Getting Him Back
Authors: K. A. Mitchell
Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #New adult, #Gay, #Lgbt, #Fiction
Getting Him Back
By K.A. Mitchell
An unexpected fresh start leads to an unlikely-but-absolutely-perfect pairing in this male/male new-adult novel from bestselling gay romance author K.A.
Mitchell
Ethan may have followed his high school sweetheart to college only to get dumped his first day there, but he’s not going to let that stop him from exploring all his new life has to offer. Sex-only hookups, his photography, new friends and a campus-wide game of zombies vs humans all help keep his mind off his broken heart and move him toward building a new, better life without his ex.
And then there’s Wyatt. Mysterious, grouchy...hot. And possibly not gay. But Ethan’s not going to let that stand in the way of figuring out what makes Wyatt tick. New college goal? Get Wyatt into bed and into Ethan’s life.
Step one: arrange a “tutoring” date. Step two: “accidentally” bump into Wyatt as often as possible. Step three: explore the sexy body under that ever-present hoodie. And when their friendship deepens into something neither of them expect, convince Wyatt he’s not just a pity fling or a one-time hookup, but that Ethan is in it for the long haul.
Edited by Angela James
39,000 words
Dear Reader,
If there’s one thing we have learned from the kickass heroines of the fiction we read and publish, it’s that you should always be in control of your own happiness. And, if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re like me and books make you happy. So this February, during Valentine’s month, instead of waiting for someone to put some romance in your life, go ahead and do it for yourself: buy yourself all the books!
Shannon Stacey always brings a fantastic blend of humor, heroes and sigh-worthy romance, and her novella
A
Fighting Chance
is no different. All work and no play makes Adeline Kendrick a dull girl, so when she heads to a casino resort for a friend’s bachelorette weekend, she’s ready to have a good time. Until she runs into Brendan Quinn, professional fighter and the one who got away—the one her family
drove
away—and things take a turn for the interesting. When the weekend is over, Adeline isn’t ready to give up her second chance that easily.
An unexpected fresh start leads to an unlikely—but absolutely perfect—pairing in
Getting Him Back
, a male/male contemporary romance from bestselling gay romance author K.A. Mitchell. Ethan may have followed his high school sweetheart to college only to get dumped his first day there, but he’s not going to let that stop him. And then there’s Wyatt. Mysterious, grouchy...hot. And possibly not gay. New college goal? Get Wyatt into bed and into Ethan’s life.
In Anna del Mar’s debut romantic suspense,
The Asset
, a woman fleeing from her sinister past must defy her fears and risk her life to care for a wounded warrior, a SEAL who will push the limits of his broken body and protect her to his very last breath. Don’t miss this first Wounded Warrior novel.
If you’re looking for a melt-your-panties hot erotic romance read, look no further than
Wolf’s Ascension
by Lauren Dane. Attacked by werewolves. Mated to the Alpha. Declared a queen. Kari is having an unusual day. In the Cherchez wolf pack, loyalty is earned, not given. For Andreas, the pull he feels toward Kari cannot be ignored, a physical bond immediate and unbreakable—though Andreas wants to win Kari’s heart as well as her body. And be sure to watch for book two,
Sworn to the Wolf
, on sale in March 2016.
In the explosive follow-up to Joely Sue Burkhart’s darkly erotic romance
One Cut Deeper
, life on the run with an assassin isn’t what Ranay thought it would be. In fact, parts of it more closely resemble a sex-fueled vacation—until duty calls. The FBI believe Charlie’s brother is working for a human trafficking ring, and Charlie is the only one who can bring him down.
Two Cuts Darker
brings you back into the world of dark romance but delivers the same satisfying happy ending.
The only doctor who can stop a man-made killer flu couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with a grenade launcher—so his bodyguard, Sergeant Ali Stone, has her work cut out for her in
Viral Justice
, the last book in the Biological Response Team romantic suspense trilogy by Julie Rowe. And you can still pick up
Deadly Strain
and
Lethal Game
wherever Carina Press ebooks are sold!
Tempted to off your significant other for forgetting Valentine’s Day again? Satisfy your more murderous urges with our two mystery offerings this month.
Jonathan Watkins combines mystery with romance in
A
Devil’s Bargain
. Past sins and dark secrets threaten to blow apart the lives and careers of criminal defenders Issabella Bright and Darren Fletcher when their friend, Theresa Winkle, is charged with the vicious murder of a man behind her bar—a man Darren learns is connected to his own family’s corrupt history and to the one case that has haunted him for years. Go back to the beginning of their romance, and indulge in all of the fantastic Bright & Fletcher mysteries now available:
Motor City Shakedown
,
Dying in Detroit
and
Isolated Judgment
.
In Brenda Buchanan’s latest Joe Gale Mystery,
Truth Beat
, a newspaper reporter struggles with unreliable sources while covering two explosive stories—the apparent murder of a priest who stood up to his church and a spate of increasingly destructive bombings.
Last, this month I’m excited to present a new romantic suspense series that I’ve been highly anticipating from Carina Press author Nico Rosso. Undercover agent Art Diaz had no choice but to drag Chef Hayley Baskov into the world of Russian mobsters, but when her tentative trust turns to full passion he vows to stop at nothing to protect her during the final strike. Be sure to pick up the first in the Black Ops: Automatik series,
Countdown to Zero Hour
.
So kick off your shoes, curl up in your favorite cozy spot, and treat yourself to a Valentine’s month of books. (When it comes to books, one day of indulgence is never going to be enough.)
And then look forward to next month, with releases from Shannon Stacey in contemporary romance, Dee Carney in paranormal romance and j. leigh bailey in male/male romance.
As always, until next month here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
Dedication
For Jenn. Those lunch dates made it all possible.
Contents
Excerpt from Wish List by K.A. Mitchell
Excerpt from Nobody’s Hero by j. leigh bailey
Chapter 1
“Write if you get work.”
My dad laughed at his own joke, which was good, because I didn’t get it. He slapped my shoulder and finished the display of fatherly affection by tucking a couple of twenties into my palm. That I didn’t mind.
My mom gave me a hug. “Well, you can try, but we plan to disappear into witness protection before the first bills arrive.”
They thought they were laugh riots. My mom was always quick with a dig about how much Coborn College was costing over a state school. I was paying for most of it with student loans and I would be paying for it for the next twenty years. They were barely picking up a share of room and board. But it was cool. Blake and I had a plan.
After college here, he was going to coach soccer and teach high school science, while I taught elementary. We’d get jobs in one of the urban high-need areas to get some of our federal loans forgiven.
It all started now. As soon as I could get my parents out the door, I would finally be in my boyfriend’s arms. And pants.
I hadn’t seen him in three weeks, two days, five hours and twenty-nine minutes. That was fifty-two solo jerk-off sessions. We hadn’t even been able to do it on the phone or Skype because he was so exhausted from soccer practice. I couldn’t imagine being too tired to get it up for three weeks, but he’d said he had to concentrate on learning new set pieces too.
I started edging us all toward the door.
“Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” Dad asked.
He was my dad, but he was a guy too. How could he not get it? I felt like my eyeballs were flashing a countdown to when I could finally be with Blake. I mean, we were in love, but there was also the major fact that after spending June and July all over each other, my balls were fucking blue with how much I needed something besides my right hand.
My mom opened the dorm door. “We get it. The sooner we’re gone the sooner you can see Blake.”
The hint of a sigh in her voice wasn’t because of Blake. I mean, my parents had known I was gay for basically ever, and Blake St. Pierre was any parent’s ideal boyfriend—a polite, honor roll athlete, class treasurer. They—mostly Mom—just had thought it was a bad idea, me picking Coborn College because Blake was already at school here. Like it was going to make any difference what college my elementary ed degree was from.
Well, it was all out in the open now, so that only made it easier. “Guilty as charged. Thanks for the ride. I love you guys. See you Thanksgiving.”
Hey, I totally walked them out to the car. I’m not completely selfish. But as soon as the car was out of the lot, I took off toward Blake’s dorm, barely resisting my urge to pump my fist in the air.
College. Finally.
My life was going to be awesome.
I didn’t understand how I could possibly be so lost. I’d studied the online maps last year, knew all the names of the buildings, imagining Blake going around campus, sitting in class in Joppa Hall, going through a cafeteria line at Thorpe Dining Hall, hanging out in the Butler Student Center.
But that was from my aerial map view on the college’s website. In the real world, buildings didn’t have convenient mouse-over names. The paths were twistier and there were a lot more trees and bushes and hills. Even Google Earth hadn’t prepared me for this. I’d probably looped back around to my own dorm. That bush over there looked familiar.
I could have called Blake, but the whole point to being here a day earlier than he expected me was to surprise him.
The path I was on paralleled a deep gully with a stream at the bottom. I didn’t remember Blake saying he needed rappelling gear to get to class so I must have taken a seriously wrong turn.
A girl came toward me. She was the first person I’d seen who wasn’t hanging with friends or had her attention glued to the screen of her phone. A long flowery skirt fluttered around her ankles, and her wine-colored top matched the shiny twisty braids in her hair. Last year when I was shooting casual shots for the yearbook, I would have wanted to take her picture. She was the ideal of a happy, together college student. And she absolutely looked like she knew where she was going. I’m kind of tall—basketball tall but too uncoordinated for it—so I tower over most girls. I put on a nonthreatening smile and hunched. “Hi. Can you help me? I think I’m lost.”
She gave me a once-over, then nodded. “Where are you trying to go?”
“Kilpatrick.” Just saying the name of Blake’s dorm, knowing I was this close, made my heart rate kick up. I tried to keep the excitement from spreading to my dick.
