Cover reveal- Art of Hero Worship/Giveaway

 

  Title: The Art of Hero Worship 

  Author: Mia Kerick 

  Re-Release Date: October 29th 2018 

  Published by: Ninestar Press

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance, LGBT, New Adult

 

  BLURB 

Saving the one who once saved me. College junior Liam Norcross is a hero. He willingly, even eagerly, risks his life to save a stranger as a murderous, deranged shooter moves methodically through the darkened theater on the Batcheldor College campus, randomly killing innocent men, women, and children. The stranger he saves is college freshman Jason Tripp. Jase loses everything in the shooting: his girlfriend, who dies on the floor beside him, and his grip on emotional security. He struggles to regain a sense of safety in the world, finally leaving college to seek refuge in his hometown. An inexplicable bond forms between the two men in the chaos and horror of the theater, and Liam fights to bring Jase back to the world he ran away from. When Jase returns to school, they’re drawn together as soulmates, and soon Liam and Jase fall into a turbulent romantic relationship. However, the rocky path to love cannot be smoothed until Jase rescues his hero in return by delving into his shady past and solving the mystery of Liam’s compulsion to be everybody’s savior. 

  Pre-Order: Ninestar Press 

  EXCERPT ...It seems as if so much time has passed since the first bullet whizzed past my right ear…that for a month or a year—or for my entire lifetime—I’ve been waiting for the gunshots to stop. But a tiny voice inside my head suggests that I’ve been in this living hell for less than five minutes, at most. Pop-pop-pop… Right after the shooting started, but before I lost Ginny, I caught a glimpse of the gunman’s silhouette against the bright stage. He’d seemed huge in his dark baggy clothing. He towered over the audience, or maybe it just seemed that way because he was pointing a gun at us. I recognized the shooter from seeing him around campus. And when I saw his face profiled in the light—the bulging forehead, prominent nose, and receding chin—a name had sped through my brain, but soon the name was as lost to me as my girlfriend’s lax hand. Pop-pop-pop… The gunman doesn’t say a word; his weapon does the talking. And the deafening popping sounds are closer again, like the gun has something it wants to say to me personally…something like, “You’re gonna die today, Jason.” “I’m gonna push on your back really hard, and I want you to squeeze as much of your body underneath the chairs as you can, got it?” The voice seems to come from a million miles away, but it’s coming from right behind me. On top of me, really. I feel his breath on the back of my neck. Pop-pop-pop…pop-pop-pop… “Are we going to die?” I’m not sure if I ask this or if it comes from the lips of the little old lady who’d been sitting on the other side of Ginny at the start of the play. The old lady who told us she’d come to the Harrison Theater to see her granddaughter play Ophelia in the Shakespeare in the Spring Performance Series, not to die in a hail of bullets. I know that Ginny didn’t ask the question, though. She’s been silent since the second volley of gunshots when her head slumped over unnaturally onto my shoulder, and by instinct, I’d pulled her to the floor. Batcheldor College’s small theater has been called “an acoustic gem,” and right now, it’s ringing with the erratic sounds of screaming and moaning and crying and shouting and shooting. But most impressive is the resounding silence of the gunman, which speaks louder than words, or gunshots, ever could. All in all, it’s noisy and confusing and crazy…the Beatles’ tune “Helter Skelter” comes to mind. This is not how I want to die. Mostly because I don’t want to die! The guy on my back is poking a single finger into the blood on my head, then twisting in such a way that I think he’s reaching to his back…like maybe he’s smearing my blood there. I’m distracted from his action by the squealing of the fire alarm, and I find my blurry mind wondering if, in addition to the problem of a crazed gunman, we also have a fire to put out. Would I prefer my death be a result of hungry flames or a hail of bullets? “We’re gonna survive; just stay still. Completely still. ’Kay?” I feel the pressure on my back that he promised me, and even though it hurts to have my belly pushed into the metal rungs at the base of the seats in front of us, I feel strangely safe. He speaks into my ear. “Play dead, dude.” Pop-pop-pop… No, I’m not even remotely safe. But thankfully, I play dead far better than my dog Goliath did when I tried to teach him that trick at the age of seven. The shots are already earsplitting, and growing louder, as the shooter’s heading our way. I’m so fucking scared I tremble as if I’m having a seizure, and I promised the guy lying on top of me that I’d stay still. I concentrate on taking short shallow breaths, one after another, in my effort to stop shaking. To stay frozen—the way my heart has been since I pulled Ginny to the floor and promptly let go of her hand so I could curl up into a tight fetal ball. Somebody near me sits up, scrambles to his knees, and impulsively crawls toward the far aisle. Pop-pop-pop… “Bang, bang…you’re dead.” The voice comes from directly above me; it’s blank and monotone and controlled. The snicker that follows is chilling. I want nothing more than to throw the big guy off my back and run like hell toward the double doors, but I just keep on going with the short, shallow breaths and stay as still as I’ve ever been in my life. The guy on top of me is totally exposed; I can’t move because if I do, I’ll cheat him out of his life, for sure. Which is so not cool when he’s trying to save mine. I smell blood. Never noticed the smell of blood before. It reminds me of Grandma’s penny collection…if it got spilled onto the sticky floor of the theater. The scent of old copper is everywhere like wet pennies strewn all around me on the floor. Pop-pop-pop… Shooter’s practically on top of us now. Don’t move…don’t move…don’t move… “Dear God, help me!” This request seems to catch the shooter’s attention, and he turns around and steps away from us. I curse myself for feeling as relieved as I do. Pop-pop-pop… We wait and it seems like forever. We wait as voices beg and plead and pray and he shuts them up with bullets. We wait as the sound of shots moves to the front left near the exit, where I figure he’s shooting at anyone who tries to get out through the double doors. And then, for a second, it’s quiet. “Now…” The big guy whispers, but the sound seems to blast into my left ear. “We have to make our move now.” Before I agree, the heaviness of his body lifts and I feel cold and exposed. “This is our chance to get outta here…” His hand is attached to the back of my wrist, clutching me so hard I’ll have fingerprint bruises for a week…if I live so long. “Come on! Get up!” “Ginny…” I whisper back. “I can’t leave Ginny.” He reaches out to touch the flesh mound in the center of the pool of blood and whispers firmly, “Ginny’s already gone.” He releases my wrist just long enough to adjust his grip. “I worked here last year. I know how to get away. Come on…” 

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  About the Author

 

  Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—one in law school, another a professional dancer, a third studying at Mia’s alma mater, Boston College, and her lone son off to Syracuse. (Yes, there is Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry within the family.) She publishes LGBTQ romances when not editing National Honor Society essays, offering opinions on college and law school applications, helping to create dance bios, and reviewing English papers. Her husband of twenty-five years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about this, as it is a sensitive subject. Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships. She has a great affinity for the tortured hero in literature, and as a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with tales of tortured heroes and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. Now she publishes her work—it’s an alternate place to stash her stories. Her books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine and have won Rainbow Awards for Best Transgender Contemporary Romance and Best YA Lesbian Fiction, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, an Indie Fab Award, a First Place Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, a First Place Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award for YA Fiction, among others. Mia Kerick is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. 

Contact Mia at miakerick@gmail.com or visit at www.miakerickya.com to see what is going on in Mia’s world. 

  Links: Facebook | Twitter

Book Blitz- Masked Heart by Calli Hall/Giveaway

 

  Title: Masked Heart 

Author: Calli Hall 

Release Date: November 28th 2017 

Publisher: RAWmance Publishing 

Genre: Gay romance, Historical

  

Benedict, Duke of Lexerton, faces a problem. After his brother’s sudden passing, he is confronted with the necessity to find a spouse. Trying to fulfill his obligation at the events of high society, he repeatedly encounters a strange woman. Who is this mysterious Madame P. and how is she connected to his brother’s death? A gay historical thriller about forbidden passions, power and a deadly secret society.

  Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK 

  EXCERPT:

How long had he been in the dungeon? How long had it been since his darkened eyes had seen anything other than his dark cell? Too long. Long ago, after his voice had broken, he had given up the screaming, which had echoed back to him from the halls of this Hell. Unheard. Now he had become like his guards, deaf to the suffering that reached his ears. He didn’t hear it at all anymore, didn’t feel the cold that ate through his bones, nor the hunger in his stomach. The rustling of the rats, the disgust at these vermin, the thirst that burned in his throat: all of this he had learned to suppress. Only the stink in his nose had eaten into him worse than the scar on his face. He had always been sensitive to smell. Since his early childhood it had been his most highly developed sense. He used to dream of becoming a perfume maker and of creating the finest scents. He twisted his mouth ironically. Look how far these senseless dreams had brought him. He had been waiting for his execution for months. The hope from the first week of the trial and the belief he could prove his innocence had died. They were as dead as he soon would hopefully be. Long was he beyond the phases of blind rage, hate of the unknown person, who he had to thank for all of this, as well as sadness, hope, and doubt. He only desired the rope that would free him from this dungeon, in which a small piece of his soul broke night after night. Thunder rumbled overhead. He only guessed at the following lightning. Not even that found a way in to illuminate his forced home. The blackness held him with an iron grip. Bored, the prisoner broke a piece off the moldy edge of his bread. The furry nose of his roommate immediately appeared through a crack. It sniffed in every direction before the small animal made its way to him, careful and alert. What irony. This rat and he now had the same status in the eye of society. Not much was left to differentiate between them. Both of their daily lives consisted of the hope for a little moldy bread. The squeaking of the cell door scared the dirty brown animal away. He didn’t react to it anymore. It was too late in the day for his guards to have remembered to bring him something to eat or to take him to the gallows. Bile wanted to rise up in his throat. Quietly he balled his bony hands into fists to try to suppress the familiar shaking. He had learned not to defend himself when they set upon him, to just close his eyes and hope that it would be over soon. On his first night in this Hell he had given up prayer, on the second night begging for mercy. However this time it was not the smell of cheap schnapps that filled his tiny room. It was as if he were suddenly standing on the deck of a ship in the eye of a storm. He could feel the powerful waves beneath him, how the ship swayed, how the rain hit him in his face and the wind tugged at his hair. Instinctively the prisoner shook his head to shoo off the bittersweet delusions his nose was giving him. Never again would he stand on the planks of a ship. The stranger stood quietly in the doorway. An icy watcher was eying the prisoner’s back. Even if he couldn’t see him, he still felt him and how the sharp look penetrated beneath his cracked skin into his deepest chasms. However, for him the eyes were not his most important means of recognizing people. Rain and sea. He tasted its scent on his tongue. Interested, his tired eyes rose to meet the visitor.

  GIVEAWAY: Win 2 x Masked Heart ebooks 

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Author Bio:

Ever since Calli was released into the world in 1986, she's  been driving everyone around her crazy. She spends the nights in a bed of books, fighting with her dog Toby for the blanket. As she lost the fight once more, she started writing, because the TV program at 3 am is simply awful. She's a huge fan of Gay Romance and Yaoi Mangas, so she knew exactly what she wanted to write about, and her sister Carla reads the midnight creations pretty willingly. However, if the guys don't get their happy ending, she'll beat Calli until there's enough sugar in the story (and the happy ending). Covered in bruises and tired, she hopes you'll enjoy her books as much as Toby enjoys his place in Calli's bed.

 

Discover Taste on my Tongue by Beth Bolden/Giveaway

 

  Title: Taste on My Tongue

Author: Beth Bolden 

Release Date: August 15th 2017 

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

BLURB Almost pop-star Landon Patton has just turned a corner on the worst two years of his life: dropped by his label and dumped by his ungrateful ex-boyfriend. However, his new agent's brilliant plan for Landon's superstardom doesn’t have anything to do with his music – it’s called Kitchen Wars, and it’s the hottest new reality show on TV. Landon wishes he could have nothing to do with it. Since the first morning he mixed flour and water, Quentin Maxwell knew he wanted to be a baker. After becoming the pastry chef at a popular LA bakery, anyone else might be satisfied. But Quen wants to call his own shots. Going on Kitchen Wars to win the money for his own bakery seems like a huge risk, but maybe it's worth it. They’re an unlikely pair. Landon can’t even figure out how to turn an oven on, while Quentin makes his living with one. But with each passing week on Kitchen Wars, they discover what a great team they make – on set, off set, and between the sheets. Winning should be everything, but what happens when the tastiest pairing is their own? 

  Find Taste on My Tongue on Goodreads Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

  EXCERPT 

“Thank you,” Quentin says.

“For what?”

Quentin shrugs. “I know today sucked. But thanks for sticking with it anyway. Just . . .” Quentin hesitates, and Landon can practically see the wheels in his head turning, as he tries to figure out what and how much he should say, “this competition means a lot to me. The potential of my own bakery.”

Landon feels guilt wash over him. He forgets sometimes how self-focused the world surrounding him can be, and how he can be just as susceptible as the next thoughtless celebrity.

“I want you to have that,” Landon says. “I really do. I know that seems crazy. We just met . . .” He doesn’t want to say how strange it is to have a crush on someone you don’t even know, but it’s the truth.

Fuck it, Landon thinks, he knows anyway.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to like you this much,” Quentin admits in a rush before Landon can even get the words out.

Huh. Well it’s good they’re on the same page. “Me either,” Landon confides and loves how the smile blooms on Quentin’s face, his cheeks growing pinker. “I got a bit carried away with it. I’m sorry. But I’m good now.”

Quentin’s cheeks grow a deeper pink; it’s insanely endearing. “I did too,” Quentin confesses. “I just hid it better. I don’t want to get too distracted by it. But it is rather distracting.” His eyes rove up and down Landon’s form. “Very distracting, if I’m being honest.”

“We’ll just have to focus better,” Landon declares. “Because you need your bakery and well, I need a career.”

Quentin looks offended. “You have a career! You’re Landon Patton!” Quentin is maybe the most loyal human on this planet. Landon didn’t think he could be even more endeared; he was wrong.

“Some career advice,” Landon pontificates dramatically because this particular part of his confession is a bitter pill to swallow and it’s hard to say bluntly, especially to someone like Quentin. “Don’t come out of the closet before all the pretty young girls fall out of love with you. It’s not good for business.”

Landon should have known better. The sympathy—or maybe it’s empathy, Landon isn’t quite sure, only that it’s currently tearing a hole in his heart—in Quentin’s eyes is devastating. “I didn’t realize,” he says slowly.

Landon can only shrug. “It is what it is,” he explains. “So basically, I need this too. Probably just as much as you do.”

 

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About the Author

 

  Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn't have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She's a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr. Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn't a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She's published two novels, The Lucky Charm and Getting Lucky, and a short story, Eye of the Storm. Her next novel, Summer Attractions, will be released in August 2016. 

  Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon

Discover Susan Mac Nicol's Revival/Giveaway

 

  Title: Waiting For Rain 

Author: Susan Mac Nicol 

Release Date: February 24th 2014 

Published by: Dreamspinner Press 

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

 

  BLURB 

The village of Stamford, the quintessential chocolate box English scene, seemed an impossible dream for foster kid Toby Prentiss. Now he’s found a home among the haystacks and village fairs as the general manager for the Duck and Drake Hotel. With the fears and demons from his youth hidden away in this bucolic oasis, he’s very protective of who he lets in. Until he stumbles across shirtless carpenter Rain Engel building the hotel’s new custom-designed bar. Working in the countryside, Rain prepared to face his biggest fear: sheep. He didn’t expect to deal with his second biggest fear: commitment. Toby’s controlled, tough guy façade coupled with his “find happiness where you can” optimism calls to Rain like nothing before. While Rain may be an exhibitionist, his romantic history forces him to hold his emotions close. As their relationship develops, secrets from their pasts drive a wedge between them: the ex-boyfriend who tore apart Rain’s trust and Toby's history with the law. But can the secrets hiding among the quirky villagers bring them together? With missing sheep, pole dancing at the winter festival, and a crippling drought, everyone is waiting for Rain.

Goodreads 

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK | DSP | B&N | iBooks

e

EXCERPT I finished washing my hands and dried them on my shirt. I was conscious this was the first time we’d actually been alone together, just the two of us. I motioned to the wooden hut in the corner of the garden. “What’s that place?” He looked puzzled. “It’s a garden shed. We keep the mowers and stuff in there, along with other odds and ends.” I smiled slowly. Yep, it was definitely big enough for what I had in mind. I moved over to him and grabbed his hand, feeling a surge of excitement. He looked startled as I pulled him toward the shed. “Come on. Follow me.” Reaching the shed, I pushed open the door. The musty smell of mown grass, what smelled like garlic, probably from the fennel that grew wild, and a general miasmic air of neglect permeated the small but adequate room. “What the hell are you doing?” Toby sounded apprehensive. His eyes darted everywhere as he looked around the garden. “Getting us some ‘us’ time.” I manhandled him into the small room, which barely gave us room to breathe, let alone move, and shut the door behind us. His eyes widened, his breathing getting deeper. His mouth parted as if he was about to say something, and once again I took it as an invitation. I pulled him to me, desperate to taste him. He moaned into my mouth as his tongue touched mine, and I lost it. I slammed him against the wooden frame so hard the implements hung on the wall rattled. His mouth got hungrier, and he pushed me back, shoving me against the opposite wall fiercely. 

  GIVEAWAY: Win a SIGNED copy of Saving Alexander by Susan Mac Nicol

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About the Author

 

  Susan Mac Nicol is a self-confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, geek, nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long-suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that… In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people. Sue is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK. She’s also Editorial Manager at http://www.divinemagazine.biz, an online LGBTQ e-zine, and she’s a Charity Board trustee at http://wwwbeingmecampaign.com in London. She’s passionate about research for her books and has stayed in a circus, taken lessons from a blind person on how it feels to be non-sighted, and travelled to a lighthouse with maintenance crew to see first-hand what it’s like inside. She’s also writing a screen play with a Hollywood actor named Nicholas Downs, with a view to taking her latest release, Sight Unseen, to the big screen. All in all, she’s happy with her lot and loves that you love to read her books. You do, right? 

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Book Spotlight & Giveaway~ Love is Love Anthology

Welcome to the #bookblitz for the Love is Love Poetry Anthology.

On June 12, 2016, the most horrendous mass shooting in US history and an unfathomable act of hate was directed at the LGBT community in Orlando. The horror of this tragedy reverberated around the world, leaving millions shocked and appalled at the senseless violence that destroyed so many innocent lives.

In a display of solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting, a group of LGBTQ+ and straight allies, from all across the globe, came together to produce a collection of poems in celebration of love and acceptance.

The resulting Love is Love Poetry Anthology is dedicated to the families and victims of the shooting and all proceeds of this work will be donated to Equality Florida’s Pulse Victims Fund.

In this small way, the authors, along with the readers who purchase this work, seek to contribute to the lives of those who still suffer from the consequences of the malice directed toward them, and offer some positivity and compassion in the face of such bigotry.

Contributing #Authors:

AC Benus, Aditus, Andrew Jericho, Ann Anderson, Ash Marie, Asta Idonea, Betti Gefecht, Cam Kennedy, Cynus Eldranai, Darren White, dughlas, Eddy LeFey, Eden Winters, EmiGS Em, F.E. Feeley Jr., Gelybi , Headstall, Jack L. Pyke, Jana Denardo, Jason Frazier, Jay Rookwood, J.L. Merrow, Karina Rye, Kathy Griffith, Kay Ellis, Kaye P. Hallows, Kit Loffstadt, Laura B. Damone, Layla Dorine, Lily G. Blunt, L.J. Harris, L.M. Somerton, Louis Stevens, L.S.K Harris, L.V. Lloyd, Lynn Michaels, Maggie Chatterton, Maria Siopis, Monika De Giorgi, Parker Owens, Patricia Nelson, Pelaam, Petra Howard, Ravyn Bryce, Rick R. Reed, Ruski, Valik and Addy, S.J. Davis, Skylar M. Cates, Star Brady, Steve Baldry, Susan Crane, Tamara Miles, Tash Hatzipetrou, Tim Landon, Tracy Gee, Vicki Tubridy, Victoria Kinnaird, and Wendy Rathbone.

#Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30894158-love-is-love-poetry-anthology

#BuyLinks #ebook:

Amazon Universal: http://my.book/Love-Is-Love

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/648561

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveislovepoetryanthology-2066377-145.html

PayHip: https://payhip.com/b/OoJs

#BuyLinks #paperback:

Amazon Universal: http://my.book/Love-Is-Love-book

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/6356905

BOOK TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AUApjWTWDo&w=560&h=315

#GIVEAWAY: WIN a Paperback copy of Love Is Love

Sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed their time, energy, and skills in the making of this beautiful anthology.

Special thanks also go to Jay Aheer (Simply Defined Art) for the fabulous cover art,

Kelly O’Brien for the ‘Love Wins’ artwork,

and Petra Howard and Tash Hatzipetrou for proofreading the final document.

#spreadthelove #loveislove #lovewins

Hosted by @embrace_rainbow

Discover Susan Mac Nicol's Damaged Goods and Enter the Giveaway!

 

  Title: Damaged Goods 

Author: Susan Mac Nicol 

Series: Men of London #7 

Release Date: April 28th 2016 

Genre: New Adult MM Contemporary Romance

 

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29616981-damaged-goods?ac=1&from_search=true  

  BLURB 

  Touched by tragedy, love is an elusive dream never to be realised by eighteen-year-old Jax Grady--until he discovers his secret admirer and receives the sweetest gift he could ever desire. THE SWEETEST GIFT Tragedy and horror shaped Jackson Grady's life, leaving him orphaned and scarred. At eighteen he's ready to claim his future, but who could love his disfigured face and damaged soul? Definitely not a big, burly, beautiful Irish Traveller who is entirely the stuff of dreams. Dare Rowan didn't mean to become obsessed with the blue-eyed man he first saw across a field, but that porcelain skin and innocent air demanded another meeting. Jax has the face of a wounded angel, and the rest of the young man is as heart-breakingly perfect. Jax is beautiful in every way and teaching him about love and life will be something Dare will embrace. Like unwrapping and savouring the candy at the shop where he works, Dare will show this young man everything Jax desired but never thought he'd have, and take Jax to new highs while he holds him through the lows. Between them, they’ll find out just how sweet life can be. 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Boroughs Publishing | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords

  EXCERPT He wasn’t stalking his fantasy. He wasn’t. Dare clamped his lips together mutinously as he hunkered down behind a towering oak. The tree lay on the outskirts, in the garden of a large Georgian house. From a distance, Dare watched as the beautiful blond man he’d been observing, thank you very much, tenderly placed what looked like flower bulbs in the rich soil. The man—whom Dare had first called Angel, though he now knew his name was Jax thanks to the younger kids playing in the garden yelling to him—leaned over. His pert jean-encased backside pushed out into the air and Dare swallowed, mesmerised by the enticing sight. A pang of guilt washed over his skin at the sneaking knowledge that yes, he could actually be deemed a stalker. “I’ve only watched him a few times,” Dare murmured under his breath. “It’s not like I’m some pervert checking through the windows. I mean, the guy is in plain sight and there’s no boundary fence, so why shouldn’t I look? Anyone would. God, he’s gorgeous. A flawed angel with those blond curls and blue eyes.” His wistful voice echoed in the quiet of the forest surrounding the large house called Castaways. It was some sort of place for homeless kids, Dare thought. He’d found this vantage point by accident one day when he’d been out gathering bits of greenery for his boss, Sally, an eccentric seventy-year-old woman who owned the sweet shop he’d managed for the past three years. Some weeks ago, Sally had decided she wanted to display certain wildflowers in their place of work. She was also heavily into aromatherapy at the moment, so she sent Dare out each week to pick new blossoms and plants to further her ambitions to be a “flower child,” as Dare teasingly called it. He hadn’t minded. It had become a pleasant routine to take the short tube ride to Camden to perform what Sally loftily called his “ecological duties.” This secluded part of the woods around the area was the best place she knew of to find the flowers. Dare had caught sight of the beautiful man in the garden tending to a bunch of what looked like unruly kids, and now, having seen his Angel, Sally could send him out every day and Dare wouldn’t mind. “But that would make me a stalker,” he said to himself. “So I’m not one now—yet.” He huffed and ducked back behind a bush as Jax turned to stare fixedly in his direction from underneath his wide-brimmed straw hat, an item Dare found rather endearing.  

   

  Read the Men of London series: Amazon | Boroughs Publishing | Goodreads

 

  COMING SOON ~ HARD CLIMATE (MEN OF LONDON #8) 

  PRE-ORDER: Boroughs Publishing | Goodreads 

    

  GIVEAWAY: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/391d73bd38/?

 

  About the Author 

  Susan Mac Nicol is a self- confessed bookaholic, an avid watcher of videos of sexy pole dancing men, geek, nerd and in love with her Smartphone. This little treasure is called ‘the boyfriend’ by her long suffering husband, who says if it vibrated, there’d be no need for him. Susan hasn’t had the heart to tell him there’s an app for that… She is never happier than when sitting in the confines of her living room/study/on a cold station platform scribbling down words and making two men fall in love. She is a romantic at heart and believes that everything happens (for the most part) for a reason. She likes to think of herself as a ‘half full’ kinda gal, although sometimes that philosophy is sorely tested. Lover of walks in the forest, theatre productions, dabbling her toes in the cold North Sea and the vibrant city of London where you can experience all four seasons in a day , she is a hater of pantomime (so please don’t tar and feather her), duplicitous people, bigotry and self-righteous idiots. In an ideal world, Susan Mac Nicol would be Queen of England and banish all the bad people to the Never Never Lands of Wherever -Who Cares. As that’s never going to happen, she contents herself with writing her HEA stories and pretending, that just for a little while, good things happen to good people. Sue is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK. 

  Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads