Showing posts with label MMA Fighter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA Fighter. Show all posts

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Purple Method by Victoria Milne


Author Victoria Milne and Signal Boost Promotions promote the Dreamspinner Press release of Purple Method! Learn more about the contemporary romance and enter in the giveaway to win your own eBook copy! Three winners!





Length: 84,500 words 

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

An up-and-coming heavy metal singer and a martial artist desperate to join a top MMA gym must decide how hard they’re willing to fight—for their dreams and each other.


Max Diaz is firmly in the closet, and as unbearable as that’s becoming, he can’t risk his only remaining family—his brother, Tony—or his band Purple Method’s chance to make it big.


Rick Bernstein dreams of rising in the ranks of the MMA circuit and securing a training career at a top gym, but with rejections coming thick and fast and his financial future in dire jeopardy, starting a relationship is the last thing on his mind—especially with someone who isn’t out.


But when Purple Method returns to Elfinbrook after a six-month tour, one kiss changes everything. Now Max and Rick face decisions that will change both of their lives forever.


Excerpt

Max Diaz’s legs were trembling so hard, he was amazed they were still holding him up. As he waited at the edge of the stage, hidden out of sight, his throat grew tight, and he dreaded the moment he’d be expected to perform. He didn’t think he could speak right now, let alone sing the complicated vocals.


After years of Max pleading with his brother to let him join the band, Tony had finally relented. He suspected Tony had done it to ease the blow of their dad leaving them. It was just the two of them against the rest of the world.


But that didn’t change the fact that Max was now the lead singer of an actual band. He still couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe they’d trusted him with the responsibility of fronting them when they were all so talented.


The venue was small, but right now, the stage looked huge. There had to be at least twenty people watching them. Twenty people who would witness his epic failure if he didn’t pull his shit together.


Tony, Lee, and Kyle—his bandmates—were preparing the equipment, like Max had seen them do countless times before when he’d been to their gigs. Next time he’d help out, but right now he wasn’t complaining that they were leaving him alone. Kyle was testing the microphones, Tony was moving one of the drums, and Lee was tuning his bass guitar. It wouldn’t be long now.


Max’s legs were numb as the trembling crept through his body all the way to his fingertips, and his head swam as queasiness threatened.


“Max, breathe,” Tony said.


Opening his eyes, Max gasped a breath and tried to focus on his brother.


“You’ve got this.”


“But what if I don’t—”


“You do. Just pretend we’re back home in the garage. You’re ready. Do you think I’d let you onstage with us if you weren’t?”


Max scrubbed his hands over his eyes. That was true. “But what if I let you down? What if I screw up?”


Pulling him into a hug, Tony said, “Focus on the music and you’ll be fine. If you’re thinking about screwing up, then you will. Don’t think about that.”


“Ready?” Lee asked.


Tony patted Max on the back and released him.


“Yeah. Let’s do this,” Max said, and prayed Tony was right.


While the others took their places onstage, Max turned his thoughts to their chaotic band practices. Was it helping? He wasn’t sure. If anything, he was more nervous.


Oh God. The queasiness worsened, and Max knew he couldn’t hold it in this time. He made a dash for the restrooms out back, barely making it in time. When he returned to the stage, Tony and Lee were playing the intro on loop, and all three of them were glaring at him.


Max grabbed the microphone and gripped it as hard as he could, terrified it would slip through his fingers as he stepped onto the stage. He closed his eyes and focused on Tony’s deafening drumbeat, and then on Lee’s bass guitar, the deep notes thundering through his body, dissipating the tingling in his limbs. By the time Kyle’s guitar joined the mix, Max’s nerves were giving way—transforming into the familiar charged excitement music always brought him.


Bringing the microphone to his lips and taking a deep breath, Max opened his eyes. Their audience looked interested, but they weren’t leaping about yet. As Max sang the first lines of “Scream My Name,” a couple of people whistled and nodded their approval.


He could do this. He totally could. And if he had the chance to perform like this for the rest of his life, he’d die happy.


Grinning, Max raised his arms in the air, and he swore that by the end of their set he’d have them all screaming for Purple Method.


Victoria Milne discovered fiction writing relatively late in life, back in 2012, and has loved every second of the journey. Her belief that life is one big adventure to be experienced to the max has stood her in good stead, but it has resulted in rather a lot of plot bunnies that don’t give her a minute’s peace!


A firm believer that consensual love should come without labels and without prejudice, these themes often appear in her stories, as do Victoria’s passions for martial arts, cooking, yoga, and loud music. It was no surprise when these subjects began to resonate in her writing, frequently taking center stage, and rather than fighting it she’s learned to accept and enjoy that these will always be indispensable elements in her work.


Although Victoria appreciates that stories don’t always have to have happy endings, hers always do—because everybody deserves to find their true love(s).


In 2016, Love Unlocked—the anthology in which her story “Writer’s Lock” was published—was a Rainbow Award finalist. The experience fueled her desire to learn as much about the mechanics of writing as she could. In 2017 Victoria completed her training with the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and became a full-time freelance editor. Victoria has always loved reading, and still can’t quite believe she’s been lucky enough to not only create books of her own but also help other writers perfect theirs too!


Website: www.purplemethod.net

Facebook: fb.me/victoriamilneauthor

Twitter: @victoria_milne_


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Guest Review: Sugar Fighter (Sugar Daddies #1) by Charity Parkerson

Zeke is the older man. The richer man. The man who plans to give Korey the world.

As MMA’s Light Heavyweight champion, Zeke’s million-dollar matches and multi-million-dollar sponsorships have given him the freedom to do whatever he likes. It pleases him to spoil Korey. Before Zeke’s best friend Charlie was deployed two years ago, he made Zeke swear he’d care for his brother Korey if anything happened to him. When Charlie is killed by a roadside bomb, Zeke takes the young college student in, determined to give him everything he requires to succeed. He never expects to end up hoping he can keep Korey under more than his roof. He needs Korey beneath him.

If Korey had been in his right mind after Charlie’s death, he would’ve turned down Zeke’s offer. By the time he realizes his mistake, he’s already addicted to Zeke’s powerful presence. He never meant to end up dependent on the man’s smiles and hot glances. The money, Korey could live without. The man has him hooked. There’s only one problem—neither man wants to cross the line from friends to lovers, ruining what they have.

Sugar Fighter is a short introduction to a new series by Charity Parkerson, Sugar Daddies. This series will feature male/male May/December romances where the men are hot, rich, naughty, and don’t like to be told no.


Reviewer: Shee Reader

If you like a good ‘forced proximity’ and ‘secret unrequited love’ trope, then this book should scratch that itch!

The story is a very quick read, and leads nicely into other characters that I’m sure will appear in the series. The writing is a little clunky at times with some overused expressions that grated a little, and there could be a good deal more emotion in certain places, but the main characters are endearing and I did want for them to be together and happy.

It’s cute even though it is about MMA cage fighters (cough) and is very sweet. My favourite moment was the love reveal *swoon*.

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





Book Blitz + Giveaway: Sugar Fighter (Sugar Daddies #1) by Charity Parkerson


Discover more info today about Sugar Fighter (Sugar Daddies #1) from author Charity Parkerson & Signal Boost Promotions! Not only is there information about the new May/December series but also a $5 Paypal cash giveaway! Enter today!




Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 50 pages

Cover Design: Charity Parkerson

Sugar Daddies Series

Book #2 - Sugar Boss - Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 - Sugar Bear - Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 - Sugar Tycoon - Amazon US | Amazon UK 
Book #5 - Sugar Dom - Amazon US | Amazon UK - Out September 24
Book #6 - Sugar Bastard - Amazon US | Amazon UK - Out October 8

Blurb

Zeke is the older man. The richer man. The man who plans to give Korey the world.

As MMA’s Light Heavyweight champion, Zeke’s million-dollar matches and multi-million-dollar sponsorships have given him the freedom to do whatever he likes. It pleases him to spoil Korey. Before Zeke’s best friend Charlie was deployed two years ago, he made Zeke swear he’d care for his brother Korey if anything happened to him. When Charlie is killed by a roadside bomb, Zeke takes the young college student in, determined to give him everything he requires to succeed. He never expects to end up hoping he can keep Korey under more than his roof. He needs Korey beneath him.

If Korey had been in his right mind after Charlie’s death, he would’ve turned down Zeke’s offer. By the time he realizes his mistake, he’s already addicted to Zeke’s powerful presence. He never meant to end up dependent on the man’s smiles and hot glances. The money, Korey could live without. The man has him hooked. There’s only one problem—neither man wants to cross the line from friends to lovers, ruining what they have.

Sugar Fighter is a short introduction to a new series by Charity Parkerson, Sugar Daddies. This series will feature male/male May/December romances where the men are hot, rich, naughty, and don’t like to be told no.





Author Bio

Charity Parkerson is an award winning and multi-published author with several companies. Born with no filter from her brain to her mouth, she decided to take this odd quirk and insert it in her characters.

* Seven-time Readers' Favorite Award Winner
*2015 Passionate Plume Award Finalist
*2013 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner
*2012 ARRA Finalist for Favorite Paranormal Romance
*Five-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath

Connect with her online:

Website: charityparkerson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/authorCharityParkerson
facebook.com/TheMenofSin
Twitter: twitter.com/CharityParkerso







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Guest Review: Bearding the Lion by J. Mercury Jones & Sween McDervish

“How did I get here?” wonders David. “How did this fighter get so far in my head in such a short time?”

David Levy thinks he knows the story when he steps into the Triple Hit Mixed Martial Arts gym to shadow a fighter. But he expected a mean-looking brute, not the painfully handsome, ginger haired hunk Connor Ryan. As the reporter is drawn in he discovers the surprising soft side of the alpha male with the killer fists, as well as an unexpected side of himself. While Connor prepares for the fight of his life, David faces a struggle of a different kind in which his heart and career collide as hard as a punch to the face.

But even if they win their own battles, will they lose each other as a dark secret and a fatal mistake conspire to ruin both lives?

Bearding The Lion is a standalone gay romance short with a HFN and no cliffhanger. It contains mixed martial arts fighting, explicit sex scenes, coarse language and conflicts that may be difficult for some readers. All characters in the book are over eighteen years old.


Reviewer: Shee Reader

The story opens with David (the journalist) arriving at the gym to interview and ‘shadow’ a fighter. Connor Ryan has drawn the short straw as the gym owner’s nephew, who owes the older man a favour or two. The introduction to the characters was interesting if a little clunky. I’m not familiar with MMA gyms but have read plenty of MMA fighter romances!

There is a curious feel as David wrestles with himself in his head (and the POV flipped back and forth which got on my nerves a little) but there was plenty of interest in the story. Connor is closeted and the conflict and hot passion between the two men is pretty tangible at times. This novella packs plenty in to a short page count and kept me turning the page.

This is a nice quick read with a pretty cute HFN ending. The style wasn’t my preference but I’m sure it would appeal to plenty of readers!

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



Giveaway + Blog Tour: Faking It (A Ringside Romance Novel) by Christine d'Abo


Christine d'Abo's here today talking about her latest Ringside Romance novel, Faking It.

Be sure to enter to win a $25 Riptide credit below. Good luck!



Hello, my name is Christine d’Abo and I’m so happy to be here today.

I’m a firm believer that the good friends are the family members that we get to choose. The get us on a level that sometimes our biological family doesn’t. When I came up with the idea of Ringside Gym and the men who were involved with it, I wanted to make sure that their relationships reflected that feeling.

Max would be the “middle” child of the trio of heroes. He’s my peacemaker, the one who wants to make sure everyone and everything is okay. But Max has a problem – he doesn’t know what to do when he’s not needed. Zack no longer needs him now that he has Noland in his life, and their other friend Eli has been MIA due to his MMA career. Max’s life begins to drift and he questions not only what he wants, but also who he wants in it.

When Grady Barnes shows up on the scene, Max is equal parts intrigued and annoyed. Here is a man who seems to have it all, but is seemingly at the whim of his father. When Grady asks Max for help, he takes a leap of faith and agrees. What Max doesn’t anticipate is how quickly Grady will work his way into his heart.

All Max needs to do is find a way to prevent Grady from being forced into a marriage he doesn’t want, while not giving in to his impulse to sweep Grady into his arm.

Simple, right?

You can visit Christine at her website www.christinedabo.com, and chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. Want to keep up with Christine’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free book!


About Faking It

Max Tremblay should be happy. His nightclub, Frantic, is one of the most popular gay clubs in Toronto, and his childhood refuge, Ringside Gym, is well on the way to reopening. But when he finds yet another drunk in the alley beside the bar, Max isn’t sure this is the life he truly wants.

Grady Barnes has it all. He’s rich, famous, and wants for nothing. Well, nothing but a good relationship with his father. When he discovers that his father is going to force him into an arranged marriage, Grady has had enough. He tracks down Max, the man who got him to safety after a night of overindulgence, and makes him a proposal: pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks and he’ll invest in Ringside Gym.

When the pair travel to Vancouver to attend a family wedding, the flames of their mutual attraction ignite, and they discover that the only difference between pretend and reality is how well they can fake it.

Now available from Riptide Publishing.

http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/faking-it


About the Ringside Romance Universe

Deep in the heart of Toronto lies Ringside Gym. Once a safe haven for troubled teens, Ringside has gone derelict, a forgotten memory of past days. Until a group of friends set out to do what they can to bring life back to the ring and create a new home for LGBT youths.

But when their lives threaten to pull down their dreams, each man must turn to others to help make it a reality. Winners take all—but there are no losers in love.

Check out Ringside Romance.

http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/universe/ringside-romance


About Christine d’Abo

A romance novelist and short story writer, Christine has over thirty publications to her name. She loves to exercise and stops writing just long enough to keep her body in motion too. When she’s not pretending to be a ninja in her basement, she’s most likely spending time with her family and two dogs.

Connect with Christine:

Website: christinedabo.com
Blog: christinedabo.blogspot.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorChristinedAbo
Twitter: @Christine_dAbo
Tumblr: christinedabo.tumblr.com
Pintrest: pintrest.com/christinedabo
Goodreads: goodreads.com/christine_d_abo



To celebrate the release of Faking It, one lucky winner will receive a $25 Riptide credit. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 13, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!


Unicorn Favorites: Love in an Open Road Stories: Week Three

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love is an Open Road and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.


We've already shared some of our favorite stories from the first and second week of the event. And some of our favorites from the third week, June 15-21, are below:

Lorix: Pull Down the Sun by Danni Keane


Oh wow. This story was amazing. I adored it. I want more. MORE> MORE> MORE.

I read this book with a combination of joy, nostalgia, and an unbearable urge to cry. Jacob. Eight year old Tom might not have been able to see through the façade, but this grown-up reader could, and as much as I wanted to read the next word and the next, part of me dreaded it. Feared the sadness that would come. The revelations. 

I couldn't stop reading though.

I wanted to know all the things. I loved how the story was told. I would love to know more about the future these two have. We see the start of the healing, but I want to know more. I want to see their first Christmas. I want Jacob to have that experience. I want the love after the healing. We get glimpses, but I'm greedy and want more.

Also, the setting. The nostalgia. My BFF at school, her family had a static caravan by the coast and many weekends through the summer I would get invited there. Being from a larger, less well off family, I felt some of the awe that Jacob did. I completely understood him.

And anyone who spent any time at the seaside in Britain through the eighties or nineties, or even the noughties, knows those shops, with the beach balls and windmills and ice-creams and buckets and spades... A veritable treasure trove of brightly coloured plastic for children. Just seeing the description summons up a bright summers day. The kind without humidity, but with a blazing sun and cool coastal breeze. Sand and sunburn and salt water. I can smell it, and hear it, and almost feel the sand under my feet. The seaside in summer.

Thank you Danni. This story is amazing. And, if you wanted to write more about Jacob and Tom, I for one want to read it!! This story has made a good day great.


Ann: Shelter From the Storm by Mia West

I’m a sucker for historical stories and make it about a lonely farmer or cowboy and I’m aces!

Shelter From the Storm by Mia West totally did it for me. I loved how the story was told. It’s in the form of a letter written to a newcomer to Stormy Ridge (Daniel’s farm) and tells the story of Daniel and his mail order bride. It gives the letters recipient the whole story and a chance to accept or deny the gift that is being offered with eyes wide open to their history.

My favorite thing was Daniel’s voice. He’s the epitome of the gentleman farmer with good manners, humility and grace. He is also prideful, which he is the first to admit, but it’s in the most charming of ways. His words were spare but held a wealth of meaning. He’s becoming smitten with his Isabel and the life they are creating on the farm. She’s everything he could have asked for and more. Something about Isabel isn’t quite as advertised, but Daniel is willing to turn a blind eye to most things and is voluntarily clueless to what others are seeing. Isabel is the perfect balance of light to Daniel’s more stoic nature and I enjoyed reading about their little moments together as they settled into the routine of farm life.

As their ‘trial period’ is coming to end, Daniel can’t deny he’s got to do a little investigating and imagine his surprise when he spies on Isabel and discovers that she is, in fact, a he. He expects to be put off by the knowledge but he’s a pragmatic man and can’t deny that Isabel/Isaiah makes him happy (and apparently horny). His only concern is Isaiah’s motives. Isaiah puts Daniel’s concerns to rest quickly after a rough Sunday afternoon away from the farm. Isaiah is the victim of a few bigoted townsfolk and Daniel’s reaction was fierce and perfect. Their interaction as they open themselves to one another with complete honesty for the first time was so damn sweet and I absolutely loved it.

The obvious love between these two men and the world they created at Stormy Ridge was such a tease in that I just plain wanted more. I loved everything that happened here but would read the hell out of a full length story about these characters and their world.

Breann: Bare-Knuckle Love by K.A. Merikan

Jason needs to make a buck. The best way he can do that is by fighting. Only thing is, part of the deal is to lose. But when he sees his old crush, Hyde, in the audience, he forgets all about the deal.

Too bad Hyde is the guy he was supposed to lose for. Now Hyde has him in his clutches... and he's not too happy.

Hyde is a crazy motherfucker. Sexy as hell. But crazy.

The story is brutal. It's bloody and, at times, made me cringe.

Hyde and Jason are totally messed up. But Jason loves it. Hyde knows just what to do to get under Jason's skin. He doesn't want to love it, but he so does. He loves that dirty, slutty talk. Mmmm.

Criminals, kink, virgins, fucked-up-ness. <= Full. Of. Win.


Optimist King's Wench: Reubaltach Cridhe by K. Mason

Bursting with Good Feels!

Give me a laird, a castle and some historical GFY manlove with kilts and I'm tickled pink!

Alex and Iain have deserted. Technically, Alex is Iain's prisoner, though neither has any interest in returning to fight a war they've become disillusioned with. Alex has an infection in his leg and is in and out of consciousness when we first meet them and Iain's horse, Bran.

Bran is adorbs BTW.

They find themselves given shelter by Sir Robert, Laird of Barquhar and Baronet of Lag. Robert and his staff are all very accommodating both in nursing Alex back to health and in other ways... NOT SPOILING!

There was a barn frot session, people.

And then some sponge bathing with a hand job.

*shivers*

What is it about kilts??

Anyhoo, the historical setting is well drawn out, the writing is engaging if a little heavy on the interior decorating at times, the well placed "aye" had me grinning and there's good tension building between the MCs.

Did I mention there were kilts?

KILTS, PEOPLE!

*sigh*
Good Sunday is good.

Thanks to the author and her team for the kilts participating in the LOR event.

SheReadsALot: Aniki's Garden by Claire Cray and Matters of State by A. Phallus Si

 Whoa.

Like whoa.

This prompt, right? Like this prompt was dope. Because tentacles. Tentacles that are stuffing a splayed and trussed boy's legs. I imagine those appendages deep inside every hole. Every hole.

I wondered what kind of story would be created from this yummy prompt.

This wasn't the story I expected. And it rocked.

So short. :( I would have read a novel on cousins Kazuo and Yuuta. I imagine the proper Yuuta being violated in all the ways by his cousin. *happy sigh*

I'm getting ahead of myself.

This isn't romance, it's gay fiction/ erotica. I've heard great things about this author. I see why, I liked her tone. The writing style and attention to 1960's Japan were great. Yakuza! A little cousin/cousin action! Tentacles!

Japanese born Yuuta was raised in America. His family tried to ignore their home but not Yuuta. He's a rising Japanese art historian and gets an invite to visit his cousin Kazuo. Yuuta's parents try to keep the cousins from contacting each other but it didn't work. Yuuta meets up with his criminal cousin at his huge house. While searching his garden, he hears the strangest sounds...

The prompt pic? Not who I thought it would be.

Still hot. The entire scene with the octopus was hot.

Man, do I wish it was longer. I think I could come to love the gangster Kazuo of this was a longer story...there's a sense of deviousness there that I like in criminals.

Gah, the ending! I'm smirking.


 “With a deep breath, he pulled in the scent of his boy, his beloved.

“So hard and desperate with your cock dripping.” He wrapped a hand around it and gave a couple firm tugs along the shaft. “This is mine, now. Mine.”
 *quelts*

Nothing gets me excited quicker than a possessive hero who isn't too keen on unnecessary yapping. He sees what he wants, does whatever in his power to get said thing and when he gets that thing in his possession, God bless whoever even fathoms of getting in his way. In A. Phallus Si's "Matters of State" you can find this in Hayden, alien space captain and one owner of a lethal tongue. He kisses and fucks like a champ and younger, slightly bratty Damien is the lucky recipient of Hayden's attention. Filthy, hot public sexual activities, heart pacing thrusting and a space filled world created with enough characteristics to keep you entertains. 

Oh, don't think this story rests on its quality sex and lust filled scenes alone. this story has heart and more importantly, smarts!


“Are you my little hedonist?” he queried. “Just chasing the next sensation, you wanton,” he growled. “Available for any hand or cock to please you― slut.” He chuckled. “You can’t even think anymore.”

But the dirty talk is fab as well! ;P



*** All stories are available for download at  http://www.mmromancegroup.com/ ***