LGBTQ+ BOOK PROMOTIONS

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Blurb

Hugo Burrows has life under control.

He's got a decent job, a long-term relationship and a flat in Canary Wharf.

It's all under control. It's just becoming a little problematic trying to hold everything together. Keeping the bruises on his skin hidden away. A smile plastered on his face. Controlling the calories he allows his body to consume. And now his boss is on his back with too many questions, and the grumpy French head chef keeps staring at him like he's a freak or something.

Everything is under control. It has to be.

Ben Desjardins may be the Head Chef at the Clouds Hotel but he definitely hasn't got anything under control. His relationship with his best friend is crumbling and simply turning up for work seems to automatically cause never ending chaotic disasters. Yet there is something about the new concierge that has crawled straight under his prickly skin.

Ben doesn't need more complications in his life. The last thing he needs is to inconveniently, and reluctantly... fall in love.

SKIN AND BONES is best enjoyed if read after TASTE.

Reader Advisory. This book contains the following topics: Eating disorders, OCD, domestic violence and sexual assault. Please look after yourself and take care if these topics could upset you.

Excerpt

So, the new concierge, his name was Hugo, and he was tall and skinny—far too skinny if you asked me—with a head full of bouncy blonde curls, thick, dark eyebrows over deep-set eyes, sharp cheekbones and plump, puffy lips. He seemed like a nice bloke, stood up for himself. Finn moaned about him, saying something about the guy being great at his job but an untidy bugger. The floor around his desk was always a disaster zone of scrunched-up pieces of paper and torn-up leaflets. Finn wasn’t wrong. I could see stuff on the floor from where I was, while Hugo gave directions to some guests, arms flailing, his phone miraculously still pinched between his cheek and his shoulder. He smiled at something. I smiled too. He had that kind of smile.

Dropping my cigarette on the ground, I squashed out the embers with my shoe. So sue me. I was French. Had grown up there, then moved to England with my mum in my teens and had to adapt to being Ben instead of Benjamin after my arsehole dad kicked us out. I didn’t take shit from anyone.

It hadn’t been bad. Just…my life hadn’t become quite what I’d expected.

I strode back through the lobby with confidence, smiling politely at our maître d’hôtel, who pursed their lips at me. Yeah, I was a dick. I had tomato juice down my front, and my apron was covered in cooking fat. I looked a state and shouldn’t be anywhere near paying guests. I knew it. Mabel knew it. I actually liked them. A lot. Today, our super-efficient restaurant leader rocked a shocking-pink dress and sky-high heels with a face full of make-up. Some days, they presented as a stunning bloke, other days, like today, they wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a women’s fashion magazine, and they knew it too.

“Looking good, Mabs.”

“Oh shut it, Ben.” They grinned and blushed while giving me a full head-to-toe inspection. “You really need to go change, babes. Honestly, you’ll give Mark a heart attack.”

“You mean I look that good?” I laughed, enjoying another of Mabel’s many smirks.

“You look like shit, babes. How are you ever going to get laid when you walk around looking like someone has dragged you face down through the walk-in fridge?”

“Bah,” I huffed and left them to it. I washed my hands and ripped off my apron, dropping it in the laundry chute and grabbing a fresh one from the shelf before glancing over the line. All under control. Nobody panicking.

“Watch the liquid,” I commented to one of the trainees as they flipped a tray of mushrooms into a serving dish and splattered juice all over the hot plate. Yeah. Newbies. They had to learn, usually the hard way, and there wasn’t much I could do other than show them how to do it the right way, remind them to watch the bloody timings, let them make mistakes and hope they didn’t kill themselves in the process.

I looked down at my own battered hands. I had too many scars to count. Cuts, burns. My hands had survived years of being battered on the rugby pitch, which was nothing compared to getting fingers stuck in blenders and close encounters with sharp knives.

I blamed my mum, getting me into cooking when my hand-eye coordination had been blasted to hell. I had to concentrate, not be stressed, keep focused for my mind to function the way it was supposed to, not that it ever did, and this was a working kitchen. My entire shift was always one huge, stress-induced, disaster-prone trial.

“You all right?” Mark appeared next to me in his immaculate suit, his hair up in a tidy man-bun and eyebrows tightly knitted. Arms crossed, he surveyed our little world. Him and me, we were brothers, partners in crime, a duo of idiots who should have known better, but we worked well together, and there was nowhere else I would rather work than here with him by my side.

“All good,” I said, mirroring his pose.

“The boys out there,” he said conspiratorially. “They’re placing bets on who can get a hook-up with Hugo. There’s good money involved.”

“Hell.” I sighed, rolled my eyes harder than Mabel. “He gay then?”

“I went over and asked him. He just laughed, so yeah. Between you and me, he lives with his long-term boyfriend down in Canary Wharf, so I think all the boys are barking up a dead tree, but I’m not going to tell them. Are you?”

“Nah.” I laughed. I wasn’t. As long as they did their job and made my food look good, I wasn’t getting involved with anything. And anyway, this Hugo? None of my business.

Rolling up my sleeves, I plonked my arse down by my little office set-up and logged into the laptop. I had orders to sign off, menus to plan, things to do. A life to live. Mark shook his head and disappeared back out to the restaurant.

This Hugo? God help him.

About the Author

Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over TV shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job.

Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The dogs are too.

She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in her native Scandinavia.

Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever, and she hopes it may long continue.

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Thursday, 25 January 2024

Touched by Destiny (Arcane Havoc #1) by Jessamyn Kingley

COVER REVEAL

Book Title: Touched by Destiny (Arcane Havoc #1)

Author and Publisher: Jessamyn Kingley

Cover Artist: LJ Anderson of Mayhem Cover Creations

Release Date: February 8, 2024

Genres: MM Paranormal Romance

Tropes: Fated mates

Themes: Love, resolving the past

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 97 000 words

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Without risk, finding a soulmate is impossible.

But Gabriel and Eric quickly discover that the first step was the easiest.

Blurb

Gabriel Wolfebrier believes his honor is forever tarnished. For the first fifteen years of his resurrected life, he did whatever his necromancer told him. They were friends. Family. So, Gabriel asked no questions as he helped bury dead sorcerers he was told were enemies. Too late, Gabriel learns he’s been duped. But somehow, he is offered a second chance.

Born with the mark of a skull on his hand, Eric Marwood has special talents. Unlike other necromancers, he can speak to the dead and help them find their way home. He is dedicated to two things—nurturing his skills and dreaming of a life with Gabriel. But not everyone reveres his gifts, and destiny-touched men and women like him are hunted.

The Marwoods consider Gabriel one of their own, but his past is a heavy burden he cannot forget. Which is why it annoys him each time he notices how beautiful Eric is or how much fun they have together aiding ghosts.

Sex is the only way to find a soulmate in their world, and Eric is determined to seduce Gabriel. As for Gabriel, he is desperate to ignore his own urges. Life has a funny way of changing in an instant, and neither man truly knows what the future holds.

Excerpt

Eric nodded at his brother, and his eyes locked with Gabriel’s. There was too much distance between them to gauge the necromancer’s thoughts. That full mouth painted a glossy pink curved, and something inside of Gabriel snapped. Gone was the cautious voice demanding he steer clear of his lust and adoration of the man sinuously walking toward him. His blood thundered in his ears as he grew harder. His thoughts grew reckless, and he wondered—envisaged—what it would be like to take Eric.

What did he have left to lose? Would Gabriel go to the grave without one taste of him?

“Gabriel,” Eric said as he stopped in front of him with mere inches separating them.

Too consumed with lust to even find his tongue to speak, Gabriel gave a brief nod of his head to let Eric know he’d heard him. Those dreamy blue eyes were dark with need, and Gabriel’s cock jerked in response.

“Can I speak with you privately?” Eric asked, his voice no more than a raspy whisper.

It was an invitation. Gabriel was under no illusion about Eric’s intent. He’d declared it a night to toss away his inhibitions, and for some reason, he’d chosen Gabriel as the target for his desires. He knew he shouldn’t accept. If he were smart, Gabriel would insist Eric return to the dance floor. But Gabriel was apparently short on intelligence because he held out his hand instead. The other guards would figure out where they were going and likely why, but they were paid to be discreet.

As soon as Eric slid his warm palm into Gabriel’s, they left the private club at a fast clip. There were plenty of other inspirits around to ensure Richard and Maribeth were protected, so Gabriel didn’t worry about the other young Marwoods. His sole focus was on Eric and how fabulously his lanky frame was showcased in his tank and those pants highlighting the delicious curve of his pert ass.

“Where are we going?” Gabriel asked huskily.

Eric tugged a hotel key out of his pocket and handed it to him. A quick glance told Gabriel it was for a room on the first floor. They wouldn’t have to find an elevator, and Gabriel refused to give himself a moment to contemplate the stupid decision he was making. But as he unlocked the door and shut himself and Eric into the quiet space, he acknowledged that he’d been waiting years for this moment.

Gabriel reached for him, and suddenly there was a horny necromancer plastered to his front. Their mouths met, and Eric’s kiss was charmingly clumsy. He tasted of strawberries. Gabriel mused that those pretty boys he’d dated hadn’t had a clue how to please him. With a little gentle coaxing of his tongue, Eric relaxed, and their embrace grew languid and impossibly hot.

Clutching Eric’s round ass, Gabriel intended to give him an experience the necromancer would never forget. Long after Gabriel was dead and buried, he wanted Eric to recall his first night of passion. Gabriel shifted so his dick rubbed against Eric’s length. Eric groaned and tore his lips free to gasp loudly.

Taking advantage of his exposed neck, Gabriel sucked at Eric’s tender skin. His thoughts grew darker as he worked a hand between them to find Eric’s zipper, and he hoped none of Eric’s future trysts would compare to the passion exploding between them. No one had ever pushed Gabriel so close to the edge with such little effort.

A few sexy kisses, a couple of moans, and Gabriel’s balls were ready to empty. The last thing he wanted was to give either of them any time to think or put any space between them, but Gabriel shoved Eric away long enough to rip the tank top over his head. The smooth skin of his hairless chest was damp with sweat from dancing and the desire building between them.

Gabriel trailed his fingers down between Eric’s pectorals, and the muscles of his belly jumped as Gabriel moved lower. Shoving Eric’s pants over his hips revealed a small scrap of black that served as his underwear. The tip of his ruddy cock had defied the waistband, and Gabriel’s mouth watered with anticipation of his taste.

About the Author

Jessamyn Kingley has published over forty titles and refuses to pick a favorite among them. With an extraordinary passion for her characters, Jessamyn eagerly crafts new tales and avidly re-reads them whenever her schedule allows. Jessamyn shares a home in Nevada with her husband and their three spoiled cats. When she is not writing or adding new ideas to her thick stack of beloved notebooks, she is gaming with family and friends.

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Monday, 22 January 2024

The Red Dragon of Oxford by Joy Lynn Fielding #giveaway

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: The Red Dragon of Oxford

Author and Publisher: Joy Lynn Fielding

Cover Artist: Miblart

Release Date: January 15, 2024

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance

Tropes: Fish out of water, mutual pining, shifters

Themes: Self-acceptance, empowerment

Length: 66,000 words

Heat Rating: 4 flames

It is a standalone story (the first in a new series) and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Dragons aren’t real. Or so I used to think.

Blurb

Oxford isn’t exactly what I’d imagined. Sure, the colleges are romantic, and everyone is brilliant enough to trigger my impostor syndrome. I expected that.

The dragon, however, was a big surprise.

I saw him on my first day. The beautiful beast spoke to me, then disappeared. I’ve been looking for him ever since.

But when I’m not on a wild dragon chase, I spend my time in the library. I’d like to think I’m only there to study, but who am I kidding?

I’m there for him.

Rufus Mortimer is the world’s hottest librarian. He’s strict, enigmatic, and sexy. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

But he has a secret. One that could destroy everything.

So now, all I have to do is find a dragon, earn my doctorate, and try to not to let my new romance burn my life to the ground. Easy, right?

I wish…

The Red Dragon of Oxford, book 1 in the Wings Over Albion series, is a sweet and spicy paranormal m/m romance with a guaranteed happily ever after.

Excerpt

“You can’t take those.” The voice was deep, male, and came from very close behind me.

I spun around, heart hammering. The guy standing there was big—broad-shouldered, and muscular as if he worked out. His blue shirt pulled slightly over his chest, reinforcing his build. Rich brown hair fell past his shoulders, and his eyes were velvety brown in a face that left me breathless. His jaw was defined, his nose straight with slightly flared nostrils, and the firm line of disapproval his lips were pressed into failed to hide their sensuality. He belonged in Hollywood, not an Oxford library.

He was so close to me that it was intimidating. Moving back a few steps gave me the opportunity to take in allof him, and he was well worth it. The softest-looking faded jeans I’d ever seen outlined thick muscled thighs that had come straight out of my dreams. Callum was cute. This guy, though. This guy had me wanting to go to my knees for him. I was practically drooling.

Unfortunately, he was glaring at me and showed no sign of bending me over the nearest table and having his way with me.

I wrenched my mind back to the fact he’d said something to me. “Sorry, what?”

“You can’t take those books.”

“I’m a research student.” I tore my eyes away from his face long enough to thrust my library card at him. “I was told I could take up to twenty books out at once.”

“Well, you can’t.”

“It says so in the library rules. I live in college, so I wouldn’t have far to come if I got an alert saying someone else wanted them.”

“I don’t care. That’s too many books to take out of here.”

“Okay.” The intensity in him was something else, and I backed down. “How many am I allowed to take?”

He glanced over them. “Four,” he said, and it sounded reluctant.

My face must have shown my incredulity because he pointed out, “You can only read one at a time.”

Anger stirred in me. These weren’t novels, to be read one after another. They needed to be compared and cross-referenced as they were read. It was why I’d applied to Mortimer in the first place—the college’s collection of scarcely remembered German theologians was unrivalled and precisely what I needed for my dissertation.

“Sorry, who are you?” It finally occurred to me to ask. If he was just another research student throwing his weight around with the newbies, I’d tell him where to go. Surely he couldn’t be a tutor because he was only about thirty.

“The librarian.”

Holy crap, and I’d tried to argue the rules with him. “Good to meet you,” I said weakly and tried to smile at him. “I’m Mark Stevens.”

He nodded and folded his arms. His shirt’s valiant attempt to cope with his movement resulted in acres of silky material clinging to his muscles. I was staring again.

“Sorry, I don’t know your name,” I said when it was clear he wasn’t going to speak. He was still watching me as if to check I only took four books.

“Rufus Mortimer.”

“Like the college!” It was a stupid thing to say, but it was better than telling him I wanted to lick him.

He looked unimpressed. “Choose your four books. I’ll replace the others.”

The guy was kind of a prick, though I wasn’t sure what he could have said to my comment.

Once I'd found the four texts I most wanted, he gathered the remaining books into his arms. “Don’t forget to scan them,” he said as he moved away. “And don’t keep them long. They belong here.”

Until he said that, it hadn’t dawned on me that there was a way to keep access to all twenty books. And so many more. “I could have them all out on my desk if I stayed in here?”

“Of course.”

The way he said that nagged at me. It reminded me of something, but I didn’t know what. “In that case, please don’t shelve them,” I said. “I’m going to get my stuff from my room and work here.”

“Okay,” he said, but he didn’t put them down. He watched me leave, holding the books close, cradling them like they were his babies.

About the Author

Joy Lynn Fielding lives in a small English market town, where she indulges her passions for vintage aircraft, horse riding and gardening (though not all at the same time).

Joy tends to wax lyrical about the fascinating facts she discovers during her research for books. Thankfully, she has a very patient Labrador who has a gift for looking interested in what she’s saying while he waits for the food to arrive.

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The Félidés Clan Series by Jae Greyn #giveaway

SERIES TOUR

The Félidés Clan series by Jae Greyn

Birth is only the beginning...

The books are not standalone and need to be read in order.

Each book ends on a cliffhanger.

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 3-4 flames

Amazon Series Link

BOOK DETAILS

BOOK 1

Book Title: Nothing Burns Like Time

Length: 95 pages

Release Date: July 21, 2023

Genre: MM Paranormal Fantasy

Tropes: Fighting to be together, fight for survival

The book ends on a cliffhanger.

Blurb

Raven, Justice of Gemini, wanted nothing to do with the problems other gods created. He'd settled down in a quiet corner of The Veil, kept to himself, and continued to do his job. His twin, Scot, had become a jaded player in the name of boredom, and Raven had given up on any hope of dating until he met Cyan, a beautiful young God, thrust into an impossible position.

Cyan, lord Ether and son of the Source, never thought about love until Raven saved him in a fight with Vampires.

All they want is the next date, but the goddess of Time has other ideas. She wants Gemini dead by any means necessary. She thrusts them into a war that pits born gods against demigods, taking sibling rivalry to a brand new level.

This is only the beginning for The Félidés Clan. Who will survive, and will Raven and Cyan have the second date?

BOOK 2

Book Title: Predator’s Patience (#1.5)

Length: 151 pages

Release Date: September 8, 2023

Genre: MM paranormal romantasy

Trope: Time Travel

Blurb

Cyan Revy FeLiSe has one beautiful afternoon with Raven, Justice of Gemini. He returns home and discovers the gods are going to war. Raven doesn't answer when Cy calls; the number belongs to someone else. Cy pretends he isn't hurt, but he's devastated. And then, the god Chaos, makes an extraordinary request. He wants Cy to find his sons.

Time doesn't flow the same in the Garden, and Cy doesn't know the war has started, ended, and begun again. His mother, The Source of All Things, disagreed with the outcome the first time around. Several of his brothers died, and Raven and Scot had to be born again.

Cy agrees to help Chaos find them, which leads them all from one Plane to another, trying to stop Gi, the goddess of Time, from tearing them apart. Within these pages is the story of Raven and Cyan. Journals and private memories between the couple who are just trying to find each other.

BOOK 3

Book Title: Madness And Majick

Length: 78 pages

Release Date: August 21, 2023

Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy

Trope: Finding love

Blurb

Dear me,

One time goddess named Gi started a war with my papas, Justice and War of Gemini. For some stupid reason, she assumed birth would make them lower than demigod.

In truth, it only made them angry.

They signed a contract to judge someone, and part of that agreement was kids. Nyx, the god of Peace, and one of my grandparents would only help if my dads had kids with a suitable female. He's only asshat number two.

Number three would be my not-so-lovely Aunt CattyWhack, um, Catori, who has trapped my papas in the Veil club, which is under a Time spell, where every night is Samhain. She's trying to kill them.

Then there is me, who's never been without my twin. We've shared everything but boyfriends since the womb, and suddenly he's somewhere else, and I'm stuck in The Veil, alone, living in a hotel suite, until my papas are free.

Syra, The Source of All Things, and my honorary grandma, because family ain't always blood, gave me a job to do.

And I'm trying. Only a god can sustain a god, and now that I'm grown, my papas' blood only gets me so far.

I really need my twin right now. My big brother, Shiloh, would do, too. He's off looking for my mom, so she can replace Gi.

What have I gotten myself into? Somebody save me. I don't want to do this by myself.

Kansas Raine Félidés, Lord Cinis

BOOK 4

Book Title: Sealed With A Tris

Length: 108 pages

Release Date: September 21, 2023

Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy

Trope: fated mates

Blurb

Dear Me,

This would be the longest summer of my life, and it hadn’t started. You see, I’m the forgotten twin and what is referred to in my world as ‘the spare.’ Oddly enough, I do still hold my title, Lord Vitae, but it isn’t doing me much good in my current state.

I arrived two weeks previously and landed in the shower, fully clothed. My twin slapped his hand over my mouth to keep me from shrieking the walls down at the shock of the water blasting me in the face.

After helping one Jace Corrins with Clary Clatterbox My Mama Is The Soul Maker, I stayed hidden until we moved into the house Mamie bought for us, and then I finally got to stop shielding my presence from my brother’s most lovely mate.

In precisely one month, Kansas and I will turn nineteen, and it will be the first time in our existence that he had a lover and I didn’t. I know. Getting laid should not be a priority, and it really isn’t. My focus at the moment is checking on the custom guitar I’m having made for Kansas, for said birthday.

Material things hadn’t always mattered to us because before, we could wake up on a completely different plane, in a completely different year and age. Our honorary Mamie, the Source of all things, has assured us repeatedly that The Veil is home and we can’t be moved unless we move ourselves. We are trusting her judgment because, really? Who would tell her no?

Tristan Storme Félidés

BOOK 5

Book Title: See Who Loves You Now

Length: 154 pages

Release Date: October 21, 2023

Genre: MM Paranormal Romantasy

Trope: Time travel

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Blurb

The worst birthday turns into the best when Kansas and Shiloh meet Sam and Rye Lance. But are they part of Catori's plan to wipe the Felides Clan from existence, or is it forever and always?

A spell stands between them and the truth. Only Time will tell.

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About the Author

Jae Greyn is the author of the Fire Ridge Pride Series. Born in the United States, Jae is an advocate for being good humans to animals and people. A consumer of coffee, chocolate, and romances.

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Sunday, 21 January 2024

The Hot Mess Prince by Emily Spady #kindleunlimited

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: The Hot Mess Prince

Author and Publisher: Emily Spady

Cover Artist: Morganically Sourced

Release Date: October 13, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: royals, prince/assistant, opposites attract, romantic comedy

Themes: redemption, self-acceptance, family

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 57 795 words/ 205 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK

A sweet, snarky m/m romance with kittens, cheese festivals, royal gossip, and a guaranteed HEA.

Blurb

Neel Batra is good--no, great--at his job. A consummate professional despite all the chaos of managing one of the most notorious party boy royals in Europe, he never lets Prince Thibault get under his skin. Well, almost never. And he certainly doesn't entertain any thoughts or feelings that are less than professional. Especially after an image rehab campaign sees Neel and the prince working in closer conditions than ever.

Prince Thibault d'Archimbault may be a disaster, but even he knows certain things--and people--are off limits. Even if he can't help noticing his assistant's pretty eyes, and how fun it is to annoy him. Can he practice self-control for once in his life and stay out of Neel Batra's way, even while they work together on cleaning up Thibault's reputation? Or will things get distinctly ... messy?

Excerpt

“I don’t have a car.” Three years working for the prince, and the man knew nothing about him. Typical. “I rode my bicycle.”

“Of course you did. Doing your duty, right? Protecting the environment and all that.” Thibault had a smug little smile on his face, like Neel had completely failed to surprise him. “Doesn’t it ever get tiring?”

“What gets tiring is lack of sleep. Which is why I’m leaving now,” Neel said, making no move to get up.

“Stay here for a bit. Have a drink with me. I’ll get Viola to drive you home if you’re worried about biking under the influence.”

“Absolutely not. You shouldn’t be out here, either.” Neel pointed a finger at him across the hot tub. “We’re starting your twelve-step plan or whatever it is tomorrow and you need your sleep, too. More than I do. You’ll be the one in the photos, and we can’t have you looking all gray and hungover.”

Thibault shrugged. His chest was flushed from the heat, his hair curling into his eyes. “Honestly? I couldn’t sleep either. I’m… I’m trying to take this seriously, Batra. Whether you believe me or not. And it’s making me nervous.” He poured a refill into the glass and held it out. “Come on. One drink. Just stay and… talk to me. Until I feel sleepy.”

The glass was sweaty with condensation as Neel took it from his hand. “I’m only drinking this so that you won’t,” he warned, and finished it in one gulp, before he could have any foolish thoughts about how Thibault’s mouth had been on the glass, his pink, pouty, irritating mouth–

“You, er,” said Thibault.

“We’ve all been to university, your highness,” Neel said archly.

“Yes, but you probably weren’t shooting 100-year Ankenbrandian pear brandy.”

Neel shrugged, feeling the red bloom of alcohol in his stomach, the tension beginning to seep out of his shoulders, his neck. “So, I’m to tell you a bedtime story now, is that it? Don’t recall it being part of my job description. But who knows what my job is at this point.”

Thibault took a swig from the bottle, then refilled Neel’s glass. “I guess I was just hoping that you had some plan for tomorrow. You’re so good at plans.”

Neel really ought to sip this one slowly, but he was enjoying how the over-excited clock in his head had finally started to tick down, and the stars were bright overhead and the mountains gleamed in the distance and Prince Thibault was glistening across from him like some male siren that had just emerged from the Aegean sea, and it was time, wasn’t it, that Neel told him exactly what he thought about all of this nonsense?

“You are the one who came up with all of this. There is no plan. You’re petting kittens, for fucksake.”

“Right, but, what should I wear?”

Neel waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Something casual but expensive that shows off your chest. Do you really need me to tell you all this? Just pet the kittens and look cute. Why did you choose all of these things if you don’t even want to do them?”

Thibault ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I knew I needed to tell grandmother something. And they are things I wanted to do. Most of them. Some I chose because I knew they’d annoy you.”

“I thought so. Pour me another drink.”

“You sure you’re going to be all right? The water’s really hot, and you’ve had like four shots. I’m a heavy pourer.”

“You owe me, Thibault.”

The prince slid across the hot tub, and Neel flinched at the sudden hand on his forehead. “Hm, yeah, I don’t think so,” Thibault murmured. “You’re really warm.”

“Don’t pretend you care,” Neel said, holding himself as still as possible so he wouldn’t melt. “Don’t pretend to be responsible.”

“I’m not,” Thibault said. “But you are, and you’re going to be hating yourself if you’re too hungover to get a perfectly adorable picture of me and those cats tomorrow. C’mon, Batra, let’s get you up.” He hoisted Neel onto his feet. “Out we go. We’ve got a date with some baby kittens.”

“‘Baby kittens’ is redundant,” Neel said, and fainted.

About the Author

Emily Spady lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States with her husband and cat. This is her first novel.

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Saturday, 20 January 2024

Port in a Storm (Sinners Series) by Rhys Ford #giveaway

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Port in a Storm (Sinners Series)

Author: Rhys Ford

Publisher: Dreamspinner

Cover Artist: Rhys Ford

Release Date: January 23, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Married M/M Couple foster / adopt child

Themes: Dealing with childhood trauma, questioning whether the past makes a bad father, found family

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 59 000 words/ 200 pages

It is book 8 in the Sinner’s Gin Series and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

San Francisco SWAT Lieutenant Connor Morgan and Crossroads Gin drummer Forest Ackerman make an odd couple. Connor, an Irish-born cop from a tight-knit family, never imagined he’d find his happily-ever-after with a raised-on-the-streets musician, but Forest had the gentlest soul he’d ever met. After a long, hard road of heartbreak, murder, and trouble, they fell hard in love and married.

Then Fate intervenes and throws their lives into a chaos neither one of them is prepared for.

During a brutal SWAT raid, Connor stumbles on Tate, an abused, vulnerable little boy caught in a shoot-out with his father’s drug-running gang. As heavy fire riddles the walls, an injured Connor rescues Tate from the fray… only to be struck numb when a caseworker pries a sobbing Tate from his arms.

Scarred from his own childhood experiences, Forest doubts he can be a good enough father, but Connor assures him they can give Tate what he needs and more. Soon they are on an insane ride where trust and affection are hard-earned, especially when coming from a little boy raised in society’s filthiest gutters. Facing down every challenge thrown their way, they battle to give Tate what Connor treasures and Forest never had—a family to call his own.

Excerpt

“Got a little boy—I think—here. Anywhere clear to get him out?” Pain flared in Connor’s shoulder when he moved. The child’s weight pulled down on his muscles, straining the tender spots blooming on his back. He’d either landed in something wet or the hits he’d taken were more serious than he thought.

“Negative, but I can give you cover,” Yamamoto said over the comm. “Working back down the hall. Can you hold?”

“Holding.” Connor wrapped his arms around the boy’s torso, trying to cover as much as possible. “Get your arms down, kiddo, and grab anything you can on my vest.”

The child was rigid, legs stick straight and stiff. His tiny hands were dotted with bruises and dried blood, his knuckles bleached white when his fingers tightened around the straps on Connor’s armor. He buried his face into Connor’s chest, breathing hard and heavy when another round of gunfire opened up in the hall.

A pair of large dark shadows fell across the opening in the wall, and then Yamamoto angled his back against one side of the broken drywall. He gave Connor a hand signal, then counted down from three to a closed fist and began a heavy barrage of sprayed shots. Gun drawn, Connor ducked out to the right, keeping the boy against his chest. He moved quickly, pausing at openings and long stretches of the hallway, alert to any movement.

When his boots hit the living room floor, Yamamoto gave the all-clear to move the fight to the back of the house again, leaving Connor with an easier egress. The young man they’d left for the other team was gone, hopefully safe and sound away from the raid. The pain along Connor’s shoulders was turning from a dull throb to a raging fire, and as he tried to clear the mound of debris, he stumbled and caught the tip of his boot on something hard. The kid let out a short yelp of terror when Connor’s grasp loosened. Then he sobbed brokenly as Connor tightened his grip.

“I’m not going to drop you,” he reassured the little boy. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

About the Author

Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and is a two-time LAMBDA finalist with their Murder and Mayhem novels. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and Rogue Firebird Press.

They’re also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of something personal and really, who doesn’t mention their cats, dog and cars in a bio? They shares the house with Harley, a grey tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled alley cat who isn’t sure living inside is a step up the social ladder as well as Gojira who is a chaos goblin masquerading as a tabico. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep of a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering make-believe people.

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Thursday, 11 January 2024

Facing the Curse by Patrick Bryce Wright

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Facing the Curse

Author: Patrick Bryce Wright

Publisher: JMS Books, LLC

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: December 2, 2023

Genres: Contemporary M/M Romance, paranormal thriller

Tropes: Sexy neighbour, psychotic ex

Themes: Found family, surviving abuse, healing from trauma

Heat Rating: 1 flame

Length: 70 375 words/281 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.