Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Cordelia Kingsbridge (NSFW)

There might've been some squealing when this author agreed to participate in the shenanigans. If you've not had the CK experience you're only depriving yourself.

“How’s this?” Rex asked, pressing up between Andrew’s spread thighs.

Andrew grimaced and shifted, hooking his legs around Rex’s calves. “Could you – a little to the left – ”

Rex adjusted his position, and Andrew’s expression of discomfort cleared.

“Better, thanks,” he said.

Smiling, Rex bent to kiss him. Their lips clung together, sweet and languid, no reason to rush. This was perfect, it was everything Rex wanted –

A camera shutter clicked to his right.

“Looks great, guys,” Tanya said from the side of the bed. “Andrew, could you pull a little harder against your restraints? I want the muscles in your arms to stand out more. And Rex, babe, flatten your back out so I can get a better view of the harness.”

“Another glamorous day in the life of modeling BDSM gear,” Andrew muttered, low enough for only Rex to hear, and Rex snorted out a laugh.

Tanya moved them through a variety of positions and poses over the next few hours. Rex didn’t mind the long breaks between setting up shots, because it gave him and Andrew time to talk – about their families, plans for the weekend, even the weather. He could happily listen to Andrew talk about anything.

After the session wrapped up, Rex pulled on the robe an assistant handed him, then reached underneath it to pull off his cock sock, the little pouch that kept his genitals covered. This website didn’t do full-frontal advertisements.

He was chugging a bottle of water and checking his Twitter feed when Andrew came over to say goodbye, already fully dressed.

“Great shoot, man,” Andrew said, bumping his fist.

“You too,” said Rex. “Later.”

His hand tightened around his phone as he watched Andrew walk away – toward his waiting boyfriend, Naveen. Rex hated that stupid prick, with his gorgeous face and fancy custom-tailored suit and posh English accent.

Because that was Andrew’s type. He liked his guys refined and well-educated, the kind who didn’t stumble over the names of wines at nice restaurants. It probably didn’t hurt that Naveen was rich as fuck, either.

Rex ran a self-conscious hand through his Mohawk. Andrew would never go for him, a tattooed punk redneck whose idea of a good time was kicking back with a couple of beers and a football game. Even if there were times during their sessions together when Andrew looked at him a certain way, or touched him with more than professional interest, and Rex thought that maybe, just maybe…

On his way out the door, Andrew turned around to wave at Rex with a warm smile.

Rex’s stomach flipped. He grinned back.

***

About the author

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:
Email: cordeliakingsbridge@gmail.com
Tumblr: http://ckingsbridge.tumblr.com

We'd like to thank Cordelia for helping us celebrate. Be sure to let her know what you thought of Andrew and Rex in the comments!

Thanks to Riptide Publishing, 1 lucky US resident will win 3 paperback ARCs (not finalized versions):

• Hotline by Quinn Anderson
• Change of Address by Jordan S. Brock 
• One Life to Lose (Queers of La Vista) by Kris Ripper

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open until 12:00AM (Eastern time) on 11/24/16. Shortly thereafter, we will contact a winner! 

Please respond to the winning notification within 48 hours or we will choose another winner. Good luck!


Trivia Question

Name the two main characters from the third Five Boroughs story? (worth 10 pts)

Don't forget to tag @BMBReviews as well as the author and your answer on Twitter to be entered to win DSP credits!

Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway here!

Giveaway + Blog Tour: The Queer and The Restless (Queers of La Vista #3) by Kris Ripper

Welcome Kris Ripper to the blog! Check out Kris' The Queer and the Restless blog tour stop today (where we also reviewed here) and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a book from Kris' backlist!

Hi, I'm Kris and welcome to the blog tour for The Queer and the Restless, book three in my awesome queer soap opera! Enjoy the blog tour!

About The Queer and the Restless

Ed Masiello has been on testosterone for a year, is working his dream job as a reporter, and is finally passing as a man (so long as you don’t ask his abuela). But the investigation of a murder case is starting to take over his life. Afraid he’s becoming obsessed, he goes to the local club to relax, and meets the flighty, whimsical Alisha.

Alisha is a free spirit who’s tossed aside ambition for travel and adventure. Her approach to life is a far cry from Ed’s, and while Ed has always assumed that meeting his goals would make him happy, Alisha is much more content than him—despite all the plans she can’t yet fulfill.

As their relationship heats up, so does the murder case. Alisha thinks Ed needs a break, but someone’s got to find this killer, and he wants to be there when it all goes down. Besides, taking off into the great unknown with Alisha is crazy. But opting for what’s safe is just another way of living in fear, and Ed vowed to stop living like that a long time ago.

The Queer and the Restless is available from Riptide Publishing.

http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/the-queer-and-the-restless

About Kris Ripper

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Connect with Kris:

• Webiste: krisripper.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kris.ripper
• Twitter: twitter.com/SmutTasticKris

To celebrate the release of The Queer and the Restless, one lucky winner will receive an ebook from Kris’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 5, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review: The Queer and the Restless (Queers of La Vista #3) by Kris Ripper

Ed Masiello has been on testosterone for a year, is working his dream job as a reporter, and is finally passing as a man (so long as you don’t ask his abuela). But the investigation of a murder case is starting to take over his life. Afraid he’s becoming obsessed, he goes to the local club to relax, and meets the flighty, whimsical Alisha.

Alisha is a free spirit who’s tossed aside ambition for travel and adventure. Her approach to life is a far cry from Ed’s, and while Ed has always assumed that meeting his goals would make him happy, Alisha is much more content than him—despite all the plans she can’t yet fulfill.

As their relationship heats up, so does the murder case. Alisha thinks Ed needs a break, but someone’s got to find this killer, and he wants to be there when it all goes down. Besides, taking off into the great unknown with Alisha is crazy. But opting for what’s safe is just another way of living in fear, and Ed vowed to stop living like that a long time ago.

This is what I call an easy read-low angst, likable characters, engaging plot, relatable dialogue, fun or interesting secondary characters and not a lot of forced dramatics. 

Ed is at the bottom of the food chain at the local paper, getting the grunt work of clairvoyant blind cats and mall openings when he wants to do something productive and meaningful. He keeps his nose to the grindstone even though he sort of loathes it. He's from La Vista and knows pretty much everyone, something that will likely come in handy in the future. He has a dry wit and struggles with self-consciousness and self-confidence.

Things start looking up after bumping into Alisha one night at Club Fred when a dance turns into the start of something.

Alisha is one of those magnetic people who have that joie de vivre that's so contagious that maybe you find yourself doing things that you've never intended to, but end up having a good time anyway mostly because you're with her. She's creative and a little bit of a Bohemian. She's also into Ed and rather brazen about letting him know just how much.

Their relationship has an authenticity to it. They like each other and start spending as much time together as possible. On more than one occasion I found myself giggling at their role play games. They may have too many differences, but they are definitely happy right now and hopefully their relationship will strengthen the longer they're together. 

I have to say, though, that as much as I enjoyed reading about Ed and Alisha I became positively CONSUMED by the serial killer storyline. I'm so grateful that the whole story was told through Ed who seems to be just as consumed. It goes without saying that I'm locked in for the rest of the series if for no other reason than to find out the killer's identity as well as Togg. I have two working theories there but am still clueless as to the identity of the killer. I have a wild card possibility that I'm not exceedingly confident in.

Also, I should probably mention how much I appreciate gaining insight and expanding my knowledge base, so the inclusion of ordinary events that I take for granted being shown through the eyes of a trans person and how tricky they can be was edifying and eye-opening. 

Recommended for fans of the series or those who like an angst free romance.

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

Find out more on Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY + Blog Tour: The Butch and The Beautiful by Kris Ripper

Today we welcome Kris Ripper to the clubhouse to promote the second in zir Queers of La Vista series.

Hi, I'm Kris and welcome to the blog tour for The Butch and the Beautiful, book two in my awesome queer soap opera! Enjoy the blog tour!

About The Butch and the Beautiful

Jaq Cummings is a high school teacher who really wants a committed relationship—as long as it doesn’t keep her out late on school nights or interrupt Sunday mass with her dad. She is absolutely not about to fall for the hot-mess divorcée she hooks up with even if said hot mess pushes all her buttons. Jaq’s white knight days are over.

But one hookup with Hannah becomes two, then coffee, then more incredibly hot sex. And unlike most of Jaq’s exes, Hannah’s not looking for someone to come on strong. In fact, Hannah comes on plenty strong enough for both of them. But she’s just out of a disastrous marriage, she’s in the process of moving across the state, and Jaq can’t take a chance on yet another relationship where she defaults to being a caregiver instead of a partner.

Just when Jaq decides her relationship with Hannah is far too precarious, a crisis with a student reminds her of her priorities and makes it clear that sometimes, you have to take big risks to get what you really want.

About Kris Ripper

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kris shares a converted garage with a toddler, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Kris is genderqueer and prefers the z-based pronouns because they’re freaking sweet. Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

Connect with Kris:

·         Webiste: krisripper.com

·         Facebook: www.facebook.com/kris.ripper

·         Twitter: twitter.com/SmutTasticKris

To celebrate the release of The Butch and the Beautiful, one lucky winner will receive their choice in ebook from Kris’s backlist. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 27, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review: Gays of Our Lives (Queers of La Vista #1) by Kris Ripper

Emerson Robinette only leaves his apartment to get laid and go to work. Having MS—and trying to pretend he doesn’t—makes everything more complicated, especially his fantasies of coming on strong and holding a guy down. Finding a partner who’ll explore that with him isn’t Emerson’s idea of a realistic goal.

Until a chance meeting with a hipster on a bus makes him reconsider. Obie is happy, open-hearted, and warm; what’s more, he gets his kicks being physically dominated, spanked, and teased until he’s begging. It would be perfect, except for one thing: Emerson isn’t made for happiness, and he doesn’t see how a guy like Obie would settle for a cynic like him.

But as far as Obie’s concerned, the only thing keeping them apart is Emerson. Can Emerson handle a boyfriend who’s more invested in his future than he is? Emerson’s barely convinced he has a future. But when Obie’s smiling at him, anything seems possible.

Finally! I've read a Kris Ripper book. I've been meaning to for something like 2 yrs now and now I'm kicking myself for having been such a slacker.

This is book one of the Queers of La Vista series and features Emerson and Obie. Honestly, I was expecting something akin to a soap opera. Because, Days of Our Lives. Gays of Our Lives is more serious than I expected, but there's no "melo" in the drama. 

Emerson is a complex character and this is his story told from his perspective of finding love in a crafty hipster named Obadiah Magovney. Emerson was diagnosed with MS about a year ago and he's rightfully angry about it. He spends a lot of time angry at his body and might be a little bit in denial. I think he thinks if he ignores it it'll go away. I also think he's depressed and funny in that self-deprecating way. There's a good deal of backstory on him that explains his actions and reactions and somewhere in the middle I felt like I knew him. I could predict that the conflict would be some sort of self-sabotage and that he'd hate himself for being an asshat.

He could use this printed on a t-shirt as a sort of caution to randoms.

Cuz he can be kind of a dick. I actually like the grumps and curmudgeons. Anyone who works at a community center helping people get their GEDs can't be all bad. He's just not great at connecting with people on a romantic or deeper level and there's a reason for that.

It's a good thing Obie is persistent and loyal. He's just... good people. He's perfect for Emerson-the cheese to his macaroni, the pea to his pod, you get what I'm saying. He's the most outgoing hipster ever. He's got this whole crafting thing going on with his roommate/sister from another mother, Dred, and like a kazillion Twitter and Instagram followers and his Etsy store is on the rise. 

And... he rides a motorcycle. And knows how hot he looks leaning on it.

*bites fist*

I could gush about just how much I loved Obie, but I don't want to give the impression I didn't like Emerson. Obie's just easy to like whereas Emerson's like trying hug it out with a porcupine.

Their banter is relatable and authentic as was their relationship development. There are no magic cocks or cures or easy answers. They spend a lot of time together doing regular things and getting to know each other through pizza and porn, YouTube videos, reality TV and juicing.

"Fuck you, Obie." 

This time he mumbled, and I think it was, "That's what I'm saying." 

So I shut the door and shoved him toward the bedroom. Because what the hell else was I going to do when my boyfriend demanded I fuck him?

Emerson has kinky inclinations that are mildly explored with a bit of spanking, bondage and a teensy bit of power exchange. Also... Emerson is also not a fan of bottoming and guess who's the smaller of the two? 

Kink + Big guy bottom?!?!?!

Me. Hearing the angels singing sweet nothings about BGBs.
Yeah, it's a thing they do.

Not much makes me happier than that combo. And the sex was... intimate. How understanding Obie was of Emerson's limitations and that he was so willing to get creative added depth and intensity to their relationship.

There are great secondary characters that round out the cast and a murder of a local drag king which probably will come into play later in the series. 

I learned a lot about living with MS, just how debilitating it is and how it affects the body, but I do think the balance between Emerson battling MS and his relationship with Obie was off. Their relationship does continue to evolve through his bad days and I think that gave them a good foundation on which to build their future. I just would've liked more good days, I guess.

"manly postcoital dude-hugging"
Not cuddling. No way.

I'm glad I'm no longer in the dark about Ripper's writes and I will read something else by this author in the future. Maybe something that's been sitting on my kindle giving me the eyeballs for the last 2 yrs.

Recommended to MM romance fans who like their romance realistic.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Find out more on Goodreads.

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