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Close to Home (Sawyer’s Ferry #4) by Cate Ashwood: Release Day Review

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Witt:
I excelled at two things: systems engineering and going completely unnoticed.
The engineering took work and determination. The invisibility came naturally. Until one day, the wrong person noticed me. Battered and broken, I fled, escaping to Sawyer’s Ferry and the only friends I’d ever had.
Now, I just needed to figure out what I was going to do next.

Mason:
Life was good.
I had a great job, good friends, and a family who loved me. Even my roommate was decent. At least he was until he let his nudist brother come to visit. The opportunity to house-sit and help an injured friend couldn’t have come at a better time.
All I’d needed was to avoid an awkward situation for a few days, but I got more than I bargained for when my entire uncomplicated life flipped upside down. The last thing I’d been looking for was love, but it wasn’t until Witt that I realized just how much I’d been missing out on.

Title: Close to Home

Series: Sawyer’s Ferry: Book 4

Author: Cate Ashwood

Release Date: May 31st, 2019

Genre: Contemporary m/m romance

Length: ~50,000 words

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

We’re back in Sawyer’s Ferry!

I was really looking forward to this one, with Mason (who works with Barrett at the brewery), and Witt, who is friends with Logan and Jackson.

We jump into the story right after Witt is viciously attacked in his bed and fleeing to get as far away from the place and the person who did it, as quickly as he can. It takes us a little bit to find out who did it and the why is still unknown, although I guess some people are just terrible people and don’t need an excuse to be that way…. but he ends up blacking out while waiting in his car to board the ferry to Sawyer’s Ferry. He’s luckily found by friends and taken to the hospital where Logan and Jackson step in to take him home with them until he gets better.

Playing hockey with Jackson, he confides in his team captain, Mason on what happened with Witt, and having met him before and having a little crush on him, Mason wanted badly to make sure that Witt was okay.

I loved how sweet and patient Mason was, and how much he cared about people, most especially Witt. When Jackson and Logan have to go out of town and then have a scheduled trip planned that’ll take them away from the healing Witt for a few weeks, they’re worried about leaving Witt alone, until Mason volunteers to stay with him and look after him until he starts feeling better. The situations at his own house, though kind of funny and kind of horrible, means he’s jumping at the chance to do it. Not only because he wants to spend more time with Witt, but also because he just doesn’t want to be around the nudists that are related to his roommate. I can’t say I blame them, that whole side story there irritated me. How rude.

Through it all though, while the men get to know each other and learn to trust each other, they’re also falling for each other. Mason wants to take care of Witt and protect him; he’s never far from Mason’s mind and he does everything he can to take things slow for Witt.

Witt has always lived his life for someone else; doing what he could to make someone else happy… so having someone like Mason in his life, who puts him first and cares about him so much, and just wants to make him happy… is exactly what he needed. Teaching him how to defend himself and showing him that it’s okay to be his own person and do what he wants for himself for a change, it was exactly what Witt needed. I loved it. They complimented each other so well, it didn’t feel like the insta-love, co-dependent thing that it could’ve been because of the situation. It felt real and authentic and genuine, and it was all just so sweet.

I loved the friends they all had and seeing everyone from the town. I liked that
Mason had this huge accepting family, and I would’ve liked to have seen them get to meet Witt because if anyone needed a big accepting family, it was Witt… so that kinda sucked, but meh, that may be me just being selfish and wanting more.

I also liked the man responsible for hurting Witt, didn’t get away with. I hate hate hate reading a story and the bad people just get away with being evil, vile people.
Though I’d have liked some petty karmic justice, painful and equally as evil as the hate he put out there… but I was happy he got what he did, plus a broken arm LOL so, good enough for me!

I’m really excited to see who’s next. I hope this series goes a long way, and maybe Brody’s next? Fingers crossed. Loved these two together and can’t wait to see more of them in future stories.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

The First Step (Coastal Carolina Book 1) by Shira Anthony: Exclusive Cover Reveal and Guest Post

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Okay, I love this post so much! Shira Anthony is here talking about two of my most favorite places…the ocean, and the Wilmington, NC area. She brought a fantastic guest post below, even including a picture of her boat, Prelude, and her upcoming adventure sounds amazing! On top of it, the upcoming series sound pretty darn great! So, check out her post, the beautiful cover, and let her know your thoughts!

The first step is the hardest. After a scandal, New York political reporter Reed Barfield is lying low at the North Carolina coast, writing a story about the seafood industry. But it’s the harbor pilots on the Cape Fear River who capture his interest—men who jump across ten feet of open ocean to grab a rope ladder and guide huge container ships into port. Men like sexy but prickly Justin Vance.

After surviving an abusive childhood and a tour in the Navy, Justin isn’t fazed by his dangerous job—it’s certainly easier to face than Reed’s annoying questions. Justin isn’t out at work, and he doesn’t need Reed digging into his personal life or his past.

But Reed’s no stranger to using his considerable charm to get what he wants, and as he wears Justin down, they realize they have a lot in common—and that they like spending time together. Moving beyond that, though, will mean Justin confessing his sexuality and learning to trust Reed with his secrets—if Reed even decides to stay. Both men want a future together, but can they find the courage to take the first step?

Title: The First Step

Series: Coastal Carolina

Author: Shira Anthony

Release Date: September 17, 2019

Category: Contemporary

Pages: 229

Cover Artist: L.C. Chase    http://www.lcchase.com

Dreamspinner Press

Dreamspinner Press

My husband and I will be cruising for about two years aboard our 38 foot Admiral catamaran sailboat, Prelude, starting in December. The water is my Zen place, and the place where I’ve written a good deal of my books.

Over the years, I’ve imagined many stories set on the water. I’ve written mermen shifters in my Mermen of Ea Trilogy and even a story about a pirate movie being filmed at the Carolina Coast, Take Two. But the inspiration for my brand new series with Dreamspinner Press came from our many trips from Wilmington, North Carolina, down the Cape Fear River to Bald Head Island and beyond onto the Atlantic Ocean where we’ve come within a few dozen yards of the enormous container ships headed to and from the Port of Wilmington.

Prelude

It was on one of those trips that I learned those immense vessels—some up to four football fields long!—aren’t sailed into port by their captains (or “masters,” as they’re called), but are guided by local pilots who meet the ships out in the middle of the ocean and climb from a small pilot boat, up a rope ladder, and onto the container ships to sail them into port.

River pilots, or harbor pilots, as they’re sometimes called, get paid a lot of money for their work. Why? Because it requires a great deal of skill to sail a boat the size of several city blocks up narrow channels and their apprenticeship can take years. Not only that, transferring from pilot boat to container ship in the middle of the ocean incredibly is dangerous work. Every year, pilots are injured or killed doing their jobs.

Learning about the harbor pilots and their treacherous work inspired my Coastal Carolina series, which focuses on the lives of men who live and work at the Carolina coast. The first book, The First Step, is the story of closeted harbor pilot Justin Vance and the New York City political beat reporter, Reed Barfield, who decides to write a story about the Cape Fear River pilots.

The First Step is a sexy romantic adventure set against the backdrop of the beautiful North Carolina Coast. Life on the edge of the Atlantic can be beautiful, but it can also be deadly, as Justin and Reed discover while their weather a major hurricane and its aftermath. I love the gorgeous cover L.C. Chase created for this first series book with its backdrop of a stormy ocean, a tiny pilot boat, and the huge shipping vessel.

I can’t wait for you to read The First Step and I hope you enjoy stepping into the shoes of the working men of North Carolina! The book is now up for preorder at Dreamspinner Press and releases in September. Here’s the link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/coastal-carolina-10779-s Until then, have a great summer and, if you see one a container ship sail past you while you’re enjoying your beach vacation, imagine the man or woman who is guiding her way! -Shira

Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. You can hear Shira sing an aria from a live performance of Puccini’s Tosca by clicking here: “Vissi d’arte”

Shira’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle. When she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. Her favorite place to write is at the Carolina coast aboard Prelude, a 38’ catamaran sailboat, with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.

Whether contemporary romance, high fantasy shifters, or time-traveling vampires, Shira writes what she loves and never writes a story without a HEA. Her Mermen of Ea trilogy book Into the Wind was named one of the best books of 2014 by both Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words and Hearts on Fire Reviews, and was a finalist in the 2014 Goodreads M/M Romance Member’s Choice Awards. Her Blue Notes series of classical-music-themed gay romances was named one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ best series of 2012, and the most recent book in the series, Dissonance, was named one of the best books of 2014 by Hearts on Fire Reviews. Her book A Solitary Man, coauthored with Aisling Mancy, won a 2016 Rainbow Award Honorable Mention for Best Gay Mystery/Thriller.

Shira can be found on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: www.shiraanthony.com
Email: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

 

Arctic Wild: An Alaska Romance (Frozen Hearts Book 2) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

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When a plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, the best place to land is in the arms of a younger man…

Hotshot attorney Reuben Graham has finally agreed to take a vacation, when his plane suddenly plunges into the Alaskan wilderness.

Just his luck.

But his frustrations have only begun as he finds himself stranded with the injured, and superhot, pilot, a man who’s endearingly sociable—and much too young for Reuben to be wanting him this badly.

As the sole provider for his sisters and ailing father, Tobias Kooly is devastated to learn his injuries will prevent him from working or even making it back home. So when Reuben insists on giving him a place to recover, not even Toby’s pride can make him refuse. He’s never been tempted by a silver fox before, but something about Reuben is impossible to resist.

Recuperating in Reuben’s care is the last thing Toby expected, yet the closer they become, the more incredibly right it feels, prompting workaholic Reuben to question the life he’s been living. But when the pressure Toby’s under starts closing in, both men will have to decide if there’s room in their hearts for a love they never saw coming.

Amazon

I love this author, so in all honesty I didn’t even read the blurb first. HA! So color me surprised when the plane crashed. (not a spoiler at all)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. As I said, I am a big fan of this author AND I am a bit obsessed with Alaska. I was all in.

We got a brief glimpse of Toby in the first book. The happy go lucky one night stand guy who kind of seemed to be putting on a bit of a front. Turns out he was. Mostly that he was the sole provider for his family including his disabled father and 2 college age sisters. So not only is he bummed when his tour group drops from 3 people to 1 but also that the one person is grumpy and attached to his phone for work. And, yanno, the whole plane crash thing.

Let me be honest here, I didn’t feel the connection between Reuben and Toby. Not before the crash or after. I really felt like the story was more about Reuben and his daughter reconnecting.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some very hot sex scenes. But with his daughter in the picture with them, there was very little flirting and no touching or pda. Even their nighttime activities didn’t seem to have that clandestine excitement.

There were a few other things that were just off for me. Mostly concerning the aftermath of the plane crash. But if you’ve read my reviews, you know I am a picky bitch and stickler for details.

It was an enjoyable read, the sex scenes were hot if not detached and I really enjoyed the relationship between Reuben and his daughter.

3 Pieces of Eye Candy

Nothing Special by A.E. Via: Audiobook Review

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Detective Cashel “Cash” Godfrey is big, tattooed, and angry so people typically keep their distance. He’s fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six-foot-four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn’t expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis “Leo” Day.

Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic and the only one that can make Cash smile. He’s proud, out, and one bad-ass detective.

Together, Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta’s ever seen. Able to communicate and understand each other, without even having to voice it, they quickly climb up the promotional ranks.

When Cash saves Leo’s life in a raid that turns deadly, Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does…something special. But Leo fears he’ll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash’s heart.

Audible

Amazon Ebook

I love this series, it’s at the top of re-read list. So, imagine my excitement when Mrs. Via said she was working to put it out in audio format. I may have fangirled a little.

God and Day and two of the most entertaining and lovable characters I have ever read. They are funny, caring, compassionate and tough as nails. Not only do we get to see God and Day transition from partners are work to partners at home, we also get to ride along with some of their hilarious antics on the job. This story has it all; jokes, gun fights, closeted co-workers, and just enough of a sad backstory to balance out the story.

If ever there was a man that was made to be the voice of Detective Cashel Godfrey it was Aiden Snow. His voice is the perfect mix of deep rumbles and smooth honey. He was able to bring to life a story that I have read too many times to count and make me fall in love with it all over again. It was almost like reading it for the first time. I can’t wait to see what magic he brings to Embracing His Syn.

5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Prince of Killers (A Fog City Novel) by Layla Reyne: Exclusive Excerpt, Interview, Blog Tour and Giveaway

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No indiscriminate killing. No collateral damage. No unvetted targets.

These are the rules Hawes Madigan lives by. Rules that make being Fog City’s Prince of Killers bearable. Soon, he’ll be king—of an organization of assassins—and the crown has never felt heavier. Until the mysterious Dante Perry swaggers into his life.

Dante looks like a rock god and carries himself like one too, all loose-limbed and casually confident. He also carries a concealed weapon, a private investigator’s license, and a message for the prince. Someone inside Hawes’s organization is out to kill the future king.

In the chaos that follows the timely warning, Hawes comes to depend on Dante. On his skills as an investigator, on the steadiness he offers, and on their moments alone when Hawes lets Dante take control. As alliances are tested and traitors exposed, Hawes needs Dante at his back and in his bed. But if the PI ever learns Hawes’s darkest secret, Hawes is sure to get a knife to the heart—and a bullet to the brain—instead.

There’s no shortage of twists and turns in this new romantic suspense trilogy from Layla Reyne. Prince of Killers is book one of three. Fair warning: buckle up, cliffhangers ahead!

Prince of Killers by Layla Reyne

Series (name + # in series): Fog City #1

Publisher: Layla Reyne (Self-Published)

Release Date (Print & Ebook): June 10, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook): 216 pages (52K words)

Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense

Warnings: Explicit sex including mild kink; explicit language; violence; instances and/or discussion of homophobia; off-page instances and/or discussion of PTSD, drug use, and abuse of minor characters.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Get to know more about Layla Reyne in this fun Review Tour Q&A!

  • Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, are there any you’d recommend?

Yes! One of my day jobs is as a legal resource editor, and I always have an audiobook playing when I’m doing that work. The Tales of Verania series by TJ Klune, narrated by Michael Lesley, is an absolute treasure.

  • What are your five favorite words?

I just need one: Fuck, especially the way Tristan James says it narrating audiobooks 😉

  • Do you have a favorite cover from one of your books?

This one! Cate Ashwood who did all the Fog City covers sent me the cover concept for Prince of Killers first, and I screamed “Holy Shit!” so loudly that my dogs startled. And I kept repeating “Holy Shit” for like the next week. She deserves so much credit, as does Wander Aguiar for the gorgeous photos, and Patrick Sean (the model) for just being that damn gorgeous.

He was starting to think Dante was right. Whatever was happening now was connected to what had happened then, on the night Isabelle Costa died.

That fact acknowledged—and the anxiety and unease that came with it internalized—a calm settled over Hawes. He counted the panes in the windows, waited for his breath and heartbeat to slow, then dropped his arms and turned back to his condo full of visitors. “I’ll see what I can find out today at the pier.”

“I’ve got a hearing at ten.” Helena dumped her empty paper plate into the trash. “If I don’t go by the station beforehand, I’ll swing by there after. I can be at HQ by one.”

“No,” Hawes said. “Things need to appear as usual. I would normally be in this morning. You wouldn’t.”

“I’ll go in with you,” Holt said. He patted Lily’s back through the sling. “She’s having fun being out today.”

Dante pushed off the fridge. “And I’ll have their backs.”

Helena blocked his forward momentum with her arm. “Look here, Mr. Hair—”

“Hena,” Hawes chided, while Holt laughed.

Their sister, however, held the steak knife at-the-ready and had drawn nose-to-chest with Dante, though you wouldn’t know it by her stance. For all she cared, she was taller than Dante, not a good foot shorter. “You’ve gotta give us more before I let you walk into this with my family.”

“There’s a flash drive in my coat pocket.”

“I’ve got it,” Hawes said, saving Holt the trouble of reaching around the baby and laptop. He retrieved the flash drive—generic, drugstore model—and held it out to Holt.

Holt’s wary gaze split between him and Dante. “I’m not putting that in my computer without checking it for viruses.”

“I wouldn’t either,” Dante said. “Which was why I checked it before I put it in mine. No viruses, I swear.”

Holt still hesitated. Hawes slapped the drive into his hand with a firm, “Just do it.” They didn’t have time to argue.

Hawes moved behind Holt so he could view the screen as Holt disconnected from servers and wireless networks before inserting the flash drive. No blue screen of death appeared. Holt released a held breath, and Hawes put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Then harder, unintentionally, when Holt opened the first unnamed folder and the screen filled with surveillance photos—of Hawes. From various spots around town, from the pier, from outside the family fort in Pac Heights, and in front of his condo. Each had a bull’s-eye drawn on his head.

About Layla Reyne: RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. Layla is a 2019 RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laylareyne

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laylareyne/

Newsletter: https://www.laylareyne.com/signup

AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/author/LaylaReyne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne

 

Enter to win 2 sets of signed backlist paperbacks (Trouble Brewing or Changing Lanes, winner’s choice); if international, signed book plates.

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Chef vs. Chef (Sizzling in the Kitchen Book 2) by M.J. O’Shea: New Release Review

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Bobby Diaz has worked his whole life to get where he is – running a restaurant with his two closest friends, no boss, no stress. When his best friend Baldwin gets the opportunity of a lifetime, he asks Bobby to take over the restaurant while he’s gone. Bobby will miss his friend, but he’s excited to put himself to the test. He can’t believe he’s getting the chance to finally be in charge.

Cal Mayer is thirty and starting over. His last relationship was a failure. His job went down the drain. So when his cousin Pete, a.k.a Baldwin Powell celebrity chef, offers him a gig in his restaurant, he can’t help but to jump at the offer to reinvent himself.

Bobby and Cal don’t exactly hit it off—to put it lightly. Bobby resents getting Cal dumped in his lap. Cal doesn’t appreciate Bobby’s frosty attitude. They’re stuck together day and night, and their chemistry is undeniable… but will it be sweet summer love or a case of too many chefs in the kitchen?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was totally meh. It’s readable, but utterly forgettable.

Quite a bit of the book is spent before the two main characters even meet each other. Both went through a big change in their lives so it is them (separately) getting their feet under them again.

Then they do meet and because of a stupid misunderstanding, one hates the other.

Then finally, FINALLY, they kiss. And it’s like this fast forward through all of the fun stuff. “Spring turns to summer…”. Uh, ok. What about THEM? As a couple? Dating? Cute flirty stuff?

Even during the hate period, it wasn’t even competitive fun hate. It was just one guy being a total jerk.

Weak storyline that really had potential. Weak characters. Weak romance.

Just meh.

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy