novella

Alone Together by DC Juris: Book Blast, Excerpt and Giveaway

January 5, 2016 by Denise

Blurb:

Garrett’s homophobic family and his own big mouth keep getting him into trouble. If he’s not careful, he’ll lose everything—wife, job… and Aaron.

Ever have one of those days where you open your mouth and trip over every single word that comes out? Garrett Morris is having a bad day. On a scale of one to ten, it’s a twenty. Mind you, it should be going much better, considering he’s seeing Aaron, the secret love of his life, for the first time in a little over two years. But his wife’s homophobic family and his own big mouth keep getting him into trouble. If he’s not careful, he’ll lose everything—wife, job… and Aaron. Previously published by Stiff Rain Press.

Author Name: DC Juris

Book Name: Alone Together

Release Date: January 6, 2016

Pages or Words: 12,576 words

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

Goodreads Link:

Publisher: Torquere Press

Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Excerpt:

“You all right?”

I sighed and nodded. “I might as well be. I’m not the one hooked up to a bunch of machines without my consent.”

“That’s not your fault. You didn’t know what the living will said. It easily could’ve said do everything.”

“How did I not know what my own father wanted?” I held my hands wide.

He shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know what mine would want. Really, who talks about that stuff? We live our lives in a state of invincible denial.”

“I guess.”

“You know what you’re going to do?”

“Pull the plug.” I sat down in the pew with a groan, wincing at how hard the wood was. “That’s what he would want. Says so right there in black and white. I just…” I shook my head and swiped at welling tears.

Aaron circled in front of me and knelt on the maroon carpet. “It’ll be okay. You’re doing the right thing.”

“How do you know?”

“Don’t you feel it?” Aaron laid a hand over my heart. “Isn’t that what’s got you? Everyone’s arguing, but you know what needs to be done.”

I nodded. “I don’t want to be the one to say it. I don’t want to be the bad guy. The one who killed Dad.” I couldn’t stop the choked sob.

“Garrett,” Aaron whispered. He pulled me close and held me. “You didn’t kill him, baby.”

His embrace was warm, and being called baby in that gruff, manly voice of his made me want so much more with him. Secretly, I’d always found him attractive—so strong but so tender at the same time. Maybe it was the grief. Maybe it was the fatigue. But the scent of him, the heat of him, drove me insane. I leaned back just enough, tipped my head, and rubbed my lips over his.

He responded, maybe on instinct, maybe on purpose, but the result sent a jolt of longing through me.

Aaron pulled back and wiped his lips. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“It’s not. I shouldn’t—”

I shook my head and tugged him forward for another kiss. I couldn’t let him regret this. I couldn’t bear to think of that.

At length we parted, and he pressed his forehead to mine before he stood. “Someone’s bound to miss us and come looking. We’d better head back.”

Buy the book: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=200

Meet the author

Romance author, sci-fi fan club Captain, cosplayer, reigning Queen of Monkeyland, and random menace. Yep, we’re talking about DC Juris. She’s a cupcake making, football watching, rubber duck collecting, drag show loving, full of fabulous with a Capital F kinda gal. She’s also an Ordained Minister and an amateur photographer. She lives in Upstate NY with her husband, three dogs, and three cats. When she’s not writing, you can find her in her favorite chair watching “Star Trek” and “Supernatural” repeats on Netflix, or surfing the web for porn. Er…research. Surfing the web for research. She may speak softly but she lives and loves loudly. Just ask the neighbors. ::wink

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1228397385

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/danielchristianjuris

Twitter: @dcjuris

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dcjuris/

Instagram: @dcjuris

Periscope: @dcjuris

Tour Dates & Stops: January 5, 2016

Parker Williams, The Hat Party, BFD Book Blog, Book Lovers 4Ever, Full Moon Dreaming, Bayou Book Junkie, Happily Ever Chapter, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Three Books Over The Rainbow, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Alpha Book Club, Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Charley Descoteaux, Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Kirsty Loves Books

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Holiday Roundup: Authors and Reviewers Picks

December 20, 2015 by Denise

Who doesn’t like Holiday reads? We asked some of our favorite authors and our own reviewers what their favorite holidays reads are, and some of the answers caused us to rethink our own answers. The good thing with holiday reads is that there are so many to go around, and its just the perfect time to sit back with a glass of wine or hot cocoa and spend the night with a couple of delicious men…on paper of course! 🙂

Let us know what your favorites are!

Denise: Found at the Library by Christi Snow

Morgan: If Only In My Dreams by Keira Andrews

Heather: Sleigh Ride by Heidi Cullinan

Felice Stevens: The Dickens with Love by Josh Lanyon

Cardeno C: A Great Miracle Happened There by Kim Fielding

Sloan Johnson: He Completes Me by Cardeno C

Michelle: Against the Grain by Charlie Cochet (for the Thanksgiving scene!)

Jessie G: Dreaming of Snow by Teodora Kostova

Sno Ho & Life in Fusion by Ethan Day : Quick Reviews

December 19, 2015 by Denise

Boone Daniels seems to have trouble finishing things. Along with the half dozen or so novels he’s started, only to abandon mid-way through, his love life could be best described as a series of drive-bys.

Boone has spent the past week staying at a ski lodge in the tiny mountain town of Summit City. He’s been using his time alone to write while waiting for his boyfriend to join him for their anniversary.

What happens to Boone when he winds up dumped on the eve of his one-year anniversary and ends up at a bar having one too many cocktails? Wade Walker.

Do you know that friend who’s absolutely amazing most of the time, but sometimes goes off on these wild tangents that make you roll your eyes, wondering why they’re trying so hard? That’s how I felt about Sno Ho by Ethan Day.

Boone is an interesting character. When he chilled out, I loved him. But when he was trying to be funny, I felt it was exactly that. He was trying. Or rather, Ethan Day was trying to craft a hilarious character and could have pulled it back a bit. At one point, the joking around when Wade was trying to be serious annoyed the hell out of me.

And Wade… oh, Wade… I spent a great deal of the book trying to figure out what his deal was. He’s obviously the golden boy of Summit City and he has a pure heart, but sometimes, I felt like he’d gone from being a big teddy bear to a bearskin rug. He was willing to call Boone out on his eating habits, and asked a few times about the inappropriate banter and inability to be serious, but I can’t imagine many people sticking around long with how Boone behaved.

The story opens with Boone waking up after a drunken one-night stand, but by the time he leaves, the only reason he knows the name of the man who left him walking funny is that he dug through his mail. Okay, cool. It happens. But honestly, I’m still not sure WHY these men were attracted to one another. It may have been the hot sex, but other than that, I’m somewhat clueless. I guess what I’m saying is I wish we had more connection and fewer antics in Sno Ho.

This was a quick read, and I’ll admit I’m getting ready to dive into Life In Fusion. My hope is that we’ll get to learn more about why Boone and Wade work when it’s more than a one week vacation rebound fling.

3.5 pieces of Eye Candy

Aspiring author, Boone Daniels, always figured love would be as easy as he was. Fresh off a whirlwind winter-vacation romance with ski-god and would-be boyfriend, Wade Walker – Boone was certain that saying goodbye would be the hardest part.

He’d survived the unconventional way in which they came together, proven himself somewhat worthy to Wade’s hometown of Summit City, and felt certain the self-imposed, six month boy-buffer would prove one thing – their fate was to be forever entwined.

Once real life settles in, Boone suffers the realization that no one ever actually said love was easy and that even after you fall, you can still break. As their two worlds collide, he begins to understand that if he can navigate the landscape of life in fusion, he just might get that happily-ever-after…after all.

Wade and Boone’s story continues from Sno Ho into Life in Fusion…

For the most part, I enjoyed Life in Fusion more than I did Sno Ho. Boone seemed to chill out a bit and wasn’t quite as immature. He still had his moments of randomness, but they didn’t feel as forced in this book.

I enjoyed seeing Wade and Boone tackle their time apart. I fell in love with them as people and was cheering for them to have their happily ever after. There were a few moments when I wanted to shake the life out of Boone and tell him to use his big boy words instead of getting pissy, but I got past them.

The friendship with Gabe, and how upset he was about Boone being with someone, confused me. At first, I thought he was worried for his friend, but the longer it went on, the more it felt like he was a jealous tool. I wound up really NOT liking him. And never understood why Chip and Wade didn’t like one another.

The only reason this book didn’t rate higher is that I found myself skimming. A lot. The background stories threatened to barge their way into Wade and Boone’s time. And I’ll admit, after reading the first part of Boone’s WIP, I skipped over the rest. I get that the author was trying to show that Boone had his mojo back, but it wasn’t the type of story that intrigued me as a reader. And there wasn’t just a paragraph here and there, it was pages at the beginning of each part of the book.

3.75 pieces of Eye Candy

Ethan Day | Author

ethan@ethanday.com w. www.ethanday.com

Snowed In by Teodora Kostova : Quick Review

December 15, 2015 by Denise

Be careful what you wish for…

Nate has been in love with Quinn, his brother’s best friend, for as long as he can remember. But when he finally gets the chance to show Quinn how he feels, his heart gets broken in the most unexpected way.

Second chances come when you least expect them…

Quinn doesn’t believe in miracles, especially not Christmas ones. When he decides to win Nate back he knows it won’t be easy. The last thing he expects is a health scare, a road trip and a vicious snow storm to work in his favor.

In the end, a cabin in the woods turns out to be not only the shelter they desperately need, but also Quinn’s very own Christmas miracle.

Sometimes, to forgive, you need to get snowed in…

*Stand alone novella, not connected to any series

Amazon

This holiday novella follows Nate and Quinn, through their very young adulthood for part one. Then again several years later for part two, as they get to their HEA.

Nate was such a sweet young man in part one, who couldn’t wait to see the man he had been in love with since they met. Quinn left town, and broke his heart, and Nate became an angry, promiscuous man, who hated Quinn upon seeing him again.

I will admit, that after Quinn broke Nate’s heart at the end of part one, I was angry myself. I couldn’t read the novella for a while after that, stewing in my anger, much the way Nate seemed to do. When Quinn came back, to win Nate over, I was hesitant at first too, not knowing why Quinn left in the first place. He tried to convince Nate that he wanted him back, that he wanted to make up for the pain he had caused.

I did have a few issues with the characterizations in this novella, though. There might be a few small spoilers ahead, so you are warned.

The brain tumor of Quinn’s roommate led the pack here. Quinn felt beholden to the roommate as he got sick, and that he needed to care for him. That was the type of person he was, wanting to take care of a man who had taken care of him. However, in all honesty, they had been roommates and friends, so why would Quinn choose to hurt a man so tremondously, that he claimed to love, because someone who was a friend was sick? Could it be because he didn’t want Nate to see him struggling to deal with it? Perhaps. Another reason might have been their ages. Making a decision like that, at that age, could very well be what someone would think was best. However, for me, it didn’t strike me as something someone who loves you would do.

In addition, remembering that Nate’s parents had taken in Quinn, much as the roommate had, why would the roommate win over Quinn’s devotion more than Nate? Was it because Nate had his brother and parents, and the roommate had no one? That is entirely possible, but again, I go back to the fact that the roommate was just a friend, and Nate could have easily been a source of support for Quinn as he helped the man die with dignity.

All that being said, I definitely felt the connection between these two. One of the issues sometimes with novellas is they are so fast, it’s hard to feel the connection that the reader wants in order to get to the HEA satisfactorily. In this case, that wasn’t an issue. Because Nate and Quinn had a connection prior to expressing their love to each other, the reader was able to feel that bond reform as they traveled towards Denver, and found themselves at the place that their previous falling out had taken place.

There was so much to love in this novella, two men who tiptoed around each other for years, then had to find a way to go from enemies to lovers, some hot sex scenes (because Teodora can definitely write some of those!), and an awesome cover, that my other issues could be put to the backburner somewhat.

I definitely enjoyed this one, and was glad I got a chance to read it. I would love to read a little more on these men. How they were able to work through some of the lingering anger and fears to solidify their relationship could be an entirely different novella!

3.75 pieces of Eye Candy for me

Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I’ve tried bores me to death and I have to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I’ve been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It’s the only time that I’m truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time – my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I’m procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a kid.
Don’t be shy and get in touch – I love connecting with my readers.

Blog: www.teodorakostova.blogspot.com

Twitter: @Teodora_Kostova
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teodorakostovaauthor

E-mail: t.t.kostova@gmail.com

Instagram: teodorika1

What Happens At Christmas by Jay Northcote : Quick Review

December 15, 2015 by Denise

When two friends pose as boyfriends, could what happens at Christmas turn into something more?

Justin is recently and unhappily single. Christmas is coming, and he doesn’t want to face his ex alone at their office party. So Sean—Justin’s best mate and long-time secret crush—volunteers to go with him and pretend to be his new flame.

Sean has always lusted after Justin from afar, but there’s never been a good opportunity to ask him for more than friendship. Posing as Justin’s boyfriend isn’t a chore, and if Justin wants to rebound onto him, Sean’s more than willing. At the party pretence and reality blur, and a kiss on the dance floor leads to a night of passion.

In the aftermath, they both assume it was a one-time thing until fate intervenes. Stuck together in London over the holidays, they give in to temptation again. But what happens at Christmas stays at Christmas… right?

Length: 37,000 words

Amazon

What Happens at Christmas by Jay Northcote combines two of my favorite tropes: friends to lovers and holiday magic. Justin and Sean were both written beautifully. Even though this is a novella, I felt there was plenty of time given to getting to know both characters, as well as explore their feelings for one another.

It would have been so easy for this story to take a turn into a cheesy mess, but the author never went that far. It was a perfect balance between Sean and Justin trying to play their parts in front of Justin’s ex and them trying to decide whether to hide or reveal their own feelings.

Even though it would have been plausible if they had jumped right into the sack, I appreciated that there was a bit of build up to them doing the deed. It made their connection that much stronger and believable.

I’m not typically a fan of novellas because they always leave me feeling like something’s missing, but that was NOT the case this time. I feel confident that Justin and Sean are on their way to a great new life together and will stand the test of time!

This book has already been added to my holiday collection and I can’t wait until next year when I can enjoy it all over again!

5 pieces of Eye Candy

Winter Wonderland by Heidi Cullinan : Quick Review

December 14, 2015 by Denise

Finding Mr. Right can be a snow lot of fun.

Minnesota Christmas, Book 3

Paul Jansen was the only one of his friends who wanted a relationship. Naturally, he’s the last single man standing. No gay man within a fifty-mile radius wants more than casual sex.

No one, that is, except too-young, too-twinky Kyle Parks, who sends him suggestive texts and leaves X-rated snow sculptures on his front porch.

Kyle is tired of being the town’s resident Peter Pan. He’s twenty-five, not ten, and despite his effeminate appearance, he’s nothing but the boss in bed. He’s loved Paul since forever, and this Christmas, since they’re both working on the Winter Wonderland festival, he might finally get his chance for a holiday romance.

But Paul comes with baggage. His ultra-conservative family wants him paired up with a woman, not a man with Logan’s rainbow connection. When their anti-LGBT crusade spills beyond managing Paul’s love life and threatens the holiday festival, Kyle and Paul must fight for everyone’s happily ever after, including their own.

Warning: Contains erotic snow art, toppy twinks, and super-sweet holiday moments. Best savored with a mug of hot chocolate with a dash of spice.

Amazon

Can I tell you how much I love the little town of Logan, MN? Sure, they have their issues and their closed-minded jerks, but I want to move there so bad! Especially after reading Winter Wonderland, the third book in the Minnesota Christmas series.

Last year, I fell in love with Arthur, Marcus, and Paul. The first two men found their happily ever afters, but poor Paul was left without someone to keep him warm at night. I needed him to find love.

When a book starts out with something as cheesy as snow penises, it could be cause for worry. It would have been if not for the fact that the first two books in the series were so solid.

Yes, it got a bit tiring to listen to Paul’s reasons why he and Kyle couldn’t work out, but I think that’s because if Paul was my real-life friend sitting in the room with me, I’d have wanted to slap him and remind him that he deserves to be happy. He was written that well.

And then you have poor Kyle… my mom used to tell us that we’d better not do anything on one end of town that we didn’t want her knowing about before we got home. Because small Midwestern towns take that whole “it takes a village” philosophy very seriously. And just like long lost relatives, small towns have a hard time believing that one of their own is all grown up. But damn, Kyle is grown!

One thing that sticks with me about this book is how Heidi Cullinan bucked stereotypes. Paul might have been the “bear” of the couple, but Kyle has no problem trying to tame him.

If I had to make a complaint at all, it’d be that there’s not a fourth book out. Like now. I love the boys of Logan and really hope there are more stories coming, because I need to know if their big dreams for Logan become a reality!

5 pieces of Eye Candy