The brown-eyed man in the business suit wasn’t my type at all, but he caught my eye across the bar, and I figured a conversation and a bit of playful banter was better than sitting alone like a lump. I had spent the past hour scanning the crowds at Revere’s and growing more impatient with every passing minute.

I was good-looking, damnit. Didn’t smell funny or anything. My confidence — that thing everyone said was sexy — was bolted firmly in place. Well, it had been before coming home to find Louis moaning under that biker with the tattoo of a bull on his backside. It was all I had seen of the guy, but it had been enough.

By the time I settled onto the stool next to the guy at the bar, I knew I wouldn’t get much from him. He repeated the ‘not interested’ refrain as expected before he suddenly jumped up to talk to someone he worked with near the dance floor. My gaze followed his to a spike-haired blond looking all kinds of adorable. We strolled over, but my hopes were dashed once again when I spotted the man hanging all over the object of my interest.

Fluorescent turquoise tank stretched over his trim muscles. Pink gloss colored his thick lips. If that was the type the half-nerd, half-punk darling went for, I had no hope. I glanced down at my outfit. Beige. Navy. I melted back into the crowd with a sigh. Maybe somewhere I could find another man boring and bored enough to take a chance on me.

The post A Side Story From Revere’s appeared first on Leah Meers.

1 — I’m old enough to know that New Years doesn’t actually change anything automatically.

2 — The world is still kinda fucked.

The new year is a time to make plans, revitalize intention, and refocus on positivity, though, so that’s what I’m going to do. I hope everyone out there can do a bit of that for themselves, too. Protect and nurture yourself. Get rid of toxic situations and people as much as you can. Take time for yourself.

What are my plans for the year?

I’m not quite done with “Tales From Revere’s” yet. Paul and Houston still want to expand the bar so even more LGBTQ+ folks can come inside and find their second home there. Max and Emmitt’s wedding is coming up, and I can’t miss that. Some very deserving men haven’t found their forever love yet!

The next book coming out at the end of January is “Mine to Serve,” which sees Giovanni and Viktor getting their happily ever after.

The three remaining books include and “Extra Dry and Dirty,” “With a Twist,” and “Straight Up Proof.” Then, it will be time to leave Revere’s alone and move on to the next project. More details about those will come in the future.

Do you have favorite characters who you think deserve a story? Let me know in the comments.

What’s next?

I have multiple series ideas already bouncing around in my head. I’m never short on ideas.

Options include:

1 — Shifter paranormal romance with lots of steam

2 — Gritty realism, hurt/comfort in a beautiful and unique setting

3 — Spin-off series at the Halcyon Inn (Finn and Carter’s luxury LGBTQ-friendly B&B) a few years down the road

Decisions! Decisions!

Whatever the new year holds, it should be interesting. At least in fiction we can escape the crap going on in the real world for a while.

The post New Year – New Plans (and Some Older Ones) appeared first on Leah Meers.

I agree with this mysterious commenter. All writers, artists, bloggers, everyone must absolutely only use photos, artwork, graphics, video clips, and writing pieces that they have legal permission to use. You cannot simply go onto Google and copy any old picture.

All the images I use on my blog, book covers, and adverts are legally obtained and used. They come from professional stock sites, and I pay for the right to use them. Or, they are offered as part of free deals from those sites or the providers directly. Or they are commissioned and paid for from artists.

Don’t steal other people’s work. Writers would not like anyone taking their stories and using them as their own. We writers (book cover designers, bloggers, editors, whoevers!) should not take others’ work and use it illegally either.

The post Rights for Photos and Art — Writers Must Respect Fellow Artists appeared first on Leah Meers.

This is normal for romance stories. Expected. Intriguing. Positive!

What is NOT normal or positive? Relationship red flags (sometimes HUGE ones) masquerading as affection, care, or the gentle type of jealousy that most people feel at one point for their significant other.

I read a book last night with a lot of problems — serious problems that everyone should recognize and avoid in their real life (and fictional, in my opinion) relationships.

Stalking Is a Crime, Not a Come-on

Waiting with your partner until they get safely on the bus to work is sweet, and bringing them their lunch if they forgot is considerate.

Following them through three stores when they shop and asking the person who lives across the hall details about their life is stalking. It’s creepy. It’s illegal in a lot of places.

Knowing where your partner is every minute of the day is about control more than care.

Abuse is Never, Ever, EVER About Affection

Unfortunately, far too many people view abuse as only a physical issue. No one should get hit in any relationship, romantic or otherwise. (The ONLY time physicality outside “the ordinary” should exist is in a safe, sane, and 100% consensual BDSM relationship with discussions, agreements, contracts, and safewords firmly in place and respected.)

The character in this book never hit the object of their affection, but they abused them non-the-less. Stalking is abuse. Control is abuse. Aggressive jealousy when they saw someone else with their partner, complete with emotional blackmail (I’m sorry. I just get so upset when I think you could leave me. Don’t make me doubt you! Hint: that “make me” is a huge red flag. Adults are autonomous.) is abuse.

Forcing reliance is abuse. The one character had a mental health crisis early in the book, and the love interest (*cough* creepy stalker/abuser) purposefully swept it under the rug and kept it hidden from anyone who could help them. Instead, they decided they could save the other person on their own. Refusing to let a partner get the help they need is abuse. In some cases, with communication and agreement, handling things on your own can work. However, taking away the option… actively working to hide the opportunity for help… is bad.

Non-Consent is Never Sexy

At one point in the book, the two main characters get hot and heavy, the more dominant (controlling) one saying all the “right” things about how much they’re turned on and they just can’t hold back and longer…

…and their partner says, “No, stop!”

In any sane, loving, LEGAL experience, those words would cause an immediate STOP, pull back, hands off, move away, and discuss what’s up situation.

In this book, the response is to grip the hips more tightly and keep going. That’s sexual assault. That’s rape. That’s something that has NO place in a romance story.

(Caveat: Rape fantasies exist and, within the bounds of fantasy or a healthy, mutually-beneficial relationship/arrangement, people are free to explore all they want. In these instances, non-consent is NOT the issue. The people involved consent prior to the experience even if the experience itself role-plays non-consent.)

(Caveat #2: Romance stories are fantasy. Some people enjoy dark/horror romance where these lines of consent, abuse, and other unwanted behaviors blur. There is a big difference between a book that is marketed as these “taboo” genres and one smack dab in the regular romance category.)

Everyone can read what they enjoy. Romanticizing dangerous, illegal, hateful, and abusive behavior outside specific “extreme” genres is bad. Point blank.

No matter your gender, sexuality, age, or personal situation, you never, ever, ever deserve abuse, stalking, control, disrespect, or removal of your personal autonomy. Modelling that behavior in what is supposed to be a happy, lighthearted romance story doesn’t make it right. It makes it even more dangerous because it makes it harder for people to get the wrong ideas about what they should accept or expect from a partner.

The post Red Flags Are NOT Romantic (Stop Romanticizing Stalking, Abuse, Non-Consent, etc.) appeared first on Leah Meers.

Paul (whose last name is NOT Revere) opened the place years ago to give the LGBTQ+ community a safe and fun space to spend their time and meet others for friendship and plenty of fun. He runs the place with his ex-construction-worker husband, Houston, and the help of Whit (Don’t call me Whitaker), a blue-haired, slightly sarcastic, and flirty bartender.

They offer great music, comfortable chairs and booths, the hottest DJ around (at least from Book Two, On the Rocks, onward) cherry-vanilla-scented soap in the restrooms, and a lot of eye-candy.

Revere’s is all things to all people (except annoying bridal shower attendees — just ask Houston), and modeled after an amazing place I visited on a trip to the midwest. All names, locations, scenery, etc. have been changed, but the atmosphere remains.

All the books in the “Tales From Revere’s” series use this LGBTQ+ bar as a backdrop. It’s where the characters meet or go for dates, hang with friends or look for hookups. I hope the regulars become as well-known to you as they are to the others who stop by for a beer, cocktail, or something harder (no pun intended).

The post Welcome to Revere’s — Tales From Revere’s Series appeared first on Leah Meers.

Revere’s is a friendly neighborhood gay bar in a small lakeside town that swells during the summer months with tourists. Paul (whose last name is not Revere) and his husband, Houston, run the place. It has long been a favorite spot to hang out, grab a few drinks, meet new friends, and get all hot and steamy on the dance floor once the sun goes down.

The series revolves around Revere’s and the diverse group of characters there. Each book focuses on a different couple, but characters carry through from one to the next. Therefore, you can read the short novels as standalones and enjoy them, but it’s better if you read them in order.

Book Two — Top Shelf Tastes — is currently available for pre-order with publication set for September 3rd.

The post The Tales From Revere’s Series appeared first on Leah Meers.