Expanded Hearts by Logan Meredith Guest Post & Excerpt!

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Hi guys, we have Logan Meredith stopping by today with her upcoming release Expanded Hearts, we have a fantastic guest post and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~

Logan Meredith - Expanded Hearts

Expanded Hearts

(Heartland 02)
by

Logan Meredith

Psychologist Victor Mascari and his partner, massage therapist Derek Jameson, have been together eight years, but their relationship is still evolving. Derek distrusts monogamy because of his parents’ messy divorce, but as marriage equality advances, Victor’s doubts about their open relationship are growing. He doesn’t necessarily want a legal union, but he’s increasingly concerned about how others view them.

When Victor comes home to find Derek with another new boy, he’s annoyed… at first. As he gets to know Antonio, Victor discovers the young man is intelligent, self-assured, and charming. This time, it’s Victor who is intrigued by someone else, and Derek who thinks Victor’s interest is crossing the lines they’ve agreed on. If Victor wants to keep Derek, he’ll have to let Antonio go.

But Antonio is in real trouble, on the run from abuse with nowhere to turn. Victor and Derek take him in, and it soon becomes clear how well he fits into their lives, and how strong the bonds between all of them are growing. A committed relationship between three men, all very different in age and background, is enough of a challenge—and then the deadly secrets of Antonio’s past emerge.

Release date: 12th August

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Logan Meredith!

Hello to all.  My name is Logan Meredith, and I appreciate the opportunity to introduce Expanded Hearts, the second book from my Heartland Series, on MM Good Book Reviews. 

In Healed Hearts (Heartland Book One) I introduced Seth Ray and Jude Murphy.  Two men raised in the Midwest under very different circumstances. Seth, who has been on his own since the death of his mother, misses the love only a family can provide.   Jude, who is the youngest child of a large Irish-Catholic, affluent family wants nothing more than to settle down, get married, and start a family of his own.  Both men fight hard for their shared vision of a happily-ever-after. After all, that is the American dream, right? 

Maybe for most, but Derek Jameson would call Seth and Jude’s version of happiness his worst nightmare. Derek’s childhood was a front-row seat to what happens after the “I do’s”. Even at thirty-years-old, he’s still paying the price for his father’s constant infidelity. Every interaction with his bitter, lonely mother reinforces his decision to never risk the same fate. 

Thankfully, Derek has found a soulmate in Victor, and they’ve been cruising along on the S.S. Romance for eight years.  In that time, Victor obtained his Ph.D. and Derek realized his goal of opening his own spa.  They recently moved into their dream house. Best of all, Victor fully embraces his philosophy about marriage.  They regularly entertain beautiful men for purely hedonistic fun.  For Derek, it’s truly the best of both worlds—the love of a wonderful man, but without the unnatural limitations of monogamy.  

When marriage equality becomes a very real possibility in Indiana, Victor starts to reconsider his attitude about their open arrangement.  He loves Derek without question.  But does their saying “I don’t” mean their relationship is somehow lacking? 

It’s an oft-spoken cliché that marriage kills the romance of a relationship.  Whether it’s actually marriage, boredom or laziness, I’d say it’s a pretty common struggle to keep the passion alive after the initial excitement of falling in love fades.  So why it is that marriage is so often the happily-ever-after we want our romantic characters to reach?  And what happens after the last page? 

I have gay and lesbian friends who married their partners as soon as it was legally permissible and have never been happier.  I know others, both gay and straight, who never plan to marry their partners.  When writing Expanded Hearts, I asked several of them “why not marriage”?  Some had philosophical objections.  They viewed the practice as heteronormative, anti-feminist, or oppressive.  Others had more practical reasons—they cited financial limitations, a desire to avoid unnecessary legal entanglements, or simply considered themselves already married and just didn’t see the point.  These conversations started me thinking about marriage and the role it plays in a relationship.  Does it really deepen a commitment?  Enhance the romance?  In short, does it make an already good relationship great?  For some people, the answer is probably a resounding yes.  For others, like Derek, it’s an emphatic no.  I believe that more than exchanging rings and vows, individuals in successful relationships find ways to never lose sight of why they fell in love in the first place.  This takes a ton of hard work, communication and a whole lot of romance. 

Expanded Hearts examines this very different stage of love.  It isn’t about the excitement of two soulmates who find each other.  It’s about what happens next—when you’re in the boat together, far from the safety of the shore and navigating the rough seas of life together.  For Derek and Victor, a big storm comes in the form of Antonio Reyes—a troubled, intriguing young man with a secret past.

Antonio reignites the passion Derek and Victor share, but his presence magnifies the challenges of their open relationship.  Derek knows Victor is too interested in the mysterious Antonio and is desperate to protect their relationship.  Victor, who once so admired Derek’s protective nature, is conflicted about Derek’s sudden jealousy.  They struggle to stay afloat and chart their new course toward a (somewhat unconventional) happily-ever-after.

Please enjoy this exclusive excerpt from Expanded Hearts available August 12 from Dreamspinners Press.

Happy Reading,

Logan Meredith

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Excerpt

“Am I not meeting some of your needs?” Derek asked.

“What? Of course not.” Victor spoke without considering the question. He let Orca roll around on his lap and used the playtime as an excuse not to look at Derek—fearful that looking would reveal a different truth. In a lot of ways, he did get something different from Antonio than from Derek. He couldn’t explain it, but it wasn’t a missing piece. He didn’t need it to feel complete or loved.

“That’s what I thought. Jonah sort of put it into my head that maybe us being relaxed about sex meant you had needs I wasn’t meeting. Intimacy needs. Like maybe that’s what you were doing with Antonio. You’ve never acted like that before with the others.”

Hearing Derek’s fears saddened Victor. “I can’t explain my reaction to him. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him, but you shouldn’t worry so much.”

“I know you, Vic. It’s more than that. Even before Antonio. With all this marriage stuff. I need to know if you’re unhappy with our arrangement in any way. Do you need something I’m not giving you?” Derek’s voice weakened.

He only needed Derek, but the real Derek, not the guy before him who was suggesting monogamy because of something Jonah said that wasn’t even true. He couldn’t imagine the Derek who wasn’t steadfastly committed to his convictions about monogamy. Who wouldn’t use his devious smile to exchange innuendo with a gorgeous man. Who wouldn’t stroke him while he watched that man give them both pleasure? It wouldn’t be Derek. He wouldn’t be happy. Victor handed over Orca as if to say, “You’re going to need him once I say what I have to say.”

“Honestly I’ve been thinking a lot about commitment lately. With all that’s happening in the courts, I’m seeing a lot of gay men faced with this new option to marry, and I think it’s natural to get swept up in the romance and fairy tale.”

“Is that why you told Shelly we were getting married? Is that what you want?”

“I’m not sure what I want. I don’t think you’d be happy with monogamy. We shouldn’t confuse sex with intimacy or what we have. It’s not as if marriage would mean that part of our relationship has to change either. I get that the jealousy isn’t healthy. Maybe we should nix the one-on-one play. What if we limit it to threesomes? We both enjoy it together. I know I always have less jealousy if I’m there too.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart? I don’t want you to think you’re not enough for me.”

“We can try it out and see how it goes. It’s less restrictive and forces us to communicate. If we don’t both agree, then it doesn’t happen. If we do, we can enjoy without guilt. Sound good?” Victor tried to sound convincing. If they could ease into monogamy slowly, perhaps it would give them time to adjust and make sure it was something Derek really wanted to do. It had the added benefit of shoring up some of his own hurt feelings before they took that step, but he didn’t say it. The last thing he wanted was for Derek to think of it as some sort of trust test.

Try as Orca might, he couldn’t lick off Derek’s apprehension with his puppy tongue. Even hours later Victor could see Derek wasn’t convinced the issue was resolved. As they sat on their bed with Derek between Victor’s spread legs, Victor rubbed in Derek’s lotion, and enjoyed their ritual for the first time in more than a week. He wished Orca weren’t whining about being in his crate down the hall, so they could make love uninterrupted.

“Maybe we should let him sleep with us for tonight.” Derek looked hopeful.

As Orca snuggled between them, Victor laughed at the image. Derek turned toward him, his arm resting over Orca and his hand on Victor’s hip. Derek breathed in a contented sleep. He hadn’t looked so relaxed in weeks.

Victor enjoyed rubbing Orca’s belly more than any part he ever rubbed on their usual human guests. There was no comparison. If only all their conquests could be so cute.

Despite the wholesome image and all the warm feelings he had looking at Derek sleeping soundly next to him, God help him, he still fell asleep with Antonio on his mind.

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About Logan

Logan Meredith began writing as a teenager when beautiful boys started keeping her company at night. Unfortunately, the voices she heard were imaginary, and their conversations resulted in horrible insomnia. They only let her sleep when she started typing their words down. Thankfully, being awkward as hell and a head taller than anyone else in the school afforded plenty of spare time for writing.

At first, she tried to make them play with characters from her favorite television series or books. She found her lost tribe with a ravenous, crazy group of fanfiction lovers online and started sharing her stories publicly. Then something amazing happened: new characters arrived and started demanding their own stories. Only they wanted their own world to play in and they wanted to find their true loves. So between her day job and making time for her family, she tries to keep up with the demands from her beautiful men for their happily ever afters.

A native of San Antonio, Texas and a graduate of the University of Texas-San Antonio, Logan currently resides in Indianapolis, IN. In addition to writing, she spends her time reading and re-reading her favorite books, cheering for the San Antonio Spurs, playing Words with Friends, and procrastinating pretty much everything else.

Logan is a proud member of the LGBTQA community and vocal advocate for mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and marriage equality campaigns.

Logan welcomes the chance to interact with readers.

Twitter | E-mail: loganmeredith2015@gmail.com

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