Never Hollowed By The Stare

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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • FAVORITE BOOK COVERS
    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
    • BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
    • Reviews A-Z
    • MINI MOVIE REVIEWS
  • MEMES+TAGS
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • LAST YEAR I WAS READING
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • TAGS
    • MISC POSTS
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
  • TOURS & BLITZES
    • COVER REVEAL
    • GIVEAWAYS
  • About + Ratings
    • ABOUT + RATINGS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
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  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Alpha’s Mate by Beth Laycock (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 16, 2020 / No Comments
    Read More
    neverhollowed

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    AUDIOBOOK AND EBOOK TOUR: Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper

    July 5, 2022

    RELEASE BLITZ: Gunner by Gianni Holmes (Giveaway)

    January 17, 2024

    FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: But Then, The World May End Tomorrow

    July 9, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Cassadaga Nights by Jana Denardo (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 16, 2020 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Caged In Fire by Amy Thorn (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 5, 2021

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Golden Boy by Freddie Braun (Excerpt)

    May 19, 2026

    COVER REVEAL: Zero by Ana Night (Giveaway)

    January 24, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Couple Next Door (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 16, 2020 / No Comments
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    BOOK RECS BY TROPE: Enemies to Lovers

    March 9, 2021

    FLICKer: White Rock

    July 11, 2024

    FLICKer: Shabbat Dinner

    March 23, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    RELEASE BLITZ: Draw by V.L. Locey (Giveaway)

    September 16, 2020 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: To Catch A Fallen Leaf by Fearne Hill (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 18, 2021

    COVER REVEAL: Sleeping Love by Natalina Reis

    October 12, 2021

    FAVORITE COVERS: JUNE 2025

    July 1, 2025
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Sorcerer’s Guardian (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 15, 2020 / No Comments
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Stay A Little Longer by Jess Bryant (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    January 31, 2022

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Natural Disaster by Erin McLellan (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 11, 2019

    BLOG TOUR: Rise Anthology (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    October 25, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    MUSIC MONDAY: A Hymn by Idles

    September 14, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Found this tag on Read Rant Rock & Roll. This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.

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    COVER REVEAL: Friction by Kindle Alexander (Playlist)

    July 30, 2024

    BLOG TOUR: Sweet Hart by Rae Marks (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    May 28, 2021

    BLOG TOUR: Find Me In July by Christie Gordon (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    December 17, 2021
  • Uncategorized

    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Everything Changes by Melanie Hansen (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 14, 2020 / No Comments
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    BLOG TOUR: I Promise You Pain by Bart Baker (Excerpt + Q&A with Author)

    May 3, 2023

    RELEASE BLITZ: The Bro Arrangement by Charli Meadows

    March 27, 2026

    NEW RELEASE: No Backing Down by Becca Seymour

    November 12, 2023
  • Uncategorized

    FLICKer FADE SUNDAY: Delivery Boy

    September 13, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Featuring LGBT short films I found around the interwebz a.k.a Youtube. Okay sucky intro, but yeah, that’s it.


    Hard-working Chunho delivers dumplings to fancy apartments in Hong Kong. Among his deliveries, he pines for the cute British expat who seems not to notice him whenever he shows up with his steaming package. But just when things start to look romantic for these two, class differences threaten to get in the way.

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    RELEASE BLITZ: Rising from the Roots by Jasmine Farrell

    June 24, 2025

    RELEASE BLITZ: Finn by Ashley James

    March 6, 2025

    BLOG TOUR: Sundowners by R.L. Merrill (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 14, 2022
  • Uncategorized

    BLOG TOUR: The Cowboy’s Rockstar by Giovanna Reaves (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 13, 2020 / No Comments
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    NEW RELEASE BLITZ: At His Mercy by Elvira Bell (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    March 4, 2021

    BLOG TOUR: His Ranch Hand by Deanna Wadsworth (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    September 6, 2020

    BOOK BLITZ: The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold

    January 9, 2025
  • Uncategorized

    MINI MOVIE REVIEWS: International Spies, Dating Trials and Vocal Anxieties

    September 12, 2020 / 1 Comment

    I got five new movies this month. Let’s see how they fare…

    For More Mini Movie Reviews, check out this page.


    Walk On Water

    Eyal is a professional hit man for the Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service. His newest mission is to track down the ex-Nazi officer Alfred Himmelman rumoured to be still alive. Eyal spies on Himmelman’s granddaughter, now living out in Israel after turning her back on her family in Germany. Eyal poses as a personal tour guide and takes her visiting brother Axel from the historical sights of Jerusalem to the shores of the Dead Sea. Soon after Axel’s return to Germany, the Mossad suspects that Himmelman could come out of hiding for Axel’s father’s upcoming birthday party. Eyal is sent to Germany, where he must get closer to Axel in order to discover the truth about the notorious family. Uncharacteristically vulnerable since his ex-wife’s recent death, professional killer Eyal will also have to discover certain truths about himself.

    Not a gay movie per se or even romance but more of a movie with a gay major character. This is a movie full of ironies that kind of made sense if only people could be so open minded. It is, above all, a story of peace.

    We find the granddaughter of a Nazi officer finding a home in Israel. An Israeli spy dancing an traditional Israeli dance in the house of a Nazi family. A straight guy having more chemistry with the gay brother than the sister he eventually married. Had this been filmed today, I think they would have added the romantic twist.

    Be it the case, I have no complaints. This is a beautiful, underrated movie you should check out.


    More Than Only

    A young gay man finds how to love himself and accept love from another, despite the disapproval of his father.

    Ridiculously cute! And realistic too.

    A story of a university student who must accomplish three tasks ala Triwizard Tournament in order to win a date with a cute nurse. There are a lot of fluffy moments balanced by more dramatic, angstier scenes wherein the main character has self-destructive tendencies triggered by a homophobic father.

    The scenes where the father suddenly calls are gutwrenching. The mood immediately plummets and you can see the raw hurt. In contrast to that, the scenes between the two MCs are bursting with love and joy. I also love their group of friends, especially their badass best friend who not only helped with the tasks but later on became the surrogate mom to their child.

    This is a movie where you feel a rollercoaster of emotions and grow attached to the characters. And that last line!

    (After saying thing like growing attached to the characters I actually forgot their names…(๑•́ㅿ•̀๑) ᔆᵒʳʳᵞ)


    Happy Endings Sleepover

    American CIA Field Operative, Johnnie Allen, is assigned to Denmark for his first mission. An American spy highly placed in the Kremlin is to be spirited out of Russia, and it is Johnnie’s job to get him safely to Antwerp where the agent will board a freighter.

    This is based on the novel of Cade Jay Hathaway. I haven’t read it yet but I love this movie! It’s a slow-burn, friends to lovers, roadtrip story with danger and espionage thrown in.

    The roadtrip part of the movie comes from the the part where Johnnie had to deliver a car and transport a spy across the boarder. His friend Sander tags along.

    Normally, I’m not a fan of roadtrip stories but this one has a lot going for it, from mistaken identities, scenic pitstops, kissing a friend to piss off a homophobic asshole then kissing him again because you realized he has feelings for you too. Let’s not forget antagonizing the royal guards, shooting bad guys and getting shot back.

    The MC is an American who speaks with a Curacao-an accent because he grew up in a cult in Curacao until he was 14. The main actor who is Dane pulled it off really well. The two MCs had great chemistry and the lead actors were good together.


    Do I Sound Gay?

    After a break-up with his boyfriend, journalist David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” Enlisting acting coaches, linguists, friends, family, total strangers, and celebrities, he quickly learns that many people — both gay and straight — often wish for a different voice. In Thorpe’s feature-length documentary debut DO I SOUND GAY?, what starts as a personal journey becomes a chance to unpack layers of cultural baggage concerning sexuality, identity, and self-esteem.

    Journalist David Thorpe tackles the gay sound. And yes, I agree, some people really do sound gay. I think it’s perfectly fine. One of the persons interviewed even said, he only needs to say hello and then everybody would know. No need to come out and say it.

    This is particularly interesting to me because I have a bit of a thing with voices. Like I notice that people from different countries could have a certain voice quality. For example, some Asian women have a distinctive voice that I would immediately recognize as Asian even if they are speaking with an American accent.

    I found interesting tidbits regarding Hollywood and gay culture. While it’s not surprising that there are many gay actors, I didn’t realize they had to work hard not to sound gay. There is apparently a voice coach who specializes in removing the “gay sound” in their speech.

    This documentary features luminaries such as George Takei, Margaret Cho, David Sedaris and Tim Gunn. Random people on the streets all over the world were also interviewed.

    This is a good film to watch if your interested in one man’s quest to change the way he sounds.


    The 10-Year Plan

    Myles and Brody are best friends and total opposites. Myles is an idealistic romantic looking for a husband. Brody joyfully bounces from bed to bed and revels in being single. Fearing what will become of them when they get older, the two friends make a pact to be a couple in ten years if neither has found true love. Ten years later, not much has changed. But now that their arrangement is almost due, both friends will do whatever it takes to avoid becoming each other’s last resort.

    My first thought here, wasn’t there a Kate Hudson rom-com with a similar storyline?

    Personally, I’m not convinced Brody is the best guy for Myles. He’s too much of a player. He is a great friend though because he’s always there when Myles needs cheering up.

    There’s not much surprises here. It’s pretty obvious how things will play out. The highlight for me here is the friendship between the MCs. The movie also did well in capturing their gradual transition from friends to romantic interest.

    Anyway, this is an okay movie, good enough to pass the time.


    Hope you enjoyed today’s Mini Movie Reviews! Have a great weekend!

    Read More
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    RELEASE BLITZ: Game Plan by Amy Aislin (Excerpt & Giveaway)

    April 4, 2023
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Book images and promotional materials are from Goodreads or media kits provided for blog tours, cover reveals and release blitzes. Manga covers and other images are sourced through Google image search. The two dorks in the header image is from a manga by TogaQ & Kikuchi Neko. The cat logo is my own design. Reviews and other writings found in the blog are mine unless otherwise stated. All Buy Links to Amazon and Bookshop in my posts contain affiliate links.

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