Sunday, January 15, 2017

Blog Tour: Nothing Special V by AE Via (Reviews + Giveaway)

Blog Tour: Nothing Special V by AE Via (Reviews, Series Review + Giveaway)



Author A.E. Via
Title:  Nothing Special V
M/M GAY CONTEMPORARY
Edited by: Tina Adamski
Cover Artist – Jay Aheer
PAGE COUNT – 365
Release Date: December 12, 2016


Synopsis

The boys are back and fiercer than ever!

"We were a unit tonight, moving as one. Even apart, we are deadly, but when combined – we are f**kin’ unstoppable." ~~ God ~~

Atlanta's notorious narcotics task force is at it again. They are stronger, bigger, and better than ever. Especially when a city councilman sends RECON Marine, Edwin Steele - who’s been blacklisted from his Oakland department - to join the team. God and Day weren't recruiting. They have a lot on their plates, like the fact they're supposed to be getting married soon. They don't have the time or the patience to integrate a decorated war hero with a slight chip on his shoulder into their well-oiled machine. 

A hothead that's uncontrollable and terrible with authority… but wasn’t that their team motto?

Steele was ready to hang up his shield. He was done fighting with bigoted bastards that couldn't respect the job. He was good at fighting; he just needed the right team to fight with. When his uncle - City Councilman, Rasmus Steele - shows him a video of God's team in action, he knows right away, it's where his nephew belongs in order to restore his faith. 

Steele pointed to the driver, a behemoth of a man wielding those massive firearms like a true beast… like a soldier. “And him. Who the hell is he?”

“That’s your new boss. Lieutenant Cashel Godfrey… they call him… God.”

Steele was skeptical about his new placement, but when he meets God's technology specialist/computer genius, “Tech,” he's willing to give it his all, and he definitely shows and proves.

Tech is stunning. His sweater vest and khakis, a stark contrast to the blue-jeaned roughnecks he works with. A beautiful sheep amongst the wolves. Steel thinks there's no way the brilliant man would be interested in a hardhead like him, but Tech has a few badass hidden talents of his own and manages to surprise him... surprise all of them. 

This story is a part of a series but can stand alone. It does not end on a cliffhanger and has a HEA. There are no multiple pairings in this novel. 

Links

Amazon Buy Link:  http://amzn.to/2jKqKCP
All Romance: https://goo.gl/M6JYv9
Barnes & Noble: https://goo.gl/DVKJ5O
Smashwords: https://goo.gl/psjFiu
Goodreadshttps://goo.gl/e0aytf




EXCERPT

Day’s eyes glistened as he smiled up at him and God’s smile fell slowly. He was so in love. Christ. “My husband,” he whispered roughly, an edge of wonder to his tone, like life couldn’t be this amazing to him. “You are my husband, Leo.” 

Day rubbed his calloused fingers over the course hairs of God’s goatee. “Yes.”

Day wasn’t sure how long they laid there holding each other, the magnitude of the day sinking into their souls. They were one now, but only officially. He and God had been connected for years. From the first day at orientation when they locked eyes across the room. Day had known, even then, that God was a man he wanted around him for a long time, in whatever capacity he could have him. But only in his dreams did he see this.
Day reached up and pulled the already slackened knot of God’s tie and removed it the rest of the way. He kept his eyes on God’s while he unbuttoned his shirt.

“Aren’t you supposed to go and slip into something sexy for me?” God questioned.
Day couldn’t stop the burst of laughter again. “What is going on with you? When did you learn all this traditional stuff?”

God shrugged. “It’s common knowledge.”

Day nodded, a sneaky grin on his face. “Okay. You put on something sexy and so will I.”

God rolled over and let Day get up. Their luggage had been brought to the room earlier that day by one of their guys, so Day grabbed his duffle bag and went in the bathroom, throwing a seductive look over his shoulder at God before he closed the door. 

I’ll show him my sexiest outfit, God thought after Day closed the door.

God took off his suit, removed every stitch of clothing and laid across the bed amidst all those fucking flowers. Naked as the day he was he born. His sexiest outfit.



5 Stars!!!

They're Back! *singsongs*

God and Day are back and they are as strong as ever as the unstoppable leaders of Atlanta PD's most Notorious Drug Task Force the city has ever seen. Every member of their team is an expert in their particular position and specialty and they work seamlessly together like the well-oiled machine they have worked hard to become. With accolades and recognition from the department, the city, and even the Mayor, everyone in the Department only dreams of becoming a member of their squad.

When a routine stakeout turns into an ambush putting Day, Ro and Syn in a fight to survive and the rest of the gang coming to the rescue, it becomes apparent that these men are a force to be reckoned with. Their ordeal, of course, is all documented on film and the video captures the attention of Councilman Steele who immediately realizes his nephew would be a perfect fit for the team.

Of course, Edwin Steele isn't fired up to join a new force after his last experience in Oakland and the death of his partner. Between that and his time in the military, he's dealing with a ton of baggage and the last thing he needs is to end up back in a crappy situation. But when his uncle shows him a video of an extraordinary group of detectives working in what could be military precision, he's intrigued. He may just have to give this unit a try.

Shawn "Tech" Murphy has been a valuable member of the team for years. As the vital link between all of them, his technological expertise is essential to the team smoothly closing their cases. While Tech loves his job, he's tired of spending all of his time behind the scenes. He's ready to show what he can do out in the field but it's not likely that the unit will give him that shot. Instead, he bides his time being the best at his job and training in his off time.

When Steele is introduced to the squad, he and Tech have no idea how their lives are about to change. They'll both need to prove themselves to everyone including each other. The entire team is in for one great big wild ride. From God and Day, Tech and Steele, Rauxs and Green and Curtis and Gen, it's a new chapter for many of them and a beginning for others.

OMG! I loved this book!

A.E. Via is fantastic, definitely a one-click author for me. Before this story was done, I was already wanting the next. I have absolutely no idea if she's even begun to write it yet (or if there is even one on the horizon) but I'm just going to sit here and impatiently wait to hear something. I need more!

This book is mainly about Tech and Steele, who let me just say I loved *sighs dreamily*, as well as God and Day and their impending nuptials. We obviously are familiar with the dynamic duo better known as God and Day and how they've been leading up to making honest men out of each other since book 1. While they're as in love with one another as ever, there seems to be a wall between them when it comes to the wedding. It's becoming a huge point of contention between them.

Tech and Steele are just beginning and I'm not going to lie, they were sweet. Big tough Alpha dude Steele falling for a quintessential geek (who is not as defenseless as people may think) like Tech. I loved them and thought they were perfect for one another. They had great chemistry and I loved their banter and the way it seemed so natural.

Tech was obviously a natural fit with the rest of the members of the task force. He was like a brother to all of them. But it was great to see how smoothly Steele fit into his position. I loved the scenes with Steele, Green and Rauxs. I could read a whole book just dedicated to them and their daily occurrences on the job. I loved them as a trio.

I don't want to give too much away so I'll leave it there. I just have to say I definitely recommend Nothing Special V.


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


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

Nothing Special V by A.E. Via is Book 5 in her Nothing Special series and should be read in the appropriate order, not as a standalone! This book is more about the entire group, and less about one couple. We get to see our previous couples and get introduced to new team members.

This story involves multiple POV's, which isn't always my favorite, but the author did a spectacular job of keeping it one cohesive story! God's team gets a new team member, and they're not happy about this change. 


When Steele's uncle puts him on the new team, Steele has no interest. He's tried to do his duty first in the military and then on another police team, where his partner was killed and he saw justice not be served. He's done with it all and tired of fighting. Steele goes to meet his new team and though he's not interested in joining, they get his attention and Tech, a member of the team, really catches his attention. After a confrontation between Tech and Steele, Steele goes back to the dive he's living in and tries to forget what just happened. The next day both Steele and Tech are given a chance to talk and move on from what happened. Even though Tech is not the type of guy Steele is typically interested in, Steele is interested from the first moment and he makes his interest clear. It takes some work, but eventually he gets Tech to agree to a chance and once that happens, the two are connected.

Along with Tech and Steel's romance, we get to see the workings of God's team and how much they've grown. We get to see Ruxs and Greene as the Enforcers, and Syn's easy way. And, we get a lot of the story focused on God and Day as they struggle with letting each other know what they want. But, eventually the two men get it together and we're treated to a spectacular Bachelor Party and a beautiful wedding. I love all of these guys, but God and Day are special as they're the ones I've known and loved the longest. As a fan of this series, this book was everything I could have asked for and more! And, we got to see interactions from new teammate Free and the SWAT Captain Hart who will be the next story and I can't wait to read it! The chemistry between those two was jumping off the screen and there's some history with Free I can't wait to learn about.

I was disappointed and annoyed when the story stopped at 90%. Hello, where's the other 10% of my story? But then, I was surprised to see a bonus story of Gen and Curtis and was really happy about that! I loved Gen and Curtis from the beginning and was glad we got a little story into their lives. If you're a fan of the Nothing Special series, this book is exactly what you're going to want. If you haven't read the series yet (WHAT??), please do yourself a favor and read them!

Rating: 5+ stars!


AUTHOR BIO:




A.E. Via is an author in the beautiful gay romance genre and also founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

When she’s not clicking away at her laptop, she devotes herself to her family—a husband and four children. Adrienne Via has tons of more stories to tell, but she really would like to hear yours. Via Star Wings Books is currently accepting submissions for established and aspiring LGBTQ authors.

Visit my site to learn more! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com  for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next


Author Official Website: http://authoraevia.com


Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor





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Series Review


Buy the Series at Amazon


*** Copy of the series provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author for our reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.***


Nothing Special



4 Stars!

From the very first moment they met, Detective Cash "God" Godfrey and Detective Leo Day knew they were meant to be partners. God is the big scary tattooed giant that most people avoid at all costs. Day is the cocky, funny, out and proud gay man that can charm anyone within minutes. Which is exactly what he did with God, not an easy feat to be sure. Together the two men are unstoppable and become invaluable to the Atlanta PD Narcotic's department.

Over time, the two of them start to realize their friendship is deeper than either can ever explain. Unfortunately, it's not something they believe the other could ever give into. Day likes to play the field and God isn't gay. They're partners and best friends, if things go wrong it could destroy everything they've built.

I love this series, I truly do and I love God and Day but truth be told, this is my least favorite of the entire series and it's because of one element in the story that just does not sit right with me. Before adding that spoiler at the very end of this review, I'll just say that other than this particular thing, I love Nothing Special.

God and Day are absolutely perfect for one another, as friends, partners, and a couple. They're funny and their banter had me laughing out loud multiple times. I can definitely see them on the big screen in my mind.

I also really enjoyed the story and all the action. I'm a sucker for these types of stories. Badass cops who share a great bond and even better banter. I like a good "who dunnit" or good versus evil story. Throw in two Alpha males falling in love and I'm pretty happy.

***Spoiler: (Please mark the blank space with your mouse or copy/paste on your phone to view the spoiler. Proceed at your own risk) 
This story contains partner sharing. God and Day have sex with another couple and while I don't have a problem with ménage or polyamory there really was no warning (at the time I first read the story in 2014) and it did not, in my opinion, fit into the story. I found it out of character for the man I believed God was and the man I thought Day was. It really took away from, in my opinion, the flow of the story. ***

Embracing his Syn




The story is awesome, engaging, fast-paced, chock-full of action that is superbly written. I’m truly in awe at A.E. Via's talent at writing action scenes, which in my opinion, are one of the hardest to do. Yet, in her case, it seems effortless and it reads so well. The love scenes and the characterizations are superb, too.

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved Syn, God and Day and the rest of their team. Their interactions were hilarious and I adored the way Syn fit in with them so well. Perhaps some of their procedures weren’t realistic, but this is fiction, romantic fiction at that, not a crime novel, and it was entertaining as hell, so for me, it worked.

For the first half of the story, I wasn’t entirely sure I liked Furi all that much, though. While I understood some of his motivations to act the way he did, I felt he was very immature and very undeserving of all Syn did for him. Because let’s face it, Syn really had to work hard to get Furious to actually say his name or to not be compared to the dreaded ex and his brother when he’d done nothing to warrant the attitude. I really wanted to bitch!slap Furi more than a couple of times. Poor Syn kept trying, though, and he finally made a dent into Furi’s armor. And after that, while it wasn’t all smooth sailing, I can say I finally started to like Furi and wanted him and Syn to get their HEA.

The story is very enjoyable; hilarious at some parts, serious on others, with hot sexy scenes interspersed in between for good measure. There was great chemistry between the main characters and the rest of Syn’s team. And of course, there's also some angst and danger here and there, courtesy of a nasty almost ex-husband and his brother and some crazy ladies, which all gets resolved quite nicely in the end.

As someone who hadn’t been introduced to the series prior to this book, I have to say that A.E. Via did a wonderful job intercalating snippets here and there to show us who the recurring characters (mostly God and Day) came from. I didn’t feel lost, and while it certainly can be read as a standalone, I’ll most likely go and read the rest of the books in the series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!



4.5 Stars!

Sergeant Corbin 'Syn' Sydney has come from a line of great police officers. Wanting to make a name for himself that isn't based on his father or grandfather, he is proud to become a member of the renowned Narcotics Task Force in Atlanta. But moving from Philly, he finds he doesn't have much of a life outside of work and it's apparent how lonely he really is.

A stop at the small bar near his apartment and a glance of an intriguing and gorgeous bartender, has Syn wanting to know more about the man. Furious doesn't make it easy though and while Syn tries to get him to simply say his name, Furious struggles to decide if it's a good idea to let Syn in. His past has lead to massive walls around his heart and it's hard to trust a man who has never dated another man before.

While Syn and Fury try to figure out how to navigate their new relationship, Syn and the boys are working on a case involving drugged and murdered porn stars and surprisingly Fury might be involved.

I love Syn and Fury! I definitely liked this book as a whole more than book one. I think mainly because I am a huge fan of Syn. Even in the following books, I love Syn and his quiet brooding nature. He is a lot like God without that in your face attitude that God seems to naturally possess. Syn is more silent and calculating, serious and a man you don't want to mess with. He's also very sweet when it comes to Fury.

I liked Fury a lot as well and thought he was a great balance for Syn's broody and somewhat mysterious personality. Fury is nice and fun and has a way of taking the reins away from Syn when Syn needs that. He's good around God and Day as well so he fits right in.

Again, I like AE Via's writing and I was highly entertained by the plot. We get the trouble of Fury's past as well as the porn star murders so there is tons of action on this one. I loved it.

***Spoiler: (Please mark the blank space with your mouse or copy/paste on your phone to view the spoiler. Proceed at your own risk) While Syn and Furious are monogamous and do not play with others, there is a scene in which God and Day are again with the other couple from book one in a polyamorous situation.***



Here Comes Trouble




4.5 Stars!  

This is what comes to mind when I read anything about them. I'm not going to even pretend that I didn't get a kick out of these two and the destruction they seemed to leave trailing behind them everywhere they go. They remind me of those buddy cop movies with the partners that are perfect together (in this case in and out of the bedroom).

Mayhem and Trouble seem to follow Detectives Rux and Green no matter how great they are at their jobs. Being known as "The Enforcers" for the Infamous Narcotic's Task Force Lieutenants God and Day run for Atlanta PD, it's become par for the course to see the pair on the news or being chewed out for damages they've cost the department and city. But at the end of the day, everyone has to admit that these two loose cannons get the job done.

Ruxs and Green are just as close off the job as they are on. Spending almost all of their time together, it comes as a shock that neither of them has given much time to dating. So when Ruxs gets roped into taking a colleague out for dinner, Green realizes things may need to start changing. If Ruxs is going to start dating, he should probably put himself back out there, too or he'll end up the pathetic third wheel. The only problem with this plan, however, is that the only person he wants to be dating is Ruxs.

Gotta love these boys. Rux and Green are fun, hilarious, sexy and perfect for one another. They share a strong bond as friends that translates beautifully into romantic love and it makes things just shift smoothly. It doesn't seem to shock most of their team because it's so natural. I loved that. Unlike Syn and Fury (who I adore), there isn't drama around their newly defined relationship and unlike God and Day, they seem to only truly work as a unit as opposed to separate or individually.

As always I love A.E. Via's writing style. There is such a vivid picture in my head when I read her books and I can just see every detail perfectly. I'm always entertained even when I don't particularly like something that's happening. She also has an amazing ability to create such wonderful chemistry and tension between her leading men. It's why I keep coming back to her books over and over again.

I definitely recommend Here Comes Trouble and in fact, the whole series is, in my opinion, a must read.


Don't Judge



4.5 Stars!

Detective Austin Michaels has finally gotten a chance to join God and Day's task force. As the team's Sniper, he's solidified his position and fits right in with the others on the team. But a mistake with a suspect and a large amount of evidence that screws up their case has Michaels in the hot seat. Feeling as if he's failed his team, he's determined to once again prove he deserves to be there.

Out of options, God decides to call on an old friend who specializes in finding people who don't want to be found. Judge is known for his tracking skills and is now in high demand for Fugitive Recovery. Along with his Great Dane, Bookem, he spends most of his time on the road hunting down criminals who've jumped bail. Getting older, though, is taking its toll on both Judge and Bookem.

Michael's is determined to redeem himself so he jumps at the chance to go along with Judge. Of course, God and Day are against the idea not to mention Judge doesn't want Michael's with him. He doesn't do partners and Michael's seems like the epitome of the men Judge wants to avoid. Michael, however, has finally convinced them that it's for the best if he, as a police officer, is there to arrest and transport the man they're after.

While it's a rough start for the two men when they get on the road, they form a tentative truce that's tested time after time by lust and conflict. Somehow, though, they'll have to learn how to not only work together but to trust one another. They're both at turning points in their lives and careers and it starts to look like they might be the best thing for each other if they can survive this case.

I really enjoyed Don't Judge. I think these books get better and better as the series goes on. I'm not sure if it's the obvious growth in A.E. Via's writing or if maybe it's the growth we get to see in the characters. Either way, every time I pick up an A.E. Via book, I know I'm in for a great, fun and sexy read.

I wasn't quite sure I was going to love Michael's when I started this one but he really surprised me. He grew into a badass in his own right, he seemed more of a goodie-goodie Boy Scout when we first met him in the previous book. He was a bit comic relief because of the scenes he was in and the over eager way he wanted to impress the team. However, in this book, he's strong, he's loyal and other than the aggressive attitude he displays in the beginning, you can tell he's a valuable asset to the team.

Judge is, of course, a tough nut to crack at first but he quickly became a loveable character in my eyes. This is a man who's in need of a strong partner and Michael's that guy. He's also obviously in need of something to help him settle down. He needs a home-base. He's been on the road too much (his job requires it) and he needs a real reason to come home.

If you are a fan of this series like I am I think you'll really enjoy the book. I definitely recommend it!



2 comments:

  1. Wow! Excellent reviews! This book sound like a very interesting and intriguing read! Looking forward to checking it out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I first found Ae Via Protector books first then I went back to the Nothing Special Series and God/Day!! If I wasn't already in love i would have been..She's amazing one minute your laughing along with everyone and the next page your so worried..

    ReplyDelete