Release Blitz ~ Smoke In The Mirror (A Road to Blissville Story) By Aimee Nicole Walker (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)
SMOKE IN THE MIRROR
A ROAD TO BLISSVILLE STORY
AIMEE NICOLE WALKER
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 07.12.18
BLURB
Memphis Sullivan thought he was coming to Blissville to help his cousin out, but instead, he gained three meddlesome females, a tribe, and a permanent home. More than a year later, he owns a popular comic book and vinyl record store and doesn’t think his life could get any better. That all changes when the star of his favorite television show and bad-boy fantasies rides into town and spices up his vanilla world.
Lyric Willows’ decision to visit an old friend in Blissville will change his life in ways he never dreamed possible. The paranormal investigator is immediately drawn to the mysterious disappearance of the town’s founder in 1850 and rumors that his former home is haunted. More alluring to Lyric than the history of Bliss House is the immediate connection he feels to the adorably geeky owner of Vinyl and Villains, who also happens to be his friend’s cousin.
Lyric becomes Memphis’s houseguest when he decides to stay in town to conduct a paranormal investigation. Tight spaces lead to sexy encounters, and before long, ghosts aren’t the only things that go bump in the night. The more they unravel about Anthony Bliss’s disappearance, the more tangled in one another they become. How is it possible for two virtual strangers to feel like they’ve known each other for their entire lives? Was their love written in the stars, or is it nothing more than an illusion?
Smoke in the Mirror is the fifth book in the Road to Blissville series. Each book can be read as a standalone book or part of the series. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults 18 and older. Lyric Willows’ decision to visit an old friend in Blissville will change his life in ways he never dreamed possible. The paranormal investigator is immediately drawn to the mysterious disappearance of the town’s founder in 1850 and rumors that his former home is haunted. More alluring to Lyric than the history of Bliss House is the immediate connection he feels to the adorably geeky owner of Vinyl and Villains, who also happens to be his friend’s cousin.
Lyric becomes Memphis’s houseguest when he decides to stay in town to conduct a paranormal investigation. Tight spaces lead to sexy encounters, and before long, ghosts aren’t the only things that go bump in the night. The more they unravel about Anthony Bliss’s disappearance, the more tangled in one another they become. How is it possible for two virtual strangers to feel like they’ve known each other for their entire lives? Was their love written in the stars, or is it nothing more than an illusion?
EXCERPT
Three weeks passed with no word from Lyric. I would’ve taken it personally if he was communicating with Maegan during that timeframe, but she hadn’t heard from him either. I’d shamefully looked online for answers, but he had pulled another disappearing act. I accepted he’d changed his mind and moved on to a different town and haunted house. I’d kept my house spotless during the first month of waiting because I wanted to make a good impression on the man when he arrived, but I gave up on tidiness at the same time I gave up on him showing up on my doorstep.
That’s why I was masturbating at eleven o’clock on a Saturday night instead of scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen when his truck rumbled into my driveway. I didn’t realize he arrived right away of course because I was fingering my ass with two fingers from my left hand while stroking my dick with my right. What else would I be doing on a Saturday night? I was about to shoot my load when I heard Gigi growling low in her throat in the hallway. At first, I thought she was pissed because I locked her out of the bedroom since I couldn’t jerk off with her judgmental eyes watching me. Then the growl became a full-out squeaking bark about the same time I heard voices downstairs. My stroking hand stilled as panic flooded my body.
“What the fuck are they doing here?” I whispered out loud. The Matrons were nosy as fuck, but they’d never unlocked the door and let themselves in. Then I heard a fourth voice join them, one so deep and raspy with the perfect amount of southern drawl, and it sent electric thrills coursing through my body. The slightest jerk with my right hand made me come hard enough for my toes to curl and my eyes roll back in my head.
“Memphis is probably sleeping,” Gertie said loudly from the bottom of the steps. She was the oldest, and mother of Sandra and Clara. Sandra was the one who owned the house I rented, and it was mostly furnished with her belongings. The only things I moved in were my clothes and my bed. Sandra moved in with Gertie after her husband’s sudden death a few years prior. Up until that moment, I felt exceedingly lucky to find such a nurturing landlord and two additional ladies to fuss over me.
“Fuck!” I whisper-yelled, jackknifing off the bed and grabbing the closest pair of sweats off the floor. I grabbed a T-shirt too, but instead of pulling it over my head, I wiped the cum off my chest and tossed it in the direction of the dirty clothes basket.
“Surely not,” Sandra said. “It’s a Saturday night. He’s most likely busy doing something else.” Fuck me! “We were all young and single once.”
“Who needs to be young or single to masturbate?” Gertie asked her oldest daughter.
“Mom!” Clara admonished. She was the softest spoken and most demure of the three, but that wasn’t saying much.
“We love your show,” Gertie said, changing the subject. “Memphis is a big fan too.”
“Is he now?”
4.5 Stars!
Smoke in the Mirror is book 5 in the Road to Blissville series and while it could be read as a standalone, I think the experience will be better if you read them in order. In my case, I've read the book prior to this one, but I plan to go back and read the rest of the series asap.
Memphis has had a crush on TV ghost hunter Lyric Willows for years, and now that he's living in Blissville, he's finally getting the chance to not only meet him, but have him as a guest in his own house. Lyric is not looking for love, but he can't deny the attraction towards Memphis, or how jealous he is of any guy who shows any interest toward the shy yet sexy comic store owner. They start a no strings attached something while they investigate the mystery of the Bliss House, but soon they will realize there's more brewing up between them.
One of my less favored tropes is when one of the characters is determined that love is not for him for a bad past experience, so I was a bit wary of Lyric's reticence to have a relationship or fall in love. He did have a valid reason for it, though, and he didn't resist all that much once he realized Memphis was the one for him, so I'm very grateful for that.
Overall, the book was fun, engaging, both Lyric and Memphis were lovable characters, their romance was very low-angst and the mystery portion was entertaining and sweet and OMG, did you see that cover? It's scrumptious! I loved catching up with other of my favorite characters in both this series and the Dye Up and Curl series (Josh), and I hope this isn't the last we've seen of them all.
Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4 Stars
This book is a light and fluffy read, which was precisely what I needed after a particularly heavy one. In this novel, Ms. Walker delivers low angst, a little comedy, and high heat. The chemistry between the mains - Lyric and Memphis - is off the charts. And to read a story where they both “knew” each other previously (one’s a TV star, the other is known through their circle of friends), then had this immediate feeling of coming home to one another when they met was wonderful.
This was the classic friends with benefits start that turned into deep, lasting love very quickly. Their past hurts, though, had you rooting for the HEA.
I particularly appreciated how Ms. Walker weaved the stories of the other Blissville residents like Maegan and Elijah, Milo and Andy, Jon and Emory into this book. And, the cameo by Jazz from the Curl Up and Dye series was great, too! Probably the best cameo was from Anthony Bliss, the town’s founder. Figuring out his mystery lent just enough drama to make the book engaging and interesting.
Great read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4 stars
Unfortunately, I have not read the first few books in this series but I’ve been drawn to it several times as I was searching for new reads, so when I read the synopsis, I was immediately hooked and knew I had to read it. I love things that are paranormal plus this gave me Ghost Hunters Vibes and I love that show (Funnily enough, I kept picturing Zach as Lyric).
I really did enjoy this book though I found it to be a little slow in the beginning, it picked up soon after, but overall I had fun meeting Memphis and his gang and learning about the town of Blissville, which was very quaint and close-knit.
Lyric, Physically, is exactly one of my type of fictional character. I’m drawn to the tortured, tattooed, cocky type. Memphis is the other, the geek with glasses who doesn’t normally know their own appeal (though Memphis seems to know his at times).
This book was definitely sweet and sexy as well as filled with ghostly moments (that thank goodness weren’t scary at all.)
Since I enjoyed this book, I think I might go back and read the previous books in the series.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever- after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.
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