Review: This is Not a Horror Movie by Sara Dobie Bauer

Emory Jones loves two things: horror movies and Connor Nichols.

For the past four years, Emory, Connor, and their families have vacationed side by side on Longboat Key, Florida. Eighteen-year-old Emory has pined for his neighbor from behind the covers of Stephen King books, but college boy Connor has never noticed him. Probably because Emory looks like Jack Skellington with good hair.

Emory anticipates another predictable summer of sunburn and disappointment. Instead, he ends up with a mystery on his hands when a beloved beach bum goes missing, and Connor volunteers to help with the search. Turns out it’s not just scary movie cops who are worthless, so the boys start an investigation of their own—leading them straight to an abandoned beach resort.

Despite the danger, Emory and Connor grow closer, but as Emory’s gay dreams start coming true, so do the horror movie tropes he so loves. Even though he knows that sex equals death in slasher flicks, Emory can’t keep his hands off the guy of his teenage dreams.

This is Not a Horror Movie is a 78,000-word new adult gay rom-com… with a monster.

I will be the first to admit that YA is not my go to but the three stories I’ve read from Bauer, I've quite enjoyed and was curious to see what she brought to the table in yet a different genre. To say the least, I wasn’t disappointed.

Emory is the sweetest most unassuming guy. Shy but brilliant, aspiring to be a writer, he hides behind his love of all things scary because it’s the greatest escape out there, and Emory likes to hide. Every year he and his family go to Florida for the summer, meeting up with other families who vacation there at the same time. It’s a yearly reunion of sorts and as always, Emory looks forward to secretly lusting after hunky gorgeous Connor, two years his senior. This year’s no different for Emory. He’s still awkward, still bamboozled often by his outgoing twin sister, and he’s still crushing oh so hard on his neighbor that he gets to ogle from afar for two blissful weeks.

However, it’s different for Connor this time around. Apparently, Emory has blossomed into an elusive hottie who doesn't know the power of his killer good looks and charming self deprecation. Connor though, sure has noticed!

What I really loved about this book despite it’s very tame in the smex department self, was how much I enjoyed the way Emory and Connor were drawn, each with their own appealing and completely opposite characteristics, and though only told through Emory’s point of view, their distinct personalities shine through. Emory is slowly coming into his own, a lot scarred from high school bullying and unfortunately, hesitant to own up to his voice and be confident in his decisions. However, when he’s with Connor, though he’s often embarrassed and mortified, Emory never hides from his feelings (he really has no filter) and his emotions are on full display. Seen through Emory, Connor is like a dream come true, heroic, protective, treating Emory like he always should be, precious and appreciated.

This was often funny, silly, peppered with some snark and good shoutouts to the pop culture of all things horror, paranormal, and supernatural . The supporting cast was quirkily interesting and entertainingly outrageous at times, with a sassy wink at all the media entertainment rules and stereotypes. Add a spooky and gory otherworldly bent which was a tad incongruent to the mostly contemporary vibe that I thought it would maintain) and this actually made me anxious as I was legit creeped out and frightened several times for good measure. Toss in a very strong swoon factor as Emory and Cooper solidify their long latent hidden feelings and as I read, my glowing affinity towards them only grew.

Obviously, I liked these two adorable dreamy guys falling in love, solving crime and murder, and fighting off evil both metapohrically and literally. If the above sounds appealing, I’m confident fans of this author or those on the fence on whether or not to explore Bauer further should have no problem loving this!

Review: The Scouts (The Order #3) by Kasia Bacon

Soldiers. Lovers. Soulmates.

Lochan and Ervyn—an assassin and a sharpshooter—remain in service to the Queen as part of an elite reconnaissance unit.
The Scouts are ghostlike. Elusive. Deadly.
They strike at enemies of the Crown without mercy. They get the job done, leaving no loose ends or witnesses. When Magic Supremacists threaten the safety of Elven Country, they do their duty—whatever it takes.
Lochan and Ervyn belong to each other, but will serving together as comrades-in-arms strengthen their bond as lovers or tear them apart?

The Scouts is the third book in the Order Series. In this volume, Ervyn loses control, Lochan stops fighting his feelings and Verhan… well, remains Verhan.

Recommended reading order: The Mutt, The Highlander, Twenty-One Arrow Salute, The Scouts.

TAGS:
Military, Soulmates, Hurt/Comfort, Humour, Snark, Banter, Moody vs. Possessive, Mine-Mine-Mine, We-Belong-Together, Magic, Adventure & Fantasy Romance.

It’s no secret that I adore Ms. Bacon’s world of The Order, and this long awaited sequel to Ervyn and Lochan did not fail me. If you’re new to this universe, my recommendation is to read in publishing order starting with The Mutt.

In case you didn’t know, Ervyn and Lochan are soldiers in the Scouts, the best of the best of the Queen’s elite defense, doing the impossible missions that only a very select few can accomplish. This time around, they’re trying to stop magic supremacists from causing havoc on the kingdom, and they are in desperate need of intel. The thing is, in order to get said intel, it will put their relationship to the test.

I admit at first that I was a bit disgruntled to find out that this starts technically 2.5 years after The Highlander, because I really wanted to see all the details of Ervyn and Lochan’s burgeoning relationship. Though they are definitely committed now, both still harbor that deep buried fear that maybe, just maybe, they’re not good enough to keep the other. So, when this important mission throws a potential wrench in their dynamic, it puts them in a tailspin of insecurity, doubt, and jealousy. What it also does is allow the reader to bask in some delicious emotions, as well as some very intimate scenes between these two strong, capable, and lethal men, who only show vulnerability (rarely and sparingly) to the other. Unf! I love when that happens!

Instead of whetting my appetite, Ms. Bacon has only served to make me hungrier, and it will be a very long, torturous, pining wait for the next installment because though she leaves things not necessarily on a cliffhanger, there’s just enough of a hint of more challenges ahead for Ervyn and Lochan. For now, be reassured that this had plenty of action and suspense, swoony feels, romantic smexy, and a deeper peek into their touching, intense relationship, ending with these two solidly confident in each other’s love. I have no doubt we’ll be put through an emotional ringer in the future for other reasons, but the payoff will be well worth it, the tease here, always making you want more. So much more.

Brava Ms. Bacon! Thank you so much for this, and I’m just putting it out there that I’m still eagerly waiting for all your other stories that need to come out, in the event you were wondering and weren’t sure of my wants and needs and desires. *wink*

Guest Review: The Christmas Pundit (Laurel Holidays #2) by V.L. Locey

Will two complete opposites learn to cross party lines to benefit their beloved hometown and save Christmas?

Evan Griffiths is enjoying his tenure as the mayor of Cedarburg, Pennsylvania. While it may barely be a blip on the state map, it’s where he grew up, and he’s thrilled to be at the helm of the tiny rural community. With the recent election in the past, Evan can focus on his agenda to bring Cedarburg out of the fifties. Being the first gay mayor in the town’s history is a good start but there’s plenty more to do. His first big job is expanding the yearly Christmas Carnival to lure tourists to his fiscally challenged birthplace. Things seem to be moving along at a good pace then a ghost from Christmases past arrives on the morning bus.

As soon as Gideon Pierce returns to Cedarburg he picks up right where he left off back in elementary school—tormenting Evan at every turn. Only this time instead of shoving Evan down on the playground, Gideon is bedeviling him with snippy editorials in the local paper. Gideon is no longer the gangly, bucktoothed kid he used to be. When his gaze keeps touching on Gideon’s mouth and the appreciative fire in his brilliant holly green eyes, Evan is finding it harder and harder to keep his mind on witty replies to Gideon’s cutting viewpoints.

Reviewer: Shee Reader

This was a lovely festive book. I adored Evan from the outset, and his parents were such brilliantly engaging characters! I did find it a little harder to warm to Gideon (I was team Evan from the start and Gideon had been such a mean bully* when they were kids. *not really a bully).

Evan is Cedarburg’s first gay mayor. A situation that seemed like science fiction within my lifetime. I was so glad to read a story where Evan just *was* in his small town and that this could really be a real thing is amazing. There are plenty of town characters and the Christmas carnival was described so well, it was like being there! The local newspaper was so very fortunate to land the somewhat famous former resident and local-boy-made-good as the new editor. It’s a shame the arrival of Gideon was not such good news for those sensitive boys terrorised throughout their childhood though…

From surprise arrival to the small town gossip machine, Poor Evan’s happy, sensible, lonely, busy life was ruined*. *made infinitely better.

I loved the book sharing, the accidental meetings, the discovery that Gideon’s childhood had been a horror and the part Evan’s parents played in trying to keep Gideon safe. The whole thing was a delight, with longing looks, quiet evenings and snippy verbal battles, and of course, the totally necessary HEA.

All in all, it was a delight! Highly recommended.

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

Review: Must Love Demons (Magic Emporium) by Meghan Maslow

You’d think being magically tethered to the hottest warden in all Verona wouldn’t be a hardship.

You’d be wrong.

Incubus Nico Azertiran has his dream job as a cherub-in-training. It’s the perfect position for a lust demon who’s more interested in happily-ever-afters than one-night stands. Or it would be, if he didn’t keep screwing it up. When a new cherub gadget misfires, Nico is left trussed to Verona’s most eligible warden, the incredibly grumpy, Sir Flame.

Flambeau Illume has a job to do. Someone’s murdering Verona’s rich and famous, and Sir Flame’s hot on the killer’s trail . . . until he has the misfortune to get magically lassoed to the most infuriating incubus he’s ever had the displeasure to meet. Except, maybe Nico isn’t so terribly awful. But how can he solve his case and keep Nico safe at the same time? Especially when the sweet demon seems to have a bullseye on his back.

Together they need to solve the crime, stay alive, and—if their luck changes—maybe even fall in love. Easy, right?

Must Love Demons is part of the Magic Emporium series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, a lariat of love, a demon tail with a mind of its own, and a guaranteed HEA.

Another win for the Magic Emporium series!

As per the blurb, the overall premise starts with Nico. He’s an incubus whose magic is not typical. Instead of being a lust demon, he’s a love one instead, where his presence allows anyone to instantly connect with their true match if they’re in close proximity. Having been kicked out of his legion of incubi because he’s different, Nico is currently a cherub in training, hoping to put his idealistic talents to good use.

One day, Nico accidentally magically ties himself to the most eligible bachelor around - the formidable, always grumpy phoenix, Warden Flame. Flame absolutely has no time for trivial frivolities such as dating, never mind being literally tied to an infuriating, albeit handsome, incubus. He has murders to solve, and as the body count continues to pile up, being hampered by a very distracting shadow is so not ideal.

Here, Maslow excels at the world building, portraying a realm where only fantastical creatures exist. She also develops her two polar opposite characters very well. Nico is the most awesome, sweetest person ever, kind and good and only wanting to help all find their true love despite him being personally very unlucky in both romance and life. Flame is for sure, full of intimidating bark (with a bit of bite), putting his warden responsibilities first and foremost. It’s not that he wouldn’t want a relationship, but love is simply not for him as his very essence of being a phoenix prevents him from falling for another. Of course, the rules of existence are not absolutes, and as these two are forced to work together, dodging one perilous situation after the other, it’s only logical that lust and near death experiences coalesce into feelings and smexy actions. Do either Nico or Flame dare hope that should they ever get untied that maybe, they just might be able to work out? Well, duh.

Despite this being a long 310 pages (a length that is not unusual for Maslow) it held my interest as Nico and Flame begrudgingly become friends, eventual partners in solving terrible crimes, and of course, find that elusive thing that everyone wants. Overall, this had some snark, very likeable MC’s, a good mystery with several action filled twists, and along with Hexes and Horns, is my top favorite in this loosely connected series thus far. Enjoy!

Re-Release Blitz + Giveaway: Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings (Fire & Flutter #1) by Bailey Bradford

Author Bailey Bradford and Pride Publishing visit to host re-release blitz for, Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings (Fire & Flutter #1)! Read more about the first in the fantasy series and enter in the giveaway for a chance to win a fabulous gift package and a FREE Bailey Bradford romance book!

Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings
Bailey Bradford

Book 1 in the Fire & Flutter series

General Release Date: 26th January 2021

Word Count: 58,252
Book Length: NOVEL
Pages: 252
Genres: EROTIC ROMANCE. FANTASY, GAY, GLBTQI

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Book Description

When one fairy with a faulty memory meets a snarky dragon, the supernatural world will never be the same.

Griff was born a Love fairy, but he never quite fitted in. He didn’t want to be part of a harem…at least he didn’t think so. What with his wings gone and his memory damaged, he can’t be certain of what he felt in the past. All he does know is he wants his wings back. Without them, he’s grounded.

Blaze is a dragon shifter who tends to stick his foot in his mouth—and some other parts in other places—when he really shouldn’t. His brother’s the king, and his sister-in-law is scary. Blaze’s last screw-up got him grounded, unable to shift into his dragon form. His punishment seems harsh to him, but there's no escaping it.

When the Love fairies come to the castle to work on forming an alliance, Blaze has about had it with guarding the horny beings, and he's disappointed that they don’t stay small and cute. Swatting at something buzzing him, he almost starts an inter-species war when it turns out to be a fairy on a dragonfly.

And from that snarky first meeting between Griff and Blaze, something wonderful, and dangerous, will come…

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released elsewhere. It has been revised and reedited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

Excerpt

Blaze rubbed his shoulder where it still ached. He’d been lucky the whip had only caught him a glancing blow, otherwise he’d really be in pain.

Of course, even being whipped would be better than his punishment of not being allowed to fly. Or shift. Being stuck in the puny human form and dependent on two scrawny legs just sucked troll balls.

That imagery almost made Blaze gag. Trolls smelled really bad, worse than the dragon dumping grounds—and if anyone needed an explanation for what that area was, they didn’t have a nose.

Plus, trolls were ugly. It was part of them being trolls and all. They also tended to have large, pendulous balls that swung down close to their ankles.

Blaze did gag then, pressing a hand against his stomach. He had to get his mind out of the troll gutter.

“Hey, freak, heard you got your powers taken away, all for a piece of ass.”

Blaze glared at Bort. “Oh, yeah. Your dad wasn’t worth it.”

“My—” Bort’s eyes glowed red, and smoke gusted from his nostrils. “I’ll bake you, you fucking freak!”

Blaze kept his trembling inside. He’d learned not to show any fear to bullies. “Go ahead. King Fyre will be thrilled with you. You’ll look great on a spit.”

“You think just ’cause your brother’s the king means…”

Blaze arched an eyebrow at Bort—which he knew looked cool, because he’d practiced it until he had it perfected and he knew how awesome that one arched eyebrow thing was. “It pretty much means he’ll toast you if you lay a hand on me.”

The only reason the guy who’d hit Blaze with a whip wasn’t dead was because Blaze had kind of deserved it. Kind of, because he hadn’t known Valdez was married to another man. Otherwise, Blaze wouldn’t have fucked him. Probably. Blaze’s morals were questionable at times, but only because he was so desperate for someone to touch him.

“Right, whatever,” Bort drawled. “You’ll probably cook yourself anyway and save all the good dragons the trouble. Crazy Blazy.” He cackled and flipped Blaze off with both hands.

Probably with his toes, too, but Blaze didn’t think to check. Instead he watched enviously as Bort shifted into a gorgeous teal and gold dragon.

Bort blew a stream of fire right past Blaze’s head, then flapped his mighty wings and flew off. A rancid scent lingered in the air.

Blaze sighed and touched his hair that Bort had just singed. Everyone was going to think he’d done that to himself—again. Even though he was grounded, assumptions would be made that he’d done something stupid to burn his own hair, and rumors would fly. He’d have to worry about that later, if at all. Right now, he had to deal with a bully. Blaze really missed being able to shoot flames.

It was true that he couldn’t control his fire, and he could be dangerous. He hadn’t killed anyone on accident, yet, though. “Sheesh.” Blaze sniffed and fanned the air around him. It was no use. The smell was on his head. He could fan all day, and it wouldn’t make any difference.

Resigned to walking all the way back to his nest—which meant heading through the center of the dragon city, since he could no longer fly—Blaze prepared himself for the looks and murmurs. People would be talking about him more than usual today. He ought to be used to such stuff, but the truth was, it always hurt.

Even so, when he heard the buzz of conversations around him, Blaze held his head up high, despite the burnt hair. He hoped everyone gossiping about him got a snoot full of the noxious odor.

* * * *

“Where did I put my shoes?” Griff fluttered as much as a fairy without wings could as he looked for his soft purple shoes. Surprisingly, he could flutter a lot, although that translated into gestures with his hands and much twitching on his behalf.

“Did Egregio eat them?” Gia asked, hovering above him.

Griff glared at her. “Could you maybe not do that? I already feel like a complete loser without my wings.” Who knew they could be knocked off you? Griff hadn’t, and it’d come as a shock to the other fairies in his frolic. Of course, Love fairies weren’t exactly brainiacs. They were more into the sensual than the mental. For brains, people looked to the Genius fairies, though good luck to anyone wanting help from those snobs. They didn’t speak to anyone with an IQ under one-sixty—which left out most of the magic world.

“Sorry.” Gia floated down and grimaced. “Ick. How can you tolerate standing all the time? My legs don’t like it. It’s work. It’s so much easier to fly, or—” She smirked.

“Don’t go there.” Griff knew his own kind through and through. As a Love fairy, he shouldn’t be bothered by hearing about his sister’s sexual escapades. Maybe he was just jealous. “Keep your sordid stories to yourself.”

Gia crossed her eyes at him. “Please. How did a prude get hatched into our frolic?”

“I’ve asked myself that a thousand times,” Griff muttered. “Aha!”

“Aha what?”

Griff knelt and stuck his hand under his bed, then reached farther. “I swear to the gods, Egregio, if you bite me, I will feed you to the dragons.”

“Rawr!” It sounded more like a whine than not.

Griff ducked his head and looked at the catterwaul under his bed. Much like the human-world cat except with two legs and large, hairy toes, and fangs the size of Griff’s index fingers, the beast was rather fierce-looking.

“I’m not joking. Last time you bit me, it got infected. You’re lucky I didn’t toss you out then.”

Beady red eyes glowed at him. “Rawr rawr rawr.”

“Yeah, you’re sorry now.” Griff wiggled his fingers. “Give me my shoes.”

The purple shoes were tossed at him while Egregio continued to vocalize.

“I know, I know, they’re pretty. That’s why I like them, too. Now if you’re good, and you keep the dung beetles away for a whole week, I’ll see about getting you your own shoes.” Catterwauls were great to have as long as they were loyal. Sometimes they forgot that, though.

A few more rawrs and Griff was pretty sure he had his catterwaul vowing to fight off the shiny green beetles that migrated through the area on the way to the dragon dumping grounds. Griff hoped so. The buzz of beetle wings always left him with serious headaches as well as memories of the worst time in his life.

“Okay, got my shoes on, Gia. Now we can go…” Griff spun around, looking for his sister, but no. She had left the mushroom’s interior at some point. “Great. Great! Now how am I going to find my way to where my wings might be?”

Griff couldn’t remember things like he should have been able to. The hit he’d taken from a human’s fly swatter had cracked his skull, knocked off his wings and almost killed him. His memory hadn’t been right ever since, but he was lucky to even be alive.

Although the term lucky was relative. If he couldn’t find his wings, what point would there be to life?

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About the Author

Bailey Bradford

A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn't happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey's brain demanding to be let out.

Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey's office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey's presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

You can follow Bailey on Facebook here and Twitter here.

Giveaway

Enter to win a fabulous gift package and a FREE Bailey Bradford romance book!

Bailey Bradford's Dragon Dreams and Fairy Wings

BAILEY BRADFORD IS GIVING AWAY THIS FABULOUS PRIZE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A LOVELY GIFT PACKAGE AND GRAB YOUR FREE BAILEY BRADFORD ROMANCE BOOK! Notice: This competition ends on 9th February 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Cat’s Got Your Heart by Jem Zero

Author Jem Zero and IndiGo Marketing host today's release blitz for Cat’s Got Your Heart! Learn more about the enemies to lovers romance and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Cat’s Got Your Heart

Author: Jem Zero

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: October 5, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 75100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, contemporary, gay, trans, new adult, enemies-to-lovers, interracial, pet store, pets, snark, nerds, bullying, grief/grieving, hurt-comfort, romantic comedy/comedy of errors

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Synopsis

A Fluffy Feline Isn’t the Only Thing They’re Fighting For 

Adopting a cat doesn’t sound hard. Then Jericho Adams meets Harinder Mangal, the surly pet store employee who loves animals and hates customers. Their first encounter inspires more than simple loathing—it puts the ball in motion for an absurd game of deceit that boasts a fluffy cat named Dumpling as the prize.

Harinder hates Jericho’s attitude, especially when it comes to owning a pet. He attempts to chase the other man from his store and is shocked when Jericho overcomes every obstacle, no matter how bizarre. Not only that, but he generates some of his own wild inconveniences that leave Harinder seething in his ugly sweater and mom jeans.

Before either man can get the other to crack, Harinder finds himself unexpectedly homeless. Despite their mutual antagonism, Jericho invites Harinder to crash at his place. The increased proximity makes it difficult for Harinder and Jericho to maintain their respective ruses, not to mention stopping themselves from actually caring about their pet-parenting rival.

Excerpt

Cat’s Got Your Heart
Jem Zero © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Jericho Is Not Prepared

There’s a Petco another half hour down the bus line, but it’s snowing and Jericho doesn’t have that kind of time. Well, he does. But his phone is only at thirty-seven percent battery, and he’s not patient enough to go that long without entertainment. Fortunately, there’s a small hole-in-the-wall ten minutes from his apartment.

Aquariums & More doesn’t have a website, but according to Yelp, the “more” includes live pets. Half the Yelp reviews complain about hostile and unwelcoming employees, but that’s none of his business.

The pet store looks even shittier in person than it did in the picture. Multiple neon signs have been added since the pixelated, overexposed image was captured—probably somewhere in the early 1800s. Combined, they shine so brightly they distract from the puke-green awning, torn from years of weather, with faded navy font that looks like it’s trying to be Comic Sans but isn’t quite.

The visual assault is such that Jericho briefly overlooks the grime on the windows and how there seems to be something alive inside the trash can.

Any animal bought from this place is guaranteed to have three kinds of rabies and possibly congestive heart failure in addition to being intellectually dishonest and a kleptomaniac. It’s perfect for his sister, Shiloh, so Jericho spits a wad of tasteless gum into the cigarette disposal (he isn’t going near that trash can) and steps inside.

The bell on the door jingles merrily, but upon passing the threshold, there’s no one in sight: no customers, no pimply teenage employees, not even a grizzled old man to regale him with stories of putting live mice in freezers.

Alrighty then.

Along the entire front wall is what must be a six-foot-long, gargantuan tank full of…sand and wood? Jericho looks closer, blinking when he sees some small things skittering through the thick foliage. Oh, hermit crabs.

“They’re not for sale,” a rough voice says behind him.

He startles, but not enough to make a fool out of himself. Instead of swinging around to face whoever came up behind him, Jericho casually rolls his back. See? He isn’t bothered in the least.

“There’s a sign right there.” He points down at the far corner of the tank where Hermit Crabs $5 per ea. is written in Sharpie on an off-white piece of cardstock. It’s placed away from the reach of the fluorescent tank lighting as if someone doesn’t want it to be noticed.

A dark hand reaches into his line of sight and unceremoniously rips the sign off the tank. “That was a prank,” the other person says. “Feel free to ignore it.”

“Okay,” Jericho says—because sure, whatever—and turns toward the speaker. The voice made him expect someone at least moderately intimidating, but the fluffy hair, round cheeks, and full lips are suspiciously cherubic despite the rather genuine scowl. Also, this guy is, like, five feet tall, give or take a few inches. “Do you work here?” He’s dubious about whether or not this is customer service or an attempt at stealing his lunch money.

The guy rolls his eyes—which makes Jericho think the answer is no, and he’s about to be held at gunpoint in a pet store—and then he grabs the front of his mustard-yellow sweater and tugs the wrinkles straight to reveal a worn laminated tag that reads: Hello, my name is Harinder. The first thing Jericho notices is that his nails are painted black, although heavily chipped. The second thing he notices is the bottom of the nametag where the phrase How may I assist you? has been cut off at the bottom and heavily frayed.

Harinder drops the sweater and reaches up to brush his overgrown bangs out of his eyes, then folds his arms over his chest. It turns him into a puffball of rumpled wool and flyaway hair, which Jericho fails to find either professional or impressive. A hissing alley cat, at best.

Speaking of. “Do you have any kittens?”

If Harinder’s face looked offended before, now it looks straight-up murderous. “If you want a kitten, I invite you to look into one of the mills of inbred, abused, unloved, soon-to-be-abandoned, backyard-bred animals. Might I suggest Craigslist, or some cushy chain pet shop balanced on the rusty, beloved seesaw of quality photography and appalling ethics? There’re at least three of them downtown.

“If you want to pay five hundred dollars for an animal you’ll only care about until it stops being small and inoffensive, be my guest, but I’m afraid I can’t fff— I can’t help you.”

Jericho blinks very, very slowly. He didn’t miss that aborted f-bomb, but as with the Yelp reviews, that isn’t Jericho’s problem. He tries again. “Do you have any…cats?”

Hunching his shoulders around his ears, Harinder jabs a thumb at the wall behind him. “Cat kennels are through that door.”

“Thanks.”

There are, in fact, no kittens. However, the eight kennels filling in one side of the room give him enough to choose from. The moment he catches the attention of the room’s inhabitants, there’s a chorus of noise as all the cats come to the doors of their steel prisons to bat fluffy paws through the bars in a sordid appeal for pets.

Jericho obliges the nearest one, threading his fingers through a gap and allowing the animal to smash its head into them, purring enticingly. He wiggles his hand as best he can to facilitate a more effective petting motion. This one is a skinny tabby, and the note on the front of its—his—cage says he’s two years old and calls him Princeton.

It’s such an obnoxious yuppy name that Jericho can’t help but snort. What a terrible name for a cat. He shakes his head and moves to inspect the next prisoner.

In total, there are nine cats. Two green-eyed, gray longhairs inhabit one of the lower cages. They remain curled around each other, staring dispassionately at Jericho from the back of the kennel.

“Fuck y’all too,” Jericho comments, leaving both “Lacey” and “Casey” to their own shitty devices.

A ten-year-old Abyssinian boy going by the name of Sir Charles immediately becomes his favorite. Jericho loses about five minutes trying to cram his whole hand through the tight bars so he can stroke his sleek honey-colored fur.

He doesn’t think giving Shiloh a pet that might die soon is the best idea, and he isn’t prepared to take on his own cat, so he moves on.

He ends up two cages to the left, shoulder pressed against the wall, studying a creamy Siamese point. She has a shaggy medium-length coat, faint textured stripes, and piercing blue eyes, with which she regards him coolly before padding over to give his extended fingers an inquisitive sniff.

Her body is long and lanky. Regal, Jericho thinks for all of thirty seconds before he looks at her infocard and discovers that her name is Dumpling.

A short, surprised laugh bursts from his chest; Dumpling’s ears flick backward in disapproval. She’s perfect. At a solid four years, she’s old enough to know how to use a litter box and, hopefully, a scratching post, but isn’t quite aged enough that he has to worry about being strong-armed into frequent vet-related errands.

The adoption fee is sixty-five dollars. A little steep, but manageable. Before he can do anything about it, the door to the kennel room bursts open and Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony Performed Entirely by Cats nearly deafens him.

Harinder snarls. “What the f—” His teeth settle for a moment on his bottom lip. “—are you doing?”

“Just looking,” Jericho says, pulling his hand away from the cages and shoving it in his pocket as if he was doing something wrong, although he’s pretty damn sure petting cats in a pet shop is not actually illegal.

“I’ve heard people use their eyes to do that,” is the surly reply. Of course this jackass would go there.

“Gonna call the cops?” he asks, rolling his eyes. Jericho is used to threats of police intervention in his simple existence. No innocence when you’re Black. Even being albino doesn’t change that.

Harinder’s face clouds. “I wouldn’t.” Then he wraps his whole fist around a cable lying against the room’s back wall and gives it an unnecessarily forceful yank. A thick brown curtain rolls up to the ceiling, exposing a greasy window. Harinder doesn’t say anything more, but the message of “I can see you and will rain unholy hellfire down on anything that displeases me about your conduct” is clear.

Jericho doesn’t respond. He only finds his voice when Harinder turns toward the exit. “Hey, wait. I want to buy a cat.”

Harinder stops dead, spine stiffening. Again, Jericho imagines some kind of small, furry creature raising its hackles in a misinformed attempt to look threatening.

“We don’t sell cats,” Harinder says, voice gravelly.

“Uh, what?”

He turns around, jaw clearly set. “I. Said. We don’t sell cats, you—” He clamps his mouth shut.

“What are these here for, then?”

Harinder’s eyes flick to the kennels, then back to Jericho. “They’re up for adoption.”

Jesus fucking Christ. Jericho rolls his eyes again. “Fine. How do I ‘adopt’ a cat?”

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read Universal Link

Meet the Author

Jem Zero is a disabled lesbian who lives in a house built by zir great-grandfather with zir family and two rescue greyhounds. Zir work is unapologetically queer and strives to communicate the frustration of being limited by one’s meatsack & brainjuice. While arguing zir way through an Accounting Certificate, Jem makes a living as a portrait artist and, similar to most tortured creators, is attempting to establish zirself in creative writing.

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Work-Love Balance (Out & About #1) by Allison Temple

Welcome author Allison Temple to the blog as she visits with the Work-Love Balance (Out & About #1) blog tour! Learn more about the new contemporary romance and enter in the giveaway for a chance to win a back list eBook!

The customer always comes first, but IT consultant Brady Jansen loves to hate Nash O’Hara. Except the fine line between hate and attraction means sometimes Brady can’t help it when he crosses the boundary between professional and personal.

Recently divorced, workaholic Nash knows he’s hard to please. When the smart-mouthed IT consultant he depends on to keep his office running offers a no-commitment hookup, it seems like exactly what he and Brady both need to get through a busy summer at work. No one has to know about their arrangement.

But the more time they spend together, the more secrets they have to keep from the people around them—and from each other. The lies are piling up, until it’s hard to tell who’s fooling whom. If Brady and Nash want to find the balance between work and love, a little honesty will go a long way.

Work-Love Balance is a 67k contemporary MM romance. It’s hot enough you’ll want to make sure the air conditioning is on in your cubicle, and heartfelt enough you’ll want to smack both characters before the end. HEA guaranteed.

Giveaway

Leave a comment telling us about your first job. One commenter will win the tour-wide prize of any ebook from Allison’s backlist.

[Please leave a way to contact you (i.e. email address) in your comment]

Pre-Order/Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084FSHZL7/
Universal: mybook.to/Work-LoveBalance

Author Bio

Allison Temple has been a writer since the second grade, when she wrote a short story about a girl and her horse. Her grandmother typed it out for her and said she’s never seen so many quotation marks from a seven-year-old before. Allison took that as a challenge and has gone on to try to break her previous record in all her subsequent works.

Allison lives in Toronto with her very patient husband and the world’s neediest cat. She splits her free time between writing, community theater stage management, and traveling anywhere that has good wine. Tragically, this leaves no time to clean her house.

Social Media

Newsletter (get a free short story right now): https://allisontemplebooks.com/newsletter
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Audiobook Review: The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard (Paranormal Princes #1) by Charlie Cochet

Prince Owin

Being a fierce predator—not at all adorable, despite my graceful stature—the last thing I needed was a bodyguard. Especially a wolf shifter, whose presence alone was an insult to my princely principles. As Prince of the Ocelot Shifters, I prided myself on my infallible feline instincts, uncompromisable dignity, and flawless fashion sense. If having a canine follow me around at all times wasn’t bad enough, I now faced the most important moment of my entire life. The time had come to prove I was worthy of my crown. If only I could find a way to get rid of the pesky bodyguard.


Grimmwolf

When the King of All Shifters asked me to guard Prince Owin, I admit I had no idea what to expect. Cat shifters tend to be a little intense, not to mention kinda cranky. Owin was no exception, though he seemed crankier than most. Being his bodyguard was proving to be one of the greatest challenges of my life—but not nearly as great as convincing him there was something special between us. When Owin is faced with a perilous quest to prove his worth, I was determined to keep him safe, even if the same couldn’t be said of my heart.

Listening Length: 3 hours and 18 minutes
Narrator: Greg Boudreaux

Reviewer: Shee Reader

I absolutely adore a good shifter romance, and this was no exception! Prince Owin was lovely, if a little high maintenance and Grimm was an extremely long suffering bodyguard. They are sent off on challenge by the King of all Shifters (I need his book BTW, his right hand man is totally in love with him but he hasn’t noticed). They get up to some marvellous and slightly scary adventures and I laughed at the magic purse, so funny!

The writing was smart and engaging, and the narration was as stellar as I’ve come to expect from Greg (one of my all time fave narrators). There was just enough tongue-in-cheek from Grimm, and exactly the right amount of haughty high maintenance from Owin.

The HEA is delightful too. This book is an all round delight, and I cannot wait for more. Spoiler alert: I’ve already pre-ordered the next book in the series!)

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

Review: Best Man (Close Proximity #1) by Lily Morton

Zeb Evans doesn’t do messy. 


The product of a disorganised and chaotic childhood, Zeb likes order and control, and as the boss of his own employment agency he can give that to himself. Life runs along strict lines and he never mixes business with pleasure. Everything in his life lives in neat, alphabetized boxes. Until Jesse.


Jesse Reed is Zeb’s complete opposite. He’s chaos personified. A whirling cyclone of disorder. He’s also charming and funny and a very unwanted distraction.


Which is why it comes as a complete surprise to Zeb to find himself asking Jesse to pose as his boyfriend for a few days in the country at a wedding. 


Zeb doesn’t do impulsive, but as the time away progresses, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the merry and irreverent Jesse. But can he bring himself to break the hard-won lessons he’s learnt in life? And even if he can, how could Jesse be attracted to him anyway? He’s so much older than Jesse, not to mention being his boss.


From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages and Finding Home series comes a warm and funny romance about one man’s fight for control and another man’s determination to circumvent it.


This is the first book in the Close Proximity series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Lily Morton has quickly become an author that I turn to for snark, banter, sassy characters, and comfort reads. Best Man fell right in line with having all of those components in heaps… just add in a 20 year age gap, hairy chest, and some OTT drama and we’ve got another enjoyable read.

The humor begins right away as Jesse and Zeb are introduced. Jesse is hired on at Zeb’s company and then they continue to work together for years. Jesse has a hopeless crush on Zeb while Zeb has slotted him under the employee category without any wiggle room. Nada. Well, that is until Zeb needs Jesse to escort him to a wedding where his ex-boyfriend is getting married. Cue silly shenanigans, uptight Zeb, carefree Jesse, and a getaway with one bed.

I really like the way Lily writes main characters with sass and snark. Jesse is a hilarious yet well-meaning HOT MESS! He has been giving Zeb headaches for years (although, secretly Zeb enjoys it) and has ramped up his PDA for the benefit of the jealous ex… and himself. When Zeb and Jesse finally get down to business, they’ve got some pent-up frustrations that need to be worked out and ohhhh boy do they work them out. Yowza!

Patrick the ex is an asshole. An OTT asshole. There are a few parts that are a tad OTT but things revolving around Patrick were off the charts and some of the drama felt a little unnecessary. Zeb and Jesse get their HEA and IMO, Mr. Spitfire Jesse needed a little more of a backbone when it came to overcoming his conflict with Zeb. Still, I enjoyed Best Man, especially Jesse and Zeb together, and will absolutely continue on with this new series. Recommended.

Copy provided for honest review.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Gentleman Wolf (Capital Wolves Duet #1) by Joanna Chambers

An elegant werewolf in Edinburgh...

1788. When Lindsay Somerville, the most elegant werewolf in Paris, learns that the man who held him in abject captivity for decades is on his way to France, intent on recapturing him, he knows he must leave the Continent for his own safety. Lindsay cannot take the risk of being recaptured—he may have been free for a century but he can still feel the ghost of his old chains under his fine clothes.

… on a mission...

While he’s in Edinburgh, Lindsay has been tasked with acquiring the “Naismith Papers”, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It should be a straightforward mission—all Lindsay has to do is charm an elderly book collector, Hector Cruikshank. But Cruikshank may not be all he seems, and there are others who want the papers.

… meets his match

As if that were not enough, while tracking down the Naismith Papers, Lindsay meets stubborn architect Drew Nicol. Although the attraction between them is intense, Nicol seems frustratingly determined to resist Lindsay’s advances. Somehow though, Lindsay can’t seem to accept Nicol’s rejection. Is he just moonstruck, or is Nicol bonded to him in ways he doesn’t yet understand?


Note: this is the first book of a duology – the story continues and will complete in the second book, Master Wolf.

Hrmmm… I liked it… I think?

Let’s get some warnings out of the way first. This ends on a massive cliffhanger. No HFN/HEA in this installment, everything will be revealed (hopefully) in the next book. Gentleman Werewolf didn’t really *feel* like a romance. More like a historical paranormal that happens to involve sex? Maybe? Also, there are some trigger warnings for torture scenes and a miscarriage of a baby mentioned that took place in the past.

From the very start, this book felt heavy and has that ominous feeling throughout with very little light hearted moments to take a breath. Lindsay’s cheeky personality and his valet are about the only light hearted parts of this story. You just know something is going to happen throughout and the whole escaping imminent danger overshadowed any chance for there to be a romance. There was insta-love/infatuation but I could toss that up to Lindsay being a wolf and the whole mate feeling. Possibly?

I love Joanna Chambers’ previous books and her writing style. She writes historical books that I can't help but devour and it worked for me in this one too. I even liked the characters by the end but there was zero closure and way too many unanswered questions with a perpetual heaviness that took away from my complete enjoyment of this book.

I’ll continue on with the series and hope for romance, some possible snark and/or lighthearted moments mixed in with the doom and gloom.

Copy provided for honest review.

Guest Review: Finding Finlay (MC Securities #2) by Ruby Moone

Aaron Baker has a problem. His online clothing company is under attack. Whilst MC Securities tackle the breaches in security, he asks for an agent to pose as his fake boyfriend. He doesn’t bargain for getting a snarky, ex-marine with sad, blue eyes and submissive tendencies.

Dumped by his boyfriend, Finlay Masters concludes that the best, and safest, place for him is to return to the closet. Kicked out by his parents as a kid for being gay, closeted in the army for fifteen years, body wrecked by an explosion that cost him his job, he isn’t the best bet for any kind of relationship. Even a fake one.

As the investigation mounts, Aaron wants more, but Finn has no faith in love, never dared need anyone. Aaron talks of how lucky he is to find him, but Finn knows if he is to have a chance at a relationship at all, he needs to find himself.

Reviewer: Shee Reader

First, I need to gush. Fake boyfriend is one of my all time favourite story ploys! It’s right up there with “they have to stay the night, and there’s only one bed” in terms of me getting giddy to read it.

I was so looking forward to this one, and Finn did not disappoint. He’s exactly as grumpy, snarky and hard to reach as you want an ex-marine in a romance book to be!

Aaron is a lovely character too, but it did take me a little bit longer to warm to him. After a few chapters though, I was fully invested in these guys and just wanted Finn to give in to Aaron’s charms already. The story was well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I hadn’t read the first book in the series and it had no negative impact on my enjoyment of this story. There was strength and depth in the characters and I loved how the relationship developed and I was truly rooting for the guys.

Recommended!

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