Book Blitz: Find You There by Brianna Bennett

Find You There by Brianna Bennett
Publication date: August 31, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Lyric Meadows is used to being overlooked.

Lovingly called Peanut for as long as she can remember, she uses ceramics to escape the high expectations of her parents. It also keeps her from having to tell them that she’s asexual, thereby disappointing them twice because she has no intention to work in music like they want or give them grandchildren. It’s not easy to conceal a part of who she is, but she’ll do it if it means maintaining some privacy.

Luca Sherwood is used to having his privacy invaded.

As the son of controversial politician Richard (Dick) Sherwood, the paparazzi is always up in his business, just waiting for a scandal to blast all over the social media. Unfortunately, Luca’s brother Rider does have something to hide, and it is something that could destroy their father’s career if the public ever learned of it.

Lyric and Luca are an unlikely duo with far more in common than they think.

One day, all of Lyric’s work at the studio is shattered by an apparent vandal. Devastated, she begins to wonder if her parents were right all along and she should just settle for singing. That is, until Luca volunteers to help her figure out the vandal’s identity. Her resulting romantic & sexual attraction to him is startling, but she’s going to need all the help she can get once she learns that the person who destroyed her artwork may be closer than she thinks.

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EXCERPT

“Shut up. It’s not like that. I’ve told you before, Ry, I’m asexual.”

“And that means what, exactly?” Lyric huffed. “I’m just trying to understand,” he added placatingly yet somehow managing to mock her at the same time. Why is it my job to explain this crap to him? she thought resentfully.

“You know, there’s this wonderful invention out there. It’s called Google.”

“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me—”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?” She cut him off, and he just grinned. “It means that I don’t feel sexual attraction toward anyone. I’m not even a little bit interested in it.”

“Not even a little bit interested, hmm? Then what about your high school boyfriend . . . what was his name . . . ?” Lyric stiffened against her will. I don’t want to think about him. I don’t want to think about him. I don’t— Rhythm snapped his fingers. “I remember! Shawn!” Oblivious to Lyric’s internal mantra, he added, “He was such a little douche. I’m glad you guys broke up. He didn’t deserve you.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Anyway, being ace doesn’t mean I never ever feel sexual attraction. It just doesn’t happen as often for me as it does for others,”

Author Bio

Fanfiction was where it all began. It gave me the opportunity to stretch my creative muscles and work out crucial lessons in the craft. I spent several years writing for free, which helped me understand the realities of the writing world early on.
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Once I got to college, I did the one thing that most advisors tell you not to do: I majored in what I was passionate about, not what would be most practical. ​
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After graduating from college with a degree in Professional Writing, I took a year off and then enrolled in a double Master's program. In the 3 years that followed, I dedicated myself to learning as much as I could about all areas of writing and publishing.
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Nowadays, I'm a medical receptionist, soon-to-be self-published author, Medium blogger, writing coach, and podcast host. I live and work in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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Book Blitz+Giveaway: Home for Christmas by Ann Grech

Home For Christmas by Ann Grech
Publication date: November 19, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Fate threw him a wicked twist. Or maybe it was the magic of Christmas. Maybe it was just going home.
T’was the night before Christmas—three actually—and there was nothing quiet about the club Declan found himself at. The superhero-themed masquerade party was the one thing he’d been looking forward to when he’d been summoned home for Christmas. He usually kept a safe distance between him and his family. It was easier to hide his secret that way. Being gay wasn’t the only thing he was hiding. The truth was far worse—he’d fallen for his stepbrother, Ollie.
The night of the masquerade party saw his world was flipped upside down by an enticing stranger. He’d never be the same again. The two men came together when they both needed it most. What followed was one seriously sexy pre-Christmas set of fireworks exploding between them. But he was soon alone again, sitting in an apartment full of beautiful, rich people who only wanted to know him because of his stepfather’s bank account. Declan’s love of the holidays was wavering, and he was regretting his trip home.
Then Ollie walked in, and everything became a whole lot more complicated. Declan was torn—unable to get the sexy, nameless stranger out of his head and Ollie out of his heart.
Going home for Christmas would either break him or… well, Declan didn’t have that quite figured out.
Home For Christmas is a stand-alone, Christmas gay romance by Ann Grech featuring a steamy one night stand, a closeted hero, wrestling stepbrothers, numerous references to Woody and Buzz, singing in the shower and a feel good second chance romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I tossed the shot back and enjoyed the burn of the whiskey as it traveled down my throat.
“Nice costume,” a warm voice said next to me. His words cut through the noise of the club and settled in my gut, spreading tingles throughout my body. That voice was as smooth as the whiskey I’d just drunk. I sucked in a breath, want and need curling low in my gut. The voice was familiar, like I’d heard him speak before. As if I’d listened to it for countless hours long ago, but that was wishful thinking. An impossibility. I turned sideways and faced…Batman. His three-quarter face mask and his beard hid his identity spectacularly, but as my eyes traveled down his body, I nearly choked on my tongue. Jesus, the man is beautiful.
His cape covered only the tops of his shoulders, and the smooth skin of his shirtless chest was on full display. He was lean with just enough muscle definition that it made my mouth water. He was the epitome of everything that turned me on. The perfect build. His nicely rounded pecs were tipped with flat nipples, the small nubs pointing at me in the dim light, and although he didn’t have the perfect six-pack, he did have the sexiest dips coming in from his hips. Cum gutters were cut off from my viewing pleasure by the dark jeans he wore. Damn, those jeans looked like they were tailor-made for him, fitting his hips and package perfectly and hugging his long legs.
“Damn, Batman, you’re lookin’ pretty fuckin’ hot yourself,” I drawled, my southern accent becoming more pronounced the more aroused I became.
He stilled, tilting his head to the side. “Have we met before?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.” I lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Does it matter?”
One side of his mouth turned up in a small grin, and he shook his head before grabbing my hand. That simple connection floored me. It was like lightning had struck me, setting every nerve ending on fire. Want and need slammed into me, stealing my breath. People say “sparks flew” and “instant chemistry” but I’d never experienced it before.
Until that moment.
And it hit him too if the slow lick of his lips gave me any indication.

Author Bio
By day Ann Grech lives in the corporate world and can be found sitting behind a desk typing away at reports and papers or lecturing to a room full of students. She graduated with a PhD in 2016 and is now an over-qualified nerd. Glasses, briefcase, high heels and a pencil skirt, she's got the librarian look nailed too. If only they knew! She swears like a sailor, so that's got to be a hint. The other one was "the look" from her tattoo artist when she told him that she wanted her kids initials "B" and "J" tattooed on her foot. It took a second to register that it might be a bad idea.
She's never entirely fit in and loves escaping into a book--whether it's reading or writing one. But she's found her tribe now and loves her MM book world family. She dislikes cooking, but loves eating, can't figure out technology, but is addicted to it, and her guilty pleasure is Byron Bay Cookies. Oh and shoes. And lingerie. And maybe handbags too. Well, if we're being honest, we'd probably have to add her library too given the state of her credit card every month (what can she say, she's a bookworm at heart)!
She also publishes her raunchier short stories under her pen name, Olive Hiscock.

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Review: Birthday by Meredith Russo

Birthday by Meredith Russo

Published: May 2, 2019

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up—and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.

My Thoughts

Morgan and Eric are soul mates in all ways, they were born the same day and time and have been best friends forever. They have always had a shared birthday party but as time moved on and life dealt them tragedies, like the death of Morgan’s mother they tried to keep their friendship intact. 

Each one is dealing with family and personal issues, Eric has a father who isn't the most supportive person and while Morgan is trying to come to terms with his true identity and these feelings he's having towards his best friend. Eric has known for a while that Morgan is dealing with something but doesn't want to push, he wants Morgan to come to him when he is ready but deep down Eric has an idea what Morgan is going through. Morgan hasn't been dealing with the death of mother well and with a father who isn't very expressive he doesn't know who to turn to, he wants to tell his best friend but is scared to lose the one person he truly loves in this world.

Birthday is soulful and heartbreaking at the same time. You feel for these two teens who are trying to find themselves in a world that can be cruel. The one thing that they have is each other, no matter what happens, no matter what they may do they always will be there for each other. That love is real and it will transcend everything. That love is so deep that even they become surprised as to how much its true. This story is about friendship and love and how some people truly are soul mates from birth.

Review: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Published: June 11, 2019

Publisher: Atria Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Do we change or does the world change us?

Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world? 

My Thoughts

Jo and Bethie are sisters but their lives followed different paths. Bethie is the wild child, growing up in the free lovin' 60s she enjoyed and partook in all that the decade offered. She was the one who always gave her mother trouble but no one really knew why. What was it in Bethie that made her this way? We see why later in the story, how she experienced some pain and tragedy in her childhood. 

Jo, on the other hand, had her secret knowing very early on she was gay and in love with her best friend but decided to never let anyone know. She went on to get married and have children, never letting her true self be happy and living the life she wanted and deserved until later on in life.

We see both these sisters lives evolve and how they each went from kids to adults and trying to find their niche in this world. Neither one had an easy life, both having hard lives and never really coming into their own until they were grown. This book was rich in storylines, the way we see these sisters go through decades is amazing and seeing them struggle at times pulls at your heartstrings.

Mrs. Everything is a well-written story with its focus on family, love and coming into your own with elements of feminism. I loved that it has strong female characters that many of us can relate to, and while some of the topics touched upon in this book can be tough to some, I believe its things that can help some people also. This is one book that I highly recommend for anyone who wants an honest to god amazing read.

Review: Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Published: September 12, 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

My Thoughts

Autoboyography gives us the story of Tanner who is a bi teen living in conservative Utah. He has a best friend Autumn whom he thinks likes him but he doesn't see her that way. He is just waiting to go off to college and live his life the way he wants when he meets Sebastian. Sebastian is everything Tanner wants to be, he has just published his first novel and Tanner falls in love with him. Living in religious Utah he doesn't know if Sebastian is gay or not so he doesn't want to be too forward but soon he gets signals that make him think Sebastian feels the same way about him.

We slowly see Tanner and Sebastian trend the line when it comes to romance. Tanner is head over heels while Sebastian can't admit that he is bi or gay he just knows that he has feelings for Tanner but will never admit it to anyone. This story pulled at my heartstrings at times seeing how both of these guys are just trying to find their way in the world all the while trying to navigate the feelings of love. It's hard enough growing up but to come out in such a conservative city it took a toll on them both and their relationship.

This novel was all about love and coming to terms with who you are and being proud of it. The romance was cute and you rooted for them because you wanted them to be happy and have a chance to see what could be. I also enjoyed Tanner’s friendships and family, they offered him such love and support sadly something you don't see sometimes. This is a wonderfully written novel that will leave you with so many emotions in the very end.

Review: Goldie Vance Vol 1 & 2 by Hope Larson, Illustrated by Brittney Williams

  

Goldie Vance Vol 1 & 2 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams [Illustrator]

Published: October  5, 2017

Publisher: Boom! Boom! Box

Format: via Hoopla

Ratings: [Vol. 1 – 4/5] [Vol. 2- 3/5]

Synopsis

The newest gal sleuth on the block is Goldie Vance, an exciting, whodunnit? adventure that mixes the fun of Eloise with the charm of Lumberjanes. 16-year-old Marigold “Goldie” Vance lives at a Florida resort with her dad, who manages the place, and dreams to one day become the hotel’s in-house detective. When Walter, the current detective, encounters a case he can’t crack, he agrees to mentor Goldie in exchange for her help solving the mystery utilizing her smarts, random skills, and connections with the hotel staff and various folks in town.

My Thoughts

Volume 1

This year I wanted to challenge myself to new genres so I thought I would take a chance on a graphic novel and I kept hearing great things about Goldie Vance so I figured why not? Well, I'm glad I did cause this is so my kinda graphic novel. I like the fact that she’s a girl detective, I like her no holds barred attitude, the retro vibe and I really love that it's really diverse and has LGBT representation.

I really enjoyed the first volume I liked how we were introduced to everyone and the story was enjoyable. I liked seeing her family and friends and how she is a strong character. Can't wait to see what's in store.

Volume 2

This story was okay for me, but the first one was better. I didn’t really enjoy the astronaut storyline it was all iffy for me. However, I did enjoy the blossoming romance between Goldie and Diane and I liked seeing Goldie’s mom in this one. I liked their relationship and seeing them interact with each other.

All in all, I’m really liking where this is going I can't wait to see what more Goldie and her friends have in store for the upcoming issues. This is definitely my kind of vibe and I’m highly enjoying this so far.

Review: When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri

Published: June 19, 2018

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Katie Daniels is a perfection-seeking 28-year-old lawyer living the New York dream. She’s engaged to charming art curator Paul Michael, has successfully made her way up the ladder at a multinational law firm and has a hold on apartments in Soho and the West Village. Suffice it to say, she has come a long way from her Kentucky upbringing.

But the rug is swept from under Katie when she is suddenly dumped by her fiance, Paul Michael, leaving her devastated and completely lost. On a whim, she agrees to have a drink with Cassidy Price-a self-assured, sexually promiscuous woman she meets at work. The two form a newfound friendship, which soon brings into question everything Katie thought she knew about sex—and love.

When Katie Met Cassidy is a romantic comedy that explores how, as a culture, while we may have come a long way in terms of gender equality, a woman’s capacity for an entitlement to sexual pleasure still remain entirely taboo. This novel tackles the question: Why, when it comes to female sexuality, are so few women figuring out what they want and then going out and doing it?

My Thoughts

Katie and Cassidy have a kind of met cute at work when both are opposing lawyers on a case. Katie who has recently just been dumped by her pretentious fiancée is down in the dumps and is just trying to get her life back on track when she takes an interest in Cassidy. She doesn't know what it is exactly but all she knows she that she hasn't felt this way for anyone in a long time, including her ex.

Cassidy is a known ladies girl who hasn’t met a girl she can't hook up with.  So when she sees Katie she is instantly attracted to her but doesn’t know if Katie is into her in that way. They keep meeting up so Cassidy decides to ask her out and while Katie at first says no she soon decides why not she could use a friend. Cassidy soon brings Katie into her favorite gay bar and into her close group of friends and while Cassidy’s friends think Katie is just the flavor of the month, Katie feels at home there and Cassidy soon finds herself having real feelings for someone which she hasn’t in a long time. Katie is beyond confused, she tries to deny her feeling for Cassidy, all while she tries to decide who she is. Is she gay or bi and while she tries to push her feeling away she realizes after an incident between them that she does love Cassidy and all those questions she has about herself and them don’t matter, she is simply in love with someone.

I really enjoyed this cute and crazy at times book. It shows us that sexual orientation shouldn’t matter and that labels don’t mean a thing. Love is simple love, to be able to find someone in this wild and crazy world that you can talk to and be real with is something that is a gift and that we all should be blessed to have. If you are lucky enough to find your other half in the universe then who or what they are shouldn’t matter. And while I will admit Katie did get on my nerves at times, Cassidy was my favorite character she was the one who let herself go and allowed herself to truly love again after all these years.  She took a chance on Katie and no matter what she thought or what others said she knew what they had and knew that she wanted to explore that. This is one novel that was funny yet touching and taught us a simple lesson in love and that it is worth fighting for when you find the one.

Review: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Published: January 24, 2017

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Format: via Audible

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.

This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.

This is how children change…and then change the world.

This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress and dreams of being a princess.

When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.

This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.

My Thoughts

I've had this audiobook for over a year until one day I was scanning my Audible and decided to listen. Wow! This book is simply amazing and it touched my soul like no other. In This Is How It Always Is we start off with a couple and we get to know their courtship, marriage and then their kids. We soon learn that they are expecting again and once again it’s a boy… and then Claude is born.

Claude is a loving child who soon shows us he likes to play with dolls and likes to dress up but as time goes by it becomes more. It isn’t a phase to Claude he wants to be girl…deep down he knows he is a girl. Even at a very young age, he knows who he is and more importantly who he isn’t.

We see Claude as he goes to school and after they move so Claude who has changed his name can start his life as who he was meant to be and make friends who only know him as a girl. He is living the life he wants all while his family keeps his secret. In time the secret is out and their lives begin to unravel, we see how this has affected everyone in the family and the toll it takes on Claude. He decides to go back to Claude as to not hurt anyone but it's clear he’s only hurting his true self not to mention he isn’t Claude anyone, more like he was never meant to be Claude.

This is a heartbreaking novel of a person who from the start knows who he was meant to be. I was literally in tears when he cuts his hair and starts to dress “like a boy” so that he wouldn’t hurt his family anymore but its clear at that point that he wasn’t Claude anymore. What I also found interesting were the parents. Penn was a stay at home dad and Rosie was a doctor. We usually hear about the mother always being the more understanding one and the father is the one who doesn’t want to come to terms with things but in the story, it was the opposite. Penn wanted their child to be who they wanted regardless of what others thought and Rosie was scared maybe or by being a doctor wanted to think about all the options.  This was a beautifully written novel that gives us an insight into the lives of transgender children and their families. It shows us how parents have the difficult decisions on what to do and when to listen to their children's pleas on who they really are. I personally loved this novel and loved how it focused on a younger child than we usually read about. If you're looking for a book based on love, understanding and family pick this one up it's definitely worth the read.