Sunday, January 18, 2015

Release Day Tour + ARC Reviews: Winning Bracket by Annabeth Albert and Eloquent Jock by Cassandra Carr


Enjoy college-set romances? Authors Annabeth Albert and Cassandra Carr are re-releasing their stories from the Campus Cravings anthology as stand-alone novellas, each now available with brand new bonus content. Special 99 cent introductory price for ONE WEEK ONLY. Check out WINNING BRACKET And THE ELOQUENT JOCK today at all major retailers.

WINNING BRACKET
by Annabeth Albert
Genre: M/M Romance




Originally published as part of the Campus Cravings bundle, now available on its 

own with a BRAND NEW bonus epilogue! Metrics and tournament brackets—who 

knew they were sexy? When competing dorm advisors Edwin and Ollie bet on a 

basketball tournament, neither expects he’s risking his heart. As the challenge becomes a 

hot bedroom battle to avoid real feelings, the two “frenemies” must change their 

definitions of losing to win a shot at lasting love. 






Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter.  In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency
  
Author Social Links

Buy links & ARC to come. 


Review: 

*ARC provided by NKAuthorServices in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Tracy: This is Edwin and Oliver's story. They are both RA's. Oliver is laid back, while Edwin is uptight and a stickler for the rules. They both want to be with the other, but neither is brave enough to admit it. They place a small bet that starts the ball rolling to get them to that loving relationship they both want.

Mari: I really enjoyed the dynamics of the bet within the story. It gave it depth and showed us that both boys had been pretty much attracted to the other from their freshman year until three and a half years later. They confirm the rule of Opposites Attract, because as Tracy mentioned they couldn’t be more different and yet, they clicked. Their chemistry was awesome, their friendship was even more amazing and I loved seeing them stumble their way into their HEA. It wasn’t easy, but they were willing to work on issues and push past their own insecurities to make it.

Tracy: This was a cute, sweet, funny story. Throw in a couple of miscommunications, steamy sex, an awesome epilogue and stir, for a great story!

Mari: Yes, that’s true! It was cute and fun, with just a dash of angst to keep it interesting. I loved seeing them years into the future and see that while things weren’t perfect, they were realistic, which is something I can appreciate.

I had read another story by Annabeth before, Resilient Heart, which was part of the Unconditional Surrender bundle, and it was one of my favorites, and I loved this one, too, so I’m looking forward to reading her upcoming Portland Heat series very soon.

All in all, a fantastic story that left me with a huge smile on my face!

*Tracy and Mari: 4.5 winning stars*




THE ELOQUENT JOCK
by Cassandra Carr
Genre: M/M Romance




Hockey jock and English Lit major Brendan knows he’s gay, but hasn’t come out to

 anyone, fearing a possible backlash. Then he’s tapped to be a TA for a hot professor and 

feels an immediate connection. Now he must decide how much he’s willing to risk to 

score the ultimate goal.






Bio:
Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.

Mari´s Review: 

*ARC provided by NKAuthorServices in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Brendan, a hockey player and English Lit major, gets a job as TA for Dr. Scott Greenfield, who is fifteen years his senior. He's been hiding his sexuality from everyone for years, but plans to come out after he graduates. He's sweet and sensitive, very inexperienced and unable to fight his attraction for the older man.

Scott is a published author, teaching some classes at the Cathia College, where he meets Brendan. He has a lot in common with Brendan and loves talking with him, but tries to keep him at arm's length, because while he is out, he doesn't want to jeopardize his job. 

While I enjoyed this book, I think at times Brendan seemed more mature to me than Scott. At least Brendan was more willing to fight for what he wanted. For most of the story it was Brendan who pushed and pushed until he managed to crack Scott's resolve. I understand Scott had a lot to lose, but so did Brendan in a sense, and at times, the age difference really impacted in their relationship, which is perfectly understandable and realistic. 

Despite that, I liked this story, I think Brendan and Scott worked well together, once both of them decided to give it a try. They had chemistry and had many things in common, which I liked. I loved Tyler, Brendan's roommate and best friend, and I loved seeing a cameo of Edwin and Ollie from Winning Bracket by Annabeth Albert. All in all, it was an enjoyable read. 

* Mari: 4 eloquent stars *



No comments:

Post a Comment