Guest Post: Secret Energy by Chris T. Kat

Playing in the same Sandbox 

I'm very glad to be a guest on Pants off Reviews. Dreamspinner Press will publish my new release, Secret Energy, on August 29th. Secret Energy is a shape-shifter story, and the sequel to Secret Chemistry (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3520).

I'm a fan of serialized fiction, or of sequels to stories I liked a lot. If I loved the first book in a series, I'm always on the lookout for the next story. Sometimes I'm lucky and discover a series after the author finished it, so I can buy and read the whole series one after another. Other times, I have to bide my time until the next book releases. I'm waiting on a couple of sequels at the moment: Megan Derr's Princes of the Blood Book 3, the third book in LM Somerton's Investigating Love, and Julie Lynn Hayes’ sequel to When Will I See You Again.

As I said above, Secret Energy is the sequel to Secret Chemistry, and there are no more books planned in this series. I tend to write one sequel or, at the most, three books in a series (like in the Jeff Woods Mystery series), which is a bit odd since I love it when series continue on and on. I had a small meltdown when I heard that Lynn Flewelling wouldn't continue her Nightrunner series after the seventh book. ;-)

In Secret Energy, all the characters from the first book will make an appearance again. Although it's focused on Robin and his mate, Tim, Robin's older brother and his mate Jay play important roles in this story as well. I love writing about characters I've grown fond of, which is why I couldn't let go of Jay and Tim. However, writing about the bundle of energy that is Robin was a highlight.

How do you feel about sequels? Like them? Hate them? Do you read each book when it comes out or do you wait till the series is complete?

Blurb:
When wolf shifter Robin agreed to cover for his older brother Tim and Tim’s lover Jay, he never imagined feeling so stifled. Tim's overprotective attitude suffocates him. Pressure from within—the urge to find his own mate—mounts daily. With a little help from Jay, Robin finally convinces Tim to let him go for a run alone, but he has no inkling that his life will change forever as a result.

Unexpectedly, he finds his mate Peter Brannigan, an old and special soul, and the one shifter who can bring balance to Robin’s life. The new couple spend days together, developing their bond as mates. Yet even as they explore and cement their relationship, crisis looms just ahead when an old enemy of the pack shows up and kills someone Robin loves.





Buy links:
Dreamspinner Press:
e-book: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5368
Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5369

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-secretenergy-1602038-145.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Energy-Shifters-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MX242QG

 

Excerpt

The scent called to Robin, setting something free within him—something unfamiliar and primal in nature. Robin’s mood alternated between exhilarated and scared, the combination and sheer intensity of both feelings troubling him.

Robin stopped near a small creek and carefully stepped inside the stream, the cool water soothing his paws and ankles. He took a few swallows of the clear water while his heartbeat slowed down.

The scent was strong around the creek, but Robin was unable to pinpoint it. After raising his snout high in the air, he inhaled the smell deeply, hoping it would infuse his lungs and from there spread to every part of his body, because whatever it was, it had a highly arousing but also calming effect on him. A long, high-pitched yowl broke free from his throat, announcing his longing.

Robin waited before he swept his gaze around. High pines surrounded the small creek, casting shadows on the water’s surface. The creek flowed slowly and smoothly, only occasionally hindered by rocks strewn in its bed. The water swirled around them, creating small vortices that gurgled.

Would anyone answer his plea? What would he do if someone did? Why was he even expecting someone to answer? It couldn’t be his mate—it just couldn’t—although everything would make sense, then.

No one answered Robin. In fact, he couldn’t even hear the usual cacophony of animal noises, just the water lapping at his feet. Robin pricked his ears, concentrating hard on what he could hear—the purling of the creek, the wind whipping through the treetops, and sometimes branches creaking. His breathing sounded harsh, closer to panting. Something wasn’t right, not at all.

Robin walked over to the other side of the stream, the earlier exhilaration dwindling. He shifted from foot to foot, darting his gaze around. An uncomfortable sense of isolation nestled into his insides. Maybe he should have listened to Tim after all?

Shivering, he stood there, not sure whether he wanted to go on with his search or go back to Tim, Jay, and Walter. Going back meant safety, whereas going after his potential mate—or whatever it was he was following—could mean anything.

Robin tucked his tail between his hind legs. He had never heard of a wolf being afraid of his mate. Wouldn’t that mean the scent didn’t belong to his mate? Or maybe his mate was nuts and he somehow recognized it? Whatever the scent was—or to whomever it belonged—it didn’t smell like a wolf.

What if his mate was female? How would that work? He had never been into girls. He liked them as friends, but any kind of advances had him running for the hills. Robin was gay, period. No, the scent had to belong to a male wolf.

No, wait. He’d already ruled out another wolf.

The darkness settling around him didn’t help the queasy feeling in his stomach. Whichever direction he turned his head, something moved in the shadows, leaving him vulnerable and scared. The moon remained partially hidden behind the clouds, but even if the sky had been clear, the moonlight wouldn’t have been able to illuminate the forest ground properly. Or at least not in a way Robin wanted.

Suddenly he started. The moon? Oh hell! Shouldn’t he have been back hours ago? Surely Tim was already looking for him. Why hadn’t he realized hours had passed? Had his wolf taken over without him noticing? His father obviously had a point with not wanting Robin to go anywhere alone in his wolf form.

Robin threw his head back and closed his eyes before he howled at the moon, the sound of his voice echoing through the forest, silencing every other animal in his vicinity. This time someone answered him. Robin jumped at the sound of a roar at the other side of the creek.

The roar didn’t sound like a wolf; it was too guttural for that. After his initial jump, Robin stood frozen, shock waves rolling through his entire body.

Chris T. Kat

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

Links:
Blog: http://christikat.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/christi_kat
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/ChrisTKat
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat

Book Blast & Giveaway: Damaged Package by S.A Mcauley

Damaged Package by S.A McAuley

Self Published

Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

Blurb:
Forced into early retirement from his career as a SWAT officer for the city of Detroit, James Deacon knew that when he failed it would be a fall of epic proportions. He’s been living life by the tips of his fingers for over twenty years, and his new gig organizing a group of misfit military types into a functioning team—including his reluctant ex-fiancée—won’t return him to stable ground anytime soon.

Trevor Barrow has been on the move for the last seven years—hitting the road when relationships became too real or too much work. He’s home now, working in the hazardous world of bike messengers in the Motor City, and the only one of his eight siblings who knows he’s returned is his sister Cat. It’s not as if reconnecting with them matters anyway, because it’s likely he’ll be gone again soon.

Both men are lugging some heavy baggage, but when they chance upon each other in a dive bar it’s hard to deny their flaws are more like symbiotic quirks. Trevor’s backpedaling instincts and Deacon’s dance-dance party past may just be intersecting at a time when things are about to get explosive in Detroit.

Author Bio: 
I sleep little, read a lot. Happiest in a foreign country. Twitchy when not mentally in motion. My name is Sam, not Sammy, definitely not Samantha. I’m a pretty dark/cynical/jaded person, but I hide that darkness well behind my obsession(s) for shiny objects. I’m the macabre wrapped in irresistible bubble wrap and a glittery pink bow, I suppose.

Author Links: 
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authorsamcauley 
Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/samcauleywrites/app_10026589669034
GoodReads - http://www.goodreads.com/authorsamcauley 
Instagram - http://instagram.com/authorsamcauley 
Newsletter: https://www.facebook.com/samcauleywrites/app_1002658966903 
Tumblr - http://authorquestionmark.tumblr.com/ 
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/AuthorSAMcAuley

Excerpt

Deacon paid for their last-round of drinks and they stood at the bar as the lights clicked on. He reached out and swept back a lock of Trav’s fringe, letting his fingers linger against Trav’s sweat-slick skin.

“You gotta let me take you home,” Deacon said.

Trav scoffed and took a drink of his beer. “Worst pick up line ever.”

“I thought the worst was saying that I’d never seen you at Honest John’s before?”

“Yeah. You’re pretty bad all around.”

But instead of feeding Trav another line, Deacon made the conscious decision to give an honest reply. “Dating’s just not my scene.”

Trav tipped his head and studied him. “You know what? I don’t know if I’m supposed to believe you and be reeled in by how unconventional you are, or if this is all a game for you.”

He shrugged. Already he knew there was little he could do to sway Trav either way—Trav was perceptive. “I’ll give you time to decide that for yourself. In the mean time, though, I’m serious. Let me at least ride with you in the cab back to your place. I don’t live far from you and it will make me feel better to know you’re safe.”

“I ride a bike in downtown Detroit for a living, James. Pretty sure I can handle myself.”

Deacon’s lips curled into a smile at both Trav’s use of his first name and his brash confidence. “I’m positive you can.”

“Well, then… What? That doesn’t…” Trav pursed his lips together in a thin line and left the remains of his trailing thoughts unsaid. Trav took another swig from his beer, emptying the cup and setting it on the bar. “Whatever. Yeah, you can take me home. But I’m not inviting you up. Got it?”

Deacon would take it. He held out his hand and waited for Trav to decide it was okay to take this one small step. When Trav’s fingers curled around his after only a heartbeat of hesitation, Deacon worked through the lingering crowd to the front door, unable to wipe the triumphant smile from his face.

The ride back into the city didn’t take as long as it had to get out to Ferndale. The city became a ghost town after a certain time of night. And they’d passed that threshold hours ago. They rode in silence, with hands still touching if not intertwined, and when they pulled up to the Park Shelton, Deacon paid the cabbie and got out with Trav.

It took a moment for Trav to realize what had just happened. He watched the cab drive away, glared at Deacon, back down the road, then put his hands on his hips. “Whoa. Whatcha doing getting out of the cab? I distinctly remember not inviting you up.”

“Huh,” was all Deacon said as he pointed at the cab disappearing around a corner. “But there goes my ride.”

“I’m not a first date slut.”

Deacon groaned playfully, but his heart skipped a happy beat to hear Trav considered this a date, too. “You're not going to make me count out dates or something like that, are you?”

Trav’s fingers drummed against hips as he seemed to be considering his options. Yet barely restraining a smile at the same time. “Just for that response? Maybe.”

Deacon dropped to his knees on the sidewalk, and raised his clasped hands to the heavens, pleading to Trav in an overly loud voice, "Please, Trevor Barrow! What do I have to do for you to let me up to your apartment, Trevor Barrow? I just want to watch the History Channel or maybe So You Think You Can Dance, Trevor Barrow. I promise I have nothing lewd or lascivious—”

A group of female college students walking by giggled at his display, providing a running commentary as they eyed the scene unfolding on the sidewalk. “Dude, Trevor Barrow, you should let him up.” Then, “He's cute. He can come back to my place.”

Deacon couldn't have planned his public begging session better.

Trav blushed and laughed out loud. “Alright. Off your knees.”

“At least for now!” one of the girls yelled as they turned the corner.

Trav sighed, offered his hand and pulled Deacon up toward the front entrance of his apartment building. “You're going to give me a reputation, Deacon.”

“I earn every reputation I give.” Deacon smirked and held the door open for Trav once he’d swiped his key card.

“Where did the tears suddenly disappear to? The histrionics?”

He shrugged. “I got my way.”

Trav stopped in the doorway and looked up at Deacon wide-eyed. “Holy shit. You really are certifiable.”

Deacon ran his finger along Trav’s jawline, wanting nothing more than to kiss Trav. But whether Trav wanted to believe it or not, what happened between them next was up to Trav. “Cat’s completely right. She just should have waited for you to find that out on your own.”

Trav shook his head, his voice laden with sarcasm, but his stunning eyes crinkled at the corners in silent laughter, “Yeah, like that would've taken me long.”

Giveaway

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Review: The Forester II: Lost and Found by Blaine D. Arden

The Forester II: Lost and Found (The Forester Trilogy #2) by Blaine D. Arden
Storm Moon Press
Short Story: 88pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
"The Guide mentioned puddles, but I envisioned lakes, deep treacherous lakes, and I was drowning."

One turn has passed, another Solstice is just around the corner, and having an illicit affair with not one but two lovers—smith Ianys and shunned Forester Taruif—is taking its toll on Truth Seeker Kelnaht.

If it isn't sneaking around to find some quality time with his lovers, it's heavy rainfall hiding traces of a missing stripling, or waiting for the elders to decide whether or not to set Taruif free.

And if that's not enough, Kelnaht fears that in gaining one lover, he might be losing another, as Ianys seems to be pulling away from them, and it looks like someone is, once again, trying to frame Taruif.

Review
I have been so looking forward to continuation of The Forester. I fell in love with these elves and their angst ridden 3-way love. So yes, i wanted their HEA and for all three men to move in together. And while I really liked the story, I still feel like their HEA is far off and their just accepting of their circumstances and forever keeping secrets.

In the first story we meet CIS like Truth Seeker Kelnaht, his shunned lover Taruif, and his other lover Ianys. Both lovers have to be kept secret and all Kelnaht wants to do is shout from the sky that he loves both men. For now their meeting have to be kept hidden, and with his work Kelnaht is feeling overwhelmed. The good news is that the shunning of Tariuf will be lifted and Kelnaht will finally be able to claim his man and one is better than none.

The mystery part of the story adds a little zing to the plot so it’s far from boring, showcasing Kelnaht's importance to the elves and his quiet strength but also his loneliness of having to hide his feelings. The mystery intertwined with the romance was done wonderfully and I just really liked the overall world building. I feel like I know the characters a lot better.

As I said, while I really liked the story. I am somewhat dissatisfied with where this Triad relationship is. I really wanted this glorious happy ending, but I feel like it won’t happen for them. Ianys will have to be a secret and their future seems undecided. I don't how long they can continue the charade when cracks are starting to show and possibly feelings might get hurt.

Still a fan of Blaine D. Arden and I hope we can get a little more of these elves in the future. I want them to just be together and not having to hide. The Forester: Lost and Found is a fantastic follow up to the first book and a most fitting title.

4 Pants Off

Review: Book #1 The Forester

DarienMoya

Review: Worth the Seeing Through by Lisa M. Owens

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Worth the Seeing Through (Love's Value #2) by Lisa M. Owens
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 260pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Police officer Connor Maclean has been on the job less than two months when a robbery call sends him to the art gallery of Guy Gustavsson, the man he fell in love with during one life-altering week in LA. He moved to Montana for Guy, even after the artist cut off contact. Now he discovers him injured and unconscious, along with a note indicating Guy was to meet someone named Jones about Guy’s painting of a former lover. But that’s hardly likely—for reasons only Connor knows.

Once he sees Guy again, Connor can’t stay away. He brings Guy to his home to recover. The relationship is rekindled. But Guy’s longing for his old love and new fears since the robbery trigger alcohol issues. When Jones makes a dangerous reappearance, Connor and Guy must focus on saving not just Guy’s life but their love and their hopes for a future worth the seeing through.

Review
This book ran the full gambit of emotions. You will feel everything that the characters felt and go on the roller coaster ride with these guys.

Connor Maclean is this police officer whose life was changed months ago when he met artist Guy Gustavsson in LA at a gallery showing his work. They had one week of intense sex and even after Guy left, they kept in contact. Connor felt that Guy was his future, so much so that he moved to Montana. Connor has this wonderful sense of being calm, cool and in control. He’s learned the hard way that being out of control never helps a situation. Connor is kind, generous and so very giving. He’s made some close friends who love and care about him. Connor has this strong sense of family and to Connor; Guy was the only one for him. Guy was the man of his dreams and he wanted the rest of his life to start with Guy and didn’t want to wait anymore.

Guy Gustavsson is this artist who is grew up thinking that he isn’t worthy of someone loving him, especially since his parents didn’t. He’s only had one semi-relationship with his best friend, Josh. When Josh moved on to someone else, Guy started to flounder. He met Connor and found someone that he really liked and connected to. Guy deals with his feelings of self-worth by drinking. Guy is this wonderful guy who gives his time, money and energy to helping kids. Guy is kind, generous and he loves hard. It’s just hard for him to figure out what he needs to do to make his life truly complete.

The secondary characters in this book were people that you’d want in your own life. They were truly just that amazing. Nate and Jenna, who became Connor’s family truly show that they love and care for him not only in word, but deed as well. Josh and Dane were characters from the first book and they make a wonderful return in this book. They both show patience and love not only to Guy, but to Connor as well. They stand together and stand tall for them both when things seemingly fall apart. Kelly is a great character as well; she is a single mother to 15 year old, Alex. She works hard to provide for her child and loves him with abandon. She’s a great mother and friend. Alex, this kid broke my heart. I felt so bad for him. He’s endured so much in such a short time and yet, he’s so lucky to have this family there to catch him and help him as he struggles.

This book had death, grief, alcohol abuse, family issues, love lost and love found. This book was filled with so much happening for our MC’s and those in their lives. It was hard to read about so much hurt in this book. There were times I wanted to put the book down a couple of times and try to make sense of it all, however, I kept going. I wanted to see how the author could bring this back to a happy ending. Lisa has such a beautiful way of interweaving so many threads together and then pulling it off beautifully. I am in such awe of this talent.

I will say that I was really wanted to like the characters of Connor and Guy. I found Connor to be just passive. . He annoyed me for most of this book because I felt that he was more the whiney character and not this strong guy that I had thought he would be. I found that he fell so hard for a guy who really didn’t treat him well at all. I wondered what the hell he saw in Guy because I didn’t see it at all. Connor just didn’t do it for me. I found his whiney, poor me attitude just tiring. Guy wasn’t much better in my opinion. I felt bad for what he went through, but he didn’t come off as likeable to me. His constant secret keeping and general poor attitude just about drove me crazy. I felt that his disregard for Connor was just ridiculous. The push/pull that Guy kept doing to Connor made me really dislike him more.

I really wanted to like the MC’s in this book, I just couldn’t. I really liked the secondary characters more. I empathized more with them then I did with the MC’s and that really bothered me as it wasn’t a story about the MC’s and they are the ones that I am supposed to be connecting with. The story had so many wonderful themes going on and so many wonderful characters, that it truly pains me to find that I really couldn’t care less for our MC’s.

3 Pants Off

Sex Scene & Giveaway: Somebody to Love by Merry Farmer

Somebody to Love by Merry Farmer
Blurb:

For Phineas Bell, love has not only been out of reach, it has been impossible. In a world where men who love other men are anathema, he has poured his love into his work, his town, and the friends who accept him as family. But when a handsome new lodger takes over his home and his heart, breaking all his careful rules, Phin must choose between playing it safe and letting love in.

War hero Elliott Tucker is the answer to Cold Springs’s prayers for a sheriff worth his salt. But with every single woman in town throwing themselves at him, Elliott has eyes for only one person: Phin. The sparks are hot between then, but in spite of Elliott’s best efforts, Phin’s heart proves the toughest nut to crack. A love that starts with fire threatens to burn them both…

… until a shocking abduction throws Phin and Elliott together on the trail of ruthless kidnappers. Will their efforts to save a child wrench them apart or will it prove that at last they’ve found somebody to love?

Get Somebody to Love on Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks.

Add Somebody to Love to your Goodreads to-read shelf!

Excerpt:

“You cooked,” Phin protested. He pushed back his chair and stood. “I should be the one to clean up.”

“No,” Elliott argued. “You are always cooking and cleaning for me, and today of all days you deserve a break.”

Phin chuckled as Elliott turned his back and set about rinsing the dishes and putting them in the sink. The soft sound raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

“‘Always’ is a relative term for someone who’s been staying with me for less than a week,” Phin said.

“Has it only been a week?” Elliott replied. “Feels like half my life.”

“That bad?”

Elliott left the dishes in the sink and turned. “That good.”

Phin was only a few feet away. It took less than a heartbeat to surge into him, to close his arms around his sides and pull him close. Phin gasped and then sighed as their lips met. Elliott intended for it to be a tender kiss, a symbol of his gratitude for being allowed into Phin’s house, his life. Like a match touched to kindling, it blossomed into a fiery exploration. Phin’s lips parted and Elliott accepted the invitation with a low growl. He tasted Phin with a longing so deep it echoed in his soul.

His eagerness was returned with open enthusiasm. Phin spread his fingers through Elliott’s hair, urging him closer, deeper. His other hand pressed into the muscles of his back, dropping lower to squeeze his backside. Elliott felt the unfettered hum rising from Phin’s chest as if he was the one moaning. Maybe he was. Their mouths entwined, nipping and sucking and exploring. Elliott tugged the hem of Phin’s shirt out of his pants. As he splayed his hand along the hot flesh of Phin’s back, Phin shuddered. The sensation jumped straight to Elliott’s cock, making it harder by the minute. He wanted this man, this kind, soft-spoken gentleman, like he’d wanted no one in his life.

“Come to bed with me,” he whispered against Phin’s impatient mouth.

Phin responded with a gasp. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Elliott's, his mouth still open and panting. Elliott could feel the tension shoot through him. He could feel the
agony of decision. He rubbed his palms and fingertips across Phin’s back, reaching higher and digging deeper, desire flaring the more of his skin he touched.

“I don’t know if I can,” Phin murmured at length.

“Of course you can.” Elliott withdrew a hand from Phin’s back to brush along the side of his face. Phin may have bathed, but he hadn’t shaved. Considering the man, that was as good as seeing him undressed and just as erotic. “There are no rules for us to follow, no right path to walk.”

“No?” Phin kissed him again, light and tentative.

“No.”

Phin leaned carefully into him. Elliott held back, in spite of the ache in his arms and legs and especially his throbbing groin. He let Phin kiss him with a testing depth that he probably thought was too bold. It took everything he had to stay still, to do nothing but offer himself up to Phin’s inexperience. He made fists in Phin’s shirt to keep himself from tearing his clothes off as his lips were teased with teeth and tongue. The way Phin kissed him first softly, then with a surge of passion, then tentative again, hands brushing his sides but never reaching too close to the bulge in his trousers had him sweating. He wanted Phin’s hands on him, stroking him. It was maddening how much they were both holding back, and at the same time it was as sweet and golden as honey.

When he didn’t think he could stand any more, he reached for the front of Phin’s trousers. As his fingers undid the buttons holding him in, Elliott wrestled control of their kiss. He plundered Phin’s mouth with his own, taking what he wanted. Whether from surprise or desire, Phin let him. He reached into the waist of Phin’s pant. When he closed both hands around Phin’s long, thick length and tight balls, they both gasped. His skin was silken smooth over iron. He was so hard and hot that Elliott’s own cock responded with merciless throbbing. He ran his hand from balls to tip, learning Phin’s shape by heart.
It wasn’t enough. He needed to see Phin, explore him until he burst. He gripped Phin’s hips and steered him around, backing him toward the kitchen counter. As his backside bumped the edge, Phin gripped the counter, knuckles white. Good. He would need the support.

Elliott reached up briefly to push the suspenders off of Phin’s shoulders. While his focus was at the top of Phin’s torso, he kissed him again, hard and possessive. Phin melted under the
onslaught, letting him plunder and bruise with the force of his passion. He trailed kissed across Phin’s jaw and neck before returning to what he really wanted.

Without suspenders to hold them up, Phin’s pants hung loose. Elliott pulled them open and pushed them down along with his underwear. He bunched Phin’s shirt at the hem and tugged it up to get it out of the way. Phin surprised him by raising his arms and letting him yank it all the way up over his head and toss it to the floor. The sight that left him with—of his noble, regal banker, shirtless and glistening with sweat, breath short, pants loose around his knees, glorious cock standing straight up—left Elliott hard pressed to decide whether to pleasure Phin or himself as he looked at him.

He settled for both, quickly unbuttoning his own trousers and giving himself a few delicious strokes. Even a few would be too many if he wasn’t careful. Phin was far, far more erotic than he knew, leaning against the counter almost completely exposed. His skin was pale, but his chest and abdomen and what Elliott could see of his thighs were well-muscled and lean. His penis was the most beautiful thing Elliott had ever seen, bold and flushed, contoured with veins, the tip flared and shining with moisture. He gave himself a few more strokes, then closed the distance between them.

His mouth sought out Phin’s as his hands spread across Phin’s bare chest. He traced the lines of Phin’s muscles with his palms, rubbing and teasing his nipples until Phin gasped in pleasure. The choppy rise and fall of his chest and the fever in his kisses told Elliott he was having just the effect he wanted. He ground his erection against Phin’s, their flesh hot against each other’s. Phin moaned helplessly. It was so good that Elliott ran his hands down Phin’s arms to clamp his hands over Phin’s where they gripped the countertop. He should have thrown off his clothes entirely, but something about being mostly dressed, his cock reaching out through his undone fly, while Phin was mostly naked, filled him with power and excitement.

He continued to grind against him, mimicking the motions he would use if Phin were faced the other way and his cock had found its home inside of him. The friction was enough to drive him wild while still wanting more. It stroked both of them with almost enough pressure to satisfy but not quite. He wanted to wrap his hand around Phin’s length, take him into his mouth and show him how deep pleasure could run. Their cocks thrusting against each other was just the beginning.

With a guttural cry from Phin, warm moisture suddenly spilled between them. Elliott broke away long enough to look down and see the pearly liquid wetting the head of Phin’s penis and abdomen and Elliott’s shirt. It took him a moment to realize Phin had come, not him, though he was close. Phin now sagged against the counter, spent and panting.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, face bright red.

“No,” Elliott whispered. He circled his arms around Phin’s back and kissed his soft lips. “Don’t be sorry for giving in to pleasure.”

Phin returned his kiss, but it was clear that his energy was fading fast. Elliott took hold of one of his hands and guided it between them to his still throbbing cock. Phin sucked in a breath as he showed him what he wanted. He caught on fast, teasing and testing Elliott’s length and girth before closing his hand around him as best he could in their awkward position and stroking with intent.

“Oh, God, yes!” Elliott groaned as Phin worked him. He knew he shouldn’t hold back, that he should give in to the pleasure now so that they could head upstairs and start all over again, but the heady joy of having this man who he admired so much, who made his heart feel too large for his chest, pleasuring him was so good it made him greedy. He wanted it to go on forever. His body filled with the telltale signs of imminent release, radiating from his rock-hard cock, but still he held on, reveling in it.

A loud knock sounded from the front door. The sound was muffled through the door that lead to the dining room and on to the front hall, but it was still distinct.

Phin jerked back, blinking in a daze. The sudden cessation of his stroking left Elliott reeling. His penis stood up between them, flushed and demanding, the tip already wet with what was to come.

“Please don’t stop,” Elliott groaned.

Another knock sounded from the front door.

“Oh dear,” Phin said. He reached for Elliott, then stopped himself. He wiped his hand across the slick remnants of his passion still on his belly. “Oh, no.”

He peeled away from Elliott and the counter, running a hand through his still damp hair. His eyes darted around the room in a desperate search for his shirt. He spotted it on the floor and lunged for it as a third, louder knock sounded. With desperate, jerky movements, he started to get dressed.

“You aren’t going to actually answer that?” Elliott asked in a rough voice. His whole body ached with denial.

“I have to.”

---

Somebody To Love is the fourth full-length novel in Merry Farmer's highly acclaimed, historical Montana Romance series. In this novel, which has already found a home atop Amazon's LGBT romance lists, she writes about the love between two men, Phinneas Bell and Elliott Tucker, and the issues that surround them as they try to make their way in 1800s Montana. "This is a moving tale of friendship, lust, sacrifice, family, perceptions, existing vs. being happy, being seen as a "normal" man, wanting something seemingly impossible to obtain, being true to one's self and not being afraid to love." --Deirdre, Amazon reviewer

Get Somebody To Love on Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks. Add In Your Arms to your Goodreads to-read shelf!

About Somebody To Love

For Phineas Bell, love has not only been out of reach, it has been impossible. In a world where men who love other men are anathema, he has poured his love into his work, his town, and the friends who accept him as family. But when a handsome new lodger takes over his home and his heart, breaking all his careful rules, Phin must choose between playing it safe and letting love in. War hero Elliott Tucker is the answer to Cold Springs’s prayers for a sheriff worth his salt. But with every single woman in town throwing themselves at him, Elliott has eyes for only one person: Phin. The sparks are hot between then, but in spite of Elliott’s best efforts, Phin’s heart proves the toughest nut to crack. A love that starts with fire threatens to burn them both… … until a shocking abduction throws Phin and Elliott together on the trail of ruthless kidnappers. Will their efforts to save a child wrench them apart or will it prove that at last they’ve found somebody to love? Genre classification: M/M LGBT Western Historical Romance

 Get Somebody to Love on Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks. Add Somebody to Love to your Goodreads to-read shelf!

About the author

Merry Farmer is an award-winning author of Historical Romance and what she likes to call “Sci-Fi for Women.” She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats and enough story ideas to keep her writing until she’s 132. Her second novel, The Faithful Heart, was a 2102 RONE Award finalist and her unpublished futuristic novel A Man’s World won first place in the Novel: Character category at the 2013 Philadelphia Writer’s Conference. She is out to prove that you can make a living as a self-published author and to help others to do the same. Find Merry Farmer on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon Author Page.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Everything East of the Sumida River by Kaneyoshi Shikaku & Heiko Shihenki

Reviewed by SinChan
Everything East of the Sumida River by Kaneyoshi Shikaku & Heiko Shihenki
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 344pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Japanese businessman Takamatsu Masamune takes great pride in the empire he built from nothing. His shady past and connections to the underworld prove he has no problems getting his hands dirty, but his fondness for beautiful things gets him into trouble.

Captivating Naoya Tashimo performs as a traditional dancer in sordid underground clubs. While he loves to dance, other men viewing him as an erotic object has left him numb. Caught in a summer storm, Naoya seeks shelter inside a local import shop where company owner Takamatsu and his PA, Koji, are attending to some business. Immediately smitten, Takamatsu woos Naoya and wants to give him the world.

When they learn each other’s secrets, it tests the tenuous trust they’ve built. Takamatsu wants to own Naoya for himself. Having dealt with greedy, possessive men, Naoya turns his back on all that Takamatsu offers. In exchange to truly have what he wants, can Takamatsu give up everything he built?

Review
Takamatsu is a rich businessman with an import/export empire in Tokyo after traveling the Western world. When a rare beauty, Denka, walks into his store, Takamatsu is immediately taken with him. Denka's traditionalist family pressures him with dancing and entertaining guests until he threatens to break. Takamatsu tries to win Denka over and give him hope to live freely out of his mother's influence. However, negotiations with Denka’s mother for Denka’s freedom stall when they threaten his business empire.

Denka is a geisha and all his services are managed by his mother. Patrons can buy him for an evening and his earnings go to his mother. He's tired of false words and selling illusions, but his mother cares too much about money and power to let him go. When his mother pressures him to con Takamatsu into buying him an expensive kimono, that kimono becomes a symbol of trust in Takamatsu for Denka. I really enjoy the struggle of how Denka copes as a geisha living around drunken patrons and trying to live as a normal teenager. His relationship with Takamatsu is like a patron-geisha relationship that deepens into something Takamatsu would risk everything for. They don't say "I love you" but it's clear their feelings run deep.

I'm super envious of Takamatsu for having a PA like Koji. Koji almost seem superhuman when he caters to Takamatsu's whims and completes his duty to perfection. However, his services seem to come at a price and it's interesting to see the dynamic between Takamatsu and Koji when Takamatsu is not the "master." I like how each characters have their eccentricities. Takamatsu seems like a gentleman and doesn't take advantage of Denka but he has his own secrets too.

This novel is a build up of several intricate layers of plots and written with a very Japanese feel to the story. It's fitting for the story with its atypical contemporary romance and political/economical intrigue. The novel has beautiful language and descriptions of clothing that are almost too poetic for the novel. The story line moves subtly and may seem confusing, since the dynamics between key political players aren't clear and a lot of business dealing happens behind the scenes. Even now, I still don't quite understand what happened beyond the romance. However, as a romance novel, this is a great work that offers a very different vibe from other contemporary romance novels.

5 Pants Off

Guest Post & Giveaway: Tequila Mockingbird by Rhys Ford

~I have Rhys Ford on the blog today and you know she always bring the awesmazing. She even brought a giveaway and lets be real, you all need a book by this author. Help me welcome this amazing talent.~

Why do you authors write insta-love? WHY?

I get this question flung at me a lot. Sometimes in a review. Other times on a piece of paper thrown through my laptop monitor. Or even in person while I’m innocently plotting to kill some random person and there’s a cup of coffee with my name on it behind an understaffed bar.

Why do some pairings fall in love so quickly? It’s not realistic… it’s not….real! I know. Trust me. I know. There have been some books where I’m all… dudes, at least find out each other’s last names before you marry and have kids. It’s like drive through drunken Vegas orgy wedding chapel stories. I admit it. But ah, that just begs the question again.

Why?

Oddly enough, it’s a pretty simple answer.

Because we don’t have time.

Well, sometimes I don’t. Because I’m busy murdering people and things aren’t very suspenseful if there are weeks in between murders. The impending doom thing tends to lessen if I have to fill the weeks between finding a head affixed to the mailbox with chatter and walks on the beach or day trips up the coast to get ice cream at this one special place that milks its own malt dandelions for its shakes.

I don’t have the time. Not between the pages. Not if it’s a wholly contained book.

It’s not the time to write the story but rather the time that passes and what is pressing up against the glass as the story is unfolding. See, that’s the downfall of writing a couple who has to meet, greet, love, fight and smex while other stuff is going on around them.

Timing.

Oh and timing is a bitch and a half. Trust me on that one.

A major part of writing a mystery is parsing out what happens when. Murder a few people and you’ve got a clock running. Too much time passes and the cops’ investigation will fall off. That’s just how it works. I think I’d love to do a Cold Case detective. I might in the future. That would be cool.

Ah, squirrel moment there.

No, insta-love, for me anyway, happens because there aren’t enough hours in the day on paper to have a long courtship if I’m contained to a single book. Stretch it out to a series, and now we’re talking.

So, the question is sometimes also how can an author make insta-love work or rather minimize the impact on the story. It helps if the characters already know one another but that’s not always the case. A big one in the pro-insta column is tension and stress because that does tend to bind people together.

Tying two men to a chair with the water rising and the only way they can get free is if they work together really does make a good relationship builder. They can always look back and laugh—reminiscing on that day when they met and almost became soup.

Insta-love won’t go away—at least not in a standalone and especially if there are body parts and such flinging about. What? I fling a lot of bodies. I do try to stretch it out to at least a few weeks. The insta-love. Not the body flinging. I’ve known people who got married after knowing one another for a couple of weeks…and those people are still married decades later so technically, I’ve got some empirical data there.

But ah, the sooner they fall in love—or least like—I can trot out the Tab A goes into Slot B scenes and go back off to murdering the innocent bystanders.

Murder and mayhem…totally worth the insta-love. *grins*

OH and a Giveaway! Would you like to win…. Drum roll…..
Any ebook from my backlist

If so, please leave a comment below and one name will be selected randomly or randomly selected or one random name will be selected.

§

Tequila Mockingbird
Sequel to Whiskey and Wry (and The Devil’s Brew)
Sinners Series: Book Three

Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

Purchase Tequila Mockingbird at: 
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5121

Also available on Amazon, Are and other online book stores.

§

Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai'i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.


Giveaway

• Must be 18yrs or older
• Leave a comment along with email
• Winner has 48hrs to reply or another winner will be chosen
• Contest runs until July 2nd 2014 at 11:59pm EST

Review: Love Comes in Darkness by Andrew Grey

Reviewed by SinChan
Love Comes In Darkness (Senses #2)  by Andrew Grey
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 204pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Howard Justinian has always had to fight for his freedom. Because he was born blind, everyone is always trying to shelter him, but he’s determined to live his life on his own terms.

When an argument with his boyfriend over that hard-won self-reliance leaves Howard stranded by the side of the road, assistance arrives in the form of Gordy Jarrett. Gordy is a missionary’s son, so helping others is second nature—and he does it in such an unassuming manner that Howard can’t say no.

Life is barely back on track when Howard receives shocking news: his sister died, leaving him her daughter to care for. Howard now faces his greatest challenge yet: for Sophia’s safety, he’ll need to accept help, but will he learn to accept it from Gordy, the one man who will not curb his independence?

Review
Howard is born blind but wants to be independent and live a normal life. When Cedric, his ex boyfriend, dumps him by the side of a highway, Gordy comes along and helps him out. As Howard gets a guide dog and deals with death in the family, his relationship with Gordy deepens.

As the story progresses, Howard gets more responsibility and actually becomes as independent as he wished. He gets a leader dog to guide him and also gains experience taking care of another rather than letting others take care of him. Later on, he steps up for his family and takes responsibility for his niece. I love the way the story progresses and shows how much Howard grew to live independently but also become someone who's don't afraid to ask others for help. His relationship with Gordy and his niece are portrayed wonderfully.

Gordy is a softhearted giant man from a homophobic family. He understands Howard's need for independence and doesn't want to control him like Cedric. Sometimes, he knows Howard better than himself and gives him space. All in all, he has a very caring and considerate personality that fits perfectly with Howard's.

The story events are on the mild side. Nothing thrilling or suspenseful happens that have me gripping my seat and turning the pages. The main attraction to the story is to see how Howard grows as an adult and cope with changes in his life, from having a lover to taking custody of a child.

Fans of Andrew Grey's earlier work, Love Comes Silently, would enjoy having Ken, Hanna, and Patrick back and seeing how their lives continue on. Love Comes in Darkness isn't as intense and doesn't have the threat of death hanging around for the majority of the story like Love Comes Silently, but it is still a very enjoyable read.

3 Pants Off

Review: Book #1 Love Comes Silently

Review: The Protector by Cooper West

Reviewed by Whuppsy
The Protector by Cooper West
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 250pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Guardsmen are always matched in a bonded pair. The Protector can shift into a weredog, and the human partner is his Handler. They are incredibly rare and highly valued, but people also fear them for their mystical abilities. No Protector in living memory has outlived his Handler—until Alex Taylor. 

Now a widower, Alex lives a lonely half-life and faces day after day of grief with no hope for happiness in the future. When he unexpectedly bonds with the young and vibrant Handler Marcus Stephanek, Alex is angry and unwilling to leave the memory of his former Handler behind. He pushes Marcus away and tries to distance himself from their bond. But then a mysterious villain who has been secretly shadowing Alex for years sets his plan in motion. Alex and Marcus must learn to trust their bond and love each other, or risk not only their own lives but the lives of those closest to them.

Review
I wanted to read this book as I thought that this book would add a new dimension to shifter books that I had previously read. It did, and it was a different kind of book.

Alex Taylor has been bonded before to Theo. Theo was special in that he didn’t specialize in any one direction for his career. He wanted to wait until he got bonded and took into consideration what his Protector, Alex wanted to do for a career. That made the bond between these two men so very special to Alex. The thing with being a Protector and Handler is that when the Handler dies, the Protector dies as well. That’s always happened, until Alex survived Theo’s death. Alex has been alone since Theo’s death 3 years ago. Alex has been researching since Theo’s death to see how he survived. Alex is so lonely, heartbroken and he’s grieving. There is so much that isn’t happening in his life, that it’s hard for him to really find a balance and go forward.

 Marcus Stephanek is a 26 year-old Handler that is un-bonded. It’s a source of huge embarrassment, shame and desperation for him. He knows what career choice he wants to do and all that he’s waiting for is his Protector. Marcus is quite frankly….AMAZING!! He’s got lots of degrees, he teaches at the Institute from which Handlers and Protectors are trained. Marcus finds his Protector in Alex and this isn’t what he expected. Alex is still in love and grieving for the loss of his Handler, Theo. How do you fight against the memory of a loved one who died? That seems to be Marcus’ greatest battle in gaining Alex’s love and trust.

This story had so many complex layers that I really liked. I liked the fact that Alex was trying to deal with the death of Theo. Trying to move forward and not finding a way to. The wanting of something that will complete your life and make everything turn into roses, and to have that something come true and still not be what you imagined it to be. How do you make a new life with someone you don’t want to? The mystery/suspense portion of the story was really well done. I knew who it was before they told you, he was a really scuzzy character, how could you not?

I will say that I was really tired of the back and forth that Alex had going on. I get that the love of his life passed away, I do. But he got hit with another bond that could be the very best thing that could happen to him and he kept throwing that away. It was really maddening to me.

This was a surprisingly good book. I really enjoyed the mystery/suspense aspect of it. This was a very character driven story and it flowed along really smoothly. You were never jarred out of the story. Overall, this was a good book and I’d say take the chance on a different kind of “mate bond”.

3 Pants Off

Guest Post: Writng As A New Mom: Good For A Laugh by Jena Wade

So many changes – so little time to reflect on them.

I’ve only been writing for a year and a half, and I’ve been published less than a year so this is all sooo very very new to me. But it has been an incredible journey and I have loved every minute of it.

And now, I am on an entirely new journey… as a new mom. JM was born April 4th, 2014 and I have been on maternity leave every since, so I’ve had plenty of free time to write (NOT). I have had a bit of time, but it’s mostly been spent editing new stories. My goal was to write a 30K novel while on maternity leave – HA – That didn’t happen. I didn’t even get to the outline. Turns out a new baby takes a lot of time – no one told me that. Just kidding.

Luckily – someone was smart and invented the baby carrier. Many a days I find myself with my son in my baby carrier while I type away on a new story. This should be fun to tell him about when he is old enough to understand the kind of… um… delicate writing that mommy does and how he used to be my little helper.

Being a mom has changed so much of my writing style and really has made me more focused on my writing since every moment is crucial – and could be interrupted at any time. Many many times I have had to get up mid sentence and take care of something – only to return three days later and wonder what the end of the sentence was supposed to be. I’ve learned to be a quicker writer who isn’t easily distracted by twitter, facebook, or pinterest. Hopefully this will pay off…

Now I just have to tackle how to tell my son what mommy writes… and how to get him to NOT tell his pre-school class… Also I probably shouldn’t let him take my books in for Show-and-Tell…

Technically Dating by Jena Wade

Coming June 25th from Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:
Meek and mild Bruce Collins decides to set aside his life in technical support for the evening and try a wild night on the town. Self-described nerd Bruce meets suave Westley Taylor at a club, but the night doesn’t go as planned. When they run into each other the next day, Bruce is determined to get the details right and finish what they started. Westley is impressed and invites Bruce on date after date. Bruce figures they’re technically dating and might even be in a relationship, until he accidentally overhears a phone message intended for Westley. Every aspect of their time together comes into question. Now, it’s time for Westley to set the facts straight.

Excerpt

“I’m sorry.” Bruce sighed and cupped Westley’s face with his hands. “Any chance we could postpone this until later?”The temptation to say yes lingered on his lips, but they still had the issue of where they were going to hook up. Mature Westley choose that time to remind him

of his responsibilities. “I have to work early tomorrow.” He couldn’t exactly start his walk of shame at his place of work. Though, it was appealing.

Bruce kissed him hard and then smoothed Westley’s swollen lips with the pad of his thumb. “I’m going to dream about these lips tonight.” He stepped back, and Westley felt the loss in the pit of his stomach.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said.

“Me too.”

Westley stood in the parking lot of the club and watched Bruce walk away. The sound of the club thumped in the background, and the laughter of the partygoers reached his ears, but he ignored it.

Seeing Bruce again was unlikely. If he was staying at the hotel, that meant he wasn’t local.

Loss settled in Westley’s chest when Bruce got into his car and drove out of sight.

Websites: 
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5118 

www.jenawade.com

www.twitter.com/thejenawade

Review: Perfect Imperfections by Cardeno C.

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Perfect Imperfections by Cardeno C.
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 210pgs
4.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Hollywood royalty Jeremy Jameson has lived a sheltered life with music as his sole focus and only friend. Before embarking on yet another international concert tour, he wanders into a bar in what he considers the middle of nowhere and meets a man who wins him over with his friendly smile and easy-going nature. Accountant slash bartender slash adventure-seeker Reg Moore has fun talking and drinking with The Jeremy Jameson and can’t say no when the supposedly straight rock star makes him a once in a lifetime offer: keep him company on his tour by playing the part of his boyfriend. 

Listening to music, traveling the world, and jumping off cliffs is fun. Falling in love is even better. But to stay with Jeremy after the stage lights dim, Reg will need to help him realize there’s nothing pretend about their relationship.

Review
So, let’s start out saying that I have read Cardeno C.’s books before and I’m a fan. So, I jumped at the chance to read her new book and BOY AM I GLAD THAT I DID!!

Jeremy Jameson is like any other child of Hollywood & Rock royalty; he’s been sheltered from the worst of the business until he had turned 18. He’s a Superstar Musician and he’s getting ready to go on tour again and he just needed to get away for awhile. Jeremy is the kind of person that wants to be so much better than his parents. Jeremy actually is really kind and so loving. It’s just that he’s used to not really trusting others. Jeremy doesn’t think that he’s worth falling in love with. As Jeremy has been told by his former lovers and what his childhood was like with his parents. So, he just assumes that he’s going to be alone for the rest of his life. He’s been told that he’s needy and that he’s high-maintenance. He’s not as bad as he’s been led to believe.

Reg Moore is this zen-like guy who is bartending in Munds Park, AZ where he still has family. Reg has had a career in Accounting and decided that it wasn’t for him, so bartending it is. He’s also this adventurer who loves doing new things. Exploring what this life has to offer. Reg is just the coolest guy that I’ve read about in a long time. He’s so zen-like and he’s so kind and so very generous and yet, his loyalty and his love are the two best qualities that he has, IMHO. Reg is so much fun and he’s just so sweet and I just love the way he finds his way to acceptance on things. I liked him A LOT!!

The secondary characters in this book were pretty good. I loved Jeremy’s manager, Bill, he was in parts funny and in others, and he gave hard truths. This is part and parcel of who he is. He made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I got who he was and I admired that he was so very honest about what he was saying and doing. Becky Parks was such a great character. She’s smarter than all get out and has this wonderful personality. She was such a cool woman and didn’t’ have designs to do anything other than her job. It was really nice to see.

This was such a character driven story. I liked that it was a slow burn book. That Jeremy and Reg took the time to be friends before they became lovers. It was sweet and sexy and it was just right. There wasn’t much angst in this story and It would have been so wrong to have it there. This book was just perfect the way it was. These two guys were so sweet together. I loved how they took their time falling in love with each other. They had a nice basis of friendship and allowed their feelings to grow from there.

This was a really nice feel good book and you will not be disappointed in reading this story. If you’re looking for something fun and sweet and just a bit sexy….this is the book for you.

4.5 Pants Off

Review: Love Comes Silently by Andrew Grey

Reviewed by SinChan
Love Comes Silently (Senses #1) by Andrew Grey
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 200pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming—especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton’s partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don’t qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna’s tired life—and so does Ken’s neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty. 

For two years Patrick hasn’t been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he’s watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him—a life he isn't sure he can have. 

Ken doesn’t realize he’s fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there’s nothing more they can do: Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken’s heart is set on a new beginning—with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.

Review
Ken is taking care of Hanna, his 6 year old adopted daughter who has pediatric leukemia. Because of this, his relationship with his boyfriend, Mark, is strained and they eventually breaks up. Hanna's cancer treatments caused hair lost and prompt the appearance of cute pink hats from Ken's neighbor, Patrick. Patrick is mute and puts himself down for losing his voice. But as Ken and Patrick grow closer, Hanna seems to grow weaker and weaker from her treatments. The small family tries to cherish their time together but everyone is afraid that Hanna will not make it till the end of the year.

I love that this book shows children as perspective little beings and emotionally stronger than what their parents think. Hanna is such a cutie and understanding of what struggles Ken is going through. The comical moments in the story and the saddest moments are caused by Hanna. Her question about sex and gay marriage makes Ken so awkward that it is funny. Her sweetness makes it sadder to see her suffer through the cancer treatments and turns this into a tearjerker novel.

The way Ken and Patrick progressed from friends to lovers is also well done. They are both lovable characters. Ken is a great father and his worry and love for Hanna really comes through. Patrick is mute but he's thoughtful and resourceful. He gives Hanna gifts without telling her it was from him. He plans early Halloween and Christmas parties for Hanna and includes the whole community to show their support for Hanna. He stops being a singer when he lost his voice due to an accident, but he uses other talents to make a living. Meeting Ken and Hanna helps Patrick to let go of his past, learn sign language, and integrate back into society.

I also love how art is incorporated into the story and it is something meaningful and unique to the characters. Ken is an artist and little Hanna is taking after her dad to have amazing drawing skills. Hanna's drawings leave lasting impressions on the doctors and nurses at the hospital and Ken's drawing of Patrick helped Patrick to overcome his past as a singer. Their artwork heals some people and gives them a little happiness back.

I just have a tiny lingering question about the ex boyfriend, Mark. He doesn't seem like a bad person and he has a good relationship with Hanna. It would have been better for Mark and Ken to remain friends than try to get back together. I wanted him to keep contact with the family and be a support for them rather than cause problems. The last communication they had where Mark tries to win Ken back seems out of character when they broke up so amiably in the beginning. I was looking for a happy ending for him too, but the story stopped for him when he and Ken broke up.

Overall, this is a heart-wrenching novel about falling in love with someone disabled and coping with disability and cancer. It's a really hopeful story that would resonate with many people.

4 Pants Off

Book Blast & Giveaway: Forever Hold his peace by Rebecca Cohen

Book Name: Forever Hold His Peace: The Crofton Chronicles: Book Three

Author Name: Rebecca Cohen

Blurb:
Sebastian Hewel has never been happier. But his life playing the role of his twin sister Bronwyn, the wife of Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, is about to change. Rumors abound that Bronwyn is using witchcraft to enthrall her husband, and false evidence has been found. Practicing witchcraft is a crime that could have Bronwyn brought in for questioning by the sheriff, and that would reveal Sebastian and Anthony’s secret.

Together they must decide whether it is time to lay Bronwyn to rest. Anthony intends to ensure that whoever implicated Bronwyn pays for the treacherous deed. Whatever happens, Sebastian and Anthony must prepare to face an unknown future together.

Author Bio:
Rebecca Cohen is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and baby son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.

Author Links: 
Blog: http://rebeccacohenwrites.wordpress.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_Cohen_writes 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.cohen.710 

DSP author page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_462 

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Cohen/e/B007UEFIXS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Tour Dates: June 23 – July 7
Tour Stops: June 23: Hearts on Fire, Parker Williams June 24: 3 Chicks After Dark, MM Good Books June 25: Amanda C. Stone, Pants Off Review June 26: Love Bytes, Iyana Jenna June 27: Havan Fellows, Kimi-Chan, LeAnn’s Book Reviews June 30: My Fiction Nook, Tara Lain July 1: Nephylim, Cate Ashwood July 2: Jade Crystal, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words July 3: Elisa Rolle July 4: The Hat Party July 7: Prism Book Alliance

Excerpt

Sebastian fiddled with the seal on Anthony’s desk. “I just ask that maybe you were not quite so free with your compliments. No wonder some women think you are dissatisfied at home.”

“Court is a game, and it is played very differently as a man. You have not seen that side of it—perhaps it is time you did.”

For a moment he thought Anthony was jesting, but Anthony’s thoughtful look told Sebastian he was serious. He did not enjoy court. He only went because Anthony had said it was necessary for Lady Crofton to attend. But Sebastian Hewel wasn’t nobility. His father had been a naval captain.

“I am not the sort of man who is seen at court,” he said, hoping to prevent the seed from growing in Anthony’s mind.

“You do have some strange notions, Sebastian. You are the brother of Lady Crofton, and she is the wife of one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite courtiers. Of course you’re the kind of man who should be seen at court. It is only because of an oversight on my part that I had not thought to take you before.”

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