All or None by Clive Fleury (Spotlight, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

All or None

by 

Clive Fleury

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GENRE: Cozy Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Returning to Sydney, Detective Ramesh Ryan is promoted to the Homicide Squad. Zoe Yang joins him there. Now a detective herself, she is assigned as his junior partner. Straight up, the cops are off and running—investigating the discovery of a murdered company director. Following the clues, Detective Ryan finds that this and a second murder may be linked to past events.

 

As the pressure mounts for a quick solution to the case, the detective finds that he too, is in the killer’s crosshairs. But Ryan is distracted from the investigation by a romantic encounter with an old university friend. He also worries about his mother, Mumta, and her new obsessive desire for grandchildren from her only son. Could this be linked to her recent medical tests? And there’s another pressing problem—the plague of rats in his apartment block.

 

Detective Ryan’s hands are well and truly full.

 

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EXCERPT

 

Arriving in Sydney’s city center, Tommy parked. “Come back here when you’re finished,” he instructed the passengers before they disembarked to join the other protestors.

 

After everyone left, the reluctant driver ate the chicken and avocado sandwich his wife had made, lay across the back seat, and closed his eyes for a nap. 

When he awoke, the march was ending. The crowd was dispersing, and people were heading home. 

 

Tommy picked up his camera. Anne had reminded him to take a picture, which she would use to advertise the Transit van’s services. He attached it to a tripod and then joined the passengers lined up along the side of the truck for a group photo.

 

After that, Tommy set off at high speed, ignoring the rain that was now hurtling down. He was desperate to get back to see the end of the match, so it was only twenty minutes later that the van reached the top of Clifton Hill and began its descent.

 

The van picked up too much speed; Tommy tried to brake as the vehicle skidded on the wet, greasy bitumen. Passengers’ screams rent the air as the Transit spun around and out of control. It finally left the road, gliding across silky grass before plunging over the cliff into the angry, foaming ocean waters below.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Clive Fleury is an award-winning writer of books and screenplays and has worked all over the world as a Film/TV director, writer and producer. He has written six books, most recently 'All Or None', the second novel in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series.

 

All Or None sees Detective Ryan back in the thick of things. His latest investigation into a mysterious death couldn’t come at a worse time. He discovers his mother is hiding a troubling secret and is further sidetracked by a new romance. Fans of who dunnit's, crime thrillers, and cop and detective stories will love this novel. 

 

Clive's other books include 'Off Season' - book one in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series; 'Kill Code' - a dystopian science fiction novel set in a world facing climate change;  ‘Scary Lizzy’  - a novel about an eight year old girl, who befriends an African child ghost –  and the teen action adventure book; ‘The Boy Next Door ‘ -  a story of what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next door neighbor, who isn’t all he seems.  He also co-wrote ‘Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four’ - a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician.

 

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My review:

4 stars

 

All or None by Clive Fleury is part of the ‘Detective Ryan mystery series’ and features Ryan and his new partner, Agnes, as they adjust to working together in a different location with different colleagues. Dealing with a mounting body count, unsupportive colleagues, and a boss who wants immediate results, the pair struggles to find a harmonious working relationship and decipher the clues before time runs out.

 

This is an entertaining contemporary suspense story that doles out pertinent clues, offers lots of red herrings, and shifts through multiple points of view. The story starts a little slow and builds up momentum just like the runaway van described in the opening. I enjoyed the glimpses of Ryan’s personal life and his strong connection to his mom, but wished for a bit more in-depth revelations about some of the other characters. Although the main storyline is resolved, there are a few dangling threads that piqued my interest, and I was disappointed that they will remain a mystery, at least for now. I was fascinated by the variety of murder techniques employed, but a bit overwhelmed by the myriad of voices that had brief appearances. Nonetheless, this was a fun read, and a great glimpse of life in a different part of the world.

 

A copy of this story was provided for review

A Furever Home by Kaje Harper & Gabbi Grey (A Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue Romance book)

 

A Furever Home

by

Kaje Harper

Gabbi Grey

A Furever Home Synopsis

 

Arthur

When I was squeezing seven rescue dogs and a horde of cats in my small house, all I wanted was to not turn away a pet in need. Opening the Safe Haven Pet Rescue was a dream come true. But when I get hurt, standing between a man with a gun and a stray dog, I realize I still can't do it all.

My injured leg, a concussion, having to lean on my friends, and realizing how helpless I feel, throws me back to my childhood when nothing I did ever seemed to be enough. But there's one silver lining. Brooklyn West. He's the kind of guy who holds a stranger’s hand in a crisis. He's great with my dogs, even cranky little Chili, and really seems to want to help the shelter. I like watching him be a protective big brother when his sister turns up on his doorstep, even though I think there's pain underneath his sunny smiles. But as we move toward friendship, I keep looking for the strings, for the catch, and wondering how I'll pay him back, because nothing in my life can be that sweet, or that simple.

Brooklyn

I went through a slice of medical hell, and came out the other side with enough money to move to the opposite side of the country and start the doggie daycare business of my dreams. The cherry on top of that good luck is meeting Arthur Bjornsson. Big, wild-bearded, soft-voiced Arthur is the kind of guy my family would've ridiculed. He's warm-hearted and willing to throw himself into harm's way right in front of my eyes to save one pathetic stray dog.

He's the kind of guy who gives me back some faith in humanity. But when my underage sister Cheyenne shows up on my doorstep, on the run from the family I thought I'd escaped, my old life and new collide. I want to help Arthur, get to know him, and, as he heals, I want more than just friendship. But Cheyenne brings legal risks, a teen on the other side of my bedroom wall, and the threat of retribution from our family. The simple relationship I thought Arthur and I were building is suddenly messy as hell. I don't know how we'll get through this to reach the furever home I so desperately want.


A Furever Home is a fur-baby-filled, hurt-comfort, small town romance between two men whose only chance at a family is to build one themselves.

 

Add it to Goodreads

 

 

Exclusive Excerpt

 

So many flashing lights.

I’d let go of Arthur—albeit reluctantly, though he was in good hands—and come to find Kevin. Because that felt like a vaguely logical thing to do.

Smart kid had finally run when Arthur ordered him to. Well, after multiple attempts, but yeah, when the shot went off, the kid ran. He’d apparently sent the sheriff’s deputy and her partner around to the back. While she and the other officer dealt with Frank, Kevin had then flagged down the paramedics and, once Frank was secured, they’d hustled to get to Arthur.

Now the teenager paced back and forth on the sidewalk, phone in hand, glancing from the side yard to the house behind us. “I can’t believe the guy shot Arthur. Did you see that? Arthur has to be okay. Right? That Frank guy would’ve shot the dog, too. That dog was not a coyote. Sure, they sometimes come to the river, but they mostly stay in the forest over by the base. And there was a fence. I doubt the dog was even attacking his chickens. Something else probably did, so he had no reason to shoot at her. Or him. I didn’t get a good look. Did you?”

Before I could answer, he drew in a breath.

“I still can’t believe—”

I held up my hand. “Have you called your dads?” Dads…right? That’s what Arthur had said? I’d been a little focused on the man who was putting himself between the gun and the kid with the dog. “How old are you?”

“Thirteen. And yes, I’ve called my dads. Well, I called Alec because I hoped he’d be a little less angry. When I realized I’d miscalculated, I hung up and called Dad.”

“Did you hang up on him too?” I eyed his phone with the suspiciously dark screen.

“You’ll be okay.” At the female paramedic’s voice, I spun to see her and her partner wheeling the stretcher.

Arthur looked deathly pale against the white sheet, and panic surged within me. I wanted to stalk over and demand to know if he was going to be okay.

Except they appeared to be very focused, and anything that might delay the trip to the hospital would be bad.

I heard shouts of, “Kevin. Kevin!”

The young man and I pivoted to see two men being held back by a female police officer from one of the four patrol cars now parked haphazardly along the street.

“You can’t go down there, sirs.” The woman couldn’t be more than perhaps twenty-four…so a couple years younger than me. Not much of a force to be reckoned with, against two determined guys a decade older.

“Dad!” Kevin waved.

The officer glanced at us as I encouraged Kevin to move toward two rather harried-looking men. The shorter and slimmer of the two kept running a hand through his straight brown hair. The taller and broader guy waved agitatedly at Kevin. And despite Kevin being skinny and not tall for thirteen, he really did favor the bigger guy with matching snub noses and wavy hair and something about the shape of their eyes. Dad, I presume. And the other one must be Alec.

“Officer—” I called.

“Branson.”

“Right.” I tried to smile even as the ambulance pulled away, siren blaring.

Using that momentary distraction, Kevin’s fathers slipped past Officer Branson to snatch the young man into their arms, the likely bio dad sweeping him into a hug while the shorter guy hugged them both and clutched the kid’s sleeve like he wasn’t ever going to let go. After a moment, the bio dad said, “Let’s get you home.”

“Hey—” Branson shouted, striding toward the huddled family.

“Officer Branson?”

She met my gaze.

“He just saw someone get shot—”

“Which makes him a witness. We’ve got officers who’ll need to take his statement.”

“I’d prefer you start with me. I saw what happened.” Whether I could be a great witness was an entirely different story. Everything had happened so fast.

“And you are?”

“Brooklyn. Brooklyn West. I was walking down the street, and I heard a gunshot, and—”

“Sir.” She held up a hand. “I’ll need to take your statement as well, but perhaps not at this exact moment.” Even as she said the words, the front door of the house opened.

The sheriff’s deputy and the other officer guided a handcuffed Frank down the driveway and to their car.

Frank whined, “Someone’s got to look after my chickens. That damn coyote will come back and eat them—”

“It’s not a coyote!” Kevin actually yelled the words. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. The dog’s a pittie—”

“Kevin.” The dad who had his arm protectively around the boy squeezed his shoulder. “Maybe let’s let the police do their job. He had a gun.”

 

Links:

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/AFureverHome

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FD8NX9DT

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-furever-home/id6751341547

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-furever-home-3

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=K7Z_EQAAQBAJ

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-furever-home-kaje-harper/1148093812

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1837744

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Bio – Gabbi Grey

 

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey

Website: https://gabbigrey.com/

 

Bio – Kaje Harper

I get asked about my name a lot, but it's not something exotic. “Kaje” is pronounced like “cage” – it’s an old nickname; my pronouns are she/her. My books are primarily M/M romance, often with added mystery, fantasy, historical, SciFi, paranormal… I also have a few Young Adult stories.

After decades of writing just for fun, my husband convinced me I really should submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life Lessons, came out in May 2011. I have a weakness for closeted cops with honest hearts and teachers who speak their minds, and I was delighted and encouraged by the reception Mac and Tony received. I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks, print, and some audio, including Amazon bestseller The Rebuilding Year and Rainbow Awards Best Mystery-Thriller Tracefinder: Contact. A complete list with links can be found on my website "Books" page.

All my social media links can be found at https://linktr.ee/kajeharper

And if you like free short stories, check out the weekly Sunday Stories on my FB Group - Kaje's Conversation Corner - https://www.facebook.com/groups/208207893795147/

 

Hear Me by Lynn Crandall (VNbtM, Review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Hear Me

by

Lynn Crandall

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GENRE:  Urban Fantasy

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BLURB:

 

Atlantis Aeon Ainsley Durham loves running her antique shop, Fancy This, in Old Town Auralia, but takes seriously her mission to work with her fellow Aeons to fight Darkness in her home town. But she’s changing. Her precognition is showing her darker and darker visions of what’s to come. When growing darkness forces her to reevaluate her place in the Aeons and her work, she’s not sure she belongs in either space any longer. Her terrible past urges her to withdraw, not only from her mission but from letting true love in.

 

Bounty hunter turned bonds company owner Keegan Barnes is also an Aeon. He hears things others don’t, and sometimes he wishes he could shut down his clairaudience ability. After all, he doesn’t see how he can help the cause with such a low-key ability. But when he picks up discussions among members of Dark Sides, will he discover just how much he’s been underestimating himself? He’s hiding secrets that keep him from healing his scars and getting close to anyone, most of all Ainsley.

 

Keegan and Ainsley know the efforts the Aeons have been putting in to raise the level of light energy in the city have been helping. But will it be enough to influence others to make choices for good or will Dark Sides take the city? Can they team up to save the city and find true love? Find out in this thrilling book two in the Dark Sides trilogy.

 

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EXCERPT

 

“Get inside,” Keegan hollered to Jane and Ainsley.

           

“Wait, wait,” Jane yelled, pointing to one of the cars.

 

Men in both vehicles hung out of the passenger windows, guns raised, one aimed on the women, the other on him.

 

He hurtled in front of Ainsley and Jane just in time to allow them to escape inside. Instantly, he dropped to the ground, burning pain sizzling in his shoulder and blood dripping onto the ground.

 

Swiftly, he jumped up and retreated in to the house, slamming the door closed and locking the deadbolt.

 

But he knew those measures wouldn’t stop the people outside who were determined to take them down.

 

Ainsley stopped moving. “You’re hurt.”

 

“It’s nothing. We need to get moving.”

 

“Did you see who they are? I saw Mathias. He was pointing a gun at us.” Jane’s voice quivered. “He’s one of them. I don’t understand.”

 

“We don’t have time to talk about it right now.” Ainsley looked from Jane to Keegan.

 

Keegan tried to calm Jane, whose emotions churned just under hysteria. “I don’t know how those people found us, but we’ll find out. Right now we have to hide.”

 

Jane made an effort to follow his orders. “Now can we get in to the basement?”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. That would be the first place they’d look. You all go upstairs,” Ainsley ordered. “Dad, Mom, Jane, Benjamin, go!”

 

“What about you.” Her mother’s lower lip trembled and tears wetted her eyes.

 

“Don’t worry about me. Keegan and I will handle this.”

 

Keegan nodded. “We can’t waste any more time talking. Up with you all.” With that, he ran to the kitchen and lowered the kitchen shades. He grabbed knives, a rolling pin, and the one gun he’d seen in a kitchen drawer earlier.

 

He sensed Ainsley in another room, gathering potential weapons, he supposed. He nearly ran into her as she flew into the dining room at the same time, reaching for a heavy glass vase, the same one he was after. He put down his supplies and grasped her shoulders.

 

“We can do this.” He knew it in his heart. No other outcome was inside him, other than protecting the family, to protect Ainsley.

 

Her eyes pierced his, and his heart went out to her. She had so much at stake. But so did he. “I’m not about to lose you just when—”

 

She put two fingers to his lips. “I know. Same for me.”

 

Steady pounding at the back door resounded through the house. He grabbed the gun. “You send a message to the Aeons to let them know Dark Aspects are here, so be wary.”

 

“I will.”

 

She closed her eyes briefly, and he felt her focusing on her message, sending it out as fast as she could.

 

Keegan dashed to the kitchen window and snuck a peek through the blinds.

 

His heart pumping hard, he saw Diane out back and Barry Russell standing beside her.

 

“Harder,” Diane chanted to the men at the back door. “Get inside there. Hit harder.”

 

“This door must be reinforced,” Russell shouted. “Or they’d have already knocked it in.”

 

Keegan dropped the blinds, readying to shoot if the door gave way. He glanced around the room, wishing he had more time, to prepare, to protect the others. Nothing stood out to him as an effective weapon to stop the intrusion.

 

He nodded to himself, knowing what he had to do. He didn’t hesitate.

 

He laid the gun on the counter and strode across the kitchen. He stood for one nano-second in front of the door. The beating against it rattled the windows and drowned out all other sounds.

 

He saw Ainsley out of the corner of his eye, at the same moment Jane ran up to her.

 

“I’m going to help,” she said, and grabbed the rolling pin. “I’m not afraid any more.”

 

Ainsley heard her but just barely. Her feet moved numbly toward Keegan, but he was already pulling the door open. So swiftly, he was out and being wrestled to the ground.

 

Over the din, she heard him holler, “Close it and lock it!”

 

Then he was down and she felt his energy diminish. Her heart crashed to the bottom of her gut. “No!” she yelled.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

After cutting her writing teeth as a feature writer for commercial and trade magazines, a reporter for newspapers and radio, and an executive editor for a communications company, award-winning author Lynn Crandall tuned her voracious appetite for stories to writing contemporary and paranormal romance, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense. In her books, she enjoys taking readers on emotional journeys with relatable characters who refuse to back down, and face challenges and tribulations with heart and soul. She believes every love has a story, and hers is with one handsome husband and a large, beautiful circle of family, including her cat Winter.

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

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My review:

Magelight by Kacey Ezell (Spotlight, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Magelight

by

Kacey Ezell

Fleeing her sheltered life, a noblewoman must trust a warrior, a forester, and a thief to unlock her true power and face her destiny.






Embrace Your Power and Forge Your Destiny


All her life, Aelys of Brionne had been weak. As the noble daughter of one of the empire’s most powerful magic-wielding families, it should have been easy for her to live her dream of bonding with a warrior protector and joining the Imperial Battlemage Corps. But when her weakness robs her of her dreams, her best friend, and the man she loves, Aelys makes the only choice she can see: she takes her fate into her own hands and she runs, leaving her safe, protected world behind.


Now she must find a way to work with three dangerous strangers—a warrior, a forester, and a thief—to escape the bandits stalking her, fight through the dangers of the untamed forest, and make her way back home, where her family and her destiny await.


Only . . . her violent protectors might be the key to the power and freedom she’s always craved. Can Aelys find the strength to choose her own destiny and become the sorceress she was born to be? Or lose herself on the path to power?

Excerpt:

“I make a lot of mistakes,” Aelys said, squaring her shoulders. “Most of the time—well, often, anyway—I have no idea I’m doing it, but I make them anyway. I thought perhaps this was one of those times. Maybe I was walking too loudly, or too close to you, or—”

“I don’t think you could ever be too close to me.”

Daen hadn’t intended to say the words out loud, but he didn’t wish them back.

“Oh.” Her voice got smaller, quieter. “I see. I suppose that’s the geas as well.”

“Must it be? Cannot I just like you? Like having you near me?”

Aelys looked up at him, a flash of heat in her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Not really.” He gave her a smile. “Men do, occasionally, decide that they like pretty women, you know.”

Aelys snorted, but then her shoulders drooped and she looked down again in what he was coming to think of as her “collapsed” posture. “At least I have that going for me, for a time.”

Daen let out a snort of his own. “Many women would—and do, in some places—pay quite a few Imperials to look half as beautiful as you. Perhaps you should consider a bit of gratitude for your natural luck, Bella.”

She sighed. “I know, and I am grateful. And thank you for the compliment. It’s just that . . . as you said. Anyone can be pretty. I wanted . . . something else.”

“And what was that?”

“Power.”

Get Magelight here, or at your favorite bookseller! 

Amazon buy link

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Author bio and links;

Kacey Ezell writes emotionally charged adventure fantasy and science fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist for Best Alternate History and won the 2018 Year’s Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers’ Choice Award. She has written multiple bestselling novels published with Chris Kennedy Publishing, Baen Books, and Blackstone Publishing. Additionally, she is a retired helicopter pilot with 3000+ hours in the UH-1N Huey, Mi-171, and EC130 helicopters. She is married with two daughters. You can join her fan community and get free stories at this link.


Join The Dragon's Horde here. 

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Come hang out on YouTube

 

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GIVEAWAY

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My review:

    

3.5 stars

Magelight by Kacey Ezell features Aelys, a young noblewoman who has never really found her niche in life, despite big dreams. Her unexpected rescue by a trio of harsh men results in an unwilling connection that forces them all to decide what their mutual goals are and how they can achieve them, despite the deadly challenges they face.

 

This fantasy romance is somewhat of a reverse harem story that is combined with a coming-of-age theme. I was frustrated by the heroine because she was so self-effacing and downtrodden at first, but she gradually evolved, thankfully. The trio of men who have faced their own crucibles of life form a harsh counterpoint to her experiences, and they also are pretty cranky and resistant, but it was satisfying to watch them all find a way to integrate with each other, even if the story is a slow-burn tale. There are multiple dangling threads that pique the reader’s interest, and I suspect some of the folks introduced at the beginning of the story will pop up again in the sequel. I look forward to seeing this quartet refine their connection and learn to utilize the powers that they have together.

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

Love is All, Volume 8 by Gabbi Grey, Xio Axelrod, JR Grey, A.D. Ellis, et al. (charity anthology, ADULT titles) Spotlight

 

Love Is All 

ADULT titles

Volume 8

 

 

Synopsis

This limited-edition anthology features fifteen swoon-worthy novellas and short stories by award-winning and bestselling authors, including A.D. Ellis, Carrie Ann Ryan, Connor Peterson, Gabbi Grey, Jodi Payne, J.R. Gray, Lee Blair, M.A. Wardell, Piper Malone, R.L. Merrill, Skylar M. Cates & Rinda Elliott, Sophia Soames, Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer, Tara Conrad, and Xio Axelrod.

All proceeds from the anthology will benefit an organization dedicated to defending LGBTQIA+ rights.

Love Is All: Volume 8 is only available for a limited time.

Add it to Goodreads

 

 

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(note from ELF: Sorry about the caps in the bio descriptions, I have some kind of hiccup going on!)

Xio Axelrod

Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of different flavours of contemporary romance. She also writes what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.

 

Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

 

Chantal Mer

Chantal Mer never set out to write books. Yet here she is, and she’s having a blast. Happily ever afters for everyone make her heart sing.

​When she’s not writing, Chantal can be found walking her adorable dog, going to musical theater with her daughter, observing the night sky with her husband and his telescope, and learning about the latest advances in video games with her son. Give her a book and a glass of wine and she’s in her happy place. Chantal lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, two teens, her sweet pup, Miss Toffee and her big orange tabby, Simba.

 

JR Grey

Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes romance sprinkled with kink, and hot as hell, dark and angsty characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after. Gray uses He/Him pronouns.

 

Jodi Payne

Jodi Payne takes herself way too seriously and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her queer MCs are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can't help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after. For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi's addictions include lattes, a nice cabernet and tequila any way you pour it.

 

Lee Blair

Lee Blair is a queer author and screenwriter from Oregon who writes low-angst, LGBTQIA2S+ contemporary romance full of sweet, steam, fun, and laughs. She's constantly amused by the antics of her two ginger cats, spends too much time daydreaming about her next trip to Scotland, and considers starting hobbies its own hobby. Much like buying books and reading books are separate hobbies.

 

Piper Malone

Piper Malone’s award-winning novels enchant readers with heartfelt, authentic romances. Her stories include a cast of unforgettable characters in a variety of romantic pairings. With snappy one-liners and witty banter, Piper wants her readers to laugh, swoon, and enjoy a well-deserved vacation.

 

Susan Scott Shelley

USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Scott Shelley writes romance with heat and heart that celebrates love without limits. She enjoys watching hockey, training for her next run, reading romance novels, and binging episodes of her favorite British TV shows. A city girl who likes being out in nature as often as possible, she has yet to meet a plant she hasn’t wanted to take home and she really wants a pet crow.

 

Tara Conrad

Tara Conrad is the author behind dark, seductive love stories that burn with passion and power. Her novels dive deep into the shadows of desire, blending emotional intensity with morally gray characters, high-stakes drama, and gripping plots that refuse to let go. Known for her hauntingly beautiful prose and unforgettable love stories, Tara crafts romances where obsession, betrayal, and devotion collide, leaving readers breathless from the first page to the last.

 

Tara’s married to her soulmate and Dominant, George. They are about to celebrate their 30th anniversary and are more in love today than yesterday. George encouraged Tara to start writing, and with each passing day, she’s more thankful for his insistence that she tell her stories and his partnership on this journey. There’s no one else in this world she’d ever want by her side. He is her happily ever after.

 

A.D. Ellis

A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as a teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of nearly two decades haven't driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She loves chocolate, wine, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don't leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.
A.D. uses she/they pronouns.

 

R.L. Merrill

Whether she’s writing contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…

 

Skylar M. Cates

Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is happy to drink coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Her novels feature strong and passionate men. Skylar loves to craft stories where realistic characters are challenged with emotional situations. Although lately the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar loves to chat with folks from all around the globe.

 

Sophia Soames

Sophia Soames is a Scandinavian, UK based, Author of contemporary MM romance. She writes stories of everyday people with kids and families living real life fairytales.

 

Carrie Ann Ryan

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She's the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.

 

Connor Peterson

Connor Peterson is a USA Today bestselling author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and dark, paranormal romance, local to the Philadelphia, PA area. The madman behind Deathspell and Temptation in Neon, Connor has also contributed to the story cycle Red Phone Box - published by Ghostwoods Books - and the anthology Nocturnal Embers - published by Crimson Melodies Publishing. He is also an active participant in the Philadelphia writing community,

 

MA Wardell

Writing as M.A. Wardell, Lambda Literary Award nominee Matt writes spicy queer rom-coms.​
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His goal is to tell adult gay love stories with a diverse representation of flawed and damaged characters who find healing through love.
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Matt loves rom-coms and has always wished for better representation, so he's writing the stories he wishes existed. The queer men in his stories are flawed and messy. Helping them find their HEA is Matt's passion.

 

Rinda Elliott

I write in many genres, always with a love story in the mix. That love story can be M/F, M/M, M/M/F and more. I tend to read more M/M than anything else, so that’s what I mostly write. I’m also an AVID reader, collector of music, and love cozy games!

While all of my books are romantic and sexy, most lean toward erotic. For adult books that are just sexy, there are my Beri O’Dell books and if you’re looking for sweeter, but still sexy, there’s the young adult trilogy I wrote for Harlequin Teen. All of the others? Expect some heat because I love it. I also love unusual stories and credit growing up in a family of curious life-lovers who moved all over the country. Books and movies full of fantasy, science fiction and romance kept us amused, especially in some of the stranger places. For years, I tried to separate my darker side with my humorous and romantic one. I published short fiction, but things really started happening when I gave in and mixed it up. I have several ongoing series, both contemporary romantic suspense and paranormal. You can find out about them in the links above and to the right. When not lost in fiction, I love making wine, collecting music, gaming and spending time with my husband and two children.

 

Featured story: 

Too Much in Love to Care 

Gabbi Grey

Stephanie

I've been in love with Taryn from the moment she climbed out of her tow truck to rescue me and my broken-down car. She’s strong, fearless, and damn beautiful to boot. I have the rings, she said yes, now all I need is to get her to the altar. But our respective brothers, Cooper and Lachlan, seem determined to wreck our wedding.

 

Taryn

Helping stranded motorists is my superpower, and rescuing Stephanie turned my world upside down. Loving her is the easiest thing in the world. Managing to get married while our brothers fight like cats and dogs is a whole other thing. I can't decide if I want to elope, or to lock the guys in a bathroom together till they learn how to get along. It's worse than a six-car pileup, trying to make this wedding and this blended family work out. So will we manage to merge our families seamlessly or are our brothers destined to be enemies forever?

 

Too Much in Love to Care is a 10k short story about a classic engagement, crazy wedding planning, two headstrong brothers, and a lesbian wedding to remember.

 

 

Excerpt 

 

Cooper grinned as he dug into his chicken. “You know, this is pretty good.”

“You were expecting rubber chicken?” I arched an eyebrow.

“Well…”

“Given what Mom and Dad paid, I’d hoped it would be top-notch food.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” He buttered his roll and then put a huge chunk on his asparagus.

“Would you like some vegetables with your butter?” Lachlan frowned.

Cooper grinned and offered a little wave of…pleasure? Teasing?

I couldn’t figure it out.

Lachlan scowled.

Then bent down to rub his shin.

He glared at Taryn before clearly realizing Cooper and I were watching the entire byplay.

Cooper chuckled. “Bested by a girl.”

“Hush.” I hissed at him. “Don’t ever let Taryn hear you say that.”

“She gets my humor. So what’s for dessert?”

I narrowed my eyes. He knew we were having chocolate mousse or apple crumble. Wedding cakes were, as far as I was concerned, overrated. Plus, we had a couple of guests with dietary restrictions—better to give two simple choices that most people could enjoy at least one of. “Cooper—”

“I just, uh, need to stretch my legs. I promise I’ll be back.” He rose, offered a sheepish smile, and headed for the door.

What the hell?

Lachlan rose and headed toward the back of the hall.

Just beyond those doors were the washrooms.

I turned to Taryn.

She shrugged.

We engaged our parents in a discussion about our excitement over our honeymoon.

Dinner plates were cleared.

Still no sign of either man.