RELEASE BLITZ, EXCERPT, GIVEAWAY & REVIEW - Finding His Boy (Safe Harbor #1) by K.D. Ryan

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Finding His Boy (An MM Age Gap Daddy Romance)

Author: K. D. Ryan

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: K. D. Ryan 

Release Date:  March 25, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance 

Tropes: Age Gap, Slow Burn, Daddy Kink

Themes: Self-confidence, Trust, Exploring Sexuality 

Heat Rating:  5 flames

Length:  96 000 words

It is the first book in the series - Safe Harbor #1

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A lonely Daddy. An innocent boy. A twenty-year age gap. Whatever happens next is in Daddy’s hands. 

Finding his way in life all on his own hadn’t been easy for eighteen-year-old Elliot Hedrick, but he’d managed to hold it all together so far. 

Even though it was just by the skin of his teeth. 

Between his warehouse job and pursuing a career as a professional ballet dancer, he’d been working sixteen-hour days and was still barely making ends meet. 

He was fraying at the seams. And he was so damn lonely.

There was nobody for him to lean on, nobody to come to his rescue when things fell apart—it was all up to him to achieve his dreams.

Then suddenly Grant Weston charged into Elliot’s life, his knight in shining armor—literally and figuratively—and despite their twenty-year age gap, Grant couldn’t seem to leave the boy alone. Even though Grant knew he should.

There were too many obstacles between them—and not just their ages. Grant had secrets of his own, ghosts from his past that made him hold back from taking what he really wanted from Elliot. 

And what Grant wanted was to make Elliot his boy. 

To have a true partner.

But Grant was afraid to trust himself—afraid that history would repeat itself and leave him with a broken heart yet again.

 Is age really just a number, or will the years between them end their relationship before it can even start? 

Finding His Boy is the first book in a duet taking place in the Safe Harbor universe but can be read as a stand-alone and has an HFN ending. This book is a 90+K word slow burn, steamy romance that features a Daddy/boy relationship between two consenting adult men. No age play. Dual POV. There are explicit descriptions of sexual acts, so this book is intened for a mature audience (18+). 

Trigger Warning: On-page physical assault (not between MCs), mention of sexual assault. 

My Rating - 3.5 Stars!

Finding His Boy is a good May to December romance by KD Ryan. The first book of the Safe Harbor series, it's a nice combination of age gap, daddy kink, and slow burn. 

Grant and Elliot's romance is one with a twenty year age gap. Grant's a teacher at the college who knows Elliot, as he used to teach at his high school. But there's nothing keeping them apart now, other than Grant's fear of how it would look. But damn, the man is terrified to come out as being involved with a former student of his and this greatly drives him. 

Elliot's a dancer who's alone in the world. His father died and his background is heartbreaking. The poor man. He's such a survivor after enduring all he has. He's a truly lovable character.

There's an attempted rape scene that is definitely a tough read. Avoid this book if that is a trigger for you. 

This attempted rape scene is what brings them men together. Grant's in the locker room and is able to save Elliot from being attacked. The interesting thing is how much they take note of each other's nudity despite the circumstances. 

Everything that follows is mostly total sweetness. The two can't deny their attraction and the way their connection grows is great. I enjoy the way they both help the other heal. Their relationship is definitely a slow burn one though.

Their story includes an ass of an acquaintance. They have to deal with some bad decisions and someone wanting to cause them trouble. It's always fun to have someone to hate.

One thing I found to be highly disappointing however is that we all know something fishy happened with the estate when Elliot's father died. It's mentioned and alluded to, but it's never brought up again. That's a big missing element to me. As Elliot's debt is a driving factor for his character, I want justice for him and am greatly upset that he never gets it. 

Overall, Finding His Boy is a nice read. KD Ryan packs plenty of great moments into this read. I am hoping the next book in the series is even better. 

Grant knew he should pull back, he should close the door—that would be the smart thing to do. He should be respectful of Elliot’s privacy. 

Because if he crossed this line, there would be no going back—all of his noble rationalizing about not taking advantage of Elliot’s vulnerability would be out the window. 

But fuck, the boy was incredibly gorgeous—the planes of his slim muscular body highlighted in a soft blue glow from the moon, his face a study in shadow and light. He looked so young, so vulnerable, and so ripe for the taking. Exposed, ready for Grant to sink his teeth into the pale expanse of flesh on display, to mark Elliot as his. 

If Grant stepped further into the room now—and he wanted to, oh he’d never wanted anything so badly in his life, he could taste the wanting like metal on his tongue—where would that choice bring them? 

Because the boy had no clue what Grant wanted to do to him. 

He couldn’t know how Grant wanted to use him. To flay him wide open with word and action and touch, and pick apart the soft tender insides of him, to leave him wanting and vulnerable and his. To deliver the safety and comfort and pleasure that his boy craved and that only he—Grant—could give.

Grant’s own possession. 

His boy. 

Those words—his boy—they acted like a bucket of cold water—a wave of uncertainty and apprehension to temporarily subdue his lust. Was this just history repeating itself? Would Elliot realize a year down the line that Grant couldn’t give him what he wanted, and Grant would be left high and dry once again? 

Could Grant risk his heart like that again? The thought of sharing that experience with someone, only for his heart to be trampled, handled carelessly, and discarded…  

He should leave now, back out and pretend he’d never been here. Just leave and act like nothing had changed the next day. Leave this beautiful boy whole and innocent and let someone else break him in gently, softly, like he deserved. Someone he could grow with, change with, learn with. 

Fuck, he was a coward. 

But then. 

But then Elliot opened his eyes. And he parted his lips. And he kept on pumping his hand up and down as he locked his eyes with Grant’s, his heated gaze burning with open desire. 

Desire for Grant. 

And Grant knew he couldn’t walk away.

Just a dreamer fueled by coffee who’s been writing about love that comes in all forms since she got her first word processor. Passionate bibliophile and lover of science, caretaker of humans and friend to dogs. 

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Knave of Broken Hearts (Love in Laguna #2) by Tara Lain

Amazon Link - Available in KU
Goodreads Link

One look at his cardiologist and Jim’s got two heart problems.

Jim disappointed his wealthy family at 16 and he’s been perfecting the skill ever since.
Too much booze.
Too little responsibility.
Too much faking his interest in women.

Then Jim does one good deed to help out his best friend Billy and winds up in the doctor’s office face-to-face with Dr. Ken Tanaka – and Jim’s secret yaoi kink.

Ken’s got baggage like a Beverly Hills debutante, so if Jim wants to be other than a notch on Ken’s stethoscope, he’s going to have to fix more than his mitral valve.

Or maybe he’ll just figure that when you’re a blue-collar guy and fall for your cardiologist, you deserve a broken heart.

KNAVE OF BROKEN HEARTS is an opposites-attract, coming out, finally growing up, yaoi-love, meeting-his-mother, MM romance. 

My Rating - 4.5 Stars!

Knave of Broken Heart is another great book in the Love in Laguna series. The second book in this Tara Lain series, it's easily read as a standalone.

These two men and their story drew me in immediately. We met Jim in Knight of Ocean Avenue and getting to read his tale is awesome. His immediate connection Ken is fabulous. 

Jim, like Billy in the first book, is a construction worker who never thought about his sexuality. Until Billy comes out. His past put him firmly in the straight column and he never looked back. And now he's about to deal with his sexuality for the first time. And damn, his backstory is heartbreaking. 

And then there's Ken. Oh man, the family pressure on him is ever present. His momma runs his life and he struggles to stand up to her. I really wanted to smack some sense into him often. 

I love the way these two men naturally came together. Neither are the type to jump into a gay relationship quickly, so I love how everything evolved for them slowly. 

Their tale includes a rape drug event that left me extremely shaken. Seriously, this scene is a tough read, but I enjoy the way the author wraps it all up. 

Written in alternating 3rd person pov, these men fully come alive and kept me intrigued throughout. The author includes plenty of Japanese culture into this tale, with Ken being Japanese and Jim being a fan of Japanese comics. The author definitely threw in some things I didn't love, but overall I enjoyed the book a lot. 

Knave of Broken Hearts is an intriguing out for you/sexual awakening romance. Tara Lain definitely put a lot of emotion into this tale and the men make a great couple. 

Born for Leaving by Mia Kerick, writing as Jude Munro

Amazon Link - Available in KU
Goodreads Link

When they say be careful what you wish for, do you pay attention?
Neither did Oliver Tunstead.

Oliver wishes for nothing more than to get his mind off his crappy bartending job, pile of debt big enough to swallow him whole, and playboy ex-boyfriend/boss who refuses to back off. Too bad distractions, like the hot little convertible he has his eye on, cost megabucks. And Oliver is flat broke. Renting the spare bedroom in his rundown beachfront cottage is his only option to pick up the cash he needs--a risky proposition, as Oliver is the polar opposite of a people-person. When he responds to a bizarre ad in the Waterfront Gazette seeking summer housing, he gets more than he bargained for. But Oliver can cope... After all, how much harm can a single quirky tenant do to his tightly guarded life in three short months?

Where Oliver is a loner by design, urban cowboy Bodie is a loner by necessity. A family dispute long ago dropkicked him onto the path of a lifelong wanderer. This changes when Bodie moves into the tiny beachfront cottage and starts working the door at Oliver's bar.

Despite Oliver and Bodie's nearly paralyzing instinct to avoid commitment, they fall into a wary romance. And to their surprise, life as a couple is sweetly satisfying; that is, until their jealous boss devises a cruel plan to destroy the tentative bond they've built. True to form, Bodie hits the road, leaving Oliver to lick his wounds alone.

Can these wounded souls defy their urge to flee and fight for love?

**Trigger Warning: discussion of childhood sexual molestation of adult character, graphic physical violence, off-page coerced sexual relationship 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Born For Leaving, the debut contemporary book of Mia Kerick writing as Jude Munro, is wonderful. I have long loved Mia's young adult books, and this book contains all the heart I have come to expect from her writing. 

The title is a small glimpse into what this story is about. Bodie's a drifter, a man who always leaves before people leave him. He spends his life working short term jobs and renting short term, all knowing he will be moving on soon. And then he meets Oliver. 

Bodie is there, over and over again, to help, save, and protect Oliver, against bar patrons and an asshole ex/boss. There's something about Oliver that calls to him to left his walls down.

Omg, Bodie. His character is well developed, with a raw and painful past that will leave you shaken. His reason for always leaving is well established. He will worm his way into your heart quickly and leave it crushed. 

I love Bodie and Oliver as a couple. They certainly grow leaps and bounds with one another, and make for some amazingly sweet moments. 

Their tale includes confessions, acceptance, confidence, and strength. It has many layers, as the men struggle with themselves, their employer, and the long lasting effects of their childhoods. It's an emotional read that's fairly predictable, yet in the end, it beautiful. That is, after your heart starts beating again after some ultra angst ridden moments.

Be sure to take the trigger warning seriously. If you can't read about attempted rape and child molestation, run far, far from this book.

Mia Kerick has always mesmerized me with her YA books. Now, with her first contemporary romance, I am once again impressed and delighted. Born For Leaving is a riveting, all consuming read. I can't recommend this book enough. Be sure to try it the next time you're in the mood for a hurt/comfort read.

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Main Characters of Born for Leaving Manga-Style

 

Although I’m an author, and much of my creativity occurs in my mind, I’m a very visual person.  As a student, I could only learn by seeing facts written on paper in black and white, rather than by merely listening to them. For the first few years as an author, I wrote my stories by hand in notebooks and then transferred the final drafts onto my computer because I needed to see the words in my own handwriting to interpret and shape them.

Before I can even start writing a story, I need to find visual representations of my characters. My husband accuses me of searching the internet for “hot guys,” but I insist I’m doing research.  And I am.

As I write, I need to see the “hot guys” I’ve selected (after hours of painful—LOL—scouring of models, athletes, actors, and musicians) acting out my scenes. You should see the visions in my head of Jamie from Outlander interacting with Damon from Vampire Diaries. It’s interesting…

I took my mental imagery a step further for the promo teasers for Amy’s blog. I found manga characters—yes, super emo and maybe a tad juvenile—to represent Oliver, Bodie, and big time villain of Born for Leaving, Jack.

I hope you enjoy my creative expression of my MCs as much as I enjoyed creating them.

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Jude Munro is merging with the writer’s original pen name, Mia Kerick.

Jude Munro (oh-so-very-briefly Mia Kerick’s Adult MM Romance pen name) writes of men who are drawn to the surf and sand. They’ve sunbathed on the sands of many alluring East Coast beaches, along with the fantastical beaches in Jude’s books. They’ll answer questions like “Who do you think you are, the sun god?” (they share a striking resemblance) if they can hear you over "Boys of Summer" cranking on their headphones. To Jude’s men, no shoes and no shirt is really not a problem.  And each character must earn his day at the beach. (Yes, there is always a HEA).  

As Mia Kerick, largely a YA and New Adult writer of LGBTQ fiction focused on coming of age themes, this author’s books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine. They won a 2019 IPPY GOLD award, a 2018 YA GOLD MOONBEAM, a YA Readers’ Favorite Award, several first place Rainbow Awards, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, a YA Indie Fab Award, a First Place Royal Dragonfly Award, a First Place Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award, and a YA category finalist for the Eric Hoffer award, and more.