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Sharing our love of M/M Romance

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Punching the V-Card by Leta Blake: IG Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Best friend’s hot older brother? Check. A weekend alone? Check.

Finally punching that V-card? Oh yes.

Carl has a pesky “innocence” problem that requires a solution. His best friend’s brother Devon is the perfect answer.

Devon’s experienced, gorgeous, and Carl’s been secretly crushing on him for ages. Carl doesn’t want to “lose it” to just anybody. Everyone says the first time should be special—and what’s more special than sharing it with the guy of his dreams?

It’s not like Devon won’t enjoy it. Solving this so-called problem is an objectively fun experience for most people! The plan is totally win/win!

Shockingly, Devon agrees. But even though it goes better than either of them ever expected, Carl’s moving across the country soon. It’s not possible to have more. No matter how much they both want it.

Right?

Punching the V-Card by Leta Blake is a is a high heat, NO ANGST, new adult gay romance featuring a best friend’s hot older brother, scorching first times, and falling in love with the guy of your dreams.

Title: Punching the V-Card
Authors: Leta Blake
Length: 35k
Series: Standalone.
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, and very light BDSM/Kink, almost nonexistent, but the themes are still there.
Tropes: Best friend’s older brother, losing virginity, whirlwind romance, first love, virgin baby dom and natural older submissive, forced proximity (to a degree), new adult.
Content: Very light BDSM theme.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“I keep some supplies up here,” Carl said, approaching a sizable fallen tree that was hollowed out inside, and the massive, nearly bench-shaped rock beside it. “Lighters, candles, gummy bears, that sort of thing.”

“Gummy bears?” Devon said, watching as Carl knelt in the pine needles and peered into the log using his flashlight. “Checking for snakes or other ghoulies,” he said before reaching inside and tugging out a Ziplock bag. Inside, sure enough, Devon could make out a package of gummy bears, a lighter, a few tea light candles, and what looked like a pack of cigarettes.

“Do you smoke?”

“Huh?” Carl glanced at the bag and grimaced. “Hope and I tried it. Thought it might look cool on stage, you know? But, ugh. I’d rather eat ass than smoke a cigarette.” A sudden grin cracked over his face and his eyes lit up even brighter. “I guess I mean that literally now. I’d much rather eat ass. That only leads to orgasm, unlike cigarettes which lead to coughing, gagging, and smelling like, well, cigarettes, you know?”

Devon watched Carl take a seat on the big stone bench, and he climbed onto it, too. It was big enough that they could sit cross-legged facing each other.

“Okay,” Carl said, pulling out the tea light candles, the lighter, the gummy bears, and a piece of chalk that Devon hadn’t noticed before. “First we draw a pentagram, like this,” he said.

And Devon watched, surprised, as Carl did draw a big pentagram between them. “What are you doing?”

“Magic,” Carl offered, with a little grin. “Fairy magic.”

Devon blinked at him.

“Kidding. But, yeah, sometimes I like to cast a spell or two. It can be fun.”

Devon shrugged, a nagging uncertainty in his gut, but he watched as Carl put a tea light on each point of the pentagram before lighting them.

“Now, we have to focus on what we want,” Carl said.

“What we want?” Devon repeated.

“Like when I did this last week, I focused on you agreeing to this weekend, and look. It worked.”

“You cast a spell on me?” Devon asked, trying to not feel a little weirded out by that. The forest around them smelled of wet dirt, disintegrating leaves, and fresh air, but the light that sparkled off the water droplets all around and filtered through the swaying tree tops did feel otherworldly. Plus, he was tired, so tired, and drained, and kinda horny still. He felt a little possessed, actually.

“J-just a l-li-li—ugh. A small one,” Carl said, with a shrug. “Do you c-care?”

The stutter. He was anxious now.

Devon looked at the small, flickering candles and up into Carl’s glittery eyes. He didn’t care. If he was told that he was hypnotized into this weekend, he’d be happy about it. If he was told that he’d been put under a powerful elf’s spell, he’d be glad. The time he’d spent with Carl was already the most interesting and arousing he’d ever had.

This book had so many surprising elements in it…in fact, the LEAST surprising element was that Carl had been in love with Devon for years. Just a few of the surprises…Devon’s sister set up this weekend punching of Devon’s V-card. Carl, who began the weekend seemingly shy AF, barely saying a word, turns out to be a baby Dom. Meanwhile, Devon immediately falls in line with it, showing a submissive side, when it is obvious he NEVER would have thought that of himself before this weekend. That two young men were able to have that much sex, and eat so little food (ha ha).

This was one very steamy novella, with two really well fleshed out MC’s for a novella. Carl is leaving for LA to begin a music career, while Devon is not leaving TN because his parents want him to do all the right things. Carl has a stutter that really only shows when he is nervous or emotional. Devon meanwhile has no idea what he wants to do with his life, but he knows he can’t go anywhere. He needs to finish college, then get a job…in what, he doesn’t know. They were honestly exactly as many young people that age, just trying to figure out what was next for them.

This was high heat, low angst, very sweet in places, had a hopeful future and some fun thrown in. It may not be for everyone, as it has A LOT of sex, but it still tells a very good story, as this author always does.

4 pieces of eye candy

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Out of Focus by A. L. Lester: Excerpt and Release Day Review

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Alex has never quite believed he’s good enough. Not as a person and not as a lighting technician. He hates that however hard he tries he can’t get his boss, Luke, to like him. In the two years he’s been in the job it’s become a Thing with him and he’s got a huge crush on the man. He needs to move on for his own sanity and his career and he’s just about to accept a job at a bigger theatre when one of the volunteers he’s bedded and dumped pushes him off a ladder.

Luke likes Alex a lot and has done since the day he walked through the door of Theatre Fawr two years ago. He doesn’t date his staff though, or do casual, and Alex is the epitome of casual. So Luke keeps his distance despite Alex’s constant flirting.

Will Alex’s injury give Alex and Luke the push they need to open up to each other? Or will Luke’s inadvertent discovery that Alex has a secret job offer push them further apart?

Enemies to lovers, a broken wrist, hurt-comfort and pining. A gay romance set in a little Welsh theatre.

Publisher: JMS Books LLC

Editor: Lourenza Adlem

Release date: 26 March 2022

Word Count: 17,500 words

Genre: gay, contemporary, short-story, Welsh theatre, hurt-comfort, enemies to lovers

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

Luke was furious. Bloody furious. His theatre. His crew. Alex.

He’d got back after a leisurely look round a potential new supplier of scissor-lifts and harnesses followed by a pub lunch with the business owner to find the theatre in uproar. Alex had tipped over on the zargees…which was bloody ironic given it was the approaching new height restrictions about using ladders to rig that had sent Luke on his errand.

He’d gone straight to the hospital and found Alex about to check himself out against the doctor’s advice. Bloody Alex, as well.

Alex had been a thorn in his side since he’d started in post two years ago. It was a tiny theatre and the chief technician was responsible for anything with a plug on it as well as showing the film programme and doing the lighting and sound for shows. They’d done a panel interview and Luke, a couple of members of the board and Lacey the theatre manager had seen half a dozen people. Alex had come out head and shoulders above the rest.

He’d walked in on his first proper day on the job and looked at Luke from underneath his ridiculously long eyelashes and smiled and said something perfectly professional that Luke hadn’t heard, because he was gone. Gone, gone, gone. His heart had given a big thump, he’d flushed from his chest to his hairline and he’d taken an actual physical step back because otherwise he’d have done something stupid.

Everyone on the circuit knew about Alex Tilsom by reputation. Not his professional reputation, although that was solid. His unprofessional reputation, as Luke privately thought of it.

It was a small industry.

Luke had seen whole companies explode because people fell into bed with each other and the detonation when they fell out of bed again meant they couldn’t work together. He’d been at Theatr Fach for a long time now and although there were no actual rules against it, his personal tenet was to keep his professional relationships professional.

So he let Alex’s good natured flirting roll over him, he didn’t respond like he wanted to and he never, ever commented or ribbed him like the others did about his latest conquest. It was worse because strictly speaking he was Alex’s boss. He tried very hard not to be the older creep who letched on his staff.

Newsflash. In this case he did not always succeed.

It made him feel uncomfortable and itchy inside his own skin. Alex was a funny guy. He worked hard, he was good at his job. He charmed passing crew and volunteers into bed and out again with no drama before or after. He’d be gone in two or three years…he was the sort of person who saw Theatr Fach as a stepping stone to something bigger and more challenging.

All Luke had to do was hold on to that thought and not smile back.

He’d thoroughly fucked that up in the last twenty-four hours, hadn’t he? It was his job to go and see what was going on at the hospital. And he supposed he could argue it was his job to stay with Alex overnight if no-one else could, if the stupid arse wouldn’t stay in hospital like he should have.

It wasn’t his job to mostly fail to sleep in the armchair in the corner of the man’s bedroom and creepily watch over him all night. Or was it? Was that on the right side of the line? Fuck it, who knew any more.

There are some shorts that tell a full and complete story. And there are some shorts that just…don’t. Because it was just too short.

There’s nothing wrong with this story, I just didn’t feel any connection at all. Both guys crushed on each other for 2 years. One openly, one secretly. But we never SAW that, we were just told that.

So when Alex is hurt and Luke goes to the hospital, I kind of expected Luke to let some of his feelings show. But nope.

And then after Luke staying with Alex for 24 hours, even though Alex is known to not be a relationship guy and Luke not wanting a relationship with his subordinate, they just decide to be boyfriends.

If you want a quick read with zero angst, zero sex as a palate cleanser, this is for you. But it was just a bit boring for me.

Writer of queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense, mostly. Lives in the South West of England with Mr AL, two children, a terrifying cat, some hens and the duckettes. Likes gardening but doesn’t really have time or energy. Not musical. Doesn’t much like telly. Non-binary. Chronically disabled. Has tedious fits.

Facebook Group : Twitter : Newsletter (free story) : Website : Link-tree for everywhere else

Uniquely Average by Susan Hawke: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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A twenty year age gap, a neurodivergent ‘boy’ and a gray ace of a ‘Daddy’, both lonely and unable to find their match… until now.

Ethan Humboldt is a cocky, confident chef with zero filter and even less humility. He’s also a very good, neurodivergent boy who’s been searching far too long for the perfect Daddy. At thirty, Ethan knows what he wants—and what he needs. The only problem? Finding a caregiving type of Daddy to provide it.

Danvers Jones has more money than he knows what to do with and nobody to spend it on. He’s not looking for a fling, Dan needs someone to pamper. To romance… to adore. As a romantic gray ace, nothing else will do it for him.

Newly retired, Dan has one final mission—to find his former best friend’s long lost son and deliver a trust fund. After that, Dan’s determined to start fully living his life, which starts with the right partner. Only problem? Dan requires the type of person who’ll need his unique brand of Daddy.

Danvers and Ethan aren’t expecting to meet their perfect match in a random meet cute gone wrong, but when does life ever go according to plan?

This stand-alone novel is a full-length, 43k non-age play Daddy romance. The core of this story was previously published as a 15k short in the USA Today bestselling “Dirty Daddies 2021 Anthology.” It’s now been reworked and lengthened to provide the tale as originally intended.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Watching for Daddy’s reaction to breakfast, I tried not to stare while taking a bite of my own. I’d served us perfectly cooked Eggs Benedict, complete with Canadian bacon and my own special hollandaise. My secret? A bit of OJ and a dash of orange zest.

It felt like my heart was beating in my throat when he finally took that bite. Pinching my lips tightly shut, I squeezed my legs together with my hands rhythmically patting my knees. I knew I was stimming, even before my hands started going, but I wasn’t concerned.

And why should I be? Some repetitive motion because I was excited was perfectly fine, a fact my doctor had drilled into me. As long as I wasn’t flapping my hands too much or letting my excitement turn to stressed anxiety, I’d be good.

And yes, I did need to remind myself of this every time and this was also okay.

Thank you, Dr. Stapleton. Years of work, God only knew how much money spent, and now I could calmly explain to myself why I was excited and how it was okay for a little light stimming.

Gasping, I jumped when a light knock on the table jerked my attention away from myself. I looked around the room, desperately trying to anchor myself again—I’d been that startled.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Did I frighten you?” And just like that, Daddy’s voice gave me the anchor I was looking for.

“Huh? I guess I was zoned out, lost in my head. I was being stupid, going through a bit of rationale in my head, and I guess I was deeper than I thought if I never heard you speak.” And, now I truly had a reason to be upset but… I glanced down to see my hands resting quietly on my legs. Huh. So much for the stimming.

I couldn’t understand why, but Daddy looked upset. He held up a finger, waving it back and forth. “That’s a no-no, sunshine. Never call yourself stupid, not on my watch. Especially when you are anything but. In fact, now I think I would enjoy hearing what had you lost in thought. Trust me, I wasn’t adding anything to the conversation. All I said was how these were the best Eggs Benedict I’ve ever eaten.”

It felt like my chest exploded with a surge of rainbows and glitter and hearts and all the other things that made my mother squeal like a little girl. At least when I felt myself smiling, I didn’t have to question why. “Sorry about the whole stupid thing, I can respect that rule. But we can agree to disagree on what you consider fascinating conversation because I want to hear more about how much you enjoyed my eggs.”

Daddy started chuckling as he loaded his fork with a fresh bite. “I’m not exaggerating, these are amazing. Definitely the best. I might be prejudiced because I have a crush on the chef, but I don’t think so. And since we both know you tell it like it is, how about you simply agree with me and I can focus on eating instead of talking? Sorry not sorry, sunshine. But this deliciousness needs to get in my belly.”

Why did his dorky side make me like him more? That was a question. One I wasn’t certain how to answer. But quite frankly, I shouldn’t be this enamored by an outdated Austin Powers reference—or the Daddy with the worst Scottish accent ever who’d given it. And yet, here I was with another crazy question I knew I couldn’t answer.

It was super hard not to find it cute when Daddy powered through his breakfast, finishing before mine was half done. I gave up and started laughing when he actually lifted his plate and began licking it clean.

Finding a romance with anyone who is neurodivergent is difficult. I have looked for them, as someone I am very close to is on the spectrum. Finding a romance where one of the main characters is neurodivergent, is very rare, so I was excited to pick this one up, and I wasn’t disappointed.

What I loved most about this book was that Ethan wasn’t portrayed as a lost man, someone who hadn’t known anything about himself until he found his true love. He was a confident chef, tried to be a good person by using the social cues his mother had drummed into him, and knew enough about himself to know that a Daddy was exactly what he wanted and needed in his life, in the bedroom and out…but definitely NOT in his business. He just hadn’t found the correct Daddy. He didn’t hide this part of himself, and in fact, his mother presented Dan with the contract that they would use for the one week trial. It was so refreshing to see all of this, all the while still having many of the same issues that someone on the spectrum might have; i.e. lack of eye contact, zero filter, anxiety, etc.

Meanwhile, Dan himself knew enough to know that he really wanted a boy that he could cherish, and found all of Ethan’s differences from “normal” to be adorable, and exactly what he wanted in his life. He saw himself as being on the ace scale, although in the book he does discover that perhaps it isn’t as cut and dry as he once assumed. So, he was willing and able to grow and change in their relationship as well.

Portraying someone on the spectrum with a “normal” life (I keep putting that in quotes because it comes up several times in the book, and is simply a descriptor, and not an indicator that Ethan wasn’t as normal as the next person) can be difficult, because no one is the same, and yet, there are many areas that will be seen in many people. But the author did a great job of showing that they can fall in love, they can feel, they can have a great sense of humor (which Ethan does!), and still may need to avoid eye contact, flap their hands, and try to wheedle a puppy out of their Daddy. 🙂

This was sweet, a little sexy, funny, and all around, a read well worth the time.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

As an avid reader and big romance fan myself, I love sharing the stories of the different people who live in my imagination. My stories are filled with humor, a few tears, and the underlying message to not give up hope, even in the darkest of times, because life can change on a dime when you least expect it. This theme comes from a lifetime of lessons learned on my own hard journey through the pains of poverty, the loss of more loved ones than I’d care to count, and the struggles of living through chronic illnesses. Life can be hard, but it can also be good! Through it all I’ve found that love, laughter, and family can make all the difference, and that’s what I try to bring to every tale I tell.

I’m a happily married mom with one snarky teenage boy, and three grown “kids of my heart.” I’m more widely known for my mpreg writings as Susi Hawke; this new name is a departure from that. Whether written by Susan or Susi, the books are filled with that all-important love, laughter, and family I mentioned; the only difference is that this name has no male pregnancy. I look forward to sharing my stories with you, and to bringing more romance and laughter into this world that needs it so very badly.

Connect with Susan:

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Website |  | Facebook Group: The Hawke’s Nest

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His Heart Knows by Riley Long: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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People fall in love with their best friends all the time. But for me, the circumstances of this unrequited attraction are even more agonizing.

I am gay.

My best friend, Sawyer, is not.

Since we were fifteen, I’ve harbored this torturous crush. Now, as we both enter our thirties, it seems time to resign myself to the fact that nothing is going to come of it. Ever.

Or so I thought…

One night, a bottle of gin and a little uncharacteristic self-pity were all the inspiration I needed to launch into a ramble about being alone because I’m bad at everything – even kissing. Determined to prove me wrong, Sawyer decided to shut me up with a kiss.

I know he meant for it to be innocent.

Turns out it was anything but.

Sparks flew as we unlocked a side of Sawyer he never knew existed. Now, more than anything, he wants me by his side forever. But this realization comes with its own set of obstacles. Can we learn to lean on each other as we build a future together? Or will the stresses of our day to day lives tear us apart?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Ricky tapped on my open door with his fingertips and leaned against the door frame. “You were out late.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Crashed at Sawyer’s place. You know how it is.”

“Do it?”

I shot him an unamused look. “Yeah. You do.”

“You sure you didn’t…” He made a crude gesture with his fist and his index finger. Before I could say anything, he held up his hands in defense and laughed. “I know, I know. Just friends, right?”

“Right.” I sounded more uncertain that convincing though and Ricky picked up on it and latched on like a cat on catnip.

“Oh my God, what happened? Please tell me you finally fucked that man.”

I snorted. “I didn’t—” But my throat tightened and I had to stop to clear it. “It was just a blow job. Which I’m sure he regrets.”

“Why would he regret it?”

I gestured to myself. “You honestly think we’re in the same league?”

“Stop it. You were a football player and still have the body for it, except you’re also in grad school and that automatically makes you the smartest person in this room. And he looks like a fucking sculpture of man and makes eyes at you like you’re the only human in the world and the sun shines from your ass. You’re perfect and you deserve someone who cares about you like that.”

“Just because you didn’t go to grad school doesn’t mean you’re stupid.”

He pushed himself to standing. “I am not the point here. Focus on the blow job. Tell me everything.”

“Fine, fine.” I shooed him out of my room. “At least let’s sit in the living room, though, and not stand in my damn doorway.”

Ricky took a seat in his favorite spot, the overstuffed leather recliner, and patted the arms the way he did when he was excited about something. “Okay. Spill.”

This was a sweet, sexy friends to lovers story that I mostly enjoyed.

Axel and Sawyer are total opposites. Axel, poor, raised by a single mom who loved him with everything she had. Sawyer is the son of 2 lawyers who grew up with a cook and housekeepers and anything he wanted. When Axel moved to a new town he and Sawyer just clicked.

Now they are nearing 30, Axel is in grad school, he is out and proud but doesn’t date much and works at a bookstore. Sawyer is a lawyer in a prestigious firm hoping to make partner in 5 years like his father, he is straight and his mother is always trying to set him up “with a nice girl”. But those two have that best friend chemistry that is hard to find.

The premise that got them to kiss the first time was a little contrived, but it got the job done. They very quickly fell into a relationship after the first morning after freak out.

Sawyer seemed to be just fine with the fact that he was suddenly in a real relationship with his best friend. Even though he had never been with a man before. You’d think he had plenty of experience.

The story was far from perfect (see above about falling into a relationship with little issue), as well as Sawyer recovering from a family issue quickly and the continuity issue of he has an older brother, he’s an only child, he has an order brother, he’s an only child. Seriously, how did that not get caught it beta reads or edits?

Fluffy beach read that doesn’t take a lot of mind power at all, but it’s not bad.

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Riley Long is a wife and mother living a quiet life in Virginia, with her husband, son, and one goofy pit bull. She passes her evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television (or not so bad television). For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo, GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs. She likes things with silly acronyms. The craziest thing Riley has ever done involves whipped cream and hugs. Riley writes sweet and sexy romance, with a special place in her heart for hipsters and musicians.

Connect with Riley:
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-long
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Style of Love by AJ Sherwood: New Release Review

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Asher’s dream job: Interior design – check.

His dream boyfriend: Park Bo Gum – not check. Sadly.

Straight as a board, childhood bff Zar: check

Zar becoming his boyfriend: che–wait, what?!

Tags: Oh look a contemporary romance, GFY, Best friends to lovers, Dumbasses to lovers, not so much slowburn as two idiots standing around on fire, emotional baggage check, HGTV meets BL, family of choice, Asher needs a better family, Zar’s will adopt him, healthy choice making (and some impulsive ones), no angst here only cuddles, best friends giving The Talk, yes that one, Gage hates -coughlovescough- them, tropey tropes a lot, yaoi fangirls as co-workers leads to interesting situations, and sexy photoshoots, best supporting character goes to the dog, small town, Asher and Zar are so obvious there is a bet riding on them, Zar uses handcuffs for not sexy reasons, at least the first time, only one sledgehammer was sacrificed in the making of this book

Trigger warning: Toxic family members

Title: Style of Love

Series: Gay 4 Renovations Book #1

Author: AJ Sherwood

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

I called him as I walked—more like stomped—along the sidewalk. As soon as the call connected, I demanded, “Where are you?”

“Leaning against your car.” 

I almost stumbled over thin air. Had he seriously circled this entire area until he found my car? At least he realized we had to talk this out, though. It was smart of him to wait. I didn’t want to have this conversation over a phone. “Fine. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Okay.”

I vibrated in place, waiting for the walk sign at the crosswalk, then hurried across. I’d parked toward the back of the lot, away from most of the streetlights, so there wasn’t the best illumination back here. Still, enough light to see by, and I could see that Zar was good to his word. He was leaning against my car, legs crossed at the ankles, as if he had all the time in the world. That look was back on his face, too, the one that said he was hiding something from me. His eyes locked on me as I stalked over. 

“What the hell was that?” I demanded, coming in close enough to slam my portfolio on the trunk. 

“Me checking on you.”

“The hell it was. I realize it looked like a date at first glance, but I have never asked you to pull me out of a date with a man. It’s only when my mother tricks me that I call you in! So, I repeat, what the hell was that? You were acting jealous and possessive, like I was cheating on you. Even Wesley picked up on it, and he doesn’t know you at all.”

Zar stopped leaning against the car, turning to face me dead-on. “Maybe I was. Maybe I was feeling jealous and possessive.”

I had no words for a second. What the hell? Since when did my straight best friend care if I was on a date with a man? 

“Zar, I’m seriously lost here. What? What are you even thinking?”

“I think I’ve been fucking blind. I think I’ve ignored or found reasons for things that I shouldn’t have.”

“If you’re trying to be cryptic, congrats, you’ve succeeded. Now start making sense.” 

“I’m attracted to you, Ash.”

I stared at him, waiting for the words to make sense. They didn’t. I had literally been naked in front of this man several times and he’d never batted an eye, and now suddenly things had changed? The fuck?

“You don’t believe me,” Zar said with resignation. 

“Uh…no?” I kept staring at him, not sure where this was coming from. Or how I felt about this sudden declaration out of the blue. “No, I don’t. When the hell did you decide this?”

“Saturday made it clear to me.”

“Okay, no, Saturday was just us playing at being lovers—”

“Yeah, and that playing brought feelings out in me I didn’t realize were there. Ash, you have no idea how many times I almost kissed you.”

Ever get so startled you feel unbalanced, enough that you almost fall even though you’re standing still? Yeah. Me in that moment. “I’m sorry, what?!”

“Surprised the hell out of me too. I’ve thought about it, slept on it…hasn’t changed the realization any. I want you, Asher.” 

I’ve read the entire Scales ‘N’ Spells series this author wrote with Jocelynn Drake, and loved it, seriously just loved it. (If you haven’t read this series, go now…even if you don’t “do” dragons…worth all of it!) That being said, I really had no idea this author wrote contemporary too. But the blurb drew me in, and I didn’t want to put it down.

First, Ash and Zar…so dang cute! They honestly loved each other, before they were in love with each other. They were affectionate, touchy-feely, Zar was constantly bringing Ash lunch, or calling him in the morning. The only thing they didn’t do was actually have sex. Which is what the entire town knew…hence the board in the diner…just wait. 🙂 Zar had spent all their lives defending Ash, being there whenever he needed him, and never realized he wasn’t straight, but actually in love with  his best friend.

Zar, when he realized, he was all in, no question. Ash, on the other hand, took a bit of convincing. (BTW, him demanding that Zar come over at 6pm made me laugh so hard.) Ash didn’t think Zar could all of a sudden want him, without any sort of thoughts about it before the photoshoot, with the girls who just wanted a new model for their books.

Once Ash was convinced, the two were just even more sweet, and sexy. Everyone around them were all in, as well, except for Ash’s family, who were horrible people, and deserved more than they got as punishment for their awfulness.

One thing that I really liked, because it absolutely is a conversation that would be had was about how to define Zar’s sexuality. He didn’t know how to define it because Ash was the only man he’d ever wanted. So, it was just left as they were in a relationship, and no label. I loved that! There wasn’t a need to have Zar define himself.

This book had lots of laughs. The text group between the four partners of the renovation company made me laugh several times.

Gage: Guys, help. I’m having creation ideas above my skill level

Asher: Pfft that’s nothing, I have creation ideas above my motivation level

Cohen: I have them above my free time level

Riggs: I’m suddenly glad I’m not the creative type

Asher: Bragging is unbecoming

The four partners in this company clearly had a lot of love and respect for each other, despite their many differences, and it was hilarious to watch. I cannot wait to read the next book (I’m guessing Cohen).

Oh, and BFG…we all need a BFG.

Really enjoyed this one.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She’s often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
 
She currently resides in Michigan with aforementioned cats and dogs.

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Dirty Work (Book One of the Dirty Deeds series) by TA Moore: Blog Tour, Exclusive Author Guest Post with Short Story and Giveaway

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I’m so very excited to once again have TA Moore with us giving us a little prelude to her newest book series, Dirty Deeds. She’s bringing us Chapter 3 in the short story prequel. Make sure you check out all the blog posts in the series, and enter the giveaway!

Crime Scene Cleaner [kraɪm siːnˈkliːnə] – Cleans up crime scenes…before the cops know there is one.

People always say ‘you can’t go home again’. It turns out that doesn’t count as a guarantee…especially not during a global pandemic.

After the jobs in LA started to dry up, crime scene cleaner Grade Pulaski was forced to pack up and move home. He loves his family, but the last thing he ever wanted was to face the ghosts he’d left back in Sweeny, Kentucky.

Also, the place just sucks.

He certainly isn’t going to stay any longer than necessary. The plan is to save up enough money to move back to LA and give his business a kick-start. The problem is that, as previously mentioned, Sweeny’s a hole and the locals are anything but professional.

Now a body has gone missing, Grade’s reputation is being held hostage, and people keep asking whether his Dad really did run off with 100 grand of meth in the back of Dodge. Plus, even though you shouldn’t sleep with your employers, crime lord Clay Traynor is exactly the sort of bad idea that Grade can’t resist. Tattooed, bad news, and dangerous.

…oh, yeah. Grade’s job is to clean up the crime scene before the cops know someone’s dead. That’s why he needs to sort this out before he gets a bad review on dark net Yelp.

Title: Dirty Work (Book One of the Dirty Deeds series)

Author: TA Moore

Publisher: Rogue Firebird Press

Release: March 4

Amazon

 

Thanks for letting me pop in to talk about my latest book, Dirty Work, which comes out on March 4. This is the first book in the Dirty Deeds trilogy and I had a lot of fun with it! It’s available online – https://books2read.com/Dirty-Work-Dirty-Deeds-Book-1 – and I hope you like it! I had a lot of fun writing it!

I also hope you enjoy ‘Clean Hands’ a short story prequel to the series.

Clean Hands – Chapter Three

“Do you want some jerky?” Shannon asked. They held up the vacuum packed baggie of meat and cocked their head to the side expectantly. “Original or spicy?”

“Neither,” Grade said.

“Well, I’m hungry,” Shannon said snottily. “And I’m getting the spicy.”

“Get the original,” Grade told them. “It’ll sting less when you puke it back up later.”

Shannon pulled a narked face and ripped the packaging open with their teeth. They gnawed on a long strip of it resentfully as they shuffled along behind Grade. The smacking wore on Grade’s last nerve, but he tried to ignore it as he navigated his way around the angles of the two shitty security cameras.

Back home Grade would have gone to the hunting goods store, or the gas station off the Wildcat Highway that stocked everything a hunter might have forgotten to pack for a month in the woods: MREs, ammo (you’d be surprised), and porn magazines. LA’s economy wasn’t quite so dependent on providing every convenience for someone while they shot shit in the woods.

So the local restaurant supply store it was. Lucky enough Shannon worked part-time on a couple of local food trucks, so they had a membership card to the Depot.

Grade had subbed out tarps for a couple of rolls of heavy duty black plastic bags, but he’d actually managed to get almost everything else he needed. Bone saw, pruning shears, a meat tenderizer, and now he just needed…

“Do they have cleaning supplies?” he asked.

Shannon swallowed the mouthful of chewed meat. They nodded and pointed to the far corner. “Yeah,” they said. “Over there.”

The wheel of the trolley squeaked, repetitive and annoying, as they headed that way. Grade kept his head down.

“It wasn’t our fault,” Shannon said.

“Yeah,” Grade said. “I don’t care.”

Shannon was silent for all of two seconds before they blurted out. “It wasn’t my fault.”

Grade stopped in front of the rack of cleaning supplies to look them over. He grabbed a bucket. That hadn’t been on his list, but now that he thought about it he didn’t think he’d ever seen a bucket at the house so better safe than sorry. Once that was in trolley he added two massive bottles of bleach and one of Ice Machine sanitizer, because it sounded particularly clean.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Grade said. “I just still don’t care, and I definitely don’t want to talk about it in the middle of a store. Either shut up and live with it, or get a therapist. Leave me out of it. Got it?”

Shannon looked nonplussed. They fidgeted with the torn bag of jerky as they headed for the tills.

“Shit,” they muttered suddenly. “Are we going to look like a serial killer or something? Should we throw in, like…”

They cast around in a panic and grabbed a catering pack of toilet paper rolls off a shelf. Blunt, painted nails dug into the plastic and dimpled the paper below as they held it up expectantly for Grade.

“Then we’ll look like serial killers with the shits,” Grade said. “Put it back. It’s past one am. You think whoever caught the night shift in here cares what the hell we buy? They want to go home tonight, not deal with the cops. Let them have that.”

Shannon stared at Grade over the top of the pack. “We might be out,” they said.

“Then use your hand,” Grade snapped. “Put it back.”

He didn’t bother to wait to see if Shannon did as they were told. The back of his neck itched persistently as he got to the till and started to move everything onto the belt. The tired looking girl behind the register didn’t even bother to look as she scanned things through. Grade watched the total on the register go up with each purchase and his chest tightened uncomfortably as he did the math in his head. It wouldn’t leave him broke, but his safety margin would be down to fifty quid and sleeping in bus stations on his way back to Sweeny.

Shannon wouldn’t have it. They spent money like they were allergic to it. They probably didn’t have enough in the bank for the now empty bag of jerky that was sheepishly added to the end of the belt.

Grade didn’t even bother to ask. He just paid in cash, took his receipt, and headed to the car.

“That bone saw was 80 bucks,” Shannon said, his voice thinned to a squeak from the shock of it. “Couldn’t you have got a cheaper one?”

“Don’t skimp on your tools,” Grade said. “That’s what my mom taught me.”

“Usually that’s a dad thing to say,” Shannon said with a nervous chuckle. “You know, dad wisdom is always about cars and shit.”

“Yeah,” Grade said. “Well, mine’s dead.”

That shut Shannon up. It wouldn’t last, but Grade leaned into it while it did. He needed to focus on not thinking about what he was about to do. There was only so much disassociation could do for you, he didn’t think it was a good time to test it. They packed their haul into the back of the car in silence.

“Shit,” Shannon said abruptly as they froze in place, the only thing moving their lips and the nervous twitch at the corner of their eye. “It’s the cops.”

The police cruiser turned into the parking lot and rolled slowly along as the cops inside checked the shop fronts and alleys.

“Yeah,” Grade said. “It is.”

Shannon stank of spicy jerky and the sudden hit of sweaty, panicked adrenaline. They licked their lower lip and shifted their weight as they glanced toward the road. Grade could feel the tension as Shannon got ready to do something stupid.

“Calm down,” he said. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

Shannon gave him a panicked, disbelieving look and leaned in close. “Are you fucking kidding?” he hissed. “There’s a dead drug dealer in the garage, and we’re going to…going to get rid of him.”

Nope. Apparently disassociation was still going strong. Grade calmly tossed the black plastic bags into the back of the car.

“Yeah, but right now we’re just putting stuff in the car,” he said. “Nothing illegal about that.”

Tour:

4th March – mmromancereviewed

7th March – Reading Reality

9th March – Two Chicks Obsessed

10th March – Boy Meets Boy

11th March – Love Bytes Reviews

TA Moore is a Northern Irish writer of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance novels. A childhood in a rural, seaside town fostered in her a suspicious nature, a love of mystery, and a streak of black humour a mile wide. As her grandmother always said, ‘she’d laugh at a bad thing that one’, mind you, that was the pot calling the kettle black. TA Moore studied History, Irish mythology, English at University, mostly because she has always loved a good story. She has worked as a journalist, a finance manager, and in the arts sectors before she finally gave in to a lifelong desire to write.

Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.

Website: www.tamoorewrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TAMoorewrites/

Twitter: @tamoorewrites

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