Summary:
Ace's Wild #10
After thirteen years together, Malcolm and Embry are all too familiar with their differences. Malcolm is free-spirited and spontaneous while Embry prefers having everything planned out.
A road trip to spend Thanksgiving with Embry’s family is met with a broken-down car, an unfamiliar town filled with amazing people, and one very interesting store that leads to a bet which could change their lives forever.
This year, Malcolm and Embry share a Thanksgiving like no other and discover that, even though they’ve been together for thirteen years, it’s never too late for some new tricks.
New Tricks is part of a multi-author series of books that take place in the same fictional town. Each story can be read in any order. The connecting element in the Ace's Wild series is an adult store owned by Ace and Wilder. The main characters from each book will make at least one visit to Ace's Wild, where they'll buy a toy to use in their story! The only characters who crossover to each book are Ace and Wilder. And with various heat levels, there's sure to be something for everyone!
I didn't think I would get to this novella until well into December but then when I was looking back at a book request post I made in a Facebook book rec group for Thanksgiving stories I saw that the author had did a little self reccing about an upcoming Turkey Day story she had. Well, I realized that there are far too few Turkey Day books out there that I knew I had to read New Tricks for my Tales of Turkey Day 2019 post. So I did a little tweaking of my holiday reading "schedule" and jumped in. I read Davidson King's entry for the Ace's Wild multi-author series in 90 minutes(give or take a little) and loved every second of it.
For those unfamiliar with the Ace's Wild series, the connecting theme is an adult store named Ace's Wild owned and operated by couple, Ace and Wilder, and can be read in any order as the only recurring point is the main characters visiting the store itself. New Tricks is book 10 and actually the first I read but it won't be the last.
I think there is a certain stigma associated with adult stores and that is everyone who goes in has a certain level of hard kinks. Now as I said this is the first of the Ace's Wild series I read so I can't speak to other entries but one of the things I loved most about New Tricks was the author was exploring the "softer" side of kinks. Malcolm and Embry might have walked into the store thinking they were reasonably vanilla in their sex life but by the end of the book they realized that a little spice was more their way. Maybe I'm just babbling but in my reading experience so many stories are either vanilla or hardcore and the "in-between" kinks get neglected so for that alone I offer a huge applause to Miss King👏👏👏.
Now let's talk Malcolm and Embry. I loved the whole setup of the pair being in a longterm committed relationship when the story begins, too often in holiday stories its the magic of the season that brings people together, so this was another plus. I just want to wrap Embry up in bubblewrap to protect him from his family. Don't even get me started on that Thanksgiving Dinner(at least his family's part). Sometimes strangers have the best way of getting to the point and making one see their mistakes through clearer eyes and thankfully Malcolm and Embry have broken down in a town with the kindest strangers around. I won't say more but I'll just add that there are those in the story(and I think you can guess who they are😉) I wanted to strangle and then there are those that I wanted to Mama Bear hug so tight and never let go.
New Tricks may not be the super-duper-uber-Hallmark-y sugary sweet holiday romance but it ticked all my holiday feels boxes. Whether you call it fate, destiny, powers-that-be, or a dozen other metaphors, Malcolm and Embry ended up in Vintage Ridge at just the right time in life.
RATING:
Summary:
Fairyland Romances #3
The recipe is simple:
Charlie cooks an amazing meal
Charlie impresses heir to the theme park Max Jones
Charlie gets a promotion and a dash of control over his kitchen
But the perfect recipe becomes unpalatable with one wrong ingredient and Max Jones is not behaving how Charlie expected…
Max is meant to inherit the entire Fairyland theme park but he just wants to party, have fun and bed as many people as possible. That is, until he meets Charlie and falls for him so hard he can’t even finish the delicious meal.
Charlie doesn’t have time for clubs or helicopter flights over the city, but Max is accustomed to getting what he wants, and he wants Charlie.
Featuring one part Billionaire, one part sensible chef, six cups of attraction, a generous dose of snark and a freshly prepared Happy Ever After.
Recipe for Chaos is a sweet MM gay Billionaire contemporary romance.
Summary:
After twenty-three-year-old Alex loses his best friend, he thinks his life can’t get any worse. He’s all alone in the world again, having grown up in the foster care system, never having someplace to call home. Then he accidentally locks himself out of his new place. His luck changes, though, when his attractive, friendly neighbor, Cade, comes to his rescue.
Unlocking Love is a sweet and steamy M/M story that has a HEA ending. Themes include hurt comfort, first time, age gap, next-door neighbor, Thanksgiving, and random acts of kindness.
Lila Mathews is a new author to me, which can be scary for some but I always feel a little adrenaline rush wondering if I'll enjoy their writing or not. I enjoyed this new author. Unlocking Love is a short story about finding the one. Okay, so the insta-connection between Alex and Cade may seem a little rushed but truth is, whether you like reading those kind of stories or not, it does happen and Lila Mathews has written their connection beautifully and believably. It was brought to my attention when I was asking for Thanksgiving recs in a Facebook rec group and I'm glad I found it because it is a short story that ticked all my sweet, sexy, and heartwarming holiday boxes.
RATING:
The Virgin's Heartsong by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer
Summary:
A short story for any sweet gay boy coming of age. Dylan is not looking for love. When his family and he are forced to move into a seedy trailer park after they lose their home to foreclosure; he has to start life over in a new town and school. It's not long before a promiscuous boy picks him to be his new best friend. They are totally different people, but when he meets Cody, a sweet southern boy from Waco Texas. His BFF DJ gets jealous; DJ finds himself harboring feelings for Dylan.
But, when DJ finally decides to reveal his affection the night before his Dad and he is scheduled to move away; Dylan is left thinking of what could have been. What's a boy supposed to do when his life is changing faster than he is growing up?
Summary:
Single Dads #3
Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option.
Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full. Love is the last item on his to-do list, but seeing his best friends Sean and Eric happy and making new families makes him want things he doesn’t think is possible. Kissing Jason at an event to honor his bravery was one thing, but anything other than that is off limits. Until Jason has no one left to turn to, and it’s Leo who helps him at his lowest. Taking Jason and his daughter into his home is one thing, but falling for the ex-con is something else altogether.
Jason made a deal to keep his daughter safe and spent years behind bars as a result. Volunteering as a convict firefighter was as much about helping the community as saving his sanity, but now that he’s out, he doesn’t even have that. He’s lost his future, his self-respect, and has no friends or a place to call home. Worst of all, even after rescuing his daughter he still can’t keep her safe from the man who wants to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Meeting Leo might give Jason a way to keep Daisy safe, but falling for the stubborn cop means the truth has to be revealed, and he could lose everything all over again.
First off, I've said it before and I'll say it again: men who care for children are some are the sexiest around and tick all my boxes. We first met Leo back in Single and we were introduced to Jason in Today, well now it's Promise and we get to expierence their journey. Cop and ex-con, cliche it may sound but that doesn't mean it can't be magical when written well and RJ Scott definitely tells their story well.
I won't say too much about Leo, he's the kind of cop we all hope to meet if we are unfortunate enough to need a cop: he's kindhearted but not a pushover and though he's all about doing his job he's not so set in stone that he won't listen. Yes, he's on injured leave during the story but we've seen this side of him throughout the series so even on leave we know this about him.
Jason, well what can one say about Jason? Not everything is as it seems. I know that sounds cryptic but there are certain elements of his story that I don't want to spoil, that you really do need to learn for yourself. Watching him care for little Daisy(who BTW is the most adorable little girl) is wonderfully written and says so much about his character. Yes, there are things that he's trying desperately to protect her from and when all is revealed you completely understand his behavior and choices.
I loved watching Leo and Sean balance their duty and their gut when it came to trusting Jason and doing what's best for him and Daisy. This was another excellent example of why Leo is the cop I described above. There is just so much heart in this story(in the Single Dads series as whole really) that at times it may seem cliche but just because something is cliche doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. Promise is a gem of read that will make you smile, cry, laugh, and smile some more and I look forward to re-visiting for years to come.
RATING:
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
When she's not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she'd tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you're afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
A pansexual, trans non-binary author born and raised in New Zealand, Jaxon Knight didn't mean to be a romance writer, but...
A love for themeparks, a desire to see happy ever afters for queer characters and a sprinkling of fairy dust has resulted in the Fairyland romance series. Set at a theme park based on fairy tales about virtues, they wanted to tell the stories of the people who work there falling in love.
Jaxon loves books, a day at a themepark riding roller coasters and eating candy floss and their wife and cat.
Lila Mathews writes bite-size stories about sweet and sexy men falling in love with each other. When she isn't writing, she can be found hiking in the woods or collecting sea glass along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It's in these settings where her imagination runs wild, and new stories are born.
Daniel Elijah Sanderfer is a retired Hospitality Manager who currently resides in Southern Indiana with his husband William. Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountain region of Virginia, he moved to Indiana to be closer to his then fiance. They have been married for 1 year and together for 14 total years. He was always interested in writing even from a young age and was featured in a few poetry collections as a teen. When he is not writing he is care taker, as his husband is disabled and requires full time care. He enjoys going to antique stores, and in the summer weekend long yard sales. He currently writes LGBT fiction with a positive direction as he feels too many love stories experience tragedy. He likes to highlight the stories that survived. The couples who fought to stay together and the families that do accept them.
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.
RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end 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 bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below.
Davidson King
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
Jaxon Knight
Lila Mathews
Daniel Elijah Sanderfer
EMAIL: daniel_elijah@msn.com
RJ Scott
BOOKBUB / KOBO / SMASHWORDS
EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk 
New Tricks by Davidson King
Recipe for Chaos by Jaxon Knight
Unlocking Love by Lila Mathews
The Virgin's Heartsong by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer
No comments:
Post a Comment