Hi guys! We have Elna Holst stopping by today with her new release In The Palm, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $10 NineStar GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
In The Palm
by
Elna Holst
Stranded on a tropical island, Dr No-Name has no mobile phone, no wallet, no keys, no passport. No left hand, no shoes and no memory. What she does have is a blister pack of nicotine gums, two minibar-sized bottles of whisky (consumed), and what appears to be an endless supply of coconuts. She can’t possibly get into any worse trouble, can she?
Warning: Contains scenes of physical injuries, trauma
Hi guys! We have Alex Beecroft popping in today with the tour for her new release Seeing Red, we have a great excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
Seeing Red
(Trowchester 05)
by
Alex Beecroft
Bad boys don’t tame easy.
Victor is a bad man. Is there anything he won’t do for power and money?
Destroy a local business so he can buy it cheap? Kick out its owners and turn it into a cash cow? He relishes the chance.
Idris is a good man in possession of a renowned tea-house. He’s put his heart and soul into the place. It’s everything he has and wants…
Except for Victor.
He wants Victor too.
Can the love of a compassionate man soften a predator’s heart before it’s too late? Or is Idris doomed to lose his life’s work, and his heart with it?
A contemporary mm romance, Seeing Red is a long-awaited new installment of the critically acclaimed Trowchester Series. Each book in the series is a standalone, and can be read in any order. Feel free to start here and work back!
Blurb:Cute hipster and interior designer Michael doesn’t do love – not after his ex screwed him over. Sex is a different story, though, and the gentle giant who’s painting the mural in the old mansion they’re restoring might be perfect hookup material. Gil is just Michael’s type with his solid mus-cle, wicked sense of humor, and the hazel eyes that seem to see into Michael’s soul.
Trouble is, Gil does do love. He wants romance and forever, and he’s set his sights firmly on Michael. Michael’s not going there again.
Yet when Michael is the victim of a vandal who’s been plaguing the men working for Delta Res-toration, Renovation, and Design, Gil is the first person he tells. No matter how he fights it, it’s becoming harder and harder to deny he’s crazy about the guy – even if that thought terrifies him. But the true fear sets in when the criminal behavior escalates, and Michael realizes he might have lost the chance to tell Gil how he feels – forever.
Review:Michael, Reinvented is the second book in Diana Copland’s Delta Restorations series. I accidently started listening to the audio of this book first, and then listened to the audio of the first book after, but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book. I love the characters, main and minor characters alike, and their depth, they are well developed without being outrageously complicated. On top of that, I love the chemistry between the main characters without being a case of insta-love or saturating the story with angst. Instead Michael and Gil’s story is a sweet romance between two strong men.
Michael and Gil appeared in book one, Gil’s interest in Michael was clear from the start. Michael is the best friend of David from book one, who is also his personal assistant at the job they worked at until the new restoration business takes off, which emphasises ties to the LBGTQI+ community and professionals. Gil is one of the workers, he’s a house painter with a hidden talent (at least to Michael) for creating beautiful works of art. Gil is a kind hearted man and is kindness and gentleness personified.
However, equally as clear was the fact that Michael is a soft-hearted romantic who firmly believes that love or a happily ever after is something that would never happen to him. Michael needs to get over his baggage and his reservations about relationships and when a sinister plot that leaves Gil severely injured emerges, Michael’s heart catches up to what his brain had already figured out.
Delta Restorations is a series that I sincerely hope that there are more stories (well, at least one other story because I would love to have a HEA for at least a couple of the guys on the restoration crew).
Blurb: Getting to know each other hasn’t been an easy journey for Scott Gregory and Robin “Red” Kennedy. Falling in love and exploring their kinkier sides revealed a perfect match, and Scott is a devoted sub to Red’s headstrong and often impulsive Dominant personality.
Scott, Robin, and their friend, Susie, open a new dental practice a short distance from the old office but miles away from Scott’s former boss and his Promise Keeper mentality. But the move doesn’t guarantee a happy ending. Robin’s mother is in a medical crisis. Scott’s grandfather makes an unexpected appearance. Ongoing interference from Jenna, Ron’s needy assistant, stirs up trouble. And Susie, having completed her training as a Dominatrix, is on a quest for the perfect male submissive.
Then there’s one more threat to their relationship: Robin’s desire for a public collaring, something the shy and formerly closeted Scott is having a really hard time accepting. Is a strong and binding love―albeit a kinky one―enough to keep Scott and Robin together?
Review: Bonds of Love is the second book in Mickie B Ashling’s Bay Area Professionals series. Being new to the author’s work, I feel that I am still exploring their writing style, although I really did enjoy the first book to the series. This novel is a direct continuation from Impacted! and so it is vital that you read the first book before moving onto this one.
The story picks up Robin and Scott’s lives as a D/s couple, but also as professionals as dental hygienist and dental surgeon, respectively. They are still dealing with much of the fall out that came with working the homophobe dentist that they used to work for – and surprisingly this has spread to encroach their personal lives/backgrounds. To be perfectly honest, although I liked the introduction of a new character (an elderly gent and all around nice fellow), I found this storyline dragging on a but of a turn off.
Scott and Robin continue to build their lives together. It’s tricky when they work with each other and are in love with each other. Then there is the whole exploration of the BDSM, which leads to Robin wanting to collar Scott in front of (mostly) his acquaintances at their preferred club. Also, on the topic of BDSM, we see Scott’s best friend, Susie, explore her needs as a dominatrix in her quest to find satisfaction and maybe even a sub of her own (again, another strangely complicated storyline).
While, over all, I found the story enjoyable and glad to see the guys are just as awesome together as they were in the first book, I was turned off a bit by the melodrama that seemed to pop around every corner.
I recommend this one for people that like BDSM romances and/or to those that love a good soap opera.
Hi guys! We have Ryan Loveless popping in today with her new release A Cordial Agreement, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
A Cordial Agreement
by
Ryan Loveless
Can a wealthy but frustrated CEO and a guilt-ridden stripper find what they need in a consensual, nonsexual whipping boy arrangement?
Billionaire mogul Grant Jessup, fifty-three, buries his sexual tastes and the reasons behind them—the stresses of his business empire and family. In contrast, Jim Sieber understands the regret that makes him seek pain and penance. As an asexual averse to erotic touch, Jim sets strict boundaries. But as the relationship evolves, Grant struggles to respect them, and both men realize for their association to continue and perhaps grow into real feelings, they’ll have to explore new ways to satisfy each other.
Blurb: When interior designer David Snyder buys a beautiful century-old house in eastern Washington, he is reeling with heartbreak and looking for somewhere to put down roots. Unfortunately his new home comes with a laundry list of problems: electrical, plumbing, heating…things David knows nothing about. When his mother offers him the business card of a local handyman, David pictures an overweight, balding man in his fifties. But Jackson Henry couldn’t be further from that stereotype.
Dark-haired, muscular, and handsome, Jackson left a large construction firm in Seattle to take care of his sick mother. However, his hometown still has an active “good old boy” network, and finding employment in construction is almost impossible for an openly gay man. Determined to persevere, Jackson takes odd jobs as a handyman. He’s exactly what David needs – in more ways than one.
David isn’t ready for his attraction to Jackson, not considering the way his last relationship end-ed. But as the two men get to know each other, it becomes clear that the heart often knows best, and it rewards those willing to listen.
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by just how awesome David, Renewed from Diana Copland’s Delta Restorations series. This is the first book in the series and the author is completely new to me, although I’ve seen the name pop up on Dreamspinner Press website.
Is it just me and I’m a complete weirdo, but sometimes I look at a book written by a new author (new to me anyway) and either the cover or authors name – which is in no way offensive – gives me warning vibes like I’ll probably not like the book? I know, I’m a strange sort of person. However, that was the vibe I got off this book, for no apparent reason because the blurb really appealed to me.
I will admit, I accidentally listened to this series out of order and by the time I realised it, I was too far in to bother. Doing so didn’t really ruin anything for me and it didn’t leave me confused when I listened to book 2 first. This was an awesome series. But specifically for this book, I loved the characters. Everyone, both MCs as well as the minor characters, were all brilliantly fleshed out and totally relatable. These are just ordinary guys living their own extraordinary life, living with their baggage and letting love happen. The chemistry between David and Jackson is both sweet and hot. Jackson is completely sexy and will definitely fulfil anyone’s need to read about sexy tradies.
The narration was also on point. Michael Pauley is not unknown to me as a narrator, his voice absolutely fitted the characters and he picked just the right tone for everyone involved. Really, it was something wonderful.
David has recently got out of a bad relationship and in his hurt and grief, he has impulsively brought a grand old home which he wants to bring back to its former glory. The only issue with that is, his buy was so impulsive he quickly finds out he needs to sink a lot more money into the project, which doesn’t help when his ex comes back trying to con money out of David. David is desperate for help and it is his mother that suggests a local handyman (construction worker?), who is the son of one of her friends, Jackson. David thinks Jackson is straight from the start but there is definite chemistry. The romance is slow to start between the men but once it ignites there is no stopping the fire caused by David and Jackson’s romance.
Jackson isn’t just a pretty face though. He had been forced to move back home when it became apparent that his mother, who has MS, needs someone close by but his brother and sister are too selfish to think of their mother. However, his mother is a sweetheart and when David and his mother get involved to help Jackson and his mother, the romance becomes something more and the mothers become this cute little cheer squad for the men.
In between all that is the issues surrounding Jackson and the contractors he uses to help restore David’s house – obviously they run against some homophobia. Which leads David, an interior designer, to come up with a mad cap idea which leads us directly into the next book.
For struggling film student Isamu Taylor, life’s refrain is about to change from boring documentary about a passionless delivery boy to a blazing and wildly erotic love story.
After spending weeks admiring handsome but older Manhattan executive Brian Gilles while delivering brioche to him in Bryant Park, the man of his lusty dreams has just expressed a desire to get to know Isamu better. A night on the town is just the beginning of a whirlwind romance that will span not only four seasons but countless years.
Amid the beauty and charm of Bryant Park, New York City, two men are about to discover that love knows no age or economic boundaries. This is a collection of four short stories starring these two amazing men, their one sublime love, and the park where it all started.
Review: Tales of Bryant is a very sweet collection of short stories by VL Locey. I really enjoy Locey’s stories, particularly her hockey romances, but honestly, I’m up for just about anything.
The story is quite simplistic. Due to the format there isn’t time for deep character or plot development, so it feels very much like an instalove type thing to me. Not that this is a bad thing, because it helps make this book a relaxing read.
It is about two men, Isamu Taylor and Brian Gillies, meeting in Bryant Park in NYC, where they fall in love. The four stories are just small captures in time of their lives, the reader looking in to find out more about the guys and find out what they are up to. They are very different men, Isamu is a film student struggling to make ends meet, while Brian is well-off executive. But a night on the town quickly becomes a lot more. One thing that I thought was funny that it was explained how to pronounce Gillies, which I was already familiar with, but Isamu wasn’t and I had to look up the pronunciation.
This is a no nonsense, very sweet and uncomplicated romance and if that is your type of read then you’ll enjoy this one. Although, if you’re not into instalove, I would steer clear.
There is another book coming out and I am looking forward to it.
Blurb: Ryker is hockey royalty, Jacob is a poor country boy. Can two vastly different people find common ground and become the men they want to be?
Ryker comes from a long line of championship-winning hockey players. Playing college hockey to develop his game is his only focus, and nothing will stand in the way of him working to become the best player. He has no room for relationships, people who point out his flaws, or anyone who calls him on his dreams. He certainly has no place for love, and meeting Jacob is nothing but a useful distraction on the side. After all trying to get his Owatonna Eagles teammate into bed is less work and more play. When tragedy rocks his family, his charmed life crumbles, and the only person he can turn to is the same one who claims to hate him.
Jacob Benson has only known hard work and stifling conservative values his whole life. Born and raised in the small rural community of Eden Crossing, Minnesota, he’s the only son of a hard-working but struggling dairy farming family. Jacob is using his skills in hockey to finance his way to an agricultural science degree. These four years at Owatonna U. will probably be the only time he has to enjoy life, gain acceptance about his sexuality, and live openly before his inevitable return to the farm. Running into a pretty rich boy like Ryker Madsen is putting a damper on his enjoyment of life away from home. Ryker’s flip, conceited, carefree attitude grates on Jacob’s every nerve. So why, if Ryker is everything he dislikes, does he want nothing more than to explore the sinful dreams that his annoying teammate stars in every night?
Review: Ryker has been a long awaited book for me. I adore the authors, VL Locey and RJ Scott, and I especially adore their hockey romances that they write together. I could go on for a long time about how much I love their style of writing and how their characters develop and grow, both outside of their book and within the book where those characters become MCs.
The MCs of this book is, obviously, the titular Ryker Madsen who comes from NHL royalty with his father and maternal grandfather and it turns out she is something of a hockey player himself. Moving to Owatonna University brings him into orbit with fellow hockey player and team mate, Jacob Benson. Jacob is Ryker’s opposite in many ways, but most especially because he comes from a farming family who work hard to keep their legacy going, as well as pushing Jacob to pursue his dreams.
Ryker is the first book is the author’s ice-hockey centred series Owatonna U Hockey, which is a spin off from their Harrisburg Railers series (which is completely awesome and once more I could go on all day about how much I love that series). That being said, I would recommend to either read Harrisburg Railers series before going here, or at least read book 1 (Changing Lines), which is the story of Ryker’s dad, Jared, and soon to be stepdad Tennant and where we first meet Ryker. The event involving Ten which has Ryker worried for both his father and Ten, happens in book 7 (Neutral Zone). So if you’ve not read the series, I would recommend reading at least books 1 and 7 – but for the sports romance fans you are missing out if you don’t read the entire Harrisburg Railers series…
Oops! I better get back to Owatonna U!
Ryker and Jacob’s story is really wonderful. This is about two young men that know what they want to do with their lives (ice hockey and ultimately NHL) but things change and they grow up, so while their ultimate goal doesn’t change these guys grow up. They also grow up and as they become adults they learn about love and being together and support and sacrifice. Ryker manages to piss Jacob off and this is where Ryker begins to shed his identity as Jared Madsen’s son and becomes his own man as he navigates his feelings towards Jacob.
This is a good base for a new series. The romance between Ryker and Jacob is nice, they are both strong characters but they also live with some very relatable insecurities relating to their schoolwork, their family and their sexuality. The book starts with the world of the Railers, which it has to because Ryker needs to break away from that persona we gained of him earlier and become his own man, which is how we end up with this wonderful little spin off detached from Railers. I’ve learnt a lot about hockey and NHL and now college hockey from these books! We are also introduced to a number of players (including Scott and Benoit, aka Ben) which has me looking forward to the next books in the series.
Blurb: Stetson Major and Curtis Traynor are about as opposite as two cowboys can get. Stetson is a rancher, tied to the land he loves in Taos, New Mexico, while Curtis is a rodeo cowboy whose wanderlust never could be tamed.
But now Stetson’s momma is dying of Alzheimer’s, and she can’t remember that Curtis hasn’t been Stetson’s boyfriend for a long time. Curtis’s absence makes her cry, so Stetson swallows his pride and calls his ex-lover.
To Curtis, Stetson is the one who got away, the love of his life. And Momma is his friend, so he’s happy to help out. Yet returning to the ranch stirs up all sorts of feelings that, while buried, never really went away. Still, the rodeo nationals are coming up, and Curtis can’t stay… even if he’s starting to want to, especially to support Stetson when he needs it most.
Stetson and Curtis want to find a place where they both fit, to be there to catch each other when they fall. But family, money problems, and the call of the rodeo circuit might end their second-chance romance before it even gets started.
Review: Soft Place to Fall is a contemporary western romance by BA Tortuga, which means its just about everything that I expect from a Tortuga novel. BA Tortuga has very recently gone close to the top of my must read author list and I really, at the absolute minimum like, each and every one of them, especially the cowboy romances, because those are so freaking hot!
Soft Place to Fall is a story about second chance love, which I know will appeal to a lot of people, on top of the whole contemporary cowboy romance.
Stetson and Curtis were in love years ago and they were in a very serious relationship. However, their lives were not compatible and I suppose that they were too young to really compromise to fight for what they have together. And so for eight years they have been apart. All that changes when Stetson’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s and is in her last weeks of life, keeps asking to see Curtis. She loved Curtis and Stetson sometimes felt that his mother loved his boyfriend more than she did him. After all, Curtis is a free spirit and fierce rodeo rider like Stetson’s much beloved father had been, which is probably part of why she had approved of her son’s boyfriend back in the day. On the other hand, Stetson is a home body and prefers to pour his time and energy into the ranch, which is taking some hard hits as Stetson tries to pay for his mother’s medical treatment.
When Stetson calls and tells Curtis what has happened, he drops everything and runs to his ex and his mama. This is the first sign that these guys, although parting after a fight, had never lost their love for each other. Unfortunately, when they were younger, love wasn’t enough when their lives were taking them into two different directions.
I feel this is a story that shows that love and people mature and perhaps these guys had to wait before being at the right place, at the right time before they could be together with their HEA. I think that is the aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most, aside from the wonderful chemistry between Stetson and Curtis.
Hi guys, we have D.J. Jamison stopping by today with her new release Surprise Groom, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $15 Amazon GC giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Surprise Groom
(Marital Bliss 01)
by
D.J. Jamison
Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?
Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan …
Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.
Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.
Love isn’t part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien’s father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.
Hi guys, we have V.L. Locey popping by today with the stunning cover for her upcoming release Nine Small Sips: A Tales of Bryant Wedding, we have a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Nine Small Sips
(A Tales of Bryant Wedding)
by
V.L. Locey
Life for Isamu Taylor is now a Cinderella story that includes a Manhattan loft, a new position in the hottest LGBT film production company in New York City, and an upcoming wedding in Bryant Park to his very own handsome prince.
He’s come a long way from that struggling film student with ratty sneakers and shaggy hair. Isamu is now living an urbanite’s fairy tale with that happily ever after just around a bustling city street corner.
But as all wedding planners know, even the best laid plans seem to go awry, and Isamu and Brian’s wedding is no exception. But love – both old and new – is in the air, so nothing can go too badly, right?
Blurb: Drew Beaumont is bored of the same old roles: action hero, supervillain, romantic lead. He’s not going to let a fresh gay buddy comedy languish just because they can’t find him the right costar. No, Drew bats his eyelashes and convinces everyone that the movie’s writer should play Drew’s not-so-straight man.
Aspiring writer Steve Sopol has never had a screenplay optioned. Now, one of Hollywood’s hot-test properties wants to be in a movie Steve hasn’t finished writing – and he wants Steve as his costar. Turns out the chemistry between them is undeniable – on and offscreen.
Drew swore off dating in the biz, but Steve is the whole package: sharp, funny, humble, and cute. For Steve, though, giving in to the movie magic means the end of the privacy he cherish-es. Will the credits roll before their ride into the sunset?
Review: His Leading Man by Ashlynn Kane is from the Dreamspun Desires line, so the blurb (and the story) was exactly what I expected, a really light, sweet romance. This is a fairytale Hollywood romance between one of the most popular, in demand actors, and the indie screenwriter/script doctor he cons into playing his leading man. I’m pretty sure I know the author, Ashlynn Kane, from Dreamspun Desire stories – I really don’t know – but the story was enough to draw me since I have read this before and enjoyed it. I was just super keen to hear the audio.
The narration is done by Kenneth Obi. I know his work mostly from listening to Dreamspun Desire and Dreamspun Beyond audios and I haven’t come across a performance that I didn’t like. Not so long ago Obi was a new narrator to me, but I have now come to look forward to listening to his work. He’s really good at injecting the necessary emotion, the highs and the lows and keep me engrossed. The story surrounds Drew Beaumont, a Hollywood superstar and Steve, a script doctor and script writer who wants to make his own way in the world without depending on the popularity of his family.
Drew Beaumont has been cast as all the usual hero and romantic roles before. He wants to get his teeth into something different, something that will challenge him as an actor. He finds that when he reads the script of an unknown screenwriter. It’s something of a buddy comedy that ends with a gay romance. Drew wants to star in this movie and make it happen at any cost. The only problem is that he can’t find an actor that fits the role of his best friend/love interest. And so that is when he manages to get his agent (and a good friend to Steve) to convince the writer, Steve Sopol, to add acting to his repertoire.
Steve isn’t an international man of mystery, or someone with stars in their eyes or a shady past. There are a couple of surprising revelations about Steve, but other than that, he is a nice, down to earth sort of guy. He does live with his mother, who is always flitting around, but that does not make him a mama’s boy in the least.
Steve and Drew have a wonderful instant chemistry but thankfully they foster it and don’t rush into romance or any I-love-yous. If you don’t like insta-love, this book will still appeal. They need to navigate their way through Hollywood to become that fairytale couple that it was obvious they would become. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Hollywood style romance.
Publisher: Gone Writing Publishing LLC (24 April 2019)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: Sullivan Haines knows exactly what he wants out of life. Fame as a Broadway dancer and to find the man of his dreams. Sadly, his love life is a dismal mess, his roommate is PMS personified, and working at a dingy dance studio teaching old people how to tango and foxtrot is not exactly the bright lights. Actually, life in the Big Apple is pretty rotten, until he and his dog run into tall, dark, and oh-so-handsome Duane Hart in the park. Their pooches hit it right off, but can the two men find romance along the park’s winding paths?
Duane Hart hasn’t had a lot go right in his life. His girlfriend recently broke up with him, taking everything that wasn’t nailed down or in his roommate’s name. Well, everything except the Yorkshire terrier that he didn’t want to get in the first place, and that she now refuses to take back. However, when he meets a handsome stranger and his pit bull in the dog park, will the blooming heat in his chest be able to convince him to start dating again? Or will fate prove love isn’t a walk in the park, after all?
Review: Love Is A Walk in the Park is a book authored by VL Locey and Stephanie Locey. I love many of VL Locey’s books and every book has become a must read for me. Stephanie Locey is Vicki’s daughter, and this is her book. I didn’t know what to expect but I was intrigued by the idea of a mother/daughter MM romance collaboration.
The story is quite short and very sweet. The two dogs, Princess Pizazz Periwinkle and Tiberius, are just added bonuses that added more sweetness and a bit of comedy to the story. The MCs are Duane and Sullivan.
Sullivan dreams of becoming a Broadway dancer/actor, but with so many dead-end auditions now he is stuck working for an arsehole, Julian, at his crappy dance studio where most of the customers are old people. And while his work life is dismal, his love life is flatlined and his personal life consists of a room mate (a very funny one) with mood swings that could give you whip lash. The one thing that is going right for him is his dog, Pizazz.
Duane isn’t faring much better. His girlfriend has recently broken up with him and left him with the dog that she wanted, Tiberius. His family don’t have a lot of money, so he hasn’t gone to college and as a result he doesn’t have any real career prospects yet. However, he does have one saving grace in his life and that is his funny and kind roommate.
Walking their dogs in the park, Sullivan and Duane meet. Duane is bisexual, he’s just not out, bur meeting Sullivan has signalled a turning point in his life. Sullivan’s epiphany isn’t quite so dramatic, but meeting Duane shows him that at least one of his dreams, to find his one true love, could be right in front of him.
This is a short, sweet and unbelievably cute story. While I can’t say that I loved this book to bits, I really did enjoy it a lot and to the point that I might read it again when the mood hits me or if I need to read something light hearted. If you want something that is funny and mostly uncomplicated (although there is a couple spikes of drama), then you might want to give this a go.
Blurb: Newspaper reporter, Granger Galloway, is in charge of the Valentine’s Bazaar, an annual fundraiser for the LGBTQ community of Salem, Massachusetts. This year, no one has volunteered to man the Bazaar’s hottest attraction: The Kissing Booth. After being turned down by every gay and straight man he knows, Granger does the unthinkable and hires the pros at Valentine’s Inc. to send him the perfect fake boyfriend to man the booth. The problem now is how to explain the gorgeous man kissing the mayor’s lips off is a Rent-A-Hunk!
Lennox MacArthur looks like a model straight off the cover of a Highland romance novel, kilt and all. When he’s hired by Granger to be his Valentine’s weekend boyfriend and man the kissing booth for charity, he figures it will be an easy gig. He never counted on losing his heart to the awkwardly adorable reporter. His conundrum is that he’s kissing every cop, fireman, witch, bored housewife, and granny in town except the one man who stole his heart on sight.
When Granger mistakes Lennox’s true feelings for part of their fake boyfriends act, will it ruin his one chance at true love or will Granger land the man of his dreams if he sets aside his pride and takes his turn in line at the kissing booth?
Review: Granger is in charge of setting up the kissing booth but has no one to man it. That’s when he decides to try his luck at Valentine’s Inc. to set up a boyfriend for the weekend. Only things go to perfect and he ends up getting Lennox, his dream fantasy come to life.
This is a funny, witty portrayal of how Granger manages to keep himself under control watching Lennox kissing man after man and wanting him to kiss him.
I loved the entire story. Granger and Lennox were great together once they acknoledged their feelings for one another. Sweet and cute.
Blurb: With only a few days to go until Christmas, Michael Cross has to admit there is something amiss about his latest employee, Jack Whelan. Quiet, jumpy, thin… he never seems to eat. He is also incredibly gorgeous with dark spiky hair that Michael aches to touch. But as his boss, Jack is off limits. And when it comes to relationships, he…well, he sucks.
Jack Whelan is at the end of his tether. He’s living rough in the middle of winter, and paying off a massive debt, so getting a job with MC Securities is a lifeline. His new boss is also the hottest guy ever. Geeky, broody, and scarily clever.
When Michael stumbles upon the reality of Jack’s life, he offers to help. But as Michael’s feelings deepen, and Jack’s terrible past catches up with him, Michael has to decide between believing in the awful truth that is staring him in the face, or trusting Jack.
Review: Jack and Michael were a great couple but I honestly felt a bit disappointed in this story. There were too many unanswered questions for me to truly love it. I liked that these two men helped each other in their times of need but the overall delivery just did not do justice for the story.
Everything felt a bit rushed and unexplained especially given the suspense of the story and Jack’s past. I would have liked better explanations as to what happened to Jack when he disappeared as that bugged me at the end of the story with it unresolved.
Corey Ellis sure doesn’t. Oh, everyone around him seems to have found their happy ending, but he’s far too busy to worry about such things. He’ll have plenty of time for romance after he survives his last summer before graduation. So what if he can’t get his former professor, Jeremy Olsen, out of his head? It’s nothing more than hero worship. And that’s the way it should stay.
Except bigender Corey—aka Kori—is interning at Phoenix House for the summer, a LGBTQI youth center. A center that recently hired an interim director until someone can be found to fill the position permanently.
Because life is extraordinarily unfair, the director just so happens to be a certain former professor, now turned current boss.
Desperate to keep things professional as he and Jeremy grow closer, Corey makes a major mistake: he turns to his friends, Paul Auster and Sanford Stewart for help.
But Paul and Sandy have some ideas of their own….
Set in the summer of 2016, Why We Fight is a celebration of queer life and being true to oneself… no matter the cost.
Review: Why We Fight is the fourth and final book in TJ Klune’s At First Sight series. But it is also so much more! I make no bones about my absolute adoration for what Klune writes, so I am going to keep my gushing to a minimum. However, this book signifies wrapping up one fantastically fun, emotional and heartfelt series (At First Sight), with direct connections with characters from another completed series (Bear, Otter and the Kid), and for the very keen, he has thrown in some Easter eggs to another recently finished series (How To Be), TJ goes above and beyond with the fan service for all Klunatics. This book does not work as a standalone book, despite the fact that we are getting the story of a character who, in the previous books, was a wonderfully sassy friend that I gotta say, I fell in love with. Also, if you haven’t read the read the rest of the series, then why not??
TJ has also been writing about various aspects of the story and his process in his blog lately, and it has been a fascinating read. Any fans of his works that haven’t checked out the blog, do so, it’s really interesting to read about how he wrote the character of Corey/Kori, as well as talking about gay conservatives and all the other little touches he’s furnished Why We Fight with.
The main characters are Corey Ellis and Jeremy Olsen.
Corey is a really interesting character in that they are a person of colour, as well as identifying as bigender, meaning that sometimes they embrace their male side and are Corey, but then at other times they embrace their female side and are Kori. TJ has written this aspect wonderfully, in previous books we knew when they were Corey and Kori because we were often told how the pitch in their voice had changed or what they were wearing. Here, because the story is told entirely from Corey/Kori’s POV, the only time we would know was when clothing was mentioned or when someone addressed them. But honestly, it didn’t matter if it was Corey or Kori on the page, they are a character that I love because they could just be and that was it. I didn’t care who they identified as, I just got immersed into their life.
Jeremy Olsen is also an interesting character, even if he doesn’t appear to shine as brightly as Corey/Kori does. He’s a college professor, which is how he had first met Corey/Kori who was his student at the time. But now life seems to be throwing them together on purpose and Corey/Kori does not know how to handle it – but they handle it wonderfully, hilariously wonderfully, and beautifully and heartfelt wonderfully. It doesn’t help that despite his concerns about their age difference that Jeremy seems to intent on making a good go of things.
Jeremy is already in Corey/Kori’s orbit when the story starts, we know this from the previous book in the series, where Jeremy turns up at the wedding of one of Corey’s friends, Vince and Paul, with Jeremy’s father, who happens to be dating the elderly gentleman, a leather daddy called Charlie. Now, though, we now add to this that when Corey/Kori takes an intern position at a LGBTQI+ home, they finds out that Jeremy has been made interim director.
The secondary characters are as wonderful and as outrageous as they have been throughout the entire series. Sandy, who is also drag queen Helena Handbasket, is as sassy and as bitchy as ever. Paul is a dramatic as ever. Darren and Vince just put up with adore their significant other. However, I particularly enjoyed the story between the two older men, Charlie and Robert. Despite Paul’s parents being the centre of the big family that is created in this series, Robert is Jeremy’s father and Charlie is best friend/father figure to Corey/Kori. Ultimately, like many of TJ books, this series shows that families are not just blood relations, these are the relationships that have been built over time and while they may fight, they are hilarious and completely zany, but they also support and love unconditionally.
Fans of TJ Klune will be in love. I know for sure that Klunatics on TJ’s Facebook fan group are so excited for this book and I assume that there are many others that are excited to. However, if you’ve just been a fan of the series, I think you will finish this one satisfied.
For those unfamiliar with the series in general, these are romantic comedies with some of the most interesting and zany characters. Explaining it to someone who doesn’t know about the books or Klune’s writing, I think in simplest terms it is like a rom-com, a very diverse rom-com with gay main characters, including a drag queen (Sandy/Helena), an overweight guy with a flair for the dramatic (Paul), a couple of homo-jocks and one is the king (Darren and Vince), a bigender person of colour (Corey/Kori), an aging leather daddy (Charlie), a no nonsense professor (Jeremy) and his very dapper father (Robert), a very liberal grandmother who I suspect might write those weird wiki-how pages (Nana) and a parrot that does nothing but swear (Johnny Depp the parrot).
Hi guys! We have Tamryn Eradani stopping in today with her new release To Love and To Cherish, we have a great excerpt and a fantastic $10 NineStar GC giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
To Love and To Cherish
(Enchanting Encounters 03)
by
Tamryn Eradani
Kyle’s never been shy about going after what he wants. After two short term contracts, he wants something closer to permanent with Aidan. And what better way to bring them closer than to spend time apart? Being away from each other for the first time in their relationship might make them both realize they’d rather be together.
Hi peeps! We have Kim Fielding stopping by today with her upcoming release Redesigning Landry Bishop, we have a brilliant guest post from Kim, a great excerpt and Prime’s review, so guys, check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
Redesigning Landry Bishop
(Dreamspun Desires 82 / Stars In Peril 02)
by
Kim Fielding
Love never goes out of style.
Landry Bishop fled his tiny hometown and never looked back. Now his expertise in food, fashion, and décor has earned him all of Hollywood’s glittering perks. But with his husband deceased and his personal assistant retired, Landry has nobody to rely on—and no one to help him indulge his secret cravings.
Casual, plainspoken Jordan Stryker seems a dubious choice of a PA for someone as formal and self-controlled as Landry. Jordan’s questionable fashion sense and limited kitchen skills don’t exactly enhance his résumé. But as Landry soon realizes, Jordan has many attractive qualities too.
With a strong pull toward Jordan, new career opportunities on the horizon, and a persistent tug from family back home, Landry is in a quandary. He can advise others on how to make their lives special, but what should he do about his own?
Hi guys! We have Lily Morton popping in today with her new release Gideon, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Gideon
(Finding Home 03)
by
Lily Morton
Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.
A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.
Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.
However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.
Blurb: Punk’s not dead, but it’s time to redefine life.
Devlin Waters thought he’d have music forever. But the tragic death of his best friend ended the twenty-year run of his punk band, Negative Impression. Unable to process the loss, Devlin dis-tances himself from everyone and everything that reminds him of the band. But forty-one is too young to curl up and wait for the end. In a search for a second career, he finds himself at uni-versity with a bunch of kids young enough to be… his kids. His sexy archeology professor, however, makes Devlin think about life beyond his grief….
Dr. Jack Johnson does not appreciate Devlin’s lack of respect, his inability to be serious, or his chronic lateness. Worse, he hates that he’s attracted to a student. When he realizes Devlin is the rock star he crushed on in his youth, he drops his guard—against his better judgment.
Before they can move forward together, Jack must admit to Devlin that he’s not only an admir-er, but he also sings in a cover band. How will Devlin react to his ultimate fanboy when his own music has died?
Review: Banded Together, by KC Burn is a pretty complex story that, when it comes down to it, is something awesome. I really don’t have any need to dance around the point. I like the author well enough and find it very easy to connect with Burn’s writing, although I don’t include Burn on my automatic read list (yet?).
This is a story of loss, moving on and finding a different and completely fulfilling type of love. With the mental anguish and grief which is front and centre in this story, I really loved how Stark captured these feelings. This is a great example of how an excellent narrator can keep the person in the world of the story and feel that direct connection with the main characters. Darcy Stark is a new narrator to me, I’ve not listened to the other audio I have with his narration, but that is another KC Burn book that I am looking forward to. In terms of this book, the narration was totally on point.
Devlin Walters and Dr Jack Johnson appear to be polar-opposites on the surface. Devlin is a 41-year-old ex-punk star, popular all over the world, who has turned to completing his archaeology degree after life changing events. Dr Jack Johnson is 35 and a lecturer/academic in archaeology at the university Devlin attends. He’s a little surly when it comes to students who he feels do not take their studies seriously. But on the inside Devlin is broken man, and Jack isn’t so much a prim-proper academic.
Devlin and his best friend from the age of three formed a band, they added a couple more bandmates and became world famous. However, his world shattered when his best friend died some months ago. He’s pushed everyone away, even his mother who he is now living with. Devlin is struggling with life after such a massive loss and no longer feels the music inside. When he decides to go back and finish the studies he started his first positive emotion in months is his fascination with his very hot professor.
Jack isn’t just a quiet professor with a brilliant brain, he also happens to be the singer in a cover band that performs Devlin’s songs. In fact, Jack had a major crush on Devlin when he was a teenager and Devlin was a worldwide star. However, since he has changed his appearance and out of his performing person, Jack doesn’t realise who Devlin is.
This is a slow burn romance. The men both approach a relationship with trepidation, but it is Jack who is helping piece back Devlin’s heart together. Devlin needs to learn not to shut out those that love him and come to terms with the fact that he might not want to be in the limelight again. By the end I was very satisfied and had shed more than a few tears.
Jack is a character that I relate to, at least professionally. A lot of stuff he says in terms of students is something that I’ve felt and discussed with other academics when I taught at a university. With that foot in the door, Jack was so easy to understand and get. Even though I’m a scientist, I’m interested in archaeology and my sister is a historian/archaeologist, so those profession specific thoughts is something else I found easy to relate to.
I recommend this book to those that love a slow burn romance with a touch of angst, also people that like when two men find out that they have a lot more in common than they first thought.
