A Cure for What Ails You Giveaway Winner

Thanks so much for being a part of our release this week! We know it's a busy time of year for a lot of people, so knowing you've taken time to come visit us is greatly appreciated. But now it's time to pick the winner for giveaway, and the winner is...

Sula!

I have your email, so expect to hear from us soon.

2015 brings us a ton of great new paxes, with themes that include time travel, dragons, and reunited lovers. First up in January are five stories all about knights, so make sure to stop on by!

Have a great new year, everyone!

To Lift My Sole by J.D. Walker

When “no” is not an option...

Jim Newsome, CEO of a food services consulting firm, has been working undercover in a hospital kitchen to get an idea of the issues at hand. The last week on the job, he meets Lance Lamas, an Orthopedic specialist. Lance is intrigued by the well-made modified shoe Jim wears and tries to strike up a conversation. Jim, however, isn’t playing nice. Lance refuses to take "no" for an answer and is relentless in his pursuit of Jim. Something’s gotta give...   

  

Excerpt:

By Friday, my last day on the job, I felt relief that it was finally over. I had eaten lunch with Lance regularly, except on surgery day. He would always wait for me outside after I clocked out, and then escort me to the train station. I mentioned his stalkerish behavior to Paula in passing, and she thought it was “sweet.” No help there.

On the train that evening, I told Lance that he would be seeing me playing a different role on Monday morning at the hospital.

He looked at me askance. “You a spy or something?”

“No, but this will all make sense soon.”

“No more train rides together?” Was that a pout?

“That shouldn’t stop you, though, right? You weren’t taking the train just to keep me company, were you?”

He tried to look innocent. “If I said I was?”

“I might believe it, but I know you really like to save on parking so, grain of salt.”

Lance smiled. “See how well you know me?”

“You wish.”

“So, you gonna let me take you out on a date tonight?” He eyed me hopefully.

“Nope.”

“Brunch tomorrow?”

I laughed. “That’s so gay.”

He smirked. “Was there ever any doubt?”

“The answer’s still no, although…” I admitted to being curious, in spite of it all. “How about drinks tomorrow night, with friends? Neutral ground—for me, anyway.”

“Wait. You have friends? Really?” He feigned incredulity.

I stopped myself just in time from punching him in the nose. “Yes, I do. Don’t be shocked.”

“So, really? You want to meet me for drinks? And your friends?”

“Think you can handle it?” I challenged him.

He rubbed his hands together. “Bring it!”

I grinned at him. “Tony’s at nine.”

“Oh yeah. I discovered that place the day after I arrived in town. Never seen you there.”

“I’m always working late,” I replied, with a shrug.

“Weekends, too?”

“Sometimes.”

Lance leaned a little closer to me. “So I get to see you dressed up. I bet you look sexy in leather.”

“I’m not into that scene,” I scoffed.

“I wouldn’t mind if you were. You could spank me to keep me in line.” His leer was…tempting.

“Enough already. This is your station, right?” He was getting off at an earlier stop to run an errand.

The doors opened and Lance stood. Just before the warning bell for closing went off, he stole a quick kiss and ran out onto the platform. I could feel my face heating. The train wasn’t too packed, but I didn’t dare look around to see if anyone had paid attention to the light PDA moment. Was I wrong for the spur of the moment decision to invite him out on Saturday? Or was there safety in numbers? 

*_*_*

To Lift My Sole by J.D. Walker is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Souls Struggling to Come Together by Vivien Dean

I have a confession to make. I absolutely adore the use of reincarnation as a fictional trope. Inexplicable soulmates, not necessarily, but the notion that souls will fight to be together over centuries regardless of their human hosts is a romantic idea that fills me with both hope and excitement. Because I have such a soft spot for it, I've been reluctant to write it myself.

So I decided to dip my toes in the water using technology as a vehicle. The result? My story for the A Cure for What Ails You pax, A Soul Remembered.

In it, Adam Silver is a prostitute living in a San Francisco over a century in the future. It's a world where most people are chipped, where they carry all of their personal information in digital form. Adam carries more. He also carries all the electrical brain activity – the memories, the feelings – that he's had in the lifetimes since the chip technology first came into being. In that first lifetime, Adam was a brilliant software designer, desperate to hold onto the love of his life. He created a way of preserving the essence of a person in the chip technology, and he's spent all these years trying to find him again.

There's only one problem. Well, that's not true. There are a couple problems. The biggest one is that the love of all his lives has no idea who they were to each other. Adam has a way around that, but what he doesn't have a way around is explaining whether or not he deserves the nickname, "Dr. Death." Because people who get involved with Dr. David Bogart, the man Adam has been hunting for a century, have a tendency to turn up dead.

While it's not about reincarnation in its purest form, there's enough of the idea there for me to be happy with. And I'm hoping this isn't the last story set in this universe. In his original work, Adam implemented the Reborn technology in a variety of test subjects. What happened to them? How have they moved on? I guess time will tell.

*_*_*

A Soul Remembered by Vivien Dean is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Impossibly His by Shawn Lane

Impossibly His, the latest His book in my series, and part of the Cure For What Ails You pax, started out as a very different story. 

I first introduced Dr. Geoffrey Spencer very briefly in Hopefully His and it had been my intention to write Impossibly His for Geoff. But as I wrote about Dr. Linus Montgomery and the crush he had on Geoff it occurred to me that they were completely wrong for each other and suddenly it was the flirty nurse, Micah Florentine that Linus belonged with. 

Geoff got himself pushed to my next His story, Just His (part of the Second Time Around Pax coming next year) and Impossibly His was born with Linus Montgomery, MD, a serious Cardiologist and his flirty friend, Micah Florentine, who have almost nothing in common, and who perhaps impossibly, become friends and lovers.

*_*_*

Impossibly His by Shawn Lane is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Perfect Heroes for Romance by Carolina Valdez

Men of the sea and their ships hold a special place in my heart because I grew up in Navy country, had sailors as friends and dated officers. 

My high school boyfriend's father was a naval commander, and one night, when his dad's ship was in port, we sat in silence on the bluffs watching its lights dance on the black water below. The poignancy of those moments are clear to me now that I'm older. In a way I didn't then, I realize how proud he was of his father, but, unlike mine, who was always home, his was away too much. The lights may have evoked feelings of pride, but the vastness of the dark waters reflected a hurtful longing to see more of his dad.

As news of the exploits of SEALs began to hit the news in recent years, I became enthralled with these superheroes, these elite of the elite Special Forces warriors. They make perfect heroes for a romance. As I thought about writing Awaking the Alpha--my January 2014 All Romance eBooks and Amber Allure best seller--I happened on a TV interview of a highly decorated SEAL who for all his twenty years in the service hid the fact his brain told him he was really female. I drew partly on this idea of hiding your real identity in creating a retired SEAL whose teammates never guessed he was gay, much less a werewolf. I also drew on the sense of loss my high school boyfriend was feeling because my retired naval officer misses his team.

As I began Amen To Love, I wasn't interested in doing another shifter story, but I was not quite through with the SEALs. This new release is part of a medical AmberPax, and since I have bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing, it was fun to step back into the medical field and create Bond Bergstrom, a closeted and retired Navy SEAL, the new chief of surgery at Weatherton Mountain Hospital. I hope you enjoy him and his retired Delta Force counterpart, Rory O'Shea. 

I'm a member of the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the murder mystery in the plot springs out of my interest in the crime genres. I once read that people who read crime fiction pretty much ignore other genres, while romance readers tend to enjoy a broad and diverse range of books. I hope combining genres adds to your reading pleasure.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Love you all! 

Carolina Valdez

http://www.CarolinaValdez.com

http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez

http://fingerstothekeys.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/author.carolina.valdez

*_*_*

Amen to Love by Carolina Valdez is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - A Cure For What Ails You

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the A Cure for What Ails You AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

Amen to Love by Carolina Valdez Extended Novella (Gay)

Impossibly His by Shawn Lane Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

The Notorious Dr. Ray by D.J. Manly Extended Novella (Gay)

A Soul Remembered by Vivien Dean Extended Novella (Gay)

To Lift My Sole by J.D. Walker Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

 

In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (12/21-12/26) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

To Lift My Sole by J.D. Walker

Jim Newsome is the CEO of a food services consulting firm, working primarily for the healthcare industry. Having a shorter leg due to a childhood accident hasn’t slowed him down one bit. He’s successful in life and enjoys his work, perhaps a little too much, sometimes. Whenever he acquires a new client—typically a hospital—Jim goes undercover to get a firsthand look at the problems before reporting his findings, and possible solutions.

His current assignment hasn’t been an easy one, and Jim’s relieved it will be over soon. Along with the snobby attitudes he’s encountered with the medical staff, Jim meets Lance Lamas. An Orthopedic specialist, Lance is intrigued by the well-made modified shoe Jim wears and tries to strike up conversations. Jim, however, isn’t playing nice and tries even harder to avoid any entanglements with the handsome doctor, despite his roguish charm.

But Lance’s relentless pursuit eventually pays off, and during their first date, Jim suddenly turns the tables and becomes the pursuer, initiating a steamy, dirty-talking tryst that rocks Lance’s world. Lance definitely wants more of that in his life, but he really likes Jim, too, and yearns to keep him—shoe lift, dirty mouth and all...

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Exhibitionism/Public Places

Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (12k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...I arrived at Tony’s with minutes to spare. I was a little nervous, mainly because this was my first anything with a man in years. Work typically consumed my days and nights, unless Paula could drag me away—kicking and screaming—to do something fun. My jeans were stiff with newness, and my long-sleeved shirt still smelled of the store where I’d bought it. I’d even gotten a haircut that afternoon.

Paula and Bevin came up to me at the bar. “Jim, you actually made it!” She gave me a big hug, and Bevin shook my hand.

“Nice to see you, man. You’re looking good—nothing new there,” he said.

“Back atcha.” Bevin was always a joy to be around. He was the perfect foil for Paula, and vice versa.

“And don’t act so surprised, little miss. I have been known to have a drink with you on occasion.”

“Yeah, under duress.” She leaned back in Bevin’s arms and checked me out. “You bought new clothes.” Her eyes widened. “No way. Is someone meeting you here?”

On cue, Lance popped up at my elbow. “That would be me.”

I jumped a little at his voice and turned my head to frown at him, partly to hide my reaction to his sudden, and very attractive appearance. He was dapper in gray tailored slacks and a blue and white pinstriped shirt.

“Well, hello there.” Did her voice just drop a few decibels? “I’m Paula, a friend of Jim’s. And this is my husband, Bevin.” She reached out to shake Lance’s hand, and I stood by, like an idiot.

“Lance Lamas,” he replied. “I work, or rather worked, with Jim at the hospital. He’s mum about what he really does for a living, but he says I’ll figure it out on Monday. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Sorry, no can do.” She removed imaginary lint from his shirt, but I knew she was surreptitiously copping a feel. It was only flirting, I knew. She was madly in love with Bevin. Paula just liked to get a reaction out of me.

“Why so quiet, Jim?” Her expression was coy.

“I have no words for…whatever’s going on here.”

“Tell me something,” Lance asked after ordering a beer. “Is he always so…difficult to get to know? It’s like pulling teeth. Though I have fun trying.”

I tried glaring at Paula, willing her by visual osmosis not to say anything. To no avail.

“Oh, he’s a sweetheart, usually. But this assignment has been particularly strenuous, and he hasn’t had sex in years so—”

I gasped in outrage. “Paula!” This amused Lance, and Bevin just shook his head and offered me silent sympathy.

“Looks like I turned up at the right time, then.”

This needed to end. Now. “Okay, people. Can we change the topic or pick on someone else? Please?”

“Only for a little while. Bevin, dance with me, would you?”

“My pleasure, sweetheart.” He led her out to the crowded dance floor and they let themselves go.

“Your friends are cool, and Paula is a riot. I wouldn’t have thought you’d know anyone like that. You’re not very forthcoming.”

“Well, you are pushy. That tends to get my back up, normally.”

He took a sip of his beer. “So, really? Years since you had sex?”

“God, that’s the one thing you remembered from the conversation?”

Lance leered at me. “Sex is one of my favorite pastimes.”

“I barely know you.” But for some reason, I want to know you...

A Soul Remembered by Vivien Dean

(Part of the Reborn series)

The Reborn project began out of the desperate need to keep a dying man alive. It turned into a century-long hunt for his soul.

Until everything changes one fateful night in a Bayside alley.

Bleeding out from an unexpected attack, prostitute Adam Silver is convinced he’s going to die again without finding the man he’s been looking for since his very first death over a hundred years ago. He gets lucky. Rescue comes in the form of Dr. David Bogart and his friends who happen to be in the area, but it’s in the ambulance on the way to the hospital that Adam sees the birthmark he created to designate the reincarnation of his long lost love. For the first time in years, he feels hope.

But it turns out, finding Bogart was the easy part. Staying alive as he fights to help the man the media has dubbed “Dr. Death” is a hell of a lot harder...

Genres: Gay/Science Fiction/Futuristic/Series

Heat Level: 2
Length: Extended Novella (39k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...People. Potential rescue.

Reinforcing my grip, I pulled forward a few more inches, scraping my bare thigh across the gritty detritus of the ground. The new holes in my skin didn’t worry me as much as the ones draining my life away. I barely felt the sting as dirt slivered its way into the fresh cuts.

A final cry tore from my broken lungs. The laughter halted in mid-stream, and I squinted through the blur that ruined my vision. I couldn’t see the street now. The world was starting to gray at the edges, shapes losing definition, colors evaporating into nothing. The voices returned, lower, more rushed, punctuated by quick footsteps.

“Hey!” someone shouted. Not me this time. “Down here!”

The footsteps converged in a thunder. When shadows blocked out the watery streetlight, the last of my strength disappeared. My head fell hard against the ground.

“Shit,” a guy muttered. “Someone really worked this one over.”

“Get an ambulance here,” a third man barked.

Hands fell onto my shoulders, pushing me flat. My first instinct was to try to bat them away—I needed to keep moving or I was going to die, didn’t they see that?—but my savior was stronger than me, or more determined, or both, which was probably more the case. I tried to speak, but instead of air passing through my vocal cords, I got blood, turning my words into wet gurgles that had me coughing a third time.

“They’ll never get here in time, Bogart.” That might have been the first man who’d spoken. I was too tired to see how many had found me. “Look at all the blood.”

“Then we stop it until they show.” The weight disappeared from my upper body.

“What’re you doing?”

“My job. Either help or shut the fuck up.”

When his hands came back, they moved quickly, tearing open the front of my shirt where my attacker’s dox rings hadn’t already shredded it. Cooler air wafted over my chest. Another shiver surged through my slender body.

“Hang in there, pal.” His voice was low and soothing in a gruff sort of way, like he’d spent all night at a concert screaming along to the music. His touch was less so, pushing into parts of me that didn’t want anything more to do with the mortal coil. “Talk to me.”

I’d tried that already and gagged on my own blood to show for it. The best I could manage was forcing my eyes to open so I could blink up at him and show I was still alive.

Though the light in the alley was piss-poor, enough trickled from the road to outline the man kneeling at my side. Broad shoulders blocked out a good part of the background, but I saw enough to know he was bare from the waist up. A dark shadow matted his burly chest, trailing down into pants that strained across his thighs. Dress pants, with a visible ribbon trailing along the outside seam. I stared at it for several seconds before my brain connected the garb with the kind of formal occasion they merited.

A wedding? Who would get married at San Francisco’s abandoned docks, at least at this time of night? A man named Bogart, it would seem.

He was too focused on my chest to notice I was staring at him. “What’s the ETA on that ambulance?” he called out.

“Shoney says ten.” The first man appeared at Bogart’s shoulder, a wraith dancing back and forth on his feet. “Is that working?”

“I’ll make it work.”

New pressure pushed against the deepest of the injuries, the one I was pretty sure had punctured my lung. I cried out, trying to flinch away, but Bogart shook his head.

“You’re going to bleed out if I don’t keep this on,” he said. “Stay still.”

My lips worked, determined to communicate with him. “Hurts.”

“I know. I’ll get the techs to pump some empthol into you.”

“That’ll kill him if he’s already using,” the other man intervened.

Bogart leaned closer, bringing his features into sharp relief as he peered into my eyes. His were brown, his full lips tight. Lines feathered from the corners, markers of age that put him at least a decade older than me. He looked kind, which was a silly observation to make when he was trying to save my life. But right then, I was glad he was the one who’d heard me.

I might have a fighting chance...

The Notorious Dr. Ray by D.J. Manly

Andrew McCormick’s parents, as well as his uncle were doctors. There wasn’t any question he would follow in their footsteps, but specialization isn’t for him, much to his highly specialized parents’ chagrin. He intends to do his residency at a prestigious L.A. Hospital, then go into general practice.

But Andrew has one weakness that prevents him from getting accepted at prestigious hospitals—his inability to connect emotionally to his patients. Angry, Andrew hopes his uncle, an administrator, will go to bat for him, but instead he calls in a favor and sets up a residency at a hospital Andrew thinks inadequate. To make matters worse, Andrew is scheduled to work in emergency with a doctor his uncle considers brilliant, but Andrew finds irreverent and unprofessional.

Without any alternative, Andrew goes to work under the wing of the notorious, yet devastatingly attractive and charming, Dr. Ray. But much to his surprise, Andrew soon discovers the man has a lot more going on than just working in the emergency room, and practicing medicine with a sexy man who breaks all the rules might just be what the doctor ordered...

Genres: Gay/Contemporary

Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Novella (31k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The Zone was right across the street. Andrew headed to the exit. He dodged the traffic and darted across the street. He’d try to catch Ray before he went into the back room. He needed to make things right before they got back to the hospital. It would be damned awkward at work if he didn’t.

Andrew paid the admission and walked in. Some old Rod Stewart song was playing. It was something about an older woman named Maggie. Andrew scanned the room. Where are you? It was packed; wall-to-wall men. It smelled like sex, beer and sweat.

Andrew checked the dance floor. And there he was. Dr. Ray. He was dancing, those leather pants clinging to him like a second skin. The navy shirt he wore was half open, revealing his deliciously sculptured chest. Dr. Ray was quite the specimen and he was getting a lot of attention.

Andrew elbowed his way onto the dance floor. When Dr. Ray saw him, his eyes widened.

Shit. He looked pissed.

Ray came off the dance floor and took Andrew’s arm, steering him toward the wall. “What are you doing here? Are you following me?”

“No,” Andrew looked around. “Yes. I guess. This is hard core, especially the back room.”

“I guess you’ve been here before then. You seem to know.”

“I wanted to apologize to you.”

“For what exactly?”

“For kissing you.”

“Jesus Christ, Andrew. If you’re going to kiss a man, kiss him and don’t be sorry about it after.”

Andrew smiled. “Okay. You’re not the first person to tell me that tonight.” He reached out and touched Ray’s hair, then he bent his head and kissed Ray again, lightly, on the mouth. “I guess I’ll go.”

Ray smiled faintly. “Go where?”

“I don’t know. The back room?” Andrew lifted an eyebrow.

Ray pulled him closer and kissed him. The kiss lingered on his lips. “What do you need the back room for?”

Andrew wrapped his arms around him, his head reeling. Was it the alcohol or the lack of sleep? Maybe he was dreaming. He and Ray had just been kissing and, damn…it was good. “I can’t think of any good reason,” he replied softly.

That kiss was like no other kiss Andrew had ever experienced. When they parted, he was breathless. Andrew’s chest heaved.

“What’s wrong, Doc?” Dr. Ray asked, smiling. “You seem winded. Do you need assistance?”

“You may have to check my vitals.”

Dr. Ray’s hand brushed Andrew’s cock. “Everything seems in order.”

“How about we…” Andrew glanced at the back room.

“If you’re patient, I’ll take you home.”

“I didn’t know you made house calls.”

“Only in extreme emergencies,” he whispered. “Are you sure about this?”

“Oh yeah.” Andrew nodded vigorously. “I think I want to play doctor with you.”

“You think? You have to be sure.”

“I’m sure.” He took Ray’s hand and pressed it against his cock again...

Impossibly His by Shawn Lane

(Part of the His series)

Sexy nurse, Micah Florentine, is not Dr. Linus Montgomery’s type. Micah just wants to have fun. Linus, however, is the serious type. When Micah suggests they’d make excellent BFFs, Linus is willing to indulge him, since he’s interested in a fellow doctor anyway and figures nothing more will come of their friendship.

Yet as impossible as it seems, their friendship works, and soon, Linus actually finds himself interested in Micah as more than just a friend.

Can Linus convince the flirty nurse to give romance a chance? Or is it impossible for Micah to truly become his?

Genres: Gay/Contemporary

Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (12k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The cafeteria was super busy and every table was occupied with at least one person. Micah surveyed the group, trying to decide which table to invade. Then in the corner he spotted Dr. Montgomery—Linus. By himself, of course. He really didn’t want to sit there but the other choices weren’t that great either. Geoff Spencer was sitting with a couple of other doctors and things had been awkward between them since the other night. Their…second-night stand, he guessed.

Biting his lip, Micah approached Linus. “Can I sit here?”

Linus shrugged. “Why not?”

Not the world’s most welcoming pronouncement, but Micah set his tray down and took the seat directly next to the doctor.

“You had a salad?” Micah asked, just to make conversation.

“Yes.”

“I’m having the meat loaf,” he offered.

Linus looked at his tray. “Obviously.”

He huffed out a breath. “Do you ever get friendlier or is this your common bedside manner?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. It’s just you’ve been here a month or so and no one really knows that much about you. You don’t really socialize and when someone does talk to you, it’s like they are committing some horrible breach of etiquette.”

“Look, Micah, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m guessing you’re chatting me up with the idea of making me your latest conquest, but I can save you the trouble right now. I don’t date coworkers. Or have ‘just for fun sex’ with them either.”

Micah stared at him for a moment and then burst into laughter. “Seriously? You think I’m working my way through the staff or something? You actually believe that rumor? Listen, I do a lot of flirting, yeah, but I can count on less than three fingers who I’ve actually dated or had sex with for fun from the hospital.”

Linus blinked rather owlishly behind his glasses. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have said all that.”

He shook his head. “You’d hardly be the first to assume things. I’m young and having fun and I definitely won’t apologize for that. But I don’t sleep through the hospital staff.”

“I feel like an ass.”

“Well…”

Linus laughed then, to Micah’s surprise, and it was a nice laugh. And the fact that he thought it was a nice laugh freaked him out a little. Micah reminded himself he didn’t do guys like Linus.

“Anyway, we’re cool,” Micah said. “Actually maybe you should be my new BFF.”

“Huh?”

He shrugged. “Hanging around a guy who has absolutely no interest in a physical thing would be good for both of us, don’t you think?”

“No interest, huh?”

But he didn’t sound offended at least, so Micah was glad. He didn’t want to sound rude but neither did he especially want to explain why he didn’t want to get physical with Linus.

“Yep. None.” Micah grinned. “Come on, Linus, can you honestly say you have any interest in me?”

“Honestly?” Linus shrugged. “You’re not really my type.”

For a second Micah felt the sharp stab of disappointment, but he quickly reminded himself he was not interested in Linus. So the rejection shouldn’t matter. No, did not matter...

Amen to Love by Carolina Valdez

Dr. Bond Bergstrom fights to save the life of a man shot near the lakeside path where he jogs. Later, when the hospital where Bond works as chief of surgery learns that the shooter attempted to kill him also, the board insists on assigning security protection to him 24/7 until the killer is caught.

Bond is furious with the decision. Former Navy SEALs, he argues, can protect themselves better than anyone in the world. Not so, counters former Delta Force operative Rory O’Shea. He’s the hot, sexy Irish-American who owns the agency providing the hospital’s routine security.

Bond grudgingly gives in, unaware that O’Shea has an ulterior motive in assigning himself to spend nights with the doctor as his personal bodyguard. Will O’Shea prove he has what it takes to satisfy Bond—both in and out of the bedroom?

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Action/Adventure/Mystery/Detective/Suspense/Thriller

Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Novella (38k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...One step into his approach, the man looked up. Stood. He was taller and more slender than Bond, yet the seams of the jacket could’ve burst under the stretch of the broad shoulders it covered. The jacket ended at narrow hips where the camis began. The natural bulge below them was full but not aroused.

He no longer seemed deadbeat; he looked capable and strong. Dangerous even.

Bond slowed. Now, at some intense and deeply personal level, he thought he knew him. He shook off that idea. He’d never seen him before. He prepared to be asked for money.

The stranger smiled, and out of a face framed by greasy hair and smudged with grass stains and earth, two stunningly arresting emerald eyes caught his gaze. They took his measure, head to toes. And they invited him for sex.

The look said it all. The man hadn’t spoken a word or made any gesture, but there was absolute certainty in his posture that this would happen.

The hairs rose on Bond’s neck and arms and his pulse kicked up.

It was a look beyond any Bond had recalled ever experiencing with any other man. Not even the initial one from the man who had once been his lover. What he’d felt for that partner and what they’d had together instantly faded from his thoughts as if it had never been.

Good Lord, you’d think I was young again. And still a virgin.

He might have scoffed, but instead he stopped. His mind imploded with visions of being in bed with this man, tangled in sheets damp with sweat, their bodies naked, wet, and slippery with their cum. The scintillating smell of sex was pungent in the air.

He knew this man’s touch on his arousal would bring searing heat and pleasure beyond bearing.

Bond’s every nerve ending flooded him with sensations and with the knowledge that fucking this man would be primal, rough and primitive. Cataclysmic. More satisfying than any encounter with any other man had ever been. They would make love and then they would do it again. Simply being together would set off the need, the urgency.

Bond’s dick threatened to surge in response. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as his breath caught in his throat.

The look also said, I will have you. I am your man. You are my destiny.

The promise and the vision warred with his surgeon’s grounded, rational mind. He definitely did not believe in Vulcan mind meld, so where these thought came from he didn’t know.

Veteran or not, the man was nothing more than a hustler. Like ice water on an open flame, disgust killed the sexual fire in Bond’s belly and cock.

With a slight shake of his head, he turned and took the steps into the market two at a time.

The man didn’t follow.

Bond could’ve sworn he chuckled.

He found that very annoying...

Heavy Petting 2 Giveaway Winner

What a week! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and discovered a bit more about all our animal stories. This is always a favorite theme for all our authors, so we're thrilled to be able to offer more for you. Since it's Saturday, it's time to pick our giveaway winner. And the winner is...

Susan!

We've got your email address so expect to hear from us soon!

Don't forget to check back with us in December when General Hospital, our doctors and nurses pax, will be out. See you then!

Pet Rocks, You Say? by J.D. Walker

Barry Dunning is a lonely pet stylist who's been burned badly by an ex-boyfriend who left him with tons of debt, and will take years to pay off. His tiny apartment doesn't allow for pets, so Barry paints them on rocks, instead. The furry little charges at his day job are a balm to his soul with their antics and overly anxious owners. But that can only go so far.

Sheldon Svenson, the owner of the animal shelter where Barry volunteers on weekends, has had his eye on Barry since the day he started. He sees something in Barry—aside from the cute factor with having rocks for pets—that makes him want to get to know him better. Barry, however, is skittish, and their first date is a disaster. 

A little persistence pays off, though, and Sheldon and Barry move beyond emotional barriers to find a place where two lonely hearts can beat together.  

Enjoy an excerpt from Of Paws and Pet Rocks.

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“Hey, Barry. How’s it going today?”

Sheldon was my height, with a wider build—tall and brawny. He was quite good-looking and confident—the polar opposite of me. If I were in the market for a guy to date, Sheldon, with his white-blond hair and pale blue eyes, would have been at the top of the list. But I knew better than to indulge in wishful thinking. 

I was sure he had his choice of partners, especially since I’d heard through the grapevine that he’d broken up with his longtime boyfriend, Taye. Most of the male volunteers wanted in his pants, but he either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.

“Fine, boss. I’ll be done in another half hour or so.” I had ten more cages to clean.

“I appreciate that, but I wanted to talk to you about something, if you don’t mind.” His tone made me look up at him.

“Something wrong?” He seemed…pensive, for some reason.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to ask you a favor, that is, if you’d be interested.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But before I do, you know… You’re the only volunteer who doesn’t call me by my first name. Why is that? Hell, we’re the same age, and I like to have a friendly, laid-back atmosphere at the shelter. Is it something I’ve done? Have I offended you in any way?”

“No!” I bit my lip. “No,” I said in a softer tone. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I didn’t realize—” Though subconsciously, it may have been an attempt to remind me he was off-limits. “I apologize.”

He waved away my apology. “It’s okay. You’re a big part of what we do here, and I consider you a member of the family. Just…remember in future, okay? Can you do that?”

“Sure thing.” I smiled a little and hoped I was convincing enough. He studied me, then nodded.

“Good. Here’s the thing. I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing a grooming clinic here every once in a while, maybe twice a month? You already groom all the animals here and do a wonderful job, I might add. I just thought it might be something potential or existing owners might find helpful. People could bring their own pets, or groom some of the animals we have boarding here. It could draw more attention to the shelter, bring in donations. What do you think?”

It was a no-brainer. “It’s a wonderful idea! Count me in.”

Sheldon grinned. “Excellent! This is going to be awesome.” He rubbed his hands together. “Could you start next Saturday? I’ll put something in the weekly newsletter and add the info to our website.”

“Sure. How about I do the clinic every other Saturday, from now on?”

“Perfect! I’ll get one of the other volunteers to take over your duties while you do the grooming sessions. This means a lot, Barry. Thanks so much.” He gave me an impulsive hug. But once he realized what he was doing, Sheldon stepped back quickly, a slight blush on his face as he turned and practically ran back to his tiny office on the other side of the building. 

Huh.

*_*_*

Of Paws and Pet Rocks by J.D. Walker is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Night Hag – A Monster by Any Other Name By A.J. Llewellyn

Actor Boris Karloff once observed, “The monster was my best friend.”

It’s easy to see why. Monsters are outcasts. Different. Misunderstood. Just like artists, whether they’re writers, actors, musicians or painters. We put ourselves outside of society, observers of human nature.  For some people, this isn’t such a hard task. For others, the yearning to belong is strong.

Mr. Karloff embraced his wounded misfits, making good money and earning a reputation for being an utter gentleman off camera, and for his sensitive portrayals of some of the most famous monsters of fiction and myth. From the moment he donned Frankenstein’s sometimes painful, bulky costume with its four-inch platform shoes, he became someone, something else.

Frankenstein had a lasting legacy that few know about. The makeup process required to transform him contained harmful ingredients and during his acting career, he took out an insurance policy to guard him from prematurely aging.

Playing the monster however, led to a lasting love for the actor. He never begrudged Frankenstein or any of the other frightening creatures he played.

I thought about him a lot as I created my story, Night Hag for the Amber PAX™ Heavy Petting 2 Anthology stories. In this story, my lead character, Gideon has a little girl some might deem a monster. But is she really? And how do we define what makes a monster?

His adopted daughter, Gretchen is different. She’s had a rough start in life but he’s deeply attached to her and wants to give her everything denied her in her short five years on earth. Gideon sees a lot of himself in her. Gretchen is a loving child and forms a bond with a mysterious but charming 175-pound dog named Renaldo. Gideon’s rather taken by Renaldo’s Dad, children’s book illustrator, Jory Wyatt.

Can these four seeming misfits make a family? Can they work it out?

This is a sequel to my previous Heavy Petting story, Bunyip. The bunyip, named Norman makes a return appearance in this tale, but Night Hag can be read as a standalone.

Which monsters of myth do you cherish? Which ones scare you? Please post a comment to qualify to win the entire Five-story collection of Heavy Petting 2.

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Night Hag Synopsis:

The sequel to Amber Allure’s Best Seller Bunyip.

In the idyllic seaside town of Half Moon Bay, just outside of San Francisco, Gideon Hunter has just met the man of his dreams in Jory Wyatt. But how can he start something with Jory when Gideon has a monster of a problem? His newly adopted five-year-old daughter has some issues, and Gideon can’t even begin to cope with her little...idiosyncrasies...let alone fall in love. Not only that, but Jory has a few things to deal with himself. Namely his 175-pound dog Renaldo. Unfortunately, Gretchen has become attached to Renaldo, and the big drooling beast seems to have become smitten with her, too.

Jory has waited a long time for somebody as wonderful as Gideon to move to town. But can Gideon be as amazing as he seems? And is it true what their mutual friend Steve Maddox says about Gideon’s cute yet serious daughter? That she’s some kind of actual monster? Steve should know, especially since he has an unusual creature of his own...Norman the bunyip...

Genres: Gay / Dark Fantasy / Witchcraft / Magic / Paranormal / Action / Adventure 

Heat Level: 3 

Length: Novella (25k words)

Purchase link and excerpt:  http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2071-Night-Hag.aspx

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If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Animal Crazy by K.M. Mahoney

I’ve been an animal lover all my life. I grew up on what I guess you could call a hobby farm. We had cats, dogs and a couple of donkeys, raised and bred rabbits and chickens (although the latter I never did like, and the feeling was mutual), and I was very involved with horses. Over the years, I’ve pared down until I now have one lone cat. I’m okay with that, because the farm animals are a crazy amount of work. I don’t miss getting up at seven in the morning, wading through snow and frozen mud, to shovel horse manure. Not. At. All. The real test was in college, though. I lived with my cousin while she went to school to be a vet tech. Quizzing her on diseases, helping her wrap up cats in blankets for examination, drawing blood at the kitchen table, and finding stool samples in the refrigerator—if you can survive that, you can call yourself an animal lover! (But believe me, the fridge got a very thorough disinfecting!)

So when the Heavy Petting pax came along, I had to jump in. Most of my family is animal-crazy, but my dad is definitely not. He likes some, tolerates others, and would rather avoid my cat entirely. It got me thinking. What happens when a guy who could care less about having a pet falls for someone who sits firmly on the far side of the animal-crazy spectrum? Or, in the case of Mike and Riley, how does a guy who can’t even keep his nephew’s hamster alive handle a house full of cats? It’s a disaster ready to happen, but like in all the best stories, true love finds a way! I hope you enjoy your time with Mike, Riley, and the cats as much as I did.

KM

*_*_*

Mike isn’t much of an animal lover. His sister, however, insists that every little boy needs a pet, which is how he finds himself sitting in a veterinary office, trying to explain the facts of life to his six-year-old nephew while holding a dead hamster in a shoebox. It’s not one of his finer moments. So of course, it’s just his luck that in walks the cute, shy, and utterly lust-worthy Riley Laytham. But Mike has never been one to let an opportunity pass him by, no matter how awkward the situation might be.

Riley isn’t used to guys flirting with him, and he definitely didn’t expect it to happen at the local vet office. In the kennels, no less, surrounded by dogs and cats, and under the close scrutiny of one overly inquisitive little boy. Riley’s first instinct is to make his excuses and run, but Mike is persistent.

Their first date is a disaster. They have nothing in common, and Riley’s cats seem determined to end the budding relationship before it can get started. For some reason, though, Mike isn’t running. Now Riley just has to decide if he can make it work with a guy who staunchly declares that he doesn’t like cats.

*_*_*

Learning to Love Cats by K.M. Mahoney is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!