Friday Reads: Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson

 

It's an amazing, historic day! So for today's Friday Read, of course I'm picking an LGBT romance. :) Megan Erickson's TRUST THE FOCUS. I read this one this week and loved it. I'm such a sucker for a road trip story, and there were parts that were LOL funny. There's a conversation about a grilled cheese that had me snorting. And great news, it's only 99 cents right now!

About the book:

With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon.
 
As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry.
 
But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion.

Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding.

Buy it: Amazon | B&N 

Let me know if you give it a read! Have a great weekend!

**Disclaimer: Any books recommended here are from my own TBR pile that I buy with my own money unless otherwise noted. I have not been asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I do not take review requests or feature sponsored content. However, this book is from Penguin Intermix, my publisher.

FRIDAY READS: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

 

First, a quick DEAL ALERT. My Invitation to Eden book BLURRING THE LINES is on sale for .99 for a limited time. Grab it on the cheap! 

About the book:

A year has passed since Gretchen lost her fiancé, but she still can’t sleep. Or paint. And her new home in New Orleans is either haunted or she’s finally going crazy. 

Her bet is on the latter. 

So when her best friend, Burke, offers to sweep her away to a private luxury island for a break, she can’t say no. Maybe if she can be someone else for a few days, the ghosts of the past will quiet. At least for a little while. 

Burke knows what she’s going through. She lost her fiancé, but he lost family. He gets her in a way no else can. But lately she’s noticing things she shouldn’t about her former fiancé’s younger brother—his sexy smirk, that spicy Cajun accent, and the way he looks at her when he thinks she’s not paying attention. A week alone with him? Dangerous. If she blurs the lines between them, she could ruin the only friendship that means anything to her. She could ruin it all. 

But the island of Eden has its own agenda. The island knows what you need. That’s what the invitation says. She just never imagines it will grant her the one wish that could destroy them both. 

 Buy it for 99 cents! Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

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All right, on to Friday Reads. I've been giving you lots of dark reads lately, so today I have one that will have you laughing out loud and getting all the feels. OPENLY STRAIGHT by Bill Konigsberg. I adored this book! It went on my favorites shelf--which is not an easy shelf to get on--and I bought the author's other books immediately. It's a YA about Rafe who's been openly gay for years and has very supportive family, friends, and community. But he's tired of being looked at as gay first before anything else. So he decides to go to an all boys boarding school for his last two years of high school and not tell anyone he's gay. I loved the issues it explored and how he worked through him. I also enjoyed the romantic thread in it. Enjoy!

A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud . . . and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.
And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time. 
So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible. 
This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks

What have you read (or what are you currently reading) this week?

Friday Reads: ASKING FOR IT by Lilah Pace

 

It's Friday Reads time! I've got another dark romance for you this week (what is with me lately? lol). This one's gotten a lot of buzz because it was just released this week, so you may have already heard a little about it. But the book was fantastic and an extremely difficult topic was handled very, very well. Plus, it takes place in Austin and New Orleans (where I've lived and where I'm originally from) so I liked seeing two of my favorite cities. Be advised: The topics it covers can be triggers for some people. Read the trigger warnings first.

ASKING FOR IT by Lilah Pace - Amazon | B&N

“This is who I am. This is what I want. Now I need a man dangerous enough to give it to me.” 

Graduate student Vivienne Charles is afraid of her own desires—ashamed to admit that she fantasizes about being taken by force, by a man who will claim her completely and without mercy. When the magnetic, mysterious Jonah Marks learns her secret, he makes an offer that stuns her: they will remain near-strangers to each other, and meet in secret so that he can fulfill her fantasy.

Their arrangement is twisted. The sex is incredible. And—despite their attempts to stay apart—soon their emotions are bound together as tightly as the rope around Vivienne’s wrists. But the secrets in their pasts threaten to turn their affair even darker...

Reader Advisory: Asking for It deals explicitly with fantasies of non-consensual sex. Readers sensitive to portrayals of non-consensual sex should be advised. 

What are you reading this week?

**Disclaimer: This book is published by Berkley, my publisher, but any books recommended here are from my own TBR pile that I buy with my own money unless otherwise noted. I have not been asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I do not take review requests or feature sponsored content.

Friday Reads: ONE CUT DEEPER by Joely Sue Burkhart

 

I've been in the mood for dark romance reading lately. Not sure why. Maybe it's all this rain that WON'T GO AWAY. Ugh. But anyway, I found a great one this week. ONE CUT DEEPER by Joely Sue Burkhart. Ok, first, fair warning. This one is very dark. The BDSM stuff is pretty extreme--knife play, blood play, etc. So know that going in. But despite some of it making me cringe (because of my own comfort zone being pushed), it made sense for the characters. This is for those of you who sometimes find those villains sexy. I love when a writer goes off the reservation with a hero but still keeps him sympathetic and likable, and that's what we have here. I also love when I read something and go--hey, I haven't read this type of story/plot/hero/whatever before. There is also a thriller/suspense type plot that dominates this story in a good way. Let me know if you give it a shot. 

Blurb:

Her needs are dark. His are dangerous.

Charlie MacNiall has been bringing his beautiful king shepherd to the vet clinic where Ranay Killian works for the better part of a year. She doesn't realize he's been slowly wooing her. She certainly has no idea that he picked her deliberately--that she is to become his. A broken heart and a desperate desire to be dominated make her the perfect victim.

His perfect victim.

Charlie fixes Ranay, testing her emotional limits while pushing her sexual boundaries past anything she'd imagined possible. Pain is their shared pleasure...until Charlie disappears and Ranay is all but destroyed.

The FBI says the man she loves is a serial killer. Ranay can't deny there's a darkness in Charlie, a monstrous hunger that drives him to the brink. She even believes he could kill. But Charlie's hunger is what bonds them--it's the foundation of their love. Would he actually kill her?

Buy it: Kindle | Nook

What have you read this week?

**Disclaimer: Any books recommended here are from my own TBR pile that I buy with my own money unless otherwise noted. I have not been asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I do not take review requests or feature sponsored content.

Friday Reads: Two Great Books & It Will Only Cost You a Buck

So I've been doing theme days this week (a little bit on here and a little on my FB page), which has been fun. Today is Friday Reads. I'm going to give you two recs. One is what I read this week and one is one of my fave m/m romances that's on sale. And bonus, one is free and one is only a dollar! You're welcome. ;)

First is THE HOSTAGE BARGAIN by Annika Martin. I saw her speak at RT and because I loved PRISONER, a book she co-wrote with Skye Warren, I decided to give it a try. This book is such frothy, campy fun. Three hot bank robbers take a teller hostage and she decides she wants to be part of the gang. It's silly and funny and super sexy. I love the banter with the heroes. If you're looking for something steamy that will also make you laugh (in a good way), check this one out. The first is free but there's also a boxed set with all three books for a good price as well.

Next is Damon Suede's HOT HEAD. I read it a few years ago, but when I saw that it was on sale for just a $1, I had to pass that along. I loved this book. One of my favorite m/m romances. It's super sexy and great characters with lots of emotion. And it's friends to lovers AND hot firefighters. I mean, come on? Why are you still here? Go, get it. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

So now it's your turn. Tell me what you're reading or what you want to recommend this week. :)