Saturday, March 4, 2017

Book Review: Spark to the Heart by Lee Brazil & Havan Fellows

Spark to the Heart
Lee Brazil & Havan Fellows
Series: Hearts of Parkerburg, book 4 – can be read as a standalone
Release date: March 1, 2017



Blurb:
As a misguided youth, Rosy loved being that kid in Parkerburg—you know the one that everybody swears will end up in jail or comatose—until one summer day on the back roads of town when two lives came to a screeching halt.
Thirteen years later, Rosy owns the local pub on Maple Street and makes a good show of how he's recovered from tragedy. He even convinces himself…until he meets the new man in town and realizes just how okay he isn't. With the demons of his fatal past still stalking him, Rosy has no idea how to switch from simply existing to actually living.
Angus “Jet” Manheim—famous for his smooth, sexy voice and notorious for his hard partying ways—sped through most of his adult life on stage and in the recording studio. Sober and retired to the quaint New England town of Parkerburg, Jet’s ready to slow his soundtrack…until his compelling neighbor—a grumbling, muscular mountain of a man with an odd name—ups the tempo.
Frequently absentminded, Jet finds Rosy an easy object of focus, a solid center around which Jet hopes to build a future. But retirement isn’t easy. The entertainment industry doesn’t stop knocking just because you hang a do not disturb sign.
When Rosy’s and Jet’s pasts try to harmonize with their present, they might have to decide whether the chorus is worth repeating.

The Hearts of Parkerburg stories can be read as standalones, each with a HEA…but trust me, you'll want to read about all the sweet happenings in this quaint little town.

Categories: MM romance, contemporary, series

44,000 words
Publisher: Appleton Publishing Avenue
Cover Artist: Author Services

Excerpt:

“Here you go. Best seat in the house.” Rosy gestured for them to sit. “What can I whip up for you? You name it, I’ll make it.”
Jet sucker punched him with a full-on smile.
He didn’t believe in love at first sight. Lust at first sight, sure, who the hell didn’t catch a glimpse of someone and think yeah, gotta hit that. But love? No fucking way. Now though, he suddenly believed in maybe a third option. Intrigue at first sight? Perhaps it couldn’t be summed up with a single word. That sounded more feasible, like an unexplained compulsion to learn more about someone.
Yeah, that was what he had, an urgency to spend time with Jet, get to know the man better, maybe even share a little bit of himself in return.
Whoa…where the hell did that thought come from? Even though the whole fucking town knew about Rosy’s past, that didn’t mean he ever talked about it…to anyone. Now, twice in one day, he’d brought it up—once verbally with Bas and once mentally with the intentions of possibly sharing it?
Well, that shit had to stop.
“Oh, gin-less gin fizz minus the egg. Throw in a few berries. Perhaps cherries? Uh… Just club soda, you know…if it’s easier.”
“You’re shitting me, right?” Rosy jerked back into the moment before he could censor his response. “Damn. I mean sure. I said I’d make you anything you wanted, one gin fizz…um…hold the gin and egg coming right up.”
He abruptly turned and headed to the bar…to make a non-alcoholic vegan gin fizz. He rolled his eyes.

Sales Links


4 Stars!!!

Spark to the Heart is book 4 in the Parkersburg series and it can be read as a standalone, although, really, there’s a lot of recurring characters and the series is really good, so I recommend reading it all.

I loved Jet, he was such an eccentric artist, imagining him parading in his weird clothing was too much fun. He was sweet and forgetful, but when he needed to make his point, he showed character. I liked Rosy, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to him. It was pretty neat seeing his progression, though, and watching him move forward from what had happened to him when he was a teenager. Jet and Rosy had great chemistry and I really enjoyed their scenes together, but I would’ve liked a bit more couple development between them. It felt too rushed in certain parts.

It was nice to see how life in this quaint little community works and how they close ranks to help each other. I wasn’t too fond of Bas, but I think he could be an interesting character to tackle in future books. And of course, Brian, who is such a sweetheart.

Havan Fellows and Lee Brazil work great together and the collaboration was seamless. The book was very enjoyable, fun, low angst and sexy. Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***


Authors
Lee Brazil
Somewhere in a small town in up-state New York are a librarian and a second grade teacher to whom I owe my life. That might be a touch dramatic, but it’s nevertheless one hundred percent true.
Because they taught me the joy of reading, of escaping into worlds crafted of words.
Have you ever been nine years old and sure of nothing so much as that you don’t belong? Looked at the world from behind glasses, and wondered why you don’t fit?
Someone hands you a book, and then you turn the page and see… There you are, running from Injun Joe in a dark graveyard; there you are fencing with Athos; there you are…beneath the deep blue sea- marveling at exotic creatures with Captain Nemo.
I found myself between the pages of books, and that is why I write now. It’s why I taught English and literature for so many years, and it’s why my house contains more pounds of books than furniture.
If I’d had my way, I’d have been a fencer…or a starship captain, or a lawyer, or a detective solving crimes. But instead, I am a writer, and I’ve come to realize that’s the best thing in the world to be, because as a writer, I can be all those things and more.
If I hadn’t learned to value the stories between the pages, who knows what would have happened? Certainly not college…teaching…or writing.

Havan Fellows
I annoy, love, respect, scare, seduce, hurt, anger, infatuate, frustrate, flatter, envy, amuse and tolerate everyone. I just do it better in writing thanks to a little thing called…edits.
Okay no, seriously…I'm a simpleminded person who enjoys the escape from real life through a book. I write with the group Story Orgy and hope to continue doing so for a long time. I also am privileged to be with the Pulp Friction writers, creating intermingling books in a world all our own.
Just like every other red-blooded human—I get a little bouncy when I get mail (any kind too…email, comments, private messages…you wanna do it, do it with me *winks*). So feel free to drop me a line—whether it's on my blog, twitter, PInterest, or you track me down on FaceBook or Google +…it's easy to catch someone who wants to be caught.


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