Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: The Heights by Amy Aislin

The Heights
by Amy Aislin
Self-published
Release day: September 20th, 2018
Length: 320 pages
LGBT, contemporary, romance

Twenty-one years ago, a four-year old child was kidnapped from his front yard. He was never found. Until now.

All Nat Walker wants is to make his late father’s dream of running a father/son woodworking shop come true. And he had the perfect building in mind—until the new guy in town came in and bought the place right out from under him. The fact that the new guy is adorable means nothing. For all Nat cares, he can take his new dance studio and waltz back to New York City.

Professional dancer Quinn Carroll couldn’t be happier that he made the move to the small town of Lakeshore, Oregon. Sure, it’s not New York, but now he’ll be living closer to his adoptive brother. And since his studio will be the only one in the area, he should get enough business to keep him busy. Besides, there’s something about this place that seems familiar...

He doesn’t expect to fall hard for the local, grumpy woodworker who won’t even smile at him.

Or find out that his entire life is a lie.

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Teaser:

“You’re not choking to death, are you?”

Nat’s eyebrows pulled together and he pushed away his empty bowl. “Do I look like I’m choking to death?”

“Kind of.” Quinn placed the last of his ice cream on his cookie and finished it off. “Also, do you know that you have a habit of answering a question with a question?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

From the top of the jungle gym, Jeremy waved at them frantically. “Hi, Uncle Nat!”

Nat smiled, dimples in full view, and waved back.

Quinn melted. God, that smile was killer. Soft and sincere and full of love for this little person who wasn’t even his own. It was the first time Quinn had seen it. One day he’d get Nat to smile at him that way.

About the author

Amy started writing on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class was forced to stay inside for recess. Tales of adventures with her classmates quickly morphed into tales of adventures with the characters in her head. Based in the suburbs of Toronto, Amy is a marketer/fundraiser at a large environmental non-profit in Toronto by day, and a writer by night. Book enthusiast, animal lover and (very) amateur photographer, her interests are many and varied, including travelling, astronomy, ecology, and baking. She binge watches too much anime, and loves musical theater, Julie Andrews, the Backstreet Boys, and her hometown of Oakville, Ontario.

Connect with Amy Aislin:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Autumn 2018 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
I'm notoriously bad following any TBRs I set for myself, but I love doing them nonetheless. It's probably going to be worse this autumn, because I started fourth year at university which means doing dissertation (and not reading hefty fantasy novels that I'm itching for right now).

ARC Review: The Academy by Quinn Anderson

The Academy
by Quinn Anderson
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC
LGBT, contemporary, romance

True love stabs you in the front. 

Nick Steele just wants a normal life, cliché or not. He had one once, back in Chigago. Before his father died and he took a year off from college to grieve. Now, he's starting fresh at a prestigious - but tiny - Catholic university. Adjusting to small-town life will be a challenge, along with making friends and keeping his scholarship. All he wants to do is blend in, get his diploma, and go back home.

But Sebastian Prinsen - campus heartthrob and a notorious player - has other plans. He notices Nick right away and makes a bet with his two best friends: Who can kiss the new kid first? Nick seems immune to Sebastian's charms, and yet genuine chemistry sparks between them. Even worse, real feelings do too. Sebastian falls more and more every time Nick blows him off, but if he comes clean about the bet, Nick will hate him forever.

The last thing Nick wants is to fall in love while he's still grieving, but Sebastian feels like home to him. Nick wants that so badly he may ignore the warning signs and risk his fragile heart once more.

Quinn Anderson's last novel, The Long Way Around, left me a little cold as I expected more from it. That's why I was a little hesitant going into The Academy, but I'm happy to say that any hesitance was for nothing as I enjoyed this story and its characters a lot. There was a great cast of characters; funny roommate Deen, insightful Theo, cool Dante, enigmatic Sebastian, and cautious Nick. Better than that, there was complexity to the characters. For example, Nick was very cautious because of the loss he experienced a year earlier, but he also wanted to make new friends. More than that, The Academy was a big on perspective of happiness and privilege; if someone is rich, does that make them happier than the one who's financially struggling? And of course, there was insane chemistry and tension between Nick and Sebastian, which made it a captivating read.

The Academy took place within two weeks; it felt longer and the building up of friendships and relationships was good. Still, two weeks is not a long time and the knowledge how little time had passed made Nick and Sebastian's growing closeness a little bit off, especially since they spend half of the time avoiding each other. That's my only complaint of this story and I feel like it would have been amazing if there had been a little more time between the beginning and end (not counting the epilogue, of course).

The Academy was enjoyable read; there's flirting and chemistry, worries and suspicion, and getting to know a new place and new people. It's all about forming bonds with others - friendships and relationships - and about trust. Trust in other people and risking your heart to find something that may or may not last. It's about that place between childhood and adulthood; when legally you're an adult with all the responsibilities but not necessarily emotionally ready to descent into the adulthood.

So yes, I do recommend The Academy.

4 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review The Academy!

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

Stacking the Shelves (81)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
Purchased

  

 

ARC Review: To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen

To See the Sun
by Kelly Jensen
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC
LGBT, sci-fi, romance

Survival is hard enough in the outer colonies - what chance does love have?

Life can be harsh and lonely in the outer colonies, but miner-turned-farmer Abraham Bauer is living his dream, cultivating crops that will one day turn the unforgiving world of Alkirak into paradise. He wants more, though. A companion - someone quiet like him. Someone to share his days, his bed, and his heart.

Gael Sonnen has never seen the sky, let alone the sun. He's spend his whole life locked in the undercity beneath Zhemosen, running from one desperate situation to another. For a chance to get out, he'll do just about anything - even travel to the far end of the galaxy as a mail-order husband. But no plan of Gael's has ever gone smoothly, and his new start on Alkirak is no exception. Things go wrong from the moment he steps off the shuttle.

Although Gael arrives with unexpected complications, Abraham is prepared to make their relationship work - until Gael's past catches up with them, threatening Abraham's livelihood, the freedom Gael gave everything for, and the love neither man ever hoped to find.

Science fiction is not my go to genre, especially if the story has something to do with space, however, To See the Sun's premise intrigued me; it's not too often that there's a M/M romance that's something else than contemporary. I'm extremely happy that I picked this one up! To See the Sun is a beautiful read, with a right mix of quiet moments and nail biting action. It's character driven, but there's a plot there too and interesting side characters.

Speaking of characters, I could easily identify with both Bram and Gael; Bram, who's quiet, strong and confident, and Gael, who's a survivor and tough in so many ways. Both so different but dreaming same kind of dreams; Bram to have a quiet life with someone to spend it, and Gael just wants to connect and something to go smoothly for once. Their tentative companionship is beautiful, from the tender and fragile feelings to deepening relationship. Absolutely captivating and hard to put down - I almost lost sleep for multiple nights because I didn't want to stop reading.

I have nothing to critique or anything bad to say, I simply love To See the Sun. It's a great M/M romance, which I can recommend to everyone who needs a little bit tender romance and pulsing action. There's barren space frontier with all kinds of experimental farming, mining and small frontier community. There's strong and complex characters, and there's even a bad guy who's not antagonist just for the sake of it - there's reason behind everyone's actions. I already praised how I could identify with the main characters, but there's also young and determined Aavi and saloon running Maya and her brother and mayor, Orfeo.

I highly recommend this one, it certainly surprised me in a very positive way.

5 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review To See the Sun!

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

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Garden of Thorns by Amber Mitchell

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!
It's time for some hidden gems that need more recognition!

ARC Review: The Long Way Around by Quinn Anderson

The Long Way Around

by Quinn Anderson
Published by Riptide Publishing
LGBT, contemporary, romance

A wrong turn could lead to Mr. Right. 

Sam Cooper is the definition of an introvert: shy, bookish, and the sort to think a wild Friday involves ordering takeout. He enjoys his quiet life, but after a bad breakup, he's been yearning for a change of scenery. Luckily, his best friend and former college roommate has the solution.

Wesley Reed - a jokester and expert Sam-handler - proposes an epic road trip to a wedding across the country. They're both between jobs and boyfriends. Why not hit the open road and make some memories?

Stuck in close quarters for the first time since their dorm days, they're both surprised at the heat that springs up between them. As best friends, they're shared so much over the years, so why does sharing a hotel room - and occasionally a bed - make them want more? Chemistry this smoldering is hard to ignore, but there are road blocks to their romance. Wesley's keeping a secret, and Sam can't rely on Wesley to drag him out of his comfort zone forever. If they're not careful, their relationship may take the ultimate wrong turn.

The Long Way Around is friends to lovers with an epic road trip to Montana, where Sam's sister is getting married. Sam and Wesley are best friends and out of jobs and boyfriends at the time, which makes it perfect time for road trip to Montana through all the major sites such as NYC, Washington DC, small towns, and New Orleans. At least Wesley is convinced of that, Sam's more unsure if he wants to go - mostly because he doesn't want to face his relatives in the wedding. Cool premise, right? Road trip, close quarters, and best friends sounds really good, especially with contrast between introvert Sam and outgoing Wesley, and oh boy do they have chemistry sizzling between them!

However, there was just a little bit too much telling for my taste, especially when it came to the destinations on the road trip. There was usually just a side note what Sam and Wesley had done, like a list with boxes to tick, but not actually taking the reader there with them. The focus of the story is the relationship and those moments that drove it forward, and everything else was skimmed over; it was disappointing because I was waiting for the road trip and all the destinations. However, Sam and Wesley's friendship and development of deeper feelings was extremely well done. A believable transition, and I never doubted their feelings for each other as they cared for each other very much. It felt natural, especially the pondering if it was worth possibly ruining their friendship that was so important for both of them.

Most problematic for me was Wesley's secret. It was easy enough to guess, but that wasn't the problem for me. It is just something I'm not comfortable with, and if I had known The Long Way Around tried tackling the subject, I most likely would have skipped it. Besides that, Wesley's secret wasn't handled with the care and seriousness it needed.

All in all, I feel like The Long Way Around is an okay read - it didn't wow me, but it wasn't bad either. I think the problem was that it had too much going on: the road trip, emerging relationship, Wesley's secret, and Sam and Wesley's futures (both between jobs, future uncertain). A little less stuff and more focus on few aspects would have done wonders for the story. Anyway, it's not a bad book - it might entirely be about finding the right reader for the story. I wasn't swept off my feet, but it was enjoyable enough, and if you find the blurb irresistible, you should give it a go.

3 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review The Long Way Around!

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

Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Calling Calling Calling by Natasha Washington

Calling Calling Calling Me

by Natasha Washington

Published by Natasha Washington

Release Date: September 4, 2018

New Adult, Contemporary Queer Romance

Link

Patrick Mahoney has one goal in mind: get out of his native Fresno and find freedom in the rainbow and glitter-painted streets of San Francisco. As a college freshman, he’s sure he’ll finally have the chance to be himself, away from the judgmental eyes of his conservative hometown.

Josh Dirda’s never wanted to be tied down before, preferring the emotional ease of the one night stand. But when Patrick moves into the apartment that Josh shares with three friends, Josh is caught up in Patrick’s sly wit and quietly creative spirit. As Patrick’s self-appointed tour guide, Josh can be Patrick’s introduction to the city he loves. But after a drunken Halloween hook-up crosses lines, Patrick and Josh must reckon with their true feelings—and decide whether they can let go of the ghosts that haunt them.

Teaser:

The day Patrick drove up to move in, Kai opened the door for him with a finger pressed to his lips.

“I—” Patrick started to say, but stopped when he saw Kai’s face.

Kai stepped silently to the side, so Patrick had a clear view into the hallway. Josh had his back turned to them both, and he was writhing around in a way that Patrick imagined was supposed to be dancing. He had huge headphones over his ears, and when he turned slightly, Patrick could see he was mouthing the words only he could hear.

Laughter bubbled up in his throat. He felt like a reporter on Animal Planet. A wild Josh has been sighted—

Josh swung around in a particularly enthusiastic approximation of a jazz square, saw them both and nearly fell over. His eyes widened, his lips parted, and he pushed his earphones back onto his shoulders.

“Duuuuude,” Kai stated. “Epic.”

“What’s up, Patrick?” Josh said, his voice sounding a bit high and breathless. “You here with your moving truck?”

“Oh God, right,” Kai said, slapping his forehead with his hand. “I totally forgot you were moving in today.”

“Did you think he drove five hours up from Fresno to visit?” Josh asked.

“Shut up,” Kai said. “We’re really awesome. Of course he’d drive five hours just to see us. You got much stuff? Let’s do this.”

“I’m going to wake up Mike,” Josh said.

It was nearly one p.m. on a Saturday, and yet somehow Patrick was not surprised that Mike was still asleep.

“You want to jump on his bed,” Kai said.

“Dude, obviously,” Josh said, and disappeared down the hallway.

Kai rolled his eyes, then followed Patrick out to where he parked the truck. “Is your mom here?”

As if on cue, his mom hopped out of the passenger seat, waving enthusiastically. Patrick was pretty sure his mom would have wanted to marry Kai, if she were single and he wasn’t nearly twenty years younger than her. Actually, he wasn’t so sure she cared about that last part.

“Kai, so good to see you,” she said, squeezing his arm, and oh God, she was blushing.

Patrick’s dad appeared then, still disgruntled from the traffic coming up, muttering something about this snotty city with no parking. When he saw Kai, he schooled his features into a polite expression and held out his hand.

“You must be Mr. Maloney,” Kai said, smiling. “So good to meet you, sir.”

His dad looked pleased at the greeting, and they chatted a bit about the weather here and how different it was from the blinding desert haze of Fresno.

“It’s those ocean breezes, sir, keeps the heat off our backs,” Kai said, while Patrick rolled up the back door of the U-Haul and tried to will all its contents inside the apartment with the power of his mind.

Mike and Josh tumbled out a minute later, Mike half-asleep and looking like a hot mess in a wrinkled T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Josh had enough energy for all of them combined, though, as he orchestrated the moving of furniture and boxes like someone who was either extraordinarily good at strategic planning or had done this a lot.

About the author

Natasha Washington lives in Philadelphia, where she writes queer love stories in both YA (as Sonia Belasco) and romance. She has spent much of her professional life working with young people as a mentor, tutor, or therapist. When not writing, she is likely cooking, taking long, meandering walks, or listening to dance music or 90s hip-hop.

Connect with Natasha: Website | Twitter | Instagram

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Wrapping the Month: August

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

August was a great month for me; a friend visited me here in Scotland and we went to a trip in the Highlands (and did the Jacobite train aka Harry Potter train!) and did a lot of great things. Like that wasn't enough greatness for one month, I got my dream job in a bookstore! It's a temporary and part-time, but I'm happy nonetheless. With all of that going on, I didn't blog regularly and barely wrote reviews. I did read five books, which I'm happy about, and I did Bout of Books readathon so it wasn't all quiet here.

I found so many books I got excited about in August, which is why my monthly haul is big. Surprisingly, I got three Middle Grade books and I've read two of them already; it's nice to step out of my usual comfort zone. Besides these I got two eARCs.

August's reviews:

Begging Ben (4 stars)
Challenging Chance (5 stars)
The Smoke Thieves (5 stars)
Pride and Modern Prejudice (5 stars)

With how busy month I had, I'm happy that I managed to read five full novels, and here they are;

  

 

September is going to be a rough month - I'll be working, uni starts again and life usually gets busy in the autumn. So likely I won't be reading much, but I'll try to keep posting regularly, especially since I have some reviews to do.

Hugs,

Henna