Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Shot in the Dark by Riley Long
If you win the bet, we’ll let you disappear. If you lose, you’ll be trapped on stage forever.
Charlie I’m definitely straight, but when rock god Eli Steele offers me the opportunity of a lifetime in exchange for being his fake husband for a year, I can’t say no. That’s how I find myself sharing a bed – and more than a few kisses – with the lead singer of Blood Money. All I have to do is stay focused on my work and pretend to be in love with him. Easy, right?
Eli I took a stupid fucking bet and now I have to convince Charlie to fall for me without using mind control. He’s straight, but the bigger problem is that he’s human and I’m not. Once he finds out I’m really a vampire, will he be able to look past my fangs and see what’s in my heart?
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Goodreads
Excerpt:
Eli Charlie cleared his throat. “Speaking of sunshine, it’s getting pretty late. Or early. We should probably get back. Don’t you think Sam and the others will be looking for us soon?”
I shrugged. “Probably not. But you’re right. It’s almost time to turn in for the night.” A moment passed. “But I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to kiss my husband on such a lovely evening under the beautiful moon.” I leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.
When I pulled away, Drew huffed. “Is that all?” A tight laugh escaped me. “Just getting warmed up.”
I leaned into Charlie again, and he tilted his head up, welcoming me. I touched our lips together, and after a second’s hesitation, I slid my tongue to meet his. He opened to me, our tongues easing together, tentatively at first. My stomach clenched and roiled as I deepened the kiss, pulling Charlie close to me. I tightened a fist in the back of his shirt and let my free hand slip along his jaw, brushing the slight stubble with the pad of my thumb. Charlie’s breath tightened as we kissed, and his hands gripped my hips firmly. We moved together with a few false starts, but as we kissed, something blossomed in my chest. I held him closer still, until our hips brushed one another and I became instantly aware of his erection, standing at attention between our bodies. My own cock ached and strained towards Charlie. I could hear his heartbeat as it sped up, thudding so loudly that I nearly lost control.
Drew cleared his throat. “Yes, well, that’s really enough of that.” Our movement slowed, and I drew away reluctantly. We stared at each other, gazes locked for a moment, and I swiped at his lower lip with my thumb before taking his hand and turning to Drew. “I believe I’ve said this before, but you can seriously fuck off.”
My Review
“Shot in the Dark” is a novella by Riley Long. I first read “Lost in the Florist” by Long and was enamored with it. “Shot in the Dark” is a much shorter and abbreviated work though so I found it a little more difficult to stay connected to the characters.
Eli Steele is the leader of the band, Blood Money. He’s over the long nights, the fans… the whole lifestyle. All of that is complicated by the fact that Eli and all the band members are vampires. It’s the perfect life for a vampire, adoring public, late nights, tour busses. Eli is desperate to change things up … so desperate that he makes a bet with his bandmates. He must get the next person who walks through the door to fall in love with him and marry him.
Charlie is the person who walks through the door. Charlie is a fan of the band and a budding documentarian. He was looking for the members of Blood Money to see if he could convince them to let him film documentary footage. When Charlie meets Eli, he finds himself attracted to a man for the first time in his life.
I did appreciate that Charlie didn’t have a huge self-identity crisis over being attracted to a man. He puzzled about it at first and then just moved on. If only there were more people like that in the world! (and wouldn’t it be better for all of our mental health if we were able to react like that!)
One of the most interesting things about Eli is that he is mourning the loss of a human lover. Long reveals over the course of the novella that it is dangerous being the lovers of a vampire. The plot eludes to there being a lot of aggression between the clans of vampires. For each action there is a swift and violent reaction… often involving the death of a vampire. Sadly, this idea isn’t expanded upon due to the length of the novella. I would have loved to have read more about the dissension between the clans and why that even happened.
Because of the brevity of this novella, the relationship between Charlie and Eli progresses quickly. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I feel as though it would have been so much more enjoyable if this was a novel. Long has a great writing style but there’s only so much that a writer can do with only a little over 100 pages. I found that Drew – the vampire who created Eli – was potentially one of the most interesting characters in the book. I felt an immediate curiosity about him! If you’re in the mood for a short vampire love story, then this one will hit the spot!
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate Riley’s release, we are giving readers 1 of 2 chances too win an e-copies of Shot in the Dark & the book of your choice from Riley’s published works!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a5779/?
About the Author:
Riley Long is a wife and mother living a quiet life in Virginia, with her husband, son, and one goofy pit bull. She passes her evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television (or not so bad television). For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo, GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs. She likes things with silly acronyms. The craziest thing Riley has ever done involves whipped cream and hugs. Riley writes sweet and sexy romance, with a special place in her heart for hipsters and musicians.
Connect with Riley: Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-long Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13515411.Riley_Long Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01578N1BO Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerrileylong Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/writerrileylong/boards/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerrileylong/ Website: https://rileylongwrites.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterRileyLong/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/RileysReaders https://www.facebook.com/rileylongwrites
Kinzie Things 