Honorary Blogger Post

Top 5 Best Moments Between Brynn and Will from Made for You by Lauren Layne + Giveaway!

Posted on October 30, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Top 5 Best Moments Between Brynn and Will

from Made for You by Lauren Layne

1) This “finale” is the best I’ve ever written. Or I think so, anyway.

2) The declaration scene. Aww, Will!!!

3) They go mattress shopping. It’s both sexy … and so not.

4) The “friend scenes” between Sophie and Will. I love a good platonic relationship that’s ACTUALLY platonic.

5) Pretty much ALL of the flashbacks. Normally I hate flashbacks in a story, but I had to do them here 🙂

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About Made for You

1Three years ago, Brynn Dalton made a rare error in judgment and had a one-night stand with the one man she swore would never get into her designer panties. Will Thatcher was exactly the type of sexy playboy that good girls like Brynn stayed away from. And when Will moved across the country just days after their fling, Brynn vowed to put him behind her, even as the memories haunt her.

Now Will Thatcher is back, and just in time to see Brynn’s perfectly structured life begin to crumble. Her job is dull, her social life is tedious, and Brynn’s perfect cardiologist boyfriend doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to get to Tiffany & Co. More than ever, Brynn needs her childhood nemesis to keep his distance.

But Will isn’t content to be Brynn’s dirty little secret any longer. This time, he’s out to show Brynn Dalton that the imperfect man might just be the best mistake of her life.

Available at: Forever, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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About Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne writes contemporary romance for Grand Central Publishing (Forever) and Random House (Loveswept).

After dabbling in an e-commerce career in Seattle and Southern California, Lauren moved to New York City where she now writes full time.

Lauren graduated from Santa Clara University with B.S. in Political Science that she has yet to put to good use. She lives with her husband and plus-sized pomeranian in a tiny Manhattan studio.

Find out more about Lauren on her Website, Facebook or Twitter.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Lauren is giving away FIVE copies of Made for You!! To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Made for You to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, M/F | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Keira Andrews: Family, Faith and Giving it All Up for Love + Giveaway!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Family, Faith and Giving it All Up for Love

by Keira Andrews

One of the most surprising things I learned while researching my book A Forbidden Rumspringa was how many different sects there are within the Amish faith, and how different one group can be from another. For example, the Beachy Amish-Mennonites drive cars and use electricity. On the other end of the spectrum are the Swartzentruber Amish, who don’t have indoor plumbing. Just as all Italians aren’t alike, neither are the Amish.

I set my story in a fictional town in northern Minnesota called Zebulon. My characters are Swartzentruber Amish, and as such live very restrictive lives. One Swartzentruber tenet that I think symbolizes how they are different from other Amish is their refusal to use orange reflective triangles on their buggies. In Kentucky, some Swartzentruber men went to jail rather than compromise their belief that God will protect them on the road, and that shiny orange is just too vain.

Now imagine living in that kind of strict community and being dangerously different. For my two young Amish men, Isaac and David, the knowledge that they’re gay is something they struggle greatly to accept. They know that being openly gay and living a plain, Amish life is impossible, but they’re inexorably drawn to each other nonetheless.

Still, the decision to leave your family and community for the freedom of a different life isn’t an easy one. I’m not religious, but I know it would be very hard to disappoint my parents. For Isaac and David, they have to decide if being together is worth the potential heartache. Here’s more about their story and the tough choices they face…

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About A Forbidden Rumspringa

5When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

Note: Contains explicit sexual situations and graphic language. This is not an inspirational/Christian romance.

Available at: Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Kobo, iTunes, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble

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About Keira Andrews

Keira Andrews author pic small_200x200After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” You can find out more about Keira and her books at her website, and on Facebook and Twitter.

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Keira has graciously offered up winner’s choice from her backlist to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends November 4, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Morgan’s review of A Forbidden Rumspringa to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: , , | 38 Comments

Honorary Blogger L.A. Witt: Research & Liberties – Mixing Historical with Fantasy + Giveaway!

Posted on October 28, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Precious Metals, the second Klondike Gold Rush steampunk novella set in the same world as Noble Metals!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Precious Metals) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. See below for more information about the giveaway!

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Research & Liberties – Mixing Historical with Fantasy

by L.A. Witt

So one of the fun parts with Precious Metals (as well as Noble Metals) was taking an actual historical era (the Klondike Gold Rush) and mixing it with steampunk.  I still had to research it like I would a standard historical novel, but I went at it with the mindset of “how would this be different with the addition of steampunk technology?”

The challenge there is keeping it true to the real history, but also realistically adapting it to the added technology. In that sense, it’s kind of like alternate history—if a certain event in history were changed, how would the world be affected? If the Klondike Gold Rush happened after the invention of airships and mechs to carry provisions, how would things be different?

Well, the consensus of all my research was this: the Klondike Gold Rush was miserable. It was dangerous, it was a grueling journey, and more people died along the way than found gold at the end. I mean, there’s a reason one of the trails was nicknamed Dead Horse Trail, and it wasn’t because a tree stump looked like a dead horse. Basically, once you left Seattle and headed north, life was going to suck until you made it back.

So, add steampunk technology. How would things change? There were a number of ways, of course, but I’m an author, and therefore a sadist of sorts. Thus, my answer to that question was: Things would get worse.

Yeah, we’ve got airships now that can whisk you to Dawson City in warm luxury…except they’re horrendously expensive and have a habit of crashing into mountainsides.

Oh, we’ve got mechs to carry your provisions so you don’t have to feed horses/mules or break your own back…but they’re clumsy, they break if a bird farts, and don’t do so well on ice. And there’s a lot of ice in Alaska.

And hey, getting over the Chilkoot Pass is easy now that you can do it in one shot! No more crossing the pass a dozen times, carrying whatever you can before walking back over to pick up another load of provisions. Because, hey, mechs!  Oh. Right. The pass is covered in ice. And a mech sliding down the Golden Staircase (1,500 steps carved into the ice) while loaded down with a half ton or so of provisions isn’t dangerous at all.

So we’d better make sure every mech is sure-footed and in good repair before it starts going over the pass. Which means the Mounties have now opened an encampment on the south side where they inspect mechs and provisions. Which slows everybody down. And ticks everybody off. And generally makes for a camp full of cranky prospectors who kind of wish these stupid mechs had never been invented.

And that’s how Noble Metals and Precious Metals came about—start with a real point in history, add technology that backfires, stir rapidly, and throw in a couple of boys who would really like to turn around and go home, but can’t.

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About Precious Metals

22674209For Constable Paul Benson of the North-West Mounted Police, monotony is a blessing. As a provision inspector below the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush, he’s seen miserable conditions and gold fever turn civilized prospectors into madmen.

Joseph Starling is on his way to the Klondike to find the men who savagely beat him, murdered his eldest brother, and stole their mining machine. They’ll kill his youngest brother if Joseph doesn’t operate the machine for them—it won’t work without him. With time running out, Joseph must purchase an expensive ticket aboard a crash-prone airship. But the station is miles away through dangerous terrain.

Under orders, Paul grudgingly escorts Joseph, but quickly finds himself intrigued by the young man. As they make their way toward Juneau, it’s not just the need for warmth that drives them closer together. But neither man can draw an easy breath until they make it to the gold fields . . . and there’s no guarantee that Joseph’s brother will still be alive when they do.

Available at: Riptide Publishing and Amazon

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About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer currently living in the glamorous and ultra-futuristic metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a disembodied penguin brain that communicates with her telepathically. In addition to writing smut and disturbing the locals, L.A. is said to be working with the US government to perfect a genetic modification that will allow humans to survive indefinitely on Corn Pops and beef jerky. This is all a cover, though, as her primary leisure activity is hunting down her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who is also said to be lurking somewhere in Omaha.

L.A. Witt’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off L.A. Witt’s backlist (excluding Precious Metals) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 2nd, and winners will be announced on November 3rd.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Note from the author: I am in the process of relocating, and of course, I picked this week to make the drive from Nebraska to Seattle. As such, I’ll be at the mercy of hotel wifi and 3G signal in the middle of nowhere, but I will do my best to catch up whenever I’m stopped and/or when I reach my destination!

Don’t forget to check out Heather C’s review of Precious Metals to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , | 19 Comments

Honorary Blogger A.M. Arthur: The Evolution of Romy + Giveaway!

Posted on October 27, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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The Evolution of Romy

by A.M. Arthur

Thank you so much to the Blogger Girls for having me on their blog to promote my October releases Foundation of Trust (Cost of Repairs #5) and Stand By You (Belonging #3). I’m so excited about these books, and particularly about the evolution of Romy Myers, one of the heroes of Stand By You.

Romy made his first appearance earlier this year in the first Belonging book, No Such Thing. At first, he was simply the guy that flirted and danced with that book’s heroes. And then he stuck around and went home with Ezra. I didn’t expect much out of the character, whose name wasn’t even Romy at the time (I honestly don’t remember what it was originally). And then he was gone and Ezra told his friends that Romy had scampered off early to a retail job.

Somehow I knew that was a lie. And I knew at some point he’d get his own novel, but I knew that Ezra had a bigger mouth and he was going to come first. So it didn’t surprise me when Romy reappeared in the second Belonging book, Maybe This Time. Except this Romy was different. He’d gotten himself in a bad spot, and he didn’t know how to get free. We see Romy once in the first half of the book, and then he disappears until the final few chapters. And once I realized why Romy needed help, I had to stop everything and write his back story. I had to know how this spirited young man had allowed his life to reach a very literal breaking point.

And it was during those final few chapters that I knew who Romy’s hero was going to be. I didn’t see it coming until Brendan picked up a baseball bat and went to help out a stranger, just because his best friend asked him to. Brendan was the kind of strong, gentle soul that Romy needed. The problem with Brendan, as is explored in more depth is Stand By You, is that he’s straight. Or at least, everyone thinks he is…

Once Brendan’s confusion over his sexuality was set, and Romy began to see Brendan as a stable, loving force in his life, the story (forgive me for the cliché) practically wrote itself. These two had a story to tell, and it was an absolute pleasure telling it. Brendan needed to take control of his life and be honest with the people he loved. Romy needed to find a safe place to heal, so he could allow himself to trust again. This book is so special to me, and I truly hope readers fall in love with Romy and Brendan like I did.

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About Stand by You

Stand By You (Belonging #3)Three months after his rescue from an abusive boyfriend, twenty-two-year-old Romy Myers has landed his first legitimate job—bussing tables at his friend’s new coffee shop. The job has brought him some stability after years of abuse have left him feeling damaged and broken. He’s working hard on his panic and social anxiety, and those things are often tempered by the big, burly presence of Brendan Walker.

From the moment ex-football player Brendan helped rescue Romy from his ex’s abuse, he’s wanted to protect him. And he does, from a distance, with joking text messages, a new gym routine to toughen him up and a genuine friendship. So far it’s been easy—but Brendan’s feelings aren’t just friendly anymore…
When an argument spirals out of control, a hot and heavy make-out session causes Romy’s friendship with supposedly straight Brendan to reach a new level. The last thing Romy wants is to fall for another guy who could potentially shatter him, but Brendan also wakes up a part of him he thought had been destroyed by violence—his heart.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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About Foundation of Trust

Foundation of Trust (Cost of Repairs, #5)David Weller thought he had it all—a loving partner who gave him a ring, a steady job he didn’t hate, and so much hope for the future. But in the wake of a devastating diagnosis, everything he thought was solid and real lay in pieces at his feet.

Four years later, he’s still sifting through the rubble of his life. His catering partnership occupies his days, while his nights are filled with dangerous sexual hookups and very bad decisions. Then the last person he ever expected to see again walks back into his life.

Owen Hart’s single biggest regret is the way he was forced to leave David behind—no explanations, no chance to make it right. Until now. Finally free of eight years of lies, Owen’s back for the only man he’s ever loved.

An incendiary encounter in a club proves that time hasn’t weakened their physical connection, but David’s wounds run deeper than Owen’s deception. And if David can’t first forgive, Owen doesn’t have a second chance in hell.

Warning: This book contains an Australian transplant with a head full of secrets, a party planner with enough baggage to sink a battleship, and a surly teenager who just wants them both to get over themselves.

Available at: Samhain, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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About Author

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone’s throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland.  She’s been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop.  She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn’t been coined yet back then) and “The Young Riders” with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder.  She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she’s an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments). You can also find her online, as well as on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. A.M. Arthur’s work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, A.M. is giving away a PDF copy of Foundation of Trust to one lucky winner!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Stand by You to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments

Honorary Blogger Jet Mykles: Rock Stars. Who Knew? + Giveaway!

Posted on October 26, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Rock Stars. Who Knew?

by Jet Mykles

When I started this writing gig back in 2005, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be writing rock stars. No, I was — still am — a fantasy/paranormal girl. That’s what I like to read and my first series at Loose Id is high fantasy (Dark Elves). That’s what’s always intrigued me.

So, why rock stars? Well, have you seen Johnnie and Luc? Yeah, I was a goner. Many of my younger years were dedicated to a serious Duran Duran obsession and I think the love of a fan comes through in that series, although my band bears only a little resemblance to the fantasies of my youth. I mean, really. I’ve heard of bands that get along but my guys are just too good to each other. And to have them all turn gay when they didn’t start off that way? So actually I was still writing fantasy.

Seriously though, I had just started writing m/m and only had one that was published at the time (the original Snagged). I’d had enough discussions with one of my mentors and she convinced me that I could do this gay thing. So I had two ideas for my next story, one was about a technical support guy and another was about a hotel manager and a rock star. Loose Id chose the rock star. Johnnie Heaven was born. And isn’t he larger than life? The hair was the first thing that solidified, then the eyes. There was no doubt he was the lead singer. He kind of had to be. But Tyler cinched it for me. Coming up with my clueless hotel manager was a pleasure. He jumped off the page, seemingly unassuming, but he stole my heart as quickly as he stole Johnnie’s.

The story, as I remember it, was a pleasure to write. Perhaps I’m forgetting some pain, but it was years ago so I can be forgiven. I know there are at least two scenes in the book that were originally written for other stories. I will admit to being hugely into yaoi at the time so that was a heavy influence. It was a hit with my critique partners and with my beta readers.

Then came Luc. He started taking over while I was still writing Heaven, to be honest. Which is probably why he serves as Johnnie’s competition for a while. Luc is everything that made my younger heart race, down to the instrument he plays. Johnnie was the lure but Luc was it for me. I so wanted to be Reese!

That’s not to say that I don’t love Brent, Hell and Darien. I do (although, Brent and Hell gave me fits writing that book so I wasn’t so happy with them at the time). I also love the guys in the Indigo Knights. But I have to admit that Heaven Sent is all about Johnnie and Luc for me, even now.

So, to all you Heaven Sent fans out there, thanks so much for following me and the boys through their journey. And, by the way, the technical support guy story? I did write it. It’s called Tech Support.

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About Indigo Knights 4: Noble

Donny “Foxy” Foxley is hot. Noble knows it. All those screaming teen girls know it. And so does the production company with their millions staked on the teen idol’s dreamy good looks.

So when the supposedly straight movie star comes onto him, Noble is floored. Never one to ignore the allure of a pretty young man, Noble can’t resist and doesn’t even try. Why should he? Even if it has to be a secret, he’d be crazy to pass up a night of sexytimes with the one man everyone wants.

But one night turns into two, then blossoms into a friendship with the potential for so much more. If that’s what Noble was after, which he’s not. But Foxy gets under Noble’s skin until he cares way too much. Because there can never be anything but sex between them. To the world, Foxy is straight and Noble is anything but.

Available at: Loose Id and Amazon

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About Jet Mykles

As far back as junior high, Jet used to write sex stories for friends involving their favorite pop icons of the time. To this day, she hasn’t stopped writing sex, although her knowledge on the subject has vastly improved.

An ardent fan of fantasy and science fiction sagas, Jet prefers to live in a world of imagination where dragons are real, elves are commonplace, vampires are just people with special diets and lycanthropes live next door.

You can find out more about Jet on her Website or Twitter.

Blogger_Giveaway

As part of this author week, Jet has graciously offered up $10 Loose Id gift certificate to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends November 1st, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s reviews from Jet Mykles!

Good luck!

Categories: Author Week, Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: , , , , | 21 Comments

Honorary Blogger Nico Jaye: Movies & The Magical Mystery of Historical Settings + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on October 25, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Movies & The Magical Mystery of Historical Settings

by Nico Jaye

Thank you so much to The Blogger Girls for inviting me to visit today to chat a little about A Time for Loving! I had so much fun writing this historical short story.

Historicals. Ahh. There’s just something about them, right? The manners and civility. The style of dress. The house parties. The carriage and cobblestone streets. The rolling, untouched hills.

When I decided to write A Time for Loving, I knew immediately that I wanted to set it at a country estate. As a lifelong Regency romance reader, I’ve always loved the country estate as a place for intrigue and romance; there’s just something very special about finding love away from the hustle and bustle of London.

Just as I’m a sucker for historical romances, I also love historical-set movies, where it’s so interesting to see how these settings have been recreated. There are fun hybrid movies like “Austenland,” which presents the really cool premise of what a theme park would look like today if it immersed you in Jane Austen’s England. And there’s of course the classic BBC miniseries “Pride and Prejudice” with a dreamy Colin Firth as the embodiment of Mr. Darcy.

My absolute favorite BBC miniseries, though, is actually “North and South,” which is based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. Gah. That series is fantabulous. It’s set in northern England in the time of the industrial revolution, and Richard Armitage plays the stoic-yet-swoon-worthy mill owner Mr. Thornton. If you haven’t had a chance to see this series, I highly recommend it for both the romance and the very interesting social dynamics around which the story revolves. Although “North and South” is definitely grittier than “Pride and Prejudice,” the story is so well-presented and thought out that it is the series I turn to repeatedly for a complete, quality romance that can transport me into another world.

In A Time for Loving, I had a lot of fun recreating the historical setting at both the fictional Swathmore Manor and…elsewhere (to say more would be to spoil the story!). =) If you decide to check out the book, I hope you’ll taste the historical flavor and feel transported into Regency England.

Nico ♥

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About A Time for Loving

1Jack and Christopher have made it through years of campaigning and the horrors of Waterloo together–side by side by day and, by night, in each other’s arms. After the war is over, however, will the love shared between this batman and his officer survive when Christopher returns to the life of a gentleman?

Available at: Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble

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An Excerpt from A Time for Loving

When Christopher returned to the bedchamber at the time the clock ticked its way past midnight, Jack was waiting for him. As was their routine, they locked the doors to bar any unwanted nightly visitors, such a practice explained to the household as a way to deter Christopher’s childhood habit of sleepwalking.

Little did they know he’d outgrown such an inclination years ago.

“A pleasant evening,” Christopher said mildly over his shoulder as Jack assisted him out of his well-fitted navy evening jacket.

“Was it?” Jack murmured in response. Setting aside the garment onto the clothes valet, he turned to face Christopher’s back and skimmed his hands over his shoulders. His palms, forever callused from years of campaigning, nevertheless picked up the texture of the silver-embroidered brocade waistcoat. Those shoulders were broad, carrying with them the weight of responsibility—for their regiment, for their secret, for their future—well beyond Christopher’s twenty-three years.

Lost in his thoughts, Jack startled when Christopher turned around to grasp his wrist gently. He looked up into Christopher’s familiar gaze and sighed, his heart settling into place even as his pulse began to race at the sight of the heat in those blue depths.

“It would have been much more pleasant with your company, Jack,” Christopher said, his voice warm and low.

With a hard swallow, Jack smiled up into that precious face. Tilting his head, he listened for a moment and heard the sounds of the house going to sleep around them.

This was their time—the time between days when they could be lost in their world.

“You know ’tis impossible, Christopher,” Jack whispered regretfully, searching his gaze. Jack moved to clasp his hand, drawing Christopher’s palm to his neck and curling it against the skin there. Leaning into the touch, Jack closed his eyes briefly before glancing up again. “But our time is now, and my company is yours. Yours always.”

When Christopher’s gaze dropped to his lips, Jack moved forward, touching their mouths to each other lightly…

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About Nico Jaye

Nico Jaye is a fan of all things HEA and has dragged her romance collection along for her moves from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Chicago to New York and back. She thinks reading is awesome and loves that she can hang out night after night with crinoline-wearing debutantes, brawny firemen in suspenders, and werewolf shifters with Scottish brogues. An overall feline enthusiast, Nico secretly (or not so secretly?) adores Hello Kitty, cat GIFs, spontaneous traveling, pretending to be crafty, emoticons, hot menfolk, and parenthetical statements (not necessarily in that order). After starting as the pitcher for Team Awesome (literally) and visiting places like South Africa, Oman, and Fiji, Nico discovered that letting the boys in her head tell her where they want to go could actually be the most exciting journey of all.

Find out more about Nico on her Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Nico is giving away TWO prizes to three lucky winners!! These prizes are: (1) an ebook copy of A Time for Loving and (2) a pretty ring with the word “love” inscribed on it. There are no shipping restrictions, and this giveaway is open worldwide where permitted by law. The giveaway will run from October 23rd to November 6th. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Don’t forget to check out Heather C’s review of A Time for Loving to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: , , | 6 Comments

Honorary Blogger Joseph Lance Tonlet: Fear and Trust + Excerpt!

Posted on October 23, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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Fear and Trust

by Joseph Lance Tonlet

Eighteen months ago I embarked on a thrilling new journey. The goal of this journey? Write a good book.

I’d set this goal after years of dreaming about it—of longing for it. I’d also set this goal with no practical novel writing experience. Sure, I’d taken the same mandatory English classes in high school and college that most folks do, but there wasn’t a single thing in my background which told me I could do this.

What took me so long to do it? Fear. Plain and simple. However, I desperately pushed the apprehension to the back of my mind as I sat in front of my MacBook and began to type. Once I’d mustered the courage to actually to start, the words just seemed to flow from my fingers and onto the page. It was almost magical, and in the span of 4 weeks I’d written 120,000 words.

The next difficult step came after I’d typed that final period and called the book’s first draft done. The difficult step to which I refer?Letting other people actually read it. That terrified the ever-living-fuck out of me. Sure, I was worried whether or not I’d done a good job. But, beyond that was the concern of what would people think—it’s an erotic-romance D/s novel after all. It’s what my fervently religious grandmother would have deemed smut.

Each of us holds that concern, to some extent, don’t we? The fear that we’ll be judged, the fear that we’ll be seen as weird or freaky, the fear that we’ll be looked at as deviants. But, then it hit me, being gay, I’ve been seen as a deviant most of my life…why not add a bit more ‘strange’ to the mix? *smile*

I’d achieved the first part of the goal; I’d written Grif’s Toy. As for the second part—the part about writing a ‘good’ book—I’d only know for sure if I allowed people to read it. Like Grif, our protagonist, I’ve had to bite back my fear many times over the course of this journey and just trust. And, also like Grif, I’m really glad I did! I hope you are as well.

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About Grif’s Toy

Young atractive man wearing white shirtGrif believes he’ll live his life as a virgin. After all, who would want him? How could anyone find him, a guy who came with less than man-sized equipment, worthy of their love?

What he hadn’t counted on were the two amazing men who would change his life. After entering college, he meets Tate, his fun-loving, roommate. While years later, with Tate now just a memory, Wes, a handsome, rugged ex-marine who runs his own security firm enters his life.

Both men lead Grif through a twisted mesh of pleasure, pain, and denial, as they force him to see his value, despite his size and insecurities.

Available at: Amazon and Smashwords

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of Grif’s Toy to see what she thought of it!

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An Excerpt from  Grif’s Toy

With a quick kiss he slid away from me and off the bed. Pulling the t-shirt off first and then dropping his shorts he stood resplendently nude. My breath caught as I stared at him.

He walked over to my side of the bed and held out a hand to me. I took it and was pulled to my feet.

With a quick, deep kiss he said, “Grif, just trust that I’ll keep my promise, okay?”

I looked into his kind eyes and saw the small laugh lines around them, the sexy smile and nodded, “I promise to try and remember that, Wes.”

“Then we’re half way there.”

He hooked the hem of my t-shirt in both hands and brought it over my head and off. Looking down at my chest, he mumbled beautiful before his fingers moved to the button of my shorts.

He paused and asked, “I assume you have a jock on?”

“Never leave home without it,” I tried for nonchalance, but failed as my voice cracked.

He looked down and easily popped the button. I grabbed his wrist, but I didn’t pull it away.

“Wes…,” I felt my eyes beginning to tingle, and my throat growing tight, “I’m scared.” My voice was so low and indistinct I was certain he hadn’t even heard me.

He looked up and met my eyes, “Okay, two things, babe; one, fuck you’re so beautiful right now, and that fear in your eyes does crazy things to me, and two, why are you frightened? I gave you my—’

“I’m scared of losing you if you see,” I blurted out.

“Hey…,” he said, as he brushed my hair back from my forehead, “You’ve got your jock on. There’s no way I can see. So put that worry out of your head—and just feel the moment, okay? And, more importantly, you won’t lose me when I do see. There’ll come a time when you’ll believe that too.”

He moved his hands back down to my shorts, slid the zipper open with an amazingly, practiced adeptness, and my shorts fell to the carpet.

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About Joseph Lance Tonlet

Joseph is a born and raised Southern Californian—with a twenty-year stint of living in the Midwest. He loves the laid-back lifestyle of San Diego and considers himself lucky to live where people dream of vacationing.

A lifelong reader of m/m fiction, he began his writing career one night sitting at his MacBook and has never looked back. He writes to bring the characters he dreams about to life.

Find out more about Joseph on his Website, Facebook, Google+, Goodreads, Pinterest and Twitter.

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

Honorary Blogger A.J. Truman: College Memory – Bad Romance Edition + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by thebloggergirls

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College Memory – Bad Romance Edition

by A.J. Truman

Thank you so much for having me on your site! Flat out, I love writing gay new adult. I really wanted to capture all of the emotions that make the college experience so unique. College is such a fun, exciting, scary, turbulent time, especially for gay men, many of whom are coming out or coming out of their shell.

Myself included.

I definitely drew on my college memories to create OUT IN THE OPEN. I was shy and awkward and better at pining after guys like Preston rather than actually talking to them. However, I did not have sex in public places with a megahot closeted fratboy, like the main character Ethan does in the book. (Which you should read!) (It’s really good!) (Okay, enough promo)

My routine at parties was to grab something alcoholic to drink immediately and then scout the location for other gay guys to flirt with. As you can imagine, 99% of the time, this backfired on me. But one time, I almost succeeded. I saw this cute guy by the fireplace – a little bit taller than me, short brown hair, nice smile. I went up to him and started chatting. Luckily, this was before the age of smartphones, so I wasn’t able to stare at my phone during social gatherings. I had to be social.

He was a sweet guy, a music major, and to my surprise, he wanted to keep talking to me. What? Seriously? I never got this far! I was so nervous – okay, what do I now? what do I say? – so nervous that I kept taking sips of my jungle juice. A lot of sips.

I mean, a lot of sips.

By the end of night, any semblance of witty repartee I had dissolved into drunken rambling. I spewed out a mini-rant about how hard it is to meet decent guys at this school while meeting an actual decent guy. I had to lie down on a couch because I couldn’t stand up. Someone brought me water to sober me up. I remember thinking that I was still flirting with him, that I still had a chance.

He walked me back to my dorm. This is going well, I thought. A lovely, moonlit stroll through campus. Well, he was strolling. I was stumbling around. I may have fallen into a bush. When he dropped me off, he extended his arm for a handshake. I thought I still had a chance. This is something we’d laugh about, right?

Naturally, I never heard from him again. A few weeks later, I saw him around campus. He was with some of his friends. I wasn’t sure if I should wave or say hi, or just take the hint. Maybe he was waiting for me to call him. As soon as we made eye contact, he twisted right back around to his friends. He was like a figure skater doing one of those fancy triple axel spins. I thought I felt a breeze that’s how fast he moved to avoid me.

Okay then. I felt down for the rest of the day – until I found out about another party that night. I would get over this guy one sip of jungle juice (well, many sips) at a time.

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About Out in the Open

1Libraries are meant for studying – not sex

College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.

He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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An Excerpt from Out in the Open

 

“I was not expecting that back in class, Ethan.” Greg took a step closer. Even in this unforgiving fluorescent light, his skin still glowed with the last gasp of a summer tan. “I didn’t think you would actually do that.”

Ethan noticed the slightest hint of a smile crack his face. “You kept egging me on, but I’m sorry. It was wrong.”

“Yes. It was very wrong. You are a sex fiend.”

“No, I’m not,” Ethan said. “If you didn’t like it, you should’ve stopped me.”

“Who said I didn’t like it?”

Ethan froze. He remained nervous, but now for a completely different reason. “You liked it?”

“It was actually…” Greg itched the back of his head, and his shirt hiked up, revealing an inch of tight flesh. “It was kinda hot.”

“It was?”

“You didn’t think so? I saw you getting into it.”

“That’s only because…” Ethan didn’t know how to finish that sentence. “I was in shock, and I only did it to shut you up.”

“Oh, you shut me up alright,” Greg said, flushing with color.

“It won’t happen again. Especially not in the middle of class.”

“That was the hottest part, though.”

“No, it wasn’t. We could’ve been caught any moment!” Ethan realized his whisper was well above acceptable library levels.

“I know.” Greg raised his eyebrows. “I was so hard. I haven’t been that turned on in a long time.”

Ethan peered down at Greg’s crotch, and he still seemed turn on. Ethan didn’t understand it. He and Greg seemed to be on different wavelengths about this. Maybe it was because, if they had gotten caught, Ethan would’ve been the one to receive all the scolding. Greg could’ve claimed innocent victim.

“You enjoyed it? Doing that in public?” Ethan asked. “Isn’t that illegal?”

“Probably. You’re the wannabe lawyer.” Greg took another step toward Ethan, and this time, he caught Ethan taking another glimpse of his downstairs area. “Looks like you enjoyed it, too.”

Greg nodded at Ethan’s crotch, and he tried to conceal the bulge in his pants. His teeth wouldn’t stop chattering, and now goose bumps crawled across his arms. The way Greg looked at him, with no fear, no reservations, made Ethan’s bottom half stand more at attention.

“Maybe we should do it again,” Greg said.

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About A.J. Truman

A.J. Truman remembers his college days like it was yesterday, even though it was definitely not yesterday. He writes books with humor, heart, and hot guys. What else does a story need? His debut novel OUT IN THE OPEN was released in September. He loves spending time with his pets and his partner and writing on his sun porch.

You can find him on his blog, Goodreads, and Facebook. Get details on upcoming books and exclusive content by subscribing to his mailing list.

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A.J. has graciously offered up an eBook copy of Out in the Open to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends October 26, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Heather C’s review of Out in the Open to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , | 30 Comments