Showing posts with label Erin McRae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Erin McRae. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Book Blast: M/M ~ Twelfth Night by Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: M/M ~ Twelfth Night by Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Author Name: Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae
Book Name: Twelfth Night
Series: Love’s Labours
Book: Two
Series should be read in order
Release Date: August 12, 2015





Blurb:
Michael and John, a May/December couple, navigated the repercussions of their gay-for-you love affair in the hothouse of a summerstock theater production.
Back in New York City at the conclusion of their show’s run, John is overwhelmed by his obsession with Michael and the difficulties of learning to date again after the death of his young son and his recent divorce. John gradually comes out to his colleagues, his football rec league friends, and even his ex-wife.
But when he invites his parents over for Christmas to meet the person he’s been seeing, the holiday—featuring Michael’s family’s amateur production of Twelfth Night—quickly turns into a French farce of potentially catastrophic proportions, forcing John finally to take the lead in claiming his evolving identity as he takes the next step in his relationship with Michael.

Pages or Words: 23,000 words

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance


Excerpt:

John doesn’t expect Michael to be as weirdly taken with the ocean as he is with the wild woods. It doesn’t seem like his element the way the trees are. But he is mesmerized by the beach almost instantly upon their arrival, insisting they walk along the hard wet sand of the tide line. It doesn’t matter how many times John says their muscles will ache unhappily tomorrow from miles walked at the edge of the frigid fall water; Michael either doesn’t hear him or doesn’t care enough to respond.
John is fascinated as Michael keeps a close eye on shells and rocks. One is shaped like a small egg, and he’s disappointed when it’s not. Still he makes John hold it for him, running ahead to a rock jetty to comb through the midden of mussel shells left by persistent and angry seagulls.

John tries not to be horrified, but the sight of Michael’s fingers picking through the dead bivalves and seaweed stinking in the sun is a bit much.
“What’s this?” Michael asks, eventually, holding out a shell, colored and swirled, to him.
It’s in perfect condition, and John is about to be impressed with the find until he realizes there’s still a creature using the shell as its home.
“That’s an animal in there.” He doesn’t actually know what kind. But it’s gelatinous and of the sea and not really a thing they should be messing with. They’ve seen dozens of jellyfish washed up on the beach already today.
“Does it go in the ocean or not in the ocean?”
“Ocean,” John says. He’s not 100 percent sure, but he suspects, like the jellyfish, the sun and the birds will eventually cook and peck it to nothing if it’s not saved by the sea.
Michael throws the shell back and returns to the tide line as they walk, gaze carefully on the ground and picking at every shell he sees that looks like whatever creature he just rescued. Most of them have their animals in them, and John suspects the coming hurricane that’s going to ruin their trip is churning them up.
As Michael throws each one back into the water, John is charmed that he’s trying to save creatures that have no spine, names he doesn’t know, and forms he’s never seen before.
Eventually Michael decides they can leave and reaches for John’s hand. John flinches away. It’s not the strangeness of the town this beach is attached to, half religious meeting town, half gay beach paradise. There’s even a club down the block from their inn that advertises “Less Lights, More Fun!” It’s that he can only think about whatever bacteria Michael is now coated in from all the dead mussels.
God, but he’s going to look like an idiot explaining that.
When he tries, stumbling through a mini monologue about seaweed and sea creatures and sand, Michael just listens with his head tipped to the side.
Finally John’s speech drags to a halt under Michael’s incredibly unimpressed gaze. He sighs and starts again.
“Okay. I swear the handholding thing has nothing to do with anything except your gross dead bivalve hands. But I think I may be freaking out.”
Michael blinks at him. “Did this start when we checked in and you had to deal with people who know we’re here to fuck?”
It’s sharp, but John knows he probably deserves it. 
“You know I don’t mind being out in public with you,” he says cautiously. He wants to be honest with Michael, but he also doesn’t want to provoke anger by being less willing to be out than Michael deems sufficient.
Thankfully Michael considers John for a moment and then grins. “Somewhere in the romantic beach getaway, I got that.”
John lets out a relieved sigh and wraps an arm around Michael’s waist. He wants to prove his willingness to be fully in this relationship without shame, but life is also just better when they’re touching. Michael leans into his side, and they start walking down the sand again.
“But it’s something I can’t help being aware of,” John says quietly as they walk. “What we are and what people see when they look at me. Which apparently means I’ve found my internalized homophobia, and I am completely aware of how gross that is. I’m going to work on that, but there it is.”
“You still want to, like, go out to dinner tonight and make out on the boardwalk, though, right?”
“Oh my God, you have no idea. I want to tell everybody about you.”
Michael smirks. “So why don’t you?”
“Coming out at my age is kind of more complicated than it is at twelve. Or however old you were when you did.”
“I was fourteen, thank you.”
“So how did you come out to your parents?” John asks after they walk for a few minutes in silence.
Michael cracks up.
“I’m serious!”
Michael buries his face in John’s arm and apparently can’t stop laughing. “You do understand how ridiculous this is, right?”
“I understand that I’m forty-two and have to come out to everyone in my entire life that I give a remote shit about, because you are addictive and fascinating and wonderful and also are sadly holding me to some pretty legitimate ethical standards. So help a guy out, okay?”
“I was making out with my first high school boyfriend in the living room, and my mom walked in.”
John is entirely not surprised. “So hey, when you meet my family, let’s not go with that plan, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Michael says, drawing the word out in a way that makes it clear it’s his turn to be defensive and weird.
John smirks, pleased to be off the hook for the moment. “You haven’t told them about us either,” he says smugly.
Michael mumbles something against John’s arm.
“What was that?”
“You’re really old,” Michael says. “And they’re going to freak.”
Mari's Review:

*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*


This book is the continuation of John and Michael's romance, who met and fell in love during a summerstock theater production, and are now back in New York dealing with real life issues like living more than an hour away, work and dealing with the repercussions of John falling in love with a man for the first time, and coming out to his family.

The road to HEA is not an easy one, but it's definitely worth it, especially in this case. While I adored Book 1, Midsummer, its sequel Twelfth Night is even better! Short and sweet, with some angst as John and Michael learn how to become a couple and deal with the aftermath of their whirlwind romance. Despite their age difference, both of them are well suited for the other. Michael is just what John needs to get past the death of his son and John grounds Michael back to Earth. Their chemistry is awesome and the love scenes were hot without going overboard.

The writing, as always, is flawless, and almost poetic in some parts. Definitely a very enjoyable read, that despite being so short, still packs a lot of emotion and love into it.

Rating: 5 Stars!!!




About the authors:
Erin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She has a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, and delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.

Racheline Maltese lives a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car. A long-time entertainment and media industry professional, she lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.

Together, they are co-authors of the gay romance series Love in Los Angeles, set in the film and television industry -- Starling (September 10, 2014), Doves (January 21, 2015), and Phoenix (June 10, 2015) -- from Torquere Press. Their gay romance novella series Love’s Labours, set in the theater world -- Midsummer (May 20, 2015), and Twelfth Night (August 12, 2015), is from Dreamspinner Press. They also have a story in Best Gay Romance 2015 from Cleis Press and edited by Felice Picano. You can find them on the web at http://www.Avian30.com.

Where to find the authors:
Racheline’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/racheline_m
Racheline’s Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Racheline-Maltese/e/B001JRVS2C
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht
Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Midsummer, Love’s Labours Book 1


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Book Blast: Phoenix by Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae ~ (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: Phoenix by Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae ~ (Excerpt + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Author Name: Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae
Book Name: Phoenix
Release Date: June 10, 2015
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BS Clay

Buy The Book:

Blurb:

Sometimes the end of everything…

Now happily married to writer and producer Paul Marion Keane, television star J. Alex Cook’s life has been a fairytale of success and romance for years. But when an unexpected tragedy throws his and Paul’s social circle into chaos, the alumni of hit TV show The Fourth Estate are forced to pick up the creative pieces left behind.

...is just the beginning

Confronted with his own mortality, Paul suggests he and Alex start a family. But figuring out what family means when your best friends’ polyamorous marriage may be melting down and you have Hollywood’s most malevolent fairy godmother to thank for your success is no easy proposition.

As Alex questions whether anyone in a profession full of make believe can truly have fame, fortune, kids, and the happily ever after of their dreams, he sets out to take control of his own life and discover that the best love stories never truly end.

Phoenix is Book 3 in the Love in Los Angeles series.

Pages or Words: 73,400 words
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, Menage/Poly, Romance
Excerpt:

Alex’s eyes flutter shut when Paul slides his hands into his back pockets and pulls him closer. They’re not dancing so much as grinding together, but they’re hardly alone in that regard—at least they still have their shirts on, and if Alex is willing, Paul has absolutely zero desire to stop.

Paul can’t hear it, but he can feel the breath of a moan on his neck when Alex gets insistent about digging his fingers into Paul’s hair while he mouths at the skin above his collar. Six months apart, with only two weeks in the middle, was a very long time, and the time they’ve had since has barely been enough to get used to sharing space with each other again, much less fall back into their relationship with all their knowledge of each other’s bodies and hearts intact.

“This is possibly a stupid idea,” Alex murmurs at some point.

Paul isn’t sure how much time has elapsed since things crossed into slightly inappropriate but totally expected territory. “I don’t think you care.”




About the authors:
Erin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She has a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, and delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.

Racheline Maltese lives a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car. A long-time entertainment and media industry professional, she lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.

Together, they are co-authors of the gay romance series Love in Los Angeles, set in the film and television industry -- Starling (September 10, 2014), Doves (January 21, 2015), and Phoenix (June 10, 2015) -- from Torquere Press. Their gay romance novella series Love’s Labours, set in the theater world -- Midsummer (May 2015), and Twelfth Night (Fall 2015), is from Dreamspinner Press. They also have a story in Best Gay Romance 2015 from Cleis Press and edited by Felice Picano. You can find them on the web at http://www.Avian30.com

Where to find the authors:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Book Blast: Midsummer by Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: Midsummer by Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Author Names: Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae
Book Name: Midsummer
Series: Love’s Labours
Book One
Release Date: May 20, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrecht
Buy The Book:

Blurb: 

John Lyonel, a long-time theater professional and teacher, heads to Virginia to play Oberon in the Theater in the Woods’s production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, intending to focus on his work. John is recovering from the tragic loss of his family and needs a break. The last thing he expects is to become captivated by Michael Hilliard, the professional actor playing Puck, especially since John has never been attracted to men, let alone one so much younger.

They rush headlong into an affair which falls apart dramatically over secrets that John and Michael are keeping from each other. A steep learning curve, the gossipy cast of the show, and the sometimes sinister magic of the woods conspire to keep them apart. But stage lights and stars might work their magic and help them define a new future.

Pages or Words: 27,400 words
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

Michael breaks off from a conversation and wanders back over, then drops into John’s lap as easily as he had the night before. It’s comforting, the way a cat would be, and John gladly wraps his arms around Michael’s waist again and decides not to worry about figuring any of this out right now.

“You can stop staring now,” Michael declares to the fire at large, when they start attracting eyes. “Or I can give you all individual recommendations for who you should be staring at. And some of you might not be entirely happy with what I tell.”

He gets a couple of whoops for that, a lot of laughter, and not a few glares. John chuckles, and dips his head to kiss Michael on the shoulder before he even thinks about it.

Michael turns his head. For a moment John thinks Michael’s going to kiss him. And while that is far more ridiculous than John has ever had any intention of being in public, he’s not sure he wouldn’t welcome and return anything Michael did.

Michael just smiles, though, small and unexpectedly intimate, before he leans up to whisper in John’s ear. “Follow me in five minutes.”




Mari's Review:

*copy provided by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review:

I enjoyed this book, perhaps not as much as I thought I would, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like it. I loved following all the intricacies of putting together a play like this and I really liked the idea of Michael and John together, despite the age difference. They seemed to complement each other quite well, actually, and I loved that the way they fall into this was so seamless. 

I didn't particularly care for all of John's insistence on the age difference bit, although he did have a point. Especially once other things came into play, the age difference really made the difference. I was mildly annoyed with Michael for the way he reacted to John's 'secret', especially since it wasn't something you would share with another too easily, no matter if they were together or not, and the fact that Michael had been keeping secrets, too, so he didn't have much ground to act like he did. 

Other than that, it's a relatively fast read and I loved the chemistry between Michael and John, even if I prefer John all the way. It was a pretty good story, even if there are some things that could've been improved. 

Rating: 4 Stars


About the authors:
Racheline Maltese is a queer writer living a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car.

A performer and storyteller focused on themes of celebrity, gender, desire and mourning, Racheline has a journalism degree from The George Washington University; studied acting and directing at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (New York City) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia); and is a proud SAG-AFTRA member.

She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.
Twitter Amazon Goodreads

Erin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She owns several pieces of paper from distinguished universities, including a Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, which qualify her to have lengthy and passionate discussions about the microeconomics of Tunisia. She also engages in lengthy and passionate discussions about military history. She likes trenches.

Erin is a cofounder of Avian 30, a literary collective dedicated to narratives with magical and sexual realism. She delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.

She lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner and their two cats. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)