Publisher: Riptide Publishing (20th February 2017)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating:♥♥♥♥ 3.5 Hearts
Blurb: Ryan Alback has almost everything he’s ever wanted: a successful acting career, a dog who adores him, great family and friends, and a life outside the closet. The only thing missing is a boyfriend — but Ryan’s been burned by Hollywood relationships before, and he’s not eager to try one again.
Jason Santos has almost everything he’s ever wanted: a fulfilling career teaching middle school, a house in a city he loves, and parents who support him in every way. Too bad he can’t seem to forget the ex-boyfriend who rejected his marriage proposal.
When a talk show host launches a dating contest to find Ryan a boyfriend and Jason accidentally wins, neither of them expect anything to come from it. Yet somewhere between a disastrous massage and a mud sinkhole, they both start to wonder if this date could be more than just a public relations stunt. But before they can move into the future, they’ll both have to learn to let go of the past.
Review: First time reading from this author, and I got to say that it’s an enjoyable story.
Ryan is an actor and a very private person, he was hurt badly by his last boyfriend, who only wanted to use him for his own gain, so he doesn’t date, he also has serious trust issues where people are concern. Other than his family and the Dog that he rescued, those are the only ones that he gives his trust to. When his agent roped him into appearing on a talk show, he got a shock, when he found out that he would be set up with a blind date for Valentines.
Jason, a middle school teacher, wasn’t too keen to go on this blind date, that his best friend signed him up for, when he was announced the winner. Jason was in a committed relationship for years, but he’s now single, but his priorities, are to get his nonprofit fund up and running. He agrees to the weekend date, but with the mistrust and the press hounding his every move, Ryan accused Jason of selling him out to gain publicity, and Jason leaves and goes home.
After a conversation with his best friend, Ryan was told that there’s no way that Jason would’ve talked to the sleazy magazine, that there wasn’t any profit in it for him. On his way to visit his family, Ryan stops to visit Jason and to apologize. They start to date and to work out the issues that they had, and to take on anything that comes at them in the future, even Jason’s ex that comes back claiming that he made a mistake and wants to reconnect with him.
I enjoyed this story and would recommend to anyone interested
Hiya peeps, we have J.E. Birk popping in today with her new release Dating Ryan Alback, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~
Dating Ryan Alback
by
J.E. Birk
Ryan Alback has almost everything he’s ever wanted: a successful acting career, a dog who adores him, great family and friends, and a life outside the closet. The only thing missing is a boyfriend—but Ryan’s been burned by Hollywood relationships before, and he’s not eager to try one again.
Jason Santos has almost everything he’s ever wanted: a fulfilling career teaching middle school, a house in a city he loves, and parents who support him in every way. Too bad he can’t seem to forget the ex-boyfriend who rejected his marriage proposal.
When a talk show host launches a dating contest to find Ryan a boyfriend and Jason accidentally wins, neither of them expect anything to come from it. Yet somewhere between a disastrous massage and a mud sinkhole, they both start to wonder if this date could be more than just a public relations stunt. But before they can move into the future, they’ll both have to learn to let go of the past.
To the casual observer, it looks like a dream trip. For Tate O’Reilly, it’s anything but. He’s a man on a mission to rectify a critical mistake, and there’s nothing to hold him back—certainly not friends or family. For Tate, it all comes down to one simple thing—he must fix what he has broken.
What he doesn’t count on is meeting Gabriel Carillo. Gabriel is kind, mysterious, and seems to be on his own mission to ensure their paths keep crossing. But Tate’s hiding an awfully big secret—one he’s certain even Gabriel can’t forgive.
Does a man’s past have to determine his future? In the middle of cities filled with history, Tate is going to find out.
Review: This story, The Worst Bad Thing, by J.E. Birk caught me off guard. It wasn’t the story that I thought was going to play out after reading the blurb. That’s not a bad thing, however, quite the contrary because I really enjoyed the journey. The author is new to me, but I connected fairly easy to their writing style.
We meet Tate after something obviously bad has happened to him, we just don’t know what it is. As the story unfolds we get more clarity to what he has playing out in his mind and he obviously feels as though he needs to make penance for his mistakes. He’s suffered a terrible tragedy that he lives day in and day out, over and over, in his mind.
He’s on a mission to travel and see certain destinations such as Stonehenge, Iceland, London, and Paris. He has reasons for these particular places and he hopes it helps in some small way make up for what has happened. On the plane he meets Gabriel, someone he instantly feels attraction and starts a conversation. I think Tate felt a comfort with Gabe because he didn’t know him, he didn’t know what he had done, and therefore he couldn’t judge him.
Gabe definitely was in the right place at the right time because he had a way with Tate that made him relax and remember what life was like before the accident. He’s very patient and understanding with Tate and only wants to do what he’s comfortable with. Gabe has his own reasons for going to London but while he has some extra free time he spends it with Tate and showing him the sights.
Tate and Gabriel have a lot in common. They, both, live in Denver, and while Tate is going through and experiencing PTSD right now in the present, Gabe has had his own battles with it in the past. He recognizes the signs giving him a better understanding of Tate.
As Tate and Gabe sightsee around London, Stonehenge, etc. I really was taken in by the way the author described what they were seeing or tasting. At times, I felt like I could see what they were looking at in that moment.
Even though Tate is enjoying his time with Gabriel, he doesn’t feel that he deserves that right. He hasn’t come clean completely with Gabe about everything that happened and he doesn’t plan too. However, an unexpected friend sees more to Tate and knows what dark thoughts he is carrying, and he takes matters into his own hands to try to help.
From the beginning, we know there has been a tragedy that affected a lot of people. Tate is young and cocky before the accident but now his life has been devastated and destroyed. I was really moved by the way the author puts the reader inside Tate’s head and we live there with him through the book. It’s a very emotional yet uplifting journey.
The angst level was low but at the same time Tate really pulls on your heartstrings. He’s suffered greatly for something that wasn’t necessarily his fault although it could have been prevented. Sometimes the best lessons in life are the ones where we have to make our own mistakes and pick up the pieces from there.
Tate isn’t really trying to pick up his pieces because he’s already decided how it’s going to play out, but sometimes our paths cross with something or someone entirely unexpected and it may just be the best thing that could happen instead of the worst bad thing.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others. It is a story of hope and redemption. Some things fell into place a little too easily, but I believe fate was working to help Tate. I would love to see a follow-up with Tate and Gabriel making it back home and see if things continued to work out for them.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hi guys, today we have J.E. Birk stopping by to introduce us to her upcoming release The Worst Best Thing, J.E. chats about the inspiration and setting of the story and there’s a very tempting excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
The Worst Best Thing
by
J.E. Birk
Iceland, Stonehenge, London, Paris….
To the casual observer, it looks like a dream trip. For Tate O’Reilly, it’s anything but. He’s a man on a mission to rectify a critical mistake, and there’s nothing to hold him back—certainly not friends or family. For Tate, it all comes down to one simple thing—he must fix what he has broken.
What he doesn’t count on is meeting Gabriel Carillo. Gabriel is kind, mysterious, and seems to be on his own mission to ensure their paths keep crossing. But Tate’s hiding an awfully big secret—one he’s certain even Gabriel can’t forgive.
Does a man’s past have to determine his future? In the middle of cities filled with history, Tate is going to find out.
Title: Depending on You Series: The Prequel to the Twinkie Ignition Author: JE Birk Genre: Contemporary Length: Novella (103 pages) Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 4th, 2015) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts Blurb: It all started with a diabetic kid who wouldn’t stop eating cookies. And a best friend who’d just announced his bisexuality and hit on everything that moved. And a kind pediatric nurse with an amazing rack, a lying ex-boyfriend, and a nasty case of the chicken pox.
But mostly, it started at table 42.
When Benjy Moreland almost collapses during his restaurant shift, Dr. Kyle Penners wants nothing more than to take care of him… but if there’s one-thing former foster kid Benjy values, it’s his independence. A dying man and a sick little boy force Kyle and Benjy to work together, and both of them have to make some important choices about what it means to depend on someone
Review: This book has all types of cuteness and sweetness throughout. I like the prologue, in how that it was written like the MC’s, Benjy Moreland and Dr. Kyle Penners, are telling their story as old men (in my mind). It also conveniently lists all the factors that make this book full of cute and sweet.
We are first introduced to Benjy. His name may sound a bit childish, but he is far from being a child. In fact, he has grown up quite quickly due to his circumstances and now going through university so that he can help people. Kyle, on the other hand, is already helping people. He’s a doctor who works in paediatrics at the local hospital. Their worlds collide when Benjy all but falls into Kyle’s lap, severely ill with an infection. Kyle is a carer-type, the type that doesn’t seem happy unless caring or rescuing someone.
Next on his list is Benjy.
Their relationship sometimes seems antagonistic but it was still very relatable and realistic. There are plenty of characters and subplots. All of them are fantastic. But of course it is the child minor character, the diabetic Brandon, along with his grandfather, who stole the show when it comes to subplots. The only thing that plagues me is Kyle’s epiphany which comes late in the piece. It was brilliant and really good for his character to come to some sort of resolution.
However, I felt that it came on rather sudden, or maybe I missed the slow build towards his epiphany. I think though, there wasn’t much conflict in terms of Kyle need to nurture vs. his ability to nurture a relationship until we are flat out told the source of issues in this regard.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Hey guys, a bunch of us bloggers have got together to show our support for T.J. Klune and Eric Arvin by joining up for the Grand Adventures blog tour. This blog tour is to bring to attention the wonderful authors who donated a story and Dreamspinners Press who are donating 100% of the income from the sale to Eric & T.J. and there’s even a great giveaway for you to enjoy! I know the people in this genre are just incredible! So check out what the authors have to say, visit Dreamspinners Press and have a look at the great Grand Adventures goodies and click our Rafflecopter link to win some of those great goodies 🙂 ~Pixie~ p.s. I’d like to give a shout out to Brandilyn from Prism Book Alliance for pulling us bloggers together and organizing our roles in this tour 😉
Description:
On September 1, 2011, TJ Klune wrote, “…it’s not about the ending, it’s about the journey…” in a review of Eric Arvin’s Woke Up in a Strange Place. With those words, two men began a journey of love and invited us to ride along. TJ and Eric have shared so much with us: their wonderful books, their smiles, their humor, their lives, and their inspiring devotion to each other. In December of 2013, their journey took a detour when Eric was taken to the emergency room. He survived the surgery to remove a cavernous hemangioma from his brain stem, but the challenges TJ and Eric face are far from over.
The authors in this anthology donated their talent as a way to support Eric’s continued recovery, to help bring strength to TJ, and to show both of them just how much love surrounds them. Grand Adventures is a diverse range of stories about the journey of love. We’re going on some grand adventures for a great cause. Thank you for joining us.
One hundred percent of the income from this volume goes directly to TJ and Eric.
Foreword by S.A. McAuley
An Unexpected Thing by John Amory (Sequel to Protection)
The Twinkie Ignition by J.E. Birk
When Friendship Becomes More by Sophie Bonaste
Isle of Waiting by Sue Brown (A Missing Moment from Isle of Waves)
The Jogger by KC Burn
Holding Court by Cardeno C.
For Dear Life by Mary Calmes
Under the Full Moon by Ellis Carrington
Stripped by Shae Connor (2nd Edition)
That Place Across the Hall by C.C. Dado
Mistaken MD by Phoenix Emrys
Cops and Comix by Rhys Ford
Last First Kiss by LE Franks
Tomorrow by John Goode
From Fantasy to Friends by CR Guiliano (A Companion to For You)
Hello everyone! My name is John Amory, and my contribution to the Grand Adventures anthology is titled “An Unexpected Thing.” This short is actually a sequel to a story that Dreamspinner published last June in its Daily Dose compilation called “Protection.” The new story picks up about two years after Jamie and Ben met; both are back from London and traveling the West Coast. Jamie is en route to a shooting competition with Ben in tow, but when their plane is diverted, they are forced to find their own way through the Cascades to Seattle. They, of course, find something else along the way.
I have never met TJ or Eric, but I was struck by their struggle like everyone else. We are all a family of authors and readers in this genre, and it felt like someone in our family had suddenly fallen ill. I wanted to help, especially since TJ’s book Into This River I Drown had such an effect on me. When “Protection” was accepted for publication last year, it was the first book I chose from Dreamspinner’s catalog to read, so that I could get a feel for their audience, their authors, the style of stories they publish, etc. I was blown away by River, which is, in so many ways, a really atypical (but still brilliant) M/M romance. There was so much else going on: grief, redemption, faith, closure, all of these things played into the book’s themes, and they’re all things I think TJ handled beautifully. So I began “An Unexpected Thing” as a sequel to “Protection” that contained a guest appearance by two of TJ’s characters from Roseland, which seemed only appropriate given its ties to River. I eventually re-edited the story to not include TJ’s characters (since, if all the authors did that, it would be taxing on TJ to edit and approve each story), but the essence that those characters brought to the story is still there, as well as some other Easter eggs for fans of TJ’s book. “An Unexpected Thing” is about finding love in places you never thought you would, with people you never thought you would. That’s something I got from Into This River I Drown and from TJ and Eric’s personal story, and I think it’s something universal: keep your eyes and heart open, because The One might be someone you’d never notice otherwise.
Thanks for reading and for supporting Grand Adventures! You can find me on Twitter (@JohnAmory) or on GoodReads. Feel free to drop a line! Happy reading!
About John Amory:
John Amory is and always will be a hopeless romantic, which he blames on watching too many episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 growing up. He began writing stories and poems as a child, continuing through high school. He put writing on the backburner for a number of years, during which time he finished both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in English, and is thrilled to be creating again now that he knows what “free time” means.
In another life, John is a newly minted college professor, as well as an actor/director/choreographer/playwright whose work has been performed in New York City and elsewhere. He is also obsessed with television and keeps two blogs on the subject: one for general reviews and comments (faketvcritic.blogspot.com), and one devoted solely to So You Think You Can Dance (cuttingsytycd.blogspot.com).
Feel free to drop a message here or on Twitter to say hi!
1. Tell us about your contribution to the anthology.
My short story is called When Friendship Becomes More.
Here’s the official blurb, because it explains the story better than I could:
Despite their differences, Jamie and Roy are not only college roommates, but best friends. What Jamie doesn’t know is that Roy has had a crush on him for years. When Jamie realizes Roy’s feelings during a camping trip with friends, the attraction will either prove mutual, or it will tear their friendship apart.
I’m really proud of this short story. It has moments that will make you laugh and cry. I hope everyone out there loves it as much as I do.
2. What is your favorite TJ and Eric memory?
Well, I haven’t been lucky enough to meet TJ or Eric in person. But I remember reading the news of TJ’s proposal in October of last year. I was instantly touched by the obvious love between the two men. It may not have been a showy proposal like that Home Depot one that went viral a few months ago, but it was one of the most love-filled proposals I’ve ever seen. And isn’t that what’s really important?
3. Why did you choose to participate in the anthology?
When I heard about the anthology it was a no-brainer. I knew I had to help TJ and Eric in any way I could. And since writing is one of my favorite things to do anyway, it was a win-win.
4. Do you have anything to say to TJ and Eric?
I just wanted to say that you two are both some of the strongest people I’ve ever known. I wish you only the best as you go forward. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!!!!!
About Sophie Bonaste:
Sophie Bonaste is a novelist who never set out to be a novelist. As a child, she wanted to be a Broadway actress and spent her childhood in numerous productions. But when adulthood set in and reality took over, Sophie chose to up the theater for a steady paycheck and instead turned to writing as a creative outlet. She stumbled into the M/M genre through fanfiction and never looked back. Sophie is quite happy with her change in artistic expression and doesn’t plan to stop writing for a long time.
A self-proclaimed nerd, Sophie is an avid fan of all things Star Wars and Harry Potter. (Sophie is a member of the Slytherin house, for those who were wondering.) Sophie also spends many hours watching and re-watching nerdy television shows. When she is not obsessing over the latest and greatest in nerdy entertainment, Sophie can be found screaming at her television during American football games. (Go Pack Go!) Sophie currently lives in Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes from her childhood town of The Middle of Nowhere.
If you don’t want to talk, but you want to read more about my works, please use these links.
Harmony Ink – Sophie Bonaste
Dreamspinner Press – Sophie Bonaste
GIVEAWAY!
20″ x 26″ (image size: 16″ x 24″) signed & matted print of the Grand Adventures cover Grand Adventures Paperback $30 Dreamspinner Press Giftcard
Starts: 12:01 AM EDT on 29 Mar 2014 End: 11:59pm EDT on 8 April 2014
Title: Dating Ryan Alback
![WorstBadThing[The]LG](https://mmgoodbookreviews.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/worstbadthingthelg.jpg?w=300)
Title: The Worst Bad Thing
Title: Depending on You
