Hi guys! We have C.J. Baty popping in today with her new release Aces Up, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Aces Up
(The Pinkerton Man 03)
by
C.J. Baty
Stiles Long emphatically did not want his lover, Michael O’Leary to go on the assignment he had been given. He didn’t care that Michael was an amazing poker player or that his commander thought Michael was the perfect man for the job. He almost lost Michael once. He couldn’t go through that again.
Michael needed this. He needed to prove that he was able to take care of himself. He didn’t need Stiles to take care of him. He needed to be Stiles’ equal. The poker game in Durango, Colorado was his chance to prove that. The fact that Stiles didn’t want him to go didn’t matter. Michael had to do this.
Lizzie Ferguson was Stiles partner in the Pinkerton Agency. She was a good agent. That didn’t mean, she had to like being dressed in satin and lace, showing way too much of her body to total strangers. Lizzie knew there was more going on at Maverick’s Saloon, and it might just cost her life.
None of them suspected that a simple poker game would turn into a deadly nightmare. If the three of them weren’t careful, one of them might just end up the next victim.
Hi guys! We have Gretchen Evans stopping by today with her new release Bumper to Bumper, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $10 NineStar GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Bumper to Bumper
(Cruised 01)
by
Gretchen Evans
Gabe is bored with hookup culture. He’s in his thirties and wants something more stable. But sitting in traffic is even more boring. He expects more of the same tired, headless torsos when he swipes open Cruised, the most popular hookup app for men, during his morning commute. Instead, he meets Mark.
Mark is handsome, funny, and interested in conversation. He’s also interested in meeting Gabe in coffee shop bathrooms for quickies on the way to work. Mark doesn’t rush out of the room after sex either. He’s tender and sweet, and way more than Gabe had hoped for. The sex is hot, but the connection between Gabe and Mark is something deeper.
Gabe’s feelings grow each time he and Mark text, but seeing an attractive woman driving Mark’s car stops Gabe cold. He doesn’t want to hookup with a cheater. He doesn’t want to stop seeing Mark either. But could it all be a misunderstanding?
Gabe knows nothing about Mark’s life or how to negotiate a hookup into something more. Does Mark want something more, or is he already taken?
Hi peeps! We have C.F. White popping in today with her new release Love & Tea Bags, we have a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Love & Tea Bags
by
C.F. White
Fate can be written in a tea bag too.
Mark Johnson is hitting his forties and is stuck in a rut.
He’s had the same boring office job for ten years, with no motivation or inclination to change it. The same crumbling house for ten years, with no cash or know-how to fix it. And the same Facebook status for five years—it’s complicated. It isn’t. He’s single. He just doesn’t want to correct it. That would be admitting defeat.
The day a tea bag splats onto his face whilst he’s emptying the dregs of his morning cuppa at Macy’s Tea Shoppe is the one that makes him question each of his current life choices…the tea bag and that the shop is currently being run by one rather friendly, rather hunky, but rather young Australian named Bradley Summers.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (4th April 2017)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: Dakota Landry just got out of prison after 12 years. If anyone can understand how that feels, it’s his new friend, Sage, who is determined to help him get used to life on the outside – and be-lieves Dakota didn’t commit the crime he was in for.
Jayden Wilson is a former prosecutor who agrees to look into the case at the request of Sage’s lover, Adam. He sets out to prove Dakota is just another “innocent” ex-con, but once they meet, Jayden is more and more convinced Dakota just didn’t do what everyone thinks he did.
Trouble follows Dakota, and nothing is easy as he struggles to figure out how to live, now that he has choices. And Jayden isn’t sure how Dakota, or any lover for that matter, fits into his life. Their path from friendship to romance is a slow one, but Dakota begins to believe he deserves a chance at life, and Jayden falls a little more for Dakota every day. Now they just need to tell each other how they feel.
Review: Catch and Release is the third book in BA Tortuga’s The Release series. This book can work as a standalone book, but since the main characters of the two previous books feature so heavily, I would recommend avoiding this.
I really enjoy Tortuga’s writing and always look forward to a wonderfully sexy cowboy romance, some books are sweet, some are angsty, some have a touch of mystery. There’s always something to enjoy as long as you love a cowboy! Overall, The Release has also been a fantastic series which has the overarching theme of emotional and physical healing and making a family with the friends you find who support you unconditionally.
The narration for this book was done by Lou Lambert. After the unfounded trepidation I felt when I realised that the same narrator was not performing the whole series, I was ok to find that the third and final book had a different narrator again. I figure that these men were chosen because they suit the main characters of each book. After all, this isn’t exactly a cookie cutter group of people who happen to become friends, they are all different in personality and intensity, which is what makes me love the series. I hadn’t heart anything by Lou Lambert before listening to Catch and Release, but as I just said, his voice suited both main characters. He nailed the tone that conveyed their hope and their hopelessness, sometimes all within the same scene.
Catch and Release is the story of Dakota Landry and Jayden Wilson. Dakota has just served 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, too bad his own family did nothing to help him, like providing a lawyer. At the time he had been a lonely, gay, chubby college student who was found guilty of raping a girl at a party he had made a brief appearance at after she named him as her rapist. Getting out of jail, Dakota doesn’t have much hope. In many ways he is a lot like Sage from book 1, although Sage was guilty of being a druggie, both men went into jail as boys and went through their twenties in jail, often used by more tougher, violent men in the jail. And it is Sage that took it upon himself to take Dakota under his wing, with a lot of reservations from his husband. Dakota finds it difficult to realise that there is someone in his corner. It is through Sage that he meets lawyer Jayden Wilson.
Jayden used to be a prosecuting attorney, but the stress and danger of dealing with such horrible cases led Jayden to have a go a property law. However, his past caught up with him and he currently has a guy acting as security – Adam (Sage’s husband) who was in the army, was a cop and now a security specialist. Adam explains about his concerns of Sage befriending a convicted rapist who, on the surface had an open and shut case. With the danger over, Jayden feels the itch to have a look into things and quite suddenly things aren’t as clear as it had been assumed.
Dakota is so beaten down, he finds it nearly impossible to believe in the hope that Jayden is offering. However, as the men get to know each other more the connection between them grows into something more.
I’m finding it difficult to find a book in this series that I liked more than the others. It is impossible. Unlike many series that have a lot of similarities between characters and storylines, this series gives readers three very different stories with six very different characters, all of whom have been deeply affecting by an event in their lives before we meet them.
Catch and Release is an excellent story for those that like a little bit of crime, Law and Order style, with their romance.
Series: Search and Rescue 01, Dreamspun Desires 86
Author: Amy Lane
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (226 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-64405-543-4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (16th July 2019)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: Survive the adventure. Live to love.
Following a family emergency, snowboarder Tevyn Moore and financier Mallory Armstrong leave Donner Pass in a blizzard… and barely survive the helicopter crash that follows. Stranded with few supplies and no shelter, Tevyn and Mallory—and their injured pilot—are forced to rely on each other.
The mountain leaves no room for evasion, and Tevyn and Mal must confront the feelings that have been brewing between them for the past five years. Mallory has seen Tevyn through injury and victory. Can Tevyn see that Mallory’s love is real?
Mallory’s job is risk assessment. Tevyn’s job is full-on risk. But to stay alive, Mallory needs to take some gambles and Tevyn needs to have faith in someone besides himself. Can the bond they discover on the mountain see them to rescue and beyond?
Review: Warm Heart is the first book in a new series by Amy Lane for Dreamspun Desires called Search and Rescue. Since reading Amy Lane’s series The Mannies (also for Dreamspun Desires) I have been a great fan of Lane’s writing, I love the writing style and I love the down to earth characters who are quite extraordinary in many ways.
Warm Heart is no exception for me. This book is not only a romance, but there is plenty of drama and danger faced by the characters which force them to face up to feelings that have been buried deep down. I really enjoyed this story and with the groundwork laid out for the rescue workers who appear in the book as secondary characters (makes sense since the series called Search and Rescue), I am looking forward to the next instalment with a lot of anticipation. I really hope that the MCs pop up in subsequent books as well, because I love them both.
So, onto the story.
Tevyn Moore is a world class snowboarder. He has worked hard for his career, despite how dangerous it is. It also helps that the money he earns has allowed him to afford the care for his sick grandmother, who had raised him and he absolutely worships. However, love hasn’t really been anything on the cards for him. Despite his crush on his financial manager (or perhaps just a manager in general I found that description kind of vague?), Mallory Armstrong, he has had a lot of fun exploring his own sexuality with a seemingly endless parade of one-night stands. But that’s ok, because Tevyn is not ready for anything serious and so it easy to dismiss his fun when we finally get Tevyn and Mallory in the same room.
Mallory doesn’t like hanging out at official events, but he arrives at one to find Tevyn urgently. His feelings for Tevyn seem to be obvious to everyone, including Tevyn who just hasn’t examined the reasons for the extra attention and kindness from Mallory. Mallory is too professional and past experiences has Mallory more concerned about taking care of Tevyn instead of ruining what they do have with a romance. The weather is atrocious, but the helicopter pilot is confident and Mallory wants to, needs to, get Tevyn home to his grandmother whose health has taken a very bad turn.
However, with tragedy strikes, leaving Tevyn, Mallory and the helicopter pilot (Damien Ward) stranded in the middle of a blizzard. Damien is in bad shape and Tevyn is the most well equipped to be able to keep them alive as they form to plan to survive while they wait for help. Damien is ex-military and has faith in his friends, who are prominent in the search and rescue business, will find them. Survival and facing death mean that Tevyn and Mallory also find themselves having some rather intimate and truth-telling moments that will change their relationship.
They have fantastic chemistry and I really liked the fact that there were no useless sex scenes while the guys were trying to survive and keep their friend alive. I’ve been burned one too many times with books that slot in sex scenes in stupid places. I am very much looking forward to the next book, which is Damien’s romance with a guy that helps rescue the trio. I’m also super excited at the thought of Warm Heart coming out in audio.
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Detective & Thrillers
Length: Novella (115pgs)
Publisher: Westburg Publishing (July 18, 2018)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts
Blurb: Kaua’i Detective, Jake Jensen, has just settled into married life with his new wife Angela and he loves his job in the laid back island paradise. When he hears his brother Lane, an undercover LAPD cop, has gone missing while on assignment, he flies to the mainland to help locate him.
Jake immediately rubs Lane’s partner Brennan the wrong way. Brennan has no need of his help, and he fears his intrusion will put Lane in even more jeopardy. Jake is not easily swayed when it comes to protecting family and when Bren finally realizes he’s not going to be able to shake the tenacious detective, the men vow to find a way to work together.
As Jake plunges into the unfamiliar world where Lane’s gone undercover, from the biker bars of the Inland Empire to the gay bars of West Hollywood, he uncovers evidence that perhaps Lane has more secrets than he’s been prepared to face.
With unforeseen danger lurking around every corner, Brennan and Jake form an uncommon brotherhood with one goal, taking down the bad guys… while getting Lane out alive.
Please note. This title qualifies as MM Young Adult fiction. There are gay characters but no on page sexual situations. Please note: there is language in the book which some readers and parents may find objectionable but no more so than a teen would hear in their local high school on a daily basis. If a parent is concerned about this, the author suggests they read the book before passing it on to their teen. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the author in advance. patricialogan.author at yahoo dot com.
Review: Jake’s brother Lane is a detective in the states and goes missing while on a case. Jake travels to the US from Hawaii to help find him despite what Lane’s partner Brennan thinks. They discover a link between a previous case of Jake’s and the one Link and Brennan are working on.
The clock is ticking as the two men hope to find Lane before his time runs out for good.
Action packed and highly addictive this is a non stop edge of your seat thriller that will grab your attention from start to finish as clues and secrets are revealed that lead Brennan and Jake on dangerous adventures as they try to find Lane as soon as possible and pray for the best.
I loved all the characters as they all life to the story. There is no sex in this story but it did not need the added distraction of an overabundance of them as is in most other books in the genre. The reader was able to focus on the facts and investigation of the whereabouts of Lane and the danger. I myself enjoyed this story immensely.
Publisher: Dani Gray & Lisa Oliver (February 9, 2019)
Length: Novella (103 Pages)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4.5 Heart
Blurb: While dumpster diving for food to feed his brother and himself, Peter Ames was discovered by the shop owner Cupid. When the offer for a free meal was giving to him, Peter was overjoyed at the prospect. Later, when Cupid offers him a job washing the dishes, a very grateful Peter would have done just about anything for the man who helped to make sure he could support himself and his brother Harvey.
When the wards that Cupid, the god of love, had placed around his namesake’s shop went off and he went to investigate, the last person he expected to meet was his mate. Upset at how busy his life already was, Cupid, or Eros as Peter preferred to call him, turned his back on his mate. When he realized that the Fates weren’t going to change their minds, Eros was horrified to find out that his neglect had left his mate near death.
But even with a god’s protection, life isn’t rainbow clouds and buttercups. A man from Peter’s past wants him dead and doesn’t care if anyone gets in his way. Will Peter and Eros ever be able to live their life as the Fates directed, or will Peter be struck down from someone else’s hatred?
Review: Peter and his brother Harvey were not only homeless but on the run. Their mother had been murdered and the killer was after them. It was hard to find help so they searched for food in the dumpsters. On one such search for food, the owner of the shop he was dumpster diving found him. Instead of getting angry the owner, Cupid offered to help them both. Then he offers Peter a job.
When Eros who is also know as Cupid, the real Cupid, shows up to find out who is in the store, to his surprise he finds his mate. Cupid is the god of love and had placed wards around his namesake’s shop and he is in for more surprises. However he doesn’t want a mate or so he thinks. Not only is someone after his mate, his neglect is affecting Peter. Now Cupid or Eros has to decide.
This was not only sweet but very cute. It not only gave me a story that drew me in but gave me the right balance of love, laughter, danger, excitement and so much more. Now I recognized that the writing wasn’t the same style as Lisa Oliver’s but it was still pretty good. My only other issue was the mistake about the guy’s father and a few editing mistakes but it doesn’t take away from the story much.
I can’t wait to read Harvey’s story. I liked the characters quite a bit although Eros is still in the dog house. Now I will say that it definitely needs a better proof reading to get rid of the errors. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and would suggest it.
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (October 10, 2018)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖 3 Hearts
Blurb: In the middle of a training trip, Keeska’s shuttle navigation fails and strands Keeska on Earth—alone, no way to contact home, and with no chance of help from the locals…until one does.
When Eric starts leaving food in front of an abandoned storefront in the crappy strip mall by his house, he thought he was helping a dog or a homeless kid. He gets the shock of his life when he discovers an alien instead. Not sure what else to do, especially with the alien bleeding and in shock, Eric realizes he’s about to have an unusual houseguest.
But as Keeska’s health improves, they both forget that Keeska should probably be finding a way home. As they grow increasingly close, they are forced to figure out the answers to questions they never thought would have to be asked…
Review: Eric shows how kind he is when he leaves food outside for what he thinks is a stray animal. When he discovers an alien named Keesha hurt and bleeding he takes him home to help care for him. The two form a bond and grow from there.
I liked both characters a lot. Even though they where different they were both sweet. These two were made for each other in every way.
Blurb: Welcome to the mercenary ship, The Blue Solace:
Leti Ando needs off planet and fast. He has a best friend and a new half-sister to rescue, and he needs to be sneaky about it. Unfortunately sneaky isn’t really his thing. With the help of a friend, Leti and his menagerie, along with his two companions, stow away aboard a mystery ship. Little does he know that The Blue Solace belongs to the infamous mercenary, Captain Will Hackett, a man he’ll come to love with everything inside him.
Will has been in a bitchy ass mood for the past six months. He’s restless and grumpy, but doesn’t know why. He knows he needs something and he can’t find it, but his crew are out of patience and insist on some R &R back home at Charybdis Station.
Then Hack finds a stow away angel and everything changes. Leti is his mate and he’ll do anything to keep him safe and happy, even smile.
The galaxy’s not a safe place, though, and The Blue Solace has a job to do: pick up a renowned scientist and his mysterious artifact. Then get them safely back to Charybdis Station. Hack and Leti don’t realize their romance story is about to get hijacked by Concord mercenaries. Their love is easy, it happens just like that. Staying alive and keeping the galaxy safe? That’s a little harder.
Review: Leti is half Prime and half Wello, which means he is a breeder male. As nasty as his father is to him, he is even more evil then one would expect. He has put Leti’s half sister on the block to be sold to the highest bidder. Thank god he had a friend who would be doing the bidder for him. He was determined to get his best friend, little sister and all of his animals off this blasted planet. They were going to stow away on a ship ran by mercenaries, although I am not sure he knows that part.
Will is getting moodier and moodier as time goes by. One of his crew realizes it just might be a sign that he is going to find his mate. What he finds is his mate, another young man, a baby girl and a large amount of animals in crates on his ship. Lets just say he won’t be getting moody after that.
Damn this was a blast to read, a real big surprise for me. Leti has a way with animals and damn if he just doesn’t seem to collect more family. There is very low angst throughout the story but does have quite a bit of action. Between the two however there is zero angst, well unless you count space walking. This is the first book by this author that I have read and lets just say she is going to become a favorite if she keeps this type of writing up. My attention was caught and damn if I don’t want to go back and read it again.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. I had a blast reading it and would definitely recommend it. I can honestly say that this is one of those stories that will be read many times over.
Blurb: Bound for a dreamy holiday resort, Robin discovers a mysterious world that soon turns dark and dangerous when a mutant reveals himself. Robin is forced into a deadly confrontation for his survival.
Robin’s first time in Mena Lagoon is a wonderful experience. It’s not long before the events that unfold turn out to be quite strange. After meeting an elusive gentleman, he realizes not everything is at it seems on the private beach.
Jared is handsome in the most devastating way. Despite his dark, shrouded aura, Robin soon becomes aware that there is an intense attraction growing between them. One night of fulfilling his wild desires has him hooked. To his morbid fascination, he learns that his new lover is a mutant.
Learning the truth is not enough to repel Robin. Instead, he feels compelled to help Jared. The mysteries come with discovering what lies in the blood of the Hurley brothers.
Jared surrendered his mortal life to try to save his brother, but he starts to regret everything when they turn against each other.
Learning the truth is not enough to repel Robin. Instead, he feels compelled to help Jared. The mysteries come with discovering what lies in the blood of the Hurley brothers. Jared surrendered his mortal life to try to save his brother, but he starts to regret everything when they turn against each other.
Review: Robin meets Jared and feels something is off about him. But that does not him from being attracted to the man. Jared has a huge secret he is keeping along with his brother Lester. I loved the plot and all the details that went with it.
There were a few moments that I felt as though things were left out but other than that it was a really good read with plenty of drama, mystery and suspense.
Blurb: Ajax Fairchild’s online alter ego has caused him trouble before, but never like this. After multiple death threats, his loaded parents decide he needs an enforced digital vacation and the best bodyguard money can buy.
That would be Dmytro Kolisnychenko, former soldier, former hired muscle for the Ukrainian mob—until he lost his happy home life to an enemy with a homemade bomb. Now he wants only two things: to spend every precious second he can with his daughters, and to provide for them by protecting people who can’t protect themselves—even entitled little asshats like Ajax Fairchild.
But Ajax doesn’t fit into the spoiled little rich kid box as neatly as Dmytro would like. Dmytro doesn’t have time for a romantic dalliance, and Ajax is a client, albeit one with unexpected depths. With one coincidence after another driving them to the sleepy seaside town of St. Nacho’s and away from their planned safe house, they grow to trust each other and find that love follows trust. Now they must learn where the threat to Ajax is coming from and neutralize it… before it’s too late for their happily ever after.
Review: Three Night Vlog, by ZA Maxfield, is the third book in the series Plummet to Soar. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve read books by Maxfield in the past but nothing really came to mind when I was reading the blurb other than “this looks like a fun book with a dash of danger”.
Three Night Vlog works fine as a standalone book. I knew it was part of a series when I picked it up but it wasn’t until about five minutes ago that I realised that it’s the third book in the series. Regardless, I am now curious about the preceding two books.
In the present story we are introduced to Ajax Fairchild. He’s a rich kid – young adult – in need of a bodyguard. But he isn’t your run of the mill rich kid with too much time and money on his hands, instead Ajax is something of a social warrior. After deciding that he didn’t need to put up an act on his blog as his internet vlogger alter ego, he announces that he is gay – in a stunning, drunken YouTube video – Ajax’s parent hire a bodyguard and force him to stay away from the internet. He finds himself in the beautiful seaside town of St Nacho’s after more death threats force the plan off script.
Dmytro Kolisnychenko is a former soldier, single father and the bodyguard hired to protect Ajax Fairchild. Dmytro accepts that he has a fluid sexuality, yet he cannot act on any attraction to Ajax, simply because the man is his client, and he has shied away from any sort of romance since a bomb killed his wife and destroyed his happy home. He spends as much time with his two cute daughters, but it is the events of the past that make him want to protect people that cannot protect themselves, which is a way for Dmytro to find peace and salvation. But as the threats escalate and the attraction grows, both Dmytro and Ajax need to keep their eyes on the current situation as well as work through their feelings and the emotional baggage of the past.
As I said earlier, this is a fun book with a dash of danger. Dmytro and Ajax have a sizzling attraction, although they both go on quite a journey before they can be anything real to each other. For those that like their romance with a bit of action, sexy eastern European bodyguards and a quirky leading man, this is a great book to get into.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (15th September 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: Andrew and Paul learned about God and Jesus in different churches and realize their views of spirituality are worlds apart.
Andrew was raised Catholic and was told his homosexuality was a sin. For his entire life, he hid the truth. He married and had children to present a facade to the world that of a straight man. It’s not until he has an affair with Paul, who shows him a different side of Jesus, that Andrew realiz-es he can be gay and still believe in God. Paul’s Jesus is one of acceptance and love, and in Paul’s church, being gay is not a problem.
For Paul and Andrew, falling in love is the easy part of their journey. They must make it through the fires of cheating, being discovered, Andrew’s wife leaving, the necessities of childcare and family life, the demands of their jobs, and working on their commitment to each other. Only then can they be safe in each other’s heart.
Review: Safe in His Heart is the second book in Renae Kaye’s Safe series.
While I have been enjoying Renae Kaye’s writing as of late, I hadn’t known what to expect. Admittedly, I’ve not read or listened to the first book in the series and I don’t feel that it took anything away from it for me. The writing itself is great, as well as the character development.
I just hadn’t been sure about a couple points that are central to this book and how these would affect my enjoyment. While the story was good, the chemistry between the characters was strong, I do feel that my enjoyment was indeed affected by the following:
1) There is cheating. Ok, so there is a deal that the marriage was in name only kind of thing and that they could have sex outside of the marriage providing they were discrete, I wasn’t really sold on it. 2) Also the religion thing. I was born and raised Catholic and yes, I will admit that there is probably a place for religion in the world. However, I’m not the type of person who reads romances that feature religion so obviously. 3) But all of that is ok. It’s really just that this is an angsty book, which I didn’t realise, and I’m the type of person who can only handle so much angst in my books.
A definite highlight of the story was Randy Fuller’s narration. Despite my reservations and my feelings which did mean that I gave this book a lower rating, I did feel myself get immersed by the performance. This is one of those books where I know that I wouldn’t have been able to read it, instead I needed the audio and feeding off of the tone and emotion provided by Fuller. He does an excellent job giving their characters their individual voices and conveys their feelings well. There is a certain amount of angst in this book and he does that justice.
The story is about Paul and Andrew. What makes them interesting is in the blurb. Andrew was raised Catholic and grew up knowing that his attraction to other men was a sin. While Paul is the complete opposite, he attends a more liberal church where being gay isn’t a sin and is welcoming to all sorts of people from different walks of life.
Andrew is by far the more complicated character of the story. Because he is so firmly in the closet, he has gotten married and had a couple kids, although he has quite an unconventional arrangement with his wife. Meeting Paul is a turning point in his life, however, while the men are happy enough with their relationship they need to now navigate murky waters when Andrew’s wife changes the course of the family’s life. She isn’t the wicked wife that is an absolute bitch, but she is rather self-involved and does have her moments. However, Paul is there to support Andrew every step of the way. Paul has a massive heart and he quickly became my favourite character.
The characters are good. I really liked how the developed, I found myself being more inclined to understand and sympathise with them more. I found that there were very real men and exceedingly complex, complete with their obvious imperfections. I think I will just leave it at that, if you prefer a rosy romance, then this might not be the book for you.
Hi guys! We have Laura Bailo stopping by today with her new release Waking Up the Sun, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $10 NineStar GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Waking Up The Sun
by
Laura Bailo
When Lander accepts a dare to go into the forest at night, he thinks it’ll be easy. He just needs to walk in and then come out, right? But that’s easier said than done. It’s like the trees have a mind of their own, and they are stopping him from finding his way back. There were always stories of people getting lost forever in the forest, but Lander had never considered they might be true.
Yban has been in the forest a long time and he knows it like no other—but he comes with his own secrets. He disappears every day, and he won’t tell Lander where he goes. But during the dark hours, Lander gets to know him and starts unwrapping the layers that surround him.
The fire that keeps them warm in the forest isn’t the only spark between them; will their growing relationship survive Lander’s determination to find the way out, or will Yban’s past mistakes keep them hidden in the forest forever?
Hiya peeps, we have Allison Temple stopping by today with her new release Cold Pressed, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Cold Pressed
(A Seacroft Novel)
by
Allison Temple
No strings attached is all Oliver can offer. He’s hiding a broken heart that holds him back from diving into a new relationship, but he’ll go on a blind date to make his family happy. Just one date, though; he doesn’t have time for love to derail his plans.
Divorced and demoted to the night shift, Nick has his own problems. He’s got an ex-wife who needs him and a kid with one foot in juvie. The last thing Nick needs is to butt heads—or other body parts—with a tempting hipster who wears a sad smile on their blind date.
Their chemistry can’t be denied, though, in an argument or in bed. No strings sex is uncomplicated and that’s what Nick and Oliver need. But getting into bed together is one thing. Staying out of each other’s hearts soon becomes so much more complicated than either one imagined.
Cold Pressed is an 80k contemporary MM romance. It features a smoldering bisexual single dad, a broken-hearted hipster with a thing for beet juice, and a friends-with-benefits arrangement that blooms into the HEA you’ve been looking for.
Hi guys! We have M.J. O’Shea stopping by today with the tour for her new release Chef On Top, we have a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Chef On Top
(Sizzling In The Kitchen 03)
by
M.J. O’Shea
Chef Jake Casey has never been what you’d call… liked. By anyone. He was the odd outcast son of the town drunk, and he’s spent his adult life doing everything he can to be nothing like his father. If that meant stomping on a few dozen toes, so be it. But contrary to popular belief, he is human. It gets a little old being alone all the time. When he lands a new job on the other side of the country, Jake decides he’s going to change. New city, new restaurant, new Jake.
It’s going pretty well until his first and only friend’s ex shows up with a fiancé in tow. Ty is horrified. Jake might not have much practice with the friend thing, but he decides he’ll do what everyone in the movies always does – he offers to be Ty’s fake boyfriend. It can’t go wrong. Right?
Ty Caldecott knows better. His life isn’t a teen rom-com and situations like these always end up in humiliation. But the prospect of seeing Taran every day with that ring shining on his finger makes Ty want to vomit. Ty doesn’t want to look like a pining loser, so he tells Jake he’s in.
Hi guys! We have Michael Mandrake stopping by today with the tour for his new release Death’s Angel, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Death’s Angel
(An Immortals Story)
by
Michael Mandrake
Death’s plan for revenge is derailed by his lust for one of the Creator’s angels.
Being second to Michael has never sat well with Allerio. Feeling slighted, he travels beyond the heavens, meeting a creature who informs him of his Father’s secrets. With curiosities niggling him, he challenges his god, seeking freedom from stringent rules. Though the prize might look wonderful on the surface, it comes with a heavy price the angel will bear for eternity.
Death’s banishment was only the beginning of his descent. Since then, he’s concocted a scheme to overthrow the highest being, proving him to be a liar. Although confident his plot will succeed, he convinces one of High’s top helpers to assist him. However, Death never intended for feelings of affection to consume him. Suddenly wrecking God’s perfection isn’t as important anymore.
Two gods join forces and become bonded in more ways than one. Can they overcome their emotions to achieve their ultimate goal?
Death’s Angel is the prequel story to Immortals, chronicling the very beginning of Lucifer’s ascent as the god of the third and fourth planes. This story involves male pregnancy and mating.
Warning: On page violence, extreme torture, and death. Look inside for further triggers.
Hi guys, we have Lane Hayes stopping by today with her new release Out in the Field, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $25 Amazon GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Out in the Field
(Out In College 04)
by
Lane Hayes
Max Maldonado loves baseball. He knows playing first base at a private college probably won’t get him to the big leagues, but he doesn’t mind. He loves the game and his teammates. If he has to stay in the closet until he graduates, that’s okay. Baseball comes first. Relationships are complicated anyway. And after his recent messy breakup, Max prefers to keep things simple.
Phoenix Bell is a fabulous theater geek. He’s excited about his recent transfer to a new school with an elite liberal arts program. Life has been on hold for a while, but this opportunity feels like the fresh start he was hoping for when he moved to California. And the chance reunion with the hot closeted jock is an unexpected surprise. The two men have nothing in common and their timing couldn’t be worse. However, when their unconventional alliance blossoms into friendship and perhaps something more, it may be time to make some hard decisions. And perhaps risk it all…out in the field.
Hi guys! We have Victoria Milne stopping by today with her new release Purple Method, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Purple Method
(Purple Method 01)
by
Victoria Milne
When one kiss changes everything, closeted heavy metal singer Max Diaz and MMA fighter Rick Bernstein must decide how hard they’re willing to fight—for their dreams and each other.
An up-and-coming heavy metal singer and a martial artist desperate to join a top MMA gym must decide how hard they’re willing to fight—for their dreams and each other.
Max Diaz is firmly in the closet, and as unbearable as that’s becoming, he can’t risk his only remaining family—his brother, Tony—or his band Purple Method’s chance to make it big.
Rick Bernstein dreams of rising in the ranks of the MMA circuit and securing a training career at a top gym, but with rejections coming thick and fast and his financial future in dire jeopardy, starting a relationship is the last thing on his mind—especially with someone who isn’t out.
But when Purple Method returns to Elfinbrook after a six-month tour, one kiss changes everything. Now Max and Rick face decisions that will change both of their lives forever.
Blurb: After a night at the movies in Albuquerque, NM, Brantley’s best friend, Matt, is shot right in front him during a robbery. Stunned and devastated, Brant tries to help Matt’s husband, Travis, deal with the funeral details even as he struggles with his own grief and Travis’s blame. When Travis’s best friend arrives, Brant is both annoyed and grateful, because he is so darn tired and can use the help.
Lex Espana is ashamed to admit he hasn’t seen his childhood best friend since Travis’s wedding. He’s even more amazed that he barely remembers Brant from that wedding, because he’s sure interested now. While it’s weird to fall for someone at a funeral, his feelings for Brant are real and make him long for a life he didn’t realize he was missing.
Neither Lex nor Brant knows how to be part of an us, though, and they both have a lot to work through before they can settle in. To become a real couple, Brant and Lex will have to dig deep to get past the roadblocks in their relationship.
Review: Ammo and Enchiladas is the second book in BA Tortuga’s Border Crossing series.
Now, I love BA Tortuga. I really enjoy Tortuga’s writing and always look forward to a wonderfully sexy cowboy romance, some books are sweet, some are angsty, some have a touch of mystery. There’s always something to enjoy as long as you love a cowboy!
However, even though I knew that this was part of a series, I didn’t realise that it was the second book. I have zero recollection of whether or not I’ve read book 1 before (Bombs and Guacamole), but this totally works as a standalone book. I had to think but I’m pretty sure that the link is tenuous (as in one of the previous MCs, Dusty, pops up occasionally in the role of best friend and work colleague) and not vital to read in order.
The book starts in sorrow. Brantley (or Brant) was out for a night of fun with his best friend, Matt, while Matt’s husband stayed home grading his student’s papers. They went to the movies and on the way home pulled into a gas station/convenience store, where a robbery goes wrong and Matt is killed in front of Brant. He is shattered, naturally, Matt is like a brother to him and he holds both Matt and his husband dear. Yet, his world takes another blow when Matt’s husband, Travis, blames Brant for Matt’s death.
Then in comes Lex Espana. He is Travis’s best friend, although in part because he was living so far away, he hasn’t seen Travis or Matt since their wedding. He doesn’t really remember Brant, although they were both their friends’ best men at the wedding. When Travis calls in tears, telling Lex the news that Matt has been killed, Lex drops everything to go to his friend. Over the days and weeks to follow, Lex supports his best friend in any way he can. He also finds himself supporting Brant when Travis lashes out at Brant over Matt’s death. Tensions are running high with various family members, including Matt’s parents who consider Brant a son, are gathered to mourn Matt.
It’s a complicated situation but slowly Lex and Brant get to know each other properly, after only a passing acquaintance at the wedding and hearing about each other in the intervening time. The circumstances of Matt’s death are a close reminder of how short and fragile life is and so the men embark on a journey together that could lead to great happiness.
This story goes through a roller coaster of emotions, I think there may have been tears. Lex and Brant are perfect for each other, I love their chemistry and despite not being big on relationships both men help each other as they get to know each other. It’s a really pleasing relationship which comes from a time of grief. This is both heart-warming and heart wrenching.
Blurb: When Noah’s insecurity threatens their fledgling relationship, can Sol con-vince Noah that he’s enough?
Noah thinks he’s nothing special. Average height, a bit on the skinny side, and cute but rather geeky, he’s relentlessly ordinary. He certainly doesn’t expect to be noticed by Sol, the gorgeous dark-haired stranger Noah usually sees on his commute home.
When a friend persuades Noah to take a big risk in a bid to get Sol’s at-tention, things turn out better than Noah dared to hope. But Noah doesn’t believe he’s interesting or sexy enough to hold Sol’s attention.
As Sol tries to get closer, Noah tries to protect his heart by pulling away. If their relationship is going to survive, Noah needs to accept that Sol sees him very differently to how Noah sees himself. Because to Sol, No-ah is something very special indeed.
This is a standalone story with a satisfying happy ending.
Review: Nothing Special is a standalone novel by Jay Northcote, this is a second edition of the book, which was previously published in 2014 by Dreamspinner Press. I’m not sure how much has changed with the re-release as I’ve not read this before. In fact, I really didn’t know what to expect because Jay Northcote isn’t an author that I am familiar. I’m sure I’ve heard the name before, just not sure if I’ve ever read anything by Northcote before now.
Set in London, the story starts with Noah talking to his best friend, Dom, about the hot guy he’s been talking about for the last couple months, who he sees every day on the way home on the tube. The hot guy wears a London Zoo polo and work boots, Noah just doesn’t believe a good-looking guy like Zoo Guy could ever have any interest in him. Noah has extremely low self-esteem, but it is his best friend that encourages to pursue Zoo Guy – Sol – who is just as interested in Noah.
Noah is such a sweet and lovable character. He is shy and geeky, which probably lends to his character having low self-esteem. He has finished uni, has an alright job at a bookstore and still lives with his parents. Sol is Noah’s opposite in the fact that he is outgoing, but is completely crazy over Noah. Sol is sweet, but he is also kind, gentle and despite outward appearances he also has his own insecurities.
The relationship between Noah and Sol is wonderful. This isn’t an instalove where the two guys get over their baggage, have tonnes of hot sex and fall in love. Instead, these guys take their time to get to know each other. But don’t worry, the intimacy and sex in the book reflects the same sweetness and reflects Noah’s need to be sure about love. The guys have great chemistry together, but they complement each other in so many ways it felt just right. The book is all about the romance rather than getting the guys to their HEA, if that makes sense to anyone other than me because it sounds good in my head. There is low level angst, which is entirely fuelled by miscommunication. I usually hate miscommunication plot points because they are usually just used and don’t make sense to the characters. However, everything that happened felt organic with the characters as we get to know them.
This is such a sweet and beautiful story. Nothing Special is a very simple romance and for me that it was makes it so excellent. It was just so easy to connect with Noah and Sol. I recommend this one for those that want a sweet, gentle romance and a HEA that had me smiling so much.
