Selfie by Amy Lane : Blog tour, Review and Giveaway

One year ago, actor Connor Montgomery lost the love of his life to a drunk driver. But what’s worse for Connor is what he still has: a lifetime of secrets born of hiding his relationship from the glare of Hollywood. Unable to let go of the world he and Vinnie shared, Connor films a drunken YouTube confession on the anniversary of Vinnie’s death.

Thankfully, the video was silent—a familiar state for Connor—so his secret is still safe. He needs a fresh start, and a new role on the hit TV show Wolf’s Landing might be just that.

The move to Bluewater Bay may also mean a second chance in the form of his studio-assigned assistant. Noah Dakers sees through Connor’s facades more quickly than Connor could imagine. Noah’s quiet strength and sarcastic companionship offers Connor a chance at love that Hollywood’s closet has never allowed. But to accept it, Connor must let Vinnie go and learn to live again.

 

**For the Selfie blog tour, Amy Lane has written a few monologues from Vinnie’s video blog, set prior to the crash that takes his life. These monologues, performed by Nick J. Russo of Dark Night Sound, correspond to scenes or memories referenced by Connor in Selfie, giving you a unique look at this off-screen character.

Please visit http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/selfie and select the extras tab for all six monologues, which will be updated there as they are published.

 

Amazon

Riptide Publishing

I never know what to expect from an Amy Lane book. Sometimes I walk away with just a general feeling of happiness and joy, other times, I’ve used an entire box of tissues, and still want to curl up in a ball on the couch. Selfie was somewhere in between. Connor and Noah put the pieces of my heart back together again, after my heart felt so sad from Connor’s grief over losing Vinnie.

Noah, clearly one of the most patient and loving man ever, was willing to wait for Connor to finish grieving, and even was willing to take a backseat to Vinnie’s ghost. What kind of man could be so selfless, and put himself out there for that kind of potential heartache? Yet, he did, and he was supportive of Connor, no matter what happened.

It seemed that Connor’s biggest issue was not necessarily his grief of Vinnie, but not being able to express his grief to anyone but his agent. Not Vinnie’s family, not the world that saw the movie star, even initially not to Noah. That allowed his grieving process to not even begin until the anniversary of Vinnie’s death, when he began to blow it all out of the water.

And let’s not forget Vinnie’s “ghost”, who we find out was not the saint that he originally is seen as. Vinnie was a fairly selfish man, who loved a man who was willing to give up everything to have a chance at their happiness. His ghost was a bit selfish as well. But in the end, he goes away quietly, after a difficult goodbye with Connor.

My heart broke for Connor having to go through all this, and for Noah who had to watch from the sidelines, and could only be supportive. But thank goodness it’s an Amy Lane novel, so there is an HEA!!!

There were a couple loose ends I would have loved to see tied up a little more neatly, but in real life, those likely would not have been tied up anyway, so sometimes you have to let things go.

Definitely recommend. And I would like to re-read this, from the point of view of knowing Vinnie and his ways. I wonder if my read will be a different feeling…

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Amy Lane exists happily with her noisy family in a crumbling suburban crapmansion, and equally happily with the surprisingly demanding voices who live in her head.

She loves cats, movies, yarn, pretty colors, pretty men, shiny things, and Twu Wuv, and despises house cleaning, low fat granola bars, and vainglorious prickweenies.

She can be found at her computer, dodging housework, or simultaneously reading, watching television, and knitting, because she likes to freak people out by proving it can be done.

Connect with Amy:

• Website: com
• Blog: blogspot.com
• Twitter: @amymaclane
• Facebook group: Amy Lane Anonymous
• Goodreads: com/amymaclane

 

About Nick J. Russo

Nick J. Russo has been a professional performer for over a decade, but has been voicing audio books for the past few years. He has voiced several titles throughout the romance, sci-fi, supernatural, and thriller genres, and has recently started his very own sound studio; Dark Night Sound. On top of voice acting, Russo manages Dark Night Sound with his fiance and works with a staff of four up and coming narrators. In his free time, Russo is a drummer in a pop/rock cover band, loves to travel, and dreams of one day being able to voice a role in an animated comedy series.

 

 To celebrate the release of Selfie, one lucky person will receive e-copies of Amy’s entire backlist with Riptide, and an Amy Lane t-shirt. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 23, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!