Title: Complexity
Author: Harper Miller
Series Title and Number: The Kinky Connect Chronicles Book 4.
Publisher: Self-Published
Cover Artist: Taria Reed Digital Artist
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Heat Level: 5
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: Novella
Genre/Tags: Kink, Erotic Romance, Bisexual Romance, Multi-Cultural, M/M Romance, Contemporary Romance
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Synopsis
Fairy tale endings weren’t made for people like me. Happy for now usually ain’t in the cards, either.
The dents on my wall from where my headboard kept knockin’ against the same spot was the first clue that I needed to calm my ass down. At the rate I was racking up notches and plowing through hookups, I wasn’t ever gonna find nothing real. Guess I kinda jinxed myself. I created my circumstances. You can’t get what you want if you keep falling back into the same pattern of bad habits. But then things changed. I stumbled onto somethin’ I never in a million years expected to happen. You gotta understand, I’m never the guy who wins. It was supposed to be just sex, but that shifty, rhyming and scheming bastard, Cupid, pulled a fast one.
I may have changed some stuff to protect a couple of people. But before you go believing the tabloids, make sure you understand that you’re gettin’ the lowdown straight from the source.
I needed to get this off my chest and it’s only fair that you at least get my side of it all. At some point, I might regret telling you any of this, but for now, you need to know.
*Disclaimer* This is a novella. Not a short story, novelette, or novel. This tale features an M/M pairing. If gay erotica/erotic romance is not your cup of tea and you are offended by same-sex relationships or crass language, you should bypass this story. Content is intended for a mature audience, 18+.
Complexity is the fourth installment in The Kinky Connect Chronicles. The Kinky Connect Chronicles are short erotic stories/novelettes all wrapped up in neat little bows. These stories are standalones. No cliffhangers in the lot!
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Excerpt
“Ain’t no easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna say it. You can ask me whatever you want after. Cool?”
Marisol looks up from the phone, and Juan shifts her on his lap, asking, “What’s up, Emmanuel?”
I take a deep breath and let ’er rip.
“I wasn’t seeing a girl, a woman. I was um . . . dating a guy. His name is Chris. I’m bisexual, and we were involved for a bit before things got too serious and I . . . we . . . called it off.”
Both Marisol and Juan stare at me, stunned. Juan’s mouth is parted in an O, but he quickly closes it.
He scratches the back of his head with this goofy-ass look on his face, and Marisol looks down at the tablecloth, her cheeks flushing. Moms and Lucia are quiet.
“Now’s the time to speak up if you got some shit to say, Juan. Let it out.”
Moms frowns at me. She hates when I curse.
“I-I had no idea you were gay, um, bi.”
“Not something I go around shouting since who I fu . . . uh, have sex with is nobody’s business.”
“Moms, you and Titi Lucia are quiet. Too quiet. You knew?” he asks.
Moms nods at Juan. “SÃ.”
My mother grabs my brother’s hand and gives it a little squeeze. “Juan, I love you both no matter what. Manny is an adult and he’s living his life. He knows I care about him protecting himself and being safe more than anything. Doesn’t matter if he’s with a woman or a man. A mi no me corresponde, ni es mi derecho, juzgar a alguien a base de su orientación sexual.”
Moms is saying that judging me, or anybody, on the grounds of their sexual orientation isn’t her business nor her right. I’ve never loved my mother more than I do in this moment. She let everyone in the room know that her job is to love me, and never judge. Moms displayed exactly what unconditional love is.
Titi Lucia chimes in, “He’s your brother. Nothing about him has changed. He’s the same guy you grew up with. The one who made you breakfast, helped you with your homework when your mother was working, washed your pissy sheets when you wet the bed, taught you how to fight and how to shoot a basketball. He was the father you should’ve had if yours wasn’t a deadbeat loser. Manny loves you no matter what, and you’d better feel the same, Juan.” Lucia’s voice is threatening as she wags a finger at my brother.
“Okay, okay, let’s chill out and let Juan process this for a sec. We cool or what?” I ask, staring at him. Marisol lifts off his lap and excuses herself. Lucia follows her and Moms takes a seat at the table.
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Guest Post
Writing while Black (Part Two)
If you haven’t read the first part of my post, please check out Part One at Cryselle’s Bookshelf.
In my last post, I mentioned the problem we have in the book world when it comes to color blindness.
Readers want to immerse themselves in stories and not have to worry about what race/ethnicity a hero or heroine is. It’s true that it’s a reader’s prerogative to purchase whatever tickles their fancy, but to the authors I ask: what about the avid readers who rarely see themselves represented in books?
As writers, we write what we like, but at the same time, I believe reach expands when an author attempts to incorporate diversity into their work. I say this, however, with a disclaimer: I purposefully created a bisexual Puerto Rican male who was hyper-masculine, with a rough-around-the-edges persona in Complexity. His persona and speech may be off-putting to some but Manny’s your everyday guy, a lovable roughneck. A bit uncouth but he’s a charmer when he wants to be.
We don’t see many characters like Manny in books, especially a bisexual character. I touch on this in Complexity when discussing homophobia and its prevalence in some cultures. In many Latin cultures men who identify as bisexual or gay are viewed as “less than.”
A reader, who happens to be Puerto Rican, told me she loved Complexity and my observations about Puerto Ricans and the LGBT community were spot on. Comments like that remind me why it’s important to research and get input from the communities you’re writing about. It’s great to want to include diversity into writing, but authors need to realize that writing characters of color requires digging a bit deeper than giving your character an ethnic name and describing their skin color.
I’m very attentive to this as both a black reader and writer. When someone is writing a black character, and they aren’t black, I hope that they’ve done research. I hope they’ve enlisted beta readers who are black. I hope they ask tons of questions before the book goes into publication. This is what I meant by the disclaimer: Tossing a character of color into your work just because it might be perceived as “trendy” isn’t what’s wanted or needed in the book world. “Diversity” is a buzzword, after all.
If you’re creating a character to give someone a voice and a desire to be authentic is evident in your work, readers will appreciate it more than you know. Sometimes they want to immerse themselves in a culture they may not be familiar with. Writing is an opportunity to teach. It’s an opportunity to grow.
Book One, Ironic (M/F dynamic) in the Kinky Connect Chronicles is free until July 29th on All Romance eBooks and Kobo.
You can purchase your copy of Book Four, Complexity at the following eBook retailers below:
Amazon US: http://ow.ly/qMZz301726F
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***
Manny has been having an affair with well-known tv actor Chris, who he met through the kinkysingleconnect.com website. It was supposed to be just one night, then just sex, until those pesky feelings started getting in the way. Manny is a semi-closeted bisexual man, but willing to come out for Chris. Chris is very closeted and Manny has no clue if he'd be willing to come out for him.
I think Harper Miller did a fantastic job with Manny, he's the quintessential latin man, brash and a bit rough around the edges, but very passionate and that translates into everything he does and how he reacts to things. I'm not overly fond of Chris, but that might be because aside from the Epilogue we just knew him from Manny's eyes and some of the things he did, weren't particularly likable. It's undeniable he and Manny had great chemistry, though, and it was obvious it was more than sex, even if Chris was so afraid of taking the next step and losing his career in the process.
I loved Manny's typical latin family, as well. Loud and loving, and there for him through thick and thin. And as a Spanish native speaker, I have to thank the author for doing a great job with the phrases she used in my language.
All in all, this is a short, intense, passionate and angsty book, that I think many would find as enjoyable as I did.
Rating: 4 Stars!!!
Meet the Author
Harper Miller is a thirty-something native New Yorker. She's traveled the world and lived in a variety of places but always finds her way back to the Big Apple. A lackluster love life leaves time to explore new interests, for Harper it is writing. The Sweetest Taboo: An Unconventional Romance is her debut novel. In her mind, the perfect Alpha male possesses intellect, humor, and a kinky streak that rivals the size of California.
When she isn't writing, Harper utilizes her graduate degree in the field of medical research. She enjoys fitness-related activities, drinking copious amounts of wine and going on bad dates.
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Tour Stops
July 11 - Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter
July 12 - Cryselle's Bookshelf
July 13 - Back Porch Reader
July 14 - Prism Book Alliance
July 14 - 3 Chicks After Dark
July 15 - Gay Guy Reading
July 16 - Love Bytes Reviews
July 17 - Dirk Greyson's Blog
July 18 - Romance in Color
July 19 - Boy Meets Boy Reviews
July 20 - Andrew Grey's Blog
July 21 - Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Minds
July 22 - Attention is Arbitrary
July 23 - Alpha Book Club
July 24 - Bayou Book Junkie
July 12 - Cryselle's Bookshelf
July 13 - Back Porch Reader
July 14 - Prism Book Alliance
July 14 - 3 Chicks After Dark
July 15 - Gay Guy Reading
July 16 - Love Bytes Reviews
July 17 - Dirk Greyson's Blog
July 18 - Romance in Color
July 19 - Boy Meets Boy Reviews
July 20 - Andrew Grey's Blog
July 21 - Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Minds
July 22 - Attention is Arbitrary
July 23 - Alpha Book Club
July 24 - Bayou Book Junkie
Giveaway
Rafflecopter Prize: One winner will be selected to win eBook copies of Kinky Connect Chronicles series and an Amazon gift card.a Rafflecopter giveaway
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