Virtual Book Tour ~ Reckless Behavior by L.A. Witt & Cari Z (Guest Post + Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour ~ Reckless Behavior by L.A. Witt & Cari Z (Review + Giveaway)

About Reckless Behavior

After too many years of putting his job first, Detective Andreas Ruffner is getting his priorities straight. He’s ready to spend some quality time with his adult kids, not to mention come clean about some things he should’ve told them a long time ago. And introduce them to his partner and boyfriend, Darren Corliss.

But in a heartbeat, a family dinner turns into Andreas’s worst nightmare. When the dust settles, one of his kids is hurt, and the other three have been abducted.

Andreas is going to find his kids, and nothing, not even a broken ankle, is going to stop him. Thank God for his sharp, level-headed partner . . . who has a crisis of his own pulling him away when Andreas needs him the most. As both men try to support—and lean on—each other, they get no closer to finding the kids. And the longer the children are missing, the less likely it is they’ll ever be found.

Available now from Riptide Publishing!

About the Bad Behavior Series

It’s “hell no” at first sight for newly partnered detectives Andreas Ruffner and Darren Corliss. Darren is too chipper, Andreas is too gruff, and that whole “IA wants me to prove you’re a dirty cop” thing really doesn’t get them off on the right foot.

It doesn’t matter if they like each other. They’re partners and that’s final. Though Andreas is easy on the eyes. And Darren is kind of cute. And . . . okay, maybe they can make this work.

They’d better, because as their cases get more horrifying—and more personal—they’ll have to trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts.

Check out Bad Behavior!

Where’s all the sex??

By L.A. Witt

Anyone who’s been reading my books for any length of time has probably noticed they tend to contain a lot of sex. I mean, most of my books are erotic romances, so… it kind of comes with the territory. Even my thrillers tend to include a fair amount of sexytimes.

The Bad Behavior series would be an exception to that.

When Cari Z and I started writing the series, we didn’t really make a conscious decision to avoid sex scenes. Rather, there was just so much happening that having the boys jump into the sack wasn’t feasible. For a while, they didn’t even like being in the same room, so sex was pretty much off the table. Then their case was dragging them all over kingdom come, so they didn’t have time. And as the series progresses, there is some personal/emotional stuff cropping up that makes sex… not much of a priority.

So at the end of the day, there just isn’t much sex in the Bad Behavior series. In fact, the entire 4-book (3 novels, 1 novella) series has significantly less sex in it than one of my standalone novels.

It’s a departure from my usual style, yes, but I think it works. It also seems to be the way Cari and I write together—our current work-in-progress is also light on the smut, heavy on the plot. And it’s ridiculously fun except when she sets me up for car chases because she knows they’re super hard to write and GUYS MY CO-AUTHOR IS SO MEAN TO MEEEEEE.

Anyway, I’ve written suspense novels in the past (and am working on a few now) that have much more heat, but the less spicy approach worked for this series. There are situations and circumstances where sex scenes just don’t fit, especially when you’re a couple of cops in the middle of an intense investigation, or when your family is falling apart (or missing), or when a serial killer is about to strike and you’re the only ones who can stop him.

Of course cops can certainly find a time and place to get it on even when it doesn’t seem like the most romantic moment—sex is cathartic and a way to blow off steam, so sometimes those “wait, why on earth are they boinking now?” scenes make a lot of sense. Cops need stress relief as much as anyone.

But in the case of the Bad Behavior series – especially Reckless Behavior – Cari and I agreed that copious amounts of sex just didn’t fit. So, buckle up for a lot of chaos and mayhem, but not so much of the naughty bits.

Plus we were generally pretty mean to Darren and Andreas, and didn’t leave them with the time, energy, or desire to have much sex. And we did kind of beat them up a few times. Man, no wonder Andreas is always mad at me…

5 Mind Boggling Stars!!!

Wow, just wow! From Andreas's kids being kidnapped and then with all that happened with Asher, this book was such an emotional rollercoaster for me.

As a mother, I think one of my worst nightmares is that of one or both of my daughters being abducted, so the fact that Erin, Casey and Emily were kidnapped in this book was difficult to read. I was on tenterhooks hoping that they would find a clue or a lead or something and that they'd be rescued.

As in the previous installments, Andreas and Darren had Paula helping them out. I have said it before and I will say it again, but she's one badass detective and she helps keep the guys grounded when they need it the most. I loved seeing Thidebeau being sort of forced to help them out, too. That was fun. And it was nice that most of the precinct rallied to help with the investigation, even if Andreas isn't their favorite person.

I loved seeing Darren and Andreas be there for each other, even when they were each going through a family crisis. They're just so perfect for each other and I just adore that they both are willing to go through fire for their partner's wellbeing. It was especially amazing to see Darren let go of his good character and push the envelope a bit more.

Overall, this series is quickly becoming one of my favorites in this trope. It's realistic and gritty and raw, action-packed and fast-paced and while there's no sex in this particular book, I adored seeing Andreas and Darren falling deeper with each other. I'm already looking forward to the last book which will be released on Jan. 15! So, if you're planning on reading, just start now, then you'll be all ready for when Romantic Behavior goes live.

*** Copy provided to me by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley for my reading pleasure. ***

About Cari Z.

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, "See ya!" She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She's still climbing that ladder, but can't stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get 'im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there's a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at http://cari-z.net/  or via her blog, http://carizerotica.blogspot.com/

About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Reckless Behavior, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice in an ebook from each of Cari and L.A.’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 6, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!