RELEASE BLITZ: “The Wingman” by A. Poland.

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: The Wingman

Author: A.
Poland

Publisher: NineStar Press
LLC

Cover Artist: Natasha
Snow

Release Date: July 26,
2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance, Romantic comedy, New
Adult

Tropes: Friends to lovers, love triangle, childhood best friends, slow
burn, sharing a bed (tent)

Themes: humor, friendship, family, communication

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 69 762
words

It is a standalone story and
does not end
on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

NineStar Press | Amazon
US
| Amazon UK

Always the wingman,
never the “one”.

Blurb

Nathan, a college student with a thing for funky hats and a
definite not-thing for the great outdoors, has been a wingman extraordinaire for his lifelong
best friend Lorcan for as long as either can remember. With his innate ability to talk
endlessly about how great Lorcan is to anyone who’ll listen, Nathan has always been the
best man for the job—even if he’s secretly waiting for the day when Lorcan will realize that
Nathan is the only guy for him.

But then, Lorcan sets his sights on Miles, the suave,
leather-jacket-wearing musician with a love of mountaineering and a family of six
overprotective sisters, and Nathan must once again put his wingman skills to work.

Trouble is, Nathan is getting tired of the old routine, and
Miles is the only human being on the planet immune to Lorcan’s charm. Not to mention that
Miles’s interest is immediately piqued by the outspoken and completely oblivious
wingman.

Excerpt

Nathan blinked blankly at his best friend.

“My help?” he parroted, not quite getting
what Lorcan was suggesting. It wasn’t as though he could go up to this Miles guy and talk his
ear off about Lorcan to encourage him to make the first move. They’d already met; they’d
spoken. If Miles was interested, he’d make a move.

Hope stirred in Nathan’s chest.

If Miles was interested, why hadn’t he already made a
move?

“Yeah, I need you to do your thing.” Lorcan nodded, looking
at Nathan expectantly, as though that would make Nathan whip out a ready-made action
plan on how to get into Miles’s pants.

“Dude, I do that so you can talk to them without doing the
awkward introductions yourself.” Nathan spoke slowly, as though explaining how to draw a
straight line to a child. “You’ve already covered that.”

“Well, then think of this as a part two,” Lorcan allowed with
a huff, probably because Nathan was making very valid points. “I don’t know if he’s even
into guys.”

Nathan frowned thoughtfully. Normally, it was easy to tell if
someone was into Lorcan. Or at least to Nathan. He liked to think his dad’s perceptiveness
had been inherited—to a lesser extent, of course, because Nathan was good, but he wasn’t
that good—enough that he made a great wingman to other people, not just Lorcan. Hell,
a few of the people in their friend group had asked for his help before.

It wasn’t as easy, sure. But Nathan had a pretty high
success rate. A few of them in happy, long-term relationships to boot.

Maybe he should have business cards made.

Nathan Reed—will get you laid.

Nathan shook off that thought as quickly as it had come
because that made him sound like a matchmaker, and he was decidedly not experienced
enough to consider that as a career path.

“So you…what? Want me to meet him and suss out if he’s
interested?” Nathan tried talking slowly, one brow apprehensively raised.

“Yeah!” Lorcan grinned. “Exactly. Work your
magic.”

Nathan huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes at Lorcan’s
enthusiasm about Nathan’s apparent “magic.” It wasn’t magic; it was just knowing how to
talk to people. Specifically, talking to people about Lorcan. Who, in Nathan’s opinion, was
the easiest thing in the world to talk about.

Sometimes, on very good nights, Nathan didn’t have to do
as much. Sometimes, the woman would know exactly why he was approaching and just cut
to the chase. He always appreciated those; they made his life a lot easier.

“Okay, I’ll do you this one favor.” Nathan sighed, clearly
teasing. There were no favors between them. No one kept tabs over who owed the other
what. “Now drive me somewhere to get food. I’m starving.”

Lorcan laughed, his mood clearly elevated from earlier.
Even that was enough to settle Nathan a bit more. Sure, his brain might still be working
overtime on limited sleep, but Lorcan’s coming-out experience had been painless for him,
and that was something at least.

“Your wish is my command,” he quipped back, starting up
the car and taking them to their usual haunt.

There was nothing better than getting food with

Lorcan.

Lorcan was a picky eater, while Nathan happily consumed
anything deemed edible. Which meant Nathan tended to get extra of whatever Lorcan
didn’t like, and no food was wasted.

Win-win all around.

But this time, the experience was different.

Nathan hadn’t been worried about any uncomfortable
silences or lapses in conversation after being away for so long, and he’d been right not
to.

But he never thought to be worried about Lorcan
never shutting up.

Which, under normal circumstances, would have been
fine. But these weren’t normal circumstances.

Lorcan wouldn’t stop talking about Miles.

In the last half an hour, Nathan learned more about the guy
than he ever wished to. His gut twisted with each and every new fun fact presented to him,
his shoulders drawn tighter and smile more strained.

So far, Nathan learned the following:

Miles was a musician.

A lot of people were musicians, especially in LA; it wasn’t a
big deal. In fact, Nathan had taken piano lessons for an entire week and could still
successfully play “Twinkle Twinkle.”

Miles was a graduate from Juilliard.

Nathan might have asked Lorcan to repeat himself because
there was no way he’d said
Juilliard.

But he had. And that was fine. Juilliard was a
college just like any other. Saint Andrews was nothing to scoff at either.

Miles was adopted.

It made sense. Probably adopted into a wealthy family with

plenty of connections, considering the Juilliard thing (fucking Juilliard).

Miles’s eyes were this unusual gray
color
.

Lorcan spent a great deal of time talking about the color of
Miles’s eyes. (There were only so many ways to describe stormy gray with flecks of brown,
Nathan groused, please move on.) Anyway, Nathan had been told that he had unique eyes.
Granted, they’d been compared to a swamp before. But still. Swamps had a bad rap—they
had
frogs.

But no, Lorcan clearly had a thing for smoke-colored eyes
now, not gunky-green.

Miles was hugely involved in environmental
activism.

Nathan recycled.

About the Author

Fuelled by a worrying tea
addiction (with a tattoo to prove it), A. Poland is a rom-com writer from Ireland who delights
in telling stories that make you fall in love with the characters and give you that squee
feeling in your chest.

Three words A. would use to
describe her writing are funky, silly, and spicy. Which, coincidentally, is also their dancing
style.

When they’re not
daydreaming of the next meet-cute, A. works as a video producer and a full-time dog mom
to her pride and joy, Gizmo.

Social Media Links

Email (public address)
disasterbiwrites@gmail.com

Website |

Twitter

Facebook | Goodreads

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RELEASE BLITZ: “The Prince and the Ice King” by Amanda Meuwissen. Rafflecopter Giveaway Included!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: The Prince
and the Ice King

Author: Amanda
Meuwissen

Publisher:
Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Kris
Norris

Release Date: August 3,
2021

Genre: Fantasy M/M
Romance

Tropes: Fated love, enemies
to lovers, cursed, slow burn

Themes: Destiny, fate,
redemption, legend, overcoming prejudice

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 300
pages

It can be read alone but is the
first book in a series.

This is book 1 of Tales from
the Gemstone Kingdoms.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Dreamspinner

Only true love can melt a
frozen heart.

Blurb

Every Winter Solstice, the Emerald Kingdom sends the
dreaded Ice King a sacrifice—a corrupt soul, a criminal, a deviant, or someone touched by
magic. Prince Reardon has always loathed this tradition, partly because he dreams of love
with another man instead of a future queen.

Then Reardon’s best friend is discovered as a witch and
sent to the Frozen Kingdom as tribute.

Reardon sets out to rescue him, willing to battle and kill the
Ice King if that’s what it takes. But nothing could prepare him for what he finds in the Frozen
Kingdom—a cursed land filled with magic… and a camaraderie Reardon has never known.
Over this strange, warm community presides the enigmatic Ice King himself, a man his
subjects call Jack. A man with skin made of ice, whose very touch can stop a beating
heart.

A man Reardon finds himself inexplicably drawn to.

Jack doesn’t trust Reardon. But when Reardon begins
spending long days with him, vowing to prove himself and break the curse, Jack begins to
hope. Can love and forgiveness melt the ice around Jack’s heart?

Excerpt

“Jack, is it? Far better than ‘Ice King,’ I suppose.”

The king frowned.

“I’ll call you Majesty until we trust each other. But on that
day, I will call you Jack.”

“Is this a game to you?” The Ice King straightened. Reardon
stood almost directly before the throne now, chilled and shivering but without any creeping
frost on his hair or clothes. “What do you hope to accomplish?”

“My father is wrong for what he does, but seeing this curse
on you makes me wonder if he is right about magic’s corruption, despite all the wonders it
can do.”

“Magic alone did not curse us!” the king roared. “One
person who wielded it did, and I brought her wrath upon me myself.”

That gave Reardon pause. There was so much he didn’t

know. “You could tell me your story.”

“It is a long one, little prince, and I grow weary of your
presence already.” He stood, crunching down the steps between Reardon and the throne
and bringing a gust of icy wind with him.

Reardon sensed how close he was to death but stood his
ground. “I only want to bring my people home.”

“And where are they supposed to go? Home, you say. The
thief who almost lost her hands because she was starving, the man who lusted after the
wrong noble’s son, your friend who has visions—do they have a home to go back to when
their own people cast them out as villains?”

I didn’t.”

“Good for you. You only cared once it finally affected
someone you knew.”

Reardon’s fists clenched to be called a heartless coward,
but he’d called himself worse this past year.

He also couldn’t overlook the example of a
man and a noble’s son.

“I suppose you’ve taken in all the corrupted, haven’t
you?”

“You call them corrupt”—the Ice King stomped another
clawed foot closer—“yet ask for leniency?”

“I only speak as I was taught. I don’t agree with it. I don’t
believe they’re corrupt. Not any of them. I don’t want to. If my father
understood—”

“He’d still keep up the status quo. Your kingdom shuns
what they don’t understand because of my curse, yet they don’t even remember the time
before.”

“So tell me! Let me know the truth so we can learn from
our past instead of continuing to repeat it.” Reardon stepped forward—too close, he
knew—but like before, instead of reaching out and ending him, the Ice King backed away.
“You’d really let them all go, wouldn’t you? If they wanted it?”

“They don’t, but you are welcome to ask them, including
your friend.”

“Then I am not a prisoner either?”

“That is up for debate.”

If Barclay had seen Reardon’s death in his vision, it couldn’t
be now. Not yet. “Give me the chance to prove I will go back and change things for the
better. I’ll stay for as long as it takes, but once you believe me, once you know me and I
know you, let me go.”

“And what if I never believe you? You’re the prince. You
could bring an army to my door after learning my secrets.”

“If you never believe me… then you either have another
servant or another statue to crush. But that means you take an audience with me every
day.”

The king scoffed, turning to stomp back up to his throne
and throw himself onto it with an elegant ease that should have been impossible. “Sounds
frightfully dull.”

“Yes, I can see your calendar is quite full.”

He rumbled with laughter like a brewing winter
storm.

For a long stretch of minutes, he stared at Reardon with his
uniquely human eyes—different from his companions. The Ice King was more tied to his
humanity, even if he’d lost the feeling of it in his heart, and more cursed and tortured
because of it, perhaps.

Yet still he said, “Fine. But make no mistake, little prince, if
you prove unworthy or attempt to betray me, I will not hesitate to turn you into frozen
rubble like that thief.”

All Reardon could do was return his stare and
wonder—What was this curse? Why had it been cast? And what had the king been like
before it changed him and his kingdom? He had to know, even if a mysterious and
frightening future stretched out before him.

Love, death, and blue eyes in a sea of white.

Whatever that might mean.

“You have a deal, Your Majesty.”

About the Author

Amanda Meuwissen is a
bisexual author, with a primary focus on M/M romance. As author of the paranormal
romance trilogy
The Incubus Saga
and several other titles with various publishers,
Amanda regularly attends local comic conventions for fun and to meet with fans, where she
will often be seen in costume as one of her favorite fictional characters. She lives in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, John, and their cat, Helga.

Author Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Twitter

Instagram | Pinterest | Newsletter Sign-up

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Let Your Heart Smile” by J.B. Buell.

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Let Your Heart Smile 

Author: JB Buell

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: JM Snyder/JMS Books 

Release Date: July 31, 2021 

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Friends to lovers

Themes: Hurt/comfort, reunited, pining, happy ending, disability, interracial relationship, different languages, travelling circus, clowns.

Heat Rating:  1 flame   

Length: 15 015 words

It is a standalone story with no cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

JMS Books  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Who can make this sad clown smile again?

Blurb

Niki Georgiev lives and works in Draganov’s Flying circus as a disabled clown. Each day he paints a smile onto his face, though he hasn’t felt like smiling for some time.

When the circus gets a new act in, flashy stunt bike riders, Niki gets a surprise. His childhood friend Conner Flinn is one of the riders and has returned to the circus a big star.

Niki doesn’t expect Conner to remember him, much less want to spend time with him as he’s just one of the clowns.

But not only does Conner notice Niki, he also asks him to join his act. Will Niki finally have a reason to smile?

Excerpt 

Niki turned around to see it was Conner, flanked by two more people. His stunt team, most likely, as they were all in costume.

The pretty Black woman with curly hair on Conner’s right was in a red catsuit with a zip up front, and white stars down her arms and legs. The cute Black guy on Conner’s left was in a similar suit of blue and white stars, with a deep V-cut on the chest held together by see-through mesh to show off pecs and abs.

And Conner, his suit had the same deep V-cut with the see-through panel, showing off some serious muscle definition there. Niki’s eyes didn’t know where to land. He noticed that Conner’s costume was red, white, and blue like the American flag.

“Niki,” Conner said, gesturing at his companions, “this is Jesse, and Dwight. Guys, this is Niki.”

“Nice to finally meet you,” Jesse said, offering out her hand. “Conner hasn’t shut up about you since we got here.”

Niki was mildly surprised, but he shook hands with her, forever thankful he had his right arm so he didn’t have to offer the wrong hand in social situations.

“Hey, man, how’s it going,” Dwight said, offering his hand next. “Looking forward to hearing any embarrassing stories you got about Conner.”

Niki smiled wickedly. “Oh, there’s plenty of those. Now please tell me you guys wear protective gear when you ride?”

This had them smiling and Dwight pointing a finger at Conner. “I told you people would ask!” Dwight said.

“We do, though,” Conner replied. “Yeah, don’t worry, Niki, we got the proper bike leathers to put on, and helmets of course.”

“Well, good,” Niki said, not quite able to let go of his old health and safety habits. “Make sure you wear them.”

“We will,” Jesse assured him. “We just came out to do some promo so we put on our pretty gear.”

He glanced between Conner and Dwight, then gestured at their chests. “You should cover up all those rippling muscles, there’s kids out here, y’know.”

He was only teasing. All the big acts wore revealing Spandex, that was half the attraction.

Conner and Dwight found his joke highly amusing and laughed about it.

“This is why I have a zip,” Jesse said, tugging the zipper on her chest. “Zip it down a bit for promo, and zip it up again later when there’s kids about. It’s so practical.”

“Yeah.” Dwight laughed. “And you can always tell if Jesse likes someone when the zipper comes down a little more while she’s talking to them.”

Jesse swatted him on the arm as she laughed. “Stop giving away all my secrets, man.”

“Uh, why don’t you guys go on ahead,” Conner said to them. “I’ll catch you up in a minute.”

“Sure, Flinn.” Dwight waggled his eyebrows at Conner, as Jesse pushed him away.

“C’mon, Dwight,” she said, tugging Dwight with her. “It was great meeting you!” she said to Niki as they left.

“You, too,” Niki replied, then looked at Conner. “What’s wrong?”

“Hm?” Conner blinked in confusion. “Nothing’s wrong. Why?”

“Oh. I thought something was wrong?”

“No?” Conner broke into a grin. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Niki said, as a blush broke out over his face. Never had he been so thankful for his thick clown make-up.

“Do you want to hang out between shows tonight?” Conner asked.

“Um, sure.”

“Great!” Conner grinned at him. “I’ll come find you. Will you be in this outfit?”

“Yes,” Niki said, feeling shy all over again. “I’m Cho-cho the clown now.”

“I like this bit,” Conner said, reaching out to touch the ruffle around Niki’s neck. “You look like that little clown doll my mom used to collect.”

“Pierrot,” Niki said. “Yeah, that’s the idea.”

“It’s cute.” Conner smiled. “You make a cute clown.”

An approaching parent with a kid interrupted them, and Conner took his cue to leave. He waved to the little kid as he walked by. He really did look amazing in that figure hugging costume.

Niki noticed the mom gape after Conner’s retreating form, and he had to press his lips together so he didn’t smile.

Me, too, lady, he thought.

About the Author 

J.B. Buell is a non binary writer (they/them) of m/m romance and gay rom com stories. They are a cat person, and can’t decide if they’re more of a coffee or tea person but is quite happy to drink both.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Twitter

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Dark Summer” by S.J. Coles

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Dark Summer (A sequel to Blood Winter)

Author: S. J.
Coles

Publisher: Pride
Publishing

Release Date: July 27,
2021

Genres: M/M Romance, Paranormal Romance, Vampire Romance,
Thriller

Tropes: Love against the odds, Forbidden Love, love triangle

Themes: Learning to love, healing, facing fears

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 50 247 words/ 204
pages

It is not a standalone story. It
is the second book in a series.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal
Link
|
Amazon US | Amazon UK

Is a human lifetime long
enough to learn to love a vampire?

Blurb

A sequel to Blood Winter

Is a human lifetime long enough to learn to love a

vampire?

The tumultuous events of the Blood Winter are a fading
nightmare, and Alec and Terje are trying to build a life together at Alec’s newly restored
ancestral home of Glenroe. There’s just one problem… Terje doesn’t appear to be
committed—constantly called away on mysterious errands and seemingly unable to forsake
his own kind. Alec begins to wonder if Terje is capable of loving anyone, let alone
him.

When an old uni friend Jay Singh, recently out of the closet
and looking rather too good to be true, returns to Alec’s life, he becomes more conflicted
than ever. Things only escalate when Alec is forced into the social and political issues still
surrounding the haemophiles’ tumultuous integration into human society and soon it is
more than just his relationship on the line.

Can Alec figure out what kind of future is possible with a
vampire—and if it can ever be enough for either of them—before it’s too late?

Excerpt

“You’re tired.”

Terje was brushing his long fingers through the hair on my
chest. I forced my eyes open, fighting back the warm oblivion that had threatened to steal
me away.

“No, I’m not.”

Terje chuckled softly and extricated himself from my arms. I
made a noise of protest, propping myself on my elbows as Terje started to collect his
clothing from the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“You should sleep,” Terje said, pulling on his jeans.

“This is the first night we’ve had together in weeks,” I
muttered, taking Terje by the wrist and pulling him close. “I’m not going to sleep for any of
it.”

Terje brushed a kiss across my forehead. “If you’re
sure…”

“Of course I’m sure,” I said, annoyance bleeding into my
tone.

Terje, either not noticing or not caring about my reaction,
continued to dress, pulling on his T-shirt, shoes and light, black jacket. He always wore
muted tones, blacks and grays, sometimes pale blues. It should make someone with his pale
complexion look washed-out or even sickly. But against his smooth, pearlescent skin and
hair, it just made him look exotic, unearthly, surreal but achingly beautiful.

“Are we going somewhere?” I asked, breaking off from
staring to retrieve my underwear.

“I’d like to go for a walk,” Terje said, pulling a band out of
his pocket and tying his blue-white hair back into a tail. As I was the only one available to cut
it and I wasn’t the best hairdresser, he’d allowed it to grow long again. The shorter strands at
the front fell into his eyes, but it left the smooth lines of his neck free.

“Where?”

“In the park,” he replied, fetching a bottle from a bag he’d
dropped in the corner. “Below the castle.”

“They have that here,” Alec said, indicating the
fridge.

“I prefer my own,” he replied. He opened the bottle, drank
deeply and color washed into his cheeks. He dropped the empty bottle in the specialist
canister next to the fridge and went toward the window.

“This is a safe place,” I muttered, grabbing a fresh shirt out
of my case. “You don’t have to go out of the window.”

“It’s better to be careful,” he said, then was gone.

I sighed, trying to fight the return of my frustration. I
finished dressing and hurried out into the busy city night. The air had cooled but the
towering stone buildings still retained some of the warmth from the day, giving the air an
enclosed feel. The sky arched black overhead, bleached featureless by streetlight.

Terje was nowhere in sight. I crossed the North Bridge,
heading for Market Street and the way down into the Princes Street Gardens. The noise of
people weaving between the bars, clubs and restaurants fell away as I descended the stairs
into the cool, fresh openness of the park. A train heading into Waverley station hissed by on
the rails above. As I ventured farther in to where the only light was from the LED lampposts
installed to lower light pollution, the stars finally became visible, glittering like diamonds on
a sheet of black velvet.

Edinburgh Castle glowered from its clifftop, all ramparts,
towers and impossibly large blocks of stone. I had always thought it looked forbidding, but
when Terje stepped out of the shadows to stand at my side and gaze up at it in quiet
wonder, I tried again to see it how he might see it.

“It’s beautiful, in its own way,” he had said the first time we
had visited Edinburgh, almost a year before. “It’s a promise to protect as well as to fight
back.”

Looking at his profile in the starlight, my anger faded and,
for the moment, I was just grateful he was back.

He laced his long fingers through my own. The memory of
Jay touching that same hand earlier that day rose in my mind but I shook it away, along with
the ghosting guilt. Terje sent me a sideways look and I was suddenly certain, however
impossible it was, that he knew. But then he started to walk down the path, drawing me
with him.

“We have a story about a haemophile that lived in the
castle in the middle ages,” Terje murmured as we walked. “Did I tell you that?”

“No, you didn’t. I’ve heard lots of ghost stories about it,” I
said absently. “Never anything about vampires.”

“It’s one of our stories. Like a cautionary folk tale…”

“Cautionary?”

Terje’s forehead creased slightly in the pale light. “Very few
of our kind have ever lived outside of a commune. This one did. Her story, well…it doesn’t
end well.”

About the Author

S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK.
She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest
passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.

She finds writing
LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore
many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation,
emotion and sexuality.

Among her biggest influences
are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne
Rice.

Author Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Twitter

Instagram | Pride
Publishing

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Continue ReadingRELEASE BLITZ: “Dark Summer” by S.J. Coles

RELEASE BLITZ: “Lockmage Legacy” by Jessamyn Kingley

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Lockmage Legacy (D’Vaire, Book 24)

Author: Jessamyn
Kingley

Publisher: Independently
Published

Cover Artist: LJ Anderson,
Mayhem Cover Creations

Release Date: July 29,
2021

Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy Romance

Trope: Fated Mates

Themes: Fate, love

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 88 690
words

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle
Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Defining a legacy is never
easy.

Blurb

Beta Donnell Ursus Arctos devotes his life to protecting his
leader and defending every bear in his clan. Some call him overprotective, but Donnell
prioritizes safety. When he’s not working, Donnell has simple hobbies that others consider
boring. Although Donnell is surrounded by family, wealth, and prestige, the bear shifter

pines for Fate to pair him with the other half of his soul.

For Joshua Brenton, little is going right. On the same day,
Josh loses his job and his run-down apartment. But there is a bright light on the
horizon—the annual retreat for mages. As an aqua mage, Josh has been disrespected since
birth, but Fate has recently selected new leaders. After sweeping changes are made, Josh is
randomly selected to prove his worth in the newly instituted mage testing.

Josh is stunned when he meets the mage rulers and is
invited to their home. Upon ringing the doorbell to the mansion, Josh meets Donnell, and
they discover that they are mates. Although the pair are instantly drawn to each other, Josh
learns he is more than a mage and must unravel a past he’d prefer to forget. It will be up to
Josh and Donnell to chart a future while dealing with the surprises they encounter along the
way.

Excerpt

“You like magic, don’t you?” Donnell asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re casting quite a few spells right now. You must’ve
done well in school.”

After glancing down, Josh chuckled. “I swear sometimes I’m
not even conscious of what I’m doing. But school wasn’t my favorite thing.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Not important. We need to discuss my questions.”

There was a line between Josh’s brows that kept Donnell
from pressing the subject. It was too soon to prod him on a topic, and if Josh wanted to
work through issues, Donnell was happy to help.

“Okay. Let’s talk. Is this about being a warlock or our
matebond?”

“I can’t believe we have an our anything. I like
it.”

Enchanted, Donnell smiled at him. “Me too. Now, answer
my question.”

“I guess it’s related to the matebond thing. Specifically, to
you being a bear.”

“I know we were in a room full of people earlier, but I
meant what I said. I’d like to create trust between us, and once it’s there, I have no intention
of breaking it. From the time I learned what it was to have a mate, I yearned for one. I’ve
had casual sex, and it can be fantastic, but being in a happy matebond is infinitely more
enticing to me.”

“Kinda pisses me off that I’m getting a visual of you fucking
some stranger,” Josh remarked.

“Then stop thinking about it.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Josh said with a shake of his head.
Whether Josh was aware of it or not, his plethora of spheres, rings of shifting colors, and
other minor spells reappeared. “I need to know other stuff about bears.”

“Okay. Are you unfamiliar with shifters?”

“I don’t always have my face in a book or anything, but I’ve
learned a few tidbits. I haven’t studied bears specifically, though, and I need to get my head
on straight. Let’s start with the one that probably would have the biggest impact on the
future. Do you hibernate?”

Donnell chuckled. “No, I don’t hibernate.”

“You don’t have to sound so outraged. Wild bears
do.”

“Yes, but I also have a human side.”

“Is honey your favorite thing ever?”

“Yes, because life is a cartoon,” Donnell drawled. At Josh’s
unamused glare, Donnell grinned. “I like honey.”

“See, I knew it. I was waiting for it to show up on the table
today but thought maybe you guys considered it too much of a delicacy to put out for
sharing.”

“No, we only put honey on appropriate things.”

“Have you ever gotten freaky with honey?” Josh
asked.

“I’ve put it on a grape before.”

“Is that a metaphor for some dude with small
balls?”

“I will not sit here and discuss my past experiences with
you,” Donnell told him. “That’s not the kind of thing anyone should tell their mate.”

“So, no freaky honey sex.”

“Not yet.”

Josh grinned. “Oh, I’m totally down for honey sex if you
want.”

“We’ll save it for a special occasion.”

“Have you ever forgotten you weren’t in bear form while
you were near a river and caught a salmon in your teeth?” Josh asked.

“Surprisingly enough, that’s never happened. Let me ask
you a thing or two.”

“Sure, but have you ever rubbed your butt on a tree in
human or bear form?”

“Not that I recall. Have you peed your pants because you
were too lazy to get up and knew you could use magic to make it disappear?” Donnell
inquired.

“Let me master my element so I don’t have to get up to
take a piss,” Josh groused, but he was laughing. “Allow me to paint you a picture. You’re out
and about. Suddenly, you’re hungry. You happen to be walking past a residential situation.
Do you go rummage through some trash cans to find a snack?”

“I assume I’m shifted?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You tell me,” Josh demanded.

About the Author

Jessamyn Kingley lives in
Nevada where she begs the men in her head to tell her their amazing stories which she
dutifully writes it all down in what has become a small mountain of notebooks. She falls in
love with each couple and swears whatever book she wrote last is her absolute
favorite.

Jessamyn is married and
working toward remembering to start the dishwasher without being distracted by the scent
of the magical detergent. For personal enjoyment, she aids in cat rescue while slashing and
gashing her way through mobs in various MMORPGs. Caffeine is her very best friend and is
only cast aside briefly for the sin better known as BBQ potato chips.

Visit her website

Join her Facebook group, Jessamyn’s Ruffian’s

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Fractured Love” by Matthew Dante

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Fractured Love

Author: Matthew Dante

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Anthony Chinedu

Release Date: July 15, 2021

Genre: Gay Thriller

Tropes: Unrequited Love, Obsession

Theme: Obsessive Love

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 50 000 words/225 pages

It is a standalone story.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

What is more dangerous than a man in love? A man in love who feels betrayed.

Blurb

Marc and Alex have been best friends since childhood. When Marc was fourteen, tragedy struck, and he found himself suddenly orphaned. Having no living relatives, Marc moved in with Alex and his family, who happily opened their hearts and their home to him.

Five years have passed since the tragedy, and Marc’s love and devotion for his best friend has only intensified… some would say, to an almost obsessive level…

Alex’s life is suddenly turned upside down when he is forced to make an impossible decision. Alex quickly learns that Marc’s love for him goes much deeper than just friendship. Alex begins to wonder, just how far is Marc willing to go in the name of love? And more terrifyingly, how dangerous is a man in love, who feels… betrayed.

Fractured Love is a dark story of unrequited love, torment, and murder.

Excerpt

Marc was furious. He jumped onto Alex, as Alex struggled beneath his weight. Alex kicked and punched with all his might. He had no idea how strong Marc could be when he was angry.

He felt like he was fighting a total stranger. This was not the man that he spent countless nights cuddling up against. This man was fueled by anger and rage. How long had this rage laid dormant? Or was it always there but hidden from prying eyes?

Marc let out an angry growl and punched Alex in the face. Blood burst from Alex’s nose as Marc’s fist connected firmly with his face. Alex fell backwards defeated. He was no match for the strength and fury of his former best friend.

Marc suddenly jumped down to the ground and grabbed Alex’s body. He yanked his body close to his own and whispered, “Don’t move.”

Alex’s body tightened as he suddenly heard a deep growl from the darkness ahead of him. With Marc’s arms wrapped tight around his body, Alex pressed his back further into Marc’s chest.

They both watched as a large wolf slowly emerged from the darkness. The beast growled, as it slowly made its way towards the two of them. The beast kept its nose close to the ground as it revealed its razor-sharp teeth.

“Don’t move, whatever you do.” Marc whispered in Alex’s ear. Marc gripped Alex even tighter as he held him close to his body. Alex gripped Marc’s arm, terrified, as he waited for the beast to attack.

About the Author

Matthew Dante is a Canadian indie author who loves to write about magic, fantasy, and romance. He is an avid reader, world traveller, lover of all things Marvel and DC, and a romantic at heart.

Most of his stories center around gay main characters who are usually the love interests and the heroes of these stories. He writes these novels, so that other LGBTQ people will be able to read about characters and stories that they can relate to and be proud of.

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Matched by My Rival” by DJ Jamison. $10.00 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Included!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Matched By My Rival

Author: DJ
Jamison

Publisher: DJ
Jamison

Cover Artist: Cate
Ashwood

Release Date: July 8,
2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, college jocks, online love match,
secret/forbidden love

Themes: Building a new dream, following your heart,
forgiveness

Heat Rating: 4
flames

Length: 75 000
words

It is part of a series (Thrust
Into Love) but can be read as a stand alone.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link |
Amazon US | Amazon UK

Simon Prentiss: Ex-football
star, bitter rival, and…falling for the enemy?

Blurb
I hate my teammate, Parker Reed.
I hate that he makes me work so hard for my
position on the field.

Hate how he always smiles. How easily he shows
me up when I’m injured.


Most of all, I hate that he made me lose my
temper.


Next thing I know, football is gone.
My scholarship is gone.
I’m nearly gone, too.

With help, I manage to stay in school for my final
semester.

At least without football, I can explore a new side
to myself.

See where my attraction to guys takes me without
fear of it affecting my future.


I didn’t see it coming. The cosmic
joke.

The sweet, patient guy on the hookup
app?

The one who makes me burn with the desire to
have him?


Yeah, it’s Parker.

Our chemistry is off the charts, no matter how
much I resent him.

Holding a grudge against him is
impossible.

But when he wants to walk away from everything I
lost, can I accept it?


If I don’t, I’ll lose him too–and that can’t
happen.

Because I don’t hate Parker Reed.
I think I love him.

Matched By My Rival is an enemies-to-lovers,
jock rivals romance. It’s Book 2 of the Thrust Into Love series but can be read as a
standalone.

Excerpt

The following excerpt is from Simon’s POV, when he
realizes that his app hookup is actually his rival, Parker Reed.


This couldn’t be happening. Parker Reed? Parker
Reed was my Thrust match? No, I refused to believe it.

“There must be some mistake,” I growled.

He didn’t back down. Parker wasn’t the type. But for once,
his obnoxious grin was absent.

“No mistake. A surprise, for sure.”

I turned to Rhett, who was watching us with the fascination
of a driver gawking at an accident scene. “I’ll close up if you let me take care of this.”

“Yeah, sure. Bar’s done serving. Knock yourself out,
just…clean up the blood before you leave.” He cut his eyes toward Parker. “Whoever you
are, I wish you the best.”

He exited the bar through a little section of counter that
raised up, creating a gap. I held it open for Parker, jerking my chin toward the back room.
“Let’s go.”

Parker chuckled nervously as he passed through the bar
entrance, brushing against my chest. I could feel his body warmth, smell his aftershave, an
earthy natural scent that suited him.

Heart pounding, I led him into the back room. Surrounded
by boxes of liquor and kegs of beer, I whirled on him. “Did you know?”

“Wh-what?”

Parker appeared off-balance. Usually he was a smooth
fucker.

“Were you playing me?” I demanded, crowding him against

a stack of boxes. We were close to the same size, but I didn’t let it stop me from putting
every ounce of threat I could into my voice.

“No!” The word burst from him, sounding incredulous.
“How would I know it was you? We never shared personal stuff.”

“So it’s a coincidence?” I said skeptically.

“Yes. It’s a really awkward coincidence that the guy I—” His
voice cracked, and he looked away. “I didn’t know.”

“Look me in the eye when you say it.”

Parker reluctantly looked at me, frustration blazing. “You’re
such an asshole sometimes, Prentiss.”

A shocked laugh burst out. “Really?”

“Yeah, I know I screwed up, okay? I never should have gone
to that party with Kristin. And obviously we wouldn’t be here if you knew it was me on that
app. But you don’t have to interrogate me like a fucking criminal.”

A whole series of memories hit me. All those flirty chats.
Those sexts that Parker had so patiently walked me through. I’d thought he was the nicest
guy on the planet.

“Fuck me,” I muttered, looking away.

“Please stop saying that,” Parker said in a strangled
voice.

I jerked my eyes back to his face in time to see a look of
such lust it shot heat through my entire body. “What?”

“Fucking you is all I’ve thought about for weeks.” He
laughed weakly. “Joke’s on me, huh?”

I couldn’t stop my eyes from making a slow perusal of his
body. It was dark, but I could make out the shape of him. I knew how fit he was. Knew
because we had practically the same body, the way we’d pushed ourselves in training. He
was of a slightly leaner build than me, more flexible. I knew his body intimately too. A series
of pics from his profile, and even more illicit ones he’d sent me directly, had filled in any
blanks I might have had.

His chest rose and fell faster. When I raised my gaze to his
face, he dragged the tip of his tongue over his dry lips.

And I lost it.

There was no thought, no reasoning. I’d spent weeks
dipping my toe in the water, testing, evaluating. But now I was in the deep end.

I was ready to swim. Or maybe I’d drown. But if I did, I was
taking us both down.

I crushed my mouth to his, shoving him harder into the
boxes, and he grasped at my waist for balance, gripping hard enough to hurt. The pain only
fueled my need. I grabbed his hair, short on the sides but longer on top, and yanked his
head back to better devour his mouth.

Weeks of buildup, of flirting with my bisexuality and
tempting myself to no end, exploded in a fiery inferno of need.

I didn’t care if it was Parker. I didn’t care that he was a man
I’d blamed and detested. In some ways, it made it easier.

This wasn’t the love connection I thought it might be. It
was unbridled lust, and I was just getting started.

About the Author

DJ Jamison writes romances
about everyday life and extraordinary love featuring a variety of queer characters, from gay
to bisexual to asexual. DJ grew up in the Midwest in a working-class family, and those
influences can be found in her writing through characters coping with real-life problems:
money troubles, workplace drama, family conflicts and, of course, falling in love. DJ spent
more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write
fiction. She spent a lifetime reading before that and continues to avidly devour her fellow
authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, one snake, and a
sadistic cat named Birdie.

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RELEASE BLITZ: “Sun, Sea, & Small-Town Secrets” by S.J. Coles

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Sun, Sea & Small-Town Secrets

Author: S. J.
Coles

Publisher: Pride
Publishing

Release Date: July 6,
2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Mystery/Holiday Romance

Tropes: Forbidden Love / Small Town / Holiday

Themes: Healing / Hurt/Comfort / Travel / Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 48 634 words/ 193
pages

It is a standalone
story.

Add on
Goodreads

 

Buy Links

Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Pride Publishing

 

Small towns are full of
secrets, some harder to keep than most.

 

Blurb

Sebastian Conway is a professional psychologist and

accomplished criminal profiler, but when one of his patients is sentenced to life in prison for
a crime she didn’t commit, he simply cannot let it go. His borderline obsessive behaviour
has embarrassed his boss and lover, Gerrard Wilson, and the relationship has come to a
bitter end.

Seb has now grudgingly taken Gerrard’s advice and come to
the small coastal town of Ruéier in the South of France to get some distance and clear his
head—but he cannot sit by and do nothing.

He has started writing a book he believes will address the
failings in the case, but when he gets swept up in a local investigation into suspected drug
trafficking, which is led by the enigmatic and strangely enticing Antoine Damboise, the
book—and Seb’s intentions to avoid active criminal cases—take a back seat.

He knows it’s a bad idea to get involved, but he can’t seem
to help himself. And when it seems Damboise is tempted to make their relationship more
than professional, Seb finds it easier than ever to ignore his better judgment. But when a
local drug dealer is murdered and Seb is implicated, everything gets a whole lot more
complicated.

Can the two men set aside their personal feelings long
enough to figure out what’s really going on before Seb ends up in prison? Or
worse…

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of murder and drug use.

 

Excerpt

“Monsieur Conway?”

I turned back. He was stood by reception looking
thoughtful, scratching at the stubble on his cheek.

“Yes?”

“Would you, perhaps, like to get a coffee?”

I blinked. “A coffee?”

Oui,” he said. “A thank you, shall we say?
For your

help.”

His smile was friendly, but his eyes were weighing me

up with a dark intensity I couldn’t penetrate. Whatever it
was going on here, saying yes, I knew, would be a very bad idea.

“Sure,” I said with a smile. “Sounds good.”

His own smile widened, and he nodded. “Bon. I will meet you
outside.”

I was grinning like a teenager with a crush as I stepped back
out into the street. The fresh breeze dried the clamminess on my face and swelled in my
lungs and chest. A small confidence boost could only help my productivity, I decided. I still
wasn’t sure what exactly his interest was. Heavy looks or not, I got exactly zero read on his
sexuality. But surely even French police didn’t take witnesses for coffee?

I was so busy retrospectively analysing his body language in
the interview room—
Did he extend his leg
toward me? Rest his hand near mine?
—that I
didn’t hear him behind me until he said my name.

“Apologies,” he said when I started, and a small smile
twitched the corner of his mouth. A pair of sunglasses hid his troublesome eyes from view.
He’d slung his jacket over his arm and, with the bright sunshine glinting in his corn-blond
hair and off his white teeth, I suddenly wondered how I ever considered him plain.

“It’s fine,” I managed. “Where do you want to go?” “Ah, I
know the best place. Follow me.”

“Antoine?”

We turned back. Adjudant Rayne was hurrying toward us.
She fired French at him whilst frowning at me. Damboise replied calmly, and she said
something more, her eyes leaving me to send Damboise what was unmistakably a warning
look.

C’est
bon
,” Damboise concluded. “This way,” he said
and turned toward the seafront. Rayne watched us leave with her arms crossed and
expression grim.

“She doesn’t like me very much,” I said.

“You misunderstand,” he said without looking at me. “She
was just reminding me of some paperwork that is late. I will do it after a bit.”

I spent the rest of the walk pondering the possible reasons
behind his lie.

The breeze was brisker and the air fresher as we stepped
out onto the seafront boulevard. The beach was crowded with families—the children
running, laughing and shrieking in the gentle swell of the shallows. The boats bobbed
sedately in the harbour, shining all the colours of the rainbow under the bright, sapphire sky.
Bicycles whizzed up and down the road, baskets laden with groceries or bottles of wine. The
men with guns seemed like a distant dream.

I followed him as he crossed the road to the Café De La
Mer
.

“You have been here before then, yes?” he said as he
pulled out the chairs around one of the plastic tables under a blue-and-white parasol.

“The first day I got here,” I said, a little warily as I surveyed
the clear view of the harbour. “The coffee is good, but I think it’s better at Cafe Maman.”

Oui,” he said, hanging his jacket on the
back of his chair and sitting. “I would say that is true. But have you tried the
chocolat chaud?”

“Hot chocolate?” I translated dubiously, taking the other
chair. “I don’t much like it.”

“Just wait,” he said, signalling a smiling waiter with a raised
hand and placing the order. Damboise made meaningless small talk for the interval until the
waiter returned. I blinked, surprised, as he set the shallow cup half-full of dark liquid that
looked more like espresso than chocolate in front of me.

“What, no squirty cream? Marshmallows?” I asked with a
half-smile as Damboise lifted his small cup in his distractingly delicate grip.

“We respect chocolate too much to pollute it so. This is the
local recipe, melted then mixed with a splash of cognac. Go ahead. Try it.”

I lifted the cup to my face and inhaled the rich, thick scent.
It was sweet, yes, but savoury too—bold, rather than cloying. It reminded me of
fresh-turned earth, with a slight smokiness, like when the wind brings the scent of a distant
bonfire. I drank. It was so thick that I could almost chew it. It tasted like it smelled—rich and
earthy, with the spice of tree bark and apricot from the cognac.

“Good, non?”

“Yeah,” I said, tipping the cup farther to coax more into my
mouth. “This isn’t like the instant stuff.”

“In France, nothing is instant. Everything is slow.
Considered. Deliberate.”

“I’m beginning to get that,” I said, scraping the remains of
the chocolate with the tiny spoon that had come with it. Damboise smiled at me, sipping his
own drink like someone sampling a fine wine, then he dabbed his lips with a napkin.

 

 

About the Author

S.J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK.
She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest
passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.

She finds writing
LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore
many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation,
emotion and sexuality.

Among her biggest influences
are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne
Rice.

 

Author Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Twitter

Instagram | Pride
Publishing

 

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