Hey you beautiful people! How are you doing today? I hope you are all well and ready to read this amazing piece I got for you today. As you might know Talia Hibbert just recently published Untouchable and it truly is the best thing ever. Guess who is here to share the book love? The one and only Hannah Kabbah, the heroine from this book! She's here to share with us her five real life lipstick shades from Untouchable. Are you all ready?

Hey beautiful people! How are you doing today? Right now as I'm writing this post, it's raining and my dad just wanted to grill some steaks outside so I have no clue what the result would be after. I hope it stops soon. But in the meantime I thought it best to start writing and drafting this fabulous new post I got just for you. 

Author Layla Reyne, you might know her from may books she has published before, has a new book out. It's called IMPERIAL STOUT, a romance thriller with a heist and the first book in a new series, I believe. It sounds fascinating and hope you all are ready to pick it up when it comes out. Today I bright you an exclusive post written by the author herself Layla Reyne. Hope you all enjoy. 

Imperial Stout

Author: Layla Reyne

Series: Trouble Brewing #1

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date (Print & Ebook): Ebook/Audio – July 23, 2018; Print – July 31, 2019

Length (Print & Ebook): 272 pages

Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense

Order it: Amazon | UBL | Carina 

For the Love of Adults

A post by Layla Reyne

Spinning off from Agents Irish and Whiskey, Assistant US Attorney Dominic Price and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cameron Byrne get their own trilogy, Trouble Brewing, kicking off with IMPERIAL STOUT, an action-packed heist thriller. As much as I loved writing my new adult swimmers in Changing Lanes, it was refreshing to get back to mature characters in this new series. At 35 and 45, respectively, Cam and Nic are seasoned professionals, the best of the best at their jobs, and they’re also men who know what they want, namely each other. There’s no coyness about that, or with each other, and while Book 1 sees them getting together, the series as a whole focuses on these two making it work as a couple. This subtle shift is often one of my favorite things about romances with more mature characters. Here are just a few of my tops: 

Risky Business by LA Witt and Cari Z – Andreas is a veteran detective, Darren a seven-year beat cop who recently made detective. Both men know who they are and what they like and are refreshingly honest with each other, not beating around the bush too much, to the extent it even surprises Andreas at little. It was delightful surprise for me as the reader too! 

The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara – Everything about this book is fresh—the unique spin on the shifter trope, the world-building, and the thirtysomething leads. Both have seen things, both have been through tough experiences, and both are wary to trust, for good reasons, but when they do get on the same page, they’re well matched personally and professionally. 

Hush by Tal Bauer – I could have easily put The Executive Office series here too. The wealth of knowledge, maturity and experience all Tal’s characters exhibit is wonderful and only adds to these complex stories of justice and intrigue. In Hush, Tom and Mike are still learning about themselves, and how/if they can make a relationship work given their jobs, but it’s an important connection they both know to value and work hard to preserve. 

A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles – Dom and Silas are a Romancelandia favorite for good reason. The government official and the Radical bookseller—two people very set in their ways, on very opposite paths—and yet Silas is the only person who can give Dom what he needs. An unlikely friendship and romance blooms as a result. They know the risks, and they still take them, because each has finally found their perfect match and will do whatever it takes to make it work.

Giveaway

Author Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and 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. Layla is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. She was a 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

Connect with Layla Reyne:

Twitter | Instagram | FB Page | FB Group | Newsletter | Goodreads | BookBub

Everything I needed to know about diversity and racial/cultural representation in pop culture I learned in the nineties. 

Back then I was an avid fan of category romance novels. Most of the books I read were set in England. Needless to say, women of color did not play a role in these narratives, not as a supporting character and certainly not as the lead. One day, I got my hands on a weathered paperback copy of Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale (1992). Waiting is not romance. It falls squarely in the genre of “four friends who meet to drink wine, laugh, cry, and dish about their lives.” McMillan’s unfiltered writing style broadened my field of vision. It gave me a glimpse of what was possible: fresh stories, salty comedy, relatable heroines of color, and heroes that I recognized. Soon after, my interest in category romance dwindled. 

The hit HBO show, Sex and the City (1998 – 2004), based on the novel of the same title by Candace Bushnell (1997), had a similar effect on me. I started watching the show in grad school even though my dorm room cable package didn’t include HBO. The premium channels were scrambled but the audio was clear. On Sunday evenings, I’d climb into bed and give myself a manicure while listening to SATC. The voiceover narration made it easy to follow the overlapping storylines: four friends who meet at a diner to...you get the point. But since I couldn’t see the fashion featured on the show, I was left wondering what Carrie and her friends wore to brunch or on dates. I never had to wonder about the ethnicity of the characters because, while Carrie’s fashion sense was eclectic and diverse, her social set was not. A New York City devoid of cultural and ethnic diversity is as imaginary as Narnia or Wakanda. 

This is not to say that the nineties was a throwback to the fifties. Some of my favorite shows featuring actors of color were produced in that decade: Martin (1992-1997), In Living Color (1990 – 1994)… But a clear bright line separated mainstream entertainment and shows made for “minorities.” 

I’ve now mapped out three veins of pop culture influence: category romance, Waiting to Exhale, and Sex and the City. For the sake of brevity, let’s stick with those three. What’s the takeaway? From nineties category romance, I learned that a lack of diversity may potentially alienate even the most devoted fan. It’s bad business. No one likes to be ignored or made to feel irrelevant. From Terry McMillan I learned to write in my most authentic voice, tell stories from my unique point of view, and to do it with humor and style. Lastly, from Sex and the City, I learned that excellent writing can hold its own, but also faithful world building in a contemporary narrative is important. The contemporary writer cannot edit out large sub-sections of a city’s population for convenience’s sake. 

Miami Dreams, my contemporary romance series with Harlequin Kimani Press, is set (duh!) in Miami, Florida. I tap into the city’s natural diversity. In my debut novel, Exclusively Yours (March 2018), I adopted a mixed salad approach to diversity. My heroine, Leila, is Afro-Caribbean; Brie, her protégé is African- American; and Sofia, her best friend, is Latina. Leila’s love interest, Nicolas, is the child of Canadian snowbirds. I tossed it all in. Still, I struggled against my default settings. In a pivotal scene, Nick and Leila meet with a wealthy couple seeking to buy a condo in Miami Beach. An early draft depicts the couple as American and heterosexual. In the finished manuscript, the couple is foreign and homosexual—by all statistical standards a more accurate depiction of a wealthy couple seeking to buy a condo in Miami Beach. 

It’s 2018 and so much has changed since the nineties. Naomi Campbell still slays. But a hit HBO show, Insecure, is set in California and features a diverse cast. Independent publishing has offered a space for formerly marginalized authors to produce stories that reflect their tastes and experiences. Traditional romance imprints have produced powerhouse authors of color and are expanding their lists. There is still a long way to go. See the “State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing 2017” by the Ripped Bodice. 

Nothing I’ve said here is particularly groundbreaking. This is just one writer’s journey to understanding the importance of representation in popular culture. It didn’t come naturally; it was a lesson I had to learn. As society awakens to the idea that representation matters, let’s agree that diversity in pop culture may be a lot of things: a moral imperative, a smart business move. The one thing it isn’t is a trend. The term, “diversity trend,” was pushed by some major publications and has been much debated on Twitter. Diversity is a mandate and the only way forward. But since we’re on the topic of trends, let’s talk about Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe. Her iconic tutu skirt, her thrift shop finds, vintage classics, street chic, and haute couture glam… 

Yes, I eventually got premium cable channels. I’m all caught up. 

Reference articles: 

Nadine Gonzalez is an author, artist, and attorney. Born in New York City, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, she eventually moved to Miami, Florida. The vibrant city is her muse. Nadine shares her home with her Cuban American husband and their beautiful son. For more information, visit Nadine-Gonzalez.com or follow @_NadineGonzalez (IG, Twitter).

Hello, beautiful people. Today's post is about a very cool and interesting book coming out today! I'm very excited to talk about this book and also share with the world what Lee Blauersouth, the author, wants to say a bit more about it and definitely yes on behind-the-scenes details.

Title: Secondhand Origin Stories

Author: Lee Blauersouth

Series: Second Sentinels #1
Release date: March 15th, 2018

Pages: 324

Add it on Goodreads

Amazon

Opal has been planning to go to Chicago and join the Midwest's superhero team, the Sentinels, since she was a little kid. That dream took on a more urgent tone when her superpowered dad was unjustly arrested for protecting a neighbor from an abusive situation. Now, she wants to be a superhero not only to protect people, but to get a platform to tell the world about the injustices of the Altered Persons Bureau, the government agency for everything relating to superpowers. 

But just after Opal's high school graduation, a supervillain with a jet and unclear motives attacks the downtown home of the Sentinels, and when Opal arrives, she finds a family on the brink of breaking apart. She meets a boy who's been developing secret (and illegal) brain-altering nanites right under the Sentinel's noses, another teenage superhero-hopeful who looks suspiciously like a long-dead supervillain, and the completely un-superpowered daughter of the Sentinels' leader. Can four teens on the fringes of the superhero world handle the corruption, danger, and family secrets they've unearthed?

After about a decade drawing comics independently or with small presses, Lee started writing prose out of a combination of peer pressure and spite, then continued out of attachment to their favorite made-up people. They live in Minnesota even though it is clearly not a habitat humans were ever meant to endure, with their lovely wife/editor, the worlds most perfect baby, and books in every room of the house. 

If you like categories, they're an ENFJ Slytherin Leo. If you're looking for demographics they're an agender bisexual with a couple of disabilities. If you're into lists of likes: Lee loves comics, classical art, round animals, tattoos, opera, ogling the shiner sciences, and queer stuff. Please have a look around and get to know their work!

Hello, wonderful people. Can't believe I'm posting something new? You can believe it. Because I aaaaam. Today is a good day. Also wait for tomorrow because I have something fun as well to share with you all. 

Today I bring you a new romance novel, a little tease so you all can go a buy it. If you love F/F romances with celebrities and some sweet romance, you can bet you can be interested of this one. 

Synopsis:

Pop star Leontyne Blake might sing about love, but she stopped believing in it a long time ago. What women want is her image, not the real her. When her father has a stroke, she flees the spotlight and returns to her tiny Missouri hometown. 

In her childhood home, she meets small-town nurse Holly Drummond, who isn’t impressed by Leo’s fame at all. That isn’t the only thing that makes Holly different from other women. She’s also asexual. For her, dating is a minefield of expectations that she has decided to avoid. 

Can the tentative friendship between a burned-out pop star and a woman not interested in sex develop into something more despite their diverse expectations? 

A lesbian romance about achieving the perfect rhythm between two very different people—and finding happiness where they least expect it.

Goodreads | Amazon

Being a pop star isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My fans see only the celebrity, not the real me. My manager encourages me to show some skin because “sex sells.” After a year-long world tour, I’m burned out and need a break, but a visit in my tiny hometown in Missouri really isn’t what I had in mind. I thought I had escaped for good when I left for the big city fourteen years ago. 

But as soon as I go back home, I meet Holly, my father’s nurse. At first, we don’t even like each other. She thinks I’m a spoiled celebrity, and I think she’s just another narrow-minded small- town girl. But as I get to know her better, I realize how wrong that first impression was. 

Holly is so very different from all the women I’ve met before. She couldn’t care less about my money or my fame or my sex appeal. And she’s homoromantic and asexual. After a night-long Google search, I know it means that while she’s romantically drawn to women, she doesn’t experience sexual attraction. 

Does that mean I should cut my losses and move on? That’s easier said than done. Between trips to the local bakery, late-night conversations up on the roof, and a date at the vet’s office, I think I have fallen in love with Holly. Now I have to convince her that although we’re two very different women, we can still create a perfect rhythm together.

Contact the author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Hello, readers! I know I haven't been writing a lot in my blog or anywhere else lol. Sadly I've been on a slump, plus a book slump after finishing Permanent Ink by Avon and Piper. I've been slowly reading this other book and maybe I'll actually finish it today because it isn't that long either.

But today is another thing. Today I bring you a fun blog post written by Maya Chhabra, author of Walking on Knives, this new novella that is a retelling of the Little Mermaid but with a twist, because the Little Mermaid actually falls for the Sea Witch's sister. I'll leave you all the info and details for the book and then you can read the post which it's fabulous.
The little mermaid has no idea that as she makes her way on land, she's being watched over by the sister of the very witch with whom she made her bargain. She has no idea that the witch's sister is falling in love with her.

 When the prince decides to marry another woman, the little mermaid's secret helper offers her a chance to live. But the price may be too high…

Trigger warning: Rape scene.


Every writer starts out as a reader—and generally remains one for the rest of their life. Here are just four of the great SFF books (both YA and adult) with lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters that have inspired me as a writer.

1) THE WINGED HISTORIES by Sofia Samatar
—Sofia Samatar, a mixed-race Mennonite author, created the fictional country of Olondria, where the standard look is much more like herself than like the white default, and populated it with wonderful characters like Tavis, an aristocratic swordmaiden fighting for her country’s independence (but it’s more complicated than that) and Seren, a female poet from a nomadic, marginalized culture, who falls in love with Tavis while remaining deeply ambivalent about war. 

2) THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT by Seth Dickinson
—In its dissection of imperialism’s evil and its focus on queer women of color, this is THE WINGED HISTORIES’ grimdark twin. Baru is a lesbian who has to hide her sexuality—and her political opinions—while rising through the ranks of the empire that conquered her homeland. This requires her to control herself completely, but when she meets Tain Hu, a warrior duchess, she begins to fall in love. It all ends in tears. What fascinates me is the contrast between the two central characters—one cerebral, tightly wound, and accustomed to deceit, the other playful, physical, and deeply honorable, though not without a cunning streak. 

3) CARNIVAL by Elizabeth Bear
—Bear, who is bisexual, crafts a thrilling spy adventure that combines ethical dilemmas with a great romance in a dystopian future. Two black men, diplomats from a patriarchal society ruled by killer robots, travel to a planet where men are oppressed instead. They’re supposed to steal the energy source that could mean freedom from the robots, but things quickly become more complicated. What price are they willing to pay to liberate their society? 

4) THE SCORPION RULES by Erin Bow
—Erin Bow’s YA science fiction novel revolves around Greta, a princess/hostage who is slowly learning to question the justice of the system she lives under. She’s also slowly coming to terms with her feelings for the Asian princess she shares a room with. But there’s plenty of action to match the character development as a foreign general targets Greta—and draws the attention of the AI who rules the world. While the racial diversity in this book is sometimes not handled perfectly, the sequel, THE SWAN RIDERS, introduces even more and better-developed POC characters. There’s also a major mixed-race Jewish character who appears in both books.