Shifting Ties (Crimson Bonds Book 2) Dark MM and MMM+ Romance by Abrianna Denae and Leigh Kenzie Book Tour with Authors' Interview
🗡️ Shifting Ties is Now Live 🗡️
→ By Abrianna Denae and Leigh Kenzie
→ Crimson Bonds Book Two
Cover by Cormar Covers
Graphic by River Designs
Captives.
Kidnapped Mafia Bosses Allesandro Martelli and Cristian Amato are listless. Days spent in chains, while taunted about the discord in their territories, leaves the Bosses with an ever growing sense of doom regarding their Families.
Lovers.
What should have been a fun way to relieve stress turns into real feelings, leaving unexpected pairings reeling from the depth of their connections. The shifting dynamics force the Amatos and Martellis involved to reevaluate where they belong, as the newly formed relationships cause strife and uncertainty in a dangerous time.
Adversaries.
As their enemy gets bolder, both Families must set their hurt feelings and bruised hearts aside, or run the risk of becoming a casualty to the war waged against them... If only matters of the heart were as easy to wade through as the bodies they leave in their wake.
Shifting Ties is book 2 in the Crimson Bonds series and contains a continuous storyline. All books in this series must be read in order. This is a dark MM and MMM+ story with various pairings and relationships. Please see inside for the full list of TWs.
This is an Amato Family (All's Fair Series by Abrianna Denae) and Martelli Family (Vendetta series by Leigh Kenzie) crossover. This is not a standalone story. At least one of the series, Vendetta or All's Fair, needs to be read first to truly understand the dynamics of this story.
~~~
EXCERPT
Tennant’s POV
I’m led into a small, windowless room that contains nothing but a metal table and chairs. I roll my eyes at the cliché of it all. It’s like they purposefully are giving me the worst options imaginable because they want me to snap. I might be losing it, but I have more control than that.
The two people in the room are the last ones I want to see, but they’re better than the hostility that I’ve been experiencing for the last fourteen or so hours.
Kian Sinclair is as tall, dark, and handsome as he was when Cristian first put him on the payroll years ago. His dark eyes are reminiscent of Cristian’s, and for a moment, a weird pang of some type of emotion I’ve never examined before rushes through me as I look into them. Wanting to avoid whatever that is, I look away from the lawyer to the current therapist I’ve been terrorizing.
The most-recent person they’ve saddled me with is so close to breaking, I can taste it, but with this new development, I might have to start again. Another reason certain people need to die.
“Aren’t my sessions supposed to be private?” I drawl, taking a seat across from them both.
Sinclair gives me a barely-there smile. “I’m here to read the charges against you before Ms. Rhodes takes over and makes sure you understand them.”
“Sounds like a party, let’s get this over with.”
The blonde haired brown eyed therapist stares at me intently, and I pretend to listen as Sinclair reads over the charges against me. It’s a disappointingly short list as I didn’t fight them at any point. Really, the weapons trafficking, while serious, isn’t something I’m terribly worried about.
No, I eye the therapist who isn’t hiding how fascinating she finds me. I’m not worried about the actual charge they have on me, but the fact they’re going to try to use my past against me.
Fucking Sergio Amato. Thirty-plus years later and his bullshit is still making my life difficult. Cristian should have let me torture him when I asked. His kill or not, I think it would have been fair.
“Are you paying attention, Tennant?” Sinclair asks sharply.
“Yes, and I understand the seriousness of the situation. My question is: what are you going to do about it?”
When I meet his gaze, I see nothing but dark intent that would probably scare someone who didn’t grow up with Cristian. He shifts slightly in his chair, moving his body weight toward the therapist next to him, and I bite back a sigh.
That he doesn’t trust her enough to even give a hint of whatever plan he and the Family are cooking up to get me out of here is…concerning. And means I was right about starting over with the whole “break the therapist until she quits” thing.
“I will be back later to discuss our options,” Sinclair says, standing and buttoning his suit jacket. “Please let me know if you need anything that might help our case, Ms. Rhodes.”
“Certainly.” She smiles sickly sweet up at him. “I do appreciate you and all your support. Tennant needs people in his corner.”
“Still in the room,” I tell them mildly.
The therapist turns to me with an apologetic smile, while Sinclair rolls his eyes behind her back.
“I’ll bring you food, and maybe a blanket, if you’re lucky,” Sinclair says on his way out the door.
I’d take offense to his tone if I wasn’t used to it by now, and he wasn’t so good at his job. Sometimes, he fits in a little too well with the rest of us. Cristian hired him for a reason, after all.
When the lawyer is gone, the therapist turns her full attention on me…joy.
~~~
Crimson Bond Series: https://mybook.to/CrimsonBonds
All's Fair Series by Abrianna Denae: https://mybook.to/AFSeries
Vendetta Series by Leigh Kenzie: https://mybook.to/TheVendettaSeries
~~~
Our Thoughts:
"They say there's no greater honor than to sacrifice your life for something you believe in"
I thought the guys were in over their heads in book one, but their worlds have quite literally imploded with the Shifting Ties
Despite the chaos surrounding them, both families were building trust between them. Forming bonds, both personal and professional, that would strengthen them against their unseen enemies
Until one act of sacrifice? An act of love? Cracked the tentative truce
Now there are fractures from within, and secrets that should never have breached their walls are out in the open
Can they shore up their foundation before the tides sweep them away?
Or will the enemy gain the upper hand?
"Because who else, aside from four vastly distinctive men, would willingly love a monster?"
OMG!
My heart broke for Lio and Benjamin. However, I was thankful for Hollis. Not only for his ability to step in and take control, to redirect our boys, but for his patience with Roman, who is just barely hanging on
This is not a standalone. You need to read the previous book to understand the complicated relationships between the cast. And they are complicated.
None of our men fall within the spectrum of society's norms
But that does not make any of them less than
This is a dark mafia poly MM romance that comes packed with triggers
So if 🩸Crimson Splatter. Torture. Vengeance. 🗡️ Knife play. Breathe Play. 🌪️Chaos. 💀The Grim Reaper. And the likes are not your cuppa
I suggest you skip this series
For the rest of you - I'll see you on the other side
Some of my favorite moments :)
"Burn them to the ground." "I want their entire world to implode like mine just did."
💣 You messed up going against the family 🔥
"There is no cure for something like that. There's survival and there's moving forward"
😭
"The Baby Mouse is mine, forever"
" They're not taking me from you. Ever"
❤️🩹
~~~
Author Interview:
Thank you so much for inviting us back for another interview! These are so much fun for us.
1- Did you find anything changed between writing book 1 and book 2?
Leigh: I would say that as we became more comfortable with each other’s characters and just the process of co-writing together in general, it became easier in some ways. It certainly sped up since the characters are so loud. I wouldn’t say it’s ever easy because our characters throw us curve balls regularly and nothing was on our bingo card. At all.
Abri: We became more familiar with each other: our writing habits, our writing styles, and our characters. It helped speed book 2 along, good thing, too, as our characters are LOUD. So loud, and pushy.
2- A lot has been said about the writing process, but what about the process of actually publishing? What is that like?
Leigh: Chaos. At least that’s what it feels like most of the time. There is so much that goes into it. Titles. I hate them. They are not fun to come up with. However, I will say I’m very proud of the titles we chose. They should probably terrify everyone though!
As we write we have an alpha reader who gives us feedback. I like to call her our magic plot fixer. She reads it chapter by chapter. After the first rough draft, I normally go through and do a read through to get it to what I call the “beta level”. And then it goes off to the betas who catch things that are off and give us feedback. We wait on pins and needles while they’re doing that. And sometimes we beg because patience…isn’t always our strong suit.
From there it goes onto our amazing editor, Emma. All. The. Commas. At least on my end. Anything from continuity issues to the smallest detail, we can trust Emma to find it, highlight it, and tell us what we need to fix.
After editing, and adding all the fun things like dedication and acknowledgments, Abri goes through and does a final proof for us. They are super talented in that area. It also helps that they can listen to text-to-speech. I have a hearing issue that prevents me from using that feature.
That’s the nitty-gritty of the actual writing part. But aside from that, we have the cover. Trying to choose the characters for each cover can be interesting since we have such a diverse cast, but we really try to choose the best fitting characters for the books. Cormar Covers creates magic.
We also work with the most wonderful vendors. River Designs creates all of our teasers and graphics. Highly recommend her work. For the blog tour and ARC reviews, we use Love Matters Promotions. They really go the extra mile on helping promote. For advertising, we love LGBTQ+ Romance News and Deals. Not only are they passionate about helping out the community, but so easy to work with.
And we cannot thank you bloggers and ARC readers enough. We wouldn’t know what to do without each of you.
Once it’s released, we’re in promo central, usually trying to keep each other calm as we see how people react to it. Please know we are so incredibly grateful for each reader. You let us chase our dreams and passion of writing.
So overall, it’s very rewarding, but chaos. Oh! And I almost forgot the blurbs. That falls under Abri’s domain as the blurb wizard.
Abri: What Leigh said. Chaos. Pure and utter chaos. It does help there’s two of us and we can split the duties. It wasn’t a conscious thing, but we both have our strengths and were able to play to them. I don’t know where I’d be without Leigh and her calendar and willingness to coordinate with both the graphic designer and tour company. Whereas I, somehow, got stuck writing the blurbs for this series. *side-eyes Leigh*
Leigh: *whistles innocently*
3- How do you feel about the reaction the series is receiving?
Leigh: So many happy tears over the response to book one. I really have no words. I’m speechless. And so very thankful.
Abri: Thankful and grateful. We truly wouldn’t be able to do it without our readers, and to know they are not only reading but *enjoying* the series? Tears. All the tears.
4- You both have solo books and now this co-written series. Is there a difference?
Leigh: Definitely. The Vendetta Series was my debut series. As such, my writing did become stronger throughout the series. However, I can say with all certainty that cowriting with Abri has really made me a better author. It’s a challenge to keep up at times, in a good way.
I do blame them for making me write so many feels! I still say I’m allergic to writing feels…
Abri: Absolutely. I’ve been writing for forever and publishing since 2017 (publishing queer romance since 2018). This is also my second time with co-writing and…I can tell the difference. It’s nice to have a plan, to have someone to bounce ideas off of…someone to blame when things go awry.
Leigh makes me a better writer. I want to be the best I can for her and our characters. It’s invigorating. It challenges me, breathes life into me, and gives me a sense of hope I sometimes don’t have with my solo books.
5- Should the readers have any expectations around this series?
Leigh: Uh, well…please know that y’all will probably hate us at times. I certainly did. Our poor characters did not have an easy time. I will say that while we haven’t completely finished the series yet (right now we’re on book 10), it will have a satisfying ending. It just has quite a few twists and turns, a strong dash of heartbreak and pain, to get there.
Abri: Prepare for fuckery and expect the unexpected. There will be times you love us, times you hate us, and times you have no idea how we got there. Trust us, neither do we. But trust in that we will never do what isn’t right for our characters, and that even we are thrown most of (all of) the time by what happens. It’s fine. We’re working toward the ultimate goal of everyone being where they always belonged.
6- Let’s do a fun question. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, is there something you prefer to write to?
Leigh: I still prefer Christmas music. However, Abri sometimes tortures me with sending me music links that completely fit the scene or break me. It’s fun. I’ve tried banning them from YouTube, but it doesn’t work. We do have a playlist for each book and I highly recommend it.
Aside from Christmas music, if I’m writing a very devastating chapter, I’m writing to sad country music. Like the most gut-wrenching, painful songs possible.
Abri: Music always. Or I’ve been watching Chopped the last few months and so sometimes that plays in the background. But mostly it’s music. I have eccentric tastes so I’ll listen to anything. Leigh keeps trying to ban me from YouTube. It doesn’t work. When I hear a song that just *fits* our characters and the books, it goes on a playlist (which you should totally check out for each book).
7- Another random question: Are you a cat person or a dog person? Do you have any pets?
Leigh: I’m actually allergic to cats, unfortunately. I do love them though! I have two dogs. Both are rescue dogs. One is now a senior and the other is still somewhat in the puppy stage. Mayhem there. So much mayhem. She loves to chew all the things and is incredibly hyper. She was, sadly, abused by her first owner so it was hard establishing trust at first, but now she’s my shadow. It’s still a work in progress though as she’s incredibly shy, although she does love doggie day care when I take her occasionally. She’s a high energy dog and the socialization is good for her.
Abri: *cringes* Uhh don’t come for me but I don’t do animals. I think they’re cute and all, but I don’t do them. I do, however, enjoy hearing what Leigh’s crazy pup has gotten into next.
8- Do you have a favorite genre you prefer to read?
Leigh: Not really. I love everything. I’ll read both M/F and M/M. I’m equally happy to read a hockey romance as I am to read dark. Well written kink is probably the closest I come to having a favorite.
Abri: M/M is definitely my favorite but I will read pretty much anything. I love angst, dark, and kink. I want to feel, so give me the heavy emotions and make me cry.
9- Going back to writing, how do you choose names of characters?
Leigh: Uh, I’m not sure if I should admit this, but I actually use a random name generator sometimes to create a list. Occasionally the name will just pop in my head, but overall I need ideas first. For this series, it’s a collaborative effort, often with our alpha giving us suggestions.
Abri: Baby naming sites. Sometimes, for my solo work, a character will come to me fully formed, name and all. Others, I scour the baby naming websites until I find one that “speaks” to me. With the co-write, it’s been a collaborative effort between Leigh, our alpha, and me. If I’m the one choosing I usually give Leigh a list of 4-5 and make her choose one. Sometimes we force our alpha to name them.
10- If you could say something directly to your readers, what would it be?
Leigh: We’re sorry. Please know that this is a very emotionally tough series. There are times it’s going to hurt. But it will be worth it. Hopefully. *laughs nervously*
Abri: We’re sorry. We uhh…nothing was on our bingo card either. Please trust us, the journey will be worth it.
~~~
Author Links:
Abrianna Denae: http://linktr.ee/AbriDenae
Leigh Kenzie: http://linktr.ee/AuthorLeighKenzie
#shiftingties #crimsonbonds #darkromance #mmromance #darkmafia #psychopaths #kink #polyamory #triggers #kindlunlimited #AbriannaDenae #LeighKenzie
Comments
Post a Comment