Release Day Review ~ Six Degrees of Lust by Taylor V. Donovan

Release Day Review ~ Six Degrees of Lust by Taylor V. Donovan

Title: Six Degrees of Lust

Series: By Degrees

Author: Taylor V. Donovan

Release Date: January 2, 2017

Category: Contemporary

Pages: 350

Dreamspinner   Goodreads

New York City FBI team leader Samuel Shaughnessy lives for his immediate family and his job. After a marriage gone wrong, he has stuck to a firm rule when it comes to relationships: he doesn't have them. Sexually active and emotionally unavailable keeps him satisfied, especially now that he is in hot pursuit of a serial killer targeting gay men.

Former firefighter Machlan O'Bannon now manages a successful sports bar in Houston, and after years of waiting, he’s ready to stand up and be the man he always wanted to be: out, proud and drama-free. His politically-aligned family wants to keep him locked in the closet, but Mac just wants to meet the man of his dreams.

One man is as high strung as the other is laid back. A chance meeting brings them together, and one night of passion ignites a fire neither can fight. Their lives are not only miles apart, but as different as day and night. They don't want to get involved, but they might not be able to keep apart.

First Edition published by MLR Press, December 2011.

Release Day Review ~ The Virgin Manny by Amy Lane

Release Day Review ~ The Virgin Manny by Amy Lane

Title: The Virgin Manny

Series: The Mannies

Author: Amy Lane

Release Date: January 1, 2016

Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires

Pages: 228

Dreamspinner  Goodreads

Growing up and falling in love...

Sometimes family is a blessing and a curse. When Tino Robbins is roped into helping his sister deliver her premade Italian dinners when he should be studying for finals, he’s pretty sure it’s the latter! But one delivery might change everything.

Channing Lowell’s charmed life changes when his sister dies and leaves him her seven-year-old son. He’s committed to doing what’s best for Sammy… but he’s going to need a lot of help. When Tino lands on his porch, Channing is determined to recruit him to Team Sammy.

Tino plans to make his education count—even if that means avoiding a relationship—but as he falls harder and harder for his boss, he starts to wonder: Does he have to leave his newly forged family behind in order to live his promising tomorrow?

Review Tour ~ Snow In Montana by RJ Scott (Review + Giveaway)

Review Tour ~ Snow In Montana (Montana #4) by RJ Scott (Review + Giveaway)

Author: RJ Scott

Length: 54,000 words

Cover Design: Meredith Russell 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | AllRomance | Smashwords | B&N | KOBO | iTunes

Blurb

An actor in the closet, a sheriff in love, and memories that won't stay hidden.

Jordan Darby is known as the King of Christmas. The star of eight made-for-TV Christmas movies, the leading man who always gets his girl. Filming at Crooked Tree Ranch in Montana, in the ice and snow, Jordan is fighting to make a go of his new company and dealing with fears of exposure over one huge secret. After all, who the hell would buy into him being a romantic straight lead if rumors about him being gay were proven to be true.

Sheriff Ryan Carter is advising on the new movie being made at Crooked Tree. He hoped this would be one day of work and nothing more. Until, that is, he meets the hero. But while Jordan is sexy, he's also very much stuck in the closet - everything that Ryan doesn't need in his life. And then lust becomes part of the equation, and Ryan's quiet life is thrown into turmoil.

Their story unfolds against the chaos that overtakes the ranch, with Adam regaining memories that terrify him and make him look at Justin differently, and Justin leaving the ranch to make things right. Only through trusting in love and friendship can Justin and Adam learn to look to the future instead of letting the past destroy everything. But will they ever see clearly enough to do that?

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ All I Want For Christmas... Is No Christmas by Colton Aalto

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ All I Want For Christmas...Is No Christmas by Colton Aalto

Title: All I Want for Christmas... Is No Christmas

Author: Colton Aalto

Category: Holiday, Contemporary

Pages: 35

Dreamspinner

Alec Ryder’s arrest in Aspen, early on the morning of December twenty-fifth, is the latest disaster in his series of unhappy Christmases. He’s dreaded the holiday since being subjected to endless church services as a child. Being kicked out on Christmas Day after he came out to his parents, followed by an improbable series of yearly yuletide trips to the emergency room, haven’t made his Christmases any merrier. But getting busted for prostitution is the worst catastrophe; it means Alec’s dream of a college degree is gone, replaced by the specter of jail time.

Just when Alec thinks things can’t get worse, Hayden Adler shows up to interrogate him. Hayden is a glamorous attorney who also happens to be Alec’s college roommate’s cousin. Alec’s had a crush on Hayden for years, but whatever minuscule chance Alec might’ve had is now history—just like the life he’s been trying to build for himself.

But things aren’t quite what they seem. In a long line of miserable Christmases, Alec will never forget this one, although not for the reasons he suspects.

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

I loved this short story! For being the length it is, it packed in quite a lot of backstory and showed us how it was that Alec ended up in the predicament he found himself in. 

I really liked Alec and Hayden. Alec didn't think he deserved to have a relationship because of his job and it was lovely to see that Hayden really didn't care about any of that. It was a tad evil to keep Alec guessing if he was going to be arrested or not in the end, but Hayden's sweetness more than made up for it. 

All in all, a fun, very entertaining read! 

Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ Cursed Miracles by Meg Harding

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ Cursed Miracles by Meg Harding

Title: Cursed Miracles
Author: Meg Harding
Category: Holiday, Fantasy: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 48

Dreamspinner  Goodreads

Two hundred years ago on Christmas Eve, William Mashinter was frozen in time, cursed by his wife to roam the world on his own, waiting for the love of his life to find him. The love of his life, whom she killed. Time hasn’t healed this wound, and William is tired of the happy holiday and the constant reminders of a love that’s been taken from him. But then the impossible happens, and maybe… maybe he can get a new Christmas perspective.

Brady Gallagher has lived three different lives, always aware of the first and most important, yet unable to find the man who will fill in the missing pieces and let him know he’s not crazy. He encounters him at a work event, of all places, but is he willing to throw everything else to the wind and embrace the miracle laid out before him?

Release Blitz ~ Bestie by Bella Jewel ~ (Giveaway)

Release Blitz ~ Bestie by Bella Jewel ~ (Giveaway)

Title: Bestie

Series: Jokers Wrath MC

Author: Bella Jewel

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 13, 2016

Blurb

From USA Today Bestselling Author Bella Jewel comes a new novel in the international bestselling Jokers Wrath MC Series.

The universe works in mysterious ways.

Well, it did for me, anyway.

It was like it knew that I needed him.

It put him in my life during a time I honestly thought I couldn’t go on.

He was broken. I was broken.

We only had one thing to offer each other – friendship.

A true, deep, incredible friendship.

Laughter fixed us.

Talking bonded us.

He quickly became my everything.

This is our story.

I can’t promise it’s always perfect.

It might make you laugh.

It might make you cry.

It might even make you love.

It's real.

It’s us. Besties. 


**Contains Adult Themes - This book can be read as a standalone**

ADD TO GOODREADS

Review Tour: A Christmas Kiss by Annabelle Jacobs (Reviews + Giveaway)

Review Tour: A Christmas Kiss by Annabelle Jacobs (Reviews + Giveaway)

A Christmas Kiss - Annabelle Jacobs

Author: Annabelle Jacobs

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh

Release Date: November 18 

Length: 38,000 words

Buy Links: Amazon US

Blurb

Keeping secrets from your best friend isn’t right, but it’s easier than admitting you’ve fallen in love with him.

Sharing a late-night kiss with his best friend, Alex, is Riley’s dream come true. Waking up to discover Alex was too drunk to remember anything is more like a nightmare. Scared the truth could destroy their friendship, Riley keeps quiet and pretends nothing happened.

Alex can’t shake the feeling that he said or did something stupid on their group’s drunken weekend away—why else would Riley be avoiding him? Although the explanation he finally gets sounds plausible, Riley’s still acting strange, and trying to figure out why that is unearths emotions Alex has worked hard to bury.

Riley knows not telling Alex how he feels is probably selfish, but he wants one last normal Christmas before he has to come clean and face the potential fallout.

He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

Release Day Review ~ Hell Takes a Holiday by Kiernan Kelly

Release Day Review ~ Hell Takes a Holiday by Kiernan Kelly

Title: Hell Takes a Holiday

Author: Kiernan Kelly

Release Date: December 7, 2016

Category: Paranormal: Angels/Demons

Pages: 48

Dreamspinner Press

Despite a major setback, Lucifer has no time to feel sorry for himself. Running Hell is a monumental task, even though he’s taken steps to modernize it with technology like closed-circuit cameras and security systems.

As he struggles with his infernal issues, an unannounced visitor threatens to break his black heart. Lucifer hasn’t seen Uriel since his Fall, but he remembers how much he loved Uriel and how betrayed he felt when Uriel didn't stand with him during the War.

Uriel has been sent to inspect the changes Lucifer has made and report back to Heaven. Lucifer has no choice but to give Uriel a guided tour of the Nine Circles, and all the feelings come rushing back.

Uriel hasn't forgotten Lucifer either, and they pick up where they left off—with enough sizzle to rival the hottest of hell's fires. But their reunion will be short-lived, unless Uriel relinquishes his halo—which Lucifer is unwilling to let him do.

First Edition published by Torquere Press, 2008.

Book Review ~ Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

Book Review ~ Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

Book: Glass Tidings
Author: Amy Jo Cousins
Release Date: November 28, 2016
Length: 208 pages
Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ Riptide

Blurb:

Eddie Rodrigues doesn’t stay in one place long enough to get attached. The only time he broke that rule, things went south fast. Now he’s on the road again, with barely enough cash in his pocket to hop a bus to Texas after his (sort-of-stolen) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Midwest, USA.

He’s fine. He’ll manage. Until he watches that girl get hit by a car and left to die.

Local shop owner Grayson Croft isn’t in the habit of doing people any favors. But even a recluse can’t avoid everyone in a town as small as Clear Lake. And when the cop who played Juliet to your Romeo in the high school play asks you to put up her key witness for the night, you say yes.

Now Gray’s got a grouchy glass artist stomping around his big, empty house, and it turns out that he . . . maybe . . . kind of . . . likes the company.

But Eddie Rodrigues never sticks around.

Unless a Christmas shop owner who hates the season can show an orphan what it means to have family for the holidays.

**For mature readers. Contains strong language and adult situations**

Approximately 62,000 words

Book Review ~ Alone For Christmas by Ashley John

Book Review ~ Alone For Christmas by Ashley John

Book: Alone For Christmas
Author: Ashley John
Release Date: November 20, 2016
Length: 165 Pages
Amazon ~ GoodReads


Blurb:

Noah expected to spend Christmas alone, but he never expected to spend it falling in love with his boss. 

With his third divorce looming and his bank accounts frozen, Chip Harington was surprisingly okay with spending Christmas alone, even if he was living out of a suitcase in his office. He had already decided to skip the office Christmas party, until some surprising words from one of his employees makes him change his mind. 

Noah always expected the crush for his boss to fade, but after two years working under Chip, his feelings are stronger than ever. With Chip’s personal life in tatters once more, Noah never expected his boss to show his face at the office Christmas party, so he was even more surprised when his drunken attempt to kiss Chip turned into so much more. 

Chip assumed his encounter with Noah was nothing more than a one-night stand, but when his employee emerges from a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, they are forced to spend Christmas together in a London office block. With the lines between employer and employee blurred, will either man emerge from the snow the same, or will their Christmas encounter change the course of their lives forever, making them wish they had spent Christmas alone after all? 

*** 

Genre: Christmas, Gay Romance, MM Romance, Christmas novella. 

2016 Advent Calendar Review ~ The Fortune Cookie by Matt Burlingame

Advent Calendar Review ~ The Fortune Cookie 

by Matt Burlingame

Title: The Fortune Cookie
Author: Matt Burlingame

Category: Holiday, Contemporary

Pages: 49

Dreamspinner  ~  Goodreads

Thirty-three-year-old technical writer Laurence Hart is a modern-day Scrooge when it comes to the holiday season—and the rest of the year too. He doesn’t like most people, they don’t like him, and he’s happy to keep it that way. Over lunch with his best friend, he receives a fortune cookie promising him true love. The next day, forced to work on a holiday charity committee or lose his job, he meets Nick, a jolly ginger giant who loves all things Christmas. Together they face numerous obstacles to put together a holiday fair to raise money for children in foster care in only four days. While Laurence has to mend his curmudgeonly ways to make the event a success, Nick’s holiday magic might mend Laurence’s heart.

Release Day Review ~ Architect of Love (Fated Soulmates 2) by John Charles ~ #Review

Release Day Review ~ Architect of Love (Fated Soulmates 2) by John Charles ~ (Review)

Title: Architect of Love (Fated Soulmates 2)

Author: John Charles

Genre: Fiction, M/M, Romance

ISBN: 978-1-882598-14-4

Number of pages: 187

Publication Date: December 1, 2016

Blurb: 

He could work miracles with His Hands

Lance Bartner loved working with his hands, made his living refinishing furniture. Nights out were for fun with friends and the occasional hook-up. Though the L word had never been spoken, he would have enjoyed a relationship had the right man crossed his path. But who would want a laborer like Lance? He wasn't college educated, didn't live in a fancy loft condo, didn't drive a Lexus, and didn't even
own a suit.

Forrest Dentren, was an architect and city planner who had become a local name when his design for the Monroe City Center was chosen as one of the top three contenders. Well educated, extremely well built, and as both men and women put it, just plain hot. Some said he was married to his job, others said he was too picky, many said he didn't want to share the spotlight.

One hot, uninhibited sex-filled night

When Forrest broke his routine and went clubbing on a weeknight, he spotted Lance. The attraction was immediate from both sides of the dance floor. They both felt it. A few drinks later, still feeling it, they left for Lance's apartment.

It was never supposed to turn into anything more than one hot fuck

Two people from opposite ends of the world, no roadmap, not directions, no ideas how to make it work.

Architect Of Love is a hot and steamy, gay romance novel with no cliffhangers. It is the second book in The Fated Soulmates series and can be read as a standalone.

GoodReads 

Review Tour: A Family for Christmas by Jay Northcote

Review Tour: A Family for Christmas by Jay Northcote 

Author: Jay Northcote

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh

Release: November 18

Length: 45,000 words

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Zac never had a family of his own, but Rudy has enough to share.

Shy, inexperienced Rudy has a crush on Zac from the moment his new colleague walks through the door. On an office night out before Christmas, Rudy finds the courage to make a move, and they form a tentative bond. When he discovers Zac will be alone at Christmas, he invites Zac to come home with him.

Zac prefers to keep people at arm’s length. Yet when Rudy offers him a family Christmas it’s impossible to resist. With no parents of his own, Zac is pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by Rudy’s. The only drawback is that everyone assumes they’re a couple. Unwilling to disappoint Rudy’s mum and make Christmas awkward, they decide not to deny it.

It’s not a chore for Zac to pose as Rudy’s boyfriend, but the pretence makes him want things that scare him—things like a real relationship with Rudy. Zac’s suffered enough rejection in his life already and is afraid to risk his heart. If he can get over his past rejection and let Rudy inside his armour, he might get more for Christmas than he ever imagined.

Happy 1st Anniversary to NineStar Press ~ (Giveaway + Daily Snippet)

Happy 1st Anniversary to NineStar Press ~ (Giveaway + Daily Snippet)

WWW.NineStarPress.com

It’s our first anniversary.

Thanks to Bayou Book Junkie for hosting our anniversary post today!

Find the Ballons!

Randomly placed on book pages, look for the balloons on our site. Find a balloon and get a free book of choice.

  

Once you find a balloon send an email to Anniversary@ninestarpress.com. Please include the color of the balloon, the title you want, and the format you prefer. One win per person per day. Does not include books not released yet.

Blog Tour: Open Hearts by Logan Meredith (Guest Post + Review)

Blog Tour: Open Hearts by Logan Meredith (Author's Guest Post + Review)

Hi, all.  This is Logan Meredith, and I want to thank Bayou Book Junkie for allowing me a chance to introduce Open Hearts, the third book in the Heartland Series.

I joke in my author blurb that I started writing because characters speak to me and that’s the honest truth.  Occasionally, I’ll get one who becomes annoyingly tenacious.  From the beginning of Healed Hearts (Heartland Book One), I knew Asim was going to demand his own story.  The handsome, closeted, self-loathing firefighter, who almost comes between Seth and Jude had so many secrets to tell. I knew Asim was a lapsed Muslim.  I knew he was raised in New York and would have deeply personal ties to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and Steven, his first love, would play an integral part of his self-discovery.  However, when I completed Healed Hearts, Asim didn’t quite feel ready for the man of his dreams.

Because I loved Asim and his character was insomnia-inducing persistent, I kept adding to his backstory while I was writing Expanded Hearts.  Open Hearts had more starts and stops than any of my previous works, but I could never settle on Asim’s dream man.  Did he need someone who would help him connect to his past?  Help him move on?  Help him come out of the closet? I just couldn’t find the right fit. 

The most difficult part was figuring out how to honor Asim’s past without having it detract from the primary romance which refused to take shape.  My first attempt at Open Hearts was written in three parts.  The first part was entirely devoted to Steven and Asim’s relationship and was drafted in first person.   I realized almost 25,000 words in that Steven was dead, and generally speaking a good romance requires two beating hearts.  This is an excerpt from that first attempt.

Release Blitz: Alpha Barman by Sue Brown (Giveaway)

Release Blitz: Alpha Barman - Sue Brown (Giveaway)

Author: Sue Brown

Release Date: November 24

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh

Length: 48,000 words

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | AllRomance | KOBO | B&N | iTunes

Blurb

Jake Tyler walked out of Special Ops two years ago, a devastated, broken man after he discovered his sister brutally murdered by her husband, Riley. Since then he’s found a kind of peace running a rural bar. The last thing Jake Tyler expects is his former team to turn up with grim news. Jake’s ex-brother-in-law has escaped from prison and is heading Jake’s way. The team is here to protect Jake, whether he likes it or not – a decision reluctantly shared by their leader, Jake’s ex-lover Mitch Mitchelson.

Mitch is angry and hurting. The man he trusted – the man he adored more than anything – abandoned both his team and Mitch. Jake never gave Mitch a chance to help or come to terms with his desertion. Regardless of mission protocols, Mitch isn’t about to open his heart again to that kind of pain.

But the strong attraction between them can’t be denied. How are they ever going to work together when Mitch still resents Jake’s disappearance, and to Jake, the team represents everything that destroyed him in the first place? And meantime they wait for Riley to find them... and to settle the threat once and for all.

Release Blitz ~ The Copper Horse: Love & The Copper Horse Box Set by KA Merikan ~ (Giveaway)

Release Blitz ~ The Copper Horse: Love & The Copper Horse Box Set by KA Merikan ~ (Giveaway)

Author: KA Merikan

Cover Design: Natasha Snow 

Blurb

London

1907, twenty years into the zombie plague

Just as Reuben finally settles into the role of Copper, his master’s proud stallion, his life gets turned upside down by a revolution that has been long brewing in London. But the men who come for Erik at his home bring much more than havoc. They uncover lies that Erik has fed Reuben, and the truth creates a rift between them that might be impossible to cross. 

Even if Reuben still wanted to be Erik’s pony, is it possible for them to be together if his master loses all power and property? With no harness to hold him, no bit to stop him from speaking, can Reuben still be what Erik wants? Does he have anything to offer as a man?

The relationship they have established gets shaken to its core, and on the run from Erik’s enemies, they will both have to find out if the bond they share will survive, or if it will break.