-
BLOG TOUR: Red Heir by Lisa Henry & Sara Honey (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
AUDIO REVIEW: Gideon by Lily Morton
Finding Home: Gideon – Lily Morton
Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.
A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards – he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behaviour is threatening to destroy his career.
Then he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones. Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms ninety percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.
However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
From the bestselling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realise that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home.
This is the third book in the Finding Home series but it can be read as a standalone.
Lily Morton is a much-raved about author among MM readers. With Gideon, I could definitely see why.
This is my first book from the author and the third book of the Finding Home series. I highly recommend starting from the beginning because Gideon and his friends are a hilariously snarky, close-knit bunch you’d wish you’re a part of.
Gideon Ramsey is a successful actor more recently known for bad behavior. He is a certifiable asshole by all accounts. He’s also very closeted. He has long been brainwashed by his manager that coming out is career suicide. He suddenly came down with a case of pneumonia and had to be looked after by a nurse.
In comes a ray of Welsh sunshine in the form of Eli Jones. Eli is a nurse whose competent skills and perennial happy nature charmed everyone. His backchat charmed Gideon who would rather eat his designer shoes than admit he loves it. Hah! As if Eli doesn’t know.
It doesn’t take long for Eli to suss out that his grumpy patient is hurting, not just from his illness, but from being abandoned by his parents at 7 and years of hiding his true self. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the book.
Eli is a person who likes to be needed and Gid is a man who felt he never belonged. It was delightful to witness how Eli brought out the real Gideon Ramsey one cheeky remark, one kind act at a time.
I loved how Eli got Gideon just like that. He never pressured him to do anything. He let Gideon decide when he was ready. He said things should be taken at their own time. And he was right. Everything came together at exactly the right time.
Blessedly, there were no contrived relationship drama. There is internal conflict within Gideon but he and Eli remained a solid pair throughout
The real Gideon Ramsey? He was a pleasure to met. Still a grump but also a loyal friend, a caring brother, a giving lover and more. Certainly more as the author gifted us with the most thorough (and a tad repetitive) epilogue ever, neatly tying all loose ends in a definite HEA.
This is a fantastic story brought to life by a fantastic narrator. I have always been a fan of Joel Leslie since I started listening to audiobooks. The man can make a scene with multiple characters sound like a radio play. And the accents! Days after I finished the book, I kept hearing Eli’s Welsh lilt in my head. He’s that good!
Gideon is the book to read if you’re up for some stories where TLCs come with sass and snark, where separations end with midnight visits and Welsh endearments, and movie stars thank god for pneumonia and dissolute living.
P.S.
Thank you to Gay Romance Reviews and Audible for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Babe, You Turn Me on
Artist: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Album: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus -
AUDIO TOUR: Gideon by Lily Morton (Except & Giveaway)
-
REVIEW: Say You’ll Be Nine by Lucy Lennox
Say You’ll Be Nine – Lucy Lennox
One dilapidated cabin in need of renovation.
Two stubborn men pretending to be a couple.
Three summer months to get the job done.
Four tangled legs in only one bed.
Five cameras catching it all for YouTube.
Six hundred thousand Instagram followers.
Seven nosy family members with Opinions.
Eight thousand reasons they should never fall in love.
Nine million reasons why they will.
Say You’ll Be Nine is a standalone novel.
NINE! (♡´౪`♡)
Isaac ‘Nine’ Winshed is all kinds of adorbs and sweet and gentle and shy. He would rather be hit by a train than let someone be hurt under his watch. When he was a child he didn’t want his favorite chicken, Sir Pecks-a-lot, to be eaten so he let it live in his closet.
The man lives to help other people. He wields a hammer like Thor and has the heart of Captain America. His superpower is home renovation. He vlogs about DIY projects on Youtube. The best thing about him is that he didn’t feel too good to be true. I loved how author, Lucy Lennox, made him alive and relatable.
Nine is the ninth in a family of 12. All his life, he’s been dating girls but never really felt the spark. It wasn’t until he was with Cooper when he realized something about himself. For him, it’s not the the gender but the person. And Cooper was that person.
Cooper Heath is an aspiring actor hoping to make it big in Hollywood. He’s best friends with Eli, Nine’s big brother. Cooper was the opposite of Nine in many ways. He’s witty, extroverted, very talkative and a bit dramatic. He’s highly self-reliant and doesn’t like asking for help. He’s currently back in town, living with his mom and twin brother, Jackson.
Jacks has a rare blood disorder and they needed money for a bone marrow transplant. The fastest way was to accept a sponsorship for an LGBT-oriented DIY show on Youtube where Coop and Nine pretend to be a gay couple and renovate a cabin in the woods.
Coop can’t tell his Phillips from a Robertson but he’s very social media savvy. His superpower is Instagram. The project should be easy. All he needed to do was make them look good.
Except…how NOT to fall for the very attractive lumberjack+fake boyfriend whom you were kinda crushing on since when you were a kid? The same lumberjack+fake boyfriend who’s the younger brother of your best friend and by all accounts, straight?
Things are getting real really fast!
I want to see that time-lapse video of the cabin being renovated. As Nine said, it was like watching him and Cooper fall in love. It was fantastic to see how the characters developed and their romance transition from reel to real.
I totally loved how Nine embraced everything with an open heart and an open mind. He himself admitted he was naive but he learned fast and he gave it his all. Coop was very patient with him and they talked everything out, at first. It was wasn’t until the latter part that they headed towards that notorious miscommunication+separation route.
After which we are rewarded with a grand gesture moment that was so cute and so endearingly Nine. I wished this was a movie because that scene would be so beautiful on screen.
Cooper was no slouch either. He pulled off his own grand gesture with perfect timing with the best Christmas present ever. That ending was pure ♡ ♡ ♡ !
Say You’ll Be Nine is my first book from the author and I loved it to bits! This is a contemporary, opposite-attracts, forced proximity, fake boyfriend romance with a slight enemies-but-not-really angle thrown in. There’s also the brother’s bestfriend trope and first time gay going on. Everything came together in the best way possible.
It’s pretty much guaranteed, after reading this book, you’ll want a Nine in your life too!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: You’ll Be Mine
Artist: Irma Kooper
Album: -
REVIEW: Inside Affair by Ella Frank
Prime Time: Inside Affair – Ella Frank
Xander
If I had to describe Sean Bailey, it would be: a surly, temperamental pain in my ass. Never in that equation would I ever include the word boyfriend—and not just because he’s straight.The older brother of my life-long best friend, Sean is a detective for the Chicago PD, and is also known as Detective “Dick” for being…well, a surly, temperamental pain in everyone’s ass. He also happens to be the best they have, which is why I find myself on his doorstep the night my life is threatened by an anonymous stalker.
I only wanted the name of a bodyguard; I didn’t expect for Sean to volunteer for the job. Now, not only do I have a bodyguard, I also have a fake boyfriend.
Sean
It must be so hard to be Alexander Thorne, the number one prime-time news anchor in the country, with millions of dollars and a car that costs more than my house. I mean, I’m allowed to give him a hard time about it, but when some creep decides to cross the line and go after him, they’re gonna have to answer to me.Going undercover has never been an issue in the past, so I don’t see why there’d be a problem now. Xander and I have known each other for years, so this should be a breeze. Except suddenly my stomach’s flipping when he looks my way, and my body comes alive whenever he brushes by me. I know I’m good at my job and playing a character and all, but this is getting out of hand.
I can’t be sure that either of us are playing anymore.
It’s those times where you tried this and that and nothing sticks. It’s the dreaded slump! It was only when I read the reviews for Inside Affair that I knew this is the book that will bring me out of it. Thank you GR friends for bringing this book to my attention.
The moment I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed it so much I was very tempted to blow off work and just read.
This series opener had all the right ingredients. We have two antagonistic MCs, not quite enemies, just two people who barely tolerated each other. Throw in a stalker, a fake relationship, a bodyguard gig, lots of zingers and you got a winner.
The banter between Sean and Xander had me chuckling all the way. They say all kinds of annoying shit, trying to get a rise out of the other. Sometimes, they hit a particularly sensitive nerve and things get ugly.
Then… they started noticing each other.
Bam!
USTs explode!
This had the kind of expert execution that makes gay-for-you tropes so delicious. Not to mention the fake to real transition came about so naturally it left no room for doubts. The progression was a lovely slow-burn that kept anticipation high and made the feels so damn good. The aha moment was very satisfying as unfolds most especially because they had known each other for most of their lives but hadn’t really look.
And so Xander was like, “But this is Sean!!!”
Sean who was his bestfriend and ex, Bailey’s annoying big brother.
Sean who so grumpy they called him Detective Dick.
Sean who was straight and yet…
Sean who never even imagined that Xander lived in a castle with rotating floors.
Xander whose eyes, Sean suddenly realized, were a gorgeous shade of green
Xander whose face was so blinding, Sean could see nothing but him.
Now they know.
P.S.
Just a heads up: Inside Affair ends with somebody bleeding and fate unknown. Best to wait until all the books are released if you are not of fan of cliffhangers.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Your Body Changes Everything
Artist: Perfume Genius
Album: Set My Heart On Fire Immediately -
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Out On The Serve by Lane Hayes (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
REVIEW: The Dichotomy of Angels by N.R. Walker
The Dichotomy of Angels – N.R. Walker
Nathaniel and Chasan are no ordinary angels.
Destiny chose them to be twin flames, fated mates. But Nathaniel has avoided Chasan for nearly a thousand years.
When sent to Earth on a mission to live and work together, Nathaniel comes face-to-face with his destiny. Short-tempered, petulant, and grumpy, he hates the idea of being fated to anyone and has chosen an existence of isolation rather than spending time with the calm, kind, and serene Chasan. But now he has no choice.
One is fire, the other is air; a true dichotomy of angels. Together they will be ignited, or they will be extinguished. This assignment will seal their fate either way.
Let it be known that all of Heaven speaks with an Australian accent. It is in the business of saving souls.
Angels are just your regular hard working salarymen assigned to different departments, sometimes to walk among the humans. Saint Peter is in charge. He is their manager. The bosses were all the pantheons known to humanity. They were simply known as ‘Upper Management’.
The most notorious department is the Hell department where the screams of the damned were absorbed by a machine and turned into tennis balls for dogs. The overseer of Hell is the Angel of Fire named Nathaniel.
Nathaniel is always angry. No, not just angry. He “wears his rage like an armor” . He is also stubborn, prone to anxiety, and has a tendency to smite. He wears black. His wings are burnt umber. He is beloved by dogs everywhere.
Chasan is the Angel of Air. He has a cool, calm, serene presence. He sees the good in everything and has a smile for everyone. He wears white. His wings are white with ice blue tips. He is full of heartache.
Because the Angel of Fire and the Angel of Air were fated to one another. They were twin flames, a phenomena that happened once in a lifetime among beings who lived forever. But Nathaniel condemned Chasan to a life of loneliness by wanting to be alone by himself.
This is a story of two opposite beings who were made for each other yet stand apart. Where angels questioned their faith and received answers from humans. Where they get drunk, eat takeouts, play with baby goats, teach twenty 4-year-old hellions and sing Octopus’ Garden. Where blood was shed and things come full circle. And most important of all, it is a story where all dogs do indeed go to heaven.
Let it be known that Heaven is whatever you deserved it to be.
P.S.
N.R. Walker is author of some of the best gay romances out there. Read reviews of her books here.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySountrack: Dream
Artist: Birdy
Album: Fire Within -
NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Torn by Rick R. Reed (Excerpt & Giveaway)
-
COVER REVEAL: Prancing of a Papillon (Excerpt)
-
AUDIO BLITZ: A Way With Series by Lane Hayes (Giveaway)
