Sneak Peak Saturday

Marc’s the Spot is the sequel to my anthology short To Arizona, which released last summer. Marc’s the Spot will become available at Loose ID on Tuesday, the 21st of March. To celebrate sharing the cover, I thought it would be fun to share a sneak peak of the novel itself. Enjoy!

Marc lived in a good-sized block house surrounded by land and no other homes. It was an earthy taupe and had wide bay windows in the front. There was a three-car garage beside the house, and a basketball pole sat on the side of the driveway. The yard was well kept, probably by a lawn service.

Lucas felt ten years younger than he was, showing up at a guy’s house for a hookup. Sneaking behind their teammates’ backs. Not that he’d done this kind of thing ten years ago, because he hadn’t. It’s a little late to be getting so adventurous. He scoffed at himself. He was thinking about things too much.

A sleek black Dodge Charger pulled into the drive as Lucas reached the front door. It parked in the garage nearest the house, and a minute later Marc was walking toward him. His auburn hair was tousled, bouncing as he moved. He still wore his game-day suit. It was a stylish blue three-piece affair, and Lucas’s gaze went right to the gray waistcoat.

The only thing hotter than a waistcoat was suspenders.

Lucas licked his lips and propped himself against the side of the entranceway, waiting.

“Hey,” said Marc as he drew close, voice on the breathy side. His cheeks were already flushed. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, pulled them out, ruffled his hair, and cracked his knuckles. Lucas grinned at the show of nerves, and Marc finally huffed, ducking his head to hide his smile. He moved around Lucas and unlocked the door. “C’mon in. You want water or anything?”

“So polite.” Lucas crowded him against the foyer wall once Marc had locked the door behind them, and then slotted a thigh between Marc’s legs. Marc wrapped his arms around Lucas’s neck, lips parting to release a low gasp.

He nipped at Lucas’s jawline. “There was something we didn’t do last time,” said Marc between sucking kisses to Lucas’s neck. He trapped Lucas’s earlobe between his teeth and gently tugged. Marc rocked his hips in small, aborted movements, dragging the bulge in his pants along the muscled cord of Lucas’s thigh.

It took Lucas a minute to find his words. “Yeah, and what was that?”

Marc played with his hair, running his fingers through it and massaging Lucas’s scalp. It made his eyes go heavy-lidded in pleasure, and his chest rumbled with an animalistic purr, his inner cat preening under the attention just as much as the man.

“Making out,” said Marc, mouth now on Lucas’s cheekbone, pressing barely there kisses.

Lucas thought he heard him wrong. “What?”

Marc bit at Lucas’s bottom lip teasingly. “I want to go lay in bed and make out. Is that okay? I like kissing, and we didn’t really do it at all last time.” He undulated his body against Lucas, hips arching forward. “I’ve been thinking about your mouth since that night.”

He wasn’t alone in those thoughts, though Lucas had been thinking of Marc’s mouth on a much lower body part. He could roll with this. Kissing was something he normally left for relationships, most of his hookups not needing or wanting such intimacy, but then again, he wasn’t normally sleeping with someone ten years younger. He remembered kissing a lot of people when he was in his twenties.

It hadn’t yet lost its spark.

Wrapping his hands around the back of Marc’s thighs, Lucas lifted him, smirking when Marc gasped, legs instinctively going around Lucas’s waist. Marc giggled, his breaths making Lucas’s hair flutter. “Put me down. You’re going to hurt yourself,” said Marc, running his hands over Lucas’s back, exploring his muscles through his thin shirt. “How’re you going to explain throwing your back out to your trainer?”

Lucas growled and ducked his head to bite the join of Marc’s shoulder and neck sharply. “I’m in no danger of throwing my back out,” he assured Marc. Marc wasn’t a lightweight by any means, and Lucas probably couldn’t do this for long, but still. He laved his tongue over the imprint of his teeth. “Now where’s your bedroom?”

Release Day: Dinner for One

Bastien isn’t used to bad reviews. His French restaurant is the toast of the town, and when a well-known critic insults it, he’s left off-kilter. Luckily for him he’s found a distraction. He’s just met an attractive writer at his niece’s school bake sale. He’s into food, into Bastien and the touch of kink they share, and there’s a chemistry between them that might make the perfect recipe.

James isn’t expecting to meet a good-looking French chef at a bake sale, but he’s not going to let the chance slide. It comes as a surprise when the chef turns out to be the owner of a place he knows—and has reviewed—and it puts James in a sticky situation. So he might have to omit some pertinent information to make it work… at least for now.

 

Published by Dreamspinner / Cover art by Reese Dante / 200 pages 

What readers have to say about Dinner for One

“As for the plot, there wasn’t one thing I didn’t love about it. From the description of the baking/cooking, the detail of the small but important things and the fact that we actually got to watch the relationship between Bastien and James grow meant that it was a solid 5 star for me.” – Elaine White, Divine Magazine 

“Let’s get straight to the point, shall we? I fucking LOVED this book. It is steamy, romantic, refreshing perfection.” – Gigi, Gay Book Reviews

“Dinner for One was a sweet, sexy and succulent romance. I adored the hell out of both men but have to give a hug to my fellow ginger Bastien for making James fall head over heels with all his wonderful ginger traits. I loved everything about this and hope that if you give it a try, you’ll love it too.” – Sara, Oh My Shelves

Find it at: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2a9m8Tu
All Romance: http://bit.ly/28Q7eQV
Dreamspinner Press: http://bit.ly/29nFdn9

Preview: Dinner for One

Available on July 13th 

Pre-order available now

Published by Dreamspinner Press

Cover art by Reese Dante

63k words

The first in The Carlisles series

Contemporay

Blurb:

Bastien isn’t used to bad reviews. His French restaurant is the toast of the town, and when a well-known critic insults it, he’s left off-kilter. Luckily for him he’s found a distraction. He’s just met an attractive writer at his niece’s school bake sale. He’s into food, into Bastien and the touch of kink they share, and there’s a chemistry between them that might make the perfect recipe.

James isn’t expecting to meet a good-looking French chef at a bake sale, but he’s not going to let the chance slide. It comes as a surprise when the chef turns out to be the owner of a place he knows—and has reviewed—and it puts James in a sticky situation. So he might have to omit some pertinent information to make it work… at least for now.

 

Buy Links

 Dreamspinner / Amazon / ARe / Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

The Last Favor Arrives Today!

Hey everyone! The Last Favor comes out today and I hope you’ll check it out!

The Last Favor

Cover Artist: Bree Archer

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Word Count: 43k

Blurb:

Three years ago Andrew Wilson and Flynn Barnett were in a relationship, until Flynn made a mistake that nearly cost Andrew his life. Andrew walked away from the FBI, his home, and his partner, and started over back in Montreal, running a restaurant.

Fast forward to the present and Andrew is knee-deep in preparations for his sister’s wedding. When an ex-colleague calls to ask for one last favor, the last person he expects to walk through his door is Flynn, in need of a place to stay. Only thing is, Andrew can’t say no.

Two weeks of wedding hijinks bring back all the old feelings that have simmered below the surface. Caught in a cycle of fighting and making up, the two men try to figure out if there’s anything they can salvage. And even if there is, Andrew can’t be sure this time will be any different.

 

Here’s an exclusive tour excerpt:

He isn’t expecting much when he opens the door, just a reasonably attractive man by Clint’s standards, which aren’t always credible. He hasn’t given any thought to what color hair the man would have (rich sable), or the color of his eyes (bright blue like the sun off a lake), or how tall he might be (several inches taller than Andy himself).

He hasn’t given any thought to whether he’d know the man.

He closes the door in that familiar face only moments after opening it, his stomach plummeting so far down it feels like it’s at his feet. His breathing is fast, his heart thumping away double time. He braces himself against the door, letting his head hang between his arms. There’s a good chance he’s having a panic attack. Flynn Barnett is standing on his doorstep. He tries to take a slow, long breath in.

“Seriously?” asks a deep, familiar voice in a slow drawl that’s somewhat muffled by the door. “This is a bit petty, no?”

Andy is going to kill Clint. He is going to tear him to pieces. “There’s been a misunderstanding,” he says. “I think you should ask your driver to take you to a hotel for the night.”

“My driver left.”

“Andy?” asks his mom, appearing in the hall behind him. “What’s going on? Let the poor man in.”

Andy shakes his head no. “He can’t stay.”

“You’re being ridiculous and very rude,” she says, eyeing him with concern. Her concern doesn’t stop her from gently prodding him out of the way so she can open the door. “You,” she breathes, standing frozen in the doorway, staring at their guest.

“Hello, Mrs. Wilson. Pleasure to see you again. It has been quite some time.”

She shuts the door in his face.

Andy can’t help it. He starts to laugh, and he can’t make himself stop. His mother doesn’t say one word, waiting for him to calm down on his own time. “You know he’s not going to leave if we don’t let him in,” points out Andy. “Probably climb the side of the house and come in through one of our bedroom windows.”

“I’ll go check and make sure they’re all locked.” And bless her, she starts to move like that’s exactly what she’s going to do.

“No,” says Andy, rubbing at his eyes, which are watering from his laughter. “I’m going to let him in. It was just the shock at first. That’s all. I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” He can be a mature adult about this. Clint wouldn’t have sent Flynn to him if it weren’t important. He knew their history.

He reopens the door and stares into a face from his past. A face he’d never thought to see again. Had kissed and stroked and even at times mended. The face of a man he had loved beyond words. A man who had given him the absolute happiest and the horrifyingly worst moments of his life.

“Hello, Flynn.”

See what reviews have to say about it

I enjoyed the book a lot, it flowed well, made me laugh, and kept me turning the pages. – Two Chicks Obsessed

The Last Favour is an enjoyable, at times very funny, read. Meg Harding’s characters are often slightly flawed, or damaged, and she tells their stories lovingly. There is an authenticity to her MC’s that I find refreshing.  –Divine Magazine

Find it at:

Dreamspinner

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

Review: Pawsitively in Love – M.J. O’Shea

What Austin Lloyd lacks in academics, he makes up for in his love of the animals who frequent his pet salon. He’s not lucky in romance, though, and his family would like him to settle down with a good man. Austin—and his golden retriever, Maggie—couldn’t agree more.

Evan Partridge isn’t good at letting people in. His messy family life and the past that’s shaped him aren’t worth bringing up. But his pug, Dexter, sure likes the pet salon owner.

Austin and Evan get off to a rough start, but being friends soon turns into something more. Unfortunately, Evan’s secretive behavior nearly does the relationship in, and the budding love affair almost crashes and burns when Evan’s troubled sister shows up on his doorstep.

Not speaking to each other is killing them both, but Evan doesn’t know how to keep Austin and help his sister at the same time. He just knows he has to try. Winning back Austin’s trust back, however, is going to take a whole lot of work.

~~~

I’ve got to preface this by saying I’m a sucker for anything with animals. O’Shea had me at the mention of a pug and a golden retriever. And they’re awesome (that’s right, awesome). A lot of the humor in this story is centered around the two dogs, and it’s the little pug that allows Evan to meet Austin. They act as a good parallel relationship for the two men, as well.

Which, right, we should talk about the human relationship in this story. It’s sweet. It starts off completely on the wrong foot, and I love that. It’s not swept under the rug in five seconds flat. Austin has to prove that he isn’t trying to truly scar Evan for life, and Evan finds himself irritated and confused, but it pulls him in. And I loved Evan. He needs everything to be just so, and when it’s not you can see the panic building. I found him to be very relatable, and his struggle to be not over done but not under exaggerated. O’Shea presents a nice balance in this story.

The background characters are (mostly) lovable. The friend group dynamic is a big part of the story, and it makes a difference. The one thing I would have liked to see in this story was an ending that didn’t feel so abrupt. I’d have liked to see a glimpse into the future, or at least one of the loose ends tied up a bit.

4 Stars

Find it at:

Dreamspinner / Amazon / ARe

Review: Finding His Home – Thianna Durston

A Men of Falcon Pointe Novel
Sebastien Cather moves to Falcon Pointe with a dream to live life his way. Offered a room at 959 Brenton Street, he discovers how liberating it can feel to live among accepting people, especially in a household where they practice loving physical discipline. And he quickly gains a boyfriend in Avery, a fellow student. Unfortunately Avery isn’t his first choice. His roommate David is fascinating and good-looking, and Bastien would do anything to have him—but he doesn’t think the attraction is returned.

Tensions rise as his roommates’ wedding is threatened and his present and past lives clash. Outed by the national media, Bastien knows he will never be able to return home again. Just as he’s sure he can’t handle any more stress, David shows his interest. Bastien slowly makes his way forward, trying to find firm footing in the minefield that is his life. But when his landlord makes an announcement about the future of the house, it may change all of his dreams.

~~~

Finding His Home is a very sweet, heartwarming read. I’ve not read the previous novel, but I had no problem following the story, and I quite enjoyed the supporting characters. While you don’t need to read the first novel to understand this one, the characters will make you want to.

The relationship between all the characters is what really makes this book good. It’s more about friendship than it is romance (though that is definitely included, don’t worry). Bastien is finding himself,  he’s taking a huge leap to do it, and without the characters supporting him it wouldn’t have been the same. He’s a charming young man, easy to love and feel for as he struggles to figure out what he wants. It’s not all easy for him, and there’s just enough angst to keep things interesting. The story is told from Bastien’s POV, so we don’t get a good look into David’s head, but he’s a pillar for Bastien (and a wee bit jealous of the competition at times). It was nice to see him stand by Bastien through everything, and how he pushed his own feelings down at points because he cared about what Bastien wanted.

Overall, this is a feel good read that will have you rooting for Bastien and his friends and laughing aloud at times. I’m hoping a certain supporting character *cough* Alan *cough* gets a book soon.

4 stars

The novel can be found at:

Dreamspinner

Amazon 

Review: The Law of Attraction – Jay Northcote

When a professional relationship turns personal, it’s impossible to resist the law of attraction.

Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm whose career is his life. He doesn’t have time for relationships and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec’s world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning—as the new temp on his team.

Ed Piper is desperate to prove himself in his new job. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by a crush on his boss. It’s hard to ignore the attraction he feels, even though Alec’s a difficult bastard to work for.

Both men strive to maintain a professional relationship, but tempers fray, passions ignite, and soon they’re both falling hard and fast. If they’re ever going to find a way to be together, Alec needs to be honest about who he really is because Ed won’t go back in the closet for anyone.

~~

What I think:

Northcote provides everything you could want in The Law of Attraction. There’s humor, angst, plenty of sex, and a relationship that develops over time. Not to mention some very handsome lawyers.

I’ve always been a fan of telling a story from both characters’ perspectives, and that’s done here. We get an inside glimpse as to how both men feel as they struggle through, and it makes it very easy to like them. Alec could easily come off us an unlikable character at first, but I found myself falling in love with him, and the way he was written is perfect. His complete lack of knowing what to do with Ed from the get go is absolutely adorable. In many ways he came off the more dominant character on the surface, and it was nice to see Ed come in and shake that up. Alec’s been through a lot, and Ed helps him while managing to stand his own ground. That’s what sealed the deal for me when it came to The Law of Attraction. Ed was such a strong character, and he stuck to his principles. It was nice to see the combined strength of these characters.

Overall this is a fantastic read. You’re going to run the gamut when it comes to emotion while reading this.

5/5

The Law of Attraction can be found on:

Amazon

Save of the Game by Avon Gale – Review

Save of the Game

A Scoring Chances Novel

After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His new roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.

Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences. Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.

~~

Words cannot express how much I loved this book. Hunter was the absolute, most adorable thing on the planet and I fell in love with him. His relationship with Ethan was fitting, with a minimal amount of angst and enough bumps along the way to keep it realistic but not over the top.

Much like the first novel in this series, you’re going to laugh when you read it. These two are far less awkward than Lane – the main in the first one – but they’re unique enough in their own ways that they’ll have you rolling. They’re foils for each other, exact opposites, and they work together beautifully.

This novel features the characters – both main and background – from the previous novel, which is always great to see in a sequel. You don’t have to say goodbye to any characters you might have liked from the first one. In particular I’m a sucker for this, because I get attached to characters quickly. I like to see them throughout a series, to know how they’re doing.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Ms. Gale’s books, is how the romance isn’t actually the entire plot. Both characters have external issues they’re working through, and there’s no ‘oh man I fucked up and we need to reconcile moment’. I’ll admit I do like those as well, but it’s refreshing to read something where the characters are together and just dealing with life. They’re not complicating each others, they’re helping. It’s a nice change of pace.

All this being said, I definitely recommend this novel. If I’m starring it, it’s a five. You’re going to want to read it all in one sitting.

 

You can find it on Amazon and Dreamspinner

The novel will be out January 29th

Breakaway Review – Avon Gale

 

Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He’s put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.
Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most.

 

~~~

I’ve got to start by saying Lane was adorable. As an awkward person, it’s very easy for me to appreciate characters who excel in one area but can’t quite get a grasp on normal human interaction. I loved that he was such a mess, and I think one of the important things to take into account is that he’s in his early twenties. He’s not the normal thirty and up guy that we see. He’s just starting out, he’s away from home, and up until this point, he lived and breathed hockey. He still does, but now there’s more to it.

Jared is a nice foil for Lane. He’s the opposite in almost every way, and he’s charmed by Lane’s awkwardness. He provides a steady force that Lane really needs, and Lane manages to help him out a lot as well (possibly more than Jared helps him, which is a nice twist).

I laughed A LOT while reading this book, and I’m not going to lie, I got a huge kick out of it taking place in Jacksonville. I’m from Florida, so when certain things are mentioned it’s probably a little funnier to me because it’s a Florida thing. And Avon nailed it. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get to see Lane in downtown Jacksonville because that would have been hilarious, but overall I was really impressed.

As a hockey fan, I appreciated it even more. I don’t know the first thing about the ECHL, I’ll admit, and this book actually sparked my interest. So it’s possible alongside my NHL game schedule there might be some ECHL ones now.

Overall this was a hilarious and very light hearted read. It’s easy on the drama and big on the humor. I definitely recommend it.

5 Stars

Northern Lights Blog Tour – Welcome Asta Idonea!

Title: Northern Lights

Author: Asta Idonea

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: 1 December 2015

Genre: Short Story / Contemporary / Holiday-Themed

Pages: 25

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon US

Amazon UK

ARe

 

Blurb

A dream romantic vacation to Iceland to see the Northern Lights turns into a nightmare when James’s workaholic boyfriend, Richard, again insists on putting his work first. After a call from Richard’s office, an argument ends with the couple splitting up for good. Not only has Richard left James, he’s left him abandoned to explore the park alone, where James quickly gets lost. But just when things seem darkest, the Solstice works its magic, and James finds the guiding light he needs. Or it finds him.

 

Excerpt

“NO. NO, Bob, listen to me. Bob, listen to me. Yes. No. Yes. Bob. Bob. Calm down.”

I turn off the tap, shake my hands over the sink, and reach for towel as I listen to the one-sided conversation drifting through from the next room. I don’t really know why I’m surprised. It’s not as if this hasn’t happened a hundred times before. Richard and I will make plans, and then that damn phone of his will vibrate, emitting the inane, grimace-inducing ringtone I’ve never been able to stand, and everything will unravel.

Richard and I met at a Christmas party five years ago, just before he started his job at Robert Preston & Associates. To date, that was the one and only Christmas we’ve managed to spend together. Every year since, something work-related has called him away. He does his best to make it home for dinner on my birthday, which falls during the holidays, but even that is touch-and-go. Some years I’ve ended up celebrating alone, surrounded by fast-cooling, half-eaten slices of pizza and a pile of empty beer cans.

For months I’ve been begging him for this overseas trip. We’ve been going through a tough patch, and I thought spending the holidays together—without interruptions, just the two of us—would go a long way toward healing the rift. I’d held out hope that the distances involved would grant us some measure of security, that the fact that we were out of the country would make Bob think twice before dialing. But it appears I was wrong.

Audio Excerpt

Author Bio

Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England, but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.

Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!

As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theater, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel; all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.

Website: http://www.nickijmarkus.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus