Hi guys, we have L.E. Franks popping in today with the cover to her upcoming re-release 6 Days to Get Lucky, we have a great excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
6 Days to Get Lucky
(6 Days 02)
by
L.E. Franks
Mixologist Nick Valentine never thought love was in the cards, but after a scorching Valentine’s Day kiss from bouncer Davis “FatBoy” Newman, he’s beginning to think it’s possible. After four weeks of dry spell, Nick’s losing patience—it’s time FatBoy stop acting the gentleman and just throw him over the bar or Nick may just change his mind.
All FatBoy wants is a shot at winning Nick’s heart. As long as meddling bosses, an Irish hurling team and a bar riot don’t ruin his chances forever, he might just get lucky and take the man of his dreams, home.
Hi guys, we have L.E. Franks stopping by with her new release 6 Days to get Lucky, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
6 Days to Get Lucky
(A Nick Valentine Story 02)
L.E. Franks
Mixologist Nick Valentine never thought love was in the cards, but after a scorching Valentine’s Day kiss from bouncer Davis “FatBoy” Newman, he’s beginning to think it’s possible. After four weeks of dry spell, Nick’s losing patience—it’s time FatBoy stop acting the gentleman and just throw him over the bar or Nick may just change his mind.
All FatBoy wants is a shot at winning Nick’s heart. As long as meddling bosses, an Irish hurling team and a bar riot don’t ruin his chances forever, he might just get lucky and take the man of his dreams, home.
Hiya peeps, we have L.E. Franks stopping by today to show off the cover to her upcoming release 6 Days to Get Lucky, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out that cover, enjoy the excerpt and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
6 Days to Get Lucky
(A Nick Valentine Story 02)
L.E. Franks
Mixologist Nick Valentine never thought love was in the cards, but after a scorching Valentine’s Day kiss from bouncer Davis “FatBoy” Newman, he’s beginning to think it’s possible. After four weeks of dry spell, Nick’s losing patience—it’s time FatBoy stop acting the gentleman and just throw him over the bar or Nick may just change his mind.
All FatBoy wants is a shot at winning Nick’s heart. As long as meddling bosses, an Irish hurling team and a bar riot don’t ruin his chances forever, he might just get lucky and take the man of his dreams, home.
Title: Snow Globe Author: LE Franks Narrator: Dave Gillies Genre: Contemporary/Holiday Length: 58 minutes Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (11-10-2014) Heat Level: Low Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts Blurb: Kris Hamilton escaped the rat race in LA to live his dream of owning an art studio and making snow globes in a Christmas-themed town in northern Minnesota. But life in a tiny town isn’t as peaceful as advertised, and being treated like an outsider is making Kris’s Tourette’s flare up. When he inadvertently offends Tyr Tollefson—a beautiful blond giant of a man—Kris is ready to chuck it all. But he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tyr’s cousin Bun, who shows them the magic of Christmas and gives them both a lesson in love and acceptance.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package “Heartwarming.”
Review: Kris Hamilton turned his online snow globe making business into something full-time, buying into a store in Minnesota, and moving his life across country. Only to be ceremoniously ostracized by his neighbors because he is different. Kris is tall, thin and has the appearance of an Anime character come to life, he’s gay, and he has Tourette’s. Any one of these characteristics would be frowned upon in this straight-laced Midwestern town, but Kris seems to have nailed the trifecta.
When Tyr Tollefson and his niece stumble into Kris’s store and are witness to a full on episode, Tyr gets the wrong impression. But Kris’s personality shines when he starts to get to know Try and Bun, and Tyr learns the real reason behind Kris’s outbursts. While Kris is unable to control what comes out of his mouth most of the time, his outbursts serve to bring him and Tyr closer together as an odd form of communication. But inexperience and a town full of judgmental people threatens to drive a wedge between them.
This was a super short Christmas themed story. I was surprised at just how much content was given for a book just shy of an hour in length. I loved the detailed descriptive of the town, Kris’s work and Kris and Tyr’s appearance overall. I seriously had a visual of these two men and where they lived just by the words used for them. This was my first LE Franks book as well as my first Dave Gillie’s audible, it will not be the last for either of the aforementioned! What a great collaboration of written word and the translation of them.
Definitely a must read for any fans of the genre that are looking for a heartfelt, romantic read for the Holiday. Again, it is very reasonably priced in both Audio and E-book. Cheap enough, in fact, that this would be a great option for gifting, as well.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: Can This Be Real Series: N/A Author: L. E. Franks Genre: Contemporary Length: Novella (135 Pages) ISBN: MLR-1-02014-0238 Publisher: MLR Press (April 24th, 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts Reviewer: Lisa
Blurb: Chef Christian De Guisse can’t trust a man who doesn’t love his food, while Detective Andrew Simmons won’t let any man close who thinks he’s broken—somewhere between these two points, love is possible, but only if they get real.
When Chef Christian De Guisse accidently outs Celebrity Chef Jordan Slayer during a fight in front of The Times entertainment reporter—it only gets Christian ex-boyfriend status and a one-way plane ticket to culinary exile in Oregon. But a fortuitous meeting with Detective Andrew Simmons at the Portland airport keeps Christian and his collection of exotic herbs out of the hands of Homeland Security, starting the chemistry simmering between them. Andy isn’t much of a foodie and for a chef who communicates love through his cooking this may be one hurdle too high…until they’re finally ready to get real.
Review: This is an awesome book. I love the way the characters just seem to work together. L. E. Franks has a very sweet gift at telling stories. Christian had been with Jordon since graduating cooking school until he finds out that Jordon had been cheating on him with a woman. He was so upset that he goes and confronts him only to realize that he had outed him in front of an entertainment reporter for the Times. It gets him fired from there. But to his amazement, Jordon’s business starts going downhill. However, his best friend comes to his apartment and pretty much drags him to Oregon. Telling him that he can start all over and have a new life again.
What he did not expect was to get brought in by Homeland Security right off the plane to Oregon. Now that is a bad sign, however when Detective Andrew Simmons comes in and takes him back to the station he finds himself drawn to this sexy man. The problem was the Andy didn’t appreciate his cooking, or so he thought. Andy had been hurt several years ago and lost his sense of smell and taste. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Chris’s cooking it was just that he could taste it.
At first Andy thinks Chris is trying to fix him, thinking him broken but after some time and a lot of talking realizes he just wants to teach him about what Chris taste. That cooking to him is like a song, or a poem to many. It is his gift and his love. He however wants to show Andy that he loves him for himself. Andy had always feared that starting a relationship would always fail because someone would think he was broke and they wanted to fix him. It takes him time but learns that Chris doesn’t think he is broken and that he is loved.
This is a great story. I love the way the story comes together just right. It is the perfect length and each person comes off so real to you. You can feel the love between them, as well as the fear each of them have. It will catch your attention from the start and will keep it all the way to the end. That is what this story did for me. I cannot wait to read more stories like this from L. E. Franks. I would recommend this tender loving story.
Hey guys, a bunch of us bloggers have got together to show our support for T.J. Klune and Eric Arvin by joining up for the Grand Adventures blog tour. This blog tour is to bring to attention the wonderful authors who donated a story and Dreamspinners Press who are donating 100% of the income from the sale to Eric & T.J. and there’s even a great giveaway for you to enjoy! I know the people in this genre are just incredible! So check out what the authors have to say, visit Dreamspinners Press and have a look at the great Grand Adventures goodies and click our Rafflecopter link to win some of those great goodies 🙂 ~Pixie~ p.s. I’d like to give a shout out to Brandilyn from Prism Book Alliance for pulling us bloggers together and organizing our roles in this tour 😉
Description:
On September 1, 2011, TJ Klune wrote, “…it’s not about the ending, it’s about the journey…” in a review of Eric Arvin’s Woke Up in a Strange Place. With those words, two men began a journey of love and invited us to ride along. TJ and Eric have shared so much with us: their wonderful books, their smiles, their humor, their lives, and their inspiring devotion to each other. In December of 2013, their journey took a detour when Eric was taken to the emergency room. He survived the surgery to remove a cavernous hemangioma from his brain stem, but the challenges TJ and Eric face are far from over.
The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eric’s continued recovery, to help bring strength to TJ, and to show both of them just how much love surrounds them. Grand Adventures is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love. We’re going on some grand adventures for a great cause. Thank you for joining us.
One hundred percent of the income from this volume goes directly to TJ and Eric.
Foreword by S.A. McAuley
An Unexpected Thing by John Amory (Sequel to Protection)
The Twinkie Ignition by J.E. Birk
When Friendship Becomes More by Sophie Bonaste
Isle of Waiting by Sue Brown (A Missing Moment from Isle of Waves)
The Jogger by KC Burn
Holding Court by Cardeno C.
For Dear Life by Mary Calmes
Under the Full Moon by Ellis Carrington
Stripped by Shae Connor (2nd Edition)
That Place Across the Hall by C.C. Dado
Mistaken MD by Phoenix Emrys
Cops and Comix by Rhys Ford
Last First Kiss by LE Franks
Tomorrow by John Goode
From Fantasy to Friends by CR Guiliano (A Companion to For You)
Hello everyone! My name is John Amory, and my contribution to the Grand Adventures anthology is titled “An Unexpected Thing.” This short is actually a sequel to a story that Dreamspinner published last June in its Daily Dose compilation called “Protection.” The new story picks up about two years after Jamie and Ben met; both are back from London and traveling the West Coast. Jamie is en route to a shooting competition with Ben in tow, but when their plane is diverted, they are forced to find their own way through the Cascades to Seattle. They, of course, find something else along the way.
I have never met TJ or Eric, but I was struck by their struggle like everyone else. We are all a family of authors and readers in this genre, and it felt like someone in our family had suddenly fallen ill. I wanted to help, especially since TJ’s book Into This River I Drown had such an effect on me. When “Protection” was accepted for publication last year, it was the first book I chose from Dreamspinner’s catalog to read, so that I could get a feel for their audience, their authors, the style of stories they publish, etc. I was blown away by River, which is, in so many ways, a really atypical (but still brilliant) M/M romance. There was so much else going on: grief, redemption, faith, closure, all of these things played into the book’s themes, and they’re all things I think TJ handled beautifully. So I began “An Unexpected Thing” as a sequel to “Protection” that contained a guest appearance by two of TJ’s characters from Roseland, which seemed only appropriate given its ties to River. I eventually re-edited the story to not include TJ’s characters (since, if all the authors did that, it would be taxing on TJ to edit and approve each story), but the essence that those characters brought to the story is still there, as well as some other Easter eggs for fans of TJ’s book. “An Unexpected Thing” is about finding love in places you never thought you would, with people you never thought you would. That’s something I got from Into This River I Drown and from TJ and Eric’s personal story, and I think it’s something universal: keep your eyes and heart open, because The One might be someone you’d never notice otherwise.
Thanks for reading and for supporting Grand Adventures! You can find me on Twitter (@JohnAmory) or on GoodReads. Feel free to drop a line! Happy reading!
About John Amory:
John Amory is and always will be a hopeless romantic, which he blames on watching too many episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 growing up. He began writing stories and poems as a child, continuing through high school. He put writing on the backburner for a number of years, during which time he finished both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in English, and is thrilled to be creating again now that he knows what “free time” means.
In another life, John is a newly minted college professor, as well as an actor/director/choreographer/playwright whose work has been performed in New York City and elsewhere. He is also obsessed with television and keeps two blogs on the subject: one for general reviews and comments (faketvcritic.blogspot.com), and one devoted solely to So You Think You Can Dance (cuttingsytycd.blogspot.com).
Feel free to drop a message here or on Twitter to say hi!
1. Tell us about your contribution to the anthology.
My short story is called When Friendship Becomes More.
Here’s the official blurb, because it explains the story better than I could:
Despite their differences, Jamie and Roy are not only college roommates, but best friends. What Jamie doesn’t know is that Roy has had a crush on him for years. When Jamie realizes Roy’s feelings during a camping trip with friends, the attraction will either prove mutual, or it will tear their friendship apart.
I’m really proud of this short story. It has moments that will make you laugh and cry. I hope everyone out there loves it as much as I do.
2. What is your favorite TJ and Eric memory?
Well, I haven’t been lucky enough to meet TJ or Eric in person. But I remember reading the news of TJ’s proposal in October of last year. I was instantly touched by the obvious love between the two men. It may not have been a showy proposal like that Home Depot one that went viral a few months ago, but it was one of the most love-filled proposals I’ve ever seen. And isn’t that what’s really important?
3. Why did you choose to participate in the anthology?
When I heard about the anthology it was a no-brainer. I knew I had to help TJ and Eric in any way I could. And since writing is one of my favorite things to do anyway, it was a win-win.
4. Do you have anything to say to TJ and Eric?
I just wanted to say that you two are both some of the strongest people I’ve ever known. I wish you only the best as you go forward. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!!!!!
About Sophie Bonaste:
Sophie Bonaste is a novelist who never set out to be a novelist. As a child, she wanted to be a Broadway actress and spent her childhood in numerous productions. But when adulthood set in and reality took over, Sophie chose to up the theater for a steady paycheck and instead turned to writing as a creative outlet. She stumbled into the M/M genre through fanfiction and never looked back. Sophie is quite happy with her change in artistic expression and doesn’t plan to stop writing for a long time.
A self-proclaimed nerd, Sophie is an avid fan of all things Star Wars and Harry Potter. (Sophie is a member of the Slytherin house, for those who were wondering.) Sophie also spends many hours watching and re-watching nerdy television shows. When she is not obsessing over the latest and greatest in nerdy entertainment, Sophie can be found screaming at her television during American football games. (Go Pack Go!) Sophie currently lives in Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes from her childhood town of The Middle of Nowhere.
If you don’t want to talk, but you want to read more about my works, please use these links.
Harmony Ink – Sophie Bonaste
Dreamspinner Press – Sophie Bonaste
GIVEAWAY!
20″ x 26″ (image size: 16″ x 24″) signed & matted print of the Grand Adventures cover Grand Adventures Paperback $30 Dreamspinner Press Giftcard
Starts: 12:01 AM EDT on 29 Mar 2014 End: 11:59pm EDT on 8 April 2014
Title: 6 Days to Valentine Series: N/A Author: LE Franks Genre: Contemporary Length: Novella (84 Pages) Publisher: Wilde City Press (January 29th 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Blurb: In Nick’s perfect world, Valentine’s Day would be struck from the calendar.
Nick’s dreams of a Happily Ever After were shredded long ago and the last thing he and his customers need is a bunch of happy loving couples rubbing it in their faces.
Bouncer Fat Boy Newman is willing to bet he knows Nick’s heart better than he does. He has just six days to change Nick’s mind about romance and the holiday and the perfect man to do it.
A very sweet story, but with a lot of misunderstandings and drama mixed in. I enjoyed reading how Nick finally figures out what he’s been missing in his life. FatBoy seemed sweet and gentle, while trying to fix Nick up to see him happy, not realizing till the end that it was him that was the one.
These two men are as different as night and day, but they just seemed to work. Nick comes off as a bit of a jerk, in the beginning. But, his biggest flaw was judging a “book by its cover.” Or In this case, his perfect guy, by the size of his muscles.
The story is well written and very complete, for a novella.
I recommend this to readers who like sweet romance, clueless bartenders, and patient bouncers.
Prime’s Review: ♥♥♥2.5 Hearts
I really don’t know what to say about this one. For one, it is a nice, short story to enjoy. However, there is one major flaw, but I’ll get to that in a sec.
6 Days to Valentine by LE Franks is fairly self-explanatory when you read the title and the blurb. It is about Nick Valentine, who is rather jaded, he no longer believes in love/romance and he especially detests Valentine’s Day.
At the bar where he is a bar tender, he has a bet with one of the bouncers, only known as FatBoy Newman (although it is never confirmed I am guessing that his real name is Davis Newman). FatBoy has just 6 days to change Nick’s mind. If I go too much further into the plot I’m going to give away the story.
Okay, so onto what I believe to be the greatest flaw in this story.
Nick may not be the most likeable character, but I think that has a lot to do with plot and character development. I just don’t think that there’s enough of either. Sometimes the explanations just fall short for me.
I mean, I can read between the lines but sometimes I think the author’s vision makes more sense when explicitly stated. Nick showed potential and I really wanted him to live up to that potential. Unfortunately, he didn’t. Even more unfortunately, I just feel that there was very little chemistry between Nick and FatBoy – despite the fact that I wanted there to be more. They seemed to match together but their attraction lacked sparks and fireworks.
Then there is the plot, again more explicit explanations of what is going by the author would have been nice because sometimes I felt like I was missing some vital piece of information. This probably would not have been such an issue if there was more action and far less telling throughout the story.
This was enjoyable enough I’m just not entirely sure if it was a good thing that the story left me wanting more by the end.
Blurb: Kris Hamilton escaped the rat race in LA to live his dream of owning an art studio and making snow globes in a Christmas-themed town in northern Minnesota. But life in a tiny town isn’t as peaceful as advertised, and being treated like an outsider is making Kris’s Tourette’s flare up. When he inadvertently offends Tyr Tollefson—a beautiful blond giant of a man—Kris is ready to chuck it all. But he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tyr’s cousin Bun, who shows them the magic of Christmas and gives them both a lesson in love and acceptance.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package “Heartwarming”.
Review: I found this story amazing. I have no words of how much I really liked this.
The characters that literally shine here are absolutely gorgeous and their flaws are simply what make them so lovable and undeniably charming.
Kris is a very talented artist. He created snow-globes that are simply perfect works of Art. He is also gorgeous the way I see him, but he has a flaw. His special brand of Tourette makes his brain conjure words non-stop when in an overwhelming situation. He simply can’t make his brain stop or his mouth for all it matters. When he moves in a Christmas-themed little town to make his dream come true, he didn’t counted on the narrow-mindedness of small-town people. His brand is not very well tolerated there and he’s just barely making it through the year. Things go even worse when he unintentionally pissed Tyr off, making Kris decide to leave his dream and go back to LA.
Tyr; what a nice character this one was. Tyr is a young man with the looks of a Norse God, who’s come back to the little town to take care of his uncle, whose health is fast declining, and his cousin who has a brain damage that makes her a weir mix of an adult with the emotional stability of a six-year-old. Taking care of them is no small task and some days his patience wear a bit thin. In one such day they were met with Kris and the stream of words coming out of his mouth infuriates Tyr, turning him into the protector mode that consequently leads to a really bad start to any kind of relations with the new artist in town.
Enter Bun, Tyr’s cousin, and her mania with Christmas. Her fascination with everything Christmas, including snow globes becomes the bridge between Tyr and Kris. What follows is an amazing story, sweet and emotional, and even a bit sad at some point. The two men become quickly more than friends, the romance building is superb and quite realistic, but they also get face to face with the ugliness and hardships life throws them. It’s this balance that gives this story its final spark.
For me this was a very interesting story, with enticing characters and a down to earth plot that made all the difference to the entire Christmas-theme moral in the end. I loved it and I wholeheartedly recommend it to romance lovers.
Blurb:Carlo has a problem, after years away he’s finally returned to his South Carolina roots – but instead of peace and quiet all he’s found are nosy wolves, romancing twinks, an out of control roommate threatening to expose them all, and a demanding Alpha who just won’t go away.
All his Alpha wants is to show Carlo who he really is, and where he belongs. But Carlo Montefiore is a man fighting his instincts, memories, and responsibilities. His beachside home was supposed to provide sanctuary, but pack politics, unruly roommates, and human neighbors at risk of discovering that shifters exist, are making life anything but peaceful. Twinks Kevin and Grady have their own problems. Two college freshmen are no match for a couple of hot wolves who like to play chase. If they don’t stop playing games they’ll miss the biggest thing to happen in their young lives—love.
Review: Carlo is an Alpha wolf but he was sent away from his pack when he was forced to go to a college, now he has returned but he turns his back on the responsibility of the pack like they turned their backs on him. Angelo has had to look after the pack as the only other Alpha, but now with Carlo finishing college he can hand over the reins and think about his career in the military, what Angelo never counted on was Carlo refusing the Alpha role and staying away from the pack. Kevin and Grady are humans who are reconnecting their friendship with a holiday at the beach, falling in with a couple of wolves proves to be an interesting time and forces them to confront their feelings for each other.
This is a very cool book that has a couple of different story threads that blend together to make for a very interesting read. Carlo is bitter, Angelo is angry and neither man will step back. While Angelo was following Carlo’s fathers instructions, he inadvertently drove the younger wolf away, now Carlo wants nothing to do with either him or the pack. Carlo has started his own small pack with two friends, living by the beach but his friends are still young wolves who can’t keep it in their pants. Joey and Ted set their sights on their new neighbors and nearly end up in sever trouble during a party.
Well, there is a lot going on in this story that grabs your attention, there are some mysteries that need to be solved and some very deep hurt feelings that might never be repaired. Okay, well… hmmm where to start, well for the last several years Angelo has been the Alpha of the Montefiore pack looking after it for the true Alpha while he is in college… unfortunately he didn’t handle it properly and Carlo thinks he has been forced out of the pack so Angelo could have it to himself. Angelo has an attraction to Carlo, and Carlo has an attraction to Angelo but Carlo is very bitter and their dealings are angry and bitter. Ted is a wolf from a different pack but his background is a mystery, Joey grew up with Carlo and is a complete horn-dog. Kevin and Grady are two cute guys who just happen to be staying next door to the wolves.
I found this story to be intriguing but packed with confusion as to what is going on. There is very little page time between Carlo and Angelo and what there is, is confrontational and angry, and you can’t help feel that if Angelo had handled things differently years before, then he wouldn’t be having the problems he is now dealing with. Carlo is bitter and it is blinding his future, you can understand why he felt abandoned but his hurt is driving him. There’s some pack politics that emerge that I am sure we will get a clearer picture of as the series continues, but for now we are left with questions and a rough direction of where the story is going. The only thing that I really couldn’t work out was the involvement of Kevin and Grady in the story, yes they made a great side story and their involvement produced some really hot sex, but other than their involvement with the wolves making them confront their feelings for each other, it didn’t really expand the storyline.
I recommend this to those who love shifters, confrontation, bitter feelings, pack politics, explosive sex, and a twisty ending that leaves you intrigued and wanting more.
