Making it Happen: Cara Dee

Showing posts with label Cara Dee. Show all posts

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Book Review: OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Cara Dee

Title: Out for the Holidays: An Out Novella

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pairing: Gay Romance

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Synopsis:

I’m not saying Henry jinxed us when he chose to send out two hundred holiday cards stating we were going to have a blissful Christmas at home…

Before we knew it, our peace and quiet went out the window, and we were headed to Mexico for a photo shoot my agent had neglected to tell me about. Of course, we had to deal with the man who didn’t want us to be together, and then we ended up back in LA, and we had to figure out what was going on with my brother, and, and… Okay, deep breaths. FYI, Philadelphia is nowhere near our home in northern Washington. Additionally, I wonder how Viagra really works, and what’s it gonna take to get a proposal around here?

Honestly. I’m not saying Henry jinxed us, but I’m writing the damn card next year.

Warning: This story contains more sugar than the cookies you leave for Santa, and it's chock-full of greetings and updates from other characters written by Cara, titles including Noah, Home, Path of Destruction, Uncomplicated Choices, and more.

Carra's review

I was so happy when I found out Zach and Henry had a holiday story—I loved Out and fell in love with the two of them while reading it. Out for the Holidays is a fun look into their lives after they’ve been together for a while, checking in on their relationship, their family, and seeing how things have developed. This is a great glimpse into their lives, and satisfied my need to revisit this wonderful couple.

For all Zach’s bluster about the Mexico trip for his job, it turns out to be a pretty hot trip—and I’m not talking about the weather. Zach’s snarky side comes out while he’s working, along with a bit of a petty side when it comes to Henry’s friend Joseph (okay, more than a bit there). Regardless, it was pretty entertaining.

There’s family stuff to deal with when it comes to Zach’s brother, and their friend Martin is just as fun and outlandish as ever. You’ll find plenty of naughtiness in word and deed (oh my goodness YES), along with some fantastic banter between Zach and Henry. The chemistry between them just keeps getting more and more intense, and the love between them is on show for everyone to see.

Out for the Holidays was a 4-star read for me, I really enjoyed revisiting this couple and basking in their heat, exuberance, and love. Zach and Henry are still a favorite match for me, and this story will certainly be a favorite for those who have read Out (which I strongly recommend you do before reading this one). This book is strictly for readers 18+ for adult language and explicit sexual content—Zach and Henry are just as scorching hot as ever!

About the Author

I'm often stoically silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there's so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex. There's a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly. Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve. Additionally, I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, and geeking. There's time for hockey and cupcakes, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

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Tuesday, December 12, 2017

New Release: OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Cara Dee-Includes Excerpts!

Out for the Holidays: An Out Novella

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pairing: Gay Romance

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Synopsis

Excerpt I

Could I fire someone over a text? I was so pissed that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’d returned to the first floor and planted my ass at the bottom of the stairs, and I was staring at my agent’s number in my phone.

Lady Mo was in my lap, comforting me like a good puppy.
To my relief, Brooklyn wasn’t angry with me. She knew I took appointments seriously and never showed up late. No, this was on my agent, who hadn’t f*cking told me she’d booked me for a whole goddamn week.

I released a breath and rested my head in my palm. Lady nuzzled my cheek.

If it’d been any other person than Brooklyn, I would’ve canceled somehow.

“Can I ask what you’re doing, Zachary?”

Dammit. I looked up, cursing the windows. Even when Henry was in the kitchen, he could see me in the reflection. “Can’t you tell I’m hiding?”

“Poorly,” he noted. Rounding the long bar in the kitchen, he passed the living room and joined me by the stairs. His hands went into the pockets of his slacks. “You have bad news.”

“I’d use the words f*cking awful, but whatever.” I forced myself to look up. He’d be so disappointed. “Amanda neglected to tell me about a week-long shoot.”

He sighed, then nodded once firmly. “With Brooklyn, I assume.”

Yeah. She was the only one I had a contract with now, so it’d been a matter of scheduling.

“Tell me what to do,” I pleaded. “I swear I didn’t know. I even told her I wanted December free.”

He waved a hand and sat down next to me. “You’re not on trial, sweetheart.”

“I know, but it’s always my job that f*cks sh*t up for us.” Lady left me, so I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and rubbed a hand over my mouth and jaw.

“You’re in an industry where things change quickly,” he reminded patiently. “What I do is very different.” True. He sat down with his coworkers and associates twice a year to hammer out details and schedule events and whatnot. It meant he knew his travels at least six months in advance so he could coordinate his schedule between the jobs he was involved in. “Tell me about the shoot.”

Reluctance filled me. I felt spoiled for complaining, but after this year… All I f*cking wanted was a quiet month at home with Henry. “It’s for the YouTube crap. Akira, Maliah, and me—we have a week in Mexico, and they’re gonna ‘capture our personalities’ or something. Basically, a small film crew is gonna make a bunch of videos with us in various locations. It doesn’t have much to do with ShadowLight and makeup, so I don’t see the point.” Of course their products would be mentioned, but focus was on us.

“Marketing, darling.” He scooted closer and rubbed my back soothingly. “The clips make you relatable to the consumers. YouTube probably has a far better outreach than billboards. Up there, you’re untouchable.”

I side-eyed him. “Didn’t know you studied marketing.”

Humor flashed in his hazel eyes. “I may have spent some time in Los Angeles in my days. You pick up on these things.”
I huffed under my breath and faced forward again, and my gaze landed on the Christmas tree. It was beautiful, and someone had already put some gifts underneath it.

“We were supposed to stay home, though. Or at least in Washington.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “I wanted to go Christmas shopping in Seattle, go see a movie, take you and Nan for dinner… We were gonna go to a club and dance all night.”

He hummed and pressed a kiss to my hair. “You know where I can take you dancing?”

I shook my head.

“In Mexico.” There was a smile in his voice, and I admit his confirming that he was coming along brightened my mood more than I could say.

“Thank you for coming with me,” I whispered.

He laughed softly. “My beautiful man. I’m not entirely selfless. I trust you with all I am, and I may have gotten over most of my insecurities, but I am not letting you be alone with Joseph anymore.”

Excerpt II

“Excuse me for a moment.” Henry wiped his mouth with a napkin before leaning close to me. “I’ve had it with Joseph’s stares. I’ll be right back.”

Wait, so they were gonna talk alone? Without me?

Henry was already gone, leaving me to wrestle irrational jealousy. It wasn’t fair to Henry, whom I trusted with all my heart. Joseph, however? I wouldn’t put it past him to try something. He’d certainly tried with me.

Noah had his eyes on the dancing pairs. “What do you say, sweetheart…?”

Julian pursed his lips and shook his head. “Have you forgotten our wedding? I literally bruised your toe.”

“Weak shoes.” Noah winked.

I drained my glass. Henry was taking Joseph aside, and clenched my jaw when they disappeared from sight around the villa. Needing a distraction, I turned to Noah.

“I’ll dance with you,” I said. “I’ll give it one song before Julian’s all over you.”

Julian gaped at me. “You’re supposed to be my friend, Zach.”
I puckered my lips at him.

Noah smirked and stood up. “He’s being a friend, Julian. I also think he’s right. Let’s go, kid.”

He rounded the long table and met up with me at my side, and I followed him out on the floor as an upbeat song started playing. We didn’t have live music out here; instead, we had a mix CD, and I recognized this one. A Santana collaboration with the dude from Matchbox Twenty.

I placed my hand in Noah’s extended one, and he took me by surprise when he spun me around before hauling me close. “Holy sh*t,” I blurted out in a choked laugh. “Okay, I guess you know what you’re doing.”

Noah grinned. “My sister taught me when I was little.”

“Good to know.” Yeah, Julian didn’t stand a chance once he interrupted, and I knew he would. “Lead away, prince charming.”

And f*ck me if he didn’t. The rock song brought more people to the floor, and soon most of us where having a workout. Noah made it fun with unexpected dips and twirls, and it’d been a while since I laughed so hard.

“We should just form a circle around you,” Akira hollered over the music. “Goddamn, Noah.”

Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I got into it. I had to hand it to Julian; he was more stubborn than I gave him credit for. A second song started, then a third and a fourth. Traditional salsa music mixed with rock and pop, and I followed best I could.

When I glanced at Julian, I could tell he’d reached his breaking point. He sat impatiently and stewed to himself. One final nudge would get him here, where he belonged.
The song morphed into a new one, another Santana collab. I recognized the Nickelback singer. The beat revved up, heavy and hot, and went on about dancing into the night.

“Ramp it up,” I said, breathing heavily. “You’ll get some possessive sex after this.”

“Oh, I intend to.” If he replied to my first or second statement, I wasn’t sure. “So will you. Move with me when I pull you back.”

“Okay.” I sucked in a breath and looked around, finally catching sight of Henry looking like he’d just returned with Joseph. And as I watched him gesture toward me and say things in Henry’s ear, I recognized Joseph for the snake he was. This went beyond flirting and trying to get into our pants.

“Ready?” Noah raised a brow, and I focused on the music. I let it drown me for the moment. I nodded. “Make it hot, kid.”
I smirked, and he yanked me to his chest. His hands on my hips, one of my hands at the back of his neck, and we moved damn well. He led me almost as perfectly as Henry did, our hips moving and speaking of sexual tension that wasn’t there.

“We’re good,” I chuckled breathlessly.

“F*ck yeah, we are.” He grinned, his chest heaving. “Can you see my boy?”

I could. He was moving in the corner of my eye. “On his way.”

He nodded once and eased up. “Next time I wanna get him out on the floor, you’ll be my partner in crime.”

“Count me in.” That was about what I had time to say before Julian tapped me on the shoulder.

“May I cut in?” he asked with a tight smile.

He was too f*cking sweet. I released Noah, and wanting to ease the tension from Julian, I gave his cheek a smacking kiss. “All yours, hon.”

The look in his eyes softened slightly, though it had nothing on when he was in Noah’s arms. I smiled as they forgot everyone around them, and then I made my way out of the little crowd and aimed for Henry.

Seeing the brief flash of worry in his eyes fueled my anger toward Joseph. Who f*cking knew what he’d been saying to Henry.

Out by Cara Dee

Henry and Zach are back! If you haven't read Out, consider this your spoiler alert to the below. You can read where they started here:

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About Cara

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Sunday, October 29, 2017

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: OUT by Cara Dee

Out

by Cara Dee

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

“I guess I always figured coming out was something you did for friends and family, and maybe it is, but it’s personal too, you know? The person I was last night is new. I wanna get to know him.”

I had two things on my list when I arrived in Los Angeles. One, track down Henry Bennington, the uncle and guardian of my little brother’s best friend, and tell him to get his ass back to Washington. He needed to do something about his nephew, who was turning into a douchebag. And two, figure out just how non-straight I was. For the past two years, I’d had all these fantasies, and now was the time to explore them, far away from my sleepy little town.

Nowhere on this list did it say, “Get Ty’s uncle into bed and fall for him.” I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with another city either. But between brunch, making new friends, and discovering the man I was meant to be, I lost sight of the future that had once seemed pretty damn vivid. How the hell was I supposed to merge my old life and who I used to be with the new dreams Los Angeles and Henry had awakened in me?

(Standalone.)

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“I have a question, Zach,” Martin said.

“You can’t buy me new pants, man,” I replied.

The two men shared a stunned expression before amusement took over, and I felt bold. Comfortable, most of all. I smirked and shifted in my seat, then dug back into my food.

After the chuckles had died down, Martin faced Henry with a serious look. “I want to keep him. Don’t tell me I can’t.”

Even Henry smiled at that.

“But no, you rascal, that wasn’t what I wanted to ask,” Martin told me. “Although, I’ll certainly try again later. My question is about next week. Will you be doing any sightseeing?”

I hadn’t really thought about that. I was here to explore something else. That said, it would be cool to see some of the stuff I’d watched on TV. The Hollywood sign, Santa Monica Pier, and Venice.

“Maybe some.” I chewed slowly, guessing this was an opportunity to try some of that honesty. My stomach did a somersault, and my hunger faded momentarily. I had to jump, though. I’d regret it if I didn’t. “Ehm, the thing is…” I cleared my throat and reached for a wineglass. Condensation had fogged the surface, and I took a big gulp of it. I wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but it did the trick. “I was wondering…um, what’s West Hollywood like?”

I’d heard it was a neighborhood with a strong gay culture. A gayborhood, if you will.

You learned the weirdest terms online. I still wasn’t sure what the difference was between twinks and twunks.

Henry had grown still, and he put down his lobster roll and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He didn’t look super comfortable.

Martin eyed me up and down, a small smirk playing on his lips. “So perhaps you don’t have a girlfriend at home.”

I shook my head no.

Looked like all I had to do was mention West Hollywood and they knew where I was going with this.

Martin patted my hand. “Hon, is this new to you?”

“Very.” I managed a weak smile, and my heart pounded. “I don’t want to suppress it, though. I’ve had these thoughts for two years. I wanna find out.”

If I didn’t know any better, he looked proud. It didn’t make sense. With their obvious surprise settling, they started eating again. At least Martin did. Henry seemed more interested in his wine.

My guess was it was a sensitive topic for him because of how he’d been treated when he came out.

I didn’t know Martin’s history.

“How old are you?” Martin asked. “Twenty-two, twenty-three?”

I nearly balked. I didn’t look that f*cking young, did I? “I’m twenty-seven!”

He waved a hand. “Semantics for me.” Thoughtful and chewing, he looked at his friend. “What do you think, Henry? We can’t in good conscience send him to WeHo clubs.”

“Definitely not.” Henry’s voice was quiet, yet firm. As if the idea was ludicrous. “They’ll eat him alive.”

“Do you go there? To the clubs there, I mean.” I glanced between the two.

Henry’s mouth twisted up.

Martin laughed outright. “Oh no, dear. We’ve aged out of the system.”

I wanted Henry’s take on things. Despite his evident discomfort, I looked at him in question. Teach me. Or hell, kiss me if you won’t tell me where to go. Okay, perhaps that would make him more uncomfortable.

He surrendered with a sigh, and he put down his food once more. “West Hollywood’s clubs might be too much if you’re just testing the waters and want to take things slowly. Their scene is a meat market. Not that I’ve been there in ages. As Martin pointed out, we’re not part of the demographic anymore.”

“We’re too old,” Martin supplied.

Henry shot him a frustrated look. “Thank you for reminding me.”

“You’re very welcome,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but grin. “Henry’s right, Zach. If you want sexy go-go boys and a round of Dude, Where’s My Car when you wake up not knowing where you are, those clubs are perfect.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Of course, you can find low-key bars as well, and many of my friends have settled down in domesticated gay heaven there, but we can probably find you a nice gay bar on the westside, too.”

West Hollywood wasn’t west enough?

Henry inclined his head. “There’s no need to dive straight into the club scene.” He paused. “You haven’t visited any gay-friendly bars at home?”

I shook my head. “I’m not…hiding, per se. But I haven’t been comfortable yet.”

If I came home with a boyfriend, I didn’t believe I’d face many problems. My nana was open-minded and accepting, and Mattie had friends who were already out. I just…I guessed I was one of those guys who liked to process things on my own first, and this was the option with which I was most at ease. I wouldn’t be on my own, but I would be away from everyone I knew.

“So a chill bar or something,” I said, getting us back on track. “Will you guys go with me?”

“Abso-f*cking-lutely, darling.” Martin nodded and licked filling off his finger.

“Thank you.” I was relieved.

“Wait for it,” Henry muttered.

I frowned in confusion, and Martin’s eyes landed on me, his expression gleeful.

“You can’t go to a gay bar like that,” he said.

Goddammit.

“You’re talking about shopping, aren't you?” My shoulders slumped. I didn’t know squat about fashion, and I wasn’t very interested.

“I am, yes, and it’s nonnegotiable.” He was too smug.

I agreed with his terms, though. I wanted to experience as much as possible. Even if it meant shopping.

“Can we go today?” I asked.

Martin laughed softly. “Boy’s eager, Henry.”

Henry merely hummed and took a swig of his wine.

I’m sitting here trying to figure out how the heck I’ve never read one of this author’s books before…and adding every single one of hers to my TBR list as I type. I really loved this story, and I can’t say enough how much I loved both Zach and Henry (I’m a HUGE fan of age gap romances). This is a voyage of self discovery for Zachary, and one of learning to trust again for Henry—and the intersection of their paths created a magnificent story that I already know I’ll be re-reading many times in the future. I want to re-read it again now ;-)

The attraction between Zach and Henry is evident from the start, and I thought it was adorable how flustered Zach became when meeting Henry. Zach is brave and is someone who knows what he wants. He’s responsible and protective of his small family, and I love how he lets go with Henry. Henry is cautious, low key, and incredibly hot and sexy—particularly when he gets that dominant tone going. I loved how he becomes so uninhibited with Zach.

The supporting characters in this story are just as awesome as the leads. Special hugs go out to Martin—Henry’s best friend—he was probably my favorite of their friends and family with his fun attitude. Zach’s brother Mattie and Henry’s nephew Ty add some color to the family drama—I really liked how level-headed Mattie was…you could clearly see Zach had done a great job bringing him up.

Out can be read as a standalone (obviously since I loved it and haven’t read anything else by this author), but does feature some characters from previous books by the author; and yes, those are already penciled in to my reading schedule as I really need to know their stories! This story flows smoothly and I didn’t want to put it down once I’d started reading. I think the only thing that might have made this better for me is if we could have gotten some chapters from Henry’s point of view, and some more time hearing about his reconciliation with Ty.

Out was a 4.5-star read for me, and I can strongly recommend this story to every M/M romance fan…and if you love May-December/age-gap stories, this one is a must-read. The intimate scenes between Zach and Henry are insanely hot, and that along with the adult language makes this strictly an 18+ read. I’m now sitting here impatiently waiting for the follow up, Out For the Holidays, for another fix of Zach and Henry because as good as Out was, I want just a bit more of their happy ending!

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, and geeking. Advocate for equality and Autism awareness. There's time for hockey and cupcakes, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

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