Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology, Volume 3
Authors: See below
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: October 1 – December 30, 2019 only. This collection will be available for only 90 days before it’s gone forever.
Genre: Contemporary Romance; LBGTQ
Snippet:
From: The Treehouse, by Lucy Lennox
When the half-broken-down truck came rumbling up my drive, I panicked. What if the man I’d hired turned out to be a serial killer? Or a homophobe? Or… or a Pepsi drinker? I shuddered.
I should have asked more questions during our online chat.
After scrambling for my phone, I shot off a quick text to Amy.
Me: If you don’t hear from me in an hour, it’s because I was killed by a psycho Pepsi lover who hates grays.
I didn’t notice the typo until after I hit Send. Whatever.
It only took a few beats for her response.
Amy: Is this like that time you stayed up for thirty-three hours straight trying to find the bug in your code and you started complaining about people who like minimalism?
Me: No. Just… the guy is here for the thing. And maybe he’s going to kill me. But… I do hate people who like minimalism. That part’s the same.
Amy: What thing? And why would he kill you? You know what? Never mind. I have customers.
I let out a shaky breath and shoved the phone back in my pocket, taking a quick moment to mentally rehearse the emergency call shortcut on the keypad.
I peered out of the window like a nosy old lady spying on her neighbors. As soon as the driver’s-side door opened, the man came rocketing out of the truck and into the trees next to my driveway.
“Eep!” I squeaked and lurched backward, almost tumbling over the arm of my sofa. The man wasn’t a man at all; he was a werewolf.
Wait.
I peered back out the window as a big muscular dude stepped out of the truck and reached a hand out for his werewolf friend. Only, the creature turned out to be less were and more wolf. A dog. A man and his dog.
You need to stop reading Stephen King novels late at night.
I squinted my eyes. It was a German shepherd. Not even a wolf. Lame.
But the man… whoa. The man himself was like… what a serial killer might look like if he was super cute and liked to baby talk with his dog. He wore an old flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off and jeans that looked like they’d been lovingly wrapped around the guy’s body for years.
Lucky f*cking jeans.
He leaned over and held the dog gently by the chin, talking to it at length before making that two-fingered “I’m watching you” gesture between himself and the dog.
It was kind of damned adorable, and something about it made me feel a little swoony inside, which then made me feel stupidly guilty. I’d spent the last couple of years imagining another big muscular dude that I felt some odd kind of betrayal for salivating over this one.
I need therapy.
I reached for my phone without taking my eyes off the scene in the driveway.
Me: Nvm. If he’s a killer, I think I might enjoy dying. Tell the kids Daddy loved them.
He was coming closer to the house, and each step was like a cattle prod to my heart. By the time he rang the doorbell, my heart was in my throat.
At this rate, my voice was going to be high-pitched like a little mouse on helium. So I practiced my greeting on the way to the door.
“Oh, hi there,” I said as deep as I could.
My dog lifted his head and sighed before lowering his chin back on a front paw. So much for a guard beast. Peanut was useless.
“Hello. My name is Bryn Hughes. Nice to meet your handsome f*cking face.”
No. That didn’t sound normal either.
“I’m Bryn,” I tried. “But you can call me… yours.” Fortunately, I stopped myself before making air claws and a rawr sound. The doorbell ding-donged again.
I reached for the handle and flung the door open. On the other side stood a man many inches taller than me, more beautiful than any sight I’d ever seen, and jacked with muscles like he’d just walked off a lumberjack competition.
And he was suddenly familiar in a way that completely took away all of my brain function.
“Hngh.”
His dark eyebrows lifted in recognition.
“Nnnngh.”
The edges of his sexy wide lips curled up. I noticed a thin white scar over his top lip, indicating he’d probably been born with a cleft palate. I wanted to nibble on it and trace it with the tip of my tongue. “It’s you.”
I stood frozen. The man who… the man who’d starred in my dreams approximately eight hundred and something nights in a row stood on my front porch.
Did he know he was my boyfriend?
He cleared his throat. “I’m here about the tree house. Is this the right place?”
My tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth, so I nodded like an idiot, finally forcing myself to say something coherent. Peanut rolled his eyes but stood up anyway to pretend he gave a sh*t about protecting the house.
“Are you here for the tree house?” I asked.
Oh god. He’d just… he’d already…
He twisted his tongue around and bit it to keep from laughing. “Mm-hm. Sure am.”
I buried my face in my hands and groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m… I’m…”
“This is a little awkward, I know. Why don’t we start with names?” he suggested softly. “I’m Harvey Hamilton.”
The name hit me like a donkey kick to the solar plexus.
“No, you’re not,” I insisted.
His brows furrowed. “Pretty sure I am.”
“F*ck me,” I muttered.
I’d just gotten a boner for a deadbeat loser. Typical.
His forehead crinkled. “Well, that wasn’t what the ad was for, but I guess… I mean, for an additional fee, of course…”
I stared at him.
“I’m kidding,” he said.
“Oh,” I said with a big exhale and smile. “Ha. Of course you are. Ha.”
“The sex would be on the house. No charge necessary,” he added with a wink.
About the Book:
Once upon a time, a group of authors wondered… What if the Heart2Heart app — the dating app with a glitch that matched up the oddest, most perfect couples, and sponsored the charity date raffles that helped dozens of people find love — offered a classifieds section, too?
Need a handyman who knows how to wear a tool belt? Have a closet of drag costumes that needs a new home? How about finally tracking down that guy who made the perfect drink, or who’s just the right height to reach the top shelf?
Join some of your favorite authors of gay romance as they bring you sixteen brand-new stories inspired by reader suggestions!
Once again, all proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its forms will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!
Purchase links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XP6D2M5
Charity information:
With this third volume we are proud to be donating a portion of our proceeds to each of the following charities:
🏳️🌈 LGBT Youth Line: a Queer, Trans, Two-Spirit* youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario. We do this by:
-Providing anonymous peer support and referrals;
-Training youth to provide support to other youth; and
-Providing resources so youth can make informed decisions.
🏳️🌈 Kind Space: committed to providing accessible resources, events, social, and educational programming to celebrate and support people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.
🏳️🌈 The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity: aspiring to support and transform Canadian and indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast in a shared vision of a discrimination-free gender and sexually diverse world.
More info: The first 2 volumes of Heart2Heart made a combined total of more than $50k USD. The net proceeds were donated to six incredible charities, including One-n-Ten, Ali Forney Center, Trevor Project, Rainbow Railroad, Trans LifeLine, and the Bisexual Resource Center. These volumes are no longer available, but thankfully the passion for the project hasn’t faded. Every step of the process has been donated:
- Cover design, logo, and promotional graphics by AngstyG
- Beta reading, editing, proofreading by the team at LesCourt Author Services, as well as Allison Roy
- Promotional posting by LesCourt Author Services and A Novel Take PR
- And of course, the authors’ time and efforts
About the Authors:
Annabeth Albert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100003042667147 | IG: instagram.com/annabeth_albert
May Archer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100011482840814 | IG: instagram.com/mayarcherauthor
Mary Calmes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100000204760628 | IG: instagram.com/marysninja
Charlie Cochet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100003164052695 | IG: instagram.com/charliecochet
Eden Finley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100010700178264 | IG: instagram.com/finley.eden
Susan Hawke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100013117063921 | IG: instagram.com/authorsusanhawke
Sloane Kennedy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100009132831061 | IG: instagram.com/sloanekennedyauthor
Lucy Lennox
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100014231406514 | IG: instagram.com/LucyLennoxMM
Lily Morton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100008647656545 | IG: instagram.com/lilymortonauthor
K.M. Neuhold
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100000729553908 | IG: instagram.com/kmneuhold
Nora Phoenix
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100021169758909 | IG: instagram.com/nora.phoenix
Layla Reyne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100009180017215 | IG: instagram.com/laylareyne
Piper Scott (writing as Emma Alcott)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100015071117600 | IG: instagram.com/piperscott.mm
Damon Suede
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100003098081193
Hailey Turner
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100014824811406 | IG: instagram.com/haileyturnerwrites
Aimee Nicole Walker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100007690451642 | IG: instagram.com/aimeenicolewalker