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Thursday, February 1, 2024

SKIN AND BONES (London Love #3) by Sophia Soames Release Blitz

 


NEW RELEASE 

Book Title:  SKIN and BONES (London Love)

Author and Publisher: Sophia Soames

Cover Artist: Christina Stern

Release Date: January 31, 2024

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Grumpy/Sunshine

Themes: Eating disorder, domestic violence, hotel setting.

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 92 000 words       

SKIN AND BONES is best enjoyed if read after TASTE.

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Universal Link  |    Amazon US  |   Amazon UK    

Blurb

Hugo Burrows has life under control.

He's got a decent job, a long-term relationship and a flat in Canary Wharf.

It's all under control. It's just becoming a little problematic trying to hold everything together. Keeping the bruises on his skin hidden away. A smile plastered on his face. Controlling the calories he allows his body to consume. And now his boss is on his back with too many questions, and the grumpy French head chef keeps staring at him like he's a freak or something.


Everything is under control. It has to be.

Ben Desjardins may be the Head Chef at the Clouds Hotel but he definitely hasn't got anything under control. His relationship with his best friend is crumbling and simply turning up for work seems to automatically cause never ending chaotic disasters. Yet there is something about the new concierge that has crawled straight under his prickly skin.

Ben doesn't need more complications in his life. The last thing he needs is to inconveniently, and reluctantly... fall in love.

SKIN AND BONES is best enjoyed if read after TASTE.

Reader Advisory. This book contains the following topics: Eating disorders, OCD, domestic violence and sexual assault. Please look after yourself and take care if these topics could upset you.

Excerpt 

So, the new concierge, his name was Hugo, and he was tall and skinny—far too skinny if you asked me—with a head full of bouncy blonde curls, thick, dark eyebrows over deep-set eyes, sharp cheekbones and plump, puffy lips. He seemed like a nice bloke, stood up for himself. Finn moaned about him, saying something about the guy being great at his job but an untidy bugger. The floor around his desk was always a disaster zone of scrunched-up pieces of paper and torn-up leaflets. Finn wasn’t wrong. I could see stuff on the floor from where I was, while Hugo gave directions to some guests, arms flailing, his phone miraculously still pinched between his cheek and his shoulder. He smiled at something. I smiled too. He had that kind of smile.

Dropping my cigarette on the ground, I squashed out the embers with my shoe. So sue me. I was French. Had grown up there, then moved to England with my mum in my teens and had to adapt to being Ben instead of Benjamin after my arsehole dad kicked us out. I didn’t take shit from anyone.

It hadn’t been bad. Just…my life hadn’t become quite what I’d expected.

I strode back through the lobby with confidence, smiling politely at our maître d’hôtel, who pursed their lips at me. Yeah, I was a dick. I had tomato juice down my front, and my apron was covered in cooking fat. I looked a state and shouldn’t be anywhere near paying guests. I knew it. Mabel knew it. I actually liked them. A lot. Today, our super-efficient restaurant leader rocked a shocking-pink dress and sky-high heels with a face full of make-up. Some days, they presented as a stunning bloke, other days, like today, they wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of a women’s fashion magazine, and they knew it too.

“Looking good, Mabs.”

“Oh shut it, Ben.” They grinned and blushed while giving me a full head-to-toe inspection. “You really need to go change, babes. Honestly, you’ll give Mark a heart attack.”

“You mean I look that good?” I laughed, enjoying another of Mabel’s many smirks.

“You look like shit, babes. How are you ever going to get laid when you walk around looking like someone has dragged you face down through the walk-in fridge?”

“Bah,” I huffed and left them to it. I washed my hands and ripped off my apron, dropping it in the laundry chute and grabbing a fresh one from the shelf before glancing over the line. All under control. Nobody panicking.

“Watch the liquid,” I commented to one of the trainees as they flipped a tray of mushrooms into a serving dish and splattered juice all over the hot plate. Yeah. Newbies. They had to learn, usually the hard way, and there wasn’t much I could do other than show them how to do it the right way, remind them to watch the bloody timings, let them make mistakes and hope they didn’t kill themselves in the process.

I looked down at my own battered hands. I had too many scars to count. Cuts, burns. My hands had survived years of being battered on the rugby pitch, which was nothing compared to getting fingers stuck in blenders and close encounters with sharp knives.

I blamed my mum, getting me into cooking when my hand-eye coordination had been blasted to hell. I had to concentrate, not be stressed, keep focused for my mind to function the way it was supposed to, not that it ever did, and this was a working kitchen. My entire shift was always one huge, stress-induced, disaster-prone trial.

“You all right?” Mark appeared next to me in his immaculate suit, his hair up in a tidy man-bun and eyebrows tightly knitted. Arms crossed, he surveyed our little world. Him and me, we were brothers, partners in crime, a duo of idiots who should have known better, but we worked well together, and there was nowhere else I would rather work than here with him by my side.

“All good,” I said, mirroring his pose.

“The boys out there,” he said conspiratorially. “They’re placing bets on who can get a hook-up with Hugo. There’s good money involved.”

“Hell.” I sighed, rolled my eyes harder than Mabel. “He gay then?”

“I went over and asked him. He just laughed, so yeah. Between you and me, he lives with his long-term boyfriend down in Canary Wharf, so I think all the boys are barking up a dead tree, but I’m not going to tell them. Are you?”

“Nah.” I laughed. I wasn’t. As long as they did their job and made my food look good, I wasn’t getting involved with anything. And anyway, this Hugo? None of my business.

Rolling up my sleeves, I plonked my arse down by my little office set-up and logged into the laptop. I had orders to sign off, menus to plan, things to do. A life to live. Mark shook his head and disappeared back out to the restaurant.

This Hugo? God help him.

About the Author

Sophia Soames should be old enough to know better but has barely grown up. She has been known to fangirl over TV shows, has fallen in and out of love with more popstars than she dares to remember, and has a ridiculously high-flying (un-)glamourous real-life job.

Her long-suffering husband just laughs at her antics. Their children are feral. The dogs are too.

She lives in a creaky old house in rural London, although her heart is still in her native Scandinavia.

Discovering that the stories in her head make sense when written down has been part of the most hilarious midlife crisis ever, and she hopes it may long continue.

Social Media Links

Link Tree  |  Newsletter Sign-up  |  TikTok  |  Facebook readers group 

Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Instagram   

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Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents




Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Ugly Beautiful People by CJ Bedell Blog Tour

 

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Ugly Beautiful People

Author: CJ Bedell 

Publisher: Next Chapter Publishing 

Cover Artist: Lordan June Pinote 

Release Date: August 31, 2023

Genres: Adult LGBTQ Thriller (3 out of 5 point of view characters are bisexual)

Themes: Coming out, Self-acceptance, finding yourself, death, grief, loss

Heat Rating:  3 flames

Length: 59 000 words/249 pages

The book stands alone, but it is intended to be the first book in a trilogy.

It ends on a small cliffhanger. Most of the plot points that happen in Book 1 are wrapped up, though.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US  | Amazon UK  |  B & N |  Kobo

Welcome to Crescent Hills where beauty only runs so deep. Scandal lurks just below the surface behind the McMansions, designer clothes, and fancy cars. And a death will bring the lies, secrets, and betrayals to a boil.

Blurb

Welcome to Crescent Hills, where beauty only runs so deep. Scandal lurks below the surface behind the McMansions, designer clothes, and fancy cars. When the town is shaken by the disappearance of journalist Ivy Fields, whispers of betrayal and intrigue begin to unravel the threads binding its elite residents.

Audrey, haunted by her own past, is determined to unveil the truth behind Ivy's disappearance, hoping to find closure she never received. Amidst this, Marcia grapples with the confines of her seemingly perfect marriage, leading her down a dangerous path. At the same time, a young Ben navigates the complexities of love, friendship, and societal expectations. Meanwhile, Cassandra's life gets disrupted by a ghost from her past.

As Crescent Hills residents confront their own dilemmas, the shadow of Ivy's disappearance looms large. For behind every beautiful façade, there are secrets yearning to be exposed, and as they say, the past always finds a way to catch up.

Excerpt 

Birds screeched when Audrey opened her eyes. She yawned, then stretched. Her back hairs stuck up. Audrey might’ve been lying on the seating of the pontoon boat, but black no longer veiled the sky. Instead, sunlight beamed from the cloudless sky. 

Audrey scanned the boat. Ivy was gone. 

Dread filled Audrey’s insides—she couldn’t think of one logical explanation as to why Ivy would no longer be on the boat. Audrey did the only thing she could and leaned up against the edge of the boat and peered into the water. No sign of Ivy. 

Something vibrated from her jean’s right pocket and she whipped out her iPhone. Sawyer was calling her. “Hello?” Audrey asked. 

“I wanted to see how you were doing this morning.” Sawyer chuckled. “And don’t worry. I’m not mad you decided to have a fun night with Ivy. Just glad Ivy texted me about you staying over at her place. Most people wouldn’t be so courteous.” 

“I’m still on the boat,” Audrey blurted. “And Ivy is nowhere to be found.” 

“Come again?”
“We never went back to shore and had dinner.”
“How much did you drink last night?”
“Just one gin and tonic.”

A folded piece of paper on the driver’s seat of the boat caught Audrey’s attention, and she rushed over to it. “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta go,” she said. “I’ll be home as soon as I can.” 

Audrey pressed END before shoving her iPhone back into her pocket. Then, she unfolded the note and read it. 

Dear Audrey,
I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but I’ve been very unhappy 

with my life for a long time, and I’ve decided to end my life.

I know my suicide will probably come as a shock to you. However, 

please always think of me fondly. 

Love, 

Ivy 

Audrey crumbled the note and it fell onto the floor of the boat. After that, she screamed. Tragedies were supposed to be something that she watched on the news, not witnessed first- hand. But no explanation was necessary about how cruel life was and the universe often had a twisted sense of humor. 

Tears welled in Audrey’s eyes. Nothing could’ve prepared her for this moment, because she wanted to cry. And cry. And cry. Ivy couldn’t be dead; she was only thirty-seven. So, she still had a little more than half her life left. 

Ivy was in trouble and Audrey hadn’t seen the signs. So, 

Audrey’d never forgive herself for Ivy’s suicide. Audrey had failed Ivy, and she couldn’t fathom how she’d continue with life. 

Audrey’s throat tightened. Perhaps Ivy’s death was only meant to resemble a suicide and was really murder. There was a reason people always touted the saying about life being stranger than fiction. Audrey shook her head. Yeah, that had to have been it. Ivy couldn’t have been desperate enough to commit suicide. 

The only thing Audrey was certain of was that Ivy was nowhere to be found. And that was why she’d get to the bottom of Ivy’s death. Whether someone murdered Ivy or Ivy actually committed suicide, there had to be more to the story. 

About the Author  

Chris Bedell is the author of over a dozen novels. He also graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2016.

Author Links

Twitter  |   Instagram

Giveaway 

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win

one of two ebook copies of Pieces of My Life. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents




Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Hachi + Araine : The Dream Series by Michael G. Hurston Series Tour

 

Hachi + Araine: The Dream Series by Michael G. Hurston

After waking up from a thousand-year cryosleep to a world they no longer recognize, Hachi and her golem Araine embark on a perilous journey with human scavenger Sara to find others like themselves, navigating a world of romance, tragedy, and self-discovery along the way.

The stories need to be read in order.

Series Links

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 

BOOK DETAILS

BOOK 1

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Awake: The Dream Series Book 1 

Length: 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 3.5-4 flames

It is not a standalone story and this book ends on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb 

Hachi is an unstoppable Tau-born juggernaut on the battlefield with her golem Araine. The two wake up in a cryopod after a thousand-year sleep to find the world she knew is gone, and the others who came with her are nowhere to be found. Determined to find others like themselves, Hachi and Araine embark on their search, encountering a human scavenger named Sara, and a treasure hunt through space ensues.

While Hachi is confident in her abilities as a warrior, she is insecure and unsure of herself in social interactions. She is forced to deal with not only the loss of her own kind, but with people she doesn’t know, and more than she could have expected. Throughout their adventure, Hachi must confront her vulnerabilities, even as she battles against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

With the help of Araine and Sara, Hachi must not only find others like herself but also discover the truth about the new world she finds herself in, regardless of what tragedies occurred and what may yet still befall them.

BOOK 2

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Nightmares: The Dream Series Book 2 

Length: 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 2-3 flames

It is not a standalone story and this book ends on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb 

Taking place immediately after the events of book 1, Hachi and Araine have now recovered their memories as well as been granted a boon from the Founders. Together the pair are tasked with locating the remaining unopened Tau-born vaults hidden somewhere across the Sol System.

Determined to complete her mission and return to the man she’s known all her life. Araine and Hachi set out on a quest that takes them through the universe and back, but for every action, there is a reaction, and they’ll need to face the consequences of every decision they’ve made. 

Meanwhile Lamant and Mira work tirelessly to attempt to restore the woman Hachi loved back to life, though things take a darker turn when an unknown ship appears suddenly on the outskirts of our galaxy.

BOOK 3

Book Title: Hachi + Araine // Falling: The Dream Series Book 3 

Length: Approximately 45 000 Words

Release Date: October 20, 2023

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance 

Tropes: Polyamorous and Pansexual relationships

Themes: Strong Female Protagonist, Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 2-3 flames

It is not a standalone story.

It does not end on a cliffhanger, but leaves some aspects open.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb 

One year after the events of book 2, Hachi is trying her best to help lead the new world she created, even as her relationship with Araine is strained. A new series of challenges, both emotional and physical awaits her.

A celebration gone awry, a mission to the belts to rout out the last remnants of the old regime, and ongoing struggles with relationships are now just par for the course for Hachi and Araine. Along with the help of Gemini, Scarlet, Darius, and KAD their goal is to bring safety and a lasting peace to the people of Sol.

But the clock is ticking as Amrita has warned her. Will any of Hachi’s actions matter once they face off against entities known only as the First Children. Unfamiliar beings from Draco that rival the abilities of the Founders and want nothing more than to consume all life within Sol.

About the Author

I’ve worked in MarTech/WebOps for the last twenty years. Most of my daily writing is spent on Business Requirement Documents, Project Plans, and Engineering Tickets. 

I started creative writing in my spare time. I enjoy writing fantasy and science fiction as well as d20 campaigns.

Everything I make from writing goes to helping provide a better life for my cat.

Author Links

Blog/Website  | Amazon Author Page

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FGMAMTC

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents