Bayou Book Junkie: Moment of Truth by Karen Stivali ~ (Virtual Tour, ARC Review, Author Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Moment of Truth by Karen Stivali ~ (Virtual Tour, ARC Review, Author Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway)

Book Information:

Author Name: Karen Stivali

Book Name: Moment of Truth

Series Book 2 Moments in Time Best read in order.

Release Date: March 4, 2015

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Anna Sikorska

GoodReads

Blurb:

Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he's living in a beach house on Fire Island, waiting tables at a hip seaside restaurant and, for the first time since he and Tanner got together, they can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being "out" takes some getting used to, but with the help of new and old friends, Collin is happier than he ever imagined. And more in love. But newfound freedom brings unexpected challenges, and when friends get flirty, old insecurities arise. Moments of doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness, and Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance

Excerpt:

His smile twitched as he started up the next staircase. The last one. The one that led to our room and nowhere else. My hearth hammered hard and fast, and not from stair climbing. I needed to touch Tanner, soon, or every part of my body from my brain to my balls was going to simultaneously combust.

Tanner pushed our door open with exaggerated care and stepped inside. Jesus, is he trying to make me crazy? All I want is to….

My back slammed against the wall, and before I could complete my thought, Tanner’s mouth was on mine. The kiss was savage, tongue hot and heavy against mine, cock hot and heavy against mine. Even through our shorts, I could feel how ready he was. My head swam.

Desperate for more, I grabbed on to him, rolling us toward the door and kicking it shut. Tanner let out a grunt as I pressed him against the hard wood. Could anyone hear us? I didn’t care. I just needed this. Tanner. Now.

As soon as I shoved his T-shirt up his ribs, he yanked it off and tossed it aside. Warm smooth skin greeted my fingertips, filling my nose with his scent. God, I missed this. My mouth returned to his, tongues dueling as my hands fumbled with his fly. I couldn’t stop rubbing against him enough to get the zipper down. Tanner grabbed my ass, crushing his cock alongside mine, humping against me with enough intensity I had to force myself not to come.

I didn’t want that. Not yet. Not standing against the door when that crazy big bed was only feet away. As if he read my mind, Tanner shoved me backward, taking advantage of the moment our bodies parted to strip off his shorts. I tugged off my shirt, and before I could launch it across the room, Tanner had my shorts undone and down. Kicking them away put me off-balance, and Tanner steadied me with one hand clutching the back of my neck and the other wrapped around my cock.

Whimpers echoed through the room. My whimpers. His thumb slicked over my swollen head, round and round in circles that left me dizzy and panting.

“Let’s try out the bed.” Tanner’s voice was low and thick. I’d have said yes to anything he asked with that voice.

I couldn’t actually say a word, so I nodded and pulled us down onto the mattress. Holy Jesus. Soft cool sheets, warm hard body, wet velvety tongue. Heaven. Fire Island was heaven.

Pages or Words: 150 pages

Buy The Book:

Tracy's Review:

5 Stars

**This book was provided to me by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review**

It's summer time and Collin and Tanner are headed to Fire Island for work and some fun in the sun on the beach! Collin has gotten a job at the restaurant where Tanner has worked the last few summers. A very nervous Collin meets all the house mates and things seem to be going good, but when a beach neighbor, Amy starts hanging onto not only Tanner's every word, but onto Tanner himself, Collin's fear, uncertainty and jealousy rears it's ugly head.

In this leg of their journey we see what life would be like for Tanner and Collin if they didn't have to hide their relationship from everyone back at school. It was refreshing to watch them as a couple not in hiding. To see them go out on a real date, out to a night club or just walk down the beach together holding hands.

Karen manages to capture the chemistry that Tanner and Collin had in "Moment of Impact". A gifted writer can make you feel, and she succeeds at that. You feel the love Tanner and Collin share. You feel Collins fears, his heartache, his insecurities, his anxieties, his love, and his happiness. You feel the passion they share.

This leg of their journey isn't all smooth sailing. There are a couple of bumps in the road, but they come through it a stronger couple, and maybe even more in love.

This book was well written, and moved along at a good pace, it held me captivated and turning the pages to see what would happen next, and in the end left me wanting more. I am so looking forward to "Moment of Clarity"! I can't wait to read the conclusion of Tanner and Collin’s story! This book also had some great secondary characters, that I can’t wait to read more about in the future as well! I highly recommend this book!

Author Interview:

1) I know you write m/f books. What made you tackle the m/m genre?
I've had LGBT secondary characters in almost all of my m/f books---and I don't mean a stereotypical gay bff for comic relief, I mean fully developed secondary characters with complex relationships and lives of their own. In Meant To Be the hero has a lesbian co-worker who is older and tends to give him advice (on career, life and love), the heroine has a gay friend who was her mentor when she was younger. In another book (soon to be re-released as London Calling) the hero's best friend from childhood is gay and is now married and adopting a child with his husband. They boy give the hero some much needed reality checks about relationships and help him not to screw up his relationship with the heroine. Many of my LGBT characters are scene stealers so it was only a matter of time before I had an LGBT couple as the lead couple. As soon as Collin started talking in my head and telling me his story, I knew he needed his own book. I plan to continue writing in both genres---I'll write any love story my characters are willing to share with me---I just enjoy watching people fall in love.

2) Is it hard to capture the same personality of your main characters when writing a sequel?
Not at all. It's like a welcome relief to come back and write more about an existing character. MOMENT OF IMPACT was meant to be a single book. I submitted it to publishers as one story and that's how it was accepted. Collin had other ideas though, and kept talking in my head. Luckily when my agent pitched the idea of more books about Collin and Tanner to Dreamspinner they liked the synopses and gave both books the go ahead. I'm very thankful for that. I've truly loved writing the continuation of Collin and Tanner's story.

3) Will Moment of Clarity wrap up Collin and Tanner's story? And can you give us an approximate release date?
Yes, Moment Of Clarity wraps up Collin and Tanner's story. In fact it not only has a satisfying ending, it has an epilogue so you get to check in with them 6 months later and see how they're doing then! Moment Of Clarity will release the first week in May and the same day a paperback copy of all three Moments In Time stories will release as one book. I'm so excited for that!

4) Will any other characters we met in Moment of Impact or Moment of Truth get stories? I loved Jason, well most of what I saw (haha), and he seems to have a story to tell. That boy could use a HEA :)
So glad you asked that! I'm currently working on stories for Jason, Quinn (Collin's oldest brother, the almost priest) and Bryan (the musician and housemate from Moment Of Truth who has a brief role in Moment Of Clarity as well). I'm really enjoying writing these characters and hopefully I'll have good news soon about their stories getting contracted. *crosses fingers*

5) Do you have a playlist for Moment of Truth? If so, what's the song that you associate the most with the story?
I don't do playlists while I write (probably because the characters are talking too much and listening to music would make me miss what they're saying). Usually there will be a song that I repeatedly here on the radio while I'm writing a particular book and if it fits the couple in some way, I'll start to associate that song with the couple. MOMENT OF TRUTH is unique because there's actually a scene that takes place at a club where Tanner and the housemates take Collin to celebrate his 21st birthday. I know exactly what kind of pop classic songs were playing at the beach club when they were dancing, but you're not allowed to use song lyrics in novels (too many copyright issues) so I wasn't allowed to list them. This night at the club was the first time Collin and Tanner were really out in public, as a couple, dancing no less...and the end of the scene is one of my favorite scenes in the book (I won't spoil it, people will just have to read to see why). The songs they danced to in that scene are Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca, Dead Or Alive's You Spin Me Round, and LMFAO's I'm Sexy And I Know It. And yes, I blasted those songs when I was writing that scene to get myself in the mindset of Collin and Tanner feeling the beat at dance club. There *may* have been some dancing in my kitchen....you'll have to see if you can get BadKitteh to confirm or deny the events of the evening.

About The Author:

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies, and fictional British men. She's also the multiple award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romances. She writes novels about love...like real life, only hotter.

Karen's lifelong fascination with people has led her to careers ranging from hand-drawn animator, to party planner, to marriage and family counselor, but writing has always been her passion. Karen enjoys nothing more than following her characters on their journey toward love. Whether the couples are m/f or m/m, it’s guaranteed that Karen's novels are filled with food, friendship, love, and smoking hot sex—all the best things in life.

When Karen isn’t writing (and often when she is), she can be found on Twitter attempting witty banter and detailing the antics of her fruit-loving cat, BadKitteh. She loves to hear from readers (and other writers), so don't hesitate to contact/follow/like her at the links below.

Where to find the author:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenstivali

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenstivali

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karenstivali/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali

Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/KarenStivali

Blog: http://karenstivali.com