Release Blitz: Triple Affinity (D’Vaire #23) by Jessamyn Kingley

Author Jessamyn Kingley and Gay Book Promotions return to celebrate new urban fantasy release, Triple Affinity (D’Vaire #23)! Check out more about the fated menage mates today!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Triple Affinity (D’Vaire, Book 23)

Author: Jessamyn Kingley

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: LJ Anderson, Mayhem Cover Creations

Release Date: June 10, 2021

Genres: M/M/M Urban Fantasy

Tropes: Fated Mates

Themes: Fate, Love, Ménage

Heat Rating:  3 flames

Length: 103 900 words

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   |   Amazon UK

With the odds stacked against them, can three men find love?

Blurb

Joining the Council of Sorcery and Shifters was a simple decision for the ruler of the brown bears. Two centuries later, Artair Ursus Arctos is a successful leader with a loving family, and the only thing he wants is his mate. Artair is fascinated by magic and secretly hopes to find forever with a sorcerer.

As a child, Lochlan Airle had privilege and wealth but lacked any control. He walked away from his prominent family at eighteen, only to get fired from countless jobs. Behind the scenes, his mother uses all her connections to break his spirit, but she will not deter him. After finally landing a job at the Circle of Mages, a matebond is the last thing on his mind.

Twenty-six-year-old Riker McKenna has a hard-earned doctorate and enough magic to guarantee immortality. Although his brother’s decision to stay with their wastrel parents broke his heart, Riker is determined to make the most of everything. When he qualifies for employment at the Circle of Mages, he does not know it will lead him to his mates.

Within a week, the three men meet and must confront the poor odds of triple matebonds in the Council. To reach the affinity they desire, they will have to rapidly adjust to each other and all the surprises life has in store.

Excerpt

“Well, gentlemen, what did you have in mind to while away the hours of our Friday night?” Riker asked, stacking his hands behind his head.

“I didn’t realize this was such a formal occasion. Should I change into fancier clothes?” Lochlan teased.

“You’re already wearing too much, Gorgeous,” Artair responded.

A blush swept over his skin, and Artair’s blood flowed south. Lochlan’s shyness beckoned him with the same strength as Riker’s blunt sexiness.

“Damn, but you look good,” Riker said. “I bet you get flushed like that when you come.”

Instead of being embarrassed, Lochlan grinned. “I don’t have a mirror around when that happens.”

“Pity,” Artair remarked.

“You’re an aqua mage, manipulate your element so there’s a curtain of water that reflects,” Riker suggested.

“Perhaps he’s a little too busy to worry about magic,” Artair said. “Or his partners in the past have objected.”

“I haven’t had any partners in the past,” Lochlan muttered.

“Perhaps partner isn’t a good word,” Artair remarked. “It suggests a level of intimacy that doesn’t exist between two people getting together to fuck.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever referred to the guys in my past as partners,” Riker commented.

“I’ve never had sex before,” Lochlan blurted out.

Riker sat up straight. “You haven’t?”

“No. It’s a rather long story, but I tried once. I couldn’t find any takers,” Lochlan explained.

“You went somewhere in that body, with that face, and couldn’t find anyone willing to have sex?” Riker asked. “How is that possible?”

Lochlan’s gaze hit the bed, and he shrugged. “Perhaps as my mate you see me in a way others don’t.”

“While I disagree with the notion that it’s something to do with our matebond that makes us attracted to you, the important part of this discussion is for you to understand that we do want you and we think you’re gorgeous,” Artair explained.

“I don’t really care what anyone besides you two thinks, anyway. I find you both attractive too.”

“Have you kissed anyone?” Riker asked.

With a shake of his head, Lochlan continued to stare at his lap. “No.”

“Do you want to?” Artair asked.

The aqua mage’s eyes met Artair’s, and there was no mistaking the need in the pale depths. “I’d like that very much.”

“Artair, you should kiss him first,” Riker ordered.

“Why?”

“You met him first.”

“It’s not that easy. It’s Lochlan’s first kiss ever. Not only is it important to him personally, but to us as a trio. We need to move forward making sure no one is slighted or left out,” Artair said. “This warrants discussion.”

“I’ll kiss him right after you do…unless we should kiss second.”

“I told you it was complicated.”

“It’s not,” Lochlan replied. “We can share a simple kiss three-ways. I want my first kiss to be with both of you.”

“Clearly, he’s the brains and beauty in this relationship,” Riker crowed.

Artair grinned in full agreement. “Shall we?”

To keep Lochlan from overthinking, Artair cupped his neck in his hand and did the same to Riker, bringing them both forward slowly. After closing his eyes, Artair gently pressed his lips to both his mates at the same time. It was chaste, simple, and perfect. A sense of beauty swept through Artair, and he vowed to move whatever mountains or cross any river to make sure they were together.

About the Author 

Jessamyn Kingley lives in Nevada where she begs the men in her head to tell her their amazing stories which she dutifully writes it all down in what has become a small mountain of notebooks. She falls in love with each couple and swears whatever book she wrote last is her absolute favorite.

Jessamyn is married and working toward remembering to start the dishwasher without being distracted by the scent of the magical detergent. For personal enjoyment, she aids in cat rescue while slashing and gashing her way through mobs in various MMORPGs. Caffeine is her very best friend and is only cast aside briefly for the sin better known as BBQ potato chips.

Visit her website 

Join her Facebook group, Jessamyn's Ruffian's

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Review: Bell, Book and Scandal (Bedknobs and Broomsticks #3) by Josh Lanyon

Black Magic. Blackmail. Little Black Books. Must a witch break his vows to save his marriage?

Cosmo Saville loves that his husband has finally accepted his witchy ways. And in return, his promise to stay out of police business guarantees them a happily ever after. At least, until he discovers he might be responsible for a dangerous game of blackmail…

Police Commissioner John Joseph Galbraith feels relieved that his marriage is back on track. Especially since he has his hands full with a high-profile suicide and rumors of a city-wide extortion ring. But when he stumbles across Cosmo breaking his vow by playing cop, John agonizes over old wounds.

With the commissioner’s badge and family in jeopardy, Cosmo has no choice but to put his life on the line…

Can the witch expose a dark conspiracy, save John’s career, and return to love’s delicious spell?

Cosmo and John are happily enjoying married life, and are glad that their days of mistrust and odd goings-on are behind them.

That rosy honeymoon phase doesn’t last too long.

An unexpected spate of high-profile blackmails has Cosmo back to playing amateur magical cop, and John back to being suspicious.

The adventure/mystery in this series is Grade A entertainment. The plot is fun, captivating, and entirely unpredictable. I enjoyed every new twist and turn!

The worldbuilding was also markedly more detailed in this installment. Consider it a consequence of growing up on a certain series involving a bespeckled boy wizard, but I’m a sucker for magical societies hidden within our modern world.

And the Craft definitely fits the bill!

 

Where the book hit a bit of a sour note for me - John. In book 2, I really didn’t like John’s treatment of Cosmo. But it had seemed like the two had moved past that dynamic.

Not so apparently - when things get a bit too dicey for John’s liking, he resorts back to his old habits. And I just don’t think that’s fair to poor Cosmo.

The two are very sweet when everything is going smoothly, but I’d like to see them keep that same energy when times are tough!

That being said, I’m still fully on-board with the pairing. Cosmo and John just have a chemistry - physical and emotional - that can’t be denied.

If John would just grovel a bit and learn to live with Cosmo’s witchy ways, all will be forgiven.

 

 In any case, bring on the next one and let’s see where this story goes!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Full Speed Ahead (Food Truck Warriors #4) by Beth Bolden

 

Author Beth Bolden and Gay Book Promotions returns to promote new contemporary romance release, Full Speed Ahead (Food Truck Warriors #4)! Find out more about the latest in the popular food truck series and enter in the $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title:  Full Speed Ahead (Food Truck Warriors #4)

Author: Beth Bolden

Publisher: Beth Bolden Books

Cover Artist: AngstyG Book Cover and Media Design

Release Date: June 3, 2021

Genre: Contemporary gay romance

Trope/s:  Bodyguard, found family

Theme: Hurt/comfort 

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 84 000 words

It is book 4 in the series. 

The author recommends that readers read at least one of the other books first.

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Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |   Amazon UK 

Lennox’s favorite escape is the Food Truck Warriors . . .until it needs his protection.

Blurb

Ash isn’t running from his past—he’s already left it way behind. He’s built a business from scratch, using all the lessons that his father taught him, and every day at his food truck is a challenge he was born to tackle.

But when a stalker appears, hinting that he knows the secrets Ash has tried so hard to bury, he needs more help than his food truck friends can provide. He needs a professional.

Lennox is a mystery. He’s been coming around the Food Truck Warriors for months now, and nobody knows if that’s even his real name. But Ash knows he’s fascinated by the man, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

When the threat to Ash becomes a little too real, Lennox intervenes, and finally, the electricity between them transforms into something very much like love. But now their safety—and their hearts—are on the line.

Excerpt 

After climbing into the truck, Ash set his coffee on the counter and checked his watch. His delivery should be here any moment, if they were on time, which . . . Ash had learned practically from the cradle what to do with suppliers who wouldn’t keep to their timelines or couldn’t be relied upon.

They really didn’t want to be late today.

Ash wasn’t in the mood for it.

He glanced out the front window, and froze.

There was a piece of paper taped to it—something that had definitely not been there when he’d closed up last night.

Ash stared at the words, printed in damning black and white.

It was an interview that his father had done—likely one of hundreds, if not thousands, he’d done over the course of his illustrious career. But in this one, he had mentioned his son, Oliver. Who Stephan Atkinson had said with some humor, liked to be called Ash.

A silly affectation, his father told the interviewer, that he would grow out of.

Ash had been . . . maybe thirteen or fourteen if he remembered correctly, when this article had come out, and he’d been furious. It had been one of the many things he’d been pissed at his father for.

Now someone had found it, dredged it out of the bowels of magazine hell, had photocopied it, and taped it to his window. Not facing outwards, so anyone could see it, but inwards, so only Ash could.

Fury flashed with a frightening power through him. He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his keys, and with shaking fingers, locked up behind him. Walked around to the front of his truck, tore the paper off, leaving the edges trapped by the neatly placed tape fluttering in the early morning breeze, and forgoing his bicycle, took off for the one place that he’d told himself he would not go.

Who else could have done this? Ash thought angrily as he stormed towards his destination. It was still so early the streets were essentially empty. He’s the only one who knows.

The building that Tony had described was only a few blocks away.

It had been remodeled, with a glass-front office on the lower level, and a living space on the top. There were a separate set of stairs leading to a discreet door on a wrought iron landing.

A discreet black-lettered sign, matching the wrought iron of the stairs and contrasting with the freshly painted taupe stucco of the building itself, indicated that this was the offices of Protectorate.

It might be early, but Ash could see a figure already in the office below.

Tony had mentioned offhandedly that Lennox was a workaholic, always in the office, so it was not a huge stretch to imagine that it was him, up early, and already working.

Ash walked over to the door, and pulled it, fully expecting it to be locked, but to his surprise it opened easily.

Even though he must have been the one to unlock it, Lennox looked up with shock as he walked in.

Ash imagined they probably didn’t get much foot traffic.

He stomped over to where Lennox sat at a desk, and slapped the paper down in front of him.

“What the fuck is this?” he demanded to know.

Lennox stared at the writing. He took his time answering, clearly reading through the words on the page once, and maybe even twice. Finally he looked up. “It looks like an interview that your father did, talking about his restaurants, and also his son.” He hesitated. “You.”

“Yes, thank you, I can read just as well as you can,” Ash bit off. “What I mean is why was it taped to my truck’s front window this morning?”

“Taped to your . . .”

“And not facing out, but facing in,” Ash interrupted. “So I would see it, but nobody else. Someone wants me to know they’ve figured out who my father is.”

“And you think that’s me.”

Ash gestured wildly, pacing between Lennox’s desk, and the other, currently unoccupied. “Who else could it be?”

“Do you really think I needed to do this to get your attention?” Lennox asked, his tone dry.

About the Author 

A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published twenty-three novels and seven novellas.

Author Links

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Re-Release Blitz + Giveaway: No Flag (After Everything #1) by Liz Borino

Author Liz Borino and IndiGo Marketing host re-release blitz for No Flag (After Everything #1)! Check out more about the contemporary romance and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: No Flag

Series: After Everything, Book One

Author: Liz Borino

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/07/2021

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 67100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, contemporary, family-drama, military, war, violence, terrorists, disabilities, amputee, bartender, Dom/sub relationship, domestic discipline, OCD

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Description

Captain Mike Kelley does not ignore his intuition, so when sexy bartender Will Hayes captures his heart, Mike embarks on a mission to win him over to a Domestic Discipline relationship. Will accepts with one caveat: Mike must promise not to renew his army contract.

Mike agrees, until the army invokes the stop-loss military policy to involuntarily extend his commission and send him back overseas, rendering him powerless and threatening everything he and Will have built. Will, left alone to cope with a new café, must rely on the support of old friends who may no longer be trustworthy.

A horrific terrorist attack on Mike’s outpost changes everything, leaving them both at a loss.

Mike awakens in a hospital with a devastating injury and no recollection of the attack. As the only survivor, his memory may be the key to national security. Mike struggles to cope with his injury and Will struggles with his new role in Mike’s life.

For Mike and Will, “No Flag” meant “come home alive.” Will has Mike back rather than a folded flag, but in the aftermath of war, can they rebuild the life they had before?

Excerpt

No Flag
Liz Borino © 2021
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One
The News

July 7, 2012

Bombs exploded on the evening news, one after the other. Body parts flew past the camera. The headline across the bottom of the screen read: “20 Army Intelligence Officers Dead.”

“Early this morning, a bomb exploded in the Army Intelligence building, killing twenty American soldiers from Platoon 518,” the blonde newswoman reported.

Will Kelley squinted as the fuzzy security images played behind the woman’s head, searching through the chaos for reassurance. Nothing. His heart pounded and he tried to swallow but found only dry air in his mouth and throat. The female reporter described the weapons used and structural damage done in vivid detail, which made for sensational television, but failed to answer any questions for the people at home. Victims’ families had to be notified before the media could release their names. So, Blondie would lose her job if she read the list in front of her.

“What the hell are you doing, man? We open in thirty minutes and you’re watching television?” Seth, his roommate, demanded from the doorway of the living room.

“Answered your own question, didn’t you?” Will responded.

“Are you ready?”

“No.” Will did not take his eyes off the screen. “I’ll drive myself.”

“When?”

The report flashed to an increase in allergies in children, so Will switched to another station while typing “Attack on American S2 Building in Afghanistan” into Google. It wouldn’t be that easy though. So, Will tried several more combinations of search terms before finding a video shot by an insurgent involved in the attack. The camera shuddered. Focused on different areas of the chaos. Men ripping clothes off soldiers. Looting. Bodies blown to bits. A man removing computer hard drives. And only one face. On the severed head of Major Evans.

“Will!” Seth jabbed him in the shoulder with a pen. Will forced his eyes away from the computer. “What happened?”

“Mike’s platoon was attacked. Twelve survivors.”

“Shit,” Seth said. “Can you call…?”

Will took a slug from the nearby water bottle. “Who? No one will talk to me. I’m not my husband’s family.”

Seth stared at him for a long moment and said, “I’ll have Casey cover for you.”

Will stood and shook his head. “Why? I can’t do anything here except watch the same videos over and over. May as well see if I can make some money.” He shut his computer and set it on the side table. “Meet you there. I won’t be too late. Promise.” He had to stop himself from scoffing as the meaningless word left his lips.

“Will…” Seth began.

“You wanted me to move, I’m moving! Go. I’ll be there.” He walked toward his bedroom, Seth’s gaze burning into his back. Stopping to throw a glance over his shoulder, he added, “Don’t tell Casey. I can do without her mother-henning me.”

“Will…”

“Please, Seth.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” Will climbed the steps and closed his bedroom door. He leaned against the wood cutting him off from the rest of the world. His gaze roamed the four walls decorated with art prints, a whiteboard, and his wedding picture. Will strode over and fingered the golden frame. Behind the glass lay a photograph of Will and Mike in tuxes in the middle of their first dance. Their smiles easily outshone the gold on the frame. Mike had always been handsome with broad, built shoulders and muscular pecs, leading to abs you could grate cheese on.

But none of that stood out to Will, not on their wedding day of the year before. Mike’s blue eyes radiated a strength and hope. Will removed his wedding band to read the promise inscribed: No Flag.

Please keep your promise, Mike, Will thought as he took a deep breath and tore himself away from the picture and the crushing memories it brought. He had a job to do tonight.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Liz Borino has been telling stories of varying truthfulness since she was a child. As an adult, she keeps the fiction on the page. She writes stories of human connection and intimacy, in all their forms. Her books feature flawed men who often risk everything for their love. When Liz isn’t writing, she’s waking up early to edit, travel, and explore historic prisons and insane asylums—not (usually) all in one day. Liz lives in Philadelphia with her two cats.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Fair Youth by M. Dalto and Laynie Bynum

Don't miss authors M. Dalto and Laynie Bynum, along with IndiGo Marketing as they host today's blitz for Fair Youth! Find out more and enter in the $10 NineStar Press giveaway!

Title: Fair Youth

Author: M. Dalto and Laynie Bynum

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/07/2021

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 76700

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, lesbian, trans, writer, Hollywood, wealthy, retelling

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Description

Billie tried to make a small town life as a doctor’s fiancée work for her, but the dream of trading in Kentucky for the glitz and glamor of LA and selling her screenplays was too strong to fight. Unfortunately, the devil hides behind every corner in the City of Angels and she finds nothing but cockroach infested hotel rooms and broken dreams. 

Everything changes when she meets an enigmatic and illustrious fellow writer named Kit. Struck with attraction and intrigue, Billie begins to question not only her dedication to her past life, but also her own sexuality. Kit comes with amazing connections and Billie’s work is getting more recognition than ever, until a powerful studio executive sets his sights on more than just her screenplays. His infatuation could cost Billie her career and, maybe, one of them their lives.

Excerpt

Andy’s shaggy brown hair was still unbrushed and fell into his eyes as he loaded my suitcases in the trunk of his hatchback. “I just don’t understand why you can’t do your writing thing here. People work remotely all the time.”

He slammed the top down with more force than necessary and slid into the driver’s seat, leaning across the center console to close the visor mirror in front of me where I was trying to fix my makeup. It was a constant point of contention between the two of us, but despite the early flight, I didn’t want to arrive in Los Angeles looking like a zombie. Slightly annoyed and overly defiant, I reached in my purse and pulled out a little compact mirror.

“We’ve talked about this, Andy. I need to be where the people are. I need to make connections.” I tried to make my voice as nonconfrontational as possible, but the moment it left my lips, I knew he would take it as condescension.

He started the car and pulled out onto the main road where corn fields flanked us on either side. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to an imaginary beat to keep himself calm, he spoke evenly. “Billie, the wedding was supposed to be in a month. What am I supposed to tell everyone?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and stifled a sigh. “The wedding isn’t off. It’s just delayed until I get back.”

This was the same conversation we had daily for the past month, going over and over the same answers he was fishing for now.

No, it’s not you.

Yes, I will come home.

It’s only for work.

Doing a crappy thing to someone you love was hard, especially when you were well aware how crappy the thing is. Having to postpone the wedding sucked, but staying in that small town, getting married and being tied down to a life of domestic bliss—always wondering about the what-ifs—I couldn’t do it until I at least tried to make my own dreams come true.

Marriage was a fine idea back when we were seventeen and thought forever meant anything past graduation.

It was a great idea when we were eighteen and all of our friends were breaking up with their own high school sweethearts while we were still going strong.

It was the perfect idea last year when, due to a pregnancy scare, we finally decided it was time.

My gut reaction was initially overwhelming happiness at the thought of starting a family, but with each florist appointment, each cake tasting, each dress alteration—I started wondering if I was ready. You didn’t see many struggling screenwriters with babies on their hips, much less ones without any formal education.

I finished my mascara and closed the compact mirror. “I have to do this, Andy.”

“At the cost of leaving behind everyone who loves you, apparently.” His voice was barely a whisper under his breath, but it was still clear over the hum of the car engine and the wind coming through his open window.

Even though he was right, the words cut to the bone. I couldn’t stay any longer. I couldn’t deal with the small-minded people of Avon, Kentucky or their even smaller dreams for one more moment. There were words inside me, and they were clawing to get out into the world. The universes in my mind begged to be put to paper and then to screen. I wanted to be where the action was. The city of angels was going to change my life, or at least that’s what I told myself as he walked me into the airport.

“This is as far as I can go, Bill,” he said as he set my bags down right outside of the first security checkpoint.

I looked up at him, all six-foot-four of him, with an apology in my eyes I could only pray he understood. Pride stopped me from saying all of the things I should have.

I love you.

I’ll miss you.

Please don’t grow to hate me while I’m gone.

Instead, I cracked a smile before wrapping him in a tight embrace. “I’ll call as soon as I land,” I promised into the fabric of his plaid shirt.

He smoothed my wavy hair with one hand while the other pulled me closer into him. “I’ll miss you every moment.”

I broke away. If I stayed, I knew I’d cry, and I was not the kind of person to cry in an airport.

As I grabbed my bags and headed through security, I turned around to look at him one last time. He stood still amongst the crowd of bustling, busy people moving around him, his eyes locked on me.

I blew him a kiss, and through the roar of the background noise, he yelled, “Break a leg, Wilhelmina Shakespeare.”

After hours on the stuffy, cramped flight, the sprawling, massive LAX airport felt like a city unto itself. Shops and restaurants peppered the walls, and it took nearly an hour just to walk out of the exit.

Before I left home, Andy told me to use Uber until I learned how to get around because traffic was hell. I pulled up the app, still unsure how it all worked, and requested a car.

Which I probably should have done earlier, since the wait for the car to arrive left me sitting outside of the airport on top of my drug-store-quality suitcase and staring at the people passing in and out. Bright neon lights started to come on, thanks to the four-hour delay we experienced at my layover in Chicago. Palm trees swayed back and forth among the divided pavement in front of me.

I expected Los Angeles to smell like sea breeze and big dreams, but in reality, it was mostly gas fumes and vapor clouds from a nearby smoking area under the concrete awning.

A red Subaru pulled up in front of me, and the driver rolled down the window. She looked at the phone in her hand and then looked at me. “You don’t look like a Billie.”

I stood up and grabbed my bags. “Well, it’s Wilhelmina on my birth certificate, but most people try to call me Willa when I tell them that.”

She motioned to the back door, and I opened it, sliding in with my bags beside me.

“Strange. Would have thought they would try to call you Willy,” she said as she looked at me in the rearview mirror.

I screwed up my face. “Maybe Willa isn’t that bad after all.”

“So, we’re heading to Pepper Place Hotel?” She turned around in the seat, her eyes looking me up and down, judging me with every cell in her body. “You sure?”

“What’s wrong with Pepper Place? It looked pretty nice online.”

“Oh, sweetie,” she said as she turned around and put the car into drive. “Welcome to Los Angeles. Where the pictures are fake and the people are plastic.”

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

M. and Laynie have written both separately and together, and have hit Amazon bestseller rank both ways. M.’s work includes The Empire Series (Two Thousand Years, Mark of the Empress, and the accompanying novellas) published by Parliament House Press, and Cut to the Bone, set to be published by Filles Vertes Publishing in 2021. Laynie’s debut novel, Adeline’s Aria, was published in January with Fire and Ice YA. Together they have published Faust University, included in the Academy of Magic box set by Enchanted Quill Press and Escaping the Grey in the Prison of Supernatural Magic box set. When writing together they combine their strengths to create unique queer characters with sass and backbone in both the contemporary romance and romantic fantasy genres.

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Review: Role Model (Game Changers #5) by Rachel Reid

Troy Barrett has been freshly traded to Ottawa after calling out Dallas Kent during a team practice. He wants to be a better person, and the weird, scrappy energy of the struggling Ottawa team seems like the place to...well. It seems like the only place that will have Troy right now.

Fortunately the Ottawa team includes Ilya Rozanov and Wyatt Hayes, and also includes an adorable social media manager, Harris Drover. Harris is the opposite of Troy in every way: friendly, cheerful, chatty, and goofy with a booming voice, a startlingly loud laugh, and Pride pins all over his denim jacket. Definitely not the sort of person Troy would normally associate with, and yet…

I'm not EVEN going to perpetrate. I'm a smitten kitten when it comes to this series, so I may not be the most objective when it comes to it. I find even the ones that aren't as strong still fall in the comfort read category due to this Game Changer world that keeps hearts consistently in my eyes. Honestly, I barely read let alone review anymore mostly because almost everything I pick up I'm bored by or a I feel like I've read before but Role Model made me want to read again. For the first time in a loooooooonnnnnnnggggg time I wanted to be with Troy and Harris more than I wanted to binge watch whatever, so thank you Rachel Reid and Carina Press.

The reason I enjoyed this read so much was these characters. I'm a character person and we have two strong characters in Troy and Harris plus the ringer-Chiron. HAHA! I bet you thought I was going to say Ilya. To be fair, Ilya and Chiron do have some adorable moments together. Plus, Reid always does a great job sprinkling in the team dynamics that never fail to bring the levity and are what I crave from sports romance. But that last game scene will stick with my squishy marshmallow heart for some time to come. ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏒

I love stories of redemption and Troy Barrett needs to be redeemed like nobody's business. Because J.E.R.K. Don't get me wrong, I sympathize with his trying to mask his sexuality behind an aggressive, intimidating, bullying mask but just being sorry about his behaviors doesn't absolve him of the hurt he caused. The great thing about this story is Troy realizes this but not fully until he begins spending time with a literal chirpy, out and proud, ray of sunshine in Harris. This, of course, checks off another thing I love in my romances: protagonists being good for each other.

Harris is happiest when everyone is happy. He would rather see the good in people than the bad. He enjoys or tries his damndest to enjoy every minute of his life. He makes lemonade out of ALL the citrus fruits and that sort of extroverted optimism is infectious and even a little tractor beamish for some. Troy finds himself in Harris' company sometimes not even knowing how he got there until he decides he likes being there and begins finding reasons to do so.

He just has to decide he's comfortable there which is a bigger ask. There are some communication issues but they made sense to me when paired with Troy's perspective and past, plus the payoff is so worth it because once Troy comes into his own he's SPLENDID! He has that dry sense of humor that makes me bark with laughter. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling if he put his mind to it he could give Ilya a run for his money in the one-liner department.

As you might have guessed, Role Model is more of a slow burn which worked for me given the closetedness and Troy's general self-image but there is one tongue-slap-your-brains-out sex scene coupled with nuclear levels of UST and a heaping dose of relationship development making for a winning recipe for me. 

So if you enjoy opposites attract romances that are hockey forward with an adorable puppy Role Model is another winner in the Game Changer series that you could conceivably read as a standalone but why would you want to do that?

An ARC was provided by Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Love, Blood, and Sanctuary by Brenda Murphy, Megan Hart, Fiona Zedde

Celebrate the release of Love, Blood, and Sanctuary with authors Brenda Murphy, Megan Hart, Fiona Zedde and IndiGo Marketing! Discover more about the paranormal BDSM story and enter in the $10 NineStar Press giveaway!

 

Title: Love, Blood, and Sanctuary

Author: Brenda Murphy, Megan Hart, Fiona Zedde

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/07/2021

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 95800

Genre: Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, romance, paranormal, BDSM, lesbian, demon, blood magic, D/s relationship, sex club, spirit, witch, hemomancer, Rosh Hashanah, established couple, reunited, demi-goddess

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Description

Haunted? Hunted? When you need a safe place from disaster, heartbreak, or gods trying to break you and drain your blood… come to Sanctuary. It’s New York’s most exclusive club for magical beings and the backdrop of three sexy stories from three award winning authors.

We Choose to Be by Megan Hart
Love is in the air…and the blood. When hemomancer Hadassah meets the woman of her dreams, she has no idea that Yael is actually a blood demon. Is it only the draw of Hadassah’s talents that brings Yael into her bed? Or is there something more. Something that could last. What is love, after all, unless it’s bound by blood?

Sanguine Faith by Brenda Murphy
After a messy break-up leaves Laurel homeless and unemployed, she accepts her great-uncle’s offer of a townhouse and a job. When a seductive spirit trapped in the town house offers Laurel a means of escaping the life her uncle has planned for her, she learns that free does not mean without cost.

Promises Made by Starlight by Fiona Zedde
Abandoned by her wife years before and left devastated, Izzy has recently lost nearly everything else. Her credit is abysmal, she’s underemployed, and her successful best friend treats her like a charity case. But when her wife reappears, breaking her heart all over again, Izzy finds that not everything is as it seems. Blood gods walk the earth, and the one she once welcomed into her bed is back—ready to reclaim what’s hers.

Excerpt

Love, Blood, and Sanctuary
Brenda Murphy, Megan Hart, Fiona Zedde © 2021
All Rights Reserved

From Sanguine Faith

The rap on the car window rattled the glass. Laurel started and slammed her knee into the steering wheel. She cursed softly as she jabbed the window control button. The demon was dressed as a policeman. He wore dark glasses and his beefy hands rested on his thick duty belt nestled between the pepper spray canister and his pistol holster. A slight glow from a pouch near his hip was the only clue to his true identity. Huffing out her frustration at the window’s lack of response, Laurel shoved open the car door.

“You okay?” The officer leaned closer and peered into her face. His feet were squarely inside the circle of salt Laurel had spread around the car the night before.

“Yeah.” Laurel cleared her throat. “I’m okay.”

“You can’t sleep here.” He gestured to the street lined with ancient brownstone townhouses and graffiti covered buildings. “It’s not safe.”

“I’m sorry—” Laurel wiped her hand over her face and squinted at the officer’s name badge. “—Officer Sullivan, is it? I worked a late shift and didn’t feel safe driving anymore. I pulled over here to catch a nap.”

“Stow it. I passed this way last evening, and you were parked here. Your car hasn’t moved.” He leaned closer and removed his sunglasses and slipped them into his shirt pocket. “I know your uncle.”

“Great-uncle.” Laurel stared at his face and inhaled sharply. His eyes were light gray rimmed with red, her image mirrored in their shallow depths. His practiced glare was that of an experienced centurion. Laurel shivered under Sullivan’s gaze, unable to look away from the magical enforcer. He was bound to her clan, sworn to serve and protect. Loyal to a fault, willing to die for the family. Her great-uncle had a legion of centurions, all more than willing to aid and abet his less than legal business dealings.

“Is that so? Why are you here? What do you want?” Laurel pressed her lips together and rolled the hem of her shirt between her fingers.

Officer Sullivan leaned down and spoke softly. “You’re royalty in our world, Laurel. He know you’re sleeping in your car?” His melodious tones seeped into her body as he used the old language, the language of secrets, curses, spells, and death.

Laurel suppressed her shudder. “My roommate kicked me out.” She scrubbed her hand over her face in an attempt to hide the lie. “It was sudden.”

The centurion straightened and pursed his lips. He drummed the fingers of his hand on his holster. “All right, Laurel, if that’s how you want to play it. You need to discuss this with your great-uncle. If you don’t, I will. I don’t want to find you sleeping in your car again.” He tilted his head. “You may not have inherited your family’s abilities but you’re still family. We take care of our own. I can’t spend my nights watching you sleep, keeping watch for the Orions.”

Laurel gripped her keys tightly. Orions. The hunters. So many missing. So many gone in the blink of an eye, their bloodless and mutilated bodies found months or years later. Or worse found still smoldering, their mouths open in voiceless screams. She had taken a chance last night, but after walking in on her girlfriend eyebrows deep between their neighbor’s legs she had stuffed her car full of what it would hold and fled.

“I’ll be safe.” She lifted her shoulders and let them fall, straightening her posture before she settled her hands at nine and three on the steering wheel. “I’ll talk to him today.”

Officer Sullivan stepped back, smearing the salt of the circle she had spread around the car. He pointed at it, lifted his chin, and smirked. “Seriously? It doesn’t work unless you infuse it with energy.”

Laurel inserted the keys into the ignition. “I know.” She looked away from her feeble attempt to protect herself and his smirk. After snapping her seatbelt in place, she waved at him and closed the door. She banged her hand hard on the steering wheel when the telltale click-click-click of a dead battery echoed in the car. “Fuck me.”

Officer Sullivan opened her door. “Come on. I’ll give you a lift.”

Laurel chewed her lip as she looked down at her paint-stained black T-shirt and tatty jeans. “I can’t go like this.”

Officer Sullivan rapped on the top of the car. “Get out. Now. I don’t have all day to deal with you, Laurel. And it’s not worth my life to leave you here with a broken-down car.” He stepped back and crossed his thick arms. “Do I need to assist you in exiting the car?”

Laurel shivered. She had experienced a centurion’s assistance just once and the memory of it still woke her at night. She trembled and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Let me grab my backpack.”

“Good choice.”

Laurel gathered the few things she didn’t want to leave in the car. After jamming her sketchbook next to her ancient laptop in her bag, she zipped the top closed and grabbed her hooded sweatshirt from the backseat before she exited the car.

“You hungry?”

“I’d really like coffee. I can’t talk to Great-uncle Marcus without some caffeine on board.”

“Come on, I’ll buy you breakfast.”

“Why’d you let me sleep there last night if you were just going to take me to my uncle today?”

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

Laurel glanced at Officer Sullivan walking beside her. “Thank you.”

“No problem. To serve and protect. Even if it’s from yourself.” He held the car door open, and she slid onto the cool leather seat. She settled her backpack between her feet and pulled on her black hooded sweatshirt. The car shifted to the side as Officer Sullivan entered and levered his bulk behind the wheel.

He waited until she had fastened her seatbelt before he started the car. Laurel’s gaze slid over the array of weapons lining the car. Magical weapons clipped into racks side by side with conventional firearms, their soft glow visible to Laurel.

Able to see magic, unable to wield her own power, the last female of a clan stretching back eons, unwilling to assume her role as clan leader and unwilling to produce an heir, Laurel chewed her lip as the car shot forward bringing her closer to her great-uncle’s house.

Laurel shifted in her seat and drummed her fingers on her knees. “You worked for my mom and dad, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

Laurel stared out of the window. A familiar ache settled in her chest. There were some things even magic couldn’t protect you from. The ratty buildings gave way to well-kept streets and high-rise buildings. The sidewalks were crowded with people scurrying to work and school.

“Do you think the humans ever get it? Like, do they know about us? Really get it? Other than the ones we make consorts?”

“Humans see what they want to see. If they ever understood how powerful supernaturals are, they would freak right the fuck out. And try to exterminate us. Again. All of us. Their unwillingness to see and believe is what keeps us safe.” He tapped the pistol on his belt. “And this.”

Laurel shuddered as the car slowed and stopped.

Officer Sullivan turned off the engine and preened in the rearview mirror a moment before he turned his head to face Laurel. “How do you take your coffee?”

“Black. Unless it’s that dark roast crap. Then make it white as a virgin’s wedding dress.”

Officer Sullivan’s loud guffaw exploded in the quiet of the car. “You got it.” He left the car.

Laurel glanced at the tarnished Saint Christopher medal stuck to the car’s headliner and rolled her eyes. A group of humans rushed past, small children and their adults, animated and laughing, their voices muffled by the car window. The gentle ache in her heart blossomed into full-blown longing. Laurel blinked the grit of exhaustion from her eyes, leaned back against the headrest, and rehearsed the story she would spin for her great-uncle, hoping he would listen, knowing he would not.

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Authors

Brenda Murphy

Brenda Murphy (she/her) writes erotic romance. Her most recent novel, Double Six, is the 2020 Golden Crown Literary Society winner for Erotic Novels, and Knotted Legacy, the third book in the Rowan House series, made the 2018 The Lesbian Review’s Top 100 Vacation Reads list. You can catch her musings on writing, books, and living with wicked ADHD on her blog Writing While Distracted. She loves sideshows and tattoos and yes, those are her monkeys. When she is not loitering at her local library, she wrangles twins, one dog, and an unrepentant parrot

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. For a free short story, information on book signings, appearances, work in progress snippets, previews and sneak-peeks, sign up for my email list at: http://www.brendalmurphy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/brenda.murphy.75
https://www.instagram.com/quinbysideshow

Megan Hart

Megan Hart writes books. Some of them use bad words, but most of the other words are okay. Some of them hit bestseller lists and win awards and some don’t, but that’s the way it goes. She can’t live without music, the internet, or the ocean, but she and soda have achieved an amicable uncoupling. She loathes the feeling of corduroy or velvet, and modern art leaves her cold. She writes a little bit of everything from horror to romance, though she’s best known for writing steamy fiction that sometimes makes you cry.

Website: www.MeganHart.com
https://www.facebook.com/readinbed
https://twitter.com/megan_hart

Fiona Zedde

Fiona Zedde was born under the Jamaican sun but now makes her home in Spain. Since getting the writing bug, she’s published around thirty books and short stories, mostly about black queer romance, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists, Bliss and Every Dark Desire. Her novel Dangerous Pleasures received a Publishers Weekly starred review and was winner of an About.com Readers’ Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel or Memoir.

At this very second, she’s probably writing another book, and it has 100 percent chance of having queer romance and queer women in it. Her pseudo-healthy obsessions are French pastries, English cars, and Jamaican food.

Website: www.fionazedde.com
http://www.facebook.com/fiona.zedde
http://www.twitter.com/fionazedde

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Blog Tour: Invisible Strings by Aimee Nicole Walker

The Invisible Strings blog tour starts today courtesy of author Aimee Nicole Walker and Vibrant Promotions! Find out more about the summer contemporary romance!

Invisible Strings

Aimee Nicole Walker

M/M Romance 

Release Date: 05.19.21

Blurb

Magnetic as the Sun

Jimmy Alsop, a vivacious journalist, longs to trade his sheltered life for a summer of adventure but lacks the confidence to launch his stellar plan.

Lonely as the Moon

Nova Skye, an aloof scientist, wants to resuscitate his dead love life but hasn’t found the right man to kickstart his guarded heart.

Eclipse of the Heart

Sparks fly when a chance encounter drops Jimmy and Nova into the same orbit. Though their approach to life and love couldn’t be more different, they’re inexplicably drawn together as if connected by an invisible string. With nothing to lose but their inhibitions, Jimmy and Nova embark on an epic adventure of discovery. Passions soar with the sultry Savannah temperatures, and soon, their carefree summer becomes something more profound and beautiful than either man bargained for.

But are the ties that bind sturdy enough to withstand a lifetime, or will they fray after a season?

Universal Link: http://mybook.to/Invisible_Strings

Excerpt

Nova placed his hand beneath Jimmy’s chin and tilted it up until he was staring into sleepy eyes. He lowered his head to kiss soft lips, but Jimmy pulled free of his embrace a second before rolling to his feet and standing over the sofa. 

“Having second thoughts?” Nova asked. 

Jimmy snorted. “Get real. I have morning breath. You’ve been adamant that our first time together be perfect.” 

“Mmmm, I don’t think that’s what I said.” 

“Well, it’s how I perceived your comments,” Jimmy declared. “It’s been a while since you’ve had sex, so I also want to make this experience amazing for you.” 

“It already is. Take off your clothes,” Nova commanded. 

“Gladly, but first direct me to a bathroom where I can clean my mouth. I’d love a spare toothbrush if you have one but will settle for a finger, toothpaste, and a mouthwash chaser.” 

“Whose finger? Yours or mine?” 

Jimmy swallowed hard. “How can you make that question sound so sexy?” 

Nova laughed and rolled to his feet. Jimmy raked his gaze over his body, landing on the semi-erection tenting his shorts. “Come on.” 

Jimmy followed him to the master suite but stopped just inside the door. “I honestly never allowed myself to imagine what your bedroom looked like, only the things you did alone in here. It’s like a calm oasis with all the blues, purples, and grays. And that’s a really big bed.” 

“I like a lot of room to work with,” Nova countered. He placed his hand at the small of Jimmy’s back and guided him toward the bathroom. Once inside, he removed a spare toothbrush from a drawer along with the toothpaste and handed them to Jimmy. Gesturing to the bottle of blue liquid on the vanity, Nova said, “My mouthwash is your mouthwash.” Then he went to work cleaning his mouth. Sharing the bathroom with Jimmy felt as intimate as sex because they kept exchanging heated glances in the mirror. 

Once satisfied, Nova rinsed his mouth while Jimmy swished mouthwash around in his cheeks for a second time. Was the adorable man that concerned about his oral hygiene or had a case of nerves settled in? Their gazes met in the mirror once more, and tawny eyes widened. Jimmy shook his head and spat out the mouthwash. 

“Oh no. You’re thinking too hard.” 

“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” Nova admitted. 

Jimmy responded by pulling off his T-shirt and tossing it to the floor. “I haven’t changed my mind.” Hooking his thumbs in his waistband, he shoved his shorts and underwear down his legs, baring himself completely to Nova. “I was just being thorough.” 

“As will I,” Nova said, stepping forward and claiming the kiss he’d wanted since opening his eyes.

Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day. I’d love to hear from you.

https://linktr.ee/AimeeNicoleWalker

Review: Captivated (The Verge #2) by A.C. Thomas

Dr. Theophrastus Campbell leads a comfortable life, along with his twin brother, buried in academia. His unique gift for obscure languages goes unnoticed as he teaches University students to conjugate Latin. Everything in his world is just as it should be; restrained, understated, boring. He would give anything to break away. In all his daydreams of adventure, Theo never expected it to arrive in the form of an outrageously attractive Outlier covered in intriguing tattoos. And Theo never thought the price he might pay for adventure would be his own freedom.

Captain Park Jun-Seo leads a dangerous life, running a Crew of misfits through Restricted space as he desperately searches for the key to completing his parents’ work. Work that could mean the difference between life and death for countless others. In all of his frantic searching, Jun never expected to find the key in the form of a beautiful professor with more brilliance than good sense. And he never thought the price he might pay for knowledge would be his own heart.

Stoic Jun and irrepressible Theo must work together to break the code before their time is up. Falling into bed together is effortless, but their growing connection wasn’t in the plan. Theo charms his way beneath Jun’s skin with every nonsensical move he makes. Jun must decide if he can make room in his harsh, goal-driven life for the unpredictable force of love. Theo begins their journey as a lighthearted adventure—until he cracks Jun’s tough facade to reveal the hero within. Theo must decide if he can risk his battered heart when Jun is risking everything.

In the lawless depths of space, can two captive hearts set each other free?

Quick recap. The first book Restricted focused on genius geologist Dr. Ari Campbell and his frantic search for his abducted twin brother, linguist savant Dr. Theo Campbell. It tells the tale of Ari and pilot Orin, and their dangerous mishaps as they follow various clues to find Theo, all the while falling in love.

Now this second installment runs parallel to that first book, telling Theo’s story. It starts off with an amusing confrontation with enigmatic dangerous Jun Park, who’s desperate for Theo’s knowledge in arcane languages. Jun subsequently kidnaps Theo for his massive brain power, and what unfolds is an entertaining look as the reticent Jun, who communicates mostly in scowls and grunts, who thinks he has the upper hand since he’s wielding intense intimidation and a deadly weapon, really has no clue as to what he’s gotten himself into. What Jun doesn’t bargain for is that Theo is a unique force of nature all unto himself, possessing an unfiltered, enthusiastic outlook on life as it takes the form of incessant, nonstop chatter about everything. He’s literally rubber where annoyance and frustration bounce off of him, leaving him undeterred in voicing every single thought that comes to mind.

However, that doesn’t mean Theo doesn’t have feelings. He’s been hurt many a time by unkind words and rejection, but he just can’t help being who he is. As one can well imagine, this whirlwind of verbosity slowly breaks down Jun’s barriers as he valiantly tries to do the small heroic task of saving the sector of space known as the Verge. Jun has no time for a romantic dalliance no matter how alluring Theo is, let alone fall in love.

Just like the first book, this was fun, silly, and interspersed with some high stake situations, as well as being pretty damn smexy if I do say so myself. Instead of capitalizing on a gentle giant dynamic, Jun holds his control with an iron fist, and he exerts it oh so nicely over Theo who needs a lot of reigning in, if you catch my drift. Mix that with plenty of space-y shenanigans as Jun confronts his ugly past, and Theo uses his smarts to be part of Jun’s unconventional loyal crew that gleefully takes pleasure in seeing their captain squirm.

Obviously, the ending here converges with the first book, merging quite seamlessly as the two brainiac twins are reunited, both realizing that their areas of expertise are exactly what’s needed in order to save millions of lives. Overall, this second offering by AC Thomas has improved storytelling, continued character development, and a romance that played out very nicely. Now that all parties are accounted for, the real work and challenges will begin, and I look forward to seeing how this diverse group of unintended allies saves their part of the known universe!