Love Me by K.C. Wells: Release Day Review

Length: 50000 words

Date: July 6, 2016

Details: No 4 Lightning Tales

            ARC received from author

E-book

The blurb:

Trent Sutton doesn’t ‘do’ monogamy. He spends his days on the road in his truck, and his nights hooking up with anyone who catches his eye. Casual sex, fuck buddies – Trent likes his life just the way it is. He sees what his friend Connor has, but he’s just not interested. Until he meets Aaron, who gets under his skin, into his head, and finally to the spot no one has reached in a long time – Trent’s heart.

Aaron Calder doesn’t ‘do’ casual. After a few health scares and a couple of traumatic relationships, he’s decided that love – and sex – are not for him. He concentrates on his charity fundraising and ignores the offers that come his way. Until he meets Trent, a man whose dictionary does not contain the word ‘monogamous’. He shuts down Trent’s advances and tries to keep away from Costello’s, the gay bar where they first met.

Except Trent is proving hard to resist…. 

My thoughts:

This is, without a doubt, my favourite story in the series so far. While I loved the earlier books, this one stole my heart. Sometimes life throws us such curve balls that we retreat and allow fear to rule our (inter)actions. This is the story of two men finding each other and as a result finding the courage to face their fears, share them, and help each other overcome them.

Aaron *sighs*. From the moment he is introduced to the reader it is clear this man has issues, or maybe I should say ISSUES. He is slow in revealing exactly what is going on with him, both to the reader and to Trent, but when he does his story will break your heart, just as it broke mine.  And then, when you realise Aaron’s history wasn’t a product of the author’s amazing imagination but based on fact…well, let’s just say it gives the story a level of poignancy that left me deeply touched and had me thinking about Aaron for days. Have a look at the dedication:

For the real Aaron.
Thank you for letting me share your story, taking your tragedies and making them Aaron’s.
That you endured them breaks my heart.
That you have come through them to be the strong, resilient man you are today, gives me hope.
You are who you are today due to your own strength and determination, the support of those who love you, and therapy.
And yes, those two men will always be with you, along with others, but you are the stronger for that.

The first impression Trent made wasn’t anywhere near as positive, in fact, for a chapter or so I was seriously worried whether or not I’d be able to like him at all. And then I did. Because Trent has reasons for living his life the way he does, just as Aaron has his. And while Trent’s may not be as dramatic as Aaron’s they are nonetheless valid. And besides, it isn’t long before Trent shows us glimpses of the man he really is—the loving grandson, the supportive uncle, the understanding friend, and ultimately, the undemanding lover.

I love books in which characters grow, change, develop, and Aaron and Trent do exactly that as they help each other become the men they were meant to be. On their own they struggled with life, together they discover that having a past doesn’t mean facing a hopeless future. And their journey, both individually and together, from the point where fear rules their actions to the point where they trust each other and themselves enough to hope again, is a thing of wonder and beauty. The process is gradual, almost imperceptible, and all the more spectacular for it. And all through Trent and Aaron’s journey I found myself smiling, blinking back tears, laughing out loud, and wanting to hit one or two characters. To say I was emotionally engaged in the journey these two men made, would be a gross understatement.

Yes, this is my favourite Lightning Tale so far. Aaron and Trent will live in my heart for a very long time and I’m so glad that this is not the end of this particular series. I can’t wait for further glimpses of these two men in future instalments. Trust me, if you want a book that’s going to touch you deeply and will leave you uplifted and happy by the time you finish the story, you really want to read Love Me!

Of course, I now want a book about Kaden. If ever a bartender deserved a happy ending, it is him. And I wouldn’t complain if there happened to be a story about Joe in the pipeline either. Just saying J

Buy links:

Amazon         Amazon UK             ARe

Trust Me by K.C. Wells

Trust Me by K.C. Wells

 

Pages: 89

Date: February 2, 2016

Details: #2 Lightning Tales

E-book / Own

The blurb:

“Ric Costanza and Connor Ferguson grew up together, friends all the way through high school – until Ric pushed Connor away when they were both sixteen. Self-preservation is a very strong force indeed. 
Connor had his own theory as to why it happened…

When they meet up eight years later, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. Ric is about to enter the priesthood and Connor is engaged to Keira. Except all is not as it seems. Ric is a mess, and Connor wants to help.

What starts out as a simple offer to provide a shoulder for a former best friend becomes more than both men bargained for.”

My thoughts:

How many of us have made big, sweeping statements about what we would like to be when we grow up at the tender age of eleven? Most if not all of us, I’d say. How many of us ended up doing what we thought we wanted to do? Hardly anybody I’d guess. And how many of us were held to that statement by our parents? Hopefully none of us. But that’s exactly what happens to Ric when he announces he wants to be a priest aged only eleven. His mother is ecstatic about his ‘calling’ and never allows him to forget it. Ric goes through the motions of preparing for priesthood all the while doubting not only his vocation but also his sexuality. By the time he’s twenty-four Ric has run out of time; he either has to commit to priesthood and celibacy or come clean to his family.

Connor tells himself he’s bisexual and is engaged to Keira for reasons that have nothing to do with love. He was attracted to Ric when they were both in high school and when Ric suddenly became distant, effectively ending a years-long close friendship, Connor is convinced it is because of those feelings, although he has never expressed them. Little does he know Ric created the distance because he felt a similar attraction to Connor and didn’t know how to deal with it.

When Connor and Ric are twenty-four they meet after years of separation. The attraction is still there but so is Ric’s reluctance to give in to it. Ric has a huge decision to make.

Okay. So I probably should have read this book before reading See Me, but I have to say it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of either book that I read them out of order.

Just like Teach me and See me, Trust Me is a charming, sweet and sexy story. All three books deal with big issues in a gentle manner. The problems are addressed but not milked for effect or drawn out. For me this way of telling a story works very well. I don’t always need detailed descriptions of pain, angst and fear in order to recognise and feel them. I also like that these books come with wonderful happy-ever-afters but don’t give unrealistic resolutions.

Of course since this is a K.C. Wells book it is very well written; a book that almost reads itself. The characters are far from perfect and all the more recognisable for it. And of course the sex scenes are descriptive and very hot. Trust Me was ninety pages of pure reading delight and I can only hope that there are more Lightning Tales in the making.

See Me by K.C. Wells

See Me by K.C. Wells

 

Word count: 44.770

Date: January 29, 2016

Details: #3 Lightning Tales

            ARC received from Author

E-book

The blurb:

Adrian DeSoto spent most of his time in high school being bullied and beaten up, simply because he was perceived as gay. Always slight, effeminate, he was the perfect victim for guys like Martin Cavanaugh, one of the high school jocks. When it all got too much, Adrian was faced with two options, one more devastating than the other. Eleventh grade saw a new Adrian, one who hid his fears and pain behind a mask in a bid to survive.

Eleven years later, and Adrienne is one of the top drag acts in Orlando. She’s fierce, funny and exuberant. A face from the past gives her a shock, and after that there’s only one thing on her mind—revenge.

Marty Cavanaugh has a particular kink. He loves it when a drag queen goes down on him. But that’s as far as it goes. He won’t admit to himself what’s under that tight fitting dress. And then he meets Adrienne and his whole world goes into a tailspin….

Warning – Contains men in drag, honey! You Have Been Warned.

My thoughts:

See Me is the third title in the Lightning Tales series and follows Teach Me and Trust Me. I read Teach Me not too long ago but am ashamed to admit that I managed to somehow miss Trust Me. It is an oversight that will be remedied in the not too distant future because these are wonderful stories. What makes these books even better is that characters from one book reappear in supporting roles in the subsequent tales. And I always thoroughly enjoy reacquainting myself with protagonists I enjoyed reading about.

See Me starts with a glimpse of a deeply unhappy Adrian in high school. In fact, he’s so desperate that Ric, who finds him crying in the library, is afraid Adrian may harm himself…or worse. Adrian however does the exact opposite and embraces his ‘otherness’. Eleven years later, Adrian has landed on his feet and is in his element both as himself and as Adrienne, the stunning drag queen.

Former bully Marty on the other hand is deeply unhappy. Friendless, bullied by his father and so deep in the closet he doesn’t even realise he’s in there, his life is almost completely focussed on remaining invisible.

As Adrienne’s colleagues know only too well, Marty has a kink. He loves getting blow jobs from drag queens. When he approaches Adrienne for one, unaware of who she really is, she sees the perfect opportunity to get her own back on one of the boys who made her high school years a living nightmare. However, revenge is seldom as sweet as advertised and issues are rarely as black or white as they appear. Both Adrian and Marty are in for an eye-opening but ultimately rewarding journey.

K.C. Wells tells this wonderful story with her usual flair. Despite the subject matter, the story isn’t overly angsty, although bullying is by no means swept under the carpet or trivialised. As anybody who has ever been bullied knows, the effects linger long after the bullying itself has stopped. What those who were on the receiving end of this form of abuse often don’t realise is that it can also leave a lasting impression on those who did the bullying. In See Me K.C. Wells highlights both those aspects without rubbing our noses in it or even trying to make a point. She’s not playing a blame game. Instead she’s given us two men who struggle with the legacy of their high school years and find a way to overcome those issues.

Before I give you the impression this story is heavy going, let me reassure you. While there are thought provoking moments in this story, there are at least as many scenes which will have you either grinning or laughing out loud. But then, isn’t that what you’d expect when you put a group of drag queens together in a story? Of course the sexy times are as tasteful as they are hot, the dialogue sparkling and the glimpses into the world of drag fascinating.

In short, this was a wonderful read. Even now, hours after I finished reading the epilogue, I still have a grin on my face.

Buy links:

Amazon                 Amazon UK            ARe              Smashwords

TEACH ME by K.C. Wells

TEACH ME by K.C. Wells

 

Pages: 84

Date: April 20, 2015

Details: No. 1 Lightning Tales

ARC / Kindle

The blurb:

“Nick Tremantle has had a rough ten months. His professional life took a nosedive, and then his mom's health took a turn for the worse. In a short space of time, everything changed. So when he spies the young man hitchhiking, Nick pulls over - he needs all the Karma he can lay his hands on. But when the identity of the young man is revealed, it sets in motion a chain of events that unfold quickly, changing Nick's life completely.

Alex Nordmann's life has definitely not gone the way he'd planned. Gone are his dreams of an education and living his life 'his' way. He'd thought the worst was over, until the morning he decided to come out to his parents. It just goes to show, people will surprise you every time. For instance, who could have foreseen that the man who gives him a ride - and an unexpected lifeline - would have been Alex's first crush all those years ago?

Alex has no idea what's coming at him....”

My thoughts:

What can I say? I don’t think K.C. Wells is capable of writing a boring sentence, never mind a less than gripping story, and Teach Me was no exception to that rule.

Teach Me is a charming story and full of surprises. I got completely caught up in Nick and Alex’s stories. Both men have been through a personal hell when the story starts, both men have had a crush on each other for years, and neither man has the confidence to verbalise the attraction or act on it.

It was wonderful to read a story in which the two main characters take the time to really get to know each other before the relationship starts. Life stories and secrets are gradually revealed as they grow closer. I liked that I never had the feeling they were circling each other. They both needed time to get to grips with their lives while the attraction grew stronger. By the time Nick and Alex do come together there’s no doubt in their or in the reader’s mind that’s where they should be.

Like I said, this book holds a few surprises. The title might suggest one thing; the story may well give you another. And the same is true for the characters and their role in the developing relationship.

While Teach Me deals with real and difficult issues it was overall a delightful and uplifting read. I adored the gentleness of this story and the characters in it. And, as always, I lost myself in K.C. Wells’s writing from the very first sentence. I can’t put my finger on why it happens, but this author always manages to draw me in and hold me captive with her words.