Love is Found by R. Paone Blog Tour, Excerpt & Review!

R. Paone - Love is Found Tour Banner

Hi guys, we have R. Paone popping in with the tour for his re-release Love is Found, which has a shiny new cover, and we have a great excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~

R. Paone - Love Is Found Cover s

Love is Found

(Only If 01)
2nd Edition
by

R. Paone

“My love for you will never die.”

A story based on true events of love, self-acceptance, and the turmoil of companionship.

“Love is Found” is the moving story about coming-of-age in suburban New York and discovering the broad concept of sexuality and love.

Based on true events of love, the story’s protagonist, Robert, finds himself thrown into the realization that upon entering graduate school he is beginning a new chapter in his adult life. Comfortable with being gay, he yearns for love but dwells on the ideal of being alone while being consumed by the world of academia. Upon starting a new job he meets a coworker, whom he begins an unlikely relationship with considering this man identifies as straight.

When sex is introduced and emotions run amok, the routine of Robert’s life is thrown into chaos with unexpected outcomes. Will Robert realize his true limits and whether he can conquer the strife of new love? Little does he know if his heart can survive the overwhelming desire and how this man will alter the course of his life just not now, but for the next decade.

The first novel in the debut “Only If…” series by R. Paone introduces the heartbreaking portrait of one young man finding love in all the wrong places while exploring themes of one’s sexual identity, passion, and nostalgia.

This edition of “Love is Found” has been newly edited and expanded containing over 10K of added content.

This contemporary work of fiction is approximately 78,000 words and contains strong thematic material that is intended for adult readers only.

R. Paone - Love is Found Teas 2 s

Excerpt

He caught me off guard.

His words spooked me like a cheap scare in a horror movie. I wasn’t paying attention as I jumped a good inch out of my seat.

I spun around too fast knocking the thrift store mug clear off the side of the table, turning in my seat. It was one of the moments where you saw everything in slow motion and couldn’t move because your reaction wasn’t fast enough. The mug tumbled fast and shattered into several pieces by my feet. I froze for what seemed like forever as I stared at the broken cup lying there at these feet.

The rest of the patrons fell silent.

The couple turned in my direction, and one of them whispered to the other, mouthing what looked like, “Fuck, that sucks.”

“Dude, I’m so sorry!”

“No, God, no. It was my fault completely. I’m not paying attention and have my head in the clouds. Apparently, I scare way too easily.” I said this all to him as I came to my knees, wiping up the now cold coffee along with the broken pieces of the mug. I felt sorry for the Garfield image on the side that said, “Coffee solves all my problems.”

“Here give me those. I’ll throw them out for you.” He was extremely sociable. I had such a pessimistic attitude towards branching out and meeting new people. This was a pleasant surprise as I was happy with all my coworkers so far. I had no problems. I was off to a great start.

“Thank you. Appreciate it. Yes, sorry. Hey, Mitch. I’m Robert. I’ve been getting set up with Lucy and grabbing my schedule for next week along with paperwork and all the other formalities.” Whatever spook I had left in me had dissipated. Mitch extended his hand, pulling me off the wooden floor and to my feet.

“There you go.” It was the flash of a smile from him that gave me a measurement that my fuck up was not in any way a big deal. The customers were not paying any attention to me and went about their business. I looked around really quick, seeing that lesbian couple left as well.

“So are you working today?”

“Yeah, I’m on a quick smoke break. I was just down the street for a bit taking a quick stroll through the park. I got a couple of minutes left so I thought I would come by and introduce myself. Lucy was pretty descriptive in letting us know what you would look like.”

“Yeah?” I wonder what she said.

“All good things! Don’t stress it. She means well, of course.”  He was right. I needed to stop worrying about first impressions.

“I appreciate it, dude. Everyone has been real nice to the new kid on the block, so to say.”

“You’ll get used to it. The older you get, the fewer fucks you give,” he said shrugging his shoulders. This man was not only nice but also wise, in a contemporary sense.

Pulling myself together, I finally got the chance to take in this guy as he made his way into my life just like his coworkers. The moment I laid eyes on Mitch I knew in some context that we would become good friends if nothing else. I wasn’t ready to pass judgments or assume if he was gay or straight. That was for him to tell me. It didn’t matter either way. I really thought this was a cool dude. Between each other I think we both were making a pretty decent first impression.

He had at least five inches on me, as I bent my head at an angle to make eye contact. His brown hair was shaggy and looked unwashed at that moment, but the unruly state made it all the more attractive. It looked like he was the type of guy to attempt to cut his hair to save money. He wasn’t put together and it worked for him. I think that is why I was so drawn to him immediately. There were locks of his bangs that he had to keep brushing out of his eyes. Those eyes almost felt neutral in their color hovering somewhere between gray and light blue. Ash, that’s it. No, too much. Gray with specs of blue scattered about. He looked as if he had not shaved in several days as there was a light dusting of auburn stubble across the length of his face. He could grow a whole goddamn beard and I found that dead sexy in a guy. He was wearing a simple green crew neck tee and cut off black denim shorts. He had muscular, hairy legs, as my eyes briefly looked him up and down forgiving the fact that he had somewhat of a beer belly from what I could see. I saw nothing wrong with any of that. It was the small things like this that caught my attention and held it. The worn slip-on Vans I first caught a glimpse of when he came up to me completed the look.

Fuck, what was it about this guy? There was something about his looks. It was a signal sent straight to my senses that made me weak in the knees. Why couldn’t I attract a guy like this?

“Do you mind if I sit with you? I have a few minutes left on said break.” He parked himself down on the opposite side throwing his Lucky Strikes on the coffee table.

“Go for it,” I smiled, but I couldn’t keep myself from pretending I wasn’t paying attention to his movement, his voice, his legs. It was undeniable that I was attracted to Mitch. Remembering my rule of not hitting on friends, I drew back my morals and ideals and kept an open mind with just being pals with this guy.

“What else you got planned for the rest of the day?” He was twirling the red lighter in his right hand. He had rough looking hands; they looked dry but vigorous and powerful.

“Well, I just moved into my new place. I am staying on one of the on-campus apartments.”

“How do you like it?” He could already sense the hesitation in my voice.

“Oh, they are exactly what you expect. Very generic, it almost looks like an empty dollhouse. No character.”

He nodded. Was he interested in hearing about this incredibly annoying shit? Was he listening?

“I am probably going to just head home after this and finish up some unpacking. I have to meet my parents for a little bit for dinner downtown.” I was honestly very exhausted and almost wanted to stay in tonight, but I cannot bail on my parents especially after they helped me move in today. My mom would kill me.

“Awesome.” He brought up his wrist to check his watch. “Okay, time is up. I got to head back to the grind but let’s catch up when you get in next week. I can give you the lo-down on the Dames.” The Dames bit with him too. “Plus it is sometimes intimidating being the only guy here, so it’ll be good to have you here in the long run!”

We shook hands, and he headed back behind the coffee counter. As he passed Debra and disappeared out of sight, she looked in my direction and winked. I couldn’t read her actions, so I passed it off as her being flirty and silly.

I paid no attention and took a deep breath, slinging my backpack on, and making my way towards the front door.

Paperwork. Check.

There were friendly, dependable coworkers and a decent boss. Check.

Was this someone I could consider a new friend?

Whatever. I threw on my headphones to distract myself, drowning out all these random thoughts with “Criminal” by Fiona Apple. I better get my ass home. I have only 45 minutes to get ready and meet my folks at the hotel. They made reservations at a place I haven’t heard of close by, so it’s safe to assume it will be good. My parents would only go out for Italian food when it’s a “night out.”

I better not be late, I thought to myself, biting down on my bottom lip. I was too punctual. I started on my way back home, letting the breeze drag past my face as I picked up the pace. There was a wave of certainty I suddenly felt. The move here and the new job could be a fresh start with all these new characters in my life. I would have to make sure I didn’t royally fuck any of this up. This is my only shot at this life.

R. Paone - Love Is Found Full Cover s

About R.

R.Paone started on this writing journey in June, 2014. From events that were beyond his control, he decided to start this new path in his life before my 30th birthday. It has been quite the journey mapping out this story arc. He has learned so much writing a novel in that it has been therapeutic and also eye opening as it evolves. He hopes everyone will enjoy what is to come from the “ONLY IF” series as I want this to be something anyone could reach for and say “that could happen to me.” Stay tuned! Three fun facts about him is: he live in NYC, has a vast horror movie collection and has a great appreciation for Enya.

Amazon Page | Facebook | Website | Instagram | rocco.joseph@gmail.com | Goodreads | Twitter

Review


R. Paone - Love Is Found Cover sTitle: 
Love is Found (2nd edition)

Series: Only If 01

Author: R. Paone

Genre: Gay Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, New Adult

Length: Novel (222 Pages)

ISBN: B01H5VBT9W

Publisher: R. Paone (4th July 2016)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating♥♥♥♥ 3 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Lisa

Blurb: “My love for you will never die.”

A tale based on true events of love, self-acceptance, and the turmoil of companionship.

“Love is Found” is the moving account about coming-of-age in suburban New York and discovering the broad concept of sexuality and love.

Based on true events of love, the story’s protagonist, Robert, finds himself thrown into the realization that upon entering graduate school he is beginning a new chapter in his adult life. Comfortable with being gay, he yearns for love but dwells on the ideal of being alone while being consumed by the world of academia. Upon starting a new job he meets a coworker, whom he begins an unlikely relationship with considering this man identifies as straight.

When sex is introduced and emotions run amok, the routine of Robert’s life is thrown into chaos with unexpected outcomes. Will Robert realize his true limits and whether he can conquer the strife of new love? Little does he know if his heart can survive the overwhelming desire and how this man will alter the course of his life just not now, but for the next decade.

The first novel in the debut “Only If…” series by R. Paone introduces the heartbreaking portrait of one young man finding love in all the wrong places while exploring themes of one’s sexual identity, passion, and nostalgia.

This edition of “Love is Found” has been newly edited and expanded containing over 10K of added content.

Product Link: AMAZON GLOBAL LINK

Review: This is the second edition and having read it my original review stands even though the 2nd ed has been expanded.

This is a new author to me and I am not really sure what to say. What caught my attention from the start was the title. It had a sweetness to it that made me think I was going to enjoy this story. The book is full of heart and feelings, but it was really lacking something to make it perfect. It did not keep my attention like it should have which was a shame. The story was well written and fully developed but one of my major hates is cheating. When I find out that a character has cheated then it is done for. I hate when others, even in books get hurt. It brings it down in ratings in my eyes.

Robbie is off to college, with a cool roommate and a great idea of what he is going to do. He even takes on a job. Then Mitch shows up and it takes an even more interesting twist. However Mitch is with a girlfriend, but it doesn’t stop him from being with Robbie. The problem is not only is Robbie going to get hurt but so is Liz. They seem to be lying to everyone.

Normally I can read straight through if I like the book but this book just kept pissing me off. The characters were not what they should have been. The characters were stiff and awkward.  They didn’t call to me nor did they keep me wanting to learn more about them. In fact the whole story was stiff.  It had a lot of detail and I did notice that a few errors in it, but the errors didn’t stand out to much.  Even the sex, what there was, came off boring.  The story just didn’t work well for me.

 I didn’t like that Robbie as I should have because he comes off weak and needy.  Not so much that he needed him to survive, but he took what he could. The only positive point was that he did stand up to Mitch about them, but then he took him back.  Now that makes them look off.  I absolutely hated Mitch.  He comes off as a jerk and a man with no balls.  He was going to continue which made him wrong in my eyes.  The pairing of them both was wrong for this story.  

It didn’t have the spark to it that it should have.  There was no excitement, suspense, heat or sexual tension.  The first paragraph shows Robbie as not a good fit for this book.  Now I am not one for lots of sex in my books, but damn this one could have used a bit more.   

Like I said before it is well written but to dull for my taste. It was told from Robbie’s point of view, which made Robbie the one you would love, but it didn’t make me want to continue to read it. It did not grab my attention like it should have or give me a world that I found interesting. The characters were not ones you will fall in love with, nor a place you wish you were at. It just seemed that there was more to this book but I didn’t feel it. The author has an interesting way of telling it, but once it had cheating in it I was lost. I do look forward to seeing what other stories this author has though.

R. Paone - Love is Found Tour Banner