Virtual Book Tour ~ New Hand by L.A. Witt (Review + Giveaway)

Virtual Book Tour ~ New Hand by L.A. Witt (Giveaway)

About New Hand

Months after his husband’s death, Garrett Blaine desperately needs a fresh start. He sells his house in Seattle, leaves his accounting job, and starts bartending in Bluewater Bay. There he meets a man who wakes up his nearly forgotten libido.

Jesse Connelly’s friend with benefits bolted after Jesse disclosed his HIV status. Stood up and stinging, Jesse tries to drown his sorrows . . . and finds an unexpected connection with a lonely bartender.

Jesse and Garrett quickly bond over a shared love of comics and card games, and they can’t get enough of each other between the sheets. Not even a bumpy start and a fifteen-year age gap can derail them as they go from strangers to lovers, then friends, then much more.

But as Garrett’s feelings for Jesse deepen, so does his grief for the man he lost—especially as he sees hints of his late husband in his new boyfriend. Now Garrett has to figure out if Jesse is his second chance at true love, or if Jesse’s just filling in for the man he’s never fully grieved. And he needs to figure it out soon, because Jesse’s starting to wonder the same thing.

Available now from Riptide Publishing!

About Bluewater Bay

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

This collaborative story world is brought to you by eleven award-winning, best-selling LGBTQ romance authors: L.A. Witt, L.B. Gregg, Z.A. Maxfield,  Heidi Belleau, Rachel Haimowitz, Anne Tenino, Amy Lane, SE Jakes, G.B. Gordon, Jaime Samms and Ally Blue. Each contemporary novel stands alone, but all are built around the town and the people of Bluewater Bay and the Wolf’s Landing media empire.

Check it out at Riptide Publishing!

4.5 Stars!

After Jesse is stood up by his date, after disclosing his HIV status, he meets widower bartender Garrett, who recently moved to Bluewater Bay. The two of them hit it off despite their age difference and start dating, however, after Charlie's reaction, Jesse is wary of telling Garrett that he's positive and Garrett is having trouble dealing with his grief and deciding if what he feels for Jesse is real or if he's just a stand-in for the man he lost.

I loved Jesse and I wanted to kill Charlie for standing him up like he did, although it ultimately worked in Jesse's favor. My heart broke for Jesse's pain at being dismissed so callously for being HIV positive and made his reticence and then his reaction to Garrett's shock when Jesse finally told him about it understandable. Ms. Witt did a great job with this whole angle, being informative and sensitive about the subject matter, without going overboard. Jesse was sweet, understanding and supportive and I just loved how he wanted to help Garrett in any way he could.

I really liked Garrett, although there were moments in which I just wanted to scream or throw my Kindle away. I understood he was grieving and that it's a process, but the push and pull got tiresome after a while. It's like he was doing well, then someone said something and he was back to square one and doubting himself and whatever he might have been feeling for Jesse. It got a bit repetitive, though. Still, the chemistry between Jesse and Garrett was outstanding. They were hot together and when Garrett wasn't being difficult, they just fit together so perfectly despite their age difference. Never mind that even if I've said it before, LA Witt just writes the most amazing kisses. *dreamy sigh*

I really liked the supporting cast and while this is my first Bluewater Bay book, I feel like it really could be read as a standalone. That doesn't mean that I won't be looking for some of the other books, since I was intrigued by some of the characters featured in this story.

All in all, this was a great introduction to the series for me (and yes, I'm aware it's the last book), it was enjoyable, well-written, interesting, with great characters that I was totally rooting for and really good storylines. Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided via NetGalley by Riptide Publishing for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

About LA Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

Connect with L.A.:

• Website: www.gallagherwitt.com
• Author Blog: gallagherwitt.blogspot.com
• Personal Blog: navywifeadventures.blogspot.
• Twitter: @GallagherWitt
• Facebook: facebook.com//L-A-Witt-MM-Fiction
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/GallagherWitt

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of New Hand, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit and their choice of two ebooks off LA Witt’s backlist (not counting New Hand)! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!