1–What is the title of your latest release? UP IN SMOKE, Hotshots #4 2–What is it about? UP IN SMOKE is a stand-alone romance between a freewheeling smoke jumper and an aspiring country singer who are forced to work together for the best interest of a tiny baby. It’s a MM romance—think Three Men and a Baby meets Backdraft with lots of fun, feels, sexy times, and heart, and a big fluffy happy ending. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love central Oregon. I love all of my state, but central Oregon is very special to me. I love the mountains, the lakes, the iconic scenery, the quirky small towns, the neat little businesses and places to eat, and more. I loved setting the book in an area that I love so much. 4–How did Brandt surprise you?  I expected Brandt to really resist parenthood, but he surprised me by being way more ready to accept responsibility than I would have thought. And he fell in love with the baby—and Shane—far faster than I expected too! 5–Why will readers love Shane?  Who doesn’t love a good-looking man in jeans who can sing like a dream?…

In this excerpt, Captain Benjamin Frakes is taking the flirtatious August Weatherby to a ball to act as his bodyguard. Much as he tries to ignore his irritatingly attractive carriage-mate, he doesn’t do a very good job of it… The carriage came to a shrieking halt. Benjamin peered out of the window at the lamp-lit street. At first he saw no one of importance. Crowds of chattering people, gentlemen and ladies enjoying the night…and then, slipping from the threshold of a doorway like a smiling shadow, was Weatherby. Benjamin swallowed, a lightning bolt of pure awareness travelling from head to foot. He was at risk. Of course he was. At risk of making a complete fool of himself over a man ten years younger than himself, and ten times more attractive than anyone he’d met in years. “Goodness.” Weatherby’s voice filled the carriage. “Surprisingly small in here.” A flash of silver disappeared into the coachman’s palm as Weatherby climbed into the carriage, all black curls and bright eyes and dark velvet. He waited until the door closed, then turned to Benjamin with that unmistakable smile. “How cosy we shall be.” Nodding warily, Benjamin moved closer to the window as the…

Joachim set about tidying up the plates and glasses for the housekeeper, who’d arrive the following morning, and encouraged the Graham siblings to get the last few dances out of their system in the salon. He carried an over-heavy armful of crockery backward through the swinging door to the kitchen and nearly dropped the entire load when he caught sight of an unfamiliar blonde man draped over the old oak kitchen table. The chap gave a rude hand-gesture. “För i helvete. Du lämnar.” “I beg your pardon,” said Joachim, bluff and friendly, pretending as though he hadn’t nearly had a heart attack. “I didn’t know any guests were still here.” He lowered the stack of dishes into the sink without incident and wiped his hands on a tea towel before turning back around. But there was no one there, nor was the door to the kitchen still swinging. Peculiar. There was no time to be concerned because a howl of indignation came from the living room came such that Joachim would have run to see what was the matter—if his ankle was willing to be run on. An old battlefield injury precluded that, but Joachim was still quicker than most—even…

Welcome to LEARNED REACTIONS, the second in my Higher Education series. You got a chance to meet Carlton and get a brief glimpse into Deion in LEARNED BEHAVIORS, but there’s a lot of emotional turmoil mixed up in their almost twenty-year friendship. Carlton is convinced all he wants from Deion is friendship…until Deion takes him at his word. Playing like everything is okay is the name of Carlton’s game, and as you can see below, Deion’s not sure whether to pay attention to Carlton’s words or his actions. Enjoy! Excerpt: He must’ve gotten lost in the conversation, because he didn’t hear the door open until Carlton dropped his keys in a bowl. Deion startled and dropped the phone. It landed face-up, the profile picture of the guy smil­ing up at them. Carlton frowned, crossed the short distance to the couch, picked up the phone and glanced at it, his brow furrowing slightly. “Everything okay?” Carlton asked, his hand outstretched. Deion snagged the phone and sat up to make room for Carlton next to him. “Yeah.” His voice sounded like he’d gargled with glass. He coughed, trying desperately to clear his throat, then spoke again. “Yeah, I’m fine. Really.” Carlton’s disbelief…

Thank you SO much for celebrating Valentine’s Day with us this week! We hope you discovered some great new books and will try a recipe or two that have been shared. Don’t forget to leave comments on the posts for chances to win amazing books by these wonderful authors. Today, Roan Parrish brings this roundup to a close with more about her book, BEST LAID PLANS and a recipe for decadent truffles! Best Laid Plans is the second book in my Garnet Run series, which features cozy, queer romances that take place in a beautiful small town. We met Charlie Matheson briefly in Better Than People, the first book in the series, which featured his brother, grouchy children’s book illustrator Jack. When Charlie Matheson’s parents died just days before his eighteenth birthday, he learned to fend for himself and take care of his younger brother, Jack. That included learning how to cook. He was always competent, but he never saw food as anything more than fuel to get him through the day, repeating the same five meals every week for the last fifteen years. When tattooed new arrival, Rye Janssen, inherits a house in Garnet Run, Wyoming, he brings much-needed…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WINTER’S ORBIT 2–What is it about? In an intergalactic empire, charismatic social butterfly Prince Kiem is commanded to marry Count Jainan, a serious and duty-conscious diplomat from a vassal planet. But Jainan’s last husband died unexpectedly, and Jainan himself is under suspicion of murder. The pair must work together to solve the mystery of his last husband’s death, while they find themselves unexpectedly falling for each other. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I had fun writing a royal family under a media spotlight and what that meant for the public perception of the main relationship. And while I was working on it, I enjoyed living in a world where queer relationships are so normalized they’re totally unremarkable. 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  Prince Kiem is one of those people who reacts to every situation by opening his mouth and starting to talk—some of the time I had no idea what he was going to say, but it always took the scene to fun places. 5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  I found it very easy to write Jainan, a habitual overthinker completely baffled by…

In this excerpt, Danny tries to convince Prescott to take a closer look at the town’s mid-century architecture. Danny Before we walk out of the shop, Prescott stops to put on a pair of leather gloves that are so tight each finger needs to wriggle in on its own until he uses the opposite hand to yank the taut creamy leather down on to his hand in one fell swoop. The leather scene has never really been my turn-on of choice but something about seeing his skin covered in the supple gloves make me think I should revisit that situation. “Well, shall we go?” he asks, holding the door open. “We shouldn’t keep the shop closed too long.” There’s still snow on the ground, but the sidewalks are clear enough for us to walk side by side. The air is cold and clear. We walk a few blocks past Bridge Street until we’re standing in front of the First Bank of Bucks. “Isn’t it wonderful?” I ask, admiring the gorgeous mid-century marvel. Four tall windows make up the facade. They are uninterrupted by adornment—pure open glass that reflects the snowy street. Between each massive window is a stone and cement…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Sidney Bell! Writes: While I normally write M/M Romantic Suspense, I’m branching out a bit with a polyamorous contemporary this time. THIS IS NOT THE END is about a fiercely devoted—if untraditional—married couple and the man who unexpectedly complicates their lives. Zac and Anya may welcome other men into their bed occasionally, but they only have room in their hearts for each other. Until, that is, Anya offers her husband a threesome with his deeply reserved best friend, Cal. But what starts as an invitation for a casual night of pleasure soon transforms into something that could risk every bond that exists between them. About: Author who writes character-driven, emotionally-complicated stories is in search of readers who like same. Lovers of beta heroes, competent women, and loud arguments about alfredo (which, to be clear, are only about alfredo because arguing about your fears and vulnerabilities is way harder) should apply early and often. I’d say that I like candlelit dinners and walks…

RIGHT MOVE is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers gay romance about George Thompson, a former figure skater and shut-in who is slowly trying to have a life again, and Levi Peletier, a trick rider at a ghost town near Clean Slate Ranch. An unexpected vacation together at the working dude ranch draws the pair closer together, but both men have secrets, and opening up isn’t easy for either man. They both have demons to face and futures to decide on if they’re going to make their fragile relationship work. Clean Slate Ranch is a special place where broken men who’ve used up their first chance at life are able to start over—and maybe even find their happily-ever-afters. Opposites attract, second-chance romance, BDSM, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, fake boyfriend are all things you can find in this series about friends, found family, and acceptance. *** R is for Ranch, of course. George and Levi spend quite a lot of time there. I is for Independent. Levi doesn’t like to stay in one place too long, and he owns a tiny home he can travel around in with his three cats. G is for George Thompson, our shy but determined hero. H is for Hero, because…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love 2–What is it about? Teddy thinks he can’t stand his coworker, Romeo. But they get stuck together on a business trip that involves some ridiculous ordeals, and Teddy learns that Romeo’s very different than he’d assumed. And, of course, there’s only one bed. 3–What word best describes Teddy? Creative 4–What makes Romeo irresistible? He doesn’t quite realize how charming and irresistible he is. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Family! Teddy’s grandmother lives far away but gives good advice via phone calls. Romeo has a big, close family that sometimes “helps” more than he might like, but he loves them anyway. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? It’s set in two of my favorite cities, Seattle and Chicago, both of which have lots of fun, quirky things to do. I also intentionally set it in February, which feels pretty bleak in both cities. Who wouldn’t want some love amid the cold and gray? (Well, Teddy wouldn’t—or so he tells himself.) 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your…