text:
Tag: GLBT Suspense
The Reluctant Royal
Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead
General Release Date: 26th January 2021
Book Length: SUPER NOVEL
Genres: CONTEMPORARY, GAY, GLBTQI, ROYALS, THRILLERS AND SUSPENSE
As an unseen enemy draws near, a royal bodyguard must choose between duty and love.
Risking his life to save a princess is all in a day's work for Sergeant Joe Wenlock, a Close Protection Officer detailed to protect the royal family. After months of recovery following his brush with death, Joe's ready to return to duties. But Alejandro Fuente-Sastre, as infuriating as he is fabulous, is the last royal Joe wants to be assigned to.
Alejandro isn't quite the sort of queen that the British royal family is used to, but when Joe learns that Her Majesty's step-grandson is also drag bombshell Paloma Picante, it makes his job a whole lot tougher. But is there more to Alejo than sulking and sequins?
When Alejandro's life is threatened by an unseen tormentor who progresses from internet trolling to arson and violence, Joe must keep his charge safe from harm.
Living in close quarters with the man he shouldn't be falling for, Joe begins to discover his true self. But as Alejandro's enemy prowls ever nearer, Joe must make the impossible choice between duty and love.
Reader advisory: This book contains instances of homophobia and homophobic language, cyberbullying and threats, harassment, terrorism, drug use and abuse, Islamophobia and suicide. There are mentions of domestic abuse, including physical, emotional and gaslighting.
Joe took another sip of tonic water. He wished it contained gin, because being the only sober person at the table was hardly his idea of fun, but as he watched the bottle of champagne being passed around, he knew he didn't really want any alcohol anyway. He couldn't go back to work the worse for wear. Not after months of sick leave. Best foot forward, as his dad would say.
And it wasn't only his decision not to drink that made Joe an oddity at the table. These were all Wendy's friends, out for her birthday. Solicitors, legal types, who'd spent most of the evening already talking shop. Joe looked on, his mind on other things. Would he cope on his first day back? Would they trust him to ever do a good job again?
"So, Joe, we're taking bets on who you're going to be coddling next week!" Wendy put her second bottle of Prosecco on the table and settled into her seat. Her leg brushed Joe's momentarily and she shifted, putting air between them again. "Izzy thinks one of the Fergie duo. Barnaby's bet his bonus on Wills and Kate. I think it's going to be the queen. The top job for a top bobby!"
"I don't know yet." Joe shrugged. "Maybe one of the corgis?"
"I bet you do know, and you're teasing us!" Wendy's friend Jemima brayed. "Have you signed the Official Secrets Act?"
Joe turned the plastic stirrer through his fizzing drink, rattling the ice cubes against the glass. He didn't pester Wendy's friends about confidential matters, so why did they think he was fair game? "As you know, if I had, I wouldn't be allowed to say."
"Whoever it is," Wendy told them, "let's hope they don't put my poor old hubby in hospital again! He's getting too old to play the action hero!"
Wendy's friends laughed, and Joe tried to look happy, but he really didn't want to be reminded of the accident. The headlamps coming straight for him in the evening darkness—and after he'd pushed the Duchess of Albany out of the way, there had been no time for Joe to leap aside. Just that crushing pain as the car slammed into him. Joe had slumped over the bonnet and found himself eye to eye with the idiot who'd just tried to deliberately run down the duchess.
"He's not that old!" Verity giggled. She patted Joe's leg and he tried not to flinch. "And still in fine form, too, Wendy, you lucky thing!"
"Lucky old me!" Wendy's smile looked like a grimace. How would she know what form her husband was in when it had been over six months since they'd so much as kissed, let alone more? She refilled her glass and whispered to Joe, "For God's sake, have a real drink."
"Come on, you know I can't," Joe replied. "I can't risk it. First day back and all that."
"It's my birthday." Her pink lips grew thin and she drew in a deep, sharp breath, as sharp as her fresh blonde bob. Then she put her lips to his ear and hissed, "Stop showing me up, Joe, have a drink."
"I'm drinking a stunt gin and tonic. That's enough." Joe held up the glass. It had the brand name of a well-known gin printed down its side. "They do tests, you know. I want to be nice and clean when they poke through my bodily fluids, thank you very much."
"Barnaby!" Wendy subtly turned away from her husband, the centre of attention all over again. He was dismissed, just as he had been so many times over the five years of their miserable married life. "So, we're all dying to know how your Tokyo merger's going. It's all everyone's talking about. Tell us all the latest from the front line of big money!"
Joe sat his glass down on the table. The last thing he cared about was Barnaby and his bloody merger, which he'd heard snippets of for weeks as Wendy had made business calls at home. Barnaby this, Barnaby that, 'Barnaby's going places.'
So am I.
Joe nudged his seat back and stood to leave. Verity glanced at him, as if she was surprised he was going, but her attention turned to Wendy and Barnaby. Joe wasn't sure where he'd go, but he needed fresh air. He wanted to be away from loud drinkers, away from Wendy's carping. His head was pounding and as he stepped outside the pub, a car drove by close to the kerb. He instinctively jumped back, pressing himself against the wall behind him.
Calm down, Sergeant Wenlock, he told himself.
The night was cold, as cold as the pub had been hot, and Joe took a deep breath of autumn air. London tonight seemed even more surreal than ever, the streets a curious mix of the same well-dressed professionals who filled Wendy's group and those who had embraced Halloween, escaping the real world in the form of cats and devils, vampires and aliens, some already stumbling, others only just starting out. And there in the middle of them was Joe, who would rather be anywhere else but there.
Maybe Joe should've thrown aside his tweed jacket and sensible open-necked shirt for a costume. He'd have made quite a good Frankenstein's monster, maybe, though that said, when he'd first been taken to hospital and had plaster casts and bandages in places he hadn't thought possible, he'd have been a brilliant cursed mummy.
Joe decided to go for a wander. Once he was working again, he'd have little time to call his own. He'd take his freedom when and where he could. Music blared from pubs and bars, people laughed, taxis pulled up and disgorged their passengers. And up ahead, someone was shouting.
Bloody people, can't hold their drinks.
"Don't you ever, ever bloody do that again! Do you hear?"
It was a man's voice up ahead. Joe could see two figures, one in a black suit with a skeleton painted on it in white. He was wagging his finger—jabbing it—at the red-headed woman walking beside him in heels so high Joe wondered how she didn't fall flat on her face.
"It's so important to me, so fucking important, and all you have to do is just nod, and instead, you're pissing about, making a fucking joke of yourself!"
"I'm sorry!" Her voice sounded almost desperate and she recoiled from her companion's stabbing finger, jerking away as though it were the blade of a knife. She hurried after the skeleton when he stalked onwards, scooping up the silken hem of her shimmering red evening gown to follow. "Don't be angry, I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry!" he mimicked. Joe could almost see him in profile. The man's face was disguised by makeup that turned his face into a skull.
Seemed a bit rich for him to be accusing someone of making a joke of themselves.
"The man's an investor in my film, and I wanted him to know that I'm serious about my art, and then you're there hanging over my shoulder, interrupting and gobbing on about God knows what!" The man clenched his hands. Even they were tricked out in skeleton makeup. "Why do you wind me up like this? You do it on purpose, for fuck's sake, then it's all I'm sorry! Well, you bloody well will be!"
"He was laughing too," the woman said, a fresh note of desperation in her sing-song voice. No, not desperation. Fear. "He was having a good time, you're not thinking straight! Just—please, don't be like this!"
"My thinking's perfectly clear!" The man gave a long sniff then, and Joe knew exactly what was going on.
The drugs are talking.
The man stopped where he was and raised his hand at the woman. The way she flinched back told Joe that this wasn't the first time it had happened. As she drew away, he saw her makeup clearly, a glamourous sugar skull in a rainbow of colours that nearly took his breath away.
"Please don't," was all she said.
Joe increased his pace. The man's raised hand trembled but in a split second he slapped the woman across her painted face.
Joe ran.
He was on the couple in only a few steps, and interposed himself between them. He didn't look back at the woman, but could hear her frightened breathing just behind him. "That's enough. Time for you to go."
"And who the fuck are you, James Bond?" the man sneered.
"I'm not going to stand around and watch a bully like you slap a woman." Joe clenched his fists, resisting the temptation to give Skeletor a taste of his own medicine.
"A woman? That's a fucking joke. She's a drag queen—a bloke!"
Joe turned to look at the woman.
A bloke?
Was she?
Eleanor Harkstead
Eleanor Harkstead likes to dash about in nineteenth-century costume, in bonnet or cravat as the mood takes her. She can occasionally be found wandering old graveyards. Eleanor is very fond of chocolate, wine, tweed waistcoats and nice pens. Her large collection of vintage hats would rival Hedda Hopper's.
Originally from the south-east of England, Eleanor now lives somewhere in the Midlands with a large ginger cat who resembles a Viking.
You can follow Eleanor on Facebook and Twitter
Catherine Curzon
Catherine Curzon is a royal historian who writes on all matters of 18th century. Her work has been featured on many platforms and Catherine has also spoken at various venues including the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Dr Johnson's House.
Catherine holds a Master's degree in Film and when not dodging the furies of the guillotine, writes fiction set deep in the underbelly of Georgian London.
She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill.
You can follow Catherine on Facebook and Twitter and take a look at her Website.
Enter to win a FREE Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead romance book!
Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead Giveaway
ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A FREE CATHERINE CURZON & ELEANOR HARKSTEAD ROMANCE BOOK!
Notice: This competition ends on 2nd February 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.
Posted on January 27, 2021 January 27, 2021 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, Pride PublishingTagged Catherine Curzon, Eleanor Harkstead, First for Romance, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Suspense, Gay Thriller, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Thriller, Pride Publishing.
His Dark Reflection by Heloise West Release Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway!
His Dark Reflection
Series: Heart and Haven 03
Author: Heloise West
Publisher: NineStar Press
Length: 66100
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, action, blue-collar, law enforcement, mystery, crime
Disgraced FBI agent Nick Truman failed to save his sister, who was held hostage by a drug cartel until he could give them Alex Crow, who eluded him. His epic downfall lands him in witness protection, where he plays by the rules and keeps to himself. But the murder of his neighbor brings danger to his door. He unexpectedly finds himself the champion of innocents and helplessly attracted to the homicide detective in charge of the case. Nick knows it won't end well.
Homicide Detective Hank Axelrod is good at digging out secrets, maybe because he hides a big one of his own. He also suspects his husband has one foot out of the door of their marriage and the specter of single life looms unpleasantly on the horizon.
A murder resembling a previous one brings Nick into his world, a man who claims to be a mystery writer looking for a real-life resource. Hank's instincts say he's more than that, and he's rarely wrong.
Torn between the errant soon-to-be-ex husband and the distracting, sexy stranger, Hank needs to focus all his attention on his murder case before he becomes the next victim.
His Dark reflection, Heloise West © 2020, All Rights Reserved
Hank rattled the keys in a one-handed grip to shake loose the house key from the rest. No lights on in the house and beyond late for dinner—starving and sleep deprived too. In his other hand, he held a thick file of case notes because the night wasn't over for him yet. At least Len had left the porch light on.
After letting himself into the house, he placed the file on the end table, keys on top, and toed off his shoes. The windbreaker he shrugged out of hadn't done much to keep the spring cold off.
The rocking chair in the living room creaked. Hank spun around, hand going to his holster.
"Easy, cowboy." Len yawned. He snapped on the table lamp beside him. "I fell asleep. What time is it?"
"Jesus, Len. It's two in the damn morning. Let me put this away." At the bottom of the closet, the gun safe sat on a shelf. He knelt, spun the dial, and tucked the gun away. When he turned, Len stood, arms across his chest, brown hair tousled. Another yawn stretched his mouth wide. Hank, tired to the marrow, pulled Len into a bone-crunching hug, and Len laughed against his shoulder.
Relief tickled through him. On the drive home from the station, he'd feared the house would be empty. He inhaled the scent of Len's pricey shampoo—vanilla and sweet tobacco with a hint of whiskey. His heart twisted with anxiety.
"I'm sorry. I—"
"You got caught up, I know. 'Sokay." Len yawned again. "But I'm beat. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed wants me in bright and early tomorrow, so…" He stepped away from Hank's embrace. Hank let him go with reluctance. "There's lasagna and meatballs in the fridge. Or maybe you're ready for bacon and eggs?"
"Neither. Both. I'll figure dinner out while I read the case notes again. I need to make sure this guy doesn't walk."
Len turned around. "Hon? I know. You'll be great. You always are. Night."
"Night," Hank responded as he picked up the paperwork. He sat in the rocker Len had vacated with the file in his lap and fell asleep with the first page between his fingers.
He awoke with a snort, thinking he'd heard Len's muffled laughter and smiled. When he glanced at his watch, twenty minutes had passed since he'd first sat down. He'd sleep in tomorrow, but he still wouldn't have caught up on all the sleep he'd lost over this one. Hank stood and stretched his aching muscles, contemplating a shower, but his deepening desire for bed and maybe sex to relax him led him into the bedroom and not the kitchen. Len's nightstand lamp glowed, and his side of the bed rumpled but empty. Len's soft giggle came from the other side of the bathroom door.
Hank rapped his knuckles against the oak. "Hey, babe?"
The toilet flushed. "I'm washing up! Be right there."
A cold weight settled into Hank's belly at his husband's rushed, edge of guilty tone, slithery and with pointed scales brushing against his tender insides—a too-familiar feeling tilting the world on its axis. The bathroom door opened, and Len came out wreathed in the scent of mouthwash and minty toothpaste. "All yours." He smiled but wouldn't meet Hank's eyes, making it all the harder for Hank to dislodge the sick feeling in his stomach.
"Who were you talking to?"
Len turned away from Hank. "One of the new interns drunk-dialed me. She's a hoot, so we talked. Come to bed, Hank. You must be wiped out." He slid between the sheets and pulled on the covers on Hank's side.
Liar, the serpent in his belly whispered.
"I fell asleep in the rocker, so yeah, I guess I am." Too tired to fight, he gathered up pajama bottoms and a T-shirt and headed into the bathroom. When he came out, Len lay facing away from Hank, his breathing even. Maybe asleep. Hank doubted it as he climbed into bed turned away from Len, his eyes wide in the darkness.
Hank slept later than usual, exhaustion stealing any memory of dreams he might have had. When he awoke, Len had already gone to work. What had Hank been so afraid of last night?
He went into the kitchen and started up the coffee. Not the first time one of Len's friends had called drunk or upset. Len had a lot of friends. They helped him through Hank's late nights. Although their marriage went to hell last spring, in the end, love forced them to work things out. Hank believed in Len, still believed the tearful, heartfelt promises of renewed fidelity.
He shoved a bagel into the toaster oven. But—he plopped down on a kitchen chair as if his bones had untied themselves—why did he have such a weird feeling last night? A couple of weird feelings, actually.
He'd believed Len when he returned to him and promised fidelity. Yet, he spent too much time with liars, thieves, cheats, and murderers, so maybe the distrust had rubbed off on him?
Or should he stick with his gut feeling Len had more to hide? It wouldn't be the first time…but he'd hoped they'd done with the past. Ugh, second-guessing himself again. He couldn't afford the drain on his confidence today.
The toaster oven tinged. With a fork, he dragged out the bagel. He loaded it with butter and the homemade strawberry jam his mother had made.
He didn't trust much of humanity, long before he'd become a cop. Hank didn't want the scum bleeding into their relationship. Distrust bred more distrust. He often found it tough to leave the hard-guy persona behind at the office, to let his softer side out around Len. It'd been difficult when they first met, but Len had been patient. Well, Hank would be patient too. What if a family issue had set off Hank's alarms, a secret Len didn't want to share yet?
He'd demolished the bagel as the wheels turned in his head. Sucking on his sticky-sweet fingers of one hand, he opened the fridge with the other for a second bagel. Last night's dinner sat wrapped in cellophane on the shelf.
He had to talk to Len. But first, where did he leave the damn file?
NineStar Press | Books2Read Universal Link
Heloise West, when not hunched over the keyboard plotting love and mayhem, dreams about moving to a villa in Tuscany. She loves history, mysteries, and romance. She travels and gardens with her partner of fifteen years, and their home overflows with books, cats, art, and red wine.
Posted on November 5, 2020 November 5, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, NineStar PressTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery Romance, Gay Re-Release, Gay Suspense, Gay Thriller, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery Romance, GLBT Re-release, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Thriller, Heart and Haven series, Heloise West, Ninestar Press.
Mr. Perfect by Aimee Nicole Walker Blog Tour,
Sinister in Savannah Series, Book Two
Aimee Nicole Walker
LGBT Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 09.18.20
Cover: Jay Aheer
Photographer: CJC Photography
Model: Brock
Word-slinger. Purveyor of truth. Jaded heart.
By day, Felix Franklin is an investigative journalist. By night, he produces Sinister in Savannah, an investigative podcast, with his two best friends. Felix's life revolves around three principles: fortune favors the bold, honesty is everything, and love is for schmucks.
The podcast is back to investigate allegations that a local businessman is dabbling in money laundering. On the surface, everything about Cameron Spencer, aka The Auto King, appears to be perfect. The trio of trouble quickly learns all that glitters is not gold. Seeking the truth will challenge Felix's convictions and put his life in grave danger. The biggest threat to his well-being isn't an unknown villain; it's the reappearance of his first and only love.
Jude Arrow had it all: great looks, charming personality, and a lucrative career as Atlanta's hottest news anchor. So, why had he recently relocated to Savannah? When the two reporters are forced to work together, Felix will get a chance to ask him. The answer will stun Felix until he remembers not to believe anything that comes out of the heartbreaker's pretty mouth.
Love and hate are two sides of the same coin and just as conflicting as the battle of wills that ensues. Will the chip on Felix's shoulder save him from trusting Mr. Wrong or ruin his chances with Mr. Perfect?
Sinister in Savannah series is a fictional podcast exploring the city's most nefarious crimes with Southern-fried snark. The books explore friendship, love, loss, and the irrepressible human spirit. Mr. Perfect is book two of three. While each book is written about a different couple, the series should be read in order due to continuing storylines. Sinister in Savannah is an LGBT romantic suspense series with mature language and sexual content intended for adults eighteen and older.
Universal Link: http://mybook.to/Mr_Perfect
Felix held up his hand. He didn't want to hear another lie from Jude's beautiful lips. "Just shut up. I've heard enough of your fake apology to last me a lifetime."
"It wasn't a fake apology. It just wasn't the one you wanted to hear," Jude argued, crossing his arms over his massive chest. The move pulled his dress shirt tighter over his bulging biceps.
Goddamned sexy bastard.
Felix quirked a brow. "Okay, we'll call it a non-apology then. How does that work for you?"
"A non-apology?" Jude asked. "What the hell is that?"
"When someone does or says something horrible to you, and you call them out on their bullshit. Instead of saying, 'I'm sorry I hurt you,' the loser pops off with 'I'm sorry your feelings are hurt.' That is not the same thing at all. It's implying the person who's hurt is the one at fault. It's victim-blaming, and I hate it."
Jude clamped his jaw so tightly that Felix was surprised he didn't hear his teeth cracking under the strain. His nostrils flared as he worked to calm himself. After a long, awkward staredown, Jude relaxed his jaw and tersely said, "You're an idiot."
Felix chuckled; the sound filled with disdain. "You'll have to find harsher insults to throw me off my game, Arrow."
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
https://linktr.ee/AimeeNicoleWalker
Posted on October 3, 2020 October 3, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Blog Tour, Excerpt, Self PublishedTagged Aimee Nicole Walker, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Romantic Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Romantic Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Sinister In Savannah series.
Missing In Somerville by A.J. Raven Release Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Missing in Somerville
Author: A.J. Raven
Heat Level: 1 – No Sex
Pairing: No Romance
Genre: YA Mystery, LGBTQIA, mystery, high school, in the closet, crime, young adult, suspense
The young bride of the town's wealthiest man is missing and rumors of her whereabouts are rampant. The whispers of her being killed by her husband and chatter about her running away sound like an interesting story for young Jerry Mathews to write to ensure a place in his school's newspaper team. But peeling away the layers unravels a far more dangerous mystery than Jerry and his friends could have anticipated.
As if dealing with high school wasn't already too much for him, Jerry has to quickly learn that a wrong move during his investigation could end his life.
Warning: abduction/kidnapping, attempted murder, mentions of domestic abuse, and violence/gore
Missing in Somerville, A.J. Raven © 2020, All Rights Reserved
"Jerry, wake up," came my mother's voice, the same voice I'd heard every morning for as long as I could remember.
I groaned.
"Wake up."
"Eeeep, Mom!" I cried. I was in one of my smallest shorts and a vest. "This is so uncool!" I concealed myself in the covers.
"Well, it's not as if I haven't seen what you've got." She smiled and winked at me. "Now get up, or you'll be late for school."
"High school, Mom!" I corrected her, rolling my eyes, ignoring the comment she made about having seen what I had got. "Not school."
"Just get up, dear." She smiled again.
She walked out of my room and down the stairs. Giving my body a good stretch and suppressing a yawn, I got up and went to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt lying on my bedroom floor, and looked at myself in the mirror. A five-foot-seven boy with black eyes, black hair, a not-so-deep cleft in the chin and wearing a pair of glasses looked back at me.
Not bad, Jerry Mathews. I had accepted the fact I wasn't supermodel material a long time ago.
I picked up my backpack and went downstairs to the kitchen, where my parents were having breakfast.
"Ever heard of alarm clocks?" asked Dad, a huge, mostly serious man.
Knowing him, I knew he was trying to make a joke even though he was always awful at them.
"Good morning to you too, Dad," I answered, sitting down at the table between my parents.
"It's not his fault!" said Mom, obviously mistaking Dad's weird, so-called joke for something else. "I like waking up my child in the morning," she continued, pouring me a glass of milk with a smile as I helped myself to some toast. "He's the only one I've got. I want to spend as much time as I can with him before he goes into the world on his own."
Mom and her attachment issues.
Dad must've been rolling his eyes. I couldn't tell because his face was behind the morning newspaper he was reading. The rest of the breakfast went on silently as usual; we were one of those families who preferred talking more as the day went by.
"Well, I'm off," I said, getting up and grabbing my backpack from the floor. "See you both later."
"Have a nice day, sweetie!" Mom called as I reached the front door, followed by a weird grunt from Dad—his way of telling me to stay safe.
He had always been bad at showing his emotions, though Mom did tell me he was quite romantic. That was yet to be proven true as far as I was concerned.
I went out of our house and started walking toward school, taking in the familiar surroundings. I lived in a typical suburban neighborhood. Every upscale house on either side of the road had well-manicured lawns. A few houses had small apple trees. I saw a couple adults in suits getting into their cars for work. A group of five kids laughing at something funny rode past me on their bicycles on their way to school.
"Good morning, Mrs. Dave." I waved at our neighbor across the street. The old woman smiled and waved back as she tended to the flowers in her front yard.
Yup! Life does look the same when you've been living in the same neighborhood since you were born, and that, too, with the same people around you. Even if you don't want to, you're still going to end up knowing everybody living in the neighborhood as time passed and force yourself to have a smile when you see them.
"I knew that was you walking," said a voice from behind me. I recognized the voice, so I slowed down a little to let her catch up.
"Seriously, Jerry, you walk too fast!" said Ash as she reached me.
I smiled; people had always told me I walked fast and, well, a bit weirdly. Weirdly in the sense I, according to them, walked as if I was about to jump in the air after every step. But as far as I was concerned, I walked fine enough, thank you very much. Mom did tell me years ago my weird gait might be because I used to walk on my toes as a child, as if I were wearing invisible heels around the house. That never made any sense to me.
"Your father isn't driving you to school today?" I asked Ash, pushing my glasses up my nose.
"Nah, he had to leave early," Ash answered.
Ash or Ashley Burro-way and I had been friends since kindergarten. She had beautiful brown hair, perfect dark skin, and piercing green eyes. I'd always told her she could be the hottest girl in our school if she tried. But she maintained a bossy air around her and dressed like a boy.
"Hey, did you do the chemistry assignment?" she asked, forcing her short brown hair into a knot behind her head. "I found it quite tough!" she added.
"I know what you mean," I answered. "Who cares how atoms bond together. Why can't we let three-dimensional objects be?"
Ash and I walked on for a few seconds when I heard a car behind us. "Ash, look out!" I yelled, pulling her away from the side of the road as the car zoomed past us. Its tire went through a puddle of muddy water. The drops missed us by inches.
"I bet you twenty dollars it was that jerk, Drew!" growled Ash, glaring at the speeding car as it grew smaller and smaller. "He's been after me ever since I told the principal he and his cronies were smoking near the school bicycle stands."
"Well, you know it might help a lot if you don't feel the necessity to tell on everybody at school," I said, as we both started to walk again.
"It's not my fault the school has rules," answered Ash. "And we as students are expected to follow the rules in order to…"
Blah, blah, blah. I tuned her out. It was something you had to learn if Ash was your friend. She was one of those people who held upholding the rules in high regard. It's not as if I didn't follow the rules; it's that I knew about the line you shouldn't cross unless you needed to make enemies at school.
NineStar Press | Amazon
A.J. Raven is an author who likes to write mysteries with queer characters. He likes exploring leads that have a lot to learn and aren't perfect; they will make mistakes. So, bear with them. You can find A.J. on Twitter
One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
Posted on September 23, 2020 September 23, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, NineStar PressTagged A.J. Raven, Bisexual, GLBT Mystery, GLBT Mystery/Suspense, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Young Adult, Ninestar Press, Somerville Mysteries series.
The Couple Next Door by Rick R. Reed Release Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway!
The Couple Next Door
Author: Rick R. Reed
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, MM romance, author, multiple personality disorder, brothers, murder
Jeremy Booth leads a simple life, scraping by in the gay neighborhood of Seattle, never letting his lack of material things get him down. But the one thing he really wants—someone to love—seems elusive. Until the couple next door moves in and Jeremy sees the man of his dreams, Shane McCallister, pushed down the stairs by a brute named Cole.
Jeremy would never go after another man's boyfriend, so he reaches out to Shane in friendship while suppressing his feelings of attraction. But the feeling of something being off only begins with Cole being a hard-fisted bully—it ends with him seeming to be different people at different times. Some days, Cole is the mild-mannered John and then, one night in a bar, he's the sassy and vivacious drag queen Vera.
So how can Jeremy rescue the man of his dreams from a situation that seems to get crazier and more dangerous by the day? By getting close to the couple next door, Jeremy not only puts a potential love in jeopardy, but eventually his very life.
The Couple Next Door, Rick R. Reed © 2020, All Rights Reserved
How many disappointing dates will I endure before I just give up?
I mean, here I am, a perfectly attractive, fit, self-sufficient thirty-year-old, and I'm still waiting to meet the man of my dreams. Mr. Right. Hell, tonight I'd even settle for that character who seems to come along on dates for most of us, the all-too-common Mr. Right Now. But even he isn't on the seat beside me. In fact, I strongly doubt he's anywhere in the vicinity of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle where I live.
Believe me, I've looked.
Mr. First Date pulls his Ford Fusion up to the curb in front of my apartment building on Aloha Avenue. We sit in awkward silence for several long moments, listening as the engine ticks down as it cools. I can feel him looking at me. As he's done most of the evening, he waits for me to speak. I turn my head and, in the dark, give him a weak smile. The date, dinner at a little sushi place on Broadway, had not gone well, full of uncomfortable silences, awkward pauses, and desperate looks around for avenues of escape—on both our parts.
Do I need to say we just didn't click?
So what he says now surprises me.
"Do you want me to come up?"
Really? We've just spent an hour and a half of agony together, trying to find a snippet of common ground that doesn't exist, and he's wondering if I want him to come up, which we all know is code for "Shall we make the beast with two backs?"
Seriously? The most irksome thing is, I'm considering it. I mean, he's cute in spite of our lack of social connection. He's a games developer for a software company here in town and looks it, with a sort of hipster/geek vibe going on. He has red hair, which I love. He has a beard, which I love. He wears retro glasses, which make him look paradoxically goofy and sexy—which I love.
Would it be so terrible to sleep with him? I mean, it's been at least two weeks since I've enjoyed the charms of anyone other than Mr. Thumb and his four sons, so at least in terms of a release, maybe I should just say "Sure" and open the car door. If things go like some of my dates in the past, he'd follow me upstairs to my apartment and be back in his car in, like, fifteen minutes.
No, I tell myself. And then I tell him, shaking my head, looking sad, and saying the words countless heartbreakers have used over the years to stop ardent passion in its errant tracks.
"I'm sorry, Neil. But I have to get up early." Lamely, I pat his hand. "Maybe another time."
I don't need to be psychic to know that we both know another time ain't gonna happen.
Neil seems relieved as he restarts his car. He shrugs. "It's okay. Club Z's just a couple minutes away, right? Down Broadway and a right on Pike—easy."
He grins at me, and I wonder if he expects me to laugh. Club Z is one of Seattle's filthiest bathhouses, and yes, it's only a few minutes away. He doesn't seem to need directions.
It's my turn to be relieved that I didn't actually succumb to the temptation of inviting this jerk upstairs. Wordlessly, I get out of the car and slam the door behind me.
Neil roars off into the damp and still night.
I pause and sigh, staring up at the building in which I've lived for the past five years. It's an okay place, an old redbrick three story with none of the modern amenities—no stainless steel, granite countertops, or gas fireplaces. My apartment is homey. It even has the original tile, sink, and claw-foot tub in its single bathroom. The living room is large, with three big windows that look out on Aloha and let in lots of light—on the days when we have sun in Seattle (that means usually summer days). The floors are scuffed original hardwood. The kitchen actually has a pantry and built-in china hutch. I've painted the place a cheery, soft yellow.
Upstairs, the TV, with its DVRed episodes of at-odds Sons of Anarchy and Downton Abbey, awaits. Upstairs, there's the gelato I love from Whole Foods in the freezer—hazelnut dark chocolate.
Such is my life. Comfortable and a little lonely.
Sometimes I wonder, like Peggy Lee, if that's all there is.
I head toward the glass-paned front door. I grope in my jeans for my keys. The mail had not yet arrived before I left for my date, and I wonder if there will be any surprises in the vestibule mailbox. You know, like an actual letter from someone, standing out from the usual assortment of bills and solicitations by the cursive spelling out of my name—Jeremy Booth.
My problem is I always have hope, even when there's little reason.
I open the front door, and that's when everything changes. My life turns upside down. I go from bored discontent to panic in a split second.
The first thing I hear is someone shouting "No!" in an anguished voice. I look up from the lobby to see two figures on the staircase above, on the second-floor landing. One is a guy who looks menacing and so butch he could pose for a Tom of Finland poster. An aura of danger radiates from him. Aside from his imposing and muscular frame, he's even wearing the right clothes—tight, rolled jeans and a black leather biker jacket with a chain snaking out from beneath one of the epaulets. His high- and tight-buzzed hair gives him a military—and mean—air. He has his hands on the shoulders of a guy who looks a bit younger and much slighter, making me want to call up the stairs, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The smaller guy, blond and clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms, struggles with his attacker, looking terrified. Their movements, clumsy and rough, would be comical if they weren't so scary. The smaller guy is panting and batting ineffectually at the bigger one.
"Please! No! Don't!" the smaller guy manages to get out, his voice close to hysteria.
I have never seen either of these men before. In fact, the whole scene has the quality of the surreal, a dream. The danger and conflict pulsing down the stairs makes my own heart rate and respiration accelerate, causing feelings of panic to rise within me.
And then the worst happens. The big butch guy shoves the smaller one hard, and all at once he's tumbling heavily down the stairs toward me.
The fall is graceless, and it looks like it hurts. It's over so fast that I'm left gasping.
I look up to see the leather-jacket guy sneer down at his mate, lying crumpled and crying at my feet, and then turn sharply on his heel to go back into a second-floor apartment that had been vacant yesterday. He slams the door. The sound of the deadbolt sliding into place is like the report of a shotgun. Both slam and lock resound like thunderclaps, echoing in the tile lobby, punctuation to the drama and trauma of this short scene.
I switch into Good Samaritan mode and drop to my knees at the sniveling, crumpled mess of a man lying practically at my feet.
"Are you okay?" I ask and reach out to lightly touch his shoulder.
He jerks away and, wincing, pulls himself up into an awkward sitting position. He stares at me with clear blue eyes for a moment, almost as though he's trying to place me. He finally looks away.
"My ankle is throbbing. It hurts like hell. Maybe I twisted it."
I don't know what to say, other than to ask, "Would you like to try and stand? Test it out?"
He nods.
I lean over to grip him under the arms—it's damp there, and I can smell the ripe aroma of body odor, probably inspired by fear or panic—and pull. He comes up with me and then stumbles, wincing and crying out.
"Damn. I might have sprained it when I fell." His eyes are so appealing, in both senses of the word, as he stares at me, as though seeking direction for what to do next. He leans on me, taking his weight off the injured ankle.
I keep my arm around him, and together we limp over to a bench set beneath the bank of common mailboxes. We sit.
"What do you want to do?" I ask.
"I don't know. I think Cole may have locked me out for the night."
Real Men. True Love.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Entertainment Weekly has described his work as "heartrending and sensitive." Lambda Literary has called him: "A writer that doesn't disappoint…" Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his husband, Bruce, and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix, Kodi.
Posted on September 16, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, NineStar PressTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery, Gay Re-Release, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery, GLBT Re-release, GLBT Suspense, Ninestar Press, Rick R. Reed.
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Roses by Heloise West Release Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Roses
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Action/adventure, Established couple, Law enforcement, revenge, crime, vacation
When Hunter and Alex are given the vacation of a lifetime, it's a chance for them to pay attention to romance and get out of danger's path. The tiny Caribbean island of Saba is gorgeous, the first to have marriage equality, and the Sabans are the nicest people on earth. There's lots of rum poolside for relaxing and a room with a mirror on the ceiling for passion. Hot Karaoke nights, cold beer, and new friends.
Orfeo and Max, and Max's sister Talisha, confide a troubling secret. Alex and Hunter want to help. As a hurricane bears down on them, a dead body surfaces and a purple backpack loaded with stolen jewels brings Derek Boyd, a jewel thief, into their lives. He wants his ex-boyfriend Max and the stolen jewels returned before the Russian mobster, who wants his wife's jewels back, can catch up with him and exact his revenge.
Paradise is turning into hell on earth.
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Roses, Heloise West © 2020, All Rights Reserved
The door closed behind the last customer, and the noisy bar returned to silence, a booze-fumed, tacky-underfoot silence where the small noises Alex made seemed twice as loud. His ears rang as he picked up the broom to sweep out the crap on the floor behind the bar.
The front door opened again, and his shoulders tensed. He cursed himself for not locking it when he'd shoved out the last drunk patron, distracted by the e-mail he'd received. A rookie mistake. He groped under the bar for the bat the owner had urged him to use if he suspected he needed to.
"Excuse me," the man in the doorway said. He'd been in the bar earlier, an Asian man along with a rather bland, nondescript white guy.
Alex looked closer, not letting go of the bat. "We're closed. Need me to call a cab for you?"
The man appeared innocuous, but innocuous-looking people could still be trouble. The instincts Alex had honed all those months on the run had stayed with him. Director Flint's warnings about retaliation flashed through his mind.
The guy opened his mouth to answer Alex's question, but someone shoved him from behind before he could speak, and he stumbled. Alex grabbed the neck of the bat.
"Didja ask him? Is it him?" The pushy friend pressed himself forward a few steps, far drunker than his buddy.
"We're. Closed." Alex threw some menace behind the authority in his voice and revealed the bat. The Asian man flinched and grabbed at his friend, who fished in his pocket for something.
"It's him. You. Boy Blue," the drunk man burbled.
Alex froze, shifting gears. He tightened his grip on the bat. Anger fueled his ass up and over the bar to land a few feet in front of the drunk who pulled out a phone, aimed it in his direction, and blinded him with the flash.
"You fucker!" Alex reached out to slap the phone away—too late, because the man had thrust it back into his pocket. Alex smacked the bat against the tiles on the floor. It made a sharp, solid noise, and they both looked at him with drunken, slow-motion surprise. "Get out before I call the cops!"
"Asshole!" The first guy grabbed his friend again, shoved him out the door, and slammed it shut behind him.
Alex locked it this time and leaned against it, heart racing. When it began to slow, he took a deep breath and another, and his temper faded. He had a date tonight, and if he didn't move his ass, he'd be late. Cranking up Dropkick Murphys to exorcise the intruders, Alex cleaned the place out in record time. Once done, he grabbed his phone and clicked on the video text. Happy Birthday! The handmade sign filled the screen. Alex smiled.
Bare feet on their unmade bed. Hunter wiggled his toes, and Alex laughed. The phone camera traveled along Hunter's shins to his knees, all dusted with brown and copper-tinged hair, and as he bent his left knee, the sheet fell from his muscular thigh. Hey, the pointed birthday hat covered his… Hunter stretched like a big cat, and the tip of the hat rocked as he adjusted his hips. Alex swallowed hard, mesmerized as the camera swept across Hunter's hips and flat belly, up the opposite side of his body, past an erect pink nipple, the tattoo, and the hairy armpit, along his biceps, which he flexed, then forearm to wrist and the silver bracelet around it. Alex's heart gave a little lurch, beating faster. His boyfriend had handcuffed himself naked to the bed for his birthday.
Oh, honey. Alex groaned, grabbed his wallet and keys from the cash register, and ran for the door.
He jogged out into the warm June night, the sky clear and sparkling over Delingham as he jumped into the car. He hoped to get home without wrecking the care while Hunter's video replayed in his head. His blood boiled for Hunter.
He drove through the quiet streets. Alex hadn't wanted to come back to Delingham at all, but Hunter's family had made sure the rent got paid on his apartment. At least they had a safe place to go to when Hunter recovered from Dale Markham's accidental gunshot wound. Dale Markham, former FBI agent, rotting in jail—someplace hot, Alex hoped, good practice for when he got to hell. Nick Truman, too, but a big black hole existed where he'd once been. Maybe they had put him in Witness Protection like Nick had hoped. The case against the two men who had murdered Alex's uncle had become a nonissue, since before they could be taken into custody, someone had killed them.
Nothing like thinking about those things to defeat his raging hard-on, so he blasted out Dropkick Murphys again to fuel up the testosterone.
"Here I come, baby," he murmured.
Not finding a parking spot near the apartment building set him seething and grinding his teeth. His lot in life had improved, but not his temper. He dropped the keys twice on the front stairs and made it through the door before he considered alerting Hunter. Alex texted—coming up now—and smiled to think again of Hunter there, waiting, naked, and handcuffed to the bed. They'd talked about playing like this but hadn't got around to it yet. In the video, Hunter had kept the wounded leg covered; he hated the scar, the asymmetry where they'd taken part of the muscle during surgery. Doing better after a pretty deep depression before his physical therapist motivated him on the road to getting back in shape.
Yeah, we're doing good.
Alex kicked away his shoes and whipped off his socks. "It's me!" In the bedroom, both the music and the lights were low. Alex opened the door, grinning from ear to ear. Hunter grinned back at him, naked on the bed, the party hat on his head tipped at a rakish angle. A second set of cuffs dangled off the tips of his fingers. Alex pulled his shirt up and over his head, wrecking his hair, but he didn't care. Hunter's eyes were on him; Alex wanted Hunter drinking him in as much as Alex drank in Hunter. Alex had set himself up with a rigorous workout schedule to prep for the physical part of the special agent application process. He didn't know for sure if he'd get accepted, but the real payoff lay in Hunter's eyes.
Alex worked the zipper of his jeans. "Have you been waiting long?" He stripped off his jeans and underwear.
"I'm fine. Come and have your birthday cake." Hunter laughed, the sexy, dirty laugh Alex loved. Hunter's whole body moved in a sinuous, inviting wiggle, and the cuffs rattled. Alex's cock and heart led him right into the bed like the needle on a compass pointing true north. He straddled Hunter, their legs tangling together in the sheets. He ran his hands over Hunter's bulging biceps; he and Hunter had been working out together.
Hunter, his dream of love, impossible, unreachable. His selfishness for staying with Hunter kept him awake at night, tossing and turning, his head filled with fear. Vargas or Truman would take Hunter from him, from the world, and he'd be left to live out his days without Hunter, knowing he had been the one to cause his death.
Alex kissed Hunter to burn away his fears. When he put his hand down on the bed to brace himself, he touched the second set of cuffs. "I can't believe you did this for me."
"I guess you liked the video?"
Alex froze for a moment, like he had in the bar when the drunk guy had called him Boy Blue. Looking around, he found the webcam on the nightstand beside Hunter's laptop and moved it into the top drawer.
"Ah," Hunter said. "I thought you might want to make a sex tape, you know, for us?" He smiled cute and sexy, but Alex shook his head.
"I want my cake." He nibbled Hunter's neck.
"Did something happen in the bar tonight?" Hunter's eyes were so light blue they appeared gray, but this close they were dark with concern. "You looked worried there for a minute."
"Nothing to worry about," Alex assured him, hoping he spoke the truth.
"Okay?" Hunter bucked his hips under his. "Come on, baby. Let's go. I've been lying here thinking about you and all the things you're going to do to me when you get home."
"You look good enough to eat. And lick." Alex flicked his tongue across the letters of Hunter's tattoo. When he took a hard little nipple in his mouth, Hunter arched his body with a moan, and Alex tightened his thighs around him. Hunter pulled at the cuffs. They rattled again, the play of straining muscle in his arms mesmerizing Alex. He unwrapped Hunter like a present, pulling the sheets from them both until they were naked. As he reached for the lube, he tightened one hand around both their cocks and squeezed and stroked them together. Hunter's groans set his blood on fire, and he strained to keep from sinking into Hunter's ass and fucking the daylights out of him.
"So ready for you." He moaned, arching up against Alex, the heated slide of their skin making Alex shiver. "Come on, tiger."
Alex moved Hunter's wrist to the headboard and cuffed his other hand to the top of the wooden frame.
Monogamy had freed them from the tyranny of condoms. Hunter's hot and ready flesh welcomed Alex, wrapping around his aching cock like a velvet glove, and he pummeled the soft nub of Hunter's prostate until his body fell under Alex's control. No wrestling with his bossy bottom—Hunter took what Alex gave him, and Alex gave everything he had. He stared into Hunter's eyes as he fucked him, the eye contact a live wire between them while he drove into Hunter, so sexy, so much love.
"Coming," Hunter groaned out, tears in his eyes. "Oh, God…Alex…I love you."
Alex couldn't form words. Hunter had melted his brain. Alex stroked him until he came in Alex's hands, crying out his name as orgasm racked his body. Alex didn't hold back anymore and came like a rocket.
Posted on September 2, 2020 September 2, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, NineStar PressTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery Romance, Gay Re-Release, Gay Suspense, Gay Thriller, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery Romance, GLBT Re-release, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Thriller, Heart and Haven series, Heloise West, Ninestar Press.
Ride The Lightning by Aimee Nicole Walker Blog Tour & Excerpt!
Hi guys! We have Aimee Nicole Walker stopping by today with the tour for her new release Ride The Lightning, we have a great new excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
(Sinister In Savannah 01)
Truth seeker. Promise keeper. Guarded heart.
By day, Jonah St. John is a criminal analyst for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. By night, he produces Sinister in Savannah, an investigative podcast, with his two best friends. Jonah's life revolves around three principles: a man's word is his oath, friendships are priceless gifts, and love is for other people.
When the Sinister in Savannah team delves into the thirty-eight-year-old murder of a drag queen, they quickly discover that the story doesn't end with the alleged killer's confession in 1995. Continuing the investigation could have fatal consequences for Jonah and everyone he holds dear, including his irresistible intern.
To love is to lose: a lesson Jonah has learned the hard way. For a decade, he has embraced solitude as his penance for a past mistake. Then came Avery Bradford, a man whose warmth and sunshine infuses Jonah's battered soul and challenges his resistance. Over the past eight months, Jonah has soared closer and closer to Avery's flame until the thing he's feared the most becomes the one he can't live without.
The chill of danger merges with the heat of desire, forming a deadly superstorm. Will Jonah seek shelter or ride the lightning?
Sinister in Savannah series is a fictional podcast exploring the city's most nefarious crimes with Southern-fried snark. The books explore friendship, love, loss, and the irrepressible human spirit. Ride the Lightning is book one of three. While each book is written about a different couple, the series should be read in order. Sinister in Savannah is an LGBT romantic suspense series with mature language and sexual content intended for adults eighteen and older.
Continue reading "Ride The Lightning by Aimee Nicole Walker Blog Tour & Excerpt!" →
Posted on July 9, 2020 July 9, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Blog Tour, Excerpt, Self PublishedTagged Aimee Nicole Walker, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Romantic Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Romantic Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Sinister In Savannah series.
Ride The Lightning by Aimee Nicole Walker Release Blast & Excerpt!
Hi guys! We have Aimee Nicole Walker stopping by today with her new release Ride The Lightning, we have a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
Continue reading "Ride The Lightning by Aimee Nicole Walker Release Blast & Excerpt!" →
Posted on June 24, 2020 June 24, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Book Blast, Excerpt, Self PublishedTagged Aimee Nicole Walker, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Romantic Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Romantic Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Sinister In Savannah series.
Flowers of Flesh and Blood by Amy Tasukada Blog Tour, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Hi guys! We have Amy Tasukada popping in today with her new release Flowers of Flesh and Blood , we have a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Flowers of Flesh and Blood
(The Yakuza Path 05)
Amy Tasukada
A killer. A traitor. A deadly war that could take their love and their lives…
Ruling the Kyoto yakuza makes Nao Murata a perpetual target, especially with the Koreans encroaching into their territory. An attempt on his life at his mafia headquarters crosses a line. Setting up his beloved ally Aki as the would-be assassin crosses another. Nao knows the only way to save his friend's life is to sever their growing bond and force Aki to fake his own death…
But Aki Hisona refuses to stay dead. Determined to expose Nao's would-be killer and save the man he loves, Aki goes deep undercover in the Korean underworld. But when he's asked to prove his loyalty, he risks becoming caught in a web of his own lies…
With Aki gone and the Kyoto mafia in grave danger, Nao fears his trust in others could be fatal.
Will Nao and Aki find the assassin in time, or will Nao's rule end in bloody chaos?
Flowers of Flesh and Blood is the powerful fifth installment of The Yakuza Path thriller series. If you like gritty Japanese crime, richly nuanced characters, and slow-burning gay romance, then you'll love Amy Tasukada's high-octane novel.
Buy Flowers of Flesh and Blood to slice into the Japanese underworld today!
.•.•.**❣ Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Books2Read ❣**.•.•.
Continue reading "Flowers of Flesh and Blood by Amy Tasukada Blog Tour, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway!" →
Posted on May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Blog Tour, Excerpt, Interview, Self PublishedTagged Amy Tasukada, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, Gay Thriller, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Thriller, The Yakuza Path series.
Third Eye by Rick R. Reed Release Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Genre: Horror/Thriller, NineStar Press, LGBTQIA+, crime, suspense, dark, men with children, reporter, hurt/comfort, psychic ability
Who knew that a summer thunderstorm and a lost little boy would conspire to change single dad Cayce D'Amico's life in an instant? With Luke missing, Cayce ventures into the woods near their house to find his son, only to have lightning strike a tree near him, sending a branch down on his head. When he awakens the next day in the hospital, he discovers he has been blessed or cursed—he isn't sure which—with psychic ability. Along with unfathomable glimpses into the lives of those around him, he's getting visions of a missing teenage girl.
When a second girl disappears soon after the first, Cayce realizes his visions are leading him to their grisly fates. Cayce wants to help, but no one believes him. The police are suspicious. The press wants to exploit him. And the girls' parents have mixed feelings about the young man with the "third eye."
Cayce turns to local reporter Dave Newton and, while searching for clues to the string of disappearances and possible murders, a spark ignites between them. Little do they know that nearby, another couple—dark and murderous—are plotting more crimes and wondering how to silence the man who knows too much about them.
Rick R. Reed © 2020
She was only thirteen. It wasn't fair she now lay, bound, waiting for death. Before, there had been struggling: clawing and fighting, scratching their faces, pulling at their hair, batting at whatever part she could reach. Her breath had come in choking spasms, adrenaline pumping, burning, anteing up the hysteria so much she thought her air would be blocked. Then had come the dread that made her lose most of her fight, when her terror-addled brain had begun to accept her fate was to die here, in this tiny, hot room, with the only witness to her demise the sparkling eyes of her killers and the maddening, crooked whirl of a ceiling fan long past its prime and wobbling, doing nothing more than blowing the overheated, moist air around the room. The dread had risen up, a nausea twisting her gut and making her afraid she would vomit. And then had come the numbness, a dull tingling throughout her body that precluded movement, stripping her of coherent thought.
They stood above her. Faces she had trusted, faces she had seen before, around her neighborhood. The man she and her friends had had a crush on. He used to drive by her little house on Ohio Street in his old red Mustang, looking the picture of youth, confidence, masculinity. His hair was dark, cut bristle-brush short, and his face always clean-shaven. Thin lips bordered rows of perfect white teeth, and when he had smiled at her, only hours ago, she had lit up. A tingling had started in her toes and had worked its way up until the color rose to her cheeks. At her young age, the interest of a man in his twenties was inconceivable, although it had been something she had hoped for since the first day she had seen him, back at the onset of summer, when the sun had turned white-hot, burning up the grass and making illusory waves rise from the hot, cracked sidewalks.
He had pulled to the curb and sat there, car idling. She sat in the front yard, sorting through Barbie clothes: ball gowns and swimming suits, miniskirts and stretch pants. He didn't say anything, not right away. She had looked at him once, then looked away, certain his interest could never be in her. Suddenly she felt ridiculous with her metal trunk, her Barbie dolls, and all the outfits she had once been so proud to collect. Swiftly, she returned the clothes to their case and slammed it shut.
She leaned back, resting on her palms, and lifted her face to the sun. Its heat beat down relentlessly, making the skin on her face feel tight.
She felt his eyes on her still. She opened her own eyes a crack and regarded him peripherally. He really was looking at her! The adorable little smile that caused a dimple to rise in his right cheek deepened in the sun's play of shadow and light. She leaned back more, left hand reaching out to surreptitiously move the Barbie trunk farther away. In this posture, here on the withered and brown grass, she felt that her breasts, little more than two tiny bumps an unkind boy at school had once referred to as her anthills, looked larger. She could be eighteen, couldn't she? With the right makeup and her hair pulled up….
But now her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, clipped with a pink plastic barrette. She wore a pair of cutoff shorts and an oversized South Park T-shirt belonging to her older brother. He would have killed her had he known she was wearing it. But he was away at the Y's summer camp and would never know the difference.
The idling of the car was like an animal purring.
And then the sun disappeared, and she sat in darkness. Beneath her closed lids, she sensed someone standing over her.
Why hadn't she heard the slam of the car door? Her eyelids fluttered, but she did not open them. It would be just like her mother to come outside now and stand above her, hands on hips, and ask her what she thought she was doing.
"Lucy?"
Finally, she opened her eyes and blinked at the brightness of the August day. He was smiling. So unlike the other guys in Fawcettville, he was dressed in pressed black slacks and a collarless white shirt, buttoned to his neck.
"How did you know my name?"
"Oh, I make it my business to know the names of all the pretty young ladies around here."
Lucy felt the heat rise to her face once more. She grinned and could not think of a single word to say.
"Playing Barbie?"
She shoved the case farther away, until it was completely out of her grasp. The case lay in the white heat, glinting, looking, she hoped, as if it had nothing to do with her.
"What? Oh…no, no. These are my little sister's. She always makes such a mess of things, and I was just organizing for her."
"What a good sister."
The two said nothing for a while, and Lucy began to grow uncomfortable under his gaze. She shifted her long, tanned legs in front of her, crossing them at the ankle.
"I was driving by and saw you sitting there, and I had to tell you"—he hunkered down beside her—"what a lovely sight you are. It made me stop just to have a better look."
She laughed and thought she sounded way too much like the thirteen-year-old she was. "Thank you," she whispered, wondering where her voice had gone.
"No, thank you, for being here, for making the heat of this day a little more pleasant."
Oh, stop! she wanted to cry out but whispered again, "Thank you."
He leaned closer, enough for her to feel his breath near her ear. In spite of the day's heat, his nearness caused gooseflesh to rise on her arms, her spine to tingle.
"Listen." He glanced around the empty street with eyes like none she had ever seen: green, ringed with thick black lashes. And in his gaze was a conspiracy that included only the two of them. "My car has air-conditioning. I know this is out of the blue and all, but I wondered if you'd like to go for a ride with me."
Lucy glanced back at her house. She wished suddenly she lived in a bigger house, in a better neighborhood. Here on this modest residential street close to the river, her small white clapboard house was surrounded by other houses very much like it, some of them covered in rusting aluminum siding. She pictured her mother inside, on a vinyl-covered kitchen chair, watching All My Children on a thirteen-inch portable TV on the Formica-topped kitchen table. Her mother, she knew, would never approve of what was transpiring here, right in her front yard.
He stood suddenly. "Okay, okay. I get the message."
"Wait." She sat up straighter. A pickup rumbled by and left in its wake a smell of exhaust and a rush of hot air.
He turned. "What? Need to get your mom's permission?"
"Of course not!" Her voice came out higher than she would have liked, the whiny protest of a child. She stood. "I'd like to come with you. But I can't stay out too long." She was about to say "My mom will be worried" but realized how immature that would sound. "I've got some people I have to meet in a little while."
He smiled. And the smile erased any nervousness she had about going with him. After all, she had seen him around the neighborhood dozens of times. He wasn't exactly a stranger, not really.
"That's fine, Lucy. I'll have you back within an hour. I promise. I certainly wouldn't want to get off on the wrong foot with you." He winked, and she followed him to the waiting car.
NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Posted on April 22, 2020 April 22, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, NineStar PressTagged Gay Horror, Gay Hurt/Comfort, Gay Paranormal, Gay Paranormal Thriller, Gay Re-Release, Gay Suspense, Gay Thriller, GLBT Horror, GLBT Hurt/Comfort, GLBT Paranormal, GLBT Paranormal Thriller, GLBT Re-release, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Thriller, Ninestar Press, Rick R. Reed.
Zero Divergence by Aimee Nicole Walker Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Zero Divergence
Zero Hour Series, Book 3
M/M Romance/Mystery
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Artist: Jay Aheer
Models: Jacob and Steven
Zero Divergence, noun: no deviation from a course or standard.
After a key piece of evidence goes missing, a suspected serial rapist and killer evades prosecution. More than Royce Locke's reputation is on the line when his investigation into the failed chain of custody suggests Franco Humphries might've had inside help. There's no one Royce trusts more than Sawyer Key to help him right a wrong and uncover the traitor in their midst, but can they do it before the Savannah Strangler strikes again?
Relentless plus fearless equals flawless. Sawyer and Royce have come full circle—from hostile strangers to best friends and lovers. Neither a sniper's bullet nor an arsonist's fire could keep them apart, but what about a psychopath hell-bent on revenge? The stakes are high, and there's no turning back now because the zero hour is upon them. Tick tock.
Zero Divergence is the conclusion to the best-selling Zero Hour series, which follows Locke and Key's investigations and evolving relationship. This is a series you MUST read in order. It contains mature language and sexual content intended for adults 18 and older.
Trigger warning: Part of the storyline involves coming to terms with a friend's suicide, which may be difficult for some people to read.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/ZeroDivergence
"Oh my god," he said as the chocolate cake melted in his mouth. "I need this for every occasion."
"I'll bake it once a week if you promise to listen to orders from now on," Royce said, taking a bite for himself.
Sawyer met Royce's stormy eyes. "I'll agree to that if you promise not to give stupid orders." He opened his mouth like a baby bird, and Royce gave him another bite. It was somehow more delicious than the first.
"No more burning buildings," Royce groused.
"It wasn't burning when I ran into it," Sawyer countered. "You ran into the burning building." He couldn't be mad at Royce, because chances were, he'd be dead if Royce hadn't risked his own life to pull Sawyer out of the inferno.
"So insubordinate."
They stared at one another in a silent battle of wills for a few seconds before a big yawn ruined Sawyer's fierce expression. "We'll resume this after I take a power nap." Smiling, Royce leaned forward to set the plate on the coffee table, but Sawyer stopped him. "But not until after I eat more cake."
Royce aimed a cocky grin at him. "Got you hooked now."
"You have no idea."
Universal Series Buy Link: http://mybook.to/ZeroHourSeries
Posted on April 2, 2020 April 2, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Blog Tour, Excerpt, Self PublishedTagged Aimee Nicole Walker, Chasing Rainbows Press, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery Romance, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery Romance, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Zero Hour series.
Mountainway Chant by M.J. Calabrese Release Blast, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!
Hi guys! We have M.J. Calabrese stopping by today with her new release Mountainway Chant, we have a great exclusive excerpt and a fantastic Kindle Fire 7 and a copy of Mountainway Chant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Mel~
Mountainway Chant
(Coulter & Woodard 02)
M.J. Calabrese
Adam Coulter has returned and is coping with the horrific events of sixteen months ago as best he can, but not everyone is happy about it. His best friend and new husband, Detective Eagle Woodard, doesn't want to speak to him and it's starting to look like his fifth marriage isn't going to be anymore successful than his other four.
FBI Agent Rick Kessler and Navajo Reservation Police Lieutenant Carlos Aiello, Eagle's cousin, have pulled a reluctant Adam into another case. Five bodies discovered at the site of a planned casino, all dressed and painted up as Native American mythological characters offer confusing clues. Are they dealing with another serial killer?
Fighting to stay clean and sober, Adam's 12 step sponsor is murdered. At first it seems unrelated to what he saw in the desert, but evidence comes to light that says otherwise. Revelations concerning Adam's past and his father, Richard Coulter's, connections to the local crime syndicate boss, Nelson Greybill, creates even more chaos.
Can Adam repair the damage he's done to his relationship with Eagle so he can help him solve this case? Can he win back the only man he's ever truly loved, or will the demons of his past win the battle for his soul?
PLEASE NOTE: This is the second book in a continuous series. For full enjoyment please read Warrior's Way before reading Mountainway Chant. Contains murder and mayhem, as well as dealing with an alcohol and drug addiction. If these are triggers for you, please skip this one!
Crow, like all the other scavengers of the desert, had heard Vulture's call. He had seen their swirling signal high overhead as they reeled and soared on the thermals. The message told of food, newly dead, ready to fill empty stomachs.
Suddenly, a glint of bright light from far below caught Crow's eye. He blinked as he focused in on the source. Dipping a wing, he dropped toward the light. The green creature moved quickly, almost as quickly as Crow, over the desert floor. It bucked and shimmied as if Cougar was on its heels. Crow drew closer. Cawing his dismay, it was the Shapeshifter, Man, riding within this noisy monster. Crow paced Man's creation and remembered how Man stole many a meal from Crow and his brethren. Such was the way of Mother Earth. Only the swift and strong survived.
Crow beat his wings hard, putting distance between himself and the Shapeshifter. Crow focused on the dark spot ahead. With any luck, Man would tire and fall behind leaving the spoils to him.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee barreled down the dirt road. Moving way too fast, it kicked sand and gravel high in the hot desert air. Anyone following behind risked serious windshield damage from the flying debris. The man at the wheel of the 1990 green Jeep SUV had the window rolled down all the way. His burnished brown skin dulled in the morning sunlight by a fine, powdery coat of dust. His long, dark hair whipped around his face by the rushing wind. Only once did his left hand leave the steering wheel to pull a strand of hair out of his mouth. His fingers strayed down to unconsciously trace the long, thin scar that blazed a trail from the corner of his upper lip to the top of his cheekbone, marring his otherwise perfect features.
The man raised his middle finger to push his discount store sunglasses up onto the bridge of his nose. Despite the early hour it was already getting hot. By noon, it would be over 100 degrees, a real scorcher for this late in the year. Switching hands on the bucking wheel, he cranked up the volume on the radio. The words to Runnin' created by the masterful vocalizations of Adam Lambert overrode the noise of the rushing winds. The words of that song were his truth. He'd run all his life. The time to stop was now. Cranking up the volume, the sound nearly drowned out the noise of the already overtaxed engine as Dr. Adam Coulter pressed down harder on the gas pedal.
Detective Eagle Woodard saw a cloud of dust making its zigzag way across this roadless section of desert. The SUVs and trucks nearby circled the crime scene like wagons in days gone by. Their blue lights strobing to mark the place they all gathered. Eagle ran his calloused hand through his short, raven hair before reseating his sweat damp ball cap on his head. He sighed. He had regretted cutting his hair almost as soon as he'd done it. A few weeks ago, too much alcohol and a dose of melancholy had caused him to pick up a pair of scissors. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it now, but to start the arduous task of letting it grow back out.
The older model green Jeep skidded to a halt about 30 feet away, causing a choking cloud of dust to waft over the scene. Eagle raised one eyebrow. Jaw tensing. He barely recognized the man in the SUV. He watched as the man pulled his long, brown hair back into a ponytail, securing it with a black, wrapped-rubber band. An Army surplus, long sleeve shirt covered a khaki colored tank tee. He was surprised to see Adam in such an old vehicle. In the past, Adam wouldn't've been caught dead in anything less than some flashy SUV costing ten times what the late model Jeep cost. The grapevine said a lot of things had changed with his former lover. Rumor had it, he'd lost all his money. Gone were the expensive suits and watches costing over one hundred grand. No more two hundred dollar haircuts. Now he was living in the low rent area of Albuquerque and buying his clothes at thrift stores, and if what he had on was an example, then those rumors might hold some truth. With a smirk, Eagle snorted as he strode toward the dark green Jeep. For a moment, he could almost believe there was a God. It looked like Adam Coulter had finally gotten what he deserved. He had needed something to make him humble. No more silver spoons. No more unlimited bank accounts.
Maria Woodard, Eagle's mother, told him she'd seen Adam at a local church where they held AA meetings during the day. She said he was quieter, almost shy with her, and sad. That he was very different from the man they knew. She claimed he had cleaned up his act. That he no longer used or drank, but Eagle had seen this pattern repeated over and over in the past. It never lasted very long. He wasn't looking forward to this meeting, but he knew it was inevitable since the day he'd heard that Adam Coulter had returned.
His husband had disappeared for over a year before returning to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since his return two months prior, they still hadn't talked. Adam had tried to contact him repeatedly and Eagle had to give the man props for his persistence with texts and emails. He'd even come to the house one night, pounding on the door, demanding that Eagle open it and talk to him, but he hadn't. The pain of his lover's abandonment was still too great. Now they had a crime scene where both would join their skills to solve the murder of the five men lying on the ground in front of him.
The dust covered Jeep's engine popped and groaned as it tried to cool itself in the growing desert heat. Looking over at the passenger seat, Adam snatched up his iPhone. He was looking at it as he started to open the car door. Suddenly the door slammed back, hitting him hard in the thigh.
Adam jumped. Eyes wide with surprise. "What the fuck?"
Eagle held onto the door, preventing Adam from getting out. "Why are you here? You don't work for the APD anymore." The tall, angry man growled.
A deep, familiar voice chimed in behind him. "I asked him to come." Eagle turned. His cousin, Carlos Aiello, Lieutenant with the Navajo Reservation Police, stepped forward. The two men stood apart, bodies tense, readying for the fight. Their eyes locked on one another, each Alpha male testing the other's resolve.
Quickly evaluating the situation, Adam sighed, "I think I'll stay here until you two get done with your pissing contest." He relaxed back in his seat. One hand rubbing the sore spot on his leg. He knew he had to tread carefully here.
About M.J.!
My mother now regrets her fateful words she offered the day I came home from our small town library in Palm Springs, California (yes, I'm a Cali girl) complaining that there were no more books to read. "Then why don't you write some."
My father never saw his old Remington portable until I entered college and they gifted me an IBM Selectric. By then I had produced at least two dozen unpublishable novels which make me cringe when I read them today.
I found inspiration in innumerable odd jobs (from migrant work as a Date palm pollinator to the person who cleans the washing machines at the launderette to professional Dominatrix) for stories. After a stint in Rehab for Alcohol and Heroin abuse (so when I write those scenes, I know what I'm talking about), I cleaned up and have stayed that way for 29 years. (Me and Sir Elton, LOL). My gypsy lifestyle gave me a unique perspective on the different people who inhabited the Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, and New Mexico areas where I have lived.
After 3 very bad marriages to men, I finally figured out what was wrong and fell in love with a woman when I lived in Portland, OR 23 years ago. We've been married since 2008 (yes it was legal in California at that time). We now live in Asheville, NC and love the people in this liberal and accepting corner of the mountains of North Carolina.
To learn all about my upcoming releases, news, and specials, please follow or like me at any of the following links!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | QueeRomance Ink
M.J. is giving away a Kindle Fire 7 and a copy of Mountainway Chant!!
Posted on March 31, 2020 March 31, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Excerpt, Self PublishedTagged Coulter & Woodard series, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery, GLBT Suspense, M.J. Calabrese. 2 Comments
Blind Side by Josh Lanyon
Title: Blind Side
Series: Dangerous Ground 06
Author: Josh Lanyon
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: JustJoshing Publishing, Inc (30th January 2020)
Reviewer: Maya
Blurb: The boys are back in town–for one last adventure!
It's a good problem to have: more business than they can comfortably handle on their own.
But with resources already overstretched, the last thing former DSS agents and newbie security consultants Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister need is another client—and the last thing Will needs is for that client to turn out to be an old boyfriend of Taylor's.
Sure, Will has always known Taylor had a wild past, but he was kind of hoping he'd never have to sit down and have a beer with it. But golden boy Ashe Dekker believes someone is trying to kill him, and Taylor is determined to help, no matter the cost.
It's a bit of a jolt to have Taylor for once totally disregard his feelings, but Will is equally determined that "the cost" won't be their relationship—or Taylor's life.
Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | Kobo
Review: This is the last book in long running series and the boys certainly go with a bang!
I regretted not rereading previous books, because book throws reader in at the deep end from the beginning. Our heroes are at odds. Outwardly, they should be happy. Their business is finally getting of the ground they are in same place and together. Except a ghost from Taylor's past seems liable to spoil everything. His old ex asks for his help, and he is resolved to give it, no matter his partner's justifiable reservations. Their client is lying to them, they are short on manpower, the contract they signed needs to be fulfilled. They are both resenting the other one and the situation they are in, which doesn't bode well for them: It's possible that someone is gunning for them.
For most of the book the men are dealing with relationship woes. It was spurred into action by reappearance of Taylor's ex, but exposes secrets and insecurities they both have, so the ground they are on is seriously rocky. They are trying to plod through trouble and it doesn't look promising!
Then the villain gets revealed ( and up to this point I was ignoring suspense subplot, so I was shocked at twisty turn My congratulations to the author, definitely wasn't expecting that). It's another shake up for Will and Taylor.
It leaves them in bad place, which allows for everything between them which simmered during the book to get out in the open and for them to have happy ending.
It's a fitting end to interesting series. Loved the book!
Posted on March 25, 2020 March 25, 2020 by MayaPosted in Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Dangerous Ground series, Gay Mystery/Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Mystery/Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Josh Lanyon, Just Joshin Publishing, Justjoshing Publishing Inc., Maya's Reviews.
Assassins Save People Too by S.C. Wynne
Title: Assassins Save People Too
Series: Assassins in Love 03
Author: S.C. Wynne
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: Novella (124 Pages)
Publisher: Wynne Wynne Publishing (November 25, 2019)
Blurb: So much for retirement.
Now that my psycho arch enemy Julio is dead, my big plan was to slowly stop taking jobs and wind down into retirement with Dillon. Partly that decision was because my heart's not in the job anymore, but mostly it's because I did a dumb thing and fell in love with the guy in 39D. But it's too late to turn back now, I can't imagine my life without Dillon in it.
Unfortunately, my good friend Ronin just got grabbed by Julio's successor. I owe Ronin too much to turn my back on him. I need to get to Germany ASAP and save his ass, like he's saved mine many times before.
The problem is, Dillon refuses to stay behind. How am I going to rescue my best friend, and keep the love of my life alive too? Dillon's a civilian. He has no idea the level of violence and danger ahead of us. He doesn't understand that with him along, the chances of me dying are much higher.
I may not it out alive this time, but one things for sure, Dillon will. I'll see to that.
ISBN: B07Z28P4T2
Review: Ronin has been abducted and Gianni needed their help. Marc would do anything to get his friend back but had not intended for Dillon to help. They were going to rescue a friend from a crazy ass bitch. However there are traitors among them. The problem is Ronin and Marc are assassins, but Dillon and Gianni are not. So what does an assassin do when their boyfriends want to help.
This is one of those series that you have to read them back to back with no time in between. It just jumps right into the action without any warning. Also these guys might be cute but damn they have more problems then a shrink can get to. Neither one seems to trust the other although they say different. Marc is a complete asshat to Dillon and Gianni. He had called in for some help but all these big bad assassins are missing one small item, a young college age looking delivery driver. The story is jumbled up and I didn't care for the dual voices in the story. One minute it is Marc talking then the next it is Dillon, and lets face it, it just does not work out the way it should have.
There is a lot of danger and suspense going on but it went to fast. I just could not connect at all with this story and to be honest I could not really stand it. I will say that it is a good story but the way it is told not so much. I will say that it will probably not be read more than once.
Posted on March 25, 2020 March 25, 2020 by LisaPosted in Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Assassins In Love series, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Lisa's Reviews, S.C. Wynne, Wynne Wynne Publishing.
What He Really Needs by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood Blog Tour, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway!
Hi guys! We have Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood stopping by today with their new release What He Really Needs, we have a fantastic interview with Ryan & Joshua, a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
What He Really Needs
Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood
Sometimes, it takes a second chance to get things right.
Cayo Suárez, who is gay, and Ben Roth, an admitted Oblivious Straight Guy, were roommates in law school, but two years after graduating, they have lost touch. After an accidental meeting, Cayo invites Ben to stay with him while Ben looks for his own apartment. There's only one complication, but it's a big one—Cayo has been in love with Ben since they met.
What begins as a heartwarming reunion of old friends heats up quickly, and Ben starts to wonder if he's as straight as he always thought he was. Cayo and Ben reconnect in a most unexpected way, but their jobs complicate things. Cayo works for low-income people at Legal Assistance, and Ben works for the man.
When Ben and Cayo become involved in a controversial case, powerful people with a lot to lose seize control of the situation. They want to bend the case's outcome to their own nefarious ends, and they'll destroy anyone who tries to stand up to them. Will Cayo and Ben find a way to save Ben's career, and their budding relationship, before it's too late?
What He Really Needs is an action-packed book full of warmth and humor, a first-time bisexual awakening, a healthy dose of suspense, steamy sexy times, and an extraordinarily happy ending.
Continue reading "What He Really Needs by Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood Blog Tour, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway!" →
Posted on March 24, 2020 March 24, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Blog Tour, Excerpt, Interview, Self PublishedTagged Bisexual, Gay Adventure, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Adventure, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Joshua Harwood, Ryan Taylor, Wainscott Press.
Complications by Tinnean
Title: Complications
Series: Mann of My Dreams 05
Author: Tinnean
Genre: Suspense
Length: Novel (436)
Publisher: Tinnean (18th June 2018)
Blurb: In 2002, Mark Vincent, onetime senior special agent, ran into John, a troubled little boy, at a local McDonald's. Concerned, although it wasn't his business, he gave the kid his business card and left.
Three years later, Mark is director of his department at the WBIS and married to Quinton Mann, the former CIA spook who now writes spy novels. They've settled into a life of quiet domesticity and are even considering adopting a cat.
All this changes when John, now using another name, barrels into Mark's life with a secret no one expects and on the run from an organization that wants him despite the collateral damage.
What will Mark, the man known as "the best" in the intelligence community, do when he learns what this secret is? Will it affect his relationship with Quinn? And how complicated are things going to get when Mark decides to get involved?
Purchase Link: JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords
Review: This is the last book in this series and it was somewhat of surprise for me. Considering the last three books, I was expecting mellow and sappy story. It did have such elements, but it resembled the book one the most as it brought action and mystery into plot once again.
It also managed to scrounge several plot ends mentioned in previous books and brings them to a close in rather surprising and twisty end. The plot is a little over the top, but all its parts are covered and decently explained.
It has a truly evil villain emerging from the shadows and Mark and Quinn trying to get a hold of surprise from the past that will bring serious changes in their lives. Quinn takes in all in stride as befitting his moniker of Ice Mann, while Mark has moment of what-the-heck?
It does end on a high note and it's a charming end to the the series!
Posted on March 2, 2020 March 2, 2020 by MayaPosted in Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery/Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery/Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Mann of My Dreams series, Maya's Reviews, Tinnean.
Mountainway Chant by M.J. Calabrese Cover Reveal & Giveaway!
Hi guys! We have M.J. Calabrese stopping by today with the cover for her upcoming release Mountainway Chant, we have a fantastic giveaway so check out the stunning cover and enter the giveaway! ❤ ~Pixie~
Release date: 31st March 2020
SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE! ONLY $2.49/£1.92 UNTIL RELEASE DAY!
To get you ready for Mountainway Chant, M.J. is giving away 5 FREE eBook copies of Warriors Way, Coulter & Woodard 1!
Posted on March 2, 2020 March 2, 2020 by pixiemmgoodbookreviewsPosted in Author Giveaway, Book Blast, Cover Reveal, Self PublishedTagged Coulter & Woodard series, Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery, GLBT Suspense, M.J. Calabrese.
How to Vex A Vampire by Alice Winters
Title: How to Vex A Vampire
Series: VRC: Vampire Related Crimes 01
Author: Alice Winters
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Alice Winters (February 18, 2020)
Blurb: Finn
Getting into the vampire-only detective unit was the easy part; what's going to be more difficult is dealing with my new partner, an ancient vampire who keeps threatening to eat me. The unit has never had a human in it, and Marcus—or as I like to call him, Fangy McFangface—would really prefer to keep it that way. He's grumpy, short-tempered, and broody, but I have a way with words and I know he's starting to like me, even if he swears he's not. But what he doesn't know is that I didn't join the unit because I was tired of being a homicide detective, I joined because there is someone after me. They've already taken enough from me and I'm afraid they're going to take all of me if I don't find someone to help. That's all Marcus was supposed to be, but now, he's so much more and I can't imagine my life without him.
The moment the pesky human walked through that door, I knew I had to get rid of him. He's charming and almost everyone else instantly loves him, but he doesn't understand how risky it is being part of this unit as a human. But as I get to know the stubborn man, I learn that perhaps he's not as naive as I once thought. And maybe he's what I needed to realize there is more to life than just work and my dog. A group arises who is threatening to disrupt the alliance between the humans and the vampires, but Finn is the one who shows me how strong that alliance can be and reminds me why it's worth protecting. When threats hit closer to home, I realize I would do anything for Finn because he's brought so much joy to my life—and because he's mine.
ISBN: B084KQH3G1
Review: Finn is a human but raised by a vampire, which makes for an interesting tale. When he was sixteen he lost his arm or leg, but there is some question in that. He was a homicide detective who no longer wanted to work for them but for the Vampire's. A agency that only has vampires working for them, no humans.
Marcus has had one relationship with a human that left him fearing what he would do if he tried again. Finn makes him so mad half the time and turned on the next. He never stood a chance against Finn and he knew it.
Someone is wanting to divide the humans and vampires. He wants the humans to fear the vampires and maybe put a stop to it all. Now it is up to them all to find out who is behind it.
This story was quite unique for me and I enjoyed the banter between the characters. Now I pretty much stopped reading authors that are new for me, but this one looked so interesting that I gave it a chance. It has a serious tone to it but the humor matches up to make it even stand out more. I did have issues with not really getting the answer on how Finn lost his arm and leg, nor do you get the answers to the vampire behind it all. It left me with questions and very little answers.
Marcus never stood a chance with Finn. Finn comes out and pretty much knocks them all down. He is sarcastic, funny, devious, and the actions are funny as hell. The way they talk to each other makes you see the way they flirt with each other. The story is action packed, excitement filled, dangerous and entertaining. I loved how they gave Finn a hard time but truthfully they pretty much liked him. The sexual heat pretty much burned the pages off the book.
I had a blast reading this and can guarantee that it will be read many times over. I can't wait to get my hands on the next story. In fact I can't wait to check out all of her stories.
Posted on February 24, 2020 February 24, 2020 by LisaPosted in Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Alice Winters, Gay Mystery Romance, Gay Paranormal Romance, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, Gay Urban Fantasy, GLBT Mystery Romance, GLBT Paranormal romance, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, GLBT Urban Fantasy, Lisa's Reviews, VRC: Vampire Related Crimes series.
You Were Made For Me by Tinnean
Title: You Were Made For Me
Publisher: Tinnean (8th October 2017)
Blurb: Quinton Mann has resigned from the CIA, but they aren't happy about that and want him back. To do that, they'll not only have to convince Quinn that's a good idea, but Mark Vincent, Portia Mann, and Gregor Novotny as well, and that isn't going to be easy.
Meanwhile, friends and family need help, and neither Quinn nor Mark will turn them down.
It's going to be a long year and a half.
Purchase Link: JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | Kobo
Review: Of all the books in the series, this one deserves the romance title the most.
It's sappy and dreamy and it's a lovely happy end for our two heroes. The contrast from beginning is especially noticeable here, since they are in established relationship, they already cleared the hurdles facing them and now they are settling to enjoy the rest of their lives. It's unashamed piece of fluff, with their family and friends playing prominent roles.
There is a lot of difference in both characters, as Quinn, once known as Ice Man, is comfortable in his relationship with Mark and the direction his life has taken. Mark is also softer – being with Quinn dulled his edges and made him less hesitant to show people in his life he cares.
It's happy and relaxing read.
Posted on February 24, 2020 February 24, 2020 by MayaPosted in Book Review, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery/Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery/Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Mann of My Dreams series, Maya's Reviews, Tinnean.
Just the Thought of You by Tinnean
Title: Just the Thought of You
Publisher: Tinnean (18th May 2016)
Blurb: Quinton Mann and Mark Vincent – still as dangerous, intelligent, and perceptive as they were when they started playing mind games with each other, and still in love. With Quinn having inherited the Mann family estate in a state of serious disrepair, he and Mark with the help of their family and friends decided to fix it up and then live there, together. But when a mystery from the Mann family past intersected with the death that led to Quinn inheriting the estate, Mark and Quinn were determined to solve it, and see Quinn's cousin DB and his ladies safely married. But there are always eyes watching two such dangerous men. Would they be able to continue their relationship without nosy, judgmental people trying to put an end to it?
Review: This is third book in series and it shows. This time we got both Quinn's and Mark's POV as the story continued from where previous book left off.
The story focuses heavily on Mark's and Quinn's interactions, through other characters weave their way in or out. While I liked the story, I didn't enjoy it as much as previous books. The plot was loose – the story changed tracks several times and while events had their own charm I wasn't hell bent of getting to the end the way at was with previous book. The impression I got is mostly of placeholder in the series – it deals with leftover ends from previous books and sets a stage for the next one. There is also more humor in this one. It's more relaxed and easy-going.
It's hard to give summary for this one, as it mostly focused on characters. Mark's and Quinn's banter is lively as ever, and their charm kept my attention on the book. It's perhaps somewhat of a break from previous books, which bridled with action.
It's a nice interlude in the series.
Posted on February 20, 2020 February 20, 2020 by MayaPosted in Book Review, JMS Books, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, Reviews, Self PublishedTagged Gay Contemporary Romance, Gay Mystery/Suspense, Gay Self Published, Gay Suspense, GLBT Contemporary Romance, GLBT Mystery/Suspense, GLBT Self Published, GLBT Suspense, Mann of My Dreams series, Maya's Reviews, Tinnean.