Thursday, November 12, 2015

Virtual Book Tour: M/M ~ Behr Facts by Pat Henshaw (Review, Excerpt, Character Interview + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour: M/M ~ Behr Facts by Pat Henshaw (Review, Excerpt, Character Interview + Giveaway)


Author Name: Pat Henshaw
Book Name: Behr Facts
Series: Foothills Pride
Book: Three
Release Date: October 28, 2015 


Buy the book:
All Romance Ebooks (English titles only)


Blurb:


Big, burly CEO Abe Behr is dismayed to discover someone—possibly a family member—is stealing from Behr Construction, which primarily employs Behr relatives. Abe takes the unprecedented step of hiring an outsider, likeable CPA Jeff Mason, to go over the books and help find the culprit. They are drawn to each other as they talk to workers, including Abe’s two younger brothers and their shifty cousin.

Since he has sacrificed romance all his life to build the business, Abe’s surprised by his feelings for the handsome Jeff. He’s even more shocked when they are confronted by bigotry in the Sierra Nevada foothills community, which is being inundated by gays moving from the San Francisco area. As he and Jeff get closer, Abe must come to grips with coming out to a family and community that aren’t very tolerant. Fortunately, being the head Behr helps him find his footing and grab onto love when it bites him.
Pages or Words: 90 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance



Excerpt:
“You ever come up the bank to sit under my tree? Looks like a much more comfortable place to fish. Not as rocky at any rate.” Jeff took a drink of his beer as I again scrambled to keep up. “My dad called it the Fishing Tree. He seemed to think fish congregated off the shore there.”
We sat in silence. It was my turn to talk. I’m pretty good in business situations. Not so much in social ones. At social events, mostly I hold up walls. Shake hands. Grunt a lot. Let others carry the conversational load.
Lorraine set our meals in front of us. The full burger with everything for him. The grilled mountain trout and steamed vegetables for me.
“You do a lot of fishing?” I managed after a long silence.
“Not really.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “My dad said fishing couldn’t be taught. He said it was something intuitive. I never had any idea what I was doing. So I never saw any use in fishing. I never saw any fish either.”
Again, silence as I processed and caught up. “It’s not rocket science. You figure out what kind of fish you want. Where it lives. Lure it to you. Then catch it.”
He looked skeptical and almost self-conscious. “It can’t be so easy,” he said with a little laugh.
“Why not?”
“What about the different rods, lures, tackle, stuff?” He looked so serious, as if I were missing the point. As if I didn’t understand. He was right. I didn’t.
“Look. You can catch fish with your bare hands. If you want to. The extra stuff is just extra stuff.”
“If you say so.” He shook his head, a smile still on his lips. “Have you ever caught a fish with your bare hands?”
I lifted my hands and looked down at the mess that were my paws. Calluses, nicks, cuts, punctures, blunt fingers, the bandage now off the one with the splinter. These were the hands of a man who’d framed houses as a tall, rangy preteen and had lived in construction ever since. Could I catch a fish with my bare hands?
“Yeah. All it takes is absolute stillness and patience.” I sighed. “Not a whole lot of people have both together. Somebody once told me it’s all about Zen.” Somebody else said the only reason I could do it was because I was too stupid to know it was impossible.
“Zen.” His tone said he was surprised I knew such a word.
“You know, like the Eastern religion,” I answered. “Though why we still call it Eastern is beyond me. It’s really Far West, not Far East to us.” I was grumbling and rambling. Avoiding for some reason.
He rattled me. Nobody ever rattled me. I’m Abe Behr, the big Behr.
He was studying me as intently as I was him. He appeared too beautiful, too perfect, too unscarred. I just hoped his accountant skills were as perfect as he looked.
“What kind of fish you want to catch?” I asked. Staring at him wasted our time.
He pointed his fork to my plate. “How about that? It’s good, right?”
“Trout,” I agreed. “Lots of different kinds of trout.”
He looked like he’d never eaten any in his life.
“This is trout from our lake. Have a bite.”
He’d finished his burger but didn’t make a move on my fish. His expression was split between wanting to dig in and reluctance to do so.
“Just taste it,” I growled. “It won’t bite.”
His eyes snapped up to meet mine. His puzzled stare asked if the stupid bear had deliberately made a joke or not. Then he gave a happy, hearty laugh, and his fork raided my fish.
“So? What do you think?” I asked after he swallowed.
“I think you made a great joke,” he said with twinkling eyes. “And the trout is delicious. Is this why you threw your catch back? Did you know you’d get it cooked perfectly here at the cafe?”
“Naw. I was stalking the pie. Fish was a bonus.”
“They have good pie here?”
“Wait and see.”
Mari's Review:
*** ARC provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Abe Behr is the CEO of Behr Construction and someone has been stealing from them for months. In order to catch the culprit, he hires Jeff to help him with the books. Abe is asexual, he's never been interested in anyone before crossing paths with Jeff, but once he does, he can't get the blond man out of his mind. Not that he would do anything about it, especially not when confronted with the hate the gay men that have recently moved to their area are receiving. 

This book consisted of three main storylines, the stealing in the construction company, the bigotry in their hometown and the romance between Jeff and Abe. I loved following the investigation as they tried to narrow the suspects' list as to who might be the thief, I liked seeing Abe in action as he took back the control of his company and set things right with the rest of his family and town, but I think all this detracted from the romance between Jeff and Abe. I would've liked to see them interact more, and not just being told of what happened. 

While I loved Abe, I can't really say the same about Jeff, I didn't connect with him, there wasn't enough of him in the story for me to really like him. Still, it's an entertaining read, it flows well, and even if the romance part is lacking, the mystery portion was pretty neat. 

Rating: 4 Stars! 

Character Interview:

Today we're happy to welcome Abe and Jeff, from Behr Facts by  Pat Henshaw, 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!

Abe: I’m Abe Behr, CEO of Behr Construction in Stone Acres, California.  I’ve been CEO since I was in high school and am proud to say I kept the company afloat throughout the recent recession.  I’m six feet six inches tall in my stocking feet and husky, so I usually tower over everyone else.  I have two younger brothers and lot of family members who keep me busy with their drama all the time.
Jeff: I’m Jeff Mason, CPA, returned to Stone Acres from Oregon where I took care of my grandparents and went to college.  Abe brought me in to look over Behr Construction’s books and help him find the person who was skimming from the company.  Since I’m six four, I’m usually the tallest person around.  I was stunned when I met Abe since I had to look up to him—not far, but it was still up.

What has been the greatest challenge in your relationship?
Jeff: The number of desserts Abe can put away without gaining an ounce.  The man loves his desserts.
Abe: Teaching Jeff how to fish.  I used to be a fish magnet.  I’d sit down, stick a line in the water, and fish flocked to me.  Not anymore.  First he’s got to have all the newest lures and gizmos.  Then he fiddles with them, changing them and whatnot.  Keep telling him to sit still and just let the fish come to him.

What was the hardest thing for you to overcome that you didn’t expect to be an issue?
Abe: There’s no brooding when Jeff’s around him.  He’s happy all the time and works to make me happy too.  I used to brood about the business, my brothers, life, what have you.  It took a while for me to figure out I like life without time out for brooding.
Jeff: (laughing)  How much his family gets in the way, especially his brothers.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Ben and Connor a lot.  But I never had brothers, only a sister who was a pain to be around when I was growing up.  So I’m not used to them popping over whenever they feel like it or them calling him at all hours asking for advice.  It’s taken me a while to get used to the fact that I have to share him with them.

What are your favorite qualities about your partner?
Jeff: His patience.  The man can sit forever and wait for a fish to strike.  And ask him to teach you how to frame a wall?  You can smash all five fingers with a hammer, trip over the two by fours, try to pound the wrong side of the nail into the board, doesn’t matter.  He never makes fun of you or belittles you or gets exasperated that you’re not getting it.  He just patiently explains the process to you again and helps you each step of the way.  Sometimes I think he’s a saint.
Abe: (snorts at Jeff’s answer)  His optimism about people.  It takes him a long, long time to dislike somebody, no matter what they do.  He wants to think people are good and wants them to act right.  I keep telling him that some people are mean or fuck-ups or something else not good.  But he’ll still search for the good in them.  I try to be open-minded, but he takes me to the mat on this every time.

What's your partner's sexiest feature?
Abe: His smile.  I’m telling you, he can just put his face to my chest and smile, and I’m rock hard.  Doesn’t even have to put his arms around me when he does it.  (pause) And his ass.
Jeff:  His strength and how he uses it.  He puts his arms around me and I feel held, loved, cherished.  I feel like his strength somehow goes from his arms and into my soul.  I can do anything, be anything if he holds me.  It’s a great high.  (pause)  And his ass.

Who or what makes you laugh out loud?
Abe: Jeff.  He’s one of those happy people who wants everyone around him to be happy too, like I said before.  So he’s always saying something that makes me crack up.  He peeled back the top layer of a boysenberry pie the other day and acted like it was talking to me before I ate it.  Cracked me up.
Jeff: People and situations around me.  Everybody always takes themselves so seriously—and I know sometimes that’s warranted.  But most of the time?  First world problems that are easy to make light of.  I’m thinking here especially of some of Abe’s extended family.  His cousin Marisa, who’s a piece of work, but more often than not makes herself look foolish.

What is your favorite song?
Jeff:  You have to ask?  “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.  Some days I can’t get it out of my head.
Abe: “I Wanna Be Like You” or “Will the Wolf Survive” by Los Lobos.  I can’t dance or sing, but I can listen real well.

Meet the author:
Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, was born and raised in Nebraska and promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in  Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California.  Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube.
Now retired, Pat has spent her life surrounded by words:  Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.
Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion.  Fortunately, her supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.


Where to find the author:
Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Henshaw/e/B00BPDEDEA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1436131610&sr=8-1
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pathenshaw/
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/redesigningmax
Email: phenshaw527@gmail.com
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998437.Pat_Henshaw
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG


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