Review Tour: Rat Park by Marina Vivancos #Review #Giveaway

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 71,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Blurb

Dominic has lived with an empty ache inside him for as long as he could remember. Maybe it started when he was six, hiding beneath his blankets as the wild animal noises of one of mom’s parties echoed in his head. Maybe it began the first time an adult plied him with drinks just to watch him stumble about.

Or, maybe, it was that he couldn’t even imagine what being loved should feel like.

Drugs washed all that away. It didn’t cure the ache, but it made him forget it for a while. Anything was better than being conscious. Than being himself. But life had another hard lesson for him: With drugs, the only way is down.

Dominic hits rock bottom when he’s twenty-three. Turns out, rock bottom looks a lot like the bars of a jail cell. With little left but his own thoughts, Dominic has to decide: Is this what I want for the rest of my life?

The world has never been kind to Dominic, but when he meets the Romeros, he wonders if that is about to change. Officer Catalina Romero seems to see something in Dominic that he is sure isn’t there. The more she pulls him towards her family, however, the harder it is not to go.

All his resistance disappears under the force that is Flor Romero. Spitfire, stubborn Flor—even at sixteen, he refuses to be taken lightly. As he grows older, putting a stop to what Flor obviously wants to happen between them is harder than Dominic would ever want to admit.

Dominic knows that he has too many demons to let anybody get too close. But life doesn’t prepare him for Flor, who just might be ready to fight tooth and nail for a place in Dominic’s life—and his heart.

The question is, will Dominic’s past keep him from his future?

Review

 *Deep breath* Be prepared for an laborious, excellent story.

We follow Dominic from when he was a little boy till early thirties. At barely seventeen Dominic was put into juvie... caught being a  drug runner.  The years before that were hard and rough. Drugs are familiar and a way out.

So much self destructive thoughts were going through his head.

“Dominic hated everything. He hated the air in his lungs and his body and his pathetic self”

After going further downwards Dominic is again in jail, getting out at twenty five, standing at a cross road.

“He could do anything. The thought was terrifying”

The impression about the outside world and all the stimuli was so well displayed in this read... it was all palpable. 

“I’ve got nothing to give.” 

Until a persistent, wonderful woman took him in her heart and never let him go again.

She let him in her home, her family to her husband and her young son... Florian

We follow their ups and downs through the years.

Heartbreaking moments. More than once I cried at the moments where it was so clear Dominic's vision and experience with life was so different. But also beautiful moments, the blooming friendship, and love of Flor and Dominic. Flor who was fierce and determined wanted Dominic. Dominic... living, existing, with the belief he didn’t deserve happiness....struggling and stumbling through life was so strong!

We see beautiful love making, unconditional support, changes,  opportunities, and deep rooted love.

Every emotion was very well described... the facial expressions... the body language... with this, everything was so palpable... some lines I just read three or four times to feel it again and again, really well done!!

For me this was an amazingly written, deep moving story with stunning personalities... so worth reading!!

You are never only one thing!

 

January 28 - OMG Reads, Amy's MM Romance Reviews, February 6 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Faerie's Tales & Reviews, February 8 - Diverse Reader, Boys Meets Boy Reviews, Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, Bayou Book Junkie

Author Bio

When Marina was a child she couldn’t sleep. Night after dissolving night she just couldn’t sleep. Nothing much worked – until she started making up stories in her head. Suddenly, the transition into unconsciousness was a smooth dive into calm waters.

Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did decades ago.

Marina hopes to write in a variety of romance sub-genres, from contemporary to supernatural to sci-fi. Her style, however, tends to focus on character-centred stories that explore different facets of the human experience, such as mental health. She also enjoys writing explicit, drawn-out sex scenes, so expect those to be a prominent feature of her stories.

Marina tends to keep to herself unless prompted, so don’t be shy in approaching her!

Twitter | Facebook | Website

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Review Tour: Only Love by Garrett Leigh #Review #Giveaway

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 355 pages

Cover Design: Book Cover By Design

Blurb

The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

Review 

A Garrett Leigh book release is ALWAYS a reason to get excited, even if it's a re-release with a gorgeous new cover. Only Love is one of my favorite books of Garrett's- even more so now than before. The new cover is beyond fantastic and for those of you who've read and loved Slide, Rare, and Circle (and if you haven't, omg, fix that travesty immediately!) you'll know why Jed and Max are even more special than they were in Only Love. Garrett Leigh is unparalleled when it comes to writing emotional, intense books that rip your heart out before she puts it back together again. Really, there is no one better. Her characters have a way of embedding themselves into your soul, and I know for me, I find myself often thinking about a scene or a bit of dialog between characters from her books. 

Jed Cooper is the epitome of a brooding, stoic, strong silent type of man. As an ex-soldier he suffers from PTSD as well as a pretty horrific medical condition that makes his quality of life iffy at the best of times. He's suffered loss and trauma and when his military career ends, he has nowhere to go but back to his hometown. He's angry and in pain and it isn't until he finds himself on Max O'Dair's doorstep that he begins to settle into his new life as a civilian. Max himself has his own demons to try to manage ... he's an epileptic prone to seizures and memory loss. It seems like an impossible situation and a very unlikely match, but Jed and Max manage to find something in the other that they desperately need. 

I have to say, I adore Jed and Max SO much. Max's sunny personality is charming and Jed's stoicism and gruffness just hides his need for love and peace. They both have a myriad of issues to work through, some seemingly insurmountable, but somehow it works and it's due to Leigh's brilliant writing that we're shown how these broken men come together in the most beautiful way. I'm not going to go into the plot, but the journey Max and Jed take together and apart is one full of hope and fear and at the end, so, so much love. Only Love is definitely an emotional read, but the heartache is so worth it because the happily ever after is so beautiful and so deserved. This is definitely a story about healing and acceptance and if you haven't read this one yet, I highly recommend it.

Dec 11 - The Way She Reads, Reading In Sarah's Corner, MM Midnight Cafe, Xtreme Delusions, Diverse Reader, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Dilyana's World, Kimmers Erotic Book Banter, Two Chicks Obsessed, Jessie G Books, Sizzling Romance, Dec 13 - Mikku-chan, Drops of Ink, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Lelyana's Reviews, Wicked Reads, Dec 15 - Gay Media Reviews, Book Corner Reviews, Mainely Stories, Mirrigold, Love Unchained, Dec 17 - The Secret Of Ko, Making It Happen, The Geekery Book Review, Dec 19 - Bonkers About Books, Dec 21 - MM Good Book Reviews, Amy's MM Romance Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis, Book Review Virginia Lee

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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Release Blitz: Under The Felt Mistletoe by Nell Iris #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | JMS Books

Length: 13,000 words.

Publisher: JMS Books

Blurb

The most wonderful time of the year is about to get even better.

On a cold, rainy December morning, Finn’s beloved Grampa, his best friend and rock, makes a friend outside their home who he invites in for coffee. The last thing Finn expects is Nelson, a man with a painful past, who is beautiful and generous and turns Finn’s knees into jelly.

What starts out as a chance to get out of the rain, soon becomes more as Nelson helps Finn get ready for the Christmas market. They bond over coffee and fabric and Mariah Carey. Can handmade Christmas ornaments and an understanding heart give Nelson the love he’s been denied?

Review 

Finn and Nelson

Ow goshh I adored this little Christmas tale. It had so much in it:

Kindness, the warmth of family, humor, adorable personalities, the smell of Christmas, hurt softened by the sweetness of friendship, a blooming love... so much, my heart thumped faster.

Finn lives with his Grampa and when this always kind man asks a stranger inside for a warm coffee Finn’s breath is taken away when Nelson enters the kitchen. He is just everything he likes in a man.

Nelson was seeking his his family but they left without a trace. His disappointment disappears like snow under the sun when he enters their inviting home. This is the start of something special.

A dear tale, with an amazing Christmas spirit and considered a short story, I loved every part of it... life is so much better with the right people around!

Best way to read this delicious and comfortable Christmas story is with a hot chocolate under a fluffy blanket in a cozy chair, snow outside, and candles with a fireplace burning inside.

 

Excerpt

Sunday arrives with clear skies and no rain, but instead, the temperature has dropped overnight and hovers in the low thirties. I arm myself with a thermos of coffee and dress accordingly: long johns under my orange bellbottom corduroy pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a turtleneck layered under my windbreaker, a fluffy scarf wound around my neck and a beanie that makes my hair look ridiculous. It flattens everything under the hat, but at the ribbed cuff, my curls explode in every direction with a vengeance.

A lot of people attend the first market of the season and despite the cold pluming my breath in front of me, everyone is in high spirits and full of holiday cheer. My neighbor to the right, Mrs. Winterbottom -- yes, that’s her real name -- is dressed as Mrs. Santa and sells magnificent hand-crafted fir wreaths. On my left, Mr. and Mrs. Carruthers sell gold-brushed chocolate pralines that are too pretty to eat and taste even better.

Every vendor plays holiday music, greets the shoppers with a jolly ho-ho-ho, and a comment on the weather. The shoppers, in turn, have deep pockets and are eager to acquire the merchandise. People love my ornaments, and my stuff flies off the table. I will be cleaned out completely before the market closes if this continues. I need to spend more time sewing so I can bring lots more next week.

After a couple hours, huge powdery snowflakes start sailing leisurely from the sky, adding to the holiday feeling. The only downer on this fabulous day is that I ran out of coffee early. Mrs. Winterbottom forgot hers at home, and I shared mine with her. I wouldn’t let my worst enemy go without coffee if I could do something about it.

But in a lull between customers, a savior arrives.

Nelson. Carrying two paper cups in mittened hands.

Warmth flashes in my chest at the sight of him; his shy smile and brown eyes that are warm enough to thaw the thin layer of ice from the pond in the middle of the park where the market is held.

“Hi,” he says, sounding out of breath. “I know you like coffee, but I thought maybe hot chocolate would be nice in this cold?” He holds out of the cups and if we weren’t separated by the table I would show my gratitude by hugging the stuffing out of the man. New acquaintance or not.

“My hero!” I accept the offering, tear off the lid, and inhale. The sweet, slightly bitter aroma makes my mouth water. I take a small sip, but it isn’t too hot to drink so I have some more. I hum in happiness and smile at him. “This is awesome. Thank you so much.”

Nelson’s gaze is glued to my mouth with eyelids heavy and lips parted. “You’ve got ...” He sets down his cup and pulls off his red and white mittens, then he leans forward and swipes the pad of his thumb along my upper lip.

I draw a stuttering breath.

“You had chocolate on your lip,” he rasps, his voice so deliciously rumbly I feel it all the way in my bones. “There. All gone.” He does a final sweep before withdrawing.

I can’t help it; my hand flies to my mouth and I finger my lip as though I’m trying to stop the lingering warmth from evaporating.

“Thank you.” My voice is hoarse. Our eyes lock as he picks up the mittens and put them back on. My breathing grows shallow and the Christmas music cacophony and loud buzz of the market-goers fade into the background. All I see is him. All I hear is his breathing.

“Finn. I ...”

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along but, let’s face it, she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (“Make it so”). She loves words, poetry, wine, and Sudoku, and absolutely adores elephants!

Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a forty-something bisexual Swedish woman, married to the love of her life, and a proud mama of a grown daughter. She left the Scandinavian cold and darkness for warmer and sunnier Malaysia a few years ago, and now spends her days writing, surfing the Internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food. One day she decided to chase her lifelong dream of being a writer, sat down in front of her laptop, and wrote a story about two men falling in love.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angst, and wants to write diverse and different characters.

Email contact@nelliris.com
Web www.nelliris.com
Twitter @nellirisauthor
Facebook page www.facebook.com/nellirisauthor
Facebook profile www.facebook.com/nell.iris.12
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/nelliris
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nell_iris/
QueeRomance Ink https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/nell-iris/

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Review Tour: Lucky by Garrett Leigh #review #Giveaway

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 70,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Blurb

Dominic Ramos is a Premiership football player with a secret. There are no trophies for being gay in his game. Locked into his rep as the meanest defender on the pitch, keeping his secret is soul-crushing, but love has no place in his sport, even if his soft heart craves it.

Lucky Coleman is on his knees when he meets a man with more money than sense. It’s a Grindr hook-up for cash, not a love match, but dreaming of his desperate, kind eyes earns a place amongst his numerous bad habits.

Meeting once was risky, twice pushes Dom’s courage to the limit. Losing Lucky seems inevitable, but his tight grip on his image counts for nothing when Lucky starts to fall.

Catching him could cost Dom everything, but if he can set his heart free, getting Lucky long term might be a risk worth taking.

Review

So it should come as a shock to absolutely NO ONE that I am a huge Garrett Leigh fangirl. I've read everything she's written to date (some books multiple times- hello Pete and Ash <3) and while I've loved some books more than others, I've enjoyed every single one of them. I'm also a huge fan of sports romances-hockey and soccer especially- so when I saw that she was going to be writing her first sports romance, I couldn't wait to see what she would do. I expected the compelling characters, the angst, the chemistry between the main characters, but what I didn't expect was just how invested I would be in the love story between Dom and Lucky. From the very first page of Lucky I was thoroughly sucked into their lives and couldn't put the book down. 

Dominic "Dom" Ramos is a professional football (soccer to us here in the US) player and has been deep in the closet for so long he doesn't see a way out. He's miserable, has lost his love for the beautiful game, and above all else, extremely lonely. His only relief, if you can even call it that, comes from anonymous Grindr hookups. There are no connections, no intimacy, just an outlet for pent up sexual frustration. It's a hard life, one that has beaten Dom down, made him angry and apathetic to everything around him until he meets Lucky. From the very first moment they meet, Dom knows that nothing will ever be the same again. He tries to resist, he tries to keep his life the way it is, no matter how unbearably unhappy it makes him, to the point there are physical manifestations as well as making it extremely difficult for Dom to allow himself to be close to anyone. He has no friends to speak of, no family he's close to, and his teammates are more like a means to an end than anything else. I ached for Dom. Truly. I felt his fear of coming out, his anger at himself and the world around him, felt his shame for being afraid to be himself, his desperate need to feel anything. 

Lucky Coleman is exactly who Dom needs to jump start his heart and bring color into his life. Oh, Lucky isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. He's practically homeless, has erratic behavior, uses drugs when the world closes in on him, but this man who is so opposite of Dom in every way--from attitude to looks and stature--is exactly who Dom needs. I adored Lucky. His personality, though not exactly bubbly and effervescent, is full of hope. Even when things looked their darkest, Lucky still clung to the hope that things could get better. One of the things Garrett does better than almost any other author I read, is her ability to show how gritty and raw life can be sometimes. And how when faced with the realities of life, you don't always make the best decisions. Her characters are flawed, they make mistakes, they get angry and say things that hurt or are cruel ... but man, this IS life, right? Garrett's books are definitely romances, but the HEA's her characters achieve are hard fought and never easy. I appreciate the battles her characters fight, with themselves, with each other and with the outside forces around them and it makes her characters so real and so easy to relate to. 

While Lucky isn't an easy book to read, it's one that you won't be able to put down. Dom and Lucky, together and apart, are fascinating characters full of heart and emotion and yeah, there's some (or a lot depending on your viewpoint) of angst, but it's so good and really just so HOPEFUL that you'll be rooting for these two right from the get go. I loved everything about this book. The pacing was perfect, the dual point's of view (another thing Garrett excels at!) was handled with just the right touch, the characters, the emotions, the sex scenes. All of it was done in the brilliant way only an author with Garrett Leigh's immense talent can pull off. Don't let Lucky pass you by people, its a gem and you'll fall so in love with Dom and Lucky just like I did. I'm SO super excited this is a series and I can't wait to see what the next book brings!

 

September 18 - Mikku-chan, Urban Smoothie Read, Lelyana's Reviews, Gay Book Reviews, Cdawgz Reads, Gay Media Reviews, My Mind's Landscape, Dilyana's World, September 20 - Katie's Book Corner, Open Mind For A Different View, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Megan's Media Melange, Rainbow Gold Reviews, The Blogger Girls, Bookaholic & Kindle, September 22 - Love Unchained Book Review, The Librarian's Corner, Sanaa's Book Blog, September 26 - Bonkers About Books, Making It Happen, Amy's MM Romance Reviews, Wicked Faerie's Tales & Reviews, Wicked Reads, September 28 - The Way She Reads, Reading In Sarah's Corner, My Fiction Nook, We Three Queens, Diverse Reader, MM Good Book Reviews, October 1 - Book Lovers 4Ever, Sexy Erotic Xciting, October 3 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter, Jim's Reading Room, October 5 - Mirrigold, Lillian Francis, Bayou Book Junkie, Nerdy Dirty & Flirty, Mainely Stories, SLLY 

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett's debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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Release Blitz: Merrick and the Art Thief by Michelle Woody #Excerpt

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | JMS Books

Length: 56,030 words 

Publisher: JMS Books

Blurb

Brilliant art thief Merrick Davidson can steal anything, except Grant Silvan’s heart. Merrick has to keep Grant at arm’s length for fear of revealing his secret. When Merrick’s biggest rival exposes his secret to Grant, the rejected lover returns to win back his relationship with Merrick, but there are obstacles to overcome.

Wyatt Silvan, Grant’s father and Merrick’s employer, is after the famous seven Xanderclied paintings, which all contain clues to a treasure. If Merrick succeeds in obtaining all the paintings and find the treasure, he can retire as an art thief and start a normal, uncomplicated life with Grant.

Together, they hunt the paintings from art galleries to private collections, from city to city, dodging bullets and escaping from life threatening attacks. With danger all around and the FBI on their tails, will Wyatt and Merrick find the paintings and treasure they are looking for? Will Merrick realize love is the biggest treasure of it all, before it is too late?

Excerpt

Rhonda and Grant stood at the end of the hallway, looking around.

Merrick caught Rhonda’s gaze.

“There you are.” Rhonda approached him with Grant following.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like this.” Rhonda leaned close. “I told him you two would look less suspicious with the family around.”

“Oh boy.” Merrick rubbed his chin as he glanced down the hall in hopes Wyatt would be there.

Wyatt’s voice came through the earpiece. “Honey, I can hear you.”

“Where are you?” Rhonda started toward the desk.

“We’ll look around. Bye.” Merrick removed his earpiece. “Let’s try the second floor.”

“Are they fighting?”

“Probably.”

“I’ve never heard them fight.”

Merrick pursed his lips. “Let’s just look for the painting.”

They took the sprawling cream-colored marble stairs to the second floor. The landing branched out to their left and right, walls on both sides lined with framed paintings and photographs. They started down the hall to their right. Only three people moved past the works of art and didn’t seem to pay Merrick and Grant any attention.

Beside him, Grant fidgeted with his watch. He wanted to hold Grant’s hand, to enjoy the stroll through the museum. How nice it’d be if there was no stress or danger, only the feel of Grant’s soft hand, his arm resting against Merrick’s as they walked.

After they passed several paintings, Merrick grinned, bowed his head.

“What?”

He glanced at the security cameras in the corners, then at Grant. “You’re distracting me.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You are.”

Grant smiled.

Merrick stared into Grant’s eyes for several breaths. The blue reminded him of the ocean; inviting and healing.

Grant lowered his voice. “Can my dad hear us?”

“Oh.” He looked at the earpiece in his hand. “Maybe.”

Grant nodded as he walked on.

Merrick fell into step beside him, forcing his attention to the art, even though he could feel Grant’s looks.

Grant moved closer so their arms touched. He wrapped his pinkie around Merrick’s, grinning as he turned his gaze away from Merrick.

The simple contact rushed through him. His fantasies of a life with Grant weren’t coming close to how wonderful it felt to really have him at his side.

Grant stopped them. “You’re blushing.”

“See? Distracting.”

Behind Grant, two sets of double doors led to a room where paintings in vivid colors of blues and reds flanked Xanderclied's Despair. He took Grant’s hand. “Let’s look in here.”

As they stepped through the doorway, Merrick studied the rectangular room. With the recent thefts of Xanderclied works, the upgraded security around Despair wasn’t surprising. A wire ran from the bottom of the canvas, probably attached to a motion-activated alarm. Cameras aimed down from each corner of the room. At the two doorways, nestled into the high ceiling, were roll cages, which Merrick presumed were set to drop once the motion alarm was triggered. It was daunting, but nothing they couldn’t handle. What troubled him was whatever trick Jordan had waiting for them.

Grant faced the door, sliding his arm through Merrick’s. “I’m so nervous.”

“Relax. Nothing is going to happen right now.”

Grant caught his breath. “I’ve seen that guy before.”

Merrick glanced at the doorway, finding it empty. “Who?”

A red-haired man with a bushy beard walked along the far side of the hall. Merrick had seen him before, too. He was the flirt from the Cunningham opening. Why was he there, today of all days? Was he a part of Jordan’s game?

Merrick gripped Grant’s hand as he slid his earpiece back into place. “Guys, we have a problem.”

Author Bio

Michelle Woody lives in Springfield, Missouri. Her other titles include Riley, winner of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Award for Gay/Lesbian Fiction, The Scarecrow's Kiss, and Figment of the Heart.

For more information, please visit michellewoody.com.

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Blog Tour: Captain Merric by Rebecca Cohen

I’ve been writing for publication since 2011, and since then I have danced around the sub-genres of gay romance, following the story wherever it takes me. I suppose of all the genres, I’m probably best known for is historical, in particular the Crofton Chronicles series set in Elizabethan England. But I was surprised to realize that it’s been nearly 4 years since I last published an historical and now I’m back with a tale of pirates set in 1718, a new era for me.

The thing about historicals is they take a lot of research, but also an author can fall into the trap of having to write every last thing they’ve uncovered into the story, running the risk of turning a romance novel into a dry history text book. It’s a balance, and one I enjoy. Delving back into the world of pirates, and early Georgian society has been fun. I’ve felt my love of historical research return and it has spear-headed me into researching other eras (but that’s a whole different set of stories). But writing pirates has another spin, it’s about larger than life characters, swashbuckling and daring deeds. There’s a romance about pirates that needs to transcend the setting, taking the reader further than the pure historical period yet still hold true. I tried to keep the settings real, the facts about the Royal Navy at the time, and even some of the people are real, but there is also a huge swathe of fantasy and expectation that comes with pirates. I’ve had a ball with Captain Merric, creating a larger than life pirate and a stubborn naval officer, and I hope I’ve manage to capture the period but delivered the expectation of pirates. Prepare to have your timbers shivered!

Drop a comment below to tell me why you love pirates and be entered into the giveaway to win a copy of an ebook from my backlist (excluding the Crofton Chronicles bundle).

Excerpt

“What do you want doing with your new friend?”

He’d expected someone to ask, the crew were by nature curious. Some of their prisoners had been happy to play with more than the captain. The idea of any of his men touching Daniel made a knot of hot anger burn in his stomach. That would not be tolerated.

“I have put him in the cabin next to mine.” Edward fished a key out of the pocket of his coat. For now he’d locked Daniel away, mostly for his own safety, although Daniel would not believe that. “Give him some fresh clothes and something to wash with.”

“You’re keeping him?”

Edward grinned. “You know my tastes, Brillack. Captain Horton is not only a fine morsel but a challenge.”

Brillack smirked. “We both know you don’t like to back down from one of those.”

He’d invited Brillack to join his crew after a brawl where they’d both come out unharmed, and their pockets full of other people’s money. Brillack was no more trustworthy than the next pirate, but while the Opal was successful then the crew would remain loyal—Brillack was a competent first-mate, and if truth be told they had become firm friends over the years. “If he doesn’t cause any trouble, we’ll set him down at Jamaica, but you must be as curious as me as to why he was set adrift and where his ship is?”

“If I’m not mistaken, his ship is—was—HMS Expedience. I make it my business to know the naval vessels in the area, and Horton is a well-respected captain.”

“Then what was he doing in a rowing boat with no sign of his ship?”

“Dunno, but I bet we can find out.” Brillack grinned. “There’s not much in the way of information that can’t be bought.”

“I hope I can be persuasive in other ways to get our dear captain to spill his secrets.”

Brillack rolled his eyes. “From what I’ve heard, you’re more than persuasive.”

“I enjoy the spoils of my position.”

“Don’t we all.”

Universal Buy Link

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Length: 55,000 words approx.

Blurb

A tale of pirates, lost love, and the fight for a happy ending.

After he’s set adrift and left to die by his mutinous crew, the last person Royal Navy officer Daniel Horton expects to come to his rescue is Captain Merric. An infamous pirate, Merric is known as much for stealing his victims’ hearts as their jewels. Daniel’s world is about to be turned upside down when he recognises Captain Merric as none other than Edward Merriston, someone he thought he'd never see again.
Edward can’t believe Daniel Horton is aboard his ship. While Edward is willing to do anything he can to get a second chance at their happy ending, Daniel isn’t interested in digging up the past. But Daniel is one priceless treasure Captain Merric isn’t about to let go of without a fight.

Captain Merric first appeared as short story in a pirate-themed anthology. Now completely rewritten and extended he is ready to set sail again.

April 6 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
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April 10 - The Novel Approach
April 11 - Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Making It Happen
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April 13 - Two Chicks Obsessed
April 14 - MM Good Book Reviews
April 16 - My Booked Filled Life, Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings, Velvetpanic, BooksLaidBareBoys, Bayou Book Junkie
April 17 - Love Bytes

Author Bio

Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and young son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.

Blog: http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710
Twitter: http://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes

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Review Tour: Bitten By The Alpha by Annabelle Jacobs #Review #Giveaway

Universal Buy Link

Length: 76,000 words

Cover Design: Natasha Snow

Regent's Park Pack Series

Book #1 - Bitten By Mistake

Book #2 - Bitten By Design

Book #3 - Bitten By Desire

Blurb

Gareth’s heart is set on Cam, but Cam’s heart broke a long time ago.

As alpha of the Regent’s Park Pack, Cam’s focus is always centred on its members—his personal life pushed aside after the death of his wife. Now that his pack has merged with the Primrose Hill shifters, he can't afford any distractions.

Gareth’s been in love with his alpha for years, but his position as beta complicates matters. Added to the fact Cam still mourns his late wife, Gareth knows his feelings will never be reciprocated, so he buries them deep.

With the two packs already struggling to unite under one alpha, they get a surprise addition—one who causes more tension within the ranks. Under such strain, long-kept secrets are forced into the open. Gareth and Cam must deal with the aftermath, while also keeping the pack’s best interests at heart.


Review

Bitten By The Alpha is book 4 in Annabelle Jacob's Regent Park Series. I've read every book so I'm confident in saying you must read these in order. We are following a story arc for sure.

In this book we finally get Gareth and Cam's story. From the very beginning the author has toyed with us when it came to these two. We waited, hoped, and swooned. Thing is, this is unrequited love and those are always so emotional.

With following the arc we deal with Newell once more but not in the capacity we dealt with before. There was a sort of conclusion to this series when it came to this book and if this is the last book I think the author ended it perfectly.

Gareth made my heart ache with his love for Cam and for years watching Cam have zero idea for the love Gareth carried around with him. One of most favorite things about unrequited love stories is the moment it no longer is. That "Ohhhhhhh" moment and the author does deliver on that.

Cam is an amazing alpha and has been a character I've really enjoyed through this entire story and I was so freaking happy to read his tail wagging tale!

Great book and amazing series!

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March 5 - Sexy Erotic Xciting, V's Reads
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March 9 - Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Gay Media Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews
March 14 - Valerie Ullmer, Book Lovers 4Ever
March 16 - Sinfully MM Book Reviews, Dog-Eared Daydreams, Bayou Book Junkie, A Book Lover's Dream Book Blog

About The Author

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it - fighting enemies and adversity - but they always find love in the end.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJacobs_fiction
Website: www.annabellejacobs.com
Email: ajacobsfiction@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajacobsfiction

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