giveaway

12 Days of Kissmas: Exclusive Guest Post Susan Mac Nicol, includes Giveaway

December 12, 2017 by Denise

Day 2 in our 12 Days of Kissmas brings us to Susan Mac Nicol, who I have been reading and following since I first started reading m/m romance. Her books always make me cry, tear me apart, and in the end put me back together. One of my favorites is Waiting for Rain…partially because of the farm animals. 😉 And if you get a chance to check out her Men of London series, there are some fantastic books in that series. Sue brought us tons of kisses today! And she has a great giveaway going, so make sure you enter both drawings!

For the Twelve Days of Kissmas, I thought we’d have some fun. I’ve created a kissing quiz to see how good your knowledge is of kisses in films. These are 5 very easy questions, so you should score 100%.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/take-quiz.php?id=1712040834073764&pg&

There’s been a lot written about kisses over the years, from what’s the best way to kiss, what are the different types of kisses and what makes a good kisser. The truth is kissing is subjective, like everything else, and your way of kissing, if it works for you and your partners/s, is your unique way of expressing your love and desire.

Here’s some crazy facts about the art of kissing –

One kiss requires 146 muscles to coordinate, including 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles.

The history of “X” behind XOXO traces back to the Middle Ages. This was because back then, a lot of people couldn’t read or write and used to kiss to seal the deal after making an X on a document as a signature

On July 16, 1439, King Henry VI banned kissing in England. This was to stop the spread of diseases which was rife at the time

French kissers caused commuter headaches. Allegedly, in the early 20^th century, French passengers got too frisky on the trains and often, trains had to be stopped to let the lovers off.

The study of kissing is better known as philematology. Someone who studies kissing holds the title of osculologist.

And now the question you’ve all been dying to ask – why do we kiss people under the mistletoe?

This is one old story of how it came to be. Some historians believe the connection between mistletoe and a kiss comes from ancient Norse mythology. According to happier versions of the legend, Baldur (sometimes spelled Baldr or Balder) was killed by an enemy’s arrow made of mistletoe. His mother, the goddess Frigg, wept tears onto the arrow. Her tears turned into white berries that she placed onto Baldur’s wound, bringing him back to life. Overjoyed, Frigg blessed the mistletoe plant and promised a kiss to all who passed beneath it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post, there’s lots more to read if you move on to the other participants of the 12 Days of Kissmas.

Happy Holidays!!!

Sue writes steamy, sexy and fun contemporary gay romance stories, some suspenseful, some gritty and dark, and others just plain ahhhh….

Lover of angst and conflict, she enjoys putting her characters through the emotional wringer and bringing them out the other side with an HEA or at the very least, a HFN.

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12 Days of Kissmas: Exclusive Guest Post Author C.S. Poe, includes Giveaway

December 11, 2017 by Denise

12 days of kissmas header

TCO is once again bringing back 12 Days of Kissmas, our Second Annual, and do we have some great fun ahead for you all!!!! We had such a great reaction last year, we had to do it again. For anyone new, basically we have authors drop by over the next few weeks, bring a picture of men kissing, and then whatever they want from there. Win-Win! C.S. Poe begins this year’s festivities with her gorgeous picture and post. I discovered her work this year, when I bought the audiobook of The Mystery of Nevermore (which by the way is in KU), and fell in love with Sebastian Snow. I knew I had to beg her (okay, she was kind and generous and I didn’t have to beg…but I would have!!!) to come to 12 Days of Kissmas. And she brought some awesome prizes too! First crack for the Grand Prize Winner at her upcoming book, Southernmost Murder, which doesn’t even hit kindles until January 9th, along with her 2017 Advent Calendar story, New Game, Start (which is sitting on my kindle right now waiting for me to read). Make sure you enter the giveaways each day, for lots of chances to win. And now, it is a happy honor for me to welcome, C.S. Poe!

Hello, everyone! I’m C.S. Poe, kicking off the 12 Days of Kissmas event here at Two Chicks Obsessed!

I really liked the concept of this celebration. Because kisses! Kisses are unique. They come in every shape, size, flavor, and style. So I thought I would gather up a few of my favorite kissing scenes I’ve written and share them with you all. They highlight the entire spectrum of emotion, from the very first touch, finding security in another, to the downright sexy.

Do you have a favorite among these?

–

His lips were soft and gentle. He tasted of the wine from dinner, with the faintest hint of salt from the air. Wesley slipped his tongue into my mouth, and the shock of pleasure was so sudden, I dropped the egg.

Wesley broke away with a start, fumbling and catching it. “Theo!”

“I’m sorry! I’ve never been kissed by a guy! I didn’t know it’d feel that good!” – Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage

Silas pressed a kiss to the back of my head, and I could feel his smile. He moved his hands down my arms and cautiously slid his fingers in between my own. His grip was firm, warm… grounding. – Joy

I thought you couldn’t make it tonight?”

“Want me to go?” he countered.

“Don’t even try.”

Calvin tugged off his coat and hung it up. “How was your day?” he asked, walking across the room toward me. He took my face into his big hands, leaned down, and kissed my mouth.

“Better now,” I murmured, kissing him again. “Catch any bad guys?”

“Sure did.” – The Mystery of the Curiosities

I’d never screamed from a hand job, but I think his neighbors heard me that morning. And after we finished and washed, he smiled, kissed my lips, and made pancakes. – Kneading You

I touched myself just enough to swipe the liquid with my thumb before leaning over and pushing it into Jun’s mouth. He wrapped his lips firmly around it and sucked hard. I’d have never imagined my fingers being an erogenous zone—but that tongue. That tongue. “Sit up,” I ordered. “Kiss me.”

Jun immediately moved, resting on his elbows to meet me as I came down to kiss his mouth. The angle change was just right, and the next movement I made had me crying into the kiss. – Southernmost Murder

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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The Solstice Prince by SJ Himes: Exclusive Guest Post, Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review and Giveaway

December 6, 2017 by Denise

Rescued from slavers, healer novice Jaime Buchanan finds himself alone and free in Pyrderi, a kingdom of magic, mythical creatures, and a culture as open and kind as his homeland was cruel and close-minded.

Despite his rescue, Jaime is not left without scars, both mental and physical. Traumatized by his experience and hiding his gift, Jaime struggles to earn his place in the kitchens of Angharad Palace, the heart of Taliesin City. His former life as a student of the healing arts leaves him at a disadvantage in the kitchens, and his damaged state is becoming more apparent by the day.

One day, when necessity and fate intervene, Jaime meets someone unexpected—Prince Maxim, youngest son of the Pyrderian king, a sword master and a devastatingly kind man. Unaccustomed to powerful people with compassion and heart, Jaime flees. A cascade of events reveals Jaime’s hidden talents of healing, and he finds himself not in chains, but at the beginning of a new life.

This swift change of fortune opens Jaime up to new possibilities, including a smitten prince who cautiously courts Jaime, easing him away from his fears and reminding him that compassion and love can make him strong. The winter solstice is quickly approaching, and Prince Maxim shows Jaime the enjoyment and excitement to be found in a land that embraces the ice and cold, and the mysteries of all things magical. He learns to see the man under the royal mantle, and Maxim is more than even Jaime suspected.

The winter solstice is nigh when tragedy strikes, and Jaime learns that his past of grief and sorrow can be a pillar of strength for his solstice prince. If there is one thing that Jaime believes above all else, it is in the healing power of love.

The Solstice Prince Realms of Love Book #1

SJ Himes

Gay Epic Fantasy Romance

Release Date: November 24th, 2017

Cover Illustration and Design by Sarah Jo Chreene

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

“Once upon a time…” by SJ Himes

A long time ago, longer than this author wants to admit, a young girl was trapped in a life she didn’t quite fit. She found comfort in books, especially fantasy, and the new worlds and environments she encountered soothed the boredom and misplaced feeling she carried around.

As you can guess, that young girl was me. I know, I know! Not all that original a beginning to my tale, but this is kind of a chaotic topic for me as I have no clear answer. What’s the question?

World building and how I do it. Does “I see the story like a movie in my head and just type what happens” count as an answer?

Short answer? I get distracted by the pretty events in my head and they’re Vivid. Read on for the long answer.

I’m a dreamer. The worlds I create are daydreams, a bad habit of youth I’ve turned to a craft. I was always bored in school, and in some classes, so far ahead of my peers that I would be listless and needing an outlet. The only class I got away with reading my personal books in was math—I’d hide the paperback under the math textbook and pretend to be learning something. (I wasn’t, as my grades would attest in that class.) When my teachers eventually noticed, and resorted to searching my bag for a paperback before entering the room, I went back to my old daydreaming habit. I got so good at it that daydreaming, for me, is akin to a meditative state where I can zone out totally—and I mean totally. I won’t hear, see, register anything except what’s going on in my head. Ever get that way when reading a really good book? I get that way when I’m daydreaming.

I began writing at an early age, but in sporadic lengths of time. A few years as a kid, a few years as a teenager, then nothing until I was about 28 years old and life was too damn soulless I went looking for an escape, and fell back into writing. One thing though that remained constant was my love for reading and my propensity for daydreaming. I still do it now, have all my life, I’ll be talking, doing something, whatever, and I’ll get distracted, or have a random thought, and then I’ll have to force myself not to slip into that daydreaming lassitude/fugue state I’d experience as a kid when avoiding life.

One of the ways I’ve turned this escapist habit into world-building is that when I was a kid, I would always rework a daydream or fantasy over and over until it felt ‘right,’ until it gave me the mental and emotional stimulation I was lacking in my real-world environment. Any situation, a phrase, a place, an event, I would replay it mentally over and over in my head until I got what I needed from it. And since my favorite genres as a kid were fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal, that’s what I daydreamed about.

I didn’t realize until I was two books into this new career that my mental habit of reworking daydreams repeatedly was world-building. I just do it from longstanding practice, a bad habit turned into something useful. The downside to this practice of mine is that I forget that what I’m typing isn’t going to be as 3D, as REAL, to the person reading the story as it is for me—they cannot experience it like I do, so I must go back, again and again, and add details. Texture, sounds, smells, physical sensations. The touch of sunlight on skin, the way the leaves of a tree sound in the wind, the scent of cologne. Everything I experience in my head, I must find a way to put on paper. I lose a lot in the translation, and that is my one regret in writing—that no matter how good something looks in a scene I’ve just written, it can never match what’s in my mind.

I guess you can say that is a goal for me. To write a book that matches the dream inside. I have to say that of all my books, The Solstice Prince comes the closest. It is a Love Story, with caps intended. This book is very much a departure for me—I focused as much as I could on the unfolding love, the relationship, as possible, and without the horrible conflicts and danger and death in my usual books, I was able to flesh out the world around Jaime and Maxim into something that is nearly perfect.

The Solstice Prince is a grand experiment, and something very simple. It is just a romance, sweet and true, and holds a special place in my heart. The rest of the Realms of Love series will be darker, heavier, the books full-length 80k monsters of plot and characters and my typical fare. Not that Jaime and Maxim are shallow—I just don’t give them a murder mystery to solve. Just life after trauma, and the heartbreaking certainty that we are all mortal, and that the best way to live this life is to do it with love.

At some prearranged signal, the crowd began to quiet, faces turned towards the canopy where the royals sat. Janis stood and moved to the rail, lifting a hand to the crowd. The people cheered, clapping and shouting the crown prince’s name. Prince Janis was popular with the people if he garnered that kind of reaction— this was not the forced greeting given to a leader that was feared or despised. Jaime still did not know who the king was of Pyrderi, but the future King was well-liked, perhaps even loved.

The people quieted and Janis shouted, his words echoing through the cloud air. “Greetings citizens of Taliesin City! On behalf of the royal family and my father, the king, I welcome you to the first official day of the Solstice Festival! Today is cold and the wind is sharp, so I’ll not waste any time! Would the priests please light the solstice fire, and let the festivities begin!”

The crowd roared in approval and there was a burst of smoke across the square. Two men and a woman dressed in gray robes were standing at the base of a large metal structure about the height of a tall man. The woman was cradling something in her hands that billowed out dark gray smoke and she tossed it into the weird structure. Bright orange flames promptly rose and the crowd cheered again. The royals clapped in approval and Jaime hurriedly copied their example, though he had little idea of what was going on.

Maxim leaned down and spoke in his ear. “The priestess is a Magi and she lit the torch with her magic. The torch represents how life endures even in the depths of winter. The winter solstice is in a few days with the festival ending with the grand ball at the palace. The winter festival here in Taliesin City draws in celebrants from around the country and even from some of the islands in the Straits.”

Jaime blushed when Maxim pulled back and gave him a swift wink and a charming grin. “Janis needs to stay and let the people see him for a while, but the twins are about to escape the cold and we have a tour to finish. The first day of the festival is just the opening ceremony since a lot of people are still arriving. Do you want to stay or would you like to finish the tour?”

“The tour sounds like fun, if you’re sure we won’t be missed.” Any time alone with Maxim was worth the icy chill.

“You two should escape while you can,” Janis said, having overheard Maxim. “I’ll be here until the cold gets too much, talking to courtiers and the like.” The crown prince stood over Jaime who blinked back up at him in surprise. For such a large man, he moved with surprising subtlety. Janis motioned to the lower levels of the stands, and the courtiers below were indeed standing and heading for the stairs that led to the royals’ box. “Unless you want to stay and get fawned over by the masses, Maxim?”

“I’ll save that for you, dear brother. Enjoy your day, and welcome home.” Maxim helped Jaime to his feet. Jaime was at a loss for how to respectfully say goodbye to the crown prince, but Maxim solved this by tugging him away with a casual wave to his brother and the twins, who hardly paid them any heed, tossing back small waves of their own before they went back to talking. Janis grinned at them both and tipped his head towards the stairs.

Maxim took hold of Jaime’s hand and took off for the stairs. They hurried downward until they came back to where the sleigh had dropped them off originally. There was a sleigh waiting for them pulled by the same strange creature Maxim called an oryx. Maxim helped Jaime up into the carriage and jumped in behind him. The driver snapped his whip, and the sleigh jerked into motion.

Their visit to the festival might have been quick, but Jaime didn’t mind. The way Maxim held his hand, tight and firm, like he never wanted to let go, filled Jaime with warmth and a slow burn under his skin, heating his cheeks in the chilly air. The prospect of spending the next few hours in Maxim’s company was incomparable to anything he’d experienced in his short life. Not better than the day he was freed from the slavers, but it was close.

Falling in love felt like learning how to live again.

Jaime was brought to the King’s castle in Pyderi several months ago after being rescued from a slave ship. When he sees Prince Maxim for the first time, it’s love at first sight, for both of them. Jaime was a top student at the Healer’s Academy before he was kidnapped and enslaved during his final year at school. He spent months in captivity before being freed and is soon apprenticed as a healer. He begins to find value in himself again as a healer and a man, and finds love with Prince Maxim, who is kind and nurturing to Jaime. Jaime quickly finds favor with the King himself with his bedside manner, easy going manner and obvious healing talents. While the King is terminal, Jaime strives to give him care that will ease his pain during his final months. The relationship between the prince and Jaime is very sweet. I will say that one thing that I did not like is the cover art and illustrations, as the heroes depicted are so very young — they look like children, which is not true to the characters in the story. Our heroes are young men, so no squick factor there, thank goodness.

This was a perfectly lovely happy read, with virtually no angst. Seriously, nothing bad happens in it, except for a bit of Jaime’s back story. There are no love triangles, evil antagonists, or real danger. And with two, possibly three, heirs to the throne ahead of him, Maxim is given the blessing of his father, the King, to pursue Jaime. Sometimes you just need nice and stress-free reading, and if that’s where you’re at right now, this is for you. If that’s not what your looking for right now, save this one until another story’s angst has you on the verge of destroying your Kindle.

3 pieces of eye candy

I’m a self-employed writer who stresses out about the silliest things, like whether or not I got my dog the best kind of snack and the fact my kindle battery tends to die when I’m at the best part in a book. I write mainly gay romance, erotica, and urban fantasy, with occasional forays into contemporary and paranormal. I love a book heavy on plot and character evolution, and throw in some magic, and that’s perfection. My current series are: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, Bred For Love (as Revella Hawthorne), The Wolfkin Saga, and the epic fantasy romance series Realms of Love. My last two novels in the Beacon Hill Sorcerer won 3rd Place in the Gay Fantasy category for the 2016 Rainbow Awards.

I live in New Orleans, where the personalities are big and loud and so are the bugs! New Orleans is rich in cultural history, and the flavor and music of the City is impossible to hide. Before that, I lived all over the United States: Tampa, Western Massachusetts, Indianapolis, and on and on…. I’m a nomad, and I’ve yet to find a place that calls to me strongly enough to become home. My faithful travel companions are my dog Micah, the numerous voices in my head who insist they all get put on paper, and the wind at my back.

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

Website: https://www.sjhimes.com/en

Sarah Jo Chreene/Cover Artist

Sarah Jo Chreene is a 23-year-old resident of Dallas, Texas, where she works part-time in an antique shop, which is one of her dreams jobs. Sarah Jo delights in meeting new people, interesting personalities, unique restoration projects, and the atmosphere of the shop inspires her muse. Her other passion, and one she devotes most of her time to, is her art. She sold her first piece at the age of 17, and hasn’t stopped since.

Her professional portfolio includes the self-titled album cover for the popular Texas band, Thieves of Sunrise, and will be working with the band again on their third album cover. Sarah Jo has worked with international best-selling romance author Riley Hart, doing a wide range of projects from promotional artwork to interior illustrations, and artwork for Hart’s alter-ego, Nyrae Dawn, in the YA novels The Weight of Destiny, and Turn the World Upside Down. Sarah Jo’s most recent collaboration is with urban fantasy author SJ Himes, creating the cover art, design, and interior illustrations for The Solstice Prince, the first novel in The Realms of Love epic fantasy romance series. Sarah Jo will also be creating the interior artwork for the remainder of the series, a project for 2018 and 2019.

Sarah Jo loves to work in a variety of mediums, including digital painting, Photoshop, charcoal, pens, pencils and freehand sketching and painting in a wide range of styles from anime, sketchy, realism, and cartoons. Sarah Jo ranks Norman Rockwell as a primary influence for his evocative use of emotion and his beautiful portrayals of humanity.

Between professional commissions, Sarah Jo delights in creating private artwork based on personal requests, from original characters, to portraits, and has brightened the walls of many patrons over the last eight years of selling her work.

For examples of her work, Sarah Jo is on Instagram, DeviantArt, and Facebook. She is accepting commissions for a wide variety of projects, and can be reached through social media and the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjochreeneartist/

sarahjochreene@aol.com

Facebook: facebook.com/sarahchreeneartist

dwightyoakamfan.deviantart.com

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The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune, Narration Michael Lesley: Audio Book Review with Giveaway

December 4, 2017 by Denise

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City Of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King’s Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam’s fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle—Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or so he thinks.

Amazon

Audible

Dreamspinner Press

I’ll start this review with, I was so dang wrong!!!! I didn’t read this book two years ago, because, well, I don’t know…cause I don’t read “fantasy” books. I don’t read “wizard” books…whatever the reason. I was wrong, just so wrong. And honestly likely would not have still, except for about five minutes that happened in October. At GRL, Michael Lesley read for about five minutes from A Destiny of Dragons, and I was hooked like a crackhead. It was instantaneous. I laughed so hard, that I knew I was going to need that book. Well, if I was going to need book 2, then of course I was going to have to listen to book 1. So, I was wrong, so very wrong. I have been corrected. Okay, moving on.

I really don’t even know where to begin with this book. The story, while not something I would normally read, hooked me from the very beginning, where Sam and Gary are trapped in the cave, and the epic banter and confusion (for the monologue-ing villain at least) begin, and carry you through to their inevitable escape. This book is so brilliantly written, and the characters so unique, that I can’t think of another book I’ve read to even compare it too. It was so damn funny, I am sure my co-workers think I am insane from all the laughing coming from my area. Don’t care! Every character that was introduced was so well rounded, so different, and brought so much depth to the book, I was hooked. It was my crack for several days at work. (And to give you an idea, it normally takes me at least a couple of weeks to listen to an eight hour audio book at work, this took me three days, and it was 19 hours!!!!)

Sam may be my favorite character of any book, ever, of all time, even better than that knight in that book I read as a teenager, that…anyway. Read this damn book!!!! And Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, he is the best friend you want to have with you whenever you are having a hard day, or an easy day, or just love hornless gay unicorns. Gary was A-Mazing. (But don’t tell him, he’ll get a swelled head…oh!)

And as much as I loved the book, the story, the characters, etc. I f***ing (and I rarely use f-bombs in my reviews) LOVED the narration. Michael Lesley was nothing short of brilliant (will he be getting a swelled head too???) with this book. I am in awe of what he did. There were a few times, when I wasn’t listening, but thinking about it, where I wondered how he could have done such an amazing job with the sounds, the different voices, and the cohesion of it all. And then I didn’t want to know, I just wanted to turn the book back on and listen some more. If I had had a voice in my head for these characters from reading the book, I could not have even come close to what I heard. He took a world that was so brilliantly created by TJ Klune and gave it life, color, and a heartbeat.

Since I started this blog, almost four years ago, there has only been one book that I have given 10 out of 5 stars to. Because books that are that amazing do not come along very often. This is the second book. I think I easily would have given the book itself five out of five, if I had read it, but the narration took the book to an entirely different level for me. I will now hear those characters in those voices in my head when I do go back and read the book (which I will be doing).

Of course, I will be listening to this again…however, I just started A Destiny of Dragons this morning (the blind date scene…so funny, I was glad I was home when I was listening, because snort laughing with headphones on is usually frowned upon), and I’ll need to get through that before I go back. Then I need to decide if I will wait for audio on The Consumption of Magic (book 3), or jump right into it. That’ll be a tough decision!!! I do hear there is a book 4 coming next year. So yeah!!!

The awesomeness of the team of TJ Klune and Michael Lesley on this book, and the audio narration of it gets 10 pieces of eye candy (out of a possible 5), along with all my admiration and fan-girling. I will spread the word to anyone who will listen.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more ear crack to get back to, Sam is just about to head to his latest capture. 🙂

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Inseparable by Sloan Johnson: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Blitz and Giveaway

December 2, 2017 by Denise

Trevor and Gabe never knew life without the other. As only children, they grew up as close as brothers, but their love grew to something more. Something they couldn’t talk about because their parents wouldn’t understand.

Gabe is gay and unapologetic about his sexuality. He refuses to live his life in the shadows, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t harboring secrets.

Trevor is his parents’ miracle child and he doesn’t want to hurt them. Coming out, admitting he’s in love with Gabe, could ruin everything.

Heading off to college was supposed to finally free them to be together, but nothing is as easy as it seems. Can they find a way to navigate this new world, living and loving openly?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

The only upside was Gabe and I laid out a blanket near the edge of the circle. I was testing the waters, because eventually I’d have to find the balls to come out. Both of us leaned back, and I inched my hand towards Gabe’s behind us until our pinkies touched. His eyes shone in the firelight when he looked at me, but it was more than that. He let out a contented sigh and I realized these small changes might be enough for now.

A while later, I leaned closer to him. “You about ready to get out of here? I think we could have a much better time back in our room.” “Yeah?” He wiggled around on the blanket, drawing my attention to the bulge in his shorts. No questions about where he was hoping tonight would go. I wanted that, even if I couldn’t come out and say it. For a moment, I closed my eyes and leaned in, wanting to feel the stubble of his jaw abrading my skin as we kissed. Someone cleared their throat behind us and I shot back. The lust in Gabe’s gaze was briefly replaced by disappointment that I couldn’t let myself just be with him.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. He shook his head and stood to face Chris. The guy had a knack for turning up everywhere at the wrong time. “You guys heading to the after party?” he asked. It seemed strange for a senior to invite freshman to parties, but maybe that was how this school worked. After all, this wasn’t high school.

“Nah, I’m about done with human interaction for the day,” Gabe announced in the way only he could without coming across as a huge dweeb. “We’re gonna head back to the dorms.”

“Oh, sure.” Chris raised an eyebrow as he looked between us. He traced his tongue across his lower lip when his gaze landed on Gabe, and I felt a possessive urge building inside of me. He was my boyfriend, and I wasn’t a fan of other guys checking him out. Of course, other guys wouldn’t know they were doing anything wrong as long as I was locked in the closet. “Maybe next weekend.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Gabe told him. He snatched up our blanket and shoes. I followed him to the boardwalk, leaning on him for support as I rinsed my feet.

“You could’ve gone to the party,” I told him, not wanting him to feel like he had to go wherever I was. Once school started, there’d be plenty of time when we’d be on our own.

“I could if I wanted to,” he countered. “Turns out, I have a much better proposition on the table for tonight.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” I asked, a teasing lilt in my voice.

Gabe leaned in, nipping my ear where anyone could see, and it took everything in me to keep the anxiety at bay. “Unless I’m mistaken, I’m pretty sure this sexy guy invited me back to his room for some naked time.”

“Mmm, that does sound enticing.” I cautiously reached out to brush the back of my hand over his prick. “You should probably get back to his room before he chickens out.”

Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass.

When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after.

Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?

Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.

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Circle of Darkness by Aimee Nicole Walker & Nicholas Bella: Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review and Giveaway

December 1, 2017 by Denise

There isn’t a monster D’Angelo Kumar can’t destroy or a crisis he can’t manage until he meets Angel Bai. The insane attraction he feels toward the sexy waiter is unwelcome because D’Angelo doesn’t have room in his life for relationships. A solitary path is the only option for a man like him, but fighting his growing feelings for Angel may be the first battle he can’t win.

Angel’s abilities extend beyond memorizing the menu at D’Angelo’s favorite Italian restaurant, but he knows better than to trust anyone with his secret. When a vision reveals that D’Angelo’s life is in danger, he will risk everything to save him. The only thing scarier than monsters and demons to Angel is never knowing D’Angelo’s touch.

To say the demon hunter is reluctant to form a partnership with the psychic is putting it mildly, but D’Angelo needs every advantage he can get when the world’s very existence is threatened. As darkness looms nearer, D’Angelo and Angel’s unexplainable connection grows stronger. For a chance at happiness, the two men will need to call upon unlikely allies for an epic showdown between good and evil.

Sexy, witty, and action-packed, Circle of Darkness is the first book in the Genesis Circle paranormal romance series by Nicholas Bella and Aimee Nicole Walker. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

CIRCLE OF DARKNESS

NICHOLAS BELLA & AIMEE NICOLE WALKER

M/M PARANORMAL ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 11-15-17

COVER DESIGN: JAY AHEER/Simply Defined Art

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

I was walking towards my Jeep when I heard someone practically screaming my name. I turned to see the cute little waiter from Martinelli’s rushing up behind me. What in the hell did he want?

He stopped short in front of me, huffing and puffing. “Oh… Oh thank god… I caught you,” he panted. I was pretty curious as to what he wanted, it wasn’t like I owed the restaurant he worked at a tab. Although, I found myself eating at Martinelli’s quite often since he’d started working there. The food was damn good, but I did have to admit, I went on the days Ansell worked. Damn, he was cute as hell. But as much as I loved to gawk at him, he was holding me up from the serious shit.

“Umm, want to tell me what this is all about?” I asked. “I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“That’s just it… I…” He paused and looked off to the side like he was hesitant to tell me something.

“Look, Ansell—”

“It’s Angel,” he snapped.

For the first time, I saw the fire blaze behind his beautiful brown eyes, which were a lovely feature from his Chinese-American heritage. He had many features that appealed to me that were flattering on him as well. But his eyes… those blew me away. And, well, his lips, too. I’d love to see them where they rightfully belonged—all over my body. I swore, the fantasies I’d had starring him left me with morning wood on several occasions and on the others… sticky sheets.

“I like Ansell more,” I said, purposely ignoring his attempt to correct me. “Look, I’m really in a hurry, so if this can wait…” I let my voice trail off so he would get the hint.

“You’re in danger,” he blurted out.

I cocked an eyebrow. “In danger from what? What the hell are you talking about, and how did you find me anyway?”

“What do you mean, ‘how’? You eat at Martinelli’s more than I do. Besides, you always pay with your company account,” Ansell said, pointing to the sign above our antique shop.

Well, okay, that made sense. “Fine. Now, about this so-called danger…”

“Look, you have to listen to me. I know what I’m about to tell you may sound far-fetched, but it’s all true.” He was looking up at me with eyes that were pleading for me to take him seriously, so I did.

“Tell me.”

Angel is a sweet guy who waits tables at a restaurant and D’Angelo is a semi-regular patron of the dark, sexy and mysterious variety. Most guys look right through Angel, but he feels a connection with D’Angelo that he can’t shake or stop thinking about. The two are thrown together after Angel has a vision of D’Angelo in danger, and he tracks D’Angelo down to warn him. D’Angelo is a demon hunter who works with his best friends who are also gifted in battling the supernatural and saving Earth as we know it from destruction. D’Angelo hardly has time to listen to Angel as he’s just begun a new case tracking down an ancient relic that, in the wrong hands, will unleash a demon that will enslave and destroy the human race. The two try to fend off their crazy mutual attraction as they partner up to find and destroy the relic before the bad guys can activate it.

The plot is pretty fast paced, with a bit of angst between the MCs. Initially they don’t get along, but they start to like each other and become true partners. The angst is external here, that is, these two acknowledge their like for each other rather quickly, it’s all the stuff going on around them that keeps them apart for a while. I liked the MCs: Angel is sweet and inexperienced, D’Angelo is a bit rough on the outside, a good guy on the inside.

The authors are new to me and I enjoyed their world building, with a few characters I wouldn’t mind seeing again. The writing is good but for those who don’t like first person (I’ve seen a lot of comments lately from people who *hate* first person for some reason) be warned that it is first person for both characters — each chapter focuses on one of the two MCs. This doesn’t bother me; I like some insight into the heroes so I know that even though they’re playing it cool, they’re a bundle of nerves inside.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy

who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees.

I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever-after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.

About me? Hmmm, I’m just a person with a wild imagination and a love for words who was sitting around the house one day and said, “Why hasn’t anyone written a book like this before?”. As with every storyteller, I wanted to share mine with the world. I like my erotica dark, gritty, sexy… and even a little raunchy. I’m not afraid to go there and I hope you aren’t afraid to go there with me. When I’m not writing, I love watching movies and TV shows, clubbing, biking, and hanging out with family and friends. I love life.

I’d love to hear from you, feel free to send me a shout out!

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