Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! THE CHARLIE BARNES EXPERIENCE, Volume 1 by C.R. Barnes

Happy Holidays! The Charlie Barnes Experience, Volume 1

by C.R. Barnes

Publisher: Beach Book Press

Release Date: July 11, 2024

Genre: Humor/Satire with M/M romance

Tropes: Fake relationship, Lovers to enemies 

Themes: Irreverent Humor, Friendship, Loyalty, Moral Ambiguity, Writer’s Block

Heat Rating: 2 flames (the main characters do have sex a few times but there are no graphic descriptions)

Length: 54 000 words/167 pages

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

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US  |    Amazon UK  |   Universal Link

Available anywhere books are sold, as well as digital library services.

How I Went from Failed Writer to Drug Mule, and Back, Without Really Trying

Blurb

After a shocking event on Halloween night, Charlie Barnes is back in the news for all the wrong reasons. On the bright side, he meets handsome cop Luke. Luke of the blue eyes, perfect nose, beautiful butt cheeks, and, unbeknownst to Charlie, ulterior motives.

Even bad publicity can be good for book sales, according to Charlie's publisher, who promptly moves up the deadline for his next book. A book he hasn't started due to a crushing case of writer's block. Or perhaps he's just lazy, it’s hard to tell with Charlie.

He's got a month to write his next book, decide if Luke is for real, and figure out what to do about the suitcase full of drugs he abandoned at the airport. The pressure is on and the ride is about to get bumpy.

Excerpt

Lying on a beach, soaking in warm summer sun and cool ocean breezes. It’s heaven, until a wave rolls in and crashes on top of me. Next thing you know, I’m gasping for air and choking on my own bath water. Not dreaming anymore.

            Or am I? Is Detective-Too-Good-To-Be-True in my kitchen? Did he draw this bath, light these candles, and leave me in peace long enough for me to drown in my tub? A gentle knock on the door. He must have heard me doing the breaststroke. Before I say come in, he comes in. Not dreaming, not this part.

            “You doin’ okay in here?” He asks with such sweetness I feel guilty for thinking it’s too much. But it is. We’ll work on this later.

            “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Seeing how much water I can get on the floor before the tub falls through it.”

            “Might not sit well with the neighbor.”

            “He’s a bitch. Always complaining about how loud I walk. F*ck him.”

            I toss my hands in the air and give him my best ‘who gives damn’ face and end this part of the conversation with “If he wanted quiet, he should have bought the penthouse.”

            “Since when is the fifth floor of anything the penthouse?”

            Not sweet. This is better.

            “If it’s on the top, it’s the penthouse. Prove me wrong.”

            “I’d rather feed you.” He hands me a towel. He doesn’t leave. A dare.

            I take the dare. I stand up, hang the towel over a hook, and grab my shower handle thing, what is it called? Shower handle, maybe? Whatever it is, I spray myself down, sending water everywhere. He gets wet and starts laughing. As God is my witness, his buttons will be pushed. He can’t take everything in stride.

            When I step out of the tub the room spins. He grabs me by the shoulders and guides my butt onto the toilet, which, thankfully is closed and does not have a candle on it.

            “Sit still,” he commands.

            What? He takes the towel and starts drying me off. I know where this is going, at least for me. I have to stop this. I don’t want to stop this. But I have to. We can’t have sex, there’s lasagna to be eaten. Lasagna is better than sex. But if you’re going to have sex, having it before eating lasagna is better than after.

            We are not having sex. Not tonight. And when we do, I won’t talk about and I certainly won’t write about it. I might mention it, I might even brag, but there won’t be any details. This is neither porn nor erotica. Some things have to be private.

            “I can handle it from here.”

            Disappointment flashes across his face. It didn’t last long, but it was there. Good. He puts a hand on my cheek. His hand is warm, and soft, and big. He kisses me on my damp forehead and says “Then hurry up, I’m hungry.”

            Laughing hurts my ribs and makes me stop. Then he laughs at me, which makes me laugh again. It’s a hot mess of pain and happiness and arousal, and all sorts of other things running around inside my body and banging around my brain. Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes. This is the man for me.

            “Get out before you kill me.”

            He pulls the towel over my head and walks out, still laughing. Quick as I can, I get dry, get dressed, and meet him at the table. There’s a salad, the aforementioned lasagna, a bottle of wine, flowers, and candles. He must have gone shopping because none of this stuff came from my pantry. I’m not even sure I have a pantry. He pours the wine, lifts his glass, waits for me to lift mine and says, “Welcome home Charlie.”

            I pull my glass back “You said that already. Come up with something new.”

            “Geez, Charlie,” he pretends to be annoyed. He’s not annoyed. He’s challenged and he likes it.

            “Here’s to not dying in a Dorothy costume in the parking lot of a seasonally gay nightclub.”

            That’s more like it.

About the Author 

C.R. "Charlie" Barnes studied literature and journalism in college and went to work for a global news organization immediately after graduation. During his time there, the team won a pile of awards and Charlie was on his way to a low-paying, high-stress career in a business he didn’t love. He now spends his time writing fiction because the news was never good, and one thing Charlie likes is a good time. Or at least not a bad time. 

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Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: ENTWINED (Darklight #3) by Sean Ian O'Meidhir & Connal Braginksky

 

ENTWINED 

(Darklight #3)

by Sean Ian O'Meidhir & Connal Braginsky

Release Date: Tuesday, June 18 2024

Publishing Company: Ninestar

Cover Artist: Jaycee DeLorenzo

Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction

Main Genre: Paranormal

Story Type: Novel (>50k)

Word Count: 85100

LGBTQ+ Identities: gay, lesbian

Keywords/Categories: MM, MMM, gay romance, mm romance, paranormal, paranormal romance, PNR, vampires, gay, lesbian, reunited with mother, menage sex scene, fae, witches, war, spiders, voyeurism, public sex, telepathy, psychic ability, psychologist, autism

Blurb

After learning his mother is alive, Cameron, a telepath, travels across the country to find her, accompanied by Nathen, his neurodiverse vampire lover, and Syn, his best friend and sister of the heart. Once there, they find she is involved in a much larger war of her own and has been trying to keep him out of harm’s way for years.

In their quest to help her, they make enemies, of course, but they also find several new allies. And when they are swept up in fae politics and looming war, the result is an entire paradigm shift that will have far-reaching effects on all their lives forever.

Warnings: Trauma, death violence, sex assault, miscarriage, HFN, depression, grief

Purchase Link

Universal Buy Link

Goodreads 

Excerpt

Then Nathen sensed it before he was there. A man standing casually against the railing. Not a man. A vampire. He could see the blood flow like an electrical current through him, so very different than humans or even mages. His tall frame was silhouetted against the city backdrop so he could not quite make out his features except for the piercing luminescent blue eyes that bore into him. He wore a T-shirt, the pattern of which Nathen couldn’t make out, and leather pants that may have been painted on. His biker boots with silver buckles were distracting to Nathen for a moment as one was poised across the other, tip to the ground. He leaned on his elbows, which rested on the railing behind him as if the man didn’t have a care in the world. 

Nathen interrupted Cameron from his midway point into unconscious sleep. “Babe, don’t freak out, and stay still. There’s another vampire in the room. I’m going to see what’s up. Pretend you’re sleeping in case he does something bad. That way maybe you can surprise him.” 

Nathen kept a mental hand on Cameron, trying to keep him calm though he saw the spike of adrenaline through Cameron, blood activating and moving through him quickly, swept with fear and concern. Cameron said, “Gorgeous, no! How am I supposed to surprise him?” 

He could see Cameron’s mind working through various scenarios, though he complied with Nathen’s request and didn’t make a move to get up 

Nathen turned his attention to the vampire. “May I help you, sir? It is awfully late…or early. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting? My name is Nathen.” 

“Nice show.” The man’s velvety voice had a smile to it. “Caught the end. You boys interested in an encore with a new actor? It’s Augustus, or just August, by the way.” He made no move from his position, as if he were a marble statue. Looking closer, Nathen could make out the pronounced bulge tightening August’s pants. 

Nathen drew a blank on how he was supposed to act in this situation. He’d never experienced anything like this, so had no script to follow. Morally this was a gray area, not wrong, but not usual either. He had never had a threesome, and that could be interesting, especially with two vampires. Though it could be too much for Cameron. Would Nathen feel the same way being bitten by another vampire as Cameron did? His mind was going through many probabilities trying to pick one choice. All he could manage to say was “Um…” 

Feeling incredibly exposed, Cameron opened his eyes and pulled the blanket over him and Nathen. “Hey,” he managed, his fair skin mottled with embarrassment. Nathen could tell his thoughts were along the same lines of surprise and confusion which dripped with interest when he saw August. He could also feel Cameron delving into his desires, trying to read his preferences and though he knew Cameron preferred monogamy, the thought of being with both of them tickled through Cameron, alighting his already spent core. 

“Hey yourself,” August said. “You probably need a minute to recover…for that was—” He traced his tongue over his extended fangs and lips before finishing. “—delicious. Was it you who had affected all the humans in the area? It had to be. I haven’t met a thaumaturge in town for quite a while.” 

“I…” Cameron’s mind scrambled. 

“I’ll tell you what, gentlemen. Why don’t Nathen and I give you some of our blood to help you recover faster? Then we can all have a little fun?” August asked. 

About the Authors

Connal Braginsky is a software engineer who lives in San Diego, California. Diagnosed with autism, Connal sometimes struggles in social situations, but has an inner world that is always incredibly rich. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge about many esoteric things, Connal brings his personal philosophies and interests to writing.

Sean Ian O’Meidhir is a psychologist who lives in San Francisco, California. Sean is a hedonist who believes in living for today, living every day to the fullest, and enjoying as many experiences as possible. They have been gaming since adolescence and have written about and played hundreds of lives, reveling in the chance to take on new personalities, dramas, even disorders.

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New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: A TASTE OF DANGER: A Subparheroes book by Morgan Brice

A Taste of Danger: A Subparheroes book

by Morgan Brice

Publisher: Darkwind Press

Cover Artist: Dianne Thies

Release Date: September 5, 2024

Pairing: MM

Tense/POV: third person, past tense, alternating POV.

Genres: Romance, Mystery/suspense, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Tropes: Superhero with minor psychic abilities, odd superhero employment agency, craft brewer, secret agent, shifters, supernatural mobsters, fish out of water, small town

Themes: Learning to trust, balancing love and career

Heat Rating: 4 flames    

Length: 65 000 words

It is a standalone book and does end on a cliffhanger.

It’s part of a multi-author, shared world series Subparheroes, and it also connects to my Fox Hollow series. 

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   |   Amazon UK

An unlikely rookie superhero and a dog shifter beer enthusiast team up to stop a nefarious supernatural plot.

Blurb

Food reviewer Scott Dixon didn’t just lose his job—he started getting premonitions linked to random tastes, a new ability he’s not sure how to manage. When an interview lands him a position using his visions to help people and stop criminals, Scott finds himself chasing bootleggers who create beverages specially formulated to control people with psychic abilities. The trail leads to upstate New York, where he meets a sexy craft brewer who takes his breath away, but might be more than he appears, testing Scott’s trust.

Craft brewer and Belgian Malinois shifter Gage Merrick never fit in with his law enforcement family. He loves beer and spent years developing brews designed to taste good to different types of shifters. When he meets Scott, sparks fly. But Gage’s passion for paranormally optimized beverages raises Scott’s suspicions, threatening their chance at happiness.

Will Gage be the love of Scott’s life, or will their affair leave a bitter aftertaste?

A Taste for Danger is a feel-good paranormal super-powered hero MM romance romp filled with secret agents, found family, good beer, quirky humor, sexy shifters, soulful psychics, and supernatural skullduggery!

This book is part of the multi-author MM Romance SubParHeroes series and is also linked to the Fox Hollow series.

Excerpt

“Ninety-nine, one hundred,” Scott Dixon counted out loud as he checked two more failed job applications off his spreadsheet. He sighed and took a drink of his now cold coffee. “Maybe one hundred and one is the charm.”

Getting laid off from his job as a food reviewer for Taste of the Rainbow magazine, which specialized in reviewing LGBTQ-owned and friendly restaurants, was bad enough. Receiving the notice via text two weeks ago was doubly awful.

Dear Scott—

We regret to inform you that due to declining advertising revenue, your position as a full-time food reviewer has been cut. You are free to re-apply to submit work-for-hire articles on an ad hoc basis at our freelance rate. Your keycard and network access have been deactivated. The contents of your desk and cubicle will be boxed and mailed to you. If you had personal items elsewhere, please let us know, and we will include them in the box. Please do not return to the office as you will not be permitted to enter. We wish you well in your new endeavors.

Since Scott had been in charge of hiring freelancers, he knew how their rate compared to his salary. Even if I freelanced the whole damn magazine issue, it wouldn’t pay what I’ve been making. He muttered several extremely impolite descriptions of his former boss as he got up to refill his cup. “Text messaging toadie. ’Fraidy cat f*cker. Anti-social asshole.”

To add insult to injury, his car needed repairs, putting a dent in his emergency stash. The unexpected expense of buying a new shirt and jacket for in-person interviews drained his funds further, even though he had found them at a consignment store.

Scott cut every subscription except his e-book and inventoried his cupboards and freezer for cheap meals so he could skip grocery shopping. Despite that, and even if he picked up some other freelance gigs to tide himself over, he couldn’t go more than a couple more weeks without a real job.

Scott didn’t want to sleep in his car or beg friends to let him couch surf, but that possibility loomed large unless something showed up real soon. He had less than thirty dollars in his wallet, and there wasn’t enough left on his credit card to pay rent.

A fast-food gig wouldn’t pay the rent, and it would eat up time I could use to job hunt. He hated the idea of pawning any of his gaming equipment—that was a last resort.

His phone rang, and he didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

“Scott Dixon? This is April from SPAM. We received your resume and are very impressed. I’m calling to offer you a full-time, salaried position with very generous health benefits and paid vacation. We’d like you to start immediately, and there’s a signing bonus to ease your relocation to Albany.” She named the salary and bonus. Scott nearly swooned at the amount, a hefty upgrade from his most recent salary.

“SPAM?” Scott’s mind whirled, trying to remember if he had sent a resume to Hormel. Even if he hadn’t, he had heard good things, and the offer had everything he needed. “Albany? I mean, yes, thank you. Sure. I just need to pack. Thank you.”

“How quickly can you come for orientation? We have a project we’d like you to head, and it needs someone to take over in a few weeks.”

“I can be in Albany in two days, just need to wrap up some things here in Rochester.” Scott was still reeling from the sudden reversal of fortune. “Can you please send me something in writing?” he remembered to ask, wary because he had heard about hiring scams.

“Of course,” April said. “I’ll have a confirmation letter out to you this afternoon. Congratulations, and welcome to SPAM.”

Scott stared at his phone for a few minutes after April hung up. I have a job—and a raise. I’m moving to Albany. Holy sh*t—I’ve got a job!

About the Author

  

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic and urban fantasy, with less romance, more explosions.

All of the modern-day Morgan Brice and Gail Z. Martin series crossover, so characters from one series appear in cameos and on page in important secondary roles in books from other series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but the more you read the more the expanded universe of friendships and connections becomes clear. 

Morgan and Gail believe that paranormal elements make any story even better, and her worlds are full of ghosts, psychics, shifters, creatures, vampires, monster hunters, and magic. 

She's also a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural. (Chibi art by Kamidiox)

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Book Review: ANGEL'S SHARE by Layla Reyne (Agents Irish & Whiskey)

 

ANGEL'S SHARE

by Layla Reyne

Husbands Aidan Talley and Jameson Walker team up again as Agents Irish & Whiskey for their most precarious case yet in this established couple gay romantic suspense novel.

FBI agent Aidan Talley just wanted to spend the holiday weekend cheering on his husband’s basketball team. Instead, he’s investigating a cargo theft for the family business and coming face-to-face with a loose end from the case that almost tore him and Jamie apart.

Coach Jameson Walker may spend his days on the sidelines now, but Jamie refuses to stay there when it comes to his husband. When Aidan is cornered by his past, Jamie will do whatever it takes to ground him in the present, including stepping back into his hacker shoes for the Bureau.

Aidan and Jamie thought they’d seen it all, but the City of Angels has more than one ghost in store for them. As revenge and redemption collide, Agents Irish and Whiskey will have to trust in their love and their partnership to solve the case for the family they have, for the one they lost, and for the one they want to call their own.

Angel’s Share is the final book in the Agents Irish and Whiskey LGBTQIA+ romantic suspense series. While it can be read as a standalone, it is best enjoyed after reading the other books in the series.

Purchase Links

Amazon US - Amazon UK - Apple Books - Nook - Kobo - Google Play - Layla Reyne's Store - Universal

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Carra's Review

One of the most satisfying things for me as a reader is when I can revisit existing couples to get one more glimpse into their lives.  The great thing about Angel’s Share is that we get more of Aidan and Jamie while the author gives us a fresh storyline.  That makes it so very easy to sink right back into the world of Agents Irish and Whiskey once again.

I love how they each keep each other grounded, knowing the other is there for them no matter what.  Their bond is as solid as ever without feeling overdone, and they are as hot together now as they’ve ever been.

It was great getting to see all of the supporting characters again as well.  The author has created a great network of characters from their different series that continue to be there to reinforce our guys every step of the way.  

In Angel’s Share you’ll find the suspense and excitement we’ve all come to expect in this author’s works, and for me I was totally engrossed in the story from start to finish.  This was a great way to wrap up things for Aidan and Jamie as things come full circle, though I’d never be surprised if they were to pop up somewhere else in this author’s other stories again.

5 stars for Angel’s Share, it’s a perfect end for one of my favorite couples!

About the Author

Layla Reyne is the author of What We May Be and the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Fog City, and Perfect Play series. She writes sexy, intense LGBTQIA+ romance featuring competent adults in kitchens, sports arenas, car chases, and other high-stakes situations. Whether it’s adrenaline-fueled suspense, rival athletes, vampires and shifters in alt-realms, or love mixed with mouth-watering foodie goodness, queer folks finding happily-ever-afters is guaranteed.

 

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