New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: FRIENDS LIKE THEM by Aimee Nicole Walker (Redemption Ridge #4)

Friends Like Them
By Aimee Nicole Walker

Redemption Ridge, Book 4

Owen Doyle’s rough beginnings taught him not to form attachments, yet he’s drawn to Tyler Booth like a magnet. Their relationship has blossomed from strangers to best friends, with each twist in the journey weaving their connection tighter. But Owen has a six-year secret that’s become unbearably painful to keep. As the seams of his resistance fray, Owen will lean into a new mentoring opportunity to keep from ruining the best thing in his life.

Tyler will never regret going to jail and getting sober because meeting Owen saved his life and taught him how to trust again. Their inseparable bond has earned much teasing over the years, but Tyler doesn’t recognize himself without Owen. When he senses a yawning chasm between them, he’ll turn to mutual friends for help. Their well-meaning advice opens Tyler’s eyes to unexplored possibilities and will snap missing puzzle pieces into place.

Some hopes are too big to stifle, and some truths are too big to ignore. A photo booth, smoking-hot kisses, and honest revelations will take Owen and Tyler’s intimacy to a whole new level. But before they can achieve their happily ever after, they must unload the baggage from their pasts. Will the road to discovery guide them to the necessary healing, or are the guys destined for the highway to heartache?

Friends Like Them is book four in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. Friends Like Them contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

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Excerpt

“Ty, I want to get pictures with you in the booth.” Owen’s voice was soft, but his suggestion landed like a bomb. That tiny, cramped space wasn’t big enough. One would have to practically sit on the other’s lap. Tyler’s mind didn’t need additional encouragement to replay the earlier fantasy.

“Ty.” Owen’s voice was more urgent as he stepped beside him. “Are you okay?”

No, he wasn’t, but an honest answer would only invite additional questions he wanted to avoid. Tyler forced a smile and said, “Yeah. I’m great. Let’s go take pictures.”

Owen responded with an excited whoop before he bounded out of the kitchen. Tyler dried his hands and trailed behind him at a more sedate pace so he could coach his body and brain into remaining calm. It felt like every pair of eyes was on them as they made their way toward the booth, which looked even smaller up close. Owen reached for the door just as it swung open. Finley and Kieran stumbled out with mussed hair, swollen lips, and strips of photos in their hands. Clearly, the couples used the cramped space to suck face instead of smiling for the camera. Tyler’s heart skipped a beat before galloping like a racehorse.

“It’s all yours, fellas,” Fin said with a sweeping gesture.

Kieran winked at them as they passed by, and Tyler re-experienced the sensation he was the last to figure things out.

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Friends Like Them, Aimee is giving away 3 e-copies of the release!

 

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

 

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Catch up on the rest of Redemption Ridge with Book 1:
Guys Like Him

Redemption Ridge, Book 1

Kieran Sullivan is broken when he arrives at Redemption Ridge. A wrongful conviction and twenty months in lockup will do that to a man. The ranch is a place for second chances and fresh starts, but for him, it’s an opportunity to discover who set him up. Get in, get answers, and get out. The plan sounds easy enough until Kieran meets an equine specialist whose sunny smile could warm the coldest heart.

Finley Ashe is a sucker for bruised spirits and sad eyes. The horse whisperer and broken-boy magnet is six months into a hiatus from love when Kieran, the king of emotionally unavailable men, gets assigned to work under his supervision. Mutual attraction is gasoline on proximity’s flame, testing Finley’s resistance in new ways.

Priorities shift, shields come down, and truths get exposed. Will the inevitable combustion redeem Kieran and Finley or consume them?

Guys Like Him is book one in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. Guys Like Him contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

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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

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Connect with Aimee:
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Audiobook Excerpt & Giveaway: SOMETHING WICKED by Lily Morton (Black and Blue #3) - Narrated by Joel Leslie

Something Wicked
By Lily Morton

Narrated by Joel Leslie

Black and Blue Series Book 3

After powerful psychic Blue Billings fell in love with Levi Black, he believed their biggest challenges would arise from Blue’s ability to see and speak to the dead. So it’s rather alarming when he and Levi are confronted with a spate of new—and frightening—problems that have to do with the realm of the living.

A sadistic serial killer is stalking their beloved York, and Blue himself is in the killer’s crosshairs. Blue and Levi must race against time to catch the murderer as the deaths increase in ferocity. But when they’re forced from their home, and close acquaintances seemingly disappear like mist over the Minster’s spires, Blue finds that he is completely and terrifyingly on his own, and for the first time in his life, he’s without his powers.

This is the third book in the bestselling Black and Blue series. The books are meant to be read in order.

Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some readers may find triggering.

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Audio UK Link

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Check out the Series on Goodreads

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Excerpt

I relax as I see my Crow—or Bernard, as I’ve christened him. He’s dressed in the black funeral clothes that make him look like a Victorian undertaker. He stands glumly staring up at the house, his body language clearly screaming that if he were wearing a sandwich board, it would state that the end of the world is nigh.

“Evening, Bernard,” I say cheerfully, and he turns to look at me. After a year of seeing him, his empty eye sockets no longer freak me out, but his utter stillness still does. It isn’t normal to be so still. Well, not in this world.

“Any message?” I ask, twirling my house keys around my finger. “Speak now or forever hold your peace, because Levi’s waiting for me.”

He hesitates, and for a wild second, I think he’s going to actually say something.

I hold my breath, as his mouth opens and closes.

My breath leaves me in a shocked grunt as black blood suddenly begins to ooze from his eye sockets. It drips down his wrinkled cheeks in gruesome streams as his mouth opens in a silent scream.

“What the f*ck?” I gasp, stumbling back. My ankle turns awkwardly, and I narrowly avoid jettisoning into the wall. I right myself, taking in great gulps of air.

I glance at Bernard and discover he’s himself again, staring silently up at the house.

“Bernard, that’s naughty. Warn a bloke, will you?” My words are light, but I’d bit down hard on my tongue when I’d stumbled, and there’s a lingering grittiness in my mouth that tastes like fear. He’s never shown me that side of himself before. “I really wish you could talk,” I add. “You’re like the world’s creepiest non-singing telegram.”

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the AUDIO release of Something Wicked, we are giving you a chance to win your choice of any book from Lily’s backlist! Three winners will be chosen!

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About the Author

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven't had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations - Chocolate Baileys.

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New Release: CO-STAR by Ava Olsen

Co-Star

Author and Publisher: Ava Olsen

Cover Artist: Furiousfotog

Release Date: March 20, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance 

Tropes: Friends to enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, second chances

Themes: Coming out, mental health, addiction, healing trauma (not SA) 

Length: 75 252 words/300 pages

Heat Rating:  4 flames   

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

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited 

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

 Love in the spotlight is not made to survive. Will we?

Blurb

Reed: Tate Aduma is a Hollywood actor that everyone wants and no one really knows. Our first meeting as young dreamers sparks a decade of incredible highs and lows. 

I’ve loved him, I’ve hated him, and I can’t live without him. 

But I know that love in the spotlight is not made to survive.

Will we?

Tate: Reed Larkin is the only constant in my chaotic life of movie sets, parties, and nameless lovers. But while being on stage is second nature, being myself in real life is a role I struggle to play. 

Then I’m offered the biggest part of my career, working alongside Reed as my co-star, and my love interest.

This time, however, neither one of us is acting.

Co-Star is a best friends to enemies to lovers, MM romance filled with combustible chemistry, indelible love, and a HEA a decade in the making. 

About the Author 

Ava Olsen writes steamy and dreamy contemporary romances filled with heartwarming characters, cheeky banter and swoony moments. 

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New Release-Review & Excerpt: STACKED by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #2) - Includes Giveaway!

Stacked
By Linden Bell

Mars Fitness, Book 2

Sawyer

I've been in love with my best friend and roommate since the first day of boarding school over a decade ago. But Preston has always been oblivious, obsessed with his PhD research, and more importantly, straight.

When the new, sexy grad student walks into my gym, I have to wonder... is it time for me to move on?

Preston

Some guy is trying to steal my best friend. I won't let him. Sawyer's mine.

Maybe I haven't appreciated Sawyer enough over the years, but that's going to change now. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him by my side. Even if it means kissing him.

Stacked is a best friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening, nerd/jock MM romance between possessive, protective, and co-dependent roommates. Expect the most tender caretaking, slipping into each other's beds in the middle of the night, and adorable clinginess. It is the second book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.

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Excerpt

“Who the hell are you?”

Mom and I spin around at the new voice.

In the doorway is another boy, shorter than me and scrawny. The school uniform he’s wearing is wrinkled, one pant leg is caught in a sock, and the tie is loose and off-center. He’s got a mop of black hair and thick black-framed glasses, but what really catches my attention are his eyes.

They’re blue. Like the ocean. Like the sky. And they’re zeroed in on me with such intensity that my lungs stop working. My brain stops working. The only response I’ve got is whoa and cool.

Beside me, Mom clears her throat and steps forward. She puts on her mom voice when she speaks. “This is Sawyer and I’m his mom, Ms. Paige. He’s moving into this room today. And you are?”

The mom voice works because the boy shrinks back and clutches the textbook he’s holding closer to his chest. “Preston Boyer,” he says, eyeing Mom warily.

“So nice to meet you, Preston.” Then she hooks her thumb over to my side of the room. “Would all this be yours?”

Preston’s eyes dart from Mom to the bed, piled high with clothes, to me. There’s a little furrow in his brow like he’s trying to think of a response and drawing a blank. Like maybe all this stuff isn’t actually his.

Then he blurts out, “You’re not my roommate.”

Mom’s in front of me, so I can’t see her face, but I know exactly what it looks like. Her eyebrows are halfway up her forehead and her lips are pursed into her “What did you just say?” expression.

Oh sh*t. Preston’s in trouble.

“As a matter of fact, he is. Sawyer’s enrolling as a student at Westbourne and he’s been assigned to this double room. So your choices are to become friends and get along or find another room to sleep in. Either way, you need to move your things. Now.”

With each word coming out of Mom’s mouth, Preston shrinks into himself even further. I kind of feel bad for him, even if he’s being a jerk. Getting on Mom’s bad side is never a good idea.

“Hey, Pres. What’s taking so long?” A pretty blond girl wearing a cheerleading uniform materializes behind Preston. It takes a second for her to notice me and Mom in the room. “Oh! Hi! You must be Sawyer.”

She squeezes past Preston and approaches Mom with a big smile plastered on her face. The girl is brave. “I’m Madison. Preston’s girlfriend.” She extends a hand for Mom to shake, then does the same with me.

“Mads!” Preston hisses like Madison is consorting with the enemy. “What are you doing?”

Madison glances back at him. “I’m welcoming them. Come on, Pres, don’t be a jerk. You knew you were getting a roommate.”

“No, I didn’t!” Preston shuffles into the room, staying behind Madison like she can protect him from Mom. Madison looks like she can hold her own, but no one can stand in Mom’s way if she’s determined.

“Yes, you did.” She rolls her eyes and turns to the mess on Preston’s desk. “The Residence Office sent you a letter, remember?”

She shuffles through his things, tossing them around as Preston’s expression grows pained. He’s probably one of those people who has some weird ass filing system that only makes sense to them.

“Here it is!” Triumphantly, Madison holds a crumpled piece of paper high in the air. It’s the same thick cream-colored stuff that my acceptance letter was printed on. “Sawyer Paige. Moving in September twentieth. Please clear away any personal items that have been stored on the other side of the room.”

As one, we all stare at the personal items that have definitely not been cleared away.

Silence stretches for long moments before Madison breaks it. “No worries! I can help! It shouldn’t take too long.” She marches over with a big grin and grabs a stack of books off the desk.

“No! Wait!” Preston drops the textbook he’s holding and reaches for the ones in Madison’s hands. “You can’t just move stuff around! I have a system!”

Ha. Called it. This guy is strange. Living with him is going to be a drag, but at least I don’t have to worry about being the token loner.

“Fine, here, I’ll hand you the stuff and you put it wherever you want, okay?” Madison takes him by the shoulders and spins him around so he’s facing his side of the room again. “Just keep it all over there.”

Did she say she was his girlfriend? How the hell did a confident, pretty cheerleader end up with this disaster of a guy? I exchange a look with Mom, who has to be thinking exactly the same thing.

Then she sighs and pats me on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re all going to get along just fine.”

It’s going to be a long year.

 

Carra's Review

I just want to say right off the bat that I adored Sawyer and Preston together.  Okay, with that out of the way (because I couldn’t wait to say that), this is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I did enjoy the story, writing style, and characters.  Plus having the nerd/jock setup coupled with best friends to lovers…that’s a combo that I couldn’t pass up.

I found Preston especially intriguing, with the way his brain works and where he places his focus at any given time.  He gets so wrapped up in his research, totally absorbed and fascinated by what he is doing.  Sawyer takes wonderful care of him, and while yes Sawyer admits early on that he’s in love with Preston (to us readers), he’s also keenly aware that Preston is likely not into guys—though Sawyer continues to hold on to the tiniest glimmer of hope.

Yes, Sawyer has dated and hooked up with plenty of guys over the years, knowing he likely will never have anything more than friendship with Preston.  And yes, as the book starts off he starts seeing someone, which I wasn’t a fan of but it does act as a catalyst for the story.  Once Preston has his “a-ha” moment about what Sawyer means to him, everything from there becomes all about their relationship’s change from supremely close best friends (really codependent) to even closer lovers.

At that point the word to describe Preston I would choose is “enthusiastic”.  As in, get ready for a lot of physical scenes that are incredibly hot.  As yummy as those are, we also get to see a shift with Preston, and through the entire story his character is the one that experiences the most growth.  He realizes his true feelings for Sawyer, starts to adjust his behaviors around others to come out of his tunnel-vision-research mode, and even has a moment with his parents that has been building for quite some time.

Overall Stacked was a very strong 4-star read for me.  Preston is one of my favorite characters I’ve read so far this year, and he and Sawyer together are perfect.  While this book is part of the Mars Fitness series, it can definitely be read as a standalone and I’d recommend it to any M/M romance fan.  This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Stacked, Linden is giving away 3 e-copies of the release!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

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Check out Book 1 in the Mars Fitness Series:
Ripped

Sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise.

I thought my life was perfect. I lived with my amazing boyfriend. I worked with my ride-or-die best friend. I was on track to made-it-ville.

Then I came home one day to find my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend.

Now I’m lost with no one to turn to except Donnie, the silver fox who lets me crash at his house until I can figure out what the hell went wrong and how I’m supposed to fix it.

But once I’m there, I’m not sure I want to leave.

Donnie’s a lot older than me and he’s still grieving the death of his husband. My life is a trash fire and my career is non-existent. He’s a svelte spin instructor and I’m a film geek. We couldn’t be more different, but we need each other like we both need to breathe.

So maybe my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Maybe it was the best. It brought me to Donnie.

Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, opposites attract MM romance between roommates who cuddle on the couch while watching classic movies. Expect steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand new starts. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.

CW: off-page sudden loss of a spouse, off-page homophobia, cheating secondary characters. Happily ever after guaranteed.

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About the Author:

Linden Bell writes contemporary MM romances that heat you up and make you smile.

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New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: MINT TO BE by F.A. Ray (Boyfriend Café #4)

Mint to Be
By F.A. Ray

Boyfriend Café, Book 4

I’ve given up on love by the time tall, dark and handsome sweeps me off my feet — literally.

Mal

Everyone around me is sickeningly in love. And I’m happy for my friends. I really am. But when is my turn coming? Why am I still a disposable hookup?

I’m ready to give up on love entirely by the time a bunch of drunk jocks decide to jump me on my way home from the Boyfriend Café. But before a single punch can fall he sweeps in, my dashing hero, my literal tall, dark and handsome, the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.

Please tell me this isn’t a dream.

 

Omari

The second I hear a scream I run toward it without thinking. My own teammates are threatening someone, and I rush in to stop them. But the man I save is … beautiful. And funny. And smart. And he brazenly gives me his phone number right then and there.

He has no idea that he just gave his number to the most hunted man at this university.

I’m Omari Carter, a football player everyone assumes is destined for the pros. Scouts are hounding me. Coach is pushing me to decide on my future. My whole family is depending on me. But Mal doesn’t know or care about any of that.

With all the expectations weighing me down, I don’t have time for love. So why can’t I walk away from this?

Mint to Be is an opposites attract MM romance with a major size difference, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, an athlete meeting a lovable fashion nerd and spicy open door scenes.

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Excerpt

Broccoli cocks his hand back. I stumble away, but I’m not looking and my foot catches on the curb. I fall backward onto the sidewalk, screaming in terror as I thump to the ground. It’s a real scream, too, a full-throated shriek of panic as my doom approaches. I cover my head in my hands. It won’t do a bit of good, but I don’t have anything else to protect myself with. I can’t run. I can’t hide. I can’t talk my way out of this. When that fist comes down on me, I’m pulp on the sidewalk.

“Hey. Assholes.”

Everything stops as someone shouts at the football bros. Broccoli hesitates, his fist in the air, his dumb neanderthal face going slack with surprise as he sizes up the man sprinting toward us like his shoes are on fire. Seriously, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone that fast in my life.

He doesn’t slow down when he reaches the group, either. He keeps running, slamming into Broccoli and tackling him to the pavement. They grunt and shout, but the new guy has the upper hand. He doesn’t seem drunk, for one thing.

“Cut it out, Derek,” New Guy says.

“F*ck, Omari, what the hell? That really hurt!” Broccoli says.

“As much as it would have hurt that dude you were about to punch? What is wrong with you, man? You really think Coach won’t sit your ass on the bench for that sh*t?”

“I don’t know, man. I was drunk. He was in our way. He said some sh*t. I got mad.”

“Well, get un-mad. Real quick. And then get the f*ck out of here, understand?”

Broccoli nods, and New Guy lets him up. I’m still on the ground, mouth agape as I watch this interaction play out. The other guys in the group all mutter apologies before they drag their buddy away. And then it’s just me and that new guy, the one they called Omari.

He turns toward me, and I instantly forget how to breathe.

People jokingly call Albert tall, dark and handsome, but this guy is literally tall, dark and handsome. He might be taller than Albert, and he’s built from nothing but lean muscle. His every movement bears an athlete’s grace. When he looks down at me, his eyes are deep and vast and dark, nearly as dark as his close-cropped hair and beard. He extends one smooth brown hand toward me.

“Are you okay?” he says.

I don’t know how to answer that with my heart flailing around in my chest.

I just got superhero rescued by the most gorgeous man on this entire campus.

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Mint to Be, F.A. Ray's giving away 2 e-copies of the release!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

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About the Author

F. A. Ray started writing fiction as a child and has never stopped. When they aren’t writing, they enjoy rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where they live with their partner and cat.

Visit linktr.ee/faraywrites to find out more. You can also sign up for my Patreon, where I post WIPs, updates, bonus scenes, deleted scenes and short stories that don’t appear anywhere else.

Catch up with F.A. Ray:
linktr.ee/faraywrites

Patreon - Newsletter - BlueSky - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter

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New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: SHAM ROCKED by Alex Winters (Hotblooded Holidays #9)

Sham Rocked
By Alex Winters

Hotblooded Holidays, Book 9

A college dropout and a guitar hero get lucky in their very own St. Patrick’s Day love song…

Hugo Spencer never thought he’d be running his family toy factory and living above a garage at this stage in his college career. Then again, he never thought he’d walk in on his girlfriend cheating on him with some hot new stud—and like it! (Well, the hot new stud part, anyway!) Ever since seeing another man in action, Hugo has been rediscovering long-buried clues that he might not be so straight after all. And when he meets the sexy punk rocker who practices with his band in the garage below his new loft, Hugo can’t help but indulge in his newfound attraction to his very own guitar hero!

Rome Hazard is happy that his gran has finally rented out the loft apartment above the garage where he and his band, Headless Chickens, practice whenever the mood strikes. He’s even happier when he meets the new renter, Hugo, a slim, sexy straight dude who nonetheless makes his heart race faster than a blistering guitar solo! After helping Hugo move in one hot summer day, the two form an instant bond that soon turns into something much more than a mere favor. Can their budding bromance survive their small-town Georgia confines, or will it outgrow even their own pounding hearts?

PUBLISHER NOTE: Contemporary Erotic M/M Romance. Rock Star Romance. Holiday Romance. First-Time Gay. 25,400 words. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

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Excerpt

Rome nodded, realizing they’d somehow inched close enough to touch. “Hmm,” he murmured, suddenly admiring the soft, buttery brown hair atop Hugo’s sweet, pretty head. “I’d settle for something small.”

“Yeah?” Hugo’s voice was a soft, low croak. “Like what?”

“Like running my fingers through your hair, for starters.”

“Oh.” Hugo froze, narrow hip casually leaned against the same counter where Rome stood. “Oh. Wow. That… f*ck, Rome, that… would be…”

“Hot?” Rome murmured, hand trembling as he gently reached out to do just that. “Yeah, Hugo, I think so.”

Hugo nodded and stood, perfectly still, waiting for the mere millisecond or two it took for Rome’s hand to reach his head. His fingertips gently brushed the feathery wisps of Hugo’s hair, soft and fluttering beneath his light touch. Rome could hardly believe this was happening. Here, now, in the middle of the day, without so much as a buzz to spur him along. Instead, he was flying on mere instinct, the thirst and hunger Hugo had talked about burning hot and hard deep within him.

Hugo let out a soft, almost primal moan, his eyelids fluttering as Rome’s fingers slid deeper into his medium-length curls. The feeling was slow, exotic, downright erotic, so new and unexpected after the way Hugo’s homecoming had started less than an hour before.

Rome thought Hugo might lean into the caress, turn it into something inevitably more, but instead, he sagged gently beneath it, as if on sensory overload. Rome knew the feeling, finding it hard to stand himself. Despite his instincts to grab a lock of hair and drag Hugo in for a long, deep kiss, he went the opposite direction, fingertips just gently glancing across his scalp before he pulled his shaky hand away.

“Your turn,” Rome croaked as Hugo quietly opened his half-lidded eyes.

“Mmm, yes please.” Hugo nodded toward the chair beside him. “But you’re too tall, you’ll have to sit for me to rub that pretty stubble of yours.”

“Your wish,” Rome sighed, not just sinking but downright oozing into the chair at his feet.

Hugo stood behind him, gripping the back of his chair as Rome squirmed into place. Warm breath spilled across the top of his head, moments before trembling fingers crept across his crown. Rome gripped the armrests tightly, unprepared for the magnitude of Hugo’s warm, gentle touch and how it might ricochet through every cell of his suddenly squirming body.

“So stubbly,” Hugo narrated, palming Rome’s dome with a warm, doughy hand as his fingers stretched out like spider legs. “Is the rest of you… like this?” Hugo asked, smoothing his hand around Rome’s scalp as if tracing every trace of stubble.

Rome’s voice was pure honey, to match the syrupy sensation as he practically oozed down into his chair. “You’ll just have to find out some time, I suppose.”

“How about now?” Hugo murmured, teasing his hand away as he turned and sank, gently, onto the butcher block in front of Rome.

Rome wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. After all, the whole running his fingers through Hugo’s hair thing had been mere foreplay in the first place, no matter how divine it felt at the time. Still, he was used to playing a little harder to get. “What, right now?”

Hugo nodded, eyes wide and alive and richly hazel in the warm light bathing the small kitchenette. “We don’t have to do anything,” he lied, through his teeth. Or, at least, Rome hoped he was lying. “I just want to see what you look like… down there.”

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Sham Rocked, Alex is giving you the chance to win one of five eBooks of the release!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

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About the Author:

Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!

Website - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest - Amazon - Goodreads

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New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: DARUSS by April Kelley #Dragon Skull MC Daddies #1)

Daruss
By April Kelley

Dragon Skull MC Daddies, Book 1

One is his enemy. The other is his fated mate. Daruss has never had so much to fight for.

Dragon shifter Daruss Oyen has everything to lose. After a rival club starts a war over territory, Daruss is there to fight for the family he’s found. But everything changes after he falls in love with a snarky human named Jude, who happens to be the rival club’s spy.

While he’s determined to keep Dragon Skull MC together and somehow get his boy back, he meets his fated mate along the way. Daruss wonders if a sweet and innocent college graduate could ever go for bad boy biker like him.

But when Jude and Raylee are threatened, Daruss and the Dragon Skulls will have to win the fight if they're going to make it out alive.

Daruss is the first novel in the Dragon Skulls MC Daddies. This steamy Paranormal Romance features a dragon shifter Daddy who’s even more dangerous with his biker family by his side, a sassy human who’s lived a hard life and will do anything to protect a sweet guy like his Daddy’s fated mate, and an innocent college grad who know nothing about bad boys and Daddies. If you like a lot of sexy time between a Daddy and his boys with a happily ever after and danger thrown in, then you’ll love this spicy romance.

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Excerpt

The club was always packed on the weekends. More than just members were allowed to party. Non-members paid for their drinks as well as for other things if someone wanted to take part.

They were getting enough outsiders for Daruss to consider charging for entry. He’d have to bring it up with the guys to see what they thought. They had enough income streams and made a good enough living that every member got a piece of the pie. Charging for entry would put even more money in their pockets.

Skippy was on bouncer duty. There was always one asshole who put his hands on one of the boys. Everyone knew the Dragon Skulls didn’t allow unwanted touches, looks, or anything else for that matter. But a newbie would come along and mess up. Skippy was spoiling for a fight on a normal day. Whenever it was his turn to watch over everyone the cops were called. It had gotten so bad the sheriff called Daruss once a month to get the schedule.

For the time being everyone was having a good time though.

Casper, their resident bartender, had one of the other members help on the weekend. They split the tips and the cash Daruss gave them after the night was over.

Most of the time, whoever helped did so because they needed the money. But Jonik was the one behind the bar with Casper. Daruss knew money didn’t factor in for him.

Jonik had met his mate not long ago. The bonding was fresh. The little guy had a lot of trauma to work through. Part of the process was reacclimating back into society. But the Dragon Skulls clubhouse wasn’t a normal place to be. Still, Jonik’s mate, Wren, sat on a stool behind the bar and watched every move Jonik made as if he thought he would disappear if Wren didn’t keep an eye on him.

Jonik set him up at the music thing they had in the corner. It wasn’t DJ equipment so much as someone’s cellphone hooked up to Bluetooth playing music through the speakers. It worked well enough. Wren did a fantastic job of picking the right tunes for the vibe of the room.

Even Daruss’s boy was dancing. Jude didn’t always. He preferred to drive Daruss crazy with lust by sitting on his lap and grinding against him. Of course, Jude’s idea of dancing was to shimmy and shake as he bent at the waist. Daruss had a front row seat to bare ass cheeks jiggling like they meant business.

Daruss was five seconds away from kicking out whoever was in the club bedroom and having his way with him—that was Jude’s goal.

When Jude danced his way to a standing position again and turned, Daruss crooked his finger and patted his thigh, inviting Jude to come sit on his lap.

Jude grinned and started to close the distance between them. He hadn’t quite made it off the dance floor when an outsider grabbed his arm. Jude’s smile stayed in place for about a second and then he scowled. He said something, pointing to Daruss.

When Jude tried to pull his arm out of the guy’s grasp Daruss was up and out of his seat. Daruss had the man by the throat before he knew what was happening.

People moved out of the way when Daruss lifted him off his feet and carried him to the door. Several of the outsiders’ eyes were wide. There were a lot of humans in the crowd. More than on a normal night. They didn’t know about dragon shifters, so they hadn’t expected that level of strength from Daruss. Especially not with such a big person.

As soon as Daruss was outside, he dropped the guy and then crouched in front of him, letting his eyes and hands shift. “No means no inside the club.”

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Daruss, April is giving away a $25 Amazon Voucher!

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About the Author:

April Kelley writes LGBTQ+ Romance. Her works include The Journey of Jimini Renn, a Rainbow Awards finalist, Whispers of Home, the Saint Lakes series, and over thirty more. Since writing her first story at ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories. If April isn’t reading or writing, you can find her playing with her cats. She also loves hiking. Her cats are leash trained so they go with her wherever she goes.

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