Fierce and Fabulous by Elizabeth Varlet Guest Post, Review & Giveaway!

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Hi guys, we have Elizabeth Varlet stopping by with her debut MM novel Fierce and Fabulous, we have a fantastic guest post, a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Aerin’s review, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

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Fierce and Fabulous

(Sassy Boyz 01)
by

Elizabeth Varlet

The first book in a scorching new male/male series by Elizabeth Varlet. Behind the Sassy Boyz’s seductive smiles and sinful dance moves are desires that will leave readers breathless.

Fitch Donovan never thought a lap dance could change his life, but from the moment the gorgeous dancer’s lips touch his, his world comes screeching to a halt. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t shake the desire that rocks him to his core. He’s longed for this passion all his life—he just never dreamed he’d find it with another man.

Sharing a soul-shaking kiss with a straight boy is the kind of drama Ansel Becke just doesn’t need. Spotlights aren’t made for two and Ansel prefers to keep things on a one-night-only basis. So when Fitch shows up asking for an encore, Ansel knows he should send his gorgeous ass packing.

Though Ansel tries to pretend that what’s between him and Fitch is far from fabulous, there’s something about the big, burly contractor that makes Ansel’s world sparkle in a way no amount of glitter ever could. And Fitch will do whatever it takes to convince Ansel that when the thing you need most in the world falls right into your lap, you’d be a fool to let it go.

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Elizabeth Varlet

Hello! Thank you so much for having me here on MM Good Book Reviews. I’m excited to introduce myself and my newest release, Fierce & Fabulous.

I have been writing since I was a teenager, but this is my first M/M story and I’m absolutely thrilled to share it with readers. My main character, Ansel Becke, is a force to be reckoned with and his friends, the rest of the Sassy Boyz, are just as vibrant. I really hope you will fall in love with them, as I have.

All four of the Sassy Boyz have experienced what it is like on the streets of New York City for homeless gay teens. Unfortunately, this is a pervasive epidemic in our society. Even today, though we’ve made great strides in LGBTQ rights and bringing these issues out into the open, there are still thousands of kids who never get the support they need.

My characters were lucky enough to find a haven in the form of a fictional shelter called, Prism Center. There they were able to sleep in peace, get meals they may not have had, shower, and store their meager belongings. There they met friends who would eventually become family.

During research for this series, I looked into many LGBTQ specific shelters in NYC. They all do great work and they are all under-funded. That’s why I’m encouraging readers to make a donation. Find your local LGBTQ shelter and figure out how you can help. Or, if you don’t have one near you, donate to Trinity Place Shelter (http://trinityplaceshelter.org/) in NYC.

Trinity Place Shelter helps homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ*) youth and young adults in New York City safely transition out of the shelter system and grow into independent, positive, and productive adults. They only have space for 10 beds, but those 10 beds are so important.

(http://trinityplaceshelter.org/ways-to-help/donate/)

Your donation to Trinity Place Shelter supports LGBTQ youth in numerous ways. Some examples of how amounts from $19 to $5,800 impact our youth:

  • $19: A cake to celebrate a youth’s birthday
  • $117: Public transportation to work and/or school for a month
  • $200: A holiday celebration meal
  • $550: One new mattress for an incoming youth
  • $1,100: Dinner for a week for all residents
  • $5,800: Food for all residents for a month

*Please consider becoming a Trinity Place Shelter Guardian with an annual gift of $500 or more, payable as either a single gift or in monthly installments of $42.

Or, if you’d rather purchase something specific they also offer the chance to buy from Amazon. Check out their Amazon Wishlist (http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&id=2MICJT8TM5YHK&type=wishlist) and help them get the resources to aid these youth.

Even if you can’t donate, help spread the word about these amazing shelters and the fantastic work they are doing. Every little thing helps.

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Excerpt

A gay bar.

Of course it was a gay bar.

He should have known. Because only his sister would choose to celebrate her twenty-first birthday party in a gay bar.

Fitch sighed and scratched his jaw. Why couldn’t it have been a lesbian bar? They had those, right?

Then again, he wouldn’t have gotten any enjoyment in one of those either. Meg had ruined the whole lesbian-fantasy thing when she’d come out at fourteen. There was no pleasure in imagining two hot chicks doing nasty, beautiful things to each other when one of them kept morphing into your sister.

Fitch barely suppressed a shudder at the thought, but no one noticed. Not Meg or her friends, who were all too busy drinking and laughing and shouting over the thundering music to notice how uncomfortable he was.

A straight man in a gay club in New York City. He wasn’t the first, obviously, but he felt like it. He hunched over the Coke he’d been nursing for the past half hour and tried his best to ignore the interested stares he was getting. If his buddies could see him now they’d shit their pants laughing and then volunteer to kick some ass with him just as a matter of loyalty. As if he needed to protect his delicate manly sensibilities by resorting to physical violence.

He sighed.

No, he’d just have to suffer in silence.

The place was so dark it should have been impossible to catch anyone’s eye, but the rainbow laser light-beams moved in time with the strobe’s beat to create a disconcerting kaleidoscope effect that provided just enough light and just enough headache-inducing delirium for him to feel kind of trippy even though he was stone-cold sober.

Another sip of warm Coke didn’t help. And neither did the shadows or the uncomfortable hunch.

He couldn’t have stood out more if he’d had a blinking neon sign over his head.

The Vibe. If he’d been smart he would have said no as soon as Meg mentioned the name of the place. Then again, he’d never been able to say no to his baby sister. She was a devil with sweet eyes and he’d been devoted to her ever since she was born. Even if all she ever did was torture him.

“If you don’t cheer up I’m going to tell Mom,” Meg bellowed into his ear.

He looked up just in time to see her school her smile into a frown. Her hazel eyes reflected the rainbow lights and glittered back at him with an overly glossy veneer. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips twitched just enough to make him laugh.She’d always been a terrible liar.

“You are such a brat,” he said.

“Shut up, you love me.” Her giggle was slightly crazed.

“You’re drunk.”

She smiled and nudged his shoulder with her own. “I’m twenty-one, big bro! That’s the whole point.”

On his twenty-first he’d gone overboard with the Jack Daniel’s and ended up puking his guts out two hours into the party. The hangover had put him off the stuff for years. The way Meg was headed she’d be having a similar experience and the idea made everything else worth it.

“Sure, just remember that when Tara is holding your hair back and you’re worshiping the porcelain god.”

She pffted at him and turned to kiss Tara.

Jesus, she hadn’t even warned him. She really was a brat.

To avoid watching his baby sister make out, he turned toward the crowded dance floor. So much skin, so many grinding masculine bodies moving to the pop hit-slash-techno beat like the music put them into some kind of trance. Either the DJ was a wizard or the dancers were all caught in a lust frenzy. And the DJ was no wizard.

He rubbed his temple and considered heading to the bar to refresh his Coke, but the last time he’d done that he’d been hit on by three guys, all of them half-naked and young. Too young. And none of them had taken his “Sorry, I’m straight” as anything but a challenge. Better to just avoid the situation and hope the waiter would come by soon.

The music faded and the DJ’s voice came through the speakers.“And now it’s time for a treat. Put your hands together for the hottest show in New York City. Give it up, for the Sassy Boyz!”

Beside him, Meg squealed as the rest of the club erupted into cheers and turned to face a stage he hadn’t even noticed. The intro music started and the curtains slowly rose.

“Oh my God, they’re doing Jessie J’s ‘Do It Like A Dude’! I saw a clip of this one on YouTube, it’s awesome,” his sister exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat.

“Jesus, you’d think you were at a Beyoncé concert instead of a drag show.” He shook his head at her.

Across the table her friend leaned forward. “It’s not a drag show. They’re not queens.”

The volume of the music rose again and every light but the ones on the stage went dark.

He’d expected big hair, big makeup, and outrageous costumes.Something artificial. Not four slim females wearing baggy jeans, loose T-shirts, high heels, and baseball caps pulled low enough to cover their eyes. He definitely hadn’t expected the bright red lipstick or the silky long hair. These were definitely not drag queens.

As soon as the lyrics started, the dancers began their aggressive, syncopated moves. They thrust their hips, popped their chests, and flexed their biceps in stereotypical macho fashion, grabbing their crotches and adjusting their caps to match the suggestive lyrics.

And if that weren’t statement enough, they topped it all off by shooting the middle finger to the audience while stomping their high heels.

The dancers were so hot, especially the tallest one with long blond hair. Yeah, she was really fucking sexy. A night with her would be jerk-off fuel for years to come.

Especially considering those fuck-me heels.

Fitch’s pulse grew heavy with each hard hit of the drums, each reverberating thrum from the bass. He spread his legs and smoothed his jeans over his thighs to create more room for his growing hard-on, because watching the dance was like looking into the eyes of someone sucking your cock.

So fucking good.

When the bridge came, they lowered to the floor to perform a grinding, thrusting move that simulated sex so effectively it was almost like he could feel it. He gripped his knees until his knuckles whitened, and breathed through his mouth.

Just as the first song started to fade, another beat took over.The dancers moved to the back of the stage, where four chairs now stood, and began a slow striptease.

With every piece of clothing they removed, the crowd grew more and more wild and Fitch’s heartbeat grew more erratic.They flung their hats off and flipped their hair while rolling their hips, bringing to mind all kinds of ways he could touch and kiss and lick just so the tall blonde in the front would repeat that sexy little thrust.

Across the table, Meg whistled and her friends cheered just as loud. It was all he could do not to join in too, because the girls onstage were now bent over and sliding the denim over their gorgeous, leather-covered asses.

Holy fucking Christ.

He swallowed and reached for his glass with a shaking hand, forgetting it was already empty. He had no choice but to let his mouth go dry because there was no way he was tearing his eyes away from the stage. Not while they were still up there, and especially not while they were stripping.

Finally, they sat just as the new song began.

Meg must have recognized the song because she cheered again even louder right before she, and everyone else at the table, sang the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

“Booooots and Boys.”

With the first word, the dancers extended their legs to reveal knee-high sex-kitten boots. And on the second—fuck.

He stared, heart thudding so hard in his chest he thought it might fly out, leaving a giant gaping hole.

The dancers stood facing the audience, and the crowd’s decibel level skyrocketed. They were nearly naked, wearing only those damn boots and tight leather shorts. But that wasn’t why he couldn’t breathe.

They were guys.

Guys in heels and makeup.

Like a slap to the face he realized what he was seeing and how slow he’d been to assume they were female dancers. For fuck’s sake, they were in a gay bar. Of course they were guys.

And still he was unable to tear his eyes off the blond in the front. Not a fucking girl. The guy’s chest was flat as a pancake, unless you counted the extremely well-developed pecs—which Fitch didn’t.

Christ! He was still hard.

How could he still be hard?

Elizabeth Varlet - Fierce & Fabulous Banner 1Elizabeth Varlet banner

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth Varlet is a nerd at heart and spends way too many hours binging on episodes of her favorite television shows. If you love Doctor Who, Supernatural, Stargate, Star Trek, Sherlock, or Firefly you are already her best friend.

She started writing stories in high school and hasn’t stopped. Now, her characters like to get frisky under the covers – or the stars, they’re not picky. She’s a thirty-something, newly married, world-traveler who devours books like they were candy.

To contact Elizabeth, send her an email to elizabethvarlet@gmail.com. Or follow her on any of her social media sites.

Pinterest | Facebook | Website | @elizabethvarlet

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Giveaway!

Win a free copy of Fierce & Fabulous and a Sassy Swag Bag!

(Just leave a comment on this post)

(Ends 4th July 2016)
Winner will be picked at random by Elizabeth Varlet

Review

51SZvCIHiML._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Fierce & Fabulous

Series: Sassy Boyz, #1

Author: Elizabeth Varlet

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: Novel (206pgs)

ISBN: 9781460397404

Publisher: Carina Press (June 27 2016)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts (rounded to 10)

Reviewer: Aerin

Blurb: Fans of Heidi Cullinan will devour this scorching new male/male series by Elizabeth Varlet. Behind the Sassy Boyz’s seductive smiles and sinful dance moves are desires that will leave readers breathless.

Fitch Donovan never thought a lap dance could change his life, but from the moment the gorgeous dancer’s lips touch his, his world comes screeching to a halt. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t shake the desire that rocks him to his core. He’s longed for this passion all his life—he just never dreamed he’d find it with another man.

Sharing a soul-shaking kiss with a straight boy is the kind of drama Ansel Becke just doesn’t need. Spotlights aren’t made for two and Ansel prefers to keep things on a one-night-only basis. So when Fitch shows up asking for an encore, Ansel knows he should send his gorgeous ass packing.

Though Ansel tries to pretend that what’s between him and Fitch is far from fabulous, there’s something about the big, burly contractor that makes Ansel’s world sparkle in a way no amount of glitter ever could.

And Fitch will do whatever it takes to convince Ansel that when the thing you need most in the world falls right into your lap, you’d be a fool to let it go.

Product Link: http://www.carinapress.com/shop/books/9781460397404_fierce-fabulous.html

Review: Oh my fu**ing god. I loved this book so much. It makes me sad to think the GFY haters are going to drag this through the pits of hell.

Here’s the thing, I’m not an insensitive jerk who doesn’t understand why GFY is offensive to some people, but Fitch isn’t the man who fucks other men and then continues to say he’s straight. Yes, this is a GFY story since Fitch hasn’t been interested in men before/ but it wasn’t the new-found love for cock and magic sperm that turned him gay or bisexual or whatever else you might think.

Fitch Donovan was enjoying his lesbian sister’s 21st birthday and the love and closeness between the siblings made him easily grant her wishes of a wild night in a gay bar. Fitch’s breath hitched when the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen started performing on the stage. His stomach dropped in shock when he realized the unbearable physical attraction he felt was actually for a man… a very feminine man.

But, a man nonetheless. When his sister talks him into being a good sport and accepting a lap dance from the one person who’s turned Fitch’s head, Fitch’s world as he knows it ceases to exist.

Ansel Becke, a member of Sassy Boyz, is not an ordinary man. He’s a mixture of opposites that should not work together. But the result is a man who’s both strong and yet utterly vulnerable. Ansel is magnetic, unique, fascinating, infuriating. He’s everything Fitch has been looking for in a lover, but not the gender he’s expected to find it with.

What I absolutely loved is the fact that Fitch doesn’t let Ansel’s gender stop him from admitting Ansel is someone important to him. Someone he might be able to be happy with. There’s confusion and a brief emotional struggle as Fitch tries to define his sexuality. He’s not gay because he loves women. He’s not bisexual because he’s never been attracted to men before and he’s not attracted to any other men in the present.

The chemistry between Fitch and Ansel is not based on gender. It is more of an emotional and physical connection with a certain person that isn’t going to be cast aside only because Ansel is a man.

One thing that sets this book apart from any others is the feeling of liquid lightning that shot through my veins while reading the sex scenes, especially the first one. Good god, it was everything I’ve always wanted, needed and secretly hoped for. This wasn’t just another wild fuck.

I could hear protective walls being knocked down, could see new emotions and connections being born (fragile and unwanted but strong enough to survive). I could sense super nova explosions and all that poetic shit you can think of. But mostly I could see two human beings connecting emotionally and spiritually.

Fitch was a very intense lover who managed to turn tough boy Ansel into a vulnerable and utterly beautiful person. But let’s not forget about how filthy, hot and dirty this emotional sex was, because that’s just as important!!!

There’s the potential for a lot of angst because Ansel’s personal struggles run deeper than we see on the surface, and yet this book wasn’t too angsty. It was not a fluffy story, in the least. But it definitely didn’t reach its potential when it came to the angst. To me, it was perfect!

This is an amazing book, whose characters and the intensity between them truly sets it apart from other in its genre. I can’t wait for the next books in this series, because I’m looking forward to the rest of Sassy Boyz’s members finding their HEA.

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7 thoughts on “Fierce and Fabulous by Elizabeth Varlet Guest Post, Review & Giveaway!

  1. Thank you for the post about shelters and also for the great review. Going to go add this book to my TBR list.

  2. Great post and review, this book sounds fantastic and I’m definitely adding this to my TBR! The information about the shelter is a great addition too!

  3. Awesome post & review! I LOVED the expert! I can already tell this will be one of my favorite series! I LOVE M/M books with strippers/dancers! Congrats Elizabeth! Thanks for the info about the shelter too!

  4. What a great review and the excerpt has me hooked. Not sure I can wait to see if I win the book to read it!

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