Showing posts with label Dancers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dancers. Show all posts

Release Blitz: Spanish Siesta (Flying into Love #2) by C F White


 

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Spanish Siesta (Flying into Love #2)

Author and Publisher: C F White

Cover Artist: Kelly Martin (KAM Design)

Release Date: July 29, 2022

Genre:  Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Friends to Lovers

Themes: Bisexual awakening, forced proximity, coming out

Heat Rating: 4 flames       

Length: 65 250 words/260 pages

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

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Universal Link


Audible US  |  Audible UK 


Can a Spanish siesta make Matt see his best friend the way Kieran's been hoping he would for years?


Blurb

Matt Robinson just got dumped. Again. With his sister’s wedding on the horizon, he needs a plus one.

Kieran Barker has been in love with his straight best friend for far too long. It’ll never happen. Having already been left behind when Matt went to university, Kieran can’t take more heartbreak.

So when Matt invites Kieran to spend a whole week with him on the island of Majorca, Kieran can’t let himself think there’s more to it than lads on tour. All he can do is play the field to take his mind of the hot, rugby honed body of his oldest mate. Sexy men are in abundance in Magaluf, right? Matt only wants to cop off with the bridesmaid anyway.

But when Matt’s overprotectiveness about Kieran’s late-night escapades borders on jealousy, can he even dare to think that there’s more to their years of flirtations than simple bromance?

And can Matt really acknowledge his feelings when they’ll soon be returning to England, with him back to the university rugby team and two hundred miles away from Kieran.

Spanish Siesta (Flying into Love #2) is a Contemporary, Friends to Lovers, Bisexual Awakening, Forced Proximity MM Romance featuring a hot-headed rugby Fly-Half struggling with his emotions and an out-and-proud wannabe dancer suffering from unrequited love.

Excerpt

“Shit.” Matt grabbed Kieran by the arm, and shoved him back into the elevator, slamming his hand on any old button.  

“What the fuck, Matt?” 

The elevator shunted and they both had to grab the handrail running along the lift. 

“It’s going down!” Kieran widened his eyes. “How is it going down?” 

Matt didn’t say anything. His heart thumped and the foggy wooziness from the alcohol he thought hadn’t affected him crept up to make his head spin. The doors opened into a dark space. A basement, maybe? A cleaning closet. He’d hit the sodding service call button. 

Kieran reached out to hit the G but Matt grabbed his arm, preventing him then yanked them both out and into darkness. 

“What the—” 

Matt slapped a hand over Kieran’s mouth, “Shhh!”

The elevator doors closed, the lift moving up, surrounding them in silence. Kieran stared at him, eyes widening. Matt drifted his hand from Kieran’s mouth but held a finger to his lips. 

“What the fuck?” Kieran mouthed. 

Matt stepped farther into the dark space, checking the surroundings. He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered they were alone then turned back to face Kieran.

“Why have you shoved me in a fucking broom cupboard?” 

Matt’s chest rose with the force of his inhalation. He tried to calm his thrashing heart. His invasive thoughts. His fear. His nerves. He couldn’t find any words. How could he explain? What would he say when he didn’t understand any of this himself? Rationality drowned by his thumping pulse, he closed his eyes to try to steady his breathing. 

“Matt?” Kieran’s voice was distant but calming. “Matt, you okay?” He placed his palm to his forehead. “Is it sunstroke?” 

Matt opened his eyes at the gentle touch, at the warm breath trickling onto his skin, at the unwavering concern in shaking lips. 

Matt shook his head. 

Kieran lowered his hand but Matt grabbed his wrist. 

“Matt? You’re scaring the fuck out of me.” 

“You think I ain’t scaring myself right now?” 

“Why?” Kieran’s question was shrouded by his sharp swallow. 

“Because I don’t know, Kier. I don’t know what’s happening.” He squeezed desperate fingers around Kieran’s wrist, glancing down to the swirls of his tribal tattoo and his breath hitched. “What’s happening to me?” 

“Too much sangria?” 

Matt pursed his lip, shaking his head. 

“Too much sun?” 

Matt shook his head. 

“You drank the tap water?” 

Matt hefted out an exasperated sigh. 

“Then, you’re gonna have to tell me.” Kieran licked his lips. “Because I’m all out of ideas.” 

Matt rubbed his thumb along the underside of Kieran’s wrist, eyes down, not able to look at Kieran as he contemplated what he should do. What he needed to do. What he was so desperate to do that it consumed his every breath. 

“Matt—”

Matt cut off Kieran’s words with a kiss. 

Kieran didn’t respond. He stood there, eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. Frozen. Stunned. Accepting Matt’s lips on his. Shit. It was wrong. This was wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Fears confirmed, Matt pulled away, sinking back against the wall, telling his thumping heart he was sorry. 

Kieran didn’t move. He didn’t breathe either.

Then, he closed his eyes to exhale the words, “You better not be fucking with me.” 

Matt met his gaze through the shadowy darkness. “Give me half a chance.” It had meant to be a light-hearted joke. Something to lift the mood. It came out wrong though and Kieran reached for the lift call button. 

Matt held out his hand. “Don’t.” He hung his head. “Please don’t. I got this far. I might need help for the next step.”

Kieran dropped his hand away. Then, after several awkward moments of silence, he said, “You kissed me.” 

“Yup.” 

“You put your lips on mine.” 

“Yup.”

“You…were going to put your tongue in my mouth.” 

“Are you a fucking snog pundit? Do you commentate all your kisses in the dark?”

“No, Matt!” Kieran raked a hand through his hair. “Just the ones that come from my best fucking mate.” He slapped Matt’s chest. “My straight best mate.” 

“I don’t recall ever saying I was straight.” 

“You don’t have to, Matt. It’s implied in your heterosexual relationships.” 

Matt cocked his head. “Bit last season, there, Kier.” 

“I’m going to choke you with bog roll in a minute.” 

“Bog roll?” 

“We’re in a fucking closet!” Kieran flapped his hands at shelves and shelves of toilet paper and cleaning products. “Which is so damn ironic, I can’t deal.” 

About the Author

Brought up in a relatively small town in Hertfordshire, C F White managed to do what most other residents try to do and fail—leave.

Studying at a West London university, she realised there was a whole city out there waiting to be discovered, so, much like Dick Whittington before her, she never made it back home and still endlessly search for the streets paved with gold, slowly coming to the realisation they’re mostly paved with chewing gum. And the odd bit of graffiti. And those little circles of yellow spray paint where the council point out the pot holes to someone who is supposedly meant to fix them instead of staring at them vacantly whilst holding a polystyrene cup of watered-down coffee.

Eventually she moved West to East along that vast District Line and settled for pie and mash, cockles and winkles and a bit of Knees Up Mother Brown to live in the East End of London; securing a job and creating a life, a home and a family.

After her second son was born with a rare disability, C F White’s life changed and it brought pen back to and paper after having written stories as a child but never had the confidence to show them to the world. Now, having embarked on this writing journey, C F White can’t stop. 

So strap in, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.  

Author Links

Twitter @CFWhiteUK  |  Facebook  |  Blog

Instagram  |  Newsletter Sign-up

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Torn (En Pointe #1) by Mickie B. Ashling

Author Mickie B. Ashling and IndiGo Marketing share new contemporary menage release, Torn (En Pointe #1)! Discover more and enter in the giveaway courtesy of the author!
 

Title: Torn (En Pointe, Book One)

Series: En Pointe, Book One

Author: Mickie B. Ashling

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: 3/22

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male/Female (Male/Male interaction)

Length: 67,867

Genre: Young Adult, Coming of age, family drama, questioning/bisexual protagonist, homophobia

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Synopsis

Kazimir Lebedez is a shocking anomaly in Russian politics. He’s an honest man who can’t be bought. Because he has no secrets. Until an extramarital love affair results in an illegitimate son he decides to hide in plain sight.

Raised by his adopted grandmother, Misha Vergara has dreamed of dancing ballet since he was a toddler. He exhibits the natural grace and drive to succeed in the competitive world of classical dance.

Natalya Baranova—Talia—is convinced that she and her bestie, Misha, are destined to be the preeminent ballet couple someday. They work diligently on their craft which ultimately leads them to the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Henri Minas, a new arrival, has all the qualifications to become a principal dancer, with a face and personality that beguiles and confuses Misha.

Torn between his best friend and Henri, Misha must come to terms with his growing feelings for another boy. In a region of the world where same-sex relationships are forbidden, will Misha follow his heart and choose love with Henri, or stay true to Talia and their shared dream of fame?

To make matter’s worse, all of Kazimir’s carefully crafted lies are about to unravel, as the half brother Misha doesn't know sets his sights on Talia. Now a high-ranking member of the government, can Kaz protect his reputation, and more importantly, his precious love child, without losing it all?

Excerpt

Misha

A week later, my good intentions turned to shit.

The playful pas de deux between Alice and the Knave of Hearts was one of our favorite parts of the ballet. Unlike the original story, featuring a childish Alice, Christopher Wheeldon had crafted his masterpiece with a teenage Alice on the brink of her first romance. Talia was off her game during last night’s performance, so we decided an extra hour of practice was warranted. Thirty minutes in, I realized it wasn’t her technical skills that were subpar—it was the emotion. Even our principal yelled for her to stop.

“Talia, sweetheart. What is the problem?”

She blinked owlishly. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all. Your balançoire was phenomenal, as are Misha’s lifts, but you’re projecting tragedy instead of happiness. I’m seeing Manon in her death throes instead of a young girl in love for the first time. Are you and Misha okay?”

“We’re fine,” I interjected.

Ignoring me, the principal prodded Talia, “Is he right?”

“Of course,” Talia assured him. “There’s no trouble between us.”

“Then you must be in pain. Was there an injury you haven’t reported?”

“No,” Talia replied. “Nothing hurts, I’m just tired.”

“Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?”

“I thought so.”

“Are you eating enough? You seem to have lost weight.”

“Stop interrogating me,” Talia insisted. “There’s nothing wrong.”

“Then let’s take it from the top, and this time, I want to see your face light up with joy when Misha first approaches.”

Talia nodded.

“Tashinka,” he said in a kinder tone, “don’t make this more difficult than necessary. Show us how much you love your partner.”

“I’ve never tried to hide it.”

“Then you don’t even have to pretend. I expect heart-eyes all the way through.”

Our next attempt was much better. I was the only one who could tell Talia was still struggling to put her best foot forward, but we flirted on cue, and her arabesques had never been better. Even our demanding teacher let us go after one run.

“Get out of here and do something fun.”

An entire day to mess around was an unexpected bonus, and my first thought was escape. “How about a picnic at the Sosnovka?”

Her face lit up. “Are you serious?”

“It’s warm enough, according to my weather app. Let’s ask Henri to come along.”

“No.”

I froze. This would have been the perfect occasion to clear the air and mention I had feelings for both of them. “Why not? This way you can show him there are no hard feelings between you guys.”

She shook her head. “We’ve already talked about it, Misha. It’s just… we’re hardly ever alone.”

I wanted to protest, but I was fresh out of arguments. I’d have to tackle the problem on another occasion. “Okay, it’ll be like old times. You, me, and Mother Nature. Let’s stop at the deli for drinks and sandwiches.”

“Sounds great.” Talia perked up. “Meet me downstairs in ten minutes?”

“Okay.”

The sun was shining as predicted, and temperatures were still warm enough for shorts. Talia insisted we stop at the Garage Café for some iced coffees, and I didn’t object. Our attendant was familiar, but I couldn’t place her until she asked, “Where’s your friend?”

Then I remembered. The last time I was at her counter, was the afternoon I’d spent with Henri. She’d openly admired him, which was par for the course whenever he was around. He routinely stole my thunder without even trying. But it was impossible to resent him because one of his best attributes was humility. There were other dancers, far less attractive, who were legends in their own minds.

“Henri’s at practice.”

“What does he do?” she asked while she prepared our drinks.

“He’s a dancer like us.”

“At the Mariinsky?”

I nodded.

“Tell him I said hello.”

“Does he know you?”

“Remind him that I’m the barista who attended to him last time.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gala.”

“I’ll mention it when I see him later.”

She flushed. “Thanks.”

We decided to take the metro to save time, and once we were settled, Talia brought up the subject of the starstruck girl behind the counter. “When were you and Henri at the café?”

I threw out a date, hoping she wouldn’t ask for details. The last thing I needed right then was more drama. Confrontations were my least favorite thing in the world, and I never seemed to win an argument whenever it involved Talia.

“Henri must have made quite the impression on that poor girl.”

“He’s got a presence, to be sure.”

“Doesn’t she realize he’s gay?”

“You can’t tell he’s into guys at a glance.”

“Says you,” Talia scoffed. “Everyone and his mother knows he’s a poof.”

Here we go again… “Maybe she was struck dumb by his good looks,” I offered. “The guy is genetically blessed.”

Talia laughed. “He is a handsome devil.”

Purchase at Amazon

Meet the Author

 

MICKIE B. ASHLING is the pseudonym of a multi-published author who resides in a suburb outside Chicago. She is a product of her upbringing in various cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West.

Since 2009, Mickie has written several dozen novels in the LGBTQ+ genre—which have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and German. Some of her backlist is still “Under Construction” as she slowly transitions from traditional publishing to representing herself. Her goal is to have most of her novels back in the universe by the end of 2022. Audiobooks and foreign translations are still available at Amazon and Audible.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | eMail | Instagram | BookBub

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Yes, Captain by Ann Grech

Don't miss today's release blitz from author Ann Grech and Gay Book Promotions for cruise ship, age gap romance, Yes, Captain! Read more info and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Yes, Captain

Author: Ann Grech

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: April 15, 2021

Cover Artist: CT Cover Creations

Genre/s: Contemporary MM Romance

Tropes: Age-gap romance

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 66 500 words/ 274 pages

It is a standalone story with no cliffhanger.

Add on Goodreads 

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |   Amazon UK 

A cruise ship captain with an unbreakable rule. A dancer who tempts him to toss the rulebook overboard…

Blurb 

A cruise ship captain with an unbreakable rule. A dancer who tempts him to toss the rulebook overboard…

Will Preston lives by one edict: don’t date staff. 

But the new dancer onboard has the silver fox sailing into unchartered waters. Young, sexy, and with a penchant for lipstick and heels, the man pushes all Will’s buttons. 

It’s not just the tropical sun that’s heating things up; their chemistry is sizzling. 

Will’s been burned before. Can he throw caution to the wind and chart a new course with Eddie by his side? Or will an interfering crew-member steer them into stormy seas? 

Yes, Captain is a stand-alone, steamy age-gap MM romance set on a cruise ship in the South Pacific, with a flirty dancer who loves pole dancing and his shy captain. Yes, Captain was previously published as Dance With Me. This re-release includes over 30,000 words of never-before-seen bonus content.

Excerpt

The applause from the crowd was deafening. It wasn’t the first time Eddie had danced in a theatre, but this one was bigger than anything he’d ever been in before. Tiered seating extended up with row upon row of filled seats. The two giant screens facing the audience illuminated the first few rows, letting him see the faces in the crowd. He spotted his parents and brothers and sisters cheering him on. Jess too. All of them were standing now with the other families in an ovation that rejuvenated itself like waves on a beach—cresting and washing over them again every time it started to peter out. The stage lights dimmed and screens blacked out, lengthening the shadows onstage as the long red velvet curtains on either side of them began to close smoothly. 

Eddie couldn’t wipe the smile from his face, even as the curtain slowed to a stop, separating the dancers and elite public school orchestra from the audience. He never wanted the performance to end. He was bouncing out of his skin, giddy with an adrenaline high. His shoulder had held up, thanks to his mum strapping it tightly, and he’d pulled every move off with a perfection he’d never dared hope for. 

This was it. 

His moment. 

About the Author

By day Ann Grech lives in the corporate world and can be found sitting behind a desk typing away at reports and papers or lecturing to a room full of students. She graduated with a PhD in 2016 and is now an over-qualified nerd. Glasses, briefcase, high heels and a pencil skirt, she’s got the librarian look nailed too. If only they knew! She swears like a sailor, so that’s got to be a hint. The other one was “the look” from her tattoo artist when she told him that she wanted her kids initials “B” and “J” tattooed on her foot. It took a second to register that it might be a bad idea.

She’s never entirely fit in and loves escaping into a book—whether it’s reading or writing one. But she’s found her tribe now and loves her MM book world family. She dislikes cooking, but loves eating, can’t figure out technology, but is addicted to it, and her guilty pleasure is Byron Bay Cookies. Oh and shoes. And lingerie. And maybe handbags too. Well, if we’re being honest, we’d probably have to add her library too given the state of her credit card every month (what can she say, she’s a bookworm at heart)!

In 2019 she was an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: LGBTQ category of the 2019 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest for her story In Safe Arms.

She also publishes her raunchier short stories under her pen name, Olive Hiscock.

Ann loves chatting to people online, so if you’d like to keep up with what she’s got going on:

Join her newsletter (you’ll get two free books!)

Like her on Facebook

Join her reader group

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram

Follow her on Goodreads

Follow her on BookBub

Visit her website for her current booklist

She’d love to hear from you directly, too.

Please feel free to e-mail her at ann@anngrech.com

or check out her website www.anngrech.com for updates.

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Release Blitz: Finding His Boy (Safe Harbor #1) by K.D. Ryan

Welcome author K.D. Ryan and Gay Book Promotions as they host today's blitz for debut daddy kink novel, Finding His Boy (Safe Harbor #1)!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Finding His Boy (An MM Age Gap Daddy Romance)

Author: K. D. Ryan

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: K. D. Ryan 

Release Date:  March 25, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance 

Tropes: Age Gap, Slow Burn, Daddy Kink

Themes: Self-confidence, Trust, Exploring Sexuality 

Heat Rating:  5 flames

Length:  96 000 words

It is the first book in the series - Safe Harbor #1

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Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited 

Amazon US   |   Amazon UK   |   Amazon AUS 

A lonely Daddy. An innocent boy. A twenty-year age gap. Whatever happens next is in Daddy’s hands. 

Blurb

Finding his way in life all on his own hadn’t been easy for eighteen-year-old Elliot Hedrick, but he’d managed to hold it all together so far. 

Even though it was just by the skin of his teeth. 

Between his warehouse job and pursuing a career as a professional ballet dancer, he’d been working sixteen-hour days and was still barely making ends meet. 

He was fraying at the seams. And he was so damn lonely.

There was nobody for him to lean on, nobody to come to his rescue when things fell apart—it was all up to him to achieve his dreams.

Then suddenly Grant Weston charged into Elliot’s life, his knight in shining armor—literally and figuratively—and despite their twenty-year age gap, Grant couldn’t seem to leave the boy alone. Even though Grant knew he should.

There were too many obstacles between them—and not just their ages. Grant had secrets of his own, ghosts from his past that made him hold back from taking what he really wanted from Elliot. 

And what Grant wanted was to make Elliot his boy. 

To have a true partner.

But Grant was afraid to trust himself—afraid that history would repeat itself and leave him with a broken heart yet again.

 Is age really just a number, or will the years between them end their relationship before it can even start? 

Finding His Boy is the first book in a duet taking place in the Safe Harbor universe but can be read as a stand-alone and has an HFN ending. This book is a 90+K word slow burn, steamy romance that features a Daddy/boy relationship between two consenting adult men. No age play. Dual POV. There are explicit descriptions of sexual acts, so this book is intened for a mature audience (18+). 

Trigger Warning: On-page physical assault (not between MCs), mention of sexual assault. 

Excerpt 

Grant knew he should pull back, he should close the door—that would be the smart thing to do. He should be respectful of Elliot’s privacy. 

Because if he crossed this line, there would be no going back—all of his noble rationalizing about not taking advantage of Elliot’s vulnerability would be out the window. 

But fuck, the boy was incredibly gorgeous—the planes of his slim muscular body highlighted in a soft blue glow from the moon, his face a study in shadow and light. He looked so young, so vulnerable, and so ripe for the taking. Exposed, ready for Grant to sink his teeth into the pale expanse of flesh on display, to mark Elliot as his. 

If Grant stepped further into the room now—and he wanted to, oh he’d never wanted anything so badly in his life, he could taste the wanting like metal on his tongue—where would that choice bring them? 

Because the boy had no clue what Grant wanted to do to him. 

He couldn’t know how Grant wanted to use him. To flay him wide open with word and action and touch, and pick apart the soft tender insides of him, to leave him wanting and vulnerable and his. To deliver the safety and comfort and pleasure that his boy craved and that only he—Grant—could give.

Grant’s own possession. 

His boy. 

Those words—his boy—they acted like a bucket of cold water—a wave of uncertainty and apprehension to temporarily subdue his lust. Was this just history repeating itself? Would Elliot realize a year down the line that Grant couldn’t give him what he wanted, and Grant would be left high and dry once again? 

Could Grant risk his heart like that again? The thought of sharing that experience with someone, only for his heart to be trampled, handled carelessly, and discarded…  

He should leave now, back out and pretend he’d never been here. Just leave and act like nothing had changed the next day. Leave this beautiful boy whole and innocent and let someone else break him in gently, softly, like he deserved. Someone he could grow with, change with, learn with. 

Fuck, he was a coward. 

But then

But then Elliot opened his eyes. And he parted his lips. And he kept on pumping his hand up and down as he locked his eyes with Grant’s, his heated gaze burning with open desire. 

Desire for Grant. 

And Grant knew he couldn’t walk away.

About the Author 

Just a dreamer fueled by coffee who’s been writing about love that comes in all forms since she got her first word processor. Passionate bibliophile and lover of science, caretaker of humans and friend to dogs. 

Social Media Links

Facebook   |   Facebook Author Page  |  Instagram 

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Guest Review: Paid to Be Shared (Delphic Agency #3) by Romilly King

BIRCH is the sweetest sub at Delphic, but can he stretch himself enough to satisfy two Doms? Will they share him or break him? 

When a pair of demanding doms need the perfect submissive to share they place a contract with the Delphic Agency. 

Their needs are very different; Ivo is the master of pushing limits whilst Griffin is gentle but intense. Can one sub ever be enough to satisfy them and for how long? 

Birch will always try his hardest, it’s in his nature, but how can he retain a professional distance when they each arouse such different passions in him and together, well together, they overwhelm him. 

 

 

 


Reviewer: Shee Reader

This book was a new to me author, and starting out with a third in the series doesn’t always work, even with stand alone, but this book was the exception.


I found the assumption that the reader knew the world it was written within took a while to get used to, but once I was up to speed I thoroughly enjoyed the writing. The story is set in a relatable far future with the Delphic Agency available to those who can afford its services.

The story leads with a paid submissive being considered for a very challenging contract. A married pair of Doms who worked as a couple, but weren’t meeting each other's needs completely. The relationship between the married men was a warm and charming one, where each man had made sacrifices to stay in a committed relationship, and the dynamic was interesting and charming, but the relationship could have been so much more. Enter Birch. The sweetest sub at Delphic, and a dancer ready to take on the challenge.

Birch accepts the contract and meets the Doms at their home and here starts an up and down twisting tale with a delightfully satisfying HEA, eventually!

The writing was crisp and enjoyable, the character led story was charming with teasing glimpses into perhaps the next book in the series? All round, I loved the book and will definitely look out for more work by this author. 

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.





Giveaway + Release Blitz: A Face without a Heart by Rick R. Reed


Happy Release Day, Rick R. Reed! Join him & IndiGo Marketing in celebrating the release of A Face without a Heart. Find out more about this paranormal suspense/horror, read an excerpt & enter in the giveaway for a $10 Ninestar Press credit too!


Title: A Face without a Heart
Author: Rick R. Reed
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: June 1, 2020
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 56700
Genre: Paranormal Horror, LGBTQIA+, photographer, drag queen, dancer, addiction, drug use, dark, suspense

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Synopsis





A modern-day and thought-provoking
retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror
magazine Fangoria called “…a book that is brutally honest with its reader and
doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really
well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”


A beautiful young man bargains his soul
away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait
mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step
deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a
compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.

Excerpt


A Face without a Heart
Rick R. Reed © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Prologue
GARY

There is blood on my hands. I look down
at a body, a body that’s become a thing—monstrous, ugly, inanimate. It could be
a sculpture, a figure formed from wax or porcelain. The soul inside is gone,
leaving a shell. I wipe a line of sweat from my forehead with a trembling hand,
trying to tell myself these things, trying to believe that what lies at my feet
is nothing more than an object, something to be reviled, something not worthy
of further consideration.

It’s not easy to believe. Although the
corpse does not have a twinkle in its eye or the simple rise and fall of a
chest, it’s hard to remove myself from the plain fact that the body possessed
those movements, those simple signs of life, just minutes ago. Distance, for
now, seems more a matter of location than of feeling. The body at my feet wears
the badges of its untimely demise—a dented face, a split-open skull, blood and
grayish-pink matter seeping out. The bruises have already begun to rise, ugly
yellow-pink things all over the body.

I stoop, plunge my fingers into the
deepest hole, the one on the belly, to feel the warmth and the entrails. Amazed
that the breathing has stopped. Amazed that I have such power.

I lift a finger to my mouth and slowly
run it over my lips, the blackish liquid warm and viscous, metallic to the
taste. I recall the vampire films I loved as a youth, never really believing
such a thing could exist.

Now I do.

I have stolen a life so that my own
might continue. There is something vampiric in that, isn’t there? Because
without this theft of a beating heart and an expanding and contracting pair of
lungs, I would be unable to live.

Isn’t that the real essence of the
vampire?

It seems too quiet here, deep in the
basement of a high-rise. A dull clanging is my only accompaniment, pipes
bringing warmth and water to tenants above, whose lives continue, ignorant,
untouched by my murderous hand. And that’s the amazing thing, the thing that
causes my breath, when drawn inward, to quiver.

Life goes on, in spite of this
monumental act, just a quick, surprised scream and a heartbeat away.

There is blood on the walls, spattered
Jackson Pollock-style. Who can say what is art and what is murder?

This so-called victim who now lies in
final repose on a cold concrete floor, staring vacantly at nothing or perhaps
at the hell that will one day consume me, can no longer chastise me, can no
longer beg me to drop to my knees with him and pray, pray for forgiveness,
imploring Jesus to lead me down the path of the righteous.

It’s not too late, he said before I
brought the mallet down on his skull, cracking it open like a walnut, slamming
it into his windpipe, his gut, an eye socket, his shoulders as he fell, anywhere
the mallet would ruin, destroying, sucking life.

He was wrong. The final irony of his
existence, I suppose, is that he thought he had the power to do anything, to
change another person, whom, I must admit, he cared very deeply about.

No, that power rests in my hand, the
death-dealing claw that changed him. And people whine about how change never
really lasts when it comes to others, how they always unfortunately revert to
their old ways, the ways you don’t want them to be. Anyone who has ever tried to
change another knows this to be true. Oh certainly, the change may last a week,
a month, even a year. But soon the real person comes back, the one who has been
waiting in the wings for just the right cue, the one that will allow him to say
“Ah fuck it, I’ve had enough.”

But the change I’ve wrought in my friend
can never be undone. He is dead and always will be. I have a power of which
psychiatrists and psychologists can only dream. And I accomplished my
transformation in a matter of seconds, behind a red-tinged curtain of rage.

Pretty sly, eh? For a man who’s spent
most of his life doing nothing but looking after his own selfish needs and
pursuing his own pleasures, it’s a pretty accomplished thing. Decisive. For
once, a man of action.

I nudge him with my foot and am amazed
at the heaviness my friend has taken on in death. His body doesn’t want to
give, to roll; it has become a body at rest…forever.

I turn and head back upstairs. There are
matters to attend to…clothes to be burned, an alibi to be concocted. People
will want answers. And conveniently, I will have none. Knowledge is a dangerous
thing. What was it my other friend once told me? “The only people worth knowing
are the ones who know everything and the ones who know nothing.”

I know nothing about this. And now I
must go back into the realm of the living to ensure my ignorance remains
secure.

But alone, I know that ignorance is one
of the few luxuries I can no longer afford. Alone, I have only the luxury of
time to contemplate how it all began.

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Meet the Author

Real Men. True Love.

Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his husband, Bruce, and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix, Kodi.


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