Showing posts with label L.J. LaBarthe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L.J. LaBarthe. Show all posts

Monday, June 29, 2015

Book Blast: M/M ~ Brick by Brick by Cate Ashwood & L.J. LaBarthe ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: M/M ~ Brick by Brick by Cate Ashwood & L.J. LaBarthe ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Author Name: Cate Ashwood & L.J. LaBarthe
Book Name: Brick by Brick
Release Date: June 29, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Bree Archer
Goodreads

Buy The Book:

Blurb:

They say that time heals all wounds, but losing Parley, his one true love, left Zach with a hole in his heart that no one else can fill. After forty-eight blissful hours alone together as teens in an abandoned house, Parley disappeared. Parley is what he is, and the pray-away-the-gay camp his parents ship him to won’t change that. However, finding the balance between accepting his true nature and not losing his family means tough sacrifices.
Sixteen years later, Zach is thunderstruck when Parley stands on the front doorstep of his house—the house that had been their refuge, which Zach restored. But Parley isn’t alone, and Zach wonders if he’s found Parley only to lose him a second time. If they can overcome the terrors of the past and the situation of the present, maybe they can build a new relationship just as Zach rebuilt the house—brick by brick.

Pages or Words: 62,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay fiction, M/M Romance

Excerpt:
ZACH FELT as if he was floating. He’d been planning this escape for weeks, but now that it was actually happening, it didn’t seem real. He chanced a quick look at Parley as they merged onto the highway. What could possibly be better than running away with his best friend?
He’d had his doubts that Parley would actually come with him. After being turned down the first time, Zach had prepared himself for disappointment, but now they were leaving together and Zach couldn’t have been happier.

“Where should we go?” Zach asked. He had some vague ideas in mind, but he wanted his friend’s input more than anything.

“I don’t know. Somewhere we can’t be found?” Zach was right on board with that.

“That’s a good idea. We’ll go for a bit on this highway, then we’ll exit and take some back roads, maybe head toward the interior.”

Parley dropped his head back against the seat. “Perfect.” After a time, he said, “I still can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“I still can’t believe you came with me,” Zach countered.

“I can’t either. I must be insane.”

“Or brilliant. It’s usually a fine line,” Zach teased.

“My parents are going to have an absolute meltdown once they’ve found out what I’ve done. They’re going to be so upset.”

Parley’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. Zach had seen him like this once before when he’d thought he’d lost his weird CTR ring with the spinner chain in the band.

“It’ll all be okay.” Zach tried to soothe him, to bring him back to the present, and rested a gentle hand on Parley’s knee. “Everyone flies from the nest sooner or later. We just did it in an unconventional way. I really do think this is what’s best, though, for both of us.”

Zach’s reassurance seemed to work. Parley blinked slowly a few times and then a somewhat disheartened smile crept onto his face. “I know, but my family is just… different.” 

Tracy's Review:

4 Stars

*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*

Parley and Zach meet in high school. Parley is a good academic student, very Christian and quiet.

Zach is the total opposite. He is loud and curses. He is into sports, but not doing so well academically.

Parley and Zach are thrown into one another's lives when Parley tutors Zach. Even though they are not alike, they find a common a ground and form a strong friendship.

Zach knows he'll never be good enough to go to college like his parents aspect him to, so he decides after his finals are all taken, he will run away. He asks Parley, his best friend to go with him. Parley says no at first, but quickly changes his mind. He is in love with Zach and can't see his life without him.

The two don't make it far before the beater Zach bought breaks down. They are eventually caught and brought back to their parents. Zach tries to see Parley, but his parents have sent him away, to a conversion camp. I'm going to stop right here and thank the authors. I have read The Pray The Gay Away series by Sara York, and when I got to this point in the book, I almost closed it. I can't take that. It tore me up more than almost anything I have ever read, when I read those scenes in Sara's series. Thank God, the authors skip ahead 16 years. We see none of the gory details.

After 16 years Parley shows up on Zach's door step. Zach has spent the past 16 years never giving up hope that he would find Parley. He has never given up on his one true love.

This was a good story, and I enjoyed it. It was well written and different. Different in the fact that usually we would start the story either as a prologue or in the present, but here we see things in real time, as they happen, until the point these young men are torn apart.

The characters had a good chemistry, and the relationship developed slowly when they were teens, but when they get together as adults, I felt things were a bit rushed. The authors didn't really take the time to have the characters get reacquainted, and get to know each other again. 16 years is a long time and experiences change people. I just wish the authors would have taken things a little more gradually in the second half of the book.

The relationship between the main characters was sweet and intense. The secondary characters of Zach's assistant, Tessa, and Parley's friend, Veronica and his Sister Emma, play a big part in this book. Sometimes with Veronica, almost too big of a part. I wish she would have been kept more as a background character, and more time devoted to Parley and Zach.

All in all this was a good story and I enjoyed it.



About The Authors:
About L.J. LaBarthe:
L.J. LaBarthe is a French-Australian woman, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she went on to write a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school yearbook, her university newspaper, and, from her early teens to her twenties, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English and a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places, urbex, history, and researching.

L.J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, and contemporary Australian stories, usually m/m romance and featuring m/m erotica. She has won a Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention and another award for Best Historical Gay Novel.

L.J. lives in the city of Adelaide, and is owned by her cat.

Where to find L.J LaBarthe:
Twitter: @brbsiberia


About Cate Ashwood:
Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot-pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.

Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband, her little boy, and their two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.

Where to find Cate Ashwood:
Twitter: @cateashwood


Tour Dates & Stops:
Rafflecopter Prize: An e-copy of ‘Brick by Brick’

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Book Blast: M/M ~ Waiting for the Moon and You by L.J. LaBarthe ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Book Blast: M/M ~ Waiting for the Moon and You by L.J. LaBarthe ~ (ARC Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)
Book Information:
Author Name: L.J. LaBarthe
Book Name: Waiting for the Moon and You
Release Date: April 27, 2015
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Buy The Book:



Blurb: 

All his life, Leith has loved Aaron, and all his life, Leith has wondered if Aaron returns his feelings. Through high school, college, and beyond, Leith and Aaron are drawn together and pulled apart. Leith is finally convinced he and Aaron are not meant to be when a cowardly act of violence against Leith changes everything.
Aaron returns to Leith's side, but Leith struggles to accept that Aaron can love him now.
If Leith doesn’t overcome his doubts and fears, he will forever be waiting for the moon and Aaron… and true love.

Pages or Words: 240 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance


Excerpt:

“I miss those high school days, where the most pressing thing we had to worry about was whether we’d get a passing grade on a paper. I’m so pissed at myself that I missed the births of my niece and nephew. God, those kids are so adorable. And I missed the births of Aisha and Shahid’s twins! I’ve seen the photos on Facebook: they are such beautiful little girls. I’m real glad I’m home for her second pregnancy. I don’t want to be separate from my friends again. Or my family. God.” He shook his head. “I really am getting old.”
“Nostalgic isn’t old,” I said.
“Guess not. Anyway, what I most regret is something I’ve thought about off and on for years. Back in high school, since the prom, I kept thinking about one thing. I have to tell you this. I’ve had a crush on you forever. Since that night. I thought, why did I go to the prom with what’s-her-name, when I really wanted to go with you? And I know why, and it’s dumb, but I was scared that everyone would give me shit for being gay. Which I know I am now, not bi. I thought I was bi, but life and experience have taught me to be honest with myself, and I am completely gay. And I’m rambling. Shit. But. That was it. I’ve had a crush on you since high school, and I’m kicking myself for never doing anything about it.”
I had no idea what to say to him. His words filled me in ways I’d never imagined, and I had none of my own to respond with.
“Leith?”
“Wow,” I said.
“That a good wow or a bad wow?”
“It’s a wow wow. Just give me a minute.”
“Okay. But I want you to know that even though there’s this… thing I feel, I want us to be friends. We were friends first, and that’s the most important thing to me. Can we be friends still?” The question was asked in a plaintive tone.
I stopped walking, and turned to look at him. My knee gave a twinge, and I ignored it. Then was certainly not the time for a flare, I sternly told myself. No pain tonight!
“Aaron, I am completely floored. I have no idea what to tell you. Just one thing, of course we’re friends. Like you said, we were friends first, and that’s too damn important to me to throw away. The rest… god.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you’d like me back,” Aaron said.
“What?”
“It’s been too long, I know. Too much water under the bridge. So—”
“Shut up.” I reached for him before I knew what I was doing. I cupped his face between my hands, leaned in, and kissed him.
For a moment, a single heartbeat that felt as if it lasted forever, there was no reaction. And then Aaron leaned into me, his mouth opening to mine, his arms sliding around my waist, and he kissed me back. We stood together on the street, kissing each other as if our lives depended on it, as if the only way to survive was to draw oxygen from each other’s lungs. It felt so good, so natural, and so perfect that the only thing that went through my mind was Finally!


Tracy's review:

4 Stars

*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher via Pride Promotions in exchange for an honest review*


I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is written in kind of a memoir form, with Leith as the narrator. We see his life in High School, and College and through the years beyond, until his mid 30's. The other main character, Aaron leaves to go to college and we only see him once in the 15 years he is gone. There are a few letters, emails and PM's but he isn't a huge part of this story, until the very end. Most books would have skipped ahead to the present, but this author doesn't. She takes us through Leith's life through all the years and all his trial and tribulations he faces. She takes us through years of wanting Aaron and Aaron wanting Leith as well, but neither of them having the courage to make the first move.

Even once they admit it, it still takes them years to act on it. I loved the plot. The story was very well written. I usually don't like books written in this form, but I really did enjoy it. The author captured my attention and held it. I was never once bored. The story flowed well and moved at a good pace.

I loved the secondary characters. These were an amazing set of friends, and I think it's awesome that the meet regularly even into their 40's. The secondary characters were all well developed and added to the story nicely.

So why not 5 stars, since I've gloated about how much I loved this book? I wanted more time in the present. I wanted to see Leith and Aaron's relationship develop. The last 20% is told with them as a couple, but in my opinion it wasn't enough. The relationship felt forced for a while. Until the very last scene I didn't feel the connection between Leith and Aaron like I thought I should. I think a few chapters could have been cut and more of them as a couple could have been added. I also never really felt that Leith grew up. He still felt like a little kid, living with his parents until his mid 30's, and only holding down two part time jobs. It seemed all his friends grew and moved on, and Leith was left behind still feeling like a college student. Leith needed more character growth, I think.

This is my 1st book by this author, but I'll be looking into more in the future.




About the author:
L.J. LaBarthe is a French-Australian woman, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she went on to write a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school yearbook, her university newspaper, and, from her early teens to her twenties, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English and a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places, urbex, history, and researching.
L.J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, and contemporary Australian stories, usually m/m romance and featuring m/m erotica. She has won a Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention and another award for Best Historical Gay Novel.
L.J. lives in the city of Adelaide, and is owned by her cat.

Where to find the author:



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)