tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2653323341564506202024-03-18T19:25:08.175-04:00Making it HappenMAKING IT HAPPEN-
Reading, reviews & travel. Sometimes you just have to make things happen.Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.comBlogger4839125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-9340603731044354812024-03-17T05:00:00.003-04:002024-03-17T21:52:38.455-04:00New Release-Review & Excerpt: STACKED by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #2) - Includes Giveaway!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15708 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/stacked-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Stacked<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Linden Bell</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked 2" class="size-full wp-image-15427 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/stacked-2.jpg" width="400" /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mars Fitness, Book 2</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Sawyer</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I've been in love with my best friend and roommate since the first day of boarding school over a decade ago. But Preston has always been oblivious, obsessed with his PhD research, and more importantly, straight.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the new, sexy grad student walks into my gym, I have to wonder... is it time for me to move on?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Preston</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Some guy is trying to steal my best friend. I won't let him. Sawyer's mine.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe I haven't appreciated Sawyer enough over the years, but that's going to change now. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him by my side. Even if it means kissing him.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Stacked is a best friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening, nerd/jock MM romance between possessive, protective, and co-dependent roommates. Expect the most tender caretaking, slipping into each other's beds in the middle of the night, and adorable clinginess. It is the second book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/Stacked">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126052138-stacked"><strong>Add on Goodreads</strong></a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15712 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/stacked-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<div>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Who the hell are you?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mom and I spin around at the new voice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the doorway is another boy, shorter than me and scrawny. The school uniform he’s wearing is wrinkled, one pant leg is caught in a sock, and the tie is loose and off-center. He’s got a mop of black hair and thick black-framed glasses, but what really catches my attention are his eyes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They’re blue. Like the ocean. Like the sky. And they’re zeroed in on me with such intensity that my lungs stop working. My brain stops working. The only response I’ve got is <em>whoa</em> and <em>cool</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Beside me, Mom clears her throat and steps forward. She puts on her mom voice when she speaks. “This is Sawyer and I’m his mom, Ms. Paige. He’s moving into this room today. And you are?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The mom voice works because the boy shrinks back and clutches the textbook he’s holding closer to his chest. “Preston Boyer,” he says, eyeing Mom warily.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“So nice to meet you, Preston.” Then she hooks her thumb over to my side of the room. “Would all this be yours?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Preston’s eyes dart from Mom to the bed, piled high with clothes, to me. There’s a little furrow in his brow like he’s trying to think of a response and drawing a blank. Like maybe all this stuff isn’t actually his.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then he blurts out, “You’re not my roommate.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mom’s in front of me, so I can’t see her face, but I know exactly what it looks like. Her eyebrows are halfway up her forehead and her lips are pursed into her “What did you just say?” expression.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Oh sh*t. Preston’s in trouble.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“As a matter of fact, he is. Sawyer’s enrolling as a student at Westbourne and he’s been assigned to this double room. So your choices are to become friends and get along or find another room to sleep in. Either way, you need to move your things. Now.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">With each word coming out of Mom’s mouth, Preston shrinks into himself even further. I kind of feel bad for him, even if he’s being a jerk. Getting on Mom’s bad side is never a good idea.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hey, Pres. What’s taking so long?” A pretty blond girl wearing a cheerleading uniform materializes behind Preston. It takes a second for her to notice me and Mom in the room. “Oh! Hi! You must be Sawyer.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She squeezes past Preston and approaches Mom with a big smile plastered on her face. The girl is brave. “I’m Madison. Preston’s girlfriend.” She extends a hand for Mom to shake, then does the same with me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Mads!” Preston hisses like Madison is consorting with the enemy. “What are you doing?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Madison glances back at him. “I’m welcoming them. Come on, Pres, don’t be a jerk. You knew you were getting a roommate.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No, I didn’t!” Preston shuffles into the room, staying behind Madison like she can protect him from Mom. Madison looks like she can hold her own, but no one can stand in Mom’s way if she’s determined.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Yes, you did.” She rolls her eyes and turns to the mess on Preston’s desk. “The Residence Office sent you a letter, remember?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She shuffles through his things, tossing them around as Preston’s expression grows pained. He’s probably one of those people who has some weird ass filing system that only makes sense to them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Here it is!” Triumphantly, Madison holds a crumpled piece of paper high in the air. It’s the same thick cream-colored stuff that my acceptance letter was printed on. “Sawyer Paige. Moving in September twentieth. Please clear away any personal items that have been stored on the other side of the room.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As one, we all stare at the personal items that have definitely not been cleared away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Silence stretches for long moments before Madison breaks it. “No worries! I can help! It shouldn’t take too long.” She marches over with a big grin and grabs a stack of books off the desk.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No! Wait!” Preston drops the textbook he’s holding and reaches for the ones in Madison’s hands. “You can’t just move stuff around! I have a system!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ha. Called it. This guy is strange. Living with him is going to be a drag, but at least I don’t have to worry about being the token loner.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Fine, here, I’ll hand you the stuff and you put it wherever you want, okay?” Madison takes him by the shoulders and spins him around so he’s facing his side of the room again. “Just keep it all over there.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Did she say she was his girlfriend? How the hell did a confident, pretty cheerleader end up with this disaster of a guy? I exchange a look with Mom, who has to be thinking exactly the same thing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then she sighs and pats me on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re all going to get along just fine.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It’s going to be a long year.</span></p></div></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><blockquote><blockquote><div><p style="text-align: center;"></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked Tagline" class="size-full wp-image-15719 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/stacked-tagline-1.png" width="640" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Carra's Review</b></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I just want to say right off the bat that I adored Sawyer and Preston together. Okay, with that out of the way (because I couldn’t wait to say that), this is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I did enjoy the story, writing style, and characters. Plus having the nerd/jock setup coupled with best friends to lovers…that’s a combo that I couldn’t pass up.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I found Preston especially intriguing, with the way his brain works and where he places his focus at any given time. He gets so wrapped up in his research, totally absorbed and fascinated by what he is doing. Sawyer takes wonderful care of him, and while yes Sawyer admits early on that he’s in love with Preston (to us readers), he’s also keenly aware that Preston is likely not into guys—though Sawyer continues to hold on to the tiniest glimmer of hope.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Yes, Sawyer has dated and hooked up with plenty of guys over the years, knowing he likely will never have anything more than friendship with Preston. And yes, as the book starts off he starts seeing someone, which I wasn’t a fan of but it does act as a catalyst for the story. Once Preston has his “a-ha” moment about what Sawyer means to him, everything from there becomes all about their relationship’s change from supremely close best friends (really codependent) to even closer lovers.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At that point the word to describe Preston I would choose is “enthusiastic”. As in, get ready for a lot of physical scenes that are incredibly hot. As yummy as those are, we also get to see a shift with Preston, and through the entire story his character is the one that experiences the most growth. He realizes his true feelings for Sawyer, starts to adjust his behaviors around others to come out of his tunnel-vision-research mode, and even has a moment with his parents that has been building for quite some time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Overall Stacked was a very strong 4-star read for me. Preston is one of my favorite characters I’ve read so far this year, and he and Sawyer together are perfect. While this book is part of the Mars Fitness series, it can definitely be read as a standalone and I’d recommend it to any M/M romance fan. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked Teaser 4" class="size-full wp-image-15710 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/stacked-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Stacked</em>, Linden is giving away 3 e-copies of the release!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57836/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Stacked Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15714 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-stacked-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Check out Book 1 in the Mars Fitness Series:<br />Ripped</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Ripped Ebook 3" class="size-full wp-image-12198 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/ripped-ebook-3.jpg" width="400" /></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise.</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I thought my life was perfect. I lived with my amazing boyfriend. I worked with my ride-or-die best friend. I was on track to made-it-ville.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then I came home one day to find my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Now I’m lost with no one to turn to except Donnie, the silver fox who lets me crash at his house until I can figure out what the hell went wrong and how I’m supposed to fix it.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But once I’m there, I’m not sure I want to leave.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Donnie’s a lot older than me and he’s still grieving the death of his husband. My life is a trash fire and my career is non-existent. He’s a svelte spin instructor and I’m a film geek. We couldn’t be more different, but we need each other like we both need to breathe.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So maybe my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Maybe it was the best. It brought me to Donnie.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, opposites attract MM romance between roommates who cuddle on the couch while watching classic movies. Expect steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand new starts. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">CW: off-page sudden loss of a spouse, off-page homophobia, cheating secondary characters. Happily ever after guaranteed.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/Ripped_">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123011126-ripped"><strong>Add on Goodreads</strong></a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Ripped Teaser 6" class="size-full wp-image-15424 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ripped-teaser-6.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="LindenBellFlameWhite" class="wp-image-15426 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/lindenbellflamewhite.png" width="200" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:</strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Linden Bell writes contemporary MM romances that heat you up and make you smile.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><u><a href="http://lindenbell.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="http://instagram.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="http://facebook.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/3Poxk3c" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="http://goodreads.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u> - <u><a href="http://bookbub.com/authors/linden-bell" target="_blank">BookBub</a></u></strong><br /><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-84233501197887778992024-03-12T05:00:00.001-04:002024-03-12T05:00:00.134-04:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: MINT TO BE by F.A. Ray (Boyfriend Café #4)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Mint To Be RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15649 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/mint-to-be-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mint to Be<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By F.A. Ray</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Print Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15652 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/mint-to-be-cover-jpg.jpg" width="400" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Boyfriend Café, Book 4</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><strong>I’ve given up on love by the time tall, dark and handsome sweeps me off my feet — literally.</strong></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mal</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Everyone around me is sickeningly in love. And I’m happy for my friends. I really am. But when is my turn coming? Why am I still a disposable hookup?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m ready to give up on love entirely by the time a bunch of drunk jocks decide to jump me on my way home from the Boyfriend Café. But before a single punch can fall he sweeps in, my dashing hero, my literal tall, dark and handsome, the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Please tell me this isn’t a dream.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Omari</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The second I hear a scream I run toward it without thinking. My own teammates are threatening someone, and I rush in to stop them. But the man I save is … beautiful. And funny. And smart. And he brazenly gives me his phone number right then and there.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He has no idea that he just gave his number to the most hunted man at this university.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m Omari Carter, a football player everyone assumes is destined for the pros. Scouts are hounding me. Coach is pushing me to decide on my future. My whole family is depending on me. But Mal doesn’t know or care about any of that.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">With all the expectations weighing me down, I don’t have time for love. So why can’t I walk away from this?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><em><strong>Mint to Be</strong> is an opposites attract MM romance with a major size difference, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, an athlete meeting a lovable fashion nerd and spicy open door scenes.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/MintToBe">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209563921-mint-to-be">Add on Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized MTB Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15651 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-mtb-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized MTB Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15654 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-mtb-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Broccoli cocks his hand back. I stumble away, but I’m not looking and my foot catches on the curb. I fall backward onto the sidewalk, screaming in terror as I thump to the ground. It’s a real scream, too, a full-throated shriek of panic as my doom approaches. I cover my head in my hands. It won’t do a bit of good, but I don’t have anything else to protect myself with. I can’t run. I can’t hide. I can’t talk my way out of this. When that fist comes down on me, I’m pulp on the sidewalk.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hey. Assholes.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Everything stops as someone shouts at the football bros. Broccoli hesitates, his fist in the air, his dumb neanderthal face going slack with surprise as he sizes up the man sprinting toward us like his shoes are on fire. Seriously, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone that fast in my life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He doesn’t slow down when he reaches the group, either. He keeps running, slamming into Broccoli and tackling him to the pavement. They grunt and shout, but the new guy has the upper hand. He doesn’t seem drunk, for one thing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Cut it out, Derek,” New Guy says.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“F*ck, Omari, what the hell? That really hurt!” Broccoli says.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“As much as it would have hurt that dude you were about to punch? What is wrong with you, man? You really think Coach won’t sit your ass on the bench for that sh*t?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I don’t know, man. I was drunk. He was in our way. He said some sh*t. I got mad.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Well, get un-mad. Real quick. And then get the f*ck out of here, understand?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Broccoli nods, and New Guy lets him up. I’m still on the ground, mouth agape as I watch this interaction play out. The other guys in the group all mutter apologies before they drag their buddy away. And then it’s just me and that new guy, the one they called Omari.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He turns toward me, and I instantly forget how to breathe.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">People jokingly call Albert tall, dark and handsome, but this guy is <em>literally </em>tall, dark and handsome. He might be taller than Albert, and he’s built from nothing but lean muscle. His every movement bears an athlete’s grace. When he looks down at me, his eyes are deep and vast and dark, nearly as dark as his close-cropped hair and beard. He extends one smooth brown hand toward me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Are you okay?” he says.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I don’t know how to answer that with my heart flailing around in my chest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I just got superhero rescued by the most gorgeous man on this entire campus.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
</blockquote>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized MTB Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15653 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-mtb-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></h2>
<hr />
<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Mint to Be</em>, F.A. Ray's giving away 2 e-copies of the release!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57833/?"><b>A RafflecopterGiveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized MTB Tagline" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15650" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-mtb-tagline.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="qgtUTxDy51BJp8un48mRpvDjA6ATQoi1kbrMo_-nqaI" class="wp-image-14084 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/qgtutxdy51bjp8un48mrpvdja6atqoi1kbrmo_-nqai.png" width="198" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author<br /></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">F. A. Ray started writing fiction as a child and has never stopped. When they aren’t writing, they enjoy rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where they live with their partner and cat.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Visit <a href="http://www.linktr.ee/faraywrites" rel="noopener" target="_blank">linktr.ee/faraywrites</a> to find out more. You can also sign up for my <a href="http://www.patreon.com/user?u=95880046" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, where I post WIPs, updates, bonus scenes, deleted scenes and short stories that don’t appear anywhere else.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
<strong>Catch up with F.A. Ray:<br /></strong><a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="http://linktr.ee/faraywrites" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">linktr.ee/faraywrites</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://patreon.com/user?u=95880046" target="_blank">Patreon</a></u></b> - <b><u><a href="https://sendfox.com/faraywrites" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></u></b> - <b><u><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/faray.bsky.social" target="_blank">BlueSky</a></u></b> - <b><u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/faray_author/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u></b> - <b><u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085890955881" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u></b> - <b><u><a href="https://twitter.com/FARayWrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a></u></b><br /><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-36435606809418482312024-03-08T05:00:00.003-05:002024-03-08T05:00:00.121-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: SHAM ROCKED by Alex Winters (Hotblooded Holidays #9)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Sham Rocked RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15580 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/sham-rocked-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sham Rocked<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Alex Winters</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Sham Rocked Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15575 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/sham-rocked-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hotblooded Holidays, Book 9</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>A college dropout and a guitar hero get lucky in their very own St. Patrick’s Day love song…</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo Spencer never thought he’d be running his family toy factory and living above a garage at this stage in his college career. Then again, he never thought he’d walk in on his girlfriend cheating on him with some hot new stud—and like it! (Well, the hot new stud part, anyway!) Ever since seeing another man in action, Hugo has been rediscovering long-buried clues that he might not be so straight after all. And when he meets the sexy punk rocker who practices with his band in the garage below his new loft, Hugo can’t help but indulge in his newfound attraction to his very own guitar hero!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rome Hazard is happy that his gran has finally rented out the loft apartment above the garage where he and his band, Headless Chickens, practice whenever the mood strikes. He’s even happier when he meets the new renter, Hugo, a slim, sexy straight dude who nonetheless makes his heart race faster than a blistering guitar solo! After helping Hugo move in one hot summer day, the two form an instant bond that soon turns into something much more than a mere favor. Can their budding bromance survive their small-town Georgia confines, or will it outgrow even their own pounding hearts?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://luminositypublishing.com/book/sham-rocked/">PUBLISHER NOTE</a>: Contemporary Erotic M/M Romance. Rock Star Romance. Holiday Romance. First-Time Gay. 25,400 words. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.</span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/ShamRocked">Universal Link</a></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208545829-sham-rocked">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Sham Rocked Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15578 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-sham-rocked-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Sham Rocked Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15579 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-sham-rocked-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<div aria-labelledby="tab-title-description" class="woocommerce-Tabs-panel woocommerce-Tabs-panel--description panel entry-content wc-tab" id="tab-description" role="tabpanel">
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rome nodded, realizing they’d somehow inched close enough to touch. “Hmm,” he murmured, suddenly admiring the soft, buttery brown hair atop Hugo’s sweet, pretty head. “I’d settle for something small.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Yeah?” Hugo’s voice was a soft, low croak. “Like what?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Like running my fingers through your hair, for starters.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh.” Hugo froze, narrow hip casually leaned against the same counter where Rome stood. “Oh. Wow. That… f*ck, Rome, that… would be…”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hot?” Rome murmured, hand trembling as he gently reached out to do just that. “Yeah, Hugo, I think so.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo nodded and stood, perfectly still, waiting for the mere millisecond or two it took for Rome’s hand to reach his head. His fingertips gently brushed the feathery wisps of Hugo’s hair, soft and fluttering beneath his light touch. Rome could hardly believe this was happening. Here, now, in the middle of the day, without so much as a buzz to spur him along. Instead, he was flying on mere instinct, the thirst and hunger Hugo had talked about burning hot and hard deep within him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo let out a soft, almost primal moan, his eyelids fluttering as Rome’s fingers slid deeper into his medium-length curls. The feeling was slow, exotic, downright erotic, so new and unexpected after the way Hugo’s homecoming had started less than an hour before.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rome thought Hugo might lean into the caress, turn it into something inevitably more, but instead, he sagged gently beneath it, as if on sensory overload. Rome knew the feeling, finding it hard to stand himself. Despite his instincts to grab a lock of hair and drag Hugo in for a long, deep kiss, he went the opposite direction, fingertips just gently glancing across his scalp before he pulled his shaky hand away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Your turn,” Rome croaked as Hugo quietly opened his half-lidded eyes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Mmm, yes please.” Hugo nodded toward the chair beside him. “But you’re too tall, you’ll have to sit for me to rub that pretty stubble of yours.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Your wish,” Rome sighed, not just sinking but downright oozing into the chair at his feet.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo stood behind him, gripping the back of his chair as Rome squirmed into place. Warm breath spilled across the top of his head, moments before trembling fingers crept across his crown. Rome gripped the armrests tightly, unprepared for the magnitude of Hugo’s warm, gentle touch and how it might ricochet through every cell of his suddenly squirming body.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“So stubbly,” Hugo narrated, palming Rome’s dome with a warm, doughy hand as his fingers stretched out like spider legs. “Is the rest of you… like this?” Hugo asked, smoothing his hand around Rome’s scalp as if tracing every trace of stubble.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rome’s voice was pure honey, to match the syrupy sensation as he practically oozed down into his chair. “You’ll just have to find out some time, I suppose.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“How about now?” Hugo murmured, teasing his hand away as he turned and sank, gently, onto the butcher block in front of Rome.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rome wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. After all, the whole running his fingers through Hugo’s hair thing had been mere foreplay in the first place, no matter how divine it felt at the time. Still, he was used to playing a little harder to get. “What, right now?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo nodded, eyes wide and alive and richly hazel in the warm light bathing the small kitchenette. “We don’t have to do anything,” he lied, through his teeth. Or, at least, Rome hoped he was lying. “I just want to see what you look like… down there.”</span></p></div></blockquote><div aria-labelledby="tab-title-description" class="woocommerce-Tabs-panel woocommerce-Tabs-panel--description panel entry-content wc-tab" id="tab-description" role="tabpanel"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Sham Rocked Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15577 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-sham-rocked-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<hr />
<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Sham Rocked</em>, Alex is giving you the chance to win one of five eBooks of the release!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57830/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Sham Rocked Out Now" class="size-full wp-image-15581 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/sham-rocked-out-now.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-14149 aligncenter" height="320" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/alex-winters-pic.jpg" width="320" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:<br /></strong></span></p>
<div class="_1Q9if" id="comp-jrz5mn2e1">
<p class="_2Hij5" id="comp-l4fenkc1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
<strong><u><a href="http://www.awintersromance.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/awintersromance" target="_blank">Twitter</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084802422320" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/a_winters_romance/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/awintersromance/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/4c4Olci" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23210941.Alex_Winters" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u></strong><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-28806568302683386652024-03-07T05:00:00.007-05:002024-03-07T05:00:00.239-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: DARUSS by April Kelley #Dragon Skull MC Daddies #1)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Daruss Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15594 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/daruss-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Daruss<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By April Kelley</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Daruss_ebook" class="size-full wp-image-15591 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/daruss_ebook.jpg" width="406" /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dragon Skull MC Daddies, Book 1</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>One is his enemy. The other is his fated mate. Daruss has never had so much to fight for.</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dragon shifter Daruss Oyen has everything to lose. After a rival club starts a war over territory, Daruss is there to fight for the family he’s found. But everything changes after he falls in love with a snarky human named Jude, who happens to be the rival club’s spy.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">While he’s determined to keep Dragon Skull MC together and somehow get his boy back, he meets his fated mate along the way. Daruss wonders if a sweet and innocent college graduate could ever go for bad boy biker like him.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But when Jude and Raylee are threatened, Daruss and the Dragon Skulls will have to win the fight if they're going to make it out alive.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Daruss </em></strong>is the first novel in the <strong><em>Dragon Skulls MC Daddies</em></strong>. This steamy Paranormal Romance features a dragon shifter Daddy who’s even more dangerous with his biker family by his side, a sassy human who’s lived a hard life and will do anything to protect a sweet guy like his Daddy’s fated mate, and an innocent college grad who know nothing about bad boys and Daddies. If you like a lot of sexy time between a Daddy and his boys with a happily ever after and danger thrown in, then you’ll love this spicy romance.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://geni.us/DragonSkullMC1">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204555583-daruss">Add to Goodreads</a><br /></strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Daruss Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15598 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-daruss-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Daruss Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15597 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-daruss-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h3><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Excerpt</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The club was always packed on the weekends. More than just members were allowed to party. Non-members paid for their drinks as well as for other things if someone wanted to take part.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They were getting enough outsiders for Daruss to consider charging for entry. He’d have to bring it up with the guys to see what they thought. They had enough income streams and made a good enough living that every member got a piece of the pie. Charging for entry would put even more money in their pockets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Skippy was on bouncer duty. There was always one asshole who put his hands on one of the boys. Everyone knew the Dragon Skulls didn’t allow unwanted touches, looks, or anything else for that matter. But a newbie would come along and mess up. Skippy was spoiling for a fight on a normal day. Whenever it was his turn to watch over everyone the cops were called. It had gotten so bad the sheriff called Daruss once a month to get the schedule.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For the time being everyone was having a good time though.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Casper, their resident bartender, had one of the other members help on the weekend. They split the tips and the cash Daruss gave them after the night was over.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Most of the time, whoever helped did so because they needed the money. But Jonik was the one behind the bar with Casper. Daruss knew money didn’t factor in for him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jonik had met his mate not long ago. The bonding was fresh. The little guy had a lot of trauma to work through. Part of the process was reacclimating back into society. But the Dragon Skulls clubhouse wasn’t a normal place to be. Still, Jonik’s mate, Wren, sat on a stool behind the bar and watched every move Jonik made as if he thought he would disappear if Wren didn’t keep an eye on him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jonik set him up at the music thing they had in the corner. It wasn’t DJ equipment so much as someone’s cellphone hooked up to Bluetooth playing music through the speakers. It worked well enough. Wren did a fantastic job of picking the right tunes for the vibe of the room.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Even Daruss’s boy was dancing. Jude didn’t always. He preferred to drive Daruss crazy with lust by sitting on his lap and grinding against him. Of course, Jude’s idea of dancing was to shimmy and shake as he bent at the waist. Daruss had a front row seat to bare ass cheeks jiggling like they meant business.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Daruss was five seconds away from kicking out whoever was in the club bedroom and having his way with him—that was Jude’s goal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Jude danced his way to a standing position again and turned, Daruss crooked his finger and patted his thigh, inviting Jude to come sit on his lap.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jude grinned and started to close the distance between them. He hadn’t quite made it off the dance floor when an outsider grabbed his arm. Jude’s smile stayed in place for about a second and then he scowled. He said something, pointing to Daruss.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Jude tried to pull his arm out of the guy’s grasp Daruss was up and out of his seat. Daruss had the man by the throat before he knew what was happening.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">People moved out of the way when Daruss lifted him off his feet and carried him to the door. Several of the outsiders’ eyes were wide. There were a lot of humans in the crowd. More than on a normal night. They didn’t know about dragon shifters, so they hadn’t expected that level of strength from Daruss. Especially not with such a big person.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As soon as Daruss was outside, he dropped the guy and then crouched in front of him, letting his eyes and hands shift. “No means no inside the club.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Daruss Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15599 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-daruss-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of<em> Daruss</em>, April is giving away a $25 Amazon Voucher!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57831/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Daruss Tagline" class="size-full wp-image-15596 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/ig-sized-daruss-tagline.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="April Kelley Avatar" class="wp-image-15590 aligncenter" height="320" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/april-kelley-avatar.jpg" width="315" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:</strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>April Kelley</strong> writes LGBTQ+ Romance. Her works include <em>The Journey of Jimini Renn</em>, a Rainbow Awards finalist, <em>Whispers of Home</em>, the <em>Saint Lakes</em> series, and over thirty more. Since writing her first story at ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories. If April isn’t reading or writing, you can find her playing with her cats. She also loves hiking. Her cats are leash trained so they go with her wherever she goes.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.authoraprilkelley.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538712856332109" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/authoraprilkelley" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/authoraprilkell/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/3P9sQxv" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/april-kelley" target="_blank">BookBub</a></u></b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-65450360691625083152024-03-06T05:00:00.006-05:002024-03-06T05:00:00.235-05:00Audiobook Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: FRENCH FANCY by Lily Morton (The Model Agency #2) - Narrated by Joel Leslie<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="FF Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15556 aligncenter" height="237" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ff-banner.jpg" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="a-size-extra-large" id="productTitle" style="font-size: x-large;">French Fancy<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Lily Morton</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="French Fancy Audio Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15554 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/french-fancy-audio-cover.jpeg" width="640" /></span></p>
<h3 class="a-spacing-none a-text-normal" id="title" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span class="a-size-extra-large" id="productTitle">The Model Agency</span>, Book 2</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud, and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is beautiful, and the periwinkle-blue villa is luxurious, but the real draw for Pip is the villa’s other resident—his boss’s younger brother, Olivier Durand.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Olivier owns a perfume empire and has spent his whole life running from any other form of commitment. He’s worldly, carefree, wild, and the perfect choice for a holiday fling.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Drawn together by proximity, the two men become lovers and friends and then something more. Something special. But will their special bond hold true after summer’s end, when they both must return to their real lives?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This is the second book in the bestselling Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/FrenchFancy">Audio US Link</a></span></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://geni.us/FrenchFancyUK">Audio UK Link</a></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://geni.us/FrenchFancyCA">Audio CA Link</a></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/FrenchFancy">Universal Link</a></span></h4>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193563453-french-fancy">Add to Goodreads</a><br /></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="FF Teaser Audio (2)" class="size-full wp-image-15553 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ff-teaser-audio-2.jpeg" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A brilliant idea occurs to me. “And you’d better go now because the owner is here. He’s inside.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I still can’t see his face, but somehow, I know he’s amused. My impression is confirmed when he says, “<em>Really</em>?” with a great deal of lively scepticism.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh yes.” I shift from one foot to the other rather awkwardly. I’m used to being naked in front of men, but more pleasurable things are usually on the agenda. “He’s my lover, and he’s gone to make drinks. Then he’ll be out here, and there’ll be hell to play.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh, dear. That does sound worrying. Is he dangerous?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">His beautiful French accent lingers on the last word, and I’m lost for a second. Then I rally.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh, very,” I say airily. “He’ll kill anyone who looks twice at me.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“He must be a very busy man.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The compliment disarms me. “Oh well, of course,” I say, regaining my composure. “Thank you. You’re quite right, stranger who is not an axe man.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I am definitely not that. I don’t think I could fit an axe in my shorts’ pockets, no?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You’d be surprised. I’ve met a few men who’ve got enough room down there to stock the contents of B and Q,” I say unthinkingly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He throws his head back, laughing. It’s a very attractive sound.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You should go,” I say wistfully. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since my ex shagged me in a glass lift.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Ah, because your lover will emerge soon, yes?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I nod.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“And your lover is?” he asks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh.” My thoughts immediately spin towards the enigmatic brother of my boss. “He’s Olivier Durand.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Really?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I raise my eyebrow. “He’s insanely possessive of me.” I wave a hand down my body. “And who can blame him?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Indeed.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I narrow my eyes. “I can’t help feeling you don’t believe me, stranger danger.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He steps forward, and a torch sheds light on his face. I stiffen. It’s a face I last saw in a photo in the kitchen—the picture that showed him smiling with my boss’s arm over his shoulders.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Sh*t,” I say morosely.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Olivier Durand chuckles, his eyes dancing. “I <em>do</em> believe you. You are incredibly convincing, but now I am in a quandary.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Sounds painful.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“<em>So</em> painful, because I’m afraid I will now have to visit a doctor.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Why?” I ask faintly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“For my memory loss, of course. Here was I thinking myself a hale, fairly hearty, and very single young man, when <em>pouf</em>, I am the victim of amnesia and cannot remember the name of my beautiful young lover. And after that, I shall have to get my shotgun ready to begin shooting your many suitors in a fit of insane rage.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh dear.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He starts to laugh again. “It is Pip, yes?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I put my hands on my hips. “Who else?”</span></p></div></blockquote><div class="tb-field"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="FF Teaser Audio (1)" class="size-full wp-image-15552 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ff-teaser-audio-1.jpeg" width="640" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Carra's Review</b></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pip’s character intrigued me when I first encountered him in The Sunny Side. He was funny, a bit snarky, and is one of those side characters that captures your attention, just crying out for their own story. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long to see him again! </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pip has an air of self confidence around others, even if he may not actually feel that himself. He thinks quickly on his feet, with snappy comebacks and witty remarks. He’s an all-around fun character to read.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Olivier lives a no-strings-attached lifestyle, not content to tie himself down to one person. While an open relationship style is not at all my type of thing personally, so not a lifestyle I can identify with myself, it’s something that has always worked for him. Or at least, it always has in the past. Enter Pip.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">These two dance around each other for quite a while, more so on Olivier’s side than Pip’s. They spend a lot of time together, enough to develop a truly wonderful friendship on its own. So while they do eventually get physical with the understanding that a little fun is all it is, they already have that foundation set, making it so much harder to keep it as just fun when it comes to their hearts.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A bit of drama is introduced with Olivier’s mother and his former lover, and I do have a nit-pick with what happened as I felt like the resolution was a slight stretch given his mother’s nastiness. There are some extenuating circumstances that bring the resolution about, but to me it still felt just a bit off…though that could be chalked up to my own life outlook and how I see things like this (sorry for being vague, I don’t want to spoil anything for readers).</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Overall, French Fancy was really entertaining with some fun characters that kept a smile on my face, making it a 4.5-star read for me. Plus we get appearances from Dean and Jonas from The Sunny Side along with some other supporting characters from that story, which I loved. I think all M/M romance fans will enjoy this story, which is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Joel Leslie does an incredible job with the narration. Parts of the story that elicited a little giggle-snort from me when reading the ebook had me laughing out loud when performed in the narration. Excellent differentiation in character voices, perfect pacing, and spot-on emotions in the narration made for a wonderful listening experience. 5 stars for the narration!</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the AUDIO release of <em>French Fancy</em>, we are giving you a chance to win your choice of any book from Lily’s backlist! Three winners will be chosen!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57829/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="FF Teaser (3)" class="size-full wp-image-15551 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ff-teaser-3.jpeg" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Check out Book 1 of <span class="a-size-extra-large" id="productTitle">The Model Agency</span> with The Sunny Side</span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="The Sunny Side" class="size-full wp-image-9589 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/the-sunny-side.jpg" width="427" /></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dean has always been interested in Jonas and has never made any secret of his admiration, but from the beginning, Jonas put him in a neat little box labelled, “Don’t touch,” turned the key, and never looked back.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">However, the universe seems determined to thwart Jonas’s plans. Over the course of one hot summer, the two men come together, and Jonas’s well-ordered life becomes something a whole lot wilder.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Moving from the glamorous worlds of London and Paris Fashion Weeks to the sleepy South of France, Jonas finds himself liberating partridges, chasing his supermodel, and falling in love.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>From bestselling author, Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy set in the fast-paced and snarky world of modelling. This is the first book in the Model Agency series.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/TheSunnySide">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62033981-the-sunny-side">Goodreads</a></strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="TheSunnySide-Teaser1" class="size-full wp-image-9590 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/thesunnyside-teaser1.jpg" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="LilyMorton-Logo-Tagline" class="size-full wp-image-211 aligncenter" height="182" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/lilymorton-logo-tagline.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven't had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations - Chocolate Baileys.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LilyMortonAuthor">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/SnarkSquad">Lily's Snark Squad Facebook Group</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/LilyAuthor">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/lilymortonauthor">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.co.uk/LilyAuthor">Pinterest</a><br /><a href="http://www.lilymortonauthor.com">Website</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/LilyMortonNewsletter">Newsletter</a><br /><a href="https://amzn.to/4bWL92J" target="_blank">Amazon Page</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829595.Lily_Morton">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookbub.com/profile/lily-morton">BookBub</a></b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-53532195067562084342024-03-04T05:00:00.003-05:002024-03-04T05:00:00.142-05:00Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway: WE COULD DO THIS TONIGHT by Emerson Beckett (We Could Do This Duet #2)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do This Tonight BT Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15451 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/we-could-do-this-tonight-bt-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We Could Do This Tonight <br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Emerson Beckett</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do this Tonight Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15359 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/we-could-do-this-tonight-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>We Could Do This Duet, Book 2<br /></strong></span></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">How do I choose which heart to break? No matter who I choose, I'm going to be the loser.</span></span></h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">Alejandro</span></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Three years ago, Ben walked into my Portland bar and stole my heart with one look. It didn’t matter that I’m 21 years older than him. All he wants is me.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Benjamin’s beautiful smile and endless charm attract everyone he meets, including my 20-year-old daughter, Anna.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">No one knows about all the things he and I have done together. And I’ve made sure to keep it from her.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My carefully constructed life built upon rules and my duty to my family is about to crumble before my eyes because she and I want the same thing—Ben.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the end, keeping us a secret may cost me both of them. I’m in an impossible love triangle that, no matter which one I choose, I’m going to lose.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And when someone attacks my bar via social media, it’s all I can take.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, which do I choose? Anna’s happiness? Or a life with Ben?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">Ben</span></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I knew I loved Alejandro Sanchez the moment our eyes met across the bar. There was something about the single dad and bar owner that I couldn’t get enough of.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After three long years, he’s finally okay with us. But when he refuses to tell Anna about us, I take matters into my own hands.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep him in my life, even if it means accepting a date with Anna.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><strong><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This Tonight</span></strong></em> is an age gap, single dad, boss/employee love triangle romance and the second book in the <strong><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet</strong>. It is the tenth book set in the <strong><em><span class="a-text-italic">Package Deal World</span></em></strong> with reoccurring characters from the original series. It is best enjoyed after reading <span class="a-text-italic">We Could Do This Forever. </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span class="a-text-bold">Note to the reader:</span> If you have not read the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Package Deal Series</span>, you might find it beneficial to start there and refer to the reading order for the PD World within the books. All the books are available through Kindle Unlimited.</span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/WeCouldDoThis2">Universal Link</a></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203427318-we-could-do-this-tonight">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (4)" class="size-full wp-image-15364 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (2)" class="size-full wp-image-15362 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the countdown to midnight started, I stepped back and leaned against the bar. Telling myself I was checking to make sure everyone had champagne, my eyes drank in Alejandro as he stood protectively over his daughter and ex-wife.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the shouts of Happy New Year began, I turned my gaze from him. But before I could get away completely, I looked up to see him glance at me before he kissed his daughter. When he leaned down to his ex-wife, I turned my body toward the TV on the opposite wall.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe next year things would be different. I didn’t know if he was interested in me, or just enjoyed the flirting we were doing. Snapping myself out of this silly funk, I put a smile on my face and went back to work.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Around one-thirty, we had almost everything cleaned up for when we closed at two a.m. Nick had just left, even though it was my night to close. He’d stayed to help me put up the chairs before heading out. When the bar was empty, I locked up behind him, then carried the last bus tray of dirty glasses to the kitchen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I picked up the sanitized ones from the dishwasher and headed back out to restock for the next day. Alejandro had come out of his office and began turning off the lights. Every time he extinguished one, my heartbeat increased. One by one, the lights around the room went out until only the recessed lighting around the bar remained.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The volume on the sound system had been turned down low, but helped to fill the void when everyone had gone home. Adding to the ambiance, the light shining down on the sparkling glassware and the amber colored contents of the glass bottles created the illusion of flickering candles. It was romantic as hell and fed my desire for him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lost in my fantasies, I didn’t notice when he walked behind the bar. Alejandro stood beside me, shoulder to shoulder, as I restocked the glasses. I could see him in my peripheral vision and felt the warmth of his body radiating toward mine. His biceps were straining his shirt and his expensive cologne intoxicated me further every time he stirred the air around us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I breathed in the woodsy scent as he reached over to hand them to me, one at a time, making me smile and slowing me down. “You don’t have to help. I can do this.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I know,” he said quietly, “but I wanted to. And I needed to check on you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Turning my head to look at him, my brow furrowed. One look at him in this dim lighting made my heart beat a little faster. “Why?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alejandro turned to his side to face me, then folded his muscled arms over his chest. “You looked a little sad earlier. Thought you might be missing your family.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I wanted to laugh and tell him my family was not what I was thinking about.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I wasn’t missing them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’d been imagining what it would be like to kiss him.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (3)" class="size-full wp-image-15363 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Carra's Review</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After enjoying Nick and Preston’s story in We Could Do This Forever, my interest was piqued for the bar owner, Alejandro. The beginning of this second story of the duet did a good job of capturing my attention with how Ben and Alejandro initially meet, but did have me wondering exactly how that was going to translate into a full novel.</p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The answer? A very long, mostly slow burn eventual friends with benefits situation that continues to be drawn out for a large portion of the book. Included in that was some speculative angst regarding Alejandro’s daughter and Ben, which honestly I could have done without (even once a bit of explaining around this occurs near the end). </p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ben and Alejandro’s continued clandestine trysts, while hot and sexy, did becoming frustrating primarily because it felt like Alejandro wasn’t understanding Ben’s feelings for him no matter how clear they were to everyone else (including us readers). </p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">While I was glad things do work out in the end, the drawn out frustrations that carried most of the story did wear on my patience. The injection of an outside stressor into the story in the last quarter or so of the book also seemed to have been added as another way to up the drama, but to me it would have felt more natural coming earlier in the story with more buildup along the way.</p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I did really like Ben and Alejandro as individuals and thought they were great together, so We Could Do This Tonight was a 3.5-star read for me—the stars knocked off mostly because I thought the issues Alejandro had were more drawn out than necessary. I would recommend you read the first book of the duet (We Could Do This Forever) first just to have some background into the supporting characters and the setting as it will enhance your enjoyment of this story.</p></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (1)" class="size-full wp-image-15361 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></h2>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>We Could Do This Tonight</em>, Emerson is giving away an e-set of the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57820/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT- A STEAMY ROMANCE" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15360" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-a-steamy-romance.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Check out the first book in the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet:<br />We Could Do This Forever</span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do This Forever Cover" class="size-full wp-image-13974 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/we-could-do-this-forever-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>We Could Do This Duet, Book 1<br /></strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Preston James did things to me. Things that had me wanting more of him and his dirty mouth, even though I knew better. Things that made my heart race. Things that made me come to realize there was more to my boss’s best friend than met the eye.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Nick Reed</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As one of the bartenders at Alejandro’s Bar, I’ve seen it all. I’ve even watched my friends, Christian and Cooper, both find the loves of their life. Six years after breaking up with my college boyfriend, I’m convinced that’s not the life I’m supposed to have until forty-five-year-old Preston James makes me the target of his relentless sexy stares and his straight-forward, dirty propositions.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe being the object of his desire wouldn’t be so bad.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Preston James</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The first time I laid eyes on Nicholas Reed, I knew I had to have him. There was something about my best friend’s bartender that captivated me. And I always got my way. But this twenty-eight-year-old grad student has me jumping through all kinds of hoops to get his attention. There’s nothing I won’t do to prove to him I’m exactly what he needs. I’m relentless like that and I won’t stop until he’s mine.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><strong>We Could Do This Forever</strong> is the first book in the We Could Do This Duet and is an MM Bisexual Romance. Additional tropes: Age Gap; Mutual Pining; Boss’s Best Friend; Secretly Wealthy; Humor.</em></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/WeCouldDoThisForever">Universal Link</a></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Coming Soon to Audio!</em></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196024412-we-could-do-this-forever">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="WCDTF Teasers (6)" class="size-full wp-image-14072 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/wcdtf-teasers-6.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Emerson Beckett - Logo" class="size-full wp-image-13973 aligncenter" height="320" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/emerson-beckett-logo.png" width="320" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Emerson Beckett:<br /></strong></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson Beckett is an avid sports fan and lover of M/M romance books, Emerson loves her new career as an author. It gets even better when she can combine the two. Emerson is the co-author of The Package Deal Series and The Portland Protectors: EHM Security Series with Rheland Richmond. The We Could Do This Duet is her first solo project.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson lives in North Carolina and has been married to the same man for 34 years. She is the mother of three beautiful adults, one of whom is completely responsible for her addiction to MM Romance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson is now mom to an Australian Shepherd, four cats, and a cute bunny rabbit.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
<strong><u><a href="http://www.emersonbeckett.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/49bk9KJ" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mm.author.emerson.beckett/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mmauthoremersonbeckett" target="_blank">TikTok</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/author.emerson.beckett" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/beckettsbookbrigade" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emerson-beckett" target="_blank">BookBub</a></u></strong><br /><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-66700983733824075892024-03-01T05:00:00.004-05:002024-03-01T05:00:00.125-05:00Audiobook Spotlight-Excerpt: LONELY DINER by Dann Hazel (Some Like it Haute! Book #3)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Lonely Diner AT Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15485 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/lonely-diner-at-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lonely Diner<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Written & Narrated by Dann Hazel</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Lonely Diner Audio Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15484 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/lonely-diner-audio-cover.jpg" width="635" /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Some Like It Haute! Book 3</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Two conflicted military men. A longing for happiness. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for a recipe for love. (The food is good there, too.)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One man plays it straight. Another grieves over a lost best friend with benefits.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Everyone</em> thought they were meant for each other. Lance, an Air Force computer engineer, and Ryan, a former submariner in the Navy and now a military college professor, are gay men blinded by the painful wounds of their past decisions. Both men are ready for love. But because of their pasts, they’ve slammed the brakes on their desires.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Now thirty years old, a younger Ryan Ball decides he can be happy only by conforming to social expectations. So what does he do? He decides he must have a wife and kids. Though he acknowledges that he can never be straight, he is convinced that with effort, determination, alcohol and erectile dysfunction meds, he can play the necessary roles.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Vikki, Ryan’s girlfriend in high school and now his wife, begs to differ.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At thirty-one, Lance Dingle falls for his best friend and roommate, Randy, a stunt pilot who agrees to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. From Lance’s perspective, there’s a spark in their arrangement that Randy denies. Then, tragedy strikes. Lance finds himself alone and lonely, living with memories of Randy and an ever-expanding list of “what-might-have-beens.” Finally forcing himself into the dating scene, Lance discovers that Mr. Right is more elusive than he ever imagined.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then, Callie Yenti, transwoman, drag performer extraordinaire and entrepreneur, enters the picture. She owns the popular Lonely Diner and possesses an uncanny insight into the workings of the heart.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Even the complicated hearts of her two hard-headed friends, Lance and Ryan.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A HEA gay romance.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Trigger Warning</strong>: This novel includes scenes from a sexual assault and a PTSD episode.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Tropes</strong>: Military Romance, Coming Out, Overcoming Adversity, Second Chances.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/LonelyDiner">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/LonelyDinerUS">Audio US Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202119367-lonely-diner"><strong>Add to Goodreads</strong></a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized LDAT Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15489 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ldat-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized LDAT Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15490 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ldat-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Soon, the table beside Lance became available. A gorgeous, dark-haired man with biceps on the verge of bursting through his shirt sleeves sat down. Lance noticed that he was drinking Liquid Death, often a signal that a bar patron wished to avoid alcoholic beverages. Lance also noticed that his haircut was similar in style to his own. Lance wondered if the body builder might also be a member of a branch of the military.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lance’s face turned crimson when the man caught Lance cruising him. Rather than heightening Lance’s embarrassment with silence, the man, who also had a well-conditioned chest and stomach, asked Lance to join him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lance noticed the tremor in the man’s voice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Ah, he’s an introvert, like me</em>, Lance thought.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lance cast him a beaming smile. “Why not? No need for the two of us to monopolize a pair of tables when one will do.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lance grabbed his ale—his third for the evening—and carried it with him as he sat in the chair next to the man. “My name is Lance Dingle,” he said. He reached across the table for a handshake.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“My pleasure, Lance.” A very brief pause. “Wait! I think you’re the fellow the infamous Callie Yenti has been devoting so much time finding a way to introduce us.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Holy sh*t! Then you must be Ryan Ball. Finally, we meet!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ryan laughed. “I guess she’s included us both in her match-making scheme.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“It’s a talent she’s very proud of,” Lance said. “You’re an English professor at The Citadel, right? And before that, you served in the Navy?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Damn! She’s thorough.” Then, Ryan reciprocated with a fact of his own. “And I think I remember her saying that you’re an Air Force man.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Yep. That’s me. A computer geek. Not a pilot.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The men chatted about their backgrounds, their experiences in the military and navigating the tricky terrain of being gay in the service, despite the revocation of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Naturally, there were parts of their biographies they were unwilling to share—like the sexual assault in DC and Lance’s torch-carrying for Randy. Lance unwittingly—and because of the buzz the drinks precipitated—came very close to telling Ryan how many physical similarities he and Randy shared. Fortunately, he caught himself before he provided Ryan a very good excuse to abort their conversation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then, Ryan popped the same question that was also on Lance’s mind. “Would you be interested in hanging out sometimes? I mean, it’s fine with me to call it a date. Y’know, to see if Callie still has her magic touch.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But Lance had no chance to respond.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Because a nervous James Manigault appeared at their table, without his cute young diversion, and kissed Lance squarely on the mouth. Lance could taste the rum he’d drunk and smell the pot he and the young man shared before heading to the club.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then, Lance caught a glimpse of Ryan’s face.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But a look long enough to see that sexy face fill with disappointment, vulnerability and perhaps even distress.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Abruptly, Ryan rose from his chair. It almost toppled over, but Ryan grabbed it on its way to the floor. “I don’t want to intrude,” he said. “I’ll leave you to it. And Lance? It was nice to meet you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Now, it was Lance’s voice that quivered. “Likewise, Ryan.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They shook hands like two businessmen closing a deal. Ryan quickly pulled his hand away and headed toward the exit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lance looked with a mixture of anger and annoyance at James, who was now sitting in Ryan’s chair.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And then, James had the <em>f*cking nerve</em> to ask if they were still on for their date the next night.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized LDAT Teaser 4" class="size-full wp-image-15491 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ldat-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> <img alt="IG Sized LDAT Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15494 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ldat-teaser-1-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Lotsa_Hair_Dann" class="wp-image-14681 aligncenter" height="407" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/lotsa_hair_dann.jpg" width="279" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:</strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dann Hazel has been writing both fiction and nonfiction for more than twenty years.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Besides writing romance, he has taught high school English and journalism, college psychology and human sexuality, directed federal grants and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital. His fiction genre interests include thrillers, horror, literary and gay romance. He has published the Some Like It Haute Gay Romance Series, including <em>Room for Dessert</em>, <em>My Own Private Biscuit</em> and <em>Lonely Diner</em>.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Nonfiction works include <em>Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front</em> and <em>Moving On: The Gay Man’s Guide for Coping When a Relationship Ends</em>.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dann’s personal interests include reading and writing, cinema, jogging, Broadway, keeping abreast of current events and travel.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Currently, Dann lives in Central Florida with his husband, Josh, and their American Eskimo canine, Flurry.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Connect with Dann:<br /></strong><a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="https://www.haut-gay-romance.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.haut-gay-romance.com/</a><br /><a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089831902829" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook: Some Like It Haute (</a><a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089831902829" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089831902829</a>)<br />Twitter: @DHRomance<br />Instagram: <a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="https://www.instagram.com/dann.hazel/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/dann.hazel/</a></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-17821235391900010042024-02-29T05:00:00.005-05:002024-02-29T05:00:00.128-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: BRODIE WINTERS Volume 1 by Dion Marc (The Chosen One Chronicles #1)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Brodie Winters Volume 1 RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15537 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/brodie-winters-volume-1-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Brodie Winters Volume 1<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Dion Marc</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Untitled Artwork" class="size-full wp-image-15535 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/brodie-winters-cover.jpeg" width="426" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Chosen One Chronicles, Book 1<i><br /></i></span></h2>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Brodie Winters is the Chosen One, but he doesn't want to be...</i></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Brodie Winters wants nothing more than to retire and have a little fun for once. Unfortunately for him, demon-slaying is more just than a career.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Moonhaven was supposed to be the safest city in America, the perfect choice for an Elemental Channeller seeking a sense of normalcy away from demonic forces. But Brodie was never destined for the mundane: for the Chosen One, danger lurks in every shadow.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So much for settling down.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As Brodie tries to focus on starting college and exploring the queer scene, a series of disappearances drags him back to battling powerful supernatural forces. As it turns out, Moonhaven is rife with evil.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A natural-born protector, Brodie can't help but get involved, threatening his dreams of living a normal life. Worse yet, his new friends may not be able to escape the paranormal either, and it's not going to be pretty.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>'The Chosen One: Brodie Winters' is a serialised novella series containing three episodes in each volume. The story contains action, humour, gory horror and high heat. Written by bestselling Author Dion Marc, this story promises to be everything a kinky 90s fanboy of the supernatural could ask for.</i></span></p>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/BrodieWinters">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203794831-brodie-winters-volume-1">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized BWV1 Tagline" class="size-full wp-image-15538 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-bwv1-tagline.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized BWV1 Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15541 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-bwv1-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<h3><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h3></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Absolutely not, no way,
Jos</span><span lang="FR">é</span><span lang="EN-US">. The </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="NL">Chosen One</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>? Pfft, that was somebody else</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s gig. I was officially
retiring my world-saving jersey. Some folks might thrive on the adrenaline rush
of being humanity</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s last hope, but let</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s be honest, that was so
not my scene. Sure, I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d got this quirky ability to juggle a couple of opposing
elements—a neat party trick that tickled the fancy of some dusty old Oracle
prophecy. And okay, maybe I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d got a bit more strength than the average Joe, but come on,
we weren</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t talking about ripping phone books in half here. Herculean?
As if. All I wanted to do was to blend into the crowd of clueless college kids
and live a normal life, and by Zeus and all his rowdy pals, I was going to make
that happen. So, there I was, chucking my fate out the window and hopping on a
cross-country bus to Moonhaven, the </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">safe haven</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span lang="EN-US">of the States. Crime rate lower than a limbo stick at a beach
party—sounded like a snooze fest, but hey, perfect for a guy looking to ditch
destiny and embrace the mundane like me.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Now I didn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t exactly fake
my death, but let</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s just say I didn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t go out of my way to dispel the myths, either. Picture this:
I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d just tussled
with a humongous, world-chomping serpent. And instead of emerging heroically
from its slimy wreckage to deliver one of those snappy, crowd-pleasing
one-liners, I sneaked off, hopped on the first bus outta there, and headed for
a brand new chapter. Some might throw around words like </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="DE">chicken</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span lang="EN-US">or </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">coward</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span lang="EN-US">for ducking
out, but let</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s get real. I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d clocked more world-saving hours in the past three years
than they had, so to them I say, lick my arse crack, little blond hairs and
all.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">As I sat there on the
bus, I couldn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t help but think about the new life that awaited me in
Moonhaven. It had been hard changing colleges, especially without alerting The
Order, but it had been done and I was still </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">dead</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. Though I was now in a few classes I didn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t care for,
like </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">Warfare
Archaeology</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’ </span><span lang="EN-US">and </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">Ceramics</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>, hopefully, both turned out to be easy subjects and I could
just autopilot them.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="DE">We</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d crossed the
Moonhaven border roughly two hours back. The outskirts of the city were dotted
with homes sporting that classic Tudor Revival style, interspersed with
generous swathes of parklands and bustling shopping districts. As we neared the
city, the architectural charm gave way to a more utilitarian look—houses
turning simplistic and boxy.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The bus</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s sudden stop
jolted me back to the present. An average man in his mid-forties, with
uninspiring brown hair and matching eyes, boarded, a newspaper in his grip. My
eyes instinctively flicked to the headline: </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>‘</span><span lang="EN-US">Another College Student
Missing</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. Then up to the masthead—Moonhaven Times. A familiar tingle of
intrigue shot through me, but I forced it down.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Nope, that</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s not me
anymore. I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">m just a regular college student,” I whispered to myself,
trying to dampen the spark of curiosity that flickered within me. The thought
of The Order, that starchy group of middle-aged, strait-laced men who
controlled the council of elementals, flitted through my mind. I couldn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t help but
feel a sense of satisfaction at having slipped their grasp. No more orders, no
more jumping at their command. I was free, and I intended to keep it that way.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The bus driver</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s voice, gruff
and bored, announced over the speaker, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Moonhaven
University coming up next. Grab your stuff, folks.” It was a routine call, one
he</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">d probably
made a thousand times.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I stood up, stretching my
six-foot frame, and reached for my bags in the overhead compartment. I felt a
mix of excitement and nervousness. This was it. The start of my new, ordinary
life. No more battling monsters or dealing with The Order</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s nonsense. Just me,
Brodie, the average college student. At least, that was what I was aiming for.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Taking in a deep breath,
the air was an odd but not unpleasant mix of pine and concrete—definitely a
change from what I was used to. Stepping off the bus, I looked up at Moonhaven
University. It was an impressive sight, and a pang of nervous excitement hit
me. <i>Here goes nothing</i>, I thought.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">That was when it
happened. Out of nowhere, a skateboarder slammed into me. The collision was so
sudden, so unexpected, that for a second, I was just frozen in surprise. I
barely budged, thanks to my not-so-average strength, but the poor guy on the
skateboard wasn</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">t so lucky. He bounced off me like I was made of stone and
went flying into a nearby bush.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Annoyed but not hurt, I
dropped my bags and hurried over to him. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Hey, you okay
there?” I asked, reaching into the bush to help him out. The skateboarder was
tangled up in the foliage, but thankfully, he had a helmet on.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Man, you</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">re hard as a
rock,” he groaned, accepting my hand to pull himself up.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I raised an eyebrow. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">You should see me when I actually try. This was just me on a
light day,” I joked.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">He chuckled, brushing off
leaves. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">I guess I should</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve seen you
standing there. It was like running into a wall.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">I prefer to
think of myself as a well-placed obstacle in the path of life</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s
skateboarders,” I quipped, offering him an arm to steady himself.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The boy took off his
helmet, revealing a mass of shocking, bright orange curls. He looked at me, a
mix of embarrassment and amusement in his eyes. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">m Juniper, by
the way.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Brodie. And no
worries, Juniper. I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve been hit by worse. A skateboard</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s nothing compared to a
flying demon, trust me.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Juniper</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s eyes
widened. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Wait, wait, wait… Did you
say demon?”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Backtracking, I said, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Metaphorically speaking. College can be hell, you know.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">He laughed, shaking his
head. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Well, thanks for not
being mad. Most people would be freaking out.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">m not most
people,” I said with a smirk. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">But hey, maybe watch out
for stationary objects next time?”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Definitely,” he
replied, grinning. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">You</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">re like an immovable
object meeting an unstoppable force.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Science. Damn—I was
confused. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Guess that makes me the
immovable object,” I said as I picked up my bags.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">You got it.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I watched Juniper skate
away for a moment before realising I had no clue where I was going. Quickly, I
turned and jogged after him. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Hey, Juniper!”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">He stopped and turned
back, a look of concern flashing across his face. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Everything
alright?”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Yeah, it</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s just… I have
no idea where I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">m supposed to be going. Do you know where the dorms are?” I
held out my university paperwork, feeling a bit foolish.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Yeah, dude. I
owe you one. Let me help,” Juniper said, scanning my papers. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Ah, you</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">re in the North Wing. I know where that is. Follow me.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Feeling a bit relieved, I
trailed behind him. Juniper led the way, pointing out a few landmarks and
buildings as we walked. It was clear he knew the campus well. It was very
different from the one The Order sent me to. For one, at least everyone here
was dressed in normal clothes instead of those tacky robes that looked like
they were from a B grade occult film.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">As Juniper led the way to
my dorm room, he glanced over at me and said, </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">You know, you
really should</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve gone for a private room.”</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I shrugged. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Tried that, but as I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">ve transferred here a few
weeks into the term, all the private rooms were already taken.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Ah, tough
break,” he replied, guiding me through the building. He pointed out the
communal showers, the small kitchenette on the ground floor, and a lounge area
that looked like it had seen better days.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">We finally stopped in
front of room 1630. Juniper handed me a small slip of paper. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Here</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">s my number, just in case you need anything or, you know, if
you want to hang out.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I took it, smiling. </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Thanks, I</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="EN-US">ll definitely give you a shout. Here</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="PT">s
mine,</span><span lang="EN-US">”
I said, scribbling down my number.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Cool, see you
around, Brodie,” he said with a wave before heading off.</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I stood there for a
moment, staring at the door to my new dorm room. Taking a deep breath, I pushed
it open and…</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="EN-US">Yeah! F*ck me,
Daddy!”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: georgia;">My jaw dropped.</span></span></p>
</blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized BWV1 Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15540 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-bwv1-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized BWV1 Teaser 4" class="size-full wp-image-15542 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-bwv1-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<hr />
<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <i>Brodie Winters Volume 1</i>, Dion is giving you the chance to win a signed paperback or Audio Code of your choice from his backlist!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57828/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized BWV1 Teaser 1" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15539" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-bwv1-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Dion Marc Pic" class="wp-image-13168 aligncenter" height="320" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/dion-marc-pic.jpeg" width="176" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>About the Author</b></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Bestselling Scottish Australian author Dion Marc lives and breathes queer art. Whether he is painting, writing, sewing or dancing naked in the moonlight he does it with pride.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He is a practising Hellenistic polytheist who believes in healing the world one hug at a time and that drinking tea without a biscuit is a horrendous crime.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dion has worked on Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge, Hamilton, 2:22 A ghost Story, Wicked, Chicago and so many more creative and flamboyant shows.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/author.dionmarc/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.dionmarc.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/953877695177248" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></u><br /></b><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-3017192989513979762024-02-28T05:00:00.018-05:002024-02-28T05:00:00.122-05:00Audiobook Review: PEACEMAKER by Morgan Brice (Sharps & Springfield #1)<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Peacemaker</span></b></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">(Sharps & Springfield #1)</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">by Morgan Brice</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Narrator: John Solo</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: February 20, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Steampunk MM romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Secret agents, co-workers to lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, mistaken identity</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Learning to love again, taking a chance on love</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 4 flames </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 7 hours and 22 mins</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is a standalone book and the first in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123849643-peacemaker" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Peacemaker-Audiobook/B0CSQ1JCX1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Audible US</a> | <a href="https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Peacemaker-Audiobook/B0CSQ1JCX1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Audible UK</a> | <a href="https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/peacemaker/699391" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Audiobooks.com</a></span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4c1j5ey" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/4bOIiIY" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peacemaker-morgan-brice/1143265924" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Nook</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/peacemaker-23" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></b></p>
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</span><div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 10px; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Secret agents, forbidden love, danger, and magic!</span></em></div>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Supernatural Secret Service agents Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield meet on the train to their new assignment in St. Louis, and sparks fly between them. But it's 1897, and they need to be very careful—falling in love can be dangerous for men like them.<br /><br />It's their first case together, investigating mysterious disappearances—including the two agents who preceded them. Grim evidence leads them to look for a darker purpose. Old ghosts haunt the railroad line, zombie rise, signs point to ritual sacrifice, and they suspect someone is trying to open the gates of hell.<br /><br />Can Calvin and Owen stop the mayhem, thwart the vampires, and find true love, or will everything go up in smoke?<br /><br />Peacemaker is a high-stakes steampunk MM romance thrill ride filled with found family, paranormal Pinkertons, intrepid reporters, mysterious disappearances, nefarious land brokers, hellhounds, zombies, vengeful spirits, dark spells, absinthe magic, a ruthless vampire railroad baron and a love that won't be denied.<br /><br />Before Colt and Winchester, there was Sharps & Springfield!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Carra's Review</b></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I tend to shy away from M/M books that have a historical setting since I don’t want the added angst and drama of same-sex relationships from those time periods, but given the paranormal aspect and that this was written by one of my favorite authors, I set aside my reservations to give this a go. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this first story in this new series! </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I love the idea of secret agencies dealing with supernatural threats, particularly in a historical setting like this. The historical aspects considering setting and time period showed the author did their research to keep things authentic. The meet-cute between Owen and Calvin was perfect, even though I did realize what was up as it was happening.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There is a lot of “is he or isn’t he” going on in each of their heads, and if you are expecting anything romantic or physical, you’ll be waiting a long while. This does serve to increase the angst level between them, and allows the story to concentrate on the case they are investigating. They each have their own contacts that help move the investigation forward, both strong female characters that I’m hoping we’ll see in subsequent books in the series. Another fantastic supporting character is Winston, who serves as their “valet”, but is also a witch, assistant, and like their version of Q (from the Bond stories). He’s one of my favorite supporting characters this author has written.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The story really grabbed my attention, and I was fully drawn in to everything that was going on. It does set things up well for the series, particularly with how the vampire baddie ends up in a down-but-not-out position…you just know he’s going to be back. And like with this author’s other series, there is a strong supporting network being established to help Calvin and Owen with whatever they might face.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Peacemaker was a 4.5-star read for me, my only wish is that when it came to their relationship there would have been more show, not tell—particularly earlier on in the story. Regardless, this was a great read, and I’d recommend it to any M/M paranormal romance fan.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The narration was excellent, perfectly paced and with good differentiation in the character voices. You could also easily tell the difference between points of view, as well as times when the characters’ thoughts were being expressed as opposed to their dialogue/actions. John Solo’s narration gets 5 stars from me!</span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author</span></strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-17276" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/img_3069.jpg?w=212" style="width: 300px;" /></span></span></strong></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.</span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.</span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://morganbrice.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Morgan-Brice/B07CKVZSR1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Audible Profile</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3OYvYfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon profile</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MorganBriceAuthor" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Gzmartin/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail)</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganBriceBook" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morgan-brice" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> BookBub</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/morganbriceauthor/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/dy_8oL" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a new release</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/js6x0fq8" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Read a copy of my Badlands short story Restless Nights here for free</span></a></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-47509466955941517222024-02-27T05:00:00.006-05:002024-02-27T05:00:00.128-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: FALLING FOR RAINE by Lane Hayes<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Falling For Raine RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15472 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/falling-for-raine-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Falling For Raine<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Lane Hayes</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Falling For Raine Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15469 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/falling-for-raine-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>The gentleman, the hot mess, and a little British adventure…</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Raine</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Moving to London is scary and daunting, but I desperately need this job–and a redo. Okay, so I may have oversold my qualifications. That shouldn’t be a big deal, though. I mean, being an assistant’s assistant seems easy enough, and I’m a fast learner.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hold up!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m already in over my head with spreadsheets, new pronunciations, and temperamental appliances. And just as I’m mentally preparing to face going home early, the big boss offers me an opportunity I can’t refuse. And I definitely should because Graham Horsham is an infuriating, complicated grumpy bear with a razor-sharp tongue, a wickedly dry sense of humor, and…I like him far too much.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Graham</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ve been bamboozled. I’m not quite sure how I ended up with an assistant who spills coffee daily, wears wrinkled shirts, and chatters nonstop. He can’t stay, but I don’t want him to go and that’s madness. The Horsham Group is closing one of our biggest deals ever and I won’t jeopardize it. This one is personal.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Yet so is Raine. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He’s a breath of fresh air—silly, impetuous, lighthearted, good-natured, and…quite lovely. I like him more than I want to admit. For some reason, I can let my guard down with him. It’s unnerving and probably unprofessional.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But not to worry…I will not, under any circumstances, fall for Raine.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Falling for Raine is an MM, age-gap romance featuring a British gentleman, a desperate but adorable American, and a UK adventure!</em></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/FallingForRaine"><strong>Universal Link</strong></a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203470085-falling-for-raine">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Falling For Raine Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15473 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/falling-for-raine-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Falling For Raine Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15474 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/falling-for-raine-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h3><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">What in the hell was going on? It was as though I’d entered an alternative universe. Everything looked the same, but it was different.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Of course it was Raine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I studied him shaking hands with everyone in the shop as I shrugged on my jacket. He was…hypnotic, addicting—a cross between an inappropriate dinner party guest and a fistful of forbidden sweets when you were on a diet. He didn’t fit in this world I’d carefully constructed, yet I kept inviting him in and forgetting whatever reason I’d concocted for this to make sense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Like now.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Perhaps you’d like to try something on.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets so I wouldn’t be tempted to touch him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He widened his eyes and sidled close, whispering under his breath, “Are you nuts? One shirt here costs half my rent. Unless…oh, no. Oh, no, no, no!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What?” I demanded, pulling him with me outside.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Are you going daddy on me?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Excuse me?” I furrowed my brow, stopping under the eaves where rain sluiced off the roof and fell like a curtain around us on two sides.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Slow your roll, G, I’m not looking for a meal ticket, and I’m not taking hand-outs. I can be talked into bedroom daddy kink, but if you want me to call you Daddy—”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh, for f*ck’s sake, you daft man. I do not want you to call me Daddy,” I growled just as a well-dressed man stepped onto the mat next to me, pausing for a moment to close his umbrella and dart a quick look between us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Raine pursed his lips, then burst into laughter when the man entered the shop. “Ha! You should see your face. I was kidding.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You’re ridiculous,” I huffed, my lips twitching.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I’ll be good, Daddy. Don’t spank me.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Don’t test me.” I pretended not to notice him fanning himself with a slack-jawed expression as I gestured toward the pub on the next block. “If we stay under the eaves, we’ll stay dry, but we’ll have to hurry.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No need. I bet they sell umbrellas in there.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I squinted at the tourist shop at the corner on the opposite side of the street, its windows papered with Union Jack memorabilia. “That’s crap, Ray-n.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“So what? It’s fun crap. My treat.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He sprinted into the deluge, dashing into the tourist shop while I stared after him. What was he doing? Now he’d be wet and stuck with a tatty tourist umbrella that would undoubtedly flip inside out at the first gust of wind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A crack of thunder spurred me into action. I borrowed a sturdy umbrella from Ives and Harris with the promise to return it as soon as possible, then walked down the street to find Raine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d managed to make a friend in under five minutes. He stood in front of a wall stuffed with tartan throws, holding two compact umbrellas and chatting up a salesman. It took a bit of persuading to convince him he didn’t need the blanket—however, I couldn’t talk him out of purchasing two Union Jack umbrellas. I warned him that they were poorly made, but he didn’t care.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We squabbled all the way to the pub, argued over what to order, who was paying, and where to sit before finally settling into a table for two at the window. I frowned when he beamed a sunshine smile my way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Stop being so happy,” I teased, cradling my glass. “It’s miserable out there.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“But it’s warm and yummy in here,” he countered, sliding his calf along mine under the table. “And you’re cute when you’re cranky.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I am neither cute nor cranky. I’m—okay, never mind, I <em>am</em> cranky. If we’d come straight here, we could have avoided the queue and had that corner booth.” I pointed at the booth currently inhabited by a gaggle of noisy businessmen. “Do you ever listen to reason?”</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
“Have you met me?”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized FFR Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15477 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ffr-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Falling For Raine</em>, Lane is giving away the Winner's choice of an audiobook or ebook of your choice from her published works!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57825/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Falling For Raine Teaser 5" class="size-full wp-image-15475 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/falling-for-raine-teaser-5.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author</strong></span></p>
<div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" id="block-yui_3_17_2_38_1474035937755_15290">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Lane Pic" class="wp-image-14053 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/lane-pic.jpg" width="157" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Lane Hayes</em></strong> loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. She loves wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and her fabulous pup, George.</span></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg" target="_blank">Lane's Lovers (Readers' Group)</a></u> - <u><a href="https://bit.ly/3cICfaK" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></u> - <u><a href="http://www.lane-hayes.com" target="_blank">Blog</a></u> - <u><a href="http://twitter.com/LaneHayes3" target="_blank">Twitter</a></u> - <u><a href="http://facebook.com/LaneHayesAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/3IemngM" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="http://bookbub.com/authors/lane-hayes" target="_blank">BookBub</a></u> - <u><a href="http://instagram.com/lanehayes3/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="http://instagram.com/lanehayesauthor/" target="_blank">Instagram (Author)</a></u> - <u><a href="http://goodreads.com/LaneHayes" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u> - <u><a href="http://tiktok.com/@lane_hayes" target="_blank">TikTok</a></u><br /></b><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-61692805220662598672024-02-23T08:00:00.003-05:002024-02-23T08:00:00.132-05:00Cover Reveal & Giveaway: STACKED by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #2)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked CR Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15430 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/stacked-cr-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Stacked</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">By Linden Bell</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked 2" class="size-full wp-image-15427 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/stacked-2.jpg" width="400" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Coming March 17th</em></strong></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mars Fitness, Book 2</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Sawyer</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I've been in love with my best friend and roommate since the first day of boarding school over a decade ago. But Preston has always been oblivious, obsessed with his PhD research, and more importantly, straight.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the new, sexy grad student walks into my gym, I have to wonder... is it time for me to move on?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Preston</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Some guy is trying to steal my best friend. I won't let him. Sawyer's mine.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe I haven't appreciated Sawyer enough over the years, but that's going to change now. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him by my side. Even if it means kissing him.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Stacked is a best friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening, nerd/jock MM romance between possessive, protective, and co-dependent roommates. Expect the most tender caretaking, slipping into each other's beds in the middle of the night, and adorable clinginess. It is the second book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/Stacked">Pre-Order Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126052138-stacked"><strong>Add on Goodreads</strong></a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Stacked CR 3" class="size-full wp-image-15432 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-stacked-cr-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the cover reveal of <em>Stacked</em>, we are giving away 2 advanced e-copies of the upcoming release!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57823/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Stacked Coming Soon Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15431 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/stacked-coming-soon-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Check out Book 1 in the Mars Fitness Series:<br />Ripped</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Ripped Ebook 3" class="size-full wp-image-12198 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/ripped-ebook-3.jpg" width="400" /></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise.</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I thought my life was perfect. I lived with my amazing boyfriend. I worked with my ride-or-die best friend. I was on track to made-it-ville.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then I came home one day to find my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Now I’m lost with no one to turn to except Donnie, the silver fox who lets me crash at his house until I can figure out what the hell went wrong and how I’m supposed to fix it.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But once I’m there, I’m not sure I want to leave.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Donnie’s a lot older than me and he’s still grieving the death of his husband. My life is a trash fire and my career is non-existent. He’s a svelte spin instructor and I’m a film geek. We couldn’t be more different, but we need each other like we both need to breathe.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So maybe my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Maybe it was the best. It brought me to Donnie.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, opposites attract MM romance between roommates who cuddle on the couch while watching classic movies. Expect steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand new starts. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">CW: off-page sudden loss of a spouse, off-page homophobia, cheating secondary characters. Happily ever after guaranteed.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/Ripped_">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123011126-ripped"><strong>Add on Goodreads</strong></a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Ripped Teaser 6" class="size-full wp-image-15424 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-ripped-teaser-6.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="LindenBellFlameWhite" class="size-full wp-image-15426 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/lindenbellflamewhite.png" width="200" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:</strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Linden Bell writes contemporary MM romances that heat you up and make you smile.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Connect with Linden:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><u><a href="http://lindenbell.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="http://instagram.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <a href="http://facebook.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Facebook</a> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/3uTbSfD" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="http://goodreads.com/authorlindenbell" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u> - <a href="http://bookbub.com/authors/linden-bell" target="_blank">BookBub</a><br /></strong><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-82859142540402779022024-02-23T05:00:00.003-05:002024-02-23T05:00:00.126-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: TOOTH AND NAIL by Patricia Logan (U.S. Marshals I.S.R. Interspecies Response)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15442 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tooth and Nail<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Patricia Logan</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15440 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-cover.jpeg" width="384" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">U.S. Marshals I.S.R. (Interspecies Response), Book 1</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The very last thing U.S. Marshal Eoghan Sapphire wants is a new partnership. Worse yet, the transfer from Lexington, Kentucky is a civilian. That means it’ll be Eoghan’s responsibility to break him into the I.S.R. and the unique way their particular U.S. Marshals Service unit operates. He decides being a jerk to him and keeping him at arm’s length just might be the way to handle things…until he meets him.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Aristotle Brown isn’t like anyone Eoghan’s ever known before. He’s polite, willing to learn, and most of all, devastatingly handsome. Eoghan’s actually happy they’re thrown into a dangerous situation with a WITSEC protectee the first day his brand-new partner is on the job. Dealing with this particular man will let Eoghan know what Ari Brown’s made of. Will he break under pressure?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dealing with humans is standard everyday stuff in the U.S. Marshals Service but other non-human species like shifters, other paranormals, and aliens from distant star systems…well, that’s where things promise to get downright interesting. Their second day on the job is no different. And he’s not prepared for Ari’s cool-headed composure when he comes face to face with an example of everything the I.S.R. deals with every day.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To top it all off, the marshal sent to back the two men up when things get dicey in Griffith Park isn’t as reliable as Eoghan had hoped. The impulses of the guy nearly get them all killed but fortunately, Ari performs like a dream, helping extract everyone when things go from bad to worse. Eoghan is sure of a couple of things…acting as this man’s training officer isn’t going to be such a struggle after all, and keeping his hands off him is going to be the hardest part about this assignment.</span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/ToothAndNail">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208821828-tooth-and-nail-u-s-marshals-i-s-r">Add on Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail Teaser 2" class="size-full wp-image-15446 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15445 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h3><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Eoghan got his boots and socks off but when he heard a zipper, he automatically looked up. What he saw made his mouth go dry. Ari had already pulled off the T-shirt he’d been wearing when he’d come in that morning. The wide chest, cut pecs, and rippling muscles of his lightly furred abs were on full display along with the tattoo he’d spotted earlier. It was a curved black Ranger banner with gold lettering overlaying a silver star, then covering two crossed automatic rifles. It’d been inked on his left bicep.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When his gaze slid lower, the sight made his breath catch. Ari had unbuttoned his cargos and unzipped them, revealing black boxer briefs beneath. The prominent bulge which curved underneath the soft fabric made Eoghan’s mouth water. He was a gorgeous man. Deliberately dragging his gaze away, not wanting to invade his privacy any longer than he had, he turned around, showing his partner his back. But Ari shattered the silence.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“It’s too late.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What?” he asked, not bothering to turn around.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I saw you looking.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A shiver went down Eoghan’s spine. Under any other circumstances, that may have been the hottest thing he’d ever heard. “What?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I saw you looking at my body, Eoghan.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Eoghan’s eyes slid shut as he set his hands on his hips and concentrated on his breathing. He couldn’t help that his c*ck was hardening inside his pants.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> <em>F*CK!</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He opened his eyes and slowly turned around. The man was standing there looking entirely too smug with his arms crossed over his wide chest, giving his beautiful pecs too much definition. It was all Eoghan could do not to drool.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I was looking at the tattoo,” he said. It was the truth, just not the whole truth. When Ari dropped his arms and took a couple of steps forward, Eoghan swallowed hard. He was close enough now for Eoghan to smell the sandalwood and orange even over the stink of albat guano.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Do you like it?” Ari said, looking down at his shoulder and running long fingers over the tat.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Up this close, Eoghan could see the definition of the letters, the expertly inked fine lines, the crispness of the color even on his dark skin. But it wasn’t the tattoo he really admired. It was the way it rippled over the bicep as Ari lifted his arm and gave it a flex, turning in profile like a goddamned bodybuilder to give him a better view. His c*ck was as hard as a brick and just being this close to his partner was making everything worse. He nodded quickly and stepped back, nearly knocking over the folding chair he’d been sitting in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“It’s really nice.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ari watched him practically trip over the chair before righting it and then smiled brilliantly when he looked up. He made no other comment, just resumed undressing.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15447 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><hr /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Tooth And Nail</em>, we are giving away 2 e-copies and 2 Audible codes (US or UK) of the release!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57824/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Tooth and Nail Teaser 4.2" class="size-full wp-image-15443 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tooth-and-nail-teaser-4.2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="author pic" class="wp-image-9257 aligncenter" height="490" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/author-pic.jpg" width="329" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author:</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">International bestselling author Patricia Logan, resides in Los Angeles, California. The author of several #1 bestselling romances in English, Italian, French, and Spanish lives in a small house with a large family. When she’s not writing her next thriller or paranormal romance, she’s watching her grandchildren grow up way too soon, and raising kids who make her proud every day. One of her favorite tasks is coaxing nose kisses from cats who insist on flopping on her keyboard while she types. Married to a wonderful man for 36 years, she counts herself lucky to be surrounded by people who love her and give her stories to tell every day.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pick up your favorite Patricia Logan book from <a href="https://amzn.to/48us8l7" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Check out her Audio titles at <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Patricia-Logan/B007RESZJA?ref=a_search_c3_lAuthor_1_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=S51DD7VVXA0FMXXVTBN7&">Audible.com</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Email her at <a href="mailto:patricialogan.author@yahoo.com">patricialogan.author@yahoo.com</a>. She loves to hear from readers more than anything and will respond to all emails.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Connect with Patricia:</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><u><a href="http://www.authorpatricialogan.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ploganauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/PatriciaLogan1" target="_blank">Twitter</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorpatricialogan/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u></strong> - <b><u><a href="https://yahoo.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5eabe3665c183bf508edae339&id=7059b575e3&fbclid=IwAR2aJvB273-5R3hej9LzRobjEbTPpjfau1lQWWahQLllRgOahcIvriuBi20" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></u></b> </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><hr /></figure>Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-85287366268388671132024-02-21T05:00:00.020-05:002024-02-21T05:00:00.128-05:00New Release-Review & Excerpt: THE LOCKET'S TALE by R.J. Peterson<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23299" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/tagline-4.png?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">The Locket’s Tale</span></b></p>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: RJ Peterson</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Ron Perry Graphic Design</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: February 21, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Older guys, small town</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Just a hint of magic</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3.5 flames (there are only a couple of sex scenes, but they are quite detailed)</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 22 600 words</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207089457-the-locket-s-tale" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Buy Links </strong>- <strong>Available in Kindle Unlimited</strong></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3UI0m1j" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/4bMhJE2" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23294" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/cover.jpeg?w=610" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sometimes love is just lying there, waiting to be found.</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Miles Wickford happens upon a locket one day during his morning walk, little did he realize how his life would change.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Elias Grafton is frantic when his beloved locket is taken from his antique shop. He fears it may be lost forever.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Miles is intrigued by the power the locket possesses but can’t in good conscience keep what doesn’t belong to him. Although it can’t hurt to try it once or twice, can it?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A locket brings these two men together. And fate, or the locket’s magic, leads to so much more.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sometimes love is just lying there, waiting to be found.</span></p>
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</span><p><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A Locket’s Tale is a small town MM romance featuring older guys, a lost locket, and just a hint of magic.</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was an ordinary day, much like every other in my life. I awoke at seven without an alarm, my body tuned to the rhythms of my life. After a quick shower, followed by coffee and a bagel, I set off on my morning ritual five-mile walk through my neighborhood and around Milford Pond before returning home. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I was a freelance editor, and this was how I started each day. It helped clear my mind. A brain reset, if you will, before delving into the next manuscript.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I sometimes varied my route slightly, just for a bit of variety in my otherwise oh-so-similar days, and this Friday was such a day. On my return home, I turned right on Folsom Street, which would take me by a small park, complete with a playground for the neighborhood children. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The park was empty at this hour, children already in school this sunny but cool October morning. As I ambled down the sidewalk, I heard a dog barking in the distance as something caught my eye on the pavement ahead of me. A ray of sunlight reflected on its surface. A coin perhaps.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But as I approached, its form became more distinct. <em>Is that something on a chain?</em> I stopped mere inches away and bent to retrieve it. A silver locket in the shape of a book. And yes, a matching chain. Curious. I looked around but saw no one who might have dropped it.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I examined the locket, noting the fine filigree work on the front surrounding an oval gem—lapis lazuli was my first thought—where one might expect to find a photo. Instead, the oval contained a cabochon of what appeared to be lapis lazuli. I opened it, hoping to find something that might help to identify it or the owner and was surprised to see words delicately engraved upon what looked like pages.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Despite my squinting, I couldn’t quite make out the words, so I closed the locket and placed it in the front pocket of my jeans. I’d employ the help of a magnifying glass to decipher the message once I returned home. And so I set off to complete my journey, wondering what secrets this jewelry might hold.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">* * * </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Entering the back door of my Craftsman home, I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on the peg just inside the kitchen entry. I filled my favorite Yeti tumbler with ice and water, then proceeded to my office to begin the day’s work. But first, a closer look at the locket.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pulling it from my pocket, I placed it on the desk blotter and grabbed a magnifying glass from the top drawer. I examined the front and back, but again, found no distinguishing marks, so I opened it to study the message engraved inside.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Place this locket about your neck,</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then close your eyes and think</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Upon a book that you adore</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And let the story sink</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Into your brain. Now make a wish</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And you will find, indeed,</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">You’re in said story for a day</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Or more or less. Take heed!</span></em></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hmmm, that’s interesting,” I said aloud to the empty room. “But it still doesn’t tell me who this trinket may belong to.” I shrugged, glancing at the small digital clock on my desk only to see it was later than I realized. “I’ll give this more thought later.” I opened the project management app on my iMac. “But now I really need to get to work.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE_PePR7Vr_5EcUF5yivGryXhnw7Zr6kUQljVLFRB1JR6rul7ANjDnj_FtBYqQFHSvhUdC-x4ZDngoxf_ttK6e8d5A1Jp9_ohzrY_vR_EByYs-r3DBF6Ik1khdE_N2berqPSGiiXGACZFaU35UbZetuHHOZfP2t9Y8WYQaAt6_RWja8qq6CuJ41flPFA/s1200/TROPES.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1200" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE_PePR7Vr_5EcUF5yivGryXhnw7Zr6kUQljVLFRB1JR6rul7ANjDnj_FtBYqQFHSvhUdC-x4ZDngoxf_ttK6e8d5A1Jp9_ohzrY_vR_EByYs-r3DBF6Ik1khdE_N2berqPSGiiXGACZFaU35UbZetuHHOZfP2t9Y8WYQaAt6_RWja8qq6CuJ41flPFA/w400-h383/TROPES.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Carra's Review</b></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The concept put forth here with a locket that can take you into a book of your choosing to spend time in that world for a little while is definitely intriguing for any reader. For that same locket to bring together two men who otherwise may not have met, and for them to wind up slowly falling for each other over some time was a nice touch. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Miles and Elias’s story is a slow burn and quite sweet, with just a touch of spice thrown in towards the end. The two of them fit very well together, and even though the story is not a long one, you still get the slow burn feel of the two of them getting to know each other before any big declarations are reached.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The writing style was not really my cup of tea, to me it felt a bit stilted, with a vibe I usually encounter more with historical settings rather than modern day, even if the characters are a bit more mature like Miles and Elias were. This was still an enjoyable read, and a nice way to pass the time.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author </span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">R.J. Peterson is a retired graphic designer. An avid reader—preferably while sipping a vodka martini or bourbon on the rocks—he's had a long and varied career, including library page, car wash attendant, travel agent, and graphic designer in the marijuana industry. In addition, he worked in the banking industry for twenty-five years. He loves to travel and has been on 55+ cruises. When not on a cruise, he and his husband live in New England.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He never planned to be a writer, but a fateful day in January, 2021 changed it all. He woke with a story stuck in his head and started typing. The more he types, the more ideas he gets.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://rjpeterson.net/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/138818084707307" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> | <a href="https://rjpeterson.net/newsletter" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Newsletter Sign-up</a> | <a href="https://linktr.ee/rjpetersonauthor" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Linktree</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hosted by Gay Book Promotions</span></a></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-41093764573015470032024-02-20T05:00:00.007-05:002024-02-20T05:00:00.138-05:00Recent Release Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: BE NOT AFRAID by AJ Saxsma<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23285" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/available-now-1.png?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Be Not Afraid</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: AJ Saxsma</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Andrew Howard</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: January 23, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: LGBTQ Literary</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Coming out, accepting what we cannot change</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 120 000 words/431 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 2 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204621194-be-not-afraid" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48m4c3d" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/4bEfjYf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 10px; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Can you love yourself enough? Are you capable of it?</span></em></div>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Step into the small & intriguing Midwestern town of Larton where Lloyd Wood struggles daily with reviving his failing restaurant while refusing to relinquish any control, even in his family life. When a business guru arrives and promises to set the restaurant right, Lloyd is tempted by the promise of a miraculous turnaround.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby, Lloyd's son, seeks conformity compulsively. Each day, he audits and buries his true self deeper, yearning to fade into obscurity, anonymity. His desperation leads him to a program that vows to obliterate his authentic self, setting Toby on an unintended and riveting path of self-discovery.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Dawn, Lloyd's wife, finds solace in a new church where love is not just a sentiment but a commodity. Lost in her family's shadow, she embraces a new identity amidst her new church family whose intentions seem questionable at best.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As the Wood family strives to escape their own truths, the chasms they create around themselves deepen and, one by one, threaten to swallow the people they care about most.</span></p>
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</span><p><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">'Be Not Afraid' explores identity, family dynamics, the destructive paradox of denial & with a distinct strength in voice questions our capacity to accept what we cannot change...or can we?</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">TOBY AND DAWN WAITED in the doctor’s office. She’d picked him up from Jonah’s that morning, and he had been quiet in the car and at the house, and then quiet again to the doctor’s office in town.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The sign above the reception window read Dr. E.M. Gille, MD.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘How you feeling, hon?’ Dawn said. She had a magazine in her lap, and she was rubbing Toby’s back. ‘How’s your stomach? Want to describe it to me?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘No.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘If you describe it to me, it’ll be easier to tell the doctor.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘It’s fine right now,’ Toby said. He was watching the TV on a stand tucked in the corner. The news was on. Another eyewitness had seen an angel outside town.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A nurse came into the waiting room. She was in pink smocks and stood on thick soles. She said, ‘Toby Wood.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Both Toby and Dawn followed the nurse to an exam room, which she knocked on before allowing entry.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She examined Toby and made him describe the pain.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘It just hurts sometimes.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She stunk like cigarettes.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The nurse said the doctor will be right in.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby sat on the examination table. The sanitary paper crinkled no matter how he moved or how he settled.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He and Dawn waited for the doctor.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Does it hurt now?’ Dawn said.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘No, Mom.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They waited, and sometime later, a knock announced the doctor. He was clean shaven with close-cropped hair white as bedsheets. His brows were thick and bushy. His skin was cream and pink and aged. He wore a button-up and tie under his white coat. His teeth and eyes were bright.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Heya, Toby,’ he said. He didn’t look at Toby when he said it; he was reading Toby’s chart. He sat and scooted his stool close. ‘You’re having stomach pain.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It wasn’t a question; it was a statement the doctor read aloud.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby quietly confirmed.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The doctor pressed with his fingers into Toby’s stomach and tested areas and asked if that hurt.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby said it did not.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Pain comes and goes. It’s not that bad.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Out of ten, what would you say?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘A two, one and a half. It’s really not that bad.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘A two? One and a half?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Tell the doctor when it hurts, hon.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘It comes and goes, Mom.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Do you take any pain relievers?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘No,’ Toby said.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘No, he doesn’t,’ Dawn said too.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Okay,’ the doctor said. He made notes.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘He doesn’t always come to me when it hurts. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what it is.’</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The doctor’s tone was soft. ‘Well. Sometimes our bodies respond physically to factors within our environment, anxiety, stress, all these can stew in the body and hollow us out,’ the doctor said to Dawn.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She nodded intently.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Are you studying too hard? Maybe big tests coming up? Staying up too late with the video games?’</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘I study too hard,’ Toby said. He said it very quickly, almost before the doctor had finished speaking. ‘That must be it, the stress of studying,’ Toby said. </span></p>
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<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Still.’ The doctor rolled the stool close to Dawn. He continued, ‘A boy his age should not have recurring stomach pain. I’d like to send him for testing.’</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘That’s what I said, I didn’t like the frequency of it. Didn’t I say, Toby?’ Dawn said.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Testing?’ Toby said.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘I’d like to rule some things out.’</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘It’s not that bad, really. It’s only sometimes,’ Toby said.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dawn said whatever test was fine and she agreed, and she asked if it could, maybe, be this or could be that, or, she said, she didn’t really know, Doctor.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Could I have you step out for a minute, Mrs. Wood?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dawn stepped out, and the doctor shut the door. The doctor had Toby come off the exam table and sit in a chair, and the doctor rolled over on the rolly stool.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He did not speak right away. He was deep in thought, and then he said, ‘Is there anything you have not told your mom, anything you’re worried about that, maybe, you can’t tell mom or dad? Stress is not good for the body. If you’ve kept something to yourself, I won’t say a word to your mom or your dad if you’d like to share it with me. Do you have something you’d like to tell me that you can’t tell them?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby was quiet a very long time. ‘I’m just studying too hard.’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The doctor nodded and waited for more from Toby.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There was no more.</span></p>
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<!--wp:paragraph-->
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">‘Well. Then. Take study breaks, okay? Allow yourself time to relax. Time to be. But I do want to run some tests. Whatever is triggering the pain, we’ll find it out. Okay? I promise, son, we will unearth with absolute certainty what is causing this physical reaction. Even if it takes a while, we’ll uncover the root of it. I can promise that. Okay?’</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The doctor went from the room and scheduled Toby’s lab tests with his mother and the receptionist.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Toby sat in the room.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alone.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He was listening to the doctor’s words over and again.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We’ll find it out. Okay?</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I can promise that.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">His stomach hurt.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23289" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/author-1.jpg?w=300" style="width: 300px;" /></span></figure><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">AJ Saxsma, born in Illinois in 1987, is a queer writer. He lives in Los Angeles with his husky. His literary work has earned awards from Almond Press UK and has been published in several genre magazines. As a screenwriter, his work has been an official selection for the Independent Horror Film Awards, Hollywood Screen Film Festival, Los Angeles Cinefest, and Los Angeles Horror Competition. He's also written the narrative scripts for four video game projects produced by Oculus for the Oculus VR system.</span><p></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsaxsma.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Aj_Saxsma" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsaxsma/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://ajsaxsma.com/about/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Newsletter Sign-up</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">one of twenty ebook copies of <em>Morphosis</em>.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6f12da15529/"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-68149043864189903672024-02-19T05:00:00.003-05:002024-02-19T05:00:00.238-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: THE LONG JOURNEY TO YOU by Vincent Traughber Meis<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23275" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/banner-2-1.png?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">The Long Journey to You</span></b></p>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">by Vincent Traughber Meis</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Publisher: Spectrum Books</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Vincent Meis and Andrew May</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: February 17, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance, Literary Fiction</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Age-gap relationship, friends to lovers</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Survival, overcoming tragedy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 97 000 words/350 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It can be read as a standalone, but the protagonist also appears in my novel, The Mayor of Oak Street (ages 12-21). The main story of this book takes place 40 years later and we find out what happened to him in flashbacks. </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203362752-the-long-journey-to-you" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Buy Links -</strong> <strong>Available in Kindle Unlimited</strong></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://mybook.to/longjourneytoyou" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Universal Link</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3UJMnYE" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3uGUniD" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Nathan’s traumatic past challenges but cannot stop the arc that brings him to Mateo.</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since he was a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later after the latest tragedy, who could mend Nathan’s heart? If not a handsome young doctor, would an ER nurse do? After a chance meeting with Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to how that encounter made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Are you okay?” he asked in a slight Spanish accent. His questioning eyes moved directly to the stain on my T-shirt where the juicy tomato from my lunch had squirted. Looking like blood?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I became acutely aware of my attire: baggy sweats that may have had other stains, a baseball cap with a tattered rim, and faded crocs. He wore neat magenta scrubs that matched the color of his full shiny lips. His nametag said Mateo.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The scenario must have been embarrassingly clear to him. I had wandered off from one of the many senior facilities that dotted the landscape of the neighborhood. If I exaggerated the confusion that I, in fact, frequently felt, he might take my arm, walk me back to the facility, put me in a bath, gently wash my back, and tuck me into bed. The more I looked into his onyx eyes, the more I wanted him to do just that.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I mean, you looked a little lost…and sad.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Don’t worry, Mateo.” His eyebrows separated and bounced at the sound of his name. Then he smiled and touched his nametag, realizing how I knew it. “I’m lost in a memory is all.” I chuckled. “I suppose I do fit a profile.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You’re okay, then?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Yep.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“My bad. I didn’t mean to profile you. I have experience with that, and it’s no fun.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I imagined that he was doubly profiled, first for the color of his skin and then a second time when people caught a hint of his accent. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No harm done. I appreciate your concern.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“It’s kind of my job. Sometimes it is difficult to switch out of that mode when I leave work.” He lowered his eyes, making me realize I must have been staring intently. How could I have not? He was an amalgam of all the men I had been attracted to my entire life: Mediterranean, Black, Latino, shorter than me, rectangular solid frame, soulful eyes, thick hair. But with an added twist. A dusting of freckles graced his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In a thoughtful gesture, he stared at the sidewalk and raised his hand to his chin, rubbing his index finger over his left cheek, revealing another physical trait that rang my buzzer: little tufts of black hair between his major and minor knuckles, a tiny forest to let my tongue wander through. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Thank God, he couldn’t read my thoughts. Or could he?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I should let you get on your way,” he mumbled, still not looking at me. He stared at the smashed apricots on the ground with, I imagined, quite a different take than mine.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Do you work in one of these facilities I might have escaped from?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Now, look, I didn’t mean…” He took a step back in what appeared to be a desire to flee.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I’m teasing. I haven’t seen you around the neighborhood.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He tapped his nametag and twisted his neck to look at it. “Kaiser. It says right here. Kaiser Permanente.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I have trouble reading fine print.” I let out a small laugh, but he didn’t join me. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He took another step back. “Just moved here less than a year ago.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I guessed he was mid-thirties, and with his Spanish accent and African features, maybe Puerto Rican? Cuban? I imagined he lived with a wife and multiple <em>niños. </em>They spent Saturdays having barbecues in the park and Sundays from dawn to dusk at church events. He looked far too sweet to be anything but a family man. Now I was profiling.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“From?” I asked.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He let out a protracted sigh, as if the conversation had gotten way more involved than he had intended. His forehead crinkled again, hesitating to give me an answer. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“The city. Getting too crazy over there.” </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then he raised his head and his eyes met mine with the twinkle of a forest elf. Perhaps he wasn’t annoyed with me after all. Perhaps I had been wrong about sizing him up, though my conclusion that he was a family man was much easier to handle. Yet, he wore no ring.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author</span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23276" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/author.jpg?w=300" style="width: 350px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Vincent Traughber Meis is a fiction writer, a world traveler, and a former ESL community college teacher. When he’s not traveling, he divides his time between writing and working in the garden. Most of the characters in his novels and short stories come from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and are racially and ethnically diverse. He has published eight novels: <em>Eddie’s Desert Rose</em>, <em>Tio Jorge</em>, <em>Down in Cuba</em>, <em>Deluge</em>, <em>Four Calling Burds</em> and <em>The Mayor of Oak Street, First Born Sons, and Colton’s Terrible Wonderful Year</em>. <em>Tio Jorge, Down in Cuba, </em>and <em>Deluge </em>have all won Rainbow Awards. <em>The Mayor of Oak Street </em>and <em>First Born Sons </em>have won Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards. His short stories have appeared in several collections both in print and online, and have reached finalist status in several short story contests. A collection of short stories, <em>Far from Home, </em>was published in October 2021. He lives with his husband in San Leandro, California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.vincentmeis.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vincenttraughbermeis" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vincentmeisauthor" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">one of four 4 ebook copies of <em>The Mayor of Oak Street.</em></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6f12da15528/"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hosted by Gay Book Promotions</span></a></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23273" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/rb-banner-1.png?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></figure><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><br /></figure>
<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-31494372394421721232024-02-15T05:00:00.019-05:002024-02-15T05:00:00.128-05:00Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: RUNWAY DREAMS: PRIDEFUL VENGEANCE by T.K. Ambers<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23250" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/banner-2.jpg?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Runway Dreams: Prideful Vengeance</span></b></div><div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">by T.K Ambers</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Publisher: Star Spirit Adventures</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Getcovers</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: December 18, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Murder Mystery with MM Romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Connect the Deaths, Never Suicide, & Everyone’s a suspect.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Forgiveness, Family, Relationships, & Music.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 78 671 words/ 275 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It’s part of a series, but this book focuses on Alex and Matthew and can be read as a standalone.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204124950-runway-dreams-prideful-vengeance" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49iK5o6" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3SDtO64" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23251" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/401443831_748793027266347_5588148849789828450_n.jpg?w=610" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Music, murder, and Pride, oh, my! </span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To Alex Crimson, California means fun in the sun, but when his favorite new LGBTQ+ pop idol goes missing, California marks the start of a deadly nightmare.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As the disappearances continue, Alex fears the trail is moving toward Tulsa. Could the killer be someone he knows? Thinking things can’t get any worse, he unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a friend’s volatile family dispute.</span></p>
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</span><p><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Join the cast of Runway Dreams in this dark and humorous murder mystery as they work to catch a serial killer, and avoid becoming the victims of a friend’s lunatic brothers.</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alex saw Matthew coming up the aisle, and a pain gripped his chest, sucking the air out of his lungs. Every hair on his body rose as he evaluated the grim look on Matthew’s face.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“May I speak to you outside for a moment?” Matthew whispered.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Sure,” he replied. Somehow, he picked up his feet and follow Matthew away from his guest’s prying eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked, forcing the words out.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hector’s not here, Alex. We’ve checked the club, as well as your house and his. He’s nowhere to be found.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Did you find any notes?” asked Alex.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No.” Matthew could tell from the look on his friend’s face that he was scared out of his mind. “Listen, I don’t want to think Hector would abandon you, but this might simply be a case of wedding day nerves.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alex shook his head. “Simple. Is that what you think this is? Nothing about this is simple, Matthew. We have one hundred guests sitting outside waiting to witness our vows. We’ve spent a fortune on flowers, food, and cake. This is supposed to be a happy reprieve from the depravity we’ve been pulled into over the past years,” said Alex, his voice slowly rising, “and you’re telling me the man I’m in love with and due to marry, this very day, has vanished just like his cousin, who turned up dead a day later! He could be the killer’s next victim!”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Matthew raised his hand and said, “Calm down. I know it’s easy to go into panic mode, but you mustn’t allow yourself to entertain the worst. We have absolutely no information to go on except that he was supposed to marry you, and he didn’t show up. I know it’s a terrible situation, no matter which way you view it, but we’ve got to remain calm until we know what we’re dealing with. Maybe he’s stuck in traffic somewhere?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Nooo!” shrieked Alex, his cheeks flushed as anger flashed in his eyes. “This is unacceptable!” Dropping his head into his hands, his lip began to quiver. “This is too much. Too freaking much. It’s bad enough I had to wear this cake-like makeup to cover my heinous green and yellow eye, but now there won't even be a wedding. I don’t really care what you say, but go tell our guests they can enjoy some wine and canapes on me. I don’t know what else to do.” The fight had been knocked out of him. “Send Hector's parents over. I’m sure they’ll want an explanation.” Matthew patted him on the back. “I’ll be fine.” Pausing, he let out another deep sigh and added, “I hope.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I’m so sorry, Alex,” said Matthew. Turning away, he walked back into the tent, noticing that Maddie had arrived and taken her seat, late as predicted. Approaching Alex’s sisters, he said, “Ladies, I need you to keep calm, as I don’t want to scare the guests, but Hector’s not here. I'll deal with the guests if you'll go console Alex.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh, no,” said Bell. “Do we know anything about what’s happened to Hector?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No,” replied Matt. “I’m praying its cold feet or something ridiculous slowing his arrival. You know how dramatic he can be. Anyway, I'm off to address the guests. Wish me luck.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Okay, good luck,” said Bernie. “We’ll go take care of Alex.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Moving on, Matthew walked up to the microphone and tapped on it. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid there will be no wedding today due to unforeseen circumstances that must be dealt with. Alex and Hector will get back to you as soon as they know when the wedding will take place. In the meantime, help yourselves to a glass of sparkling wine and some canapes before you go. Thank you, and best wishes to you all.” Turning off the microphone, he waved Hector’s parents to follow and headed back to where the siblings were furiously discussing every possible scenario Hector might have gotten into.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What if he was in a car wreck and he’s in the hospital?” asked Bell. “That isn’t far from what happened to me when Martin had me run off the road.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I doubt it,” said Matthew, “but I’ll notify Thompson and Wells and have the local hospitals checked immediately.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As the siblings continued their discussion, Hector’s parents walked over to them. “What’s happened?” asked Hector’s mother. “Where’s my son?” She used all her strength to squeeze her husband's hand.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“We’re not sure,” replied Matthew, “but I know Thompson and Wells won't stop looking until they find him.”</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author </span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23254" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/author.jpeg?w=528" style="width: 300px;" /></span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">T.K. Ambers is the award-winning author of Runway Dreams A Pricey Affair. Her novel has been recognized in four award competitions and took second place in the Pencraft Awards, Women's Fiction category.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Her love of reading and writing spans several genres, but she loves comedy, thrillers, and paranormal. Most of her work contains a comedic element.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She lives in New Richmond, Wisconsin, with her husband and two cats, Bellatrix and Kit. She would spend her perfect day lakeside, where she would swim, play games, and then wind down with a bonfire, s'mores, and stories told by family and friends.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">T.K. has a love for nature, travel, photography, concerts, off-roading, and hiking (preferably to waterfalls). She also holds a special place in her heart for her father's band, 40 Fingers. She enjoys dancing to their music.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She lives by the belief that life is short and every day is its own adventure and should be treated as such.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://tkambers.wixsite.com/author" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HappilyWriting" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a></b></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">one of two $20 Amazon Gift Card</span></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-63275207827933472842024-02-13T05:00:00.005-05:002024-02-13T05:00:00.122-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: WE COULD DO THIS TONIGHT by Emerson Beckett (We Could Do This Duet #2)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do This Tonight RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15358 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/we-could-do-this-tonight-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We Could Do This Tonight <br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By Emerson Beckett</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do this Tonight Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15359 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/we-could-do-this-tonight-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>We Could Do This Duet, Book 2<br /></strong></span></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">How do I choose which heart to break? No matter who I choose, I'm going to be the loser.</span></span></h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">Alejandro</span></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Three years ago, Ben walked into my Portland bar and stole my heart with one look. It didn’t matter that I’m 21 years older than him. All he wants is me.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Benjamin’s beautiful smile and endless charm attract everyone he meets, including my 20-year-old daughter, Anna.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">No one knows about all the things he and I have done together. And I’ve made sure to keep it from her.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My carefully constructed life built upon rules and my duty to my family is about to crumble before my eyes because she and I want the same thing—Ben.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the end, keeping us a secret may cost me both of them. I’m in an impossible love triangle that, no matter which one I choose, I’m going to lose.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And when someone attacks my bar via social media, it’s all I can take.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, which do I choose? Anna’s happiness? Or a life with Ben?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-family: georgia;">Ben</span></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I knew I loved Alejandro Sanchez the moment our eyes met across the bar. There was something about the single dad and bar owner that I couldn’t get enough of.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After three long years, he’s finally okay with us. But when he refuses to tell Anna about us, I take matters into my own hands.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep him in my life, even if it means accepting a date with Anna.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><strong><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This Tonight</span></strong></em> is an age gap, single dad, boss/employee love triangle romance and the second book in the <strong><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet</strong>. It is the tenth book set in the <strong><em><span class="a-text-italic">Package Deal World</span></em></strong> with reoccurring characters from the original series. It is best enjoyed after reading <span class="a-text-italic">We Could Do This Forever. </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span class="a-text-bold">Note to the reader:</span> If you have not read the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Package Deal Series</span>, you might find it beneficial to start there and refer to the reading order for the PD World within the books. All the books are available through Kindle Unlimited.</span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/WeCouldDoThis2">Universal Link</a></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203427318-we-could-do-this-tonight">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (4)" class="size-full wp-image-15364 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (2)" class="size-full wp-image-15362 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-2.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the countdown to midnight started, I stepped back and leaned against the bar. Telling myself I was checking to make sure everyone had champagne, my eyes drank in Alejandro as he stood protectively over his daughter and ex-wife.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the shouts of Happy New Year began, I turned my gaze from him. But before I could get away completely, I looked up to see him glance at me before he kissed his daughter. When he leaned down to his ex-wife, I turned my body toward the TV on the opposite wall.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe next year things would be different. I didn’t know if he was interested in me, or just enjoyed the flirting we were doing. Snapping myself out of this silly funk, I put a smile on my face and went back to work.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Around one-thirty, we had almost everything cleaned up for when we closed at two a.m. Nick had just left, even though it was my night to close. He’d stayed to help me put up the chairs before heading out. When the bar was empty, I locked up behind him, then carried the last bus tray of dirty glasses to the kitchen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I picked up the sanitized ones from the dishwasher and headed back out to restock for the next day. Alejandro had come out of his office and began turning off the lights. Every time he extinguished one, my heartbeat increased. One by one, the lights around the room went out until only the recessed lighting around the bar remained.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The volume on the sound system had been turned down low, but helped to fill the void when everyone had gone home. Adding to the ambiance, the light shining down on the sparkling glassware and the amber colored contents of the glass bottles created the illusion of flickering candles. It was romantic as hell and fed my desire for him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lost in my fantasies, I didn’t notice when he walked behind the bar. Alejandro stood beside me, shoulder to shoulder, as I restocked the glasses. I could see him in my peripheral vision and felt the warmth of his body radiating toward mine. His biceps were straining his shirt and his expensive cologne intoxicated me further every time he stirred the air around us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I breathed in the woodsy scent as he reached over to hand them to me, one at a time, making me smile and slowing me down. “You don’t have to help. I can do this.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I know,” he said quietly, “but I wanted to. And I needed to check on you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Turning my head to look at him, my brow furrowed. One look at him in this dim lighting made my heart beat a little faster. “Why?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Alejandro turned to his side to face me, then folded his muscled arms over his chest. “You looked a little sad earlier. Thought you might be missing your family.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I wanted to laugh and tell him my family was not what I was thinking about.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I wasn’t missing them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’d been imagining what it would be like to kiss him.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (3)" class="size-full wp-image-15363 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT Teaser (1)" class="size-full wp-image-15361 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></h2>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>We Could Do This Tonight</em>, Emerson is giving away an e-set of the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57820/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG WCDTT- A STEAMY ROMANCE" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15360" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-wcdtt-a-steamy-romance.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Check out the first book in the <span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">We Could Do This</span> Duet:<br />We Could Do This Forever</i></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="We Could Do This Forever Cover" class="size-full wp-image-13974 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/we-could-do-this-forever-cover.jpg" width="427" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>We Could Do This Duet, Book 1<br /></strong></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Preston James did things to me. Things that had me wanting more of him and his dirty mouth, even though I knew better. Things that made my heart race. Things that made me come to realize there was more to my boss’s best friend than met the eye.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Nick Reed</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As one of the bartenders at Alejandro’s Bar, I’ve seen it all. I’ve even watched my friends, Christian and Cooper, both find the loves of their life. Six years after breaking up with my college boyfriend, I’m convinced that’s not the life I’m supposed to have until forty-five-year-old Preston James makes me the target of his relentless sexy stares and his straight-forward, dirty propositions.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe being the object of his desire wouldn’t be so bad.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Preston James</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The first time I laid eyes on Nicholas Reed, I knew I had to have him. There was something about my best friend’s bartender that captivated me. And I always got my way. But this twenty-eight-year-old grad student has me jumping through all kinds of hoops to get his attention. There’s nothing I won’t do to prove to him I’m exactly what he needs. I’m relentless like that and I won’t stop until he’s mine.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em><strong>We Could Do This Forever</strong> is the first book in the We Could Do This Duet and is an MM Bisexual Romance. Additional tropes: Age Gap; Mutual Pining; Boss’s Best Friend; Secretly Wealthy; Humor.</em></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/WeCouldDoThisForever">Universal Link</a></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Coming Soon to Audio!</em></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196024412-we-could-do-this-forever">Add to Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="WCDTF Teasers (6)" class="size-full wp-image-14072 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/wcdtf-teasers-6.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Emerson Beckett - Logo" class="size-full wp-image-13973 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/emerson-beckett-logo.png" width="200" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author<br /></strong></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson Beckett is an avid sports fan and lover of M/M romance books, Emerson loves her new career as an author. It gets even better when she can combine the two. Emerson is the co-author of The Package Deal Series and The Portland Protectors: EHM Security Series with Rheland Richmond. The We Could Do This Duet is her first solo project.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson lives in North Carolina and has been married to the same man for 34 years. She is the mother of three beautiful adults, one of whom is completely responsible for her addiction to MM Romance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Emerson is now mom to an Australian Shepherd, four cats, and a cute bunny rabbit.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="http://www.emersonbeckett.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://amzn.to/49bk9KJ" target="_blank">Amazon</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mm.author.emerson.beckett/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mmauthoremersonbeckett" target="_blank">TikTok</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/author.emerson.beckett" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/beckettsbookbrigade" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emerson-beckett" target="_blank">BookBub</a></u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-37631414951718120872024-02-12T05:00:00.004-05:002024-02-12T05:00:00.238-05:00Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: AFTER MIDNIGHT by Blake Allwood (A Fallen Fairytales Dark M/M Romance)<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23230" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/tagline-3.png?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After Midnight: A Fallen Fairytales Dark M/M Romance</span></b></p>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: Blake Allwood</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Samrat Acharjee</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: January 26, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Dark M/M Romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Fairytale Retelling, Hurt/Comfort</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Self-discovery</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 91 585 words/332 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203086337-after-midnight" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Buy Links </strong>- <strong>Available in Kindle Unlimited</strong></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4b2kReM" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Universal Link</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3w7IYbU" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/48ayVAd" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> </span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the shadows of Denver's comedy scene, a bartender named Dominique becomes the unexpected star of his own twisted Cinderella tale. Is love strong enough to save him from his wicked stepmother?</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After Midnight is an enchanting tale that reimagines the classic Cinderella story as a dark and passionate gay romance. In this modern retelling, Dillon, a talented and aspiring comedian, finds himself drawn to Dominique, a sexy bartender at the local comedy club.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dominique, whose unfortunate life mimics the story of Cinderella, selflessly cares for his younger stepsisters while facing a treacherous stepmother.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Amidst the glittering lights of the comedy club, Dominique and Dillon’s love slowly grows as they overcome the challenges created by a willful and selfish adversary.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After Midnight is a captivating journey of resilience and the power of love; but is love enough to save Dominique when his hateful stepmother tries to end him once and for all?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><em>Fallen Fairytales is a dark M/M romance, multi-author series. Each book may be read as a standalone, but why not load up your Kindle, kick back, and enjoy sexy men, shenanigans, and deliciously dark fairytale retellings.</em><br /><br /><br /><strong>Content warning:</strong> This is a dark romance, and readers sensitive to certain content should make note of the following triggers: racism, homophobia, child neglect, kidnapping, false allegations, lawsuits, embarrassment, loss of parent, grief and loss, manipulation by a parent figure, MC close to death.</span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ashton Pipkin was hilarious, even though I had to Google most of his nineteen eighties references that went right over my head. The early crowd seemed to get his jokes, though. I knew I’d be lucky if I could get a third of the laughs he did, but I sure wasn’t gonna let that put me off.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I listened to him for several minutes before he stopped abruptly. “Hey, kid. I didn’t give you permission to listen to my set. What are you doing, trying to steal my material?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I glanced around the room, not knowing who he was talking to. When I looked back to the stage, Ashton was standing with his hands on his hips, staring directly at me. “Yeah, I’m talking to you. What’s your angle?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Sorry, sir,” I said, sitting up straighter in my seat. “I just wanted to listen to your set. I didn’t mean any harm by it.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He put his hand up. “You shouldn’t be watching another performer rehearse without their permission. By now, you should know that basic etiquette. So, I’m gonna ask you again. Are you trying to steal material from me?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No, of course not.” I tried to sound smooth even though his accusation took me by surprise. Inside, I was mortified. “I’m still finding my feet performing for the older crowd and I wanted to get in the mood.” My lame justification sounded pathetic even to my ears.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The older man cocked an eyebrow, not unlike my Papa K did when he suspected I was lying to him.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“In the mood, you say? Hey, barman,” he called out toward the bar. “Please come here a moment.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The bartender must’ve finished shelving some more bottles first because it took a few moments before I heard him walking toward us. “This kid is telling me he’s sitting in on my rehearsal so he can ‘get in the mood,’” Ashton said, using air quotes. “Do you think that’s a load of garbage, or am I way off my game tonight?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hmm, well, let’s see,” the man said in a sinfully deep voice that, honest to God, sent shivers down my spine. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I looked up and caught him scanning me up and down. I could feel my face growing warm from his intense perusal. When our eyes met, the corners of his mouth turned up into a cheeky grin.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever said?” he asked me.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I sputtered, my mind going blank. He had the most piercing green eyes, accented by his rich dark skin tone, and his attention never wavered from me. I’m not sure if it was his question or having a man this good-looking raking his gaze over my body, but I was officially flustered. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When I didn’t answer, he asked, “Do you find Mr. Pipkin funny?” The man’s cheeky grin was still in place, now accompanied by adorable as hell dimples. I’d always been a sucker for dimples. My mouth felt as dry as the Sahara and I swallowed thickly.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I, um… I don’t know,” I said stupidly, my entire body flashing hot.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“How do you not know? Haven’t you seen him perform before?” he asked.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Y-yeah,” I stuttered, unsure where this was going.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“So, if you’ve seen him perform, did you think he was funny?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I shrugged, feeling embarrassed but trying to play it cool. “I didn’t really get most of his jokes,” I admitted. When I chanced a glance toward the stage, Ashton’s scowl signaled that he’d grown significantly more agitated. Dammit, I was clearly saying all the wrong things and making a fool of myself in front of him and a seriously hot barman.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Why didn’t you get his jokes?” the guy asked, sounding curious. I took a moment to gather my thoughts and regain control of myself. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I think I’m too young to understand the old pop culture references,” I replied honestly, feeling a little more confident now. If they wanted my honest opinion, I’d give it. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The man looked up at Ashton and shrugged. “I think you’re safe. He doesn’t seem to be old enough to get <em>your</em> humor.” His grin was now a full-on smile and I adored it.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ashton was grinning now too. “And I suppose you do?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The man shrugged. “Oh, I know quite a few <em>old</em> people who make me watch <em>old</em> TV shows. I would call them classics, but I’m not that rude.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ashton snorted a laugh. “Old and classic, is it?” he asked, and I suddenly realized with great relief that the conversation was no longer about me. “You know I can tell Miss Rita you called her old, and she’ll rip you a new one.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Miss Rita adores me,” the handsome man said with a laugh, then gave me a playful wink before he strolled back toward the bar. I couldn’t help my eyes following him as he left. It wasn’t my fault they trailed down his backside and came to rest on his very well-filled pair of pants.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“That may be,” Ashton called after him, “but if you call a prideful woman old, you might not be adored much longer.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He shrugged but kept the huge smile on his face as he resumed his work behind the bar.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author </span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-19867" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/dave-in-blue.jpg?w=610" style="width: 300px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blake Allwood was born in west TN, then moved to Kansas City MO after attending college in Lamoni, Iowa. He met his husband in 1995 and they officially married in 2015, once gay marriage was legalized. In 2017, he and his husband sold their home, purchased an RV and began traveling the country with their two dogs. Their travels provide the inspiration and settings for many of his novels.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Typically, Blake can be found relaxing in the RV or by the fire with his laptop and their Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, curled up between his legs demanding attention. Denver, their Siberian Husky mix is often asleep at his feet or playing tug of war with Blake’s husband.</span></div><p></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blakeallwood.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blake.allwood.5" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeAllwood" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">one of 5 ebook copies of Changing His Tune (Road to Rocktoberfest)</span></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-41096234763226277362024-02-09T05:00:00.006-05:002024-02-09T05:00:00.544-05:00New Release-Review & Excerpt: CHAI LOVE YOU A LATTE by F.A. Ray (Boyfriend Café #3) - Includes Giveaway!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Chai Love You A Latte RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15160 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/chai-love-you-a-latte-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Chai Love You A Latte<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By F.A. Ray</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Chai Love You A Latte Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15164 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/chai-love-you-a-latte-cover.png" width="396" /></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Boyfriend Café, Book 3</span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Loving him is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Being just a friend? Not so much</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Gabriel </strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ve loved my best friend Trent since the day we met. The only problem? He’s straight, and I’m definitely not. Our differences have never come between us, but sometimes the line is so blurry I don’t know where “friend” stops and something more begins.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And Trent is <em>really </em>not helping matters.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We’re so close people mistake us for brothers or lovers. He’s my favorite pillow to sleep on, my favorite shoulder to cry on, my favorite arms to fall into. Is friendship really all this is or dare I try for more with the man I’ve always loved?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Trent</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Mom left, it broke something inside me. I’ve been a loner ever since, terrified to hold on to anyone. There are only two people in my life I dare to trust: My dad and Gabe.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Maybe I’m a little clingy with Gabe, a little too affectionate, but he’s half of my world. If he ever left the way Mom did, I don’t think I could take it.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When things between us start blurring the line between “friend” and something more, it terrifies me. I’ve only been with women. What if I mess this up? What if I’m so bad at it that Gabe hates me? What if I’m not good enough and he leaves?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If being with him will push him away, maybe I’m better off stuffing these feelings away.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Chai Love You A Latte is a childhood friends to lovers MM romance with a bisexual awakening, first time experiences, spicy open door scenes and co-dependent best friends who turn into so much more.</em></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://getbook.at/ChaiLoveYouALatte" target="_blank">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204878370-chai-love-you-a-latte" target="_blank">Add on Goodreads</a></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized CLYAL Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15163 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/ig-sized-clyal-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I think he’s about to settle down and sleep, but before he does he tips forward. He’s aiming at my cheek, but the dark is thick and in my surprise I turn my head just a little, placing his lips against mine when he goes to kiss me goodnight.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I freeze. Not pulling away. Not deepening the kiss. Not doing anything at all but experiencing the light brush of his mouth against mine. It’s not a shock. Weirdly, it’s kind of familiar, like we’ve done this before, or like I knew exactly what to expect. Rather than startling me, it calms me, eases away those thoughts I’ve been battling all night.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He lingers only a moment before pulling away and settling down atop me, his head on my chest. Gabe doesn’t say anything, doesn’t do anything, so I don’t either. It was just an accident, right? No reason to get weird about an accident. Besides, it’s not like I hated it. It was … nice. Just a … nice little … best friend kiss … in the dark. That’s all.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I try to keep telling myself that, try to will my heart to stop beating so fast he can probably feel it tapping at his ear. But it’s a losing battle until exhaustion finally takes me.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized CLYAL Teaser 1" class="size-full wp-image-15162 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/ig-sized-clyal-teaser-1.png" width="640" /></span></h2>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Carra's Review</span></h2><div><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ve been looking forward to Gabe and Trent’s story from the very first book of this series, and the author definitely did not disappoint! I love a good friends to lovers story, and childhood friends to lovers is even better. Getting to see the rest of the Boyfriend Café characters is another plus. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But it was the wonderful relationship between Gabe and Trent that made this story for me. The closeness between the two of them…to my that is GOALS personified. It felt like there was an intricate web woven between them, forming an absolutely unbreakable bond. Even when Trent was still dating girls, Gabe was still there supporting him. There are there for each other no matter what.</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My heart went out to Gabe, having such strong feelings for Trent but always thinking that nothing would ever come of it. Trent…I think he just didn’t understand what his feelings for Gabe really meant, and it just took him time—a very long time—to realize exactly what he felt for Gabe. Once that happens, watching his whole awakening was sweet and well worth the wait.</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trent also has a bit of family drama stemming from his relationship with his mother. Gabe is the opposite—he has the ideal amazing family, all of whom are there for Trent (and Trent’s father) and have been there since he and Gabe became friends. This acceptance along with that of the guys from the Boyfriend Café creates a safety net for Trent, though he doesn’t realize it for quite a while.</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Chai Love You A Latte is definitely my favorite book of this series, and was a 5-star read for me. I just want to gather Gabe and Trent together in a big bear hug. As sweet as these two are together, they can be pretty sexy as well, so I’d recommend this for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <em>Chai Love You A Latte</em>, F.A. Ray's giving away 2 e-copies of the release!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57811/?" target="_blank"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized CLYAL Tagline" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15161" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/ig-sized-clyal-tagline.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="qgtUTxDy51BJp8un48mRpvDjA6ATQoi1kbrMo_-nqaI" class="size-full wp-image-14084 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/qgtutxdy51bjp8un48mrpvdja6atqoi1kbrmo_-nqai.png" width="198" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>About the Author<br /></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">F. A. Ray started writing fiction as a child and has never stopped. When they aren’t writing, they enjoy rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where they live with their partner and cat.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Visit <a href="http://www.linktr.ee/faraywrites" rel="noopener" target="_blank">linktr.ee/faraywrites</a> to find out more. You can also sign up for my <a href="http://www.patreon.com/user?u=95880046" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, where I post WIPs, updates, bonus scenes, deleted scenes and short stories that don’t appear anywhere else.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
<strong>Catch up with F.A. Ray:<br /></strong><a class="text-blue underline focus-visible" href="http://linktr.ee/faraywrites" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">linktr.ee/faraywrites</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><u><a href="https://patreon.com/user?u=95880046" target="_blank">Patreon</a></u> - <u><a href="https://sendfox.com/faraywrites" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></u> - <u><a href="https://linktr.ee/faraywrites" target="_blank">Linktree</a></u> - <u><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/faray.bsky.social" target="_blank">BlueSky</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/faray_author/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085890955881" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://twitter.com/FARayWrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a></u></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-51490340234729252132024-02-08T05:00:00.001-05:002024-02-08T05:00:00.257-05:00New Release-Excerpt: TOUCHED BY DESTINY by Jessamyn Kingley (Arcane Havoc #1)<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Touched by Destiny </span></b></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">(Arcane Havoc #1)</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: Jessamyn Kingley</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: LJ Anderson of Mayhem Cover Creations</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: February 8, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genres: MM Paranormal Romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Fated mates</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Love, resolving the past</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 97 000 words</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/206352710-touched-by-destiny" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3unastN" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/42vahJw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Without risk, finding a soulmate is impossible. </span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But Gabriel and Eric quickly discover that the first step was the easiest.</span></em></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Gabriel Wolfebrier believes his honor is forever tarnished. For the first fifteen years of his resurrected life, he did whatever his necromancer told him. They were friends. Family. So, Gabriel asked no questions as he helped bury dead sorcerers he was told were enemies. Too late, Gabriel learns he’s been duped. But somehow, he is offered a second chance.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Born with the mark of a skull on his hand, Eric Marwood has special talents. Unlike other necromancers, he can speak to the dead and help them find their way home. He is dedicated to two things—nurturing his skills and dreaming of a life with Gabriel. But not everyone reveres his gifts, and destiny-touched men and women like him are hunted. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Marwoods consider Gabriel one of their own, but his past is a heavy burden he cannot forget. Which is why it annoys him each time he notices how beautiful Eric is or how much fun they have together aiding ghosts. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sex is the only way to find a soulmate in their world, and Eric is determined to seduce Gabriel. As for Gabriel, he is desperate to ignore his own urges. Life has a funny way of changing in an instant, and neither man truly knows what the future holds.</span></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Eager to be with Gabriel, Eric snatched the cookies he’d shoved in a plastic bag and closed his eyes. His hand tingled as he called to his magic and focused his energy on the silver crystal he’d given Gabriel. Sorcery flowed through him, along with the floaty feeling that accompanied teleportation. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Moments later, his naked toes were no longer on plush carpet. Cool tiles replaced the soft threads. Eric grinned as his gaze landed on a blond inspirit dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt stretched deliciously over his thick muscles. Although Eric was pleased to be with Gabriel, he wondered what to do. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Should he run up and grab a kiss? Or keep it cool with a wave or a cheery hello? His smile fell as he tensed with indecision. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, concern alight in his vibrant green gaze.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Am I the only one feeling awkward right now?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“No, we’re new to this; it’s bound to feel strange.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“It’s weird to know someone your entire life and suddenly not know how to greet them.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Gabriel took a step closer to him. Like Eric, his feet were naked. “Go with your first instinct.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lips curving again, Eric closed the distance between them. He sank a hand into Gabriel’s hair and their mouths met. Gabriel’s palms landed on Eric’s hips, but he didn’t embrace him. Their tongues met without urgency, and Eric relaxed into the lazy caress. Unlike during their previous kisses, he savored Gabriel’s enticing taste and filled his senses with his musky scent without feeling an immediate desire to strip off his underwear.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Desire was there, but sweetness tempered it. Eric sighed as a wave of happiness bubbled through him. As much as Eric had loved those frantic encounters in the hotel room, he wanted to know if they could be more than two sweaty bodies seeking fulfillment.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What’s that sigh for?” Gabriel asked huskily, nibbling along Eric’s jaw to the tender skin of his earlobe. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Unwilling to lay the raptures of his needy heart upon Gabriel’s shoulders so soon in their relationship, Eric chose a different truth to confess. “You’re a great kisser.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Eric chuckled and pulled away so he didn’t give in to the urge to cling to Gabriel the entire night. They had a friendship to build. Although Eric had known Gabriel forever, their chats while he worked or at meals weren’t the same as laying a foundation for being soulmates.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I doubt that,” Eric replied. “I haven’t had much practice.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You’ve kissed more than one pretty boy.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“And how many pretty boys are in your past?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly and stole the bag of cookies from Eric’s grasp. “A gentleman doesn’t count.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">With a roll of his eyes, Eric rose to brush his lips against Gabriel’s, then surveyed his surroundings. It was the first time he’d been at Gabriel’s house, and he was shocked to find it completely devoid of personality. In fact, there was little in it, and everything was white or beige. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The walls lacked art or any other décor. A long couch was anchored in the living area and faced a large screen television. On one end of the sofa was a single end table with an unremarkable lamp perched on it. No rug covered the white tiles that flowed throughout the open space. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At the kitchen island there was a single bar stool, and the smooth countertops were bare except for a coffee maker tucked next to the stainless-steel fridge. If Eric didn’t know Gabriel lived there, he would’ve assumed the place was unoccupied.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Since his mother insisted on kindness and using his manners, Eric wracked his brain for some compliment to give Gabriel about his home. </span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Your place is nice,” Eric finally commented.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23240" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/author-logo-1.jpg?w=300" style="width: 300px;" /></span></figure><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jessamyn Kingley has published over forty titles and refuses to pick a favorite among them. With an extraordinary passion for her characters, Jessamyn eagerly crafts new tales and avidly re-reads them whenever her schedule allows. Jessamyn shares a home in Nevada with her husband and their three spoiled cats. When she is not writing or adding new ideas to her thick stack of beloved notebooks, she is gaming with family and friends.</span><p></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-61245441014832394462024-02-07T05:00:00.003-05:002024-02-07T05:00:00.272-05:00Spotlight-Excerpt: SPARK & TETHER by Lilian Zenzi (Synchronists #1)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPpMBJnOPZujA1rLuskjZ-vdI5dILsNA-yKzYFLev09hI823HjkSKdTcylqC9sX-bgPtlAsDH1L7qfGqrkc4rreOlGxYq709k_DAWz4gsV62_YKXAeZVFfbqrewC6EYqrRXEifm0ROZe6R2f-5E3am1PcdG7RDosukD_ApRh2XMmc3Y1uehMcSxaGZ2I/s849/BANNER%201%20Facebook%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="849" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPpMBJnOPZujA1rLuskjZ-vdI5dILsNA-yKzYFLev09hI823HjkSKdTcylqC9sX-bgPtlAsDH1L7qfGqrkc4rreOlGxYq709k_DAWz4gsV62_YKXAeZVFfbqrewC6EYqrRXEifm0ROZe6R2f-5E3am1PcdG7RDosukD_ApRh2XMmc3Y1uehMcSxaGZ2I/w640-h238/BANNER%201%20Facebook%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Spark & Tether</span></b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">By Lilian Zenzi</span></b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Series Title: Synchronists</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: Friday, January 19, 2024</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Publishing Company: Lilian Zenzi, LLC</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: design by Damonza Studios, art by Lucas @newmoonnero</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genres: Romance, Science Fiction</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Story Type: Novel (>50k)</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Word Count: 103k</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Universal Buy Link</b>: </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://books2read.com/u/mYqJWp"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">https://books2read.com/u/mYqJWp</span></b></a></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZisLVXdmsqkfydT_kAAtktopY16-gA2Yko9XPrya0nAatHrNs0JBzV4KV4itm-GLtrrnPmowduZ7JejPeVZPgVd-mQkD3i5X96ClVVJEMHjTXbW5XeqUdF3JAvnw4oMxDSFyZ6rfXN5Fw44WyEPCY9KZueGB2oFtEjDQJppLYSbIYYUOSAlqLOPldpg/s900/COVER%20-%20Spark%20&%20Tether.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZisLVXdmsqkfydT_kAAtktopY16-gA2Yko9XPrya0nAatHrNs0JBzV4KV4itm-GLtrrnPmowduZ7JejPeVZPgVd-mQkD3i5X96ClVVJEMHjTXbW5XeqUdF3JAvnw4oMxDSFyZ6rfXN5Fw44WyEPCY9KZueGB2oFtEjDQJppLYSbIYYUOSAlqLOPldpg/w402-h640/COVER%20-%20Spark%20&%20Tether.jpeg" width="402" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Working odd jobs across the Outer Ring gets a little lonely sometimes—not everyone loves having a synchronist with supraliminal perception around. But all Sacheri wants, he tells himself, is to wander the stars.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then he takes a salvage run to an abandoned moon where he meets the wry, reserved, strictly-by-the-rules archivist Jin. Mesmerized by their confidence and charm, Sacheri can’t resist showing off his abilities–and instead of the damaged ai he was tracking, he stumbles onto a signal left by a synchronist who went missing decades earlier.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sacheri knows from previous experience that pursuing the truth—never mind justice—could destroy everything he loves. He would defy his employers, the institution responsible for the myconeural networks that make him a synchronist, and the leadership of several worlds. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And it would complicate his new, passionate, and impossibly sweet relationship with Jin. They might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but they work for the very entities that ended Sacheri’s last investigation.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He knows better than to risk it.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But he’s never been able to turn away from someone in need, and there’s a voice in the void calling for aid…</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0KP-dgvfPHy9EmXlphkMNsUOD0EFAWxzYrJQcOEsPwkRmnh6SVJXGG_uFB1HKwGHnl0Pr8CwVlK0WQcsHOGVs95CBOav4S6yN8bLvojXrCC98c3tYne-nczfuUHIMLrBRYIzT75V9OPV7ybkl_F_pgbtterqS_YSSVS-xZX-D687qfi6Mu5u3kfeCZY/s600/MEME%201%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0KP-dgvfPHy9EmXlphkMNsUOD0EFAWxzYrJQcOEsPwkRmnh6SVJXGG_uFB1HKwGHnl0Pr8CwVlK0WQcsHOGVs95CBOav4S6yN8bLvojXrCC98c3tYne-nczfuUHIMLrBRYIzT75V9OPV7ybkl_F_pgbtterqS_YSSVS-xZX-D687qfi6Mu5u3kfeCZY/w400-h400/MEME%201%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">PROLOGUE</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Orinus Station, present day</span></i></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sacheri woke with a shiver in his nerves tracing his limbs like a lit fuse.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">His synplants drew his awareness out into the station, into the whisper of leaves and the low hum of the machines, endlessly seeking. He had no solace to offer them, so he tried to sleep through it. Maybe inebriant would douse the burn; he’d have to find one, which meant leaving bed… but then, a walk might also help. The drink could keep him company on the return.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There was a certain maudlin poetry to wandering with the ghosts of memory, anyway.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">#</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He regretted his choices before he could finish the first bottle.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The empty corridors echoed, even the ones with lush vine-planted walls, fully surrounded by sound-absorbent tiling. The unsteady sound of his steps reminded him of less lonely times; the chatter of more populated halls made him sad. His synplants cleansed the inebriant from his system faster than he could drink, so he diminished them, set a timer on his standard implant, and ducked into a maintenance corridor, heading for the lifts that would return him to his temp residence.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He’d forgotten how many ghosts were in his head.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He drank more.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He passed through too many familiar places, muttering curses to himself about the council for bringing him to Orinus Station in the first place. He should have departed with Paradis, gone away to her fancy little moon, where he could wallow in heartbreak on a lakeside beach while she teased him about his lack of ambition. She’d have been careful not to remind him of anything—anyone—else.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Three more nights until he left for Elysia, into the far reaches of the Outer Rings, away from the myriad reminders, the constant calling of what should have been, all of his aching regrets.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He avoided the halls that would have taken him past Paradis’s private suites and the memories lying in wait for him there, and then he wandered past the next set of lifts, because it was what he and Jin had always done: long walks and quiet talks, so close their shoulders touched, their bell-clear, mesmerizing voice low and loving. He tried not to think about how much he missed them, and, failing that, tried not to think at all.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He trudged along, hugging the shadows at the edges of the walkways, arms heavy at his sides, until it was late enough that he could reasonably hope to get a lift to himself, and he had some hope of sleeping. The only humans he’d passed in maintenance took no notice of him, which was the whole point of using the back ways. But they might make small talk if they found him alone in a lift car, or, stars forbid, they might ask if he was okay. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And then what was he supposed to do? Cry on them? Tell them to mind their own business? Explain how he helped bring something like justice to a few long-forgotten synchronists and how much it took from him? Or should he ask if they’d seen a certain lithe, black-haired investigator for the Council of the Outer Rings anywhere nearby? His eyes burned from both the inebriant and the exhaustion and the constant threat of tears. He wanted to sleep until the transport to Elysia was ready.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The bottle was empty, but he wasn’t ready to let it go; he thought he might sleep better with it nearby, just for company, even if the synplants wiped all traces of the inebriant from his system. He leaned against the rounded corner of the lift alcove, one heel against the wall to hold him steady, arms crossed over his chest, bottle dangling loosely from the fingers of his right hand. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">His luck almost held.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rBOGJLZ_9v3881HjF4Wu_XSgXQ2sXlEvuQZpPBIX44SZVSW6Ujp5n4_xKbPuCgAMU0c_3UKZSLYOR-cGLu4X7_kU0YYKDk3cU2tVdSae-s7-5f6MV_NhNaw91EzFW-inXiBcDuAEXelG8A4hCAIVTQQBw6eIR3qKzMSJCwqQ8j4MWDeQYaEqaL9SQtw/s600/MEME%203%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rBOGJLZ_9v3881HjF4Wu_XSgXQ2sXlEvuQZpPBIX44SZVSW6Ujp5n4_xKbPuCgAMU0c_3UKZSLYOR-cGLu4X7_kU0YYKDk3cU2tVdSae-s7-5f6MV_NhNaw91EzFW-inXiBcDuAEXelG8A4hCAIVTQQBw6eIR3qKzMSJCwqQ8j4MWDeQYaEqaL9SQtw/w400-h400/MEME%203%20Spark%20and%20Tether.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author</span></b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lilian Zenzi writes science fiction and fantasy, sometimes with romance and usually in queer normative worlds. Genre agnostic as a writer and a reader, she likes to keep space for comfort, hope, and joy along with the kissing, conflict, and big ideas. She resents having to write a bio and would rather be in the garden or making art.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.lilianzenzi.com" target="_blank">Website</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093325026648" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093193813533" target="_blank">Facebook Author Page</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lilianzenzi/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u></b></span></span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP73Dg0U-0c9dGIsYhrjCk12mIdJR9EOuNLPXp-X7vgPeeaTbHne8M1FJCUTT-4JZp1cpBE5A9qP3LkrIfLt4YRHTj4zfJU0O7qnu_tl9YiV_ruYra6roFmFPNdxy7SVJwykMVsEwNIfuu_FttJFHx8aJhFcRNDGHA__7UlRYCqBr-IK1F3mVCFYC24po/s150/LOGO%20-%20Other%20Worlds%20Ink%20sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="127" data-original-width="150" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP73Dg0U-0c9dGIsYhrjCk12mIdJR9EOuNLPXp-X7vgPeeaTbHne8M1FJCUTT-4JZp1cpBE5A9qP3LkrIfLt4YRHTj4zfJU0O7qnu_tl9YiV_ruYra6roFmFPNdxy7SVJwykMVsEwNIfuu_FttJFHx8aJhFcRNDGHA__7UlRYCqBr-IK1F3mVCFYC24po/s1600/LOGO%20-%20Other%20Worlds%20Ink%20sm.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><p></p>Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-4391181485170507822024-02-06T05:00:00.003-05:002024-02-06T05:00:00.233-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: JACE by N. Boeyer (Summerset Shore University #1)<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Jace RB Banner" class="size-full wp-image-15329 aligncenter" height="335" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/jace-rb-banner.png" width="640" /></span></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">JACE<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">By N. Boeyer</span></span></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Jace Cover" class="size-full wp-image-15127 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/jace-cover.jpg" width="400" /></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Summerset Shore University, Book 1</span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Tyler</b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tyler, a calm and gentle soul, is set out for great things both on and off the field. As the star quarterback of Summerset Shore University’s esteemed football team, he is NFL-bound. With the perfect girlfriend by his side and a tight-knit group of friends who share his love for the game, Tyler is set for a life of success and fulfillment.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Until a new voice speaks up.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Jace</b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jace, an enigmatic exchange student from Amsterdam, arrives at SSU with a bang, quickly making a name for himself as the new lead singer of the university’s favorite band.But there’s one thing that he didn’t have in Europe and hopes to find here.A family. A place to call home. Deep down he carries a profound sense of loneliness, yearning to discover a place to call his own.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">While Tyler King would rather be enjoying life quietly from the sidelines, Jace Janssen is drawn to the spotlight like a moth to a flame. Their paths, destined to intertwine, will take them on a journey that they never saw coming.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jace wants something he doesn't dare to hope for, while Tyler hopes for something he doesn't even know he wants.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><b>JACE</b> is the first book in a full-length MM trilogy romance and tells the story of a bi-awakening. It’s a strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, medium-burn, high-steam sports and rock star romance.</i></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>If you love banter, don’t mind the occasional duck wandering around in the story, and are a sucker for long love stories revolving around the same couple—including shenanigans from their loving, idiotic friends—then don’t hesitate to pick this up!</i></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://getbook.at/SummersetShore">Universal Link</a></span></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203185485-jace"><b>Add on Goodreads</b></a></span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBOrox8faj0s_9H9gpoWNPm0hh4P9CvuF8C0JIQ8EcDmkagPFDwS6BHix0EciJ5QBA4b0YIFMGPE4gXtg3-o52DeoXvXe_7QZhLd3lyhXxkhEknNFqoqpArM6oF3oIdZz-hPAC0yA2EV3ke0A31JHbuw3UUMC6biz73nkfy2vWq7nqoDaYxdIPCDTh4wH/s1080/IG%20Sized%20Jace%20Teaser%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBOrox8faj0s_9H9gpoWNPm0hh4P9CvuF8C0JIQ8EcDmkagPFDwS6BHix0EciJ5QBA4b0YIFMGPE4gXtg3-o52DeoXvXe_7QZhLd3lyhXxkhEknNFqoqpArM6oF3oIdZz-hPAC0yA2EV3ke0A31JHbuw3UUMC6biz73nkfy2vWq7nqoDaYxdIPCDTh4wH/w640-h640/IG%20Sized%20Jace%20Teaser%201.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Jace Teaser 4" class="size-full wp-image-15331 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-jace-teaser-4.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<blockquote>
<h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></h2><blockquote><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And oh f*ck I'm gonna hate myself for this, but it takes all my willpower to roll off of him again and keep my hands to myself, rubbing them in my face. I can't. I f*cking can't. I won't f*ck this up.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“What’s wrong?” Ty asks, now the one who is popped up on his elbow, hand on <i>my</i> stomach.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I peek between my fingers,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I wasn’t expecting you,” I admit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"I know." He smiles down at me, fingers now trailing curiously over my upper body, his eyes following his own movements with interest, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. "You were supposed to be an error, but I'm thinking that maybe you're an upgrade."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And oh f*ck, if I don't melt into the mattress, smiling dopily up at him, I'm sure I look like a stoner.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But he kisses me anyway. <i>He’s</i> kissing <i>me</i> again, and I push a hand in his hair, moaning at the touch of his lips.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He leaves it at that, not deepening it further, and I hold his head just that fraction longer, nudging his nose with mine, which rewards me with that soft gasp again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"So, talk some more, right?" He rasps.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I nod. “Yeah. Should be wise, right?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“So hit me.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I inhale a breath to center myself and do as he says. “Do you really want me?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Yes.” No hesitation. “Do you want me?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“For quite some time now, yeah.” I admit, cheeks burning. “Are you not confused about anything?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He shakes his head. "Not anymore. Last week? A bit. But now?" He gives me a nose nudge this time before he nuzzles his face in my neck. "Yeah, pretty damn sure."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I can only smile at the ceiling, but I have to ask the most important question before this can go any further. "I'm not– I mean I want to know if I– F*ck."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I avert my gaze, but he lifts his head again and makes me face him, his hand now on my throat, making me drown in those molten eyes. "Ask me."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So I let it out, that one stupid thing that's on repeat in my brain. "I need to know if it's foolish to hope."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He furrows his dark brows. “To hope for what?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“To hope for you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He almost looks crushed at that, but that damn determination creeps back in almost instantly. “It’s not. At least I <i>hop</i>e it’s not.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Jace Teaser 3" class="size-full wp-image-15334 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-jace-teaser-3.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Giveaway:</span></h2>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <i>Jace</i>, N. Boeyer is giving away Paperback copies of the release (sent from The Netherlands)!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!</span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57819/?"><b>A Rafflecopter Giveaway</b></a></span></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="IG Sized Jace Teaser 5" class="size-full wp-image-15332 aligncenter" height="640" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/ig-sized-jace-teaser-5.png" width="640" /></span></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="N. Boeyer Author logo" class="size-full wp-image-15129 aligncenter" height="200" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/n.-boeyer-author-logo.png" width="200" /></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">N. Boeyer grew up in a tiny country called The Netherlands. She has been bilingual since she couldn’t wait for the Dutch translations of the Harry Potter books, so she taught herself English. This resulted in her pursuing an English education from the age of twelve, and writing stories followed shortly thereafter. Since she was a teenager, it has been her dream to be a writer, and a writer she has always been at heart.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It took her a while to accept that the pretty boys who talk way too much in her head needed a voice, and her love for gay romance grew bigger with every written word and chapter. She has finally found the guts to share her boys with the world and hopes someone out there will love them as much as she does.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1522115745297922" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nboeyerauthor" target="_blank">Instagram</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/n.boeyer/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nboeyer?lang=en" target="_blank">TikTok</a></u> - <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203185485-jace" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></u><br /></b><br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="grr-tours-promo" class="size-full wp-image-21 aligncenter" height="133" src="https://gayrmncereviews.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/grr-tours-promo.png" width="400" /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<hr />Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-15490162328211746202024-02-02T05:00:00.008-05:002024-02-02T05:00:00.253-05:00Series Spotlight: The Félidés Clan series by Jae Greyn - Includes Giveaway!<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23115" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/banner-2.png" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Félidés Clan series </b></span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>by Jae Greyn</b></span></p>
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</b></span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Birth is only the beginning...</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The books are not standalone and need to be read in order.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Each book ends on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Overall Heat Rating for the series: 3-4 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47XZMiJ" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon Series Link - US</a> - <a href="https://amzn.to/47SA4wh" target="_blank">Amazon Series Link - UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK DETAILS</span></strong></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK 1</span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23116" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/1-cover.jpg" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Nothing Burns Like Time</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 95 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: July 21, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: MM Paranormal Fantasy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Fighting to be together, fight for survival</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The book ends on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195262001-nothing-burns-like-time" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/Nothing-burns-like-time" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Raven, Justice of Gemini, wanted nothing to do with the problems other gods created. He'd settled down in a quiet corner of The Veil, kept to himself, and continued to do his job. His twin, Scot, had become a jaded player in the name of boredom, and Raven had given up on any hope of dating until he met Cyan, a beautiful young God, thrust into an impossible position.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cyan, lord Ether and son of the Source, never thought about love until Raven saved him in a fight with Vampires.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">All they want is the next date, but the goddess of Time has other ideas. She wants Gemini dead by any means necessary. She thrusts them into a war that pits born gods against demigods, taking sibling rivalry to a brand new level.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This is only the beginning for The Félidés Clan. Who will survive, and will Raven and Cyan have the second date?</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK 2</span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23117" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/2-cover.jpg" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Predator’s Patience (#1.5)</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 151 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: September 8, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: MM paranormal romantasy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trope: Time Travel</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198337824-predator-s-patience" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/Predators-Patience" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-left" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cyan Revy FeLiSe has one beautiful afternoon with Raven, Justice of Gemini. He returns home and discovers the gods are going to war. Raven doesn't answer when Cy calls; the number belongs to someone else. Cy pretends he isn't hurt, but he's devastated. And then, the god Chaos, makes an extraordinary request. He wants Cy to find his sons.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Time doesn't flow the same in the Garden, and Cy doesn't know the war has started, ended, and begun again. His mother, The Source of All Things, disagreed with the outcome the first time around. Several of his brothers died, and Raven and Scot had to be born again.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cy agrees to help Chaos find them, which leads them all from one Plane to another, trying to stop Gi, the goddess of Time, from tearing them apart. Within these pages is the story of Raven and Cyan. Journals and private memories between the couple who are just trying to find each other.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK 3</span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23119" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/3-cover.jpg" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Madness And Majick</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 78 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: August 21, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trope: Finding love</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195247310-madness-and-majick" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/Madness-And-Majick" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dear me,</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One time goddess named Gi started a war with my papas, Justice and War of Gemini. For some stupid reason, she assumed birth would make them lower than demigod.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In truth, it only made them angry.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They signed a contract to judge someone, and part of that agreement was kids. Nyx, the god of Peace, and one of my grandparents would only help if my dads had kids with a suitable female. He's only asshat number two.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Number three would be my not-so-lovely Aunt CattyWhack, um, Catori, who has trapped my papas in the Veil club, which is under a Time spell, where every night is Samhain. She's trying to kill them.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then there is me, who's never been without my twin. We've shared everything but boyfriends since the womb, and suddenly he's somewhere else, and I'm stuck in The Veil, alone, living in a hotel suite, until my papas are free.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Syra, The Source of All Things, and my honorary grandma, because family ain't always blood, gave me a job to do.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And I'm trying. Only a god can sustain a god, and now that I'm grown, my papas' blood only gets me so far.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I really need my twin right now. My big brother, Shiloh, would do, too. He's off looking for my mom, so she can replace Gi.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">What have I gotten myself into? Somebody save me. I don't want to do this by myself.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Kansas Raine Félidés, Lord Cinis</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK 4</span></strong></p>
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</span><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23120" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/4-cover.jpg" style="width: 375px;" /></span></figure>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sealed With A Tris</span></b></p>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 108 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: September 21, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trope: fated mates</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198388528-sealed-with-a-tris" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/Sealed-With-A-Tris" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dear Me,</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This would be the longest summer of my life, and it hadn’t started. You see, I’m the forgotten twin and what is referred to in my world as ‘the spare.’ Oddly enough, I do still hold my title, Lord Vitae, but it isn’t doing me much good in my current state.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I arrived two weeks previously and landed in the shower, fully clothed. My twin slapped his hand over my mouth to keep me from shrieking the walls down at the shock of the water blasting me in the face.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After helping one Jace Corrins with Clary Clatterbox My Mama Is The Soul Maker, I stayed hidden until we moved into the house Mamie bought for us, and then I finally got to stop shielding my presence from my brother’s most lovely mate.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In precisely one month, Kansas and I will turn nineteen, and it will be the first time in our existence that he had a lover and I didn’t. I know. Getting laid should not be a priority, and it really isn’t. My focus at the moment is checking on the custom guitar I’m having made for Kansas, for said birthday.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Material things hadn’t always mattered to us because before, we could wake up on a completely different plane, in a completely different year and age. Our honorary Mamie, the Source of all things, has assured us repeatedly that The Veil is home and we can’t be moved unless we move ourselves. We are trusting her judgment because, really? Who would tell her no?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tristan Storme Félidés</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">BOOK 5</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">See Who Loves You Now</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 154 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: October 21, 2023</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trope: Time travel</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199292440-see-who-loves-you-now" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/See-who-loves-you-now" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The worst birthday turns into the best when Kansas and Shiloh meet Sam and Rye Lance. But are they part of Catori's plan to wipe the Felides Clan from existence, or is it forever and always?</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A spell stands between them and the truth. Only Time will tell.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">a $10 Amazon Gift Card</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author </span></strong></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23122" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/author-logo.png" style="width: 400px;" /></span></figure><p></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jae Greyn is the author of the <em>Fire Ridge Pride</em> Series. Born in the United States, Jae is an advocate for being good humans to animals and people. A consumer of coffee, chocolate, and romances.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://jaegreyn.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Website and Newsletter sign-up</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jaegreyn" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hosted by Gay Book Promotions</span></a></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-72230076993063792422024-01-31T05:00:00.021-05:002024-01-31T05:00:00.133-05:00New Release-Excerpt: SKIN AND BONES by Sophia Soames (London Love)<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
<p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23188" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/banner-4.jpg?w=610" style="width: 600px;" /></span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">SKIN and BONES </span></b></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">(London Love)</span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: Sophia Soames</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: Christina Stern</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: January 31, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Grumpy/Sunshine</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: Eating disorder, domestic violence, hotel setting.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 92 000 words </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">SKIN AND BONES is best enjoyed if read after TASTE.</span></em></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200665075-skin-and-bones" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://mybook.to/SKINandBONES" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Universal Link</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3OlKBJg" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/3OjyFba" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hugo Burrows has life under control.<br /><br />He's got a decent job, a long-term relationship and a flat in Canary Wharf.<br /><br />It's all under control. It's just becoming a little problematic trying to hold everything together. Keeping the bruises on his skin hidden away. A smile plastered on his face. Controlling the calories he allows his body to consume. And now his boss is on his back with too many questions, and the grumpy French head chef keeps staring at him like he's a freak or something.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br />Everything is under control. It has to be.<br /><br />Ben Desjardins may be the Head Chef at the Clouds Hotel but he definitely hasn't got anything under control. His relationship with his best friend is crumbling and simply turning up for work seems to automatically cause never ending chaotic disasters. Yet there is something about the new concierge that has crawled straight under his prickly skin.<br /><br />Ben doesn't need more complications in his life. The last thing he needs is to inconveniently, and reluctantly... fall in love.<br /><br /><em>SKIN AND BONES is best enjoyed if read after TASTE.</em><br /><br /><strong>Reader Advisory.</strong> This book contains the following topics: Eating disorders, OCD, domestic violence and sexual assault. Please look after yourself and take care if these topics could upset you.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wVPJHJvFgajEXZFRohTTmM6TkI6HbsEtZSkqhRKmOo-9J392qIhnTWKVX05btc__wlJ6kGK3jJnFByCKBMXno6X2Vgoo7Hss-dhXFYUoGPjlOdqv1c4aLKB_e7HAlwYXfKrJ01Bk4COsK_AMQKmyWqeSXQZDxC2ZjLhdjkmRjsI8LA2NHOJHE5_Q60U/s1080/INSTAGRAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wVPJHJvFgajEXZFRohTTmM6TkI6HbsEtZSkqhRKmOo-9J392qIhnTWKVX05btc__wlJ6kGK3jJnFByCKBMXno6X2Vgoo7Hss-dhXFYUoGPjlOdqv1c4aLKB_e7HAlwYXfKrJ01Bk4COsK_AMQKmyWqeSXQZDxC2ZjLhdjkmRjsI8LA2NHOJHE5_Q60U/w400-h400/INSTAGRAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, the new concierge, his name was Hugo, and he was tall and skinny—far too skinny if you asked me—with a head full of bouncy blonde curls, thick, dark eyebrows over deep-set eyes, sharp cheekbones and plump, puffy lips. He seemed like a nice bloke, stood up for himself. Finn moaned about him, saying something about the guy being great at his job but an untidy bugger. The floor around his desk was always a disaster zone of scrunched-up pieces of paper and torn-up leaflets. Finn wasn’t wrong. I could see stuff on the floor from where I was, while Hugo gave directions to some guests, arms flailing, his phone miraculously still pinched between his cheek and his shoulder. He smiled at something. I smiled too. He had that kind of smile.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dropping my cigarette on the ground, I squashed out the embers with my shoe. So sue me. I was French. Had grown up there, then moved to England with my mum in my teens and had to adapt to being Ben instead of Benjamin after my arsehole dad kicked us out. I didn’t take sh*t from anyone.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It hadn’t been bad. Just…my life hadn’t become quite what I’d expected.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I strode back through the lobby with confidence, smiling politely at our maître d’hôtel, who pursed their lips at me. Yeah, I was a d*ck. I had tomato juice down my front, and my apron was covered in cooking fat. I looked a state and shouldn’t be anywhere near paying guests. I knew it. Mabel knew it. I actually liked them. A lot. Today, our super-efficient restaurant leader rocked a shocking-pink dress and sky-high heels with a face full of make-up. Some days, they presented as a stunning bloke, other days, like today, they wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a women’s fashion magazine, and they knew it too.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Looking good, Mabs.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh shut it, Ben.” They grinned and blushed while giving me a full head-to-toe inspection. “You really need to go change, babes. Honestly, you’ll give Mark a heart attack.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You mean I look that good?” I laughed, enjoying another of Mabel’s many smirks.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You look like sh*t, babes. How are you ever going to get laid when you walk around looking like someone has dragged you face down through the walk-in fridge?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Bah,” I huffed and left them to it. I washed my hands and ripped off my apron, dropping it in the laundry chute and grabbing a fresh one from the shelf before glancing over the line. All under control. Nobody panicking.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Watch the liquid,” I commented to one of the trainees as they flipped a tray of mushrooms into a serving dish and splattered juice all over the hot plate. Yeah. Newbies. They had to learn, usually the hard way, and there wasn’t much I could do other than show them how to do it the right way, remind them to watch the bloody timings, let them make mistakes and hope they didn’t kill themselves in the process.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I looked down at my own battered hands. I had too many scars to count. Cuts, burns. My hands had survived years of being battered on the rugby pitch, which was nothing compared to getting fingers stuck in blenders and close encounters with sharp knives.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I blamed my mum, getting me into cooking when my hand-eye coordination had been blasted to hell. I had to concentrate, not be stressed, keep focused for my mind to function the way it was supposed to, not that it ever did, and this was a working kitchen. My entire shift was always one huge, stress-induced, disaster-prone trial.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You all right?” Mark appeared next to me in his immaculate suit, his hair up in a tidy man-bun and eyebrows tightly knitted. Arms crossed, he surveyed our little world. Him and me, we were brothers, partners in crime, a duo of idiots who should have known better, but we worked well together, and there was nowhere else I would rather work than here with him by my side.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“All good,” I said, mirroring his pose.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“The boys out there,” he said conspiratorially. “They’re placing bets on who can get a hook-up with Hugo. There’s good money involved.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Hell.” I sighed, rolled my eyes harder than Mabel. “He gay then?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I went over and asked him. He just laughed, so yeah. Between you and me, he lives with his long-term boyfriend down in Canary Wharf, so I think all the boys are barking up a dead tree, but I’m not going to tell them. Are you?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Nah.” I laughed. I wasn’t. As long as they did their job and made my food look good, I wasn’t getting involved with anything. And anyway, this Hugo? None of my business.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rolling up my sleeves, I plonked my arse down by my little office set-up and logged into the laptop. I had orders to sign off, menus to plan, things to do. A life to live. Mark shook his head and disappeared back out to the restaurant.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This Hugo? God help him.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-23185" height="320" src="https://lilygblunt.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/author-logo.jpg?w=300" style="width: 300px;" width="320" /></span></span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over TV shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The dogs are too.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in her native Scandinavia.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever, and she hopes it may long continue.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="http://linktr.ee/sophiasoames" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Link Tree</a> | <a href="https://subscribepage.io/Vrg3pU?fbclid=IwAR2tByQCfsEOKAa_V2fV0chx2PMwepkqv5eVqX-ym7-oHgkdWnKOppZlI-A" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Newsletter Sign-up</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiasoames?lang=en" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">TikTok</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/337426887186936" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook readers group</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Hosted by Gay Book Promotions</span></a></p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Making it Happenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14909593992299224036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265332334156450620.post-60432548834673586132024-01-30T05:00:00.006-05:002024-01-30T05:00:00.121-05:00New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: GAME ON by Amy Aislin (Vancouver Orcas #3)<!--wp:paragraph {"align":"center"}-->
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</span><div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 10px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Game On</span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Author and Publisher: Amy Aislin</span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Cover Artist: LC Chase</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Release Date: January 30, 2024</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Genre: Contemporary M/M hockey romance</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tropes: Roommates, forced proximity, hockey, slow burn</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Themes: taking risks, trusting yourself</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Length: 69 000 words / 275 pages</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Heat Rating: 3 flames</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> It’s book three in the Vancouver Orcas trilogy, but can be read on its own.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It does not end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180165285-game-on" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads</span></a></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy Links</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://readerlinks.com/l/3886736" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://readerlinks.com/l/3886737" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Apple</a> | <a href="https://readerlinks.com/l/3886738" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://readerlinks.com/l/3886739" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></b></p>
<b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><!--/wp:paragraph-->
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Amy-Aislin/B0714CMY4L" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Audible</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Blurb</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When he broke off his engagement to his team captain's brother the day before their wedding, Jamie Jamieson swore he'd never get involved with anyone associated with a teammate again. Getting traded to the Orcas is a chance at a fresh start, but one glance at his new housemate, and Jamie knows he's in way over his head. <br /><br />Dorian is his new coach's cousin. And his team's social media coordinator. And his housemate. <br /><br />It's the trifecta of bad ideas.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dorian Shore doesn't do hockey. He's lived by that rule for years, ever since a season playing as a kid left him with emotional scars. But his new housemate—a big, buff, beautiful athlete who gets under his skin—makes him seriously consider doing a hockey <em>player</em>.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It’s not a good idea.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They live together.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They work together.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When the sparks between them ignite, will it be game on or game over?</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Start the trilogy with Game Plan (Vancouver Orcas 1) </span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://geni.us/GP99Sale" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">for only $0.99 until February 4</span></b></a></p>
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</span><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></strong></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was Jamie’s own bad luck that Dorian looked like a walking, talking version of his every wet dream. He was tall—more or less Jamie’s own height of six two—and slender but toned, with a pointed chin and a small nose. His skin was winter pale, several shades lighter than Jamie’s more naturally tan tones, and it contrasted sharply with the two days’ worth of stubble on his jaw and upper lip and the rich brown hair that looked thick enough for Jamie to grab onto.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Gulp.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Where’s the rest of your stuff?” Dorian peered around him. “Still in the car?”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Nah, this is it,” Jamie said, forcing his mind back on track. “I’ll head back to Charlotte at the end of the season for the rest of it and have it shipped to a storage unit so I don’t clutter up your home.” Assuming Jamie hadn’t found a place to live by then.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got the space. We can store your stuff in the basement.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I thought you were putting Jamieson in the basement,” Coach piped in, arms crossed over his chest. With his height, thick beard, and broad shoulders, it made him look imposing as f*ck.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“There’s no bed down there,” Dorian said.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“You could’ve gotten one.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Uh, I’d really rather have a bedroom than a basement,” Jamie interjected, picturing a lone bed among exposed pipes, insulation, and spiders. The stuff a kid’s nightmares were made of.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Oh, it’s finished,” Dorian said, waving a hand. “There are three bedrooms down there, as well as a full kitchen and a separate entrance.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><em>Three </em>bedrooms? In the <em>basement?</em></span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Exactly,” Coach said. “Had you put a bed in one of the rooms, Jamieson would’ve had his own apartment.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Dorian crossed his arms over his chest, matching Coach’s posture, and glared, his eyes going all fiery. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? You’re the one who said you didn’t want him in a sterile apartment. Trust me, my basement is very f*cking sterile.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jamie had just come from a team where he’d been treated like a pariah after his breakup with the team captain’s brother, and now he had two men arguing over what would make him most comfortable.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He didn’t quite swallow a laugh. His aborted chuckle drew the gaze of both men.</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rolling his eyes, Dorian huffed a breath. “You’re right. We’re being stupid.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Now Jamie laughed outright. “I didn’t say anything.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Your face said it all.”</span></p>
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</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Well. That was probably true.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOsZqDd67AmZp0a5L-zIYP7Y_Jx0x1W__n-mcKyVZ_1pqJ1nsj0kSLKS_owi38I0kYdUjOuiu_3s7AiH-Hl-PS1Bog81McQl63PMuiz2jC7fY39T9xSRfW6tBqLSsTQ-AFdQHGnH6E7nSZ_9EAMLDaWG8xeHejwMYnjcVzkdNMJF54ssydnl67YgAe3M/s1200/GameOn-Teaser.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOsZqDd67AmZp0a5L-zIYP7Y_Jx0x1W__n-mcKyVZ_1pqJ1nsj0kSLKS_owi38I0kYdUjOuiu_3s7AiH-Hl-PS1Bog81McQl63PMuiz2jC7fY39T9xSRfW6tBqLSsTQ-AFdQHGnH6E7nSZ_9EAMLDaWG8xeHejwMYnjcVzkdNMJF54ssydnl67YgAe3M/w400-h400/GameOn-Teaser.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">About the Author </span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Amy’s lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she’s read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she’s been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn’t at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada’s largest environmental non-profit.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amyaislin.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Blog/Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amy.aislin/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://instagram.com/amyaislin" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></b></p>
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</span></b><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bit.ly/AmyAislinNewsletter" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Newsletter Sign-up</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/amyaislin" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Giveaway!</span></strong></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">a signed paperback of Game On.</span></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c8c1c64127/">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></b></p>
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</span><p class="has-text-align-center" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hosted by Gay Book Promotions</span></a></p>
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