Book Name: The Librarian
Release Date: Re-release February 24, 2015
Author Name: Lee Brazil
Author Bio:
Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it's nevertheless one hundred percent true.
Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.
Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don't belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don't fit?
Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.
I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now. It's why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it's why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.
If I'd had my way, I'd have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and I've come to realize that's the best thing in the world to be, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.
If I hadn't learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.
Where to find the author:
Twitter: @leebrazil
Publisher: Lime Time Press
Cover Artist: Laura Harner
Blurb(s):
A rash vow of celibacy puts Valentine Michaels in the path of seduction.
Val is at a crossroads in his life. A college dropout, he's gone as far as he can in his career as a cosmetologist, owning his own style salon. He no longer finds satisfaction in it, though he's put years into proving to his bigoted parents that a college degree and the veneer of straightness aren't the only roads to success. They'd turned their backs on him, and he proved he didn't need them to make it.
His love life is no better than his working life. His relationships always start with a bang and fizzle into boredom, or worse, anger.
Adrian Grey has his own agenda for helping Val: he's been in love with Val since they were freshmen. The intervening years of listening to Val's gossip about his lovers and relationships have taught Adrian just what it was he did wrong all those years ago, and he thinks this time around he now knows exactly how to get—and keep—his man.
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Excerpt:
Impatiently, Val flipped his powder-blue locks over his shoulder, tapping the little whisk broom against the counter where his supplies were arranged neatly. "Derek, you left me standing around at Paul's for an hour, a place I totally hate by the way, without even a phone call to say you weren't coming, and then I walk past you playing ball in the park with your friends on the way back here. I'm not overreacting!"
He ran a swift eye over his supplies. Scissors, combs, spray bottle with water, gel, mousse. Everything in order. While he prepared his workstation, he listened with half an ear to the deep voice on the other end of the phone, trying to explain or rationalize or whatever, but he wasn't into hearing what Derek had to say. The guy was an immature jerk who put his own wants ahead of everything, even if it meant leaving Val standing in a group of young college kids he barely knew, in a bar he usually avoided like the plague. He'd gone to the party in the first place for Derek. Being stood up while doing something so selfless pissed him off. Just once in a relationship, Val wanted to find a guy who put him first, who loved him more than sports, friends, and all the other temptations the wicked world offered. "Just forget it, Derek. You don't get it. It's not just last night; it's the whole last few months."
More rumbling and babbling in his ear. He ran a dust cloth over the client's chair and then adjusted its height. Prepping his station at the salon was second nature and required little of his attention. Kind of like listening to Derek. Why the fuck do I listen to this shit? Derek had all the emotional understanding of a two-ton truck. Cute as hell, but clueless about what would melt Val's heart. In fact, Derek might accurately be called dense altogether. A little consideration, a romantic gesture or two, would go a long way. Hell, an apology instead of an excuse would probably have gotten him a second chance even this morning. Eh. Who are you kidding? Derek is a symptom, not the illness itself. "Fuck off, Derek. It's over. Do me a favor and lose my number, okay?"
Flipping the phone shut, he shoved it into the pocket of his smock and busied himself cleaning up his workspace. A quick spray of glass cleaner to the mirror, a swipe or two with a rag, and he was done. Done with Derek, done with men, done with romance and love and sex, and fuck it all. He could be celibate. Masturbation didn't count as sex, did it? He'd need something if he wasn't getting any.
Pages or Words: 22,000 Words
Mari's Review:
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***
First of all I have to say that while this is a short book, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I was so intrigued over how it was going to play out!
I loved Adrian, he was such a lovely character. So patient and loyal and did I mention he was bloody patient? Because he was, the man had to have the patience of a saint to deal with Val! At first I was worried he was going to be sort of a pushover for Val, but thankfully that wasn’t the case and I got to see a man that had waited for another for 10 years and somehow didn’t lose hope that one day they would be together for good.
For about two-thirds of the book, I wasn’t too sure I liked Val. He seemed selfish and immature, and Adrian was too good for him, but yeah, by the end I was rooting for them to have their HEA.
All in all, a great read. Fast-paced, fun and with just a sprinkle of angst for good measure.
** 4.5 Stars **
Book Blast Factoid Questions
15 – Two weeks with a private yacht or jet – which would you use and who would you take with you?
Yacht. Significant Other. Park it in the middle of nowhere and yeah… relax.
16 – How old were you when you wrote your first story and do you remember what it was about?
I was in seventh grade. It was a haunted house story that was published in the school newsletter.
Tour Dates: February 24, 2015
Tour Stops:
Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, Divine Magazine, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, My Fiction Nook, Bayou Book Junkie, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Kimi-Chan, Inked Rainbow Reads, Bike Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, The Hat Party, Cate Ashwood, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake, Andrew Q. Gordon, Velvet Panic, Iyana Jenna, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, Dawn’s Reading Nook
Sales Links:
Rafflecopter Prize: $5.00 ARe gift card or copy of the book
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I haven't read any of Lee's books as yet
ReplyDeleteThis book is a great place to start, Lee!
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