Saturday, September 30, 2017

Audiobook Review: ONE CALL AWAY by Felice Stevens-Includes Excerpt!

 One Call Away Audio Banner

ONE CALL AWAY
FELICE STEVENS
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2017
AUDIO RELEASE: August 31, 2017
NARRATOR: Seth Clayton


One Call Away Cover 

BLURB

When a brutal attack from a jealous competitor leaves Noah Strauss, darling of the modeling world, physically scarred and emotionally damaged, he quits the runway to become a psychologist. Using his contacts from his time in the spotlight, he creates One Call Away, a radio show dedicated to gay men looking for love, advice or someone to talk to. But with secrets of his own and a mother who refuses to understand the career path he's chosen, the one person Noah can't seem to help is himself.

On a drunken dare from the senior partner's grandson, Oren Leavitt calls Noah’s radio show, pretending to be gay. Only Oren isn't certain if he's pretending. He's left his strict Orthodox Jewish upbringing behind, but the guilt remains. Guilt that his actions have prevented his sister from finding a husband and guilt that he's failed his parents. Talking to "Dr. Noah" helps, and as he finds himself calling the man again and again, he knows he must be honest. But Oren is unsure if he's lying to Noah or himself.

For Noah, trust is paramount; he's been deceived in his personal and professional life and while he desperately wants to help Oren, he also finds himself falling for the sweet and tortured man. Oren is trapped: he risks losing his job and more importantly the love and security of his family but knows he can't hide if if wants to be with Noah. When unresolved heartaches from the past rise up to control the present, Noah and Oren discover that love often comes from the most unexpected places, and sometimes a call for help not only saves a life, it can be a new and beautiful beginning.




EXCERPT

"I told you already, I’m their charity case, their token Jew.” When he took the job, Oren thought he could brush it off, but lately the sense of ostracism was proving harder to handle than he’d imagined. Isolated by his religion and his sexuality, the only time lately Oren found himself able to be free was when talking to Noah.


“Every year they make a show of how diverse they are with their one black first-year hire, and their Asian and Latino associates. We’re paraded around to the legal community as DeWitt and Wynters’ ‘new generation’ of lawyers who are breaking the mold of the white, Christian elite, upper echelon when in reality they give us the grunt work or the impossible-to-win cases. The special outings are at golf courses, which have no members like us, and we don’t know how to play, so we sit around doing nothing, while the others have a great time bonding. Either that or they schedule firm parties on Jewish holidays when they know I can’t attend. They put on a good show, but we know we don’t belong, and we’re too afraid to complain or say anything because jobs are so hard to come by, and the firm’s name still opens so many doors.”

Stunned at his bitter outburst, Oren smiled faintly at Noah. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to let it out on you.”

“I’m glad you did.” A twinkle lit Noah’s eyes. “Sounds like something you’ve been holding back for a while now.” He sobered up. “I’m sorry you have to go through that. Isn’t there another place you can work where you’ll feel safe?”

“Safe?”

“I’m sure if they are as bigoted as they sound against people of color and other religions, they are also intolerant of gays.”

Not in a million years would Oren ever speak of his sexuality to Harlan or Toby. Even the fact that Harlan had spoken to Noah freaked him out a bit.

“It isn’t something I plan to discuss with them. It’s none of their business.” Agitated, Oren turned away from Noah and fumbled in the drawer for a corkscrew. With quick, angry turns, he opened the wine.

“It was only a thought. I’m not saying you should.” Noah’s soothing voice steadied the rapid thump of Oren’s heart. “What was his name again, the guy I spoke to on the phone?”

“Harlan.” The sound of that name sent a sinking feeling into the pit of Oren’s stomach. “He’s not only in charge of my group; he’s the great-grandson of one of the firm’s founders and can do whatever he wants. And he does.”

“See, that’s what I thought. His voice…it sounded cunning. Like he was trying to figure something out and use it against you. I got worried and thought of how upset you might be. I’m so sorry you have to put up with someone like him. You deserve so much better.” Noah’s eyes searched his, and Oren couldn’t break away from the pull of their blue depths.

An unfamiliar ache of longing built up inside him, painful yet sweet. A need to touch and be touched with meaning. He found himself drawn to Noah, much more so than to any person he’d ever met. Was it wrong of him to want Noah? He considered him his doctor, his therapist. Most importantly, Noah was his friend. In these past few weeks something between them changed, and Oren found himself thinking of Noah as a man and not merely a risk. And staring into Noah’s eyes, Oren knew that wanting Noah might be worth the risk he was finally willing to take.


Carra's Review

A bit angsty, a bit sweet, a bit hot, and with the always superior writing and storytelling I’ve come to expect from Felice Stevens…that’s what you’ll find when you open up One Call Away.  Oh, and let’s not forget Oren and Noah, the two amazing main characters with whom I completely fell in love.

Noah is an incredibly kind and giving man, always wanting to help others but still hiding away on the personal side thanks to a horrible attack he endured years ago.  He now needs to relearn how to love and accept himself as he is now so he can truly move on with his life.  Oren grew up in a very strict Orthodox Jewish household, but just couldn’t continue that level of religiosity for his entire life.  He loves his family and is always concerned he’s going to let them down because he left home and didn’t want to continue to live such a devoted religious life.  The moment his boss eggs him on to call in to Noah’s radio show as a joke is the moment that Oren truly starts a new journey of self discovery.  

Noah and Oren’s relationship develops slowly and naturally, with both men helping each other on their individual journeys.  There’s a lot of emotion on both sides, and it intensifies everything between them…and when they finally get to the point where they give themselves to each other totally, it’s powerful and passionate—not to mention sensual and scorching hot!

The angst and drama is present on several fronts, from Oren not being out to anyone to his uncomfortable and actually downright hostile work environment to the strain of him coming out to his family, then also Noah’s pain over his scars to his resentment of his mother’s attitude toward his prior modeling career and his last lover’s betrayal.  All of this plus Noah and Oren’s blossoming relationship—which is sweet and tender yet oh-so-hot—means that emotions are running high for the majority of the story, which had me not wanting to put this book down for any reason.


One Call Away was a fantastic story and gets 5 stars from me.  I highly recommend this to any M/M romance fan, though readers should be 18+ for the adult language and explicit M/M sexual content.  

The narration: This is the first time I've listened to Seth Clayton narrating a book.  His voice is soothing and he did a good job at giving the characters individual voices.  There were some times though, his narration was a bit halting, so that it wasn't always smooth.  For me, the calmness of his voice made up for this quirk in the narration.  Overall, the narration gets 4 stars from me, and I'd get more audiobooks in the future with Seth Clayton as the narrator. 


About the Author

Felice Logo
I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.


But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.

I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.







New Release-Excerpt& Giveaway: ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN by Marie Harte


ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN
by Marie Harte

New Release-Excerpt & Giveaway: DIOMERE'S EXILE by Sabrina A. Fish

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!
Diomere's Exile Tour Graphic
DIOMERE'S EXILE
Sabrina A. Fish
Series: The Gate Keeper Chronicles Book 1
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: September 29, 2017
Diomere's Exile
An exiled woman seeking redemption, and the man who distracts her from finding it.
Five Gates. Five Sisters. Five Very Different Men.
Once there were two worlds connected by five magical gates. Then the Gate Keepers closed the gates and disappeared. The Gate Keepers have returned.
Nadia de Quinones was exiled when her nephew, the crown-prince was abducted on her watch. She'll let nothing stand in the way of her redemption, not even discovering her heartbonded and a connection to an ancient magical gate.
Lord Gregor Cyrene is sworn to protect his country's royal heirs. After the youngest prince's life is threatened, Gregor sets out to discover who is responsible and suspects the answer lies with Nadia.
When fate forces their competing goals to align, neither are prepared for the irresistible attraction between them. Can they see beyond their pasts and a millennia old hate between their people? Or will they continue to distrust, allowing those plotting against them to win?
This is an excellent, fast-paced story that held my attention from beginning to end. Prepare yourself - the love scenes are hot, hot, hot!
- Staci, Goodreads Reviewer
Secrets, lies, magic, love, lust and betrayal made for an excellent read. Recommended.
- Errin Krystal, Goodreads Reviewer

Purchase Links

Available now for $4.99 only. Grab your copy today.

An Excerpt from the Book

Take an inside look at Diomere's Exile. Read this sizzling excerpt from the book.
Playing her part, she bit her bottom lip and looked up at him through her lashes. "Pardon, m'lord. I didn't mean to mistake you for a running path."

His low, husky voice caressed her ears, its softness belying strength and control rather than weakness. "If all runners were as beautiful as you, I'd be willing to be the path more often."

She barely kept from rolling her eyes. Expose a little cleavage or the hint of a curvy figure and men were all the same, the sight of a woman's face being totally unnecessary to judge beauty. Even had she not been wearing the mask, she knew there was nothing beautiful about her. Too tall and mouthy, she preferred dressing like a Diomerean nobleman rather than the noblewoman she was. Never mind the scar that bisected the left side of her face.

"Thank you, m'lord," she said, tone dry. She smiled and batted her lashes up at him.

His low chuckle sent a shiver down her spine as he leaned toward her until his breath tickled her ear. "Acting the coy miss isn't one of your gifts," he said, his lips grazing her ear, causing an arrow of desire to arc through her body.

She leaned up on her toes, their cheeks only a breath apart, and whispered back. "Insincere flattery is obviously one of yours."

She caressed his chest, unable to resist the swell of muscle under her palms as she pulled away, chin lifted. Striking amber irises circled in a black outer ring and thick black lashes peeked from the eyes of the mask. Her mind went blank as desire rolled through her, taking her breath. A ripple rolled through the power inside her, like this man had reached in and touched a finger to the still surface of her a'mi. Her smile slipped. You're acting like Father. Her stomach flipped, threatening to eject her morning meal. She jerked her hands from his chest as if she'd been burned.

He trapped her gaze in his. "Is it not said that flattery makes friends and truth makes enemies?"

Nadia scowled and shoved her a'mi deep.

"Then I'd rather be enemies." She stepped back and held her hand out in the traditional greeting of her people, rather than the shoulder clasping Thunoans used. His smoldering gaze held a challenge as he slid his palm against hers. His thumb caressed the back of her hand, making her shiver, before he finally pulled his hand back toward his chest, the parchment she'd slipped him tucked between his fingers. The greeting ended with their palms over their hearts. Nadia ignored the heat pooling in her stomach. "The gods keep you, m'lord."

"Asha's blessing on you, lady."

She told herself she clenched her fist because the greeting demanded it, not to hold on to the feel of his skin against hers.

Book Tour Schedule

Follow the book tour from October 3 - 16, 2017.
Discover more features, excerpts, reviews, interviews, fun facts and other extras on the tour.
Check the daily tour schedule at Diomere's Exile Book Page.
Diomere's Exile Tour Graphic

Giveaway

WIN $25 GIFT CARD AND MORE!
Diomere's Exile Giveaway Graphic
Prizes up for grabs:
$25 Gift Card (Winner's choice: Amazon or Barnes & Noble)
2 Diomere's Exile eBooks
3 Mystery Prizes
Contest runs from August 29 - October 16, 2017.

About Sabrina A. Fish

Sabrina A. Fish lives in Oklahoma with her husband, son, and two cats, where she owns a trophy company and collects names for her novels from lists of award's recipients. She loves all things chocolate and her husband is sweet enough to never let the candy dish near her computer become empty.
She loves and advocates being involved in the local writing community, and is President for the 2018 Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc (OWFI).
She is an annual featured speaker at The Rose State Writing Conference and has been a panelist at Wizard World Comic Con.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, she considers the three years she spent in a Texas high school to be a short trip down the rabbit hole that ended at graduation. She returned to Oklahoma where she received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. BOOMER SOONER.
When she isn't writing & promoting her novels or running her company, she can be found reading, scrapbooking, or spending quality time with her family.
To find out more about Sabrina and her books, visit her website https://www.SabrinaAFish.com

About The Wild Rose Press

The Wild Rose Press has been publishing electronic and print titles of fiction for more than nine years. Our titles span the sub-genre spectrum from sweet to sensually erotic romance in all lengths to mainstream and womens fiction. To check out the latest and upcoming releases and more, visit https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com.



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Friday, September 29, 2017

Review & Giveaway: WOULD IT BE OKAY TO LOVE YOU? by Amy Tasukada



Buy Links: 


Length: 41,000 words

Series

Would It Be Okay To Love You (Book #1)
Would It Be Okay To Love You: Year One (Book #2) Amazon US | Amazon UK


Blurb

A robot fanboy. An erotic voice actor. When love comes calling, will they shed their armor?

Sato's only long-term relationship is the one he shares with his Gundam collectibles. He dreams about the kind of unconditional love his parents enjoy. If only he could break out of his shell, he might find his special someone...

Outgoing playboy Aoi has sworn off relationships. He knows they only distract him from his budding voice acting career. He's earned a few loyal fans, and if he keeps at it, he may even earn enough to never worry about being evicted again...

When Sato meets Aoi at the local anime store, there's definitely a spark. But even as they tread carefully, their commitment issues and Aoi's troubled past soon muck things up before they can start. In order for Sato and Aoi to have their happily-ever-after, they'll both have to take a leap of faith... and hope to be caught.

Would It Be Okay to Love You? is the first book in a gay romance series set in Japan. If you like original characters, nerd culture, and simmering chemistry, then you'll love Amy Tasukada's charming multicultural love story.



Carra's Review

Mostly sweet with a bit of cheekiness thanks to Aoi and his not so subtle innuendos, I found this story to be an enjoyable read of opposites attract.  Sato is adorably nerdy and inexperienced, while Aoi is more hip and worldly.  But something between them just clicks, and no matter how much Aoi tries to say they can’t date or become more so he can concentrate on his career, the relationship between them is inevitable.

It was easy for me to identify with Sato with the quiet, unsure way he had about him.  Aoi was a bit naughty at times with what he would say to Sato, even if what he said might have gone right over Sato’s head at the time.  Aoi is not the type of person you’d expect to settle for one guy given his past track record, but I think Sato’s stability is one of the things that appealed to Aoi since Aoi’s never really had that himself since he’s been on his own.


This story was a fun, quick read and I really liked both Aoi and Sato’s characters.  Would It Be Okay To Love You? gets a very solid 4 stars from me, and I would definitely recommend it to any M/M romance fan.  If you’re a fan of Japanese culture, then that will be another plus with this book for you.  This story is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.


Author Bio


Amy Tasukada lives in North Texas with a calico cat called O'Hara. As an only child her day dreams kept her entertained, and at age ten she started to put them to paper. Since then her love of writing hasn't ceased. She can be found drinking hot tea and filming Japanese street fashion hauls on her Youtube channel.




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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Review & Giveaway: WAKING THE BEHR by Pat Henshaw

WakingCover

Waking the Behr 
(A Foothills Pride Story)
Author: Pat Henshaw
Cover Artist: AngstyG
Genre: contemporary gay romance
Length: 29,689 Words/88 Pages
Release Date: September 20, 2017

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Buy Links


Add on Goodreads


Blurb

Both Ben and Mitch think they know exactly what they want. Turns out, they don’t even know their own hearts.

Good old boy Ben has dated women his entire life, while gay nightclub owner Mitch has never considered unsophisticated country boys his type. But after they start hanging out, the small-town contractor and the urban entrepreneur are both stunned by the electricity sparking between them.

As they step outside their comfort zones to spend time together, Mitch finds he enjoys rural car rallies, and Ben is intrigued by the upscale bars Mitch owns in San Francisco. When they share their lives and grow closer, they start to question the way they’ve always defined themselves. Then they kiss and fling open the door to love. Now they must step up and travel the road that may lead to happily ever after—even if that path isn’t one they ever expected to walk.

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Carra's Review

I've enjoyed the books in this series so far, and look forward to each new one as it is released.  When it comes to Waking the Behr, it felt at first like it would be a "didn't know I liked guys until him" type story...which in essence it was.  For me though, I didn't really feel any chemistry between Ben and Mitch.  There was plenty of potential for it, but the way the story went didn't really allow for enough relationship development between them for me to feel that spark between the two men.

I liked Ben quite a bit, and the fact that his unexpected feelings towards Mitch made him question himself held a lot of promise for self-discovery in the story.  Mitch though I thought was a bit all over the place--his mood and attitude seemed to be up and down, and his character came across as unfocused.  I think that was a large part of the reason why I didn't feel any chemistry between him and Ben.

If you're a fan of the series, you'll enjoy getting Ben's story, just expect a lot of telling and not much showing of how the relationship progresses.  It's a quick read, and you'll get a feel of gay-for-you/maybe-I'm-bi from the story, so if you're a fan of these tropes, this latest release in this series will probably be just right for you.



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Blog Tour Schedule
WAKING THE BEHR BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER 25
SEPTEMBER 26
SEPTEMBER 27
SEPTEMBER 28
SEPTEMBER 29
SEPTEMBER 30


WAKING THE BEHR COVER 2

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Meet the Author

81K35AAJl2L._UX250_Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, has spent her life surrounded by words:  Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.

Pat was born and raised in Nebraska where she promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California.  Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube.

Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion.  Fortunately, her incredibly supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.

Blog - Website - Facebook - Twitter - Google+ - Amazon -


Giveaway!

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win one of THREE $10 Coffee gift cards


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Back 2 School Special: MORE ROMANCE!-Includes Giveaway!


Wednesday, September 27, 2017

New Release-Review: THE HALF WOLF by Jay Northcote



Buy Links: 


NB: This book will be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, after that it will be available at all major retailers.

Length: 65,000 words approx
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @Black Jazz Design


Blurb

Mate, family, pack, home... can Quinn and Kellan have it all?

Quinn grew up feeling out of place in the small town he calls home. Yearning for something he can't name, he's always felt different but never known why.

Kellan is part of a nomadic shifter pack. When they set up camp in the woods near Quinn's town, the humans are unwelcoming and suspicious of the newcomers. The moment Kellan catches sight-and scent-of Quinn, he knows Quinn is special. But for the first time in his life, Kellan can't trust his instincts. Quinn is human, and Kellan is a wolf shifter, so how can they ever be mates?

Their bond is instant and exhilarating. It breaks Quinn's heart to know their relationship can only be temporary. Love isn't enough when pack law forbids shifters to mate with humans. Tension explodes between pack and humans, and when Quinn discovers a shocking truth about himself that changes everything, he fears he'll have to choose between the only life he's ever known and the man he loves.


Carra's Review

It seems that Jay Northcote is just as fantastic at writing paranormal/shifter romance as he is contemporary.  The Half Wolf may be his attempt at dabbling in the genre, but he’s done a more than outstanding job at giving readers an entertaining, exciting and incredibly HOT story.  

Kellan and Quinn are attracted to each other from the start, and the chemistry between them is powerful.  That made for some truly intense scenes between them, especially as they start to spend more and more time with each other.  But once Quinn discovers the truth of who he is, his and Kellan’s relationship immediately comes into sharp focus.  

The element of suspense and danger is introduced with the concept of rogue omega shifters, a take on the omega role that I’ve not seen before and one that makes for an intriguing change from the generally accepted position I’ve become used to for omegas.  Along with those elements comes plenty of drama with the townspeople since many do not trust shifters and just want to see them gone—even if that means taking things into their own hands to make that happen.

For me, I was all about the exceptional bond between Kellan and Quinn; I ached for them when they knew their relationship could only be temporary, and when things began to change I was ecstatic for them as their relationship practically exploded off the pages.


The Half Wolf was a 4.5-star read for me, and after reading it I can’t wait for more books in this genre from the author.  This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.



Author Bio

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story-just to see if he could-and found it rather addictive. He hasn't stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.





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