Release Blitz + Giveaway: Space Stars by Mell Eight

 

Title: Space Stars

Author: Mell Eight

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 07/05/2022

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 37800

Genre: Science Fiction, LGBTQIA+, space travel, robotics, musicians, celebrities, established couple, spies, secret agents, nerds, scientists, porn star/sex industry

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Description

This book is two short stories with one thing in common—the stars in space shine brightly, whether you’re on planet or soaring on a ship.

Cole’s star is rising like a rocket as his band tours the galaxies to sing to their adoring fans. Except, Cole’s real job isn’t lead vocals—it’s espionage.

Tarle’s star fell long ago after a horrific accident during a mecha showcase event for his new robot. Then he meets Aster, a porn star on the run. Hiding away together is far more appealing than being alone, but no one can hide forever.

Excerpt

Space Stars
Mell Eight © 2022
All Rights Reserved

“They’re definitely building something dangerous,” J said to begin the meeting as he walked into the spacious, albeit bland, room. There weren’t any windows, and the only ornamentation on the white walls was from the holoprojector across the room. He faced a long table with six chairs around it. All six were filled with stone-faced men and women who turned toward J when he stopped walking at the head of the table.

J touched the control panel for the holoscreen to turn the machine on and pointed out the building construction clearly visible from the spy satellite holograph that appeared seconds later.

“Planets have new construction all the time,” P cut in as she pushed her glasses higher up her nose. “With growing populations it’s inevitable, and planet 501b is certainly growing.”

“Look here,” J said as he pointed to the upper right-hand corner of the three-dimensional picture. The projector obligingly zoomed in to the location.

“Ah,” P murmured as she sank back into her seat. “Building a crono-generator is another thing entirely. But what could it be for? They’ve never been a particularly peaceful people,” she said, referencing 501b’s penchant for starting wars over the merest of slights, “but they’ve never been crazy enough to build a crono-bomb before. That could create a black hole large enough to engulf an entire galaxy!”

“How long have you had this picture?” Y asked slowly while he carefully studied the crono-generator.

J sighed. “Long enough that officials on 501b have already captured and executed six of our spies during their investigations of this issue. That’s why this task force was called to meet today. We need to find a way to infiltrate 501b to figure out if they have any plans to attack.”

“They did threaten the galaxy president two months ago in response to the president’s comments against their most recent war,” P mused.

“It’s more dire than just that,” Y said in his slow and contemplative voice. “As you all know, 501b is not actually a planet. Planet 501 was uninhabitable; only its second moon, known by the locals as Kamura, could sustain human life.”

“Moon settlements are always in desperate need of water resources.” P gasped as the full picture finally came clear for her.

“Exactly,” J cut in. “Our planet, 214, also known as Lacustrine, is almost entirely comprised of freshwater lakes, which 501b dearly needs, and our intelligence says they’re interested in acquiring. I’m afraid they don’t have any qualms about what methods they use either. So, the question remains: How do we infiltrate Kamura in order to find more information and, if necessary, destroy their crono-generator before they’re capable of building the bomb?”

P’s phone went off, a pop song currently topping the charts sounding into the worried and contemplative silence left after that final statement. One frequency was all that could reach through the protections built into the meeting room, and P’s phone only went off in an emergency anyway, so no one begrudged her the time she took to walk into the corner and answer her phone.

She didn’t turn on the holograph card to speak face-to-face, which was no surprise considering the nature of her clients, and everyone in the room tried not to listen in when she murmured into the phone. They all had something much more important to think about anyway: the answer to J’s question.

After a few seconds, P returned to her seat. J looked around at the assemblage, waiting for someone to finally say something.

L slowly tapped her finger on the table, and everyone’s attention turned to the elderly woman. L didn’t speak often, but when she did, they listened. This time was no different.

“We must use an unconventional means to sneak our spy in, and I do believe P’s impromptu phone call has given me an interesting idea. Popular music stars are welcomed across all galaxies. Often, they are begged to hold a performance on various worlds. We should put together a band, make them famous, and arrange for them to travel to 501b.”

J joined the others in giving L perplexed looks, but a smile slowly began to grow across his face. The idea was extremely farfetched, yet the very thought of how crazy a plan L had come up with decided him. If he didn’t think the idea viable, then how could anyone on 501b have plans to prevent it?

“That…” He paused to savor the idea a little further. “That is the most perfect plan I have ever heard.” He turned to the other members of the council. “What do we need to do to accomplish this?”

“A band, first of all,” P murmured. “That means at the very least a singer, a guitar player, a bass player, and a drummer if we want something conventional.”

“They’ll need a hit song,” Y added. “And a full album.”

“And good publicity,” P agreed. “I can get them a spot on the Morning Mumble, which will put them into the limelight, but the band has to be capable of proving their abilities, or they’ll go nowhere afterward.”

“So first we need a band,” J stated. “Any suggestions on who we could hire? We need people with musical talent, so we may have to go outside our regular recruits for this one.”

P nodded immediately. “The Star Slashers recently broke up and their drummer is pretty good. He also played for the Black-Hole Surfers,” she added when she received only blank looks. The Star Slashers had never been destined for greatness, but the Black-Hole Surfers had been legendary up until their singer and lead guitarist had overdosed on poorly cut and excessively laced Star Shine and the band dissolved. “His name is Kingsley,” she finished with a smile, “and he’s from this galaxy, so he’d probably be willing to work with us.”

J hummed thoughtfully. “We’ll start background checks on this Kingsley. Any other suggestions?”

L leaned forward with a groan. “I have a grandchild who promised me he would become a rock god by the time he turns thirty,” she said with quite a bit of exasperation in her voice. Her son worked for the agency, and she evidently expected her grandchild to do so as well. That didn’t seem to be in her grandson’s plans. “Solomon plays guitar and his mother tells me he’s quite good. I suppose if the ambition is present, we could give him this opportunity.”

“We have guitar and drums,” J said. “Any suggestions for the other roles? Can you think of any trained recruits we could call in to take the major roles in this operation?”

“It’s not a suggestion,” P cut in, “but we have to find a singer who is pitch-perfect without modifications or he won’t make it. We can’t just pull anyone from our basic training program and implant electronic vocal cords.”

“This is going to be an interesting search, then,” J said with a sigh. Not only did they need a band, but they also needed to find someone who could infiltrate the secret facilities on 501b without getting caught. It wasn’t going to be easy.

The meeting broke up soon afterward. P was the first person to rush out, her phone in hand. Whatever emergency she’d been called about must have been important. Considering P’s clients…well, J hoped there wasn’t a galaxy about to implode somewhere.

Z was J’s colleague from the same agency. He hadn’t spoken during the meeting, but Z was notorious for pulling J aside later to voice his thoughts. J wasn’t surprised when Z joined him in his walk down the empty hallways of the building.

“I might have an idea for a bass player,” Z murmured in his usual half-audible tone. “She’s a spitfire though. Barely passed her basic training before she quit, so I’ve no idea if the girl would like the idea, or if she’s what we want for this mission.”

“Submit her name and have a background check run,” J replied. “We’ll find some way to convince her and…” He paused, his head cocked to the side. One hand flashed upward to grip Z’s arm. “Do you hear that?” he asked excitedly.

Z tilted his head to listen and slowly nodded. “It’s probably a radio someone left on.” He sighed. “But it won’t hurt to go see.”

They both turned the corner, following the sound of someone singing. The door to the men’s locker room was left partially ajar, and J pushed it open the rest of the way so he and Z could walk into the space. J expected to see a holodisk left on inside one of the recruits’ lockers, so he was surprised when a young man, fresh from the showers with his back to J and Z, had his head tilted back and his mouth wide open as he sang.

His tone was pure and clean—perfect.

He was drying his brown hair with a towel, his eyelids closed. His naked back was thin but well sculpted, although the loose pants he wore hid his lower body from J’s perusal. A pair of old-fashioned Coke-bottle glasses sat on the bench next to him.

There were two gyms attached to the locker room, one for the regular staff and one for the special recruits. This far into after-hours, only the special recruits had access. Whoever the man was, he piqued J’s interest.

J glanced over at Z and saw that Z was just as mesmerized by the beautiful singing. Z finally glanced back over and nodded. Whoever the recruit was, he was about to be given a new mission.

The singing stopped as the young man finally finished drying his hair. He put his towel down and patted his hand across the bench until he found his glasses. Then he turned around to find his shirt and jumped when he caught sight of J and Z.

“Sorry,” the young man said, his face rapidly going red as he ducked his head. He got to his feet in a hurry, finding parade rest with his feet even though he was staring at the ground instead of facing straight forward.

“Not at all,” J replied. He stepped closer to the recruit, studying him closely for a long moment, which only made his face grow even redder. “What are your vitals, recruit?” J finally asked.

“Name: Cole! Just finished basic training two days ago, sir!” Cole said sharply, even though he still wouldn’t look J directly in the face. He had been trained well, if not perfectly. “I haven’t been assigned to a vector yet, sir.”

J glanced over at Z after that admission. Normally recruits knew their vector location a good few months before the end of their training. He was also still using his full name rather than a code name, which he would have been given as part of his first vector assignment. Z nodded discreetly. He would start a background check on Cole to figure out what had prevented normal procedure in his case.

“Thank you, Cole,” J said with a dismissive nod. “We’ll be in touch.”

J and Z walked off, leaving behind the man who was to become their lead singer.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

When Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.

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Guest Review: Hardwood (Four Bears Construction #3) by KM Neuhold

I’ve spent forty-four years of my life telling the world I’m a carpet man. Is it too late to admit to myself and everyone else that deep down I’m really all about the Hardwood?

It took me over thirty-five years to admit to myself that I’m gay, another seven to find the courage to say it out loud to anyone else, and exactly thirty seconds to develop a massive crush on my daughter’s music teacher. It’s really not my fault, have you even seen those cute bowties he wears?

After everything it’s taken to get here, am I going to work up the nerve to come out to my ex-wife and my best friends? Am I ready to shake up my comfortable, simple life and take a chance on Watson? Or am I going to throw a wrench in my own chance for happily ever after?

***Hardwood is a steamy, seriously so much delicious tension, single-dad, gay awakening, low angst story, which happens to be the third in the Four Bears Construction Series. It CAN be read as a stand alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.***

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Everett owns a construction company with three of his closest friends, They are all out and proud gay men living their best lives with smoochy HEA’s in the other books in the series, Ev, however is the straight one. Or is he?

This is such a lovely mature coming-out story that filled me with joy. I’ve loved the first two books and this one is even sweeter - if that’s even possible.

Ev is coming to terms with who he really is. He was married to a woman who remains one of his best friends, and is father to a spirited little spitfire who loves her music teacher. Everett develops a crush on said music teacher and that is the catalyst for him to come out to his ex-wife and perhaps even his buddies - although why he is worried about coming out to a host or gay men who love him is anyone's guess.

Watson is the charming and adorkable music teacher who notices his student’s hot dad knowing he is straight doesn’t stop the lusting either!

The relationship starts in secret while Ev gets up the courage to tell all, and I felt Watson was insanely patient with dithering Ev but it all works out in the end, The HEA is so perfect I got cavities just reading it.

There is one truly hilarious NSFW scene that fully had me choking on my coffee. I would love to elaborate, but spoilers, so safe to say, this is a funny one.

It was also a joy to catch up with the other men in the series. I’m just holding out for Ollie’s HEA now.

Highly recommended.

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

Review: The Nerd and the Prince (Small-Town Dreams #1) by B.G. Thomas

Prince Charming is the man next door.

Small-town business owner Jason Brewster has big dreams: world travel, adventure, and most of all, a passionate romance worthy of a fairy tale. But he doesn’t believe fantasies can come true….

Until Adam moves in next door.

He’s handsome, cultured, European, and best of all, interested in Jason. It’s like something out of the stories Jason loves.

But Adam—whose real name is Amadeo Montefalcone—has a secret. He's royalty, prince of the small country of Monterosia. Only he doesn't want to rule, and especially doesn't want the loveless marriage waiting for him at home. So he ran away in search of true love. With a man. And with Jason, he finds it.

But Adam can't run forever. The truth will come out. If Jason can forgive Adam’s deception, they might find their happily ever after.

I am normally a sucker for the international royal in hiding in a small American town who falls for a local who has no idea who they are or even heard of the country where they are royalty. I eat these stories up getting lost in how romantic it is to fall for someone this way; to simply be seen for who you are and not your title yet at the same time, shaking my head at the over the top shenanigans that happen once the royal takes the commoner home… yeah. I love this trope but sadly, this story did not work for me.

I had a hard time with this book. I tried three times to really get into it, even starting over completely with a new mindset hoping I could connect with Jason and Adam on some level but never could. From the beginning, Jason read so…so… off. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was, but it was too much. Too much sugar, too much of wanting everything perfect and too much mythology. I love mythology but this seemed to be placed in the story as filler because it made no sense to include it. This wasn’t a fantasy romance and the referencing of gods doing xyz because of fate added nothing to the romance.

Adam read like either an old man or someone who is from the past. I get he’s from another country and all that comes with being royal but this is 2018 and the vast amount of information he could have at his fingertips makes him read far more vintage than his hat and glasses would make one believe.

I won’t go on with a list of what didn’t work for me, just know this didn’t. I couldn’t connect with either man and never felt them as a couple. The flow of the story felt very stop and start and just… ugh. I don’t know. I’ll stop here and hope the next book works out for me.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Book of Beginnings: It's Just Us Here (Unfinished Self-Portrait) by Christopher X. Sullivan

An asexual man meets a male model... and slowly falls in love.
Chris is a nerdy bookworm with a very direct personality. He tends to take jokes literally. He doesn't like small talk.

Chris has never been sexually attracted to anyone in real life, though he can look at photos and think up exciting scenarios in his head... as long as the people are all wearing clothes. Porn is definitely a no go.

Mark is a charismatic, beautiful man with a pretty person job and pretty person problems. He's very pushy.

Mark is also struggling with a summer college course for business writing. Luckily, Chris makes a living from his writing and always falls for a sob story... so he ends up helping the model with his assignment.

After a chance encounter in Chris' favorite park, the two men's lives slowly entangle until the pair become inseparable.

First Chris and Mark become friends, then companions, then partners, then lovers... and then they get engaged, married and... finally... adopt a very amazing kid.
This is their story... or, well, I guess it's my story. I'm Chris and I wrote this. It's very weird to refer to myself in the third person, so I'm going back to first person now.

Mark didn't tell me he was into guys until I was very much in love with him. Anytime he got close to telling me the truth, I would instinctively pull back. But I never ran away completely, and he kept coming after me.

I guess you'll have to read the book to understand why.

[ADVISORY: I'd just like to make sure you know that this book is not the complete love story between me and my husband. I've broken my story up into ten 100,000 word installments. Each installment follows its own 'arc'. There are four 'super arcs' typical of romance novels spread over the ten installments.

"The Book of Beginnings" contains the beginning of each of those ten installments. So we're going to jump through time quite a bit. These 'beginnings' total over 140,000 words and the final project will be over 1,000,000 words.
Don't worry, I will finish this story. It's terribly important to me. But it is huge. So I will also be posting an Abridged Version, which will consist of the chapters in "The Book of Endings" and "The Book of Beginnings".

This is an unfinished project, but my health is prompting me to search for an audience before I'm finished. If you want to be an early reader and look for typosz, please get in touch. You will make the completion of this story possible and free up more of my energy for non-typo stuff. Thank you so much.]

I tried to type a review for this a few times and finally realized that it’s impossible. So, I’ve decided to provide a warning: incoherent ramblings ahead on this memoir-romanceish book. Before we commence to the ramblings, I think it’s important to know that this isn’t a conventional romance, it’s a true “story.” Please see the author’s special note in the blurb. More books are in the works that break down important stages of the MCs relationship with a full arc. This book is strictly the beginnings of each of those stages coming together to form the Book of Beginnings. Make sense? Fabulous.

Chris: Asexual man, writer, friend, worrier, planner

Mark: Model, highly sexual, laid back, incredibly social

These two men come together randomly in a park after Chris’ typical Monday run. Chris is on a bench writing and Mark is a lonely man looking for a friend. From their first meeting, it’s a whirlwind where they create their own boundaries on what it means to be friends, lovers, partners, and eventually parents. Chris and Mark come from diverse backgrounds, have diverse sexual appetites, opposite personalities, and experience real life growing pains as they move through each stage of their relationship.

Book of Beginnings is written in the format of a romance novel but the situations these men face aren’t romanticized. The writing style is easy to breeze through but the angsty content isn’t easy to read. There was so much more feeling involved while reading this book because I couldn’t forget that these are real people with issues that aren’t sugar coated. Having to *see* the struggle Chris and Mark go through in their intimacy was gut wrenching, especially from Chris’ POV as he tries to be all his partner needs sexually while still being very much an asexual man at his core. Early on my heart was breaking for Mark as I could see the love he had for Chris but couldn’t fully release his feelings. Another difficult aspect of this story is the dynamic between Mark and Chris. Mark’s personality is larger than life and he has such a pull over Chris. It may seem like Mark steamrolls (and rightfully so, sometimes) Chris into capitulating often- but Mark knows Chris and is able to nudge him out of the comfort zone he likes to exist in. Mark usually has Chris’ best interests at heart and even though he may be resisting something, a part of him seems to crave it as well.

It’s a captivating read that allows us to focus on the emotional aspect of them falling in love way before physical intimacy is introduced. I adore the connection they have, the foundation they build, and the growth each man makes toward their HEA.

Y’all, I was hooked from the beginning. It’s a beast of a book in length but I couldn’t put it down. I pretended to be productive and do adult things but I was really just reading this and when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about reading it.

Was it perfect? No, but it’s a work in progress and the author makes that point clear multiple times. As mentioned above, The Book of Beginnings: It’s Just Us Here is written in an unconventional format, needs more editing, has incomplete “story” arcs, has multiple big-moment time lapses, and missing very important bits of their lives. All of those are noted in the blurb warning. Did I care? Not one teeny tiny bit. I went all Dr. Seuss on this book and would read it in a boat, with a goat, in the rain, on a train… (I’m a dork, sorry *shrug*)

There were times I wanted to scream at my kindle because I just had to know what happened only for it to have a time jump. This actually reminds me of a CliffsNotes version for their life story with the main parts coming out as their own books over the next year.

At the heart of this book is a “story” of two people meeting, loving each other, and then falling in love. Life can be a major bitch sometimes and still, Chris and Mark find a way to love on their own terms as the relationship evolves into something deeper. Something real. Something beautiful and imperfectly perfect.

I’m SO frakin’ glad I chose to take a chance on this love story and I'm looking forward to reading the first full installment. This author now has a new stalker stage-10 clinger big fan. Highly recommended.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Level Up by Annabeth Albert

Celebrate the release of Level Up with author Annabeth Albert and IndiGo Marketing! Learn more about the friends to lovers romance and enter in the $20 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Title: LEVEL UP
Series: loosely related to the #gaymers series, but stands alone
Author: Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Annabeth Albert
Release Date: May 17, 2018
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 40,000 words
Genre: Romance, contemporary m/m romance, gay romance, geeks, nerds, friends-to-lovers, gamers, gaymers

Goodreads – https://http//www.goodreads.com/book/show/39897073-level-up

Summary

Landon can’t believe he’s let himself get roped into participating in a charity calendar, let alone one that features tastefully photographed nudes. The genius physicist is hardly model material and he’s dreading the nude part of the photoshoot. Amid his reluctance, the one bright spot is his emails back and forth with the photographer.

However, Bailey ends up being not quite what Landon expects, and their first meeting is decidedly awkward. Bailey’s persistent though, and gradually Landon warms to the burly photographer, and they discover they have a shared love of gamer culture.

A tentative friendship is born, but the road from friends to lovers isn’t easy. Landon’s battling past trauma and must decide how much of a risk he’s willing to take. A sexy connection may not be enough to keep them together unless both are willing to put their hearts on the line.

Approximately 40,000 words. Previously released as part of the EXPOSED anthology, and loosely linked to the #Gaymers universe, this friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort story stands alone with a guaranteed happy ending. Contains a brief mention of a prior assault, but no on-screen violence or flashbacks.

Excerpt

LEVEL UP EXCERPT—This is their first kiss, because I absolutely love writing first kiss scenes!

***

Bailey was the type who moved a lot as he gamed, biceps flexing, knees wiggling, shoulders jostling. Landon always liked people who got so into gaming, but it was more than a little distracting. His body was quickly coming to associate that orange scent of Bailey’s with good things, and other parts of him apparently liked Bailey’s nearness, which was a novelty because instead of intimidated, as he would have expected, he was more than a little turned on.

“Oh man, that was a rush.” Bailey laughed as both of their health meters dipped to zero. “I’m almost wishing I’d gone into game art, not photography. Amazing how these graphics have held up over the years.”

“Totally. And speaking of art, let me find the Space Villager stuff.” Landon reluctantly stepped away from the game. He headed to the nearby kitchen, where he was pretty the papers were buried with a stack of mail. Paper control was not his strong suit. “You’ll go nuts at the latest screen shots and promo teasers.”

“Cool.” Rather than follow Landon, Bailey went to sit on the couch.

“You want a drink while I’m in here?” Landon called to him after he found the papers under a pile of pizza ads. “I’ve got four flavors of Snapple, soda, and water.”

“Surprise me with a Snapple flavor.” Bailey looked right at home on Landon’s couch, lounging back.

He really did not look at all like any photographer Landon had ever met, and curiosity had him asking, “So why photography? You said you could have done game design?”

“Yeah, I had plenty of friends at the art institute go that direction. But I’ve been in love with photography ever since I worked on our middle school yearbook. I figured out quickly that taking pictures of events and sports was far more fun than trying to do the sports myself, so I did yearbook all through high school, got a photography scholarship to the art institute in Portland.”

“So you don’t play a sport?” Landon had a hard time believing that. With Bailey’s height and breadth, he totally looked like he lived for weekend games of some type.

“Nope. Hopelessly uncoordinated.” Bailey shot him an endearing smile when Landon handed him the bottle of tea.

“Me too.” Landon clinked bottles with him, then held up the papers. “Found the codes. But can I show you some stuff on the TV screen while you have your drink?”

“Absolutely.” Bailey took a long swig of tea, and Landon had to look away before he got mesmerized by Bailey’s full mouth, how it looked when his tongue chased a stray drop of moisture, how pink it was in contrast to his paler skin and brown beard.

Landon queued up the pre-release trailer Josiah had sent him a link to. Bombastic music filled his small living room as on the screen, and a spaceship pulled in for a landing on a planet filled with ruins of a once-powerful civilization. The narrator had an iconic voice and detailed all the special features of the expansion pack. Landon had already watched this a half-dozen times, and it still gave him happy chills.

“Wow. I can’t wait.” Bailey looked suitably awed. “This is even cooler than when War Elf added the mystic raids.”

“I know, right? Now look at the in-game screen shots.” He brought up another video, body relaxing more and more despite Bailey’s nearness. It was just so awesome to have someone new to share this with. He’d been hyped about this all week, but Pike was distracted by his boyfriend Zack’s deployment, Savannah didn’t game much, and the rest of his regular crew seemed to have other things occupying their attention.

Somehow, as he shared more video clips, he drifted closer to Bailey, so that their knees were almost rubbing. It wasn’t a giant couch, so there wasn’t a ton of room to move back, but even so, Landon wasn’t looking for an escape. He was aware of Bailey, very much so, but not nearly as freaked out as he’d been a few hours ago. Instead, his senses seemed to soak up Bailey’s scent and nearness, and it wasn’t until the fourth or fifth video that he realized that he was aroused.

Clink. Somehow Landon’s left hand, holding his drink, and Bailey’s right hand tangled.

“Oops.” He tried to extricate himself without spilling both beverages. Bending to put his on the floor, he hadn’t realized that Bailey had also leaned down until their heads collided.

“Ow,” they said simultaneously.

“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.” Bailey reached out, feeling around on Landon’s head. “Did you see stars? Break the skin?”

“I’m fine.” Landon didn’t pull away. Bailey’s hand felt damn nice. Gentle. Soothing more than just the bump on his head. Their eyes met, and he really needed to move back, break this spell, but he didn’t, instead leaning into to the touch. Bailey’s eyes darkened, and he stroked down Landon’s jaw. God, that felt so good, like an extra blanket on a chilly night, warmth he hadn’t realized he was missing. How long had it been since he’d been touched like this? Hugged, sure. He’d hugged Savannah goodnight, and hugged and wrestled around with his best friend Pike at the last LAN party, but neither of those things was touch like this. Caring. Sweet. Arousing.

Bailey leaned in again, way slower this time, all the time in the world for Landon to stop him. But he didn’t. Bailey’s beard tickled an instant before their lips met, a soft slide of mouths. Not aggressive at all, not the on-a-tight-schedule rush of a hookup, Bailey kissed like they had a sleepy Sunday afternoon to kill, like each reaction of Landon’s mattered, like he was trying to memorize something important and was going to take his time learning the lesson.

Landon was the first one to take things further, mouth opening on a sigh, welcoming Bailey’s agile tongue. He tasted sweet, like tea, and minty like the gum he’d popped after the pizza, familiar yet new at the same time. How had he managed to forget how awesome kissing could be? A laugh bubbled up in his chest, but quickly transformed to a groan of pleasure as Bailey nipped at his lower lip.

Not content to let Bailey be the one exploring, Landon sent his own tongue on a quest, tracing Bailey’s full lower lip, delving inside to rub tongues, retreating playfully to earn another nip. Fuck. This was nice. The video switched over to something random, and he barely registered it. He couldn’t say how long they kissed, just that he didn’t want it to ever end.

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Meet the Author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. The #OutOfUniform series joins her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat and #PerfectHarmony series. To find out what she’s working on next and other fun extras, check out her website: www.annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth’s Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two active children.

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Review: The Hot Floor by Jospehine Myles

Two plus one equals scorching hot fun.

Dumped by his boyfriend and reduced to living in a grotty bedsit, Josh Carpenter lives for his job as a glassblower. That and occasional glimpses of his sexy downstairs neighbours, Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman.

Whenever he overhears the diminutive academic and the hunky plumber having loud and obviously kinky sex, Josh is whipped into a state of frenzied lust… and a longing for a relationship like theirs.

To his amazement, Rai and Evan find his embarrassing tendency to blush utterly charming, and the three men grow closer over the course of the long, hot summer. Despite enjoying Rai’s charming flirtation and Evan’s smoldering gaze, Josh is determined never to do anything to split them apart.

However, when a naked Josh falls—quite literally—into the middle of one of Rai and Evan’s marathon sex sessions, the force of their mutual attraction takes over. But just as Josh dares to hope, he senses a change. If the three of them can’t renegotiate the rules of their new relationship, Josh risks losing their friendship—and any chance at love—forever.

Warning: Contains one well-endowed stud with a sexy accent, one improbably toppy bottom boy with an unfortunate owl obsession, and one blushing naïf who can’t believe his luck. Also, the occasional indulgence in mathematical spanking and some shameless armpit sex. Written in Jo’s usual exceedingly “English” English.

Bonus Christmas Hot Floor short story included in this edition!

Whenever Josh hears the hot kinky couple downstairs going at it, he can’t help but dream of joining in. When the opportunity presents itself to join Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman for some fun, Josh jumps right in. When the three men develop feelings beyond good sex, Josh needs to figure out how he fits in with the couple.

I’ll be entirely honest - my reason for picking up an MMM book is almost always because I’m looking for some dirty smut. I don’t read menage romances often, but usually I like them.

For me to buy a throuple, I have to really understand the motivations behind the three men letting go of jealousy and building a menage relationship. Unfortunately, ‘The Hot Floor’ didn’t do that for me.

The book started off well enough. I liked Josh. He was a bit of pitiful character, but I could understand where he was coming from. Sometimes life just kicks you down a few too many times. I wouldn’t say Josh is memorable, but he’s likeable.

Also, I’d probably be fascinated with a kinky couple that serenaded the entire building with their shenanigans as well.

Rai and Evan filled their roles as I’d expected - the small pushy twink, and the big burly top. The two exuded sex from the first page, so I was expecting some good smut when they got down and dirty with Josh.

‘The Hot Floor’ definitely delivers on the smut. There’s some spanking, mild D/s, humiliation kink, and bondage. Josh, Evan, and Rai certainly have sexual chemistry!

However, what I really didn’t get a good sense of was the emotional connection. Sure, the three men have hot sex and like each other, but I didn’t really feel romantic love between Josh and the existing couple.

I think part of the reason I didn’t get that real sense of a relationship is because the story is told entirely from Josh’s POV, so my understanding of Evan and Rai’s emotions was second-hand.

In the end, my impression was that I was told the three men were meant to be together as a couple, as opposed to actually seeing them build that relationship.

Overall, this was an okay read. There’s a lot of hot sex in this book, but I wanted more from the actual romance.

Audiobook Review: A Dandelion for Tulip (Being(s) in Love #6) by R. Cooper

David is in love with Tulip, a kind and unusually quiet fairy in his social circle. But everyone knows Tulip doesn’t date humans. David tells himself he is happy to be Tulip’s friend, because he doesn’t believe a fairy could love him and Tulip has never tried to “keep him”—as fairies refer to relationships with humans.

Fairies are drawn to David, describing his great “shine,” but David knows only too well how quickly fairies can forget humans, and thinks he’s destined to be alone. He can’t see his own brilliance or understand how desperately Tulip wants him, even if Tulip believes David can do better.

But exhausted and more than a little tipsy at a Christmas party, David makes his feelings too obvious for Tulip to deny any longer. Because of a past heartbreak involving a human, Tulip is convinced someone as shiny as David could never want a “silly, stupid fairy” in his life. Now, if he wants to keep David, he’ll have to be as brave as his shiny, careful human.

Listening Length: 5 hours and 41 minutes
Narrator: Michael Fell

Fairies, dragons, glitter and shine?!

Contact glitter might possibly be a thing after reading A Dandelion for Tulip.

This was my first R. Cooper and after reading, it won't be my last. I read along as I listened to Michael Fell narrate. The story is within 4- 4.5 Hearts range, the narration is a 3-3.5 Hearts range. My rating is an average. The story was subtle slow burn. It used the smaller, quieter moments to get the point across. And it writhed in the angst...

"Ever see yourself doing the same thing over and over? And inside you're screaming, Why do I keep doing this? Why am I so stupid? Because you know how it will end, and yet you do it anyway. And more of you seems to get stripped away each time until all that's left is this hopeful idiot who never learns."

Great internal angst where the author has an excellent sense of their characters, characteristics and the setting.

Set in an alternate universe where beings, or supernaturals, are known and is closely related to our world (all of our historical events happened just with beings out in the open for the last hundred years or so). The beings are marginalized by humans and you could switch any present day marginalized group with beings and the same emotions and hurt comes across. The author showcases inclusiveness and present day marginalized groups without getting preachy or it coming across as looking for 'cool kid' points.

All the books in the Being(s) in Love series are standalone and I was not lost reading this. In fact, I'm so going back and reading the dragon book. (The couple from A Boy and His Dragon make an appearance)

David is an overworked PhD student and TA. He is also biracial and feels he has to prove himself just to get respect in his field and in his life. He works extra hard to be taken seriously, it is what his family pushes him to do and what he's learned he should be as there are others who will judge him for his skin color. (The author really excelled at getting David's challenges in life across) The subject of David's doctorate and programs doesn't make his life an easier...he studies beings. Humans are slowly warming up to their supernatural counterparts.

David's got his work cut out for him. And he doesn't make it easier for himself with who he is in love with, a quiet older fairy named Tulip who doesn't do humans. It's been years since David fell for the fairy with swirling gold eyes and black and pink glitter wings.

Side note: the cover is beautiful but it doesn't really get the way the main characters are described. David is described as a biracial academic with auburn, curly hair. I don't know if the author based David off musician Jidenna (he's a biracial academic with a flair for preppy clothes - listen to his music--it's AWESOME)

But I couldn't stop picturing David as this. And Tulip's wings on the cover doesn't match either. But the sentiment is nice as it captures a pivotal scene. End side note.

The story is told exclusively through David's perspective. The self proclaimed nerd has a close knit circle of friends that includes his object of his love, his best friend Flor and his ex-hook-up Clematis. Fairies are known as the 'hippies' of the beings - they down sugar and sweets like it's alcohol, tell the truth all the time and clothing is optional (mostly not!) The total opposite of David's seriousness. But what David possess is a shine. Seen by only fairies, his "shine" draws fairies to him. But no one wants to "keep" him...

Through an embarrassing Christmas party, a drunk David finally lets his feelings known. And he's rebuffed gently. The author brings us through mutual pining and restraint, quiet touches and soul bearing. The angst, it aches at a point but overall it is a quiet, gentle story. A sweet romance with achingly sweet words, heady breaths and painstaking moments.

"Have you always wanted to do this?" David asked, slow as honey."My bed waits for you," Tulip answered in a low serious tone, and wiped chocolate or sugar from David's chin. "Since the first time you fell asleep in it. Before then, even."

I have so many quotes saved on my Kindle. The slow burn is definitely turned on high. There were moments when I just wanted to grab Tulip and David and just shake them. It's so obvious their adoration for each other, but they're damaged and oblivious. But I wasn't bored at any point. There were a few lull moments, where it seemed the character was talking around the issue. Or the nerd was on full steam and the research subject would take precedence to the romance, but in a way it worked. I figured as I read it's the way the author told the story.

When the two finally get their act together... MAGIC.

Smutsers, there is sex. Hell, there was a surprising public sex scene that definitely hit the right notes. And a big guy bottoming! Yay! But it wasn't overly graphic, if it's what you're seeking. The moments were hot and it fit the entire vibe of the romance.

I did read along with the audio and if you dive into this standalone story, I'd suggest reading it first, or at least along with the audio. Fell was decent at narrating. I think he lost steam as the story progressed, but he did seem to read it and react accordingly to most moments. He did fail with pronunciation a lot, like he kept saying Cle-MAN-tis for Clematis, or NA-DREE-UH for Nadira. And he'd change words in the text a good number of times. Would I listen to him again? Yes. But I warn audio sticklers, I'd try reading if it's a major issue for you.

Because either way, the story is magical, quietly romantic and sweet. There was a light plot twist I didn't see and it made me understand why David was the way he is and how he views the world that surrounds him. Maybe it was also the reason he chose the field he studies?

After finishing, I want a fairy of my own. I definitely loved what David and Tulip brought to the table and think they'll continue being the best for each other for years to come.

Highly recommended for urban fantasy fans who like the romance with pining, internal angst and glitter.

Glitter smack!

Review: Distant Swimmer by Jacob Cheyenne

Shy and scholarly, long-distance swimmer Ryan Zwick thinks he’s the only gay member of the college swim team. He keeps his head down in the showers, and his head in the books the rest of the time.

But when a sporty new transfer student joins the team, Ryan feels a surge of hope. Sexually inexperienced and looking for love, fellow swimmer Blake Gossens is everything Ryan wants in a boyfriend. But what is Blake’s game, exactly? And just how straight is he?

Blake seems to be more interested in Ryan’s best friend, Marissa, leaving Ryan to go back to secretly checking out his teammates in the pool. But Ryan keeps getting mysterious messages in his dating app from a stranger who seems to know a lot about him. Could this messenger be Blake? Or someone else?

When bad weather hits unexpectedly, Ryan is forced to confront his real feelings toward Blake, while opening up to the stranger by his side, eventually giving in to his wildest fantasies -- and his heart.

I had to re-read the blurb so I knew what I could give away and what I couldn’t. It’s pretty restrictive actually.

Ryan was a nice character. This story is told entirely from his point of view, and so this is his lived experience as he struggles to accept that the dating pool is extremely limiting even though he is at college. His only constant is his swim team. This is where he excels and feels most comfortable. The routine, the water, and the feeling of togetherness that is teamwork for a common goal, all creates a nice comforting space for Ryan to grow.

I enjoyed the backdrop of the swim team. I thought it was a good place to have Ryan while he was settling into his sexuality.

I can’t say I was a fan of either Blake or Marissa. They were both poorly developed characters, and also made out to be flighty and not nice people. I’m not sure why the author chose this tactic, but by the end of the story, I didn’t feel either had redeemed themselves enough for me to think positively of them in Ryan’s life.

I liked the direction the story went in. I enjoyed the supporting characters. I liked the setting, and appreciated the fact that this was a young adult/new adult story, with a lot of the same young fragile feelings that come with being fresh into adulthood and feeling out of place.

I’d recommend this as a slow burn romance. It’s low on angst but does have some drama. It’s mostly a feel good story about a young man and his first relationship.

A review copy was provided for an honest opinion

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Fierce by Rob Rosen

Rob Rosen and Embrace the Rainbow Book Promotions kick off the Fierce Blog Tour today! Check out today's exclusive info on the superhero romantic comedy from JMS Books! Interested? Great! Rob Rosen is giving away an eBook copy of Fierce! Good luck!

Title: Fierce
Author: Rob Rosen
Release Date: March 25th 2017
Genre: MM Romance, Comedy

BLURB

Lucas has a typical life -- apart from being abandoned as a baby, raised by wolves, and having super powers. Still, inside, he feels like two people, both vying for control of himself. He's a superhero and a nerdy college freshman. He's both feral and tame. He wants to do good in the world and, at the same time, he wants to do nothing. And most of all, he wants to find his birth parents.

In this comedic tale of romance, mystery, and adventure, our hero is joined by his hunky boyfriend, his acerbic boss, an uptight college science professor, and his ex-boyfriend/once crime-fighting partner -- not to mention a whole pack of wolves -- to help foil his nemesis and uncover the secrets of his past to save his future.

Find Fierce on Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK | JMS Books | iBooks

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

He sat down next to me. “I’m confused then.”

I turned and faced him. “Welcome to the club.”

He frowned. “What are you confused about, Lucas?” I lifted the gun. It gleamed in the light. It felt heavy in my hand. It felt even heavier in my heart. “This,” I said. “This is what I’m confused about.” Then I pointed at him— with my free hand, not with the gun. “And I’m confused about you.”

His face scrunched up. “Me? What did I do?”

“Really?” I said. “You don’t know?”

He shrugged. “Not a clue, Lucas. Not a clue.”

I stood up. Anger rose from my gut. Anger and sadness. “You told me to shoot, Craig. You told me to shoot someone.”

He stared up at me. “Given that he was the bad guy and eager to get the gun back from you, shoot seemed the best option. Plus, had he gotten the gun back, he was going to kill the hostages.”

“In theory.”

He shrugged. “Fine, in theory. But theories often prove to be facts.” He stood. He faced me. “He was the bad guy, Lucas. He was the bad guy and you’re the good guy. If he got shot, he had it coming to him.”

I cringed. A pain shot through my chest. “How can you say that?”

He pointed to his mouth. “With this.” He then pointed to his head. “And this.”

Me, I pointed to his heart. “What about this?”

His shrug repeated. “The head has to rule here, Lucas. It’s the only way.”

I thought to object, but realized it wouldn’t get me anywhere. “I, um, guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that then.”

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About the Author

Rob Rosen is the author of the critically acclaimed novels, Sparkle: The Queerest Book You'll Ever Love, the Lambda Literary Award Nominated Divas Las Vegas, which was the winner of the 2010 TLA Gaybies for Best Gay Fiction, Hot Lava, Southern Fried, the Lambda Literary Award Nominated Queerwolf, Vamp, Queens of the Apocalypse, Creature Comfort, Fate, which was the winner of the 2016 TRR Readers' Choice Award for Best Gay Romantic Comedy as well as a 2016 Rainbow Awards Finalist for Best Gay Romantic Comedy, Midlife Crisis, and Fierce. His short stories have appeared in more than 200 anthologies. You can find 20 of them in his erotic romance anthology, Good & Hot. He is also the editor of Lust in Time: Erotic Romance Through the Ages, Men of the Manor, Best Gay Erotica 2015 and Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Volumes 1 and 2 and 3.

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