27/02/2024

New Release - Bleed In The Night by S. J. Coles

SERIES TOUR

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Bleed In The Night (Blood and Bonds #2)

Author: S. J. Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: February 27, 2024

Genre:  Paranormal/Vampire/Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/BDSM

Themes: Overcoming demons/identity

Length: 55 711 words/223 pages

Heat Rating:  4 flames

It is Book 2 in the ‘Blood and Bonds’ series.

This book ends on a series cliffhanger, but with a HFN for the couple in the story.

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It’s not just fear keeping Tyler up at night…and that’s what frightens him.

Blurb

Tyler Lomax met Lucien, supposedly the oldest haemophile in existence, on a dark night in the depths of winter. Tyler was protesting against Baron Emory Von Magnusson taking possession of a human child. He thought he’d been doing the right thing—fighting against evil, against fear.

Lucien had almost killed him for it. Now it’s months later, and Tyler hasn’t slept since. Tyler wants Lucien found. When the authorities fail him, he feels forced to take matters into his own hands.

Tyler’s contact ‘Damon’ doesn’t call himself a ‘vampire hunter’, but that is exactly what Tyler intends to pay him to be. What Tyler doesn’t bank on is having Lucien at his mercy, forcing him to confront what’s really consuming him.

Tyler will not only have to face what he is feeling but finally open his mind to a perspective other than his own. He just has to pray that opening up to Lucien won’t bleed him dry before he realizes the truth.

Excerpt 

Summer was at its height. York hadn’t felt a breath of wind or a drop of rain in weeks. Even at night, the air was still and heavy, like it was choked by a storm waiting to break.

But the weather wasn’t the reason Tyler couldn’t sleep.

It had been the same every night for weeks. As soon as he switched the light off, he was back on Askham Moor. Hands stronger than iron crushed his body. Adrenaline coursed through his veins like venom. The smell of his own urine was sharp in his nostrils.

He could hear his own voice bleeding out of him, freezing and dying in the cold night air: “Let me fucking go,” he cried. “Let me go now, or I swear I’ll…”

The grip on him tightened. Fingernails sharp as glass shards pricked his flesh.

“Be still.” The voice was as smooth as an oil spill. It poured into his ear and down his nerves, stretching them to the point of snapping. The hot, fragrant breath against his skin made his traitorous body shake.

“This is assault. I’ll have you arrested, I swear.”

“This is what happens when weak men pretend they are strong.” The creature tightened his grip in Tyler’s hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. “Do you still think you are strong?”

Tyler fought air into his lungs, staring at the stars that had started to wheel overhead. “Who…who are you?”

“I am Lucien,” murmured the voice. “Whether you live another fifty seconds or another fifty years, you will never forget that name.”

Tyler threw his pillow across the room. It knocked a hi-fi speaker flying. It crashed to the floor with the sickening sound of splintering wood. He sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, breathing hard, until the red mist swirling before his eyes faded.

He checked his phone. Three-o-one a.m. He threw it at the wall, shoved back the sheets and paced the flat until, finally, the sun began to rise, and he dared open the curtains.

By the time he was nearing Fulford Road Police Station an hour later, he was finishing his fourth coffee, and his body felt like it was strung through with hot wire. There was a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth. His heart skittered in his chest.

He swore and swerved to avoid an ambulance bombing the other way down the narrow street…then another. He pulled over and climbed out of the car, shaking as the sirens faded away. Silence descended. He took a steadying breath and made for the police station on foot.

It wasn’t yet six a.m., but when he arrived, the entrance was swarming with activity. Another ambulance was pulled up onto the curb. Paramedics were hoisting up a stretcher on which sprawled an unconscious form. There was blood everywhere—on the man’s face, clothes, matting his hair. The ambulance screamed off after the others.

Tyler stood staring for a moment before shaking himself and striding into the police station.

“DI Walker,” he barked at the harried-looking desk officer. She held up a finger and continued her conversation on the phone. “Oi, lady. I said I want to see Walker. Now.”

“One sec,” she said into the phone then gave Tyler a hard look. “Please, sir. Take a seat.”

“I won’t take a bloody seat. Get Walker out here. Now.”

The woman’s face tightened. “DI Walker is engaged. If you want to leave your number, I will be sure he contacts you. Yes, I’m still here,” she spoke again into the phone. “We need extra techs to go over the CCTV as soon as possible. Yes. Scene photographers, too—”

Tyler reached over and cut the woman’s call. “I said I want Walker…now.”

She held his glare without blinking. “And I said he’s busy, sir.”

“Mr. Lomax.” Tyler turned. A tall man stood in the doorway. His brown hair was disheveled, like he’d been running his hands through it, but the hard amber of his eyes was as unyielding as stone. “You’re up early.”

“Finally,” Tyler said, folding his arms. “I came for an update on my case.”

The detective studied him for a moment. “This way, Mr. Lomax,” he said, stepping back and holding open the door.

Tyler strode through, muttering under his breath. Walker took them to an interview room and shutting them in.

“You’re avoiding me,” Tyler said.

“Why would I avoid such pleasant company as yours?” Walker replied, standing with his hands in his pockets. There were shadows under his eyes and spots of blood on his collar.

“I’m serious,” Tyler said, lifting his gaze from the stain. “You don’t think I’m serious? Because I can show you just how serious I am, if that’s what you want.”

BOOK 1

Book Title: Touch in the Night

Author: S. J. Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: November 7, 2023

Genre:  Paranormal M/M Romance

Tropes: Vampire, BDSM, Single Dad, Billionaire 

Themes: Self-worth, self-acceptance, overcoming prejudice 

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length:  85 673 words/344 pages

It is Book 1 in the ‘Blood and Bonds’ Series. Books 2 & 3 due for release in 2024

This book does not end on a cliffhanger

Goodreads


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Jesse Truelove never felt a part of his own family. But can a vampire really give him a new one?

Blurb

With a criminal record, no steady job and a penchant for kink, Jesse Truelove has spent most of his life feeling like an outsider. He tells himself it doesn’t bother him, that he never needed human connections anyway.

Now the Undying Baron, Emory Von Magnusson, a vampire—or, to use the modern term, ‘haemophile’—has reclaimed his ancestral home north of Jesse’s hometown, and the human population isn’t sure how to react. Jesse knows a thing or two about what it’s like to be misjudged, so he keeps an open mind. But when a bungled break-in at Emory’s home brings them face-to-face, Jesse finds it’s much more than his mind that’s stimulated.

However, building a relationship with an undead blood-drinker was never going to be straightforward, especially when that undead blood-drinker reveals he wants a family.

About the Author

S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK. She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.

She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.

Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.

Author Links

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Instagram  |   Pride Publishing

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26/02/2024

Peacemaker (Sharps & Springfield #1) by Morgan Brice

AUDIOBOOK TOUR

Book Title: Peacemaker (Sharps & Springfield #1)

Author: Morgan Brice

Narrator: John Solo

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Genre: Steampunk MM romance

Tropes:  Secret agents, co-workers to lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, mistaken identity

Themes: Learning to love again, taking a chance on love

Heat Rating:  4 flames     

Length: 7 hours and 22 mins

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

Goodreads

Buy Links

Audible US  |   Audible UK  |  Audiobooks.com

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Nook  |  Kobo 

Blurb 

Supernatural Secret Service agents Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield meet on the train to their new assignment in St. Louis, and sparks fly between them. But it's 1897, and they need to be very careful—falling in love can be dangerous for men like them.

It's their first case together, investigating mysterious disappearances—including the two agents who preceded them. Grim evidence leads them to look for a darker purpose. Old ghosts haunt the railroad line, zombie rise, signs point to ritual sacrifice, and they suspect someone is trying to open the gates of hell.

Can Calvin and Owen stop the mayhem, thwart the vampires, and find true love, or will everything go up in smoke?

Peacemaker is a high-stakes steampunk MM romance thrill ride filled with found family, paranormal Pinkertons, intrepid reporters, mysterious disappearances, nefarious land brokers, hellhounds, zombies, vengeful spirits, dark spells, absinthe magic, a ruthless vampire railroad baron and a love that won't be denied.

Before Colt and Winchester, there was Sharps & Springfield!

About the Author

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

Author Links

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22/02/2024

The Long Journey to You by Vincent Traughber Meis #giveaway

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: The Long Journey to You

Author: Vincent Traughber Meis

Publisher: Spectrum Books

Cover Artist: Vincent Meis and Andrew May

Release Date: February 17, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance, Literary Fiction

Tropes: Age-gap relationship, friends to lovers

Themes: Survival, overcoming tragedy

Heat Rating: 3 flames       

Length:  97 000 words/350 pages

It can be read as a standalone, but the protagonist also appears in my novel, The Mayor of Oak Street (ages 12-21). The main story of this book takes place 40 years later and we find out what happened to him in flashbacks. 

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Nathan’s traumatic past challenges but cannot stop the arc that brings him to Mateo.

Blurb

Nathan doesn’t know how to stop dwelling on the failures and tragedies that have plagued him since he was a twenty-one-year-old happily in the arms of the handsome young doctor he had pined for since he was twelve. Many years later after the latest tragedy, who could mend Nathan’s heart? If not a handsome young doctor, would an ER nurse do? After a chance meeting with Mateo, a lot of Nathan’s reminiscing is now devoted to how that encounter made him feel. Will he seize the day or continue wallowing in the past, having lunch with his best girlfriend from high school, and writing poetry?

Excerpt 

“Are you okay?” he asked in a slight Spanish accent. His questioning eyes moved directly to the stain on my T-shirt where the juicy tomato from my lunch had squirted. Looking like blood?

I became acutely aware of my attire: baggy sweats that may have had other stains, a baseball cap with a tattered rim, and faded crocs. He wore neat magenta scrubs that matched the color of his full shiny lips. His nametag said Mateo.

The scenario must have been embarrassingly clear to him. I had wandered off from one of the many senior facilities that dotted the landscape of the neighborhood. If I exaggerated the confusion that I, in fact, frequently felt, he might take my arm, walk me back to the facility, put me in a bath, gently wash my back, and tuck me into bed. The more I looked into his onyx eyes, the more I wanted him to do just that.

“I mean, you looked a little lost…and sad.”

“Don’t worry, Mateo.” His eyebrows separated and bounced at the sound of his name. Then he smiled and touched his nametag, realizing how I knew it. “I’m lost in a memory is all.” I chuckled. “I suppose I do fit a profile.”

“You’re okay, then?”

“Yep.”

“My bad. I didn’t mean to profile you. I have experience with that, and it’s no fun.”

I imagined that he was doubly profiled, first for the color of his skin and then a second time when people caught a hint of his accent. 

“No harm done. I appreciate your concern.”

“It’s kind of my job. Sometimes it is difficult to switch out of that mode when I leave work.” He lowered his eyes, making me realize I must have been staring intently. How could I have not? He was an amalgam of all the men I had been attracted to my entire life: Mediterranean, Black, Latino, shorter than me, rectangular solid frame, soulful eyes, thick hair. But with an added twist. A dusting of freckles graced his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. 

In a thoughtful gesture, he stared at the sidewalk and raised his hand to his chin, rubbing his index finger over his left cheek, revealing another physical trait that rang my buzzer: little tufts of black hair between his major and minor knuckles, a tiny forest to let my tongue wander through. 

Thank God, he couldn’t read my thoughts. Or could he?

“I should let you get on your way,” he mumbled, still not looking at me. He stared at the smashed apricots on the ground with, I imagined, quite a different take than mine.

I wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. 

“Do you work in one of these facilities I might have escaped from?”

“Now, look, I didn’t mean…” He took a step back in what appeared to be a desire to flee.

“I’m teasing. I haven’t seen you around the neighborhood.”

He tapped his nametag and twisted his neck to look at it. “Kaiser. It says right here. Kaiser Permanente.”

“I have trouble reading fine print.” I let out a small laugh, but he didn’t join me. 

He took another step back. “Just moved here less than a year ago.”

I guessed he was mid-thirties, and with his Spanish accent and African features, maybe Puerto Rican? Cuban? I imagined he lived with a wife and multiple niños. They spent Saturdays having barbecues in the park and Sundays from dawn to dusk at church events. He looked far too sweet to be anything but a family man. Now I was profiling.

“From?” I asked.

He let out a protracted sigh, as if the conversation had gotten way more involved than he had intended. His forehead crinkled again, hesitating to give me an answer. 

“The city. Getting too crazy over there.” 

Then he raised his head and his eyes met mine with the twinkle of a forest elf. Perhaps he wasn’t annoyed with me after all. Perhaps I had been wrong about sizing him up, though my conclusion that he was a family man was much easier to handle. Yet, he wore no ring.

About the Author

Vincent Traughber Meis is a fiction writer, a world traveler, and a former ESL community college teacher. When he’s not traveling, he divides his time between writing and working in the garden. Most of the characters in his novels and short stories come from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and are racially and ethnically diverse. He has published eight novels: Eddie’s Desert RoseTio JorgeDown in CubaDelugeFour Calling Burds and The Mayor of Oak Street, First Born Sons, and Colton’s Terrible Wonderful YearTio Jorge, Down in Cuba, and Deluge have all won Rainbow Awards. The Mayor of Oak Street and First Born Sons have won Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards. His short stories have appeared in several collections both in print and online, and have reached finalist status in several short story contests. A collection of short stories, Far from Home, was published in October 2021. He lives with his husband in San Leandro, California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Giveaway 

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one of four 4 ebook copies of The Mayor of Oak Street.

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21/02/2024

The Locket’s Tale by RJ Peterson #kindleunlimited

NEW RELEASE 

Book Title: The Locket’s Tale

Author and Publisher: RJ Peterson

Cover Artist: Ron Perry Graphic Design

Release Date: February 21, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Older guys, small town

Themes: Just a hint of magic

Heat Rating: 3.5 flames (there are only a couple of sex scenes, but they are quite detailed)

Length: 22 600 words

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

Goodreads

Buy Links Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |   Amazon UK

Sometimes love is just lying there, waiting to be found.

Blurb

When Miles Wickford happens upon a locket one day during his morning walk, little did he realize how his life would change.

Elias Grafton is frantic when his beloved locket is taken from his antique shop. He fears it may be lost forever.

Miles is intrigued by the power the locket possesses but can’t in good conscience keep what doesn’t belong to him. Although it can’t hurt to try it once or twice, can it?

A locket brings these two men together. And fate, or the locket’s magic, leads to so much more.

Sometimes love is just lying there, waiting to be found.

A Locket’s Tale is a small town MM romance featuring older guys, a lost locket, and just a hint of magic.

Excerpt

It was an ordinary day, much like every other in my life. I awoke at seven without an alarm, my body tuned to the rhythms of my life. After a quick shower, followed by coffee and a bagel, I set off on my morning ritual five-mile walk through my neighborhood and around Milford Pond before returning home. 

I was a freelance editor, and this was how I started each day. It helped clear my mind. A brain reset, if you will, before delving into the next manuscript.

I sometimes varied my route slightly, just for a bit of variety in my otherwise oh-so-similar days, and this Friday was such a day. On my return home, I turned right on Folsom Street, which would take me by a small park, complete with a playground for the neighborhood children. 

The park was empty at this hour, children already in school this sunny but cool October morning. As I ambled down the sidewalk, I heard a dog barking in the distance as something caught my eye on the pavement ahead of me. A ray of sunlight reflected on its surface. A coin perhaps.

But as I approached, its form became more distinct. Is that something on a chain? I stopped mere inches away and bent to retrieve it. A silver locket in the shape of a book. And yes, a matching chain. Curious. I looked around but saw no one who might have dropped it.

I examined the locket, noting the fine filigree work on the front surrounding an oval gem—lapis lazuli was my first thought—where one might expect to find a photo. Instead, the oval contained a cabochon of what appeared to be lapis lazuli. I opened it, hoping to find something that might help to identify it or the owner and was surprised to see words delicately engraved upon what looked like pages.

Despite my squinting, I couldn’t quite make out the words, so I closed the locket and placed it in the front pocket of my jeans. I’d employ the help of a magnifying glass to decipher the message once I returned home. And so I set off to complete my journey, wondering what secrets this jewelry might hold.

* * * 

Entering the back door of my Craftsman home, I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on the peg just inside the kitchen entry. I filled my favorite Yeti tumbler with ice and water, then proceeded to my office to begin the day’s work. But first, a closer look at the locket.

Pulling it from my pocket, I placed it on the desk blotter and grabbed a magnifying glass from the top drawer. I examined the front and back, but again, found no distinguishing marks, so I opened it to study the message engraved inside.

Place this locket about your neck,

Then close your eyes and think

Upon a book that you adore

And let the story sink

Into your brain. Now make a wish

And you will find, indeed,

You’re in said story for a day

Or more or less. Take heed!

“Hmmm, that’s interesting,” I said aloud to the empty room. “But it still doesn’t tell me who this trinket may belong to.” I shrugged, glancing at the small digital clock on my desk only to see it was later than I realized. “I’ll give this more thought later.” I opened the project management app on my iMac. “But now I really need to get to work.”

About the Author 

R.J. Peterson is a retired graphic designer. An avid reader—preferably while sipping a vodka martini or bourbon on the rocks—he's had a long and varied career, including library page, car wash attendant, travel agent, and graphic designer in the marijuana industry. In addition, he worked in the banking industry for twenty-five years. He loves to travel and has been on 55+ cruises. When not on a cruise, he and his husband live in New England.

He never planned to be a writer, but a fateful day in January, 2021 changed it all. He woke with a story stuck in his head and started typing. The more he types, the more ideas he gets.

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19/02/2024

Be Not Afraid by AJ Saxsma #giveaway

RECENT RELEASE

Book Title: Be Not Afraid

Author and Publisher: AJ Saxsma

Cover Artist: Andrew Howard

Release Date: January 23, 2024

Genre: LGBTQ Literary

Themes: Coming out, accepting what we cannot change

Length: 120 000 words/431 pages

Heat Rating: 2 flames

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

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 

Blurb

Step into the small & intriguing Midwestern town of Larton where Lloyd Wood struggles daily with reviving his failing restaurant while refusing to relinquish any control, even in his family life. When a business guru arrives and promises to set the restaurant right, Lloyd is tempted by the promise of a miraculous turnaround.

Toby, Lloyd's son, seeks conformity compulsively. Each day, he audits and buries his true self deeper, yearning to fade into obscurity, anonymity. His desperation leads him to a program that vows to obliterate his authentic self, setting Toby on an unintended and riveting path of self-discovery.

Meanwhile, Dawn, Lloyd's wife, finds solace in a new church where love is not just a sentiment but a commodity. Lost in her family's shadow, she embraces a new identity amidst her new church family whose intentions seem questionable at best.

As the Wood family strives to escape their own truths, the chasms they create around themselves deepen and, one by one, threaten to swallow the people they care about most.

'Be Not Afraid' explores identity, family dynamics, the destructive paradox of denial & with a distinct strength in voice questions our capacity to accept what we cannot change...or can we?

Excerpt 

TOBY AND DAWN WAITED in the doctor’s office. She’d picked him up from Jonah’s that morning, and he had been quiet in the car and at the house, and then quiet again to the doctor’s office in town.

The sign above the reception window read Dr. E.M. Gille, MD.

‘How you feeling, hon?’ Dawn said. She had a magazine in her lap, and she was rubbing Toby’s back. ‘How’s your stomach? Want to describe it to me?’

‘No.’

‘If you describe it to me, it’ll be easier to tell the doctor.’

‘It’s fine right now,’ Toby said. He was watching the TV on a stand tucked in the corner. The news was on. Another eyewitness had seen an angel outside town.”

“A nurse came into the waiting room. She was in pink smocks and stood on thick soles. She said, ‘Toby Wood.’

Both Toby and Dawn followed the nurse to an exam room, which she knocked on before allowing entry.

She examined Toby and made him describe the pain.

‘It just hurts sometimes.’

She stunk like cigarettes.

The nurse said the doctor will be right in.

Toby sat on the examination table. The sanitary paper crinkled no matter how he moved or how he settled.

He and Dawn waited for the doctor.

‘Does it hurt now?’ Dawn said.

‘No, Mom.’

They waited, and sometime later, a knock announced the doctor. He was clean shaven with close-cropped hair white as bedsheets. His brows were thick and bushy. His skin was cream and pink and aged. He wore a button-up and tie under his white coat. His teeth and eyes were bright.

‘Heya, Toby,’ he said. He didn’t look at Toby when he said it; he was reading Toby’s chart. He sat and scooted his stool close. ‘You’re having stomach pain.’

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement the doctor read aloud.

Toby quietly confirmed.

The doctor pressed with his fingers into Toby’s stomach and tested areas and asked if that hurt.

Toby said it did not.

‘Pain comes and goes. It’s not that bad.’

‘Out of ten, what would you say?’

‘A two, one and a half. It’s really not that bad.’

‘A two? One and a half?’

‘Tell the doctor when it hurts, hon.’

‘It comes and goes, Mom.’

‘Do you take any pain relievers?’

‘No,’ Toby said.

‘No, he doesn’t,’ Dawn said too.

‘Okay,’ the doctor said. He made notes.

‘He doesn’t always come to me when it hurts. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what it is.’

The doctor’s tone was soft. ‘Well. Sometimes our bodies respond physically to factors within our environment, anxiety, stress, all these can stew in the body and hollow us out,’ the doctor said to Dawn.

She nodded intently.

‘Are you studying too hard? Maybe big tests coming up? Staying up too late with the video games?’

‘I study too hard,’ Toby said. He said it very quickly, almost before the doctor had finished speaking. ‘That must be it, the stress of studying,’ Toby said. 

‘Still.’ The doctor rolled the stool close to Dawn. He continued, ‘A boy his age should not have recurring stomach pain. I’d like to send him for testing.’

‘That’s what I said, I didn’t like the frequency of it. Didn’t I say, Toby?’ Dawn said.

‘Testing?’ Toby said.

‘I’d like to rule some things out.’

‘It’s not that bad, really. It’s only sometimes,’ Toby said.

Dawn said whatever test was fine and she agreed, and she asked if it could, maybe, be this or could be that, or, she said, she didn’t really know, Doctor.

‘Could I have you step out for a minute, Mrs. Wood?’

Dawn stepped out, and the doctor shut the door. The doctor had Toby come off the exam table and sit in a chair, and the doctor rolled over on the rolly stool.

He did not speak right away. He was deep in thought, and then he said, ‘Is there anything you have not told your mom, anything you’re worried about that, maybe, you can’t tell mom or dad? Stress is not good for the body. If you’ve kept something to yourself, I won’t say a word to your mom or your dad if you’d like to share it with me. Do you have something you’d like to tell me that you can’t tell them?’

Toby was quiet a very long time. ‘I’m just studying too hard.’

The doctor nodded and waited for more from Toby.

There was no more.

‘Well. Then. Take study breaks, okay? Allow yourself time to relax. Time to be. But I do want to run some tests. Whatever is triggering the pain, we’ll find it out. Okay? I promise, son, we will unearth with absolute certainty what is causing this physical reaction. Even if it takes a while, we’ll uncover the root of it. I can promise that. Okay?’

The doctor went from the room and scheduled Toby’s lab tests with his mother and the receptionist.

Toby sat in the room.

Alone.

He was listening to the doctor’s words over and again.

We’ll find it out. Okay?

I can promise that.

His stomach hurt.

About the Author

AJ Saxsma, born in Illinois in 1987, is a queer writer. He lives in Los Angeles with his husky. His literary work has earned awards from Almond Press UK and has been published in several genre magazines. As a screenwriter, his work has been an official selection for the Independent Horror Film Awards, Hollywood Screen Film Festival, Los Angeles Cinefest, and Los Angeles Horror Competition. He's also written the narrative scripts for four video game projects produced by Oculus for the Oculus VR system.

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Giveaway 

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one of twenty ebook copies of Morphosis.

 

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18/02/2024

Blackmailer’s Delight by David Lawrence #giveaway

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Blackmailer’s Delight

Author: David Lawrence

Publisher: Broadbound Publishing

Cover Artist: L1graphics

Release Date: February 13, 2024

Genre: Historical M/M Romantic Comedy

Tropes: Forbidden love

Themes: Understanding that you are not alone in your experiences

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length:  81 300 words/282 pages

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

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 


Blurb

Every new romance has its ups and downs…
Its bumps in the road…
Its blackmail notes…

A misunderstanding ties the fates of three men together in this heartfelt, sensual, and uproarious romantic puzzle. Blackmailer’s Delight is a tale of lives tossed into the air, then reassembled in some rather unexpected ways.

England 1795
London gentleman Daniel Thornton has just dumped his philandering lover Clarence. He moves to Grantham to care for his ailing uncle and nurse a broken heart. The move he hopes will be a fresh start – a place to discover himself and perhaps a new way of seeing the world.

Luke Morley is a draper's son struggling to accept his sexuality. He has withdrawn into a world of fantasy, but with the arrival of Mr. Thronton this private world is shattered. Grantham’s most eligible bachelor is everything Luke has ever dreamed of. After months of silent admiration, he determines to introduce himself.

Re-enter Clarence, who arrives to win back his old lover. When Daniel rejects him again, he is not about to take it lying down…

A blackmail note appears – a demand that Daniel marry one of Luke’s sisters. A demand that he fulfill Luke’s sexual desires.

Daniel saw young Mr. Morley leave the note on his mantle.

The note is from Luke.

Excerpt

March 1795 

A revolution in France. Food shortages at home. And now a damned tax on wig powder. 

“This world is going to hell,” said Daniel Thornton to his lover, Clarence, one morning over toast and marmalade. “What is the name of that local sect I was telling you of the other morning? The one predicting the end of the world in the year 1800?”

“What?” said the younger man, who had been gazing out the first-floor window of their Westminster townhouse. “Haven’t they all gone to America?”

“It was in the paper last week. I distinctly recall telling you about it.”

“Oh, you know I don’t listen to anything you say at the breakfast table.”

“Don’t you?”

“I’m slow to rise, Danny. Once I am awake, I must plan my day; I cannot attend to your little newspaper articles.”

Daniel observed his companion for a moment – perhaps the longest moment of his life. This was the end, of course. Not of the world, but for them. For six weeks he had been expecting this, cynic that he was. They were both cynics – and, apart from the sex, he supposed Clarence’s pessimism had been his primary attraction. They saw the world identically. They liked to laugh at things like sects predicting the end of the world in five years. Or they had. If Clarence couldn’t be bothered to listen to him at the breakfast table, if they hadn’t even this anymore, after the misery this man was putting him through, there really was nothing for them.

He eyed the orange juice Clarence was sipping lazily. Should he?”

They weren’t sleeping together anymore. And this, incredibly, before he had understood why, had actually bonded him to this man. Clarence had made no excuses: “It’s the way of all things, isn’t it? We are simply two old men grown comfortable with each other,” though this was absurd as Clarence was just twenty-six. No man likes being rejected in bed, but Clarence had won him by appearing to join him in their common plight – wasn’t it just the way of this miserable world?

“What?” he said, lowering his orange juice to glance over his shoulder. Daniel hadn’t spoken – Clarence must have heard the memory of his words ringing in his companion’s head. Narcissists only listened to hear the echo of their own words.

About the Author 

I am the author of two queer historical novels – ‘Hugh: A Hero without a Novel’ and ‘Blue Billy’s Rogue Lexicon’. As a writer, I love taking a deep dive into the social norms and historical events of 18th century England, told with humour and whimsy, while presenting what I hope are compelling and unique coming-of-age tales.

A native of the American Southwest, I have spent much of my life in Great Britain, France, and Finland.  I now live in the American Northwest – Helena, Montana – with my Finnish partner. 
By day I love hiking under the Big Sky of my beautiful adopted state.
By night, however, I prefer wandering the byways of 18th century London…

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15/02/2024

Runway Dreams: Prideful Vengeance by T.K Ambers #giveaway

BOOK BLAST

Author: T.K Ambers

Publisher: Star Spirit Adventures

Cover Artist: Getcovers

Release Date: December 18, 2023

Genre: Murder Mystery with MM Romance

Tropes: Connect the Deaths, Never Suicide, & Everyone’s a suspect.

Themes: Forgiveness, Family, Relationships, & Music.

Heat Rating:  3 flames

Length:   78 671 words/ 275 pages

It’s part of a series, but this book focuses on Alex and Matthew and can be read as a standalone.

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Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

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Music, murder, and Pride, oh, my! 

Blurb

To Alex Crimson, California means fun in the sun, but when his favorite new LGBTQ+ pop idol goes missing, California marks the start of a deadly nightmare.

As the disappearances continue, Alex fears the trail is moving toward Tulsa. Could the killer be someone he knows? Thinking things can’t get any worse, he unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a friend’s volatile family dispute.

Join the cast of Runway Dreams in this dark and humorous murder mystery as they work to catch a serial killer, and avoid becoming the victims of a friend’s lunatic brothers.

Excerpt 

Alex saw Matthew coming up the aisle, and a pain gripped his chest, sucking the air out of his lungs. Every hair on his body rose as he evaluated the grim look on Matthew’s face.

“May I speak to you outside for a moment?” Matthew whispered.

“Sure,” he replied. Somehow, he picked up his feet and follow Matthew away from his guest’s prying eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked, forcing the words out.

“Hector’s not here, Alex. We’ve checked the club, as well as your house and his. He’s nowhere to be found.”

“Did you find any notes?” asked Alex.

“No.” Matthew could tell from the look on his friend’s face that he was scared out of his mind. “Listen, I don’t want to think Hector would abandon you, but this might simply be a case of wedding day nerves.”

Alex shook his head. “Simple. Is that what you think this is? Nothing about this is simple, Matthew. We have one hundred guests sitting outside waiting to witness our vows. We’ve spent a fortune on flowers, food, and cake. This is supposed to be a happy reprieve from the depravity we’ve been pulled into over the past years,” said Alex, his voice slowly rising, “and you’re telling me the man I’m in love with and due to marry, this very day, has vanished just like his cousin, who turned up dead a day later! He could be the killer’s next victim!”

Matthew raised his hand and said, “Calm down. I know it’s easy to go into panic mode, but you mustn’t allow yourself to entertain the worst. We have absolutely no information to go on except that he was supposed to marry you, and he didn’t show up. I know it’s a terrible situation, no matter which way you view it, but we’ve got to remain calm until we know what we’re dealing with. Maybe he’s stuck in traffic somewhere?”

“Nooo!” shrieked Alex, his cheeks flushed as anger flashed in his eyes. “This is unacceptable!” Dropping his head into his hands, his lip began to quiver. “This is too much. Too freaking much. It’s bad enough I had to wear this cake-like makeup to cover my heinous green and yellow eye, but now there won't even be a wedding. I don’t really care what you say, but go tell our guests they can enjoy some wine and canapes on me. I don’t know what else to do.” The fight had been knocked out of him. “Send Hector's parents over. I’m sure they’ll want an explanation.” Matthew patted him on the back. “I’ll be fine.” Pausing, he let out another deep sigh and added, “I hope.”

“I’m so sorry, Alex,” said Matthew. Turning away, he walked back into the tent, noticing that Maddie had arrived and taken her seat, late as predicted. Approaching Alex’s sisters, he said, “Ladies, I need you to keep calm, as I don’t want to scare the guests, but Hector’s not here. I'll deal with the guests if you'll go console Alex.”

“Oh, no,” said Bell. “Do we know anything about what’s happened to Hector?”

“No,” replied Matt. “I’m praying its cold feet or something ridiculous slowing his arrival. You know how dramatic he can be. Anyway, I'm off to address the guests. Wish me luck.”

“Okay, good luck,” said Bernie. “We’ll go take care of Alex.”

Moving on, Matthew walked up to the microphone and tapped on it. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid there will be no wedding today due to unforeseen circumstances that must be dealt with. Alex and Hector will get back to you as soon as they know when the wedding will take place. In the meantime, help yourselves to a glass of sparkling wine and some canapes before you go. Thank you, and best wishes to you all.” Turning off the microphone, he waved Hector’s parents to follow and headed back to where the siblings were furiously discussing every possible scenario Hector might have gotten into.

“What if he was in a car wreck and he’s in the hospital?” asked Bell. “That isn’t far from what happened to me when Martin had me run off the road.”

“I doubt it,” said Matthew, “but I’ll notify Thompson and Wells and have the local hospitals checked immediately.”

As the siblings continued their discussion, Hector’s parents walked over to them. “What’s happened?” asked Hector’s mother. “Where’s my son?” She used all her strength to squeeze her husband's hand.

“We’re not sure,” replied Matthew, “but I know Thompson and Wells won't stop looking until they find him.”

About the Author 

T.K. Ambers is the award-winning author of Runway Dreams A Pricey Affair. Her novel has been recognized in four award competitions and took second place in the Pencraft Awards, Women's Fiction category.

Her love of reading and writing spans several genres, but she loves comedy, thrillers, and paranormal. Most of her work contains a comedic element.

She lives in New Richmond, Wisconsin, with her husband and two cats, Bellatrix and Kit. She would spend her perfect day lakeside, where she would swim, play games, and then wind down with a bonfire, s'mores, and stories told by family and friends.

T.K. has a love for nature, travel, photography, concerts, off-roading, and hiking (preferably to waterfalls). She also holds a special place in her heart for her father's band, 40 Fingers. She enjoys dancing to their music.

She lives by the belief that life is short and every day is its own adventure and should be treated as such.

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