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Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

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Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need. Or will it just be a painful reminder of all they had lost?

Second chance: an opportunity to try something again that failed one time. Rush and Lincoln have shared a lot of firsts—friendship, young love, and heartbreak. Cruel reality forced the two men to choose paths that took their lives in different directions. Twenty-six years later, they get a second chance to fall in love with each all over again. Can it really be that simple, or will the same issues ruin their happiness a second time?

Happily ever after: to live happily for the rest of one’s life. Rush and Lincoln know that love and life can’t be defined by words alone. Patience, commitment, and the determination to do whatever it takes will be the only way the two men achieve their happily ever after.

Second Wind is a funny, sexy, and endearing standalone romance novel about love, loss, and rediscovery. It contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

SECOND WIND
AIMEE NICOLE WALKER
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 02.14.18

COVER DESIGN: JAY AHEER/ Simply Defined Art
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: WANDER AGUIAR

Amazon

Rush wrapped his hand around my wrist then turned his face and kissed my palm before he pulled free. I felt that brief touch in every part of my body. His green eyes darkened with heat and promise. “Come inside with me, Linc.” Rush got out of his SUV without another word because he saw the answer in my eyes. If that wasn’t enough, I eagerly met him on the sidewalk in front of his brownstone. Somehow, I remembered to grab our carryout bags from the floorboard.

I admired Rush’s taut ass as I followed him up the steps, imagining all the things I wanted to do to it. Squeeze it, bite it, and bury my dick inside it were the top three contenders, and I even imagined them in the proper order. My mouth was salivating by the time Rush unlocked his front door, but that cooled a bit when I heard the ferocious barking coming from inside the house. I gulped as the sound of clicking toenails on the hardwood floors got louder as the beast that shared a home with Rush got closer.

“Where’s my boy?” Rush called out.

Right here. Right here.

The dark-gray pit bull rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and ran full throttle to his master. Rush dropped to his knees to hug his dog, and I tried my best not to get jealous. “I missed you too, Brutus. Have you been a good boy for Gretchen today?”

Brutus focused solely on his master, other than a brief look in my direction. He responded to Rush’s question with a short bark.

“I knew it,” he said to his dog. “You’re the best boy in the world.” Brutus finally looked away from his master’s adoration to give me his best doggie smile.

“Hey there, big guy.” I’d always wanted a dog, but my dad was highly allergic and Phee always felt we weren’t home enough to own one, which limited my pets as a child and an adult. I extended my hand and approached slowly. “You sure are a handsome boy.”

“Thank you,” Rush said jokingly as he rose to his feet. “This is my best boy, Brutus. He was a gift to myself after a bad breakup.”

“That guy was a fool.” Rush grinned up at me. “You don’t even know the circumstances. How do you know I wasn’t the asshole that caused the misery?”

“I know you,” I said, cupping his face once more while Brutus sniffed the plastic bag of goodies I held in my hand. “It doesn’t matter how much time has passed, I know one thing that has remained constant: you are all that is right and good in the world.” Rush blushed prettily, and I longed to see him flushed everywhere. “I haven’t forgotten about the way your body blushes either.”

“Food,” Rush said abruptly, “then I need to shower.” He narrowed his eyes at me when my grin stretched across my face. “Pretty sure of yourself aren’t you.”

I glanced down to where his dick pressed against his jeans and grinned broadly. “I’ve been just as hard since we climbed into the car.” Hell, I’d even rubbed one out in the shower at my hotel to take the edge off so I didn’t embarrass myself if I was given the opportunity to get naked with him again. I was pretty sure that Rush would expect me to have better staying power than I did when I was a randy kid loving him for the first time.

I dropped the bag on the hardwood floor and pushed Rush against a set of ornate doors that most likely led to a study or living room. I no longer cared about putting anything in my mouth except his cock and balls. “Linc,” Rush practically purred, rubbing himself against me and sending flames of lust down my spine to zap my balls. “Is this fucking real?”

Denise’s 5+ star review is here.

I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever- after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.

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Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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When Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend Beth, he never expected a tragedy to leave his newborn and three-year-old motherless. Beth’s loss has totally thrown his life into chaos: his lover has left him, his house isn’t anywhere near childproof, and his boss feels the restaurant has been patient enough with Jeff’s time off.

Donny has always known he wanted to work with kids, and he just finished his degree in early childhood education. He didn’t count on the prejudice he’d face as not only a male nanny, but a gay one at that. Job-hunting has been frustrating to say the least, so when he knocks on Jeff’s door and is greeted by the sounds of things breaking and a pair of screaming children, he thinks maybe he can begin this particular interview with a trial by fire.

Becoming the nanny to Jeff’s children might be a dream come true for Danny and exactly what Jeff needs, but are either of them ready to really be a family?

Title: Daddy, Daddy, and Me
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: February 23, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 162

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Thank you to Two Chicks Obsessed for hosting me today.

As Daddy, Daddy and Me features a couple of kids, I thought I’d share my top five favorite kids’ books growing up. I read all the following multiple times as a kid. And yes, I adored series because that meant I got to stay in the world I loved.

 

Top Five Favourite Kid’s books

  1. Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My copies of these were dog-eared. It was fascinating reading about this little girl who grew up a long time ago.

 

  1. The Hobbit by JJR Tokien – I read the Lord of the Rings books in my early teens, but this book in my childhood and it helped form my lifelong love of fantasy/sci-fi

 

  1. Z is for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien – I remember taking this one out of the library (more than once.) If The Hobbit turned me onto fantasy, this book turned me onto post-apocalyptic fiction.

 

  1. Anne Of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery Anne taught me that it was good to use my imagination and that being ‘normal’ and ‘just like everyone else’ were not the be all and end all.

 

  1. Famous Five series by Enid Blyton – I was first introduced to these at the English bookstore in Heidelberg and loved them beyond reason. We would go back every week and get a new one until I had them all 21 of them. Then I re-read them.

There were many more of course, we started going to the library as early as I can remember and my mother stuck a book in my crib to keep me company in the mornings from six months on, but those are five that stick out in my mind.

 

Sean Michael

Smut fixes everything

This one is such a sweet read with really cute kids and an awesome Uncle/manny love story.

Jeff agrees to be a sperm donor for his best friend in the world, thinking he could be a totally awesome uncle and nothing else. Until tragedy strikes and he is left raising two little people who miss their mom while trying prove life goes on without a best friend and now an absentee boyfriend.

Donny has recently graduated with a degree in early childhood education but is having a tough time finding a job. Once people find out he’s gay they can’t get rid of him fast enough. Praying this next interview is his last, Donny is surprised to find Jeff might need him just as much as Donny needs this job.

Trial by fire doesn’t even begin to cover it. Jeff is in way over his head, overworked and running on no sleep doesn’t help when dealing with grieving kids. Donny steps in to help and Jeff can see a noticeable difference in the kids in such a short time. It seems Donny has been good for all of them. Jeff just needs to stop the inappropriate thoughts he’s having about Donny before he scares him right out of their lives. Little does he know, Donny is fighting his own attraction.

When Jeff’s ex returns to cause trouble for the new couple, Jeff and Donny will need to decide if they’re stronger together or apart and what’s best for their little family.

The story is really entertaining , but I love that all the drama in the story revolves around outside characters. Donny and Jeff are pretty chill, letting the love evolve naturally. It felt so real, never forced. The was they come together as a family is so beautiful.

If ever I have wanted to throat punch a character Jeff’s ex would be number one on that list. What a tool! But his resurfacing just proves how blind a person can be and what they thought was love was just mere lust because true love makes everything else dull.

Great read. I couldn’t put it down.

4 pieces of eye candy

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/seanmichaelpics/

Hard To Let Go by Jaclyn Quinn: Release Day Review

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Owen Richards lives a quiet life in his small hometown of Haven’s Cove. He has a rewarding life consisting of three very supportive—not to mention feisty—women, and a successful bakery that he owns and absolutely loves. Yet, Owen can’t seem to shake this emptiness inside or the intense feeling that something is missing. A sudden encounter with a man from his past, one he despises, turns his entire world upside down. When Owen finds himself attracted to that sexy man, he questions everything, including his sanity. After all, only an incredibly disturbed person would find that he can’t stop thinking about his high school bully.

Brody Walker never expected to return to Haven’s Cove. He’s made a life for himself in Boston where he can truly be the person he was always meant to be. But an unexpected call has Brody facing all the demons he’d left behind so long ago. Now, he’s faced with not only a difficult goodbye, but one long overdue apology to a man who is no longer that lanky kid from high school. The challenge is to convince the guy he’s changed—and also prove he’s worth taking a chance on.

When passions ignite, truths are exposed, changing beliefs these men have held on to for years. Faced with the knowledge that things aren’t always what they seem, will they choose to hold on to the incredible thing they’ve found…or is it easier to give in to the fear and let go?

Hard To Let Go

Jaclyn Quinn

Release Date: Feb 19th

Genre: M/M Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

I don’t do love triangles so I was a little bit worried about this one in the beginning. See, Owen and his boyfriend Jonah were best friends that turned into more, Jonah was there for Owen when he needed him the most and he’d always have love for him…. Unfortunately, as of lately, they both knew that things weren’t that way with them anymore. They had all the love in the world for each other, but they weren’t in love with each other. I respected how maturely they handed everything and was glad that there wasn’t a bad guy in the situation; they were both very likeable characters.

Now… on his way to work one morning, Owen runs into an old high school bully, Brody. Brody and his friends weren’t just bullies, they were BULLIES… especially the ring leader, Chuck, and it’s heartbreaking what they put Owen through…. What’s even worse though, is the heartbreaking, terrible life that Brody was hiding from. I couldn’t stomach the way his father treated him and I’m really bummed that he didn’t get the karmic justice that he deserved. Somethin akin to ripping his flesh off the bones and keeping him alive for days to be tortured…. Too much? Meh, doubtful….

Anyway, although Owen is angry at seeing Brody and very mistrusting of him, he didn’t know that Jonah had already hired him to some remodeling work at Owen’s house. It starts off terribly, but, once Owen knows why Brody is back in town and finds out the way he suffered alongside Owen all those years ago, just in a different way… things change for the pair.

I love how jealous both men get in regards to the other man while they try to hide their feelings for each other. I love Owen’s family and Brody’s best friend Gabe, I really hope he gets a story with Nate, as well as Jonah gets his happy with someone perfect. I love that Owen cared so much about Brody and was there with him every step of the way when tragedy strikes and Brody needed him.

These two had the best chemistry, and not even just during sexy times….this author done an awesome job expressing such deep feelings of confusion, lust, anger, regret, guilt, sadness and overall love. This is my first by this author, but it for sure won’t be my last!!

4 heartbreaking and hopeful stars from me.

The Artist’s Touch by E.J. Russell: Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Two men haunted by more than the past.

Painter Stefan Cobbe was homeless and debt-ridden after the death of his wealthy partner, but the worst loss of all was his artistic inspiration. After two years of nothing, he’s offered patronage by an eccentric gallery owner and starts to produce again, canvas after canvas. The only problem? He can’t remember painting any of them—not one single brushstroke.

Luke Morganstern’s reputation as an art-fraud investigator is in tatters. He can’t afford to turn down any job, even a lousy one for an anonymous client who sends him after an unidentified forger in a remote cabin in Oregon. When the alleged forger turns out to be Stefan, the man he never stopped loving, Luke’s professional ethics are stretched beyond the breaking point.

As the two men take tentative steps toward reconciliation, evidence begins to mount that they’re not alone in the woods. Someone—or something—is watching. Something with sinister plans for them both. To escape, Luke must overcome his suspicions and Stefan must trust Luke with his deepest fears. Otherwise they could forfeit their relationship, their sanity—and their lives.

Publisher’s note: This is a heavily revised and significantly expanded reprint of Northern Light. The second book in the Art Medium series, Tested In Fire, is a first edition. Both are sold together in both ebook and print collections.

Thank you Two Chicks Obsessed for inviting me to stop by today! Hello, intrepid internet adventurers, and welcome to the blog tour for The Artist’s Touch, the first book in my Art Medium series. After the release of book two, Tested in Fire, in April, I’ll be giving away a $40 Riptide gift card, so please leave a comment for a chance to win.

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this novella, but I got more than I bargained for, in a good way. A second chance at love for these two men, a ton of history behind them, both when they were together, and afterwards, and some supernatural elements thrown in (notice what’s behind the MC on the cover????).

Well, it was definitely intriguing, and I had no idea that little tiny plot points in the story along the way, would transcend into what was a huge crescendo at the end. I really enjoyed those final scenes, knowing how the small touches had helped to build to such a huge ending (the kind where you cringe a little at what the MC’s are going through, love it!).

Small spoiler ahead! This novella isn’t long, but definitely packs a punch, with two second chance love stories, the one you expect, and the one you don’t.

Definitely recommend this one! 4 pieces of eye candy

 

About the Art Medium Series

Artists use all manner of materials to express their vision, to interpret the world around them, to affect the hearts and minds of their audience.

But what if the artist himself were the medium? And what if artistic inspiration weren’t the only force at work?

If painter Stefan Cobbe and art investigator Luke Morganstern don’t answer those questions fast, they stand to lose their reputations, their relationship—and their lives.

Check out the Art Medium series now!

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

Website: ejrussell.com

Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/

To celebrate the release of both books in the Art Medium series, one lucky winner will receive a $40 Riptide credit! Winner will be pulled from entries to both blog tours. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Contest closes at midnight, Eastern time, on April 7, 2017 and is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following The Artist’s Touch tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

 

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune: Throwback Thursday Review

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Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City Of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.

Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King’s Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

When Sam’s fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.

At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle—Knight Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.

Naturally, it all goes to hell when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.

Or so he thinks.

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This book is ridiculous. Over the top. Bananas. Bonkers. Weird. Funny. Smart. Corny. Sweet. Hilarious. Too much. Not enough. Spot on. I didn’t know what to expect with this book. I mean look at the beautiful cover: it’s unassuming and seems perfectly respectable. Who would think insanity awaits you? And on virtually every page — EVERY PAGE — I lol’d (yes, literally), snorted, and/or had to just put the book down to laugh and ponder every detail of the moment. And the craziest part is this the first time I’m reading TJ Klune. Lesson learned.

This is an odessey/adventure tale. Sam is a brilliant and promising wizard apprentice. He’s beloved by pretty much everyone. He’s fiercely loyal to his family and friends and his King. He’s resourceful, which helps since he’s captured, like, a lot and finds himself in the most absurd situations. He’s confident in his abilities, yet awkward and completely clueless when it comes to his longtime crush Knight Ryan Foxheart. Will Sam be able to find the cornerstone for his magic, survive the trek to rescue a prince and *finally* lose his flower (preferably to Knight Ryan?) The answer to those questions is almost not even the point because there’s just so much more to this book than that.

It’s not just the cursing. Or the bizzare situations Sam finds himself in. Nor is it the oversexed gay unicorn and half-giant BFFs. Or the just crazy things they all say to each other. It’s somehow all of it together that totally works for me. Pretty much every character is so well drawn, I can see and hear them. And the technical aspect to Klune’s writing just works. Sometimes he’ll walk completely away from the insanity and tell us so much about Sam with a handful of words. Klune finds a perfect rhythm and the narrative flows in a way that I just adore. I will say there are a very few times when the joke/insanity goes on just a wee bit too long, and that coupled with how much the narrative and language just does not conform to the typical fantasy/adventure/romance book, I can see this book has the potential to rub some readers the wrong way.  I get it, and that’s cool but absolutely none of that bothered me. I felt like this was a book that I could have written, actually, style and language wise …  I also realized there is not much difference between me and a 20-year-old gay wizard apprentice, maturity wise, so Sam and his travails totally resonated with me. I loved it. This book is epic, and I rec it so hard.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker: EXCLUSIVE Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Second wind: a new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need. Or will it just be a painful reminder of all they had lost?

Second chance: an opportunity to try something again that failed one time. Rush and Lincoln have shared a lot of firsts—friendship, young love, and heartbreak. Cruel reality forced the two men to choose paths that took their lives in different directions. Twenty-six years later, they get a second chance to fall in love with each all over again. Can it really be that simple, or will the same issues ruin their happiness a second time?

Happily ever after: to live happily for the rest of one’s life. Rush and Lincoln know that love and life can’t be defined by words alone. Patience, commitment, and the determination to do whatever it takes will be the only way the two men achieve their happily ever after.

Second Wind is a funny, sexy, and endearing standalone romance novel about love, loss, and rediscovery. It contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

Rush wanted to believe me; I saw that in his eyes. It was also evident how much he longed to be the one holding my hand in the hallways at school and proudly wearing my varsity jacket, but in his green gaze too was the heartbreaking acceptance that it would never happen.

             “I wish it could be you, Rush,” I said when silent tears slid down his face. I begged him with my eyes to see the truth and hear it in my words. “I only want you.”

             He said nothing for several moments, so I closed my book and rose from his bed. Rush’s hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist. “Don’t go.”

             I sat back down and slowly tugged my arm until his hand slid down to mine. Then I curled my fingers protectively around his like I wished I could protect our hearts. I knew no good would come out of the love building between us, but I was powerless to stop it. Only Rush could stop me from hurting him by sending me away. Instead of telling me to go, he leaned into me and pressed his mouth against my throat.

             “Promise me that you’ll only give this to me,” he said, placing his hand over my wildly beating heart. “I’ll share your time if I have to, but I won’t share this. Tell me it’s mine, Linc. Please.”

             “Only yours, Rush,” I easily promised.

 

Let’s start off right away with, this is not a romance, this is truly a love story. Yes, there is romance, sweet, sexy, humorous, two men (along with others in the family!) falling in love. But above all this is an out (pun intended) and out LOVE STORY! And I can’t even express how much I absolutely cherished reading every word of it.

This second chance love story brought two men full circle, from falling in love as children, to broken hearts as teenagers, to having lived their lives missing something to finding each other once again in middle age, and instantly reconnecting.

There was no extreme angst, although this reviewer cried more than one or two tears, just lives that were lived only halfway until that moment they look up and see each other when the time was right for them to find their happily ever after.

If you are looking for a story where you have instant gratification, and revengeful angry reconnections, this is not the story for you. A good portion of the first half of the book is about these characters finding themselves, and becoming the men they needed to be in order to be able to love the man they’d love their entire lifetime.

However, if you are looking for a story where you can feel how deeply two men connect, as they re-connect, one where love shines through their story, as well as the stories of those they love, one where you just enjoy each moment, each picture in their lives, this is an amazing story for that.

It still has quite a bit of the heat that Aimee Nicole Walker is known for (who says your sex life goes dark in your 40s????), so don’t think it is just a sweet little love story. As someone who might be able to relate to these mens’ ages, it is fantastic to read a book sometimes where the characters are not all 28, beautiful hair, and not a single crows foot to be found.

Lastly, that cover. What an amazing cover Jay Aheer did for this book. Creative, beautiful, and really poignant to the love story.

5+ pieces of eye candy, without question.

Denise loved this book so much she wants to give away two ebook copies of it. Leave a comment about the book, the excerpt, the cover…anything.