Release Blitz ~ Wrapped Together (Portland Heat #5) by Annabeth Albert ~ (Reviews, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Title: Wrapped Together
Series: Portland Heat #5
Author: Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release Date: December 6
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 35,000 words
Genre: Romance, contemporary, friends-to-lovers
Synopsis
In the bustling restaurants, shops, and cafés of Portland, Oregon, things really heat up for the hard-working men behind the scenes when the holidays come into town . . .
For a stationery store owner, the holidays are great for business. But for Hollis Alcott, Christmas reminds him of the tragic events of three years past, and the last thing he wants to do is take part in Portland’s over-abundance of festive cheer. But Sawyer Murphy, a hunky gift shop owner whose brother is married to Hollis’s sister, has made it his mission to pluck Hollis out of his holiday blues. And his plan is beginning to work. Wrapped in the warm glow of newfound passion, the former business rivals hit up Portland’s finest holiday traditions—and Hollis’s icy attitude begins to melt like snowflakes on his tongue. But he isn’t sure he can trust anyone with the only gift he has—his heart—without breaking it like an antique ornament. Unless he can find the courage to take a leap with the one lover he never expected . . .
Excerpt
This excerpt comes from chapter one of WRAPPED TOGETHER, when Hollis and his long-time frenemy Sawyer engage in a friendly bet sure to put their holiday cheer to the test!
I took a sip of my now tepid, almost-gone tea. Ugh. The good barista was on duty, the one who went with Ev from the knitting store and who always happily made my tea with the same care he did the fancy coffee drinks. I left the group, happy to have the excuse of needing a refill, but as I stood in line, Mary Anne joined me.
“Hollis Alcott, we almost never see you at these things!” Her voice seemed to ring out above the din. “Will you be participating in the contest this year?”
“I doubt it. My fall display is already set.” I tried not to sound too dour—she always had the best houseplants and had custom-ordered the rare fern I’d wanted.
“Ah, well, that’s too bad. You let me know if you change your mind. I’d be happy to lend you some poinsettias or other decor. I know you could do a splendid, tasteful window.”
It was my turn to order, so I gave her a smile as a reply before handing Brady my stainless-steel tumbler for tea and ordering a scone to go. I had to wait down at the other end of the bar for my order, and as I was waiting, Sawyer came loping over, a smile on his boyish face. His wide shoulders stretched the hoodie in distracting ways.
“Hollis! Did I hear you say you’re not decorating?”
“You did.”
He frowned. “I know how much you hate the holidays, but I bet you’d get an uptick in sales if you decorated. I heard Mary Anne offer to help. I could, too. I’ve got gobs of lights.”
“Thank you but no.” Truth be told, I could use the increase in sales, but it wasn’t enough of a motivator to get me ready for the onslaught of red and green.
Sawyer’s head tilted, considering. Oh no. I knew that look too well. A Sawyer who was scheming was downright dangerous. “We should bet, you and I.”
“No,” I said firmly. I stepped away from the coffee bar to let Mary Anne and others wait for their orders, but Sawyer kept step with me, effectively pinning me in between two tables on my path to the door. I sighed and repeated my objection. “No. The last time we bet, I believe you cracked a wrist.”
Sawyer waved a hand, dismissing my concern. “We were fifteen. We’ve had other bets since then.”
We had, but there was one in particular I was determined not to remember right at that moment. This was the peril of having known someone for almost two decades. “How precisely would one even bet on this?”
I let my inner musings escape before I could rein them in, and Sawyer smiled. He knew he had me. Whatever nervousness and shyness captured my tongue around large groups did not, unfortunately, extend to Sawyer. “Well, I was thinking whichever of us makes it into the top three is the winner of our bet, and then the loser has to do whatever the winner wants for an evening.”
Oh, I did not like this. “Anything?”
“That wasn’t a no.” Sawyer’s grin showed the sort of charm that made him so darn popular. “And I wasn’t thinking of something kinky. Trust me here, Hols.”
“Don’t call me that.” And I most certainly did not trust him. I was pretty sure the always-affable Sawyer didn’t have a kinky bone in his body, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t up to something. “But I could get you to do any task of my choosing?”
See, the thing about me that Sawyer knew was that I have a very hard time resisting a bet. Always have, hence the aforementioned bet freshman year of high school about jumping over auditorium seats during drama class. I’m also notoriously cheap. And as it turned out, I did have a job for him.
He nodded. “Anything.”
“I have a bathroom I want painted at my store. Including the trim.”
Sawyer, to his credit, didn’t look remotely pained. “That’s fine. I’m good at painting.”
“And you? What would you want?” I had no idea why I was asking. I certainly wasn’t planning on agreeing to this ridiculous plan.
“A surprise.” He winked at me.
“I don’t like those.”
“I know. Which is why you need one. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll specify no sex or nudity involved.” Sawyer had mercifully dropped his deep, clear voice to softer tones. I still bristled at the thought of anyone overhearing this.
“Or humiliation, public or otherwise.”
“Oh, Hollis, you know me better than that.” He held up his hands. They were big, capable hands, and I had to blink to get my eyes to look away. “Now, come on. I dare you. Bet me.”
Purchase
Kensington Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
Wrapped Together is book 5 in the Portland Heat series and can technically be read as a standalone, however, as a long-time fan of the series and Annabeth Albert, I think anyone who doesn't read the other books would be missing out.
Hollis Alcott isn't too fond of Christmas especially after a tragic event three years before and he's perfectly content staying in his nice little bubble in his stationery store. Sawyer Murphy, Hollis' sister's brother-in-law, is almost his complete opposite and is intent on making Hollis enjoy the Christmas season this time around. The plan works for the most part until feelings get in the way. But is Hollis ready to trust Sawyer with his heart?
I loved Hollis from the start. There was just something about the quiet, introverted man that just resonated with me. And I liked Sawyer, he was almost the complete opposite to Hollis, extroverted and fun. It was fun to read how differently they view their prior relationship, Hollis considering Sawyer almost like an enemy, even if he'd been interested in Sawyer since they were teenagers, and Sawyer seeing Hollis as a friend, one he'd recently realized could be more. It was nice to see Sawyer put all the work to take Hollis out of his comfort zone and show him that Christmas could be a great season again and damn if the chemistry between them wasn't hot enough to raise the room's temp a few degrees! *fans self* I loved the twist that Hollis was such a kinky little thing underneath all that controlled exterior, and I just adored that Sawyer was game for it all. LOL
If I could've asked for something more, it would've been having a bit more background since Hollis and Sawyer had so much history, but that's just me being greedy.
Overall, this was a fantastic addition to the series. The writing was amazing, the characters were lovable and the story line was engaging. Very recommendable!
Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!
*Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
This is Book 5 in Annabeth Albert's Portland Heat series. It's probably possible to read each book on its own, but it's such a great, sweet series you should read all of them!
In this book, we get the story of stationery store owner, Hollis, and gift shop store owner, Sawyer. Hollis and Sawyer grew up together, and along with their twins were a group of best friends. Hollis has always been different than his twin, and Sawyer and his twin. Once Hollis' twin married Sawyer's twin, he kept pulling away from Sawyer to not fall into the expectations of everyone around them. Now the holidays are approaching and Hollis doesn't enjoy the season after a tragic event took his parents three years prior, but he's not prepared for Sawyer, who's decided he's ready to commit to Hollis. Sawyer knows Hollis' weaknesses and sets about teaching him to enjoy the holidays and family again.
From Hollis' perspective this is an enemies-to-lovers story, but from Sawyer's perspective, it is friends-to-lovers. Everyone loves Sawyer and Hollis works hard to make sure he's not one of those people. Hollis is introverted, Sawyer is extroverted; Hollis hates crowds, Sawyer thrives in crowds; Hollis is neat and orderly, Sawyer loves a mess; Hollis takes a kale salad to a potluck, Sawyer takes a spice cake; Hollis hates the holidays, Sawyer loves the holidays. This story is a true story of opposites finding love together. For all the control that Hollis keeps in his life, the one area that he gives it up is in sex and though Sawyer was taken by surprise by Hollis' kink, Sawyer is an all in kind of guy. Sawyer has to find a way to give Hollis what he needs and convince him that a relationship is exactly what he wants.
I really enjoyed Hollis and Sawyer's story! I really enjoyed seeing Hollis' growth from the solitary man, to someone who was willing to allow people in his life. Though I don't really read a lot of holiday stories, I thought this one was sweet and perfect for that time of the year! And I think it was a lot steamier than the others! There's some interesting rope play, denied orgasms and lots of steam with these two guys! They will definitely warm up your winter!
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From Hollis' perspective this is an enemies-to-lovers story, but from Sawyer's perspective, it is friends-to-lovers. Everyone loves Sawyer and Hollis works hard to make sure he's not one of those people. Hollis is introverted, Sawyer is extroverted; Hollis hates crowds, Sawyer thrives in crowds; Hollis is neat and orderly, Sawyer loves a mess; Hollis takes a kale salad to a potluck, Sawyer takes a spice cake; Hollis hates the holidays, Sawyer loves the holidays. This story is a true story of opposites finding love together. For all the control that Hollis keeps in his life, the one area that he gives it up is in sex and though Sawyer was taken by surprise by Hollis' kink, Sawyer is an all in kind of guy. Sawyer has to find a way to give Hollis what he needs and convince him that a relationship is exactly what he wants.
I really enjoyed Hollis and Sawyer's story! I really enjoyed seeing Hollis' growth from the solitary man, to someone who was willing to allow people in his life. Though I don't really read a lot of holiday stories, I thought this one was sweet and perfect for that time of the year! And I think it was a lot steamier than the others! There's some interesting rope play, denied orgasms and lots of steam with these two guys! They will definitely warm up your winter!
Rating: 4 stars!
Meet the Author
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open— no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children. Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary AgencyWebsite | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook Group | Annabeth's Mailing List
Giveaway
One lucky winner will win a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card!a Rafflecopter giveaway
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