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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Hidden Blade: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 by Kaje Harper

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Hidden Blade: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022

Author and Publisher: Kaje Harper

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Release Date: October 4, 2022

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: First-time, clinical anxiety

Themes: Coming out, hurt-comfort

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 86 000 words

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

It is part of a shared-world series. This is the first release from this year's set.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Cam

Social anxiety's been my constant companion for twenty-three years, sometimes in the background, sometimes silencing me and yanking my guts out in the nearest trash can. No matter how much I love playing music, I'm never going to get up on a stage and perform in front of a crowd. But since I met Erik, and was asked to join his band Hellsbane, that knowledge hurts worse.

No heart (even Erik's) or dick (even Erik's) is big enough to carry me past my limits, but God, I wish there was a way.

Erik

Life's damned unfair when a guy with the voice of a hard-rock angel and a songwriting talent like Cam's can only post anonymous videos online. But you can't cure anxiety with wanting, or willpower. My drummer needs to quit trying to push Cam onstage with us before he breaks.

Rocktoberfest's still our goal, and touring with Hellsbane was my only ambition, until I met Cam. Now I can't have everything I love in one place, but dammit, I wish there was a way.

A first-times, life challenges, coming out, rockstar romance.

Hidden Blade is part of the multi-author The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see who hits the stage next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your kindle and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!

Excerpt

Cameron

“You suck.” I glared at Andre as I clutched the puke bucket between my knees.

“Hey, you did it, dude.” He took his eyes off the road for a second to grin at me. “You got through a whole set and walked off that stage with your head held high.”

“And my intestines climbing out my mouth.”

“Ew, gross image.”

“You’re a nurse. You eat gross images for breakfast.”

Andre threw his head back and laughed. “Okay, you got me. But seriously, wasn’t that even a little bit cool?”

“The bit where I puked in the john before I went onstage, or the part where I got as far as the dumpster down the block afterward?”

“Oh, the dumpster. For sure.” He patted my knee. “I won’t push you anymore. But you were a hit. If you wanted a job or a good fuck, they were lining up to offer it to you. Maybe both at the same time.”

“Hah. Bullshit.” I’m skinny and beanpole-tall and I haven’t cut my hair in years because reasons, and I have this nose that I only don’t hate because it’s just like my dad’s was.

“I mean it.” At the stoplight he fished in his pocket and pulled out a card. “Lead singer of this group was drooling all over your set and he came looking for you like a moose hunting its mate when you were done.”

“You make him sound so appealing.” I took the card from his fingers. “Apparently I could’ve fucked a moose. Wow.”

“Or been fucked by.” The light turned and Andre hit the gas. “He wasn’t that bad, for an older dude. I know you like them with some years on ’em.”

“Shut up, Bones.”

“Only the truth, Spock.”

I chuckled, despite the acid still churning around in my stomach. No one on the planet knew me as well as Andre, and in one regrettably truthful moment years back I’d spilled my attraction to silver foxes and solid older men. He liked to tease me, but never in a mean way, and he kept bigger secrets of mine than that one. “I’m not trying to get laid.”

“You should be. Seriously, Cam, you’ve been with what, two guys in your whole life? A man has needs, or so I tell Lyssa every day.”

“That girl is way too good for you.”

“Woman, Cameron. Don’t let the g-word cross your lips. And you’re damn right she’s too good for me. The key is never letting her figure that out, am I right?”

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Andre was the best. His clowning was intended to distract me, keeping my anxious brain from fixating on what-the-shit-did-I-just-do??? Which I shouldn’t have let myself think about, dammit, and I flipped the card over in my fingers to focus on something else. Hellsbane. A familiar band logo and on the next line, Erik Svenson - lead guitar and vocals. With a phone number, an email, Instagram, Bandcamp, and Twitter.

Hellsbane’s business card! I’d known they’d be there, of course, even if we deliberately arrived only just in time for my set, so I hadn’t heard them play. And if they’d been in the audience, I hadn’t recognized a single face in the one panicked look I’d allowed myself. Although… There’d been a big blond, bearded guy up front who might’ve been their lead singer… Our eyes had met, and he hadn’t laughed at the fear in mine.

Was that Erik? Watching me? Fuck, maybe I should’ve played my new song, even if the chorus wasn’t polished yet. Or not skipped that instrumental bridge, except if I’d stopped singing, I might not’ve started again. How bad did I screw up in front of Erik Svenson?…

About the Author

I get asked about my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I’ve been writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty-five years*), although mostly for my own entertainment. I write M/M romance, often with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi, paranormal… I also have Young Adult short stories (some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)

After decades of writing just for fun, my husband convinced me I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out in May 2011. I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and print, both free and professionally published, including Amazon bestseller The Rebuilding Year and Rainbow Award Best Mystery-Thriller Tracefinder: Contact. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page at https://kajeharper.com/books/.

Social Media Links

Audible Profile | Blog/Website | Newsletter Sign-up

Facebook | Facebook Group: Kaje's Conversation Corner

Goodreads Author page | BookBub

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway to win

a choice of one of 5 ebook copies from the author's backlist

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Brains and Brawn (Summer of Hush #2) by R.L. Merrill

Take a look at today's blog tour stop hosted by author R.L. Merrill and Other Worlds Ink for rock star romance, Brains and Brawn (Summer of Hush #2)! Discover more about the new romance and enter in the $25 Amazon gift card giveaway!

R.L. Merrill has a new MM rock and roll book out: "Brains and Brawn." And there's a giveaway!

Billy “Brains” Brennan has achieved rock stardom in not just one, but two chart-topping bands, but events from his past have him convinced he’s living on borrowed time. Brains and his brothers-in-Hush are ready to take the last cross-country Warped Tour by storm...until the actions of two drunk dudes with bad attitudes set off a chain of events that leave him incapacitated...and face-to-face with a handsome stranger who inexplicably feels like home—and not the home Brains fled at sixteen.

Chief Petty Officer Paul McNally has spent his 25-year career as a Navy Corpsman responding to emergencies and caring for wounded soldiers. When fate has him in the right place to provide aid to a fallen rock star, it sends his life spiraling on a trajectory he never planned for. Instead of concentrating on his impending retirement and a second career, he’s now playing nursemaid to a fascinating younger man…and falling in love—a fact he can’t seem to figure out how to explain to his adult son.

A health scare, band drama, and pain from both of their pasts threatens to end Brains and Paul’s fledgling relationship. Fate brought them together. It will take trust, honesty, and hope to keep them together.

Amazon | Universal Buy Link

Giveaway

R.L. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:

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Excerpt

Paul’s head whipped around when he heard the first scream. He watched in horror as the tent Bowie had just been standing in front of—Hush’s tent—collapsed and a crowd of people fell.

Without hesitation, he ran for the tent. Then he spotted Bowie standing over some big guy.

“You okay?” he yelled to him.

Bowie nodded, his big blue eyes wide as he looked back at the disaster.

Security began barricading the area around the tent and moving the screaming fans away from the scene. Adults attempted to pull the kids out of harm’s way.

That’s when Paul saw the tabletop on the ground and a pair of black-clad legs sticking out from underneath.

Oh God.

Guys in bright yellow security shirts lifted and pulled the rest of the tent out of the way. Paul rushed toward the broken table and sank to his knees next to Brains.

“Can you hear me? Are you with me?”

Brains locked gazes with him, and Paul felt pain in his right hand. He looked down to see Brains squeezing the life out of it.

“Please don’t leave….”

Medical staff approached in blue cargo pants and polos and swarmed the members of the band and their staff, several of whom were on the ground. Two women approached Brains with medical kits, and Paul started to move back, but Brains’s grip grew tighter.

“Please don’t leave me!” Brains said again, more insistently. He was panting, his face losing color, and Paul feared he was going into shock. He glanced at the table on his legs and at the staff who were preparing to lift it off him.

Paul worried perhaps the worst had occurred, but the fact that Brains was still squeezing the shit out of his hand was a good sign.

Brains coughed as he brought his other hand up to grasp Paul’s. “Please!” His appeals were growing in urgency.

Paul leaned a little closer to his face and pressed his free hand to Brains’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? But they’re going to lift the table now. You ready? Try not to move.”

Brains nodded—another good sign—but Paul pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Stay still.”

The staff guys counted to three, and then they lifted the table.

Brains let out a guttural shout, and tears streamed down his face as he winced in agony.

Paul breathed a sigh of relief to not see any blood or rips in Brains’s pants. He half expected to see a bone shard sticking out. But they weren’t out of the woods.

“Brains, listen to me, okay?”

“Billy.”

Paul frowned. “Billy?”

“My name is Billy. Please—”

“I’m not leaving you, but these medics here are going to look you over, and they’re probably going to poke and prod you a bit.” He nodded to the young women in Rock Medicine shirts who stood by, hesitating to approach. Paul heard sirens in the distance, which meant better-trained professionals were on their way, but Brains—Billy—needed to be assessed immediately.

“Sir, we need you to move—”

“He’s not going anywhere!” Brains shouted at them.

Paul addressed the one with the first-aid kit. “My name is Paul McNally. I’m a Navy corpsman, and I’m trained in triage and emergency medical treatment.” And I’m not leaving his side.

The young women looked to each other and then crouched down next to Billy. One of them placed a hand on Billy’s arm.

“I’m going to touch you, okay?”

“He’s staying with me, you got it? He’s staying.” Billy’s chin quivered as he spoke to the medics. The two women looked at each other with eyes wide.

Paul was losing circulation in his hand, but he wouldn’t have left Billy if the entire venue burst into flames. The way he was reacting… Paul had been through countless emergencies and could recognize when there was a psychological issue at work that needed attention.

He looked around for Bowie and saw him with Dimples, watching from a distance. Relieved that he hadn’t been hurt and seemed to be doing okay, Paul turned his full attention on Billy.

One of the women took Brains’s vitals, and the other ran her hands over his body, checking for injuries. She barely spoke to Brains, and Paul was perturbed at the way they were assessing him.

“Billy, can you wiggle your toes for me?” Paul asked.

Brains nodded, and then Paul looked at his Vans-clad feet. Thankfully, he saw movement on both.

Paul smiled down at Brains. “You’re doing great. You know what today is?”

“A fucked-up day? I had a bad feeling this morning….”

“Seems like it was warranted.”

Brains’s deep blue eyes fixed on Paul, and his breathing seemed to slow for just a moment. Paul hoped that meant he would maybe be able to relax—

“Sir, I’m going to need to put a collar on you.”

Brains flinched when the medic touched him. “I’m fine, just let me up—”

Paul placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and it was enough to keep Brains from trying to sit up. “Billy? It’s important that you lie still and let them put a collar on you. With this sort of accident, they need to keep your spine aligned to avoid any further injury, okay?”

Brains began to pant and tugged Paul’s hand as though he wanted to try to pull up, but when he tried to move his legs, only the right one moved, and he screamed in pain.

“Look at me,” Paul said, getting closer to his face. He needed to distract him, to make Brains focus on him. “Brains, they need to take you to the hospital—”

“No. No, no, no, please,” he whispered. “I can’t go, please, Paul, please—”

“I’m not going to leave you. I won’t let them hurt you, okay? They need to take you in for X-rays to make sure nothing’s broken.”

Brains’s voice sounded like that of a frightened child. Something was seriously wrong. He pulled on their joined hands again, and the medic placed a hand on Brains’s chest to keep him from moving.

“Sir? You may have a spinal injury, so we have to place you on this backboard with a collar to protect you. If you won’t cooperate, we’re going to have to sedate you.”

“Can you give us a minute?” Paul asked the medics, irritation clear in his voice.

“We need to get him to the ambulance,” the medic closest to him said, and then was distracted by the band’s manager. She gave the medic Brains’s information and shot a worried look Paul’s direction. His full name was Billy Brennan.

Paul ground his teeth together and took a breath to calm himself. “I understand. Will you give me a moment to speak to Mr. Brennan? I’d like to avoid the use of sedatives.”

She nodded, and they stood and backed away a few feet to confer.

Paul squeezed Brains’s hand and placed the other on his forehead.

“Hey, man. The sedatives are a drag. This will all go better if you let them collar you and get you on the backboard. Hopefully everything is fine. The fact that you’re moving your toes and strangling my fingers leads me to think your spine is just fine, but it’s procedure. I swear I’m staying with you.”

Billy swallowed hard, his eyes wild. “I know I’m acting crazy. There’s a reason, I just… please.”

Paul smiled at him. “You haven’t seen crazy until you’ve got a wounded Marine pulling his pistol and pointing it at your face while you try to remove a sliver from his other hand.”

Brains’s eyes bugged out. “A sliver?”

Paul shrugged. “It was a four-inch piece of shrapnel, but I’d still call it a sliver.” He winked, and Brains barked out a laugh. Good, keep that smile. “You going to let them collar you and take you for a little ride?”

Brains’s smile faded. “Just please stay with me. Can you? Will you?”

If Paul hadn’t already been 100 percent in on this mission, he was now.

Author Bio

R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock 'n' Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing about contemporary issues that affect us all or diving deep into the paranormal and supernatural to give readers a shiver, she loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after.

Winner of the Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Best Contemporary award for Hurricane Reese, Foreword INDIES finalist for Summer of Hush and RONE finalist for Typhoon Toby, Ro spends every spare moment improving her writing craft and striving to find that perfect balance between real-life and happily ever after.

She writes diverse and inclusive romance, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and works on various other writing and mentoring projects that tickle her fancy or benefit a worthy cause.

You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance.

Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005746815103

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rlmerrillauthor

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9828914.R_L_Merrill

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/r-l-merrill/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/R-L-Merrill/e/B00PI6Q1LI

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Ex-Bandmates (Local Beats #1) by Zoe Lee

Author Zoe Lee and Gay Book Promotions host today's blog tour stop for Ex-Bandmates (Local Beats #1)! Like musician romances? Check out today's tour stop and enter in the $15 Amazon gift card giveaway!

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

“Hey hey,” Amy said once we were up there, shimmying a bit. “It’s about to get soulful up here!”

Dan pushed Lucas so that it was Dan, Lucas, and me ranged just behind and stage right from the girls. “I hope you know how to shake it, Lucas,” he said with a giant, happy beaming smile.

Before Lucas could seem to decide if he was going to puke or shake it, the song started.

I grinned, immediately putting one hand on my hip and bopping my hip and shoulder, recognizing the opening bars of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain of Fools’ right away.

Lucas hissed when the girls started belting it out.

I looked over and found him doing the exact same classic soul back-up singers’ moves that Dan and I were executing, while Dan and I also chimed in with our part of the song. Lucas’s mouth shaped the words perfectly, but I knew he wasn’t actually singing because I was too close to miss it if he were.

Leslie moved to dance right up in Lucas’s face, her hips swiveling and her finger crooked, making the audience whistle and cheer, and I heard Tilda yelling loud and clear from our table.

Lucas’s chest started rising and falling like it had when we’d shared my shower, but it wasn’t lust… not exactly. When Leslie took a step back towards the mic, it was as though Lucas was hooked to her and had no choice but to take a step forward, even though I could see him gulp, paling.

Leslie kept her eyes on Lucas in challenge and then, with a flourish, invited him up to the mic.

Lucas’s eyes closed for a beat and then…

He sang.

Sang.

Oh fuck. I swear my cock turned to fucking steel—titanium—whatever the hardest metal in the known universe was—within one measure of him fucking singing. It was more than hitting all the right notes, the little trills and gentle vibrato of Aretha’s voice, more than the way his voice filled up the space like it was coming from everywhere at once, more than the way he was working his hips from side to side like was in Dreamgirls. It was the way that he utterly understood what he was singing, as if he had written the song himself, experienced this himself and knew every nuance of it, as if it was happening to him at that very moment, without it being melodramatic at all.

The audience had to be going wild, but I wasn’t paying attention to anything but the fraction of his face I could see, and Leslie’s full profile, the visible eye full of tears.

The song ended and Lucas bolted off the stage, pushing through the people complimenting him, and made for the bar as if his ass were on fire—or under fire.

“Oh fuck,” I whimpered.

Amy grabbed my arm and hauled me back to our table and I went along like a zombie, letting her shove me into one of the chairs when we got there. Dan patted my shoulder as if he pitied me.

“Oh fuck,” I whimpered again, slumping until my too-hot forehead settled on the rim of a water glass. “It’s not just the voice, it’s—”

“Damn, Asher,” Tilda whispered, “you are so fucked.”

“Leslie, you evil witch,” Lucas shouted from behind me, but I didn’t move, and he probably didn’t notice because he was ranting now, his shouts lowering in volume to whisper-yells, “I cannot believe you did that to me, that was a fucking cheap shot, and to drag Amy into your scheme!”

“You’re a fucking evil witch,” Amy cried. “How could you hide that voice from us!”

“Dude,” Dan said in his heartbroken, guilt-inducing tone. “Not cool. Penalty box.”

“No, he can’t sing if he’s in the penalty box,” Amy argued, fucking up Dan’s sports metaphor without noticing. “You’re an amazing drummer, but like… why…”

“How about a round of shots?” Leslie interjected as if that would derail things for long.

“You’re not off the hook!” Lucas grumbled, but he seemed like he was already losing steam. Leslie clicked off towards the bar to get the shots, and then he asked, “What’s with Asher?”

Tilda, Amy, and Dan snickered and I gave them the finger without moving otherwise, not even knowing if Lucas could see it or not since my eyes were still squarely aimed at the table.

Tilda took a little bit of pity on me and said, “Just brooding like usual. Ignore him.”

Lucas’s hand appeared in my field of vision, his pinkie tapping a quick beat. “Asher?” he checked in very quietly, as the heat of his body sizzled my arm and neck and ear nearest to him. “Are you okay? You’re just kind of… looking defeated over there.”

“Shots!” Leslie exclaimed, saving me from having to come up with a response.

They shot the shots, while I didn’t move, staring at Lucas’s hand now. In the grand scheme of things, it was an ordinary looking hand. Maybe the fingers were a little more graceful, the veins a little more prominent, the freckles a little less common, but it was still just a hand. At the same time my brain knew that, other parts of me, less intelligent and more fucking unrealistic, head-in-the-clouds, knew that Lucas’s hand was extraordinary, magical. It was one tool that he used to express himself, to display his talent and his skill, to punctuate his words, and to show desire and care.

If I was this obsessed with his hand, then how obsessed was I with the rest of him?

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.

FB https://www.facebook.com/ZoeLeeBooks

IG https://www.instagram.com/zoe_lee_books/

BB https://www.bookbub.com/profile/zoe-lee

Giveaway

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Review: 'Nother Sip of Gin (Sinners #7) by Rhys Ford

For Crossroads Gin rock stars Miki, Damien, Rafe, and Forest, life is a Möbius strip of music, mayhem, and murder. Through it all, the sweet, hot moments between tours with lovers, friends, and family keep them sane, healthy, and happy.

This Sinners collection features short stories spanning the entire series, from before the first note to after the lights go out.

['Nother Sip of Gin features bonus shorts finally together in one volume as well as four new Sinners Gin stories, combining classic foundational pieces with newly written material.]

‘Nother Sip of Gin brings together the numerous short stories that have interspersed the Sinners series. While most of the shorts in this collection have been released or posted online previously, there are also some new additions.

Whether old or new, each of these shorts encapsulates what makes this series so great - family, friendship, perseverance, and unconditional love. And some irreverent snark to top it off.

And perhaps unsurprisingly, these are also all reasons for why the Sinners series is one of my favourites!

Each short story reaffirms the relationships that have been built throughout the series. That includes the brotherhood of Crossroads Gin, and bonds of the Morgan clan they’ve become a part of.

And most importantly - the romances of Crossroads Gin and the men they love!

The key difference between this collection and the full-length books - a distinct absence of murder or explosions!

And though I do quite enjoy Rhys Ford’s brand of mayhem and mystery, these men more than deserve some quiet moments here and there.

However, I’ll note that while I’ve always enjoyed revisiting the Sinners men in between the main books over the years, reading each of these short stories back-to-back might not provide the best reading experience.

There ends up being quite a bit of repetitiveness, as the band’s relationships with each other, the men they love, and the family they’ve been adopted into, is explored in each short.

Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed walking back through this series - how Kane slipped under Miki’s walls, how Damie found peace in Sionn, how Forest and Con built their proverbial white picket fence, and how Rafe just gets Quinn.

And how Brigid and Donal are total badassess that need to be protected at all costs!

For fans of the series, ‘Nother Sip of Gin will bring all the feels and laughs that you should expect from Crossroads Gin and the Morgans!

A review copy was provided.

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Summer of Hush by R.L. Merrill

Author R.L. Merrill and Other worlds Ink share the new cover for re-release, Summer of Hush! Check the updated cover, find out more about the rockstar romance and enter in the $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!

R.L. Merrill has a hot new MM Rock 'n Roll romance out, and we have the cover reveal: "Summer of Hush." Plus there's a giveaway!
Hush is back… and it’s about to get loud. After two years grieving the death of his best friend, Silas Franklin is back on the road with his metalcore band, Hush. With a new member, a brilliant new album, and a headlining spot on the last cross-country Warped Tour, life couldn’t be better—unless Silas could meet the intriguing music blogger known only as the Guru.
Silas has followed his blog for years and feels the Guru might be the only person who “gets” him. For years Krishnan Guruvayoor has reported on the metal scene as an anonymous blogger, and he’s just landed an internship on the Warped Tour as well as a potential position with a well-respected music magazine.
His best friend arranges for him to meet singer Silas Franklin—but only as Krish the Intern. Their chemistry is instant, and Krish is thrilled to get to know the man behind the music. The rock star and blogger quickly go from meet-cute to cuddle session, but secrets, overprotective bandmates, meddling media, and a terrible accident all conspire against them.
Can their romance survive the summer of Hush?
This is a rerelease.

Get It On Amazon

Giveaway

R.L. is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:
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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47140/?

Excerpt

Krish’s finger hovered over the Play button.
What if it’s not enough?
Krish sat in his bedroom. His last final was this morning, meaning he’d unceremoniously finished college. He came straight home from school to start his new adventure. But before the insanity started, he had something very important to listen to—an album he’d been waiting two whole years to hear. The band was Hush. The album, Sunrise, was their fifth studio album since their founding in 2008.
It would break his heart to give a negative review to his favorite band. His alter ego, the Guru, was known for his brutally honest metal reviews. He had a million subscribers on his YouTube channel, where he posted weekly animated shows, five hundred thousand Twitter users who followed his musical and political rants, and his blog posts were often mentioned on such popular sites as Metal Hammer, Loudwire, and even HuffPost. He owed his readers an accurate review, even if he was conflicted.
What if losing their guitarist meant the end of Hush? He’d loved them since his brother introduced him to music—specifically metalcore—and though he loved them best, he tried to be impartial to all of the bands he reviewed, from live performances and new albums to whatever he felt the need to riff on.
And then there were his posts about social issues, namely mental health and the LGBTQ community. Those tended to get really personal, and after Gavin West committed suicide, his love of music and his personal life intersected. The blog he wrote about Gavin’s death was his most viewed ever and the one he almost didn’t post.
“Krish, darling, did you want anything to eat? You didn’t have lunch, sweetheart. I am worried about you.”
Krish’s mom stuck her head in his room and found him in the same position—earbuds in, finger over the button, and holding his breath.
“Is it the new album from Hush?”
Krish nodded.
“How is it?”
“I’m afraid to play it.”
His mom patted him on the shoulder. She knew how devastated he had been by the death of one of his favorite musicians nearly two years prior. She’d cried alongside him, just as she had a year before that when they lost his brother.
“Whatever they’ve done, it will be beautiful. They’re talented boys.”
Krish smiled up at his mom. How he managed to land the coolest Indian mom on the planet was a mystery he’d yet to solve. She indulged his every passion, from music to politics to books and his guilty pleasure, video games. Her own childhood had not been so free, so she was determined her boys would be able to do whatever they wanted with their lives. For Vivaan, that meant joining the Marines after college. For Krish, it meant a career in music journalism, and now that he’d finished his degrees, he was anxious to get started.
“Have you finished packing?” she asked him.
Krish swallowed hard. Warped Tour. The other benefit of his blog was that he’d caught the attention of Alt-Scene magazine. Their assistant to the editor in chief had arranged for Krish to join the tour. He’d remain anonymous and only the tour office manager would know who he was and why he was there. To everyone else he was just her intern. He’d post his blog as usual but also work on a piece for the magazine. If the magazine liked how he covered the tour, there was a full-time position waiting for him at the end of it.
“Mostly. Jake’s not picking me up until Friday morning. That means I have one more day to stress over what I can and can’t fit into the one duffel bag I’m allowed to bring on the bus.”
She smiled at him and tugged on his shaggy curls. “A whole summer on a bus. I hope you made room for air freshener and hand sanitizer.”
“There will be women on the bus. I’m sure between them they’ll have something that smells nice.”
“It’s been wonderful having you home,” she said, her voice softer. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but it’s only two months,” he answered. Krish had moved home when they received the devastating news about his brother, and he’d commuted to UC San Diego for the remainder of his time there, needing to be near his parents as they all worked through their grief. Now that he’d graduated, it was time to start the next chapter in his life, and he’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime.
“The first two months of the rest of your life. This is an exciting time for you.”
He heard the tears behind her voice. He couldn’t look at her or he’d be lost.
“I wish he were here,” Krish said quietly. His brother should be having his own adventures while cheering on his little Guru. But Krish was on his own now, and it was time to think about not only starting a career and leaving the nest, but standing on his own without his biggest supporter.
“I’ll come down in a second.” Krish hugged her waist and exhaled a shaky breath.
“I’ll heat up some dinner.”
“Is there any of that tandoori chicken left?” he called to her.
“I’ll heat some up for you. Don’t get lost up here. Just push Play.”
She totally understood him. “Thanks, Mom.”

Author Bio

R.L. Merrill brings you stories of Hope, Love, and Rock 'n' Roll featuring quirky and relatable characters. Whether she’s writing about contemporary issues that affect us all or diving deep into the paranormal and supernatural to give readers a shiver, she loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after.
Winner of the Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Best Contemporary award for Hurricane Reese, Foreword INDIES finalist for Summer of Hush and RONE finalist for Typhoon Toby, Ro spends every spare moment improving her writing craft and striving to find that perfect balance between real-life and happily ever after.
She writes diverse and inclusive romance, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and works on various other writing and mentoring projects that tickle her fancy or benefit a worthy cause.
You can find her connecting with readers on social media, educating America’s youth, raising two brilliant teenagers, trying desperately to get that back piece finished in the tattoo chair, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance.
Author Website: https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com
Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005746815103
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Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/r-l-merrill/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/R-L-Merrill/e/B00PI6Q1LI/

Release Blitz + Giveaway: The Edge Of The World by Garrett Leigh

The Edge Of The World is out! Join author Garrett Leigh and Signal Boost Promotions in the celebration! Learn more about the new friends to lovers romance and enter in the back list eBook giveaway!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link - Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Length: 60,000 words approx.

Blurb

Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realises he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: The Rise of Virginie by Katey Hawthorne

Author Katey Hawthorne and Vibrant Promotions visit on The Rise of Virginie blog tour today! Learn more about the romance and enter in the giveaway for $10 Amazon gift card giveaway! (2 winners)

Rise of Virginie

Katey Hawthorne

Gay/Bi Romance, Contemporary, Rock Band, Small town, Hurt/Comfort

Release Date: 12.16.19

Blurb

Stefan Holt left home at nineteen, guitar in hand, determined that couch-surfing would be better than staying with his mother. He finally lands with Megan, an old band-mate, and they decide to resurrect their rock n’ roll dreams to get them out of their opioid-riddled small town. Unfortunately, neither of them is much of a lyricist.

Han Westfall works at the local library, where he lives to rec poetry to the handsome, mysterious guy who brings in his guitar and stays all day. Han writes lines of his own, and when Stefan finally asks to see them, their musical chemistry clicks—and it brings them closer, faster than either of them imagined possible. They name their new band Virginie, ostensibly in honor of their Appalachian roots.

They’ll have to work through band in-fighting, revenge porn, homophobic taunts, family addictions, parental drama, and their own inner demons to make things work, both in love and in music. But if they can make it, maybe they won’t just get out of town. Maybe they’ll rise up and take everyone with them.

Buy Link: https://amzn.to/38wQexM

Excerpt

“C’mere.” Han picked up a random guitar that was settled against the wall and handed it to me. It was a steel-string acoustic Alvarez like his, way more action than I was used to, but nice. “Use this. I’ve had a tune in my head all day.”

Then it hit me just how fucking brilliant he was. “A new song.”

“Why not?” Han shrugged like it was nothing.

I wanted to tell him I loved him, but it scared me, so I just sat down with the guitar. “Sing for me.”

“It’s just a little bit of a song right now. A first line.” And he sang, “We’ve got a little secret, baby… It’s just yours and mine…”

I found the chords he needed, picked out the melody, then wrapped a riff around the chords like we always did. It came in waves, kind of, the melody coming and going, washed-out and dreamy. I hummed the next line, even though I didn’t know what the words would be, running with it.

He nodded, eyes bright and serious, and added the words to bring it to life.

We’ve got a little secret, baby

It’s just yours and mine

It’s soft like skin and hard like you

Bathed in hot, sweet sighs

“Hot.” If I sounded enthusiastic, I was. As usual, the sound of his honey-warm voice diving through my music was doing all the good things to me. My blood always heated, my heart always pounded, and my dick… well, my dick was a fan, for sure. Hey, he was the poet.

It doesn’t matter if I win or lose

If there’s one death I could choose

I’d end it all for one more time

I’d end it all between your thighs

“Dude…” My voice cracked, and I stopped playing.

Han flushed, which was rare when he was in rock-star-songwriter mode anymore.

“How long have you had this one?” I asked.

“Since the other night. You were coming back from the bathroom, and I thought…” He gave a helpless little laugh that made me want to jump him even harder. He moved the stool he’d perched on closer to me, then reached out to settle a hand on my thigh. “You look good naked. And we’d just been doing that thing where you wrap your legs around me?”

“Oh yeah, frotting, like the almost-fuck.” I grinned. Loved rubbing my dick off on his—and his dick off on mine. Hell, I’d make him come any way he wanted, but there was something about getting my legs around him and then feeling his cum soak my cock and belly… Fuck, okay, now I was super hard. And we were supposed to be on a half-hour snack break.

Not enough time for everything I wanted to do to him right then. But enough for one or two, for sure.

“And I thought, I’d stay in bed all day if I could have those legs wrapped around me.” Han leaned in closer and kissed my ear.

I broke out in goosebumps and turned to catch his mouth. We kissed for a second, slow and hot, over that guitar that wasn’t mine.

Then Han pulled back, his voice lower and rougher than before. He squeezed my leg. “I thought of that old saying about Alexander the Great, you know? That the only battle he ever lost was to Hephaestion’s thighs.”

I snorted out a laugh. “I never heard that one, but it’s hilarious. That was his… boyfriend?”

“Lover, favored companion, general, boyfriend.” Han smiled softly, but his eyes still burned, dark and intense.

That look always meant I was gonna get laid. Hell, I’d do it right here, giant window to the empty booth or not, if he’d let me. How else could I show him… show him everything?

“You’re the only thing that could keep me away from everything else,” Han said. “And I thought, that’s worth writing a song about. At least that might get us out of bed.”

We laughed, then kissed again, this time a little longer. As we closed it off, I bit gently at his puffy bottom lip, and he gave a little moan that made my balls go tight.

“We have to finish the song,” he whispered.

“I know,” I admitted. “But I am gonna do some dirty, dirty shit to you tonight when we get home.”

“Please.” Another chuckle from Han. “Please, do.”

“What’s the song called?” I asked.

His smile almost went smirky when he said, “‘Hephaestion.’”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered and paranormal romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio with her family, two cats, and two huge puppies. In her spare time she enjoys travel, comic books, B-movies, loud music, video games, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Her favorite causes include animal rescue and bisexual representation in media. She is an unashamed fangirl and collects nerdy tattoos like she’s trying to prove it.

http://www.kateyhawthorne.com

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Review: The Lost Boy by Anna Martin

Five years after his band Ares shot to success, Ben Easton is struggling. He’s holed up in a mansion in Los Angeles while he fights depression and a dark drug addiction that threatens to destroy everything. In a final attempt to save Ben’s life, his best friend Tone does something desperate—he calls Ben’s ex-boyfriend Stan and begs him to help.

Stan Novikov is living in New York and thriving in his career as a fashion journalist. He hasn’t been back to London since he and Ben broke up, but that seems like the right place to go—along with Tone—to try and shock Ben out of his unhealthy lifestyle.

The band have to finish their album before Christmas but without Ben, work has stalled. Ben has to decide whether he’s going to stay with Ares and keep making music, or find another path for his future. One that might just include Stan.

This is a story about redemption, salvation and finding home.

Ben and Stan had found a home in each other but life happened and it slipped away. Now, five years later Ben is mired in an addiction that's on the verge of killing him when Tone intervenes and brings them back together. Good ole Tone.

The blurb is pretty straightforward and the narrative is as well, so I'll refrain from summarizing. Suffice to say, it's brimming with the same unfussy writing and unambiguous dialogue that enchanted me in The Impossible Boy.

Life is tough enough without histrionics and that is what works most for me with this duet. Stan is a gay, gender fluid, fashionista with an eating disorder and Ben is a bisexual rockstar with anxiety and a raging drug addiction. Simply navigating the hands they've been dealt while being ever mindful of the landmines that could trigger either of them into a relapse that would quite literally kill them is more than enough to deal with on a daily basis.

But make no mistake becoming 'we' again is an odyssey that is both heartbreaking and joyous, gritty and poignant, just without antics. I found the honesty of Ben's addiction and the stripped down approach to his recovery refreshing. He's an addict. He'll always be an addict but what resonated with me was the fact that he undertakes treatment for himself with Stan's help rather than for Stan and I applaud Ms. Martin for making that distinction.

More than once along the way I found myself becoming emotional while reading The Lost Boy. I actually think 'The Lost Boys' is a more apropos title since they've both lost a part of themselves through their separation; both are shadows of their former selves. I guess losing your soulmate will do that to a person. Rebuilding the trust between them is incremental; the love is still there. Always. Learning how to do it again with all the new extraneous stuff factored in is the trick, so expect more of a love story than an erotic romance.

Some will probably say the story is meandering and could've been tightened up and they may be right but, honestly, I didn't care. I wanted more time with Stan and Ben and that's what I got, so zero complaints from me. I don't know that I can let them go now but I'm happy with how their story ended and, frankly, I cannot bear the thought of them breaking up again. So, au revoir, Stan and Ben. Be well. I'll see you in a reread.

Fans of The Impossible Boy, this is a must read.
If you enjoy love stories free of artifice, this duet is golden.
If you enjoy second chances, The Lost Boy is a melodic ballad to the trope.
If you enjoy fashion or rockstars, this is an ode to both.
Lastly, it's a love song to London so if that appeals, give it a whirl.

Triggers for mentions of sexual assault and drug usage.

An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon US Link
Amazon UK Link

Release Blitz: The Rise of Virginie by Katey Hawthorne

Join author Katey Hawthorne and Vibrant Promotions as they celebrate the release of The Rise of Virginie today!

Rise of Virginie

Katey Hawthorne

Gay/Bi Romance, Contemporary, Rock Band, Small town, Hurt/Comfort

Release Date: 12.16.19

Blurb

Buy Link: https://amzn.to/38wQexM

Excerpt

“I get hard every time you sing something we wrote,” he said.

My breath hitched. I remembered the first time he’d come over, when I’d noticed his package after we worked on “Locker Room.” I’d just started to assume he had a big dick or was into freeballing, from the amount of peen outline he always had going on.

But not always, now he mentioned it. Only when…

He tilted his head, brushed his lips against my cheek, then my neck, and breathed into my ear. “That was so goddamn hot, watching them eat out of your hand like that. I’m so fucking horny right now.”

Yeah, and he’d passed it on to me. I couldn’t even think, let alone form words. I just nudged at him, experimentally ghosted my lips across his cheekbone, and pulled him tighter against me.

Stefan turned his head and pressed his lips against mine. I’d kissed people before, but it was always awkward and sometimes ended with me laughing. This was… something else. He parted my lips under his, licked at the back of my front teeth, and sucked my tongue into his mouth. He knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what he wanted, and whatever that was, I was sure I wanted it too.

He kissed me up against the wall for long, slow moments, his hips rocking like they did when he played, me trying to keep up, trying to give in, not sure what to do but letting him show me. I reached around and slipped my hand into his back pocket, and he pushed my legs apart and wedged between them, propping me up against the door. That put his cock against mine, rubbing hard through our jeans, making us gasp into each other’s mouths. He tugged at my hair, and I squeezed his ass, and then we started all over again.

He pushed his free hand up my shirt, and I suddenly wished I’d done more sit-ups. His finger snagged in my navel, and he smiled against my lips. For a second, I wondered if he was laughing at how squishy my middle was. Then I realized he was just having fun. When he pulled back, that glint was still in his eyes, and he asked, “Can I suck you off?”

I had never been asked this question before and definitely hadn’t expected it from Stefan. Stupidly, I said, “A-are you… you sure?”

“I’ve never been more fucking sure about anything.” He reached behind me, flipped the lock, and dragged me over to the raggedy love seat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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