Author Name: Jude Sierra
Book Name: Hush
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Blurb:
Wren is one of “the gifted”—a college sophomore with the power to compel others’ feelings and desires. He uses his power as a game of sexual consent until Cameron, a naïve freshman, enters his life. As Cameron begins to understand his sexuality and gain confidence under Wren’s tutelage, Wren grows to recognize new and unexpected things about himself. Can their game become a relationship as the power shifts from teacher to student?
Pages or Words: 278 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Excerpt:
Wren looks… different. His eyes are wide in what seems almost like surprise. His lips, darker than Cam’s ever seen them, tremble. Cam doesn’t need any of Wren’s abilities to catch that Wren is overwhelmed. The only thing Cam knows how to offer is what he himself would want.
“Kiss me?” he asks.
Beautifully, Wren doesn’t resist. His clothes are rough against Cam’s skin all those zippers are so cold where Cam radiates heat. When Wren drapes himself on top of Cam, his body is heavier than Cam had imagined. Wren kisses Cam softly, seeking something, and Cam wants to believe it’s from a feeling of closeness, something sweet like the gratitude he feels right now. He cannot believe he just did that—that he let Wren do that. Hulled and shaking, Cam lets his hands wander because even after that perfect storm of pleasure, there is an itch under his skin for more.
Tracy's Review:
4 Stars
*copy provided by the author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*
This was an enjoyable read. I was confused at first, but once I understood what was going on I settled in for the ride, and what a ride it was. Cam and Wren had a chemistry that was out of this world. The sexual tension was palpable. While Wren wasn't always the most likable of characters, I really liked both of the main characters. I loved Cam. Jude told a beautiful coming of age story for him. It was powerful to watch him discover who he really is and what/who he wants. I wasn't sure what to think of Wren. I spent most of the story thinking he was such a jerk, and he was, but in the end I was so heartbroken for him. He struggled. He knows he's falling in love with Cam, and that is definitely against the rules Wren has set. He tries to fight it, but it just makes him even more miserable. Wren is scared of being hurt, so he's made rules and built walls, but the walls don't keep his feelings for Cam at bay.
I loved Nora, Nate and Maggie. They were very well developed supporting characters. They were more than just there. They added to the story.
While I did enjoy this book, it could have used some help. I liked watching Cam discover who he was, but I felt this part of the book took too long. I would have loved for the main characters to have figured things out a bit sooner in the story. I liked the dual POV, but at times it jumped from one scene to another with no rhyme or reason, and without feeling like the prior scene was completed. I just think it needed some help with flow issues. I do recommend it, and I'm looking forward to see what's in store from this author next.
About the author:
Jude Sierra first began writing poetry as a child in her home country of Brazil. Still a student of the form, she has expanded her repertoire with her first novel, Hush.
She began writing long-form fiction by tackling her first National Novel Writing Month project in 2007, and in 2011 began writing in online fan communities, where her stories have thousands of readers.
Where to find the author:
Twitter: @judesierra
Publisher: Consent, an imprint of Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Artist: Victoria A. with Cover Design by BuckeyeGrrl Designs
Interview with the Author:
1) What inspired you to write this book? Katy Perry’s song Dark Horse gave me the seedling to start it, and The Neighborhood’s Sweater Weather gave me a tiny moment -- an image really -- that would take place at the end of the book. This gave me a trajectory. Those two combined created a space for me to imagine a story, these men, and this world.
2) What interests you about the paranormal aspect of this story? Balancing real world limits with extraordinary abilities. I wasn’t interested in creating an overly fantastical world with few rules, but I also didn’t want to bog the story down with lengthy explanations of how society manages the gifted. Mentally, I know how society functions and how the gifted fit into it, but for Wren and Cam’s particular story and growth in this book I didn’t feel like that was a central aspect to the narrative. In the future, in their lives and other characters, it becomes more important.
3) Is there a message in this story you would like your readers to grasp? I think that one theme here was people struggling with self actualization, and with figuring out how to be vulnerable, to engage with intimacy. To trust in that, to honor your needs, even when you’re scared. This book isn’t a BDSM story, but it does examine themes of consent and submission. I would love for readers to come away from this with an understanding of the nuanced ways in which consent and submission work; how powerful and beautiful submission in particular can be.
4) What's the hardest part of writing a book? I struggle with trusting the story I want to write because often the way I write doesn’t always follow conventional rules -- I know that structurally I took risks with Hush -- but they always serve a purpose. It was hard to trust that I knew what was best when I knew I was taking those risks. I’m a poet, and that definitely finds its way into my writing. I have to be careful that I balance prose with my poetic style without going too far or pulling back too much.
5) What is your all time favorite book? I have two -- The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Since Hush is a paranormal book, I’ll talk about Frankenstein. It’s a really powerful take on the idea of creation and the responsibility attached to creating a sentient being and the idea that man and science can play God. Shelley’s family history really lends to this theme in the book as well. Mary Shelley’s mother Mary Wollstonecraft, a wicked awesome feminist philosopher, died shortly after giving birth to Mary Shelley. (Also, just of interesting note, her father William Goodwin was also a philosopher and writer and early anarchist). Later, after the loss of a prematurely born child with her lover, poet Percy Shelley, she wrote Frankenstein after a trip to Geneva where the Shelley’s stayed with Lord Byron and others. One night, when they were bored, Lord Byron suggested they all try to write a ghost story. This is where Frankenstein was born. There are a lot of complex themes to this book that raise interesting philosophical questions. It is also a book that is considered one of the earliest examples of science fiction. It’s Gothic, it’s horror, and it’s layered. Every time I read it I find more to think about, to fall in love with. I could honestly go on forever about this book, and her whole family.
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Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card
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Thank you for the fun interview and the lovely review!
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DeleteYou're Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I really enjoyed the book, and will definitely be looking for more in the future :) ~ Tracy
DeleteAwesome :D There is definitely more to come!
DeleteCongrats on the new release. Great interview.
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