Thursday, September 29, 2022

New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: LEARNING CURVE by N.R. Walker (Franklin U Series #6)

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Learning Curve
By N.R. Walker

Learning Curve Cover

Franklin University Series, Book 6

Cobey Green

There I was, moving into the dorms at Franklin U and not into the shared party house I’d lived in my freshman year. Last year had been all about football and parties, not schoolwork. Which was why my grades tanked. Why I was one failed class away from being kicked off the team.

Why I needed to live on campus and find myself a tutor.

Funny that my new roommate just happens to be a tutor. Funny that he’s oblivious to how hot he is. For a smart guy, he’s pretty clueless. Maybe I could tutor him in how to be more outgoing in exchange for help with calculus. I could teach him how to talk to people, how to make new friends. Hell, maybe I could even help him punch his V-card.

Actually, now that I think about it . . . that’s a really good idea.

Vincent Brandt

And there I was, happy to be back at college, happy to be where I was most comfortable. Happy to be starting another school year, happy to start tutoring again so I could earn some money.

And yes, there I was, equal parts excited and dreading to see who my new roommate would be . . . until Cobey Green’s smiling face appeared at the door. A huge football player loved by everyone. Gorgeous, rich, and out of the closet.

Everything I’m not.

It doesn’t help that he’s genuinely a nice guy. It doesn’t help that I make him laugh and we can talk so easily. And it certainly doesn’t help that we start having private tutoring sessions, which end up way more private than I’d ever dare imagine.

I’d ranked top of my class in every subject since the first grade, yet there I was falling stupidly in love with him.

This was going to be a hell of a year. And one very steep learning curve for both of us.

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Excerpt

Cobey Green

“You’ll thank us one day,” Mom said.

I was in the backseat of the car, having flashbacks of when I was thirteen and my parents had enrolled me in a summer camp for mathletes instead of football. Only this time, they were moving me back to college, but not back to the fun house where I’d spent my first year. Oh no. They were moving me into the dorm. Why?

Because I was failing school.

I didn’t thank them when I was thirteen, and I wasn’t thanking them now.

Sure, they meant well. But come on! I was a nineteen-year-old guy on the college football team. My education was secondary to my social life. Well, and to my football life, so make that thirdary . . . if that’s even a word.

And therein lay the problem. Or so my father had said. School needed to be a priority.

So yeah, a great start to the new school year.

I was trying not to be mad about it. While I wasn’t thanking them, I could see their point.

Kinda.

“And who knows,” Dad said brightly, eyeing me in the rearview mirror as he drove. “Your new roommate might be nice. A good influence, perhaps.”

I stared.

Did I just hear him correctly?

“I’m sorry, my new room-what?”

“Your new roommate.” Dad shot Mom a panicked look. “You didn’t tell him?”

If Dad looked panicked, Mom looked stricken. “Didn’t you?”

“Didn’t tell me what?” It came out as a yell-squawk. I leaned forward through their front seats so I could try to see their faces. “A roommate?”

“All the single rooms were taken,” Dad offered.

I slumped back in my seat. They gotta be f*cking kidding me.

But no, they weren’t.

“It won’t hurt to make friends outside of your football buddies,” Mom added. “Broaden your circle a bit. Broaden your horizons.”

Cool.

And when we get to the horizon, we can just keep on driving. Right off the f*cking edge.

“I’d rather not broaden anything, just so you know,” I mumbled. “I like my football buddies just fine.”

They droned on about how it won’t be so bad, and it could even be great, and how it will mean more study time. Thankfully Dad realized now was not the time to lecture me again on my priorities and last year’s poor grades, because all I could think about was who I was going to have to live with.

What if they were a slob? What if they left their crap all over the floor?

Oh god.

“What if they don’t do laundry and our entire room stinks like a gym bag?”

Dad snorted. “You mean, like your gym bag?”

Mom turned to give me that look. You know that sorry-patronizing-grimace look that moms can do. “It’s highly unlikely it could be worse than what you lived in last year, darling. And anyway, maybe your new roommate will be a quiet, clean, and considerate person.” Then she mumbled under her breath, “Unlike whom you lived with last year.”

“The guys I lived with last year were just fine,” I grumbled. “They’re my friends. My teammates. And what if this roommate person is super weird? Like crazy-weird.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Dad said. “And if they’re not, if you really can’t live with them, then you can see about changing rooms. Just give it a couple of weeks. Who knows . . .” He gave me a hopeful glance in the rearview mirror. “They could turn out to be someone great.”

I sighed.

Now, I was normally an optimistic guy, always trying to look on the bright side. But this semester was going to blow.

* * *

Vincent Brandt

My new roommate was Cobey Green.

Cobey freaking Green.

He, of course, had no idea who I was. Which probably wasn’t surprising, let’s be real. Everyone at Franklin U knew who Cobey Green was. He was the incredibly popular, six-foot-three linebacker for the Kings, totally gorgeous, with a killer trademark grin. If that hadn’t been enough to annoy my cynical little heart, I’d never heard anyone say a bad word about him.

“Hey, man,” he’d said, carrying a box in. I’d opened the door, saw him holding said box with the aforementioned killer grin, and I’d stood there like an idiot. “Name’s Cobey. Your new roomie.”

It took a second for my brain to function. “Oh, sure.” I stood aside. “Come in. I, uh . . . I moved in already and put my stuff on the left.”

Cobey put the box on his bed. “I’m cool with whatever,” he said, still wearing that ridiculously stunning grin. “Oh, this is my mom and dad. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“I’m Vincent Brandt.”

There was a forty-year-old dad version of Cobey, clearly where he got his height from. And a woman, from whom he’d very obviously inherited his smile.

“Hi, Vincent,” his mom said. She had a huge bag of bedding. “I’m Sheree, and this is Chris.”

I gave Cobey’s parents a smile and a nod. “Nice to meet you.”

The room was small enough as it was—with two single beds, two desks, two closets—but now with three tall people all looking at me, it was kinda crowded. And I was never good with parents.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll let you get settled in,” I said, shoving my hands in my jean’s pockets.

“Oh, we didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Sheree said. “You can stay. This is your room.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not that.” I gave them my best smile and pointed to the door. “I have to go see about a . . . tutor program thing. In the tutoring center . . . it’s in the library.”

“Oh, a tutor program.” Chris’s eyes lit up and he gave Cobey an excited nod. “See, son? Vincent here’s in the tutor program too. There’s no shame in needing a tutor.”

Cobey was clearly horrified, and he hissed, “Dad!”

Oh god.

That was my cue to leave.

“Nice to meet you,” I said again, edging my way around them toward the door. “Oh, Cobey, you might not want to open the blind. It fell down before.”

He gave me an apologetic smile, and after giving him a nod, I bailed. I did have to go to the library to see about the tutor program; that wasn’t a lie. And the room was too small for four people anyway. Giving them the space to get settled and organized without me sitting on my bed like an awkward lump, getting even more awkward questions from Cobey’s parents . . .

No thanks.

Not today.

In the tutoring center, I found Rafe behind an armful of books. “Hey, Vincent,” he said warmly. “Glad to see you back, man.”

Rafael was a junior English major, and we’d been friends since my first day there. I didn’t have many friends. Like maybe three I could name. We didn’t hang out often, or at all, really, but we were friends enough to strike up a conversation. Like now.

I took half his burden of books. “Hey. Yeah, it’s good to be back. How was your summer?”

“Not bad. Time with the fam, and earned some money helping my dad. How about you?”

“Yeah, much the same,” I lied, on both counts, and quickly changed the subject. “Just met my new roommate.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“Cobey Green.”

Rafe put the books down and gave me a smile. “Oh, he’s a nice guy.”

That was the consensus. Absolutely everyone at Franklin U knew him and liked him. I wasn’t sure why that annoyed me.

Jealousy?

No.

I just didn’t hold people who coasted in high regard. The type of people who had everything come easy: money, social life, sports. And Cobey was the epitome of that. Superstar football player, tall, gorgeous, rich, friends with everyone, had loving parents.

He was also out and proud.

He was literally every single thing I wished I was . . . but wasn’t.

Was that his fault? No. Was any of his good fortune his fault? Also no.

Was I being an ass with my generalizing, broad-sweeping, stereotypical assumptions?

Possibly yes.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s great,” I added. “He’s gotta be better than the guy I roomed with last year.”

Rafe chuckled. “We can only hope.” I helped him sort through the books in a comfortable silence for a while. “Please tell me you’re here to sign up for the tutor program?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s what I came in here for.”

“You mean you didn’t come in just to see me?”

I rolled my eyes, but he did make me smile. “Oh, sure. That too.”

See? I sucked at the whole friend thing.

“We’re having a bit of a welcome back party this weekend.” Rafe handed me the clipboard. “You should come.”

I took the clipboard, my introverted heart panicking at the mention of a social outing. “Oh.”

He laughed. “The look on your face . . .”

“No, I could come,” I tried, regretting it as soon as I’d said it. “Who else will be there?”

He looked at me, obviously deciding not to laugh when he realized I was trying to be serious. “Just the usual crew. It’s just a small thing. You know how we are.”

I nodded. I did know. They were good people. My kind of people: quiet and studious.

I filled out the tutoring information, and we chatted a while. I liked Rafe. He was chill and nothing fazed him much.

But I couldn’t put off going back to my room forever.

Cobey was alone in our room when I got back. “Oh, hey,” I said. “Your folks gone already?”

“Yeah, they had to go back home,” he replied and nodded to the window. “Dad fixed the blinds.”

I sat on my bed, trying not to let things get awkward. “So is, uh, is home far?”

Great job, Vincent. Don’t make it awkward by asking a straight-up personal question.

“Nah,” he said effortlessly. “San Diego. What about you?”

“San Luco.”

“Ah, sweet. This is your hometown.”

Not far enough for me.

“My parents just wanted to make sure I moved in okay,” he added. “I was in Mundell last year and my grades tanked.” He sighed. “It’s a catch-22. My grades were sh*t because of football. You know, games, training, the social side of it. It takes up so much of my time and studying isn’t a real priority for me. But if I don’t maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, I can’t play football. It’s part of my scholarship deal. I just scraped through. Coach was pissed, but my parents went kinda nuclear. And here I am. In the dorm.”

Plenty of guys maintained a football and school ratio, and they managed just fine. I didn’t doubt it wasn’t a difficult seesaw of commitment, but I had to wonder if there was more to Cobey’s story.

“It’s not so bad here in the dorm,” I said. “Not as much fun as the Mundell house, I bet. But that’s probably the point.”

“That’s exactly the point. Apparently.” His grin was something special, and it was easy to see why people liked him.

He’d put up some posters and pictures on his side of the room above his bed. There was a vintage Coca-Cola poster that was kinda cool, and there were some group photos, team photos, all smiling faces. There was a poster of Post Malone wearing a dress and a poster of Jesus . . . no, Mary . . . no, wait. “Is that Adam Driver?”

Cobey burst out laughing. “Yep. It’s funny as f*ck.” Then he stopped, his eyes quickly finding mine. “Uh, if you don’t like it, I can take it down. I didn’t mean to offend you, or anyone. Sh*t. Sorry.”

I snorted. “No. I’m not offended. It is kinda funny.” Then I nodded to a small rectangular flag stuck with the photos. “Is that the bi flag?”

His gaze shot to mine. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Oh, no. Absolutely not,” I replied quickly, trying not to panic. The last thing I needed was for him not to like me just two minutes into the year. “No problem. Actually, I kinda like it. That you . . .”

Shut up, Vincent.

Just shut up.

“That I’m what?”

Gawd.

I wanted to die. I certainly didn’t want to answer, but his stare was drilling into me. It made my mouth dry. “That you’re, you know, out and proud.”

“Oh.” He was clearly relieved, but then I could almost hear the penny drop. He stared. “Oh.”

Panic struck me. “No, it’s not like that,” I said. Except it was. “I’m not . . . I’m not . . .”

He tilted his head. Patient. Curious. “You’re not what?”

“Out,” I blurted. “I’m not out.”

Way to go, Vincent. Announce that to a complete stranger. Something you’ve never told anyone, and you just blurt it out to Cobey freaking Green. Of all the people. One of the most popular sophomore guys at college.

Way to f*cking go.

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To celebrate the release of Learning Curve, N.R. Walker is giving away an eBook of the Winner's choice from her backlist and a $10 Amazon Voucher!

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About the Author:

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.

She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don't let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She's been writing ever since...

Connect with N.R.:
https://smart.bio/nrwalkerauthor/


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Monday, September 26, 2022

Series Tour with Reviews & Excerpts: KINGS OF THE MOUNTAIN (Books 1 & 2) by Morgan Brice - Includes Giveaway!

SERIES TOUR

Kings of the Mountain

Books 1 and 2 by Morgan Brice

MM Supernatural Suspense

Fast cars, outlaw country boys, snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, menacing monsters, and a love that can’t be denied.

NEW RELEASE - BOOK 2 

Sins of the Fathers

MM Supernatural Suspense

Author: Morgan Brice

Publisher: Darkwind Press

Cover Artist: Natania Barron

Length: 62 000 words/ 213 pages

Release Date: August 28, 2022

Genres: Urban fantasy, MM paranormal romance

Tropes: Hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, established relationship, evolving relationship, learning to trust, dealing with the past, dealing with family secrets.

Themes: Letting go of the past, moving on after loss, intergenerational trauma, family secrets

Heat Rating: 4 flames

 It is book 2 in the series but can be read standalone. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads   |  BookBub

Buy Links

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |   Nook

Reckoning with the past just might destroy Grady and Dawson’s plans for the future

Blurb 

Three deadly accidents that might have been magical murder. A dark witch with a grudge against the King family. Federal agents with supernatural abilities. And, as usual, Dawson and Grady are smack dab in the crosshairs of trouble even they can’t outrun.

When Grady King’s brother Knox is targeted by shady characters, old secrets, coverups, and lies come to light. Grady and his boyfriend Dawson begin to question what really happened when Grady’s grandparents and Dawson’s parents died. Then agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation show up pursuing a different case, only to discover that the crimes appear to be connected, with a vengeful dark witch at the center of the plot. And since monsters never sleep, Grady and Dawson are still carrying out their duty to hunt dangerous paranormal creatures, restless spirits, nefarious faeries, Civil War ghosts, creepy cryptids, and things that go bump in the night. It’s all part of the centuries-old King family mandate to protect the people of Cunanoon Mountain and Transylvania County, a mission Grady and Dawson are sworn to fulfill.

But when it looks like something is hunting the people Grady loves, it’s time to dig into the family’s painful past, uncovering dangerous details of long-ago hunts against immortal creatures who never forget—or forgive.

Can they solve the mystery and figure out who’s behind the deaths, or will they bear the deadly consequences of their hidden history? Reckoning with the past just might destroy Grady and Dawson’s plans for the future and set loose a tide of malicious magic that could sweep them all away.

Sins of the Fathers is a thrill-packed MM romance adventure full of fast cars, outlaw country boys, snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, menacing monsters, and a love that can’t be denied.

Excerpt from Sins of the Fathers

Dawson’s heart went out to Jason, worried about his long-time partner without news of how he was doing and now afraid of being left alone.

“Lily sent us here to talk.” Grady tag teamed. “She knew you’d be upset. She also knew how much you two loved each other.”

Lily Franklin was the long-time Meals on Wheels volunteer who had delivered to Jason and Everett for many years. She’d become a good friend and was Everett’s emergency contact once Jason passed away.

A door slammed. Grady’s head snapped up, and he shot a questioning look at Dawson. Dawson reached out to take his hand, intertwining their fingers and holding their hands in the air.

“We’re like you and Everett. We understand wanting to stay together.” Dawson picked up the conversation.

The planchette trembled before beginning to move. “D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S,” Dawson said as the pointer moved.

“Dangerous to admit what you and Jason were to each other?” Grady asked.

The planchette moved to “YES.”

“It can be, but plenty of people are ‘out’ these days. Even married,” Dawson answered.

A framed photo rocked back and forth on the mantle. Dawson saw that it showed two men in their thirties decades ago on a sunny day, grinning with arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

“If Everett can’t come home, do you think you could go to him?” Grady asked.

The planchette went wild, circling “YES” over and over.

“Is there something here that means a lot to you that you could ‘travel’ with if we took it to Everett?” Dawson looked around, wondering what objects among the collections of a shared lifetime might be special enough to anchor a ghost.

A crash sounded from the back of the house. They headed toward the noise and found the door to a bedroom open and a painting on the floor in a broken frame. As soon as Dawson entered, he was shoved by invisible hands sending him stumbling toward one side of an unmade king-size bed.

He nearly fell, and when he braced himself against the edge of the mattress, he saw a leather jewelry tray on the nightstand, and in it, two silver military rings.

“These?” Dawson felt a puff of cold air in response.

“What are they?’ Grady stood in the doorway, respecting the privacy of the old man who had lived there.

“Army service rings. Vietnam, if I’m right.” Dawson picked up the rings and looked at them in the light.

“Lily said they met when Everett was a nurse at the VA hospital, and Jason came home wounded from the war,” Grady replied.

Dawson’s gaze went to a photo of a younger version of the two men standing together in uniform. They were circumspect in their pose, but Dawson imagined that he could see a slight lean, a bit less space between them than usual, and broad grins.

That could have been Grady and me if we’d been born then. I’m glad they found each other and were happy.


Carra's Review of Sins of the Fathers

This author has been an auto-buy for me since day one since I know I’m going to get a captivating story full of fascinating lore with well researched origins.  While the first book in this series was a bit heavy on the angst and pining, here we’ve finally moved past that to the point where Dawson and Grady are finally at ease with each other.  Of course, you know just when things get comfortable is when the guys will get tested.


With several seemingly innocuous, even routine hunts there are also some that turn much more dangerous than expected.  Things continually ramp up as they find out the details behind family hunts that had tragic endings, with connections that could have broader impacts in the supernatural community.  Everything builds until a dramatic (though I thought too-quickly-over) final conflict, made even more tense here in the second book thanks to the connection Dawson and Grady have forged.


With the return of characters from the first book and the addition of some new ones (yes I do really want a story with Tucker and Gibson!) , there is a great cast of supporting characters.  The guys also get help from others characters tied to the overall Morgan Brice universe, something I love seeing pop up in this author’s books.  No, you don’t need to read those other series in order to read this series, though I will strongly recommend you read Kings of the Mountain before starting Sins of the Fathers to get Dawson and Grady’s full backstory.


With less angst for me to wade through this time around, and plenty of supernatural action going on, Sins of the Fathers was a 4.5-star read for me.  It also has me wanting another book in the series ASAP (no pressure LOL).  This story is for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

BOOK 1 

Kings of the Mountain

Author: Morgan Brice

Cover Artist: Natania Barrron

Release Date: May 21, 2020

Genre/s: Urban Fantasy, MM paranormal romance

Trope/s: Hurt/comfort, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers,

childhood best friends, second chance

Themes: Coming of age, forgiveness for self and others, 

crush maturing into love, letting go of guilt, family

Heat Rating: 4 flames     

Length: 63 000 words/238 pages

It’s the first book in the series

Goodreads 

Buy Links

Amazon US  |   Amazon UK  

Fast cars. Outlaw country boys. A love that can’t be denied. 

Snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts and menacing monsters. 

Blurb 

Fast cars. Outlaw country boys. Snarky werewolves, vengeful ghosts, and menacing monsters.

Dawson King’s family has been hunting things that go bump in the night in Transylvania County, North Carolina, since before the Revolutionary War.

Dawson was never happier than when he was racing his souped-up Mustang along winding mountain roads and hunting monsters with his best friend, Grady. Then Grady fell in love with him, which should have been perfect since Dawson had already fallen hard for Grady.

But Grady was only seventeen, and Dawson feared that sooner or later, Grady would realize his feelings were just a first crush, and then he’d be gone, leaving Dawson devastated. They both needed space to figure things out. So Dawson joined the army, while Grady stayed on the mountain.

Four years later, Dawson is coming home. He’s more sure than ever Grady is his forever love, and they’ve both agreed to begin this new aspect of their relationship as soon as Dawson gets back.

Then Grady’s father is killed in a werewolf hunt gone wrong. Grady is devastated, and he’s throwing mixed signals about moving forward. Dawson knows he needs to hold off on this new thing between them until Grady has time to grieve. But monsters never sleep, and one hunt after another throws Dawson and Grady into constant danger, while tension and unresolved feelings ripple between them.

Making it even harder, Dawson’s got a secret. He’s dreamed of death omens—which point to something stalking Grady. Can Dawson figure out who’s trying to kill Grady, save his life, and win back his heart?

Plenty of mutual pining, hurt/comfort, spooky chills, sexy thrills, and a very happy ending. The Kings of the Mountain is the first novel in the series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.

Excerpt from Kings of the Mountain

The longer they spent time on the road and on hunts together, the more Dawson felt a powerful attraction to Grady. He’d always been fond of the younger man, but Dawson found himself admiring the person Grady was growing into. Grady deserved to find the right guy—if that’s what he wanted—who could make him happy. And as much as Dawson wished fervently that could be him, he knew he couldn’t take the chance that Grady might feel pressured or obligated to respond if Dawson made any advances.

Not to mention how Grady’s mother had always carried on about how awful it was to marry a “cousin,” something that she claimed no one in her family had ever done. She’d made her position loud and clear while she was married to Aaron, which had not endeared her to the rest of the community. Such marriages were legal in North Carolina, and not uncommon in the rural areas.

The fact that Grady wasn’t a cousin by blood probably wouldn’t matter to Camille. But what if Grady had accepted his mother’s bias? Maybe Dawson had imagined the flirtation, or worse, projected his own feelings onto the other man. So Dawson took the edge off with hookups and out-of-town one-night stands, very aware that he tended to choose partners with a resemblance to Grady.

Until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

That’s when Dawson enlisted.

Once they were on the main highway, Dawson turned to watch Colt’s profile.

“So…what happened with Uncle Denny and Grady?”

Colt’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and the tic in his jaw told Dawson that the other man didn’t want to have this conversation. “They’re both alive. But a hunt went wrong a week ago, and Grady isn’t dealing with it very well.”

A week, Dawson thought. That was when he’d stopped getting emails from Grady. He had tried to convince himself the silence was due to any number of impersonal reasons, but Dawson knew in his gut something wasn’t right. His responses from Uncle Denny had gotten short and less frequent around the same time.

Was this what his nightmare had been warning him about?

“Could you be a little clearer?” Dawson knew Colt could read the warning in his tone.

“Grady got hurt. Aaron was killed. Grady’s not dealing well with it. Uncle Denny didn’t want to leave Grady alone. So they sent me.”

Dawson’s head swam. Uncle Aaron, dead? That’s hard to even imagine. He was always so full of life. And Grady—it’s got to be bad if he couldn’t come. Oh, God. I almost lost him. Plus there’s something Colt isn’t saying, something even worse. Because if Uncle Aaron died on a hunt, then Grady had to have been right there when it happened. That’s bad, really bad. No one should see their parent die, especially not like that.


Carra's Review of Kings of the Mountain

Morgan Brice does urban fantasy really well.  I know when I pick up one of her books I’m going to find some urban legend that is new to me, along with some of my favorites.  This time the stage is set with a family of monster hunters going back many generations.  The bit of a twist?  Two cousins unrelated by blood who have been best friends for a very long time, partners in monster hunting…and both pining for each other.  Dawson and Grady’s story is even more complex than what you get with just a glance at the book’s blurb.

With a setup like that you I’m sure you can imagine the amount of angst going on, and things are complicated by Grady grieving the death of his father as well as the death omen dreams Dawson’s been having.  Dawson trying to hold off on the two of them finally seeing where things can go with them as a couple just adds fuel to the fire.

The urban fantasy elements are spot on, and each successive encounter keeps the tension of the story building.  The romance elements though are sparse, at least until the end; instead there are extra heaping portions of that pining I mentioned which of course increases the angst level.  That did make the connection between Dawson and Grady feel, well, not quite connected—and for me that made the scene where they finally do connect feel a little less than genuine (something a few lingering touches and so-close-but-just-a-breath-away encounters could have resolved).

The story does keep you on edge thanks to the gradual suspense buildup, I just would have liked to see a bit more on the romance side.  Kings of the Mountain was still a solid 4-star read for me, and is a great setup for this new series.  This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

About the Author 

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.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

Author Links

Facebook Group  |   Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail)  |  Twitter: @MorganBriceBook    

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Thursday, September 22, 2022

New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: THE GLOW UP by A.M. Johnson (Franklin U Series #5)

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The Glow Up
By A.M. Johnson

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Franklin University Series, Book 5

Chris Delaney

I've promised myself that this was going to be the year to finally buckle down. I'm a junior, and I’ve settled on a major. I've got focus and determination. The one thing I haven't figured out yet? How to deal with the massive crush I've been harboring on the guy in study carrel six.

I don’t know his name and some of my friends think it’s time for me to move on, but he has this whole sexy, broody, dark eyes and messy hair thing going for him. And yeah, he seems like he could be my polar opposite. The kind of unapproachable, serious type who doesn’t smile much, but I’d like to think he’s all rays of sunshine underneath his stormy expressions and disheveled demeanor. All that intense energy… I dig it.

I want to know him.

The rub?

I’ll have to find the courage to actually introduce myself.

Aiden Russo

The college experience is supposed to be parties, drinking, and fun with a few classes mixed in. It sounds pretty amazing, right? For me, it turned out to be endless lectures, avalanches of homework, and copious amounts of caffeine. The study carrel might as well be my dorm room. And that guitar under my bed? It's got two years of dust growing on it. But this is the life I have to lead if I’m ever going to help my dad.

Pre-med isn’t for the weak.

The problem? Loneliness holds me hostage.

If only I could find someone willing to break through my ever-present cloud bank, and remind me what it’s like to have fun again.

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Excerpt

CHRIS
 
Thick smoke curled from the joint’s tip as I held it to my lips. The cloudless sky overhead bore down on my exposed shoulders, baking my skin in the California sun. I frowned and stared at the sidewalk for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes from my perch on the rooftop of the science building.

“Sh*t…” I wheezed and sputtered, choking and waving away the exhaled smoke.

“Such a novice. Are we feeling dramatic today?” Tommy asked, and I decided he wasn’t the most supportive friend I’d ever had.

Tommy was the Tommiest of all the Toms with his perfectly styled deep side part, polo t-shirts, and his love for being the life of the party.

“I don’t usually smoke this sh*t. You know that.”

He rolled his eyes and took a smooth drag like it wasn’t dragon fire. “Edibles are for the weak.”

“Edibles are for people who’d rather not pollute their lungs. But thank you for sharing,” I said without much conviction as my eyes snagged on a guy coming up the path.

I sighed. It wasn’t him.

“He isn’t coming.” My shoulders slumped as I leaned back onto my elbows.  “My life is over.”

“Yup, definitely f*cking dramatic.” He held his hand to my forehead, and I swatted it away. “Your obsession is starting to worry me, my friend.” Tommy licked his fingers and dashed out the joint. “This guy doesn’t even know you exist.”

“Yet.”

He laughed, his bloodshot eyes squinting in the sunlight as he stared at me. “Your optimism will be your downfall.”

“Thanks.” I sat up and pulled my legs from over the roof’s ledge. Standing, I wiped my hands on my jeans. “I better get back to work.”

“Don’t get mad at me, dude. I’m only speaking the truth. You’ve been salivating over this guy since freshman year, and you don’t even know his name. That’s kind of… weird.”

“One… I’m not mad.” I held up my fingers.  “Two… in my opinion, names are overrated. And three…  f*ck you, I am not weird.”


Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate this exciting release, Amanda is giving away an eBook and a Paperback of the winner's choice from A.M. Johnson's backlist!

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About the Author:

Amanda is an award-winning and best selling author of LGBTQIA and contemporary romance and fiction. She lives in Utah with her family where she moonlights as a nurse on the weekends and hikes in the mountains as much as possible.

If she’s not busy with her three munchkins, you’ll find her buried in a book or behind the keyboard where she explores the human experience through the written word, exploring all spectrums and genres.

She's obsessed with all things Hockey, Austen, and Oreos, and loves to connect with readers!

Stay up to date by signing up for her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/NewsLetterAMJBooks

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Wednesday, September 21, 2022

New Release-Review & Excerpt: PART-TIME DADDY by B. Harmony - Includes Giveaway!

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Part-Time Daddy
By B. Harmony

PARTTIMEDADDY-MEDIUM (1)

Exhausted, overworked, underpaid, and for damn sure underappreciated.

Struggling to find a balance between the career I’ve always wanted and the desire to have someone to take care of me, I agree to join an exclusive event at The Garden.

A couple of hours to let go with Dean Nash, the Daddy of my dreams, then it’s back to the grind.

As head of security at The Garden, I’m content with my single life.

When my boss calls in a favor, I reluctantly agree, knowing a few hours of play won’t mean anything. Until I lock eyes with an exhausted boy across the room and every instinct calls me to protect the boy from falling asleep on his feet.

Tanner Morgan checks all my boxes, though I’ve sworn no one ever could.

When we’re tossed into each other’s paths weeks after our one night together…

I offer to show Tanner there can be enough space in his life for a part-time Daddy. A caregiver without expectation of a relationship, feelings, or promises he can’t keep.

Falling in love isn’t part of the agreement, no matter how perfectly we fit together.

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Special Release Excerpt:

After all these years, I am more than fine with how I choose to engage in my kink, regardless of whether or not I’m currently in the longest dry spell in the history of ever. It’s almost an irrelevant point these days.

Not that there’s a lack of boys to choose from at The Garden. Hell, I’m fairly certain the sub to Dom ratio of our members is five-to-one. It’s about quality, not quantity.

I’m too scary for the type of boys I actually want. You don’t often find sweet littles who have any interest beyond morbid curiosity or outright fear when faced with a six-foot-seven man covered in tattoos from head to toe. No matter how soft I truly am as a Dom, littles can’t ever seem to get past my physical exterior.

And the submissive boys attracted to me, yeah, not my thing. I have less than zero interest in being a brat tamer. After all these years, I know myself well enough to understand that heavy-impact play is not my thing.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing celibacy over incompatibility.

My kinks were developed at a rather young age. Back in college, my then-boyfriend Scott and I were two warm-blooded boys exploring a hearty sex drive as most young twenty-somethings do. We spent our afternoons or evenings outside of classes or parties wrapped in naked limbs, unequally proportioned amounts of lube, and a nonstop stream of porn as background noise.

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Carra's Review

When I think “Daddy/boy”, the first word that comes to my mind isn’t usually “sweet”.  But the way Dean is with Tanner?  The word definitely applies here.


Poor Tanner has been run ragged thanks to a demanding job with a horrible boss.  But what Tanner does is important, and even more consequential—it’s intensely important to him.  The thing is, everyone needs time for themself; without it, we’ll eventually crash.  Tanner making sure he at least tries to get that time the night he goes to The Garden was probably once of the most momentous choices of his life, because it leads Dean to him.


Dean may look the part of a rough and tough guy, but at his heart?  Total softie with a protective streak a mile wide.  He’s a perfect match for Tanner, who desperately needs someone to care for him.  The only problem?  Tanner thinks he doesn’t have time for that on the regular.  Dean’s solution?  To be Tanner’s part-time Daddy.


From there it’s pretty much getting Tanner into a routine, and as you might expect the more time they spend together, to more connected they become.  I kept waiting for something dramatic to come up with Tanner’s boss, but that situation wound up kind of brushed to the side until the very end where it was more of an afterthought, which meant the overall story was pretty light on the angst.


Part-Time Daddy wound up being a 4-star read for me, and if the whole Daddy/boy relationship is your thing, then this one will be an obvious choice to add to your collection.  This story is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.



Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate B. Harmony's new release, we are giving away 3 e-copies of the release!

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About the Author:

B. Harmony is an MM romance author with a penchant for writing about boys who kiss boys, rock music, and headbanging. Pretty obvious with the last name Harmony, right?
With survival instincts fueled by iced coffee and far too many swear words to rival any sailor, B. Harmony somehow manages to produce (mostly sweet) contemporary MM romance, with plenty of steam.

Connect with B. Harmony:

Website - Amazon - Facebook - Facebook Group - Instagram - TikTok - Twitter - Goodreads - BookBub - Pinterest


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