Posts Tagged With: J.A. Rock

Honorary Bloggers Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock: Better Than Sex Cake + Giveaway!

Honorary_Blogger_PostHi! We’re Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, the authors of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA. We’re touring the web taking about our influences, our processes, anything we can think about actually, and even giving you guys a sneak peak or two! And what would a blog tour be without a contest? Check out the details at the bottom of the post to see what you can win!

“Do you think if I take Mac some cake, he’ll be less angry?”

“I think if you take him some cake, you’ll come out wearing it.”

-THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA

The PLAYING THE FOOL series contains a lot of references to cake. This is mostly because Henry Page–con man, junk food addict, and Shakespeare aficionado–spends 85% of his waking life thinking about cake. And so do we. So we’ve decided to let Henry share a favorite recipe with you today, a cake aptly called “Better Than sex Cake.” It’s easy to make, incredibly delicious, and will definitely kill you. Like, McDonald’s wishes it could come up with something less healthy for you than this. So hold onto your cholesterol counter (We’re kidding, throw it away.) and enjoy.

BETTER THAN SEX CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box devil’s food cake mix

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping

8 ounces Cool Whip

½-1 cup Heath toffee bits

“It’s really good. The frosting is as soft as a baby seal.

Or a cloud. Or a baby seal riding a cloud.”

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.
  2. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top using either the bottom of a wooden spoon, a skewer or a fork.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, then slowly drizzle the mixture all over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  4. Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake, top with the Heath toffee bits and refrigerate again for 1 hour. Serve cold and refrigerate any leftovers.

“Funny,” Jeff said after a few minutes. “You’d think Maxfield would be cake after Rasnick.”

Mac wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not. And did Jeff have to say cake?

About The Two Gentlemen of Altona

TwoGentlemenOfAltona_500x750Mischief, thou art afoot.

Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.

Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.

When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA is the first in our PLAYING THE FOOL trilogy. Book 2, THE MERCHANT OF DEATH, will be available on February 2. Book 3, TEMPEST, will be released March 9.

You can preorder the series, and check out excerpts, at Riptide.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Thanks for following our tour! To celebrate our release, we’re giving away an awesome prize – an ebook copy of a novel of your choice from either of our back catalogs. We’re also giving away a $20 Riptide gift voucher, and the contents of Henry Page’s bag during his arrest in THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF ALTONA: that’s some Shakespeare and a bunch of Henry’s favorite candy!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for us to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your facebook or goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because we won’t be able to see it otherwise! On January 9, we’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win the prize!

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of The Two Gentlemen of Altona to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

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

Book Review: The Two Gentlemen of Altona by Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: The Two Gentlemen of Altona
Authors: Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock
Series: Playing the Fool #1
Heroes: Ryan “Mac” McGuinness/Henry Page
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 215 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Mischief, thou art afoot.

Special Agent Ryan “Mac” McGuinness is having a rough week. Not only is he on a new diet, but he’s also been tasked with keeping Henry Page—the world’s most irritating witness—alive. Which is tough when Mac’s a breath away from killing the Shakespeare-quoting, ethically-challenged, egg-obsessed Henry himself. Unless killing isn’t really what Mac wants to do to him.

Con man Henry Page prefers to keep his distance from the law . . . though he wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to uptight, handsome Agent McGuinness. As the sole witness to a mob hit, Henry’s a valuable asset to the FBI. But he’s got his own agenda, and it doesn’t involve testifying.

When evidence surfaces of a mole in the FBI office, Mac and Henry are forced to go into hiding. Holed up in a fishing cabin, they’re surprised to discover that their feelings run more than skin deep. But as the mob closes in, Henry has to make his escape. And Mac has to decide how far he’s willing to go to keep Henry by his side.
Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Man’s Treasure by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock: Excerpt + Giveaway

Hi! We’re Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, authors of Another Man’s Treasure. We’re touring the web talking about our influences, our crazy ideas, this new book, and even giving you a sneak peek or two! And of course there’s a giveaway involved! Check out the bottom of this post to see how you can win.

Thanks so much to our host blogs for having us, and to everyone following the tour. Today we’d like to share a scene from Another Man’s Treasure. In this excerpt, Ilia shows his boyfriend Mikhail his new corset piercing:

blogger_bee_transExcerpt from Another Man’s Treasure

Ilia licked Mikhail’s jaw, then kept his tongue there for a moment as he grinned slowly. He looked up. “Take my shirt off.”

Mikhail’s brow furrowed.

“It’s your surprise. Take my shirt off.” Ilia raised his arms.

Mikhail walked behind him and lifted the hem of his shirt. The fabric stuck to Ilia’s body in places, and he wished he’d been able to clean up a little, but he didn’t think Mikhail would mind. Thought it was the rawness of what Ilia had done as much as the beauty that would impress him.

“Oh,” Mikhail said softly. He pulled Ilia’s shirt off, taking a moment to disentangle it from the necklaces, and tossed it onto the couch.

“You like?” Ilia glanced over his shoulder.

Mikhail was staring intently at the piercing. Slowly he kneeled behind Ilia on the hardwood floor. Breathed against the tender skin of his lower back. “Oh, Ilie.” Mikhail’s hands on Ilia’s hips. “Ohhh. What have you done?”

“You like it?” Doubt in Ilia’s tone now.

Mikhail’s thumbs skirted the lowest rings. Ilia flinched but didn’t move. Mikhail stood, his knees creaking, and Ilia turned to him.

Mikhail cupped his face and kissed him, long and slow. Paused and pressed his forehead to Ilia’s. “It hurts you.”

“Just for now.” Ilia fought a surge of panic. As much as he loved his power over Mikhail, as much pleasure as he took from doing things precisely his own way and trusting Mikhail to accept his choices, he did need Mikhail’s approval. Craved it in a way that felt novel, because the things he’d desired in the past had always been selfish, immediate wants, fueled by lust or anger. Now, he lived to make Mikhail happy. This man’s admiration, his love, was something lasting, something Ilia could sustain and nurture.

Mikhail’s breath smelled like coffee and mints. He kept his forehead against Ilia’s and said, “It’s so niiiiiiice.” He exhaled the last word, low and rumbling, almost like a snore.

Ilia grinned. “You think?”

“Yes, yes. You thought of me when you did it?”

“The whole time.”

“Ahhhhhh, ha ha ha…” Mikhail’s sigh turned to gentle laughter, and he swayed, moving his hands to the back of Ilia’s neck. “You know what this man likes.”

“I do.” Ilia whispered. He bumped his hips against Mikhail’s.

“I like beauty,” Mikhail said. “And self expression.”

“I know.”

“You. I like.”

“Yeah.”

Mikhail clapped one hand over Ilia’s ass, crushing their bodies together. He hooked his chin over Ilia’s shoulder, and Ilia hoped he was looking down at the laces. “You look like a present I get to unwrap.”

Ilia shifted his hips, getting jolt after jolt of heat when his cock rubbed Mikhail’s through their pants.

“Do it. Untie it.” Ilia’s arousal far outweighed the prospect of pain.

Mikhail drummed Ilia’s ass lightly for a few seconds then tugged the hair at his nape with his other hand. “Get on the couch.”

Ilia sprawled facedown, ignoring the rip of pain across his skin. Mikhail got on the cushion behind him and moved between his legs. He cupped his hand under Ilia, rubbing the seam of his jeans into his cock. Hummed his approval when Ilia ground against his palm.

Big hands. Mikhail had big hands. That was the first thing Ilia had noticed about him. Big, but not clumsy. They were elegant. The sort of hands that could play a piano concerto, Ilia imagined. The sort of hands that could perform delicate surgery. The sort of hands that could take a boy apart, and did, every single night.

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About Another Man’s Treasure

Another Man's TreasureIlia Porter is Chechen mob boss Mikhail Kadyrov’s greatest treasure. After leaving home at eighteen to escape his verbally abusive father, beautiful, selfish Ilia has lived with Mikhail, proud of his ability to bring such a powerful man to his knees to worship. But when Ilia’s father, a police captain, kills Mikhail in a raid, Ilia’s world falls apart.

Entering to pick up the pieces is Mikhail’s younger brother, Nick—impulsive, power-hungry, and dangerous. When Nick tells Ilia he’s taking everything that belonged to Mikhail—including Ilia—Ilia is too lost in grief to fight. Nick holds Ilia prisoner in the apartment Ilia once shared with Mikhail and grooms him for a very important mission: to kill Ilia’s father and avenge Mikhail’s death.

Ilia wants no part in the plot, but being Nick’s ally is preferable to being Nick’s victim, so he begins to warp himself into the monster Nick wants him to be. Hope arrives when Nick takes another captive: Patrick, a shy massage therapist who’s stronger than he seems. Patrick and Ilia must join forces to escape Nick—and to keep each other whole as Nick does everything in his power to break them.

Available at: CreateSpace, Amazon Print, Amazon Kindle & Smashwords

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About the Authors

Lisa Henry lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

You can visit Lisa her website, at Goodreads, on Facebook or Twitter.

blogger_bee_trans

J.A. Rock has worked as a dog groomer, knife seller, haunted house zombie, standardized patient, cashier, census taker, state fair quilt hanger, and, for one less-than-magical evening, a server—and would much rather be writing about those jobs than doing them. J.A. lives mostly in West Virginia, and always with a beloved dog, Professor Anne.

You can find J.A. on her Website, Blog, Twitter or Facebook.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Thanks for following our tour! To celebrate our release, we’re giving away an ebook of Another Man’s Treasure, and a $20 gift voucher from Amazon.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for us to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your facebook or goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because we won’t be able to see it otherwise!

On June 10, we’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win this awesome prize!

Don’t forget to check our JustJen’s review of Another Man’s Treasure to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , | 21 Comments

Book Review: Another Man’s Treasure by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

Reviewed by JustJen

22229236Title: Another Man’s Treasure
Author: Lisa Henry, J.A. Rock
Heroes: Ilia/Patrick
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 268 pages
Publisher: CrocobearPress
Release Date: June 1, 2014
Available at:  Create Space, Amazon Print,  Amazon Kindle,Smashwords

Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Ilia Porter is Chechen mob boss Mikhail Kadyrov’s greatest treasure. After leaving home at eighteen to escape his verbally abusive father, beautiful, selfish Ilia has lived with Mikhail, proud of his ability to bring such a powerful man to his knees to worship. But when Ilia’s father, a police captain, kills Mikhail in a raid, Ilia’s world falls apart.

Entering to pick up the pieces is Mikhail’s younger brother, Nick—impulsive, power-hungry, and dangerous. When Nick tells Ilia he’s taking everything that belonged to Mikhail—including Ilia—Ilia is too lost in grief to fight. Nick takes Ilia prisoner in the apartment Ilia once shared with Mikhail and grooms him for a very important mission: to kill Ilia’s father and avenge Mikhail’s death.

Ilia wants no part in the plot, but being Nick’s ally is preferable to being Nick’s victim, so he begins to warp himself into the monster Nick wants him to be. Hope arrives when Nick takes another captive: Patrick, a shy massage therapist who’s stronger than he seems. Patrick and Ilia must join forces to escape Nick—and to keep each other whole as Nick does everything in his power to break them. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When All the World Sleeps Virtual Blog Tour: Promo + Giveaway

WhenAlltheWorldSleeps_TourBanner

Hi! We’re Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock, authors of When All the World Sleeps. We’re touring the web talking about our influences, our crazy ideas, this new book, and even giving you a sneak peek or two! And of course there’s a giveaway involved! Leave a comment to win!

Thanks so much to The Blogger Girls for having us, and to everyone following the tour. Here’s today’s look at When All the World Sleeps:

Contest

Thanks for following our tour! To celebrate our release, we’re giving away a great pair of prizes! Up for grabs is an ebook of our last co-release, Mark Cooper versus America, and a $20 gift voucher from Riptide.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for us to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your Facebook or Goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because we won’t be able to see it otherwise! On APRIL 2, we’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave the more chances you have to win this awesome prize!

blogger_bee_transAbout When All the World Sleeps:

When All the World Sleeps by Lisa Henry and J.A. RockDaniel Whitlock is terrified of going to sleep. And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper’s house—with Kenny inside it—after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night.

Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn’t believe Daniel’s absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night—for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel’s fascinating, but Bel’s not going there.

Yet as he’s drawn further into Daniel’s dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he’s ever known. But Daniel’s demons won’t leave him alone, and he’ll need Bel’s help to slay them once and for all—assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.

You can read an excerpt and purchase When All the World Sleeps here.

blogger_bee_transAbout the Authors

Lisa Henry lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

You can visit Lisa herwebsite, at Goodreads, or onFacebook or Twitter.

*****

J.A. Rock has worked as a dog groomer, knife seller, haunted house zombie, standardized patient, cashier, census taker, state fair quilt hanger, and, for one less-than-magical evening, a server—and would much rather be writing about those jobs than doing them. J.A. lives mostly in West Virginia, and always with a beloved dog, Professor Anne.

You can visit J.A. at her website, her blog, or on Twitter or Facebook.

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Make sure to check out JustJen’s review of When All the World Sleeps to see what she thought of it!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways | Tags: , , , , | 9 Comments

Book Review: When All the World Sleeps by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

Reviewed by JustJen

When All the World SleepsTitle: When All the World Sleeps
Author: Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
Heroes: Daniel Whitlock/Joe Belman
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 422 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 24, 2014
Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Daniel Whitlock is terrified of going to sleep. And rightly so: he sleepwalks, with no awareness or memory of his actions. Including burning down Kenny Cooper’s house—with Kenny inside it—after Kenny brutally beat him for being gay. Back in the tiny town of Logan after serving his prison sentence, Daniel isolates himself in a cabin in the woods and chains himself to his bed at night.

Like the rest of Logan, local cop Joe Belman doesn’t believe Daniel’s absurd defense. But when Bel saves Daniel from a retaliatory fire, he discovers that Daniel might not be what everyone thinks: killer, liar, tweaker, freak. Bel agrees to control Daniel at night—for the sake of the other townsfolk. Daniel’s fascinating, but Bel’s not going there.

Yet as he’s drawn further into Daniel’s dark world, Bel finds that he likes being in charge. And submitting to Bel gives Daniel the only peace he’s ever known. But Daniel’s demons won’t leave him alone, and he’ll need Bel’s help to slay them once and for all—assuming Bel is willing to risk everything to stand by him.

Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment