Piece Us Back Together – Anthology Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

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Hi peeps, we have Cate Ashwood, L.J. LaBarthe, and Raine O’Tierney and their anthology Piece Us Back Together but not only do we have the anthology we also have the individual stories as well visiting with us, we have a great excerpt, we find out 10 things about Cate Ashwood, there’s a brilliant giveaway and we have Cat’s review. So peeps check out the post, click that Rafflecopter giveaway and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~ 

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Piece Us Back Together

by

Cate Ashwood, LJ LaBarthe, and Raine O’Tierney

Life can seem bleak for people suffering devastating injuries or illnesses of the mind and body, and every day can be a struggle. But sometimes, when hope seems in short supply, they find a reason to keep up the fight. The men in these stories face some of the most difficult challenges imaginable, but fortunately they won’t be facing them alone, because when everything seems darkest, a point of light appears. With compassion, understanding, and love, these hurt souls have a chance to piece the broken parts of their lives and themselves into something strong and beautiful. Love might even be able to mend the most serious wounds of all—those of the heart.

Release Date 20th May 2015 

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All That Shimmers

Raine O’Tierney

Beau Bell is a former Olympic hopeful, left paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident. He has every reason in the world to be pissed off and miserable, yet he’s training for the Paralympics Men’s 100m—S6 division. The chair? Just a part of who he is now. Beau’s attitude is golden. If only he could contend with this one little issue: errant erections and no way to relieve them!

Nikša Meríc is a lonely scientist and really bad poet living underneath the old building where he does his research. Every night he watches his neighbor through his basement window as he undresses in his wheelchair. Although there is no apparent reason for Nikša to be unhappy, he’s struggled with depression his whole life and has tried to kill himself on multiple occasions.

When Beau proposes that his “voyeur” come over and help him experiment with the erections he can’t actually feel, the relationship they build is a sexual one. But the relationship they need is one that will heal each other’s heart as well.

Out Now 
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Swimming With Elephants

L.J. LaBarthe

After suffering a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder, Garrett believes his life is over. Depressed, bereft, in pain, and unable to return to the career he loves as an arborist, he sees no hope or future for himself. But a trip to Havelock Island in India turns his world upside down. He meets Jai, an Indian nurse, and becomes smitten with him. Near the end of his trip, while swimming with an elephant, he tells Jai how he feels.

After Garrett returns to Australia, he wonders if he can ever be healed of all his pain—physical, emotional, and mental—and fears that love and romance will never be his again. But then Jai turns up in Perth and brings with him astonishing news.

Release date 13th May 2015
Pre-order:
Cate Ashwood, LJ LaBarthe, and Raine O'Tierney - Piece Us Back Together RedRunsThroughFS

Red Runs Through

Cate Ashwood

Carter McClintock’s life is uncomplicated. For the past five years, he’s spent so much time in hospital scrubs that one day bleeds into the next, and that’s just the way he likes it. That is, until he meets Matthew Nolan. Carter has never had a patient affect him the way Matthew does. During Matthew’s stay in the hospital, the chemistry is unmistakable, and once he is discharged, Carter asks him out.

Despite the obvious attraction between them, Matthew’s HIV status keeps him from handing Carter his heart, refusing to believe anyone could ever truly want him. When Matthew’s past comes to light, their budding relationship is threatened before it has even begun. But Carter isn’t one to give up without a fight and he will do anything to show Matthew the lengths he will go to keep them together.

Release date 20th May 2015
Pre-order:
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Excerpt

Excerpt from Swimming with Elephants by L.J. LaBarthe

Perhaps they could develop a deeper friendship at the very least, and maybe Garrett could come back to India to see Jai. There were a lot of possibilities, after all, and Garrett preferred right then to think of those rather than anything negative.

Baju joined them, his trunk brushing over Garrett’s back and Garret laughed, unable to help himself. “That tickles,” he said to the elephant.

Jai laughed as well. “He is saying hello.”

“He’s awesome. I hope you know that you’re awesome, Baju.” Garrett turned in the water and rested a hand on Baju’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“He has helped to heal your soul,” Jai said.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly it. I feel so much happier for having had this experience.”

“There are many kinds of healing,” Jai said. “Some of them cannot be put into words.”

Garrett nodded, feeling peace wash over him once more. Here in the warm sea water, touching a large Indian elephant and feeling the elephant’s trunk on his shoulders, beside a man he had feelings for, he had found his little piece of pure joy, and nothing and no one could take this away from him. It would be a memory he would treasure forever.

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10 things we didn’t know about you.

Cate:

  1. I collect glass floats, like the one Evan finds in Keeping Sweets. I’ve found three on the beach in Lincoln City, and the years we aren’t able to find one, we cheat and buy one from a local glassblower in Newport.
  2. One of the ways I deal with stress is to bake.
  3. Taking a chance on sending my manuscripts in to Dreamspinner Press was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
  4. I speak French. Sort of. Badly.
  5. I am allergic to a lot of fruits and vegetables, but I pretend to be allergic to mushrooms. So gross.
  6. I think shower sex is about the most awful thing ever (all that cold tile and wet, yucky shower curtain), yet I have a shower sex scene in almost all my books. Fictional shower sex? Sexy. Real life shower sex? Disgusting.
  7. I used to teach debate, and I have an intense, debilitating fear of public speaking (I once fainted giving a speech in school).
  8. I was once a TV star. Okay, not really. I was on a couple of episodes of Romper Room when I was super little.
  9. I won a poetry contest in the second grade. My mom still shows that (framed) piece of paper off as though it was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever done.
  10. I had an incredibly difficult time coming up with ten things! I really need to get out more.

(P.S. I asked my husband for help with this one, and his suggestion? I spend an inordinately large amount of time in sweatpants. Thanks, honey!)

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About the authors

Raine O’Tierney

Raine O’Tierney lives outside of Kansas City with her husband, fellow Dreamspinner Press author, Siôn O’Tierney. When she’s not writing, she’s either asleep, or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. Raine believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers! Writing for 20+ years (with the last 10 spent on M/M) Raine changes sub-genres to suit her mood and believes all good stories end sweetly. Contact her if you’re interested in talking about point-and-click adventure games or about which dachshunds are the best kinds of dachshunds!

L.J. LaBarthe

L.J. LaBarthe is a French-Australian woman, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she went on to write a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school yearbook, her university newspaper, and, from her early teens to her twenties, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English and a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places, urbex, history, and researching.

L.J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, and contemporary Australian stories, usually m/m romance and featuring m/m erotica. She has won a Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention and another award for Best Historical Gay Novel.

L.J. lives in the city of Adelaide, and is owned by her cat.

Cate Ashwood

Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.

Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband, her brand new little boy, and her two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.

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Giveaway!

One e-copy of each book in the anthology (to one winner)

(Just click the link below)

Piece Us Back Together Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends 28th May 2015)

Review

Cate Ashwood, LJ LaBarthe, and Raine O'Tierney - Piece Us Back Together PieceUsBackTogetherFSTitle: Piece us back Together

Series: Piece us back Together Anthology

Author: Raine O’Tierney, L.J. LaBarthe, Cate Ashwood

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 3 Novellas (260pgs)

ISBN: 9781634761253

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (20th May 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts (Overall)

Reviewer:  Cat

Blurb: A M/M Romance “Healing” Anthology

Red Runs Through by Cate Ashwood   

Carter McClintock’s life is uncomplicated. For the past five years, he’s spent so much time in hospital scrubs that one day bleeds into the next, and that’s just the way he likes it. That is, until he meets Matthew Nolan. Carter has never had a patient affect him the way Matthew does. During Matthew’s stay in the hospital, the chemistry is unmistakable, and once he is discharged, Carter asks him out.

Despite the obvious attraction between them, Matthew’s HIV status keeps him from handing Carter his heart, refusing to believe anyone could ever truly want him. When Matthew’s past comes to light, their budding relationship is threatened before it has even begun. But Carter isn’t one to give up without a fight and he will do anything to show Matthew the lengths he will go to keep them together.

All That Shimmers by Raine O’Tierney       

Beau Bell is a former Olympic hopeful, left paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident. He has every reason in the world to be pissed off and miserable, yet he’s training for the Paralympics Men’s 100m—S6 division. The chair? Just a part of who he is now. Beau’s attitude is golden. If only he could contend with this one little issue: errant erections and no way to relieve them!

Nikša Meríc is a lonely scientist and really bad poet living underneath the old building where he does his research. Every night he watches his neighbor through his basement window as he undresses in his wheelchair. Although there is no apparent reason for Nikša to be unhappy, he’s struggled with depression his whole life and has tried to kill himself on multiple occasions.

When Beau proposes that his “voyeur” come over and help him experiment with the erections he can’t actually feel, the relationship they build is a sexual one. But the relationship they need is one that will heal each other’s hearts as well.

Swimming with Elephants by L.J. LaBarthe

After suffering a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder, Garrett believes his life is over. Depressed, bereft, in pain, and unable to return to the career he loves as an arborist, he sees no hope or future for himself. But a trip to Havelock Island in India turns his world upside down. He meets Jai, an Indian nurse, and becomes smitten with him. Near the end of his trip, while swimming with an elephant, he tells Jai how he feels.

After Garrett returns to Australia, he wonders if he can ever be healed of all his pain—physical, emotional, and mental—and fears that love and romance will never be his again. But then Jai turns up in Perth and brings with him astonishing news.

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6413

Review: This is a fabulous collection of three short stories by three very talented Authors on some rather tough topics. Love isn’t always wine and roses, love at first sight, kiss and live happy ever after. I understand we read fiction for that purpose to escape the reality of life but this anthology shows us that even if we are not cover model beautiful, if we have flaws or disabilities, if we deal with an unseen disability or have a serious illness such as HIV we still deserve love and can have it. Even in a romance novel.  Here are three beautiful stories to prove that!

All That Shimmers by Raine O’Tierney ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

This is a beautiful, angsty story of two broken men, one physically the other mentally. It shows us challenges and needs we would never consider in people’s lives. Simple needs such as orgasm for a man with spinal paralysis and the simple need of family of friends. Being alone in a strange land with no one.

I loved the strength in Beau that he never gave up on his dreams even though he lost the use of his legs. He is sort of an ass relationship wise but once you read the story you do see why and cannot really blame him. I still found him likable.

Niksa, Niksa, Niksa! What I would give to see his full story. (hint, hint). My heart went out to him. (Tissue alert). The way Niksa and Beau meet is a bit creepy, but I loved this story so much.

Swimming with Elephants by L.J. LaBarthe ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

This is a lovely story that shows us even though we look normal we could be living with a lot of pain. I really related with this story as I live in chronic pain. It is hard to maintain a relationship I get it. I also understood poor Garret’s mental anguish about losing his lively hood as well.

I loved all the characters and the descriptions in this story are amazing. The swimming with the Elephant part was absolutely beautiful.  Just wish there was a bit more action or plot to the story.

Red Runs Through by Cate Ashwood ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

This is another fabulous story about inner turmoil. I loved how the story dealt with such a taboo subject as HIV.I loved both characters and would love to have both of their stories, even though this one did justice and filled us in quite well. They were just such loveable characters!

Thought he story is a bit sad and we know that Mathew’s fate may be sealed, I loved the positive attitude of both characters.  I think this si a must-read story for anyone dealing with HIV or having a family member dealing with it. We all need to remember they are people and dealing with something life threatening. We should embrace them as Carter does and not toss them to the trash. I love stories with strong characters and you can’t get much stronger than these two men.

So If you like stories with unique characters, touchy subjects, different countries, swimming, struggles of HIV, three great authors you will grow to love, and some pretty hot, sensual man-sex this is a must read!

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4 thoughts on “Piece Us Back Together – Anthology Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

  1. Congrats on the new releases. What an awesome giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win!

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