Release Blitz ~ Oz (A Finding Home Novel) by Lily Morton (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)
OZ
A FINDING HOME NOVEL
LILY MORTON
M/M ROMANCE
RELEASE DATE: 11.20.18
BLURB
What happens when temporary becomes forever?
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy-free as the day he left it.
However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He's also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Oz banks on the fact that they're from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he's finally home?
AMAZON US: https://amzn.to/2ORUWek
EXCERPT
plans and sheets of paper covered with my sprawling handwriting. I lift my glasses and
rub my eyes and look again. No, still there.
I look down at my current huge shadow who is sitting by my chair and watching me with
mournful brown eyes. “Are you waiting for me to start screaming, Chewwy, or just
bored?”I ask conversationally. He stares at me for a long second and then gives a huge
yawn which shows off his massive teeth. I shrug. “Okay, just bored.”
“I didn’t know you wore glasses.”
The deep voice coming from the kitchen door makes me jump. “Shit, you startled me.” I
take my black-framed glasses off, feeling slightly self-conscious at being found talking to
the dog. “I took my contact lenses out.”
Silas gives me an exhausted smile. “They suit you.”
He comes into the room fully and I look at the tired slump of his shoulders. “Have you
been out on a call?”
He gives a jaw-cracking yawn that almost sets me off. “Horse birth that looked like it
was about to go pear shaped.”
“Bugger. Was everything okay?”
He nods and grins. “One very pretty filly called Moonshine.”
“Aw, that’s pretty.” I pause. “So, while we had dinner you’ve had your hand up a horse’s
vagina.” He nods, biting his lip in an attempt not to smile, and I grin. “After the dinner
we had, I have to say your evening looks like it might have been better.”
A burst of laughter comes from him and I smile as he sinks into the chair opposite me. I
can’t help the warm feeling I’m getting in my chest at making him laugh. Why, oh why,
does he have to be so nice and sleepy looking?
His voice breaks into my thoughts. “How bad was it?”
I shudder. “We had beef casserole.”
He grimaces. “God, I feel your pain. Last time I forced that down I was ten and I had to
eat it because my father believed in serving up leftovers until they were eaten.” I stare at
him and he nods. “I had it for breakfast, lunch and supper.”
“Oh my God. Did you eat it in the end?”
“Did I, fuck. I gave it to Cyclops, our old bulldog. It made him sick, though, so I spent a
whole night nursing him and mopping up vomit.” He pauses. “Which was still better
than eating that shit.”
I laugh. “Is that where the desire to be a vet came from?”
He stares at the wall, deep in thought. “No. I just think that animals are better than
humans for the most part. They’re simple. You love them and they love you back, and no
matter how you fuck up they still love you. That’s loyalty for you.” He seems to come to
and gives me an embarrassed look.
5 Stars!
Is it just me, or did anyone else visualise a younger Colin Firth as Silas? *Swoon!!* Oz may be the title and the star of the tale, but Silas was pretty perfect, too.
I've enjoyed Lily Morton books in the past, though a few times I've thought of the humour verging on the overdone, because of how much and how surreal some of it is, but in this book, whilst I began to feel the same about 2 chapters in, I was being pretty premature, as Oz, the delightful, mouthy, cheeky, smartarse, smart-talking, clever, warm, sarcastic git (Brit slang that totally matches the guy!) won me over.
We met the co-lead, Silas, briefly in Risk Taker (the third and last Mixed Messages book), and he's the brother of Henry, who makes a great appearance late in this book, together with his lover (and former stepbrother), Ivo. Two years on from the end of Risk Taker, they're happy and living their HEA, and, right at the very end of this book, we find out they've aided and abetted Oz and Silas's HEA. And, what a HEA it is. I don't always love an epilogue in a tale, but this book needed one, and a realistic one, which we get 5 years down the line. And it's one that made me smile and made me warm inside. Anyway, I digress, so back to thoughts on this book:
There were times when I wondered how long the author must take thinking up Oz's quips, because they're well done, they're genuinely funny and mostly original. I loved that Silas was very much a foil and a contrast (sorry if that contradicts, but it will all become clear on reading) to Oz and whilst I wouldn't have thought them suited, Silas says some very meaningful words that made Oz, and me, see that they truly were meant to find each other, age difference aside, class divide aside, wealth divide aside, and all was done sweetly, organically and without anything feeling faux or OTT or 'seen that, done that, read that before'. And, there's a Brit version of the Wicked Witch of the West in this tale, and boy did she get her comeuppance at Silas's hands, and in a way that was needed, that felt organic and heartfelt, and which Oz needed to hear. I loved how Silas did it, and I loved how he championed Oz.
We Brits love, love, love our animals and Silas was a vet, so he won me over, too, as did the pets in this tale (see the quote I've appropriated below). And then came his age, his description, his build, his genteel, gentrified ways, and yes, I was seeing Mr Firth in my mind's eye, lol! It's a very British tale and I only hope that all readers get the witticisms and snark as only Brits can do wit and snark, and I especially wanted to highlight a short bit below, which is spot-on and which the author really needs to trademark, lol, as I suspect the actual Boris Johnson won't want to trademark this, or want it trademarked (look the guy up, as well as his part in the UK's Brexit mess, er, I mean proceedings - this is BJ, without exaggeration, and with fondness, at his Very Bumbling Boris Best):
...A few seconds later a shaggy golden retriever dances into the room. He looks fairly young and he prances about, almost dancing on his paws.
"He's lovely," I say, putting my hand out to the dog. "What's his name?"
"Boris Johnson"
I blink. "Pardon?"
I've enjoyed Lily Morton books in the past, though a few times I've thought of the humour verging on the overdone, because of how much and how surreal some of it is, but in this book, whilst I began to feel the same about 2 chapters in, I was being pretty premature, as Oz, the delightful, mouthy, cheeky, smartarse, smart-talking, clever, warm, sarcastic git (Brit slang that totally matches the guy!) won me over.
We met the co-lead, Silas, briefly in Risk Taker (the third and last Mixed Messages book), and he's the brother of Henry, who makes a great appearance late in this book, together with his lover (and former stepbrother), Ivo. Two years on from the end of Risk Taker, they're happy and living their HEA, and, right at the very end of this book, we find out they've aided and abetted Oz and Silas's HEA. And, what a HEA it is. I don't always love an epilogue in a tale, but this book needed one, and a realistic one, which we get 5 years down the line. And it's one that made me smile and made me warm inside. Anyway, I digress, so back to thoughts on this book:
There were times when I wondered how long the author must take thinking up Oz's quips, because they're well done, they're genuinely funny and mostly original. I loved that Silas was very much a foil and a contrast (sorry if that contradicts, but it will all become clear on reading) to Oz and whilst I wouldn't have thought them suited, Silas says some very meaningful words that made Oz, and me, see that they truly were meant to find each other, age difference aside, class divide aside, wealth divide aside, and all was done sweetly, organically and without anything feeling faux or OTT or 'seen that, done that, read that before'. And, there's a Brit version of the Wicked Witch of the West in this tale, and boy did she get her comeuppance at Silas's hands, and in a way that was needed, that felt organic and heartfelt, and which Oz needed to hear. I loved how Silas did it, and I loved how he championed Oz.
We Brits love, love, love our animals and Silas was a vet, so he won me over, too, as did the pets in this tale (see the quote I've appropriated below). And then came his age, his description, his build, his genteel, gentrified ways, and yes, I was seeing Mr Firth in my mind's eye, lol! It's a very British tale and I only hope that all readers get the witticisms and snark as only Brits can do wit and snark, and I especially wanted to highlight a short bit below, which is spot-on and which the author really needs to trademark, lol, as I suspect the actual Boris Johnson won't want to trademark this, or want it trademarked (look the guy up, as well as his part in the UK's Brexit mess, er, I mean proceedings - this is BJ, without exaggeration, and with fondness, at his Very Bumbling Boris Best):
...A few seconds later a shaggy golden retriever dances into the room. He looks fairly young and he prances about, almost dancing on his paws.
"He's lovely," I say, putting my hand out to the dog. "What's his name?"
"Boris Johnson"
I blink. "Pardon?"
He smiles. "Because he's young and blond and stupid and makes very questionable decisions."
There's very little sex in this, as the leads learn to like each other, come to respect each other and genuinely care for each other before they get down and dirty, and what there is, is loving, sweet and sexy, and at times, really sexy-dirty, lol! But, it's all tasteful, and there's nothing trope-y about any of it. I was actually surprised there's not more sex to it, but I'm not complaining at all!
I liked that there was a real storyline in this tale, one that many landed gentry face and it was done with a good degree of realism, and that it was a genuine reason to bring the leads together, though you would NOT guess so from the opening interview. I was totally LOL'ing and totally flummoxed at how the interview went, at the guy taking the interview, the one observing it, and Oz's inappropriateness - it verges on the surreal, but Oz pulled it all off. And whilst working classes and the landed don't really mix, because let's face it, an earl and a boy from a council estate wouldn't really be destined to meet, Lily Morton totally made them work, and made me believe in them making it as a couple, but also as a partnership in every other way, including the one that brought Silas and Oz together.
I suspect we've met a lead of a future connected tale in Silas's business partner, and I'm pretty sure that the author's note indicates that this will be a series. If so, I'll be down for that, as this is one of the sweetest and funniest books I've read this year, and I think it's only my 4th (poss 5th) 5-Star tale of the year. And, in the guy doing the interviewing, and the one observing, I'm pretty sure there's yet another tale in the offing.
Do. Not. Miss. This. Book. It's out at a time where it could've gotten lost amidst all the Xmas tales that are suddenly appearing everywhere, but I guarantee you it won't, because it's a hoot. I loved it, and I've not been able to say that that often this year.
ARC courtesy of the author and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
4 Stars
This is a sweet, easy read. It’s the story of Oz and Silas, both of which have been burned in the recent past by workplace romances. Oz was recently cheated on, thrown out of his home and fired by his boss. Silas was taken advantage of by his former employee and lover who left him in a lurch. When Oz responds to a job posting, one of Silas’ friends hires Oz after realizing quickly that Oz and Silas would be perfect for one another. Oz is delightfully snarky, witty and funny. Silas is the easy-going Earl and veterinarian. These two are such beautiful compliments to the other. Not to mention, their banter game is on point! It’s a slow burn for these two...
And that’s really the course of this book. I have to applaud the impressive scene of the English countryside. The estate was almost a character in its own right in this book. There were a few thematic detours with ghosts, exes and snobby mothers. And, the side characters of Milo, Niall, and the dogs just added to the humor.
I look forward to the next addition to this series.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
5 stars
Oh, how I LOVE Oz. It took me about two pages into the book for me to realize that he was going to be a lovely and hilarious character. This book continuously made me laugh out loud. And then we have Silas who is charming and just easy to read. I will admit that a lot of the time in books I really enjoy a bit of drama between the characters. But in this book, there was so little angst and it was perfect. The banter between Silas and Oz was delightful. Oz had a sharp tongue with basically everyone he encountered but you could tell the difference in him when speaking to Silas because it was clearly done out of fondness. Their characters just clicked and it was easy to cheer for them.
Also, the description in this book was incredible. I felt like I was at the beach when they were and at the beautiful old Ashworth house when they were. The details were vivid and I could see everything the characters were seeing and feeling. It was, of course, great to see a little bit of Henry and Ivo and see the sweet and genuine connection between Silas and Henry as brothers. Loved this book!
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.
Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.
She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!
She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.
GIVEAWAY
thank you for the reviews and excerpt!
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