Release Blitz: Long Past Dawn by J.K. Jones

Author J.K. Jones and Gay Book Promotions share new forbidden love release, Long Past Dawn! Read more about the gang romance today!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Long Past Dawn

Author and Publisher: J.K. Jones

Release Date: March 23, 2022

Genre: M/M Romance

Tropes: Forbidden love, friends to lovers, Gang Romance, High School Romance

Themes: Coming out, drug addiction, abuse forgiveness

Heat Rating:  4 flames    

Length: 54 858 words/250 pages

It is a standalone story but has a soft cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 

Blurb

Thug.
Delinquent. Savagery runs hot in his veins. Miguel González doesn’t have any memories that don’t include cruel fists raining down on him. The only light in his life had been his younger sister Valeria, who was slaughtered during a drug run by the Gulf cartels.
Vengeance is the only answer.
War is brewing between the Gulf cartels and Los Zetas. With it, a rising drug lord threatening to destroy everything he’s working towards. Miguel will need to claw his way to the top if he wants justice.
It’s a new school year. There are a bunch of new faces, fresh and eager to learn as they navigate through high school. Most people fear him.
Then there’s him.
Javier Hernández isn’t afraid.
There’s something strange about Javier, something lethal. His gaze is deep, penetrating. Like two blades covered in frost, sinking into his chest.
Javier breaks beautiful things.
But Miguel begs for it.

Warning: Novella, gang wars, deals with alcohol addiction, substance abuse, HFN ending.

Excerpt

St. Augustine, Florida

Miguel storms across the sea of bodies, shoving his way to the bar. He barks his order, choking back something sweet and citrus. Fists pound in the air as raucous party-goers sway to the music.

Where’s Mateo? He was supposed to be here.

The bruise on his eye throbs, blood still trickling down his brow from where his foster father, Felipe, had punched him earlier. He can’t even remember what he did to piss Felipe off. It started with a few jeers here and there, scathing comments about being a freeloader, then it ended with Felipe’s fist raining down on him.

Fucking bastard. Miguel knows he shouldn’t have left Valeria alone with him.

It’s all the same shit. Guilt rakes up and down his body, but he pays at the counter, not bothering to flash his fake ID before he downs his drink.

Shit. No sign of Mateo. Oh, well. He can’t wait forever.

Miguel fights his way through the crowd, desperate to get home soon. It’s late. Valeria will be worried. That’s enough motivation to keep him moving faster. He’s only about halfway across the room when he finally loses his patience and shoves into the next person blocking his path.

The man turns, a deadly glint in his eye as he checks who just pushed him. Miguel glares back defiantly, the stranger looking barely old enough to be allowed in a club at all.

He’s handsome. Devastatingly so. Miguel’s heart jams in his throat as the man smiles, sleek and cool. Deadly. A shiver runs down his spine and he banishes it with the hot flood of disgust that washes through him. This is not the time or place. Valeria, his younger sister, is waiting for him.

The man’s gaze morphs into something softer, steel melted down with fire. A smirk drags across his face and he steps closer. His hair is wild auburn curls, his skin ochre like the setting sun. The stranger’s eyes are a swirling mix of greens, blues, and browns, a smoky hazel. He’s wearing a neon green sheer top, his pierced nipples flickering in the strobe lights, and his black skin-tight jeans make his legs look endless.

“Can you back the fuck off?” Miguel tries to say but his voice gets lost in the heavy, pounding bass. He huffs out a breath and turns to continue elbowing his way through the crowd. He barely manages a step, when a hand encircles his wrist, the strength in that grip forcing him to stop.

He whips his head around to look back at the man who is impeding his escape. The fiery look is still there, as Miguel glowers at him. The man just grins lazily, tugging on his wrist until he trips forward.

The move causes Miguel to press up against the man, both of his hands splaying across his chest and his face nearly buried in the crook of the man’s neck. What the fuck? He tries to wrench himself back, to regain some distance from the man, when the other bends slightly to brush his lips against the shell of Miguel’s ear.

“Leaving so soon?” His voice is hot and wet against his earlobe. Miguel shivers and he feels the other man smile. “Dance with me.”

Fuck no. The way their bodies move is not what Miguel would call dancing. It’s too slow to match the beat of the song. The stranger slots one of his thighs between Miguel’s legs and presses forward, rolling his hips indecently. Miguel sucks in a sharp breath. With half a mind to punch the man in the throat, he leans back slightly only to find his movement being followed as a pair of lips attach themselves to his throat.

About the Author  

Heaven and hell, demons and angels. J.K Jones has always had an affinity for otherworldly things. From her debut novel, it’s easy to see she loves all things crawling in the shadows. As it so happens, J.K Jones is the author of a gritty, fun, action-packed, soul-rending novel. Her characters are so dark and twisted they defy the dimensions of this world. She does not believe in HEA, she does believe in writing a suitable ending for her characters. Never will you read any of her works where the characters ride off into the sunset together. Not going to happen. There is nothing J.K. Jones loves more than a tragic ending. She is an avid reader, poet, and LGBTQ activist. She is a University graduate with a BA in Sociology, also has a TESOL certificate for teaching English as a Second Language.

Author Links

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Review: Salvation (Darkest Skies #3) by Garrett Leigh

Reformed gang boss Dante Pope is out after a four-year stretch in prison. But freedom has found him faster than he’s ready for. His only brother hates him, and with nothing but PTSD and a newfound fascination with plants for company, the outside world is a terrifying place.

A prisoner rehabilitation scheme lands him at a stately home that might as well be the moon. Working for gorgeous gardener Sid is a welcome distraction—his shoulders are broad, his rugged jaw unshaven, and his long, tanned legs?

Wow.

But Sid has problems of his own. A life-changing disease has left him limited in ways he can’t bear and accepting help, even from a stranger, makes him want to curl up and die.

If Dante would let him.

Newsflash: he won’t, and he’s not a stranger for long. With his dark smile and sinister ink, Dante Pope is the most beautiful man Sid has ever seen. Life is hard, but falling for each other is easy.

Sunshine and shadows.

Old ghosts can haunt Dante all they like. Loving Sid is the only salvation he’ll ever need.

Dante is released from prison to a country garden. He’s determined to make the most of this second chance, and leave his old life in the past for good.

Sid looks after his gardens and manages his chronic illness. He doesn’t need complications, which is what Dante is.

The two men come from very different backgrounds, but the attraction is there from the start. Despite their differences, they’re actually very similar men.

Both are cranky, a bit antisocial, and prefer each other’s quiet company. Some common ground to build a relationship on!

I really enjoyed reading how working in the gardens side by side brought the two together. It led to homemade dinners, shared smokes (literally), and eventually stolen kisses.

Is there anything hotter than a man who just wants to feed you? Sid’s a total catch! His quiet determination in continuing with his daily life as much as he could made him even more admirable.

For his part, Dante has had a massive character improvement. Even better is that he was well aware of it, and actively identified and changed behaviours that were his old self. The self-awareness is what made him likeable, after the previous events.

I will say though - I found Sid’s repeated insistence that Dante was completely blame-free and a good man irritating. Yes, Dante is a good man now, but that doesn’t erase the past. Sid could have supported Dante without constantly throwing on the rose-coloured glasses.

I also found that the book dragged quite a bit in the middle. It could have been tightened up.

But that aside, Sid and Dante are incredibly sweet together in their little English countryside bubble. Not to mention hot!

They have a major stumbling block thrown at them, but they get through it for the better on the other end.

Overall, though this isn’t my favourite book in the series, it was still an enjoyable read. Would recommend it if you've read the two preceding books!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Deliverance (Darkest Skies #2) by Garrett Leigh

Banished gangster Benito Martell is living on the edge. An explosive hook-up in a club gifts him the relief he craves, but nothing about his life is ever so simple. Complications abound, and before long, he’s falling for the only man who can save his family from eviction.

Recovering addict Mickey Larwood has worked hard to leave his past behind. He can’t look back, not even for the beautiful Benito, the last soul on earth he expected to steal his heart—a soul who’s knee-deep in the underworld Mickey has run hundreds of miles to escape.

Benito can deny it all he wants, but Mickey can smell trouble a mile off.

And Benito is trouble with a capital T. As his desperate lies unravel, so does the fledgling love that’s grown between them. If Benito wants deliverance from his old life and a future with Mickey, old ghosts need to die.

If they don’t kill him first.

When Benito and Mickey hook up in a club, it’s complete fireworks. Both men want to go back for more.

However, what should be an easy no-strings-attached arrangement quickly becomes complicated by a personal connection the two weren’t aware of, and by their pasts.

Not to mention the emotional pull that quickly becomes more important than the physical.

First of all, let me acknowledge the obvious - Benito and Mickey are hot. Like no holds barred, aggressive, dirty hot. Lovely.

Both men also have baggage. Lots of it. And unfortunately, that baggage means that the clash was unavoidable.

It’s gritty and rough, but I thought both men were justified in their feelings and actions. It pulled the heartstrings - Mickey and Benito so clearly want things to work, but circumstances outside of their control make it tough.

Life just throws curveballs sometimes.



I loved that the common ground between the two was Benito’s family. Because while they may have been unsure about each other, they were both committed to Benito’s mother and sister.

And slowly but surely, Mickey and Benito begin chipping at the cracks. Until they just can’t stay away from each other, and become more and more entwined.

I had heart eyes.

The sh*t does inevitably - and very predictably - hit the fan. But there’s no guarantee on exactly how things will play out.

However, Mickey and Benito do make it out on the other side, and they both make amends. It’s a hard-won happy ever after, and very much so deserved.

Recommended for those who enjoyed book 1!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen

A Resilient Love Story

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

I seriously thought the first chapter of this book was going to kill me. It says in the blurb "A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain," and boy did it - but it also left me adrift on a sea of pain.

 Pain for Jeremy.

So much pain.

How I made it through the chapter in one piece I'm not entirely sure.We see Jeremy cut down to a mere existence from someone who has everything he wants. And it's hard to read, so hard. I grieved with him and felt the impossibility of moving on. Part of me wanted to crawl into his existence with him.

Except, if you are alive you owe it to yourself to live, not just exist.

Kai is perhaps the exact opposite of Jeremy. Where Jeremy has led a fairly privileged life, Kai is only where he is for virtue of having someone help him make the right decisions as a teen and to get him off the path he was travelling. He gives this back to the community in which he lives. He wants to help. Kai is so full of life. He gives and gives, without being a pushover. Where Jeremy felt closed in, shut up, curled around himself, Kai felt open and alive.

This book is so well written, every emotion is magnified a million times. I cried and I laughed and I loved with these characters. The characters were given time. They were given the right to make errors, to react to situations in a human way, and I really liked this. It is often the case in books that pain and angst and difficult times are dealt with easily - which is great for a bit of escapism. This book offered the escapism though, but with something else. It offered real emotions, not just  words on a page.

It offered a cast of characters rich in personality and character. Fully rounded.

It offered time.

It offered pain and happiness.

It offered hope - not just for the characters, but for the reader too.

Writing a review that doesn't come with a deck load of spoilers is hard for some books, and this is one of them. I would recommend it to everyone, just have tissues at hand!!

Find out more at Goodreads.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.