HEMOVORE RE-RELEASE DAY REVIEW AND PROMO!


HELLO FRIENDS, BELOW IS MY PROMO POST AND RE-RELEASE DAY REVIEW FOR HEMOVORE, BY JORDAN CASTILLO PRICE! LOOK BELOW FOR MY REVIEW AND MUCH MORE INCLUDING AN EXCERPT! 


Title: Hemovore
Edition: 2, re-edited with additional content, including the bonus 30-page novelette, Sweet
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Length: 96,000 words
ISBN: 978-1-935540-88-5
Publisher: JCP Books
Cover Artist: Jordan Castillo Price

Buy Links:
Amazon paperback http://amzn.to/2kD0yLL
Amazon kindle book http://amzn.to/2kho1oq



OH BOY DOES THIS QUOTE FIT THIS BOOK! HERE IS MY REVIEW: 

HEMOVORE
by: Jordan Castillo Price
reviewed by: Becky

Mark Hansen thought working as artist’s assistant would be glamorous, especially if that artist was a vampire. Black tie events, witty repartee, gracing the pages of the local style section…. Didn’t happen. Not even once.
Jonathan Varga is an enigma. True, he’s quiet, generous, and scrupulously polite. But he has zero social life, refuses to be interviewed or photographed, and insists he can only consume feline blood.
Why supermarket blood won't suffice, Mark hasn’t asked. He’s rarely at a loss for words—he can dish an insult and follow it with a snap as quick as you can say “Miss Thang.” But one look at Jonathan’s black-as-sin gypsy eyes, and Mark’s objections drain away.
So he endures the perpetual grind of their routine: Jonathan hiding in his studio, swiping black paint onto black canvases. Mark hurling insults while he buffs the office to a shine with antiviral wipes. Each of them avoiding the other in a careful choreography…until a blurb in Art in America unleashes a chain of harrowing events.
As secrets from Jonathan’s past are brought to light, it becomes clear that all his precautions weren’t nearly enough.
(First edition originally published in 2009. Second expanded edition includes the bonus novelette, Sweet.)



I adore Mark, he had me at Hoagie Flavored Meatball Water (trust me you'll get it :P)!! He is snarky and sharp, and everything you would expect a Jordan Castillo Price character to be! I love this author and her ability to craft amazing characters as well as stories! 

Mark works for artist Jonathan, and his life is far from normal let me tell you! Mark keeps Jonathan's life in order, but it isn't the fun filled time that Mark thought he would have as a Vampire's assistant. What is Jonathan hiding from? Can Mark handle it when he finds out? 

Boy is this book amazing, and it would be a shame to spoil it for you, so you are just gonna have to grab it and read it for yourselves, trust me you will love it as much as I did! Thanks Jordan, for another amazing read! 

                                                    the 5 glove rating :P

I JUST HAD TO DO THE GLOVE RATING BECAUSE OF...REASONS :p GRAB THE BOOK FROM THE LINKS ABOVE AND FIND OUT WHY! NOW FOR AN EXCERPT: 

The blood is the life.
So Hollywood’s been telling us, and maybe it’s true, but water is where the real money’s being made. Water should be free—it falls from the sky, after all—but there it was on the shelf in slick, designer-looking bottles, selling for four, five bucks apiece. Water. It had become the fastest-growing, highest-grossing product on the market.

I felt vaguely guilty as I steered my shopping cart full of Lean Cuisines down the water aisle, but only vaguely. Jonathan had never forbidden me to shop in the water aisle—only the vampire aisle. Though you could argue that they were practically one and the same, especially since water now came in such flavors as Dew Kissed Pear Orchard and…Meatball Hoagie.

I did a double take. Yes indeed, I’d read the label correctly. Meatball Hoagie De-Lite. I rotated a bottle so I could read the label. The first ingredient was water. That was encouraging. A bunch of scientific-sounding words followed. Additives? Preservatives? Hard to say. All I knew for sure was that the bottle of flavored water I was scrutinizing had more chemicals in it than my Aunt Trixie at the last ill-fated Hansen family Thanksgiving gathering.

The shelf had a bright orange tag dangling from the edge. Meatball Hoagie De-Lite was on sale, three for $11—which was irritating, since eleven isn’t readily divisible by three, and which, I suspected, was the very reason it had been priced that way. It couldn’t hurt to try it, since it was on sale and all, but I wasn’t about to put it on Jonathan’s credit card with the rest of our food. Maybe he looked at the receipts, or maybe he shoved them all into a shoebox for his accountant to handle, but either way, I didn’t want to be stuck explaining my sudden perverse desire to taste sandwich-flavored water.
Maybe I had some cash.

I slipped off my store glove to avoid contaminating my pocket and felt around for my money clip. Empty. But wait, there was a papery sort of rustling behind the foil-wrapped antiviral wipe. I plucked the paper out triumphantly, fully expecting it to be a five…and found a McDonald’s receipt instead. For the record, I never eat at McDonald’s. Not unless I’m fainting from low blood sugar, or I’m stuck at the apex of a particularly long and circuitous route.

I gazed fondly at the receipt. The Big Mac had been divine. And the fries were golden perfection. I hadn’t been imagining money where it didn’t exist—there really had been a five. However, that particular bit of currency now resided in the antimicrobial cash register beneath the Golden Arches.

Vampire water never tasted as good as I imagined it would, anyway. There was no heft to it. No calories. No fat. And the flavors either faded so fast that I couldn’t be sure I’d even tasted them, or they lingered on as strange and intrusive aftertastes. It was just as well that I had no cash to waste on an outrageously priced bottle of water, especially since I still hadn’t managed to calculate its exact cost.

I’d turned away from the display and was fully prepared to wheel my shopping cart away, and as I tried to stuff my hand back into my store glove, a thought occurred to me. Did the water taste like bread? It would have to, wouldn’t it? Otherwise it would be bouillon. Clear, chemically replicated bouillon without any actual meat stock, but bouillon, nonetheless. What made this particular flavor of water taste like a hoagie?

It was while I was in this vulnerable state of confusion that the goth girl accosted me.
“Hiya!” She was up close and personal—and her hand slid into my poor, vulnerable bare hand before I even knew what hit me.

HAHA, GOTTA LOVE MARK RIGHT? NOW FOR A TEASER: 

Safe sex. As if. No sex with a vampire was safe sex. You couldn’t even dry-kiss without someday finding yourself on the long road to a permanent liquid diet…if you even survived all three hideous stages of the disease, which a majority of the people who contracted it did not.

YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK NOW RIGHT? YOU WILL LOVE IT!!! HERE IS A BIO AND SOCIAL LINKS FOR JORDAN AS WELL AS HER BOOKS, WHICH ARE AMAZING: 



Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the midwest, from inner city Chicago, to rural small town Wisconsin, to liberal Madison. Her influences include Ouija boards, Return of the Living Dead, "light as a feather, stiff as a board," girls with tattoos and boys in eyeliner.
Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her mind-bending trilogy Mnevermind, where memories are made...one client at a time.

JORDAN'S BOOKS: 






Jordan on the Web
JCP Books Online Store
Jordan's Facebook Fan PageJCP Update Yahoo Group
LiveJournal Blog
Twitter
JCP Gifts (official merchandise)
Jordan on Goodreads

Jordan's Books

PsyCop Stories:


PSYCOP PAPERBACKS
PsyCop: Property
- Paperback, contains Body & Soul and Secrets
PsyCop: Partners - Paperback, contains Among the Living and Criss Cross
Camp Hell: A PsyCop Novel - Paperback
GhosTV: A PsyCop Novel - Paperback
Spook Squad: A PsyCop Novel - Paperback


Also available at:


PSYCOP EBOOKS
1 - Among the Living
2 - Criss Cross
3 - Body & Soul
4 - Secrets
5 - Camp Hell
6 - GhosTV
7- Spook Squad

PSYCOP SHORTS
0.1 - Inside Out
2.1 - Striking Sparks
2.2 - Many Happy Returns
1.1 - Thaw
2.3 - Mind Reader
3.1 - Stroke of Midnight



Channeling Morpheus
CHANNELING MORPHEUS PAPERBACKS
Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary
at Amazon.com
at Amazon.co.uk
at Amazon.de
at Amazon.ca
at Amazon.fr
at Amazon.co.jp


CHANNELING MORPHEUS EBOOK SERIES, multiple formats
Heaven Sent- FREE promo ebook
Payback
Vertigo
Manikin
Tainted
Rebirth
Brazen
Snare
Fluid
Swarm
Elixir
Jackpot (short)
Canine (short)


Mnevermind
Making memories, one client at a time.


Zero Hour
A dystopian adventure



Starving Years
Imagine a world without hunger....





Other Stories:



Starlight
Verdant
Kindred Spirits
Sympathy
Sleepwalker
Betweentimes
Kindle Editions:


Many Happy Returns - Kindle Edition
Starlight - Kindle Edition
Kindred Spirits - Kindle Edition
Striking Sparks - Kindle Edition
Verdant - Kindle Edition
The Voice - Kindle Edition
The Serpent in the Garden (m/f) - Kindle Edition
Hemovore - Kindle Edition





THERE YOU HAVE IT FRIENDS: CHECK OUT THESE LINKS! SEE YOU GUYS NEXT TIME! 







SPELL FALL RELEASE DAY REVIEW!


HELLO FRIEDS, I'M HERE WITH MY RELEASE DAY REVIEW OF SPELL FALL: THE WARLOCK BROTHERS OF HAVENBRIDGE 4: by JACOB FLORES, AND BOY IS THIS BOOK A GREAT ADDITION TO THIS AMAZING SERIES! BELOW IS MY REVIEW, THE LINK, AND EVEN AN EXCERPT: LET'S TAKE A LOOK! 



I LOVE THIS QUOTE! HERE IS MY REVIEW: 

Spell Fall
The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge 4
by: Jacob Flores
reviewed by: Becky

The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge: Book Four
Love and trust made them soul mates, but destiny might have other plans.
Ever since Drake Carpenter fell in love with warlock Mason Blackmoor, his life has been one supernatural battle after another, but Drake doesn’t mind… much. To be with Mason and experience the magical connection they share, Drake would face entire hordes of vampyren, shifters, or fae—and he has. Luckily Drake is immune to magic, though no one can explain his natural ability to negate almost any enchantment. With Drake’s own family gone, Mason is all he has. So why is Drake experiencing disturbing dreams about Mason that terrify him?
A new threat looms on the horizon, and a revelation about Drake’s identity and the true origin of his bond with Mason shatters everything Drake believes. If Drake, Mason, and all of magic are to survive the coming Spell Fall, the most destructive curse in sorcery, Drake must deal with the truth and fight his way back to Mason—because their enemies are gaining strength, and they intend to reach the boy Drake loves first.


Holy crap do I love this series, and this book is the perfect addition to it! How Jacob Flores can craft a whole world and everyone in it that you are just convinced is real it's so well written is beyond me! 

Drake is so good for Mason and he loves him dearly, Mason is all Drake has and all he wants for that matter. There may be something trying to shake the foundations of all Drake holds dear, and he just can't let that happen, but how can he stop it? 

Drake finds out a lot about himself in this book, I always knew he was special but just you wait...! Can Mason and Drake keep their love strong and their family safe against all odds? What does Drake have that someone wants so badly? 

Oh man I love this book, but you guys know I don't so spoilers so I can't say anymore, but I will urge you to grab this book today! Thanks Jacob for a kick ass book 4 I won't soon forget!

                                         the 5 Spring rainstorm rating :)

OH MAN DID I HAVE THE SWEETEST REASON FOR THIS RATING! GRAB THE BOOK BELOW TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS! 

DREAMSPINNER LINK

NOW FOR AN EXCERPT!!

“ARE YOU okay, Drake?”
No, I wasn’t okay. In fact, I was about as far away from being okay as you could possibly get, but my throat kept me from answering. I glanced into the face and eyes of the boy I loved. Mason shook the strands of hair away from his face, but he couldn’t shake away the sadness that flooded his gaze. It told me he’d do anything to take away my pain.
If only grief could be spirited away so easily.
I swallowed hard, trying to force my throat open to respond, but the emotions that bubbled up from my soul refused to budge. They sat there, waiting for the moment when my resolve fell and the pain ripping me to pieces inside came flooding out.
Mason moved to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my chest, holding me tight. I inhaled his musky, sweet scent and embraced the warmth of his touch and the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat. His love and devotion prevented me from being swept away by the pain I’d yet to fully express.
It told me that I didn’t have to talk. All I had to do was be held.
I leaned into his touch, drawing on the strength he always gave me, and returned my attention to the sturdy half Cape house surrounded by the white picket fence. I could still see my aunt Millie tending to the garden and fussing at me for helping her. God, how she hated that! She would always tell me she could do it her damn self, and despite her advanced age, painful arthritis, and heart arrhythmia, she meant every word. She was the definition of an independent woman with a spirit stronger than a wild mustang running across the prairie, and this house had been her pride and joy.
It was also where she had been murdered, where magic stole something dear from me, and where my aunt Millie had been turned into a vampyre. My heart sank.
“I miss her somethin’ awful.” The white plumes of vapor that exited my body in short, rapid spurts told me it was cold, but I couldn’t feel the sharp sting of the chilly air. I had been numb ever since I woke up that morning because I knew that today I’d be saying one final good-bye to the house that had been my home for too brief a time.
Mason held me tighter, rubbing his cheek against mine. It always made me feel safe when he did that. It told me he was here for whatever I needed. He’d been there for me ever since we met, even if we didn’t particularly like each other at first.
He had protected me, saved me, loved me, and given the boy who had lost his entire world a new family.
“I miss her too. She was the best.”
I nodded, tears streaming down my cheeks. She was the best of the best, and this world was a sadder place now that the monster Ben Crane had turned her into had replaced the Millicent Carpenter I knew. The five-foot-three woman with a heart of gold and a soul of steel was gone. Only a seven-foot-tall vampyre with jagged teeth and a prehensile tongue remained, and the woman who once did everything she could to protect me now tried to kill me every time our paths crossed.
And I was likely going to have to run a stake through her heart.

UMM, YEAH, TOLD YOU THIS BOOK WAS GOOD! THANKS FOR JOINING ME FOR MY RELEASE DAY REVIEW OF SPELL FALL, I KNOW YOU GUYS WILL LOVE IT! SEE YOU NEXT TIME!




NACHOS & HASH RELEASE DAY REVIEW!


HELLO GUYS, MY GIRL GRACE IS HERE WITH HER RELEASE DAY REVIEW OF NACHOS & HASH; MARY'S BOYS 1 BY BRANDON WITT! GRACE AND I BOTH LOVE THIS AUTHOR AND ALL HIS BOOKS AND THIS ONE IS ANOTHER HIT! LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT GRACE'S REVIEW: 

Nachos and Hash
By: Brandon Witt
Release Date: January 25, 2017
Length:  33,908 words/105 pages
Reviewed by: Grace
Price:  $3.99
Blurb
Darwin Michaels is living his dreams in the Mile High City. While Denver offers the perfect job, scrumptious dining, and whirlwind dating options, Darwin is losing hope he’ll find the right man to spark his interest for more than a one-night stand—until he sets eyes on Cody Russell.

Cody has just accomplished his life’s goal—get the hell out of Kansas. In one fell swoop, he lands a job at Hamburger Mary’s and gets a newfound family and the chance to be with other gay people! All that’s missing is someone special. But when Darwin shows his interest, Cody is sure it’s too good to be true. After all, what can Darwin possibly see in the high school dropout serving him nachos?

As Darwin falls in love, Cody struggles to realize his worth. When his past threatens the fragile life he is building, Cody spirals into a moment of dark desperation. But Darwin is determined to show Cody that love and family and home are there for him… will Cody accept what is offered?

QUOTE


Review:

There is never any doubt that this is one of my favorite authors and once again, he has brought a wonderful story full of love and hope. 
Cody is just happy to be able to be himself, openly gay and living on his own.  He still worries about his parents finding out about him but he’s happier than he’s ever been.  Darwin has been dating constantly, trying to find his Mr. Right but he’s ready to just let it go and be done with the dating scene for a while.  Then he sees Cody, literally while he is having his dating epiphany, and decides to try one more time (once he’s sure Cody is 21).
This story is so strong, with the loss and rebirth of hope, for both men.  Be prepared to cry, a lot, and cheer for and with both men as they work through their issues and learn to be there for each other.  I am so excited to see this series started and I can’t wait to get the next one!      

Rating:



The 5 ManDonna’s Stiletto Rating because, well, of course, why not!

OMG GRACE! THIS IS FANTASTIC, JUST LIKE THIS BOOK! BELOW IS THE SALES LINK GUYS: GRAB THIS ONE TODAY, I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO BOOK 2! 

Dreamspinner Link

THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR GRACE'S RELEASE DAY REVIEW OF NACHOS AND HASH! SEE YOU GUYS NEXT TIME! 



RELEASE BLITZ POST & REVIEW: HIPSTER BROTHEL!!


HELLO FRIENDS, I'M HERE WITH MY RELEASE BLITZ POST AND REVIEW OF HIPSTER BROTHEL BY K.A. MERIKAN, AND BOY IS THIS A GREAT BOOK! LOOK BELOW FOR MY REVIEW AND MORE INCLUDING A GIVEAWAY, LET'S GET TO IT! 




Length: 50,000 words





Blurb

The lumberjack of his dreams is now available for rent.

Mr. B has always been a safe guy for Jo to crush on. He’s the cutest bearded lumber-god to salivate over. Add to that his friendly, outgoing personality, and Mr. B might just be the first guy Jo would be willing to kiss. Fortunately, Mr. B has been in a relationship for years, and Jo is no home-wrecker.

But when Mr. B breaks up with his partner and all of a sudden is single, available, and talks about his plans to be sexually adventurous, Jo isn’t so sure anymore if he has the guts to come out as bisexual.

After a sour breakup, Mr. B wants to show his ex that he’s independent, exciting, and can do very well without him. His best friend Jo is there to the rescue, and they come up with a great new business venture. One thing they lack to start their own line of artisanal boozy jams - money for the investment.

After a drunken brainstorming session, Mr. B finds a way to both gather the cash and show the middle finger to his ex. He will create a one of a kind Hipster Brothel - The Lumbersexual Experience - offering wood chopping lessons, pipe smoking, and a reclaimed wood bed where the magic happens. It’s bound to be a success… if only Mr. B can go through with it, because the mixed signals from Jo are making him wonder if his best friend is as straight as he always seemed.


MY REVIEW: 


OH MAN I LOVE THIS QUOTE FOR THIS BOOK, SO TRUE! HERE IS WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT HIPSTER BROTHEL:

I was so excited to read this book, because one thing I have realized about a K.A. Merikan book is they always give you something different and wonderful, this book was that and more! . 

Jo has crushed on Mr. B for what seems like forever, but between Mr. B's relationship, their friendship, and Jo not having come out as bi, there seems to be no hope. Then Mr B. breaks up with his partner, and he  has the great idea for the Hipster Brothel, or is it such a great idea after all?

Can Jo have the man of his dreams, or will the Brothel show Mr. B he doesn't wanna be tied down at all? This is such a great book, you will be hooked on the first page just like I was! Thanks K.A., you guys have done it again! 

                                               the 5 fresh donut rating :)

I JUST HAD TO DO THIS RATING 'FRESH DONUTS UNLOCK LIPS' AFTER ALL :p! HERE ARE THE BUY LINKS, SNATCH HIPSTER HOTEL UP TODAY! 



BELOW IS A BIO FOR K.A. MERIKAN, I LOVE THESE LADIES AND YOU WILL TOO! 

Author Bio

K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken for sisters with surprising regularity. Kat’s the mean sergeant and survival specialist of the duo, never hesitating to kick Agnes’s ass when she’s slacking off. Her memory works like an easy-access catalogue, which allows her to keep up with both book details and social media. Also works as the emergency GPS. Agnes is the Merikan nitpicker, usually found busy with formatting and research. Her attention tends to be scattered, and despite pushing thirty, she needs to apply makeup to buy alcohol. Self-proclaimed queen of the roads.

They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of – it will be full of surprises.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW FRIENDS, AND THANKS FOR JOINING ME FOR MY RELEASE BLITZ POST AND REVIEW OF HIPSTER BROTHEL, GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY! 







DEARLY STALKED RELEASE DAY REVIEW!!


HEY FRIENDS, I'M HERE WITH MY GIRL GRACE AND HER RELEASE DAY REVIEW OF DEARLY STALKED; BY ALLISON CASSATTA! I LOVE THIS AUTHOR AND THIS BOOK SO I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU GUYS TO SEE GRACE'S REVIEW: LET'S TAKE A LOOK! 


Dearly Stalked
By: Allison Cassatta
Release Date: January 23, 2017
Length:  85,294 words / 266 pages
Reviewed by: Grace

Blurb
Writing crime novels catapulted Memphis native Silas Cooper to fame and fortune, but when his words backfire and he becomes trapped in what could be one of his books, he needs a hero of his own.

Silas’s publicist insists he hire a personal assistant, and Silas chooses Scott Kramer. But before Scott starts, he already has a round of steamy phone sex to hold over Silas’s head, and his interest in his boss isn’t decreasing.

Benjamin Logan joined the Army to see the world, and while deployed he read every one of Silas’s books. With his military career over, Ben is back in Memphis working for the police department—and attempting a deeply closeted relationship with fellow cop Morgan Brown.

Over coffee, Silas and Ben become friends who support each other as relationships fall apart, and the attraction between them slowly emerges. When a dangerous stalker threatens Silas, it’s up to Ben to stop him.

If Ben fails, Silas might not live to tell this story… and Ben might not be able to live with himself.
QUOTE


I LOVE THIS QUOTE FOR THIS BOOK, HERE IS GRACE'S REVIEW: 


This book brings so many different facets with it; snark, terror, falling in and out of love and acceptance of others and oneself.  I was not prepared for the many of the issues Ben and Silas faced, so many of which they brought on themselves. 
Silas breaks down and hires an assistant to make his agent happy.  Becoming intimate with Scott wasn’t exactly the plan but what can it hurt?  The deeper into the on/off relationship with Scott, the more Silas realizes it could hurt a lot.
Ben is closed off from everyone, on purpose.  When he finally lets Morgan into his life, and bed, he is constantly fighting with himself about where they are heading and how he can deal with it. 
Through all of their relationship issues, Ben and Silas strike up a friendship, first built on fan/author dynamics but it eventually builds into a force of its own.  And when Silas is truly in trouble, they both realize just how important their relationship has become.  And even knowing this, right up to the very end, it’s hard to know if their relationship is going to make it.
It’s unusual for me to love a book as much as I do this one and have serious issues with the two main characters.  Silas is an uncompromising, sarcastic, selfish writer who doesn’t really concern himself with the feelings of anyone but himself, and possibly his agent.  Ben is a hard, uncompromising, closed-off police officer who never intends to allow anyone in.  I am 100 percent certain that without the influences of both Scott and Morgan on both men, their relationship would never have worked.  I literally found myself slinging curses at both Silas and Ben (and Ben’s father) for their inability to truly and openly communicate with anyone, but especially each other. 
And, even with all of that, or maybe because of it, I was well and truly sucked into their world.  This book has everything including a truly hard fought and won HEA.  I will definitely be looking up more from this author.

*Note-Severe on page domestic assault of a main character.

Rating:



A 5 Black Coffee Rating just for Ben.  It truly suits him in every way.

YES! I LOVE THIS REVIEW, GRACE WAS SO ON POINT WITH IT! I TRULY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AS WELL, AND I HOPE YOU WILL GRAB IT FROM THE BUY LINK ABOVE! HERE IS AN EXCERPT FOR YA! 

“HEY, Y’ALL,” Ben said, taking his usual spot at the end of the counter. His favorite Starbucks stayed pretty busy, what with all the UT med students trickling in after class and his buddies from Union Station. Heavy Midtown traffic also brought in the people wanting a break from the grind. They set up shop with their laptops and lattes, or books as huge as Ben’s bicep, taking up every seat at the large wooden table and the stuffed chairs huddled in groups of four. Ben didn’t get how anyone could concentrate on anything there. The place was always a freaking madhouse.
One of the men behind the counter sauntered up to the edge, leaned forward, and smiled. “What can I get you today?”
“Plain black coffee, please.”
“Plain black. You want the Veranda or something stronger?”
“Stronger. The stronger the better.”
The barista winked, grinned in a wicked kind of way. He knew what he was doing, flirting with a man who’d never mentioned anything about his sexuality, who did a pretty damn good job keeping a hetero facade. Whatever. Ben really didn’t care, and he damn sure didn’t reciprocate the flirting. Let ’em think what they want. Or maybe the barista acted like that with everyone and Ben was just paranoid. Freaking himself out for no damn reason.
“Plain black,” the barista said, sliding the cup in front of Ben’s face. He lingered a moment, hand still wrapped around the cardboard. What was he waiting for? A touch? A look? An invitation to keep flirting?
No. Absolutely not. “Thanks,” Ben said.
Shrugging, the guy turned on a heel and pranced down to the other end of the counter, then disappeared from sight into the back of the business.
Ben opened the black leather binder he kept all his forms and paperwork in, and he turned to a fresh page. He had a lot of jotting to do, and it was a hell of a lot easier to sit in a real chair, with a real solid surface, rather than on the side of a road somewhere in his squad car, and coffee was a damn good addition to his diet today. The only problem with that plan was every time the door opened and light flickered across his field of vision, he raised his head to check it out and always lost his place. That happened about three times before he lost interest and turned to Facebook for a little break. He didn’t find anything interesting there either.
Ben had every intention of getting back to his paperwork, but the door opened again. Moving glass reflected the sunlight and cast a shimmering glow over the otherwise darkened coffee shop. That’s when Ben saw him.
“Silas Cooper,” he whispered.
Now, he wasn’t the type to go all fangirl or whatever it was called. But holy shit. Silas Cooper. Ben had started reading Cooper’s books when he’d been deployed to the sandbox. Those books were part of the reason Ben became a cop when he got out of the Army. Those books were, are….
“Hello, officer,” Silas said with a smile.
“Hi.” Ben grinned wider, worrying the cup of coffee in his grip.
“Is this seat taken?”
“No. No, sir. Go ahead.”
“Sir. That’s cute.” Silas sat down beside him.
He sat like a proper gentleman: legs crossed high on his thighs, hands folded in his lap, posture as perfect as Ben had ever seen before. He was a handsome man with a healthy bit of scruff on his jaw, slender face and an arrogant smile, penetrating eyes and a confident stare. He didn’t look away from people, and the fact made him more magnetic than his silky voice ever could’ve.
Ben turned his attention back to his paperwork, hoping if he focused on something else, he wouldn’t accidentally stare at the literary star beside him, hoping if he concentrated on not being awkward he wouldn’t out himself right in the middle of the public eye. It worked. Facts from the domestic violence call he’d answered spewed from his pen like the frantic woman’s words as she’d recounted what her husband had done to her before fleeing the scene. This would probably end up being the most detailed and best-written report he’d ever submitted.
“I enjoy the company of police officers,” Cooper said. He held out his hand, eyeing Ben with resolve. “I’m Silas.”
“I know who you are.” Ben kept his hands to himself, fearing his trembling fingers and sweaty palm. What. The. Actual. Fuck? Ben didn’t get nervous. He didn’t get scared.
“I see.” Silas tucked his hand away. “Have our paths crossed before?”
“Nah.” Ben shook his head, closing his binder, because clearly he wouldn’t be doing any of that paperwork he really needed to complete. “I read a couple of your books when I was deployed.”
“Military, huh? Marine?”
“No.” Ben snorted. “Army.”
“Hmm. You look like a Marine.”
“What does that mean?” He turned on the stool, more facing Silas now, body open and exposed.
“Marines have a look about them, strong and confident, if not a bit cocky. They have a look in their eyes, a determination and a knowledge no one else understands.”
“Maybe I get it from being a cop. I’ve seen shit….”
When Ben’s voice faded off into his thoughts, Silas leaned in closer. He was in Ben’s bubble—a sacred place people rarely invaded because Ben did his best to exude an air of don’t screw with me. Silas must’ve picked up on those vibes, because he immediately backed off.
Ben was just about to open his mouth again to engage the man, when a new sound trespassed on their conversation. “Silas Cooper?” A brown-haired man stood to their right. He wore a suit, a nice suit as far as Ben could tell, and an overly produced smile. He held out his arm, shoving a hand right in front of Ben as if he didn’t exist, and said, “I’m Scott Kramer.”

YOU GOTTA READ IT NOW RIGHT? WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!! SEE YOU GUYS NEXT TIME, AND THANKS SO MUCH GRACE, FOR A TERRIFIC REVIEW AS ALWAYS!