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Review: Mainly by Moonlight (Bedknobs and Broomsticks #1) by Josh Lanyon

A gay high-society wedding. A stolen book of spells. A love-threatening lie. Can a witch avoid a murder rap without revealing the supernatural truth?

Cosmo Saville guiltily hides a paranormal secret from his soon-to-be husband. Thanks to a powerful love spell, uncertainty threatens his nuptial magic. But when he’s arrested for allegedly killing a longtime rival, he could spend his honeymoon behind bars…

Police Commissioner John Joseph Galbraith never believed in love until Cosmo came along. Falling head over heels for the elegant antiques dealer is an enchantment he never wants to break. So when all fingers point to Cosmo’s guilt, John races to prove his fiancĂ©’s innocence before they take their vows.

As Cosmo hunts for the real killer among the arcane aristocracy, John warns him to leave it to the police. But with an unseen enemy threatening to expose Cosmo’s true nature, the couple’s blissful future could shatter like a broken charm.

Can Cosmo find the lost grimoire, clear his name, and keep John’s love alive, or will black magic “rune” their wedding bells?

Mainly by Moonlight is the first book in the sexy Bedknobs and Broomsticks romantic gay mystery series. If you like spellbinding suspense, steamy fun, and a dash of paranormal, then you’ll love Josh Lanyon’s charming tale.


Different from Josh Lanyon’s usual. While not without its setbacks, it was still an entertaining ride!

Cosmo Saville hides his witch pedigree from his soon-to-be husband, police commissioner John Galbraith. It’s been fairly easy so far, but then they’ve only known each other for a whole two weeks.

However, when a murder and series of mishaps occur right before the wedding, Cosmo and John’s whirlwind fairytale comes crashing down.

I’ll acknowledge the elephant in the room right up front - the two week romance. With very dubious beginnings.

Yes, it was quite ridiculous. Even more so when the truth is revealed. It’s not even entirely clear whether John and Cosmo will be able to pull through until right near the end of the book.

Also, Cosmo’s a bit of a mess. Inconsistent, somewhat neurotic, and seemingly with his head in the clouds.

John, in comparison, is a no-nonsense, gruff, and fairly cantankerous man. But he has a soft side when it comes to Cosmo. He knows something’s off with Cosmo, but he’ll deal.

And yet despite the red flags, I was charmed. Because while ‘Mainly by Moonlight’ is insta-love on steroids, Cosmo and John were just fun.

Plus, the two seem well aware of the limitations - the ones not related to magic - of their relationship. So while they might be fools, they at least know what they’re getting into - for the most part.

A host of secondary characters and Cosmo’s magical background play a central role in the plot. There are magic-wielding French aristocrats, sacred lost objects, backstabbing and intrigue, and near-death experiences.

I was entertained! While the world-building definitely needs more fleshing out, book 1 does a good job at establishing the witchcraft world that Cosmo’s a part of.

There’s clearly more that still needs to be revealed about how all the different pieces fit together, and I’m looking forward to it.

Book 1 ends on uncertain ground. Cosmo and John still have a long road ahead of them, and the secrets of the world of witchcraft are brewing.

I’ve got more questions than answers, and I’m looking forward to the sequel!


A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.


Blog Tour + Giveaway: Dog Tagged by James Brock


Join James Brock and Other Worlds Ink on the Dog Tagged blog tour! Learn more about the contemporary military romance and enter in the $20 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Dog Tagged


James Brock has a new MM Military Romance out: "Dog Tagged."

Drill Sergeant Clay Norris has his military life running right on schedule. Career focused he appreciates that he joined up when his sexuality is at least acknowledged under Don't Ask, Don't tell, even if he doesn't get to act on his urges as much as he likes.

In formation with his new trainee group he locks eyes with Chevrolet Banks and his life, their lives, are changed forever.

Dog Tagged is an insta love military romance based on real life incidents.


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Excerpt


Dog Tagged meme

What also became clear to me in my short time with the fun, cute guy was that I had fallen so hard for Private Chevy Banks that I couldn’t get him out of my head even standing next to this walking hard-on.

I did let the hot salesman give me a quick kiss on the cheek in the changing room and tried to forget the warmth of his lips as I headed out to the clubs and got some dance and further drink on, always bearing in mind that I was an officer now and had some decorum to maintain.

Okay, all that means is that I got pretty wasted.

And that I danced with all comers. I was quickly stripped out of that cute little shirt salesman Evan had put me in, my training ripped body giving me pick of the litter. Not last call litter, not still breathing and leftover litter. Porn star guys (REAL porn star guys) were fighting over me, actual pushing and shoving, it was quite the scene, the knot of men who had surrounded this former Drill Instructor.

At some point I looked up to see the smiling face of Evan the clerk from the clothing store next to me, an arm thrown protectively thrown around my shoulder. His sweet smile was the brightest of the lot, I latched onto him like an octopus gripping a clam.

I have no idea how long the revelry went on or how I got back to the hotel.

Let alone what might have happened there.

The next morning I woke not feeling well at all. Slick with sweat, sick to my stomach I rolled my head on the pillow slowly, not knowing what kind of guy I was going to find next to me. Thankfully the pillow was empty, as was the bed, although the blankets were mussed enough to let me know someone had recently nested there. Carefully lifting myself I checked the floor and was relieved to see no other bodies in the room.

But at that moment the bathroom door opened and a figure came out.

Evan, blond and sunny, cute as the night before in tattered jean and a faded green t shirt with a cracked and worn logo on it stepped into the darkened room.

“Hey buster, didn’t think you’d be up for a while,” he said with a giggle in his voice.

Flopping down onto the chair across the room he slipped his feet into athletic shoes and laced them. “Or should I be calling you Lieutenant Buster?” he added with a nod toward my dress uniform hanging neatly in the closet.

“Just call me a time machine man, I wanna go back about twelve hours and start over again.” I sighed from the bed. “What the fuck happened….”

“What didn’t happen is the better question,” Even said evenly. “you were wined and dined, if you count the bag of Dorito’s you were given to strap on like a feed bag dining, given drinks and very nearly given drugs and taken to other clubs and there was talk of taking you to that skeezy bath house connected to the dance club, but you wouldn’t go anywhere without me once I had been spotted. You seemed to be quite taken with modest little moi and since I refused to go to that bathhouse everyone was trying to get you to go to I finally got you back here where there were more drinks and salty snacks then there was some crying….” he trailed off. “I’ve ordered room service for you; hope you don’t mind.”

“Wait. Wait, wait.” I said using a nearly Drill Sergeant size voice as the handsome young man stood, “I need the whole story.”

About that time there was a knock at the door; Evan let room service in, signing the check. “You are a good tipper, just so you know,” he grinned while pushing the tray of food over toward me on the bed then pouring coffee. He motioned for me to eat then sat back down. “I was going out anyway so when I closed up I came over to the club and there you were, gaily lit as a Christmas tree and surrounded by faeries more headstrong and stubborn than Tinkerbell all out to get a piece of the hottest man in the city. Not the bar, the city. And I’m not just saying that because I am the one who ended up sleeping with you.”

I guess I looked up at him like a deer in head lights.

“Stop, don’t flatter me. I’ve got it going on but I’m not ripped like you. Word was out that there was a military hottie on the hoof in the club and every muscle queen and gym bunny in town showed up to audition as your hook-up for the night. I think guys were flying in from LA and San Francisco trying to get to you,” the blond smiled.

“So you brought me back here and we….” I said, mouth full of egg. The food was going down smoother than I expected it would.

“I didn’t get in the way of your fun too much, I just kept an eye on you. Until they started to undress you and began offering you pills, powders and potions.”

I felt myself shudder and freeze.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t let them. I just brought you back here, where you insisted on another drink or ten. Then you got weepy and I held you and let you talk about a car until you fell asleep. I dunno, everyone has a kink or two, but I’ve never heard anyone rhapsodize about a vehicle the way you went on and on about your Chevy last night.”

I was really embarrassed then.

I let a silence settle between us before taking a sip of scalding hot coffee and replying.

“Not a car, a guy,” I whispered.

“I fell off a turnip truck but that was a long time ago,” he smirked while reaching over and snagging a crisp piece of bacon off my plate and began chewing on it, “I figured as much.” Evan said with true kindness in his voice. “I had a brother in the Army and knew you were just blowing off some steam. Those wolves would have eaten you and I like to think someone would have looked after my brother the same way. Nothing happened between us.”

“That would have been the best part of the night it sounds like,” I managed, no longer interested in the food.

“You were a hot mess, but I am very glad you are alright. Now I’ve gotta go to work. If you are in town for a while here is my card.” With that Evan produced a business card with his name, number and e mail on it. “Use it at will.” he slipped the card on the breakfast tray then slid his arms around my body, giving me a very nice hug.

“Leaving tomorrow, but some other time without question.”

Stopping at the closet on his way out he reached in and touched the sleeve of my dress uniform.

“Are you going over?”

“Soon.”

There was a slight pause before he broke his eyes form the uniform.

“Be safe. E mail and let me know how you are. Promise?”

“Promise, and thanks. Is your brother back?” there was a pause before Evan answered Yesin such a quiet way that I knew the way his brother had come home.

“I’m sorry,” was all I had time to say before the cute blond turned and gave me a wan smile and slipped out of the room.




Author Bio

James Brock is an Amazon number one best selling author, with fifteen M/M romance novels published and two family autobiographies.

Once upon a time he sold comedy to Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller, was published in every gay men's magazine on the market (when there was a market, those dinosaurs were killed off by DVD, which were in turn eaten by streaming and on demand...), the Seattle Gay News and Seattle Standard and essays with the late great Alyson Publications.
James lives in Seattle.

Author Website: JamesBrockBooks.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/Men-Overboard-100109810041126/
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrockbooks


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Review: The Scarecrow and George C by Mia Kerick

High school senior Van Liss is barely human. He thinks of himself as a scarecrow—ragged and unnerving, stuck, and destined to spend his life cold and alone. If he ever had feelings, they were stomped out long ago by his selfish mother and her lecherous boyfriend. All he’s been left with is bitter contempt, to which he clings.

With a rough exterior long used to keep the world at bay, Van spooks George Curaco, the handsome new frycook at the diner where he works. But George C senses there is more to the untouchable Van and refuses to stop staring, fascinated by his eccentricity. When Van learns that George C is even more cold, alone, and frightened than himself, Van welcomes him to his empty home. And ends up finding his heart.

Their road to trust is rocky and, at times, even dangerous. And looming evil threatens to keep them apart forever.

Fair warning: You may want to strap in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.


This is a unique story that I got along with really well. I’m not big into YA novels, but I have read Mia Kerick’s stories before and I know I’ve enjoyed reading every one of them very much. Given that Van is in high school it sounded YA at first, but it isn’t, don’t let Van’s age fool you. He’s seen some shit and to protect himself he “becomes” a Scarecrow to keep people at a distance. He adopts a prickly persona and even his tone at the beginning is trying to push the reader away in a sense. While it comes across a little off putting at first, his voice is that way for a reason and there was enough of Van peaking through to intrigue me.

George C is the perfect foil to Van’s Scarecrow. George C is smitten in his own way and while Van is absolutely not having it at first, his curiosity is piqued and that alone would make for a cute story. But, cute is not the aim here and while it may not seem like it at first, George C has also seen his fair share of the aforementioned shit and his life is, well, his life is rough.

I don’t want to go into detail because the evolution of these two opening up and sharing with one another needs to be read because the give and take was really well done. It’s safe to say that there are a few triggering points that will break your heart, but they won’t kill you to death because there is an underlying air of hope throughout that kept me reading and rooting for them both.

Van may be the more dramatic and extreme of the two but he fully came into his own for George C and while all appearances in the beginning would lead you to believe that George C would be saving Van, it was in fact, the other way around. And Van needed that, he needed someone to see him. He needed someone to see beyond his walls and see that he was worthy of healthy love. So, George C did save Van too, by letting him be strong and in turn letting Van get himself back.

While there were definitely difficult parts to digest, the MCs had significant amounts of baggage to deal with, but man, they were meant to be together. The tough parts were tough, but the little moments and quirks the two of them developed as their relationship progressed balanced the story out perfectly. LIke I said before, there was an underlying hopefulness that I read into the story and the organic subtle moments between Van and George C were more valuable than any grand gesture ever could be.



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

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Starting from Scratch (Starting From #2) by Lane Hayes


Starting from Scratch is out now! Join author Lane Hayes & IndiGo Promotions in celebrating the release of the second in the Starting From series, read an excerpt & enter in the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card! Good luck!


Title: Starting From Scratch
Series: Starting From, #2
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Lane Hayes
Release Date: October 17, 2019
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 80k
Genre: Romance, Bisexual, Enemies to lovers, Rock and roll, Hurt-comfort, Opposites attract

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Synopsis

Charlie Rourke is an ultra fabulous human whirlwind on a mission to launch the next biggest band in the world. However, he might have taken on more than he could handle when he signed on to manage Zero. Promoting a rock band and finding gigs shouldn’t be hard. They’re a talented group with a ton of star power. If Charlie can find the right record label, he’s sure he can help them get to the next level. The only problem is the skater boy slash bassist with a quirky sense of humor. He’s annoying and silly, and he’s exactly Charlie’s type. Except he’s straight.

Ky Baldwin isn’t afraid to switch things up. He loves a challenge as much as anyone, but Charlie doesn’t make things easy. Zero’s manager is a force of nature with a razor sharp tongue, a quick wit, and a no-nonsense attitude. Ky can’t stop thinking about him. Winning over Charlie becomes Ky’s pet project. But when the ice between them thaws, neither is prepared for the intensity of going from enemies to lovers. They’ll have to decide if they’re willing to start from scratch and take a chance on the unexpected.

Excerpt

“I know that was random, but it’s not a bad idea if you think about it. Want something to drink?” Charlie asked as he moved toward the kitchen.

I grabbed his wrist before he got anywhere. “Hang on. What are you doing?”

He cocked his head curiously but didn’t pull away. “I’m being practical. If you read any further about Virgos you probably found out we’re known for being sensible. And polite. So, I’m politely asking if you’d like a beverage while sensibly suggesting that I help out with your skating lessons.”

“Okay. First up…I don’t want a fuckin’ snack and second, it’s not a skating lesson. We’re skateboarding,” I said, glowering at him.

“I’ve heard it said both ways. Skating, skateboarding. I looked it up in Urban Dictionary too, so I’m pretty sure I’m right.”

“No. There’s something in your tone that makes it all wrong. Like you’re purposely trying to sabotage this.”

Charlie opened his mouth in a perfect O. “Gasp! I wouldn’t do that!”

“Cut the crap. You’re doing it now. You don’t want to learn, and you don’t want Oliver to either. It’s a control thing. But you can’t control what you don’t fuckin’ get. So take a seat and let me teach him without you freaking out or—why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. You’re doing something weird with your eyes, though. You look spaced out.”

“Mmm. I’m trying not to swoon. You look so fierce and you’re holding my hand, Ky. You should feel my heart. It’s beating out of my chest. Seriously.” He fluttered his lashes a few times and bit his bottom lip.

I chuckled softly and stepped closer. “Are you flirting with me, Char?”

“No, it’s the other way around. You’re flirting with me. Big macho displays really get my motor running. Medium-sized ones do too. I love it when…”

Okay, so I lost myself. I tuned out the sound of his voice and concentrated on him. The mischievous glint in his eyes, the proud set of his shoulders, and the way his mouth curled at the corner. He was doing it again. Owning the moment. Taking it over. Charlie looked for weakness in any form, then slyly made adjustments before moving in for the kill. No doubt he thought I’d back down fast and run away. I wasn’t going anywhere.

I fixated on his bottom lip and inched closer. He kept talking…something about dick size or muscles…I wasn’t sure, but I liked the cadence of his voice. The teasing lilt and easy humor. I let go of his wrist, brushing his fingers before setting my hand on his hip. He went perfectly still.

Before he could ask me what the fuck I was doing, I kissed him.

It was more of a press of lips than a grand gesture. And though it might not rank as the kind of kiss that would change the world, I immediately knew it would change mine.

Everything in me went on high alert. I’d never been so in tune with a moment. The flutter of his eyelashes, the brush of his nose, and the soft sweetness of his lips against mine. Fuck, it was amazing. Like mind-blowing amazing. He tasted like cherries and smelled like sunshine mixed with something exotic.

I couldn’t be sure over the roar of my heart attempting to beat its way out of my chest, but I thought he hummed in approval, so I angled my head slightly to deepen the connection and pulled him closer. If he was anyone else, I probably would have stuck my tongue between his lips and let my hands roam all over his body. I wanted to, but I didn’t want to scare either of us. So I stayed where I was until the need for oxygen became an issue.

Then I jumped back two feet and stared at him with my eyes bugged out. “Holy fuck.”

Charlie set his fingers on his bottom lip and blinked like he was coming out of a daze. “You kissed me,” he said softly.

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Meet the Author

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and won First Prize in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Slow Birth (Heat of Love #2.5) by Leta Blake


Slow Birth (Heat of Love, #2.5) is out now! Celebrate the release of another installment in this popular paranormal romance with author Leta Blake & Signal Boost Promotions & be sure to enter the giveaway for a backlist ebook from the author too! Good luck!





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


Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Designs


Heat Of Love Series


Book #1 - Slow Heat - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Book #2 - Alpha Heat - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Book #3 - Bitter Heat - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Blurb


Jason and Vale are back in this side story set in the Heat of Love universe!


A romantic getaway turns dramatic when an unexpected heat descends on Vale, leaving Jason with no choice but to act. The resulting pregnancy is dangerous for Vale and terrifying for Jason, but with the help of friends and family, they choose to embrace their uncertain future. Together they find all the love, joy, and heat they need to guide them through!


While this story follows the characters from Slow Heat, it will be most enjoyable if read directly after Alpha Heat, as it takes place contemporaneously with that book.



Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.





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Giveaway + Blog Tour: Furborn by Isabelle Rowan


Welcome author Isabelle Rowan who is here today promoting her new Harmony Ink release, Furborn. Find out more about this paranormal romance & enter in the giveaway for an autographed copy of the book too! Good luck!




A huge thank you to Boy Meets Boy for allowing me to visit their blog and introduce my new novel!



Furborn:


Early settlers transported foxes to the Australian colonies, but not all foxes are what they appear.
Connor Coutts fiercely guards the family secret of the Furborn in sheep country Victoria, where foxes are shot on sight and left to hang from trees as a warning to others. At seventeen he is the only male Furborn for hundreds of miles, one of the last of a rapidly dwindling legacy. His life’s path is clear—until someone new arrives at the MacKenzie sheep farm. Spencer MacKenzie, with his long black hair and gothic style, might seem out of place, but it soon becomes clear that the two boys could make a formidable team against their enemies.
But before they can work together, Connor owes Spencer the truth…. He’s just not sure if he should trust him.   


Furborn began life after seeing a beautiful artwork of a bearded redheaded man in an autumn gold forest. The image stayed with me, but it didn’t suit my environment. Evergreen gum trees of sage and grey didn’t take on the fall hue and the light in the forest here is very different. Also, I want my boys to be just that – not full-grown men but teenagers finding love for the first time.  

Furborn is a paranormal romance of discovery and exploration. Finding love and trust in Australian sheep country which isn’t easy when one of you is a city goth and the other is a fox shifter!





A gun shot. 
Connor bolted upright in bed. Another blast. The farm dogs barked furiously from their guard post on the veranda. The shots were close, but the pounding footfall outside his room told him they didn’t originate from the farm.
He eased himself to the edge of the bed and grabbed his crutches. “What’s going on?” he called out to the huddle of MacKenzies on the landing.
“I’m not sure,” Carol said. “Neil’s gone down to see.”
The dogs continued to bark despite Neil’s command to shut the hell up! Pa Mac made his way slowly down the stairs and Connor heard his quiet, “Enough”. After one last bark from Tosh the dogs settled.
Spencer appeared in the doorway. His dark boxers hung low on slim hips that were luminous white in the moonlight. 
Definitely a raven, Connor thought. Or a vampire. 
“Dad’s gone down to see what’s going on.”
“Yeah,” Connor replied. He hopped past him and slid his crutches in his armpits at the top of the stairs. They were always a challenge and he took it slowly one step at a time, but another blast of gunshot hastened his descent. Spencer was right behind him.
“Where’s it coming from?” Spencer asked.
“The eastern edge of the forest. Past our boundary fence,” Pa Mac replied. Eerie barks of hunting dogs echoed up from the forest. Tosh and Bella growled, but remained at Pa’s side. “They’ve found their quarry,” he muttered.
No gunshot followed and Connor understood what that meant – the dogs were released to tear their prey to bloody pieces.
“Your foxes will be safe,” Spencer said softly.
He meant well, but Connor’s lungs wouldn’t release his breath. It hurt. Everything hurt: heart, soul and body. Spencer’s hand touched his – not enough to be noticed by the others, but enough to tell him he wasn’t alone. His white knuckled grip on the crutch loosed.


Win an autographed copy of Furborn from the author! Open internationally!


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Bio:


A slinky cat for a witch may be a cliché, but add a whole bunch of tribal tattoos and an intolerance to garlic (seriously), and you have Isabelle Rowan.
Having moved to Australia from the North East of England as a small child, Isabelle now lives in a seaside suburb of Melbourne where she taught film making and English. She is a movie addict who spends far too much money on traveling… but then again, life is to be lived. 


She is occasionally retired from teaching and is beginning a new career in story and screenwriting!


Buy through: http://amazon.com/
and many other places!

Review: The King's Dragon (Fire and Valor #1) by W.M. Fawkes & Sam Burns

Lord Tristram Radcliffe has a secret—he is the only dragon at the king’s court in Llangard. It’s a secret he’s kept from the knights he’s fought beside, from the ladies who bat their lashes at him, and from his closest companion, Prince Reynold. If it were to get out, he’d be banished to the Mawrcraig Mountains along with the rest of his kind, but the kingdom of men is the only one he’s ever known, and his heart lives in the stone halls of those who’d count him an enemy.

When the old king dies and Prince Reynold takes the throne, two visitors from the north throw Tristram into the middle of the ancient conflict between dragons and men. They put him on a collision course with the king’s shadow, Bet Kyston, a dangerous assassin who may want him dead or may want more of Tristram that he’d ever thought to give.

With the eyes of dragons upon him and a threat from the north creeping toward the home he loves, Tristram must weigh his allegiances before his dual legacies tear him apart.


You guys…. you’ve got to check this out!


Don’t be fooled by that flashy cover thinking that this is light and whimsical because it’s not. This is fantasy at its best, and it’s set in a land and time where humans and dragons have a tentative peace that teeters on the edge of explosive consequences. However, the divide and animosity runs high, and the chance of a truce is nigh impossible despite a potential dangerous and common foe.


This is a world about a new king coming into ascension, one whose less than savory personality puts many on guard for he’s not the gentle beloved king his father was.


This features the king’s shadow Bet, who has only known struggle and pain, whose life was elevated and ultimately, saved by his highness. His loyalty is devout and steadfast, being the new king’s eyes, ears, and hands in all things necessary and not necessary regarding the king’s whims and needs.


This centers on the king’s cousin and best friend Tris, whose strength and goodness and honor shine brightly through. However, he’s hiding a very big secret. He's half dragon, which puts him in quite the precarious position as most in the kingdom of Llangard despise dragons out of the long established hatred when they once enslaved and ruled over humans - and that includes the king himself.


So get ready for a slow build attraction between Tris and Bet. Two men with different ranks, on opposite ends of the social spectrum but each outcasts in their own right. Though they’ve noticed each other from afar, their paths rarely cross until one day they do. When Tris’s secret is exposed, each man and the many other characters have some very very difficult choices to make, all of which will have damning repercussions.


Overall, Fawkes and Burns have created something that’s quite impressive. It’s intricate, complex, boasting no else than 7 POV’s, all tied together ingeniously with a slow build and reveal that keeps you on edge, where around the corner things can change in a flash and one’s status or life hangs in the balance. So many secrets abound in all sorts of ways involving assignations, alliances, promises, betrayals, magic, and dangerous longings all just waiting to be discovered.


If you like a Game of Thrones-esque type set up, a romance that is hard fought and not quite yet won, where the protagonists’ struggles are weighted, meaningful, and angsty, then this is for you, and I don't say that lightly.


Though this ends tentatively (and please don’t let that dissuade you) it has a concrete conclusion for this first installment and leaves the reader chomping at the bit for so much more! I just hate that I have to wait an interminable and unknown amount of time for the next book! Write faster please!


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


Release Blitz + Giveaway: Earnest Ink by Alex Hall


Welcome debut author Alex Hall and IndiGo Marketing as they celebrate the release of Earnest Ink! Learn more about the fantasy novel and enter in the $10 NineStar Press!


Title: Earnest Ink
Author: Alex Hall
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: October 14, 2019
Heat Level: 1 - No Sex
Pairing: No Romance, Male/Male
Length: 72100
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, magic, mystery, trans, Sci-Fi, Ace, Pansexual

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Synopsis

While twenty-year-old FTM Hemingway is making an excellent living as a tattoo artist in a near-future version of Hell’s Kitchen, the rest of the country is splintered and struggling in the wake of a war gone on for too long. Technology has collapsed, borders rise and fall overnight, and magic has awakened without rhyme, reason, or rule, turning average unwitting citizens into wielders of strange and specific strands of magic.

Hemingway’s particular brand of magic has made him a household name. Not only is he a talented artist, but his work comes to life. Literally.

When NYC’s most infamous serial killer—the East River Ripper—abducts Hemingway’s best friend, Grace, he has only days to save her. Hemingway teams up with his stoic cop roommate to hunt for the killer and rescue Grace before she becomes the Ripper’s latest victim. But as the duo chase clues to the serial killer’s identity, Hemingway begins to fear the magic he and the Ripper share might eventually corrupt him too.

Excerpt

Earnest Ink
Alex Hall © 2019
All Rights Reserved

I work without speaking because that’s the way I prefer it. The vibration of my machine, the softer buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead, the tap of my foot on the pedal—it’s the best music in the world.

When I hit a ticklish spot, the girl I’m working on gasps, jolting in my chair.

“Don’t move,” I say. And then, with a salesman’s false cheer: “Almost done!”

The girl is sweating down the crook of her neck. She’s got silver glitter paint on her eyelids and cheeks, a new fashion trend I just can’t quite get behind. Under my lights the mix of perspiration and makeup looks like a blurry constellation.

She wanted a bee inked onto her collarbone, one of those tiny honeybees you find on good tequila bottles. Easily done, and she met the cash requirement. She’s eager, nervous, and breathing in and out in little puffs.

I can’t remember her name, but that’s fine. Customer relations is Eric’s job.

There’s another kid leaning over my glass counter, watching eagerly as I work. “Does it hurt?” he asks. “When the magic happens?”

The bee’s fat yellow thorax wriggles from side to side as it begins to wake, fighting the pressure of my needle, hungry for life.

“It looks like it hurts,” the kid says. I ignore him.

One minute more and—thanks to my peculiar magic—this bee will fly free.

I’m perched on a swivel stool, a wet paper towel in my hand to wipe away ink. It’s too hot in my studio, even with the industrial fans whirling overhead and the door propped wide open. Evening light slants in through the door and the north-facing, floor-to-ceiling window panes that look out onto West Forty-Sixth. It’s muggy, too warm for New York in October, and all of Hell’s Kitchen is wilting, including my client.

“What does it feel like?” the kid demands. He’s leaving greasy fingerprints on the surface of the glass as he strains to get a better look at what I’m doing. I study him out the corner of my eye, wiping sweat off my nose with the back of my wrist before it drips on my customer. He looks like one of the street punks who have taken to running in packs near the cruise terminals, sleeping in old, abandoned cargo containers and panhandling up and down the marina.

He’s skinny and tall, hair dyed an unsettling violet and styled into spikes all over his head. He’s got a silver ring in his septum and more hoops in his ears; his eyelashes are coated with purple mascara to match his hair. Green glitter paint sparkles on his lids. His T-shirt and jeans are torn and dirty, and he’s got a pack of black-market cigarettes rolled into one sleeve against his upper arm.

“Tattoos hurt. The magic bit? Not so much. Now get off my counter; you’re leaving streaks.”

That’s from Eric, working customer relations from behind the shelter of our gigantic, old-school cash register. The register’s solid brass and built like a tank, and Eric keeps pepper spray and a butterfly knife in the drawer with the cash just in case. Eric hates people in general, and New Yorkers in particular.

Before the draft he was an intern at a law firm in Connecticut. He wasn’t on the front for more than six months before he contracted Cascades fever and was sent home on medical discharge to die. While lying in bed one day, he saw me on TV and decided he could make good money as my receptionist and bodyguard.

Eric didn’t die. He got better, found his way from Connecticut to New York, crossed the border on a military visa, and stayed. I hired him because he knows how to sell an idea, keep a tidy client book, and break an assailant’s neck with one arm.

“Sorry.” The kid jerks away from the countertop. I lean back over the girl in my chair. He clears his throat. “I mean, how would I know, right? I’ve never seen magic before. Except on TV. And you can’t believe everything you see on TV. Some of that shit just isn’t real.”

He’s got a barely noticeable accent, a strange softness to his vowels. I think he must be Canadian, and I’m surprised. Most of the Canucks still left in the city keep to themselves, living and working south of Wall Street in a homogenous neighborhood known affectionately as Little Montreal. From what I’ve heard, they’re a close-knit, fanatically private, mostly wealthy group of people, and it seems unlikely one of their kids would take it upon himself to break with tradition and trade real family for the rat pack running rampant on Pier 88.

The girl twitches and giggles when I wipe her collarbone. A lazy breeze sneaks in through the door, along with shouts and muffled laughter. It’s tourist season, and outside Earnest Ink, the sidewalks are busy with gawkers from out of town. Mostly they just take selfies under my sign. If they’re stupid enough to come in without plenty of cash in hand, Eric chases them out.

I’m guessing the street punk spent his last handful of dollars on the cigarettes rolled in his sleeve, so I’m not sure why Eric’s letting him linger.

“This particular ‘shit’ is real as it gets,” Eric drawls while I smooth petroleum jelly over skin. The ointment’s pleasantly cold. The girl shivers.

“Can I come closer? Just a little? I want to see.” Without waiting for permission, the kid bends over the counter, resting his elbows on the glass.

Eric shifts languidly behind his register but doesn’t chase him off. Bee Girl is our last appointment of the day. Eric’s bored and probably hungry, and maybe that’s why he lets the kid stay—for entertainment. But he doesn’t really want to have a conversation. Probably he just likes the look of the kid’s hair and eyes. Eric’s in his early twenties like me, but he acts ten years older. I think it comes from seeing the front line and living to tell about it. He dresses like a runway model in secondhand Chanel suits and 1990s-era Givenchy. He keeps up on the latest city fashions with an eagerness bordering on obsession, and reads literary classics with equal enthusiasm.

“Okay,” I answer without looking up from my work. “But maybe don’t talk so much. It’s distracting.” I smile apologetically at my client, but she only giggles more. Cheap wine has dyed her lips indigo. I test my machine, squeezing the trigger. It vibrates under the pressure of my fingers.

“You him?” the kid asks eagerly. “Hemingway? The thaumaturge?”

I nod. Hemingway’s my surname. It’s what I’ve gone by since I escaped Ketchum, Idaho, for the big city.

“Huh.” He sounds reluctantly impressed, but he doesn’t take the hint to shut up. “Did you really do Arctic Fox in their hotel room before their last show?”

Eric snorts. Bee Girl blushes pink under her paint. I check my ink cup to make sure I’m not running low before working the foot pedal again.

“Matching ink, all six of the band members.” It hadn’t been a very exciting job. They’d been specific and unimaginative about what they’d wanted and too stoned at the end to react much when the sailors’ swallows I’d inked onto their biceps spread their wings and took flight, swooping a few inches into the air, tethered by an invisible thread of magic to tattooed flesh. “Photos in the red book, there. Take a look.”

I hear him open the book and flip through. The tattoo machine sends vibrations through my bones and the girl’s, together.

“How much, eh?” the kid asks. “For a small one?”

“You’re not old enough,” Eric retorts. “Come back in a few years and then we’ll talk.”

“I’m sixteen!”

“Law’s eighteen in Manhattan,” I say over the buzz of my machine. “I never break it.”

“It’s a stupid law… Are you sure you’re him? I expected someone…taller.” He’s so lanky he reminds me of a brilliantly plumed stork.

“License is right there in the window,” Eric replies, examining his fingernails. “And rules are rules, so take off and come back when you’ve grown pubes.”

Eric can be a real bitch, but I don’t mind. Life can be a real bitch, too.

The kid takes his advice and leaves, stomping his way out of the studio and into the stale afternoon, bony shoulders hunched.

Purchase

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Meet the Author

Sarah Remy/Alex Hall is a nonbinary, animal-loving, proud gamer Geek. Their work can be found in a variety of cool places, including HarperVoyager, EDGE and NineStar Press.

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Twice Shy (A New Milton Novel) by Sally Malcolm


Join author Sally Malcolm & Signal Boost Promotions as they introduce the cover of the latest in the popular New Milton series, Twice Shy. Find out more about this romance & enter in the giveaway for a backlist ebook from the author! Good luck!






Release Date: November 1 2019

Length: 88,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Sally Malcolm

New Milton Series

Book #1 - Perfect Day - Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #1.5 - Love Around The Corner - Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 - Between The Lines - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

The last thing Joel Morgan wants is to fall in love again. Scarred by his failed marriage, Joel’s determined to keep his life emotionally stable—which means taking a job teaching fourth grade, fixing up his house on weekends, and avoiding absolutely all romantic entanglements. And he's doing great.


Until he meets sweet but struggling single dad, Ollie Snow.


Following the tragic death of his sister and her husband two years earlier, Ollie became the legal guardian of their two young sons—much to the horror of the boys’ conservative grandparents. They think Ollie’s too young and too gay to raise their grandsons. So to prove them wrong, Ollie’s determined to parent the boys without anyone’s help.


Until he meets reserved but caring teacher, Joel Morgan.


As the only two men in the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, Joel and Ollie are thrown together over a series of fundraising events and somewhere between the Beach Fun Run and the Christmas Market they fall in love. But Ollie has another reason for moving to New Milton—a reason he’s keeping close to his chest—and Joel’s wounded heart won’t trust a man with secrets. Dare they hope for a future together, or will their past hurts keep them apart forever?



Sally Malcolm was bitten by the male/male romance bug in 2016 and hasn’t looked back.


Perfect Day was her first published male/male romance, with the follow-up (Between the Lines) out later in 2018 and a dozen other ideas bubbling away on the back burner. Her stories are emotional, sweetly angsty, and always have happy endings.


Sally also writes tie-in novels for the hit TV shows Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. To date she’s penned nine novels and novellas, and four audio dramas.


She lives in South West London with her American husband, two lovely children, and two lazy cats.



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