Blog Tour & Giveaway: Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton

Author T.C. Orton has dropped by the clubhouse to promote latest vampire release, "Seeing Red: Scorched", a standalone in the Omega Moon universe. Not only is there an excerpt of the urban fantasy novel but there is also a giveaway for a copy of the new release!

SEEING RED: SCORCHED

T.C. ORTON

PARANORMAL M/M ROMANCE

COVER DESIGN: Fiverr

https://www.fiverr.com/

BLURB

Down the twists and turns of the London alleyways, where Chinatown meets the highstreets, lies a small venue where unknown rock bands often play to crowds of less than one-hundred.

Isaac is nineteen, living on the sofa of his best friend’s brother – Eric – after his bible-loving parents tossed him aside because of his sexuality. After two years of struggling to make sense of his life, Eric and Charlotte convince Isaac to attend Red’s gig; an up and coming rock band with a small cult following.

All hell breaks loose and Isaac is left injured, with the whereabouts of his friends unknown and his body crippled on the ground. It’s then that the four members – Troy, Nicolai, Kyle and Moss – aid Isaac by infecting him with a ‘magical’ virus that grants immortality in exchange for consuming blood.

The ‘Paranorm’ world is exposed to Isaac. Vampires, werewolves and warlocks lurk in the depths of the city he has lived in his entire life, but he won’t become one with the night until he completes his nine-month transition, leaving him in the hands of the band and at the mercy of vampire politics.

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TEASERS

EXCERPT #1

“You don’t have to.” Nicolai seemed to notice my hesitation.

“I want to,” I replied as I began to shift my body down the sheets, my face dropping closer to Nicolai’s to plant another kiss on his lips before my mouth moved to his neck.

I used my tongue to leave a trail of saliva from the tip of his earlobe, down between his pecs and over his hard abs until I was knelt at the foot of the bed with my mouth hovering around the waistline of his jeans as my entire body began to shake with nerves. I wanted this; I really wanted this, but what if I was no good? At least if we were doing everything then I could rely on Nicolai to lead the way, but this required some talent on my part.

Nicolai reached down, undoing the button on his jeans and sliding the zipper down as he used his free hand to ruffle my blonde locks that I just realized might get in the way. I ran a hand through my hair, pushing the strands over my shoulders and hoping that they’d stay put. I reached out, grabbed the tip of Nicolai’s jeans and tugged them down, also bringing his black boxers down with them and causing his thick shaft to spring up in all its glory.

EXCERPT #2

I took a moment. Breathing deeply. Letting my chest rise and fall slowly. Composing myself before forcing a smile onto my quivering lips, and then I turned around to head back downstairs, as if I wasn’t fazed at all. Only, when I shifted my body towards the exit, Moss was standing with his cold stare fixed on me.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly in my defense.

Moss sighed. He began walking towards his room and turned his head from me.

“Didn’t ask,” he replied in a gentler tone than usual as he took his messy, green hair into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

At least I didn’t have to worry about him smothering me with overbearing affection anytime soon.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

T.C. Orton interviews his characters from Seeing Red: Scorched, Moss and Issac. Let's see what they have to say shall we?

Moss

Q:Were you attracted to Isaac from the start?
A: Would I have fucked the whiny little ghoul? Sure, why not.

Q:When exactly did you know he was special to you?
A: Special? Don’t push it… I guess I decided he was worth saving in Hell when he took on that werewolf.

Q:Was Isaac the first person you sired?
A: No.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

Top or Bottom? Top.

Cuddle or Own space? Own space.

Smooth or Hairy? Whatever.

Cloudy or Sunny? Are you an idiot?

Daytime or Nighttime? Yes, you are an idiot.

Underwear; Yes or No? No.

Best Food? Virgin’s blood.

Worst Food? Slut’s blood.

Favorite Position? Whatever I decide I want.

Favorite Body part on Isaac? I like his lips… when he isn’t whining.

Biggest Fear? I don’t fear.

Biggest Secret? Plenty.

One word to describe you? Whatever.


Issac

Q:Would you change back to human if you weren't in danger of dying? 
A: I couldn’t now, not after experiencing what it’s like to be a vampire.

Q: 9 months without food, did you crave any one food more than others? Not including alcohol
A: Cheeseburgers! Kyle kept threatening to eat them near me if I didn’t keep in line. I’ve had plenty since changing.

Q:What is one thing you’re obsessed with?
A: I’m not really obsessed with anything, but I’ve been working on my keyboard skills since we decided to reform the band. It’s just me, Kyle and Eric playing now. Troy joins when he can, Moss is way too busy and Nicolai… well, he isn’t around much these days.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

Top or Bottom? Have you seen my boyfriend? I don’t have a choice, haha.

Cuddle or Own space? Cuddles are fine until you actually want to sleep, then I need my space.

Smooth or Hairy? Well, I’m smooth and Moss is… mostly. I don’t mind.

Cloudy or Sunny? I don’t really have a choice anymore. Cloudy.

Daytime or Nighttime? Nighttime.

Underwear; Yes or No? As in wearing it under my clothes? Yes.

Best Food? You really do have to try warm cinnamon blood.

Worst Food? I’m not big on seafood, maybe that’s changed now that I’m a vampire. Apparently, a lot of things taste different to us after the change.

Favorite Position? Again, I don’t have a choice… not that I mind.

Favorite Body part on Moss? He has the nicest arms.

Biggest Fear? I don’t want to lose anyone else ever again.

Biggest Secret? Maybe not a secret anymore… but perhaps I always knew Moss was right for me.

One word to describe you? Before my journey started, I’d go with “Doubtful,” but now I’d say optimistic. I think Kyle is rubbing off on me.

***

AUTHOR BIO

Born January 6th 1993, T. C. resides in the United Kingdom, living with his partner Peter Jones and their dog, Drake.

T. C. has had a passion for supernatural stories from a young age, often scribbling down his latest ideas instead of focusing on whatever task was at hand during the long school days. At the age of twelve, he penned his first romance story featuring himself and the boy he had feelings for set in a fantastical land full of werewolves and wizards. Ever since that day, T. C. has made it his mission to entwine his leading gay protagonists with epic paranormal adventures.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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PREVIOUS BOOKS

Omega Moon

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College Climax (Book 1)

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Summer Climax (Book 2)

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Review: A Year Less Three Days by Alyx J. Shaw & Mychael Black

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Review: No Remedy (Bounty #2) by Christine d'Abo

For months, Mace Simms has been seeking an antidote for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec Roiten, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Posing as a research assistant, Mace offers the elusive genius all the help she can, ignoring the explosive chemistry between them. Soon they’re close to a cure.

But then Alec’s former love Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty on Alec’s head, and all that careful research gets left behind when they’re forced to flee. And when Byron realizes the tip-off about Alec was a ruse by his rivals to lure him out into the open to kill him, the bounty hunt turns into a three-person scramble for survival.

Byron wants his old lover back, Alec is consumed by a haunting secret about the poison he’s desperate to defeat, and Mace is caught between them. But she’s beginning to think that’s exactly where she belongs as the three are drawn together in their race against death.

TIME TO SUSPEND DISBELIEF, KIDS! 

No Remedy picks up 3 yrs after No Quarter and focuses on Mace, Gar's sister. Mace has left The Belle Kurve in search of an antidote for Faolan. She found a renown scientist, Alec, and has been working with him until a bounty hunter named Byron shows up to collect the bounty on Alec. He might have a teensy bit of grudge since Alec disappeared on Byron 7 yrs ago without a word. But something bad happens and they have to band together to escape the bad guys. 

Once in space there are battles, intrigue and medicinal fucking. 

Yerp! This was a first for me. Alec has taken the lab tinkering a bit too far and given himself something called "Brasillian syndrome" which makes space travel a bit... problematic. Every time anyone with this syndrome goes through a gate they become uncontrollably horny and the only remedy is to flood their system with oxytocin, dopamine and various endorphins OR THEY DIE!!!!!!!!!!

Luckily, both Mace and Byron are ready and willing to take one for the team. Who am I kidding? It was more than once.

They head for a safehouse on a desolate planet that conveniently has a lab so Alec and Mace can continue to search for the antidote and they can hide out from the dudes on their tail. It turns out that Alec disappeared to protect Byron from the bad guys after he discovered he was being used as a weapon of mass destruction and refusing to allow it to continue. Obviously, he still has feels for Byron and he's been attracted to Mace since she showed up in his lab, but can Byron let bygones be bygones? And can they make a successful triad with Mace remains to be seen.

This book is what I would call brain candy. If you like erotica that's short on story and borders on OTT then this is the promised land. If you count sex as relationship development and don't mind your characters being one-dimensional, you too will enjoy this. I'm sure that sounds hella negative, but I don't mean it that way. Sometimes I need to unplug and read some escapist fluff and this fit the bill.

The sex is pretty hot and they bang a lot. Byron is toppy and both Alec and Mace like to be topped. Often. And bitten. These are some bitey folks. The kink is mild with some D/s, spanking and little bondage. My preference would've been for the dudes to have crossed the streams more frequently but d'Abo did a good job of reinforcing their connection and how much they missed each other during their extended, somewhat forced separation of 7 yrs. 

Mace is the new addition and shiny and, apparently, has a fire hydrant between her legs. Who can resist that? *eyebrow raise*

The moisture from her pussy now trickled down her thighs to wet his legs and cock.

I think she should maybe see someone about this because the squirting is supposed to happen after the good times have rolled. 

My one complaint is my continued disappointment that all of these people are human! There's a blue dude on The Belle Kurve. Why can't I get some alien love? Can I get a tail or some tentacles, maybe an extra cock or some KNOTTING? Something cool. Instead I'm saddled with lube and fingers which, in my humble opinion, is kind of a waste of space AND why do they even need lube with the resident fire hydrant? Use the resources you have! #StopLitteringInSpace

Otherwise it's a fun little read with some space battles, a bad guy, someone to save the day and get the girl and the boy and an HEA.

Recommend to those who enjoy a bit of kink, can suspend disbelief and like light sci-fi.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY + Book Blitz: Test Drive by Riley Hart

TEST DRIVE

A CROSSROADS NOVEL

RILEY HART

M/M ROMANCE

COVER DESIGN: X-Potion Designs

COVER PHOTO: Jean-Baptiste HUONG

RELEASE DATE: 05.30.16

BLURB

A double shot of devastating news turns Justin Evanson’s life upside down. When he learns his father has cancer, and he has siblings he never knew existed, he leaves everything behind and moves to Virginia to support his dad as he tries to make amends with his family—a family Justin’s not sure he has a place in. Things go from bad to worse when he discovers his recent hookup is his newfound sister’s brother-in-law.

Drew Sinclair never expected to see Justin after their night at the club or to discover their family connection. If anyone found out, it would give Drew’s brother another reason to hate him. But there’s something about Justin that draws him in, and it’s not only because they burn up the sheets together.

One meeting leads to another, and before Justin realizes it, Drew has become the only thing in his world he feels is his. And for the first time in his life, Drew knows what it means to be needed. Being there for Justin and supporting him when things spiral out of control feels right. But with so much happening so quickly, it’s hard to trust their feelings. Is this thing between them real? Or just a test drive before life forces them down two separate roads?

BUY LINKS

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Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/24dOuiJ

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EXCERPT

Justin made his way toward his… brother and Landon gave him a quick nod.

“Is this as weird for you as it is for me?” Landon asked.

Justin exhaled. “Yes. Christ. I didn’t expect it to be.” Which didn’t make sense. Of course it would be strange. They were a mismatched family, celebrating his father’s birthday when the man looked like he would pass out at any second.

“What? How could you not expect this to be uncomfortable? Hell, I’m just Landon’s boyfriend and it’s even awkward for me,” Rod said, and Justin glanced up to see Landon lovingly roll his eyes, before he wrapped an arm around Rod’s shoulders and pulled him close. Rod was smaller than Landon. He wore black eyeliner that made his eyes stand out.

“Please, don’t hold back for us,” Landon replied.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” was Rod’s response, but Justin thought he knew what Rod was doing. He wanted to make Landon laugh, wanted to take the edge off, and he found himself grateful that Landon hadn’t let the fact that Rod found out about Justin and his dad before Landon did come between them. They were a strong couple. You could see the love between them.

The three of them chatted for a few minutes before Rod excused himself for the restroom.

“I should probably go talk to him.” Landon crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. There was no doubt in Justin’s mind whom he was speaking about.

“I know he’d like that. I get that it’s hard, though.”

Landon turned his way. “What do I say? Jesus, it’s really shitty that I don’t know how to talk to my own dad.”

Anger burned through Justin’s insides. He was angry at their dad for putting them all in this situation. How hard would it have been to tell Justin and his mom about Shanen and Landon? To be a father to them, too? He bit back the anger and said, “Hi. Happy Birthday. Anything will do.”

Landon didn’t move, though. He eyed their father on the other side of the room. Justin followed his stare, which is how he saw the man walk in. But not just any man. Drew. The guy he met in a club the night Shanen got married. His brows pulled together. What in the hell was he doing here? Because this wasn’t awkward enough without the guy he wanted to fuck obviously knowing Shanen. “Ah, hell. I think I jerked off in a club with the guy who just walked in.”

“What?” Landon’s voice actually cracked on the word. He looked from Justin, to Drew, and back to Justin again. His gut sank, and he was pretty sure he should have kept his mouth shut because this was about to get a whole lot worse. “That’s Shanen’s brother-in-law. He’s Jacob’s brother, and I’m pretty sure Shanen would have told me if he wasn’t straight. I know he’s not close with Jacob, but she would have thought it was coincidence enough if she married a man with a gay or bisexual brother.”

Oh fuck. Damn it all to hell.

Justin tried to hide his shock. He looked at Drew again, studied him—the scruff on his face, that jaw and those fucking lips—of course it was really who he thought it was. Still, he said the first lie that popped into his head. “Shit. That’s not him. Hair’s not right and I’d remember that mouth anywhere.” Which was true. It was the first thing he’d noticed.

Wasn’t this just perfect? He’d come here to get to know his family, and out of all the men in Virginia, he’d somehow ended up jacking off with his sister’s husband’s brother, who was obviously in the closet.

The brother of the year award definitely wasn’t going to him.

Landon eyed him, skepticism in his eyes. Before he could say anything, Rod stepped back up and wrapped his arms around Landon.

“What did I miss?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Riley Hart is the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a hopeless romantic, a lover of sexy stories, passionate men, and writing about all the trouble they can get into together.

She loves reading, flawed characters, and hanging out with her husband and children, who she adores. She and her family live in Southern California, soaking up the sunshine, while also missing seasons. Not a day goes by that she isn’t thankful she gets to wake up and do what she loves.

Life is good. Riley also writes young adult and new adult under the name Nyrae Dawn.

Facebook

Website

Blog

Twitter: @RileyHart5

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN SERIES

CROSSROADS

Book 1

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SHIFTING GEARS

Book 2

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GIVEAWAY

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Release Day Review: Under a Blood-Red Moon (Duncan Andrews Thrillers, #5) by Stephen Osborne

Private Detective Duncan Andrews is back, along with the usual gang: Robbie, Gina, Nick, and Daisy, the zombie bulldog! Duncan is trying to figure out how his boyfriend, Robbie, will fit in with the team now that he is no longer a ghost. That worry is soon set aside when Duncan accepts a new case to locate a missing young man named Graig Betz. Duncan soon learns Graig is part of a werewolf pack that is terrorizing Indianapolis. The pack is led by a witch, Ashley Campbell, an old rival of Gina’s. Duncan and his team must try to rescue and cure Graig and stop the wolf pack from destroying an entire city.

Duncan Andrews is easily one of my favorite characters of all time. He’s a man on a mission to protect the human race from all the paranormal beasties out there hell bent on creating trouble. Duncan is human himself but he’s got a sixth sense that lets him know when there are non-humans around. He’s also got a crew of friends/partners /loved ones, that help him out. It’s the same group that’s been with him since the beginning with the addition of a few new faces.

This is the 5th in the Duncan Andrews Thrillers series and where we get to see Robbie with Duncan as he should be and I loved reading the bits with the two of them together. The series is a low steam read with the physical shenanigans taking place off page. It’s proof that really good writing can show the connection between MC’s without any of the dirty. 

Duncan is full of snark, his dry and self-deprecating sense of humor makes the story read very quickly with lots of chuckles in the midst of all the adventure. But what makes Duncan so memorable and a favorite is not just his humor but he’s just a really good guy. That’s such a lame sounding reason when I type it, but he really is. I want to know him, I want to hang out with him. Not when he’s battling werewolves necessarily, I think I’d probably be more of a hindrance than a help to be honest, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a friend I want to have. He’s not overt or preachy about his awesomeness, he’s almost the opposite. Instead, it shows in all his actions and the code he lives and works by, it’s in his gut reactions to protecting his friends and loved ones and it’s in how he deals with loss. You would think a guy who has seen all that he has wouldn’t be affected by death, but the loss of a friend really hits him hard and the ending gave a great glimpse of Duncan’s heart. Between that and his protectiveness of Robbie, I know I need a Duncan in my life.

So, in this episode in Duncan’s private detective life, he’s been hired to find a young man who’s been acting strangely, according to his grandmother, and has now gone missing. The investigation leads Duncan to a werewolf pack that not only has your standard werewolves, but there’s a super-werewolf with anger management issues and a witch from Gina’s past with a grudge and in on a power trip. Can I just say, I need a Gina in my life too. That girl is gold.

Lieutenant Carson and Elton the Demon play prominent roles in the werewolf hunt and I liked where this investigation ended with Carson. I’m anxious to see the change in his level of involvement know that he’s further into the inner circle of Duncan’s crew. While Elton didn’t have a ton of page time, the part he played ended up being really personal for Duncan, especially as the story progressed. Elton’s enthusiasm to help Duncan, at any expense to himself, said everything about who Duncan was and the effect he had on those around him. I loved and hated that part equally.

I had two real favorite parts to the whole story, beyond just saying, “all of it”; one being the ending, in the park, with Duncan and Robbie, oh my, the swooniness and adorkability of the moment was perfect (those are totally words BTW), and two, the ending left all kinds of doors open for more in the series. In the end, that’s really what I want, I want more.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Duncan Andrews and his band of protectors I suggest you start on this series as soon as you can. You’ll read a great story, you’ll laugh and some feels will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

For more information on Under a Blood-Red Moon head over to Dreamspinner Press and Goodreads.

**a copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review**

NSFW Review: Golden Dancer (Dangerous Dancers #1) by Tara Lain

A reporter and the thief he's investigating both fall for a golden dancer forging a ménage of love and lies that could send one to prison and one to the morgue.

Mac MacAllister is obsessed; the online news reporter needs enough evidence to write a story accusing billionaire art collector Daniel Terrebone of stealing The Golden Dancer, a priceless work of art, from Horst Von Berg. The story promises the recognition Mac craves. But then Mac meets a real golden dancer, ballet star Trelain Medveyev, and his attraction to the man rocks his formerly straight world.

When the mysterious Terrebone "collects" this beautiful dancer, too, Mac rushes to the rescue like a knight in shining cargo pants and plunges into a three-way passion that tears him between love and guilt. Can Mac keep investigating when his story could send one man to prison and another to the morgue? Will this reporter get his story or get his men?

Publisher's Note: This book has previously been released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

I love a good menage story, especially with dancers. Any kind of dancers. But ballet dancers are something special, with their ridiculously bendy bodies, and stacked legs. Take a look for yourself.

Beautiful, right?!

So I picked this up because menage, and ballet dancer. The plot sounded interesting too. A billionaire and the reporter investigating him for theft, battle it out to win favour with the sexy star ballet dancer, and they all end up in bed together. Not bad, not bad at all.

I liked the premise, but unfortunately the execution wasn’t quite right. The sex was hot, I have no complaint about that. Tara Lain definitely delivered on sexy menage erotica. The scenes were scorching, and it definitely qualified as wank fodder.

But the rest of the plot was too disjointed. There were too many points of view, too many additional characters that took away from my enjoyment of the core relationship. This could have worked without the additional POV of the villains. I didn’t like it at all. I also thought that the homophobia was overdone. I understood that point of view the first time it was stated, but unfortunately the writer went too far, and had it stated multiple times. Yuck. It threw me out of the story and made me want to stop reading. If not for the threesome, I would have put it away. Don’t get me wrong, I am aware homophobia exists, and I am not naive to think people aren’t venomous in their hatred towards LGBTQI or anyone else for that matter, but in a novel that is mostly about relationship building, and three people who are trying to get to know each other, it just left me feeling cold. Once would have been enough to deliver the threat effectively.

Moving along to the relationship between Trelain, Mac, and Daniel. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the three. Even with Mac’s secret, I thought they all worked well together. Daniel started off sounding like a villain, but as we get to know him, that assumption is corrected. Trelain and Daniel are beautiful together. Mac fit in well with them. I had high hopes for them and their future together.

There were some parts of the story that were tied up too neatly. Trelain’s mother for instance. She has spent the better part of Trelain’s life planning to marry him off to a woman, knowing full well that he is gay. Clearly not accepting it, and stating quite boldly that two men together are not welcome in her house. Then one conversation with Daniel, right after this declaration, changes her into some LGBT ally?! It just wasn’t believable. If she’s spent that many years in denial, 5 minutes isn’t going to flip her views so quickly. She’s had years and years to ponder it already. What was the difference here?

Another plot point that bothered me: Mac’s parents. Apparently, they are big in the ballet scene. Everyone knows them, but Mac’s impression of his father is homophobia. Okay, let’s go with that. I can see him being reluctant to call him and spill his guts about his gay relationship with two men, but when they do speak, the conversation they have is bordering ridiculous. Some pretty wild secret is revealed, and now Mac has no idea what’s going on and his entire childhood is in question because of it. And then they hang up the phone and it isn’t explored again. Way to leave me hanging. I wanted more from that. I wanted to get to know Mac’s parents. For people so heavily in ballet, it sort of makes sense that we would see them at some stage in the book, because, um, Mac is dating a famous ballet dancer, that they are very fond of and know personally.

The relationship between the three main characters was built enough for this story to work overall. But I do feel a bit cheated. This could have been more than it was, and I think a decent beta reader would have said something about it. Also, what is with their dick size? Apparently they are all hung abnormally long and thick.

It sounded a little porny when I first read it, and it continued to sound porny every time it was mentioned. Maybe go easy on the next couple. Not everyone is a size queen. Not everyone has a big dick. Variety is good for the soul.

Recommended for people who enjoy MMM Erotic-romance with a bit of action suspense thrown in.

Check out on Goodreads!

Review: A Good Enough Reason by C.M. Lievens

High school seniors Ellis and Dale are as different as day and night, or so Ellis believes. Ellis loves to write, while Dale loves soccer. Ellis has only a handful of friends, and Dale is Mr. Popularity. But when they’re partnered up for an AP English project, Ellis learns different can be good. Really good.

Dale Stephens has it all: friends, a hot girlfriend, mad soccer skills—and a secret. He’s bisexual, but because he’s never been in love with a boy, it’s always been easier to keep that part of himself hidden. Until Ellis changes everything.

As their love grows, Dale realizes it’s Ellis he wants to be with—only he’s not ready for the world to know about them, especially after the way his mom reacts to the news.

But when they are outed by a bully who has made a career out of tormenting Ellis, Dale and Ellis must face down their fears and try to stay together. What will happen when the bully goes too far? Will Ellis come out of it unscathed?

A great story reflecting on the way we see ourselves and our misconstrued perceptions of how others see us. Being different is hard and we often build walls for self protection. Awareness of our differences can heighten every word and action by another person. Walls are sometimes necessary but so is letting the right people have the key (to the door in the wall, okay this analogy sucks) to come in. It's tricky to know who to let have those keys. I love YA novels and one of the reasons is because they can be very reflective about this.

What worked for me in this book? Well most of it to be honest! I loved Ellis, especially his T-shirts (platform 9 & 3/4's FTW!!) I also loved Dale and the fact there was more to him than first met (Ellis's) eye. A romance that developed from friendship; both slowly and believably, built. A cast of characters that were great! A shout out to the families here - secondary characters can often make or break a book as far as I'm concerned and in this case they were (mostly) great. Ellis's family and Dale's dad were brill. I also loved Matt, Ellis's best friend who'd moved away, I'd like a story about him (HINT HINT CM Lievens. ;) )

The one thing that didn't quite work for me was Mark and his bullying. The bullying is an important aspect of the book and in and of itself it was well written. I love characters that are rounded and not two dimensional - I love seeing behind a bully and their actions; in this case though Mark felt a tad too predictable. It's not a  big complaint, I just think it could have been less obvious, the book isn't about him though, it's about his actions and the way they affect Ellis. 

I'm definitely going to be looking out for more by this author, I love finding new YA writers. I especially think YA in the GBLTQ spectrum is important, books that reflect the different sexualities and gender identities for those who are in the time of discovering themselves and trying to find how they fit in in society. Life is hard for every teen, knowing you are different from the (widely accepted) norm makes it even harder, so for writers to create characters that face those same fears is really important. Everybody needs someone to connect to and I know I did most of my discovery through books as a teen, I hope a broader range of literature helps a broader range of teens.

Check out on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads