Thursday, August 31, 2017

Random Review: Like Two Parting Seas by Zhara Freytes #Review #Giveaway






Author: Zhara Freytes
Book: Like Two Parting Seas
Series: States Of Love
Publisher: Dreasmpinner Press
Cover Artist: Brooke Albrect
Publication date: August 30, 2017
Length: 49 pages


Reviewed by Michael


Synopsis

After two years of internet chats and crappy video calls, Nathan and Leonardo will finally meet face-to-face, and the anticipation is killing them both. Their slow-simmering desire to be together soon boils over as Nathan shows Leo around his hometown of Boise, Idaho. Witty conversation fills their days, passion fills their nights, and both young men know they belong in each other’s lives. But how can a romance, let alone a relationship, work when Nathan’s career is in Boise and Leo must soon return to his home in Italy? Since neither is ready to say goodbye to the budding love affair, they’re determined to find a solution before the end of Leo’s holiday.

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Review

Long distance relationships are hard.  Long distance relationships across time zones or oceans are even harder.  The sheer amount of coordination needed to maintain them requires not only an enormous amount of trust by both parties, but also a strong desire from each side to make things work.  They’re also scary because at any given time, one of the people involved may simply decide the effort isn’t worth it and throw in the towel.

But isn’t that true of any kind of relationship?

Nathan and Leo have been in what can best be described as a trans-Atlantic long distance relationship for two years.  Nathan is in Boise while Leo is in Italy.  After years of text messages, phone calls, and video chats, Leo pays Nathan a visit.  Given their physical distance, the visit could be awkward, but it’s not.  They’ve spent the last two years getting to know each other in ways that people who have the freedom to see each other regularly rarely do.   When a couple is separated by distance, they have to be creative and honest in their approach with the other person.  There’s a familiarity between Nathan and Leo, they know each other, perhaps better than others.  Perhaps due to the distance, they’ve been able to completely be themselves with the other man.

Each wants to take things to the next level, but fear taking things too fast and ruining what could perhaps be the best thing in their lives.  Let’s be real, the rules change when you move a relationship from the cyberworld into the real world, and the fears they each have are very real.  What if it doesn’t work out?  Are they willing to risk their friendship on building a romantic relationship?  How do you build a relationship when you literally live on opposite sides of the planet?

The answers aren’t easy.  But isn’t that the truth of every relationship?  Long-distance relationships are no less valid than conventional relationships.  Love can still bloom because the foundation of that relationship, the things that every relationship needs, are the things that Leo and Nathan have.

Trust and hope.




Giveaway!
Enter this month's giveaway!
It's a First in Series Giveaway
One winner will win the ebooks:
Letting Go by Morningstar Ashley
Feeding the Soul by Annabella Michaels
and
Trusting Cade by Luna David.

Contest will end September 30th!
Thanks



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Promotional Post & Release Day: The Highlander by Kasia Bacon #Review #Excerpt #Giveaway



Author: Kasia Bacon
Book: The Highlander
Series: The Order #2
Self Published
Cover Artist: Marek Frankowski
Publication date: August 31, 2017
Length: 58 pages

Reviewed by Meredith

Synopsis



I, Lochan of the famed Féyes clan, know all about fighting.

As a half-breed Elf, I have struggled against prejudice and feelings of inadequacy.

A recluse by nature, I have battled my aversion to touch and interaction with others.

To become an assassin of The Order, I have learnt to overcome the limitations of my mind and body.

But denying the power Ervyn Morryés holds over me might be the one fight I lose. The truth is—damn it all—the relentless Highlander brings me to my knees.

Note: This novelette is the second in the Order Series, and not a stand-alone installment. Reading THE MUTT is crucial for its full enjoyment.




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Review

If you read The Mutt then you know who Ervyn and Lochan are. If you didn't read The Mutt you need to read that book first. The Highlander is told in Lochan's POV and I was thrilled by this!

I love the world and character building the author has done and continues to do. Descriptions, emotions, all of it grows with each novella. Which brings me to my other point. For novellas, this book and the previous one pack a lot in. It's not rushed and doesn't feel like it's lacking anything. There's so much story that gets told and you don't feel you've been cheated. That's rare for me when I read novellas. I often feel they are too short and not enough is told. Not here.

There's that lovers angst thing happening here. The two characters face separation. Of course when Lochan feels he should begin to distance himself from Ervyn to make the pain less when it happens, I wanted to smack him. But I didn't. There's a secret that will make changes happen and I'm not telling you anything!

There's a terrific mixture of smexy, sweet, and suspenseful in this book and series! I very much recommend!



Excerpt

Cián's warm breath rushed in ragged gasps on my nape. Gods, he must've weighed over two hundred marks. I could feel the solid thudding of his heart at the back of my ribcage.
And his half-stiff shaft pressed flush against the side of my thigh.
“Let's see you wiggle out of this one, Féyes,” he rumbled thickly into my ear, his voice strained from the effort of holding me underneath him. Triumph rolled off him in spades. He believed he had eventually gained the upper hand.
Adorable.
Lying motionless face down on the ground, I hid my smile in the grass.
Like most of the physically stronger opponents I'd encountered, Cián over-relied on the fact that he out-muscled me, depending too much on his size to control me.
Unfortunately for Cián, my regular sparring partner back home used to be Sashê, my father’s trusted enforcer in the highest rank of a triple-banded assassin. He was built like a rich baker's stove, only wider and taller. A long time—measured in my bruised flesh and sprained joints—had passed before I’d begun winning some matches against Sashê. Since my sixth year in the Order, however, I hadn’t lost a single fight to him.
Right then, inspirited by his success, Cián shifted behind me and rammed his knee into my middle spine. The pressure on my lungs squelched my breathing. It would be easy to panic and tap out.
My eyes were streaming. It hurt. A lot.
Amidst all this, my cock decided to contribute by giving an interested twitch.
Instantly, my brain disagreed. The tang of Cián's sweat held the wrong scent. His grunts above me were too low. He felt overly heavy on me.
He wasn't Ervyn.
Irritated for no specified reason, I called a halt to pondering the nature of those conflicting sensations and forced myself to refocus.
I let Cián hold on to his delusions of glory and grandeur a while longer, lulling him into a false sense of security. Waiting for him to make a mistake.
And then he did.
While pinning me down and balancing on one knee, he'd spread his legs just a tad too wide.
I went for a dirty, precise manoeuvre, ideal for a flexible combatant. I kicked up and back as if attempting to kick my own arse. Only I wasn't blind flailing. I targeted a particular nerve cluster in his groin.
Having been on the receiving end of such a strike more than once, I knew it would hurt like fuck. Cián hissed and, as expected, reduced his grip on me. Not a great deal, but enough.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I pushed up with my arms. While twisting my hips, I rolled him off me laterally. Then I elbowed him under the chin.
He must've seen stars, yet he hardly groaned. Before he could get his bearings, I straddled his chest, my thighs trapping his neck on either side. My fingers closed on his carotid artery below the base of his ear, prepared to pinch down on it and render him unconscious.
The pulse in his throat thrummed a brisk rhythm.
We both remained still for several heartbeats.
“Well?” I said at last, glancing down with an arched brow.
“Shit.” Cián panted for a time. Then he threw his head back against the moss in a gesture that acknowledged his defeat. The corners of his mouth curled upwards.
I had to give it to him—a sore loser he was not.
“If you were after rubbing your crotch in my face, you could've just asked, you know,” he muttered. His grey eyes bore into mine, then narrowed. “That’s enough petting. Now get the fuck off me, Féyes.”
“Yes, sir.”
We barely rose to standing when I heard the clink of coin changing hands.
Our morning sessions never ceased to attract an audience. From what I could gather, only a few habitual underdog players still laid their silver on Cián these days. If he were troubled by his odds dropping with every match, he never showed it.
“Do you want me to find you fuckwits some shit to do?” he bellowed at the spectators.
Within a blink of an eye, the grounds had cleared.
He smirked at me and proceeded to dust off his clothes. “You ever fancy a more intense... training, come visit my tent.”



About the Author


A linguist and an avid reader with a particular fondness for fantasy and paranormal genres, KASIA BACON lives in London with her husband. When not tearing her hair out over a translating project, she writes stories about the shenanigans of emotionally constipated assassins and sexy Elves. Otherwise, she can be found shaking her loins at a Zumba class, binging on anime or admiring throwing knives on Pinterest. She has a mild coffee and lemon tart addiction. A lover of MMA and Muay Thai, she also enjoys nature and the great outdoors. She dreams of becoming independently wealthy, leaving the city and moving into her wooden mini-manor—located in the heart of stunning forests resembling those of the Elven Country depicted in her tales.

Find Kasia online:






Giveaway

Enter the giveaway to win a copy of The Highlander
Contest will end September 7th
Thank you

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