There are worse things in life than loving a man who hates you.

Unfortunately, Walford Gallifrey can’t think of many.

Ever since a ghost from his past kidnapped his niece, Willow (THE FOUND, Crow City #2), Wally’s life has been nothing but grief, turmoil, and loss. With no idea if Willow is dead or alive, Wally’s only comfort is in caring for his grieving brother-in-law and Willow’s father, Joseph Armitage. For the past twenty years, Wally has never hoped to be anything but the backdrop to Joseph’s life; between marrying Wally’s sister and decades of mistakes building walls of enmity and resentment between them, Joseph has been firmly cemented in Wally’s mind as unattainable.

But the pain of Willow’s loss forces them to face the demons sleeping between them, find common ground—and more. Together, they explore mutual grief. Shared memories. Quiet respect. Warmth. Camaraderie. The joy of learning to live again.

And an unspoken attraction, buried beneath the scars of hurtful words and terrible missteps. 

Yet even as they work through the thorns and tangles of old wounds, Joseph has his own struggles to face. The struggle to leave his ex-wife in the past. To let his daughter go. And to trust Wally to love him, to see him as more than just his multiple sclerosis, when so many have treated him as less than a man. The only way forward for them both is forgiveness. Trust.

And a second chance to discover what it means, to truly be in love.

This is the fifth book in the series, after two novels and two novellas and the first queer one. And unlike all the previous, it's so much lighter, happier and heart-warming and how it can any other way when one the heroes is Walford Gallifrey. He brought warmth and tenderness even in the darkest moments in the previous books, so I couldn't his own story any other way. 

We get the story of two older characters, Wally - a circus ringmaster, whimsical and caring and lonely, having had a crush on Joseph since they met over 20 years ago. The other - Joseph, suffering from MS, angry, abandoned and alone. They have a history with its ups and downs, and some serious hurt of unpack and overcome. There are expectations of each other to change. And revelations, so many revelations to absorb.

Joseph has a lot to deal with, including realising he is bi but that is not what this story is about. I liked how the author didn't make this focus of the romance. It's just one aspect of his personality, yes, a bit unexpected both for him and for Wally, yet he accepts it in stride. It's just what it is and no one in the story (their friends and family) made a big deal about it. 

I really liked how the focus in their relationship was on intimacy, companionship, being together - sexually and in all other ways, in their everyday lives. It's not all smooth sailing. They keep hurting each other inadvertently, but never give up on trying. We see them learning their way around each other, how to express their love for each other, how to be there for the other in sickness and in health, in good time and bad times. 

I'm avoiding any spoilers, so let me just say we see more of Willson and Vin and Gabriel and Leigh and it's perfect!

The writing is what I have come to expect from Cole McCade - lyrical, emotional, evocative. He builds these rich, powerful images that stay with the reader long after they have finished the book.

Autumn could be read as a standalone though I definitely recommend reading the previous books in the series before it, or at least the novella, The Saved. They will give you a deeper insight into the world of Crow City and its inhabitants, including Wally and Joseph.

I'm really happy to welcome Dal MacLean for the regular New and Debut spotlight. She is the author of Bitter Legacy, mm romantic suspense, which was just announced to be a Lambda Literary Awards finalist in the Mystery category! Read on to see what inspires her to write her stories and what you can expect from her in the future. There is also short excerpt from Bitter Legacy for you to enjoy. 

BLURB

AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS

Dal Maclean comes from Scotland. Her background is in journalism, and she has an undying passion for history, the more gossipy and scandalous the better. Dal has lived in Asia and worked all over the world, but home is now the UK. She dislikes the Tragic Gay trope, but loves imperfect characters and genuine emotional conflict in romantic fiction. As an author, and a reader, she believes it’s worth a bit of work to reach a happy ending. Agatha Christie, English gardens and ill-advised cocktails are three fatal weaknesses, though not usually at the same time.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

EXCERPT

The door on the left at the top of the first flight of stairs appeared identical to the one on the ground floor—paneled and freshly glossed white. But though James knocked on it, ignoring the intercom-man’s instructions, and though he definitely heard voices behind it, it remained stubbornly closed. He knocked again. The door didn’t open. The man had meant what he said.

James had no real reason to feel as pissed off as he did. The man inside couldn’t know he was a detective investigating a murder. He wasn’t purposely disrespecting the police. Yet, as James lurked, frustrated, in the plush hallway, stealing irritated glances at his watch, he found himself almost deliberately pushing himself to conclusions.

The visitor in there had an appointment. And the man who’d answered had said there’d be another right after James.

So. What kind of men were most likely to have serial “appointments” at expensive residential addresses? High-end hookers.

He glowered at the pristine door, copper’s imagination running with it.

Fuck—the last thing he needed was a vice collar right now, but he couldn’t exactly ignore a high-class prostitute operating under his nose.

Or maybe—he could. He really didn’t have time for this.

He frowned fiercely, slumped against the opposite wall. Then, without warning, the door to the flat opened with a shocking blaze of light, and a man slipped out into the hall.

James, as he straightened, could hardly fail to notice the guy was flamboyantly good looking—all extravagant cheekbones and pouty lips, like a catwalk model—and to all appearances, extremely pleased with himself. As he strutted past, he gave James a quick once-over and a knowing smirk, then he trotted down the stairs and out of sight.

James stared after him. He didn’t look like the kind of man who paid for it, but, if police-work had taught him anything, it’d be that people rarely obliged by fitting their stereotypes. Whatever the guy had been there for, he’d emerged appearing very satisfied indeed. James’s suspicions solidified.

“Sorry about that, mate. Overran a bit.”

James snapped his head back to stare at the figure now standing in the open doorway of the flat, assessing him in turn.

The man was startling. Caucasian, round about James’s height, but with a more slender build and thick, dark, shoulder-length hair in silky, loose curls. He had a fine bone structure, straight black brows and large, dark eyes whose color James couldn’t determine in the dimness of the hall. If the guy fucked for money, James thought in those first moments, he could fully understand how he could afford to live in Selworth Gardens.

Suddenly James felt very aware that, while he was wearing a very nice Paul Smith suit from his old life, it needed a good pressing. And after only three hours’ sleep, he could do with the equivalent himself.

The man smiled brilliantly, which rendered him even more startlingly attractive.

James found himself fighting not to blush. It was his fatal emotional tell and he hated it—a lifetime of self-discipline, and he still colored up like an adolescent.

“Hey,” the man said. “Come in.”

Title: Half

Authors: Eli Lang

Genre/Themes: MM fantasy romance

Release Date: 13 Feb 2017

Author links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Add on Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars

Blurb

Living between worlds has never been comfortable, but it’s where I’ve always fit: between human and fey, illness and health, magic and reality.

I’ve spent the last six years looking for a cure for the nameless sickness eating me up. If I believed there was one out there, I would keep searching. But there isn’t, so I’ve come back home, where my past and present tangle. Come home to live . . . and to die.

But my father insists I meet Kin. He’s a healer, and determined to help, even though I’m not so hopeful anymore. But Kin isn’t what I expected, in any way. He sees me, not my illness. He reminds me of what it’s like to be alive. And I can’t help falling for him, even though I know it isn’t fair to either of us.

Kin thinks he has the cure I’ve been looking for, but it’s a cure that will change everything: me, my life, my heart. If I refuse, I could lose Kin. But if I take it, I might lose myself.

Review

This is a debut novel and I was drawn to the premise of an urban fantasy with faeries and the while I enjoyed a lot of things in the story ultimately it was an OK read for me.

I loved the writing style, it's very lyrical, poetic and reminds me a bit of Alexis Hall's writing which I absolutely love.

Eli Lang tells a tender love story, subdued and quiet and in a way I missed there being a stronger conflict at the center of it. The mood was melancholic and self-reflective throughout the story and while I liked it and also felt it was too much at times.

Both main characters, Luke and Kin are interesting and well developed. The focus falls on Luke and his struggles to come to terms with his fate which leads to a lot introspection, thoughts on life and death, im(mortality), the meaning of love. I very much enjoyed how the author explored the complexity of human relations, the difficulty of building and maintaining meaningful connections with the people around.

The romance between Luke and Kin was something I really liked in the story. There was an easy, natural flow to it with the inevitable setbacks and both characters making mistakes and trying to overcome them. We see two people coming together and learning to be together and making compromises and ultimately respecting the decisions the other persons makes.

A major plot in the story was Luke's relationship with his sister and I felt it overshadowed the main plot at times. There was a lot of going back and forth in both relationships (Luke and Kin; Luke and his sister) and some repetition which I found annoying. This affected the flow of the story as a whole making go all too slow at times, nothing much happening.

I was the drawn to the (urban) fantasy setting  and found it interesting but in the end it felt underdeveloped. I was left wanting to learn more about the world of the different faeries.

The ending is a bit unconventional when it comes to romance though it was fitting and came as not surprise. It's a sort of HFN ending, not too optimistic but focused on the now and enjoying the good things while they last without thinking much of the future.

Despite the issues I had with this story, still I found it to be a very tender, imaginative romance beautifully told. It was not quite the right book for me but I loved the author's writing style and I want to read more of her books in the future.

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo  / Riptide

Title: Madly (New York #2)

Author: Ruthie Knox

Date of publication: 14 March 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Author's links:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Add to Goodreads 

My rating: 4.5 stars

Blurb

The privileged members of the Knickerbocker Club can never climb too high up the social ladder. But for one charming New York bachelor, does the ascent take precedence over love in the Gilded Age?

As owner of a well-respected national newspaper, Calvin Cabot has the means to indulge his capricious taste for excess—and the power to bring the upper crust of society to its knees. So when a desperate heiress from his past begs for his help, Calvin agrees . . . as long as she promises to stay out of his way. Except, like the newsman, this willful beauty always gets what she wants.

Lillian Davies lives a life brimming with boundless parties, impressive yachts, and exotic getaways. But when her brother disappears, Lily knows that blood runs thicker than champagne and she'll spare nothing to bring him back alive. Unfortunately, the only man who can help her is the one she never wanted to see again. Can Lily keep Calvin at arm's length long enough to save her brother and protect her name . . . even when the tenacious powerbroker turns out to be absolutely irresistible?

I enjoy this intriguing series a lot, the first two book were a lot of fun to read. I had great expectations of this one too and till the very end it was a solid 4 star read till the very end but the very abrupt and rushed ending spoiled it all for me.

I like the Gilded Age NY setting, the abundant historical details built a powerful sense of time and place and brought me deep into the story and really bring into to the story. This story focused a lot of the social/political issues of the period - the situation with the Chinese immigrants and the women entering business. 

I found the way the Chinese characters were presented convincing and respectful. There were the main part of the subplot but also central to the conflict in the main plot. I dare say the author created complex diverse characters and focused on their issues even though the main couple were white American.

What I enjoyed the most in this book was the romance itself. It was a second chance, lovers-to enemies-to lovers story that I found absolutely fascinating. The chemistry between Calvin and Lilly was explosive and I appreciate the sex positive attitude the author created by giving us a heroine who acted free and wild and uninhibited with her lover. 

The mystery element of the plot worked well for me as well. It kept me invested till the end but never overshadowing the romance. 

My greatest disappointment was the ending. I literally tapped my Kindle repeatedly hoping to open the next page. I just couldn't believe the author ended a well plotted, complex love story in such a rushed unsatisfactory way.

Another Monday, another new author to meet. Stop by to meet Emily Leigh, author of contemporary romance. You can read what she shared about herself and there is a short excerpt from her latest release, Kiss me, Cooper, for you to enjoy.

1. Tell us about yourself and why did you decide to become a romance writer?

I’ve always read. In fact, I can’t recall a single childhood memory in which I a) didn’t have a book or b) wish I had a book. For a while, when I got grounded a lot because I was super rebellious (or an angel, let’s go with misunderstood angel), it was actually pretty spectacular because I was sent to my room with no TV and no other people. DO YOU KNOW HOW AWESOME THAT WAS? It was awesome. Anyway, I loved to read but I was and still kind of am, very specific about the types of books I read. I always wanted the happy ending. I always wanted the guy to get the girl and the villain to be vanquished. Romance gave me that. The first romance I ever read was a Nora Roberts I found stashed in the bottom of my mom’s sewing basket. In my house, books belonged to everyone so imagine my surprise when I found a hidden book. Imagine my further surprise (I think I was 12 or 13) when I opened the book to the page my mom had marked and there was kissing with a tongue and then… other things with a tongue. I had two thoughts: 1. I shouldn’t be reading this but holy hell was I going to keep reading and 2. How could my mom stop reading right at this very point? I very quickly read the book – Montana Sky, I think it was, and then immediately blew all my babysitting money (I hated babysitting so this was a big deal to go through it all at once) on more Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and Norah Hess. Does anyone remember the absolute crazysauce that was Norah Hess? No? Do yourself a favor and go look up Snow Fire right now. Go on, I’ll wait. Just read the blurb and look at the cover. Then devour the story of Flame and Stone.

2. Can you share some of your favorite books and authors?

My number one favorite book (series because I’m a series girl) is Anne of Green Gables. I think this series was kind of ahead of its time. I mean, Anne is funny and resourceful and she overcomes the way she thinks she looks to get the boy in the end. And she makes him wait. She makes him agonize. She owns him. Plus, come on, Gilbert Blythe? Yes please.

Today my favorites are Nora (still), Kristan Higgins, Jennifer Crusie, Julia Quinn (because my first foray into romance was Regency and ho boy was that a hot mess but super fun) and Jo Goodman (hello cowboys and the incredible women who outmaneuver said cowboy every time).

One thing all these books/authors have in common is the type of heroine – smart, sassy, resourceful – and the character driven plots. These women aren’t afraid to go after what they want, once they realize what they want, and they sacrifice to get there making it all worth it in the end.

3. Who/what do you consider your writing influence/inspiration?

I take my cues from my favorite authors but I also love TV and movies. Netflix is my jam. One thing I noticed in TV is that a long-running series can be either a very excellent thing or a very disappointing thing. Consider 22 episodes over the course of say 10 years – how to you keep it exciting? Some of my lessons come from ahem, missteps of others. I will close a book or turn of a TV show if the writing ends up lazy which usually means the characters start changing personality for the sake of the conflict or the characters do the same thing over and over and over and never learn.

TV I love: Big Bang Theory, Homeland (I know, not happy at all), Santa Clarita Diet (which I recently discovered and devoured – which is a pun and a very good one if you’ve watched the show, thank you very much).

Movies I love: epics like Star Wars and Lord of the Ring, Pride and Prejudice (the 2003 version with Kiera Knightly… ducking), Juno, and Something’s Gotta Give.

4. What kind of stories can the readers expect from you?

Happy ones? Vague I know but 100% true. Real people dealing in real situations but with a touch of sparkly happiness that makes you feel good and want to sink into a hot bath with a glass of Coke (or wine, but I love Coke) or sit in a beach chair at the ocean all by yourself (kids are super overrated at the beach) and lose yourself in a story of a smart woman looking for her own brand of happy ever after.

5. Introduce your latest release

My latest release is part of a multi-author series set in present day Nashville. I visited there a few years ago with my fellow authors and fell completely and irrevocably in love with the city and the people.

In Kiss Me, Cooper, Georgia Montgomery learns that sometimes running away means finding home. And Cooper Quinn, the deliciously grumpy bookstore owner (seriously, how is that not hot – he’s a dude who loves books so much he has his own store) finds out that love happens whether he wants it or not – and he wants it, so bad! There is a road trip, a beach, a cat (named Cat Two or Cat Too or Jane Austen… it’s a whole thing) and did I mention the bookstore? It’s called The Angry Cat. Boom.

Excerpt

Lieutenant Ashwin Malhotra is a Makhai soldier--genetically engineered to be cold, ruthless. Unfeeling. His commanding officers consider him the perfect operative, and they're right. Now, he has a simple mission: to infiltrate Gideon's Riders, the infamous sect of holy warriors that protects the people of Sector One.

He's never failed to execute an objective, but there's one thing he didn't anticipate--running into Dr. Kora Bellamy, the only woman to ever break through his icy exterior.

When Kora fled her life as a military doctor for the Makhai Project, all she wanted was peace--a quiet life where she could heal the sick and injured. The royal Rios family welcomed her like a sister, but she could never forget Ashwin. His sudden reappearance is a second chance--if she can manage to touch his heart.

When the simmering tension between them finally ignites, Kora doesn't realize she's playing with fire. Because she's not just falling in love with a man who may not be able to love her back. Ashwin has too many secrets--and one of them could destroy her.

This is my first book by this author duo, though I have some idea about the Beyond series, since I have read some of the free chapters available on their site. This is a spin-off series which I'm happy to say works rather well on its own. 

The authors build an intriguing dystopian world mixed with religious beliefs and a strong sense of community. We see it mostly through the eyes of Ashwin, a genetically modified soldier, and Kora, a highly skilled doctor/healer. And it's fascinating how they both discovered this unfamiliar world and become part of it.

Ashwin is is the type of hero I love reading about the most - socially awkward, a killing machine which the system tried to dehumanize completely. His awakening to a life of feelings, was a long, painful journey of trial and error. 

And Kora, I have so much love (and deep sympathy) for Kora. She was Ashwin's opposite but as it turns out they are more alike that anyone can suspect. In a way she is also on a journey of discovering her place in Sector One, of discovering and embracing the joy of belonging to a community of people who care about and love each other. I loved how the story explores the complexity of forming and maintaining relationships, especially in times of war, when people are often driven to desperate actions.

The community in Sector One was truly outstanding. There is a strong sense of joy and living your life to the fullest but also providing care and support to those who needed. 

The story presents us with an intriguing set of supporting characters, both the Riders (hello, Zeke!) and the rest of the people in Sector One and I'm excited to read more about them. 

It's a fast-paced story, both introspective at times and full of action at other times. There are quite a few plot twists that kept me turning pages almost feverishly. And the love story at the center of it all was beautiful - very sensual but also emotional and intimate.

Titlle: An Unseen Attraction (Sins of the Cities #1)
Author: KJ Charles
Genre/Themes: Historical, MM romance
Release Date: 21 Feb 2017

Author's links: Website / Twitter / FB Group / Goodreads
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My rating: 4 Stars

Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He’s happy with his hobbies, his work—and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship...

Rowley just wants to be left alone—at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding... it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered.

Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they’re to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets—and their hearts. 

This is the start of new Victorian queer romance series by one of my favourite authors of historical romance, and I was super excited to read it. And then I was really happy and thoroughly delighted when i read it.

This a romance coupled with some mystery in the tradition of Victorian sensational novels but with gay characters and told from the POV of the less fortunate half of society - the sort of middle class professional Rowley who is a taxidermist and Clem who is half-Indian and the bastard son of an Earl.

The writing is perfect as one has come to expect from KJ Charles, it the story flows smoothly despite a somewhat slow start. The pace of the mystery/thriller aspect picks up after the middle and I became totally engrossed in this element of the plot. 

And the romance, oh the romace is just beautiful. We see two real men with their strengths and weaknesses coming slowly together. Clem is neurodiverse, he suffers from dyspraxia and I didn't know anything about it before I read the book, yet the way KJ Charles portrayed his daily struggles made me feel deeply for him. And I found even more powerful is the way Rowley reacted to Clem's condition - with understanding, making some wrong assumptions along the way but always ready to listen and learn. 

The progress of Clem and Rowley's relationship was a pure delight to follow, friends to lover, to true partners, discovering each other's quirks, learning to be together. 

I like the strong sense of time and place the author created which I'd say is also typical of KJ Charles' stories. Meticulously research details of the places and the times as a whole really brought the story to life for me. 

I enjoyed meeting Clem's friends and as a supporting cast they were really intriguing, with Polish Mark being my personal favourite. (And of course, as my luck would have it, we get to read his story last).

Judging from other reviews it seems Clem is the readers' favourite in this story. And he absolutely deserves it - his kindness, his care for his fellow human beings were amazing and heart-warming. I found Rowley equally intriguing and he managed to tug at my heartstrings the same as Clem. His vulnerability, his fear for his life, were just normal human emotions, not something to be ashamed of or mocked for by the others. I really like the dynamics of power between Clem and Rowley and how it developed gradually and fitted them so well. 

This book was a great start to an intriguing new series, less overtly political than Society of Gentlemen but still very much politically and socially aware. The story highlights the diversity of the Victorian society in a natural and cohesive way (I enjoyed reading the bits on the Indian society Clem visits and the way his complex relationship with his origin was presented).

Meet Layla

1. Tell us about yourself and why did you decide to become a romance author? 

Most of the “romance author” credit goes to my grandmothers. One was an English professor and the other, who kept me after school, was a Southern storyteller and soap opera addict. Every afternoon, we watched her “programs” together. As a result, I was always drawn to the romance thread in books, movies and television shows. That lead me down the road to ’Shipper Fandom—a fan who pulls hard for a certain fictional couple to develop a romantic relationship. Mulder and Scully were my first big one, to the point I started writing fanfiction, not really realizing that I was writing romance. I got diverted a bit with my other career, but fandom eventually captured my interest once more—The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, Castle, Suits, to name a few—and I started writing fanfiction again. Around the same time, a fandom friend recommended I read Kristen Ashley. From there, it was all over. I became a ravenous romance reader, began working on my own original stories, and here I am a few years later with my first published romance. Can’t seem to shake those FBI agents (or redheads) though!

2. Can you share some of your favorite books and authors? 

I read widely across romance subgenres. The only thing I don’t read much of is historical, but put a KJ Charles romance in front of me and I’ll devour it. Kristen Ashley is a favorite, especially her Colorado Mountain and ‘Burg series with their overarching mystery and town plots. Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series was probably the one I inhaled fastest. Living in the Bay Area, I especially love her reimagined San Francisco. I started reading male/male romance first in slash fanfiction years ago, then more recently after falling in love with Lord John from the Outlander series. About the same time, I saw Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban’s Cut & Run series on a list of Must-Read Romantic Suspense. I emerged from the Ty/Zane fog a week later a total fan of the genre. HelenKay Dimon’s Tough Love series is another m/m romantic suspense favorite. In contemporary m/m romance, Santino Hassell, Alexis Hall, Megan Erickson and Annabeth Albert are auto-buys for me. And finally, in SFF, Jensen & Burke’s Chaos Station series, C.S. Pacat’s Captive Prince Trilogy, and Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series. 

3. Who/what do you consider your writing inspiration?

My romance and suspense leanings definitely draw from my television fandom background. In addition to the above-mentioned soaps, Hills Street Blues and every airplane fighter pilot movie ever were often played in our house. The other major influence is my experience living on both coasts. I was raised in North Carolina, but have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for ten-plus years now. As a result, my characters are often from one state or the other—Jamie’s from a North Carolina town not far from where I grew up and Aidan’s family, after immigrating from Ireland, settled one town over from where I live now. Some of my favorite locations and foods also inspire the same—the Tavern, Jamie and Aidan’s shared Blue Bottle coffee addiction, Jamie’s penchant for fried chicken, something almost every North Carolinian shares, and in AIW2, Aidan and Jamie travel to North Carolina for their case, the location and case borne out of my love for college basketball. I’m a UNC alum after all! Then in AIW3, some of Silicon Valley’s most notable places and themes are featured.

4. What kind of stories can the readers expect from you?

Adrenaline-fueled romance—that’s my tagline and that’s what readers are going to get. In my romantic suspense, I aim for a balance of plot and romance that keeps readers flipping pages into the wee hours. *Shares all the coffee* And in my contemporary romance, I think readers will see adrenaline, of one sort or another, fuels my characters and keeps the plot steam-rolling ahead.

5. Can you introduce your upcoming release?

Agents Irish and Whiskey is about widowed FBI agent and Irish ex-pat, Aidan Talley, falling hard for handsome, younger Cyber agent, Jameson “Whiskey” Walker, as they investigate cybercrimes and the murder of Aidan’s late husband. In Single Malt, Irish and Whiskey investigate a series of hacks at a biocontainment facility as they work to stop a potentially deadly terrorist attack. Aidan and Jamie are also trying (and failing) to stop their growing romantic attraction, a distraction they don’t need if they’re going to solve the case and save their hearts and lives in time.

Blurb

Eight months after the car crash that changed everything, FBI agent Aidan Talley is back at work. New department, new case and a new partner. Smart, athletic and handsome, Jameson Walker is twelve years his junior. Even if Aidan was ready to move on—and he's not—Jamie is off-limits. 

Jamie's lusted after Aidan for three years, and the chance to work with San Francisco's top agent directly is too good to pass up. Aidan is prickly—to put it mildly—but a growing cyber threat soon proves Jamie's skills invaluable. 

Jamie's talents paint a target on his back, and Aidan is determined to protect him. But with hack after hack threatening a high-security bio-containment facility, time is running out to thwart a deadly terrorist attack. They'll have to filter out distractions, on the case and in their partnership, to identify the real enemy, solve the case and save thousands of lives, including their own. 

Purchase links: Carina Press | Amazon | Google Play | Kobo | iTunes| B&N

Author Bio and Links

2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist, Layla Reyne, was raised in North Carolina but now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline fueled suspense and heart pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs. You can find her online at http://www.laylareyne.com/. 

Connect with Layla: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads