Cinderellis
Evie Drae
(Once Upon a Vegas Night #2)
Publication date: February 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, LGBTQ+, Retelling, Romance
As the son of music industry royalty and a famous rock star in his own right, Henry “Cinder” Cinderford has spent his life on the road. Craving stability, he signs on to do a special limited engagement in Las Vegas and plans to spend the next six months discovering the meaning of home.
After losing his mom at a young age, Ellis Tremaine survived a childhood with an abusive stepfather who took out his anger on the son he never wanted. Nearly two decades later, Ellis continues to struggle against the emotional manipulations of his family, even in his career. But when he meets none other than the Prince of Pop himself, things start to change.
From attraction to friendship to something so much more, Ellis and Cinder become the celebrity ‘ship known as “Cinderellis.” But when reality threatens their storybook romance, all they can do is hope there really is a happily ever after for every once upon a time.
—
Ellis leaned his elbows on the handrail of the narrow metal catwalk overlooking the frontstage area and closed his eyes, allowing the music below to encompass him from all sides. Surrounding his senses. Filling his soul.
About three-quarters of the way through Cinder’s set, there was a song that dripped with passion and heart, making exquisite use of his stunning vibrato. It had become a favorite of Ellis’s almost from the get-go, most especially because its simplicity allowed him a moment to breathe, to open himself, and to fall heart-first into the music.
The constantly moving parts of the high-concept production ground to a halt during those three minutes and forty-two seconds. The fly space he occupied went still and quiet as a single bloodred spotlight focused on center stage, highlighting a lone wooden stool and a microphone stand. Following his third wardrobe change of the night, clad in skintight black jeans and a white ribbed tank, Cinder stepped onto the stage clutching the neck of an acoustic guitar. As if on cue, the audience swooned into the orchestrated mood change.
They all knew what came next, and with a soft, collective gasp, the whole theater held its breath. Then, like the beat of a heart, as Cinder rested a hip on the stool, adjusted the strap of his guitar, and drew the microphone close, the crowd exhaled as one.
With the first note of the now familiar song, Ellis’s chest tightened. Music had always held an important place in his life, affecting him in ways he couldn’t explain. But nothing in his twenty-six years on this earth had ever latched on to his very being the way Cinder could with his haunting tenor as it trembled up an octave before plunging in both register and depth. Straight into his heart.
He looked forward to this brief respite more and more each day, surprised to find himself curious about the man who made such soul-moving compositions. Ellis rarely cared about anything other than the music itself, but something about Cinder’s music was different. Something about Cinder was different; Ellis just couldn’t put his finger on what.
Growing up in Vegas with a stepfather in show business, Ellis had never been impressed by celebrity. He admired the effort that went into reaching and maintaining stardom, but he could say the same thing about a lot of jobs out there. If someone put in a full day of hard work, they earned his respect, no matter what the end goal or result.
But Ellis’s curiosity over Cinder wasn’t based on the novelty of his fame or even over the man himself. It was the music Ellis yearned to delve deeper into. It affected him in ways he didn’t understand, but he wanted to. It was like Cinder saw into a part of Ellis even he had never known was there, and he needed to know why… and how?
He wanted to put a face to the voice if only to prove Cinder was real. To prove the responses he drew from Ellis weren’t figments of his imagination. To prove he was still capable of emotions that ran so deep they could penetrate the walls he’d built around his fractured heart after his mom’s death.
To prove he could still feel.
Author Bio:
Evie Drae (Ze/Hir/Hirs) is a registered nurse by day and a best-selling, award-winning male/male romance writer by night. Ze has won first place in seven Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) competitions, including the prestigious title “Best of the Best” in the 2018 Golden Opportunity Contest. Ze was a double finalist in the 2019 Golden Heart® in both the Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense categories.
One of Evie’s favorite things to do is encourage hir fellow writers. To that end, ze started the #writeLGBTQ and #promoLGBTQ hashtags on Twitter to support and promote LGBTQ+ authors and allies while providing a safe space to connect and grow as a community. Ze is married to the love of hir life, is the parent of two wonderful fur babies, and runs almost entirely on coffee and good vibes.
Evie loves to link EvieDrae@gmail.com or find hir on hir social media accounts listed below. Twitter is where ze’s most active but be sure to check out hir blog too. Ze focuses on reviews for LGBTQ+ authors and allies with the occasional quirky advice/recommendation post just to toss things up.
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★ BLURB ★
Jonah Wydner has been in love with his neighbor Eleanor Trombley for years. He has watched her life play out from the sidelines—homecoming dances, football parties, and first dates. Her life seemed easy…simple…𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. The complete opposite of his own.
But when Eleanor’s younger sister goes missing and the national media sets up camp in the middle of their street, the girl with the seemingly perfect life shows up in Jonah’s garage in search of a place to hide from the hurt and chaos. What begins as one night becomes many filled with unexpected surprises and unveiling, healing truths about Jonah’s own messy past.
Soon, Jonah gets to know the real Eleanor, and discover all the ways they’re the same. Friendship blossoms into more, plans turn into promises, and hopes and dreams become shared under the warm glow of the fading Midwestern sunsets. But how far can a kiss under a candy-colored sky take them? And what happens when the clouds close in?
★ EXCERPT ★
“You know, it’s an excellent time to climb up on the roof and watch the sun go down.” Her fingers slip away as she makes the suggestion, and I find my hands frozen in place for a moment all on their own. I shove them back into my pockets.
“Is it really that late?” I lift a brow.
“It’s almost four.” She winces and I join her.
“I don’t think I’ve slept this late since I had the flu sophomore year,” I admit.
She laughs at my response, then hits the button for the garage door.
“This used to be a regular Saturday morning occurrence for me,” she says.
“I’m pretty sure you can’t call it morning,” I add.
She spins on her heels as she moves out of the garage and points at me.
“You are probably right.”
We cross my driveway to the very dead grass in our side yard. Eleanor leaps up to grab the eave but her fingers slip at her first attempt. She crouches to jump again but stops, spinning to face me as she points over her shoulder with her thumb.
“You been sunset watching without me?” she asks.
The ladder is still out. I haven’t touched it since the last time we went up there.
“That would sound a lot better than admitting I’m too lazy to put it away, but sadly, I’m a lazy ass.” I mush my lips together and shrug.
“Well, my muscles are not feeling it today, so let’s just say you were planning ahead.” She marches to the ladder and scales it two rungs at a time. Even at her laziest, she’s got me beat.
She waits at the roof’s edge for me this time, and I’m a little embarrassed because I climb ladders the same way my grandfather does—like one wrong move might break a hip. I crawl onto the shingles as she stands and holds a hand out for me.
“I can’t run and leap over there like you do,” I say, waving my hand just out of reach. It’s like I’m about to shake on a deal and I want to make sure I know the terms.
Eleanor leans her head back and the sound of real laughter pours out with the rasp that I’ve missed.
“It’s fine. I’ll go slow,” she says, taking my hand and helping me to my feet.
I sway a little, only half joking that I’m searching for my balance. I notice that she walks along the rooftop on her toes, almost like a ballerina making her way to center stage. I move with the grace of a Clydesdale.
We settle in the ridge this time and I lower myself carefully, dividing my weight over both sides of the roof. Eleanor seems to collapse into a sitting position, her legs knotted together as she perches at the apex facing me. I breathe out a laugh at how different we are.
“What?” she asks.
“Just, you can tell you do things like gymnastics and stuff. It’s pretty clear I work out math equations.” I shrug.
“You’d think that would make you more confident up here, being able to compute the exact angles and all that junk,” she argues.
“Huh,” I say, taking her reasoning to heart. I glance to my left and then my right, but before I can fully take in the angle of the descent behind me I grip the roof’s surface beneath my thighs.
“Nope. There’s no math logic for this,” I say.
She giggles, an actual giggle. It’s the best sound, like a children’s birthday party with a petting zoo kind of glee.
★ MY REVIEW ★
★ PURCHASE ★
★ Amazon ★ Apple ★ BN ★ Kobo ★ Google ★
This is one of those times I’m so glad I didn’t read the blurb for this book before I jumped right on in. Otherwise, I would have psyched myself out of reading it now, waiting for the right time to be in the mood for it. And honestly now would not have been that time, because man we are busy. Like stupid, crazy busy. And I probably didn’t do the book the justice that it deserves of my full attention on the pages, but the story was gripping enough that even though I put it down so frequently I still couldn’t get the characters out of my head.
The first thing of note, that I wasn’t expecting, is that the whole book is told in Jonah’s point of view. Which was simply perfect for showing everything that Eleanor was going through from the outside. And this who book was a really scary look at how everyone deals with the tragedies that can occur in life while not actually delving too deeply into the actual tragedy. I really felt like I was on the outside looking in on Jonah who was looking in on Eleanor and it made it bearable.
The love story between Jonah and Eleanor was really sweet and despite the outside drama really simple. Jonah had been crushing on Eleanor from across the street for years. And he was such a beautiful soul, with the nicest family. I just want to steal his grandpa for my own. Everything about Jonah was adorable and having gone through his own share of tragedy and still being in the process of dealing with it made him the perfect person to help guide Eleanor through her circumstances.
The epilogue gave me a whole heaping of hope for the future of these two and having it told in Eleanor’s point of view reinforced that her feelings were as pure and solid as Jonah’s had been proven to be the whole way through the book. So even though I read this at a less than perfect time, I’m so glad I read it when I did. I think I needed it as much as Eleanor needed Jonah to pull me out of my drama and give me something positive and beautiful to focus on. Thank you.
And I really screwed up.
I should’ve ended things before they began.
Instead, I wound up in a twisted love triangle,
One that I never wanted to be a part of.
The wrong choice sent my life on a whirlwind.
A woman I forced myself to love is dead.
My best friend was nearly blamed for her murder.
And the one I’ve always wanted, now wants revenge.
Her favorite person is gone, and she thinks it’s my fault.
I’m not about to correct her either.
Not when the reality is so much worse.
She can’t find out the truth of what happened.
Knowing would ruin her in ways I can’t fathom.
If blaming me is her way of coping, I’ll gladly carry that burden.
Because Tyeler Morgan is the one girl I’d protect at all costs.
Wreck My Plans is a standalone and part of the North Haven University series. It deals with sensitive topics that my be triggering to some readers.
Kelsey Clayton is an internationally selling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in a small town in Delaware with her husband, two kids, and dog.
She is an avid reader of fall hard romance. She believes that books are the best escape you can find, and that if you feel a range of emotions while reading her stories - she succeeded. She loves writing and is only getting started on this life long journey.
Kelsey likes to keep things in her life simple. Her ideal night is one with sweatpants, a fluffy blanket, cheese fries, and wine. She holds her friends and family close to her heart and would do just about anything to make them happy.
“Steal My Magnolia is more than a love story. It's a beautifully crafted journey of life full of obstacles but a journey worth the travel with the right person.” --Author Andrea Johnston
Steal My Magnolia, an all-new heartwarming small-town romance from Karla Sorensen, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!
Life lesson from Grady Buchanan: If you’re going to fall in love with the untouchable girl in town, don’t hire her as your only employee.
Even after he bungled the interview with Magnolia MacIntyre, he knew better than to hire her. The list of why it’s a bad idea is a long one.
Her father could ruin his fledgling business.
She is completely overqualified.
And he’s attracted to her.
What does Grady do? He offers her the job.
Magnolia knew better than to take it. Normally, she’d make the safe choice, and working for Grady is anything but.
He’s new in town–and entirely too charming.
Her dad will be furious.
She hates the outdoors and working for an outdoor adventure company is not exactly the right fit.
What does she do? She says yes on the spot.
Grady and Magnolia will have to prove to everyone in their life that they’re not crazy. And prove to each other that the list of why it’s a bad idea should be tossed out the window.
For these two opposites, sometimes doing the wrong thing is exactly right.
‘Steal My Magnolia’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Love At First Sight series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.
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Baking Me Crazy
Batter of Wits
Excerpt
"This is Grady."
There was silence on the other end. I pulled the phone away from my face to make sure I'd answered.
"Hello?" I said.
I heard a deep breath before she spoke. "Hi, I'm here, sorry."
My head tilted to the side when I heard her voice. It was soft and low with the curling accent that I'd gotten used to in the past month and a half. But it ... I shook my head ... something about it made the hairs lift slightly on my arms.
"Did you mean to call my number?" I asked carefully.
Inexplicably, I found myself holding my breath waiting for her to answer.
"I heard you're looking for help. Administrative help," she clarified.
My head went back. "Did you?"
She was quiet for a second. "Small town," she explained. "People talk."
I laughed under my breath. "So I'm learning."
It made me shake my head. The darknet had nothing on the Green Valley information pipeline. "So," I continued, "tell me a little bit about yourself."
"Of course." For the second time since I picked up, she let out an audible breath. "I have my BS in Business Administration, an MBA from Vanderbilt, and other than college, I've lived in Green Valley my whole life."
Scratching the side of my face, I glanced around at the horrific state of the office and tried to imagine someone with an MBA wanting anything to do with it. My face was bent in a grimace
"I've spent the past five years as an office administrator for my ..." She paused. "For a local business, and I'm looking to change things up. Fresh start."
I sat up slowly. "I can understand wanting a fresh start. That's why I'm here."
"I know. I, umm, I heard that. In town." She stumbled slightly over her words, and I smiled. "I'm not very outdoorsy, and I know that's what you'll be doing, but I'm the most organized person you'll ever meet. My label maker is my favorite accessory, and I have lists for my to-do lists. And I know every single business owner from here to Maryville."
I laughed. "You sound like you're already in your interview."
She laughed too, and I grimaced when my chest tightened. It caused a strong enough physical sensation that I glanced down at my body, like it was separate from me somehow.
"I can come in and fill out an application, if you'd like," she said.
I laughed under my breath. "If I had applications, I'd say yes." I glanced around the mess surrounding me. "But ... I'm not quite that prepared yet."
"That's also why you need someone who knows how to get an office up and running."
"That's true," I agreed. "Can you come in tomorrow so we can talk a little bit more? Since I don't have an application."
"That would be great," she said firmly. The stumbling was gone. I found myself wondering how old she was. What she looked like.
If I had a calendar, I would've glanced at it. But that was also buried in a stack of papers.
"How does nine sound? Do you need the address?"
"Sounds perfect," she answered. "And uh, no, thank you. I know where to find you."
I shook my head.
"Small town," we said in unison. She laughed, and my smile took up my whole damn face.
"Then I'll see you at nine tomorrow ..." My voice trailed off. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm still working on my Southern manners."
She laughed. My chest did that thing again. It wasn't the heavy press of panic. It was a lightening. A lifting of whatever pressure I'd been feeling before she called.
She spoke slowly, like she was thinking carefully about her answer. "You can call me Lia."
About Karla Sorensen
Karla Sorensen has been an avid reader her entire life, preferring stories with a happily-ever-after over just about any other kind. And considering she has an entire line item in her budget for books, she realized it might just be cheaper to write her own stories. It doesn’t take much to keep her happy…a book, a really big glass of wine, and at least thirty minutes of complete silence every day. She still keeps her toes in the world of health care marketing, where she made her living pre-babies. Now she stays home, writing and mommy-ing full time (this translates to almost every day being a ‘pajama day’ at the Sorensen household…don’t judge). She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two exceptionally adorable sons and big, shaggy rescue dog.
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