Mr. Important by Lucy Lennox & May Archer Release Blitz

One New Year’s masquerade. One anonymous hookup. One billionaire-sized mistake.

Once upon a time, someone looked at my scrawny, impetuous eight-year-old self and nicknamed me Mr. Important… and I believed them.

That was my first mistake.

Two decades, a dozen failed careers, and a thousand meaningless hookups later, I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. My parents have decided I’m purely decorative, my brother thinks I need pep talks, and the gorgeous billionaire who hired me as a favor to my dad? He’s forgotten I exist.

So I’m done with mistakes.

Call it my New Year’s resolution. From now on, I’m going after what I want… starting with the mysterious silver fox in the Roman warrior mask who approached me at the charity gala and offered me a scorching, anonymous one-night stand.

Unfortunately, when our masks come off I realize mistakes are not done with me.

Because the bossy guy who blew my mind? He’d thought I was someone else. Worse than that, he’s my father’s friend. A supposedly-straight workaholic. The person I’m stuck on a road trip with for the next two weeks. And, oh yeah, my actual boss.

The farther we get from New York, the closer we become, and the harder it is to pretend I’m not falling for him. But I can’t see how someone as brilliant, controlled, and successful as Thatcher Pennington would risk everything to be with someone like me… even if he makes me feel like I’m finally Mr. Important.

While Mr. Important is set in the Honeybridge world, it can be easily enjoyed on its own.

 

 

Book 2
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Paperback (US)

Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Michael Dean
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and you will, I think, change your mind about Reagan after reading this installment!

I really enjoyed that this book gave Mr. Important a chance to reveal himself, once he had found the person who was most important of all. We enjoy a journey of discovery and self-acceptance, along with a super sexy romance, which all starts from mistaken identity. Thatcher is such a caring guy, and thankfully does the right thing at the right time, to make Reagan really believe that this is happening and has meaning.

I enjoyed the non-romantic backdrop – and it was fun to use a company's problems with social media to hang the plot on, as it gave Reagan a chance to shine, as well as giving a baddie to the story not only in a romantic sense, but also in the business. Lots of low-level intrigue which adds context and opportunity for the two guys to spend time together, and figure out just what is important!

I am looking forward to future books in this series.


Angie – ☆☆☆
I will probably be in the minority with my thoughts on this book. The release of the book kept getting pushed back. I can honestly say I don't know the reason why but when it finally hit my eReader I was excited to dive in. The first part at the masquerade was amazing and hot. I also liked how we didn't have to wait to see who was under each mask. I liked both Reagan and Thatcher right away and was excited about how their romance was going to play out. Sadly, I was bored out of my mind the first half of the book. I know more about PR than I ever wanted to, and it was boring. I mean, super boring. The whole drama with the company seemed to be at the forefront at first and I wasn't wanting that. I wanted more romance and less company drama. I love both authors separately and together and will continue to read the series, this one just didn't work for me.

 

 

 

LUCY LENNOX is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of the A.C. Katt Gay Debut Novel Award.

After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagna, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day. She writes gay romance with heart, humor, and heat!

Connect with Lucy Lennox!

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Facebook Group: Lucy's Lair

 

MAY ARCHER is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, alternating eating Jax and Tostitos, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it.

Connect with May Archer!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Club May

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Mr. Important (Honeybridge #2) by Lucy Lennox & May Archer to read and review.

ISO: In Search Of by Lucy Lennox & Molly Maddox Release Blitz

How in the world does a grumpy rancher end up falling for a rich dilettante?

Richard Dunning has it all: private school education, an exquisite designer wardrobe, a last name that ensures he’s invited to all the best parties, and a skincare regimen that’s to die for.

The only thing he doesn’t have is… well, a job. Or a home. Or money in the bank. Not since his dad cut him off.

So when his best frenemy approaches him with a bet—spend a month working as a cowhand on some godforsaken Wyoming ranch in exchange for his dream job—he’s a little too proud and a lot too desperate to say no.

But from the moment Richard and his rhinestone cowboy hat show up at the Silver Fork Ranch, nothing is as expected.

Not the beautiful vistas, not the terrifying horses, not the friendly people, not the epic quantities of cow manure, and definitely not Boone Hammond, the rugged rancher whose eyes are a little too intense, whose expectations are a little too high, and whose kisses are… a lot too tempting.

But when his month on the ranch comes to a close, Richard must choose: return to the safe, luxurious life he thought he wanted… or risk everything for the love he’s been IN SEARCH OF all along.

 

 

Book 4
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Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
From page one, I was sucked in and couldn't put this book down. I loved Boone instantly and his ranch. Richard was so down on his luck and didn't know what to do that he took a bet from someone he despises. I loved how Richard didn't give up; he worked his tail off when he got to the ranch. All the ranch hands were so welcoming and so good to him too. I loved how everyone was basically family. The buildup of Boone and Richard was great, and I was rooting for them the whole time. When something unexpected happens at the end, my heart breaks but Boone put it back together again. Such a good love story. I can't wait to read Oscar's story, that should be interesting!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and I was delighted that Richard got to understand the value and importance of love in this book – and from a very unexpected relocation. Any faithful reader of the series must have been frustrated by his antics, and so slightly amused at the challenge he takes on!

What is so lovely about this book is that whilst Boone is immediately attractive to Richard and vv, the real revelation is that Richard finds himself in the hard work, the fresh air, the learning to ride, viewing the expansiveness of the countryside. He discovers the simple pleasures of friendship, of being accepted for himself, for earning respect for putting in a hard day's work. Being acknowledged for contributing, and recognising how much he had missed praise.

Boone is a delicious man for sure, and he is prepared to risk his heart as well as his reputation over the fancy guy from New York, even if chances are he will leave and break his heart.

I read this in little more than one sitting, because I had to know how they could work things out with their very different backgrounds, when I was so invested in their futures!

 

 

 

LUCY LENNOX is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of the A.C. Katt Gay Debut Novel Award.

After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day. She writes gay romance with heart, humor, and heat!

Connect with Lucy Lennox!

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lucy's Lair

MOLLY MADDOX is the romance pen name for a New York Times bestselling author who started writing at an early age because her older sister, Lucy Lennox, was a writer and Molly wanted to be like Lucy in all ways (she still does).

When she’s not writing, Molly likes to cook, read, take pictures of her dog and cat cuddling, and finds an odd satisfaction in folding sheets so that the top sheet is indistinguishable from the bottom sheet.

She loves all things romance and is grateful every day she gets to write for a living.

Connect with Molly Maddox!

Facebook  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of ISO: In Search Of (After Oscar #4) by Lucy Lennox & Molly Maddox to read and review.

Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox Blog Tour

Julian

I've been in love with my best friend since forever. Okay, fine. Like, kindergarten. It started out platonic, obviously, but then became... nope. Still platonic. The problem is that Parker Ellis has been straight since forever. And that makes it difficult to convince him the two of us are meant to be together.

And now there's no point. All is lost. He's gone and gotten engaged to his high-school sweetheart which means I have to grin and bear it while pretending to be the happy, supportive best man while he prepares to commit his life to a woman I can't even fault. She's great. We've all been friends forever. I know he'll be happy with Erin, just not... just not as happy as he could be with me.

Parker

I'll admit. Sometimes I press the easy button. Like when Julian Thick had offered me half his sandwich back in grade school after noticing I didn't have any food. Or when I'd needed a date to homecoming in tenth grade and Erin told me she was it. Or when I'd used the one thing that came easy to me, skiing, to get my college tuition paid for. Or when Erin had showed back up in my life six months ago and told it was time to marry and start a family...

But for the first time in my life I'm facing something that's not at all easy. It's my wedding weekend and I've just been left at the altar. Not only that, but when my best friend whisks me away to drown my sorrows in a snowy cabin in Aster Valley, I accidentally discover Julian's been keeping secrets. Big secrets.

The kind of secrets that lead to hot experimental kisses in front of a blazing fire, tentative physical exploration in a way I'd never imagined before, and the kind of intimate, true confessions I'd never even dreamed of between me and the one person who's always been my true home.

But after twenty-plus years of thinking of Jules as my friend without benefits, is it truly possible to change who we are to each other? There's no easy button this time, but I'm willing to do the work. I only wonder if Julian is ready to trust I really mean it.

 

 

Book 4
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Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

PROLOGUE

JULIAN

It wasn’t the first time Parker had snuck into my house in the middle of the night, but it was the worst.

He was already crying, and his clothes were covered in dirt. I’d left the bathroom light on by accident, and when the sound of the window woke me up, there was enough light for me to make out the smudges on his sweatshirt and debris in his hair.

Parker Ellis was awkward at the age of fourteen—tall and scrawny, all elbows and knees—but he was my awkward.

“C’mere,” I croaked, opening the covers so he could get warm. I was still half-asleep. Normally, I would have been annoyed at getting my bed dirty, but I could tell how upset he was.

As soon as he dove beneath the covers, I dropped the comforter and pulled him in close. He smelled like the cold night air and the dry leaves he’d probably had to wade through to get to my window. “What happened? What’d they do?”

Parker’s parents were assholes. They’d been assholes the entire time I’d known him, but it hadn’t been until the last two years of elementary school that he’d started sneaking over to my house when things got really bad.

In the beginning, it had been loud parties lasting late into the night. But then his dad had gotten a job with lots of travel. There was less partying, but there was also more neglect. Parker’s mom had gone out with friends instead of having people over. She’d forget to get groceries or feed him dinner.

Once my parents had figured out what was happening, they’d given him an open invitation to come to our house for meals anytime. They also knew he spent the night often, but since they had a “no sleepovers on school nights” policy, they simply looked the other way when he snuck in on a weeknight.

This had been going on for years, but lately, it had gotten worse. Now that we were in middle school, his parents felt like Parker was old enough to be left home alone overnight, sometimes for weeks at a time. His mom had gotten jealous of his dad’s travel and had insisted on joining him on his trips, leaving Parker on his own in a big empty house with no food and no one to help him with his homework or take him to and from after-school activities.

Watching Parker’s parents treat him like shit was the first time I’d realized even a kid from a family with plenty of money could suffer from hunger and neglect. It wasn’t quite enough for anyone to call Child Protective Services and risk putting him in the system, since he was surrounded by families like ours who would take him in and make sure he had what he needed, but it still sucked.

“I hate them,” he growled, snuggling in closer to me for warmth. His skin was cold and prickly with goose bumps. “I hate them so fucking much.”

We had an important math test tomorrow, and Parker had been over earlier that afternoon so my sister, Hazel, could help both of us with our review homework. He’d walked home right after dinner the way he usually did when he came home with me after school.

“What happened?” I asked again. I rubbed his back through his sweatshirt, trying to help him get warm. Hot tears landed on my neck, and his fingers gripped the thin cotton of my T-shirt.

“My key didn’t work. I had to crawl around in the bushes to find that rock thing where we keep a hidden one, but that didn’t work either.” He sniffed and took a breath. “So I waited for Mom to get home, but she never came. And then I walked down to the gas station to use their phone to call her. She said she…” His hand clenched tighter, accidentally catching one of the few hairs on my chest. “She changed the locks because she didn’t trust the house cleaners. But she forgot to tell me, and then… and then she left to go to Chicago with a friend at the last minute. She said not to break a window or I’d have to pay for it. But my English homework is in there, and all my clothes, and…”

I was so angry, I wanted to punch something. Parker didn’t have any money. We were fourteen. Every dollar he made trying to mow people’s lawns in summer and shovel snow in winter was spent on buying himself food or other things his parents neglected to provide for him, despite all the money they had.

“Did you talk to your dad?”

He shook his head. “How can he help? He’s in Florida at a conference. I’m just so embarrassed. I’m sorry for coming over again. I tried to sleep on the chair on the front porch, but it’s too cold without a blanket.”

I pulled his face out of my neck and held him by the cheeks. “You listen to me, Parker Ellis,” I hissed. “You never, ever need to sleep outside when I have a warm, safe place for you here. Okay? Don’t you dare think you have to stay there alone when you can stay with me. My parents love you. They wouldn’t want you to stay there by yourself, even if you had a key.”

He sniffed again. “Yeah, I know. Okay.”

I grumbled about his asshole parents while he nestled back against my shoulder.

“I like staying with you,” Parker admitted softly a few minutes later. “Everything’s better when I’m with you.”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
From the very first page to the very last page, I was in love with Parker and Julian. These two were meant to be together and once they got their heads out of their butts, it was amazeballs. My heart went out to Julian in the beginning, he loved Parker sooo much when they were kids and he just stepped back and watched Parker and Erin for years go back and forth. I loved how blind Parker was to how much he really loved Julian and how he was so dense he didn't see that he was always cock blocking Julian. You couldn't help but root for these two to finally get on the same page. I just loved this story and I kept putting the book down because I didn't want it to end!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series – I would say it is a good idea to get the goodness from the earlier books, but you could enjoy this one and then go back and enjoy them afterwards. This is a really sweet, romantic, and sexy read. It is a lovely storyline from the very beginning, and I was completely onboard with this delicious pair of men finding their way to each other.

Julian is preparing himself for the ultimate heart break, and the reality that the man he has loved since he met him as a small boy, and in love with him from when he understood what that meant. But Parker has never shown any romantic love for him, and now he is marrying Erin, their friend since high school. I loved Julian so much for his strength of character to support his best friend's wishes, and to keep from him just how much it is hurting him that any chance of a relationship is now dead. And somehow, we also still like Parker, even if he is causing this hurt, as he is just somewhat sweetly oblivious.

As the wedding unravels and Julian has to take Parker somewhere to rebalance after Erin runs away from him, finally there may be some soul searching and honesty between them to wake Parker up to how he feels deep inside about the man he never wants to be without.

I love how couples from earlier books have a role to play in helping the situation become clear to Parker, and giving Julian the romance that he has so long desired. Delicious!

 

 

LUCY LENNOX is finally putting good use to that English Lit degree earned way back in the 1900s.

She stays up way too late each night reading M/M romance because she is a sucker for a good story.

Connect with Lucy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lucy’s Lair

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley #4) by Lucy Lennox to read and review for this tour.

Forever Wilde in Aster Valley by Lucy Lennox Blog Tour

When Miller Hobbs finds himself on a winter vacation in Colorado with the giant, exceedingly loud, Marian and Wilde families, he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. He’s not really a Marian or a Wilde despite having DNA ties to both.

So every morning before the rest of the family wakes up and fills Rockley Lodge with holiday merriment (and noise), he escapes to the quaint downtown of Aster Valley where he spies a man through the bakery window kneading dough and dancing to music only he can hear. Miller is entranced by the dancing baker, and when Darius looks up and catches Miller staring, the interest suddenly goes both ways.

Can two strangers find love among the quaint chaos of an Aster Valley Christmas? Even if it includes the two most overwhelming and meddling families vying for the title of greatest matchmakers of all time?

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Forever Wilde series!
For book one, Facing West, click HERE.
For book seven, King Me, click HERE.

 

 

Book 9
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Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

I found a parking spot on a side street and walked up the shoveled sidewalk to the bakery. A large plate-glass window revealed the baker himself kneading a giant blob of dough on a well-worn wooden table in the back of the shop.

Something about the sight stopped me in my tracks and caused me to watch him a little longer than I should have. A little longer than was probably polite. Maybe it was the rhythm of his movements or the fact he seemed to be talking to himself. Maybe it was the way he fit the landscape—solid as the mountains, warm as sunlight, simple and magnificent at the same time. Maybe it was the way his big hands kneaded the dough with such total competence that shivers danced up my spine. Whatever it was, I couldn’t look away.

After standing still a few moments, I realized he was singing. He had headphones on and nodded his head to a silent beat. The man’s face broke into a wide, white grin as his hips began to sway, and his whole body moved with the music as he went about his work.

The baker had a messy brown bun on top of his head and a short beard with dark brown eyebrows over an expressive face. I wondered idly if he had dimples I couldn’t see from this far away. His smile was breathtaking.

He looked to be around my age, mid-to-late thirties, but it was hard to tell through the window. He wore a denim button-down shirt under a beige apron sprinkled with flour. The rest of him was hidden by the table.

I couldn’t stop watching him. I felt like a kid outside of a candy store with sticky hands pressed to the glass and big eyes filled with want.

I liked to think I was a fairly practical sort of person, a person who made the best of what he could have and didn’t spend his time yearning for things he couldn’t, but the baker had me captivated.

This one, a voice in my head whispered as I watched the baker’s biceps bunch and flex under his shirt. Yes, please.

“You have to try the melomakarona,” a woman said from behind me, startling me out of my weird, lusty fantasy. “I can’t believe this place hasn’t been overrun with people clamoring for it. It’s only a matter of time. Or… it would be if they’d do a little advertising or start a mail-order business for them. The only other place I know of that had Greek treats as good as these was a bakery I went to once in Chicago when I was in college. That place had people lined up around the corner this time of year, just to get the melomakarona.”

I turned to face the stranger, finding it harder to look away from my baker—the baker, I silently corrected myself. The baker, who was in no way mine—than I could have imagined. The woman was bundled in a puffy purple jacket with a gray wool hat over blonde hair and had a baby strapped to her chest. She smiled at me way too brightly for this hour of the morning.

“What’s melomakarona?” I asked politely.

“It’s a Greek Christmas cookie made out of honey, walnuts, and orange juice. You have to try it. Come on,” she said, grabbing my elbow. “I’ll get you one.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized I’d left my own meddling family just to find myself being woman-handled and managed by someone else’s, but I was more than willing to go along with any scenario that got me closer to my—the—baker. “Okay, if you insist. I hope they have good coffee, too.”

“Definitely. And they also do an incredible kourabiethes cookie that melts in your mouth. The only reason I let myself come here so often is because I’m nursing. Surely that earns me some extra calories to spend at the bakery, right?” She continued her friendly chatter as she led me around the corner to the front door.

When we entered, I immediately felt at home. The warm space was extra cozy with an old brick fireplace in one corner and deep, comfortable-looking sofas and chairs clustered around it. Holiday music played softly from hidden speakers, and it was noticeably different from whatever up-tempo beat the baker himself had been playing in his headphones. The air was fragrant with sweet cinnamon and a dozen other spices I couldn’t name but wished I could.

A young woman smiled from behind the counter. “You’re up early, Tessa. Is Hoss teething again?”

The lady who’d brought me into the shop groaned. “The baby’s name is Conley, dammit, Hannah,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t listen to his Uncle Declan. And yes, he’s teething, so he’s been up for hours. It was a good excuse to come grab what I wanted before the crowds turn up and take all the good stuff.”

I had no problem believing that they’d sell out quickly, considering how tempting the pastries looked and smelled. But I was still focused on something far more tempting than sweets.

While the young lady behind the counter began filling a bakery box, I moved to the side to try and catch a peek through the arched doorway into the back of the bakery.

I could hear the clank of metal sheet pans, and I spotted a glimpse of the baker’s denim sleeve rolled up over his thick forearm. His thick, tattooed forearm.

Oh, man. Tattoos, too? Hngh. My palms went sweaty, and I had to swallow past a lump in my throat. I was a sucker for a man with ink.

I tried to tell myself firmly that this baker was none of my business. That I didn’t know a thing about this man. That I was a tourist, for heaven’s sake, and I was already dealing with a ridiculous number of new people in my life on top of all my work stress at home. But none of it seemed to matter. Something about this total stranger called to me, and I was dying to get a closer glimpse of him.

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book was amazeballs. You don't have to read all the books in the other series to understand. You will be sucked in and fall in love, just like I did. You have the wonderful crazy family stuff, the small town, the holiday season, and two wonderful men. Miller and Darius are just perfect for each other. Watching these two together just made my heart melt and they are so good for each other. I couldn't put this book down. If you want a sweet, heartwarming story, this one is for you.

 

 

LUCY LENNOX is finally putting good use to that English Lit degree earned way back in the 1900s.

She stays up way too late each night reading M/M romance because she is a sucker for a good story.

Connect with Lucy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lucy’s Lair

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Forever Wilde in Aster Valley (Forever Wilde #9) by Lucy Lennox to read and review for this tour.

Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox Blog Tour

It was supposed to be a prank. A silly frat boy dare.

One hot moment in a hidden storage closet. One kiss. No consequences.

But if you get that close to a man with fire in his eyes, you’re gonna get burned, and I was no exception. One taste of Grey Blackwood ruined me for life.

The way Grey sees it, I was the one who did the ruining. I humiliated him. Wrecked his life. Destroyed his future.

Doesn’t matter that he’s clawed his way back and then some. Doesn’t matter that he’s already top of the Wall Street food chain. The man’s ruthless. Heartless. And he likes his revenge served cold.

Now he’s taking down the companies owned by every frat boy who did him wrong. And when he comes for my family’s company, the quiet life I’ve built for myself far away from Manhattan comes crumbling down, too.

But when Grey’s standing in our boardroom, threatening a hostile takeover and demanding I negotiate on behalf of my family, I don’t see an enemy. I see the chance I’ve been waiting for.

The chance for another night in his arms, and hopefully a whole lot more.

Let the negotiations begin.

Hostile Takeover is a full-length, standalone novel.

 

 

Book 1
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Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)

 

 

Within seconds, he’d pulled me down the hallway to a closed door. Once he opened it, I saw the storage room everyone talked about. Shelving reached all the way to the ceiling, and most of it was covered in pristine club hand towels folded into neat stacks. A large ice machine hummed in the corner, and right next to it was an old-fashioned water cooler.

Grey grabbed a paper water cup shaped like a cone from the stack on top of the water cooler and filled it before handing it to me. I sucked it down greedily, if only to get that godforsaken butterscotch flavor out of my mouth.

“Thanks,” I mumbled before moving forward to refill the cone. I brushed my shoulder against his chest as I stepped past him. Suddenly, the room seemed much smaller than it had before. The scent of coffee and laundry detergent surrounded me, but it was overlaid with the barest hint of apple shampoo.

I turned my head to see if that smell was coming from him, but at the same moment, he turned his head toward me to ask me something. The words died on his tongue as we found ourselves nose-to-nose. From this close, I could see his hair was hundreds of different shades of blond. A hank of it had fallen down over one eyebrow. It made him look vulnerable, unlike the proud man who seemed to have his shit together on the golf course and in class.

“Hi,” I breathed.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a weary voice. The air between us was thick and heavy. If I’d been any more sober, I would have chickened the fuck out and run out with my tail between my legs.

But I wasn’t sober.

“I just… I…”

“Ellison.” He spoke my name like a warning.

“You’re smart as shit,” I said stupidly.

“I know,” he replied, meeting my eyes in challenge.

“Why do you work here with all these rich assholes around you? It’s unbearable.”

His face widened in a reluctant grin. “Spoken by one of the selfsame rich assholes.”

I frowned, and Grey’s eyes followed the movement of my lips. My cock liked that. A lot.

“Why?” I repeated breathlessly.

“Good money, better connections. I want to be an investment banker, and the only way to do it well is to work for one of those rich assholes one day. The men in that room control eighty percent of the country’s investment capital. I want a piece of it.”

“But—”

He cut me off with the barest brush of his lips against mine. It was so light, so nothing, he could have written it off as an accident, but it was enough of a spark to light the whole damned stack of fireworks between us.

I lunged for him with both hands, grabbing his face and smashing my mouth against his. He grunted at the impact, but then Grey’s arms came around to hold me tight while he kissed me back.

He kissed me back.

I could barely breathe. It wasn’t enough. My heart hammered in my chest with something like panic. What if he stopped? What if this all stopped and I couldn’t have it anymore? This awkward, grappling kiss was everything. Everything. And I knew right away it was only the beginning.

I wanted more. I wanted him. I wanted to be naked and ready for whatever came next. My dick was out of fucking control right now, and I couldn’t even figure out how to go about getting off. I just knew I wanted to get off with him. With Grey.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
Wow... if you like enemies-to-lovers, this is the book for you. There's a lot of steam and the chemistry is off the charts. It's kind of a slow burn. These guys have crap to sort out. A prank went wrong, and lives were changed. There is laughter, lots of banter, sexy times, and, of course, a lot of crap to figure out. Grey and Ellis are just spectacular together and I loved every second of this book.

 

 

LUCY LENNOX is finally putting good use to that English Lit degree earned way back in the 1900s.

She stays up way too late each night reading M/M romance because she is a sucker for a good story.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Hostile Takeover (Hostile Takeover #1) by Lucy Lennox to read and review for this tour.

Hijacked by Lucy Lennox & May Archer Blog Tour

Renowned cardiologist Carter Rogers is used to having things under control. His life, his prestigious reputation, his career, his future.

Things he can’t control this time around:

• His meddling grandfather

• His annoying gamer cousin

• Buggy South American jungles

• Being the meat in a feuding cartel sandwich

• Getting kidnapped by a monologuing drug lord

•Falling for his very hot, very mouthy ex-Special Forces bodyguard

In short, Carter’s peaceful, well-planned life has been… hijacked.

 

 

Book 1
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Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

After two days as his bodyguard, I was ready to throttle my principal my own damn self.

I was also covered in more sweat and filth than I’d been on my worst day ever in Afghanistan.

The duchess, meanwhile, seemed as pristine as the moment we’d landed, of course—and unfairly fucking gorgeous, not that that mattered. But then again, he hadn’t been the one schlepping all of the supplies on and off buses, up and down half-broken stairs, and into a stifling storage room at the back of the small medical building where we’d be spending the next month of our lives.

No, that privilege had been all mine ever since he’d brilliantly pulled the “grandfather card” on me. It was a card he’d been slapping down at least once an hour since we’d left Tennessee.

“Grandfather would be upset if I got a hernia.”

“Pretty sure my grandfather wouldn’t want me coming home after only a day because I strained my back hauling boxes around.”

“I would hate for you to get in trouble with your boss if I slipped and fell into that rocky ditch.”

“I wonder what my grandfather would think about a former Marine who was afraid of a little physical labor.”

That had been the straw that had broken the camel’s back, as I’m sure he’d intended. You didn’t throw down a challenge to someone’s service branch like that. It just wasn’t done.

Besides, hauling his shit kept my hands too busy to throttle the fucker… or to kiss him. And that was becoming more and more necessary as this interminable day wore on. I had thought being a jerk to him at his grandfather’s house would have helped me keep my distance from him. It would be easier not to be tempted by the beautiful, successful man if he hated me.

But instead of being an asshole back to me, he was an enticing kind of passive-aggressive. He acted like he was sweet as pie while he pursed his lips in false disappointment for having to force me to do all the grunt work.

The doctor was diabolical. And it only made me want him more. I’d watched him at the gala. The adorable way he joked with the bartender and the kind manner he had with the locals were enough to attract my notice even before I’d discovered he was my principal on this job.

But he was off-limits, so I needed to shut my attraction to him down and shove it away if I wanted to stay on my boss’s good side.

As I re-entered the main room of the clinic, I heard Carter’s cultured voice speaking to Eriko, the man who’d welcomed us to the Doctors Across Continents facility in the rural town of Gelada. “No, no, getting here on our own was no problem! Mr. Riggs—oh, and please make sure you call him Mr. Riggs, because he really enjoys that—that man is never happier than when he’s useful. Carrying things is literally his favorite activity! Many a time I’ve tried to encourage him, ‘Mr. Riggs, please put down the box! That’s too heavy!’ but he simply refuses. ‘I’m enjoying myself too much, Dr. Rogers!’ he’ll say, and then he’ll pick up more boxes. So by all means, if you have heavy things to be moved, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Eriko murmured a reply I couldn’t hear over the gritting of my teeth, and Carter laughed lightly.

“Oh, no. He’s not really my manservant, per se. More like a man who serves as… my assistant. And of course he’ll be happy to help transport any patients who can’t get here on their own! I daresay he’d enjoy the challenge. A few more notches on his heavy-things-I’ve-carried belt! He’s good for the physical tasks, not so much the…” He glanced up at me innocently when my boots made a sound on the floor. “Oh, speaking of the devil. Mr. Riggs, I was just telling Eriko that you’d love to help retrieve any invalid patients who need help getting to the center. Isn’t that right?”

The look on his face begged for a solid love tap from my fist. But at the same time, the look in his eyes—teasing, intensely intelligent, just like he’d been at the bar that night at the Licking-Nuthatch Gala—made me want to tap… other parts of him. Parts that would land me in serious trouble with Champ or possibly on the unemployment line, if my distraction didn’t land us in danger first.

I could not afford to like this guy.

“I think it makes more sense to stay here and assist you, Doctor. Remember the problems you’ve been having with your…” I glanced at Eriko with a grimace. “Digestion? I’d hate to leave you alone in case it comes roaring back.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed the slightest bit. I’d made up the part about the digestion problems.

Or, okay, I hadn’t made them up so much as transferred them from me to him.

“Yes, right,” he said, rather than correcting me. “You do like to clean the toilets as soon as I’m finished. Thank you for the reminder.” He turned back to Eriko. “Such a helpful boy. Don’t know what I’d do if he fell off the side of a cliff. Or whatever. Anyway, we should be ready to begin receiving patients at seven tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can prioritize the people who need to get to work.”

As Carter listened to the local man, who at this point looked like a deer caught in confused headlights, I got the lay of the land. We were in a fairly large room, maybe twenty by thirty feet. The building was made out of cement blocks, which actually provided a little break from the heat of the day. Large industrial fans that looked like they were several generations older than Eriko blew from two corners of the room, creating some much-needed ventilation. Two windows on either end of the room were covered with thick iron bars for security, and there was a similar metal security door on the front and back of the building. They were currently propped open to keep the air moving. Several locals had already poked their heads in and asked if the clinic was open yet.

“The bedroom is just there,” Eriko said, gesturing to the other door at the back of the building. I glanced over at the small room, replaying his sentence in my mind until the word “bedroom” turned plural from wishful thinking. “There is a pallet on the floor for your helper.”

I tilted my head at him. Was he trolling me?

Carter’s sparkling eyes suggested Eriko was being sincere. “Excellent! I’m sure Mr. Riggs will appreciate your kindness.”

Eriko looked very pleased. He informed Carter that someone from the community would be stopping by with our dinner and we were welcome to spend the rest of the evening setting up for tomorrow’s clinic.

“We are very grateful you are here. The people of Gelada have to travel very far to see a doctor. Many of them do not have money for the bus. When you come with your supplies and medicines… well, we are truly blessed.”

Carter’s face softened. Suddenly, I could see the doctor behind the snarky duchess. “It’s my pleasure. Thank you for having us.”

As soon as the local man was gone, closing the outer door and making sure Carter locked it from the inside, Carter’s smile disappeared.

“Aw. Someone looks like he’s having a grumpy day,” Carter remarked with fake sympathy as he passed me. “What’s wrong, Mr. Riggs? Not enough box carrying for you?”

“Just thinking that this pallet looks like it’s going to hurt your back.” I folded my arms over my chest. “Might consider hitting up the med cabinet before hitting the hay, Duchess.”

Carter didn’t even turn around and look at me. He simply said, “Duchesses don’t sleep on pallets, Mr. Riggs. This is well-known.”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
I haven't read the series this is a spin-off from, so I'm going to say you don’t need to read it first and I didn't feel like I missed anything. Carter and Riggs are both a hot mess. Riggs screwed up big time on a previous job. Carter has his crap together professionally but personally, nope! I connected with Carter and fell in love with him. Riggs was a different story. There were times I liked him and others I didn't. The story was unrealistic at times, and I found myself saying "really?" more than once, but I did enjoy the book and will read the next one.

 

 

After enjoying creative writing as a child, LUCY LENNOX didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!

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MAY ARCHER is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.

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Facebook Group: Club May

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Hijacked (Licking Thicket: Horn of Glory #1) by Lucy Lennox & May Archer to read and review for this tour.