Wake by Brigham Vaughn & K. Evan Coles Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

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Hi peeps, we have Brigham Vaughn and K. Evan Coles stopping by today with the tour for their new release Wake, we have a great new excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and my review, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~

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Wake

(Tidal 01)
by

Brigham Vaughn & K. Evan Coles

Carter Hamilton and Riley Porter-Wright room together as Harvard undergraduates. An immediate friendship forms, but as the years pass it deepens into something neither man understands. As attraction simmers under the surface, lines begin to blur. When they move back to Manhattan, they gradually slip into the lives their families have envisioned for them.

Both men marry, but in time, Riley realizes he’s ended up in a passionless relationship like his parents’ while his career takes center stage. Although he loves his wife, Carter misses the emotional and physical connection he shared with Riley.

The weight of Riley’s feelings and his growing discontentment with his life eventually push him to tell Carter the truth about how he feels. Shocked and unable to face his own feelings, Carter rejects Riley.

As each man comes to terms with the lies they’ve told themselves, each other and the people around them, they find their lives changing in ways they never imagined. They soon discover that the truths they’ve been longing to tell shake the foundations of their friendship.

30th May 2017: Amazon US | Amazon UK

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Excerpt!

A chill fell over New England as the Thanksgiving holiday approached, one that seemed to match Riley’s overall mood. He continued to attend classes with Carter but began studying away from the suite. He was rarely available for activities at Wigg or Phoenix-SK and getting him to agree even to share a meal became impossible. Tension crept into the suite when Dan or Carter brought their girlfriends back and both friends became accustomed to Riley leaving the rooms instead of subjecting them to his stiff silences.

Carter tried to talk to Riley about his behavior on several occasions but found himself shut out. He was surprised by how much that stung. Riley and Dan were more than just Carter’s suitemates and he’d grown particularly close to Riley. After his family, Riley was the first person Carter thought of to share good news with and the first person he went to with a problem. Riley had become Carter’s sounding board and confidant and Carter hoped Riley felt the same about him.

A few days before school let out for the holiday, a thump woke Carter out of a sound sleep. He squinted at the clock through the darkened bedroom and smothered a groan on realizing it was after two o’clock in the morning. A second, louder thump followed a pained grunt and Carter leaned to turn on the bedside lamp, shocked to see Riley lying sprawled on the floor.

Carter sat up and tossed off the covers. “Ri? What the fuck are you doing?”

“Carpet inspection,” Riley replied in a strained voice.

“Are you okay?” Carter swung his legs over the edge of the bed to crouch beside his roommate, who still hadn’t stirred from his prone position.

Riley grunted again. “Not really. I face planted pretty hard. That’s gonna leave a mark.” He paused for a moment before rolling onto his side, his voice lower and more somber. “Help me?”

Carter leaned forward immediately, sliding an arm under his friend’s shoulder to guide Riley up to sit. The smell of beer and stale cigarette smoke filled Carter’s nose, but he said nothing, waiting until his friend nodded before helping him to his feet.

“Too many beers?” Carter kept his voice light and helped Riley to his bed.

“No, not exactly. I had a couple at Grendel’s with some guys from the club,” he said with a chuckle, “but honestly, I’m just tired. And your goddamned sneakers are inside the door again.” He sighed while Carter sat down beside him.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” With a grimace, Carter leaned forward to catch Riley’s eye. “I meant to move them, but—”

“You forgot, I know. It’s fine. I should know by now than to come in here without checking the floor first.” Riley lifted one hand, prodding gingerly at his cheek and grumbled in discomfort. “Ow.”

Carter stood. “I’ll get some ice. Stop,” he commanded when Riley moved to join him. “Sit still, and try not to trip over anything else. I’ll be right back.”

Riley had removed his coat by the time Carter returned with ice cubes and a washcloth. A red welt was already visible on Riley’s cheekbone when he glanced up, but to Carter’s surprise, he didn’t appear to be angry. If anything, he seemed amused.

“Is it bad?” Riley asked.

“It’s not good.”

Riley sighed and held out a hand out for the ice pack, looking puzzled as Carter knelt in front of him. “What are you doing?”

Carter dropped his hands to unlace Riley’s shoes. “How bad does it hurt?” He ducked his head after Riley pressed the ice to his face and swore.

“Enough to make me want to kick your ass,” Riley replied, an undertone of humor in his voice. He lifted one foot, then the other for Carter to remove his shoes. “Too bad my parents will be out of town over Thanksgiving. A black eye would have given them something interesting to talk about over turkey.”

A hollow feeling settled over Carter at the mention of the holiday. He and Riley had spoken several times about spending Thanksgiving dinner together, but now, Carter had no idea where they stood. Slowly, he eased himself up to sit beside Riley on the bed. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees, turning to hold Riley’s gaze for a few moments. Riley’s eyebrows pulled together, uncertainty filtering over his face at Carter’s silence.

Finally, Carter dropped his gaze to the floor. He felt almost pitifully grateful Riley was there beside him and talking, rather than pushing him away, so he drew a breath and ignored his nerves.

“You know, the invitation for dinner is still open.”

A melancholy smile touched Riley’s lips and made his blue eyes darken. “Thanks. But you don’t need to do that, Car.”

“Do what?” Carter stared blankly at him. “Invite you to dinner when we’ll be in the same city and your parents are going out of town?”

Riley began to trace circles on his knee with the fingers of his right hand. “I wasn’t sure you’d still want to hang out after…”

“After you froze me out?” Carter nodded at Riley’s wince. “Yeah, well. I don’t know why you did it but that was pretty lame, Ri. For Dan, too. What the fuck?”

Riley grumbled under his breath. “I wanted to give you guys some space. You know, with the girlfriends and all.”

Carter cocked his head. “What for?”

Gesturing with the hand holding the ice pack, Riley waved at the two single beds and the desks crammed into the other corner. “This isn’t exactly romance central, Car. The least I could do was try to clear out so you had a little privacy with Susannah and Dan with Mel.”

Carter pressed his lips together and tried not to punch his friend. “You’re an asshole, you know.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you didn’t even try talking to us. You just cut us off. Dan and I haven’t known what the hell is up with you for weeks. I worried something was going on with your family. Dan asked me if you were planning to transfer.”

Riley’s cheeks flooded with color. “Shit, I’m sorry. None of that is happening. I’m fine! I just didn’t want to be a fifth wheel, you know?”

Carter’s irritation faded as he understood his friend was actually fine. “Talk to us. Talk to me. We could have worked something out about the rooms and Susannah. We’ll have to when you bring girls back here, anyway.”

A cocky grin flashed over Riley’s face. “Who says I haven’t?”

Carter’s brows shot up before he grimaced playfully. “Really, dude? What, in between classes?”

“Maybe. I don’t kiss and tell, Hamilton. I’m a gentleman.”

“No, you are a jackass.”

Riley burst out laughing and that clear, boyish sound made Carter’s whole being feel lighter. He nudged Riley’s knee with his own.

“Come to the East Side for dinner. You can tell my parents you tried to fight my sneakers and lost.”

Riley laughed again, softly, and something tight in Carter’s chest unfurled. Standing, he motioned with his hand for his friend to lie down. He talked about his mother’s amazing apple crisp recipe while Riley stripped off his sweater and crawled under the duvet. His eyes were already closed, the ice pack balanced on his cheek as Carter switched off the lamp.

“I’m sorry about your face,” Carter told him before turning back to his own bed.

“I know, Car. S’okay.”

“You coming to dinner?” he asked, holding his breath for the few moments that passed before Riley replied.

“Yeah.” Riley’s words were slightly slurred with sleep. “Someone’s gotta look after you.”

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About Brigham & K!

K. Evan Coles author picK. Evan Coles is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee, coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.

K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse, tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.

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Brigham Vaughn author picBrigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga.  She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Fan Group (Brigham’s Book Nerds) | Google+ |InstagramPinterestTwitter | Email: brighamvaughn@gmail.com

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Giveaway!

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

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(Ends 1st June 2017)

Review

K. Evan Coles & Brigham Vaughn - Wake CoverTitle: Wake

Series: Tidal 01

Author: K. Evan Coles & Brigham Vaughn

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (267)

ISBN: 978-1-78651-556-8

Publisher: Pride Publishing (30th May 2017)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3 ½ – 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: A love worth the wait

Carter Hamilton and Riley Porter-Wright room together as Harvard undergraduates. An immediate friendship forms, but as the years pass it deepens into something neither man understands. As attraction simmers under the surface, lines begin to blur. When they move back to Manhattan, they gradually slip into the lives their families have envisioned for them.

Both men marry, but in time, Riley realizes he’s ended up in a passionless relationship like his parents’ while his career takes center stage. Although he loves his wife, Carter misses the emotional and physical connection he shared with Riley.

The weight of Riley’s feelings and his growing discontentment with his life eventually push him to tell Carter the truth about how he feels. Shocked and unable to face his own feelings, Carter rejects Riley.

As each man comes to terms with the lies they’ve told themselves, each other and the people around them, they find their lives changing in ways they never imagined. They soon discover that the truths they’ve been longing to tell shake the foundations of their friendship.

Reader Advisory: This book contains polyamory and infidelity, expressions of homophobia by multiple secondary characters, divorce, scenes of M/F/M intimacy, references to parental neglect, disownment, one brief scene involving a physical altercation.

Purchase Link: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/wake

Review: Over the years Carter and Riley have become best friends, they spend a lot of time together and they’ve shared women together, even after they both marry their friendship doesn’t change. But Riley is becoming discontent with his life, so much so that he decides he needs to face up to what he really feels for Carter and he can only pray Carter feels the same way.

This story was a hard story for me to get into; the opening prologue left me with distaste for both men because of their casual disregard for their wives, it was just shocking that the polyamory, MFM and infidelity that the reader advisory is talking about was with a prostitute… all without the knowledge of the wives so that blasts the polyamory tag out the water.

Anyway, what we have here is a classic case of two men not knowing how they really feel for each other, and two men living up to the appearances that their parents expect them to live. The angst in most parts is about trying to parse through their feelings for each other and Carter angsting over the fact that Riley has decided to no longer live a lie, Riley does angst as well over Carter basically turning his back on Riley but you can understand that because it was easier for him to focus on that rather than his leaving his wife and his parents turning their back on him.

I’ll be honest and say that the story really didn’t need all the past between the two men throughout the years, just bits from the last couple of years would have done it. I had to really cling hard to keep reading as it just felt like filler to me. I mean yeah once it was to the present time for the guys I couldn’t put it down, but most of the stuff that came before had me fighting to keep reading.

Now in the present time we get all the turmoil, the desperation, the hope and, for Riley, acceptance. Riley comes into his own even as he struggles with the aftermath of his decision, Carter begins to flounder and he’s barely hanging on to his ‘safe life’. It’s sad really; you feel pity for Carter as he desperately tries to hang on to his perfectly normal life even as it crumbles around him. You do feel desperately sorry for Riley but it quickly changes to hope as he begins to emerge from the lies and begins to build the life he’s always wanted.

I can’t say that this is a happy for now ending; I can’t even describe the ending to be honest as it’s left in a place where one man has accepted his new life and the other is still desperate clinging to his life with his finger nails and barely there sanity. Oh and by the way the physical altercation that’s warned about in the reader advisory… well its domestic violence plain and simple, just because it’s a woman doing it doesn’t make it any less domestic violence.

I recommend this story to those who love angsty stories, lives being pulled apart and reshaped, friendships tested, relationships in limbo and a desperate need to read the next book!

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Check out the other blogs on the tour!

May 9 – Keysmash
May 16 – BookLove
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