Release Blitz-Excerpt & Giveaway: THE CODE by RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott (Ice Dragons #1)

RJ Scott writing as Rozenn Scott

The Code (Ice Dragons #1) 

Release Date: October 26 2016

Buy Links: 

Amazon US - Amazon UK - Kobo - Website

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Length: 50,000 words

Blurb

Falling for his best friend's sister seemed like a good idea at the time.

Defenceman Ryan Flynn's life and career is defined by the codes of hockey; friendship, respect, leadership and protection. A call from his best friends sister ends up with him taking her home and it's all he can do to remember that she's off limits. Doesn't matter that she's too much of temptation for a man on the edge, he promised her brother he wouldn't go anywhere near her.

Kathryn Lecour has been in lust with hockey player Ryan Flynn since she was first laid eyes on him. The problem? Ryan is her brother's best friend, bound by a complicated code of chivalry both on and off the ice.

Will Ryan, the hard man of the Dragons ever see her as anything more than his best friend's little sister? And will Kat be able to tame the Dragon with ice in his heart?

Excerpt

“You have to promise,” Loki had said to him.

They were nineteen years old and drunk on cheap beer. Kat’s prom date vanished into the darkness, and that was a good thing: the baseball captain and high achiever wasn’t good enough for her.

Not in her brother’s eyes, and not in his.

“Promise what?” Ryan had been worried that what he and Loki had done made Kat’s date leave and left her in tears. They’d only meant to intimidate him to playing nice, not get him to run away with his tail between his legs.

“Don’t ever let her near a jock,” Loki snapped. He didn’t appear to have any remorse at seeing the guy run, but then, he hadn’t seen his sister’s tears. “No one like us. Because all we are is hockey, and all we do is for the team.”

“I promise.”

“We f*ck and leave, and nothing means anything.”

“Loki—”

“Don’t you ever let anyone hurt her.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

The smile slipped from his face when the enormity of what he’d promised sunk into his soul, and for a second he hesitated. He had to go in there and be her brother, be the friend she’d need. Not the idiot man who fancied himself in love with her.

He settled his breathing. And then he opened the door, slipped inside, and shut it behind him before he could second-guess why he was here.

The room was simple: sofas, a coffee table in the middle, a large roof window that would let in light in the daytime. At the moment, the room was lit by a soft lamp in the corner.

Sitting bolt upright in one corner of the largest sofa was Kat.

Ryan took one look at her face and couldn’t help himself; a curse fell from his lips without conscious thought. A vivid scarlet mark ran from her eye socket to her cheekbone, as if someone had deliberately slapped her; bruises ringed her neck and her lip was cut, evidenced by a butterfly bandage just below the left corner. She was so beautiful, and he couldn’t bear to see the marks on her soft skin.

She looked up at him, her green eyes bright. He stepped closer and she stared at him. Her lower lip trembled as though she was fighting tears; he wanted to hold her and stop her from crying.

God, all I want is to hold her.

“Take me home, Ryan,” she said, her voice broken. Then she added a much smaller, quieter “Please.”

Author Bio

RJ Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either reading or writing. 

RJ also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.

The last time she had a week's break from writing she didn't like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn't defeat.

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Spotlight-Excerpt: SURVIVING THE SUMMIT OF GOOD AND EVIL by Christine Wall

SURVIVING THE SUMMIT OF GOOD AND EVIL
 by Christine Wall

Spotlight-Excerpt: KEPT by Camille LIndstrom

KEPT
 by Camille Lindstrom

Book Review: READING THE SIGNS by Keira Andrews

Reading the Signs

by Keira Andrews

Genre: Contemporary M/M sports romance

Book Description 

This hot-headed rookie needs discipline—on and off the field.

Pitcher Nico Agresta is desperate to live up to his family’s baseball legacy. Since he was a teenager crushing on his big brother’s teammate, he’s known he can’t act on his desires. His father’s made it clear there should be no queers on the field, but if Nico can win Rookie of the Year like his dad and brother did, maybe he can prove he’s worthy after all.

At 34, veteran catcher Jake Fitzgerald just wants to finish out his contract and retire. His team doesn't have a prayer of making the playoffs, but who needs the stress? Jake lost his passion for the game—and life—after driving away the man he loved, and he swore he’d never risk his heart again.

Then he’s traded to a team that wants a vet behind the plate to tame their new star pitcher. Jake is shocked to find the gangly kid he once knew has grown into a gorgeous young man. But tightly wound Nico’s having trouble controlling his temper in his quest for perfection, and Jake needs to teach him patience and restraint on the mound.

When their push and pull explodes into the bedroom, Nico and Jake will both learn how much they’ll risk for love.

This gay sports romance features men who have been repressing their feelings far too long, light BDSM, an age difference, sweaty locker rooms, and a happy ending. 

Amazon US - Amazon Global - ARe - Smashwords

Carra's Review

Take one of my favorite sports (baseball) and pair it with my favorite genre (M/M romance) and I just couldn’t resist picking up Reading the Signs.  Throw in the age gap and coming out tropes along with some light BDSM…well now you’re just ticking off a whole bunch of my favorite boxes. This book has all of it, plus some added family drama-and it all combines to result in a really great story that I’ll be re-reading many times.  It is also told from both Nico and Jake's points of view, giving the story additional depth that I really appreciated.

I loved the main characters.  Jake is a veteran player who is not out publicly, and is strong, in-control and let’s not forget-sexy as hell.  Nico is a rookie, feeling the pressure to perform in the big leagues and letting his temper get the best of him more often than not.  They know each other from when they were younger and Jake played with Nico’s brother back in school…when Nico was crushing on Jake but never let it be known.  After all, according to his father there’s no place in baseball for someone who’s gay.  So Nico is also in the closet—way in the back corner, wedged in tight.  At least until Jake is traded to Nico’s team.

Jake and Nico actually complement each other really well, with Jake’s experience and calm demeanor countering Nico’s inexperience in the majors and his tendency to fly off the handle.  Jake’s influence helps balance Nico out-in more ways than one.  After their first real confrontation over Nico’s attitude during a game (in a scene that is the only reason I didn’t rate this 5 stars-Jake’s reaction is extreme and unacceptable, something he realizes and does acknowledge but it still made me cringe a bit), they start a relationship-that of course is also in the closet.  Because in the world of sports where alpha males abound and historically homosexuals have not really been accepted, neither man wants to take the chance with their careers.

There’s angst, drama and plenty of heat to be found, but there’s also acceptance and self-discovery.  As the two of them grow closer and closer, I became more and more invested in their relationship.  But one of my favorite scenes is between Nico and his father, where Nico becomes fed up and finally takes a stand.  It’s emotional and made me fall for Nico’s character even more.  There’s also a very pivotal point late in the story after a play Jake is involved in during a game, and what happens afterward shows just how far he and Nico have come-not just together, but individually as well.

Reading the Signs gets 4.5 stars from me, and if your an M/M sports romance fan you are definitely not going to want to miss this one-I do highly recommend it.  This story is for readers 18+ only due to adult language and explicit M/M sexual content, including some light BDSM…that will probably leave you hot and bothered ;-) 

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New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: JACK TEMPLAR AND THE LAST BATTLE by Jeff Gunhus (The Templar Chronicles #6)

Jack Templar and the Last Battle by Jeff Gunhus

In the last book of the Jack Templar series, Jack and his friends race to stop Ren Lucre before he launches this Creach army against humankind. But the Lord of the Lesser Creach and the Lord of the Zombies hold the last two Jerusalem Stones Jack needs to have any chance of success. To make matters worse, the Oracle predicts that one of their group will die in the upcoming fight, and Jack discovers betrayal among those he trusts most.

Even so, Jack must find the courage to lead his friends into battle. Either they collect the Stones in time to defeat Ren Lucre or die trying. It’s "Do your duty, come what may" no matter the cost. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Excerpt

Before the witch could move, a shadow crashed through the hole in the collapsed roof, snarling and growling. Simultaneously, the cottage door flew open, nearly ripping from its hinges, and something ran into the room moving faster than I could track it. A second later, a person flew in from a side window, landing on the floor with a grunt, rolling and then popping up into a fighting stance.

This last addition was Will, sword pulled, ready for a fight. The other two took me a second because my mind still wasn’t used to their appearance. Daniel had dropped in from the roof, but he was in his werewolf form. Up on his hind legs, he clawed the air in front of him, lines of saliva dripping from his long snout. The shadow that had rushed in from the door was Eva. She stood near the fire, but even in the glow of the flames, her skin appeared pure white, almost translucent. Her posture was perfect, her back slightly arched. Chin out, she stared down the witch as if challenging her to one-on-one combat.

“What took you guys so long?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. You sneaking out without telling anyone. And then trying to cover your tracks,” Will said. “You’re a real bonehead. You know that, right?”

“He knows,” Eva said. “Everyone knows.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I kind of liked it better when it was just me and Bella.”

“Really, looked to me like she was about to let you have it. If you want, we could just leave and –”

“Enough,” the witch yelled, sending the flames higher in the fireplace. “This changes nothing. You think you are any match for me?”

“I don’t know,” Eva said. “You’re looking pretty beat up to me. I feel like I might be able to get a little payback for last time.”

Daniel snarled, chomping the air with his teeth in agreement. The last time we’d had a run-in with Bella of the Woods, she’d easily mopped the floor with Eva and Daniel. I wondered if her ragged appearance meant she was less powerful now – or just more desperate and dangerous.

“We don’t have to do this,” I said. “We all want the same thing.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Templar,” the witch said. “You want to save your friends. Save your father. Save the world by stopping Ren Lucre’s mad plan to start an open war against humans all over the world. All I want is to have my son back.”

I lowered my sword, hoping to buy more time. “You can’t get him back,” I said softly. “I think you must know that by now, even if you don’t want to admit it. Look at all of your attempts,” I said, pointing to the stack of Talib heads against the wall. They all stared, wide-eyed, their mouths opening and closing like fish out of water gasping for air. “That’s not your son. Not really. And you know it never will be.”

The witch hunched over slowly as if each word I said made her chest ache more. I decided to make my final appeal.

“I said this to you last time I was here. If you can’t bring your son back, at least let me take my best shot at avenging his death. Let me have the Jerusalem Stone back so I can continue my quest to defeat Ren Lucre once and for all.”

The witch’s head twitched to the side as if she heard a new noise. Her lips curled into a cruel grin. “Sorry, Jack. That’s not what I had in mind.”

With a high-pitched scream, she pointed her hands at Eva and Daniel. The two of them blew backward as if a battering ram had run into them. That instant, Will was on the move. He was in the air as the witch turned to him, but he’d been just fast enough. He landed both feet on the witch’s chest, kicking her backward.

The dozens of Talib heads opened their mouths, and their screams joined the witch’s. I lunged forward, ducking as she spun around, the hand with the Jerusalem Stone stretched out toward me. I felt a surge of energy pass over my head like a solid thing. No doubt, if I hadn’t ducked, it would have taken my head clean off my shoulders.

I rolled onto the ground and used my momentum to crash into the witch’s legs. It wasn’t the most graceful move, but it worked. The witch tumbled over, her hand with the Jerusalem Stone smashing into the stone hearth. The Stone rolled out of her hand and into the fireplace.

“Bella, don’t!” I yelled.

Too late.

Author Jeff Gunhus

Jeff Gunhus is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 30 on Amazon, have been recognized as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and reached the USA TODAY bestseller list.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active life in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel or on JeffGunhus.com.

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