Sunday, April 24, 2016

Coming Soon


The Cutting Cords bundle is available for Pre-order at the Dreamspinner Press Store for $9.99.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7749

When Sloan Driscoll and Cole Fujiwara become reluctant roommates, neither man is willing to share too much. Sloan is instantly attracted to Cole but knows it's a hopeless cause; Cole has a steady girlfriend. But one night they share a joint, and Cole opens a window neither anticipated.

A relationship may be impossible—both men are living with heart-breaking secrets. While Sloan is smart, sassy, and a brilliant graphic artist, he’s also a pothead with severe body image problems. Cole, a former major league pitcher, has his own personal crisis: he's going blind. Sloan and Cole are suffering on so many levels, they might not realize that the ultimate salvation could be within each other’s arms.







Five years into their relationship, Sloan Driscoll’s peaceful existence is suddenly upended. His lover, Cole Fujiwara, gives him an ultimatum: agree to a surrogate birth or break up. Noriko Evans, a beautiful woman of Japanese/American descent, is handpicked by Cole’s father to be the surrogate. At the same time, Trent Hamilton, model and established Dominant, sets his eyes on Sloan, offering him another life choice.

Sloan is thrown off balance by this series of events he can neither understand nor control. He’d thought the topic of children had been laid to rest years ago, but with the advent of a new form of genetic testing, Cole’s fear of passing on retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that leads to blindness, has been greatly reduced. Noriko’s abrupt appearance threatens Sloan, as does Sloan’s attraction to Trent and a side of the BDSM world he’d never thought to explore.

Will Sloan be able to muster the inner strength he’ll need to deal with one shocking revelation after another, or will he succumb to a dangerous coping mechanism? His decisions will either lead to salvation... or hasten the end of the relationship that literally saved his life.



On New Year’s Eve, Cole Fujiwara stands vigil at his father’s deathbed while his surrogate wife, Noriko, gives birth to twins. As Cole contemplates his future, he acknowledges that he’s living his father’s dream… and that he’s probably destroyed his chance at happiness with Sloan, the love of his life.

Finding harmony in an emerging D/s relationship has not been without issue for Sloan Driscoll and his Master, Trent Hamilton. Their journey has been littered with mishaps, but their powerful love and sexual connection continue to bind them together—until Sloan comes face to face with Cole for the first time in nine months.

The meeting means different things to each of them. To Cole, it’s the first step on the path to a reunion. To Sloan, it’s a terrible mistake, one he confesses immediately. As for Trent, the bitter realization that a connection between the former lovers still exists forces him to issue an ultimatum. Is Sloan willing to do anything to prove their relationship is worth saving, including becoming Trent’s 24/7 slave? And if Sloan stays with Trent, how can Cole ever hope to find happiness again?




Hours after stepping off the yacht where they had their mock wedding, real life intrudes, and arguments arise between Sloan Driscoll and Trent Hamilton. Seeking relief at his BDSM club, Trent bumps into an old army buddy who tells him things are different now that DADT has been repealed. Meanwhile, Sloan receives a frantic call from ex-lover, Cole Fujiwara, who tells him that his twins and ex-wife have been kidnapped. Cole asks Sloan for help but makes him promise not to include Trent in the rescue attempt.

Trent considers the opportunity to resume a career cut short, and despite Sloan's threat to postpone the wedding, he leaves for the Middle East as an independent mercenary while Sloan rushes to aid Cole.

In Tokyo, disturbing revelations draw the former couple together, and old feelings are rekindled. Despite this new understanding, neither man makes a move. Sloan is focused on rescuing Cole’s family without jeopardizing his relationship with Trent, while Cole must prepare himself to survive disappointment if Sloan chooses to segue into married life as a military spouse.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Thursday, April 7, 2016

The Sixth Chukker, Exclusives Blog Tour: Day Three



The blog tour continues today with two great stops. At MM Good Book Reviews there's a new exclusive excerpt plus a great pre-release review of The Sixth Chukker with two bonus reviews of Fire Horse and Ride-Off.

https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2016/04/07/the-sixth-chukker-by-mickie-b-ashling-blog-tour-excerpt-review-giveaway/#comments

 The Novel Approach. is also hosting the tour today with another exclusive excerpt and more chances to win a giveaway.  Check it out!

http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/excerpt-and-giveaway-the-sixth-chukker-by-mickie-b-ashling/

Friday, April 1, 2016

Friday Countdown-Ride-Off



Happy Friday! It's also the final day to avail of the 25% off sale going on at the Dreamspinner Press Store (no April Fool's joke-I promise).

Today, I'm posting another excerpt from Ride-Off, the second book in the Polo Series. In this scene, Ned Temple, Preston's best friend, is pondering his relationship with Bandi, Konrad's son, who is twenty-four years younger.

NED closed the book he’d been pretending to read and tossed it off to the side with a weary sigh. There was no point in checking the time again. He knew it hadn’t advanced much since the last time he’d glanced obsessively at his Rolex. He usually called Bandi between midnight and one in the morning, UK time, and that was still an hour away. Reluctantly, he reached over to the decanter Thomas had left on the side table and poured another finger of whiskey. He’d vowed to curtail his drinking, which had escalated since his return from America, but found it impossible to take his mind off the current state of his love affair without the numbing effect of Lagavulin, the sixteen-year-old single malt whiskey he’d become quite fond of years ago.
     Not for the first time, he asked himself why he’d consented to this separation. The altruistic reasons he’d enumerated when Preston had insisted on answers made absolutely no sense when faced with an empty spot on the sofa previously occupied by the love of his life.
A self-deprecating laugh got past the tight band around his throat and he went to stand in front of the fireplace to stare into the blistering pile of logs in search of answers. Why had he let him go? Did he honestly think that Bandi would be back when the most important weapon in Ned’s arsenal had been rejected time and again?
     Over the last two years, Ned had discovered that his young lover was nowhere as shallow as the string of forgettable men he’d dallied with in the past. Before this awareness, he’d fallen back on old habits, trying to compensate for the age gap with piles of gifts. Bandi had accepted the cards and flowers, because he thought they were romantic, but he balked the first time Ned had suggested a shopping spree in London.
     “I don’t need any clothes,” the younger man had declared, looking a little affronted when Ned made a comment on sprucing up his wardrobe. “Are you ashamed to be seen with a gypsy?”
     “Don’t be silly, darling. I just thought you’d enjoy having a couple of shirts by Tom Ford. You so admired the green shirt I wore the other day. That was a Ford.”
     “I admired it on you,” Bandi said calmly. “I don’t want or need anything that fancy.”
     “What about another of pair of boots?” Ned had suggested. “There’s a marvelous shop in Knightsbridge I discovered a few years back. They stock handmade boots from Spain and Italy that feel broken in―they’re so comfortable. Wouldn’t you like another pair?”
     “No.”
     Several months later Bandi had refused to accept the Aston Martin Ned had purchased after a particularly memorable session of lovemaking. He’d been horrified at the prospect of tooling around in a vehicle he hadn’t paid for. When Ned explained it meant nothing to him but a shiny toy, Bandi had stalked off in a fit of anger, but not before hurling the keys at Ned’s chest. That incident had led to their first serious fight. He’d given Ned the cold shoulder for days until the Englishman had sworn off gift buying unless there was a legitimate reason like a birthday or Christmas. Bandi had also set spending limits. Ned wasn’t allowed to purchase anything over a certain amount or it would be summarily returned. He was so relieved to be back in Bandi’s good graces he had promised to be more circumspect when it came to gifts.
     Not one of the pretty boys he’d bedded in the last twenty years had ever turned down a present, and he found himself at a loss when confronted with a man who didn’t give a jot for material goods. It was a novelty and made Ned suspicious for weeks. By the time he’d accepted the truth that such a thing existed, an honorable man, he was deeply in love.
     The possibility of losing Bandi had resurrected painful memories of a time long ago when he and Preston were teenagers. He’d been fascinated with his American friend for years, but he could never compete with the phantom lover who was the center of Pres’s universe. Although they’dshared several firsts, Ned had always felt like a detour on his best friend’s road to happiness. It was difficult to grasp the mentality of someone so single-minded, and he’d given up trying after Preston had made it abundantly clear they were better friends than lovers. The pain of that rejection had stayed with him for a long time, and he’d been reluctant to open his heart to anyone else lest it be torn apart with hardly any remorse.
     Through the succeeding years, Ned had fallen in and out of lust several times. And that’s all it was, a physical need like eating or sleeping. He’d learned a lot about himself in the process and began to count on the one thing that set him apart from the competition―money. Ned’s looks were perfectly acceptable, but nothing out of the ordinary. His ginger-brown hair and blue eyes were typically English, and his forty-eight-year-old body was fit and lean, thanks to the well-equipped gym he’d built on the premises. In reality, he was quite forgettable when compared to Preston, still the most attractive man in the polo circuit, despite his age and silver-streaked hair.
     Ned’s big draw was his personality. Being the fourth child of a well-to-do family had led to a pressure-free existence. Familial expectations were minimal, and indulging his penchant for the horsy set was a given. As long as he didn’t get embroiled in any scandals, he was free to pursue his career in polo, which included the usual perks that came with being in the rarefied world of globetrotting, like-minded gentlemen. His reputation as a reliable player had earned him the respect of his peers, and unlike his best friend, the explosive and unpredictable cowboy, Ned was a calming presence in the challenging and oftentimes volatile sport. He was sought after as a friend and companion and his long list of acquaintances included the top echelon of society. He’d never done anything to raise an eyebrow, and even his weakness for pretty boys had been met with amused indulgence; everyone knew they were nothing but a passing fancy.
     Falling in love with Bandi had been unexpected, and the accompanying highs and lows of passion, unfamiliar, and downright disturbing. Controlling a relationship with deep pockets was far easier on the nerves, and much more predictable, but not nearly as satisfying. For the first time in his life, Ned was willing to thumb his nose at society and do the unexpected. Taking his relationship with a man twenty-four years his junior to a more permanent level, and acknowledging Bandi as his life partner, would be leaving himself open to criticism. People would say he was a doddering old fool who’d fallen into a familiar trap, but he didn’t give a damn. He knew their feelings were genuine and the naysayers could go hang themselves.

All the books in the Polo Series are currently on sale at the Dreamspinner Store, including The Sixth Chukker which releases April 8.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7601