Audiobook Review: Don't Twunk With My Heart (Loving You #2) by Renae Kaye

Kee Smith isn’t sure who he is anymore. He knows who he used to be—the ignored gay son who chose a blue-collar job just because no one expected it, the submissive bottom who enjoyed large, masculine jocks who put him in his place, the sleek, fashionable twink who partied all night. But after his ex-boyfriend hit Kee and called him names, Kee retired from the social scene.

Back after a year’s hiatus, Kee still doesn’t know where he fits. His friends say he’s a twunk—a twink who put on muscle and turned into a hunk—but Kee is searching for somewhere to belong. Instead of going back to his usual type, Kee hooks up with twink Tate Stevens—a fashion-industry professional who works the image hard. It proves to be the best decision he’s ever made, and not just because he’s starting to regain his sexual confidence.

With Tate, Kee can open up about his fears and confusion without ridicule. Tate has his own fears about putting on weight and getting old. It will take work to make a relationship of opposites succeed, but they begin to realize the compromises will be worth it if they can be together.

Listening Length: 5 hours and 52 minutes
Narrator: Joel Leslie




Reviewer: Annika


I'm a huge fan of the first book in this series (Loving Jay), so when I had the chance to listen and review the second book I jumped right in, and had a blast.

We follow Kee, one of Jamie’s friends. He's been kind of hibernating at home for the past year and a half. Licking his wounds after his ex-boyfriend sent him to hospital. (Side note, I sure write that a lot this week. :( There's entirely too much violence in the world). Anyway Kee is finally ready to re-enter the world again and agrees to go out clubbing with his friends. There he meets Tate and he has a hard time keeping his eyes off the twink. Expecting nothing more than a quick hookup, he's surprised of how quickly they do connect in other areas and so they meet again. And again. I loved them together, each being what the other needed. Building the other up, helping and having a lot of fun (and sex) along the way.

There were a lot of humor in this book - not the least when Jamie entered the scene. He's still as insane and talkative as always. I loved the parts where he and Tate bonded over football, both equally uninterested and clueless of the game and rules. To their point where their respective boyfriends actually moved away from them and their insane comments. ;)

Sure, this book wasn’t flawless by any means. There were a few things that kind of started but was then forgotten or ignored; Matt-the-rat (abusive ex) entering the scene for a brief moment. That never really went anywhere part from creating drama for the moment. Then there was the whole Tate’s eating disorder issue. At times it was a huge deal, but then it just fizzled out into nothing. That being said, I still enjoyed every second of this book. It was sweet and fun and light. It made me happy, and I can’t really ask for anything more than that.

Joel Leslie was brilliant! I'm a huge fan of his Aussie accent. I can't speak to its authenticity, but to me it sounds accurate, and he keeps it up throughout. He also captured all the characters personalities and gave them individual voices. I think I’m mostly impressed with how he handled Jamie during his word vomiting at supersonic speeds. That cannot have been an easy feat, but he did it and perfectly.

Don't Twunk With My Heart was a great listen and just the perfect way to start the day.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




Release Blitz + Giveaway: Backstreets (Hot Wire #2) by Kat Kassidy


Author Kat Kassidy and Signal Boost Promotions celebrate the release of Backstreets (Hot Wire #2)! Learn more about the contemporary romance and enter in the Night Moves eBook giveaway!





Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Length: 48,000 words approx.

Hot Wire Series


Book #1 - Night Moves - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

“Where there’s nothing to gain and everything to lose.”

It’s modest, but after a lifetime spent barely holding on, former car thief Peter Bauer is proud of what he’s managed to achieve. He’s got a legal, legitimate job as a mechanic, a firm grasp on his addictions, and a steady relationship with Nikos Petrakis—stable, handsome, and recently widowed. Nothing is going to upset that, not the ever-present memory of Nik's wife, not the claustrophobia Peter is starting to feel trapped in domestic bliss, not even the sudden reappearance of Peter's ex—the sexy and dangerous Stavros Giannopoulos.

But when Nik's daughter goes missing, Peter will be forced back into the seedy underbelly of the LA crime world, where anything goes. Can his and Nik's relationship survive? Can Peter?

Backstreets is the second book in Kat Cassidy’s Hot Wire series which contains themes of crime, suspense, family drama, hurt/comfort, dark humor, addiction, and abuse. It should not be read as a standalone.

About The Author

Kat Cassidy is a romance novelist. She’s a dreamer, a schemer and, above all else, a believer in true love. She lives in Canada with her husband and her lovable mutt, and she likes loud guitars and strong IPAs.

Her debut novel, Night Moves, has been nominated for the Goodreads M/M Romance Members’ Choice Awards Best of 2018 for both Best Debut Book and Best Main Character.





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Review: Death by Dick by James Cox (A Cox Club Story #2)

The day a hooker dropped dead on Kyler’s dick changed his life forever…

When Kyler graduated high school, he wanted to give himself a gift and that was his first blowjob from a sexy male hooker. Then said hooker drops dead in his lap. Yeah, he has that kind of bad luck. Now, the police are after him, he can’t go home because of an abusive father and he ends up working at The Cox Club, a small town gay gentlemen’s club.

Seamus is on his first undercover mission for the FBI. The problem is that he doesn’t think their terrorist suspect Kyler is guilty. Oh, and there’s also the matter of giving Kyler a hand job … on the FBI’s hidden camera. His first field mission may be his last.

When bullets start flying it’s up to Seamus to find out the truth and he has to do it before Kyler becomes a victim.


The COX is a man of impactful sentences and not many can title a book “Death by Dick” and have said death be a major vehicle for one of the MC’s actions. Plus, the dick has a plural meaning so the title alone has way more depth than just the pleasure of an initial chuckle at the COXloquialism. 

Kyler had my heart from the beginning of the story, I knew I’d be protective of him and rooting for him right away. He’s young, not dumb, but a little naive and ending up in a Gentleman’s Club could have been all measures of wrong for him, instead though, he ends up at The Cox Club with a wonderful group of secondary characters, save for one enormous asshole, and they all (except for the asshole) take Kyler under their proverbial wings.

From the beginning Kyler thinks he has one major problem, a major problem he’s been running from (keep the title in mind). While that problem isn’t his actual problem, he does have another, much larger problem he doesn’t even know about. Yet. Enter Seamus; undercover FBI agent sent to investigate Kyler as a possible terrorist threat. You know he didn’t do anything, I know he didn’t do anything, Kyler has no clue what’s happening and Seamus is very quickly a smitten kitten with everything about his suspect.

Throughout the story, Seamus is not a very good undercover dude. He breaks the rules right and left, but if you throw the FBI procedure manual out the window and enjoy the investigation for the launching point it is for a relationship between Kyler and Seamus, you’ll be good.

Seamus’ lack of clandestine skills and his inability to keep his dick to himself when it comes to Kyler is not lost on Seamus. He gave undercover work a shot and he knows it’s not going to be for him long term, so he just needs to finish this assignment and move on. He’s gotten way too close to Kyler, in soooooo many ways and he’s convinced Kyler is innocent. The undercover thing does add a ‘just right’ touch of conflict though. All this nonsense has to come crashing down at some point, but by the time it all does, I was sold on the relationship between the two of them, pack of lies and all.

Kyler may have been younger, but he really had a level head on him, especially in comparison to Seamus. Seamus just couldn’t pull it together professionally when it came to Kyler and it was honestly really sweet. And dirty. Because, COX. I enjoyed reading the two of them together a lot and their conversations read organically even though they were keeping so much from each other. The details didn’t seem to matter since they clicked on a higher level and I think that’s what made me believe in them when the “shit got real”.

Special Unicorn shout out to the secondary characters, mainly Sebastian, Coco and Seamus’ da. I loved every bit of page time these three got. Seamus and his da though, those moments were the best.




**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Blog Tour: Stealing His Heart (Connoll Pack #1) by Bru Baker


Help author Bru Baker celebrate the release of her newest Dreamspun Beyond title, Stealing His Heart (Connoll Pack #1). Find out more about this paranormal romance and read an excerpt below!

See our 4 ❤️ review HERE!


Thanks for joining me on Boy Meets Boy as I wrap up my blog tour for Stealing His Heart. I’m hard at work on book two, which will be about Joss, a selkie we meet in book one who has a good heart but finds it hard to trust other people. That wariness can lead him into some bad situations, which is where he ends up in Stealing His Heart.

Stealing His Heart


     Danny was going to need a shower before the day was out. Each pawn shop he’d visited was dirtier than the last, and he still had five on his list. No one would admit to buying a couple dozen iPads and laptops recently, and none of the stores had them out on display either.
     Where else would a sixteen-year-old take twenty thousand dollars’ worth of electronics to unload them? He certainly wouldn’t need them all for himself. Was he selling them to people on the street? Had someone pressured him to take them?
     Joss was a good kid. He’d been Danny’s first case, a scared preteen selkie who’d gotten himself kicked out of every foster home he’d been placed in. When Danny met him, he’d been living in a group home, stealing sea salt from upscale groceries and spending so much time in the shared showers that the caretakers started putting limits on his shower time.
     Danny had gotten him a membership to a Y that had a saltwater pool. Joss had stopped skipping classes and started doing well in school. He even volunteered as a swim instructor now, and he mentored younger kids at the foundation’s day center.
Joss had been the only person aside from foundation staff and Sloane who knew about the gifts. And even the staff hadn’t known where he was keeping them. But Joss had helped him carry boxes a few weeks ago. He’d been in Danny’s apartment and knew exactly where they’d been stored.
     The day of the burglary, Danny had dismissed Joss’s scent because he’d been there recently, but after thinking about it, he’d realized the scent had been fresh. Joss smelled like salt and sunshine. It always made Danny smile, but when he’d stood in his living room and realized the scent trail was too fresh to have been made weeks ago, it made him gag.
     He didn’t want to believe Joss would do that. Joss knew better than anyone how much those gifts would mean to the other kids. But he hadn’t come by the day center since the burglary. Danny called the Y and found out he’d been ditching swim lessons too.
     It was so unlike him. Danny was kicking himself for not paying more attention to Joss. He hadn’t been himself lately, but Danny chalked that up to regular teenage angst. He hadn’t checked up on him, and he should have. Now it was too late. Joss was back to skipping school, and his grades were tanking. Most kids his age were hitting the books and looking at colleges, and Joss was out there doing God only knew what.
     Danny had to figure this out before Joss got himself arrested or kicked out of school. But to do that he had to find Joss, and he was coming up blank. He’d been missing from the group home for more than a week.
     Joss was in trouble, and Danny didn’t know how to help him. But he did know that the first step was tracking down the stolen electronics. They were his only tie to Joss, and he wasn’t going to give up just because the pawn shops made him uncomfortable.

Dreamspinner Press, release date March 5, 2019


Blurb:
Stealing His Heart
A Camp H.O.W.L. Novel
Connoll Pack series 1


Love sneaks in like a thief in the night.

Danny’s parents raised him to believe his wolf was a curse. He’s part of the wealthy and powerful Connoll Pack, but only nominally. He abandoned that world to volunteer with supernatural kids, and he isn’t looking for a mate….

Max is a shifter who is also a detective. He’s working a case that could make or break his career. Danny’s caught up in the case he’s on, and he’s also irresistible. They’re a bad match—Max, an Alpha having trouble with his new powers and Danny, who trusts Alphas as far as he could throw one. But they can’t get enough of each other, and they might bond before they even see it coming.

They could be amazing together, but they have to get past a few obstacles—especially since someone close to Danny might be involved in the thefts Max is investigating.

Buy links:
Amazon
Dreamspinner Press
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Google Play

Bio and social media:

Bru Baker writes sophisticated gay romantic fiction with strong characters, real-world problems, and plenty of humor.

Bru spent fifteen years writing for newspapers before making the jump to fiction. She now balances her time between writing and working at a Midwestern library in the reference department. Whether it’s creating her own characters or getting caught up in someone else’s, there’s no denying that Bru is happiest when she’s engrossed in a story. She and her husband have two children, which means a lot of her books get written from the sidelines of various sports practices.

Visit Bru online at www.bru-baker.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Tag Team Review: Diplomatic Relations (Sci-Regency #4) by J.L. Langley

A Sci-Regency Novel: sequel to My Regelence Rake

Opposites don’t just attract... they sizzle.

A lusty special forces soldier who lives by his own set of rules, Dalton Fairfax decided long ago to stop wishing for his father’s love, and he found his calling. Now that he’s back home and between assignments, he finds himself at loose ends. When the opportunity arises to play bodyguard and help out his country, Dalton jumps at the chance. Not only does it keep him busy, but it just so happens that his charge is the man he saw on leave last month and hasn’t been able to get out of his head.

Heir to a dukedom and a conservative politician, Blaise Thompson strives to prove himself worthy of carrying on the family legacy as the next IN Councilman. However, his closest competitor keeps getting in the way and taking credit for Blaise’s ideas. Maintaining his stellar reputation isn’t easy to do while keeping his outrageous younger brother in line and foiling his rival’s personal attacks. He has no time for a guard and even less time for romance.

When a priceless antique goes missing, Blaise and Dalton discover that Regelence has larger problems than just IN plots. Now the only way to stop a scandal that threatens both of them is to compromise, and they are forced to confront the risk of losing everything… even each other.

Averaged!


R *A Reader Obsessed* - 4 Hearts

Again, consistent futuristic sci-fi with a historical vibe, I continue to enjoy the trope of the virginal young man and his efforts to stay so despite a deplorable rake who’s doing his darnedest to rectify the situation.

Here Dalton, the cousin of the Regelence princes who are prominent throughout this series, has sort of a reputation, one that he’s personally perpetuated due to some major unresolved issues with his dads. Though Dalton’s somewhat more respectable having served in the military, it’s hard to keep a good troublemaker down!

By the books Blaise, is an intergalactic diplomat in training. He’s had his whole life planned out for him, and that's just the way he likes it. However, when Dalton becomes his bodyguard, Blaise can’t help being bad right alongside him as they further uncover some unsavory things about the Intergalactic Navy who has its own sinister plan to rule the galaxy.

As always, the main mystery continues to flow through each installment, where small reveals are made towards exposing said tyrannical conspiracy. Though this wasn’t my favorite, Langley delivers on her theme of progressive high society and the men who love to break its rules. This had a nice dose of punch-you-in-the-guts feels, with a good dash of sexy.

Overall, I really just enjoy this royal family and all the shenanigans they get into and try to get out of. I impatiently look forward to their next adventure!

Adam - 3.5 hearts

These Sci-Regency books were some of the first MM reads I picked up, so this series is special for me. I was over the moon to hear that JL Langley was making her comeback with book #4!

‘Diplomatic Relations’ tells the story of rakish special forces soldier Dalton Fairfox and the more tightly-laced up-and-coming politician Blaise Thompson. The two very different men are thrown together by circumstance, and soon find that the connection between them can’t be denied.

It took me a while to get in to the book, as I re-familiarized myself with the various characters and what their connections to each other were, and how the different plotlines intersected.

Once I’d gotten that straightened out though, it was smoother sailing.

I love an opposites-attract romance, and ‘Diplomatic Relations’ delivers. Dalton eschews Regelence’s social norms and can’t be bothered with love or propriety. Blaise is the meek wallflower waiting for his knight in shining armour.

The two couldn’t be more different. Yet from the moment they meet, the sexual tension is undeniable.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Dalton bringing Blaise’s scandalous side out, and seeing Blaise love every moment of it.

The relationship borders on insta-love, and was definitely insta-lust. But the romance was very sweet and sexy.

However, their relationship isn’t all about the physical side of things. They slowly but surely become friends, and both reveal things to each other that they’ve kept bottled up for years.

They may be opposites, but they find in each other the one man who just really understands. It doesn’t take long for Dalton and Blaise to count the minutes until they can next meet.

My only complaint is that the political intrigue aspect of the book was unnecessarily drawn out. Nothing really happens, so the build up seemed like repetitive page filler.

The angst, when it does come, was completely understandable. But it didn’t take too long to be resolved, and Blaise and Dalton end with a brilliant happy ever after!

Overall I really liked ‘Diplomatic Relations’. It wasn’t the grandest romance in the series, but I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next!


Review copies were provided by the publisher in exchange for honest reviews.


Release Blitz + Giveaway: Prince Of Death (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes


Authors Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, along with Signal Boost Promotions, celebrate the release of Prince Of Death (Lords of the Underworld #1)! Learn more about the urban fantasy series and enter in the back list eBook giveaway!






Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Length: 82,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Blurb

Gifted power over life and death, Lysandros has spent millennia in the underworld, listless and alone. The youngest child of Hades and Persephone, he’s been sheltered from the threats in the world above.


Theo Ward hasn’t been so lucky. After watching his mother wither away, he’d do almost anything to have her back. When a messenger appears at the Banneker College of Magic and offers the young professor a chance to save her, Theo can’t pass it up, even if it means going straight into the underworld and dragging her home. But Theo gets more than he bargained for when he crosses paths with the prince of Hades.


Set against the king of Olympus, they must shed their past burdens and learn to trust in each other, so they can face down a storm that threatens to wipe the nation’s capital off the map.


About The Authors

Sam Burns wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.

If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.


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W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.


Website: https://www.fawkeswrites.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FawkesWrites



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Review: Stealing His Heart (Connoll Pack #1) by Bru Baker

Love sneaks in like a thief in the night.

Danny’s parents raised him to believe his wolf was a curse. He’s part of the wealthy and powerful Connoll Pack, but only nominally. He abandoned that world to volunteer with supernatural kids, and he isn’t looking for a mate….

Max is a shifter who is also a detective. He’s working a case that could make or break his career. Danny’s caught up in the case he’s on, and he’s also irresistible. They’re a bad match—Max, an Alpha having trouble with his new powers and Danny, who trusts Alphas as far as he could throw one. But they can’t get enough of each other, and they might bond before they even see it coming.

They could be amazing together, but they have to get past a few obstacles—especially since someone close to Danny might be involved in the thefts Max is investigating.



A truly enjoyable paranormal romance that made me sigh in contentment.


Set in the same world as the Camp HOWL series, this starts off with Danny. As per the blurb, Danny’s purposely estranged from his uber rich parents who cannot accept his good natured heart, a heart that only wants to help supernatural foster children in need. He’s basically a lone wolf, going to pack functions and monthly moon runs out of necessity but never forming close relationships with others or finding a new pack to belong to. Sadly, Danny has not known anything different since his parents too, have avoided the werewolf community, thinking their dual nature a curse.


One day, Danny’s apartment is robbed and there just so happens to be hot detective Max, nearby to help him out. These two hit it off immediately despite Danny being a werewolf and Max being an alpha shifter… and both are surprised that the process of forming an Alpha bond between them has already started. Despite the fact that such supernatural mojo progresses quickly and feelings develop fast, Danny and Max still take the time to get to know one another, to feel out their differences, and weigh the potential consequences of how such a bond will affect their lives and their future.


In addition to the more sedate relationship progression, it doesn’t hurt that both these guys were just so likeable. Danny was sweet and endearing, strongly independent but also needing so much love due to years of self imposed and parental neglect. Max was uber alpha, but he’s fair and oh so careful and considerate in handling skittish Danny, never wanting him to feel smothered or controlled, the perfect mix of protection and support.


Admittedly, I enjoyed this more than the Camp HOWL series, despite it probably bringing nothing new to the table in regards to supernatural lore. However, Baker has created an alternate universe that’s still interesting and entertaining, with small and big introductions of other creatures into the mix, and showing off the raucous, loyal loving family that makes up Max’s pack, in and amongst some action suspense mystery - all of which make this spinoff that much better.


This story simply clicked with me for some reason, and in addition to the above, the UST, sweet sexy, and romantic romance contributed to making this a Beyond win!



A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



Release Blitz + Giveaway: Bitten by Fate (Regent's Park Pack #6) by Annabelle Jacobs


Celebrate the release of Bitten by Fate (Regent's Park Pack #6)with author Annabelle Jacobs and Signal Boost Promotions! Learn more about the latest in the popular paranormal series and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!





Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited


Length: 77,000 words approx.


Cover Design: Natasha Snow


Regent's Park Pack Series


Book #1 - Bitten By Mistake - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 - Bitten By Design - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #3 - Bitten By Desire - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #4 - Bitten By The Alpha - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #5 - Bitten By Her - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Daryl plays with fire and gets burned by fate…


Former Primrose Pack member Jason Black happily accepted his role as beta in the new Regent’s Hill pack, knowing that merging the two was the best decision for everyone involved. Daryl Easton is loyal and honest but wary of change. The joining of the two packs wasn’t his preferred outcome, and he’s struggling to see all the newcomers as pack, including those now working alongside him.


When the alpha council proposes a two-week pack-building course to help improve troubled relationships, Jason and Daryl are sent along as backup. It soon becomes clear that the unit members and their betas won’t be the only ones taking part in tasks—Daryl and Jason will have challenges of their own to complete.


With the full moon adding to the rising tension, emotions are volatile, and tempers flare among the unit members. Jason and Daryl become closer than either of them expected, but with such opposing views on relationships, a messy outcome seems inevitable unless Daryl can let go of the past.



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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Audiobook Review: Out in the Offense (Out in College #3) by Lane Hayes

Christian Rafferty is a talented quarterback with a big secret. He's determined to make the most of his final season on the football field and, if possible, avoid any confrontations with his conservative parents about his future. It shouldn't be difficult; he's become adept at keeping his public and private lives separate. However, when a math class threatens to derail his plans to graduate on time, he realizes he may need outside help.

Rory Kirkland has a reputation for being a tough guy. He's a former wrestler and recent college graduate who needs a real job. Until he finds one, tutoring is a decent temporary gig. Luckily, his brain is his biggest asset. Rory is a genius. He credits his sport for helping him deal with angst and rumors about his sexuality when he was younger, but he doesn't care what others think anymore. He likes his new status as an out and proud bi man, and he recognizes something of himself in Christian.

But Rory didn't count on falling for him. When an unlikely friendship collides with intense attraction, both men begin to realize that coming out on offense just might be the surest path to love.

Narrator: Michael Pauley
Listening Length: 5 hours and 31 minutes


This audiobook was just what I needed - quick, easy, sexy, and sweet. I was able to just zone out and enjoy the listen while walking to and from work.

Michael Pauley did an excellent job with the narration. This is the first time I’ve listened to one of his audiobooks, and I’d definitely do so again.

I haven’t read the previous 2 books in the series, but had no trouble reading ‘Out in the Offense’ as a stand-alone.

Closeted star college quarterback Christian Rafferty tries to balance his sexuality, his career aspirations, his parents’ demands, and his grades. He mostly manages, but he decides to get a tutor once his grade start taking a hit.

Rory Kirkland is a recent college grad, former wrestler, and a tutor until he decides on a full-time job. He’s wicked smart, and patient with his students.

This is an attraction-forward book. There’s no doubt that the two men want to get into each other’s pants from the start.

Christian finds Rory’s self-assured confidence and book smarts incredibly attractive. And though he isn’t 100% sure, Christian thinks Rory might like him too. But it’s not all about the physical.

Before they give in to the tension between them, Rory and Christian strike up an easy friendship. Over shared coffees and tutoring sessions, the two men slowly fall for each other. Christian does have a bit of a hero-worship case going on, but Rory’s equally enamoured.

And do they ever light up fireworks once they get down and dirty!

description

I wouldn’t call this an insta-love romance, but it’s certainly not too dramatic. The romance just builds bit by bit, with a few minor bumps that Rory and Christian smooth over pretty easily.

The main conflict in the book comes from Christian’s life - being in the closet and his controlling parents. It takes a while for him to sort things out, but Rory’s support doesn’t fail.

My only quibbles: the temporary self-martyrdom could have been avoided, and the whole vandalism issue was never fully resolved.

But overall, this was a fun and sexy read. Recommended if you’re looking for an easily enjoyable audiobook!


Release Blitz + Giveaway: Frost by Isabelle Adler


Celebrate the release of Frost with author Isabelle Adler and Indigo Promotions. Find out more about this sc-fi/post-apocalyptic read in the excerpt and enter for your chance to win a $10 Ninestar Press gift code! Good luck!



Title: Frost
Author: Isabelle Adler
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: March 4, 2019
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 27100
Genre: Science Fiction, LGBT, contemporary, post-apocalyptic, action

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Synopsis

The end of the world as they knew it had come and gone, and the remnants of mankind struggle to survive in a barren landscape. Twenty-three-year-old Finn sets out on a desperate mission to scavenge for the much-needed medicine to help his sister. He knows better than to trust anyone, but when a total stranger saves him from a vicious gang, the unexpected act of kindness rekindles Finn’s lost faith in humanity.

The tentative friendship with his rescuer, Spencer, gradually turns into something more, and for the first time in years, Finn lets himself yearn for joy and hope in the dead of nuclear winter—right until Spencer goes missing.

They say love is the greatest power of all, but it seems it would take nothing short of a miracle to overcome the dangers that threaten to destroy Finn’s only chance for happiness and the lives of his loved ones.

Excerpt

Frost
Isabelle Adler © 2019
All Rights Reserved

The hospital was huge, which was both a curse and a blessing. It meant Finn had more ground to cover. But it also meant there was a bigger chance of finding anything left after the building had been raided repeatedly for drugs and equipment.

The emergency generators had long gone dead, of course. The permeating chill made refrigeration redundant, and the fact that none of it worked hardly affected the leftover medications. However, the permanent gloom made the search difficult, and Finn had to waste more batteries for the flashlight, which produced a feeble, creepy glow.

He walked down the dusty corridor, making sure to read the plaques next to the doors and entryways carefully. There, behind the next nurses’ station, was another storage room with rows upon rows of drawers with faded labels. It had clearly been looted at some point in the past—probably more than once. Most of the drawers were upturned and scattered on the floor, devoid of contents. A thick layer of dust and shattered glass from the cupboard doors covered everything, and gossamer cobwebs spanned the far corners of the room and the bare shelves.

Finn stepped inside, examining the labels by the light of his flashlight. Two years ago, he’d pilfered a few medical books from a deserted doctor’s office and had studied them religiously, so he had some basic understanding of what he needed. General stuff like analgesics were great too, but those were increasingly hard to find—not to mention the majority of the stuff he managed to score was long expired. As he’d learned from experience, the meds could still be used after their nominal expiration date, if he was careful. What would happen in a few more years was a different question, but the impetus for immediate survival rendered these questions moot. If he couldn’t scavenge what was necessary now, there might not be a future to think about.

As he’d feared, the storage room was completely ransacked. All he could find were some empty pillboxes and a few rolls of gauze that had fallen behind one of the cupboards. Finn stuffed them in his cross-body messenger bag. These always came in handy, especially the ones that were still in their sterile plastic wrappers.

As there was nothing else to be salvaged from the room, Finn continued on to the patient ward. The hospital rooms weren’t always as thoroughly searched as places designated for storage, and that meant there were still some things to be found there—personal items, medical supplies, and the occasional blister pack left behind by the bygone patients. Even things like shampoo and tubes of hand cream were useful, but he hoped to come across something more substantial.

Siobhan had been unwell these past two weeks, and that was the only reason he risked venturing out into the heart of the city where there’d been sightings of feral gangs. Nothing she’d taken so far had had any positive effect. He had to find something to make her better, to take away the awful coughing she’d been suffering from, or at least to alleviate her pain. Their own little stash of supplies had greatly diminished (they were out of Robitussin and down to their last box of ciprofloxacin), and he had to replenish that somehow before she took a turn for the worse.

The beam from his flashlight picked up upturned beds and smashed monitors. The mattresses were gone, but the utilitarian white nightstands were still there, and Finn rummaged through them, despite the sharp smell of urine and mold that seemed to have seeped into the walls. He stuffed all he could find into his bag—bottles of antiseptics, plastic tubing, boxes of Band-Aids—deciding to sort through his loot later, when he didn’t have to conserve battery life.

He recoiled as a swarm of cockroaches scampered from a lower drawer he’d opened without thinking. Must have been true what they said about the nasty buggers surviving a nuclear holocaust. The cockroaches and other critters certainly seemed to thrive where mammals were now failing. Finn shook his head ruefully at the thought and continued with his methodical search.

The window was tightly shuttered, but he could still hear the distant howling of the wind outside. The weather had grown progressively worse ever since he’d left home. He should probably head back before the storm hit or he’d be stranded here for God knew how long. Just a few more rooms, to make sure he hadn’t missed out on anything important.

As he straightened his bag and left the room, the sound of footsteps echoed somewhere farther down the hall. A few sets of them.

Finn froze. It was never a good sign. Abandoned hospitals and stores usually attracted marauders and other sorts of people he had no desire to meet with. He turned off his flashlight and edged down the corridor, away from the noise, keeping to the deeper shadows, but the footsteps were fast approaching. He ducked into the closest room, careful not to make any creaking sounds, and peered out cautiously, concealed by the partly closed door.

Three bulky silhouettes drew nearer. Geared up as they were, carrying large bags and wearing several layers of outerwear, it was hard to make out details since their lights were facing him. After a short muffled conversation, they split, going down the length of the corridor in both directions, entering and checking rooms, apparently with the same idea as Finn regarding potential pickings.

Finn cursed internally. Judging by the looks of their bags, there probably wouldn’t be anything left after they were done even if he managed to slip out unnoticed and come back again later, and there hadn’t been much to begin with. At any rate, this was definitely his cue to leave. He waited until all the looters were busy searching the rooms and tiptoed down the corridor as quietly and as fast as he could, looking for the emergency exit at the end of it.

The heavy metal door was there, beneath the smashed EXIT sign, but when he tried the handle, it clicked dryly and didn’t open. Finn cringed at the sound that was far too loud for such an empty hallway. Shit, shit, shit. He only hoped the others were too absorbed in their rummaging and making too much noise themselves to notice it.

He tried pushing the door open with his shoulder, but it didn’t budge. Maybe there was something obstructing it from the other side. After a few tries, he left the door alone and crept to the window in hopes of finding it open. The snow-covered rails of a fire escape were visible through the patterns of frost on the windowpane—a tantalizing view of a retreat route.

When he tried the opening mechanism, though, it didn’t even click. It was either frozen solid or corroded into place. Possibly both.

Oh, fuck. Finn looked around desperately, but there was no other way out that he could see. He couldn’t really hide in one of the rooms for fear of being discovered, so his only hope was to make his way back while the looters were still inside the rooms. It would be incredibly risky, but he had no other choice. He didn’t know who they were, and he preferred not to find out. He kept to the wall as he hurried along the darkened hallway back toward the nurses’ station.

It might have worked out if by some shitty luck the looters’ search of the next room wasn’t shorter than the previous ones.

“Nothing here at all,” said an annoyed voice, and then two of the three men shuffled out of the room. One of them pushed a dilapidated bed aside with a loud scrape, which diverted his attention, but the other chanced to look straight at Finn and stopped in his tracks.

“Hey!” The guy said, blinding him with the ray of his flashlight.

Finn threw his arm up to shield his eyes from the light. There wasn’t anywhere to hide, but he took advantage of their momentary surprise and bolted down the hall that led toward the ER entrance.

“Hey, you!” the same guy repeated, none too eloquently, and ran after him, joined by his two comrades. The beams of their flashlights picked random patches along the hallway ahead, dancing jerkily, but it was hardly enough to make out the way clearly. As he rounded a corner, Finn bumped into a gurney, sending it rolling on squeaking wheels and losing his footing with the impact. He went down hard, hitting his knee on the floor that was luckily clear of broken glass and other debris.

Finn hissed in pain and frustration and scrambled back to his feet, but he’d already lost precious seconds. The foremost of his pursuers grabbed Finn by the strap of his bag before he could take another step, pulling him roughly backward to face them. Finn squinted, blinded by the glaring light.

“What d’you have here?”

“Nothing. Let me go!” Finn tried to tear away from him, his heart pounding. That was one unfortunate turn of events, to put it mildly. With three against one, he had no real chance of fighting them off, even if they were unarmed, which he bet they weren’t. If he was lucky, they might take his stuff and let him go. If he wasn’t…

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Meet the Author

A voracious reader from the age of five, Isabelle Adler has always dreamed of one day putting her own stories into writing. She loves traveling, art, and science, and finds inspiration in all of these. Her favorite genres include sci-fi, fantasy, and historical adventure. She also firmly believes in the unlimited powers of imagination and caffeine.

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Audiobook Review: Service with a Smirk (At Your Service #2) by Ariel Tachna

Pascal Larocque, a waiter at a high-end Montréal restaurant, knows what it means to love—and he knows what it means to lose. He buried the man he expected to spend his life with years ago. He’s perfectly happy with his solitude, or so he tells his friends. But a chance encounter in a neighborhood bar followed by a run-in at his apartment building turns his world upside down. 

Mathias Perras is twenty-four, newly arrived in Montréal, and works two jobs so he can live on rue Sainte-Catherine in the heart of the gay district. During the day, he’s on a fast track to management at the Banque de Montréal. At night, he waits tables at a gay bar down the street. He’s burning the candle at both ends, but it will be worth it when his career takes off and he has the life he’s always dreamed of. When he meets Pascal, one more piece of that dream slots into place. Pascal is everything he wants in a lover: older, self-assured, established in his life and his career. But Pascal doesn’t look at him twice. What’s a boy have to do to get a little action?

Narrated by Jeff Gelder
Listening Time: 6 hrs. 51 min.


Based on the title alone I was expecting something light hearted with a meet cute and a delicious May/December romance to sink my reading teeth into.

Based on the blurb, I was expecting the above, with a side of angst as Pascal has lost the man he thought of as the love of his life and Mathias was going to have to put the time in to convince Pascal to live again.

Cool. I'm in.

And I got that, but the journey was a lot more painful than I expected. By painful I mean, Mathias had to work too hard and I was never really convinced that Pascal was the man for him. Between Pascal’s reticence to give love another go and the formal narration of his speech, I just never really warmed up to the guy. I couldn’t see what his appeal was beyond his physical description and Mathias’ attraction to older men.

Mathias was a good guy. He was constantly being referred to as being too young for basically everything, but he worked his ass off for his goals and I don’t think he got nearly the respect he deserved. His flirtations towards Pascal were very normal and Pascal pushed him away at every opportunity. And then, Pascal would pull him back in. I honestly felt bad for Mathias. Pascal took a long time to explain to Mathias why he was gun-shy to the whole relationship thing and while it is Pascal’s private business, when it gets in the way of a possible relationship and effects how you treat another person, well, Mathias deserved to know. Instead Mathias was left swinging in the wind on more than one occasion.

When they finally got some things out in the open and agreed to take it slow-ish, it was a relief. Mathias unexpectedly got off work early one night and paid Pascal a visit, one thing led to another and an extremely hot encounter was had. Finally, these two were connecting! And then, after it all, Pascal scolded Mathias for moving too fast and for not respecting Pascal’s wishes. Excuse me, my dude. You could have said no at any point, you did not and you encouraged the encounter. Please stop putting your baggage on Mathias, that's not fair. I love, love, LOVE, the May/December trope when it works, but frankly, this pissed me off and killed it for me.

Things took a turn for the weird when Mathias met Pascal’s family and then later when he saw Pascal interacting with some regulars at the restaurant he works. Those reactions were off putting, especially the restaurant one. It was oddly thrown in there and while it made Mathias seem just as dramatic as Pascal it was a balancing act I could have done without.

The narration seemed to fit the characters and maybe my perception of Pascal was put off by his formal French tone, I can’t be sure, since I’ve listened to and not read the story. Either way I never felt an HEA was in the works for these two even though I was told otherwise. They were portrayed as happy though, so good on them.



**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**


Giveaway + Release Blitz: Abundance by Emmalynn Spark


Happy Release Day to author Emmalynn Spark! She's here today with Indigo Promotions with an excerpt from her new sci-fi release, Abundance, and be sure to enter the giveaway for a $10 Ninestar Press gift code! Good luck!


Title: Abundance
Author: Emmalynn Spark
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: March 4, 2019
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 54900
Genre: Science Fiction, LGBT, Sci-fi, gay, bi, new world, grief, futuristic

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Synopsis

Alex is part of Earth’s last hope: a crew member on a ship sent out from a dying planet, wishing for a second chance. He wakes from his cryo pod to find destruction. Their mission has failed, he and his commander, Luke Belka, are the only ones to survive the journey.

Luke insists that help must be coming, that one of the other ships on the mission must also have reached this planet. Whether or not he’s right, they will need to survive on this lush alien planet. And maybe find happiness along the way.

Excerpt

Abundance
Emmalynn Spark © 2019
All Rights Reserved

I blinked awake groggily. Around me, there were urgent noises that I knew were important, but none of them quite caught my attention and, when I tried to twitch my arms and my legs, they weren’t moving right.

I drifted up two, three times. The last time, I was aware enough to know I was still in the pod. Still hooked up to the machine that breathed for me. Still drifting in fluid. There was an alarm. Someone should turn it off. Someone would be by shortly to let me out. I was probably low priority.

I drifted back to sleep.

I woke again.

Things were sharper this time. The alarm, for one. The mist in my brain that’d held it away was receding, and now its panicked shrieking was piercing right through. I wriggled a little, happy to find I could. My limbs were listening again, admittedly in a jerky way. I was cold, still. So cold.

Something was very, very wrong. I tried to parse it, but my brain was like cotton wool. Thoughts tripped over themselves, half started then drifted away as I tried to really bring them into focus, then danced about the corners of my mind. Something wasn’t right but it seemed distant. Surreal.

Then, slowly, one thing shifted into focus. Whatever the emergency, I shouldn’t have been left so long.

I shouldn’t have been waking up alone. The ship triggered all the pods to begin defrost when we made landfall on New Earth, but someone should have been up before me. Something should have been opening the pod for me, easing me into this new world. Command and medical were meant to be up first, then those with training to be first boots on the ground. The other science staff and I were way down the list of priorities.

Still, they’d planned for this kind of thing. I’d been trained for this. I jerked my hand out, unhappy at how erratically and clumsily it moved. Maybe it was just too soon. Maybe I should just stay in my pod.

But why the alarm? Why hadn’t anyone shut off the alarm?

Eventually, my numb and twisted fingers found the emergency release. It was a task to get them to curl around the handle, but I did, and I pulled.

There was a popping, a release, then a slightly raising of the lid above me. I reached up and shoved at it. It moved easily, sliding like it’d been closed yesterday. Of course it did, no air in space. No corrosion. But it also meant I couldn’t have been on the planet for long either, as our best guess was that New Earth had breathable air.

If it didn’t, we were all doomed anyway.

The fluid began to leak out of the cracks and I shoved at the lid again, opening it more. The movement sent jolts of pain through my limbs, the worst cramps I’d ever experienced. Of course, it did, since they hadn’t moved in a hundred years.

The liquid drained out, down. Far enough to expose my face. At least the air was warmer than the liquid. I lay still, trying to flex my hands, my feet to encourage movement back into disused muscle.

As soon as I felt I’d be able to do it without hurting myself, I reached up and grabbed the mask from my face and pulled it away. I’m not afraid to say, as much as I’m a gentleman, the first word out of my mouth was a swear word aimed at the weird stabbing pains throughout my body.

Once I’d moved the mask away and the tubes out of my nose, I sat up. This was another exercise in agony and it took far too long. It’ll be easy and painless, my ass. I knew we were being lied to all along.

When my airway was clean, I did the one thing I’d been longing to do since I woke. I screamed. Help, over and over again. Help. I’m not saying my poor, abused body screamed it loudly, but I screamed it nonetheless. Nobody came.

Somehow, I pulled myself out of the pod naked and dripping fluid. I grabbed the side of the pod and tried to force myself to my feet, but they fell out from under me, sending me crashing to the floor I tried again and didn’t even make it to my knees.

The pain was too much, and it was crowding in again making me dizzy and foggy.

The alarm was still sounding. I groaned, rolled onto my side. I could roll, at least. I curled my arms protectively around my head, pressed my hands over my eyes and gave myself the protection of darkness.

I was cold, trembling as I lay there on the floor. I was sure someone should have been by now. Someone else in the room should be awake, at least. Something was obviously very wrong. Maybe their pods had malfunctioned and right now they were all trying to get out. Maybe, by some twist of fate, I’d been the only one who’d been able to free myself.

I made myself think about that. I made myself think about people stuck in their pods, waiting for me to save them. I used the thought to push myself to my knees. The pain wasn’t as bad, but it was still there, bone-deep. The cryo should have perfectly preserved my muscle mass but I still felt wasted.

I crawled down to the bottom of the pod, using a hand on its side to guide me. When I got there, I stopped for a second and let myself breathe. It was hard to concentrate, with the alarm still yelling. I risked cracking an eyelid, but the light was almost instantly too much, my eyes too unused to any brightness. I flailed around the pod until my fingers closed on the soft cotton of my clothing, then I pulled it down onto me. A T-shirt, maybe? I draped it over my head and there, in the muted light, I managed to open my eyes.

I lay there for what felt like forever, aching and blinking against the light, but gradually my eyes adjusted. Eventually, I could lift the T-shirt out of my way and look around. Everything was still too much. My head was pounding, and my stomach was feeling more and more tender by the second.

From this angle, I could see that all the other pods were still sealed. Seven of them in this room.

I forced myself onto my knees, and my traitorous stomach did what I’d thought it might and left me heaving on the floor. Obviously, I hadn’t eaten anything, so I just spit up bile and ached, my muscles cramping with the effort of retching.

Honestly, at that point, I could have curled up on the floor and just stayed there. The last thing I wanted to do was to move. But the other pods were there right in my line of sight. Closed. Eileen, my best friend, was in her own pod in another room. She might have been trapped. Anything could have happened to her. It was glaringly obvious something was wrong, and I had to be the one to help.

I crawled across the floor to the first pod and pushed myself up to see the panel mounted on the front, the one monitoring vital signs. I hit the button to activate it.

It lit up, flashed for a second, then settled to show nothing. No heartbeat. No breathing. Nothing.

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Meet the Author

Emmalynn Spark enjoys writing, fairytales, reading, cakes and ice hockey, not necessarily in that order. She is currently studying for an MA in creative writing.

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