Release Day & Giveaway of Dudleytown by LB Gregg

Have you ever read one of LB Gregg’s m/m romances? If you have, you’ll know that she’s a wonderful writer with a masterful sense of humor. If you haven’t, you must ask yourself in all sincerity: why not?!
She never fails to make me laugh out loud while she tells her engaging stories about men falling in love, doing the dirty and sexy, while mocking themselves.

Today a new, standalone book by this author is released: Dudleytown! Yay!
And LB Gregg kindly offered to give away an ecopy to one of my readers! Double Yay!
What’s this book about you ask?

Here’s the backblurb of Dudleytown:

College sophomore Alexander Strauss has one rule: no messing around with straight guys. Especially not his mouthwatering roommate, Shannon. When their ride share drives off the side of a mountain, the two young men find themselves deep in an uninhabited forest searching for their missing friend. Wandering the famously cursed grounds of Dudleytown, Alex figures something truly unholy must be at play, because only insanity could tempt him to break his cardinal rule.

It’s a sexy, suspenseful Halloween story and I just loved it! Alex is the narrator of his and Shannon’s adventures and his voice is another one of those great LB Gregg voices I adore; it’s funny, ironic and sharp. And full of self-mockery. Every one of LB’s narrators has his own quirk and Alex’s is his freakingly broad knowledge of (horror) movie titles and his 'talent' to compare almost everything he's witnessing with one of them.

Of course you have to read it all but here’s a little snippet that shows something of his train of thoughts:

“
Light flared. Even so, I couldn’t see a goddamn thing other than a weird chiaroscuro of white headlight and black earth. We were both flat on my stomach in a gaping grave.
I was lying in a fresh grave.
Oh shit. Someone dug this hole for us, I knew it. We were going to be buried alive.
Please, please let this be my over active imagination running wild again.
I lurched, scrambling to flee fast and far, but Shannon grabbed my hip. “Hold still. It’s too shallow for me to move. We’re in a sinkhole of some kind—remember? Ricky told us this. It’s okay. Just be still.”
His weight held me—and his words calmed me. I nodded into the dirt and tried like hell to keep it together. I panted into the freezing loam and robbed heat from Shannon, who radiated virility and clear-headedness. His presence eased my lingering anger and soothed my irrational fear of the dark—and my certainty that we were about to reenact another B-grade classic—Buried Alive.
At least we hadn’t landed on a corpse or in a vacant coffin, right? Just a filthy trench of some sort that was in no way, shape or form a grave. No zombies here. No vampires or claw-toed werewolves…this wasn’t a cemetery.
It was just a haunted ghost town.
No worries.
I spat leaves and Shannon held me closer. “Quiet.”
“Why?” I whispered. “It’s a car. It’s not like they can hear us.”
“I don’t know. I feel like it’s imperative that we should be quiet. So shut up.” That was reason enough. He had superior hearing and amazing athletic prowess. He was the bruising outdoorsman; I was skinny and small and here in case of an emergency, so I did as he said.
Shannon’s breath huffed softly against my skin. His eyes in shadow, he searched my face. His stare strayed to my mouth. “You good?”
The temperature inside our cramped space went from freezing to sizzling. He shifted a millimeter forward, his hips rolled into my ass, and a charge of electricity snapped between us like a match lighting tinder. Fire whooshed through my limbs.
I’d pined for him for weeks and the reality of Shannon…mounting me, because there was no other word for this, well, it might finally be too much. He settled between my spread thighs and this wasn’t my imagination—it was erotic.
No. It was fucking hot.
”

Want to know how this scene continues? Well, I can tell you it is getting hotter… but you can read it yourself if you win this book!

~~~~~

Giveaway:

LB Gregg has generously offered an ebook copy of Dudleytown to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I much appreciate it when you follow my blog (via Google connect in my sidebar), but I leave that up to you. :)

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on Monday, November 1, so be sure to leave your comment before that and don’t forget to check back then or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~

Linking:
LB Gregg’s website | weblog | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook

Buy Dudleytown here
Read an excerpt of Dudleytown here

~~~~~

Running Giveaways:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.
~

Giveaway of Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

.
After reading about Kele Moon’s debut novel Beyond Eden at Leontine’s blog a couple of weeks ago, I immediately went to Ellora’s Cave to buy me a copy. I’ve read it last week and it absolutely took my breath away, on more than one occasion.

And now you have a chance to win this stunning debut! Because Kele Moon has kindly offered to give an ecopy away to one of my readers!
Be aware though that the warning at the bottom of the backblurb is dead serious!

Here’s the backblurb of Beyond Eden:

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale.
Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist.
Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave her true love Paul for the siren call of New York City. Ten years later, with her life in shambles, she returns. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays.
Former college football star Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or give in to Danny and Eve and bite the apple?

Reader Advisory: Not for the faint of heart, the pain in this story is vivid and real, the emotions even more so. Haunting and poignant, Beyond Eden presents a darker side of BDSM. You might gasp. You might cry. You might find yourself reading it again and again.


I’ve posted a sexy scene involving the two male protags on Monday the 18th here and I’ve got another one for you today.
This is a scene with Eve and Danny that gives you a little peek into the intensity of this story and it also shows how slowly and cleverly paced it is, to the point that time seems to freeze. Don’t forget to breathe ;)

When she heard Danny walk into his room, her heart slammed against her chest and her breathing became noticeably ragged like that of a trapped, wild animal, which was exactly what she felt like. She had the image of a terrified rabbit, one that cowered in fear from a deadly panther. Her instincts had her longing to flee but her mind told her to remain still because cats liked to toy with prey that ran from them. It was a game to them and panther games were dangerous for terrified little rabbits that didn’t know how to sit still and try to meld into their environment.

She kept her head down, watching only his bare feet. She followed them with her eyes as he walked to the side of the bed. There was a jingle of keys, which made her body clench in dread and anticipation. He was leaning down, unlocking a drawer that was built into the bottom of his strange bed.

Her breathing became more ragged as she thought about the large bed behind her with its oak frame that was thick and sturdy. It had four posts with wooden beams running along the top that connected the posts at the head of the bed and two more on each side. There was no beam connecting the posts at the foot of the bed but there were rings hanging at each of the posts. Eve had thought they were to hang curtains from, imagining a shimmering white material laced through each of the rings to hide the bed from view, making it a secret, mysterious haven for lovers.

Do you want to know how this ends? And when Paul joins Danny and Eve? Grab your chance to win and read this novel!

~~~~~

Giveaway:

Kele Moon has generously offered an ebook copy of Beyond Eden to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I much appreciate it when you follow my blog (via Google connect in my sidebar), but I leave that up to you. :)

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on Monday, November 1, so be sure to leave your comment before that and don’t forget to check back then or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~

Linking:
Kele Moon’s website | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook

Buy Beyond Eden here
Read an excerpt of Beyond Eden here

~~~~~

Running and Upcoming Giveaways:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.
~

Release Day! Giveaway of River of Need by Shayla Kersten

Today is a happy day for me, because one of my favorite authors, Shayla Kersten, has a new book released! And she’s giving away a copy of it to one of my readers!
Yay!

It’s another installment in her Tennessee Cops series: River of Need.

All books in this series can be read as standalones, although you wouldn’t want to miss out on the other books, especially since the heroes make reappearances in their co-heroes’ stories.



Here’s the backblurb of River of Need:

Two years after their breakup, Detective Kyle Shelton didn’t expect to see his lying, cheating, closeted ex. Especially not behind bars for prostitution. Bailing him out is one of the stupidest things Kyle has done in a while. Although letting his ex back in his bed probably ranks higher on the dumbass scale.
Dustin Eldridge’s lying about his sexual preferences has left him with nothing. Literally. He’s lost his home, his family, his job and, worse, he’s lost Kyle. On the streets, with no one to turn to, he’s resorted to selling his body to survive. Then Kyle—of all people—comes to his rescue. Dustin can’t fix the past but maybe there’s hope for a future.
Unless Kyle really believes Dustin added serial killer to his resume along with hooker.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest also reading Hidden Force (Tony and Ryan) and Hidden Hands (David March) where these secondary characters were heroes.

If you’re curious about what I love so much about Ms Kersten’s work you can read my fan letter to her here.

One of the reasons is that she always writes wonderful characters, that I can feel connected with. The way she shows a snippet from their lives, makes you understand them completely. She effortlessly lets you slip inside her heroes’ head, like in this short sneak peek:

“
When the bathroom door clicked closed, Kyle set the can of soup down then gripped the edge of the counter with both hands. How had he managed to get himself in this mess? “Oh yeah. I’m a fucking idiot.” And still in love with the asshole. “There’s that too.” And now he was talking to himself.

Kyle ducked into the laundry room. Dustin’s clothes were already in the washer. A trashcan stood next to the machine. Temptation almost got the better of him. Throwing everything away would be easier than trying to wash them.

Then what would he do with a naked Dustin?

His pain-in-the-ass mind flashed back to all kinds of things he’d done with Dustin. To Dustin. His body responded with a surge of desire. His dick roused with interest and hardened.

“No.” He hadn’t brought Dustin here to renew their relationship. Or even for revenge sex or to gloat, although the idea raised its ugly head. He really wanted to help him out. Give him a chance to get back on his feet. Which wouldn’t happen with a single shower and one night in a clean bed.

How long was he planning to host his ex? Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he concentrated on what to do right now and let the future wait until at least tomorrow. Feeding him was a good place to start.
”

Does that pique your interest? Now is your chance to win this novella! :)

~~~~~

Giveaway:

Shayla Kersten has generously offered an ebook copy of River of Need to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I much appreciate it when you follow my blog (via Google connect in my sidebar), but I leave that up to you. :)

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on Monday, November 1, so be sure to leave your comment before that and don’t forget to check back then or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~

Linking:
Shayla Kersten’s website | weblog | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook

Buy River of Need here
Read an excerpt of River in Need here

~~~~~

Running and Upcoming Giveaways:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.
~

Giveaway & Review of Fearless Desires by Stacey Espino

Stacey Espino
Fearless Desires
Siren Publishing, 2010

Series:
Fearless Desires is the first book in the Immortal Love series and follows demon Delius. He's the only brother that isn't content with his heritage. He feels like a parasite to humans. The second book, Fearless Love, focuses on Javen, the most ruthless Highland brother. It will take a special woman to tame him. The third book has yet to come out and will be about Loukas, another one of the Highland demon brothers.

Backblurb:
Delius never asked for his fate, but in a world that placed all its faith in prophecy, he would be a fool to challenge it. He felt like a parasite, forced to live off the fear of humans.

From the first time Delius became trapped in Selina’s mind and seduced by her provocative thoughts, he was drawn to her. She was a mystery that turned into an obsession. Yet for them to have a life together, Delius would have to go against his own race that demanded he fulfill his destiny. One that did not include Selina.

Genre & Keywords:
M/F, Paranormal Romance, Demons, Destiny

~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2.5 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Why I read it:
I received a review copy from the author

Quote from Stacey Espino:

“I'm a HUGE paranormal romance fan!!! When I started this series, I wanted to create a unique world, so my Fear Demons (Lust and Aggression, too) were born. I wanted fear to have a body, to be more than just an emotion. If a Fear Demon loved you, what else would you have to be afraid of?”

I’m not an experienced paranormal romance reader but as far as I can tell the world building in the Immortal Love series is definitely unique, it’s highly original and deliciously complex and clever without it getting too hard to grasp. There are three types of demons in this world: Fear Demons, Lust Demons and Aggression Demons.

The Highland brothers are (very powerful) Fear Demons. Delius, the hero of this first installment of the series, lives in a big house with his 5 brothers: Aquila, Rune, Javen, Loukas and Gemaro. All have their own characteristics, although I’m sure there’s a lot more to these brothers than we learn about in this first book, which concentrates mainly on Delius and a smaller part on Rune as well.
As Fear Demons they have to ‘feed’ on humans’ fear. And Delius is the only brother who isn’t content with this fate, he hates the parasiting. Most Fear Demons don’t care, but nevertheless they live by the moral not to hurt humans physically. So when it’s rumored that one of the Fear Demons is using humans up to the point of death, all hell breaks loose in their world, with Lust Demons declaring war to Fear Demons. And this is only the beginning of Ms. Espino’s compelling world building!

At the same time there’s this intriguing woman, Selina, who has caught the attention of one of the brothers because she doesn’t seem to have feelings of fear. Delius is sent out to investigate this woman to make sure she isn’t a threat to their world. It turns out she is, but in a completely different way than they thought. And what a delicious threat she is to Delius’ world! When the two of them get together in the same room, the air starts to sizzle.

Ms Espino certainly knows how to convey her protags’ feelings of heat and attraction. The love scenes between Delius and Selina are smokin’ hot! It was more than convincing that they found their mate in the other person. There’s no denying it. Yet, they do just that, of course. ;)
Honestly, the not willing to see their destiny part got a tad annoying. It started to irritate me that they all (brothers included) chose ongoingly to see the wrong ‘solution’ to their ‘riddle’ (I don’t want to give away too much). It felt as if the right ‘solution’ was right in front of them, pointed at with neon lighted arrows and all, and they still refused to see it, but rather stepped around it, lol!

The above especially made me feel disappointed in Selena. While in the beginning of her acquaintance with Delius she seemed to grasp on to the highly unknown demon world very quickly, even using ‘insiders’ words as ‘mate’ without being told about them. So, I expected her to see the right ‘solution’ rather quickly and at least to discover it herself. But stunningly enough it was another character, a Lust Demon, who had to point it out to her (and the others).
All in all, Selena felt a bit off and she’s just not my favorite type of heroine. On first sight she seems a tough, kick-ass chick but the longer I ‘knew’ her the more she became unstable, not as a person, but as a character. For example, near the end of the book, she’s doing one of her kick-ass things after which she can point out the murdering Fear Demon who caused all the trouble to begin with. The problem I have is that I can’t remember that she has ever met that killer before, yet she points him/her out by mentioning his/her name. How could she recognize him/her? Or does my memory fail me? (very well possible, I admit…)

Delius, on the other hand, is coming close to my favorite type of hero. His inner conflict about who he is and the fate he can’t escape is tugging at my heart. His firm resoluteness relating to his feelings for Selina is making my heart beat faster. And his utterly sexy and sinful looks are setting my heart on fire. So yeah, he’s a hero after my own heart. ;)
It’s a big bonus that Delius is part of a family with several other hot brothers who bring engaging dynamics with them. And I’m very much looking forward to each of their stories, to start with Javen’s in the second book, Fearless Love, which I’ll be reviewing next month. The world that Ms Espino built in this first book of the series offers endless possibilities for future installments. And that’s certainly something to look forward to.

Linking:
Stacey Espino’s website | weblog | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook

Buy Fearless Desires here

~~~~~

Giveaway:

Stacey Espino has generously offered an ebook copy of Fearless Desires for giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. I much appreciate it when you follow my blog (via Google connect in my sidebar), but I leave that up to you. :)

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on Monday, November 1, so be sure to leave your comment before that and don’t forget to check back then or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment or profile.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~

Running and Upcoming Giveaways:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.
~

Blogversary & What I learned

Today 365 days ago I wrote my first post for this blog! So, today is my One Year Blogversary. Yay! To be honest I’d never thought I would still be doing this when I started it, but as it turned out to be, I really LOVE blogging!

What's absolutely great about it, is meeting so many wonderful, like-minded people: other readers, other bloggers and a lot of talented and kind authors. There are too many to mention separately, but you know that I mean YOU! :)

After one year of blogging and reading romance I can say that I’ve learned quite a few things. Here’s ten of them:

1. I need to control my book shopping addiction and accept that I can’t read cq have all books that sound interesting. Just for fun I looked up how many books I bought since I started reading romance (in August 2009) and it’s kind of a shocker! Turned out to be 600+ books, worth of over $ 2500!
2. I love other genres than only contemporary romance (my initial genre), like paranormal romance and m/m romance
3. Meeting virtual friends in real life is a lot of fun
4. Romance book bloggers and readers are an active, fun and loyal bunch of people. Their comments never fail to make my day
5. There's a difference between romance, erotic romance and erotica. And my heart beats the fastest for erotic romance, not so fast for romance or erotica. I think erotic romance combines the best of romance and erotica -> good development of plot/storyline & hot, explicit sex scenes. Leave the first out of a romance and nothing’s left, leave the second out of erotica and nothing’s left. But when you leave the first out of erotic romance you still have the sex scenes, and when you leave the second out of it you still have the plot to enjoy
6. Romance authors are very approachable. In general they like hearing from you, even if you have a request (for a review copy or a guest post/giveaway)
7. I love hosting giveaways
8. Twitter is great
9. The evil day job and real life always get in the way of blogging and bloghopping. I learned to accept that and to feel less guilty about not leaving comments as much as I want to. And thank god for guest bloggers/reviewers who are willing to help me out!
10. I don’t think I’ll ever stop blogging!

You recognize any of these? :)

I’m not big on throwing parties, I always start thinking about organizing one when it’s too late, but as it happens to be I do have a few ebook giveaways the next couple of days at my blog. The authors Stacey Espino, Shayla Kersten, Kele Moon and L.B. Gregg donated copies of their books and to have a chance of winning one (or all) of them all you have to do is drop by at my place at the following days and leave a comment at the post(s) about the books you’re interested in:

Tuesday: Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino
Wednesday: River of Need by Shayla Kersten
Thursday: Beyond Eden by Kele Moon
Friday: Dudleytown by L.B. Gregg

All giveaways run until next Monday, when I’ll announce the four winners.

For now I only have this man candy for you.

Happy Monday!
~

Guest Review of Fair Game by Josh Lanyon

Josh Lanyon
Fair Game
Carina Press, 2010

Backblurb:
A crippling knee injury forced Elliot Mills to trade in his FBI badge for dusty chalkboards and bored college students. Now a history professor at Puget Sound university, the former agent has put his old life behind him-but it seems his old life isn't finished with him.

A young man has gone missing from campus-and as a favor to a family friend, Elliot agrees to do a little sniffing around. His investigations bring him face-to-face with his former lover, Tucker Lance, the special agent handling the case.

Things ended badly with Tucker, and neither man is ready to back down on the fight that drove them apart. But they have to figure out a way to move beyond their past and work together as more men go missing and Elliot becomes the target in a killer's obsessive game...

Genre & Keywords:
M/M, Mystery, Murder, Serial killer

~~~~~
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

*Review copy received from the publisher through Netgalley*

Guest review by Lis:

Yes, it's me again and I snagged Josh Lanyon's Fair Game this time. Which is unique, because I read the first book in the Adrian English mysteries years ago and didn't like it. Not to say it was bad, but for me it didn't click as sometimes happens with books. However over the years I've heard a lot of good things about Lanyon's books and I couldn't resist another try. Tastes and interests change over the years so I put on some blues music and settled down to read Fair Game with my criticizer's hat on straight. But to my utter amazement, I liked Fair Game. A lot! Here's why.

Elliot Mills was a FBI agent and good at his job until a wackjob shot his kneecap off in a courthouse shooting (yes major ouchies and my knees hurt in sympathy). His life got turned upside down and eventually he learned to walk again and now holds a University teaching job with a lot less excitement. Until male students start disappearing that is. Then Elliot is pulled straight into the mystery and he has to come to terms that he's now a different person. I sympathized with Elliot because I know how hard it is to give up a job you really like and Elliot didn't just lose his job, he lost his lover too, because Tucker couldn't deal (the idiot).

Fair Game is first and foremost a mystery with a side dish of romance. The focus is on Elliot's involvement in finding out who is making the male students disappear. Second is his rekindling romance with Tucker...once they actually start talking. One thing you can always count on. Men never talk about their feelings and are only willing to talk things through if they are tied down to a chair (or, as in Elliot's case, have a bad knee acting up making walking difficult). So for the first bit of the story there was a great big elephant in the room.

The mystery itself was a bit of cross between a British murder mystery and an episode of Criminal Minds. It is good. For someone like me, who has read quite a lot of detectives and mysteries, the plot was good. It rivaled stories by Karin Slaughter or Michael Connelly.

Josh Lanyon has a real talent with words. He knows how to write things so that when something happens, you feel like you're standing right beside Elliot. His characterizations are spot on and he is not afraid to write characters with flaws and show them. Even Tucker, who I wanted to kick in the beginning of the story, grows on me.

What I especially liked about Lanyon's writing is that each character has its own distinctive voice and personality. When reading e-books I often notice that characters 'talk' or 'speak' in the same manner as all the other characters. While in real life, everyone has their own little speech characteristics or certain words to describe situations and objects. Lanyon pays attention to this little detail so that the host of support cast in this story are really their own person, so to speak, and not just one of the characters.

All in all this might not be my all time favorite book, but it's worth the money and time if you like a good mystery/detective. I now better understand why so many people are ranting and raving about Josh Lanyon's books and I might even read more!

Linking:
Josh Lanyon’s website | weblog | on Goodreads | on Twitter
Buy Fair Game here

~~~~~

Happy Gay Friday, Boy Culture & Blog News

I’ve watched the gay movie Boy Culture this week which is a few years old but nevertheless a great movie! It’s the story of a successful male escort who describes in a series of confessions his tangled romantic relationships with his two roommates and an older, male client. The actors are doing a good job and the romance is heartbreaking and has a HEA ending (pheww!). I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of the gay genre.

Here’s the trailer:

Boy Culture made me curious about other gay themed movies and I found this wonderful blog, titled That Gay Movie, among all the links I got for pron sites when I typed ‘gay movie’ in Google. This blog isn’t about that at all– not that I have something against gay pron ;) – but it reviews movies and has the latest news about releases and stuff. I hope to pick up some recs from it.

~~
I’m happy to tell you that Lis will be back with a guest review tomorrow! She’ll talk about Josh Lanyon’s Fair Play this time. And what’s even more amazing, she’ll join Leontine and me next Friday when we’re going to meet in Utrecht! Woohoo!! I really look forward to our date. :)

~~
I have some more good news, because next week I’ll be hosting a few giveaways at my place. The awesome authors Shayla Kersten, L.B. Gregg, Kele Moon and Stacey Espino have donated e-copies of their books to make four lucky readers of my blog happy. These are the books:

Although I don't do it often, I LOVE hosting giveaways, and it’s even more special next week because Monday (October 25th) is the date that I started blogging one year ago! Yay me! The contests are definitely making it a special, festive week for me and I hope you'll all drop by. :D

More on Monday! For now have a Happy Weekend!!
~

Review of Jasper's Journey by Lisa Marie Davis

Lisa Marie Davis
Jasper’s Journey
Dreamspinner Press, 2010

Backblurb:
Jasper Brady’s world was forever changed when his sixteen-year-old sister Monica went missing and was found dead two weeks later. Depression struck the family, leaving eleven-year-old Jasper vulnerable to years of neglect and serious abuse until he ran away.
Thirteen years later, his father is dead, his mother is struggling to reconnect with him, and his sister's murder case is still unsolved. Then Jasper meets Zander Macon, who believes the original investigation of Monica's death wasn’t properly handled. Jasper surprises himself by agreeing to help Zander in any way possible, and it doesn’t take long for someone to respond to Zander’s questions with lethal intent. Trying to survive and solve the case, Zander and Jasper find mutual attraction turning into more, and Jasper will confide the dark details of his childhood while Zander works to overcome his own issues with the past.

Genre & Keywords:
M/M, Contemporary, Mystery, Abuse

~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Why I read it:
I received a review copy from the publisher

It seems that I picked a few reads in a row that deal with abused heroes lately: Talker, Touch Me Gently and now Jasper’s Journey. It’s a coincidence, I’m sure, but it also shows a bit of my preference for emotional stories. I love tormented heroes and can’t get enough of all the different ways authors come up with to let the characters handle their emotions and angst when they meet The One.
Jasper of Jasper’s Journey is such a hero. As a young teenager he suffered from serious mental (the neglect from his parents) and physical abuse (an evil neighbor took advantage of his vulnerability for years). The abuse proceeded from the depressing family situation caused by his sister’s (unsolved) murder.

By the time Jasper meets his love interest he has gone through years of therapy and has managed to build a nice life for himself. The only trace of his past in his current life is the shallow way he prefers his (sexual) relationships to be. He’s a one-night stand guy and only tops. But, as it befits a good romance story, Zander is the one who’ll help him to overcome that last ‘issue’. Of course that doesn’t happen without striking a blow, which treats us at wonderful scenes, like this one:

“A rush of emotions surged through him, and Jasper sucked in a breath, looking at Zander in the harsh parking lot lighting. God, he was beautiful. Jasper wanted to fall into those eyes and get lost in Zander’s warmth, his inner beauty. He had never been so drawn to anyone. But it was all so wrong: the timing was wrong, he was wrong, he was a one-night stand guy, and he had a feeling Zander wasn’t.
Frantically, Jasper searched his mind for something—anything—to say to try and cut through the haze of sexual tension, but his rational side had decided to abandon him, and all he could do was watch, mesmerized, as Zander slowly lifted the hand he held to his lips and, with shocking tenderness, kissed the inside of Jasper’s wrist. Jasper could feel his heart pounding.”

This scene, leading to their first kiss, occurs when we’re nearly halfway into the book. And I actually like it that the heroes take their time getting involved on a more intimate level. But even when it may take a while before they hop into bed together, once they discover lust, love is very nearby and I must say that the speed with which they fall in love seems a bit unbelievable. Nevertheless, it’s a pleasure to watch the sexual tension between these hot guys turn into satisfying smexy scenes. Moreover, these scenes mirror the development of their love nicely by showing the building trust between them.

Additionally, I was relieved that Jasper did most of the healing on his own already, because I’m not a fan of the ‘falling in lust solves all your problems’ kind of plot. That doesn’t mean that Jasper’s abusive past didn’t play a role anymore: it’s not something that just happened in the past but is also part of the here and now. Jasper and Zander are reinvestigating the unsolved murder of Jasper’s sister which brings back the past in spades and apart from this mystery storyline there’s also one in which Jasper and his mother are reconnecting after all those years and which has them reliving the past as well.
These secondary storylines are adding some depth to the plot. Neither is very surprising or innovative - the murder mystery might even be a shade excessive and predictable, with everything coming to a perfect ending - but as supportive elements they are functioning pretty well.

All adds up to a few hours of well-spent reading time, in which I enjoyed two likeable and hot heroes, a romance mixed with suspense and mystery, some sexy smexing and a pleasant writing style. Jasper’s Journey is a great read for readers who love all these elements in their love stories!

Linking:
Lisa Marie Davis’s weblog | on Goodreads
Buy Jasper’s Journey here

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Monday’s Hot Couple & Sexy, Smutty Scene inspired by Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

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This week’s sexy scene is from Beyond Eden by Kele Moon, a BDSM ménage story (m/m/f), which inspired me for today's Hot Couple picture. :)
When I looked for a sexy, smutty scene for today’s post I thought I could take a quick peek at this novel, that I bought after Leontine raved about it a short while ago. But from the moment I read the first page I couldn’t put it down anymore. It had me engrossed majorly! The three main characters are introduced in an engaging way with the use of authentic dialogues. I can’t wait to pick this book up again tonight. The next scene is from the beginning of the book (p. 30 of 263) in which the two male protags are sharing a shower. *fans self*
Enjoy!


“
  Now it was Danny’s turn to suck in a sharp breath of arousal as icy-hot desire poured over his body, making every nerve stand on end. He reached out and grabbed Paul, jerking him into the shower. He dropped the condom, pulled the shower door closed and then fisted one hand tightly in Paul’s hair. Danny forced Paul’s head back and looked down at him, seeing the way his pupils had dilated in desire. Paul didn’t fight him. He stood there stoically, his breathing rapid with Danny’s fingers tangled painfully in his hair. The thrum of the shower beating against the tiles, the raspy breathing of both of them, the way Paul’s eyes showed his emotions so clearly, making it obvious he had suffered as badly as Danny had over the past many weeks, it all collided together inside him and his gut clenched with the force of his lust. He needed a clear head when he was with Paul but it was impossible right then.
  Danny crushed his lips against Paul’s because he couldn’t wait another moment and he’d given up on hope for sanity this time. He kissed him like a man starved, thrusting his tongue past his parted lips and drowning himself in the taste and feel of Paul after three weeks without him.
  Paul moaned into his mouth. Danny pulled his hair tighter, making him gasp louder and he knew he was making a mistake. He should never, ever fuck him when he was this out of it but he couldn’t resist him. Paul was like a drug and Danny was an addict who would never recover. As long as they both drew breath Paul could come to him and get what he wanted. It was simply impossible for Danny to deny him. Paul could use him forever and they both knew it but right then Danny couldn’t even find it in himself to care.
  He pushed Paul against the wall of the shower and broke the kiss to run his lips down his jawline. Using his grip on Paul’s hair, Danny forced his head to the side, giving him better access. He savored the salty taste to his skin as he dragged his tongue slowly from the sensitive place behind his ear down the line of his neck. He bit hard at the soft spot in the curve of his shoulder, his teeth sinking in and not letting go as Paul’s hips jerked against him and a strangled moan burst out of his chest.
  “D-don’t mark me. I got a date with Trisha,” Paul panted, making it obvious he was barely holding on to his sanity as desire pulsed off him. “Please.”
  Danny ignored him and ran his tongue slowly from the center of Paul’s chest up to the curve on the other side of his neck. He bit hard once more, not quite enough to break the skin, but close. Paul’s knees buckled and he might have fallen if Danny hadn’t wrapped one firm arm around his waist to keep him standing.
“Put your hands behind your head,” Danny said in a voice that brooked no argument.
  Paul put his hands behind his head obediently, his fingers threading together at the base of his skull as he leaned back against the wall and spread his legs as if he planned to stand there for a long time.
Danny admired him, with the water hitting his tan shoulders and flowing in tiny waterfalls from his chest down to the lines of his abdominal muscles. He stepped closer, so their bodies were close enough to feel the warmth off each other. Paul arched, just a hint of movement that betrayed his need to be closer.
  “Your mouth is pissing me off tonight,” Danny said, still looking down at Paul without touching him. “I don’t want you to talk anymore.”
  Paul closed his eyes, his tense shoulders slumping. “Fine.”
  He looked gorgeous right then, with his eyes closed and his strong, beautiful body on display. Trust radiated off him, mixing easily with desire, because he knew Danny would never take advantage of him, never use his desire to be punished and hurt to do more than turn him on.
”

Kele Moon’s website | on Goodreads
Buy Beyond Eden here

Backblurb Beyond Eden:

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale.
Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist.
Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave her true love Paul for the siren call of New York City. Ten years later, with her life in shambles, she returns. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays.
Former college football star Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or give in to Danny and Eve and bite the apple?

Reader Advisory: Not for the faint of heart, the pain in this story is vivid and real, the emotions even more so. Haunting and poignant, Beyond Eden presents a darker side of BDSM. You might gasp. You might cry. You might find yourself reading it again and again.

Happy Monday!
~

Happy Gay Friday & Some Blog and Book Stuff

Friday night! Yay! This Friday flew by and I can hardly recall what I’ve done today. Which makes it pretty perfect imo. :)

I know it started with me staying in bed too long while finishing the novella The One that Got Away by T.C. Blue. It’s the first of four books in the One and One series and was a cute Friends to Lovers m/m story. Although it took the protags a little bit long to realize their love for each other (which made me want to smack them both at different times), I still enjoyed their story quite a bit. It was the first book I read by this author and I liked her writing style, it felt as if being in the heads of the heroes, alternately. When this is done well, it’s my favorite type of narrative. And T.C. Blue did it just right, switching to the other POV in time, without being it too fast. So, it was a 4 stars read for me!

~
Fairly recently, I found out about the upcoming release of a new book of one of my favorite authors, scheduled for October 27th: River of Need by Shayla Kersten. And also coming out this month (the 29th) is Dudleytown by LB Gregg, another one I’ll be jonesing for.

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Did you notice yesterday’s guest review? The reviewer is Lis, another Dutch girl with whom I only recently ‘connected’. I’d seen her commenting at Wave’s blog before (as Larissa) but never realized how much we had in common and I’m so glad I invited her over to my blog to do a guest review. I loved her review and I’m proud to say that she will come back more often. I have Blodeuedd to thank for ‘introducing’ me to Lis with this review she wrote for B’s blog. Lis introduced herself there as an “incredibly chaotic, sword wielding cowgirl from Holland who lives and breathes books of the supernatural & paranormal variety stirred with some romantic, erotic and mystery and or historic ingredients.” Especially the sword wielding part piqued my curiosity (read yesterday’s review to learn more about that ;)). And she loves the m/m genre as much as I do! I really hope she’ll keep expressing her love for books with guest posts at my place and that you’ll like that too.

~

Speaking of connecting with fellow Dutch smut lovers… Bloggy friend Leontine and I are planning another real life meeting later this month. We’re going to have a High Tea in Utrecht at this cute little place near one of the canals:

I already look forward to hours of talking about books and blog stuff with Leontine while eating the most delicious sweet things and drinking tea. Wanna join us? :)

It’s bed time for me now…

Happy Gay Friday!

~

Guest review of The Lion of Kent by Aleksandr Voinov & Kate Cotoner

Aleksandr Voinov & Kate Cotoner
The Lion of Kent
Carina Press, 2010

Backblurb:
Squire William Raven has only one goal—to finally receive his spurs and become a knight. When his lord, Sir Robert de Cantilou, returns from a five-year crusade in the Holy Land, William wants nothing more than to impress him.

After Sir Robert's return, noble guests arrive from France, bringing intrigue to the castle. William is oblivious to the politics, as he's distracted by nightly visits from a faceless lover—a man who pleasures him in the dark and then leaves—a man he soon discovers is none other than his master, Sir Robert.

But William can't ignore the scheming around him when he overhears a plot to murder Robert. He becomes intent on saving his lord and lover from those who would see him killed...

Genre & Keywords:
M/M, Historical, Intrigue, Medieval, Knights, Crusades, Swordplay

~~~~~
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

*Review copy received from the publisher through Netgalley*

Guest review by Lis:

When I read the blurb for this book my first thought was “Oh yeah! Knights! Mine!” Since I have a BA in medieval history and culture there was a lot of curiosity on my part as to how this book was going to play out. There are a lot of pseudo medieval bodice rippers out there, but only a very slim selection actually know what they are on about. However, I needn't have worried! This short story rocks the chainmail right of you (or should I say chain male).
As I learned from the website of the authors The Lion of Kent is part of a series of novellas about William Raven, our main protagonist, each focusing on various stages of his life. This first is a prologue that starts with William's quest to become a knight and the intrigue at his Lord's home.

While this is a short story, the story is well drawn out and paints a vivid picture of medieval life and the life of a squire. In fact, the life of a knight is not at all as romantic as some of the bodice rippers make it out to be. There is virtually no privacy as all the squires eat, train and sleep together. The focus of the story is both equally on the mystery of who is trying to kill Sir Robert, recently returned from the holy land, William's quest to become a knight and his discovery of his sexual preference. If you're looking for a romantic story, you've come to the wrong castle!
Yes, there is definitely hot nekkid sex in this book and boy do they ever get it on! But probably not as you expect. The sex is reminiscent of the setting. As you will find out when you read this book (and I tell you, you have to!)

The writing is exquisite. When you travel through this story, you'll find out that the authors know what they are writing about. They have a way with words that draw you right into the story and make you stand up shake your fist in the air in protest or blush at certain points. The latter, my little bookworms, is exactly why I like this book so much. There are a lot of m/m books out there and quite a lot of them are plagued by circular narrative. (Sex)scenes described with certain words and certain ways. You won't find that in The Lion of Kent. It was a very refreshing book to read.

In fact, the only two minor points I could dish out are: one, this story was way too short and two, did the authors ever wear a hose (very complicated medieval version of pants)? Because let me tell you I have! and it is not easy to just “fish out” anything from them! *grin*
All in all The Lion of Kent is quite the read that I would recommend any time!

~

Review of Touch Me Gently by J.R. Loveless

J.R. Loveless
Touch Me Gently
Dreamspinner Press, 2010

Backblurb:
Always hiding his tormented past along with his scarred body, Kaden James finds it difficult to keep a job. Luck finally turns his way when he finds work as a cook on a Montana ranch, where he meets terrifyingly handsome Logan Michaels. Logan is different from any man Kaden’s ever met, and before long, he finds himself falling in love with the big cowboy. But Kaden’s nightmares won’t let go of him so easily, and he’s not just jumping at shadows. He has nearly a lifetime of abuse, horrifying memories, and pain addiction to overcome. Can Logan's gentle touch help Kaden heal inside?

Genre & Keywords:
M/M, Contemporary, Abuse, Scarred, Gay For You, Cowboy, Horses, Violence

~~~~~
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Why I read it:
I received a review copy from the publisher

Here we have a gentle, sexy cowboy in his late twenties (Logan) and a 19 year old, damaged boy (Kaden) who’s afraid of big men due to severe childhood abuse. They meet when the teenager is hired as a cook at the cowboy’s ranch. After initial skittishness the boy starts to feel more and more at ease in the company of the big, but kind cowboy. This storyline about abuse, learning to trust again to eventually find love, is heart wrenching and captivating.

It won’t be a surprise that Touch Me Gently is a very heavy and emotional read. I’m never averse to that, in fact I rather enjoy being touched or moved deeply by a book. And main character Kaden certainly had all the characteristics and experiences to accomplish an emotional rush… yet… somehow he never affects me that way. I don’t know exactly why I didn’t feel the connection with him (nor Logan), it’s just that I knew I was supposed to feel compassion all the time, instead of just feeling the compassion. Maybe the narrator reminded me too often how bad I should feel for Kaden, through the perspectives of various insignificant supporting characters and by showing the vehemence of Kaden’s traumas with detailed and frequent panic attacks and flashbacks. These parts were not easy to read because of the realization that they border very closely to reality and that reality can be even much more cruel. But somehow I felt being pulled out of the story too frequently to be able to feel the intensity of all this.
Also, there were some dramatic elements in this story that were a bit too much in my opinion. I want to avoid spoilers but these elements are the ones that are inserted when everything seemed to end happily because Kaden was well on his way to healing. I wondered how much suffering and drama a story need or can handle before it collapses under its weight. Additionally, I thought the purpose of the friendship with the little girl in the end was laid on too thickly.

Apart from the fact that the suffering and pain in this story was a bit overwhelming I admired how the author took the time to let the friendship and attraction between the main characters develop gradually. I’m glad that the relationship didn’t take the course of ‘let’s have sex and you’ll be healed in a jiffy’. It was nice to see the trust and affection build slowly and realistically. And even when the heroes start to get more intimate, it’s not rushed. Little steps are made and these scenes perfectly show Logan’s gentleness and kindness. Due to that, the scenes inevitably surrender part of the passion and sexiness. The focus is on tenderness. This does fit the story perfectly and makes the love scenes so much more enjoyable.

Adding to my enjoyment of this book was the presence of Logan’s sister Shea. She plays an important part in Kaden’s healing process as well, by offering him her friendship and helping him to talk about his past. She is just as loveable a character as Logan and Kaden are. In fact, all of them are close to perfect protags. But as it goes with perfectness, I start to crave for a few flaws. Or at least for some conflict. And there wasn’t much of a conflict present in this relationship. All the angst and emotional pressure seemed to come from outside. Kaden nor Logan have to deal with serious doubt or concern regarding the building feelings of care, admiration and love between them. The threats that occur are external.

The story is told in third person by what seems to be an omniscient narrator. This went far from smoothly in my opinion. There didn’t seem to be a balanced distribution of focus on characters. We mainly got presented Kaden’s point of view, but in the middle of a paragraph the focus could suddenly shift to another character and back. This even extended to supporting characters like the doctor. Sometimes this head hopping was rather confusing, to the point that I didn’t know if Kaden or Logan was meant with the ‘he’ that was used.
And even with the omniscient narrator and alternating POV, I felt I needed more insight in the heroes’ thoughts. I was watching them, and surely enjoyed what I saw developing between these two likeable characters, but couldn’t get a grip on their feelings and thoughts. I mainly remained on the outside. I especially missed Logan’s point of view many times. He’s going through an emotional change himself, falling for a man for the first time in his life. But this Gay For You theme doesn’t get much attention at all. It’s only mentioned once or twice and never addressed more than just superficially. I’m left wondering why the author added this element to the story to begin with. Why not just present him as a gay cowboy from the start?

Even though Touch Me Gently left me with a few questions after I finished it, I spent some enjoyable hours with this intense yet sweet couple. If you like your love stories emotional and captivating, and you don’t mind a lot of psychological drama, this might be just the novel you’re looking for. If you get upset reading about abused and traumatized characters, you better leave this story be.

~~~~~
Linking:
J.R. Loveless on Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy Touch Me Gently here
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Monday’s Hot Couple & Coming Out Day

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Today’s couple won’t be accompanied by a sexy scene but by a video of Lizzy the lezzy in honor of National Coming Out Day which is today! I hope it’ll make you grin like it made me.
And here’s a link if you want to know more about Coming Out Day.

Have a fabulous Monday!
~

Happy Gay Friday & Other happinez

Life is beautiful, isn’t it? No no, I’m not on drugs, I’m just happy! :) And very glad that work is back to normal and the headache that bothered me the first half of this week is history! Today I had the day off, I slept in, went to the hair dresser and the book store. And tomorrow I’m going to Amsterdam with four of my girlfriends; visiting a few museums, doing some fun stuff, having lunch and dinner at some hip places. Sounds good, huh?

Not so fun though was the mouse I spotted in the kitchen tonight! Yes, a mouse!! Eeek!! Don’t think we’re slops or filthy people. We’re not! Honestly. So, it really puzzles me where that little creature came from. And I’m wondering with how many they are!? And how are we going to get rid of it/them? Maybe hubby will agree with me now that it’s really time for a new kitten, or two. After all, it’s already more than six months ago that our little Binny passed away…

On to the book stuff…
I’ve been slacking on my reviews this week. But hopefully I’ll find some time to write a few on Sunday. There are two m/m books that I’ve read and need to review: Jasper’s Journey by Lisa Marie Davis and Touch Me Gently by J.R. Loveless. Both are dealing with heroes who were badly abused in their childhood and have to learn to trust again. Pretty heavy stuff.

Two other m/m books I’ve read but probably won’t review, are Quarterback Sneek by Pepper Espinoza and Gayish by Kim Dare; an older and a new novella. These were short reads and very enjoyable. Both authors know how to entertain me repeatedly with hot heroes and sexy scenes. I love to read their m/m novellas in between longer books. Like the m/f novel I’m reading atm: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. I hope I can find the time to finish it this weekend!

What are your weekend plans?

Happy Friday!
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Review of Talker by Amy Lane

Amy Lane
Talker
Dreamspinner Press, 2010

Backblurb:
Tate "Talker" Walker has spent most of his life hiding his scars under a bright punk facade, and until he sat next to Brian Cooper on a bus, it worked. But Brian has spent his whole life being the invisible man, and he's used to looking below the surface. What he sees in Talker is a fragile and lovable human being.
Brian is outwardly straight, but Talker is desperate for love, and when Talker's behavior leads to some painful consequences, Brian is forced to come out of his closet—in dramatic fashion. He'll do anything to make sure Talker sees that he's the Prince Charming Talker has always needed.

Genre & Keywords:
M/M, Contemporary, College, Coming Out, Scarred, Music

~~~~~
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Why I read it:
I received a review copy from the publisher

Talker is a touching and sweet love story about two young guys for whom life hasn’t been easy. Brian is an orphan and Tate is scarred badly because of an accident. Both are rather lonely and meeting each other brings an end to their loneliness as they become best friends and roommates. Tate is the talker while Brian is the quiet type, and Tate is openly gay while Brian seems to be straight.

The story is told from Brian’s point of view, in third person. With the help of flashbacks we learn about how they met and became friends - so the story jumps back and forth between ‘then’ and ‘now’, especially in the beginning. After some initial getting used to it, it’s actually a clever way to give the characters more history and depth without it taking too much time/pages. The character depth and development made this novella stand out in a positive way for me. I really enjoyed these rather unusual characters and their growing relationship.
Love for music did play an important part in it btw and I loved the choice of music. It fitted the characters so well. (I happen to know who had a part in that *cough*Chris*cough*).

Their love story is a Gay For You one. Brian is coming to realize he feels attracted to Tate and with the help of his ex-girlfriend Virginia he finds the courage to come out of the closet he didn’t realize he was in. The interesting part of this GFY storyline is that Brian has not only come to terms with being gay, he also has to work hard to convince Tate that he’s in love with him. Scarred as Tate is, physically and mentally, he doesn’t believe Brian on his word. I like the role Brian’s ex-girlfriend and aunt played in this. The outcome is convincing and lovely because the author did a wonderful job to convey the feelings and emotions of her characters.

I think Ms Lane wrote with Talker a rather unique love story, with intriguing and moving characters, which had me engrossed and invested from the beginning. It’s a well written, character driven novella and entertaining as such. It even made me sniff at one point and I completely and utterly fell in love with these guys. If you’re looking for a sweet and compelling love story with unforgettable heroes, I highly recommend reading this book. And let’s hope that we’ll see more of Brian and Tate in a future book…

Favorite quote:

As he walked out of the bathroom, though, he heard Tate start to sing “And our love would have soared, over treetops over rooftops.…” to himself, and Brian wanted to turn around and hug him just for that alone.
Oh God, he’d missed hearing Talker sing.

Linking:
Amy Lane’s website | weblog | Goodreads
Buy Talker here

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Monday’s Hot Couple & Sexy, Smutty Scene from Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

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I think I’m ready for some more demons. Last week’s sexy scene already was from a demon story (Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino) and this week’s scene is from Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. Like I said yesterday, I want to start reading the Demonica series this month and to get in the mood I looked for a sexy, smutty scene for today’s post. It's from page 237-239.
Enjoy!

“
His words must have been exactly what she needed, because she sighed and arched into his touch, the small of her back coming completely off the floor. He should move them to the couch, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and his thoughts of comfort scattered.

Somehow, he managed to get out of his jeans without breaking the scissorlock of her thighs around his hips, managed to divest her of her clothing while her lips were sucking lightly on his collarbone. Her scent rose up, filling his nostrils with the sweet fragrance of arousal. Inhaling deeply, he let the passion high take over until his head swam with lust.

I love it when your eyes change color, she murmured, and he suddenly wanted to kiss her, a real kiss, not one like they’d shared the first time they’d had sex, when she was still in a dream state thanks to Wraith’s head games. Not like the one they’d shared today in the exam room, when he’d been overcome by s’genesis urges.

As though she’d read his mind, her gaze dropped to his mouth, and her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip. Gods, he wanted to take her mouth, but there was no way he’d be gentle, what she needed right now.

Careful to avoid her stitches, he dipped his head and tongued a nipple, eliciting a soft moan from her.

You taste like me, he said, savoring his dark essence in the salt of her sweat. He hadn’t come inside her since that day at the hospital, but her body was still processing his fluids, keeping her primed, ultrareceptive. Only me.”

His cock throbbed against her wet entrance, but he resisted the urge to possess her. Not yet. The doctor in him wanted to heal her with his touch more than the demon in him wanted to get off.

That had never happened before.

It scared the hell out of him.

[…]

His blood went south, and animal instinct took over. He pounced, grasped her around the waist, and brought her ass hard against his stomach. His erection pressed against her bottom, and he shook with the need to take her. In his arms, she struggled, and he let her because she needed to think she was resisting and if this was the only way he could have her . . . he sheathed himself inside her in one stroke. She cried out at the sudden invasion, her fingers clawing at the floor as she tried to escape.

The scent of fear, nearly masked by the more potent scent of lust, rose up from her, hitting him upside the head. Sonofabitch, he wasn’t healing her, he was scaring her. His mind told him to stop, but his hips ground into her, his body rebelling against what his head was telling him to do.
”

Backblurb Pleasure Unbound:

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life . . . She's a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life. Two lovers will dare to risk all.Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul . . .


Happy Monday!
~