Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

pride

Pride Month is over, but Pride is forever. #QueerRomance #Pride #LoveIsLove

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I started the month of June thinking that since I have well over thirty published books with bisexual or lesbian women as heroines, I should feature one of them every day all month. I quickly backed out of that plan and decided to mostly focus on other queer books I thought should be showcased, sprinkling in a few of mine as I went along.

You can find all their blurbs on my Instagram account. I hope you’ll check them out – some famous books, and some truly worthwhile books you may have never heard of. Great reads, all.

Here’s the list:

Rick Reed: The Impossible Childhood of my Desire Contemporary Transgendered Romance

Patrick Field: Servant Contemporary Gay Romance

Carey P.W.: Grayality Contemporary Transgendered Romance

Jess Savage: Good in the Zak Contemporary Bi Romance

T. J. Klune: The House in the Cerulean Sea Contemporary Gay Fiction

J. Scott Coatsworth: Skythane SciFi/Fantasy Gay Romance

H. K. Carlton: In the Flesh Contemporary Lesbian Romance

Charlotte Johnson: Lady Charlotte’s Revenge Regency Transgendered Romance

Robin Lynn: Enchanted Ink Gay Fiction

Jackie Keswick: Hiding Place Contemporary Gay Romance

Gemma Johns: Baby Steps Contemporary Lesbian Romance

David Lawrence: Blue Billy’s Rogue Lexicon Historical Gay Romance

Maggie Blackbird: Back Where You Belong Contemporary First Nation Gay Romance

Lisabet Sarai: Opening Night Historical Gay Romance

V. J. Allison Honestly Contemporary Transgendered Romance

G. A. Hauser Something to Believe In Contemporary Gay Romance

Amity Malcom: Sew Into You Contemporary Lesbian Romance

Cover Reveal: Inhale, by D.P. Denman #LGBTQ #GayRomance @gaybookpromo

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COVER REVEAL

Book Title: Inhale

Author: D.P. Denman

Cover Artist: AJ Corza

Release Date: July 20, 2023

Genre: Contemporary Gay Romance

Tropes: damaged lead finds love, professional model, learning to love again, blackmail, voyeur, private investigator stories

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 75 000 words/ 300 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger

Goodreads

 

Pre-Order Links

Temporary pre-release sale price of $3.99 USD until July 16

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

What can you do when love takes you by surprise? Just breathe.

 

Blurb

Cole Rinne is a model with an impossible problem. An invasion of his privacy ends up in the hands of a blackmailer and the details could go public any day. His only hope is to ditch the spotlight and hide in the shadows. Then he meets someone with a solution.

Gage Marx is a PI who specializes in impossible problems. He’s used to solving the unsolvable. The only thing he’s ever declared a lost cause is himself.

From the start, Cole’s case holds more surprises than Gage expects. The most shocking is that for the first time in over a year, Gage’s broken heart is showing signs of life.

Their plan to wade slowly into love comes apart when an unexpected opportunity threatens to turn it all into a long-distance relationship. Will occasional reunions be enough to keep them together or will their separate careers tear them apart?

Excerpt

Gage woke to the jostling of his mattress. The shadowed figure at the end of the bed had him up from his pillow in an instant. He fumbled for the light on the nightstand, his heart hammering. One hundred watts burst into the room and Gage dropped his head back, breathing to the ceiling.

Cole sat at the end of the bed, still in his rumpled clothes.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Gage told him.

“Sorry.” Cole slumped.

The misery on his face silenced the rest of Gage’s lecture. “It’s okay.”

“I couldn’t sleep. I keep thinking about everything. I feel so….” Cole’s face twisted into a smudge of anger and sadness.

“Violated?” Gage supplied when it was apparent Cole couldn’t come up with the words.

“That.” Cole nodded.

“Betrayed? Pissed?”

Cole kept nodding until the last word. “Oh, I passed pissed an hour ago. I’m whatever you are when you reach the molten lava stage. If I thought it would make me feel any better, I’d ask for a meeting so I could spit in his face.”

“I don’t blame you.” Gage leaned against the headboard.

“I also don’t want to be alone.” Cole looked at him, sad green eyes and crooked eyebrows asking permission.

Gage stared back, searching Cole’s face for a lust-inspired ploy to get into his bed. He didn’t find one.

“Why don’t you sleep in here?” Gage offered.

It was a mistake, and he knew it. There would be no way to maintain any kind of boundary after a night together, even if all they did was sleep. The alternative was to send Cole back to the couch alone, where he would sit in the dark, ruminating over the betrayal. Gage would stare at the ceiling over his bed, imagining him doing it. He’d end up back on the couch, holding Cole and watching infomercials until one of them fell asleep again.

“Thank you.” Cole climbed under the covers and nestled into the empty pillow.

Gage turned off the light and settled back where he’d been, pretending he could see Cole on the other half of the bed until his eyes adjusted and Cole returned to a shadowed form beside him.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“I know you have your rules,” Cole said quietly, “and I still want you working my case. I also think I want you as something more than that.”

“Are you sure it’s not because you’re feeling vulnerable? I don’t want to take advantage of you not having anyone else to talk to.”

Cole reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “I’m not sure of anything, but I know what I’m starting to feel, and I’m pretty sure I know why. It’s more than the case.”

Gage covered Cole’s hand, caressing his knuckles, using touch to mask the silence. It was more than the goal of maintaining a professional distance. He didn’t think he was ready for a physical relationship. Not yet. Not in that house with a room full of similar memories right across the hall.

“Is there a way to make that happen?” Cole asked. “Assuming you want to.”

The question wasn’t new. Gage had already wasted hours thinking about what he would do if Cole kissed him again, digging for loopholes he could bend his ethics around. His only solution was to hand the investigation off to someone who would let him stick his nose back in it at will. No one could fault him for keeping an eye on a situation that affected a man he was dating.

“I could let the law firm take over. They’ll be doing most of the work on it from now on, anyway.”

“I don’t want to take money away from you just so I can date you.”

“I have other clients.”

“People put lawyers on retainer, right? What if I do that with you?”

“I would hope you don’t have things like this happening often enough to be worth that.”

“This would be so much easier if you were a bodyguard or something.”

“They aren’t supposed to get involved with clients either.”

“FBI agent?”

“Nope.”

“Federal Marshall?”

“Sorry.”

“Bounty hunter?”

“Sure, if you didn’t mind me hauling you in for skipping bail anyway. Otherwise, I’d be aiding a fugitive.”

“This is much sexier in the movies.”

Gage smiled. “That’s why they call it fiction.”

 

About the Author

Award-winning author DP Denman wrote her first short story when she was eight and has been crafting fictional adventures ever since! You can usually find her with a cup of coffee in hand, contemplating her next story.

A covert romantic, she writes addictive, character-driven gay romance about damaged people who find the strength to put their lives back together. Her stories are gripping and dramatic — guaranteed to hold you hostage to the last word!

 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Newsletter Sign-Up

Instagram | BookBub | Lemon8 | Amazon Page

 

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions



Guest J. Scott Coatsworth #LGBTQ #GayFiction #HappyPride

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J. Scott Coatsworth is my guest today over at the Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas Blog, talking about Skythane, the first book he wrote with openly gay characters.

You’ll want to check out what he has to say about it!

https://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/2023/06/skythane-by-j-scott-coatsworth-pride.html

I just finished reading Skythane and will post a review shortly – let me just say here that even if you’re not a devotee of speculative fiction or SciFi-Fantasy, you’ll immediately be pulled into this well-crafted and touching story. Here’s a warning – it’s the first book in a series, and while it has a satisfying ending, you’ll be sorely tempted to keep going…

 

Three lives—but how many loves? #LGBTQ #Polyamory #Bi #Pride #HappyPrideMonth

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Each day for the month of June, I’ve been featuring an LGBTQ book on my social media – Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, and MeWe. Some are my own, some are from other authors I’ve enjoyed; you can catch them all (to date) on my Instagram profile. Today’s is one of my polyamory stories.

Can love last forever? That’s what Jamie believes in the polyamory novella Three: A Love Story. Jamie is deeply in love with Susan. She trusts Susan’s love for her, and she doesn’t expect it ever to fade.

But if you spend any time poking around in polyamory blogs and websites (and we do; research, you know!), you’ll discover that many people who end up in some type of polyamory arrangement didn’t start out as polyamory advocates and go looking for someone. They experienced polyamory as something that just happened. They were in love with one person, and they began to experience feelings for an additional person. Rather than deny those feelings or simply bail on the person they already loved, they opened up about those feelings in what had been their primary relationship, and together they moved on to explore what might be both right and possible for them.

I’m sure lots of relationships fall apart at this point in the process. Probably another significant number re-examine their relationship as a duo and re-commit to it. Most likely few of either of these groups are sharing their stories in the polyamory social media, and I’ve never seen any research on what the actual numbers might be.

But this precise point is where we chose to set our story. Jamie and Susan, both bisexual but committed to love each other, have continued to date men from time to time. Their relationships with men have been casual and have often led to casual sex, sometimes even casual three-way sex. We’re not sure they considered themselves to be swingers, but they probably wouldn’t have flinched at the label. In this regard, they are already more open to the potential of expanding their relationship than many couples might be. As our story opens, Jamie is starting to have more than casual feelings for the current man in her life.

Three-way committed relationships don’t simply emerge full-blown and move smoothly towards that happily-ever-after forever. We wanted to explore the tugs and pulls of each protagonist as the balance shifts and the pitfalls emerge. Who has the most to lose? What does each of them fear, and who is the most afraid? How do they go about the process of opening up these feelings and sorting them out? What do they still hide from each other? And of course, ultimately, can it work?

We’ve written a romance. You already know it has a happy ending. We still believe that’s possible, and we do know a few friends who are, at least for the moment, making something similar work for them. We hope you’ll join our characters for what proves to be a bumpy ride on the way to a unique Happily Ever After.

BLURB

Three lives—but how many loves?

Committed lovers for three years, Jamie and Susan are good together. Jamie knows she wants Susan in her life forever. But what if that’s not enough?

Both bi, the two have continued dating men occasionally, and now Jamie’s falling in love with Mason. Can she love two persons? Will her love for either one wrench the other one out of her life?

Jamie’s convinced a long-term three-way relationship is the answer, but none of the players is prepared for what’s coming. Two-way relationships are hard enough—is a three-way even possible? And if so, what must each of them give up to create it?

EXCERPT

Jamie tilted her head to the side as Susan curled back in next to her. “So what do you think of Mason?”

“Ah, Mason. He’s the source of your stewing. Is he starting to wear on you? How long has it been—three months? Four months?”

“He’s not wearing on me. And it’s nearly five months.” Jamie paused to wet her lips. “You didn’t answer my question. What do you think of him? What do you really think of him?”

Susan flinched. “Well, I haven’t thought a lot about him, though I must say he has stayed around longer than any guy in recent memory.” Susan sighed. “Okay, to be honest. I think he seems like a very nice guy. When he’s over here, it’s because he’s come to see you, so I don’t really spend a lot of time with him. I’ve cooked a few dinners for you guys, but most of time he comes, you go out, you come back, and you shut your door and make love. I’m surprised the neighbors haven’t complained. And he’s usually gone before I’m up in the morning. And lately you’ve been spending much more time at his house than at our apartment…for your love nest activities, that is. I must say that’s easier on me. I get more sleep, and I don’t have to imagine what you and he are doing to each other.”

“That’s it?”

“What else do you want me to say? I’m an English professor, not a social worker. He doesn’t seem abusive. He’s easy to look at. He doesn’t…” Susan paused. “Uh oh. If he’s not wearing on you and yet you’re stewing about him…” She arched an eyebrow. “Jams, maybe you’d better tell me what’s really on your mind.”

Jamie didn’t miss the sudden flash of anxiety that crossed Susan’s face.

BUY LINK

Universal Buy Link

https://books2read.com/u/4AAdGd

Her breathing quickened…Seducing Cat #MFRWHooks #EroticRomance #LBGTQ+

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What could college English Professor Caitlin Shanahan ever have in common with the brash carpenter Kurt Davis?
The sexy sprite Meghan Keenan, that’s what.

Welcome to MFRW Hooks, where the authors of Marketing for Romance Writers share snippets from their stories to entice you into wanting more. Be sure to click on the links at the end to travel!

Remember the Greek Goddess Aphrodite? As a child, I didn’t learn much about Greek Mythology, but I do remember in my late teens hearing an off-color limerick from my dad with the following middle lines:

“He carved Aphrodite
Without any Nightie…

Here’s the full limerick:

There once was a sculptor named Phidias
Whose manners in art were invidious:
He carved Aphrodite
Without any nightie,
Which startled the ultra-fastidious.

Hopefully if you’re reading this blog, you would never count yourself among the “ultra fastidious.” In case you do, this book probably isn’t for you!

My husband and I like to think we invented Meghan Keenan, a modern-day Aphrodite (who probably never wears a nightie), but sometimes we wonder. She’s the star of our six-book F/F/M Ménage series Meghan’s Platyhouse, and we’ll be featuring Book One, Seducing Cat, for the next several Book Hooks.

Meghan is only twenty when the series opens, but she loves both women and men, and loves even more bringing them together, up close and personal.

Here are the opening sentences:

Chapter One

Peering through the lace curtains of her upstairs home office window onto the sundeck and manicured lawn below, Caitlin Shanahan felt her breathing quicken. Her nipples pebbled.

Her renter’s petite nude body glistened under the rays of the late morning sun. Only recently had Caitlin realized how appealing the feminine form could be. She stood behind the curtains, careful not to be seen by the sunbather. Initially, she’d been shocked by Meg Keenan’s penchant for tanning in the nude. What if the neighbors saw her?

But they wouldn’t. The eight-foot privacy fence offered adequate protection from prying eyes—other than those looking out her upstairs window.

BLURB

Levelheaded English Professor Caitlin Shanahan has finally earned tenure and purchased the century-old two-story house of her dreams in the college town of Burntside, Wisconsin—at thirty-four, she’d better face facts: her future is teaching college and writing plays, not falling in love. So why is she so drawn to foxy little hometown actress Meghan Keenan, who’s rented her upstairs apartment, or worse, to the girl’s gorgeous hunk of a lover Kurt Davis, a carpenter who’s never even been to college?

Twenty-year-old Meg has a plan. First she’ll seduce the reluctant professor, then she’ll share her sexual delights with both Cat and her brawny carpenter, and when she’s successfully brought them together, she can make her escape and explore what’s beyond the only town she’s ever lived in.

Kurt can’t stand the up-tight professor who’s hired him to build a gazebo and refurbish her old house—the house he wanted for himself. Even if Meg’s scheme succeeds, he knows Caitlin would never look at him twice. No need to go there in his fantasies…

BUY LINKS

Universal Buy LInk

https://books2read.com/u/mgPjn6

Click on the links to travel to the rest of today’s hooks:

What do We Tweet? #Health #Boomers #Pride #Polyamory #SexPositivity

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What do We Tweet?

#Health #Boomers #Pride #Polyamory #SexPositivity

Are you getting the drift? My husband and I write erotic romance together under our pen name, Adriana Kraft. Yes, we are Baby Boomers working hard to stay healthy. Yes, we support Pride, polyamory, and sex positivity. I’ll start from the back of the list.

Here’s what sex positivity means to us: There are three criteria for judging any sexual encounter among adults:

One: consent of all involved parties, at every step of the process.

Two: Pleasure for the involved parties (however they define pleasure).

Three: it contributes to the well-being of the involved parties.

For us, this means things like no slut shaming, such as we encountered in some reviews of our erotic romance The Best Man. Yes, Kitty (our heroine) is a slut. Is that wrong? No. Does it bring her pleasure and contribute to her well-being? Sometimes – and when it doesn’t, those consequences force her to grow and figure out what she really wants. We think that stands for itself. A good read on this topic is The Ethical Slut, by Janet Hardy and Dossie Easton.

Working backwards: Polyamory (and multiple partners, whether or not all parties are in love) follows logically from sex positivity. None of us can dictate who will fall in love or even who “ought” to fall in love. Perhaps the most important line in our bio is “we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination.” We write fictional stories that adhere to these values, and those are also the values we apply in real life. Tristan Taormino has written a thoughtful book about polyamory that we highly recommend: Opening Up

Pride. Not just because we believe it is right and that it follows logically from the above values, but because both our extended family and our friendship network are filled with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals, all of whom we love deeply and believe deserve happiness and fulfillment in love.

Boomers – that cohort born between 1946 and 1964. This year, Baby Boomers are between the ages of 59 and 77, and no, we’re not among the youngest of those. Our stories often feature main characters who are in their fifties and beyond, though we also love writing younger characters. True love and satisfying erotic encounters can happen at any age and are always to be celebrated, including in erotic romance. Joan Price, an advocate for ageless sexuality, has a delightful collection of erotic stories entitled Ageless Erotica.

Health, without which none of the above would be possible. Maintaining health becomes increasingly challenging as we age, and it is our most important value. We work out. We read up on brain health, nutrition, strength training, aerobic exercise, and stress reduction. We incorporate as much of this information as we can into our daily routines, and we are each other’s cheerleader and workout buddy to keep ourselves on track.

If you are a blogger focused on any of these topics, we’d love to invite you to our pages. If you are a reader who shares our interests, naturally we hope you’ll check out our books at this LINK.