Published in 2018

Book Review: Dream by Garrett Leigh

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Dream
Author: Garrett Leigh
Series: Skins #1
Heroes: Dylan & Angelo
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 244 pages
Publisher: Fox Love Press
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: I can’t sleep…

When unrequited love leaves Dylan Hart sleepless and nursing his wounds, instinct draws him to the one place he’s found mindless respite in the past—Lovato’s. It’s a place for every fantasy — for crazy-hot encounters — where a night of insane NSA sex brings relief to Dylan’s fragile feelings.

It should be a perfect escape, and for one magical night it seems that way, but then worlds collide, and reality bites when his hookup desperately needs a friend. Surely Dylan can’t trust his instincts when friendship has bruised his heart so badly before?

It’s burying me alive…

The deck is stacked against former ballet dancer Angelo Giordano ever finding real love. At least visiting Lovato’s offers respite from a life defined by illness; a glimmer of light in the dull grey of his so-called life without dance. But then he encounters Dylan — a glorious ray of the brightest sunshine — who makes his heart pound once more with purpose.

Angelo’s mind is blown by this man, but the disease that ended his career won’t let him bask in new love. He’s drowning, and Dylan can’t save him while insecurities swamp them both. The only way to make it means confronting their demons.

If Dylan can turn his back on the past, and Angelo can face his uncertain future, maybe they can chase their dreams together.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger M.D. Neu: Inspiration + Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Inspiration

by M.D. Neu

 

I want to thank the folks here at The Blogger Girls for having me here to start my Blog Tour for The Calling. With the story being out now for a couple of weeks I’ve been asked how I came up with the idea for this story. I thought I would answer that question here.

I started with my main character, Duncan.  Duncan is an everyman.  He could be your brother, your cousin, your best friend, or he could be that guy you pass every day on your way to the office. He is meant to represent all of us.  It doesn’t matter who you are, or who you love, you should be able to see something of yourself in Duncan. At least that is my hope.

As for the story idea, when I was a kid and even now I love vampires and vampire stories.  I watched and read everything I could about these amazing creatures.  However, the issue I have with these stories was that we were expected to believe that vampires could exist in our modern world.  Given we have cameras in everything and that we are watched 24/7 I wondered how vampires could really be.  How could you have a pack of vampires kill people without anyone ever finding out.  How would social media play into this?  What if someone live streamed a vampire attack and the video went viral?  How would vampires keep their secret?

Now that I had my main character and an idea of my story I needed to come up with a location.  I picked my hometown of San Jose, California, which is the heart of the technology. I thought it would be fun to set the book in a technology hot spot and poke a little fun at other better-known cities. And I really wanted to highlight San Jose and other local towns. I wanted to show people just what an amazing place this area of the country is and why we are so blessed to live here.

With my main character, my setting and my story idea (vampires and witches, which I always felt complimented each other), I started to populate my story and began writing.  I outlined the story and planned my world’s lore. The final product, which I’m hoping people will enjoy is, The Calling. Continue reading

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Beneath This Mask by Victoria Sue

Reviewed by JustJen

Title: Victoria Sue
Author: Beneath This Mask
Series: Enhanced #3
Heroes: Gael/Jake
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 206 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 16, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Gael Peterson has spent years hiding behind the enhanced abilities he wears like a mask, even though he is an important, confident member of the FBI’s exclusive H.E.R.O. team. The hurt and betrayal of his mom’s abandonment and his father’s fists are secrets buried deep beneath the ugly scars on his face, and he doesn’t trust Jake, his new regular human partner, with any of them. In a world where those with special abilities like Gael’s are regarded as freaks and monsters, it won’t be easy for him to rely on Jake to have his back, especially when the abilities of a vulnerable, enhanced, nonspeaking child make that child a murder suspect.

Tempers rise and loyalties are challenged, and when the serial killer targeting the enhanced finally sets his sights on Gael, not only will Gael have to trust Jake with his secrets, he might have to trust him to save his life.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Love Times Five by Lily G. Blunt: Exclusive Excerpt

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Exclusive Excerpt from Love Times Five

by Lily G. Blunt

The moon shone low and bright in the now cloudless, star-speckled sky. The earlier storm had passed, leaving a cool, clear evening.

The sudden urge to throw his head back and howl prompted Shaun to move away from the cabin towards the cover of the trees.

Everything around him was visible and not just because of the reflected light from the moon. Zach’s unusual heartbeat thrummed slow and steady. A rabbit scurried under a nearby bush. An owl flew low across the open grass leading down to the lake. All of Shaun’s senses were on high alert. The scent emanating from Zach, combined with traces of Colin and their many sex sessions, stiffened his cock. “Gonna fuck you so hard after this,” he declared to Zach.

“Oh yeah?” Zach’s voice was rough.

“Yeah. Against a tree until you coat the bark with your cum.”

The blip in Zach’s heart rate gave Shaun the reassurance that his fantasy would be fulfilled that night.

Shaun didn’t need to check if they were being observed, but he glanced around anyway. In his current state, he would pick up on the scent or sounds made by someone watching them.

“We’re alone,” Zach confirmed.

The time was right.

Shaun stripped out of his clothes and draped them over a low-hanging branch, leaving only his shoes and socks on the still-wet grass beneath.

He stood naked beside Zach under the round moon. His body burned, inside and out. It itched. It stretched. The cool of the night air had no effect on his soaring temperature.

The wolf inside him paced, ready to pounce in an instant.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Shaun said to himself as much as to Zach.

He shook his head and shoulders, sending a violent ripple over his skin. A snarl erupted from his elongated muzzle. His hands fell towards the forest floor, and by the time he landed, Shaun’s paws and claws dug into the damp earth. The bone-cracking pain fizzled out in a flash.

Shaun felt free and so alive.

When he lifted his head this time, a long mournful howl ripped out of his throat and echoed through the forest.

No reply came.

The wolf sniffed the air, and the earthy woodland odour bombarded his nostrils. Zach’s heady fragrance was now intoxicating. Lust curled deep inside of Shaun, and the fur on his back stood on end.

The animal pawed the ground, eager to stretch its legs. He wanted to fuck, but he needed to run more.

The wolf growled low in his throat.

Zach raced past in a flash, and Shaun’s heart quickened. He set off after him. His fluid strides lengthened, and his paws pounded the earth in time with his heartbeat.

Running wild, both creatures dodged low branches and exposed tree roots. Twigs snapped underfoot and leaves fluttered away.

The full moon glowered above them.

The breeze rushed past the fur on his face.

Their race—or chase—was exhilarating. Exciting. Arousing.

Wolf and vampire ran and ran and ran, neither of them tiring.

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Book Review: That Rat, Carter Janson by Amy Spector

Reviewed by Ami

Title: That Rat, Carter Janson
Author: Amy Spector
Series: State of Love
Heroes: Felix/Peake/Carter Janson
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 106 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 19, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Every man has secrets, but some are bigger than others….

Felix Peake escaped a shady past to carve out a successful career as an expert in Mesopotamian art and gain the respect of the Chicago art community. But when an assistant curator—a man Felix could easily see himself falling for—asks him to reauthenticate a cuneiform tablet to avoid a looming scandal, Felix’s carefully constructed life could crumble.

The tablet is a fake, and Felix is intimately familiar with the artist. Master forger Carter Janson—Felix’s ex and first love—disappeared from his life six years before without a word of explanation. Now, to hold his world together, Felix must find the original tablet, steal it back, and replace the forgery—all before the museum exhibit debuts. It’ll mean slipping back into a role Felix wanted to leave behind and risking his promising future. But even then, he can’t do it alone. He’ll have to confront that rat, Carter Janson.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Author Q&A: Cari Z. & L.A. Witt + Giveaway!

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Please welcome Cari Z. & L.A. Witt to The Blogger Girls!! Tell us about the Bad Behavior series, where are you getting the inspiration for each book?

Cari: The Bad Behavior series is romantic suspense, with an emphasis on suspense and police procedure. There aren’t a lot of hot and heavy moments, but we managed to find time to develop the relationship in between the cases. The cases themselves are totally different in each book, which was part of the fun of it. We kind of picked a crime and then built the plot around it—for example, the first book deal with taking down police corruption, the second one has a serial killer, the third one is a kidnapping. It helped keep things interesting for us.

L.A.: What Cari said. And we did still want the romance, but we didn’t want their jobs to take a backseat to their relationship because it just doesn’t work that way with cops. Especially when they’re in the middle of a major case. So we started with the crimes, and let the relationship between the guys – both professional and romantic – develop alongside the cases they were working. Which means getting interrupted at inopportune moments, and stealing fleeting moments whenever they can. Which in turn frustrates the hell out of everyone, so color me happy. Hehehe

Is it hard co-writing a series? Does the process take longer or is quicker than writing alone?

Cari: It was so easy to write with Lori! That hasn’t been the case with, well, any of my other co-authors, but this collaboration was just kismet, as far as I’m concerned. Lori is a pro at working with others, and very adaptable, so I knew I was in good hands, so to speak. And for me it was a LOT faster than writing alone.

L.A.: Definitely not hard! Cari is amazing to work with. I love co-writing in general, and I hope to do a lot more with Cari.

Tell us a little about Romantic Behavior, what are the characters like and how have they changed since the start of the series?

Cari: Aw, this story is the sweet resolution 😊 Darren and Andreas are finally ready and able to commit to each other, and they’re serious about making it work for the long haul. It’s definitely the book with the cutest moments in it. The guys are totally in love, they rely on each other, they have no doubts (well, almost no doubts) and they’re looking forward to a happy future together. *sigh*

L.A.: I’d say Andreas has had to get his priorities straight, both regarding his family and his boyfriend. By book 4, he’s mellowed considerably across the board, and as I said, he’s gotten his priorities straight. As for the Romantic Behavior, it’s basically a chance for the characters to finally have their hard-won happy ending. That’s not to say there aren’t bumps in this one, but no one’s getting shot at or anything this time.

What’s your favorite scene from the book?

Cari: My favorite scene is either the very first one, where Darren is nervous because Andreas is acting weird, or the one where he finally loses it and tells off someone who, quite honestly, really deserved telling off at that point. It felt cathartic.

L.A.: The wedding. Definitely.

And lastly, where do you see the series going from here?

Cari: This is the end of the Bad Behavior series! It’s done, finished, fini, finito, and all the other f-words that mean the end. I’m really proud of how it’s turned out, and hopefully now that it’s done readers who were reluctant to start something without having an end in sight will feel ready to dive in.

L.A.: Yep. I’m not opposed to the boys showing up as secondary characters in other books, but their story is done. We deliberately set out to make this one a trilogy with a well-deserved extended epilogue, rather than making it go on and on. Ongoing series can be fun, but not this one. Even though I am going to miss Darren and Andreas something fierce.

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Categories: Author Q&A, Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , | 13 Comments

Book Review: Romantic Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Romantic Behavior
Authors: L.A. Witt and Cari Z.
Series: Bad Behavior #4
Heroes: Andreas/Darren
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 118 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: January 16, 2018
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Detective Andreas Ruffner is no fool—he’s found a man who loves him, puts up with him, and has stuck with him through hell and back, and it’s time to put a ring on it. Darren Corliss is the love of his life, and he wants the whole world to know it.

Now the fun part—the wedding!

Well, after the not-so-fun part of planning the wedding in between dealing with overbearing and impossible-to-please family members. With future mothers-in-law driving them both up a wall, the guest list growing out of control, and the wedding getting ever more complicated, Darren and Andreas have to wonder if they’re in over their heads.

But they’re going to make it to the altar if it kills them . . . and at this rate, it just might.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2018, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Author Q&A: Joanna Chambers + Giveaway!

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Hello, book lovers! I’m Joanna Chambers and this is the blog tour for Tribute Act, my new romance which is book #8 in the Riptide’s Cornwall-set Porthkennack series. I’ll be sharing thoughts on writing my first full length contemporary, writing Christmas songs as an extreme form of authorly procrastination and my love of men with sad eyes. Please join me for a chance to win a copy of the book and a $25 Riptide gift card!

*****

Please welcome Joanna Chambers to The Blogger Girls! Tell us a little about yourself, why did you start writing?

Hi, it’s great to be here – thanks for inviting me!

I pretty much always wanted to write. My first writing endeavour was to try out for my writing badge in Brownies (UK version of girl scouts for little girls) but Brown Owl (troop leader) said my story wasn’t up to the mark! I was 7 years old – my first one-star review! That experience put me off for a while, lol, but the itch was always there. I made a real proper go of it after I had my first child. Something just clicked at that point 😊  

Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?

Oh, from all over – I have a constant flow of ideas – the challenge for me is deciding which ones to take forward. I have finite writing time and I’m not a particularly fast or prolific writer. I’m best known for my historicals and a lot of my ideas come from tiny snippets I’ve read – little serendipitous facts that I come across and that intrigue me. Also situational stuff. For example, when I signed up to write A Gathering Storm, my first Porthkennack book, I picked a character to write about (Sir Edward Fitzwilliam) that meant I had to set the book in the 1850s. I ended up researching that period in lot of detail and a lot of the plot was driven by the events and news of 1850-52.   

Why the Porthkennack series? How did you get involved with this series?

Sarah Lyons asked me and when she told me Alex Beecroft had created the universe and written a detailed story bible, I was in – that was even before I knew who the other authors were. Also, it’s set in Cornwall which is an amazing setting.

Is it hard writing in part of a series with other authors even though the stories are standalone?

I imagine it could be, but honestly, Alex’s bible was so thorough, that it was fine.

Now for the story, tells us a little about it in three sentences or less. 

Nathan and Mack meet at a nightclub and hook up for the night. They part in the morning, but less than a day later, they meet again when Mack turns unexpectedly in Porthkennack. Nathan’s a fixer by nature and when he learns more about Mack’s history, he desperately wants to fix things for him, but to do that, he has to overcome Mack’s fear of intimacy.

How does it differ from the other stories in the series?

It’s probably a bit more standalone than some of the other stories in the series as the main characters are all new characters.

And lastly, what else do you have coming out soon or what are you currently working on?

I’ve been plate-spinning a few drafts recently but my new year’s resolution was to put everything else aside and work on my main project, which is a pair of werewolf books with historical settings. I’m wildly in love with this project right now!

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Categories: Author Q&A, Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , | 22 Comments

Author Q&A: Layla Reyne + Giveaway!

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Welcome to the Relay Blog Tour, presented by Layla Reyne and Riptide Publishing! Relay, by Layla Reyne, is Book 1 of the Changing Lanes sports romance series featuring Olympic swimmers. Relay is an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance between Alex, the team captain, and his closeted ex, Dane, swimming’s biggest star. Read on to learn more about Relay, Changing Lanes, and Layla Reyne!

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Please welcome Layla Reyne to The Blogger Girls! Tell us a little about yourself, what prompted you to start writing?

I wanted better endings. The first time I gave writing serious consideration was twelfth grade, when I wrote an epilogue to Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse. Presumptuous as hell, I know, but I didn’t like the ending. That trend continued as I dove into writing fanfiction. I was not waiting nine seasons for Mulder and Scully to get together. Ditto Damon and Elena. Now in my original fiction, I write romances where everyone finds love and happiness at the end of their journey. Those are the better endings I want.

Are you a plotter or do you fly by the seat of your pants for ideas?

Plotter. I have to be for the romantic suspense series that I write; the structure also helps with contemporary romance. If there’s not enough structure, I fret that the story is too plotless, regardless of the subgenre. I also adhere pretty strictly to a plotting diagram that follows three act structure. I used to write screenplays, and I watch A LOT of TV, so that flow and pacing is familiar for my brain.

How did you come up with your characters’ names?

Cantu is a nod to my best friend who helped me brainstorm the series. Alejandro is a personal favorite. As for the rest, I’ve been known to raid my phone contacts list for combinations, snag a name off my twitter timeline, or pull names from street signs 😉

How did you get the idea for the Changing Lanes series?

My best friend and I were on our way back from a baby shower (my idea of hell), and she basically talked me down by forcing me to brainstorm this duology. I knew I wanted to do a sports romance, and that I wanted to play with my favorite tropes – second chance romance and enemies-to-lovers for book one, a bit of an age gap and friends-to-lovers for book two. I also wanted to feature a sport that’s not as commonly written about. Thankfully, there are a lot of swimmers in my life, including said best friend.

And last question, describe Relay in three words or less!

Can I have four words, please?! Because it’s perfect… Swim Your Heart Out!

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Categories: Author Q&A, Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , | 11 Comments

Author Q&A: Charlie Cochrane + Giveaway!

Interview Banner

Two Feet Under began life as a conversation in a car, when my eldest daughter and I got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to an author/reader event. It gained a criminal mastermind as a result of another conversation in the car with her younger sister. It got its background thanks to the popular television series “Time Team” and a setting care of the northern part of Hampshire. The plot came from the author’s twisted imagination, via a lot of checking. And at least one character is based on people I know. You have been warned.  

*****

Please welcome Charlie Cochrane to The Blogger Girls! Tell us a little about yourself, what prompted you to start writing?

I’d describe myself as mad and middle aged. My youngest daughter might put another light on me; as she often says, “It’s amazing you’re not in a home yet, mother.” In terms of writing, I’ve always made up stories in my head, either to amuse me or – later on – to amuse my daughters. Once I actually had some time to sit and write, the transition to putting stories down on a screen and sharing them with other people seemed a natural transition.

How much research do you put into a story?

As much as it needs. You have to make sure – first and foremost – that the central threads of the story work, so that’s the initial research an author has to do. And that’s irrespective of whether the story is historical or contemporary, because readers are more likely to spot a goof in a novel set in the modern day. Once that groundwork is done, I tend to research as I go along – you should see my initial drafts of stories, which are full of notes to self along the lines of, “check this”, “is that word too modern?”, “can you get from A to B on the train without changing lines?” They all get picked up second time through, so although that means I may have to make small changes, I haven’t lost the flow of my writing first time round.

How do you come up with your murder mystery plots? Do you always know the end or do you let the story unfold wherever it goes?

I rarely know the end. I let the story unfold as though I’m reading/watching/listening to it and finding out what is happening as I go along. This may seem chaotic (as will the fact I write scenes in a scattergun approach then piece them together later) but it works for me. As for plot ideas, my daughters are great sources of inspiration. “What about a story where a group of archaeologists are deadly enemies of a group of detectorists?” they say. And I go, “Ooh! Let me just give that a whirl.”

What’s harder for you, naming your characters, coming up with a title or finding the right cover?

The second one. Covers are a doddle because the Riptide artists are so talented. Names are also a doddle because if I’m stuck for one I go on the BBC sports website and trawl through some team listings until I find the right surname, then bung an appropriate forename on it. Titles, however…they’re like sweating blood. I’ve had to be rescued so often by my editors because my working title has been, to use a technical phrase, frankly pants.

And lastly, what book would you recommend for a new to you reader to start with?

If they like mysteries, then “The Best Corpse for the Job” makes a nice, gentle introduction to my writing style. (Also good for readers who like big, daft dogs.) If people prefer romance and/or shorter stories, then “Second Helpings” would be a great place to start. Continue reading

Categories: Author Q&A, Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , | 7 Comments