Kyle needed a place to stay, he never thought it would turn into so much more.
So, your gorgeous boss, Maverick, and his yummy husband, Ari, are letting you stay with them while you get back on your feet? Here are a few simple tips:
Don’t call his husband Daddy. I know it’ll be difficult, but seriously, don’t.
Don’t leave a pair of red, lacy panties in their bed.
If you hear interesting noises from their bedroom in the middle of the night, don’t peek in. Don’t.
And most importantly, don’t fall in love.
Follow these tips and everything should go as expected.
**This book is the third book in the Inked series, which is a spin-off of the Heathens Ink series, but it CAN be read as a stand-alone. Unexpected is a super sweet, steamy MMM story with low angst and very light Daddy kink.
Guest reviewer: Shee reader
So, I must confess from the outset that I hadn’t read the previous book in this series (but it does specify in the blurb that it works as a standalone) and this is a new to me author.
Since I absolutely loved the book, I’ll definitely be looking up the previous books and enjoying the get-together-stories of a few of the couples or should I say thruples we meet in Inked book 3!
Poor young Kyle is a fabulously flamboyant character who has been on his own since he was sixteen (though he did have a roommate before he fell in love and moved out to live in polyamorous bliss) and is really struggling to make ends meet. His boss, Mav, is struggling to get his new clothing store off the ground and can be a bit late, and a bit short on Kyle’s pay which leads to his landlord chucking Kyle out on the streets again. His choices are basically sleep in his car, or sneak back into the shop after they have closed up for the night and sleep on the office couch.
Obviously, Kyle chooses the couch option, and its working okay until Mav’s gorgeous husband Ari pops by to pick up Mav’s laptop. It’s an adorable meet-cute and leads to Kyle staying with Maverick and Ari. From this point the story progresses beautifully, with lots of longing and horny behaviour until the guys sort themselves out.
It’s a lovely, sweet and sexy MMM polyam romance with some good communication and supportive friends. It is definitely kink-lite and suitable for a reader with little experience!
I adored seeing these three lovely hard working men find their HEA and will certainly be looking up books one and two.
Highly recommended.
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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Heroes in Love by David C. Dawson
Author David C. Dawson and Other Worlds Ink visit on the Heroes in Love blog tour. Learn more about the new MM mystery and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!
David C. Dawson has a new MM mystery romance book out: "Heroes in Love."
Can forbidden love stand the test of time?
Will its strength inspire lasting love in today’s generation?
There are not only heroes, but unlikely heroes, who are determined to see love win.
Billy’s life changes in a single day when he meets Daniel, who becomes the love of his life.
Billy’s aging client Chuck has a dark and sad secret to reveal. As Billy and Daniel fight to help Chuck reunite with the love of his past, their own fledgling relationship is threatened.
Who will remain the heroes in love?
Get It On Amazon | Boroughs Publishing | Smashwords | Universal Link
Giveaway
David is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47104/?
Excerpt
Daniel’s kitchen was filled with a jumble of antiquated cooking gadgets accumulated from different eras in the social history of domesticity. An ancient, blackened stove stood in the chimney alcove. Next to it, an oversized American retro blender perched precariously on a mottled red Formica work surface, alongside a vintage 1930s toaster. A Victorian clothes dryer hung from the high ceiling above an antique pine table. The walls were cluttered with framed pictures, mostly collections of actors smiling from bygone West End productions. Every surface seemed cluttered with either elaborate culinary equipment or music manuscripts.
Billy looked around him in awe. The house was narrow, but extended a long way back. There seemed to be so much space. “Can I ask a cheeky question?”
“You mean, how can I afford this?” replied Daniel. “I know. I’m very lucky. My grandfather left it for me when he died. This was where I ran to when I left my parents and came to London. Grandpa Bob was the world to me. He was my mum’s father, and the dad I never had.”
“It must be worth a fortune now.”
“Three bedroom terrace house in desirable Battersea?” Daniel turned to the worktop, and opened a cupboard in front of him. “I suppose it is. But it means more to me that this was Grandpa Bob’s home. Lots of the things I have here were actually his.”
He turned back to Billy.
“I said coffee, but would you prefer tea?”
Daniel crossed to the stove, picked up a large whistling kettle, and carried it to the sink.
“Have you got mint tea?” asked Billy.
“Ooh, there’s fancy,” replied Daniel as he filled the kettle. “Give me a second and I’ll gather some leaves from the garden. Peppermint or spearmint?”
“Now it’s my turn to say ‘ooh, there’s fancy,’” replied Billy. “I’ve got no idea, but probably peppermint.”
Daniel set the kettle down on the stove and lit the gas. He picked up a pair of scissors from the dresser, crossed to the backdoor, and undid two heavy bolts.
“Come and have a look at the outside space Maggie created for me,” he said.
Daniel swung open the door. Billy could see a hazy glow of twinkling lights beckon him into the mysterious space beyond the threshold. Leading away from the kitchen door he saw an avenue of sculpted shrubs, each festooned with tiny lanterns. The pathway seemed to be endless, disappearing into the far distance. On either side of the doorway were two Victorian lampposts. A flickering yellow light illuminated huge glass globes on top of the wrought iron posts.
Billy stepped across the threshold into the garden. The ground felt soft beneath his feet. He squatted down and gently brushed the palm of his hand over its mossy surface. His nostrils were filled with the scent of chamomile. Billy looked back over his shoulder. Daniel stood smiling in the doorway.
“This is how I keep sane in this city of madness.”
Billy stood and walked farther into the garden. After a few yards he came across a break in the avenue of shrubs. It revealed a small, half-walled patio lit by two more wrought iron lanterns. They spilled yellow flickering light onto two chairs and a neat, glass-topped table. Suspended on the walls around the patio were earthenware pots in which grew many different types of herbs.
Daniel appeared at Billy’s side with the scissors in his hand.
“I’ve come to get you your tea.”
Billy felt as if he had been transported into a film set. Every one of his five senses was overwhelmed by the magic of Daniel’s west London wonderland.
“It’s beautiful,” said Billy. “It’s so - tranquil. Surely this must have cost a fortune to build?”
Daniel bent down to the chamomile lawn.
“I’m afraid it’s mostly fake, but it’s very realistic.”
He walked across to the wall of herbs, and harvested a handful of mint leaves.
“I haven’t switched on the mist,” said Daniel. “The pump needs some fixing. If I did, the romance here would’ve been overpowering.”
Billy turned as Daniel stopped behind him. He held a handful of mint leaves to Billy’s nose, and Billy inhaled deeply.
“Peppermint,” said Daniel. “I hope I made the right choice.”
He lowered his arm, hooked it around Billy’s waist, and pulled him closer. He leaned forward and kissed Billy slowly on the mouth. Daniel’s lips parted as he said quietly:
“Shit.”
He dropped his arm from Billy’s waist, reached into his front pocket, and pulled out the scissors.
“I wasn’t planning on giving myself a circumcision tonight.”
Daniel let the scissors and the handful of mint fall to the ground. He wrapped his arms around Billy, and pulled him close. Suddenly they were kissing, wildly, passionately. Daniel placed his hand on the back of Billy’s neck, holding the two men close as their tongues hungrily explored each other’s mouths. He wrapped his arm tight around Billy’s waist, and slipped his hand down to push their groins closer together.
Billy had never felt such immediate connection with a man before. Daniel was both passionate and tender. So many men he had met simply behaved like sexual animals. Encounters with them would start promisingly, but soon they would slip into clichéd actions copied from a badly made porn movie.
But Daniel was different. One moment he was kissing Billy with a passionate urgency. His raw aggression filled Billy with a sense of sexual danger. The next moment Daniel was gently sliding his tongue across Billy’s stubble, or tenderly kissing him on his forehead, on his eyes, or his nose.
Finally, Daniel slipped his hands onto Billy’s shoulders, and the two men stood with their foreheads touching. Their eyes locked on each other in an unblinking gaze.
“Do you still want that mint tea?”
“Maybe I’ll have a coffee after all,” said Billy. “I’d like to stay awake tonight.”
Author Bio
David C Dawson writes contemporary thrillers featuring gay men in love. He’s an award winning author, journalist and documentary maker.
His debut novel The Necessary Deaths won Bronze for Best Mystery & Suspense in the FAPA awards. The second in the series is The Deadly Lies. His third book For the Love of Luke came out in October 2018.
David lives in London, with his boyfriend and two cats. In his spare time, he tours Europe and sings with the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
Author Website: www.davidcdawson.co.uk
Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/david.c.dawson.5
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/davidcdawsonAUTHOR/
Author Twitter: david_c_dawson
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidcdawsonwriter/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7244384.David_C_Dawson
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/david-c-dawson/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/David-C.-Dawson/e/B01LW31ZZX/
Review: This Christmas by J.R. Hart
Alex Ross can’t catch a break when it comes to Christmastime. With a long history of bad holiday experiences—like getting rejected under the mistletoe or playing referee to his mother’s divorce—he’s just trying to survive it.
New in town and a stranger to everyone, he plans on ignoring the holiday altogether. That would be easier if his ridiculously cheerful new neighbor would cool it on the Christmas hype. Nicholas is annoying and loud. Worst of all, he’s also impossibly attractive and nice to everyone. It’s getting harder for Alex to deny his interest, especially when Nicholas leaves Christmas cookies at his door and wages a snowball fight against him on the coldest day of the year.
Can Alex open up to him and get into the holiday spirit before he endures another ruined Christmas?
This Christmas took a little time to get off the ground for me. It’s not a light hearted holiday read you think you might get based on the cover and the blurb. Alex has some pretty heavy issues and he’s not the most likable character for quite a while. And I get that the schtick was he was supposed to be somewhat of a grinch, but his issues and history were a little much for just that.
Nicholas loves Christmas excessively and it’s meant to be charming. Nicholas was a really sweet and approachable character and he’s immediately fascinated with Alex. His side of the story is the light hearted Christmas tale.
I think my issue with the first half of the book was the lack of balance. It almost read like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be so it tried to be everything. Some focus and a more sucinct direction would have made a world of difference. There was a lot of page time spent on Nicholas’ baking and love of all things Christmas. A. Lot. Of. Page. Time. It got a smidge distracting. Alex is unhappy for a lot of reasons, but for a long while he was just angry, but we didn’t really know why, so I was getting ready to stop caring.
But then, then . . . it all started coming together, the communication started, the feelings started, the sharing started and Alex became a fully fleshed out character. I’m so glad I stuck around, because he was really worth it in the end. Nicholas ended up being so right for Alex and vice versa. Alex started trying and that meant there was actual hope for him and not just frustration and loneliness that was his whole self for the first half of the book.
Alex’s efforts to woo Nicholas were really sweet to read, especially once I got to know him and his full history. Nicholas had been subtley courting Alex from the get-go, but he was wisely cautious about it since Alex was so skittish, but when Alex started courting back I was doing all kinds of celebrating and rooting for him, I finally got the hopeful Christmas story I was expecting. It was everything Nicholas and I wanted.
I really could have done without Alex’s sister showing up and the way he came out to his family was entirely too dismissive considering his history. He tortured himself for years and it felt like a big old “meh” when it finally happened. Alex deserved more satisfaction than that.
Some tweaks with editing, pacing and focus would have really bumped this story up for me, but the parts I loved, I loved really hard. I wanted to make a blanket fort, binge movies and drink cocoa for days after reading This Christmas, the author did a great job of making moments for her MCs and there is really nothing I love more than those special little moments. Once I had a chance to get to know Alex and Nicholas I was all onboard for their HEA.
New in town and a stranger to everyone, he plans on ignoring the holiday altogether. That would be easier if his ridiculously cheerful new neighbor would cool it on the Christmas hype. Nicholas is annoying and loud. Worst of all, he’s also impossibly attractive and nice to everyone. It’s getting harder for Alex to deny his interest, especially when Nicholas leaves Christmas cookies at his door and wages a snowball fight against him on the coldest day of the year.
Can Alex open up to him and get into the holiday spirit before he endures another ruined Christmas?
This Christmas took a little time to get off the ground for me. It’s not a light hearted holiday read you think you might get based on the cover and the blurb. Alex has some pretty heavy issues and he’s not the most likable character for quite a while. And I get that the schtick was he was supposed to be somewhat of a grinch, but his issues and history were a little much for just that.
Nicholas loves Christmas excessively and it’s meant to be charming. Nicholas was a really sweet and approachable character and he’s immediately fascinated with Alex. His side of the story is the light hearted Christmas tale.
I think my issue with the first half of the book was the lack of balance. It almost read like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be so it tried to be everything. Some focus and a more sucinct direction would have made a world of difference. There was a lot of page time spent on Nicholas’ baking and love of all things Christmas. A. Lot. Of. Page. Time. It got a smidge distracting. Alex is unhappy for a lot of reasons, but for a long while he was just angry, but we didn’t really know why, so I was getting ready to stop caring.
But then, then . . . it all started coming together, the communication started, the feelings started, the sharing started and Alex became a fully fleshed out character. I’m so glad I stuck around, because he was really worth it in the end. Nicholas ended up being so right for Alex and vice versa. Alex started trying and that meant there was actual hope for him and not just frustration and loneliness that was his whole self for the first half of the book.
Alex’s efforts to woo Nicholas were really sweet to read, especially once I got to know him and his full history. Nicholas had been subtley courting Alex from the get-go, but he was wisely cautious about it since Alex was so skittish, but when Alex started courting back I was doing all kinds of celebrating and rooting for him, I finally got the hopeful Christmas story I was expecting. It was everything Nicholas and I wanted.
I really could have done without Alex’s sister showing up and the way he came out to his family was entirely too dismissive considering his history. He tortured himself for years and it felt like a big old “meh” when it finally happened. Alex deserved more satisfaction than that.
Some tweaks with editing, pacing and focus would have really bumped this story up for me, but the parts I loved, I loved really hard. I wanted to make a blanket fort, binge movies and drink cocoa for days after reading This Christmas, the author did a great job of making moments for her MCs and there is really nothing I love more than those special little moments. Once I had a chance to get to know Alex and Nicholas I was all onboard for their HEA.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
Release Blitz + Giveaway: Fade In (A Tales of Bryant Romance) by V.L. Locey
Author V.L. Locey and Signal Boost Promotions visit to promote the release of Fade In (A Tales of Bryant Romance)! Find out more about the novella and enter to win either book #1 -Tales of Bryant or book #2 - Nine Small Sips eBook!
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Length: 34,000 words approx.
Cover Reveal: Meredith Russell
Tales Of Bryant Series
Book #1 - Tales of Bryant - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Book #2 - Nine Small Sips - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Blurb
Weddings, champagne, and slow dancing. It’s a lethal combination and one that has led film student Devon Maxwell into one awkward predicament. Brought in at the last minute to help his friends Isamu and Brian during their Bryant Park wedding, Devon was not prepared for Caiden Dell to sweep into his life. The spark of attraction between him and the hip film executive was instantaneous. That spark led them right into Caiden’s big bed for a night of pleasure that Devon will never be able to duplicate no matter how many takes life gives him.
To make things even more complicated, Caiden offers the recently vacated job of office intern to him. He’d be a fool to turn down an offer to work at Budgie in the Dell, the hottest LGBT film production company in the Big Apple. Looks as if Devon’s hopes of working in film are about to come true. He’s ready for days filled with tiring shoots, long hours, and irate actors. He just never dreamed his nights would overflow with passion, laughter, and whispers shared with a gorgeous, older lover.
USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.
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Audiobook Review: Fighter (Survivor #3) by T.M. Smith
Dedication and smarts have given Blair Cummings a leg up in the Bureau. His job is all-consuming but rewarding. It doesn't leave much time for a love life though, not that Blair believes in love. In his early 30s, he's only ever been in one long-term relationship due to his inability to commit to anything other than his job and his family.
Born into a family that's as successful as they are hateful, Howard Manning Tullor Junior ran so far away from his last name that he wound up in the arms of Satan himself. Freedom comes at a high price but it's one Mannie is willing to pay, setting him on a path that leads him to a quiet, laid-back FBI agent.
Their attraction is unexpected, and yet, welcomed. Blair seems to have finally found something worth fighting for, but Mannie, still haunted by ghosts of the past, wonders if he'll ever be able to move on. The two are working toward their future, but can a budding romance survive when past and present collide?
Listening Length: 5 hours and 51 minutes
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Reviewer: Shee Reader
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait for the audio version of this one to land. I was already invested in Blair and Mannie’s relationship as they crop up in the first two books, and couldn’t wait for their full story. The tale crosses over with the other books in the survivor series and I really like that in a series, that events intertwine as they do in real life, rather than being based on relationships that develop in a consecutive way. Of course, some events follow in sequence, but more than one relationship can develop at once, and I really enjoy the concurrent nature of life replicated in a series of books.
Blair and Mannie have the complications of how they met with Mannie as a victim and Blair the investigator, the fact that they live in different states, and the horrific experiences Mannie has had and can he learn to trust Blair? There is lots of challenge for a new relationship in the story, but much less of the exterior threat that is included in the first two books since one of the villains is in jail and one is dead. The only added threat came from Mannie’s grandfather who turns up near the end of the story.
This is an emotional tale with the struggle for the relationship coming from the characters themselves and whether they can work out their issues, and I found this to be very engaging and I really was rooting for the guys from the outset. My only complaint, If I’m going to be picky, was that Blair seemed a little to good to be true! He had no real character flaws to speak of and as such, this made him a tiny bit one dimensional, but that really is a tiny niggle!
The audio is beautifully performed by Nick J. Russo (as with earlier book in the series) and he does an awesome job again with this book. His characterisation is almost tangible and I love having a good book read to me on my commute to work. Nick does another super job with this lovely emotional book.
Highly recommended.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Born into a family that's as successful as they are hateful, Howard Manning Tullor Junior ran so far away from his last name that he wound up in the arms of Satan himself. Freedom comes at a high price but it's one Mannie is willing to pay, setting him on a path that leads him to a quiet, laid-back FBI agent.
Their attraction is unexpected, and yet, welcomed. Blair seems to have finally found something worth fighting for, but Mannie, still haunted by ghosts of the past, wonders if he'll ever be able to move on. The two are working toward their future, but can a budding romance survive when past and present collide?
Listening Length: 5 hours and 51 minutes
Narrator: Nick J. Russo
Reviewer: Shee Reader
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait for the audio version of this one to land. I was already invested in Blair and Mannie’s relationship as they crop up in the first two books, and couldn’t wait for their full story. The tale crosses over with the other books in the survivor series and I really like that in a series, that events intertwine as they do in real life, rather than being based on relationships that develop in a consecutive way. Of course, some events follow in sequence, but more than one relationship can develop at once, and I really enjoy the concurrent nature of life replicated in a series of books.
Blair and Mannie have the complications of how they met with Mannie as a victim and Blair the investigator, the fact that they live in different states, and the horrific experiences Mannie has had and can he learn to trust Blair? There is lots of challenge for a new relationship in the story, but much less of the exterior threat that is included in the first two books since one of the villains is in jail and one is dead. The only added threat came from Mannie’s grandfather who turns up near the end of the story.
This is an emotional tale with the struggle for the relationship coming from the characters themselves and whether they can work out their issues, and I found this to be very engaging and I really was rooting for the guys from the outset. My only complaint, If I’m going to be picky, was that Blair seemed a little to good to be true! He had no real character flaws to speak of and as such, this made him a tiny bit one dimensional, but that really is a tiny niggle!
The audio is beautifully performed by Nick J. Russo (as with earlier book in the series) and he does an awesome job again with this book. His characterisation is almost tangible and I love having a good book read to me on my commute to work. Nick does another super job with this lovely emotional book.
Highly recommended.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Blog Tour + Giveaway: The King’s Physician by Edie Montreux
It's the final day of The King’s Physician blog tour! See what author Edie Montreux and Other Worlds Ink have promoted today and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway (TWO winners)!
Edie Montreux has a new MM fantasy romance out: "The King's Physician." And there's a giveaway!
Devlin was the King’s Physician until a blood mage siphoned Devlin’s magic and used it to wipe the kingdom’s memories. Sir Eldrich, his replacement, has protection against Filvane’s spells, but he only knows the whispered rumors: Devlin, the former King’s Physician, stole King Korgon’s crown on his coronation day.
Once Eldrich is appointed King’s Physician, Devlin notices a decline in King Korgon’s health and wonders if Eldrich is to blame. When Eldrich nearly bleeds to death on Devlin’s doorstep from grievous sword wounds, they’re thrown together in a race to keep King Korgon alive. They question the other’s allegiance to their king, but it will take their combined efforts and trust to stop Filvane from destroying Korgon and the entire realm of the living. In the end, these two King’s physicians may have more in common than their titles. They may even fall in love.
Giveaway
Edie is giving away two $10 Amazon gift cards with this tour. For a chance to win, enter via Rafflecopter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47101/?
Excerpt
Once he was finished stitching the wounds closed, Devlin studied the young man’s slack face. He had a strong jaw, and his cheeks had only a couple of hours’ worth of blond stubble beneath well-trimmed sideburns. A ponytail of wild blond curls tangled at his shoulders, secured with a band of braided leather. He was probably the best-looking man Devlin had ever seen on his cot, and not for lack of trying. He’d brought many strangers into his operating room for one reason or another.
The young man regained consciousness as Devlin soaked his tools in a jar of alcohol. “How long have I been here?” he demanded, snatching his jacket and shirt from the table and clutching them to his bare chest. He seemed especially concerned about displaying the tattoo on his left shoulder. Devlin hadn’t paid it much attention. He’d been more intent on searching the young man’s clothing for hidden pockets.
“Maybe an hour,” Devlin said. Long enough to go through the man’s pockets and find them empty, even the hidden breast pockets and boot sheath.
“I was robbed,” the young man said. “Did you see my attackers?”
Devlin shook his head. He’d been too preoccupied saving the man’s life to notice anyone following him. Robbery explained why the man had nothing, not even a scrap of coin.
The longer the man sat on the cot, the worse he appeared. Too soon for infection, Devlin was certain. He handed the man a glass of water, which he took and sipped.
“I don’t feel well.”
Devlin couldn’t resist stating the obvious. “You don’t look well.”
“Do you have an indoor toilet?”
Devlin pointed him in the direction of the water closet, on the other side of the stairs from his operating room. After a few moments, he heard retching. Devlin thanked the gods he’d cleaned the toilet before starting to sweep.
After a few moments of intense choking and a few sobs, something solid clattered into the bowl. Devlin kept no trinkets in the small room, and the man hadn’t time to steal anything.
The pipes creaked and groaned, drowning out all other sounds. Devlin returned to work. He dusted the books along the back shelves to pretend he wasn’t eavesdropping.
The man returned, a little disheveled but more energetic than before. Devlin noticed a bulge in his breast pocket. He’d checked that pocket while the man lay unconscious. Now, it would be damn near impossible to frisk him again without seeming forward.
Devlin waited for the right time. He offered tea, or coffee, or more water. “You still look a little under the weather.”
“No, thank you. I should be going.”
“Breath mint?” he asked as he followed the man up the main aisle of the store.
“Yes, please,” the man said, licking chapped lips.
Devlin handed him one from the bowl of candies by the cashbox. He grabbed one for himself for good measure.
“I can close up shop, then, and walk you home.”
“No need. I’m on my way to the castle.”
“Oh.” The castle. The one place Devlin could not go, in all of Dovington. Damn Filvane, and damn Korgon for banishing him. “Well, glad you’re all right, then.” Devlin grasped the man’s hand as he turned toward the door. “You never told me your name.”
“Sir Eldrich.” Even his name sounded full of coin, and familiar, damn it all.
“Are you King Korgon’s new physician?” Devlin asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Yes.”
Devlin should have known. Blue and gold were the colors of Korgon’s court. The blush in Eldrich’s cheeks encouraged him. The affirmative identity also eased his conscience. He could steal from his successor, if it meant discovering his dark purpose. The bulge in Eldrich’s breast pocket could be an item of high treason, he thought as he pulled Eldrich into a hug. He snaked one arm between them to pluck the heavy object from the inner breast pocket of Sir Eldrich’s suit coat. He touched cold metal and a smooth glass-like surface.
“Why, sir. This is quite unusual,” Eldrich said, his warm breath tickling Devlin’s ear.
Devlin let go and leaned back to look in Eldrich’s hazel eyes. Eldrich’s lips parted in surprise. Devlin took the invitation and leaned in for a kiss, the perfect distraction.
Eldrich responded like a drowning man. He pushed his body against Devlin’s, clutching Devlin’s hip with his good hand so Devlin couldn’t back away. Eldrich’s kiss wasn’t as foul as Devlin had feared, especially with the powerful peppermint candy in his mouth. The way Eldrich kissed more than made up for a little bile. He almost wished they could stay like this, two strangers with no mutual acquaintances. The ruse would be discovered the moment Eldrich realized who he was.
Devlin moaned as he slipped the object into the secret compartment in the lining of his belt. Sir Eldrich whimpered as Devlin broke the kiss.
“What was that?”
“A kiss, for luck,” Devlin said. “Good luck getting to the castle.”
“Yes,” Eldrich said, fear replacing desire in his eyes. “I must hurry, sir…”
“Devlin. Just Devlin.”
“Devlin,” Eldrich said with a smile devoid of recognition. “if I am successful, I will return with your reward.”
Devlin had a feeling Eldrich would return with a battalion of guards instead. He hoped the bauble was worth it.
Author Bio
Edie Montreux is a cis/demi/het ally for all aspects of the LGBTQ+ rainbow. She loves her husband, Queen, dogs, and video games. Edie works full-time to support her LGBTQ-fiction writing habit, but still finds time to walk the dogs and protect imaginary worlds from fantasy creatures.
Edie also has a Facebook Author page, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon. Email Edie and let her know what you think of The King's Physician! If you also like M/M romance set in the early 1990's and you love Queen, read her first novel, Spread Your Wings.
You can find her online at https://ediemontreux.com. If you want to know more about Edie's upcoming projects, join her newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/t7b1x6.
Author Website: https://www.ediemontreux.com/
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Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edie_montreux_author/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16090358.Edie_Montreux
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/edie-montreux/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Edie-Montreux/e/B07LC56Z8J
Review: But by the Grace of Dog (Four Legged Friends #1) by A.F. Henley
Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.
However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.
Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.
Oh Dog, I would give you all the treats. All of them.
But by the Grace of Dog hits on some heavy topics in an approachable and honest way, given the level of Thom’s social anxiety, it really should have read more heavy than it did. Being in Thom’s head wasn’t always easy, but the author sure made the journey enlightening and worthwhile.
Thom has a severe case of social anxiety, being Thom isn’t easy and reading about what he went through to accomplish everyday tasks I handle with ease was a real eye opener. It was heartbreaking and exhausting just to read, so I can’t truly deem to imagine what it’s like to live like Thom on the daily.
Thom is destined to stay in his stressed out bubble until he meets Dog at the farmer’s market. Dog is a stinky stray, well, dog, whose future is the shelter where he probably won’t survive. Thom is a good guy to his core and there’s no way he can let that be a thing, so he adopts Dog and the two begin a journey that’s messy, ridiculous and just the absolute best.
Thom has a huge crush on his neighbor, Justin, and Dog manages to “create” scenarios where the two end up having to spend time together. It’s definitely not easy on Thom and the author did a really good job of balancing charmingly awkward moments with the true struggles Thom deals with. There was no magical peen that made everything miraculously better. Thom and Justin would take two steps forward and a step back, three steps forward and four back and so on and so on. But, they did move forward and the hard earned steps were like reading multiple meet cutes in one story.
Justin was the ONE for Thom, right from the get go. And the story could have been so full of angst if Justin weren’t so open, it was refreshing to read and was what made Thom and Justin (and Dog) work. I believe in these two (three) for the long haul and same goes for this series. If the next critter I meet in book 2 is half the critter Dog is, I’ll be a happy reader.
However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.
Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.
Oh Dog, I would give you all the treats. All of them.
But by the Grace of Dog hits on some heavy topics in an approachable and honest way, given the level of Thom’s social anxiety, it really should have read more heavy than it did. Being in Thom’s head wasn’t always easy, but the author sure made the journey enlightening and worthwhile.
Thom has a severe case of social anxiety, being Thom isn’t easy and reading about what he went through to accomplish everyday tasks I handle with ease was a real eye opener. It was heartbreaking and exhausting just to read, so I can’t truly deem to imagine what it’s like to live like Thom on the daily.
Thom is destined to stay in his stressed out bubble until he meets Dog at the farmer’s market. Dog is a stinky stray, well, dog, whose future is the shelter where he probably won’t survive. Thom is a good guy to his core and there’s no way he can let that be a thing, so he adopts Dog and the two begin a journey that’s messy, ridiculous and just the absolute best.
Thom has a huge crush on his neighbor, Justin, and Dog manages to “create” scenarios where the two end up having to spend time together. It’s definitely not easy on Thom and the author did a really good job of balancing charmingly awkward moments with the true struggles Thom deals with. There was no magical peen that made everything miraculously better. Thom and Justin would take two steps forward and a step back, three steps forward and four back and so on and so on. But, they did move forward and the hard earned steps were like reading multiple meet cutes in one story.
Justin was the ONE for Thom, right from the get go. And the story could have been so full of angst if Justin weren’t so open, it was refreshing to read and was what made Thom and Justin (and Dog) work. I believe in these two (three) for the long haul and same goes for this series. If the next critter I meet in book 2 is half the critter Dog is, I’ll be a happy reader.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
Blog Tour: International Banker, Beach Boy (City Country #3) by Mia Terry
Today's the final blog stop for International Banker, Beach Boy (City Country #3)! Celebrate with author Mia Terry and Vibrant Promotions! Discover more about the latest from the series!
International Banker, Beach Boy
City Country Series, Book 3
Mia Terry
M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 12.6.19
Cover Designer - Reese Dante
Blurb
A new m/m romance set around the beautiful beaches of Byron Bay, Australia.
Oliver Gilsworth is getting a much-needed beach holiday ahead of taking the next preordained step his life of privilege demands of him.
Rhys Clark has finally settled into his laid-back life of very early retirement from international surfing competition.
When Ollie meets his surf instructor, sparks immediately begin to fly, but neither man is particularly interested in a brief holiday fling, and for either of them to change course at this point in his life is impossible. Or, is it?
May contain traces of Byron Bay craziness and hot men swimming naked in pools. The final book in the Country City series but can definitely be read as a standalone.
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082GLYLQQ
Series Link: http://bit.ly/CityCountrySeries
Excerpt
Everything in the place was designed to be enjoyed—and clearly, really-really enjoyed—by having sex on it. From the round couch, in the middle of the living room, that would fit either an enthusiastic couple or three or four participants, and the long bench seat in the multi-showerhead shower, they had designed this place for hedonism.
Probably there would be a good-looking guy among the guests who would be interested in hooking up and making the most of the facilities provided. The only problem was, as of about a year ago, Ollie had become a lot pickier about the casual sex thing. He’d never been indiscriminate about his partners, but he’d also not turned down a good time if the mood, and the standard of the man offering, appealed to him. However, about a year ago, something inside him had shifted, and being with a gorgeous guy for just the night became something he just wasn’t as interested in anymore. Maybe it was because the conquests had come easily for him in the past, maybe it was watching one of his best friends find real love, but his interest in one-night stands had dried up.
He had a horrible feeling that by the end of the weekend he was going to be really sick of the glowing happiness of his in-love friends. What might normally be a joyful thing to observe and usually even a little bit #lifegoals, possibly by the end of the week would just end up being a reminder of his perpetually single state. And there could be no denying it, both Jai and Luke, and Billy and Kris were absolutely sickeningly in love.
Well, at least if he was going to be jealous of other people’s happiness, and Ollie well knew of just how petty that thought sounded as it echoed through his brain, he would be jealous in lovely surrounds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mia Terry grew up in what could be loosely termed rural Australia. However, she has to admit that the beachside town where she currently lives has more coffee shops and cultural events than many inner-city suburbs.
“My characters break free of the coffee shop scene more bravely than me. In their more remote rural settings, they get to experience the beauty and challenges that come from living in Australia's rural heart.
“My characters break free of the coffee shop scene more bravely than me. In their more remote rural settings, they get to experience the beauty and challenges that come from living in Australia's rural heart.
It provides them with a unique and challenging backdrop where they can connect and fall in love. The City/ Country series also shows the sometimes dirty, often sexy, fun that two hot Australian men can have.
I love reading m/m romance and I have adored writing it. I hope the readers enjoy the journeys of my different characters just as much as I did.”
I love reading m/m romance and I have adored writing it. I hope the readers enjoy the journeys of my different characters just as much as I did.”
Social media links
Release Blitz: Adam Bomb (Moguls, Royals, and Rogues #1) by Kilby Blades
Happy Release Day, Kilby Blades! Celebrate the release of Adam Bomb with author Kilby Blades & Vibrant Promotions by reading an excerpt today to find out more about this friends to lovers romance!
Adam Bomb
Kilby Blades
M/M Romance, Best friends to lovers
Release Date: 01.21.20
Cover Designer: Alexandria Corza
Blurb
Levi's best friend, Adam, has always been larger than life: a smoking-hot billionaire hotelier with imposing charm. When Manhattan stops being big enough for both of them—at least if Levi ever wants to fall out of love with Adam—Levi accepts a job in in San Francisco.
But when Adam pulls an Adam—upending Levi's calm new life with a plea to lend his photography talent to a worthy cause—Levi is helpless to resist. Adam will be the first Fortune 100 CEO to come out of the closet in grand fashion. He needs a trusted ally on his PR team. And he only needs Levi to help for three weeks.
Levi accepts on one hidden condition: he’ll keep his new friends away from Adam, certain that if they get a whiff, they'll fall under Adam’s spell. Bent on keeping his two lives separate, Levi barely makes it through the first two weeks unscathed.
Then, Adam drops another bomb….
Excerpt
Three things happened to Levi every time he saw Adam: anticipation prickled his neck, he quelled the impulse to wet his lips, and his dick got a little hard. Then there was the tunnel vision thing—the way that, when Adam walked into a room, noises dulled and periphery faded for a pregnant moment and there was no one but the two of them.
They weren’t alone, of course. Adam was never alone. Today, a gaggle of smartly dressed flight attendants flocked around him.“Fucking Adam,” Levi muttered. Even as he shook his head, Levi’s lips curved into a smile. Adam didn’t notice him at first. But that was the way it always was—Adam busy noticing whoever’s pheromone he liked best, and bystanders busy noticing Adam.
Levi had forgotten how comical it could be. Adam had that kind of charisma. When he walked into a room, records scratched to astonished silence, and people stopped what they were doing to look. Levi had seen babies stop crying to smile at him and fierce-looking dogs leave their masters’ sides to be petted by this man. It wasn’t just Levi. Everyone was attracted to Adam.
Recollection of what a nuisance Adam’s ridiculous magic could be didn’t stop Levi’s grin from widening. The man was a golden-eyed god. He had his Iranian-born parents to thank for regal bone structure, pouty lips, and luminous, polished-bronze skin. Levi appreciated Adam’s utter perfection as a specimen of the male ideal just as much as anyone else. But unlike everyone else, Levi saw Adam for more than sex on legs. Levi knew his heart. They’d known one another since they were boys.
“Come out with us tonight.” A flight attendant in a dark pencil skirt suit smiled with suggestive lips painted in the same shade of vermilion as the ascot around her neck.
“Sorry, babe… I got plans.” Adam said it with a billion-dollar smile. She leaned in and gazed at him dreamily, as if he’d just invited her to join him in a suite at the Kerr instead of turning her down flat. Adam was the only person Levi knew who could hand someone a steaming, stinking shit burger and have the person he served it to beg him for more.
And just like that, Adam’s gaze slid right to Levi—with precision—as if he’d known where Levi stood all along. Adam kept walking, never missing a beat, disentangling both women from beneath his arms.
“Sonofabitch,” Adam said, the corner of one lip quirking into a smile and his eyes glowing soft embers as he looked at Levi; it was a frat boy thing to say, but Adam was kind of a bro. Adam threw his arms around Levi and they shared a bear of a long hug.
“I missed you, brother,” Adam murmured a second before releasing his embrace and holding Levi by the shoulders, at arm’s length. He said it with earnest intensity that got Levi every time.
“Ladies….” Adam let his eyes linger for a final moment before shifting his gaze to the women who hung on his every word. It bought Levi time to swallow the lump in his throat. “This is my best friend, Lev.”
Apart from family, Adam was the only one who shortened his nickname with correct pronunciation. Most people Americanized it to sound like the jeans. Levi’s parents were Argentinian. Back in the motherland, it had a short e.
“Lev can come out with us too….” This from a different flight attendant. They had all stopped when Adam stopped, including the ones who hadn’t been tucked under Adam’s arms. They all looked hopeful—even the adoring pilot. If any one of them could’ve torn their gaze from Adam, Levi could’ve shot a commiserating glance.
Sorry, guy. He’s taken. And his partner’s completely gorgeous, the glance would’ve conveyed.
“I’ve been away for….” Adam looked at his watch, then looked at Levi. “What is it now? Nine months?” It was cheesy as hell, but Adam pulled it off. “Me and him have a lot of catching up to do.” He turned to his entourage and gave a small bow. “It’s been lovely. I mean it. Thanks.”
Levi didn’t miss the small folded paper that Red Lips pressed into Adam’s hand before whispering something in his ear and kissing his cheek, or the rueful, silent waves of the others. Levi watched Adam as Adam watched Red Lips walk away. Adam slid his gaze back to Levi, who was shaking his head again. If Levi had missed Adam’s incorrigible flirting, Adam had missed Levi’s mock-disapproving looks. Levi stared at Adam and Adam at him, each of their grins growing as the moments passed.
God, it’s great to see his face.
“You look good, man.” Adam clapped a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “San Francisco’s treating you right.”
“I love it here,” Levi admitted. He’d said as much the one time they’d seen each other in all that time. They’d met for dinner one night, when they both happened to be in London for business. Adam had asked Levi when he was moving back to New York. Levi had simply said that the project that had lured him to San Francisco had been ongoing. He hadn’t said that New York no longer felt like home, and he wouldn’t say—not right now—that his project had been over for two months. That he planned to sell his family house in Queens and stay in San Francisco.
But Adam’s project was over, and he was moving back stateside. San Francisco was a four-day stop. After a long weekend catching up, Adam would go back to headquarters in New York.
“You got luggage?” Levi asked. By then they’d begun walking.
Adam held up a small duffel Levi hadn’t noticed before. “If I need more clothes, I’ll stop by the hotel.”
Levi had forgotten how light Adam traveled. Being heir to a hospitality empire meant that Adam had a closet and a place to stay in every major city. It wasn’t until they started toward the doors—until the gaggle of flight attendants had disappeared from view—that Levi pulled out his phone.
“Lemme call an Uber,” Levi said. It was a short ride into the city. Brutal during rush hour but not bad at one o’clock on a Thursday afternoon.
“No need. The hotel sent a car.”
Adam lagged behind Levi, just by a step, as air from outside blew in along with the whoosh of the sliding double doors. He hovered his fisted hand over a trash can, and when he opened his fingers, the pink folded phone number of the flight attendant fell to its demise.
Adam wouldn’t have actually hooked up with the flight attendant—not as long as he was with Leila. But he might have given her a call to find out where the party was. No. Adam wasn’t a cheater. He was a party animal, an attention whore, and a flirt. And he didn’t spend much time alone.
“So it’s true….” Levi smiled his most nonchalant, most supportive-best-friend, and utterly-unaffected-by-Adam’s-love-life smile, even though this was a moment he had dreaded. “Your days of flight attendants are over. You popped the question. Leila’s finally gonna make an honest man out of you.”
Adam stopped outside, right on the other side of the doors, where the air was cool and the wind was sharp, as it tended to be on late spring afternoons this side of the bay. Levi needed him to say it—to speak out loud the big news Adam had insisted he be there to deliver in person, and ask the favor he wanted to ask face-to-face. It had to be that he and Leila were engaged and that he wanted Levi to be his best man.
“Leila and I broke up.”
The tip of Adam’s nose had begun to pink, and his cheeks were doing the same. Levi wished them back inside, wished to divine whether Adam’s color owed to emotion or to the winter of San Francisco spring wind.
“When?” Levi blurted inelegantly.
Adam scanned distractedly. If they wanted to reach the limo line, they had to go to an outer curb across the street. Adam started walking and Levi kept in step, barely heeding traffic to study Adam’s face. On the crosswalk, Adam replied, “A couple months ago.”
Puzzlement pierced through Levi’s stark relief. It was stupid, the way he was happier when Adam was single. Such news delivered the same foolish rush of hope that swelled over Levi when one of his celebrity crushes filed for divorce or came out. So what if Adam broke up with his girlfriend or fine-ass Wentworth Miller came out of the closet? It didn’t mean Levi had a chance.
The color on Adam’s cheeks as he spoke his confession was definitely a blush of shame. What kind of best friend forgot to mention for “a couple of months” that it was Splitsville between him and the girl his father wanted him to marry?
“You wanted to tell me in person you broke up with your girlfriend? That’s your big news?”
Adam had the decency to look chagrined. “None of it has to do with her.”
“You’re being cryptic,” Levi pointed out. “Adam. What the hell is going on?”
Levi’s heart raced faster than it had when he’d merely believed his best friend, whom he’d nursed no small crush on over the years, had taken himself permanently off the market. But Adam was being weird—his Adam, the most shameless and least apologetic person Levi had ever met. Had he screwed up in Tehran and put the company in jeopardy? Lost his fortune? Committed a crime? And what was the favor? Did Adam need Levi to hide him in Argentina with his grandparents, or to donate a kidney? Oh God. Was Adam sick?
Adam looked over his shoulder, paranoid, as if he would be recognized at any moment. He was far from famous, but he’d had his share of press.
“Let’s talk about it in the limo,” Adam whispered, splitting his attention between placating Levi and signaling to the car bearing his hotel’s name. “It’s nothing bad. It’s just… not public yet.”
“What’s not public?” Levi pressed the moment the limo stopped at the curb.
Adam threw him a pointed look and sighed. “I’m coming out. Again.”
Author Bio
Kilby Blades is a 40-time-award-winning author of Romance and Women's Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a two-time Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly).
Social Media Links:
Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Hallelujah by Kim Fielding & F.E. Feeley Jr.
Authors Kim Fielding & F.E. Feeley Jr., along with Other Worlds Ink, reveal the cover of upcoming gay horror, Hallelujah! Don't miss the excerpt or giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card!
Kim Fielding and F.E. Feeley Jr. have a new gay horror book out, and we have the cover reveal:
"Hallelujah."
Can you hear it?
Whispering in the dark.
Secrets only the dark knows.
Joseph Moore, choir director for the First Baptist Church of Lenora, Nebraska, has secrets of his own. Terrible, lonely secrets. One that involves natural human desire. One that calls forth powers he cannot begin to understand. Both with the potential to destroy him and those he loves.
Now the world is changing. The darkness, the shadows, the ghosts, are closing in—and Joseph and his lover, Kevin, are being stalked by a merciless demon, hell-bent on possession.
Can you hear it now?
Warnings: violence. This is not a romance.
There in the dark.
It's whispering your name.
Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
Giveaway
Kim and F.E. are giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this cover reveal and tour. For a chance to win, enter via Rafflecopter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47103/?
Excerpt
“NO!”
Joseph fought against the hands on his shoulders. The room was sweltering, and all his strength had sapped away.
“NO!”
“Joseph, open your eyes! Open your eyes, dammit!”
He was being shaken, and despite his unwillingness, his eyes opened. Kevin’s face stared down at him.
“Fuck you. Let me go!”
Joseph pulled away and fell backward onto the altar steps. His attempt to break the fall caused his wrist to smart painfully, and he whimpered. His whole body shook; he felt sick to his stomach.
Kevin raised his hands in surrender. “What the hell, man? Who did this to you?”
“What?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’? You’re beat to shit. Did someone jump you?”
Joseph looked down and saw his scratched-up legs and swollen ankle. He scanned the sanctuary, half expecting the shadowed figure to be lurking somewhere nearby. But that wasn’t the case. All the lights were on, brilliantly illuminating every corner. There was no sign of the spirit who normally haunted the place.
“Who are you looking for?”
Joseph faced Kevin once again. “What? No one. What are you doing here?”
Although Kevin had been bare-chested at their last meeting, he was wearing a shirt now. Well, part of a shirt. It was an old Budweiser tee with the sleeves cut out and the sides wide open. When he moved, it revealed glimpses of his chest and flat stomach. Joseph felt his face flush as he averted his gaze.
“I was driving by and saw all the lights on and the door open. Figured the joint was getting robbed or somethin’. Then I found you wailing on the floor in…. Damn, dude. Look at your wrist.”
Joseph saw it was swollen. The memory of where he’d been flashed in his mind once more. The red-eyed gaze was burned into his memory.
But that had all been a dream, hadn’t it?
Please, Lord, let it have been a dream.
“Who did this to you?” Kevin repeated with a furrowed brow.
“Nobody. Look, I came back here because I thought I left something, and I fell. I must have banged my head or something.”
“You fell. Where? Into a war zone?”
Joseph snorted a laugh and looked up at him ruefully. “I don’t know what happened.” He hoped Kevin would leave it alone.
Outside, thunder crashed loudly enough to make them jump, and through the front door of the church, they could see the rain falling in torrents.
“Shit, my car windows!” Kevin took off running.
Joseph watched him go, Kevin’s ass bouncing as his long legs carried him out of the door. “Dammit,” Joseph muttered as he clenched his eyes closed.
He tried to get up, but as soon as he put weight on his ankle, it gave and forced him to sit back down.
What am I going to do?
Just then he saw the ghost once more. She was floating on the upstairs balcony, looking down at him. Her mouth was moving, and if Joseph sat really still, he swore he could hear her words, carried on the wind that howled through the open church door.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee
He felt sadness wash over him. She wasn’t terrible to look at; in life she must have been quite beautiful. But he didn’t know how to help her.
“You must help them, cher.” Celine had said.
Kevin dashed in through the door. His jeans were soaked and his wannabe T-shirt stuck to his muscular build. “Well, we got two options.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“We could wait out the storm before I take you home, or I can haul your crippled ass right now into said storm and take you home.”
Joseph reached out his good hand to Kevin, who grasped it and pulled. Joseph lurched to his feet and, in trying to keep the weight off his swollen ankle, ended up clinging to Kevin. They were almost nose to nose, staring into each other’s eyes as they held fast.
Blood pounded in his Joseph’s head. “I gotta get home.”
Kevin’s long eyelashes fluttered once, twice, three times before registering what he’d said. Yet his hands didn’t move. The two of them looked as if they were on a dance floor waiting for a waltz to start.
“Yeah, let’s get you home. Here, lean on me.”
“I appreciate it.”
They moved slowly across the floor of the church.
“You gonna tell me who did this?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Crazy shit, man.”
Joseph nodded. “Yup. It’s been a hell of a night.”
They closed the door behind them, got into the car, and drove cautiously into the downpour with the windshield wipers slapping.
Five minutes later, the lights they’d forgotten to turn off went dark.
Author Bios
Kim Fielding
Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls California home. She lives there with her family and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.
Author Website: http://kfieldingwrites.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/KFieldingWrites/
Author Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfieldingwrites/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4105707.Kim_Fielding
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/kim-fielding/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kim-Fielding/
F.E. Feeley Jr.
First and foremost, I am a husband to my wonderful husband, John. I am a father of our five-year-old German Shephard, Kaiser. I am an avid reader of Mysteries, Horror, and Suspense, and biographies. I am a gamer. My favorite ones are Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Trek Online, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed, Fallout, and Civilization Five. I love to cook and I love trying new recipes (hint hint). I am an avid music junkie from POPular music to Opera, to Showtunes, Gospel, Rock, Rap, and Hip Hop. I am also a Poet – a lot of which is offered on this web page for free. And I do some gay fiction writing from time to time.I love connecting with people. As an ex- fundi, I grew up in a world where there was this invisible boundary set down between me and the world around me. I felt more like an observer than an actual participant in that world. Since I’ve left fundamentalism – it has been my constant endeavor to be a part of the world. To be a part of humanity. And when I write my poetry or my books, I draw from the experiences of being raised in that environment as well as the experiences of tasting the bouquet of humanity I’d been denied all those years ago.
Author Website: https://fefeeleyjr.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/groups/170296487228770/
Author Twitter: @fefeeleyjr
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/f.e.feeleyjr/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6806438.F_E_Feeley_Jr_
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/f-e-feeley-jr/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/F-E-Feeley-Jr/
Audiobook Review: His Hart's Command (Nothing Special #6) by A.E. Via
Lennox Freeman (Free) is one of the best hackers in the world which has caused him to spend most of his life on the run. Never able to put down roots, he couldn’t trust anyone not to take advantage of him, even his own family. If it wasn’t for his best friend, Tech, shielding him, Free’s father would’ve sold him and his skills to the highest bidding crime family when he was still a student at MIT. Free owed Tech his life; so when his friend called for him to come to Atlanta to work with him, he couldn’t say no. However, he wasn’t expecting the overprotective group of detectives that made up Atlanta PD’s most notorious task force. And he certainly wasn’t prepared for the large-and-in-charge SWAT Captain that was responsible for their safety.
Ivan Hart has lived and bled one creed all of his life: To Serve and Protect. His intense focus and determination in law enforcement has led him to finally commanding his own team. He’d worked hard to put together a squad of badasses capable of backing up a very dangerous team of detectives. Being God and Day’s last line of defense came with a lot of responsibility that he took very seriously.
After his divorce was final Hart turned right around and remarried his job. He had his good friends there in the office with him every day, so it was easier to ignore the few quiet hours he spent at home alone each night. He’d settled well into his new routine and was comfortable with it. Then God decided to disrupt everything by hiring another tech specialist for his department. A man whose brains, trendy looks, and voice would leave Hart tongue-tied and captivated at their first introduction.
Free quickly awakens a passion in Hart that he long thought was dead. An attraction he didn’t know existed. He couldn’t fathom that the sexy cyber genius could be interested in an over-sized, big-bearded brute that served criminals the bottom line for a living. No matter what his best friend, God said.
A future with Hart could be potentially dangerous and often times full of terrifyingly close calls; but little did he know that so could falling for the most hunted hacker in the world. All Lennox Freeman wants in life is security, love, and protection… Hart had all that to give and more.
Listening Length: 8 hours and 51 minutes
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Reviewer: Shee Reader
I was fortunate enough to listen to this book right after enjoying Nothing Special V. The entire series is fabulous, but this one is slightly different. There is a bit less time spent on active missions (certainly with God and Day’s team as Hart is the SWAT Captain, but less overall) and there is a heavier focus on the emotional needs and development between the two men. Of course, our previous favourites appear, but this was most definitely Len and Ivan’s story. I adored it from start to finish. Ivan’s ex wife appears and got me all rage-y but the outcome was all good!
I love how AE’s men are super strong alpha types but they are all so in touch with their feelings and needs it is a revelation. The chemistry is scorching and the love is so strong I was moved to tears more than once.
As in the previous book, Aiden Snow does a superb job with the narration. His characters are so multidimensional that I could almost see them. I was very happy to have a fabulous performance of a stunning book.
I cannot recommend this audio book highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review.
Ivan Hart has lived and bled one creed all of his life: To Serve and Protect. His intense focus and determination in law enforcement has led him to finally commanding his own team. He’d worked hard to put together a squad of badasses capable of backing up a very dangerous team of detectives. Being God and Day’s last line of defense came with a lot of responsibility that he took very seriously.
After his divorce was final Hart turned right around and remarried his job. He had his good friends there in the office with him every day, so it was easier to ignore the few quiet hours he spent at home alone each night. He’d settled well into his new routine and was comfortable with it. Then God decided to disrupt everything by hiring another tech specialist for his department. A man whose brains, trendy looks, and voice would leave Hart tongue-tied and captivated at their first introduction.
Free quickly awakens a passion in Hart that he long thought was dead. An attraction he didn’t know existed. He couldn’t fathom that the sexy cyber genius could be interested in an over-sized, big-bearded brute that served criminals the bottom line for a living. No matter what his best friend, God said.
A future with Hart could be potentially dangerous and often times full of terrifyingly close calls; but little did he know that so could falling for the most hunted hacker in the world. All Lennox Freeman wants in life is security, love, and protection… Hart had all that to give and more.
Listening Length: 8 hours and 51 minutes
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Reviewer: Shee Reader
I was fortunate enough to listen to this book right after enjoying Nothing Special V. The entire series is fabulous, but this one is slightly different. There is a bit less time spent on active missions (certainly with God and Day’s team as Hart is the SWAT Captain, but less overall) and there is a heavier focus on the emotional needs and development between the two men. Of course, our previous favourites appear, but this was most definitely Len and Ivan’s story. I adored it from start to finish. Ivan’s ex wife appears and got me all rage-y but the outcome was all good!
I love how AE’s men are super strong alpha types but they are all so in touch with their feelings and needs it is a revelation. The chemistry is scorching and the love is so strong I was moved to tears more than once.
As in the previous book, Aiden Snow does a superb job with the narration. His characters are so multidimensional that I could almost see them. I was very happy to have a fabulous performance of a stunning book.
I cannot recommend this audio book highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review.