April Top Reads #Giveaway

Tis that special time again when I thrust upon you books... great, great books! It is a new month so I get to tell you what books, for me, in the month of April, I loved. Now as I've stated before; these books haven't necessarily been released in this month but I read them in April. Hence why they are here. At the end of this post you can enter a giveaway to win one of these awesome books!! YAY! So without further adieu I present to you my April Top Reads:


Dance by Teodora Kostova

Fenix Bergman has a dream – to perform on Broadway. When he gets offered the lead role in Poison – a new musical based in London, he accepts, immediately recognising the huge potential of the show.

Fenix thinks he has his life completely figured out – he will move to London, help Poison become the new West End hit and bide his time until Broadway comes knocking on his door. He has never wished for anything else but proving to himself and the world that he is a performer worthy of the biggest theatre stage.
Until he meets Jared.

Jared and Fenix’s lives collide and they fill each other’s missing pieces. Neither of them expects to feel so much, so fast for the other.

Neither of them expects to need someone so badly when love hasn’t even been in their plans.

But when Fenix’s star becomes too bright for London, will the dream he’s chased all his life ruin the dream he’s holding in his hands?

Will he survive getting everything he’s ever wanted?

Will Jared?
My Review:
Over the course of 2 days I got sucked into Fennix and Jared's world. What a powerful world it is! Teodora wrote a breathtaking, steamy, heart wrenching tale. My heart fell out of my toes quite a few times. Tears blanketed my shirt, I lost time. I loved these characters and the development of them throughout this story. I loved how you literally jump in and hold your breath until the words The End appear! Terrific story by a terrific author!

 Buy Links:
AMAZON US
Amazon UK



Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

Normal is just a setting on the dryer.

High school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it’s time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey—and he’s autistic.

But Jeremey doesn’t judge him for that. He’s too busy judging himself, as are his parents, who don’t believe in things like clinical depression. When his untreated illness reaches a critical breaking point, Emmet is the white knight who rescues him and brings him along as a roommate to The Roosevelt, a quirky new assisted living facility nearby.

As Jeremey finds his feet at The Roosevelt, Emmet slowly begins to believe he can be loved for the man he is behind the autism. But before he can trust enough to fall head over heels, he must trust his own conviction that friendship is a healing force, and love can overcome any obstacle.

Warning: Contains characters obsessed with trains and counting, positive representations of autism and mental illness, a very dark moment, and Elwood Blues.

My Review:
When I started this book I knew very little. I am a Heidi Cullinan fan, I run a blog, and I knew I wanted to be a part of this tour. Imagine my surprise when I started actually reading it. I need to explain something to all of you first. My oldest, my son, is autistic. For 12 years I have been advocating, researching, understanding everything for him and I will do so until my last breath. So, when I read Carry The Ocean I melted. Oh how I understood these voices I was reading. Emmet is beautiful. He's so so beautiful. It's so rare SO RARE authors truly GET IT. Heidi researched, she understood, she magnified it all and wrapped it up into a package of understanding. Emmet and Jeremey's story is one that shouldn't be missed. You have encountered Emmet's and Jeremey's in your life and you sure as hell have encountered people like the residents in The Roosevelt. This book is touching and rewarding. My soul was singing with each passing page. Carry The Ocean is a book that proves that fear truly is strong only because we don't understand. Knowledge and understanding are the tools. Just because someone seems different doesn't mean they feel different emotions, doesn't mean they are less of a human being.

I will cherish this story forever, truly. Heidi Cullinan gave a voice to those who can't always speak. She spoke for the community of misunderstanding. Carry The Ocean should be THE book you read this year. It's magnificent and I will recommend this book to everyone I meet.

Buy Links:
AMAZON 
AMAZON UK 
Samhain  


Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson

With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon.

As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry.

But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion.

Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding.  
My Review:
What an absolutely beautiful and wonderful story. Friends to lovers books are a favorite of mine but this one was more powerful than most. Landry and Justin take the summer after college graduation spreading Justin's Dad's ashes all over important places in his dad, and Justin's, life. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I felt like through Justin's dad's ashes rose a Phoenix. Justin, for the first time ever, LIVES and accepts who he is and who he loves. Landry is smart, witty, stunning, and Justin's best friend... and they love each other. It was a self discovery story. A love story. It was brilliant!

 Buy Links:
AMAZON US 
AMAZON UK 
B&N 


Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux

It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear.

There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground.

Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.  
My Review:

This was a journey! I don't know about anyone else but my introduction into the M/M genre came with book 1 of this series (Cut & Run) I never knew. I never knew. It was one hell of an intro and from that point on I was but a slave to this series and this genre. So, with this book, book 9, the end of a great beginning for me has come. It was so bittersweet. Ty and Zane have been "the boys" I almost feel like I owe them something. They opened my eyes and I feel like I lived every adventure with them. Abi does such an incredible job of ending this series I harbor no anger or sadness that she ended it at all. For all good things must come to an end. She wrapped up lose ends and maybe even left a few frayed ones for future possibilities??? For other characters that is. Crash & Burn is perfectly put together and truly shows the love and devotion that not just Ty and Zane and Sidewinder have, but what Abi has for this series and these characters. If you haven't experienced this ride you need to get on it. If you have and this was the end for you too? Then, bring it in and let's hug it out! Thank you, Abi.


 Buy Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Riptide Publishing


Veil of Scars by J.R. Gray

Steven is tall, dark, and damaged. He doesn't let anyone close, comfortable on the outside of normal life where he can hide his scars behind a wall so high that nothing gets through…except them. Despite a childhood marred with black and blue, he's survived and moved in with his two best friends, Sam and Charlie.

Life should get better, but it was Sam who held him when the dark threatened to swallow him whole, Sam who gave him a place that felt like home, and Sam who knew every scar and every broken place.

And it's all been taken away with Charlie sharing Sam's bed.

Without his former comfront, Steven realizes what's been hiding in the deep corners of his heart, and the truth sinks him like a weight. He’s in love with one or maybe both of his roommates. Navigating unrequited love tears Steven apart and brings him to the precipice, and he has to choose: his feelings or Sam’s…and Charlie’s?
My Review:

J.R. Gray is a new author to me. When approached with this story I was immediately taken with the blurb. I could tell right off the bat that this was going to be a very emotional ride. I was not wrong. Veil of Scars was a rollercoaster ride. Where there was pain there was love. I literally felt like I was taking a journey through a timeline, I felt like an outsider getting glimpses of the lives of people I had no right to know. By the end of the book I wanted to sit with all of them and say thank you. Thank you for letting me in and for feeling so deeply. I was invested throughout the entire story to the point I wished they were real. I cried with them, laughed with them, and loved right a long with them. My heart was wrapped in barbed wire, hugged to the point of blinding pain and released just before it became unbearable. This is a very angsty story. But worth every second. There's so much beauty to be seen. It was a fantastic read!

Buy Links:
Amazon US 
Amazon UK 
B&N 



Angel of Darkness by Tyler May

M/M paranormal romance between a blind vampire and his human lover. Because of explicit sexual scenes and adult language this book is intended for readers 18+

After a tragic event in his life, Christian Bowman found sanctuary in reading and developed an obsession with the paranormal and vampires. Now twenty-one, Christian fantasies come to life when he meets Zander, a blind vampire. A fantasy he’s only dreamt about. But will that dream turn into a nightmare when he sees just how dark and dangerous living in a vampire’s world can be? Is their love strong enough to withstand obstacles one could only imagine?
Christian is in love with his Angel of Darkness…..But is there a happily-ever-after in a vampire’s world?
They have a past, but can they have a future?

My Review:
Humans and Vampires and demons. OH MY! And witches, can't forget the witches lol. This is fantasy at it's finest! I loved the entire concept behind this. I'm hesitant with vampire books, (honestly, I'm just tired of them) but I won this book and was excited because I read Tyler May's Silver & Black and knew I loved her writing. I was not disappointed. There I was at 1 in the morning on my couch, tears falling from my eyes. It was a beautiful story. It was a sexy story. It was an epic fantasy and I am so thrilled to have found this writer and can't wait to indulge in this series as the books are produced.

Buy Links:
 Amazon US
Amazon UK 

 I have to say it's been quite hard narrowing these books down. No lie! But here you have six! Enter to win one! Contest will run until May 15th. Winner will be contacted via email (if you win the book will be sent to your kindle)! If you haven't read these yet, you must. JUST MUST! Always review too! It's more important than you realize! 
Good luck :)

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