Posts Tagged With: Totally Bound

Book Review: Here For You by T.K. Paige

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Here For You
Author: T.K. Paige
Heroes: Mason & James
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 32k+ words
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: July 25, 2014
Available at: Totally BoundAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When James falls for the new guy at the station is he just setting himself up to be burned?

Welcome to Deacon, Oklahoma. Straight population—seven hundred and ninety-six. Gay population—James Hara. Except it really isn’t that bad, because when he came out to his hometown, something wonderful happened. They still loved him…most did anyway. The only problem is the lack of a dating pool.

Then he meets the new firefighting volunteer and he has a bigger problem. Mason is gorgeous, friendly and straight. Soon James is doing his best not to fall for his new friend. Hard to do when Mason is everything he dreams of, with his humor and flashes of vulnerability.

But after a set of stressful events, he finds that maybe it is not impossible after all. If he can be patient with a man wounded by his past.

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to past sexual assault.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Between Life & Death by L.M. Brown

Reviewed by Susan65

23665273Title: Between Life & Death
Author: L.M. Brown
Series: Heavenly Sins #3
Heroes: Mac/Tristan/Alastor
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 105 Pages
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: December 19, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: With one of his lovers imprisoned in the Underworld, Mac has no choice except to go where most angels fear to tread.

With Tristan imprisoned in the Underworld the ménage is broken. Angels are forbidden to enter the demonic domain and while Mac has been breaking rules in recent months, he doesn’t have the power to enter the Underworld.

Alastor is still unsure about his position in the relationship following recent revelations, but he cannot walk away when he is the only real link between his two lovers. Splitting his time between Mac and Tristan he hopes they can soon find a way to reunite the two men in his life.
As time moves on Alastor realises he is struggling to satisfy Tristan’s thirst for sex. His lover needs more than he can give him and craves Mac in his bed.

Mac still believes he can complete his mission to save his two lovers, but with one of them out of his reach it is going to be far from easy.

During their time together they have made plenty of enemies, including one who would seek to separate them forever, even if it means biding his time until Alastor and Tristan are at their most vulnerable, when even the love of an angel can’t save them.

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Categories: Book Review, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Beast Within by Terra Laurent

Reviewed by Susan65

18912551Title: The Beast Within
Author: Terra Laurent
Series: The Hounds of Hell #1
Heroes: Aaron Marvell/Tony Harper
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 272 Pages
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: January 24, 2014
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: In Aaron Marvell’s tormented world beasts lurk around every corner. But the only one standing between him and his heart’s desire is the beast within. Tormented supernatural security agent, Aaron Marvell, has come to Maryland to restart his career after a vicious workplace attack. His alluring new partner, Tony Harper, seems more than willing to help him acclimate to his new life. But Aaron hides a terrible secret that, if discovered, could put Aaron at the terminal end of his partner’s weapon. When warring factions of werewolves, spurred by the Hellhound Cerberus, arrive in their territory, Aaron and Tony vow to stop them at any cost. But the price for valor may be high enough to cost them everything. Aaron must face the truth about himself and and the dark thing lurking inside him before he loses Tony forever.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Soul Sick by Kendall McKenna

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Soul Sick
Author: Kendall McKenna
Series: Semper Fidelis
Heroes: Jamie/Tucker
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 58 Pages
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: May 29, 2015
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Jamie thought he made it home to Tucker, leaving war behind. Now, each day he battles to fit into his own life, and save the love that saved his life.

Jamie is a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps who carried a photo of Tucker with him throughout his deployment. His body and his heart both make it home, but he isn’t sure about his sanity. It no longer feels as if his own life even fits.

Tucker is a reformed bad boy who has an advanced degree and an important job but still sports long hair and tattoos. He missed Jamie while he was deployed, but he couldn’t stop living his own life. Now, they’re struggling to learn to live with each other again, and things are going downhill fast.

Jamie wants everything to be the way it used to, but his anger and self-destructive behavior begin to push Tucker away. Too much alcohol and a night of violence inside their home take them nearly to the brink. Tucker is willing to fight alongside Jamie to keep it all from falling apart, if Jamie can learn to accept the help he needs…before it’s too late.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Elizabeth Coldwell: The Setting For Steal Your Soul Away + Excerpt & Giveaway

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The Setting For Steal Your Soul Away

by Elizabeth Coldwell

If you’ve ever been to Brighton, you’ll quickly come to realise it’s a fantastic setting for an erotic story. For those non-UK readers who are unfamiliar with the city, it’s on the south coast of England, has a buzzing, slightly Bohemian vibe and is particularly tolerant of alternative lifestyles and sexualities.

As it’s become home to a lot of creative and media types like artists, writers and musicians, it’s become known as London-on-Sea. It has some great bars and clubs, and the warren of little streets known as the Lanes, close to the sea front, are home to quirky shops selling antiques, vintage clothing and all manner of knick-knacks. It’s also famous for its beach, which is composed of pebbles rather the sand (so don’t forget to take your flip-flops if you fancy a paddle in the sea!) and has a section reserved purely for naturists. All of this helps to make Brighton the perfect home for a vampire wanting to forge a new identity and take a job which fits in with her need to live a nocturnal lifestyle.

Angelique, the heroine of Steal Your Soul Away, my contribution to the Wild After Dark anthology, has been a vampire since the time of the French Revolution – indeed, she was the only member of her family to survive when their home was attacked by the revolutionary mob. What she didn’t realise was that the man who rescued her and spirited her away to England was actually a vampire. Having been turned by him, she’s spent the last 200 years reinventing herself, and moving from town to town to avoid anyone realising she never ages. Brighton is the city that keeps calling her back, and by the time the story begins, she’s working as a burlesque dancer.

It’s a job she loves, and one that helps her meet two very hot but very different men. Tom is human, a talented sculptor whose works are about to form the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Brighton Pavilion as part of a ‘Cities after Dark’ exhibition. (This event was partially inspired by the various annual ‘After Dark’ arts events that take place in galleries and museums in cities including London, New York and Amsterdam). Lucas is Tom’s best friend. But unbeknown to Tom, he’s really a werewolf. And that’s not the only thing he’s hiding…

Angelique quickly becomes aware of Lucas’ true nature. But even though werewolves are her sworn enemy, she can’t deny her attraction to Lucas. She and Tom have embarked on a hot and heavy affair but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want Lucas, too. With so many secrets to be revealed, and the erotic tension between all three of them rising, what will happen when events come to a head at the Pavilion on the night of Tom’s big exhibition?

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About Wild After Dark Anthology

wildafterdark_800Beyond the Poison Chalice by Helena Maeve

Coveting the enemy is simply to die for.

Claudia Salizar has given blood, sweat and tears to the tenuous armistice between the factions that inhabit St. Louis. She rules the north side with an iron fist, striving to keep the peace between vampires, werewolves and humans no matter the cost. Stumbling across two mysterious intruders who may jeopardize everything she’s worked for is no small inconvenience.

Steal Your Soul Away by Elizabeth Coldwell

In Brighton, the undead come alive when the sun goes down. Can a vampire and a werewolf put their differences aside and enjoy the ultimate threesome?

Angelique is not like other burlesque dancers—she’s been a vampire for over two hundred years. She meets hot, young sculptor Tom, and his friend, Lucas, a lycan. Desire and distrust mix in an explosive combination as Angelique is drawn closer to both.

Taken in by Wendi Zwaduk

Find what you need at the Store Front. Blood, sex…we have it all just for you.

The Supernaturals have taken over the earth, leaving the humans to serve them. The Store Front is one place for the Supernaturals to find partners for feeding and sexual needs. Vic, a wolf shifter, and Gale, a vampire, have a special human female they love to visit. 

Intervention by Aurelia T. Evans

It starts as an intervention for a friend. It ends in bloodshed, lust, betrayal and death, as love often does after dark.

When Emily’s husband, Land, calls her to come down to the warehouse district at sunset, she thinks it’s just another job for their para-extermination company. However, he tells her that he’s finally caught Matt, the third member of their team, who was bitten by a werewolf a few weeks ago.

Darker Nights by Nan Comargue

Lawyer Delia Darker’s world becomes very dark when two new clients turn out to be immortal vampires – and her long-time fantasy.

Delia Darker works at her family’s law firm serving vampires and other immortals. She’s suddenly thrown into the nighttime world of music, partying and incredible sex. How can she resist spending the night with Mark Lyons and Caleb Jennings?

Sated by Lucy Felthouse

A human, a vampire and a werewolf walked into a bar. Sexy is what happens next.

Since getting together with her vampire boyfriend, Ace, Aneesa is enjoying a sex life she could never have with a human. Aneesa is checking things off her sexual bucket list at a rate of knots. So when Ace proposes a threesome with his werewolf friend, Barton, Aneesa’s definitely up for it. 

Like the sound of the Wild After Dark anthology? Buy it here.

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An Excerpt from Wild After Dark

Here’s an excerpt that will help to give a flavour of the love/hate relationship Angelique and Lucas find themselves in: 

He drew himself to his full, intimidating height. “And what gives you the right to judge anyone, when you flash your tits to earn a living?”

“As though you have a problem with that, lycan.” She couldn’t say why, but being up so close to Lucas and engaging in this battle of wills with him aroused her. She breathed in his feral musk, and fought the desire to run her hands over her own breasts. “I know what I’ll find if I put my hand here—” As she spoke, she rested her palm on the front of his trousers. Just as she’d expected, he was hard, his cock so thick she knew she would struggle to wrap her fingers around it. The thought of being filled with something so big had her pussy growing wet.

“Don’t tease me, you gorgeous vampire slut,” Lucas murmured, his voice thick with lust. He spun her round, so her back was to the wood-panelled wall. As he moved, the moon came out fully from behind a cloud, bathing Lucas in her light.

Angelique could only describe his reaction as one of mania. He tugged at the bow tie around his neck and let it drop to the floor. Then he pulled off his tuxedo, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Lucas, what are you doing? You can’t—”

He cut her off with a snarl. “Don’t you see I have no choice? It’s the moon, and being so close to you… Fuck, Angelique.”

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About Elizabeth Coldwell 

Elizabeth Coldwell is the author of numerous short stories and two full-length novels, ‘Calendar Girl’ and ‘Playing The Field’. Her stories have appeared in the best-selling ‘Best Women’s Erotica’ series and Black Lace’s popular ‘Wicked Words’ collections. Formerly the editor of the UK edition of Forum magazine, she now contributes a spicy monthly column, ‘The Cougar Chronicles’, to its pages. When she is not busy writing, she is an avid supporter of Rotherham United Football Club and can be regularly found on the terraces at weekends, cheering her boys to victory (hopefully!).

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Enter Totally Bound’s May blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice! Not including boxsets or anthologies. Just click the Blog Tour Image below!

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Good luck!

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

Book Review: Primal Desire by Lupa Garneau

Reviewed by Nikyta

primaldesire_exlarge_PNG-210x336Title: Primal Desire
Author: Lupa Garneau
Series: Children of Shairobi #1
Heroes: Cole & Nexhan
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 63,505 words
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Available at: Totally Bound & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Cole never thought he’d find himself in those he was running from… Until he met Nexhan, clan leader of a legendary shifter race.

After a century of vengeance, Nexhan, clan leader of the Rune Fang, returns home to find his people teetering on the edge of extinction. Still plagued by his past and his sense of failure, he has closed himself off from even his closest friend. He is desperate to return to the shifter way of life, but doesn’t know how to cope with the death of his family and his lover.

Cole is the typical outcast—clumsy, quiet and angry. After years of disappointing his parents with his inability to master his cougar’s predatory skills, he runs from the pressure to mate a female who he’s unable to love, but he never expected to end up living among the saber-toothed cats. Heck, he didn’t even know they still existed. Embarrassed by his lack of skills, he retreats into himself, quietly nursing his pain.

A chance meeting in the forest leads Cole to accept Nexhan’s help and companionship, but he never imagined he’d be trusting the male with his deepest secrets. Nexhan vows it’s just sex, but the cougar intrigues him like nothing and no one before. Can he move on and finally lay to rest his troubled past?
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Welcome to Lobster Cove by Carol Lynne

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Welcome to Lobster Cove
Author: Carol Lynne
Series: Lobster Cove #1
Heroes: Boone Jenson/Dante Madia
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 91 Pages
Publisher: Totally Bound
Release Date: April 3, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: When following your dream lands you in Lobster Cove, Maine, anything is possible.

After gaining custody of his younger brother, Boone Jensen moves to a unique LGBT community on the coast of Maine. There, he hopes to find work as a stonemason, heal his broken heart and give his brother a safe place to call home.

Life was good in New York City for chef Dante Madia, until his business partner betrayed him. Determined to trust only himself, Dante risks everything on a new restaurant venture in a small fishing village built on acceptance.

Neither man is looking for love, but in a town like Lobster Cove, secret dreams have the ability to become realities
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2015, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Carol Lynne: Meet the Lobster Cove Residents + Giveaway!

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Meet the Lobster Cove Residents

by Carol Lynne

When I start a new series, I always begin with a list of characters. In my newest Lobster Cove series, I have an entire town of characters to create. Although I add to the list as I go, I thought I’d share with you a few of my initial cast of characters for this series. I use this list to keep them straight in my head. The one character I will leave as a mystery is my lighthouse keeper because his story needs to evolve slowly. I will warn you, I’m copying this from my private list, so forget about grammar or punctuation.

Lobster Cove Characters:

Joseph Allenbrand: 44 yrs old. Oversees a shelter for gay runaways. Bright blue eyes, black hair threaded with silver. Heads the new Rainbow Youth Center in Lobster Cove. The new shelter has room for 40 young men plus an apartment for Carl and Bev Walters.

Cullen “Little Man” Bryant –Moves to Lobster Cove from Cattle Valley to help oversee the town’s reconstruction and work with his partner, Joseph Allenbrand, to establish the new youth center.

Mick Hennessey: Asa hires Mick as chief of police. Brought up from New York, City after a shooting left him ready to get out of the city. Dark brown closely cropped hair, 36 yrs old, 6’2, built, bi-sexual.

Boone Jensen: Medium brown hair, shaggy. Hazel eyes with flecks of green, brown and gold. Stonemason and brick layer who moved to LC from Gary, Indiana. 29 yrs old, 6’2, muscular build from years of lifting rocks and working hard. Takes care of his younger brother, Laddy, after his mother’s death two months earlier. Decided the move to Lobster Cove would be good for both him and his brother.

Landon “Laddy” Jensen: 17 yr old with Down syndrome, Boone’s brother, brown closely-cropped hair.

Ava Hughs: Waitress and manager at Fiducia although she has a Master’s degree in business She’s Dante’s best friend and has sworn off men forever. 5’5, curvy, long blonde hair that she wears up in a knot most of the time, hazel eyes. Foster sister to Dante. They’ve known each other for 19 yrs.

Dante Madia: 35 yrs old, black shoulder length hair that he ties back when cooking. Brown eyes. Owns Fiducia (Trust in Italian) small exclusive restaurant with only room for thirty guests at a time. 35 yrs old, 6’1, shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes, medium build with toned and muscular body.

Jonah Briggs: owns his own lobster boat, runs a crew of three men, grew up in nearby Rockland Maine. Dark brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, 34 but looks older because of sun and wind damage while on the boat.

Isaac Diaz – Fire chief, 36 yrs old, short black hair, tall 6’2, muscular. Worked construction in the town in the early days of LC. Lives next door to Dante. Has a female Dalmatian named Ember that goes with him to the station when he’s on duty.

Alexander Stewart “Zander becomes known as Lexie” – 16, transgender teen from shelter, was locked in basement by his parents after he came out. Waist length dark brown hair.

Jake Skimmerhorn – 31 yrs old, dark brown hair, brown eyes, 6’, muscular, full beard, reclusive lighthouse keeper.

Well, that’s a partial list of the new characters you’ll meet in Lobster Cove. I hope your interest has been peaked in this new series, and I very much look forward to writing their stories.

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About Welcome to Lobster Cove

welcometolobstercove_800When following your dream lands you in Lobster Cove, Maine, anything is possible.

After gaining custody of his younger brother, Boone Jensen moves to a unique LGBT community on the coast of Maine. There, he hopes to find work as a stonemason, heal his broken heart and give his brother a safe place to call home.

Life was good in New York City for chef Dante Madia, until his business partner betrayed him. Determined to trust only himself, Dante risks everything on a new restaurant venture in a small fishing village built on acceptance.

Neither man is looking for love, but in a town like Lobster Cove, secret dreams have the ability to become realities.

Available at: Totally Bound

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An Excerpt from Welcome to Lobster Cove

Boone spun his beer bottle in an attempt to keep his eyes off Dante. Since their kiss in the kitchen, he’d thought of little else but getting Dante alone again.

“What about you, Boone?” Cullen asked.

“What do I need in town to make my life easier?” Boone reiterated the question in case he’d zoned out during a new topic.

“Yeah,” Cullen replied. “For Isaac it’s a bigger grocery store. Ava’s in dire need of a salon, and Laddy thinks a water park would be nice.”

Boone slid his gaze to his brother. “A water park? Seriously, Laddy?”

Laddy smiled. “We already have candy,” he stated as if a huge pool with slides and sprayers was a natural next step for the town.

Boone glanced at the people seated at the long table. “I’m not high maintenance, so I can make do with what’s available as long as there’s enough work to keep me employed.” He gestured to the men he’d met that evening. “I know this is going to sound corny as hell, but as long as I have friends and Laddy, I’m good.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Joseph Allenbrand chimed in.

Boone still couldn’t believe that Joseph used to be a Catholic priest, but, according to Joseph, he’d fallen in love with a parishioner and had decided to rescue homeless gay youths. That had led to an entire conversation about why the Rainbow Youth Center had left Washington, DC. Evidently, the bad situation in DC combined with Cattle Valley running out of room had prompted Asa to buy the bankrupt town of Lobster Cove. Before he’d received Nate’s call, Boone didn’t even know you could buy a town. Joseph had explained that Asa had bought the majority of the buildings from the bank, but there were quite a few houses that he’d purchased from the original owners once they’d learned who’d be moving into their neighborhood.

Mick stood then rested his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Anything I can help with before I get out of here?”

Boone tried to keep his jealousy in check. Mick had flirted with every man at the party. Hell, he’d even flirted with Ava, so it must’ve been part of the police chief’s personality.

Dante answered Mick while staring directly at Boone. “Thanks, but we’ve got it.”

Boone’s cock began to harden at the heated expression on Dante’s face. As much as he loved Laddy, he suddenly wished he could spend the entire night getting to know Dante on an intimate level. Unfortunately, he’d have to settle for the PG13 evening Dante had offered.

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About Carol Lynne

An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find Carol either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favourite chair writing steamy love scenes.

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As part of this blog tour, AUTHOR is giving away PRIZE to one lucky winner!! To enter, just click the link below!

Enter Totally Bound’s May blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice! Not including boxsets or anthologies. Just click the blog tour image below to enter!

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Remmy Duchene: Coming Out + Giveaway!

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Coming Out

by Remmy Duchene

You see, I never had the hardship of coming out – for my regular readers, you know I’m a straight female who is a rampant supporter of the LGBT community. So I will never know the true hardness of it all. But I did have a friend come out to me and I do remember the fear that I saw in their eyes.

As a Jamaican, my people’s music is full of homophobic lyrics that as I grew older and look back on them, I was ashamed to remember I used to sing those songs—ever. When you’re a kid, you sing things or watch things and you don’t really understand what you’re singing—all you know is that the beat is awesome and makes you dance. At thirteen, I moved to Canada and was immersed in a new culture, filled with all kinds of people —my mentality and view of things changed. For a while, I had my head so far into books, I didn’t notice much of anything. Once in a while I would look up long enough to breathe, eat something, interact with friends and family but that was about it. Then one day I put down the book and took a hard look around me and I did not like what I saw.

When I was about fifteen, I met my first out friend.  He was sixteen and terrified of telling me he was gay. Why? I’m Jamaican and he was scared that I would hate him. He wasn’t the first person to think that. The first time, I was offended he’d even think I’d hate him just because he was gay. But then I went home and had a conversation with another friend who pointed out that singers like Buju Banton and Beenie Man are from Jamaica. They are the face of the Jamaican people in the media, and people outside looking in believe they speak for all Jamaicans.

Right then I began thinking about it—I began asking questions, educating myself. It didn’t take much. I merely talked to my friends and their friends, and then it was all clear to me. Coming out shouldn’t be such an end-of-the-world experience. Hell, there shouldn’t be a thing called “coming out.” To me, people should just be able to be who they without fear of being hurt or those they love not to love them anymore. You see, there is so much fear and anguish behind actually telling someone you’re gay. I could not believe it all. It both stunned me and broke my heart.

When I was writing my character Kofi, I cried. There was a strange sense of sadness there. Though Carter (Kofi’s brother from Book one: CIRO) is gay, there was still some hesitation and confusion for Kofi. I hope, when people read OSAKI and see what Kofi goes through they will be a little more understanding toward the plight of people having to come out. I hope the thought “you’re gay just tell people” will stop, because it is not as easy as that.

Why did I write this post? I was sitting around wondering what to blog about – and I saw this article where a woman outed a teenager before he was ready. I am not in agreement with that and think that is one of the worst things you could do to a person.

Please, be a kind shoulder and encourage someone. That could be the difference between their happiness and tears.

Hugs,

Remmy Duchene

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About Osaki

osaki_800Once a samurai, always a Shiver…

Kofi Olabasu needs a vacation. He’s spent so much time looking out for his brother and working that he’s completely neglected himself. To make matters worse, feelings for a man are driving him crazy. The moment Kofi feels Osaki, he knows something is about to change. Confused about his attraction to Osaki, he agrees to take a vacation and accepts Osaki’s offer of being Kofi’s tour guide in Japan. However, nothing is as it seems. Soon every dark corner is filled with danger and those who wish to do him harm.

Osaki has a lot on his plate and love is the last thing he has time for. Not only does he have to get used to his new powers as a Shiver and all the training it involves, but he also finds himself being drawn to a human—though Kofi makes it clear he’s into women—and Osaki must respect the man’s wishes. All Osaki really has to do is focus on training and being the best tour guide possible for Kofi. But nothing ever goes as planned and soon rogue Shivers are popping out of the woodwork, hell-bent on destroying Osaki for his inheritance. It soon becomes quite clear that they want him dead, and they’re not afraid to use Kofi as leverage—or as collateral damage.

Publisher’s Note: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series.

Available at: Totally Bound & Amazon

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An Excerpt from Osaki

Kofi flopped to his bed and clasped his hands in his lap. He stared at his fingers for it was easier than meeting Osaki’s brown stare. “I believe you.”

“Please look at…” Osaki stopped and looked up. “Not now…”

“What’s the matter?”

“I am being summoned. Please do not leave here. I must speak with you.”

Though Kofi wasn’t sure where Osaki thought he would go, he nodded and took a breath as the shiver stepped toward him. It seemed Osaki thought better at what he was thinking of doing.

“Can you call Ciro and ask him to bring Carter here?”

“For you, Kofi, anything.” Was Osaki’s simply reply then he was gone. Kofi exhaled long and hard, feeling his body throb sweetly.

He stood by the window, staring out, wishing Osaki was there but happy he wasn’t. Those were the contradictions going through him. He stood there for a while, feeling as if he moved his legs would buckle if he moved.

“Kofi?”

He swung around to see, heart pounding for he thought for sure one of those stupid shivers were in the room with him. It took a moment for his brain to recognize Carter and Ciro standing there. He watched Ciro kiss his brother, waved to him and shimmered away. Carter instantly rushed to Kofi’s side and grasped his shoulders. “Bro—what’s going on? Are you okay? And what happened to your arm?”

“Rogue Shiver attack—came after Osaki and got me.”

“Where was Osaki?”

“Give him break, huh bro?” Kofi pleaded, exhausted. “He did the best he could.”

“But…”

“You know Osaki wouldn’t intentionally let anything happen to me. He loves Ciro. Ciro loves you. You love me—see how that works?” Kofi inhaled, weak with the tension in his heart and spine. “He protected me but that’s not why I called you here. Something happened and I don’t know how to deal with it.”

“Tell me.”

Kofi shook his head and fell into Carter’s chest.  He held on tightly while Carter rubbed his back and returned the hug. The last time he felt this down was the day he found out he’d failed his physical and couldn’t join the NYPD. “I—I don’t know what’s happening. I really need you…”

“Sure, Kofe—whatever you want. But you have to tell me what’s wrong. You said something happened—let’s start there.”

“I-um…” Kofi swallowed. “My body is rebelling. I can’t control it. You can’t hate me for what I’m about to tell you.”

“Damn it to hell, Kofi Arturo Olabasu!”

“I think  I’m gay.”

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About Remmy Duchene

Multi-published Remmy Duchene was born in St. Anns, Jamaica and moved to Canada at a young age. When not working or writing, Remmy loves dabbling in photography, travelling and spending time with friends and family.

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As part of this blog tour, Totally Bound is giving an eBook of winner’s choice. To enter, just click this link!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Jane Davitt: Reading, Writing, and Math + Giveaway!

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Reading, Writing, and Math

by Jane Davitt

Word limits are useful when I write, but sometimes they’re an ever-receding goal. For instance, for this post, I have a limit of 500-750 words. I aim to give good value and I’m an over-achiever, so let’s go for 750. What do I have to say that can fill 750 words?

Let’s break this down.

I’m a fan of drabbles. They’re short stories that have to be 100 words exactly, not counting title. 101 won’t cut it and neither will 99. So this is seven and a half drabbles long.

Would it be easier if it were longer? A story has a shape to it. A beginning, a middle, and, of course, in my line of work, not just an ending but a happily ever after. So assuming a novel is around 80-100,000 words, if you’re at 60,000 and the lead characters haven’t had any contact at all, there could be a problem. Pacing takes practice, but after a while you get a feel for it.

A daily word limit helps to keep me on track. I do some math. A book of say 80,000 words needs to be handed in on such and such a date. That’s 65 days away. Let’s ignore weekends; I’m always busy then with the family around me, jobs to do, soccer to watch if it’s that time of the year, food shopping to take care of. Stuff. So that leaves me with 57 working days. A tap or two on the calculator and I need to do 1403 words a day. Let’s round up to allow for days when I can’t write. Call it 1500.

No, wait. That’s pathetic. 2000! Yes! I can do 2000. My daughter and husband leave at eight. An hour to dress, tidy up, and see to my Neopets (addicted to Neopets do not judge me!) and I can start writing at nine. I have peace and quiet until 2.30. Allowing for coffee breaks and lunch, that gives me, uh, four hours to write. Oh, I can slurp coffee and write at the same time. Four and a half hours.

More math. 2000 divided by 270, then  multiplied by 60 is 444.444444 words an hour.

That is so easy! A little over a drabble every fifteen minutes.

Day one usually goes well. I greet my family with a beaming smile and announce the good news; 2,312 words!

Day two, I read them over, tweak, change, edit, and lose 56 of them before I start. Darn. Halfway through the day, I realize I need to research the wildflowers of Patagonia and bam, there goes a chuck of precious time.

Day three, I’m blocked.

Day four, breakthrough! I write 4,000 words and love the world.

Day five, on a roll. The characters are alive, words pour out of my head and I can’t type fast enough to keep up. I use my two middle fingers and stare down at the keyboard which is probably why. It’s touch typing of sorts, but not really.

Day six my back aches so much I can barely sit at the computer. Writing doesn’t burn many calories but it’s hell on the back and hands. It’s the weekend though, so I relax.

Monday rolls around and I sigh and chip out a grudging couple of hundred. I’ll make it up tomorrow. Or maybe Wednesday.

Rinse and repeat.

And it sounds as if I hate my job. That it’s a chore. And it isn’t. I’ve been writing for over a decade now and nothing can stop me. I began in fanfic and moved to original m/m novels and made writing my career, but it was the first step that was the important one.

Once you discover the high of sharing a jumble of thoughts with another person through the medium of words (it’s like telepathy! How cool is that?) there’s no going back. There’s a scene in a Robert Heinlein book called ‘The Cat Who Walks Through Walls’ where a writer gets married and his wife asks if he enjoys writing.

“No one enjoys writing,” he replies.

She points out that she’s rich, so he can stop.

“Thank you, my love. But I did not explain to you the other insidious aspect of writing. There is no way to stop. Writers go on writing long after it becomes financially necessary…because it hurts less to write than it does to stop.”

Writing this didn’t hurt. Much. But I’ve reached 750 words now, so I’ll stop.

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About Life Under New Management

lifeundernewmanagement_800This is the third book in Totally Bound’s Totally Five Star imprint, set in glamorous hotels around the world.

Working for a perfectionist like strict, sexy-as-hell Ethan isn’t easy. Falling in love with him? No problem at all.

Taking a bar job in an exclusive hotel is a stopgap for Andy. He’s an actor and his big break is coming soon—he knows it. His hot, new boss, Ethan, is strict, demanding and totally off-limits, but Andy can’t stop thinking about him.

When Andy learns of Ethan’s need to be in control of his partner—in bed and out of it—he’s stunned by the intensity of his reaction. He wants Ethan guiding him, bringing order to his chaotic life. And he sees that Ethan needs him too, though they can’t be open about their feelings.

Ethan deals out deliciously perverse consequences for misbehaving, but when it comes to incentives, he knows just what to offer to have Andy on his knees begging for more.

But some secrets can’t stay that way for long. And when difficult choices arise, for once Andy can’t turn to Ethan for guidance. This time, he’s on his own.

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of intense pain play, including the use of a Wartenberg wheel and figging.

Available at: Totally Bound & Amazon

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About Jane Davitt

Jane Davitt is English, and has been living in Canada with her husband, two children, and two cats, since 1997. Writing and reading are her main occupations but if she ever had any spare time she might spend it gardening, walking, or doing cross stitch.

Jane has been writing since 2005 and wishes she’d started earlier. She is a huge fan of SF, fantasy, erotica, and mystery novels and has a tendency to get addicted to TV shows that get cancelled all too soon.

She owns over 4,000 books, rarely gives any away, but is happy to loan them, and is of the firm opinion that there is no such thing as ‘too many books’.

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Enter Totally Bound’s competition for a chance to win a copy of Life Under New Management and a $5 TB gift card! Click here to enter!

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of Life Under New Management to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment