#WhatToReadWednesday | Native American Day

September 15, 2021September 13, 2021 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

It’s time for #WhatToReadWednesday and I was out of ideas, like completely out. I thought maybe I should do a list of my favourite autumn books or something like that, but I draw a blank, and when I draw a blank, I google holidays. It’s easy if you have a holiday of some sort to recommend books for. Only the holidays for today are Make a Hat Day, Felt Hat Day, and Yom Kippur and none of those helped me.

Then I saw that on the fourth Friday in September it’s Native American Day. I’m in Sweden, and we have our own indigenous people here that we’ve treated like shit through history. We’ve done what we can to erase their culture and language, and we still discriminate every chance we get – not that anyone would admit it.

Still, I like to think we’ve done better than they have over in the US and Canada. Though, if you ask the Sámi people, they may not agree.

Since it’s Native American Day, I thought I’d have a look at what books I’ve read and liked with a Native American main character. I cheated and checked a Goodreads list. I’m sure – I hope – I’ve read more than these and that I just don’t remember. I know I’ve read several M/F books, but I normally don’t include them on these lists.

So here are my gay romance books with an indigenous main character:

A Casual Weekend Thing (Least Likely Partnership 1) by A.J. Thomas

This was the first book I thought of when I considered doing a list. I don’t know why, but it was the cover flashing before my eyes. A one-night stand never meant to be more leads to a paedophile investigation.

A Casual Weekend Thing Doug Heavy Runner left the life of an openly gay Miami police officer and returned to his home on the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation when his mother got sick. In the two years since she passed, he’s carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex.

When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother’s suicide, he doesn’t expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother’s case. He certainly doesn’t mind spending more time with Doug—but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.

As they investigate, they discover Christopher’s dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer….

https://books2read.com/ACasualWeekend

Let It Go by Mercy Celeste

This was the second title popping up in my head. This is not a story for the fainthearted, heed the trigger warnings. I was sickened at times, and yet I needed to know that Creed would be okay, so I kept on reading, and then I read it one more time.

Let it go mercy celeste When alcohol and fierce tempers land two cowboys from the rodeo circuit under house arrest, it may be time to Let It Go. Can hidden secrets and a common enemy hold the key to happiness or… will they destroy them both?

Creed was the main focus of Eli’s fierce temper. For ten years the two men left a trail of destruction in their wake, with rodeo, beer, and fists all they had in common. Until a judge had enough and sentenced them to house arrest—in the same house. They’d either learn to get along or they’d kill each other.

Trapped on Eli’s rundown Florida ranch, Creed discovers Eli’s secret, one that he shares. But he didn’t count on Eli learning all of his secrets, especially the one that would shatter their newfound truce.

Scarred to his bones, Eli avoided relationships like the plague. Yet something about the quiet Creed had always pushed his buttons. Falling in love with him was never part of Eli’s plan. When it happens he’s unprepared and out of his league.

When a shared enemy comes calling Eli can only think of keeping Creed safe. He never dreamed that their lives were linked or that Creed’s former life could destroy them both. Will love be enough to save them?

Story of abuse, mental, physical, as well as sexual. Scenes of extreme violence.

https://books2read.com/LetItGo

Hunter of Demons (SPECTR 1) by Jordan L. Hawk

No list is complete without some Jordan L. Hawk. I really need to continue this series! I love Gray!

Hunter of Demons What happens when an exorcist falls in love with a demon he’s sworn to destroy?

Caleb Jansen’s life is going from bad to worse. First he’s possessed by an opinionated vampire spirit who drinks the blood of demons, then pursued by a fundamentalist group who want him dead.

His only hope is hotshot federal exorcist John Starkweather…the last man Caleb should be falling for, and the only one he wants in his bed.

https://books2read.com/HunterOfDemonsJLH

Be The Air For You by T.A. Chase

A rockstar with an addiction. It’s been a long time since I read this one, but I remember it as a nice friends to lovers story.

Be The Air for You When his best friend needs him, Rod will be there for the man he loves.

Rod Hannah is on top of his game, performing all over the world to sold-out arenas. Yet loneliness is a battle he fights along with his long-time addiction to drugs and alcohol. He beat those demons three years ago because of his best friend, Hawk McLeod.

Hawk is the person Rod calls in the middle of the night, no matter where he’s been, and Hawk’s always there for him. Yet when Hawk needs help dealing with a situation he can’t win, Rod’s there for him.

He’s been in love with Hawk for years, but the timing had never been right for turning their friendship into something deeper and more serious. Now when Hawk needs him the most, Rod will be there for the man he loves, showing him how perfect they are for each other.

https://books2read.com/BeTheAirForYou

Faewolf by D.M. Atkins

Shifters! This is… I like shifter stories, but I remember being pissed off at the ‘alpha’s need to dominate’ in this one. Maybe I’d react differently if I read it today, I don’t know. There’s also a sex scene that’s a bit… I think this should come with trigger warnings – and I just realised that it does 😀

Faewolf Faewolves, like werewolves, can walk among men. What happens when Kiya White Cloud, a young gay college student in Santa Cruz, wants one of these men enough to risk his heart–and his life? A paranormal m/m erotic romance from Circlet Press, Inc.

[Warning: explicit sex, dubious consent, and rough scenes.]

Chasing Seth (True Mates 1) by J.R. Loveless

Another shifter story. This is not my favourite, but since this won’t be a very long list, I thought I’d include it anyway. You might love it!

Chasing Seth

Can Seth let himself believe in true mates after his past left him scarred physically and emotionally?

Wolf shifter Seth moved to a small town looking for a peaceful life, but his peace is short-lived after he meets local sheriff Kasey. The handsome sheriff, who doesn’t know Seth is a wolf shifter, takes an immediate dislike to him. The animosity leaves Seth wondering if he will ever find a place he can call home.

When Kasey discovers Seth is a wolf, his actions put Seth at risk. He then finds that Seth is a Rho and his fated mate, which frightens Seth into running. Seth’s past experience has shown him mates aren’t all they’re cracked up to be and he can’t trust Kasey’s change of heart. But Kasey doesn’t give up and his persistence weakens Seth’s resolve. Can Seth open his heart to another again?

Chasing Seth is the first in the True Mates series. Features slow burn MM romance with wolf shifters, rejected true mates, a determined mate who won’t give up easily, and a HEA. Also please note, this is a re-release and was previously published by a publishing house.

https://books2read.com/ChasingSeth

Breathe (Breathe 1) by Sloan Parker

The last book I have is one I picked off the list on Goodreads. I don’t remember one of the characters being Native American, but since it was on the list, I’m assuming that’s correct. Here is a lot of grief and anger.

Breathe We shouldn’t be friends. We definitely shouldn’t be lovers. He’s the one man I should hate more than anyone else in the whole world. But I don’t hate him. I want him. Desperately. Passionately. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone. He’s also the last person I should love. But I do love him. And I’m not letting him walk away. No matter what his reasons. No matter what anyone else will think of the two of us being together. Since the moment I met him, he’s the only person who truly understands me and what I’ve been through. He’s the most compassionate man I’ve ever met, and I won’t stand by and watch these threats against him continue. I will not let anyone hurt him. Especially my own family.

Length: 101,781 words. This book contains explicit sexual content and graphic language. This is a re-release of a previously published work. It combines the original novel BREATHE with the separately released epilogue WHAT YOU DO TO ME.

https://books2read.com/BreatheParker

I have read more books than this, but they’re not many and I haven’t loved them ☕️📚

Release Day | He Melted Us

September 13, 2021September 12, 2021 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

So… two days ago He Melted Us was re-released. I wrote posts for Holly’s blog and Nell’s blog, and I have checked off having written a post for my blog… turns out I never wrote anything. Yesterday morning, I thought how strange that I haven’t seen any notifications from the blog – not strange at all since I haven’t posted anything here.

I could’ve written something right away when I noticed I’d messed up, but Nell was coming for a visit, so I figured it was best to let her post have that day. One more day wouldn’t make much of a difference.

He Melted Us is once again on the shelves, yay! It’s a crazy little tale about Delron and Phillipe and their love lock on Pont des Art.

The lock goes missing, and Delron has this crazy idea about their relationship being doomed because of it. It’s doomed because of how Delron acts, not the lock, but he doesn’t see it. So instead, he’s on a quest to get the lock back.

I laughed a lot while writing it, but it is quite insane.

He Melted Us Paris

Excerpt:

Delron leaned against one of the two stone pillars by the gate of École des Beaux-Arts. On each pillar a carve-stone human head was seated, looking out over the city.

He needed to get into the courtyard. He didn’t think it would be a problem, there were already a few cars parked in there, but his heart was beating fast. Is it theft if I steal back the lock that was stolen from me?

With a deep breath, he walked in between the two stone pillars. He crossed the cobblestone courtyard and tried to look like he belonged. He should have thought about what art students wear. Jeans and a cotton shirt probably wouldn’t help him blend in. He should’ve put on a turtleneck and a beret or something. Too late now.

He stopped by the large arched door in the centre of the building. It was the only door that looked like a proper entrance, but he didn’t know if the students used it. He didn’t want to barge right in if it would make him look suspicious. In the end he went in anyway.

The air was cool inside the building. Delron hardly dared to breathe. His footsteps echoed as he went. A woman hurried down the corridor without paying him any attention, and he let out a sigh of relief. Maybe they wouldn’t question why he was here. Maybe people came in here all the time.

Before he knew it, he was standing in la Cour Vitrée, the glassed-over courtyard in le Palais des Études. He didn’t know if the students were anywhere near, or where their studios were, but he figured they would be somewhere close by.

The impressive room, so much larger than he’d envisaged, took his breath away. The glass ceiling and the blue pillars that held it up made him stop to stare. The room—if you could call an indoor courtyard a room—was lined with white marble sculptures. Even on the second floor, he could see sculptures through arches in the walls. The room reminded him of a church—a shrine of art.

He spent a few minutes there. Even though he knew nothing about art, it was hard to move on, but he was on a mission. The love of his life was more important than glass ceilings and marble sculptures.

Sneaking around was not easy, especially not when he was trying to look like he knew where he was going. Delron wandered the buildings of marble floors and pillars, not knowing in which direction he was supposed to go or in which building to start.

Sometimes he got lost in the ceiling paintings or a sculpture that caught his attention. But as he turned a corner in one of the side buildings, he knew he was close. He could feel it in his gut—their lock was here. In one of the rooms lining the corridor, he would find his happiness, his future, his love. He would walk out of here, and he and Phillipe would be able to continue their lives as if nothing had happened.

Eager, he hurried to the first open door he could see. He heard voices coming from inside.

He glanced into the room. The smell was one he remembered from art lessons in school, paint and something else—a cleaning agent, perhaps. He breathed in. He’d always liked art class, not that he was any good, but it was nice to get away from the usual reading and writing stuff.

He took in the room—the large windows made it pleasantly light. There were students standing in a ring. Everyone had an easel in front of them and a paintbrush in hand. This was not a sculpture studio.

The teacher looked up, her hair bun so tight it must hurt. “May I help you?” She did nothing to hide the annoyance in her tone, and her nasal voice grated on Del’s nerves. He smiled and shook his head before hurrying along. Shit, I’ve been spotted.

“Sir?”

He hurried down the corridor, searching for a door to open or a turn he could take. The sound of her heels masked the soft murmur of the students.

“Sir!”

Delron ran. Shit! I haven’t even found the right studio yet.

If only he could find where he should go, then he could come back later and fetch the lock.

He dodged into the classroom. It opened without any problem—thank God! He closed the door and turned around to see what kind of room he’d ended up in.

About thirty pairs of curious eyes turned his way. The room looked much like an ordinary classroom. A middle-aged man was standing by the whiteboard, marker in hand.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Delron panted as he searched for something to say. “You don’t happen to have a marker pen? I seem to have lost mine.” He straightened his back and tried to look like a professor of some sort.

“Of course.” The man smiled and handed Delron the pen he held in his hand before he reached for a new one on the desk.

“Thank you so much, you’ve saved me.” Who knew, maybe he had.

Delron left the classroom, still afraid of running into the woman from the studio, but he tried not to let it show.

He went back the way he’d come. There were so many doors he hadn’t tried. A few of them had signs stating their purpose, while others hadn’t. He stopped outside one that said ‘Studio IV’ and put his ear against the cool surface of the wooden door—not a sound. Excitement grew in his chest. The room was empty, he would be able to go in there, take the lock, and go back home. He smiled as he thought about how he would give Phillipe the lock. He might say he didn’t care, but Delron knew that wasn’t true—it couldn’t be. Maybe he should cook something romantic or take him out to a restaurant. He would put the lock in a box, have it gift-wrapped. Then he would seduce Phil; it had been a long time.

He tried the door handle—locked. This wasn’t part of the plan. He tried it again with a little more force, rattled the door. Fucking door!

He took a step back, aimed for a spot right below the lock, and kicked with all his force. He’d seen it loads of times in movies, the door always flew open—a few wooden splinters as a result, but he would be out of there before anyone noticed. All he needed was to get in, grab his lock, and go.

The impact as his foot hit the wood was much more forceful than he’d anticipated. He lost his balance, tried to regain it by waving his arms, and fell backwards. His head bounced on the marble floor, and the world went black.

Blurb:

hemeltedus All Delron Chastain wants is to live his life with Phillipe, but when their love lock is stolen from Pont des Art, their relationship is in jeopardy. Without the lock holding them together, Delron is convinced they’ll crash and burn. The only way he can save their relationship is to find the stolen lock, and that is what he plans to do, no matter what.

Phillipe Lebeau loves Delron, but a padlock is simply a piece of metal, and Delron not seeing that is driving him insane. The lock has nothing to do with them. Their life was great until the night the lock was stolen, and Del’s crazy behaviour makes Phillipe question if he’s ever really known him.

Delron’s search leads him through an art-filled Paris. Will recovering the symbol of their love be enough to soothe the mistrust his quest has planted in Phillipe? Phillipe believed he’d spend the rest of his life with Del. But who can live with anyone willing to break the law simply to find an old rusty padlock?

Buy links:

Gay Romance: 16,930 words

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/He-Melted-Us

Guest Post | All I’ll Ever See by Nell Iris

September 12, 2021September 5, 2021 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Guest-Post

Hello everyone. It’s me. Nell. Back again to talk about my new-ish book, All I’ll Ever See. And by new-ish, I mean it’s an expanded, rewritten version of my previously published short freebie All I See, with close to 10k new words added. But before I start blabbering about it, I want to say thank you for having me to our lovely hostess Ofelia ❤️

The idea for the original story, All I See, came from a picture in my Instagram feed: two guys dressed in fancy suits stood facing each other, holding hands, half-hidden between two trees. The what-ifs and whys flooded my brain immediately. Why are they hiding? What if they can’t be out? What if their relationship is a secret from everyone important in their lives?

Once, I kept a pretty big secret from my friends and family. When I decided to try and make the old dream of being an author come true, only my husband and daughter knew, I told no one else. At first, it was because I was afraid of failure. What if I wasn’t good enough? Putting myself out there through my words was hard enough without the questions that would inevitably come about my writing, that however well-meaning, would be hard to answer. Especially if I failed.

But after a while, when it turned out I didn’t suck and I’d signed my first contract and published my first story, I still didn’t tell people, because I kind of liked that it was something I did for myself. But even so, it was difficult to hide such a huge part of my life. When I spoke on the phone with my mom, she asked How do you spend your days? every time, since I didn’t have a day job in Malaysia, and she thought I was just being lazy all day long. And I couldn’t tell her that I spent hours and hours every day writing or researching or promoting or doing any of the other things authors need to do. And even if I’d chosen to keep the secret, it was difficult to hide such a significant part of who I was, because as time went past, I started identifying as Nell the Author instead of just regular old Nell. So eventually I needed to share that part of me with the people in my life.

Kieran’s, one of the MCs in All I’ll Ever See, secret is much bigger. He’s gay in a conservative family that doesn’t approve of homosexuality. So he hides that side of himself from everyone…until that night he can’t stop himself from kissing the man he loves. Risking everything, his job, the relationship with his family. How can he choose between being his true self and his family? How can he deny the love of his life? Will the secret eventually become too big for them, and what happens if it does?

All I'll Ever See - Everything

Blurb:

The night Kieran bangs on Theo’s door and kisses him changes both their lives forever. Theo has never been in the closet, but Kieran isn’t out and risks losing everything—his inheritance, his relationship with his family—should his parents find out.

But their feelings for each other can’t be denied, and Theo agrees to keeping their budding relationship a secret. But can their love grow and flourish when hidden away in the dark? Or will it wilt and die before they have a chance to live happily ever after?

M/M Contemporary / 14 434 words

Buy links:

JMS Books :: Amazon :: Books2Read

All I'll Ever See by Nell Iris

About Nell

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bonafide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies room), loves music (and singing along at the top of her voice but she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (Make it so). She loves words, bullet journals, poetry, wine, coffee-flavored kisses, and fika (a Swedish cultural thing involving coffee and pastry!)

Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a bisexual Swedish woman married to the love of her life, a proud mama of a grown daughter, and is approaching 50 faster than she’d like. She lives in the south of Sweden where she spends her days thinking up stories about people falling in love. After dreaming about being a writer for most of her life, she finally was in a place where she could pursue her dream and released her first book in 2017.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, short over long, and quirky characters over alpha males.

Find Nell on social media:

Newsletter :: Webpage/blog :: Twitter :: Instagram :: Facebook Page :: Facebook Profile :: Goodreads :: Bookbub

Excerpt:

After six, as I’m on my third mug of coffee and putting the cinnamon rolls into the oven to bake, the thump of feet hitting the floor reaches my ears. It’s quickly followed by padding footsteps and the door to the bathroom opening and closing.

All the muscles in my body freeze up at once, and I forget how to breathe for a second. The moment of truth is here, and I’ll soon have the answers to my questions whether I want them or not. I shiver, not entirely sure if it’s because I’m too hot or cold, and I almost manage to trap my hand in the oven door when I close it. Then I just stand there, having completely forgotten what I was doing.

A glimpse of my mug from the corner of my eye brings me back to reality.

Right.

Coffee.

I grab it too quickly and hot liquid sloshes over the rim, splashing on my fingers. “Goddammit,” I mutter between clenched teeth, slam down the mug on the countertop — spilling more coffee, of course — then grab a bunch of paper towels and start cleaning up, huffing at my carelessness.

I’m probably too busy being hard on myself to notice the padding feet approaching the kitchen because I jump at the deep, raspy “Good morning,” behind me, and my heart rate speeds up until it’s hovering in dangerous, heart-attack-inducing territories.

“Good morning,” I whisper, not turning around, my body tensing as though I’m waiting for a blow.

This is it. The moment I’ve been fretting over all night, the moment that’ll change my life forever in one way or another.

Kieran comes closer until I can feel his warmth along my back, making the hairs on my neck stand up and a shiver racing along my spine.

“May I touch you?” he asks in a rough morning voice. My mouth isn’t cooperating, so I just nod, and his warm hands land on my waist. “Is this okay?”

I nod again; my words are trapped in my throat and refuse to come out.

What does this mean? Is he trying to say he meant what he said yesterday? Is he trying to let me down gently? Not knowing is driving me crazy.

“Breathe.” He steps closer to me, pressing himself against my back, and I drag a stuttering breath into my lungs.

“Theodore?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you please turn around?”

“Sure,” I say but stay frozen to the spot. He must realize I’m unable to move because he walks us a couple steps back, then slides between me and the counter until we’re finally face to face.

God, he’s even more beautiful when sleep-rumpled. He has crease marks from the pillow on his cheek, his stubble glitters on his skin, his hair is wild as though he’s stuck his fingers into a wall socket, and his gaze … His gaze is warm and fond and melted, and he doesn’t take his eyes off me even for a second.

“Oh, Theo, did you even sleep?” His tone is gentle.

I shake my head as the timer goes off. “Excuse me,” I mumble and slink out of his grip, then take the cinnamon rolls out of the oven. “Are you hungry?” I ask, back turned to him again. “I baked. And there’s coffee.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

His question makes me whirl around. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Because you don’t want to look at me and you seem … uncomfortable.”

I shake my head, still not able to string together a complete sentence.

“I’m sorry I barged in here like this. For kissing and touching you without consent. It was unforgivable and I regret it.”

His words are a blow to my hopeful heart, and I stumble. “I understand,” I say, then sucking my lower lip into my mouth to stop it from trembling. And I do understand, it’s not like I wasn’t prepared for this scenario. It’s what I’ve been worrying about all night, after all.

He reaches out to me, movements slow and careful as though he fears I’ll bolt like a skittish animal. I can’t meet his gaze, but I can’t move away either.

“I don’t think you do,” he says, voice low and soft as he coaxes my lip out from between my teeth. “I regret the way it happened, but I don’t regret finally kissing you.”