WHY LOVE MATTERS: a charity book release by Jay Northcote

Why Love Matters by Jay Northcote

Length: 209 KB / Short Story

Date: June 15, 2016

Details: FanFic / Charity title

Own / E-book

The blurb:

All royalties from sales of this story will be split equally between two LGBT charities: The Human Rights Campaign in the USA and Stonewall in the UK.

Alastair needs help overcoming issues with touch and physical intimacy in order to clinch a business deal with some demonstrative Italians who prefer hugging to handshakes.

Martin, his assistant, has the perfect solution. His mother runs cuddle workshops, which could help Alastair overcome his fears--if he's brave enough to try. Alastair is nervous not only about the workshop, but also because he will be sharing a room with Martin, who's starred in his fantasies more often than an assistant should.

Alastair reluctantly decides to give it a try, so they head to a commune in Wales where Martin grew up. The weekend at the commune with Martin proves to be transformative in more ways than one.

My thoughts:

I’m not really surprised I adored this story. I’ve been an out and proud fan of Jay Northcote’s writing for some time now and would have been surprised if Why Love Matters hadn’t been a hit for me.

I loved Alastair’s journey from closed off and afraid of physical interactions with others to not only being comfortable with bodily contact but actively looking for it with Martin and welcoming hugs from others. Martin was such an adorable character. His patience and sense of humour were exactly what Alastair needed to find his new comfort zone. And the two men together were charming and oh so sexy.

As always, Jay Northcote’s writing is smooth and flawless, the characters—both primary and secondary—come alive on the page, and the dialogue sparkles. The author finding the perfect balance between fun and feelings, doesn’t come as a surprise either. There’s little to no real angst, but that doesn’t mean Alastair doesn’t go through difficult moments in this story. Every single one of his comfort zones gets stretched, but while this leads to anxious moments for him, it doesn’t turn heavy or soul-crushing. I basically smiled my way through this story, thoroughly enjoying myself in the company of these two charming young men. The fact that this story struck a personal chord with me, since someone not too far removed from me isn’t overly found of touchy-feely interactions either, only made the reading experience more personal and enjoyable.

As per the author's request, I won't be adding her bio or links to her social media accounts. I do however want to share the link the her post about this initiative since it explains why she felt compelled to release this book and how those who buy the book can keep up with the money being raised for charity: Why Love Matters - charity book release announcement

All that remains for me to say is that there are at least two very good reasons to rush to your favourite site and buy this book: 

1. All the proceeds will be split between two very worthy charities

2. It was written by Jay Northcote.

Why Love Matters can be found in the following places:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2BUKEK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H2BUKEK
Universal Amazon Link
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-whylovematters-2058790-149.html

 

LONE WOLF

LONE WOLF by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt

 

Pages: 360

Date: December 28, 2014

Grade: 3.5

Details: no. 4 Bluewater Bay

            Received from Riptide Publishing

            Through NetGalley

Kindle

The blurb:

“Hunter Easton is screwed. Fans, producers, and his agent are all chomping at the bit for the next book in his wildly popular Wolf’s Landing series, but he’s got epic writer’s block and is way behind deadline. Then he reads The World Tree, a fanfic novel by his online friend “Lone Wolf.” It isn’t just a great story—it’s exactly what the series needs.

Kevin Hussain is thrilled when “Wolf Hunter” wants to meet up after reading The World Tree. When Wolf Hunter turns out to be Hunter Easton himself, Kevin is starstruck. When Hunter tells him he wants to add The World Tree to Wolf’s Landing, Kevin is sure he’s being pranked. And when their online chemistry carries over—big time—into real life, Kevin is convinced it’s all too good to be true.

The problem is . . . it might be. The book deal, the sex, the money—everything is amazing. But fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and Kevin is left wondering if Hunter really loves him, or just loves his book.”

My thoughts:

Regular readers of my reviews may have noticed I’m somewhat of a fan of Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt, both when they write together and when they publish solo works. I adore their writing; it draws me in, sounds exactly right to my ears and their characters always come alive on the page. Lone Wolf was no exception to that rule. I found myself in the middle of the story before the end of chapter one. Both Hunter Easton and Kevin Hussain captured my interest from the moment they were introduced and the fact that both of them are authors and the stories centres around writing and all the pitfalls an author may face, only increased my interest.

By now you’re probably wondering why I didn’t rate this book higher than 3.5 stars. Let me try to explain.

I saw that both authors have described this book as the closest they will ever come to writing romantic comedy. Now, I know I lack a sense of humour, or maybe mine is just not like everybody else’s. Because I’m well aware of that ‘flaw’ I usually avoid romcoms.  In fact, if I’d read that description before requesting the book I might not have gotten it at all. However, I wouldn’t call this a comedy. It is light hearted, for sure. It is also sweet and I can’t deny it made me smile on several occasions but those were indulgent smiles more than laugh out loud moments.

This book had me veering between deep fascination and a feeling of ‘get on with it already’. On the one hand I couldn’t get enough of the background into writing, fanfic, writers block and everything else related to publishing. Books about writers and publishing always fascinate me. I mean the authors of those books know what they’re talking about, so apart from a good story you are also getting background information. What’s not to like?

On the other hand though I got bogged down in the story at times as well; everything seemed to take longer than it needed to. I’m not sure I can explain exactly what I mean here and I’m well aware these are personal rather than general observations. For me a lot about this story was ‘too’ something or another. Kevin seemed a bit too insecure and fragile, Hunter a bit too unobservant and stand-offish. The agent seemed to take Hunter’s breaking of the rules a bit too easily, the contract came together a bit too quickly and yet the story as a whole felt a bit too long.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed this book far more than I struggled with it. Because, as always, it is written in such a way it almost seems to read itself and features characters I enjoyed spending time with – even if I did want to slap them on more than one occasion.

So, while Lone Wolf wasn’t my favourite book by these two authors, it most definitely was an enjoyable, sweet and at times angsty story with a nice and occasionally cynical insight into the world of publishing. As much as I would love all the books by my favourite authors to be five star reads, I guess that is unrealistic. As long as Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt continue writing stories I can lose myself in, they’ve got a fan for life.