RELEASE BLITZ
Book Title: Broken News: M/M Mafia Romance
Author: Sara Dobie Bauer
Publisher: Self-published
Cover Artist: Quin Perin
Release Date: August 22, 2019
Genre/s: M/M Romance, M/M Thriller
Trope/s: May/December (age gap), mafia
Themes: redemption, first love, sacrifice, age gap, hurt/comfort, prostitution
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 62 000 words
It is a standalone story.
Blurb
He was supposed to hurt him. Ruin him. Instead, he fell in love.
In the big, bad city, Eric West holds the reins. A mafia king, he is feared, ruthless, and obsessed with a man half his age.
Will, his favorite whore, is young, beautiful, and the only person to ever bring him to his knees.
Will is a man to kill for.
A man to change for.
But what if Will isn’t what he seems?
***Broken News is a standalone M/M romance featuring age gap, detailed adult content, violence, hurt/comfort, and mentions of rape/dubious consent.***
My Two Pennies' Worth
It's no secret that I adore this author's work; her historical vampire trilogy was one of my favourite vampire stories ever, and I've just beta read a future vampire contemporary that I loved. Her writing is gritty, her descriptions evocative, and her romances are epic and hard fought. Why am I telling you this? To justify why I picked up a mafia romance, one of the few sub genres of romance I normally avoid (the others are rockstars, motorbike clubs, and mpreg). But as with all my lines in the sand I'm willing to cross them for the right people. And this author's style is well suited to change my mind on mafia stories.
Is this a contemporary or an alternate reality reminiscent of 1950s noir? It could be either or both, it doesn't really matter and it never makes claims to be either, but the backdrop is vivid regardless of the time period, descriptions are rife with details so lush that they immerse the reader in this world.
This is the romance of a crime lord and a self-professed sociopath it is not going to be a sweet and angst-free read. It's dark and disturbing, a violent, crazy roller-coaster ride of lies and secrets, murder and deceit. It's full of action and suspense. And if you've read any of this author's work you'll know that the erotic scenes are off the chart hot.
Have I changed my mind about mafia stories? No, probably not. In lesser hands this could have been a disaster of dubious consent and power imbalance. Will I read a sequel if one ever appears? Hell yeah.
And if you're wondering, yes, it does have the author's trademark age gap.
Excerpt
Miss Catherine paused. “He’s been waiting,” she whispered and walked away. The only evidence of her presence was the sound of velvet dragging on carpet as she disappeared barefoot, back to her other guests.
The rest was up to Eric. Of course he’d flown first class from London but hoped he didn’t smell too much like airplane upholstery and cheap wine. He straightened his tie and adjusted his suit. He ran the palms of his hands over his slick, blond hair and took one long, deep breath before opening the door.
The room was as he imagined, cast in shadows of firelight, and a man stood facing the front window. He had the edge of a heavy curtain raised as he stared into the city’s night. At the sound of the door closing, the man turned—if he could be considered a man. He more resembled a wide-eyed teen, but beautiful, so very beautiful.
Eric sighed, smiled, and shook his head. “My God,” he said.
Dark eyes appraised him. “I could say the same.”
They both took steps forward, which brought Eric’s new whore further into the orange light. Pressed to guess an age—and knowing Le Chateau only hired whores at least twenty-one or older—Eric guessed twenty-two at most. He wore the body and face of a youth but bearing of a confident man. His hair was black—short on the sides, long on top—and shined with the midnight luster of a thoroughbred’s flank. His eyes were shining, dark pools in the firelight but probably brown in the sun. He had high cheekbones, an angular jaw, and skin the color of untouched morning snow. Despite the poised demeanor, he was small in stature and frame, dressed in a black suit Eric imagined had been sewn for him, stitch by invisible stitch. Despite all the young man’s beautiful accouterments, it was his mouth that deserved worship, possibly idols built: a mouth so full, lush, and decadent, Eric was already half hard.
He stepped into the stranger’s space, towering almost a foot above the young whore, and opened the man’s suit coat. Eric ran his palms over slim sides and thumbed at the tops of jutting hipbones. Then, Eric bent forward with his mouth half open and sucked one wet, gentle kiss against the side of his neck. He smelled like spicy cologne and scotch.
“What’s your name?” He ran the tip of his nose over the stranger’s earlobe.
“Will,” he said.
“My name is Eric.”
“I know.”
Eric pulled back enough to see a small smile on Will’s face. His teeth were white and perfectly, perfectly straight.
“You must have cost a lot of money,” Eric said.
Will stepped forward and rubbed his nose across Eric’s carved chin. He practically breathed his response into Eric’s mouth: “And worth every penny.”
With that mouth so close, Eric was done talking. He slid one of his hands behind Will’s head and took hold to the back of his neck. His thumb was lost in soft black hair as he pulled Will even closer until their lips met. Eric moved slowly and savored the pliant softness. Will opened his mouth and allowed Eric’s tongue inside. Not only did he smell like scotch but tasted like it, too—something expensive with a lingering edge of vanilla. Eric’s other hand went to Will’s lower back and pressed their bodies together, which earned him a deep, delightful moan from his new toy.
About the Author
Sara Dobie Bauer is a bestselling author, model, mental health speaker, and LGBTQ advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she lives in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a Tim Burton film. She is author of the Bite Somebody series and Escape Trilogy, among other sexy things.
Author Links
Giveaway
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