Thursday 28 November 2019

Release Blitz - No Place Like Home by Annabelle Jacobs





Length: 48,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Blurb

Will Oliver get the gift he’s hoping for this Christmas?


Oliver Walker’s Christmas is shaping up to be a quiet one. That is until hunky neighbour Ed Middleton moves in next door.

Attraction is instant, but Ed is only there temporarily and neither wants to start something with an expiration date.


As the festive season approaches, holiday cheer wraps around them, and giving in to temptation is inevitable. But Ed is still set on moving in the new year—a fresh start, miles away from those he’s closest to.


If Oliver doesn’t want to lose his heart, he’ll have to show Ed that home is wherever he wants it to be, and love is possible no matter what.



Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.


Twitter – https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction

Website – www.annabellejacobs.com

Email – ajacobsfiction@gmail.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction



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Release Blitz - A Boyfriend For Christmas by Jay Northcote





Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Blurb

Archie's posh parents want him to meet a nice girl--how can he tell them he's fallen for a bad boy instead?


Closeted, innocent and lonely, Archie Arandale longs for someone special in his life. A Christmas party organised by his wealth management company is the last place he expects to meet the man of his dreams.


With his leather jacket, tattoos, and piercings, Cal Turner turns heads the moment he walks through the door. He definitely isn't looking for a boyfriend, but Archie's hesitant charm captures his attention, and sneaking off during the party to have a little fun can only make a dull evening more interesting.


After their reckless and thrilling encounter, Archie is keen for more experience and Cal is happy to oblige. The need for secrecy means this can only be a casual fling, yet as they spend time together in the run up to Christmas, their feelings become more intense than either of them had bargained for. How can Archie find the courage to tell his family about Cal, when Cal's the exact opposite of the 'nice girl' they've been hoping for?


Contains: A closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).



Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.


One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.


Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press.


Website: https://jaynorthcote.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jay_Northcote

Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/jaynorthcotewriter

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/jaynorthcotefiction

Facebook author group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jaysplayground

Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/JN-readers

Jay’s books: http://author.to/JayNorthcote


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Blog Tour - ROXY'S RECOVERY by Kim Breyon

ROXY RECOV FB PAGE




Roxy’s Recovery is Out Now!

This healing and heartwarming story will make you believe in the power of kindness and love again.


Roxy's Recovery Ebook.jpg


Blurb:

As the newest veterinarian in the small town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Vaughn Winters doesn't have time for relationships. He is too busy healing injuries and establishing his reputation as a trustworthy vet. But when a strange man waves him down on a stormy night seeking help for his injured dog, Vaughn simply can't refuse.

Obviously homeless and with no means to pay for Roxy's medical care, Vaughn throws caution to the wind and strikes a deal with the hesitant stranger that would allow Roxy the time to heal and provide some much needed TLC to his property as well. As the days pass, Vaughn's curiosity grows. Alex's dedication to the job is as surprising as the sexy tats hidden beneath his rugged clothes. What could have pushed this kind, hardworking man to the streets, or cast such dark shadows in his otherwise bright blue eyes?




Will six weeks be enough time to earn Alex's trust? Or will asking questions cause him to tuck tail and run as soon as Roxy is able?

Roxy's Recovery is a 61k standalone contemporary romance involving two men, a meddling sister, and a seriously sassy pug.

Book Links: 
Amazon US | |Amazon UK | Universal Link | Goodreads


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Excerpt:

I was quickly distracted by how the evening light coming in through the window cast a warm glow on Alex’s face. He had a light speckle of freckles across his nose and under his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever kissed them before. I certainly would if ever I had the chance.



When I didn’t look away, he gave a soft laugh. “You know, that’s twice in one hour I’ve caught you staring. I’d say it’s a new record.”



I huffed. “Like you even notice how much I check you out.”



 The corner of his mouth turned up. “Oh, I notice, Vaughn. Like every time you peek out the window or slow your steps when you go outside for something? Believe me, I notice.”



 I turned a little crimson. “Whatever. I think you’re hot, so sue me.”



 “Oh, that’s not what I’m afraid of,” he said innocently.



 I blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “What are you so afraid of, then?” I asked, suddenly dying to know. “Because frankly, I’ve been trying to figure you out for a while now. If you’re interested or not, I mean.”



 “I am,” he admitted without thinking before setting his sandwich down and looking out the window. “I just can’t, though.”



The finality in his voice caught me off guard; it sounded less like he was rejecting me and more like he was refusing himself something.



 “Why?” I asked again.



It was a long moment before he replied, his voice low and almost inaudible. “I’m here for Roxy, Vaughn. I don’t want to do anything that would ruin this for her.”



I furrowed my brows. “Ruin what? At making a full recovery? She’s going to be fine. I’ve told you that.”



He still didn’t look at me, idly playing with a piece of bread while he continued to stare out the window.



And then, like a punch to the gut, it hit me what he was truly afraid of.



“You think I’ll kick you out?” I asked, stunned. When he didn’t respond, I tried again. “I would never do that to you, whether or not something happened between us.”



He still didn’t look at me or even acknowledge that he’d heard me, so I reached for his hand.




“Okay?” I insisted.



After a long pause, Alex shifted in his seat, causing his legs to accidentally squeeze mine under the table. He immediately jerked away, but to my relief, he didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he turned his over so he could link our fingers together and gave me a nervous smile.



 “I was starting to believe that,” he said, his attention on where our skin touched. “But… it helps to hear it.”







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More from Kim Breyon:

Check out Kim's Against All Odds Series. 


Back To You (Against All Odds, Book 1) By Kim Breyon

One of you, one of me…



 As a private investigator, I have a perfect record when it comes to closing cases…as long as you don’t count the only one that ever really mattered to me.



 Even after a decade, the memory of the foster boy I once shared a room with continues to haunt my dreams. For five years, Riley helped me laugh when there was so little in our lives to laugh about. His gentle touch and stormy gray eyes were the only thing that could calm the swirling and turbulent thoughts and emotions within me.



 But in the blink of an eye, the safe harbor my best friend provided was ripped from my life without warning or reason. His unexplained disappearance set sail to a lonely and hopeless journey. Now, I am no more willing to let the memory of my best friend go than I am ready to give up the search for him, as hopeless as it may seem to those around me.



 And then a client asks me to locate a stolen treasure box. Clues have me heading from the city of Atlanta to a small, picturesque town in South Carolina called Reedsport. There, I hope to find the missing box; what I never expected was to find something else that I’d been missing for far too long. Could I have finally found a beacon of hope that would lead Riley Tanager back to me?



Book Links: 

And Then You (Against All Odds, Book 2) By Kim Breyon

Love is a risk... but a risk worth taking.



JAKE



I knew my life would change when I followed my best friend across state lines and transferred to the Reedsport Police Department. I just wasn’t prepared for how much.



 From the moment I meet him, CJ Reyes isn’t what I expect, and neither is our chemistry. The fire with him is like nothing I’ve felt before, both in and out of the bedroom. His sexy sapphire eyes are cracking the walls around my heart, and for the first time in my life, I’m not rushing to repair them. But can I trust him with the heaviest burden of all: the dangers of my career?



REYES



After being cut from the national team in Mexico, I’d hoped to get away from it all when I accepted a temporary coaching position in a small town in South Carolina. The reprieve doesn't come, though, thanks to my family constantly breathing down my neck and the uncertainty of my future looming over me.



 Then I meet Jake, whose humor and understanding feel like my only way out of the darkness. Our fiery nights and growing friendship make my loss feel a little less devastating and my future less bleak. But when I'm forced to make a decision that could change my life forever, will Jake see reason? Or will I end up losing something far more valuable than the world championship?




Book Links:

Sunday 24 November 2019

Release Blitz - Promise (Single Dads #3) by RJ Scott




Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Length: 57,000 words approx.


Cover Design: Meredith Russell


Single Dads Series


Book #1 - Single - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Book #2 - Today - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Blurb

Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.


Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full. Love is the last item on his to-do list, but seeing his best friends Sean and Eric happy and making new families makes him want things he doesn’t think is possible. Kissing Jason at an event to honor his bravery was one thing, but anything other than that is off limits. Until Jason has no one left to turn to, and it’s Leo who helps him at his lowest. Taking Jason and his daughter into his home is one thing, but falling for the ex-con is something else altogether.


Jason made a deal to keep his daughter safe and spent years behind bars as a result. Volunteering as a convict firefighter was as much about helping the community as saving his sanity, but now that he’s out, he doesn’t even have that. He’s lost his future, his self-respect, and has no friends or a place to call home. Worst of all, even after rescuing his daughter he still can’t keep her safe from the man who wants to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Meeting Leo might give Jason a way to keep Daisy safe, but falling for the stubborn cop means the truth has to be revealed, and he could lose everything all over again.


USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.


RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.


She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:




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Saturday 23 November 2019

Release Blitz - Hometown Christmas by Garrett Leigh





Length: 40,000 approx.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Blurb

Yani Nicolaou is sworn off love for good. After fleeing a bad break-up in London, the only blood, sweat, and tears he has left are for his gyro stall at the Christmas market. Rebound fling? No thanks. He’s sticking to one-night-stands.


Ex-army vet Gavin Richie has even less capacity for romance. Managing a homeless shelter while recovering from injury keeps him far too busy. So what if he’s often alone? He’s content being single, or so he thinks until a chance meeting lights a spark he can’t ignore.


Yani is the warmth and affection Gavin hadn’t known he was missing. As Christmas lights up the city, their lives entwine in more ways than one. Falling for each other is easy. Holding on is harder, unless a hometown Christmas proves their love can last longer than the festive season.





Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.


Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.


When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.


Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.


Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh




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Friday 22 November 2019

Review Tour - Across The Pond (Raptors #2) by RJ Scott & VL Locey





Length: 57,600 words approx.

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Arizona Raptors Series

Book #1 - Coast to Coast - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Blurb

The greatest journey isn’t from England to the States, it’s the one that two men take on the way to find each other.


Sebastian Brown is on a mission to rescue the Arizona Raptors and a vow he made to a friend in college. Either that or he’s on vacation. He’s not entirely sure that he’s made up his mind yet. Either way, traveling from England, to the arid desert of Arizona isn’t exactly a picnic, particularly with the doubts and worries he takes with him. He’s turned even the worst of companies around, but faced with the challenge of improving the reputation of a hockey team that everyone seems to hate, he knows his work is cut out for him.


Focus is key, but that is easier said than done when Seb is sent into a tailspin by the intriguing Alejandro. Seb’s entire marketing plan hinges on making Alex a poster boy for equality and fair play. But with Alex’s utter dedication to the game, and his dark secretive eyes, the gorgeous Alex is stubborn, opinionated, doesn’t want any part of being the team focus, and worst of all, doesn't appear to like Seb at all. It takes everything that Seb has to keep his hands off of Alex, but things get out of hand and Seb’s life might never be the same again.


Alejandro Garcia has had to work hard to get where he’s at. Born to Mexican immigrants, his siblings and himself have never had it easy in this new country their parents dreamed of calling home. A native son of Arizona, Alex has always been the odd man out on the ice but he’s not going to let a stupid thing like his heritage get in the way of his dreams. He’s now a Raptor and he plans to put all that training and collegiate hockey experience to good use. Working hard comes naturally to him. It’s something his parents have instilled in him from the time he was a toddler. Being one of a handful of Latino hockey players makes him strive for success with even more determination. His first pro season has had some ups but a lot more downs, but Alex is one stubborn young man and failure is not an option.


As the Raptors struggle to rebuild not only their team but their core values, Alex finds himself drawn to one of the owner’s friends, a tall, lanky Brit with the face of an angel and an accent and attitude that bewitches and befuddles him. Sebastian is everything he thought he would never be attracted to but he can’t push the sexy, older, fun-loving man out of his thoughts. If ever there were a man he would not be able to take home to his parents - not that he can bring a man home since he is deeply closeted - it’s Sebastian, but desire knows no socioeconomic, age, or international borders. The heart wants what the heart wants and Alejandro’s wants Sebastian.

My Two Pennies' Worth

And we're back with the Raptors. Here we have opposites attract with a Brit turning up to help the Raptor's improve their image with a marketing ploy. There's some great Brit abroad with division by a common language moments. With Alex still coming to terms with his sexuality the romance moves slowly and carefully and is balanced with angst from his catholic upbringing and family. 
The book also covers issues arising from Henry's 'accident' in the first book and how it affects his team mates and these problems (and hopefully the solution) will carry over into the next book. 

This is book 2 in the series and although it deals with a different couple I would not recommend reading this book as a standalone.





USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.


RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.


She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:





USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.


V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.


When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.








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Thursday 21 November 2019

Release Blitz with Review - A Christmas Wedding by A E Ryecart

RELEASE BLITZ


Book Title: A Christmas Wedding

Author: A E Ryecart

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Tammy Clarke/Meredith Russell 

Release Date: November 19, 2019

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Themes: Christmas, Wedding/Marriage, Domineering family

Heat Rating: 3 flames 

Length: 49 000 words

It is part of a series but it can certainly be read as a standalone.








Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited





Christmas. A Wedding. Family. It's the Perfect Storm...

Blurb


For Rory Kincaid marrying Jack, the youngest son of the aristocratic De Lacy family, on Christmas Eve, is a dream come true. Handing over the wedding planning to Jack’s mother, the strong-willed Lady Diana, is turning out to be more of a nightmare.



As their big day approaches, the pressure’s on and the strain is beginning to show. Announcements in society magazines, a guest list that’s growing and growing, and fittings for the best bespoke tailoring in London, it’s all a far cry from Rory’s humble upbringing. Piece by piece, Rory and Jack’s dream of a simple winter wedding is fading fast.



Rory is Jack’s everything. Sweet, kind, and totally adorable, Rory is all Jack has ever wanted. And what Jack wants most of all is to give the man he loves the wedding day of his dreams — and that means taking a stand against the indomitable Diana.


***Warning: this story contains two gorgeous men, a mountain of mince pies and cupcakes, a punk rocker Christmas fairy called Bunty, and a snowy Christmas Wedding.***



My Two Pennies' Worth

I really enjoyed A Kiss Before Christmas, which was the first time we met Rory and Jack, and this new story followed their story to another Christmas, their wedding and a HEA. This opposite attract story has a festive feel that is perfect for the season. There's stress and occasionally Rory has feelings of inadequacy but you never lose sight of the love between the couple which shines through everything. Fun, romantic and lovely.


Excerpt



“Where are we going? The Tube station’s that way.” Rory nodded in the direction they were coming from.



“We’re not going home, or not just yet.”



“Oh? I thought we were going to decorate our living room, drink lots of advocaat, and then get naked on the rug.”



Jack threw back his head and laughed. “That sounds like a plan, but there’s something I want to do first.”



“You mean something is more important than naked advocaat?”



Jack just smiled in response. There wasn’t a lot that was more important than naked advocaat, but what they were about to do next just about topped it.



The tiny street would be so easy to miss in the messy and higgledy-piggledy maze that was the City of London.



“Jack? What—?”



Jack pressed his fingertips to Rory’s lips and gazed into Rory’s questioning, confused eyes.



“Just go with me on this, okay?”



Jack pushed the door open, and he and Rory stepped into another time.



The shop was crammed with tall and narrow display cabinets, all of them holding a treasure of watches. Behind the counter, in a corner and almost hidden, sat a small, round, bald-headed man. A pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose, and another was wedged on the top of his head as he worked on the mechanism of a pocket watch, using what looked like a set of toy tools.



“Mr. De Lacy.” The man put aside his work, stood up and extended his hand to Jack.



“Mr. Hogarth. Let me introduce Rory Kincaid, my fiancé.”



Jack moved aside to allow Rory to shake Mr. Hogarth’s hand. Jack smiled; in a moment everything would be revealed.



“Let me bring your order.” Mr. Hogarth disappeared into a back room.



“Jack, I don’t understand. What’s going on?”



Before Jack could answer, Mr. Hogarth returned bearing a small black box, which he handed over to Jack.



“Please.” Mr. Hogarth gestured to a small table and a couple of chairs on the other side of the shop, in the only space not taken up with display cabinets, before he returned to his place once more behind the counter and took up his work as though he were alone.



“I want you to have this,” Jack said, opening the box as soon as he and Rory were seated.



“What?” Rory gaped at the watch, displayed on a pad of black velvet. “But we agreed a strict ten-pound budget, just something silly this year. I haven’t—”



“No, it’s not a Christmas present.”



“Then what—? I don’t understand.”



Jack took the watch out of the box. Like his own, it was plain and unadorned. The black Roman numerals were stark against the white face; the casing was gold, deep and burnished.



“When I was twenty-one, my father presented me with a watch from this shop. He did the same for George,” Jack said, referring to his elder brother. “My father also had a watch on his twenty-first birthday, as did my grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather. The De Lacy men have had watches in one form or another from Hogarth’s since the late eighteenth century. All those watches came from here, from this very shop.” Jack glanced toward the counter, but Mr. Hogarth had gone and was now nowhere to be seen.



“This isn’t a Christmas present, Ro. This is something every De Lacy man receives. And I wanted you to have one, too, because that’s what you’re on the point of becoming: a De Lacy man.” Jack’s lips lifted in a wry smile. “I didn’t know you when you turned twenty-one, although I wish I did. I’m just making up for lost time. On Christmas Eve, you’re going to take my name. I want you to be wearing this watch when you do.”



“Jack, I–I don’t know what to say.”



“Then don’t say anything. Just accept it, along with the words I had engraved.”



Jack held the watch out. All his focus was on his fiancé, reading for the first time the words engraved not only on the watch but on Jack’s heart.



Love, always and forever.



Four simple words which said everything Jack held deep inside about the man he’d found huddled on his doorstep just two Christmases before.







About the Author 

I love all kinds of MM romance and gay fiction, but I especially like contemporary stories. Born and raised in London, the city is part of my DNA so I like to set many of my stories in and around present-day London, providing the perfect, metropolitan backdrop to the main action. I write at home, in the gym, in cafés —in fact I write any place I can find a good coffee! 


Social Media Links







Giveaway 

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AUDIO RELEASE BLITZ - WHAT LIES BENEATH by RJ SCOTT





Length: 5hrs 44 mins

Narrated By: Sean Crisden

Publisher: Tantor Media

Blurb

In the hottest summer on record, Iron Lake reservoir is emptying, revealing secrets that were intended to stay hidden beneath the water.


Best-selling horror writer Chris Lassiter struggles for inspiration and he's close to never writing again. His life has become an endless loop of nothing but empty pages, personal appearances, and a marketing machine that is systematically destroying his muse. In a desperate attempt to force Chris to complete unfinished manuscripts his agent buys a remote cabin. All Chris has to do is hide away and write, but he's lost his muse, and not even he can make stories appear from thin air.


Sawyer Wiseman left town for Chicago, chasing the excitement and potential of being a big city cop, rising the ranks, and making his mark. A case gone horribly wrong draws him back to Lancaster Falls. Working for the tiny police department in the town he'd been running from, digging into cold cases and police corruption, he spends his day's healing, and his nights hoping the nightmares of his last case leave him alone.


USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.

RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:







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Monday 18 November 2019

Release Blitz - In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie by Sophia Soames

RELEASE BLITZ


Book Title: In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie

Author: Sophia Soames

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Miriam Latu

Release Date: November 14, 2019

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Forced Proximity, Christmas, Family,

Themes: Christmas, family, coming out, University Dorm living, Norway, Scandinavia

No triggers or warnings. No age gap, University aged student MC’s.

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 62 891 words

It is a standalone story.








Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited





Love is supposed to be easy. You are supposed to find your person and fall in love, and then you hold each other and kiss and live happily ever after. 

Well, Erik has ended up in the wrong bloody love story. He is stuck in the one full of angst and worries and confusion and pain. Lots of pain.


Blurb

Oskar Høiland hides from life. It just makes things easier that way, not having to face all the fears and drama of living. He especially hides from other people, because Oskar has grown up fearing the snide remarks and the quick glances that strip him of the tiny scraps of confidence he still has left. He is just going to keep existing. Work hard to complete his medical degree and perhaps watch a few more series on Netflix in peace and quiet over Christmas.

Erik Nøst Hansen should be an almost fully-fledged adult. He should be able to sort out the mess that festers in his head and stop lying. It’s just hard. And it’s bloody terrifying to even acknowledge the thoughts that swirl around in his head at night when he can’t sleep. He also needs to figure out how to talk to the boy downstairs. The one with the golden curls and the crooked smile. The boy who is completely monopolising Erik’s messed-up heart.

A story of falling in love and being brave. A Christmas tale with a difference, set in the university dorms of central Oslo, where lies are uncovered, snowflakes are falling all over the place, and beds are made to lie in. There is a slightly unconventional family. A mess of animal onesies. Too much food and a very Merry Christmas.

My Two Pennies' Worth

This was an incredibly sweet romance set around Christmas and the New Year in Norway. It has an amazing sense of place which feels natural as though the author is simply writing about everyday things in her life.
It centres around two university students who live in the same block in different dorms. Erik is the party boy, a people person who wants to make everyone happy but who is hiding a part of himself because he is gay and is struggling with coming out. Except he's fascinated by the Disney prince downstairs, to the point where he has already told his family about him, and his dorm mates are not oblivious to his longing either. The Disney Prince is Oskar, who is a med student and a mess of anxiety and neuroses. When they meet for real things move quickly with Erik asking Oskar to go home with for Christmas, where he meets Erik's loving and slightly mad family.
Falling in love happens quickly in this book, but I was quite thankful for the sweet moments that it brought, as I was for the mapcap nature of Erik's family, because there is a darker side to this book as both MCs and a side character have almost crippling anxieties, anxieties that threaten to overwhelm both them and the story. I have to confess that the characters internal and external battles in this regard gave me low-level anxiety of my own.
Overall a sweet story but one that might have triggers for some readers.


Excerpt

Oskar’s first instinct is to flee. Run. Hide somewhere until the thing in his bed has disappeared. He blinks. Shakes his head in disbelief and looks again.

Nope. He’s still there. There is still a very-much-fast-asleep person in his bed, his breathing soft against Oskar’s pillow, and that ridiculous pink bandana is sliding down over his eyes.

He moves carefully to get a closer look, then recoils back as he remembers. No clothes! He is stark naked in his own room, like a normal person would be. It’s just, this dude is there. Right there. On his bed.

Yes, he had left his door unlocked, but then that doesn’t mean any random person can just come in and decide to sleep in his bed? Does it? Especially when the random person is flat-out drunk. Oskar can smell the alcohol now, his body recoiling at the fumes escaping along with little bubbles of spit at the corner of the dude’s mouth. Beer-scented mouthfuls of air with every breath. Every little snore.

He doesn’t know how he didn’t realise someone was here before. I mean, the dude is not exactly quiet, snuffling and snoring and smacking his lips together in his sleep.

Oskar’s eardrums are still ringing from having his earphones on the highest volume, and the beats from upstairs are still going strong, but still, he should have noticed. How the fuck didn’t he notice?

There are a pair of threadbare joggers on the floor, which he pulls on, and the t-shirt on the floor looks clean enough, so he pulls it over his damp hair and tiptoes further up along the side of his bed to get a closer look.

It’s definitely one of the guys from upstairs. The tall pretty one. The one with all the girlfriends. The one with the reputation.

Yes, Oskar listens. He might not speak much to the other students, but his hearing is good—well, it was until today, and he will sue if his hearing is damaged from this bloody party, starting with suing the pants off this dude that has crashed Oskar’s planned Netflix marathon—and he pays attention to the stories. The tall tales of weekend shenanigans. The obvious boasting and lies. And the things that might actually be true.

Like the whispers doing the rounds about this guy. The tall one with the messy dark-brown hair and full lips. Kisses like he means it. Great lay apparently. Can get any girl he wants. That’s what he has heard. Hangs around with the dark-haired guy with the black floppy fringe, and that lanky boy with the frizzy hair. Well, he probably hangs around with everyone. Always smiling and never alone. Never sitting on his own in the cafeteria like Oskar, hiding in the corner with his headphones on.

No, this dude is always the centre of attention. Surrounded by people clinging to his every word. Laughing at his jokes. Staring adoringly at him as he throws his head back in laughter.

Except this dude is now here. And Oskar hasn’t got a clue what to do.

He could go get Freddie, he supposes, and they could probably manhandle the dude out of the room. Dump him on the sofa for the night. He is quite sure the girls would approve, and in the morning, he would wake up and find this guy on the sofa making all the girls laugh, having charmed them into making him coffee and buttering his toast and spoon feeding him their secret imported stash of Swedish Treo hangover fizz, whilst placing tiny morsels of hot buttered toast on his tongue.

He pushes that scene out of his head with a sigh. The boy is his problem. He is in Oskar’s bed. And if he doesn’t get him out of here, things will be shit awkward in the morning, he is sure of that.

“Dude,” he whispers, and nudges the guy’s shoulder before he can stop himself. He should think this through, make some kind of plan. Maybe wake him up gently so he doesn’t scare the shit out of the poor guy, waking up and realising he has crashed in Oskar’s bed, instead of wherever he thought he was crashing.

He probably took a wrong turn, thinking this was Madeleine’s room. Or Ingvild’s. Or one of the other girls. Maybe he thought he could get lucky by just throwing himself in some lucky girl’s bed. Just like that. Oskar wonders if people do that, just full-on go for it and shamelessly offer themselves like that.

Oskar shudders at the thought. It’s a mistake whatever it is, and Oskar won’t let him get away with this. Not tonight. Not now. He doesn’t need the grief, or the inevitable shaming in the morning when this dude tells all his friends that the nerd downstairs tried to get him in the sack. Lies and raw laughter trying to make light of a situation that he knows will end badly, with Oskar being the butt of every joke. The one the girls will gossip about and point their fingers at. The one that came on to one of the beautiful people. One of their people. Where Oskar just doesn’t belong.

Because the boy is beautiful, even Oskar can see that. Soft long dark hair framing his face, freckles decorating his pale skin and those lips. Even his fucking profile is perfect, his straight nose burrowing into Oskar’s pillow.

“Dude, come on! Wake up.” Oskar shakes his shoulder this time, but the guy is dead. Dead to the world. Not a hint of pretending to wake up. He just snores and burrows further into the pillow.

“YO. MATE!” This guy is no mate of his. Nor will they ever be, mates or whatever, but Oskar is shouting now. Desperate. He needs to get to bed. He needs an hour of some mindless American sitcom to calm him down. He needs to sleep. Please.

He tries to pull the guy off the bed, grabbing the dude by the ankles only to realise the guy is still wearing shoes. Big clumsy boots with heels. Ridiculous. I mean who wears shit like that in the middle of winter? It’s not like December in Oslo is the place for something that wouldn’t look out of place in a Texas Rodeo.

“Fuck,” he grits between his teeth.

The sofa out in the main room is seriously uncomfortable. No one ever bothers to even sit on it, and even if he considers sleeping there, the bleach fumes would make him retch before long.

It’s not like he could go sleep in anyone else’s room. It’s just not the kind of thing he could do. Not his thing. Not that he is close enough to any of the others to warrant such a request.

He could sleep on his own floor, he supposes, except that the dude is lying on top of his duvet.

It takes a few good pulls, but finally the duvet gives way and the dude rolls over as Oskar drags the fabric from underneath his body. He almost bursts into laughter, because the dude is now on his back, mouth wide open and the bandana has slipped down covering his eyes and nose. He looks like a twat.

A drunk snoring twat in ridiculous boots.

Oskar is a medical student. Oskar fucking knows what can happen. He wouldn’t be a responsible human being if he didn’t ensure that his unwelcome roommate at least survives the night.

The boots come off his feet to reveal socks underneath. Ridiculous socks with little reindeers and Santas that make Oskar swallow another inappropriate giggle. This isn’t funny. This isn’t funny at all.

He rolls the bandana up over the dude’s fringe, carefully removing it before tossing it aside, and straddles his body to try to roll him into the recovery position. He has done it several times in training, but always with willing perfectly conscious subjects underneath him. Never a half-dead comatose man breathing alcohol fumes at him, making him retch in disgust.

It takes a few goes, and Oskar gets braver as the guy is definitely out for the count. He doesn't wake up, even when Oskar knees him in the balls by mistake, trying to manhandle his shoulder over towards the mattress. But he is finally there, safely in position on his side with his hand supporting his chin, so any accidental vomiting won’t choke him to death and there is nothing restricting around his neck to hinder his breathing. His airway is open, and he is safe. In the middle of Oskar’s bed.

Oskar wants to cry. He wants to bury his face in his hands and howl. Scream out in frustration.

Instead, he covers the unconscious body in his warm duvet and switches off the light. Lets his own body slide in under the covers at the very edge of the bed, as far away as he can get. Oskar lies there, perched on the edge of the mattress, yet he can still feel the breath from the other man hitting the back of his neck. Soft puffs of air stroking the skin under his still-damp hair.

He shudders. It’s hours until he finally falls asleep. Restless and terrified of what he might find next to him in the morning.



About the Author 

Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over tv-shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job. 

Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The Au Pair just sighs. 

She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in Scandinavia. 

Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever and she hopes it may long continue.

Miriam Latu is a Norway based artist, specialising in hand-drawn pencil portraits. She works with old-school pen and paper, and more of her work can be found on Instagram @om_hundre_ar_er_allting. 



Also by Sophia Soames, with cover artwork by Miriam Latu

717 miles

717 miles Christmas

The Scandinavian Comfort Series

Little Harbour

Open Water

IN THIS BED OF SNOWFLAKES WE LIE

What If It All Goes Right? (Out Jan 2020)




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Find me on social media @sophiasoames on all platforms







Giveaway 

717 miles – Christmas Special 

A short novella to follow on from where the novel 717 miles left off. 

This will be FREE to download from Amazon from November 14 -18. 

Just follow the link and enjoy.



Please note that this is not a standalone story and should be read after completing 717 miles





BLURB

717 miles Christmas Special


I promised myself many years ago that I would never set foot in London again.
I promised. Adam promised. I said I wouldn't. He said I would never have to.
Yet here we are again, and life has become quite surreal. This is us, a good few years later, older and wiser with more baggage than the baggage belt at Heathrow.


And now it is Christmas and Adam is working too much and I have far too much time to think about things that shouldn't really matter. Or maybe they should?


717 miles Christmas Special is a short novella to follow on from 717 miles, the novel, and should not be read as a standalone.