Curious by Leslie McAdam Blog Tour

I’m desperately attracted to my husband.
Which wouldn’t be a problem, except he’s straight.

What happened is, my longtime crush/hero got badly injured saving me from my evil ex-boyfriend. When I found out he (my hero, not my ex) didn’t have health insurance, I did the logical thing: I proposed. To my surprise, he said yes.

I knew that Camden wasn’t interested in me like that. This deal was always meant to be temporary—just until he healed and could get his own insurance and I found a place to stay, since I’m not moving back in with my ex. No feelings involved.

Except Cam kissed me at our wedding ceremony, and ever since, we can’t seem to stop kissing. He says he’s curious what sex with a man would be like, but I don’t want to be another straight guy’s experiment.

Still, Cam is so kind and beautiful, with his dark eyes and tousled curls shoved into a backward baseball cap. His patience makes me want to throw out all my carefully crafted rules. And don’t get me started on how his first instinct is to protect me…

But I’m scared if I open my heart, I’m going to get hurt. Again.

Can I risk telling Cam how I feel before our deal ends? Or should I let him go and lose the best (fake) relationship I’ve ever had?

Curious is a stand-alone contemporary M/M romance novel with a marriage of convenience and bisexual awakening. It features Shelby, a receptionist who’s never met a vision board he didn’t like; Camden, an internet-famous contractor; and a hasty wedding for medical insurance reasons. Happy ever after guaranteed.

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the IOU series!
For book one, Ambiguous, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Everyone in the room is looking at us, just the way we were looking at the couples before us.

I regulate my breathing. My ankle hurts, but I set that pain to the side. My cheeks are burning, and my hands are trembling. I’m glad my brother is here. I’ve set my crutches down and taken hold of Shelby’s hands. They’re clammy, and I’m trying to warm them up. They’re also steadying me.

But then he looks up at me with those liquid brown eyes, and my chest feels light. My pulse races, and my mouth goes dry.

After asking us a few more questions, the clerk begins the ceremony. “Do you, Camden, take this man, Shelby, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, to have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?”

“I do.” I say, and I squeeze Shelby’s hands. He gives me a small, genuine smile.

“Do you, Shelby, take this man, Camden—”

Holy ____, I’m getting married. I don’t know why it took this long for it to sink in. Something about that fact makes me giddy, and I want to burst out laughing, but I rein it in. Shelby says, “I do,” and I let out the biggest breath. Part of me—the part still traumatized by Leah—worried that he’d say no. I want to hug him for saying yes. For not humiliating me.

“You may exchange rings, if you have them.”

“Oh. Right.” I pull the two bands out of my pocket, and my fingers tremble all over again.

Reaching over, I again take Shelby’s soft, tan hand in my work-roughened one, and my jitters vanish when he looks up at me, an expression of wonder on his face, his eyes brimming with tears. He swallows, and I want to hug him or something.

Instead, I place my ring on his finger.

It looks good there, and this possessive feeling—that Shelby is mine—rushes through me, even if our situation is temporary.

For now, at least, he is mine.

Shelby slips my ring onto my finger. I’m not used to wearing jewelry, but it feels right. Like it’s always been there. And I like being able to give Shelby some stability… for now.

We hold hands, and I can’t tell if he’s supporting me while my ankle is busted, or I’m supporting him on this wild adventure. Maybe we’re supporting each other.

“…and you may kiss your husband,” the clerk says, and I have to keep from doing a double take.

Of course, I knew this was a standard part of the ceremony. Heck, I just watched a couple go through this exact process. And I have no problem kissing Shelby—even in front of an audience—but, like actually being married, the reality of it hadn’t gone through my brain.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
At first, I wasn't sure this book was going to work for me. The first few chapters were questionable. Is there a lot of farfetched stuff happening in this book? Yes. Are there some inaccuracies in this book about roofers, obtaining marriage licenses, etc? Yes. But was it a good book in the end? Yes! I instantly loved Shelby, how can you not? Cam was a sweetheart from the get-go. Besides the stuff that I found inaccurate or farfetched, I still enjoyed the book. I loved watching Shelby and Cam, and how their relationship progressed. I wanted to throttle both of them for not being more communicative about their feelings, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. There was angst at the beginning of the book but after that, the book was sweet and mushy.


Shannan – ☆☆☆
Curious is the fourth installment in the IOU series. I did read this as a standalone without issue.

Shelby thought he had found the one, until he found out that his one was also someone else's husband, and she didn't know her husband was hooking up with men. That turned into Shelby being abused by his now ex. When Camden, Shelby's coworker’s brother, sees him disheveled and bruised, Camden rushes to his aid. Camden hurts himself pretty severely in the process. Shelby feels terrible that Camden got hurt defending him. Camden knows Shelby has nowhere to go and offers his pool house to him until he can find a place of his own. After an urgent care appointment, Camden has more wrong with his ankle than he can afford without healthcare so Shelby, feeling terrible about the situation, offers to marry Camden (his long-time crush) to get him on the insurance policy as fast as possible. What starts out a marriage of convenience quickly turns into more than either of them expected.

I thought this story had tons of potential, but it just didn't come through for me. Camden was patient and was very up front about his feelings and intentions. Shelby, on the other hand, was very “he likes me, he doesn't like me.” He was so back and forth and had so much angst. I know the author gave a warning in the beginning to "suspend reality" for the sake of the story BUT I just couldn't with Shelby's character. I was pulled from the story so many times with his inner monologue. Bi-awakening is one of my favorite tropes, but this one just wasn't for me.

 

 

 

USA Today bestselling author LESLIE MCADAM is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

Connect with Leslie McAdam

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Southwinds Coffee Leslie McAdam's Fan Group

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Curious (IOU #4) by Leslie McAdam to read and review.

Unmanageable by Leslie McAdam Release Blitz

I’ve never been romantic. Just ask my ex-wife.

Since she broke up with me, I get my needs met any time I want, without putting my heart on the line. Exactly how I like it.

But when she is called overseas and leaves me with our child, my bachelor lifestyle ends faster than you can say, “Daddy, I want a pony.”

I need help.

Problem is, help’s come in the form of an incredibly hot nanny.

My employee.

Who is much younger than me.

And also… a guy.

I watch Scott care for my kid and can’t help feeling like he clicks into place in her life.

When he looks at me, though… I get an entirely different feeling. One that makes me long for things I can’t have.

Like him.

Unmanageable is a contemporary m/m, age-gap romance about a starry-eyed nanny who wants hot-air balloon rides and singing telegrams and a grumpy single dad who most definitely does not.

Unmanageable is a stand-alone novel set in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the In Vino Veritas series!
For book one, Wildfire, click HERE.
For book two, Counterpoint, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
Unmanageable is the third installment in the multi-author series set in the In Vino Veritas world. It can be read as a standalone without any prior information on this world.

Scott's love language is gifting or giving those he cares about things he thinks will make them happy. He is a huge romantic and wants to find love but after realizing his last relationship wasn't even a relationship, he finds himself lost. He's about to be evicted and needs income quick. When he interviews to be a nanny for a divorced man and his adorable daughter, Scott instantly notices how sexy Luke is, but he can't let it go any further since he's straight and his boss.

Luke thought moving away from his ex-wife and daughter was what was best for them. When Kira finds out she has an offer of her lifetime and will be gone for months, Luke moves back into his ex-wife's house to take care of his daughter. He realizes pretty quick he needs help and hires Scott.

Luke may be a little bitter about how his life is turning out and Scott just sees the world differently, but I love what these two bring out in each other. I adore Addi and love that she is such a huge part in this story.

Leslie McAdam is a new author to me but am definitely going to go back and read her prior book set in this world. I am intrigued by the characters she has created.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in this series – but do go and catch up on the original Vino & Veritas collection because every book adds to the wonderful group of people living in Burlington, Vermont.

Luke knew he was bi before he married his wife, and whilst that was not the reason his marriage failed, he is very conscious that he doesn't do failure, and one failed attempt at a relationship is one too many. He therefore lives a life of work, work, work, and the odd hook-up to scratch an itch. When his ex-wife asks him to move back to look after their daughter whilst she goes off to cover a story in Myanmar, he cannot say no.

Scott has been in earlier books, and we know that he is still trying to find his place in the world, whilst struggling to manage to stay financially stable – often due to his misplaced and extravagant romantic gestures. He really comes into his own in this story, using his skills as an eldest brother of many siblings to become a lovely manny to Addison, the young daughter of the very hot, successful, older man, Luke.

These two men are thrown together to look after Addi, and to keep her from missing her mum, as well as keeping at bay any worry about the danger of the place she is visiting. It is hugely enjoyable to see them bond over their desire to give Addi a good, structured time, and to fight their intense chemistry. I loved how they fell so hard but behaved so carefully. They were caring and cautious, and yet it was clear that the draw would be too strong.

There were times where I worried that something terrible would happen overseas, but generally there was little angst and mostly great humour and anticipation. A really good addition to the series.

 

 

 

LESLIE MCADAM is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

Connect with Leslie McAdam

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Southwinds Coffee Leslie McAdam's Fan Group

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Unmanageable (In Vino Veritas #3) by Leslie McAdam to read and review.

Ambiguous by Leslie McAdam Release Blitz

Love is for other people, not for me.

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him.

Julian Hill.

The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet.

After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and posted on social media, so he just wants a little privacy.

I understand that. Truly.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well.

Which is inconvenient since his record label hired me to sue him.

I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him.

Oops.

Ambiguous is a forbidden m/m rock star romance about a fashion-forward singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Julian takes my breath away. While I’ve met plenty of celebrities, with him I feel this hit to my solar plexus. I freeze, because he’s so hot it’s too much to process.

Dark, perfectly mussed hair. Dark brown eyes. Tan skin.

His black pants are painted on, highlighting his lanky form. He’s wearing heeled black boots with chains on them and a loose, lacy, unbuttoned blouse and piles of long pearl necklaces. Rings on every finger click as he fidgets. His Adam’s apple moves as he drinks from a bottle of water.

He started with a boy band a decade ago. And, while I listen to plenty of pop music, I’ve intentionally ignored him just to piss Emily off. I’m mature like that sometimes. I’m not sure why I even started that—she and I love a lot of the same music and go to concerts together whenever we can, but at some point I decided he was just too cheesy, and then it became a thing. Julian is now on his own, the only one from his original group to have a successful solo career.

Of course I’ve heard his music. I’m generally aware of him, because I live in a condo in America and not under a rock cut off from communication with the outside world.

I’ve just never put his songs on voluntarily. Now I wish I knew more about him.

The table’s been set up for the meeting with bottles of fancy water and carafes of coffee. Readying himself for introductions, Julian sets down his water and stands up.

I walk over to shake his hand, and it’s like it happens in slow motion. One second I’m standing, and the next my toe hooks on a chair leg and I go flying. My flailing wrist manages to knock his open bottle of water from the table, and I take him down to the floor in one fell swoop, splashing water all over him as I go.

He lands on the industrial carpet with an “Oomph,” and I end up sprawled on top of him.

Heat singes my cheeks. Oh shit, oh shit. I won’t blame him if he pulls a diva fit after I ruined his clothes. They’re next season’s Gucci.

I start mentally updating my résumé.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, fumbling up to the table to grab a stack of paper napkins from the coffee service while struggling to get off of him as fast as I can.

Julian frowns, and then he jackknifes up to a sitting position, forcing a laugh. His now-wet shirt leaves little to the imagination, revealing the shapes of tattoos scattered all over his chiseled torso. I kneel at his feet and start wiping his pants, only to realize that, yeah, I’m trying to dry off the crotch of a Grammy-nominated recording artist.

“Oh my god,” I repeat. “I’m so sorry.”

I can’t stop dabbing at his crotch.

With a white napkin.

That’s leaving shreds of wet lint.

On his dark designer pants.

I’m making it so much worse—and my reaction to him is getting worse, too. Partly because there’s a bulge underneath that zipper, and it’s not small. Like, not at all small. Partly because he smells amazing—like maybe rum and vanilla—which makes my body hum and my cock wake up.

Even though I don’t live my life as a train wreck, apparently it can get derailed in one second flat.

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this book – it very cleverly pairs two people who really shouldn't work, or play, together for all manner of reasons, but chemistry and passion never pay attention to such things. Thank goodness, as we get a really engaging, fun, twisty tale.

The flamboyant rock star who dresses just as he chooses but refuses to talk about his sexual preferences – and when questioned at a dinner, he makes the most fabulous point about the irrelevance and double standard of asking him, when he would not have made the same assumptions about a woman. Great comeback! He does not expect to change his single status, or the protection of his privacy, yet meeting Sam throws that all out of the window. Add in the fact that he is suddenly writing songs again, and Sam is definitely the important new centre to his life.

Sam, poster boy with a fake boyfriend, for his grandfather's political role and future ambitions, has been turned off love thanks to a user first boyfriend. However, even he finds that Julian is taking space in his mind and enjoying any excuse to spend time with him.

The complications are real, and the drama is not intense, but enough to give one a pause. I completely bought into the two of them being fully invested in making this work and they stay true to their natures throughout. Fun book, with some great cameo roles too.

 

 

LESLIE MCADAM is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

Connect with Leslie McAdam

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Southwinds Coffee Leslie McAdam's Fan Group

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Ambiguous (IOU #1) by Leslie McAdam to read and review.

Undone by Leslie McAdam Blog Tour

My new roommate has the worst taste in men.

I mean, Murph’s special. He’s funny and flamboyant and full of life.

While I’m straight, even I can tell these guys aren’t good enough for him.

I had to yell at one date, toss another one out the door, and throw a beer in another’s face.

Kind of embarrassing, really. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.

I ask my sister what’s wrong with me and she says I’m jealous.

Jealous? Please. Me?

Come on.

Only thing is, I hate the thought of Murph kissing any guy. Ever.

Except, maybe... me?

Undone is a contemporary m/m romance about a dreamy insurance agent that might not be as straight as he thinks, an adorable bartender who adds sparkle wherever he goes, and maybe one or two jokes about swords.

Undone is a stand-alone novel set in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Vino & Veritas series!
For book one, Featherbed, click HERE.
For book two, Heartscape, click HERE.
For book three, Headstrong, click HERE.
For book four, Undercover, click HERE.
For book five, Aftermath, click HERE.
For book six, Booklover, click HERE.
For book seven, Flipcup, click HERE.
For book eight, Hideaway, click HERE.
For book nine, Turnabout, click HERE.
For book ten, Unguarded, click HERE.
For book eleven, Insatiable, click HERE.
For book twelve, Daybreak, click HERE.
For book thirteen, Heartsong, click HERE.
For book fourteen, Stonghold, click HERE.
For book fifteen, Limelight, click HERE.
For book sixteen, Unforgettable, click HERE.
For book seventeen, Showstopper, click HERE.

 

 

Book 18
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Opening the bathroom door, I exit to go to my bedroom to get dressed.

Murph is sitting cross-legged on his floor across the hall, surrounded by piles of neatly folded clothes. His legs look bony in his jeans, and his lean arms are fussing with fabric. His dark head tilts up as he hears me, and I don’t miss the slow sweep of his eyes from my head to my feet, lingering on my torso and my towel.

A missed drop of water trails down my chest, and I wipe it away.

Murph licks his lips. I can almost see the resolve on his face as he swivels his head, picking up a stack of shirts and setting them to the side.

It takes all my acting ability to maintain a poker face until I get to my room.

I’m going to have to get used to that. I don’t usually mind being ogled—not that there’s that much to ogle, though I stay in decent shape by running and keeping active.

Dropping my towel, I step into navy blue sweats.

Does it bother me that Murph looked at me that way? Like he wanted to have me for dinner instead of the baked ziti I’m planning to make?

I tug a battered old gray T-shirt over my head while I consider the question. Because now that I’m living with a guy who’s into guys, I have to sort out my thoughts on the matter.

If my roommate were a woman and she checked me out, would it bother me?

No. I’d be flattered.

So I guess I’m flattered by him as well. This doesn’t have to be complicated.

I take my towel into the bathroom and hang it up. Murph’s still on his floor sorting clothes, either absorbed in what he’s doing or ignoring me.

I’m not scared he’s going to put the moves on me or anything. Obviously. Since he knows I’m straight.

At least, I assume he knows that.

Shit, maybe I should be clear with him. So he doesn’t think there’s any chance—

Jesus, Jason. Not everyone wants to bang you.

I don’t know why my brain is getting all weird like this. And I’m not sure how to bring it up in conversation. Hey, Murph, I know you’re gay, but don’t try anything.

Yeah, that sounds like an utterly arrogant thing to say. It assumes he wants me and, moreover, that he’d act on it.

Neither of those assumptions is accurate, I’m sure.

Well, if it comes up, I’ll tell him. Otherwise, no need to make things awkward.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the eighteenth book in this multi-author series based in Sarina Bowen's True North world. I have read many of them, and really enjoy catching up with old friends and reading about new loves.

Following on from an earlier story, Murph needs new digs, so moves in with Jason. Jason is incredibly sensible, working as an insurance man with his dad and living a very structured, rather lonely life. Then the flamboyant Murphy moves in and awakens some feelings he had never previously even knew existed.

It is really lovely watching as Jason is clueless as to his flatmate feeling the chemistry between them, and not wanting to act on it, as Jason identifies as straight. As time passes and Jason realises, with his sister's help, that maybe he is most likely jealous when he reacts badly to Murph's dates, the truth sinks in. He is then very open to being with Murph, but that road is not entirely smooth.

This is a really enjoyable story, with a good mix of heat, love, revelation, and acceptance. It is thought-provoking in many ways, and overall a good read.

 

 

 

LESLIE MCADAM is a California girl who loves romance, Little Dude, and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two small children. Leslie always encourages her kids to be themselves – even if it means letting her daughter wear leopard print from head to toe. An avid reader from a young age, she will always trade watching TV for reading a book, unless it's Top Gear. Or football. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men you fantasize about. She's unapologetically sarcastic and notoriously terrible at comma placement.

Always up for a laugh, Leslie tries to see humor in all things. When she's not in the writing cave you'll find her fangirling over Beck, camping with her family, or mixing up oil paints to depict her love of outdoors on canvas.

Connect with Leslie

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Southwinds Coffee Leslie McAdam's Fan Group

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Undone (Vino & Veritas #18) by Leslie McAdam to read and review for this tour.