Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

lgbtq

Split Shift by TA Moore: Blog Tour, Exclusive Short Story, and Giveaway

by

The hard thing about Night Shift is when you realize werewolves are bad news, but people can be worse.

After Night Shift officer Kit Marlow solved the murder of child star Haley Jenkins, he figured he was due a little down time. Maybe even a dinner date with Cade Deacon, the sarcastic security consultant, very good kisser, and werewolf who’d helped with the investigation.

That was before someone in a Night Shift uniform drove them both off the road. With the full moon up the only dinner date Cade is interested in…has Marlow served up on a plate. And not in a sexy way.

It’s the second time that corrupt Night Shift officers have tried to kill Marlow. If he has his way, it will be the last. Problem is he only has twenty-eight days before the next full moon. If he hasn’t identified who wants him dead by then, he’ll have to take to werewolf filled streets with a team at his back he can’t trust.

First things first, though. Get through the next twelve hours alive and uneaten, and hope that if a second date is still on the cards it’s less eventful.

Title: Split Shift

Publisher: Rogue Firebird Press

Release: April 19

Link: https://books2read.com/splitshiftbook2

Amazon

First of all, thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here with my new release, Split Shift by TA Moore, the second novella in the Night Shift series.

For the blog tour I’ve written a short story set in the Night Shift world. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Still no text from Brian.

From the icon positioned next to it he had read it, but that was it. Marlow leaned against the back wall of the briefing room and stared at the screen as he tried to work out where he stood.

He started to type and got as far as the second ‘r’ in sorry when he stopped, deleted it, and started again.

I’ll make it up to you?

Or use a full stop and make it a promise. That projected a lot more confidence than he had right now.

He held his thumb over the send button as he debated whether to hit it or not. The rest of the team’s arrival interrupted the debate. He closed the app down.

“Phones away, Marlow,” Bailey said as she headed to the front of the room. “If you make me take it off you, then you won’t get it back till the end of shift.”

A few chuckles circled around the room as everyone took their seats. Piper gave Marlow a glance as he came in, an eyebrow raised to suggest a question. Presumably about the earlier conversation.

Marlow nodded as he tucked his phone into his back pocket.

“OK, Last night went well. No-one died while we were around, so I’m calling it a win,” Bailey said. “We did have an accusation of unnecessary force brought by some bleeding heart from St Michael’s–”

Bennett raised her hand and pointed at herself.”

“–against Bennett,” Bailey confirmed. “So IA is all over that, but I’ve reviewed the files and, unless and until new information comes up, they’re happy to let me keep you on duty. Like I said, no-one died.”

Bennett leaned back in her chair, balanced on just the two rear legs, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Damnit,” she said. “I thought I’d get a night off.”

Everyone laughed. Even Bailey gave an amused snort. “You wish,” she said. “OK. We have a VIP in town, big time lawyer slumming it down here for a client. They can’t get out to the Reserve and make court tomorrow, so dawn hits check the Crate for this guy.”

She held up a photo. The trim, grey-haired man in it didn’t look like someone who’d get tossed in the crate, but the wolf wasn’t the man.

Bailey ran through the rest of the briefing. A wolf in the Gaslamp District with a fixation on someone’s house, drug runners in Encinitas that had used the full moon as a distraction, and pack activity in Mesa Verde that needed broken up. Wolves were mostly solitary, meetings usually lead to fights, but sometimes they weren’t. No one knew why–plenty of people had theories about ‘natural alphas’ or population pressure, but they couldn’t back them up–but everyone agreed it wasn’t something to encourage.

It was supposed to be a pack of wolves that kicked off the French Revolution, when they broke into the Royal Preserve and slaughtered rings around them. Nothing that dramatic had ever happened in San Diego, but even small groups of wolves could be dangerous and destructive. It was best to nip it in the bud.

“Last on the agenda, but not least,” Bailey said as she flipped the folder closed. She waved her hand to the front of the room, where Franklin had taken up residence at one of the desks. “We have a new Night Shift officer on deck. Officer Franklin passed his PFQ with flying colors, and we’re glad to have him here. Keep an eye on him, show him the ropes, and make sure he doesn’t break that other hip.”

Franklin stood up and held his arms out. “I’ve already given one hip to the city,” he said. “I’m here to put the other on the line.”

Someone threw a balled up bit of paper at his head. He caught it before it hit his face and tucked it in his pocket.

“Love notes already,” he said. “I’m touched.”

“Settle down!” Bailey barked. “You are one night in, two nights to go. You’ve held the silver line so far, don’t slip up now. Get out there.”

There was only lime-and-lemon Gatorade left in the cooler stashed under the seat in the back of the Bearcat.

“Sorry,” Franklin said with mock-contrition as he finished his swig on the blue liquid. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I guess I took the last cherry Gatorade. Is that your favorite?”

Marlow grabbed a green bottle and dropped back into his seat. “No, it’s fine,” he said as he twisted the lid off. “I don’t care.”

It was the truth. He didn’t even like cherry flavor. Even if he’d been parched and that was all he was allowed to drink, he’d not have taken Franklin’s bait. If it turned out that they couldn’t work together, Marlow wasn’t going to take the blame for it.

Franklin stared at him and then sniffed to himself as he twisted the lid back on the bottle. Next to him Bennett paused mid-check on her gun to laugh.

“C’mon, Marlow,” she said. “Throw the guy a bone and be pissy about something. It’s his first night.”

Marlow took a drink of the tart, over-sugared energy drink. It cleared the taste of smoke and blood from the back of his throat. There had been a fire in an apartment building. The fire department had handled that, but it had been Night Shift’s job to keep the place clear until it did. “There’s nothing to be pissy about,” he said. “As long as he does his job and I can do mine.”

“Oh yeah?” Bennett jabbed her elbow into Franklin’s ribs, hard enough to make him grunt. “Want to see how it’s done, rookie?”

He gave her a dour look. “You know I’ve been Night Shift before, right?” he said. “Back in Frisco?”

“Didn’t ask and don’t care,” Bennett said. “You want to see how a real San Diego Night Shift officer gets under Marlow’s skin?”

Franklin put the bottle between his knees and crossed his arms. He grinned slowly. “Go on then.”

Great. They’d teamed up. Marlow watched them both grimly as he left the bottle to his lips again.

“That firefighter was checking you out,” Bennett said. She waggled her eyebrows at him. “The hot one.”

“With the hair?” Franklin asked. “The redhead?”

Bennett’s grin widened. “Not his type. No, the Korean guy with the tats.”

“Oh,” Franklin said. He thought about it for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, I can see what you mean. I mean, I think he checked my ass first but who can blame him.

The tips of Marlow’s ears were hot. He tried to pretend they weren’t as he swallowed and put the cap back on his bottle.

“I was too busy doing my job to notice,” he lied. Senior Firefighter West was not someone who went unnoticed, even by someone who had a boyfriend. At least, they did until said boyfriend got around to dumping them. “And I’m sure he was too.”

Bennett rocked back in her seat and slapped her knee. “Please!” she said. “He was ‘thank you for your service’ and bedroom eyes at you. You could have absolutely closed that deal if you’d made a move, Kitty.”

The back of Marlow’s neck stung and he glared at Bennett. “If I–”

He was interrupted by the static of the radio and the clipped urgency of Dispatch’s voice.

“–we have  a 19-03c at Bishop and 9th,” Dispatch conveyed. “Can you respond, David-10?”

“On it,” Piper told them. He glanced over his shoulder into the back. “Hold on.”

The Bear-cat took a hard left and peeled through the intersection. There was, for once, no one else on the roads. A stray wolf shot over the tarmac after something and went under the wheels. Marlow felt the bump of it as it rolled under them. Years of injunctions to be a good driver made him feel guilty, even though the wolf would be back on its feet in a minute.

“19-03,” Franklin said. “That’s a wolf-fight, yeah?”

Marlow drew his gun.

“Just a question,” Franklin said with a smirk.

“19-03c,” Marlow corrected him as he checked the action of the gun and holstered it again. “Wolf-fight with children in the area.”

Bennett pulled her helmet on and tightened the strap under her chin. She ran her finger under it to uncrease her ears.

“Or as they like to call them,” she joked grimly. “Hors d’oeuvres.’

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

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

Website: www.tamoorewrites.com

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

Twitter: @tamoorewrites

| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads |

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holding onto Light by Lucien Grey: Release Day Review

by

Two strangers running from their dark pasts find redemption in each other.

Harry, a former army doctor, lives in isolation after the devastating war between Rasacara and the Empire came to a bloody and violent conclusion. His lonely life is disrupted by a young, beautiful man surrounded by secrets and suspicion, who would likely destroy Harry if he knew who he was.

Kit, former member of the witch army’s Blue Crows, now on the run from his former master, must keep his identity a secret as his enemy is closing in and Harry, the gruff, mysterious woodsman, is all that stands between him and the man who wants him dead.

Forced together by Kit’s injuries, the two lonely men find comfort in each other, both scarred by the darkness of their pasts, but when Kit’s enemy catches up with him, they are forced to fight, revealing to each other the evils both of them have committed, and testing the strength of their new, fledgling love.

Amazon

Pride Publishing

The background to Holding Onto Light is an aftermath of a terrible war that happened some years previously. In this world magic users were harnessed by the leaders and used to war against their enemies. They are hunted out now by a magic-wielding secret police type group now and most live hidden in fear. This group has the power to “bind” magic users so they cannot use their powers or are forced to use it against their will.

An embittered ex soldier–Harry–is living his life in solitude because of his actions that brought about the end of the war. (I have to remain vague and unspoilery.) He worked as a medic during the war, but he has a large dark force of magic inside him that he struggles to contain for fear he will hurt someone.

Our second MC–Kit–has a different and quite unique use for magic, but he is on the run from the same group.
The group captures them both and tries to use one to force the other into welding magic.

I loved the unique twist on the magic, the story setting and the characters had so much potential.

My only niggle is that the whole story was based on mistakes that were made in this war many years ago, and its aftermath, and sense of punishment or retribution carried on through the whole book. The story kept me engaged to read it in one sitting, but I was still left with the feeling that neither Harry or Kit ever really forgave themselves or each other.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Crossing Lines: Hollywood Hopefuls Book Three by Jeris Jean: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Crossing Lines is a sexy and sweet age-gap, opposites-attract mm romance set in Hollywood.

When Matt is propositioned by Jasper, a hot older guy, he’s more than down. That is until he realizes Jasper has a boyfriend, and Matt would be joining them both. He’s not into it, especially since the boyfriend is a jerk, so he ditches them both. What Matt doesn’t expect is the lingering disappointment that the handsome man who approached him wasn’t single and he didn’t get a chance to know him better.

Jasper is not used to rejection. He didn’t become one of the most successful and highest-paid executives in all of Hollywood by accepting defeat. So when Matt, the sexy young barista, turns him down flat not once but twice, he doesn’t quite know what to do. Jasper finds himself going out of his way to get to know what’s behind Matt’s reluctance when it’s clear there is a mutual attraction between them.

Crossing Lines is an age gap, opposites attract mm romance set in Hollywood. There’s some angst and plenty of heat, but you can count on a HEA. (CW: references to past sexual assault.) This is the third book in the Hollywood Hopefuls series, but it works as a standalone novel.

Crossing Lines by Jeris Jean

Hollywood Hopefuls, Book 3

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“Here we are,” Jasper said, pulling into a parking lot near the waterfront and killing the engine. Surprisingly, Jasper felt oddly nervous now that they were there. He’d thought this was a safe idea for a first date, but he was suddenly second-guessing himself, and he didn’t know why. What if Matt hated it? What if he thought it was too cliché? What if he was expecting more? What if it was too much?

Matt had unbuckled his seatbelt and was looking around the marina through the windshield. “What are we doing at Marina del Rey? You’re not taking me on a boat, are you? Because I’ll have you know I get motion sickness and puking in front of you is not on my list of desirable outcomes for this date.”

Jasper unbuckled his seatbelt, too. “We’re not going on a boat.” He opened his door and said, “Come on, we need to make a quick stop before we settle in.”

Once they were out of the vehicle, Jasper pointed to a big screen hanging near the water. “It’s a drive-in movie night,” he told Matt, biting his lip as he waited for Matt’s reaction.

“Really?” Matt’s eyes lit up as he looked at Jasper. “I’ve never been to a drive-in movie before.”

Jasper grinned, relief easing the tension he’d been holding in his shoulders. “Yeah. I heard about it from one of the writers on our show, and I thought it sounded fun. I hope you can handle a musical, though. It’s La La Land tonight. Have you seen it?”

Matt’s eyes sparkled and his smile spread further. “Have I seen it? Ryan Gosling playing piano? It’s one of my favorites.”

Book three in a connected series, although they can be read as a stand alone. I read book 1, missed book 2, now we have book 3. I will say this one was FAR better than the first. There were still some issues, but still. WAY better.

Matt is out with his brothers celebrating the youngest turning 21. Matt is propositioned by Jasper and at first he agrees, till he finds out it is actually Jasper and his boyfriend and Matt backs out.

Jasper and his boyfriend have an open relationship, but it kind of seems that Jasper isn’t as into it as he seems. So when the boyfriend doesn’t come home until morning, they break up. No one really seems that upset about it. Even though they were living together.

Turns out Matt runs a coffee cart on the studio lot where Jasper is a television producer/writer/creator. So begins the flirtation. And then the honest to god dating. It was cute.

Things naturally progress for them. Matt’s siblings play a decent role in the book, as does Jasper’s business partner. They never explicitly say they are exclusive or open, which turns into a bit of an issue later on.

One head scratcher for me was Matt tensing up and putting a stop to the sexy times when Jasper touched his back. Because of past issues, etc. But… he was ready, willing and able to go home with Jasper from the club without even knowing him.

The book was super tropey as well. Age difference, rich/poor, no parents taking care of siblings, etc.

The misunderstandings didn’t need to happen- especially since Jasper was more experienced.

Overall, it was cute. And easy read with a little past trauma rearing it’s head but not too angsty at all.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Jeris Jean is a life-long Minnesotan with an obsessive love of books. She has a master’s degree in English Literature but didn’t write her first novel until she was in her mid-thirties. Something just “clicked,” and all fell into its rightful place.

Jeris is a lover of cats, coffee, binge-watching tv shows, her bffs, puzzles, knitting, white sunglasses, black nail polish, purple hair, and reading and writing like it’s going out of style, especially mm romance.

She lives with her husband, two sons and their cat, Fluffy Cat Love, in a lovely little suburb of Minneapolis.

Connect with Jeris:
https://linktr.ee/jerisjeana Rafflecopter giveaway

Velvet Cuffs (Kink Awakenings Book 3) by Charley Descoteaux: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Josh Keller never thought he’d host a wedding reception—his kink club is a place where he tends bar and chains willing men to the padded wall in his private room. He also never thought he’d see the love of his life again. When both happen on the same day his life will never be the same.

Pax Dupont never stopped loving Josh, not when they fought and broke up and not during the fifteen years they spent a thousand miles apart. Coming face-to-face with the man he left behind is a surprise, but learning Josh is part owner of the club intrigues Pax enough to share his own love of silk, lace, and domination.

Will Josh and Pax put past hurts behind them and admit their feelings still run hot, or will Pax’s attempts to dominate Josh break them up for good?

Warnings: This book contains a brief scene of violence and a hero in peril, mentions of past abuse of a child, grief over the death of siblings, a man who loves the feel of silk and lace, and one who thought he understood his own kinky nature.

Velvet Cuffs
by Charley Descoteaux
(Kink Awakenings, #3)
Publication date: April 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

He went in search of the grooms. He’d seen them arrive, heard the cheers and congratulations from his post behind the bar, but waited for the energy to settle before seeking them out. He caught sight of Eoin’s dark red hair near the cake table and smiled. It figured they would be there—as the man who served them probably half of their meals, Josh wasn’t surprised that Wes wanted to get at the cake before sampling the savory dishes.

The grooms had both been at the monthly meeting that morning to have pictures taken with the wedding cake. Wedding photographers are busy in the summer and one of the guys Eoin works with had a friend who squeezed them in.

A perk of that was the gal had two weddings to shoot that day, so she couldn’t stay for the reception. The downside, all the guests were encouraged to snap candid shots and tag Wes on Instagram with the pictures. Josh wasn’t camera-shy, but he didn’t exactly love the idea of having his face plastered all over social media. He had Facebook and Instagram accounts to show off his blades and support fundraisers for various LGBTQ youth activities, but as far as he knew, his face wasn’t there.

He approached the table and had just rested a hand on Eoin’s shoulder when he heard someone say his name. The voice sounded familiar in a way that made his throat tight, but he turned to look anyway.

“Josh?”

Josh froze. Standing in front of him, radiating charisma, was a sleekly-muscled man with the perfect amount of scruff surrounding his full lips and dark hair that nearly reached his ass. Rock star hair that looked like it had spent days in a braid only it grew out of his head like that. Josh knew because they had grown up together, had spent the first seventeen years of their lives joined at the heart.

“Pax?”

He should have known that at some point his high school sweetheart would return to Oregon, but he hadn’t thought in his wildest dreams that Pax Dupont would show up at his club.

“Josh?”

At least he seemed as thunderstruck as Josh felt. If Josh hadn’t been panicking inside he might have found it amusing, seeing Pax speechless. It hadn’t happened much as far as he knew. Maybe never. But at that moment Josh was too busy holding himself back to be amused by anything. The feelings warring inside him rooted him to the floor—he wanted to run and hide but also to grab Pax in his embrace and never let him go. Neither seemed like decent options. Running would only draw attention to the drama, and he’d given up the right to touch—let alone embrace—Pax a long time ago. He pulled himself together as best he could and tried to act natural.

Small talk, that’ll save me. What do people talk about at a wedding reception?

“How do you know the grooms?” Josh covered his relieved sigh with a quick sip of his punch. Falling back on etiquette, on the rote give-and-take of small talk, had gotten him through more than a few social occasions. He’d done a lot of listening and learning in the years since he’d met the other club owners. If panic still hadn’t been on the table, Josh might have been proud of himself for remembering the question and using it as a shield, proud of himself for keeping his voice level and even pleasant.

“How do I— What? I haven’t seen you for half a lifetime and that’s what you want to know?”

“This is a wedding reception. It’s Wes and Eoin’s day.” Josh leveled a stare with absolutely nothing behind it but a pleading hope that Pax would let it go, wouldn’t try to have the conversation he seemed to want. At least not right there, in front of the wedding cake with the grooms coming up beside them. The area surrounding them had grown quiet and Josh saw heads turning in his peripheral vision, neither of which helped him find more words. “How do you know them?”

Pax sputtered for a moment and then said, a little too loudly, “Eoin. I work with Eoin. At the clinic.”

Josh nodded. He’d exhausted his ability for small talk, it seemed.

This is a true second chance romance, and what I liked about it most was that it was very realistic. These two men have loved each other for the entire time that they had been apart. Never wavering from that, and honestly never finding another man to love during that time.

In addition, their breakup reasons…completely relatable to that age range. When you are 18, ready to take on the world, anything small in your path seems insurmountable, and you are selfish, unable to find compromise. That is exactly how these two men ended up on different paths, and found their way back so many years later.

Josh’s path was definitely not one that you would normally see forged (hahaha little inside reference there) for someone of his age, being handed a large wad of cash for someone to whisk his mother away to another country, but it allowed him to find what he needed to do in life. Finding his kinks…well that turned out to be waiting for Pax.

Meanwhile, Pax had no idea he had kinks. He forged a completely different path, and I will admit I was very curious how he ended up in that particular area of work, as it definitely would not be something most people think of as a career path of choice. However, he clearly was passionate about it.

It took a bit for these men to get out of their own ways, and communicate enough to find their way back to each other, but it was very well done, and seemed perfect for them.

**There was one scene that was very difficult for me, especially as someone who lives very close to the area where George Floyd died. (Don’t worry…small spoiler…nobody dies!) However, I did have to read it slowly, because it brought up some frightening moments.

Well done second chance romance

4 pieces of eye candy

Charley Descoteaux is the author of the Buchanan House Love Stories. Book One is a USA Today Must-Read Romance.

Charley has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they’ve agreed to let her sleep once in a while. Charley has survived earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, but couldn’t make it through a single day without stories.

Charley also writes under the pen name Charli Coty. Under that name you’ll find LGBTQIA+ fiction that’s a little different but always has a happy ending.

Sign up for their newsletter: https://my.sendinblue.com/users/subscribe/js_id/2m34r/id/2

Dressed in Desire: An M/M Daddy Romance (Club DeSires Book 1) by Quinn Ward: New Release Review

by

He left home to find acceptance. When he falls for a supposedly straight bouncer, can he awaken the man who’s everything he needs?

Living in the shadows has always been easier for Maverick. One trip to Annandale was all it took for him to see what life could be like if he let both sides of his personality shine. After all, what good was a closet filled with pretty clothes and killer makeup skills if he couldn’t show them off?

His best friend thought he was crazy for moving cross-country, but it was exactly the move he needed to finally live in the light.

John’s known as the token straight guy at work. But can he claim that when one encounter with a pretty boy has haunted him for months? His attraction to men isn’t the only thing that’s fully awake after they meet again. Yes, he wants to see if he’s more than just bi-curious, but he also wants to be the one to take care of Maverick and show him how special he is.

When a chance encounter leads to a love John never expected, can he accept who he is and be the Daddy his boy deserves?

Dressed in Desire is the first book in the Club DeSires series, set in the kinky town of Annandale. While there are cameo appearances from characters in the other series, you can jump in wherever you are without a problem! This book features a bi-awakening for an older man, and the genderfluid boy who sometimes wants to be Daddy’s princess. Together, they’ll explore kinks that might be better left as fantasies..

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I saw Daddy in the description and jumped on this one, I didn’t care about anything else. Unfortunately, I hadn’t read any of the other ones in this series, or pertaining to this series, so I feel like there are several couples that I might’ve missed out on. I’ll be fixing that. In saying that, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything major….

So, first, we meet Maverick, who lives in a close-minded town where he feels he can’t really be himself. Liking makeup and dressing pretty, he couldn’t live openly where he was. Even if he did hate the prospect of leaving his best friend Tanner behind.

Moving to Annandale to stay with some friends he met online, he was excited to start over someplace new, they even offered him a job at one of the clubs they were opening. And that’s where he officially meets John. (he met him once before but that must’ve been another book that I haven’t read yet, but they did know each other slightly in passing)…

John is the token straight guy who’s working construction on the new club with a couple of friends he’s recently got to know. He knew the kind of club it was and had no problem with it, even if it wasn’t necessarily his thing… he’d been with a guy once, and though that guy was exactly what he wanted, he’d never been attracted to a guy before, so other than thinking about the guy non-stop since he’d last seen him, he didn’t expect a gay club to be a problem….nor did he expect to run into the guy he couldn’t get off of his mind…to be there.

I don’t want to give anything away because I loved this book so much and finding out the little surprises and little tidbits was half the fun. There is a part where there’s a bit of sharing, but not enough for my psycho self to be jealous or think it’s out of the way. It fit perfectly into this and I really hope there’s a part in this series for Doctor B…or Blake, as he’s otherwise known as. There’s also a new kink explored that I’ve never experienced or even read about, and I’ll admit that it’s new to me but it has me intrigued. I’ll have to find more books on this one later….

I like that these two took it slow because John was trying to figure out where falling for a man fit into his life with his brother and his brother’s biker club he’s trying to get John to join, and understandable, Mav wanted to take it slow because John kept putting his foot in it in the beginning and he was wary for a minute about getting hurt… It all worked out in the end though and the way it’s navigated and worked through felt real. I like that in stories…the ones that feel real.

Overall, I loved this one and I cannot wait to see who’s next. I’m definitely going back and read the couples that I missed. I’m looking forward to it!

4 pieces of eye candy

Love Practice by A.F. Zoelle: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Wren is kinda sorta super in love with his best friend. Asking Izzy to go on practice dates as his dating tutor probably isn’t the best idea to keep those feelings hidden. But a bad idea has never stopped Wren before.

Wren Ferres

Does anyone know how to make Prince Charming fall in love with you? I’m asking for a friend.

…yeah, that friend is me. I’m secretly a little in love with my best friend and roommate. Okay, I’m a lot in love with him. Like, truly, madly, deeply in love with him. But it’s not my fault! He’s hot, French, and laughs at all my stupid jokes. He’s the prince of my dreams, minus the part where he isn’t actual royalty and not in love with me. Determined to change that, I come up with a brilliant plan to challenge Monsieur Know-it-all to be my dating tutor. I’m hoping that’ll tempt him into acting on our flirtatious banter.

If it doesn’t, maybe I’ll push my luck by suggesting some kissing practice?

Isidore “Izzy” Devereaux

Wren is flirty, quirky, très cute—and completely oblivious about how much I love him. His wild ideas usually make me laugh, but his request to go on practice dates to give him pointers? Yeah, that pushes all my buttons. Agreeing to his outlandish request means risking him discovering my secret. But, it also presents a tempting opportunity. This is my one chance to make him see me as more than just his best friend. It could be my only shot at making him my boyfriend for real.

I may not be a real prince like he teases me about, but can’t we still have a happily ever after?

Love Practice is the seventh and final book in the Good Bad Idea series and part of the Sunnyside universe. This novel features a friends to lovers, roommates, fake dating romance. Full of cute sweetness and sexy fun, every story ends with a satisfying HEA and no cliffhangers. Each book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in order.

Love Practice by A.F. Zoelle

A Good Bad Idea Story, Book 7

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Add to Goodreads

Books 1-6 – Kindle Unlimited

Chapter 5: Felix Murphy

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I tried to move things onto safer topics. “I’d love to hear more about you, Izzy.”

He was silent as he ate more of his dinner before answering. “I live with my roommate and best friend. He keeps my life lively.”

I blamed the rush of blood to my dick for making me slow to understand why he was talking about me as if I wasn’t there. How many times did I have to remind myself to act like we were strangers? It was so hard to do when he was the person I could most be my true self around. “That seems like a polite way of saying he’s a pain in the ass.”

“Non, my world is a much better and brighter place because he’s in it.”

Red’s points from earlier replayed in my mind. I couldn’t resist the temptation to play devil’s advocate. “Really? That almost sounds romantic.”

“Most of our friends assume it is.” He pinned me under his gaze as he sipped his wine.

I drank several swallows of my blue lagoon drink as a flush crept over me, making it feel too hot. “Do you disagree?”

He chose his words carefully. “There are many ways of loving someone, some more romantic or platonic than others.”

“Which is it with him?” I held my breath as I waited for him to respond.

His answer wasn’t the least bit helpful. “I’m not sure.“

“How does he feel about you dating?”

“I suspect he wouldn’t like it very much.”

He was damn right about that. The thought of him going out with Red made my blood boil, which was absurd when I liked both of them as friends. Things were getting too meta for my taste, but I kept playing the game out of morbid curiosity. “Does that mean we can’t go out again?”

“Non, because he has not laid claim to me yet. I’d love to see you next week if you have time.”

Thank god for autopilot, because my mouth said, “Great, it’s a date,” while my mind screamed, “What the fuck does that mean?” The coded double-talk gave me a headache as I tried to decipher his mixed meanings. Did he want me to claim him as my boyfriend? And what would that entail? Was I supposed to kick down his door and give him a hickey? Should I inform him he was my boyfriend for life because I claimed him like a shifter beast in heat in a romance novel? Was he giving me an invitation to fuck him and shoot my load on him, to mark him as mine like an animal claiming my territory? Did I want to do that? And god help me, what if he meant claim him like he wanted me to top him? The thought broke my brain.

My throbbing erection wanted him, but my head was a mess. As always, Izzy continued talking like he hadn’t upended my world by floating the possibility that maybe he wanted me to make a move. If throwing myself at him every chance I got wasn’t enough of an invitation for him to take advantage of, what else could I do?

I wasn’t ready to admit to myself that I was actually in love with him and not just a little bit like I lied to myself about all the time. There was no way I was owning up to the embarrassing fact that I had fallen for him the moment I first laid eyes on him during freshman orientation week. No, that was a secret I’d take to my grave. I needed him as my best friend too much to lose him over me being stupid enough to catch feelings before we had even said hello.

Now what the fuck did I do?

A new to me author, branching out yanno. Plus it was SO tropey I had to go in. Friends to lovers. Roommates. Fake relationship. They even reference a character who writes romances just like this. That was definitely cute.

Part of a series, easily a stand alone. Twice in the book were all of the guys from the previous books and that kind of made my eyes cross because I had no connection to them, but I can see how others who had read the previous 6 books would appreciate it.

Like I said, super tropey, but it was still a fun read. I would almost call this a beach read. It wasn’t long, there was zero angst, it wasn’t long and drawn out. One fake date before kissing. Two fake dates before they both fess up their feelings.

Izzy is French and that is made painfully obvious by his mixing of French and English, which, sorry, was really dumb. Like, if you are going to revert to your native language it is because you can’t think of the English word. Not “merci” or “oui” or “non”. Sorry, silly and completely unnecessary.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Under constant siege from persistent plot bunnies, A.F. Zoelle enjoys humoring them by writing about gorgeous men being in love. Her contemporary romances are full of witty banter, sexy fun, and lovable smart-asses. She’s left academia behind for a new adventure, which will hopefully include adopting Ragdoll cats of her own someday soon.

For real time updates on her writing progress, please join her Facebook group for exclusive teasers or follow her on Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter to gain access to extra epilogues, previews of upcoming books, and more.

Connect with A.F.:
Facebook Page | Twitter | Instagram
Website
Amazon Page | Goodreads | BookBub

To celebrate the exciting cover reveal of A. F. Zoelle’s upcoming Love Practice, we are giving away 2 advanced e-copies before its release!

a Rafflecopter giveaway