All their lives, Finn and Nate have been inseparable, sharing everything, and when a childhood accident left Finn broken, Nate stood by his side as all his other friends left. After all their years together, there’s one secret Finn still hasn’t revealed: he has been in love with Nate since they were eight years old. Hiding his feelings for twenty-one years—terrified of what might happen if Nate ever found out—has been difficult, but losing his best friend would be worse than living with a bad case of unrequited love. Unfortunately for Finn, Nate doesn’t make it easy.
Nate believes there are some things that just have to be done before your thirtieth birthday. As a gift to Finn, he plans an adventure to check off a list of thirty things to experience before hitting that milestone. Starting in Crawfordsville, Indiana, they tour the country, trying new things and meeting interesting new people. Nate’s having the time of his life, but he can tell Finn is holding something back. As the days count down, navigating the back roads suddenly seems easier than figuring out where their relationship is heading.
One thing’s for certain. There will be no turning back.
Review
This is a stupendously cute story of friends turned lovers. Finn has been crushing on Nate his whole life and it takes a trip across country for Finn to realize that Nate feels the same way.
I loved the individual tasks (30 of them) Nate set up – I want to go on that trip too! (For the record Portland is an awesome town!) It was a fun, light read full of sweet moments, some sexual tension then release and lots and lots of feels.
Though there were times I thought some of the relationship stuff was a bit unrealistic: why Finn was still a virgin, why he kept assuming Nate was just experimenting, why he thought this could ever be anything other than a real relationship… they were minor.
The writing and editing are excellent and the story left me smiling!
My new book, The Altered, was released yesterday. Its a paranormal romance, set twenty years after a laboratory pathogen contaminated the UK water supply.
The two main characters, Daniel and Jordan, both moved to London for the anonymity of a big city, but their lives are very different.
Daniel lives with his best mate, Matt, who he’s known since childhood, and Ash. He’s suspicious by nature as a result of the change, and his treatment by other altereds has left him bitter.
When I started writing this story I had a vague image of what I wanted him to look like. He has silver-blond hair as a result of being altered, sort of like Spike from Buffy, but taller and with less pronounced cheekbones. Although I love Spike, I pictured Daniel as more of a young-ish Leonardo Dicaprio.
Jordan’s whole being was affected by the change. The pathogen not only increased his strength, but his senses as well. He’s fiercely loyal, but possessive–although he tries hard not to come across as overbearing and controlling.
Jordan is dangerous if crossed, but is also someone who can be trusted without question if you were on his side. The guy on the cover for this book is pretty much what I was going for, and Natasha Snow did a great job with it 🙂
He laughed at the joke Matt was in the middle of telling, chipping in for a bit and teasing him, and then he felt it again, creeping up the back of his spine like icy fingers. Daniel stayed perfectly still, suppressing his body’s natural reaction, and carefully turned to place his empty pint glass on the bar.
He let his gaze wander along to the end of the bar, past the couple he’d spotted earlier, and—
Bloody Hell.
He sucked in a sharp breath before he could stop himself. Usually he got a flash of images, depending on how much they’d been altered—claws, teeth, and fur if they changed fully, but never anything like this. One minute Daniel was looking at a tall dark-haired, really hot man, and in the blink of an eye he’d changed into a huge black wolf, fangs bared in a snarl—clearer than anything he’d seen before.
The image vanished almost as soon as it appeared, and the noise from the bar suddenly jarred Daniel back to his senses.
Fuck.
Blurb:
Twenty years ago the UK’s water supply was contaminated with an experimental pathogen, Lycanaeris, causing widespread panic across the nation. Terrorism was suspected but never proven, and when nothing happened–no epidemic, no unexplained illnesses–the whole episode was written off as an elaborate hoax. But Lycanaeris was selective. Only those of a certain age, and with a specific gene in their DNA were infected. Time would reveal the pathogen’s true nature, when those susceptible grew up Altered.
Daniel is one of thousands forced to hide his altered status by living a quiet life. He’s not like the others, though. Daniel can’t help looking so distinctive or being able to see every altered for what they really are. To those abducting altereds, that skill makes him valuable.
For Jordan, shifting from human to wolf means living under the radar to avoid unwanted attention. Meeting Daniel complicates matters. Daniel’s existence is a threat to Jordan and his friends, but Jordan can’t seem to shake the strange connection between them. When danger threatens, there’s little time for Daniel and Jordan to work out their feelings before lives are at stake.
Author Bio
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.
An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.
As writer of the popular “Ask Eros” advice column, Simon Beck has an answer to every relationship question his readers can throw at him. When it comes to his own life, the answers are a little more elusive—until computer troubles introduce him to the newest and cutest member of his company’s IT support team. Simon may be charmed by Benji’s sweet and unassuming manner, but will he find the answer to the one relationship question he has never been able to solve: how to know when he’s met Mr. Right?
Review
Simon is crushing on a one-night-stand/sometimes-hook-up named Andrew (who is a total douche!) when he meets Benji. Benji immediately feels right, looks right, makes him laugh and seems to really like Simon… so of course Simon screws it up and almost ruins the relationship before it can begin.
But… when Simon’s sweet dog gets sick, Benji is there to lend support and the two manage to start over – this time on the right foot.
From this point forward the relationship moves fairly quickly and steadily forward, using Simon’s articles on keeping the spice in your love life as a guide to explore one another and deepen their relationship.
There are some small obstacles and a couple big ones along the way, but in the end the couple has a very, very HEA and we are left with a huge smile on our face.
**
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and as we speak I am planning on reading the other book she has listed in GoodReads! I adored this book on so many levels!
First, I love that it is a story about a relationship. Not anything else. Just two boys falling in love and all that that entails.
Second, I absolutely adored both MCs. Benji is perfection. Nerdy, sweet, hot, funny, loyal… Simon is a little awkward, well-intentioned, a little vain, also hot, snarky but not mean, and just insecure enough to be endearing. The secondary characters are well-developed and add to the story without stealing the limelight.
Third, there’s a dog and a cat and as everyone knows, anyone who loves pets is good people.
Fourth, the sex is plentiful but does not overrun the story and is really purposeful in moving the relationship forward.
Fifth, the pop references, the snark, and they dialog are all very witty and fun.
Sixth, the emotions are sweet, real, imperfect but fantastic.
I had to read this all in one sitting because I was utterly captivated from page one. If you are in the mood for angst – this book is not for you. If you’re in the mood for a sweet love story involving real people and tender emotion – this is your book.
(Be forewarned, it’s written in third person narrative real time and this can be a little disconcerting at times – but it’s very well done and I honestly didn’t mind it a bit.)
“How about you? Did you always want to be a writer?”
“Yeah. I think I did.” He finally gives up on work completely and closes the laptop. “I mean. I guess what I write about is kind of pointless, but I wanted to be a poet once upon a time, so I guess it could be even more pointless,” he jokes.
Benji’s eyebrows knot. “It’s not. Why would it be pointless?”
Simon gives a humorless laugh. “I mean, I write a sex column for women. Not exactly moving prose or hard-hitting journalism.”
Benji scoots over little on the desk, sitting with his legs so close to where Simon is sitting low in his chair that he can smell Benji’s crisp laundry detergent and citrusy soap. He suddenly has to fight the urge to move a fraction to the left, press his nose to the inside seam of Benji’s jeans and breathe him in.
“You listen to people. You remind them that they’re valuable and worthy of love and respect. How is that not important?” Simon is struck speechless, chest tight and breath caught. Then Benji claps him on the shoulder and hops off the desk. “Come on. Let’s go have lunch.”
Pages or Words: 228 Pages
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
More than anything I want the readers of Spice to come away from the story with a sense of happiness. In a genre that sways towards heavy drama and heartache, I wanted to offer something fun and funny, and a look at a relationship that’s about two people who genuinely like and take pleasure in one another.
The overall message would probably be that a relationship itself can be a compelling story. I wanted to take the standard story beats of a Rom Com, make it a little more modern and honest, and then take it beyond that: What happens after the happily ever after? I wanted to settle into this relationship and bring the reader inside. What does this committed relationship look like? How does it feel? What are the ups and downs and joys and sorrows within it? I want readers to fall in love with Simon and fall in love with Benji right along with him. And then I want them to fall in love with their relationship.
Stories about heartache and angst are important, and interesting, and certainly something I enjoy. But with Spice I really started from a place of wanting something that was fun and joyful, and I believe that not only is there room in the romance genre for this sort of story, but that it’s important and interesting and the type of narrative I wish I’d seen more of when I was figuring out what love looks like. If a reader comes away at the end of Spice with a smile on their face, then that’s more than enough of a message for me.
Author Bio:
Lilah Suzanne has been writing actively since the sixth grade, when a literary magazine published her essay about an uncle who lost his life to AIDS. A freelance writer, she also authored a children’s book and has a devoted following in the online fan community.
Life isn’t always fair, and that’s something that Llewellyn Gardner knows about first hand. His life was on the fast track until one night of extreme passion changed everything. Now eight years later, he’s still living with the aftershocks of that night. Everywhere he turns or runs, there’s another reminder. What the hell do you do when you try to drown your demons only to find out they can swim?
Shane Smith, Jr. owner of Smith Construction, could see the emotional turmoil within his new employee — it’s why he hired him. There was something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man with the overly expressive eyes that came to their small town with a past no one was willing to overlook. Shane could see the good in Llewellyn, and those eyes of his were a clear window to his soul. Shane wasn’t going to let the man live a future of solitude because his past had been plagued with deceit.
Llewellyn wasn’t sure what to think about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, he was now faced with worry again. What would happen to him if Shane didn’t believe his truth and walked away? Llewellyn wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive being left alone. Again.
WoW, wow, WOW. Where do I start? This is how you measure how good a book is. When you want step into the storyline and open a box of a whoop ass on some of the characters while wanting to hug and kiss other characters. The book was appropriately named was such a great read. Llewellyn was truly defined by deceit. He was a man betrayed in probably one of the worst way possible by someone he loved and who he thought loved him in return. Almost a decade later, he was still defined by that lie, that lie that destroyed his life all those years ago.
I absolutely love this book. The beginning was heartbreaking. You were saddened by the life Llewellyn lost, his dreams snatched away from him. It was this rough and heartbreaking beginning that made his HEA all the more sweeter. If there was anyone who deserved a happy ending, it was Llewellyn. Along the way, I felt that angels were watching over him by placing people in his path that saved and sustained him. His brother Leslie whose love and loyalty helped keep him sane in and out of prison. Ace, whose protection and friendship also kept him sane and safe in prison. Then there’s Ms. Pat whose kindness and sweet spirit put him on the path to trusting in people again and Shane, whose love healed him.
I can’t come up with enough words to tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book. This is another great read from A.E. Via. Her characters, storyline, everything about this book was amazing. And the ending? It gave me life!
Blurb
