Book Information:
Book Name: The Truth As He Knows It
Author Name: A.M. Arthur
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor
Pages or Words: 83,000 words, 255 pages
Buying the book:
Blurb:
Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.
Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.
The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance
Excerpt:
“I want to see you again,” Shane said.
Noel grinned, flashing those dimples. “I’d like that too. My work schedule is pretty weird, though. I’m first shift, which is eleven at night to seven in the morning, five days, starting tomorrow.”
Shane worked that one around. It gave them daytime hours, and evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. He worked at the deli tomorrow, and Saturday was off the table. Probably Sunday too, for good measure. “When do you sleep?”
“Usually when I first get home, from about eight to two or three. Sometimes longer, depending on the night.”
“So you’re usually free dinnertime until like ten?”
“Pretty much.” Noel cracked an unexpected yawn. “Sorry, my schedule is a little off after spending the day with Tristan. I try to keep similar sleep times on my days off so I don’t get too screwed up.”
Shane stood, surprised. “How long have you been awake?”
“About thirty hours.”
“Shit, why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because I wanted to do this tonight. I’ve been thinking about you all week, and I’m glad I saw you at Mineo’s today. Really glad.”
“Me too.” Shane draped his arms around Noel’s waist. “And since this has been a fantastic night, I’m going to go before you pass out from exhaustion.”
“Do you want to get together tomorrow?”
He considered it for about two seconds. “My weekend’s pretty booked with work and stuff. Monday? We could maybe go out for real this time?”
“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get up Monday and we can hammer out the details.”
“Okay.”
Shane collected his clothes and dressed, taking his time because Noel was watching. The opposite of a striptease, and Shane kind of loved the novelty of it. He meant his good-night kiss to be soft, quick, but Noel held him tight and devoured his mouth until Shane was breathless and half-hard. God, he could kiss Noel for hours and not get tired of it. But he saw the fatigue in Noel’s eyes, and it was time to leave.
“See you soon,” Shane said. “And thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, cowboy.”
Shane strolled back to his car with a bounce in his step, positive he’d never be able to hear the word “cowboy” again without thinking of Noel Carlson.
Tracy's Review:
4 Stars
**This book was provided to me by the author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review**
Noel has been a police officer for about a year and a half. He works the graveyard shift. Responding to a disturbance call one night, at a rowdy birthday party he finds a male stripper gagged and bound to the bed, in nothing but a thong. After he frees him, the stripper takes off, leaving only his name, Shane.
He runs into Shane again at a local deli where he works making sandwiches, when Noel takes his friend Tristan for lunch while they are spending the day together.
Shane has a few jobs/alias he is a sandwich maker at a deli, a stripper.. Shane lives with his brother, Jason in a trailer park. They are deep in debt from old medical bills, hence all the jobs.
Let's talk names, Shane, Cody, Jody, Jo. Enough?! I read it and I’m a little confused.
When Tristan and Noel leave the deli, Shane follows them and Noel asks Shane out on a date. The first date starts off with sex. There was no slow burn, no sexual tension, they just jump right into it. And boy was it hot!
I love A.M. She is one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. It was well written. I loved the story line and the plot. It flowed well and kept me captivated and turning the pages. The sex was hot.
So why didn't I love it?
These characters were missing a chemistry, connection, passion and love I usually find in A.M.'s books. I just didn't feel it. I loved Noel. He was sweet, loyal, friendly and loving. Shane on the other hand, I didn't like his character. I understood everything he was going through, and I know he had an awful childhood. I felt bad for him, and I know he's young, but he was childish and immature. I really just felt no emotional connection with him whatsoever.
A bit of inner dialogue from Shane:
“Another conversation about Tristan too. It tweaked his jealousy a bit, because Tristan was perfect for Noel. They adored each other, that was clear."
And he is SO right. I felt a connection, love and a passion between Tristan and Noel, and I truly believe the author missed the mark when she let this pairing get away!! This would have been a couple I would have enjoyed reading about. The scenes between Tristan and Noel stole the show, sorta speak. In fact, Tristan sort of stole the book really. I looked forward to Noel's visits to Tristan. I sure hope Tristan gets his own book.
Everyone feels differently when they read a book, so maybe it's just me that didn't feel the chemistry. It's still a well written book, and I highly recommend it!
About The Author:
A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories.
When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.
A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.
When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.
A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.
Finding A.M. around the web:
Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments)
Author Interview:
When you start a book, do you already have the whole story in your head or is it built progressively?
It’s different for every book. Obviously I know the two heroes will end up together in the end, but sometimes I put so many obstacles in their way I wonder how it’s going to happen. And often I have no idea. Foundation of Trust for example, was written mostly on the fly. I just let Owen and David tell me what was going on, and I went with it.
For The Truth As He Knows It, I knew most of the main story beats, but the in-between scenes weren’t planned out ahead of time. I think this helped with how quickly I wrote their novel, because I knew about the meaty scenes I’d get to eventually write. And I’m a linear writer, so I couldn’t just jump ahead.
Either way works for me, because no matter what the book gets written.
Will anyone in your family read this book? What kind of feedback do they provide?
Oh my god, no. No one in my family even knows I write m/m romance, much less have over a dozen books published. I come from a very conservative family with a lot of conservative beliefs that I do not share. That’s why I write under a pseudonym. Only a scant handful of people in my real life know about A.M. Arthur, and they’re very supportive. I hope to expand that group in the near future. I love m/m romance and feel no shame about writing it, but it’s not an easy thing to bring up to a relative who once said “the Indians should just go live in Canada then.”
Yeah, that conversation happened.
Do you pay attention to literary criticism?
As writers, we’re always told not to read reviews, but let’s face it: most of us do. Do bad reviews sting? Sure. But then I remember that 50 Shades of Gray has a bazillion fans, and I can’t even with that book. So not every book appeals to every reader, and paying attention to criticism helps me grow as an author. I can look at what one reader didn’t like and think about it. I may agree, okay, I could have done XYZ better. Sometimes I don’t agree and shrug it off. So yes, I do pay attention.
What is the most satisfying thing about being a writer?
This is probably the corny answer, but interacting with readers. I’ve “met” some really kind, funny, wonderful people thanks to writing and publishing. I love hearing from readers. Chat me up on Twitter or Facebook!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t set out to write messages into my novels, but if there is one in Truth, it’s about forgiveness. Not only forgiving others, but also yourself. Because honestly, true forgiveness starts within.
Tour Dates/Tour Stops:
Rafflecopter Prize: E-book of ‘Truth As He Knows It’ plus an additional book from A.M. Arthur’s Backlist
10-Feb
11-Feb
12-Feb
13-Feb
16-Feb
17-Feb
18-Feb
19-Feb
20-Feb
23-Feb
24-Feb
25-Feb
26-Feb
27-Feb
2-Mar
book sounds great and cant wait to read
ReplyDelete