Hi guys, we have Gene Gant visiting today with his upcoming release Borrowed Boy, we have a wonderful guest post from Gene and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! ❤ ~Pixie~
Borrowed Boy
by
Gene Gant
An entire life can be snatched away in an instant.
Thirteen-year-old Zavier Beckham is an average teen living in Memphis. He has great parents and a quirky best friend named Cole. He’s happy, and he thinks his life is totally normal… until an FBI agent shows up and informs Zavier he was stolen as an infant and sold to an adoption agency.
Now his biological parents want him back.
Forced to confront his distant past, Zavier faces an uncertain future. He may be taken from the only home he’s known by parents who are strangers living in Chicago. He may have to deal with a brother who hates and torments him. He meets Brendan, an older boy who offers him friendship and wakens a strong, unsettling attraction in Zavier. Brendan has secrets of his own, and he’ll either be the one ray of light in Zavier’s tense situation or the last straw that breaks Zavier under the pressure.
Blurb: Gavin Goode was a star athlete and a good student until one catastrophic decision destroyed his future. As a member of the savage street gang the Cold Bloods, Gavin ran afoul of the leader, Apache, a bigot determined to punish Gavin for his sexuality. After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Gavin faces a prison sentence—and the promise of relentless rape and torment. With his spirit almost broken, Gavin learns his beloved father has suffered a near-fatal assault. But a friend appears when Gavin needs him most. Cato has been masquerading as a prison guard when in reality he is a time traveler—one with the ability to wipe the slate clean for Gavin… and his father.
But changing the past will threaten the future for many innocent people. Gavin finds himself trapped between saving his father and himself or accepting the steep price of preserving the time stream.
Review: One moment of helping someone changes Gavin’s life forever. A moment which he regrets everyday. Life is definitely not easy when you are convicted of a crime you did not commit. To make matters worse the place where he sent is a living breathing hell.
My heart broke at the injustice that was done to Gavin, the brutality forced on him by embers of a vicious gang and the uncaring of the staff at the place. I was extremely surprised he did not turn out to be a criminal after everything was said and done.
Cato was an interesting and fascinating person. Having come from the future was eyebrow raising. His reason for helping Gavin was sweet. Alas not all is kosher when Gavin alters history and sets a chain reaction in time that changes things for the worse.
I loved this story despite some parts I cringed at. It was well written with a suspenseful atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat.
I will warn people there is rape mentioned seeing as how Gavin is in jail.
Hi guys, we have Gene Gant stopping by today with his upcoming release In Time I Dream of You, we have a brilliant guest post and a great excerpt so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
In Time I Dream of You
by
Gene Gant
Gavin Goode, a promising high school athlete with good grades, forfeited his future when he joined a brutal street gang called the Cold Bloods. The gang’s leader, Apache, discovered Gavin is gay and framed him for murder. Now in prison, Gavin faces rape and abuse on a daily basis as gang members there attempt to break him. When his father is critically injured and Gavin reaches his lowest point, a mysterious ally appears. Cato is much more than the guard he seems. He has come from the future, and he possesses the technology to undo everything that’s gone wrong in Gavin’s life.
But meddling in the timeline has dire consequences, and Gavin faces an impossible decision: sacrifice himself and his father, or let thousands of innocents die instead.
This book features sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
Hi guys, we have Gene Gant popping in today with his upcoming release Bender, we have a great guest post and a tantalizing excerpt so enjoy the post! <3 ~Pixie~
Bender
by
Gene Gant
At nineteen, college freshman Mace Danner works as an escort, hiring himself out to customers who want a submissive they can dominate. Having no carnal urges himself, the sexual side of his job leaves him cold, but he sees the pain inflicted on him by his clients as punishment for causing his brother’s death when he was in high school. Pain is not enough, however, to wash away his guilt, and Mace starts binge drinking in an effort to escape his remorse.
The dorm’s resident advisor, Dex Hammel, sees Mace spiraling out of control and strives to help him. Despite the mutual attraction between them, Mace is disturbed that he still feels no sexual desire for anyone. Even with Dex’s support, Mace’s self-destructive behavior escalates, leading to a situation that endangers his life.
With time ticking until graduation, Ellis Carter doesn’t have a plan for after high school. Since his best friend Cary dropped out, he has no one to talk to. All he knows is he doesn’t want to continue being a burden to his mother. Adding to his daily torture is the school’s new resident bad boy, Saul Brooks. So to say he’s amazed, when the mysterious Saul invites him to the gym for a workout, is an understatement. Soon, they go from workout buddies to boyfriends, and Ellis couldn’t be happier. But happiness is fleeting. His mother begins a new relationship he thinks will lead to pain, and Cary makes a decision that could take him out of Ellis’s life for good. Just when he needs to lean on his boyfriend the most, Ellis discovers Saul has a secret that could break them apart.
Review: Ellis is a loner in his final months of high school and really doesn’t have any plans for his life. He secretly has a crush on the new man, Saul. But, even though he doesn’t hang around with the other kids, he is afraid Saul has heard his secret and wouldn’t be interested and/or probably is straight.
Saul has some secrets of his own. He does notice Ellis and soon he is more than interested in Ellis, he is completely obsessed with him. Carey, Ellis best friend wasn’t able to make it through school and isn’t able to find a job. He isn’t sure what to do with his life and is facing some sad decisions. Ellis mom has some secrets and at time takes her frustrations out on Ellis. There were times I really wanted to smack her.
This is a very sweet, story of three young men and how they are dealing with becoming adults. At times, it is a bit sad. All the sex is off the page and I feel that it’s tastefully done for young adult.
If you like sweet stories of budding romance, coming of age, handling what life throws at you, and a satisfying ending this is definitely for you!
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press (6th February 2014) (Dreamspinner)
Heat Level: Nil
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Micah McGhee has struggled all his life against prejudice and abuse. Forced to drop out of school after the death of his mother, Micah works full-time to support himself and his alcoholic father. One night, on his way home from a party, Micah’s hard life ends when he’s beaten to death by a street gang.
Three days later, Micah awakens with godlike abilities granted by the alien device that resurrected him. His work helping the downtrodden and performing miracles soon earns him worldwide attention—including the notice of conservative Reverend Vaughn Titus. Micah’s friends, devout Christians Antonio and Monica, along with Reverend Titus, urge Micah to use the power of the artifact to impose Biblical rule on the world. But Micah is all too familiar with how Christian law treats LGBT people, and he opposes the idea. When Antonio, Monica, and Reverend Titus gain access to the device, Micah must risk everything to stop them from forcing their religion onto everyone on earth.
Review: Micah has had to fight for what he has, dropping out of school and getting a job to survive after his mother died and to keep a roof over his dead-beat fathers head Micah has avoided the pitfalls that others have fallen into. But, one night the actions of another has Micah being brutally beaten and he awakens to a whole new awareness. Resurrected by a mysterious orb, Micah now has Godlike powers and he sets about easing people’s pain, it isn’t long before he falls foul of the Government and the devote worshipers of religion. When the orb falls into the hands of his friends Antonio, Monica, and the fervently devote Reverend Vaughn Titus, Micah tries to convince them of the wrongness of their plans for Christian rule and now Micah must risk everything to stop their religion from being forced on the world.
So first of all I have to hold my hands up and admit I was drawn in by the title and the great blurb and I’d secretly hoped for a couple of tips, but alas unless I find an alien artifact my bid for Universe domination will have to wait. So to the story, this is a brilliant story that is very down to earth and has great characters that are engaging and entertaining. We start out by discovering a lot about Micah, his life, his family and what he hopes for and we quickly take him to heart. As we follow him through the story we are drawn to his level-headedness seeing how he uses his new powers for good and not for selfish gain (well, with a few blimps for revenge), nobody is below his help until his good deeds start to backfire and draws unwanted attention.
Micah is a fantastic character who is superbly written, each character we come across comes to life, but it is Micah who sticks with me. While I remembered this was a transgender story I kept thinking it was going to be a secondary character because Micah was just a boy, a brash cussing boy, but when the big reveal came it really knocked me off my feet because of how well written Micah was. Antonio, Monica, and Titus were great in their roles but annoyed the hell out of me for their belief that if everyone followed the bible then the world would be a better place… I nearly laughed my ass off when it backfired. I also really liked that even though Micah tried his best for others he learned that no matter how much good you do people still wanted more; you heal a few sick and more people demand to be healed, you stop a famine and give them a bountiful land and people will go to war over the spoils.
Starting this story I really didn’t know what to expect but I was extremely pleased with the entire story, it led me on the journey of a young adult who knew what he wanted to do when he was given godlike powers, we follow him through the ups and downs, the repercussions and the pitfalls and the final solution.
I recommend this to those who love young adults finding their paths in life, science fiction that is intriguing, characters that are brilliantly written, and the startling discovery that just three bible verses could wipe out humanity.
Blurb: Crushing on your straight best friend will make any normally outgoing high school football player withdraw from his friends. Unrequited love can do that to you. But when Dwight Varley’s mom dies, he’s also left with a burden of guilt he finds difficult to shake. To make matters worse, Dwight must cope with his distant, grieving father, who spirals into depression.
Playing it straight helps Dwight save face temporarily, but living a lie tears his insides apart. Tell his dad…. Don’t tell his dad…. Some choices seem too hard to make. Besides, what if coming out sends his dad over the edge?
A Bittersweet Dreams title: It’s an unfortunate truth: love doesn’t always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.
Review: Oh m., the emotional charge this book has is beyond words. This is the story of a fifteen year old boy who is realizing that the feelings he has for his best friend are more than brotherly… and they are not going away. We view this story entirely from his perspective. We are inside his mind and soul, and I can’t stop thinking how perfectly the puberty phase is captured and described. The way Dwight shuts his emotions deeply inside him, the way he tries not to even think about what’s going on with his sexuality, yet never able to truly escape it is incredible. And heartbreaking.
And as if his life isn’t already messed up in all those crazy emotions, he is burdened with the loss of his mother. with the guilt that he caused his mother’s death,( that is simply a distorted notion in his head), and with a father that dives head first into depression, Dwight’s entire world keeps sinking and the way his emotions are described can’t feel more real for me. It is almost unbearable witnessing how scared and powerless this kid is. It is gut wrenching when he eavesdrops on his father telling his best friend about his dead wife’s suspicions of Dwight being gay and how he would rather have no son. And it’s downright soul-shattering witnessing this young child feeling the guilt of letting down his father, thus trying to be straight for him.
I loved this book, really did, even though there were instances that it hurt too much reading it. Even though I got too attached to the character and thus too invested, experiencing many feelings on his behalf, or perhaps due to all these reasons, I found it brilliant. I think this book addressed so many issues and problems teenagers face nowadays and with a gorgeous writing skill. I even loved how things turned out in the near end. The fact that they went even worse, the fact that it had my jaw hanging there thinking that, come on, life can’t be crueler to this kid. It was just too damn realistic and I’m a sucker for all that. My one and only disappointment was the very way this book ended. I felt as if it was too abrupt, or as if there is a whole new story there to follow. I simply wish there is a sequel to this book, because damn I didn’t get a closure from this one.
So heads up, this is not a HEA or a HFN, this is downright life-sucks-reality and while a brilliant work, keep in mind you’ll get too emotional reading this book. If, however, you are like me and in need of some serious slap in the face story, with no happy endings there because life isn’t always fun and games, then I suggest you read this one. Totally worth it.
Blurb: Kyle Manning is a tall, strong, openly gay sixteen-year-old who makes decent grades and plays on his school’s basketball team. He’s a good kid who cares deeply about his family and friends. But his life has become a mess. His mom, Lela, has finally had enough of her husband Joe’s serial cheating. Kyle’s parents are headed for divorce, and the collapse of their marriage torments him.
Divorcing parents is bad enough, but Kyle also has to deal with new people in his parents’ lives. He likes Stephanie, his father’s girlfriend, but he finds himself increasingly attracted to his mother’s handsome boyfriend, Reece. As Kyle struggles with his fear and frustration, he grows angrier and more erratic.
Then he meets Dwight Varley, a buff, attractive athlete from another school who takes an instant liking to him. Having Dwight around doesn’t solve all Kyle’s problems, but it does make life more bearable. As their relationship develops, Dwight becomes a bright oasis in Kyle’s harried life. But Dwight’s life is more complicated than Kyle ever imagined, and just when things start to get better, Kyle discovers the truth about Dwight—and about his father.
Review: Thunder in His Head is a coming of age story about Kyle’s struggles to deal with growing up, being gay, and falling in love. In the beginning of this book, I get the impression that Kyle is a little bit confused, slightly angry, and really just wants to be left alone. His parents are separated, and while his dad’s girlfriend seems to be okay, he is developing one serious crush on his mom’s boyfriend. The author does a great job of portraying Kyle’s torn emotions. He understands that his feelings for Reece are wrong, but that doesn’t stop the heart and the hormones from wanting what he shouldn’t have.
In comes Dwight, and Kyle’s life takes quite a turn. We see the relationship between Dwight and Kyle develop as a teenage romance with lots of angst, anger, and miscommunication between the two of them. Along with the relationship between Kyle and Dwight, we see the struggles of the secondary characters as well. They are all very well written and seem quite ‘real’. In fact, all of the characters in this book are very realistic. The dialogue doesn’t come off as stiff or forced at all.
At the end of the book, I felt like I had a better understanding of Kyle’s inner struggles when it came to his parents and their significant others than I did with his relationship with Dwight. I wish the book had continued on for a few more chapters to JUST focus on Dwight and Kyle.
This was a great coming of age story with realistic characters who are struggling with difficult issues and emotions.
Title: In time I Dream About You
