RELEASE BLITZ, EXCERPT, GIVEAWAY & REVIEW - Openly Yours (Offbeat Shifters #2) by Colette Davison

 RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Openly Yours (Offbeat Shifters #2)

Author: Colette Davison

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Colette Davison

Release Date:  March 2, 2021

Genre: Supernatural M/M romance

Trope/s: shifters, mpreg setting but there isn’t pregnancy or childbirth in the books, age-gap, pop-stars

Themes: The price of fame, treatment of omegas in the pop industry 

 Heat Rating:  4 flames

Length: 68 000 words

Book 2 is a direct follow-on from book 1 and will not have the same impact without having read book 1. 

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Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |   Amazon US  |   Amazon UK

 

 

Falling in love was the easy part. When we have to face more tragedy, will it bring us closer or drive us apart?

Now the tour is over, Isaac has to adapt to depending financially on someone else for the first time.

When my world gets thrown into turmoil again, I need to learn that relying emotionally on others isn’t a bad thing.

We have to face our biggest challenge together—creating a different dream from the one we had envisioned.

Openly Yours is an m/m paranormal romance with a loving tiger shifter, a sweet monkey shifter, enthusiastic family members, and lots of cuddles. Whilst it is set in an alternate universe where omegas give birth, there are no pregnancy or birth scenes in this book.

Trigger warning for scenes revolving around infertility.

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My Rating - 5 Stars!

Openly Yours is the second book in the Offbeat Shifters series by Colette Davison. This one picks up where Secretly Mine leaves off. And, wow, it's amazing to spend time with these men again.

When we catch up with Jesse again, he wants to get pregnant and is feeling guilty that he might not be able to reproduce. He's also feeling guilty about his friend's death. 

Once again, I adore Jesse and Isaac. They're so perfect together, complimenting one another and encouraging each other. They are strong enough to help one another through the toughest of times, as they already proved in Secretly Mine. As an added bonus, they're also so damn hot together.

And, oh, I love how the title comes into play. Swoon. Just beautiful.

But, yes, there's angst. The fertility issues are so depressing. If infertility is a trigger for you, avoid this one! I do love how it's all handled in the end, with so much love between the men. And I appreciate the way the author handles their emotions throughout this ordeal.

Again, I can't get enough of Jesse in his monkey form!! His snuggly nature warms my heart. The fact that snuggling Isaac while he's in his monkey form brings him so much peace is beautiful.

I absolutely love the way Jesse's relationship with Aaron has evolved. What a beautiful change. From hating each other, sort of, in book one, to now supporting one another, is just heart warming. 

Openly Yours put a smile on my face throughout. Even with the angst, this Colette Davison book just left me happy to have more of these men.  I adore everything about this book and this series. After meeting them in the first book,  I knew their love was strong enough to get them through anything. 

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“You had news. Is it about the Arches?”

I grinned, unable to keep it from him.

“They accepted our offer?”

“Yes.”

Jesse bounced up and down in my arms, squealing excitedly. “That’s fantastic!”

“We’ve got to get all the building and land checks done and a survey, so it’s not a done deal yet. But all being well, our youth centre is one step closer to opening.”

Jesse grasped my face and kissed me hard. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“Very.”

His eyes widened. “You should invite your dads to come and stay so we can show them the Arches.”

“I’d been thinking about that.” I carried him over to the sofa and sat down with him on my lap. “Maybe it’s about time we moved out of this flat.”

Jesse tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

“Well, right now, if we want to invite my family down, they have to stay in a hotel.” I paused, measuring my next words carefully. “And at some point, we’re going to have a family, Jesse. There’s not going to be room for children in a one-bedroom flat.” I stroked my thumbs over his lower back. “You wanted a house filled with music and the patter of tiny feet, remember?”

Jesse nodded, but he didn’t speak. His eyes were brimming with tears, and his chin wobbled.

“And I wanted a big bath.”

That made him laugh. “We need a huge bath.”

I stared into his dark eyes. “I want to find our forever home, Jesse. And I want to get married.”

Jesse frowned. “We can’t, not until—”

I silenced him with a kiss. “We know roughly when your heats will be. We can plan around it. We’re already mated. You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Now I want to show everyone else that—your family and mine.”

“And the world?” Jesse asked. “Because we’re not gonna get a cosy little wedding.”

I smiled. “The whole world. I’m yours, Jesse, now, always, and openly.”

Jesse gasped. “I’ve got it!”

“Got what?”

“The title of the song I’m going to write for you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Will you share it with me?”

He smiled mischievously. “Nope. I think I’m gonna keep it a secret.”

I tickled him until I reduced him to a giggling, writhing wreck on my lap. Then I flipped him onto the sofa and lay over him, tickling him more until he was gasping for air.

“Now are you going to tell me?”

He put his hands around my neck as his breathing slowly returned to normal. “‘Openly Yours’.”

I nuzzled his nose with my own. “That’s beautiful.”

“So are you.”

We looked at each other, my heart filling as I saw how much love radiated from his eyes and smile. I kissed him, teasing his mouth with my tongue. “Let’s set a wedding date and start looking at houses.”

Jesse nodded. “Okay.”

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 Check out Secretly Mine, Book 1 in the Offbeat Shifters Series

 

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |  Amazon US  |   Amazon UK 

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Books 3 and 4 Coming Soon

    

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Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.

 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |   Facebook Page   |  Facebook Group: Colette’s Cosy Corner

BookBub   |   Twitter    |   Goodreads  |  Instagram: @colettedavison

  Mailing List  |   Newsletter Sign-Up

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Giveaway 

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a $40 Amazon Gift Card

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RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW - Valentine's Hearts (an Owatonna Wedding Novella) by RJ Scott & VL Locey

 

BUY LINKS

Cover Design: Meredith Russell 

Length: 33,000 words approx.

Goodreads

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Owatonna U Series 

Book #1- Ryker - Buy Links   *   My Review

Book #2 - Scott - Buy Links   *   My Review

Book #3 - Benoit - Buy Links   *   My Review

Book #4 - Christmas Lights - Buy Links   *   My Review

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Will broken hearts replace the wedding they dreamed of?

Ryker's heart has space for three things—his family, hockey, and Jacob. As their wedding grows closer, it seems that nothing can stand in the way of an idyllic celebration, surrounded by friends and loved ones. But things appear to be changing; Jacob is forging a future that might take him away from Ryker, and Ryker alternates between pride and fear when a new man comes into his fiancé's life. A hockey season from hell has him doubting his life choices, but worse, he's driving Jacob into another man's arms. How has their perfect life suddenly gone so wrong?

Life has certainly thrown many twists and turns in Jacob's path. Most of the goals he’d set for himself as a teenager had to change, but one has remained constant: finding his heart's desire and marrying him. That aspiration was reached when Ryker said, "I do". Planning their wedding was meant to be the best time of their lives, but Jacob unwittingly puts his trust in the wrong man and finds himself in danger. Is their love strong enough to survive the fallout?

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My Rating - 5 Stars!

Ohhhh...Valentine's Hearts is an amazing read. This RJ Scott and VL Locey tale takes us back to the lives of Ryker and Jacob, which all began in book one of the Owatonna U Hockey series, Ryker.

There's a wedding and tons of outside stress, resulting in a low point in their relationship. It's definitely a sad read, so be warned. 

Ugh! Adam! Can I just punch Jacob's boss. He's definitely as bad as Ryker thinks he is. Actually, he's much worse, so be prepared. It's bad. Very bad. 

What follows is a tale of recovery and justice, all while trying to deal with Jacob's mental issues after the incident. Honestly, I love the way the authors handle this. From the stigma of a large man not being able to be sexually assaulted, to the difference of a man being raped versus a woman, to everything dealt with in therapy and with the police. 

Good god,  I just adore this couple. Everything about their story, from the start to the current, is just perfect! 

And we get more Ten!!!  If I didn't love Ten enough, add in him holding baby Lottie!! Swoon!

If you enjoy tales of established couples, you will love Valentine's Heart. And if you love this whole hockey world by RJ Scott and VL Locey, this one will leave you swooning. Just like all the other books. I can't get enough of these books. 

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USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.

She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.

Amazon | BookBub | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads

USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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Screwed (Four Bears Construction #4) by K.M. Neuhold

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Screwed

Four Bears Construction Series, Book Four

KM Neuhold 

M/M Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: 09.02.20

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Goodread Link

Amazon Link

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I’ve had my fair share of less than proud relationship moments, but waking up married to my brother-in-law’s best friend is a new low. 

A drunken wedding to a man who already rejected me once? Check. A hefty bet about how long it will last? Check. My feisty new husband, determined to make our friends pay up? Double check. 

I’ve never managed to make a real relationship last nearly a year, there’s no way Daniel will stick around long enough to win this bet. The only problem is the longer he stays, the more the lines blur between what’s real and what’s for show. Does he feel it too, or am I totally screwed?

***Screwed is a woke up married, faking it to their friends but also totally hooking up, sweet, STEAMY love story that happens to be the fourth book in the Four Bears Construction series. There are no bear shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.

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My Rating - 5 Stars!

KM Neuhold's Screwed is another delightful addition to the Fours Bears Construction series. This time around, we are treated to Ollie and Daniel's accidental marriage and fake relationship. 

Two men, one drunk night in Vegas, and a lie that the marriage is real. For Ollie and Daniel, having to fake their relationship to save face and win a bet, results in a sweet, adorable romance. 

I love the way the feelings slowly develop over time. And they are an adorable couple, with some intense moments between them. Their time together truly creates a bond that can't be denied.  

The differences in the men have been developed over the series, with Ollie being a fall quickly, hoping this time is the one, kind of guy. He's been married multiple times and yet still believes in love. Daniel, meanwhile, is one who doesn't believe in love and stays away from relationships. I love these opposites beliefs and approaches to love. 

Their story has a lot of lighthearted moments, and plenty of light humor. There's banter and snark, as well as some hot moments. And the writing is fabulous. 

Everything about Screwed is pure fun and entertainment. KM Neuhold definitely left me thrilled with Ollie and Daniel's journey, which I was super excited to read. 

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I lift my left hand closer to my face, sure I’m having some kind of hangover induced hallucination. I mean, why the hell would I have a silver band around my left ring finger? Running my thumb over the band, it feels very much real, the metal smooth and warm from my skin. 

“What the actual fuck?” I mutter, finally leaning over and filling my mouth with water so I can rinse and spit. Obviously, I got drunk and decided to put on Ren’s wedding band for some reason that I’m sure made sense when I was ten shots of tequila deep. 

I shuffle back out of the bathroom, slipping the ring off as I go. Ollie is still passed the fuck out on the bed, the sheets tangled around one leg while the other hangs off the side of the bed, his ass looking entirely biteable in his tight boxer briefs. I glance down at myself, realizing for the first time that I have no clue what I fell asleep in. A pair of loose fitting boxers hang on my hips. Ollie’s underwear, awesome.

Oh no, did we fuck? I look around helplessly for any clue to what might’ve happened. There aren’t any condom wrappers or lube packets in sight, but that doesn’t necessarily prove anything. I slip one hand into my underwear and between my ass cheeks. No traces of lube, and my hole doesn’t feel sore, so whatever we might’ve done, it wasn’t that. Thank fuck, because I would’ve been pissed if I blacked out a dicking from a man like that. 

I don’t want to rummage through Ollie’s stuff, so I set the ring on the nightstand on his side of the bed where he’ll be able to see it and put it away when he wakes up. Good thing I didn’t lose it. Ren would’ve had my ass, and not in the fun way. 

I climb back into bed, propping my pillow up against the headboard and grabbing my phone so I can check for any missed calls. My heart jolts when I see dozens of missed calls and texts from Ren. 

“Oh fuck, please don’t be anything bad,” I mutter, opening the text thread. 

Ren: I can’t decide if I’m pissed or amused right now. I can’t believe you did this and with Ollie of all people

That’s not a good sign. I scroll up to get more context, and I find a video I apparently sent to Ren at three in the morning. I swear to god if Ollie and I made a porn and sent it to Ren… I shake my head at myself and hit the play button on the video.

“I should call Ren and tell him to come down here. Shit, I think this thing is recording. Oh, I can send it to Ren!” I giggle and hiccup. “Rennnnnnnn, I know you’re probably balls deep in your man, or vice versa, but Ollie and I are at the Little White Wedding Chapel and you should totally come down here and watch us get married. Oh my god, bring Cole too. He should see his brother get married. Can you bring rice to throw? Fuck, do we have rice to throw at their wedding?”

The camera jostles and Ollie comes into view looking just as fucking hammered as I did. 

“You’re not supposed to throw rice. We’re going to get bubbles.” 

“Bubbles! Ren, bring bubbles!” I start laughing again, and Ollie joins in. “Dang, they’re calling our name, I have to go. Hey, this means you and me are going to be brother-in-laws. Brothers-in-law? Brother-ins-laws?” I start laughing again, and the video ends. 

“Nooooooo,” I gasp, staring at my phone in horror. After the video is a dozen texts from Ren telling me not to marry Ollie and then a few more where he seems pretty resigned to the fact that it probably happened and mildly pissed at me. “No, no, no.”

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Author K.M.Neuhold is a complete romance junkie, a total sap in every way. She started her journey as an author in new adult, MF romance, but after a chance reading of an MM book she was completely hooked on everything about lovely- and sometimes damaged- men finding their Happily Ever After together. She has a strong passion for writing characters with a lot of heart and soul, and a bit of humor as well. And she fully admits that her OCD tendencies of making sure every side character has a full backstory will likely always lead to every book having a spin-off or series. When she's not writing she's a lion tamer, an astronaut, and a superhero...just kidding, she's likely watching Netflix and snuggling with her husky while her amazing husband brings her coffee.

 linktr.ee/KMNeuhold

REVIEW - Bet on Love by AF Zoelle

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Bet On Love by A. F. Zoelle

RHYS HUNTINGTON

I went to Las Vegas to marry my fiancée but ended up married to my best man instead. Considering I’m straight, I never imagined I would wake up in bed with a husband. We obviously need to get an annulment to undo our mistake. The only problem is, it turns out my feelings for my best friend Luci aren't quite as platonic as I thought.

What are the odds that my bad idea ends up being the best thing to ever happen to us?


LUCIEN "LUCI" ST. AMOUR

After Rhys and I secretly shared our first kiss as teenagers, I spent years suppressing my confusing feelings for him. But now that he’s my husband, it exposes the truth about the depths of my love for my best friend.

Could I really be lucky enough that he feels the same way about me?

Bet on Love is the first book in the Good Bad Idea series. This novella features a friends to lovers second chance romance. Full of cute sweetness and sexy fun, every story ends with a satisfying HEA and no cliffhangers. Each book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in order.

Amazon US * Universal Link

Goodreads | BookBub

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

If you enjoy gay for you romances, AF Zoelle's Bet On Love is just that.

In Vegas for his wedding, Rhys suddenly confesses to Lucien "I wouldn't have to marry Olivia if you were a girl." What follows is a great mix of sweet, sexy, romantic, and steamy. 

This friends to lovers romance is just delicious. Two "straight" men, who suddenly start discussing that they were each other's first kiss. Two "straight" men who suddenly come to terms with their feelings for one another. 

I love Rhys and Lucien. Their relationship is super enjoyable. They have to deal with some family issues, a bride to be from hell, and their own feelings, both the good and the bad. Their marriage is full of some fantastic first times and a whole lot of hot sex. 

Basically, Bet on Love is a super fluffy romance, and I enjoyed it all. Definitely check out this AF Zoelle read when you're in the mood for some light reading.

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Excerpt:

Chapter 2: Rhys Huntington

I got flustered by the sight of the sheets dipping low on Luci’s hips, his dark hair falling in front of his handsome face. It was a rare treat for me to see him without his glasses on, but it really wasn’t the right time to appreciate that my best friend was attractive.

When he rubbed his eyes, my stomach lurched at the sight of Olivia's wedding ring of two alternating rows of round and baguette diamonds on his ring finger. He had always hated how feminine his long, slim fingers were, and being nearly the same size as Olivia’s annoyed him almost as much as she resented it. I secretly thought his hands were beautifully elegant like a pianist’s, but the presence of my fiancée’s ring set off my rising panic. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

His bleary gaze focused on me with an effort. “Wait, why are you naked?”

“Why are you naked?” Another surge of foreboding flooded through me as a memory of Luci's hands running down my bare spine to cup my ass flickered in my mind. “Lucien, what the fuck did we do last night?” I had progressed to freaking out, because I only used his full name when I was scared or serious.

Eyebrows drawing together in thought, he answered in a questioning tone, “We were celebrating your marriage?”

I was unprepared for being blindsided by remembering kissing Luci at the altar. To stop everything from spinning out, I pressed my palm my forehead to steady myself. “Please tell me we didn’t do what I think we did.”

His blue eyes were full of confusion as he looked at my wedding band, then lifted his hand to see he was wearing Olivia’s. He squinted at it before fumbling for his glasses on the nightstand. After a long look, his voice trembled when he said, “I don’t think I can.”

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate A. F. Zoelle's release, we are giving away 3 eBooks copies of Bet On Love!

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About A. F.:

A lifelong storyteller, writing has always been A.F. Zoelle’s greatest passion. When she’s not writing about gorgeous men being sexy and in love, she enjoys procrastinating on her studies and numerous side hustles to indulge in Japanese musical theatre. She looks forward to renouncing her nomadic scholarly life someday soon so she can have Ragdoll cats to come home to instead of just dust bunnies.

For real time updates on her writing progress, please follow her on Twitter. You can also follow her on Facebook or sign up below for her newsletter announcements about her latest releases and get access to monthly previews of upcoming books, deleted scenes, and works in progress.

Connect with A.F.:

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Website

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RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW - A Christmas Wedding by AE Ryecart

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: A Christmas Wedding

Author: A E Ryecart

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Tammy Clarke/Meredith Russell 

Release Date: November 19, 2019

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Themes: Christmas, Wedding/Marriage, Domineering family

Heat Rating: 3 flames 

Length: 49 000 words

It is part of a series but it can certainly be read as a standalone.

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Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link

Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Christmas. A Wedding. Family. It's the Perfect Storm...

Blurb

For Rory Kincaid marrying Jack, the youngest son of the aristocratic De Lacy family, on Christmas Eve, is a dream come true. Handing over the wedding planning to Jack’s mother, the strong-willed Lady Diana, is turning out to be more of a nightmare.

As their big day approaches, the pressure’s on and the strain is beginning to show. Announcements in society magazines, a guest list that’s growing and growing, and fittings for the best bespoke tailoring in London, it’s all a far cry from Rory’s humble upbringing. Piece by piece, Rory and Jack’s dream of a simple winter wedding is fading fast.

Rory is Jack’s everything. Sweet, kind, and totally adorable, Rory is all Jack has ever wanted. And what Jack wants most of all is to give the man he loves the wedding day of his dreams — and that means taking a stand against the indomitable Diana.

***Warning: this story contains two gorgeous men, a mountain of mince pies and cupcakes, a punk rocker Christmas fairy called Bunty, and a snowy Christmas Wedding.***

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

AE Ryecart's A Christmas Wedding is full of romance and tenderness.

Rory and Jack are preparing for their wedding. Along the way the have to deal with a bossy mother and more. I enjoy that although there are issues, it never becomes overly angsty.

This story has everything sweet and romantic about the holidays. It includes a watch, some sexy moments, Christmas carols, and all the feels of the holidays. 

This is a beautiful story of family. It's the story of a man who has no family, finding one with his husband, his in laws, and more. 

If you enjoy Christmas weddings, be sure to pick up A Christmas Wedding. AE Ryecart will leave you satisfied. 

Excerpt

“Where are we going? The Tube station’s that way.” Rory nodded in the direction they were coming from.

“We’re not going home, or not just yet.”

“Oh? I thought we were going to decorate our living room, drink lots of advocaat, and then get naked on the rug.”

Jack threw back his head and laughed. “That sounds like a plan, but there’s something I want to do first.”

“You mean something is more important than naked advocaat?”

Jack just smiled in response. There wasn’t a lot that was more important than naked advocaat, but what they were about to do next just about topped it.

The tiny street would be so easy to miss in the messy and higgledy-piggledy maze that was the City of London.

“Jack? What—?”

Jack pressed his fingertips to Rory’s lips and gazed into Rory’s questioning, confused eyes.

“Just go with me on this, okay?”

Jack pushed the door open, and he and Rory stepped into another time.

The shop was crammed with tall and narrow display cabinets, all of them holding a treasure of watches. Behind the counter, in a corner and almost hidden, sat a small, round, bald-headed man. A pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose, and another was wedged on the top of his head as he worked on the mechanism of a pocket watch, using what looked like a set of toy tools.

“Mr. De Lacy.” The man put aside his work, stood up and extended his hand to Jack.

“Mr. Hogarth. Let me introduce Rory Kincaid, my fiancé.”

Jack moved aside to allow Rory to shake Mr. Hogarth’s hand. Jack smiled; in a moment everything would be revealed.

“Let me bring your order.” Mr. Hogarth disappeared into a back room.

“Jack, I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

Before Jack could answer, Mr. Hogarth returned bearing a small black box, which he handed over to Jack.

“Please.” Mr. Hogarth gestured to a small table and a couple of chairs on the other side of the shop, in the only space not taken up with display cabinets, before he returned to his place once more behind the counter and took up his work as though he were alone.

“I want you to have this,” Jack said, opening the box as soon as he and Rory were seated.

“What?” Rory gaped at the watch, displayed on a pad of black velvet. “But we agreed a strict ten-pound budget, just something silly this year. I haven’t—”

“No, it’s not a Christmas present.”

“Then what—? I don’t understand.”

Jack took the watch out of the box. Like his own, it was plain and unadorned. The black Roman numerals were stark against the white face; the casing was gold, deep and burnished.

“When I was twenty-one, my father presented me with a watch from this shop. He did the same for George,” Jack said, referring to his elder brother. “My father also had a watch on his twenty-first birthday, as did my grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather. The De Lacy men have had watches in one form or another from Hogarth’s since the late eighteenth century. All those watches came from here, from this very shop.” Jack glanced toward the counter, but Mr. Hogarth had gone and was now nowhere to be seen.

“This isn’t a Christmas present, Ro. This is something every De Lacy man receives. And I wanted you to have one, too, because that’s what you’re on the point of becoming: a De Lacy man.” Jack’s lips lifted in a wry smile. “I didn’t know you when you turned twenty-one, although I wish I did. I’m just making up for lost time. On Christmas Eve, you’re going to take my name. I want you to be wearing this watch when you do.”

“Jack, I–I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything. Just accept it, along with the words I had engraved.”

Jack held the watch out. All his focus was on his fiancé, reading for the first time the words engraved not only on the watch but on Jack’s heart.

Love, always and forever.

Four simple words which said everything Jack held deep inside about the man he’d found huddled on his doorstep just two Christmases before.

About the Author 

I love all kinds of MM romance and gay fiction, but I especially like contemporary stories. Born and raised in London, the city is part of my DNA so I like to set many of my stories in and around present-day London, providing the perfect, metropolitan backdrop to the main action. I write at home, in the gym, in cafés —in fact I write any place I can find a good coffee! 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up

Giveaway 

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one of three ebook copies of A Christmas Wedding

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RELEASE BLITZ - Coffee (A Cup of John #2) by Matthew J Metzger

Title: Coffee

Series: A Cup of John, Book Two

Author: Matthew J. Metzger

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: August 19. 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 69100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, contemporary, British, trans, gay, queer, age gap, established couple, size difference, blue collar, disability, ableism, death and grieving, family issues, dirty talk, wedding, ownvoices

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Synopsis

When Chris’s stepfather passes away and leaves Chris a house and a wedding ring, it seems like the perfect opportunity to take the next step in his relationship with John.

So, they’re both in for a nasty shock when Chris’s mother is vehemently opposed to the idea. Despite three years of history to prove otherwise, she insists that John is only a temporary feature in Chris’s life, and a man like him can’t be expected to stay with someone like Chris in the long run.

Can Chris persuade her that she’s wrong in time for the wedding—or will there be an empty space in the photographs?

Review 

My Rating - 5 Stars!

Matthew J Metzger's Coffee, is a stunning romance. It's a beautiful writing style, and even more stunning tone, which sucked me in immediately and kept me hooked throughout. It's definitely a slow and detailed story, which is something I don't always love. But, it's wonderful.  

Coffee's a tender story of family, and finding that one who loves you as you are. It includes a great look into the life of a transgender man who's accepted and in love. It's about a man with epilepsy who's able to deal with his seizures, instead of letting them stop him. 

It's a story about a man with some life changing disabilities. Not only is Chris transgender, he lives with seizures, which also caused him to loss his sight and have brain damage. This is why their story includes some large family issues full of distrust, grief, and guilt. It's a tough read at times, and left me heart-broken. 

John's a man who's large and struggles with the safety of his partners. I adore the way this is handled, with care and heart.

Best of all though, is that despite Chris's disabilities, the sense of humor is always present. That John can constantly joke about Chris's issues is amazing. Their love is strong, full of respect, and they push each other to do better. They are a phenomenal couple.

Coffee's a remarkable story, with thought provoking issues, and a memorable love story. It's truly amazing as we follow John and Chris through their engagement and wedding plans.

Excerpt

Coffee
Matthew J. Metzger © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Rather appropriately for the occasion, it had been raining all day.

Chris took in a deep lungful of smoke and exhaled it smoothly into the chilly afternoon. The memorial garden was blissful after the hustle and bustle of the funeral. The air was open and soothingly cool, not like the stuffy heat of the chapel. He could breathe again. He could gather the shards of grief around himself and try to put them back together, without having to think about his mother’s sobbing at his side, or the favourite song that had been played for Jack’s last journey, a song now stained with sadness.

The gentle patter of raindrops on the umbrella calmed him, and the far-off chirping of some irate bird provided a gentle counterpoint. Life slowed. From farther off, the chattering of friends and relations had finally died away, and Chris stubbed out the remains of the cigarette as he heard the crunch of gravel.

He’d never been here before, but the footsteps coming down the path were as familiar as his own. Thunderously heavy, an immense weight crushing each step into the ground even as the pace was slow and steady. That slight stress on one step, followed by lightness on the other. That dodgy knee from the rugby accident last year had left its mark in the form of a subtle limp and a tiny scar like a fish hook that made its owner go all shivery when Chris kissed it. Even the speed with which each step followed the other was familiar, like the tower of a body might collapse if the feet were spread too far apart. The hands that clasped Chris’s shoulders were as big as spades, and only one person in his life was tall enough to kiss the crown of his head without the use of a box to stand on.

Chris leaned back into the wall of a man who had arrived and lifted the umbrella to let him into the shelter.

“Your mum’s gone home with Lauren.”

The relief was bittersweet. Mum and Lauren had always gotten along, despite one being Dad’s ex-wife and one being Dad’s girlfriend. Lauren would look after her—even if it was Chris’s job. Even if he was supposed to.

“You did great.”

Chris swallowed thickly. “I think it’s just sunk in.”

It hadn’t been real. It had taken so long that it had never quite felt real until this moment.

Jack had died a long, slow, terrible death. Weeks in the hospice. Chris would never forget the gargling way his stepfather had breathed near the end, or the clammy coolness of his skin. The way Mum had cried, soft little sniffles at the corner of the bed on that final day. The gaps between the gurgles, until finally there had been nothing but the eeriest silence. The shaking in his fingertips was over.

Everything was over. The smell of cigar smoke on the tenth of March, the one day of the year Jack lit up. The shuffle of his slippers. The whirr of that deathtrap of a stairlift. The croaking way he’d chuckled, a noise that in a bigger man would have been a belly laugh. The little huff he let out when Mum was in one of her moods, followed up hastily with “Yes, dear, of course…” And Chris had never seen it, but he’d known Jack had flashed him little smirks across the table at such moments, conspiratorial understandings between the two men who were most subject to her fussing and flapping, the two men who loved her most. Gone.

“Jack’s gone.”

“I know.” The words were soft but firm. The hands on his shoulders rubbed down to his elbows and then back up in a long, smooth stroke. “But so is the pain and the suffering. He’s not hurting anymore. And if he was right, then he gets to see his daughter again now.”

Chris coughed a shaky laugh. It bubbled out of his ribs like water overflowing. “No such thing as heaven.”

“You never know.”

Chris sighed and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes and hummed as a kiss was pressed into his temple.

“I should go and see Mum,” he said.

But his chest ached. His ribs felt like they were going to cave in, and a red-hot pain followed the scar, as if he’d been wrapped in metal wire, melting against his skin. He hurt.

“I want to go home.”

The hands pulled. He was turned by the shoulders and drawn into a rain-damp embrace. The arms around his back made the pain worse, but Chris clung and burrowed into the embrace anyway. The kiss on the top of his head slotted two of the jagged edges together and sealed them shut again. The grief ebbed a fraction.

“Come on, then. Let’s go home.”

Purchase

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Meet the Author

Matthew J. Metzger is an ace, trans author posing as a functional human being in the wilds of Yorkshire, England. Although mainly a writer of contemporary, working-class romance, he also strays into fantasy when the mood strikes. Whatever the genre, the focus is inevitably on queer characters and their relationships, be they familial, platonic, sexual, or romantic.

When not crunching numbers at his day job, or writing books by night, Matthew can be found tweeting from the gym, being used as a pillow by his cat, or trying to keep his website in some semblance of order.

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