Seeking Warmth by Brigham Vaughn - Release Day Review

Publisher: Two Peninsulas Press (Indie/Self-Published)

Publication Date:  December 12, 2018

Word Count /or Page Number: 20,151 words

Formats/Price:  ebook – $2.99

Buy Links: Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads Link

Summary

Benny Fuller is on his way to rock bottom. He’s seventeen, fresh out of juvie, homeless, and desperate to find a job.  His dad’s in jail and his drug-addicted mom is in no shape to take care of his sick sister, Angel. A run-in with his ex-boyfriend, Scott Sullivan, makes Benny feel even worse. He’s a thief with no future. Scott is smart, with plans for college and a great future ahead of him. Benny knows Scott can do so much better than him. Because no matter how hard Benny tries, he can’t seem to find a job or a way to take care of Angel.

The further Benny falls, the more he needs Scott’s help. Benny will have to let go of his pride and trust Scott and the Sullivan family in order to get the Christmas miracle Benny and Angel so desperately need.

Reader Advisory: This is an older (15+) YA story with themes of homelessness, drug use and prostitution (off-page), neglect of minors, and foster care.

Excerpt

People hurried past Benny Fuller without seeing him. They were bundled up warmly against the snow, clutching their holiday shopping bags and packages. They were too intent on their destination to see the kid they pushed past. Now that the sun was going down, the crowds were beginning to thin. The wind picked up and the fat, fluffy snowflakes grew smaller and sharper. They stung his cheeks and made his hands ache. It had been early spring when he went into juvie. He’d had a hat stuffed in his old, beat up Army-style jacket but no gloves.

When the caseworker picked him up at the juvenile detention center and drove him to a foster home, she frowned at his bare hands. She said something about making sure he had a pair of gloves—and a warmer coat and boots—but she got a phone call a few minutes later and apparently forgot. He hadn’t said anything to the foster care lady about it either. So now the slushy snow soaked into his shoes as he walked and he still had no gloves or winter coat. He’d have to make do. But that was nothing new for him, was it? Benny had been doing that for a while now.

He kicked at a piece of torn, soggy cardboard on the sidewalk as he passed it. It did nothing to relieve the gnawing hunger in his stomach or the cold air that crept down the collar of his jacket and numbed his fingers.

It was satisfying though. Something to do to let out all of the frustration and fear boiling inside of him. His job search had amounted to nothing. Everything amounted to nothing. There were no opportunities for kids like him.

He’d been wandering the city for a week. Ever since he left the foster home they placed him in. It hadn’t seemed bad at first. It was clean and there were only two other kids there, both younger. But one of them was a nightmare. Benny had never seen anything like it. The boy screamed and tried to hit the little girl all the time. The foster mother did nothing to stop it. The little girl had bruises on her arms and legs from the boy and it made Benny sick to watch it happen. Within the first day Benny was there, the boy bit Benny hard enough to draw blood, but Benny was the one who got yelled at by the foster mother for provoking him. Benny hadn’t done anything but sit down next to the kid.

Benny had tried to help out, thinking maybe the woman was just overwhelmed, but she yelled at him for interfering. The day after he got there, the little girl had to go to the doctor for pinkeye. Benny was left home with the boy. It was a nightmare. After the boy screamed and hit him and acted like a little monster all day, Benny couldn’t handle it anymore. As soon as the woman got home with the girl, Benny crawled out the bedroom window and left.

He went straight to his childhood home, even though there was no one there waiting for him. He collected his car and a few belongings, but he knew he couldn’t stay or Child Protective Services would just drag him out of there and back to a foster home.

But once he left his old house, he had nowhere else to go. He had a car though, thankfully. It had sat, unused, while he was in juvie. It was still registered, thankfully, although the insurance on it had lapsed. He’d have to hope he didn’t get pulled over, or he’d be in big trouble.

With no home and no job, what else could he do now but wander? Sit in his car and feel sorry for himself? Even if he wanted to, he didn’t have any money for gas so he couldn’t do it for long. He tried to run the engine as little as possible. Just enough to keep himself from freezing to death. At least when he was up and walking, his blood was flowing.

He wasn’t warm, but at least he wasn’t dead. That was something, right?

Up ahead, a brightly-lit storefront spilled yellow light onto the snowy sidewalk. Its warmth beckoned Benny to come closer, but as he approached, he recognized the building and scowled. Sullivan’s Fine Gifts, the sign on the window read. Damn it. His wandering had taken him to the last place he should be.

Stupid. Why did I come here? He wondered. It wasn’t like he could go in and see Scott Sullivan. God, he wanted to though. Scott was the only person Benny had ever trusted. The only one who really knew him. Scott was the best thing that had ever happened to Benny. Too bad Benny was the worst thing that had ever happened to Scott.

Benny stood in front of the gift shop long enough for the snowflakes to settle on his too-thin jacket. His breath fogged the window and cold and hunger faded away as he stared into the store owned by his ex-boyfriend’s parents, mesmerized by the cheerful lights and decorations. It advertised home and family.

Warmth. Security. Love.

All the things Benny didn’t have.

Review

As the excerpt illustrates, this story tugs at your heartstrings…and then some. As we follow young Bennie through the cold winter days while he tries to somehow keep his head above water and come up with a plan to reconnect with his younger sister, it is impossible not to hurt for and with him.

Benny is a very realistic teenager faced with a situation no child or young adult should have to contend with. The way he’s written is so true to live that it made his struggle, the set-backs he faces, the hardships he’s up against, and the uncertainties crowding in on him all the more heartbreaking. It also made one or two of his decisions completely understandable, even if they had me rolling my eyes and left me wanting to give him a good talking to…just before wrapping him up in a warm blanket.

While there are certainly romantic tones to this story, I wouldn’t exactly call it a romance. This is a story about families; what it means to belong to one, what we are prepared to do and endure to look after our loved ones, and all the different forms loving families can take. It is a story about determination, pride, forgiveness, and, most of all, love…. Love in all its wonderful and life-restoring versions.

While the hurt in the early part of this story does put the reader through the wringer, the second part more than brings the comfort needed to restore both Bennie’s and the reader’s heart again.

A heartwarming Christmas story featuring a character who will linger in your thoughts long after you finish reading.

Author Bio

Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time author. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga.  She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.

To stay up to date on her latest releases, sign up for the Coles & Vaughn Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dkyS7P

Social Media Links: Facebook Author Page | Facebook Fan Group (Brigham’s Book Nerds)

Twitter | Blog

Boy Shattered by Eli Easton - Release Blitz

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 85,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Tiferet Design

Blurb

Brian
You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear.
I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?

Landon
Will you kiss me?
When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.

About Eli

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.

Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.

In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.

In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse.

Her website is www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

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Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Pages: 303

Date: July 4, 2016

Details: Young Adult

Library / Paperback

The blurb:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

My thoughts:

“…don’t you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it should be this big, awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever.”

Fabulous, adorable, touching, captivating and delightful are just some of the superlatives I want to use to describe Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

*Deep breath*

So yes, I loved this book. The story is sweet, cute and poignant. I loved the normality of it all. Simon is a teenager coming to terms with growing up and finding his way in the world. Being gay and at some point having to come out is only one of many ‘issues’ he’s dealing with. I mean there’s also his ‘overly enthusiastic and interested in their kids’ parents, how to deal with alcohol and, of course, the whole mystery of Blue not to mentioned being blackmailed.

I loved that reading the book made me feel exactly as living with a teenager used to do. It is an emotional roller coaster on which love can turn into hate and happiness into despair in moments. Everything is huge until it’s turned into nothing at all and the whole experience of just living is as exhilarating as it is confusing.

“But I’m tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe again.”

Of course, what Simon doesn’t realise but the reader is all too aware of, is that Simon is also constantly introducing himself to himself. He’s discovering sides to himself he never knew he had, he does things he couldn’t have imagined himself doing, and experiencing feelings he doesn’t quite know how to deal with.

“Do you ever feel locked into yourself? I’m not sure if I’m making sense here. I guess what I mean is that sometimes it seems like everyone knows who I am except me.

Spending time with Simon, his family, and his friends was a delight. Sure there were moments when my heart ached for him, but overall reading this book was a joy filled experience. It was wonderful to read a book about teenagers without violence or outright bullying. It made a nice chance to read a book in which the parents were accepting and loving, if maybe a bit awkward at times.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens agenda made me smile, had me laughing out loud, brought (both happy and sad) tears to my eyes and left me feeling good about life. And occasionally it presented me with little gems of writing.

“Being secure in your masculinity isn’t the same as being straight.”

This book made me so freaking grateful I did the whole teenage thing ages ago and managed to survive it more or less unscathed—even if it didn’t feel like that at the time. But then, I guess that’s exactly what this book is about and the reason it’s such a fabulous read. Which one of us over the age of fourteen doesn’t recognise these thoughts, doubts, fears and feelings? Gay, straight or otherwise inclined, we’ve all battled these demons.

In case you somehow missed the point I’m trying to make, here it is: I HIGHLY recommend this book to any reader over the age of 14. J

“People really are like houses with vast rooms and tiny windows.”

Castor by Shaun Young

Pages: 230

Date: July 1, 2016

Own: e-book / paperback

The blurb:

James Fisher’s memories of Earth are distant, replaced by the harsh realities of life on the planet Castor. As a “Half-Adapt,” James is one of many who were biologically engineered to survive conditions on Castor—and to labor for the benefit of the ruling class. Indentured to servitude, James has no way to defy or escape the severe caste system… until he meets Vidal Centa, his master’s nephew. The draw they feel toward each other is instant, powerful, and maybe even enough to move beyond the unyielding regulations of their society.

But not everyone blindly accepts the absolute power of the oligarchy. The Independence Society fights for freedom and equality, and since James shares in their ideals, he joins their ranks. Soon he’s faced with an impossible decision: continue the fight against the oppressors or choose the love of the young man who embodies everything the Society loathes. With a looming conflict threatening to tear the planet apart, James fears he cannot continue to fight if he wants to keep his relationship with Vidal.

My thoughts:

I’m not entirely sure what I expected when I started this book. I’m not a huge science fiction reader—if only because the science part usually goes completely over my head—but I liked the sound of this blurb and I had been lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the first chapter, so even if I didn’t know exactly what it would be, I did know I had to read the rest.

And I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found myself hooked right into it shortly after starting the book. It wasn’t long at all before I was on Castor, with James, probably because the story we read is one he has written down and he occasionally addresses his readers directly.

I liked the honesty of James. We meet a scared sixteen-year old, completely out of his depth in almost every aspect of his life, but somehow managing to not only keep it all together but also to survive. I liked that we were allowed to see his selfish thoughts as well has his generous ones. James is no super hero, he has no secret weapons or skills to help him survive the war—he’s a gardener after all. But he does have a deep rooted will to live and a heart that won’t let him deny his feelings. I guess what I’m trying to say is, James as a teenager was, for me at least, completely believable and recognisable.

Although there is a love story in Castor, I wouldn’t describe the book as a romance. While the love between James and Vidal certainly plays a part in the story, their developing relationship isn’t the focus of it; that role is reserved for the oppressive regime James and the other indentured slaves labour under and the uprising against it, not to mention James' growth as he deals with it all. And if I have a complaint, it is rooted here. I would have loved to have gotten to know Vidal better. While James was an open book to me by the time I finished Castor, Vidal remained somewhat vague, undefined almost.

There were other elements to this book I liked; a friendship lasting even when conviction and choices put two young men on opposing sides, for example. Or the fact that the back story touches very closely, although not glaringly, on an international situation we’re facing for real right now. This book made me wonder how far I would be prepared to go to save my child; a question I’m still pondering, hours later. And I do like a book that makes me think. And finally, I’m rather impressed that the author managed to show me Castor in enough detail that I could picture it, without ever overfeeding me details.

So, very long story short; I thoroughly enjoyed this very strong debut novel. I’m impressed by the confidence with which it was written, the depth of the story, and the vividness of James as a character. I’m also very curious to see what Shaun Young might bring us next. J

Buy links:

Harmony Ink            Amazon                   Amazon UK

About the author:

Shaun decided he was going to be a writer at the age of fifteen because it would mean being able to live anywhere in the world.

Since then he’s managed to remain in Ireland, mostly by choice, but the dream lives on. His passion for writing has never diminished, and to this day he’s happiest when surrounded by books. A computer and science nerd almost from birth, he now writes YA science fiction and spends too much time coming up with new concepts for stories that he’ll get around to writing any day now.

Feel free to get in touch with recommendations of unusual, strange, unsettling, or otherwise intriguing books. His to-read list is already obscenely long, but there’s always room for one (or ten) more.

WEBSITE: http://www.shaun-young.com

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

 

Pages: 513

Date: January 23, 2016

Grade: 5

Details: YA / Book Club / Re-read

Own / Paperback

The blurb:

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home to find two notes in her mail asking, "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" which lead her to ponder the great questions of Western philosophy.

Before she knows it, she is enrolled in a correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre and beyond, with a mysterious philosopher. But Sophie is receiving a separate batch of equally unusual letters. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up in Sophie's world? 

To unravel this riddle, Sophie must make use of the philosophy she is learning. But the truth is far more complicated than she could have imagined... 

My thoughts:

A Novel About the History of Philosophy

This was a re-read for me. In fact, I think this may well be the third or fourth time I’ve read this book since I got it twenty-odd years ago. I don’t re-read books very often and that has little to do with how much I enjoyed a book. For me there’s nothing like experiencing a story for the first time, and that is something you can only do once. Re-reading Sophie’s choice comes close to reading it for the first time all over again, though. There are so many layers to this story it is all but impossible to grasp it all in one reading experience.

On the surface this is the story about Sophie who is invited to do a philosophy course by a mysterious and man called Alberto Knox. Yes, the invitation and the way she receives her subsequent lessons is a bit strange, but not something that would raise eyebrows except….

Except that at the same time Sophie starts receiving post for a girl named Hilde; a girl who is apparently the exact same age as Sophie and who also has a father who’s away from home for huge chunks of time.

The reader gets a crash course in philosophy together with Sophie. The book, or Alberto Knox, depending on your perspective, takes Sophie and the reader from The Garden of Eden, via the Greek philosophers to Freud and the modern times. Both Sophie and the reader are required to think about existential questions and wade their way through often conflicting answers.

While Sophie progresses through history it becomes clear that the surface story isn’t all there is in this universe. There’s more to Hilde and her father than first meets the eye and it’s a mystery that centres around the question what is real; can we rely on what our senses tell us or is there more to our world? Between the various philosophical theories and the mystery surrounding Hilde, this story had me hooked from the first to the last page. And even now I finished reading it, questions and ideas are still running through my mind—a clear sign that the story fascinated me.

And it’s a clever book. I could share quite a few examples to prove this but will limit myself to this; a sophist is a wise and informed person. By the time the story ends both Sophie and the reader are wiser and better informed than they were when they started their journey.

If I’m perfectly honest I have to admit this is not the most smoothly written book I’ve ever read. In fact there were one or two things that started to throw me by the time I got to the end of the story. For one thing the book, out of necessity, contains a lot of information dumping and while the study in philosophy fascinated me, those informative sections were on occasion to long. At least a few of them could (and maybe should) have been broken up with sections of story-line I feel. I also got a bit fed up with the conversation between Sophie and Alberto. Given the teacher-pupil relationship they have, it makes sense for there to be a lot of questions from Sophie, but that got repetitive after a while—simply because there are only so many ways in which you can ask someone to explain something. J

But, even taking into consideration these reservations, I still have to say this was a brilliant read. This book required that I paid attention to every single word in it. I couldn’t skim and I couldn’t allow myself to get distracted and I love it when a story does that.

Long review short: This is a fascinating and wonderful novel if you enjoy magical realism and are interested in philosophy. If you’ve never thought about things like the meaning of life and why the world is the way it is, there’s a good chance this book will bore you to tears. Personally I was hooked…again.

I could have added an endless amount of quotes to this review, which is hardly surprising given that it deals with philosophy. I have decided to limit myself to just one, because it delighted me when I read it.

“A composition—and every work of art is one—is created in a wondrous interplay between imagination and reason, or between mind and reflection. For there will always be an element of chance in the creative process. You have to turn the sheep loose before you can start to herd them.”

2014 My Favourite Reads

My Favourite Reads of 2014

2014 was a wonderful year for me. For the first time ever I almost exclusively limited myself to one genre – M/M – but despite that fact I can’t help feeling I’m only scratching the service of what’s available for me there. I didn’t quite manage to reach my goal of 150 books, although I got very close. I can’t say I’m too disappointed about that since I managed to write far more words of my own than I could ever have imagined. My reading goal for next year will be lower in the hope that my writing will continue to develop as it has over the past 52 weeks.

All books listed below fall in the M/M genre unless indicated otherwise.

Like many bloggers who write about the books they’ve read I will share my favourite reads of 2014 in today’s post. Unlike many of them I refuse to limit myself to a top 10 (or any other top). Instead I will give you two lists. And, just to clarify, these are books I read last year. While some of them were also published last year, others are older.

The first list contains mainly books or series that received a higher than five score, although there will be one or two titles which received a slightly lower rating but managed to leave an indelible impression on me. The titles are listed in alphabetical order and all of them have been linked to my post about the book on this blog.

 

The Slave, The Soldier & The Master by Kate Aaron

This book is Gay by James Dawson (NF / YA)

Precog in Peril by Theo Fenraven

Tequila Mockingbird by Rhys Ford

Strain by Amelia C. Gormley

Only Love by Garrett Leigh

King Perry, King Mai & The Butterfly King by Edmond Manning

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz (M/F)

Queers & Consent by A.J. Rose

Ball & Chain by Abigail Roux

Return on Investment by Aleksandr Voinov

Static by L.A. Witt

The second list contains book which scored a five, more than deserve to be mentioned, but didn’t quite imprint themselves in my memory and heart as much as the books listed above did. Once again the links will bring you to my post about the book.

Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher

Charlie Rentboy, A Heart for Robbie by J.P. Barnaby

Ed & Marchant by Sue Brown

Wolf Bound, The Haunted Maze by Theo Fenraven

The Devil’s Brew by Rhys Ford

Stripped Bare by Eileen Griffin & Nikka Michaels

The Secret Loves of Julia Caesar by Noelle Harrison (M/F)

Running Wild by S.E. Jakes

John & Jackie by T.J. Klune
The Candy Man by Amy Lane

Lip Service, Room Service by Nikka Michaels

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonski (YA / LGBT) 

The Last Good Knight, The King by Tiffany Reisz (M/F)

Armed & Dangerous, Touch & Geaux, Shock & Awe, Cross &Crown by Abigail Roux

The Mark of Cain by Kate Sherwood

The French Toast Emergencies, Sunburns and Sunsets by Brigham Vaughn

If it Drives, Hostile Ground by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt

Damian’s Discipline by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams