Release Blitz + Giveaway: Jamison: A Maxim Novel by A.N. Waugh


 

Author A.N. Waugh and Gay Book Promotions share new release info for Jamison: A Maxim Novel! Find out more about the new series and enter in the giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

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Book Title: Jamison: A Maxim Novel

Author: A.N. Waugh

Cover Artist: Midnight Designs

Release Date: June 7, 2022

Genre: Contemporary MM Romance

Tropes: Friends to lovers, second chance romance, rockstar

Heat Rating:  4 flames

Length: approx 45 000 words

It is book one in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger for the couple, but there are some unresolved conflicts that will reappear later in the series.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |   Amazon UK 

Blurb 

Vance
Jamison Black. Lead singer for the band Maxim, and my first love. He broke my heart to follow his dream. Now, six years after the heartbreak, he is my job. I’ve worked hard for this internship and to get close to him again, but it doesn’t take long to realize we can’t be anything more than friends. Not when Maxim is so close to the success they’ve been chasing all this time.

Jamison
I never knew how much I missed Vance Martin until I saw him in the last place I expected. He is my heart. Always has been, always will be. I’m his client, and he’s determined to keep me in the friend zone. A place I refuse to stay. I might have left my heart behind six years ago, but I won’t let him go again.


Jamison is the first book in the Maxim series. An MM Rockstar, best friends to lovers, second chance romance with two stubborn main characters, a too observant, witty and flamboyant interfering coworker, entertaining bandmates and friends, and a fake girlfriend who has forgotten her love isn’t real.

Excerpt 

“Hey, you should come out with me tonight. I know this great club.” Klaus interrupts my thoughts about working with one of the biggest and most well-known record labels.

“Sure, why not?” I agree. I need to make friends and Klaus, with his big personality and flashy attire, seems to be the most welcoming. Besides, I should get to know the man if we are going to be working together for the next few months. What can it hurt? He’s harmless, right?

A few hours later, I’ve resigned myself to the knowledge that Klaus is anything but harmless as he drags me inside a crowded club. Every head turns in our direction, and while I’m not ashamed to be seen with him, it means I garner just as much attention for being at his side. The tight leather pants and black see-through top he’s wearing leave nothing to the imagination. Every man and woman we pass can clearly see the size of his package and the piercings in his nipples. I look and feel out of place in comparison with my jeans and an old Nirvana t-shirt.

When we reach the bar, Klaus orders a couple of shots and some fruity concoction for the two of us. I look around, taking in all the people. My eyes drift across the club, over the dance floor, and up to the second floor.

A glass wall surrounds a balcony sitting area where the VIPs avoid the crowd of commoners literally beneath them. Sitting at a table in the corner is a face I would recognize anywhere, even at a distance. I blink and he’s gone. Did I imagine it?

Klaus hands me a shot and I toss it back, letting the burn that slides down my throat bring me back to reality and the here and now.

“Here.” He hands me one of the fruity drinks. “Let’s dance.”

Maxim’s latest hit plays over the sound system and the buzz of alcohol and the steady beat of the music flow through me. The sexy, gravelly voice of Maxim’s lead singer lulls me into a sexually charged state. I close my eyes and let the rhythm take over, my body swaying in a dance learned years ago.

Jamison Black’s voice has seduced me, consoled me, and left me wanting since I was a teen. His rockstar looks: long dark hair and ice-blue eyes lined with kohl stirred my libido before I fully understood my attraction to men. Late night fantasies of his talented mouth on my skin, fantasies that still claim me when I’ve gone too long without release, flash through my mind.

The DJ switches songs, and my Jamison-induced spell is broken. I open my eyes and take in the club. Klaus, in all his flamboyant splendor, is dancing between two well-dressed men, probably corporate businessmen here to unwind. Too bad Klaus has set his sights on them.

I laugh and move from the dance floor to the bar for another drink. My inhibitions slowly drift away as the warm and sensual caress of alcohol unfurls in my veins. I glimpse myself in the mirror behind the bar. My cheeks are pink with the heat that permeates my body, and my hair is a ruffled mess from dancing.

The bartender hands me another of the fruity drinks Klaus had ordered earlier.

“Damn. That’s too bad. I’d hoped to make it over in time to buy you a drink.” A man that screams sleazy Hollywood moves to stand next to me. “I’m Chad. I hope I’m not being too forward, but are you here alone?”

“Uh,” I stall, searching the crowd for Klaus. “I’m here with—”

“There you are. I thought I’d lost you out there.”

The rich, melodic voice comes from behind and I close my eyes as an arm wraps around my waist, fingers gripping my hip.

“My apologies.” Chad sounds more annoyed than apologetic about the newcomer’s intrusion.

“No problem.” I can practically hear the forced politeness in his voice and open my eyes to tell Chad that I am not here with anyone but a friend. But he has since moved on to another target farther down the line of people at the bar.

Breathing deeply, I step away until the man’s arm at my back falls away, then turn to face a blast from my past. A sexy as fuck blast from the past.

About the Author 

A.N. Waugh is an author of MM/MMM+ romances, a pansexual mess, and a firm believer that love is love.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: The Rule of Three by Kristian Parker


Author Kristian Parker and Pride Publishing celebrate the release of The Rule of Three! Read more about the menage romance and enter in the First Romance gift card giveaway!

The Rule of Three by Kristian Parker

Word Count: 51,253
Book Length: NOVEL
Pages: 211

Genres:

CONTEMPORARY
EROTIC ROMANCE
GAY
GLBTQI
MÉNAGE AND MULTIPLE PARTNERS

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Book Description

   

When a handsome stranger arrives, James and Ed have to make a choice that will change their lives.

James Durkin is happy. He’s landlord of the pub, chair of the parish council and secret lover of his best friend, Ed Cropper. But Ed, tired of living in the shadows, dreams of living openly, something James can’t contemplate.

Then there’s Arthur Whittaker. When the handsome young primary school teacher comes to live in the village, he signals a future that neither James nor Ed ever saw for themselves.

But the small Yorkshire village of Napthwaite is a place that’s resistant to change, meaning the three men must be strong enough to forge their own path…

Will they overcome the odds—and tradition—to find the love they crave, or will their brave new world crumble to nothing under the pressure?

Reader advisory: This book contains instances of homophobia, and references to parental death and on-page drug taking.

Excerpt

Disco music blasted from the float passing by, and the crowds jamming the pavements dancing and waving in the spring sunshine cheered as a drag queen belted out Holding Out For A Hero at the top of her lungs.

A six-foot-tall man dressed as Wonder Woman threw a condom directly at Ed Cropper It ricocheted off his head and fell straight into his beer.

“Lo siento,” ‘she’ cried and blew him a kiss.

She disappeared into the crowd, soon to be replaced by a marching band in stockings and suspenders. The parade waited for no one.

Ed fished the rogue item out of his beer and slid it into his shirt pocket.

James Durkin wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “Could you be any more Yorkshire? Waste not, want not?” he asked, laughing.

Ed leant into the hug, the throng of sweaty bodies pushing them together and the overwhelming smell of poppers permeating through the crowd. It only ever gave him a headache. He wondered what the hell anyone was doing sniffing them in the glaring Spanish sun.

Ah, guapo, guapo,” shouted another drag queen, resplendent as Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She made a beeline for Ed and James, kissing them both on the cheeks before plunging their faces into her bosom.

They gasped as they came up for air and she blew kisses.

“It’s bloody mental this year.” James grinned.

The parade tailed off, leaving the crowd to disperse. Every bar had rainbow flags and cheap shots, but several years’ experience had taught Ed that Maspalomas Pride was a marathon, not a sprint…although the glint in James’ eye said he’d happily hit the booze.

“Right. Come on, you,” Ed said. “Let’s get some supplies and have a disco nap. Keep your strength up.”

“Spoilsport,” James replied.

They broke off from the crowd and wandered down an alley towards the apartment they’d rented. It was so close to everything that they’d snapped it up the second they’d come home last year.

James put his shirt on and walked with a spring in his step. Ed caught sight of them both in a boutique window. The drag queen had been right. They did make a handsome couple. Six-foot-three James had piercing blue eyes, a receding hairline that he shaved and lightly tan skin. Ed, on the other hand, had long dark curls, a beard and an even deeper tan from working outdoors most of his life.

Once inside, the cool relief in the supermarket made Ed gasp. It had been so hot in the middle of that crowd. James stood by the huge fan, letting his shirt billow behind him.

“What are you like?” Ed chuckled, picking up a basket and starting to think about what they needed.

James followed him up the aisle. Ed picked up some juice and bits to snack on. He absolutely refused to turn the cooker on in the apartment, but they had to survive, didn’t they? He turned and saw James holding up eggs, bread and cheese.

“Please can I have your French toast for breakfast?” James asked with his pathetic puppy-dog face.

Ed sighed. “Not a chance, buster. You can take me out for French toast.”

James slowly dropped the items in the basket. “But no one makes it like you do. You’re the best French toast chef this side of Paris.”

Ed couldn’t resist those eyes. “Fine, seeing as it’s you.”

“Thank you, Eduardo,” James said with a wink. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

It made Ed cross when James called him that and he bloody knew it. “Will you now?”

“Definitely.”

“Then you’ve definitely got a deal.”

Ed went to kiss him but leapt like a scalded cat as James put a hand on his chest and pushed him away.

“What are you doing?” James whispered, checking around the deserted aisle to see if anyone had seen them.

Ed’s chest still stung from where James’ fingertips had rejected him. “Nothing.” He continued walking up the aisle but could sense James wasn’t following him and spun round. James had that confused face he used to pull in primary school when asked a particularly difficult question. Ed had found it adorable then and he still did.

“What is the matter with you?” James asked calmly.

It drove Ed mad that he never seemed to lose his cool. Ed threw the basket down on the floor with a clatter. “Ten minutes ago, you were happy to kiss a drag queen and take your shirt off. Now you push me away?”

James snatched up the basket. “Are we having an argument in the fucking shampoo aisle?”

“No, James. We couldn’t do that because someone might hear us,” Ed replied and stormed past him and out of the shop.

Tears were threatening to escape as he dashed across the busy street and down another alley which led to their apartment. He had the key and let himself into the dusty stairway where they’d kissed on nearly every step after they’d got home the night before.

Today he stomped up each one, desperately trying to leave his anger on them but only feeling more uptight the higher he climbed. By the time he got inside, the tears had gone and he paced the apartment. James would be here any minute and Ed really didn’t want to ruin the holiday by having a row.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked out onto the balcony. The dull thud of the dance music from the huge party a stone’s throw away swept across the rooftops. Gaggles of men would be dancing in each other’s arms. Not afraid of anything.

Ed had always known he was attracted to men, but there had only ever been one he’d truly wanted. The man charging across the street below with a bag of shopping. He took a long slug of the cold beer and waited for the intercom to sound. It didn’t take long before the harsh buzz filled the room. With a sigh, he wandered over.

“Are you going to let me in?” James’ crackly voice questioned him.

Ed pushed the button and replaced the receiver. As a couple, they weren’t the type to be constantly arguing and making up. They achieved this mainly as Ed did everything he could to keep the peace. He hated confrontation. It upset him and he’d replay it over and over, long after James had forgotten about it.

But he’d started this one and now James’ footsteps echoed on the stairs. He would soon be wanting answers and Ed just wasn’t ready to have the conversation he’d been practising for a while now. He went out onto the balcony again. James had a habit of filling a room and could be totally overpowering. Ed had always been more the type to shrink and marvel at how James could find a way to talk to anyone.

James came through the wooden panelled door and threw the shopping bag down onto the glass dining table. “Are you going to talk to me?” he asked, joining Ed on the balcony. He took his beer from his hand and had a swig.

Ed got up and padded inside. James’ eyes bored into him as he got another drink from the buzzing fridge. It annoyed him that James had left the door open. He worried about mosquitos getting in, but the look on James’ face hadn’t lessened any and he thought it best to leave it for now.

“I’m still waiting, Ed.”

Ed went back outside and sat on the rickety old chair. “Why couldn’t you kiss me?” he asked eventually.

“You know why,” James said, leaning against the railing. “What if someone sees us?”

Ed threw his hands up in the air. “We’re miles away from anyone we know. And who cares if they do?”

“It’s just not my thing. You know it isn’t.”

But what if it’s mine? Ed couldn’t face carrying on this conversation. They had dinner plans for the evening and he had no intention of eating with a cloud hanging over them. “Fine, whatever. I’m sorry I caused a scene. It just hurt me, you know?”

He got up to put the shopping away. James grabbed hold of his arm and drew him inward, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Ed could smell the citrussy aftershave James had bought at the airport. It worked well on him, and he allowed himself to be drawn into a hug.

“You daft bugger. I love you no matter what. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you and I’d bloody kill anyone who did.”

Feeling the strong arms resting on his shoulders made everything all right again. It always had.

“Come here,” James said with a glint in his eye.

He moved Ed so he faced out to the whole of Maspalomas and stood behind him, lifting his arms like Leo did to Kate in Titanic.

“I bloody love this man,” James shouted, almost deafening Ed in the process. “I always have and I always will.”

A few people down below cheered. James spun him around and planted his lips on his. “There you go. Happy now?”

With that, he went inside and busied himself putting the shopping away. Ed watched him, marvelling at how pleased with himself James seemed. But the nagging doubt inside Ed still gnawed away at him. James had done it to keep him sweet, not because he wanted to. This secret love affair seemed to be all James wanted. A week in the sunshine every year then sneaking around the village they lived in for the rest of it.

Ed sighed and tried to shake the feeling that had been creeping into his mind for months.

The feeling that this…wasn’t enough for him anymore.

Buy Links

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First For Romance

About the Author

Kristian Parker

I have written for as long as I could write. In fact, before, when I would dictate to my auntie. I love to read, and I love to create worlds and characters.

I live in the English countryside. When I’m not writing, I like to get out there and think through the next scenario I’m going to throw my characters into.

Inspiration can be found anywhere, on a train, in a restaurant or in an office. I am always in search of the next character to find love in one of my stories. In a world of apps and online dating, it is important to remember love can be found when you least expect it.

Follow Kristian on Facebook.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: I Am Not Your Chosen One by Evelyn Benvie


 

Author Evelyn Benvie and Gay Book Promotions make a visit for I Am Not Your Chosen One blog tour! Check out the book info for the fantasy and check out the $25 Mischief Corner Books gift card giveaway!

BLOG TOUR

Book Title:  I Am Not Your Chosen One

Author: Evelyn Benvie

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Release Date: June 14, 2022

Genres: High Fantasy Humor, M/M Romance, Demisexual romance

Tropes: Refusal of the Call, Slow Burn Romance

Themes: Found family, self-acceptance, finding home

Heat Rating:  1 flame   

Length:  102 000 words

It is the first book in a new series and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available for Pre-Order

Amazon US   |  Amazon UK

B&N   |  Kobo  |  Apple

Magic in Allune is dying. 

The stars and the goddess call out for a Chosen Hero to save it. 

Unfortunately, all they get is Kell.

Blurb 

IKell Hồ Sinh Porter is twenty-six years old and desperate to leave his unhappy life and his dead-end town. One night his wish is granted by a mysterious voice—though not in any way he would've imagined—and he finds himself in the semi-magical land of Allune where everyone thinks he’s the “Chosen One.” Kell politely disagrees, and absconds from his duties. On the search for an adventure that doesn’t come with world-saving responsibility attached, he’s joined by companions. Every adventurer needs them, but his turn out to be Ansel, a sheltered fallen angel, and Fre, a half-orlk who wants to be a hero.

Destiny, bad luck, and the gods conspire against him. The Dawn Goddess wants him to take up his Chosen One mantle, which Kell is sure means becoming cannon fodder in an ancient divine war. The Lich King’s demonic minions carry out sporadic attacks in an attempt to kill him and prove he is not the Chosen One. Temperamental elves, talking stars that aren't all that helpful, image-conscious demons, maddening pieces of prophecy that everyone thinks Kell should already know, and his growing feelings for Ansel all mix in a frustrating stew as Kell tries to juggle his feelings, his duties, and all the things trying to kill him. No one asked him if he wanted to be anyone's Chosen One, and he can't begin to understand why he was chosen. Kell needs to figure out who to trust and how to forge his own path before it's too late for Allune and for him.

Excerpt 

Kell woke up slowly. Awareness filtered back to him in pieces. Rough wood under his palms. The warmth of the sun on his skin. The low, tumbling murmur of gathered people. Something weighing hot and heavy against his ribcage. The scent of fresh baking and old sweat mixing on his tongue. He wrinkled his nose and blinked his eyes open.

He was lying on a platform near the middle of town, judging by the smell and the noise. That wasn't necessarily troubling in and of itself. But the sky …

It was blue, yes, and the sun was midmorning high and bright enough to make his eyes water. But there were stars speckling the sky all above him, little pink pinpricks of light dusting what should have been a solid-blue backdrop. Kell stared at them hard for a long moment, then closed his eyes again.

Weren't dreams supposed to end when you woke up? What was this, a dream within a dream?

Whatever it was, he didn't feel up to dealing with it right now.

Apparently the world wasn't going to give him a choice. Someone nudged at his leg, gently at first but with increasing insistence.

Someone, Kell thought, with perhaps an edge of bubbling hysteria, or something. He giggled a little, biting his lip to keep the sound in. God, what is with me?

Maybe he had heat stroke. It was unusually warm out now for only being March.

What had happened last night? Fuck it. He didn't remember getting drunk enough to pass out in the middle of the street. He didn't remember planning on drinking at all.

A throat cleared above him, polite but impatient. Oh, well. Time for him to get up anyway before he got cited for public drunkenness or whatever. Kell made an effort to lift his head, but it was hard, and he was tired, and staying here a little longer couldn't hurt, right?

Was public drunkenness even a real crime?

"Oh for the love of Skuache …" someone muttered, and then Kell found himself being gripped firmly on either side and hauled upwards. He let out a yelp of surprise, flailing around as strong arms did their best to hold him steady. The world spun as he opened his eyes, and it took a moment to get his feet under him. He staggered a bit, keeping his eyes trained on his feet for balance until he felt he wouldn't fall over at any moment. Not that his rescuers had any intention of letting him go any time soon, with the way they held onto his arms just this side of too tight.

Shouldn't have wished for the cops last night if this is where it gets me.

"Really, goddess," the person continued to mutter. They sounded close. And important in a kind of college professor way. The kind used to lecturing and looking down on failing students. Kell dubbed him Professor Throat Clearer and entertained a brief image of a stuffy man in tweed giving lectures on how to properly interrupt conversation with discreet noises. It sounded like a fun class. Kell would have taken it.

"I have faith in your efforts, I truly do," Professor Throat Clearer continued, speaking low and to himself. "But I swear, these Chosen get worse every time."

About the Author  

Evelyn Benvie is the wooly jumper in a family of black sheep. Both a cynic and a romantic at heart, she writes diverse poetry and queer-positive spec-fiction with strong characters, quirky romances, and (almost always) happy endings.

​Sometimes she'll try to be funny, to varying results.

Author Links

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Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win

a $25 Mischief Corner Books gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Disowned Royal (Club Royal #4) by Elouise East


Author Elouise East and Gay Book Promotions share new release information on daddy kink romance, Disowned Royal (Club Royal #4)! Read more about the contemporary romance and enter in the giveaway for a chance to win one of two signed paperbacks of one book from the Club Royal series! Good luck!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Disowned Royal (Club Royal Book 4)

Author and Publisher: Elouise East

Cover Artist: Designs by Tina Løwen

Release Date: June 2, 2022

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Friends to lovers, Daddy/little, hurt/comfort, famous person chooses commoner

Themes: Family trying to hurt those the MCs love, 

Heat Rating:  3 - 4 flames   

Length: approx 82 000 words/ 295 pages

It can be read as a standalone but it is recommended the other books are read first.

The book does not end on a cliffhanger, but there is an overarching storyline that goes through the series.

Goodreads

Buy Links Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   |  Amazon UK 

Book 1 (Rogue Royal) will be on sale from June 2 - 5

An ex-Army prince must protect the man he loves from his treasonous family

Blurb

Life couldn’t get any more twisted and convoluted if it tried. Christian hates his parents as much as they hate him, but he never expected them to throw him in a cell when he blurted out he was bisexual. Their public image is important to them because it hides the transgressions they’ve subjected many people to over the years. People Christian mourn every day because he couldn’t save them. Reading is an escape, and one place gives him the solitude he needs to shore his defences - and the view isn’t too bad either.

Oscar is living his dream. The owner of a beautiful cafe slash bookshop slash library, he is never happier than when he is working, which is all the time. When Prince Christian becomes a regular, Oscar tries to stop his attraction to him, but the man is like a god. A haunted god, but nonetheless. His scrutiny of the man means he notices when Christian nears breaking point, but he has no idea what to do about it. Christian offers to find him a Daddy, but Oscar hesitates. Does Christian really want to help or is he feeling sorry for him? 

When their attraction persuades Christian to take the role of Oscar’s Daddy for himself, can he keep Oscar safe when he goes up against the people who wish to harm those they love?

This is an MM book containing BDSM scenes and D/s dynamics in all forms. It also has lots of loving, friendships, family drama and, of course, a HEA.

Excerpt 

“Would you like some company?” he asked.

Christian smiled. “Sure. Have a seat.”

“I don’t have to if you want some peace. I didn’t realise Hilary had…”

“Sit down, little one,” Christian murmured.

Oscar slid into the seat opposite him, pulling his cup and cake towards him. He was quiet for a moment before he peered at Christian again. “Does it hurt?”

Christian chuckled. “A little. Eating is tiresome because it makes my jaw ache, but I can manage.”

“Are your ribs the same?” Raising his eyebrows, Christian tilted his head. “I saw you wince a couple of times.”

“Yes. My ribs are decorated like a rainbow at present.”

Oscar gasped. “Should you be resting?”

“If I didn’t get out of there, I would’ve gone mad. I’ve been ‘resting’ for days already.” He focused on his coffee, taking a sip.

Oscar bit his lip to stop from asking what happened. Instead, he used his fork to cut a piece of his cake and slide it into his mouth. The chocolate cake was delicious, and the reason he always had his supplier make an extra cake so he could take one home. He counted it as part of his wages. It didn’t help that he had a sweet tooth, something his Daddy would need to help him with when he had one who stayed longer than a night.

“What are you thinking about?” Christian asked.

Oscar opened the eyes he hadn’t realised he’d closed and studied him. Then he stared at his cake, pushing crumbs from one side to the other. He huffed a laugh. “I was thinking that I needed my Da…” He glanced over his shoulder. “I needed my Daddy to make sure I didn’t eat too many sweet things. I have something of a problem.”

Christian laughed. “Working in a cafe is probably not the best idea.”

“Don’t I know it. I’m sure my trousers are getting tighter by the day.”

“You look fine to me. I bet being on your feet all day balances the sweet addiction. I bet it’s not as bad as Henry and George, anyway.”

“Why?”

Christian put his mug down and curled his hands around it. “Henry loves fudge. Any flavour, any shape. Just fudge. If he had his way, he’d eat it every day. As for George, his addiction to love heart sweets easily pays a factory worker’s annual salary.”

Oscar chuckled. “I don’t feel so alone now.”

“You’d fit right in, don’t you worry.”

Oscar’s heart jumped with Christian’s words, though he knew the prince didn’t mean anything by them. There was no way he would fit in with royalty.

“I will be speaking tomorrow to a couple of people who might be interested in your…situation,” Christian said. “I will hopefully have more news for you tomorrow.”

Oscar swallowed hard, ignoring the pang in his stomach when he thought about someone else being with him. He couldn’t have a prince. “Thank you.” He drank his coffee, shoving down the feelings his traitorous body was bringing to the surface.

“What’s wrong?”

Oscar glanced up. “What?”

“You seem sad. Has something happened?”

“No, nothing. I’m okay.”

Christian narrowed his eyes on him, and Oscar fidgeted in his seat, wanting to make himself smaller. Not because Christian was intimidating, but because Oscar’s brain was already associating Christian with being a Daddy and someone he didn’t want to upset. He wanted to be good for him, even though they didn’t have that type of relationship.

“Oscar?”

He lifted his gaze to where his name had been called, and Hilary waved for him. He stood. “I have to get back to work. I’m glad you’re okay.” Oscar stepped away but turned back when Christian said his name softly.

“I’ll find someone. I promise.”



About the Author  

I am Elouise East but feel free to call me Elli. I write sweet and steamy connections in gay romance. I also touch on taboo stories under the name Elouise R East.

Books that tell the stories where friendship and family are the focal point - be it blood family or chosen - is very important to me. That’s why I include a variety of personalities, talents, ages, situations and abilities as I believe a story or a character needs. I want my characters to be real, to be relatable, to be free to have whatever views they tell me they have. And trust me, most of the time, I do not have any say in the matter!

My characters come to life on the page for me as well as my readers. Their stories unfold in front of me, and I have very little input into how they want to be shown. Just like real life, the lives of my characters change with every choice, every interaction and every conversation. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I write books that are emotionally realistic, even if liberties are taken with other aspects of my stories. I don’t know any other way to write. It comes from deep inside.

Who am I? A single parent to two children who make life worth living. An avid reader who still devours every book she can get her hands on. A student of learning about any subject that takes her fancy. An author of books she would read herself. And a romantic at heart who loves anything cheesy. 

Who’s in?

Author Links

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Giveaway 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win 

one of two signed paperbacks of one book from the Club Royal series

(Rogue Royal, Secretive Royal, Grieving Royal or Disowned Royal)

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Awfully Ambrose (Bad Boyfriends, Inc. #1) by Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey

Authors Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey share their new romantic comedy, Awfully Ambrose (Bad Boyfriends, Inc. #1) from Pride Publishing! Read more about the new contemporary series and enter in the First Romance gift card giveaway!

Awfully Ambrose by Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey

Book 1 in the Bad Boyfriends, Inc. series

Word Count: 70,329
Book Length: SUPER NOVEL
Pages: 273

Genres:

COMEDY AND HUMOUR
CONTEMPORARY
EROTIC ROMANCE
FAKE RELATIONSHIPS
GAY
GLBTQI

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Book Description


Bad Boyfriend, Inc—When you can’t find a good boyfriend, why not hire a bad one instead?

Liam Connelly is a university student in Sydney. He leads an orderly and predictable life of studying, working as a waiter in an upscale harbour restaurant and spending lots of time with his cat, trying to convince himself that after his last cheating boyfriend, he’s perfectly happy alone. Well, mostly happy.

Ambrose Newman is a Bad Boyfriend. Professionally. Someone’s parents don’t approve of that long-haired unemployed bass player they want to date? Well, that’s where Ambrose comes in. For a few hundred dollars a night, he’ll go to dinner with them and their parents and show them that the grass is definitely not greener on his side of the fence. It’s dead. When Ambrose brings a date to Liam’s restaurant, it’s not sparks that fly—it’s glassware.

When Liam needs a date to prove to his visiting parents that he’s not destined to die sad and alone, he calls Ambrose, desperate. If Ambrose can be a bad boyfriend for money, he can be a tolerable one too, right? Which works out great—right up until Ambrose is too nice, and Liam’s parents invite them up to their winery for the long weekend.

Suddenly Ambrose has to be a Bad Boyfriend again, to give Liam an excuse to ‘break up’ with him before his mum starts planning the wedding. But as Liam gets to know the real Ambrose, real feelings start to sneak into the fake relationship on both sides. Under the watchful eyes of Liam’s protective family, who have no idea what to make of Ambrose, their fake relationship evolves into a chance at something real.

When Ambrose has an ugly run-in with Liam’s sister’s fiancé—who’s an even worse boyfriend than him—it might cost him not only any chance he had of convincing Liam’s family that he’s not the nightmare they think he is, but his fledgling relationship with Liam, too.

Reader advisory: This book contains mention of physical abuse and a racist comment.

Excerpt

The voice was loud and obnoxious, at odds with the restaurant’s muted soundtrack of clinking cutlery, soft jazz and murmured conversation.

“Really appreciate you paying for dinner, Tom. I’m between opportunities right now but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna take just any job and be a corporate drone. Better to take a free meal when I can get one, right?”

It was followed by a braying laugh that made Liam wince and want to drag his nails down a blackboard, because that would have been preferable to listening to this honking, snorting nightmare.

Liam prayed he wouldn’t have to wait on whoever the loud idiot was, but judging by the smirk on his co-worker Judy’s face, he had a sudden sinking certainty that the table was his. Sure enough, when he glanced over to check, there was Braying Man in the middle of his section—elbows on the table, wearing a backwards baseball cap and a flannel shirt, picking at his teeth.

The idiot caught Liam’s eye and snapped his fingers. “Hey, man, can we get a bread basket or something? And booze. Lots of booze. Her old man’s paying, so make it the good stuff.” He winked, then gave Liam honest-to-God finger guns.

The guy was an utter dickhead, Liam decided. Still, part of the job was keeping his opinions to himself, so Liam made his way over to the table, face carefully impassive. His mask slipped for a split second when he recognized the girl who was gazing at Dickhead with something like worship. It was Kelly, who he shared a Marketing Communications class with at the University of Sydney, and the last time Liam had talked to her, she’d been dating someone completely different—a nice, if slightly scruffy, guitarist in a pub band. He wondered what had happened to him.

The other couple at the table had to be Kelly’s parents. They were looking at the guy with a slightly confused expression on their faces, like he was one of those hairless cats, and they couldn’t decide if they were fascinated or horrified by his existence.

Liam had to admit, Dickhead was objectively attractive when he was keeping his mouth shut. He could have been a model, with his well-muscled physique, dark hair and carefully sculpted stubble. He had a strong, straight nose, killer jawline, and even white teeth. He was just Liam’s type—or would have been, if Liam dated.

Liam cleared his throat and did his best to pretend he didn’t know anyone at the table as he said, “Welcome to Bayside. Would you like to order some drinks?”

Dickhead rolled his eyes. “Wow. I guess you weren’t listening, huh? I mean, I literally just asked you to bring us good booze.”

Liam kept his face pleasantly neutral—he’d had plenty of practice, working as a waiter in a high-end Sydney restaurant—and clarified, “What, specifically, would you like to drink, sir?” He made sure to address Kelly’s father, since he was obviously the one footing the bill.

The man smiled gratefully and started to say, “I’d like a gin and tonic, and my wife will have—”

Arsehole interrupted. “Just give me a bottle of that Don Paragraph stuff”—as someone from a family of winemakers, Liam died a tiny death at the mangled pronunciation—“and the quicker the better, yeah?”

“I’ll check if we have any Dom Perignon in stock, sir. How many glasses with that?” Liam asked through clenched teeth. God, he hoped they weren’t celebrating Kelly’s engagement to this douchebag.

Dude wrinkled his nose. “Just one. It’s for me.” He turned to Kelly and winked. “Gotta watch for extra calories in drinks if you wanna stay in shape, am I right, sweet pea?”

Liam waited for Kelly to rip the guy’s balls off—he hoped literally, but he’d settle for metaphorically—because he knew she had a hell of a temper when she was wronged. He’d been on the receiving end of it during one disastrous group assignment. But Kelly just smiled like a Stepford Wife and murmured, “Yes, Ambrose.”

Liam was pretty sure the shock on her father’s face was mirrored on his own, but he schooled his features and nodded. Ambrose tilted a menu at Kelly’s father. “This seafood platter’s meant to be for two, but you’re cool with me ordering it, right, Tom?”

Kelly’s father cleared his throat. “Kelly’s allergic to seafood.”

“That’s cool, I wasn’t planning on sharing anyway,” the dickhead—Ambrose—said with an easy grin that lit up his entire face and really, it wasn’t fair that someone who was such a colossal arsehole could be so attractive. But of course, that was how the world worked, right? Beautiful people got away with murder.

Liam turned back to the older man. “And the rest of your drinks order, sir?” he asked, taking petty satisfaction at the way Ambrose snorted and muttered under his breath.

“A gin and tonic for myself, and a glass of Connelly Cellars’ Perfect Pinot,” Tom said, and Liam suppressed the urge to preen, just like he did every time someone ordered one of his family’s wines.

“Make mine a tonic water,” Kelly said.

Liam blinked. Wow, what happened to the girl who always claimed she’d never drink water because fish fucked in it?

Something weird was going on, and whatever it was, Liam didn’t like it. He especially didn’t like that it was happening here at Bayside. People didn’t come into Bayside wearing backwards caps and being dicks. Bayside had standards—standards that Liam was beginning to worry he might have to attempt to enforce. It had water views! You could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the wide dining room windows! It was both fancy and trendy, and it always made the list of the top ten places to eat in Sydney. Diners weren’t supposed to wear flannel to Bayside, and Liam panicked quietly that he didn’t know if the dress code was actually enforceable or not. Liam had only been working here for eight months, but it had never come up before. People usually treated Bayside like it was a special occasion, not three a.m. at the counter of Macca’s.

“Good choice, babe. You know you’re a sloppy drunk,” Ambrose said, leaning in and patting Kelly’s face. Then he hauled himself out of his chair, scratched his belly and farted. “I gotta go take a dump. I always shit when I’m out. Make someone else deal with that, am I right?” And with that Ambrose sauntered towards the bathrooms, leaving Kelly’s parents staring after him open-mouthed.

Liam couldn’t help himself. “Kelly—”

“Hi, Liam, I guess you’ve met my new boyfriend now!” Kelly cut in, following that with a tinkling laugh that was pitched a little high with nerves. “He’s an entrepreneur.”

Liam opened his mouth to ask what happened to Greg the bassist, but Kelly shot him a glare that said she would hunt him down and personally set his dick on fire if he said another word. Liam knew that look, so he shut his mouth, went to fetch drinks and said a prayer that he wouldn’t have to be the one to clean the toilets at the end of the night. Frankly, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Ambrose had just decided to take a shit on the floor and stolen all the paper.

When Ambrose wandered back out again at last, he didn’t walk straight back to his own table. Instead, he approached another table where a group of shiny and fashionable young women who were probably Instagram influencers or something were eating.

“Hi, ladies,” he said. He put both hands on their table and leaned forward. “My name’s Ambrose.”

“Is he—?” Kelly’s mother’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my God.”

“Ambrose is very sociable,” Kelly said. “People love him.”

A ticking vein in her father’s temple called her a liar.

Liam saw the way that Tom started to strangle his linen napkin, and hurried over to the influencers’ table. “Excuse me, sir,” he said to Ambrose. “Can you please return to your own table?”

Ambrose gave him finger guns, and sauntered back over to join Kelly and her parents.

What the everlasting fuck? And Liam obviously wasn’t the only one thinking it. Kelly’s mum looked close to tears, and her dad looked half a heartbeat away from either a stroke or a homicide. In the event he actually did murder Ambrose, Liam decided to tell the police it was justified. Hell, at this point he’d probably give the guy an alibi. And the murder weapon. And a bucket of bleach to clean up the murder scene.

Kelly, though, just beamed at Ambrose like she was under some sort of spell. “I missed you, boo.” She blew him a kiss.

Ambrose shrugged. “Have we ordered yet? I’m starving. Service here is soooo slow,” he said loudly, stretching his arms over his head and attracting stares from the other tables. “Probably can’t get decent staff.”

Liam seethed and wondered if he and Tom could come to some sort of agreement regarding mutual alibis and body disposal. The walk-in freezer out the back would be a good place to store a corpse while they figured out their next step.

Liam woodenly went through the specials, which nobody ever ordered anyway, then took their menus back and excused himself. He’d only made it a few steps away from the table when the obnoxious click of someone’s fingers pulled him back again.

“Garçon!”

Ambrose. Of-fucking-course.

“Hey, change Kelly’s order to a garden salad,” Ambrose said. He grinned at Kelly. “We don’t want you getting too chunky, right, babe?”

That vein in Tom’s temple looked about ready to pop. “Kelly can eat what she bloody well likes,” he hissed in an undertone.

“A salad sounds great, actually,” Kelly said. “Ambrose knows what’s best. Babe, tell them about your business ideas.”

Ambrose straightened up, his eyes gleaming. “Have you guys heard of multi-level marketing?”

This time it was Liam’s jaw that dropped. Kelly was a business major.

“So,” Ambrose said to Kelly’s stone-faced parents, “what you do is, you have a product, and you recruit people to sell it for you. They’re called a downline. Like, some people say that it’s predatory and cult-like, but I’ve been in a cult, and ha! You won’t fool me like that twice! Well, three times. Did you bring your chequebook, Tom? I mean, I can take cash if you want to get on board too, I guess. Like, what do you think? Five grand?”

Liam stared at Kelly for a moment, wondering who the fuck she even was, then escaped to the kitchen to put in their orders before he finally snapped. He managed to resist the urge to tell the chef to spit on the seafood, but it was a close-run thing.

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About the Author

Lisa Henry

Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.

Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

Lisa has been published since 2012, and was a LAMBDA finalist for her quirky, awkward coming-of-age romance Adulting 101, and a Rainbow Awards finalist for 2019’s Anhaga.

Find out more at Lisa's website and blog. You can follow her on Bookbub and sign up to her newsletter.

Sarah Honey

Sarah started life in New Zealand. She came to Australia for a working holiday, loved it, and never left. She lives in Western Australia with her partner, two cats, two dogs and a life-size replica TARDIS.

She spends half her time at a day job and the rest of her time reading and writing about clueless men falling in love.

Her proudest achievements include having adult kids who will still be seen with her in public, the ability to make a decent sourdough loaf, and knowing all the words to Bohemian Rhapsody.

Awfully Ambrose will be her fifth published novel in collaboration with Lisa Henry.

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Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group. 

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Book Blast + Giveaway: The Fire Island Ice Queen by B.J. Irons

Author B.J. Irons and Gay Book Promotions share a blast for contemporary romance, The Fire Island Ice Queen! Read more about the friends to lovers tale and enter in the The Fire Island Ice Queen giveaway!
 

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: The Fire Island Ice Queen

Author: B.J. Irons

Publisher: Spectrum Books

Release Date: May 7, 2022

Genres: Contemporary M/M Romance – Beach Read

Tropes: Friends to lovers

Themes: Coming of Age, Embracing Sexual Identity

Heat Rating: 2 flames

Length: 50 000 words

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads 

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   |  Amazon UK 

A Fire Island beach read that will melt the hearts of all ice queens

Blurb 

College law student, Connor, is a bit pretentious, high-strung and what some might describe as being cold as ice. After catching his boyfriend cheating on him and then being dumped, Connor decides to take his best friend Byron up on his offer for a summer gaycation experience to Fire Island.

While at Fire Island, Connor reevaluates his identity and goes through a deep soul searching experience to truly understand himself. While on vacation, he befriends a stranger named Lawrence, who encourages Connor to open up more and become lively. Lawrence proposes that Connor completes a series of wild, fun tasks, which he dubs as the Fire Island Ice Queen Challenge to get Connor to come out of his shell more. Will this frivolous and boisterous vacation at Fire Island be enough to melt the heart of this Ice Queen?

Excerpt

Chapter 1

“Ewwwww!” I exclaimed, noticing the skinny, shirtless guy dancing on the box out of the corner of my eye. He had two older men standing below holding dollar bills up at him.

Pathetic!

The whole scene gave me an unsettling feeling in my stomach. The boy reeked of desperation for attention and the old men reeked of desperation for the pale and frail twink. I was expecting to see his skin glisten like diamonds when the strobe lights moved on top of him. He was decidedly vampiric-looking, but lacked the hot features of Edward Cullen.

I rolled my eyes and diverted my focus back to my boyfriend, Derrick, who was beside me at the bar, ordering us another round of drinks.

“What are you ewww-ing about now?” he asked.

“Just that dirty ginger up on the box.” I pointed in the direction of him, now bending over on the box, getting the money tucked into his waistband by the two tragic geriatrics.

“Ugh! Why do you care about him anyway, Connor?” Derrick questioned me with a vexed tone in his voice.

He was right. I did care too much about how other

people behaved, dressed, acted, etc. I was a very judgmental person and I could recognize that in myself. However, I wouldn’t dare to let other people think that of me. As much as I cared about how others presented themselves, I cared even more about how I looked and how I was judged. I went to the gym every day, made sure I was the top student in all of my college classes, and wanted everyone to know that I was beyond mature for my age. I wouldn’t have them think any less of me.

But, I’d be out of my mind to admit this to my boyfriend.

“I don’t really care about him at all. It’s just an observation,” I confessed.

Derrick handed me my drink that the bartender gave him. “Yeah. But just let him be. He’s a young guy just trying to have fun. Clearly, he doesn’t care what other people think of him. If anything, you’re giving him the attention he wants by even making thatcomment.”

My boyfriend had a point here. I was giving him more attention than I should. And now, by having this conversation with Derrick, I was donating way too much of my time and energy in talking about him.

Derrick then reached for my empty hand. “Do you want to dance?”

I shook my head, recoiling from him. “Nah. I’m good. You can go ahead. I’ll chill out here at the bar for a bit. I wouldn’t be caught dead dancing out there.”

He simply shrugged and chugged his drink before turning around to head out to the dance floor.

I decided to take the now empty seat at the bar he left open. I glanced down at my phone and began scrolling through a few social media posts. This place was getting boring. Yawning, I checked the time to realize it wasn’t even midnight yet. What a snooze-fest tonight had turned out to be. Our usual friends had other plans and couldn’t make it out tonight, which left Derrick and me stuck alone with ourselves. I turned back around to try and pinpoint his location on the crowded dance floor, but had no luck.

I let out a heavy sigh, tapping my right leg up and down on the foot of the barstool. I had to really take a piss, and couldn’t hold it in much longer. But, at the same time, I didn’t want Derrick to come back and think I had disappeared.

However, I would only be gone for a minute or so. Oh well. I stood up and walked across the dance floor towards the bathroom.

“Nice ass!” I heard a man behind me say as he grabbed my butt as I scooted by him.

Dirty fucker! He was lucky I had to use the bathroom so badly. Otherwise, I would have turned back around and made a whole scene in front of everyone.

I pushed my way through the random guys chilling in the hallway leading to the bathroom, who were either gossiping or making out with one another. I opened the bathroom door and saw that the four urinals were occupied. One of the two stalls had the door halfway open, so I slightly kicked it to make sure no one was in there before I claimed it.

Locking the door behind me, I dropped my pants and released myself, letting out a light sigh of relief. I glanced down at the floor and could see a rather large shadow coming from the next stall over. There was definitely more than one person there. I could then hear a few wet and sloppy kiss-like noises coming from next door as well.

Like seriously!? Get a fucking room!

I flushed the toilet and walked out of the stall, shaking my head in disdain. Moving towards the sink, I checked myself out in the mirror as I proceeded to wash my hands. I rubbed my hand through my hair, making sure it was swept back nicely. My mouth gaped open at what I saw next. The door to the stall that was next to mine opened and the two guys emerged from it. The first was some random, cute guy who had a similarly toned body to me, except he had bright bleach blonde hair. Then, behind him, was Derrick.

Derrick was with that stranger in the stall!? What the fuck!?

I immediately turned around to face them both.

“Derrick! What the fuck!? Are you shitting me right now!?” I yelled.

About the Author 

BJ Irons works in the field of education as an educational leader and college professor. Many of his personal experiences as a gay man, have contributed to his works. Being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community himself, BJ hopes to continue to bring more fun fictional works to his LGBTQIA+ readers. The world could always use a little more color and fun.

Author Links

Blog/Website  |  Instagram 

Giveaway 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win

one of three ebook copies of The Fire Island Ice Queen

or one of three paperback copies (U.S. only)

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions