Patience by Helena Stone Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

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Hi guys, we have Helena Stone popping in today with her new release Patience, we have a great excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and my review, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~

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Patience

(Dublin Virtues 01)
by

Helena Stone

Patience is a virtue. But what if you wait too long?

While Xander Ekman’s dream of becoming a successful artist has come true, his love life has gone from bad to worse. Sick of the endless string of one-night stands, he accepts the challenge when his best friend, Erik, bets him that he can’t be celibate for a month. Now all he needs is a reminder to keep his distance in the heat of the moment.

Troy Moriarty doesn’t have time for love. He’s too busy trying to keep his recently opened tattoo parlor afloat. Besides, ever since the man who was supposed to be his business partner abandoned him to run the shop on his own, he has a hard time trusting others.

When Xander turns to Troy for a tattoo that will remind him to be patient, the attraction is instant. But faced with Xander’s month of celibacy, Troy’s trust issues, and a nemesis lurking in the background, their relationship may be doomed before it has a chance to begin.

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Excerpt!

Here we go again. Xander stared as the man he’d spent a few sweaty hours with walked away without a backward glance. He closed the front door as softly as he could before his guest reached the stairs leading to the street. With a sigh, he rested his forehead against the smooth wood. Weariness crept into his bones, swiftly followed by anger. He squeezed his hands into fists and raised one before lowering it again. The middle of the night was not the time to slam his hand against the door, no matter how frustrated he was.

“Don’t hold back on my account.”

Xander’s heart stuttered at the unexpected voice coming from behind.

Shit. Bollix. Fuck. Xander raised his hand again and forcefully hit the door, immediately regretting the action as pain seared through his arm.

“Another one bites the dust, I see.”

Xander spun around, fury and embarrassment battling for dominance, as he glared at his housemate, and most of the time best friend, Eric.

“What are you doing up at this ungodly hour?” Xander didn’t try to keep the frustration from his voice, in the hope that an attack would hide the discomfort he experienced.

“I’ve got no idea. Give me a minute. What could possibly have me awake at this time of night?” Eric remained expressionless as he stared at Xander. “It may have been the bed frame rhythmically hitting the wall between our bedrooms earlier. Or the noises from the shower. Or maybe it’s because you still haven’t done anything to stop the hinges on your door from squeaking every time it opens or closes. Take your pick.”

“I…” Xander swallowed, biting down on a smart retort as he realized his housemate had a point. He glanced at Eric’s face and was just in time to see his features relax and a small smile tug at his lips.

“Cat got your tongue? It’s not very often you’re lost for words.” A smirk appeared on Eric’s face but the sting had gone out of his tone and Xander allowed himself a small sigh of relief.

“I’d love to know what’s up with you, though. You’ve always been popular, but I’ve never known you to slut around like this in the past. Is this a new thing? Something you developed while I was overseas?”

Xander opened his mouth to give a flippant reply then pressed his lips together again. He might not like to admit it, but once again, Eric had a point. Instead of answering, he shrugged and shook his head, hoping it would be enough to make Eric drop the subject and allow them to go back to bed. It was three in the morning. Apart from the opportunity for a few hours of undisturbed sleep, Xander couldn’t come up with a possible positive spin to put on his guest’s early departure.

“Let’s have a cup of tea, seeing as we’re both up, anyway.” Eric didn’t wait for an answer but turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Xander watched his friend’s retreating form and sighed before reluctantly following him. He didn’t want to have this conversation but he’d known it was coming. It had been six weeks since Eric had returned from Canada where he had worked and lived for two years. It had made sense to offer his spare room to the man who’d been his best friend since they’d both been ten years old, just as it had seemed logical to tell Eric there was no need for him to hurry about finding a place of his own. Reasonably priced accommodations were next to impossible to find in Dublin unless you were prepared to live in a shoebox, and Xander had more than enough space in his apartment. Of course, Xander hadn’t stopped to consider what having a live-in guest would mean for his nocturnal adventures. He sighed as he realized he wouldn’t be able to fob Eric off with half-answers and evasions either. The man knew him too bloody well.

When Xander dragged himself into the kitchen, the kettle was on and Eric had two mugs waiting on the counter.

“It’s still the middle of the night.” Xander figured it was worth a try. “You need to get up for work in a few hours. We could have this conversation later today.” Or not at all. Xander didn’t hold out any hope for that possibility.

Eric turned from the counter and looked at Xander. All signs of levity were gone and replaced by concern. “It’s okay. I’m wide awake now, anyway, and I’ve been trying to find an opening for this talk for days. Might as well take advantage of the opportunity.”

“I don’t really want to—”

“Leave it, Xander. You know me well enough to realize I’m not going to let it drop, now that I’ve opened my mouth.”

Xander nodded. Eric rarely dropped an issue after he’d broached it—something he used to admire in him. He sat down at the kitchen table and waited in silence for the kettle to boil and for Eric to make their tea. Only when they both had a steaming mug in front of them did Eric speak again.

“So, what is going on with you? It’s shocking how much you’ve changed in only two years. If I remember correctly, you used to say how you couldn’t see the attraction in one-night stands.”

Bollix. This was not what Xander had prepared himself for. He’d been ready for a speech about him being a selfish bastard. He was happy and willing to apologize for not taking Eric into consideration when he brought people home and took them to his bed. He didn’t want to talk about why he did it, though.

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About Helena!

Helena Stone author picHelena Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her Kindle is about to explode.

The urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head and heart with the rest of the world.

Having left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her ever loving and patient husband.

Helena can be found in the following places: 

Website | Blog | Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Pinterest | Email: helenastoneauthor@gmail.com

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Giveaway!

Win a $10 Amazon Giftcard!

(Just click the link below)

Helena Stone Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends 10th April 2017)

Review

Helena Stone - Patience CoverTitle: Patience

Series: Dublin Virtues 01

Author: Helena Stone

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novella (170pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-78651-536-0

Publisher: Pride Publishing (28th March 2017)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Patience is a virtue. But what if you wait too long?

While Xander Ekman’s dream of becoming a successful artist has come true, his love life has gone from bad to worse. Sick of the endless string of one-night stands, he accepts the challenge when his best friend, Erik, bets him that he can’t be celibate for a month. Now all he needs is a reminder to keep his distance in the heat of the moment.

Troy Moriarty doesn’t have time for love. He’s too busy trying to keep his recently opened tattoo parlor afloat. Besides, ever since the man who was supposed to be his business partner abandoned him to run the shop on his own, he has a hard time trusting others.

When Xander turns to Troy for a tattoo that will remind him to be patient, the attraction is instant. But faced with Xander’s month of celibacy, Troy’s trust issues, and a nemesis lurking in the background, their relationship may be doomed before it has a chance to begin.

Purchase Link: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/patience

Review: Xander’s life as an artist is working out for him but his love life is abysmal, the men he meets only want one night stands and Xander yearns for something more. Xander’s best friend is concerned about him and challenges him to swear off sex for a month and Xander accepts the challenge. On impulse Xander walks into a tattoo shop to get a tattoo to remind him to think things through and take his time but he meets a man who makes him wish he’d rejected the bet.

Troy is busy establishing his new tattoo parlor when a customer walks into his shop and brings back memories of Troy’s fractured trust, but Troy puts aside the memories of the man who left him high and dry to help the man out. The two reconnect at an artist showcase and over the course of a month become close, until the man who hurt both of them blazes back into their lives.

This is a great story of two men who have both been hurt in different ways finding each other and beginning to build something good between them. First we have Xander who is a talented artist but lacks confidence in finding a man who truly wants him, he’s a nice guy who has been worn down by rejection and sometimes Troy’s reactions have him confused but he’s determined to cling to his hope that Troy is different from the other guys he’s met.

Troy is a lovely man who has had his trust broken by Shane, a man who he thought was a good friend and his secret crush, meeting Xander has him torn at first because he’s seen the man before and he can’t help but wonder if Xander is of the same mindset as his ex-friend.

In this story we follow along as Xander’s and Troy’s friendship develops into something more, we get to see the perspective of both men so we get to enjoy the developing relationship from both sides and we know exactly what’s going through both men’s minds as they traverse their new relationship.

The characters in this story are well written and we get to know them pretty well, not only do we get to enjoy Xander and Troy but also their best friends Eric and Lorcan, I’m hoping we’ll see more of Eric and Lorcan in the future because there’s certainly some chemistry there.

I enjoyed this story, I found the characters to be engaging and entertaining, I enjoyed that their relationship is taken at a slow pace and that trust is built between them. Shane is an ideal bad guy with his selfish attitude, I just hope we’ve seen the last of him because Xander and Troy weren’t the only ones wanting to punch him 😉 . I love Eric and Lorcan because they were perfect supportive friends; they’re the type of guys that you’d love for your own friends so you can turn to them for advice and a night at the pub.

I recommend this story who love everyday contemporary romances, taking a slow paced relationship and adding a bit of tension to spice it up, great characters, a dash of hot sex and a very happy ending.

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