Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Virtual Tour ~ Come What May by A.M. Arthur ~ (5 Star Review, Character Interview, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Come What May by A.M. Arthur ~ (5 Star Review, Character Interview, Excerpt + Giveaway)


 Author Name: A.M. Arthur
Book Name: Come What May
Series: All Saints
Book: One
Release Date: May 23, 2016
Blurb:
Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Or at least, he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He’s a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone—especially himself—didn’t leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.
Enter Tate. He’s smart, confident, and instantly sees right through Jonas’s surly exterior. Sure, he’s done things in life he’s not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he’s never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.
But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas’s old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn’t enough—and sometimes it’s exactly what you need.
Pages or Words: 70,000 words, 320 pages (print edition)
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance
Excerpt:

“It’s small,” Jonas said.
“Better than a cardboard box or foster care.” The sharpness in Tate’s voice echoed in his frown.
Jonas had never known anyone before who’d been in foster care, and saying so would probably make him the biggest douche on the planet. It also took the edge off some of his irritation over the total mindfuck that was Tate Dawson. “It’s way better than both of those things. You worked hard for this place, Tate. I haven’t worked hard for anything in my life.”
“I disagree.”
He blinked. “You do?”
“Yes, I do. I think you work very, very hard to convince yourself and the world that you’re something you’re not. I think you work very, very hard to be perfect when no one is, and the only thing anyone should ever do is just be her or himself. Be true to you, not to what others want from you.”
Jonas’s throat squeezed tight. “I can’t.”
Tate took a step closer, bringing a gentle waft of sweat and something sweet. “Why not?”
He saw the barest reflection of himself in Tate’s glasses and he didn’t like it. He stepped back. Tate snagged his wrist and held him there. The touch sent awareness buzzing across his skin, down his spine and straight to his balls. He needed to pull away before this got out of control.
And then his rebel brain decided it was a good idea to glance at Tate’s pink lips. Lips that Tate, the asshole, licked with slow swipes of his tongue.
Jonas yanked away his hand away so hard Tate stumbled. “I’m not gay, so you can get that ‘fuck the frat boy’ fantasy out of your head right now.”
Instead of being cowed, Tate planted both hands on his hips and said, “Who are you trying to convince? Because it’s just you and me in this room, and I’m not the one who brought up your sexuality. You did.”
Damn him. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”
Tate’s gaze drifted over his face as he sought for words. “Because every time we’re together I can tell you’re struggling with something. You put up this lone wolf front to keep people at arm’s length so you don’t have to work so hard to pretend, but it’s exhausting you. Jonas, you can be yourself with me. Whoever that is.”
“I can’t.” Talking was getting harder around the lump in his throat. His heart was kicking too fast and his chest ached.
“Look me in the eye.” Tate closed the three strides between them, then curled a warm hand around the back of Jonas’s neck. “Look me in the eye and say you don’t want to kiss me right now.”




Buy the book:

Today I'm happy to welcome Jonas and Tate from Come What May 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!

*Jonas ducks his head and defers to Tate. Tate laughs.*

Tate: I guess I’ll start, since my other half is feeling shy. My name’s Tate Dawson. I’m twenty-four, have two amazing younger sisters, and I help run a homeless shelter for LGBT teenagers here in Wilmington. Oh, and I have the best boyfriend in the world. *points to Jonas* This guy.

Jonas: I am so not the best boyfriend in the world, but I try to be. I’ve got a lot to make up for. When we first met I was way in the closet, and I didn’t make things easy for Tate.

Tate: To be fair, I didn’t make some things easy for you, either. And he’s Jonas Ashcroft, by the way.

*Jonas waves*

What has been the greatest challenge in your relationship?

Jonas: Me. I had to get out of my own head and stop believing all of the crap my father always said about me. It’s hard to genuinely accept the love of others when your self-esteem is entirely dependent on the opinion of one man.

Tate: I won’t disagree with Jonas on this, but I brought my own issues to the table. I am incredibly protective of my sisters, and I did kind of keep them in a box, apart from Jonas for a while. Not a literal box, but an emotional one.

Jonas: No one thinks you put your sisters in a real box, babe.

What was the hardest thing for you to overcome that you didn’t expect to be an issue?

Tate: Again, my sisters. I didn’t realize what I was doing until Jonas called me on it.

Jonas: My past as a player. Sometimes your reputation catches up with you, whether you want it to or not.

What are your favorite qualities about your partner?

Jonas: How much time do you have? He’s compassionate and insanely generous. I mean, how many guys his age help create a homeless shelter? He did all the work to get emancipated at sixteen years old so he could get custody of his sister. He parents them, runs the shelter, and still has time for me. He’s amazing.

Tate: *blushing* First of all, the man is gorgeous but he chose little old me. He cries at sad movies. He makes me believe in happy endings.

What's your partners sexiest feature? 

Tate: His eyes. Look at those eyes. They were the first thing I noticed about him the day we met.

Jonas: His glasses.

Tate: Really?

Jonas: Yup. They’re just so perfectly you. I know you hate that you can’t see six inches past your face without them, but they’re crazy sexy.

Who or what makes you laugh out loud?

Tate: Paps. He’s Jonas’s grandfather, and he’s one of those crazy old guys who says what’s on his mind and has a bunch of cats who follow him around. He tells great jokes, too.

Jonas: Cat memes on Facebook. I’m a sucker for them. Just don’t tell anyone.

What movie can you watch over and over?

Tate/Jonas: Moulin Rouge!

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

Jonas: I can’t think past five months from now, much less five years. But wherever I am, I hope Tate’s still with me. I can’t imagine not having him in my life.

Tate: My hope is to be a co-director of at least three more All Saints House shelters for homeless teens, and to be married to this hot number sitting next to me. I want the whole thing one day. A house, a yard, maybe a dog or a few cats.


Jonas: *grinning* That sounds perfect to me.




5 Stars

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

**Note this review will be cross posted at BayouBookJunkie.com and NetGalley.com

 After a prank gone wrong at college, Jonas is sent by his bigoted father, a political figure, to go live with his aunt and uncle, and help out at their thrift shop. For a spoiled rich kid this is an eye-opening experience, but what's especially eye opening is, Tate, the guy that runs the homeless teen LGBT shelter across the street from the thrift store. When they meet sparks fly and the claws come out at first, but slowly Jonas opens up and once he does, these two men begin a beautiful friendship, that leads them to so much more.

I adored this book. I loved Tate from the first page, but it took me a little longer to warm up to Jonas. I loved Tate's patience with Jonas, and that he knew how to pushed him just enough. They had an amazing chemistry, and they just fit. I loved not only the new secondary characters, but also getting cameos of a few of the older and much loved characters we already know. The book was well written and flowed well. Both Jonas and Tate are well developed and lovable characters. Their journeys that have led them to each other are heartbreaking. This story took me on an emotional rollercoaster. It left me satisfied, yet wanting more. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and also seeing more of Tate and Jonas in the future.

Highly recommended!

Meet 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. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and SMP Swerve.
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:


Publisher: Carina Press
Cover Artist: Carina Press


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Rafflecopter Prize: $25 e-gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice)
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