Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Lost in the Florist
By Riley Long & Marie Cole
Blooming Hearts, Book 1
A fast-paced, sexy romance in the woods that will make Smokey Bear come running.
Jax fled his small hometown eight years
ago to make it big in LA. His music career took off and he hasn’t been
back to see his childhood best friend Emmett–his first, unrequited
love–since. No man has lived up to that first love, though Jax has
certainly tried.
When he finally gets a vacation, Jax
decides to put his playboy ways behind him, surprise Emmett with a
visit, and finally lay his feelings on the line. But Emmett has a few
surprises up his sleeve, too–including one big secret. Emmett is a
virgin.
Book Link:
Amazon US * Universal Link
Goodreads
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My Rating - 4.5 Stars!
Lost in the Florist is a great small town romance by Riley Long and Marie Cole. There is lots to love about this book. Friends to lovers is a delightful trope, and these two friends don't disappoint.
A mix of a famous, closeted singer and small town life, these two best friends are faced with revealing their truths to one another. Jax is back in town after being away for years. He has some things to tell his best friend, Emmett.
Dear lord, the emotions in this one hit me hard. The fear and hesitation is certainly painful. A story of taking chances, revealing secrets and desires, and risking it all, I love it! Every single second of this book had me captivated.
This is a story with miscommunication and misunderstandings, so avoid this book if those are a hard limit for you. It includes an entertaining grandmother, an alcoholic father, and some fantastic friends.
The downfalls of living in a small town are well illustrated, including the lack of a lgbt community. As well, there's some other aspects displayed, which certainly add to the storyline.
Jax's alcoholism is well done and completely realistic. It isn't heavily explored, yet still makes an impact.
Lost in the Florist is a fast read that left me satisfied. Riley Long & Marie Cole definitely delight in this sweet and sexy coming out story. I am excited to see what comes next in this series.
Jax
The second Jax placed his can in the cup holder, his phone started vibrating. His heart leapt a little, but when he flipped the phone over, he saw that it was just his manager, not his best friend Emmett calling to tease him with more mental imagery of the blow job he’d always dreamed of--not that Emmett knew that. Jax had kept that little fantasy very close to his chest throughout high school. Their small town wasn’t exactly the gay man’s safe haven and the jocks had a reputation for being extremely anti-queer. Jax hadn’t thought Emmett was anti-queer, but he was on the football team, and Jax knew if there was even a sniff of male on male activity that it would spread like wildfire through the school. Part of him still regretted not saying “Fuck it” and kissing his best friend when he’d had the chance. He’d come close once.
He swiped the screen to answer the phone and scooped it up. “Hey, Ron.” In his free hand, he picked up the remote for the TV and turned it on, quickly muting the volume and switching it over to the internet browser. He pinned the phone between his ear and his shoulder.
“Jax, hey. Just calling to tell you everything’s all arranged.”
“Uh, what’s that now?” Jax was already only half-listening to Ron, attempting to navigate the TV’s browser to pornpornporn.com at the same time.
“The R&R you asked for. The time off. We’ve got it all arranged. You’re going to be staying in a little cabin about a thirty minute drive outside of Camellia. The cabin is already reserved. Do you need me to send someone to stay with you? Sophia maybe?”
The double-meaning was thick in Ron’s tone, catching Jax’s full attention. “Ron, there was only one time that the paparazzi took pictures of me with her. And I told you, we didn’t actually do anything. It was all just coincidental. Uh, circumstantial. Whatever that word is. It just looked compromising. There’s no actual evidence that we hooked up because nothing happened.” He let his gaze travel across the screen, thumbnails of naked guys in all sorts of configurations, waiting for him to choose. “Besides, I’m going there to surprise my best friend, not to get laid.”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say. Listen, it’s none of my business, I’m just trying to keep you happy.” Ron cleared his throat. “The cabin is all yours in a little over a week.”
“This time off is all I need to stay happy. A couple of weeks of rest before the wolves start howling at my door again.” He spotted an image of a muscular man with short brown hair and a beard, frozen in mid-kiss with a guy with a lean, sculpted body, and clicked on it. Immediately, the video took up his full screen and started playing, the two men on a couch, wearing nothing but underwear and making out. His dick twitched and started to grow. “Listen, Ron, I gotta go. Something’s just come up and I need to take care of it. Thanks again. Bye.” He pressed the button to end the call without waiting for a confirmation from his manager and tossed the phone on the bed next to him again.
Enter the Giveaway:
To
celebrate the release of Lost in the Florist, we are giving 2 lucky
winners the chance to win an e-copy of Lost in the Florist and an e-book
of their choice from Riley Long’s published backlist.
About Riley:
Riley Long is a wife and mother living a
quiet life in Virginia, with her husband, son, and one goofy pit bull.
She passes her evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television
(or not so bad television). For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo,
GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs. She likes things with
silly acronyms. The craziest thing Riley has ever done involves whipped
cream and hugs. Riley writes sweet and sexy romance, with a special
place in her heart for hipsters and musicians.
Connect with Riley:
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-long
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13515411.Riley_Long
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01578N1BO
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerrileylong
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/writerrileylong/boards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerrileylong/
Website: https://rileylongwrites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterRileyLong/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RileysReaders
https://www.facebook.com/rileylongwrites
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-long
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13515411.Riley_Long
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01578N1BO
Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerrileylong
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/writerrileylong/boards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerrileylong/
Website: https://rileylongwrites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterRileyLong/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RileysReaders
https://www.facebook.com/rileylongwrites
About Marie:
Marie Cole is the author of the
contemporary romance #JustFriends Series. Lost in the Florist is her
very first boy/boy romance and she’s super excited to be stepping into
the m/m arena beside her writer bestie, Riley Long.
She is currently living in Virginia, is
a self-professed Kwave addict, Karaoke Queen, and social binge drinker.
When she’s not writing she’s taking photos of everything from her
fluffy cat Dustpan to birds conversing on her porch. She loves to show
them off on her Instagram account.
Connect with Marie:
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/marie-cole
Goodreads: goodreads.com/mariecolebooks
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Marie-Cole/e/B00RZXSYBC
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mariecolebooks
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/mariecolebooks/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mariecolebooks
Website: www.mariecolebooks.com
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/marie-cole
Goodreads: goodreads.com/mariecolebooks
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Marie-Cole/e/B00RZXSYBC
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mariecolebooks
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/mariecolebooks/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mariecolebooks
Website: www.mariecolebooks.com
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