Category Archives: Writers on the River Attending Author

#wotr23 #attendingauthor #releaseblitz Rebound by Kate Hawthorne

REBOUND

by Kate Hawthorne

Release Blitz

Release Date: September 8, 2022

Cover Design: Golden Czermak @ FuriousFotog

Genre: M/M Romance
Trope: Age-gap, sexual awakening, first time, friends with benefits, HEA


Synopsis

They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else…

At least that’s what Ben is trying to convince himself is true. Ready to put his ex-boyfriend in the rear view for good, he connects with a handsome older man who’s only interested in something quick and casual. Their rules are simple—no strings, no feelings, and absolutely no kissing.

Thomas has never been with a man before, but in the midst of divorcing his estranged wife, he knows it’s something he is ready to act on. He’s wondered for years if his attraction to men is something real, so hooking up with an experienced and gorgeous younger man seems like a surefire way to find out. Better yet, it’ll kill two birds with one stone: exploring the depths of his midlife awakening and moving forward into a brand kind of new life.

One time together turns into two times, and two turns into something regular, but the rules still apply… until they don’t. Late night phone calls lead to early evening dinner dates, and one by one the rules are all out the window.

Ben was supposed to be Thomas’s first time, and Thomas was supposed to be Ben’s rebound…but what if the best way to get over someone is also the best way to fall in love?

Rebound is a 75,000 word romance with a midlife sexual awakening, plenty of firsts, unexpected feelings, and a steamy happy ending.


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GOODREADS LINK


Excerpt

Ben’s cheeks burned. “There’s a difference between talking dirty and offering up a how-to guide.”

“Do I need a step-by-step?”Thomas looked up at him with an arched brow. His expression was decidedly smug, like he knew he was good in bed without instruction. That if Ben did offer him a little guidance…he could be great.

“No,”he conceded. “But it wouldn’t hurt for you to finesse your technique a little.”

“Finesse.”

Thomas looked at him in disbelief, taking a drink of his wine but not breaking away from Ben’s gaze. Ben, for his part, was enraptured. The Thomas sitting across from him was almost like a whole new version of himself. At least as far as Ben knew. To him, it seemed that giving Thomas the space to admit his sexuality had empowered him to speak freely about the things he wanted, the things he was good at. It wasn’t arrogance or cockiness. It was confidence. It was competence. It was fucking hot.

“There’s things that you can learn,”he said.

“Practice makes perfect.”

Was Ben imagining things, or had Thomas’s voice slipped down a register with that ask? Ben shifted his weight, thankful he’d put a shirt on, but regretful he hadn’t opted for pants. The underwear did little to hide the interested bulge between his legs.

“Is that what you’re looking for?” Ben asked. “Someone to practice on?”

“Practice with,” Thomas corrected.

“Casually.”

“Formally.”

Now it was Ben’s turn to arch a brow. That wasn’t anywhere close to what they’d talked about the first time.

“Not committed,” Thomas amended. “Well…”

“Exclusive,”he supplied. “But not serious.”

“Right.” Ben didn’t have enough wine in his glass—or the bottle—to have this conversation.

“I’ll go get tested,” Thomas said.

Ben swallowed, dragging his tongue across the front of his teeth. “Why?”

“What I said earlier still stands. I don’t like condoms.”

“You’re not the only person in this…this…formally exclusive casual arrangement.”

“Did you want to keep using them?” Thomas asked.

“I feel like this conversation has gotten away from me.” He topped off his wine and took a large swallow. “You were just coming out of the closet at me and now you’re talking about fucking me bare.”

“Well, when you say it like that…”



Purchase Link

Amazon Universal ~ https://geni.us/u64Y



Giveaway

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About the Author

With over two dozen published romances to her name, Kate Hawthorne has built a recognizable brand around telling emotional stories that pack a figurative (and sometimes literal) punch.

Existing on a steady diet of wine and coffee, Kate spends her days dreaming up angsty stories full of heat, kink, and heart. Kate now lives in Louisville, where she writes romance, reads romance, and hides from the humidity.



#wotr #partofaseries #review Gorgeous Nightmare (Ariel Kimber 8) by Mary Martel 

Isobel has been through a lot more than the average woman in her short life.

Family murdered.

Tortured by the Council.

Rescued by a beautiful man she’s obsessed with.

She’s not the average witch. She’s slightly broken, plagued by horrible nightmares, and she’s also just a little bit on the crazy side.

But broken and slightly crazy women deserve love too, right?

She sure thinks so. Now she’s got to convince all the men in her life that they should take a chance on her and give love a try as well.

The only problem with that is they’re all just as crazy as she is, if not even more so. And she is certainly not the only damaged one in the bunch.

They’ve all got their own nightmares to face, they just need to learn that it’s much easier to face them together than it is to stand all alone in the dark with no one to hold your hand through it.

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61481086-gorgeous-nightmare

Amazon https://amzn.to/3b2pAms

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the author for an honest review

Finally we are getting a looking into a few new characters we have gotten to know later on in the series. Isobel was saved by Ariel from the council she was being held captive in a dark hole chained by her arms and had her eye sight stripped, they used and abused her also they killed her entire family. She is a fighter and now she’s living with Rain, and Baxter in the cabin. They are their own little family with Romero who is Dash’s father who was thought to be dead all theses year surprise a deep dark secret that Ariel was able to solve. Also Finn is now a part of this little group and hes got eyes for 1 female witch that is a first for him a female has never made him feel this way but Isobel does. These lives might have a tragic and traumatic past but together they are each other’s missing links and are the key to each others happiness. MARY has done it again another amazing book in a world im so in love with.

Mary Martel was born in West Michigan and spent the majority of her life there. She currently resides in North Dakota with her husband, and her two beautiful daughters. She’s an avid reader, and when not writing she can be found with her nose stuck in a book.

#wotr #attendingauthor #partofaseries #standalone  Diversion (Dollhouse 2) by Albany Walker  

She’s the sweet as sin little sister of my once best friend. While I deal in dirty deeds and depravity. I know all the reasons I can’t have her.

The problem is, I’m obsessed. I can’t seem to get her out of my head no matter how hard I try.

I don’t play by the rules but for her, I’d be willing to break them all.

This is Iron’s story, set in the Dollhouse world first introduced in Amusement. This title can be read as a standalone.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59832366-diversion?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=S7zgIonByD&rank=16

Amazon https://amzn.to/3xQsW5e

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the author for an honest review

Posey is just your normal girl next door in the run down streets of Detroit, she has her ride or die best friend and she works hard to get what she has. When they go to a club one night she didn’t realize that she would be running into a guy that tries to hard to get her in his bed but it isn’t going to happen. Also she had no idea that she had another guy stalking her every move to make sure she made it home safe. Hudson has had his eye on Posey every since they were little he was friends with her older brother and after her brother passed away he stopped coming around. Will he ever show himself to Posey or will he just keep watching from afar with the guilt from the past still haunting him. Omg this was another amazing book by Albany and I’m obsessed with lol her word.

Albany lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her high school sweetheart. She spends most of her time juggling her four children’s extracurricular activities, with her nose stuck in a book. When not reading you can find her writing her very own book boyfriends. Albany’s passion is writing romance with real characters that are far from perfect, but always seem to find their own happily ever afters.

#WOTR22 #AttendingAuthor #SeriesStarter #DoubleReview:  Summer Heat (Dirty Summer 1) by Mary Martel and Melissa Adams 


“A dirty summer fling with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks.”

This is my sister’s recipe to avoid boredom as we spend the summer at Daddy’s newly purchased resort.

I’m not looking forward to spending time with her and our snobby, demanding mother, but hey, at least the view is nice.

Nice and hot. Like the staff.

There’s Matt, the gorgeous chauffeur. Drew, the sexy chef. And Brady, the smoking hot surfing instructor.

Boring goes out the window when I catch their attention and maybe they could give me the dirty summer my sister was talking about, a summer like I’ve never dared to dream of before.

Too bad that the guys have big dreams for their future and that means keeping their heads down, winning the biggest surfing competition Coral Cove has ever seen and most of all, keeping their jobs at Daddy’s resort.

And to do that, they know that they can show the guests a good time on the dance floor and in the water, even flirt a little, but it has to end there.

The guests are off limits and as the boss’s daughter I’m even more out of their reach.

But nothing goes as planned, lines get blurred, and the summer nights heat up.

When we can’t stay away from each other and I make it my mission to help them make their dream come true, will we end the summer with a victory or will we lose it all?

Attention: this is a story where the heroine won’t have to choose between her different love interests. This story is part of a duet and ends in a cliffhanger.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61110130-summer-heat?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=CwrBE7WpCt&rank=36


Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the authors for an honest review

Greer has just got to Coral Cove the new summer home where her dad just purchase a resort. Her family is rather wealthy and her mother and sister prove jut why Greer really could care less about the fancy things in life she would rather stay in and read her book. Well this summer is gonna get spicy she not only does things that she never thought she would do like surf, fall for not 1 but 3 guy her father’s employees none the less, and compete in a surfing competition when the guys need an extra person. But with this fancy life comes lies and secrets, her fathers future business parter’s rude on tries to get in her pant with everything going on the island the guys are the only good thing that could make her summer better its already hot on the island but its gonna get dirty as well. Wow wow wow this is steamy and oh so sexy.

Twinsie Melinda Review

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

This book had me by the leash.  I did not want to put it down and now I need the next one. Holy crap that ending has me needing more because I need to know what is going to happen next. This story has a Dirty Dancing’ish vibe but in RH style.

Greer and her family are staying the summer at her dad’s newly acquired resort. The staff are hot and talented…I’ll let your mind wonder on that one.  The staff can show the guest a good time and flirt. But that is it they are to keep their hands to themselves and no fun times with them after hours.

Greer is nothing like the typical rich kid.  She would like nothing more than to be left alone and read a book on the beach. But the moody chauffeur caught her attention, then the hot chef made her heart beat faster, and then the sexy surfing instructor made her have dirty thoughts. Maybe being alone on the beach would not be a fun as seeing how hot of a summer could be with these three guys.

Greer caught the eyes of friends and resort workers, Matt, Drew and Brad also. How can they keep their job and their dream of owning a business alive when she is so tempting?  She is nothing like the other rich spoiled girls and that makes it even harder to resist. Seriously, one false move with Greer and they lose everything. Greer’s daddy can make sure of that. With Greers sister and mom being the people they are would jump at the chance to make her daddy think less of her. Then there is her dad’s business partner’s son constantly trying to make things harder on all of them.

You need to pick up this book to see how this summer romance takes shape. The ending is a killer and I need the next book. Yes, it is a cliffhanger but the rest of the book makes it so worth it even if the ending makes you sad. I absolutely loved all the guys even when they are being douche canoes to Greer. Greer stays true to who she is and even gives the guys a run for their money.

Melissa Adams is from the UK but was born in Italy and grew up between the two countries. She’s now UK based and her day job is connected her other huge passion after writing and reading: flying. She lived in the US and got herself a super hot Yankee husband who followed her back to Europe.

Her obsessions: Yorkshire terriers and Norse gods!

She’s often heard saying that she never trusts people who don’t love animals.

Her passions have been reading and writing from an early age and her first adventure in writing was in journalism.

Melissa’s stories focus on the romance, on character development and on the sensual aspect of love. Summer romance is her absolute first love but every story she writes has a mystery twist because life is nothing but a mystery.

Mary Martel was born in West Michigan and spent the majority of her life there. She currently resides in North Dakota with her husband, and her two beautiful daughters. She’s an avid reader, and when not writing she can be found with her nose stuck in a book.

#WOTR22 – #ThrowbackReview – Rules of Protection (Tangled in Texas Book 1) by Alison Bliss

Rules of Protection (Tangled in Texas, #1)

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Oh holy hell! I am going to try and put into words, ever so graciously, what this book did to me. This story had me giving an eye roll at the beginning to the slimy freak that was hitting on Emily, to fanning myself and laughing at the kiss and arrogance of Jake who is trying to help Emily out with the slimeball, then squirming in my seat yelling “RUN!” to Emily when she witnesses a brutal murder. THIS ALL HAPPENED AT THE VERY BEGINNING! What a way to start a story! I was stuck at this point. Very invested and couldn’t put this book down. Turns out Jake works for the FBI and is trying to take this murderer down but now has to save Emily and put her in witness protection for her safety. These two are both hawt and absolutely attracted to each other but no matter what, things go from bad to worse. There is a leak and the safe house has been compromised. Jake goes “rogue” and takes Emily to stay with his family in the boonies in Texas. The angst between these two is INTENSE! Jake has morals and the job comes first but Emily is slowly wearing him down. As with most stories our two main characters carry a ton of baggage. Emily has her reasons and is very stubborn and always a live in the moment type of person. She goes for what she wants and when she wants it. And if it doesn’t pan out she moves on. This personality really bumps heads with Jake who is very rule oriented and very by the book trying to protect her. As with most relationships when we argue things are said that we don’t necessarily mean but these two are under so much stress with all the craziness that is going on that things get crazy between the two. She is super stubborn and just wants to go back to the way things were before the murder but Jake is realistic and has to push her back to make her see reason. These two are constantly going back and forth getting under each other skins and trying to get into bed with one another. And all of the supporting characters from Emily’s friends Dale and Gina to Jake’s aunt and uncle and all of his childhood friends makes for an super funny and super eventful story. I absolutely recommend Tangled in Texas to everyone and am looking forward to reading the second. Alison Bliss is a new author to me and I am tangled up this story!

Alison Bliss

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorAlisonBliss

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlisonBliss2

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/AlisonBliss

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/AlisonBliss2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AlisonBliss2/

#WOTR22 – #ThrowbackReview – Order of Fear (The Order Series, Book 1) by Lisa Caviness

Order of Fear

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

5 very suspenseful stars! Oh. My. Wow! I don’t know why it took me so long to read this but holy hell I got hooked! This story is an incredible web woven with deceit, lies, loyalty, and passion. This is one of those books that starts out with a bang and and never stops until the very, very end. An absolute page turner!

First, Marissa….she is about to get married and is gone on a business trip. She is planning to call off her wedding to David when she returns because she found out he has been unfaithful to her. Things go awry and she is late coming home but when she does she finds David’s dead body in their home.

Second, Justin….the best man is super agitated with David as he hasn’t been able to reach him for days. He goes to the house to find Marissa cradling David’s dead body.

From here the story gets twisted!!!!! The two are being followed, an explosion happens and people are dying all around them. A coincidence? NOOOOOOO! Just keep going….Not everyone is who they seem but can you figure out who doesn’t belong? Nope! Not ‘til the end! This roller coaster of a story keeps you rooting for Marissa and Justin but then….do you? I was so back and forth with the idea of them and exactly how this was all going to pan out that I just couldn’t stop reading. And let me tell you about the bad guys. I don’t know what was going on in the author’s mind at the time of writing the antagonists but daaaaang are they bad! Written so good but soooo bad! The story is full of heightened emotions and ends up being very evil. Full of danger with the exact right amount of passion and love. An absolute must read!

Lisa Caviness

#WOTR22 – #Throwback Review – How to Spell Disaster by Jennifer Laslie

How to Spell Disaster (Unfortunate Spells Book 1)

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

OMG, if you want something that is funny with a ton of crazy shenanigans, then I absolutely recommend How to Spell Disaster!

Who’d a thunk that a crazy old book would turn into such a disaster?! Tucker attempts a love spell and it blows up in his face. Women are throwing themselves at him left and right. At first, he thinks this will end his dry spell and decides to go on a date. But as he continues, the women get crazier. This poor guy has to watch out for his well being too! He goes back to the occult shop to get some advice or possibly another spell to break this one but is told that sometimes magic won’t work and the only way to break this spell, or curse, is to find true love’s first kiss. Ok, so cliche’, right? Well, when the women start going crazier he has to find something to fix this and the book just sits there….staring at him…. flips to another page… shocks people….the book just taunts him. When he thinks he finds a “nice” girl they end up being some sort of psycho. This story had me dying laughing all the way to the end. Love is always found in the most unlikely of places and poor Tucker has hellish luck. This was a super fun story and rooting for Tucker was the best part! I look forward to continuing this series.

Jennifer Laslie

#WOTR22 – #ThrowbackReview – Quantum Engtanglement: Part One (Legion of Supernatural Academy Series Book 1) by S.R. Watson and Ryan Stacks

Quantum Entanglement: Part One (Legion of Supernatural Academy)

There are no such things as witches, warlocks, vampires, and shapeshifters … or so we thought! Before everything changed three days ago, we would have agreed with you.

Three days ago, we didn’t have supernatural abilities we couldn’t explain.

Three days ago, we weren’t being hunted for these abilities.

Three days ago, we weren’t being rescued and recruited into a supernatural academy.

We were two strangers. Only two of our kind. What happens when other supernatural beings find out that we exist?

Genesis and Elysian are quantum entangled for a singular purpose. Their recruitment to the Legion of Supernatural Academy is unexpected but vital to the future of humanity. This unique series takes the world of supernatural academies to new heights with twisted tales, suspense-driven fantasy, and self-discovery.

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

A unique twist on the supernatural! It can be difficult to shake things up a bit when it comes to the supernatural community…but yay! These two did it! There are vampires, werewolves, witches, oh my! But when Elysian and Genesis, seemingly normal random college students start having weird things happen around them out of the blue, things start to get crazy! There is a lot of self-discoveries for both of them. They are strangers but connected. How exactly does that happen? Fate? What they find is very mind boggling but what happens to each one as a result is downright scary, but exciting. As they are learning about themselves, each other, and making new friends….the crazy starts to come out. These two have a very intense pull because of this unknown connection, but what they don’t know is if it is predesigned or not. This causes a lot of hesitation for them. The romance portion of this starts as a slow burn but then the fireworks happen….and get ready to fan yourself because it gets HAWT!!! In the midst of all of this, they have become targets because of their powers. This erupts in a hellacious fight. But wait, there’s more! About the time that you think things may calm down, the authors add in a lovely, twisted ploy at the end that keeps you needing more. There are some typos that threw me off some and I wish the big fight scene had more detail or was drawn out more, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. Overall, this was a great book and I look forward to reading about Imogen and Rhys and seeing what shenanigans they bring!

About S.R. Watson

About Ryan Stacks

#WOTR22 – #Review – #Re-read – Tin Man (Silver Cyborg Series, Book 1) by Ava Cuvay

Tin Man (Silver Cyborg Series Book 1)

Officer Adam “Lemon” Lehmann volunteered for experimental cybernetic upgrades to save his life, but the decision killed his career. Now working as a bar bouncer in a society which both fears and loathes cyborgs, Adam wants to lay low until either his aging human parts, or his glitching cyborg parts end his lonely life.

Eve Myer has critical information about her employer’s corporate corruption which is killing cyborgs. But when the internet whistleblower she meets at a bar takes a fatal shot meant for her, she clings to the sexy yet reticent bouncer’s offer of safety. She finds both protection and passion in his arms even as an unknown adversary is determined to destroy her information, and her.

Adam and Eve struggle to keep their own secrets in the face of their escalating feelings and the mounting threat on their lives, even when that threat comes from each other.

Book One of the Silver Cyborg Series trilogy. This story has a romantic happy ending and a storyline continuing to book two.

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Time, choices, mistakes, regrets, fate…and MadDog2020!

When Adam was dying he made a choice to accept cybernetic prosthetics to save his life, but now being a cyborg means he is existing in between worlds. Happy to be alive but nothing to live for. He was shunned for his choice and lives a solitary life for fear that he will glitch and hurt someone. Eve is a smart and strong woman who found out the company she works for is killing cyborgs. Her objective is to get this information to the right people and ultimately save the cyborgs. When these two meet you can feel the connection right away. They have a slow burn type of chemistry. One absolutely worth waiting for. He knows something is off with her but can’t put his finger on it. One thing leads to another and BAM! Their lives have been slammed together and now both of them are in danger.

In true Ava fashion there is quite a bit of snark and sass with some seriously hawt scenes. Believe me, you don’t want to miss any of that. One of the things I loved most about the story is that it wasn’t predictable. It consumes you because the conspiracies are crazy and when you see how things change at the drop of a dime it keeps you turning the pages. Add a little MadDog2020 and the mention of toilet paper hoarding and you’ve got yourself an awesome story! No, seriously. These are mentioned and were perfect additions (so now you totally have to read it because you have to know if it’s true!) but the love story that occurs is breathtaking. A sort of Beauty and the Beast scenario, if you will, with a wonderful happily ever after. However, the real zinger is near the end. There are a few characters that are going to become big players in this trilogy and I can’t wait for the next. Bring it on!

Ava Cuvay

#WOTR22 – #Review – My Road Trip Romance by Jennifer Daniels

My Road Trip Romance

Author, Cassidy Nixon hides in her stories. It’s much easier than feeling anything real for anyone other than her family.

Interested in attending the Harvest Pick and Read writer’s convention, Cassidy, her brother Darren, and his wife Sam set out on the long drive to the event.

The first stop starts off with a bang, when Cassidy runs headfirst into a handsome stranger. And for the first time in a long while, Cassidy is taken with this hardheaded stranger that she will never see again. Or will she?

She runs into this handsome man a second time and thinks its just coincidence.

When he shows up at the same event in the room next door, Cassidy thinks he’s a stalker. But he convinces her he isn’t.

All Cassidy had to worry about was the safety of her raccoons while she was gone.

Now will she have to worry about her heart?

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Super cute, quick read! If you are one who frequents author events as a read or an author, this is a great read. Ms. Daniels puts a sweet spin on Cassidy, an author getting ready for an event to meet readers, having a road trip with her brother and sister-in-law but also finding a bit of love on the way. Cassidy is one of those types of people that I would call an extroverted introvert. They tend to keep to themselves unless they really know you. However, the pull that Cassidy has to Jack makes her a bit more adventurous. Oh, and the raccoons, they have a special place in my heart. I would have liked the story to be a bit longer as some of it felt a bit rushed but overall, I recommend this if you are looking for a cute and quick read.