Hey guys, we have K. Vale blessing our site with her sexy rocker Gio from her latest release Double Takes, Kimber chats a little about Kids in MM Romance, we get a bit of a steamy excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and I bless you with my review *cheeky smile*, so see what we have to offer and click that Rafflecopter link… Good Luck <3 ~Pixie~  

Blurb:

Ah, the life of a rock star. Everyone thinks it’s nothing but sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Not for Giovanni Savale.

For the lead singer of Three Deaf Mice, a band that reached its pinnacle in the late nineties, it’s nothing but an ugly divorce with a custody battle, money trouble, and now the nightmare exposure of starring in a reality television show. When his producer decides to cash in on an infamous interview Gio did years ago, and give the self-confessed bisexual rocker an onscreen boyfriend, things really hit the fan. Gio is certain his sexual experimentation back in his drug-abusing days meant nothing — after all he’s been married for nine years, clean and sober for nearly as long, and he has a son. And Gio is not remotely attracted to Kyrie, the funny, flamboyant actor they choose for his love interest. Of course, Lance Garrett, the mysterious and sexy owner of the local antique shop, Double Takes, is a whole different story. The guy has Gio planning out a future he never imagined. With the threat of losing all custody of his ten-year-old son, ghosts from the past returning for revenge, and the cameras rolling, can Gio keep his head above water and his heart from getting broken?

Kids in MM Romance

By Kimber Vale

Kids. Who needs ’em?

Okay, that’s just part of my daily litany when it comes to child rearing. I tell ya, I was the most gung-ho infant mother you ever met. I nursed all my kids for at least two years each (bring on the crazy mom flame wars!) and cloth diapered with dipes and covers I sewed and knitted myself. I wore my precious little beings in baby back-strap thingies. I took them to playdates and did puzzles and read books–at least two–every freakin’ night before bed after their post-bath lavender lotion rubdowns for sweet snoozing.

I was extreme. That’s how I do most things. Until I get tired of them.

Now my kids are 11, 8, and 6, and I sometimes feel like I’ve checked out. I hate sitting on a cold bench for an hour and a half soccer practice (in which my youngest farts around and ignores the coach and everyone looks at me like I’m a loon when I march over to yell at him). I despise proof-reading homework and fighting to get it done. I still read to my kids most nights, but now my pre-teen doesn’t hang around to hear the less sophisticated books I’ve picked up from the library.

It’s kinda sad, and I guess just an inevitable hardening of my kid-arteries with age. I’m burned out. The first step is admitting it. The next step usually involves a glass of wine.

So, do I like to read kids in my romance books, namely in MM romance? To be honest, I avoid them like a public restroom door handle on the way out. What the hell, right? But for me, it’s almost like when well-meaning friends recommend child-rearing books and I laugh in their faces. What? Read a book about kids when I finally have those hellions in bed? Are you out of your fucking mind?

Or that movie “This is 40.” Granted, I’m not a huge Paul Rudd fan, but I do love me some Jason Segel, and I figured it would be funny. I was ready to slit my wrists as soon as the kids started jumping on the parents’ bed about five minutes in.

Kids in books? Eh…

Well, I wrote one, dammit. And to be honest, when I was going back and editing my book Double Takes, some of my favorite parts were Gio’s interactions with his son, Marco. They were real to me, these two people trying to figure out how to go from a single family unit to a double. No, I haven’t been through a divorce, but I could totally see how heart wrenching such a thing could be from both the parents’ and child’s perspective.

In the end, I loved writing a kid in this book. He’s a kid I would watch for a long weekend, and that’s saying something, because those are rare gems. Heck, Marco might have even convinced me to pick up more books with children in them.

Ummm. I’m still totally out on the “How to Raise a Kid who doesn’t Pick his Nose” book. Eventually, someone at school will make him regret that. See? No book necessary.

Excerpt:

Lance’s hand on top of his stopped Gio from silencing the irritating voice.

Gio sat down heavily next to Lance, one hand still burdened by his dinner plate and the other sandwiched between Lance’s palm and the remote. He didn’t dare pull it away, and Lance apparently wanted to see the entire commercial because he kept Gio trapped there until it finished.

“What was that all about?” Lance’s warm fingers slid from Gio’s, leaving his hand cold.

“Ah, it’s dumb. The world’s most degrading way to make a paycheck.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Lance stared at something past Gio’s shoulder.

“The producers took some stupid poll and found out the viewers want to see me…” Gio paused in search of the right word. What the hell did people want to see? “They wanna see me squirm. They want to see a supposedly bisexual man drowning in the same-sex dating pool. It’s all bullshit—just for ratings.”

“So, you’re not really dating that guy?”

“No! Well, yeah, I have to for the show. But not really. It’s just a publicity stunt, you know?”

“So, you aren’t bi, then?” Lance cocked his head and skewered Gio with those intense hazel eyes.

“Yeah! No! I mean … it’s not like I…” What the fuck was he even trying to say? You’ve screwed around with guys before, ass munch.

The confused squint of the eyes staring back at him—moss-green with spikes of brown radiating from his pupils—told Gio his answer didn’t exactly make sense to Lance, either.

“I always wondered if those rumors were true before you got married.” Lance made it sound like a question.

“Well, you know how it is … when you’re young, and you party too much. Sometimes you do shit you wouldn’t normally do if you weren’t fucked up, right?” Gio gave a weak laugh.

Lance’s face was introspective and finally he shook his head. “When I was young and I partied too much, I never ended up in bed with a woman, so no … I don’t know.”

Hold the fucking phone. Something skipped inside Gio’s chest. It was nauseating and exhilarating all at once. Like a rollercoaster when it crests the top of a hill. He knew he was about to drop, he craved the intoxicating free fall, but was scared shitless at the same time.

Lance placed his dinner on the coffee table and turned to Gio.

What is going on? How do I even respond to that?

“So…?” Gio began, but then Lance’s right hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer to those amazing eyes, his mouth closer to Lance’s flawless one.

Lips, soft yet firm and unbelievably full, pressed to Gio’s and his eyelids dropped like they were weighted. Fingers carded the hair at the back of his head and lured him to kiss back. Or maybe it was the faint spicy smell Gio now associated with Lance that made his lips pucker and nibble against the other guy’s delicious mouth. Gio detected a hint of lemon poppy seed dressing as he sucked a voluptuous bottom lip between his own.

Lance’s tongue darted out to lick Gio’s closed mouth, and Gio opened to suck in a surprised breath. Gio’s tongue had a will of its own. It touched Lance’s wet tip and they swirled together, exploring each other’s taste, marking new territory in the other’s domain.

A low rumble came from somewhere; Gio wasn’t sure if it was he or Lance who groaned. He wanted to grab the man sitting next to him, wanted to slide his hand up the inseam of his jeans and stroke his dick into dripping hardness. Gio’s own cock was filling, twitching against the constraints of his pants with each meeting of their tongues.

Oh my God, what the hell am I doing? Nothing about this kiss—hot slippery tongues meshing and soft bristles tickling his cheeks—nothing about it was like his memories of other men. Those were hazy and unreal and this was vibrant—electric. His conscience had long ago associated those fleeting, drugged sexual acts with perversion. He had swept them under the carpets of history along with his ancient addictions. But this kiss didn’t make him think of sinfulness and mistakes. It felt right, like nothing before ever had. It flooded his senses and his prick and had him aching for more, everything Lance had.

Gio pulled away from his thoughts and from Lance’s lips. His breath came in shallow gasps that exposed him as much as the bulge in his pants did. Lance slid his warm hand off Gio’s neck and took a shaky inhalation. Gio swallowed hard as he swiped his hair back with trembling fingers. His plate was still in the other hand, tilting precariously but fortunately not dumped all over the floor. He set it down on the table just as a cheer went up on the television.

The Red Sox had scored a home run. I only got to first base, but man I was close to dropping to my knees and knocking this one out of the park. What the fuck?

Lance took a long pull off his water. Gio watched him out of the corner of his eye while he pretended to be enraptured by Big Papi jogging the bases. He had no clue what he should do or say. I’m not really into guys didn’t seem at all right anymore. Lance made it easy for him.

“Hey, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to freak you out. Just wanted to give you something to think about and you can get back to me on it.” He gave a half smile that was sexy as hell.

About Kimber

Kimber Vale writes romance of all stripes, from hot hetero stories to mouthwatering men falling in love (under the name K. Vale). Keep up with Kimber’s news and follow all her tour stops on her blog: http://www.kimbervale.me  and friend/follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kimber.vale and Twitter @KimberVale. Come for the sex. Stay for the story. http://www.authorkimbervale.com

Find Double Takes:

On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Double-Takes-Shooting-Stars-Vale-ebook/dp/B00JTNT4MO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398112227&sr=8-1&keywords=Double+Takes+K.+Vale

At Liquid Silver Books: http://www.lsbooks.com/double-takes-p901.php

All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-doubletakes-1484498-149.html

Watch the Double Takes book trailer:

Giveaway!

Kimber has a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (winner’s choice) up for grabs!

(Just click the link below)

K. Vale Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends 16th May 2014)

Title: Double Takes

Series: Shooting Stars 02

Author: K. Vale

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella (122pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-62210-099-6

Publisher: Liquid Silver (21^st April 2014)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Ah, the life of a rock star. Everyone thinks it’s nothing but sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Not for Giovanni Savale.

For the lead singer of Three Deaf Mice, a band that reached its pinnacle in the late nineties, it’s nothing but an ugly divorce with a custody battle, money trouble, and now the nightmare exposure of starring in a reality television show. When his producer decides to cash in on an infamous interview Gio did years ago, and give the self-confessed bisexual rocker an onscreen boyfriend, things really hit the fan. Gio is certain his sexual experimentation back in his drug-abusing days meant nothing — after all he’s been married for nine years, clean and sober for nearly as long, and he has a son. And Gio is not remotely attracted to Kyrie, the funny, flamboyant actor they choose for his love interest. Of course, Lance Garrett, the mysterious and sexy owner of the local antique shop, Double Takes, is a whole different story. The guy has Gio planning out a future he never imagined. With the threat of losing all custody of his ten-year-old son, ghosts from the past returning for revenge, and the cameras rolling, can Gio keep his head above water and his heart from getting broken?

Purchase Link: http://www.lsbooks.com/double-takes-p901.php

US: http://www.amazon.com/Double-Takes-Shooting-Stars-Vale-ebook/dp/B00JTNT4MO

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Double-Takes-Shooting-Stars-Vale-ebook/dp/B00JTNT4MO

Review: This story is part of a series and is best read in order. Gio is a rock star hoping to make a comeback, but first he has to deal with his divorce and custody battle and that means starring on a reality TV show to pay the lawyers, when his producer insists that he gets an onscreen boyfriend Gio grits his teeth and bears it, but it isn’t the little waiter that catches his eye. Lance is the antique dealer Gio turns to, to sell his ex-wife’s stuff and the attraction he feels for Lance has him questioning everything he ever wanted, but Lance is a private person with a secret he needs to keep hidden and with the cameras rolling it’s a juggle to spend time together.

This is a great second story in the Shooting Stars series where a rock star discovers the truth about himself and an antiques dealer has danger in his past. Gio basked in his fame with drinks and drugs and now many years later he’s dry and clean but still has battles to face, divorcing his wife is a battlefield itself without the added pressure of filming a reality TV show. Lance has a quiet life far removed from his past; his attraction to Gio has him throwing caution to the wind. Lance and Gio explore their relationship but when Gio gets pressured by the producer snatched moments is all they have, until Lance is discovered and then his past comes back with vengeance in mind.

I really enjoyed this story as we watch Gio admit to himself that maybe his drink and drug filled antics might have been a sign and as we see him trying to do what is best for his son. Lance is a perfect candidate to be Gio’s love interest and we also get the added bonus that there is something in his past that he is hiding, there’s no direct action at first to make you feel this but you just clue in to the fact during his first meeting with Gio and boy is it a doozy. Seeing Gio stumble through what he feels endears him to us and as we watch him deal with his ex-wife, his overzealous producer, his fake boyfriend and his hidden boyfriend you begin to wonder why he hasn’t gone postal. Lance is trickier to work out as this story is from Gio’s point of view but we get that Lance is a genuinely nice person who falls quickly for Gio, but I suppose at first some of that was hero-worship for the lead singer of his favourite band. That doesn’t mean that Lance’s feelings aren’t genuine because they are, but with his past still controlling his actions you do wonder if he will stick around.  

Reading this story was a pleasure because it was very easy to get into and stay with, the ups and downs for both MC’s never let you down and all the characters really pull you in. This story has it all, discovering oneself, new love, deviousness, laying the past to rest, an action scene that came from nowhere, lovers reuniting, hot sex and let’s not forget a visit from Chance and Alex (Forever is Now) as we attend their beautiful wedding… so really a story for all. I have to say a small mention for Kyrie (fake boyfriend) because he was just a bundle of energy who, surprisingly, I became very fond of and I would love to see in his own story… well he is an aspiring actor *wink*    

So really I have to say that I recommend this to everyone who loves any of the above, it’s a wonderful story and c’mon it has rock stars!