Audiobook Tour: Leap of Faith by C F White

Author C.F. White and Gay Book Promotions host today's audiobook tour stop for Leap of Faith! Read more about the Piers Ryman narrated enemies to lovers romance today!

AUDIOBOOK TOUR

Book Title: Leap of Faith 

Author: C F White

Publisher: C F White

Narrator: Piers Ryman

Release Date: August 14, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Age-gap, enemies to lovers, slow burn 

Themes: Found family 

Heat Rating: 4 flames   

Length:  9 hours and 13 minutes

It is a standalone story, although the story continues as a web serial on my website with the first chapter available to download for free in audio after signing up to my newsletter.

The book does not end on a cliffhanger, although there is a possibility of continuation as mentioned above. 

Goodreads

Buy Links

Audible US  |   Audible UK   

Amazon US  |   Amazon UK

Sometimes all you need is a little push 

Blurb 

Running from his shattered gymnastics career, Charlie Avrill’s one hope for redemption is the strange and colourful world of the circus. His skills should make him a good fit for seasoned performer, Darius Lungo. But Darius won’t compromise his high stakes act for just anyone.

Still mourning the loss of his performance partner who unexpectedly abandoned the show, Darius’s heart can’t take another temporary filler. No matter how perfect Charlie might seem at first glance. But the circus is dying, and Darius owes his bosses a stellar act to sell.

Putting their differences aside to recreate the star attraction, Darius and Charlie grow closer with each rehearsal. But Charlie’s only in the ring for a one-night-only performance and the circus is due at its next stop—off the island and into Europe.

Can Charlie push aside his fears and take the leap of faith to change his entire life? And, if he does, will Darius still be there to catch him?

Leap of Faith is a standalone age-gap, enemies to lovers, mm romance where the twists and turns don’t only happen in the ring.

About the Author

Brought up in a relatively small town in Hertfordshire, C F White managed to do what most other residents try to do and fail—leave.

Studying at a West London university, she realised there was a whole city out there waiting to be discovered, so, much like Dick Whittington before her, she never made it back home and still endlessly search for the streets paved with gold, slowly coming to the realisation they’re mostly paved with chewing gum. And the odd bit of graffiti. And those little circles of yellow spray paint where the council point out the pot holes to someone who is supposedly meant to fix them instead of staring at them vacantly whilst holding a polystyrene cup of watered-down coffee.

Eventually she moved West to East along that vast District Line and settled for pie and mash, cockles and winkles and a bit of Knees Up Mother Brown to live in the East End of London; securing a job and creating a life, a home and a family.

After her second son was born with a rare disability, C F White’s life changed and it brought pen back to and paper after having written stories as a child but never had the confidence to show them to the world. Now, having embarked on this writing journey, C F White can’t stop. 

So strap in, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.  

Author Links

Twitter @CFWhiteUK  |  Facebook  |  Blog

Instagram  |  Newsletter Sign-up

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Let Your Heart Smile by JB Buell

Author J.B. Buell and Gay Book Promotions celebrate new JMS Books release, Let Your Heart Smile! Discover more about the circus themed friends to lovers romance and enter in the giveaway to win your own eBook copy!

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Let Your Heart Smile 

Author: JB Buell

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: JM Snyder/JMS Books 

Release Date: July 31, 2021 

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Friends to lovers

Themes: Hurt/comfort, reunited, pining, happy ending, disability, interracial relationship, different languages, travelling circus, clowns.

Heat Rating:  1 flame   

Length: 15 015 words

It is a standalone story with no cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

JMS Books  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Who can make this sad clown smile again?

Blurb

Niki Georgiev lives and works in Draganov's Flying circus as a disabled clown. Each day he paints a smile onto his face, though he hasn't felt like smiling for some time.

When the circus gets a new act in, flashy stunt bike riders, Niki gets a surprise. His childhood friend Conner Flinn is one of the riders and has returned to the circus a big star.

Niki doesn't expect Conner to remember him, much less want to spend time with him as he's just one of the clowns.

But not only does Conner notice Niki, he also asks him to join his act. Will Niki finally have a reason to smile?

Excerpt 

Niki turned around to see it was Conner, flanked by two more people. His stunt team, most likely, as they were all in costume.

The pretty Black woman with curly hair on Conner's right was in a red catsuit with a zip up front, and white stars down her arms and legs. The cute Black guy on Conner's left was in a similar suit of blue and white stars, with a deep V-cut on the chest held together by see-through mesh to show off pecs and abs.

And Conner, his suit had the same deep V-cut with the see-through panel, showing off some serious muscle definition there. Niki's eyes didn't know where to land. He noticed that Conner's costume was red, white, and blue like the American flag.

"Niki," Conner said, gesturing at his companions, "this is Jesse, and Dwight. Guys, this is Niki."

"Nice to finally meet you," Jesse said, offering out her hand. "Conner hasn't shut up about you since we got here."

Niki was mildly surprised, but he shook hands with her, forever thankful he had his right arm so he didn't have to offer the wrong hand in social situations.

"Hey, man, how's it going," Dwight said, offering his hand next. "Looking forward to hearing any embarrassing stories you got about Conner."

Niki smiled wickedly. "Oh, there's plenty of those. Now please tell me you guys wear protective gear when you ride?"

This had them smiling and Dwight pointing a finger at Conner. "I told you people would ask!" Dwight said.

"We do, though," Conner replied. "Yeah, don't worry, Niki, we got the proper bike leathers to put on, and helmets of course."

"Well, good," Niki said, not quite able to let go of his old health and safety habits. "Make sure you wear them."

"We will," Jesse assured him. "We just came out to do some promo so we put on our pretty gear."

He glanced between Conner and Dwight, then gestured at their chests. "You should cover up all those rippling muscles, there's kids out here, y'know."

He was only teasing. All the big acts wore revealing Spandex, that was half the attraction.

Conner and Dwight found his joke highly amusing and laughed about it.

"This is why I have a zip," Jesse said, tugging the zipper on her chest. "Zip it down a bit for promo, and zip it up again later when there's kids about. It's so practical."

"Yeah." Dwight laughed. "And you can always tell if Jesse likes someone when the zipper comes down a little more while she's talking to them."

Jesse swatted him on the arm as she laughed. "Stop giving away all my secrets, man."

"Uh, why don't you guys go on ahead," Conner said to them. "I'll catch you up in a minute."

"Sure, Flinn." Dwight waggled his eyebrows at Conner, as Jesse pushed him away.

"C'mon, Dwight," she said, tugging Dwight with her. "It was great meeting you!" she said to Niki as they left.

"You, too," Niki replied, then looked at Conner. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Conner blinked in confusion. "Nothing's wrong. Why?"

"Oh. I thought something was wrong?"

"No?" Conner broke into a grin. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh," Niki said, as a blush broke out over his face. Never had he been so thankful for his thick clown make-up.

"Do you want to hang out between shows tonight?" Conner asked.

"Um, sure."

"Great!" Conner grinned at him. "I'll come find you. Will you be in this outfit?"

"Yes," Niki said, feeling shy all over again. "I'm Cho-cho the clown now."

"I like this bit," Conner said, reaching out to touch the ruffle around Niki's neck. "You look like that little clown doll my mom used to collect."

"Pierrot," Niki said. "Yeah, that's the idea."

"It's cute." Conner smiled. "You make a cute clown."

An approaching parent with a kid interrupted them, and Conner took his cue to leave. He waved to the little kid as he walked by. He really did look amazing in that figure hugging costume.

Niki noticed the mom gape after Conner's retreating form, and he had to press his lips together so he didn't smile.

Me, too, lady, he thought.

About the Author 

J.B. Buell is a non binary writer (they/them) of m/m romance and gay rom com stories. They are a cat person, and can’t decide if they’re more of a coffee or tea person but is quite happy to drink both.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |   Twitter

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win

an ebook copy of Let Your Heart Smile.

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Review: The Silksmith's Girl by Reece Pine

Bearded woman Rudolph joined the circus to find a wealthy husband. The star attraction, the lofty silksmith, shares his caravan and his bed with her while he helps her to arrange marriage meetings in the towns they visit. But as she meets and rejects each suitor, Rudolph realizes the only person she really wants is the silksmith himself…

Where to start... well, let's start at the beginning. I chose this book for three reasons: (1) I've been trying to broaden my QUILTBAG horizons beyond the B, G, Q and T and this story has an intersex character; (2) the LT3P website listed bondage in the content notes. How am I to resist bondage? I'm not made of stone!; (3) the cover. That cover is sexy.

Within the first chapter I knew. Even though it's only six chapters these were the longest six chapters I've muddled through in recent memory.

My primary issue is the writing style. It's showy, ostentatious and hard to follow. Example:

Just as he had commanded attention during his act, he stole the center of gravity in the room from me, at once an older more illustrious star illuminating the belt of homely detritus scattered around us.

I mean, YAY for Pine for being master and commander of the English language but what? There is purple and there's... whatever exceeds purple. Sentences filled with metaphors, some of which were, admittedly, really beautifully crafted, but is it necessary for every sentence to be a quarter of a mile long and riddled with metaphors? Purple done well and with a purpose I can do, but this? Apparently, I've found my purple limit. 

There's an odd juxtaposition between the grandiose writing style and the dialogue, like going from champagne to Schlitz. It's jarring especially when considering we're supposedly reading this from Rudolph's first person perspective. Why does she think like Margaret Thatcher yet talk like Eliza Doolittle? 

Cheers to that.

All the flowery words and ambiguous prose got in the way of this story, IMO. Though without them and the numerous sex scenes this novella would've been more along the lines of a pamphlet. So, there is that. There's little relationship or character development and the plot itself is dull. My inability to understand what motivates these characters, understand their connection or understand their actions precluded me from connecting to them.

The gist is Rudolph is intersex with a beard and insists she's a "girl". Not a lady or a woman, a girl. Why she finds the differentiation necessary IDK. Of course, she joins the carnival with the primary objective of finding a suitable husband. How the two are related continues to elude me. She almost immediately meets, and is swooning over, the silksmith. We never learn his name which shouldn't have surprised me since we didn't learn Rudolph's name until the mid-thirtieth percentile range. IDK if it's a D/s thing or he refuses to tell her or if he just keeps forgetting or if it's an attempt to foster intrigue. I just don't know.

The silksmith's fondness for endearments... *sigh* I like and endearment as much as the next person but most have the one go-to endearment for their beloved. I'm not sure if he feels like one endearment is for quitters or if there's some sort of memory issue at play because he calls her poppy and puffin and poinsettia and pumpkin and Christ, I can't remember them all. Why do they all start with 'P'? WHHHHYYYYY??????? Is there some sort of significance? 

I'm assuming this a historical novella, but yet again, I'm not sure because there's nothing to indicate when or where it takes place. Considering the content and descriptions of this circus it could be historical or AU. Who the fuck knows? And at this point, I have zero fucks to give. I am T-I-R-E-D.

There is a significant amount of sex and not a lot of bondage. Figures. And guess what? There were some seriously awkward descriptors of the sexy times. I mean, to each their own but... ewww. Since when is the word "chew" sexy? I could go on but... on second thought, no. No, I really can't.

The cherry on top of this awkward AF sundae was the ending. It was strange and slightly depressing. Of course it was.

I truly feel like a bitch in a china shop writing a bomb review on the release day of a new author, but truly nothing worked for me. I won't deny that Pine can turn a phrase, but I felt like I needed a magic decoder ring to understand this novella's vague and muzzy prose and that more than anything else frustrated me. 

I can't recommend this novella nor can I envision reading something else from this author in the future.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley.

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!