Tuesday 31 January 2017

Three Shots by Brigham Vaughn - Release Day Review



Title: Three Shots

Author Name: Brigham Vaughn

Blurb:

Reeve Jenkins is an amateur musician playing in a dive bar. Grant McGuire is a man drowning his sorrows in beer after a painful breakup. When Reeve charms a reluctant Grant into coming home with him, they begin a three-year friendship with some very nice benefits.
But when the two gorgeous men walk into Hawk Point Tavern—the bar Rachael Bradford owns—one evening and greet each other with a kiss, it sets off a chain of events that leads to a steamy night and maybe something more for the trio.



Excerpt:

Rachael sighed and took a seat at her desk, forcing Reeve and Grant from her mind. They made for a fun fantasy, but had no place in real life. She had hours of work to do, and not enough time to get it done in. Hawk Point Tavern didn’t run itself.
She tackled the paychecks first. Her employees would want checks to cash soon, and it couldn’t wait. Thankfully, she had few employees and it didn’t take overly long to tally hours and make out the checks. She had moved on to sorting order invoices for the month when she heard a soft knock on her partially open door. Thinking it was Jenna or Tyler—the other bartender on tonight—she absent-mindedly called out, “Come in.”
“Excuse me,” a low, sexy voice replied.
Rachael’s head shot up and she was startled to see Reeve peering in the door.
“I, uh, hey. Um, hi Reeve,” She stuttered. She cleared her throat. “Come in.”
He stepped into the room and pushed the door nearly closed. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Uh, sure.” She frowned, puzzled by what he wanted, but not entirely displeased to have him in her office either. She stood and walked around the desk—leaning back against it and looking up to meet his gaze. “Is there a problem with your bill? Or something else I can help you with?”
He gave her a slow, sexy smirk. “I certainly hope so.”
Rachael stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but he was silent. His gaze raked over her body and she felt heat building between her legs at the slow, frank perusal of her body. By the glittering, heated gaze of his eyes, Rachael could see that he liked what he saw. Her jeans and t-shirt were hardly high fashion, but Reeve didn’t appear to have any complaints. Besides, Rachael knew she had a tight body and the jeans showed off her ass nicely.
“What can I help you with?” she asked, her voice breathless.
“Well you see, I came here looking to have a drink with a good friend, nothing more, but I found something else I am interested in.”
‘I’m … I’m sorry?”
Reeve stepped closer until he was just a foot from her, and she felt her heart speed up in her chest.
“What’s that?” Rachael repeated when he didn’t reply immediately.
“You.” The word was simple, but it did nothing to clear up her confusion.
“But … but what about Grant?” she asked. “I mean, it looked like you two were together, and I—I don’t want to cause any problems or get in the way of anything.”
Reeve moved so he was standing in front of her, booted feet on either side of her crossed ones. He leaned in, breathing softly against her cheek and she wet her lips reflexively.
“It’s pretty simple actually,” Reeve purred in her ear. “Grant and I hook up occasionally and we are both very attracted to you.” His lips brushed the sensitive outer shell and she shivered.
Bi then. Her experiences with Tom made her a little leery of bi guys, but it’s not like she was going to get involved with them beyond a quick—or maybe not so quick—roll in the sheets, she thought. This was a one-off. It wasn’t like she was going to see them after tonight so she might as well enjoy it while she had the opportunity.
“You aren’t in a relationship with him?” she said aloud. The last thing she wanted was to get involved with another cheater. Jonah had been more than enough, thankyouverymuch.
Reeve shrugged. “We’ve been friends for a long time, but it’s nothing exclusive. We keep things fluid.”
“So how would this work?” Rachael asked, her voice going a little breathless as she imagined what could play out if she said yes. “We’d have a threesome?”
“That is entirely up to you. If you’re only attracted to one of us, the other will step aside, although we’d both be very disappointed. And I somehow don’t think that’s the case, is it?”
“No, I’m definitely attracted to you both,” Rachael admitted. Reeve wrapped an arm around her lower back and pulled her flush against his body.
“Then how we fuck—” he skimmed a hand down her back to cup the lower curve of her ass “—is up for negotiation. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Book Info:

Genre: M/M/F erotic romance (contemporary)
Length: Novella - 35,949 words/94 pages
Release Day: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Two Peninsulas Press (self-published)

Pre-Order/Buy Links:




My Review:

“Love doesn't have to be limiting.  It should only expand who you are, and make you feel free”

I’m not sure how a story as hot as Three Shots can be both deliciously enticing and incredibly adorable at the same time, but this story has both those qualities in spades.

This is an erotic tale. While there is definitely more to the story than ‘just’ sex, there is plenty of it and both the relationships and the story develop mainly through these incredibly hot encounters between characters.

And when I say ‘hot’, I mean HOT.

Some might say that this story is unrealistic, that these three lovers open up to each other with far too much ease for people who’ve only just met, and while that may well be the case, I have to admit that to me it was a pure delight. In too many books (for my liking) at the core of any issue is the fact that the MCs refuse to talk to each other. Situations that could easily have been avoided if one or the other had just given voice to what was on their mind, grow huge and create drama. While that is sometimes realistic and occasionally even works, it is something I’m not fond of. It was therefore delightful to read a book in which the characters do open up to each other, explain what they think and feel, and subsequently deal with whatever the issue is.

There were a few things in this book I hugely appreciated. It is a wonderful surprise to read a book featuring bisexual characters without their orientation being ‘the’ or ‘a’ major plotline. Just as it is a rare but fabulous experience to read an MMF story in which the female is at least as strong as the male character(s). In fact, you could well say that if anybody has the upper hand in this story it’s Rachael.

The easy, uncomplicated, and near perfect coming together of first Reeve and Grant and then the two men and Rachael gave Three Shots a fairytale like quality. It’s a dream; how we would script our own perfect love story in an ideal world. This is a drama-free tale. While the characters have their, not always happy, back-stories, there is virtually no angst in this book. And sometimes that’s exactly what I need from my reading. It’s a perfect escape. If the story is also well written, happens to feature charming and fascinating characters, and gives me some of the hottest sex scenes I’ve read recently, it is safe to say I’ve found my personal Nirvana.

If you hadn’t guessed as much from what I’ve written above, let me make myself perfectly clear here: Three Shots comes highly recommended if you enjoy a well written, captivating, and extremely sexy story.



Author Bio:
Brigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga.  She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Social Media Links:
Email: brighamvaughn@gmail.com

A Face Without a Heart by Rick R. Reed - Release Blitz





Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | DSP Publications

Cover: Aaron Anderson

Publisher: DSP Publications

Length: 56,887 words

Blurb

A modern-day and thought-provoking retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror magazine Fangoria called “…a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”

A beautiful young man bargains his soul away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.

Excerpt

He was beautiful. Beauty is so seldom ascribed to men, too often incorrectly attributed to men with feminine features—wavy blond hair, fine cheekbones, teeth cut from porcelain. But I’ve always thought of beauty as a quality that went deeper than the corporeal… something dark, dense, inexplicable, capable of stirring longings primal, longings one would be powerless to resist.

He was beautiful. I sat on a Red Line “L” train, headed downtown, bags of heavy camera equipment heaped at my side, one arm resting protectively over them. I watched the young man, unable to train my thoughts on anything other than this man who had blotted out the reality of the day, magical and transforming. Beauty, especially so rare a beauty, can do that. The young man was an eclipse, his presence coming between myself and the reality of the day hurtling by outside train windows.

He had come in behind three foreign people, a bright counterpoint to their drab clothes, colorless, already wilting in the August humidity. They chattered to one another in a language unrecognizable, Polish maybe, and I was annoyed at their yammering, unable to block it out sufficiently enough to concentrate on the book I was reading, a biography of William Blake.

I almost didn’t notice him. It wasn’t like me to pay much attention to what went on around me, especially when I was preparing for a shoot. Usually I used the time on the train to set up the photographs I would take, the way I would manipulate light and shadow and how it fell on my models, to arrange the props, set up and test the lighting.

But something caused me to look up when the doors opened—perhaps I was struck by the dissonance created by the unknown language—and I saw him. Close-cropped brown hair, a bit of stubble framing full lips, a bruise fading to dull below his right eye. The bruise did not detract from the man’s beauty but served to enhance it, making of the rough features something more vulnerable. The bruise was the embodiment of a yearning for the touch of a finger, the whisper of a kiss. He wore an old, faded T-shirt with a Bulls logo, black denim cut off just above his knees, and a pair of work boots, the seam on the left beginning to separate. In spite of the workman’s garb, there was something intellectual about the man, an intensity in his aquamarine eyes that portended deeper thought.

At that moment, I made a decision. I don’t know what caprice seized me. I have always led an orderly life, completely without surprise. But when the train pulled to a stop and the young man stood, I acted on an impulse that was as sudden as it was uncontrollable.

My Review

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my favourite books ever, so it was with a mixture of excitement and nerves that I started this book. Excitement because I knew it would be an amazing read if it lived up to the original, and nerves because I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d be able to enjoy the read if it wasn’t up to scratch. I shouldn’t have worried.

The first thing I realised while reading was that it has been too long since I read Oscar Wilde’s book. While everything I felt while reading that book was still firmly fixed in my memory, the story’s details had mostly faded. I’m not sure whether or not that’s a good thing. For starters it means that I can’t tell you how close A Face Without a Heart stays to the original story. Having said that, I know I read this book with the same mixture of horror and fascination as I did the Wilde book.

Now, before I say anything else I want to say this: A Face Without a Heart is not a romance; it doesn’t resemble a love story. This is a tale about sin, debauchery, sex, drugs, and lack of morals and what such a lifestyle does to a man.

Gary Adrion’s (clever play on a name) story had me hooked from the opening paragraph. There’s never any doubt that Gary is evil. Even before they exchange a single word Liam Howard, is scared of the man he’s followed off the train. His instinct tells him to get away, his compulsion forces him to keep on following the beautiful young man and even to invite him to model for one of his holograms.

I’m not going to go into the details of the story. Those who have read The Picture of Dorian Gray will know what to expect and those who are new to the story should be allowed to enjoy it in all its horrifying glory. I do want to say that the story hooked me from the beginning. Once I’d started I couldn’t put the book down until I had read all the way to the end, mesmerised by Gary Adrion’s brutal selfishness and yet unable to thoroughly dislike him.

In fact, that’s what I admired most in this book; the gradual decline of Gary’s character and morals and the fact that even in his darkest moments he can’t escape his conscience completely. I should have detested him more or less from the start but found that impossible. It takes true talent to write a monster and still make the reader invested in the character. By the time I finished the book I wasn’t sure whether it had been the author’s skill or my own lack of morals that made me feel a tiny bit sorry for Gary. I still haven’t worked that one out, but I prefer to blame Rick R. Reed.

My advice to other readers is as follows: If you want to read about love and happy endings, please look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you are not afraid of the dark and you like a story that will mesmerize, shock, horrify, and fascinate, you, A Face Without a Heart is the perfect read for you.

Author Bio

Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love.

He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint."

Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."

Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com






Monday 30 January 2017

P.O.W. by Max Vos - Blog Tour



Title: P.O.W
Author: Max Vos
Publisher: Max Vos, Inc
Release Date: January 20, 2017
Length: 125 Pages
BLURB:

2nd release

After being taken prisoner by a Taliban Warlord, can Sam Stone hold on long enough to get his best friend back to his family and find love in the arms of Abbas, the handsome, blue-eyed Arab?
Sam has secretly been in love with is best friend and fellow Marine, Benoit, for quite some time and would not hesitate to die for him.
The macho Marine, Benoit, is shaken to his very core when he and his best friend are taken prisoners and made to do things that he would never have done, especially with Sam, who he knew had feelings for him.
Abbas tries everything to gain his families freedom when an unexpected man comes into his life that he starts having deep feelings for almost immediately.
Sam Stone has been secretly in love with his best friend and fellow Marine, Benoit, for a long time. It’s only after they were captured by a Taliban Warlord that he realizes that he would readily give his life to get Benoit back to his family. But it is Abbas, the Westernized Arab who steals his heart and helps Sam and Benoit regain their freedom. Now Sam has to learn to find true love and help heal not only himself, but the two men he loves deeply.

Warning: This book contains material that may be offensive to some: graphic language, military situations, P.O.W scenes, adult situations and other situations only meant for an adult audience.



EXCERPT:

“Mayday, Mayday, Black Hammer is hit; I repeat: Mayday, Black Hammer is hit. We’re going down.” Bucky’s voice may have seemed calm to an outsider, but those who knew him understood he was anything but calm. “Mayday, Mayday. Black Hammer’s current location: thirty-three Lat by seventy Long. Repeat. Mayday, Mayday.” Bucky choked out as the cabin of the helicopter quickly filled with smoke.
Samuel J. Stone looked at the other five members of his team. “Fuck,” he mumbled, wondering if perhaps they weren’t going to make it out of this one. He yelled at his best friend Benoit. “After all the fucked-up shit we’ve been through, I’m not gonna fucking die splattered on the side of some mountain in this hellhole.”
“Vasquez, get that damn door open,” Stone yelled across the cabin to the other Marine.
“Gettin’ it, Stone,” Vasquez answered his lieutenant.
Stone opened the opposite door, letting some of the thick smoke billow out of the burning helicopter. He and his fellow Marine, Benoit, looked out the open door. They could tell they were going down fast.
“We’re still too high to jump,” Stone yelled at the others trapped in the flaming bird.
“If there was anywhere to fucking jump to,” Benoit yelled back.
Even with both side doors open, the cold winter wind whipping through the cabin, the acrid black smoke continued to surge in, making their eyes burn, their chests constrict with the lack of breathable air. There was a bitter taste in Stone’s mouth from inhaling the foulness of burning rubber and jet fuel.
Using hand signals to keep from yelling to be heard, Stone motioned for Vasquez and the two others to use the door they had just opened to escape through, while he and Benoit and the new kid, Saundersen, would use the one opposite.
The high-pitched scream of the rotor motor was loud enough to pierce the ear-protection headphones, making it nearly impossible to speak. Each man could barely hear Bucky still calling out a Mayday over the radio, through the headsets.


BUY LINKS:



BIO:




Max Vos is a classically trained chef with over 30 years of food service experience. After retiring in 2011, Max found himself with time on his hands and was urged to turn his talents to writing. ‘Cooking English’, a short story, now part of his anthology collection, Inappropriate Roads, is now available. My Hero was his first novel, which turned into an international best seller. Max now has a total of six completed novels, which are listed on his website, along with the entire Memories Series. My Hero: The Olympian, the sequel to My Hero was released late last year.

                                                                 

LINKS:   



GIVEAWAY:

Grand prize: $20 Dollar Amazon GC and a Ecopy of P.O.W. by Max Vos
Second prize: The Complete Memories Series ( 5ebooks) by Max Vos

Third prize: Two Backlist Titles by Max Vos 
  

Books by Max Vos

My Hero
My Hero: The Olympian
The V Unit
P.O.W
Inappropriate Roads
Going Home

Memories Series
A Christmas Memory
A Christmas Memory 2
A Christmas Memory 3: Home Sweet Home
A Valentine’s Memory
A Spring Break Memory

Available in French
Souvenirs-de-Noël
Mon Héros
Hawk ‘n’ Harley
Unite V
Rentrer a la Maison

Available in Italian
Il Mio Eroe
Andare a Casa

Thursday 26 January 2017

Cover Reveal: Goodnight Angel by Sue Brown




Release Date: February 24 2017

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Blurb

Callum Ross has a tough decision to make. After years of working for the covert ops agency in the UK and owning his own security firm in the US, he’s forced to choose between the business he loves, and the new fragile relationship with his partner, Josh Cooper.

A bottle of whiskey and almost being killed by a motorbike helps Cal make the decision, and he moves to the UK with plans to set up his own security consultancy. Then the head of the covert ops agency where Josh now works asks Cal for help. Agency operatives and their families are being injured or killed, including Cal’s friends.

Cal is asked to investigate with Josh’s assistance. As the number of victims increase, they’re aware either of them could be the next target for the killer. Josh wants Cal to back away from the investigation in case he gets hurt, but Cal refuses, putting a strain on their relationship.

Then they discover the motorbike incident wasn’t an accident. Who tried to kill him, and why?



Morning My Angel (Angel Enterprises #1) Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK


Author Bio

Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn't following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot, and has become an expert at ignoring the orders.

Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. She had an Aha moment and put pen to paper that same day. Sue may be late to the party, but she's made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.

Come over and talk to Sue at:

Sight Unseen by Susan Mac Nicol with Nicholas Downs - Release Blitz

Release Blitz, Sight Unseen by International Bestselling Author Susan Mac Nicol with L.A. producer and Hollywood Actor Nicholas Downs

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Sometimes we don’t see love coming

Based on an idea from L.A. producer and actor, Nicholas Downs, Susan and Nicholas have developed a story straight from the heart. In a gripping tale of lovers fighting against the odds comes a story of universal appeal about rejection and acceptance and finally finding what is real and true.

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BLURB

Tragedy brings together a reserved but brilliant sculptor and an outgoing gallery owner, friends whose love was sidetracked but was always meant to be deeper. BLINDSIDED SoCal natives, Nate and Cody have been friends since childhood. Both knew they were different—and the same. At seventeen, a stolen weekend in the Florida Keys drove their connection deeper and hotter than either could imagine. They were meant to be together. Then, for reasons only Nate knows, suddenly they weren’t. They’re still friends. Best friends. But they’ve moved on and found other partners. The yearning remains, however, despite the long-ago secret that drove them apart, when tragedy strikes, both men find themselves in the dark. They must grope their way back to who and what they are…which they will find in each other’s arms. Sometimes, losing one’s sight can open one’s eyes—and heart.

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BOOK LINKS

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/2gONa4B

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXPNOA5

iTunes http://bit.ly/SightUnseen2gJNrtj

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/SightUnseen2gblQO9

Kobo http://bit.ly/SightUnseen2gYnYwq

Boroughs http://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/sight-unseen

GOODREADS

Click I want to read and add to your TBR shelf

http://bit.ly/SightUnseenGoodreads

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BOOK TRAILER

SIGNING NEWS

Author Susan Mac Nicol is going to the States.

Would you love to meet International Bestselling Author Susan Mac Nicol & L.A. producer and Hollywood Actor Nicholas Downs? Nows your chance!!

It’s a dream come true for Sue and she’s honoured to be signing Sight Unseen with Boroughs Publishing Group and actor Nicholas Downs at this conference from 25-26th March. If you’re interested in attending this signing, either as an author or a reader, here is the link.

https://caldreaminwriters.com/

The 2017 conference will be at : Embassy Suites in Brea, California.
Address: 900 E Birch St, Brea, CA 92821

There will also be a very special signing event at The Abbey, an iconic gay club in West Hollywood. Nicholas and Sue will be there to enjoy the evening, meet fans of both their genres in film and publishing and be available to sign books, chat and have some fun. If you're in the area, please pop down and see them, they’d no doubt love to see you.

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This is the room they’ll be signing in, isn’t it fabulous. It’s the Cabana Bar.

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CONNECT WITH SUSAN & NICHOLAS

nick-and-sue

Twitter: @SightUnseenPR

Instagram: @sightunseenla

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Sight-Unseen-The-Project-1547502492221078/

Susan

www.susanmacnicol.net

Nicholas

www.nicholasdowns.com

Susan Mac Nicol Author Page https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanmacnicol/

Nicholas Downs Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/Nicholas-Downs-97159977384/


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