Hi guys, we have A.E. Via visiting today with her new release Promises: The Next Generation, we have a fantastic guest post from A.E., a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway where there’s 4 signed print copies of the Promises Series, and an ebook copy of Promises The Next Generation as well as a  $10.00 Kindle EGift Card up for grabs, so check out the post and then enter the giveaway!  ❤ ~Pixie~

Promises: The Next Generation

A.E. Via

Duke Webb has run the most successful bail recovery agency in Atlanta for over twenty years. That’s because he has a team of trained, competent hunters backing him up to keep his name feared on the streets. But Duke knows that nothing can go on forever. His hunters are in committed relationships and ready to settle down, and so is he. That’s what leads him to start his new training program.

“That’s the new vision for Dukes. Veterans operating and tracking behind the scenes with a new powerhouse apprehension team on the streets.”

Brian and Quick are the first to offer up two new recruits.

Kellam Knight has studied martial arts under his sensei, Quick, since he was eight years old. A tossed-out reject from high-society, Kell has a problem fighting on the right side of the law. If he sees an injustice, he has to correct it. He doesn’t have to run and cower from his enemies anymore, he’s a fighter who can protect himself and others. When Quick offers Kell the opportunity to join Duke’s training program, he’s all in. Except he’s not prepared for the straight, over-confident, extremely disciplined, sexy man Brian has recruited to be his partner.

Tyrell Jenkins’ world was flipped upside down when his father never returned home from his last deployment. He’d been Ty’s teacher, mentor, his guide to living a righteous life as a good man. His father didn’t raise him to be like every other young, stereotypical male in Atlanta. Instead, he’s been taught to be respectful, to speak the language of real men. When Brian King – his father’s most trusted comrade – finally comes to him with the truth, he doesn’t come alone. He comes with trained men hidden in the shadows… and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a brotherhood unlike any other.

This novel is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers.

Trigger Warning: This story contains mild acts of bond recovery agent violence. 

A.E. Via!

It’s always wonderful to be back on MM Good Book Reviews. Thank you so much for hosting me again. I’m proud to return with a new installment to my Promises series after being gone from a few months to grieve the loss of a family member. It took a long time for me to get back to my desk, hell back to life, period. However, this genre makes it hard to stay away. My love for MM romance saved me in a lot of ways. I was stuck in a deep, depressed rut for months until a new character developed in my head that was loosely based off the recent brother I lost. I like to think my characters rescued me. I was lost, couldn’t get out of bed… not until I had something to write.

There’s a lot of emotion in this novel. It’s an extremely slow burn that focuses on two men’s differences in life that bring them closer together through a unique brotherhood of bounty hunters. I hope you will enjoy it.

In the meantime I’m already working on the next installment in the Nothing Special series that I’m hoping to release in late October. Book six will be packed full of action and all the hot alpha ’lovin my readers are used to from me. 

Excerpt!

Kell whispered reverently, “I never met your father, but I know he was a great man.”

Kell felt Ty’s gloved hand lightly touch his chin, then lift his face until he was forced to gaze in his eyes. They had stopped on the sidewalk, just a few feet from the bus stop. No one else was around, the cold ensuring that no one else would come, either.

“How do you know?” Ty’s question was full of hopeful curiosity.

Kell pushed his scarf below his chin and licked his suddenly dry lips. Ty’s eyes warmed to golden-brown as they locked on that movement.

“I know, because I’m getting to know his son. And so far, I’m liking what I’m learning.” Kell smiled and shook his head slightly, looking at Ty’s stylish boots, then slowly dragging his eyes up to the shiny, platinum dog tag resting in the center of his nice chest. He stood over six feet, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his heavy wool coat. He’s so ’freakin sexy. “And so far, I think you’re amazing. A man that’s a purer cut and a finer quality than any man I’ve ever met. A great man. A son I can only assume your father groomed in his image.”

 When he chanced a glance upwards, he saw Ty’s smile. The warm, relaxed one that only seemed to show up for him. Ty’s mood appeared to transform right there in front of him. The corners of his full lips curved upward, and his eyes glistened in the coming of dusk.

“Thank you,” Ty rasped.

He took Kell’s hand, in that fingerless glove, and tucked it tighter in the bend of his elbow and locked it there. Turning, he led them back up the sidewalk, Kell falling in step a few inches behind Ty’s tall frame. Which also did a pretty good job of blocking most of the biting wind. 

“It’s not late. You still up for going to the dojo?” Kell asked, wanting to turn the evening in another direction.

“I don’t have my gym bag with me or a change of clothes.”

With Kell’s hand hooked in Ty’s arm they moved easily beside each other. “I can still show you some basic tosses with the blades. Then we… I can show you around the place. It’s my home away from home, I guess. I practically grew up there.”

“That’ll be dope, shorty. Yeah, let’s check it out.” Ty stopped by one of the benches at the bus stop and led Kell to sit down before settling close beside him. “I’ll send for a Lyft. I don’t wanna wait on the bus.”

After Kell gave him the address to the dojo, Ty arranged the ride. He tucked his phone into his coat pocket and leaned back, getting more comfortable on the cold steel bench. Kell shivered, inching closer to Ty’s masculine heat.

“You too cold? We can wait inside the store over there, if you want?” Ty asked, draping his heavy arm around Kell and nestling him deeper into his side.

I’m so damn perfect right now. “I’m good. We can wait here.” Just like this all night long. He was so close he could smell Ty’s deodorant. His cock twitched valiantly in the freezing temperature.

While they waited in the silence Kell’s thoughts drifted to their bust this afternoon. “I was just thinking about the jumper this morning. Smith, the golfer. I hope his wife, girlfriend or whatever didn’t leave him. He looked so dejected.”

“She probably did,” Ty said, with little feeling.

Kell sighed. “Darn, I hope not.”

Ty turned toward him, “And why shouldn’t she?”

“Well.” Kell frowned as if it was obvious. “Loyalty. And if she’s his wife, then she should be there no matter what. For better or for worse.”

“Smith messed up. Sometimes a man’s penance for his wrongdoings is his greatest treasure.”

Kell understood that. “I know, but…”

“There’s no buts,” Ty said. “He fucked up. At some point Smith lost sight of what it meant to be a man. What it meant to be a husband, a provider, a protector and a lover.”

“How do you know this?” Kell challenged.

“He’s in jail, ain’t he?” Ty said seriously. “And not for protecting his own, or mistaken identity, but for marijuana. I can’t get down with that kind of ignorance to justify it.”

Kell scoffed, “I hate drugs. God, Smith is a successful businessman. What was he thinking about?”

“’Gettin blazed,” Ty jibed.

Kell laughed then elbowed his partner in his side. “It’s all so black and white for you, isn’t it? He made a mistake… he pays the piper. No ifs, ands, or buts. No second chances.”

“There’s a woman home alone right now because her husband thought he couldn’t handle life without an illegal, mind-altering substance. She’s maybe eating dinner alone, right now. Will go to bed tonight unprotected and cold without her husband’s warmth. She’ll suffer, her mind will suffer, her body will suffer, because of his stupidity.” Ty stared deeply into Kell’s eyes. “Unacceptable. So, yes. It’s that clear to me.”

Kell didn’t chastise Ty for being a bit harsh and a tad judgmental. He didn’t want to. He was trying to understand Ty’s unique ways and interesting view of life. His intensity about relationships. When their Lyft pulled up to the curb, Ty got up and held the back door open for him. Kell slid into the seat, feeling like he may have hit the jackpot.

About A.E.!

A.E. (Adrienne) Via has been a best-selling author in gay romance for five years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over twenty years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this beautiful genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple of great new up and coming MM authors.

A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to me. Writing.

A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, I do like to push myself to step out of my comfort zone and explore with different tropes, but I never push myself into a whole other genre. I’m head over heels for gay romance and I have tons of more hot stories to tell.

Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! https://goo.gl/GbfCyk or Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com  for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peek on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.

Giveaway!

Win! Signed Print Copies of the Promises Series (4 Books)!
Win! EBook – Promises The Next Generation!
Win! $10.00 Kindle EGift Card!

Review

Title: Promises: The Next Generation

Series: Bounty Hunters 05

Author: A.E. Via

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (312 Pages)

Publisher: Via Star Wings Books (August 31, 2018)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3.5 Hearts

Blurb: Duke Webb has run the most successful bail recovery agency in Atlanta for over twenty years. That’s because he has a team of trained, competent hunters backing him up to keep his name feared on the streets. But Duke knows that nothing can go on forever. His hunters are in committed relationships and ready to settle down, and so is he. That’s what leads him to start his new training program.

“That’s the new vision for Dukes. Veterans operating and tracking behind the scenes with a new powerhouse apprehension team on the streets.”

Brian and Quick are the first to offer up two new recruits.

Kellam Knight has studied martial arts under his sensei, Quick, since he was eight years old. A tossed-out reject from high-society, Kell has a problem fighting on the right side of the law. If he sees an injustice, he has to correct it. He doesn’t have to run and cower from his enemies anymore, he’s a fighter who can protect himself and others. When Quick offers Kell the opportunity to join Duke’s training program, he’s all in. Except he’s not prepared for the straight, over-confident, extremely disciplined, sexy man Brian has recruited to be his partner.

Tyrell Jenkins’ world was flipped upside down when his father never returned home from his last deployment. He’d been Ty’s teacher, mentor, his guide to living a righteous life as a good man. His father didn’t raise him to be like every other young, stereotypical male in Atlanta. Instead, he’s been taught to be respectful, to speak the language of real men. When Brian King – his father’s most trusted comrade – finally comes to him with the truth, he doesn’t come alone. He comes with trained men hidden in the shadows… and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a brotherhood unlike any other.

ISBN: B07GWMHKT7

Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: Kellam has been raised by a strict hand I guess one would say. His father is a politician who basically is an ass and only thinks of himself. Kellam had been sent to the best schools but he was missing what most children have, love. He had seen violence from not only a father but many others around him. Growing up he was small and cute, but now one would definitely not recognize him. He was a master in four different types of martial arts but he never got his anger in check. He was an avenging angel to many but it could have cost him so much more. His sensi wanted him to work for those he works for. Being a bounty hunter does sound fun but also very dangerous. He was small and many would think the opposite of what he can do. His new partner had that look but damn if his mind is not about to be get changed.

Ty loved his family something fierce. His father had died in service and he didn’t even have a clue how. He took care of his mother and loved her very much. His father didn’t raise him like many young american boys were. He was taught to respect and to give his loyalty. When his fathers best friend and teammate showed up, he had not expected what would happen next.

Two young men whose future was about to change. This story was very long and drawn out so much so that it lost my attention a couple of times. It came off monotone in parts that would have put me to sleep on a good day. There is chemistry between the two but it also felt stilted. I was hoping for a bit more action than what was given. Although I do understand it is a new beginning for the characters, it just felt off. It didn’t give me anything to dance around about. My attention was not caught from the beginning and to me that is never a good sign.

They fell in love to fast and then to get married was not working for me. I did not get the sense of heat and passion from them to fall that fast. I even hate to admit that in the beginning when you first come across them, I didn’t care for either. They came off wrong in most accounts. It doesn’t come off as remarkable or even remotely one that would be remembered in the future.

The guys were written very well and their descriptions were a hit. You have two young men who come off as a badass but they both hold different religious beliefs but they don’t push it on each other. Now that being said I don’t care for a story that even mentions religion so it went down in ranks for me. The guys were well placed with each other as partners, although you see more of Kellam’s force then you see Ty’s.

The slow burn to the story and even the love making was dull and boring to me. I am afraid that even though it has great potential it didn’t sit right with me. I hate to admit that I don’t remember the previous books but if this is to be a new group of bounty hunters it should have been given a different series name.