Ever The Same by BA Tortuga ~ (5 Star ARC Review, Excerpt, Exclusive Excerpt, + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Book Name: Ever The Same
Book One in the series
Author Name: BA Tortuga
Release Date: February 27, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Christy Caughie
Pages or Words: 256 pages
Blurb:
Audie Barrack is in it up to his elbows with a sick calf when his son’s school calls. Seems Grainger has gotten into yet another fight. When he walks into the principal’s office, he’s shocked to find his son has been fighting with a little girl named Randi.
A little girl with one blind dad and one dad who recently passed away.
Goddammit.
Dixon has lost his sight, his career, and his husband. Thank God for his brothers, Momma and Daddy, and his little girl, or he would simply give up. The last thing he needs is for Randi to start trouble at school, especially trouble that puts him in contact with another dad who might expect him to be a functional human being.
Dixon is struggling to live as a blind man, Audie is terrified someone might see he has a closet to come out of, and everyone from the school to both men’s families is worried for the men and their children. Unless they get themselves together and commit to change, neither of them stands a chance.
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, Western/Cowboy
Excerpt:
“It’s not like him to pick on someone who’s having a hard time.”
“Of course it’s not. Randi’s the one that’s the vicious little bitch, right?”
Damn, Mr. Snooty could snap.
“Dixon!”
“What? She’s had a shit life for the last year. She lost one of her dads, she had to leave Austin and her friends and her school, and suddenly she’s the fucking bad guy?”
“Hey, I never said my boy was perfect,” Audie said, snarling a little himself. “He’s managed to get to six without trying to kill anyone, though, so this is new. Back off.”
“Enough. No one is saying either of these children are bad. Randi has a huge number of hurdles to overcome, and Grainger is a shy little boy with a tendency to follow the crowd. Neither of these children have mothers at home, and I was hoping we could brainstorm some ways to help Randi feel included with the others.”
This was ridiculous. It wasn’t his fucking job to make sure this asshole’s little brat felt like she didn’t need to punch his son anymore.
“That’s her teacher’s job, Shannon.” Audie was through with this shit. “I’ll tell my boy to stay away from her. Can we go now?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. Mr. White….”
“I’ll talk to her. If it happens again, I’ll… shit, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ll make it up as I go along.” The guy stood, and his mom handed him a cane. A white cane.
Oh, Jesus fucking Christ. Seriously? Seriously, Grainger picked the kid with a blind dad and a dead….
Wait
Exclusive Excerpt:
He was going to make Grainger miss time with his granddad. Dad loved his boy, even if they only saw each other a couple days in a month. Losing that time would break Grainger’s heart. Oh hell. An hour without his DS would make that boy ready to promise to be good forever. Maybe a day without helping Daddy feed the horses too. His kid had a real thing for the horses. Audie whistled up Duke, their border collie. No way could he leave that evil smart dog home with a sick calf. He’d worry the poor thing to death.
Bright eyes gleaming, Duke jumped up into the truck. He was ready to go. Go, go, go.
Silly pup.
Audie headed into town, wondering what kind of kid could make Grainger fight. Not once, but in a series of fights. His son was quiet, laid-back, the sort of kid that people liked. Not a scrapper. Not like Audie had been, and God knew he’d earned his share of trouble.
He pulled up in front of the school twenty minutes later and sat, taking a deep breath.
“Okay. Whatever it is, I’ll deal. I’ll make Grainger apologize and then threaten to whip his butt.”
Tracy's review:
5 Stars
**This book was provided to me by the author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review**
Audie and Dixon meet when they are called to the principal's office, after Dixon's daughter, Randi punches Audie's son, Grainger.
Audie is a cowboy. He raises houses and helps run the family ranch. Dixon was a musician before a terrible accident left his husband dead and him blind.
This was a really good book. I loved both the characters. Audie was so sweet and so accepting of Dixon's disability. Always trying to not only help, but encourage him. He really believed that Dixon could do anything he put his mind to and he let him know it. He was Dixon's own personal cheerleader.
My heart broke for Dixon. He felt so worthless and useless. His tries not to feel sorry for himself, but it slips in every now and then.
I loved the dynamic of the relationship between all 4 of the MC's. Grainger and Randi play a huge part in this book, and I loved that the author truly made the book about the 4 of them and Grainger and Randi didn't get lost in the shuffle.
Audie and Dixon had a great chemistry and connection. They were sweet together, and I loved their relationship. Although the book had an underlying angst, the book isn't packed with it. I thought it started a bit slow, but picked up after the first few chapters. It flowed well and kept me turning the pages.
Buying The Book:
About The Author:
Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing porn sites in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.
Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has headed to the high desert mountains. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.
Where To Find The Author:
Twitter: @batortuga
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