Category Archives: Friends Series

Friday Feature & Giveaway: North to You by Tif Marcelo

Title: North to You by Tif Marcelo
Journey to the Heart Series Book One
Publisher: Pocket Star
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 412 pages

Summary:

In this warmhearted and charming debut from Tif Marcelo, a food truck chef and her long lost Army love clash when they cross paths in San Francisco.

Camille Marino has got a full plate. As the sole guardian of her eighteen-year-old sister and the head chef and owner of a food truck, she’s used to life being a juggling act. With food to cook, social media accounts to manage, and a little sister to look after, she doesn’t have time for much else.

That is, until Drew Bautista walks back into her life.

Drew is Camille’s former high school crush and he returns to San Francisco to repair his relationship with his father before he ships out for deployment. By helping his father renovate his failing Filipino restaurant, he hopes to win back his respect. But when sparks fly between Drew and Camille—his father’s major competition and sworn enemy—Drew is conflicted. Should he join his father in the war against her food truck? Or surrender to the woman who’s given him a second chance at love?

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Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N * Google Play * iTunes * Kobo


Excerpt

Above the low hum of the traffic, the people, and the planes passing overhead, a bell chimes. Then two, then three. Soon, surround-sound church bells, signaling the start of the new day, sweep over the breadth of my view.

“Wow.” The music becomes the backdrop of the city I thought I knew. My eyes follow the path of Market Street and the twinkling outline of the Bay Bridge. It scans to the Transamerica Building, which cuts the ombré of the night sky down to the yellow of the city lights. Sights now enhanced, brought to greater depth and meaning.

“Right?” he whispers next to me.

“Beautiful.”

“She is definitely beautiful.”

My breath hitches at Drew’s statement. He leans against the barrier, his back to the city lights. His eyes are solely on me.

This man and I know nothing about each other as adults except for what we revealed in the last hour. He knows nothing of my dreams and hopes. I don’t understand the life he’s chosen. And yet I’m bound to him with leftover feelings that are so innocent and pure, feelings I’m not sure where to place now that they’ve been pulled from memories packed away.

One thing is sure. Right now is perfect.

I approach him, place my hands on his chest.

He rests his fingers lightly on my waist. “Camille—”

I stop him with a kiss. Tonight has been crazy, magical, fuzzy, and weird, and I don’t want to think about consequences, my overloaded plate of responsibilities, of everything waiting for me down there, in the city below.


Author Bio

Tif Marcelo believes in and writes about heart-eyes romance, the strength of families, and the endurance of friendship. A veteran Army Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Public Administration, she is a craft enthusiast, food-lover and the occasional half-marathon runner. As a military spouse, she has moved nine times, and this adventure shows in some of her free-spirited characters. Tif currently lives in the DC area with her own real life military hero and four children.

Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads


Giveaway

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Filed under Blog Tour, Contest, Excerpt, Friends Series

Review: Not a Game by Cardeno C.

Title: Not a Game by Cardeno C.
Friends Series Book One
Publisher: The Romance Authors, LLC
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Romance
Word Count: 55,866
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by the Author

Summary:

An accidental meeting and a misunderstanding lead to a life-altering connection.

A new job, a new city, and hopefully a new life. When chubby gamer Oliver Barnaby receives a job offer from the best boutique game developer in the country, he leaves his family and his less than spectacular existence in Oklahoma without a second’s hesitation. Determined to change more than his career and his geography, Oliver implements a plan to finally land a boyfriend. Step one is improving his skills in the bedroom.

A life that looks perfect on paper, but feels empty in reality. Attractive, successful, charismatic Jaime Snow has a life other people envy. His already booming business is growing. He isn’t lacking in friends. And he has no trouble finding a date. But there’s an emptiness in Jaime’s heart and a hole in his life that only the right man can fill.

An accidental meeting, a misunderstanding, and falling in love. When Oliver and Jaime end up at the same bar at the same time, they each see something they want in the other. Going to bed together that first night is easy. Building the lifetime relationship they both desperately crave will require trust, time, and a little misunderstanding.

Review:

Not a Game by Cardeno C. is a scorching hot, conflict-free erotic romance.

Having recently moved from OK to WA for a new job, Oliver Barnaby is determined to make some much needed changes to his life.  With plenty of insecurities and not much confidence due to some unkind remarks by his ex-boyfriend, he makes a surprising decision that he hopes will provide him the experience and confidence he needs to jump start his non-existent love life.  He also plans to make an effort to make friends but he is uncomfortable around people he does not know so he focuses on improving his sex life first.  Oliver is quite smitten with the new man in his life, Jaime Snow, but due to the circumstances in which they first meet, he finds it difficult to believe Jaime is truly interested in him.

Jaime is pretty much everything Oliver is not.  He is in great shape and he is quite self-assured.  He has been in a long term relationship and although he and his ex split up several years earlier, he has not met the right man to spend the rest of his life with.  He is instantly attracted to Oliver and he is quite patient with his new lover as he helps him overcome his self-doubts.  Jaime is quick to assure him that his interest is sincere and Jaime bides his time as he waits for the right time to clear up Oliver’s misconception about his true identity.

Initially, Jaime and Oliver’s relationship is mostly physical so there are plenty of explicit sex scenes between them.  But there is also little doubt that they genuinely like each other and there are a host of feelings simmering beneath their passionate encoutners.  Although Oliver does become much more comfortable with his appearance, he remains uncertain that Jaime’s interest in him is real.  Jaime does not help the situation by continuing to keep important information to himself even though his reasons for remaining silent are understandable.  Once Oliver finally figures out the truth, his reaction is a tiny bit unrealistic but refreshingly free of unnecessary drama.

Not a Game by Cardeno C. is a sinfully sexy erotic gay romance.  The characters are wonderfully developed, delightfully imperfect and infinitely appealing.  The storyline is engaging and provides a positive message about body image.  A fast-paced and enjoyable love story that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next installment in the Friends series.

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Filed under Cardeno C, Contemporary, Erotic, Friends Series, M/M, Not a Game, Rated B, Review, Romance, The Romance Authors