Hiya guys, Katey Hawthorne has come for a visit today with her new release Back to the Sky, Katey chats about elements and her book, we have a great excerpt (which I may or may not have ‘borrowed’), there’s a fantastic giveaway for 5 lucky winners and there’s also Lisa’s review, so enjoy the post and click that rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Back to the Sky
Katey Hawthorne
Rather than spend his first post-college summer on the beach with a hot boy and a margarita, Zane Woodward goes home. While the lectures aimed at getting him to be more respectable like his lawyer father aren’t appreciated, Zane wants to be near his sister and his best friend—both of whom he’s convinced need him.
Enter Geordie Finsen: the Buddhist, blue-haired, stacked house sitter-next-door. Geordie has a penchant for parties, older women who can pay the bills, younger men who can wear him out—and he may or may not be able to control the weather.
While Geordie and his philosophies begin untangling Zane from his own expectations and hang-ups, they bring the two closer and closer. Soon their chemistry flares into a hot and heavy summer romance. But Geordie has hang-ups of his own, including an aversion to getting too attached to anyone or anything. When things get a little too heavy between him and Zane, his instinct to cut loose and run free is tested, and Zane’s plans for a perfect escape of his own might never get off the ground.
Katey chats elements!
I’ve always had a fascination with the fae, but elemental creatures in particular make me happy. You know, wood nymphs or selkies or djinn, the kinds of magical creatures that can only exist in their natural element: water, earth, fire, or air. What I didn’t realize until I grew up was that the western concept of this whole thing was codified by alchemists way back in the 16th century, and there’s one especially famous text by a bro called Paracelus.
Which is super boring unless you’re into nerdy alchemy history like me (don’t ask, I don’t even know why). But Wiki basics lists his archetypal elemental beings like this:
Gnome, being of earth
Undine, being of water
Sylph, being of air
Salamander, being of fire
Well, I’m a romance writer, so you can guess where my brain went with that. Admittedly, it went a bit sideways on some of them (for one, the ‘earth’ book will not involve a gnome–and will not be western at all), but for the most part the basics are present. They’re contemporary fairy tales, I guess: if these beings existed in the here and now, what would loving one of them be like?
Geordie Finsen is my ‘air’ boy, and Zane Woodward spends the whole book finding out. Sometimes the easy way, sometimes the hard way. Sylphs are notoriously hard to pin down, after all… and this one may or may not be descended from Thor. Possibly. Jokingly. Maybe.
Excerpt
Zane put aside Xenobia when the doorbell rang. He was halfway down the stairs to answer it before he realized that it almost had to be Geordie Finsen. Not that he’d forgotten, just that…he wasn’t sure he’d expected him to show.
He opened the door and tried to swallow a sudden rush of nervous anxiety. Geordie snapped off a mock salute and grinned, hitching a huge—but mostly deflated—canvas backpack over one shoulder. Again he wore a really damn thin white undertank.
He was also completely barefoot.
He said, “Hey. So, we still good for sky-watching?”
“Yeah.” Zane leaned out the door, looked up at the fresh night sky. So weird—this was wildfire season, so the threat of anything like rain was unexpected. “I mean, it’s kinda cloudy, is the thing.”
Geordie chewed on his lower lip, eyes closed, face turned upward. A sudden wind ruffled his shocking blue hair like a bad Hollywood special effect.
Zane couldn’t resist a grin. He let it out just as Geordie opened his eyes, which were still turned skyward. Geordie said, “Well, looks like the clouds are blowing past pretty quick.”
Zane was about to argue, but Geordie slung the pack off his shoulder and pulled out a squarish bottle. “Anyhow, I brought a warm-up. Dessert.”
Rumple Minze. Zane laughed. “You have got to be the first dude ever to show up at my door with schnapps.”
“Chocolate sauce too.” Geordie dug in the pack again for a second before producing a bottle of syrup. “Dirty girl scouts?”
Zane chuckled some more. He’d forgotten in the drama of the day, but now he mentioned it, yes, proximity to a hot guy and a bottle of liquor—any liquor—was bound to improve his state of mind. Throw in some chocolate sauce, and yeah, he was definitely feeling this.
Zane waved and started into the kitchen, in the direction of the living room and stairs. “Come on in.”
Rearranging his pack, Geordie complied, closed the door behind him, and padded over the Italian marble. “Nice place. Anyone else actually live here?”
“You wouldn’t think so, but yeah. Dad, on occasion Mom, and my sister, Lauren.”
“Pretty girl? Kinda willowy? Ponytail?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Zane smiled at the description. “My room’s more lived in. That’s the balcony I stargaze from.”
This continued as they scaled the stairs and made their way to Zane’s room. He wished he’d borrowed some of Lauren’s incense, but the room didn’t smell like anything, really, apart from the strange woody-metallic scent from his open guitar case and the grassy-diesel smell from the wide-open windows.
Geordie went straight to Xenobia. He held out one hand but paused before touching her. Then looked up at Zane. “Whoa, you play?”
Zane scratched at the back of his neck. If he’d realized there was a possibility of it being Geordie before he’d left the room, he might’ve hidden her under the bed. As it was… “Yeah, that’s Xenobia.”
“You got great hands for it.” Geordie dropped his pack on the rumpled bed—which still had a big old Raff indentation in it—and took Zane’s left hand. He lifted it and examined the fingers, his own strong, long, cool. He tapped the very tip of Zane’s middle and pointer fingers, where Zane had zero feeling through the calluses, then grinned. “Nice.”
Their eyes met, and a little spark made its way down Zane’s spine. Oh Jesus, give me strength not to make an ass of myself tonight.
Geordie grinned as if he’d heard him and liked it.
For more excerpt click here: Loose Id excerpt
About Katey
Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills.
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Giveaway!
Win 5 copies of Back to the Sky!
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Review
Title: Back To The Sky
Series: Elementals 02
Author: Katey Hawthorne
Genre: Gay Erotic Romance, Multicultural, Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, New Adult
Length: Novella (85 Pages)
ISBN: 978-1-62300-978-6
Publisher: Loose Id (September 8, 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Lisa
Blurb: Rather than spend his first post-college summer on the beach with a hot boy and a margarita, Zane Woodward goes home. While the lectures aimed at getting him to be more respectable like his lawyer father aren’t appreciated, Zane wants to be near his sister and his best friend—both of whom he’s convinced need him.
Enter Geordie Finsen: the Buddhist, blue-haired, stacked house sitter-next-door. Geordie has a penchant for parties, older women who can pay the bills, younger men who can wear him out—and he may or may not be able to control the weather.
While Geordie and his philosophies begin untangling Zane from his own expectations and hang-ups, they bring the two closer and closer. Soon their chemistry flares into a hot and heavy summer romance. But Geordie has hang-ups of his own, including an aversion to getting too attached to anyone or anything. When things get a little too heavy between him and Zane, his instinct to cut loose and run free is tested, and Zane’s plans for a perfect escape of his own might never get off the ground.
Product Link: Loose Id | Amazon US | Amazon UK | ARe
Review: This book is part of a series and normally I would say that it needs to be read in order. However the way they are told, they can be read as stand-alone. There is quite a bit of different types of feelings flowing in this story. This is the first book that I have read by Katey Hawthorne and I was impressed with the way it flowed together. The characters are well written and very deep. They are also loveable, but there is something off about them.
Zane has finished college getting a degree in a course that he never wanted to take. He always loved music, but his asshat of a father wanted him to continue to going to school. In fact he wanted him to go to law school, he just didn’t want to. He even went home against his better judgement. However his little sister came first. She had anxiety issues and he felt that he needed to stay with her. His best friend tried to help, even tried to get him to move in with him. Then he met Geordie.
Geordie is the one that comes off a bit weird. He looks like an elf and seems to have control over the weather. He wants Zane and is happy that Zane wants him back. However he is the one that is basically off in the story. He has blue hair, pointed ears, a Buddhist and is watching the house for a lady. Even though the sex between them is hot and wanting, he wants to take off and run. He is scared it seems. He comes off as a bit of a gypsy to me or maybe a hippie. I don’t know.
Even though it is a well written story with some heat to it, this book was definitely not for me. I love paranormals, but not when they don’t pull at me. I even had a hard time concentrating on it. It didn’t catch my attention like it should have so I was disappointed in it. I did like the way they stood up for each other and mixed so well. I did like it but it was missing something for me all the way around.