Hi peeps, we have AKM Miles stopping by today to celebrate the re-release of All in the Details, we have a fantastic excerpt and my review for you to enjoy, so come and help AKM celebrate with her short blog tour! <3 ~Pixie~
All in the Details
by
A.K.M. Miles
Beau Garner meets Nash Tyler under very strange circumstances. Beau’s so not the gun type. Their relationship develops over a period of time filled with one wild ride after another. Beau, with his OCD, is the owner of a successful event planning company called Details. Beau’s fairly simple life of planning parties, showers, and so on, with his well-chosen staff, changes to nearly getting arrested, to saving a young woman, to becoming the victim of hate crimes, and then things really get beyond bizarre.
Title: Something More for Santa Series: N/A Author: AKM Miles Genre: Contemporary/Holiday Length: Novel (156 pages) Publisher: MLR Press (December 20th, 2014) Heat Level: Low Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3.5Hearts Blurb: While on a break at Martin’s Department Store, Derek Campbell, aka Santa, wishes aloud for a little something for Santa and he gets it, and more.
Derek Campbell loves his job as Santa at Martin’s, but finds himself wishing for a little something for himself. He’s surprised when an elf hears his request and answers him. Derek gets more than he bargained for when he meets young Michael and then Max, who just happens to own Martin’s. He falls in love with both of them and they him, and then something happens, something bad. They overcome because they’re strong together, and they have a good Christmas.
Then, even worse things happen. What now? What follows is a wonderful holiday story filled with love, adventure, fear, hope and kittens.
This is a re-release but has been greatly expanded and re-edited.
Review: This book starts out insanely cute and it just keeps on being that way. And it’s all because of Michael (not Mikey) who is the six-year-old son of one of our main characters, Max. This isn’t a complicated story; it’s a sweet and simply Christmas story that is lead by a little boy who seems intent on his father finding “the one”. It’s very light-hearted at its core, so if you take the story at face value, you will not be disappointed.
Derek is having a heck of a time, working two jobs to pay the bills left over since his mother’s illness and subsequent death. He had made the decision to just pick up casual jobs to wipe the debt instead of finding a job in his area of qualification. Something that I didn’t understand since it would make him more money, or at least search for a job he is educated and qualified for between shifts. Just something. But I decided immediately to let that one slid.
On one of his shifts at Martin’s Department Store as the in store Santa, feeling sorry for himself, a little elf in the form of six-year-old Michael Martin finds him. From there, Derek’s soft heart leads him to Michael’s father, Max. Max Martin, who is a widowed father and has since come out admitted publicly he’s gay. He also happens to be the owner and CEO of the eight Martin’s department stores. Maybe I’m a bit too harsh when I add it has the “Cinderfella” type of feel to it, but again, nothing that I really paid overly much attention to.
They start a work and personal relationship which is probably not that wise, but this is the type of story where you ignore the holes and inconsistencies and just enjoy the sugary sweetness of the relationship that forms between Derek and Max. Don’t get me wrong, there is a strand of drama running through the story, which keeps the ball rolling, too. Quite honestly, I thought that the story was going to be wrapping up by the time I got to the 85-page mark, but evidently not.
Then a new storyline is introduced just as the guys are getting their lives on track after Christmas, probably not wholly necessary as it was completely unrelated to the previous plot, but it was well enough. But I have to admit, I haven’t read the previously released version which this is the apparently expanded result. This leads me to think that Max really needs an overhaul on his staff yesterday, being that he is the rich owner in the piece all the villains came from his side.
The only major criticism I have is that the blurb is a bit too ambiguous. I’ve read some ménage books lately and really, that was almost what I was expecting here because it wasn’t explained that Michael is Max’s son. It also makes the mention of kittens in the blurb a bit baffling.
This is full of sugar-sweet insta-love and clichés – appreciate this for what it is and you’ll be sure to enjoy this cute Christmas story.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Blurb: When Clay is lamenting his boring life, Joseph comes by needing his help and they start a relationship that is certainly not short on excitement.
Clay is highly skilled but you couldn’t tell it from his dead end job. Then Joseph comes in late one night needing his help and it begins. They realize right away that they are interested in a relationship. What they are not ready for is all the danger and excitement that follows. They stand together, and handle everything that comes their way. As they face the unexpected, they find that as a unit, they are strong and their bond is real. They come from different worlds and then there’s the age thing. Maybe their differences aren’t so important after all.
Review: These two have to jump through a lot of hoops to finally find a way to come together! Not just their age and social status separate them, but murder and mayhem also stand in the way. The first half of the book seems cute, typical misunderstanding between the two men confront them, but then the attraction grows and there seems to be hope! I was surprised at the curveballs the author throws in with not only one but also two attempts at poor Clays’ life! But can he have it all? Will Joseph see Clay for the skilled and determined man he is, or just another shallow youth? The tender sexual encounters and romantic getaway are oddly balanced with life threatening situations like being held hostage and poisonous snakes. Not sure if this tension works or not. One other odd thing that was bothering this techie is that all Clay had to do was compress a file for Joseph and send it on in an email. This did not really require an in-depth session at Joe’s house. It really only takes a maximum of five minutes or less and not much technical skill at all! If I were writing the story, I would develop a slightly more difficult technical task for Clay to solve for Joseph. Like a problem with his website code, or a document that has all of its links broken, or font incompatibility, something that takes a bit more time and access to Josephs works station. But I digress; it’s a cute story with fantastical life threatening elements in it.
Blurb: When Daniel Webster returns to Nashville after two years of hell, he doesn’t go back to his dad’s house. After an amazing rescue he ends up at Mama Sasy’s diner and finds out that it’s a safe place for young gay guys in trouble. He certainly fits that bill.
Daniel has problems mentally and physically after all he’s been through, and it’s going to take a lot to get him back to any form of normal. He finds a great ally in Benny Adams and they begin a relationship. He’s so thankful for Benny, but why can’t he embrace Mama Sasy and her group of happy helpers who throw love at him left and right? Maybe because she’s so close to his dad, the one Daniel ran away from two years ago because he was so cruel upon hearing that Daniel thought he was gay. Benny makes him believe in love, and the broad spectrum of characters at Mama Sasy’s eventually make their way into his heart. As time moves forward, Daniel gets an idea about what he wants to do with his life. Benny helps him and they set forth a bold plan. It’s gonna get better, but he’s got to get them all to understand that he needs to take it slow.
Review: Take It Slow by A.K.M. Miles is a very touchy coming-of-age novel with one of the sweetest messages ever. The story revolves around Nick Webster and his son, Daniel Webster. After revealing to his father that he is gay, Nick explodes and tells him the most hurtful words that any human being could bear. Daniel leaves and walks out of his life with only the clothes on his back and few dollars in his pocket. Upon realizing his mistake, Nicks goes after his son, but it’s too late. And so begins two of the worst years of Nick and Daniel’s lives. Daniel goes from being the rich kid on the block to basically living in the streets. He runs into amazing and kindhearted individuals to mean and repulsive bastards. While Daniel endures pain and suffering, his father goes through the same as he vigorously searches for his son. Destiny takes him to Mama Sasy’s truck stop where she gives shelter to homeless gay boys in Nashville. She is the one that supports Nick and helps him rescue Daniel from an abusive bastard that has him living in fear. Daniel chooses to stay at Mama Sasy’s place since he is still hurt by his father’s words and confuse by his sudden change of heart. After this, the story really takes it slow.
There is no doubt that A.K.M. Miles is terrific writer and the message in this story is very sweet, loving and caring. I loved Nick Webster even though I should have loathed him with all my heart. I instantly fell in love with Jeff and Robb after they were introduced towards the end of the story and I quickly found myself wanting to learn more about them. But, little was said about their love story. Somehow, I couldn’t connect with Daniel or his love of interest, Benny, a gay boy who is living at Mama Sasy’s. I found that strange since they were two of the main characters in the story. Something about this story wasn’t right for me. I found myself becoming inpatient and skipping a few pages which clearly showed that this was not the book for me.
Don’t get me wrong, Take It Slow was not a bad read but it wasn’t satisfying one either. I would recommend this novel to family oriented readers who want to read a beautiful story about a father and son as they try to mend their lives by seeking forgiveness and love. It would be fun for them, but not for the thrill seekers like me.
Title: Something More for Santa
