Sunday, January 3, 2016

NOT THE ONE by Amy Daws


My name is Reyna Miracle.
Even though a part of my name is Miracle, there’s nothing miraculous about me.
My body portrays the tales of my life.
Every feeling, every heartbreak, every emotion.
Marked. Inked. Stained.
A walking canvas of my messed up truth.
But there’s one confession I can’t put in a tattoo.
A confession that will kill me to tell, but my best friend died before I had the chance.
Now I’m left with him.
The only one who can hold me in the night and squeeze that spot on my neck that feels like my lifeline between sanity and chaos.
But we don’t work together.
We’re absolute poison for each other.
We’re a stifling, suffocating, sickness of darkness.
But I feel safe...because I’ve made an art of pushing people away.
Now he’s pushing back…
And making me believe...
Making me wonder...
Maybe, just maybe...
I could be the one.

~Not The One is Full Length Standalone Adult Romance~ 

 http://bit.ly/1WLkXLs
Not the One was a fabulous read. It is much darker than other novels by Amy but the feels that you get from this book are off the chart! Definitely in my TOP 10 if not 5 for the year!

Reyna Mircle is a lost soul. She's been spinning since the death of her best friend and the betrayal that she was never able to confess to her. She's in a constant state of array and has finally decided enough is enough. The only problem is that she's been in this spiral with her best friend and he just keeps pulling her back, no matter how much she tries to stay a float.

Just as she thinks things are starting to turn around, in walks Liam back into her life, causing a new line of problems, Rey desperately wants to forget. But Liam is pushing...he knows the there is something hidden deep down in the both of them that they need to face, together.

Rey feels she's not worthy of love, but Liam is pushing harder than ever to show her she deserves that and so much more.

I seriously had a huge book hangover after reading this book. It's not all deep and down. We get comic relief in the form of our favorite redhead from the London Bound Series. This is a standalone book but in order to get a little more depth in the story line I would recommend reading the London Bound Series because they are fabulous reads and I adore Amy.

Must Read of 2015

 
“Christ, I hardly recognized you,” he seethes, the angry bulge in his jaw bone ticking violently. He grabs my arm firmly and pulls me off the concrete steps and into a covered archway away from all the other happy students. “What the fuck, Rey?”
“What are you talking about?” I ask in utter confusion.
He reaches beneath my chin, grabs the zipper and yanks it down harshly. I shove his hands away as my robe is yanked open.
“Fuck, Rey! You’re skin and bones!” Liam’s face is tortured and sickly. Dark circles reside under his eyes but he still looks gorgeous as ever.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Grabbing the edges of my robe, I cover myself back up, protectively. I’m wearing a short blue shift dress that used to hug every one of my curves but now hangs on me like a potato sack. I know I’ve lost some weight since Marisa but I’m not about to let him scold me like a child over it. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old adult, Liam. I don’t need you chastising me over this.”
“Rey,” he says my name on a sigh. “How can you expect me to ignore this?” His eyes are pleading and pained as they flash between my eyes and my mouth in utter agony.
“I’m not your concern!” I push back my dark hair and squeeze the back of my neck to try to gain some of my control back.
“You made that perfectly clear when you shoved me out of your dorm room. Fuck. How did we get this so utterly wrong?”
“Just leave it, Liam.”
“No.” He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him. “Don’t you miss me? At all? I miss you like crazy. I feel like I’m mourning two deaths instead of one. It’s like you died on me two weeks ago. And now I see you today and it makes me sick to my stomach that I’ve left you the way I did!” His eyes are shimmering with tears and pain, only adding to the self-loathing I’ve developed the past fourteen days.
My eyes are dead and cold, my voice flat and unaffected. “I told you I wanted nothing to do with you, Liam. I meant it.”
“You’re lying to me. Again!” he roars, angrily punching the concrete wall beside my head. 
Q: Readers are calling Not The One a “painfully beautiful love story.” Why is that? What was the writing process like?
A: Writing this book was terrifying. I’ve never been so far outside my comfort zone with any other book. This storyline literally terrified me and I got pretty depressed during the process. It was crazy hard, but crazy cathartic. It feels good to sink into those dark corners sometimes. It makes finding the light that much more magical.
Q: What inspired this story?
A: Well, Reyna was a character in my London Lovers Series that I couldn’t get out of my head. I had an idea for an interesting backstory for her…a mother/daughter dynamic that I’d never read before but could relate to because of some of my own personal struggles. I needed to know more about her, so I wrote it.
Q: But this book isn’t a London Lovers Series novel, correct?
A: Correct. I’m calling it a spinoff. A cross-pollination so to speak. There are characters from my London Lovers, but it reads best as a total standalone.
Q: Who the heck is Frank? And how did you create him?
A: LOL! Ohhh, Frank and Beans. He is my London Lovers secondary standout. He’s a fantastical redheaded gay Brit that everyone needs in their life. Magically, he fit into Not The One like it was meant to be. Frank is the comedic lightness that this story needed, but he’s so much more. He’s special.
Q: Will he get a story? 
A: He is my most requested story.
That’s not an answer. 
LOL…Let me be “frank” when I tell you…it is a distinct possibility. ;)
Q: Who designed your cover? It’s stunning!
A: I’m so glad you like it because I did! LOL. My sister in law took the photos. We do all of my covers together. We both come armed with cameras and click away until our models can’t take anymore. But I always end up using my sister-in-laws pictures for the cover. I just like to see through the lens instead of my eyes. But I do all my own layout and designing in Photoshop.
Q: And the cover models? 
A: All of my covers have just normal people. I never shoot models. The cover models on Not The One are just a couple of local hairdressers that my sister-in-law knew! It’s funny…I had met the girl a couple of times and talked with her briefly about her incredible ink and through the writing process, her tattoos fit my story perfectly. It was kind of chilling.
Q: So what’s next for you?
A: I’m pretty sure I’ll be continuing on this London path for a couple more stories. Without revealing any spoilers, I’m really hoping readers will be interested in one of the characters’ HEA. I’d love to write his story next. And then…finally, Frank and Beans. :)
Amy Daws is a commercial producer and lives in South Dakota with her husband and daughter. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired her passion for writing. Amy is a lover of all things British and her award-nominated romantic comedy series, The London Lovers Series, is centered around Americans in London. It's emotional and self-deprecating with lots of humor sprinkled in. On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside children’s-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little miracle.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Last Round by Emmy Montes



Happy Release Day to Emmy L. Montes and The Last Round #fightforlove

Buy the Book
Amazon or also a part of KINDLE UNLIMITED

the last round

In the ring, I’m trained, powerful, and in control.

And that’s exactly how I built my legacy.

For years I’ve trained to fight, but no championship title in the world has prepared me for the most important fight of my life.

Out of the ring, I’m untamed and reckless.

Which is why my wife of nine years has filed for divorce.

I’m done with living up to the bad boy image my middleweight titles come with. Boxing is my life, but the money and the fame mean nothing to me without her by my side.

This fight is for the woman that I love.

And I can’t lose.

I won’t lose.

add-to-goodreads-button

The Last Round Teaser4

 Life is not always what it seems for those living the celebrity life. And it's hard but even harder for those couples that enter from obscurity to full fledged stardom.

Julian and Natalia were high school sweethearts. Their love knew no bounds until the celebrity lifestyle became a whole new mistress. Julian finally had hit the breaking point, ending up in rehab but get the surprise of his life when he finds out the one person that has always had his back, has always been his rock... has finally had enough.

The Last Round is a poignant look at their lives and what went wrong, where. 

Will they be able to find their trust in each other again. Can two friends who turned lovers be able to find the reasoning for staying or will it just be too much and better off to let the other go.

Julian is in for the fight of his life. And he isn't giving up until Natalia is back in his arms.

An emotional yet sentimental read that will have you in pieces and put you back together again.


Trailer

FLASHBACK of Julian and Natalia (High School Years)
 
My smile brightened with each step. This should be fun. His head was bent low as his fork stabbed into a baked potato.

Placing my tray down, I took a seat across from him. “If that was a living being lying on your plate, I’m sure you’d be charged for aggravated assault or even attempted murder. What has that poor potato done to you?”

He lifted his head, eyes meeting mine with a raised brow. He seemed both amused and annoyed I interrupted his train of thought.

“I eat alone,” he said, eyes tensed. Then he shoved a fork full of the loaded starch into his mouth. His tongue darted out and wiped clean his perfect lips. I wonder what it would be like to kiss Julian Rios.

“So do I!” I sounded a bit too bubbly, even for myself, but with a wide grin, I nestled further into the seat, crossed my legs, and reached for my apple. “We can eat alone together.”

“Why do I have the feeling you’re gonna make my life miserable?”

“But quite the contrary; by the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna want me part of your life every waking second.”

He scoffed. “I find that very difficult to believe.”

“Listen. I’m a freshman. You’re a junior. We have two long years together. Unless you switch schools, I’m all for bugging the hell out of you until you fall irresistibly in love with me.”

He pointed a plastic fork at me. “I’ve seen girls like you on The First 48. You’re one of those psycho obsessed chicks, right? I’m gonna have to get a restraining order, aren’t I?”

I never laughed so hard in my life and for a moment the cafeteria went quiet. Only the sound of my hooting bounced in the space. I froze and looked around along with Julian. I focused my gaze back on him, leaned in and whispered, “Everyone is staring at us.”

Julian moved in closer. “Because you’ve just crossed over dangerous grounds.”

Squinting, I mouthed, “You don’t scare me.”

“You scare me.”

A soft grin touched my lips. “Good.”

EL MontesUSA Today Bestselling Author, E.L. Montes (Emmy Luz Montes) lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Alex, and their English Bulldog name Butters. She has a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies.
Ms. Montes worked several years as a paralegal for a mid-size law firm. She had always loved the legal field and found it to be interesting. She more so "secretly" loved to write. Disastrous was her debut novel which was released October 2012. After the release of her second novel Ms. Montes took a huge leap, by leaving her fulltime job to focus on her writing career. She has and continues to write characters with flaws. Ms. Montes said, “No one is perfect and neither are my characters. It makes the storyline a bit more realistic, in my opinion. But I also feel no matter who you are or the life you have lived, everyone deserves someone to love and be loved. I’m a hopeless romantic, and enjoy writing a story where my readers feel like they’re living and feeling every emotion.”


TheLastRoundTeaser2 

Sunday, December 20, 2015

{Trailer} Exclusive Debut for STARTING OVER by Barbie Bohrman



Single mom Vanessa Holt has a daughter she loves, a supportive family, and her art. Having given up on finding true love—if that even exists, which she doubts—she’s content to put romance on the back burner. But not everyone agrees. Those nearest and dearest are ready to see Vanessa let down her long blonde hair and have some fun.

To put their grumbling to rest, Vanessa agrees to go on a date with the next man who asks. Luckily for her, that man is Cameron Thomas, her daughter’s extremely handsome science teacher. She’d felt a spark of chemistry the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Now she’s ready to lay a whole lot more on the sexy bachelor.

But just as things get hot, they also get heavy. When the man who broke Vanessa’s heart reappears, her old doubts and fears about love rush to the surface. Will her fresh start with Cameron be over before it’s barely begun? 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24645580-starting-over?ac=1&from_search=1






Barbie Bohrman was born and raised in Miami, FL and ultimately moved to the Garden State where she currently resides with her husband and two children.

Life, and all that comes along with it, had her giving up on her dream of pursuing anything in the writing world for many years. Then a prologue contest in a book club garnered her interest enough to throw her hat in the ring to see what, if anything, would come from it.

From that contest came the roots of her debut novel, Promise Me, which was ultimately picked up by Montlake Romance.

When she is not writing you can find her trying to get through the 1000+ books on her Kindle, or watching Lost, Seinfeld, or one of any other number of TV shows available on Netflix for binge watching.






Holiday Giveaway from Leylah Attar

leylah attar giveaway

To celebrate the holidays, Leylah Attar has put together an AMAZING giveaway including signed copies of The Paper Swan, 53 Letters for My Lover, From His Lips, and a gorgeous doodle by Christina Collie (open internationally).

Enter the giveaway using the Gleam link below. 
ONE winner to be announced on December 28th.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season and a blessed 2016!
#LeylahAttarHolidayGiveaway
Giveaway

Books by Leylah Attar
THE PAPER SWAN:
Barnes & Noble➜ http://bit.ly/1LErAem

53 LETTERS FOR MY LOVER:
Barnes & Noble➜ http://bit.ly/1eeueLp

FROM HIS LIPS:
Barnes & Noble➜ http://bit.ly/1QYuWs0

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Exclusive Debut of The Last Round Trailer - Emmy L. Montes




In the ring, I’m trained, powerful, and in control.
And that’s exactly how I built my legacy.


For years I’ve trained to fight, but no championship title in the world has prepared me for the most important fight of my life.


Out of the ring, I’m untamed and reckless.
Which is why my wife of nine years has filed for divorce.
I’m done with living up to the bad boy image my middleweight titles come with. Boxing is my life, but the money and the fame mean nothing to me without her by my side.


This fight is for the woman that I love.
And I can’t lose.
I won’t lose.



Photo Credit: Mae I Designs & Photography
USA Today Bestselling Author, E.L. Montes (Emmy Luz Montes) lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Alex, and their English Bulldog name Butters. She has a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies.

Ms. Montes worked several years as a paralegal for a mid-size law firm. She had always loved the legal field and found it to be interesting. She more so "secretly" loved to write. Disastrous was her debut novel which was released October 2012. After the release of her second novel Ms. Montes took a huge leap, by leaving her fulltime job to focus on her writing career. She has and continues to write characters with flaws. Ms. Montes said, “No one is perfect and neither are my characters. It makes the storyline a bit more realistic, in my opinion. But I also feel no matter who you are or the life you have lived, everyone deserves someone to love and be loved. I’m a hopeless romantic, and enjoy writing a story where my readers feel like they’re living and feeling every emotion.”


Go to my Facebook Page for a chance to win an ARC of The Last Round



Thursday, December 10, 2015

I'll Be There by Samantha Chase




Book #6 in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Samantha Chase's popular Montgomery series

This Montgomery Has a Head for Business

Working for Zach Montgomery is challenging on many levels-coming from a wealthy and powerful family, he lives by his own rules and doesn't answer to anyone. But Gabriella Martine has no intention of backing down. She's used to handling stubborn men, and it doesn't hurt that Zach is smart, charismatic...and gorgeous.

And a Heart for Adventure

Zach's perfect world is turned upside down when a climbing accident leaves him broken, angry, and maddeningly dependent. In his slow quest for recovery, Gabriella is always there to help...but as Zach comes to see his beautiful assistant in a new light, he is forced to re-evaluate what it really means to be a man worthy of Gabriella's love.

BUY NOW




I absolutely love the Montgomery Series by Samantha Chase and Book 6 in the series - I'll Be There - does not disappoint.

Zach Montgomery is recovering from a mountain climbing accident that could have taken his life. He's been at home, trying to make it through each day without scaring away the therapists that come to help him and just make it through a day. His duties as President of the Portland Division of The Montgomeries is going by the way side and his Uncle William thinks the only way to jump start him back to a road to recovery is to take the position away from him and send in reinforcements - his assistant Gabriella Martine. She's just the woman who won't back down from the snarky Zach. The two used to work flawlessly together until something changed a few years ago, much a mystery as to what for Gabriella. The past two years, they've still worked well together but there as been a tension that all of a sudden appeared that she can't seem to shake and so Gabrielle doesn't know how well the plan will work. The only thing is, she doesn't know that Zach has held a flame for Gabs since the day he hired her.

As the two are forced to work together day in and day out, their friendship starts to rekindle and things escalate fast and furious between the two. The only problem is that old insecurities have a way of creeping back in. So will the two be able to put the past in past and move forward to new beginnings? Or will everything come crashing down on them - leaving them both lost.

Although this is part of a series, each book can be read as a stand alone. I highly recommend the series though. They are full of laughter, witty dialogue and sexy Montgomery Men. William Montgomery keeps you in stitches and his meddling ways of matchmaking. Can't wait for more in the series!

 “I guess I could come over.”

Her words were said so quickly that Zach thought he might have imagined them. “What did you say?”

“It…it was nothing. Never mind. I’ll just plan on seeing you tomorrow.”

“You said you could come over. Like now.”

“It’s late,” she said softly.

“Do you have a curfew?”

She giggled. “No.”

“That’s good. Neither do I.”

“But…it’s crazy, Zach. It’s not like we can get anything done tonight.”

He wasn’t so sure about that. “So? We’ll watch a movie or we’ll start our online research and making our plan for tomorrow.”

“I’m…I’m kind of in my jammies already.”

Was it too much to hope that it was scraps of silk and lace and she’d kept her stilettos on? “Me too.”

Now she laughed a little harder. “Oh really?”

“Yup. Really. Flannel pants, a t-shirt. Very jammie-ish.”

“I don’t even think that’s a word, Zach.”

“It doesn’t need to be. Come on. I’m not expecting you to come over in business attire, Gabs. I’ve seen you in jeans and dressed casually. It’s not a big deal.”

“I don’t normally drive around a whole lot at night.”

As much as he wanted to see her and spend time with her, he certainly wasn’t going to be selfish and endanger her by making her drive around late at night. If he was ready to drive on his own, he’d suggest going over to her place, but he hadn’t gotten the clearance from his doctor yet.

“It’s okay, Gabriella. We’ll leave things as we originally planned and I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.” He sighed quietly and got comfortable on the couch. “I don’t want you driving around by yourself late at night.”

“You’re very sweet.”

He laughed darkly. “I bet it hurt to say that.”

“Oh, stop. We agreed we weren’t looking back, right?”

He nodded. “Right.” God he wanted to keep talking to her but he could hear it in her voice that she was tired. “Why don’t I let you go and get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Mmm,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. If it wasn’t quite so late…”

“It’s all right, Gabs. Really.”

“Okay. I don’t want you to be mad.”

“Not mad. Disappointed. I’m finding I really like spending time with you.”

“I like it too.”

She was killing him. 

“Go,” he forced himself to say. “Goodnight, Gabriella.”

She made that purring sound again and everything in Zach hardened.
“Goodnight, Zach.”




New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40's to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
Haven't Started the Series?
WAIT FOR ME/TRUST IN ME 
are now available in a duo!


Status Update by Annabeth Albert




Adrian Gottlieb is winning at life. He’s a successful video game designer with everything a man could ask for, including a warm comfy ride to Denver and a date for his sister’s wedding. But he finds himself in need of a total reboot when he's left stranded at a snowy campground in Utah. Holiday plans? Epic fail.

That is until Noah Walters offers him shelter for the night and a reluctant cross-country ride. Nothing about the ultraconservative geoarchaeologist should attract Adrian, but once he discovers Noah’s hidden love for video games, the two connect on a new level. Soon, a quiet but undeniable chemistry sparks.

Something doesn’t add up, though. As the miles accumulate and time runs out, Noah must face the most difficult choice of his life. Meanwhile, Adrian must decide whether he’s ready to level up. Is their relationship status worth fighting for, or has this game ended before it's even begun?


BUY NOW



Noah knew the dog was trouble as soon as he and Ulysses entered the campground’s off-leash dog area. The little guy—some sort of Chihuahua/mini-pin mix in a yellow-and-green checked coat—stood in the center of the scrubby grass, barking his fool head off. The only human in the dog area sat at the picnic table on the far side, completely absorbed in his shiny phone, oblivious to his dog strutting around like all eight pounds of him would be enough to keep potential threats out.

Ulysses gave Noah a look, like “you really expect me to ignore that?” Noah tightened his hold on the tennis ball chucker. Ulysses never did well competing with smaller dogs for his toys. He unclipped Ulysses with a stern look.

“Be good.”

Still yapping, the little dog rushed over to inspect his new enemy. Predictably, Ulysses wandered away to do his business. He was too old for these sorts of games.

Noah gave a halfhearted wave in the direction of the owner, but the guy didn’t look up from his phone. The young guy was a typical hipster tourist—thick tortoise-framed glasses, artfully messed-up dark hair, with a thick purple streak, falling over his forehead. Slim build, but his wide shoulders stretched his too-thin jacket, making the shiny fabric ripple with his motions. He wasn’t any more prepared for November in Utah than his designer dog. Still, he was a cute guy, if one was the type to notice things like that, which Noah was not.

Noah looked away, studying the sheer cliffs that surrounded the Capitol Reef National Park. Didn’t matter how much time he spent in Southern Utah, he never got tired of the view. Phone guy was missing the light shifting into one of those perfect late fall sunsets that made the early dusk worth the loss of daylight. Pink streaks mingled with gray sky to cast a rosy glow over the scrubby grass and low fence of the dog area.

Rowwwr. Ulysses flopped at Noah’s feet, a deep beseeching whine rattling out of his barrel chest. He was eighty pounds of unhappy. He’d waited patiently all afternoon while Noah worked, and now he was missing out on his ball time thanks to the teacup gatekeeper.

“Okay, but play nice.” Noah threw the ball hard with the chucker toy, going for enough distance to outstrip the tiny dog’s ability to keep up with Ulysses. Not surprisingly, the little guy was tenacious, cutting off Ulysses’s path to the ball. Ulysses gave a warning woof, and Noah broke into a run, heading after the dogs.

“Down,” he called out. Ulysses wouldn’t attack the smaller dog, but he wasn’t above a major tantrum. And despite the smaller dog acting as instigator, people would see the huge black dog and toss out the “aggressor” label. Noah preferred to exercise him late in the day—Ulysses simply didn’t enjoy playing with other dogs, and Noah wasn’t one to force his dog into uncomfortable situations.
The little dog stood over the ball, yapping up a storm while Ulysses barked and growled, ignoring Noah’s command to sit.

Finally, the owner hefted himself off the picnic bench.

“Pixel, baby, what are you doing?” the owner called in a melodic voice that didn’t inspire Noah’s confidence in the man’s ability to control his dog. “Did the big doggie scare you?”

Hah. Typical. Noah snorted. “Can you grab the ball?” He didn’t trust those little dog breeds—too quick to snap. He’d nearly been bitten trying to retrieve a ball more than once.

“Oh sure.” The guy reached under Pixel—typical cutesy name for an annoying dog—and delicately plucked the ball free, but instead of handing it to Noah, he gave it a toss, sending both dogs running.
Oh great. Noah let out a slow breath, little puffs of vapor in the crisp evening air that did nothing to defuse his tension.

“It’ll be okay.” The way-too-handsy guy patted the sleeve of Noah’s parka. “They just need to work it out. Pixel loves to play.”

Noah took a step to the side. Who did that? Touched complete strangers? But the guy kept up his friendly grin, not unlike his dog, who kept gamely chasing Ulysses. Ulysses won the race to the ball this time and hightailed it back to Noah. Not releasing his prize, he whined softly.

“Hey, boy. You got a toy?” The guy knelt to dog level and extended a hand, but instead of sniffing, Ulysses shook his head.

“Sorry. He’s not much on new people.” Neither am I. Noah’s voice sounded rough to his own ears—too many days with only Ulysses to talk to.

“It’s okay.” The guy straightened, then extended a hand to Noah. “I’m Adrian Gottlieb. You been at Capitol Reef long?”

“Couple of weeks.” He returned Adrian’s handshake, hating it when a little buzz shot up his arm. Unlike his own gloved hand, Adrian’s hand was bare, a hint of a tattoo playing peekaboo with his cuff, his grip strong and firm. And Noah had absolutely no business noticing anything more than the guy’s relentless friendliness.

Adrian smiled expectantly as he released Noah’s hand.

“Oh, I’m Noah. And that’s Ulysses,” he added, because dog people always wanted to know all about the dog. No doubt the guy was bursting to tell Pixel’s life story.

“Add-dreeee-an,” a heavily accented voice called from the gate. A beefy guy close to Noah’s age leaned on the fence, bald head gleaming in the setting sun. “I’m lonely. When are you coming back?”
“Coming,” Adrian shouted, then gave Noah a shrug with a “what can you do?” expression on his face. He grabbed Pixel and jogged across the field.

Noah nodded like he knew anything about handling demanding friends. Adrian greeted the mammoth dude with a quick peck. Okay then. Not a friend. He should have guessed, but he was a bit slow about relationship stuff. The country was changing, even way out here, but no one would dare try even that much PDA in his tiny West Texas college town. His stomach gave a weird flip—not quite discomfort, but something else he refused to name. Time to return his attention to Ulysses. He hurled the tennis ball as hard as he could.


This was a first time read for me and this author and I adored her writing and her character and will definitely be adding more of her reads to my TBR.

Adrian Gottlieb on the outside seems to have the perfect life. A family that loves and accepts him, a cool job as a video gamer programmer - but just can't seem to find the right guy. Case in point... Being stranded by the guy you met online, that you just so happen to be traveling cross country with to your sister's wedding, who by the way is marrying your ex boyfriend! Thank goodness Noah Walters offers him a place to stay and decides to take him the rest of the 8 hours to his parents house.

Humiliated and left with nothing but his dog and the clothes he's wearing, he happily accepts the offer from the handsome yet painfully shy man. That is until they get stuck in a snow storm and end up holed up together for a few days. Noah it seems is a closeted Video Game player and oh yeah closeted gay man too.

I don't want to tell you much more about the story but know that it's a sweet, funny, hot and steamy and I sure hope there is more of these two is future books from Annabeth.

 


Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency