Today I am so pleased to welcome Liv Rancourt to Joyfully Jay. Liv has come to talk to us about her latest release, Soulmates. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt and a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Thanks so much for having me back, Jay! I’m excited about Soulmates release and there’s no place I’d rather share the news!

Soulmates started out as a road trip story, inspired in part by Jordan Castillo Price’s Channeling Morpheus series. Where JCPs Wild Bill and Michael novellas are gritty and real (and hot!) Soulmates came out glossier – more Los Angeles nightclub than Midwest highway rest stop.

Though I do believe Soulmates is just as hot!

You may be wondering how a story about a vampire and a werewolf on the run turned into an m/m/m romance, and well, I’m going to let you keep wondering, because if I tell you, it’ll spoil the surprise. (lol!) Trust me, though. David and Trajan (pronounced Tray-ahn) find their third, and when they do, it’s gorgeous.

Another source of inspiration for the story is Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. (If you haven’t read American Gods, you should! It’s really good.) One of the underlying ideas in Gods is that when people travel to a new place, they bring their gods with them. As a result of the way people have moved all over the globe, the spirit world in any given place is a hodgepodge of entities.

I pretty much lifted that as a whole and used it to build the world in Soulmates. Since most of the action takes place in LA, you can imagine all the supernatural beings my characters come across. In addition to werewolves and vampires, there are shifters, elves, a troll, and an Amazon, and that’s just the first couple chapters. (*grins*) With all the nationalities and cultures who make LA home, I have a pretty big playground to work in. I expect as the series goes on, they characters will come across an even wider variety of supernaturals.

So, if you have a favorite supe, keep reading because eventually they’ll turn up.

I set out to write the first in a series of road trip novellas and ended up with a novel-length m/m/m romance. Which pretty much describes how my life as a writer goes. (lol!) The stories just do what they want, regardless of my plans. Now I’m sitting down to write the sequel. Any guesses where this one will end up?

Keep reading, because I’m sure it’ll be fun!

Thanks so much for checking out Soulmates! There’s an excerpt below and a rafflecopter widget for a special release-month giveaway. It’s special because this month there are two prizes, so there’ll be two winners. One winner gets a $20 gift card and the other an m/m hoodie from The Ripped Bodice. Too fun!! Thanks again, and happy reading!

 


Excerpt

I rise before sunset. Our rooms are quiet, empty. Everything’s done in earth tones with pops of purple. I packed light, maybe too light since my button-down and suit coat went through the shredder. My only choice is a black silk crewneck shirt and jeans. Since I’m dressed like a bodyguard, I slick my hair and pump my biceps to reinforce the image.

I’m leaving my room when I hear voices in the hall. David. My dick jumps.

Apparently, I need to get laid, too.

He sashays through the door. Cancan kicks send his flip-flops flying against the wall. His bleached hair is in pigtails and his shoulders are bronzed. David’s outfit might have been purchased from a rack of playsuits made for middle school girls. It’s pink and white with stripes across the chest, stars across his ass, and sparkly ties at the shoulders.

He blows me a kiss, and all I can do is shake my head.

Sheena’s standing in the doorway, shaking her head along with me. Her sandy-blonde hair is pulled into a floppy bun on the top of her head, giving her another couple of inches on me. She’s already a good three inches taller and could likely bench press double my weight.

Amazon.

Amazons only give birth once, and Sheena’s mother had traveled to Greece to conceive, as was their tradition. She’d moved to LA to raise her child, under the possibly erroneous impression that Sheena would have a broader mind.

Instead of a child who spends her time on spiritual growth, she raised a 6’4” lesbian who makes a comfortable living as a bodyguard to the stars, with a side gig at my club as a leather-wrapped dominatrix.

“All right, sunshine. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sheena drawls the words, sliding her aviator sunglasses into place.

“Thanks, Mom,” David trills from his room. He slams the door shut, continuing to holler at us. “I’m ordering room service and taking a shower. Do. Not. Disturb.”

There’s a pause where I wonder if I should laugh or apologize to Sheena. I do neither. “I appreciate the backup.”

Sheena crosses her arms, letting the door frame take more of her weight. “First time I’ve seen you with a man in a while.”

“I’m not with him. It’s a job.”

She gives me an easy, one-shouldered shrug, and I can feel the weight of her gaze through her shades.

“Little asshole reminds me of Connor.”

I must still be exhausted from the fight, because as far as I can tell, David bears a closer resemblance to a Pekinese than he does to my ex. There’s no good answer, so I keep my mouth shut.

“Yeah, I hear you thinking over there.” Sheena chuckles. She’s not as old as I am, but she’s had over 100 years to observe human behavior. “They both have the devil in their eyes.”

Her use of present tense, as if Connor’s still out there somewhere, cuts me to the quick. Fortunately, David pops through the bedroom door, a loose towel riding low on his hips. “Did I tell you I have a date tonight?”

Surprise chases away the sadness, at least for the moment. “What?” No time to squander on the past when I’ve got a flighty werewolf to keep track of.

“Yep. Gotta meet him at eight.” David gives me a once-over. “I’ll tell him you’re from the Mafia branch of the family, okay, Guido?”

He disappears, the door slams, and Sheena starts to laugh. “Oh shit. I think Jacques is going to owe you double when this is all over.”

“Get out of here.” I crack a grin and drop onto the tan, tailored couch. “When Spunky comes out, we’re going to have a little chat about rules.”

“Sure you are.”

“And then maybe I’ll ask him who might have tracked him to a club as soon as he got off the plane.” It’s muggy, and my sockless feet squeak against my leather loafers. “They knew where we’d be, and they knew to pack silver buckshot.”

Sheena gives the barest shake of her head. “Only thing I saw today was him working his way from man to man down the beach.” She swipes her tongue across her lower lip. “That’s it, but I’ll keep an eye out tomorrow.”

I shrug. “He’s a snazzy dresser anyway.”

“Snazzy.” She laughs. “What decade are you in?”

We ask each other that question fairly often, and the door closes behind her before I can say thanks. I slide my phone out of my pocket. The subtle hiss of the shower is overridden by a siren’s screech from the street below us. I can’t check the security of the windows because the sun hasn’t set. Fawn-colored drapes shield me from the light, but I can’t go any closer. There are no messages on my phone. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

This job is starting to give me a very bad feeling.

Very few people know the son of the Alpha is traveling with a vampire. Jacques. The Alpha himself. And who else? I should call Jacques and ask if he’d told anyone. I slide my phone back into my pocket. Jacques keeps his own council, and he doesn’t like questions.

I’ll ask David Collins, though, before we go on his date.

I turn on the television to cover the noise from the bathroom, the clink of a hanger, the soft whisper of fabric, the buzz of a blow dryer. I’m already picturing too much, and in a perverse way, I anticipate what he’ll be wearing. Something memorable, I’m sure.

There’s a soft tap at the door. “Room service.”

I wait a moment before answering, but all I sense is a single person whose heartbeat reads boredom rather than murder. I open the door. “Thanks.”

A young man with residual acne pushes the wheeled cart into our room. I reach for my wallet to give him a tip. The cart is draped with a white linen cloth, and the tray on top has a silver domed lid. Nothing about the waiter sparks any interest, yet when he leaves, I eye the cart doubtfully. There’s a sound or a smell I can’t quite place. David didn’t tell me what he ordered. I inhale slowly. Nothing savory or salty. Nothing grilled. No garlic.

“Is that my—” David comes out of his room at the same time I lift the lid.

The explosion throws us both to the ground.


Blurb

Fusing copper, gold, and moonlight creates the strongest bond

Trajan Gall is ready to meet the sun. The vampire has spent two years mourning a lost love, but he can’t refuse his maker one last assignment. Babysitting some VIP’s kid is hardly worth his effort.

Until he gets an eyeful of David.

Spring break in LA is werewolf David Collins’s last chance to do whatever the hell he wants. Graduation in June will be his first step into the family machine, and with one week to paint the town red, he’s aiming to do it in neon and glitter.

David’s father is the American Alpha, and something – some rumor or instinct or parental discretion – prompts Dad to hire a vampire to keep his heir out of trouble. Good thing. The shooting starts before David reaches his Sunset Beach hotel.

The danger chasing David – not to mention the white hot sparks that fly between them – give Trajan a much-needed jolt of life. When Trajan’s past roars back in a way that won’t be denied, the three of them must find a way to bridge past and present or David won’t have any future at all.


Bio

Liv Rancourt writes romance of all kinds. Because love is love, even with fangs.

Liv is a huge fan of paranormal romance and urban fantasy and loves history just as much, so her stories often feature vampires or magic or they’re set in the past…or all of the above. When Liv isn’t writing she takes care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether she’s at work or at home. Her husband is a soul of patience, her kids are her pride and joy, and her dogs – Trash Panda and The Boy Genius – are endlessly entertaining.

Liv can be found on-line at all hours of the day and night at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter. For sneak peeks and previews and other assorted freebies, go HERE to sign up for her mailing list or join the Facebook page she shares with her writing partner Irene Preston, After Hours with Liv & Irene. See you soon!


Giveaway

Liv has brought $20 gift card (one winner) + Ripped Bodice m/m hoodie (one winner) to give away on her tour. Follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 

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