Author Saturday Spotlight: Posy Roberts *Interview and Reader's Choice Giveaway*

Posy Roberts wrote one of the best series I ever read. The North Star Series, follows the lives of two men, Hugo and Kevin. Two men with so many struggles and obstacles to overcome, the only way to achieve it is together.

The brilliance in this series is hard to explain. We walk down the street and see a family so happy. But behind the skin that covers the reality there's always a story. Posy writes Kevin and Hugo's in a way you feel you've been adopted into their lives. There are three books in this series. Spark, Fusion and Flare. Then, there's a YA story called Private Display of Affection, that focuses on Hugo and Kevin in their younger years. Truly remarkable:

Blurb:
North Star: Book One

In their small-town high school, Hugo and Kevin became closeted lovers who kept their secret even from parents. Hugo didn’t want to disappoint his terminally ill father, and Kevin’s controlling father would never tolerate a bisexual son. When college took them in different directions, they promised to reunite, but that didn’t happen for seventeen years.

By the time they meet again, Hugo has become an out-and-proud actor and director who occasionally performs in drag—a secret that has cost him in past relationships. Kevin, still closeted, has followed his father’s path and now, in the shadow of divorce, is striving to be a better father to his own children.

When Hugo and Kevin meet by chance at a party, the spark of attraction reignites, as does their genuine friendship. Rekindling a romance may mean Hugo must compromise the openness he values, but Kevin will need a patient partner as he adapts to living outside the closet. With such different lifestyles, the odds seem stacked against them, and Hugo fears that if his secret comes to light, it may drive Kevin away completely.

Blurb:
Sequel to Spark
North Star: Book Two

How do you tell your friends and family you've fallen in love with a man when they've only ever known you as straight? How do you explain to your kids that you loved their mother very much, but your new partner is your best friend from high school?

Kevin Magnus must figure it out while trying to build a relationship with Hugo Thorson, whose bigger than life, out-and-proud drag queen persona is simply too big to be contained in a closet—even for the time it takes Kevin to come up with an explanation for his kids and Erin, his soon-to-be ex-wife.

But Erin faces an even bigger obstacle—one that shakes the entire family to the core. When she unexpectedly turns to Hugo, they form a connection that forces Hugo to grow up and offers Kevin the chance to become the kind of father he wants to be. Despite the coming complications, they'll all benefit from a fortunate side effect: it becomes clear that Hugo is very much a part of this unconventional family.

Blurb:
Sequel to Fusion
North Star: Book Three

Hugo Thorson and Kevin Magnus are learning to live again after the death of Kevin's wife, Erin. They're doing everything they can to make a stable home for Kevin’s kids, but that stability is threatened when Kevin is served legal documents: Erin's parents want custody of Brooke and Finn.

Meanwhile, Hugo is offered several acting jobs; to encourage him to take them, Kevin hires a nanny who is very hands-on with the kids. But Hugo feels distanced from his new family, so he makes the decision to leave his eclectic neighborhood and moves in with Kevin. He quickly finds he has a hard time fitting in with the suburbanites, and Kevin's passive-aggressive "friends" make Hugo feel anything but welcome. Yet he keeps his concerns a secret and tries to take it all in stride.

When Brooke is bullied about having two dads, Hugo realizes his mere presence might be doing more harm than good. The stress will force him to make a choice: does he stay and fight for the family he loves, or does he walk away to let them live in peace? 

Remarkable series! 

Private Display of Affection, under Winter Sandberg:

  Blurb:
A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title

Hugo Thorson knows he’s gay, but coming out during high school is not part of his plan. His parents are open-minded, but Hugo doesn’t want to add more stress for anybody, especially his dad, who is fighting terminal cancer.

At a summer job he meets and befriends Kevin Magnus, and before long, their friendship becomes something more. Kevin knows this will anger his overbearing father, so he decides to protect his secret by dating a girl at school.

Hugo plays along, but it’s still hard to watch the two of them together just to make Kevin’s homophobic father happy. And when Hugo’s father dies, he realizes he can’t go on living the lie. He comes clean to Kevin, who decides Hugo’s true feelings are more important than his father’s expectations.

One fact remains: Kevin and Hugo’s relationship must always be hidden behind friendship, lies, girlfriends, or secret kisses. Will they find a sanctuary big enough to hold their feelings?

Adapted as a Young Adult edition of the novel Spark by Posy Roberts, published by Dreamspinner Press, 2013

Of course The North Star Series isn't all Posy Roberts has written. To find out more about Winter Sandberg you can get all that information on her Goodreads page: Winter Sandberg on Goodreads 


Fall Into You is another book that grabbed me emotionally! Posy has a gift of gripping your heart until it hurts and releasing it to appreciate life. It's amazing.

Blurb:

Simon Phillips always hated Thomas.

Ever since his black nail polish high school days, Thomas Schultz has seemed like a carefree, uninhibited wild child, in stark contrast to Simon’s shy, cautious nature. Now, from behind the safety of his hotel bar, Simon must watch, distracted, as Thomas becomes a shirtless rock star for every wedding reception they work. But when Thomas slips him the key to his hotel room, Simon enters a world where the fine line between hate and attraction becomes blurred, and finds more than he ever knew he wanted.

In the social upheaval of the 1980s, love is no picnic. The AIDS epidemic has reshaped the way people think about sex, and the discontent of Generation X drowns out any love songs. Despite the uncertain times, Simon finds himself falling in love. But when Thomas’s band makes it big, the simple act of keeping in touch across the silent miles becomes an obstacle all its own.

Now, it's a readers choice giveaway! That means any book Posy has written is yours if you win. To read all of her blurbs simply go to her Goodreads page and take a look: Posy Roberts on Goodreads

*INTERVIEW*

Posy sat in my fluffy hot seat and answered some questions I had for her. She even humored me and did some Fast Fire Questions, take a read...

1. The North Star Series, which is by far one of my top 3 series I've ever read, is full of so much emotion and realism. You get a book hangover when it's done. How do you decompress, as a writer, from something like that?

 

Thank you! Hopefully a book hangover isn’t nearly as painful as the other kind. ;) I certainly do need to decompress, so I often stop writing for a bit after completing a story. When I wrote North Star, I didn’t take a break between each book because the series is truly a very large story split into 3 smaller books, and I didn’t want to lose my momentum. I spent three months writing the first (very rough) drafts of Spark, Fusion, and Flare, without allowing myself time to edit a word. I got so into the zone that I had to take the next few months off before I started working on edits. Real life and the release of Fall Into You helped me step away from North Star, but when I started editing, I attacked that with just as much focus as I did the writing.

 

And honestly, I’m not sure I’ve actually decompressed from North Star yet. Partly because I worked on adapting the teen years from Spark for the young adult audience, which was released last December as Private Display of Affection under the pen name Winter Sandberg. Now I’m trying to finish telling their high school story. If I had my choice on decompression methods, I’d be biking the local trails, hiking at state parks, geocaching, and very possibly singing Karaoke with my best friend. Wow! I released a happy sigh just by typing that. I think I know exactly what I need to do, but first we have tons of snow that needs to melt up here in the tundra.

2. Do you have writers, artists or someone who has inspired you in your writings?

More than anything, people in real life inspire me to write, or life experiences they (or I) have had. My best friend getting a horrendous diagnosis from her doctor that had her questioning the future of her children’s lives inspired North Star. The other thing that is guaranteed to inspire me is nature. I can sit on the dock at the lake and stare into the water for ten minutes and a story will come to me. Also inspiring is really good photography where I can see a story in a single image.

3. What made you choose the M/M Genre?

I don’t know that I chose M/M as much as it chose me. The first romances I read were Wildfire Romances, which were marketed toward young adults in the 1980s. When I read adult romance, I got angry at the way women were portrayed. Then I was practically forced to read the Twilight series during a very rainy week at the lake with only those four books in hand that my friend had foisted on me with the demand, “Read these and tell me what you think.”

 

I was pissed at how easily Bella gave up her life and her dreams for a man, which was exactly why I had hated all the other romances I’d ever read. I hunted down Fan Fiction to try to find a strong Bella, which I found, but I also found Slash. I literally read my first Edward/Jasper story through my fingers, as if I were reading something forbidden. All the elements of romance that I enjoyed were there, but I didn’t have to deal with authors treating women as prizes who should be saved or stuck on a shelf being pretty. Instead, I got to see two hot guys fucking like hungry men.

When I didn’t find the types of stories I wanted to read, I decided to start writing them. I wanted stories about gay and bisexual men that went deeper than sex. I wanted to explore complex social issues, mental illness, physical health problems, parenting, all in the context of these loving relationships.

4. How do characters come to be in your books? Do you put yourself into them, or do you mold them from people you've met and stories you've heard?

I’ve never written a character based solely on one person, but I’ve certainly been inspired by real life. Erin, Kevin’s wife in North Star, was inspired by my best friend, but she is nothing like the Erin who showed up on the page, aside from her self-sacrifice. However, Erin sure does look a lot like the first woman I truly crushed on in college. ;)  She was a beautiful redhead who was captivating, and to me, she seemed like the perfect person for Kevin to have fallen in love with in college. Perhaps I was living unfulfilled fantasizes through Kevin there. Haha.

 

I occasionally put bits of myself into my characters as well. It’s hard not to. While I can easily put myself in someone else’s shoes to imagine their reaction to various situations, I’m still looking through Posy colored glasses.

5. Fall Into You is a roller coaster. Thomas had my head spinning and Simon really stole my heart. You touched on serious realities in this book. Love and loss, but physical and mental points as well. How do you prepare to write that? Is it research, or do you write about experiences you've gone through?

Fall Into You was a personal story for me, but I’ve also written about realities I have no experience with whatsoever. I tend to write about parental loss because of my own experience of losing my dad when I was young. That loss changes a person. I also write about chronic illness and the struggle to find a balanced way to live after a doctor tells you, “You will have this condition for the rest of your life.” That is very much from personal experience. I have several chronic illnesses that I struggle with nearly everyday. One of those happens to be the same thing Thomas was diagnosed with in Fall Into You. I didn’t have to do research for that storyline, but I had to do a ton for the diagnosis Erin faced in North Star. I’m positive I will be writing more stories where medical, mental health, and social issues are a part of a character’s life, because romance doesn’t happen in a bubble. Or at least, I don’t want it to. I want romance to occur in the middle of a fucked up and crazy life, because that is the reality of my readers. Life is messy, but romance shouldn’t be set on the backburner

6. Fans can be crazy, lol. Can you share a nutty encounter or email story? If you've been lucky and haven't, how about a story about how one of your books helped one of your readers?

I’ve had really good experiences thus far and have gotten several messages from readers thanking me for opening their eyes to the struggles gay and bisexual men face when building a life together. I’ve heard from readers who have identified with the caretaking and grief portrayed in North Star and how realistic that was to their own personal experiences. It’s humbling to be told stories about readers’ lost loved ones.

Fast Fire Questions:

1. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla (with chocolate topping)

2. Coffee or tea? Coffee!

3. Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors

4. Favorite color? Green

5. Favorite movie? American Beauty

6. Read or watch your favorite show? Read, most of the time

7. Winter or Summer? Summer

8. Music or silence? Silence

9. Phone call or text message? Text message

10. Early bird, or night owl? Night owl

Check out Posy's website here > Posy Roberts Wordpress 

Now it's GIVEAWAY TIME! Make sure you enter for your chance to win a Posy Roberts Ebook of your choice! Contest ends the 14th! Winner will be contacted. Thank you!!

Also thank you Posy for writing books that grip us and make us feel ALL THE FEELS!

***GIVEAWAY***

 

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Shiny Isn't Always Better

I know that sometimes shiny is better. But, in this post it isn't always. There's a saying many of us have heard our parents or our grandparents say. "They just don't make em like they used to." Normally they are referring to movies, cars or music. As a child I would agree with those categories. Now? Not so much. The saying needs changing. "They just don't make people like they used to."

EVOLUTION! Many shout! They say time has changed us to be less ignorant, more tolerant. We are free!!! Yeah yeah! Okay fine. True. But there was a time where we had these little things called values.

Yes, time changes us. And for all the good it's doing, it's doing just as much bad. So you have a friend for a time. One who knows all your secrets. Who has weathered all the storms with you. They have been your counsel when you were in need of advice. They were the shoulder when you were tired and the arms that held you up when you were falling. ENTER SOMETHING (or someone) SHINY.

THIS person is new, fresh and has index cards of new material. I'm not saying they are bad, but it becomes bad when the old is tossed out, and the new replaces the priceless gift you once had.

I feel like we all have this sidebar that lights up beside us and it reads "Here's what's trending" There are so many sheep that the wolves will never be hungry.

We only sparkle for a short time. Then we dull, not because we are less appealing or entertaining. But because we become comfortable. Why do we gravitate toward the sparkles and ignore the light? With out the light, there can be no sparkle.

Author Spotlight Saturday: Kate Aaron ** Readers Choice Giveaway**

I am very excited to be spotlighting Kate Aaron today. She is far from new to the M/M community as a writer, but I only recently discovered her this year. The second I read the book Blood and Ash I knew I was going to adore her. When I went to her Goodreads page and saw just how many books she's written I was excited!

I haven't read all of her books, not sure I've even made a dent. What I have read I have loved very much. Each writer has their own signature when it comes to writing. Kate Aaron is no different.
If you read the little Bio on her on GR it simply reads:

Kate Aaron lives in Cheshire, England with two dogs, a parrot, and a bearded dragon named Elvis.

She has the best of friends, the worst of enemies, and a mischievous muse with a passion for storytelling that doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction.

I am a firm believer authors mold their stories from their lives and their dreams, occasionally, their nightmares. If you read a Kate Aaron book you might think you've figured out where her passion comes from. Think again, because after you read something like The Lost Realm Series, you might choose What He Wants. Absolutely and totally different!!! 

Her style is... She doesn't have one. I love that she ventures out and writes what the voices are telling her to. She doesn't stick to a mundane template. She's abstract and vibrant. You will truly find her to be a favorite of yours.

Kate is so awesome that she's doing a giveaway that is READERS CHOICE. Because she has SO many books and some of you have read them, this way it's all up to you. So win the giveaway and Kate will get you an ebook of your choice... written by her of course.

I have blurbs for you to help you choose but you can also go to her Good reads page > Kate Aaron on Goodreads   to check them out yourself. She also has a website where you can read some rather intriguing and brilliant posts and keep up with what's going on in her world > Kate Aaron's Website

 BLURBS

Christo's life fell apart when his partner of eight years walked out on him. There wasn't even a reason for it: sometimes love just fades, as quickly and mysteriously as it appears in the first place.

Enter Damien. Damien's the guy with a different man on his arm for every event, he's smooth and arrogant and always impeccably turned out. Christo hates him. But God, he's gorgeous. Damien could be exactly what Christo needs to get him over John.

It's only going to be a fling. Nothing serious, nothing that will affect their working relationship or the rest of their lives. So why are they fighting through the night rather than letting go and walking away? Why does Damien's secretive nature bug Christo so much? And why does he even care that the other man might not be as tough as he pretends to be?

 

 

 The Lost Realm Series consists of 3 books and one short story. Check those out here... The Lost Realm Books

Ace And Match:

At twenty-two years old, World No.6 and England's No.1, Brian Scagill has the tennis world at his feet. Last year's semifinalist, this year Brian enters England's biggest tournament determined to win. A Grand Slam on home turf is calling to him and he's not going to let anything stand in the way of victory - certainly not a cute Croatian who doesn't even play in the same league.

Fooling around with Lexi might be an easy distraction but the last thing Brian needs right now is to be distracted, and there's more than this tournament at stake.

 

 

 

A year after his dramatic exit from England’s Grand Slam tournament, Brian has all but disappeared from the world of professional tennis, and doesn’t intend to return. He’s made a life for himself with fellow athlete Lexi Horvat, far removed from the dual pressures of fame and family.

A surprise wildcard might be his last chance to play on an international stage, and Brian’s life is thrown into tumult once again. This time, however, he’s not alone. Lexi has secured himself a place in the tournament, as has Jared, a young player the two men have been coaching. With his loved ones accompanying him, Brian agrees to play. Lexi promises they’ll take on the tournament together, as a team, but Brian knows better than anyone that on the grass, it’s every man for himself

Growing up gay in a small, working-class town isn't easy. Returning there after three years spent in the bright lights of the city is even harder. But with no job, and no money, Danny doesn't have much choice.

A vicious attack confirms all of Danny's fears about life in his hometown. The irony of his rescuer being Ste, his homophobic ex-best friend, isn't lost on him. But in the five years they've been apart, Ste has changed. Danny starts to hope. Perhaps Ste can give him a reason to stay, after all.

~~WARNING~~
This work contains graphic language and sexual contact between men and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18

There are SO many Kate Aaron books and like I said go to her GoodReads page to view them all. 
The Giveaway starts today and goes until March 7th. I will email and FB or Tweet you to notify the winner. Then Kate Aaron will get in touch with the winner and get you the book of your choice. Thank you and Good Luck!!!!


**GIVEAWAY**



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Be Yourself... And Own It!

I went back and forth about this post. Many times it was so jumbled in my head it couldn't take form. Hopefully I got it right this time.

We live in a world where we are all constantly changing. Who you were at five, isn't who you are at thirty-five. We live in a world of constant judgement also.

If we all actually lived as the people we are supposed to be, what kind of world would it be? We have variety already, but it's all so fake. Assholes are assholes. Sweethearts are sweethearts. But are they?

I spend a good amount of time being what everyone expects me to be, I no longer know who I am. I want to own that! So I will. I can see the good in everyone, literally. I can get along with just about anyone. I also know this is extremely rare.

I've listened to friends and strangers as they cry because they can't be what someone wants. I've felt their pain. I can sympathize and empathize. I've been there. So you're a bubbly person who loves the sun on their face, the wind in your hair. You live for happy music and rainbow dreams. Good for you! Own it. No, not everyone is going to love you, yes, some people will make fun of you and belittle your efforts. Why? Because that is the person they have chosen to be. Assholes and Sweethearts, remember?

I have witnessed people lose their sparkle because of dark hearted people. I have dulled in my life because I have been hurt horribly as well. I'm not going to make everyone happy. I can't make everyone love me. Some people live their lives with the mentality that they don't care if anyone likes them and loves them. And there are people who think those people are so awesome because nothing bothers them. No one's life is so empty that nothing bothers them. But for the Sweethearts of the world, that is not your home.

It really sucks when people can't accept us. A LOT! But, you know what? They don't have to. There are people for the kind hearted. People do and will love you for who you are.

Many people think I'm stupid. I know, ridiculous. I am far from stupid. I know this and yes, I own this. I rather people think I'm dumb and have the upper hand. I know the people in my life. I know who they are and what they stand for. Some will hurt me forever, I just simply stop letting them. I am not a fool. I am not stupid. I see more then people think I do. I OWN THAT! I am a Sweetheart and an Asshole. I am not perfect! BUT, I am realistic and open minded. IF or WHEN it is time, people will always be welcome into my world of understanding. You might not like what I have to say, but you don't have to.

JUST. BE. YOU!

Author Saturday Spotlight : Melanie L. Moreland *Interview and Giveaway*

Melanie Moreland isn't new to writing, even if Into the Storm is the only book of hers you will find on Goodreads for her. She is however a rising star. Her talent will take her far if Into the Storm is any indication.

Blurb:
She is a woman on the run. Pain, loneliness and terror are what she is leaving. Where she is headed doesn’t matter as long as it’s away from the hell her life has become.

Joshua Bennett is trapped in a prison of his own making by the memories of his past. Traumatized and isolated, he is a reclusive writer, living a quiet, lonely life, his only companion his dog, Bear. It is what he knows, what he has accepted to be his life.

One dark night, one huge storm, and one ice patch brings them together. He finds himself with an unexpected houseguest with no memory. She wakes up a stranger to herself and the man watching her. Even more mysterious is the lack of any sort of identification with her or in her car. She is an enigma to both of them.

Trapped by the storm and isolated from the outside world, they slowly open up, learning to trust and love, until the world once again shows up, threatening the fragile peace of their newly discovered world, and tearing them apart.

There are many twists and turns as they struggle to find each other, overcoming both the mental and physical elements that keep them apart.

A story about overcoming our fears, finding love and learning to live again.
MORE ABOUT MELANIE'S BOOK ON GOODREADS > MELANIE ON GR 

This story will make you laugh, cry and keep you on the edge of your seat. Great engaging plot and characters you will find yourself clinging to and connecting with easily!

Melanie is a remarkable woman. When I asked her if I could do an interview she jumped in and I am so thrilled! Here's a little bit about this great author!

***INTERVIEW***

1.     Becoming a writer to some isn't a choice. Many say the voices made them do it...lol. So, when you took the plunge to embrace the chaos, how did it happen? What made you choose to put yourself out there like this? 

   I have always made up stories in my head about things. People I would see, pictures that interested me. I told a friend of mine about an idea that I had and she told me to write it. I thought she was crazy since I had no idea how to write a book. It would be like a musician who couldn’t read music. But she kept at me and one day I opened a doc and started.  The rest, as they say, is history.

2. If a reader asked you to tell them what you love most about Into the Storm, what would you say?  

The love story of Josh and Rabbit. The way the love for another person helps you to find the strength you need to put them first.

3. Do you have inspirations, a muse? Can you tell us? 

I find inspiration in the strangest places.  A phrase or a song lyric —sometimes even the way someone is sitting and I wonder why they are hunched into themselves and my imagination takes off. Into the Storm happened because my husband and I were caught in a storm and spun out on the road and I kept going over it in my head wondering what if…

4. This question is a dangerous one, and not one that many writers like to answer but I'll give it a go... Do you have a favorite author? Maybe more than one?

 I have many and it depends on the genre.  I love Lawrence Sanders for a good whodunit. Maeve Binchy for anything she writes. Jodi Picoult.  J.R. Ward for a great vampire read. Louisa May Alcott for her epic Little women series. So many different ones.  If I listed them all it would be pages long.

5. Do you write with an outline, wing it? How does the whole thing begin? 

 It usually begins with a thought.  Something that had caught my eye or attention that I can’t stop thinking about and I start building the what-if’s in my head. I’ll keep a document with thoughts and idea and a general outline but often the story writes itself so yes there is a lot of winging.  I often write chapters as they come to me—out of order—which I have been told is strange but it works for me.

6. In Into the Storm, do you identify with any character more than the other, who?

 Hmmm that is a hard one. Maybe Josh with his unwillingness to be part of the outside world and his fears of the unknown. I am very shy in real life and I do tend to hide somewhat. I build my world around the place I am comfortable in.

7. Research is one thing when it comes to writing a book, but do you also use your personal experiences to work a story, or do you refuse to? 

Often my story contains something personal. I think we all draw on personal feelings when writing a character—how we would react to a situation they are facing.

8. What's the hardest part about writing?

 The writing itself. LOL. Sometimes it is all there—right there in my head but I can’t get it out. I type and edit but it isn’t right and I delete, start over, and the same thing happens. Hours can disappear and I have written 400 words I am happy with and discarded 4000.

9. Many writers say their dream it to publish, well, you've done that. What's your next dream?

  To publish another book.

10. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Probably to not be so hard on myself all the time. I tend to expect nothing but perfection and of course usually fall short.  Nobody is perfect. I’d also tell her to embrace life with everything and never let fear stop her from doing something.

 
Of course Melanie is working hard, currently, on another book. So following her career would be VERY WISE! She is sure to release more amazing books like, Into the Storm and get our emotions in a tizzy! (I CAN'T WAIT!)

Now the giveaway is coming but if you don't win but you still want to purchase this GREAT book simply clink the link and purchase, easy peasy! >>> Into the Storm on Amazon

On top of this Awesome giveaway of 1 ebook of Into the Storm, Melanie will be picking 3 YES 3 people who like her authors page on FB and send you an autographed bookmark! EEP! How awesome is she! SO make sure to enter this giveaway and like her authors page!!!!

***GIVEAWAY***

 



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Book Review for Roads Series by Garrett Leigh

I like when I finish a series and can't find anything I didn't love about it. Well, maybe that it ended...lol. So when I read a series that good I want to tell everyone. Here I am, telling.

It is a 2 book series with 2 short stories. Book 1 is called Slide! Here's the blurb:

Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.

Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.

Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life

Slide is a ride on the emotional roller coaster. Ash is a puzzle and throughout the story you are desperately trying to figure out why he's broken, is he broken or will Pete put him back together?
I did find, I talked to myself a lot when I was forced to put the book down. I asked A LOT of questions, and I will say Garrett Leigh doesn't leave a thread dangling in the wind. EVERYTHING comes together in the end of the series.

Marked is book 1.5, a short story before book 2... Blurb? Okay!

It's been six months since Ash shuffled into Pete's life and turned his world upside down, and six months since they sat in an all-night diner plotting Ash's theoretical solution for Pete's faded, botched tattoo. Pete has just about given up hope of Ash ever fulfilling his promise when one day the end of a long shift finds Ash waiting for him.

Tonight is the night.

Ash is ready, and it seems the time has come for him to leave his mark on Pete in more ways than he ever imagined 

I happen to really enjoy short stories between books. It's like a peek into what's going on before things get really heavy... and you know it always gets heavy! Marked is perfectly placed and very enjoyable.

Book 2 is Rare... Blurb...

Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.

Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he's feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.

Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted  

This book was CRAZY! I mean crazy in a good way. So much happened SO MUCH. Ash and Pete are tested to the max in this book and with everything thrown at them I found myself taking a few drinks just to calm down. Best kinda read there is. I was never bored at all with this book and knowing it was the last full length one in this series, I was turning the pages a little slower. Remarkable book that tied upp any leftover lose end with finesse and raw passion.

Book 2.5 is Freed ...Blurb...

 Crazy events in the recent past have convinced Ash to take yet another step forward with Pete. He picks a special moment and a special place: the roof garden of their new home. Ash sees it as the final piece of their puzzle, but he's not prepared for the feelings it invokes. Peace, belonging, and for the first time in his life, freedom. 

This is the perfect seal to the series. No way you can disagree, shhh if you do! LOL!

I really get nervous when I purchase a series. It's costly, yes. But when I finish a series and say, "I'd totally pay more for that." ou know you have a winner! Really loved this series by Garrett Leigh.
Head over to her GoodReads page and see where you can purchase and her other work > Garrett Leigh on GR