Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Release Blitz: This Time Around by Aimee Nicole Walker (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

This Time Around RDB Banner
THIS TIME AROUND
A ROAD TO BLISSVILLE STORY
AIMEE NICOLE WALKER
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 05.05.18
This Time Around Cover
Design: Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art
Photographer: Christopher John of CJC Photography
Model: Jeremiah

At the café Milo Miracle co-owns with his twin sister, coffee and pastries are served up along with his unique blend of sass and snark. Milo knows that small-town life often means that every day is the same as the one before, and excitement can only be found in the gossip that travels faster than the speed of light. When the dark-haired Adonis who broke his heart returns home after a twelve-year absence, Milo unhappily finds himself at the center of Blissville’s favorite pastime.

Andy Mason was practically a kid when he left home to pursue big-league ambitions, but the man who returns to Blissville is humbled by shattered dreams and secrets he’s not ready to share with Milo. Andy’s no stranger to grit and determination, and he’ll need both to win back Milo’s cynical heart.

Strong wills clash with stubborn hearts, triggering combustible passion once Andy starts renovations at the café. Milo would like to keep Andy’s hands busy doing something other than construction. Andy would like to suggest what Milo can do with his wicked tongue besides trade barbs with him. Neither man is willing to budge until they get a little shove from an outside force. Will Andy and Milo learn that trust is a two-way street, or will this time around end as disastrous as the first?

This time around is a witty, sexy, and endearing love story about two men who learn how to balance push and pull, both in and out of the bedroom. It is the fourth book in the Road to Blissville series but can be read as a standalone book. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults eighteen and over.

This Time Around Teaser 1
This Time Around Teaser 2
EXCERPT

When Andy reached the top of the steps, he found a light switch on the wall. Only one socket had a bulb in it, so it wasn’t bright enough for Andy to see anything besides trunks and trunks of stuff stacked everywhere.

I turned my head slightly to the left and saw the outline of a woman’s silhouette out of the corner of my eyes. “Ghost!” I yelled, then dove behind Andy.

“Where?” Andy asked, turning in circles and swinging his flashlight to illuminate every corner of the dark, dusty space. “That?” he asked.

I peeked around his broad back and ducked my head under his armpit to see. In the center of the flashlight beam was one of those old-fashioned wire mannequins they used to hang dresses on. In fact, the mannequin sported a flowing, white dress that looked like something a woman wore in the eighteen hundreds. Of course, the white color of the gown in contrast to the dark space gave it a ghostly appearance.

“Seriously, Milo? I nearly pissed myself over a mannequin.”

“You almost jizzed yourself earlier.”

“Don’t pretend I didn’t feel your hard-on pressing up against mine, Milo.”

“True, but that wasn’t what I was referring to.”

“Then what the fuck are you talking about?” Andy asked, sounding angry all over again.

“Simon!”

“You want to talk about Simon, Milo? We’ll talk about Simon.”

“Fine, I’m going first. Since when does your uncle want to fix you up with your cousin? What kind of fuckery is this?”

“Paul isn’t my biological uncle,” Andy said. “He and my dad are best friends. Uncle was an honorary title I gave him when I was a kid.”

“Oh.” Yeah, that took the wind right out of my sails. “Are you going to take Simon on a date?”

“Should I, Milo? Is he good in bed?”

I gasped dramatically, of course. “Are you slut shaming me?”

“Are you acting slutty?”

“And if I was?” I demanded to know.

Silence. “You make me fucking crazy, Milo.”

“That makes two of us.” I realized what I said. “Wait. I meant that you make me crazy too. So crazy that I can’t even think. You rob me of my ability to snark.”

“You act as if that’s a talent,” Andy scoffed.






4.5 Stars!

This Time Around is book 4 in the Road to Blissville series and while it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did, although I think it might be even better to read the series, since there are a lot of recurring characters.

Milo and Andy were high-school sweethearts, but had a falling out after Andy went away to college on a baseball scholarship. 12 years later, Andy returns to Blissville and tries to get back together with Milo, but while Milo can't resist jumping him, he's not ready to accept Andy back. 2 years later and they're at an impasse, neither of them knowing how to get past it or if there's a way to mend things between them even if they haven't been able to forget each other. Willd they be able to find some common ground and clear the air between them before it's too late?

So, the past months have been kind of crazy for me read-wise, so I've had to pass on the previous books in the series, however, somehow this one got to me at just the right time for me to squeeze it into my schedule and I'm so very thankful for that! Of course, the only problem is that now I'll have to find time to read the rest of the series. ;)

The first third of the book was a bit confusing for me, with Andy returning after 12 years, and then having another 2 years pass by, however, Ms. Walker more than made up for it with the rest of the story.

While it took a bit to finally find out what had gone wrong between Milo and Andy back when they were teenagers, it was undeniable that they belonged together. They had amazing chemistry and sparks flew whenever they were near each other. The hate-sex scenes at the start of the book, with Milo jumping Andy after he returned to Blissville were scorching, but above all, I loved seeing them get past all the hurt and misunderstandings and rebuild their relationship.

I loved the secondary characters, some of which I already knew and some new for me and that I'm intrigued about, but all of them provided a great support system for Milo and Andy and that helped move along the Bliss house and the ghost storyline, which I hope we'll find out more about in the next installment.

Even if this is my first book in this series, I can assure you it won't be the last. I really enjoyed the sense of community and friendship I've found in Aimee Nicole Walker's books and this one wasn't the exception. I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book, but in the meantime, at least I have 3 more books to catch up with to tide me over. Very recommendable!

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



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I am a wife and mother to three kids, three dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever- after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.



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