Wednesday, July 26, 2017

AotM: Touch the Sky by Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn (Reviews + Giveaway)



Touch the Sky

Free Fall, Book 1

Christina Lee & Nyrae Dawn

New Adult M/M Romance

COVER DESIGN: Natasha Snow
PHOTOGRAPHY: Giovanni Dall’Orto
RELEASE DATE: 03.28.16


BLURB

Lucas Barnett and Gabriel Stewart didn’t have it easy as kids. They were only trying to deal with bad situations at home when they became lifelines for each other. Their pipe dream was to someday meet in LA, where Lucas would design skyscrapers, and Gabriel would learn to fly. But then Gabriel disappeared without so much as a goodbye, and Lucas got himself in trouble with the law.

Five years later, both men are at a loss when they run into each other at a Hollywood bar. Lucas is still angry, but it’s not as if Gabriel could control how his mind and body had betrayed him. Being found on the ledge of that bridge had changed everything.

The attraction is immediate, but it’s more than their inability to keep their hands off each other. Neither man expects the fierce connection pulling them together. Unfortunately, ignoring their problems doesn’t make them disappear. Gabriel’s internal struggles are serious…dangerous. And no matter how much Lucas wants it to be true, saving Gabriel won’t make up for not being able to save his mom. If they don’t find the strength to face their own demons before the darkness takes hold, they risk more than just losing each other forever.


5 Stars

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

Gabriel and Lucas met online as teenagers, and became best friends. Exchanging emails they became confidants for one another. The only person either felt they could tell anything and everything to. They made plans to escape to Hollywood together. They were going to live out their dreams together in the city. They both wanted to touch the sky. Gabe by flying airplanes, and Luke by building skyscrapers. But they lost track of one another, and when they meet up by chance again some years later, neither is touching the sky yet. Can they still live out their dreams, or are they out of reach?

Wow, this was a powerful story. It wasn't always easy to read, and I can't imagine it was an easy story to write, but Ms. Lee and Ms. Dawn did an amazing job with a tough subject matter. Gabe's disease seemed to be well researched and realistic. This book had a little of everything. Angst, sweetness, laughter romance, love, hot sex, really hot sex(it bears mentioning twice), and even a bar room brawl, well almost! Haha It was jam packed with emotion and heart.

I adored both Gabe and Luke. They had a great chemistry and they just fit. The story was well written, the characters well developed and both were very likable. I loved getting the see the emails they exchanged when they were younger. This was an excellent collaboration, and without prior knowledge I never would have known this was written by more than one person. The writing flows well and the transition from one author to the other is seamless.

I see this is the first book in the series, and I'm interested to see where the next book will take us. This was a very enjoyable story and I highly recommend it!






*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review.***

Gabriel and Lucas met online when they were teenagers and with the help provided by their relative anonymity, they became each other's confidantes. When real life got in the way and they were forced to relinquish contact, their lives got a little out of control.

Five years later, Gabe finds himself face to face with Luke, who isn't too happy to see him after his disappearing act back when they were younger, but slowly they managed to rebuild their friendship and more. However, there are many things that neither of them knows about the other, and that might threaten the tenuous relationship they're creating.

"You can't save him, Lucas. You can love him. You can be there for him, but you can't fucking save him, because if you do, what happens when you aren't there?"

I absolutely loved this story. It was poignant, heartbreaking and emotional, but it was also hopeful and I just adored seeing the way both Gabe and Luke grew up as I read their story. They had to go through a lot of things, and it certainly wasn't easy for either of them, but they managed to find their way and do what they needed to do.

I especially liked the e-mails at the beginning or end of some chapters, as it showed us where they were coming from and how their friendship began.

Loved Conner, Lour and Ezra, too, they were such good friends for the boys and played a big part in the story. Gabe and Luke were amazing together, not perfect, but perfect for each other.

Definitely a must-read, and one of the stories I know I'll re-read often and will remain with me for a long time.


Rating: 5 Stars!!! 




ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nyrae Dawn

Nyrae Dawn can almost always be found with a book in her hand or an open document on her laptop. She couldn’t live without books—reading or writing them. Oh, and chocolate. She’s slightly addicted.

She gravitates toward character-driven stories. Whether reading or writing, she loves emotional journeys. It’s icing on the cake when she really feels something, but is able to laugh too. She’s a proud romantic, who has a soft spot for flawed characters, who make mistakes, but also have big hearts.

Whether she’s writing young adult, new adult, or adult you can always count on a healthy dose of romance from her books. She likes to tackle tough subjects, and believes everyone needs to see themselves in the stories they read.

Nyrae is living her very own happily ever after in California with her gorgeous husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two incredibly awesome kids.

Facebook


Blog

Twitter: @NyraeDawn

Christina Lee


Once upon a time, I lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. I spent my days shopping for photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my favorite hangouts.

Now I live in the Midwest with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I've been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until I wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that I realized I could turn the fairytales inside my head into the reality of writing fiction.

I write Adult, New Adult, and M/M Contemporary Romance. I'm addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. I believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.


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3 comments:

  1. Apart from Christina and Nyrae my other favourites are R J Scott and Amber Kell also Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen.

    ReplyDelete
  2. At present I don't have one.

    ReplyDelete