Audiobook Review: Best New Artist by B.A. Tortuga

Kasey “Tuff” Tuffman just told Nashville to kiss his you know what. After winning Best New Artist at an award show, he knows it’s time to head back home to Texas. So after a very public meltdown, Tuff makes his way to Austin, where the Red Dirt music lives large.

Jonah Littlejohn once loved KT more than anything in the world. When KT loses it on national TV, Jonah knows he has to reach out and offer his home studio as a place to heal and make music. A bad relationship has left Jonah broken and wary of romance, but he wants to help his old lover out.

Seeing Jonah again proves to Tuff that he’s made the right decision. Now all he has to do is convince Jonah that they’re the most perfect duet there’s ever been.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 3 minutes
Narrator: Brian Hutchison

KT has been in the music game a long time. He has toured, recorded, and sold albums. But after unexpectedly winning Best New Artist at a music award he has had enough of being stepped on in this game. With dramatic flair, he makes the acceptance speech of a lifetime and storms off stage to go home where he can hide and lick his wounds.

It has been years since Jonah has seen his first love, and the man who broke his heart. Since then he has much deeper battle scars than he could ever imagine, and all he wants to do is run his small time studio and enjoy his dogs. He never expected to see KT in person again, or offer him a place to hide out, but he does it, because he is curious and compassionate to his old lover’s plight.

Second chance stories are one of my favourite. Probably because it is the story of my life, and although it can be messy working through the minefield of old pain, it is worth it when people are older, wiser, and have a chance to really think about what happened in the past.

Jonah is damaged, severely, and KT doesn’t really understand why or how. But he is respectful of Jonah’s needs and space, he is also much more patient than he was when he was younger. He has plans to wait Jonah out until he gets to the bottom of what is going on inside him.

I loved how KT managed to win back Jonah’s trust, and allowed Jonah the time to trust himself again. They had something special and even though time and life took some chunks out of them, they managed to build something familiar but new with their friendship.

Brian Hutchinson is an amazing narrator. I fell in love with his voice. I listened to this for half of a 13 hour drive from Brisbane to Sydney and the scenery outside my window was the perfect backdrop for this book and Brian’s vocals. Everyone had a distinct voice in this story, and I really appreciated that. Brian was also able to bring out the personalities of each character and show me how unique they all were. I’m sure I would have loved the print version of this story, but with the right narrator, audio is always that something extra that makes a book stand out. He was a great choice for this story.

If you love second chance romance with musicians, I highly recommend this, especially in audio. CW for off page domestic violence and emotional abuse.

A review copy was provided for an honest opinion.

Review: Dirty Angel by Barbara Elsborg

Dying Sucks

Particularly when you discover there really is a hell. Aden thinks there’s no way he can avoid going down, but when an angel and demon can’t agree over his fate, Aden is given one more month to gain redemption. He doubts he can find a way to become a better man in so short a time. But it’s worth a try, right?

Living sucks 

Particularly when you can’t shake free of an obsessive ex. Brody might be managing to hold down his job as a vet, but his personal life is a mess. If he doesn’t pull himself together soon, he’s going to be sliding downhill too fast to stop. 

One wet night, on a dark country lane, two worlds collide and destinies change forever.

What a surreal reading experience. I'm not sure if Elsborg is some sort of precog or what, but I do know this was written and released pre-Orlando, but reading it post-Orlando inspired some existential feels. When did terrorist attacks become accepted as a part of the fabric of our existence? When did they become a plausible happenstance when leaving our homes? Back in the day the number one fear of going out was not getting picked up by the popo on the way home from the club not whether or not you'd make it home ALIVE. 

Aden goes out for an innocent night of fun and never gets to go home again. Instead he finds himself in a weird place with lots of ether about to stand judgment for his life. At first he thinks he's dreaming and can't wake up, but the fact that he can't remember going to sleep is troubling. Naturally, this got me thinking about those 49 people who maybe found themselves in a similar situation.

Needless to say I had some... moments but the level of romance Elsborg injected into Dirty Angel balanced out a lot of them. I found the experience soothing to an extent in the wake of yet another avoidable tragedy. 

Aden is given a second chance-one month to prove himself worthy of Heaven, to find out the meaning of love which will decide his fate. Heaven or Hell. He has the power to impact how his eternity will be spent. 

No money.
No lying.
No friends.
No phone.
No going home.
Seven chances at redemption.

Aden's truly not a bad person. He's been dealt a shit hand that has colored his worldview. He doesn't allow himself to get close to other people because they've repeatedly disappointed him. He has a tendency to be opportunistic and has used people, but he's far from diabolical.

"I've been lost all my life," Aden replied quietly. 

"Not lost," Brody squeezed his fingers. "Just undiscovered."

Brody and Aden meet almost immediately when Brody hits him with his car. Aden takes off for fear of having to explain things to the police/EMTs and is discovered camped out in Brody's horse's stall the next morning. I really loved that horse. Captain is fussy, kind of intimidating and highly intuitive. That horse is a keeper.

Brody's a veterinarian who's trying to keep a low profile due to a past abusive/obsessive relationship, so he's moved to the country to live on the family farm. Brody has also developed a rather unhealthy addiction to anonymous sex which has gotten out of hand.

Both men have pasts that have shaped them and continue to affect them in many ways and both must battle their pasts to a certain extent to gain what they want most.

"They prefer to swim in pairs with their tales linked. Sounds like fun, linking tails."

Elsborg is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors for a  couple of reasons. First and foremost, I appreciate that she doesn't sugarcoat life. Her characters usually have to contend with awful childhoods or tragedies or what have you, be able to come to grips with that before getting to the HEA which I find makes the reading experience more rewarding. Second, DAMN! can she bring the romance and the heat. This was swoony-I'm-gonna-pass-out romance. Sooooo much kissing and wanting and desire and sexiness.

Also, I liked getting my learn on with all the miscellaneous animal knowledge. The psycho ex-boyfriend storyline is predictable and the pieces fall together quickly, but that's not the focus of this book. Dirty Angel is about two men who have been knocked around in life figuring out if they're right for each other and trying to figure out how to get the love thing right. Or at least right enough to be with each other and make the most out of a second chance.

If you're looking for a romance that'll put a smile on your face and a swoon in your step, give this a try.

Trigger Warnings:  on page violence, mentions of childhood sexual abuse, on page rape and terrorist attack

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.

Review: Paint the Sky by Lily G. Blunt

A love of art...
A mutual interest in art draws two shy university students together. Ben admires Vinnie’s painting of the university building, so Vinnie invites him to an exhibition of his artwork. From a wealthy family, Ben purchases some of Vinnie’s art and arranges for the artist to personally hang the paintings in his apartment.

Starry, starry night...
Ben commissions Vinnie to paint his portrait, in order to spend more time with the artist. On the night of the sitting, Vinnie fingerpaints the starry night on Ben’s chest... and they kiss. They begin a relationship beneath the night sky, God’s own canvas.

But every relationship has its ups and downs and so it is with theirs. When Ben thinks Vinnie spends too much time with a fellow artist, his jealousy drives a wedge between them and forces Vinnie into the very thing Ben dreads.

Hold tight to your dreams...
Ben and Vinnie will have to walk through fire before they can find one another again. But if they believe, and if they keep their faith in the night sky and each other, just maybe they can make their dreams of love come true.

Oh so close to a 4 Heart rating but not quite there.

Did I enjoy Paint The Sky? ABSOLUTELY! Were there things about it that drove me crazy? ABSOLUTELY!

I loved the writing. Let me repeat, I LOVED THE WRITING. Now that you know I loved the writing I going to say that at times, epecially in the beginning, I felt it was too descriptive. Here's an example "Choosing lightweight, comfortable clothing from my ample wardrobe to wear for the morning, I dressed in front of the full-length mirror. After adding gel to my fashionably wayward hair, and slipping a single gold stud into my ear, I admired the final look with a smile." For me that was too much. However, most of the writing was beautiful and the descriptions painted a very real story for me. A story that captured my heart and kept me glued to the page.

I loved both main characters. Vinnie and Ben were each very likable in their own way. Ben was a playboy and Vinnie was the shy art student. Together they made the perfect couple. A couple you wanted to root for and see happy. Vinnie's brothers and sister were great supporting characters. One brother, Finn, was a bit of a snake at one point but I forgave him easily.

The story was good. It was a bit predictable at times but the romantic moments more than made up for it. My biggest issue was the big misunderstanding. I found this one to go on just a tad too long. The author does a good job but it still was a stretch for me. There was just too many missed opportunities. I also didn't understand Vinnie's family not getting more involved at that point. They were very involved in his life before he and Ben seperated yet they didn't do enough to help him when he was obviously miserable without Ben.

Paint The Sky does have a happy ending and it's a beautiful romance. I laughed, I cried, I raged and I swooned. This book has it all, including a few great sex scenes. Although not perfect, I would recommend Paint The Sky and I would definitely read more from this author. And OMG, lets all take a moment to appreciate the GORGEOUS cover. GAH!

A copy of this book was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

Find more info on Goodreads.