Release Blitz + Giveaway: Stranded with Desire by Rick R. Reed and Vivien Dean

Authors Rick R. Reed and Vivien Dean, along with IndiGo Marketing, host today's release blitz for Stranded with Desire! Read more about the slow burn/ stranded romance and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

 

Title: Stranded with Desire

Author: Rick R. Reed, Vivien Dean

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: November 30, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 55400

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, businessmen, friends to lovers, plane crash, wilderness survival, slow burn, m/m romance

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Synopsis

CEO Maine Braxton and his invaluable assistant, Colby, don’t realize they share a deep secret: they’re in love—with each other. That secret may have never come to light but for a terrifying plane crash in the Cascade Mountains that changes everything.

In a struggle for survival, they brave bears, storms, and a life-threatening flood to make it out of the wilderness alive. The proximity to death makes them realize the importance of love over propriety. Confessions emerge. Passions ignite. They escape the wilds renewed and openly in love.

When they return to civilization, though, forces are already plotting to snuff out their short-lived romance and ruin everything both have worked so hard to achieve.

Excerpt

Stranded by Desire
Rick R Reed and Vivien Dean © 2020
All Rights Reserved

Prologue
Colby LaSalle never dreamed his life would end in a plane crash over the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. But here he was, whispering fevered petitions to the Lord as the plane screamed, plunging downward…faster, faster.

Out the windows, all he could see was white. And the only outcome he could imagine was that once that white cleared, the last thing he’d take in would be towering pine trees and the cold side of a mountain hurtling toward him. It was almost too horrific to comprehend.

In those few moments, as Colby braced himself in his seat, head down near his knees, he found himself thinking what a loss this was. The man across from him, his boss, Maine Braxton, would never know the most important thing about Colby. And that thing was not his proficiency as an administrative assistant, keeping Maine on track and on schedule in all his business affairs, but that Colby was passionately—and secretly—in love with him. With all his heart and soul.

That fact, and the unspoken words that hid it, seemed tragic to Colby, maybe even more tragic than the life he was about to lose. What kind of life, Colby wondered, did you really have if you’d never truly loved and been loved in return?

Colby, at twenty-eight, had never been in love before. And now it looked as though he would never have the chance to act on his desire, on that feeling that made his heart flutter whenever Maine walked by his desk. Was love like a tree falling in the forest? If the object of that love never knew of it, did it really exist?

Colby looked up for a moment, maybe to have a final look at Maine, but was distracted by the view through the cockpit window of the six-seater plane they were traveling in—a Beechcraft Bonanza. The opaque fog of white cleared for a moment, and Colby could see, to his horror, that his imagination was correct.

They were hurtling toward the side of a mountain. The view was surreal. Shock kept him from thinking it was anything other than a very vivid nightmare.

He then looked over at Maine and saw he had slid from his seat to the floor. The strong, powerful man cowered there, hands over his head. His lips moved in what Colby could only assume was silent prayer.

Colby longed to slide over, to cover Maine with his own body and shield him from the impact, but he was paralyzed, a butterfly pinned to a board, and could only add his own whispered prayers to those of his boss.

“Please, God, help us get out of this alive. Let Maine know how very much I love him. Give me that chance.”

The private pilot, a blustery, gruff man named Gus Pangborn but whom everyone just called Rooster, shouted, “We’re gonna try and go up! We’re gonna try and go up!”

Colby didn’t know if he was talking to him, Maine, or himself, but the desperation in the pilot’s gravelly voice was clear. The despair in Rooster’s words communicated one thing to Colby and one thing only—he had no hope.

Colby squeezed his eyes shut tight and placed his head back down toward his knees again, covering it with his hands, although he wondered how much good it would do once the plane crashed, once it was consumed by a giant fireball.

What Colby LaSalle didn’t realize, though, was that the plane crash would signal not the end of his life, but the beginning.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read Universal Link

Also available in Audio at Audible

Meet the Author

Real Men. True Love. 

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

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Vivien Dean has had a lifetime love affair with stories. A multi-published author, her books have been EPPIE finalists, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Nominees, and readers favorites. After spending her twenties and early thirties traveling, she has finally settled down and currently resides in northern California with her British husband and two children.

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Giveaway

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Audiobook Review: The Charlatan's Conquest (Phantom Fixers #1) by Vivien Dean

A Phantom Fixers Story

With love and ghosts, the challenge is figuring out what’s real.

Software engineer Cruz Guthrie needs money for his sister’s cancer treatments. He needs it so badly he’s willing to stand in for a ghost hunter friend and investigate a millionaire’s supposed specters. It should be an easy gig—after all, nobody thinks the haunting is real.

Neurological researcher Brody Weber is furious that Cruz would take advantage of Brody’s father. But his mind changes when spirits manifest—and he realizes Cruz genuinely wants to help. When they learn the paranormal activity centers on Brody, Cruz is willing to fight to free Brody from the entities determined to make his life miserable. With a little help from friends and family—both living and dead—they must figure out why Brody is attracting spirits and how to banish them. Only then can they pursue a future together.

Narrated by Simon Ferrar
Listening Length: 4 hours and 48 minutes

Just spooky enough for a Big Ole Chicken like me.

Story - 3 Hearts
Narration - 4 Hearts

I'm not much on ghosts or being scared. I don't do horror. Serial killers = YYYYAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!!!! The Ring =

But this story was entertaining with just the right amount of freaky ghosty things that didn't push me into the blanket fort. The pacing is upbeat as far as the action plotline goes with the romance plotline being more of a slow burn, quiet. Dean did a good job of developing a connection between Cruz and Brody, though I think the romance took a backseat to the suspense.

Cruz is filling in for his best friend Étienne on a phony ghost eviction for Brody's father, Lauren. Brody drops in to ensure his father's not getting swindled when some freakiness starts happening. Soon Brody and Cruz are working together in an effort to literally try to exorcise Brody's ghosts.

Both Cruz and Brody are fairly well developed with Cruz being the quintessential caregiver and Brody being the skeptic. There were a few nice moments with Cruz's family that fleshed him out. There's only one sex scene but it was nice and sexy enough for me as far as this series is concerned.

But the standout for me was the phenomenal job Ferrar did with the voices. I particularly liked his voice for Étienne because that's how you do a Cajun drawl! I wasn't crazy about his Brody voice but he differentiated all the characters well and emoted, plus I enjoyed the cadence of his voice and I LOVED that he rolled that "r" in the sister's name every time! RAWR! I'll be listening to him again.

Recommend to paranormal romance fans.

A review copy was provided.

Tag Team Review: The Charlatan’s Conquest (Phantom Fixers #1) by Vivien Dean

With love and ghosts, the challenge is figuring out what’s real.

Software engineer Cruz Guthrie needs money for his sister’s cancer treatments. He needs it so badly he’s willing to stand in for a ghost hunter friend and investigate a millionaire’s supposed specters. It should be an easy gig—after all, nobody thinks the haunting is real.

Neurological researcher Brody Weber is furious that Cruz would take advantage of Brody’s father. But his mind changes when spirits manifest—and he realizes Cruz genuinely wants to help. When they learn the paranormal activity centers on Brody, Cruz is willing to fight to free Brody from the entities determined to make his life miserable. With a little help from friends and family—both living and dead—they must figure out why Brody is attracting spirits and how to banish them. Only then can they pursue a future together.

Ann - 3.5 Hearts

I do so love a good ghost story and Charlatan’s Conquest gave me that plus some fluffy feels so I was a happy Peach. That’s pretty much the definition of the Dreamspun Beyond series that I’ve seen so far, I’m referring to them in my brain as paranormal candy and it really hits the spot for me.

Charlatan’s Conquest is a ghost hunting themed tale with likable characters and a decent ghost story to go along with it. But, if ghosties aren’t your thing don’t let that keep you from this one, because while it is a “ghost” story it’s unique in that it’s not necessarily about a specific spectre with a tragic backstory but more about malevolent visitors from the ghost realm who have attached themselves to one of our MC’s, Brody’s world.

In rides our somewhat reluctant hero, Cruz to exorcise the ghosts. Problem is, Cruz is not a ghost buster/hunter by trade but is the bestie of one. Cruz can use the cash though as he helps support his family while his youngest sister battles cancer. Cruz is really a good guy though so he has plenty of qualms about taking money from a client in a field that he doesn’t feel qualified in. Cruz’s friend, Etienne, the legit ghost hunter is out of commission and while I could have easily been on board with Cruz’s unease, the way the author explained the situation and the way it was presented worked. The setup let me be OK with Cruz’s potential payday even though Etienne had determined that there were no ghosts present in Brody’s fathers home, which was true and it took Cruz to take the investigation to the next level.

For a myriad of reasons, Cruz and Brody have not paid attention to their personal lives and become situational workaholics. When they meet though, there is obviously something between them and thankfully this is a Dreamspun Beyond book so there wasn’t a lot of angst about making some changes and spending more time together as they got to know one another while battling the baddies. Cruz ends up earning every penny and Brody got to get a taste of what a normal life can be. Honestly, if the two hadn’t had the connection they did the mystery would never have been solved because the trust had to be there to make progress and the connection gave Brody the trust he needed in Cruz.

I liked these two together very much, as I said, they are likable and their personalities are complementary to each other. The balance is good between the ghost story and the romance, neither was shortchanged and no matter whether you came for the love or the ghosts you’ll be satisfied.

Sara - 3.5 Hearts

I am still feeling my way through this new line from Dreamspun with this being book number two in the series. So far, it’s going well but I feel something is missing and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
We meet Cruz Guthrie as he is offered an easy job from his best friend Etienne for a cool twenty grand. Since Cruz could use the extra cash he is curious but he isn’t in the ghost hunting business like Etienne is but Etienne assures there are no ghosts at the home of one Loren Weber as he’s been there twice before and nothing has happened. But Mr. Weber is insistent and after a short, short course on training, Cruz is headed out to evict some specters.

I need to take a fangirl moment real quick and thank they author for including why Cruz is named Cruz. The honorable mention of the Capwells and Castillos made me ridiculously giddy because NO ONE knows that show and yet, it was in this book so thanks for being awesome that way.

Anyway.

Brody Weber knows that his father can be adamant when he wants something and Brody doesn’t want his dad taken advantage of so he leaves work to drive to his dad’s house to protect him… but what from?
From the minute Brody walks in the door to his father’s house and things become tense, supernatural occurrences start to happen. It’s proof to Cruz that there are ghosts in the Weber house but why hadn’t Etienne who is the professional seen anything happen? Why is it only happening now and to him?

These are the questions that Cruz poses to his best friend and also to Brody after a spilled hot tea and a cold spot around Brody. When it comes to ghosts, Cruz isn’t an expert but he’s a believer and wants to do right by Mr. Weber and evict the hell out of whatever has decided to take up residence in his home. But it’s not as black and white as it appears and when Cruz learns more about the ghosts, he needs the help of his best friend to rid Weber of the dark figures that have latched on.

Well, this wasn’t what I expected at all and in this case it’s a good thing. I wasn’t sure how the title would come into play and I liked that it was duplicitous within the story. Things aren’t as they seem and secrets Brody has been keeping are hurting him he is stressed and depressed. You see, ghosts seem to like Brody and he has a couple entities that like his dark side and don’t want to let go. It’s a good thing he meets Cruz who is one hell of a natural caretaker and that they share a mutual instant attraction to one another and Cruz has a best friend who’s basically a ghost buster.

I liked this but it didn’t wow me or make me want to hug my Nook outright. The chemistry between Cruz and Brody is lovely and they move seamlessly into emotions and new relationship with one another. The ghost hunting deal with Etienne and his ethereal sister Simone was intriguing as was Brody and the reason these ghosts are attached to him. Cruz is an amazing man who will do anything for his family and his family is equally fantastic and yet, something was missing.

I would get excited when things would happen and then feel let down and I can’t quite explain why. I liked the book, I really did but I wasn’t as into it as I’d hoped to be. Cruz and Brody are great together but while I loved them, all I could think about was the possibility that Etienne could be the next book as this is listed as book one in the Phantom Fixers series and all that I need to know about him. Is that wrong? Maybe but he has this mystery about him that has me intrigued to the point of distraction.

The end felt way rushed like we literally just went through some serious stuff with everyone and then… the end. I guess I wanted more than I got. Who knows? At the end though, it was a nice read that gave more spook than I thought it was and makes you wonder what ghosts each of could have hanging around that we make excuses as being something else????

See The Charlatan's Conquest author visit HERE!

Blog Tour: The Charlatan's Conquest (Phantom Fixers #1) by Vivien Dean

Vivien Dean is making her clubhouse debut today! Welcome! She's here today to promote her new Dreamspun Beyond book, The Charlatan's Conquest and she's talking ghosts!

Thank you to Boy Meets Boy for hosting me today! My name is Vivien Dean, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Dreamspun Beyond line. I’m especially excited to talk about my book, The Charlatan’s Conquest, and why it absolutely had to be about ghosts.

One of my favorite parts about paranormal stories is the chance to use monsters as a metaphor for more abstract ideas. Mary Shelley did it in Frankenstein. Joss Whedon did it with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Stephen King does it in almost everything he writes. These characters resonate for people because, on some level, we recognize what they represent. We might even identify with it. But putting them in monster form makes them easier for us to confront. The real world can be scary enough.

I knew from the start that my heroes would be scientists. I wanted to write a love story that featured characters similar to those I see every day, men who sometimes get ignored in romance because they game a lot, or work a lot, or are more comfortable with a computer than they are with people. Brody was the first to come to life for me. He was intense and driven by some cause I had yet to figure out, but the second I realized that he also felt incredibly isolated and lonely, everything clicked. A part of him, deep inside, wanted to be invisible. He felt cut off from his father after his mother died and unable to be himself in the affluent, conservative community in which he grew up. In his mind, the best way not to be judged – and be found lacking – was not to be seen in the first place. What better paranormal entity to embody that than ghosts?

In the world of The Charlatan’s Conquest, ghosts roam our plane of existence because they refuse to move onto the next. Most people can’t see them, let alone interact enough to banish them. Only a select few have that particular ability, so when Brody’s father is convinced his house is haunted, he hires someone to get rid of his unwanted guests. For a skeptic like Brody, the whole notion of ghost hunting is ridiculous, and he crashes the initial meeting in an attempt to keep his father from getting scammed. In spite of what he witnesses, he still doesn’t want to accept the truth. That’s another way he’s just like the ghosts.

Lucky for Brody, he has Cruz Guthrie to set him straight. Cruz is a software engineer, not a ghost hunter, but he took the job offered to his best friend because the money was too good to pass up. From the start, he sees Brody for who he is. The trick is, though, convincing Brody to trust him enough to believe in it, too.

Sometimes, in some genres, monsters win. That’s life. This, however, is romance. Love always wins. Even when ghosts fight back.

BLURB

With love and ghosts, the challenge is figuring out what’s real.

Software engineer Cruz Guthrie needs money for his sister’s cancer treatments. He needs it so badly he’s willing to stand in for a ghost hunter friend and investigate a millionaire’s supposed specters. It should be an easy gig—after all, nobody thinks the haunting is real.

Neurological researcher Brody Weber is furious that Cruz would take advantage of Brody’s father. But his mind changes when spirits manifest—and he realizes Cruz genuinely wants to help. When they learn the paranormal activity centers on Brody, Cruz is willing to fight to free Brody from the entities determined to make his life miserable. With a little help from friends and family—both living and dead—they must figure out why Brody is attracting spirits and how to banish them. Only then can they pursue a future together.

BUY LINKS

Dreamspinner Press ebook

Dreamspinner Press paperback (buy the paperback and get the ebook for FREE!)

Amazon Kindle

Amazon paperback

BIO

VIVIEN DEAN is a firm believer that love doesn’t care about gender. That’s why her titles encompass both GLBT and het, erotic and sweet, as well as a wide variety of genres. After growing up in the snowy and isolated Midwest, she went off in search of her creative muse. She performed on stage, wrote and directed indie films in Orlando, then met her British soulmate online. One wedding, two children, and ten addresses later, she resides in the Bay Area where it’s easy to indulge in her favorite pastimes—good theater, great movies, and amazing food.

Vivien is a four-time EPIC eBook Award winner and collaborated with Pepper Espinoza to write as Jamie Craig for five years.

CONTACT VIVIEN

Website: www.viviendean.com

E-mail: vivien_dean@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vivien.dean.3

Twitter: @VivienDean