Kaje Harper's Blog, page 5

Reaking Cover in Audio

Breaking Cover - Life Lessons Book 2 - has escaped from Audible review just in time to be a June release.

JF Harding does his usual amazing job of voicing the emotions and the action as closeted cop and single father Mac, and his teacher boyfriend Tony, have their lives permanently changed by murder that hits close to home.

Breaking Cover is on US Audible HERE.

Book 3 is already in production - look for the release of Home Work in July or August.

I'm so thrilled to have this series finally in audio and with such a talented narrator. I hope listeners will enjoy hearing this next episode in Mac and Tony's lives.

The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022

I'm thrilled to show you folks the cover reveal for the books in The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 series - rock musician romances ending at a big festival in the Nevada desert. (covers by Natasha Snow).


Authors in this series are:
Kaje Harper - Hidden Blade, releases 10/4/2022
BL Maxwell - Blinding Light: Road To Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 10/11/2022
Aria Grace - Feel The Noise: M/M Contemporary Rockstar Romance, releases 10/14/2022
Author Blake Allwood - Changing His Tune: Road to Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 10/18/2022
Nic Starr - Three of a Kind: Road to Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 10/21/2022
Lynn Michaels - Midnight Reunion, releases 10/25/2022
Layla Dorine - Bleeding Dawn: Road to Rocktoberfest book 7, releases 10/28/2022
Kris Jacen - Syncing Rhythms, releases 11/1/2022
Samuel York - Muted Chords: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 11/4/2022
Elle Keaton - In Tune: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 11/8/2022
TL Travis - David's Destiny: Embrace the Fear 2, releases 11/11/2022
Ann MacConnell Lister - Gamble on Me: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022, releases 11/15/2022

Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see who hits the stage next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your kindle and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!

Series link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B...
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And I can't help showing off my own cover bigger because I adore Cam on it:



My story is up first: Hidden Blade
Sometimes willpower isn't enough.

Cam

Social anxiety's been my constant companion for twenty-three years, sometimes in the background, sometimes silencing me and yanking my guts out in the nearest trash can. No matter how much I love playing music, I'm never going to get up on a stage and perform in front of a crowd. But since I met Erik, and was asked to join his band Hellsbane, that knowledge hurts worse.

No heart (even Erik's) or dick (even Erik's) is big enough to carry me past my limits, but God, I wish there was a way.

Erik

Life's damned unfair when a guy with the voice of a hard-rock angel and a songwriting talent like Cam's can only post anonymous videos online. But you can't cure anxiety with wanting, or willpower. My drummer needs to quit trying to push Cam onstage with us before he breaks.

Rocktoberfest's our goal, and touring with Hellsbane was my only ambition until I met Cam. Now I can't have everything I love in one place, but dammit, I wish there was a way.

A first-times, life challenges, coming out, rockstar romance.

Amazon US preorder: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Blade-R...

Ukraine charity anthology

Today is the release day for "Seeds of Love: A Romance Charity Anthology to Benefit Ukraine" - royalties go to United Help Ukraine, (a charitable organization dedicated to helping the Ukrainian people affected by Russia’s invasion), and I have a short story in it. This anthology includes mostly M/F stories, but just a few (I think 4) M/M. If you like M/F as well as M/M, and enjoy short love stories from contemporary to paranormal and more, check this one out. Get the book on Amazon and wherever ebooks are sold: https://books2read.com/u/bM7pEX

(If you're like me, might be good reading for waiting in lines and other short situations. Stories are 3-16K with an intended limit of 10K and no, the 16 isn't me.) :)

A lovely review of my story ( Out of the Blue - 10,700 words M/M single-father second chances) and Gabbi Grey's M/M on Rainbow Romance Reviews: https://rainbowgoldreviews.wordpress....

Stories are grouped by genre, and tagged additionally at the front of each (including if they are M/M); Authors are: Dakota Willink (Editor), Persephone Autumn, Lane Bellemore, Gabbi Black, Hannah Blake, M.L. Broome, Tiffany Carby, Tara Conrad, D.M. Davis, Liz Durano, L.J. Evans, Cyndi Faria, Willow Fox, Amber Garr, K.A. Graham, Miranda Grant, Gabbi Grey, Raisa Greywood, M.L. Guida, Kaje Harper, Heather G. Harris, Sophia Henry, Erica Himy, Shelly Hixson, Kelly Kelsey, Emery LeeAnn, Cassidy London, D.D. Lorenzo, Jenna Lynn, E.H. Lyon, J.S. Mercier, Lux Miller, Katherine Moore, Stella Moore, Vivian Murdoch, Yolanda Olson, Fei Marie Perez, Remy Reigns, Syd Ryan, Ramsey Savage, Barb Shuler, Pandora Snow, Brooke Summers, Vi Summer, L.C. Taylor, Amy Thorn, Mel Walker, Denise Wells.

Writing Shared Worlds

I'm trying out a new challenge this year, in writing for two different shared-world series - "Single Dads of Gaynor Beach" and "Road to Roctoberfest." It's fun trying to connect my story to the others, loosely enough to be stand alone, but carefully enough to have compatibility. Today I'm on Love Bytes, blogging about shared worlds.

Love Bytes Post: Writing Shared Worlds https://lovebytesreviews.com/2022/04/...

Beset by Demons - released

I'm delighted to have Silas and Darien, Grim and Pip, and their adventures, back in readers' hands again with Beset by Demons (Necromancer 5) - now available on all ebook vendors.

Find a copy here: [ Universal Book Link ]

I hope people who have loved the guys will enjoy watching them journey to dark places to protect their world. Jasper is here, and Magda, and new friends, allies, and dangers.

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Readers who haven't met these two men and their familiars yet should start with book 1 which is FREE on all vendors - Marked by Death.
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excerpt: Beset by Demons - Necromancer 5
...
An approaching clatter of canine toenails out in the hall heralded Darien’s favorite person in the world. Well, maybe after Silas. He allowed himself one fond look at his lover’s frowning face, then turned to the doorway. “Pip?”

His rat terrier familiar skidded on the floor, making the turn into the kitchen, and jumbled his words together. “GrimDarienSilas! It’s glowing a lot.”

Grim jumped off the table and stalked toward the pup. “Explain yourself. Clearly.”

“The map thing. In the basement. I went down to take a look— you said we should keep an eye on it— and it’s glowy.”

Silas shoved his chair back and jumped to his feet. Darien was left flat-footed as Silas and Grim both hurried out the doorway and down the hall with Pip scampering beside them, saying, “I’ll show you.”

“Map thing?” Jasper asked.

“Silas’s demon detector, I assume.” Darien knew he should be running after them, but his feet dragged like he was stuck in molasses. “His runework down in the cellar.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Jasper turned to go, then glanced over his shoulder at Darien. “Are we going to follow them?”

Into the valley of death— He was being ridiculous, but he’d really hoped they were done with demons for a while, and could go back to Silas snacking on ghosts and Jasper crafting interesting spells. Apparently not. “Yes, of course. I’m coming.”

When they reached the bottom of the cellar stairs, Silas, Grim, and Pip were lined up on the edge of the shimmering map of chalk lines and symbols laid out on the floor. Darien could see two different locations on the map throbbing with a deep red glow, an ember sunk in darkness. “Those are demons, right?” he said, his voice echoing too loudly in that stone-walled space.

Silas glanced back at him, brows drawn down. “Yes.”

“Two of them.”

“I can count.” Silas sighed. “Sorry. On the plus side, they don’t feel all that strong.”

“On the minus side,” Grim said, “they weren’t there when I checked the map last night. And they’re in two different locations. Who’s out there calling demons like a two-for-one special? And why?”

“You don’t think that Seattle necromancer actually came after us, do you?” Darien ran a hand down his face. None of this made sense. “We’re not even done with breakfast.”

Before he could flush at that ridiculous statement, Silas barked a laugh and turned to nudge him lightly on the shoulder. “The essentials. Good man. We’ll eat and figure out what to do about this.” He pointed at the smaller spot of glowing darkness. “That’s a weaker trace, hopefully not more than a two-syllable demon. I could ask Worthington or Johanna Spry to take care of it.”

“Delegating,” Grim said, turning toward the stairs. “Will wonders never cease.”

“What?” Silas managed to sound hurt. “I know what delegating is.”

“But you never do it.” Grim bounded up the steps. “I agree with Darien, though. A nice bowl of cream and some bacon would go well, to help my thinking. Come along, necromancer, breakfast.”

“Butler to a cat,” Silas muttered. “Learn magic, they said. It’s so glamorous, they said.”

His unimpressed words let Darien breathe easier and even give Silas a hip bump as he walked past. “You can make me more bacon while you’re at it.”
...
Read more of the story in "Beset by Demons"

Beset by Demons cover, preorder, and some great Freebies

I have the final cover for Beset by Demons - Necromancer Book 5 and it's in preorder on Amazon, with other preorders to come in the nex fre days. Release date is February 22nd.

They'll take a leap into the unknown to protect the world.

There's something seriously wrong with Earth's magic. A demon has appeared unsummoned out of thin air, familiars can't return Home, and as Grim points out, rats smell like summer in the middle of winter.

Grim and Pip can deal with rats; Silas can banish one wayward demon. But soon there are other demons, more each day, and Silas's old mansion is full of mysteries. He and Darien will need their familiars, their friends, plus a whole lot of luck, as they search beyond Earth for the dark forces that have changed their world. And to have any chance of getting safely home, Silas will have to confront a past he's avoided for ten long years.

[ Amazon US Preorder ]

I'm also in a couple of great Valentine's Giveaways right now: (note - may require joining a newsletter.)

Get a free copy of The Rebuilding Year on this one, along with books from many of my favorite authors ;
A.D. Ellis, Ana Ashley, Anyta Sunday, Avery Cockburn, BA Tortuga, Cara Dee, Charley Descoteaux, Clare London, Colby Dunbar, Della Cain, Elizabeth Noble, Elle Keaton, Grace Killian Delaney, Hayden Hall, K. Evan Coles, Kaje Harper, Katerina Ross, LA Bryce, Lillian Francis , Lorelei M Hart, Megs Pritchard, N.R. Walker, Naomi Aoki/Mandy Greenwood , Nora Phoenix, Rhys Lawless, RJ Scott, Sam E Kraemer, Talia Carmichael, Taylor Rylan, TL Travis, Victoria Sue

[ Prolific Works Valentine's Freebies link ]

I have Nelson & Caleb free in this one on Book Funnel, with a different group of wonderful authors:
Iris Faire, Anthony Auguri, Brina Brady, Marie Sinclair, Clare London, Damian Jay Clay, Lorelei M Hart, Harper B. Cole, Della Cain, BL Maxwell, Gabbi Grey, Stella Shaw, Leighton Greene, Morgan Brice, Amy Sumida, N. R. Hairston, Sean Michael, Talia Carmichael, Scott Wylder, Ella Hart, Alice Archer, M. Kato, TJ Nichols

[ Book Funnel Valentine's Freebies ]

Burnout (Not me, this time...)

I'm blogging today on Love Bytes Reviews about burnout - sometimes this is the season it hits authors hardest.

You can read the post here: https://lovebytesreviews.com/2022/01/...

Home Work released; Compensations on Amazon

Life Lessons Book 3 - Home Work is now available on Amazon and in KU.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Work-Life-Lessons-Book-ebook/dp/B09MNYFYSK/

* hurt-comfort, murder-mystery, parenting, trauma, HFN
(This is a lightly-edited rerelease, and the series should be read in order.)

And I have heard from JF Harding that he will be able to complete the series audio this summer with Breaking Cover in June, Home Work in July, and Learning Curve in August. :)

Home Work:
Mac sat on the bed and lifted a foot to tug off his sock. Tony hovered, wanting to speak, wondering if he should at least let the man get comfortable first. Do it now. Before Tony could open his mouth, there was a call from Anna’s room. “Daddy?”

“I’ll see what she wants,” Tony said. “You get those clothes off and into the hamper. Where did you find bars with smokers?”

“One place turns a blind eye in the cold weather.” Mac took a sniff at his sleeve. “Yeah, yuck.”

Tony went to try to mollify their daughter, without success. When he got back to the bedroom, Mac was putting his robe on over bare skin. “Only the real dad will do,” Tony told him.

“Sorry, Tony. I’ll deal with her.”

Tony paced back and forth while he waited for Mac, thinking about their little family. Things were good, but they could be great. Tony always went for great.
When Mac came back, Tony took his arm and seated him on the bed. “She’s settled?”

“I think so.”

“Good.” Tony took a big breath. “Good. So Mac, I think we should get married.”

Mac blinked at him. “What?”

Watch Mac and Tony try to figure out a home and work balance, amid murder and parenting, as life refuses to cut them a break.

And Compensations - Life Lessons 3.5 is now available for the first time on Amazon (and still free on Smashwords.)

**This 12,000 word story comes a week after the end of Home Work - book 3 and contains spoilers. Read this AFTER Home Work.**

Smashwords (free)- https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/263420
Amazon (.99 waiting for price match) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PT97HWT/

Best of 2021

As we wind up the year, I wanted to post my Favorite Reads of 2021 (among hundreds of books I really enjoyed - a huge thank-you to not just these 13 authors, but the many, many authors whose books helped make 2021 less bleak and more survivable. Thank you for all you do!! )

In no particular order:

(Master of Hounds #1 ) Master of Hounds by R.A. Steffan

I really enjoyed this high-fantasy story about an aging soldier whose emperor is falling into senility, while three legitimate sons maneuver to take his place, none of them worthy of the role. Caius is no longer sure where honor drives him. The second son is the worst of the lot, crafty and sadistic, and since he's also not the true heir, Caius's conscience doesn't bother him when he helps a prisoner escape a cruel and unjust death. Developing an attachment to that prisoner, desire and affection combining for the first time in years, is a complication he didn't need, though. And it turns out someone wants one of them, or perhaps both of them, dead. This book has a very unresolved ending, but book 2 is HFN. Book 3 in 2022.
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Hounds-...



Peter Cabot Gets Lost (The Cabots, #2) by Cat Sebastian

You don't need to have read book 1 - A lovely story about Peter, a young man whose political family has high expectations for him, which don't include being gay. And Caleb, the poor scholarship kid who managed to get through college, graduate, and lands a job he can't get to. On the spur of the moment, Peter offers to drive Caleb to California, giving himself an escape, and so this road-trip, awakening, exploration and coming of age story develops across 1960s America. A comfort read of two men finding their places in the world and in each other's hearts.
https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Cabot-Ge...

Magic in Manhattan Collection: Spellbound / Starcrossed / Wonderstruckby Allie Therin

This trilogy was a whole lot of fun. In 1920s Manhattan, twenty-year-old Rory is a psychometric talent. He can hold an object, and look back into its past, watch it being made. This is very useful for detecting forgeries, his current job. But when a high-hatted gentleman tests him with a bundle of letters, it's the beginning of danger and adventure, with evil and magic afoot. The two men dance around their attraction, in that era, but the end of the series is solid romance HEA, and the fantasy world-building is intriguing and entertaining.
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Manhatta...



Off Balance (Painted Bay, #1) by Jay Hogan

I really enjoyed this story of a ballet dancer whose brilliant career came crashing down - literally - when his Ménière’s disease took hold and he fell onstage, dropping his partner and beginning his descent into a routine of sudden dizziness and nausea, unexpected drop attacks, and a body out of his control. Judah has retreated home to the family mussel farm, run by his antagonistic brother, where a chance meeting with a widowed fisheries officer gives them each a new hope, even though Judah is really in no place for a relationship. I really appreciated the characters, the nuances, and the very real obstacles to their romance and HEA.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Balance-Pa...


Charles (Learning to Love, #1) by Con Riley

Charles Heppel is a man who has dealt with substantial challenges from his severe dyslexia, and not let them stop him. A man who has used sex as fun and a mood-elevator happily and unashamedly, with enthusiasm and humor. He loves children and feels enormously protective of their right to emotional security and self-expression, and since his disability makes teaching unlikely, he's found himself a niche working with the preschoolers and play. But Charles has a hard time seeing his own worth. Then he meets Hugh, and finds a man for whom he is a light in darkness. Wonderful characters are the heart of this lovely, sweet story with a hint of poignancy, a favorite and already a reread.
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Learni...



Molly House by A.R. Pip

I went into this book expecting a simple historical romance arc, with the nobleman and the groom somehow finding a way to be together. But while the end of the story does give me a beautifully solid HEA for Theodore and Jack, the road there is long, winding, and full of fallible men, stubborn men, mistakes, social issues, class differences, nasty family, good friends, love and loss and love again. (The cover is a bit misleading, showing Jack when cross-dressing, and perhaps looking like M/F.) There is a lot of great historical detail, and many unexpected turns. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.
https://www.amazon.com/Molly-House-R-...



Breathe (London Love, #1) by Sophia Soames

We meet two young men - one a burned-out porn star whose career and relationship crashed; the other a student trying to do everything from getting his degree to being guardian to his younger siblings. They both make mistakes. They both have back-story gradually revealed. In this author's hands, we empathize with them and perceptions of these guys change with new revelations and their own growth and maturity. The secondary characters were an interesting bunch, nicely nuanced, all with positive and negative qualities. The story itself is quiet, but echoes of the past shake both these guys, and they don't always react well. The ending is solid, sweet, and even fun.
https://www.amazon.com/BREATHE-London...


Songs of Red Currant Wine (Colors of Love #6) by V.L. Locey

Carl is a 55-year-old divorced ex-NHL player with an empty life, a dad he loves but hasn't spent enough time with, and a bad problem with alcohol. He's gay and has been in the closet his whole adult life. I love stories of older guys with baggage, and I really enjoyed this portrait of a man deeply damaged by childhood emotional abuse, and by the pressures of societal homophobia. Carl feels real, rough around the edges, bitter but daring to hope just a little. Tigh is young, but his experiences overseas make him wise beyond his years. His calm stability and centered self-perception make him exactly the right anchor for Carl's storm-blown angst.
https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Currant-...



Heir to a Curse (Romancing a Curse, #1) by Lissa Kasey

Zach has recently lost the woman he considered as close to a mother as a foster kid ever got, to cancer, and inherited her huge house. Over and over - far too often to be natural - the property has been visited with damages, fires, strange lights, and micro-burst storms. Zach takes up residence on the property in the cottage and starts seeing a lovely, slender white-haired man who disappears, a white rabbit, and fire and breakage. And then the dreams begin, of battle and death and promises broken. Myth and Asian cultures and fantasy blend, in a quest to solve the riddle and save the ghost, if that's what he is. And IMO this book hits an excellent balance between having the 2020 pandemic be a significant presence (like the main character yearning to hug a friend, when it's not safe) and yet not having the story centered on the pandemic. This story is a fascinating blend of urgent contemporary and paranormal/fantasy.
https://www.amazon.com/Heir-Curse-Par...


Penetration Test (The Phisher King, #3) by Thursday Euclid and Clancy Nacht

This book stands alone reasonably well. Unlike the first two books, this one focuses on Sam, a trans guy who's made a very successful career in the FBI by being excellent at what he does, which has so far all been on the tech/computer side. But he's a fit, active guy and willing to dive in when assigned along with Agent Crawford to go undercover in an intolerant gated community, investigating the disappearance of a gay couple.
I enjoyed the characters and (as a cis ally) felt the trans rep was well done. Sam's concerns and moments of dysphoria were well-judged, neither too angsty nor totally absent. The sex combined heat and vulnerability, on the part of both men, and the plot played out plausibly, with a twist.
https://www.amazon.com/Penetration-Te...




Honorable mention for the ends of series:

Subtle Blood (The Will Darling Adventures, #3) by K.J. Charles

This trilogy is a great post-WWI spy-adventure-historical romp, but because it's by Charles, the characters are fascinating, nuanced, unexpected and appealing. I loved all 3 installments, with Will, the stolid ex-soldier wondering why his inherited bookstore is attracting odd and dangerous folk, and Kit, the elusive and enigmatic young nobleman and spy who turns Will's life upside down.
https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Blood-W...

The Beginning (Starting Over #5) by Matthew J. Metzger

I love almost everything Metzger writes. This series has fairly heavy BDSM for one MC, open relationships, a trans main character, and by the 4th book MMM and an asexual main character. The characters were very different men with different needs and yet they fit well together, and the author's skill helps expose and clarify who each man is and how they fit together, as they also grow and come to understand themselves better. Fascinating, with a solid romance ending by the conclusion of book 5.
https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Star...


Benediction (Diversion #9) by Eden Winters

I really enjoy Lucky and Bo, from their first meeting in Diversion to this, the end of this mystery series, with a bonus novella to really wrap things up. Lucky is wonderful - tough, scrappy, smart-assed, intelligent, and deliberately abrasive, as he works desperately to maintain a veneer of don't-give-a-shit over his vulnerable core. Bo is his perfect match - strong, easygoing, quick with a comeback, and with hidden vulnerabilities of his own that Lucky can't ignore. The crimes in each book are interesting, with prescription drug issues I often learned something about, but the characters make the books, with humor even in the midst of adventure or angst. A favorite series.
https://www.amazon.com/Benediction-Di...


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Looking ahead, may 2022 be a great reading year for everyone - if you have a book you loved in 2021 and want me to add to my 2022 TBRs feel free to post it in a comment. Not that my list isn't already bursting at the seams, but I love hearing about the good stuff.

"Life Lessons" in audio; "Breaking Cover" back in ebook and paper

Life Lessons is now available in audio book.

JF Harding knocked it out of the park - his narration for Life Lessons is amazing. (4.9* from the early reviews.) Check out how well he captures the characters and all the emotional nuances of the story.

(Books 2, 3, and 4 will be coming in audio - just waiting for his schedule to have spaces.)

Audible : https://www.audible.com/pd/Life-Lesso...
Apple : https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/...
...

Breaking Cover is now available in ebook and paper on Amazon and in KU (with the wide rerelease coming later in 2022)

At the end of Life Lessons, Tony and Mac were just beginning their love story. Both joy and crisis are in store for them in Breaking Cover. And sometimes a single moment is the measure of a man.

AZ US : https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Cover...

(And don't miss the free short stories 1.5 and 1.8 between books 1 and 2 in And to All a Good Night + Getting It Right
https://www.amazon.com/All-Good-Night...