TTC Books and more 3 Year Blogiversary and Giveaway

Three years and counting!

TTC Books and more is turning three! But I wouldn't be where I am today without the help of some amazing authors as well as my fellow reviewers and bloggers that have come out to play along the way.

I've met so many new online friends these past three years, and I look forward to many more years in the game. I've put together a pretty fantastic giveaway to celebrate with the help of some of the Authors I've hosted here on TTC Books and more along with some bloggers I've worked closely with. Be sure to stop by their pages and see what they've got cooking this month as well. 

Thank you to everyone who frequents the blog and the facebook page and supports my endeavors! It means the world to me. I created this blog out of a love of reading, and having met several authors through that love that wanted to share their books with me. Therefore, I could share my thoughts with all of you. Over the years it has grown and I've met even more people. I enjoy keeping the blog diverse as well, any author of any genre is welcome to post here at TTC Books and more!

Here is a list of authors, bloggers and an artist that donated to this giveaway, please go visit their pages and thank them personally for their generosity. 

Staccato Publishing 

{HK Savage, Jay Mims, Jacinta Maree, Donna Milward, CS Yelle, Downey Green}

Crystal's Many Reviewers

Queer Town Abbey

A.E. Via

Iyana Jenna

T.M. Smith

T.L. Shreffler

Melissa Sassina

Runaway Book Designs

Morticia Knight

Here's to many more years of blogging, reviewing, writing and bringing you all the latest reads across multiple genres... and swag!!

There are a few International Prize Packs indicated by *I* if you are International these will be the Prize Packs you are eligible for. 

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Till Death Do Us Part series blog tour & Giveaway

FB EVENT - https://www.facebook.com/events/307413169437066/

For Better or For Worse (Book #1)

SYNOPSIS

Natasha Benson

Invites you, the reader

to follow her journey

of marrying the man of her dreams:-

he loves her; protects her; makes her laugh

and

she wants him to be her forever …….

Until they actually get married!

Natasha –

“My life was so perfect,

so structured

and then it all came tumbling down

in the worst way possible”

Who knew that my wedding

vows would become the

story of my life?

This is my story, about

how the perfect love

can go horribly wrong.

Follow me as I go through

the big highs and great lows

in my happy ever after.

GOODREADS   AMAZON US    AMAZON UK

In Sickness and In Health (Book #2)

SYNOPSIS

Natasha married the man of her dreams, only to wake up and realize she was living a nightmare.

She has been through so much in her short marriage. Is she prepared to give it all up or is she willing to fight for her man?

What will happen if she stays with him? She takes her wedding vows seriously, but she didn't realize that she would have to adhere to each one of them individually.

What if unconditional love is just around the corner? Will she give up her vows for her soulmate?

In Sickness and In Health follows Natasha as she continues her journey to find her happy ever after!

GOODREADS   AMAZON US  AMAZON UK

To Love and To Cherish (Book #3)

SYNOPSIS

We’ve followed Natasha’s journey from being madly in love, marrying the man of her dreams for her to then wake up in a nightmare.

This is the final installment of Natasha’s journey to find her Happy Every After, does she find it?

She has lived out her wedding vows “For Better or For Worse”, “In Sickness and in Health” now she is going to live out her “To Love and To Cherish” vow.

Will she find the perfect love she so desperately craves?

Life is about to throw her a curve ball, will she catch it and run with it?

Join Natasha in following her dream of a happy life – will her wishes come true?

GOODREADS   AMAZON US   AMAZON UK

To Have and To Hold (Book #4)

SYNOPSIS

What would you do if your best friend told you not to get involved with someone? Would you stay away?

What if you are asked to not get involved with someone who you have an instant attraction to? That makes it a bit more difficult!

Now what if you are asked not to get involved with someone who is your soulmate and you feel it the first time you meet? Would you stay away?

Kammie and Luca find themselves in this situation and they try to stay away from each other, but they just can’t help themselves.

Is it the right thing for them to do? Will it make them both happy? Or should they take the advice given to them from their best friends?

Follow Kammie and Luca on their rollercoaster ride and find out if soulmates are really meant to be together!

GOODREADS AMAZON US   AMAZON UK

AUTHOR

I am a mother to two young children, who in turn keep me young. I live in Dublin, Ireland but, I’m originally from South Devon in the UK. I work full time in a pharmacy and write in all my spare time: in my lunch hour, when watching TV at night and anywhere the urge takes me.

I have always been interested in reading from a young age and then 2 years ago I was given a kindle as a present and it was the best thing that happened to me. I was able to read lots of books ever week and then I started to write reviews for all the books I read.

I took this one step further and started my own facebook page – Sparkling Pink Bookshelf. I intended to upload all of my reviews for the books I read. This was purely for pleasure and then I answered a post on facebook for someone to read for reviews and thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was reading about 7/8 books a week, the kindle made this achievable. I would read at any opportunity I could, even staying up til the small hours to finish a book. I loved it.

Then one day I was asked to beta read a book – I loved this side of it, it was so exciting. I have worked with a number of indie authors and have remained loyal to a few select authors and I beta read all their books.

After a year or more of doing this, I thought maybe I could write some of the stories that were in my head and I just decided to write and see what happened. I wrote about 70% of a story and then saw a post for the NaNoWriMo competition – to write 50,000 words in 30 days, I decided that this was a challenge I wanted to take and the Til Death Us Do Part series was born.

I am always thinking of situations that can be turned into a story and have started a few stories, which in turn will be completed and released to my readers.

I love to hear what my readers have to say about my work and please find my links below:

Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy this series of books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Krissy V

FACEBOOK – TWITTER - GOODREADS - AMAZON  – INSTAGRAM - WEB

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Home the Hard Way virtual blog tour Spotlight, Q&A and Giveaway {Riptide Publishing}

Dare Buckley has come home—or at least, he’s come back to Palladian, the small town he left as a teenager. After a major lapse in judgment forced him to resign from the Seattle PD, Palladian is the only place that’ll hire him. There’s one benefit to hitting rock bottom, though: the chance to investigate the mystery of his father’s suicide.

Dare also gets to reacquaint himself with Finn Fowler, whose childhood hero worship ended in uncomfortable silence when Dare moved away. But Finn isn’t the same little kid Dare once protected. He’s grown into an attractive, enigmatic stranger who neither wants nor needs what Dare has to offer.

In fact, Dare soon realizes that Finn’s keeping secrets—his own and the town’s. And he doesn’t seem to care that Dare needs answers. The atmosphere in Palladian, like its namesake river, appears placid, but dark currents churn underneath. When danger closes in, Dare must pit his ingenuity against his heart, and find his way home the hard way.

About the Author – Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back.  Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.

If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”

To celebrate, all this month you can support a worthy cause and enjoy a heartwarming Christmas story in the hot days of summer! Pick up holiday romance Lost and Found, one of four titles in the Home for the Holidays collection! It's available all this month at 50% off: just $2.49; plus you'll be supporting a worthy cause: The Ali Forney Center in New York, whose mission “is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness." Also releasing this month is romantic suspense novel Home the Hard Way, available for pre-order onsite now. And coming in December, Hell on Wheels, one of several titles featured in the new multi-author contemporary series, Bluewater Bay!

Author links: Riptide | Facebook | Twitter
{Readers can visit ZAM at her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr} 

Q&A and This or That with Author ZA Maxfield

Tell us about your recent Riptide release[s]. What was the inspiration behind it/them?
I’ve been working on Home the Hard Way for a really, really long time. I think it’s because my mother was an avid reader (and viewer) of mysteries, and I used to attend Mystery Writer’s of America with an ex, but there’s something about writing a mystery that I’ve been aspiring to for a long time.
I’ve written romantic suspense, but I think this is the first time I really feel like I’ve written a mystery.  I called HTHW “the Frankenbook,” because it took me so long to get to the place where I was pleased enough with it to sub it anywhere. Fortunately for me Sarah Frantz liked it, and readers will be able to read it very soon!
What can readers expect when they read a story from you? What would you like potential readers to know about you and your books?
I think I hit three notes pretty consistently: Family, Unconditional love, and Redemption. Whether I’m writing something dark, or working on a romantic comedy, whether it’s vampires or virgin coeds, you’ll pretty much see the same three themes.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself while writing your latest release?
I surprised myself by changing horses in mid-stream, as it were. When I began the book I imagined the protagonist, Finn, as a certain type of man, but as I worked, I realized he had way more depth. That original idea evolved very dramatically during the story. Of course that gave me fits, but I believe I created a character who is unique and also a little surprising.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Each book is different. Some just fly from the fingers and others I agonize over. Anywhere from three months to three years.
Describe your workspace.
I have two different workspaces. I share an office downstairs with my husband, which is lovely. I have a massive desktop computer down there and a great office chair. But I often work on my laptop in a wingchair in the dormer in my bedroom on one of those TV craft trays. (In my bedroom, I can always hear birdsong, and most of the time the family is downstairs. Things can get crowded-- especially in summer, when the kids are home from university and their friends come over.)
Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do to cure it?
If you had asked me that a year ago, I could have scoffed at you. I genuinely don’t believe in writer’s block. I think writer’s block happens when we attach value judgments to our work, especially if we have the expectation of meeting a word quota or a level of perfection and we have anxiety over achieving our goals.
No one can get writer’s block if they’re willing to simply sit down and write dreck and throw it away.  I mean if I write “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” for four thousand words, I’m little better than a typing monkey but I am writing. Now if I substitute a vague stab at writing something original or something that interests me--if I am willing to explore every thread of my consciousness no matter how long it takes, I’ll find one to follow eventually.  No surfer can catch a wave unless she paddles out.  If you leave your keyboard due to “Writer’s Block” it’s the equivalent of leaving your board in the garage, sitting on your sofa, and telling yourself there are no good waves anywhere in the world.
What can readers expect from you in the future?
I….got nothing. Even I don’t know what I’m doing in the future. As I get older, I find myself simply glad to have one. I know I’ll write love stories. I don’t know who will be in them yet, but they’ll all end happily ever after.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
John Wooden
Lightning round:
Ebook or print? Gzzzzzt. No fair. Ebook for genre, print for classics.
Sweet or sour? Salty
Leather or lace? Both
Naughty or nice? Nice
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla
Jocks or nerds? Nerds (More specifically, GEEKS ALL THE WAY)
Truth or Dare? Truth
Cats or dogs? Dogs
Your first concert? (Must I SAY?) The Osmond Brothers, 1971, LA Forum

A Note from the author...

Hello and thanks to TTC Books and More for letting me be here today!

I’m Z.A. Maxfield, coming at you from lovely sunny southern California where I’m blogging about my latest release, Home The Hard Way.

I’m doing a giveaway and there are a couple different ways to win! At each tour stop, one lucky winner will get to choose any book from my backlist, so if you’re new to Z.A. Maxfield, this is a great way to find out if you want to dive in! At the end of the tour, I’ll be giving away a Riptide gift certificate, so you’re going to want to follow along the whole blog tour HERE for your best chance at a prize!

There’s two ways to win today! Comment below for a chance to win an ebook from my backlist AND you can also…

Enter the Giveaway!

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My review of The River Leith by Leta Blake {Five Star Read!}

Memory is everything.

After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.

For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach's choices may come back to haunt him.

Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

This book reminds me of one of my favorite piano accompaniments, A River Flows In You. A river is a body of water that is constantly in motion, grounded to the earth by something encasing it, encouraging and allowing the flow to continue. Leith is very much the river, and Zach is what surrounds him, protects him and allows him to flow. Without each other, neither would be complete. 

Leith Wentz wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of the past three years. Three years ago, Leith was in prison for a fight gone bad, his father was still alive and he hadn't yet met the love of his life. All of those precious memories were wiped out with one blow to the back of the head. Leith's recovery is long and painful. He's angry and lashes out at everyone and everything, and who is the man named Zach that visit's him? His brother says they are best friends but Leith just can't remember. But his soul can. From that first look into Zach's frightened eyes, Leith is drawn to him, inexplicably, and he has no idea why. The more time they spend together, the stronger the pull becomes. And when Zach isn't there he misses him, and it only confuses him more. Something is going on, Leith's family and friends are keeping secrets, and it's only making him madder.

Zach is broken and spent. The man of his dreams, the man he's spent the last three years loving, fighting with, growing closer than possible to doesn't remember him. The man, in fact, assures his doctor that he is straight. Can you imagine? In the blink of an eye, your entire life, everything you've lived for and loved is wiped away with the ease of an eraser on a chalk board, leaving behind only dust and a musty smell. Zach's only solace is his job at the bar he co-owns with Arthur, Leith's brother, his lesbian roommates and his online vlog. Zach can't tell his best friend and lover about his pain and misery because that person doesn't remember him, so he pours his heart out to his online followers. 

In the aftermath Leith is welcomed back into a life that is anything but a distant memory. He has to acclimate into situations that are above his comprehension, and learn to love a man he can't remember, but deep down in his soul, he knows he belongs with Zach. And Zach will have to learn to stop comparing this Leith to the Leith before the accident. That Leith basically died, because this one not only can't remember, but refuses to continue to be compared to that shell. If these two obvious soul mates are going to find their second happy ever after, they are going to have to love each other in the now, start a new life, and make new memories. 

Do you remember that movie The Vow, with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams? This is the gay version! I am a huge fan of soul mates whether it be in books or movies, and Leith and Zach are definitely soul mates. It was both painful and beautiful to watch both men dredge through the pain and turmoil of getting past Leith's accident and moving forward together, overcoming every obstacle that was thrown into their path. Blake did an excellent job of making sure the reader was right there with both men as they dealt with the pain and love every damn day. We were there inside Leith's mind as he would analyze, verbalize and sometimes act out in his mind with the utter helplessness he felt at not being able to remember. And Zach's vlog posts kept us inside his mind as he dealt with the same issues, just in a different way. I highly recommend this book, especially to those hopeless romantics out there that love an epic love story that transcends the mind and digs down deep into your soul. 

*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

While Leta Blake would love to tell you that writing transports her to worlds of magic and wonder and then safely returns her to a home of sparkling cleanliness and carefully folded laundry, the reality is a bit different. For as long as Leta can recall, stories have hijacked her mind, abducting her to other lands, and forcing her to bend to the will of imaginary people. This absence from reality results in piles of laundry and forgotten appointments. In between abductions, Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family. Author links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Guest blogger, Jayson James with his new covers for the Finding Our Way series {ebook Giveaway}

Today I am happy to hand the blog over to author Jayson James who is going to tell us all about his new cover's for his fantastic YA coming of age series, Finding Our Way. 

Thank you Tams for having me as a guest today at TTC Books and more!

Today I would like to share with you something very exciting and been in the long time coming. At last, I finally have covers for the Finding Our Way Series books.  Sure, they have been out for almost three years now and they’ve all had covers on them.  Just not covers I have been all too thrilled about on them.

When I put out my first book the cover, itself seemed to be more daunting than the editing process was.  I had an image that I’d drawn and knew what I wanted the title to be and of course my name on it.  I used the paint program and messed around with the adding the image and the text until I had it all fitting on what I thought was a book cover.  Then I went to upload it and found the dimensions were wrong and a long story short, I went through several headaches and starting from scratch until I was able to come up with a halfway decent book cover.

I eventually found a template that I was able to put my cover image into and make it look all nice and professional. It worked and they looked rather good.  Being the protectionist I am they were not good enough for me.  Thus, I always wanted to change the covers.

What has always been clear is people love the artwork.  When I published, I was so nervous about sharing my artwork.  So much so, I almost did not put it onto the cover.  I have reviewed more emails praising, asking about and complimenting my cover art than anything from readers.  Even when I have talked about changing the covers, my friends, readers or anyone else has always made a plea for me to keep my artwork on the books.  I decided over a year ago that no matter what the images for each cover was going to stay the same. 

Although I have been busily painting the cover for my new book, Pieces of Us coming out at the end of summer, dealing with edits and a schedule so crazy my head is spinning some days, I had an idea for what I wanted to do with the covers of my series.  Without further ado, here are the new covers beside the old.

Finding Our Way

Justin Parker and Derrick Wilson have been best friends since meeting back in middle school. Currently they are in their junior year at Chandler High School, and living the good life as teenagers. They have great girlfriends, plenty of close friends, their own cars, and parents who are well off. As nice as things might look to an outsider, something is missing from each of their lives.

Justin has become the invisible son in the midst of his parents failing marriage. In an effort to get his parent’s attention, Justin keeps getting into trouble. So far he has been able to get away with anything without facing any repercussions, while Derrick is feeling distant and tired of what he feels is a too “perfect family”. He just wants to have a normal social life and spend time with his friends without the pressures from his family to spend time with them. With blurring the lines of friendship in the process to realizing what was missing and discovering who they really are.

Justin and Derrick take turns narrating the story of their junior year in high school and all of the events that take place in their lives. Being a teenager can be tough. Being gay can be tougher. For Derrick and Justin they are both, and life cannot get any more complicated.

What happens when two best friends cross the boundaries of friendship? Will they be able to be happy together? Will they keep their secret?

Tams review of Finding Our Way 

Tormented Discovery

Justin and Derrick have a secret that they revealed only to their closest friends. They are gay and are now a couple. The story of Justin and Derrick continues as they learn more about being a gay couple in their senior year of high school and the complications that arise from it. Some friends will have their backs while others simply stand on the sidelines. Other friends will be accepting and others will ridicule them.

Sometimes love is almost not enough to save a relationship and both Derrick and Justin begin to have their doubts as they watch relationships around them rise and fall. Justin and Derrick both want to have new experiences, new choices and make new friends, which leads to them questioning their own relationship. They soon discover that some of the people they consider friends have their own secrets, some darker than others. The couple begins to see how people react towards homosexuality and just how people want to deal with it and them.

Will Justin and Derrick be able to hold onto each other while their lives and secrets spiral around them?
Or will they decide to step back and give up on themselves and each other?

Tams review of Tormented Discovery

Drifting

What happens when the person you love is having doubts?

These two boyfriends have been through a lot. Best friends since childhood, fell in love in high school and thought they would be together forever. They stuck together even when their friends and family found out about their relationship. Struggling with challenge after challenge, they have finally made it to college and are living on their own. Living together is a whole new world and being open with their relationship is even more so.

Spending every day together as a couple they begin to learn about their differences. Things that never bothered them are now annoying traits driving a wedge between them. Can their relationship survive their differences? Can it handle new friends and new romances? Will they find their way together or will they drift apart?

Tams review of Drifting

I appreciate you taking the time to share in my excitement!  I hope you enjoy the new covers and more so, I hope you enjoy the books!

Thanks again, Tams for having me as a guest today!

A Little About Me (Jayson James)

For as long as I can remember, I dreamt of becoming a published author someday. Though I was not sure what genre I wanted to write, I knew I liked to write and tell stories. Throughout the years, I have written various stories and shared them with my friends. A novel I had an overwhelming urge to write exactly a year ago would make this dream come true. When I am not writing, I enjoy drawing, reading, watching movies and socializing.

For more information about me, please visit my website: www.jaysonjamesbooks.blogspot.com

To purchase my books, please visit Amazon: http://amzn.com/e/B009FQAR44

And thank you Jayson for stopping by today and sharing these fantastic new covers with us. I have to tell you, if you haven't read this series yet, you really should. It's so fresh and young and there is this raw realism to the writing. I found this video on youtube not too long after I finished Finding Our Way, and it really puts a visual to how I see Justin & Derrick. So young, naive and in love... it is really what this series is all about. 

And now for the giveaway goodies! 2 winners will receive 1 ebook from Jayson James backlist, Winner's Choice! And feel free to stalk James on Facebook and Twitter, he really loves it!                a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Free Book!!! After the Frost by PG Owyns {today only}

Free July 23rd!!

<Click Here to get your free copy>

After the Frost [Kindle Edition]

PG Owyns (Author)

In the Pacific Northwest of 1928, Julian Powell lives a life that for most appears to be one of privilege—a perfect life in a huge house, servants, and carefully groomed grounds. No matter how idyllic it might seem, it has become a prison for Julian. His days are filled with the endless monotony of family gatherings, gossip, and brown suits. Overshadowing him is a life-long illness. Julian finds his only freedom from his overbearing family in secretly writing books celebrating the beauty of nature. Occasionally he escapes to the local bookstore, with the hope of seeing the town’s eccentric, William Neill. Julian’s life changes forever when he makes the boldest decision of his life. He leaves to take care of an ailing childhood friend, moving to a place that will take him away from all he has ever known to an unexpected new life. He becomes part of a family of his own choosing, and it brings him closer to the man that he’s been secretly falling for—a man who has a prison of his own to escape. As William and Julian struggle to overcome their pasts, will their secrets bring them together or drive them apart?

Check PG Owyns out on the Social Web

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PernilleOwynsAuthor?ref_type=bookmark

Become PG Owyns Facebook Friend https://www.facebook.com/PernilleOwyns  

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Second Helpings virtual blog tour {Riptide Publishing} Comment AND Rafflecopter giveaways!

Second Helpings by Charlie Cochrane
Release Date: July 21st 2014 from Riptide Publishing

Stuart Collins’s life might as well have ended a year ago when his partner died in a car crash. Even Stuart’s widowed father has found new love with an old friend, Isabel Franklin, so why can’t Stuart be bothered to try?

Then he gets a phone call from Isabel’s son, Paul, who wants to check out whether or not Mr. Collins is good enough for his mother. During dinner together, though, they end up checking out each other. Trouble is, Paul’s got a boyfriend—or maybe he doesn’t, since the boyfriend’s supposedly giving Paul the push by ignoring him. Or maybe Paul just wants to have his cake and eat it too.

Honesty with each other is the only way to move forward. But maybe honesty with themselves is what they really need.

4/5 stars ...

Stuart Collins loves his job in forensics, even if some of the cases hit him a little hard, like when children are involved. He’s pretty much wrapped in his work and drops everything, literally, if they call him in. Since the death of his partner a year ago, he hasn’t even tried to date again. But he is starting to feel the bite of lonliness, hell, even his father is dating again!

Paul Franklin is missing his boyfriend Ben, who has moved back home to attend to his mom. Ben has seemingly cut off all contact with Paul, not responded to texts or emails, not picking up when Paul calls or returning messages. But Paul has other things on his mind now, like getting to know the man his mom is dating. So he sets up a meeting with the man’s son, Stuart.

Over beers at a local pub, Stuart and Paul share stories about their childhood and their love lives and they learn each of them is gay. But Paul has a temper and soon it sends Stuart speeding away without so much as a goodbye. A second chance is given and the two meet for dinner, and this is where the majority of the book takes place. Lots of dialogue between the two men who have potential to become a couple, if it weren’t for the other two men hovering over their heads. Stuarts dead lover and Paul's ‘is he or isn’t he’ boyfriend.

Dinner becomes dessert and the two share a pretty passionate night together reawakening feelings both thought long gone. Stuart finally begins to feel comfortable opening his heart to another man since Mark’s death. Only to have the rug snatched out from under him when Ben reaches out to Paul.

The writing within this story was so engaging and intriguing. I was serious when I said a good portion of the book is over dinner between Stuart and Paul. Between the first meeting fiasco and dinner, they truly learn so much about one another, and it was very refreshing to see them both eager to learn more about the other. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I like Paul’s character. He was quick tempered and indecisive.

Overall this was a fast, emotional read with a lot of dialogue that is definitely character driven. There is never a moment where there is any full on sex, but the passion and emotion is there in the acts that are conveyed to the reader.

A must read for those that want to spend all their time with the characters, wrapped up in their conversations and emotions.

As Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes, with titles published by Carina, Samhain, Bold Strokes, MLR and Cheyenne.
Charlie's Cambridge Fellows Series of Edwardian romantic mysteries was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People, International Thriller Writers Inc and is on the organising team for UK Meet for readers/writers of GLBT fiction. She regularly appears with The Deadly Dames.
 
Connect with Charlie:

• Website:charliecochrane.co.uk/
• Blog: charliecochrane.livejournal.com/
• Twitter: @charliecochrane
• Facebook profile page: facebook.com/charlie.cochrane.18
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/goodreadscomcharlie_cochrane

Excerpt from Second Helpings..

Bright sunlight on an early July Saturday afternoon, filtering through the leaves of a flowering cherry tree—how could it fail to lift your spirits? Stuart, his desk angled to make the most of the sunshine, basked in the warmth.

Thank God for all such small joys.

Sitting at his desk, looking out the study window, gave him a prime view of the plum tree at the bottom of the garden. An early bloomer, it was usually a mass of small ripe fruits by now, especially if April was sunny and the blossoms were favoured with mild weather and a mass of bees. April had played her part, but the months since had been a disappointment—the fruit hung there, still unripe.

Life had been like that this year, too. Mark had still been here last April, smiling sweetly and full of plans for the summer and beyond. Plans that had dropped from the branch before the green had seen the first blush of purple, early promise never realised, like the aftermath of a harsh, unseasonal wind. Could it be nearly a year since he’d gone?

“I’ve done, Mr. Stuart!” Mrs. Jones’s voice came from the kitchen, followed swiftly by footsteps stomping up the stairs and her greying head appearing around the study door. “Anything else you want before I go?”

“No, that’s fine, thank you.”

“I thought I’d put some cakes on to bake while I was cleaning. I felt I had to earn my money somehow.” She smiled, face a picture of concern—the usual concern he’d generated amongst female friends and relations this last year. Was he eating enough? Was he letting himself pine away? He’d been almost overwhelmed by kindness, to the point of feeling as trapped by it as he was by his grief.

“That’s kind of you, but you didn’t need to. You spoil me.” He forced out the reply and a smile.

“You need a bit of spoiling.” She dithered at the door as though about to say something, then just smiled and backed out.

He waited until the front door had finally closed before going to the kitchen. When he was young, Saturday morning had always been baking day—cakes and bread and sweet biscuits—and the smell of the little fairy cakes brought those days back vividly. Funny how smells seemed to evoke the most powerful memories.

{to read all of chapter one, please visit Riptide Publishing/Second Helpings}

To pre-order this and other titles by Charlie Cochran...
Second Helpings {releasing July 21 2014}
Lessons for Survivors {releasing January 2015}
The Best Corpse for the Job (releasing Novemember 2014}


A note from the Author...

I'm thrilled skinny to be dropping in here as part of the Second Helpings blog tour. A million thanks to TTC Books and more for having me as a guest. 

***

About Second Helpings

Stuart Collins’s life might as well have ended a year ago when his partner died in a car crash. Even Stuart’s widowed father has found new love with an old friend, Isabel Franklin, so why can’t Stuart be bothered to try?

Then he gets a phone call from Isabel’s son, Paul, who wants to check out whether or not Mr. Collins is good enough for his mother. During dinner together, though, they end up checking out each other. Trouble is, Paul’s got a boyfriend—or maybe he doesn’t, since the boyfriend’s supposedly giving Paul the push by ignoring him. Or maybe Paul just wants to have his cake and eat it too.

Honesty with each other is the only way to move forward. But maybe honesty with themselves is what they really need. 

***

As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries. 

Charlie’s Cambridge Fellows Series, set in Edwardian England, was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People, and International Thriller Writers Inc., with titles published by Carina, Samhain, Bold Strokes Books, MLR, and Riptide.

There’s two ways to win today! Comment below for a chance to win an ebook from my backlist (excluding Second Helpings), and a mix of summer seaside goodies! AND you can also enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on July 29th, and winners will be announced on July 30th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

 

 

 

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