Book Blog Tour: M/M ~ Redeeming Hope by Shell Taylor ~ (5 Star Book Review, Excerpt, Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway)
Title: Redeeming Hope
Author: Shell Taylor
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Length: Novel – 206 Pages
Release Date: October 5, 2015
Blurb: Home for Hope: Book One
Fifteen years ago Elijah Langley’s world came to an abrupt halt with the death of his high school boyfriend. He keeps his past—and his sexual orientation—hidden until he attends a fundraiser for The Center for HOPE, an LGBT youth center, where he meets Adam Lancaster, HOPE’s infuriatingly stubborn and sexy founder.
A survivor of a turbulent childhood, Adam understands better than most the challenges his youth face. He’s drawn to Elijah’s baby blues and devilish smile but refuses to compromise his values and climb back into the closet for anyone—not even the man showering time and money on HOPE. Months of constant flirting wear down Adam’s resolve until he surrenders to his desires, but Elijah can’t shake his demons.
When a youth from the center is brutally assaulted, Elijah must find a way to confront the fears and memories that are starting to ruin his life, so he can stand strong for those he loves.
Eli clutched the glossy
eight-by-ten as tears welled in his eyes. He could hardly believe the
emaciated, washed-out figure in the picture was the same person he’d centered
his entire world around just a few weeks earlier. Eli would recognize that face
anywhere. God knows, he’d spent enough time staring at it—running his fingers
over those soft lips, sucking on the kidney-shaped birthmark just below the
ear. He never imagined he’d see those eyes so lifeless.
“It’s him,” Eli whispered,
dropping the picture on the officer’s desk.
His mother rested a hand on
his shoulder. “E.J.—”
“Don’t pretend to care, now
that he’s dead.” Eli shrugged out of her grasp and clenched his jaw to hold in
the gut-wrenching sobs brewing in his chest. “Will I need to identify the body
in person too?”
The officer avoided Eli’s
eyes, but his voice was kind. “If you’re certain, this is good enough for us.
He’ll be released in the next thirty-six hours. Will you be claiming him, or
will the city keep him?”
Eli’s eyes widened, and panic
ripped through his heart. He’d never expected the search to end with a dead
body, and there was no way he’d be able to give his boyfriend the funeral he
deserved—the one Eli owed him for his own part in Brian’s death. Prepared to
beg, he turned and met his father’s eyes for the first time since Brian
disappeared from their house almost three weeks earlier.
“We’ll take care of his
arrangements.” Eli’s mother spoke quietly but firmly, and his father dipped his
chin in silent agreement.
Relief carried Eli back to his parents’ car, but grief
consumed him as soon as he slid into the back seat. Burying his head in his
knees, he shut out the rest of the world. Eli didn’t leave the quiet safety of
the car until long after he arrived home, his cheeks crusted with salty tears
from mourning the loss of the future he’d been so sure of.
“You ready?” Elijah asked.
“Yep,” Adam chirped. “Not much could make this day better.”
Elijah cringed. He didn’t miss the subtle dig or the falseness in Adam’s tone.
“Listen… about the other night—”
Adam held up his hand and finally raised his eyes to meet Elijah’s. “You don’t owe me anything. You don’t want your father to know how you spend your time and money. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s not as simple as that—”
“It never is, Elijah. Best not to forget what I do for a living. I’ve heard it all.”
Elijah opened his mouth to argue again but couldn’t find the right words. Adam was right. There’d been plenty of instances over the past several weeks when Elijah could’ve let Adam in and told him about his past…. Brian… his guilt. Instead of sharing something real about himself with someone who would actually get it, someone who would actually care, he’d stuck to business as usual. He’d let his guard down enough to consider Adam a friend, but he hadn’t treated him like one. Why should Adam give him a chance to explain? He heard far worse stories than Elijah’s all the time. The last thing he expected Adam to do was to coddle and coax Elijah’s fucked-up past out of him.
“Look,” Adam sighed. “I don’t mean to be callous, but maybe this isn’t the best time for this, okay? Right now, I need you to do what you do best, and be the business guy. Make sure the bank hasn’t screwed us and we didn’t miss anything. Can you do that?”
“Yeah,” Elijah nodded. “No problem.”
Adam took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Thank you.”
Tracy's review:
5 Stars
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Author/Publisher via Creative Minds in Exchange for an honest review**
This was a really enjoyable read. It held me captivated from the first sentence, and I didn't want to put it down. I loved the story. It was very well written. Adam and Elijah while they were sometimes infuriating, both were likable characters. They had a good chemistry and passion. You just had to root for them to let go of their past hurts and let one another in.
Adam is open, loving and giving. He cares deeply for the youth at HOPE, the LGBT center he runs. He has big dreams along with a big heart and wants to help all the kids he can. He doesn't flaunt being gay, but he doesn't hide it either.
After a great loss at a young age, Elijah buried the hurt deep, becoming a workaholic. He hides the fact that he is attracted to men. He has been shut down and closed off, as well as closeted for years. When he meets 15 year old Kollin, one of the kids from the center they hit it off. Elijah attends a fundraiser for the center where he meets Adam. There is an instant attraction for both men. Elijah lights up and becomes a different person when he's around Adam and Kollin.
I loved the relationship and interactions between Adam, Elijah and Kollin. I adored Kollin's character. All three were extremely well developed and Kollin definitely lent some comic relief to this emotional story.
His book flowed well and was a pleasure to read. I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for Book two Resurrecting Hope, the continuation of Adam, Elijah and Kollin's story! Highly recommended!
Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility rather than hatred and judgement, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She just recently learned how to crochet to start bombarding new mothers with matching hats and booties. She is a huge Marvel fan and because of the superhero-plastered tees paired with jeans and Chucks has been told when helping out in her son’s classroom that she looks more like the students than a parent. Her favorite way to procrastinate is to binge watch entire seasons on Netflix. Best of all, she’s been married ten years to a man who’s turned out to be everything she never knew she needed.
Winner’s Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card.
Runner-up’s Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card.
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