Get ready for an anti-Valentine to remember in this limited release M/M romance anthology. Eighteen authors have come together to bring you a collection of brand-new short stories with a combination of dark, enemies to lovers, and bully themes.
Suitors & Sweethearts: An African Romance Box Set Publication date: February 7th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.
VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.
A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.
One night on the wild side that changes everything.
LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?
MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake… and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?
BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin “Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with…Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn’t always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances.” ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.
Have you got two minutes?” Olu poked his head
into Ike’s office.
“Sure.”
Ike stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his leather armchair. “I
was just heading out for a meeting. We can walk and talk.”
“Good,”
Olu said as Ike headed towards him and shut the door after he’d exited the
room. “I just wanted to let you know we’ve recruited the final member of the
Baytown project. I just finished the interview.”
“That’s
a quick decision.”
“She is
the best of the candidates we’ve seen and will make a good fit to the team. I
didn’t see the point in holding off any longer.”
“Great.
Well done. I’m keen to get the ball rolling on this project. I presume Jane’s
already onto HR about the contract.”
“She is.
I told the young lady to wait and pick up the contract. In fact, she’s waiting
in Jane’s office. Do you have a sec to meet her?”
“Of
course.”
Olu led
the way and Ike turned in the direction of Jane’s office.
He saw
the girl then. She was dark-skinned, with a heart-shaped face and wide brown
eyes. Something in the back of his mind prickled as there was something
familiar about her.
In a few
seconds, he was standing in Jane’s office in front of the girl and recognition
dawned.
It
couldn’t be. This person standing in front of him looked so different. For
starters, the hair was short and had red streaks in it. The girl he’d know five
years ago had long braids and was too conservative and introverted to ever
colour her hair such a loud shade. Secondly, the glasses were missing.
“Lara, I
wanted you to meet our MD, Ike Thomas” Olu said. “This is Lara Johnson, the new
project planner.”
It was
her.
He’d
banned anyone he knew from mentioning that name for the past five years. After
the night that everything changed. He hadn’t wanted to think of her because he
knew he would’ve gone looking for her if only to make sure she was okay.
And what
if she wasn’t? He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.
Seeing
her now, she looked okay. In one piece. So it had been a good thing to walk
away. She’d survived. He’d survived. The world had moved on.
Ike’s
muscles went rigid as the breath whooshed out of him. It took him a few
heartbeats to recover enough to speak. “Welcome to Thomas International. We’re
looking forward to having you on board.”
He
didn’t stretch out his hand to shake hers, afraid of what physical contact with
her would do to him.
“Thank
you, Mr. Thomas,” she said in a tense tone. “I look forward to working here.”
She
smiled but it seemed forced.
— ENTER THE GOODREADS GIVEAWAY
We’re giving away 1 limited edition paperback copy of the Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance Box Set featuring 6 contemporary romances by award-winning authors.
Taken from his vampires, Matthew now has a whole new set of fangs to worry about.
He was back to square one—vampire dinner.
But Tobia and Gwin aren’t giving him up. When Tobia’s maker shows up on the scene, they use him to get to New York quickly in order to save their muse.
He could not stand to lose her, and his heart ached for Matthew. They weren’t complete without him.
Kato, John & Wayne are trying to cope without their singer, but it doesn’t feel right.
“Carolina Sky and Matthew are about something more than being a kick ass band. I just don’t know exactly what that is.”
…And nothing comes out how they planned.
A serialized paranormal Rockstar romance with mythical beings and multiple pairings.
Tags: Rockers looking for fame, forbidden love, vampires are coming, women with fangs, prolific song writing, gay love, bi-sexual love, fighting demons, fighting alcoholism, energy draining performances, jealousy among friends, love triangle, everybody wants the singer
Excerpt
Tobia approached the house cautiously. He smelled vampires all over the street and side yard. There were at least four different scents mingled. His heart pounded in his chest. How could he have left Gwin and Matthew alone? How could he have not known so many others were in the area? They must have come from the south side, up I-75 from the airport—downwind. He’d been further north and to the east on his hunt. He’d never sensed anything wrong until he was nearly home.
He circled around to the front of the house where he could see the lights on inside through the bay window. The garage took up the west side of the house and temporarily blocked his view of the door as he moved. When he came around to the front again, the porch light was still on, but now he could clearly see the front door on the ground, nearly half of it inside the house. It looked as if it had been knocked off its hinges. The doorframe had been left in splinters. He stepped closer and picked up two additional vampire scents. Six vampires had been here. Gwin never had a chance.
He called out to her tentatively in his head as stepped on the door. As she opened to him, he felt her pain and anguish. The others had left and taken Matthew with them.
Gwin sat on the floor against the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, and she was crying hard. Nothing like he’d ever seen from her. She was beyond words. He went to her and knelt. He touched her leg, and she slowly tilted her head up to look at him.
Tears streamed down her face. “They took him,” she managed between sobs. Her heart wasn’t simply broken. No, nothing as easy as that. Her heart was shattered. And Tobia felt every bit of her pain. His own echoed it. He pulled her up in his arms, rocking her back and forth. If he ever questioned his love for her before, he didn’t any longer. It was there between them like a physical thing, and it was stronger than anything he had ever known. He projected that swelling feeling back to her. He had to. She needed to know, and she needed it now. She’d been badly defeated when she’d most needed to protect Matthew.
Tobia kissed the top of her head and projected what reassurance he could. We’ll find them. I will track them down.
“I swear to you, if he hurts Matthew, I will tear him apart with my bare hands.” He felt the intensely ferocious venom in her words, powerful enough to make him lean away from her.
“Gwin, we’ll find them.”
She stood, took a deep breath, and wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt. He’d promised Matthew earlier that very evening that he would not let something like this happen. He had failed. He had failed them both. Gwin had been hurt.
“I’m fine,” she said reading his thoughts. “A good feed, and I’ll be like new.” She stood up and stepped away, giving Tobia a good view of the damaged wall. It had the imprint of her shoulders and back. “It was Tetrick and Myranta. I don’t know how they found us, or how they knew.” She paced the floor as she spoke. “Tetrick said Matthew is a muse, and they took him, and I don’t know where to look. I haven’t searched for them in a long time.”
“He’s a what?”
“Muse. Like Greek mythology.”
“Matthew? A muse? That’s bizarre. How could that be possible? Think he was lying to you?”
“No, I think he’s right. We’re possible, why not a muse?”
Tobia shook his head. He didn’t know what to think. Didn’t know what that even meant. And worse, he didn’t know what to do. He had never tried to track a vampire. He wasn’t so sure he could do it, but they had to try. His maker, Runihura’d had that talent, and Tobia had inherited other things from him, so he could figure it out. He had to.
“Okay, Gwin. Let’s focus. What do you know about this Tetrick? Where could he have gone?”
She stared at him for a long moment before answering. “I don’t know. I’m so damned tired of not knowing the answers, Tobia.”
About the Author
Lynn Michaels lives and writes in Tampa, Florida where the sun is hot and the Sangria is cold. When she’s not writing she’s kayaking, hanging with her husband, or reading by the pool. Lynn writes Male/Male romance because she believes everyone deserves a happy ending and the dynamics of male characters can be intriguing, vulnerable, and exciting. She has both contemporary and paranormal titles and has been writing since 2014. Her stories don’t follow any set guidelines or ideas, but come from her heart and contain love in many forms.
