Book Tour: Abroad by Liz Jacobs

Abroad (Abroad duology, #1)
by Liz Jabobs
Published by Brain Mill Press
Released June 27, 2017
New Adult, LGBT

Nick Melnikov doesn’t know where he belongs. He was just a kid when his Russian-Jewish family immigrated to Michigan. Now he’s in London for university, overwhelmed by unexpected memories. Socially anxious, intensely private, and closeted, Nick doesn’t expect to fall in so quickly with a tight-knit group of students from his college, and it’s both exhilarating and scary. Hanging out with them is a roller coaster of serious awkward and incredible longing, especially when the most intimidating of the group, Dex, looks his way.

Dex Cartwell knows exactly who he is: a black queer guy who doesn’t give a toss what anybody thinks of him. He is absolutely, one-hundred-percent, totally in control of his life. Apart, maybe, from the stress of his family’s abrupt move to an affluent, largely white town. And worrying about his younger brother feeling increasingly isolated as a result. And the persistent broken heart he’s been nursing for a while . . .

When Nick and Dex meet, both find themselves intrigued. Countless late-night conversations only sharpen their attraction. But the last thing Nick wants is to face his deepest secret, and the last thing Dex needs is another heartache. Dex has had to fight too hard for his right to be where he is. Nick isn’t even sure where he’s from. So how can either of them tell where this is going?

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Excerpt

Nick didn't feel better in the morning. At three am, his anxiety had been a shapeless thing, with weight and texture but part of dreams, too. A sort of terrifying unreality he had to breathe through.

       At eight am, as his alarm shrieked at him to wake the fuck up, the shapeless, textured thing coalesced into something more terrifying than the nightly ghosts. If, at ten years old, he'd been aware that being unable to answer the kids on the bus who asked him why his teeth looked the way they did would someday end, at twenty, he knew better.

       He wanted men. He hadn't really wanted Lena, in all the years they'd been together. He hadn't really wanted Ashley during sophomore year when they'd kissed in the art classroom, her hair tickling his palms where his hands had trembled on her shoulders, and later humped fruitlessly in her sunroom, sweaty and shaky and half-hard.

       He wanted Dex. Of all people, of all the people he had met, he wanted him so much, his hands ached with it. Nick was past denying anything. All he knew now was the whine in his chest that told him truth frightened more than denial. 

Author bio

Liz Jacobs came over with her family from Russia at the age of 11, as a Jewish refugee.  All in all, her life has gotten steadily better since that moment. They settled in an ultra-liberal haven in the middle of New York State, which sort of helped her with the whole “grappling with her sexuality” business.

She has spent a lot of her time flitting from passion project to passion project, but writing remains her constant. She has flown planes, drawn, made jewelry, had an improbable internet encounter before it was cool, and successfully wooed the love of her life in a military-style campaign. She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her essay on her family’s experience with immigration.

She currently lives with her wife in Massachusetts, splitting her time between her day job, writing, and watching a veritable boatload of British murder mysteries.

Connect with Liz: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Book Tour: Oversight by Santino Hassell

Oversight (The Community, #2)
by Santino Hassell
Published by Riptide Publishing
Release day 26th June, 2017
LGBT, romantic suspense, paranormal

Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Insight, book one of The Community.

Holden Payne has it all . . . or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community—an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics—he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.

Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man-bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an Invulnerable—supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.

As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves.

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"Six just stared at him. This beautiful personification of blankness but with burning black eyes."

Excerpt

The man who walked into the office did not remotely resemble the teen boy who'd just strolled through his memories. Adult Sixtus was Holden’s height but corded with about thirty more pounds of muscle. His biceps were nearly bursting from the sleeves and his pecs were clearly visible beneath the tight black polo he wore, making the typically conservative style— look like the prequel to a stripping routine in Magic Mike. He also wore khaki pants so tight his thighs looked like they were being strangled. He'd paired the two articles of clothing with scuffed motorcycle boots with steel toes.

Holden didn't make an attempt to hide his slow ogle, and dragged his eyes from boot to crotch to clavicle before taking in Six's face. His fathomless black eyes were the only familiar feature in that olive complexed face. He had a full beard and mustache, thick black hair tied up in a bun, and wide lips that Holden wanted to suck on. Why did his sociopathic handler have to be a disgustingly sexy lumberjack hipster?

"Huh," Holden said. "He's filled out."

Richard went back to pursing his lips but Sixtus didn't even blink. He didn't scan Holden or react to the intense eyefuck he'd just received. There seemed to be nothing behind those dark eyes. The effect was more disturbing when Holden, by default, reached out with his gift to get an impression. He'd expected a hint of impatience or irritation even if it was muted by the mental shield that was apparently always in place.

"He was drawn in by the strength of Six, and when that bubble wrapped around him again, it felt almost safe enough for him to break."

Author bio

Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.

Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.

Connect with Santino: Website | Twitter | Instagram | FB Group | FB | GR | Tumblr

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I've Read In 2017 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
I've read 33 books this far in 2017, and here's ten of the best so far!

The Love Interest was absolutely amazing; A Gathering of Shadows was really solid sequel; and Anyta Sunday seems to write a good standalone after good standalone.

Cyberlove books manages to stun me with their brilliance every single time, and the third and fourth book in the series are among this year's favourites.

 

Heels Over Head and Insight were both ARCs for which I didn't have a plenty of expectations but both managed to amaze me beyond anything.

Riordan certainly never ceases to amaze, and I really loved the thrill of The Blood of Olympus, and the beginning of Apollo series.

Release Day Blitz: Oversight by Santino Hassell

Oversight (The Community, #2)
by Santino Hassell
Published by Riptide Publishing
Release day 26th June, 2017
LGBT, romantic suspense, paranormal

Spoiler Alert! The following blurb contains spoilers for Insight, book one of The Community.

Holden Payne has it all . . . or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community—an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics—he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.

Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man-bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an Invulnerable—supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.

As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves.

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Excerpt

Six was sitting behind the desk, once again clad in a skintight polo buttoned up all the way but this time paired with cargo pants. As he sat on the edge of the chair with his thighs spread, Holden was waiting for all those muscles to burst the seams.

"Why do you dress like an extra from Jersey Shore?"

"I'd have to pop my collar for that." He only paused in his typing when a surprised laugh fell from Holden’s mouth. Raising an eyebrow at me, Six said, "Was I not supposed to get the reference?"

"Well, you're a cyborg so I didn't think you would."

Six turned in the chair so he was facing Holden. He had on his default neutral face, but a slight twitch of his brow and lip betrayed possible amusement at the comment. Was there some getting through to him after all, or were they destined to stare at each other in mutual blankness to see who could emote the least for the next… however long he'd be here as Holden's handler?

"Not having an empathy chip doesn't make me a cyborg. There are plenty of ways to figure someone out without feeling any of their vibes."

Holden crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the desk. "As someone who was born with an empathy chip with elephantiasis, color me skeptical."

Six mirrored his post, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair with his thighs spread. The view of thick thighs and a good sized bulge were a temptation Holden didn't try to resist. He glanced down twice before managing to hold Six's steady gaze. 

Author bio

Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.

Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.

Connect with Santino: Website | Twitter | Instagram | FB Group | FB | GR | Tumblr

COYER Weekly Wrap Up #1

First week of the COYER reading challenge is almost over so it's time do a little wrap up. The start was a little slow because of I traveled and spend most of the time at the summer cottage but I still managed to read one bigger book and review it. Next week will most likely to be better because I'm in the middle of few different reads.

Here's what I read and reviewed;

A Gathering of Shadows (4 stars)

(Here's my sign up post for COYER challenge)

ARC Review: Summer Stock by Vanessa North

Summer Stock
by Vanessa North
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC (received via NetGalley)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Tabloid scandals have driven TV star Ryan Hertzog to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where he’s hiding out doing summer stock at his cousin’s seaside theater. When a hookup with local handyman Trey Donovan results in Ryan being photographed butt naked, he vows to keep his pants on and his hands off Trey. How was he supposed to know Trey would turn out to be the summer stock set builder?

Trey isn’t looking for a relationship; he’s still recovering from the emotional fallout of an abusive marriage. But Ryan’s laughter draws him in again and again, and he’s not about to say no to fooling around. 

As the summer heats up, the paparazzi catch Ryan in increasingly compromising situations. Ryan might be too much drama for a summer fling—and Trey might be just an intermission from Ryan’s Hollywood life. But if they take their cues from Shakespeare, all’s well that ends well.

Summer Stock is a very lovely love story that features some nice platonic friendships. The main characters, Ryan and Trey, are both trying to figure out their place in life; Ryan is figuring his life out while his best friend Ali is in rehab and he's trying to shed the Hollywood party boy persona. Trey, however, survived abusive marriage, getting out barely alive, and now he's dealing with its fallout and his own insecurities. Vanessa North dealt with both of their insecurities and problems without any unnecessary drama or pitfalls.

Both Ryan and Trey were very likable characters and they had chemistry, and there was some good and steamy moments. The biggest applauds has to go to the fact that both of them acted like responsible adults and they actually talked about things and problems, and apologized when they made mistakes. It was very refreshing and partly because of that there wasn't a lot of angst and drama. Summer Stock was nice and quite smooth sail, a really cute contemporary romance that made me happy to dive into it. And of course, I was so super excited to have bisexual main character! Especially one like Ryan who was well rounded character who refused to be labelled as anything else than bisexual.

Overall, Summer Stock was really nice love story which was quiet in a sense that there wasn't any unnecessary drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I do recommend it to anyone who finds the blurb interesting.

4 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Summer Stock!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)
by V.E. Schwab
Published by Titan Books
Paperback (purchased)
Fantasy

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London. 

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.

A Gathering of Shadows continued to shine on those parts that A Darker Shade of Magic did. The world-building was detailed and truly astonishing. Simply brilliant. Schwab certainly knows how to weave together an intriguing and gripping world. The Games really showed a bit more how the magic works and more importantly, how the different empires and people view the magic and how they field it.

I loved that the characters continued to grow and more of their past was revealed, but also how the actions and consequences of what happened in the first book changed them, especially Kell and Rhy. Basically I just loved both of them even more, especially their brotherly bond that's just so amazingly strong. Kell and Rhy just need a lot of happiness in their lives because they deserve it! There were also plenty of new characters, of which Alucard has to be my favourite because he's just so dashing (and I need to know more!). The only downside - character wise - in A Gathering of Shadows was Lila. I really liked her in the first book and even in the beginning of this one but she became more arrogant than anything else and I started to dislike her a bit. I hope she gets back down to earth in the last book.

A Gathering of Shadows was solid sequel and really good book. However, the one problem I had with it was pacing, just like with the first one. It was not as bad as before but there still was small parts that just dragged. When it picked up, it was amazing and the last ninety pages or so were one heck of a ride. I just loved the book, and I'll definitely read the last book of the trilogy next month!

4 of 5 stars

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Dads In Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
This was quite difficult topic because when I started really thinking about it, most of the fathers in YA and LGBT romance (which I mostly read) are either absent or pretty much dead beat. Even some of the ones I chose can be questionable and I feel like many won't agree with me, but these are fathers who I liked and felt like they had redeemable features even if they weren't perfect.
I just wish that the tide will change and there would be more awesome dads in YA and LGBT themed books! Some great dad appreciation would be fantastic overall. Anyway, here's my picks:
Marcus from Half Bad by Sally Green Let's start with a little bit controversial one. Marcus is the main character Nathan's dad and he's Black Witch - more than that, he's the most notorious Black Witch because he has killed so many, just to gain their powers. Marcus is ruthless and he doesn't show mercy, except when it comes to his son. True, he's mostly absent from Nathan's life but he's there when Nathan really needs him. Marcus loves his son, and I just felt like he wasn't bad father for Nathan even if he wasn't most conventional of dads. 

Poseidon from Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan Again we go with an absent father, but then again all of the godly parents in this series are more absent than not, mostly because it's part of the rules not to favour their children (even if they totally do it). I just always liked Poseidon, he was mostly chill dad and not a bad father for Percy. I mean, Poseidon listened Percy and cared for him. He totally is the cool dad type.

Hades from Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan Of all the godly parents from Riordan's various series, I feel like Hades actually have been more present in his children's life than most - well, mostly in Nico's life. In a sense he's an absent father, yes, but Nico actually spend time plenty of time with him. Overall the small glimpses of Hades and his interactions with his children always showed me that he cared for them: he tried to protect them and he helped Nico when he could, and he was proud of his son.

Mr Bennett from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Mr Bennett was quite awesome dad: he sided with Elizabeth when it came to marriage with Mr Collins, and overall I just loved his sarcasm and how he loved his daughters.

Jack Spier from Simon Vs Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Jack's the main character Simon's father, and he's just so cool, accepting, funny and overall just really awesome dad!

James Potter from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling I know he never really got a chance to be father for Harry because James died so soon and we didn't get to really see what kind of father he would have been (or what kind of father he was during the fifteen months of Harry's life that James was alive). But he died trying to defend his family against a very powerful wizard - and he tried to do so without his wand - that tells me everything I need to know. James wasn't perfect, especially during his school years in Hogwarts, but I still always saw him as a good father.

Beauty and the Beast Book Tag

I'm so late with this tag, which was created just before the live action Beauty and the Beast movie came out. But I'm finally doing it! I love the movie - both original and the new one - and this tag just sounds so much fun.

The tag is originally created by Amber Elise @ Du Livre.

A villain you can't help but love

This is actually a difficult choice because I really like villains, and certainly love many of them. But I'm going with the Malfoy family, especially Draco, because they're the ones I have loved longest (if Disney villains aren't included). I mean, Draco is my favourite from the whole cast of HP and I've always rooted for him! I do like Lucius and Narcissa too, and I absolutely fell for Scorpius because he's so adorable.

Your OTP

I have plenty of OTP's but no other pairing makes me both so incredibly happy, makes me swoon every time they share a moment, and make me cry my heart out because of how tragic their story is, than Achilles and Patroclus from The Song of Achilles. They both broke my heart and mend it, and it's beautiful.

A character that's destined for bigger things

Definitely Nico di Angelo from Percy Jackson & Heroes of Olympus & Trials of Apollo. Nico has done a lot of heroic things but I always feel like he doesn't get enough credit for the things he has done. He's certainly capable of doing more than he has been given a chance, and I feel like he could be really great.

(And really, Nico needs a spin off series of his own.)

A book that makes you hungry

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. It totally made me crave Oreos like nothing else!

Opposites attract
This basically describes all of my OTPs. I'm sucker for opposites attract as a trope because there's the special kind of spark in those relationships. I'm going with Nathan and Gabriel from Half Bad by Sally Green; while Nathan and Gabriel have some similarities, especially when it comes to their moral compass, they are opposite in many aspects. Nathan's broody while Gabriel's more relaxed; Nathan's antisocial to Gabriel's more social side, and the list goes on. But still, they are perfect together.

Waiting on Wednesday #49

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's cannot-wait book is:

Because You Love To Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy anthology!

Because You Love To Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy anthology

Published by Bloomsbury

Expected publication: July 11th 2017

YA, fantasy, anthology, short stories

Leave it to the heroes to save the world--villains just want to rule the world.

In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.

These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!

Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon

BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).

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ARC Review: Broke Deep by Charlie Cochrane

Broke Deep (Porthkennack, #3)
by Charlie Cochrane
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC (received via NetGalley)
Adult, LGBT, contemporary, romance

Morgan Capell’s life is falling apart by small degrees—his father’s dead, his boyfriend dumped him, and his mother’s in the grip of dementia. His state of mind isn’t helped by his all-too-real recurring nightmare of the wreck of the Troilus, a two hundred year old ship he’s been dreaming about since his teenage years.

The story of the Troilus is interwoven with the Capell family history. When amateur historian Dominic Watson inveigles himself into seeing the ship’s timbers which make up part of Morgan’s home, they form a tentative but prickly friendship that keeps threatening to spark into something more romantic.

Unexpectedly, Dominic discovers that one of the Troilus’s midshipman was rescued but subsequently might have been murdered, and persuades Morgan to help him establish the truth. But the more they dig, the more vivid Morgan’s nightmares become, until he’s convinced he’s showing the first signs of dementia. It takes as much patience as Dominic possesses—and a fortuitous discovery in a loft—to bring light out of the darkness.

I loved the first two installments in the Porthkennack series, and I had high hopes for Broke Deep, especially since the premise sounded so fascinating - I'm a history student so the aspect of researching local and family history and shipwrecks was really something I looked forward to read about. However, Broke Deep didn't meet my expectations and I had hard time connecting with the characters, and overall I was quite disappointed with the story.

To me, the story and its characters felt quite one dimensional as there wasn't much to hold onto or to identify with. The beginning of the book was promising: there was some strong feelings as Morgan had just been dumped by his insensitive ex-boyfriend while he was still dealing with his mother's early dementia, and Dominic seemed really enthusiastic about the research of the shipwreck. However, from then on it was a downhill for me, because the ship and plot surrounding it got lost among the all the long heart to heart talks. And despite all those long conversations between Morgan and Dominic, the reader don't learn anything new about the characters, their past and aspirations beyond what the first chapters told. For example, Dominic's career choice was mentioned once and there wasn't really anything about his family or living situation, other than he was mainly living in London. All of that made the characters bland and they just lacked any personalities. Most prominent characteristic that Morgan had was that he was really selfish most of the time, and Dominic was way too forgiving. I just couldn't connect with either of the characters and it all just felt so bland, especially since even the romance lacked a lot of any sort of heat.

Broke Deep just didn't seem to go anywhere, and all the major things were left unsolved: the budding relationship, the shipwreck, Morgan's fears of dementia. There were also plenty of telling but not really showing how the characters felt. The story had a lot of potential because the premise was very interesting and even the beginning of the story had potential to be as good as the previous books in the series. In the end it just didn't work for me because by the end I just didn't care about the characters or the plot.

If you're into long heart to heart conversations and romance that's slow burn and doesn't really have any steamy scenes and you find the premise interesting, then Broke Deep might be for you. I just didn't click with the story. However, I can wholeheartedly recommend the two previous books (Wake Up Call and A Gathering Storm) in Porthkennack series.

2 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Broke Deep!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

Top Ten Tuesday: YA Books That I've Recently Added To My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
Here we go with ten YA books I have recently added to my TBR list. I didn't specify any genres among the YA so there's a mix of fantasy, contemporary and dystopia.