The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway!

Roan Parrish - The Remaking of Corbin Wale TourBanner

Hiya guys, we have Roan Parrish popping in today with her new release The Remaking of Corbin Wale, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant $20 Amazon GC giveaway, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

The Remaking of Corbin Wale

by

Roan Parrish

Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic. Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders.

Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too.

When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for.

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Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish ~ Audiobook

Roan Parrish - Out of Nowhere Cover AudioTitle: Out of Nowhere

Series:  Middle of Somewhere 02

Author: Roan Parrish

Narrator: Spencer Goss

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 10 hrs, 33 minutes

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (7th April 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: The only thing in Colin Mulligan’s life that makes sense is taking cars apart and putting them back together. In the auto shop where he works with his father and brothers, he tries to get through the day without having a panic attack or flying into a rage. Drinking helps. So does running and lifting weights until he can hardly stand. But none of it can change the fact that he’s gay, a secret he has kept from everyone.

Rafael Guerrera has found ways to live with the past he’s ashamed of. He’s dedicated his life to social justice work and to helping youth who, like him, had very little growing up. He has no time for love. Hell, he barely has time for himself. Somehow, everything about miserable, self-destructive Colin cries out to him. But down that path lie the troubles Rafe has worked so hard to leave behind. And as their relationship intensifies, Rafe and Colin are forced to dredge up secrets that both men would prefer stay buried.

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK  

Reviewer: Prime

Review: As soon as I finished listening to the first book in this series, Middle of Somewhere, I quickly found myself pressing play on the audio for Middle of Nowhere. Now, I have to admit after reading about the third book in the series that I have some reservations on that one, but that isn’t relevant here. The point is after reading book 1 I knew that I needed to devour this book. Through Daniel Mulligan and Rex Vale’s story, it became clear that the next story was going to be about Daniel’s combative and misunderstood older brother, Colin Mulligan.

The story follows Colin’s life from about the same place in time where Daniel’s story started. We first met Colin as a complete asshole who seemed beyond redemption. But if you’re a sucker for these types of stories – another type of story I can’t help to love – this sequel is another sure thing for you to listen to or read. I also happen to think that Spencer Goss absolutely captures Colin’s tone perfectly.

Seriously, Roan Parrish is just filling these books with literary tropes that I just love!

Colin in nothing short of a broken man – he puts on an act in front of his family, even though that is broken too. The events that occur later in the book with his younger brothers cement that fact. He has hidden his true self from the world for the sake of his father and that has left his life in utter ruins. Colin Mulligan is the broken asshole you love to fall in love with and see him through his redemption.

His chance at redemption doesn’t come until he meets Rafael Guerrarra. Rafe has been through his own shitty times in life but he has come out the other side a better man for it. Colin’s self-destructive tendencies first draw him in. Later, it’s clear that Rafe’s need to care for people is what propels the start of their unsteady relationship. By the end of the book, not only has Colin worked through his shit, he is also presented with a chance to do something for someone else for a change, after all the damage he has inflicted in the past.

This is so much more than a story of romance and redemption. I simply loved this one and absolutely fell in love with both of the main characters.

In The Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish ~ Audiobook

Roan Parrish - In the Middle of Somewhere Cover AudioTitle: In the Middle of Somewhere

Series:  Middle of Somewhere 01

Author: Roan Parrish

Narrator: Robert Nieman

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 13 hrs, 31 minutes

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (25th March 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5 Hearts

Blurb: Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in – not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in.

Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.

When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: This is the first time that I’ve experienced Roan Parrish’s writing – in audio or in text, starting the Middle of Somewhere series was really a big step for me. However, I have to say that the blurb took me in – I’m a sucker for the secret tough guy who is also the black sheep of the family. And that is exactly the type of story you are getting here, so if you’re like me and that’s your thing, I say give it a whirl and you will probably be pleasantly surprised. 

The story follows Daniel. He is the black sheep of his family. He has been ridiculed by his brothers and father since he was a child – since the untimely death of his mother. At one point as a child his one haven was his big brother Colin but he even lost that – it’s a story line that I loved in the book and was so happy that it was picked up further in the sequel.

Daniel just never fit in, especially once he came out as a teen to his super-macho father and brothers and even more so when he decided that he wanted to go to school instead of becoming a mechanic. It seemed his decision was simple when he decided to pack up his life in Philly so that he could move to the remote town of Holiday to become a college professor. I really connected with Daniel’s woes over his career purely because it was so realistic and I am in the exact same position he is in the book in my real life. Honestly, I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

In Holiday, Daniel meets Rex. Rex is a gentle giant who is painfully introverted. It was the introverted part of his character which I found I was able to come completely connect with. The fact that I connected with both MCs, which of course cannot always happen, was what kept me going with the audio. It was just so easy to get into, though there were times I thought that the pace needed to speed up a bit, but it was nothing that overly bothered me at the time.

Even the narration by Robert Nieman was a first time for me. I have quickly come to have my list of my favorite narrators and Robert Nieman has definitely made the list. He pulls off Daniel’s narration wonderfully (the books was basically all in Daniel’s POV). He pumps the words with emotion, even to the point that I may have shed a tear or two.

Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish

28549365Title: Out of Nowhere
Series: Middle of Somewhere: Book Two
Author: Roan Parrish
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (274 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (February 29th 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts
Blurb: The only thing in Colin Mulligan’s life that makes sense is taking cars apart and putting them back together. In the auto shop where he works with his father and brothers, he tries to get through the day without having a panic attack or flying into a rage. Drinking helps. So does running and lifting weights until he can hardly stand. But none of it can change the fact that he’s gay, a secret he has kept from everyone.

Rafael Guerrera has found ways to live with the past he’s ashamed of. He’s dedicated his life to social justice work and to helping youth who, like him, had very little growing up. He has no time for love. Hell, he barely has time for himself. Somehow, everything about miserable, self-destructive Colin cries out to him. But down that path lie the troubles Rafe has worked so hard to leave behind.

And as their relationship intensifies, Rafe and Colin are forced to dredge up secrets that both men would prefer stay buried.

ISBN: 978-1-63476-903-7

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7480

Reviewer: Leigh

Review: This book coincides with the first book in the series, In the Middle of Somewhere. I do not recommend reading this as a standalone.

I will start as saying that I mostly enjoyed this book, as I enjoyed the first book in the series. I really like Roan Parrish’s way of writing and telling a story. This story is told from the first-person narrative of Colin. As it was written that way it allowed me as a reader to see the emotional changes of Colin as the story goes on.

However, in the start I really did not like Colin. He has allowed his own self-hatred and that of his family turn him into a very unlikeable and bully of a man. It left me really unsure how Rafe, who the sweetest most awesome man, could fall in love and actively pursue a relationship with Colin.

Reading things from Colin’s part of view honestly made me a little depressed for him. His world is full of drinking, working, and being around his father and brothers. He punishes himself for being gay himself, and the way he treats his brother Daniel for it, just did not make me like him. Colin is messed up, and as a reader you definitely feel it.

Rafe on the other hand is the exact opposite of Colin. He is sweet and kind, works with LGBT kids, and has a great and loving family. Although he is not perfect either. But he has also faced up to his demons and moved on to make a better life for himself and to help others.

Like the first book, this definitely has angst. A lot of it. There is pain and anger. But there is also the slow building of a man who starts to accept who he is. Colin starts to become a better man. This is not just about Rafe and Colin’s relationship. It also tells how a man, Colin, starts to adjust his thinking about himself and what he thinks others expect of him, about finding himself.

This book gave me a lot of feeling. There is disgust, anger, laughter, and finally happiness.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series, then you will really like this one, also.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *