Release Blitz: Ex-Bandmates (Local Beats #1) by Zoe Lee

Join author Zoe Lee & Vibrant Promotions in celebrating the release of Ex-Bandmates (Local Beats #1). Find out more about this contemporary romance & read an excerpt too!

Ex-Bandmates

Local Beats Series, Book One

Zoe Lee

M/M Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 08.06.20

Cover Design: Emilie DeMun Designs

Cover Photo: Stock Photo

Blurb

Asher
From the second Lucas Carlson shows up in my garage for band practice, I’m drawn in by his eyes, his awkward rambling, and his incredible musical talents. But we share a best friend, and he’s only our temporary drummer while he’s in Chicago for a summer internship. It should be easy to ignore the way he brings something out in me that no one has before.

Lucas
Asher Bernthal is a grumpy stockbroker whose band, Signal Fire, is vital to my best friend’s happiness. I don’t want to mess it up for her, so all I have to do is drum and keep my head down. It should be easy not to crush on a man so beyond my grasp, who writes lyrics that pierce straight through me.

Despite all of the reasons to stay away, we’re drawn together and bring something new out in each other. Every song pulls us closer together, but we won’t be bandmates forever.

This is the first book in the Local Beats Series, an 80,000 word MM romance featuring musicians with day jobs, a night club, and lots of songs, with a guaranteed HEA and no cliffhanger.

Universal Link: http://mybook.to/ExBandmates

Excerpt

ASHER

“I already know all your songs, dude,” Lucas claimed.

Shooting him an incredulous look, I rolled my shoulders.

With a shrug, one corner of that lush mouth curled up, sly and knowing, and my stomach dropped even as he said cockily, “I’m an incredible drummer and I do know all your songs. You’re lucky I’m in town because you’d be screwed for this gig you’ve got on Saturday if I couldn’t fill in.”

Closing my eyes, trying not to enjoy Lucas’s endearing combination of mature confidence and immature sense of humor, I let a growl seep out of my throat.

“That’s a good growl for a man with such a mild tenor,” he commented.

“Okay!” Dan chirped, giving me a pleading look. “Can we start with ‘Promises,’ maybe?”

Amy tipped her head at Lucas as if to prompt him.

Lucas settled on Eli’s stool, then shook his shoulders and arms out and cracked his neck. He pulled a pair of drumsticks out of his messenger bag and scooted the stool farther from the kit, stretching out one sneaker to test the distance to the kick drum. He looked up to where all of us were watching him, and then he said as if we were the insane ones in this scenario, “Leslie starts ‘Promises.’”

I shot Leslie an impatient look and started, my voice strung out, “Leslie, for f*ck’s—”

But then the timer on my cell went off.

“Is it your pizza?” Dan asked as his face split into a toothy, hungry grin.

“I made lasagna,” I muttered, and Dan and Amy moaned in delight.

“Asher, I didn’t know you were domestic,” Lucas gasped dramatically as he twirled his drumsticks like a show-off. “Is it meat or veggie? No, wait, surprise me.”

“Why would you know anything about me?” I grumbled.

Lucas laughed again. This time he threw his head back, baring a long neck, and I couldn’t stop my mouth from drying out or my throat almost clicking when I swallowed.

“Seriously?” he all but yelped, his cheeks going splotchy red. He whirled on Leslie and accused, “Haven’t you told him anything about me?” He turned back to me so fast I got whiplash, and said, “I’ve been hearing about you since Leslie met all of you and you started the band. They’ve come up to Wisconsin like a dozen times to hang out, go camping, and spend the holidays at Leslie’s parent’s house. Dan and I took this epic Harold and Kumar kind of road trip—never mind that for now—”

The timer blared again and I inhaled and shot out a quick breath, grasping for patience as I dug out my cell and stabbed the button to end the timer. Then I stalked into my kitchen, switched on the oven light, and bent to check the lasagna, which was the perfect amount of crispy for Leslie and Amy.

From the garage, Leslie said with her icy-hot sarcasm on perfect point, “I have no idea how Asher could forget a single detail I’ve shared about you, because you’re so memorable.”

Amy snorted and played a high wa-waaaa on her guitar, making the four of them snicker.

“Hey Leslie, how did your annual review go at work?” Dan asked earnestly while I lunged to grab the potholders off their hook, snorting despite myself. “You said you were going to talk to them about a raise maybe.” There was a pause while I set the pan on top of the stove, and then he added, like he couldn’t help it, “Totally can’t blame you if you decided not to ask though, that’s intimidating.”

“I can blame my boss for saying no when I asked though,” Leslie snarked a little bitterly.

“Dude,” Lucas said, from right behind me.

I jerked, the oven door banging into the meat of my thigh just over my knee.

“F*cking shit,” I hissed, rubbing the stinging skin as I glared at my oven door.

Lucas skidded into my periphery, hands hovering somewhere near the corner of the stove. “You aren’t bleeding, are you? Because I am a very manly man, with like half a Master’s degree and shit, but...” He swallowed hard, his sharp Adam’s apple bobbing when his throat constricted.

I found myself shaking my head and reassuring him even though I was the one who’d gotten hurt because the kid walked as quietly as a damn ninja, apparently. “I’m not bleeding.”

“That’s good—ah, good thing you have thighs like a lumberjack or something.”

I straightened and crossed my arms over my chest, one eyebrow trailing high.

“See?” Lucas asked. One eye squinted in accusation while his pouty mouth curled the very slightest bit on the right side. “You look like a lumberjack, which is kind of what Wolverine was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which is not the best example of Wolverine, but it’s okay, you kind of look like Wolverine anyway, with the muscles and shoulders and beard and, Jesus, that eyebrow—”

“Lucas,” I interrupted. I made my voice as low and firm as possible.

“Yep, right,” he stuttered, holding up his hands in surrender and taking a few exaggerated steps back. “I’ll stop telling the incredibly straight lead singer of my new band—temporary new band, I meant, obviously!—about how he’s hot like Wolverine and just grab some plates and shit.”

While I was honestly caught up trying to decide which part of his rambling was the stupidest, he dove for the stack of plates and the shaker of red pepper flakes I’d already gotten out before fleeing at top speed. Dumbly, I looked down at myself. “Lumberjack,” I scoffed, then made a salad and cut up the lasagna, while the others came into the living room, bickering about a movie.

Zoe writes contemporary romances and believed everyone will get extraordinary love stories since before she ever fell in love. She lives with her family near the mountains in Colorado, where she writes while listening to music, never drinks coffee, reads books in one sitting, and watches too many movies and tv shows. She’s been writing since she was a kid, but luckily she knows how grown-ups work now. Mostly.

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Audiobook Review: Bishop: A True Lover's Story by A.E. Via

At only thirty-two, Bishop Stockley has lived a hard-knock life. After doing five years in a federal prison, Bishop is back at his dad's trailer and working for his landscaping company, thrust into a legit world where he's no longer the alpha-a world where a criminal record is the least of his disadvantages, because Bishop can't read or write.

Bishop already had the deck stacked against him, but he wasn't afraid of hard work to change his situation, and he did want to change. Especially after he encountered Edison Scala, a kind-spirited office manager who didn't hesitate to come to his defense . . . a man that saw past Bishop's grass-stained coveralls. A man who wasn't intimidated by his stern features and his silence.

Bishop knew Edison was off-limits. He'd made personal vows to himself when he was released from prison, ones that he never intended to break. But, when Edison asked him about providing landscaping services at his home, there was no way he could refuse. He hadn't expected Edison to feed him, praise him, encourage him, and look at him the way he did-as if Bishop was somebody.

Narrator: Tor Thom
Listening Length: 13 hours and 10 minutes

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Bishop has made some terrible decisions in his life, most of them not his fault, but he is determined to put all that behind him, leave his life of crime and gangs and be the man he always knew he could be. He works with his dad and his crew doing landscape gardening.

Before he has really gotten started on recreating himself, Bishop meets Edison, a lovely quiet man who manages an office (and reads and cooks) who turns Bishop’s head even though a man like Edison would never look twice at a man like Bishop. Until he does!

Oh the set up is delicious, and we are not disappointed! Bishop and Edison are so perfect for each other if they can both get over their own insecurities. A.E. does her alpha heroes so beautifully and a flawed hero is just what the doctor ordered in this book!

Edison is kind of sad and definitely lonely, but he is a delightful character with a lovely strong will, who can be just what Bishop needs if only he’ll let Edison in.

The sleazy bad guy is pretty awful, but he gets what he deserves, as do our two heroes.

Tor Thom is a new-to-me narrator and I found his voice to be a delight! Deep and rolling, he gave such a depth to Bishop and the aching loneliness of Edison was so tangible I could almost taste it. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books performed by him in the future!

This is the first in a new series I hope and I cannot wait for the second installment, Bishop’s best friend’s story…

Highly recommended.

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

Review: Valentine's Day Blues (A Little Bit Cupid Collection) by J.P. Bowie

What does it take for Valentine’s-Day-hating Bryan Colby to discover that he really loves it? Meeting Officer Ben Collins, of course.

Bryan Colby doesn’t like Valentine’s Day. Despite being told by his close friends that he’s silly to fester over something that happened five years ago, he just can’t get excited as yet another Valentine’s Day approaches.

Bryan, a rising star at the local real estate office, prefers to work instead, but is assaulted while showing a vacant property. In the ambulance, he meets Officer Ben Collins and Bryan wastes no time in letting Ben know he finds him attractive and would like to get better acquainted with him, in every possible way.

At first wary of Bryan’s flirty, come-hither attitude, Ben eventually warms to Bryan’s charm, and agrees to meet him for a coffee. But circumstances outside their control change that date to a much more sensual meeting.

After all, it is Valentine’s Day week, and romance is most definitely in the air…

Reader advisory: This book contains references to parental abandonment. There are scenes involving mugging/assault, and armed robbery with hostage-taking. This book also includes a practical joke of a sexual nature.

I love holiday stories, I really don’t care which holiday or in what context, for whatever reason they are my weakness and I’ll always pick one up to read when I’m in a rut. I was excited to see that there was a bundle of Valentine’s stories coming out and I snatched all of them, and I’m so glad I did. Valentine’s stories seem to lean toward having men who have been burned in the past and who isn’t a sucker for hard-won-love?

Valentine’s Day Blues is just that and it wasn’t just one half of the future couple who was anti-Valentine’s and anti-romance in general, both Bryan and Ben were NOT looking for love when they met. Their meeting was quite unfortunate really, Bryan is the victim of a crime and Ben is the responding officer. There was definite chemistry and Bryan was the one driving the bus with moving the flirtation forward. While he may have come off as a little much here and there, it was obvious Ben was into him too, so it was more sweet than anything else.

There was much to like about this Valenine’s Day novella, the characters are charming in their own ways, the beginning of their relarionship is unique and they had the kind of connection that is very “meant to be” and “right person, right time”, you know those kind, everything just clicks. So, I rooted for them from the beginning and I liked how Bryan was so supportive for Ben considering his career in law enforcement, etc.

I did struggle with a few bits though. I got a bit of emotional whiplash when the two of them got physical. Ben ran hot and cold and it was pretty off putting. I mean, I get it, he’s a cop, he’s not out at work and he’s getting involved with the victim of a crime. But, my dude, in the span of a few pages they went from making out, to cold shoulder, to arguing to rimming. I need more pages in between those things to digest what the hell just happened. The other problem I had was with the practical joke that was played on Bryan by his sister and friends. It was terrible, it was shitty and it wasn’t funny. I don’t blame Bryan for being bitter and pissed off. I would be and I would be forever. Bryan is obviously a better man than I.

Basically, if some of the extremes were dialled back from 11 to say, a 5 or 6, it would have all worked better for me, especially for a novella length story. There isn’t enough page time to absorb all the emotional swings and resolve them in a satisfactory way, but that is just me and how I process contemporary stories. I can’t help but want my drama and realism to balance with story length, too much drama is just too distracting from the overall story. That doesn’t mean that other readers won’t love the pace and the passion, because Valentine’s Day Blues definitely has that.

The resolution and the epilogue were great, especially that epilogue. I totally bought into an HEA for these guys and their future looks to be much more chill than their beginning. They both deserve it and I was really happy with how their Valentine’s Day evolved for them.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Giveaway + Release Blitz: Better Than Beginnings (Better Than Series) by Lane Hayes

Join author Lane Hayes & IndiGo Marketing in their celebration of the release of Better Than Beginnings! Find out more about this collection of short stories, read an excerpt & enter in the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card! Good luck!

Title: Better Than Beginnings, A Better Than Good Short Story Collection

Series: Better Than Stories, 5

Author: Lane Hayes

Publisher: Lane Hayes

Release Date: January 30, 2020

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 105000

Genre: Romance, Bisexual, Established Couple, MM Romance, White Collar, Gay romance

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Synopsis

Matt Sullivan knows he met someone special the night he spots the sexy man on the dance floor. However, he doesn’t know his life is about to change forever. First of all, Matt is straight. Okay, maybe not, but he doesn’t think falling in love and spending the rest of his life with a hotheaded, unapologetically fabulous diva is an option.

Aaron Mendez is confident, smart, and very comfortable in his skin. He knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go for it. And though he might have reservations about falling for someone newly out of the closet, no one has ever looked at Aaron the way Matt does.

Navigating a relationship has its challenges, but both Matt and Aaron are willing to deal with difficult parents, holiday blues, and learning curves. They know their happy ever after is worth fighting for and that true love is better than good.

*This collection of short stories follows the lives of Matt and Aaron from my first novel, Better Than Good. The end of one chapter is the beginning of a whole new story from ordinary everyday life to an engagement, a wedding, and more. This collection is dedicated to Matt and Aaron fans and those who believe that the real love story happens after the first “I love you”.

Excerpt

Better Than Candy from Better Than Beginnings, A Better Than Good Short Story Collection

Aaron gave me the silent treatment for a while, and I have to admit I didn’t mind the quiet. For an hour anyway. Then I did mind.

“Come on. You can’t not talk to me all day.”

“Oh, so now you want to talk?” he huffed.

“Yeah. Let’s talk. Come closer so I can touch you too. I’ll be good.” I perched on one of the stools at the island in our kitchen and swiveled to face the hockey game on the flat-screen across the room.

“I don’t trust you,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

“Come on. I’ll behave. Give me a kiss. Please?” I gave him my best “You can trust me” look.

Aaron sighed dramatically before shuffling over to stand between my thighs. Directly in the way of the hockey game.

“Are you going to make it up to me? Or are you going to watch the Steelers?”

“Okay, funny guy, let’s start with a little re-education. The Steelers are a football team.” I pulled him into my arms and squeezed him tightly, burrowing my chin into his shoulder and blowing raspberries on his neck. “Sadly, their season is over, but thankfully it’s basketball and hockey season now. You’re currently blocking a hockey game, but not my Penguins, so I’ll let you off the hook.”

“Excuse me?” he huffed irritably.

“You heard me. If you’d like to take some time to make up for my hour in hell, I will more than gladly join you…on the sofa, in the bedroom, or even in that green guest bathroom with the cool new towels we just bought. What’s it gonna be?” I held him even tighter and tickled his sides.

He laughed, his eyes twinkling with restored humor as he stepped out of my reach and peeled off his T-shirt.

“First of all, the color is eucalyptus, not green. Hockey and basketball are only marginally better than football and…” He furrowed his brow when I smacked his ass for sheer blasphemy. “And, you are making up with me. Not the other way around. You behaved like a five-year-old. I had no idea you were such a brat.”

“You promised not to torture me, but you did anyway. Even that lady at the store agreed you should have gone alone,” I singsonged.

He stepped between my thighs and rested his arms over my shoulders.

“She called you my husband. That was kind of funny.”

“Yeah.” I kissed his nose and pulled him closer to squeeze his ass.

“It didn’t freak you out?”

“Nope. And you wanna know why?”

“Hmm?”

“ ’Cause I’m gonna marry you someday.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do. You’re my person. And even though I can think of about ten other things I’d rather do with you, going shopping wasn’t the worst ’cause I still got to be with you.”

Aaron bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Oh, that was good, Matty. I almost can’t remember why I’m mad at you.”

“You’re not mad. You love me. You just don’t know it yet.” I scooped him over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold before he could protest. “No more talking. You have some making up to do.”

I carried him into our bedroom and tossed him onto the bed before kicking off my shoes and pulling my sweater over my head. Aaron undressed quickly, then folded the duvet back and got on all fours in the middle of the bed. I gulped when he shook his ass in invitation. Fuck, he was sexy. I stepped out of my jeans and boxer briefs in a hurry and immediately reached for my cock. I was so hard it hurt. I approached the bed and kneeled behind him, running my fingers along his spine and over the curve of his hips.

Aaron turned to give me a seductive look. “What are you waiting for?”

“Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here with you.”

He frowned before straightening and scooting toward me, wrapping his arms around my neck. “But here we are. And I think this is the way it’s supposed to be,” he whispered.

I brushed my lips over his and closed my eyes for a moment. “Mine.”

Purchase at Amazon

BETTER THAN GOOD is on sale for just 99 cents. Available HERE.

Other books in the Better Than series. Get them all HERE!

Meet the Author

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, and 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

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Giveaway

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Fade In (A Tales of Bryant Romance) by V.L. Locey

Author V.L. Locey and Signal Boost Promotions reveal the new cover for upcoming novella from the Tales of Bryant Romance series, Fade In. Discover more and enter in the giveaway for the eBook of Nine Small Sips or Tales of Bryant!

ADD TO GOODREADS

Release Date: January 22 2020

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Length: 34,000 words approx.


Tales of Bryant Series


Book #1 - Tales of Bryant - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Book #2 - Nine Small Sips - Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link


Blurb


Will Devon and Caiden discover that their new love is a wrap after the filming ends?


Weddings, champagne, and slow dancing. It’s a lethal combination and one that has led film student Devon Maxwell into one awkward predicament. Brought in at the last minute to help his friends Isamu and Brian during their Bryant Park wedding, Devon was not prepared for Caiden Dell to sweep into his life. The spark of attraction between him and the hip film executive was instantaneous. That spark led them right into Caiden’s big bed for a night of pleasure that Devon will never be able to duplicate no matter how many takes life gives him.

To make things even more complicated, Caiden offers the recently vacated job of office intern to him. He’d be a fool to turn down an offer to work at Budgie in the Dell, the hottest LGBT film production company in the Big Apple. Looks as if Devon’s hopes of working in film are about to come true. He’s ready for days filled with tiring shoots, long hours, and irate actors. He just never dreamed his nights would overflow with passion, laughter, and whispers shared with a gorgeous, older lover.

USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.


V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.


When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

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Review: Lonely Hearts, a Novella Bundle by Posy Roberts

Stoic men, who believe they’re happy alone, find the world turned upside down when their perfect someone stumbles across their path. 

Marc joins the Lonely Hearts chat room where men support men on their way to finding true love. He wants to believe that kind of love is possible for him, but his once-burned heart stops him from going all-in with anyone.

The chat group’s philosophy is, “Figure out how you keep screwing up your happily ever after. Once you know, you’re more likely to find the true thing.”

Skeptical as he is, Marc logs in and meets men in various degrees of getting there. At least he’s not alone. Luther truly loves his single life on the Bakken oil fields. William’s not sure he’ll ever measure up, let alone find someone he can be himself around. And Andrew still pines for a guy he hooked up with on a reenactment battlefield before he got blown up on a real one.

One by one they start dropping like flies. Flies drunk on love. And sooner than he expects, Marc’s luck starts changing thanks to these new friends.

Walk alongside these men as they find the men of their dreams and discover their happily ever afters. 

Lonely Hearts: a novella bundle includes: Bent Arrow, Stroke of Luck, Momo, My Everything, and Love on a Battlefield.

blue-collar, reluctant lovers, rural, bisexual, gay, fated lovers, Halloween, white-collar, opposites attract, multicultural, coming out, second chance, first time, disability, recovery romance, meant to be, military, artist, world traveler, coming of age, long distance, pen pals, gay romance, contemporary, MM romance, lone wolf, alpha male.

Welllll, 3.75 Hearts averaged out, but definitely rounded up for the way the author tied it all together.

The author uses a clever technique to tie four novellas together along with a connection to The North Star Series. It works well and bundles all four stories cohesively via chat room conversations between Hugo (from North Star) and one half of each of the couples in the novellas. I liked it, it allowed me to get to know each of the guys organically and get a taste of their personalities going into their new relationships.

Bent Arrow (Luther and Eric) - 4 Hearts 
I just love Luther. Then I met Eric, and I just love Eric. While Luther comes across, at first, as a man who has convinced himself he never wants to attach himself to another person, it’s easy to see that a connection with another person is exactly what he needs most. Luther uses the excuse of work environment and that he’s not out to his family to stay in his one night stand lifestyle. Eric is a bit of an introvert, mostly out of necessity and concern for his safety in the oilfields. The two of them have chemistry from the very beginning and while the physical is a no brainer between them, the relationship they begin to develop is the real treat to read. The very best part of this story is the communication and honesty. It wasn’t like the relationship was angst free, the two of them had to go through some level of nonsense considering where they were coming from. But, they knew they wanted one another and I loved that they both owned it.

Stroke of Luck (Marc and Cas) - 3 Hearts 
Marc is too pure for this world and I had trouble believing anyone could deserve him. It took me a while to warm up to Cas. I liked him, but there was a lot of “work” that had to go into being with Cas. By the end I did like the two of them together but it was a little too unnecessarily difficult to get there. Cas wasn’t even the real issue, the problem was Maisie. Ugh, that woman. I get that the relationship between Cas and Maisie was the main conflict that fed the story, she really detracted from my Marc and I love Marc. By the end, everything conveniently worked out and Marc and Cas were happy, so, yay! But I could have done with less Maisie and more Marc and Cas together.

Momo, My Everything (William and Nate) - 3.5 Hearts
This story was more than just a romance it was a real character study of William. He was a tough guy to get to know, but the author did a great job of showing who he was and how much we wanted to love and be loved in his own voice. Nate was William’s complete opposite and reading William fall in love was absolutely lovely. I don’t feel like I got to know Nate as deeply as William, which is why this is definitely a William story for me and I very much liked it. William evolved a lot for the novella length of this story. Nate was such a breath of fresh air and life for William and William appreciated everything about Nate. What they gave each other and how thankful they were for one another was the highlight for me, so while the bulk of the story is about William and his evolution, there was plenty of true romance to be had.

Love on a Battlefield (Andrew and Shep) - 4.5 Hearts 
Oh, my heart. The bittersweet arc in Love on a Battlefield broke my heart and put it back together in the best possible way. I absolutely loved how this story was told. The flashbacks, the letters, the current life struggles, all of that combined to make Andrew and Shep fully fleshed out characters that I embraced from page 1. My only complaint was that the story was a novella and not a full novel. You know how the romance world gives us stories with couples who are “meant to be” and we love it and eat it up with a spoon? But then, once in a while a story comes along where two people weren’t just “meant to be” but they “had to be”? Like, they are so meant to be together there is no other option for them, they are “next-level meant to be”. That’s Andrew and Shep. Life and time were in the way for awhile as they worked there way back to one another. They may have had just a few teenage fumblings (happy ending fumblings) back in the day, but they basically ruined each other for anyone else. I do believe they had to grow up though and the distance probably made their appreciation for each other even stronger once they did meet up again as adults. It was like their first time all over again and I loved it. I’ll be rereading this one for sure.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Counting on You (Counting #3) by Kelly Jensen

Henry and Marc can’t seem to catch a break. They’ve had two disastrous dates—the first trapped in a car during a blizzard and the second locked in a basement—followed by nearly two months apart. Even though they work for the same firm, their relationship is held together by flying visits, phone calls, and text messages. A joint assignment in Washington DC might be more togetherness than they can handle, however.

Henry is still battling insecurity, and this assignment is too important to his career to mess up. Marc is committed. He’s falling for Henry and looks forward to having him permanently on his team and at his side. But the real test isn’t the assignment. When Marc finally lays his heart on the line, can he count on Henry to be there for him, in every way that matters? And can he do the same for Henry when Henry needs it the most?

I fell for this series when I read the first story, Counting Fence Posts. The characters are memorable and unique and I’ve loved reading the evolution of Marcus and Henry’s relationship. The author has been able to cover a host of issues for these guys without losing focus on their growth and individuality. She got me invested in them, both separately and together.

The relationship with Henry is the first Marcus has had with another man, and he’s working his way through his coming out. He wants to do it for Henry but knows he needs to do it for himself. Henry is a shy sweetheart who’s been hurt in the past and is still a little surprised that his long time crush is as into him as he is. The two books leading up to Counting on You have had a mosh pit of obstacles for them that were overcomable, but the situations afforded them plenty of time to communicate so they were able to move forward with the “getting to know you” stuff more quickly than if they went on traditional dates.

Counting on You has no real external shenanigans, this one is all about Henry and Marcus. This one also felt more angsty to me than the previous two, but it made sense since there were no distractions and the two of them were finally going to be able to spend some time together after traveling so much for work.

Marcus has a complicated non-relationship with his parents and Henry promised to stand by his side, no matter what. At what turned out to be the “ugliest lunch ever” shit got incredibly real and ugly things were said in the heat of the moment and promises were broken. Everyone was heartbroken, no one was intentionally wrong and no one was completely correct. It read realistically and while it was frustrating, it did make me love the MC’s all the more, faults and all.

Both guys were terribly hurt but neither were ready to give up. I really appreciated that they communicated like adults, working through their hurts and listening to one another. They understood more about each other after that lunch nightmare and the aftermath than they may have ever learned otherwise. The resolution was ideal for them and Henry’s family is the absolute best. When one partner’s family is such a terror, it’s heartwarming to read the other being so amazing.

I hope the author will revisit these two again. I totally bought into their HEA, but I so enjoy reading about Marcus and Henry and would love to be able to check in on them now and again.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**

Review: Picture Winter by Amy Aislin

What happens when two Capricorns fall in love?

Do something new today.

Why he looks at his horoscope every day, Elias Hood doesn’t know. It’s all garbage, and no nickel fortune ever helped him climb all the way up the corporate ladder. He’s about to make Vice President. Rocking the boat with “something new” is the last thing on his mind.

But there’s this guy.

Ty Green can make friends with a tree and Elias can’t help falling for his easy-going vibe and his perfect smile. He’s a fellow Capricorn, like Elias, but that’s as far as their similarities go. Ty works to live—he doesn’t live to work. When Elias takes his horoscope’s advice and asks Ty out, both men are in for a shock. But as Elias’s walls start to come down, they might just realize that they have more in common than they think. In fact, they might even want the exact same thing.

Who knows? Maybe horoscopes aren’t just trash after all.

Sorry, I dozed off there for a minute... or 173 171 pages to be exact. I’ll warn you that this book wasn’t my cuppa. At all. There was zero angst, insta-love, not much going on in the plot department, and weak sauce “conflict” at the end that you can spot a mile away.

This was one of those reads that doesn't necessarily drag but nothing really happens. I didn't hate it. But I didn't like it either. I need something to hold my attention. Anything. This read was predictable and apparently an ode to regular daily events/thoughts with an abundance of detail.

Aloof Elias meets city worker (aka garbage man) Ty while walking to work one day. Ty gets on to Elias for putting trash into the wrong recycling bin and Elias is kinda an ass in response. After this encounter, Elias decides to follow the advice of his horoscope and treat others with kindness. With coffee day 1. Hot chocolate day 2. Then an apple turnover/ coffee shop invite day 3. Elias apologizes to Ty. It also doesn’t hurt that Elias notices how hot Ty is. While at the coffee shop, Ty mentions that he is moving and Elias jumps at the chance to help him move.

The move set their relationship in motion and from then on they are inseparable. We follow them as they go about their day to day. Both men are satisfied with their jobs and have to decide if they are going to take a chance with potential career changes and all that entails.

Elias and Ty are completely different with Ty’s outgoing and bubbly demeanor. They were a good fit when Elias wasn't making assumptions or letting judgmental viewpoints get in the way. They had an easily earned HEA with low conflict. Thankfully they had some chemistry. There was one scene that had me perking up a bit. The first kiss. Their first kiss had some heat. It was that I’m-saying-goodnight-without-kissing-and-came-back-because-I-couldn’t-leave-without-it kind of kiss. You know that one... right by the door and all passionate and grabby. There were other sexy times but they didn’t pull me out of the funk the rest of the story put me in.

We are treated to pages and pages of minutiae. It was as if every thought or observation they made in a day ended up on page. The circling of thoughts was downright frustrating. So much time was spent flip flopping points back and forth in their own heads.

Brutal.

I wish I could have made this work but we just didn’t click. Not recommended for those that want a little meat on their story's bones.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Picture Winter by Amy Aislin

Amy Aislin and Signal Boost Promotions celebrate the release of Picture Winter! Check out today's info and enter in the Amy Aislin backlist eBook giveaway!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Cover Design: Melody Pond

Publisher: MLR Press

Length: 47,000 words approx.

Blurb

Do something new today.


Why he looks at his horoscope every day, Elias Hood doesn't know. It's all garbage, and no nickel fortune ever helped him climb all the way up the corporate ladder. He's about to make Vice President. Rocking the boat with "something new" is the last thing on his mind.


But there's this guy.


Ty Green can make friends with a tree and Elias can't help falling for his easy-going vibe and his perfect smile. He's a fellow Capricorn, like Elias, but that's as far as their similarities go. Ty works to live--he doesn't live to work. When Elias takes his horoscope's advice and asks Ty out, both men are in for a shock. But as Elias's walls start to come down, they might just realize that they have more in common than they think. In fact, they might even want the exact same thing.


Who knows? Maybe horoscopes aren't just trash after all.

Excerpt

Two hours later, they hit first a chain grocery store in Guelph—Ty didn’t even have milk to go with his one cereal box—then a small cafe where they had a late brunch.


“Did you know a banana is actually a berry?” Ty asked.


Elias looked at him, wondering what brought on that particular point of conversation.


“Says so right here.” Ty slid his paper placemat—full of random food facts and pictures—closer to Elias. Elias’s placemat had a fill-in-the-dots drawing, a tiny crossword, a word scrambler, a maze, and a spot-the-difference challenge.Clearly the universe was playing a cosmic joke. He’d ended up with the children’s placemat irrespective of the eighteen-year-old lookalike sitting across from him.


“So, it’s really a bananaberry?” Elias asked.


For some reason Ty thought that was hilarious. After dropping the groceries off at Ty’s, they headed to the Starkey Hill Interpretive Trail for some snowshoeing. Of course it took Ty all of five seconds to find his snowshoes and poles, and yet the lube and condoms were still MIA.


But that was fine. They’d stocked up at the store.


Elias brought his camera. It went everywhere with him anyway, but he’d been an idiot yesterday, leaving it in his car all day and then overnight in the cold. He was damn lucky it had turned on this morning.


Landscape and wildlife photography were his passions, but he found himself distracted today by Ty’s perfect face. Even in his ugly, poofy snowman coat he looked good enough to pounce on. He looked like a graceful angel on his snowshoes. By contrast Elias felt like an unbalanced bear. He kept forgetting to widen his stance so that he didn’t step on his snowshoe frame with the other foot.


“What are you doing?”


Elias was on his back in the snow, camera held up to his face as he focused on a blue jay in a leafless tree above him. From below like this, it’d be a really cool shot, the bird’s blue feathers stark against the dull brown tree branches. He could probably submit the photo to CanadaBirds—a sister magazine of CanadaTravels—for consideration. Zooming his lens accordingly and adjusting his manual settings, he tried to keep very still so the bird didn’t get scared and take off. He wanted a bit of a blurry background so he set his f-stop to—


—A nose pinked from the cold appeared in his viewfinder. He was so surprised he hit the shutter-release by accident. And when he saw the image that appeared on his monitor, he couldn’t help but chuckle, sending the blue jay scurrying off.


“What’s so funny?”


Elias turned the camera to show Ty. Ty peered at it, squinted, and said, “I look hot.”


It was a picture of his left nostril and part of his eye. Elias kept laughing.


“Here, take a better one,” Ty said and plopped down in the snow next to Elias.


“Oh, no,” Elias said. “I don’t really get in front of the cam—”


Ty had the picture taken before Elias could finish his sentence. Except none of the settings had been adjusted, so instead of a selfie of the two of them, Elias had a blurry picture of what might have been his own beard or could’ve been the tree trunk behind them.


Ty cracked up.


Elias took a picture of him like that, head thrown back, eyes half-closed, mouth wide, teeth glistening bright as the snow that was also stuck in his hair now. That way he’d have this moment forever and could always look back on it and remember how good it felt to be in that first honeymoon phase of dating someone who felt about Elias the same way Elias felt about him, when everything was wonderful and new and fun.


That carefree laughter was the best kind of kick in the gut. Without thinking twice about it, he moved in on Ty and kissed his still laughing mouth. Ty was still chuckling as he kissed Elias back, mouth cold, tongue warm. It took hardly any prompting from Elias for Ty to roll himself on top of him but Ty’s coat was so slick that he landed on Elias and then slipped off him, landing on Elias’s other side, which only made him laugh harder. His good mood was contagious, and Elias laughed with him until the snow started soaking into his jeans.


“Come on, you goof,” Elias said, getting up with difficulty. Stupid snowshoes. “Let’s head back so we can get out of this cold.”


The wind chill was supposed to drop again overnight, and they could already feel it even though sunset was still three hours away.


“Let’s go winter camping,” Ty said, standing much more nimbly.


“What, now?” Never happen.


“No, not now.” Ty headed back onto the trail, in the direction they’d come from. Elias followed. “Next weekend?”


“You have a birthday party next weekend,” Elias reminded him, eyes on his feet so he didn’t trip himself up again. “Plus,” he continued, so that Ty didn’t think he was angling for an invite, “I hate to break it to you...but I don’t camp in winter.”


“Awww, but I wanna go camping with you.”


“Well, I wanna fuck you silly, so let’s go do that instead.”


For the first time since they started snowshoeing an hour and a half ago, Ty fell flat on his face.

Author Bio


Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, Amy's interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking.


Amy loves connecting with readers! You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter or sign up for her infrequent newsletter at www.amyaislin.com/signup

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Review: Santa's Naughty Helper (Lawyers in Love #1) by Ari McKay

Shy lawyer Kevin Anderson is presented with an unexpected opportunity when he draws hunky litigator Erik Wilson’s name for their office’s secret holiday gift exchange. Kevin has pined for his friend for a long time, but he fears ruining their working relationship if Erik doesn’t return his feelings. The anonymity of the exchange gives him the chance to let Erik know someone is interested, so Kevin turns the gift into a game: twelve days of presents, each more suggestive, culminating with a Christmas Eve meeting—if Kevin finds the courage to see it through!

Erik is intrigued by his secret Santa, who has given him something to look forward to during the holidays for the first time in years. But as Christmas approaches, he realizes he doesn’t want a mystery man; he wants his best friend, Kevin. When his attempts to instigate something with Kevin fail, Erik accepts the dinner invitation of his secret admirer. Little does he suspect that Santa’s naughty little helper might be just the man to make all his Christmas dreams come true in a holiday friends-to-lovers romance that progresses from sweet to spicy for two sexy lawyers.

I do love summertime Jizzmas so very much. It’s my crack no matter what the calendar says to be honest, but the novelty of Christmas when temps are at their peak is a balm to my sweaty soul. The novellas are the best too, they’re generally the fluffiest and that’s what I’m after. Santa’s Naughty Helper is exactly that, a fluffy sweet novella that’ll just make you happy and anxious for cooler temps.

I’m also a huge fan of this author team and they write holiday stories that appeal to me especially. Last Leap of the First-Foot and Letters from Cupid come to mind first and On the Rocks is a must read. And while I enjoyed Santa’s Naughty Helper, it does show me how much these authors have honed their craft since this story was originally published. Kevin and Erik are best friends but their exchanges felt a little unnatural to me, they were telling me about everything instead of showing me, so the closeness between them didn’t flow as naturally as some of their later characters.

Kevin and Erik were completely charming though and it was obvious they are meant to be together. They are complementary opposites with Kevin being shy and unassuming while Erik has no problem being in front of an audience (or courtroom). They work together on projects often, balancing their skill sets nicely. Kevin is a top notch researcher and Erik is the man presenting the findings. Since these two are good pals, the angst level is very low so, I mean, you know these two are going to be a thing, so instead of being stressed about outcome, I was able to just enjoy the cuteness.

Kevin is Erik’s Secret Santa and he literally decides to go all out. Or in. And out. You know what I mean. This is his chance to come clean to Erik about how he feels and he decides not to let his shyness rob him of his chance to get his man. Kevin decided that gifting Erik with 12 days of Christmas goodies was the way to go and he upped the ante every day. The gifts quickly went from sweet to sexy, and not subtle sexy either. When Kev decides to do something, by God he does it. I gotta respect that.

Erik was on board with the gifties too which encouraged Kevin all the more, hence the absence of angst. If we take a quick step into the real world and these gifts were being gifted to your average Joe you’d have an HR nightmare on your hands, but thankfully the real world had no place here and Erik embraced the gifts with his horny holiday heart.

My fave part is the big reveal and I have to admit, I read it twice. I really like Kevin and the setup was just perfectly him along with his newfound courage. These two went from friends to in-love-lovers in literally one thrust. I had no trouble believing it for Kevin since he’s been crushing on Erik forever but I would expect Erik would need a smidge more time to process the new dynamics. But as I’ve said reality has no place here so Erik was right there with Kevin and that made me happy for my Kevin and his Christmas.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**