Hi peeps! We have Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn stopping by today with the tour for their new release Goalie Interference, we have a great excerpt and an awesome Q&A, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤️ ~Pixie~
Goalie Interference
(Hat Trick 02)
by
Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn
It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn…
Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.
Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom are looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.
Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.
In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.
Blurb: It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportuni-ty to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds that the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression. And it only gets worse when Shane’s rough good looks give Troy inappro-priate thoughts about a member of his team, even if Shane’s set to retire at the end of the sea-son.
Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon and with a team that doesn’t trust him, the coach, or each other. Despite his determination to not get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything.
Review: Coach’s Challenge is the fifth book in Avon Gale’s Scoring Chances series. Not to be mixed up with, which is what I did, with VL Locey’s book of the same name from one of her excellent hockey romance series.
For me it’s been a couple years since I’ve read the Scoring Chances series, but I remember absolutely loving it and had been more than happy devouring them all at the time. This is a series that I recommend reading in order, even for those that just need to refresh what happened in the previous books of the series. This book is something that irons out a lot of the hurts of the previous books, as the team that had caused so much heartache undergo a change and become more tolerant and open under the support of a new coach. This is the story of the Raven’s redemption and you also really need to understand the hate and heartache directed at other teams that made the Asheville Raven’s the ECHL’s most hated team.
The MCs of this story are Troy Callahan and Shane North.
Troy Callahan is the coach. He didn’t have an easy time in his professional playing career (I won’t spoil anything!) but over the years has proved himself to be a damn good coach. Now, after replacing the unethical and all around horrible coach of the Asheville Ravens, it is his job to build the team up. (Think the Mighty Ducks if they had been made up of mostly brutish, homophobic a-holes). He has a plan for the team and the last thing the team needs is a player known for being aggressive.
Shane North has something to prove. He’s coming towards the end of his playing and feels like he needs to prove himself as a hockey player after a lackluster career in the majors. Shane is a lot different to what people assume of him, especially when they see him on the hockey rink. It’s really pleasing to see him open himself up to Troy.
Fans of the books will not be disappointed I think. It gives the Ravens a new lease on life after being totally vilified for four books. Sports romance fans will love this series too.
The narration by Scott R Smith is really quite wonderful. I would assume that it is difficult to capture the romance in between all the testosterone filled hockey plays, as well as dealing with the fall out as the Ravens seek their redemption. Smith gives the characters distinct voices and conveys their emotions, both on the rink and off. Listening to the audio has definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this book.
Hi peeps! We have Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn stopping by today with the tour for their new release Off The Ice, we have a great excerpt and an awesome giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Off The Ice
(Hat Trick 01)
by
Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn
Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.
Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.
But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.
Hi peeps! We have Avon Gale stopping by today with her new lesbian release The Love Song of Sawyer Bell, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
The Love Song of Sawyer Bell
(Tour Dates 01)
by
Avon Gale
Victoria “Vix” Vincent has only two weeks to find a replacement fiddle player for her band’s summer tour. When classically trained violinist Sawyer Bell shows up for an audition, Vix is thrilled. Sawyer is talented, gorgeous, funny, and excited about playing indie rock instead of Beethoven. Their friendship soon blossoms into romance, even though Vix tries to remember that Sawyer’s presence is only temporary.
Sawyer’s parents think she’s spending the summer months touring Europe with a chamber ensemble. But Sawyer is in dire need of a break from the competitiveness of Juilliard, and desperately wants to rediscover her love of music. Going on tour with her secret high school crush is just an added bonus. Especially when Vix kisses her one night after a show, and they discover that the stage isn’t the only place they have chemistry.
But the tour won’t last forever, and as the summer winds down, Sawyer has to make a tough decision about her future—and what it means to follow her heart.
Blurb: It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds that the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression. And it only gets worse when Shane’s rough good looks give Troy inappropriate thoughts about a member of his team, even if Shane’s set to retire at the end of the season.
Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon and with a team that doesn’t trust him, the coach, or each other. Despite his determination to not get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything.
Seriously, it’s true. It’s got to be some sort of scientific law or something!
Coach’s Challenge is the fifth book in Avon Gale’s Scoring Chances series and I have loved and devoured each book. Coach’s Challenge is no exception. I was kind of waiting for something with this type of plot but not expecting it.
While the two main characters are new this is really a story of a team’s redemption. Because of this I really do recommend reading the series from the start if you’ve not already done so. That way you will understand why the Asheville Ravens are the most hated team in the ECHL and why the team needs to build itself up from the ground after being practically destroyed (for all the right reasons).
As for the story itself, Troy Callahan is the titular coach. He didn’t have an easy time in his professional playing career (I won’t spoil anything!) but over the years has proved himself to be a damn good coach. Now, after replacing the unethical and all around horrible coach of the Asheville Ravens, it is his job to build the team up. (Think the Mighty Ducks if they had been made up of mostly brutish, homophobic a-holes). He has a plan for the team and the last thing the team needs is a player known for being aggressive. But Shane North has something to prove. He’s coming towards the end of his playing and feels like he needs to prove himself as a hockey player after a lackluster career in the majors.
Fans of the books will not be disappointed I think. It gives the Ravens a new lease on life after being totally vilified for four books. Sports romance fans, you guys should just go back and read the series from the start.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (25th August 2016)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥3.5 Hearts
Blurb: Avery Hextall, a junior architect at a prestigious firm, is thrilled when his design is chosen for a new performing-arts center – even if it means working closely with his insufferably uptight project manager, Malin Lacroix. When a chance encounter in the boss’s office proves that Lacroix is anything but cold, Avery is determined to learn more about the real man beneath the aloof veneer.
Despite their growing attraction and their increasingly kinky encounters, the enigmatic Malin remains as emotionally distant as ever. Worse, Avery’s friends are convinced Malin thinks of Avery as a dirty secret and nothing more – a secret that might destroy both of their careers.
But the real secret is a single moment in time that haunts Malin and keeps him from committing to the life he wants with Avery. In order to move on, Avery must help Malin come to terms with the tragedy in his past before they can work on building a future together.
Review: Let The Wrong Light In is something that I describe as a very niche type of book. It’s definitely not for everyone’s tastes. I must admit though I didn’t love the book there were a of number things that I did like about. I primarily picked this one because I love a good office romance with a bit of kink thrown in, but I also because I’m a massive fan of Gale’s series Scoring Chances. Derrick McClain’s voice to the audio helps a lot as well, not a narrator I’ve heard often but I like his style.
The book is primarily told from the POV of Avery Hextall, he a junior architect at a prestigious firm with a boss (Malin Lacroix) whose reputation has him labeled as a bit of hardass – and all around just difficult to deal with. The problem for Avery is, not only is he angry that his boss does not take his artistically and environmentally mindful designs seriously, but the man is hot and broody. Part of Avery is also sure that Malin Lacroix could handle some of his darker desires. Some people may find it a bit difficult at first, because this does approach the territory of autoerotic asphyxiation and it’s hard not to be concerned about Avery’s safety as he starts on what could be a very dangerous path in what begins out to be a very toxic relationship. However, if you read past all that, I promise you it is worth it.
In my mind there is one down fall of the story. It is certainly the only reason I’m only give this a 3.5/5. Malin is so unlikable and horrible for a majority of the book. I love how he is in the end but I think the problem for me was that there was a distinct lack of glimpses that Malin could be that man it was difficult to come to terms with once I made it to the end of the book. Malin’s development as a character is pivotal to the entire story and I just felt that there was something lacking. However, this is still enjoyable; especially if you like BDSM with a bit more bite than you would normally get in fiction.
Blurb: Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder’s ultimate goal is to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he’s worth the investment.
Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home, in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder is to his tastes.
Review: I haven’t really had a chance to read that many stories from this author so it feels like I am reading a new author for me. Now as many know I am not really a fan of reading stories by authors that I am not familiar with, however this author is one that will have you laughing throughout most of the story.
Now I was not a fan of the title and it almost put me off the book to say the least. Which would have been a major disappointment if I had left it at the title. But then again I am not a drinker and have never really been a fan of drinking. Now these two guys, well lets just say they are hot to say just a bit.
Ryder doesn’t want to sell his amazing recipe for Hanged Man Bourbon, must be one hell of a strong drink. The problem is, well he has no choice. The town needs money and he wants to be on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which I don’t really get. However that is me once more. He just didn’t care for the man sent to spy on him. Although another part of his anatomy is turned the hell on with Adam. Now Adam comes off more stiff upper lip, but deep down inside he is lonely as hell. He is definitely falling for our Ryder. Now if you want to know just a bit more, well read the book.
Now over all the story was a blast, but I do wish that it had been a bit longer in length, it was nothing but a tease and a taste of these two sexy men. It is a fun, romantic, very hot story that will have you wanting a taste of what these two men have going on. The dolls were a bit quirky too. I had a lot of fun reading this and look forward to another story by this author.
Blurb: Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.
Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.
Please be advised: This book does contain some non-graphic references to past childhood physical/emotional abuse as well as issues relating to ED (bulimia and restricted eating, disordered thoughts about eating).
Review: The Scoring Chances series is still the only books I’ve read by Avon Gale, but I love the hell out of this series. What is even better, that other than my opinion from book 2 where I rated it 3.5/5, these have all been strong books with interesting and strong characters. The issues raised are also quite wide and varied. Another thing is great about the series so far is that we started with ECHL team the Jacksonville Sea Storm and now onto the Spartanbury Spitfires. I also have a feeling that perhaps, after the resolution of the present book, that there could be potentially 2 stories with the most hated team in the series, the Ravens.
But I get ahead of myself.
Empty Net is the fourth installment in this series. There is probably enough information that it can be a standalone but if you feel you need the background info, you only need to read book 3, as there is only a couple passing mentions of the team from the first 2 books.
Empty Net features the troubled young guy who was made captain of the Spitfires in the previous, Isaac Drake, aka Drake. He’s had a troubled past as a young adult after being rejected by his family for being gay. His character evolution really did start in book 3, Power Play, where we had seen the Spitfires’ new coaches get together and for Coach Misha to take Drake under his wing. And now we get the chance to get to know Drake more, as a now fairly well put together adult and team player. He is a strong personality, with an equally strong psyche – if that’s the right word. Put it this way, he is strong mentally and has grown up since his issues raised in the previous book.
Pairing up with Drake is new trade Laurent St. Savoy from the hated Ravens to the Spitfires. He was only mentioned is passing along with his asshole father who is a champion NHL player and now ECHL coach, Denis St. Savoy. He is the one that everyone loves to hate in the league because he is an all around asshole. But in the world of fiction, that usually means that there is something major going on that is messing with the character. Really he’s a just a reserved person who is always in self-defense mode and you find out quickly that there is a real nice guy underneath all the homophobic slurs and violence.
Since Drake faced a lot of his demons in the previous book, we just get a summary of what has happened to him as Drake attempts to help Laurent, when he realizes that the man is psychologically scarred and needs help. So in many ways, Empty Net is Laurent’s path to redemption, finding out about himself as a human being and not a boy afraid of his father, as well as the possibility of finding someone that makes life worth living and becoming a better man.
As I said in the opening of this review, the ending – Laurent’s ultimate redemption and making things right – opens up the possibility of us possibly seeing a new and improved Ravens that no are hopefully no longer the brutish, homophobic assholes that they have been. I really do hope this is true but I absolutely adore this series and, honestly, can’t get enough of it.
If hot guys and hockey is your MM fix, you’re going to love this book and this series.
Hi guys! We have Avon Gale stopping by today with her upcoming release Empty Net the fourth book in the Scoring Chances series. We have a fantastic exclusive excerpt and Avon is having a fabulous giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Empty Net
(Scoring Chances 04)
by
Avon Gale
Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.
Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.
Blurb: After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.
Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences. Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.
Review: Save the Game is the second book in Avon Gale’s series, Scoring Chances. It is fun, sexy and fully of hunky hockey players – so it’s got a winning formula already. You probably don’t need to read the series in order as they can be read as standalone novels.
The story follows teammates on ice hockey team, the Jacksonville Sea Storm, Ethan and Riley. We see both the characters and the team grow as we see another couple start to form in the sidelines for the Sea Storm. Ethan was recruited to the Sea Storm from New York and he is very much an out there sort of character in more ways than one. Then there is Riley. He seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulders in the first book but this guy is like an onion – he has layers and it is clear from the get go that Ethan and Riley do have the beginnings of something special. And the minor characters – including the Sea Storm and even Ethan’s family play a big and very enjoyable role in proceedings.
Yes – you can see I enjoyed this book but there were a couple of reason why I could only give this book an average rating.
Ok, so a bit of a spoiler but this is more a warning about something I know a lot of people dislike in their MM fiction – one of our main characters has sex on page with a woman (pretty much at the beginning of the book). While that works in some cases this is one of those times when I thought it was unnecessary to have it happen on page. Ok, one of the characters does have problems coming to terms with his sexuality but for me it didn’t fly.
While the characters were very well developed the plot was sometimes a bit plain and the pace was rather slow for the first two third of the book. The story never really fell flat but I suppose that there wasn’t enough excitement to hold my attention.
This is the type of book for people that love a good dose of MM romance with their ice hockey, though if you prefer sweetness over action this would probably be more the book for you. It also goes without saying that fans of the first book in Scoring Chances should also give this a go.
Title: Conversation Hearts Series: N/A Author: Avon Gale Genre: Daydreams/ Contemporary/ Holiday Length: 31 pages Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (Feb 10 21016) Heat Level: explicit Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts Blurb: It’s Valentine’s Day, and grad student—and male escort—Levi Barron expects to spend his evening with a client who’s paying him for his services in bed… not an assassin who needs to borrow the view from his hotel room in the morning.
With nothing to do but endure the company of his unwanted guest, Levi and the assassin, Sinjin, spend some time bonding over HGTV, minibar beverages, Flannery O’Connor short stories, terrible Valentine’s candy, and the necessity of lying about their jobs.
Their evening takes an unexpected turn when they decide to indulge in their mutual attraction, and in the morning Levi doesn’t know if he’s spent the night with a hired killer or a hydraulic engineer with a very specific fantasy. Either way, the two have enough chemistry—in and out of bed—that Levi isn’t sure one night with Sinjin will be enough.
And a message left in candy suggests the feeling is mutual.
Review: Levi is a male escort that seems to have been stood up. He decides to use the amenities of the room to study when a man dressed in black comes in. The man appears to be an assassin.
SinJin didn’t think the room he entered for a job was empty. Instead, he found a sex, smart male escort. His job isn’t till morning, so he spends the night with Levi watching HGTV, raiding the mini bar, and talking.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. The story was good, but it felt off. First of all, Levi was much too calm and second it’s unbelievable an assassin would leave a witness alive.
On the other hand, if you think of it as one of his client’s fantasy, it is hot.
The overall story is good, the characters interesting, the sex is scorching. So, if you like male escorts, assassins, fun romance and scorching hot man-sex, this is for you.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi peeps, we have Avon Gale stopping by today with the tour for her new release Save of the Game, we have a short interview with Avon, a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Save of the Game
(Scoring Chances 02)
by
Avon Gale
After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His new roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.
Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences. Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. While trying to financially help Ethan, Riley must hide his family’s wealth so as not to hurt Ethan’s immense pride. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.
Title: Coach’s Challenge
Title: Let The Wrong Light In
Title: Whiskey Business
Title: Empty Net
Title: Save the Game
Title: Conversation Hearts
