RELEASE DAY BLITZ-Book 1 in the COURTSIDE KING DUOLOGY (Upending Tad Spin-off #2: Breck & Kai) by Kora Knight

 ⋱★⋰⋰⋱★ TAMED - LIVE NOW!! ★⋰⋰⋱★⋰

Book 1 in the COURTSIDE KING DUOLOGY (Upending Tad Spin-off #2: Breck & Kai)

GET IT NOW! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PC8ZN18

>>BLURB<<

When aspirations and passion collide, Breck is thrown onto a playing field he never anticipated.

Unrivaled in college basketball as a point-guard prodigy, Breck Harland has definitely earned his title as King of the Court. All around town, he’s a bona fide celebrity, his reputation with the ladies reinforcing a facade he's determined to protect. No one, not even his best friend, knows he's bi.

Enter Grandmaster Kai Nakado, the one person not impressed by Breck's imperial air.

When Breck signs up for his martial arts class, Kai makes it clear he finds his new student arrogant, impulsive, unfocused. With each exchange, their clashing chemistry intensifies, and Breck finds himself not just angry and frustrated… but inexplicably turned on. A fire that rages even hotter when Kai introduces him to the art of rope bondage, a talent Kai proves even more skilled at than martial arts.

At the hands of this experienced Dom, Breck's tenuous control threatens to slip from his grasp, the things he thought he wanted suddenly not so clear. If he’s not careful, Kai will completely derail him, a risk he can’t afford if he plans to make it to the pros.

Can he stop what’s already in motion, or will Kai tame the unattainable king?

Tamed, book one in the Courtside King Duology. A steamy, slow-burn gay romance that will keep you on the sidelines jonesing for more.

Cover art by Jay Aheer, Photography by Kevin Hoover

>>Review<<

3.5* for Tamed- The Courtside King Duology Book 1

Be prepared for this book to end quite abruptly. 

It was just getting really really good and then, bam, it stopped! 

That being said, it IS a duology, so I'm assuming it'll pretty much pick up where it left off.

•••••••••

Breck is kind of a dick. An immature dick.

 I hope he can redeem himself. But Kai, his zen-a$$ apartment and his Shubari? I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT

I'm seeing subtle changes in Breck though, I think that's why I didn't want the story to stop where it did. He better wow me book 2 :p
••••••••••••••••
Fuck yeah, Ned!!
This is probably the best comparison I've ever read for the Law of Attraction (or about following your "fuck yes" as I like to think of it)

"My life's like a great big parkour course. So many ways to play it, some paths more exhilarating than others. But that's okay. Every leap of faith's fun. Although, sometimes, I do land on my ass. And that's not fun. But you know, that's par for the course. I just brush my ass off and keep on following my passion. And that makes me happy
•••••••••••••••••••


I loved the Kríe reference- you'll only catch it if you've read the story.

•••••••••

I really need the best life for Kai. I'm hoping book 2 delivers, I'm curious to see how this will play out.

COVER REVEAL- The Prince's Poison Vow by Hailey Turner

 

 

Hailey Turner has revealed the cover for The Prince's Poisoned Vow!

Releasing: May 2, 2022

Cover Design: James T. Egan, www.bookflydesign.com

Every country is built on revolution.

THE WARDEN. Soren is a nameless, stateless man, tasked with keeping watch over Maricol's borders. He isn't meant for politics, only dealing with the dead. His past was buried in the poison fields, but after a fateful encounter with a prince, Soren comes to realize he can't keep what magic burns inside him hidden forever.

THE PRINCE. Vanya Sa'Liandel was the spare who survived the Houses' murderous games to become the Imperial crown prince of Solaria. He has a duty to his country, but he'll owe his life to the wardens. Payment of any kind is costly, especially when he's at risk of losing his heart to the man who saved his life.

THE COG. Caris Dhemlan hears the siren song of clarion crystals better than anyone in Ashion. That skill for inventing has enriched her bloodline, but it's who she can become that will ultimately entangle her with the Clockwork Brigade.

THE PRINCESS. Eimarille Rourke should have been raised to be queen of one country; instead, she is prisoner of another. Guided by a star god, Eimarille bides her time in a gilded cage, spinning a political web to gain a throne and start a war the world isn't ready for.

From the author who brought you the best-selling Soulbound series comes a queer steampunk-inspired epic fantasy.

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DZV30Z

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/ThePrincesPV

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3EUW5Nm

Hailey Turner is big city girl who likes to spoil her cats rotten. She writes science fiction and fantasy with lots of action, epic plots, and romantic relationships that satisfy the heart. Hailey lives in sunny California when she isn't adding stamps to her passport.

 

Connect with Hailey

Website: www.haileyturner.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16473068.Hailey_Turner

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hailey-Turner/e/B06W9NGTB5/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHaileyTurner/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/haileyshellions/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haileyturnerwrites/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/hailey-turner

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/haileyturnerwriter/

     

It's been a long time...

 It's been a really long time since we (I) posted. 

I have been on a reading sabbatical for several years now, but try to hop in on some of my absolute favorite authors when I feel called to. 

The reason for this is, when I quit smoking, reading was a heavy trigger for me and I was too busy trying to work on my physical (that 5k didn't want me), then spiritual side. I couldn't bring myself to pick up a book and just read straight through. It was actually quite frustrating at first. Being an avid reader of over 100 +, even 200+ books a year, I felt like I was missing out on so much, but still couldn't focus on the reading. I was getting my intellectual stimulation from classes, like becoming a Reiki master, pendulum user, crystal and sound healing, Qi gong, and currently holistic health and wellness and holistic weight loss coaching. 

We then lost one of our dear (Lasalle) sisters in September 2021, Iza Matei. 

I will never forget her, even though we never got to meet in person. She was form Romania, I am from the Midwest in the USA. She was a big influence in my reading life, but mostly my blogging life. 

Author interviews with her and setting up posts was such fun when we first started this journey over at The Dirty Book Girls Book Blog. Unfortunately, due to life, we got a little separated and I lost the love of those fun interviews and blogging and reading.

 RIP Iza, you're not with all the greats like Anne Rice and Betty White, tell them I say hello. 

I am starting to round things out and actually come back to the physical side, especially with proceeding with the online Holistic Health & Wellness & Weight Loss Coaching, but I am also finding my love for reading again. 

I may have gone a little overboard these last few weeks with reading 20 books in 18 days lol. But it felt good to relax and recharge. 

That being said, I am glad to be back and wanted to share with you some of the authors I've just found that I am simply in love with.

 Today is my birthday, so you should indulge yourself in one of these authors books on my behalf  <3 

XO- Stephanie GooglyEyes

Onley James

ONLEY JAMES is the pen name of YA author, Martina McAtee, who lives in Central Florida with her children, her pitbull, her weiner dog and an ever-growing collection of shady looking cats. She splits her time between writing YA LGBT paranormal romances, writing adult m/m romances and running her publishing company, 7 Sisters Publishing, which specializes in diverse fiction.

When not at her desk you can find her mainlining Starbucks refreshers, whining about how much she has to do and avoiding the things she has to do by binge-watching unhealthy amounts of television in one sitting. She loves ghost stories, true crime documentaries, obsessively scrolling social media and writing kinky, snarky books about men who fall in love with other men.

Ariana Nash

Born to wolves, Ariana Nash only ventures from the Cornish moors when the moon is fat and the night alive with myths and legends. She captures those myths in glass jars and returning home, weaves them into stories filled with forbidden desires, fantasy realms, and wicked delights.

Kora Knight

Born and raised in the Northern Virginia, I've always loved to read, but it wasn't until my preteen years that I discovered my deep-seated love for writing. Although, with published literary teachers and play writers in the family tree, that probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. 

Starting with my involvement in social book forums, I then tried my hand in literary role playing. Which, in turn, led to my becoming a fervent online independent writer. Since then, I've endeavored to share with the world my impassioned stories of love, adventure and sensual wonderment, my most recent delight being that of m/m erotic romance. 

I have recently finished the second installment of my Nira Chronicles series, Zercy, and will be continuing on with a handful of other projects, including the next Upending Tad spin-off for Breck & Kai, on target to release summer 2018.

Nikole Knight

Nikole Knight is a born and bred Hoosier living in a top-secret location in Europe. She’s the lone female in the house, unless you count the dog, and she writes love in all its forms.

When she isn’t busy adulting, Nikole can be found in her writing nook, typing away as her fingers turn to nubs.

NEW RELEASE: The Job by Cara Dee

 

The Job by Cara Dee

Series: Standalone, Camassia Cove Universe
Genre: MM Romance/Crime Romance
Tropes: Organized Crime, Comedy Romance, Suspense, Bad Boys, Family, Single Dad, Hurt/Comfort

Available on Amazon: https://readerlinks.com/l/1797828

Synopsis:

With the help of their ball-busting daughter, some questionable morals, and an important job to get done, Casey and Boone will steal you away to the grit and glitz of Las Vegas in this fast-paced romance.

I’m not supposed to do this job without Boone.

We may not share genes, but it’s been us against the world since his mom took me in as a toddler. The rowdy O’Sullivan boys who raised all the hell that Vegas could handle. Not that all my memories are wild and make my heart race. After all, I realized I was in love with the bastard at some point, so there’s been plenty of pathetic yearning and jealousy too.

Even so, it’s been him and me. Brothers, partners in crime, and, for the past six years, co-parents to an amazing little girl. But that’s another story. Right now, I gotta focus on the job our cousin gave us, and I need Boone by my side.

The problem is we haven’t really been on speaking terms for four years now.

This story takes place in Cara Dee’s Camassia Cove Universe, a fictional town where all books stand on their own, unless otherwise stated, and the reader can jump in wherever they want.

#caradeewrites #elizaraeservices #readandreview #tbrpost #hotread #bookishescape #whatareyoureading #bookstagrammer #amazonbooks #TheAuctionedSeries #CamassiaCove #kindleunlimited #gayromancebooks #organizedcrime #singledad #hurtcomfort #mmromance #gayromancenovel #hea #tbrpile #humor

Excerpt:

My phone rang in my pocket, and I was surprised to see my cousin’s number. We hadn’t talked in a while. “Darius, how the fuck are you?” I smiled. We didn’t share genes either; he was Boone’s biological cousin, but we came from families that picked up strays left and right. I’d once been a stray, just like Ace.

“I’m good, kid. All good,” he answered. “How’s Vegas?”

“Hot.” I eyed a guy walking past. “What can I do for you, cuz?”

“I have a job for you and Boone,” he told me. “Willow’s gonna send you all the information you need.” That would be his tech-savvy little sister. “Pretty straightforward—recon work, virtually no pay.”

I grinned. “My favorite kind. How’d you know?”

He chuckled. “When push comes to shove, it’s more of a favor, but there will be plenty of opportunities for you and Boone to collect a reward from our target.”

Color me intrigued. I knew Darius used to be a private military contractor, but he must’ve taken a break from retirement if he was calling me about a job.

“You can count me in,” I said. I trusted him, and I was always on the lookout for my next job. “Boone’s another matter. We haven’t been on speaking terms for the past four years.”

“Why the fuck not?” Darius demanded. “Shit was good when we saw each other last year.”

No—far from it. “We’re good at pretending when we have to, I guess.” I hated thinking about it. I hated being reminded of it. “I don’t wanna get into the details,” I said. “Long-ass story.”

“So we’ll save it for another time,” Darius said. “But you better patch shit up with him, kid, because I need you both on this. You’ll hear from Willow tonight.”

4 Star Review by Stephanie

I have to admit that I have been in a HUGE reading slump. I cannot focus on reading more than a chapter in one sitting. It's due to some changes in my life that reading actually triggers the old ways. I bring this up, so you know how slumpy I am, so when I say I read this book in 2 sittings, that's HUGE for me and says a lot about this story. 

Let's start with our protaganist...or maybe he's an antagonist? Casey. 

I'm pretty sure Casey is my spirit animal. His penchant for the 90's I totally relate with. I think only 90's pre-teens/teens understand this love for the decade. The fact that he has his kid enveloped in this culture is amazing, and adds more depth to this quite humorous story. 

You, like myself, are wondering how an organized crime story can be funny? Well, so was Oceans 11 (and 7,8 and however many there were of those). They aren't similar in story line, but I just wanted to give you a better hint. I thought this book would actually be a little more sad, seeing as how Casey and Boone and their little, odd, family were actually on the fritz when we begin our journey in the story. 

It's actually wonderful going through the regaining of Casey and Boone's relationship. I'm glad we don't really see the "break-up", but the make-up. 

Each father, dad/daddy, has a special relationship with their daughter, Ace (Paisley). Both are unique to them and it's an awesome dynamic in the whole of the family. 

I adore Boone. When you first "meet" him, you're not so sure. As the story builds, you get a better sense of who he is as a person, which is a giant teddy bear. 

Don't let the word "brother" fool you. This isn't an incest story. Yes, they are brothers, but it isn't by blood. Actually it also makes part of the story pretty funny, you'll see :) 

Anyways, without giving more of the story away, this book was a cute, quick, pick me up that got me out of a reading slump, at least for a little while. I highly enjoyed it, and if you like funny kids, sweet big dudes and witty 90's loving men, then this book is for you. 

About Cara

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here:https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

Nova Praetorian by NR Walker

 

Nova Praetorian by N.R. Walker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think this is the first book in the history of NR Walker that I didn't love.
I like it, it's good. The research that went in to all of this Roman culture is phenomenal, but the story didn't really speak to me.

I loved Quintus and Kaeso (sp?) as characters, and the 2 female gladiators were a show stealer. Really just all the relationships that Quintus had with all the people close to him was amazing, he's a likeable guy. There's just something within the story that wasn't pulling. I was way over all the sex scenes (gasp, I know!). They made me impatient to get to the actual story. I feel like without them, the book would have moved along better?

I thought Tiberius was a bit "much" as well. An extra villainous villain if you will. I didn't love how that all played out, like the whole plan was over the top.

In any case. The main characters are phenomenal and well written, the research- amazing, most of the story is engaging. Joel did an amazing job with the narration. I do love when he does stories outside of American culture and contemporarism (not a word, but I'm keeping it). His accents are always fun and it's incredible the range he can pull off.

If you're expecting a full on gladiator book, this isn't it. It's more about the political deceit.So expect to go on a twisty game of chess.

View all my reviews

The Dichotomy of Angels by NR Walker

 

The Dichotomy of Angels by N.R. Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm going to go all Angel nerd for a minute.

I loved that NR incorporated real angels into a fictional story.

The part that intrigued me most was her portrayal of Metatron. I'm wondering what made her to decide to take an Archangel that is known to be one of 2 of the only Archangels to have ever been human first...human men (Metatron and his twin brother Sandalphon). Like why that specific angel? I'm not by any means saying it's wrong, as all light beings are equally masculine/feminine energies equally and come to us as we need them. I just found this interesting. I see Gabriel and Uriel as female myself.

I loved the fact that she portrays that every religion carries a piece of the truth in each and that in Heaven, they all get along. I believe this as well.

As for the twin flame aspect, I have my own view of twin flame relationships. I will keep my beliefs to myself, but this fictional story did make me think about some things on a weirdly deep level.

I'm also glad I did not read (listen) to this book sooner, I don't believe I would have gotten that message if I had listened sooner.

Ok, I'm done being a nerd...
Onto the actually story.

This story, for me, was almost as equally sad as it was funny. Though, I thought it was more sad lol. Nathaniel was oddly humorous and endearing in is his kind of nievety. Nathaniel has been hiding out in "hell" , away from Chasan, as he wants to be the one in charge of his own fate.

St. Peter sends these two angels in a mission on Earth together as a team for the first time in 1000 years. They must portray teachers running a class of 4 year olds.

Nathaniel likes toput on this persona of a bad ass who who runs hell, but really he is the kindest soul who loves dogs, and baby goats, and children..and it's really just the sweetest thing. He just needs to get over some past trauma and the realization that he's good enough for Chasan.

Poor Chasan has been dragged along for 1000 years, living in sort of a limbo state, waiting for his twin soul to wakeup from a funk. This is sort of the saddest part of the book, when he decides to give up and wants to sever the bond.

I'm going to leave this review here, I don't want to give too much more of the story away. All in all,I loved the world building, the characters, the storyline, and the narration

View all my reviews

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Daniel Henning (narrator) absolutely seems to belong in the TJ world. He fits.

I'm pretty sure Sal is my youngest nephew. Big and quiet, unless around the right people.

I adore Chauncey. Talia is my animal spirit and Lucy is so special. All of the children, really. They're so unique and bring such great qualities to this story.

I loved everything about this. Absolutely everything. It's a great lesson in discrimination and archaic systems that need to be left behind and new ones formed (looking at you government and educational systems).

I can see why this came out in 2020, but I'm also really glad I saved it for 2021. <3

View all my reviews