Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

historical

Promises by Ruby Moone: Blog Tour, Release Day Review and Giveaway

by

Captain Charles Hawkins has returned from the Napoleonic wars desperate for solitude. When the man who saved his life asks a favour, he feels honour bound to agree, but the request fills him with horror.

Sebastian Farrah knows the only useful thing he can do with his life is join Wellington’s army. He has tried everything else and failed. He agrees to his brother’s ridiculous request to spend a month in the country because it is the only way his brother will agree to purchase him a commission.

Charles and Sebastian clash but quickly form a bond that deepens into much more. However, they are running out of time. Charles begs Sebastian to stay, but Sebastian knows to do so he will be forced to reveal what it is that stopped him from succeeding in everything. The shameful secret he carries from the schoolroom.

Length: 32,000 words approx.

Publisher: JMS Books

Amazon

JMS Books

 

Another week passed, and Farrah had become an integral part of the household. He was everywhere. Working in the garden, eating with him, accompanying him when he left the house to tour around the estate, working with him with the shipping company, although he was still curiously resistant about that. Charles watched him apply himself to his evening meal with gusto. The man ate like a horse but hadn’t a spare inch on his frame. All the physical work meant that he had arrived in reasonable shape for someone who did nothing but gamble and drink, but now, now he was bursting with good health, humour, and a physique that made Charles want to weep with envy as he thought about his own skeletal frame. There was a warmth to his companionship that made getting up in a morning easier. He realised just how much he was enjoying having him in the house. As they talked, he hoped that he was helping Farrah to see that there were options open to him that didn’t involve him risking his life on the continent. To see that there were a whole host of things that he was good at. Farrah’s comment about the army being all he was good for had stayed with him and it surprised him how annoyed it made him that his family had allowed him to feel that way, and constantly surprised that Farrah seemed to believe it.

Coulson arrived with the tea tray and Charles smiled as he realised Farrah had lost that slightly frantic look he’d had on realising there was no port or brandy on his arrival. When Coulson had retreated, Charles raised his cup in a toast.

“Congratulations on another sterling week Mr Farrah.”

Farrah laughed and raised his cup in response. “Congratulations on putting up with me for another week. You deserve a medal, Captain Hawkins.”

“Nonsense. No medals required.”

Farrah tilted his head on one side and observed him. “You really are the best of men. I know I’m not easy to have around. Too loud, too … much.” He laughed again.

And there he went again. He really seemed to believe that his company would not be valued. That he would be some sort of burden. Charles was stunned when he realised that in that moment he wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms and tell him in no uncertain terms that having him in the house was no hardship, and not only that, he discovered he wanted to hunt down the people who had told him that he was a burden, or a nuisance, and hurt them. It was a disconcerting.

He had to fight to retain his composure and answer in kind. “Piffle. You’ve brightened the place up no end. Once you’d sobered up, that is.” He kept his tone light, but his heart was thumping.

“Really?”

For a big, handsome, seemingly confident man sometimes there was a hint of such wistfulness about him, and it was there full force in that softly spoken word. It was filled with such fragile hope it hurt something inside Charles.

“Really.” Charles spoke softly and something in Farrah brightened. “Now, stop fishing for compliments and tell me what the plan for tomorrow is.” He had to resume his usual brisk tone because if he didn’t, he would have … Charles’ heart stopped in his chest. Oh God. Oh God.

He wanted to kiss him.

Charles is a war veteran and while he was saved by fellow officer Edward, most of the men under him perished. Charles owes Edward a lot and feels compelled to do him a favor even though it makes him exceedingly uncomfortable: put Edward’s wastrel younger brother up for a month at his country home. Edward hopes the time spent with upstanding Charles will help straighten out his brother, Sebastian, while dissuading him from wanting to join the army.

Sebastian has spent his life not succeeding in anything he tries: school, the clergy, business. Instead he spends his time drinking, gambling and generally wasting away. But now he’s decided the thing for him is to join that army, something his brother is adamantly opposed to after losing two other brothers in the war. Sebastian agrees to spend a month with a friend of his brother and if he can go a whole 30 days without making a nuisance of himself, his father will purchase him a commission.

This was a story where the two MCs have issues that hurt my heart. Charles suffers from PTSD and survivors guilty and prefers to spend his life as a recluse. If you don’t care about people,  they can’t hurt you. Sebastian has been told his whole life what a mess he makes of everything, and we learn eventually (spoiler, though you can kind of guess this) he has dyslexia and never learned to read properly. Charles and Sebastian get off on a wrong foot initially, but they quickly form a bond and something more. I love when the MCs help the other recover from childhood and adult hurts as no other person can. I want to hug Sebastian for all the rejection he went through his whole life because no one understood that he wasn’t stupid, he needed special help learning to read. It’s so interesting to me to see historicals address what we today label PTSD and how it was thought of and dealt with in the past. My guess is not very well and it was widely misunderstood and for that Charles gets a hug from me, too.

I love historicals. This was a lovely read with secondary characters I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. I did think it was a little farfetched that one MC would be so open about his preference for other men to near strangers, but I was able to overlook it and overall, I liked it.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

 

August 25 – My Fiction Nook, Xtreme Delusions, August 27 – Two Chicks Obsessed, August 29 – Making It Happen, August 31 – Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, September 3 – Mirrigold, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Valerie Ullmer, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis

 

My name is Ruby Moone and I love books. All kinds of books. My weakness is for romance, and that can be any kind, but I am particularly fond of historical and paranormal. I decided to write gay romance after reading some fantastic books and falling in love with the genre, so am really thrilled to have my work published here. The day job takes up a lot of my time, but every other spare moment finds me writing or reading. I live in the north west of England with my husband who thinks that I live in two worlds. The real world and in the world in my head…he probably has a point!

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/RubyMoone/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter – @RubyMooneWriter

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

*** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review – nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ***

Tomb of the God King by Julia Talbot: Exclusive Excerpt and Release Day Review

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Englishman Christian Hewler travels to 1920s Egypt as the man Friday to an eccentric American millionaire, hoping to make history and establish his name in archaeology. What he doesn’t count on is meeting brash hired gun Eric Lawless, an American cowboy working for a rival team, or the paranormal mystery that draws them in and has them facing down crazy archaeologists, dark entities, and even ancient gods.

From dark tombs to the burning-hot desert of the Egyptian landscape, Christian has to prove his mettle. During this dangerous game of cat and mouse, the reluctant partnership between Christian and Eric blossoms into more—maybe even a love that can last beyond the deception and terror hidden deep in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

First Edition published by Torquere Press, October 2006.

Title: Tomb of the God King
Author: Julia Talbot
Release Date: May 11, 2018
Category: Historical (TBC)
Pages: 142

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Hey y’all!

I’m Julia Talbot, and I’m here to talk about Egyptology and Tomb of the God King, which is a book I wrote a while back and that Dreamspinner is being kind enough to re-release for me.

I have an exclusive excerpt for y’all today, and it’s worth noting that this is my only long piece in first person.

Hope you love it!

***

“You are indelicate,” I said. “Some of these children might be the mayor’s.”

“Then he should see to it that they have something else to do.” Lawless rolled his shoulders. “’Sides, I’m not the one who leaves a man right after the loving.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake!” I threw my hands up, whirling toward the stall that held pots, knowing they would need them for milk and water. “I knew it. I knew you could never be civilized about this. I cannot fathom why I even thought you could.”

His hand clamped on my shoulder like a vise. “Tell me, Christian. Tell me what scared you off.”

Fully intending to give him a glorious speech, I turned and opened my mouth, only to have it fall even farther open when I saw the figure behind Lawless.

Dressed in tattered beggar’s robes, the thing had the gaunt, swarthy face of an Egyptian, complete with fly-ringed eyes and yellowing teeth. But the hand the man held out was not human; it was a great claw, scaly like a slithering snake, and as I backed away, it extended toward us until I thought it must surely snatch Lawless and rend him limb from limb.

It did not.

Lawless yelped as the scaly appendage touched him and was suddenly at my side, facing the beggar with his six-gun drawn.

“What the hell is that thing, Chrissy?”

“I haven’t a clue.” Really, I was so addled I could hardly even register the insulting nickname.

The thing shambled toward us, and I could see Lawless about to squeeze the trigger when something dropped on the ground before us and the beggar’s hands turned into those of a thin man, nothing but dirty nails to fear from them at all.

My eyes felt on fire, and I blinked just enough to make sure I did not have sweat in them, distorting the image.

The beggar turned away, leaving us in a stunned tableau until finally Lawless broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Was I imagining things, buddy?”

“If you were, I had the same hallucination. How very… odd.”

***

Thanks for reading, y’all!

XXOO

Julia Talbot

This was really a fun read! It takes places in 1920s Egypt — I mean, how often do you get to read an m/m (or any??) romances set there? Tomb robbing (or is it archaeology?), murder plots, greed, Egypt, mummies curses. Fun! Also? There is like a ton of sexy times in this book (which is never, ever a complaint from me.)

Christian is an English archaeologist hired by a wealthy American; Eric is the hired gun for a rival excavation. The two fall into bed almost right away, but honestly Eric seems a little clingy to me at first. Christian is likewise wary, but as the dig progresses, the two continue to find themselves thrown together. They encounter creepy messengers, dig accidents, and a possible curse and grow closer in the process.

This was an easy fun read with laughs, some suspense, lots of sexy times (did I mention that already?). It’s told from the POV of Christian, and I kind of like him even though he can be sort of uptight at times. There were also a few spots where the relationship between the two heroes was spoken of so openly, I couldn’t imagine that would happen in real life? It didn’t take away from the book for me, though.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

 

www.juliatalbot.com

https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor

 

 

Contraband Hearts by Alex Beecroft: Spotlight Tour with Giveaway

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His future depends on bringing the smuggler to justice. His heart demands to join him.

Customs officer Peregrine Dean is sent by his patron to investigate rumors of corruption in the Porthkennack customs house. There he is tasked by the local magistrate to bring down the villainous Tomas Quick, a smuggler with fingers in every pie in town. Fired with zeal and ambition, and struck to the core by his first glimpse of Tomas, Perry determines to stop at nothing until he has succeeded.

Tomas Quick is an honest thief—a criminal regarded by the town as their local Robin Hood. He’s also an arrogant man who relishes the challenge posed by someone as determined and intelligent as Perry. Both of them come to enjoy their cat-and-mouse rivalry a little too much.

But the eighteenth century is a perilous time for someone like Perry: a black man in England. Two have already disappeared from the wrecks of ships. Tomas and Perry must forsake their competition and learn to trust each other if they are to rescue them, or Perry may become the third victim.

Amazon

 

Welcome to Porthkennack, a charming Cornish seaside town with a long and sometimes sinister history. Legend says King Arthur’s Black Knight built the fort on the headland here, and it’s a certainty that the town was founded on the proceeds of smuggling, piracy on the high seas, and the deliberate wrecking of cargo ships on the rocky shore. Nowadays it draws in the tourists with sunshine and surfing, but locals know that the ghosts of its Gothic past are never far below the surface.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by five award-winning, best-selling British LGBTQ romance authors: Alex Beecroft, Joanna Chambers, Charlie Cochrane, Garrett Leigh, and JL Merrow. Follow Porthkennack and its inhabitants through the centuries and through the full rainbow spectrum with historical and contemporary stand-alone titles.

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City Paper, LA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog Speak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

 

To celebrate the release of Contraband Hearts, Alex is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and an ebook from her backlist, your choice! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 5, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

 

Captain Merric by Rebecca Cohen: Exclusive Excerpt, Blog Tour and Review

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A tale of pirates, lost love, and the fight for a happy ending.

After he’s set adrift and left to die by his mutinous crew, the last person Royal Navy officer Daniel Horton expects to come to his rescue is Captain Merric. An infamous pirate, Merric is known as much for stealing his victims’ hearts as their jewels. Daniel’s world is about to be turned upside down when he recognises Captain Merric as none other than Edward Merriston, someone he thought he’d never see again.

Edward can’t believe Daniel Horton is aboard his ship. While Edward is willing to do anything he can to get a second chance at their happy ending, Daniel isn’t interested in digging up the past. But Daniel is one priceless treasure Captain Merric isn’t about to let go of without a fight.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Length: 55,000 words approx.

Amazon

Exclusive Excerpt

Edward chewed thoughtfully on a hunk of bread before speaking. “I admit I was surprised to hear Captain Horton was unmarried. I thought your father would have pushed for a good match.”

“Oh, he has tried several times, but me being at sea so often had been an inconvenience to his plans. Henry had it far worse, but as older brother and next baron he was always the priority.”

“Marriage is not about love when you are a member of the peerage, it is about allegiances and power,” said Edward with a sneer. “You could have married someone and lived at opposite ends of country and no one would have thought it strange.”

“Perhaps so, but I at least would wish to try and be a good husband if I were to marry—but alas I have not the disposition to make even the most patient woman happy.”

Edward laughed. “Don’t think I will be cowed by your disposition… I have already seen you soften a little in a few days. I imagine you would be a different man after a few weeks. Well, not different, but more as you were.”

“I fear you will be disappointed if you expect to me to revert back to the boy that I was. In the same way life at sea has changed you, it has changed me. You cannot have the blood of men on your hands and not be affected by it all. I have been in sea battles, raids, and skirmishes—none of them pass without leaving a mark. I have seen good and bad men die, come close myself at least once, and every event has in some way made me who I am today.”

Edward placed a hand on his thigh. “I understand that. And I do not challenge it. We are all the reflections of a well-lived past. I want to know the Daniel of today, not then, but you will not persuade me that the fundamentals that were deep in your core aren’t still there.”

“I am still stubborn and argumentative, if that’s what you mean.”

“Good to know. Do you still have a desire to stack coins by size order?”

Daniel laughed, remembering the times Edward had teased him over it. “There are some habits that I will never break. That and ensuring my books are always in alphabetical order by author. You were always an unruly sod—used to mess up my system just to get a rise.”

“I have always loved getting a rise out of you.” Edward leaned closer and raised an eyebrow.

 

 

After 15 years, pirate Captain Edward Merric and naval Captain Daniel Horton come face to face again. After a misunderstanding perpetrated by Edward’s father, Daniel has believed Edward to be long dead, while Edward believed Daniel no longer wanted to be with him. The misunderstanding is quickly uncovered but these two still have some issues to overcome if they are going to be together.  After the pain of losing his first love, Daniel locked his heart away and became a successful, if not cold and unapproachable, captain in the British Navy. Edward has to decide if he can give up the carefree pirate’s life he’s led and thrived in since he last saw Daniel. Edward is determined to win Daniel back, while Daniel will struggle with what he has to give up in to be with his great love. Count on smexy times at a tropical waterfall, which I think is a requirement for a Carribbean pirate story (or at least should be).

I love pirate stories and second chance stories, but this book was just ok for me. I liked the plot fine, the writing itself just fell flat with paragraphs of dialogue, but no indication as to what else the speaker might be doing as he says a bunch of words or how he might sound as he’s saying them. Which leaves the reader to guess at what the speaker is feeling. The pace was therefore just a bit fast, as reactions to a conversation just sort of happen with no lead up. There’s also a number of typos that can be sort of jarring.

A cute read when you get past the blemishes.

3 pieces of eye candy

Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and young son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other. Blog: http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710

Twitter: http://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes

April 6 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

April 9 – Open Mind For A Different View

April 10 – The Novel Approach

April 11 – Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Making It Happen

April 12 – Diverse Reader

April 13 – Two Chicks Obsessed

April 14 – MM Good Book Reviews

April 16 – My Booked Filled Life, Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, Velvetpanic, BooksLaidBareBoys, Bayou Book Junkie

April 17 – Love Bytes

Count the Shells by Charlie Cochrane: Quick Review

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A standalone Porthkennack historical novel

Michael Gray returned from World War One injured, but at least he returned. Others were not so fortunate, including his first and greatest love, Thomas Carter-Clemence, with whom Michael had parted bitterly before the conflict began.

Broch, the Carter-Clemence home in Porthkennack, was an integral part of pre-war holidays for the Grays, the two families drawn together in the wake of their sons’ friendship. Returning to the once-beloved Cornish coast for a break with his sister and her family, Michael has to find the courage to face old memories . . . and dare new relationships.

When Thomas’s brother Harry makes an unexpected appearance, Michael is surprised to find himself deeply attracted to Harry for his own sake. But as their relationship heats up, it unearths startling revelations and bitter truths. Michael must decide whether Harry is the answer to his prayers or the last straw to break an old soldier’s back.

Word count: 66,000; page count: 246

Amazon

Riptide Books

Kobo Books

 

This book is part of a series that take place in the English seaside town of Porthkennack. Other authors in the series include Joanna Chambers and Alex Beecroft. This book wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t my favorite, in the series or otherwise.

Michael is a WWI veteran who’s returned to the summer home his family has stayed at since he was a child. While he has returned mostly unscathed physically, he’s haunted by both his experiences during the war as well as the fact that many of his former lovers and friends were left behind on the battlefields of Europe. He is especially broken over the wartime death of his first lover, Thomas, who died before the two could make amends after a falling out 10 years before. Understandably Michael is filled with regret over the unfinished business between them.

Enter Thomas’ younger brother Harry, whom Michael hasn’t seen in many years and who he remembers as the pesky kid that followed him and Thomas around every summer. But Harry is now older, wiser and considerably more attractive and the two embark on a friendship that quickly turns to more. Secrets involving both families are revealed leaving Michael reeling as he learns that perhaps his relationship with Thomas wasn’t mutually meaningful.

Most of the angst in this story is internal to Michael, as he tries to reconcile what he thought he knew about Thomas and what he’s learned about Thomas from Harry. Michael is also afraid that he may experience the same heartbreak with Harry.

I love that the setting is post-WWI; there aren’t enough gay romances during that time period. I also love that the books in this series take place in the same town at different points in time. The supporting characters are okay; the heroes don’t change much from begin to end. It was a sweet story, but I tend to prefer more external angst and action than the hero having to work things out in his own head before giving me an HEA (which this one does.)

2.5 pieces of eye candy

From Upstairs to Downstairs by J.P. Bowie: Quick Review

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When everything is taken from you, including the memory of who you are, what possible chance is there for happiness?

Edward Lazenby has it all – a rich grandfather, a beautiful home, days spent riding his favorite horse in Hyde Park. What he doesn’t have, and feels he never will, is handsome Thomas Marsden, a man who, at first, seems repulsed by Edward’s forwardness when they meet. Dalliances with members of the same sex in Victorian England can lead to scandal or even imprisonment, so Edward and a few close friends have formed their own Club where they can meet without fear of persecution.

When Edward’s grandfather dies, Edward is heir to his estate but before he can lay claim to it, he is brutally assaulted, his injuries resulting in complete memory loss. Months later, Thomas Marsden finds him working as a stable boy on a country estate. Thomas takes him back to London, hoping to find a way to have Edward’s memory restored to him, and remind him that just before he disappeared, they had declared their affection for each other.

Can the two men build a life together or will Edward’s disability be too much of a hurdle to happiness?

General Release Date: 24th October 2017

ISBN: 978-1-78651-610-7

Imprint: Pride Publishing

Pairing: MM Book

Length: Novel

Genre: Erotic Romance, Gay, Historical

Amazon

Pride Publishing

Kobo Books

This is a historical romance about Edward, his wealthy grandfather’s heir, and Thomas, a new friend that Edward is wildly attracted to but is unsure if their preferences are aligned since Thomas is engaged to be married. Fear not, the two do in fact have a mutual attraction and just when things begin to look promising for the pair, Edward is brutally attacked by thieves and left for dead. We later find him on a country estate with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Edward’s friends are left grieving after his disappearance as evidence of the crime point to Edward having been killed, and Thomas just can’t get over him. Eventually Edward is found and brought back to his home. It’s a long, slow recovery as he attempts, with the help of Thomas, to remember his former life, and solve the mystery of who tried to have him killed and why.

This book is pretty smooth sailing as far as the romance goes. These two like each other, aren’t afraid to tell each other so, they find each other again and while Edward doesn’t exactly remember Thomas, they start on sexy times right away. Which may or may not squick you out, but I was fine with that. There is some mystery as to the reason for the attack but everything is solved rather speedily. A perfectly easy, quick read that has some nice love scenes and won’t cause too much angst for the reader.

3 pieces of eye candy