It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

This weekend, I have a snippet for you from The Sorcerer's Guardian, which will be released from Dreamspinner on November 28th. Here's the blurb:

Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, has honed his Talent through years of study and made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, and arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings, which is how Savarin prefers it. Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack. They are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. To his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompanies him.

Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain and takes pride in his service. He must obey the princes’ orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere. And despite his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, he has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. Loriot and Savarin clash during their journey, but there’s another reason for the tension between them, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still fortify Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution endangers both him and the royal family.

In this snippet, Prince Philip tells informs Loriot and Savarin that Loriot will be accompanying Savarin on his journey.

You can find the preorder link and a longer excerpt from The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Thanks for reading!

I'm so excited to share the cover of The Sorcerer's Guardian with you! Once again, Anne Cain has done beautiful work on the cover. I hope you love it as much as I do.
​

Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, has honed his Talent through years of study and made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, and arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings, which is how Savarin prefers it. Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack. They are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. To his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompanies him.

Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain and takes pride in his service. He must obey the princes’ orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere. And despite his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, he has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. Loriot and Savarin clash during their journey, but there’s another reason for the tension between them, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still fortify Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution endangers both him and the royal family.


The Sorcerer's Guardian will be available on November 28th. For now, you can preorder at Dreamspinner. As soon as it's available on other sites, I'll let you know. Until then, here's an excerpt for you.
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Chapter 1
​
As afternoon waned into evening, Loriot approached his house on Dove Lane. Weariness dragged at him with each step. He hadn’t slept more than a few minutes in the last few days, and now that the crisis had passed, he felt the fatigue down to his bones. But the lack of sleep was worth it for the good outcome of the situation. 
He trudged up the few steps to his front door, its rich blue color recently freshened, and let himself in. The key turned smoothly in the lock, and the magical protections on the house recognized him as belonging, allowing him inside. He shivered even though he didn’t feel anything as he crossed the threshold; perhaps someone with a Talent would, but he had neither Talent nor any sensitivity to magic.

​Inside, the house was quiet. The formal parlor was empty, which was unsurprising as they rarely used it—only when Joceline and Oriana chose to entertain. He wanted more than anything to go up to his bedchamber and collapse into his bed for the next few days, but he couldn’t. Couldn’t even collapse for a few hours without checking on his family. But he knew where at least one of them was likely to be at this time of day. 

The sitting room at the back of the house was quiet too, so quiet he could hear the scratch of his sister’s pen on paper as he stepped into the doorway. Joceline sat at her writing desk, papers spread around her, pen flying across the page. Despite the silence, she didn’t notice him. A good writing day, then. He hated to disturb her, but she’d want to know he was home. 

“Story going well?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet so he wouldn’t startle her. He’d learned it was better to have to repeat himself than to scare her when she was absorbed in a world of her own creation. 

But he didn’t have to repeat himself today. She looked up immediately, her eyes hazy then sharpening. “There you are! I was wondering if you were ever coming home.” 

He hadn’t been gone that long—only a couple of days—but he did try not to let a day go by without returning for at least a little while. He stepped farther into the room and sank down into a comfortable chair. “It was unavoidable. You got my notes?” 

“Of course. You know I was just teasing.” Joceline narrowed her eyes and studied him with an intensity he could almost feel. “Is everything all right? You look exhausted, and I heard yesterday that the guard was searching everyone leaving the city.” 

He scrubbed a hand over his face. Sitting had been a mistake. His eyelids wanted to droop; his body wanted to melt into the cushions. “There was a kidnapping.” 

“Not Prince Julien?” 

“No, no. And it’s fine now,” he reassured her, trying to keep her from coming out of her chair in her alarm at a threat to the heir to Tournai’s throne. “It wasn’t a member of the royal family at all.” 

“But you were involved?” 

As captain of the royal guard, Loriot normally wouldn’t be directly involved in such a situation. “The baby taken was the daughter of Prince Amory’s friend, Master Tristan. The merchant. Though if what I saw means anything, he’ll likely be a member of the royal family soon.” 

“Really?” Joceline leaned forward, her interest of a different kind now. “There’s going to be a marriage? To whom? The princess?” 

He shook his head. He didn’t need to tell her that what he said should go no further. He didn’t ever tell her anything truly secret, but Loriot didn’t see the harm in a little meaningless court gossip now and then, especially since she wouldn’t spread it. “No. Lord Etan.” 

She sat back with a huff. “Well, they really are bucking tradition aren’t they?” 

He let out a half laugh. But what she said wasn’t untrue. Both Tournai’s prince and his cousin, a royal duke, had married men in the last couple of years, and now it seemed that Lord Etan, another cousin of Prince Philip’s, would do the same, eschewing the tradition that titled noblemen married women to provide bloodline heirs for their titles. 

“Good for them,” Joceline said. “I hope they’re happy.”

“Now that Tristan’s daughter is back with them, I believe they are.” Concern flooded back into her pretty face. “You found her? And the person who took her?”

“Yes, with Master Savarin’s help.” He’d gotten over any resentment he might have had that he needed the help of magic long before today and was happy to use any tool that came his way. Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, was not someone whose help should be turned away, and Savarin never withheld it, serving Tournai whenever he was called upon. 

“The sorcerer? How did he help?” Joceline sat forward, a gleam in her eyes that he recognized well. She wasn’t just curious; she wanted to know because she might use the information in a story. 

“Joceline.”

“What?”

He sighed and shook his head. “He used his magic to try to track the kidnappers and then to try to find the baby directly. He pointed us in the right direction, let us know where to search for them.” Loriot didn’t bother mentioning the help they’d received from someone else, a scholar at the university. If he read Savarin right, Savarin would be finding Master Corentin at the university soon and asking him about the magic he used, because it also sounded as if Savarin hadn’t heard of anything like it. 

“Interesting.” 

“Let me guess, your new story has a sorcerer character.” He arched an eyebrow at her, his mildly disapproving tone mostly put-on. Which she would know, as she knew how proud he was of her accomplishments. 

“I have an idea that would call for one. What’s Master Savarin like?” 

“I don’t know him that well.” He tried to think of anything he knew about Savarin beyond the surface. “He’s powerful and arrogant with it.” She shrugged. “I’d be surprised if he wasn’t. Aren’t all powerful sorcerers arrogant about their power?”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know any others.” He resolutely pushed his newly acquired knowledge about the royal family’s secret Talent from his mind. He didn’t need Joceline seeing something in his expression and trying to badger it out of him. Not that he would ever tell, but life would be easier if he didn’t have to fight Joceline about it. 

“All the ones I’ve read about in stories are. Especially the evil ones.” 

“Tell me you’re not going to base a character on Master Savarin and make him evil.” Making the most powerful sorcerer in the country an evil character in a book sounded like a horrible idea. 

Another shrug. “Powerful sorcerers always seem to be evil characters. Or self-sacrificing ones that save the day.” 

Loriot shook his head and heaved himself to his feet. If he didn’t move, he’d end up sleeping right there. “Alain is upstairs?” 

“Yes. But wait,” she called after him as he walked toward the door. “You must know something else about Master Savarin.” 

“I really don’t.” He didn’t turn.

“Is he handsome?”

Savarin’s image filled his mind—his height and broad shoulders, perfectly carved features, blond hair that looked as if it would be soft under his hands. His stride hitched, but he shook the image away and ignored Joceline calling after him. Perhaps she would forget the idea entirely if he didn’t encourage her. 

He doubted it, but he could hope. The idea of Savarin as a character in a book on the shelf of a bookshop made him cringe. 

Trudging up the stairs took the last of his energy, but he forced himself to bypass his own bedchamber. He couldn’t go to bed without seeing Alain. Not after so long away, not even if it hadn’t been that long. The door to the room at the back of the house was partially open. He peeked in as he pushed it open the rest of the way. The room was tidy, except for a veritable city built of blocks in the middle of the rug. The nursemaid noticed him first, but Alain wasn’t far behind. He looked up, his bright green eyes—twins of Loriot’s own—lighting up, and Loriot felt something inside him melt, just as it always did under those eyes. 

“Papa!” 

With ease of long practice, he caught the five-year-old bundle of energy that came flying at him and swung his son up into his arms, cuddling him close for as long as Alain would allow. As tired as he was, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “There’s my boy. I missed you. Show me what you’ve been doing.” 



Savarin sank into a chair in his study and reveled in the quiet. He tipped his head back to rest against the back of his chair and closed his eyes. Aside from him, only the cook and a maid remained in the house, and they wouldn’t bother him. No one would see him take this moment to himself. 

What he needed was sleep. He hadn’t gotten enough since he’d been pulled in to help find the kidnapped baby. The magic use had worn him down, even without lack of sleep, but he hadn’t wanted to be unavailable until the baby was found in case he was needed again. The baby was home with her father now, unharmed and seemingly no worse for her experience, and the culprits were in Loriot’s hands, as they should be. The captain of the royal guard was more than capable of handling everything from there; Savarin’s part was done. 

Just in time for him to lecture at the university. 

Which he had done, without showing that he was so tired he thought he could feel his bones creaking when he moved, and he wasn’t old enough for his bones to creak. At least it was only a lecture, not a demonstration or work with a student. For that, he’d have needed his wits about him. 

He’d briefly considered trying to track down Master Corentin while he was at the university. But there would be time to find the visiting scholar when Savarin wasn’t nearly asleep on his feet. The description of the magic Master Corentin had used to narrow down the area to search for the missing child had ignited Savarin’s curiosity. He’d never heard of a spell like the one Master Corentin supposedly used, and he was eager to discuss it with the man, to learn what type of Talent Master Corentin had and what kind of training he’d received. And whether it was a type of spell Savarin would be able to learn and use. 

But all that could wait. Tomorrow. He’d send a note around to Master Corentin tomorrow. For now, he would get the rest he needed. 

He pushed himself out of his chair. He’d slept in the chair before, more than once when he’d been too tired or drained to get any farther, but it would never be comfortable or his first choice, if he had one. Savarin climbed the stairs to the next floor and his bedchamber with slow steps, lifting each foot and setting it on each stair carefully. The thick carpet running along the center of the corridor muffled his slow steps as he made his way toward the back of the large house. At the time he’d bought it, he’d liked the architecture of the house and its conveniences, and yes, how large it was. Larger by far than the home where he’d grown up. Larger, perhaps, than he needed, but he regretted it only when he was too tired to get from one end of the house to the other. 

The door to his bedchamber was finally in front of him. Savarin stumbled inside and closed it firmly. No one would disturb him here, unless the house caught fire or Prince Philip summoned him. And the house was spelled against fire and other catastrophes. He’d have to hope for no royal summonses. 

He’d like a bath, but he didn’t want to wait as long as it would take to fill the large tub in the bathing room—and as tired as he was, he couldn’t use his Talent to hasten it along. Putting aside the idea of bathing until after he had some sleep, and possibly something to eat, Savarin discarded his clothing as he made his way across the room. He left each garment where it fell. He could pick them up when he woke. The maids wouldn’t complain if he left them—they were too wary of him and his Talent to complain about anything he did—but he wouldn’t make extra work for them for no reason. 

The large bed with its tall, heavily carved posts and soft mattress beckoned, but he forced himself over to the windows first and tugged the velvet curtains closed, shutting out the late afternoon sunlight. With the room dim, he staggered back to the bed, the last of his energy deserting him the closer he got, and crawled between the sheets. He sighed as he stretched out on the silky sheets. His head had barely settled on the pillow before he was asleep. ​

​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

This weekend, I'm sharing another snippet from my story "Love and Hope and Magic" from the Turn the Page... charity anthology. The anthology benefits suicide prevention programs and contains a diverse group of stories of journeys of love and hope, all about LGBTQ+ main characters. This week's snippet takes place right after the one I posted two weeks ago. 

Thanks for reading!

​I'm so excited to be a part of this book signing with other New Jersey area romance authors. I'll be selling and signing  The Artist's Masquerade and The Scholar's Heart, and I'm looking forward to chatting with readers. It sounds like it's going to be a great time, and I hope to see you there!

Fellow Dreamspinner author Meg Harding is dropping by today with an excerpt from her new book and a great giveaway!
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Will You Be My Escort 
#2 in The Carlisles Series
200 pages
Dreamspinner Press
Cover by Reese Dante

A Carlisles novel

Jackson Carlisle has rotten luck with men and women, and after an especially bad situation, he takes a step back from romance. But with a two-week family reunion in Hawaii looming, his mom is determined to set him up with one of the sweet singles she knows would be perfect for him. A normal person would tell her no and be done with it. Instead, Jackson tells her he has a boyfriend. The only problem? He doesn’t.

Aaron Wilkes is an escort. He’s a little surprised when a friend’s girlfriend hires him to date her brother, but he’s had stranger jobs. Jackson is cute, and he thinks a fling with Aaron might be just the kind of no-strings-attached fun he needs to get over his dry spell. As they explore the islands together, their carefully laid plans begin to get away from them. Feelings aren’t supposed to come into play, but that shouldn’t be a problem. After all, you can’t fall in love in two weeks….
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Buy Will You Be My Escort:
Dreamspinner   
Barnes and Noble
All Romance
Amazon
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Part of being in a large family means everyone knows everything. And it’s never forgotten, because inevitably someone remembers it. So Jackson doesn’t know how he hasn’t heard about the family reunion until he’s staring at the ridiculous card on his dark-cream tiled counter. Someone has taken the time to make a collage of the entire family’s faces and merge them into lettering that reads “You’re invited to the Carlisle Family Reunion.” He’s not sure whether to be impressed or appalled.

​His phone starts to trill. He picks it up without looking. “Are you seeing this?” asks James. “I think I’m hallucinating it.”

“No,” says Jackson. “I’ve got it in front of me. It’s painfully real.”

The last thing in the world he wants to do is attend a family reunion. It’s a two-week-long affair at a resort in Hawaii (which would be lovely if the family reunion aspect was removed), occurring in three weeks’ time, during which they’re going to be surrounded by obnoxious extended family. It’s like something from a horror film.

“I don’t know why you’re complaining,” he says to James. “You’ve got a boyfriend.” He thinks about it. “Can Bastien not come?” He runs two businesses and works a lot, but he’s got a partner who can probably take things over.

“Bastien can come,” grumbles James. “He’s annoyingly excited for it.”

“He’s in for a rude awakening,” mutters Jackson. Bastien hasn’t met anyone outside of their immediate close-knit group yet—he wasn’t around for the last reunion. He’s probably expecting everyone to be like their particular branch of Carlisles. The extended family isn’t like them. Well, in some ways they are, but in others… no. They’re an eclectic group of people who mostly only bother to get together and converse for a period longer than a two-word holiday or birthday card every five years.

There’s a reason for that.

His call waiting goes off. He pulls the phone from his ear. “Mom’s calling,” he says on a sigh. “I’ll call you back.”

“Don’t bother,” says James. “I’m coming over, and we’re going to drink till we forget we’ve been invited.”

Jackson rolls his eyes. “You’re a drama queen.” He drops the call in the middle of James’s indignant squawks. “Hello,” he says to his mom.

“Hello, sweetie,” she says. “Did you get the invitation?”

He glares at their obnoxious collaged faces. “I did.” He looks closer. Someone has photoshopped a curled mustache onto James’s face. He holds the phone away from him as he snickers. Their cousin Bobby must have made the card. He hates James. “James has a mustache in the picture,” he tells his mom. “Did you see that?”

Her sigh is long and pained. “I did. I’m calling to let you know you have to go. You can’t get out of this.” She goes silent, but there’s something about it that makes Jackson feel like there’s more coming. He has a feeling he’s not going to like it. “I know things have been rough, since you had to move and all….”

And he called that.

“But I have a friend, she has a delightful daughter, and I think you two would really get along. She might take some of the pressure off the reunion? And I think it’ll be good for you. I don’t mean to worry, but you haven’t dated anyone since Angel.” He winces at the name. “It’s time to try again, don’t you think? Move on? We’re all worried about you, dear. I have a friend with a son too, he’s a bit older than you, but he’s got a nice job.”

The last thing he wants is to be set up by his mother. A sane person would tell her to butt out and hang up. Politely of course; this is his mom after all. Jackson has a short supply of sanity, though, and he’s been running on very little sleep for the last month. What comes out of his mouth, instead of “no, thank you” or “I don’t need someone else to be happy,” is “I’m already seeing someone.”
​

Bio: 

​Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF and Anglia Ruskin University. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes.  In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

Website
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It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

October 16th is the one year anniversary of the publication of The Prince's Consort, my first book. I can't believe it's been a year already since the book release and I became a published author. It seems appropriate to share a snippet of The Prince's Consort this weekend. How about a (slightly too long! sorry!) snippet of Amory's first sight of Philip?

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

I'm a bit late with this post this month. It's halfway through October (somehow...) and I'm just writing about the books I loved in September. Sigh. We can blame the push to finishing writing and to edit Tournai 5, and that's not really a bad thing, right? Anyway, here are some books I really enjoyed last month:

Spindrift by Amy Rae Durreson - Sweet and sad and lovely and a bit creepy. The ghost story definitely creeped me out, but not enough to stop reading (I don't like being scared!), and I thought Mattie and Sion were very sweet together. I enjoyed the whole thing—romance, mystery, and ghost story.

Empty Net by Avon Gale - I really love Avon Gale's Scoring Chances series. You don't have to read them in order and you don't have to know hockey to enjoy these books (but you should read them all). Laurent broke my heart in this book, and I just loved him and Isaac together. I also loved the father-son type relationship that develops between Misha and Isaac. I adored Misha in the last book so I loved seeing him again. I also thought it was great to see a demisexual main character.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - I don't read a lot of Young Adult, but I'd heard so many good things that I finally gave this one a try. I am so happy I did. This book was just so adorable and funny and such a feel good read. All of the characters are engaging, and the ending was very sweet.

Connection Error by Annabeth Albert - I continue to enjoy each new book in this series (this one does stand alone but go read the others too). I enjoyed both the developing friendship and romance between Josiah and Ryan and how the book portrayed them. Ryan is a double amputee who is learning to cope with his disability, and Josiah has ADHD. The book definitely shows the effect that has on his life.

Overexposed by Megan Erickson - So many feelings in this book! I really fell for Levi and Theo who meet and fall in love while hiking the Appalachian Trail (something I would never do because I am not really the outdoorsy type, but that was portrayed well here I thought). I may have cried a bit. It was also really wonderful to find another demisexual MC in this book.

Apprentice in Death by JD Robb - This is the 43rd book in the series about Eve Dallas, Roarke, and their friends. I've read them all and always enjoy catching up with the characters in the next book.

The Pirate of Fathom's Deep by Megan Derr - The second book of the Tales of the High Court fantasy romance series, though you could probably read it as a standalone. I really enjoyed this fantasy, and the first in the series. The world was easy to get lost in and the characters easy to care about. 

What have you read lately and loved? Or what are you planning to read next?

It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

This weekend, I'm sharing a snippet from my story "Love and Hope and Magic" from the Turn the Page... charity anthology. The anthology benefits suicide prevention programs and contains a diverse group of stories of journeys of love and hope, all about LGBTQ+ main characters. My story is a fantasy romance (unconnected to the Tournai series). Here's the blurb:

Once each century, a ritual is performed, the magic of which sustains the land and protects it and its people for the century to come. But the person who performs the ritual never survives. This time Ailill is chosen. He is honored and content with his fate, but his best friend Lorcan is not. Lorcan can’t accept the loss of Ailill and can’t see a life without the man he thinks of as his other half. But Ailill knew Lorcan perhaps better than Lorcan knows himself, and he knew a life of love and magic is waiting for Lorcan after Ailill is gone, if only Lorcan can find the courage to reach for it.

This snippet takes place just after Lorcan last speaks with Ailill.

For more about Turn the Page... including descriptions of the other stories, a longer excerpt of "Love and Hope and Magic," and buy links, go here.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

The Turn Page... anthology to benefit suicide awareness and prevention programs is out in the world today! I'm so happy to have been able to contribute a story to this anthology. I hope you enjoy it and all the other wonderful stories in Turn the Page...

Turn The Page.... began as a simple idea and grew from there. No matter how bad things seem to be, just turn the page, there’s more—better—things to come. This is only one chapter in your life. It’s not the whole story. With this simple idea, Novice Sister Eroti-Quill—whom most know better as Tempeste O’Riley—began their quest to help Suicide Prevention and Awareness programs in their area. They managed to con (excuse me, convince) other authors to donate their time and stories to the project, and now, many months later, Turn The Page is born! 

The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eroti-Quill’s hope for others, to help bring strength to programs that so desperately need funding. It will allow them to continue to help others, and to show those that need support but may not have it, or that may be afraid to reach out, just how much love and understanding surrounds them. Turn The Page.... is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love, hope, and acceptance. 

Happy Birthday to Me by Tempeste O’Riley 
Robin’s Confession by Dianne Hartsock 
Purr by Nikki Prince 
Lockdown by Grace R. Duncan 
Ducks in a Row by Sue Brown 
Butterflies by Aine P Massie 
Once Step Back by Carole Cummings 
Superheroes by Hope Ryan 
Unworthy by Mark Zubro 
Love and Hope and Magic by Antonia Aquilante 
Façade by Donovan Alekz Crane 

Buy Turn the Page...:
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
Kobo
iBooks
Create Space

The release party for Turn the Page... will be tomorrow, October 8, at Outwords Books in Milwaukee. Sadly I'll only be able to attend in spirit, but if you're in the area, check it out. Find out more information about the party here.

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Happy Birthday to Me by Tempeste O’Riley

When Dave’s best friend drags him out for his birthday—nearly kicking and screaming, he finds more than he expected at Sovereign, the BDSM club he half owned but had refused to step foot in for two years other than for administrative things while it was closed. He didn’t go to clubs. He didn’t sub anymore. Period.

Well… until he sees Master Nicky. Then his plans for his birthday change and he decides that maybe giving himself a present, might not be quite such a bad idea after all.


Robin’s Confession by Dianne Hartsock

How can Robin find true love without accepting himself first?


Purr by Nikki Prince

Sasha’s love was in imminent danger. All she wanted was to keep Tori safe. Stay at the cabin wait for the verdict from the council. That’s all they had to do. One little dip in the lake couldn’t hurt could it?


Lockdown by Grace R. Duncan

Gylam’s never been that great at communication and this time he’s gone too far. His penchant for keeping his mouth shut resulted in a disastrous trip to the local dungeon. Jackson, his partner—both cop and at home—and Dom, is well familiar with Gylam’s tendencies. The punishment he gives Gylam is just shy of his limits, but Gylam knows he’s earned it. It remains to be seen if it teaches him anything, though.


Ducks in a Row by Sue Brown

David spends his afternoons feeding the ducks, a peaceful activity until the day Jeff and his Labrador dog burst into his life. David and Jeff get to know one another, punctuated by Bozo’s mishaps, but David is unwilling to share all his secrets. Will Jeff give him the time he needs?


Butterflies by Aine P Massie

Kyndra visits Jaiden’s shop for a little birthday shopping but is there for more than the pretty blown glass designs she makes—lovely though they are. What she really wants is a date with the beautiful craftswoman. But can she push her fears aside and ask, or will her past get in the way? With Jaiden’s help, can who Kyndra is inside finally shine?


Once Step Back by Carole Cummings

When Sahir is busy running for his life, it never occurs to him that the being in wrong place at the wrong time might turn into the right place at the right time. Not until he literally collides with Nicholas and salvation comes by way of magical intervention. But when Nicholas ends up being the one who really needs help, Sahir has to decide the best way to give it—and how to offer it to someone who can’t even figure out if he wants it.


Superheroes by Hope Ryan

Many people reach a point where they think life can’t get any worse. Rock bottom, where the future is so bleak, they begin to ask, “why bother?”

When homeless gay man Wayne Kent reaches that point, standing on a Pittsburgh bridge on a cold Tuesday in April, the last thing he expects is to get stopped—especially by a man named Bruce Clark.

But Bruce has been there, he’s seen that, he’s thought and felt the things Wayne is now and he refuses to see the beautiful, hurting man become another statistic. Coffee and a sandwich is a first step and Bruce hopes it’ll lead to a permanent step up for Wayne. And maybe even a step toward more together.


Unworthy by Mark Zubro

A love lost over half a century ago. Is there really redemption for all of our regrets, or at least perhaps for one regret? A chance to change the decision you made over half a century ago, or at least a chance to say what was unsaid, to say what could be said now? The love you missed so long ago, and if you could have one moment again, once last chance.


Love and Hope and Magic by Antonia Aquilante

Once each century, a ritual is performed, the magic of which sustains the land and protects it and its people for the century to come. But the person who performs the ritual never survives. This time Ailill is chosen. He is honored and content with his fate, but his best friend Lorcan is not. Lorcan can’t accept the loss of Ailill and can’t see a life without the man he thinks of as his other half. But Ailill knew Lorcan perhaps better than Lorcan knows himself, and he knew a life of love and magic is waiting for Lorcan after Ailill is gone, if only Lorcan can find the courage to reach for it.


Façade by D. Zander Crane 

David struggles with his gender identity as he searches his city for a woman-murdering madman in his female alter-ego, Façade. Can he overcome his depression and confusion long enough to stop the Grinning Reaper?
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It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your tbr. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+.

My random page theme continues this weekend (the first weekend in October already!) with a snippet from page 145 of The Scholar's Heart. Here, Tristan is arriving at the palace for an evening with friends, and ends up being slightly oblivious.

Thanks for reading, everyone!