Release Blitz + Giveaway: Wounded Martyr by Courtney Maguire

Join author Courtney Maguire and IndiGo Marketing today as they celebrate the NineStar Press release of Wounded Martyr! Learn more about the rockstar romance and enter in the $10 NSP credit giveaway!

Title: Wounded Martyr

Author: Courtney Maguire

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: December 16, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 54300

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Contemporary, gay, rock star, musicians, tour, drug/alcohol use, addiction, friends to lovers, hurt/comfort

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Synopsis

Ice is an asshole, but he’s working on it. He’s two years sober, no small feat when you front a heavy metal band facing waning popularity and dismal ticket sales. But the pieces of a life torn apart by alcoholism are finally coming back together. His band, Wounded Martyr, has written a great album with the potential to launch them back into relevancy. And Ricky, probably the biggest, most important piece, has finally forgiven him for the wreck he made of their relationship. There’s only one problem.

Ashton.

It was to be expected. As his best friend and bandmate for almost twenty years, it’s only natural they should find each other in the loneliness of the road. Ricky knows about their one night together, but he doesn’t know that Ice can’t stop thinking about it, about his long body and whiskey-flavored lips, and the guilt of it has him on the brink of backslide. Now that Wounded Martyr is poised for a long tour, Ice must find a way to resist temptation or risk blowing their last chance and destroying his relationship with the two most important men in his life.

Excerpt

Wounded Martyr
Courtney Maguire © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Everything hurt.

Hiding in our dingy dressing room toilet, back pressed against the wall between the sink and the urinal, I read wall graffiti to take my mind off my sore joints. Black Sharpie marker slander tucked between worn band stickers. Jake is a pussy. For a good time, call. Someone had scrawled SUX over a Wounded Martyr sticker in the corner. An old one. Apparently, we’d played here before. I couldn’t remember.

House music vibrated through the wall, and I pressed my shoulder blades into it. I gave a no-smoking sign the finger and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket. This used to be my favorite part, the anticipation in the moments before we hit the stage. Now, I shook with a mix of adrenaline and dread that made me queasy.

“Ice!” A familiar voice cut through the din followed by a rapid knock on the door. “Dude, you in there?”

I popped a cigarette between my lips. “Fuck off, I’m taking a shit.”

The door opened anyway, and in slipped Ashton. Ash. Hair in his face and dark liner around his eyes. Deep lines framed his mouth, but his too-long limbs made him appear perpetually boyish. The way I would always see him. The sixteen-year-old kid playing bass in his garage.

“You can’t smoke in here.”

I scowled and shoved the cig back in the pack.

“Dante is going to lose his shit if you don’t get out there,” he said, closing the door behind him. Dante, our self-appointed fearless leader. If he wasn’t such a goddamned great guitarist, I’d kick him in the teeth.

“Dante can suck my cock.”

“Pretty sure he’s not into that.” We shared a laugh before his eyes pinched in concern. “How’s the voice?”

“Tired,” I answered on the tail end of an exhale.

“You can make it, man.” He stepped toward me. “Just three more shows, and we’re home.”

“Have you seen the house?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it full?”

He pressed his lips together, and those lines around his mouth deepened.

“Shit.”

“Don’t sweat it.” He squeezed my arm. “It’s a big house. It would be hard for anyone to fill. Besides, we’ve played smaller.”

I nodded, but my stomach dropped into my toes. Sure, we’d played smaller. I remembered playing crowds of twenty people, ten of whom hated us. But we were eighteen with nowhere to go but up, and nothing to lose. It felt different now.

Ash’s expression softened. “What do you need?”

A drink.

“A blow job from John Stamos.”

“You and me both.” He hooked his hand around the back of my neck and pressed our foreheads together. “You’ll be great,” he said. “You are great. Just another day at the office, man, you got this.”

I leaned into him and released a long breath. Just another day. Another day I got to play rock and roll. Living the dream, most would say. But even dreams didn’t last forever.

“What the fuck are you two doing in there? Put your dicks away, and let’s go,” Dante’s gruff voice shouted from the other side of the door. Ash shot me a mischievous grin and dropped to his knees just as the door swung open. “What the fu—”

“Be right out, Boss,” I said, but he’d already stomped off, spitting and cursing the whole way back to the dressing room, his bright copper skin dark with an angry flush. I gave Ash a kick with my heel, and he rolled over backward, tangled in his own legs and howling.

“Homophobes are fun,” he said between gasps.

“You’re a prick,” I said, but I was smiling, my earlier dread carried away in the stream of his laughter. Dante had left the door open, and the house music pounded through me, ringing the tuning fork inside. It was still there, thank God. I offered Ash a hand and hauled him up.

“Ready to go?” he asked, his hand still wrapped in mine.

“Let’s get to work.”

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Meet the Author

Courtney Maguire is a University of Texas graduate from Corpus Christi, Texas. Drawn to Austin by a voracious appetite for music, she spent most of her young adult life in dark, divey venues nursing a love for the sublimely weird. A self-proclaimed fangirl with a press pass, she combined her love of music and writing as the primary contributor for Japanese music and culture blog, Project: Lixx, interviewing Japanese rock and roll icons and providing live event coverage for appearances across the country. Her first novel, Wounded Martyr, is a 2019 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in the Contemporary Romance: Short Category.

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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

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

“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

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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http://hawthornetaylor.tumblr.com/

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https://www.instagram.com/hawthornekatey/

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Let Your Heart Be Light by J.R. Lawrie

Celebrate new holiday collection release, Let Your Heart Be Light, with new author J.R. Lawrie and Signal Boost Promotions! Learn more about the romances and enter in the Let Your Heart Be Light eBook giveaway!



Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Length: 49,000 words approx.

Publisher: Carnation Books 

This holiday season, celebrate with a trio of festive gay romances by debut author J. R. Lawrie. This anthology features three stories sure to warm the heart and captivate the senses. Full of romance, humor, sweetness, and the perfect amount of heat, this collection is perfect for an evening by the fire.


FOR SERVICES RENDERED


Dr. David Christmas has heard every joke in the book when it comes to his name. Weary of the festive season and from his long shifts in the emergency room, David is also tired of his lonely single life. His only hope for Christmas is a glimpse of the shy but gorgeous neighbour who lives above him.


Christmas-loving Julian has nurtured a crush on the grumpy man downstairs for years now. Still hurting from his ex-boyfriend's cruelty, he hasn't yet dared to say hello. When an injury on Christmas Eve puts Julian directly into David's careful hands, a little healing might be on the way.


KIND OF A BIG DEAL

and

THE FARRINGDON CLUB


Up-and-coming comedian Zack Wynn splits his time between the stage and the London pizza restaurant where he works, until life hands him one hell of a Christmas present. Richard Garston is the handsome and clever older man of Zack's dreams, but what exactly is it that Richard does?


Soon, Zack learns the truth: Richard's classified role in the British government makes him a much bigger deal than he claimed.


Is Zack ready for the politics and power of Richard's world?

And is Richard's world ready for him? 

J. R. Lawrie graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in English Language and Literature in 2011. She believes queer readers deserve a wealth of interesting stories, not just familiar tales of self-loathing. She practices what she preaches in York, UK, with her wife and their three spoiled guinea pigs.


For news and updates, you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook 

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Blog Tour: Shadows of the Past (The Cassie Tam Files #4) by Matt Doyle

Author Matt Doyle and Other Worlds Ink visit on the Shadows of the Past (The Cassie Tam Files #4) blog tour! Discover more about the lesbian science fiction from NineStar Press today!

Matt Doyle has a new lesbian sci fi mystery out: "Shadows of the Past."

Shadows of the Past is the new novella collection set in The Cassie Tam Files universe! Enjoy two new stories that follow PI Cassie Tam and her girlfriend Lori Redwood as they deal with the fallout from LV48. This book is part of a series and needs to be read in sequence.
A Week in New Hopeland

When Lori Redwood agrees to help out her girlfriend, PI Cassie Tam, by going undercover at a local shipping firm, she gets more than she bargained for. Her ‘boss’ Mr. Graves is a misogynist and a bully, and has been targeting one girl in particular. Cassie is known to him, and he tends to be cautious around Tech Shifters. Which means that Lori may be the best person for the job.
Will Lori be able to help Cassie gather enough evidence for the police to act, or will she become the next target?

PI Cassie Tam is not the only person who lives with regrets, and like most people, she just wants to get on with her life. But in New Hopeland, the past never remains buried. When she’s hired to track a stalker that’s been using some interesting tech to mask their identity on the city’s security cameras, Cassie ends up face-to-face with her darkest memory.

Can Cassie find out who’s responsible before her past mistakes tear her – and her friends – apart?

Warnings: Contains: bullying, stalking, a deceased family member, guns, and workplace harassment

About the Series:

New Hopeland City was built to be the center of the technological age. It was supposed to be a shining example of humanity’s achievements. A beacon to guide us towards a better future. But some habits die hard. Within five years, it had become a hotbed of crime and corruption. And now, even the police are sometimes in too deep to help. That’s where I come in. My name is Cassie Tam. I’m a PI. When no one else will help, I’m the one people turn to …


NineStar Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | QueeRomance Ink | Smashwords | Goodreads

---

Excerpt

I roll over in bed and let my arm flop into the empty space next to me. Even with my eyes closed, I can tell the early morning light is beginning to creep in through the window. My slightly bent leg finds a long warm spot, giving away that Cassie hasn’t been up long. I instinctively grip the bedsheet where her body would normally end and let out a content sigh.

“Mine,” I say to myself and roll onto my back again. I raise my hands to my face and rub the sleep out of my eyes, taking in the familiar sight of my bedroom as I clear the cobwebs a little. There are other things to wake me up too; new things that are becoming more familiar as time passes. Smells and sounds I don’t experience as often as I’d like. But I have to be careful, gentle even. Cassie is outwardly quite rough, but she’s softer on the inside. She’s like an emotional armadillo.

A partial conversation from last night flashes across my mind, and a smile reaches my lips. I sit up and stretch, forcing out a yawn as I glance at the back of the door. “Someone’s borrowing my robe again.”

I grab my spare from the wardrobe and tie it up, then walk down the hall, through the living room, and up to the kitchen. I rest against the doorframe, watching Cassie as she carries on oblivious to my presence. After a moment, I say, “Morning.”

Cassie jumps a little and smiles my way. She pulls gently at the sleeve of the robe and says, “Sorry, I didn’t bring mine. I wasn’t planning to stay over, but…”

“Ink can be quite persuasive, can’t she?” I nod to the frying pan on the hob and ask, “What’cha cooking?”

Cassie’s lips tighten and her nose wrinkles, making her look like a cute, frustrated, pouting bunny. She taps the bowl she’s been piling the food in. “It was supposed to be pancakes. I don’t know what went wrong, I’m normally really good with pancakes. These keep sticking, though. And burning. Maybe I didn’t use enough oil.”

“Nah, it’ll be the pan,” I reply, walking into the room and grabbing some plates from the cupboard. “And they look fine, just a little broken.”

“The pan, eh?”

“Yup. That one never was much good. Everything sticks to it, no matter what you do.”

“Huh. If it’s that bad, why keep it?”

“Sentimental reasons,” I reply and start splitting the pancakes out. “So, come on, detective, see if you can figure it out.”

“The first thing you bought for here?” she tries.

I hand her a plate and shake my head. “Nope. Try again.”

“A gift from a relative?”

“Swing and a miss,” I say and start pouring us a drink from the percolator she’s been keeping warm in preparation. “One more guess.”

She shrugs and grabs two forks from the drawer. She hands me one as she answers, “You got me.”

We walk to the living room and sit on the couch. “Well, a few years back, I was woken up by this noise in the kitchen. It must have been about three in the morning, I think. Anyway, I started panicking, right? There’s someone in the house. Who is it? What do they want? That sort of thing.

“Well, we’d been covering some home break-in stories at work, and I decided there and then I wasn’t going to be just another victim, sitting scared in my room while someone takes all my stuff. So, I got up, and creeped up to the kitchen as quietly as I could, and what did I find? Someone going through the fridge.”

“Who was it?”

“I couldn’t tell. Between tiredness, the darkness, and the fridge door being slightly closed, I couldn’t see anything at all really, other than a silhouette. So, I grabbed the first sturdy thing I could.”

“The frying pan.”

“Exactly. I grabbed it, waited for them to step back, and swung. Bam.”

“Then what happened?”

“The woman dropped her milk and starts yelling, ‘What the fuck, Lori?’ So, I turn the light on, and everything starts slotting into place. I’d been out at a club and taken this lady home. Karen, I think her name was. The problem was, I’d gotten a bit drunk and, between that and the stories we’d been covering, I’d completely forgotten she’d stayed over and had gotten a little paranoid.”

“Was she all right?” Cassie asks, staring at me in disbelief.

“She was angry more than anything. That was our one and only night together, though. But yeah, so the frying pan is sentimental for me because it reminds me that one, I shouldn’t bring people home if I met them while drunk, and two, I’m not as much of as a wuss as I thought.”

Cassie laughs. “I guess I should be happy you didn’t think I was an intruder, eh?”

I smile and kiss her forehead. “You never need to worry. If I wake up and you’re gone, I’ll just assume you’re off dealing with any intruder. And even if I did somehow forget you were staying over, I can always tell when you’re in the kitchen in the morning. You sing while you cook.”

Cassie stops mid-sip, and her eyes go wide, peering over the top of the mug. “Diu. You can hear that?”

“‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls, wasn’t it? I mean, it’s clearly a product of its era, but it’s a good track.”

“Oh, no, no, no. You weren’t meant to hear that. It’s why I stop when I hear your bedroom door open.”

I tilt my head and frown. “Really? I like it. You sound happy.”

“I am happy, but…I don’t really sing…well. Or in front of people.”

“Oh,” I reply, a little worried now. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t really notice you stopped. I always get excited to see what you’re making, so it never really occurred to me.”

“It’s fine,” she says, but I can tell she’s still embarrassed. “Anyway, it can’t be that exciting. I only use what you have in.”

“I know, but I don’t always bother myself. Usually, it’s cereal or toast if it’s just me. Work, right?”

Cassie’s shoulders relax a little and she takes another mouthful of coffee. “Oh, I get that. I’m the same at the apartment, really. I don’t usually stay here when I have a case on, so there’s rarely any rush for me in the morning when I do. I do try to get up early, though, just in case you need to head out earlier. I can make sure I still get something made for you then.”

I take a leaf from Cassie’s playbook and fail to stop the blush rising to my cheeks. If she enjoys doing it, I may as well tell her. “Okay, confession time. Sometimes, I buy a few things I know I might not have the time to cook. You know, to see if you use them when you stop over. I kinda might have noticed you enjoy cooking more than you let on. And, you know, I quite like what you put in front of me.”

I take another big mouthful of pancake to prove the point, and Cassie giggles. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises today?”

“Oh, speaking of surprises, it’s the Saturday after next, right? Your birthday?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes, it is. Look, Lori, I really don’t want you to make a big deal out of it. Just something small, eh?”

I wave my hands frantically, spilling a little coffee on my knee. Good job it’s cooled down. “Absolutely. I promised I wouldn’t go overboard, so I won’t. We’ll do a stop at a café. And maybe a present or two.”

“No more than two,” she says, fixing me with a stern look.

“No more than two,” I reiterate.

“And a limit of one hundred dollars.”

“I know, I know. You never did explain why you don’t like doing too much.”

Cassie sighs and puts her empty mug down. “Okay, I guess I owe you that much at least. If you really have to know, my birthday falls exactly one week before…one week before the anniversary.”

Cassie’s dad was a cop back in Canada. He took a bullet for her during her last major case back there, and his death tore her and her mom apart. That was why she moved to New Hopeland. “I’m sorry. I knew it was coming up, but the connection didn’t click.”

She waves it away, and her walls come up a little. “It’s fine; I never told you the date. Honestly, if I didn’t want to do anything at all, I wouldn’t have told you my birthday either.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Just don’t be a Nancy, okay?”

“A Nancy?”

“My nan. She hated having a fuss made on her birthday, like at all. But she never told us because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone. It wasn’t until she was at death’s door that she finally came clean. Don’t be like her. If it’s too much, tell me so I can back off.”

Cassie’s face softens a little and she pulls me into a gentle kiss. “Thank you. It means a lot knowing you’d do that. It’s fine; just keep it low key. Anyway, I better get a wash and head back home. You never know when the next case will drop in your lap.”

She gets to her feet and starts walking to the door, but I can’t help myself. “An armadillo.”

She stops. “What?”

“Last night. You asked what sort of animal I thought you’d be if you were a Tech Shifter? Well, I’ve decided. An armadillo.”

“An armadillo,” she repeats. “Why?”

I gather the plates and mugs and give her a wink. “I’ll let you figure that one out.

---

Author Bio

Matt Doyle is a speculative fiction author from the UK and identifies as pansexual and genderfluid. Matt has spent a great deal of time chasing dreams, a habit which has led to success in a great number of fields. To date, this has included spending ten years as a professional wrestler, completing a range of cosplay projects, and publishing multiple works of fiction.

These days, Matt can be found working on multiple novels and stories, blogging about pop culture, and plotting and planning far too many projects.

Author Website: https://mattdoylemedia.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/MattDoyleMedia
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattdoylemedia
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattdoylemediaprojects/?hl=en
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14173377.Matt_Doyle
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/matt-doyle/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Doyle/e/B0120Z5RFU/

Review: DSP Advent: Homemade for the Holidays Week 3

Choosing the right gift for that special someone can be the most daunting part of the holidays. In a sea of mass-produced items, why buy when you can DIY? The end-of-the-year festivities are the best time for crafts, whether they’re made from yarn, paper, flour, or even code. And with some love and luck, these special presents might inspire a romance that lasts an evening… or a lifetime. Nothing makes the season merry and bright like a gift handmade from the heart, and to bring smiles to the faces of the ones they care about, these guys are willing to get creative.









Week 3 is here!

Hole-Hearted by Sam Burns

Pediatrician Luce Wright’s bad breakup gets worse when his drunk ex drives a car through his house a week before Christmas. His whole family is coming over in just a few days, and he can’t have a hole with a tarp over it in the middle of his dining room. Fortunately his neighbor’s son is moving back into town, and he owns a construction company. Can Luce and his homemade cookies persuade Darren to mend the hole in the house… and maybe the one in Luce’s heart too?

Ann - 2.5 Hearts

Well, that escalated quickly. Hole-Hearted is an extra short story so the romance/lust approached light speed to make it be a thing in 20 pages. I honestly thought I got to know Luce (and his family’s dynamic) pretty well in the page time given, so I was pretty happy in the ‘getting to know the MC’ department. Darren was more of a shell of a character, he didn’t get much beyond a basic description and history.

Luce’s ex causes major damage to Sam’s house right before Christmas and it’s super handy dandy that his neighbors son has returned home and has his own construction company. Soooo, he’s giving Luce an idea of time for repairs, etc., comments are made about how the neighbor wants to fix them up and wham, bam, thank you Darren, the two are dry humping in the damaged dining room. It kind of felt like a little too much gay convenience, as in, your both gay, so you should obviously date. 

There was a very optimistic HFN, but I didn’t get enough chemistry to base that on anything solid. Both characters and their respective families were happy though, so yay for home repairs and neighborly convenience!


A Holiday Homecoming by Liv Rancourt

Ten years ago Jon’s passion for the piano took him across the country to New York, where a demanding concert career consumed his life and left him no time to look back. His father’s stroke is the only thing that brings him home to Seattle. The sickroom makes for a dreary holiday until Jon runs into Bo, whose inner light can make anything sparkle.

Bo loves the holidays: the food, the crafts, the glitter! A fling with an old school friend—who grew up to be his celebrity crush—makes a good thing better. The season turns sour, though, when Jon is offered a gig he can’t refuse. He wants Bo to share the moment, but Bo doesn’t fly. Anywhere. Ever. 

Is this goodbye, or will a handmade ornament bring Jon home to Bo?

Ann - 4 Hearts

I liked this one. It’s a little darker and a little bittersweet, but Bo makes everything better and he was the necessary light in A Holiday Homecoming.

Jon is at a bit of a forced crossroads with his family and career. He’s come home to help his mom care for his father who recently suffered a stroke. They aren’t the closest of famiies and reading about their lives before and after was actually kind of sad. Jon and his dad have some undefined animosity between them that was alluded to and witnessed, but not really explored. So, I felt like something was missing a bit there.

Now, Bo, Bo is a force to be reckoned with. Bo and Jon were friends in middle school and Bo still lives in the town they grew up in. He’s close with his family, makes friends almost before he even meets them and he and Jon have some chemistry between them that needs exploring. They were too young to know what they were feeling back in the day, but now they know they want/need each other.

Jon is there temporarily though and it’s pretty easy for circumstances to convince him to rethink his future. Which I really appreciated. A lot of times a character will dig their heels in for “reasons” without giving the sappy stuff a chance to change their mind. Jon finally decides to give himself a full opportunity at life and it’s amazing what a compromise or two can do.

I completely bought into a HEA for these two, it’s kind of necessary.


Love in 24 Frames by C.S. Poe

Declan Groves is a CPA in New York City. His adult life is dictated by routine and borderline monotony. The need to express himself, in ways his career and crippling shyness have never allowed, leads Declan to becoming an amateur stop-motion filmmaker.

The one problem is that Declan is also in love with the Wandering Artist Studios receptionist Shota Watanabe. Shota has always had a smile and engaging comment ready for Declan, but even if it is more than casual politeness, Declan hasn’t been able to get out more than a tongue-tied sentence at a time. And a man like Shota surely has no intention of waiting forever.

So when an unexpected change to Declan’s daily schedule throws the two together outside of the studio, it might be the catalyst needed to explore what’s unspoken between them. But if they’re to have a future, Declan needs to find a way to tell Shota how he truly feels.

 R *A Reader Obsessed* - 4 Holiday Hearts

I’ve read every single one of Poe’s advent stories, and I’ve yet not been disappointed. This was a total win!

Understated and sweet, this starts with Declan - older, so so shy, and unable to make a move on his secret crush Shota.

Cue some awkwardness and a back and forth slow burn that ended with a really wonderful HEA for these two - and just in time for the holidays!

Poe definitely has that rare talent for shorts. This is one advent that will warm you up and keep you cozy through the cold wintery days, leaving you wanting more but not at all dissatisfied!

Ann - 4.5 Hearts

Love in 24 Frames is absolutely adorable was exactly what I expected from C.S. Poe. I read her advent tales faithfully every year and she has a real gift for writing short stories.

Declan is incredibly shy and his shyness is holding him back from his dream man who works at the studio that Declan rents to work on his stop motion animation project. Shota is charming and is subtley giving off interest vibes in Declan’s direction, but Declan is clueless and there’s no way he would believe that someone as incredibly lovely as Shota would be interested in him.

But, literally no one is as charming as a smitten Declan and through circumstances the two end up spending time together and Declan starts some actively wooing Shota and oh my, what an ideal wooing it was. Declan is quiet and sincere and Shota was perfect for him. Shota appreciated every little thing and everything about it made me happy.

I would have loved to dive into Shota’s life a little bit and to see a little redemption for him in the form of a Noah takedown, but all that would have derailed this from being a short story. The journey Declan and Shota took was such a treat and this one will be going on my Christmas reread list.


Making the Holidays Happy Again by Pat Henshaw

Blacksmith Butch has secretly loved his best friend, science nerd Jimmy, since grade school. Now their shops in Old Town Seven Winds, California, are only doors from each other.

They’re about to turn thirty, and Butch refuses to wait another day to make a decision: propose to Jimmy and start the family he’s always wanted or forget his dream to avoid risking their friendship. Why can’t the choice be as easy as creating decorative ironwork in his forge?

 R *A Reader Obsessed* - 3 Hearts

Another easy going advent that features a gentle giant and a friends to lovers trope.

As per the blurb, Butch and Jimmy have been friends for forever, and Butch has finally resigned himself that things will never progress further than that and hence, he needs to just move on and make some long term plans without his BFF.

Beware that this is all in Butch’s voice, and the author made it a point over and over how not educated he is. Admittedly, Butch’s low self esteem bummed me out, and I didn’t want that to be the main thing holding him back. Not surprisingly, he and Jimmy do get their happy ending, though I would’ve appreciated Jimmy’s POV to better understand his actions and feelings.

Regardless, I always give a lot of leeway with holiday reads and in the end, Butch and Jimmy’s happiness is what counts!

Ann - 2.5 Hearts

This friends to lovers story had a great setup and the little town sounded so quaint and I just wanted to pack up and visit.

The story is told through Butch’s POV and I liked him very much. It was mentioned repeatedly that Butch had not graduated high school he referred to himself as dumb entirely too often. It made me sad for him, because he was a successful businessman and an accomplished artist, he is obviously intelligent. His poor grammar made him seem like more of a caricature and wasn’t necessary and became slightly distracting.

I didn’t get much of a feel for Jimmy. He didn’t get a ton of page time and the time he and Butch were together was spent bickering. I was told they were BFFs forever, but I didn’t get a solid feel for what I was being told. I did get a good gist of Butch’s relationship with pretty much everyone else and he was a solid guy and good friend.

Jimmy went from 0 to 60 at the end and while it was what everyone wanted, especially Butch it came a bit out of the blue and that’s where a bit of Jimmy’s POV would have been helpful.


The Music Box by Kassandra Lea

It’s the eve of Alvin’s favorite holiday—the little-known St. Nick’s Day. His devoted boyfriend, woodworker Milo, has been planning for months to make it a day neither of them will forget, and their peaceful annual nighttime walk will pale in comparison to what Milo has secreted away in the basement.

Ann - 4 Hearts

The Music Box is a refreshingly sweet story about an established couple and there just aren’t enough of those around. We’re dropped into a moment with Alvin and Milo and these two are really good with moments. The author did a great job of showing the relationship between the two through great dialog and references to their past and wishes for their future.

Milo has a special surprise hidden away for Alvin for St. Nick’s Day. St. Nick’s Day is their own special day where they have a some sweet homespun traditions and the two of them are incredibly sweet together. Like really, really sweet. Really sweet.

The story of the tree and Milo’s gift for Alvin are so very thoughrful and something every established couple wishes they could have in their lives, probably not super realistic, but I don’t read for realism, I want the thoughtful sugar and Milo and Alvin delivered.


Notes from Home by Dirk Greyson

While deployed on a covert mercenary assignment, Johnny doesn’t have much in the way of holiday cheer. But the mysterious notes from Dex that somehow appear in his bunk—reminding him of the gifts, cookies, celebrations, and most of all, love, waiting for him back in Wisconsin—help him get through the long, hot days. Will they be enough to keep his spirits up when the rest of his unit goes home to their families and he’s left alone?

Ann - 4 Hearts

This short and sweet little nugget really delivered a lot of feels for being only 22 pages long. All the more impressive considering the two MC’s aren’t even together for the bulk of the story.

Johnny is on assignment and receives love letters from home from Dex on the regular and those letters get him through the hot and lonely days and nights. The author does a really solid job of showing how much these two love one another through Dex’s letters and handmade Christmas tchotchkes, as well as through Johnny’s inner musings. The fact that they won’t be able to be together for the holidays is heartbreaking, but something that they both accept as part of Johnny’s job for the greater good.

 The ending is a perfect coming home moment and my heart grew three sizes just reading it.

**copies of the Advent stories were provided for honest reviews**

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Back Door Into Purgatory (Soul Shares #9) by Rory Ni Coileain

Author Rory Ni Coileain and Other Worlds Ink visit on the Back Door Into Purgatory (Soul Shares #9) blog tour! Join them as they celebrate the urban fantasy series finale and enter in the $20 Amazon gift card giveaway!

Rory ni Coileain has a new MM gay/demi/ace urban fantasy romance out, the last book in her Soul Shares series: "Back Door Into Purgatory." And there's a giveaway!

Sometimes Fae love stories aren’t what you expect.

The Marfach—devourer of magick, long-imprisoned mortal enemy of the Fae race—is free of its Antarctic prison.

The Demesne of Purgatory—Fae, humans, a Fade-hound puppy, a Gille Dubh, and a darag—is all that stands between the monster and the power it needs to destroy both the Fae Realm and the human world.

The only clue they have as to how to kill the unkillable is a cryptic note from the Loremasters:

“Osclór, Nartú; Tobar, Soladán; Nidantór, Breathea; Glanadorh, Coromór, Farthor; Scian-omprór, Nachangalte; Crangaol, Síofra; Gastiór, Laoc, Caomhnór; Fánadh, Ngarradh.”

Opener, Strength; Wellspring, Channel; Unmaker, Judge; Cleanser, Equalizer, Sentry; Blade-bearer, Unbound; Tree-kin, Changeling; Binder, Warrior, Guardian; Wanderer, Sundered.

As they rebuild Purgatory from the rubble the Marfach left behind, they have to stand together, using everything they know—everything they are to their partners, lovers, husbands. Everything SoulSharing has made them.

And not everyone who enters the final battle will leave it.


Riverdale Ave Books | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | QueeRomance Ink About the Series:


What if you could only be whole by finding and loving the human with the other half of your soul? The SoulShares are the sword of two worlds... and love is the shield of the SoulShares.

Follow this merry band of Fae, humans, a tree spirit, and a flatulent Fade-hound puppy that make up the Demesne of Purgatory as they seek magick and love. Celtic lore (with a twist), hot guys, terrible danger, and heart-wrenching love stories will drag you body and soul into SoulShares.

Amazon Series Link

1. Hard as Stone
2. Gale Force
3. Deep Plunge
4. Firestorm
5. Blowing Smoke
6. Mantled in Mist
7. Undertow
8. Stone Cold

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Giveaway

Rory is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47100/?

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Excerpt

“It’s beautiful.”

What was beautiful, in Lucien’s opinion, was the light in his Fae husband’s eyes as he studied the huge tank built into one wall of what was going to be the new Purgatory dance floor. Other clubs had cages for dancers; one the three of them had found in New York had glass-walled shower stalls. Purgatory was going to have the biggest mauditefish tank anyone had ever seen.

Complete with naked mermen. One of whom—because le bon Dieu apparently had a perverse sense of humor—was going to be Lucien de Winter.

Arms went around Lucien from behind, and a chin rested on his shoulder; Lucien didn’t need to turn, or even to look down and see the “Semper Fi” tattooed on one forearm to recognize Mac. “Ready to take the plunge, Fuzzball?”

Lucien grunted. “I hope the filters in this thing are up to spec. You know how I shed.”

A flash of white reflected in the glass of the tank was Rhoann’s grin. “Perhaps we should put a tail on you.”

“If the tail didn’t have hair, no one would believe it was mine.” Lucien couldn’t stay grumpy, though, not when Rhoann teased him. “But I think the two of you, not to mention our boss, are out of your minds, if you think our guests are going to be turned on watching me doing underwater barrel rolls.”

Rhoann left off studying the tank fittings and took Lucien’s hands, running his thumbs lightly over knuckles dusted with short dark curly hair; his slight worried frown was one of the sweetest things Lucien had ever seen. “How could they not be, laród-ar-Fuzz?”

Lucien found himself having to swallow an unexpected lump in his throat before he could answer. “I love you, too.”

Mac leaned around and kissed the side of Lucien’s neck. “He beat me to it. And I’m not even going to tell you how many guys used to come up to the bar and ask me why the bouncer wasn’t part of the floor show.”

Lucien craned his neck, partly to plant a kiss of his own on Mac and partly to glance at the new bar, the one the workmen had just finished installing last week, to replace the one Mac had presided over ever since Tiernan bought the place. The curved expanse, now taking up the whole back wall of one level of the club instead of being shoehorned into a corner, looked pretty much the same as it always had, from where Lucien stood. But no one had been able to figure out how to replicate the show-stopping feature of the original, the hellish flames dancing under the glass bar top, that seemed to go down and down into an infinite depth. Conall thought he might be able to do it with magick, or maybe Rian could, but nobody wanted to fuck around with magick of any kind near the great nexus, not with the way it and its companion wellspring were acting right now. Good thing he and his husbands had decided to try out the famed nexus chamber when they had—a half-Royal Fae in the throes of erotic overload was the kind of thing guaranteed to short out the entire wellspring network right now.

The fact that their new-found underground garden of delights was now off limits seriously pissed Lucien off. It wasn’t forever, though. The three of them could get back to happy business just as soon as they figured out how to kill the monster who had left him for dead behind the bar back in August.

Can’t happen soon enough for me. Lucien was a peaceable sort—as peaceable as a nightclub bouncer built like a hairy fire hydrant and married to an only-sort-of-ex-Marine could be, anyway—but he was looking forward to getting his hands around whatever was left of Janek O’Halloran’s throat and getting creative.

“I recognize that look.” Mac nipped at the top of Lucien’s ear.

“What look?” Lucien blinked. “And I could have sworn you’re standing behind me.”

“You reflect in the tank.” Mac’s chuckle rumbled against Lucien’s back. “At least for now—once you’ve been for a swim after we open, the glass is going to have... uh, palm-prints... all over it.”

Lucien couldn’t help snorting. “I repeat, what look?”

Rhoann wrapped his arms around both humans. He could do that—Mac was a good head taller than Lucien, but their Fae had Mac beat by a good four or five inches, and he had arms to match his height. “The look you wore through most of the bás i’gcuine last night.”

The Faen words Rhoann had originally translated for them as “war council” turned out to have meant something closer to “fore-memory of death.” The intent of the Demesne of Purgatory had been, more or less, to create the memory of the Marfach’s death before it happened. And, like pretty much everything asking Fae to behave in an organized manner, it had gone south from the moment Rian tried calling the group to order. It hadn’t helped that Fae who learned English magickally thought the word “brainstorming” was almost as funny as horseradish. Which wasactually pretty damn funny, once Maelduin had explained it to him.

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Author Bio



Rory Ni Coileain majored in creative writing, back when Respectable Colleges didn’t offer such a major, so she had to design it herself, at a university which boasted one professor willing to teach creative writing, he being a British surrealist who went nuts over students writing dancing bananas in the snow but did not take well to the sort of high fantasy she wanted to write.

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa at the age of nineteen, sent off her first short story to an anthology being assembled by an author she idolized, received one of those rejection letters that puts therapists’ kids through college (Ivy League), and found other things to do, such as going to law school, ballet dancing (at more or less the same time), nightclub singing, and volunteering as a lawyer with Gay Men’s Health Crisis, for the next thirty years or so, until her stories started whispering to her.

Now she’s a lawyer, a legal journalist (and thus a card-carrying Enemy of the State and darn proud of it), an Associate member of the Order of Julian of Norwich, a proud mother, studying for her certification as a spiritual advisor, and engaged to the love of her life, and is busily wedding her love of myth and legend to her passion for m/m romance.

Author Website: www.rorynicoileain.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/rory.nicoileain

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

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

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/rory-nicoileain/

Blog Tour: Captivating (Elite Protection Services #2) by Onley James

Join author Onley James and Vibrant Promotions on today's blog tour stop for Captivating (Elite Protection Services #2)! Learn more about the romance today!

Captivating

Elite Protection Services Series Book 2

Onley James

M/M Romance

Release Date: 12.04.19

Cover Designer: Molly Phipps with We Got You Covered Book Design

Blurb

Jayne Shepherd has spent his life blending in. He smiles. He laughs. He’s likable. He’s also a sociopath. His emotions are limited. Love, fear, desire don’t exist in his world. Until he meets Elijah.

Elijah Dunne had everything. Third generation Hollywood royalty. Child star. Untouchable. Until one man ruined it all. Elijah fled LA to try to forget, but now, he’s back on top and back on a monster’s radar. Elijah doesn’t think he’ll ever feel safe. Until he meets Shepherd.

Elijah and Shep only have one thing in common. They both wear masks. Shep makes Elijah feel protected. Seen. Elijah makes Shep just feel. Now that he’s had a taste, he’s not about to let him go.

Everybody warns that what they have isn’t real. Shep is obsessed with Elijah, not in love. But Elijah craves Shep’s obsession. He can’t imagine life without him. In Hollywood, being a sociopath is more a life skill than a diagnosis. Could Shep be the monster Elijah needs to finally slay his demons?

Captivating is the second book in the Elite Protection Services Series and contains age-gap, cum-play, voyeurism and one very sexy interrogation scene complete at 72,000 words with an HEA and no cliffhangers.

Trigger Warnings: This book contains talk of past child sexual abuse

https://amzn.to/2Lni2uE

Excerpt

“What’s wrong?” Shep asked.

Elijah took a shuddery breath and then dragged his shirt over his head, dropping it onto the floor.

The blood rushed from Shep’s brain to his dick so fast it made him dizzy. Elijah locked eyes with him as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his pajama pants and slid them off, leaving him naked and hard. The look on the boy’s face was so vulnerable, it kicked up an instinct in Shep that was too primal to name.

Elijah seemed to make some kind of internal decision, closing the distance between them to straddle Shep’s thighs. “Tell me this is okay,” he whispered, gaze pleading.

Shep nodded, his hands already skimming across Elijah’s bare thighs, itching to touch as much of the boy as possible. “Yes. Just tell me what you need.”

“Kiss me.”

Shep complied, capturing his mouth in a kiss that turned dirty. Kissing Elijah ignited something in him. Everything about Elijah turned him on. The way he sucked in a startled breath when Shep’s tongue slipped into his mouth, the way he moaned when Shep bit his bottom lip. His scent, the heat of his skin, all of it. Everything.

“Put your arms around me,” Elijah demanded. Shep did as he was told, his palms finding Elijah’s ass and squeezing. “Fuck. Yeah. Like that,” he gasped against Shep’s lips. “You feel so fucking good. I just need to come.”

Elijah’s words had Shep’s cock aching. “Take what you want.”

Onley James is the pen name of YA author, Martina McAtee, who lives in Florida with her daughter, her daughter-in-law, and a menagerie of animals, both good and evil. When she’s not writing m/m romance or supernatural LGBT young adult books, she’s running 7 Sisters Publishing and attempting to maintain both her sanity and her full-time job as an RN.

When not at work you can find her mainlining Starbucks refreshers, whining about how much she has to do and avoiding the things she has to do by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television in one sitting. She loves ghost stories, true crime documentaries, obsessively scrolling social media and writing kinky, snarky books about men who fall in love with other men.

Social Media Links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OnleyJamesWrites

Facebook Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/OnleysOubliette

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/onleyjames/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/OnleyJames10

Instagram: www.instagram.com/OnleyJames10

Website: www.onleyjames.com

Audiobook Review: Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings #1) by Lyn Gala

Liam loves his life as a linguist and trader on the Rownt homeworld, but he has ignored his heart and sexual needs for years. He won't risk letting anyone come too close because he won't risk letting anyone see his deeply submissive nature. For him, submission comes with pain. Life burned that lesson into his soul from a young age. This fear keeps him from noticing that the Rownt trader Ondry cares for him.

Ondry may not understand humans, but he recognizes a wounded soul, and his need to protect Liam is quickly outpacing his common sense. They may have laws, culture, and incompatible genitalia in their way, but Ondry knows that he can find a way to overcome all that if he can just overcome the ghosts of Liam's past. Only then can he take possession of a man he has grown to love.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 57 minutes
Narrator: John Solo

Full disclaimer here. This series is in my top 5… or 3. That’s a tough list to be on, but either way Lyn Gala’s Claimings is on it! So this review will not discuss the story content, otherwise the review would just be ridiculous ravings of an over excited unicorn.

This is just a review on the narration and honestly, John Solo had a big task ahead of him. When you risk listening to a favourite story in someone else’s voice you have to agree, accept and in the case of an all time favourite, love their take on the character. I’ve obviously already got ideas of what these men sound like in my head, adding a real voice to that is very dangerous…..

Did he live up to the challenge? Yes absolutely! But…. there was this one niggle…. i’ll get to that.

John Solo captured my attention from the moment he spoke, I was back to finding excuses to clean the house or drive around so I could have his narration in my ears. His voice acting is spot on, the fear, anger, lust and uncertainty in Liam’s voice was perfect. The slight accent change for Ondry was… well let's face it sexy as hell!! It was strong, smooth and calm, just how I always picture Ondry. I smashed through this audiobook and cannot wait to hear John’s take on the next few books in the series.

‘So get to the point, what was this niggle?’ you might ask. Well this book revolves around Liam learning the language and some communication barriers between Liam and Ondry, therefore John uses that stilted punctuation of each word during certain dialogue. This actually worked well for the most part, however I found it was used far too much for Ondry’s voice. This book is written with the characters speaking Rownt, therefore Liam is the character new to the language and Ondry is the native speaker. However Ondry’s voice had so many punctuated words and not nearly enough flow, which really didn’t make sense to the character and more than that became really very annoying. I almost wanted to put the audiobook on 1.5x speed to make his sentence flow seem more natural. I guess some people would put it down to his accent but that stilted speaking wasn’t always present, just present too often.

I’m really hoping the next audiobook will have improved on this as Liam and Ondry become more accustomed to each other. If that’s the case I’ll completely take back my comment as it shows amazing thought and detail from John to make their communication issues more realistic. But if Ondry still speaks like someone who doesn’t know his own language I will probably come back looking something like this...

Anyway, despite my little hiccup which took up way too much time in the review, it really was amazing!

A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Release Blitz: The Marshal's Teacher (Yours to Protect #3) by Este Holland

Join author Este Holland and A Novel Take PR celebrating the release of The Marshal's Teacher (Yours to Protect #3)! Discover more today!

The Marshal’s Teacher
(Yours to Protect, Book 3)
By Este Holland

Publisher: Self-Pub
Release Date (Print & Ebook): December 12, 2019
Length (Print & Ebook): Approx. 40,000 words
Subgenre: lgbt/action
Warnings: talk about deaths of parents

Book Link: mybook.to/marshalsteacher

Book synopsis:

Protecting him is no hardship.

Chaze Pullman has a sixth sense for trouble. He never thought it would come in handy when a man threatens him over a hot US Marshal.

Kean York may be recovering from a gunshot wound, but he’ll go to any length to protect a certain stubborn man. After all, Chaze’s life was put in danger because of York…

Or was it?

When emotions run high, information can be overlooked, and Chaze’s instincts are telling him something else is going on.

Something that may not involve him at all.

This is the third book in the Yours to Protect series. It’s novella length with a cliffhanger for the overall plot of the series, but it is HEA for the main characters.

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Excerpt

Chaze called the next day, and they arranged to meet at York’s house later that night. It wasn’t the weekend yet, but he’d sounded…not desperate, more like in a hurry.

York smiled as he made the bed with clean sheets. He stocked the fridge with plenty of cold beer, then showered. He had to be careful how he moved and to not to get his stitches wet, but he managed. He was feeling better already.

Date. He’d promised a date, not sex, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. And he liked Chaze. He didn’t want to screw up. There was something about him that made York feel good, like he wanted to be near him more and more every time he saw him.

They’d agreed to stay in, since it was still difficult for York to move around much, so he ordered dinner ten minutes before Chaze arrived. And arrive he did, in tight jeans, a black, short-sleeved button-up, and a loose, skinny blue tie.

Damn. It was going to be difficult to keep his head on straight when all he wanted to do was peel off those jeans, blindfold Chaze with that tie, and suck his cock.

“Hey,” York said, stepping aside and to let him in.

“Hi.”

“You look great.”

“Oh, thank you.” He pulled on the tie. “I had a meeting this morning.”

He blushed, eyes darting around the room. York chalked it up to first-date jitters.

“How are you feeling?” Chaze asked.

“I’m good. I can move more today.” York demonstrated by rolling his shoulders carefully.

“That’s good.”

“Have a seat. Want a drink?”

“Yeah, beer, if you have it. Thanks.”

York took his time getting the frozen mugs out of the freezer and pouring two Coronas and squeezing in limes. He figured Chaze could use the time to settle.

“Here you go.” He brought the drinks in and set them on the table just as the doorbell rang. Chaze jumped and York chuckled. “It’s dinner. I hope Thai is okay.”

He blew out a breath. “It’s fine.”

Chaze lifted his mug and gulped half of it in seconds. York’s brows rose. He opened the door, gave the driver a tip, and brought the food into the kitchen.

Was Chaze that nervous to be there? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Disappointment made York’s shoulders sag, and he winced at the tug of pain. He’d foregone a pain pill since that morning so he could drink.

He made two plates of food with a little bit of everything and carried them to the living room. Chaze stood studying the bookshelves. York didn’t have a lot of books, but enough were interspersed between the various photos and knickknacks he’d accumulated over the years to make him seem less plebeian.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” York asked, setting the plates on the coffee table. “You’re a little jumpy.”

Up close, York could see dark circles under Chaze’s eyes.

“I…” He ran those slender fingers through his hair, pushing back the front. “I don’t know what to do.”

Chaze’s voice held a certain note York associated with witnesses or victims, and his training kicked in. “Hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll get it sorted out.” He gripped Chaze’s arm and guided him to the couch to sit. “Just start at the beginning.”

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Interview with Este Holland:

How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first novel in 2012, so 7 years. Though, I’ve written other things since I was in elementary school.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes! I’ve always loved books. I’m an avid reader, but writing was always something I craved. I used to have a binder with a story that was going to be my first novel. I was about nine or ten years old, I think. Can’t remember what it was about.

Writing is the one thing I do consistently, and the one thing that holds my interest. Jobs I’ve had always get boring after a few years…but not writing.

What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Watch your filters. One way to spot a new writer is when their sentences are filtered with pronouns and verbs. You hear people say, “show don’t tell”. Basically, this means don’t use: to see, to hear, to touch, to sound, to taste, to realize, to look, to notice etc… For example: “She realized he was it for her.” You don’t need “She realized”, it’s implied by the context of your paragraph. I’m still guilty of it and have to cut them when I’m editing. You don’t always have to cut all of them, but 99% of the time you can. So, if you see them in my books, you can point and laugh and say, “Ha ha, she missed one!”

How do you handle writer’s block?
I don’t really get writer’s block (knock on wood). It’s more of a laziness thing with me, lol! Some days, I have to force myself to write. And it’s not that I don’t love to write, I do. But if the characters aren’t jumping out at me, I have to make myself write a few sentences, then a few more, until I have enough words that I feel productive for the day. Luckily, that doesn’t happen all the time.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Good characters. You have to have compelling, fascinating characters. I think importance is place on relatability, and while that is a good trait for characters, the characters who really stand out are the ones that fascinate us. Take Snape in Harry Potter. I won’t go into details, but you know what I mean. He wasn’t likeable, or particularly relatable. We hated him, but in the end, he was the most compelling character in the series, in my opinion. I can only hope I write a character like that one day. I haven’t yet.

What comes first, the plot or characters?
For me, it’s the characters. Usually. My last release, First Priority, came about because I wondered what Emperor Kuzco from the Emperor’s New Groove would be like as a character in a mm novel. Weird, yes. But there you go. It’s a writer’s brain. (It was Truman, btw, if you’ve read it. Obviously, I changed him along the way!)

In the Yours to Protect Series, Rio was the first character I thought of. (He’s one MC from The Artist’s Boxer.)

How do you develop your plot and characters?
They tell me who they are. I start with a name and general idea of what they look like in my head. Maybe what they do for a living. My plots are simple to start. I don’t outline, I’m a pantser, and the plot evolves as I go. It’s not a good thing to do for a series, but I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to write a series from Yours to Protect until Kai popped into Rio and Rake’s story. I knew I wanted to give him a story, so I decided who I wanted to pair him with, and he was already working for the mob, so the plot for The Marshal’s PI evolved out of that.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
Right now, I’m writing the fourth book in this series, The Marshal’s Mobster. Actually, I’m kind of alternating between that one and the second Priorities book.

Do you have any new series planned?
I have The Marshal’s Mobster, which is the last one, and then a character from those books (Luke Kairo) will get his own sort of standalone book, which I’m hoping to transition into a spin off series in LA. It’s about a secret intelligence agency. That’s on the back burner for now though.

I will have two more books in the Priorities series first. Daniel and Riley, and Brian and Jay. And I have another book to write for my paranormal series, The Metis Inquiries, but that’s a way’s off.

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More from Este
Yours to Protect Series

The Artist's Boxer (Yours to Protect Book 1)

 

He won the championship. Now he must run for his life.

Winning the welterweight championship was everything Rake had worked for. Now it’s all come crashing down, and he has no choice but to flee his hometown of Las Vegas.

When he stops in a small town in Utah, Rake meets a man who makes him forget all about the danger he’s in.

Rio has a good life. He loves his family and career, but when Rake blows into town, something stirs in his blood...something like desire.

Rio doesn’t do relationships, not since the last disaster, but Rake makes it impossible for him to say no.

When Rake comes clean about what he’s running from, Rio just might have a way to help.

Now the two of them must fight to free Rake from the man who took everything...and stay alive until the end.

The Artist’s Boxer is the first book in the Yours to Protect series. It contains mature sexual content of hot adult men, intended for readers 18 and older, a one-night stand turning into several days, and a crafty old man who loves to butt into his grandson’s life.

Book Links:
Amazon US | Universal Link | Goodreads | BookBub

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The Marshal's PI (Yours to Protect Book 2)

 

Dodging bullets shouldn’t be fun…should it?

It is when the man protecting you is hot as sin.
Kai is a happy-go-lucky guy. At least, he was before the mob came knocking on his door.
He’ll go to any length to protect a secret, even work with US Marshal Gannin West.
The only man who can help.
The only man who drives him crazy.

To figure out how to stop the one who wants Kai erased, he’ll have to cooperate… But will it be too late?

The Marshal’s PI is the second book in the Yours to Protect Series. It features a goofy PI who wishes he lived in the 1930s, and a Federal Marshal who hates breaking the rules. Male/male romance, action, adventure, enemies to lovers, 18+ only.

Book Links:
Amazon US | Universal Link | Goodreads | BookBub

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About the Author:

Este Holland is a writer and reader of all things Romance. She's also a treasure hunter, a word wizard, a lover, and a fighter. She was born and raised in WV, and now lives in Virginia. She works in marketing during the day. She began writing novels in 2012.

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