Showing posts with label Release Blitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Release Blitz. Show all posts

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Release Blitz: People Like Us by Ruby Moone #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway

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Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway:

People Like Us by Ruby Moone

 

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Winsford Green Stories, Book 2

 

Arthur Fitch clawed his way out of the violence and poverty of the slums of London to become a valet to the aristocracy. His ambition to secure a higher position led him to a disastrous appointment with a cold, brutal man, and when things come to a head, Arthur is forced to flee into a snowstorm to find safety.

Joseph Wilkinson is the Winsford Green blacksmith. He has a good life, good friends, owns a thriving business, but at the end of the day when he goes home, loneliness consumes him. When he stumbles upon a small man determinedly trudging through the snowstorm, he invites him into his home to shelter.

Arthur Fitch is older, smart-mouthed, and as prickly as hell. But, as Joe peels back the layers, he discovers a warm, funny, vulnerable man whose tastes in the bedchamber leave Joe gasping and desperate for more. Trouble is, having found the real Arthur Fitch, how can he convince him that life in a small town can be infinitely better than working for an Earl? That love really is possible for people like them? Particularly when Arthur’s past catches up with him in horrifying fashion.

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Review


Praise to this story. I love me some good written historical narrative! And omg it was so incredibly good!

Joseph saved Arthur from the snow, fed him, and gave him a warm bed to sleep in.
Arthur isn’t the nicest guy the next morning, haughty even. Joseph is disappointed.
But behind that haughtiness, there is a quirky man with humor, also a man with particular needs.
Without thinking, Joseph fulfills all his needs and thereby his own.
Joseph is the blacksmith of this village, appreciated by all the residents. He’s lonely and somewhat withdrawn.

The little town and the warm, positive people who live there, aren’t things Arthur could ever imagine to experience.

Arthur’s goal is London, being a valet to an earl, living amongst the aristocracy. What this town has to offer, frightens him. Fear is what makes him make terrible decisions. Like not choose to be loved and cared for. So, London will be it.

What a precious story, 
Joseph’s words and posture gave me goosebumps more than once. He was kind-hearted, compassionate, considerate, honest, and passionate. Never questioning Arthur’s needs.
Dear, dear Arthur can’t believe this man in front of him, full of warmth. He himself is full of shame, sarcasm, reserved and skeptical. 

The whole story felt amazingly authentic, the language, the clothes, the food, the jobs, the houses, all the surroundings everything felt so real. The way of writing made it easy to picture it all. I’m also talking about picturing emotions, shining eyes, hearts full of hope, opportunities, the smell of fresh-baked bread, the best diners, and of course tea.

Wonderfully written narrative, so precious to experience. Both Joseph and Arthur were beautifully flawed, they were, just like the secondary characters, extremely lovable.
I  couldn’t get enough of them.
The title, oh my goodness, I’m crying again 😭
Look at the cover and you’ll recognize them in this story just like that!


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Excerpt:


Arthur Fitch drifted into awareness slowly. He was warm. Deliciously warm. He rubbed his face against the pillow, sighed, and the warm body behind him shifted with him. He smiled and hummed happily as he eased his way up through the layers of sleep. When he moved, he groaned. Every part of him seemed to ache. Including his head. He stretched out his legs and the body behind him moved again.
Arthur froze. Body? Body behind him? Body in bed with him...?
His eyes shot open, blinking rapidly. Where in God’s name was he? It was a completely unfamiliar room, unfamiliar bed, and … and … he swallowed and turned his head to the side. A completely unfamiliar man. Who, at that moment, opened outrageously blue eyes and looked at him.
Arthur let out a wild yell and leaped from the bed.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded as he stumbled to his feet. His legs were like water. He grabbed his swimming head with one hand and clutched at the bed post with another as he almost overbalanced.
His blue-eyed bed companion sat up. Dear… sweet …. God. He was magnificent. Huge, muscled shoulders. Pronounced collar bones peeping through the open neck of his night shirt. Shaggy hair the colour of autumn, and an untamed beard.
And he was young.
The man threw back the covers and stood on the opposite side of the bed. “Don’t you remember?” His voice was deep, husky rumble.
“Remember what?” His own voice had become a shriek. “What did you do to me?”
The man took a step back, wariness edging into his blue gaze. Christ, they were so blue.
“I didn’t do anything. I rescued you from the snow.”
Arthur looked around with his mouth open. He was used to being surrounded by the finest things money could buy. Working with the most respected and envied men of the upper ten thousand. Why the hell was he in some poky, rustic, shabby … Did that man have an erection? He stared at the man’s groin. There was definitely some stirring visible. He looked at him and raised a quelling brow. The man flushed, put a hand over himself, and glared at him. Dark brows pulling down.
“You walked from the Abbey in the snow. I brought you in and warmed you up. That’s all. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“My good man, I …” Arthur began, at his most haughty, then hesitated. Memories crowded in. Snow. Cold. More snow and so cold he thought he might die. He held onto his head as it all came flooding back. The giant had indeed saved him from the snow and probably saved his life.
He cleared his throat.

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Enter the Giveaway:

 

To celebrate the release of People Like Us, Ruby is giving away a £15/$15

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a5740/?


 

Check out Book 1 in the Winsford Green Stories:

Dances Long Forgotten

 

Dances Cover

On Christmas Eve, Dylan, the man of James Pell-Charnley’s dreams, is on the point of walking out. Then they hear the faint strains of a waltz in the library of the empty abbey. The music is said to be heard only by those truly in love, and it gives James the courage to tell Dylan the story. 

In December 1841, Lord Hugo Pell-Charnley is in a terrible mess. The youngest son of the late Marquis, youngest brother of the incumbent, never felt to fit. When his life comes crashing down, and his life and his family are threatened, he is forced to face his elder brother and confess his deepest secret. When he arrives at Winsford Abbey he finds he must also confront the shame from his past in the form of Lyndon Cross. The boy he’d loved but betrayed in school. 

As they clear the ghosts from the past, they dance in each other’s arms in the library to the soft strains of the waltz, but long buried secrets threaten to destroy their happiness. 

Two hundred years later, can those dances long forgotten give James and Dylan the courage to hold on to love?

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About the Author:

My name is Ruby Moone and I love books. All kinds of books. My weakness is for romance, and that can be any kind, but I am particularly fond of historical and paranormal. I decided to write gay romance after reading some fantastic books and falling in love with the genre, so am really thrilled to have my work published here. The day job takes up a lot of my time, but every other spare moment finds me writing or reading. I live in the north west of England with my husband who thinks that I live in two worlds. The real world and in the world in my head...he probably has a point!



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Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Release Blitz: Fakers by Lucy Lennox & May Archer #Excerpt #Giveaway


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Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: 

Fakers by Lucy Lennox & May Archer

 


Fakers Cover

Cover Designer: Cate Ashwood

Brooks Johnson’s Words To Live By:

When returning to Licking Thicket, TN, for the first time in ten years to reunite with your nosy neighbors, heart-broken ex-girlfriend, and matchmaking mama who never quite believed you were gay, it’s best to bring a fake boyfriend as backup...

Just don’t be surprised when your ex-girlfriend does the same.

And when her incredibly hot fake boyfriend becomes the one island of calm in a sea of bovine-based insanity, it’s best to exercise caution… especially when he pushes you up against the rough barn wall to check you very thoroughly for splinters...

Just don’t be surprised if you fall head-over-hooves in love with him.

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Excerpt: 


I slunk down the hall like I was a kid again, afraid of being caught, and I snuck glances at the backyard out the window to make sure my mother and Ava weren’t coming… which was how I nearly ran into a person standing in the hall by the kitchen.
“Oh my God!” I said, grabbing the person—a man, definitely a man, though much less bulky than me—by the shoulders. “I’m so sorry. I was, ah… distracted.”
And if I hadn’t been before, I certainly was once I got a look at him. Holy shit.
“No, sorry, my bad,” the guy said. He straightened his black T-shirt and brushed an unruly mop of wavy, brown-gold hair away from his magnetic blue eyes. “I was distracted too.”
He motioned toward the pictures on the hallway wall—a collection of bovine-inspired artwork my mother had begun before I was born—and shook his head wordlessly. I felt my face heat.
“Ah. Yeah, it’s quite a theme, isn’t it?” I said. “Cows in flower crowns?”
“I can’t tell if it’s horrible, or wonderful, or both.”
“Both,” I decided. “Most things are.”
He turned to give me a quick, startled smile, and I realized belatedly that while he’d been staring at the wall, I’d been staring at him.
Honestly, there was a lot to look at. Besides the sexy, untamed hair, the man had sharp, intelligent eyes that looked like they missed nothing, high, rounded cheekbones, a scruffy jaw, and plush, pink lips, like a master sculptor had perfectly softened all his other features to balance the intensity of his eyes. His body was lithe, leanly muscled, and delightfully warm. He had a little silver hoop in his left ear, a freckle in the hollow of his throat, and a stack of bracelets up one wrist. He could’ve been anywhere from fifteen to thirty years old. I felt a pulse of awareness in my gut.
Please don’t be fifteen, please don’t be fifteen.
“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning at me in concern.
Damn it all, I was still staring.
“Yeah, no, totally. Just, um.” I cleared my throat. My mother’s art display was the last place on earth I’d expected to meet someone as striking as this. Why did this have to happen while I was a giant, sweaty mess? “Making sure you are.”
“Oh.” His expression cleared, and his lips twitched. Apparently, I was still staring at his lips. “I’m fine. Except that I stepped out of the bathroom down here and this cow started staring into my soul.”
I had to force myself to look away from him and focus on the cow painting, but when I did…
I laughed out loud. “It really is. That cow knows exactly what you’re thinking right now.”
The man gasped, and the sound went straight to my balls. “You think? In that case, that cow needs to mind her fucking business before she gets corrupted.” He looked me up and down, from my messy, sweaty hair to my sneakers, and I’d swear the smile he gave me was pure flirtation.
The smile I gave him in return sure as hell was.
This kind of thing never happened to me. Ever.
“Have you ever seen a real cow?” I asked, because I was the fucking king of suave conversation.
Jesus Christ, how had I ever managed to have sex with anyone?
“A real cow? Obviously,” the guy said, folding his arms over his chest. I couldn’t help but notice the defined muscles in his chest and arms. He was shorter than I was but definitely not scrawny. Fuck he was sexy. He smirked. “Don’t I look like a country boy?”
I laughed, feeling all the stress from the day start to fall away.


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Enter the Giveaway:

 

To celebrate Lucy & May's release, we are giving away 3 eBooks copies of Fakers!
 Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!






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About Lucy:

After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!



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About May:

May is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.



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Friday, June 26, 2020

Release Blitz: Freedom by E. Davies #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway

 

Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway:

Freedom by E. Davies

 

E. Davies-Freedom-Cover

 

F-Word Series, Book 5

 

Agoraphobe Jaden has barely left the house in years. Being dragged to a gay bar by his big brother to bid on a blind date is not his idea of a good time. But then the unthinkable happens: he wins. Sure, he was just about ready to push his boundaries--but on his own time. Not with a probably-gorgeous stranger watching his every move.

Henry hasn't been on a date in the last year--ever since he finished with lower surgery. He works as a nature guide now in the great outdoors, and his new life suits him just fine. Just one thing's missing: a man to share it with. Jaden is sweet, accepting, yet terrified by everything about the date that isn't Henry. But he sees something in Jaden--in his courage for showing up, and his hope and vulnerability along the way.

Back home, when he's in Denver in between guiding trips, Henry quickly becomes a staple in Jaden's home. With Jaden's understanding, Henry grows confident in his own skin. And with Henry's support, the walls of Jaden's sheltered life open up. But every step forward seems like it comes with two steps back. Can they take a deep breath and step into the wide open future--together?

This novel is based on "Denver" -- a short story from the Heart2Heart 2 anthology. It has been revised and significantly expanded. It is now a standalone gay romance novel with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhanger.

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Review

Jaden isn’t sure he should have gone with his brother, Spencer, to the gay bar. When Spence places his name in the running for a blind date prize and he wins, Jaden is both scared and excited. He needs to take back control of his life—after all the incident that has made him an agoraphobe and frightened to even walk down the street alone is history—but his anxiety and depression remain. Still the idea of an overnight getaway is too much to forgo even though Jaden knows it will push his limits. Thankfully the man he is paired up with is kind and considerate—someone who has also dealt with his own issues and undergone therapy for them. Is it too much to consider that perhaps, just maybe, this man is the answer to Jaden’s fantasy of finally learning to live and find love again?

Henry loves the outdoors—being a wilderness guide feeds every one of his passions. The blind date he’s won could go completely wrong but he is willing to give it a go for charity. Then he meets the other guy and is absolutely smitten. Jaden is everything and then some that Henry has been looking for—sure, he has issues but the need to take care of him and the feelings he arouses in Henry are huge. But Henry has a few fears of his own and if he can’t share them with Jaden then any possibility of some kind of relationship is not happening. Can a gay man really be open to dating and loving a trans man? Henry is eager to find out.

Author E. Davies has taken Freedom, a shorter story and expanded it into a full length novel. With great care and painstaking attention to detail the author involves the reader in the lives of two unique men—one who is transgender—Henry and the other who is the former victim of a gay bashing--Jaden. Without bringing the trauma to the page we still get a keen sense of how devastating the event was for Jaden and how it has shaped what little life he has since then. Cut off from everyone except his therapist and his brother, Jaden lives in his tiny apartment, seeing no one and leaving it rarely. His brother is working to change that for him and this raffle/blind date is the first step.

The way in which the author compassionately lays out just how fragile Jaden is and how hard he is working to change that is really quite beautiful to read. There is a metamorphosis of sorts for both these characters and Henry’s finally coming out to colleagues and friends is the other piece of the story. But the real star here is these two men learning how to love each other both emotionally and physically. Without any fuss or over dramatization we explore what it is like to be intimate with a trans man—it’s described so seamlessly that it just flows from the page—a part of the bigger romantic picture. I really admire how the author dealt with the physicality of Henry and Jaden’s relationship—it was so well done.

 While the story did feel a bit forced in the love area with a definite nod to the insta-love trope, still the feelings came off as genuine, if not a bit rushed. These two were ripe for finding someone who could accept them just as they are and are quite lucky to have found each other. I really enjoyed watching them open up and honestly discuss their fears and dreams—it made for a sweet story overall.

 

 


Excerpt: 

“Hi yourself,” Henry answered, his voice a low, smooth shiver straight to Jaden’s toes. Then he straightened up and smiled, hefting the bags. “I have Chinese. And I bought groceries on the way, too. Hope you don’t mind.”

Oh, God. Jaden’s cheeks burned with surprise as he opened his mouth and failed to come up with words. When he did, he squeaked and cleared his throat. “Um—no. I mean, thank you. That’s really… super sweet of you.”


Henry chuckled softly. “It’s my pleasure.” The distinctive smell of fried rice made Jaden’s stomach grumble again. He blushed, but Henry just laughed. “Shall we eat?”


“Let’s,” Jaden agreed. He beamed and led Henry to the kitchen to grab plates and utensils.


He took the grocery bags from him and then hesitated, spotting the red mark on Henry’s hand. “Are you okay?”


“Oh, that? I’m fine,” Henry said with a laugh and kissed Jaden’s cheek. “Thanks. I’ll get these to the table.”


Watching Henry covertly check out the place made Jaden see it with fresh eyes—as much as he could when he knew every inch of the apartment better than anywhere else.


It was cozy, but the view was gorgeous. Green parkland rolled into hills and then the mountains that always hovered on the edge of the Denver consciousness. It more than made up for the cramped living room space.


Jaden dipped into the kitchen, which was tucked away in an alcove off the living room, to put away groceries. He found himself smiling at Henry’s choices. He’d filled one bag with fresh veggies and a bottle of juice, and another with milk, butter, cheese, and pasta. The third had eggs, bacon, and chicken breasts.


Oh, man. There was easily enough for a week, but Henry hadn’t broken the bank on gourmet groceries, either. It told Jaden so much about Henry: he was sensible and frugal, exactly the sort of practical man he wanted in his life.


Okay, stop mooning over cheddar cheese and get the damn plates, Jaden told himself, grinning and shaking his head.


When he got to the table and set down the plates and utensils, Henry already had the cartons arranged and open in the middle of the table. He dropped into his seat and grinned as Jaden sat, too. “Come on, dish up what you want.”


“But what I want isn’t on the menu.” Jaden’s eyes sparkled as he beamed over the table at Henry, his heart already flip-flopping with the tension in the room between them.


One sweet kiss was nice. But he wanted a lot more. The last few nights, he’d missed Henry’s company—to a ridiculous degree, considering they’d only ever spent that one night together.


Henry grinned back at him and held his gaze. “I haven’t shown you the dessert menu.”


Enter the Giveaway:


To celebrate Release of Freedom, we are giving 2 lucky winners the chance to win an e-copy of Freedom, and the winner's choice of any book from Ed's published works!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!





Author Headshot C Web

About Ed:

Since 2013, E. Davies has crafted feel-good stories of men in love--stories that are brimming with hope, found families, and realistic guys next door getting their modern fairytale endings. As for hobbies: rescuing bees, dancing badly, traipsing through meadows, and studying photos of cute guys for research totally count, right?

Connect with Ed: 


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