Wednesday, May 4, 2016

COVER REVEAL ~ Snakes Among Sweet Flowers by Jason Huffman-Black

Title: Snakes Among Sweet Flowers

Author: Jason Huffman-Black

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: AngstyG

Release Date: June 20

Heat Level: 3

Pairing: M/M

Length: 79k

Genre/Tags: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Suspense, Thriller

Synopsis

Two-time ex-con Camden Sanders has decided that Hog Mountain—an isolated community on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia—is the perfect place to continue running small scams without the threat of more prison time. But there are a few problems with this plan. One is the neighborly citizens of Hog Mountain thwarting his dirty dealings at every turn with their kindness. Another is Jackson Rhodes, a closeted Hog Mountain police officer who can see right through Cam’s good ol’ boy act and plans to catch him red-handed despite the attraction they both can feel. But the biggest problem of all is that Cam’s past is threatening to catch up with him, and it could mean trouble for more than just himself.

Excerpt

When Cam parked his pickup in front of the pumps at his station, he was surprised to find a local police cruiser waiting by the closed garage door. A tall blond cop leaned leisurely against the front bumper, staring directly at him as he took his time getting out. The frown on the policeman’s face was at odds with his stance, and although Cam didn’t think he had much to worry about, he couldn’t help the hammering in his heart, the constricting of his chest. He’d dealt with cops and guards enough to know there wasn’t a one of them that wasn’t a sadistic asshole. They thrived on making people like Cam suffer. Cam had yet to deal with the local law and had hoped his lucky streak would continue. He had to admit the officer knew how to wear a uniform, though, with broad shoulders and slim waist accentuated nicely. Too bad he couldn’t sit in the truck all day and ogle the man instead of having to deal with whatever he wanted. With a sigh, Cam gathered his wits and opened the truck’s door, stepping out, then turning back to grab his breakfast. Well, shit. Wasn’t this morning starting off with a bang. Instead of walking toward the officer, he aimed for the front door of the gas station. He’d turned the area attached to the garage into a waiting area with mismatched office chairs and an old coffee table from the Goodwill. Cam had to jiggle the key in the lock a few times before the cylinder turned, and as he opened the door, he heard footsteps approaching. “What can I do you for this morning, Officer?” Cam asked as casually as possible. “Your cruiser giving you trouble?” Cam sat his breakfast on the counter that ran along the back wall, then stepped over to the window-unit AC and pushed the button to get it going. It wasn’t that hot yet, but it wouldn’t take long to get there. When he still hadn’t gotten an answer from the cop, he turned to find him doing a thorough visual inspection of the area, then stepping over to the glass door leading to the garage and doing the same, canting his head to get as much of a view as possible without entering. Cam frowned. “Is there a problem, Officer?” Now he had a reason for concern. What was the cop looking for? Cam had a sudden itch to run for it, although he had no idea what he was running from. The officer turned, and Cam squinted to read the name Jackson Rhodes above the pocket of his uniform. When Officer Rhodes’s hand came to rest on the butt of his gun, it was all Cam could do not to flinch. “Who is the second coffee for, Mr. Sanders?” Cam glanced over to his breakfast and back to Rhodes, his nervousness kicking up a notch. “I… uh….” “Is anyone else here, Mr. Sanders?” Officer Rhodes took a step forward. Shit! Cam was going into a full-out panic. His gaze darted around the room, looking for some way out of the situation, but then just as suddenly, his subconscious gave him a metaphoric kick in the ass. What the hell? Was he going to let this asshole come into his place of business and fuck with him? He had nothing to hide. Well, okay, that wasn’t exactly true, but he wasn’t going to simply crumple over one question. Cam slipped into his I-give-not-one-fuck persona and looked Officer Rhodes in the eye. “I don’t see where that’s even a little bit of your business, Officer. Want to tell me what this is about?” Officer Rhodes took a few more steps closer, until he was crowding Cam against the counter in front of his food. “I’ve been hearing tales on your methods of auto repair. From changing the winter air out of tires to replacing dissolved halogen crystals in headlights or the deoxygenized water in a radiator. A quick background check shows you’ve served time in the past.” Fuck it! Cam thought. He took a step forward too, coming chest to chest and nose to nose with the officer. “Yeah, I done time, and I paid my debt. I’m here making a fresh start and I won’t have you bad talking my business. I have a logbook of work done, signed off by the customers. It shows I did legitimate work, no matter what you hear.” “I’d like to see this log, if you will,” Officer Rhodes responded. Damn, the man was fine. Light brown eyes sparking with challenge, blond hair cut short in a crew cut. He looks so clean-cut, you’d think he would squeak when he walks. Instead of pulling out the log, Cam turned toward his breakfast. “Coffee, Officer? I do have two. Might as well share. It was like I knew I was going to have company this morning.” He busied himself by pulling out the creamer and sugar packets from the bag and placing them where Rhodes could get to them, then pulling out the rest of his purchase and divvying up the food as if he’d meant to buy the cop breakfast. When Cam glanced over, Rhodes was looking around again as if making sure no one else was in the shop. Then he shrugged and started doctoring his coffee to his satisfaction. Cam did the same and took a sip before opening one of the cabinet doors below the countertop. He pulled out a receipt book and pushed it over to the officer, then scooped up his breakfast and coffee and settled into one of the chairs to eat. While Officer Rhodes leaned over the counter and flipped through the receipt book, Cam took the opportunity to admire the fine backside on display. The cop was built like a brick shithouse and would make a great addition to his spank bank. No doubt Rhodes had a gaggle of cheerleader-esque girls in town who giggled when he walked by. And that was too bad. Cam wouldn’t mind giving the fine officer a strip search. The sound of a throat clearing brought Cam back from his thoughts. He glanced up to find Officer Rhodes staring at him with a frown on his face. Oops.

Meet the Author

Jason Huffman-Black could be described as the porn star alter ego of the mild-mannered editor for several LGBT publishers. By day, Jason edits and writes in a cozy chair, while Mr. Huffman-Black travels the globe on such adventurous excursions as wrestling the one-eyed spitting serpent of Tangiers, ass-spelunking into the hidden tomb of King CockTut, and most recently, sharing a prison cell in a small third-world nation with a rather sweaty fur-covered hulk of a man named Javier.

Goodreads Author Page| Twitter

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5041057.Jason_Huffman_Black?from_search=true&search_version=service

Twitter - https://twitter.com/J_HuffmanBlack

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30062359-snakes-among-sweet-flowers

Coming June 20th from Dreamspinner Press

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway ~ High Contrast by Tess Bowery

✰✰RELEASE BLITZ✰✰

High Contrast (High Contrast) by Tess Bowery Release Blitz @bookenthupromo @TessBowery

Genre:New Adult contemporary gay romance (steamy)

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions (http://bookenthusiastpromotions.com )

#BuyNow

Amazon US:http://amzn.to/1XVNii1

Amazon UK:http://goo.gl/ywulby

Amazon CA:https://goo.gl/BD8ELy

B&N:http://goo.gl/l2rplX

Kobo:https://goo.gl/AODilu

iTunes:https://goo.gl/6HM2TC

GooglePlay:https://goo.gl/AGwVI5

ARe:https://goo.gl/dPGpfP

#Giveaway:

Enter here ➜ ➜ http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/eef4ee4b1285/

Add the book to Goodreads ➜https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28494025-high-contrast

#Synopsis:

The deepest scars aren’t the ones that show.

Jacob Shain is your average member of Generation Screwed. He has a boring internship, no cash flow, and a tiny NYC apartment he has to share with Ethan, his much-cooler, tattoo-artist twin brother. Not to mention his love life is DOA. At least, until his brother’s shop hires on a new piercer, and Jacob’s humdrum life takes a turn for the weird.

Cody Turner is gorgeous, funny and kind—everything Jacob wants in a boyfriend. Except for the way he refuses to talk about his past, or where he lives, or anything about his personal life.

When Ethan is arrested while on a mission of mercy, the reason Cody is so tight lipped comes to light. And while Jacob and Cody fight to understand the depth of their feelings for one another, the police dogs catch their scent. So does the local mob.

Now Jacob has to make the hardest choice of his life: stay safe like a good boy, or dive headfirst into a world he barely understands…and hope Cody is there to break his fall.

Warning: Contains a good boy who wants to be bad, a bad boy who longs to be good, bodies that are canvases for living art and high-speed chases with police dogs.

#MeettheAuthor

Tess Bowery lives near the ocean, which sounds lovely, except when it snows. An historian by training and a theater person by passion, she’s parleyed her Masters degree in English history into something that would give her former professors something of a surprise.

Her love for the Regency era began as they always do, with Jane Austen, and took a sharp left turn into LBGT biographies and microhistory. Now she indulges in both of her passions, telling the stories of her community in the time periods that fire the human imagination. High Contrast is her first foray into contemporary romance.

Along with writing, Tess splits her time between teaching, backstage work, LBGT activism and her family. She spends far too much money on comic books, loves superheroes and ghost stories, and still can’t figure out how to use Twitter properly.

#SocialLinks

Website:http://www.tessbowery.com

Twitter:https://twitter.com/TessBowery

Goodreads:goodreads.com/author/list/10775942.Tess_Bowery

#Excerpt

“I changed my mind,” Jacob grumped, perching on the edge of the big, green dumpster. Garbage day apparently wasn’t today, which was good, because it meant more chance that the bag they were looking for was still here. But also very bad, in that the rusty hulk of a disposal unit was filled halfway with bulging black garbage bags, plastic shopping bags full of unidentifiable things, cardboard boxes slowly turning to slime, and some kind of liquid that Cody had splashed down in that smelled like a cross between a bog and a year’s worth of stinky diapers. “Ethan isn’t worth this.”

The sun was setting, the light low and shadows falling across the back alley to hide their activities. Ethan had been really specific about where he’d ditched the drugs, and there had only been one dumpster in the alley when Cody and Jacob had scaled the fence behind it—Cody easily, lithe and athletic, looking like he’d done this sort of thing lots before. Jacob, managing to get the hem of his T-shirt and the hem of his jeans caught on the top wires simultaneously.

Born for a life of crime, he was not.

Cody stood, knee-deep in trash, and planted his knuckles on his hips. He tipped his head up and looked at Jacob, the last little bit of evening light deepening the shadows falling across his face.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “You take that side, I’ll search this one, and we’ll be done before you know it.” He pulled a couple of pairs of blue latex gloves out of his back pocket and waved them in Jacob’s direction. “You don’t get in within the next minute, you have to do it bare-handed.”

“Blackmail,” Jacob grumbled, but he turned around, grabbed on to the edge, metal scraping along his palms and dropped down into the body of the dumpster and out of sight of the road.

“Think of it this way,” Cody said, handing him a pair of gloves. “You’re not doing it for Ethan, you’re doing it for Travis. And to keep me employed.”

“Oh, well, in that case.” Jacob struggled with the gloves, then watched Cody as he puffed air into them and snapped them over his hands. Latex. That sent his imagination off into places it really did not need to be going while standing knee-deep in a dumpster. Oh no, don’t go there right now.

Where to start? Ethan had dropped the bag as he ran across rooftops, he’d said, which meant it should be on the top—unless some of the refuse had been dumped in on top of it after the fact. “There’s something alive in here.” He muttered the Star Wars quote under his breath, kicking aside a box of what used to be cornhusks to reveal a couch cushion with all of its springs sprung and half the fabric shredded.

“It’s just your imagination, kid,” Cody replied with Han Solo’s next line in the scene, and yeah. They were on the same wavelength. “As long as the sides don’t start sliding in, we’re doing okay.”

Jacob bent over, the cushion easier—psychologically, anyway—to grab with the gloves on, and Cody went quiet behind him. “Oh, come on,” Jacob grunted, the cushion springs wrapped around part of a bicycle frame. “Move!” He pushed it over, then glanced over his shoulder, only to catch Cody in the act of whipping his head away.

“What?” Jacob asked, straightening up and trying his best to control the urge to scrub his hands off against his ratty old jeans. They already had holes in the knees and a worn-out patch on the back pocket from where he shoved his wallet, the denim so soft from wear that it almost felt like suede in some places. The last thing they needed was to be eaten away by garbage-juice. “Did you see something?”

“No.” Cody shook his head. He scrabbled in his thigh pocket, his ever-present cargos loose against his legs but snugged beautifully tight against his ass. Cody pulled out a little penlight and used the small beam to illuminate the pile of crap closest to him. Were his ears pink again, or was that a trick of the light? “I like the new look, by the way,” he said, and his voice sounded funny, like something was caught in his throat.

“What, this stuff?” Jacob looked down at himself again. Ethan’s Clash T-shirt, because it had been on the top of the hamper and was one he wouldn’t scream about if Jacob wrecked it, his ratty old “dirty jobs” jeans and old sneakers. “It’s not quite a spandex super-suit, I know, but—”

“Nah,” Cody replied, still looking at the piles of garbage rather than at Jacob, the light playing slowly over one stack, and then another. “It’s good. More relaxed.”

“Yeah, that’s me to a T—all calm and Zen.”

A laugh burst out from Cody at Jacob’s muttered comment, then a snort, which made the hilarity of the moment really clear. He broke out laughing as well.

“Did you just snort?”

“Did you seriously just say you were ‘Zen’?”

“I do yoga, sometimes. When Andi makes me. I can be Zen.”

“I’d pay serious cash money to see that,” Cody snorted again, this time on purpose.

“Missed your chance, dude,” Jacob shot back, his mouth running away with him. “I do a mean downward-facing-dog.”

Annnnnnnnd train wreck moment.

This time, Cody’s flush was obvious, from the tip of his nose all the way down along his neck. “I’ll bet,” he got out, in a kind of strangled choking sound. “Not that I’ve—uh—” He trailed off, then pivoted the ninety degrees to put himself facing Jacob, only about a foot of distance between them in the confines of the metal dumpster. “Not that I’ve spent time thinking about that or anything,” he said. He reached for the back of his neck but caught himself before he rubbed it, flexed his gloved hand and dropped it back to his side instead.

“Yeah,” Jacob breathed out. “Me either.” He’d been so good, he really had. Jerking it to thoughts of Cody had been so tempting, God, he had all kinds of mental images to use for fodder there, and he’d felt Cody’s breath up close, knew what he smelled like, and the heat of his skin.

And Cody had turned him down, so it would have been so intensely creepy and disrespectful that he hadn’t done it. Not once. This was almost like permission now, this acknowledgement of the vibe between them, except—

“Your—uh—yeah,” Cody said nonsensically. Then, “You should definitely wear those jeans more often.”

Something squished under Jacob’s foot, and he didn’t dare look down to find out what it was. The smell was beginning to go away, that or he was getting used to it, and that idea was even worse. But Cody was practically standing toe to toe with him, their faces only a few inches apart, and—and? And what next?

Cody said something, thank God, and Jacob didn’t have to. “So, uh. Hypothetically speaking. If someone makes a bad call and they want to take it back, but real life doesn’t have save points and I—I mean—someone isn’t sure if the option’s even really open anymore, how long would a guy have to…take it back?”

He was pouting, almost, his soft, full low lip jutting out that tiny little bit that made Jacob want to bite it, and suck on it, and lick him everywhere that he could reach.

Except maybe after a really long shower with antiseptic soap. Now.

Keep cool, keep calm, be the Zen you want to see in the world.

Good idea, good mantra, because really what he wanted to do was say “yes, yes, any time, take all the time, I’ll wait a lifetime if I have to”—and that wasn’t exactly an answer to his question.

What would Ethan say in this situation?

“Depends what kind of bad decision we’re talking about here,” Jacob said.

Cody shrugged a shoulder, still searching Jacob’s face for something. “I’m thinking it might be the life-changing kind.”

The breath caught tight in Jacob’s chest and he couldn’t get air past the block. Act natural. “I thought you had ‘stuff’ to work out?”

A nod from Cody, and he looked away. Dammit! “I—yeah. I still do. But I’m getting really close to shouting ‘fuck it’ at the universe,” he confessed, his back straightening and his head high again. “And I wish I hadn’t turned you down when you asked.”

“Same here,” Jacob said, and despite the darkness, despite the smell and the unknown things underfoot, the urgent need to find the evidence and get out, Andi waiting for them in the car three blocks away—Cody was right in front of him and he was the only thing that was important in the world. “I think we can work something out.”

I’m going to kiss Cody, and we’re standing in a dumpster, up to our knees in moldy garbage and things I don’t even want to think about, and I’m going to kiss Cody. In a dumpster.

Somehow, this is typical.

This was a pretty fun read. While Jacob and Cody take a bit to figure it out and you kind of want to push them along ((like Ethan does)) it still makes you laugh. Just when you think it gets on the side of "cheesy" a character says something to bring it back, and again, make you laugh.

There were quite a few movie jokes and comic jokes. Things you would expect out of "nerds", or movie and comic buffs. I highly enjoyed their banter.

Is this an unrealistic fiction? yes. Do I care? No.
The gang was so funny together, and I mean ALL of them. Val, Priya, Andi, Ethan, Travis, Cody, and Jacob. ((I hope I am not missing anyone)) They make a great gang of friends and stick together no matter what. Which is something new for Cody. While Cody's story is quite angsty, there's enough silly fuckery to kind of balance that all out.

A few things that kind of got to me was Jacob seemed a bit immature at times. His come backs to his at work nemesis seemed like something a first grader would say. Maybe that was because he was bullied all through school and his defense mechanism was skewed as an adult? IDK, but it threw me off. Another was it seemed like a lot of gaps were filled with sex. Towards the end there I was actually kind of skimming them. I like it in my books, but i also like more story to go with it, and too much can get redundant.

That all being said, i thought it was a good story, with a fun plot and some fun characters ((even if they're shady at times)) I give it 3.6 *

Monday, May 2, 2016

WEBSITE REVEAL ~ Locked by Anyta Sunday

Anyta Sunday reveals her new website!

locked.anytasunday.com

The Telluric people live in the four hidden kingdoms: Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn, tasked with keeping Earth’s seasons in balance. Forced into hiding during the crusades, their lore burned to ashes alongside many loved ones, the Tellurics work their magic unremembered by our world.

Through generations of secrecy, knowledge of their world has withered, with few warriors venturing outside the kingdoms to procure elements needed for their survival.

This website is a companion to the Telluric Realm trilogy, delving more into the history, society, and magic of the Telluric peoples.

Locked Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Locked-Telluric-Realm-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01DX3EAZQ/

With an interactive map, you can get an idea where scenes are set. The map has markers that lead you to more details about places referenced in the book.

Character pages summarize the main cast of Locked. And a timeline keeps important events in chronological perspective.

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ A Mended Man by Jamie Reese

Title: A Mended Man

Series: The Men of Halfway House #4

Author: Jaime Reese

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 28, 2016 Photographer: wagnerLA Photography Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Detective Aidan Calloway is rock-solid strong. He's a man of justice—loyal to his friends, family, and job—even if it requires bending a law…or two. He shields himself behind an abrasive, fearless facade, until a phone call one night chips his armor and throws his perfectly planned, hollow life into a tailspin.
Jessie Vega is the epitome of optimism. His carefully crafted attitude of hope and positivity protects him from a past filled with too much pain. When a ghost from a dark time resurfaces and nearly breaks him, he must tap into his inner strength or risk losing everything he's worked so hard to build.
But Jessie can't do it alone. He must fight to break through Aidan's ironclad defenses to reveal the heart of the man hiding beneath the tough surface and mend his damaged spirit. Only then can they truly heal and become strong enough to battle the demons that haunt them and threaten their chance to finally be together.
———
***This book contains scenes and subject matter some readers may find distressing.***
———
Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone.

"A beautiful story of love making you whole again!" - Bike Book Reviews

"Heartbreakingly beautiful" - Amazon Customer Review

"As always the wait was worth it and Jaime delivers yet another stunning but very different book." - Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews

"So…where are we going?" Jessie asked, returning the items to the pantry and the refrigerator. He hadn't expected Aidan to arrive home early, and he definitely hadn't expected him to announce a dinner excursion, especially not after spending so much time on the couch lately, having far too much fun to want to escape the house.

"Wherever you want to go is fine. You're always cooking and you stay in the house unless you've got an appointment, so I figured a break would be nice. To get out, do something…different. As long as I can pick a steak, I'm fine with any place you want to go."

"You choose the spot. Surprise me," Jessie said.

"Okay."

"So where are we going?"

"Uh, I thought you said to surprise you?"

Jessie bit his lip, trying to disguise the humor at seeing Aidan squirm. He figured Aidan was probably getting a little edgy lately, always giving in and letting Jessie get his way each time. "I need to know what to wear."

"A suit. Definitely a suit. A dark one. Either the blue one or the charcoal."

"So it's a date?" Jessie asked, trying to contain the flutter in his chest. He cherished their time hanging out on the couch or back porch but going out in public together? Definitely one heck of a milestone.

"Uh, okay," Aidan said with a pinched expression.

"It's not a date?"

Aidan rubbed the back of his neck. "If you want to do something else too, we can."

"We don't have to do anything else. Dinner's fine."

"Okay. So it's not a date?" Aidan said, scratching his stubble.

Jessie hid a grin at Aidan's confusion. "How about you tell me. Do you want it to be a date?"

"I want to take you out to dinner. I want you to wear a suit, because you look hot as hell in them. If that makes it a date, then cool. It's a date. But if I have to do something else to make it a date, like a movie or…fuck if I know…a walk on the beach or something. Let me know and we'll do that too."

Jessie wrapped his arms around Aidan's neck. "Where did you get that from?"

"Google."

"I think you better leave the research to me." Jessie chuckled.

"As long as you wear your suit." Aidan snaked his arms around Jessie's waist and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Jessie nuzzled Aidan's neck. "And you need to keep your stubble. It's hot."

"You like soft balls and hard stubble. I think you're confused regarding what you want."

"I know exactly what I want. I want all of you, soft and hard and everything in between."

REVIEW

I have been waiting fort his follow up forever. I was so excited Aidan and Jess were getting their own story. Jamie did NOT disappoint!

This book is quite long, I won't lie to you. It is actually split into 3 parts: Surviving, Recovering, and Mending. Mending being a majority. It's very intense and such a slow burn, for good reason.
Both these men have such bad pasts that it takes A LOT of mending. Jamie did such a good job with Aidan. I don't know how he has come this far, and with Jessie by his side, he goes so much further. Even with Jessie's own past, he is such a rock for Aidan. Jessie is patient and determined, and it is just what Aidan needs.

Some people *may* think the slow burn is too long, but trust me when I say it's not. There is a reason for this on Aidan's part and you don't want to miss it. No matter how heart breaking it is. Even still, I didn't shed any tears for him. He had Jess to help him through, he always knew what to say and it's almost like you trusted Jess to get you through it as well as Aidan, it was kind of odd to have that much faith in a character.

"For the first time in his life, everything felt right and connected - in his mind, body, and spirit. As if the reason he had struggled his entire life was simply to recognize and avoid questioning the perfection and the rightness of this one single moment"

This book is wonderful and beautifully worded. Jessie has a gift with words. I loved how he could read Aidan and basically speak for him when he couldn't find the right thing to say when he was lost in his own thoughts. I also like they had hidden parts to themselves that no one else got to see. Aidan with his past and what he finds as weakness and Jessie with his bossy ways. normally in public he is pretty soft spoken, but when it comes to Aidan, he doesn't let him get away with much. If it is acceptable to say 2 grown men are adorable, then these guys are it.

I was thinking i have NO clue as to who the next could be about, but that's a lie. There's a not-so-little case that Jessie reveals to Aidan when he is working to plan a deal with the Starman. I think that if this IS the next installment, it's going to be a doozy!

I give this book 4.5 Team Calloway Stars

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.