Saturday, August 15, 2015

Book Blast: M/M ~ Taking Pole by Catherine L Byrne ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: M/M ~ Taking Pole by Catherine L Byrne ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)


Author Name: Catherine L Byrne
Book Name: Taking Pole
Release Date: August 15, 2015
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist: Latrisha Waters

Buy The Book:

Blurb:


Two bitter racing rivals have fought since their teenage years to beat each other to the championship title. When they are both caught up in a serious accident, however, their plans and conflicts fall apart. Thrown together to make sense of what happened, the aftermath forces them to wonder what they are actually fighting for.

Pages or Words: 32,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Sports (motorbikes)


Excerpt:


 “The sofa pulls out into a bed—I—I mean—you could sit with your leg up on it so you are comfortable,” said Javier.
“Oh, okay.” Glen nodded.
They arranged the sofa into a bed and switched the television on. Glen wondered what the other rooms were like. One door obviously led to the kitchen because it was half open and he could see the oven, the others must be the bathroom and bedroom. Would Javier sleep like a king in a vast four poster bed with curtains? How would he sleep? Curled up? On his front? On his back? Glen sniggered. Javier lying on his back. Now there’s a thought. I must stop .
“Why do you laugh?”
“Oh—er—no reason.”
“What would you like to drink and eat? I have my family’s own wine.”
“You make wine?”
Javier drew himself up and puffed out his chest. “Si! For centuries now, the Diaz family has been important players in the wine business. My father, and his father before him, and his father—we have all been connoisseurs of wine and producers of our own finest vintage, House of Diaz. When I give up racing—”
“Give up racing?” Glen’s stomach dropped. “So you decided to give up after all? After all we talked about the accident not being your fault?”
“No—listen—I meant after I win the championship, I can give up and continue my wine making.”
“But—but—who would I race against?”

Tracy's Review:

3 Stars



*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*


I was so excited when I read this title. I'm a HUGE NASCAR fan and thought yay! Then I read the synopsis and thought. Bikes? I can do bikes, and this sounds really good! I HATE giving a bad review. This is the worst part of being a reviewer. Taking someones hard work and feeling like you are stomping on their hearts, because that's where these books come from.

The first thing I'm going to say is, I found it frustrating that Javier, being from Barcelona, the author used Spanish phrases and words, and didn't always explain what they meant. Glen used a lot of British slang, and at times I felt like I was trying to read a book written in 3 different languages, and I only speak one!

The story started off good, and it ended good, but in the middle it got muddled. The storyline was good, but the story itself was choppy. It didn't feel like it had a natural flow to it. Things felt rushed. It needed more meat.

The chemistry between the characters was lacking. There were points in the story that needed more emotion. The journey to them becoming a couple, had a lot of opportunities to add more emotion to the story, but the author didn't take it. I was actually bored until the last 30 or so pages. At that point it stated to pick up, and it finally grabbed me.

I liked the way the author dealt with the situation, and the ending was good. It left things unresolved, but I'm okay with that. My problem is, I'm not sure if I'm okay with that because it's okay, or because I just wasn't really vested in the story.

This is not my first book by Catherine, and it won't be my last. This book just wasn't for me. 

About the author:
Catherine L Byrne writes stories about relationships which push buttons and provoke reactions from readers. She writes about both gay and straight relationships, depending on which characters in her books shout the loudest to have their stories told. 
An inquisitive author, she prefers writing about different situations in each book rather than writing a series about the same one—her stories range from 10th century Viking Britain, to modern educational settings and from mystery to romance. 
As she was born and bred in England and lives there with her family, this infuses her books with a distinctly English tone. She has been writing since as long as she can remember and Extasy Books have published her novels since 2014.

Where to find the author:
Goodreads
Facebook Author Page: ~Author FB
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatherineLByrne
Blog: https://catherinelbyrne.wordpress.com/
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