Blog Tour including Excerpt, Review, Author Guest Post & Giveaway – Wrapped Together by Annabeth Albert

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Title: Wrapped Together

Series: Portland Heat #5

Author: Annabeth Albert

Publisher: Kensington Books

Release Date: December 6

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 35,000 words

Genre: Romance, contemporary, friends-to-lovers

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Synopsis

In the bustling restaurants, shops, and cafés of Portland, Oregon, things really heat up for the hard-working men behind the scenes when the holidays come into town . . .

For a stationery store owner, the holidays are great for business. But for Hollis Alcott, Christmas reminds him of the tragic events of three years past, and the last thing he wants to do is take part in Portland’s over-abundance of festive cheer. But Sawyer Murphy, a hunky gift shop owner whose brother is married to Hollis’s sister, has made it his mission to pluck Hollis out of his holiday blues. And his plan is beginning to work. Wrapped in the warm glow of newfound passion, the former business rivals hit up Portland’s finest holiday traditions—and Hollis’s icy attitude begins to melt like snowflakes on his tongue. But he isn’t sure he can trust anyone with the only gift he has—his heart—without breaking it like an antique ornament. Unless he can find the courage to take a leap with the one lover he never expected . . .

Excerpt

This excerpt comes from chapter one of WRAPPED TOGETHER, when Hollis and his long-time frenemy Sawyer engage in a friendly bet sure to put their holiday cheer to the test!


I took a sip of my now tepid, almost-gone tea. Ugh. The good barista was on duty, the one who went with Ev from the knitting store and who always happily made my tea with the same care he did the fancy coffee drinks. I left the group, happy to have the excuse of needing a refill, but as I stood in line, Mary Anne joined me.

“Hollis Alcott, we almost never see you at these things!” Her voice seemed to ring out above the din. “Will you be participating in the contest this year?”

“I doubt it. My fall display is already set.” I tried not to sound too dour—she always had the best houseplants and had custom-ordered the rare fern I’d wanted.

“Ah, well, that’s too bad. You let me know if you change your mind. I’d be happy to lend you some poinsettias or other decor. I know you could do a splendid, tasteful window.”

It was my turn to order, so I gave her a smile as a reply before handing Brady my stainless-steel tumbler for tea and ordering a scone to go. I had to wait down at the other end of the bar for my order, and as I was waiting, Sawyer came loping over, a smile on his boyish face. His wide shoulders stretched the hoodie in distracting ways.

“Hollis! Did I hear you say you’re not decorating?”

“You did.”

He frowned. “I know how much you hate the holidays, but I bet you’d get an uptick in sales if you decorated. I heard Mary Anne offer to help. I could, too. I’ve got gobs of lights.”

“Thank you but no.” Truth be told, I could use the increase in sales, but it wasn’t enough of a motivator to get me ready for the onslaught of red and green.

Sawyer’s head tilted, considering. Oh no. I knew that look too well. A Sawyer who was scheming was downright dangerous. “We should bet, you and I.”

“No,” I said firmly. I stepped away from the coffee bar to let Mary Anne and others wait for their orders, but Sawyer kept step with me, effectively pinning me in between two tables on my path to the door. I sighed and repeated my objection. “No. The last time we bet, I believe you cracked a wrist.”

Sawyer waved a hand, dismissing my concern. “We were fifteen. We’ve had other bets since then.”

We had, but there was one in particular I was determined not to remember right at that moment. This was the peril of having known someone for almost two decades. “How precisely would one even bet on this?”

I let my inner musings escape before I could rein them in, and Sawyer smiled. He knew he had me. Whatever nervousness and shyness captured my tongue around large groups did not, unfortunately, extend to Sawyer. “Well, I was thinking whichever of us makes it into the top three is the winner of our bet, and then the loser has to do whatever the winner wants for an evening.”

Oh, I did not like this. “Anything?”

“That wasn’t a no.” Sawyer’s grin showed the sort of charm that made him so darn popular. “And I wasn’t thinking of something kinky. Trust me here, Hols.”

“Don’t call me that.” And I most certainly did not trust him. I was pretty sure the always-affable Sawyer didn’t have a kinky bone in his body, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t up to something. “But I could get you to do any task of my choosing?”

See, the thing about me that Sawyer knew was that I have a very hard time resisting a bet. Always have, hence the aforementioned bet freshman year of high school about jumping over auditorium seats during drama class. I’m also notoriously cheap. And as it turned out, I did have a job for him.

He nodded. “Anything.”

“I have a bathroom I want painted at my store. Including the trim.”

Sawyer, to his credit, didn’t look remotely pained. “That’s fine. I’m good at painting.”

“And you? What would you want?” I had no idea why I was asking. I certainly wasn’t planning on agreeing to this ridiculous plan.

“A surprise.” He winked at me.

“I don’t like those.”

“I know. Which is why you need one. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll specify no sex or nudity involved.” Sawyer had mercifully dropped his deep, clear voice to softer tones. I still bristled at the thought of anyone overhearing this.

“Or humiliation, public or otherwise.”

“Oh, Hollis, you know me better than that.” He held up his hands. They were big, capable hands, and I had to blink to get my eyes to look away. “Now, come on. I dare you. Bet me.”

 

 

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Christina‘s review

4.5 of 5 Stars

Oh my gosh I love this book…like didn’t put it down, didn’t blink love it. I love, love, love friends to lovers and even though they had the reputation of being ‘enemies’ I know Hollis and Sawyer have always been friends. They had stronger feelings than that but didn’t know what to do with them.

The introvert and the extrovert…Hollis’ grumpy cat attitude is the perfect balance to Sawyer’s childlike exuberance and love of life. They are absolutely adorable together. Every time Sawyer thawed a piece of Hollis I felt like doing a victory dance for him. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas time and seeing Sawyer bring out Hollis’ festive side and remind him why this time of year is magical just absolutely warmed my heart. Hollis seemed a bit innocent at first but pretty quickly diminished that perception, although he is inexperienced when it comes to relationships.

Their sexual chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS and they are so good together. Their banter is adorable. I loved discovering all the little things Sawyer remembered about Hollis. He just made me melt. Hollis’ pain is palpable but Sawyer makes it bearable. Sawyer is the healing balm Hollis never knew he needed.

The supporting cast is great as well! I would love to see these guys again!

 

 

Purchase

Kensington Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

 

Wrapped Together Teaser 2

Author Guest Post

Thank you so much for having me! My new release, WRAPPED TOGETHER, stars a pair of competing store-owners and long-time frenemies in a holiday romance that starts with a wager on a decorating contest.  The book is filled with the #PortlandHeat flavors that long-time series fans have come to enjoy, but it stands alone well too. And one of the traditions-with-a-Portland-twist that the characters experience is the holiday potluck party. Do you have any of these scheduled this month? Hollis and Sawyer each have a love of the baked goods on the buffet table, and Sawyer attempts a spice cake at a key point in the book. I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite spice cake recipes, one that’s easy to make regular or modify for gluten-free/low sugar/other allergies.  In the comments, feel free to share you favorite things for bringing to holiday parties! (Recipe modified over time from one originally found at allrecipes.com)

Apple Spice Cake288462

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten free flour blend works too! Try Trader Joe’s GF blend or Pamela’s GF blend for good results here.)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add more if you like a lot of spice—I often do closer to 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • OR sub 1 tablespoon Apple Pie Spice for the spices.
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups white sugar (I’ve successfully made this cake using both Stevia in the Raw and Splenda as substitutes and have also lowered the sugar to 1 cup regular and ½ cup brown with good results)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 apples (I like granny smith here – peeled, cored and grated OR reduce eggs to 3 and do 1 cup applesauce)
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting (can skip for a lower-sugar cake)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a Bundt pan (I’ve also done this in a flat pan. Reduce cooking time if you go that route!). Cover raisins with warm water, let soak for 10 minutes and then drain. Whisk together flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time and vanilla. Stir together soda and 1 tablespoon warm water, and mix into the sugar mixture. Stir in flour mixture, apples, and strained raisins until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean (If you bake in a flat pan, it may be done in as little as 30 minutes or so—test often! Sugar free and gluten free cakes will also bake faster, just FYI). Cool in pan. Once cool, shake pan to loosen cake. Turn onto plate, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

 

 

 

Meet the Author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open— no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.
Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency

Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Goodreads
| Facebook Group | Annabeth’s Mailing List

 

Tour Schedule

12/7 Gay Book Reviews
12/8 Prism Book Alliance
12/9 Joyfully Jay
12/12 Dog-Eared Daydreams
12/13 Sinfully
12/14 Love Bytes Reviews
12/15 BFD Book Blog
12/16 Boy Meets Boy Reviews

 

Giveaway

One lucky winner will win a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card!

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