Author Name: Lee Brazil & Havan
Fellows
Book Name: Heart on the Run
Series: Heart of Parkerburg
Book: Two (can be read as a standalone)
Release
Date: November 16, 2015
Blurb:
Charles Darwin
Millsworth, Chaz to one and all since infancy, has no wish to live up to the
grandeur of his name. Fortunately, his Southern belle mama isn’t at all
inclined to push her son into a career that won’t make him happy. She thinks he
needs to loosen up and enjoy life. After all, that’s the whole point of being
independently wealthy, isn’t it?
Chaz can see her point,
but his father died in his forties as did his father before him. As far as Chaz
is concerned, he has limited time on this earth to make his dreams come true. And
he refuses to leave anyone weeping over a wasted life.
Sprocket Moretti is a
simple guy. He loves his job, enjoys college, lives in his beloved childhood
home—why worry about the little things when the big stuff looks so good.
Unfortunately one of the little things he tries not to stress over is a broken
friendship with a very hot and bewildering sous chef. They were pals, hung out
and had fun. But one night they stepped over that invisible line, and the next
morning Chaz kicked Sprocket out of his bed and his life.
Now, no matter how much
Sprocket tries to charm Chaz, the guy has no desire to return to their pre-sex
playful bantering ways. And if Sprocket stays true to his motto, this little
thing—Chaz—should be written off and never worried about again.
If Sprocket had known
one night of reality altering orgasms would endanger their easygoing
friendship… How do you finish that sentence when all your mind wants is its
friend back and all your body wants is another taste?
Pages or Words: 59,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance,
Holiday
Excerpt:
Sprocket grabbed the
grande hot chocolates—with a dash of his favorite flavoring, pecan—and reached
the gazebo with five minutes to spare, per the clock tower.
He set the drinks on
the bench of the gazebo so he could spread the blanket across the floor.
“Wow, that’s a huge
blanket,” Chaz stated as he took the three step up to stand at the edge of it.
“Never took you for a
size queen.” Sprocket winked as he handed him a cup of steaming goodness. “So, what’s
for lunch?”
“Oh, well…” Chaz held
the basket close to his chest as he slipped off his shoes and situated himself
in the middle of the blanket. “Not much.” He pulled a thermos from the basket. “I
made homemade tomato soup and chicken salad sandwiches.” He set the thermos
down and pulled out wrapped sandwiches, a bag of croutons, a plastic bowl with
a translucent red lid, and a small stack of china dishes in rapid succession.
“My grandma used to
make me tomato soup and grilled cheese all the time. Except she’d actually
grill the cheese before putting it on the sourdough toast. I tried to make it
once…didn’t end so well.” He laughed as he shook his head, settling down next
to Chaz on the blanket.
“But I’ve heard you and
Mason talk; you cook most of the time between the two of you.”
Sprocket accepted the
sandwich handed to him and nodded. “Yep. Well you know, we both can cook, but
neither of us gets much fun out of it.” He unwrapped the sandwich and picked up
half, biting into it. He couldn’t suppress his moan. Damn that was good, and
Chaz put nuts in it for crunch, walnuts and pecans. How did he know pecans were
Sprocket’s favorite? A part of him wanted to believe maybe Chaz had asked
around. Anyone in Craft Time would know and Prudence did too.
Not that it mattered
either way. Nothing strange about a friend—and only a friend—knowing something
as mundane as that. He quickly chewed and swallowed. “And we definitely don’t
do fancy. Unless you count roast, but even then I sprinkle the seasoning on it
and throw it in the oven. No fuss, no muss.”
With his next bite,
something popped in his mouth, making him want to gag. He held it back, and
while Chaz gazed out over the park at the kids running in the playground
Sprocket lifted the toast to see what he bit into. Grapes. He grimaced as he
quickly plucked the halved grapes out of the salad and dropped them on the
napkin by his leg.
“You don’t like grapes?”
Sprocket jumped.
Fuck…busted. “I like them fine. I like them right off the vine, frozen, even
mashed up as wine…don’t like them so much with seeds, though.”
“Or in a sandwich,
apparently.” Chaz noted, gesturing to the evidence on the blanket between them.
“Well…” Sprocket jammed
the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and chewed slowly, biding himself some
time. While he was trying to break down the enormous amount of food in his
mouth, he grabbed the other half of the sandwich and proceeded to pick the
grapes out of that also.
Chaz raised an eyebrow
at him, and he shrugged. He’d already been caught, no use faking it up now.
Reaching over, Chaz
snatched Sprocket’s wrist and guided it to his mouth. Sprocket gulped the food
in his mouth down, his stomach somersaulting either from the partially chewed
lump it just received or because of the man sitting across from him on the
blanket.
This wasn’t what
friends did. Friends didn’t use their friend’s fingers as utensils. Still, he
probably could’ve gotten past this moment if there hadn’t been a smidge of
mayonnaise on the tip of his nail. Chaz spotted it, and while staring Sprocket
in the eye, he put that spot right in front of his mouth. They sat like that
for an eternity. Sprocket could feel his heart pounding fast, wondered if his
pulse alerted Chaz to his extreme interest in the man’s next move.
He wanted to shout at
Chaz to lick him. Do it now. Put him out of his misery. There was nothing
Sprocket wanted more than to experience the wetness of Chaz’s tongue as it
cleaned the white stuff from his finger. That was a lie. Sprocket wanted them
to make more white stuff that had to be cleaned off, the kind you couldn’t
purchase in a store. Well, maybe you could purchase it…but he really didn’t
want his brain to go off on that tangent.
Finally—finally!—Chaz
licked the condiment off. Before he could move back and call an end to this
little episode, Sprocket broke free of his grip and hooked his hand behind the
other man’s neck, holding him there, unable to move away.
When their lips met, it
wasn’t gentle and coaxing. Sprocket wasn’t in that kind of mood. He wanted bad
and he wanted now. Fuck friends. That whole concept was overrated if it kept
him up all night in need. Anyway, this wasn’t his fault. Chaz started this shit;
Sprocket would finish it.
And this time, he’d be
better prepared. When Chaz kicked him the fuck out of his life, it wouldn’t
tear him apart. Because no matter what, he’d make sure there wasn’t a spot in
his heart for Chaz. Sprocket willingly would give up half his bed for the man,
but nothing more.
While diving his tongue
in Chaz’s mouth—reaching far enough back he could say with great certainty Chaz
no longer had tonsils—Sprocket damn near convinced himself that he could do
that, too.
Then Chaz whimpered,
his hand pressing against Sprocket’s chest, right over his heart, and Sprocket
knew he was a goner.
Buy the book:
Smashwords: https://www.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/
Interview (Alpha Book Club Exclusive Content)
Interview (Alpha Book Club Exclusive Content)
Please
welcome Sprocket and Chaz from the Hearts of Parkerburg series (book 2
– Heart
on the Run). They’re going to give you a glimpse of Parkerburg through
their eyes.
Describe what
about Parkerburg charms you.
Sprocket: I grew up in
Parkerburg, and have always loved it. My dad ditched my mom when I was a baby,
and she moved us in with my grandparents. It was there I met Mason and we
became best friends. If he told this story he’d put on a Southern accent and
tell you we were like two peas in a pod… The best thing about Parkerburg was
that even though I didn’t have my father with me, I never felt cheated because
not only did my grandpa take up the slack, but so did everyone else on the
block. I could walk home from school and every street I walked there were
people out and about. They’d call my name and as soon as I looked over they’d
have a smile and wave waiting. My mom died when I was very young, but
Parkerburg made sure I didn’t feel alone.
Chaz: I came to Parkerburg
in answer to a…well, it wasn’t really a help wanted sign, more of a plea for
help. Dermot had asked a mutual friend, restaurateur Manny Dwyer, if he could
recommend a sous chef. I’d met Manny while working in one of his restaurants.
He sent me to Parkerburg, and I fell in love. It was like walking into a
postcard. The people were friendly, everything was quaint and authentic… I
almost begged Dermot to give me the job.
Thanks for having us here today,
Alpha Book Club. :) If you’d like to glimpse Parkerburg first hand, check out
the books Christmas in His Heart and
Heart on the Run…with more to come
too! Because the Hearts of Parkerburg are enough to make you go woo woo.
Meet the authors:
Lee
Brazil:
Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a
librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a
touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.
Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping
into worlds crafted of words.
Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing
so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and
wondered why you don’t fit?
Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page
and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you
are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at
exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.
I found myself between the pages of books, and that is
why I write now. It’s why I taught English and literature for so many years,
and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.
If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a
starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am
a writer, and I’ve come to realize that’s the best thing in the world to be,
because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.
If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the
pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or
writing.
Havan
Fellows:
I annoy, love, respect, scare, seduce, hurt, anger, infatuate,
frustrate, flatter, envy, amuse and tolerate everyone. I just do it better in
writing thanks to a little thing called…edits.
Okay no, seriously…I'm a simpleminded person who enjoys the escape
from real life through a book. I write with the group Story Orgy and hope to
continue doing so for a long time. I also am privileged to be with the Pulp
Friction writers, creating intermingling books in a world all our own.
I recently took the drastic step of quitting my EDJ (evil day job)
and am now living in the gorgeous desert in Arizona making a go at this writing
stuff full time…and I can’t see me regretting this decision ever.
Just like every other red-blooded human—I get a little bouncy when
I get mail (any kind too…email, comments, private messages…you wanna do it, do
it with me *winks*). So feel free to drop me a line—whether it's on my blog,
twitter, PInterest, or you track me down on FaceBook or Google +…it's easy to
catch someone who wants to be caught.
Where to find the authors:
Lee
Brazil:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.brazil
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/leebrazilauthor
Twitter: @leebrazil
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/leebrazil/
Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/qBhBb
Havan
Fellows:
Twitter - @havanfellows
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/havanfellows/
Goodreads
Link:
Publisher: Appleton Publishing Avenue
Cover
Artist: Author.Services
ALPHA BOOK CLUB REVIEW
“God, the man was beautiful with the bright copper highlights in his auburn hair predominant today, his eyes wide and beseeching, his mouth...f@ck, that perfect mouth…”
4 angsty, crushy stars! This book will have you loving the characters one minute and then wanting to scream at them the next. But I loved it
Chaz and Sprocket, wow where do I begin? They have a tumultuous relationship to say the least. One minute they are with each other and then in the next they are walking away from each other! They both have some many issues to work through both together and separately.
This book had so much heart and I loved getting to know the characters. As much as I loved the angst it got to a little too angsty. I loved the story though, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s a short quick read and totally worth it!!
**Received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and reviewed by Melissa for Alpha Book Club**
AND
Title: Heart On the Run (Hearts of Parkerburg # 2)
Series: Hearts of Parkerburg
Author: Havan Fellows & Lee Brazil
Genre: Romance
Stars: Four Stars
Four Amazing Stars! Chaz and Sprocket are two funny, they are both attracted to each other but keep running away from each other. They are perfect together but need to work out their own issues so they can come together. This is a short and quick read. I enjoyed the story and found it to be worth the read.
I received the book as an ARC for an honest review. This book was read and reviewed by Annamaria for Alpha Book Club.
Thank you so much for having us over today and for the great reviews :)
ReplyDelete