Showing posts with label Deaf. Show all posts

Guest Review: Compassion Fatigue (Marisburg Chronicles #1) by Emily Carrington

Peter Campbell, a deaf man who teaches sign language classes, believes no one would ever love a bisexual man. When his new veterinarian, Dr. Abe Yoshida, shows him he’s wrong, Peter is left with the monumental task of coming out to his teenage daughter. Can his growing love for Abe give him the courage he needs?

The holidays are the worst time for Dr. Abe. He recently lost a patient, and the circumstances leave him struggling under a burden of guilt. Adding to his depression, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, he finds himself the victim of anti-Asian hate crimes. Then he meets Peter, a compassionate, partially in the closet bisexual man. Will Abe let love heal his heart, or will suicide’s sour music bewitch his soul?

Trigger Warning: Deals with Asian Hate Crimes, COVID-19, depression and suicidal thoughts in characters with disabilities, which may be triggers for some readers.

Reviewer: Shee Reader

This is a moving story that carries a whole slew of trigger warnings. It is a sensitively written and enjoyable story that doesn’t shy away from some huge issues that are so very prevalent in our ongoing pandemic world.

It is refreshing to have a main character who is bisexual, though Peter has some seriously internalised bi-phobia which is a little hard to read. Our other leading man has serious mental health problems, with Abe struggling with suicidal thoughts. The balance is a tricky one and some bits of the book are clunky and a touch heavy, but I liked that this wasn’t a formulaic happy romance novel. This was a pair of vulnerable men who found the strength to be what the other needed.

I really enjoyed this unusual book and a new-to-me author.

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Compassion Fatigue (Marisburg Chronicles #1) by Emily Carrington

Author Emily Carrington and IndiGo Marketing share new release info on Compassion Fatigue (Marisburg Chronicles #1) from Changeling Press! Read more about the contemporary romance and enter in the giveaway!

Title: Compassion Fatigue

Series: Marisburg Chronicles 1

Author: Emily Carrington

Publisher: Changeling Press LLC

Release Date: July 23

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 101 pages

Genre: Romance, Medical Romance, Multicultural & Interracial, Second Chances, Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis

The holidays are the worst time for Dr. Abe. He recently lost a patient, and the circumstances leave him struggling under a burden of guilt. Adding to his depression, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, he finds himself the victim of anti-Asian hate crimes. Then he meets Peter, a compassionate, partially in the closet bisexual man. Will Abe let love heal his heart, or will suicide’s sour music bewitch his soul?

Trigger Warning: Deals with Asian Hate Crimes, COVID-19, depression and suicidal thoughts in characters with disabilities, which may be triggers for some readers.

Excerpt

The man was only a little shorter than Peter himself. He had beautiful dark brown hair and eyes that turned up just a little. Like an Elf’s eyes, Peter thought.

His sleeves were rolled to the elbows, and he had obvious muscles in his forearms. Oh, but that was hot. The only thing that marred Peter’s initial take on the doc was the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

They shook. The doctor’s hand was dry, his grip strong. Peter swore his heart skipped a beat when he saw the pink triangle in the Dr’s ear.

Then he was distracted because Dr. Yoshida was distracted… by Tracks rubbing up against his legs. The veterinarian’s smile touched his eyes briefly as he crouched to pet the bold and unexpectedly friendly tom.

When he moved to pick up Tracks, Peter put his hand out first. When the doctor was looking at him, Peter shook his head and signed, “Allow me.”

“All right,” Yoshida signed back. He straightened and pointed to a little square box that Peter knew was a cat scale.

Peter placed Tracks in, and the doctor checked the reading. Then, glancing at Peter, he signed, “May I pick him up?”

Well, he’d have to eventually. Peter realized his earlier reticence had been foolish. He nodded. And to his amazement, when Dr. Yoshida picked up Tracks, the cat half closed his eyes in obvious pleasure.

Peter reached out and stroked his pet, feeling the purr.

After a brief but thorough examination, Dr. Yoshida set Tracks down to let him wander. Then he smiled at Peter and signed, “I’m Abe Yoshida. You have a very healthy cat there. Very friendly.”

“He is to you,” Peter signed back. “He’s usually uncomfortable with strangers, especially in new places.”

The vet nodded. “Is this just a meet-and-greet then?”

“Yes.”

“Candace, the vet tech who showed you in here, said you used to go to Dr. Jamison over in Colton.”

Peter nodded. “Since he’s closed, I thought I’d look closer to home for another vet. And I honestly wanted to be able to talk via more than gestures and text messages. One of my students gave me your name. I teach at the school for the deaf attached to Colton University.”

Abe Yoshida smiled a little and asked with his hands, “Which student would that be? I’ve never treated an animal accompanied by a deaf child.”

“Keiko Neil.”

Abe’s eyes widened and he grinned for real this time. “You teach my niece.”

Peter smiled back because that grin was contagious and made the doctor even more handsome, if that was possible. “I can see the family resemblance,” he signed.

“Her parents are stationed in another state but they wanted her to have the best, so they sent her here. Close enough for me to check on her if necessary but also give her some independence. Is she behaving herself?”

“She’s very bright,” Peter prevaricated.

Abe raised one eyebrow. “That’s not an answer,” he pointed out silently.

Peter smirked. “She’s very spirited, but I like her.”

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Meet the Author

Emily Carrington is a multipublished author of male/male and transgender erotica. Seeking a world made of equality, she created SearchLight to live out her dreams. But even SearchLight has its problems, and Emily is looking forward to working all of these out with a host of characters from dragons and genies to psychic vampires.

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Review: Honeymoon for One by Keira Andrews

The wedding is off, but the love story is just beginning.

Betrayed the night before his wedding by the supposed boy of his dreams, Ethan Robinson escapes the devastating fallout by going on his honeymoon alone to the other side of the world. Hard of hearing and still struggling with the repercussions of being late-deafened, traveling by himself leaves him feeling painfully isolated with his raw, broken heart.

Clay Kelly never expected to be starting life over in his forties. He got hitched young, but now his wife has divorced him and remarried, his kids are grown, and he’s left his rural Outback town. In a new career driving a tour bus on Australia’s East Coast, Clay reckons he's happy enough. He enjoys his cricket, a few beers, and a quiet life. If he's a bit lonely, it's not the end of the world.

Clay befriends Ethan, hoping he can cheer up the sad-eyed young man, and a crush on an unattainable straight guy is exactly the safe distraction Ethan needs. Yet as the days pass and their connection grows, long-repressed desires surface in Clay, and they are shocked to discover romance sparking. Clay is the sexy, rugged man of Ethan’s dreams, and as the clock counts down on their time together, neither wants this honeymoon to end.

Honeymoon for One is a gay romance by Keira Andrews featuring a May-December age difference, a slow burn of newfound friends to lovers, first-time m/m sex, and of course a happy ending.

We've got Clay

Typical Aussie bloke, mid 40s.

We've got Ethan

Little bit neurotic, has needed to grow up well before his age. Late 20s.

I loooove me a good may-december romance and this one was swoooon worthy!!

Ethan gets the shock of his life the day before his wedding and I actually really loved all the intricacies of every conversation revolving around that incident. It was much more in-depth and well thought out than any other book I'd read with the same trope.

Anyway, after that Ethan decides to go on his honeymoon by himself and watching his emotional turmoil was heartbreaking, but sooo good because we knew Clay was coming.

Clay is your typical laid back Aussie bloke. He cares fiercely for those he loves and doesn't let much in life faze him. He's the perfect ying to Ethan's neurotic yang. Although he doesn't know that yet because he's denied being gay for so long, so doesn't recognise the signs until they slap him in the dick. There was a tinsy bit of drama around his denial but nothing as bad as you might expect and I thought it was necessary for Clay to be able to move on.

The connection between these two is slow and powerful. You could feel how much each man needed the other, they're friendship was beautiful and they're relationship was full of such happiness and love. Oh and sex. Lots of yum sex.

Highly recommend this to anyone who wants a contemporary romance that's actually romantic.

Review: La Famiglia (Men of Gilead #2) by Deanna Wadsworth

Forrester Giordano comes from a huge, nosy Italian family, and with their homophobic jokes and slurs, he’s decided to stay in the closet. He finds respite in his bookstore in the quaint village of Gilead—where he has a huge crush on one of his customers, Kyle Benson.

Kyle is determined to live his dreams, and though life isn’t easy being deaf, one by one he’s making them come true. He’s scored a great job practicing law, bought a cute bungalow where he can finally have a big flower garden, and he has a dog he loves, Jasper. Now he just needs one thing to complete his happiness: a family of his own to make up for the one he never had.

Forrester and Kyle’s relationship starts off hot and heavy, and neither man can deny the depth of their connection. When Forrester’s little brother gets mixed up with their heroin-dealing cousin and his mother falls ill, Forrester has a decision to make—maybe the hardest of his life. For the first time, he’s found a man worth coming out for.

Unfortunately nothing ever goes according to plan with la famiglia.

I’ve got to say that this has a lot going for it, as it boasts a gentle giant who owns a bookstore and falls in love with the gorgeous newcomer with a disability and a painful past. The only thing is, said gentle giant is in the closet.

Yes, lately I haven’t been able to enjoy this sort of set up as much as I used to, but I liked the first book The Rhubarb Patch and its small town setting, so I wanted to give the sequel a chance. For the most part it succeeds.

Forrester is a really down to earth guy, kinda the odd man out amongst his other 3 burly brothers, but he loves his big fat Italian family - he just can’t say with 100% that they’ll love him back if he reveals his true self. Unfortunately, he has some reason for doubt due to a fractious history with his now deceased dad who had a predisposition to spout off bigoted statements. Thus, Forrester fears there’s a possibility that the rest of his relatives feel the same way, and he’s not going to rock the boat if he doesn’t have to. However, Kyle quickly becomes more than a crush, and he knows he’ll have to make some tough decisions and soon.

Kyle, in turn is equally wonderful, seeing the best in Forrester, never pressuring him, knowing that coming out is a very personal choice. Kyle also knows what it feels like when said choices and autonomy are taken away and the feeling of fear and helplessness that comes along with it. His past is particularly awful, where he was horrifically betrayed by the one person who should've kept him safe, using Kyle’s disability against him in the worst way. Because of this, Kyle wholeheartedly supports Forrester regardless of the fact that he wants to be open about being with the protective big guy, but he’s willing to wait since he finally feels safe due to Forrester’s careful care and consideration.

So, despite the hiding and the secrets, the strength of this story lies with both MC’s. Their relationship may start a bit fast once their attraction is made known, but the growing feelings evolve and mature at a good pace. It of course doesn’t hurt that both characters are really really likeable, and this was full of family crazy dynamics, sexy and tender loving, and a good amount of hurt comfort. I admit for me, Wadsworth is a tad quirky where certain things stood out, but I’m invested in this series now and should there be more stories about the characters from this quaint town, I’ll gladly revisit Gilead again.

Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Trust Trade (Gem City Grit #1) by Ki Brightly

Life hasn’t been good to Jeb Birchman. When he attempted to escape his abusive, zealot father, he found himself on the streets, making a living the only way he knew how, the victim of more violent men—one of whom orchestrates a series of vicious attacks that leave Jeb deaf. Now that he’s aged beyond his latest client’s interest, Jeb knows he needs to escape his risky lifestyle before it’s too late. Seeing one last chance for himself, he earns a GED and enrolls in college.

Freddy Williams enjoys a life that couldn’t be more different from what Jeb has survived. He loves sports, being a personal trainer, and hanging out with friends. The son of deaf parents, Freddy is an outspoken advocate of the Deaf community and works as an interpreter at his college. When he meets Jeb at the bookstore, he’s struck by how attractive he is, and as they get to know each other, he finds Jeb’s good heart just as appealing. By the time he learns of Jeb’s past, it’s only a few steps behind them, and Freddy must make a choice between school and his familiar routine and protecting the man he’s falling in love with.

The violence in the beginning of this story is pretty distressing, and I just want to put a warning out there that this could be a trigger for abuse survivors. Especially those who have survived but live with a disability as a result of violence against them. Be in a good place before you pick this up, and have someone on call. It is a short scene, but it doesn’t hold anything back, so tread with care.

Jeb has had a pretty rough ride in life, but he’s doing okay, and he’s getting by, wanting to do something with his life, other than sell himself, so he’s off to college. Freddie is a student at the same college, and is also an interpreter of ASL as a result of having two deaf parents.
They meet in the on campus bookstore and Freddie is infatuated, while Jeb is wary but hopeful that he has made a friend.

There were a fair few issues with this story, surrounding Freddie’s privilege and judgment of Jeb’s past. I got quite icked out by his arrogance and selfishness in a situation where Jeb was being completely open with him about it. Freddie made the entire thing about himself, and it was just gross. I’m trying to put it down to the characters being late teen/early twenties but to be honest, I like my fiction to rise above how crappy and self absorbed people can be in real life. I just didn’t feel that Freddie was paying attention to Jeb, or considering life from his point of view enough to move beyond himself. Some of the scenes were a bit ablist to me. Freddie seemed to be trying to save the day, rather than support Jeb in his own advocacy. Again, I’m putting this down to the character age, but again, I wanted this to transcend the crappy reality most people with a disability live with and it just didn’t.

Jeb on the other hand really did start to stand up for himself, and I enjoyed that much more. While crap was happening around him, he handled it with as much grace as he possibly could, holding his shit together and forging plans for himself as the situations arose.

Jeb won me over with his practical look at how life could be if he put the effort in. He wanted more, and I wanted him to get it. I honestly could have enjoyed a story just about Jeb, with no Freddie in it to muddy the waters.

While I took issue with Freddie, I still enjoyed this story, and how it developed. I’m fully in Jeb’s corner and ensuring that his life turns out great. I was invested in his story, invested in his emotional well being, and even invested in his relationship with Freddie, because it’s what Jeb wanted. There were some surprises I wasn’t really expecting, and maybe were not so realistic, but I thought it took the story in a good direction overall, and again, Jeb was looking to be practical and functional to ensure everything worked out okay.

I’m not sure I could read another Jeb and Freddie follow up without there being some major adjustments in Freddie’s worldview, but if it were an older and wiser version of Freddie, whom didn’t want to overshadow Jeb and hold him back, I think I could enjoy it.

I’m glad the author tried this. Writing stories with main characters with disabilities is tough. There are a lot of expectations, and subtle nuances to fighting ableism, and so for the effort, I thank the author. I think with a bit more critical thought and some deeper research this story may have turned out better for me.

A review copy was provided for an honest opinion

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

Review: Silent Night by Erin E. Keller

Pete is an improbable Santa Claus ringing his bell on the sidewalks of New York. He might need this job, but he doesn't have to like it. Impulsive and a little rough around the edges, Pete has a big warm heart, and when he sees the homeless man reading a book on the pavement, he is intrigued.

Lucas is a deaf-mute who fled an ex-boyfriend who wanted to use him as a prostitute. He is cold and isolated, but the very not-ordinary Santa Claus ringing a bell nearby makes him smile.

When Lucas is attacked and robbed, it gives Pete the opportunity to invite him home for Christmas. But can they live together long-term? Will Lucas's bid for independence break their hearts or bring them to deeper understanding?

Well ho hum - this story left me with a rating conundrum!

I liked the identities of the two characters in this book. Pete, really a bit of an old grump, especially outwardly, isn't exactly loving his gig as Santa Claus. I guess I'm kind of with him on that one, walking round the streets of New York ringing a bell probably wouldn't float my boat either (there is a special kind of kindly extrovert that is the only type to take to this role IMO!!). Just because he's grumpy doesn't mean he doesn't have a kind heart though.

Lucas, a homeless deaf/mute may not be in the best situation, but he does value his independence. Life has given him one kick in the balls after another but he doesn't want to let it define him. The two may not have much in common, but opposites attract right?

At first Pete is able to give Lucas the love and protection of a relationship he'd not had before - after a time though, the protectiveness became over-protectiveness and smothering and things took a nosedive between the two MCs. Unfortunately this is where I started to lose interest in the story.

Whilst i enjoyed the entire premise of the story, it turned a bit drawn out and dramatic for my tastes. I think the essence of the story, Lucas's fight to remain independent while he and Pete fell in love and adjusted to life together, was solid enough without the added hurt and drama. That is just me though, I'm sure others love the twists and turns.

A story starting at Christmas with love at its heart. It didn't 100% work for me but it might for you.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see Goodreads.

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