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Thursday, October 15, 2015

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY ~ SINDERS AND ASH BY TARA LAIN

Sinders and Ash

(The Pennymaker Tales Series)

by Tara Lain

Blurb:

Housekeeper Mark Sintorella (Sinders) works diligently at a resort hotel while designing clothes anonymously, hoping to get into fashion school. Then his carefully planned life is upended with the arrival of Ashford Armitage, son of the fifth richest man in America—and the most beautiful guy Mark has ever seen. Ash must find a wife or he’ll lose his grandfather’s inheritance, and he settles on Bitsy Fanderel. But secretly Ash is gay, and the guy who cleans the fireplaces sets his heart ablaze.

Further stirring the pot is the little elf of a man, Carstairs Pennymaker, who has Mark wearing his own designs and masquerading as a girl to impress the fashion investors in the hotel. When the clock strikes twelve, two beautiful princesses line up for the wedding—but one isn’t a woman. Will the slipper fit? Only Mr. Pennymaker knows for sure.

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Excerpt

Available at Dreamspinner Press -- http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6906

The soft knock reminded him of a cue in a bad play. He knew who it was and knew he shouldn’t answer. That insane little man gave him hope when he knew he had no hope. Only hard work. But dammit, he liked Mr. Pennymaker.

He huffed, dragged himself off the bed, cleared the couple of steps to the door, pulled it open, and headed right back to the bed and curled into a ball.

“Helloooo, my boy. How are you this lovely day?” The chirpy voice paused, and Mark peeked at him from his armadillo-like position. Mr. Pennymaker had his hands on his knees and was gazing at Mark. Yes, he was an elf. “Hmm. I gather we are not tip-top?”

Mark shook his head. “No, sir.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Might as well. I want to listen.”

He had a point. Mark needed another angle of vision. “I did something very bad.”

The dark suit Pennymaker was wearing today would have been conservative but for the bright pink vest and the gardenia in his buttonhole. He sat on the rickety chair. “Would you like to tell me about it?”

Mark sat up. Would he? There was something about the man. Like he was on Mark’s side no matter what. Mark had never had that feeling… at least not since his mom died. It made no sense. Mr. Pennymaker was a stranger, but there it was. “Well, you see, Richard the Bastard tried to force himself on me, and I was so—”

“Hold on! What happened?”

“Oh, the bastard sous chef finally quit perving on me and decided to do the deed. He didn’t get to hurt me because Armitage—you know, the rich guy—came to my rescue. And now I know I’m going to get fired any minute, and I really need this job, and I don’t know what I’ll do if they give me a bad referral.”

“Now, now, even Herman Marcusi won’t fire a man for avoiding rape.”

“No, you don’t understand. Because I was really upset. See, I had this thing happen and I guess I went into flashbacks or something, but I was pretty messed up, and Armitage tried to help me and, shit, I kissed him.”

The man grinned. “Kissed him?” 

“Yeah.” Mark returned to armadillohood. 

Mr. Pennymaker’s voice dripped with amusement. “I’m sure you were grateful.” 

Didn’t he get it? Mark sat up. “No! I kissed him kissed him, like, with tongue and, you know.” 

The grin got bigger. “I’m sure you were very grateful.”

Mark sighed. “Maybe. But I imagine he’s reporting it to Marcusi right now and I’ll be out on my ass by tomorrow.”

“Maybe he enjoyed it.”

Hell, he hadn’t thought of that. The guy had seemed shocked, but he hadn’t worked very hard to get away. After all, Mark wasn’t exactly Mighty Joe Young. Still, the look on his face…. “I doubt it. Hell, you can’t do anything good with Sinders and Ash.”

______________________________________________________________

You can find Tara HERE:

Website: http://www.taralain.com

Blog: http://www.taralain.com/blog

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain

Twitter: http://twitter.com/taralain

FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/taralain

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 29. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

About the Author

She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at

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Thursday, October 8, 2015

Release Tour ~ Choosing Us by Aria Grace

Title: Choosing Us

Series: More Than Friend #10

Author: Aria Grace

Genre: M/M Romance (Menage)

Release Date: October 10, 2015

Adam is almost done with culinary school when Lee, his instructor, kicks him out of school, his apartment and his life. Adam quickly becomes a member of the working poverty, living on the streets, and just trying to survive. With nothing positive to look forward to, Adam resorts to the only way he knows how to escape from his life.

Joey finds Adam sick and alone in Waterfront Park one night and takes him home. Steve and Joey want to help but Adam may not be ready to accept it or them. It'll all come down whether the three men are better off together or apart.

Joey
The energy at The Pot has been weird all day. People seem antsy. Anxious. I don’t know if it’s the non-stop rain, but something just feels wrong.
“I’m heading out with Bryce to look for Kurt.” Kim is pulling her jacket off the coat rack by the door. “You gonna stay much longer?”
I pull the chewed up pencil out of my mouth and look at her. “Um, no. I’ll probably head out soon too.”
“Okay, just be careful driving home. It’s practically a typhoon out there.”
I shiver just thinking about being stuck outside. “Where are you guys looking?”
“We’re going to drive through Kelly Butte Natural Preserve to see if anyone has seen him out there. Then we’ll swing by Waterfront. He stays at both places so hopefully we’ll find him.”
“What are you going to do if you find him?” On particularly wet nights, The Pot fills up quickly. We try not to ever turn anyone away but once the beds are full and the floors are all littered with bodies in sleeping bags, it’s hard to justify going to find someone just to bring them back.
“We just want to make sure he’s fine. He’s usually here every few days so people are getting worried. There’s been some bad black going around. I’ll feel better if I know he’s alive.”
I nod then blurt out my next words without thinking. “I’ll go to Waterfront. It’s on my way home anyway. Call me if you find him before I do.”
“Will do. Have a good night, Joey.”
“Yeah.” I shut down the computer I was using to pay some bills then stand to leave as well. “You too.”
~**~
Looking for someone on a dark and stormy night is even harder than it sounds. I can’t see my hand in front of my face without my flashlight blazing. And because I don’t want anyone to think I’m a cop, I keep the light mostly shielded. Only a dim beam illuminates the pathway in front of me.
There are a few corners where junkies are known to party, so that’s where I start. Under a thick copse of trees, four people huddle together under a tarp. Keeping my voice friendly and my light low, I call out toward the group, “Is Kurt with you?”
No response so I take a few steps closer. One guy jumps up while the others fumble around behind him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Hey, it’s cool, man. I’m not a cop.” I turn the light toward myself so they can see my plain clothes. “Just looking for a friend. Do you know a guy named Kurt?”
A girl turns on a headlight, almost blinding me with the beam before she clicks it into red mode. “I know Kurt. What do you need from him?”
“I don’t need anything.” I slowly turn the light toward her face so I can see her without shining it directly in her eyes. “Just checking to see if he’s okay. I’ve been trying to reach him for a few days.”
She shakes her head then looks at the half-conscious guys next to her. “Nah, it’s been a while but he was fine the last time I saw him.”
That’s helpful. Not.
“Well, if you see him, can you tell him to go see Joey?”
No one even looks up as I turn and head out. There’s a person on a bench near the water so I walk quickly toward them. A street light casts just enough light over the person that I can tell it’s a man, about the size of Kurt.
“Kurt?” I call out when I’m about ten feet from the man. His feet are up against his ass and his head is tucked into his bent knees. If he didn’t startle at my voice, I would have been afraid he was dead.
“What?” The man turns his head and coughs twice into his knees.
The familiar voice makes my blood run cold. Please let this be Kurt.
“Is that you, Kurt?”
“No Kurt here.”
The man buries his face into his bent knees again and coughs violently, causing me to take a few steps closer.
“Adam?” I whisper as I raise my light across his curled up body. “Is that you?”
Adam’s legs hit the ground and he stands at attention like a solider at boot camp. “Joey? Hey, how’s it going?”
He’s trying to sound casual but it’s clearly an act. He’s nervous and jittery.
“What are you doing here, Adam?” I look around to see if he’s with anyone but he’s totally alone. “It’s freezing.”
“I’m fine.” He runs his palm across his face, wiping off the water collecting there. “I like the peace of being alone out here.”
“Can I give you a ride home?” I don’t know where he’s living but he shouldn’t be walking anywhere in this weather.
“Oh, no.” He clears his throat and puts his hands in his pockets. “I’m cool, but thanks.”
I move the beam of light directly over his face until he has to squint to keep from being blinded. “No, you’re not cool. You need to get out of this rain. That cough sounds bad. Where do you live?”
Adam’s head drops and his chin lands on his center of his collar bone. “I’m fine, Joey. Really.”
His words are whispered but the anguish in his voice is unmistakable. I step right up to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. “What’s going on, Adam? Why are you out here?”
Adam’s shoulders rise and fall until I feel his arms slowly close around my waist. He completely ignores my question while breathing into my neck. “It’s so good to see you.”
My hold on him tightens. “Why don’t you come back to my place so we can talk?”
His head bobs up and down, but Adam doesn’t say a word. After another moment, I release one arm from around his shoulders then start walking back to my car with him pressed tightly to my side.
Steve
Rain is falling in sheets as I drive the short distance home. I closed up at eight forty because the mall was dead. I normally would have waited it out but I was anxious to get home to my little duck.
Relief fills me when I see Joey’s white Ford Escape tucked away for the night in the garage. I park next to him and practically jog inside, anxious to get out of my damp clothes from the walk through the mall parking lot.
“Baby, I’m home,” I call out as soon as I step into the kitchen.
“We’re in the family room.”
I pause for just a second. Did he say we?
I inhale deeply then walk into the family room. Joey is sitting in the center of the sofa, his body turned toward the guy beside him.
My stomach churns as I take in the scene. This guy doesn’t look familiar but I trust Joey implicitly. I know whatever reason he has for inviting a stranger into our home, particularly when I’m not around, must be a good one.
I round the sofa and stand on the other side of the coffee table, facing Joey and hopefully the guy he was looking for. But it’s not Kurt. It’s Adam. The guy from the wedding.

Born and raised in California, Aria enjoys the year round sunshine and laid back environment of the west coast. She lives with her husband and two children on a quiet hill that gives her lots of time to read and write. Once she ventured into the exciting world of gay romance, she never looked back. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to drop her a note or visit her at www.ariagracebooks.com or join her mailing list for updates and free book opportunities.