Virtual Tour ~ Bitter Springs by Laura Stone ~ (Review, Excerpt, Interview + Giveaway)

Virtual Tour ~ Bitter Springs by Laura Stone ~ (Review, Excerpt, Interview + Giveaway)

Author Name: Laura Stone

Book Name: Bitter Springs

Release Date: December 3, 2015

Blurb:

In 1870s Texas, Renaldo Valle Santos, the youngest son of a large and traditional family, has been sent to train with Henry “Hank” Burnett, a freed slave and talented mesteñero—or horse- catcher—so he may continue the family horse trade. Bitter Springs is a sweeping epic that takes themes from traditional Mexican literature and Old Westerns to tell the story of a man coming into his own and realizing his destiny lies in the wild open spaces with the man who loves him, far from expectations of society.

Pages or Words: 302 pages

Categories: Fiction, Gay Fiction, Historical, M/M Romance, Romance, Western/Cowboy

Excerpt:

The day before the wedding, a visitor arrived at Vista Verde an entire week early. Renaldo, ready to wash up and eat dinner after a long, hard day—his side ached from roping cattle as a part of Paloma's training, his hands were full of bits of raw hemp from the stock lassos, and one of the calves had kicked him high on the thigh—walked back from the barn using his hat to slap at the dust on his chest and thighs. He noticed a tall, striking young black man standing at the door to their home speaking with their father. They didn't see many black men this far from civilization—with the Civil War ending so recently, many were staying close to where they'd been forced to live, were heading far out west where there were more opportunities to make a new life or were going north seeking less hostile society. Who he could be?

He was about as tall as Renaldo, maybe an inch or two more, broad-shouldered and whip-thin, dressed in well-worn, simple clothes. He had a close-cropped beard, but instead of hiding the shape of his jaw, it accented its sharpness. His light eyes, almost luminescent even at this distance and glowing like amber, were ringed with thick lashes, nearly to the point of being girlish, but there was nothing feminine about the man. With his lean but strong-looking chest, muscular arms and curved backside, he managed to carry himself with a confident air while standing idly; his body was still, but in a way that made Renaldo think of a raptor sitting on an abutment, watching and waiting.

“Oh, here he is,” Estebán said, motioning for Renaldo to join them, saying, “Señor Burnett, allow me to introduce to you my son, Renaldo.”

This? This was the legendary mesteñero, Henry Burnett? He couldn't be much older than Renaldo, who realized his jaw had dropped. He closed his mouth quickly and moved toward them as if drawn like metal shavings to a magnet.

Burnett, however, looked amused, as the edge of his mouth quirked up. “Pleased to meet you,” he said, his voice deep and husky.

Renaldo couldn't look away, shocked that his expectations couldn't have been more wrong. This was a vibrant young man. But... this was the man he would be alone with on the prairie for months? His stomach twisted at that thought, and at how unexpected it all was, causing his heart to race and face flush. Yes, it was unexpected. That Burnett had come so much sooner than they'd expected had to be why Renaldo couldn't find his voice and felt so upended.

“Mijo,” his father said sharply.

Renaldo shook himself slightly, and then nodded, saying, “Señor Burnett, it's very good to meet you, finally. Please forgive my shock, as I don't believe we expected you so soon.”

Burnett laughed, a rolling, melodious sound, and replied, “Well, then just imagine my shock when I come here all the way from Nacogdoches expecting one Valle man, only to find him gone and you in his place.” He smiled. “Your padre seems to think you're a better match, so that works for me.”

That smile, bright teeth framed by full lips, eyes crinkled at the corners, helped lessen some of Renaldo's shock and, if he was being honest, some of the worry that he carried about spending a lot of time with a hard, taciturn man Renaldo knew he would be unable to please. At the realization that this was who he would be with on the plains, just the two of them with no one else for weeks on end, Renaldo became excited, finally looking forward to this task. A young man with an infectious grin wouldn't be such a chore to be stuck with after all.

Author Interview:

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Laura Stone, author of  Bitter Springs.  Hi Laura, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book. Hello! It's a pleasure to be here, thank you! I'm Texan through and through, which means I want to feed you, tell you stories, and top off your shot of tequila. I'm also a Texas Master Gardener and love helping folks in their landscape. My two oldest children are in college, and the baby is a high schooler who still lets me cuddle her, so life is pretty great. What inspired this story? I was driving back from my sister's in Phoenix and decided to stop off in Tombstone. I'd never been there before, so why not? Well, the OK Corral and all is pretty touristy, but Boothill cemetery is fascinating. Most people were buried next to their loved ones. However, I found two fellas who were buried together, as requested. The documentation there says they were “inseparable pals,” which is usually code for lovers. Now, I don't know that Frank Hart and Bobby Jackson were more than just the best of friends, but that got me to thinking about how many men and women back then saw the opportunity to live freely out West without the watchful eyes of the church, what that would be like and how it could work, which led to learning just how common it was. And here we are. What are your favorite qualities about each of these main characters? Renaldo is the quintessential baby of the family, adored and not asked much of by his family. He's not selfish, and in fact, he's rather unaware of who he really is, which is when we meet him. I loved his story, where the more he learns about someone else, he learns about himself. In my head, his story is a lot like Dorothy stepping out of the farmhouse and seeing something bigger than he ever imagined when it comes to his own talents and his feelings for Hank. Hank, oh, I love Hank. Here we have a man who has every reason to distrust others, a man who so easily could have been filled with anger and rage, and yet spends his life finding other lost beings and offers them the chance to live happily, to be cared for. He is a man who so desperately wants to love and be loved, to have someone reach back for him and offer him a life of love. So it's just perfect that they meet each other, isn't it? When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? Probably when I was in high school, where I had a few English teachers who really took me under their wing and helped me develop my own voice. I didn't know if I could ever make it a reality, but the longing for the written word as a career definitely came about around that time. What is your favorite genre to read? If it's a devastated future world with a plucky band of survivors trying to make it, I'm there.  Can you share the project(s) you are currently working on? I'd love to! This is a short story I wrote years ago for a friend of mine going through a hard time (similar to the main character) and needed to be given a hopeful ending. AND IT CAME TO PASS, coming in late Spring 2016, is a novella about Adam Young, a devout Mormon on his mission in Barcelona who falls in love with his mission companion and has to reconcile his growing feelings with the teachings of his church. It's respectful to both sides of the story, but is really about Adam coming into his own, and hopefully in one piece. As I mentioned, this one is really personal as I also went through similar issues when I was a devout Mormon preparing for my mission, and hopefully my readers will come to love Adam and Brandon as much as I do.

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

Renaldo is the baby of his family along with his twin Calandaría in 1870 Texas. After his brother Silvestre is sent away by his family to Mexico, he has to step up and take his place training under Henry 'Hank' Burnett, a freed slave and famed horse-catcher. Renaldo has never felt attracted to women, but it isn't until he starts developing feelings for Hank during their trip that he realizes the reason why. However, much as he'd like to explore those feelings, there's nothing saying that Hank will respond to them, would he? 

I really enjoyed this story. I felt transported back to Texas in 1870 as I read. The language, the descriptions, the imagery, just about everything just made this book a fantastic experience. There are some very powerful scenes where I would suddenly find myself crying, they were so full of emotion. I loved the way this all played out. The tension as Renaldo realizes he's attracted to Hank and after they get together, knowing that once they go back to Renaldo's family ranch things might not be the same again for them both. The only complaint I have with this story was with the Spanish parts, being a native speaker myself, I found myself cringing at some of the misused or misspelled words, but aside from that, well, this book was heartbreaking and bittersweet and I just couldn't put it down until I finished it. 

Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!

Buy the book:

Interlude Press Web Store: store.interludepress.com

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Apple ~ Smashwords

Meet the author:

Laura Stone is a born and bred Texan, but don't hold that against her. She's a former comedian, actress and Master Gardener, and currently keeps busy as a media blogger, ghostwriter and novelist when not busy raising her three children. They're not fully raised, but then, neither is she.

She lives in Texas as proof that it's not completely populated by hard-line right-wingers. And because that's where the good tamales are. Her first novel, The Bones of You, was published by Interlude Press in 2014 and was named a finalist for two Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book of the Year Award. Laura Stone at Laura-Stone.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/9LauraStone

Where to find the author:

Facebook: facebook.com/9LauraStone
Twitter: @stoneyboboney
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26223113-bitter-springs
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Collen M. Good

Tour Dates & Stops:

3-Dec: MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, It’s Raining Men, Hearts on Fire

4-Dec: Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Gay Book Reviews, Divine Magazine

7-Dec: Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Unquietly Me, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Bayou Book Junkie

8-Dec: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, My Fiction Nook

9-Dec: Elin Gregory, TTC Books and More

10-Dec: Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Michael Mandrake, Love Bytes

11-Dec: Inked Rainbow Reads, Jessie G. Books

14-Dec: Dawn’s Reading Nook, QUEERcentric Books, Happily Ever Chapter

15-Dec: Cheekypee Reads and Reviews, Emotion in Motion

16-Dec: BFD Book Blog, Prism Book Alliance

Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card, First Prize: One of five e-copies of 'Bitter Springs'