Secrets and Broken Pieces (Promises #1) by Karen Botha

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Blurb

When hate turns to love...
AXEL
The day I started as the first junior ever to be employed at Judd Racing, I never expected to fall in love. I arrived there with vengeance in my heart. And I set about delivering my plan to right the wrongs of my past.
Or, so I thought.

FLORIAN
Axel turned up, and it was like a whirlwind walked in and snatched away my rational thoughts. Not only was he hot, hot, hot, but he had an emptiness in his soul that was crying out to be filled.
And, I knew I was just the person to do it.

The road to true love for Axel and Florian was never going to be simple though, and in this book, which is a spin-off to the Commitment series, we follow these lesser-known characters and understand exactly what makes them tick.

We cry for the pain that Axel simultaneously hides too well, and doesn’t hide at all. We root for Florian to work out the kinks and bring out Axel’s true character that we can all see hidden away under his iron-clad surface.

Axel fears what would happen if he reveals his true character while Florian fears for their future if he doesn’t.

Then we cheer for their happy ever after when they eventually work out what the hell they need to do to make their lives work.
As one.

Axel is another example of how Botha combines all the hallmarks that have made her page-turning writing a go to for anyone looking for love. Download your copy now.


Axel is the first in the Promises series of gay romance books, a spinoff series from the Commitment Series. The MM romance books included in this LGBT series are: Axel and will be followed by Florian’s story, although each book is a story in its own right and has a HEA.

Other series in the same Universe include: Love 1: Daisy, Love 2: Idris, Love 3: Cassius and the Commitment Series 1. Buckle Up 2. G-Force 3. Jump Start 4. Ignition 5. Turbo Charged 6. Pole Position

A note from Karen I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and my other series', it's always great to hear what readers say directly. All my contact details are on my Amazon Author Page, feel free to message me.

Review 

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Secrets and Broken Pieces is the start of a new series by Karen Botha, but it's set in the world of the Buckle Up series.

Axel has come to work for Elliott, but hasn't told him that he's his son. I absolutely love this. Axel's life has been awful; he's homeless, his mom died, and foster care was bad.

At his new job, Axel meets Florian. The interest is immediate, but both fight it. I love the age difference in this romance, as it's both hot and fun. Their story is one of acceptance, as well as dealing with past scars. It's a tale of guilt, deception, bad timing, confessions, and understanding. It's about trust and letting your walls down.

Holy crap, I freakin love the way Florian deals with Axel's scars. Total swoon moment!

I do find the ending to be rather abrupt, but hopefully we'll get to see more these two in another book. Overall, the story is fast paced, glossing over a lot of details, but it's a sweet story. 

Racing into Love (Cut to the Feeling Book 1) by Noah Steele

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Blurb

Aiden Reed is stuck in a major boy rut.

Every date ends in something worse than disaster—boredom.

That is, until star racer Derrek Luna crashes the end of a terrible date at Aiden’s cozy bookstore. Derrek’s confident charm and killer good looks throw Aiden’s quiet, cautious world into chaos when he says he wants a shot at Aiden’s heart.

Derrek is sure Aiden is different. He’s sure Aiden won’t just vanish without a word. Not like the others did. But the closer Derrek gets to the man who charmed him without a word from across a crowded room, the more his life on the track threatens to keep them apart.

Aiden is ready to take the risk—he thinks.

What if Aiden’s panic attacks scare Derrek away?

What if Derrek’s ghosts come back to haunt him?

…what if it doesn’t matter because they’re already in love?

Racing into Love is a gay instalove romantic drama ready and waiting to take you from zero to sixty with every turn of the page.

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!


It's exciting to discover a novel by a debut author that I absolutely love. And, in Racing Into Love, by Noah Steele, I found just that. 

Aiden and Derrek fall for each other quickly, after meeting in Aiden's bookstore. As much as I enjoy their insta-love story, it's the other stuff that left me really excited. There's emotions, drama, action, danger, and more. 

One of my favorite parts is actually Aiden's relationship with his best friend. It's written in a compelling manner, adds to the drama, and wraps up nicely.

Aiden's panic attacks are written with knowledge and care. They are realistically handled, with the readers able to feel the stress radiating off of him. 

And Aiden and Derrek, themselves, are a great couple who compliment each other. They are complete opposites who definitely make for a fabulous couple. They both are understanding, caring and willing to sacrifice things for the other. They are hot together, as well as sweet. 

I am definitely impressed with Noah Steele's writing in Racing Into Love. I know I will definitely be checking out his future books, hoping they are just as good. In addition, I'll be crossing my fingers that we get more of Aiden and Derrek.

BLOG TOUR - Commitment Collection by Karen Botha

COMMITMENT COLLECTION BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Buckle Up, G-Force and Jump Start Collection

Author: Karen Botha

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Jarmilla Takac

Genre/s: Contemporary gay romance

Release Date: October 18, 2018

Heat Rating: 4 flames

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Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

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Blurb

On the road of life, passion is what drives us, but love makes us stay the course.

Elliott Judd is a superstar race car driver and hotter than hell. Men and women fall at his feet and he enjoys the easy pickings.

Kyle Beaumont, a straight mechanic with a body to die for, joins the racing team of his dreams with his mind fixed on the job.

But as the racing seasons come and go, these men realize they might be racing to the same trophy, each other. With their physical and emotional exploits driven to new depths. they face devastating disruptions when the past crashes into them. Are their feelings for each other enough to keep them on the right track?

Find how passion and lust turn to love, and whether these driven men focus on happiness in the journey or the destination in this hot, sexy three-book series.

Download your copy of Commitment Collection 1 - 3 now.

Buckle-Up #1

Passion, lust and desire are the fuel that drives us. So, buckle up for the ride of your life.

Elliott Judd is a superstar race car driver and hotter than hell. Men and women fall at his feet and he enjoys the easy pickings. No one has tamed this wild stallion, but is he ready to settle down for the right person?

Kyle Beaumont, a straight mechanic with a body to die for joins the racing team of his dreams, and with his mind fixed on the job, he doesn't realise that he is Elliott's next trophy of choice.

As the racing season and the fight to be the world number one starts, so too does Elliott's game of seduction.
Will Elliott crash and burn, or will Kyle succumb to this gorgeous man's onslaught?

Buckle Up is the first book in a gay romance series by Karen Botha and a story of unlikely love.

REVIEWS

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Buckle Up is a fun and exciting action-romance by Karen Botha.

Kyle and Will feel that instant attraction to each other, but Kyle's never been with a guy before. We get to follow along as they navigate their feelings, as well as some obstacles they are in their way.

There's a whole lot of first time moments, including some great steamy scenes. The pace is so good, pulling me right and keeping me invested.  They connect physically first, and then develop into more. 

Buckle Up pulled me in at start and couldn't put it down. It is fast paced, developed well and includes a great romance. I definitely recommend Buckle Up.

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G-Force #2

Love breeds intensity.
Intensity breeds passion.

Recovered from a life-threatening accident, Kyle Beaumont is a powerhouse who is eager to show Elliott Judd just how far he can push his hotter than ever physique. Their physical and emotional exploits are driven to a depth neither has ever experienced with anyone else.

As a racing driver superstar, Elliott loves handling power, and he's geared up for taking everything Kyle throws his way. In fact, he craves it. But, when the past smashes into their lives, is the couple prepared to handle possibly devastating disruptions?

Set in a world of fast cars, intense love, and a burning desire to win at all costs, this is a love story brimming with unbridled lust. Join Elliott and Kyle as they race their demons to the finish line in hopes of taking home the ultimate prize-their undying love.

REVIEW

My Rating - 5 Stars!

In G-Force, we get more of Kyle and Elliot from Buckle Up, as Karen Botha continues this great series.

Kyle and Elliot are as scorching as ever, with such intense passion. They are together, Kyle is recovering from his injury and they feel like they are invincible. Of course, there are obstacles in their way, as Elliot has to hide from fans, they deal with homophobic people, a scary ex, and Kyle faces a family tragedy. 

Same as the first book, the writing is fluid, the plot is fun and the racing is exciting. The characters continue to keep me emotionally involved, as they are intoxicating, funny, complex, and spunky.

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Jump Start #3

Falling in love is easy.
Making it work, well, that's where the fun begins.

Falling in love with Kyle Beaumont helped Elliott Judd find a romantic piece of himself he didn't know existed. The two men take the next step in their relationship when Kyle moves into Elliott's place, but despite the passion he feels for his talented mechanic and lover, the scorching hot race car driver suddenly feels out of place in his own home.

Kyle adores Elliott, and thinks of him as the love of his life he didn't see coming. But calling a mansion home and fitting into Elliott's space is more of a culture shock than he'd anticipated.Join Kyle and Elliott as they adjust to sharing their lives with one another, both in and out of the spotlight. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll wonder if these two will ever get it right.

REVIEW

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Karen Botha's Commitment series continues with book three, Jumpstart.

Elliott and Kyle are moving in together, which should be a fun and easy time. Instead it's laden with stress, disasters and misunderstandings.

They also have to deal with complications that come with being a couple, not trusting friends, learning to make decisions together, and the basic understanding of what's involved when you're one half of a couple.

Because of Kyle's job, they also have to deal with fans, press, and all the issues that come with celebrity. 

Jumpstart's a fun continuation of their story, full of different obstacles they have to face. It's well written, has a great pace, and has some amazingly steamy scenes. This whole series by Karen Botha is fantastic! Be sure to check it out when you're in the mood for a light read. 

Excerpt from Buckle Up

“It’s the first day of my new job as a race mechanic for one of the leading motor teams in the world. I can’t explain how long I’ve waited for this. The company had me jumping through hoops before I finally received the letter inviting me to come on board.

The pay isn’t as considerable as you’d expect, but the prestige is tremendous. And the lifestyle, well it’s one for a single man, that’s for sure. I’ll be abroad for the best part of eight months out of twelve, traveling around the globe to compete in races that test my skills to the core. The rest of the year, I’ll be running flat out developing next season’s car.

I’ve entered into this late. It’s the first day of track testing the new car. A disagreement with a previous employee means I’ve been offered a chance to show them what I’m made of. It’s a huge deal, so I’m grabbing this opportunity with both my greedy hands.

“We’ll practice pit stops.” James, the number one mechanic, says.

“I snatch my tire, remove it from the cover which keeps it up to temperature when we take it off the heating chamber, and run to the front of the garage.

“Keep the cover on. Elliott will be practicing his pit stop procedure too, so the tires don’t need to be fitted,” James says.

“Oh, OK.” Fuck, first rookie error and I’m only five minutes in. I start beating myself up. Hopefully the tires will warm back up to temperature again before we need them.

I don’t have time to be overly hard on myself. The two drivers, Elliott and Brad, make their entrance.

But only one stands out.

Elliott Judd.

He’s dressed the same as Brad, they walk at the same pace, and they’re even roughly the same size. But he’s brighter. The only way I can describe it is that he has color around him like no one I’ve ever met. A star quality. The tabloid hacks are right.

The second driver pales away against the white walls of the garage while Elliott glows.”

About the Author 

Karen Botha was born in Lincolnshire England where her father was in the royal air force. As a young girl she always had a passion for reading and writing. Working most of her adult life in digital marketing didn't leave her much time to pursue her passion for stories. at the age of 36 She retrained for a reflexologist and started working for herself. This helped her free up more than enough time to enjoy a re-found passion for writing.

Her first novel was inspired by true life experiences and tales from clients. But don't believe everything you read.

She enjoys traveling rugby and motor sport, this gives her inspiration and ideas for her books.

The first in the new LGBT series is a mm romance novel about a race car driver and his mechanic.

She currently lives in London with her husband and rescue dog called Shadow.

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

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RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW - Pole Position by Karen Botha

Title: Pole Position

Series: Commitment #6

Author: Karen Botha

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: 24th Sept

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 196 Pages

Genre: Romance, M/M Romance

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Synopsis

When failing is not an option and starting first doesn’t mean you’ve won. 

Judd Racing is running like a well-oiled machine with Kyle as the new boss
and Elliott back in the driving seat, eager to prove to the world that his
life-altering crash hasn't left him mentally and physically broken.

So, Kyle and Elliott are on the road to a great life, until another incident
on the race track brings back traumatic memories for the pair. This latest
setback reignites Elliott's insecurities and combined with damaging obstacles
we’re left asking whether Elliott's latest accident and a bunch of
hotheadedness will keep our racing superstar from earning that coveted pole
position?

The continuation of Elliott and Kyle’s commitment story. Read about these
sexy guys and learn whether they can face their demons, and the public, while
taking another lap on the race track of life.

REVIEW 

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Pole Position is the 6th book in Karen Botha's Commitment series.

Elliott's back and driving again, but they have some obstacles they will have to face. There's jealousy, fear and more. Karen Botha once again treats us to some warm and tender moments, in addition to some angst and danger. As with the previous books, I just adore Elliott and Kyle!

Pole Position is a wonderful addition to this fun series. 

Excerpt

Franco then takes over speaking at a pace in his mother tongue with much frantic gesticulating of hands. Their voices crescendo to a high whine, and I can’t stand this tension any longer. Despite my best efforts, I have to peek at Kyle. I know what’s coming, but even in the circumstances, the pull of our shared humor is overpowering.

He’s been waiting for the exact same thing, and as soon as I dare to sneak a glance in his direction, his eyes swivel in their sockets to meet mine without his head moving. It’s almost impossible not to snicker
like two schoolboys, as inappropriate laughter surges from my chest. I manage to catch it in the back of my throat, faking a cough. Kyle rolls his eyes, which twinkle with mischief, while Chase barely notices, so engrossed is he in the fiasco playing out in front of us.

I know it’s wrong. I know this is a serious situation, and I know it’s my son who we are trying to get out of the shit, but sometimes, really?

The best part about having Kyle with me is that together we can work through anything. And that includes lightening the shitty mood that could descend on us with all these heightened emotions at play.

I have half a mind to tell them to just take the cash and let him out. Let’s break free from this claustrophobia and game playing. But the other, more sensible half holds tight until we have no other option.

I nudge Chase. “Do you think it would help if you sign a statement?”

He shrugs. “I’d rather not have a record of this mess. I hope you’re happy.”

“Huh? That I’m happy? What have I done?”

“You starting this whole company without a clue what you’re doing. Incidents like this were bound to happen. It’s OK when you keep them to yourself, but when you start dragging others into it...”

I’m about to reply, but the arguing, which has reached shouting level,ceases, and Franco turns to us. “Axel will be released with immediate effect.” He shoots a serious glare at the constable.

“We are sorry for any miscommunication.”

I shoot Chase one final, questioning look before standing and following the rest of the troop back to sit down in that oppressive waiting room again.

“How did you manage it?”

“I threatened to expose him to his wife for an affair he is having.”

“Oh?” Kyle looks at me at exactly the same time I widen my eyes at him.

“It was a lucky guess.” Franco’s smile is wry .

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Meet the Author

Ooh, where to start? I used to work in a proper job that was KILLING me -- slowly! I packed it all in and retrained as a massage therapist and reflexologist which meant I had downtime to fill and I knew just the thing.

So, now I spend more hours than I work in my office conjuring up all manner of sex scenes and scrapes. I say I'm so happy because I have whichever imaginary friends with me, doing exactly what I like, when I want. Who could ask for more? Hah!

By the way, now I have NO downtime.

Please follow me, I'm on Facebook and Twitter Twatter and Instagram and I have my own website, www.KarenBotha.com. It would be great to get some interaction from you guys. Much as I love my imaginary friends, it's great to speak to real people too.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | eMail | Instagram

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RELEASE BLITZ - Turbocharged by Karen Botha

Title: Turbo charged

Series: Commitment Series, #5

Author: Karen Botha

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: 1st Oct

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 190 pages

Genre: Romance, mm romance

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Synopsis

Can we ever fully experience the good if you don't suffer the evil?

Elliott and Kyle stand to lose everything. A treacherous traitor inside Judd Racing is leaking sensitive information that threatens both their personal and professional lives. The race car driver and the mechanic must find and expose the mole while they also convince their investors to take a leap of faith and trust in their business savvy to help make their dream a reality.

Will their goals be realized or will they go up in flames along with their hard earned cash?

REVIEW

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Turbocharged is another fun installment in Karen Botha's Commitment Series. 

Elliott and Kyle are now back together and trying to get their business running. As life is never easy though, they face some money issues as well as some personal issues. Once again, the writing is both fun and entertaining, with a great pace. I am enjoying reading about this couple and am happy that there's so many books in this series. 

Excerpt

My heart skips, bouncing around the space in my chest, performing a little dance of anticipation. The denim loosens as he peels down my zipper, the draft of the open air caressing my rapidly expanding length as the broad daylight casts over my exposed skin. Without warning, my gorgeous, depraved man lowers his hot lips down, encasing me in the dark, wet cavern of his mouth. The base of my spine zings with life as he sucks his cheeks hollow sending messages which curl my toes, tilt my head and send my heart rate into spasmodic convulsions.

The chance of being caught pushes us to speed up the process and he doesn’t let up the intensity of his mouth as his tongue whips over my swollen head, sweeping up the taste of my delicious excitement. He works fast and hard, not ceasing until the pressure builds in a rapid explosion of firepower which launches down the back of his throat. The force leaves me my vision blurred and my body limp, and I spend a moment trying to calm the manic beating in my chest.

“Consider that your starter,” he says flicking a finger over the corner of his mouth as I sigh and switch the car into drive.

“If that was the starter, I can’t wait to find out what the main course is.” I squeeze his hand as I pull down the winding drive and back onto the main highway.

Purchase at Amazon

Meet the Author

Karen Botha was born in Lincolnshire England where her father was in the royal air force. As a young girl she always had a passion for reading and writing. Working most of her adult life in digital marketing didn't leave her much time to pursue her passion for stories. at the age of 36 She retrained for a reflexologist and started working for herself. This helped her free up more than enough time to enjoy a re-found passion for writing.

Her first novel was inspired by true life experiences and tales from clients. But don't believe everything you read.

She enjoys traveling rugby and motor sport, this gives her inspiration and ideas for her books.
The first in the new lgbt series is a mm romance novel about a racecar driver and his mechanic.
She currently lives in London with her Husband and rescue dog called Shadow.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | eMail | Instagram

Giveaway

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