Moment of Impact (Book one in the Moments in Time series) by Karen Stivali ~ 5 Star ARC Review, Excerpt, Giveaway
Blurb:
Outside Collin Fitzpatrick’s dorm room is a dangerous place. Beyond his door the students of his small, conservative college think he’s straight, as does his Catholic family who'd disown him if they learned the truth. Inside, he’s safe with his incredibly sexy roommate Tanner D’Amico. Their room makes a perfect place to hide away and fall in love. The moment they cross the line from roommates to lovers, Collin becomes caught between their heavenly passionate encounters and the hellish reality that someone might find out and destroy everything. Tanner's not used to being so confined, and wants to show the world how much he loves Collin. But Collin’s not sure he’s ready for the impact stepping outside will make.
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Gay Fiction, New Adult Romance
Excerpt:
Excerpt from MOMENT OF IMPACT (Book 1 of the Moments In Time Series by Karen Stivali)
Don’t blow this. Not now. Not when he’s right here. So close. So… Forcing myself to move, I reached out and clutched at his shoulder. His skin was smooth, warm. I pressed my fingers into his flesh with enough force, he flinched. His gaze darted to mine, wary.
Swallowing hard, I willed myself to maintain eye contact. “I didn’t think I wanted that, until I met you.”
Tanner’s gaze raced back and forth between my hand, which was still gripping his shoulder, and my eyes, which felt like they were about to bulge out of my skull. I couldn’t blink. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Do something. Say something.
Then his mouth crashed into mine.
I like kissing. I always have. Even though I wasn’t super into any of the girls I’d been with, kissing was the one thing I still enjoyed. Warm mouths, wet tongues, moving together. It felt good. I seriously thought I’d done some decent kissing in my life.
I was wrong. Tanner’s mouth on mine for one fucking second proved to me that what I’d done before might have looked like kissing, might have felt like kissing, but was like the frozen french bread pizza version of kissing. Nothing like the real thing.
Nothing like this.
His tongue swept into my mouth, hot and velvety. His hand gripped the back of my neck, tugging me upright. Everything fell away. Disappeared. The whole world was this one kiss. I could have drowned in it and died happy.
Tanner pulled away, breathing hard, his forehead pressed to mine. The room spun like a carnival ride.
“You okay?”
His voice sounded lower than usual. Deep and gravelly. I gave a shaky nod, and he tipped his head back, looking at me.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” My heart beat double time as I realized he still had his hands on me. And he was still naked. And I was probably harder than I’d ever been in my entire life. Jesus.
“We can stop.”
“No.” That wasn’t what I wanted. Not at all. “I just… I mean… we’re roommates. What if this doesn’t work out?”
Tanner’s lips pulled into a grin so sexy my brain turned to oatmeal. He rubbed the back of my neck. “So, one kiss and you’re already thinking about what happens if we break up?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s see how we feel after another kiss.”
Pages or Words: 125 pages
Sales Links
Main Author Pages
Tracy and Mari's Review:
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange of a fair and honest review.*
Tracy: Best opening line of a book ever!!
Mari: Damn, talk about starting a story with a bang! The first paragraph was just about the most perfect way to begin a story I’ve read. Definitely an eye-catcher. And the rest was just about as awesome!
Tracy: Collin and Tanner have been roommates for months, but have known each other for a couple of years. Every Monday without fail Tanner comes home with Wendy, and while Collin pretends to sleep, he listens to them having sex, his stomach twisted in knots with jealousy, until one Monday Tanner comes home without Wendy. Collin is shocked when Tanner proceeds to strip off his clothes and masturbate. Collin has to fight the urge to not move, not make noise, to not spontaneously combust, he is so turned on watching Tanner.
He has had a crush on Tanner forever, and is shocked that when Tanner is done masturbating, he starts talking to Collin. Collin just wants the bed to open up and swallow him. He can't believe he was caught watching. But wait Tanner didn't stop and he knew Collin was watching. What does all this mean? Turns out Collin isn't the only one who has had a crush forever!
These boys couldn't come from a more different background. Tanner’s parents are artsy, having met and married on the stage on Broadway. They are free spirited and accepting of their son being bi-sexual. Tanner is an only child.
Mari: I adored Tanner from the start. He’s so sweet to Collin, never pressuring him into giving him more than he can. Well, until he just needs more, that is. He’s the more forward of the two of them, the more experienced and if it hadn’t been for him finally making a move, they’d have been at an impasse forever.
Tracy: Collin comes from a very strict Catholic upbringing. His father having died when he was 10, he and his two older brothers (one who will soon be a priest) were raised by their very devout Catholic mother. A mother who when there is trouble runs to Father Thomas. A mother Collin knows will disown him if she ever discovers he is gay.
Mari: I so didn’t’ like Collin’s mother. She’s what’s wrong with people in this world. She might be devout, but she’s also bigoted and intolerant. Collin is so afraid to give into any natural urges he might have because of how she might react. He has witnessed how his mother dealt with one of his brothers (the soon-to-be-priest), and he doesn’t want to go through that if he can avoid it.
Tracy: Collin and Tanner enter into a relationship, but Collin is scared to death of being found out. He is so paranoid he wonders will people be able to look at him and tell he is gay? Tell he is sleeping with Tanner?
I love sex in books and I LOVE that Karen gets right to it, and although there is no actual "sex" in this book, I didn't feel cheated. The extracurricular activities these boys participate in was scorching hot, and only made hotter by the chemistry between them. Even the kissing was smoking hot!
My mouth crashed against his, and I felt his body tense as the first shot blasted out of him. I kissed him, hard, swallowing his groans as he emptied himself all over us. The tension ebbed from him, and he leaned into the kiss, tongue deeper in my mouth, spirals slower, exploring. He broke away once, twice, but each time he came back, like when you’re full but the food’s so damn good you want just one more bite. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be food. I wanted to be a goddamned buffet.
And I wanted him to devour me.
Mari: Damn, talk about starting a story with a bang! The first paragraph was just about the most perfect way to begin a story I’ve read. Definitely an eye-catcher. And the rest was just about as awesome!
Tracy: Collin and Tanner have been roommates for months, but have known each other for a couple of years. Every Monday without fail Tanner comes home with Wendy, and while Collin pretends to sleep, he listens to them having sex, his stomach twisted in knots with jealousy, until one Monday Tanner comes home without Wendy. Collin is shocked when Tanner proceeds to strip off his clothes and masturbate. Collin has to fight the urge to not move, not make noise, to not spontaneously combust, he is so turned on watching Tanner.
He has had a crush on Tanner forever, and is shocked that when Tanner is done masturbating, he starts talking to Collin. Collin just wants the bed to open up and swallow him. He can't believe he was caught watching. But wait Tanner didn't stop and he knew Collin was watching. What does all this mean? Turns out Collin isn't the only one who has had a crush forever!
These boys couldn't come from a more different background. Tanner’s parents are artsy, having met and married on the stage on Broadway. They are free spirited and accepting of their son being bi-sexual. Tanner is an only child.
Mari: I adored Tanner from the start. He’s so sweet to Collin, never pressuring him into giving him more than he can. Well, until he just needs more, that is. He’s the more forward of the two of them, the more experienced and if it hadn’t been for him finally making a move, they’d have been at an impasse forever.
Tracy: Collin comes from a very strict Catholic upbringing. His father having died when he was 10, he and his two older brothers (one who will soon be a priest) were raised by their very devout Catholic mother. A mother who when there is trouble runs to Father Thomas. A mother Collin knows will disown him if she ever discovers he is gay.
Mari: I so didn’t’ like Collin’s mother. She’s what’s wrong with people in this world. She might be devout, but she’s also bigoted and intolerant. Collin is so afraid to give into any natural urges he might have because of how she might react. He has witnessed how his mother dealt with one of his brothers (the soon-to-be-priest), and he doesn’t want to go through that if he can avoid it.
Tracy: Collin and Tanner enter into a relationship, but Collin is scared to death of being found out. He is so paranoid he wonders will people be able to look at him and tell he is gay? Tell he is sleeping with Tanner?
I love sex in books and I LOVE that Karen gets right to it, and although there is no actual "sex" in this book, I didn't feel cheated. The extracurricular activities these boys participate in was scorching hot, and only made hotter by the chemistry between them. Even the kissing was smoking hot!
My mouth crashed against his, and I felt his body tense as the first shot blasted out of him. I kissed him, hard, swallowing his groans as he emptied himself all over us. The tension ebbed from him, and he leaned into the kiss, tongue deeper in my mouth, spirals slower, exploring. He broke away once, twice, but each time he came back, like when you’re full but the food’s so damn good you want just one more bite. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be food. I wanted to be a goddamned buffet.
And I wanted him to devour me.
Tracy: This book was very well written. It's magic when an author can capture an emotion of a character and make the reader feel it. That's what this book did for me. I felt Collin’s fear and paranoia of being discovered. Tanner’s hurt of being Collin’s dirty little secret. I felt the intense raw hunger and need they had for one another. The sweet tenderness they had, and I felt the love they shared.
Mari: The story is witty, fast-paced, with insane chemistry between both main characters, Tanner and Collin, with some angst thrown in between the very hot sex scenes, that even if there’s no penetrative sex, it’s satisfying all the same, because it’s not just about getting off, but the deep connection these boys already feel for one another.
Tracy: If you can't tell by my review I thoroughly enjoyed this first leg of Collin and Tanner's journey and can't wait to get my hands on the rest of it!!
Mari: I enjoyed it, too, Tracy! Karen Stivalli impacted me with this book and I’m looking forward to the next books in this series and following Tanner and Collin as they settle into their relationship.
Definitely a 5 impacting stars read from both of us!!!
Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. Karen is a multiple award-winning author of contemporary romance. She writes novels about love...like real life, only hotter.
Where are you most likely to find the author?
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska
Tour Dates: January 7, 2015
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Fallen Angel Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Molly Lolly, Amanda C. Stone, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Bayou Book Junkie, Velvet Panic, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Jade Crystal, Iyana Jenna, Love Bytes,Queer Town Abbey, Christy Loves 2 Read
Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card
i have to say the say my daughter was born changed my life forever
ReplyDeleteYou know people always say when they graduated, married or had children and that's true. But meeting my husband was life altering!
ReplyDelete