Ethan Sutton, Fall for You, by Valerie Ullmer, @valerieullmer, #GayRomance, #NewAdultM/MRomance, #BestFriends&Lovers

I’d like to welcome Ethan Sutton of Fall for You by Valerie Ullmer.

RW:    What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

ES:     Well, I’m a pretty ordinary guy, although I would have to say I’m introverted and don’t mind being alone. My best friend, Sebastian, is the outgoing one. Everyone loves him.

RW:    Can you tell us about your hero?

ES:     Sebastian has been my best friend since we were born. He’s funny, smart, the life of the party, yet surprisingly observant. He’s stuck by me through everything and balances me out. We talk about everything and although I realized I was gay when I started college, I haven’t told him yet. Not because he wouldn’t understand, but because my feelings for him have grown into something more.

RW:    Where do you live?

ES:     I live in Eugene, Oregon. I started my junior year at the University of Oregon majoring in Computer Science and I’m about to move into a loft with my best friend and secret crush, Sebastian.

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

ES:    Well, since Sebastian is straight and I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him, I think I’m screwed.

RW:  Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?

ES:    Steamy showers, definitely. Ocean, since I love the smell. Puppies. And I can’t decided between them so I choose both chocolate and caramel…preferably together.

RW:    If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?

ES:     I would love to live near the ocean, but in a secluded house surrounded by tall trees and shrubs, so it would feel like we were away from the world.

RW:    City life or country life? E-Book or paperback? Zebras or elephants?

ES:     City life. I love both e-books and paperbacks so I don’t really have a preference, and I would say elephants.

RW:    Hunky heroes or average Joe?

ES:    Since Sebastian isn’t average, I would say hunky hero.

RW:    Party life or quiet dinner for two?

ES:     Quiet dinner for two.

RW:    I love pizza with (fill in the blank).

ES:   Extra garlic. Sebastian loves garlic and anytime I would cook he would ask for it. I have gotten used to it after all these years.

RW:    When I’m alone, I (fill in the blank).

ES:     Love to read.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

ES:     And thank you for allowing me to talk about Sebastian and keeping my secret. ;)

Valerie Ullmer

Valerie writes paranormal and contemporary M/F and M/M erotic romances. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her wonderfully supportive husband and their funny and wise black lab. She’s addicted to coffee, crime shows, and reading and writing character-driven romances.

FALL FOR YOU

The Plot

Ethan Sutton came to the stunning revelation that he’d fallen in love with his best friend, Sebastian Young. Although friends since childhood, Ethan vowed to keep his feelings for Sebastian under wraps and live the rest of his life with this one secret between them rather than risk a lifelong connection and never see him again. But when they move into their own apartment at the start of their junior year of college, can Ethan keep his feelings from showing when they live so close together?

Sebastian Young had an epiphany about Ethan at the end of last year and arranged for the shared apartment he’d found over the summer to be closer to Ethan and see if a relationship could develop between them. But as they settle into their lives in a new place with such close quarters, ex-girlfriends, nosy downstairs neighbors, and Sebastian’s own doubts, is their relationship in jeopardy before it even begins?

Can two best friends admit their feelings and fall in love?

An Excerpt:

Although Ethan was a positive person, he wondered when the other shoe would drop.

The last few weeks were perfect for Ethan and Sebastian. The time they weren’t in class or studying in the library, Sebastian spent time with Ethan, in their loft. They cooked dinner together, sometimes attempted homework, but most of the time they spent talking or watching whatever was on TV.

It reminded Ethan of the years they’d spent in junior high and high school, where nothing mattered more than hanging out and talking about everything and nothing.

But somehow, the past month of living together became intimate, at least for Ethan. They acted almost like lovers, only without the physical part of their relationship.

Ethan had woken up more than once in the middle of the night after a vivid dream about Sebastian, only to find himself wrapped up in the other man’s arms as he slept on without being disturbed. Ethan would have to maneuver himself off the bed to relieve himself in the bathroom. But most of the time, Sebastian wouldn’t release his hold, so he had to take deep breaths and wait for his body to calm down before he tried to fall back to sleep.

Most mornings, Ethan would wake cradled against Sebastian’s chest, warm and relaxed. He would savor those quiet moments until Sebastian stirred, and Ethan would make himself get out of bed. He would shower first and then find one way or the other to rouse Sebastian and push him toward the bathroom for his shower.

Ethan speculated, did Sebastian wonder about their nighttime ritual? They would fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed, but Ethan would wake in the middle with Sebastian holding him.

Sebastian never mentioned how they drifted toward each other in their sleep or hesitated before bed, so Ethan found himself eager for the day to end instead of worrying Sebastian would catch him.

After Sebastian showered and dressed, which meant he would pull on sweats before he stumbled toward the kitchen where he sat down and shoveled food into his mouth, Ethan would try not to stare at Sebastian’s exposed chest.

But more often than not, Sebastian was still sleepy until he had his three cups of coffee, giving Ethan time for his gaze to wander over Sebastian’s exposed chest.

But the afternoons after class and the nights were the best. They would spend most of their time together and although neither of them had come out and said it, Ethan understood Sebastian’s feelings for him changed.

Ethan’s friend might not be as straight as he had once considered.

Contact Valerie At:

Website & Blog: http://www.valerieullmer.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/valerieullmer.author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valerieullmer

Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/valerieullmer

Amazon: TBA

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fall-for-you-valerie-ullmer/1128902424

Audrey Turner of Teacher’s Pet by @KaylaDrakeBooks #Chicago, #ContemporaryRomance, #Family

I’d like to welcome Audrey Turner of Teacher’s Pet by Kayla Drake.

RW:   What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

AT:     I’m ambitious, but it might not be the first thing you notice about me. Ambition is still the quality that has driven every one of my major life choices. I set out to be a successful business owner and hit certain career markers before the age of thirty, and I’ve done that. But I was worried about the state of the business, and that’s what led me to accept an unusual offer from Dennis Delaney.

RW:   Can you tell us about your hero

AT:     Dennis is a single father whose son, Cole, attends my private preschool. Cole was with us for several years before I met Dennis in person. Usually, we only dealt with the nannies! But Dennis always sent me memos about Cole’s care. Every morning, when the nanny dropped off Cole, I also received a fussy little note about shoelaces or snacks or something. So I always imagined Dennis to be a fussy, bespectacled type with skinny arms. Was I ever wrong about that!

RW:   What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

AT:     My business was showing a worrisome decline in the number of applicants for the next school year. In Chicago’s posh neighborhoods, reputation is everything, and I was worried that the school’s prestige might be slipping. I have to fix it. I just have to. This business is everything to me.

RW:   Do you expect your hero to help or is he the problem?

AT:     Maybe both! Dennis is a perfectionist and his morning memos have always been something of a pebble in my shoe. But I know if I can satisfy Dennis, if I can meet his exacting and rigorous standards, then I’m doing everything I can to make Miss Turner’s School as good as it can be.

RW:   Where do you live?

AT:     My business is in Lincoln Park, a high-rent neighborhood on Chicago’s lakefront. I have a modest apartment in a cheaper neighborhood, though, because all my resources go into the business.

RW:   Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Chocolate or caramel?

AT:     Bubble baths, for sure—that’s where I do some of my best thinking! Neither ocean nor mountains, but Chicago’s beautiful Lake Michigan. And how about chocolate AND caramel? I want it all! I also develop a special fondness for carrot cake in the book. That one is Dennis’s fault.

RW:   If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

AT:     “Don’t underestimate me.” People do that sometimes because I’m basically a preschool teacher and I’m used to being around little kids all the time. This gives me a sweet, playful demeanor, but inside, I’m very determined to succeed.

RW:   Party life or quiet dinner for two?

AT:     Quiet dinner for two. I go to the clubs with my girls sometimes, but I prefer being able to really connect with people one on one. Dennis is a good match for me in that respect. He’s charming across a table.

RW:   I love pizza with (fill in the blank).

AT:     Spinach and cheese, deep dish, Chicago style. There’s nothing else like it! I can’t always finish a whole slice—they’re so filling! But I love every mouthful. This is one of the best things about living in Chicago.

RW:   Nothing like Uno’s on a Friday night! The first Uno’s! Even the leftovers’re yummy.

Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

AT:     Thank you so much for having me! I hope you enjoy my story!

RW:    I’ve already read it, and I liked it a lot. Cole’s quite the scamp! And Dennis—woo! Five stars.

Kayla Drake

Bio

Although she’s an enthusiastic traveler, Kayla Drake has spent most of her days right where she was born, in Chicago. When Kayla decided to write romance novels, she knew the stories had to feature her favorite places in this beautiful city by the Lake. Whether her couples visit the sculptures or the zoo, the sports arenas or the shopping districts, romance always grows in the “City of Big Shoulders.”

Teacher’s Pet

The Plot

Memo to Miss Turner:

Audrey Turner owns Miss Turner’s School, a top-tier preschool in the posh Lincoln Park neighborhood. Her students are the children of some of Chicago’s most successful doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs—and these parents expect nothing short of the best.

No parent is more demanding than wealthy investment banker Dennis Delaney. Every day, Audrey receives a morning memo from him containing precise instructions for his son, Cole’s care. No detail is too insignificant to escape this single father’s notice. When Dennis finds himself coping with a short-term summer childcare issue, Audrey agrees to be his temporary nanny. It’s a chance for a close view of their lifestyle, and if she can keep Dennis Delaney happy, then all the other parents should be content, too.

It’s only two weeks. Two weeks of daily contact with Chicago’s most meticulous parent—and its most eligible bachelor. Two maddening weeks of rigorously high standards and sizzling sex appeal. Audrey can handle anything for two weeks, right?

An Excerpt:

He wanted to touch her silky hair, know the softness of her throat under his fingertips, hear her voice telling him all her secrets.

Be patient, he instructed himself, but his arm curled closer to her shoulders. He inclined his head towards her. Her shoulders were mere inches from his fingertips. Everything about her was close, so close that he could catch the faint, clean scent of her shampoo. He wanted to be closer still. He wanted to know everything about her and to have her know everything about him.

He stared at her pink lips and wondered what it would take to get her to kiss him, to talk freely to him, or even to use that pink-rimmed mouth in ways he dared not envision at the moment. If he tried to kiss her, would she recoil? They hardly knew each other, after all. They’d spent a few evenings together talking about his son, their careers. But she knew nothing of his past, nothing of what was in his heart. He told no one these things. He banned himself from even thinking about them.

The distance between them was his fault. But it was one problem he could rectify.

To hell with patience.

Contact Kayla Drake At:

Website: http://KaylaDrakeBooks.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KaylaDrakeBooks

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kayla-Drake/e/B074YMZYL9

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074T4X1KY

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1120026857