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Title: All the Way to Shore
Author: CJane Elliott
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: 11/23/16
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 56,000
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
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Jonathan Vallen has never felt good enough. A gentle musician who loves to garden, he’s woefully unsuited to running Vallen Industries, the family business. When his father hires a hotshot executive, Marco Pellegrini, to save the company, Jonathan moves away and leaves his humiliation behind. A year later and forty pounds lighter, Jonathan runs into Marco on an LGBT cruise. Marco doesn’t recognize him, the sparks fly, and Jonathan pretends to be someone else for the week—Jonah Rutledge—someone good enough to be loved.
Marco Pellegrini has always been driven. He rose from poverty to the pinnacle of business success, and he’ll do anything to protect his reputation—including hiding his bisexuality. Having saved Vallen Industries, he’s weary of the rat race and ready for a more meaningful life. When Marco meets his soul mate for that new life—Jonah Rutledge—on an LGBT cruise, he prepares to stop hiding and start living.
Back on land, the romance crashes when Marco discovers his perfect man is not only a lie but the son of his boss, Frederick Vallen. Jonathan resolves to win Marco back, but Frederick takes vengeful action. Jonathan and Marco must battle their own fears as well as Frederick’s challenge to get to the future that awaits them on the horizon.
Thank you, Two Chicks Obsessed, for hosting me and my newest release, All the Way to Shore. The book features a rags to riches story, an ugly duckling turned swan, a cruise ship romance, and a case of hidden identity that when uncovered threatens to ruin everything. What’s not to love? Especially when our heroes get to their hard-won happy ending! Although I put some external barriers in front of Jonathan and Marco, the biggest battles they face are with themselves. Jonathan has grown up in the shadow of a domineering father and favored older brother, and doubts his own worth. Ironically, he is pretending to be someone else when he and Marco fall for each other on the cruise. Jonathan has to realize he’s worthy of love just being himself. Marco rose from nothing and his reputation means everything to him. In the end, Marco has to decide what’s more important: his reputation or his love for Jonathan.
I hope you enjoy reading All the Way to Shore and finding out how Jonathan and Marco get to their happy ending.
Jonathan eyed the moon and waited for Marco, who was getting something from the bar to bring back with them to his stateroom. He smiled up at the stars, heart full, ready to ride the wave of this fairy tale all the way to shore. Then a hand caressed his neck, and he turned to smile at his handsome prince. Marco smiled back, his pendant glimmering on his chest and a bottle in his hand.
“What did you get?”
“Courvoisier.”
“Nice.”
“I thought it’d be nice for an after-dinner drink as we listen to Debussy.”
They strolled along the deck. “We are almost too fancy for words.”
Marco chuckled. “I’ve never been accused of being fancy before.”
Jonathan eyed him, tall and elegant with his black curls and Roman nose. “You seem fancy to me. Or, well, sophisticated is more like it.”
“If only Mama could hear you. She’d know her bambino had made it in the world.”
“You’re funny.”
Jonathan followed Marco into his stateroom, letting his Jonah Persona take the lead lest he pass out from sheer nervousness. “Nice digs.” Digs? Where’d that come from?
“Thanks.” Marco picked up a large envelope that had been shoved under the door, glanced at the front of it, and tossed it to join a pile of others on the desk. “Work faxes. They don’t seem to get I’m on vacation in the middle of the ocean. They can wait.”
A shiver took hold of Jonathan, thinking of Father and how totally like him it was to be bugging his CEO in the middle of his vacation.
“You aren’t cold, are you?” Marco asked.
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s good.” And I’m running off at the mouth. Cool it.
“Oh, okay. Good. Let me get the Debussy up on my iPod. They have a docking station with pretty decent speakers in here.” Marco sounded a little nervous himself.
As Marco fiddled with the iPod, Jonathan opened the Courvoisier and poured each of them a moderate amount, thinking they could both use some loosening up. “Do you want yours over ice?”
Marco turned. “No. That’s okay. There should still be some ice in the bucket if you like it that way. Here we go.” He pushed a button and Debussy’s La Mer started to play.
They sat in two armchairs at one end of the large room, listening to Debussy’s sensual and passionate music while sipping the brandy. The music swelled and crashed down in eerie imitation of the ocean all around them. With the curtains drawn back, they stared out at the real thing, moonlight dappling the midnight waves. Everything about this moment was surreal—a beautiful dream.
After a time, Marco set down his glass, his eyes burning into Jonathan’s. Jonathan gulped down the rest of his drink for courage and put his glass next to Marco’s. Marco held out his hand, and they rose from their chairs. As Jonathan followed Marco to the bed, his palms grew clammy and his heart raced so much he thought he might pass out. Now that his Jonah Persona had been successful in luring Marco to bed, performance anxiety crowded out everything else. God. It had been so long since he’d had sex. Did he even know what he was doing? Anthony’s voice chimed in on the proceedings. Relax, doll! It’s just like riding a bicycle. You never forget. Now, hop on that man and ride!
This story had it all; shipboard romance, adventure and just enough angst to make it feel real.
Jonathan Vallen begins working at his family’s company Vallen Industries after the tragic death of his brother. Jonathan is more interested in playing the piano than running a business but he doesn’t want to desert his father so shortly after his mother’s death. Working at the family business is soul crushing for Jonathan. He has put on weight, he’s unhappy, and his is still hiding that he’s gay fro. His homophobic father.
With Vallen Industries operating in the red, Marco Pelligrini is brought in to turn the company around. Marco has a reputation as a strong businessman with the ability and drive to turn around dying companies.
Jonathan sees Marco’s running the company as his way out, he won’t be leaving his father high and dry. With Marco running the company Jonathan leaves Boston and over to his cottage in Cape Cod. Jonathan spends a year on the Cape soul searching, exercising and playing the piano. His cousin Anthony books a LGBT cruise for them to relax, have fun, and meet new people.
So much has changed about Jonathan’s appearance in the past year that Marco doesn’t recognize him aboard the ship. When Anthony introduces him to Marco as Jonah Rutledge, Jonathan is to flabbergasted to correct him. “Jonah” and Marco hit it off instantly and spend every waking moment on the ship together. They dance, they have dinner, the explore the island together. They have so much in common Jonathan is sure they were made for each other, but now he isn’t sure how Marco will take it when he comes clean about who he is.
Jonathan decides he will tell Marco on the last day of the cruise. He will take him off the ship and to lunch so they can talk, but fate has other plans. As they are disembarking the ship, Jonathan’s father is waiting for Marco to fix some crisis at Vallen Industries. When Marco finds out who Jonathan is he is livid. He storms off to pack without so much as a goodbye.
Jonathan will have his work cut out for him if he wants to show Marco that he has a place in his life. Jonathan’s father won’t accept it and will do anything in his power to separate the two. Will they be strong enough to overcome Fredrick’s scheming?
I don’t usually like instalove because it doesn’t feel real, but even though this took place over 5 days it was almost like a slow burn romance, slowly building to a fever pitch. I loved the way Jonathan chose to woo Marco back to him, with thoughtful gifts. It was adorable.
Anthony, Jonathan’s cousin was one of my favorite characters. He was funny and charming and the life of the party. He never put Jonathan down instead chose to quietly encourage new and exciting adventures and offer support in any way he could.
Great story, great characters, great setting. It makes me want to go on a cruise.
4 pieces of eye candy
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Dreamspinner Press
After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.
In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.
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A.E. Via is an author in the beautiful gay romance genre and also founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.