Review: Grounded by Aidan Wayne

Between raising his daughter Camille, his work as a full-time pastry chef, and his hobby of capoeira, Baz’s life is pretty full. He may be a little lonely, but he’s too busy to think about it all that much.

When his cousin Alaina introduces him to Terry, another capoeira student, Baz is instantly drawn to him. Though quiet and withdrawn, Terry ends up being a fun, interesting person who Baz can’t help but fall for. And when Baz does things, he doesn’t do them halfway.

Terry is a successful voice actor and a talented martial artist. But the fact that he’s shy, on top of being a trans man, has kept him from really dating. He likes Baz, he does—he just doesn’t want to mess up their friendship by failing at romance. Still, Baz is nothing if not stubborn, and Terry is willing to give things a try.

This story is pretty fluffy. I usually prefer a bit more depth with my stories but I didn’t mind this one as something light and short to fill up a few hours.

Baz is a really great character, and I enjoyed reading about him and his daughter, Camille. Their interactions were adorable, and I felt the author captured the nurturing side of Baz really well. He put himself out there with 100% surety that even if things didn’t go his way, he at least gave it his all. He handled his daughter with patience and care, and it was nice to read this type of father/daughter relationship instead of the strained relationship which is the usual trope.

Terry was a bit opaque. I felt like his character development was a bit stunted. I don’t know if this was intentional or if it was because we were always in Baz’s POV but I felt like I needed a bit more from him to feel good about the relationship between them.

I did enjoy the way they both navigated the relationship while trying to take care of how it may impact Camille. The author also managed to capture how children can be irrational and extreme when things change for them. This came across strongly in the story.

This was a fairly short story, 120 pages, but I felt like it captured the relationship between Baz and Terry and gave us enough solid foundation to believe in a HFN.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and would recommend this as an easy read with a very supportive and easy going main character (Baz). Unfortunately Terry was under-developed and needed a bit more to make me love him as much as Baz.

A review copy was provided by the publisher for an honest opinion

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Grounded by Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne and IndiGo Marketing visit the blog today with the Grounded blog tour! Find out more about this fluffy trans romance, read the exclusive excerpt and enter in the NineStar Press ebook giveaway!

Title: Grounded
Author: Aidan Wayne
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: August 21
Heat Level: 2 - Fade to Black Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 40000
Genre: Contemporary, chefs, children, contemporary, sports, gay, pansexual, trans

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35713199-grounded

Synopsis

Between raising his daughter Camille, his work as a full-time pastry chef, and his hobby of capoeira, Baz’s life is pretty full. He may be a little lonely, but he’s too busy to think about it all that much.

When his cousin Alaina introduces him to Terry, another capoeira student, Baz is instantly drawn to him. Though quiet and withdrawn, Terry ends up being a fun, interesting person who Baz can’t help but fall for. And when Baz does things, he doesn’t do them halfway.

Terry is a successful voice actor and a talented martial artist. But the fact that he’s shy, on top of being a trans man, has kept him from really dating. He likes Baz, he does—he just doesn’t want to mess up their friendship by failing at romance. Still, Baz is nothing if not stubborn, and Terry is willing to give things a try.

Exclusive Excerpt

Grounded
Aidan Wayne © 2017
All Rights Reserved

Baz called Alaina as soon as he got home, knowing she didn’t have class now. The only reason she hadn’t been in capoeira was because she was still working on her school project.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Alaina. How’s the schoolwork coming along?”

She let out a breath of air. “The video’s rendering now. Once it’s done, I’ll look it over to make sure it’s right, and then I can submit it. What’d I miss at capoeira?”

“We were practicing macaco em pé today, for the more advanced students.”

“Oh damn. I missed the last class where we did that. I’ve been wanting to learn it for weeks; I’m pretty good at my cartwheels, but I want to get those flips down.”

“Well, we’ve got a review week coming up. You can always learn it then. And I’m sure if you come to open time, Andre or Lydia wouldn’t mind teaching it to you.”

“Maybe. I can probably make it to open time tomorrow. Are you going?” Wednesdays were one of Baz’s days off.

“No. I don’t have to work on a routine for a while, so I figured me and Camille could take advantage of the evening and have a daddy-daughter night after we go to her kiddy-capoeira class.”

“Aw, nice. I bet she’ll love that.”

“I hope so.” He already had the dinner menu planned. “I can’t wait for July. It’ll be nice to be able to spend time with her on the regular, you know?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was soft. “I know.” Alaina understood best out of anybody how hard Baz worked.

“Speaking of spending time with people, I have a question for you about Terry?”

“Oh? Yeah?”

And abruptly, Baz realized he didn’t know what he wanted to ask. Or rather, he didn’t know how to ask without letting Alaina know he was interested, and he really didn’t want to be teased about it for the rest of his natural life. “He’s, uh, he’s kind of quiet, isn’t he?” Baz blurted out.

Alaina laughed. “I guess so? Quieter than we are. But he’s really nice. And I thought you had a good time with him on Thursday when you went to see that movie together.”

“I did. I was looking forward to seeing him today, but he wasn’t in class.”

“Aw. That’s a shame.”

“Yeah.”

“So what did you actually want to ask?” Trust Alaina to see right through him.

“Uh.” Damn it, Baz was an adult, he could come right out and say this. “He hasn’t, uh, has he ever mentioned a girlfriend or a boyfriend or anything?”

A short, sharp pause, then, “You like him!”

“I don’t know if I like him yet,” Baz said, mostly honestly, “But I figured I might as well find out if there was the possibility before I went ahead and decided that I did. Or didn’t.”

“Aw, I really wish I could help you. But he never has. He’s always been alone at capoeira, and even when we have meetups outside of class where we welcome plus-ones, he comes by himself, when he comes at all.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help more.”

“No, it’s okay. I was just wondering. It’s fine.”

“You were not ‘just wondering’ because you’ve never done a thing halfway in your life. If you’re asking me at all, it means you’re interested.”

Baz sighed and shifted on the couch. “Okay, fine, maybe a little. He was really fun at the movies. And he’s cute.”

“I knew it. I knew you two would get along great.”

“Hey now,” Baz objected, “you only know about me. Neither of us knows about Terry yet.”

“Are you going to try to find out?”

“Well, yeah. ‘Try’ being the operative word though. I don’t want to just point-blank ask him and freak him out.” He was pretty sure it would be some sort of faux pas anyway, not that he’d had any recent experience. It’d be nice if he could though; Baz very much believed in meeting problems head-on.

“Yeah, no, I’ve no idea if that’d freak him out. He’s not the most…social person right off the bat. You have to get him to open up.”

“I’ll work on it,” Baz said. “I’d planned to text him today anyway. At least keep up the conversation. I was going to tell him about class.”

“Oh, good idea.”

“Thanks.”

Purchase Links

NineStar Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/grounded/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B074MFRVQB
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/740858
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grounded-aidan-wayne/1126944849
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/grounded-35

Meet the Author

Aidan Wayne has been a jeweler, paralegal, neurofeedback technician, and martial arts instructor. And that’s not even the whole list. They’ve been in constant motion since before they were born (pity Aidan’s mom!)—and being born didn’t change anything. When not moving, Aidan is usually writing, so things tend to balance out. They primarily write character-driven stories with happy endings, because, dammit, queer people deserve happy endings too.

Aidan has several plants: Viola and Baby V., the African violets; George, the ponytail palm; Antigone, the orchid; and an unidentified succulent, the-plant-that-has-not-yet-been-named-but-is-often-called-Steve. They live with their plants on the seventh floor of an apartment building. The building has an elevator, but Aidan refuses to acknowledge its existence.

Author Links

Website: http://aidanwayne.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justsayins

Tour Schedule

8/21 Hoards Jumble http://dtorini.wordpress.com
8/21 Urban Smoothie Read http://www.urbansmoothie.com
8/21 Boy Meets Boy Reviews https://boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com
8/21 Happily Ever Chapter https://www.facebook.com/happilyeverchapter
8/22 The Novel Approach http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com
8/23 Hearts On Fire Reviews www.heartsonfirereviews.com
8/23 A Book Lover's Dream Book Blog http://abookloversdreambookblog.com
8/24 Bayou Book Junkie http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com
8/24 Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews http://wickedreviews.blogspot.com
8/25 love bytes reviews www.lovebytesreviews.com
8/25 Stories That Make You Smile https://authoraddisonalbright.com
8/25 Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words https://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com

One lucky winner will receive an ebook of their choice from NineStar Press


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Giveaway + Blog Tour: Making Love by Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne is here today for the Making Love tour. Be sure to enter for your chance to win a $15 Riptide credit below!

Hey everyone, Aidan Wayne here! Wanted to welcome you to the blog tour for my latest release, Making Love. Throughout the week I will be sharing behind-the-scenes information about Making Love, and the inspiration behind it. Please feel free to participate in and comment on the tour. By doing so, you also get the chance to receive a $15 Riptide gift card!

About Making Love

Carla the cupid is an excellent shot, but her chemistry is so bad that most of her matches don’t last. Her dream is to shoot a True Love pair, but until her scores improve, she’s relegated to the Puppy Love division of Aphrodite Agency.

Leeta, a succubus, is looking for a True Love match. Which is highly unusual, as most succubi are aromantic. But Aphrodite Agency—her only hope—turns her away because the receptionist can’t believe she’s not just looking for an easy meal.

Carla agrees to take Leeta’s case on freelance. She figures it’s a win-win: Carla gets to put a succubus’s True Love match on her résumé, and Leeta gets to find her True Love! Except as Carla tries to find a match for Leeta, she finds herself maybe . . . relieved when the matches don’t end well. And Leeta seems to be getting pickier and pickier. Things will never work out until Carla learns enough about chemistry to figure out who’s truly best for Leeta, and until Leeta can admit what—or who—she truly wants.

Now available from Riptide Publishing. http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/making-love

About Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne is a big believer in character-driven stories with happy endings. This is not to say that stories can’t contain a little (or a lot) of grief, just that at the end of it all expect there to be bandages and hugs. They particularly like to write about minority characters because damn it, they deserve happy endings too.

When not writing, Aidan enjoys practicing aerial, martial arts, and ASL, and watching reality cooking shows. They are probably in the middle of twelve projects as you read this.

Tumblr: justsayins.tumblr.com
Twitter: @justsayins
Website: aidanwayne.wordpress.com

To celebrate the release of Making Love, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 4, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review: Counterbalance by Aidan Wayne

John loves his job as head rigger for Cirque Brilliance. The heavy scarring over half his face makes it a little hard to meet new people, but John's got a good crew and a nice found family, and he’s content with his lot in life.

When Cirque hires talent for a new show, John meets Bao, a bright, ever-cheerful acrobat. Bao seems drawn to John and becomes a constant presence at his side—talking to him during downtime, spending time with him at lunch, and generally seeking out his company.

John doesn't know what to make of this. Sure, he likes Bao—maybe a little too much, honestly—but he’s had enough experience to know that Bao couldn’t possibly like him back. Or so he thinks, anyway. Fortunately, Bao seems determined to prove him wrong.

This is so sweet!

Aidan Wayne really knows how to write feel-good books. Reading a story of these is a promise of a smile threatening to split my face in two.

They are kind of theatre plays.

Basically they are about two characters with flaws, but this kind of flaws that are not really defects, but an aspect of their lives that prevents them from really looking for happiness because of the fear of how they will be viewed and judged by society. The problem is, this view and judgment they are scared of focuses only on the superficial aspects rather than the real person beneath. The characters grow thanks to the other one, they get free of their chains and embrace and cherish what’s truly important of themselves. Or at least, they find the way to go there.

John’s surname in the Cirque is Phantom. It’s no wonder why that is, as half his face is scarred, like part of his body. People try not to get close to him if they can help it.

Until Bao.

Bao is the new Chinese acrobat. He is cheerful and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He loves talking to everybody. And, apparently, he seems to like to be close to John more than to anybody else.

John doesn’t know what to make of it. At first, he has no clue why someone like Bao would want to do anything with something like him. At first, he tells himself Bao is nice to everybody, and for once, he doesn’t make an exception with him. At first, he tells himself Bao just want him as a friend.

However, John begins to wish for something more, things that he gave up ages ago: a connection with someone. Love. He tries to lower his expectations, to extinguish hope before it ever has the chance to sparkle. He can be described as deliberately obtuse, but you also understand his reasons to be so blind, even when reality is so painfully obvious.

Because he knows it’s not possible. For someone to love him. For Bao to love him.

Is it?

Bao is adorbs. John is too cute for words. Their interactions made me hop on my seat. The action goes smoothly and their closeness happens naturally, without forcing the situation, which, by the length of the book, is impressive.

Bao can be considered too bright, too perfect, too selfless. But hey, John is the epitome of a generous heart, too. This may feel more like a fairy tale than the real world. But in the Cirque magic happens, right?

All in all, I can see this relationship being developed beyond that open ending, resulting in a great novel. In fact, I’m curious enough to know how this author is when writing a full story.

Add to your shelf on Goodreads or Booklikes!

Don't forget to visit the Counterbalance blog tour here and enter the giveaway!

Giveaway + Blog Tour: Counterbalance by Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne is here to promote their latest release, Counterbalance (which we reviewed here) Leave a comment below for a chance to win a $20 Riptide Publishing credit.

 About Aidan Wayne

Aidan Wayne is a big believer in character-driven stories with happy endings. This is not to say that stories can’t contain a little (or a lot) of grief, just that at the end of it all expect there to be bandages and hugs. They particularly like to write about minority characters because damn it, they deserve happy endings too.

When not writing, Aidan enjoys practicing aerial, martial arts, and ASL, and watching reality cooking shows. They are probably in the middle of twelve projects as you read this.

Tumblr: justsayins.tumblr.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justsayins

Website: aidanwayne.wordpress.com

About Counterbalance

John loves his job as head rigger for Cirque Brilliance. The heavy scarring over half his face makes it a little hard to meet new people, but John's got a good crew and a nice found family, and he’s content with his lot in life.

When Cirque hires talent for a new show, John meets Bao, a bright, ever-cheerful acrobat. Bao seems drawn to John and becomes a constant presence at his side—talking to him during downtime, spending time with him at lunch, and generally seeking out his company.

John doesn't know what to make of this. Sure, he likes Bao—maybe a little too much, honestly—but he’s had enough experience to know that Bao couldn’t possibly like him back. Or so he thinks, anyway. Fortunately, Bao seems determined to prove him wrong.

Purchase from Riptide: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/counterbalance

To celebrate the release of Counterbalance, one lucky winner will receive $20 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 17, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review: Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne

Jaxon is getting by fine, severe dyslexia or not. Being a cab driver means he doesn’t need to read much, and the job has its perks. The pay isn’t bad, the people can be interesting, and having memorized the city streets keeps him from feeling too stupid.

When he picks up Caleb, a quiet fare in a nice suit, Jaxon doesn't think anything of it. Then he ends up driving Caleb home the next week too, and the next, and the next. Eventually Caleb tries to communicate—by writing things down. Turns out that Caleb has such a bad stutter he spends most of his time mute.

If only Jaxon had an easier time reading what Caleb had to say. But he’s interested in trying, and Caleb seems interested back. They discover that, with a little bit of effort, it isn’t so hard to make themselves understood. Especially when what’s growing between them is definitely worth talking about.

Disabilities are not defects.

Because they're not.

I jumped at the chance to take a chance on new author, Aidan Wayne after reading the blurb. And this story was more than either man's disability, it was more about letting someone in when you've had to fight harder to make your place in this world. This is a slow burn romance and more about opening yourself when you've learned it's better to be closed off...but there is something about the other man that made them give a chance.

Dyslexic cab driver Jaxon picks up an easy fare on a Tuesday night. His tipsy fare didn't talk much, wore a sexy business suit, appeared to have a cold demeanor and tipped well. This became a pattern, his routine fare nary saying a word until one Tuesday, Jaxon got a little written note on his receipt. Out of normal routine, Jaxon was curious about his Tuesday fare, who was intoxicated but never tried answering back at Jaxon's attempt at small talk. This pattern continued for several weeks until his handsome Tuesday fare cancelled his Tuesday night bar pick ups.

Jaxon's mind for memorizing comes in handy when he had a chance to save his Tuesday fare and thus begins a tentative friendship. When they discovered their communication issues, they didn't make a big stink or tried to ignore each other. They found middle ground and learned a few new things about themselves.

Loud and Clear isn't about their disabilities. They play background to both men who carry damaged baggage.I loved learning about them and their background (though I felt it could've went deeper for Caleb) Jaxon comes from humble beginnings, has low self esteem, think of himself as "stupid" since mostly everyone thinks he is and tells him. Caleb is a wealthy marketing and research developer who had specialists, went to expensive special schools and uses ASL to communicate when his stuttering is bad. Both men had barely anything in common except for their disabilities and people's perceptions of them.

Since the story was slow burn, the men take time to get to know one another and I felt it as believable. The author clearly did their research and didn't make it read like a manual. (If there was any incorrect facts, I didn't notice) I love that the story was light in tone, low angst, and basically let the characters be the stars. The setting could be any city really. The author didn't really give much detail in either main character's description, letting their personalities and actions be the driver. (Badda bing!)


Jaxon! He stole my heart in this story. He was so sweet, took the time to try to bridge the gap, even when he was filled with trepidation at points. He is a great character and good soul. I took slight longer to like Caleb but I got where he was coming from and sometimes resting bitch face can be misconstrued.

Were there any issues with the story? I didn't find much really. The story might've hit a lull in some spots. I questioned Caleb diagnosing Jaxon as quickly. (How'd he pinpoint dyslexia from one conversation?) Overall, reading this was infectious.


There wasn't any sex, this story didn't need it. It was mere kisses and sweet. It ends with a HFN, a starting point and though I wouldn't mind another chapter to the last scene, I think it ended in a good spot, where feelings are developing.

I will end this review with stating my beginning statement once more: disabilities are not defects. Loud and Clear showed that disabilties can help people develop a bond.

A copy provided via Netgalley and publisher for an honest review

Check out on Goodreads or Booklikes!