In the Spotlight with Bayou Book Junkie ~ Christina Lee (Giveaway)

We want to thank Christina Lee for agreeing to be our July's Author of the Month. We loved having her here and we all hope you all Junkies found some great new reads among her fantastic books! 

Hi Christina Lee and welcome to Bayou Book Junkie. Christina writes contemporary MF romance (New Adult and Adult), contemporary MM romance, and collaborates with Riley Hart on a NA MM series, Free Fall. Her latest solo effort, Regret (Under My Skin book 1, published 25 June 2017), was a sweet friends-to enemies-to lovers tale, and yay, there’s more to come! Rumour also has it that she’s just finished another book in the Free Fall series, though so far, we can’t find mention of a release date or a title (but rest assured, we will be keeping our eyes peeled!). She’s had a variety of careers and is now happily settled with her son and hubby in the Midwest.

BBJ: So Christina, we know that among other things you’ve been a wardrobe stylist, teacher and social worker, please tell us all about yourself and how you found yourself in the world of writing.

Christina: Hi there! Yes, I’ve had many different career experiences as a social worker, a special education teacher, a hand-stamped jewelry designer, and a wardrobe stylist in NYC. But it wasn’t until I got a part-time job writing a shopping column for a local newspaper that I decided to try my hand at fiction. The first book I wrote was a YA romance in 2008 and I’ve written many different age categories/genres since then (young adult, new adult, adult, LGBTQ) but always under the romance umbrella, because everyone under the rainbow deserves a happily-ever-after. ;-)

Retro Review: Cask Strength by Layla Reyne (Giveaway)

GoodReads ~ Amazon

Blurb:

Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan "Irish" Talley and Jameson "Whiskey" Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the Bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: he won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.

Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer's radar. They're assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie's home state, where Jamie's past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.

As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner's world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.

Release Day Review ~ Olivier (Order of the Black Knights) by TJ Nichols

Release Day Review ~ Olivier (Order of the Black Knights) by TJ Nichols

Title: Olivier

Series: Order of the Black Knights: Book Seven

Author: TJ Nichols

Release Date: July 31, 2017

Category: Mystery/Suspense, Fantasy: Urban Fantasy

Pages: 200

Dreamspinner  Amazon  Goodreads

Olivier Merlo works for a dangerous man. He does what he’s told without asking questions because he needs to protect his sister and niece. When someone gives his boss trouble, Olivier does what he does best. It’s a routine hit—until the victim’s brother starts poking around.

Cody Anders left his family behind a decade ago—along with their wealth and influence—to live on his own terms. Still, he knows his twin didn’t die of a drug overdose, and he’ll do anything to find the truth. What he uncovers is a conspiracy that will topple his family and leave him staring down the barrel of a gun.

Olivier must decide if he’s going to obey orders or free himself from the curse that has guided his hand for centuries. Cody, who challenges Olivier’s notion that no one can love him, holds the key to breaking his chains. But when the truth finally comes out, it might be more than Cody can accept.

Virtual Book Tour ~ Heat Wave (Seasons of Love Book 3) by Elyse Springer (Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour ~ Heat Wave (Seasons of Love Book 3) by Elyse Springer (Giveaway)

Summer is here, and what better way to relax by the pool than with a steamy romance! I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that Sara and Laura's relationship is hotter than Manhattan in July, and I can't wait to introduce you to these snarky and sexy ladies. I'll be touring throughout the week to talk about my new release, Heat Wave, and I hope you'll follow along. Plus, there's a pretty sweet prize in it if you do!

About Heat Wave

Sara Walker’s life is going nowhere fast: she has a job she enjoys but doesn’t love, friends who are too busy to hang out with her, and no boyfriend in sight. Then a phone call on a lonely Friday night changes everything, and suddenly she’s spending her weekends with Laura. Newly single and openly bisexual, Laura makes Sara think decidedly not-straight thoughts.

Laura Murphy, with her red hair, freckles, and killer curves, is any guy’s wet dream. But Laura’s done with guys for now, and it’s Sara who can’t stop dreaming about her. When Sara finally gives in to the curiosity, Laura blows her mind and pushes her further than she’s ever gone before.

But Laura makes it very clear that this is only a rebound fling, and she’s still planning to move to California. She’s more than happy to tie Sara up, but she’s not ready to be tied down. If Sara wants to keep her, she’s going to have to work hard to convince Laura that New York is worth staying for . . . and so is she.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/heat-wave

Cover Reveal: Go To Hail by Lani Lynn Vale ~ (Giveaway)

Title: Go To Hail

Series: Hail Raisers #2

Author: Lani Lynn Vale

Genre: MC Romance Cover Model: Andrew James Photographer: FuriousFotog

Release: October 27, 2017

Everybody has problems. But Travis? Yeah, he has so many problems that he finds it hard to breathe sometimes.

He spends five years catering to his ex-wife’s every want and need—all to make it possible to continue to see his child.

He isn’t supposed to fall in love with a woman, but he does.

He isn’t supposed to find someone that is willing to put up with his ex-wife’s crazy antics, but he has.

He isn’t supposed to be happy, but he is.

And all it takes is his ex-wife finding out about his new-found peace for things to change.

***

Hannah saw him and knew he was the one.

All it took was one look into that haunted man’s eyes, and she was lost, never to be found again.

She thinks she has it all. His love, a new baby made with that love, and a house to raise their blended family.

She’s wrong, and Travis’ ex-wife is out to prove it.

***

Travis doesn’t deserve Hannah. All he’s done is hurt her.

She’s done everything in her power to keep everyone happy, but the more she tries, the harder his ex-wife pushes. Until one day, there’s nothing left to push.

Hannah leaves, and Allegra wins.

But Travis isn’t willing to let her have her way any longer.

He fights back, and only gets a bullet to the chest to show for it.

Blog Tour ~ Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville Series, Book 1) by Aimee Nicole Walker (Review + Giveaway)

Blog Tour ~ Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville Series, Book 1) by Aimee Nicole Walker (Review + Giveaway)

UNSCRIPTED LOVE

Road to Blissville Series, Book 1

AIMEE NICOLE WALKER

M/M ROMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 07.11.17

PHOTOGRAPHER: Wander Aguiar

COVER ARTIST:  Jay Aheer/Simply Defined Art

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2uzVnkV

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2tzosN1

BLURB

Kyle Vaughn had three goals in life: become a vet, find the man of his dreams, and start a family. He easily checked off the first item on the list when he took over his grandfather’s veterinary practice. Too bad he wasn’t as lucky in love.

Chaz Hamilton took a leap of faith when he decided to pursue a career in writing, but one best seller didn’t mean he could quit his day job. All work and no play threatened to make Chaz a very dull man when the only romantic action he saw was in the pages of his manuscript. Too bad he couldn’t write his own happily every after.

Circumstances pushed the two men together, and one magical kiss beneath fireworks and stars changed everything. Kyle knew his luck had finally turned around and Chaz found a man far better than any book boyfriend ever written. There was just one problem. Chaz has kept a secret from Kyle that could ruin their chance at a beautiful life together.

Kyle and Chaz learn that the best-laid plans often go awry, the heart has a mind of its own, and the greatest love is unscripted.

The books in the Road to Blissville series can be read either as standalone books or as part of the series. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for mature adults 18 and older.

Release Day Blitz ~ One Plus One by P.A. Friday (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Release Day Blitz ~ One Plus One by P.A. Friday (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Title:  One Plus One

Series: Maths, Book Two

Author: P.A. Friday

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 7/31/17

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 40400

Genre: Contemporary, gay, bi, age gap, friends to lovers, grief, slow burn

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

James Cape has been in love with his mother’s best friend Laurie since James was sixteen and Laurie an inaccessible twenty-six. When he’s turned down flat by the older man just after his nineteenth birthday, James’s best friend Al encourages him to forget Laurie and find someone else. And James tries, he really does. But can he cope with his feelings for Laurie, his best friend’s home-life problems, and the deteriorating health of his father, all at the same time? And will Laurie ever notice the young man who’s right in front of him?

Excerpt

Book Review ~ Vice City by S.A. Stovall

Book Review ~ Vice City by S.A. Stovall

Blurb:

After twenty years as an enforcer for the Vice family mob, Nicholas Pierce shouldn’t bat an eye at seeing a guy get worked over and tossed in the river. But there’s something about the suspected police mole, Miles, that has Pierce second-guessing himself. The kid is just trying to look out for his brother any way he knows how, and the altruistic motive sparks an uncharacteristic act of mercy that involves Pierce taking Miles under his wing.

Miles wants to repay Pierce for saving his life. Pierce shouldn’t see him as anything but a convenient hookup… and he sure as hell shouldn’t get involved in Miles’s doomed quest to get his brother out of a rival street gang. He shouldn’t do a lot of things, but life on the streets isn’t about following the rules. Besides, he’s sick of being abused by the Vice family, especially Mr. Vice and his power-hungry goon of a son, who treats his underlings like playthings.

So Pierce does the absolute last thing he should do if he wants to keep breathing—he leaves the Vice family in the middle of a turf war.

Release Blitz: Losing My Religion by A.S. Tucker (Reviews+Giveaway)

Title: Losing My Religion

Author: A.S. Tucker

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: July 27, 2017

Jaden Barker is a good boy.

For as long as he can remember, he’s been preparing for the day he’ll be called as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He’s ready. He’s more than willing. And he can’t wait to spend the next two years serving the Lord and his church. But when a new proclamation from the church is announced, it leaves him questioning everything.

Quinn Owens is trouble with a capital T.

An aspiring actor living in the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s fought long and hard to get where he is, and he’s not willing to give it up for anything. Working for a homophobic boss presents quite a challenge when you’re a gay man, but Quinn knows losing this job means losing his dream. 

Jaden is lost and confused.

Quinn won’t let anything stand in his way.

But when Jaden finds himself living downstairs from the enticing Quinn, neither are prepared for what happens next.

Will Jaden be able to resist Quinn’s charms and remain a devoted Mormon missionary? Or will he fall, finding himself face to face with losing his religion?

Book Review: Uncomplicated Choices by Cara Dee

Uncomplicated Choices by Cara Dee

“Choosing you would complicate everything, yet it’s the most uncomplicated choice I’ve ever made.”

Title: Uncomplicated Choices

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pairing: Gay Romance

Amazon US: https://goo.gl/6gi5uI

Amazon CAN: http://a.co/9TVI3zn

Amazon AUS: https://goo.gl/6gi5uI

Amazon DE: https://goo.gl/MihNzq

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/O5vSr3

Goodreads: https://goo.gl/ILSWgz

Synopsis:

When life gave you lemons, you learned who stayed and made lemonade with you. Or something to that effect. And the day Ellis Hayes kidnapped me—or, borrowed a yacht and didn’t know I was on board—he'd definitely been handed too many lemons.

We faced a dilemma when I woke up hungover in the middle of the ocean. He needed to get the hell out of town to do some soul-searching and decide whether or not to divorce his wife, and I needed to get back on land because humans didn't belong on the water. There was also better cell service on land, and I had my four-year-old daughter on vacation in Paris to check in with.

Then I remembered I wasn’t a complete tool. Ellis wasn’t doing all right, and we were practically family. I had to stay and make lemonade with him. Of course, me being me, seemingly undateable and complicated, I had to develop feelings for him, too.

Book Review: Runner by Parker Williams

Title: Runner
Author: Parker Williams
Release Date: July 28, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

GoodReads ~ DSP ~ Amazon ~ iTunes ~ Kobo


Matt Bowers’s life ended at sixteen, when a vicious betrayal by someone who he should have been able to trust left him a shell of himself, fighting OCD and PTSD, living in constant fear and always running. When he buys a remote tract of land, he thinks he’s found the perfect place to hide from the world and attempt to establish some peace. For ten years he believes he’s found a measure of comfort, until the day a stranger begins to run on Matt’s road.

He returns every day, an unwelcome intrusion into Matt’s carefully structured life. Matt appeals to the local sheriff, who cannot help him since the jogger is doing nothing wrong. Gradually, after tentatively breaking the ice, Matt begins to accept the man’s presence—

But when the runner doesn’t show up one day, it throws Matt’s world into chaos and he must make the hardest decision of his life.

Blog Tour: The Independents II by Aaron Speer

What was supposed to be a one shot short story has taken on a mind of its own and now: They're Back! ORDER TODAY: http://tinyurl.com/y8xwbhut

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Now Available

Blurb:

When Ben Towers receives a lucrative publishing contract for his debut novel, it is most definitely a dream come true.

But there's just one problem.

His former best friend, Josh, takes to social media claiming that the idea for the book was stolen by Ben. Now Josh will publish the true manuscript as an Indie author.

The controversy drives interest in the book through the roof, and although this pleases Ben's publisher, they ask him to confirm absolutely that the book is indeed his idea, as lawyers are now necessary.
When Josh is shut down in all his avenues, the pathway to the release event is clear. Or so Ben thinks...

ORDER TODAY: http://tinyurl.com/y8xwbhut
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2sgDE0P

Release Blitz ~ Nickel (Fallen Lords MC Book 1) by Winter Travers (Giveaway)

Release Blitz ~ Nickel (Fallen Lords MC Book 1) by Winter Travers (Giveaway)

Title: Nickel

Series: Fallen Lords MC

Author: Winter Travers

Genre: MC Romance

Release Date: July 29, 2017 

Model: Lance Jones

Photographer: LJ Photography

Cover Designer: Melissa Gill @ MG BookCovers

Simple. Neat. Orderly.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

Karmen Handel’s life growing up had been anything but quiet and simple. A deadbeat father, a mother who never wanted her, and a grandmother who could care less were the perfect recipe to ensure Karmen built a wall around herself and never let anyone in. When her past comes back to haunt her, Karmen has no one to help her. Until Nickel.

Complicated. Dirty. Restless.

Live to ride. Ride to live.

Nickel Cunningham lives free with the brothers he calls family and has never craved anything more until he met Karmen. The shy, quiet nurse who cares for his grandma caught his eye months ago, and he hasn’t been able to get her off his mind since. Nickel knows what he wants, but he’s never had to fight for it before. Until Karmen. 

Release Blitz: Love at the Right Tempo by Michael Mandrake & Remmy Duchene (Giveaway)

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 76,805 words

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Blurb

Violinist Frederick Tremblay is one of the biggest names in classical music. When it comes to work, he’s all in. There is only time for music and working to make his dreams come through but none for love. Hell, he barely makes time to eat. When he agrees to play at an acquaintance son’s birthday party he figured he’d go in, make his rounds then go home—but his plans change when he walks into the path of Vaughan Singleton.

Vaughan “Sin” Singleton is the disowned heir to a candy empire. After he came out, his life basically ended and he had to start over from scratch. Joining the military was the thing to save him and also the one thing that brought him to his knees. Forced to retire, slinging alcohol wasn’t his dream but he needs something to pay the bills and to assist with easing back into civilian life. When he meets Frederick, Vaughan isn’t looking for love, but one unguarded moment changes everything.

From different sides of the track, Frederick and Vaughan have much to teach each other. But what is to become of their new romance when Frederick’s quirks come to light and Vaughan’s brother shows up?

Excerpt

AotM: Chase the Sun and Paint the Stars by Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn (Reviews+Giveaway)

Chase The Sun by Christina Lee and Nyrae Dawn

Book: Chase The Sun
Series: Free Fall #2
Authors: Christina Lee and Nyrae Dawn
Release Date: September 7, 2016
Pages: 222
GoodReads ~ Amazon


Blurb:

Jamie Tolland has only ever known his small Oregon town. Same job, same friends, same gay bar. He feels obligated to stay, especially as his mother’s illness progresses. But when a situation presents itself in the form of a vintage sports car, he jumps on the chance to not only repair it, but also drive it to its new owner in LA.

Conner Murphy left Oregon years ago to make his life in West Hollywood. Like his unconventional parents, he’s always been a free spirit, never settling on one job or girl for too long. When he inherits his late uncle’s classic Chevelle, he’s more than happy to let his childhood friend Jamie help.

Jamie and Conner are as different as night and day. Even after years of living apart, they still have a blast together—but now it’s mixed with an undeniable spark of attraction. Before they know it, they can’t keep their hands off each other. For Conner it’s all new and exciting, but Jamie isn’t the type of guy who takes this sort of intimacy lightly.

Conner soon realizes that Jamie quenches something deep inside of him that no one has before, but he doesn’t know how to handle a real relationship. As Jamie’s time in LA comes to an end, and the more they struggle to get on the same page about their feelings, the more Jamie realizes that trying to tie Conner down is as futile as capturing the sun.

Virtual Book Tour: Get A Grip by L.A. Witt ~ (Review + Giveaway)

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour for Get a Grip, the latest Bluewater Bay story!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Get a Grip) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 29th, and winners will be announced on July 30th.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

About Get a Grip

If a tree falls in Bluewater Bay . . . could it be fate?

A year after his divorce, Shane Andrews isn’t interested in dating—not that he has time, between three kids and a demanding job as a grip. When a windstorm knocks a tree onto one of the Wolf’s Landing soundstages, Shane’s there to help with the mess . . . and so is firefighter Aaron Tucker.

A former smoke jumper, Aaron’s an adrenaline junkie and way too restless and reckless to be relationship material. As far as he’s concerned, monogamy is for penguins, and he’d rather be alone than tied down. Signing up to be a stepparent? No, thank you.

But after a scorching-hot night together, they’re hooked. Aaron is a taste of the excitement Shane’s been lacking, and Shane’s pushing buttons Aaron didn’t know he had. The more they’re together, the less Aaron craves wild nights with other men . . . but the more Shane wants to play the field like he never got to in his twenties.

This could be the love neither man knew he needed, but only if Shane gets his feet back on the ground before Aaron walks away.