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

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

 

Title: Stranded with Desire

Author: Rick R. Reed, Vivien Dean

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: November 30, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 55400

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

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Synopsis

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

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

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

Excerpt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read Universal Link

Also available in Audio at Audible

Meet the Author

Real Men. True Love. 

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

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

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Review: The Great North by J. Scott Coatsworth

Dwyn is a young man in the small, isolated town of Manicouga, son of the Minstor, who is betrothed to marry Kessa in a few weeks' time.

Mael is shepherding the remains of his own village from the north, chased out by a terrible storm that destroyed Land's End.

Both are trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. When the two meet, their love and attraction may change the course of history.

The Great North is a somewhat mythological love story about Dwyn, the local Minstor's son and heir to the rulership of his town, and Mael, one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic snowstorm that decimated his village, causing him to flee to warmer climes.  It's been a couple hundred years since the Reckoning, an event that effectively ended today's known world.  People live in a simpler world without electricity and running water, leading a mostly agrarian life where farming is an effort taken on by most, if not all, of the townspeople.  

I thought the premise of the story was fascinating.  Coatsworth really knows how to create a unique society and has put a lot of thought into this world.  Having the language evolve from today's speech was a stroke of genius as it pulled me into the story, making me feel like an insider as I recognized the root of those words and phrases.  I especially loved the bedtime story, a tale of a young magician with a scar on his forehead who fought against a man who had no name.  :)

Dwyn is hiding a secret from his father and the rest of the town.  His attraction to males is a punishable offense in his town so he keeps his indiscretions to a minimum, effectively living a lie.   That all goes out the window when he meets travel-weary Mael as he and his small group of survivors happen upon Dwyn's village looking for food and a place to rest up before heading further south.  There is an instant attraction between the two that causes Dwyn to rethink everything he has known in his life so far.

While the world building is five heart worthy, I felt the romance was a bit lacking in substance.  The story read more like a first or second draft.  The characters were not as fully fleshed as I would have liked; they needed more depth for me to really feel the emotions.  There were a lot of scenes that I felt should have been expanded upon.  I wouldn't say any of it left me cold but, I couldn't connect with either Mael or Dwyn or any of the characters for that matter.  I could see where they felt grief or anger or sorrow or love but I couldn't feel it.  I think the length of the book is a detriment to my enjoyment of it.  If it were longer I'm sure the author would have given me a stellar read since I know, after reading his full length novel Skythane, he is capable of immense emotional depth.  Oh, and for all you smut lovers out there, the sex scenes are fade-to-black.  While I normally prefer less sex and more story in my reads, I couldn't help but feel that showing the lovemaking here might have helped me connect more with the romance.

Having said all of the above, I still liked this story and I am eager to see where the author takes us in the next book.  The mythology is intriguing, the world fascinating and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Buy Links:

Mischief Corner Books: http://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/store/p121/The_Great_North.html

and B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-great-north-j-scott-coatsworth/1126572845?ean=2940157258634

Guest Review: Under a Sky of Ash by Brandon Witt

More than a decade after leaving Colorado to attend college and escape his past, Isaiah Greene moves back and builds a life in Denver as a special education teacher. When he meets Ben Woods, the mentor of one of his students, the attraction is immediate. The revelations that they’ve both suffered traumatic childhoods form a bond between them.

Raised by an abusive grandmother, Ben is a recovering addict who has made a family with his construction worker boss, Hershel, and Hershel’s husband, Daniel—drag queen ManDonna. Adding Isaiah to his life gives Ben a glimpse of a future he’d never dreamed possible for himself.

Both Isaiah and Ben are survivors, but when guilt drives a wedge between them, the past threatens to end their relationship.

Ben and Isaiah embark on journeys of self-discovery. Though their path will be difficult at times, humor and love find a way to bring light to the darkness.

I have a love hate relationship with angsty/drama novels. I read to relax and escape reality, and angsty books get me so emotionally invested it's almost stressful, but I can't deny it, they are the books that stick with me the most.

What a gorgeous hurt/comfort story this was, and hey, my first Brandon Witt. Verdict? It was goooood and I'll definitely be reading more by him. I can't hide it, obviously I was an emotional wreck while reading most of this.

Even though it hurt to read at times I found this story leaned more towards the comfort than the hurt. Ultimately this was a story about strength within yourself, and the strength you find when you love someone with everything you have.

Isaiah and Ben both have had a very rough past, certain glimpses of it were shown on page, which were hard to read. What surprised me however, was how much these two had worked through their demons when we meet them (20 years after their respective traumas). Isaiah had been to therapy… Did you hear me??? A man who took active steps to heal himself from his past trauma…*insert shocked face*, amazing! Despite their moderately well adjusted lives, both Ben and Isaiah still struggle to not fall back into their pasts with the many triggers they confront in everyday life.

(psst - I know Ben has blonde hair not brown, but unfortunately it's pretty hard to find pictures of interracial gay couples)

These men are honest with each other from their first date and support each other in any and all dramas that life throws their way. That was beautiful to see and made all their pain so much easier to read about, because they had each other. That of course made it more heartbreaking when certain events occurred and the inevitable ‘fall out’ happened.

I LOVED these characters, they felt so real and authentic, and I developed massive crushes on both of them. Ben was sooo funny, he made me chuckle often, which made reading this so much less stressful.

Sure, maybe I checked my phone a few times an hour. But I wouldn’t call it obsessing. And I hadn’t been moping around my house while I Facebook-stalked him. I’d been doing it at Daniel and Hershel’s house, as I was house-sitting.

I really recommend this book! It deals with some pretty rough themes: homophobia, racism, child physical abuse and narcotic addiction, plus more, but it didn’t break me down to read it. It was lovely!! So much love between two broken men.

I can’t end this review without mentioning this beautiful cover!! Wow, just wow!!

Dreamspinner Press
Goodreads
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Review: Something Like Thunder (Something Like #6, Storms #2) by Jay Bell

This isn’t a coming out story. Nor is it the tale of a lonely heart seeking companionship. This is about how I learned to fight.

My name is Nathaniel Courtney and I’m a survivor. I didn’t let the cruelty of others wear me down, and I’ve weathered the more subtle hardships of the heart. Love is a Trojan horse, slipping past your guard and leaving you ransacked and vulnerable. I emerged from that war not unscathed but as a new man. The only mistake I ever made was letting the right guy get away. Now I’ve got one more chance. This is the final battle, because if I fail now… I won’t. You’ll see. Just listen to my story, Kelly Phillips, and when I’m done, please don’t walk away. Take this weary soldier into your arms so we can find peace together.

Something Like Thunder is the sixth book in the ongoing Something Like… series, shedding light on past events while leading the reader toward an exciting new future.

"Love is a revolving door. The only trick is timing when you step in." 

Ah, Marcello. What a wise man you are.

Nathaniel has been through a lot of hurt by people he loved and who were supposed to love him back. He put up walls and decided that it's easier to just not love anyone that much, that way he can't really be hurt. That is, until he realizes that it the possibility of getting hurt is worth having Kelly.

So, he tells Kelly everything.

Jay Bell has a way of making me love a character. Really, in my heart, love them. I adore Nathaniel and I hurt from all he went through. I can't say I blame him for running from Kelly and all that he felt. He was hurt by his parents, his brother, his friends, his first love. Those who should have loved him, let him down, again and again.

While, I think Kelly and Nathaniel are perfectly matched, this was more about Nathaniel's journey than their romance, for me. And what a journey it was. He went from this hurt teenager to a strong man, one who is strong enough to risk loving someone again. He faced a past that he never fully voiced to anyone, all the heartbreak and betrayal, that made him this strong, loving, generous person.

So, in Spring, I loved Caesar. Now? I looooooooooooooooooooooove Caesar. Can you feel my affection? Can you? It's strong. I know this isn't his story, but he stole the show for me. I knew he was going to cause trouble every time he showed up, but I couldn't help but want him around. I'm so intrigued by him. Will he get an HEA? Will he finally meet someone and fall in love one final time? I hope so.

This is my least favorite of the series so far, but at 4.5 hearts, obviously, I still loved it. I think my main problem was the overlapping timelines with all of the previous books. Instead of just focusing on Nathaniel's story, I couldn't help but try and make one big timeline in my head. Whenever a character or an event from another book popped up, I became very distracted by when this would have happened in their story or how old they were at the time. It was just...distracting. I'm curious to know if other readers have this problem, or if it's just my crazy (<- totally possible).

Now, it's all a waiting game to see who is next... please be Caesar, please be Caesar.... 

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Away by Jeremy E. Elwell

An escape from today, uncovers the past.

When work and life in the city become too much to bear any longer, Jeremy decides it is time to escape to the forest. After convincing his partner to join in, the two self-proclaimed city boys are sucked into a world of survival of the fittest in some of the most remote wilderness in America. Confronting nature is only half the battle as Jeremy recalls, from memories that are deeply repressed, an adventure he once took as a young teen. 

I have to admit the cover was what attracted me to this story. I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I totally did...

This book was mostly enjoyable. At times - huge chunks of it TBH -  I was really caught up in the story, particularly as I was discovering Jeremy's earlier memories, the mystery that was there that he couldn't quite capture. In fact, it would be fair to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the actual adventure parts of this story, particularly younger Jeremy, it reminded me of some of the native American stories of teens sent out on their own as they learn to become men. His battles and interactions with the forest and its inhabitants were so real - it is obvious the author has experience in this area. The descriptions were fabulous, I could feel every heartbeat of the boy's struggle and journey through the forest. 

I also loved Brian, and how Jeremy and Brian's relationship developed through the story. I have to admit that, at the start, I thought this was going to go in a totally different way. Jeremy...I thought that he was going to abandon Brian, escape alone from the constricting city life they had. As it was, their relationship was written beautifully. It was real, not perfect, but full of love and I enjoyed the re-tracing of Jeremy's footsteps through the forest, learning Jeremy's earlier adventure together.  I could feel Jeremy especially growing through the story, becoming comfortable with who he was - and more importantly who he now.

This book is written in a very unique way. At the start I was drawn into this bleak life of Jeremy's and his overwhelming need to escape. I followed him on his metaphorical and physical journey - but there came a point where I really was unsure if this was actually a fictional story or if it was auto-biographical. I went on a search for details from the author...and I still wasn't sure. The author and character share the same name; many, many of the hobbies character Jeremy had were the same as author Jeremy...it kinda left me confused. I think my conclusion is that the author has drawn strongly on actual experiences and used them in a fictional story. Write what you know and all that. It worked, to a certain extent, because, as I said, there was a truth to what the characters did and how they did it.

I have to say that, for me, the ending didn't quite work. Not the ending, ending, but the explanation of the past. It just took a story that felt so real and settled, even the teen's adventure, into something fantastical. And that is where, if this story is entirely auto-biographical I'll feel like a right bitch, because...wow. That's awful. It wasn't the ending so much but the fact I didn't feel it felt that it truly fitted with all that had come before - even though the story was needing a conclusion, the mystery needed solving. The memories needed recovering. it just felt...a bit off.

The ending only knocked a little bit of a heart/star off for me though, the biggest thing that did it was the numerous grammar and editing errors. I hate saying that, but it did pull me from the story as I took seconds to work out what was being said. One in particular got right on my nerves (and I'm really far from being a grammar Nazi, but I actually had to google this to check it wasn't a UK/USA difference) - if you drag something, you have dragged it, not drug it. 

Drug:

Pharmacology. 

a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, 

prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to 

otherwise  enhance physical or mental well-being.

Drag:

verb: drags, dragging, dragged

to pull or be pulled with force, esp along the ground 

or other surface

This was so frequent (and among other errors) that I had to mention it because it really did pull me from the story and I'm pretty good at ignoring grammatical issues, I'm far from perfect myself. It's a shame, because with a good edit this has the chance to be great. It's quite unique and I can feel the author's passion for the story and the setting as I read. I still think this is worth reading - just go in warned. Okay? 

Find out more at Goodreads. 

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