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Relay by Layla Reyne: Blog Tour, Exclusive Guest Post, Review and Giveaway

January 8, 2018 by Denise

Welcome to the RELAY Blog Tour, presented by Layla Reyne and Riptide Publishing! RELAY, by Layla Reyne, is Book 1 of the Changing Lanes sports romance series featuring Olympic swimmers. RELAY is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance between Alex, the team captain, and his closeted ex, Dane, swimming’s biggest star. Read on to learn more about RELAY, Changing Lanes, and Layla Reyne!

Captain is not a title Alejandro “Alex” Cantu takes lightly. Elected by his teammates to helm the US Men’s Swim Team, he proudly accepts the role, despite juggling endless training, team administrative work, and helping out on the family farm. And despite his ex-lover, Dane Ellis—swimming’s biggest star—also making the Olympic Team.

Dane has been a pawn in his celebrity parents’ empire from crib to pool, flashing his camera-ready smile on demand and staying deeply in the closet. Only once did he drop the act—the summer he fell in love with Alex. Ten years later, Dane longs to cut his parents’ strings, drop his too-bright smile, and beg Alex for another chance.

Alex, though, isn’t ready to forgive and forget, and Dane is a distraction he doesn’t need on his team, until an injury forces Alex to accept Dane as his medley relay anchor. Working together, their passion reignites. When Dane’s parents threaten reprisal and Alex is accused of doping, the two must risk everything to prove Alex’s innocence, to love one another, and to win back their spots on the team, together.

Researching for Olympic Swimming

Relay and Medley are contemporary sports romances featuring Olympic swimmers as they train for and compete in the Olympics. Relay’s Alex and Dane, and Medley’s Bas and Jacob, make-up the four-man medley-relay squad for USA Swimming.

While the Olympics are broadcast and we see what goes on at the meet portion of the event, training leading up to it isn’t as much of an open book. In researching and drafting Relay, which is focused more heavily on the training portion of Olympic competition, I gathered what information I could about past Olympic “training camps.” The teams do have domestic and international training camps, which are increasingly covered and attended by the media and fans. There are pictures, for instance, from the past camps that were very helpful in describing facilities and setting the scene.

As for what actually goes on at training camp, practice regimens, etc., that sort of information is not as widely available, so yes, some creative license had to be taken. That said, I have a number of friends who swam at the collegiate level, and I peppered them with questions—from diet, to pool versus dryland training, to swimwear and terminology. They were an invaluable resource to helping me get the details as close as I could.

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Riptide Publishing

About Changing Lanes

A chance at gold or a chance at love? Members of the US Men’s Swim Team fight for both in this sports romance duology following two couples on one medley relay team as they train and compete in the world’s biggest sporting event: the Olympics. To reach the top of the podium, they’ll need to depend on one another and be willing to change lanes—in their lives and hearts, and in the biggest race of their athletic careers.

Check out Changing Lanes!

Anything Olympics related, especially swimming and gymnastics (anyone on that one???) and I will snap it up right away, without question. So when I saw this up for preorder, it was with grabby hands that I requested this one, and I was not disappointed. The author did a fantastic job with this story.

It has to be difficult to write about an area of sports that is only really seen by the public every four years, but well done by the author to connect with those that have an inside track into how that world works.

Alex and Dane certainly had their work cut out for them to come back together. Lovers at 16, then Dane turned his back when his parents said he had to leave. The anger and hatred that burned between them was palpable from the first day they were back in each other’s orbits. With Alex as captain, he was able to make decisions, along with the coach, who would swim what group events, and he didn’t hesitate to use that power to push Dane to the side, even knowing there was a chance it could affect the team’s chances of bringing home gold. In the end, the choice was taken away from him, once their anger was so out of control, it affected the entire team.

It took time for Alex to come to terms with where Dane was at in his life that he would walk away from what was clearly love, and even when he began to, Dane found a way to make it worse, allowing Alex’s belief in him to falter, because he knew there would be no way he could save him otherwise.

They worked together to overcome the outside forces that worked against them as individuals and a couple, even overcoming a small twist I didn’t see coming.

I do like a book that doesn’t tie everything up neatly, 100%. That to me is real life. There were several unanswered questions, along with people who definitely needed more of a comeuppance, but that is how real life is sometimes. Not all the questions are answered, and not everything ties up in a neat little bow. And that works just fine for me.

These two got their HEA, and the reader gets a glimpse of the next book, and even through how the secondary characters react, what their issues will be. I’m looking forward to it.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bicoastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.

Social Media:

Website: http://laylareyne.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/laylareyne

FB Profile: www.facebook.com/laylareynebooks

FB Fan Page: www.facebook.com/laylareyne

FB Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/216903272072959/

Tumblr: laylareyne.tumblr.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/laylareyne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/laylareyne

Amazon: amazon.com/author/laylareyne

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bN9ncH

To celebrate the release of Relay, one lucky winner will receive a signed paperback copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 13, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Reckless Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z: Release Day Review, Blog Tour and Giveaway

January 1, 2018 by Denise

After too many years of putting his job first, Detective Andreas Ruffner is getting his priorities straight. He’s ready to spend some quality time with his adult kids, not to mention come clean about some things he should’ve told them a long time ago. And introduce them to his partner and boyfriend, Darren Corliss.

But in a heartbeat, a family dinner turns into Andreas’s worst nightmare. When the dust settles, one of his kids is hurt, and the other three have been abducted.

Andreas is going to find his kids, and nothing, not even a broken ankle, is going to stop him. Thank God for his sharp, level-headed partner . . . who has a crisis of his own pulling him away when Andreas needs him the most. As both men try to support—and lean on—each other, they get no closer to finding the kids. And the longer the children are missing, the less likely it is they’ll ever be found.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

Sometimes, you sit down to read and want a wildly passionate, steamy story about two men falling in love. Other times, you need something… more. And that’s what you’ll get with the entire Bad Behavior series from LA Witt and Cari Z. Somehow, I’d completely missed the second book in the series, but that didn’t stop me from clutching Reckless Behavior, book three, in my greedy little hands as soon as possible.

I absolutely loved Andreas and Darren when I read Risky Behavior. They didn’t meet, fall in love, face issues, and live happily ever after. That’d be far too sweet for an ass like Andreas (and I mean that in the best possible way). He didn’t want Darren as a partner. Didn’t like knowing why Darren was there, but something made the rookie detective impossible to resist.

A lot of times, I get bored by series that continue with the same main characters. Once I’m certain they’re stable in their relationship and are going to make it through whatever comes after the end, it’s hard to keep my attention. Andreas and Darren are an excellent departure from this issue.

There’s so much I can’t say about Reckless Behavior because it’ll either spoil this book or the books before, but basically, it comes down to people holding grudges over that first big case, determined to teach Andreas a lesson. Again, it could’ve turned incredibly cliche, but the writing talents of this duo kept me turning from one page to the next until… I’m not going to admit how late it was when I finished and went to sleep. I’m a responsible adult who would never stay up until nearly sunrise in thedead of winter, all because she needed to make sure the couple was going to be okay. That everyone was going to be okay.

I can’t wait to see what comes next for Andreas and Darren. They’re one of my favorite couples of 2017!

5 pieces of candy (preferably the peppermint butter mints, because YUM)

About the Bad Behavior Series

It’s “hell no” at first sight for newly partnered detectives Andreas Ruffner and Darren Corliss. Darren is too chipper, Andreas is too gruff, and that whole “IA wants me to prove you’re a dirty cop” thing really doesn’t get them off on the right foot.

It doesn’t matter if they like each other. They’re partners and that’s final. Though Andreas is easy on the eyes. And Darren is kind of cute. And . . . okay, maybe they can make this work.

They’d better, because as their cases get more horrifying—and more personal—they’ll have to trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts.

Check out Bad Behavior!

About Cari Z

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at http://cari-z.net/ or via her blog, http://carizerotica.blogspot.com/

About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . .

L.A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

To celebrate the release of Reckless Behavior, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice in an ebook from each of Cari and L.A.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 6, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Piece Of Ourselves by Tray Ellis: Anthology Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

December 23, 2017 by Denise

Traditional Winter Holidays can be tough for a variety of reasons—family pressures, finding the right gift, homesick longing, and haunting memories to name a few. This collection showcases eleven queer short stories, from tender contemporaries to sweet paranormal to far-flung space tales, all designed to make you want to reach for your hot cocoa and your favorite snuggly spot. Come join us for A Holiday To Remember.

Authors: Various – See the individual book blurbs below

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books

Release Date: Varies – See the individual book blurbs below

Format: eBook short stories

Price: .99-2.99

Story Type: Novel

Word Count: 6-17k each

Cover Artists: Catherine Dair, Freddy MacKay

Genre: Contemporary, Holiday, Science Fiction, Paranormal

Pairing: M/M, M/NB, F/F (varies)

Tropes: Holiday

Keywords/Categories: gay, transgender, non-binary, asexual, lesbian, bisexual

Collection Name: A Holiday to Remember

A Piece Of Ourselves

Tray Ellis

12/23/2017

Balancing holidays between two families can make cheerful celebrations into chores. Carson Benedetti’s mom has overscheduled the Christmas holidays and she’s more than insistent that boyfriend Tynan Harris come into the family fold. There’s so much to do Tynan can’t find time to bring Carson over to his own family and he feels like they are being left in the dust.

After dating for nine months, and with their relationship becoming more serious, Tynan’s patience is sorely tested by the multitude of Benedetti family traditions keeping them busy. Tynan needs to figure out how to find some breathing room, split their time more fairly, and make Christmas more than just tradition by rote.

Mischief Corner Books

Amazon

Books 2 Read

iTunes

Tynan Harris realized there would be a serious problem concerning Christmas scheduling as he tipped down the gravy boat during Thanksgiving dinner and Carson’s mom casually mentioned attending midnight mass.

“Wait,” Tynan said. “What?”

Carson’s mom, Dodie, frowned at him. She had a round, chubby face that was usually full of smiles but at the moment looked particularly perplexed. “You really like gravy, don’t you?”

Tynan looked down and realized he’d poured an overly thick puddle of gravy all over his potatoes. The gravy ran in rivulets down the potato mountain to leak in-between the green beans, like a marshy flood in spring. He liked gravy, but he’d emptied half the gravy boat’s contents onto his plate. Eating all of it would be a bit much. Throwing it out after taking it would be worse. One option made him look like a glutton and the other like a wasteful fool.

Tynan wanted to stay in Carson’s family’s good graces. They’d been dating for nine months and things were getting serious. He’d met Dodie and Henry Benedetti, Carson’s father, during the summer at a few barbeques and it had taken all summer for them to warm to him. This was the first meal they hadn’t been politely reserved with Tynan and had actually opened up and joked around a little.

“Your gravy is so good. I can’t help myself,” Tynan said. He would eat every last damn drop of gravy if he had to sop it up with half a loaf of bread to do it. Or spoon it straight into his mouth. Overenthusiastic sounded like a better label than glutton and Tynan would do his best to sell it hard.

“Well, bless your heart,” said Dodie. Tynan couldn’t tell if the smile she flashed at him was sincere or fake.

Tynan set the nearly empty gravy bowl down on the table. “I didn’t quite hear what you’d said about Christmas?” He made the statement into a question at the end.

Across the table, Carson looked like he wanted to slither down in his seat and hide beneath the tablecloth. Carson’s right eyebrow noticeably twitched and he pressed a forefinger on it for a moment.

“Oh, that’s right,” said Dodie. “You haven’t done a Christmas as part of the family yet. We have the most wonderful traditions.” Her smile grew truly genuine. “The first two weekends after Thanksgiving are dedicated to cookie making. I freeze them so they’ll stay fresh until the cookie swaps. There’s a community singers concert on one of the weekends. My sister is a soprano in the group and I always make sure we go to support her. The weekend after that we all take a trip to the tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree and we stay up late into the night to decorate it. I make real hot chocolate on the stove and serve lemon meringue pie.”

“It’s the only time of the year I get lemon meringue,” Henry added, sounding a little bitter about the lack of pie throughout the rest of the calendar. “My favorite pie and I get it once a year.”

“I don’t buy store-made. I make it from scratch,” Dodie said. “It’s one of those fussy pies. Besides, nobody makes them in the summer. The meringue won’t set when it’s humid. I’ve told you that, dear.”

“Hnnh,” said Henry. It almost sounded noncommittal, but contained an edge of dissatisfaction. “Winter lasts longer than a month. Doesn’t get humid until April.”

Tray Ellis grew up across from an empty field, where she spun a lot of imaginary adventures, helping to prepare her for a lifetime of writing. When she isn’t writing, she stays active by hiking, cooking, stacking the odd cord of wood in the shed, baking, and being too busy to keep her home in any semblance of order. Currently she tries to find a balance between the logical way she thinks and the flights of fancy she often daydreams about. Mostly, the daydreams are winning.

For more information about Tray, please visit:

Website: https://trayellis.dreamwidth.org

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6564767.Tray_Ellis

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12 Days of Kissmas N.R. Walker: Exclusive Guest Post and Giveaway

December 23, 2017 by Denise

The last day of 12 Days of Kissmas is here! How did that happen so fast? Our final author this holiday season, N.R. Walker, is one of the most generous people…as you will see with her post. She is giving and caring, and passionate about the LGBTQIA+ Community. Not just her readers, but those that may never see her name in print. Check out her post, and check out the organizations she supports. She has a generous giveaway for you, too! A HUGE welcome to N.R. Walker!!! (And a hearty thank you to all the authors and readers for supporting this fun holiday event we do!)

I cannot believe it is this time of year again!

December has been a crazy-busy month for me. I’ve had two new releases, one re-release, and one translation that will be out on Christmas Day!

The holiday season is always a double-edged sword, and if I’m being completely honest, it’s not something I personally enjoy. Families are such a complex dynamic, aren’t they?

But for most, Christmas, Hanukkah, and the holidays is a wonderful time. Many people celebrate with families, eat too much food, give and receive lovely gifts, and feel very loved.

Some people aren’t so lucky. Some people don’t get gifts, don’t have special dinners, and they don’t have family. Some people are disowned and shunned, simply because of who they fall in love with.

It’s important to remember as we read LGBTQIA+ books, and we swoon over cute pictures of kisses, that there are serious hardships, especially at this time of year.

I don’t want to be a downer on your Christmas mood, but in the spirit of Christmas, this is the perfect time of year to think of others. And if you can, give a little something for those who aren’t so lucky.

Some wonderful organisations you can help:

Trevor Project

One n Ten

SAGE (for our LGBT elders)

It Gets Better

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

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

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

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

She’s been writing ever since…

For more info on N.R. Walker, you can find her at:

Email: nrwalker@nrwalker.net

I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner, and another lucky winner will receive their choice of ebook from my backlist (any title). And in honour of this post, I’ll be donating $25 to TwentyTen, an LGBTQIA+ support centre in my state here in Australia, and $25 to ACON, an organisation specialising in LGBTQIA+ health, also in NSW.
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Color of You by C.S. Poe: Exclusive Guest Post, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

December 22, 2017 by Denise

Bowen Merlin—yes, that’s his real name—accepts a position in the quaint town of Lancaster, New Hampshire, as the high school band director. He leaves New York City for the snowy countryside of New England just in time for the holidays. With class, homework, after-school activities, and a surprise Christmas concert to plan and rehearse, Bowen is plenty busy. And since he’s never had much luck with romance, factoring in time to find Mr. Right isn’t a priority….

Until he meets the proprietor of Snowy Ridge Apple Orchard, Felix Hansen. Suddenly, true love seems like a possibility for the first time in Bowen’s life. The two are a perfect match and fill the skipped beats of each other’s hearts. But as wonderful as Felix seems, he’s harboring scars that could end their budding relationship when someone in town goes to great lengths to sabotage their careers.

If Bowen is to survive the holidays, he’ll need to lean on old friends and new, convince Felix he’s worth any hardship, and prove they can come out of the catastrophe stronger if they do so together.

Hello, everyone! I’m C.S. Poe, and welcome to the final stop on the Color of You blog tour, here at Two Chicks Obsessed. We’re only a few days away from Christmas and the release of my first novel-length contemporary romance. I’m so excited, and I really hope you all enjoy Color of You.

I’m happy to introduce you to the main characters at each stop of the tour, and be sure to check out the unique giveaway at the end!

Name: Stephen Kelly

Nickname: n/a

From: Boston, Massachusetts

Current location: Lancaster, New Hampshire

Age: 45

Hair: White with hints of black

Occupation: High school accounting teacher

Hobbies: Reading

Favorite holiday: Valentine’s Day

Favorite piece of clothing: Socks

Summer or winter: Winter

Coffee or tea: Coffee

“I can’t wait to:” Meet someone

Interesting fact: Has always wanted a Dalmatian

Quote: ‘Never order the turkey, meatloaf, or chili.’

“Bowen,” he repeated. “I’m Stephen Kelly. Accounting and school newspaper advisor.”

Stephen had a pleasant green voice and a sort of Anderson Cooper thing going on. Nice. And definitely why I’d caught a passing group of girls staring.

“Not me,” he stated.

“Huh?” Stephen smiled and nodded at the girls after they put some distance between us. “A young, cute, new teacher. They were staring at you.” He held out a hand. “Can I carry those for you? I’ll walk you to the music room.”

“Thank you,” I said, offering Stephen the folders before collecting my instrument case and following.

“I used to get those dreamy looks from students…. You know, twenty years ago.” Stephen gave me a wink.

I laughed but felt my cheeks getting warm and hoped I wasn’t blotchy. “Ha-ha… well, I’m definitely not looking to relive acne, long division, and learner’s permits. Nothing is more attractive to me than maturity.”

Stephen chuckled. “Mortgages and worrying when that thin spot will suddenly become a bald spot.”

I stood on my toes to inspect Stephen’s hair. “Nah. Looks full to me.”

He grinned, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Better watch it, Mr. Merlin, or you’ll have more than just fantasizing sixteen-year-old girls hanging around outside your classroom.”

If you read the tagline for C.S. Poe, it is “Murder. Romance. And the bizarre.” And she never fails to slip something bizarre into her books. In this, a contemporary romance, one of the MC’s has a condition that I had never heard of, likely most people have not, synesthesia. For Bowen, that means sound to color synesthesia. He SEES sounds as color. I’d say that qualifies as a bit bizarre. But he is also an incredibly caring and (as this author always seems to do) entirely unique character. And I loved him. I loved all of the characters! Well, except… 😉

Anyway, the sweetness of this is offset by a dynamic that shows the reader that looks can be deceiving, and stereotypes are often miscalculated. And can bring some hotness and fun to your screen! J One of the best moments was with Felix’s son, Alan, as they went to cut down a Christmas tree for Bowen.

“Closer. On your knees,” Felix said.

“Hey.” I looked at him. “I say that.”…

“I can hear you,” Alan stated from nearby.

“Pretend you didn’t,” I called back.

I laughed so hard at that little scene. It showed that Bowen was never afraid to be himself, even at the discomfort of his boyfriend’s teenaged son.

As always, C.S. Poe brings intrigue, humor, sexy scenes and such clear descriptions that I felt like I could understand what it was like to have synesthesia. The characters were wonderfully drawn and clearly, undeniably themselves. And take a good hard look at that beautiful cover, it is so appropriate for this book. It tied it all in together. What a joy to read!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Tour:

12/18 – Bayou Book Junkie

12/19 – Open Skye Book Reviews

12/20 – Sinfully Gay Romance

12/21 – Love Bytes Reviews

12/22 – Two Chicks Obsessed

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Barnes & Noble

GooglePlay

iTunes

Kobo

Goodreads

C.S. Poe is an author of gay mystery, romance, and paranormal books.

She is a reluctant mover and has called many places home in her lifetime. C.S. has lived in New York City, Key West, and Ibaraki, Japan, to name a few. She misses the cleanliness, convenience, and limited-edition gachapon of Japan, but she was never very good at riding bikes to get around.

She has an affinity for all things cute and colorful and a major weakness for toys. C.S. is an avid fan of coffee, reading, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best on a daily basis to sidetrack her from work.

C.S. is a member of the International Thriller Writers organization.

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12 Days of Kissmas Victoria Sue: Exclusive Excerpt, Guest Post and Giveaway

December 20, 2017 by Denise

The author for day 9 of 12 Days of Kissmas is Victoria Sue, and she brought the cutest darn picture!!! Victoria stops by once a month for a guest blog, and always brings the most fun stuff, so make sure you check it out. In the meantime, her first contemporary m/m comes out in February…and I don’t think anyone is randomly preggers. lol You never know with her books. 😉 Check out the awesome excerpt, and don’t forget to enter ALL the giveaways, there are still quite a few open. 🙂

In February I’m releasing a new series called Rainbow Key. The stories take place on a fictitious island off the west coast of Florida – think white sandy beaches, blue sparkling ocean, swaying palm trees. Paradise.

Except nothing is ever that simple, right? Poor Joshua can’t even pay the electric bill because the hotel’s out of money, has barely any paying guests, and he’s rapidly running out of options.

In steps Daniel – owner of a multi-national hotel chain, and obviously that isn’t as simple as it sounds either.

Here’s an exclusive excerpt:

He looks tired. Josh stood for a second and took in their new guest. Even standing with his back to him, Josh could see the tall, big shoulders that seemed to be hunched in and noticed he was leaning on the window frame as he looked out. His shirt was tucked into a narrow waist. Too narrow. The pants were being held up by a belt that was cinched in so much he would imagine the expensive tailor that had made the obviously hand-made Italian suit—Armani, if he wasn’t much mistaken—would be weeping into his chianti. Daniel Morgan was something important in New York. A high flyer of sorts. Josh didn’t know in what exactly, but it hardly mattered to him. The money he could get from this would finally get a new compressor for the A/C. Angie had been keeping the thing going on sticky tape and optimism for months and if they were going to have a proper season next year they would need it.

If we are still open.

Matt had collected their guest and a small suitcase. Angie said he hadn’t said much, but then Matt, complete with his inked skin and piercings, had probably scared the guy to death. He’d caught a glimpse of their new guest as he’d walked up from the jetty with Matt. He’d worn a jacket on the crossing that was casually slung over the chair now. November—even in Florida—had been quite cool. His jet black hair was tinged with a few silver streaks.

“I have your coffee, sir,” Josh spoke before the man turned around and saw him gawking. As predicted, Mr. Morgan turned and eyed Josh, smiling politely.

“Thank you.”

Wow. Josh gave himself a mental shake. Deer in headlights much? The brief glimpse of a few minutes ago had in no way prepared him for the gray, almost silver eyes looking at him and the killer smile.

Josh hurried into the cozy room, to cover his seeming inability to think of anything intelligent to say. The phrase, How are you? Welcome to Rainbow Key suddenly seemed crass and immature. At least the newly finished décor looked good, and he was especially pleased with how the painting had turned out. Pale cream walls except the one with the beach mural on it. Charlie was talented, and the full wall showing the breathtaking sunrise beyond the jetty was awesome. They’d finished the room off with pale brown shutters and matching comforter. Some dark chocolate-colored throw cushions completed the look. He’d gone for soothing in this room but they’d already started on the family suite at the top of the stairs, and Charlie was excited at doing a children’s mural in there.

Josh took a breath, realizing he was staring. “The cookies are walnut and banana. Fresh this morning.”

Mr. Morgan looked down at them as if he wasn’t sure what Josh meant, and Josh suddenly felt like an ass. The man was probably used to staying at The Four Seasons, and here he was blathering on about home-made cookies. He’d baked like a mad man after getting the phone call yesterday from Alan Hunt. He was sending a patient, a businessman overloaded with stress and in need of some down time to relax. Alan had also insisted on paying for four weeks upfront himself, and not to tell Mr. Morgan. Actually, Alan had referred to him as Daniel, but obviously Josh couldn’t be that unprofessional.

Mr. Morgan came over to the comfy two-seater that Josh had found in an estate sale in Tampa and sank down gratefully. Well, he seemed to appreciate the softness, anyway. Josh’s keen eyes took in the slight tremble as he reached for the coffee cup. Josh hoped he didn’t notice it was decaf. Alan had been quite strict about his patient’s caffeine intake.

“I don’t seem to be able to get Wi-Fi.”

Josh pinked slightly and noticed the expensive laptop unpacked on the bed. That makes two of us. It had been a choice between paying the electricity bill and paying for broadband. The electricity obviously had won over. “My apologies, sir. I believe Dr. Hunt explained we were doing some remodeling? We won’t have any service until next week.” Josh crossed his fingers behind his back and pretended he didn’t see the frown that marred the gorgeous gold skin under the black hair.

Josh quickly put a brake on his thoughts immediately. Thoughts like that were what had got him into trouble, and there was no way he was putting himself there again. Even if he was ever ready there was no way some good-looking business man would be interested in the likes of him. “There’s a lovely walk to the beach, sir, if you’re in the mood; or if you wanted a nap I’d make sure you weren’t disturbed until lunchtime.” Josh nearly groaned aloud at that one. Now he sounded like May-belle.

But Mr. Morgan laughed shortly. “I must look worse than I thought.” He glanced up at Josh and smiled. “Mister?”

Josh tried not to stare, but fuck when the man smiled he went from attractive to drop dead please take me to bed. Josh knew he looked stupid, but he couldn’t help grinning back. “Please call me Josh.” Please undress me and let me lick you all over.

What the hell? Josh put a break on his errant thoughts. Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the company of his own hand. Maybe it was knowing he was safe in his daydreams because no man that looked that hot would ever be interested in Joshua.

And maybe, let’s face it, you would be too chicken even if the stars somehow realigned and he was interested. No, Joshua told himself sternly. Good-looking—make that stunning—rich business men weren’t interested in fat boys like him. His shoes were probably Gucci. Josh’s were K-Mart.

The man sipped his coffee and leaned back. “Look, its fine. I know I’ve been dumped on you and you’re busy with a remodel. I’m only expecting to be here for a few days, so I’ll keep out of everyone’s way.”

“Oh, no sir,” Josh hastened. “Please don’t think you are an inconvenience. We’re glad to have you; it’s just I’m sure Rainbow Key isn’t the standard you are perhaps used to.” Josh noticed the quick calculating glance he got and wondered what he’d said to put it there.

“Well, I’m here to relax,” and as if he wanted to prove it he reached out for a cookie and took a bite. His eyebrows rose as he swallowed quickly. “Wow, these are so good. My compliments to the chef.”

Josh felt his face heating again. “Thank you, sir.”

“You made them?” Mr. Morgan took another bite.

“Yes, sir,” Josh answered, pleased.

Mr. Morgan swallowed again. “Call me Daniel,” he said, and then looked as surprised at the words he had spoken as Josh was.

Josh smiled and took a backwards step. He knew instantly the offer for Josh to call him by his first name was a spur of the moment comment that Mr. Morgan was immediately regretting. If one thing his previous employment had taught him, it was reading people’s body language. “Lunch will be at one unless you prefer another time, sir. You can either eat downstairs in the greenhouse or up here. Sorry,” Josh added, realizing what he had said. “I mean we have a Florida room overlooking the beach. You could eat there. That’s a conservatory,” he added lamely in case Daniel didn’t know what a Florida room was. May-belle called it the greenhouse.

Daniel was smiling again. His silver flecked eyes seemed to pop when he laughed. Stunning. Realizing that he was in fact staring once again, and calling the man Daniel even in his head wasn’t a good idea, Josh smiled politely and hurried out of the room.

Joshua’s Rainbow will be released in February. For all news, excerpts and regular competitions check out my facebook group – Victoria’s Secrets https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182647028418709/?ref=bookmarks

Thank you and Happy Christmas 😊

Wrote her first book on a dare from her hubby two years ago and he says he has regretted it every day since. Loves writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—especially with either a paranormal or a historical twist. Had a try at writing contemporary but failed spectacularly when it grew four legs and a tail. Loves her wolves!

Is an English northern lass but is currently serving twenty to life in Florida—unfortunately, she spends more time chained to her computer than on a beach.

Loves to hear from her readers and can be found most days lurking on Facebook.

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