New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: THE SCORE by Beth Bolden (Charleston Condors #3)

The Score

Author and Publisher: Beth Bolden

Cover Artist: The Book Brander Boutique

Release Date: October 25, 2023

Genre: Contemporary MM sports romance

Tropes: bad boy reformed, forced proximity, fake boyfriend, roommates to friends to lovers

Themes: found family, trust issues, mental health, love versus lust

Heat Rating:  4 flames    

Length: 100 000 words

It is book number three in a spinoff series. 

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Blurb

Carter Maxwell knows he’s a screwup. Four teams in three seasons tells the story, as much as he wishes it didn’t.

But finally, he’s landed in a good place, where he likes the team and the team actually likes him. Even the Condors' current rebuilding mode suits him. There’s a new owner. New coach. New players. New rules.

But one rule hasn’t changed: don’t seduce your agent-appointed c*ckblocker.

Ian Parker agrees to live with Carter and keep him on the straight and narrow for one simple reason: Alec, the agent in charge of cleaning up Carter’s reputation, has promised him something Ian wants very, very badly.

Even more badly than Carter naked above him and below him and next to him.

A chance for Ian to become an agent.

But Ian didn’t take into account just how persuasive Carter is—or just how desperately he desires to be persuaded. Or how, while spending time with Carter, they’ll somehow stumble into a fake relationship that begins to feel all too real.

It doesn’t matter that Carter’s never fallen in love or that he’s never been in a real relationship. It doesn’t matter that Ian’s risking his future as an agent.

He’s determined to score the impossible and reform the bad boy—only after encouraging Carter to misbehave one last time. But this time, only with him.

Excerpt

“Wait a sec,” Ian said, standing too, but reaching out and casually catching Carter’s arm. “I know this is going to be awkward, me being around all the time. I just wanted to acknowledge that, first off.”

“Is it?” Carter really hadn’t thought much about it; honestly, he’d been too busy trying to figure out how to get around rule number one.

“Well, yeah, in my experience it is. Most people who run into us together are going to want an explanation. Your friends. The players here. The coaches. The staff. Anyone you meet.”

“And what? I shouldn’t tell them why you’re really around?”

“I’m…” Ian hesitated again. “I know what my previous clients and I would do. We’d discuss ahead of time what role I’d be playing. Often, since I was in LA, they were well known, so it was easy to pass me off as a personal assistant or a friend. But here—”

“Nobody’s gonna have a personal assistant around them all the time,” Carter said. “Especially not me.”

Ian looked surprised again.

“What,” Carter retorted, “I’m not an idiot, okay.”

The frost in Ian’s expression melted a little more. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you were.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Carter said wryly. “Why can’t we just tell people what you really are?”

“You’d be okay with that?”

Carter realized with a jolt that the person who was really worried about this wasn’t him, the way Ian was concerned about, but Ian himself.

Wasn’t that interesting?

“It’s hardly like people don’t know my reputation,” Carter said.

“Oh. Alright. Well, that’s your choice.”

“We can just say you’re my what…companion?”

“If that’s the word you want to use,” Ian said.

But as they walked out of the conference room, Carter couldn’t shake the feeling that Ian was the one who was preoccupied with not only what to call himself, but maybe even what kind of position he’d be occupying in Carter’s life.

As they walked down the hall, and Carter pushed the down elevator button, to take it to the lower level and the team cafeteria, Ian turned to him and said, “Well, you getting shut down by half the team is pretty good news for rule number one.”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Not when I could go to the Pirate’s Booty or any other bar or restaurant or coffee shop in the city and find someone to pick up in point five seconds.”

“Modest, much?”

“Listen, you wanted honesty, that’s the honest truth right there.” Carter had sex because it was easy, yes, and it also helped stem the tide of his temper. Maybe if sex had been harder for him to come by, he’d have found something else to use.

But sex was easy, for him, so sex it was.

Or at least it had been sex.

Carter mournfully poured one out for all the great sex he wasn’t going to be having in the next few months.

About the Author 

A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She has published over forty novels and novellas.

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New Release-Review & Excerpt: DON'T DATE A DILF by DJ Jamison (Rules We Break #1)

Don’t Date A DILF

(Rules We Break, Book 1)

by DJ Jamison

Publisher: Must Love Books LLC

Cover Artist: Morningstar Ashley

Release Date: May 25, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Single dad, teacher/parent, fake dating, small town

Themes: Small town life, family, starting over, bi/pan awakening

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length:  95 000 words

This is Book 1 in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Blurb

I have one rule to live by: Don't Date a DILF.

I've seen the consequences of blurring the boundaries between teaching and dating, and I am not about to take that kind of risk.

But I didn’t count on Hunter Rhodes walking into my school. Never expected that the broad-shouldered, stubble-jawed, absolute glory of a man would be such a sweet and caring father. Or that as a seemingly straight man, he might decide he wants me.

If my Nana has her way...I'll be in love with someone by the end of the school year, but there's only one man who tempts me.

With her matchmaking becoming overwhelming and half the single women in Granville setting their sights on Hunter, we're both feeling the pressure. Faking a relationship could get everyone off our backs.

It seems like fun and games for Hunter, but separating pretend feelings from real won't be so simple for me. And then there's that rule...

Can I date a DILF without disaster—or will all my fears come true?

Don't Date a DILF is Book 1 of Rules We Break, a spin-off series from Games We Play, set in the small, quirky town of Granville, where nosy residents meddle in one another's lives, great friendships are made, and silly innuendos are a way of life.

Excerpt

Clark’s voice filtered in from the hallway.

“Nana, for the last time, I was trying… Yeah, well, maybe I should run all your proposed dates through my friends first if you think Percy Helix was a good choice!”

I smirked at his sass, then had to muffle a laugh when he followed it up with, “No, I’m not being sassy. I’m sorry, Nana.”

F*ck, that was adorable.

Clark was a grown man who had his sh*t together far more than I ever would, and yet here he was, getting scolded by his grandmother. There was something so sweet and wholesome about that.

He glanced toward the classroom and caught sight of me through the doorway. He held up one finger, in the universal sign to wait a minute.

“We can talk more later, Nana. I have a parent here for a meeting, okay? But I really don’t think another setup is a good idea… Because I don’t. Because it’s uncomfortable!” He groaned theatrically. “Yes, okay, we’ll talk later.”

He lowered the phone and turned toward me.

I winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

He shrugged. “Well, you were at the pub, so…not like you didn’t know already.”

“Your nana feels pretty strongly about setting you up with a date, huh?”

“Unfortunately.”

“My mother hassles me every time we talk too,” I said.

“Must be something in the water,” Clark said with a pout.

Still adorable.

“Yeah, I actually lost my cool at work. Yelled at Tucker about how everyone in this town wants me to date. You know what we should do?”

“What?”

“Go on a date together.” I laughed. “That would shut everyone up.”

Clark’s eyes widened. “I think it would do the opposite.”

“You know what I mean though. Can’t set up a couple of guys who are already dating.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Genius, right?”

Carra's Review

Let’s see…age gap, bi/pan awakening, fake boyfriend, small town, teacher/parent…yup, this story ticked off a lot of boxes for me that I love in a contemporary romance.  That coupled with some solid characters and great writing made for an enjoyable read.  

Clark is a great teacher, so supportive of all students and creative with the after-school program he leads.  Hunter has started over again back in his hometown after a divorce, and is trying to help his young son Toby get used to the fact that his parents won’t be getting back together.  Both men feel continual pressure from family and others to find someone new, leading to the fake relationship as they try to find some breathing room to just live their lives how they want.

While we all know how the fake relationship thing always ends up, the fun is in how the characters get there.  Clark has the added complication of not wanting to show bias in dealing with Hunter’s son, especially after an issue that arose with a fellow teacher in his previous city.  Things are also difficult enough with Clark not knowing if Hunter is just “experimenting” when things turn serious, but add on Hunter’s ex with her own issues and it’s a lot for Clark to consider.

Being set in the same small town, it was great to see characters from this author’s Games We Play series show up here so there are established supporting characters.  I wasn’t really a fan of Hunter’s ex though.  I understand she has problems, but the way she came across to me…I could have just done without that attitude (personal preference).

Don’t Date a DILF was a solid 4-star read for me, and I think anyone who is a fan of M/M contemporary romance will enjoy this first book of this spin-off series.  I’d recommend this book for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

About the Author

DJ Jamison writes romances about everyday life and extraordinary love featuring a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual to asexual. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems: money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that and continues to avidly devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, one snake, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.

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Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway: ABOUT LAST NIGHT by Aimee Nicole Walker

 

About Last Night
By Aimee Nicole Walker

The bicurious cop and his sharp-dressed man…

 Detective Christopher “Topher” Carnegie is unlucky in love. He either tries too hard, doesn’t try hard enough, or hasn’t found the right person yet. But recently, he’s started seeing Julian Fine, his sister’s best friend, in a new light. If there’s one thing a fabulous tailor knows, it’s how to take a person’s measure. Julian recognizes a straight man when he sees one, but that doesn’t stop him from falling head over heels for the unattainable man.

Just a few short days and one shared bed…

When a white lie backs Julian into a corner, Topher steps in to save the day. He’s worked plenty of undercover assignments before, but pretending to be Julian’s boyfriend during a family wedding might be his most dangerous mission yet. Julian challenges everything Christopher knows about himself, and soon, reaching for each other feels as natural as breathing. But can their newfound feelings survive the real-world challenges they face? There’s only one way to find out.

 About Last Night is a low-angst standalone romance within the author’s Savannah universe.

This book contains mature content and is intended for adults.

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Excerpt

 “You ran the stop sign back there,” the officer said. He narrowed his eyes and studied my face. “Are you okay?”

“Okay?” I asked, then became aware of my wet face. I quickly wiped away the tears. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

The officer leaned over to look into my back seat before meeting my gaze. “Did you get into an argument with someone?”

“Nah, I dumped his dumb ass a few months ago.”

I didn’t see a flicker of reaction in his golden gaze, but his mouth curved into a wry smile. “Ouch,” he said. “Pretty sure more than a few of my girlfriends have said the same about me.”

I clasped my imaginary pearls. “Say it ain’t so.”

The officer chuckled and crossed his heart. “What upset you so much that you ran the stop sign?”

“Oh, I just drove by my aunt’s old place and was sad to see the new owners don’t love it as much as she did. It’s no excuse, and I’m sorry.”

Officer Hottie nodded and said, “I’ll need to see your license, registration, and proof of insurance.”

“You don’t want to frisk me for weapons?” One of these days, my mouth would get me into a lot of trouble.

The cop blinked a few times, and then a slow smile spread across his face until twin dimples peeked out from his cheeks. “Pretty sure you’ve shown me your weapons already.”

I knew he was talking about my sharp tongue and quick wit, but I couldn’t let him off the hook. “Oh, darling,” I cooed, “there’d be no doubt if I had.”

A series of beeps emitted from the radio hooked to his vest, followed by a tinny voice calling out codes and unit numbers. The sexy officer stood up straight and turned toward his patrol car. I glanced up in the rearview mirror and saw his partner, a super sexy Hispanic man, signaling for my new fantasy boyfriend to hurry up.

“You’re in luck,” the tawny cop said, startling me.

I clutched my nonexistent pearls again and said, “You sure move quickly and quietly for such a big guy,” I said.

“Like a lion,” he replied with a wink. “You won’t see me coming until I’m on you.”

“Promises, promises.”

Another flash of those dimples. “I have to answer another call, so I’m letting you off with a verbal warning.”

“Oh, good,” I purred. “Oral is my favorite.”

He shook his head and straightened to his full height, putting me at eye level with his big d*ck again. “Drive safely,” he called out as he retreated to his cruiser.

I shamefully stared at his ass in the side mirror and wiggled my fingers at them as they drove by with their lights flashing and sirens blaring a few seconds later. I released a sigh, relegated the handsome man to my fantasies, and drove to the store to grab a few staples before heading to my new apartment.

Carra's Review

Okay, Julian and Christopher together?  It’s everything.  They are so incredibly sweet together, and there was really no angst here—and this came to me at just the right moment where I just wanted and needed a story just like that.  I’ve been a fan of this author’s books for a while, and this one showed me again exactly why.

Julian is funny and spirited, and an all-around likable character.  Christopher is a very accepting, go-with-the-flow guy who is family-oriented and protective.  The two of them play off of each other so well, and everything flows so naturally between them.  It’s almost like them being together is the obvious outcome, we just have to wait for that realization to happen.

Making things even better is the cast of supporting characters, in particular Christopher’s family—which includes Julian’s best friend.  The way they’ve embraced Julian as one of their own is heartwarming.  They make for a great support system while Julian and Christopher gradually make their way over a pretty spread out timespan from friends to fake boyfriends to the real thing.

About Last Night was a 4.5-star read for me, and if you’re looking for a lighter, fluffier, and fun feel-good romance you might as well prepare your one-click finger to do its duty.  Definitely sweet, thankfully no major conflicts or “big misunderstanding” type moments, just a couple who will make you smile.  They’re also pretty hot together, so I’d recommend this book for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

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To celebrate the release of About Last Night, Aimee is giving away a $10 Amazon Voucher and an e-copy of About Last Night!

 

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About the Author

Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me at:

BookBub - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Blog

Want to be the first to know about my book releases and have access to extra content? You can sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/dlhPYj

My favorite place to hang out and chat with my readers is my Facebook group. Would you like to be a member of Aimee’s Dye Hards? We’d love to have you! Click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AimeesDyeHards/

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Audiobook Release: AMBIGUOUS by Leslie McAdam

Ambiguous

by Leslie McAdam

Narrator: Hamish Long and Kirt Graves

Release Date: August 25, 2022

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Rock star, slow burn, forbidden love, opposites attract, lawyer/politics, fake relationship (with a twist)

Themes: Labels, coming out, being true to yourself

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 8 hours and 17 minutes

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Audible US  |  Audible UK

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb 

Love is for other people, not for me…

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him. Julian Hill. The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet. After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and shared on social media, so he just wants a little privacy. I understand that. Truly, I do.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well. Which is inconvenient since his record label just hired me to sue him. Guess I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him… Oops.

Ambiguous is an addictive MM bisexual romance novel about a fashion-forward rock singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day in a sensually stimulating “opposites-attract” romance story. In addition to the compassionate, big-hearted main characters and engaging, steamy interactions, LGBTQ+ romance readers are raving about the refreshingly honest discussions about homophobia, acceptance, bisexuality, and gay rights, which flow seamlessly into the heart-warming, soul-stirring love story.

About the Author

Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

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New Release-Excerpt: AMBIGUOUS by Leslie McAdam

Ambiguous

Author and Publisher:  Leslie McAdam

Cover Artist: Black Jazz Designs

Release Date: April 13, 2022

Genre:  Contemporary m/m romance

Tropes: Rock star, forbidden, opposites attract, lawyer/politics, fake relationship (with a twist)

Themes: Coming out, being true to yourself

Heat Rating:  5 flames      

Length: 75 000 words

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb

Love is for other people, not for me.

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him. 

Julian Hill.

The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet.

After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and posted on social media, so he just wants a little privacy.

I understand that. Truly.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well.

Which is inconvenient since his record label hired me to sue him.

I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him.

Oops.

Ambiguous is a forbidden mm rock star romance about a fashion-forward singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day. 

Excerpt 

Julian takes my breath away. While I’ve met plenty of celebrities, with him I feel this hit to my solar plexus. I freeze, because he’s so hot it’s too much to process.

Dark, perfectly mussed hair. Dark brown eyes. Tan skin.

His black pants are painted on, highlighting his lanky form. He’s wearing heeled black boots with chains on them and a loose, lacy, unbuttoned blouse and piles of long pearl necklaces. Rings on every finger click as he fidgets. His Adam’s apple moves as he drinks from a bottle of water.

He started with a boy band a decade ago. And, while I listen to plenty of pop music, I’ve intentionally ignored him just to piss Emily off. I’m mature like that sometimes. I’m not sure why I even started that—she and I love a lot of the same music and go to concerts together whenever we can, but at some point I decided he was just too cheesy, and then it became a thing. Julian is now on his own, the only one from his original group to have a successful solo career.

Of course I’ve heard his music. I’m generally aware of him, because I live in a condo in America and not under a rock cut off from communication with the outside world.

I’ve just never put his songs on voluntarily. Now I wish I knew more about him.

The table’s been set up for the meeting with bottles of fancy water and carafes of coffee. Readying himself for introductions, Julian sets down his water and stands up.

I walk over to shake his hand, and it’s like it happens in slow motion. One second I’m standing, and the next my toe hooks on a chair leg and I go flying. My flailing wrist manages to knock his open bottle of water from the table, and I take him down to the floor in one fell swoop, splashing water all over him as I go.

He lands on the industrial carpet with an “Oomph,” and I end up sprawled on top of him.

Heat singes my cheeks. Oh sh*t, oh sh*t. I won’t blame him if he pulls a diva fit after I ruined his clothes. They’re next season’s Gucci.

I start mentally updating my résumé.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, fumbling up to the table to grab a stack of paper napkins from the coffee service while struggling to get off of him as fast as I can.

Julian frowns, and then he jackknifes up to a sitting position, forcing a laugh. His now-wet shirt leaves little to the imagination, revealing the shapes of tattoos scattered all over his chiseled torso. I kneel at his feet and start wiping his pants, only to realize that, yeah, I’m trying to dry off the crotch of a Grammy-nominated recording artist.

“Oh my god,” I repeat. “I’m so sorry.”

I can’t stop dabbing at his crotch.

With a white napkin.

That’s leaving shreds of wet lint.

On his dark designer pants.

I’m making it so much worse—and my reaction to him is getting worse, too. Partly because there’s a bulge underneath that zipper, and it’s not small. Like, not at all small. Partly because he smells amazing—like maybe rum and vanilla—which makes my body hum and my c*ck wake up.

Even though I don’t live my life as a train wreck, apparently it can get derailed in one second flat.

About the Author

Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

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New Release & Giveaway: THE CHRISTMAS DEAL by Keira Andrews

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link

Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited

Length: 250 pages

Cover Design: Wicked Smart Design

Blurb

Will fake boyfriends become the real deal this holiday?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—except ex-Marine Logan is jobless and getting evicted. Worse, he’s a new single dad with a stepson who hates him. A kid needs stability—not to mention presents under the tree—and Logan’s desperate.

Then he meets lonely Seth and makes a deal.

Can Logan temporarily pretend to be live-in boyfriends to increase Seth’s chances at a promotion? If it provides a roof over their heads for the holidays, hell yeah. Logan considers himself straight—he doesn’t count occasional hookups with guys—but he can fake it. Besides, with his shy little smile, Seth is surprisingly sexy.

Make that damn sexy.

Shocked that Seth has only been with one man, Logan can’t resist sweetening their deal to teach him the joys of casual sex. No strings attached. No feelings. No kissing.

No falling for each other.

Easy, right?

The Christmas Deal is a steamy holiday gay romance from Keira Andrews featuring fake boyfriends, bisexual awakening, a clueless single dad with an angry preteen, and of course a happy ending.

About the Author

After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, fantasy, and paranormal fiction and — although she loves delicious angst along the way — Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said:

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.”

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