Bayou Book Junkie: Blog Tour ~ Reclaiming Hope by Shell Taylor ~ (5 + Star Review, 20 Questions with Kollin, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Monday, November 7, 2016

Blog Tour ~ Reclaiming Hope by Shell Taylor ~ (5 + Star Review, 20 Questions with Kollin, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Blog Tour ~ Reclaiming Hope by Shell Taylor ~ (5 + Star Review, 20 Questions with Kollin, Excerpt + Giveaway)
bt_banner

TITLE: Reclaiming Hope

SERIES: Home for Hope #3

AUTHOR: Shell Taylor

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

COVER ARTIST: L.C. Chase

LENGTH: 210 Pages

RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2016

BLURB: Sequel to Resurrecting Hope

Home for Hope: Book Three

Four years ago, Kollin Haverty’s best friend, Riley Meadows, dropped off the face of the earth. When he shows up out of the blue, armed with a flimsy excuse for disappearing and having nearly completed his transition from female to male, Kollin wants to pick up where they left off. But Riley’s unwillingness to be honest with Kollin prevents him from fully trusting Riley again. Despite Riley’s insecurities and Kollin’s abandonment issues, they quickly discover there’s something more than friendship between them.

When a ghost from Riley’s past unexpectedly appears with haunting memories in tow, Kollin’s anger about being lied to outweighs his desire to be the understanding boyfriend Riley needs. As Riley’s web of strategically withheld secrets begins to unravel, he must find the courage to pursue his own peace before he can move forward with Kollin, and Kollin must decide what’s more important—supporting his best friend or protecting himself.

Adam rolled his eyes to mimic her and then turned his attention toward Kollin. “Look who the cat dragged in.”

For some reason, Kollin’s heart fluttered. Waves of nervousness raced through his body as he tried to figure out why Adam thought he should know the stranger. He’d never told either of his parents about meeting the guy at the bookstore, and even if he had, Adam couldn’t have known he was the same person.

The man studied the ground, seemingly reluctant to look at Kollin, but Kollin knew he couldn’t identify him even if they were staring directly at one another.

Fortunately Adam saved him from further embarrassment. “I didn’t recognize Riley until he threatened to own me in Ping-Pong.”

Kollin sucked in a huge gulp of air. The nervous flutters, which had been nothing more than a curious enigma, ceased, and he suddenly felt as if a boulder had settled in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn’t spoken to Riley Meadows in over four years. When Kollin’s parents kicked him out, Riley had been the one who kept Kollin sane. He tethered him to reality when all he’d wanted was to escape inside himself. They’d kept in touch when Riley first went to college and somehow became even closer—until Riley seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Phone calls, e-mails, texts… all unanswered. Kollin eventually took the hint and gave up.

Now Riley was back?

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon US

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks

Kobo Store

Barnes & Noble

Hi, everyone! First I want to thank Bayou Book Junkie for hosting me today. In lieu of a typical blog post today, I thought I’d play Twenty Questions with Kollin so we can get to know him a little better! He graciously agreed to accommodate this request!

Shell: Hey, Kollin! Thanks for coming today!

Kollin: Of course! It sounds like fun.

Shell: Well, you already sound more chipper than Ri did the other day for This or That.

Kollin: Oh yeah, he was in a pissy mood that day.

Shell: You wanna tell us why?

Kollin: I volunteered us to fix Thanksgiving dinner for everyone this year.

Shell: **sputters** You did what?

Kollin: Yeah. I figured it’d be easier than going to two different dinners.

Shell: That sounds logical.

Kollin: Right? But apparently Ri thinks it’ll be too much work. But really… stuff some dressing up a turkey’s ass and cook it, mash some potatoes, maybe some green beans, and a pumpkin pie and we’re good.

Shell: How many people are you cooking for?

Kollin: **shrugs** I dunno. Adam and Eli and Lizzie, Ri’s parents, Eli’s parents, Kiersten and Derek of course and their little one and he hardly eats anything yet.

Shell: Uh.. have you forgotten that you’re a terrible cook? Maybe you should ask everyone to bring a dish and you guys just take care of the turkey. And maybe order the turkey already cooked from somewhere.

Kollin: Yeah, but whose fault is it that I’m a terrible cook? Can’t you write in some cooking lessons somewhere?

Shell: **shakes head** Sorry. Afraid not. We all have shortcomings. Cooking is one of yours.

Kollin: **crosses arms over chest** Whatever. It’ll be fine. There will be food and we’ll all be together.

Shell: If you say so. Ready to start this game or what?

Kollin: **perks up** Yeah! Lay it on me.

Shell: Okay, we start off pretty easy. What’s your favorite color?

Kollin: Blue… dark blue. Not light blue.

Shell: Favorite food?

Kollin: Oooh… probably cheeseburgers. Or sandwiches. Are cheeseburgers a type of sandwich? Because if so, that’s my answer.

Shell: I, um, don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.

Kollin: Well, you should.

Shell: Okay, I’ll get back to you on that sometime. In the meantime, what’s your favorite drink?

Kollin: Sweet tea. Duh.

Shell: Okay… now they get a little personal… What color undies are you wearing right now?

Kollin: **checks** Purple

Shell: Nice. Last thing you drank?

Kollin: Water… that’s kinda boring though. Can you make it something more exciting?

Shell: No! I am not lying for you.

Kollin: Fine. **Pouts**

Shell: What time do you usually wake up in the morning?

Kollin: The first time? 6. And then again at 6:15 and then again at 6:30, and then I finally drag my ass outta bed at 6:45 so I can be out of the door by 7.

Shell: You could just set your alarm for 6:45, you know?

Kollin: No. No, I really couldn’t. But thanks for trying.

Shell: Okay, then. Moving right along. What’s your worse memory?

Kollin: **Narrows eyes** Really?

Shell: Sorry. I’ll just mark that down as the day your parents kicked you out.

Kollin: The day Eli told me Adam might not come back ranks right up there too. And the day I realized Riley wasn’t coming back. Even though he eventually did. You know, you haven’t been very nice to me.

Shell: Hey, you got the guy in the end, didn’t you?

Kollin: **grins** Yeah, I did. Thanks for that, by the way.

Shell: You’re welcome. But I really am sorry about the other things. You didn’t deserve them.

Kollin: Yeah, I know.

Shell: **wipes tear away** Moving along again… What’s the last thing you ate?

Kollin: Turkey sandwich.

Shell: Yum. How many tattoos do you have now?

Kollin: Just two.

Shell: And peircings?

Kollin: None.

Shell: You sure about that? Nothing we’re not allowed to see or anything like that?

Kollin: **raises eyebrow** I’ll leave all the kinky piercings to Riley, thank you very much.

Shell: Noted. What’s your favorite book?

Kollin: Really?

Shell: Besides your own!

Kollin: The entire Harry Potter series is perfection in writing.

Shell: Nice answer! I love Harry, too.

Kollin: Not surprising. It’s amazing.

Shell: Here, this one wipes out the worst memory. What’s your favorite memory?

Kollin: Oooh… that’s a tough one. Probably the times Ri and I spent at Kindred Spirit.

Shell: Yeah, I like that scene. Seems to be a favorite from lots of people.

Kollin: I’m glad. I’ve never felt more at peace than I did when we were there.

Shell: Okay, last question. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Kollin: Do I have to say why?

Shell: Not if you don’t want to.

Kollin: Hillary Clinton.

Shell: ….. not going to expand on that answer?

Kollin: **shrugs** She’s inspiring.

Shell: Good enough for me. Well, thanks again for letting me do this today. I hope it wasn’t too bad for you.

Kollin: Nope, it was fun. And thanks again for that ending!

There you have it! Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don’t forget to enter to win the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon gift card or a book from my backlist. Or… if you’d rather, I also have an audio copy of Redeeming Hope (Home for Hope book 1) to give away!

5 + Stars

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." When things with Riley's home life fell apart that's exactly what he did. He ran away. He ran away not only from his problems, but from the people who loved and cared about him as well. He ran away from Kollin, his best friend. When Riley returns to town 4 years later he is a changed man, literally. Riley is almost finished transitioning. He only has his bottom surgery left to complete the process. When Riley and Kollin cross paths can they pick up where they left off or is it too late to save their friendship?

I loved this book. I couldn't wait to read Kollin and Riley's story, but I was a bit scared, too. At the time I hadn't read a book with a trans MC before, but I messaged Shell and she was kind enough to take the time to ease my fears. I'm so glad she did. This was an excellently written book. I've only read one other book with a trans MC, but I found I walked away from that one with more questions than answers. Shell did an amazing job at answering some of the questions that I had. This book was informative and seemed well researched. Do I still have questions? Yes, but this can be a confusing subject matter. It can also be a very delicate topic, but Shell handles the story with grace and dignity.

I adored Riley and Kollin. They were a perfect fit. They were both sweet and lovable characters. They shared a wonderful chemistry and connection. I loved that Kollin was so accepting of Riley, yet he had realistic fears when it came to having sex with Riley, who down below still has female parts. I also loved that Adam and Eli were such a huge part of the story.

The story is well-written and paced well. It held me captivated from the first word and I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait to see what Shell has in store for us next!! Extremely recommendable!!

Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She is a huge fan of Marvel comics and will never stop loving Harry Potter (Hufflepuff pride, baby!) When Shell isn’t writing, she can be found binge watching Netflix or volunteering at her church and childrens’ school. Shell considers herself blessed to have married a strong, supportive man who works hard to allow her to continue to follow her dreams.

:: Facebook :: Twitter :: Blog ::

You can also email Shell at - shell4jmu@gmail.com