such wonderful stories. This book comes after Memories of the Heart and deals with Rafe and Alex. These two are such complex characters. They both have issues they are struggling to overcome. Alex is so confident, outgoing and full of life, yet on the inside he’s a broken man with secrets no one knows. Rafe is shy, lonely and tends to stutter. He’s more comfortable around animals than people. These two very different men come to realize they are more alike than they thought, and maybe they could be happy if they open themselves up fully to each other.

I was so excited for the release of this book and I was not disappointed. Be ready for the different turns this read takes and make sure you have the tissues ready. Definitely 5 pieces of eye candy from me.

Through his years of practice and experience, Rafe had learned to help and comfort, to step in when his expertise was needed, and step away when there was no hope left at all. What Alex didn’t know was that Rafe always held out hope for life, and though he might give the appearance of a man ruled by quiet and calm, in truth he was tenacious as a bulldog and refused to accept defeat.So Rafe allowed Alex to sit in his moody silence until their beers came and they both took long, bracing swallows.“Can I speak now?”Alex shrugged. “Suit yourself.” That offhand comment led Rafe to believe Alex didn’t expect much from people or life in general. Perhaps he too had been disappointed by the people who should have always been there for him and weren’t.

“All my life I’ve been told I was different and that kids wouldn’t like me because of my stutter. When I realized I was gay, I knew my struggle only increased ten-fold. It made me retreat even more.”

Alex traced the lip of his beer bottle with his finger. “Yeah. I can understand that to an extent.”

“That’s my point. You can understand it to an extent, but not really. I’m not saying this in a spiteful way.” It was so important to Rafe to make Alex understand where he was coming from. “You’re a big, good-looking man with a great personality. Everywhere you go, you make friends so easily; people gravitate to you naturally. It’s a gift, if you think about it.”“I have many gifts,” said Alex with a wink and smiled for the first time since they sat down. Rafe wasn’t fooled.“You’re deflecting,” he stated, and like Rafe knew he would, Alex stopped smiling, his mouth thinning to a tight line. “Don’t get angry with me.”“I’m not. I’m only wondering when you decided to appoint yourself as my therapist.”

Rafe pinned Alex with a stare and a raised brow. “When someone sticks their tongue down my throat, it’s a signal to me that maybe we’ve gone beyond a handshake and a ‘Hi, how are you.’”Alex stared at him for a moment, then his eyes creased with amusement and he started to laugh. He didn’t stop, even when the waiter arrived with their food.Rafe folded his arms and glared. “I’m not finished. You make friends easily but it’s all on the surface, isn’t it? I bet people don’t ever really get to know the real you, do they?”Once again, Alex stopped laughing, only this time it seemed he’d had enough. “I don’t have to listen to this shit.” He looked around for the waiter. “I’ll get my food to go.”

“That’s what you always do, don’t you. Instead of talking about things, you make a joke or run away. It’s easier to run away.”

As Rafe spoke, Alex’s face grew dark with anger. Now that he’d started talking, Rafe couldn’t stop; the words spilled like water rushing from a dam.

“I know what it’s like. My reason is obvious. I spent almost my whole life hiding behind a wall of silence. But what reason do you have to play the class clown all the time? People would like you no matter what.”

For a moment Alex stared at him, then smiled a real smile, the first all night. It kindled a glow in his deep blue eyes.

“Do you realize something?” He leaned forward and Rafe swore he could feel the warmth radiating from Alex’s body across the table.

Caught up in the moment, Rafe couldn’t look away. The sounds of the pub faded in the background, including the music, which unfortunately had gone from ’80s retro to modern day rap. “Wha-what?” His mouth tasted dry even with the beer he’d drunk.

“You barely stuttered, not at all until now.”

Alex’s large warm palm slid over his own hand and gave it a squeeze. “That’s great isn’t it? You must be getting more comfortable with me.” A wide grin broke across his face. “Guess that tongue down the throat action worked for something.”

I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.

But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.

I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.