Bayou Book Junkie: Release Blitz: Exposure by Aly Hayden (Review + Giveaway)

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Release Blitz: Exposure by Aly Hayden (Review + Giveaway)

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Title: Exposure

Author: Aly Hayden

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: Aria from Resplendent Media

Genres: Contemporary M/M Romance

Length: 61,000 words/150 pages approx.

It is the first book in the Drawn Together series.

Each book follows a different couple, so there's a HEA and no cliffhanger.

Blurb

Sam Hayward's parents think he has a boyfriend. And he does... in his dreams. But when they insist Sam bring his partner to the annual Labor Day family reunion, his options are to either admit it was all a lie or find a stand-in in a hurry. The trouble is that his lies have all been based on one very real man.

Ben Matheny has been hurt before. When he's bribed into playing a part by his friends, he fleshes out Sam's dreams, but it's like flying too close to the sun. He's always had a crush on Sam, and now they're going to the Hamptons to spend a week pretending they're lovers, everything is getting harder.

When Ben uncovers another lie Sam has told - that Ben is every bit as rich as Sam is - things begin to unravel. If Sam isn't happy with who Ben is, Ben can't stick around to get burned again.

With their hearts on the line, the two must fight for their dreams as the pressure mounts. It would be so easy to admit that it was all a sham, but some dreams are worth the risk.

Excerpt

“Guess we have the hot tub all to ourselves,” Ben said with a smile.

He didn’t know whether he meant the words to be flirtatious or not. It was one thing to flirt when there were other people present. That was just what he did, how he interacted with people. Deliberately flirting with Sam was different. Dangerous.

“Guess we do.”

Sam’s voice was lower than usual. Almost seductive. There was no one around that would make Sam feel like he had to play the part of the boyfriend, which meant only one thing: Sam was actually into him. The signs were all there, if Ben was reading them correctly—the way Sam had taken to holding his hand, the morning wood after cuddling all night long, the look Sam had given him when he’d seen Ben in the shorts. And then there was that thing he had started to say right before they had gotten on the boat.

Much as Ben wanted to believe that Sam might have feelings for him too, there was still a part of him that wasn’t sure. There was certainly one way for him to find out, though. The hot tub was big enough for about six people, so naturally they had taken corners along the same wall. Slowly, Ben moved closer and closer to Sam, until they were sitting side by side. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, and let his leg brush against Sam’s.

“What are you doing?” Sam’s voice was low and husky, and when Ben looked up, he found Sam’s pupils so large that only a sliver of hazel showed around the edges.

He swallowed hard. “Getting closer to you.”

His heart beat so fast that his chest ached as he waited for Sam to do something. Say something. Have any reaction at all. It had been so easy when it was just flirting, but this…this was terrifying.

Seconds passed, though, and Sam didn’t move away. Instead, he leaned back against the side of the hot tub and slid his hand into Ben’s, underneath the water.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said softly.

Encouraged by the reaction, Ben shifted down a bit and let his head rest on Sam’s shoulder. “Me too.” They sat in silence for a few seconds. Ben didn’t want to ruin the moment, but he knew that if he didn’t say anything, he would regret it. “Before, when we were about to get on the boat. What were you going to say?”

“I um…” Sam scratched at the back of his neck. “I was going to say, what if—”

“Sammy, Benny!”

Ben whipped around to see Karrigan. Someone had escaped from nap time. He fought to suppress a groan. Looked like this conversation would have to wait.

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3.5 Stars

Sam has a huge problem. Not only does he have a crush on one of his customers, Ben, but he has also lied to his family and told them that Ben is his boyfriend, so they'll stop hounding him about getting a boyfriend and settling down. Now his family expects Sam to bring Ben to the Hamptons with him for their annual Labor Day reunion. Sam's friends/co-workers convince Ben, who unbeknownst to Sam reciprocates his feelings, to go with Sam and pretend to be his boyfriend. While there, the two men finally discover they have feelings for one another and act on them, but Sam has not only lied about Ben being his boyfriend, he has also overindulged in his description of Ben's wealth and professional success to impress his family. Can Sam make it through the long weekend without everything blowing up in his face?

This was a cute, if a bit predictable read. I really liked both Ben and Sam, although I really wanted to knock their heads together at times. They were both so oblivious to what was happening around them it wasn't even funny. I know Sam escaped his family and their value of money that he didn't agree with, but I really liked his family. If it was the author's intent to have Sam's family come off as feeling like people with less money and stature are beneath them, as Sam insinuated throughout the story, she failed. They actually came off as quite friendly and caring.

While I liked Sam and Ben, I found their reactions to certain situations to be a bit over the top. I also thought that Ben's reaction to Sam's family having money was a bit immature and it made little sense. It made him seem petty and he almost had a reverse prejudice to the fact that Sam's family had money.

Sam and Ben had a good chemistry and the sex was steamy, as well as passionate and sweet. I really thought they fit well together and enjoyed their story. The progression of their relationship from friends to lovers was natural and well-paced. This was a sweet and enjoyable read with just a hint of angst, that I'd recommend!

*copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Meet the Author

Aly Hayden has loved writing ever since she learned to pick up a pencil. As a child, she used to write short stories, then progressed to novels of various genres, none of which were ever published – for good reason. She started writing fanfiction in 2011, publishing on Archive of Our Own. After finding M/M romance in 2012, she fell in love and made it her mission to write one of her own one day. When Aly isn’t writing, she can be found playing with her lovable Yorkie and watching old reruns of House Hunters.

Social Media Links Blog/Website Facebook Author Page

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Release Blitz Schedule EXPOSURE SCHEDULE 2