Virtual Book Tour: M/M ~ The World As He Sees It by A.M. Arthur ~ (5 Star Review, Character Interview, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Author Name: A.M. Arthur
Book Name: The World As He Sees It
Series: Perspectives
Book: Two
Can be read as a standalone
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Cover Artist: Lyn Taylor
Buy The Book:
Blurb:
Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.
Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications.
Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him.
Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders.
A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.
Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…
Pages or Words: 283 pages, 83,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
The late hour didn’t diminish the sweltering August heat, and Tristan worked up a good sweat walking. Shane and Noel both looked crazy sexy in their club clothes, and even sexier walking side by side. He was happy for Noel. Happy his best friend was in love and enjoying himself.
He was also stupidly, insanely jealous.
He stuck close with his stupid, insane jealousy because the streets were teeming with people of all ages, heading into and out of the different restaurants and clubs. They turned down a quieter side street that was more like an alley. Halfway down the block a few guys hung out against a stone wall, most of them smoking cigarettes. An industrial door with no sign or markings was being guarded by a big, burly bear of a man in a black leather vest.
“Hey, Officer Carlson,” the bouncer said. He had a deep voice to match his broad body. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hi, Mr. Henson,” Noel said.
“Bear, son. Everyone calls me Bear.”
“Right. This is my friend Tristan Lavelle.”
“A right pleasure.”
Tristan shook Bear’s hand, surprised by the gentle grip. “Hi.” He glanced at Shane, who didn’t seem at all annoyed at being left out. “Um, that’s Shane. Noel’s boyfriend.”
Bear grinned. “Yeah, I know that one all right.”
“You do?” He reached for a notebook he didn’t have, then looked at Noel for answers.
“Shane dances here once a week,” Noel said. “He got the job through Bear’s son Gabe.”
“Oh.” He didn’t bother asking if he’d already been told that. Probably. Every single piece of information that was mildly important to his life had been repeated to him at least, oh, eighteen times. Minimum.
“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Bear said. “First drinks are on the house.”
“Thank you,” Tristan replied.
Noel pulled the door, and what had been a distant bass became an impressive thumpa-thumpa in Tristan’s chest. The interior of the club was wide and deep, with a high ceiling decorated in strands of red and blue lights. Strobes and other lighting flashed around the dance floor, which seemed to make up most of the floor space. A small U-shaped bar stood to the right. In the rear were what looked like raised platforms. Two hot guys in red short-shorts were gyrating together on one of them.
This is the kind of dancing Shane does? Shit.
He was probably twenty kinds of hot up there.
Someone jostled past them, reminding Tristan to keep moving forward. Noel was hustling them straight for the bar. Tristan couldn’t drink alcohol because of his antidepressants and anxiety medications, and Noel was driving so the only person able to drink much was Shane.
Lucky bastard.
Not that Tristan was going to mourn his dry night. Men. Everywhere around him, a sea of hot men. All kinds of eye candy. Every age, height, weight, shape and body hair amount. He observed and mentally drooled over the flesh on display. The air smelled of liquor and sweat and sex, and good Lord he was starting to get lightheaded from it all.
Noel nudged them closer to the bar. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a pink sequined vest gave them all a big, toothy smile. “Noel and friends,” he said. “Richard Brightman, pleased to officially meet you, Tristan.”
“Hello,” Tristan said. Officially meet you implied they’d interacted before, but the man’s name meant nothing to him.
“I’m Bear’s husband. We own the place.”
“Oh. It’s a great place. I’m pretty sure this is my first time. I like it.”
Noel flinched.
Okay that was wrong. When was I here before?
“So what are we drinking tonight?” Richard asked. “First round on the house. Samuel Adams for you, Shane?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Shane replied.
Richard knows because Shane works here.
“I’ll have a vodka tonic,” Noel said. “Tris?”
“Virgin margarita,” Tristan said. He loved margaritas, and while a virgin wasn’t as good as one with Patrón, he couldn’t mix with his meds.
“Coming up,” Richard said.
The music changed to a faster, sharper beat. Tristan’s hips rolled in tiny motions, instinct bringing out his love of club dancing. Of getting into it with another dude, all writhing bodies and gyrating hips. Arms and legs. Sweat and heavy breathing.
Wonderful arousal stirred in his gut, heating his blood already. He might not be getting laid tonight, but damn it, he was going to have some fun.
“Hey, you guys made it,” said a sexy, sultry voice.
Tristan glanced over his shoulder to see who the voice had spoken to, only to find himself staring into a pair of kind, dark eyes. Kind, dark eyes belonging to a stunningly handsome face. Black hair. Tan skin. Tall and well-built. A walking wet dream who was smiling like they were old friends.
Holy fucking hell, he’s gorgeous.
“Hey, Gabe,” Shane said.
Gabe.
Those kind, dark eyes never broke from his, and Tristan couldn’t look away. Gabe was a stranger, and yet somehow familiar.
His eyes. The eyes I see. We’ve met.
“We’ve met,” Tristan said before he could think twice.
Gabe’s eyebrows twitched. “Yes, we have. Do you remember that?”
“I remember your eyes.”
*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*
Like so many others, I fell in love with Tristan in The Truth As He Knows It. I couldn't wait to get my hands on his story. I have loved almost all of AM's characters. She does an amazing job at creating lovable, broken characters you just want to wrap up in a big ole' hug. I think I have found my favorite character in Tristan, and possibly my favorite couple in Tristan and Gabe. I loved their story. This story was sweet, heartbreaking, sexy, and funny. I loved Tristan's enthusiasm and spirit. You couldn't help but get excited, smile and bounce up and down in your seat right along with him. He takes so much in stride and makes the most of it. I loved Gabe's unwavering love and support of Tristan.
The story flowed well and moved along at a nice pace. The chemistry between Tristan and Gabe was amazing. You could feel the passion and love between them jumping off the pages at you. I loved Noel and I adored that he was such a huge part of this story. I'll be honest, Noel and Shane were probably my least favorite couple. I just didn't like Shane, but I warmed up to him by the end of this story.
T: We are definitely doing that….I’m not sure about my funniest memory. One time when I was, like, eleven or twelve, I put Pop Rocks in the litter box of my aunt’s cats’ to see what would happen. Holy shit, those cats ran like their tails were on fire. I thought my aunt was going to kill me.
Tracy's Review:
5 Stars
*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*
Like so many others, I fell in love with Tristan in The Truth As He Knows It. I couldn't wait to get my hands on his story. I have loved almost all of AM's characters. She does an amazing job at creating lovable, broken characters you just want to wrap up in a big ole' hug. I think I have found my favorite character in Tristan, and possibly my favorite couple in Tristan and Gabe. I loved their story. This story was sweet, heartbreaking, sexy, and funny. I loved Tristan's enthusiasm and spirit. You couldn't help but get excited, smile and bounce up and down in your seat right along with him. He takes so much in stride and makes the most of it. I loved Gabe's unwavering love and support of Tristan.
The story flowed well and moved along at a nice pace. The chemistry between Tristan and Gabe was amazing. You could feel the passion and love between them jumping off the pages at you. I loved Noel and I adored that he was such a huge part of this story. I'll be honest, Noel and Shane were probably my least favorite couple. I just didn't like Shane, but I warmed up to him by the end of this story.
Interview with Tristan and Gabe
Today I'm happy to welcome Tristan and Gabe from The World As He Sees It by AM Arthur, to Bayou Book Junkie!
Gentlemen, thanks so much for agreeing to this interview. It's a pleasure to have y'all here! Tell us a little about yourselves!
T: Thank you for having us! I’m Tristan, and this is my boyfriend Gabe. Isn’t he the hottest thing you’ve ever seen? Seriously? And you see that look on his face? He’s trying so hard not to blush because he gets all flustered when I call him hot in front of other people, even though he knows he totally is.
G: And Tristan has a habit of allowing whatever’s in his head to come out of his mouth. I’m working on that.
T: You love my mouth and you know it….ha! See the blushing thing?
G: Can we do the interview now, please?
1) What has been the greatest challenge in your relationship?
T: My broken brain.
G: Stop it, your brain isn’t broken. A couple of years ago Tristan was gay bashed and it left him with severe short term memory issues. But he’s recently completed a clinical drug trial that has helped him lead a more normal life. We have more good days than bad now, and it’s wonderful being with him.
T: Aww…but yeah, my brain has always been our biggest challenge. We started dating over email before we finally went on a real date. Granted, we kind of had sex before dinner, but hey, neither one of us is all that traditional. Plus it had been a while for me, and you see how hot he is.
G: *coughs*
2) What is your favorite quality about your partner?
T: His patience. Totally. I mean, who else would put up with me, especially those first few months when I couldn’t remember anything we’d talked about or done together. Gabe is my hero.
G: I love Tristan’s sincerity. There isn’t a fake thing about him, and that’s pretty rare in people.
3) Where is the naughtiest place y'all ever had sex?
T: Ha! He’s totally blushing now, because we’re both thinking the same thing and he doesn’t want to tell.
G: What if they read this interview?
T: We totally had fast, dirty sex on his dad’s desk in his office at the club he owns. As far as risky quickies, that was intense and I loved it.
G: *mumbles something like ‘me too’*
4) What's your funniest memory?
G: This is going to sound evil, but our first sort-of date was at the Broad Street Market with his friends Noel and Shane. I ordered Polish sausage for lunch, and Tristan and I manage to use that as a way to flirt. We made Shane choke on his food twice with sausage innuendo.
T: We did? Oh my God, I hate you for remembering that when I can’t.
G: The whole thing’ written down in one of your old notebooks. We’ll have to dig it out and relive it when we get home.
T: We are definitely doing that….I’m not sure about my funniest memory. One time when I was, like, eleven or twelve, I put Pop Rocks in the litter box of my aunt’s cats’ to see what would happen. Holy shit, those cats ran like their tails were on fire. I thought my aunt was going to kill me.
G: If you ever do that to our cats….
T: Never. Promise. They’re crazy enough without me adding to it.
5) Where would y'all go on a dream vacation?
T: We’ve actually talked about this a lot, and we both decided on an Alaskan cruise. Any kind of cruise would be awesome, but have you seen pictures of Alaska? Anyone can tour a beach, but the snow and ice caps are so gorgeous.
6) Favorite food?
T: Polish sausage.
G: *laughing* I’d have to say chocolate-covered bacon.
T: When did you eat that?
G: Same date as the sausage. We both decided it was the best thing we’d ever put in our mouths.
T: *raises eyebrow*
7) Favorite Song?
T: We’re both huge Katy Perry fans, but we disagree over which song is the best.
G: You disagree. I’m right.
T: You wish.
G: “Roar” is my favorite because it kind of has personal meaning, especially with what all went down with my mother a few months ago.
T: That’s true. I’m always hovering between “Firework” and “Dark Horse.”
8) Which do y'all prefer, a night on the town, or a night spent snuggling in front of the T.V.?
G: As nice as it is to stay in and snuggle, I love taking Tristan out, especially dancing. He’s so beautiful out there on the dance floor, letting loose and working up a sweat.
T: Plus I’m so damned horny by the time we get home that we don’t always get to the bedroom before we’re fucking each other.
G: Tristan.
T: Sorry. *cough*not*cough*
This was really fun guys! Thanks so much for doing this!
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.
Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AM-Arthur/491929737588757 Twitter: http://twitter.com/am_arthur
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annearthur/
Other: Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur
Other: Blog http://amarthur.blogspot.com/
Tour Dates & Stops:
20-Oct
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Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize Goodie Basket: 1 signed paperback of The Truth As He Knows It, 1 signed paperback of The World As He Sees it, plus a bunch of other goodies (notebooks, cute post-it’s, etc…).
I loved The Truth As He Knows It and am really looking forward to reading The World As He Sees It! I love Tristan and am so glad he found his HEA!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, interview and excerpt, thanks for sharing and for the giveaway and congrats on the release, sounds like a fascinating story!
ReplyDelete