review

Something Borrowed (Confetti Hitched Book 2) by Lily Morton: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

August 8, 2024 by Denise

Stan has never let his blindness hold him back, but he’s beginning to realise his love life is keeping him from moving forward.

He can’t remember a time when he wasn’t in love with his best friend. Rafferty is everything to him—his partner in crime, his confidante, and the person who understands him best. But Rafferty is incapable of reciprocating Stan’s feelings.

As a successful wedding planner, Rafferty is passionately committed to helping newlyweds begin their happily-ever-afters, but after a rootless childhood he’s equally determined not to seek his own. How can he trust in love and marriage when so many of his brides and grooms are repeat customers?

Stan is the glue that keeps the pieces of Rafferty’s life together, and as such Rafferty has always kept Stan safely in the friend box where he can’t lose him. However, lately that conviction has wavered and now Rafferty is bursting with complicated feelings for his best friend. The timing couldn’t be worse because Rafferty has realised he’s in love with Stan just as Stan is moving on.

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a friends-to-lovers story about realising you have the perfect man when you’re on the brink of losing him.

This is the second book in the bestselling Confetti Hitched series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I moan despairingly when I see the time. “It’s ten o’clock. Oh god.”

“Is there a problem?”

Instead of answering, I tap a familiar number on my phone’s screen. “Come on, come on,” I mutter, pacing as I listen to it ring. “Climb off Lachlan’s dick and answer the phone.”

“Who are you talking to, sweetheart?”

The call connects. “What?” Joe says cautiously into my ear. I can’t begrudge him his air of worry.

“I need a favour.”

He groans. “Last time you said that we got fined for causing a public disturbance.”

“No, this time it’s really bad,” I whisper. “I need you, Joe.”

“Joe?” the man asks from behind me. “Who the fuck is Joe?”

“Who’s that?” Joe asks.

“No one,” I say over the insistent voice of the man who is now frowning at me—the man who appears to think we’re married.

“It doesn’t sound like no one,” Joe says, his voice rich with amusement as my bedmate paces the room and shouts about people who cheat.

“Well, it is,” I say in a quelling voice. “Joe, I’ve got the Hollis wedding today.”

“Yeah, I know. You’ll be fine.”

“That might be true if I’d gone to bed at an early hour in my own bed. Sober,” I add with emphasis.

“Oh god,” Joe says.

I walk back into the bedroom. “I know,” I whisper. “I woke up naked, and apparently, I’m now in some sort of a relationship I have no memory of agreeing to. I leave that sort of behaviour to you, mate.” Joe laughs. “This is serious,” I hiss. I look at my watch and groan. “The bride will arrive at the church in an hour.”

I look over at my bedmate, who’s joined me in the bedroom and is still frowning. I ask him, “I don’t suppose you have a spare morning suit hanging around?”

“I don’t know any dead people,” he snaps.

I just love a Lily Morton. The characters are fun and quirky, there is little to no angst (although there is pining…oh the pining…) and we get a happily ever after.

Right off the bat I loved Stan. His snark and wit, his fierce loyalty to his friends and his family, carrying on the record store for his hippie uncle and functionally blind. Maybe we missed his pity party when he learned he was blind as a teen, but by now he is accepting and moving on with life. Which is why his relationship with Bennett didn’t make a lot of sense because he was so controlling and condescending.

The opposite of controlling and condescending is Stan’s best friend Rafferty. And even though he is a wedding planner, he doesn’t believe in love and commitment. You can thank his selfish parents for that. Stan and Raff can be inseparable if you let them, which Bennett hates.

EVERYONE sees what these 2 numbskulls don’t. That they are obviously in love with each other and belong together and Raff needs to get over himself and his anti romance no commitment self. Especially since they have experience being friends with benefits.

I mentioned the pining right?

I loved these two together. I also loved the representation of a character that has gone blind and is still waiting for the last of their sight to go. So many people think blind only means zero sight. It also showed how they are treated by others. As incompetent or needy or like children. Stan got his barbs in where needed and it made me laugh.

The plot kept moving and I hated putting the book down each night. Great story that was fun, sweet and hot.

4 pieces of eye candy

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – Chocolate Baileys.

Off the Clock (Mount Hope Book 2) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

August 5, 2024 by Denise

Starting over after retiring as an Army Ranger shouldn’t be this hard…

For twenty years, I traveled the world as a special operations warrior. Newly retired at forty-two, I’m back in my hometown of Mount Hope, pursuing a second career as a small-town firefighter. My meddling sisters and best friends all have opinions about my life, but the only person who seems to truly understand me is Caleb, the younger firefighter tasked with my training.

After a lifetime of denying my attraction to other men, Caleb reminds me of everything I’ve missed out on. I’ve never even kissed a guy.

Until now.
Until Caleb.
Until I push our growing friendship to the next level. While sneaking around like a pair of teens, trying not to get caught by our coworkers, friends, and family, our sexy connection leads us to some…interesting places.

And it turns out that I like taking risks. I’ve never wanted a relationship, and neither of us should be fooling around with a coworker, but we keep courting danger.

The more time I spend with Caleb off and on the clock, the more I like him and the less certain I am about everything else in my life. The one thing I know for sure is that I can’t afford to lose this intense bond we share. Can we find our way from super secret to super real before the clock runs down on this fling?

OFF THE CLOCK features two coworkers with an age gap finding out that opposites really do attract and that first impressions aren’t always accurate. All the big emotions, small-town feels, and hot romance readers expect from this acclaimed author. While certain subplot threads continue throughout the series, each guaranteed happily ever after stands alone!

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Annabeth Albert writes small towns so well. The history, the residents, the quirkiness, the feel. It makes a difference and it makes it feel like a character itself. This same story set in a large town or city just wouldn’t work the same way.

She also brings friends back together. Those friends create a found family that supports each other through everything.

This time Tony, one of a group of high school friends, moves back to Mount Hope after putting in his 20 years in the military. After a few stumbles that led him to the military, Tony wants to fulfill his previous dream- work as a fire fighter. Sean, the acting chief and one of Tony’s good friends, pairs him with Caleb. The young guy who knows his stuff but often isn’t taken seriously. Oh, and Caleb has guardianship of his 17 year old brother for a year.

Sparks fly, teenagers are moody, bi sides are discovered, fundraisers happen, sneaking around isn’t as sneaky as they thought and new dreams are forged. Caleb is much more mature than people give him credit for. Tony sees him though. And Caleb sees how Tony is struggling a bit.

I really loved how the whole town came together to raise money for the football team so that they could actually play that year. All of the moms (and Caleb!) working their butts off.

Great second book in the series. Can’t wait for book 3. Wondering if Eric remains alone or not…

4 pieces of eye candy

In The Nick of Time (Subpar Heroes Collection) by Elle Keaton: New Release Review

August 5, 2024 by Denise

Have you always thought you were special?

Perennially unemployed loner Nick Sedgewick applies to an online job opening with that exact phrase and expects nothing to come of it. It was likely a no-so-funny prank after all.

If Doug ‘Long Shot’ Swanson wanted a new work partner he’d hire one himself. He’s perfectly happy on his own and if he plays his cards right he’ll retire sooner rather than later. And he certainly wouldn’t hire an irritating spicy-candy-eating slacker who’d probably miss his own funeral.

But somebody is killing off agents and Nick’s new boss needs Doug and Nick to figure out who it is and put a stop to it. And if they accidentally fall in love along the way that is no one’s business but their own.

Neither man wants to be a hero. But maybe between the two of them, they can save the world. Or at least their little corner of it.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I’ve read a couple of these books and they are fun. I love the premise of super powers that aren’t that helpful. Reminds me of that meme, what would you steal from an ex just to make their life a little annoying? All the batteries in the house. Or all the lightbulbs. Silly, but effective.

Nick has a power that could be way more effective. But being subpar, it’s a little effective. But he still is recruited to partner with a former hero who left the game. And plans on retiring very soon. And doesn’t want a trainee or partner. Too bad.

This one, I will say, is slightly, very slightly, more serious than the others I have read. Mostly because there are dead and missing agents. Doug wants to figure it out, find the missing agents before they are dead agents and unfortunately he has to drag Nick around. Oh. And a 50 pound tortoise named Tim. You’ll see. But there is definte comic relief there.

Naturally, both Doug and Nick are gay and you can see where that is going, yes? I did love how Nick teased Doug so much. Never in a mean way, but to get him to unclench a bit.

A little more background story on Nick would have been nice, but it’s fine. So a former hero, a subpar hero, a tortoise and Vegas. It’s a fun romp.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Twincerely Yours (Franklin U Season 2, Book 8) by Eden Finley: New Release Review and Giveaway

July 30, 2024 by Denise

. .EMMETT
My twin brother and I have gotten ourselves into a lot of messes growing up. We would constantly switch places to escape consequences while protecting each other at every cost.

But sleeping with Ben’s professor is a whole new level of mess, because there’s something Jonah doesn’t know. He might have been Ben’s professor last semester, but the person he was lecturing wasn’t Ben. It was me.

JONAH
From the moment I meet Emmett, I know he looks familiar but I can’t pinpoint where from. It’s not until I see his twin brother in the quad that I put two and two together.

Dating the sibling of one of my ex-students isn’t a huge problem for me, but I can’t help thinking the twins are hiding something.

The more time I spend with Emmett, the more I fall for him, but as my insecurity grows, so does my worry that I’m being played.

When my heart and my gut tell me two different things, I don’t know which to trust. My gut tells me to cut and run, but my heart won’t let me. Even though I’ve been telling myself to hold back, it’s too late. I’m already in too deep.

Title: Twincerely Yours
Authors: Eden Finley
Length: TBA
Series: Franklin U Season 2, Book 8
Genre: Contemporary.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

The final book in the FU 2 series. And another fun one. This time TWINS!

Get your minds out of the gutter. This is more of a Parent Trap situation. But more like professor trap.

These twins, being super identical with one being good at one thing and the other being good at the other thing, help each other out in school. But then there’s a professor…. And it isn’t like a 30 year age gap. It’s the professor’s first year and he’s 25. He kind of fell into it.

He’s also the uncle to an adorable nephew who wants to try ice hockey. The twins come from hockey royalty (if you’ve read previous Eden Finley books you’ll get a blast from the past) and Emmett is currently working as a coach for the littles. Sparks light up even though Jonah (the prof) can’t quite figure out where he knows Emmett from.

One and done is not one and done. But the GUILT Emmett is feeling. Yikes. There’s a lot going on with the twins and switching and sneaking and all of that so it’s really a lot and it affecting Emmett. Because above all, he will pick his brother. And I get that. But that means he thinks he can’t have a relationship with Jonah because he thinks he has to keep a gigantic secret.

I really liked that there was a lot there. The twins switching places when convenient goes back a ways. Giving up hockey because one twin wanted to more than the other. Being the brothers of hockey royalty. A relationship on the edge as well as college degrees. I felt so badly for Emmett.

I really liked this story. I had no idea how they were going to resolve everything without making me roll my eyes. But they did. And they did it well. My biggest complaint was that Jonah’s cutie nephew Cullen kind of got forgotten for most of the second half of the book.

The strong finish to this second go around makes be want a third.

KU3! KU3! KU3!

4 pieces of eye candy

Eden Finley writes MM and MMM romances and is most known for her stories about athletes.

Connect with Eden:
https://edenfinley.com/
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The Duality of Swans by Lilly Atlas: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

July 25, 2024 by Denise

A male ballet dancer walks into a rural small town…

Liam, a professional ballet dancer from New York City, moves to the tiny town of Swan, Oklahoma, with a mission. Haunted by what he endured as a teenager, he returns as an adult to conquer his fears and challenge the town’s outdated prejudices. He plans to modernize Swan by opening a dance studio and showing its residents that there’s a place for everyone and all should be accepted.

Tate has never traveled beyond the Oklahoma border and knows little of life beyond his small rural town and blue-collar job. Deeply entrenched in secrecy and surrounded by people who’d never accept him if they knew what he hid beneath the surface, he’s resigned to a life of lies and loneliness.

Liam and Tate’s worlds collide a safe distance from Swan, where they form an instant connection but plan to walk away after one night, no matter how much more their encounter leaves them yearning for. Fate, however, has other plans. When Tate shows up for a renovation job at Liam’s new studio, their initial shock gives way to a tentative friendship with complicated emotions.

The pressures of small-town life, narrow-minded family members, and Tate’s insecurities threaten their budding connection from day one. Liam is determined to show Tate the beauty of living as his true self, but Tate has seen the consequences of such a life firsthand, and they’ve imprinted on his mind.

As they grapple with their feelings and the harsh realities of Swan, Liam and Tate must decide if love is worth the risk. Can they find a way to be together in a world that seems set against them?

Title: The Duality of Swans
Authors: Lilly Atlas
Length: 82k
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

“Okay…” He needed to get this train back on track before he completely lost control. People thought teaching kids was tough, it was nothing compared to a group of mischievous seniors. “Let’s work through the dance a few more times before we run out of time. The senior center’s talent show is in a few weeks, and I’d hate myself if I sent you ladies out there unprepared.”

“It’s so nice of you to do this for us before you officially open, dear.”

“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Snow. Okay, everyone in their place?” The group of senior ladies all nodded. “And five… six… seven… eight…” He hit the music, and the studio filled with the song they’d requested—Jailhouse Rock. As Elvis belted out the lyrics, the ladies began to dance. It was a bit of a disaster, but they had fun, laughed, and teased each other, so he offered a few corrections. After running it several times, they had it down, and Liam felt comfortable calling it a day.

Dot had other ideas. She’d begged him to play the rest of Elvis’s album. Once the other ladies joined in the pleading, he had no choice but to give them what they wanted. Who could resist a bunch of sweet grandmas itching for a dance party?

By the end of the second song, he was dancing with them, spinning, dipping ladies left and right, and laughing his head off. His friends in New York wouldn’t recognize him. Who would believe that in the span of a few weeks, he’d gone from being a lead performer in the New York City Ballet to choreographing a dance for the local senior center’s talent show?

But this type of dance fed his soul—fun, no pressure, and pure joy. It was the kind of dance professionals often forgot about in their pursuit of perfection. So, he embraced it, crooning along with Elvis and getting his fifties groove on.

He was mid Rock Around the Clock with The King when he spun, thrust his hips, and came to a dead stop. Tate stood propped against the door with his arms folded and a smirk on his handsome face.

Liam rushed to his phone on the floor near the mirror and killed the music.

“Hey!” Mary called out when the room fell silent. “Oh, who do we have here?”

“Leave him alone, Mar. He doesn’t want to be your number six,” Dot said with a snicker.

“Oh, Tate, hello dear,” Mrs. Snow said with a wave for the bad boy lurking at the door.

“Hey, Miz Snow.” He waved before folding his arms again. “So, what are you crazy kids getting up to in here?”

Liam’s face was hot enough to melt off his body. “Uh, we’re just having a quick lesson.”

“This sweet boy is helping us by choreographing a dance for the senior center’s talent show.” Dot looped her thin arm through Liam’s and tugged him closer to Tate. She had a mischievous gleam in her eye that he needed to squash immediately.

This is a new to me author, but seeing decent sized back list, I’ll be reading more! I jumped on this one because my kryptonite was mentioned- ballet dancer. I just can’t resist. And I am very glad I didn’t resist because I loved this book.

The main characters are set up in a prologue set 10 years before. We clearly see what kind of people live in the town of Swan. Backwards homophobic bigots. It was jarring at first just knowing that people really are like that. Heartbreaking. After a traumatic event we jump 10 years to present day.

Liam, a NY ballet dancer packs us his life to move to Swan and open a dance studio. Why? He has his reasons. Swan is notoriously homophobic. So much so that even one town over doesn’t like to mingle there. Ya, that bad.

Which means that Tate, born and raised in Swan is deep in the closet. And he works with two of the biggest reasons- his brother and his brother’s best friend. The type of guys who think you can catch gay from a handshake or being too close. And speaking out against them and their hate will just bring the hate on you as well.

And Tate is a good guy. He wants to do better than what he has known his whole life. He has ambition. But even that is mocked. Tate, his brother Randy, and Randy’s best friend Daryl all work for the same tile company. And when they have a job at the new dance studio, Randy and Daryl let the slurs fly. You can almost see Tate’s heart crumpling.

Liam sees Tate though. For the good person he is. For the closeted gay man he is. And Tate definitely sees Liam.

I loved that Liam really supported Tate. Never gave him an ultimatum. Never said “I’m not going back into the closet” or any of the other cliche things. He does call him out on any bs, but he is also incredibly supportive.

The more Liam supports Tate, the more Tate wants to be free. He wants to be with Liam. Out in the open. He wants to be happy.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some serious stumbles along the way. But grace is given and forgiveness gifted. Because Tate and Liam didn’t play games with each other. They were for more mature than their 25 years.

Tate’s character arc was one to behold. From completely closeted, to defending Liam, to publicly being friends with Liam and more. Each step forward I wanted to cheer for him.

So I was sucked in by a ballet dancer, but I was left swooning by a tile guy.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Lilly is a best-selling and award-winning author of steamy contemporary romance. As a Navy wife, mom of three girls, and fur mom to two dogs, she’s living her best and craziest life. Before publishing, Lilly worked for almost a decade as a physical therapist. Now, she spends her days wrangling her crew and giving life to the stories in her head.

Connect with Lilly:
www.lillyatlas.com
www.facebook.com/lillyatlas
www.instagram.com/lillyatlasbooks
www.tiktok.com/@lillyatlasbooks
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Stray Awakening: A First-Time Gay Small Town MM Romance (Rainbow Rescue Cat Café Book 1) by F.A. Ray: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

July 22, 2024 by Denise

. .

I fled my hometown seven years ago. I never planned to come back. I never planned to give up my city life for a small town. And I definitely never planned to fall for another man.

Henry
Tripp Lake, the place I love the most. Working at a cat café on Main Street gives me a chance to get some deserving cats their forever homes.

But when a blast from the past walks into my café, I’m not sure what to feel. Alex was always hot and popular in high school – and straight.

So it’s a shock when he keeps accepting my invitations to hang out. I don’t think I’m imagining the spark between us, but is Alex actually interested in me, or am I letting this straight boy break my heart?

Alex
Tripp Lake, the place I hate the most. I’m only here because of my father’s heart attack. But the second I return home, I remember all the reasons I ran away.

My parents are overbearing. This town is small and boring. And I want nothing more than to flee back to my new life in San Francisco – a life that doesn’t come packed with any surprising new feelings about a guy I went to high school with.

Henry is a ray of sunshine amid this bleak journey home. But I’ve never been interested in a guy before. When a relaxing hike results in my first timid kiss with another man, I start questioning a lot more than just my decision to leave Tripp Lake. Is Henry worth staying in this crappy town for?

Stray Awakening is a small-town MM romance with first-time gay experiences, a sweet ray of sunshine winning over a jaded grumpy, spicy open-door scenes, and, of course, lots of cats. Go to linktr.ee/faraywrites for CWs.

Title: Stray Awakening
Authors: F.A. Ray
Length: 68k
Series: Rainbow Rescue Cat Café, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Henry said the door would be open, but I knock anyway before turning the knob. I find Henry bustling toward me as I open the door to let myself in. I have only a second to drop my laptop bag on the ground.

Is he that excited to see me?

Shit, I’m that excited to see him, especially when I spot that easy smile of his. All of the stress from work and my family vanishes like a puff of smoke blown away by the wind.

I didn’t have a plan when I asked if I could come over here. My thought process was simple: Away. Away from work. Away from my family. Away from all of it. But seeing Henry, seeing him in his slim jeans and casual T-shirt, smiling at me, blue eyes bright with eagerness, changes my plan on the spot.

I bundle him into my arms the moment he reaches me and kiss him hard.

Henry murmurs in surprise before his arms slide around my neck. I hug his body against me and tilt my head to kiss him more deeply. The taste of his lips has become a familiar balm in the weeks I’ve spent in Tripp Lake. I melt against him, tension draining out of me as the warmth of his mouth eases my worries. Merely touching him makes all the nonsense drift away. It’s like I’m rising in a hot air balloon, my worries becoming smaller and smaller as I float away.

Eventually, I need air, but I don’t let Henry out of my arms.

“It’s good to see you,” I say.

His smile widens, joy crinkling the corners of his eyes. My chest tightens with the knowledge that it’s me pressing that happiness into his face. Maybe twenty years from now those little lines will be permanent, and I’ll have had a hand in placing them there.

F. A. Ray started writing fiction as a child and has never stopped. When they aren’t writing, they enjoy rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where they live with their partner and cat.

Visit linktr.ee/faraywrites to find out more. You can also sign up for my Patreon, where I post WIPs, updates, bonus scenes, deleted scenes and short stories that don’t appear anywhere else.

 Catch up with F.A. Ray:
linktr.ee/faraywrites

https://patreon.com/user?u=95880046

https://sendfox.com/faraywrites (newsletter)

https://bsky.app/profile/faray.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/faray_author/

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https://twitter.com/FARayWrites

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