Pre-Release ARC Review: Breaking (Fall or Break, #2) By Barabara Elsborg

Expected Publication: July 28th 2015 by Samhain Publishing

Genre:

MM Contemporary Romance

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / B & N / KOBO

Connect With The Author:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter /Facebook

Synopsis On Goodreads:

Archer Hart is on the move before the man he’s just killed is found. When a bullet whizzes past his ear, he realizes hunter is now hunted. So much for his retirement plans. Someone wants him dead and all he can do is keep running.

Downed by a hit and run driver, barrister Conrad Black is certain the ‘accident’ was deliberate but he has no proof or support. In recovery, struggling to work out of partial paralysis, he has plenty of time to wonder who regrets not striking him harder. At this point, running anywhere is a distant dream.

The confidence, determination and stamina of two alphas males will mean little if neither is willing to bend—seize the love offered—and work together to understand why they’re suddenly both marked men. Not easy for either when Archer has broken the law in the worst possible way and Conrad is the law.

RATING: 4/5 stars

*** Review ***

The 2nd installment in Fall or Break series by B. Elsborg was another winner for me when it comes to mm contemporary romances. I fell hard for Malachi's and Harper's story in Falling (Fall or Break, #1) where we also had met one of the protagonists of this book- Conrad Black whom I strongly disliked almost til' the very ending when he, after some major twist, became my favorite secondary character and I had high hopes that the next book in the series will be his.

We get to see a totally another side of  Conrad in this book and learn more about his background. We knew him as this arrogant, closed off person who doesn't let anybody in, but now we also get to see the man behind the cold front he put up and find out the reasons why. And the guy who makes it all happen is Archer Hart, a secret SIS assassin on the run. The only problem is that they are too much alike. Both of them are alpha males who want the other to give in first, but when feelings get involved that becomes only a question of time.

I think that the author created a perfect match for Conrad in Archer. They've been running from relationships all their lives and now it's the first time when they want to be caught, but first they'll have to survive while on the run from people who want them dead. The story was action-packed, suspenseful, fun, emotional and steamy and I've enjoyed it a lot. Special bonuses were the adorable puppy Deefor, lots of sexy banter and tension. 

All in all Breaking didn't disappoint. I hope the author will keep more books coming. Whose book would I like to read next? Hm, maybe Sev's? Yeah, I vote for Sev.

Highly recommended to every mm romance fan!

xoxo,

Purple

Pre-Realese ARC REVIEW: For Real (Spires Universe) by Alexis Hall

Publiction Date: June 1st 2015 by Riptide Publishing

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance/ Bdsm

Buy The Book:

Riptide Publishing

Connect With the Author:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Synopsis On Goodreads:

Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.

Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being.

Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do. But he knows, with all the certainty of youth, that he wants Laurie. He wants him on his knees. He wants to make him hurt, he wants to make him beg, he wants to make him fall in love.

The problem is, while Laurie will surrender his body, he won’t surrender his heart. Because Toby is too young, too intense, too easy to hurt. And what they have—no matter how right it feels—can’t last. It can’t mean anything.

It can’t be real.

RATING: 3.5/ 5 stars

*** REVIEW ***

I've read only two books from A. Hall so far, but they were enough to make him one of those author's about whose books I don't have second thoughts before reading. Books with bdsm romance were usually a hit/miss in my reading history depending on the story and the writing style, so I'm pretty careful and picky when choosing them, but as soon as I saw this author's name and of course the sexy cover, there was no doubt whether I was going to read this book. I prefer lighter type of bdsm romance, even though I've read and even loved some of the heavy stuff.

But it's like there's a line in his head or something. And I can have everything up to the line. But nothing after it. I've seen glimpses over it.... ... Enough, basically, to make me want to live there, on the other side of him. Except I don't know how to get there. And I'm afraid of pushing- again -in case I lose what I've got.

For Real is, I would say, an emotionally charged romance with a touch of bdsm between a 19 year old Dom Toby and 37 year old submissive Laurie. I know you'll are probably wondering how this type of relationship could work considering their age gap. What could possibly a 19 year old, who is still searching himself and has yet a lot to experience, offer to a 37 year old, who's already been through it all? Without spoiling anything all I can say is that Alexis Hall makes it happen and pretty successfully. As usual I liked both of the MCs and the fact that this author continues to write about real, relate-able characters with all the virtues and flaws that makes us human. 

Why 3.5 stars then? I've enjoyed the story a lot, but it was maybe a bit too "relationship focused" for my taste with quite a lot of sex scenes (it was after all more than 400 pages long.) The sex scenes were smoking hot, but I would have preferred if the relationship had been more slow-building and if the the author had focused a bit more on the background stories of the MCs. It was a good story, but Glitterland and Waiting for the Flood touched me on some deeper level and remain my favs.

xoxo, 

Purple

Review: THE DEAL (Off-Campus, #1) by Elle Kennedy

Summary:

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice... even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

 
Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook |  Twitter | Goodreads

My review:

Rating:  ★★★★★

My thoughts after reading The Deal in short are: I loved it! I loved it! I loved it!

But, I don't want to keep it that short, so here comes the longer version.

Some books remind me of certain weather conditions, and The Deal was like a warm, sunny spring day with just enough breeze to make it even more enjoyable. That may be a weird thing to say--it probably is--but that's how it was for me.

To be honest, when I first noticed this book in my News Feed, I didn't find it appealing: I've never read anything by Elle Kennedy, the title reminded me terribly of The Pact which I basically hated, and the words college and sports pushed me even further away. However, my mind was completely changed when all the five-star reviews started pouring in. My curiosity had to be satisfied. This time curiosity didn't kill the cat--it made her purr, purr, purr.

The Deal was one of those books after you finish it, you want to write a thank-you letter to the author for writing it. The plot wasn't overly complex: the heroine, Hannah, got an A on a test, and the hero, Garrett, failed it, and badgered Hannah to tutor him for the makeup test so he could keep his GPA up so he wouldn't be kicked off his hockey team. In return he would help her get the attention of the boy Hannah had a crush on. That was the deal. But its successful outcome ended up not being enough for them--they wanted each other, and they made sure they got it, no matter what.

It was so refreshing, the way the main characters behaved. No excess drama to be found anywhere. Every chapter, every page was interesting. Most of them were lots of fun, but there were others dealing with some awful, serious subjects. There was not a moment that I felt bored; both Hannah and Garrett were awesome MCs, fun, smart, and witty--I could read about their bickering for days on end. Most importantly they were all around good, mature fictional college people. There was only one instance when I got worried about where the story would go. Almost the exact same thing happened in one of the books I recently read, and it didn't go well there, but Garrett proved to be a bigger man. If I hadn't already been all googly-eyed over him, that would have done it. He often had his cocky-bastard moments, but instead of being irritating, they were adorable. Garrett even sometimes called Hannah "baby", and it didn't bother me. The book has some serious magic powers--there's no other explanation. And Hannah was the perfect heroine. I'd love to read more about young women like her.

In conclusion, I loved everything about The Deal: the story, the writing style, the main characters, all of it! I picked this to read to at least partially forget about the disaster of a TV-series Grey's Anatomy has turned into, and it worked! The book has magic, I stand by it.

Now I'm genuinely looking forward to reading Logan's book. There wasn't much of him in this one, but enough that I adored him, and would be more than willing to comfort him. Lucky for me, his book just came out, so I'll soon be once again enjoying the company of Off-Campus men. YAY!

 

Until next time, happy reading!

XOXO

 

Review: ON FIRE (Shadow Stalkers, #4) by Sylvia Day

Summary:

From Sylvia Day, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Crossfire novels, comes On Fire, a novella of the Shadow Stalkers—where it’s futile to resist arrest or the power of a man with a badge. Just surrender. After all, you look so good in handcuffs…

Every time she opened her mouth, his mind went straight into the gutter…

When Deputy US Marshal Jared Cameron started investigating a series of arson attacks in the small seaside town of Lion’s Bay, he had no idea that the biggest blast of heat would come from the fire inspector. Her name was Darcy Michaels—and if there was anyone that Jared wanted to get down and sweaty with, it was Darcy.

Darcy knew what she was bringing out in Jared. In fact, she liked it. She reveled in making his dirty dreams come true. Stripped down for a scorching after-hours affair, Jared was her fantasy, too. A hard-driving man who knew exactly what to do to please her. But as hot as their nights were, they had no idea just how wild it was going to get. Because Darcy has a secret. And a past. And it’s drawing them right into the flames…

 
Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | iTunes | Kobo 

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook |  Twitter | Goodreads

My review:

Rating:  ★★★

On Fire has an apt title. The main characters certainly behaved as if they were on fire for each other, and it was a series of fires that brought them together.

This was actually my second time reading this story. I first read it a couple of years ago as part of Hot in Handcuffs anthology. It was the story I liked best in it. It was also a time when Sylvia Day's books and I got along so great. Now my tastes have shifted in other directions, but still I wanted to read this series, and even re-read this one. For old times sake, I guess, and because I needed something on the lighter side to read. But, as was to be expected, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first time.
Darcy Michaels is a fire inspector, and when a series of fires went without getting any closer to identifying the arsonist, she called for outside help, and as fate would have it, that outside help included a man who'd soon set her body on fire, give her countless orgasms, and become very important to her that she couldn't imagine her life not including him, and that man's name is Jared Cameron. By soon I mean really soon, as in mere-hours soon that it all started, but somehow Ms. Day wrote these characters and the connection they felt that it all seemed natural.

On Fire is the longest Shadow Stalkers story, and while the others were about characters who had a history, here we have MCs meeting for the first time, so it's a good thing they had extra pages to develop their sizzling relationship. Jared and Darcy didn't waste a minute, and if I can say one thing about Ms. Days books, it's that they pack a lot of heat. For the most part, I like it, but honestly, after a while the whole "Oh, you're so tight" and "You're so big" and "You make me so hot" and whatnot talk gets to be a bit too much and rather annoying. Dirty talk is fine, but I would prefer it smaller doses. The same is with overly detailed descriptions. Nevertheless, Darcy and Jared were hot together, and I will give credit to Jared for only calling Darcy "baby" once. I wish it was none, because that is one of my big pet peeves, but I can live with once.

Bigger page count also allowed for some mystery and suspense to be a part of On Fire. As I said it was an investigation that brought Darcy and Jared together, and it uncovered some interesting connections to a past crime, which ultimately put Darcy in danger. It was interesting reading that. I didn't blow my mind or anything, but these stories, I believe, are mostly to have fun reading them, which I did. But now I think I'm ready for something different.

After almost two dozen titles by Sylvia Day, including contemporary, historical, and paranormal books, I can safely say that of all of them I liked her historicals best. I hope she'll write more of those. Until then, excluding One with You, I really don't see myself reading her books any time soon.

 

Until next time, happy reading!

XOXO

 

Review: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

Buy links:

Amazon / Kobo

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

*Synopsis*

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. 

The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

Add on Goodreads

***MY REVIEW***

Original review (2013): 

“When Tatiana looked up from her ice cream, she saw a soldier staring at her from across the street.”

This is one of my favorite books. Period. Alexander and Tatiana will stay with me forever. I still can’t quite believe such unconditional love could be real. I have never read a romance book as this one, I felt everything: love, passion, pain, death, sacrifice, just pouring from the pages. 

“Not bombs nor my broken heart can take away from me walking barefoot with you in jasmine June through the Field of Mars.”

While reading I felt like I knew Tatiana & Alexander, I wanted to keep them close to my heart. I cannot do this book justice, with my words. Moreover, much has already been said about the romance, I’d like to reflect on the historical theme.

I love history. I think history is one grand story and I like nothing better than stories. The twentieth century was the most dreadful century in our history and the World War Two the bloodiest war. Therefore it is both fascinating and devastating to read about it. But, no matter how many books I read dealing with the subject of WWII, it never gets old, for each story is precious.

And, to me, the story of WWII is the story of the Soviet Union. The Bronze Horseman portrays the siege of Leningrad, which lasted almost 900 days, making it the second longest siege in modern European history. (The first one is the siege of Sarajevo.) And the author portrayed it so faithfully, that I could feel the hunger, the cold, the desperation of people. War is always terrible, but the effects it has on people even more so. Furthermore, as historical fiction is my favorite genre, I like nothing better than when the author does the research well. And Paullina Simons is obviously well acquainted with the history of her hometown. 

“Lazarevo drips you into my soul, dawn drop by moonlight drop from the river Kama. When you look for me, look for me there, because that's where I'll be all the days of my life.”

As my review clearly shows, I was completely enthralled with this story. Re-reading this is both splendid and painful. When I am reading TBH, I am living in besieged Leningrad, in Lazarevo, on lake Ladoga, and that – is the best feeling ever.

“Good-bye, my moonsong and my breath, my white nights and golden days, my fresh water and my fire. Good-bye, and may you find a better life, find comfort again and your breathless smile, and when your beloved face lights up once more at the Western sunrise, be sure what I felt for you was not in vain. Good-bye and have faith, my Tatiana.”

____________________________ 

UPDATE (2015):

And in the moonlight´s pallid glamour

Rides high upon the charging brute

Head held high ´mid echoing clamour

The Bronze Horseman in pursuit. 

– Pushkin

I still love it. 

However, I have to be fair and point out that the novel is not without shortcomings. It is certainly a couple hundred pages too long, and while I didn’t mind it – that much, at least this time around, because I knew what was ahead of me; for some readers, it might be a problem and it might be at times overwhelming. On the other hand, I believe I understand where the author was coming from – you can’t attempt to write an epic, tragic love story without it being, well, long. 

Moreover, our main characters – Tatiana and Alexander, are not flawless either. What is interesting for me, is that both represent types of characters by whom I normally would’ve been annoyed in any other book. Tatiana is the naïve, inexperienced girl, whereas Alexander is the tough, macho soldier. However, the thing is – I didn’t feel like they were ‘types’ at all, they felt very real to me, and despite some of their major character flaws, the author managed to make me care for them. 

Therefore, The Bronze Horseman still remains one of my favorite books. It hurts to read it, but that’s why I love it.

~ xoxo,

Beatrix

Review: Block 24 by Evan Tyler

Buy links:

 Amazon / Kobo

Author links:

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

*Add on Goodreads*

*BOOK SUMMARY*

A re-emergence of the past…

Natalie Clarke might be spiteful at best and vicious at worst, but was that reason enough for Phillip Gise to leave her lonely and diseased? Fortunately, she has a set of devious plans that just might keep her busy enough to forget her present situation.

Guy Lewis has played Best Friend Extraordinaire to Natalie since grade school, supporting her through all of her daily drama. This time around, Guy runs into his own troubles when his fierce, wealthy manager gives him the type of attention he never asked for…or expected.

Julia Clarke, Natalie’s younger sister, has arrived in Brooklyn to uncover their grandmother’s secret life in Block 24, the site of Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. What Julia discovers proves more relevant in the present age than ever before.

Both heady and sobering, Block 24 is a look at the ways evil from the past can so insidiously visit the present. 

***MY REVIEW***

First I'd like to clarify that this book is not a typical romance, but considering it's one of my favorite books, I decided to feature it here on the blog, because I feel that not nearly enough people know about this powerful and inspiring novel! 

***

It had taken breaking the rules for him to realize that he needed them. Maybe he had to experience the opposite of love to realize how valuable love was and how it didn’t come at the price of one’s soul.

Block 24 surprised me, in the sense that I expected one thing and got something completely different. The more I read, the more I loved it. Towards the end, I couldn’t part with the book. I finished it in 6 hours, it’s what my e-reader says. 

The story is divided into two parts. We have two sisters Julia and Natalie Clarke and they’re complete opposites. In one part of the story, Julia is making a film about their grandma’s time in Block Twenty-four – Auschwitz’s little-known brothel. And the other part deals with Natalie and her issues. The Auschwitz part I liked less actually. I was more immersed in Natalie’s schemes. She is one of the most messed up characters I’ve had the chance to read about. 

I’ve read my fair share of Holocaust novels, and Block 24 didn’t really make me emotionally involved that much. It tells us the story of Adina (Julia’s grandmother) and her little sister Avi and how they fell in love with an SS – Hans during WWII. I can’t exactly pinpoint why this part of the story left me cold. I felt detached somehow, just waiting for Natalie’s chapters. I also felt the book was maybe too short to properly describe all the war horrors. The whole atmosphere didn’t feel authentic enough, IMO. Perhaps, had the book been longer, I think I would’ve enjoyed the *PAST* part as much as the *present.*

However, while I felt the book was lacking with the actual story, it completely made up with its characters.

Natalie Clarke. Words can’t describe how dark, damaged and malicious she is. She’s driven by hate and destroys everything good around her. She plays with other people’s lives, takes fate into her own hands. What Natalie wants, Natalie gets. Can such a poisonous human being have a chance at redemption, at happiness? There’s nothing better to read about, I say. I like nothing better than when the author creates such twisted, messed up characters and makes you care for them. I loved reading about Natalie and her evil ways and seeing how she would claw her way out of her dark hole. Will she even? It’s a defense mechanism which so far has worked. But her boyfriend Philip can only take so far. How far is enough?

This was what it meant to hate life, to hate everything about it. This is what happened once a person tossed away something that couldn’t be recovered, when a person lost everything she loved because she hated herself.

This book really made me wonder. It asks important questions: What gives the person the right to play with others’ lives? Can love truly heal all wounds? Is love even enough to heal a person?

I thought I would like this book, and I did, but not for the reasons I initially thought. I love historical fiction and WWII novels are some of my favorites, but that’s not the reason Block 24 resonated so strongly with me. This book proved to be an excellent case of a character study. How is it possible that an author made me care more about the struggles of one vicious woman than about surviving Holocaust victim? That’s the reason my rating is somewhat lower. I know the author is capable of great writing; Natalie’s character proves that, so I expected the same emotional investment with the part narrated in the past. I wanted more cohesion and the same level of emotional intensity.

But that could be just me. You could end up loving the part about Avigail, Adina and Hans and stay indifferent towards Natalie’s black heart. Either way, I recommend you pick up this book! 

BLOCK 24 is one truly inspiring story which tells us how people are capable of evil, regardless of the age we live in.

xoxo,

Beatrix

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Knight of Ocean Avenue by Tara Lain

Knight Of Ocean Avenue
By Tara Lain

Blurb: 
How can you be twenty-five and not know you’re gay? Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy’s life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Being terrified of taking tests keeps Billy from getting the contractor's license he so desires, and fear of his mother's judgement blinds Billy to what could make him truly happy.

Then, in preparation for his sister’s big wedding, Billy meets Shaz—Chase Phillips—a rising star, celebrity stylist who defines the word gay. To Shaz, Billy embodies everything he’s ever wanted—stalwart, honest, brave—but even if Billy turns out to be gay, he could never endure the censure he’d get for being with a queen like Shaz. How can two men with so little in common find a way to be together? Can the Stylist of the Year end up with the Knight of Ocean Avenue?

Available for purchase at 

Paperback from Dreamspinner 

Excerpt

GAGA’S “EDGE of Glory” played in his ear. Damn. Quit.
He reached out and pawed at the edge of the coffee table until he finally felt the phone. His fingers found the mute button and he clicked it. Peace. He tried to roll over. Heavy.

“Merwaorwr.”

“Mewr.”

Claws dug into his chest as the weight lifted, then disappeared. “Go back to sleep.” He rolled over until his face and body were pressed against the back of the couch. Ouch. His dick hurt. Sleep. Ouch.

Well, damn. Slowly he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He glanced to the side. Clancy and Yerby gazed at him like they could command him with will force alone to open the tuna. “Hang in there, guys.”

Oh man. Not hung over. He’d had half a beer. But here he lay fully clothed on his couch, aching in his bones and feeling like someone had kicked him in the nuts. That would be him. He’d done it to himself.

He swung his legs over the side, sat up on the edge of the couch, and dropped his head. Four eyes stared up at him. “Go open it yourself.”

Three times. He’d wanked himself into oblivion three times while rewinding that frigging porno. Was there one line he didn’t engrave in his brain? Every “unh, unh, unh. Fuck me harder” was emblazoned in his memory. Jesus, Ballew. Yeah, Jesus was the operative word. But if he was going to hell for jerking off, he’d be taking every male in the world with him.

Of course, he didn’t just masturbate; he wanked to gay porn. What the hell is that about? Truth? He’d been kicked in the teeth so many times by so many women, the idea of fucking a nice uncomplicated man kind of did it for him. Well, not seriously, but the theory was attractive. And no, he would not be sharing this revelation with the guys on the job site.

The bang on his door about sent him into outer space. Who the hell? Nobody came here. He didn’t share his address much. No poker with the boys or make-out sessions with the girls. His place. His. Who was it?

The knocking came again.

Shit!

He jumped up. “Yeah?” The cats looked up at his loud voice.

“Billy, it’s Jim.” The voice came through the door.

Jim. Billy looked around, grabbed the laptop, closed it tight, and slid it onto the end table. Lube. Shit. He shoved the open tube into the drawer, then staggered over to the front door. How much did he smell like sex? Damn, his sweats were halfway to his knees. He dragged them back up, then opened the door.

“Hi. Sorry, overslept.” He ran a hand through his hair.

Jim Carney was a little older than him and a good guy, if a bit of a hound dog. He grinned. “Sorry. My truck broke down. I was kind of close to here and remembered your address. Thought I’d see if I could get a ride.”

“Uh, sure.” He glanced over his shoulder. It felt strange having somebody here. “Come on in. I need to feed my cats and take a quick shower, if you want to wait.”

“Sure. Too far to walk and all uphill.” He stepped in. “You have cats?”

Billy looked at Jim. The guy had a tough face with a broken nose that some women liked. “Yeah, I got two. You like cats?”

“No. Just think it’s kind of funny that you do.” He smacked Billy’s shoulder. “You crazy cat lady, you.”

Well, hell. “Make yourself at home.” Kind of. He walked into the kitchen, the boys behind him, and scooped out some cat food into both dishes. “Here ya go, guys.” He raised his voice. “Don’t let feline haters make you feel bad.”

Jim laughed from the living room. “This is quite a place you have. Jesus, man, what are you, some closet decorator?”

Billy frowned and walked into the living room. “No, I just like having a nice place of my own.”

“But you’re so damned neat.” He was holding a glass globe Billy had found in a yard sale.

“So?” He took the globe and put it back on the shelf.

“Nothing. No wonder women like you so much.”

“I’m taking a quick shower.” He started for the bedroom, stopped and grabbed the laptop, then went into his room—small with a big bed.

He glanced at his watch, still ticking on his wrist. Double shit. If he didn’t hurry, they’d both be late for work. Saturday shifts were good for making extra cash, but not if he didn’t get there.

He stepped under the water. Too cold. Shaved so fast he nicked himself and finally got some clothes on and hurried back into the living room. Jim sat on the couch holding a book, the two cats staring at him from across the room. He stared back. Billy laughed. “Have they got you cornered?”

“Shit, man, those two are scary. What are they, ninja attack cats?”

Billy sat and pulled on his work boots. He nodded at the book. “What you got?”

Jim held out the book. “This is heavy shit, my man.” The copy of Jane Eyre kind of weighed down his hand.

Billy tried to keep his brows from scrunching together. “I just like to read. I didn’t get to go to school too long, so I read, okay?” He didn’t say he read because it was like a fucking gift to finally be able to do it.

Jim set down the book and stood up. “You really are different, you know?”

“Thanks a shitload.”

“I don’t mean it bad. You’re just—not like most of the guys.”

Man, was he tired of hearing that.

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her best­selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. 

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

You can find Tara at

               

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