I don’t do a lot of book recommendations on this blog. I usually just share what I’m reading with you all and leave it at that. A rare once in a while, I find something I love enough to pimp to my readers.

Jay Quinn’s novel, Back Where He Started, is one of those books I would recommend to anyone. It’s sweet and poignant, and funny. I laughed and even shed a few tears while I was reading it. If you’re a fan of romance, this is a book you have to read. I can’t say enough wonderful things about it.

They say true freedom arrives when all the kids are gone and the dog dies. With his family grown and his husband Zack having decided to become a middle-aged clich and marry his secretary, Chris Thayer is about to discover that starting life over at 48 is just as complicated, frustrating and thrilling as the first time around. After relocating to the North Carolina beach community of Emerald Isle, Chris finds a new appreciation of his role as the heart of the home to his grown children and becomes involved in the patchwork lives of his neighbors. To his unending surprise, he also finds himself the object of a new man’s affections, a rowdy jack-of-all-trades with an unnervingly direct stare. In the same quiet, understated manner that he demonstrated in his critically acclaimed first novel, Metes and Bounds, Jay Quinn gives the traditional Southern novel a decidedly untraditional twist.

Although I would love to take credit for the thoughtful article written on MSN.com, I cannot. I didn’t write it. I’m not sure who did, other than someone who shares my name, but Amanda Young is a very common name. I wish I could let you all know where to send your thanks for the article, but at this time, I don’t know where that might be. If I ever find out, I’ll let you all know.  

I’ll be at Author Island today, chatting about a little bit of everything and sharing a few sneak peeks of my upcoming release, Secrets and Lies. If you have a minute, pop by and say hi!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AuthorIslandChat   

Now available in print…

Guilty pleasures… we all have them. And four of Samhains top m/m erotica writers are serving them up. Taboo Desires by Amanda Young has a man facing a choice, give in to his desire for a man, or go back to his safe, straight life. In Custom Ride by K.A. Mitchell, a summer storm brings more than one man out of the closet. Ally Blues Catching a Buzz gives a whole new meaning to personal electronics. And two werewolves mark each other as mates with the help of Jade Buchanans Nut Cream. So go ahead. Get it while its hot!

Order your copy today!

Join Michelle Cary, Anne Douglas, and I for a fun little chat at Romance Junkies tonight at 9pm est. We’ll be discussing our newest series and talking about all kinds of other things as well.

 I hope to see you there.

http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html

So, I just finished polishing up another novella, Precious Ache. It rounds out at about 26k, and is a M/M contemporary story. This story hasn’t been submitted anywhere yet, but I’m working my way there.

The moment between completion of a manuscript and beginning the next is usually an odd place for me. I always worry I don’t have another story in me. It’s not that ideas aren’t abundant, I usually have plenty of those, but fleshing a story out into something worthy of publishing is another matter all together. Fortunately, I have a work in progress already started and waiting on me (a couple of them actually). So, it’s back to working on the sequel to Secrets & Lies, The Hard Truth. I hope to have this one done and submitted soon.

Here’s a little peek of the very rough blurb for Precious Ache:   

Dave thought falling in love with an unattainable man was his biggest mistake. Not being able to resist the lure of his best friend’s tempting lips was much, much worse.

Abandoned as a child, and thrown into the foster care system, Dave Blanchard learned to be self-reliant at an early age. Puberty brought a distressing attraction to other boys, and an abnormal growth spurt that drove Dave further into his shell. Adulthood granted him the freedom to stand on his own two feet, but cloistered him in a plastic bubble of his own making. At seven and a half feet tall, Dave has no problem finding men for anonymous sex through online chat rooms, and sleazy backroom romps, but the experiences leave him feeling cold and unsatisfied. Although he dreams of love and commitment, finding someone interested in a relationship seems like a pipe dream.

Desperate for companionship, Dave signs up for an online matchmaking service and lands his first real date. To his utter embarrassment, his date never shows, but his luck improves when he runs into a former foster brother, Micah Black. Dave and Micah quickly rebuild their friendship, but with it comes the resurrection of the forbidden crush Dave harbored for Micah when they were teens. Micah is off limits to Dave, but that doesn’t stop Dave’s imagination from spinning torrid scenarios involving his very straight laced friend.

When Micah’s life is threatened, Dave’s inhibitions melt away. Unfortunately, the price of one chaste kiss could mean the end of the friendship Dave wanted so badly.

4 Stars!
“Amanda Young is a truly diverse author. Her stories never disappoint, and the way she writes is flawless. The characters in this story are engaging and dynamic. It doesn’t take over writing to make this a fabulous story from a brilliant author. GWM Wanted is a must read for anyone who loves a little conflict and drama in their erotic romances.”
~Reviewed by Kimberley Spinney
http://sensual.ecataromance.com/index.php?p=730  

4 Lyres!
“I definitely recommend Husbands and Wives: GWM Wanted to anyone in a relationship and to new readers and fans alike of this author.”
~Reviewed by Jessewave
http://rorreviews.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/husbands-and-wives-gwm-wanted-by-amanda-young  

I am so, so excited to share the artwork for my June release, Secrets & Lies, with you all. Croco Designs did the cover, and I absolutely love it. I couldn’t have asked for a hotter image to represent my work!