Showing posts with label Epistolary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Epistolary. Show all posts

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Boyfriend Freeze by DJ Jamison


Author D.J. Jamison and Gay Book Promotions host today's release blitz for Boyfriend Freeze (Love Notes)! Read more about the new adult romance today! Enter the giveaway to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Boyfriend Freeze 

Author and Publisher: DJ Jamison

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Release Date: February 4, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: College/new adult, party boy/geek, workplace romance, librarian romance

Themes: Finding real love, self-worth, personal growth

Heat Rating: 4 flames    

Length:  approx. 50 000 words

It Is set in the Love Notes series and can be read as a standalone.

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Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |   Amazon UK 

 

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but you can’t be one of them ...

   
Blurb

Dear Graham,

After crossing too many lines for my self-respect, I made a promise to myself: no hookups for sixty days.

But I didn't count on meeting you.

Who knew a smart, cardigan-wearing geek would be such temptation? You're all wrong for me, except you're also kind of exactly right.

So how do I keep my promise not to seduce the cute librarian and still get the perfect guy?

Maybe you know, because I don't...

Already yours,

Ollie


Boyfriend Freeze is set in the Love Notes series but can be read as a standalone.



Excerpt

OLLIE

“I wasn’t sure if you were serious about that New Year’s resolution.” She paused. “Which is fine if you weren’t. You know I wasn’t judging you, right? I just want you to be happy.”

“I know you do, and yes, I was serious. I’m working on it.”

“Yeah?” She smiled, linking arms with me as we neared the terminals where we could search for reference materials. “Good. Now, you just need to work on your listening skills.”

“I’ll add it to the list,” I said dryly. “Right below stop being such a slutty twink and above get a job.”

“Ollie—” Kyla started, about to admonish me for calling myself a slut or a twink, or maybe both, but the sound of someone clearing their throat stopped her. I glanced across the computer terminals, stomach sinking as the librarian gave me the evil eye once more.

“Sorry,” I hissed in an obnoxious stage whisper. “Kyla just doesn’t know when to keep her voice down.”

Kyla quietly stomped on my foot, and I grimaced at the pain. Totally deserved that. But it was worth the look of annoyance that flashed across Graham’s face and distracted me from the fact that he’d possibly heard me refer to myself as a slutty twink. No doubt Graham was already forming a relatively low opinion of me, considering I was pretty much the antithesis of library etiquette, but I’d rather not help him along to that conclusion.

Graham turned back to the student he’d been coaching through a reference search, and I exchanged a look with Kyla. “Ready to work?” I suggested.

“Now he wants to work,” she muttered, shaking her head. But Kyla was my best friend for a reason. She pulled out a chair beside her and waved me over. “Okay, so first, you want to start by pulling up this screen…”

I tried to listen this time. I really did.

But my gaze kept drifting to Graham as he patiently answered questions. Across the terminals, seated as he was, I couldn’t see that awful corduroy jacket or sweater vest. Just his messy brown hair that fell over his forehead just above hazel eyes and a set of features that weren’t entirely unfortunate. Graham was almost, maybe, kind of cute? In a helpless puppy sort of way.

Dear God, I must be desperate to be leering at a librarian.

Just then he looked up, meeting my gaze, and my heart lurched. “We have job openings,” he said.

“Huh?”

“The library has job openings,” he said slowly, as if I had a cognitive disorder. “I thought you might be looking for a position.”

I frowned, a little puzzled by the non sequitur. Then I realized with a flash of embarrassment why he was telling me.

“I’ll add it to the list, right below ‘stop being such a slutty twink’ and above ‘get a job,’” I’d said to Kyla. Graham had definitely heard my words.

“Great, you were eavesdropping,” I said self-consciously.

He flushed. “Not on purpose—”

“So, will I have to buy a sweater vest to work here, or is that going to be provided? I assume the grandpa loafers are optional.”

Oh, god, the snark was in full force. I wanted to stop, but it was a self-defense mechanism. Some creatures had porcupine quills. Some men had fists. I had brutal, snarky wit.

“Never mind. I don’t think you have what it takes to work here after all,” he said, standing up. He’d shed the jacket, leaving just a sweater vest over a pale-blue button-down shirt. He’d rolled up the shirt sleeves, exposing strong forearms. For a librarian, he filled out his shirt better than I would have expected.

I nodded. “Not the right fashion sense.”

“No,” he said. “Not the right common sense. We value brains here, not shallow good looks.”

I gasped, shocked at the harsh burn—not that you don’t deserve it—­and he walked away before I could even get in the final word.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I muttered, shoving my chair back.

“Ollie, just let it go,” Kyla urged, but I ignored her, rounding the island of computers and following hot on Graham’s heels as he returned to the circulation desk. He didn’t notice me until he’d already taken up his station on the other side. He jumped a little when he saw me, and I smiled viciously.

“Can I help you?” he asked warily.

“Yes,” I said as sweetly as possible. “You can give me a job application.”



About the Author 

 
DJ Jamison writes romances about everyday life and extraordinary love featuring a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual to asexual. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems: money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that and continues to avidly devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, one snake, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |   Twitter: @dj_jamison_ 

Instagram  |   Newsletter Sign-up  |   KoFi for bonus content  |  BookBub

 

 

Giveaway

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Guest Review: Naughty & Nice (Love Notes #2) by D.J. Jamison

Why can't I forget your kiss...

Dear Quinn,

Why must I have these feelings for you? You're my ex-stepbrother, and nothing will change that truth, no matter how many letters I write.

I never expected to see you again--or to rescue you from the side of the road in a blizzard. I didn't think you would ever like me, much less kiss me in a steaming hot tub on a snowy night. It seems we make better lovers than brothers, which is all kinds of naughty and nice while we're snowed in together.

But can this new intimacy last when the skies clear and my family finally arrives for the holidays, or are we just two guys in a mountain cabin with a great view of everything we want but can't have?

Hopelessly yours,
Jonas

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Quinn has been crushing on his former step-brother since a clumsy kiss under the Christmas tree confirmed he wasn’t straight. He hasn’t seen Jonas in years and didn’t really intend to see him now, but EVERYTHING has gone wrong and the offer from his former step-father to stay at the cabin as he awaits a job interview was one he couldn’t refuse. Then there was a blizzard, then Jonas rescued him from freezing to death, then the rest of the family couldn’t make it, then the two of them were snowed in - alone - the week before Christmas. What could possibly go wrong?

Or for the hopeless romantics, what could possibly go right???

Quinn was a lovely character who had made some dumb decisions and not trusted his mom with the sordid truth. He was easy to warm to, and really needed the universe to cut him some slack.

Jonas should have been an equally charming main character, but somehow, I found it harder to care for him in this book. We first met him in Secret Admirer (Love Notes 1) and I had no real adverse reaction to him, but in this book, I was only really rooting for him to get with Quinn, as that was what Quinn wanted and needed. Maybe I should have a reread of the story?

I didn’t dislike Jonas, I just felt neutral towards him, whereas usually I get fully invested in a couple from the outset of the story. And this was a festive snowy mountain book, usually my Grinch Kryptonite!

The HEA was lovely though, and I think my favourite character was the stepfather. I liked that he really stepped up for Quinn even though he was no longer married to Quinn’s mom.

Fun, festive and recommended.

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



Release Blitz + Giveaway: Lucas by Elna Holst


Author Elna Holst and IndiGo Marketing host today's release blitz for Lucas. Find out more about the regency romance and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Lucas
Author: Elna Holst
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: April 13, 2020
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Female/Female
Length: 65100
Genre: Historical Romance, LGBTQIA+, FF romance, 19th century, Regency, the Romantic era, ladies, pastor, doctor, Austen continuation, epistolary novel, novel-in-letters, pastiche, queering the canon

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Synopsis

I thought ease would come, here, tucked away in the safe uneventfulness of Hunsford. It would seem I was mistaken.

In 1813, upon her marriage to Mr Collins, the rector of Hunsford Parsonage, Charlotte Collins née Lucas left her childhood home in Hertfordshire for Kent, where she is set to live out her life as the parson’s wife, in an endless procession of dinners at Rosings Park, household chores, correspondence, and minding her poultry. But Mrs Collins carries with her a secret, a peculiar preference, which is destined to turn all her carefully laid plans on their head.

Lucas is a queer romance, a mock-epistolary novel, and a retelling and continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, teeming with Regency references and Sturm und Drang. It is an homage to English literature—and a brazen, revisionist fan fiction. But, first and foremost, it is a love story. Read it as you will.

Excerpt

Heiligenschwendi, near Thun
February, 1852

Darling Izzie,

Enclosed you will find some old papers of my aunt’s—my twice dead aunt!—of the queerest nature. I trust you to burn them before you so much as read a line of them, for that was my downfall. My papa would have them burnt, and as you know, his directions must be followed. Luckily, he did not suspect the exact contents of my aunt’s escritoire, or he would have never trusted me with the office.

My dear, these belles lettres, as we may call them, are really too shocking for words. More shocking even than that vile rake Cleland’s effusions; for, as we know, that is but fiction, whereas, this! I blush to think on the likely veracity of these incendiary epistles. As you shall see—but I forget myself, you shall not see. You must burn everything at once, even this, my prefatory note, for if my papa or your mamma were to find out

— Well!

I long to see you, dear. Switzerland is rather dreary and dull this time of year, which, come to think of it, England is, too, but it has the decided advantage of your companionship. I am eager, very eager, to return and be once more

Your faithful and ever loving,
Lottie

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

Often quirky, always queer, Elna Holst is an unapologetic genre-bender who writes anything from stories of sapphic lust and love to the odd existentialist horror piece, reads Tolstoy, and plays contract bridge. Find her on Instagram or Goodreads.

Website | Instagram

Giveaway

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Tag Team Review: A Soldier's Wish (The Christmas Angel #5) by N.R. Walker

The year is 1969…

Gary Fairchild is proud to be a hippie college student, and he protests the Vietnam War because he believes in love and peace. To him, it isn’t just a counterculture movement—it’s a way of life. When tickets to the Aquarium Exposition—3 Days of Peace & Music, or Woodstock, as it was better known, go on sale, there’s no way he isn’t going.

Richard Ronsman is a sheltered farm boy who lives in the shadow of his overbearing father. He’s hidden his darkest secret to earn his father’s love, but nothing is ever good enough—not even volunteering for the Vietnam War. And with just a few days left before he’s deployed, a striking hippie invites him to join them at a music festival.

Three days of music, drugs, rain, mud, and love forged a bond between these two very different men that would shape the rest of their lives. They share dreams and fears, and when Richard is shipped off to war, they share letters and love. For Richard’s first Christmas home, he is gifted a special angel ornament that just might make a soldier’s wish come true.

Average

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 3.5 Hearts

I’m a huge fan of NR Walker, but this wasn’t my favorite. Don’t fret though, this was still extremely well written and of course, very romantic and smexy!

Though I’ve become a bigger fan of historicals this year, apparently I’m fickle and the time period just didn’t capture me as much. Throw in the horrors of war, terribly awful bigoted parents, and the enjoyment factor for me was decreased.

Unlike Christmas Angel and Summerfield’s Angel, the magical whimsy of said angel has diminished steadily in this series, and I honestly miss the fantastical theme of it all. Don’t listen to me though, and please go read any of the glowing reviews out there singing this book’s praises because Walker really is a fantastic writer. I’m the odd man out here, defective in my lack of Christmas cheer for this story.

Chelsea - 4 Hearts

This was the most fluffy lovey-dovey story of the series so far, which is very appropriate being set in the era of sex, drugs and acoustic guitars.

This story is set within a few years during the Vietnam war and despite its heavy themes the love story is as sweet as dancing naked in the rain.

Gary and Richard meet 3 days before Richard is due to fly out to Vietnam, they're connection is instant and they both continue to write to each other while Richard is away. During these letters they fall in love and make promises of a future together when the war is over.

Richard is a broken man, before and after the war. He's lived his whole life in denial about his sexuality due to living with conservative homophobic parents, then the war comes and breaks him even more but despite all of this he is so positive. It might be his naive look on life or his hope for a better world, but he always shines when Gary is around and doesn't hesitate to look at the positive side in every situation.

Gary certainly helps with all this positivity, he is all hippie; happy, relaxed but strong and determined to stand by Richard through everything.

This story was definitely steamer than its predecessors in the series which was great to read. The angel was also completely irrelevant and felt like an afterthought, but that didn't really matter as the angel is hardly the reason I'm reading this series.

Super sweet story with a nice side of steam! Definitely recommend it!


Review: Love on a Battlefield by Posy Roberts

Not every compass points north.

Andrew Summers is forced to spend his vacations reliving Civil War battles with his father. He hates every minute, until a blue-eyed, red-haired boy behind enemy lines catches his eye.

Shep Wells would much rather travel the world than play at boring war reenactments. He never dreamed a Texan boy would capture his heart.

Real life and years separate them; Andrew is forced onto real battlefields, but for Shep the world is a playground. They’re opposites, but writing letters closes the distance, uncovering their hopes and dreams. When Shep visits Andrew, they get to see if the tug they’ve felt for years is the compass pointing the way home.

***
This is a story about first times, second chances, and the transformative power of the written word.


ERMAHGERRRRD!!

I devoured this book. The synopsis drew me in and then I saw the cover and just had to read it. The Civil War reenactment is a unique by itself but the letters… *happy sigh* Letters. Actual hand written letters to each other. Over many years.

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Andrew and Shep meet while at a Civil War reenactment with their dads. They're on opposite sides of the North/South line. The two meet at a water pump and later are drawn to each other during the actual battle. Right away their connection is evident as they both feign being “shot” to lay down right next to each other until the battle is over. So much is conveyed as they silently stare into the other's eyes and quietly make plans to meet up later.

And meet up they did. Andrew and Shep share a passionate night fulfilling their desires until the morning light. Later that day, Shep passes his address to Andrew and requests that he write.

From there, they correspond mostly through written letters as they try to chase their dreams. While Shep is off doing what he loves, Andrew realizes that sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan. His life veers way off track but his feelings for Shep remain.

“Shep was the one I dreamed about at night, the one I wanted to lie beneath, the one I saw myself spending the rest of my life with. He was the only person I’d felt drawn to. And even after five years, that pull hadn’t diminished one bit.”

This story is written from Andrew’s perspective with the insight of Shep’s letters as he read them. The snippets we are treated to show the longing, closeness, and connection they have forged through the years. It takes a while but they realize it’s ok to have new dreams and that home isn’t necessarily a place- it’s can be a person.

I appreciate the natural angst that was present in their relationship with a cautious warrior and a brighter than life Shep. They have an overwhelming sweetness to their interactions that left me swooning and an openness that was refreshing. The letters provided this slow burn feel as the men bare their souls, love from afar, and crave each other without explicitly writing it.

I loved this story hard until about 85%ish when it seemed that there was a race to the finish line. The odd drama at the end came across as a page filler when the focus could have been on Shep, Andrew, and navigating their relationship. More focus on the letters would have hit me in my happy place, too. I also wouldn’t have complained for a tiny bit from Shep’s POV. Did I mention he’s a ginger? *growl* With blue eyes? *slow blink*

Love on a Battlefield is an enjoyable story that was well executed. The unique premise caught my attention and the cover drew me in with its simplicity. Definitely recommended.