Saturday, January 4, 2020

10th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight: RJ Scott & VL Locey


RJ Scott
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.

VL Locey
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.


RJ Scott
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EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk

VL Locey
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Changing Lines
Summary:
Harrisburg Railers #1
Can Tennant show Jared that age is just a number, and that love is all that matters?

The Rowe Brothers are famous hockey hotshots, but as the youngest of the trio, Tennant has always had to play against his brothers’ reputations. To get out of their shadows, and against their advice, he accepts a trade to the Harrisburg Railers, where he runs into Jared Madsen. Mads is an old family friend and his brother’s one-time teammate. Mads is Tennant’s new coach. And Mads is the sexiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on.

Jared Madsen’s hockey career was cut short by a fault in his heart, but coaching keeps him close to the game. When Ten is traded to the team, his carefully organized world is thrown into chaos. Nine years his junior and his best friend’s brother, he knows Ten is strictly off-limits, but as soon as he sees Ten’s moves, on and off the ice, he knows that his heart could get him into trouble again.

Click to read my review and an excerpt for Changing Lines(Saturday Series Spotlight Part 1).

Poke Check
Summary:
Harrisburg Railers #4
One scorching summer in each other’s arms could never be enough.

Stanislav “Stan” Lyamin is happy playing for the Railers. The towering goalie is well-loved, respected, and making a home for himself even though that home only contains him, his cat, and his growing Pokemon trading card collection. Stan prefers it that way.

He’d given his heart to a man in a secret affair, and that man walked away, leaving Stan shattered. Now Erik is back in his life, and he has the same tumultuous effect he had on Stan’s heart as before. This time it’s not just a kissable mouth and sweet blond curls that Erik has brought to Harrisburg, there’s a soon-to-be ex-wife and a precious baby.

Despite the vow Stan made to hate Erik forever, he’s now finding it harder and harder to turn away.

Erik Gunnarsson’s dream had always been to play in the NHL, he just never imagined he’d land a contract with the Railers. Who would have thought that fate would put him on the same team as Stanislav Lyamin; the man whose heart he’d callously broken?

Secrets and lies had defined their summer relationship, and the choice that Erik made to end it all haunts him still. In the middle of a messy divorce and with a baby in tow, Erik finds himself back in Stan’s life. Now all he has to do is be the best dad he can be, prove to the team that he deserves the chance to stay on the roster and try his hardest to get Stan to forgive him.

Is it possible to persuade a man who hates you to give love a second chance?

Click to read my review and an excerpt for Poke Check(Saturday Series Spotlight Part 1).

Ryker
Summary:
Owatonna U Hockey #1
Ryker is hockey royalty, Jacob is a poor country boy. Can two vastly different people find common ground and become the men they want to be?

Ryker comes from a long line of championship-winning hockey players. Playing college hockey to develop his game is his only focus, and nothing will stand in the way of him working to become the best player. He has no room for relationships, people that point out his flaws, or anyone who calls him on his dreams. He certainly has no place for love, and meeting Jacob is nothing but a useful distraction on the side. After all trying to get his Owatonna Eagles teammate into bed is less work and more play. When tragedy rocks his family, his charmed life crumbles, and the only person he can turn to is the same one who claims to hate him.

Jacob Benson has only known hard work and stifling conservative values his whole life. Born and raised in the small rural community of Eden Crossing, Minnesota, he’s the only son of a hard-working but struggling dairy farming family. Jacob is using his skills in hockey to finance his way to an agricultural science degree. These four years at Owatonna U. will probably be the only time he has to enjoy life, gain acceptance about his sexuality, and live openly before his inevitable return to the farm. Running into a pretty rich boy like Ryker Madsen is putting a damper on his enjoyment of life away from home. Ryker’s flip, conceited, carefree attitude grates on Jacob’s every nerve. So why, if Ryker is everything he dislikes, does he want nothing more than to explore the sinful dreams that his annoying teammate stars in every night?

Click to read my review for Ryker(Saturday Series Spotlight).

Christmas Lights
Summary:
Owatonna U Hockey #4
Under the Christmas lights strung outside a snowy Minnesota cabin, Ryker and Jacob face a future where nothing will be the same again.

Fortunate timing means that Ryker and Jacob can spend a few days together over Christmas in a cabin on the family farm. What’s better is that Scott and Ben are coming as well, with Hayne and Ethan in tow. Ryker can’t imagine a better way to spend time with the man he loves, and the friends he misses, and somehow he knows that this Christmas will be the best one ever. Hockey on a frozen pond, kisses under Christmas lights, and sharing time with Jacob are the best gifts he could ever receive.

Long distance relationships are brutal, Jacob can attest to that fact. So, when Ryker gets a few days off over the Raptors’ Christmas break, the hard-working Minnesota farmer is beyond thrilled. When they find out that their buddies from Owatonna U. are making the trip as well, the holidays are looking to be just about perfect. Jacob has a question for Ryker burning in his heart, and he isn’t asking for much—just a few fun-filled days with old friends and a yes from the man of his dreams.

Click to read my review of Christmas Lights.

Coast to Coast
Summary:
Arizona Raptors #1
When opposites attract, it’s not just the team that’s in for a shake-up.

When a stipulation in his father’s will throws Mark back into a family that disowned him, he has only two things on his mind; buying his way out of contractual obligations and running in the opposite direction as fast as he can. When neither option pans out, he finds he is now a one third owner of the struggling Arizona Raptors hockey team, and that is just about the worst thing he could have happened to him. Not only does he hate hockey, but the Raptors are a bottom-of-the-league team, rife with jealousies and anger in a locker room that only knows self-pity. How is he supposed to help turn things around when the only way to start fixing things is to form an alliance with the estranged siblings he’d run from fifteen years earlier?

Then there’s Rowen Carmichael, a stubborn, opinionated, irritating man with superiority issues and questionable taste in music. Butting heads with Rowen, who he’d never even wanted to hire in the first place, is one thing, but there is no way in hell that he will allow the growing attraction to the new coach become anything more. Until with everything on the line, he has to make decisions that will change his life forever.

After years of collegiate coaching, Rowen is given an offer that he simply can’t refuse, although perhaps he should. When he’s presented with the chance to take one of the worst teams in the league and mold them into a future cup contender, the challenge is just too alluring to pass up. He leaves his beloved Ontario behind and moves west to the arid city of Tucson where he is faced with a broken team, shoddy management, and players overflowing with resentment and bigotry.

Never in his twenty years of hockey has he ever seen such a raging dumpster fire of an organization. Yet there’s something about this team and this city that compels him to roll up his sleeves and start dismantling. He has his eye on a new associate coach that’s bound to makes waves, and several key players who should be sent packing. Now all he has to do is convince the new owners of the team that his choices are for the best. If only Mark Westman-Reid, one of three siblings who now own the Raptors, wasn’t so damned rock-headed, so damned snooty, and so damned appealing his job might be a bit easier.

Click to read my review of Coast to Coast.



Changing Lanes
B&N  /  KOBO  /  iTUNES AUDIO

Poke Check
B&N  /  KOBO  /  SMASHWORDS

Ryker

Christmas Lights

Coast to Coast

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Stealing Hearts by K Evan Coles


Thief of Hearts #1
Summary:
Some hearts are made to be stolen.

Mark Mannix doesn’t believe in love or romance, which is ironic given his birthday falls on Valentine’s Day. As he approaches forty, Mark is perfectly content with his life and nursing career in Boston, and—outside of his long-time friend-with-benefits, Alistair—prefers his hookups to be one-night stands.

When Mark’s plans for New Year’s Eve fall through, he attends his sister’s party and meets Owen Todd, a graphic designer of Caribbean descent. Owen is more than a decade younger than Mark and, at first glance the two men appear to have little in common. The chemistry between them is potent, however, and Mark breaks his no-strings pattern, seeing Owen week after week.

A connection forms between the two men, leaving Mark in uncharted territory and drawn to Owen in ways he’s never known before. Even so, Mark continues his hookups with Alistair but is startled when Owen withdraws out of a desire to protect himself. His foundations shaken, Mark must decide if he can watch Owen walk away or … if the time has come to follow his heart in a new direction.

Healing Hearts #2
Summary:
Some hearts are made to be mended.

Zac Alvarez never expected to start his life over at forty-five, but his recent divorce means doing just that. Luckily, his career as a nurse in Boston keeps him busy and he has friends who understand Zac’s need to be as careful with his heart as he is with his diet.

Acting on a whim one fall afternoon, Zac buys lunch from a food truck and meets Aiden Marinelli, a bold young chef who is taking the city’s food scene in new directions. Aiden is only thirty, a fact that doesn’t sit well with Zac, but both the chef and his food prove impossible to resist.

An attachment forms between the two men and, as the winter holidays draw near, Zac begins to emerge from the protective shell he’s built around himself. A chance encounter with his ex-husband shakes Zac’s newfound confidence, however, and he pushes Aiden away, unaware how deeply the act will hurt them both until it is too late.

Now, Zac must decide if he is brave enough to go after what he wants and mend not only Aiden’s heart but his own.

Thief of Hearts #1
Original Review February 2019:
When he finds his New Year's Eve plan fall through, Mark Mannix attends his sister's party where he meets younger man, Owen Todd.  Having devoted his life to no-strings hook-ups aside from long standing friends-with-benefits Alistair, Mark is surprised to find a connection with Owen.  Determined to not let it be more will Mark change his mindset for the future?  Will Owen be satisfied with the casual connection Mark is set on?

I gotta just start off by saying  K Evan Coles just keeps getting better and better.  Thief of Hearts is the third solo work from the author I've read in addition to the (currently available) four co-authored works with Brigham Vaughn, and each one is absolutely unforgettable!  She has quickly risen to my automatic 1-click list and Thief is a perfect example of why she has earned her place on that short list.

I am the last person to ever judge anyone's lifestyle, let's face it longterm/lifelong relationships are not for everyone so as long as they are true to themselves and to the people they hook-up with, then I don't have issues with them.  Mark is upfront from the getgo that he isn't looking for that forever person so he isn't a player, he isn't lying or misleading Owen and for that I respect him, does that mean I didn't want to whack him upside the head once-in-a-while? No because I definitely thought he could use a swift kick here and there but he's in no-way-shape-or-form a bad guy.  As for Owen, he is an absolute dream who has this connection to a man who isn't looking for the same things making me want to wrap him up in a big giant bear hug to protect his heart.  Some might find their story happening too quick but truth is Thief is very naturally and believably paced, the heart has no timeline after all.

I feel like I'm giving too much away so I won't say any more to the plot other than I loved how the author has these two men who really are on two separate paths as far as their hearts are concerned and she doesn't have either of them try and change the other.  So often in fiction one or both try and make the other fit their plan or idea of love which can be entertaining but frankly if I have to change someone into what I want, why would I want them and better yet why would they want me?  So for that aspect alone, I want to say a huge "Thank You, K Evan Coles!".    Thief of Hearts is truly brilliant storytelling and a prime example of quality over quantity making this a must read gem.

One final note: Mark's long-standing-friends-with-benefits Alistair needs his own story *hint, hint* because he may only be in a few scenes but he owns each one.  No pressure, Miss Coles but Alistair really deserves to have his story told😉😉.

Healing Hearts #2
Original Review December 2019:
I just want to say that I want to wrap Zac up in layers of bubblewrap, two or three soft plushy blankets, and a huge Mama Bear hug until he sees that he is perfect as he is but then he wouldn't learn that through experience and sometimes we have to have the doubts run through our brains to make us see what's really important about ourselves.  Aiden is just a delight.  We all need an Aiden in our lives to keep us focused and positive.  That's not to say Aiden doesn't have his moments of fear and doubts but his energy level and positive nature is awe inspiring.

Healing Hearts is about learning to open up and letting people in, that when a relationship ends life doesn't end then and there too.  Zac was betrayed and heartbroken in one of the worst ways possible and when his husband left, doubt came knocking.  The doubts and fears Zac have are entirely understandable and though some of us might think considering the situation he'd be "jumping back in" quicker but healing has no time limit so I completely got where Zac's head was at.

K Evan Coles has written another great holiday novella that makes you think, makes you smile, and makes you cheer for the friendship and possibly more between Zac and Aiden.  Just the perfect blending of sweet, savory, and salty to make this a holiday gem not to be missed.

RATING:


Thief of Hearts #1
“Why do you call your sister Lo?”

Mark dredged a piece of maki in soy sauce and smiled. He and Owen were seated in a booth at the sushi restaurant, sharing platters of food and drinking sweet, sticky cocktails. Mark had slept late after his shift in an effort to stock up some energy, but then Owen had run late, and for a few minutes Mark had thought he might back out. Owen had turned up at last, however, and seeing him brought that New Year’s Eve vibe back to Mark, the connection fluid and easy, as if they were already fast friends. Mark liked that very much.

“It’s sort of a twin thing,” he said in answer to Owen’s question. “My sister and I started talking pretty early—”

“Color me surprised.”

“Don’t be a bitch.” Mark smirked. “We were two or so and our mouths couldn’t always keep up with the chatter. I had a problem with the ‘r’ in Lauren’s name and shortened it to ‘Lo.’ The funny part is it stuck and never went away. My parents called her Lo, too, even after we’d both grown up.”

“I see.” Owen grinned. He’d come directly from work, and was dressed in monochromatic navy. He looked both gloriously handsome and far too serious in his dress shirt and tie, but he’d rolled up his sleeves again and tucked his tie in his pocket to keep it neat. “Did Lauren have a nickname for you?” he asked.

“She did. She claims now that she also had trouble with the letter ‘r’ for a while, but I think she just wanted to give me a special name. I’m not sure you need to know the nickname, however. That’s not the kind of information I share with just anyone.”

Mark pursed his lips against a teasing smile, but Owen merely popped a piece of nigiri into his mouth. He chewed for a moment before speaking.

“I plan on sucking your dick again at some point tonight. Does that make me just anyone?”

Mark set his chopsticks down. “No. No, it doesn’t, Owen, and I’m glad you pointed that out. Lauren called me ‘Mac’ when we were kids. She still does sometimes, when she’s feeling sassy or has had too much to drink. I’m surprised she didn’t on New Year’s Eve, to be honest, because she was in exactly the right kind of mood.”

A soft smile transformed Owen’s entire face. “That’s fucking adorable. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Mark grinned at the platter of rice and fish while fire licked up under his shirt collar.

“And Lauren’s the only one who calls you Mac?”

She is now that Mom and Dad are gone.

Something about that dark thought must have shown in Mark’s face, because Owen’s smile flickered. Mark quickly summoned up a grin.

“She is, yes.”

Owen laid a hand over Mark’s. “I don’t believe it. What about that sort of boyfriend of yours, Alistair?”

“Alistair is not my boyfriend.” Mark laughed. “He’d literally cringe to hear you say that. He’s not the boyfriend type and neither am I.”

“No?” Owen cocked his head. “Why not?”

“Not my thing. I’m not a big believer in love or romance, or anything schmaltzy. Ironic given Lauren and I were born on Valentine’s Day.”

Owen snickered. “That’s way too perfect. So you consider yourself aromantic?”

“Ugh, you’re such a millennial with your labels,” Mark said with a wink. “If I must classify myself, I suppose aromantic fits better than anything else.”

He heard the reluctance in his own voice, but knew Owen had a point. Mark had never felt romantically attracted to anyone. That heart-fluttery, over-the-moon kind of feeling people talked about when they met a special someone? He had no idea what that was all about. To Mark, falling in love sounded a little like being motion sick. Friendships and sex he understood, particularly in combination. They’d always been enough for Mark and he’d never questioned that about himself.

“Alistair would cringe at hearing me called Mac, too,” he said.

“Well, that’s stupid.” Owen glanced Mark’s way and smiled. “You can be the mac to my cheese any time you want.”

Mark tipped his head back and laughed. Damn, but this kid was fun. “Are you comparing me to comfort food?”

“Oh, yeah.” Owen’s eyes heated and Mark fell right into their warmth before he could stop himself. “You’re all kind of delicious, as far as I’m concerned.”

“I’ll accept Mac from you but only behind closed doors.”

The corners of Owen’s lips quirked up. “Okay. It’ll be our secret.”

He leaned in and covered Mark’s mouth with his own and a little while passed before either of them spoke again. A distant part of Mark knew they should ease off with the PDA. Overall, Boston was LGBTQ-friendly and the majority of its citizens didn’t care what two adult men got up to with each another. That didn’t mean bigotry was dead, however, and especially when the nearby sports arena meant a population of boorish homophobes in the crowd was almost a given. Mark didn’t stop, though. The shine in Owen’s gaze when they finally parted made him glad he hadn’t, too.

~ooOoo~

Mark meant to pour drinks once they’d returned to his apartment and stowed Owen’s skateboard in the hall closet, but Owen’s tongue in his mouth proved an excellent distraction. He and Owen were by the bed and tugging at each other’s clothes before Mark really registered what was happening, and the breathless laugh they shared felt damned good.

Once Owen’s clothing fell away, Mark drank in the sight of him nude, and the lust in Owen’s eyes seared him in return. Owen ran his hands over Mark’s pecs.

“I love your body.” He wet his lips with his tongue. “The way your muscles feel under my fingers…so sexy.” He pinched Mark’s nipple and both of them groaned.

“Fuck, you are hot,” Mark murmured.

Cock already standing rigid against his abdomen, he urged Owen down onto the mattress. Owen lay still under Mark’s gaze, his head pillowed in his hands, his chest rising and falling with each breath. A flush turned the tips of his ears red, and he sighed when Mark bent and skated his fingers over Owen’s torso.

“Want you, Mark,” he murmured.

Mark sat down beside him. “I want you, too.”

He teased the sensitive skin of Owen’s pelvis before he wrapped his hand around Owen’s cock. The noise that rolled through Owen seemed shockingly loud in the quiet of the apartment, and he brought his hands to Mark’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Mark slotted their mouths together and swallowed Owen’s greedy hum, and pumped him slowly while they kissed. He took his time stretching out on the bed.

They stayed like that for a long while, making out and grinding until they were breathless and Mark thought his heart would beat its way out of his body. With a gasp, he broke away, and pressed deep, wet kisses into the skin of Owen’s neck, licking and sucking while Owen groaned.

Mark worked his way lower, nosing at the sweat that sheened Owen’s ribs, then bared his teeth and nipped in just the right spot. Owen’s bark of laughter made him smile.

“Gah, no.”

Owen brought a hand up and wound his fingers in Mark’s hair, pulling lightly so Mark hummed. Mark moved back up Owen’s body, dropping kisses along the way, but Mark’s cock was hard and he was done teasing, particularly when Owen reached between Mark’s legs and palmed his dick. Mark arched against the touch with a gasp.

“Christ.”

Lust painted Owen’s face. “No religion during naked time,” he murmured, and even through his haze of need, Mark couldn’t stop his laugh.

“You are bananas.”

Owen smiled. “Pot, meet kettle.” Mark took him in hand, too, and Owen actually whined as Mark lined up their cocks so he could frot them. “Oh, my…fuck.”

“I’d love to.” Mark brushed their lips together. “You okay with that?”

“Hell yes.”

Healing Hearts #2
“Hey, Doc! What can I get you?”

Zac stuffed his phone in his pocket. “Sorry. You caught me napping,” he said.

“I’d say I caught you texting.”

A young man in a black t-shirt and matching bandana tied over his head smiled at Zac from the food truck’s window while people worked in the space behind him. “Have you decided what you’d like to order?”

“Oh! Yes, I have.” Zac’s cheeks grew warm, and he reached for the glasses in his breast pocket. “Two orders of the pasta with cheese and pepper. I’m a nurse, by the way, not a doctor.”

“Those blue scrubs get me every time. Y’know, some of my favorite people are nurses,” the food truck guy said before he called out over his shoulder. “Cacio e pepe, two!” He turned back to Zac. “The pasta is spaghetti today, in case you were interested. Anything else?”

“Err, yes. A house salad.”

“Only one?”

“I have one already,” Zac said and motioned to his bag.

The food truck guy nodded once, then turned his attention to the order. Zac watched as he portioned field greens and whisked dressing, but really, Zac was more interested in watching the food truck guy himself. He was striking with creamy skin and smiling eyes, his bone structure and features strong and elegant. Intricate tattoos stretched from under the right sleeve of his t-shirt to a few inches below the elbow, including a thick equality symbol on his inner forearm. He glanced up at Zac, and the way the right side of his mouth curled up made Zac want to smile back. For a second, Zac forgot about the message from Edward and that his legs and feet were tired from being on shift.

“Thanks, Em,” the food truck guy said as another member of the crew set two steaming take-out containers on the counter. “These look great, if I say so myself.”

Producing a narrow blade grater and a small block of what Zac guessed was parmesan, he garnished the hot noodles with pale curls of cheese then finished the dish with several turns from a beat-up pepper grinder. The luscious aromas that rose in the air woke Zac’s forgotten hunger, and he found himself looking forward to eating much more than usual.

“Don’t wait too long to eat these,” the food truck guy said. He closed the tops of the brown cardboard boxes and the inked designs moved on his arm. “The sooner you tuck in, the better.”

“No worries there.” Zac handed over his debit card.

“I packed extra salad dressing for you, by the way.”

“You did?” Zac had to smile. “Well, thank you. Is that your way of saying your salad dressing is better than mine?”

“Nope.” The corners of the food truck guy’s eyes crinkled with his grin. “It’s my way of saying you should try my dressing, though, because you won’t be sorry that you did.”

Zac laughed. Despite the cocky words, the food truck guy’s tone was sincere. “That good, huh?”

“That good. Just like everything we make on this truck.” He handed a brown paper bag and Zac’s card through the window. “Buon appetito.”

The food truck guy wet his lips with a quick dart of his tongue, and Zac stared for a moment before he caught himself. Cheeks hot again, he turned to go.

“You come back tomorrow and let me know what you think of the spaghetti!” the guy called after him, and damn if that didn’t make Zac’s steps a little lighter.

Author Bio:
K. Evan Coles is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee, coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.

K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse, tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.

K.’s books explore LGBTQ+ romance in contemporary settings.


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EMAIL: coles.k.evan@gmail.com 



Thief of Hearts #1

Healing Hearts #2