Art of Death by Bob Appavu Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

Bob Appavu - Art of Death 3d Cover 9484jrm
Bob Appavu - Art of Death Promo 4

Hi peeps! We have Bob Appavu stopping by today with the tour for her new re-release Art of Death, we have a great exclusive excerpt, a brilliant $10 Amazon GC and Shorty’s review, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~

Bob Appavu - Art of Death Cover m3k930

Art of Death

(Lychgate 01)
by

Bob Appavu

Starving artist Riley Burke refuses to be dependent on his rich older boyfriend—hence his second job as a nude model at the local art school.  When the famous artist Coliaro requests him for a private modeling session, he jumps at the chance to earn some real cash.

But then Westwood, a mysterious stranger, warns him to steer clear—it’s said Coliaro is undead. That his worshippers perform rituals to fill him with life energy. That every time he paints a male nude, the painting transforms to depict a gruesome murder. And that shortly after, a young man turns up dead.

Riley dismisses the rumors—until they start to play out before his eyes. When he becomes a target, Westwood comes to his aid. But Westwood is secretive and dangerous himself… which just makes him more attractive to Riley. Riley is in over his head, and even his tenuous alliance with Westwood might not save him.

Warnings: violence, domestic violence, graphic sexual content

.•.•.**❣️ Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | B&N | Kobo ❣️**.•.•.

Bob Appavu - Art of Death PromoBob Appavu - Art of Death Promo 2

Exclusive Excerpt!

Riley couldn’t stand to look at the horrifically mutilated corpse. But when he turned away, he couldn’t avoid the smears of blood on the walls. Signs of brutality surrounded him at every turn.

At his side, Westwood panted like an injured dog. He limped as they made their way down the stairs. Riley glanced in his direction and nearly flinched. The barbarity in Westwood’s eyes stunned him. Westwood looked like he was clinging to the last shred of his humanity, as if he might snap at the slightest shift in the air and return to his previous state of frenzy.

“You want to… wash your hands?” Riley asked weakly. He was unnerved by the man’s dripping gloves of liquid red. Maybe cleansing him of the physical remnants of the battle would somehow bring him back to a more civil state. When Westwood didn’t reply, Riley clumsily grabbed him by the elbow, leading him into the kitchen and toward the sink. He pulled the man’s arms down under the faucet, letting the warm water dilute the red and send it down the drain in ghosted swirls.

Westwood showed no response, staring blankly as Riley scrubbed at his forearms. In a way, Riley felt equally numb. He thought about those boys in the newspaper articles. Any doubt he’d previously held about whether or not Westwood was truly capable of such brutality was now gone. As intense as he usually was, Riley could now see hints of something even more frightening under the surface. Porter had said that Westwood had to learn how to be human all over again. Apparently, he wasn’t as far along in his studies as Riley had hoped.

“You should go back home,” Westwood said.

Riley realized Westwood was no longer in good enough condition to follow through on the previous plan of settling their “unfinished business,” and he cursed himself for the disappointment that rose within him. Don’t be a jackass, he told himself. Be thankful you didn’t just get in bed with a murderer.

Westwood headed for the front door. As Riley followed him, he suddenly remembered he’d left his jacket somewhere. Eyes widening, he spotted it strewn across the kitchen table amid a scattering of broken china. Westwood paused, following his line of sight.

“So he knew I was here,” Riley said.

Westwood didn’t reply.

It occurred to him that most of the damage and most of the blood were on the wall by the stairs. Westwood and Coliaro would have had no reason to fight on the stairs—unless Westwood had been trying to hold Coliaro off.

By Westwood’s own words, and by the words in the newspaper clippings he’d discovered, Westwood didn’t protect humans. But if Riley believed what he was seeing in front of him now, then all the brutality Westwood had unleashed had been to protect him from Coliaro.

Westwood stared at him, but Riley couldn’t meet his eyes. They were more unreadable than ever, and Riley felt too confused, too conflicted to try to make sense of them. He grabbed his jacket and followed Westwood outside. “You want to drive?” Westwood asked as they approached the car. “I just need half an hour or so to recover. I’ll go with you and drive the car back to my place after.”

“I can take a cab,” Riley said.

“I don’t want a cab coming here. Just get in the car.”

When they arrived at the school parking lot and Riley pulled in next to his own car, he was tempted to ask about Westwood’s plans regarding their “business.” But he didn’t want to bring up the subject. Part of him hoped that Westwood had forgotten.

He had no such luck. As he climbed out of the car, Westwood called after him, “In time I’ll come back for you. We have to finish what we started.”

Bob Appavu - Art of Death Promo 3

About Bob!

Bob Appavu is an author, illustrator, and creator of the long-running LGBTQ+ webcomic Demon of the Underground. Born and raised in a conservative Chicago suburb to South Indian parents, Bob turned to reading at an early age to find the inclusive, illuminating worlds that couldn’t always be accessed in real life. Bob recalls spending most of the 90s at the local bookstore feigning interest in the poetry anthologies that were conveniently shelved next to the LGBT fiction.

As a queer writer who enjoys challenging conventions and pushes creative boundaries, Bob has a passion for crafting the types of stories she can’t readily find on the shelf and the types of characters who are often denied the spotlight. Bob is a lover of suspense, speculative fiction, and deep world building, but her greatest joy is portraying the full scope of her queer characters’ humanity.

Bob is an incurable workaholic whose preferred fuel is tea. When not at work, she enjoys caring for rescued ferrets.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Bob Appavu - Art of Death 3d Promo

Giveaway!

Win a $10 Amazon GC!

Review

Bob Appavu - Art of Death Cover s nebr93Title: Art of Death

Series: Lychgate 01

Author: Bob Appavu

Genre: Mystery & Suspense, Urban Fantasy

Length: Novel (263pgs)

Publisher: DSP Publications (September 3, 2019)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Blurb: Starving artist Riley Burke refuses to be dependent on his rich older boyfriend—hence his second job as a nude model at the local art school. When the famous artist Coliaro requests him for a private modeling session, he jumps at the chance to earn some real cash.

But then Westwood, a mysterious stranger, warns him to steer clear—it’s said Coliaro is undead. That his worshippers perform rituals to fill him with life energy. That every time he paints a male nude, the painting transforms to depict a gruesome murder. And that shortly after, a young man turns up dead.

Riley dismisses the rumors—until they start to play out before his eyes. When he becomes a target, Westwood comes to his aid. But Westwood is secretive and dangerous himself… which just makes him more attractive to Riley. Riley is in over his head, and even his tenuous alliance with Westwood might not save him.

ISBN-13: 978-1-64405-241-9

Product Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Shorty

Review: Riley is a mess. He’s having trouble in his relationship with his boyfriend Nick, he struggles with having sex, he’s also depressed still grieving over his brother Andrew’s suicide ten years earlier. There is a lot on his plate. He is a nude model for a college to earn money and with that is invited to pose for a famous painter named Coliaro. He meets a strange man who warns him off the painting. Then stumbles on talk of the undead.

I must say I was impressed with how well thought and descriptive this story was. There were twists and turns throughout that I never saw coming. I like when I’m taken by surprise in a story as opposed to figuring out what will happen before it does.

This book had me on the edge of my seat as I immersed myself in the story. I was enthralled with the dangerous quality of some of the characters and the sweetness of others. I really felt for Riley as he struggled with his personal life.

I loved everything about this story an am looking forward to reading more in this intriguing series and learning more about the undead and those that police them.

Fantastic read.

Other Worlds Inc