Monday 30 April 2018

Release Blitz - Masc by Marshall Thornton





Length: 56,000 words approx.

Series

Femme (Book #1) - Universal Buy Link

Blurb

Lionel and Dog are back in this follow-up to the Lambda finalist, Femme. Almost six months have passed and, after taking an online quiz, Lionel believes their relationship is doomed because they have nothing in common. To save their relationship, the pair joins a gay bowling league and discovers that Lionel is an excellent, if somewhat eccentric bowler.


Meanwhile, Dog gets profiled in a work newsletter. He's excited that he's out at work but doesn't immediately see that by fawning over Dog's masculine nature he was also putting down all femme guys. Lionel takes it personally which leads to a crisis in their relationship. Attempting to make it up to Lionel, Dog attempts to make a grand gesture which backfires spectacularly.


Will the two manage to put things right? And will a night in jail, a morning of drag bingo, an afternoon of day drinking, and a month of moping make things better or worse?


Author Bio


Marshall Thornton is known for the Lambda Award-winning Boystown Mysteries. His comedic novels include The Ghost Slept Over, My Favorite Uncle and the Lambda Finalist for Gay Romance, Femme. Marshall holds an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and has had plays produced in both Chicago and Los Angeles and stories published in The James White Review and Frontier Magazine.


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Saturday 28 April 2018

Review & Release Blitz - Corked by Brigham Vaughn


RELEASE BLITZ


Book Title: Corked

Author: Brigham Vaughn

Publisher: Self Published (Two Peninsulas Press)

Cover Artist: Brigham Vaughn

Genre/s: Gay Romance, m/m, contemporary

Length: 42,042 (novella) 

This is a standalone story.




Blurb

Sean Powell is having a terrible day. When he walks into Bistro Argent, ready to unwind over a glass of wine with the sommelier, he’s stunned to discover his friend has been replaced by a hot young guy with big ideas. Lucas Spencer is determined to liven up the staid and stodgy wine list, but his brash approach alienates the wine distributor during their first meeting.

There’s no avoiding each other though and the more they butt heads, the hotter the tension between them gets. As they work together and their relationship progresses, they have to figure out how to blend their professional frustration and personal attraction without risking their careers.

Lucas is eleven years younger than Sean, and despite their sizzling chemistry and compatibility, Sean can’t quite believe the feelings are mutual. A wine tasting trip to Traverse City, Michigan threatens their fledgling relationship. Sean’s insecurities rise to the surface as Lucas’s fears of losing Sean lead to jealousy.

Does the relationship have legs or will they find out it’s corked?


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My Two Pennies Worth

Corked is my first Brigham Vaughn book but it won't be my last.
The story is broken down into three parts and an epilogue, which show the growth of the relationship perfectly. I considered calling this enemies to lovers, but rejected that idea, because it's more antagonistic acquaintances to lovers. This does carry a May to December tag but I don't consider 11 years a sufficient age gap for that label. I do like that they are an older pairing, Lucas is 31, while Sean is 42.

This story starts with sparks flying every time they meet, and they put that fire to good use with some sizzling hot sex scenes. There seemed to be a couple of sex scenes per segment but I never found them to be too much as they were nicely balanced by the development of the relationship. The relationship doesn't come too easily as both men have baggage, especially Sean, whose been left insecure from a previous relationship. Despite that I found this book to be light on the angst.

The background of wine and wine tasting was excellently done, weaved seamlessly into the narrative, and though I know nothing of wine, I believed every word the characters revealed on the subject.

The characters are both pretty adorable, although occasionally I wanted to shake Sean and his insecurities. The epilogue is perfect. I mean completely, wonderfully perfect.

Well-written, fun, and sexy read.


Excerpt

“I disagree. I think customers want to be educated. As a sommelier, it’s my job to shape palates not cater to them,” Lucas said. “You’re not giving them enough credit. They want to learn. They just lack the opportunities.”

Sean snorted derisively. “And you give the general public way too much credit.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or that we should make these changes all at once, but I think there’s a real opportunity here. And look, I think if I add a good description, a tasting note of sorts on the menu, people would be drawn in. Hell, I’m willing to crack open some bottles and offer people samples before their meal. I’ve seen it done successfully in other restaurants. We can market it as a house wine and offer it by the glass.”

Sean sneered at him. “Look, kid, I get you think you know it all, but I’ve been in this business longer than you and I know the way this works.”

“Kid?” Lucas sputtered.

The argument devolved from there. Sean grew progressively less open-minded and Lucas grew more frustrated. When Sean began pacing the room Lucas soon stood too, then tension that had been on a low simmer spilling over into a furious boil.

“Just listen for a goddamn minute,” Lucas snarled. He spun and faced Sean and realized they were nearly nose to nose. The tension crackled between them, heating the air. Already worked up over their argument, frustrated by the constant bickering, and wanting Sean so bad he physically ached for it, Lucas finally snapped. He shoved Sean back against the wall, pinning him against it and ravaging his mouth. Sean gripped his shirt and Lucas half-expected him to shove him away, but instead, he surrendered with a needy groan that went straight to Lucas’s cock.

“Why the fuck do I want you so much?” Lucas growled, trailing his lips down Sean’s neck.

“You think I know?” Sean asked with a gasp, gripping Lucas’s shoulders so tight that it seemed like he might leave bruises. “I don’t even like you. I don’t want to want you.”

His words were offset by the way he tilted his head to let Lucas bite and nip at his neck. The needy way he rubbed his hardening cock against Lucas’s thigh was a dead giveaway too.

“Just shut the fuck up,” Lucas muttered, yanking Sean’s head forward for a kiss. It was so much better when they were kissing rather than talking—or arguing in their case.




About the Author 

Brigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.




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Giveaway 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win one of three copies of ebooks from Brigham’s backlist.




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Release Blitz & giveaway - Test of Valor by Keira Andrews





Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Designs

Length: 70,000 words approx.

Valor Series


Blurb

They’re free of the White House, but can their forbidden romance survive in the real world?


With his father no longer president, twenty-two-year-old Rafa Castillo can finally be with ex-Secret Service agent Shane Kendrick. Shane’s given up his career for Rafa, a move his fellow agents question the sanity and morality of. Eager to get away from the questions and judgement, Rafa and Shane are building a new life together in Australia. Though Shane struggles with nightmares and his over-protective instincts while Rafa fights his own insecurity, they love each other more than ever.


Now they just have to get through a visit from the former president and first lady.


Rafa’s parents certainly don’t approve of his romance with forty-year-old Shane, and they’re determined to make him see reason. They don’t see how their son could possibly be happy settling down with an older man, and they question Shane’s motives. Shane and Rafa just want a normal life together—but when they must suddenly battle for survival, they fight to prove their fierce love can withstand any threat.


This gay romance from Keira Andrews is the conclusion of the Valor duology. It features a May-December age difference, sex on the beach, and of course a happy ending.


About Keira


After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, fantasy, and paranormal fiction and — although she loves delicious angst along the way — Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said:


“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”


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Friday 27 April 2018

Release Blitz - Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton





Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Design

Length: 65,000 words approx.

Blurb

Being a fugitive in the old west shouldn’t be this much fun.


The year is 1860. Robby Riverton is a rising star on the New York stage. But he witnesses a murder by a famous crime boss and is forced to go on the run--all the way to Santa Fe. When he still hasn't ditched his pursuers, he disguises himself as a mail order bride he meets on the wagon train. Caught between gangsters that want to kill him, and the crazy, uncouth family of his "intended", Robby's only ally is a lazy sheriff who sees exactly who Robby is -- and can't resist him.


Trace Crabtree took the job as sheriff of Flat Bottom because there was never a thing going on. And then Robby Riverton showed up. Disguised as a woman. And betrothed to Trace’s brother. If that wasn’t complication enough, Trace had to find the man as appealing as blueberry pie. He urges Robby to stay undercover until the danger has passed. But a few weeks of having Robby-Rowena at the ranch, and the Crabtree family will never be the same again.



About Eli


Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.


Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.


In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.


In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse.


Her website is www.elieaston.com

You can email her at eli@elieaston.com




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Release Blitz & giveaway - The Sinner & The Saint by RJ Scott




Universal Buy Link:  books2read.com/SinnerandSaintEMRJS

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Length: 40,000 words approx.

Ellery Mountain Series


Blurb

Army medic Ben Rockwell is in Ellery to work with the Veterans Center creating a new specialist unit for post trauma care. Desperate to make amends for battlefield decisions he regrets, he is focused on the unit and nothing else. Until some stranger moves in next door and throws him a curveball. He’s no hero, even though everyone says he is, and the lies burn inside him.


Leaving drama and chaos in his wake, Nicholas Merrick fled London and is hiding out in his friend Jason’s house, until everything back home dies a death. The choices he made in his life were to keep his best friend safe, but as a result everyone sees him as the bad guy.


When these two meet, the attraction is instant. Can they ever be their true selves, and find love as a result?


Excerpt

Chapter 1


Loud banging, with added yelling, pulled Nick out of a nightmare. After a restless, irritable, crunchy-messy night of tossing and turning, he had finally fallen asleep some time before dawn, and now at fuck o’clock in the morning there was knocking at the front door. And some asshole shouting words that he couldn’t make out. Was this part of his dream? He couldn’t tell.


For the longest time he lay flat on his back, unwilling to move. The sheets were wrapped around him like a mummy, the quilt on the floor, and he was still in that half world between nightmare and reality. Even closing his eyes didn’t help dispel the vivid images of him walking up to the Oscar podium completely naked and with the Queen pointing and laughing at him.


Naked as the day he was born, hanging loose and free, and no one saying a thing. Apart from the laughing that was. Like it was okay that one of the Oscar nominees was walking up the steps free of any and all clothing.


Not to mention no one commented on the Queen throwing popcorn at him.


Yep, it had been that kind of nightmare, and it wasn’t the first time he’d had it. And where the Oscar fear came from he didn’t know. There would never be a chance of an Oscar for. Not for the guy whose acting career had happened by accident and formed only because of a personal rebellion against his straight laced family. His resume included two sequels to the highly profitable, but formulaic, shit-bad, Angels of Bedlam franchise, with his entire fee going charity because he didn’t need the money.


Nick hadn’t been in the first UK funded Bedlam film. Said film had been praised for its ingenious twist on a dark horror romance. No, he was the handy British villain in the next two, the studio cashing in on any money that was left out there in a saturated market by ticking all the boxes. Explosions, tick. Strong, but mostly naked, female lead, tick. Sexy down on his luck, in te wrong place at the wrong time, male lead, tick.


And him, the ubiquitous bad guy with the English accent.


The follow up were certainly not Oscar material, and once Nick pulled his fragmented sleep-addled thoughts into line, he focused on the statistical likelihood of even being nominated for an Oscar in the first place, let alone accepting it naked.


“Fuck me,” he muttered to the empty room and rolled onto his front. The banging had stopped and no one actually knew he was here, so, he wasn’t going to answer the door in a place that wasn’t even his.


Jason McInnery and his husband, Kieran, lived in this stunning home, in the small town of Ellery, Tennessee. Glass floor to ceiling, wide open rooms, a pool in the garden, and the most comprehensive jungle gym he’d ever seen for Jason and Kieran’s son, Jonas. Even the damn guest room was beautiful, a huge wood carving took up nearly one wall, and the view from the window out to the mountain was stunning. At least that was the adjective he was supposed to use for what he could see. Objectively, he could see it was spectacular, but was too lost in confusion since he got here to think about it too much. A quick glance at the clock showed him it was five am, like midnight or something back in London, and still dark in the shadow of the mountain, so he rolled over and pulled the covers up to his neck.


Even in the middle of the chaotic remnants of his nightmare he welcomed the heat that cocooned him and willed the knocking to stop. Which it did. The mess of dreams forgotten, he drifted on as many good thoughts as he could muster and was very nearly asleep when the banging started up again. He groaned and hid his face under the pillow, willing the person creating the noise to go away. Then it ceased again, and he closed his eyes, but didn’t remove the pillow. Dawn was too close now and the room would fill with light because he hadn’t even taken the time to pull the drapes.


Unfortunately, his bladder had other ideas about what he needed to do, and cursing, he grabbed the sheets and untwisted himself. Feet planted on the floor he scrubbed a hand over his face, the untamed beard was just another reminder of everything that was horribly wrong about his life right now. Normally he would have just the right amount of stubble, but the last instalment of Angels of Bedlam, cunningly entitled, Bedlam Adrift, called for him to be a castaway, hence the beard, which he’d left to tangle.


No point in worrying about it anyway. He’d left London to get away from paparazzi, and their incessant need for more, and he was in unofficial hiding. Therefore, no one would see his beard, or his bloodshot eyes.


He caught sight of himself in the mirror.


“Jesus, you look fucked.”


Bedhead. Bags under his eyes. Beard. It was a whole cacophony of B-shit. Yawning widely, he padded across the bedroom to the half bath, emptying his bladder and washing his hands. He’d gone to bed as nature intended. Well, warm nature anyway, completely naked, which probably led to nightmare. Packing back home had been done in less than five minutes, his priority was money, passport, his phone, his laptop and associated chargers. It seemed like his messed-up head hadn’t thought any kind of pajamas were needed, or indeed underwear.


The next choice was shower or bed, and the exhaustion of the past few days, the media attention, making sure Heather was okay, fleeing the UK, ending up here in the middle of rural Tennessee, it was all too much and he sighed.


“Bed it is,” he muttered to his reflection. As soon as he woke up he was going online to order everything he’d forgot to pack. Jason had said to help himself to anything he needed but helping himself to his friend’s clothes didn’t feel right.


He yawned again, and stepped out into the cooler bedroom, eyes only half open.


“Hands where I can see them,” someone shouted, and Nick, startled, his heart pounding, fell backwards into the bathroom, catching himself on the jamb as best he could. He blinked to focus on the man in front of him.


The cop.


The gun.


The cop holding a gun on him. Immediately he raised his hands, and then lowered them to cover his junk, and then raised them again when the cop didn’t move.


RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.


RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.


She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and 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 following links below:


Email RJ (rj@rjscott.co.uk)

Goodreads Page

RJ’s Blog

RJ on Twitter

Facebook

Library Thing Page

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Thursday 26 April 2018

Release Blitz - The Perfect Whore by Josephine Myles





Cover Design: Lou Harper

Length: 58,000 words approx

Blurb

Being the object of everyone's sexual fantasies ain't all it's cracked up to be.

On a mining colony planet a long way from Earth, bandit Jedd Lightning dreams of making enough money to get his ship spaceworthy again. During a robbery at a high-class brothel, he meets gorgeous alien rentboy Storm and is instantly smitten, but the heist goes south and Jedd has to high-tail it out of there with only half the loot.

Enslaved by a fierce Madam, Storm's shapeshifting talents make him the most sought after whore on Talmak. He literally can't stop himself becoming his client's fantasy lover. Sick of enforced transformations, he wants to escape, but he's closely guarded and has no experience of the unfamiliar city outside the brothel.

Storm is willing, and eager, to do anything to persuade Jedd to break him out of his gilded prison. Lucky for him the arrogant outlaw needs Storm's help to free his crewmate, held as hostage by a vicious mob boss who wants Jedd to complete the theft he was hired for. Storm keeps blowing away Jedd's expectations, but with both the law and the mob against them, they could end up with nowhere left to run.




Excerpt

"Stick 'em up, people. This is a raid. I want all your valuables, right now..." The last words trailed away as Jedd took a really good look at the naked, sweaty couple on the bed. His target, the Right Honorable Senator Artaxico Thrublet, was on his knees behind one of the most gorgeous bodies Jedd had ever clapped eyes on. A body on hands and knees. A most decidedly human and male body.

Shit, had he gotten the wrong room? Jedd squinted at the client, trying to work out if it really was the senator. He was definitely Talmaki, with his lizard-like body, orange, hairless skin and bulging eyes . But no, he'd studied footage of Artaxico and recognized his large nose and the ridiculous looking rows of diamond studs up both his pointed ears.

"Hold on, just let me finish. Uh!" Artaxico shuddered to a stop, his belly wobbling as he panted obscenely. Jedd winced at the sight. He knew interspecies mating went on, everyone had heard the tales, but intellectual knowledge wasn't the same thing as having it thrust in your face. Talmaki just weren't his idea of sexy. Okay, there had been that one time he'd got drunk enough for a fumble in an alleyway, but the alien's cock had been kind of scary, and things hadn't got very far. But maybe the gorgeous young whore was used to those luminous, scaly shafts of meat. Maybe he even enjoyed them. Was he enjoying Talmaki cock right now? He was certainly hard enough.

Right now Jedd couldn't see the expression on the whore's face as it was buried in the mattress, but maybe that was for the best. There was no way he could be handsome enough to do that incredible body justice. No wonder the senator had decided to try him as a change from the celebrated Divine. The rentboy moaned through his own orgasm, just moments after the senator, and drenched the sheets below him in spunk.

Artaxico withdrew, revealing an intimidating length of glowing scarlet cock, then collapsed back onto the bed. He reached out to pat a perfectly formed buttock. "Run along now, sthweetie. I wouldn't want you to get caught up in any of this nasty business." The lad scooted down to the end of the bed facing Jedd, exposing an equally impressive prick which was filling up again in what must be a record-breaking time.

And as for his face... Suns above! Those were lips Jedd would give anything to see stretched around his dick. But no, he had a job to do, and he wasnít about to get sidetracked by some hyper-sexed rentboy, no matter how astoundingly gorgeous he was.

"The boy stays," Jedd ordered. Artaxico gave him a puzzled look, but Jedd pressed on. "I want your datapod and passcode, now!"

"Not a chance in hell. That passcode is top level sthecurity," Artaxico lisped. "I really don't imagine there's anything an ignorant monkey like you could do that could force me to sthpeak."

Okay, just as he'd feared, but Jedd had his back-up plan. "Oh yeah?" Jedd strode over to the bed and grabbed the lithe young man under the arm. There was a brief moment where he was distracted by the sensation of naked skin against his own, but he couldn't afford to lose any time so he pulled the whore upright, holding the charge gun to his temple. "Your strumpet gets it if you don't talk. And don't think this is a bluff. I never bluff." He pulled the lad tighter to him for emphasis, but this had the unfortunate effect of bringing more of his own body in contact with those taut muscles, and his face even closer to the thatch of chestnut curls. His nose was on a level with the top of the whore's head, and he pulled in a lungful of the most divine, arousing musk. Feeling a familiar tightening in his pants where he brushed up against those pert buttocks, Jedd cursed his over-active libido. "I'm warning you! The code, now!"

Artaxico just laughed, a mocking bray that wound Jedd up worse than finding a firebug had crawled into his beer. "Utter nonsense! I've stheen killers before ñ by the sthuns, I employ enough of them, and you really don't have that look in your eyes. You're just an overgrown wassat, aren't you?" The senator twitched his nose in a near perfect imitation of one of the pesky rodents.

Jedd fumed. First a monkey, now a wassat. He turned the gun on the senator. "Okay then, if you don't give me that passcode this instant, you get it. I mean it!"

"Like you'll ever be able to get it off me if I'm dead. Does that antique piece of crap even have the power to kill? Looks more like something my wife would carry to stun any overconfident admirers."

Goddammit, how could the man tell? Jedd waved the gun as threateningly as he could. "You willing to take that risk?"

Artaxico laughed again, getting up to his feet. "What risk? There's security everywhere in this place, you know? I'm just going to stroll out of here and call the guards, and you're not going to do a thing to stop me."

Oh, wasn't he? Jedd aimed at Artaxicoís head and pulled the trigger. "Ha! Not so clever now, are you?"

"Is he going to be all right? That was just a stun, wasn't it?" The godlike young man had a voice to match his physique, a rich and sultry baritone that rumbled against Jedd's breastbone.

The senator snored before Jedd had a chance to answer, and the lad melted back against him, sighing with what sounded like relief. Their close contact made a certain part of Jedd's body grow stiffer while the rest seemed to want to melt into a puddle.

Would the rentboy mind sneaking in a quickie? Jedd would even pay if he had to, the lad was that gorgeous. Or would the stun charge have set off the internal alarm system? Probably best not to risk dawdling too long.

Still, seemed a shame to waste a moment like this now that Artaxico was unable to interfere. Jedd loosened his hold and let the young man turn in his arms. Holy fuck, Jedd could feel the whore's massive erection prodding his thigh.

He took a deep breath, forced it out. Focus. Not here. Not now. Just gather information. "Captain Jedd Lightning, at your service. And who might you be, gorgeous creature?"

The man chuckled, stepping away from him and turning to fix him with a pair of intensely soulful deep green eyes. "My working name's Divine, but you can call me Storm."

"Divine? But, You're meant to be a girl!" Jedd spluttered.

The young man gave a maddening, secretive smile. "Divine can be whoever you want, Captain. Divine is simply the title of your ideal lover."

"So they swap you around depending on what the johns want? There are other Divines?"

"Something like that. But please, call me Storm." A plaintive note sounded in his voice and his lower lip jutted in an almost-pout. "No one ever does these days."

Storm. It suited him, as there was a wildness in those eyes that Jedd thought he recognized, something he glimpsed in his own reflection every morning. Focusing on Storm's eyes proved a challenge, though, when there was all that naked flesh to feast his gaze on. Smooth, bronzed skin, with just enough hair between those dark nipples to make him want to run his fingers through it. Jedd's gaze followed the trail down all the way to the most majestic cock he'd ever seen. It reached up invitingly, as if seeking Jedd's hand.

"You have quite an imagination, don't you?" Storm said, staring down at himself as if in fascination.





English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. Sheís beginning to suspect he enjoys it.

Joís novel Stuff won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Romance, and her novella Merry Gentlemen won the 2014 Rainbow Award for Best Gay Romantic Comedy. She loves to be busy, and is currently having fun trying to work out how she is going to fit in her love of writing, dressmaking and attending cabaret shows in fabulous clothing around the demands of a preteen with special needs, an incessantly curious pre-schooler, and a bun in the oven!

Website and blog: josephinemyles.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/josephine.myles.author
Twitter: @JosephineMyles
Newsletter: eepurl.com/hrQ4s
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=8383406



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Monday 23 April 2018

Release Day - Murder Takes the High Road

I've been picking up books to review (under my alter-ego) on Netgalley, but most of the big names in the genre don't pick me because I don't run a book blog under my other name, and while I will post reviews here, they aren't connected to my Netgalley account. One of the publishers that regularly passes me over is Carina Press, but I keep trying. I had no doubt the same would happen again when I requested this book, so when Carina agreed, I was so excited I almost peed my pants. It must have been fate (and a glitch because they are still refusing my requests). But if this is the only book I ever get from them I'll be more than happy.

So, disclaimer: I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley for review (although I was under no obligation to review it here in my author persona).


Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon
Published by Carina Press
Release date 23rd April 2018

Buy Links

Amazon // Barnes and Noble // iBooks // Kobo 

Add to Goodreads



Blurb

Librarian Carter Matheson is determined to enjoy himself on a Scottish bus tour for fans of mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Sure, his ex, Trevor, will also be on the trip with his new boyfriend, leaving Carter to share a room with a stranger, but he can't pass up a chance to meet his favorite author.

Carter's roommate turns out to be John Knight, a figure as mysterious as any character from Vanessa's books. His strange affect and nighttime wanderings make Carter suspicious. When a fellow traveler's death sparks rumors of foul play, Carter is left wondering if there's anyone on the tour he can trust.





My two pennies worth

Josh Lanyon does it again with another 5 star read for me. Cosy mystery meets fish out of water/stranger in a strange land.
A librarian, on a book tour to meet a murder writer, gets embroiled in murders. And solves the mystery with...books!
Well written and plotted, this book reminds me of a modern Christie, a la Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile, albeit with a much less glamorous mode of transport. The romance is slow burn and the two leads are really endearing. I love Lanyon's laid back approach to the romance. 
Overall this book has humour, mystery, romance, and fun. 

What more could you want? An audiobook?

Oh, there's one of those too. Find it here at Audible. And that's my next stop, to buy the audio and visit Scotland again.





Friday 20 April 2018

Fiction Friday is still playing catch up

Unfortunately last week I didn't get a chance to finish telling you guys about my favourite reads for March and April.

The God Game (Dan Sharp Mystery #5) by Jeffrey Round - This is not a romance. It's a political mystery with a gay hero. It's also very good. The mystery had me stumped for much of the story. Also, although this is book 5 I never once felt like I'd missed out on background info. Can definitely be read as a standalone. Word of advice, don't be put off by the writing style in the prologue, the rest of the book is nothing like this.

Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon - This is excellent. Classic Josh. Look out for a post on release day. But you can preorder now.

36655752Office Romance Box Set by J.M. Snyder - 22 short stories in one volume.Yes, 22. Most were first meetings, some sweet with no sex, others little more than hook ups. A few involved existing couples but they were in the minority. Several involved multicultural pairings and I had some issues with the way POC were described in the stories. I understand some of the stories were originally written several years ago, however this is a new anthology and it wouldn't have taken long for the author to address this matter in the required stories. As is often the way with shorts it's hard to get a HEA without making the whole thing seem rushed and unrealistic but the author leaves all the stories on a positive final note that allows us as readers to envisage a happy ending for the couples. As you can imagine I enjoyed some stories more than others, some because the story just wasn't to my taste, some because they had obviously been written several years ago and the style felt slightly dated. My favourite stories were:
Maintenance!
Knocking Boots
Speed Trap (Working Man #9)
Easily Addicted (Working Man #3)
Cafe de l'Amour

The next book might surprise you...
Wolf & Bunny by Tara Harris - On Kindle Unlimited. Yes, I'm reccing an MPREG book. If you follow these posts regularly you'll know MPREG isn't normally my bag, but this one took me by surprise. A fairy tale with fated mates, a prince, the wicked villain, a wedding, and a nick of time rescue.

Kelpie Blue (Out of Underhill #1) by Mell Eight - This is a lovely N.A. paranormal tale of a broken boy and the kelpie who decides not to eat him. I loved the way this was written with the narrative interspersed with diary entries, mostly from Rin with Blue adding comments. I enjoyed it immensely.

You're My Everything by Lily G. Blunt - On Kindle Unlimited. A single author anthology of 6 stories. In case you missed the post on this one, you'll find it here.

Between the Lines by J. Scott Coatsworth - An urban fantasy set in the seedy world of politics. I'd have liked some more interaction between Sam and Brad earlier in the story to base their eventual relationship on. But overall a enjoyable way to pass an hour or so.

Fairytales Slashed 3 (Fairytales Slashed #3) by Megan Derr,  A.R. Jarvis, Remington Ward, Mara Ismine. -  This is an excellent anthology. I'd be hard pressed to pick my favourite. Unfortunately I'm doing something that I hate to do, because the anthology is no longer available and only one of these stories is actually still in print. I did try to contact the authors of the missing stories on your behalf but only had one response.

    39311271
  • Rasnake by Megan Derr - Banished brothers, dragons, magic, mad kings and missing princess. All written with Megan Derr's excellent fairy tale panache.
  • Pretty by Mara Ismine - this was cute but it finished too abruptly, wrapping up what I thought was a major issue in a couple of paragraphs.
  • He Shall Go To The Ball by Mara Ismine - this was a sweet take on the Cinderella story. Unfortunately it ended without a proper resolution.
  • Greenwood by Remington Ward - A magic loose reworking of the Robin Hood story. I adored this.
  • Moth To The Flame by A.R. Jarvis - Ninjas, people. Do I need to say more? It's well written and funny with a passionate (although low steam) pairing. And ninjas! I managed to get a response from this author, unfortunately though there are no plans to re-release this story at the current time. But I've included the link to several of her books on Amazon. 


To decorate the post I had a varied collection of covers this time around. Only one had the m/m standard naked torsos and was discarded straight away (although the cute bunny almost made up for it - kidding, I preferred the wolf). Two are featured else where in this blog recently (or in the future). I chose two that I felt were atmospheric covers. Let me know which cover you think should have appeared.



Wednesday 18 April 2018

RJ's Autism Blog tour

Autism Fact:  Dogs have been shown to improve autistic children’s quality of life, independence, and safety. The presence of a trained dog can reduce aggressive behavior, calm the child, and serve as a link to the child’s community.


The theme of this years blog hop is hopes and dreams. Wow, I feel like Miss World, you know, just without the sash, big hair, and perfect skin. I know I should wish for World Peace (TM) but I've lived long enough to know that is a futile gesture; there is always someone spoiling for a fight. Maybe..., no still too big. Hopes and dreams on a global scale seem futile, like that Miss World speech, it's too easy, too candy floss wishes to say I want peace in our time, acceptance for all, children to be able to grow to adulthood. I want all those things, of course I do, what right-minded person doesn't?

So maybe I need to rein it in, look closer to home. But it seems selfish to wish for happiness for me and mine and the kids in my life to grow up fulfilled and successful in their chosen field. For my writing to... Stop right there. This is what I was hoping to avoid.

Trying to make a difference on a global scale is too hard to grasp. But we can all do something every day to make a difference in someone's life. Treat people how you want to be treated. It's easy to say, not always accomplished. If I can raise a smile from someone who is stressing about workloads, or a word of encouragement where someone is struggling. Educate rather than argue when someone expresses a harmful opinion, you might only get through to one in ten, but that is a start. So, yeah, that's what I hope, that we can all do little things to make life better/easier/more understanding for others, and if we have to do it one person at a time, I'm ready.

And I really hope that this damn rewrite, Under the Radar, is ready to publish by the end of the year. And if I could do the entire thing in a dream, all the better

I have nothing fresh to pimp, no new release or cover reveal, since I am mired in said re-write. But since animals are mentioned in my fact and Theory Unproven will be heading to Kindle Unlimited on the 1st May I'm going to share the buy links for anyone who wants it on a different format.







Monday 16 April 2018

Cover Reveal - Under Five by Michael War

COVER REVEAL



Book Title: Under Five

Author: Michael War

Cover Artist: Aisha Akeju

Genre/s: Gay, Contemporary, Urban Fantasy

Release Date: May 30, 2018



Blurb


Mike is good looking, charming, and has no trouble attracting men—as long as his clothes stay on. But the moment they come off, something always seems to go terribly wrong. When his sister takes him to a faith healer to fix the problem, he is provided with a spell—and left with a lot of doubts.

But after meeting Kevin, Mike decides to give the spell a try...




About the Author

Michael War is a writer whose real life tends to be on the boring side, which is why his imagination seems to float towards gay romance. Aside from writing about beautiful gay men of all types (bears, jocks, twinks) getting it on, he also enjoys writing poetry and screenplays. War holds an MFA in Creative Writing and plans to write more romance themed books in the near future. Follow him on Twitter (@michaelwar1) and Facebook (facebook.com/michaelwar1) for updates on upcoming stories or with any questions or comments. Or, you can read his blog for some mindless ramblings.


Social Media Links







Sunday 15 April 2018

Release Blitz - Rising Tide: A Changing Tides Novel


RELEASE BLITZ


Book Title: Rising Tide: A Changing Tides Novel

Author: Bryce Winters

Publisher: Self Published

Cover Artist: Resplendent Media

Genre/s: MM Contemporary Romance

Length: 73,000 words

It's a standalone story. The first book in a trilogy (The Changing Tides Trilogy)



Blurb

The rising tide brings storms...

Harris Brewer has seen it all – and cut it open. As a cardiac surgeon, he's used to challenges, used to surprises. But when he's slapped with a high-profile malpractice suit the last thing he expects is to get shipped off to a tiny Oregon town to 'let the lawyers handle it.' Then he sees a big blonde hunk jogging down the street and realizes that maybe a hot vacation fling is just what the doctor ordered...

The rising tide brings change...

Never get involved with a tourist. That's been Reid Colburn's policy and it's served him well. They come, bring their money, and leave. That's good enough for his restaurant business – and his heart. But this new guy in town, he's something else. Reid can’t deny enjoying the relentless flirting. Too bad Dr. Stud is just passing through...

The rising tide erodes the past...

Despite being careful to avoid it, Reid finds himself on the brink of falling in love. They both knew this was a temporary thing, so why does it hurt so bad when Harris going back to Los Angeles becomes the inevitable reality? Maybe Reid shouldn't be fighting against the tide. Maybe he should just ride this stormy affair to wherever it leads...




Buy Links








Excerpt

Reid left Harris to peruse the menu, refreshing drinks and chatting with other customers. But even while he remained busy, his attention stayed hung up on the newcomer. By the time he came back around to Harris, the man was staring at him again, chin resting in one hand, the other drumming a simple rhythm on the bar. Reid smiled at him, ignoring the swooping sensation in his stomach.

“What’ll it be?” Reid asked.

“Since I liked your first recommendation, I thought you could give me another,” Harris said, a suggestive smile playing on his lips.

Reid knew Harris meant something off-menu. Preferably in a bedroom. Reid also knew he should shut this down now. It had gone on too long already. He plastered on a distant but friendly smile and said, “Fish ‘n chips. We use rockfish, which has a richer fish flavor if that’s what you’re looking for. Cod can be a little bland. We have cod, too, if you’d prefer.”

Harris pushed the menu toward Reid, all traces of his flirtatious behavior gone. “That sounds good. The rockfish.”

Reid kept the smile on his face, though a hollow ache had suddenly bloomed behind his stomach. Disappointment. In himself for not going along with Harris' suggestive behavior and letting himself have a little fun. He was surprised to find that he wished he had given a different answer, that maybe the night could have taken a different turn for both of them. He resisted the urge to try and salvage it, to flirt back with Harris.

"Coming right up," Reid said instead, heading toward the kitchen.

Julie’s kitchen was on top of it tonight, and Harris’ order came up quickly. Harris ate in silence, though Reid felt the weight of those incredible eyes. They held a sad mystery in them, one that Reid wanted to discover. But Reid had his hands full with drink orders and customers at the bar, the night picking up rapidly. The Irish drinking songs had already begun in the dining room, much to Sasha’s chagrin.

"These men know nothing," she groused. Reid laughed. Sasha had immigrated from Russia only a short time ago. Reid didn’t know much of her past besides what Sasha had been willing to share. He knew she used to be a ballerina, but she remained stubbornly closed-lipped about the rest. Including the family she left behind. Her thick accent threw a lot of customers off at first, but she was generally friendly unless you said the wrong thing to the wrong person.

"They're still paying customers, Sasha," he said as she hefted another heavy tray full of beer.

She muttered something in Russian as she wandered off. Harris snorted and laughed at his end of the bar.

"She's got a mouth on her," he said.

"You understood that?" Reid asked, curious.

"Yeah," Harris said, finishing off his beer. Reid noticed that his plate was empty, with only a used lemon slice and a little bit of tartar left in its bowl.

Reid's curiosity and interest in the man ratcheted up ten-fold. It had been hard enough to convince himself to stick to his principles without Harris proving to be even more interesting.

Instead of asking Harris how he knew Russian or even what Sasha had said like he so desperately wanted to, Reid gathered Harris' plate and took it into the back. Then he printed Harris' tab and slid it his way with an easy smile.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in Seaside," he said and left Harris to it, though every ounce of his being screamed in protest as he walked away.

A few minutes later, well after Reid had watched Harris slip out the door without so much as a wave goodbye, Sasha picked up Harris’ receipt and let out a sharp curse in Russian. At least, Reid had always thought it was a curse. She said it a lot. Reid abandoned the drink he had been pouring and made his way to Sasha’s side.

"What is it?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. Then he choked on air as surprise shot through him.

Large loopy letters spelling out one-thousand dollars resided on the tip line.


About the Author 


Bryce Winters lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two crazy cats.

She’s a professional tutor by day, writer by night, and loves helping students achieve their goals. When she's not writing, Bryce enjoys crocheting ridiculously large blankets and reading all the romance she can get her hands on.




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RELEASE BLITZ SCHEDULE