Author Post: K. Vale on Hard Act to Follow

Hard Act to Follow Playlist: Imogen Heap’s Goodnight and Go

Guest post by Kimber Vale

Hi, all! Kimber Vale here sharing another track from my Hard Act to Follow playlist. Today I’m enthusing about Goodnight and Go by Imogen Heap. Okay, so it’s kind of a stalkerish song, but it’s lovely anyway. Granted, I pretty much think Imogen Heap farts gold nuggets, but this tune is so sweet (in a slightly creepy way), I had to include it. It’s essentially about a girl being secretly enamored of a friend and she’s dreaming about what could happen if it wasn’t always just a say goodnight and go scenario. It’s darling. Give it a listen. And it fits well with Greg’s side of things in Hard Act to Follow. Admittedly, it could work for Kyrie’s as well, but we get more of Greg’s point of view toward the beginning of the book. Greg seriously pines for Kyrie—no matter how much he tries to deny it, no matter how much he works to keep his distance, no matter how wrong he thinks it is. Somewhere, in the back of his head, he’s always imagining a game night ending in something other than a goodnight and go. Eventually, he gets his deepest, darkest wish.

Of course, the small shot of Kyrie does nothing to quench Greg’s thirst. Quite the opposite, as you might expect. ;-)

YouTube link to Say Goodnight and Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqjWodek8ZM

Excerpt:

Greg heaved two bags of potting soil—one over each shoulder—up four flights of stairs. This was his second load, but after hauling the three enormous glazed pots upstairs, this wasn’t so bad. Good mini-workout, anyway. And he desperately needed to sweat out some stress—the silence from Kyrie seemed to echo until Greg convinced himself he heard his phone ring multiple times a day. It was all in his head.

Maybe I should call him.

And say what? Kyrie obviously regretted what happened. Unless he truly didn’t remember, in which case Greg could never point-blank admit it to him. God, what a fucking mess! Maybe this way was for the best. If only Greg could erase the other night from his own memory, he could move on.

He’d tried. He left the TV or music on whenever he was home. He’d gone to work early and left late every day this past week, keeping as busy as humanly possible. It didn’t matter. Kyrie snuck into his dreams. He was there when Greg soaped his body in the shower, though Greg kept the temperature tepid to make sure he got in and got out. Never got off.

If he ever thought acting on his urges would ease the tension he felt with Kyrie, he was preposterously wrong. Knowing what it was like to be naked and uninhibited with his best friend was far worse. Now he knew what he’d miss. God, if he had to watch Kyr date other guys he’d lose his fucking mind.

Greg opened the sliding glass door again to retrieve his MP3 player and portable speaker from the living room. Drown out the thoughts in my head.

Blurb:

Kyrie is an actor with a physical aversion to telling lies, a one-eyed cat, and horrible taste in men. His ex-brother-in-law and best friend, Greg, harbors a secret crush he can’t shake. After denying his feelings for Kyrie for too long, Greg finally gives in to desire one drunken night. Come the morning, the facts get twisted. Kyrie pretends he doesn’t remember a thing—a lie that eats him alive—and Greg can’t stop thinking about how he screwed up the best thing in his life.

Before they can clear the air, Kyrie follows his dreams to New York City, but could he also be running away?

A mistake from Kyrie’s past detonates their silence, and Greg is forced to confront the man he loves. Is their new truth strong enough to support a relationship, or are they doomed to crumble under old fears? Their friendship could evolve into something a million times stronger, but maybe Kyrie’s act is just too hard for Greg to follow.

Bio:

K. Vale writes erotic romance of all stripes, from hot hetero to mouthwatering manlove. Find her MF work published under Kimber Vale. Come for the sex. Stay for the story. Stalk Kimber on Facebook and Twitter @KimberVale, and check her site for updates, new releases, and freebies at http://www.authorkimbervale.com. 

The blog: http://www.kimbervale.me

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Review By Cam: Hard Act To Follow by K. Vale

Title: Hard Act to Follow (Shooting Stars Book 3)

Author: K. Vale

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Rating: 4.5/5 Smooches

Blurb:

Kyrie is an actor with a physical aversion to telling lies, a one-eyed cat, and horrible taste in men. His ex-brother-in-law and best friend, Greg, harbors a secret crush he can’t shake. After denying his feelings for Kyrie for too long, Greg finally gives in to desire one drunken night. Come the morning, the facts get twisted. Kyrie pretends he doesn’t remember a thing—a lie that eats him alive—and Greg can’t stop thinking about how he screwed up the best thing in his life.

Before they can clear the air, Kyrie follows his dreams to New York City, but could he also be running away?

A mistake from Kyrie’s past detonates their silence, and Greg is forced to confront the man he loves. Is their new truth strong enough to support a relationship, or are they doomed to crumble under old fears? Their friendship could evolve into something a million times stronger, but maybe Kyrie’s act is just too hard for Greg to follow.

Review:

Well, I liked the rocker book that preceded this one, but I REALLY loved this book. Kyrie makes a re-appearance from the last book in this series, and he gets his own story. His ex brother-in-law, Greg, also makes a reappearance, and some unresolved sexual tension, gets resolved.

It seems like a match made on Jerry Springer from the outside, but Greg had fallen for Kyrie years before any of their feelings come to light. It seems like it’s one misstep after another for this duo. It’s a classic case of miscommunication causing BIG issues for the main characters. They have opposing personalities that really seem to complement each other, after the fact, but those personalities leave the road to happily ever after littered with debris.

I really liked how everything regarding Kyrie's family was handled. Honestly, this book hit a lot of my buttons, and I can't wait to read more by K. Vale. 

So pick up this book and watch Kyrie and Greg navigate through all the potholes they create for themselves! 

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Review by Cam: Double Takes by Kimber Vale

Title: Double Takes (Book 2 in the Shooting Stars Series)

Author: K. Vale

Publisher:  (click to purchase from publisher) 

Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb: 

Sex, drugs, rock and roll … and now reality TV! As the lead singer in a nineties-era band, Giovanni Savale is used to seeing his name in the headlines, but now, as the star of a new reality TV show, his life is on display for all to see. From the custody battle for his son to a “made for TV” romance to the possibility of a future with the sexy owner of the local antique store, Giovanni’s life has just gotten complicated in ways he had never imagined. You’ll loveDouble Takes, the hot new romance from author K. Vale. 

Ah, the life of a rock star. Everyone thinks it’s nothing but sex, drugs, and rock and roll. 

Not for Giovanni Savale. 

For the lead singer of Three Deaf Mice, a band that reached its pinnacle in the late nineties, it’s nothing but an ugly divorce with a custody battle, money trouble, and now the nightmare exposure of starring in a reality television show. When his producer decides to cash in on an infamous interview Gio did years ago, and give the self-confessed bisexual rocker an onscreen boyfriend, things really hit the fan. Gio is certain his sexual experimentation back in his drug-abusing days meant nothing — after all he’s been married for nine years, clean and sober for nearly as long, and he has a son. And Gio is not remotely attracted to Kyrie, the funny, flamboyant actor they choose for his love interest. Of course, Lance Garrett, the mysterious and sexy owner of the local antique shop, Double Takes, is a whole different story. The guy has Gio planning out a future he never imagined. With the threat of losing all custody of his ten-year-old son, ghosts from the past returning for revenge, and the cameras rolling, can Gio keep his head above water and his heart from getting broken? 

Content Notes: Hot, Anal Play, Anal Intercourse, GLBT, Music, Musicians, Contemporary 

Review:

I love complicated plots, and this book certainly has that. Both main characters are deeply flawed men. Gio wears all his flaws on the outside for the world to see. From his drug and alcohol addictions to his all too public custody battle, not to mention the reality show dogging his every step, Gio has his hands full. Especially when the reality show decides to cast him a male love interest Kyrie, who he isn't attracted to at all.

Lance Garrett, on the other hand appears to have it all together on the outside, despite being somewhat reclusive. Lance has his reasons for staying out of the limelight, and when all is said and done it might prove their undoing. 

I liked the concept of this story, and I enjoyed it immensely. I think the issues of mental health, abuse, and addiction were all treated with the delicacy that they deserved, which is a big thing for me. If I have a complaint, it was that at a couple points it was a little difficult to keep up with everything that was going on, but the threads were quickly brought back in. Both characters were likeable. The secondary characters were well written, fleshed out and added a lot to the story. I was invested. I can't wait to read more. 

This is the second book in the series but it could read as a stand alone. Both books however are great. K. Vale is going to be an author that I'm looking out for, because she sure does know how to weave a story. 


If you like Rock Star stories, then pick this one up! 

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