Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

review

The Way to a Man’s Heart by Ann Marie James: New Release Review

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The heart wants what the heart wants…

Christian Diaz grew up as the best friend and unofficial bodyguard to the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Corazón. After an incident left him questioning his place in the castle, Christian joined the military and didn’t return for ten long years.

Now he’s been assigned to the castle as Royal Military Liaison to investigate the source of some recent threats against the crown. The annual Midsummer’s Ball is the perfect place for the anti-monarchy group to make their next move, so that’s where Christian will be too. If it gives him a chance to reconnect with his friends in the castle and make a play for the man he has compared all others to, it’s even better.

Max Ramirez is now the head chef for the castle. He started as a sous chef at age twenty when Christian was just an awkward teen. Now that Christian’s back at the castle, all grown up and interested in Max, the chef is determined not to let an opportunity with Christian pass him by.

When someone tries to sabotage the Midsummer’s Ball, Max and Christian need to work together to track down the people determined to make this event their last.

Amazon

I was looking forward to the premise of this book. A fictional monarchy, some suspense, intrigue…but it just fell flat for me. The MC’s in this romance did not date before Christian left town for 10 years. He shows back up, and immediately, as in right away, they are dating and living together, and said I love you a few days later. I understand insta-love, but this to me should have been more of a second change. However, these two never spent time together as a couple, and there was no learning new things about each other. It was just a look across a ballroom, and they were in love.

There was some backstory with the father of Christian, not sure we learned anything about Max’s backstory, and that was solved in a quick meeting with the King. Then some intrigue that really didn’t lead much of anywhere, and they moved in together and were talking marriage.

This book was rushed, which I can understand if you are working on a novella. However, there just wasn’t the story to allow the reader to understand the connection these men had, which left me feeling like it was a missed opportunity.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

Waiting on Life by Parker Williams: Quick Review

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Big, bald, tattooed, and more than a little possessive, Toby Tomlinson isn’t what you’d call a lady’s man. In fact, he usually got too serious before they were ready. One day, upon returning home from work, Toby finds a young woman kneeling to pick up mail she’d apparently dropped. Taken with her red hair and slender body, he says hello as he grabs his own mail. The woman jumps and bangs her head against the open door, then lets loose with a string of expletives. She turns around and Toby discovers…the person he’s been ogling isn’t a woman at all, but a man.

Kyle Roga’s heard it all before. High school was filled with taunting classmates who could tell Kyle was far too fabulous to be straight. And now, here he was, being pawed at by a man who stole Kyle’s breath away. He ticked every box Kyle had, and a few he didn’t even know he wanted ticked. The problem? Kyle’s been burned before by straight men who think you’re good enough for sex, but not for a relationship. He’s been bitten way more than once, and he doesn’t want to go down that path again.

Two men, each with a different way of looking at love, find themselves having to reexamine what they always believed about themselves. Will it be enough to bring them together? Will each discover what they’ve been doing isn’t living, but waiting on life?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Not terrible, not great, easy read that doesn’t take a lot of brain power.

Toby is supposed to be this big, tough, scary dude. It is mentioned in the book. Often. But he is SO OBVIOUSLY a giant teddy bear.

Kyle is fairly recently out of college and he and his best friend move in to the apartment across the hall. First Toby thinks Kyle is a woman. Then realizes that he finds him attractive. But keeps telling himself that he “doesn’t like d*ck”. Come on. There are way better ways to say that.

Anyway, Kyle is immediately smitten with Toby. (even the name Toby is teddy bearish), but assumes he is straight and since he was burned badly by a previous “straight” guy, he isn’t willing to go there again.

I am sure you can glean what the rest of the book is like.

Again, there isn’t really anything BAD about the book (except timeline mentions), it was just fairly generic. An easy beach read to keep you occupied, but I doubt it would make your top 10.

3 pieces of eye candy

Ache by Marley Valentine: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Release Day Review * 2

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I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Gael Herrera, but I wish I knew how to make it stop.

Falling in love with a straight man is a rookie mistake. But falling in love with my soon-to-be-married-to-a-woman best friend is nothing but heartache.

Through all the years, and all the men I’ve fooled around with, he’s always been at the back of my mind. An unrequited crush I wish I could shake. A dream that was never going to come true.

When I whisk him off to a surprise bachelor party weekend in Vegas, I surrender to the idea that this is an opportunity for me to finally let go of my feelings for him and say goodbye.

But after a heated exchange and an even hotter kiss, everything I thought I knew about our friendship changed.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe, after all this time, we were more than best friends. Maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Confidently, she places her hand on her hip, not caring that every inch of her is on display. “I don’t need you to touch me because you feel bad, Gael.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” I protest.

She leisurely reaches for a nearby towel and wraps it around her body. “Is this about Frankie?”

God, I hated hearing that man’s name. “Why are we talking about Frankie?”

“Because every time he comes up, you turn into”—she gestures her hand up and down my body—“this.”

“I just don’t like him for Jordan,” I exclaim.

“They have sex Gael, it’s hardly a marriage proposal.”

“He said he would bring him over in the new year. That’s more than just sex.”

She shakes her head at me. “He said that because you seem to turn into an over protective, ornery father every time he mentions people he’s with.”

His father? God, that was so far from the truth. Nothing I felt about him was familial. Not in a long time and even less so lately.

Lately, I was fucking jealous, and Elena knew it. Every part of me knew she did, but she wasn’t going to call me out. Because she was hiding from the truth just as much as I was.

“Sorry,” I say, because honesty isn’t really an option right now. “I can’t help but feel protective over him. Ever since—”

“I know,” Elena says, nothing but understanding in her voice. “Ever since he got kicked out of his home, you’ve felt the need to protect him. I get it. You’re the same with me,” she adds with a soft smile. “You’re like that with everyone you love. And we love you for it, but you need to let this disdain for Frankie go and let Jordan live his life. If it turns to shit, you’ll be there for him, because that’s what good friends do.”

Every word she said pricked at my heart in pain, leaving little holes as reminders that this was so much more than being worried and protective of your friend. It was a lifetime of hurt, longing, lust, and confusion. And it was wrong.

The only other book I have read by Marley Valentine is Without You, which if you know me I rarely read anything that says “angsty”, but I absolutely loved that book. (Go grab it if you haven’t read it!) It broke my heart about six different ways, and then put it all back together again. So, I definitely went into this book expecting something quite similar. Anyway, since I hadn’t been burned with the angst on Without You, I figured I had to try this. I was not disappointed.

There is a piece in this book that the author calls “an unconventional triangle”, which **small spoiler** may cause some people to be overly cautious about reading it. Don’t, please! It is usually a piece that I don’t want to read either, but the author did it very well. Honestly, the author made it very real life. Life is about choices, day to day, week to week, year over year. And in this case, the heart had made its choice years before.

It was obvious from the first chapter how in love these two MC’s were with each other. They just were not bright enough to figure out that they other one was also in love with them, despite everyone around them realizing it.

They go to Vegas, and realize that they’ve hid it from each other all these years, etc. The first half of the book is almost entirely based in Vegas, and sets up the second half of the book very well.

The MC’s were best friends before they were lovers. However, they were also family. Jordan found family in Gael, as well as with the entire Herrera family, and it was just wonderful to see how much they loved him back, no matter what. Each person in that family was there for everyone else, at all times. What a joy to read.

I cried…multiple times…reading this book, something I genuinely try to avoid. However, with this author I have done it more than once, and it’s likely I will do it again. And I’m here for it. 🙂

A big recommend, without question. Take on the Ache, but, I promise, you’ll get to your HEA.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Apparently this was a short that was included in a previous anthology. It has since been re-edited with 50,000 words added.

We’ve seen this- best friends, gay falls for straight, long drawn out angst, straight goes gay for you, happily ever after. It’s a bit that-but definitely more.

The more involves Gael’s family taking him in as their own when his parents throw him out at 17 for being gay. More is watching your best friend get engaged to a woman. More is finding out your straight best friend wants you just as badly.

I really loved that most of this book took place over a weekend in Vegas. The back story between Jordan and Gael is explained at appropriate times to move the story alone without bogging us down with their entire relationship since they were teenagers. It moved fast without sacrificing story and it had SO. MANY. FEELS. Family feels, romantic feels, friends feels, love feels. Sigh.

No one was a jerk, no one was the bad guy, no one needed to be redeemed. Just an awesome friends to lovers story that was really well done.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Living in Sydney, Australia with her family, Marley Valentine is a USA Today bestselling author and a former social worker who uses her past experiences to write real life, emotional and heartfelt contemporary romance.

She enjoys mixing it up with both M/F and M/M Romance incorporating all forms of life, lust and love as her characters embark on their journey to their happily ever after.

When she’s not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.

Marley enjoys interacting with her readers so please feel free to reach out to her via Facebook, Instagram, email and/or subscribe to her newsletter.

Connect with Marley:
Website: https://www.marleyvbooks.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVNL
Audio Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVAudio
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2VuYfg8
Instagram: http://bit.ly/MVBooksIG
Twitter: http://bit.ly/MarleyTwitter
BookBub: http://bit.ly/MVBookBub
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Un7EdJ
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MVGoodreads

When Robbo Met Daniel by Liam Livings: RB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Robbo is broken. He’s split up with his girlfriend. Given up on love. Forever. And now he must pretend to be happy for a friend’s week-long birthday celebration.

Daniel’s boyfriend refuses to go to the celebration with him. Another nail in the coffin for their relationship. So he brings his best friend, Sam. They notice the heart-broken straight guy has attractively filled swimming shorts and a body to draw their sunglasses-obscured gazes.

If Robbo can put aside how he thinks others will see him if he comes out and if Daniel can escape the history of his dead relationship, maybe they have chance.

When Robbo Met Daniel is a stand-alone gay romance with a curious man who’s only ever been with women and a flamboyant gay man who’s looking for someone to be kinder than his useless boyfriend. A dash of well-meaning friends and forced proximity could mean a happy ever after.

Title:  When Robbo Met Daniel

Author: Liam Livings

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/21/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 71100

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Vacation, out for you, coming out, first time, friends to lovers

Amazon

Ninestar Press

Goodreads

Monday Morning

Robbo stood back so he could stare at his suitcase, resting on the not very comfortable pull-out futon he’d been sleeping on. He threw four T-shirts, three pairs of shorts, and flip-flops into the case.

There was a knock on the door.

“All right,” Robbo replied.

Caspian opened the door. “Nearly packed?”

“Yeah. Some Lynx Africa, my shaving kit and I’m done.”

Caspian pushed the clothes into the suitcase. “And sun cream. Maya’s been on about factor fifty for weeks.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’ll borrow yours if that’s OK.” Robbo was already borrowing his friend’s spare room and bed, so what harm would a few squirts of sun cream be?

“’Course mate.” Caspian smiled weakly.

“Thanks.” Robbo turned to face the bed, his back towards Caspian. “Still think I’d be better off here. Don’t feel much in a party mood.”

“Lulu wants you there. Shaun told me. Said he’d told you.”

“Haven’t heard from him.” Robbo thought it worth trying one last time to get out of the trip. After the upheaval with Becky, he could have done with a week of work and of being alone in Caspian and Maya’s spare room. Just himself and his thoughts moping quietly on the futon.

“He told me he’d called you,” Caspian said. “Still, you know what he’s like. Probably didn’t know what to say.”

Robbo turned and perched on the bed.

“Shaun won’t mind if I don’t go. Lulu’s not going to miss me.”

“Shaun will mind, because Lulu will mind. Forty is a big deal.”

“Ancient.” Robbo let out a small laugh and rubbed his hands on his thighs. “Lulu’s a bit of a cougar, isn’t she?”

“Shaun loves her. That’s all that matters, mate.” Caspian’s stern stare told Robbo all he needed to know.

“Sorry. I’m not myself. Bit cynical about couples, you know?”

Caspian manfully patted Robbo’s shoulder.

“It’s easy to pack. All I’m doing is moving stuff from that suitcase—” He pointed to the large one in the corner. “—to this one.” He indicated the small one on the bed. “Every cloud…”

“Won’t be long till you’re back on your feet. Best this way. You did try.”

Robbo felt the familiar sadness building in his eyes. He didn’t want to dissolve into another snot and tears covered heap like he had when he’d called Caspian, asking if he could crash in their spare room after leaving the flat he’d shared with Becky, his girlfriend. He swallowed, blinking the tears away from his eyes. “I tried. Lots of things. Lots of times.”

“Enough of this. Or I’m gonna have to hug you again, and we know how awkward that gets. Do you want me to bring out the big guns and hug you?” Caspian held his arms out, waggling his fingers comically.

Robbo shook his head. “Fuck off. I’ll live.” They stood in silence for a moment.

A woman’s voice floated from the far side of the flat, telling them the taxi was booked for an hour, and if they weren’t ready, she’d be leaving without them. But not Robbo. Maya—Caspian’s wife, could have organised her way out of any situation—including making sure Robbo wasn’t allowed to wallow in his sadness. On their futon.

Caspian raised his eyes, gesturing towards his wife’s voice. “Best get on.”

Robbo let out a long, exhausted sigh, knowing he had to put a brave face on things and that staying here being miserable wouldn’t do him any good. He collected his razor and shaving gel and pushed them into the duffel bag, squashing everything else in the process.

Caspian said, quietly now, “Mate. I’ll lend you my gel if it helps with the packing.”

Without turning to face his friend, Robbo removed the can of gel, nodded, then said, “Ta mate.”

“Lads weekend. Like before. Do you good. Trust me.” Caspian closed the door behind him.

Robbo turned back to his packing and focussed on the friends he’d soon be seeing, mentally ticking off their names in turn, then wondering why that didn’t sound quite right. And then, with a heavy heart, he remembered he’d excluded their wives and girlfriends. The pairing of names that meant they had someone. Caspian and Maya sounded much better than simply Caspian.

Robbo and Becky.

Robbo.

Maya’s voice, louder now, carried through his closed door, “Twenty minutes. Taxi. If you’re not ready in ten, I’m packing your case, and don’t think I’m beyond rifling through your pants.”

Robbo—knowing Maya meant every word she said, and once he was in the sun and swimming in the pool in Spain, he would indeed feel better than stewing in his own sorrowful juices in this box room alone—threw his phone charger, headphones, and a paperback into his case. “Packed and ready!” He zipped up the bag and carried it to the living room where Maya and Caspian stood next to theirs.

New to me author. And…meh…

Robbo is single again after he and his long time girlfriend broke up. And he is just stewing in misery.

Daniel’s long time boyfriend broke up with him but Daniel won’t accept it.

This theme goes on and on and on throughout the book.

Robbo and Daniel and a bunch of other people are spending a week long vacation in Spain for a friend’s 40th birthday. They are in Spain. On vacation. And complaining constantly about their exes or sort of exes or soon to be exes and it never ended. Oh and maybe Robbo is gay but maybe not? Also a recurring theme.

I didn’t think there was any heat there between the two guys. And Robbo really was kind of insulting about gay men and culture more than once. If I was Daniel I would have walked away without looking back.

Sorry, it was boring, extremely repetitive and had very unlikable characters.

Pass

2 pieces of eye candy

Liam Livings lives where east London ends and becomes Essex. He shares his house with his boyfriend and cat. He enjoys baking, cooking, classic cars and socialising with friends. He has a sweet tooth for food and entertainment: loving to escape from real life with a romantic book; enjoying a good cry at a sad, funny and camp film; and listening to musical cheesy pop from the eighties to now. He tirelessly watches an awful lot of Gilmore Girls in the name of writing ‘research’.

Published since 2013 by a variety of British and American presses, his gay romance and gay fiction focuses on friendships, British humour, romance with plenty of sparkle. He’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. With a masters in creative writing from Kingston University, he teaches writing workshops with his partner in sarcasm and humour, Virginia Heath as www.realpeoplewritebooks.com and has also ghost written a client’s 5 Star reviewed autobiography.

Author Links

Website: http://www.liamlivings.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liam.livings

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LiamLivings

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Hollywood to Horses by Dez Schwartz: RB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Mateo Harris, a retired Olympic Show Jumper, achieved just about everything he could want in life. Rising from a nobody to becoming a beloved gold-medalist, co-owning H&H Riding Academy with his cousin—and best friend—Emily Hall, and he’s one of the most powerful and respected men in his hometown of Sweetspire, VA. Nothing can shake the foundations of the life he’s built for himself. That is until he hears his nemesis and former crush, Christopher Wright II, has moved back to town.

Christopher, a runaway movie star, has returned to Sweetspire to inherit the family business: Wright Stables, the only rival riding academy Mateo has ever had to worry about. With Christopher’s charm, talent, and fame taking charge, Mateo is faced with real competition both in and out of the arena. He’ll have to be at the top of his game to prove he’s still the number one equestrian in town, but every encounter with Christopher becomes as challenging as any obstacle he’s faced on horseback.

Title:  Hollywood to Horses

Author: Dez Schwartz

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 06/14/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 29800

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Equestrian, Horses, Sports, Rivals to Lovers, Over 40, Gay, Bisexual, Rom Com

Amazon

Ninestar Press

Goodreads

Mateo Harris and his black Belgian warmblood soared over a post-and-plank obstacle, then galloped in a curve to face two gates in proximity. They leapt over both with swift ease. The final stretch sent them gliding over the triple bars as they completed the course in a flawless fashion.

Mateo’s students applauded from the fence where they each sat astride their own horses, the eagerness for a chance to try the course themselves apparent.

The solid thud beneath Mateo’s riding boots reverberated through him, a satisfying crescendo indicating the finale of his performance. He believed a rider should never consider themselves finished showing until they were no longer on horseback. Although he hated to admit to himself, the ache in his right knee also grounded him in the truth—injury and age.

Defying reality, and because of his inherent showmanship, Mateo pivoted his athletic body in one graceful movement to face his pupils.

“And that’s how you win an Olympic gold medal in show jumping,” he announced. “Any questions?”

His students applauded, and he grabbed the reigns to lead his horse out of the arena.

“Why can’t you still win them?” a snide voice rang out. “Maybe you could teach us how to not fall off our horses.” The comment, which referenced an injury he sustained at his last Olympic competition, came from a tall blonde girl, Payton Parker, who Mateo found irritating on any given day; this one especially.

Most of the students appeared to hold their breath after the bold insult as if all the oxygen of the pleasant Virginian afternoon had been depleted. Their wide eyes showed they’d never dream of saying such a thing to someone so well regarded. Known for his equestrian accomplishments in the city of Sweetspire, the waitlist to get into H&H Riding Academy—the school Mateo and his cousin, Emily Hall, ran together—was as long as his list of accolades.

A few uncontrolled giggles cropped up, and Payton smirked at him to show she found the power-play to her peers worth any repercussion.

Mateo pursed his lips and produced a warning smile as he approached Payton, taking his time to remove his black riding gloves finger by finger.

He addressed her but did so loud enough so the entire class would be sure to hear him. “Your parents pay me excessive amounts of inherited money to turn entitled leeches like yourself into professional equestrians. As if any amount of funding could ever supply you with the aptitude you so obviously, and painfully, lack. You’ll be lucky to ever win so much as a participation trophy awarded for anything other than nepotism. You’re hereby dismissed from this class, Payton. In fact, because I’m feeling particularly plucky today, you are expelled. Good day, Miss Parker. I’ll expect a call from your parents as soon as the nanny reminds them they have children.”

The same student giggles returned, this time siding with Mateo and proving to be as good as a slap in the face for Payton. Fuming, she coaxed her Hanoverian toward the exit of the outdoor arena. She shouted over her shoulder as she left. “There are other riding academies, you know! I’ll go to Wright Stables! I don’t need you to win a blue ribbon!”

“I agree. You need talent!”

Nothing made him see red faster than mention of Wright Stables, his only real local competitor.

He chided himself for being drawn into an immature argument with a spoiled teenager and moved to get his class back on task.

“If anyone else would like to be expelled today, please, negligently criticize me. Otherwise, run your courses!”

Mateo waved them off, and they rushed to begin taking turns practicing the paces.

He led his prized horse, Top Shelf, back to the stables and handed him off to a stable hand. Once out of the long corridor on the other side of the luxury barn, Mateo reached inside his navy-blue riding blazer, grabbed his flask, and threw back a swig of French vodka.

He took a deep breath of the balmy late afternoon air, letting the heat of the drink warm his chest and relax him.

He spotted Cameron Myers leaning on the fencing of a corral where he had a student practicing dressage basics. The lines from Cameron’s dancer’s muscles showed through his thin white shirt whenever he leaned forward on the railing, and he combed his fingers through his wavy chestnut hair as he shouted out instructions to the student for improvement. Cameron clapped his approval when the student followed his recommendation to the letter.

He’s a much nicer instructor than I could ever be. It’s a good thing I hired him, or my student body might be severely lacking in numbers.

Cameron raised an eyebrow once he turned to Mateo. “Little early for that, don’t you think?”

Mateo found his youthful naivety charming and smiled. “Just a light afternoon snack.”

The corners of Cameron’s eyes crinkled sympathetically. “Tough day?”

“I teach overly indulged teenage millionaires how to make an animal jump over brightly colored poles for a living.” He took another drink at the thought. “Every day is tough.”

Cameron chuckled and turned his attention back to his own student. “You know you love every minute of it.”

Mateo grinned, putting the flask away. “No, you love it. I just have an affinity for collecting dead presidents.”

“You know I don’t believe that for a second.” Cameron signaled to the young rider to start their routine over. “I wouldn’t be here if that were true.”

Appreciative of his candidness, Mateo patted Cameron’s shoulder.

Finding a contemporary book that steps a little outside the norm is fun, so I definitely was looking forward to this one that was based around horse training. With one of the MC’s having been an Olympian equestrian, and the other MC coming back home, it pitted previous potential lovers to enemies into a lively competition.

I think this novella could have easily been expanded. It felt a bit rushed, in my opinion. Mateo’s personality was prickly to say the least, and I wasn’t quite sure why he was so grumpy. I didn’t feel that the backstory the reader was given was enough to really help the reader understand and empathize with his situation. So many times it just seemed he was grumpy and a bit mean. Although, he definitely came through when it counted. 🙂

Meanwhile, we learned a lot about Christopher’s backstory, and why he was finally coming home to run his father’s stables. Since he wasn’t the POV for the book, it was all from dialogue, but it would have been nice to get the same from Mateo.

The two MC’s definitely did a good job though of making their connection felt, and with the final big scene, it made complete sense how it all played out.

Side characters were very good. Emily was a perfect foil for Mateo, and seemed to really be the only one who saw through his defenses, other than Christopher. This book may be part of a series, it isn’t quite clear, but there is definitely a potential story there with Cameron, one of Matteo’s trainers.

3 pieces of eye candy

Dez Schwartz is a LGBTQ, Dreampunk, & Gothic Romance author and artist based in San Angelo, Texas. She holds a BFA in Studio Art and worked as a graphic artist, and a Director’s Assistant at a fine arts museum, before transitioning to writing full-time.

Her longtime love of Victorian spiritualism, gay literary fiction, and romantic comedies inspired her to begin writing all of the stories she wished existed.

When she’s not passionately crafting tales, she can be found drawing, researching, or traveling with loved ones.

Author Links

Website: http://www.dezschwartz.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DezSchwartz

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dez_schwartz

Instagram: http://instagram.com/dezschwartzauthor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dezschwartz/

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The Art of Living by Abrianna Denae: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Letting go is the hardest thing a person can do…

Robert Harper has spent the past seventeen years living for his son. He doesn’t know who he is if he’s not being a caregiver and protector all rolled into one.

Niall Ross is finally ready to make a life of his own. After years spent making sure his younger brother had everything he needed, it’s time for Niall to discover who he is.

All it takes is one glance across a crowded meeting room for the men to feel a connection, but Robert is terrified his life is too complicated for the other man. Luckily, Niall has patience in abundance. With a little help from Robert’s meddling family, the two begin a tentative relationship.

Just as they’re finding their footing, all of Robert’s worst fears come to life and he falters under the pressure. Niall takes the challenge to show Robert that he’s a safe place to lean on, but when his own life begins to unravel, he places his heart in Robert’s hands. When two independent men are forced to trust each other will the love win out, or will vulnerability and fear cause them to lose the best thing they didn’t even know they had.

Book Title: The Art of Living

Author: Abrianna Denae

Cover Artist: Pretty in Ink Creations

Release Date: June 10, 2021

Genre: Contemporary gay romance

Tropes: Single dad, hurt/comfort, office romance, slow burn

Themes: Trust, meddling family

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 35 000 words/ 90 pages

It is a standalone book, though the reader may be interested in The Gift of Believing, a companion book featuring the MC’s son: mybook.to/GoB

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“You really want me to date?”

Garrett nods. “I want you to live your life. I know you’re going to argue and say that you have everything you need with me, and Uncle Jared, and Sam. Maybe that’s true, but I also can’t help but feel guilty because if I wasn’t me then maybe you’d have found someone else by now.”

“Garrett, no, you know that’s not true,” I say gently. “Those other people I dated when you were younger, they didn’t last because they weren’t right for our family. If anyone can’t handle me and everything I come with, then they’re not worth my time.”

He studies me with those dark, wise eyes of his. “Does this mean you’ll give Niall a chance then? Because he’s different, I can feel it.”

Shit. I walked right into that one.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’d be open to trying.”

Garrett smiles and whips out his phone. I don’t bother asking who he’s texting, since the pieces are starting to slowly fall into place. I look at Presley, “They planned this, didn’t they?”

Pres smiles and nods. “Jared thought you both needed a little intervention.”

I shake my head and laugh a bit because my family is insane.

Garrett is still texting away while Presley and I clean up the kitchen. I try to tell Pres that he doesn’t need to help since he and Gare cooked, but he waves me off.

I just get the dishwasher started when my phone rings.  The display reads Niall and my mouth suddenly goes dry while my stomach begins to tie itself into knots.

Both boys stare at me as I accept the call. “Hello?”

“Hi,” pause, and then Niall laughs, “This is more awkward than I thought it’d be.”

I smile and turn away from the teenage busybodies. “I seriously doubt whatever you have to say is more awkward than the dinner I just had.”

He laughs again. “They tried to butter you up with food, huh?”

I groan. “Yes. When’d they get to you?”

“Sam talked to me this afternoon. Then they added me to a group chat a few hours ago and promptly blew up my phone with texts about twenty minutes or so ago.”

I sigh. “I’m sorry about them.”

“It’s fine,” Niall assures. “They’re just looking out for you.”

“They’re nosy and need to learn how to mind their own business.” I look over my shoulder to find Garrett and Presley sitting at the table, hanging onto my every word. Shaking my head, I stride from the room in search of some privacy.

“So if I were to ask you to dinner, you’d say no?”

“I guess you should ask and find out.”

Niall chuckles a bit. “Will you have dinner with me, Robert?”

My heart stutters in my chest and it takes a moment for me to get my mouth working. “Yes,” I finally manage to say.

“Great. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is perfect.”

“I’ll text you the details unless someone else does it for me.”

I snort. “That’s a high possibility. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he repeats. “Have a good night, Robert.”

“You too.”

The line goes dead and a part of me mourns the loss of his voice. Taking a steadying breath, I let the giddy feeling of a first date wash over me. I’ll never tell my family this, but I’m glad they decided to interfere with my life. I never would have had the guts to do this myself.

Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.

Having not read anything by this author, although I may go back and read the YA novella, this looked like a good one to start with.

I enjoyed this novella, and really liked the MC’s. Niall was kind and generous, and never tried to make Robert feel guilty when he was torn between what he wanted, and the health of his son. Niall knew what Robert’s first priority was, and was great at letting him know that he would never interfere. However, it really made it challenging for me to understand why Robert pushed Niall away, for that very reason. He just couldn’t handle having any other priority in his life, even if Niall knew he wasn’t first priority.

I did think at some point that the fact that Robert worked for Niall would become an issue in the book, but it never did. I really appreciated that, simply that they were both professionals, and could keep private and personal lives separate.

It was a nice, sweet story, with a little angst, and a lot of family love.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Abrianna Denae is a twenty-four-year-old author living in Northern California. An English major, she has always had a passion for writing.

Deciding to sit down and write one of the many stories that had plagued her mind for years was the easy part—finding the time to do it was a different story.

Caffeine is her best friend, and sleep is her worst enemy.

A lover of books that make the reader feel something, she tries to incorporate as much of her real-world views and feelings into her stories as she can.

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