Honorary Blogger Rhys Ford: Ivo, 18 • Part Two + Giveaway!

Welcome to the 415 Ink Hellion Tour! My name’s Rhys Ford and thank you for stopping by! First off, thank you to all the blogs who participated in this tour and also, a huge shout out to all of the readers who wanted to hear Ivo’s story. It was great being able to write something about the baby of the 415 Ink crew and well, he probably turned out to be the biggest surprise while writing him. So sit back, grab a bit of Ivo’s past on this tour and I hope you’re ready for his debut on Sept 17th! 

Ivo, 18 • Part Two

by Rhys Ford

The woman was older, maybe in her early thirties, her Hispanic features nearly too strong to be called conventionally pretty but she wore her beauty with an easy confidence, her long black hair pushed back from her face. Fairly tall with long legs, her powerful stride carried her across the cement floor and she came to a stop in front of Ivo, raking a controlled gaze over him.

“You seem kind of young,” she said in a husky contralto. “Are you even old enough to drink?”

“You seem like a cop,” Ivo responded, keeping a smile to himself when her eyes narrowed. “And yeah, I’m licensed to tattoo and Bear would sooner cut off his own fingers then let someone who didn’t know what they were doing ink someone’s skin in his shop. As far as booze goes, less you know, the better. I can promise you I’m sober while I’m operating a tattoo machine.”

She regarded him with another cool look then nodded curtly. “Okay, fair enough. So long as you can operate that thing legally, I guess I can’t complain.”

“Actually, complain now because complaining after I put something permanent on your skin is sure as shit not going to do you any good,” he replied, this time giving in to his grin. “Come on over, have a seat and tell me what you want.”

She settled into the chair easily, looping her legs over the footrest. After rolling up her long sleeved shirt, she dug an old watch out of the pocket of her jeans, holding it up for Ivo to see. “I want a rainbow heart on my wrist but it’s got to be small enough to covered by the watch. Can you do that?”

The watch was ancient, an analog piece made of aged metal with a black dial.  Its hands were long, striped with that odd luminescent paint watchmakers used to make the hands glow in the dark. It seemed to keep good time and when Ivo took it from her, he saw an inscription etched onto the back plate.

“To my dearest George from your wife, Adelaine.” He did some mental calculations on the date. “Your parents?”

“Grandparents. She gave it to him for one of their anniversaries. My brother inherited it when they died.” Her eyes glistened, then were hidden behind her long lashes. When she opened them again, any shimmer he might have seen was gone. “My parents kicked him out when they found out he told them he was gay. He told me to hold onto it. That he’d come back for it.”

“That’s fucked up.” Ivo frowned, pulling up his rolling stool with a hook of his boot into its base. “How long ago was this? You haven’t heard from him since then?”

“Twenty years ago.” Her full mouth lifted into a sardonic quirk when he looked up from examining the watch. “He was a lot older than me. I was seven. He was fifteen. I just made detective and I want something… I want to carry something of his with me. I want to wear that watch but one day, he’s going to come back for it so I’m going to need something … about him to have on me for when he does.”

The watch was large but as tattoos went, he would be able to fit maybe a quarter-sized heart beneath it. Glancing at the flash she’d chosen, Ivo knew he could do better than the plain, striped bands of primary hues. Putting the watch over her wrist, he pulled out one of his Sharpies and plucked its cap off with his teeth then drew a dotted line over where the beveled face would rest on her arm.

Something Bear said constantly dug itself out of the back of his brain, growing teeth and chewing on Ivo’s thoughts. Doesn’t matter how big a piece of ink is or what it’s about, kid, his brother would mutter at him as he inked yet another small daisy chain on a young woman’s ankle, every piece of ink means something to that person and they deserve your respect for getting it.

He got that now. Staring into the cop’s strong face, the pain of losing her brother to time and grasping at fading memories led her to walking into 415 Ink’s doors to look for something permanent to hold onto, so she would forget the young man who’d been forced out of her life. He knew how that felt, knew how that abandonment gouged down deep into a soul. The piece of flash she picked out wasn’t going to be good enough. Not for him. Certainly not for her wandering brother to find his way back to her.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” he said, handing her back her watch. “What you want is okay and I can do that in about twenty minutes and you’ll be happy with it. It’ll look nice. But I’m asking you to trust me here, because even though this thing is small, it means something to you and I want you to have something that’s… special. Let me make it a little bit bigger. It’ll still be tucked under the watch but if I can do just a little bit more, I can blend the colours so it looks like a real rainbow and maybe even emboss it, so it looks like a piece of jewelry on your skin. How does that sound?”

Her smile was bright, nearly as brilliant as the colours he intended to use on her silken gold skin. Nodding, she leaned back and plopped her arm on the rest, wrist side up for him. “That sounds fantastic. I’m in.”

“Awesome. Let me just get my inks ready and we can get started.” He stood up then stopped, holding his hand out to her. “Sorry. Fuck. I didn’t get your name. I’m Ivo and you are going to be my first official tattoo.”

“I’m Dell,” she said, giving him a firm handshake. “And I can’t wait for you to get started.”

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , | 47 Comments

Book Review: Hellion by Rhys Ford

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Hellion
Author: Rhys Ford
Series: 415 Ink #3
Heroes: Ruan & Ivo
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 201 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: From the moment SFPD Detective Ruan Nicholls meets Ivo Rogers, he knows the tattoo artist is going to bring chaos to his neat, orderly life. A hellion down to the bone, Ivo is someone Ruan not only doesn’t understand, he’s not even sure he needs to. Everything about Ivo is vibrant, brash, cocky, and arrogant, and Ruan wants no part of him.

Or at least that’s the lie he tells himself when he damps down his desire for the social wild child life tosses into his path.

For Ivo Rogers, life revolves around two things—his family and 415 Ink, the tattoo shop he co-owns with his four brothers. His family might be stitched together by their battle scars from growing up in foster care, but their brotherhood is tight—and strong enough to hold Ivo together during the times when he falls apart.

Now Ivo faces a new challenge when he falls for a cop with an old-school mentality on how a man looks and acts. Ruan is the promise of a life Ivo thought he’d never have, but their clashing perspectives threaten any chance of a relationship. Being the family’s hellion makes it easy to be misunderstood, yet Ivo has faith Ruan will not only embrace who he is but love him as well.  Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Release Blitz: Fated Hearts by Garrett Leigh + Giveaway!

Fated Hearts by Garrett Leigh

“He’s not a wolf.” 

Devastated by the death of his best friend, Zio is a soldier with one thing on his mind: revenge. Consumed by a conflict that’s raged as long as he’s been alive, he’s had little time or inclination to learn the legends of the shifter world he was raised in. And he certainly doesn’t have time to deal with a shifter of a different kind, even if it’s for the good of the war effort. For the good of his pack. The fact that he’s already crossed paths with the new face in his unit is almost irrelevant. 

Almost.

Do no harm. Give life not death: it’s the oath Devan was reborn to live by, so when he’s sent abroad to embed with a wolf pack as their resident healer, he doesn’t hesitate. In the supernatural world, some bonds are instant–soldiers become brothers, pack become family. But others run deeper and before long, Devan’s at the mercy of instincts he can’t control. Zio’s inner wolf is desperate to be with Devan, while Devan struggles to keep the pack safe. But as the war escalates, and new love is tainted by anguish and pain, the battles within might prove the toughest of them all.

“I won’t let him die.”

Available at: Amazon

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Book Review: Fire in the Heart by Hailey Turner

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Fire in the Heart
Author: Hailey Turner
Series: Metahuman Files: Classified #3
Heroes: Alexei Dvorkin/Sean Delaney
Genre: M/M Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Length: 124 Pages
Publisher: Self
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: 

Surrender to vows.

Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin has come a long way since being turned into a metahuman, and all he wants to do is marry the man he loves. A wedding is easy, but it’s the honeymoon where his past unexpectedly catches up with him.

A future together.

All Agent Sean Delaney wanted was a romantic honeymoon with his new husband. When he and Alexei stumble into a fellow operative’s mission on the luxury gambling resort island Fortuna-sur-mer, they get more than they bargained for in their newly-minted civilian lives.

Destined to burn.

Forced to choose between staying and joining the mission or leaving to stay safe and postpone their honeymoon, Alexei and Sean make the only decision they can—to fight.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dominated But Not Subdued by JP Sayle: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Exclusive Excerpt from Dominated But Not Subdued

by JP Sayle

With his restraint hanging by a thread, he dug his fingernails into his palms while he followed both men into the office. Stepping away from Adam, Carl barely held on to his control. He walked stiffly to the far chair and sat, the leather creaking under his weight. He kept his hands clenched in his lap and looked at Nathan. 

“How the fuck did my boy get in the club without being a member?” he asked, anger lacing his voice. The wary expression Nathan wore made his eyes narrow. Suspicion wormed its way past his anger, but before Nathan could say a word, Adam interrupted. 

“I applied. There’s a form online. And when I completed it, there was an offer to an introduction night, so I asked for an invite,” he offered in a belligerent tone. 

Carl disregarded the loud sigh Nathan released, too busy snarling at Adam, who’d stuck out his chin in defiance. 

“Right, you two, stop it,” Nathan said, giving Carl a hard glare. “Enough. You need to pull your heads out of your arses and try honesty for a change, the pair of you. This is a BDSM club, not a bloody remake of Fantasy Island. Stop pussyfooting about. Tell each other what you want and move the fuck forward.” He walked to the door. 

“Don’t mess this up,” he said and excited the room.

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Book Review: The Arrangement by Alex Jane

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Arrangement
Author: Alex Jane
Series: Homestead Legacy #1
Heroes: Gabriel & Nathaniel
Genre: M/M Historical Paranormal
Length: 194 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 30, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: 1895. New York.

Gabriel Webster’s pack is in trouble. His father’s failing health and his mother’s untimely death mean that the vultures are circling. It won’t be long before his family’s assets are stripped and his pack disbanded. When an offer of help arrives in the form of a marriage of convenience, he has little choice but to accept.

The arrangement would be the perfect solution, if not for one thing. Gabriel is to marry Nathaniel Hayward, the Alpha who was badly injured in the accident that killed his brother ten years before—and the man Gabriel has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

Trapped in a business arrangement masquerading as a marriage — in a strange, empty house with a damaged husband who barely tolerates him — isn’t what Gabriel expected from life.

But sometimes the last thing we want is the beginning of something more.
And an ending can be the start of something beautiful.

56k words
A standalone story set in the Homestead universe.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Release Blitz: Bitter Heat by Leta Blake + Giveaway!

Bitter Heat by Leta Blake

A pregnant omega trapped in a desperate situation, an unattached alpha with a lot to prove, and an unexpected fall into love that could save them both. 

Kerry Monkburn is contracted to a violent alpha in prison for brutal crimes. Now pregnant with the alpha’s child, he lives high in the mountains, far above the city that once lured him in with promises of a better life. Enduring bitterness and fear, Kerry flirts with putting an end to his life of darkness, but fate intervenes.

Janus Heelies has made mistakes in the past. In an effort to redeem himself, integrity has become the watchword for his future. Training as a nurse under the only doctor willing to take him on, Janus is resolute in his intentions: he will live cleanly in the mountains and avoid all inappropriate affairs. But he doesn’t anticipate the pull that Kerry exercises on his heart and mind.

As the question of Kerry’s future health and safety comes to an explosive head, only the intervention of fate will see these desperate men through to a happy ending.

This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the third in the Heat of Love universe which began with Slow Heat. It’s 111,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a critically-acclaimed, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, mpreg, heat, and knotting. Content warning for a violent and oppressive society regarding reproductive rights.

Available at: Amazon

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Beneath the Surface by Shea Balik

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Beneath the Surface
Author: Shea Balik
Series: Druid’s Curse #5
Heroes: Teegan & Hrafn
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 189 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 5, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: His whole life Hrafn had been ridiculed for his inability to always understand things. He was slower than others when it came to comprehending the world around him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want what everyone else did – love. Yet, he was sure that would never happen for him, for who could ever learn to love someone like him?

With a knock on the door, Teagan’s world had been changed. Unsure how life could be so cruel and take his family from him, Teagan struggled to find meaning in his life. Searching for his ancestry led him to the place where the origins of his family tree began. If he’d known his being there would bring hell upon earth to that small town, he never would have come. Then again, if he hadn’t, he never would have met his fate.

Hrafn and Teagan must find a way to break down the barriers of their past so they can see what is Beneath the Surface if they hope to find their eternal love.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Priest by Rowan McAllister

Reviewed by Ami

Title: The Priest
Author: Rowan McAllister
Series: Chronicles of the Riftlands
Heroes: Tasnerek/Girik
Genre: MM/Fantasy
Length: 213 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Brother Tasnerek, one of the infamous Thirty-Six stone bearers, is facing a dangerous crisis of faith after uncovering a secret that could shake the foundations of the Brotherhood of Harot. When Tas is sent to protect a tiny village on the edge of Rassa’s borders from Riftspawn, he struggles to resume his duties, risking his life and the lives of those around him.

Girik has always been an outsider, but to help his sick mother, he agrees to be the village’s offering in a painful ritual deemed necessary by the Brotherhood. But when the priest has a crisis of conscience, Girik offers his help to untangle a web of lies—even if it means getting closer than he ever imagined and committing sacrilege in the process.

With a monster lurking in the forest, a wandering mage mysteriously appearing, and more secrets awakening to unravel the truths of their world, Tas and Girik must make grave decisions. A life without danger seems a far-off hope, but love just might be theirs… if they survive.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magician’s Apprentice by J.A. Jaken: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Exclusive Excerpt from The Magician’s Apprentice

by J.A. Jaken

“There’s Teresh.”

Boaen’s voice snapped Jander from his reverie, and he stared across the crowded floor to the far end of the hall, where he caught his first glimpse of the master mage known as Andrei Teresh.

The first thought that crossed his mind was that this couldn’t be the great sorcerer he had come to find, and right on the heels of that was a second thought…stunning. Teresh was a large man, standing head and shoulders above most of the others in the crowd, his strong form draped in a clinging earth-brown robe that looked totally incongruous among the brightly dressed courtiers. His hair was a deep golden brown and thick, cut chin-length at the sides and tied back in a short knob at the base of his neck in a severe style that accentuated the stern lines of his bearded face. His eyes were chips of dark mahogany, cold and hard. The sight of them sent an inexplicable shiver down Jander’s spine.

“I didn’t know he’d be so…so….”

“Fuckable?” Jander glared at his friend with barely contained irritation, and Boaen held up his hands in surrender, laughing. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” After the slightest pause, he added, “But he is, isn’t he?”

Boaen’s irreverence notwithstanding, the other man was absolutely right. Jander cleared his throat uncomfortably. “He looks very intimidating.”

“That’s just part of the wizardly mystique.” Boaen spoke with the casual flippancy of one who is well-versed in such matters. “You’ll learn how to do that, too, once you become a mage. It’s all a part of the act. We normal folks are supposed to feel intimidated by your kind.”

Jander was slightly put out by the phrase “your kind” but sensed that his friend meant nothing hurtful by it. Gathering his courage, he handed his wineglass to Boaen and lifted one hand to stroke down Gabrielle’s smooth flank before setting off into the crowd.

The crowd faded to nothing around him as he approached the stately figure of Andrei Teresh. Jander had eyes only for the mage. His heart pounded with nervousness as he drew near, and the magic seemed to whisper in rising excitement around him. Teresh was engaged in a low conversation with one of the guards stationed by the rear door that opened further into the palace, but his eyes moved to Jander as the younger man approached. One elegant eyebrow rose fractionally in silent question.

“Master Teresh,” Jander said, bowing slightly. His heart was hammering in his chest, threatening to choke the breath from his lungs. “I’ve come a long way to find you.”

“Have you?” It wasn’t really a question. There was a note of mild amusement to the voice that made Jander flush darkly.

“Yes. I…I want to be a mage.” The words spilled from him now; he couldn’t stop them if he tried. “I want you to teach me. I have the talent, I know I do. I want to learn. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Please, sir, I want you to take me on as your apprentice, and train me in the ways of magic.” He paused, breathless, and waited for Teresh’s reply.

The mage was regarding him with a certain degree of amused tolerance. “So you want to be a mage, do you?” His tone was not particularly kind. “I’d guess you were more suited to being someone’s bedservant, wouldn’t you?” The guard behind him smirked rudely.

Jander felt his hands clench at his sides and stared up at the man in open astonishment. “Master Teresh…?”

Teresh nodded towards something over Jander’s shoulder, and Jander turned to see Boaen standing at the periphery of the room, watching the confrontation anxiously. “Go back to your tutor, boy,” Teresh said. “You’ll have to find easier marks than me.”

It was clearly a dismissal. Mustering up what was left of his dignity, Jander turned and walked away, his cheeks flaming. Boaen met him halfway across the floor and clutched at his sleeve fretfully. “What is it? What happened?”

“He said no.” Jander’s voice was frigid. He didn’t know which hurt more—the humiliation he felt or the absolute certainty that he had been treated unfairly. Either way, it stung. “Can we leave now?”

“Just like that? He just turned you down? Why?” Boaen was relentless.

“I’m not sure, but I believe he thinks I’m a whore.” The absolute absurdity of such an assumption made his cheeks flame all the hotter.

Boaen was silent at that. He appeared to be thinking. After a lengthy pause, he said, “So that’s it, then? You’re just going to pack it in and run home with your tail between your legs?”

“What would you have me do, Boaen?”

“Not give up, for one thing. Nothing worthwhile is ever gained on the first try.” He looped one arm around Jander’s shoulders and started weaving a path toward the open front doors. Lowering his voice, he said, “You, my friend, need to learn the fine art of seduction.”

Jander ground to a halt. “What…?”

Boaen laughed. “Figuratively speaking, of course. You can’t expect Teresh to take on just anyone as his apprentice. You have to hunt him a little. Seduce him.”

“And how do you suggest I go about doing that?” Half-sarcastic, half not.

Jander’s questioning gaze was met by a wicked flash of those deep emerald eyes. “Leave that to me, my friend. You just leave that to me.”

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , | 9 Comments