Hi guys, today we are welcoming Jay Northcote and Nothing Special visiting the blog, we have a tantalising excerpt, a fantastic giveaway and Tams brilliant review, so guys sit back and enjoy then click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
Nothing Special
by
Jay Northcote
Noah thinks he’s nothing special. Average height, a bit on the skinny side, and cute but rather geeky, he’s relentlessly ordinary. He certainly doesn’t expect to be noticed by Sol, the gorgeous dark-haired stranger Noah sees on his commute home most days. But when Noah’s friend, Dom, persuades Noah to take a huge risk in a bid to get Sol’s attention, things turn out better than Noah dared to hope. Noah and Sol start dating, and much to Noah’s surprise, his feelings seem to be reciprocated.
But Noah’s insecurities make him doubt Sol. He doesn’t believe he’s interesting enough or sexy enough to hold Sol’s attention, and as Sol tries to get closer, Noah’s instinct is to pull away to protect himself. If their relationship is going to survive, Sol needs to convince Noah that he sees Noah very differently to how Noah sees himself. Because to Sol, Noah is something very special indeed.
Title: Not Just Friends Author: Jay Northcote Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance Length: Novel (200 pages) Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (February 24th 2014) Heat Level: Mild to Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5Hearts Reviewer: Tams Blurb: Leaving home to go to university is an exciting phase in anyone’s life. One that’s full of new places, new friends, and new experiences. But Lewis is not prepared for the sudden and intense crush he develops on his out-and-proud flatmate, Max—given that Lewis had always assumed he was straight. Max starts dating another guy, and Lewis’s jealousy at seeing them together forces him to confront his growing attraction.
When Max’s relationship goes awry, Lewis is the one to comfort him and one thing leads to another. But after a night together, Lewis is devastated that Max wants to go back to being just friends. Lewis tries his best to move on and their friendship survives, but the feelings he has for Max don’t go away. He faces other challenges as he deals with coming out to his parents, and needs Max’s support more than ever. But Lewis isn’t the only one who’s conflicted. When Max finally admits he cares for Lewis too, Lewis must decide whether he dares risk his heart again on being more than just friends.
Review: Lewis is in his first year at university, moving away from home and into a flat at school with five other guys. The new group of friends are a wide variety of personalities, but Lewis is unnervingly drawn to the out and proud Max. Lewis struggles with this attraction as he’s always thought he was straight. He hides his growing feelings well, until Max brings home his current boyfriend, and then Lewis has a hard time hiding the jealousy.
Max either doesn’t notice Lewis’s growing awkwardness around him or is really good at pretending. The two become fast friends, inseparable for the most part, and as Lewis’s feelings for his new best friend become stronger, so does his confusion. A game night morphs into some very heavy petting and Lewis’s feelings are revealed. Lewis is high on emotion and happy, until Max gives him the old ‘let’s just be friends’ speech.
Lewis is hurt, but as much as he wants to be more than friends, he doesn’t want to lose Max as a friend entirely. Lewis continues to explore his newly discovered sexuality at the encouragement of a fellow classmate, and he and Max continue to be friends. When another guy shows a romantic interest in Lewis, Max realizes just how much he wants Lewis all to himself.
Northcote has become one of my favourite authors. She has a smooth, flowing style of writing that captures and conveys emotions that is always fun and fresh. The angst though, I am not a big fan of angst. It’s to be expected given the age of the characters, but it still makes me bang my head against hard surfaces when it presents itself and hinders communication.
That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this fast, fun, coming of age story about two young men who became friends before they became lovers. And Northcote provides strong secondary characters in the form of friends and family that add a little something more to this story. Dean was my personal favourite offering to buy the insatiable new lovers some glucose tablets and energy drinks while he was at the store!
If you like adorably sweet loves stories with just that right blend of dirty sexiness, then this is the book for you.
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews ** http://www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com
Blurb: Jago returns to his home in the wilds of Cornwall, and is looking forward to catching up with old friends after a term away at university. When he’s reunited with Will—his best mate from sixth-form college and last summer’s fling—Jago’s feelings for him are rekindled and impossible to ignore.
Over the short winter break, Jago can’t resist taking whatever Will’s offering. But will the New Year bring new beginnings? Or will Jago be left with more bittersweet memories and a heart that needs to heal again?
Review: This is just a short, cute story about friends turned lovers that need to perfect their timing.
Jago is home from college for the Holiday’s and making the pub rounds with his friends. Before leaving for college, his friend and lover Will, broke up with him and broke his heart. Now that they are both back home, Jago hopes to rekindle their romance. Jago takes a chance one night at the local pub and kisses Will, the arousal Jago’s feels just from that kiss is definitely reciprocated. But what will happen when it’s time to go back to school?
Like I said, short and cute. Jago and Will are adorable and I hope, no pray that Northcote will give them some more screen time in the future. I would love to see a full-length novel for these two. This novella was just too short!
I grabbed a free copy of this book from Smashwords via an author promotion to review for MM Good Book Reviews
Blurb: There are lots of things that brighten Joel’s life. His three-year-old daughter, Evie, is one. His close relationship with her mother, his best friend from university, is another. Joel’s boyfriend, Dan, adds spice to his childfree nights, and Joel is pretty happy with how things are.
Then one cold and rainy night, everything changes. Joel’s life is turned upside down when he becomes a full-time dad to Evie, and his previously carefree relationship with Dan cracks under the strain.
Meeting Liam, who acts as if getting hurt isn’t a foregone conclusion, shakes Joel to the core. Their attraction is mutual, and Liam makes no secret of how serious he is about Joel. But Joel is wary. He tells himself he’s keeping Liam at a distance for Evie’s sake, when really he’s protecting his own heart. Taking a chance on this new relationship with Liam may seem a small step—a little thing—but is it one Joel can take after losing so much already?
Review: Joel’s life is turned upside down when in a matter of days he loses his best friend, then his boyfriend and becomes a full-time dad. Joel is no stranger to loss, and this recent turn of events causes him to completely reevaluate his life. Claire’s death, his best friend and the mother of his daughter, has left him raw and vulnerable. On one hand he begins looking at things differently, on the other he becomes more guarded. Little imperfections he previously overlooked in his relationship with Dan become large gashes, and soon enough they split, amicably. Joel resides himself to just being Evie’s father, until a trip to the ER changes everything, again.
Liam is larger than life, carefree, and too good to be true. And he has his sights set on Joel. The first time Joel ran into him, literally, was the night Claire died and Liam lent him a shoulder to cry on. Then they ran into each other at the bar the night Joel broke up with Dan. When Joel has to rush Evie to the ER one night, Liam is there on duty. Again, Liam is friendly, receptive, and flirtatious and this time Joel accepts. Slowly these two get to know each other and feeling of like start showing signs of love. It seems like as soon as Joel realizes he loves Liam, he slams the door. He is so afraid of losing one more thing he cares for that he is resigned to ending things before they even start. Joel does some serious soul-searching and concludes that Liam is worth the risk. The question now is, does Liam still think Joel is worth the risk?
This was such a heartwarming story about love, loss, and evolving. Joel has no contempt or anger consuming him like a lot of people would have, dealing with what he’s dealt with. Even his broken relationship with Dan wasn’t what I first assumed when reading the blurb. It’s more Joel’s decision than Dan’s and it’s more of an outgrowing each other than Dan leaving Joel because he became a full-time father. Liam has experienced loss as well so he can relate to what Joel is feeling. Joel has to come to terms with his own issues and not let them define who he is in order to make things between him and Liam work. He has to learn that life is about The Little Things!
A little bit of drama, a little bit of angst and a lot of love! I definitely recommend The Little Things. There are some oh so sexy couch and bed room romps, but make sure you have tissues handy as well. There are some tear-jerker moments.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews*
Blurb: Mark O’Brien is finally being honest with himself. His relationship with Rachel is over and he’s moving out of the home they’ve shared for six years. They get along, but he can’t fix a relationship when the person he’s with is the wrong gender.
Jamie Robertson, one of the removal men, is huge and ridiculously gorgeous, and Mark is smitten at first sight. When a cardboard box splits, revealing items of a personal nature that Mark never wanted anybody to see, he’s mortified. But it sparks the start of a beautiful friendship with benefits.
As Jamie initiates Mark into the joys of gay sex, the two men get increasingly close and “nothing serious” turns into something rather important to both of them. But communication isn’t their strong point. Will either man ever find the courage to be honest about his feelings?
Review: Mark O’Brien is moving out of the flat he shared with his longtime girlfriend Rachel after finally admitting to himself that he is gay. When one of the movers accidentally drops a box and the contents spill out on the floor, Mark gets more than he bargained for.
Jamie Robertson helps his brother with his moving company for extra money while working his way through college. Jamie is quite open with his sexuality, polar opposite of Mark, but he’s still smitten with the slightly awkward and extremely sexy man. The two begin an unconventional relationship, sort of as friends with benefits, while Jamie teaches Mark the joys of gay sex. Soon both men’s feelings grow stronger, but both men are leery to tell the other, for fear of being rejected. After all, they agreed at the start that this was nothing serious.
This book was just kind of adorable. There was a bit of angst in the last half as Jamie and Mark both started falling in love, but wouldn’t tell each other. That drove me a little crazy. But the story line overall was heartfelt and endearing. Mark and Rachel were able to remain friends and confidants as they each ventured off into new relationships. Jamie’s family was completely accepting of his sexuality and therefore, completely accepting of Mark. And, oh my god, did these two know how to play each other like a violin! Very sexy and passionate love scenes scattered from start to finish.
Hopeless romantics rejoice, this is a fantastic love story with a HEA!!
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