Virtual Book Tour: Five Dares by Eli Easton (Reviews + Giveaway)

About Five Dares

Andy Tyler has been the class daredevil since middle school. Over the years, he’s convinced his best friend, Jake Masterson, to perform some dangerous-looking stunts with him. But the dare they attempt on the night of their college graduation goes sideways. The firecrackers explode too soon and both of them end up with badly burned palms.

But hey, nothing gets the “terrible two-o” down for long, and they recuperate in style at Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod. As the weeks go by, both Andy and Jake grow frustrated over the inability to use their hands for all sorts of daily activities—including getting off. So Andy begins a new series of dares that don’t just cross the friendship line, they obliterate it.

But what might be mere sexual relief to Andy is serious business to Jake, who only recently got over years of secret pining for his straight best friend. Inevitably, the burns heal, summer ends, and hearts are broken. To fix things, Andy will have to face the greatest dare of all.

5 Stars!

Andy likes to perform dangerous-looking stunts and Jake, his best friend, is the perfect wingman for them. It all goes well until the dare they try on the night of their graduation from college goes awry and both Andy and Jake end up with their hands badly burnt and with them unable to use them for anything until they heal.

Andy convinces Jake to stay with him at his family's cottage, where they'll have someone to clean up after them and cook them meals and a nurse that helps them shower and clean their wounds. However, eight weeks is a long time not to use their hands and both of them grow increasingly frustrated.

When Andy proposes Jake to help each other get off, Jake knows he should refuse. He's been crushing on his best friend for a long time and it's taken him a long time to get to a point where he is almost over him, but Jake's never been able to resist Andy for long and soon the line between friendship and something more is crossed. However, Jake is leaving to work in California as soon as they heal, and Andy is straight, so it's a moot point anyway, or is it?

I absolutely adored Jake. I found him endearing and sweet. Andy was oblivious and practically had to have it pointed out to him in neon to realize what had been in front of him all the time. I have to admit it took me a bit to warm up to Andy, I wasn't too sure what to make of his behavior, but when I realized what was behind it all, well, my heart broke for him. There's a scene in which I had my heart at my throat and my eyes full of tears and I wanted to curse at Andy's dad for all the expectations he'd piled upon him since he was just a kid and then just gather Andy in my arms and promise it would be alright. *sighs*

I loved Jake and Andy together. They had unbelievable chemistry and were hot together, but they were also the best of friends and they had a fantastic rapport. It was so fun to see them goofing off and just being there for each other.

While I wasn't much of a fan of Andy's father, I was happy he wasn't truly a jerk and he was open to discussion eventually.

All in all, Five Dares was an awesome read! It was well-written, sweet, fun, sexy with some heartwrenching angst that thankfully didn't last long. I loved how Eli Easton blended some scenes of past dares into the present story so we could see there was more to them than what met the eye and seeing Andy and Jake's relationship change from friendship to love, even if it was a somewhat rocky path, it was well worth it. Definitely recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review. ***

5 Stars

When I saw this story on NetGalley I couldn’t request it fast enough and I wasn’t disappointed!!

Andy is a daredevil and he’s always sure to have his best friend and wingman, Jake at his side and sometimes as a participant in said dares, but when his latest dare on the night they graduate from college, involving fireworks goes wrong, both Andy and Jake end up with badly burned hands, so they decide their best course of action is to stay at Andy’s parents cottage on the Nantucket Sound for the summer while they heal. Andy’s parents hire a nurse to come in to help with their needs, as well as someone to prepare their meals and snacks for them.

As the summer progresses Andy becomes increasingly turned on and with no apparent outlet in sight, he proposes the idea to Jake that perhaps they should help one another out with this situation. Jake knows he should say no. He’s had a crush on Andy forever and has finally prepared himself for their inevitable separation when he leaves for a job out in California, while Andy stays back in Boston to attend law school at Harvard. Unfortunately Jake has never been able to say no to Andy, and this time is no exception.

I absolutely loved Jake. He was sweet, caring, funny and loyal and my heart broke for him and his unrequited love for his best friend. Andy, well, I wasn’t so sure about Andy at first. While it’s good to be goal-oriented and want a secure future, if you aren’t happy what’s the point? As we slowly pull the layers away and learn more about Andy and his relationship with his parents, I felt bad for him. His father put too much on his young shoulders for far too long. Andy’s parents didn’t bother to sit down and listen to what he wanted. And when it all finally came to a head, my heart absolutely broke for Andy and it made me want to strangle his father.

Together, Andy and Jake were electric. The chemistry and connection between them was out of this world and they were hot together. I loved the progression of their relationship and the speed at which they explored their sexual attraction, it was natural considering Andy had never been with a guy or even found himself attracted to one before. I loved the back and forth witty banter between them and I enjoyed getting to see first hand some of the previous and more dangerous dares from their youth.

All in all, Five Dares was an emotional story filled with sadness and confusion, but also with friendship, laughter, love, some hot sex and an absolutely swoon-worthy moment, I know I’ll never be able to listen to Ed Sheeran’s Living Out Loud again and not think of Andy and Jake, that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommended!

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

GoodReads || Riptide

About Eli Easton

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, an author of paranormal thrillers, a fan-fiction writer, an organic farmer, and a profound sleeper, Eli Easton is happy these days writing love stories.

As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, three bulldogs, two cows, a cat, and a potbellied pig. She enjoys reading in all genres and, when she can be pried away from her iPad, hiking and biking.

Eli Easton has published 24 books in m/m romance since 2013. She won the Rainbow Award for Best Contemporary Romance in 2014 (The Mating of Michael) and in 2016 (A Second Harvest). Her Howl at the Moon series of humorous dog shifter romances have become fan favorites and placed in the Rainbow Awards and the Goodreads M/M Group Reader’s Choice awards. She is best known for romances with humor and a lot of heart.

Connect with Eli:

• Website: www.elieaston.com
• Facebook
• Twitter: @EliEaston

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Five Dares, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 7, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!