m/m romance

Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars by Nacht and Euclid: Release Day Review

April 20, 2016 by Denise

Wyatt Parker has a good life—he owns his own construction company, his own house, and he eats home-cooked meals every day. But cooking for one while watching the foodie network is more than lonely. When he learns about an upcoming reality show centered on becoming the personal chef for his favorite rock star, Wyatt leaps at the chance to audition.

Tully Randolph is the drummer for the band Unusual Potatoes. With a chef for a mom, love of good food runs in the family. When he’s asked to host a cooking competition, he’s all in—especially after he meets Wyatt, who is just the kind of big, hairy guy who gets Tully’s juices flowing. With a heart as big as he is, Wyatt wows Tully with his skills in the kitchen… and in the bedroom.

But if their relationship is found out, Wyatt could be drummed out of the competition—and out of Tully’s life. All the ingredients for a happy future are in front of them, and they just need to figure out how to bring everything together.

Title: Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars
Authors: Clancy Nacht and Thursday Euclid
Release Date: April 20, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBC (Novella)

Amazon

ARe

Dreamspinner Press

I was super excited to read this novella. I loved the idea of two people meeting via a reality TV show, and actually falling in love and finding their HEA. Wyatt’s Recipes was that book, with Wyatt being a big, shy bear and Tully a sweet drummer from his favorite rock band. Tully fell for Wyatt right away, while Wyatt went onto the show with his heart open, crushing on Tully for years.

I loved the reality TV piece, enjoying reading how the competitions brought out the good in Wyatt, and the not so good in others. I was excited to see how the book would bring it all together into a satisfying ending.

However, although I did enjoy their relationship, and Wyatt and Tully’s HEA, the backstory of the book left me a bit confused, and unsatisfied. The resolution on the reality show was abrupt, and felt somewhat forced off the rails. It felt like the book was rolling along, and (small spoilers here) then suddenly the reality show was done and lawsuits happened. Then you didn’t know what really happened to the “bad guys”, other than they basically got what they wanted. There was no resolution after a (again small spoiler) d*ck pic was sent, and the host was the one who gave the number out. These things felt so out of character with what I expected from the book that it was jarring, and took what I felt could have been a 4.5 star down to the 3.5.

I loved the relationship between these men who really had so very much in common it was destined that they should be together, and that kept me going to the end. I would actually hope for a follow up to this book with more of those two sweet men, along with what actually happened behind the scenes. There were just too many unanswered questions, unresolved issues otherwise.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Old Town New by BA Tortuga : Release Day Review

April 20, 2016 by Denise

Danny Avers is a teacher in small town Colorado. Back in the day, before high-speed Internet, social media, smartphones, or streaming anything, Danny’s just trying to live down his wild teenage years and carry on the only way he knows how: one day at a time. The last person he expects to see back in town is Harlan Quinn, his old best friend and former consummate bad boy. And when he finds out Quinn is the new sheriff and his new neighbor, it’s even more of a shock.

Quinn knows there’s more to his old hometown than meets the eye. There’s more to Danny than old memories and quiet living too. But as in the past, stirring things up is Quinn’s specialty, and he sets out to do that, in more ways than one, pushing Danny to admit there’s more to life and that their old town just might manage to be new again. That’s if old town thinking doesn’t get them both killed.

Title: Old Town New
Author: BA Tortuga
Release Date: April 20, 2016
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBC (Novella)

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

ARe

BA Tortuga is new find for me, I’ve only read one other book of hers. I absolutely love that this book takes place in a small town before smart phones and wifi were the norm, sometimes a great story is lost in the technology.

Harlan Quinn comes back to town after 10 years away as the new Sheriff. Danny Avers his old friend and high school boyfriend lives right across the street from the Sheriff’s new rental house. The two pick up their friendship as soon as they see each other, both having reasons for staying in the closet in a small town.

Danny is just living each day the same as the last, work as a history teacher at the high school by day and recluse by night. A tragic accident 10 years ago left Danny with a broken body that will never be completely mended and 5 dead friends. Small town thinking has everyone playing the blame game and Danny is just trying to survive and not drown beneath the guilt and accusations.

Danny and Quinn decide together that they need to stop paying for past sins so they can pave a future together as long as Quinn’s current case doesn’t get them killed first.

I loved it! As much drama and guilt as Danny and Quinn were experiencing their romantic relationship seemed effortless. It was beautiful to watch it unfold. As all the crap from Quinn’s job rained down on them they came together as a united front, never tearing each other down.

I loved the touch of mystery that Quinn’s job added to the story without taking it over. But most of all I loved how strong Danny was, his body may be broken but his spirit never would be.

Great read. I will be adding this to my re-read list.

5 pieces of eye candy

Selfie by Amy Lane : Blog tour, Review and Giveaway

April 19, 2016 by Denise

One year ago, actor Connor Montgomery lost the love of his life to a drunk driver. But what’s worse for Connor is what he still has: a lifetime of secrets born of hiding his relationship from the glare of Hollywood. Unable to let go of the world he and Vinnie shared, Connor films a drunken YouTube confession on the anniversary of Vinnie’s death.

Thankfully, the video was silent—a familiar state for Connor—so his secret is still safe. He needs a fresh start, and a new role on the hit TV show Wolf’s Landing might be just that.

The move to Bluewater Bay may also mean a second chance in the form of his studio-assigned assistant. Noah Dakers sees through Connor’s facades more quickly than Connor could imagine. Noah’s quiet strength and sarcastic companionship offers Connor a chance at love that Hollywood’s closet has never allowed. But to accept it, Connor must let Vinnie go and learn to live again.

**For the Selfie blog tour, Amy Lane has written a few monologues from Vinnie’s video blog, set prior to the crash that takes his life. These monologues, performed by Nick J. Russo of Dark Night Sound, correspond to scenes or memories referenced by Connor in Selfie, giving you a unique look at this off-screen character.

Please visit http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/selfie and select the extras tab for all six monologues, which will be updated there as they are published.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

I never know what to expect from an Amy Lane book. Sometimes I walk away with just a general feeling of happiness and joy, other times, I’ve used an entire box of tissues, and still want to curl up in a ball on the couch. Selfie was somewhere in between. Connor and Noah put the pieces of my heart back together again, after my heart felt so sad from Connor’s grief over losing Vinnie.

Noah, clearly one of the most patient and loving man ever, was willing to wait for Connor to finish grieving, and even was willing to take a backseat to Vinnie’s ghost. What kind of man could be so selfless, and put himself out there for that kind of potential heartache? Yet, he did, and he was supportive of Connor, no matter what happened.

It seemed that Connor’s biggest issue was not necessarily his grief of Vinnie, but not being able to express his grief to anyone but his agent. Not Vinnie’s family, not the world that saw the movie star, even initially not to Noah. That allowed his grieving process to not even begin until the anniversary of Vinnie’s death, when he began to blow it all out of the water.

And let’s not forget Vinnie’s “ghost”, who we find out was not the saint that he originally is seen as. Vinnie was a fairly selfish man, who loved a man who was willing to give up everything to have a chance at their happiness. His ghost was a bit selfish as well. But in the end, he goes away quietly, after a difficult goodbye with Connor.

My heart broke for Connor having to go through all this, and for Noah who had to watch from the sidelines, and could only be supportive. But thank goodness it’s an Amy Lane novel, so there is an HEA!!!

There were a couple loose ends I would have loved to see tied up a little more neatly, but in real life, those likely would not have been tied up anyway, so sometimes you have to let things go.

Definitely recommend. And I would like to re-read this, from the point of view of knowing Vinnie and his ways. I wonder if my read will be a different feeling…

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Amy Lane exists happily with her noisy family in a crumbling suburban crapmansion, and equally happily with the surprisingly demanding voices who live in her head.

She loves cats, movies, yarn, pretty colors, pretty men, shiny things, and Twu Wuv, and despises house cleaning, low fat granola bars, and vainglorious prickweenies.

She can be found at her computer, dodging housework, or simultaneously reading, watching television, and knitting, because she likes to freak people out by proving it can be done.

Connect with Amy:

Website: com
Blog: blogspot.com
Twitter: @amymaclane
Facebook group: Amy Lane Anonymous
Goodreads: com/amymaclane

About Nick J. Russo

Nick J. Russo has been a professional performer for over a decade, but has been voicing audio books for the past few years. He has voiced several titles throughout the romance, sci-fi, supernatural, and thriller genres, and has recently started his very own sound studio; Dark Night Sound. On top of voice acting, Russo manages Dark Night Sound with his fiance and works with a staff of four up and coming narrators. In his free time, Russo is a drummer in a pop/rock cover band, loves to travel, and dreams of one day being able to voice a role in an animated comedy series.

To celebrate the release of Selfie, one lucky person will receive e-copies of Amy’s entire backlist with Riptide, and an Amy Lane t-shirt. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 23, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

The Heart as He Hears It by A.M. Arthur : Release Day Blast, Excerpt and Giveaway

April 19, 2016 by Denise

While most of his friends have moved on to “real” careers, Jon Buchanan is content skating through life as a part-time waiter and gay porn star. Firmly single thanks to a previous relationship disaster, he focuses his spare time on Henry, a dear friend dying of cancer.

And with Henry’s happiness paramount, Jon is on a mission to help Henry meet his recently discovered grandson.

Isaac Gregory hasn’t set foot outside for the past year. He has everything he needs delivered, and his remaining family knows better than to visit. When a complete stranger shows up claiming to be his grandfather—with a distractingly handsome younger man in tow—his carefully structured routines are shaken.

Despite his instant attraction, Jon senses Isaac is too fragile for a relationship. Yet tentative friendship grows into genuine companionship. And when Henry’s health begins to fail, they realize Fate brought them together for a reason.

Author Name: A.M. Arthur

Book Name: The Heart As He Hears It

Series: Perspectives

Book: Three

Can be read as a standalone

Release Date: April 19, 2016

Pages or Words: 253 pages

Also available in audiobook format with Guy Locke as the narrator

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Goodreads Link:

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor

Jon studied him, his gaze taking in…something. “May I ask you something?”

“Of course.” His chest flushed with anticipation.

“How do you feel when you’re with me?”

Isaac tried to push aside the anxiety still attempting to blur his thoughts, an old friend that wanted to be part of the conversation. Only anxiety wasn’t allowed in, not this time. He shuffled through different words, emotions and adjectives, searching for the one that best described how he felt about Jon. How Jon made him feel, despite being a near-stranger, bigger, stronger and far more experienced in pretty much everything. Jon still made him feel… “Safe,” Isaac said.

Jon’s eyebrows crept up. The corners of his mouth quirked into something not quite a smile. “Really?”

“Yes. The first time I saw you on my security feed, I noticed how beautiful you were.” His cheeks warmed.

Jon flat out grinned. “Yeah?”

“You’re kind and patient, and I feel safe because you don’t try to fix me, and you don’t act like I’m broken. My family thinks I’m broken, and I don’t want them to fix me. I just…” Something in Isaac shifted, accepting this new truth. “I need to feel safe, Jon. That’s why I hide. But you make me not want to hide.”

Jon’s eyes glittered. His expression melted into something so warm, so sweet, that it burned in Isaac’s blood in a way he didn’t understand at all. The strange sensation urged him to reach out, to initiate contact of some kind. Deep-rooted fear kept Isaac still, unable to make that first move. Unable to do anything except soak in the wonderment on Jon’s face.

“I think that’s the greatest compliment I’ve ever gotten,” Jon said. His voice was hoarse, strange. Almost difficult to hear, so Isaac paid more attention to his lips. “Is it cheesy to say your strength makes me want to be better too?”

Isaac shook his head. “I’m not strong.”

“You’re stronger than you think. You proved that by letting me and Henry in two weeks ago. You proved it again by going out to rescue a kitten. Twice, by the way. You told me you want to get better, get into the world, and that takes a fuck-ton of courage when you’ve lost as much as you have. I know it won’t be easy, but I still want to help you do that.”

“I know you do. I want that too.”

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone’s throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She’s been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn’t been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur’s work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and SMP Swerve.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she’s an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Where to find the author:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/A.M.Arthur.M.A

Twitter: http://twitter.com/am_arthur

Website: http://amarthur.blogspot.com/

Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Oh My Shelves, Unquietly Me, The Jena Wade, Full Moon Dreaming,

Making It Happen, Book Lovers 4Ever, BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, Alpha Book Club, V’s Reads,

Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Bayou Book Junkie, My Fiction Nook, Happily Ever Chapter,

Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, A.M. Leibowitz, Outrageous Heroes,

Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Nephy Hart, Boys on the Brink Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews,

Molly Lolly, Gay Media Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books, Jessie G. Books, Havan Fellows, Anna Butler Fiction,

Dawn’s Reading Nook, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Mikky’s World of Books, Inked Rainbow Reads,

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

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A Mended Man by Jaime Reese : Cover Reveal

April 15, 2016 by Denise

A story of healing, confronting demons, and how two men fight like hell to finally get their happily ever after.

Title: A Mended Man

Series: The Men of Halfway House #4

Author: Jaime Reese

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 28, 2016
Photographer: wagnerLA Photography
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Detective Aidan Calloway is rock-solid strong. He’s a man of justice—loyal to his friends, family, and job—even if it requires bending a law…or two. He shields himself behind an abrasive, fearless facade, until a phone call one night chips his armor and throws his perfectly planned, hollow life into a tailspin.Jessie Vega is the epitome of optimism. His carefully crafted attitude of hope and positivity protects him from a past filled with too much pain. When a ghost from a dark time resurfaces and nearly breaks him, he must tap into his inner strength or risk losing everything he’s worked so hard to build.But Jessie can’t do it alone. He must fight to break through Aidan’s ironclad defenses to reveal the heart of the man hiding beneath the tough surface and mend his damaged spirit. Only then can they truly heal and become strong enough to battle the demons that haunt them and threaten their chance to finally be together.

———

***This book contains scenes and subject matter some readers may find distressing.***

———

Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone.

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

The Men of Halfway House
A Better Man
A Hunted Man
A Restored Man
A Mended Man

…More to come…

HOSTED BY:

Imperfect Harmony by Jay Northcote : Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway

April 15, 2016 by Denise

Imperfect harmony can still be beautiful…

John Fletcher, a former musician, is stuck in limbo after losing his long-term partner two years ago. He’s shut himself off from everything that reminds him of what he’s lost. When his neighbour persuades him to join the local community choir, John rediscovers his love of music and finds a reason to start living again.

Rhys Callington, the talented and charismatic choir leader, captures John’s attention from the first moment they meet. He appears to be the polar opposite of John: young, vibrant, and full of life. But Rhys has darkness in his own past that is holding him back from following his dreams.

Despite the nineteen-year age gap, the two men grow close and a fragile relationship blossoms. Ghosts of the past and insecurities about the future threaten their newfound happiness. If they’re going to harmonise in life and love as they do in their music, they’ll need to start following the same score.

Author Name: Jay Northcote

Book Name: Imperfect Harmony

Release Date: April 15, 2016

Pages or Words: 66,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Goodreads Link

Publisher: Jaybird Press

Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

Luckily there were still some parking spaces outside the church hall where Maggie’s choir met. John made sure they arrived a little early so Maggie wouldn’t have to walk too far. She was managing well on one crutch, but she still tired easily. After he parked, he got out and hurried around to help her out of the passenger door.

“Thanks, love,” she said, patting him on the arm. “I can manage now.”

A vicious gust of wind whipped a strand of hair into her face. It was dark, still sleeting, and probably slippery underfoot. There was no way John was going to leave until she was safely indoors. “I’ll just see you inside. Let me take your bag.”

Maggie let him have it without argument, and he popped it over his arm. He hovered close to Maggie as she made her way slowly to the double doors. He held one open for her and was hit by a blast of warm air. Then he accompanied her inside as she crutched along the corridor towards an open door. Yellow light flooded out, and the sound of a tenor voice singing “I Can See Clearly Now” raised the hairs on the back of John’s neck with its pure, clear beauty.

“I thought you said the emphasis was on fun rather than perfection?” he said quietly. “He’s got quite a voice.”

“That’ll be Rhys, our choir leader,” Maggie said with a smile. “Come and meet him, even if you’re not staying.”

Maggie paused when she reached the doorway and put a finger to her lips. They listened and waited for Rhys to finish singing. John peered over Maggie’s shoulder, hoping for a glimpse of the man the voice belonged to. Rhys, John presumed, was alone in the room. With his back to the door, he stood at a table pushed to the edge of the room, shuffling through some papers as he sang. All John could see of him was that he was small and slight, and quite young, based on the cut of his clothes. A hood covered his hair.

When he finished, Maggie started clapping.

Rhys wheeled around. “Oh my God! You made me jump.” He pushed his hood down and his face lit up as he beamed. “Maggie. How are you?”

John’s eyes widened as he took in Rhys’s front view as he approached Maggie and gave her a careful hug. His hair, which was shaved at the back and sides, was long on top and dyed peacock blue. His eyebrow was pierced, his arms were covered with tattoos, and the front of his T-shirt was emblazoned with a glittery equals sign in rainbow colours. All in all, he was at least twenty years younger than John had expected and completely unlike how John would have imagined a choir leader to look. In this dingy church hall in their small market town, Rhys looked like a bird of paradise that had accidentally ended up in a cage full of sparrows.

Being a music lover and a fan of Jay Northcote, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Imperfect Harmony. Of course, the icing on the cake was that this is a May/December story, which I also love.

Unfortunately, I was left trying to figure out how I feel about the book. The pacing felt off from what I’ve gotten used to with Jay’s books. The first third of the book felt like too much detail about the music and not enough about John and Rhys. Then, they got together, but that almost felt too easy because I didn’t have a clear picture of what they’d experienced in the past and how that shaped their present. When the book ended, I was happy to see them together, but I still wished there was a clearer picture of why they were going to work.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

Where to find the author:

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Happily Ever Chapter, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie,

Oh My Shelves, Gay Book Reviews, Man2ManTastic, Andrew Q. Gordon, QUEERcentric Books,

The Hat Party, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Unquietly Me, Bookaholic Confessions,

Full Moon Dreaming, Molly Lolly, Alpha Book Club, My Fiction Nook, Dawn’s Reading Nook,