Wednesday 14 June 2017

Detour by Sid Love - Excerpt and Review




ABOUT THE BOOK

TITLE: Detour
AUTHOR: Sid Love
PUBLISHER: Cool Dudes Publishing
LENGTH: 226 Pages
GENRE: M/M Romance Thriller
COVER ARTIST: Corneles Bronkhorst




BLURB: Austin Reyes works as a bartender to support his ailing mother in a small town called Eaton. But his life takes a horrible turn when his boss’ son, Caleb, arrives in town and forces himself upon Austin. There is no end to Caleb’s lustful intentions. Austin leaves Eaton and flees to Denver to start a new life when his mother commits suicide after succumbing to depression. There, he meets Dylan Carver.
Dylan is out and proud. He’s also a well-known actor in the porn industry. When haters damage his car, Austin, now homeless and destitute, is injured and Dylan helps him. In the immediate aftermath, Dylan develops more than a passing interest for Austin, and, though they part ways, chance meetings never stop.
Austin lets Dylan in on the secret about his past, but soon realizes that the man who looked so happy on the outside, has his own baggage. Unbeknownst to them, someone is plotting to get Austin killed.
Even while surrounded by danger, Austin and Dylan’s relationship takes a detour that was always meant to be. Will this detour be Dylan’s undoing? Will Austin finally come to terms with his mother’s suicide and follow his own truth? Or will their lives implode?

Trigger Warning: Content includes a rape scene.

EXCERPT

My apartment building had seen better days. It was ancient and looked like it would fall apart any time. The color had worn out over the years and there were cracks here and there, but it was dearest to me anyway. It had been my home for as long as I could remember; well, it wasn’t exactly owned by us — we rented, to be specific — but I speak from the sense of belonging. The owner of the building — Mr. Marshall — had promised to repair it soon. It was a one-story building with four small apartments, two on each floor that faced each other. Our apartment was on the first floor, so, at three in the morning, I took the flight of stairs and walked up to my door soundlessly. I knew better than to wake up our neighbor. I slowly put the key into the lock and opened the door.
Hesitating for some time, I considered again whether to tell my mother about what had happened. I couldn’t hide anything from her, but the explanations would have to wait until morning. I was too tired and sad right now.
I closed the door silently behind me.
The house lights were dim but I could see the light in her bedroom. As always, she was waiting for me to return. She would be curled up in her bed, reading her favorite Nora Roberts novel. She did the same every night before going to sleep.
I headed for her room. Thankfully, I had stopped limping as the pain dissipated; she wouldn’t know anything was wrong right away.
The door was ajar.
I stepped into the room.
…And suddenly it was hard to breathe.
“Mom! Oh, dear God!”
Her lifeless body hung from the ceiling fan.
I rushed to support her feet. Although I knew the worst had happened, I hoped she was alive.
She didn’t move.
Her bare feet were cold.
Her skin, pale like never before.
I couldn’t understand why she would take such an extreme step. She was fine when I had left for work that evening.
My tears flowed freely this time.
That was when I noticed it. The letter on the nightstand.

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REVIEW


This was such an interesting book. It’s one of those stories where there are many strands, all woven together – no more like a plant with shoots flying out all over the place, sometimes winding around other shoots and sometimes turning around and weaving themselves together in surprising way.

I can’t deny there were times when I lost my place a little as the book tends to skip large periods of time with only a scene break. I found this a bit distracting and, more than once, I was confused about when and where the action was taking place. This was not, however enough to turn me off the story.

I really enjoyed the characters in this because they weren’t perfect.
Austin is severely damaged by experiences that make it difficult for him to have sex and culminate in his mother’s suicide. Dylan is a porn star and an almost recovering alcoholic, Amy is in love with Lianne, hiding it by throwing herself at men, and Lianne is in love with an assassin. They’re all beautifully screwed up.

Austin (Aka Teeny Aka Oz) is my favourite character. He’s damaged and thinks himself weak and pathetic, but he’s not. Just to have kept his sanity and got to where he is proves he’s stronger than he thinks. He’s always thinking of other people and taking responsibility for everyone’s lives. I see a lot of myself in him, which I probably why I empathise.

Dylan is a rock. He’s also flawed, but he’d far more stable and sound than Austin and despite a few false starts he’s steady in his love and support.

Amy and Lianne are hilarious. They are clearly the best of friends. In the beginning, Amy is…to say she throws herself at men is an understatement. When Austin first meets her, she pins him to the sofa and rubs her boobs in his face (Oh no, not boobs! Austin hates boobs, at least when they’re being rubbed on his body).

There are other bit-part actors (probably recruited by Trev through the magic of porn) and they’re all well drawn  and vivid.

The story is generally well paced, although it has a habit of speeding up at times, and making time jumps which catch you unawares.

All in all, this is  a sometimes frustrating but always entertaining book and is thoroughly a romance through and through with not too many bad things happening and a lot of angsty kissing

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sid Love grew up in one of busiest cities in the world, Mumbai, listening to the excerpts of Indian epics as told by his father every night. While it served as an inspiration back, he has always had an ambitious mind.
In 2007, when he had just turned sixteen, he decided that he would make his lifelong dream come true—to become a well-known, respected author someday.
Ask him and he would refuse to accept that he is obsessed with books. Or movies. Or TV shows. Addicted may even be the right word.
He is a die-hard fan of Jane Austen’s romance novels and loves to reread them time and again.
Find him on -

GIVEAWAY
Winner gets a paperback copy of DETOUR!


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Tuesday 13 June 2017

REVIEW And All Shall Fade to Black by Layla Dorine



…and All Shall Fade to Black Blurb:

Moving into his new apartment, Jax never expected to have to break up a fight between his new neighbors, resulting in a physical altercation and a visit from the cops. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that it would lead to him meeting Danny, the cute theater manager and playwright that lived next door. Unfortunately, his first impression of Danny and the way he’d cowered away in the fight with his ex, wasn’t exactly a favorable one. Jax already has his own issues to deal with, between his past problems with his mother and the chain of men who’ve floated in and out of her life, his new job as a piercer in his sister’s tattoo shop and his struggles with an eating disorder; the last thing he plans to add to it is a relationship.

Yet Danny isn’t so easy to ignore and when they find themselves bonding after Danny shows him around town, and more when Jax offers to help with sets for his latest play, it becomes harder and harder for him to ignore the connection forming between them. As Jax’s insecurities and food issues grow more and more out of control, he finds himself turning to Danny for help, rather than his longtime friends Callum and Max who lives just downstairs. Danny’s mix of patience, stubbornness, and tough love make it harder and harder for Jax to keep his distance, and somewhere in the course of their daily lives, they find themselves moving from being friends, to being more.



REVIEW

I have to admit right off the bat that this is not the kind of book I usually read. There is a certain amount of darkness about it – well okay there’s quite a lot of darkness but not the kind I usually go for – and at its heart it’s a rather sweet, slow-burn love story. However, I was pulled in without too much resistance as it has a very strong story with plenty of interesting details to keep me amused.
I loved Danny from the start. He’s a playwright who’s basically married to his job, and thankfully not to his abusive boyfriend, Sean who soon became his ex. He can be awkward and uncertain, but he knows what he want and can be uncompromising in holding to his ideals.
I didn’t warm so quickly to Jax, mainly because he was being a judgemental asshole. Thankfully, he grew on me, especially when we started to see his vulnerabilities and how hard he was struggling with his issues, a struggle that got harder through the book. By the end, I was invested and shared every hurt and triumph
The supporting characters were awesome. My favourites were Jax’ sister, and Herman, Danny’s best friend. Steph’s sarcastic humour appealed to me, and Herman was just hilarious.
The story itself wasn’t complex, but there were a lot of little details that made it full and rich. I enjoyed watching Danny’s play come together and Jax’s inner journey was compelling. There were surprises and not-surprises and plenty of interesting little nuggets of information, fun facts that made me think. The best thing about it was how real it felt. There was nothing contrived and gave the feel of peeping into the lives of two interesting people.
We had to wait almost right to the end for a sex scene and when it came it was hot and sweet and fit the story perfectly.
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would certainly read a sequel.


Buy Links



About the Author


LAYLA DORINE lives among the sprawling prairies of Midwestern America, in a house with more cats than people. She loves hiking, fishing, swimming, martial arts, camping out, photography, cooking, and dabbling with several artistic mediums. In addition, she loves to travel and visit museums, historic, and haunted places.

Layla got hooked on writing as a child, starting with poetry and then branching out, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Hard times, troubled times, the lives of her characters are never easy, but then what life is? The story is in the struggle, the journey, the triumphs and the falls. She writes about artists, musicians, loners, drifters, dreamers, hippies, bikers, truckers, hunters and all the other folks that she’s met and fallen in love with over the years. Sometimes she writes urban romance and sometimes its aliens crash landing near a roadside bar. When she isn’t writing, or wandering somewhere outdoors, she can often be found curled up with a good book and a kitty on her lap.


Layla Dorine can be found at:     
                           
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Friday 9 June 2017

And All Shall Fade to Black Layla Dorine



…and All Shall Fade to Black Blurb:

Moving into his new apartment, Jax never expected to have to break up a fight between his new neighbors, resulting in a physical altercation and a visit from the cops. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that it would lead to him meeting Danny, the cute theater manager and playwright that lived next door. Unfortunately, his first impression of Danny and the way he’d cowered away in the fight with his ex, wasn’t exactly a favorable one. Jax already has his own issues to deal with, between his past problems with his mother and the chain of men who’ve floated in and out of her life, his new job as a piercer in his sister’s tattoo shop and his struggles with an eating disorder; the last thing he plans to add to it is a relationship.

Yet Danny isn’t so easy to ignore and when they find themselves bonding after Danny shows him around town, and more when Jax offers to help with sets for his latest play, it becomes harder and harder for him to ignore the connection forming between them. As Jax’s insecurities and food issues grow more and more out of control, he finds himself turning to Danny for help, rather than his longtime friends Callum and Max who lives just downstairs. Danny’s mix of patience, stubbornness, and tough love make it harder and harder for Jax to keep his distance, and somewhere in the course of their daily lives, they find themselves moving from being friends, to being more.



EXCERPT

All of Jax’s restless shuffling was starting to make Danny a little nervous, especially when he noticed Jax’s eyes dart around the hall. “Hey, what’s going on? Do you want to come in?”
Jax sighed heavily and shook his head. “No thanks, just wanted to say I was sorry. I saw the sticky notes you left on my door, I just, I’m sorry I didn’t respond.”
“No problem, I figured you were busy at the shop and stuff, it’s no big deal. I had free time and thought you might want to hang out if you didn’t have anything else to do.”
That just seemed to make Jax shuffle more.
“I um, didn’t have anything going on. I just didn’t want to hang out is all.”
“Oh.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry. It was really cool of you to come down to the shop and pick me up the other night, you didn’t have to do that. You deserve better than me ignoring you.”
“Yeah,” Danny said. “I do, and I deserve better than an apology too. I deserve to know why you’ve been ignoring me, did I do something wrong? If it was about the way I kissed you in the alley, I’m not sorry. I’d wanted to do that since you kissed me in the hall and to be honest, you sent out some pretty mixed singles with how into it you got kissing me back, ‘cause I sure ended that night thinking you were interested in…something. If you’re worried that I’m looking for something intensely serious between us, don’t be. I just got out of a shitty relationship I went into way too fast. I’m not about to make the same mistake again.”
“Yeah, I-I wasn’t trying to assume anything.”
“Weren’t you? Isn’t that exactly why you ignored me? Look, you made it pretty clear you had relationship issues and so did I. Figured as long as we were being honest with one another, we could see where things might go.”
“I-We could.”
“No, we can’t, because I’ve been down this road one too many times and it always seems to be the guys who at heart, come across as being really nice, nothing like the jerks I actually end up dating. No, you guys blow into someone’s life full of fun and hope and laughter, only to blow right back out again, and the thing that sucks is, I’ve never been able to figure out exactly what it is I’m doing so wrong to make it happen. Maybe you can tell me.”
“I don’t…it’s nothing you did.”
“Oh please, spare me the ‘it isn’t you it’s me’ speech, I’ve about had my fill of that one. What I don’t get though, is why you asked to hang out with me if you were going to turn around and ignore me afterwards? Did I bore you? I did try to warn you that hanging out in a playhouse watching a rehearsal wasn’t going to be very exciting.”
“I enjoyed the rehearsal.”
“Yeah whatever.”
“I did!” Jax snapped, “Whatever other kind of asshole I might be, I don’t lie.”
That gave Danny pause, and he stared up at Jax’s stormy expression, which for the first time was actually fully focused on him.
“Well that’s something at least. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m just done. I’m tired of getting my hopes up. I’m tired of putting myself out there only to get stomped on. I’m tired of feeling like I’m somehow lacking or undeserving of good things because so many guys have shown me over and over again that I am not even friend material. Forgettable, that’s what I am. ‘Oh I’ll call you, we’ll go out sometime, have a coffee, see a movie, hang out.’ But the phone never rings and I get it, I do, I’m just not that interesting. But I’m also not in the mood for another person who wants to play games so thanks for the apology, I think it’s best if we go back to just being neighbors.”


Buy Links



About the Author

LAYLA DORINE lives among the sprawling prairies of Midwestern America, in a house with more cats than people. She loves hiking, fishing, swimming, martial arts, camping out, photography, cooking, and dabbling with several artistic mediums. In addition, she loves to travel and visit museums, historic, and haunted places.

Layla got hooked on writing as a child, starting with poetry and then branching out, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Hard times, troubled times, the lives of her characters are never easy, but then what life is? The story is in the struggle, the journey, the triumphs and the falls. She writes about artists, musicians, loners, drifters, dreamers, hippies, bikers, truckers, hunters and all the other folks that she’s met and fallen in love with over the years. Sometimes she writes urban romance and sometimes its aliens crash landing near a roadside bar. When she isn’t writing, or wandering somewhere outdoors, she can often be found curled up with a good book and a kitty on her lap.


Layla Dorine can be found at:     
                           
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