Book Spotlight Sugar and Spice Shondra Jackson


Sugar and Spice
The Lowdown Diaries Book 1
by Shondra Jackson
Chances Press
LGBT Fiction
Amazon | BN | Allromance


In this controversial erotic novella, author Shondra Jackson explores the lives some of those in the upper-crust African-American community in Atlanta and the married men who are a part of it and live double lives on the man-on-man sexual down-low.

Marcus married his college sweetheart, Rochelle, just as he felt it was expected for him to do and joined his father-in-law’s retail empire in an upper management position. Years later, Marcus knows that he has sexual desires that his wife can’t quench…which leads him to a willing younger, white guy, Eric, in his office. But when feelings beyond sex start to become involved will Marcus give up his male lover to maintain his social position?

Rochelle, a former beauty queen, has grown increasingly frustrated over her passionless marriage. When she develops a wandering eye for the muscular, virile pool guy, Tyrone, will her own sexual desires take her down a troubled road?

On the surface, Eric lives an out and proud life in Atlanta’s gay community, but he harbors a secret from his friends that brings him shame and taboo erotic desire at the same time…an affair with a married man at work. When he begins to fall in love with his closeted boss, Marcus, will Eric fess up to his true feelings?

Tyrone may spend most of his days cleaning pools and tending to the gardens of Atlanta’s African-American wealthy, but his true passion lies in his lifelong dream to be an actor. When Nate Jenkins, a celebrated black filmmaker, shows interest in him is it too good to be true? Does Jenkins have a secret agenda and shocking true plan for Tyrone?

***

Excerpt:

Marcus reached down under the covers and started to stroke his veiny, beefy cock while his wife, Rochelle, lightly snored next to him.  She always did what many thought was the traditional male thing by falling asleep right after sex.  Not him.  How could he possibly sleep after willing his body to do so many things that felt alien to him?  Caressing her breasts, grabbing her ass, penetrating her with his pulsating dick.  She'd never guess the things he had to think of just to get him through these husbandly duties at least once a week.  And it was getting harder and harder with each year they were married.  He knew many men would love to fuck his wife.  With her loose wild chestnut brown curls, full bosom, and ample ass, she'd been a former beauty queen.  Miss Black Georgia, Miss Teen Georgia, Miss something else he couldn't remember which was a surprise since she talked about her pageant days like she was still eighteen versus a thirty year old.

He carefully slid out from under the covers and tiptoed over discarded clothes to reach the bathroom.  He quietly shut the door and flipped on the light.  He looked at his tall, six foot two, muscular frame and ran his hands over that six pack he worked so hard to achieve.  His skin was a smooth light cocoa brown due to his part Native American ancestry and his eyes were a dark brown almost black.  He kept his curly black hair to a short half-inch.

“You are one big fucking black stud,” Rochelle had said on their second date when she slid her hands down the front of his pants and gripped his impressive, even when soft, manhood.

They met when both were seniors in college and married soon after graduation with what can only be called a swift, whirlwind courtship.

He knew then he didn't feel what he should for her.  Now, after eight years of marriage it was practically torture to climb into bed with her and feign sexual interest.  He had to keep up the ruse though because no one...and he meant no one...could ever find out his truth.  If they did, gone would be the upper level corporate management job he held at his father-in-law's chain of upscale coffee cafes, Sugar and Spice, the number one coffee chain in Atlanta and the rest of the Deep South.  If people knew what made his cock hard and his balls swell with cum, he'd lose his marriage and the social standing that went with being married to Harold McNair's daughter, the former belle of upper crust African-American crust Georgia.  He had worked too hard scraping his way up from a lower middle class family in rural Georgia to let this all slip away.  But as time went on, even though he was in great physical health, he couldn't overcome this foreboding feeling that he was slowly dying emotionally and spiritually...losing himself with each passing year.

He turned the shower on almost scalding hot to wash away the sex sweat and stepped inside.  He gripped his now stiffened cock and thought of what he knew would get him off.  He thought about grabbing him...Eric...from behind.  Bending him over and pulling down those tight slacks he wore to work to expose his pale bubble butt.  He thought about how he loved to spit in the palm of his hand and then rub his spit over this white boy's tight little butt hole.  Then he'd take out a rubber because you could never be too careful, and then he'd ram his cock into that warm inviting little manpussy.  Eric would do his usual moaning and screaming out what a stud Marcus was and how no other man could compare.  Marcus would pound hard into him and call Eric his little pussy bitch.  He'd make him whimper and tell him how good his big black cock felt in his little white hole.  Marcus would fuck him hard and Eric, the perfect bottom boy, knew how to take it long and so deep that Marcus wouldn't have been surprised if his cum had shot out of Eric's mouth.  Marcus would reach under and grab Eric's much smaller but rock hard penis and stroke it as he fucked him.

Suddenly, Marcus shot his cum all on the wall of the shower, and he tried to catch his breath.

Finally.

Release.

If he thought about Eric with herculean force and effort he could get hard enough to penetrate his wife and at least look like he was going through the motions.

He could sense that Rochelle felt the unspoken disconnect though, and she was gradually turning bitter and hard to handle.  Things had been made even worse by him and Rochelle moving into his in-law's while their house went through a remodel.  Marcus couldn't believe he let himself get talked into that one.

He could feel his in-law's eyes on him every night at dinner.  Harold, uptight and conservative in a dress shirt and tie, always looked like the Atlanta's Top African-American Businessman of the Year 2008 he was.  Harold's wife, Imelda, who was half-black and half-Filipina, was still a fiery exotic looking beauty at fifty-three years old with her shoulder length black hair and almond shaped eyes.  Imelda was always prim and proper and done up in dress and make up no matter what day or time it happened to be.

He knew that his in-laws were getting frustrated.  Where were the grandchildren that would one day take over the caffeine dynasty they had worked so hard to create?  Rochelle was their only child and all the pressure was on their daughter to produce an heir.

Marcus kept finding excuses not to have children.  He wanted to wait until he turned thirty.  He wanted to work his way up to management and prove himself to his father-in-law first.  He wanted to get the house remodeling done.  He had simply started to run out of excuses, and he knew it.

He wiped the cum off the shower wall, turned off the water, and began to dry himself off.  Maybe now he'd finally get some sleep.

When he opened the medicine cabinet to take out the deodorant he noticed Rochelle's birth control pill container.  He opened it up, and his suspicions proved correct once again.  There were way too many pills left.  He'd been tracking it for weeks.  Rochelle thought she had outsmarted him.  She'd plead ignorance or an accident once she got knocked up, and then he'd be trapped.  Little did she know he had her beat by a mile.  He practically deserved an Academy Award for faking an orgasm during sex, something he knew many wives had learned to do for their husbands.  With him and his wife, the roles were reversed.  He never came inside her.  In fact, he never even got wet with precum when he was with her...not like he did with Eric when a puddle of salty jizz would practically form in his underwear.

Rochelle wouldn't get pregnant anytime soon if he had anything to do with it.  But how much longer could he keep this going before he felt totally and completely empty inside?

With that thought in his head, he walked back into the bedroom, got under the covers, and willed himself to a deep dark sleep to a state where none of his secrets threatened the life he had built.

***

Book Review: The Calm Before by Neena Jaydon


The Calm Before
by Neena Jaydon
Less Than Three Press
Fantasy/Alternate Universe M/M Romance
4 Stars
Review copy supplied by publisher

Blurb:

The elven city-state of Airgead abounds with modern, magic-based technology, but has not overcome its antiquated views of race and class. Riagan refused to let such outdated views stop him in his climb from the streets all the way to the top of society--but that climb has brought more than a few enemies with it.

Seduced by Riagan at a party, Elisedd soon realizes he's just one more pawn, one more toy, and he refuses to be hurt ever again. But try as he might, he cannot seem to escape Riagan's hold, and instead finds himself dragged deeper into a world of passion, scheming, and a growing anger that threatens to tear Airgead apart...

Review:

Take the world we know, shift and twirl it a bit and you might get the elven world of Airgead. I was expecting a more traditional fantasy, with elves, swords and sorcery, but intstead it reads more like a different universe of our known world. There are elves and magic, but there are also technologies we know such as cars, electricity and television.

Riagan is an elf who worked his way up from the gutter to be the head of a large corporation and he takes no nonsense from anyone.

Elisedd is half-human, half-elf and is ostracised by both worlds. Elves are the ruling power and humans are mostly seen as an expendable workforce in mines and industries, or as prostitutes for the elves.

At an elven party, after seducing Elisedd, he tries to pay him, mistaking him for one of the human rent-a-lads Riagan often dallies with. Hurt and angry, Elisedd vows he wants nothing more to do with the stuck-up elf, but things don't work out that way.

The world building in the novel is very good, you get a feel for the places and the politics and the writing flows well. Elissedd and Riagan are both well-drawn characters and at first I liked Elisedd more than Riagan, he just seemed nicer somehow. As the book progresses though you get to hear a bit more about Riagan's life and the things that shaped him into the man he is and you can understand his reticence in not wanting his heart to get involved.

It reads as part thriller, part romance and both parts melded together seamlessly. We have corrupt politicians, humans revolting and family secrets laid bare. There are a couple of love scenes in the book, written very sensually, almost lyrical in a way. The romance didn't seem rushed, not counting that first night. You had the sense Riagan and Elisedd were taking their time and trying to suss each other out.

I did enjoy the book, but I am still a little disappointed that it wasn't the traditional sort of fantasy I expected, but that's my expectation rather than any fault of the book. It reads more like Urban Fantasy, so if you like that, you'll enjoy this. I like my magical fantasies withoout cars and electricity, but that's just me. It just seems strange to me to read a book about elves who work in an office and drive cars :)

It's a well written, well told story with characters you care about.




Cover Reveal: Saving Liam by D.P. Denman





We’re happy to host the cover reveal today for M/M contemporary romance “Saving Liam”. To celebrate the cover reveal party, there is also a giveaway for a $10 amazon gift card.

Without further ado, here is the cover:

Saving Liam
by D.P. Denman
M/M Contemporary Romance


You do what you have to do to survive. For eighteen-year-old Liam Newman that means living the life of a gay porn star, a job he loathes. He isn't a star. He's a prisoner and his warden is the man who saved him from the cold Vancouver streets.

Justin has been Liam's next-door neighbor for two years and has had a crush on him for just as long. Oblivious to Liam's porn career, he 's content to mind his own business about Liam's turbulent relationship until the truth stumbles drunk into his apartment one night and he realizes something must be done.

When Liam's boyfriend turned producer decides rent boys make more money than porn stars Liam's nightmare takes a horrible turn. Justin must find a way to rescue him before it's too late.

***

Author Bio 

DP Denman writes character-driven m/m romance about survivors. Her stories are real and intense but always resolve in the type of ending that makes readers want to start the book all over again. She is from the Pacific Northwest and bases all of her stories in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that is dear to her heart.

In her spare time she is a dedicated gay rights activist fighting for those who have been marginalized and abused. To that end, 25% of the royalties from every book go to support LGBT charities.

www.dpdenman.com

https://twitter.com/dpdenman

https://www.facebook.com/dp.denman

http://dpdenmanauthor.blogspot.com/

dpdenman.tumblr.com

Giveaway 

Win a $10 amazon gift card to celebrate the cover reveal.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Series Spotlight: Wolf's Own by Carole Cummings


Ghost
Wolf's Own Book 1
By Carole Cummings
M/M Fantasy
Dreamspinner Press
Available at Allromance 

Blurb:

Dwelling in the land of Ada and defending magic users called the Jin, Fen Jacin-rei is a trained assassin and an Untouchable, one whose mind hosts the Voices of the Ancestors, spirits of long-dead magicians. His fate should be one of madness and solitude, yet Fen Jacin-rei desperately clings to his sanity and ferociously protects the family he loves. But how does Fen do it? Kamen Malick has every intention of finding out.

When Malick and his own small band of assassins ambush Fen in an alley, Malick offers Fen one choice: join us or die. Determined to decode the intrigue that surrounds Fen—and to have the Untouchable for himself—Malick sets to unraveling Fen’s past while Fen delves into the mysteries surrounding Malick.

As Fen’s secrets slowly unfold, Malick is drawn into a crusade that isn’t his, one surprisingly similar to his own quest for vengeance. Yet irony is a bitter reward when Malick discovers the one he wants is already hopelessly entangled with the one he hunts.

***


Weregild
Wolf's Own Book 2
by Carole Cummings
M/M Fantasy Romance
Dreamspinner Press
Available at Allromance

Blurb:


The amorality of gods makes it hard to tell bad from good and right from wrong. Fen Jacin-rei doesn’t care. All Fen cares about is saving his family, and he’ll sacrifice anything that gets in his way. Including his own soul.

No longer willing to wait for the machinations of the gods’ minions, Fen accepts the trade Kamen Malick offers. Together they set out to rescue Fen’s family and kill the man who betrayed them. But Fen is an Untouchable, one whose mind hosts the spirits of long-dead magicians, and with Voices of the Ancestors screaming in his head, Fen finds it harder and harder to stave off madness.

Malick has his own reasons to hand over everything Fen wants and equally compelling reasons to withhold everything Fen needs. In over his head with his timing as bad as ever, Malick must devise a way to do his god’s bidding without breaking his god’s laws—and keep Fen sane and on Malick’s side in the bargain.

***



Koan
Wolf's Own Book 3
by Carole Cummings
M/M Fantasy Romance
Dreamspinner Press
Available at Allromance

Blurb:

After saving his people, killing the man he once loved, and losing his little sister, Fen Jacin-rei has made his way to Tambalon with his surviving brothers and Kamen Malick. But shortly after arriving, old ghosts resurface, new dangers arise, and Malick tells Fen the gods aren’t done with him yet.

Fen now knows he’s a catalyst for Fate and a magnet for Fate’s players, and he’s dangerously close to falling over the edge into insanity. But tracking down the vicious creatures that have been abducting and murdering citizens of Tambalon is just as critical as dealing with past lives and legendary beings.

With a threat all too close and a secret he needs to explain, Malick is at odds with those who should be his allies, and no matter how much he wants to protect Fen, it may be more than he can manage when he’s trying to keep them alive.

***

Incendiary
Wolf's Own Book 4
by Carole Cummings
M/M Fantasy Romance
Dreamspinner Press
Available at Allromance

Blurb:

Fen Jacin-rei finds himself again on the run after discovering the reality of what he is and why the gods won’t let him go. His one source of support, Kamen Malick, is suddenly unavailable, and now hounded and chased by ghosts who want to drive him into insanity and keep him there, Fen will have to face life all alone. 

...Or maybe not. Old enemies and new allies seek to control Fen, now known as “Kamen’s Untouchable.” It’s going to take everything Fen’s got to figure out who he can trust—and who he should fear. It might take more than what Fen’s got to discern who is even real.

***

Visit the author at http://www.carolecummings.com/





Book Review: Tyler and Marco by Xondra Day


Tyler and Marco
by Xondra Day
Evernight Publishing
M/M Erotic Romance
Short Story
5 Stars

Review first posted at The Romance Reviews:
http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=13414


A sexy, sweet short with two wonderful male leads.

Tyler is a bit shy, a bit of a loner and spends most of his days ogling the men on the construction site across from his apartment. One man in particular draws his eye, a tall man with firm muscles that Tyler drools over more than once. Tyler is short and doesn't spend half his time at the gym so he thinks no one would be interested in him. Most people have called him 'cute', but 'cute' doesn't help him get a man. And he wants more than just one night stands.

Marco, the builder, is a hard worker and most of the time that's all he does. He has little time for evenings out and meeting someone special, even though that's what he wants. He decides one evening to go out and forget about work even if it's just for one night.

Tyler is dragged out by his friends one evening and bumps into Marco, the man he'd been ogling from across the street.

This was a wonderful, sweet story and I loved both Marco and Tyler. Both of them are bit insecure in their own way: Tyler because of his innate shyness and Marco because he is semi-closeted. He comes from an old-fashioned Italian family who consider being gay a sin and Marco doesn't know how to tell them.

Although short, it is a full, well-rounded story. The characterisation isn't skimped on and you do get to know Tyler and Marco a bit, it's not a just story about two male bodies. This is a story about Marco and Tyler.

There were was a big of angst about Marco coming out to his family, but overall it's a sweet read. The love scene was hot and sensual, although I did find it a bit strange that they made love that first night they met 'officially' as it were. Both of them however are keen for this to be more than a one-night stand and by the end of the story you hope it will work out for both of them. I think it will, they seem suited to each other.

A very enjoyable tale.



 
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