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  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: Scales & Stone by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)

    November 9, 2023 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: No More Secrets by Becca Seymour

    March 16, 2022

    BLOG TOUR: Robin by Rain Carrington (Excerpt & Giveaway + Q & A with Author)

    April 19, 2021

    FLICKer: Lost Angel (2013)

    January 13, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Scales & Stone by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)

    October 26, 2023 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLLITZ: Voice by Sean Ian O’Meidhi & Connal Braginsky (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 25, 2021

    BOOK TOUR: Volley by Lynn Michaels (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    June 20, 2020

    RELEASE BLITZ: Frat Wars: Master Of Mayhem by Saxon James (Giveaway)

    March 23, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE TOUR: Stone Wings by Jenn Burke (Excerpt)

    September 5, 2022 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: A City of Hopes Unrealized by Howard Leonard (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 1, 2023

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Half-Light by Matt Doyle (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 4, 2020

    COVER REVEAL: Bad Wrong Things by C.P. Harris

    March 24, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Gargoyle Birthright by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)

    August 18, 2022 / No Comments
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    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(March 30, 2022)

    March 30, 2022

    COVER REVEAL: Stay A Little Longer by Jess Bryant (Giveaway)

    January 13, 2022

    RELEASE BLITZ: My Iron Knight by S.J. Coles (Excerpt)

    April 14, 2022
  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: Taking His Confession by P.J. Friel & Saffron Hart

    June 10, 2022 / 2 Comments

    Cloth & Stone: Taking His Confession – P.J. Friel & Saffron Hart

    Sparks fly when a man of the cloth teams up with a cursed creature of stone to save a troubled teen from a ruthless drug lord. 

    Gideon Fawkes longs to meet the handsome young deacon who teaches at St. Anthony’s Boys Academy. There’s just one problem. Gideon is a gargoyle, and he’s pretty sure Deacon Cruz only dates humans.

    Cordero Cruz knows a lot about forgiveness. It’s the cornerstone of his calling. Too bad he can never offer it to himself. Because of him, people died, and there’s no redemption for that kind of mistake.

    But a lack of humanity and a heart filled with guilt are nothing compared to a young man’s life. When a merciless criminal threatens Cordero and one of his students, Gideon will have to risk more than his stony hide to protect them. Cordero must do the unthinkable to prove he’s deserving of the gargoyle turned guardian angel. But when their road to hell is paved with good intentions, they must learn only trust and redemption can pave the way for love.


    Among the various supernatural boyfriends found in paranormal romance, gargoyles are a rarity. The Cloth & Stone series immediately grabbed my attention because of its gargoyle MC.

    Taking His Confession opens the series from the 1st person POV of Deacon Cordero Cruz. He just saw the little brother of his late best friend talking to the city’s most notorious mob boss. Alarmed, he tried to get answers from the young man and learned he owed the mobsters a huge sum of money for a failed drug run. Money they couldn’t afford, barely having any to support his mom and siblings.

    Unknown to the people in St. Anthony’s, a watcher sat perched on its rooftops. Gideon Fawkes was cursed to be a gargoyle for almost a century. He has a special interest in the young deacon. Special enough for him to break cover when mobsters were out to get the Cordero.

    I have had this on my TBR since last year. I was hesitant to start on this because I usually steer clear of religion-themed books. Cordero’s internal dialogues are examples of why I do.

    Most of it boils down to “I am not worthy. I don’t deserve to be happy.” I wasn’t too keen on the self-flagellation, but happily, the authors managed to avoid crossing over to miserable. They were still able to let Cordero’s brighter personality shine through.

    And Cordero might angst over his so-called unworthiness, but there was no angsting over his sexuality. I loved that he was totally comfortable with it and had no hesitations about sleeping with Gideon.

    The deacon is the kind of man who bears all the world’s troubles on his shoulders. A selfless individual who prays for everyone else’s well-being except for himself. It’s why he stood out among the sea of prayers that the gargoyle hears everyday.

    Gideon used to be a rum runner back in the 1920s. He turned into a gargoyle one day after committing a crime. I found some of his thoughts on a divine being echoing some of my own. I wondered why he still believed. But then, turning into a stone at sunrise and back into a man by sunset is divine punishment if ever there was one.

    The plot interweaves the romantic development of Cordero and Gideon’s relationship with that of them teaming up to to protect Cordero’s students from the mobsters. Cordero and Gideon are compelling characters who very effectively drove the story forward, sweeping me along effortlessly with their woes and insecurities, joys and triumphs, and the occasional streak of humor. Usually from Gideon. I love this gargoyle! His POV is more fun than Cordero’s.

    The romance was sweet. I would even say it was kinda cute. It was a tender and fragile relationship filled with fears, misunderstanding, and also, love. Alas, it imploded after Gideon’s ridiculous decision to storm the mob boss’s mansion by himself without careful reconnaissance.

    Cordero was a complete mess for a while there, plus an even more ridiculous decision by Gideon to push the love of his life away. Fortunately, the two came to their senses and started working together for real. The story moved faster at this point, more action-packed and suspenseful with lotsa things going bang!

    Even with the negative thoughts and the bad decisions, Taking His Confession is a well-written book that kept me riveted. It ends with a cliffy HFN, so it’s best read when you have all three books on hand. This dramatic tale of the deacon and his gargoyle boyfriend is dark and full of heartache, but it’s also sweet, even hopeful, and most definitely gripping.

    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

    Soundtrack: Holy Trouble
    Artist: Christian Cohle
    Album: Holy Trouble


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Taking His Confession books. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

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    LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(February 23, 2022)

    February 23, 2022

    RELEASE BLITZ: Faking A Groom by D.J. Jamison (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 30, 2020

    RELEASE TOUR: Honestly Yours by Jaime Reese

    May 12, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE: Coven by Claire Marta

    June 17, 2021 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Not So Sincerely, Yours by A.M. Johnson (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 29, 2021

    COVER REVEAL: Protecting His Pack by Morgan Elektra (Giveaway)

    April 30, 2023

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: 760 Miles by A.E. Lister (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 18, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    COVER REVEAL: Coven by Claire Marta

    June 1, 2021 / No Comments
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    FAVORITE COVERS: April 2022

    May 3, 2022

    RELEASE BLITZ: Tricky Tracks by Lynn Michaels (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    August 3, 2021

    BOOK TOUR: The Sword In The Street by C.M. Caplan

    March 8, 2021

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Book images and promotional materials are from Goodreads or media kits provided for blog tours, cover reveals and release blitzes. Manga covers and other images are sourced through Google image search. The two dorks in the header image is from a manga by TogaQ & Kikuchi Neko. The cat logo is my own design. Reviews and other writings found in the blog are mine unless otherwise stated. All Buy Links to Amazon and Bookshop in my posts contain affiliate links.

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neverhollowed
neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
30 Nov

FLICKer: Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance #shortfilm

Gabriel struggles to make sense of Charlie’s feelings for him as the two navigate their budding romance.

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
30 Nov

Aaron Frale's new queer fantasy My Three-Year-Old is a Barbarian
and Other Parenting Problems: https://neverhollowed.com/2023/11/30/blog-tour-my-three-year-old-is-a-barbarian-and-other-parenting-problems-by-aaron-frale-excerpt-giveaway/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
30 Nov

Omegas are to be protected; to be kept safe. They’re not meant to work!

NEW RELEASE: Get Pucking Knotty by Crea Reitan


https://neverhollowed.com/2023/11/30/new-release-get-pucking-knotty-by-crea-reitan/

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neverhollowed Never Hollowed By The Stare @neverhollowed ·
29 Nov

“I know you’ve been living in survival mode, but maybe it’s time to accept that you deserve to be loved.”

COVER & EXCERPT REVEAL: The Wild Within by Gwen Martin (Excerpt & #Giveaway)


https://neverhollowed.com/2023/11/29/cover-excerpt-reveal-the-wild-within-by-gwen-martin-excerpt-giveaway/

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