Only Love - Garrett Leigh - 4.5/5

Only Love - Garrett Leigh - 4.5/5

The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

Review 4.5/5

Cute, sweet and fluffy... that is not what this book is. It is angst and emotion and sadness and realisation and love and just plain awesome. There is also a dog. The dog is cute and fluffy. There is a very real ADHD feel to this book. It is frantic in places which only serves to make the quiet times that much more intense. Am a bit gutted because my next Heroes book has a service dog... but I'll try not to worry I can't write it as well as Garrett!

As I thought, I love this book, as I love everything by Garrett. AND I have it in signed paperback as well... so win/win...

Buy Links



The Ex Factor - Bodyguards Inc.

The Ex Factor - Bodyguards Inc.

Cover art by Meredith Russell
The Book

When Bodyguard, Ben Collins, finds Daniel Lincoln in a room, hiding and hurt, he doesn't immediately think Daniel is the victim of abuse. Daniel is good at pretending and being a finalist in a TV singing competition he seems like he has it made.

But something about Daniel calls to Ben's need to protect and he hands Daniel a card to contact him if ever Daniel needed help. Abruptly, after one frightened phone call from Daniel, Ben is racing to Daniel's aid and what he finds is a horror he can't imagine.

Daniel is trapped in a relationship where anger and controlling hate are the only emotions he is given. When his boyfriend crosses the line and leaves Daniel vulnerable and broken there is only one man that he wants to call.

The sexy bodyguard who promised he could help him.


Bodyguard Inc. Series


Book 1 - Bodyguard to a Sex God
Book 2 - The Ex Factor
Book 3 - Max and the Prince
Book 4 - Undercover Lovers
Book 5 - Love's Design
Book 6 - Kissing Alex


Buy Links - eBook


Amazon (US)  |  Amazon (UK)  |  Smashwords | Barnes & Noble  |  iTunes  |  Kobo


Buy Links for Print Book - Vol 1 - Bodyguard to a Sex God & The Ex Factor


Amazon US  |  Amazon UK


Reviews


The Paranormal Romance Guild - 5/5 - "....This is a wonderful story about same sex abuse. Daniel spent years trying to convince himself that he loved Cam. When Cam was sorry and loving, Daniel once again would fall into the trap of accepting what was happening to him. When Ben entered his life and picked him up from the floor of the tub, Daniel decided he had to make changes in his life. He hoped Ben would be there with him. Whether it is abuse between a man and woman, or a man and another man, it is unacceptable and leaves the abused an empty shell. The author did a wonderful job of bringing this topic to light and showing what can happen if a person truly finds someone to love them...."

Guilty Indulgence - 4/5 - Oh this author is good at tugging on my heartstrings. It didn't take me long before I wanted to protect Daniel as much as Ben. I appreciate when authors include family and friends in books not just people that might be the next couple, I feel it gives the book more depth and brings more realism to the story...."
Click cover to enlarge

Because Two Men are better than one - 4/5 - "....I think I particularly enjoyed it because I was drawn in by the abuse theme and appreciated the way it was handled. The other thing I appreciated was the setting and relevance to current time. Ben is working security for a reality talent show and there are references to the contestants and the panel of judges. It all felt very familiar. Daniel is a contestant on the show, who has worked his way into the finals. But for all his success with his music, he is not a happy man due to his long term abusive boyfriend. Luckily he has Ben to turn to. I loved Ben and the way his protective instinct kicked in but more than that, I loved his own vulnerability...."

Love Bytes Reviews - 4.5/5 -  "....The writing in this book is fantastic, I’ve read RJ’s books for several years and they do really get better each time. This plot wasn’t overly complex, but it was just perfect for the scope of this book. It was a small, intimate story about the struggle of one man to get out of a bad relationship, and the man who helps him and eventually loves him. It didn’t need to be complex, it was just perfect. The bond forming between them was interesting to watch, they would start to get closer than one would pull back, only to try again. There not a lot of sex in this story, honestly more wouldn’t have been appropriate considering the subject. What there was worked very well. Daniel and Ben are good together as a couple, once they work through Daniel’s issues. I liked the addition of Daniel’s parents, he needed support and they gave it. Good plot, good characters, good sex, good ending, just what I want out of a book!..."

The Blogger Girls - "....It is never easy to read about domestic violence, and I’m sure that it’s extremely hard for an author to write about it. But in this case, RJ Scott did a great job of bringing this sad situation to life with respect and emotion. I love reading about difficult life issues and watching the hero lovingly bring the victim back to life. In this case, Ben was the perfect hero for Daniel...."

Nautical Star Books - 4.5/5 - "....The characters and story line are well developed, the heat between these  two men is scorching hot, and the happily ever after was like the cherry on top of the sundae.  We get to see Adam and the other characters we met in book one and the secondary characters really added a nice touch to the story.  I loved the support Daniel got from his parents…I wish more parents were like his! Awesome book and definite one I will reread...."


Excerpt

Chapter 1

The crackle in his ear startled Ben Collins even though he’d been expecting the check-in.

“Alpha four in position,” the voice intoned. “Your handover for a break is two minutes out, Ben.”

Ben depressed the button to talk. “Alpha three, copy.”

Not a moment too soon. If he had to stand outside this dressing room listening to God knows what for another minute, he might just barge in the room and split up the two inside. Esmee Golder, pop princess and judge on this god-awful X-Factor rip-off show was “entertaining.” And wouldn’t the gossip columns love that the person she was entertaining was one of the boy band members through to the final.

At only eighteen the blond-haired kid was half her age, and they’d been at it for an hour now. Ben decided when he got back to base he was telling Kyle in no uncertain terms that he was not doing another showbiz stint. I’ve done my bit, he thought as he winced at the dramatic orgasmic cursing emanating from inside the room.

Another point the public might find interesting was the casual drug use behind that door. Esmee had asked for a loan of a hundred this morning. From him, her bodyguard. He’d just used his patented blank stare and pretended he hadn’t heard her. He wasn’t facilitating a drug purchase nor was he actually talking to Esmee any more than he needed to. Why couldn’t he have been paired up with any of the others? A contestant, maybe? That singer with the guitar was kind of cute, and from the way he looked Ben up and down yesterday, he was clearly playing for the same team.

A show runner came up the hall towards him, and he tensed even though he knew who it was and the guy was on the accepted list. The runner ignored Ben and instead rapped on the door Ben was guarding.

“Ten minutes, Miss Golder. Ten minutes.”

“Coming.” The words were strangled and ended on a laugh. The runner glanced at Ben, and they exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Is someone in there with her?” the runner asked in a mild panic. He checked his clipboard. “No one is supposed to be with her. She’s supposed to be meditating? Do you know if she’s been to get the makeup test for tonight?” Ben didn’t answer. His shrug said it all. He wasn’t saying a damn thing. Hell, he wasn’t paid to talk or keep tabs on airhead princesses like Esmee Golder, he was just here to stop people from stabbing her with a letter opener or some other weird thing the show owners thought could happen. Neither Bodyguards Inc., the company he was working for, nor Ben himself were convinced there was any threat here. In fact, he knew he was standing outside this room more as a status symbol than anything else.

The show runner huffed, and a frown knitted his brows. ”Jesus, everything is fucked up today. Daniel Lincoln is AWOL, and we’ve lost Mark from Twelfth fucking Wonder as well. Why can’t anyone just stay where I put them?”

That would be Mark “I’m gonna fuck you all night Esmee”, the same teen who was currently in the room behind him.

If only I could say that Mark was inside helping Esmee meditate.
Instead he focused in on thinking about where Daniel had gone. The young singer-songwriter with the sexy black guyliner was always missing. It seemed to Ben like the singer avoided all human contact, skittish, wary, and if Ben didn’t know better, he’d say Daniel was scared of him as well. After last week’s show, the two of them had ended up in line for coffee. They’d actually talked for a little while. Except, since that time, Daniel now inevitably turned and walked away whenever Ben was near him.

Even today Ben still mulled over what they’d talked about, nothing special—the weather, the show, was Daniel nervous about tonight’s performance—usual stuff really. They hadn’t actually finished talking about anything in particular when Daniel had been called for a sound check and had to leave his lunch on the tray.

All that Ben could recall was that Daniel Lincoln was cute, short—well, shorter than him—had a soft growly voice and eyes the color of the sky, and unfortunately he had a boyfriend. He wasn’t the kind of bodyguard to perv on his clients, not that Daniel was actually a client, but he was on the show that had hired BI for security. Daniel was off limits; still, Ben could look.

Not every bodyguard was like his co-worker, Adam, who’d fallen for the American actor he’d been working close protection for.

There was more movement in the hall, but this time Ben didn’t tense. He recognized the very Adam Freeman from his thoughts. One day he might even talk to his friend about just how he came to terms with dating a client.

Adam was one of the four Bodyguards Inc. guys on this job, and he and Ben exchanged nods. The runner left, scurrying back the way he’d come, muttering about boy bands and princesses. It would have been funny if Ben hadn’t been trying for a serious look on the job.

Adam looked up and down the deserted hallway. “She got someone in there?” he asked under his breath.

“The blond twink with the floppy hair,” Ben replied.

Adam inhaled sharply. Back at the office they had a pool on just how many boy-band members Esmee would fuck before the show’s final. Ben had opted for one out of the five. After all, Esmee was renowned as the girl next door, with her polite and gentle approach to life. Yeah, right, girl next door wasn’t how he would describe Esmee now that he knew what she was really like.

And Ben had lost the whole pot of money by episode three when she had first seduced the one with the sticking-up hair, then in quick succession, the skinny one who couldn’t dance so well on the first night of the live shows.

He didn’t say any of this out loud. Bodyguards did not discuss clients where anyone could hear them. He stood aside as the door opened and a grinning blond boy-band member exited the room casually like he’d just been in there talking about the weather. Unfortunately the fact he stunk of Esmee’s perfume was a giveaway. Ben watched the kid walk to his own shared dressing room and wondered how long it would be before the boy-band members, average age nineteen, would all realize they’d been used and discarded, and whether that would cause a fight or whether they were in a competition among themselves.

Esmee appeared. Her hair was tousled, but that was okay, as recently she was going for the ‘just out of bed’ look. Seemed like she was busy reinventing her girl-next-door image. Ben could admit that if he liked women, she would probably be on his list for looks alone, full lips, a permanent sex-kitten pout, blonde hair to her waist, and a body so small he could probably pick her up in one hand. She just had the morals of an alley cat and a vagina, both of which kind of pushed her out of his selection pool. Make it a man, though, and he kind of liked using his height and strength and picking up his lovers.

Like that Daniel guy, the one with the guitar. He was not more than five ten and slight. I could probably pick him up and hold him while I kissed him.
Ben deliberately pushed the thoughts to one side. “Five minutes, Miss Golder,” he said instead, and then with a nod to Adam, he left without a backward glance.

“He’s so rude,” he heard Esmee say to Adam, but Ben heard the huff Adam gave instead of a coherent reply.

Making his way to the break room, he had to sidestep dancers dressed in nothing but feathers, the entire boy band running past him and barreling through the backstage doors into the room behind stage, and a very obvious brush with Lee from lighting who called all the bodyguards here his big brave men and wasn’t beyond fluttering his mascaraed lashes.

“We must talk, sweetie,” Lee said in an exaggeratedly camp voice, his bright orange nails contrasting with his lime-green jacket.

“On duty,” Ben lied and sidestepped the final hurdle between him and the coffee machine. A low announcement on the PA system informed everyone that dress rehearsals were in thirty minutes as Ben let himself into the room the bodyguards had chosen as their own. Just off the beaten track, it was half storage room, and alongside the stacks of boxes there was a table and chairs. This was their place for all four of the Bodyguards Inc. guys here this weekend and would double as hideaway and conference room in the event it was needed.

Michael was there already, and he finished whatever was left in his coffee cup and stood with a grin on his face.

“Heard you lost the bet,” he said.

“That’s her third one. I tell you she’s gonna do all five of those boys,” Ben pointed out. “And she gets louder every time.”

Michael made a duck face in a fake kiss. “They are all very cute. Can’t believe your gay side is staying hidden with the enormous buffet of yum.”

“Ha fucking ha,” Ben said with no heat. He poured his coffee, but it was little more than thick sludge, and he cursed the parentage of whoever supplied the hired muscle with such a shit machine.

Michael stood and rinsed his Superman mug, the same mug that went on every one of his jobs. “I’m out of here. I’m on break.”

Three acts remained in this competition, labeled the BoyBand, the Diva, and the Rocker. Well, everyone else called Daniel by the code name Rocker, but Ben thought it should be more like Cutie. Because he was cute, and sexy, with his flicky dark hair and the eyeliner he used to emphasize his brilliant blue eyes.

Really cute in an introverted, vulnerable way, Daniel only came alive when he was on stage with his guitar and his voice. He played guitar, sang on his own, and he was all wrapped up in a package of gorgeous-sexy. Slim, with dark hair and those serious eyes brimming with emotion, he had this way of grabbing at the audience and not letting go. He’d made it through all the heats and the semis, but general consensus was that he was out first tonight on the live finals. The boy band, Twelfth Wonder, had the girly vote, the Diva had the older vote, and then there was Daniel Lincoln with his guitar and his voice and his quirky looks. Definitely third-place material. At least according to Adam, who liked to think he had his finger on the pulse of showbiz ever since he’d hooked up with the actor Logan Brady.

“I’m getting better coffee,” Ben said to no one as he realized Michael had gone. Damn the man and his scary ninja skills. Ben rolled his shoulders to ease the ache in them, the result of standing in the same position for the last two hours, and he felt the muscles loosen. Then he exited their room and turned left out of the door.

He knew that somewhere around here the team of makeup artists had their own sparkly coffee machine that made half-decent cappuccino. Left, left, right, left and straight on. He had a good sense of direction normally, but here at the Arena, they’d begun maintenance work, and it seemed like every turn he took was blocked by tarpaulin. Finally he found what he was looking for, and after a couple minutes flirting with three makeup girls who giggled and flirted back, he had in his hands a cup of coffee and two cranberry muffins that he’d been forced to take.

At six five of lean gym-fit muscle, he could afford a few muffins every so often, and he polished the first one off in a couple of mouthfuls. He spotted Lee with the clipboard and the lime jacket and God help him, he couldn’t do any more fending off of the man’s advances. He thought quickly and ducked through a door and into a darkened room, closing the door behind him. What was it with Lee and his insistence on attempting to get it on with any one of the bodyguards? Lee didn’t have any particular preference either, he’d cornered Michael yesterday and Michael had looked beyond annoyed and onto contemplating lethal force. Lee apparently had no self-preservation and had decided Michael was the one for him. Apart from the fact he was attempting to corner Ben as well.

In here Ben was safe. Lee hadn’t spotted him, he had a good half hour until he was back on duty, and he had a bloody good coffee warming his hands. Leaning back against the door, he enjoyed the silence and sipped on his blessedly hot caffeine. At least until he heard movement and the sharp inhalation of a curse.



* * * * *



Daniel Lincoln was fucked. He’d deliberately chosen this place to get his head clear, and someone had walked in. Not only that, but he or she had shut the door and they were in here with him, and Daniel was having enough trouble breathing, let alone concentrating on staying quiet.

Something was broken inside him, and he didn’t just mean his spirit, which was lying near death in his chest. The pain in his chest was too much and scraped when he breathed too hard. How the hell he was going to manage the dress rehearsal, let alone the live final tonight, he didn’t know.

The boxes he was hidden behind, on a seat of discarded outfits acting as a nest of comfort to his bruised and aching body, were enough so that even with the light on, he wouldn’t be seen. He wanted to cough, though, and that may well be the end of his ability to breathe at all. What if a rib had cracked and punctured a lung? Cam had never gone this far before. He’d always stopped at just enough to teach, but never enough to warrant a visit to hospital. This time, hell, what had he done, told Cam that he’d been offered a recording contract? That was all. Why the fuck had he said a word about what he might have been getting in the way of money? His eyes damped with more tears, but he couldn’t let them fall, because that would be letting the pain out for everyone to see.

No one wants to see my pain. Who would understand?

A cough spasmed inside him, and he couldn’t help the groan of pain.

“Who’s there?” a deep voice called from the door. The owner of the voice flicked the switch, and a dull energy-saving bulb lightened the room. Daniel shrank back into the shadows of the boxes and prayed to a god that never listened that the owner of the voice would just walk away. Now.

“I said, who’s there? I’m counting to three.”

Daniel closed his eyes tightly. He’d recognize that voice anywhere—Ben, the biggest, widest, tallest of the bodyguards hovering around. In the seconds it took for the man to count to two, Daniel wiped away every small part of himself that was broken and in pain and became the Daniel he could act out so well. He levered himself to stand and at the same time forced a smile in place and refused to clutch himself across the chest. When he rounded the boxes, he blinked at the full force of the light bulb and couldn’t believe just how right he’d been about who the hell was stood in front of him.

Ben. He knew his name, heard the others call him that. Ben, the observant one, the quiet one, the one who stared at him like he would look at a bug under a microscope. Although Daniel guessed all bodyguards—or close protection officers—were observant, it just seemed as if this one stared at him more than the others. Not to mention they’d spoken last week. Daniel didn’t really do talking, well, not small talk anyway. When Ben asked him if he was nervous about the vote, it was all Daniel could do to smile and offer a quick no before he was rescued by being called for a sound check. Something about Ben, the size of him, his deep voice, served to unnerve Daniel way past the point where he was comfortable.

And if Cam found out he’d been talking to another man? Even casually? Yeah, that really wasn’t going to go down well with Daniel’s possessive boyfriend at all.

“Hey,” Daniel said as carefully as he could and on a natural inhale so he could subconsciously control his breathing. The meds were starting to kick in, the codeine flooding his system and the morphine effect deadening some of the pain. At least some of it was better now that he was standing.

Oh well. Who needed to sit down anyway?

“Daniel?” Ben asked with question in his voice. “They’re looking for you.”

Daniel pulled himself up, and if anything he forced more effort into standing tall and straight.

“Yeah, just needed a quiet space,” he explained. In his head he was gesturing around him with a free hand, but in reality he couldn’t much move his right arm, which was going to fuck with his ability to play guitar. He thought maybe his shoulder was separated somehow. He’d seen Mel Gibson knock his own arm back into place in Lethal Weapon once, but that wasn’t happening here. He sure as hell wasn’t a hero who could push through pain.

“Jesus, you look like shit,” Ben observed.

Daniel floundered for something to say, and the line he came out with was pretty pathetic. “I’m not sure you’re supposed to say that to me.”

“What the hell happened to you?”

Ben placed his coffee on the nearest box and walked over to Daniel, and Daniel couldn’t help the instinct that made him stumble back and end up against the wall.

Why did you choose a room with no way out? What are you? Stupid?

“Don’t come near me,” Daniel said in his loudest, most strident voice, even though it was nothing more than a forced whisper to his own ears.

“Fuck, Daniel, seriously? What the hell?”

Why would Ben ask that? What did he mean? Daniel panicked. Did he have bruises on his face? How could he go out in front of millions of people and perform with bruises on his face? He must have said some part of that out loud because the man looming over him shook his head.

“I don’t see any bruises on your face,” Ben said simply, carefully. “You’re holding yourself like you have a chest injury? Or your shoulder? What did you do to yourself? We need to get you to Casualty. I’ll call the medics.” He turned to leave, to find the one group of people that Daniel didn’t want anywhere near him. Cam would fucking end him if he involved the authorities.

“No!” Daniel said loudly. The pain of the words radiated from his chest to his shoulder, and if it wasn’t for the wall, he’d be on his knees or unconscious. “I just need more codeine.”

Ben moved closer, but this time there was nowhere for Daniel to go; he’d run out of room. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the first blow or the spitting accusations of how the fuck he had let himself get in this state. Instead all he got was a gentle touch to his left hand, the one without pain radiating down to it.

“Daniel, you need to listen to me. You know me. I’m Benjamin Collins, with the bodyguards. You can call me Ben.”

“I know your name,” Daniel said defiantly. Maybe if he said how little he knew, then Ben would just leave without hurting him.

Ben wore a scarlet T-shirt with the embroidered words “Bodyguards Inc.” on the breast, and whoever supplied it must not have had his size as it had to be too small and really hugged every muscle. Jeez, the man was muscle on bone, and he must spend a lot of time in the gym. Not to mention the way his black jeans stretched obscenely over muscled thighs and across his taut ass.

Fuck. Daniel shook his head a little to dislodge the desire that curled inside him. Cam would kill him if he did anything stupid like look at another man. Anyway, he didn’t need another man. He had Cam. He loved Cam.

I love Cam. Cam loves me.
“Look, don’t you think this is pushing things too far?” Ben had a soft voice now, not strident, nothing evil or shouting or accusing.

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked when Ben didn’t continue.

“You’re clearly in pain. You can’t believe you’ll make it out to rehearsals.”

“I need to put it back,” Daniel groaned on a painful spasm. “My shoulder, I hurt my shoulder.”

“I’m a bodyguard, not a freaking doctor. You need to get to Casualty.” Ben reached out and gripped Daniel’s unhurt shoulder, but he reacted viscerally and ripped out of the hold. White-hot heat took him to his knees, and he couldn’t help the tears in his eyes. There wasn’t any point in arguing with Ben, he was bigger and stronger than Daniel, he might as well just kneel at the guy’s feet and let him do whatever. Daniel had already fucked up the chance at the show’s final; he might as well give up.

Ben moved to a crouch in front of him. “Please, we need to get you some help.”

Ben’s tone was gentle and encouraging. He’d said please. He’d actually considered softening his tone just for Daniel. Something snapped inside Daniel in that second. He had to get help. This was worse than last time, and he needed to rest.

“Please.” He used Ben’s word back at him. “You have to know what to do.” He inhaled sharply. “I’ve dislocated my shoulder. Push it back for me.” Not like the pain could get any worse, right?

“What the hell? Daniel, if you’ve dislocated your shoulder, it’s not as simple as pushing it back.”

“Okay, then I’ll do it.” Daniel inhaled sharply and pressed the shoulder against the wall, letting out a thin wail of pain as he did so.

“Fuck, Daniel. No!” Ben shouted.

Why was Ben shouting, and who was crying? Am I crying?

“Let me see, you stupid idiot.”

Yep that’s me, fucking stupid. An idiot who can’t even stop another man’s pushing him to the ground and treating me like shit… I am shit… fuck.
“It’s not dislocated, I just think you’ve—” Ben gasped. “What the fuck?”

Daniel realized the man was pulling at his stage shirt, and he’d be able to see some of the marks on Daniel. The marks that Cam took so much time to lay in the places people wouldn’t look. The marks not even wardrobe would see because Daniel demanded that he be allowed to dress in private. The marks he tried not to look at himself.

“I fell down the stairs at the hotel,” Daniel lied. He didn’t know what the light in this place would show.

Ben said nothing. He was feeling all over Daniel’s shoulder so gently, but it still hurt.

“Okay, we need to get you somewhere. Medical. Can I at least take you to Medical?”

Daniel grabbed at Ben’s hand. If Cam found out someone else was involved—hell, if Cam discovered Daniel had told anyone, then Daniel would pay for it and Ben would as well in some twisted way. Cam would know some way to hurt Ben, and there was no way Daniel was letting someone else be hurt on his account.

“No,” Daniel pleaded. “I took codeine. It’ll be enough to let me get out there.” He attempted to clamber to his feet and dizziness assailed him. He really was fucked.

“You can’t think that you’ll be okay to go out on stage… Dress rehearsal is now.”

“No… I can’t,” Daniel admitted. “I know what to do. I just need to get to my dressing room. I have stuff there to take…” Inspiration hit him. “You could stand outside my door, tell them I was missing dress rehearsal, that I was in there and that I was resting my throat for finals. They’ll listen to you.” He couldn’t believe he was doing this, asking for help from someone so intimidating and angry. It was just opening himself up to more hurt. He should have tried to get to his dressing room earlier instead of hiding in that room, but there’d been so many people there in the way.

“Please help me.” Because, hell, asking for Ben’s help was the only thing he could do now. He’d only meant to sit in the dark for a short while, but codeine always made him sleepy, and he’d found a position where he could sit and let the morphine haze slide over him. Stupid move.

“Jesus,” Ben ground out.

“Are you helping me?” Daniel pressed a hand to Ben’s chest, tilted his chin, and looked up into Ben’s eyes with a pleading look. “I’ll pay you anything.”


Round up of news from some of my favourite authors...

Round up of news from some of my favourite authors...

Amber Kell

Amber has a cover reveal and http://amberkell.wordpress.com/ has updated her blog story (unlike me L ) and has news on a new release called Diomedes. 

When Diomedes Stollen learns his mother is trying to take over the world he does what any self-respecting demon-vampire would do, he makes a pact with the local werewolf alpha. Or at least he tries, but first he has to clear up a minor kidnapping issue.

Varick Taylor leads one of the largest packs in the city, but when a beautiful man has him stolen from his home he doesn’t know what to do. Luckily his inner wolf is more than happy to claim Dio as his mate.

A demon mother, a vampire father-in-law, and dozens of tiny demons add to the mix as two completely different people try to figure out how to combine their abilities while saving the world.


Meredith Russell

Meredith Russell http://meredithrussellart.blogspot.co.uk/ - has a new book coming from Love Lane Books in the Summer called Alter Ego which is a gorgeous book set in England, and has created wonderful new cover art for so many authors that I don’t know which one to pick. So I killed two birds with one stone and chose Diomedes to keep her and Amber happy! ROFL.

Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton has an awesome and very different book out and the news for *Release* is on her blog - http://mariesexton.net/

Davlova: a poverty-ridden city-state ruled by a tyrannical upper class. Resources are scarce and technology is illegal. But in the slums, revolution is brewing.
Misha is a common pickpocket until his boss gives him a new job. Disguised as a whore, Misha is sent to work for one of the most powerful men in the city. But his real task is far more dangerous: get close to Miguel Donato, and find something – anything – that will help topple Davlova’s corrupt government.

Misha is plunged into the decadent world of the upper class, where slaves are common and even the most perverse pleasure can be found. Although he’s sure Davlova’s elite is involved in something horrific, proof is hard to come by, and Misha begins to fall in love with the man he’s supposed to betray. Then Misha meets Ayo – a sex slave forced by the neural implant in his brain to take pleasure from pain – and everything changes. As the lower class pushes toward a bloody revolution, Misha will find himself caught between his surprising feelings for Donato, his obligations to his clan, and his determination to save Ayo


Chris Quinton

Chris Quinton has a new release, Greymalkin, and she blogs and has an excerpt here: http://chrisquintonwriter.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/greymalkin-melusine-and-me-and-excerpt.html 

Jesse Adams is an ex-rugby player who's gone into seclusion to avoid the media following a guilty verdict in a court case. Jesse has come to live for a year in Greenlynn, where he is supposed to be writing his biography.

Will Blake is an out and proud policeman, respected and liked by the community he helps to protect from rural crime.

When the two men meet their attraction is instant, but they have no idea their love will draw them into a centuries' old conflict.


Garrett Leigh

Garrett Leigh opened herself up a huge can of worms asking people to *ask her questions*… she got asked so many she had to merge some of them into a longer answer! Go see them here: http://garrettleigh.com/blog-posts/

Josephine Myles

Josephine Myles released Stuff, which is a bloody awesome book, more information is here: http://josephinemyles.com/

When Mr. Glad Rags meets Mr. Riches…

Mas from Junk gets his man in the eagerly awaited second book in the Bristol Collection. Lewis and Jasper also put in a few appearances in this lighthearted contemporary romance.


Kay Berrisford

Kay Berrisford has joined Love Lane Books and will have a new release out shortly *squee*. She is also interviewing other authors on her blog: http://kayberrisford.com/

SA Meade

SA Meade has a new book out from Totally Bound, Darkness at Endersley follows the story of Josh and more information can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22074646-darkness-at-endersley This is next on my to read list as I loved book 1!

Joshua thought he’d left his past behind, but there’s something in the darkness at Endersley.

Joshua Endersley is glad to leave a broken engagement and his sordid desires behind in London and claim his inheritance on the rolling downs of Wiltshire. What he doesn’t need is temptation in the form of artist, Daniel Wyndham, to remind him of all he wanted to forget.

Joshua finds Daniel impossible to resist and the two men embark on a passionate affair that draws them ever closer. Joshua believes that he can find happiness and live his life the way he wants to in the peace and seclusion of Endersley.

But nothing good can last forever. The very remoteness and solitude that Joshua loves about Endersley turns against him—the darkness at Endersley is deeper and more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.

Eli Easton

Sometimes there are awesome perks to being a writer with writery-type friends. I read Eli Easton’s *The Mating Of Michael* a few weeks back and all I can say is that it is another highly recommended book. Loved it so much and it’s out on 30 June (only three more days!). There is an excerpt here: http://elieaston.com/

Everyone admires Michael Lamont for being a nurse, but his part-time work as a gay sex surrogate not only raises eyebrows, it's cost him relationships. Michael is small, beautiful, and dedicated to working with people who need him. But what he really wants is a love of his own. He spends most of his spare time reading science fiction, especially books written by his favorite author and long-time crush, the mysteriously reclusive J.C. Guise.

James Gallway’s life is slowly but inexorably sliding downhill. He wrote a best-selling science fiction novel at the tender age of eighteen, while bedridden with complications of polio. But by twenty-eight, he's lost his inspiration and his will to live. His sales from his J.C. Guise books have been in decline for years. Wheelchair bound, James has isolated himself, convinced he is unlovable. When he is forced to do a book signing and meets Michael Lamont, he can’t believe a guy who looks like Michael could be interested in a man like him.

Michael and James are made for each other. But they must let go of stubbornness to see that life finds a way and love has no limitations.


Jordan L Hawk

Talking of getting books early, when Jordan L Hawk said would I like to read her latest SPECTR book a month early… what did you think I said… ROFL… let’s just say it’s another recommended-read from me and if you haven’t read Jordan yet they I can only say this… you should… ROFL… Also, Necropolis – Whyborne & Griffin No. 4 is available – love my boys! More news here: http://jordanlhawk.com/

Federal exorcist John Starkweather’s life is in tatters. His best friend Sean betrayed him. SPECTR, the agency he viewed more as a surrogate family than an employer, wants him dead. His only allies are members of the mysterious organization called the Vigilant, whose motives remain in question.

The only thing keeping John together is the presence of his lovers: Caleb Jansen, a powerful telekinetic, and Gray, the vampire spirit possessing Caleb.

Together, they must not only evade capture, but somehow stop SPECTR from building an army of demon possessed soldiers. If they are to succeed, John must question everything he’s ever believed about SPECTR and spirits. And Caleb and Gray must decide how far they’re willing to go—not just for John’s love, but for his very life.


Sue Brown

Sue Brown is writing a series for Love Lane Books *YAY*… think werewolves and ranches… so exciting. She also recently released book 4 in her Lyon Road Vets series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22294872-stormin-norman 4.5/5 and my favourite of the series so far.

Dan had been Jesse’s partner for many years, and always there for Jesse on his return from difficult assignments. However, after breaking his promise not to leave again, Jesse learns to his cost that Dan can be pushed too far. When he returns home, broken in body and spirit, Jesse finds his house empty and Dan in the arms of someone else.
To fill his life, Jesse decides to get a dog. His friends and neighbours take him to choose a puppy. What he doesn’t expect is for Norman to choose him. As Jesse takes on a new job, with Norman’s assistance, he realises that Dan isn’t far away, and he still loves him. Dan has moved on with his life. Can Jesse do the same?

KJ Charles

Kj Charles had awesome news, she is now a full time writer, which means I get to read more books from her, so it’s a win:win situation… rofl... she has a new book out but sadly I haven’t made it to her list of pre-sends so I am at this moment sicking Jordan on her and getting Jordan to tell her how awesome I am… ROFL… more news from her http://kjcharleswriter.wordpress.com/

Think of England is her new book

Lie back and think of England...

England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.

Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.

As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.

As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before…



Now that's how to swag - UK Meet - my favourite swag

Now that's how to swag - UK Meet - my favourite swag

This is my third UK Meet, I've also *done* GRL and there is that moment when you open the swag bag and you rummage through and you are faced with all this wonderful stuff. As an author I am always looking for new ideas on swag and also learning from things that worked and things that didn't.

I love pens... Clare London, Anna Butler, Belinda McBride (so lovely her pen... pets my precious), Sue Brown, Totally Bound... they all got it right with clear wording and web addresses where they could. One person who's pen I had used cover art and it was a little small and I couldn't see who's it was until I recognised the cover art. I know how difficult it is to visualise your design on such a small space.

Lesson 1 - Use clear words and keep it simple, no cover art on pens.
Lesson 2 - Add web address to my own pens for next order

Other things that worked included
  • Post-it notes from Prism book alliance - although they could do with a line about what they are... Reviews from ... etc
  • A discount postcard from Totally Bound for £3, so a free book from their site.
  • Bubbles in a little bottle (Jack the black lab LOVED those!) - but who were they from? If there was a label it came off... :(
  • Lip balm from Josephine Myles
  • KC Wells gave me a memory stick in a card... 
  • Wicked Ink Press (WIP, I think it stands for that) gave us an extender thingy. Very useful.
  • The UK Meet itself gave us the memory stick full of the yum with excerpts and stories.
  • Book Cover by Design gave us a cute little notebook and pen
  • Clare London gave me a wish bottle (and Matt lost the lid = gutted)
  • TJ Masters did a very simple and effective cardboard postcard he could fold, two covers on the outside, and details of a book on the inside with blurb... he also used one of those scan cubes

Lesson 3 - Give away something useful - because other paper type stuff I filed, and sweets I gave away
Lesson 4 - Don't give away something that doesn't give you room to properly market yourself
Lesson 5 - Ensure labels don't fall off, or that you have to tear through the label to get inside
Lesson 6 - Add the scan cube I created a few years back to our marketing material



Greymalkin, Chris Quinton, Author blog post & Competition

Greymalkin, Chris Quinton, Author blog post & Competition

It's no secret that I like cats [well, all the feline species] - as well as dogs, horses, and otters. So when I met a grey tomcat in a church's overgrown cemetery in the wilds of Cheshire, he was a natural to star in a story. He wasn't wearing a collar, so there was no way of knowing his name, but he immediately became Greymalkin in my head.

The thing that fascinates me most about cats is that while they are undoubtedly among the cutest, most adorable creatures, especially when young, they also possess a certain something that sets them apart. Cats have never forgotten that once they were gods, and worshipped. Nor were they always gentle gods and goddesses. The ever-useful Wikipedia lists nineteen feline deities, the most familiar these days being Sekhmet - a goddess of war, and Bast or Pasht - goddess of love and fertility, and of the hunt.

My first ideas for Greymalkin and his associated water entity Melusine, was to write a light romance whereby Melusine and her cats brought lovers together. But they had other ideas. 

Yes, two men meet and fall for each other, but Melusine has an agenda of her own and Greymalkin has a part to play. It's up to him to bring the lovers to Melusine so they can take up the roles she has planned for them.

While some of Greymalkin's adopted siblings could be put in the cute and adorable category [sorry about the pun!] they all have a second aspect, that of fearsome guardians the likes of which haven't been seen for millennia...

Buy Links

Amazon | All Romance eBooks

Competition

For a chance to win Greymalkin in either mobi, epub or PDF, comment below and I'll make the draw at 5.00 pm GMT on Monday 23 June.

Blurb for Melusine's Cats - #1 Greymalkin

The mutual attraction between Jesse and Will is a bonus for Melusine when her enemies close in and she needs to rebuild her war band—starting with Jesse, Will, and Greymalkin.

Jesse Adams is an ex-rugby player who's gone into seclusion to avoid the media following a guilty verdict in a court case. Jesse has come to live for a year in Greenlynn, where he is supposed to be writing his biography.

Will Blake is an out and proud policeman, respected and liked by the community he helps to protect from rural crime.

When the two men meet their attraction is instant, but they have no idea their love will draw them into a centuries' old conflict.

Melusine, a deity of rivers and seas, long ago lost the Battle of the Betrayal and is imprisoned in a nexus centred on the source of the Lynn River. She can only travel in the flowing water of her river, and cannot set foot on her banks. Her cats are not so bound. Neither pets nor familiars, they move freely between the realities, her agents among the humans who live along the Lynn.

When Melusine's enemies come to the valley in search of revenge, Jesse and Will discover they have a part to play in the ancient feud. Do they commit to becoming part of a mythical triad, or leave the valley and forget they ever knew that magic exists?

Excerpt:

Jesse's temporary home lay east of the church, a small cottage with long narrow gardens front and back, surrounded by a waist-high wall constructed of irregular chunks of rock. The wall separated it from the rather unkempt churchyard, and on the other side of the property, a grassy track isolated the cottage from its living neighbours. Nothing much would disturb the quiet here, Jesse reflected.

He drew into the parking bay in front of the gate, and climbed out of his Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4. He took a moment to stretch his back after long hours behind the wheel, and drew in a deep breath of clean country air. The late afternoon sun highlighted trees that showed no sign of wearing autumn colours. Seasonal scents of cut grass and wood smoke mingled with late-flowering honeysuckle. A couple of dogs barked in the distance and from somewhere came the drone of a tractor. After the hurly-burly of Warwick, it was a welcome relief.

"Yes," Jesse said aloud. "This is a good idea."

For the next half an hour he unloaded the car, unpacked his cases and put away their contents, explored the house--living room and kitchen downstairs, one bedroom and bathroom upstairs--and the large shed in the back garden. This held various garden tools, and Jesse was fired with the ambition to do some weeding and planting. After all, garden maintenance was part of the leasing conditions. A bench backed onto the shed with a small half-moon of patio in front of it, facing south. A good place to sit and view the countryside most of the day. So Jesse made himself a large mug of coffee and did just that.

Movement in the churchyard caught his eye. He strolled over to the wall and leaned his elbows on it, coffee in his hand. A large grey cat had hopped up onto a reddish gravestone and sat there, peering intently at something in the long grass, its bushy tail curled around its toes. Jesse wondered briefly how an animal of that size could perch on a narrow slab of granite, and waited for it to jump or fall off. The cat did neither. Perhaps it sensed his gaze, because it turned its head and stared right back at him. Jesse was not a devotee of felines--his pet of choice would be a large dog, a Golden Retriever, perhaps, or a Labrador--so he saluted the cat with a two-fingered V, and strolled back to the bench. By the time he sat again, the cat was on the wall. Its eyes, he noticed, were yellow as an owl's.

"Bugger off," he told it. The cat didn't even blink. What's your problem? the flat glare seemed to say.

Jesse drank the last of his coffee and returned to the kitchen. Despite Julie's survival kit and the fresh milk, eggs. butter and bread left for him in the fridge by whoever prepared the cottage for renting, he needed to stock the bare cupboards and the equally empty small freezer. On his way into Greenlynn he'd noticed an all-purpose shop cum post office. That would do for the time being, and he'd drive to the nearest supermarket when he'd settled in.

It took him all of five minutes to walk to the shop, and less than thirty seconds to be aware of the stares. There weren't many people about, but those that were seemed to pay him more attention than would usually be given to a stranger in a village. He found out why when he went inside. Immediately to his right was a rack of magazines and newspapers. His face stared out at him from the cover of the monthly Rugby Today, with one word blazoned across it, Guilty! The painful memories of the sporting papers and the field day they'd had at his expense when he'd been arrested four months ago, returned in full force. Career Over For The Bulldozer Bully! had screamed one headline. Violence Ends Career Of Gay Star! was another.

For a moment Jesse felt physically sick. He gritted his teeth and picked up a basket. He wasn't going to retreat, no matter how much he wanted to make a run for it. He ditched the vague plans he'd made to go to the pub for a drink and dinner. Instead he decided to buy a few ready-meals and a six pack, and get back to the cottage as fast as he could. Then he'd stay out of sight as much as possible. The trouble was, being six feet four inches tall and built like a brick shithouse, meant he was rather noticeable.

The middle-aged woman at the till took his cash without saying a word, but her expressionless stare radiated disapproval. Jesse was glad to escape. Returning to the cottage was like walking towards a sanctuary, and not even the grey cat sitting sentinel on the wide gate post could lessen the feeling. But the bright red words scrawled across the windscreen of his car changed that.

Go Home Fagot !!! Your Not Wanted Here!

This time anger took the place of nausea. Jesse's first impulse was to call the police. This was, after all, vandalism and a hate crime. His second was to get soap and water and clean off his car. The third impulse won out. He strode into the cottage, tore a sheet out of his A4 paper pad, and scribbled on it. Then he went back outside and stuck it under the windscreen wiper.

To whom it may concern. Please note, 'faggot' has two gs, and there should be a comma after 'Home'. 'Your' is incorrect. It should be 'You're', which is a contraction of 'You Are'. If you're going to be a homophobic vandal, at least be grammatically correct even if you don't want to be politically correct.

His fourth impulse, to pack up and go back to Warwick, didn't even get past the starting post. He was staying put. No one was going to drive him away, not even if they came banging on his front door with tar, feathers, and pitchforks.


Stuff (The Bristol Collection #2) - Josephine Myles - 5/5 Recommended...

Stuff (The Bristol Collection #2) - Josephine Myles - 5/5 Recommended...

When Mr. Glad Rags meets Mr. Riches, the result is flaming fun.

Tobias “Mas” Maslin doesn’t need much. A place of his own, weekends of clubbing, a rich boyfriend for love and support. Too bad his latest sugar daddy candidate turns out to be married with kids. Mas wants to be special, not someone’s dirty little secret.

When he loses his job and his flat on the same day, his worlds starts unraveling…until he stumbles across a vintage clothing shop. Now to convince the reclusive, eccentric owner he’s in dire need of a salesman.

Perry Cavendish-Fiennes set up Cabbages and Kinks solely to annoy his controlling father. Truth be told, he’d rather spend every spare moment on his true passion, art. When Mas comes flaming into his life talking nineteen to the dozen, he finds himself offering him a job and a place to live.

He should have listened to his instincts. The shop is already financially on the brink, and Mas’s flirting makes him feel things he’s never felt for a man. Yet Mas seems convinced they can make a go of it—in the shop, and together.

Warning: Contains an eccentric, bumbling Englishman, a gobby drama queen, fantastic retro clothing, scary fairies, exes springing out of the woodwork, and a well-aimed glass of bubbly. Written in brilliantly British English

Review 5/5 & Recommended

I gave book 1, Junk, 5/5 and I am repeating that for this book... I loved Stuff so much. Mas, sighs, I wanted to shake him and hug him at the same time and Perry, bless, he needs Mas more than he knows. Brilliant story. 

Buy Links



Bullet (Blue Boy #1) - Garrett Leigh

Bullet (Blue Boy #1) - Garrett Leigh

Levi Ramone entered the gay porn market for one reason, and one reason only: he needed the cash to pay his momma's spiraling gambling debts. Seven years later, he's a veteran with a reputation as one of Blue Boy Studio's most ruthless tops, and when his boss suggests it's time for a change, he finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Figuratively speaking, at least.

Enter Sonny Valentine, a go-go dancer at Blue's sister club, Silver's. Levi has secretly admired Sonny from afar for years, but there's a problem. He can't stand Sonny and the feeling is entirely mutual. When Levi learns Sonny is to play the third part in a scene he already considers his worst nightmare, he figures things can't get any worse.

But when preparations for the scene from hell collide with tragic events in his personal life, he finds his fast-growing, red-hot attraction to Sonny just might be the only thing left between him and a bullet.

Review 4.5/5 

So enjoyed this story. Set in a porn studio I thought this was such a lovely read, so much so I went out and bought book 2 just now...  book 1 puts you straight in the action, and i like that. There is love hate and a growing affection, and some pretty hot sex scenes. A fab novella.

Buy Links



UK Meet, Writing News, Kell/Sexton/Lane/Calmes/Scott linked stories (squueeeee)

UK Meet, Writing News, Kell/Sexton/Lane/Calmes/Scott linked stories (squueeeee)

UK Meet

I can sum up the meet in Bristol as a series of connected surreal moments. From meeting people I'd only spoken to via facebook or email, to being transfixed by a trio of rather stunning bums (and the guys they were attached to!) to the fact it seemed like the whole weekend was set to make me reevaluate everything I am as an author.

The meet was awesome and I had so many high points. I was anxious before I went because of a couple of things that may or may not have ended with me hiding in my room. But, if I can sum up the entire weekend in one word it was realisation.

Realisation that when you are sat at your desk on your own you are actually not alone, in that there are hundreds of us all over the world with the same feelings of isolation. I also listened when people said that the isolation is worse when you are *blocked*. Hell, yes. When I'm writing, I could be living on the moon and I wouldn't notice (apart from having Meredith and Amber *virtually* by my side!). But blocked as I am this last week I feel very isolated.

Then the realisation that I have had success where some haven't, and failures where others are achieving great things. I was asked for advice on marketing, and writing, and I enjoyed that part, apart from feeling like I sounded like I have all the answers (I don't) or that I am qualified to talk (I'm not!)... ROFL... a few people looked to me for advice and at the same time I looked to others.

When Aleksandr Voinov stood up and gave his awesome speech about inclusion, he made the point that we should own who we are. And that who we are is what we should be. (I think he made more sense when he said it!). In the main, if you are a straight woman writing Gay romance, that's cool, and likewise you can be gender fluid, gay, straight... whatever you are... people should respect who you are and there should be no judging. (I am crap at summaries, but his speech made me emotional...)

I still get people ask when am I going to write *normal* books, or do I write *fifty shades of grey* type stuff. All I know is I am happy, more than happy to be doing what I do.

And lucky. Jeez. I am a full time writer, I make a good living from what I do, I am at home for the kids, here when Matt comes home from school. If I want a day off I take it. I spoke to people at the meet who were just starting out, or hadn't had the luck I have had, and balance writing with family and a full time job. Hell, I have it easy.

So what was UK Meet about?

Was it a marketing opportunity, a sales opportunity, a chance to drink wine and ogle mens bums? (Did i mention bums again?). I laughed so hard with Garrett and Meredith, and ate so much bacon at breakfast I probably am 50% pig. I drank wine and cocktails and doodled great pieces of art in the speeches and panels. I made life changing decisions on the direction of my writing (mostly under the influence of alcohol or bums). So in summary, was that what UK Meet, and other *get togethers* means to us all?

Nah, UK Meet was, in summary, a chance for every one of us to learn about our inclusive community, and that we are not alone. That we are writers, and readers, in a genre that is only just beginning to bloom in ways we can't imagine. That every one of us has had failures, successes, good luck, bad luck, good publishers, bad ones, stories that sold, stories that failed. That the community is a spectrum of writers and that we all have each other's backs.

I like that.

I like it a lot.

Incidentally...

I had quite a few people comment on the fact I have the coolest fans and friends who support me in everything I do. I didn't think anyone else noticed except me about how awesome my readers are.

Guys, if you talk to me on FB, or buy my books, or review me, then I would say to you that other people apart from me notice, so I thank you so much I don't even know how to put it into words just how much your friendship and support means to me.

All of which leads me to up to date news about my writing

My head is splodey... seriously... I have tried for a week to start Last Marine Standing... and I just CAN'T... Ask anyone, I've tried. I have a story, I have what I think are two strong characters, and I even know how it ends... BUT... I can't get the motivation for the *reason why* certain things happen. Every time I look at the piece of paper, or the screen, my head is just full of nothing. It's not quite as bad as the complete block at Christmas, but it's bad enough that I have today woken up utterly inspired by two decisions.

1. I'm not writing Last Man Standing now (ducks from missiles). Yes, I said it would be with you end July, but I am thinking Autumn (Fall) instead. I hope that isn't too bad and that everyone can see I have a good reason for not wanting to write you all a shit story.

2. I'm going to pick up Something Else (TM).
  • Maybe my story for a series of linked books I agreed to (see news below). 
  • Maybe my book for the portal series. 
  • Maybe something different altogether. 
I was hoping that being in among all the wonderful authors and readers in Bristol I would find it easy to be inspired for Last Marine Standing. Nada. However, I do realise from discussions I had that I need to get my head straight and make some decisions. Forcing myself to write something that doesn't feel *right* at the moment is just going to produce a book that will be crap.

The Ex Factor (Bodyguards Inc #2)



Book 2 is out end June... Erika is currently tearing her hair out editing it and it should be with proofers soon... So excited for you all to read it... :)

Love Lane Books

LLB has a new author. Kay Berrisford will be joining the LLB team with a new series... coming soon, more news to follow...

Diane Adams is *this* close to finishing her new paranormal book for LLB.

Meredith and I are *this* close to finishing Sapphire Cay 5. Also Meredith is *this* close to finishing her book, Alter Ego, a contemporary in her new Knowles Brook Series, set in the fictional town of Knowles Brook in the UK.

Chris Q and I are *this* close to finishing Heat...

Lots of cool news... and another author *this close* to coming on to the LLB team (fingers crossed).

The trouble Amber gets me in to

So, I get a PM from Amber when she is at RT...

Was I interested in writing a linked novella with Amber, Amy Lane, Mary Calmes and Marie Sexton...?

Sqqqquuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeee


So after I considered it carefully (I think it took about half a second) I was like... very casually, like I wasn't as excited as a kid at the adult table... *That would be so cool* followed swiftly by, *are you sure they want me in it?*

Self doubt self doubt self doubt self doubt self doubt self doubt

Anyway. I am writing a story set in a book shop, which ironically is where my first ever published story was set (Ascension in *A Brush Of Wings* from Dreamspinner). I love book shops and all the hope and promise that sit on the shelves.

And... the books are going to Dreamspinner and would be available as a paperback with all five stories, and ultimately available as individual stories I believe... I am so excited.

So... watch this space...

As usual... hugs you all so tight you squeak...

RJ XXXXXX


Stormin' Norman - Lyon Road Vets #4 - Sue Brown

Stormin' Norman - Lyon Road Vets #4 - Sue Brown

Dan had been Jesse’s partner for many years, and always there for Jesse on his return from difficult assignments. However, after breaking his promise not to leave again, Jesse learns to his cost that Dan can be pushed too far. When he returns home, broken in body and spirit, Jesse finds his house empty and Dan in the arms of someone else.

To fill his life, Jesse decides to get a dog. His friends and neighbours take him to choose a puppy. What he doesn’t expect is for Norman to choose him. As Jesse takes on a new job, with Norman’s assistance, he realises that Dan isn’t far away, and he still loves him. Dan has moved on with his life. Can Jesse do the same?

Review - 4.5/5

This is my favourite of the Lyon Road Vet's series so far. Just because I love Jesse... I loved the secrecy in his life. And Dan... I felt the book was more a story of the two men than of the dog but that was fine with me. Go back and read Hairy Harry's car seat which is book 1 and lose yourself in sweet stories of men and their dogs...

Buy Links

To follow...


Honor C Anniversary Blog Tour - Carol Zampa

Honor C Anniversary Blog Tour - Carol Zampa

When Honor Castillo convinces himself he isn’t gay, he begins a new life. He ends his affair with his lover, Jorge Villagomez, and marries Rebecca to establish a life with her as a respected San Antonio businessman. They have a son and he tells himself he is happy.

Eleven years later, Jorge returns to San Antonio, and his path crosses with Honor’s once more. The flame of their passion never died, and neither did Jorge’s love for Honor.

When Jorge approaches Honor to design his studio, Honor believes he can walk the line between friendship and lovers. But when a sudden crisis threatens to take Jorge from him forever, Honor must choose between his duty and his heart. Most of all, he’s forced to decide what he’s willing to lose in order to be true to who he really is.

Buy links

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon: | All Romance (Are)

Excerpt

JORGE stirred beside me, dragging me from my reverie of schoolyards, lunches, and bullies and back to the present.

Tonight was our last chance to make love. I had no words, I just wanted to look at him, memorize him. I reached to paint the line of his full bottom lip with my thumb and shivered at the sigh it evoked from him, the tiny whimper as he wriggled to face me.

He twirled a finger in the curls at my nape. “Remember Shirley Setzer?”

I turned on my side to take in the sight of Jorge’s nude body—skinny, girly, driving-me-out-of-my-mind sexy—stretched out beside me.

The limited light transformed his thin form into smooth, elegant planes with a tantalizing thatch of shadow between his legs.

“How weird. I was just thinking about her.” I lifted onto my elbow.

His hand dropped to his chest. “The day we met.”

I snorted. “We didn’t meet that day. You never even spoke to me.”

“Didn’t I?”

“Hell, no.”

“But—”

“Ah, no. You pranced your stuck-up little ass back to the building, never said two words to me.”

Lifting his hand, he pretended to slap me. “I was not stuck up.”

I said nothing, just lifted an eyebrow that I was sure he couldn’t really see in the dark.

“I didn’t mean to be, Honor. I guess I was afraid to talk to you. None of the other kids had anything to do with me. Figured you wouldn’t either.”

“But you charged into Shirley. You sure weren’t shy then.”

“I just reacted.”

“I’ll never forget. You knocked the shit out of ol’ Shirley and never even said anything to me. You just strutted away, all prissy-assed. Do you know what I thought?”

“What?”

“I thought you were irritated at me, that you thought I should have defended myself. That you thought I was weak.”

“Oh, querido,” he murmured and cupped his warm palm to my cheek. “I was the weak one, to give in to her taunts. You were the strong one. And I think I loved you that day. Even that young, I think I loved you.”

“Me? Gordo? Cerdo Castillo?”

With a grunt, Jorge flopped onto his back. “Stop it, damn you.”

“Sorry,” I chuckled. It riled him so for me to put myself down about my size.

He shifted toward me once more, wormed nearer. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. I’d see you smile at somebody in the halls and I’d nearly cry like a baby, wanting so bad to get one of your killer smiles aimed at me. Holy shit, I had the biggest girly crush on you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Your smile, Honor.” He pressed a trembling finger to my lips. “Your smile.”

“Once you did speak to me, I don’t think my smile showed itself for anybody but you again.”

“Bullshit.” This time he did slap me. Lightly, but still a slap to my cheek. “She sure as hell sees it.”

“Ay-ay.” I coaxed the head of my cock against his crotch. “We agreed not to bring that up tonight.”

“Please don’t do this.” He whispered the words onto my shoulder. His voice, so husky, a sultry purr—all Lauren Bacall, just put your lips together and blow—hadn’t lost its power to make me grovel at his feet in lust.

“Want me to stop?” I teased and turned him in my arms.

“Make jokes.” Burrowing deeper into my embrace, he growled and circled his palm over the hair on my chest. “Becky,” he spat. “I can’t even say her name without choking on it.”

I held him tighter but said nothing. What more was there to say? We’d been arguing all night, ever since I’d broken the news to him that I’d gotten serious with Rebecca Sanchez, the dazzling woman I’d met a few months back.

We can still fuck, can’t we? Jorge had contended. Why does she have to change anything?

Because once my relationship with Becky seemed to be heading on a serious route, I couldn’t cheat on her. I just couldn’t. The decision hadn’t come easily, but I’d made it, and I knew it was good.

Author links

Blog: http://authorczampa.blogspot.com

Amazon Author page: www.amazon.com/C.-Zampa/e/B004QSDSG0

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorczampa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.zampa.3?fref=ts

Competition

The author is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card at the end of the tour


Tour Schedule

Details to follow...


UK Meet.... T minus one day...

UK Meet.... T minus one day...

Amber just asked me if I am ready for UK Meet...

Well I am. Sort of. I've got the books sorted to take, and the pens, and I worked out (with your help) which book I should use in my novel openings reading, Guarding Morgan.

I'm not actually packed in the sense that my case is full of clothes. I'm one of those last minute packers. It takes me fifteen minutes and I don't forget things. Packing in advance leaves me all confused. ROFL. All my clothes are there ready to go, and I never forget my chargers for anything!

I'm looking forward to meeting up with everyone, and to sitting and chatting and getting inspiration for a story line i am currently stuck with. (Looks at Meredith and Chris!). I'm traveling from home with Meredith so I imagine we'll be talking plot lines on the way cross country...

I'll try to Instagram what I can and tag it #UKMEET, this auto posts to my FB and twitter. You can follow my twitter at https://twitter.com/Rjscott_author.

Do you have any questions you want me to ask any of the attendees? Drop me an email or comment here and I will try and ask!

GRL informal meet up

GRL informal meet up

Are you going to GRL in October? Would you like to attend an informal breakfast meet up with Amber Kell and I?

We're not sure what the event will be, breakfast or pastries and coffee or something! But at the moment we are just getting a view on numbers...



Liam Livings - Best Friends Perfect Book Release and Interview

Liam Livings - Best Friends Perfect Book Release and Interview

Cover by ADRIAN NICHOLAS
Welcome to my blog Liam! Here are some questions posed by my Facebook friends...

What are the major themes of your work?

Friendship – how you have different friends for different reasons in your life; the importance of friendship in our lives. Reinvention – I seem to have quite a few characters who change through the course of the story to become a different person.

Romance – finding that perfect someone, sometimes when you’re already with someone who’s not so perfect after all. Depression/melancholy – I’m a massive Abba fan, and they really knew how to do melancholy: blue eye shadow; throwing a dice wistfully; asking your ex-wife to sing about how you’ve found another woman. I also go through dark periods (Dark and Light inside of us), as most of us do, and I try to cover that in my writing too. Camp – is that a theme?

Let me put it to you like this; I enjoy the sound a high heel makes on a marble floor. I like a bit of swish and sparkle, and my writing has it too.

What genre do you write in?

All my stories contain a romantic element. I draw heavily from my experience as a gay man, and from experiences of other gay men I am friends with. I write contemporary as I can’t be bothered to research. I tend to use humour all the time in real life, and so my writing is pretty full of it too. I suppose if you had to put it in a box, how about: contemporary gay humour romance fiction - if that’s a thing.

What genre of books do you like to read?

I try to read widely and deliberately outside my favourite genre, which is popular women’s fiction or chick lit as it’s sometimes called. I enjoy a good autobiography – and a bad one if it’s bad enough. I’ve read some crime / thrillers too. I read man lit, books by Tony Parsons and Mike Gayle. I enjoy a good John Grisham too.

Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself?

Absolutely not. I don’t read much gay or mm fiction. My life’s gay enough as it is, and I wasn’t looking for any more *gay*! I like to deliberately read outside my genre. I think it’s great when someone tells you to read a book you wouldn’t normally read and it’s amazing. I read  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, which is YA, and it was amazing. After that I read Wonder by RJ Palacio which made me cry. I also love to dive into a good saga, period, like Jean Fullerton’s  Call Nurse Millie series, or Penny Vincenzi’s An Absolute Scandal

In your opinion, what are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

To see and interact with other writers in real life. I attend the Romantic Novelist’s Association London Chapter meetings, a (auntie flash fiction written at my writers group) local writers group, and this year I’m attending UK Meet 2014 in Bristol, and the  RNA’s conference in July. I am an extrovert, and sitting alone in my study, with tea and my laptop for company feels a bit small after a while. I love talking to other writers, having proper geeky writerly chats about plot, characters, planning or not planning, or just the latest way to reach the nirvana of word counts in an hour.

How much research do you put into your writing?

I write contemporary so I don’t do much research in that sense. In one of my WIPs, And Then That Happened, one of the characters has a long term condition, which I researched by talking to a friend who is living with this long term condition. For another WIP, The Wrong Room, I spoke to some friends who are teachers to make sure the main character’s job was realistic, as well as some online research into Cocaine Anonymous.

If you could collaborate with another author who would it be?

I have a long list, as I don’t want to single one out: Marian Keyes, Mike Gayle, Tony Parsons, Jennifer Saunders, Kathy Lette.

How do you feel about being interviewed?

Being interviewed is fine, I’ve met you in person and you were lovely. I wasn’t expecting any nasty questions, like Jeremy Paxman. Overall my feeling on Best Friends Perfect Book One being published – borderline terrified/excited, a bit like myself; borderline shy/wild.

Best Friends Perfect Book One is published 4 June by Wilde City Press.

Best Friends Perfect

Coming out, Kieran added Jo and Kev, two gay men, to his best friends Hannah and Grace for a perfect group of best friends…or so he thought.

Excerpt

Chapter One

Now

We were like Thelma and Louise—Kieran and Jo. His real name was Jonathan, but he didn’t like anyone calling him that, and would only answer to ‘Jo’, specifically spelt that way. Jonathan Davis. We did everything together, we were best friends. We weren’t boyfriends, more like girlfriends, or maybe brothers, if we were feeling a bit less camp.
It’s amazing what you can get over: death, betrayal, loneliness. No matter what life throws at you to change your plans, to stop you as you try to make your perfect life, somehow you pick yourself up and continue. I survived all those things, because I’m here, happy in my life now.
Only it isn’t what I thought my life would be; when I was eighteen, taking my first steps into the whole new world of being gay, my idea of  perfect wasn’t anything like what I have now.
Back then, I thought I had it all worked out. I’d find my perfect Boyfriend––capital B; my perfect new gay friends Jo and Kev would join my two other best friends, Hannah and Grace, to complete my perfect life. How wrong was I?
Instead, life came along, and it wasn’t nearly that simple. Only now, that part of my life is an ancient memory, along with the music, combat trousers and sleeveless tops. Now I’m ready to tell you my story.

August 1998

I met Jo at a gay youth group. I discovered my local youth group in Salisbury, a small country town in Wiltshire. It alleges it’s a city since it has a cathedral, but really, it’s just a big town. The doctor at the family planning clinic gave me a leaflet that described the group and a number to call to discuss it with a ‘youth worker.’ This was a whole new concept to me, that you could have people who were employed to work with young people, particularly gay young people. I left the clinic clutching the leaflet in my hand. Shall I call the number now, or shall I buy the new Steps single?
I walked around the car park for a while, watching everyone else go about their days, pushing supermarket trolleys full of shopping, sitting on benches to grab a twenty minute lunch-break from their office jobs. I thought they all knew what the leaflet was about, they could all see my guilty secret and would report me to the sex police or something like that. It’s him, he doesn’t know what he’s about.
As it happened, I bought One For Sorrow by Steps and called the number from a phone box just off the market square.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Out! I’m Bruce, how can I help?”
“I was wondering, you see, I was given the leaflet from the clinic and, well…”
“Would you like to make an appointment to see me? I can go through what we do at the group, and you can see if it’s something you’re interested in.”
“Yes, I…that would be good."
“OK I’ve got an appointment in about an hour, is that any good? If not, I can do next Thursday at four o’clock.”
The silence just hung there. My mind had frozen.
“Hello, are you still there?”
“Yes, can I come in an hour please?” I wanted to make the most of this new found ability to make a decision about something, which I’d managed to not think about or act on for a long time.
“Do you know where we are?”
“Yes, I’ve got a map on the back of the leaflet.”
I put the phone down and noticed the call girl cards stuck to the window. I felt as if I’d just run a marathon and was waiting for someone to wrap me in a silver blanket and comfort me.

It turned out Bruce had the silver blanket for me. We sat in his stuffed office, piles of papers and files covered every surface. We were surrounded by AIDS awareness posters, pink triangles and rainbow flags. Up to this point, I’d never understood what all these rainbow flags and pink triangles meant. Bruce explained they used the pink triangles in prisoner of war camps to mark out gay prisoners, in a similar way to the yellow stars of David used for Jewish prisoners.
He made a cup of tea and, smiling, passed me the rainbow mug. His temples showed the beginnings of grey hair making an appearance. “So, what brings you here then, Kieran?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about some things lately. I’ve had more time since I finished my A levels. I’m having a gap year—you know, a year off before going to uni—I’m off to Australia, you see. Don’t even get me started with those people from that GAP organisation—telling me I had to teach sport if I wanted to go to Oz with them. I said to them, do I look like someone who plays sport?”
“I’ve been to Australia––ten, fifteen years ago, when I was your age. It was amazing. I climbed Ayers Rock and stayed in Alice Springs, visited Coober Pedy, the lot”
“Did you have to teach sport while you were there?”
“No, I went with a friend. I didn’t go with an organisation.”
“Wise choice, I think that’s what I’m going to do. I said to him—this old guy from GAP, in his office in Reading— ‘so what you’re telling me is, if I can’t teach sport, I can’t go to Oz with you lot?' He nodded. 'That’s gotta be illegal, hasn’t it? Against some sort of human rights, isn’t it?' He said it was their policy and offered me some shite in the Black Forest of Germany for four months. Black Forest of Germany, I mean I’ve heard of the gateaux, but apart from that, I’m not arsed about that, it’s all sausages and beer, isn’t it? I said if that’s all you can offer me, I’m off and you can stick your fee and teaching sport up your arse. So I swept majestically out of his office. Mum drove me home in shock.” I wiped my sweaty hands on my trousers.
“It sounds like you’ve got some interesting plans for your gap year. What did you decide to do in the end?” Bruce probed a bit more into the recent drama.
“I’m going to Oz, but I’m going with Catherine, my friend from school. She’s having a year off before uni too, and her parents wouldn’t let her travel alone, and since GAP didn’t want me, we thought we’d go together. We’re going to travel all around, climb Ayers Rock, just like they do in The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and they can stick their fee and sports up their arses."
“Is that why you want to go to Oz, because of the film?”
“It’s not the only reason, but it certainly helped make up my mind. I mean that Guy Pearce was great, wasn’t he? Much better than when he was in Neighbours.”
“Yes, he was. Kieran, I think Out! is going to be exactly what you need.” He smiled; his eyes sparkled and formed crow's feet.
“Why?”
“It’s just a feeling. When you’ve been doing this sort of work for a while, you can sort of sense these things when you meet young people. Would you like me to tell you where the group meets and what sort of things we do there?”
“Yes, why not? I mean, if I don’t like it, I don’t have to go again, do I? And it’s free, isn’t it?”
“Yes, no obligation to ever come again, and it’s completely free to you, Kieran, completely free.” He described what a typical night at Out! included, the age group of people who came, and hunched over the map and described the best way to reach the location of Out!, which apparently was in a Portakabin. Very glamorous.

I drove home that afternoon feeling sick to the pit of my stomach. I put my new CD single on repeat while I had a shower and got ready to go out.
“One for sorrow, ain’t it too, too bad…” sang Steps on the CD over and over. I’ll learn the dance moves later.
“What are you doing, Kieran?” Mum called upstairs. “I’m making dinner. Are you eating here tonight? I’m doing lasagne and chips, it’ll be nice.”
“Yes, I’ll eat, but I’m going out afterwards. I’m going round Hannah’s to watch a film,” I shouted, hoping if I lied quickly, it wouldn’t hurt as much.
It took me about an hour to choose what to wear. Eventually, I settled on my black velvet jacket, a red polo-neck jumper, dark flared jeans and black River Island boots, which I’d bought off my friend Mike from college as he said they were too noisy when he walked. I, on the other hand, loved the noise their heels made when I walked along the pavement.
I sat, tucking a tea towel in my top, then started to inhale the dinner, a mass of carbs with a tiny amount of salad on the side of the plate, covered in salad cream. Mum didn’t believe in mayonnaise or French dressing. ‘Foreign stuff,’ she called it.
“Do you want some more cheese on the lasagne?” Mum asked. “It’s a special new sort of cheese, I bought it today. Someone in the salon said if I was making lasagne, I must have this.”
“What’s it called, Mum?” A few mouthfuls remained on my plate.
“Hang on a minute, let me get it from the fridge.” She walked over to the fridge, took the new cheese off the cheese shelf, and read the label. We all waited in suspense.
“Says here its Parma something, then Regina.” She squinted to read the label.
“Parmesan? Sounds nice, Mum.” I smiled at my brother Paul as Mum got the grater from the cupboard.
My plate now cleared, I thanked Mum especially for the ‘newly discovered cheese.’
“Aren’t you staying for pudding? I got a frozen apple pie—they’re never as big as the boxes, are they?” Mum pointed to the defrosted pie on the work surface.
“I’ve got to go.” I stood up.
“It said on this big box—look how big it is—it said you could serve it with ice cream or custard, so I got both.”
Dad winked at Paul across the table.
“Not even a little bit?” Mum picked up the pie. Paul looked at me, still in his dirty blue overalls covered in grease from the garage where he was doing his apprenticeship. “And where do you think you’re going, dressed like that?”
“None of your business,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“He’s going to Hannah’s, leave him alone.” Mum patted my shoulder. “You can have the pie later, can’t you, Kieran? He looks nice, doesn’t he, Dad?” She had a habit of calling my dad—known as Michael Donovan to everyone else—‘Dad’ which was endlessly confusing, especially when she talked about her dad, my granddad. Hours of confusing fun could be had. Being someone who rarely read—the only newspaper in the house was the weekly free paper, which she used to light the fire, and the only books she read were recipe books—she regularly mispronounced words or just used the wrong one. If Mum were at school now, she’d have undoubtedly been diagnosed with dyslexia and could have used it to explain these little mistakes. But in the sixties, you didn’t have dyslexia, you went to a Secondary Modern or became a hairdresser. Mum chose the latter. She didn’t have the dyslexia excuse, so she tried her best but didn’t always get it right. Conscious of using the wrong word, she would become nervous and talk more and so ran the gauntlet of tripping over more words. Memories of a particularly painful English lesson where she had been laughed at by the whole class—the deciding moment that led her to hairdressing college—meant we all ignored her mistakes, at most allowing ourselves a good-natured smile or a wink to each other. Sometimes, when we really couldn’t work out what she was talking about from the context or the word was so mangled out of recognition, we would then ask her what she meant, but most of the time, it was just part of how she spoke, like someone’s accent.
Now, Dad looked up at me in my carefully chosen ensemble and nodded before quickly returning to his PC Today magazine. Clothes—not one of Dad’s strong points. Dad was a man of few words, and if you wanted him to say even fewer, ask him about clothes or shopping.
“Thanks for dinner, I’m off now, bye.” I grabbed my coat from the hallway. I checked for my wallet, not that it had any money in it, but I liked to feel its comforting bulge in my trousers.
 I picked up my car keys and got in Priscilla, my red and white Citroen 2CV Dolly, parked next to Mum’s Citroen 2CV.  In typical “maybe I should…” mode, she’d bought hers exactly one month before I bought mine. I should have seen it coming. She'd taken a detailed interest in the research I’d done at Salisbury reference library—once Dad had pointed me in the right direction, research being one of his fortes, unlike clothes. After one long conversation when I’d described what the plus points were of these cars, she’d sipped her tea and said, “Write it all down for me, will you?” Next thing, she and Dad had earmarked a Saturday to go Citroen shopping, cars being the one subject where Dad could talk for hours. During the intervening month until I bought my Priscilla, every mealtime Mum extolled the virtues of the new car. “So cheap to run…the roof’s easy to roll back and it’s like a soft top…lovely soft seats…” To which I bit my tongue as it was me who’d told her each of these points in the first place.
By the time Dad came with me to buy what was to become my Priscilla, we were both Citroen 2CV experts and spent the day in his car testing each other’s knowledge. I cherished our time together like this, easily talking about cars, discussing my library research, Dad said: “It’s a good skill to have, research. I use it every day, I need to keep up to date with the latest computer changes. Useful when you go to university.” Laughing about Mum buying the car first he said: “She likes to know she’s making the right decision, and you’d done all the research for her, so of course she got the same one.”
Mum didn’t just reserve this “maybe I should” just for me. One summer, she’d asked Paul to copy all his dance music CDs: “I’ve heard your music, and I want something new to listen to on my new Walkingalongman Dad’s got me for when I do my exercises. The girls at the salon swear by this special exercise. I read the brochure they showed me, and it all made sense so I’ve got to go…”
Despite this, Priscilla was my pride and joy. To my friends, she was an ‘upside down pram’, but I didn’t care. I’d saved up for the whole previous summer. Priscilla represented freedom, independence and the ability to play endless mix tapes on my own without anyone criticising my taste in music. And at eighteen, that was very important.
Best Friends Perfect Book One is published 4 June 2014

Buy links

Wilde City Press

Connect with Liam Livings

You can read his blog at http://www.liamlivings.com/blog.html

Read samples of his stories and reviews of published work on his website http://www.liamlivings.com/

Connect on facebook https://www.facebook.com/liam.livings

Or twitter @LiamLivings