romance

His True Heart: A Valentine’s Day Story by Samantha Cayto: Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

February 2, 2022 by Denise

The heart always knows the way.

Chris Novak is adjusting to his lieutenant being the first openly gay SEAL. Seeing the man’s obvious love for his husband gives Chris ideas—ones he has ruthlessly suppressed his whole life. Becoming a SEAL was his dream. Having the love and approval of his father remains critical to him. Acknowledging his sexual orientation would have jeopardized both. While the military has evolved, Chris fears that his father’s views have not.

Tanner Pac has been openly out and proud since high school, with his family embracing him as he is. He knows being gay is not a problem, but his dream of becoming a software engineer is. His parents expect him to carry on the family business of running a pizza parlor. He dares not disappoint them, fearing a loss that would crush him.

While visiting his father on leave, Chris goes out for pizza, not expecting to run into his old girlfriend’s annoying little brother. They could never ditch Tanner and now that he is all grown up, Chris finds he no longer wants to. Facing the strong temptation that Tanner presents is causing Chris to also face the truth about himself.

As Chris and Tanner struggle to meet their parents’ expectations, their attraction for each other cannot be denied. Their strength and courage grow in each other’s arms, but it may not be enough to break free of the weight of family expectations.

His True Heart by Samantha Cayto

General Release Date: 1st February 2022

Word Count: 33,436

Book Length: SHORT NOVEL

Pages: 125

Amazon

First For Romance

Goodreads

“Man, the way the lieutenant’s reunion is going, I’m not sure they’ll make it home. Know what I mean?”

Petty Officer First Class Christopher Novak did indeed know what his teammate meant. Scott Carpenter’s husband had jumped into his arms the second he’d seen Scott coming through the gates. At the moment, the guy’s legs were wrapped around Scott’s waist, and the two of them were going to pass out from lack of oxygen if that kiss didn’t end soon.

“Yeah, but we shouldn’t be staring. It’s not like they’re animals in a zoo.”

His teammate, Diego, had no filter. “I hear you, only it’s like…when have you ever seen a SEAL kiss another man? It’s a first for me.”

Chris slung his duffel bag over his shoulder. “It’s a first for everyone, and Scott’s already on the receiving end of some nasty reactions. We don’t need to add to them.” He walked away, breaking his gaze from the sight. He hadn’t been able to make the wedding the previous summer, so this was the first time he’d seen Scott in such an obviously sexual way with his husband. He couldn’t bear to watch, not because it disgusted him but because it was compelling in a way that disturbed him.

Diego stepped up to his side. “Wanna grab a drink? I’d like to find some female company myself, and I hear The Anchor has added a new heat level to their wings.”

Chris shook his head. “Sorry… I’ve got laundry to do, then hitting the rack. I have an early flight to Detroit in the morning.”

Diego groaned. “Seriously? Why are you so keen on freezing your balls off after what we just went through? I need a few days in the sun to thaw out.”

“I’m overdue visiting my father. If you think you can convince him to move away from his hometown, his extended family and the proximity of my mother’s grave and come to San Diego, have at it.” There was more bite to his words than he’d intended. Visiting his father always triggered conflicting feelings in him. Obviously, he loved the man, but the strain of meeting his expectations was beginning to wear on him.

“Dude, I’m sorry. I was only joking.”

Chris flashed him a smile. “It’s fine. I know you were. I’m tired, that’s all. Have fun tonight, and I expect a full report on how it goes with both the wings and the women.”

He peeled off when they reached his truck. As he tossed in his duffel and slid behind the wheel, he reminded himself that spending his leave with his father was a good thing. They would talk shop, as much as legally permitted, watch sports and pretend that everything was great—because it was, damn it all. There was no reason to believe otherwise. And yet, the vision of Scott devouring his husband’s mouth in front of God and everyone stuck in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to shake it away.

There was a lot to unpack in this novella/short novel. Chris coming home on leave as a Navy Seal, and not only being in the closet, but not even really knowing he was gay. His father, while not rabidly homophobic, definitely had little tolerance for anyone who was not 100% straight and manly. If you were a SEAL, then you had no business being anything but as heterosexual as possible. Meanwhile, Tanner is stuck in a job that he doesn’t love, because it’s the only option his parents will allow. Yet, he goes to school when he can to work his dream job of working as a software engineer.

I felt for Tanner. He didn’t want to be a manager at the pizza place, and felt he needed to hide that he was going to school. (I loved that he paid for it with money earned from the job he didn’t want.) When he finally was able to tell his parents, they really were very accepting. This was a hard piece to understand since they never had an issue with him being gay, but they wouldn’t want him to have the job he loved? Seemed a little odd to me initially, but I liked how it all worked out, even figuring out what to do with the pizza place.

Chris was so far in the closet, he didn’t even know he was in there. So much of that was due to his father, who he adored, never wanted to disappoint, being homophobic. Chris just felt he couldn’t be gay, because his father wouldn’t be okay with it. It made sense. But quickly after he started spending time with Tanner, he knew that he would not be able to keep it under wraps. The fact that he was willing to give up his father’s love was not easy, which was well portrayed. (The Valentine’s dancing…just lovely. 🙂 )

Overall, I liked it. It was easy to root for them to get all the things they wanted from their lives, together, and for Chris to follow in the footsteps of his boss, Scott.

4 pieces of eye candy

Samantha Cayto is a Boston-area native who practices as a business lawyer by day while writing erotic romance at night—the steamier the better. She likes to push the envelope when it comes to writing about passion and is delighted other women agree that guy-on-guy sex is the hottest ever.

She lives a typical suburban life with her husband, three kids and four dogs. Her children don’t understand why they can’t read what she writes, but her husband is always willing to lend her a hand—and anything else—when she needs to choreograph a scene.

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Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology (Collection), Volume 5 by Lucy Lennox , A.M. Arthur, Daryl Banner, Tal Bauer, S.E. Harmon, Riley Hart, Kate Hawthorne, E.M. Lindsey, Louisa Masters, Mia Monroe, Alice Winters, Jodi Payne, K. Webster, Neve Wilder, Spencer Spears: Release Day Reviews

February 1, 2022 by Denise

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… what would happen if Heart2Heart, the dating and community app responsible for bringing together couples from all over the world, encouraged people to do something they’d never done before?

#NeverHaveIEver is trending on H2H, and fourteen authors who’ve never before appeared in a Heart2Heart anthology (and one who’s never left) have come together to show how funny, hot, and heartwarming it can be when H2H app users challenge themselves to do something outside of their comfort zones–from singing in public, to skinny dipping, to getting their first real kiss–while they manage to fall in love along the way.

As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

Amazon

I love that authors do this every year. The amount of money raised is always jaw dropping. There are a lot of great authors in this one (ok, in all of them), some were new to me, some are favorites of mine and some were ones I’ve been wanting to read. All of them that I read (I missed 2 or 3 just because of time constraints for this review) except for one (side eyes Kate Hawthorne) are complete stories. So jump in, have fun and read some great stories! The stories all have the basis of Never Have I Ever… from the fictional Heart2Heart app.

AM Arthur
Never have I ever…cold called a stranger’s phone number

Roommates, 1 popular extrovert, the other a quiet bookish introvert. Jasper, the extrovert, is always trying to get Charlie to open up, have fun, go to parties, meet people. But he is quite happy in his world. He takes school very seriously and is fine with it. Until he answers the “Never have I ever” with…cold called a stranger’s phone AND when he is at the library the book he is looking at has a card fall out of it. On the card is a drawing of one of the characters from the book as well as a phone number and the words “For a good time call…” and the phone number. Made me giggle because isn’t that what is written on bathroom stalls? Or it was back in the day.

Charlie works up the nerve to do it but gets a voicemail. Skitch, owner of the card, texts him back and they set up a date. Unfortunately that requires his roommate to drive him because it is a bit far.

Ultimately, Charlie ends up getting stood up. More than once. Or did he?

I really liked this story. Out of the norm for this author’s current works yet well written. And maybe I was tired but it took me a minute to figure out who Skitch was before I was like DUH!

Super sweet, enough back story for both guys and a happily ever after.

Kate Hawthorne
Never have I ever…gone on vacation

I felt like this one was a really good never have I ever. Because I know people who have never been on vacation for a variety of reasons. Jermaine grew up with a single mom. Vacation wasn’t even in his vocabulary. And even as a flight attendant, he still kind of has that mindset to not spend money if you don’t have to.

Milo, on the other hand, is basically a professional vacationer. Writing for a travel blog, he goes everywhere and sees everything. His hook is finding a local to both hook up with and to hook him up with the greatest local favorites that a tourist may not know.

Flirting on the flight is all they have. Until Jermaine’s next flight is canceled and he has an unexpected wait in New Orleans. AND Milo pinged him on Grindr. Totally out of Milo’s norm of finding a local, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. LOL

Jermaine has a bestie he lives with who is also a lover, but they are not exclusive. At all. In fact, they are both polygamous. But could that polygamy turn into a throuple? YES IT CAN EXCEPT SHE LEFT ME HANGING!

Ok, the story was a really good read. And honestly, ending it where she did is fine. But in a short time I got invested in these guys and I want more!

Giving this anthology the elusive 5 pieces of eye candy! Loved the premise of all of the stories, the mix of types of stories and the great causes that will benefit from sales.

Bona Fide Fake (Experimental Love Book 2) by Rebecca Raine: RB, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

January 31, 2022 by Denise

My new fake boyfriend may not like me, but he needs me. There are worse foundations for a relationship.

Ned

Toni Fairweather is a liar and a fake. I suspected it the day we met, but when he lies to his friends about being my boyfriend, I know for sure. I’ll play along with his deception, but Toni will owe me – big time.

I have my own reasons for needing a boyfriend. Someone who can handle me. Someone who can keep me in line. Toni is demanding enough to fulfil every requirement.

I don’t need to like the man… to obey him.

Toni

I never meant to fake a relationship with the lead singer of a local rock band. But the fib popped out over lunch with my best friend, and now I’m expected to present my new boyfriend at his engagement party next month.

The good news? I’m not the only one in need of a date.

Being boyfriends for a month shouldn’t be hard, but I do have one condition: this won’t be some fake boyfriends deal. I want a real relationship, and Ned’s going to give it to me.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“Hey there, Ned.”

My head snaps to the right. Toni is halfway down the hall, lounging back against his open doorway. His arms are crossed, one leg bent. The smirk dangling upon his lips isn’t wide enough to reveal his dimples, only his satisfaction at my arrival. “Come on in,” he drawls before moving out of view.

I stand frozen in the corridor, my panting breath loud in the empty hallway. I shouldn’t be doing this, coming to him this way. At a prearranged time, with a predetermined agenda, all to solidify an exchange of time and favours. This is more than a simple hook-up. It’s a transaction.

The thought turns my stomach with its familiarity, but the rest of me is tied in so many lust-addled knots I barely notice the sour taste in the back of my mouth. This isn’t like before, I remind myself. Toni and I are equal partners here. If there’s exploitation to be had, it will come from both sides.

My feet move, eating up the distance between us. He waits for me beside the open door, one hand still on the knob. I don’t make eye contact as I pass him by, coming to a halt in the middle of the living room.

His apartment is tiny, an odd collection of shoe boxes bound together by walls, but it’s spotlessly clean. The small kitchen looks over a combined dining and living area. An open door on the left reveals the corner of a large bed. Another door on the opposite side is closed. And locked. With a key. Who installs locks with keyholes inside their own home?

Behind me, the front door closes with a soft click. I don’t turn around. If I face him, surely all the longing of my greedy soul will show right there in my eyes. He’ll realise how badly I want this, and the balance will shift. Knowledge truly is power, and I have no idea what a man like Toni would do with me if he had it.

Rebecca is a long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two quirky kids and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books, her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.

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Finding Finn (Forever Love Book 2) by Charlie Novak: Cover Reveal and Excerpt

January 27, 2022 by Denise

What happens when a quiet boy with a secret falls for his best friend?

Finn has always kept people at arm’s length. Being quiet and shy doesn’t get you many friends outside your family, and it’s even harder when you’re running a spicy, secret side project.

But Gem might be the exception to the rule. The game designer is clever, self-deprecating, and appreciates Finn’s affection for all things nerdy. He’s the one man who can find the real Finn… if Finn let’s him in.

When Gem asks for Finn’s help opening a new board game store, it brings the two of them closer than ever before. Soon things become complicated as lines of friendship blur between them, and Finn begins to worry Gem will find out his secret.

But maybe that wouldn’t be as bad as it seems. Maybe Gem already knows the secret Finn’s keeping. All he has to do is convince Finn to share…

Finding Finn is a 78,000-word contemporary MM romance featuring late-night shop shenanigans, far too many nosy siblings with no boundaries, two best friends, and some steamy audio fantasies. It contains no love-triangle, no cheating, and no angst.

Title: Finding Finn

Series: Forever Love (Book Two)

Release Date: 24th February 2022

Author: Charlie Novak

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Amazon US – Preorder

Amazon UK – Preorder

Finn looked down at me, heat burning in his eyes. “I’m going to kiss you now.” I opened my mouth to make a stupid joke, but the words vanished when Finn tilted his head and brushed his lips against mine. Sparks jumped across my skin like I’d been shocked as a wave of sensations flooded me. Finn’s lips were soft but firm, controlling every aspect of the kiss. His tongue caressed the seam of my mouth, and I opened for him.

It was like I’d never been kissed before.

The intensity of the feelings should have terrified me, but all I wanted was more. Finn’s hand was still on my jaw, holding me in place, while his other reached out to wrap around my waist and pull me incrementally closer until I was pressed against him. My fingers fisted in the front of the old hoodie he was wearing like I was trying to keep him there, in front of me, forever.

Charlie lives in England with her husband and a dachshund named Biscuit. She spends most of her days wrangling other people’s words in her day job and then trying to force her own onto the page in the evening.

She loves cute stories with a healthy dollop of fluff, plenty of delicious sex, and happily ever afters — because the world needs more of them. Charlie also believes that love comes in all shapes and sizes.

Charlie has very little spare time, but what she does have she fills with cooking, pole-dancing, reading and ice-hockey. She also thinks that everyone should have at least one favourite dinosaur…

Author Links

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His Fresh Start Cowboy (Woods Ranch Book 1) by AM Arthur: Release Day Review

January 25, 2022 by Denise

Two cowboys will have to risk their hearts—again—to find a home on the ranch.

Hugo Turner’s boots haven’t touched Texas soil in almost a decade, and he’s not sure they should now. Being in the state is complicated, but Hugo can’t resist going back for a job working with his teenage crush. His best friend’s hot older brother is now the ranch’s foreman, so he’ll be Hugo’s boss. Inappropriate? Probably. Will it stop Hugo? Probably not.

Brand Woods isn’t ready for the return of Hugo Turner. He decided long ago to keep his bisexuality private and to focus his life on running the ranch. Working next to the most dangerously tempting man he’s ever known stirs up questions Brand thought he’d put to rest.

The sparks that send their hearts galloping lead to a deeper passion than either man expects. But by giving in to the chemistry without taking a risk and committing to each other—or, more importantly, to themselves and living the lives they’ve always wanted—Brand and Hugo might lose their second chance at true love.

Amazon

Audible

Carina Press/Harlequin

A spin off of the popular Clean Slate Ranch series, Woods Ranch is set in Texas at an actual working ranch. And as much as I enjoyed Clean Slate Ranch, the change of scenery is good.

We do start out at Clean Slate when Colt mentions that his family’s ranch can’t find good help. That gets the attention of Hugo, a guy who was best friends with Colt’s youngest brother while crushing on Colt’s middle brother. But Hugo never let him know the connection.

Hugo has been moving around for almost 10 years. When he finally turned 18 and had had enough abuse from his step brother while his mother and stepfather turned a blind eye. But he misses his mom, misses Texas, so he is ready to go back. And there’s also Brand. The guy he crushed on who is also his new boss.

There was good back story told that really showed how Hugo’s life was when his mother remarried without it overtaking the story. Hugo turned out not so much to be a loner, but just a guy looking for safety and love. He got that as a kid at the Woods Ranch and he would get it again.

Hugo also rented a trailer from a neighbor, an eccentric retired artist who the town loved to gossip about. He was interesting and I have a feeling he is the bridge to another story in the series.

My heart did absolutely break for Hugo at times. Without spoiling anything, I just wanted to hug him. Instead of letting life beat him down, he just keeps going, refusing to give up.

Back to the romance. Brand is the typical “must take over for my family and not let them down” guy. Which, fine, I get it. Especially on a ranch in Texas when the oldest son ran off instead of telling his family he was gay. Brand works too hard, plays too little and never seems happy. Luckily he has a best friend who smacks some sense into him.

Brand still runs hot and cold until he is really put to the test. Then the loyalty to who he loves comes barreling in.

This was a good story to start the next series. As I said, I liked the change of scenery, talking about the different things at the ranch and moving to grass fed organic. There was quite a bit of that and it almost had me giving up beef. Almost. But if I never have to hear slaughter again I will be just fine.

I would have liked more closure on some of the plot points. A couple of things were just left dangling that needed to be put to bed. But, nothing major.

Bring on book 2 who I think will be about this guy and…..that guy.

4 pieces of eye candy

Baby, it’s Cold by Josh Lanyon: Quick Review

January 25, 2022 by Denise

Talk about Kitchen Nightmares! TV Chef Rocky and Foodie Blogger Jesse have been pals forever, so it should have been the most natural thing in the world to kick their relationship up a notch. Instead, it turned out to be a disaster. But Christmas is the season of love, and someone’s cooking up a sweet surprise…

Amazon

This was short, only about 60 pages, (I think originally from an anthology), but I did enjoy this one. I would love to see it expanded…it’s a wish, I know. 🙂

Jesse, long time friend to Rocky, was trying to be so sweet, and surprise him so they could get back together, when they had a…well…rocky relationship when they started dating. He showed up at Rocky’s cabin up at Big Bear Mountain to cook a romantic holiday dinner for Rocky. Sadly, even though his entire family are in the restaurant business, Rocky being a well known chef himself, Jesse could only get an A for effort, because the food, as well as his round about attempts at reconciliation were all duds. However, Jesse kept trying, even when someone came along and tried to steal his thunder.

These two men needed to learn the art of true communication, and how to get out of their own way. But it was so fun to see the dance, the weave around the third party, as they tried to work through their issues, even as they didn’t admit that was what they were trying to do.

Although there wasn’t a true HEA, there was an HFN that worked well for this story, and did give some room for expansion, should that ever come to pass.

Fun holiday story about second chances.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Josh Lanyon is the author of over sixty titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into eleven languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place). The Adrien English Series was awarded All Time Favorite Male/Male Series in the 2nd Annual contest held by the 20,000+ Goodreads M/M Group. Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads M/M Hall of Fame award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California.