PreOrder Blitz for Imposing Saint by Jess Bryant

Title: Imposing Saint

Series: All Saints Security

Author: Jess Bryant

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 26, 2021

Aaron Laughlin is young, rich, and a star among the Nashville political elite. That’s why nobody is more surprised than him when he ends up abandoned at the altar. But here he is, dumped on the most important day of his life, embarrassed in front of his entire city, and left with a bruised ego in place of a broken heart.

Needing time away to regroup after the fiasco that could very well derail his career, he decides to head to the mountains and enjoy his honeymoon on his own. Only, he isn’t alone. His imposing new bodyguard refuses to let Aaron out of his sight, or his reach, and the way his dark eyes follow Aaron’s every move gets under his skin in a way he can’t shake, and isn’t sure he wants to.

Isaac Chinn is practical, professional and takes pride in being good at his job. He’s never even considered breaching the client/bodyguard boundary, which is why being stuck on the side of a mountain with the gorgeous jilted groom that isn’t quite as straight as he’d like people to think, is such an imposition. The mayor might annoy and intrigue him in equal measure but Isaac knows better than to cross the line.

Only, the heat that flares between them refuses to be ignored. They’re like gasoline and a match, destined to consume each other if they get too close. But when faced with the cold of loneliness, is it worth the risk to feel the heat of passion, even if it might destroy them both?

“I don’t know why you got assigned to deal with me, maybe it was fate, but I’m glad it was you. I’m glad you're here with me so I’m not just wallowing and tearing myself apart. I like you, Isaac.”

“I like you too.” Isaac managed as Aaron removed his chin, propping himself up on an elbow on the sofa again.

“Thank you.”

Isaac’s brows furrowed, “For what?”

“Everything. Today was a total nightmare but somehow, you made it better, bearable I mean.”

“I didn’t do anything but my job.”

“You did more than that and you know it. You stopped me from making a scene at the church. You got me out of there. You talked to me in the lobby and on the plane to keep me from getting lost in my head. You got drunk with me even though you told me you don’t normally drink because you don’t like the feeling of being out of control. You’ve been there for me every step of the way today and I appreciate it more than I can say.”

Isaac was surprised by the mostly coherent words. Not just because Aaron didn’t stumble over a single word either. He hadn’t realized Aaron knew he kept talking to him so he wouldn’t dwell on what was happening. Aaron had been paying more attention than he’d realized and he didn’t sound as drunk as Isaac thought he was either.

“It is my job to take care of you.” He admitted, “But I’m glad I was able to be here for you too.”

Aaron was silent and Isaac took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He wasn’t sure why the lack of response felt like a slight but he pushed the feeling down. This conversation was getting too deep and too personal. It was better that Aaron had either fallen asleep or gone back to watching the movie. He was still trying to decide if he should call it a night and go to bed or finish watching the movie with Aaron when he heard his name whispered softly from just over his shoulder a few minutes later.

“Isaac?”

“Hmm?”

“Isaac?”

“Yeah?” Isaac turned his head to look at Aaron where he lay on the sofa behind him when he said his name again.

In the dim light of the television he realized they were a lot closer than he’d thought. The light flickered over Aaron’s handsome face and Isaac’s eyes automatically fell to his lips. Aaron’s mouth parted slightly and Isaac watched as his tongue flicked out to wet his bottom lip. Isaac’s groin tightened even as he told himself to look away, to move away, that whatever closeness he was feeling was only because of the alcohol in his bloodstream.

But before he could talk sense into his inebriated brain, Aaron leaned forward and pressed his lips against Isaac’s in the softest flutter of a kiss.

Jess Bryant is an avid indoorswoman. A city girl trapped in a country girl's life, her heart resides in Dallas but her soul and roots are in small town Oklahoma. She enjoys manicures, the color pink, and her completely impractical for country life stilettos. She believes that hair color is a legitimate form of therapy, as is reading and writing romance. She started writing as a little girl but her life changed forever when she stole a book from her aunt's Harlequin collection and she's been creating love stories with happily ever afters ever since. 

Jess holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Oklahoma and is a lifetime supporter of her school and athletic teams. And why not? They have a ton of National Championships! She may be a girlie girl but she knows her sports stats and isn't afraid to tell you that your school isn't as cool as hers... or that your sports romance got it all wrong. 

For more information on Jess and upcoming releases, contact her at JessBryantBooks@gmail.com or follow her on her many social media accounts for news and shenanigans.

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Release Tour A Sweet Man by Jaime Reese

Title: A Sweet Man

Series: The Men of Halfway House

Author: Jaime Reese

Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance (stand alone)

Release Date: June 16, 2020

Two men. One sweet dream of family and forever.

Gabriel "Bull" del Toro loves his fast-paced globe-trotting job, but aches for an honest relationship and the trust that comes with it. After a few too many heartbreaks, he’s nearly given up hope of finding that special someone. 

Until Ben.

Born deaf, Ben is used to working twice as hard for what he wants, but risking a newfound friendship on an impossible dream is scary. After all, there’s one lesson he’s learned: everything is temporary—freedom, friends, even family.

Neither man expects the undeniable spark between them or for every moment together to fuel that connection. For the first time, a happily ever after is within reach, but they must trust that the dream of acceptance, family, and a place to call home is more than a sweet fantasy. 

It can be forever.

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A Sweet Man is an interconnected standalone within The Men of Halfway House series. It is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and never giving up on a dream. It includes wounded hearts, an age-gap romance, and enough cake and sweetness to give you a toothache.

Chapter 1

Mid-January

Ben ran into the bedroom and swung the door shut. He leaned back against the door, gasping each breath while clutching the cell phone to his chest. Seconds. It was all he had before that bastard came barging in to take what he wanted.

Pushing off the door, he leapt over his still packed duffle bag sitting on the floor and wedged his body in the narrow space behind the bed. He grabbed the edge of the bed frame and pushed.

Damn bed wasn’t moving.

He gritted his teeth and pushed harder, finally shoving the bed on its rusty wheels across the carpeted floor. With the bed bumped up against the door, he had a moment of reprieve to take a deep breath.

His eyes burned as he stared at the door and a memory flashed in his mind.

Once his parole had been granted, Sam had asked him to make a simple decision: Halfway House or this place.

Another stupid decision made.

He glanced around the room—at the peeling paint, dirty carpet, and iron bars on the windows. This place wasn’t Halfway House. Both houses were in Miami-Dade County and about an hour apart, but there was a world of distance between them.

Climbing onto the mattress, he knee-walked toward the foot of the bed. Carefully, he inched closer and flattened his hand against the worn faux wood. One pounding thump against the door vibrated against his palm.

Then another and another, each harder than the one before.

He gasped when the mattress shook beneath his knees.

A punch from Jake would cause some damage—he had a pulsing black eye to prove that.

He pulled his hand away. Even though he couldn’t hear it, he imagined each strike came with an accompanying yell. Maybe even a curse. Or two. He crab-walked backward, away from the door now visibly moving with each strike.

He retreated to the wall, keeping his eyes trained on the single point of entry in front of him. First day at the new halfway house and he already had to deal with bullies.

If he were at HH, things would be so different. The house owners would never allow violence under their roof. Julian would have swooped in like some super ninja and caught Jake’s fist midair.

Ben leaned back against the wall and slid down until his ass hit the dirty carpeted floor. He tightened his grip on the cell phone in his hand. The punch to the face had been a small price to pay if he still had his phone.

Correction… His lifeline.

Now he realized why Sam had to gain special permission for him to have one. Every place had different rules and having a cell phone was a violation of this house’s rules. That detail hadn’t clicked until two other residents had practically salivated at the sight of his phone when he had pulled it out from his back pocket to view the incoming text message. Like a pack of wolves, another resident had joined in. In true alpha form, Jake had pushed the three of them aside and taken the lead, delivering a punch to the side of Ben’s face that had shoved him to the ground.

They had expected him to quiver, give in, huddle into a ball or surrender his phone. They hadn’t counted on him tightening the grip on his lifeline or his speedy escape.

He banged his head back against the wall.

Bump, bump, bump.

He was tired of life kicking him in the nuts.

Tired of second-guessing every damn thing he did.

Tired of how he kept making the wrong decisions.

Five years ago, he had trusted the wrong people. Friends had used him as a scapegoat and that had resulted in a grand theft charge. The judge had shown him mercy during sentencing, splitting his time—twelve months in jail and four years on probation.

With the jail time completed, he had ended up at Halfway House while transitioning into his probation term. He had been on the right path afterward for almost two years. He had reconnected with his sister and had moved in with her. He had secured a steady job, working with Shaw. 

Until the day he had gotten into a friend’s car during his lunch break.

He hadn’t known the car was stolen. He couldn’t have guessed that one choice would have resulted in a probation violation that would send him to a state prison to complete the remaining two years of his sentence.  

He screwed his eyes shut, instantly wincing at the pain of his swelling eye.

He missed Julian and his partner, Matt. He missed Ryan and Shaw, the friends he had made during his stay at Halfway House. But he was too embarrassed to see any of them. Regardless of how many times he had analyzed the situation in his mind, it was his bad decision that had landed him in prison.

He wrapped his arms around his midsection. Times like these, he sought the comfort of his plush bunny. He wasn’t a kid anymore, but the worn plush rabbit was stuffed with family memories. Frayed and patched together like the sole survivor of a zombie experiment, the plush toy was likely lost, just like he felt. Or maybe someone had found it and discarded it with a cringe at its horror-movie-like appearance. It wouldn’t surprise him.

Everything was temporary.

His parents, the few people he thought were friends while growing up. The revolving door of families over the years.

His relationship with his sister.

He leaned his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling, fighting back the tears. She had warned him to stay out of trouble. He hadn’t even had a chance to apologize to her before getting hauled away. He had burned that bridge. More like annihilated it with C4 for good measure.

After that, nothing had mattered. He didn’t care to see anyone else, even though Shaw had tried to visit him several times.

The sting in his eyes reappeared. He needed to look ahead and deal with this current situation. He shouldn’t have resisted Sam’s insistence on returning to Halfway House. But the thought of seeing the disappointment in Julian’s pale green eyes, or his partner’s sad smile, tore through Ben’s heart. He couldn’t risk disillusioning every person who might care. Matt would take Ben’s failure personally. And Julian would console his partner and share that pain.

He couldn’t do that to them.

The phone in his hand vibrated, pulling him from his thoughts. He swiped at the screen, blinking a few times. His heartbeat quickened as panic set in. His vision was a little fuzzy. Dammit. The black eye was going to be a problem. He needed the clarity. Otherwise, he’d have trouble reading text messages and other people’s lips. He pulled the phone closer and farther away, hoping to pinpoint a spot in his line of sight that would make the display clearer to read the new text message.

You didn’t respond. You ALWAYS respond. I’m on my way.

The knot in his chest lessened reading Sam’s words. His reintegration officer hadn’t given up on him after dropping him off at this nightmare of a house a few hours ago. He glanced up at the door when the bed shifted. Jake was pissed—pissed enough to hit the door hard enough to move the bed on the carpet.

He had to get out of here. Now.

He quickly texted a reply. I can’t stay here. His attention snapped up when the bed shifted again. He kicked out his feet and pushed them against the bed frame, hoping to add some additional resistance until Jake tired himself out. Please hurry, he wrote in another text before Sam had a chance to respond.

Life hadn’t been kind, but he managed the best he could, always trying to find the good in others.

But the people outside that door, in this place…there was no good here to find.

Ben closed his eyes and held his phone close to his chest, willing Sam to respond. He gasped when the phone vibrated moments later. He blinked a few times, focusing his vision, and releasing a shaky breath at Sam’s reply.

I’ll be there soon. I called Aidan. He’s on his way.

Ben’s shoulders slumped. Relief or embarrassment, he wasn’t sure. He battled with the nagging tug in the back of his mind, worried about seeing the detective again, the one who had taken the time to help Ben reconnect with his sister after so many years.

But he’d take the embarrassment. Aidan was the only man who could likely stop Jake with a simple glare, and make a few phone calls to push Sam’s request through the system to move Ben elsewhere. Right now, he’d take the rescue any way he could get it. Welcomed it with open arms, even if he needed to beg or subject himself to a reprimanding lecture.

He wouldn’t survive here.

They would eventually take his phone and wouldn’t care about the damage they left in their wake. A black eye could easily lead to a broken arm or hand if he continued to resist. Without his phone or use of his hands, he wouldn’t be able to communicate in the hearing world. 

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. 

After leaving his childhood home, there had only been one place where he had felt safe.

Right now, that was exactly where he needed to be.

He just hoped Sam arrived in time to take him there.

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

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