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Blurb

Despite what his co-workers say Belling, Montana paramedic Dylan Holly does not hate Christmas.

It’s just that as an ex-foster kid he learned early on that Christmas just didn’t have much relevance to his life. He’s seen no evidence since then that he’s wrong.

That said, if Santa ever delivered a six-foot plus wall of hot muscle under his tree he’d be willing to reconsider. He’s even sourced an available one locally in the taciturn Somerset North and his impossibly blue eyes.

So really, at this point the ball is in Santa’s court.

There’s just one problem. Well, just one to start with anyhow. The battered, dying man someone dumped from a height onto Dylan’s car outside the Just-as-High, Somerset’s bar. He gave Dylan an old, well-worn watch and begged him to keep it safe.

Now Christmas is relevant to Dylan’s life in the worst way. The Winter Court has loosed their Wolves on the world and Dylan is on the run with Somerset North. A man who seems to know a lot more about what is going on than a Montana bar owner with exceptional shoulders should.

It turns out that Santa is missing, presumed dead. And the key to the hotly disputed succession crisis is a foster kid who never celebrated the season.

Excerpt

TWENTY YEARS SINCE Somerset had tried to tap the power of his old position. Now he had done it twice in one night. He would never admit it, but as the wind blew up into his armpits, he wasn’t sure the magic he’d set aside would answer.

Apparently though, there were no hard feelings.

Cold filled his chest and soaked out into his body. It spilled out of his mouth on white fog and turned his marrow into frost. The only heat in him came from the prickle of pain as a dozen tiny fractures crazed along the bones of his arms and legs. The threads of the North Wind surged up around him and thickened under his feet. His boots skidded on the slick, snow-vapor surface at first. It was solid, but not still. The wind blew and eddied under his weight. It made for unsteady footing.

The weight of Dylan as he swung awkwardly from Somerset’s grip didn’t help. Somerset briefly indulged the thought of letting him drop. He was not a sentimental man at the best of times, that wasn’t what his kind had been made to be, and the chill of Winter magic in his bones reduced the idea of logic and odds.

Mostly.

Dylan didn’t scream or thrash. He gripped Somerset’s wrist with white-knuckled fingers and kept his eyes closed so he didn’t give in and look down. Somerset had always liked that quality about the wiry paramedic. No matter what happened around him, Dylan was always the calm at the heart of the storm. It made him… pleasant… to be around.

Something in Somerset’s chest, buried down deep under permafrosted meat and organs, felt warm. The rest of him was too Winter-numb to put his finger on what the feeling was. Guilt maybe. Or something stupider.

Either way, as he remembered the knack to riding the storm, he dragged Dylan into his arms. The other man resisted at first—Somerset didn’t take it personally—but the only other option was to fall. It wasn’t a hard choice to make. Dylan pressed against Somerset’s chest, arms wrapped around him so tightly that Somerset could feel knuckly fists dug into the small of his back.

Somerset enjoyed the feeling of the warm, lean body pressed against him for a moment, then he had to focus on what he was doing.

“You can fly?” Dylan asked, his voice ragged and his breath warm against Somerset as it seeped through the cotton T-shirt. When Dylan laughed, it was a thin, nervous sound. “Explains what happened to my car.”

Somerset hesitated as he narrowed his eyes. He could see the snow caught in his lashes. Dylan was right; that probably had been what happened.

As many questions as that answered, though, it raised more. Wolves couldn’t walk the storm, so who’d brought Gull down? Had he already been injured?

The wind took advantage of Somerset’s distraction and tried to drop from under him. He stumbled, caught himself, and did his best to ignore the way Dylan’s arms tightened around him.

About the Author

TA Moore is a Northern Irish writer of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance novels. A childhood in a rural, seaside town fostered in her a suspicious nature, a love of mystery, and a streak of black humour a mile wide.

Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.

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one of three Amazon $25 Gift Cards

Thursday, 14 December 2023

Twisted Beauty by Maggie Blackbird #giveaway

RECENT RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Twisted Beauty

Author: Maggie Blackbird

Publisher: Extasy Books

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Release Date: November 3, 2023

Genre: M/M Dystopian Romance, LGBTQ+, First Nations Romance, Native American Romance

Tropes: Enemies to lovers

Themes: Trust, Learning to love

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 63 360 words/222 pages

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

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His community or his enemy. He can’t have both.

Blurb

Deep in the badlands, long after the fall of modern civilization, Hunter patrols the area as the war chief for his Lakota community. His latest mission is to hunt down a marauder who robbed his neighbors of their precious goods. He’ll act as this man’s judge, jury, and executioner.

Having lost everything at his former Ojibway encampment, Chassis is far from home. He wanders the badlands, a grim reaper bringing death to those with what he needs to survive. But there is one man courageous enough to challenge him.

When the duo faces off, neither expects the sizzling chemistry to erupt between them, nor for their duel to touch what both have denied themselves. Now they must choose to either remain together and sacrifice their beliefs, or go their separate ways, losing what they’ve spent their lives searching for—love.

Warning: Dubious consent, violence

Excerpt

Until assistance arrived, Hunter needed to keep his wits about him. For instance, why a knife and not a gun? This told him the marauder didn’t possess firing artillery, which wasn’t easy to come by. Acquiring such weaponry meant stealing guns and ammunition or scavenging them when taking down parasites—as Hunter had done many times—or daring to infiltrate the walls of Minneapolis to pinch the precious resources, something his community also did.

Voodoo Canyon had been built on heavy artillery ever since Hunter’s great-grandfather had started the village.

The knife blade now lay horizontal across his throat. His peripheral vision caught the marauder squatting to retrieve the .38 Special. Hunter wasn’t surprised when the tip of his gun was placed against his temple and the knife sheathed.

“Where is he?”

It was best to play dumb. “Who?”

“You know who I’m talking about.” The marauder ground the gun deeper against Hunter’s temple.

“He’s not here. It’s just me.”

“I know you didn’t take a stroll out here by yourself, so how far away is he?”

As if Hunter would admit the truth. “Not far…at all.”

“I see. He walked here, as well? Or did he drop you off maybe a mile or two back? Is that why I never saw headlights or heard the car engine?”

Great. Hunter’s gut instinct was right all along. The marauder was crafty.

Before he could reply, the whistle of rawhide being released invaded the quiet night that contained only their breathing and conversation. Even worse, the rope was tightened around his right wrist. The marauder yanked, ensuring the tough material was taut enough to cut off Hunter’s circulation. Then the bastard forced Hunter’s arm downward and secured his other wrist.

Under another circumstance, Hunter would admire the marauder’s ability to snap the rawhide like a whip wrapping a man’s legs, but not tonight.

His predicament was…precarious.

Nobody had taken him captive before.

Or would he be a prisoner?

Highly doubtful. If bound, it’d be easier for the son of a bitch to put a bullet into his…

Hunter threw out his leg at an extended angle. His boot clipped the marauder.

A grunt echoed through the night’s chilly air.

The marauder dug his fingers into the knot of Hunter’s bandana, fighting for leverage, but gravity took them down together.

They hit the ground.

The gun…

Hunter attempted to roll. Before he could turn a full 380, strong thighs sank onto his chest. The marauder unsheathed his knife.

The look Hunter faced…tilted eyes crazily wide, slim lips tight, and head cocked so the braid fell over the marauder’s chiseled shoulder. No doubt it was taking every ounce of self-control for the motherfucker not to kill him.

With eyes colder than the temperature and his mouth curling at the corner, the marauder pressed the point of the blade into the smooth dip beneath Hunter’s Adam’s apple.

About the Author

An Ojibway from Northwestern Ontario, Maggie resides in the country with her husband and their fur babies, two beautiful Alaskan Malamutes. When she’s not writing, she can be found pulling weeds in the flower beds, mowing the huge lawn, walking the Mals deep in the bush, teeing up a ball at the golf course, fishing in the boat for walleye, or sitting on the deck at her sister’s house, making more wonderful memories with the people she loves most.

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a $5.00 Extasy Books Gift Certificate

Wednesday, 13 December 2023

Signs and Wonders: A Supernatural MM Romance Adventure by Morgan Brice

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Signs and Wonders: A Supernatural MM Romance Adventure

Author: Morgan Brice

Publisher: Darkwind Press

Cover Artist: Lou Harper

Release Date: November 15, 2023

Genres: Paranormal MM romance, romantic suspense

Tropes: Hurt/comfort, getting comfortable with commitment

Themes: Learning to trust, evolving established relationship

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 57 000 words/ 211 pages

It is part of a series (Witchbane, book 7) but can be read as a standalone. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

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Can Seth and Evan save the warlock’s next target, bring down his crime syndicate, and live to tell the tale?

Blurb

When a coven of dark warlocks killed Seth Tanner’s brother, Seth became a man driven by vengeance, sworn to stop the cycle of ritual killings, willing to die for the cause. He never expected to fall head over heels in love with the witches’ next intended victim. Evan Malone didn't believe the supernatural was real until Seth swept in with his magic and motorcycle to save him from being the next sacrifice.

Now they’ve gone on the road together, hunting the rest of the coven while they figure out how to keep the white-hot, once-in-a-lifetime bond between them. Days are filled tracking their paranormal quarry, honing their monster hunting skills, and gaining control of the small magics that have made a life-or-death difference. Nights are spent together, entangled in adrenaline-fueled passion, learning how to make this love last forever despite the odds. Seth fears that if they don’t eliminate the rest of the coven, they’ll be on the run forever, and more people will die. Evan is afraid that Seth’s obsession with revenge means they might not survive to get a happily ever after.

Seth and Evan head to West Virginia to confront one of the dark warlocks, a master con man running a cybercrime empire. Can Seth and Evan save the warlock’s next target, bring down his crime syndicate, and live to tell the tale?

Signs and Wonders is a thrill-packed supernatural thrill ride with plenty of paranormal suspense, hurt/comfort, hot nights, found family, deadly magic, immortal witches, determined hunters, haunted places, creepy ghosts, impressive explosions, spooky chills, and sexy thrills, and features an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels.

Excerpt

“I know you’re busy saving the world, but if you can spare a few days to heal, it would keep you from re-injuring the joints,” he warned. “I can give you something for discomfort and inflammation. Ice will help. The best medicine is not doing any new damage until the old damage heals.”
“We were planning to take a couple of days here before we head south,” Seth said. “The witch disciple will be at the top of his game, so we need to be ready for him.”
They thanked Matt and followed Travis to a no-frills conference room down the hall. St. Dismas had once been a hotel, and its origin showed in the layout. While the building wasn’t fancy, fresh paint and good maintenance hid the flaws. Brightly colored accents and punchy but inexpensive art made the corridors warm and homey. Seth felt certain that Travis had a lot to do with St. Dismas’s welcoming atmosphere.
Brent Lawson greeted them with handshakes instead of the usual backslaps, and Seth figured Travis warned him about their injuries.
Brent was around the same age as Travis, with short blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. Despite having left the FBI years ago to become a monster-hunting private investigator, something about his manner still suggested “federal agent.”
“Sometime you two need to come to Pittsburgh just to have fun,” Brent said. “In nice weather, when you’re not chasing ghoulies and ghosties. See a baseball game, eat pierogies, try some local beer. We’ve got it going on here.”
Travis just shook his head and closed his eyes, resigned. “Ignore my partner’s ill-advised attempt to be cool. But we have plenty to do and lots of good food.”
“Seriously? The priest is giving cool lessons?” Brent bantered.
“Ex-priest. And yes. Because you need all the help you can get after so many years in those boxy suits with the high-and-tight hair.” Travis’s voice lacked heat. Seth always figured that for the two work partners, bickering was half the fun.
Seth and Evan helped themselves to coffee while Travis passed around the donuts. They chatted while they ate before getting down to business.
“Parker’s chasing down a lead between Fletcher Swain’s wellness empire and some shady online fundraising companies.” Evan shared what his brother had discovered. “I’m thinking that his retreat in the no Wi-Fi zone is pretty suspicious, and likely to be where he does the rituals.”
Travis took notes as they talked. “Yeah, I think that makes sense. I’ll see if any of our contacts know more.”
“I’m working with some folks to untangle the whole paranormal pharmaceutical cartel,” Brent said, refreshing his coffee. “The warlock in Cleveland was deep into it. I don’t think it’s Fletcher’s main focus, although he’s probably involved.”

About the Author

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic and urban fantasy, with less romance, more explosions.

All of the modern-day Morgan Brice and Gail Z. Martin series crossover, so characters from one series appear in cameos and on page in important secondary roles in books from other series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but the more you read the more the expanded universe of friendships and connections becomes clear.

Morgan and Gail believe that paranormal elements make any story even better, and her worlds are full of ghosts, psychics, shifters, creatures, vampires, monster hunters, and magic.

She's also a huge fan of the TV show Supernatural. (Chibi art by Kamidiox)

Author Links

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Read a copy of my Badlands short story Restless Nights here for free

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an ebook copy of Witchbane

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

Bad at Being Good by A.L. Morrow #giveaway

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Bad at Being Good

Author: A.L. Morrow

Publisher: SourGirl Books

Cover Artist: Morningstar Ashley Designs

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M romance, new adult

Tropes: brother’s best friend, friends to lovers, first love, bad boy

Themes: coping with grief, forgiveness, hurt/comfort, found family

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 73 000 words

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

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Universal Buy Link

No one is good all of the time. Especially me.

Blurb

Six years ago, I promised my friend Kellan that I’d never mess around with his little brother. I accepted it. I didn’t regret it, and I didn’t think twice about it. Milo Sterling—the good student, perfect son, and promising dancer—was off limits.

But that was before.

Before we went away to college. Before Kellan died. Before I flunked out of school.

Now, I’m back home, and Milo’s different. He’s quieter and colder, no longer a boy but a man. And that hurt in his eyes? I put it there the night I failed to save Kellan. I have a lot to make up for. Falling for Milo, no matter how much I want him, would be one more thing to add to my list.

But promises are meant to be broken, and if there’s one thing I’m bad at, it’s being good.

Bad at Being Good is a best friend’s brother/brother’s best friend (dual POV) M/M romance featuring hurt/comfort, found family, coping with grief, and—of course—a happily ever after. Readers are advised to check the Author’s Note for content sensitivities.

Excerpt

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

I ignore the next person who tries to talk to me, exactly like I did the last. Dad’s eyes bore into me. When there’s a break in the people approaching, he steps closer and leans over my shoulder.

“Milo, stand up,” he scolds. “These people are here to support us. Snubbing them is rude.”

Mom comes between us immediately. She places her hand on Dad’s arm, but her gaze is warm when it turns toward me. “David, leave him alone. He’s going through enough right now. He shouldn’t have to worry about other people, too.”

At least Mom gets it.

Dad frowns but stands straight again. Sighing, he looks out across the church.

Then, he scowls.

“I can’t believe that piece of shit showed up.”

I glance over my shoulder in the direction of his stare, and I see him.

“Benji?” I whisper.

Our eyes lock, and I can barely breathe.

He came. I texted him the other night to make sure he knew about the arrangements, but he never replied. Still, he’s here, standing way in the back where people light votive candles. His hands are shoved in his pockets. He’s dressed in black. And although he’ll always be my idea of gorgeous, right now he looks like hell. Gauze is stuffed up his nostrils, and a bandage covers his nose. His bottom lip is split, and he’s got stitches by his hairline and bruises on his cheeks. My dad really did a number on him.

“How did he even find out about the service?” Dad grumbles.

Because I told him. I knew you wouldn’t, so I did.

“David, let it go. He was Kellan’s best friend. He has every right to be here.” Mom hooks her arm through Dad’s and takes his hand, holding him back before we have a repeat performance of their fight in the ER.

But she doesn’t stop me.

I’m on my feet, making my way to the back of the church before the next note on the organ plays. Unfortunately, Benji moves just as quickly. He beelines toward the door, knowing he’s been spotted.

“Benji, wait!” I call.

Dad’s voice echoes behind me. “Milo, get back here. They’re about to start. Milo!”

Fuck that. Kellan would want Benji to feel welcome. He’d want him to know he doesn’t blame him for what happened. He’d want him to be all right.

And you know what? I want that, too.

I move faster, jogging down the aisle, taking off after him, but he has too much of a head start. The door to the church swings open. He almost knocks over one of Kellan’s former coaches, but he doesn’t excuse himself or stop.

“Benji!”

I know he can hear me. I know he saw me. If only he would hold still for a second and give me a chance to explain, to apologize for my dad …

I follow him through the front door and make it down the front steps of the church in time to watch his Range Rover pull out of the parking lot.

“Benji …”

No, he can’t go. He can’t leave me here. I have too much to say.

He needs to know it’s not his fault.

He needs to know I love him—that I’m in love with him.

But he’s gone.

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author A.L. Morrow enjoys dreaming up steamy scenes and spectacular settings—often along with a touch of magic or myth. She believes that love is love and likes reading and writing various genres of romance.

In her downtime (what’s that?), A finds delight in scouring for secondhand designer fashions. She briefly lived in a haunted mansion, once took a flight to visit Scotland for a day, and is prone to meeting minor celebrities in random hotel elevators. She resides in the eastern US.

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a $10 Amazon digital gift card

valid in US, UK, Canada, or Australia stores (winner to pick store)

Monday, 11 December 2023

Elex: Sons of Hecate, Volume I by Mellanie Rourke

COVER REVEAL

Book Title: Elex: Sons of Hecate Volume I

Author and Publisher: Mellanie Rourke

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Release Date: December 26, 2023

Genres: Dark Romance, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort

Themes: Overcoming adversity, rags to riches

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 92 000 words/320 pages

It is a standalone story and first in a series. The other books will be coming out in 2024.

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

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Alone, they are victims. Together, they may topple an empire.

Blurb

Elex is a slave even though his father is King of Alexandria. Disinherited once his elemental magic developed, he was banished to the Alexandrian Legion to "learn his place" at the non-existent mercies of his new masters. Humiliated and abused, he learns the hard way that he can't always protect the ones he loves.

Now the time of the Machi Thanatos approaches, a deadly competition where Legionnaires must battle their foes and each other for the dubious honor of a lifetime of slavery at the hands of Elusians, Alexandrians with the ability to control Elex and his fellow Mageians by Suppressing their ability to use magic.

Elex will fight to the death to protect himself and those he loves, but during the Machi he meets Helios, a shapeshifting Soma from the rebel country of Illyria. Helios will fight for what he loves, too, and this savagely fierce little Mageian is quickly adding his name to that list.

Separately they are two victims of the whims of Alexandrian Elusians. Together, they may discover a secret that could topple an empire.

Excerpt

The moonlight slowly slid across his face, casting his scarred side in shadow. Finally, he spoke.

“What did you want me to ask you that I didn’t?” he asked.

I closed my eyes. Fuck. He’d know if I was lying. In for a penny.

“I wanted you to ask me if you could kiss me,” I whispered finally. He didn’t move at my words, and I suddenly felt like the biggest idiot. How could this beautiful, courageous, kitten-saving man ever want someone like me? Especially after just sharing everything my own blood had done to me.

Feeling suddenly filthy, I was on my feet and pulling away from him without thinking. “Yeah, dumb thing to think, I know. Probably been drinking too much of that vodka.”

“That sentence was a lie,” he whispered. Then without warning he was in front of me. He slowly reached out and cupped the back of my head and drew me close. He was standing so near to me that I could feel his breath on my cheek. “But that first one…”

He swept his thumb over my lips.

“Truth,” he whispered, a small, sad smile forming. He moved even closer, his breath hot on my skin.

“Kataramenos,” he said, drawing my name out. My heart pounded in my chest at his nearness, and my body flushed both hot and cold at the same time.

“Kat. May I kiss you?” he asked, finally.

I swallowed hard, my nerves on fire. I couldn’t believe someone like him might want someone like me. I couldn’t look away from his eyes, which were brighter than the moonlight. I could see my reflection in his gaze. It was almost unrecognizable. It was a person who was strong. Confident. Whole. Someone who deserved something good in his world. Someone I wanted desperately to be.

I nodded, unable to form the words.

He moved forward slowly, just brushing his lips across my own. The zap of our magics built to a vibrating hum as he licked gently across my lips with his tongue. I opened my mouth slowly, savouring the taste of the vodka as he slid into my mouth, the gentle heat of his body pressing against mine.

He held me like I was something…precious. Not fragile, exactly, but something valued. I had fooled around with other Mageia in the past and been used by Elusians against my will. This was completely different from any of that. None of those encounters, even the willing ones, had ever made me feel cherished. Safe. Made me feel like he did.

About the Author

Mellanie Rourke lives in Akron, Ohio with her spouse and their furry menagerie of 3 young adult roommates (because ‘they aren’t kids anymore’), two dogs, three cats, and five ferrets.

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a $25 Amazon gift card, one of two $15 Amazon gift cards,

or one of five ebook copies of Mason’s Run or Nicki’s Fight.

Saturday, 9 December 2023

Lonely Diner by Dann Hazel #kindleunlimited

NEW RELEASE

Author: Dann Hazel

Publisher: The Original Press

Cover Artist: Josh Fippen; Photograph by Cura Photography

Release Date: December 4, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Military Romance, Coming Out, Overcoming Adversity, Second Chances

Themes: Dealing with Trauma, Gay in a New City, Forgiveness

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 109 000 words

It is part of a series, but each novel can be read as a standalone.

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Two conflicted military men. A longing for happiness. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for a recipe for love. (The food is good there, too.)

Blurb

Two conflicted military men. A longing for happiness. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for a recipe for love. (The food is good there, too.)

One man plays it straight. Another grieves over a lost best friend with benefits.

Everyone thought they were meant for each other. Lance, an Air Force computer engineer, and Ryan, a former submariner in the Navy and now a military college professor, are gay men blinded by the painful wounds of their past decisions. Both men are ready for love. But because of their pasts, they’ve slammed the brakes on their desires.

Now thirty years old, a younger Ryan Ball decides he can be happy only by conforming to social expectations. So what does he do? He decides he must have a wife and kids. Though he acknowledges that he can never be straight, he is convinced that with effort, determination, alcohol and erectile dysfunction meds, he can play the necessary roles.

Vikki, Ryan’s girlfriend in high school and now his wife, begs to differ.

At thirty-one, Lance Dingle falls for his best friend and roommate, Randy, a stunt pilot who agrees to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. From Lance’s perspective, there’s a spark in their arrangement that Randy denies. Then, tragedy strikes. Lance finds himself alone and lonely, living with memories of Randy and an ever-expanding list of “what-might-have-beens.” Finally forcing himself into the dating scene, Lance discovers that Mr. Right is more elusive than he ever imagined.

Then, Callie Yenti, transwoman, drag performer extraordinaire and entrepreneur, enters the picture. She owns the popular Lonely Diner and possesses an uncanny insight into the workings of the heart.

Even the complicated hearts of her two hard-headed friends, Lance and Ryan.

An HEA gay romance.

Trigger Warning: This novel includes scenes from a sexual assault and a PTSD episode.

Excerpt

It was at this point—this question—that Ryan slammed both hands flat against the table. He heard Diamond’s short scream and grimaced. He lowered his voice. “Okay. Fine. The two of you want the truth? The whole truth? You’ll have it, then.”

He could imagine what Vikki would say. She would never have advised handling his parents the way he intended now.

Ryan inhaled deeply. “For years now, I have denied a big part of who I am. In my denial, I asked Vikki to make a sacrifice—a sacrifice of which she was unaware for years—while I sorted my shit out. A fool’s way of avoiding the truth. It took a stint in the Navy but finally, I did. I sorted everything out and realized I am gay. There. I said it. And I said it without fear or shame.”

“Oh, dear God!” Mr. Ball’s voice boomed, echoing against the walls of the dining room. “What kind of farce do you have in store for us next? That you’ve fallen in love with a sailor, and with him, you intend to live happily ever after?” A pause. Then: “Gay!” He spat out the word. “Another fad. Another trend. It’s not real. I’ve known men who thought they were homosexuals, then after years of lying to themselves passed, I discovered they were happily married with children.”

“How many people have you told?” Mrs. Ball demanded. “To what degree have you brought shame to this family?” And then, after a thought: “And what about Vikki? Can you say with certainty that you’re really Diamond’s father? After all, you’ve been at sea for months at a time.”

“Wait just a minute!” Ryan’s voice exploded. “First, I must say that your assertion is offensive—both to me and, I’m sure, to Vikki. Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t perform sexually with a woman.” He turned to his father. “Which probably is part of the reason why your gay acquaintances were able to pull the wool over your eyes so successfully. Being gay is more than just sex, you know.”

Mr. Ball glared at his son. “I am so fearful of what will happen to this country when your generation takes the reins.”

“Just—stop it! Just shut the fuck up! Both of you. I’m tired of it. Tired of the bullshit.”

The expression on both parents’ faces confirmed the fact that their son had never spoken to them using this tone, these words.

Ryan lowered his voice to a subtle whisper. “What Vikki and I are dealing with? Well, it’s our concern. No one else’s.”

Then, a voice. Vikki’s voice. Coming from the doorway. Diamond, still absorbed in her coloring activity in the family room.

“Please understand. Both of you. I was able to handle your son’s honesty. Was I deeply hurt when I discovered the truth? Yes. Of course. And I’m sure you bear some hurt of your own. But you should not weaponize that hurt into anger against your son. It’s important that you try to do what Ryan and I did. It took some effort, but it was worth it. With open communication and a willingness to be accessible to one another, we began to work things out. I know there are still challenges ahead of us, especially with our little girl. That’s uncharted territory, to be sure. But Diamond is loved. By both of us. We will still be a family, even when Ryan is in Florida and I’m here, in Virginia. We want both of you to be a part of our family. But that’s not going to happen if the two of you can‘t see your way forward to cultivate a little understanding.”

To avoid escalating the situation even more, what Vikki and Ryan did not say was that Mr. and Mrs. Ball would never see their grandchild again if they could not surmount their anger, doubt and resentment.

About the Author

Dann Hazel has been writing both fiction and nonfiction for more than twenty years.

Besides writing romance, he has taught high school English and journalism, college psychology and human sexuality, directed federal grants and worked as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital. His fiction genre interests include thrillers, horror, literary and gay romance. He has published the Some Like It Haute Gay Romance Series, including Room for Dessert, My Own Private Biscuit and Lonely Diner.

Nonfiction works include Witness: Gay and Lesbian Clergy Report from the Front and Moving On: The Gay Man’s Guide for Coping When a Relationship Ends.

Dann’s personal interests include reading and writing, cinema, jogging, Broadway, keeping abreast of current events and travel.

Currently, Dann lives in Central Florida with his husband, Josh, and their American Eskimo canine, Flurry.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Facebook (Some Like It Haute) | Instagram

Friday, 8 December 2023

In Love and Death by Aldrea Alien

COVER REVEAL

Book Title: In Love and Death (Spellster and the Hound)

Author: Aldrea Alien

Cover Artist: Maria Arteta

Release Date: 7th Nov 2024

Genres: MM Bi-awakening Fantasy Romance

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Forced proximity, Forbidden love, Mage/Mage Hunter, Falling for the first time/Learning to love again, Fish out of water, Sex magic

Themes: Grief, Self-acceptance, Healthy vs toxic relationship.

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 270 000 words

It is part of the Spellster and the Hound series and ends on a cliffhanger.