Blog Tour: Going All In by Kristine Cayne (Excerpt + Reviews)
GOING ALL IN
by Kristine Cayne
Men of Boyzville, Book One
Life has been tough on Harry Cooper. Rejected by his best friend, abandoned by his family, Harry spurns relationships, settling instead for backroom hookups and one-night stands. Out and proud, he scrapes by selling drinks in gold lamé trunks while struggling to make a name for himself as a musician. Desperate for a change, he and his roommate take a trip to Vegas, where Harry finds himself getting more than he’d bet on.
Fragrance chemist Ashton Montgomery is the man behind the Ashton George line of perfumes and colognes. He is also a gay man hiding behind the façade of one of New York City’s most eligible straight bachelors. After a failed paternity suit against him, he sneaks off to Vegas to celebrate his freedom. But is he really free, or is he locked into the future his parents have mapped out for him—CEO to the family business and married to a society woman of their choosing?
A chance meeting at a rock concert in Sin City catapults Harry and Ashton into an adventure where each man comes head to head with what he fears most. Can they learn to trust each other as a couple, or is undeniable lust all they have? When all the cards are on the table, they each must decide whether to fold or go all in.
Purchase links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/
Excerpt
Harry Cooper burst through the door of his room at the Hard Rock Hotel. It closed behind him with a dramatic clang. “Girl, you will not believe—”
Spotting his best friend Melissa Kincaid half-asleep in a pile of pillows on the massive bed they’d had to share to get the special “Getaway to Vegas” deal, he gasped and slapped her boxer-clad ass. “Seriously? We’re in Sin City, and all you can do is sleep?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, rubbing her butt cheek as she sat up. “Did you get tickets to something good?”
“Yes.” He sucked in a deep breath. “You won’t fucking believe—oh my God.” He waved a hand in front of his face.
Melissa rolled her eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t another Madonna drag-show revival thing. I had enough of that last year.”
Harry scowled indignantly. That show in Portland had been a blast. But no. “This is a million times better.”
“Better than Madonna? Well, in that case…” She rolled her hand in a go-on motion.
Harry sighed. Melissa just wasn’t in the spirit of their holiday. Her boyfriend of two years had broken up with her right after Christmas, announcing that he was going to London to complete his Ph.D. She’d begged him to continue their relationship long distance, but he’d been adamant. This was going to be a new chapter in his life, and one he’d be writing alone. Yeah. Dick, much?
But that was exactly why they’d left soggy Seattle to come to Vegas. To soak up the sun and the booze and forget about the fact that Valentine’s Day had just passed, and they were both hopelessly single.
“Come on, sweetie,” he coaxed. “Try to guess.”
“Okay, okay.” She shifted around on the bed, adjusting her T-shirt, which had slipped off her shoulder. She was just so cute with her big green eyes and auburn, shoulder-length curls. If he weren’t gay, she’d be the girl for him.
She tapped a long nail against her chin. “Celine?”
Barely able to keep from blurting out his secret, he pressed his lips tightly together and shook his head.
“Cirque du Soleil?”
“No, but that would have been awesome.”
“Hmm.” She shoved off the bed and pushed aside the curtain, probably so she could see the show billboards out on the strip. Cheater.
She glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide and hopeful. “Phantom? I’ve always wanted to see that.”
He laughed. “You know Gerard Butler isn’t in the play, right?”
“I can pretend.” She shot him a sassy smile.
“This is better anyway.”
“Nothing is better than Gerry as the Phantom.”
He sashayed across the room and got in her face, grinning like a loon. “This is way better. Guess again.”
Her gaze returned to the strip. When she spotted the sign, he heard the hitch in her breath. She whipped around and grabbed his shoulders. “The Red Hot Chili Peppers?”
“Yes!”
He said it much louder than he’d intended. Okay, he’d shouted, but could you blame him? They were going to see the freaking Red Hot Chili Peppers, and he’d get to hear Flea, the best bassist in the world, live!
“Oh my God. Are you serious? Those tickets have to cost more than our whole trip.”
He shot her a wink. “I may have done some wheeling and dealing with the concierge.”
Her eyes swept over him and narrowed. “Please tell me no sexual favors were exchanged in this transaction.”
Shooting out his hip, he slapped a hand to his chest. “Moi? I’ll have you know, Miss Melissa, I do have other talents.”
Waving her hands in front of her face, she ducked her head. “I really, really don’t want to know.”
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Going All In is Book 1 of Kristine Cayne's new The Men of Boyzville series and is a spin-off of her Six-Alarm Sexy series. In this book you do get to see the couple from her book Lover on Top which is the last book in the Six-Alarm series. It is possible to read this book on its own, but who doesn't want to read about a hot firefighter and paramedic (if you read Lover on Top, you'll know what I'm talking about)!
Harry and his best friend Michelle spend Valentine's Day weekend in Vegas as a new beginning for them. They're both single and ready to start fresh and what better way to do it by getting tickets to the Red Hot Chili Pepper's concert? Though Harry is a huge fan, he's distracted by the two hot guys that come down and introduce themselves to him and Michelle.
Ashton and his cousin sneak away to Vegas just to have a night of fun, where Ashton didn't have to worry about his family name or bodyguards. He doesn't expect to find Harry. Though Ashton is out to his family, for the sake of the business, he's in the closet and dates women publicly. What starts out as a chance just to meet Harry and share a beer, changes when not everything is what it seems. Harry wakes up the next day with no memories of the night before and though Ashton remembers more, he's quite surprised to find that he doesn't remember everything.
Harry goes back to his normal life in Seattle where he works at Boyzville as a shot boy and fills in as a bassist whenever he gets the chance. As much as Harry hates it, he's a twink and though he's out and proud, he also is self-conscious about his size and femme look. He hopes to become a rock star one day and has a lot of talent. Though he has a family, they're not close and don't live near each other. He's strong and independent and doesn't rely on anyone, or want favors from anyone. He wants to make it on his own. Ashton has a PhD and comes from a wealthy family with a lot of expectations. He is overcoming his bitterness of having someone he thought was a life-long friend go public with a paternity scam, when they both knew it was never a possibility. He's used to people using him and trying to get money from him. When Harry doesn't know who he is, or his family and wealth he has, Ashton takes advantage to get to know him better and make sure that Harry isn't playing him. What neither one of them expected was their instant attraction to turn into more with each other and before long Ashton's trying to find a way to make it permanent between them. And they both will have to decide if they're strong enough to stand up to their fears and family (in Ashton's case).
I really enjoyed this story! Both Harry and Ashton's characters were likable and though there were a couple parts where a misunderstanding could have been used to end their relationship, it didn't happen! Neither bailed and instead talked/listened to the other in order to work out through the potential issue. And, this is the first time I've read of the whole Vegas scenario in a gay romance! This is a great start to a new series! I can't wait to read the next book!
Rating: 4.5 stars
Author's Bio
Kristine Cayne's books have won numerous awards and acclaim. Her first book, Deadly Obsession, was an RT Book Reviews Top Pick and won Best Romance in the 2012 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards. Her second book, Deadly Addiction, won two awards at the 2014 eFestival of Words and 1st place in the INDIE Awards, Romantic Suspense Category (a division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Writing Contests).
Her book Under His Command won Best BDSM Romance at the 2012 Sizzling Awards and was a finalist in the 2013 eFestival of Words and 2013 RONE (Reward of Novel Excellence) Awards, and her book Everything Bared was a finalist in the Erotic category of the I Heart Indie awards.
Her book Under His Command won Best BDSM Romance at the 2012 Sizzling Awards and was a finalist in the 2013 eFestival of Words and 2013 RONE (Reward of Novel Excellence) Awards, and her book Everything Bared was a finalist in the Erotic category of the I Heart Indie awards.
Going All In is Kristine’s second gay romance.
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Thank you for being a part og the tour. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Going All In!
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