Release Day Review: Add Love and Mix by Sean Michael (Guest Post + Review)

Release Day Review: Add Love and Mix by Sean Michael (Guest Post + Review)

I personally love stories with already established couples. What makes you love them and are they easier or harder to write about?

I love stories where the couples first meet, but I also do love stories with already established couples. They are definitely two different animals, though – so to speak. There’s a certain excitement and first time energy with stories that follow how a couple meets and gets together, that is built into the story and drives it forward. A story with an already established couple doesn’t have that and at the onset, for me, that makes it harder to write.

On the other hand, a story with an already established couple can focus on everything else and there are so many different directions it can go. My favorites are when obstacles or crisis are put in front of the couple and they have to deal with that.

For instance, in Add Love and Mix, a former lover shows up and leaves a six-year-old girl in Jason’s lap. He and Scott have to deal this unexpected daughter, with the many ways that it changes not only their relationship, but their very lives. They need to figure out what their new normal is. Hell, they need to make sure they can have a new normal, that this won’t break them.

So the already established couple story focusses on very different dynamics from the finding love story, and that can make for a very interesting change of pace. I enjoy writing (and reading) both types.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Add Love And Mix

by Sean Michael

Blog Tour ~ Lost And Found by Rick R. Reed (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Blog Tour ~ Lost And Found by Rick R. Reed (Guest Post, Exclusive Excerpt, Review + Giveaway)

TITLE: Lost And Found

AUTHOR: Rick R. Reed

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

COVER ARTIST: Reese Dante

LENGTH: 200 Pages

RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2016

BLURB: On a bright autumn day, Flynn Marlowe lost his best friend, a beagle named Barley, while out on a hike in Seattle’s Discovery Park.

On a cold winter day, Mac Bowersox found his best friend, a lost, scared, and emaciated beagle, on the streets of Seattle.

Two men. One dog. When Flynn and Mac meet by chance in a park later that summer, there’s a problem: who does Barley really belong to? Flynn wants him back, but he can see that Mac rescued him and loves him just as much as he does. Mac wants to keep the dog, and he can imagine how heartbreaking losing him would be—but that’s just what Flynn experienced.

A “shared custody” compromise might be just the way to work things out. But will the arrangement be successful? Mac and Flynn are willing to try it—and along the way, they just might fall in love. 

Blog Tour ~ Love Wins Anthology (#Review, #AuthorGuestPost)

Blog Tour ~ Love Wins Anthology ~ (Review, Author Guest Post and Excerpt)

Title: Love Wins
Authors: Lucie Archer, Kris T. Bethke, Deja Black, M.A. Church, David C. Dawson, Jana Denardo, Nicole Dennis, Grace R. Duncan, Jude Dunn, Tray Ellis, Julie Lynn Hayes, Xenia Melzer, L.A. Merrill, Alicia Nordwell, Ravon Silvius, Renee Stevens, Troy Storm
Release Date: December 12, 2016
Category: Anthology, Contemporary, M/M/M or more, Holiday, Paranormal: Werewolves/Shifters, Fantasy: Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 330

Dreamspinner

With time comes healing, but Orlando and the LGBT community are still recovering from last June’s tragedy. To show our ongoing support for those affected by the Orlando shooting, our authors, editors, artists, and staff have volunteered their talents to create this second benefit anthology. All proceeds will be donated to LGBT organizations in central Florida. Join us as we reaffirm that no matter the obstacle, love always wins.

Abstract Heart by Lucie Archer

Nick spends nearly every lunch break at the modern art museum, hoping to catch a glimpse of docent Kris. Kris has noticed the cute guy hanging around the exhibits too but never manages to approach him. It will take a matchmaking security guard to bring these two introverts together.

Cats and Christmas Trees: Trouble Waiting to Happen by M.A. Church

What’s a half human to do when Christmas rolls around? Kirk tries ignores it, but his shifter mates Tal and Dolf, being sneaky kitties, persist in finding out what’s troubling him so they can make it better.

A Chance for Hope by Deja Black

In the aftermath of tragedy, freelance writer Brad Truscott is drawn to ease Paul Bachman’s grief. But will Paul ever be ready to take another chance on happiness?

Changing Things by Nicole Dennis

Despite his allergies, Ryan puts up with the two rescue cats his boyfriend, Seth, adores. But when an especially severe asthma attack sends Ryan to the hospital, Seth realizes something has to give—either his relationship with Ryan or his guardianship of Fili and Kili.

Blog Tour ~ Noble Intentions by Andrew Grey ~ (Guest Post + Excerpt)

Blog Tour ~ Noble Intentions by Andrew Grey ~ (Guest Post +Excerpt)

Title: Noble Intentions  

Author: Andrew Grey

Series: Currently a Standalone

Genre: M/M Contemporary/ LBGTQ

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: Dec 2016

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Book Links: Dreamspinner  Barnes & Noble  Amazon

Blurb/Synopsis:

Robert Ashton is in for the surprise of a lifetime. His mother, a bit of a rebel, raised him away from the rest of the family, and it’s not until he’s contacted by his lawyer about an inheritance that he learns who he truly is: the new Earl of Hantford. His legacy includes ownership of the historic Ashton Park Estate—which needs repairs Robert cannot afford. He’ll simply do what the nobility has done for centuries when in need of money. He’ll marry it.

Tech wizard Daniel Fabian is wealthy and successful. In fact, he has almost everything—except a title to make him worthy in the eyes of the old-money snobs he went to prep school with. His high school reunion is looming, and he’s determined to attend it as a member of the aristocracy.

That’s where Robert comes in.

Daniel has the money, Robert has the name, and both of them know they can help each other out. But their marriage of convenience has the potential to become a real love match—unless a threat to Daniel’s business ruins everything.

Read Heather's 5+ Star Review here.

Excerpt 

Release Blitz ~ Nothing Special V by A.E. Via ~ (Author Guest Post + Giveaway)

Release Blitz ~ Nothing Special V by A.E. Via ~ (Author Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Author A.E. Via

Title:  Nothing Special V

M/M GAY CONTEMPORARY

Edited by: Tina Adamski

Cover Artist – Jay Aheer

PAGE COUNT – 365

Release Date: December 12, 2016

Synopsis

The boys are back and fiercer than ever!

"We were a unit tonight, moving as one. Even apart, we are deadly, but when combined – we are f**kin’ unstoppable." ~~ God ~~

Atlanta's notorious narcotics task force is at it again. They are stronger, bigger, and better than ever. Especially when a city councilman sends RECON Marine, Edwin Steele - who’s been blacklisted from his Oakland department - to join the team. God and Day weren't recruiting. They have a lot on their plates, like the fact they're supposed to be getting married soon. They don't have the time or the patience to integrate a decorated war hero with a slight chip on his shoulder into their well-oiled machine. 

A hothead that's uncontrollable and terrible with authority… but wasn’t that their team motto?

Steele was ready to hang up his shield. He was done fighting with bigoted bastards that couldn't respect the job. He was good at fighting; he just needed the right team to fight with. When his uncle - City Councilman, Rasmus Steele - shows him a video of God's team in action, he knows right away, it's where his nephew belongs in order to restore his faith. 

Steele pointed to the driver, a behemoth of a man wielding those massive firearms like a true beast… like a soldier. “And him. Who the hell is he?”

“That’s your new boss. Lieutenant Cashel Godfrey… they call him… God.”

Steele was skeptical about his new placement, but when he meets God's technology specialist/computer genius, “Tech,” he's willing to give it his all, and he definitely shows and proves.

Tech is stunning. His sweater vest and khakis, a stark contrast to the blue-jeaned roughnecks he works with. A beautiful sheep amongst the wolves. Steel thinks there's no way the brilliant man would be interested in a hardhead like him, but Tech has a few badass hidden talents of his own and manages to surprise him... surprise all of them. 

This story is a part of a series but can stand alone. It does not end on a cliffhanger and has a HEA. There are no multiple pairings in this novel. 

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 Day Review ~ BONFIRE By Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt ~ (Review, Author Guest Post, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Release Day Review ~ BONFIRE By Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt ~ (Review, Author Interview, Excerpt + Giveaway)

BONFIRE

By Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Contact: Irene Preston (irenepreston@gmail.com)

   Liv Rancourt (livrancourt@yahoo.com)

ISBN: 978-0-9968099-4-8

Image Gallery: http://www.irenepreston.com/images/Bonfire/

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores | Add to GoodReads

Blurb

Silent night, holy hell.

Thaddeus and Sarasija are spending the holidays on the bayou, and while the vampire's idea of Christmas cheer doesn't quite match his assistant's, they're working on a compromise. Before they can get the tree trimmed, they're interrupted by the appearance of the feu follet. The ghostly lights appear in the swamp at random and lead even the locals astray.

When the townsfolk link the phenomenon to the return of their most reclusive neighbor, suspicion falls on Thaddeus. These lights aren't bringing glad tidings, and if Thad and Sara can't find their source, the feu follet might herald a holiday tragedy for the whole town.

This holiday novella can be enjoyed alone or as book 1.5 of the Hours of the Night Series. Bonfire takes place the December after the events in Vespers.

Excerpt 1 from Bonfire by Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt:

Promo Post: Kieran by Toni Griffin (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Kieran, by Toni Griffin

Publisher: Mischief Corner Books

Author: Toni Griffin

Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

Length: 84,651 words

Format: eBook

Release Date: 19^th October 2016

Pairing: MM

Price: $5.99

Blurb:

"You need to go to Atherton," they said. Easy for them. The higher-ups at headquarters don't have their whole world on the line. When Detective Damon Kelly's bosses send him across the state on a "simple" cyber fraud case, he never thinks he'd meet his mate, then risk losing Kieran by doing his job. No matter what other possible angles Damon works, his partner Grant Davis is sure Kieran's best friend Corey's their guy, and Grant is bent on bringing him in.

After the birth of their Alpha's son, the Atherton Pack needs another beta. Kieran Baxter couldn't be happier to accept. What Kieran doesn't expect is for all hell to break loose his first week on the job. Clashing with his mate at every turn, and fighting a human cop who wants to arrest Corey for hacking a government database, wasn't part of the plan either.

As more evidence piles up, a bigger, scarier picture comes into focus that could threaten not only the Atherton Pack, but everything the world knows.

The Atherton Pack, Book Four

Series Info (if applicable):

The Atherton Pack

Book 1: Liam

Book 2: Ben

Book 3: Corey

Excerpt:

Blog Tour: That Darn Muse Vol II by Dan Skinner (Author Guest Post + Exclusive Giveaway)

Blurb

He's a middle-aged, newly single, gay photographer starting life over. Along comes a freshly out nineteen-year-old, irreverent free spirit who wants to be his apprentice. Mismatched by more than a generation, what could possibly go wrong? Everything! And it's AWESOME!

A "Muse" ing: Most authors struggle with the voices or "muses" in their head when writing. Tuning that voice out becomes a little more challenging when your muse is a real-life nineteen-year-old who inhales espresso and turns out ideas at light speed. Danger Will Robinson!

Daddy and The Rent Boy: In selling something, advertising is half the battle. That can become hazardous when you're in the company of an irreverent walking billboard.

Blog Tour: Connection Error (Gaymers #3) by Annabeth Albert (Guest Post, Review + Giveaway)

Title:  Connection Error

Author: Annabeth Albert

Series Title and Number: #Gaymers, Book 3, but stands alone well too

Publisher:  CARINA PRESS

Cover Artist: CARINA PRESS

Release Date:  September 5, 2016

Heat Level: 4 (explicit m/m sex, but lots and lots of plot too!)

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: approx. 66,000 words

Genre/Tags: Romance, M/m Romance, contemporary romance, military romance

Add To Goodreads

Synopsis

It's typical of video game programmer Josiah Simmons to be the last one on the plane on the way to the biggest meeting of his career. Though he's (mostly) coping with his ADHD, he can't handle another distraction. But he also can't ignore his rugged seatmate—especially once he learns the military man's a fan of his game.

Ryan Orson refuses to let his severe injuries pause his career as a navy SEAL. He's got hours of grueling physical therapy ahead of him, and no time for anything that might get in the way of his return to active duty. But that doesn't mean he's above a little first-class flirtation with geeky-cute Josiah.

When a delay strands the pair in St. Louis, they agree to share a hotel room and a night of gaming. Neither expects their new connection to move to the next level in the light of day. Opposites may attract, but is this game over before it's even begun?

Book Three of the #gaymers series

Excerpt

Blog Tour: Falling for Santa by C.J. Anthony (Guest Post, Excerpt + Release Day Review)

Blurb:
When Jack Frost’s aunt dies and leaves him her house in the tiny town of Great Falls, Jack seizes the opportunity to escape the rat race of Chicago for the quaint village he loved as a child. On his first night he’s welcomed by a baseball bat and a trespassing warning from Nick St. James—longtime Great Falls resident and infamous curmudgeon.

Jack wants to give Nick the benefit of the doubt—he can’t deny his attraction to the big man—but after several run-ins with Nick’s grumpiness and closed-off heart, he’s ready to give up. Only after discovering the secret Nick’s been covering up for years does he vow to break through Nick’s walls to find the loving man hiding behind them.

Blog Tour ~ Come What May by A.M. Arthur ~ (Review, Guest Post + Giveaway)

Blog Tour ~ Come What May by A.M. Arthur ~ (Review, Guest Post + Giveaway)

Title: Come What May

Author: A.M. Arthur

Add on Goodreads

Series: All Saints Book 1

Publication: May 23rd 2016 by Carina Press

Blurb:

Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn't know it yet.

Or at least, he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He's a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone—especially himself—didn't leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.

Enter Tate. He's smart, confident, and instantly sees right through Jonas's surly exterior. Sure, he's done things in life he's not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he's never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.

But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas's old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn't enough—and sometimes it's exactly what you need.

Blog Tour: The Way Life Turns by April Kelley & Bronwyn Heeley (Guest Post, Review + Giveaway)

TITLE: The Way Life Turns

SERIES: A BonyDee Press Challenge

AUTHOR(s): April Kelley & Bronwyn Heeley

PUBLISHED: February 19 2016

PUBLISHER: BonyDee Press

COVER ARTIST: Bronwyn Heeley

WORD COUNT: 20133

CATEGORY/TAG: contemporary romance

HEAT LEVEL: 4

COUPLING: male male

BUY LINKS

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Way-Life-Turns-BonyDee-Challenge-ebook/dp/B01BFA9L12

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/612615

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thewaylifeturns-1975639-149.html

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-way-life-turns-april-kelley/1123383014?ean=2940152610468

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-way-life-turns

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28671427-the-way-life-turns

BLURB

What happens when two men are in very different places in their relationship?

Almost from the start of their relationship, Jonah was in love with Scott. Scott doesn’t share that same sentiment. Jonah finds out exact how Scott feels about him the hard way, when he sees Scott in a compromising position with someone else. How they react becomes the challenge two authors have set out to solve. Will there be forgiveness or misery as Jonah reacts to what Scott has done?

EXCERPT