Check out Grace Duncan’s latest. I saw the Steelers in the excerpt and smiled.
Blurb
Nine years ago Eric Joyce went wolf when his chosen mate broke the bond, and he hasn’t walked on two legs since. Convinced he lost his friends when he ran out on them, he cut himself off from the pack. But a surprising visitor prods him back down the mountain, and he finds himself welcomed warmly.
Ben Arellano grew up in Texas with a human Catholic mother who didn’t understand a thing about wolves—and didn’t try to learn. He spent his whole life being told his wolf was a demon that needed to be exorcised, surrounded by a wolf pack made up of good ole boys who had no tolerance for his Mexican ancestry or his bisexuality. When he’s given the opportunity to relocate to an accepting pack in Pittsburgh, he jumps at the chance.
When Eric and Ben meet for the first time, neither is ready for it. Where Ben expects rejection, Eric is convinced yet another mate will leave, break the bond, and put him through the same hell all over again. Can they get past their reservations and have a happily mated life?
Excerpt He wished he’d listened more to Alpha Noah. That summer he’d mentioned a couple of times that if Eric had anything he wanted to talk about—and even then Eric had known Alpha Noah was referring to Kim—he could talk. Eric hadn’t taken him up on it. Instead, he’d kept it to himself and continued to fight with Kim.
But when the beginning of September came and went and Eric refused to go to college, she had apparently realized she wasn’t going to get what she wanted. He’d hinted that they start trying for pups. She’d completely lost it on him, packed a suitcase, and walked out.
He’d told himself she just needed a break, needed time to understand he was happy. And he was—if not about them fighting, then about everything else.
So, he’d waited. September bled into October, which blew coldly into November. And still she hadn’t come back. Hadn’t so much as called him in all that time. He had no idea where she’d gone, just that she wasn’t in Pittsburgh anymore—Alpha Noah had told him he knew that for sure, but not where she’d gone.
He’d lost himself in his work and focused on spending time with his friends. But one Monday night, during football, his life changed forever.
The Steelers were close, on the ten-yard line, looking good for a touchdown. Halfway through the play, a pain hit that was so sharp, it stole Eric’s breath and forced him to lose control of his wolf, something he hadn’t done since he was a pup. He’d shifted on the spot, howling. It’d taken the alpha, using his alpha power, to get him to shift back.
His chest physically hurt. He’d known, in that second, what had happened. He couldn’t breathe, the pain was so sharp. He managed to get back to human form and stared at his best friend, trying to figure out how to handle this, but his wolf was too much in the forefront, too close to the surface because of the pain. He’d managed to tell Tanner he was sorry, then shifted again and bolted.
Eric had torn through the screen door of Alpha Noah’s house and run as fast as he could. Away from the pain, away from the heartache. Away from the understanding of what had just happened.
Kim had cheated on him. Cheated on him and allowed another wolf to claim her. She hadn’t just left him to figure things out.
She was gone.
With another howl, he’d run. Run as far and as fast as he could. And he hadn’t looked back for a very, very long time.
Eric whined, trying yet again to forget. There was no way he could go through that again, no way he could open himself up to the possibility. Diana, why?
He smelled his alpha only a few moments later. But Eric wasn’t ready to face being human again. Life as a wolf was so much easier. He didn’t have these things to deal with. He could focus on a few basic things—fighting, feeding, running. He didn’t need to think about emotion, didn’t need to worry about something he should have had but didn’t.
“Come on, Eric. You can’t do this again,” Tanner said.
Eric tried to ignore him. He’d recognized Tanner as his alpha, so if Tanner wanted to push the issue, he could. Eric really hoped he wouldn’t.
“Dude, really. Come on. I know it was hard on you. I saw it happen, remember? I didn’t feel it, but I know. You can’t do this again, though. You can’t do it to your mate.”
The whine got louder, and Eric shook his head. I don’t have a mate! I can’t!
“Eric, shift, man. Let’s talk about this at least.”
Eric sighed but shook his head again.
“Uh-uh. I’m not letting you do this a second time. Are you going to make me go alpha on you?”
He couldn’t answer, because he really didn’t want to piss his friend—or alpha—off.
“Godsdammit,” Tanner grumbled. “Eric, shift.”
The alpha power went through him, and a few seconds later, Eric squatted opposite Tanner, looking at him in full color. “Did you have to do that?”
“Were you going to shift?” Tanner countered.
Eric kept his mouth shut.
“That’s what I thought.” Tanner shook his head. “I’m not letting you do this again. Especially not now.”
“I can’t, Tanner. I can’t go through the pain again.”
To Eric’s surprise, Tanner nodded. “I get that.” He sat back, leaning on one hand and tilting his head. “Have a seat. I didn’t get a chance to tell you much about what happened with Finley and me, did I?”
Eric scowled. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Sit and I’ll tell you.”
“I’m not a dog,” Eric grumbled, earning himself a snort from Tanner. But he sat, getting more comfortable.
“I didn’t claim Finley for two years after we met. To a large degree, that was because of you.”
Eric blinked at him, mouth dropping open. “Me? Because of me?”
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Buy links
e-book: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/forgiveness-by-grace-r-duncan-9470-b
Paperback: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/forgiveness-by-grace-r-duncan-9471-b
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgiveness-grace-r-duncan/1128137537?ean=9781640802698
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/forgiveness-82
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/forgiveness/id1347765261?mt=11
HTML Bio:
Author Bio:
Grace Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age – many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children – both the human and furry kind.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.
Website ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊ Youtube ◊ Goodreads
Website: http://www.grace-duncan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceRDuncan2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraceRDuncan
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/djserani/videos
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10546257-grace
Jana Denardo 