Kicking it in Vegas by Riley Long Instagram Tour

I woke up in Vegas with a hangover and a ring on my finger.

At my last recollection, the bachelor party was off to a great start. During dinner I met sexy celebrity Chef Oliver who was far more intriguing than his surly public persona let on.

Afterwards, my buddies and I set out to bar-hop at some of Sin City’s biggest hot spots. To my surprise, I ran into Oliver again as he was unwinding by tossing back drinks at a bar. What followed was a hot night of dancing and drinking… and a very confusing morning.

Not only did we spend the night together, we got married. Oliver is quick to suggest divorce, but I’m not ready to give up so easily. We may be opposites in every way imaginable, but there’s a chemistry between us I can’t deny or ignore.

Can I convince Oliver to give our unlikely romance a chance? Or will what happened in Vegas end in Vegas?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Out and Kickin' series!
For book one, Kicking it with the Best Man, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

I waved the bartender down, a skinny blond twink who looked like he would have been better suited to dancing on the bar than staffing it, and ordered a Bahama Mama. A moment later, a familiar voice rang in my ears, low and husky.

“Long night?”

I looked up, startled. Seated next to me was Oliver. Sexy, straitlaced Oliver, with his dark hair and scruffy beard and gray eyes. He was wearing a clingy white t-shirt and black jeans, and damned if the guys weren’t right. He did have washboard abs, if the rippling muscles under his thin cotton shirt were to be believed. “What are you doing here?” I glanced around to see if he was with someone, but I didn’t see anyone else. Just Chef Oliver.

Oliver chuckled, his tone rich and luxurious, sending waves of desire through me. He leaned in as he spoke. “Decided to take the night off early. See, I had a really challenging client tonight and after he left, I figured I deserved a few drinks and a little relaxation.” He took a sip of his drink and raised his eyebrows.

“Oh yeah?” The flirtation in his words was clear. “I had a rough night, too. I had to plan a party and there was a lot of pressure to make everything perfect. I had to deal with this hot-tempered celebrity chef. Luckily, the chef turned out to be outstanding. Provided great customer service. Really top-notch.” The bartender slid my drink to me and I nodded in thanks before taking a sip.

A moment later, Oliver twisted on his barstool to face me, leaning even closer. “I’m glad he took good care of you.”

I shivered, my nipples hardening under my shirt and my cock following suit. I was still wearing the white button-down and blue slacks I’d gone to Hidden Cove in, but the tie had long since been loosened and draped around my neck, and I hoped both the slacks and the shirt disguised my arousal. With a nod, I grinned at him. “He did. He took really good care of me.” Oliver’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip and my throat tightened with desire. Before he could speak again, I blurted out a request. “Dance with me?”

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
I read the first book in the series but this one could be read as a standalone with no problem. It was a fast read, only took two hours to finish. It was predictable, as this plot usually is. I loved Oliver from the start, reminded me of a famous chef we all see on TV. Cam I couldn't connect with for some reason. Cam kept calling to make sure things were perfect with the dinner but he's a go with the flow guy and that didn't match anything else about him, especially his actions after the dinner. I loved watching Oliver change, and I liked that I finished it so fast, just wish Cam would have connected with me and the plot wasn't so predictable.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars of hot fun

This is the second book in the series and follows on from the previous one, but as it involves a new pairing, it could be read as a standalone too.

Cam is organising the Vegas bachelor party and wants it to be perfect, including a very swanky dinner – resulting in him contacting the chef, Oliver, multiple times. When they meet, the chemistry, which probably made him keep calling, is definitely evident. When they find themselves in the same bar... well the rest is Vegas history!

As they then have to decide how to deal with the situation, we are sure that the stars are aligning, and have to hope that they get that too.

This is a light and quick read which was fun and highly enjoyable due to its familiar storyline being done well.

 

 

 

Riley Long is an author of gay romances novels spanning many genres from contemporary to paranormal. They live a quiet life in Virginia, with their husband, son, and two very silly pit bulls.

They spend their evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television (or not so bad television).

For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo, GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs.

They like things with silly acronyms.

Riley can tell you two different stories about getting covered in in dairy products for a hug.

Connect with Riley Long

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Riley's Readers

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Kicking it in Vegas (Out and Kickin' #2) by Riley Long to read and review.

The Royal by Susan Stoker

In this modern Cinderella story, New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker weaves a tale of stepfamilies, stalkers, and a suspenseful, sweeping romance that proves true love can conquer all.

Former military man and member of a royal family Callum Redmon can’t deny his sense of responsibility. So when his cousin’s latest love interest claims to have a stalker, Cal reluctantly meets with the young woman and her mother. He wants to write off the situation as a complete farce—if only his feelings for another member of the household could be as easily dismissed.

Since her father’s death seventeen years ago, Juniper Rose has been at the cruel beck and call of her stepmother and stepsister. Her fantasies of escape mean leaving behind her father’s beloved home, but enough is enough: when Cal offers her a way out sooner rather than later, June takes the leap.

Cal’s home in Maine with his military brothers seems like the safest place to start fresh. But as Cal and June’s fairy-tale romance blossoms into something real, they find that the dangers stalking them may have been real all along.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Game of Chance series!
For book one, The Protector, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~ Also Available to Read & Listen with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Cal is a former soldier who loves his new job. Suffering from the effects of his torture and PTSD, Cal isn't someone who thinks that he's going to ever find someone to share his life with. To add to the issues, he's also royalty and while people know that he only shows up when absolutely necessary, they know his bank account is hefty. When his family calls him to help suss out a stalker for a friend of his cousin, Cal reluctantly says that he'll help.

June is a modern day Cinderella. After being taken advantage of by her stepmom and stepsister for most of her life, June is ready to break free. Doing that is scary and when June sees Cal and hears what her stepsister has in store, June shows her rebellion in small ways. I loved it.

June and Cal are fantastic for each other. Each broken or bent in their own way, both will lean on each other to learn what love is. When someone from the past doesn't like their new romance, it will take the love that they have for each other to figure out what's going on and who's trying to destroy their lives.

I really loved this story and the hope that it showed. It was inspirational and truly a great love. I can't wait for more. The only reason for the four stars instead of five is the predictability.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and I would recommend that you read them in order, so that you get the full impact of the background of the men living in Newton, Maine.

Cal was the one who suffered the most when they were imprisoned and tortured, due to him being a prince and the most newsworthy. His body is now so disfigured that he cannot even face himself in a mirror, so he has no expectation of ever falling in love and being accepted by a woman. That has not stopped gold diggers trying to gain his attention.

Carla is one such woman, but it is her stepsister, June, who actually attracts his attention – and not just because she affects his heart, but because she is clearly a slave to her stepmother and stepsister. In true Cinderella fashion, the prince saves the day – but has the danger really passed?

Both Cal and June are very attracted to the other, but neither thinks they are worthy – so we do have to deal with quite a lot of denial – but the inner voice musings are a worthwhile price to pay for the goodness and joy of the story. It is impossible not to wish them every happiness!

 

 

 

SUSAN STOKER is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose series include Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes, SEAL of Protection, and Delta Force Heroes. Married to a retired Army noncommissioned officer, Stoker has lived all over the country—from Missouri and California to Colorado, Texas, and Tennessee—and currently lives in the beautiful wilds of Maine. A true believer in happily ever after, Stoker enjoys writing novels in which romance turns to love.

Connect with Susan Stoker

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Susan Stoker's Stalkers

 

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of The Royal (Game of Chance #2) by Susan Stoker to read and review.

Love's Not Welcome at the Hotel Cairo by Gary Alan Hidalgo Spotlight

Hughie must sell his hotel shares to save his dream. Fabian must persuade him to keep them for same sex weddings' sake. You are cordially invited to the Hotel Cairo, where everyone’s love story is welcome…

The Hotel Cairo is an aging but still enchanting hotel that its majority shareholder recently axed 60-year-old soap actor Hughie Roman plans to sell to the highest bidder to get back his Hollywood dream. Not if Fabian Flores, the hotel’s 44-year-old manager, can stop him by winning him over with love. Love is Welcome at the Hotel Cairo, that is, an invitation to same-sex couples to wed in its magical setting in a conservative state which, in the past, denied them as petty as a wedding cake.

Unlike the lovers that the Hotel Cairo woos, Hughie and Fabian don’t welcome love because of secrets from the past and fears about the future. They’ll fight their developing feelings tooth and nail even while others try to get between them, like Fabian’s fiancée, the hotel lawyer, James, Hughie’s TV nephew, Herbie, and co-owner, Xenia, who has her own plans for her deceased ex-husband’s legacy. Fortunately, a heavenly male escort named Hunky Hector lends his voice of reason in their bedlam.

Are you looking for big, flawed LGBTQ+ characters with heart & wit in an unputdownable story with infinite humor & hope? Love’s Not Welcome at the Hotel Cairo is a romantic comedy novel about embracing love no matter how old you get or how jaded you become. Told through the eyes of a desperate, newly divorced Hughie and an equally determined but altruistic Fabian, not even a wedding cake will be safe from their explosive courtship.

 

 

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

 

 

At the peak of the steep last length of the driveway, two men appeared to have been already waiting for his arrival. Behind them, the porters in their old-world maroon uniforms with their slick gold buttons and frilly trimmings gawked alongside their guests. Everyone took their time to stare, point, and snicker at their latest and most important arrival.

From where he caught his breath and scrutinized his surroundings, Hughie shook his fist and blasted XENIA1. Why had such a classy automobile behaved so crudely? It called the very attention Hughie preferred to avoid until he could sneak into a bathroom or, if worse came to worst, wait for the sprinklers to turn on so he could “freshen up,” as Rusty suggested. Oh well, at least the men welcoming him to the Hotel Cairo lost no time reaching him.

“Hello,” Hughie greeted, “which one of you is Fabia…” Before he could finish his friendly how-do-you-do, a well-dressed man with gray-green eyes immediately punched his face with wanton disregard. With that, he lost consciousness for at least a minute, in which he fantasized he cuddled an Oscar like a long-lost child.

“Whoever the man is, James, you should never have hit him. You’re the lawyer. You should know better.”

“What’s this drunken bum doing with expensive luggage like this? He must’ve stolen it from one of your guests.”

“Don’t call him that. It’s disparaging. He’s an unhoused person with an alcohol use disorder.”

“Haven’t you lived long enough in this state to call a spade a spade?”

As the Oscar tore itself away from his forlorn embrace, Hughie woke up to two men fighting over him while he lay crumpled on the blistering asphalt. He groaned in relief, then rubbed his left cheek. The thickness of his beard had protected his precious face from any superficial damage, but the shock of the ambush itself knocked him out cold.

“I’m… I’m…” He stammered.

“Thank God, you’re awake.” One of them kneeled down to check on him. It wasn’t the man that struck him. This man had beaming brown eyes that matched his carefully tapered chestnut hair. His face was cheerful even as he worried about Hughie. If he wasn’t already fully awake, Hughie would’ve mistaken him for an angel arriving to shield him from the nasty piece of work in the blue blazer who continued to disregard him. “I’m sorry, sir. The Hotel Cairo is private property and James just wanted you to go. But he should have asked and not laid a finger on you. Is your jaw okay? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

Hughie turned his head to show off his chiseled jaw, all still in one piece. The nice man saw he was okay, sighed with relief, and caressed his cheek with tenderness.

“Fabian!” the mean man shrieked at the angel. He was so disgusted he almost spit. “You don’t know where he’s been.”

“Fabian Flores?” Hughie Roman finally regained his bearing. Hughie took notice that his good Samaritan wore a burgundy blazer similar to the hotel porters but without the gold trimming. Sewn on the right breast pocket were the initials “T-H-C” in classic gold embroidery. On the left, he wore a name tag that readily confirmed his identity.

“That’s me.”

“As I was trying to say before your security guard pummeled me without mercy, I’m Hughie Roman.” He stood up and offered his hand to the hotel manager. “We spoke last Monday. You invited me to the shareholders’ meeting.”

“I am not the security guard,” The one named James growled at him, “and you aren’t Mr. Roman. But this is probably his luggage.”

He unzipped the leather duffel bag and dumped its contents on the ground before Hughie or Fabian could protest.

“James, please stop it,” Fabian said to his crazed co-worker. He turned to Hughie and asked, “Do you have any I.D. to prove you’re Hughie Roman?”

“Yes, I do.” Hughie reached for his wallet, but his back pocket was empty. “No, I don’t. I must’ve dropped it in the Uber.”

“You took an Uber here?” Fabian asked. He crouched on the ground and scooped up Hughie’s belongings, repacking the gaping bag James dumped on the ground beside the mess he made.

Hughie saw a familiar wine-colored legal-sized envelope sticking out among his unmentionables. He grabbed it and presented it to Fabian.

The hotel manager’s eyes dilated as he recognized the gold “T-H-C” seal that shared the same logo on the blazer he wore. “It’s our seal, and it’s sent courtesy of Carraway & Sons.”

 

 

GARY ALAN HIDALGO writes LGBTQ+ stories always with much humor & heart ‘cause only LOVE & LAUGHTER can save the world.

He grew up in Southern California. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was employed in the entertainment field in Los Angeles.

Connect with Gary Alan Hidalgo

Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Hosted by

Start Us Up by Lexi Blake Release Blitz

From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise series...

Three young women make a pact in high school—
to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan.

She’s a high-tech boss who lost it all…

Ivy Jensen was the darling of the tech world, right up until her company fell apart completely after she trusted the wrong person. Her reputation in tatters, she finds herself back in the tiny apartment she grew up in, living with her mom. When a group of angel investors offer her a meeting, she knows she has to come up with the new big idea or her career is over.

He’s an up and coming coder…

Heath Marino has always been fascinated with writing code. He’s worked on a dozen games and apps and is considered one of the industry’s more eccentric talents. But now he’s back in New York to spend time with his grandmother. She was known as one of the city’s greatest matchmakers, and he wants to know why. Surely there’s some kind of code in his grandmother’s methods, and he’s going to find them.

When Ivy meets Heath it’s instant attraction, but she’s got a career to get back to and he just might be her on-ramp. It could be a perfect partnership or absolute heartbreak.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)

 

 

“Were you planning on introducing me as your boyfriend?”

I shake my head. “No, but I wasn’t going to correct anyone if they got that impression, and now that I’m saying the words, I feel like an idiot. I’m not some sad chick who always needs a boyfriend. Nick was actually only my second long-term relationship. I’m perfectly content on my own. I don’t know what came over me. I can tell him the truth.”

“And waste my knight riding in moves? That feels harsh. Was the kiss that bad?”

“You know it was not. It was a perfectly fine kiss.”

“It was a pretty good kiss.” There’s a wealth of masculine arrogance in his tone, and I wish I didn’t find that charming coming from him.

It had been my only kiss in the last six months, and probably the most passion I’d had from a guy in a couple of years, and that was so sad. “It was a kiss we both need to forget because we’re going to be working very closely together for the next couple of months. We’ve got to hire at least one, maybe two contractors.”

“Where are we going to put them? I don’t know if you noticed, but neither one of us has a whole lot of space. I was a little worried about where I was going to put you.”

“They can work remotely if we can’t find someplace cheap.” The remote work might be a necessary thing since I intend to have one of the coders working on what I want them to work on—an interface for a social media/commerce app. I can give Heath a little, but I know what CeCe wants. The AI and Heath’s unique framework is what will sell this project.

“And if we get full finding?”

I like that he’s an optimist. One of us needs to be. “Then we find a small office probably somewhere in Jersey because that’s what we’ll be able to afford and we spend the next three or four years working our asses off only to fail because some asshole swoops in two months ahead of our launch date with something too similar. Then we can decide if we want to spend the money on the inevitable lawsuits, but that’s only if we get the choice. There’s also the possibility that someone out there gets word of what we’re doing and preemptively files for a patent that will block us even though the fucker doesn’t have enough to prove concept. Then, it’s back to the lawyers and we decide if we have deep enough pockets to fight, and that answer is almost always no.”

Heath stands, and I can’t help but notice how tall and fit he is. I need to take some me time because my brain is spending too much energy on how hot he is. He starts to lift one long leg over the railing.

I pop up. “What are you doing?”

His head turns slightly, lips curling in a mischievous grin. “Ending it all. I’ve seen the future, Ivy. It’s not worth it.”

He’s teasing me. I’m not sure why it rankles. Or maybe I am. “It can happen, and it does all the time. This is the big leagues, and it’s a battle every single day.”

He looms over me, so close I can practically feel the warmth of his skin. “Is it war or baseball? I need to know because you are the queen of mixed metaphors, and I want to be sure I’m all kitted up. So glove or rifle?”

He’s really not ready for this. “Both.”

“All right, then.” He glances down at his watch. “I should go. Apparently I’ve got both a game and a war to prepare for. I’m going to need some sleep. Now I know you said we shouldn’t kiss again, but we already went there so…”

I take a big old coward’s step back. If I let him kiss me now, it won’t be because someone’s watching and we need keep up our “cover.” It will be because I want him to, and I can’t want him to. I just can’t.

I’m lying to him. Oh, it’s for his own naïve good, but I’m still lying.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
I love this author and found this story funny, nerdy, and all-around good. Ivy Jensen was at the top of the tech world until she lost it by trusting the wrong person. Now she is back in New York and living with her mother.

Heath Marino writes code and has worked on dozens of apps. He calls Ivy when he has the perfect app and needs the ideal person to help him make it real. They hit it off almost immediately and they understand each other.

These two have lots of help, from his grandma, her mother, her BFFs, his friends, and her mentor, C.C., and all of them will get the job done and in the process, bring down someone from Ivy's past.

I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next one in this series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series – and we are soon brought into the world that is going to be home to what I am sure is going to be a fun new offering from the talented Lexi Blake.

Ivy and her two school friends are holding onto their promise of friendship forever through the thicks and thins of life – in this installment, it is Ivy who is centre stage, but the other two are also going through their own dramas on the side! Betrayed by her boyfriend and CFO, Ivy had to walk away from her brainchild business and is just about ready to try again. Benefitting from a loyal benefactor, she hasn't realised that she just needed to ask, but she will find out that it is not all about money.

When she meets Heath Marino and looks into his latest coding project, which needs funding, she is not convinced that it will work as a matchmaking programme, but she loves the beauty of his wireframe and has lots of ideas of how it can be adapted. I loved that this had a degree of nerd, which suited me just fine! The rest is, as you might imagine, history – and you would not be wrong, although there are plenty of side plots, chemistry-driven encounters, and intrigue for future installments.

This was a win for me, with fun characters, good friendships, and the good girls and guys win out!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Hmmm, I'm not quite sure how to start. I enjoyed the story a lot, but it's not quite what I have come to expect from Blake's previous books. I'm not sure if Blake is expanding or what, but this was definitely a different feel.

Ivy is just recovering from losing her business. While she knows that she trusted the wrong person, she also knows that she had to do what she did in order to save her employees. What's worse, is that people believe since she was a woman in the business, that she just couldn't hack it.

Heath is working and keeping his nose to the ground, but has something up his sleeve. With an app to do some matchmaking, Heath needs someone to handle the money and the business. He just wants to code.

Ivy and Heath are a strange match. I thought that Ivy was a little too ho-hum for this story. I wanted her to have more of a backbone. Heath was kind and you could picture the nerdy look, but I wanted him to be stronger too. Both were too wishy-washy for me.

Overall, while the story did have some heat and was cute, it was too "cutesy" for me. I do hope the next one is more heat.

 

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LEXI BLAKE lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she’s sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.

Connect with Lexi Blake

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lexi’s Literary Universe

 

 

For more information about Blue Box Press releases, follow them at:

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website & Newsletter Sign-Up

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Start Us Up (The Park Avenue Promise #1) by Lexi Blake to read and review.

Where There's a Will by Anna Sparrows Release Blitz

...There's a Way.

Connor and Will are at vastly different points in their lives.

At 32, Connor Stark’s life is pretty great. With a handsome boyfriend, a thriving business as an Events Coordinator, and a vibrant social life set against the stunning backdrop of Australia’s Gold Coast, he has very few complaints. Hell, he even has eye candy in the form of his uniformed silver fox upstairs neighbour, not that he’d ever do anything more than perv on the guy.

Then one day tragedy strikes, and Connor is thrust into single parenthood as he is handed a newborn baby and what feels like zero lifelines.

Meanwhile, at 49, perpetually single firefighter Will Bradford’s life is also pretty great. Though his hair might be more silver than brown these days, he has a rewarding job, amazing grown-up kids, and an adorable downstairs neighbour he probably shouldn’t be checking out as often as he does. So sue him; he’s only human.

When Connor’s life is turned upside down overnight, Will finds himself helping the younger man navigate his new reality. He has no intention of falling butt over teakettle for Connor or his kid, but somehow it happens anyway.

With Connor a broken man, and Will concerned about restarting the whole parenting gig from scratch, how can they make a relationship work, especially when life seems intent on throwing even more hurdles their way?

Content Warning: Despite the bulk of the romance being tooth-rottingly sweet, this book does touch on some potentially triggering topics. These include: death of close family members (both through terminal illness and also sudden means), traffic accidents, fire trauma, homelessness, mild homophobia, and the stress/trauma of raising children, including sleep deprivation, self-doubt/anxiety, custody negotiations, and the fear of losing one’s child.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

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

 

 

I refuse to let Daisy help me carry anything down to the car, but she insists on at least bringing down some of the stuffed toys. So that’s what she does while I tried to lug the giant cot box into the lift and out to my car, having left the biggest, bulkiest item for last.

I’m still struggling with it in the foyer of my apartment building when an amused, American-accented voice calls out, “Do you need a hand?”

I turn to face the owner of the voice. I recognize him as our upstairs neighbour, though we haven’t really spoken, except to nod at each other in passing.

He’s dressed in what appears to be part of a firefighter’s uniform. A tight black t-shirt and industrial cargo pants in that tell-tale mustard yellow colour, which are grease stained, hard-worn and insanely masculine, with thick red and grey suspenders hanging in loose loops from his narrow hips.

This man is incredibly attractive. He’s got to be at least ten years my senior with his silver fox beard sharply trimmed, accenting his angular jawline and making those steely grey eyes pop. He has crow’s feet beside those intense eyes, belying how often he smiles, and dark hair atop his head, which is cropped neatly at the sides, but longer on top and wavy, with the most beautiful curl dangling over his forehead. This man is sin personified. I can’t help the way I take in those broad shoulders, the tapering of his form to his slim waist, and those thick, strong thighs.

I want to climb him like a tree.

“No,” I tell him, “I’ve got it. Thanks.”

He comes to help me anyway, tucking his just-retrieved mail into the rear pocket of his pants before he lifts one end of the ridiculously heavy box like I might lift a pillow. The casual display of strength throws me off for a moment too long while I can’t help imagining what it might be like to be handled by someone so strong.

These musings distract me so much that I miss him asking a question and Daisy has to say my name to get my attention.

“Sorry,” I apologise, feeling my cheeks heat. Stupid pasty complexion. “What was that?”

“I asked whether you’re moving out,” he says, sounding just as amused as he did a few moments ago. Once again, I’m enamoured by his accent. It doesn’t sound overly regional so, with my not-exactly-vast knowledge of American accents, I guess maybe he’s from California? Maybe? “Y’know, ‘cause we’re carrying this thing out instead of in.”

“Oh,” I heft my end of the box to try and redistribute the weight, “No. I threw a shower for her in my apartment. I didn’t think this part of the plan through.”

“Ironic,” Daisy taunts.

“Shut up,” I respond.

Sexy Fireman’s eyes seem to light with understanding as he looks between us. “Siblings?” he questions.

Considering Daisy and I look nothing alike, and the age gap often throws people off, I’m impressed and I tell him so, craning my neck to look back over my shoulder as I back my end of the large box through the door that leads to the parking lot outside the complex.

He chuckles, “Well, it’s like that between my kids.”

Some part of my stomach drops a little as he mentions having kids, because that usually means a partner of some description.

Not that I should care if he’s involved, considering I’m not single.

Focus, Connor.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just mediocre to me. The first few chapters were intense, and I felt every emotion Connor was going through, it was heartbreaking. But after those first few chapters, I lost the connection to Connor, and I never really connected with Will. I never felt the sparks or sizzle between them either. There was a real story here and I felt like it played out like it would in the real world, but I just didn't connect or feel anything towards Will or Connor. I liked the secondary characters, especially Will's sons, and I can't wait for Jack's book. It wasn't a bad book, it just fell flat for me.

 

 

 

I’ve been writing* for as long as I can remember. I started with silly short stories as a kid, moved on to fanfiction in my teens (and still write it now), and am also a published MF romance author under a second pen name.

I have been an avid reader of MM romance my whole life. (Ask me about my beginnings with Buffy fanfic, haha.) I wrote a sweet and kinky MM romance novel in 2021 and the reader response changed my life. From there, I knew I had found my niche.

And thus Anna Sparrows was born.

*All of my writing is 100% my own. No part of it is generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) software of any kind. Yes, that means that it’s sometimes flawed, but I’m okay with that.

Connect with Anna Sparrows

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Sparrows Nest

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Where There's a Will (Dads & Adages #1) by Anna Sparrows to read and review.