Tag Archives: Enemies-to-lovers

Blog Tour: Forever After by Marie Sinclair

Forever After | Marie Sinclair

Finding Forever #3

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Release Date: April 6th, 2022

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Blurb

After a fire destroys his apartment, Diego has no choice but to move in with the person least likely to welcome him with open arms: Alex, the recently divorced, presumably straight guy who didn’t take kindly to Diego hitting on him at a friend’s wedding.

Unfortunately, Alex can’t exactly complain about the living arrangements. After his wife cheated, he moved across the country to San Francisco to start over. The place he’s living belongs to a friend, so when Jake also offers Diego a room, Alex needs to figure out how to deal with the exceptionally hot, sex-positive, queer youth counselor whose gaydar has picked up that Alex isn’t as straight as everyone thinks he is.

Forced to live in the same house, Alex and Diego are about as combustible as fire and gasoline. But when Alex’s thirteen-year-old comes out as trans masc and moves into the house with them, Alex begins to see another side of Diego, and Diego realizes this sullen, complicated man has a heart of gold that’s been stomped on a few too many times.

Once the walls start to come down, Alex and Diego realize they have a lot in common. Not to mention an attraction that blazes hotter the more they get to know each other.

Forever After is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, bi-awakening story. It is Book Three in the Finding Forever series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Please use the Look Inside feature to read the book’s trigger warning.

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Excerpt

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Diego spun, knife clenched in one hand, the tube of biscuits in the other, to find Alex glaring at him from the kitchen doorway. “What does it look like? I’m cooking.”

Alex strode into the room and took the knife from his hand, then almost lovingly slid it into the knife block before turning to face Diego. “One, don’t use my knives if you can’t handle them properly. Two, don’t ever, ever use the point of a knife to open something. And three, what the fuck are those things?” He pointed to the tube Diego still clutched in his hand.

“I told you, I’m cooking.”

“You are not cooking because that is not food.”

Diego shook his head in exasperation. “Dude. What is wrong with you?” He turned and rustled a butter knife out of the silverware drawer. “I assume you’re okay with me using this?”

“I’m not okay with what you’re planning on eating. That stuff is horrible.” Alex held out his hand, and Diego just stared at it, then raised his eyes to meet Alex’s gaze.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Yeah. I am. Do you even know what’s in this shit? Give it to me.”

With another head shake, Diego turned his back to Alex and resumed his attempts to open the tube. “I don’t know what your problem is, dude, but leave me out of it. I’ll clean up the kitchen after…what the hell?” Diego clamped his hand around the tube just as Alex tried to grab it off the counter. He spun around, glaring at Alex, who was holding on to one side of the tube. Mierda! Was this guy for real?

“Look,” Alex said. He extended a finger without letting go and pointed to the ingredients list, which Diego knew was full of preservatives and artificial flavors, but, at the moment, he couldn’t care less. Alex was being an ass. Again. And Diego’s temper was up. He’d die on this biscuit hill, if he had to.

“So what?”

“When I make biscuits it’s flour, salt, baking powder, butter, and milk. That’s it.”

“These take fifteen minutes to make.” Diego tugged on the tube without success. “And I’m hungry.”

“I can make them from scratch in under twenty.”

Diego tugged on the tube again, but Alex wasn’t letting go. With a growl, Diego tightened his grip, and gave a yank. For a moment, he had Alex off balance, but then Alex found his feet and pulled back. They held for a moment, the tension they both exerted and their full weight equal as they glared at each other over the metallic blue tube. Alex’s eyes glinted, and the corners of his mouth turned up. Diego was struck by how gorgeous the man was, especially as anger colored his cheeks. When Alex narrowed his eyes and then licked his lips, Diego nearly groaned with frustration that all this physical perfection was wasted on such an arrogant cabrón.

“Give me the tube,” Alex said.

“No. If you want to make biscuits, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

With a huff of air, Alex’s expression turned stony and he shifted on his feet, but Diego was ready. You didn’t grow up the youngest of five siblings and not know how to anticipate when someone was going to try and sweep your feet out from beneath you, which is exactly what Alex did. Diego sidestepped, pulling backward with his full weight. For a split second, everything was fine, and then the tube split as the pressurized contents expanded and the cardboard unraveled around the seam.

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A Kind of Forever

Book 1 A Kind Of Forever

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Blurb

Ry and Cart were inseparable in college: two innocent kids in love who thought they could take on the world. But when a photograph of the two of them at an LGBTQ protest outed Ry to his conservative family, his parents forced him to leave college and convinced Cart their relationship was something Ry regretted.

Twelve years later, they’re given a second chance.

Since they last saw each other, Cart has moved on. Sort of. He relocated to San Francisco, became a human-rights lawyer, and fell in love again and got married, only to lose his husband to cancer. Still reeling from the loss, he’s devoted himself to the struggling LGBTQ youth center his late husband founded. Then Ry joins the law firm where Cart works.

The moment they see each other, Cart can tell Ry’s changed. Gone is the sensuous and enthusiastic lover Cart remembers, and in his place is a man who looks at Cart with disgust. The last thing Cart needs is having to figure out what’s going on with his former lover, but he can’t ignore the strong emotions resurfacing between them.

When Ry returned to his hometown of San Francisco, he knew being near his parents again was going to be a challenge. For twelve years, they’ve been manipulating him with threats of being disinherited and losing his trust fund. It worked when he was younger, getting him to leave college and agree to conversion therapy in the hopes of getting away and returning to Cart.

But the camp caused him so much trauma, he can’t even look at another man without experiencing a panic attack. Now his goal is to beat his parents at their own game by pretending to be the dutiful, straight son they want. Two more years, and he’ll succeed. Then he sees Cart again and realizes what really matters to him. He just needs to find a way for Cart to realize it too.

Trigger Warnings: This book contains references to attempted suicide, conversion therapy, depression, and self-harm, as well as depictions of PTSD and panic attacks.

Nothing Like Forever

Book 2 Nothing Like Forever

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Blurb

Jake and Micah met at eighteen and formed a deep connection the instant they saw each other. That was the easy part.

Nothing Like Forever is a soul mates-to-partners, can’t-live-with-him/can’t-live-without-him unconventional love story in which Jake doesn’t want romance or a happily-ever-after, and Micah wants it all. With Jake. For twenty years they’ve been in and out of each other’s lives trying to get it right. They fail, retreat, disappear from each other’s lives for years at a time, and then fate (or a friend’s wedding) brings them back together for another attempt at making it work.

Their connection always runs deep, but no matter what it takes for them to stay together, one thing’s certain: these guys have a unique path to finding their HEA, and when they get there, it might not look the way either of them expect.

This novel is about learning what you can and can’t expect from your partner and what you can and can’t accept for yourself in a relationship, what lines you’re willing to cross, what compromises you’re willing to make, and where you have to stay true to who you are no matter how you feel about the other person. It features an aromantic MC and a guaranteed HEA that’s as unique as these two men and the journey it takes them to find forever.

Trigger warning: This novel has mentions of alcoholism and dementia. It also features MCs who are consensually non-monogamous, but there are no on-page depictions of Jake and Micah with anyone except each other.

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About the Author

Marie Sinclair is a queer writer living in San Francisco. Though she’s been a writer all her life, it wasn’t until she stumbled upon MM romance that she knew she’d found a home for herself and all the characters in her head.

Her focus is on contemporary romance, usually on the steamy side. While HEAs are guaranteed, it will always take some work for the couples to get there, and it might not look the way they expected at the beginning.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Marie believes in rooting her stories in the real world of queer culture and showing how love can survive even in challenging times.

Social Media

Facebook group: Marie’s Sin Bin

Instagram: marie.sinbooks

Twitter: @marie_sinbooks

Website: www.sinbinbooks.com

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Forever After, Marie is giving away an e-sets of the Finding Forever Series (3 eBooks) PLUS the bonus prequel

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Blog Tour: Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

Here to Stay | Adriana Herrera

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Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: August 25th, 2020

Buy Links:

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52912495

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Blurb

Starting over is more about who you’re with than where you live…

Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year.

She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive—by NYC standards, anyway—apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling…except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals.

It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South.

The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block.

When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

“Hot, heartwarming, and hilarious…This is a knockout.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Excerpt

Julia

I stepped into the elevator and shoved my phone into the pocket of my dress, took a moment to send a prayer to the employee discount that let me buy bomb clothes on a nonprofit worker budget, and did some mental math of what could be going on.

Was the program really in trouble? Could we actually get shut down?

Nope, I would not go there. I would not think about what it would be like to get on a plane back to New York dumped and unemployed. Not happening.

A distraction. That’s what I needed. Just as the door to the elevator was about to close, someone got in. The fact that I was eye level with the base of his throat was a good clue as to who it was, but when he opened his mouth and the now familiar knee-weakening baritone echoed off the walls of the elevator, I got my confirmation.

“Morning, Ms. Ortiz.” That voice could be used for interrogation tactics. Every muscle in my body loosened at the same time whenever I heard it.

I squeaked out a “Morning” and took my time lifting my head all the way up to look at the last person in the world I wanted overhearing my conversation with my mother.

Him.

Rocco Fucking Quinn, otherwise known as the “Team Leader” for the consulting firm looking to bag my job. The guy with the New York City-est name on the planet. I hadn’t exactly gotten personal with Mr. Quinn, but I picked up on that accent the first time we met.

“What’s good?” I really tried to sound polite, but my Queens jumped out in situations like this. I did not gulp, because I could not let this fucker see me sweat. I managed not to cut my eyes at him, but it was a close call.

I took him in, ramrod straight, every hair in its place, not a wrinkle in sight, and decided he could not be the proprietor of the laugh-choke from before. The man seemed to be completely lacking a sense of humor. I knew he must have teeth but I’d never seen them.

Yeah, definitely not him. That fact rallied my spirits a little bit as I stood close enough to pick up on how he smelled. Like the ocean and something woodsy. That was not helpful information.

Without saying another word, I ran my eyes over him. It struck me that he was not wearing something bespoke like pretty much everyone here. Don’t get me wrong, he still looked good enough to eat, but he was clearly on a budget. And at a place where everyone looked like they were heading to a New York Fashion Week photo shoot, it was sort of jarring. Still, the suit fit him well. And there was no question, this guy could wear the fuck out of a suit. I held back a whimper when I envisioned him in a Brioni or a Zegna. They’d have to put out a heat advisory for the building if that ever happened.

“I thought I could detect a familiar accent when I was coming down the hall.” His perfectly blue eyes twinkled at what I was certain was an expression of utter mortification on my face. He sounded pleasant enough, but he was also alluding to the fact that I was yapping on my phone. This wasn’t the first time he tried to be cute. Rocco Quinn seemed to like fucking with me. And it was only a matter of time before he stepped on my last nerve and I reamed him out.
Thankfully, just as I was scrambling to respond to his comment, the elevator got to my floor. I was planning to just leave him hanging and run off, but he was hot on my heels.

Dammit.

“Sounds like your mom misses you.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why did he have to act all fake nice?

I nodded without looking at him. “She does. Listen, Mr. Quinn—”

“You can call me Rocco.”

Nope, that was not happening. I was not letting this sexy bastard talk me into getting all chummy with him. I was already on thin ice as it was. He could keep his pheromones and his slick-as-fuck expressions to his damn self. I came to a dead stop a few feet away from the conference room door where my boss—and whatever shitty news she was about to give me—was waiting.

When I turned around, Rocco was looking down at me with an expectant smile. God he was handsome, that jet-black hair so dark it almost had a tinge of blue and those eyes, piercing. And I guess he had teeth after all, and of course they were perfect. Asshole. I shook my head hard when my traitorous brain started wondering what Pantone color his eyes would be.

Get your head in the game, Julia del Mar.

I straightened my back, determined to fight off the debilitating effects of those gleaming teeth and perfectly pink lips. I had to remember this niceness was probably his way of getting us to let our guard down. He was here to find ways to cut jobs. I was not about to mouth off and get myself fired, but I needed to get some things clear.

“Look.” I was proud of myself for not rolling my neck or pointing at his face. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but you make me nervous.” I pulled on the hem of my blue polka-dot dress and smoothed my yellow cardigan, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

“Why do I make you nervous?”

Uh, maybe because you’re here to close down as much of the foundation as you can.

I refrained from actually saying that because I had not been raised by a Puerto Rican man and Dominican woman just so I could act like I had no home training with the guy who could get me fired. But it was a close call.

“I’m sorry for saying that. You don’t make me nervous.”

Lies.

Rocco Quinn didn’t just make me nervous. He made me want to run my hands all over that big-ass body and moon over his almost but not quite curly hair and blue eyes, in spite of the fact that I knew he was out here gunning for my entire program. And yet, I still wanted to kiss the hell out of him while I climbed him like a sequoia.

Copyright © 2020 by Adriana Herrera

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About The Author

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Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The Washington Post. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly.

Her third novel, American Love Story, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre.

She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Social Media

Website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladrianaherrera

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.adriana.94801

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladriana_herrera/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18639202.Adriana_Herrera