Title: Inherent Gifts Author: Alicia Cameron Series: Hojer #1 Heroes: Jere/Wren Genre: MM Dystopian Length: 476 Pages Publisher: Fantastic Fiction Release Date: January 31, 2013 Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Life was never the same again after The Fall, especially for those born with certain gifts that set them apart from others. Gifts that doomed those like Wren to a life of slavery with no hope of escape or turned a man like Jere into an unwilling master. When a fiery tragedy brings Jere into Wren’s life it becomes clear that this new master is like nobody else Wren has ever known. How does a slave protect himself from someone unpredictable? Can love really exist between master and slave, or will it destroy them both? Continue reading →
‘Cause you’re the main character of this little book, that’s why
(Ben humped) It’s not the best day for me. I’ve been up most the night with heartburn. I’m tired and grumpy.
Okay, we’ll make this quick then.
(Nodding) Ok, so what is it you want to know?
How did you meet Shad?
That’s stupid, you’ve have already read that.
Not necessary, some people won’t even know it’s out. Others will be waiting for it to come out on Amazon.
(He rolls his eyes) I met him at a night club, we had an awesome night (and with that stupid love sick look on his face you understand) and then I left. Only he decided he wanted me to take something of his with him.
Like really, why these werewolves didn’t know this shit about themselves. I can’t honestly be the first one this has happened to over the last decade or so. They’d have to have known this could happen.
And for clarification…
I’m effing pregnant! Like…okay we aren’t completely sure how I am able to become this way, that’s for book 2 but it definitely has something about my ancestry and what changes in our bodies when we are mated to a werewolf. Because that’s what happened. While I was up in that room thinking, ‘oh this is a nice once in a life time shag’, the wanker was mating with me.
And so I go home like I would with any other one nighter only to feel like I’ve left something behind which wasn’t really correct, was it, apparently I actually took something.
Though I did miss Shad I don’t really think I ever connected that because I got sick, really sick and that became misery which was all I could think about.
I guess though if I was a girl I’d have automatically thought to grab a pregnancy test but…I’m not. Yet here I am pregnant…
(There’s a pause)
It’s something to get used to.
Anyway (Ben sighed) it’s all in the book. You can probably tell I don’t deal with it well, but there some more shit too. The heaven’s or whoever it is that messes with our lives felt I needed some excitement and by gods am I going to get it!
Next question (his eyebrows go up, asked along with his mouth)
Ah… um…(rustles papers) What are your thoughts on mating with Shad—and I mean if you weren’t dealing with being pregnant would you still want him? Want this?
(Ben sighs, his hand run against his stomach, his eyes get that moony glow to them) Shad’s a hunk. Big and strong and growly—which makes sense if you think about it, but I was drinking that night and like every other human in this day and age. I turned a blind eye. I Had no idea I was dancing in a known werewolf zone. It was there home, which, if you want to take notes, is 101 in telling if you’re dealing with a werewolf. He parties on home turf, he growls when he’s f***ing.
Okay, well, I’ve sexed a lot of men who growl when horny, it’s kinda my kink (he winks).
He’s a doll tho, makes you blush just by looking at you, then holds the door open and gives you kisses when you pass him.
Or was that a dream???
Are you living with him now?
Gotta there’s no way Shad could be that far away from me or his kid, and let’s face it, unless I want to be splattered all over the news I can’t let people see me. and if I stay at my home then I’d wouldn’t be able to leave and what kinda life is that.
The guys have all be great though. I’m having a blast getting to know them all. And if I look at them in a certain way, or I sigh real sadly they jump and get me everything I could ever need.
Maybe it’s not so bad being pregnant (he laughs)
At least not when you want something and can’t be bothered moving
(Again that laughed, I want to keep it on his face, it lights him up) or have someone else go out and get me something that’s not in the fridge.
Speaking of food, have you had any unusual cravings?
(Creases bunch up between his brows) not really. I’ve been too sick to want to really eat anything. Honestly the smell of toast would get my stomach wanting to visit my tonsils. And even though it seems that need has died down, now if I’m not visiting the porcelain gods my chest is burning up like a mother****er.
Apparently spoke… shit – gotta….sorry… (and off Ben ran, his hand covering his mouth, apparently the vomiting wasn’t over with yet)
About Ben’s Wolf Surprise
There’s something unsettling in having to tell a one-night stand that you’re pregnant with his child. When you yourself are a man, it gets…let’s call it complicated.
Ben rushed to the toilet, sliding into the bowl as he slipped on the bathmat. His fingers hurt as he smacked them into the porcelain moments before he spilled his guts out into the bowl.
His retching, the splash of liquid hitting water and the sting in his eyes were the only thing on his mind as he tried to get the poison out of him so that he could stop being sick. He really needed to stop being sick.
Please can someone make it stop.
Ben took a breath as he slowly straightened himself up. Hoping his stomach was over this burst. He grabbed at a handful of toilet paper and used it to blow his noise before he whipped his mouth and threw the clump into the bowl as he got to his feet. His head stayed on level, hanging over the bowl as he waited. A second, a minute, he didn’t want to stand, he didn’t want to be looking down at the bowl, but it was hard, these moments of calm.
Flushing, Ben stood over the sink, washed his face and mouth out before he grabbed at his toothbrush and started on his teeth. He couldn’t stand the taste, couldn’t deal with the fact that he’d spewed and even though he’d be here again, going over the same routine, like he had six times since last night. He needed to feel clean and without getting in the shower, his teeth were the next best thing.
Ben shuffled his way back into the bedroom then looked around. He didn’t feel that bad at that moment. Queasy, yeah, because of the recent spewing. But on the whole, his head wasn’t hurting, his body wasn’t aching and he didn’t have a temp. He was just vomiting, had been just vomiting for a week and a half now.
Ben did not understand why it was happening. He’d even been to the hospital about it and they sent him home after nearly a day on an IV and all tests coming back clean. He did not have food poisoning or gastro issues. He did not have fucking anything and the fact that he hadn’t spewed at the hospital itself hadn’t help, just got him home quicker.
He’d felt like a fool. Therefore, he kept it all to himself even though the sickness didn’t seem to be passing, didn’t seem to be anything even as he kept on doing it.
He drank as much as he could and he did seem to keep a lot of the water down. He even managed to eat a bit every now and then. Not as much as he’d normally consume but enough to say he’d eaten.
Smells seemed to be a big trigger. And the fact that he lived in a shitty apartment block meant there were a lot of them, at all different times. Each smell different from the next, nothing he could really track.
Breakfast was okay, toast and tea even, but any small waft of coffee and he’d be running to the toilet. The oily mechanic sweaty smell didn’t sit well with him either, which was weird, as it happened to be his favourite smell on a man.
Animal’s…he could not do them at all. Could not stand that animally smell they had, a smell he’d never really noticed until this last week. Dogs were the worst, they reeked in a way that got Ben backing away as quickly as he could. If one touched him, brushed against his hand, his body…well the last time it happened he was at his neighbour’s feet. Luckily, Daniel had been nice enough to wash away the evidence from the front steps.
Odder still was the fact that it took him four times under scolding water to wash the dog’s smell off him and he’d not been able to rest until he did. Could not sit still until it was clearly away.
A knock sounded around his apparent before Ben had made it to bed. He looked out towards the front of his apartment, even if all he saw from his position was the open bedroom door.
About Bronwyn Heeley
Bronwyn was always the ‘wait until the movie comes out’ kinda girl. This was because reading wasn’t her strongest point; the only books she was able to read were Baby Sitter Club: Little Sister and Paul Jennings anthologies
Add a 2yr old and another on the way, she needed a hobby, which she found in reading. Picking up a book opened a whole new world to her, one she never thought she’d ever be able to enter.
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.
Title: Without a Net Author: Lyn Gala Heroes: Oliver Robertson/Travis Goode Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 266 Pages Publisher:Loose Id Release Date: August 24, 2015 Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Oliver Robertson has been assigned to go undercover in one of the shade clubs that litter the seedier parts of town. He has never engaged in the sort of edge play found in those places, preferring the BDSM in the more mainstream control clubs. However, to find the criminals behind a series of kidnappings, he must go in undercover as a shade sub. The mission becomes more complicated when his captain asks him to collect evidence against a lieutenant who might be a dirty cop.
The case quickly gets out of hand, and Ollie finds himself caught between wanting to do his job and not knowing who to trust. That confusion grows worse when a number of sexy and dominant men challenge his assumption that he prefers safe, contractually negotiated sex. It turns out he has more of a wild side than he expected, and given that he’s surrounded by dangerous men, and he can’t distinguish the good guys from the bad, that’s terrifying.
When Ollie gives his trust to Travis Goode, a dominant who appears to be a federal agent, he might be making the connection of a lifetime or dooming himself forever. Continue reading →
Title: The Articles of Release Author: B.A. Tortuga Series: The Release #2 Heroes: Eric Tremaine/Troy Daniels Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 220 Pages Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: September 4, 2015 Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Just released from the military, wounded warrior Eric Tremaine is trying to put his life back together like the doctors reassembled his shattered leg. He’s a man with no home, since his Louisiana family rejected him, so Eric winds up in Texas with his old Army buddy, Adam Winchester, and his lover, Sage.
When Eric decides to stop sitting on his ass feeling sorry for himself, he is introduced to trainer Troy Daniels, who lost both his legs in a teenage accident. Troy knows what it’s like to feel as if your body is your enemy. While Eric and Troy have a bumpy start, they soon find enough common ground to make a friendship, if not more. But taking it to the next level means finding out what they have to offer each other, and the world, before they can trust that the love they find together won’t cause more pain than pleasure. Continue reading →
TBG: Max, welcome back to the Blogger Girls. As always, it’s a pleasure to have you.
Max: Of course, always my pleasure.
***
TBG:My Hero is your first audio book, how amazing is that, huh? You have many books published so what made you choose this book for audio?
Max: It was the first book I wrote and it was the one that had been the most requested.
***
TBG: Jared Bradford is a new narrator, how did you two connect and what made you decide to use him as your narrator?
Max: We connected through a mutual friend, Monique Thompson. She sent me some of his music where he was singing. He had an amazing voice with a great range.
I’d been looking for a narrator for this book since last October. I knew what I wanted and when he sent me an audition recording, I knew I’d found the perfect guy.
***
TBG: Are there any plans for future collaborations?
Max: Yes. I just sent Jared a manuscript to look over. Can’t wait to see what he thinks of it. It will be a real challenge, I think. And no, I’m not telling anyone what it is until he’s done with it. 🙂
***
TBG: Many have been asking, so I must too, will there be a sequel?
Max:A sequel to My Hero? Yes, it is already in the works. I’m a little more than three-quarters done with it. As soon as it is finished and published, I want to give it to Jared. He did a fantastic job with the first one and I loved the way he brought it to life.
***
TBG: What are you working on now?
Max:My Hero: The Olympian. It continues right where the first book left off.
***
TBG: Are your books, characters, and locations based on actual people, experiences and places?
Max: I love this question. In My Hero, most of the characters are based on real people, or a combination of people that I’ve known. The character Anita, in My Hero, Johnny’s cousin, is my favorite character in the audiobook. Jared nailed her. It’s perfect.
***
TBG: What type of scene is the easiest to write, the hardest to write, and your favorite to write?
Max: Ahh, that’s a hard one. It really depends on the book and the characters. Sometimes sex scenes are really easy for me and then there are times, like in The V Unit, where they are difficult. It’s much easier I think when it is a male and female. You can use he and she, whereas in M/M they are both guys, so you have to be creative in the descriptions.
***
TBG: What is your biggest fear? As a writer and in life.
Max: My biggest fear in real life is snakes. They terrify me. In writing… The sequel to My Hero has terrified me. I think it is the readers expectations and then my own. I don’t want to disappoint the readers.
***
TBG: What do you want your tombstone to say?
Max: That is one ugly corpse. He must have done it right.
***
TBG: Final question: Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
Max: There are several. The will never do’s: Children, animals, scat and het sex scenes (I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that.).
TBG: Jared, welcome to the Blogger Girls. We know this is your first narration, which is extremely exciting, and we are thrilled to host this interview session with you and Max Vos.
Jared: Thanks! The pleasure is mine.
***
TBG: First off, how did you become an audio book narrator?
Jared: That’s a great question. It actually all started when I met Susan and the blogger girls! Before that, I had no idea the GRL world existed. Because of that friendship, I met Max’s and my mutual friend Monique Thompson, who introduced me to Max. She knew that I was in the habit of recording music at home and releasing it periodically on my Soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com/Jared-Bradford). She sent my information to Max who then approached me about the possibility of narrating “My Hero.” I also have a background and interest in acting so the project seemed like something I would enjoy and after discussing it with him, I agreed to create the audiobook version of his story! The feedback has been great so far and I’m looking forward to the next one.
***
TBG: Describe your experience while recording My Hero.
Jared: Since this was my first foray into home narration and audiobook production, there were definitely some things to learn and pitfalls along the way. I really enjoyed the first phase of reading the book and giving voices to the different characters. Max’s writing is very entertaining and he writes some lively characters with rich emotional lives. The Greek accent of Johnny’s mother was particularly difficult. Her chapters definitely had the most outtakes of any lol. I did notice as I continued that I became more and more comfortable switching between characters though.
Setting up a good, quiet space to record was also a big challenge. The mic picks up EVERYTHING. So I learned a lot of new skills in how to reduce outside noise as well as mastering the audio for final production.
Oh! And I had a serious hard drive failure during the production of the book. Luckily, I had done a recent back up but I still lost about 10 hours of editing work that had to be redone! So that was a bit stressful.
Overall, it was a great experience and project to work on. Max was very helpful and supportive! When I did my final listen of the entire book to check for quality, I actually made myself laugh and tear up. It’s not often that I enjoy my own performances since I’m usually too busy being my biggest critic, so that experience was very nice to have.
I hope everyone enjoys listening to the audiobook of “My Hero” as much as I did creating it!
***
TBG: Did you have any past experiences that you could pull from to make the jump in to audio book narration? What secret talents do you have?
Jared: Yep! I’ve been using computer software to record and edit music for a while. And I’ve done a lot of acting in plays and musicals that definitely helped me give life to the characters.
No secret talent. Just a good ear, attention to detail, and a willingness to sit at the computer until the quality is where it should be! 😉
***
TBG: How long did it take, from beginning to completion? Was this what you expected?
Jared: It took two months. Yes, I planned originally for it to take 6 weeks, working on it around Seth’s and my busy travel schedule, but I definitely ended up working on it down to the last seconds of our deadline. The computer crash didn’t help lol.
***
TBG: What happens when you make a mistake? Were there any particular scenes that gave you trouble, and took multiple takes to get it “just right”?
Jared: I frequently redo paragraphs or lines. I simply make a clap or loud noise that is visible on the waveform and redo it. Most chapters are at least twice as long before they are edited to remove all the outtakes.
Johnny’s mother was definitely the most difficult. The scenes with 4-5 guys all chiming in took a while too, since I had to be careful with who was talking and how they sounded. There are also several scenes where Johnny is talking with food in his mouth that I took a lot of takes to figure out the best way to do those while still being understandable.
***
TBG: How difficult was it to narrate multiple characters? Did you ever get the “voices” confused in your head?
Jared: Definitely! Lol. Sometimes I’d have to go back and listen to remember how a character sounded, especially if they hadn’t been around for several chapters. But it was also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed acting out all the parts. I had the most fun with the character Virgil. The voice I used for him reminded me of my grandmother. She always told me I spoke too fast for my southern grandma.
***
TBG: Sex scenes are hot for all of us to read, what affect, if any, did they have in bringing them to life? Was it difficult to get into the groove?
Jared: Max asked me about this during production haha. It’s very different to read or listen versus acting and producing. If I did my job right, you should get the same effect listening to the book as you do reading it 🙂
It was a little difficult at first. But the actual dialogue during sex is less important than the description of it, in my view. So I actually focused more on giving the descriptions in a manner fitting to the scene.
***
TBG: Now that you’ve got that first audio book in the vault, what are your future narration plans?
Jared: Max and I have been discussing starting production on another of his books. I’m actually looking over the manuscript and the calendar now! And I plan on auditioning for other titles in other genres as well.
***
TBG: What do you want written on your tombstone?
Jared: I don’t plan on having a tombstone lol. So nothing. I hope everyone has a huge party celebrating my life and I want to be put in a biopod and planted where I can grow into a beautiful tree.
***
TBG: Final question: What do you consider to be your best accomplishment in life?
Jared: I’m actually proud of a lot of things that I’ve done but I think my best accomplishments have been those times when I’ve helped someone to better understand the world around them or themselves. I’m an educator at heart and love learning about science, philosophy and psychology. Passing on knowledge is a legacy that never stops giving and creates a better world for us all.
About My Hero
When he was sixteen years old, Rich Miller saved a young man from drowning at his local pool. Little did he know that years later, as a senior in college and Olympic diving hopeful, Rich would meet up once again with Johnny Milloway, now a big football player – and when Rich says big, he really means ‘bear’. The shy jock remembers his saviour, and the two men become friends.
Johnny isn’t put off by the fact that Rich is gay. In fact, the more time he spends with Rich, the more curious he becomes. Johnny wants to know all kinds of things – what it’s like to kiss a guy, for instance. Only it doesn’t stop there…
Rich finds it difficult to believe that this relationship can go anywhere. Johnny is straight, and Rich isn’t prepared to deal with the heartache he knows will come his way in the future. He has enough on his plate as it is – the Worlds are just around the corner, his father would rather watch a football game than spend time watching his son dive…. What he doesn’t count on is Johnny, who can be very determined. And having Johnny in his life proves to be a catalyst for some pretty earth-shattering changes. . For readers who purchased the original edition, this second edition is not substantially different.
Max Vos is a classically trained chef with over 30 years of food service experience. After retiring in 2011, Max found himself with time on his hands and was urged to turn his talents to writing. ‘Cooking English’, a short story, was his first published work, and has four other short stories currently in publication with Ravenous Romance. His first novel, My Hero was a number one best seller on Amazon. He continues to challenge himself with varying topics, from Marine Vampires to taboo subjects. The one thing you will always be guaranteed to find in his writing is hard, gritty, man-on-man sex.
Max loves hearing from readers. You can keep up with him by reading his weekly blog posts on his own blog page: Max Vos | Facebook | email
About Jared Bradford
Jared Bradford has been a nation-wide gay nightlife icon, actor, go-go dancer, singer, model,
classically-trained pianist, yogi, and educator in physics and mathematics. He is originally from
Louisiana, but now lives very happily in New York City with his partner of three and half years,
Seth Fornea, and adorable Chihuahua, Miley. As a debut narrator and producer, Jared is proud to present his performance of My Hero as his first introduction to the audiobook world.
Jared has always had a strong interest in music and the theater and has starred in several
productions of plays and musicals including Hay Fever, Old Wicked Songs, The Exonerated, Godspell, and A Grand Night for Singing. He also recently portrayed Chandler in the daytime
web series La Fleur de Mai. Now, he is delighted to be able to bring his interests in music
recording and acting together to produce quality audiobooks.
Like most, Jared loves to enjoy life, and always tries to find the FUN in everything. If you have
the chance to see him twerking it on a box somewhere around the world, don’t be shy and come say hi!
Max has graciously offered up two audio and two ebook copies of My Hero, as well as two copies of a book from Max’s backlist The giveaway starts now and ends September 27, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below.
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.
Title: My Hero Author: Max Vos Narrator: Jared Bradford Heroes: Rich Miller/Johnny Milloway Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 6 hours, 3 minutes Publisher:Max Vos Release Date: August 13, 2015 Available at:Amazon and Audible Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: When he was sixteen years old, Rich Miller saved a young man from drowning at his local pool. Little did he know that years later, as a senior in college and Olympic diving hopeful, Rich would meet up once again with Johnny Milloway, now a big football player – and when Rich says big, he really means ‘bear’. The shy jock remembers his saviour, and the two men become friends.
Johnny isn’t put off by the fact that Rich is gay. In fact, the more time he spends with Rich, the more curious he becomes. Johnny wants to know all kinds of things – what it’s like to kiss a guy, for instance. Only it doesn’t stop there…
Rich finds it difficult to believe that this relationship can go anywhere. Johnny is straight, and Rich isn’t prepared to deal with the heartache he knows will come his way in the future. He has enough on his plate as it is – the Worlds are just around the corner, his father would rather watch a football game than spend time watching his son dive…. What he doesn’t count on is Johnny, who can be very determined. And having Johnny in his life proves to be a catalyst for some pretty earth-shattering changes. Continue reading →
Title: Fame and Fortune Author: T.M. Smith Series: All Cocks Stories #2 Heroes: Victor/Andrew/Matthew Genre: MMM Contemporary Length: 175 Pages Publisher: TTC Publishing Release Date: August 29, 2015 Available at: Amazon Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Victor Dimir moved to America with his traditional Romanian parents when he was just a child. His Romani parents taught him their traditions and how to be a shrewd business man. But it was the attention of a classmate at school that taught a teenage Victor about his sexuality. When he came out to his parents he knew it would be difficult for them to understand, but he never expected them to disown him.
Andrew Jones grew up with a single mom and his grandmother teaching him about life, he had an absentee father at best. The only thing the man ever did for Andy that stuck was buy him a camera for his thirteenth birthday. When Andrew went off to college on a scholarship to study photo journalism, he wound up falling in love with his Romanian roommate.
They became inseparable and wound up starting their own business together; a gay porn website where people could go and watch romantic gay porn instead of the rough and tough, or wham bam thank you man crap that was flooding the internet at that time. After ten years together they were still perfectly happy, they didn’t even realize something was missing, until they met a broken young man that needed a family.
Matthew Carlson was homeless, jobless and broken. He’d been on his own since he was sixteen when he ran away from home after being brutally assaulted by several other young men that he thought were his friends, and then being told he brought it on himself for being gay by his parents. Matthew has done a lot of things these last few years just to get by. When he finds the flyer for All Cocks, he decides to call and see where it leads. What has he got to lose?
Matthew has deep rooted scars that aren’t usually visible on the outside. But when he walks into All Cocks, both Victor and Andrew see them, they also see him. Can three men that didn’t even realize they needed each other get past the stigma of society to find a place of happiness, together? Continue reading →
Hey everybody! I’ve had a hectic last week with my daughter giving birth to my first grandchild so I’ve been kinda spastic. I’m really excited to bring you FRET. I’ve spent the last 3 months researching bands, instruments and talking/spending time with Aarin, Mikey and Doug of No Other Option. I came across them while looking for a band to sit down and talk with. Well, I found them and knew I didn’t need to look any further. They’ve been included in the book with speaking parts because they are Just. That. Awesome.
Part of the proceeds of the books sales are going to Aarin’s soon-to-be-mother-in-law to help her in her fight against breast cancer. There are few things in my life that I feel I have to contribute to, finding a cure for cancer in any form is at the top of my list. I hope that you all come to love Gareth and Axel as much as I do and continue to read about them in the next four books. Hang in there, so much more is coming!
About FRET
Former Navy SEAL Axel Blaze lives a solitary life. He doesn’t do emotions, and he doesn’t do babysitting. Used to being on his own, his job consists of Wetwork (a charming term coined by the KGB) for his former Master Chief, Mac. When an out-of-the-ordinary job lands on his doorstep, Axel heads down a path that includes a famous heavy metal rock band and one quiet, vulnerable, guitar-shredding virtuoso named Gareth Wolf.
Gareth Wolf’s life changed in an instant when a car he was a passenger in crashed, hurting his brother’s best friend and the band’s lead guitarist. They created the band, Skull Blasters, as kids. Gareth had always been happy in the background, playing roadie. With the lead guitarist’s injury, Gareth is suddenly thrust into the limelight and into a frenzied life he never imagined for himself. Finally fed up with living a lie, Gareth comes out as gay in a newspaper interview and finds himself in the bulls-eye of a crazed stalker. Somebody wants Gareth hurt – or worse – and Mac has been hired to be sure that doesn’t happen. Babysitting duty is NOT Axel’s strong suit, but Mac won’t be budged.
Enter Axel Blaze. Against his better judgment, the big man takes the job to protect the shy musician. The more time he spends with Gareth Wolf, the more he admires the man. Where’s a simple assassination when you need one? The situation becomes more volatile for each man as the attempts on Gareth escalate just as Axel finds himself falling for the quiet lead guitarist.
Strong, funny, smart-ass — and kinda sweet Axel is everything Gareth has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s off limits. As the stalker grows bolder, Gareth and Axel move closer emotionally – but is it too late? All Axel knows is that they don’t stand a chance if he can’t find the maniac trying to kill the man he’s come to care about. A lot.
Everyone knows that relationships that begin in pressured or volatile situations eventually fizzle out. Or do they?
Thumping music was shaking the walls of the Dome as I headed for my designated spot. I guess I’m meeting Paul, the band’s manager.
I took mental notes as I passed through the crowd of screaming, jumping people. The band was rocking it out and I sought out Gareth Wolf. There were two guitarists, but I found him right away. Black hair touched his shoulders and his lean body moved with his guitar.
He was in his element.
The song was wrapping up and the floor was shaking from the bass drum. The floor-to-ceiling speakers pumped out the last notes of the song. The crowd immediately went wild as Ransom Fox leaned over the stage.
“Let’s hear it for the best lead guitarist on the planet!” he shouted.
Gareth shook his hair back and bowed with one hand out. Again, the crowd screamed, shouted and whistled. Ransom went on to give some love to the other members of the group.
I rolled my eyes and pushed my way through the crowd toward the side of the stage. A large man eyed me and then nodded as I walked by. Again, I could have been wearing a ‘Hello, I’m God’ tag and security wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. As it was, my tag faced backwards; he couldn’t even see my name or credentials.
Security for the Skull Blaster band was sorely lacking.
I sat through another hour of bone-jarring hardcore metal before the band finally left the stage. I scanned the area for their manager, but no luck.
I walked right behind the curtain and fell into step with the band members as they trudged toward their dressing rooms. They didn’t even notice me — and I’m really hard to miss.
They stepped into the dressing room; I followed and slammed the door shut behind me. Ransom turned and his eyes widened.
“Who the fuck are you?!”
“Nice of you to finally notice me,” I pointed out.
“Paul!” Ransom thundered. He immediately moved in front of Gareth, shielding him.
“Oh for fucks sake.” I arched a brow.
The door behind me opened and a startled man looked me over from head to toe. He flipped my name badge over and sighed audibly, clearly relieved.
“It’s cool, Ransom. This is the guy I was telling you about.”
“You could have mentioned he was a semi-truck.” Ransom’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you,” Paul apologized to me. “I ran into some media and couldn’t get away.”
“Not that this isn’t fun — because, oh so much fun — but I’m here to do a job. So I need to speak to whoever is in charge of ‘security.’ Now.” I leaned very slightly — but effectively — in to Paul’s face.
“Why?”
I turned to see Gareth peeking out from behind his brother’s broad shoulders. His eyes were a shade of green I’d never seen before, and with his pale complexion and dark hair? The guy was a looker and then some.
“Because band security royally sucks. I walked right on back here with them and not one person noticed or stopped me. That is not acceptable.”
“Who are you?” Gareth gaped.
I pinned him with a hard look. “I’m your bodyguard.”
Ransom chuckled.
“What the actual fuck?” Gareth stepped in front of his brother. “Is this a joke?”
“Nope.” Ransom shook his head.
“Jinx, Harley, Rebel. Give us a few, eh?” Paul opened the door and tilted his head toward the hallway.
“Sure thing, boss.” Rebel tipped his hat and winked at me.
I leaned against the wall as the members walked out. I overheard one of them, not sure which, talking to another.
“Did you see the size of that guy?”
“How could you miss him?” another one answered.
Paul shut the door and turned to Gareth with an apologetic smile.
“I knew what you’d say if we told you beforehand,” he admitted.
“Oh, did you now? You had to get me Conan the Destroyer? Jesus Christ!”
“Gareth,” Ransom warned.
“What? This is stupid! I don’t need a human shield!”
“You’re going to play nice and allow this man to watch your back, Gareth!” Ransom shouted. “You’re getting threats since you came out! I insist you be kept safe!”
“Gareth, why don’t you go clean up? Then you and Mr. Blaze can get acquainted.”
“Seriously? Blaze?” Gareth snorted.
I narrowed my eyes at the kid. Well, to me he was a kid, after everything I’d seen in my life. Gareth was almost twenty-three and I was pushing thirty. We locked eyes for a few seconds before he turned away.
About Sandrine Gasq-Dion
Best-selling author, Sandrine (Sandy) was born in Inglewood, California. Raised by “Old School” French parents, she later moved to Tucson, AZ. It was there that writing became a hobby. Always told she had a great imagination, Sandy wrote short stories for her friends in High School. In college, she took more writing classes while working on her Criminal Justice degree, but it wasn’t until a soap opera caught her eye that she got involved in male on male romances. On the advice of a friend, Sandy dipped her toes into the world of M/M Romance. Sandy takes the writing seriously and has had countless conversations with gay men as well as hours of research. She’s been involved with the military in one way or another for over twenty years, and has a great deal of respect for our men in uniform. She’s traveled the world, but has finally returned to Arizona.
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 JustJen’s review of FRET to see what she thought of it!
Title: FRET Author: Sandrine Gasq-Dion Series: The Rock #1 Heroes: Axel Blaze/Gareth Wolf Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 232 Pages Publisher: Sandrine Gasq-Dion Release Date: September 1, 2015 Available at: Amazon Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Former Navy SEAL Axel Blaze lives a solitary life. He doesn’t do emotions, and he doesn’t do babysitting. Used to being on his own, his job consists of Wetwork (a charming term coined by the KGB) for his former Master Chief, Mac. When an out-of-the-ordinary job lands on his doorstep, Axel heads down a path that includes a famous heavy metal rock band and one quiet, vulnerable, guitar-shredding virtuoso named Gareth Wolf.
Gareth Wolf’s life changed in an instant when a car he was a passenger in crashed, hurting his brother’s best friend and the band’s lead guitarist. They created the band, Skull Blasters, as kids. Gareth had always been happy in the background, playing roadie. With the lead guitarist’s injury, Gareth is suddenly thrust into the limelight and into a frenzied life he never imagined for himself. Finally fed up with living a lie, Gareth comes out as gay in a newspaper interview and finds himself in the bulls-eye of a crazed stalker. Somebody wants Gareth hurt – or worse – and Mac has been hired to be sure that doesn’t happen. Babysitting duty is NOT Axel’s strong suit, but Mac won’t be budged.
Enter Axel Blaze. Against his better judgment, the big man takes the job to protect the shy musician. The more time he spends with Gareth Wolf, the more he admires the man. Where’s a simple assassination when you need one? The situation becomes more volatile for each man as the attempts on Gareth escalate just as Axel finds himself falling for the quiet lead guitarist.
Strong, funny, smart-ass — and kinda sweet Axel is everything Gareth has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s off limits. As the stalker grows bolder, Gareth and Axel move closer emotionally – but is it too late? All Axel knows is that they don’t stand a chance if he can’t find the maniac trying to kill the man he’s come to care about. A lot.
Everyone knows that relationships that begin in pressured or volatile situations eventually fizzle out. Or do they? Continue reading →