Cookies is LIVE on Amazon!

I'm super excited to announce that my new contemporary romance Cookies is now LIVE on Amazon and available on Kindle Unlimited.

Want to get yourself a tasty treat?

Cookies is about Amir, an army veteran who's lost his leg in Afghanistan, and Jay, a student in Cambridge, who falls for Amir despite all his scars.

I did a ton of research about amputated limbs, soldiers, the military and, of course, baking. I read some heartbreaking stories, but I also read stories that inspired me and lifted my spirits when I felt stuck. 
I desperately wanted to do all these people justice. But at the same time, I wanted to show the softer side of the story, not focus on the initial battle to get your life back that nearly every veteran experiences coming back home. 
I really hope I succeeded showing the respect I feel for every single person who’s fought for their country. 
Cookies is a feel-good, happy book. It's a curl-on-the-sofa-on-a-rainy-Sunday-afternoon kinda book. 
I wanted to make people smile, and gush, and desperately want a brownie or five. 
Hopefully, I succeeded. 

Book Description:

I went to war, running away from myself. I came back in pieces to find out who I really was... 
It took me nearly ten years, two tours in Afghanistan and losing a leg to come to terms with who I really am. 
Two years after coming back from war, I can say that I’m finally content. I’m as fit as ever, my prosthetic leg allowing me the freedom to move and exercise as if nothing has changed. I own a small bakery in the centre of Cambridge, and I have a loyal circle of friends that I can always count on. 
And yet... 
Yet, there’s something missing. A part of me craves the intimacy, the deep connection to another human being. But another – bigger – part of me is terrified of letting anyone in. 
My internal conflict didn't stand a chance when I met Jay. He stormed through my defence walls like a hurricane, wrapping around me with gentle force until I had no choice but to surrender. 
Surrendering has never felt so good. 
Will Jay want to stay when he sees the real me? When he sees the nightmares and insecurities clawing at my soul? When he realises the burden I come with may be heavier than we both can carry? 
My name is Amir Gopal and this is my story. 

Cookies Cover Reveal

My upcoming book Cookies has a very tasty cover! I've been sitting on it for over a year! I can't believe I managed to keep it a secret for so long considering I'm the worst secret keeper ever.

Ta-daaaa! Isn't it pretty? The amazingly talented Jay Aheer from Simply Defined Art designed the cover when Cookies was just a title and a thought at the back of my head. There were days when the beautiful cover was the only thing that kept me writing - it was a huge inspiration for the story!

So what is the book all about? It's about Amir, an ex-soldier-turned-baker who lives in Cambridge and own a small bakery called Cookie's. And it's about Jay who is a student in Cambridge, and who turns Amir's world upside down. In a good way.

Here's the official book description:

I went to war, running away from myself. I came back in pieces to find out who I really was...

It took me nearly ten years, two tours in Afghanistan and losing a leg to come to terms with who I really am.

Two years after coming back from war, I can say that I’m finally content. I’m as fit as ever, my prosthetic leg allowing me the freedom of moving and exercising as if nothing has changed. I own a small bakery in the centre of Cambridge, and I have a loyal circle of friends that I can always count on.

And yet...

Yet, there’s something missing. A part of me craves the intimacy, the deep connection to another human being. But another – bigger – part of me is terrified of letting anyone in.

My internal conflict didn't stand a chance when I met Jay. He stormed through my defence walls like a hurricane, wrapping around me with gentle force until I had no choice but to surrender.

Surrendering has never felt so good.

Will Jay want to stay when he sees the real me? When he sees the nightmares and insecurities clawing at my soul?

My name is Amir Gopal and this is my story.

Cookies will be out on 21 April 2016. Pre-order links and more info coming soon!

Add it on Goodreads

Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews hosted the exclusive cover reveal today. There's an ARC giveaway still going on, so click HERE if you'd like to enter for a chance to win one of 3 advanced copies of Cookies and read it before anyone else.

Book of the week - Strong Signal by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell

Strong Signal

Megan Erickson&Santino Hassell

Release date: 15 Feb 2016

Blurb:

I was counting down the months until the end of my deployment. My days were spent working on military vehicles, and I spent my nights playing video games that would distract me until I could leave Staff Sergeant Garrett Reid behind.
That was when I met him: Kai Bannon, a fellow gamer with a famous stream channel. 
I never expected to become fixated on someone who'd initially been a rival. And I'd never expected someone who oozed charm to notice me—a guy known for his brutal honesty and scowl. I hadn't planned for our online friendship to turn into something that kept me up at night—hours of chatting evolving into filthy webcam sessions.
But it did. And now I can't stop thinking about him. In my mind, our real life meeting is perfect. We kiss, we fall into bed, and it's love at first sight.
Except, like most things in my life, it doesn't go as planned.
*Strong Signal is a standalone, full-length novel with no cliffhanger*

My Review:

I adore both Megan and Santino and have read all their books. So when I found out that they'd written a book together I literally squealed! My author collaboration wet dream had come true! I had no doubt I'd love anything these two have written. And yet I was still surprised by how much I loved this book.

Silly me. I should have known better.

Strong Signal is about falling in love with someone you've met online. In this day and age we've all made friends and/or lovers online. Some more successfully than others, but we've all done it. 

The story rings true to our generation. We seem to have deeper and more meaningful connection with people we'd never met in Real Life than our own families.

In Strong Signal we have the sexy soldier - Garrett - stationed thousands of miles away from home, and the geeky twink - Kai- whose life revolves around gaming. They meet online and eventually develop a relationship deeper than friendship. Meeting in Real Life becomes a matter of 'when' not 'if'. But once they meet, the struggle to learn how to be together threatens to overwhelm them both...

I don't want to say too much because the blurb doesn't give too much away and in my opinion the book is best to be experienced without any prior knowledge of the plot. I was surprised at every turn, never knowing what to expect next and I feel that's the best way to read it.

However, I'll go ahead and say this: Strong Signal is a touching story. It really resonated with me. I have many friends I've met online - and some of them in Real Life later on - and I'm extremely thankful for them. They're there for me when I have a bad day or in a stressful situation or when I go into full meltdown mode. They're also there to share a stupid joke, buddy read a book with me or simply say Good Morning.

Kai and Garrett's story is so real, so moving and inspiring. It touches on with some very real and very scary issues, but the authors manage to deal with them in a sensitive manner. No contrived melodrama here, folks.

Garrett and Kai's story is also very funny at times, and don't even get me started on the sex scenes! Phew, these two can write a sex scene! 

Megan and Santino's writing styles complement each other perfectly! Usually when I read a co-written book I can always tell who wrote what, but in Strong Signal the words flow so seamlessly that I had a hard time figuring out who wrote what scene.

I can't recommend this book enough! It's amazing so don't even think about it - one-click and enjoy!

                                                                        

        

Oh, check out this awesome Tumblr page the authors created for Kai:

Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, chool-cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author. 

Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.

Santino's social media links:

    

Megan Erickson is a former journalist who switched to fiction when she decided she liked writing her own endings better. She likes to pretend she has control now, but usually her characters are the ones who hold the reins. Her romance novels have a touch of humor, a dash of nerdy, and always a happily ever after. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids, and two cats named after John Hughes characters. She's still waiting for the party she was promised when she grew to five feet... maybe because she never got there.

Megan's social media links: