Spotlight – Escape to You

Tags

Escape to You, Jennifer Ryan, Montana Heat series

I came on this one late, but I had to share – I’m definitely anxious to get my hands on a copy!

*****

Escape to You

Montana Heat series

by Jennifer Ryan

Genre Adult; Contemporary Romance

Publisher Avon Romance

Publication Date August 29, 2017

Blurb:

A Montana man always protects the woman he loves.

He discovered her during a Montana blizzard, freezing cold, impossibly vulnerable, a little boy by her side. Undercover DEA Agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke is astonished to recognize Ashley Swan—award-winning actress, famous beauty—and missing for over a year. To keep her and the child hidden from a sadistic madman, he secrets the pair away to his isolated home.

No longer a prisoner, and protected at Hope Ranch, Ashley recovers and learns the tall, tempting federal agent may have a dark past, but it hasn’t destroyed his sense of honor.

As they shed past roles and find common ground, Ashley and Trigger can’t help but fall slowly, carefully, in love. But danger still lurks outside the boundaries of Hope Ranch, for until her crazed captor is brought to justice, and Trigger’s undercover past is laid to rest, none of them will ever be truly safe…

Avon https://store.digitalriver.com/store/harperco/en_US/buy/externalrefid.9780062645265/hcstoreID.Avon

Amazon http://amzn.to/2w6JqFV

Barnes & Noble http://ads.harpercollins.com/avonsite?isbn=9780062645265&retailer=barnesandnoble

Google Play http://ads.harpercollins.com/avonsite?isbn=9780062645265&retailer=googleplay

Walmart http://ads.harpercollins.com/avonsite?isbn=9780062645265&retailer=walmart

iBooks http://ads.harpercollins.com/avonsite?isbn=9780062645265&retailer=apple

*****

Excerpt:

“What’s wrong?” Trigger asked.

The softness in his voice made Ashley look up at him. Way up. The man was so tall.

She found her voice under the wave of fear gripping her. “I know you don’t mean to, but you’re scaring me.”

“Look at me, Ashley.”

She sucked in a breath, found a shred of bravery from the tatters of her will, and raised her gaze to meet his.

“I will never hurt you.”

She fell into the depths of gray and flecks of blue in his eyes and drowned in the sincerity and promise she found there. Deep down, she believed him. Part of her needed to believe him, because she needed something real to hold on to before she sank any deeper into despair and the paranoia that everyone wanted to hurt her.

She nodded. “If he finds me, he’ll kill me.”

“He’ll have to get past me first.”

*****

Author Info:

Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted, McBride, and Montana Men series. She writes suspenseful contemporary romances with outrageous plot twists, deeply emotional love stories, high stakes and higher drama. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find. Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Avon http://www.avonromance.com/book-author/jennifer-ryan/

Website http://jennifer-ryan.com/index.html

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ryan/520021168037391?ref=hl

Twitter http://twitter.com/JenRyan_author

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4693347.Jennifer_Ryan

Amazon http://amzn.to/2xBr7GG

*****

Giveaway:

Running from 8/29-9/12 – one winner of paperback copy of Montana Heat: Protected By Love across the entire tour.  Giveaway is being hosted on Rafflecopter and is sponsored by Avon Romance.  Open to US shipping addresses only.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/637fbedf97

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

 

Advertisement

Book Review – Hard Miles

Tags

Book Review, Chisholm Falls series, Hard Miles, Trish Arcangelo

Hard Miles 

Chisholm Falls, Book 1

by Trish Arcangelo

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Date of Publication: 8/23/17

ISBN: 978-1-5092-1555-3

ISBN: 978-1-5092-1556-

Number of pages: 180

Word Count: 45,550

Cover Artist: Diana Carlile

Blurb:

It’s a rough ride from dark past to second chance.

On the run from her psycho ex, Laurel Wheeler stops in Chisholm Falls, Texas for snacks at a gas station just before it’s held up by two desperate criminals. When one robber begins firing, a handsome stranger named Jase Miles saves her life. Hoping to make a little money and thank her rescuer at the same time, the broke Laurel agrees to a secret deal regarding Jase, who’s the town pariah.

But what starts as deception quickly turns complicated. Laurel begins to fall for the brooding man who hides his pain behind a mask of indifference. And Jase begins to fall for the sweet woman who, unlike everyone else in town, doesn’t treat him like a monster. Then a careless mistake shatters the fragile trust and their growing bond… perhaps beyond saving.

Amazon

*****

Excerpt:

She walked toward him then, with purpose. Once she was standing directly in front of him, so close that he couldn’t pretend to ignore her, she’d said, “Just go with it.”

Laurel intended to kiss him then. He knew it. She was going to kiss him in front of everyone, a declaration. It would have been an act of kindness, her falling on the sword of a debt she thought she owed. The thought made him sick. He didn’t want her kisses of pity. He wanted her to kiss him because she was driven to, because she was mad for him. And though he’d do it again, even now he kicked himself for stopping that kiss. If pity was the price of admission to another taste of those lips, maybe it would have been worth it.

But he stopped her. He put a hand out to halt her and then led her toward the storeroom, his hand on the small of her back like a brand. Warmth pooled in his dick from just that small touch. As soon as the door to the storeroom snapped closed behind them Jase whirled her around until her back flattened against the brick wall, snarling. “What game are you playing?”

Her eyes went wide and the stunned look on her face almost had him apologizing, almost had him begging to try the kiss again. “No games,” she whispered.

He slammed his hands against the wall on either side of her head. “Defending me at every turn, as if you’ve been made my personal savior. I don’t need any paybacks for the gas station. We’ve been over this.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? Then what the hell was that little performance out there?”

Laurel’s expression turned angry. God, she was even hotter when fiery and indignant. Jase was careful not to press too close so he could hide his raging erection.

She said, “Fine, I was just trying to help, you ungrateful—”

His stomach and his erection fell. “You what?”

The answering look on her face said she realized her mistake.

“So it was pity?” He spat, shoving away from her.

“That’s not what I meant, Jase.”

He pulled her to him again, unable to decide what he wanted. “Isn’t it? Well, then, by all means, baby, pity me.” And then he covered her lips with his.

*****

Review:

While I really enjoyed this story, there were a couple of issues for me.  I felt that Jase was a little TOO hard on himself.  I know that small towns have long memories and it is really easy to fall into the trap of the hive mind in blaming him for something that happened in the past.  However, I just didn’t see it in his interactions.  Maybe it is because he was so good at isolating himself but I would have liked to have seen a little more of why he felt the way he did.

I’m also not sure what Laurel thought would happen after she took money from Jase’s sister.  I can get how it started but she definitely should have done something about it WAY before she did.  Readers realize this is going to blow up and she should have too.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed these two together.  When Jase lets himself, he’s a good person and is good to those around him.  Laurel may have had it rough but she’s got a good heart and the gumption to try for a better life.  A little battered, neither of them has had the best time of it but they find the support in each other that they need so together they can finally find a happy place.  And readers will enjoy being there with them when they do.

*****

Author Info:

Trish has been an avid fan of romance fiction since she “borrowed” a book from her mother’s stash when she was just a teenanger (it was Hearts Aflame by Johanna Lindsey).  She’s been devouring all genres of romance ever since.  She nursed a long time dream to write stories of her own and finally realized there was no time like the present.  After completing and publishing her first book, a fantasy romance, in early 2015, she is now writing a contemporary romance series.

A native Texan, Trish lives just outside Austin with her incredibly supportive husband and their incredibly spoiled dog.  Aside from romance fiction, her other loves include dogs, warm weather, wine, playing trivia, and spending too much time on social media.

http://www.trisharcangelo.com/home.html

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13272014.Trish_Arcangelo

https://www.facebook.com/TrishArcangelo/

https://twitter.com/trisharcangelo

*****

Giveaway:

1 Autographed copy of BREAKOUT and a $10 dollar Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1652/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Tour Schedule:

August 23 Interview

Authors’ Secrets

http://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/

August 23 Spotlight

Just Another Bookaholic

http://itsgoingtobeobvious.blogspot.in/

August 23 Spotlight

Books,Dreams,Life

http://booksdreamslife0829.blogspot.com

August 24 Spotlight

Share My Destiny

http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com

August 24 Spotlight

Books and Tales

http://booksandtales.blogspot.co.uk/

August 24 Interview

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blogspot.com

August 25 Spotlight

Mythical Books

http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/

August 25 Spotlight

The Authors Blog

http://tracey-a-wood.blogspot.co.uk

August 25 Spotlight

Saph’s Books

https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/

August 28 Interview

A Writer’s Mind

www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com

August 28 Spotlight

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, and Sissy, Too!

http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com

August 28 Spotlight

Silver Dagger Scriptorium

http://silver-dagger-scriptorium.weebly.com/

August 29 Interview

Vicky at Deal Sharing Aunt

www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com

August 29 Spotlight

Reads 2 Love

http://reads2love.com

August 29 Interview

T’s Stuff

http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/

August 30 Spotlight and review

Romantic Reads and Such

https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com

August 30 Spotlight

Readaholic

http://www.readaholicblog.com

August 30 Spotlight

For Love of Books4

https://forloveofbooks4.wordpress.com/

August 30 Spotlight

SImply Kelina

http://simplykelina.blogspot.com/

Spotlight – Sunsets at Seaside

Tags

Addison Cole, Seaside Summers Sweet with Heat series, Sunsets at Seaside, Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers series

I just adore this series and from what I’ve seen so far, this one is going to be a hoot!

*****

Sunsets at Seaside

Seaside Summers Sweet with Heat #4

by Addison Cole

Releasing August 23, 2017

World Literary Press

Blurb:

Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether.

For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans.

From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sweet, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the brown-haired beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down. In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.

Sunsets at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Sunsets by Melissa Foster

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34993164-sunsets-at-seaside

Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/203990-sweet-with-heat-seaside-summers

Buy Links:  AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO

*****

Excerpt:

“Come on. Come on. Come on.” Fifteen seconds. She clenched her eyes shut and squeezed the phone, as if she could will the win. It was only seven thirty in the morning, and already the sun had blazed a path through the trees. She was hot and frustrated, and after fighting with her orchestra manager for two weeks about taking a hiatus, and her mother for even longer about everything under the sun, she was ready to blow. She’d come to the Cape for a respite from playing in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, hoping to figure out if she was living her life to the fullest, or missing out on it altogether. Finding her father’s baseball autographed by Mickey Mantle was her self-imposed distraction to keep her mind off picking up the cello. She’d never imagined she’d find it a week into her vacation.

She opened her eyes and stared at the phone.

Five seconds. Four. Three.

A message flashed on the screen. You have been outbid by another bidder.

“What? No. No, no, no.” She pressed the bid icon, and nothing happened. She pressed it again, and again, her muscles tightening with each attempt. Another message flashed on the screen. Bidding for this item has ended.

No!

She stared at the phone, unable to believe she’d been seconds away from winning what she was sure was her father’s baseball and had lost it. She hated phones. She hated eBay. She hated bidding against nonexistent people in tiny little stupid phones. She hated the whole thing so much she turned and hurled the phone over the deck.

Wow.

That felt really, really good.

“Ouch! What the…” A deep male voice rose up to her.

Jessica crouched and peered between the balusters. Standing on the gravel road just a few feet from her building, in a pair of black running shorts and no shirt, was the nicest butt she’d ever seen, attached to a tanned back that was glistening with sweat and rippled with muscles. Holy moly, they didn’t make orchestra musicians with bodies like that. Not that she’d know, considering that they were always properly covered in black suits and white shirts, but could a body like that even be hidden?

He turned, one hand rubbing his unruly black hair as he looked up at the pitch pine trees.

Yeah, you won’t find the culprit there.

His eyes passed by her deck, and she cringed. At least he hadn’t seen her phone, which she spotted a few feet away, where it must have fallen after conking him on the head. His eyes dropped to the ground…and traveled directly to it.

Jessica ducked lower, watching his brows knit together, giving him a brooding, sexy look.

Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me.

He looked at the cottages to his left, then to the pool off to his right, and just as Jessica sighed with relief, he crossed the road toward the steps to her apartment. His eyes locked on her. He shaded them with his hand and looked down at the phone, then back up at her, and lifted the phone in the air.

“Is this yours?”

She debated staying there, crouched and peering between the railings like a child playing hide-and-seek, hoping he really couldn’t see her.

I’ve been seeked.

Darn it!

*****

Author Info:

Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language.

Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.

Visit Addison on her website or chat with her on social media. Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Addison’s books are available through most online retailers in paperback, digital, and audio formats.

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

Giveaway:

Two Digital Copies of DREAMING AT SEASIDE (Book 2)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c81358/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – Wild Ride Cowboy

Tags

Copper Ridge series, Maisey Yates, Wild Ride Cowboy

In Wild Ride Cowboy, Alex Donnelly returns to Copper Ridge, Oregon to keep a promise, but the last thing he expects is to fall for his best friend’s sister, Clara Campbell. Fans of Maisey Yates’ Copper Ridge series will love this sweet, sexy romance releasing August 29th!

*****

Wild Ride Cowboy

A Copper Ridge Novel

by Maisey Yates

Publisher: Harlequin

Release Date: August 29, 2017

Series: Copper Ridge #9

Genre: Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 9780373803644

Blurb:

He’s come back to Copper Ridge, Oregon, to keep a promise—even if it means losing his heart…

Putting down roots in Copper Ridge was never Alex Donnelly’s intention. But if there’s one thing the ex-military man knows, it’s that life rarely unfolds as expected. If it did, his best friend and brother-in-arms would still be alive. And Alex wouldn’t have inherited a ranch or responsibility for his late comrade’s sister—a woman who, despite her inexperience, can bring tough-as-iron Alex to his knees.

Clara Campbell didn’t ask for a hero to ride in and fix her ranch and her life. All she wants is the one thing stubborn, honorable Alex is reluctant to give: a chance to explore their intense chemistry. But Clara has a few lessons to teach him, too…about trusting his heart and his instincts, and letting love take him on the wildest adventure of all.

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

Available:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes

*****

Excerpt:

Reluctantly, she covered the coffee with a white to-go lid then turned to walk out the door. She didn’t make it very far, though, because she ran right into a brick wall.

Well, it wasn’t really a brick wall. It just felt like one. Large, hard and uncompromising. But breathing. Which brick walls definitely didn’t do.

“Clara Campbell. Fancy meeting you here.”

Clara blinked and stared up into Alex Donnelly’s forest-green eyes and felt a strange response that seemed to originate in her stomach and travel upward to her chest, where it twisted, hard and sharp.

After looking at Asher, his understated physique and much softer brown gaze, the sight of Alex was jarring. Too intense. Too masculine. Too a lot of things.

His dark hair wasn’t military short anymore. It was long enough to hang into his face. He pushed it back off his forehead and again, something twisted, low and deep inside of her.

And then it wasn’t only his features that seemed too sharp. It was seeing him at all. She had been studiously avoiding him ever since he had moved back to Copper Ridge. If ever she’d caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, she’d gone the other way.

The last time she’d seen him up close had been at Jason’s funeral.

Pain washed through her, canceling out all of the good Asher feelings from only a moment before.

No wonder she’d had such a strong, immediate response to the sight of Alex. The man was dragging a bunch of her baggage in with him. Another thing she liked about Asher. He was separate from her life. From her pain.

Alex was all wound up in it.

“Hi, Alex,” she said, clutching her coffee cup tight, the warmth bleeding through to her palms. Which she was grateful for at the moment since her stomach had gone ice-cold at the sight of him.

“I’ve been meaning to stop by,” he said.

“That’s really okay,” she said, and she meant it. More than okay. Jason’s death meant that she was alone. Both of her parents were already gone. They’d had children later in life, and when her mother had gotten sick, her father had done everything he could to make his wife comfortable as her health declined. She’d died when Clara was twelve. And there had been no amount of preparation that could soften the blow. No amount of expectedness that could have made it feel less like a giant, ugly hand had reached into their life and wrenched the beauty out of it, leaving nothing but a dark abyss.

Copyright © 2017 Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

*****

Giveaway:

Harlequin is offering one (1) lucky winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29404/

*****

Book Review – You Say It First

Tags

Book Review, Happily Inc Series, Susan Mallery, You Say It First

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances Susan Mallery, comes the first standalone title in the Happily, Inc. Series—YOU SAY IT FIRST! You’re invited to visit Happily, Inc., a wedding destination founded on a fairy tale. Where people live… wait for it… happily ever after.

Order your copy today!

*****

You Say It First

Happily Inc series

by Susan Mallery

Blurb:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances invites you to visit Happily Inc, a wedding destination founded on a fairy tale…

Sculptor Nick Mitchell grew up in a family of artists and learned from his volatile father that passion only leads to pain. As he waits on a new commission, he takes a day job as a humble carpenter at a theme wedding venue. The job has its perks–mainly the venue’s captivating owner, Pallas Saunders. Although he won’t let love consume him, for ecstasy with an expiration date, he’s all in.

Pallas adores Weddings in a Box. But if she can’t turn the floundering business around, she’ll have no choice but to cave to her domineering mother and trade taffeta for trust funds working at the family’s bank. Then when a desperate bride begs Pallas for something completely out of the box, her irresistible new hire inspires her. Nick knows she doesn’t belong behind a desk, and she knows in her heart that he’s right—where she really belongs is in his arms.

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Get your copy of YOU SAY IT FIRST here!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2v8LYiZ

Kindle: http://amzn.to/2vPA7bW

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2whleC3

Nook: http://bit.ly/2uYd5yk

Book Depository: http://bit.ly/2ic2aiq

Powell’s: http://bit.ly/2idcg2G

iBooks: http://apple.co/2uYHtbC

BAM: http://bit.ly/2woIihs

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2wovrMh

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2uONR9o

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2woHZDA

Audible: http://amzn.to/2woIxJE

*****

Excerpt:

The afternoon passed quickly. Alan stayed with Catherine, the beauty team arrived and did their thing. At five, the ushers were seating the guests, and at five forty-five, the beautiful bride walked down the aisle. Pallas stood in the back next to Alan as they watched the ceremony move smoothly forward.

“See,” he whispered. “It’s fine.”

“You were right.”

“Three of my favorite words. I’m going to make you repeat them again and again.”

Pallas left to check on the catering. Silver had her trailer set up and was mixing the signature drinks; the bride’s specially hired DJ had already started setting up his equipment. Nick, who only needed to be a courtier for the procession, had already changed back into street clothes.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Much. I still think the server costumes are a little slutty, but that wasn’t my call. We have food, we have drinks, we have music.” She glanced over to where the DJ had set up his equipment. “I’m going to start breathing more deeply now.”

“Good.” Nick put his arm around her. “Want me to take your picture with the zebras?”

“Maybe later. Do they seem calm? They were tense when they arrived.”

“I gave them valium. They’re fine.”

She spun toward him and grabbed his arm. “Don’t joke about that. I mean it. I’m one crisis away from snapping.”

“Sorry. No drugging zebra jokes, although that really kills my best material.”

Pallas returned to the main building and waited for the service to end. She made sure everyone made their way to the reception area and was grateful when Catherine gave her a thumb’s-up.

While the wedding party took postceremony pictures, Pallas made sure the guests had plenty to drink and that the appetizers were circulating briskly. She was so focused on that she almost didn’t hear the loud shrieks from the far side of the open area. Almost.

“Oh no! They’re loose.”

Pallas hurried to the gates just in time to see three zebras running down the road.

“Should have let me drug them,” Nick murmured as Carol and Cade got in his truck and hurried after them. Pallas spotted four teenage boys laughing by the temporary fencing. She narrowed her gaze and started toward them.

*****

Review:

With her Fool’s Gold series, Mallery is known for bringing readers quirky, humorous stories that somehow manage to be lighthearted with depth.  And with Happily Inc she does it again!  SQUEEEE!  As we’ve come to expect, her characters are great with the zingers but can bring you to tears … and not just with laughter.  They have issues – real ones that you can totally get behind – and they have to deal with them before they can find their happy.

Pallas’s has to do with her mother.  For some reason her mom is really hard on her and nothing Pallas does is good enough, although she’s spent her whole life trying.  She’s at a crossroads in her life, though, having just inherited a wedding planning business while her mom wants her to work for the family bank.  Pallas has to decide what is right for her.

Nick’s issues have to do with his father and returning readers from Fool’s Gold will be familiar with the backstory (but new readers should have no trouble catching up – Mallery’s a pro at giving you the info you need).  His stay in Happily Inc is just a stop on his way to whatever he’s doing next, giving him a chance to connect with his brothers.  He definitely didn’t plan on Pallas and the kinds of feelings he’s developing for her.  He’s seen what that does to a person and he has no intention of getting that involved.   If you are familiar with Mallery’s work you know how that turns out … when does anything go as you expect it to?  🙂

For me the fluidity of Mallery’s stories really keeps me coming back for more.  I mean, the snappy dialogue and fun people are definitely at the top of that list, but she knows how to wrap everything together so that it works seamless towards that HEA.  Both Nick and Pallas work on their family issues (although Nick’s can’t be 100% resolved because he has brothers who need their own stories) and their concerns over the future, including whatever hangups are involved with committing to their relationship.  It’s pretty common in Mallery’s stories but she makes it seem fresh when she does it.  Every.  Single.  Time.  I don’t know how but she’s gotta have some kinda of magic going on.  And I am so ready to see what she has in store for us next!

*****

Author Info:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. She’s best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her online at SusanMallery.com.

Website: www.SusanMallery.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/susanmallery

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SusanMallery

Instagram: https://instagram.com/susanmallery

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/susanmallery/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/susanmallery

Newsletter: http://www.susanmallery.com/join-mailing-list.php

*****

Giveaway:

$100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9172c1a0378/

*****

Tour Schedule:

Susan Mallery’s YOU SAY IT FIRST – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

August 21^st

Booked All Night – Review & Excerpt

I Love Romance – Review & Excerpt

Katy and Zetti’s Book Ramblings – Excerpt

August 22^nd

A Southern Girls Bookshelf – Excerpt

Booknerd1107 – Review & Excerpt

Ficwishes – Excerpt

Readaholic – Excerpt

August 23^rd

Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

It’s all About the Romance – Excerpt

Rachel Loren’s Love of Reading – Review & Excerpt

Stephanie’s Book Reports – Review

August 24^th

Becky on Books – Review & Excerpt

Books and Things Blog – Review & Excerpt

K.T. Castle – Excerpt

Reading Reality – Review

Romantic Reads and Such – Excerpt

August 25^th

Living In Our Own Story – Review & Excerpt

Lover of Big Books Cannot Lie – Review & Excerpt

Nose Stuck in a Book – Excerpt

Thoughts of a Blonde – Excerpt

August 26^th

Mean Girls Luv Books – Review & Excerpt

Melena’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

August 27^th

Adventures in Writing – Excerpt

Forget the Housework, I’m Reading… – Review

Nicole’s Book Musings – Review & Excerpt

August 28^th

Mama She’s Crazy About Books – Review

The Butterfly Reads – Review & Excerpt

Two Book Pushers – Review

August 29^th

Little Bookworm Reviews – Review

Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance – Excerpt

Shannon’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Tales From A Bookworm – Review & Excerpt

August 30^th

Collector of book boyfriends – Excerpt

Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader – Review & Excerpt

Jen’s Reading Obsession – Review & Excerpt

August 31^st

Miss Riki – Review & Excerpt

Remarkablylisa – Review & Excerpt

Sofia Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

September 1^st

Bookishly Yours – Review & Excerpt

Fire and Ice Book Reviews – Review

Romancing the Readers – Review

TBR Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

September 2^nd

Cesya MaRae Cuono, Author – Excerpt

Dog-Eared Daydreams – Review

Moonlight Rendezvous – Review & Excerpt

September 3^rd

E-Romance News – Excerpt

Francoise’s Reading Corner – Review

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Sweet Red Reads – Review & Excerpt

September 4^th

Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

I’m A Book Shark – Review & Excerpt

Pervy Ladies Books – Excerpt

Shannon’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

September 5^th

From the TBR Pile – Review & Excerpt

My Nook, Books & More – Review

Renee Entress’s Blog – Review & Excerpt

The bookworm chronicles – Excerpt

September 6^th

A geordielass honest blog on reviews – Review

Book Reviews By Lexi – Review

Lattes & Paperbacks – Review & Excerpt

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

September 7^th

Brittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt

JOJO THE BOOKAHOLIC – Review & Excerpt

OMGReads – Review & Excerpt

Romance as a first language – Review & Excerpt

Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – Review & Excerpt

September 8^th

Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt

G & T’s Indie Café – Excerpt

Smokin Hot Reads Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

The Book Maven – Review

The Lovely Books – Review & Excerpt

Spotlight – Dead End Road

Tags

Dead End Road, Lori Whitwam, Vengeful Things series

*****

Dead End Road

Vengeful Things Book 1

by Lori Whitwam

Romantic Suspense

Limitless Publishing

Blurb:

A writer, a musician, an unexpected love…and a killer who wants to destroy it all.

Reclusive author Abby Delaney never dreamed she’d meet her rock-n-roll fantasy Seth Caldwell in her quaint, lakeside town…or that his love might be deadly.

Seth is weary of road trips, endless parties, and dead-end relationships, but what choice does he have? Songwriting and performing are all he knows. Then he meets Abby and finally finds a heart he can’t stand to break.

But forget small-town tranquility. An attempt is made on Seth’s life, and another mysterious death hits eerily close to home.

Everyone’s a suspect, he’s taunted with ominous messages, and it’s only a matter of time until the killer finds his mark.

What if the only way to keep Abby safe is to do the one thing she can never forgive—walk away?

As the noose tightens, one thing becomes clear…

If the killer isn’t found soon, Seth and Abby will take their love to the grave.

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/DeadEndRoadTBR

Purchase for only 99c for a limited time! Also available on Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2g5gGYy

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

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2w4BPGu

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2vgcloc

*****

Author Info:

Lori spent her early years reading books in a tree in northern West Virginia. The 1980s and 90s found her and her husband moving around the Midwest, mainly because it was easier to move than clean the apartment. After seventeen frigid years in Minnesota, she fled to coastal North Carolina in 2013. She will never leave, and if you try to make her, she will hurt you.

She has worked in public libraries, written advertising copy for wastewater treatment equipment, and managed a holistic veterinary clinic. Her current day job, conducted from her World Headquarters and Petting Zoo (her couch) is as the Managing Editor for Limitless Publishing, as well as editing for a select group of indie authors.

Her dogs are a big part of her life, and she has served or held offices in Golden Retriever and Great Pyrenees rescues, a humane society, a county kennel club, and her own chapter of Therapy Dogs International.

She has been a columnist and feature writer for auto racing and pet publications, and won the Dog Writers Association of America’s Maxwell Award for a series of humor essays.

Parents of a grown son, Lori and her husband were high school sweethearts, and he manages to love her in spite of herself. Some of his duties include making sure she always has fresh coffee and safe tires, trying to teach her to use coupons, and convincing the state police to spring her from house arrest in her hotel room in time for a very important concert. That last one only happened once—so far—but she still really, really appreciates it.

WEBSITE: http://www.loriwhitwam.com/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ripleygold

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/loriauthor/

*****

HOSTED BY: @HEAPRMore

http://heapr.blogspot.com

Spotlight – Finding Passion

Tags

Colorado Veterans series, Finding Passion, Tiffani Lynn

We met Judson in Finding Purpose, now it is time to get to know Javier ….

*****

Finding Passion

Colorado Veterans series

by Tiffani Lynn

Blurb:

Javier Suarez left the Marines four years ago after experiencing the ugliest facets of war. He’s been to hell and back but now he feels that his life is complete. He runs his own private investigative firm, spends time with his family and volunteers for local charities. He doesn’t need anything else.

Valerie Larinsky has spent the last 18 years fighting for the lives of her patients as a naval combat surgeon. But now that she’s returned to civilian life she has a new fight on her hands; her husband has left her, taking their only child with him.

Javier’s life is turned upside down when he takes Valerie on as a client. He’s drawn to her in ways he doesn’t want to be. The two do their best to ignore the fire igniting between them as they forge a working friendship. When Javier’s old issues resurface, it’s Valerie’s turn to figure out how to help him before he loses the battle of life.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2u8qney

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2uclWi3

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2sVvpLi

iBooks: http://apple.co/2v17CGj

*****

Author Info:

Tiffani currently resides in Florida with her husband, three daughters and chunky yellow lab. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in social science and spent five years working for Hospice. When she’s not writing or taxiing her children around she enjoys reading and attending concerts. Tiffani is also a crazed fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, and the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs.

https://www.facebook.com/Tiffanilynnauthor/

https://twitter.com/tifffanilynn74

https://www.amazon.com/Tiffani-Lynn/e/B01E2L14R0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1486656038&sr=8-1

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15141611.Tiffani_Lynn?from_search=true

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tiffani-lynn-6da25333-81ed-4f84-8847-f8877e4e5cd4

*****

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon Gift Card, Signed Paperback Set of Finding Passion by Tiffani Lynn

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a3541262/

*****

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Spotlight – The Sullivans Boxed Set

Tags

Bella Andre, Can't Help Falling In Love, From This Moment On, The Look of Love, The Sullivans Boxed Set

If you haven’t read this fabulous series, now is the time to start!

*****

The Sullivans Boxed Set Books 1-3

by Bella Andre

Publisher: Oak Press, LLC

Pages: 662

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

More than 6 million readers have already fallen in love with the Sullivans! Now get ready to meet your new favorite family in Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romances with the first three books in the #1 hit series.

“Not since Nora Roberts has anyone been able to write a big family romance series with every book as good as the last! Bella Andre never disappoints!” Revolving Bookcase Reviews

THE LOOK OF LOVE
Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is–until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love–and protect–her, but will she let him?

FROM THIS MOMENT ON
For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is…or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger – and the sinful promises – in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire…and can’t stop thinking about.

Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving – and losing – a man with a dangerous job again.

ORDER THE SULLIVANS BOXED SET

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

*****

Excerpt:

Enjoy the following excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE…

Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.

Knowing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.

He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.

Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.

“Are you hurt?”

She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. “No.”

He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.

Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.

Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.

In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.

It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, “My car is definitely hurt, though,” that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.

Knowing he’d been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he’d been right about her car. It didn’t take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop—more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago—to see that her shitty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front bumper wasn’t half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she’d slid into, her bald tires weren’t going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.

If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out  in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck.” He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, damn it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.

But the woman didn’t move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.

“I’m not getting into your car.”

Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.

“I’m not going to attack you. I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase’s radar started buzzing. He’d never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn’t the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.

And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.

Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. “I swear on my father’s grave, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay to get into my car.” When she didn’t immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, “I just want to help you.” And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. “Please,” he said. “Let me help you.”

She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn’t matter to him what she decided.

But, for some strange reason, it did.

…Excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE by Bella Andre © 2015

*****

Author Info:

Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of “The Sullivans”, “The Maverick Billionaires”, “The Morrisons”, and the NYT bestselling “Four Weddings and a Fiasco” sweet romance series written as Lucy Kevin.

Having sold more than 6 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 32 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s “The Sullivans” series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

Sign up for Bella’s newsletter at http://www.BellaAndre.com/Newsletter.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

*****

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Spotlight – Leaving Into Love

Tags

Lane Hayes, Leaning Into Love, Leaning Into series

I’m not usually all that into audiobooks but I can be persuaded by a good story … and this looks oh-so-tempting!

*****

Leaning Into Love

Leaning Into Stories, #1

by Lane Hayes

Narrated By: Seth Clayton

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: August 16th

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Friends to lovers, surfer, white collar, San Francisco, bisexual

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34093621-leaning-into-love

 

Blurb:

Eric Schuster is a successful guy. He’s part owner of a highly successful tech firm, he has a supportive family and a great group of close friends. But something is missing. Or maybe he’s reacting to his business partner and ex’s wedding news. He knows his former lover is making a big mistake but he also knows it’s time to move on. And hopefully avoid falling for another friend.

Zane Richards is an avid sailor and surfer with a laid-back approach to life. He firmly believes there’s a time and place for everything if you’re willing to take a chance. Like letting his best friend know he’s interested in being much more than friends. Eric has always been half in love with Zane but going from friends to lovers isn’t an easy sell for someone protecting his heart. Eric will have to decide if he’s willing to risk it all by leaning into love.

Listen to a Sample – http://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=leaning+into+love

*****

Excerpt:

Zane refilled my glass and returned it to me with a naughty smirk. “You get kinda corny when you’re tipsy, Schuster. It’s cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah. You get goofy. Your ears turn red and it makes the freckles on your nose stand out. Then you do that thing with your hair where you swipe your hand through it so many times that it looks like you just rolled out of bed.”

“Uh…okay. That’s embarrassing.” I searched for a reflective surface as I attempted to pat my unruly brown hair into some semblance of order. “I was going for debonair and I got bar mitzvah kid chic,” I grumbled.

Zane leaned forward and gave me an intense look I didn’t understand.

“You don’t have to be anyone but yourself with me, Eric. I like you just the way you are.” He sat back again and cocked his head. “So let’s talk about this stupid engagement party. What’s the dress code?”

“Um… it’s probably dressy casual,” I replied with a furrowed brow. I wanted to back up a sentence or two and analyze his words and dissect the meaning of “I like you just the way you are”.

“The usual oxymoron,” he snarked. “You are going with me, right?”

“Sure. If you want.”

“I want. It’ll save us both the trouble of finding some poor unsuspecting sucker to drag to a fancy shindig.”

“True. Speaking of suckers, don’t you have a date tonight?”

Zane glanced at his watch and then stretched his legs out on the bench so his shoe nudged my thigh. “I’ve got time. Talk to me. What else have you been up to lately? I noticed there’s a new exhibit at the Modern Museum. Have you gone? I think it’s a midcentury retrospective with Motherwell and de Kooning. I know you like the scribbly art and…”

His conversation was easy. The gentrified version of his former surfer dude accent had a lilting quality I could have listened to for hours. I felt myself truly begin to relax and let go of the invisible hold I’d had on my emotions, like a swimmer grasping onto a ledge who finally realizes he can reach the bottom of the pool. Being with someone who knew quirky details about me and accepted them without judgment or reservation was a gift.

I treasured all of my friends, but Zane was special. Our friendship was rooted in geography and history and now time. He wasn’t making a romantic advance when he asked me to attend Nick’s engagement party with him. That was latent wishful thinking on my part. Zane was simply being who he always was. My oldest and best friend.

*****

Author Info:

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in an almost empty nest.

Website: https://lanehayes.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008562883399

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaneHayes3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7125719.Lane_Hayes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LaneHayesauthor

*****

Giveaway:

$10.00 Amazon Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/555033ec228/

*****

Book Review – Out of the Shadows

Tags

Book Review, K.C. Wells, Out of the Shadows

Well-written with lots of emotion but very little drama … no wonder it is getting some great reviews on Goodreads & Amazon.

*****

Out of the Shadows

by K.C. Wells

Length: 62,991 words

Cover Design: Bree Archer

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light?

Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to Jamaica Plain in southern Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay.

Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.

When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?

Buy Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

*****

Excerpt:

MONDAY

CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ stared at the letter, his gut clenching. One look at its contents was all it had taken to send him spiraling down into a fit of panic.

He’d known it was coming, of course. He’d seen the posts on the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation website, all about how the housing association was putting together a list of their properties that were in dire need of renovation. He knew his building had to be on the list. They’d taken it over in the late nineties, along with several other properties along Minden Street, and nothing had been done to the buildings since then.

And here it was in black and white. His apartment was on the list for the first wave of refurbishments, which included the replacement of all the kitchen cabinets and countertops, plus the kitchen flooring. After that came the bathrooms, with new fixtures and tiles. The work would take two to three weeks.

Next Monday. They’re sending someone to start on it next Monday. What the hell do I do?

It wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to go, so that left one option: hiding in his room while whoever came to invade his apartment worked in the kitchen. And the bathrooms. Hell. That meant the bathroom next to his bedroom.

Looks like I’m going to be locking my bedroom door. The prospect of being holed up in his room for a couple of weeks made his heart sink.

Christian put down the letter on the kitchen table and walked into his living room, where patio doors opened up to the communal gardens that lay across the back of the buildings.

I need something to cheer me up, to take my mind off all this crap. And he knew just what would do the trick. He peeked through the blinds, knowing exactly what—or should that be, who?—he’d see.

Sure enough, there was his favorite handyman. Not that Christian knew the guy’s name. He only watched him every time the slim man with defined arms worked out there, mowing the lawns, repairing or repainting the fences, or digging up new flower beds and planting shrubs and trees in them. Christian estimated him to be in his midtwenties, and yeah, he was definitely Christian’s type. He loved it when the weather grew warm enough that Handyman would roll down his overalls to his waist, strip off his T-shirt, and expose all that tanned skin, with a light dusting of freckles across his shoulders.

Now, if the guy they send to work on my apartment is anything like him….

Christian knew the thought to be bullshit. There was no way he’d make any kind of contact with whomever the association sent. He’d just stay in his room, working there until the nightmare was all over.

It’s a couple of weeks—three, tops. I can manage. He figured if he kept telling himself that, somehow he’d talk it into existence. Yeah. I can stay out of their way.

Just so long as whoever turned up wasn’t a snooper.

MONDAY

JOSH WENDELL straightened and stretched, his back aching a little from lugging the large shrubs from the truck into the gardens. They were going to be really pretty when the rhododendrons flowered. He always liked working on the Minden Street houses. It was a peaceful little corner south of Mission Hill, just west of Jamaica Plain, and the communal gardens were his pride and joy.

Occasionally there’d be a couple of guys working with him, and they got along fine. Even if they told some fanciful stories. Like the one about the guy in the first-floor apartment at #197—the guy they said no one ever saw. Josh had scoffed at that immediately: If no one ever saw him, how’d they know he was even a him? Besides, if he listened to them, the guy in #197, apartment #1, was the bogeyman, a hermit who lured little kids into his lair, only to eat them and bury their bones under the patio outside his window.

Yeah, right.

Anyway, his days of working in the gardens had come to an end for a while. He’d received his instructions for the next few months: the association wanted him to use his skills in other pursuits, namely tearing out and replacing kitchen cabinets, laying down new tile floors, and replacing baths, sinks, and tiles. Josh was looking forward to it, even if it was going to be a royal pain in the ass working indoors at the height of summer. He just prayed the apartments had functional AC.

He glanced over at the apartment where the mystery guy lived. Not that Josh had ever seen him. All he saw were the vertical blinds that covered the patio doors, an effective barrier against revealing anything of the apartment’s interior—or its occupant.

Wonder what he’s really like?

Then he grinned to himself. Hey, what if I get to work on his place? The guys would be all over me, wanting to know what the inside of the apartment looks like. The way they described it, he expected to see something right out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was, of course, if he worked on that particular apartment.

Josh couldn’t wait to get his itinerary to find out.

*****

Review:

There are a few awkward interactions early on (I think to give you a feel for the characters) but once things get going Wells does a great job of making the people relatable and realistic.  It’s not an easy thing, making Christian more comfortable with himself, but it’s handled really well.

Josh is a little too perfect, which makes him great book boyfriend material.  He’s patient, kind, understanding, and charming.  He knows when to push Christian but also when to back off.

Christian is hesitant to be seen by anyone because of his appearance.  For years he’s hidden himself away, with his only human contact by phone … and peeping at the hot gardener outside his window.  Things start changing for him when said hot gardener is assigned the task of renovating Christians apartment.  He doesn’t realize the two men are the same at first (because of the no face-to-face contact thing he has going on) but Josh’s personality alone is enough to have Christian inching his way out of self-imposed exile.  When an accident throws them together … well, Josh has a certain charm about him 🙂

I think my favorite part about this book was the lack of drama.  We already get enough of the feels with Christian having to deal with his issues that nothing more is really needed.  Instead, Out of the Shadows is a delightfully low key story where two guys meet, get to know each other, and explore their common attraction, while helping Christian venture out into the world again.

*****

Author Info:

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….

K.C. loves to hear from readers.
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

*****

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon Giftcard

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3e0e9a43220/

*****