Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Retro Review Tour: Heat Wave: Astoria by Liam Livings #Review #Giveaway

Heat Wave Astoria - Liam Livings

Author: Liam Livings

Publisher: JMS Books


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Length: 38,150 words

Blurb

Brad's shop is known as the most popular tourist attraction for certain men in his home town, Astoria, Oregon. Brad doesn't do relationships -- why would he? He’s an unashamed slut, and he loves it.

British IT programmer James is much happier working with software and computers than people. He finds escape in his encyclopedic knowledge of childhood films like The Goonies and Short Circuit.

When James walks into a quilting shop in Astoria, he decides he'll take his brother's advice and talk to a stranger. That stranger is Brad, melting slowly behind the counter during the longest heat wave America's had in years.

Can a man who thinks in binary code and always plans things to the finest degree cope with the twists and turns of emotions? Can someone who never thinks before he leaps allow himself to jump into the biggest unknown, a relationship? And how can they cope with James’ impending return to England?

Will two men who never expected to meet learn to embrace the whole messy relationship that love brings into their lives? 


Review

This novella is a sweet romance that is creative and fun. I thought the heat wave in Northern Oregon was clever since it's practically unheard of. But, global warming is a thing so you never know.

The characters in play here are Brad and James. Brad is just... well... a man-slut. Seriously though, he is! He has a map where he marks where he's been and who he's shagged! Puts notches on the bed post look like a religious retreat.

James is like the polar opposite of Brad. He's content in his introverted ways. Not well versed in dating or hooking up. James is a romantic looking for forever and Brad is more of a vagabond.

Now these two aren't super lovable. Each have vices that drive me up a wall. Brad isn't nice and James kinda complains a lot... or maybe whines. I don't know there's something in their personalities that made me want to hit them with a wet fish.

Obviously being a novella it doesn't get too deep and though the characters did get on my nerves; I found the entire concept very clever. I recommend this if you're looking for something different and fun.




Liam Livings lives where east London ends and becomes Essex. He shares his house with his boyfriend and cat. He enjoys baking, cooking, classic cars and socialising with friends. He escapes from real life with a guilty pleasure book, cries at a sad, funny and camp film – and he’s been known to watch an awful lot of Gilmore Girls in the name of writing ‘research’.

One evening, flicking through the channels, he stumbled across the film, Saving Private Ryan, and it took twenty minutes of not seeing Goldie Hawn in an army uniform, before he realised it wasn’t actually the film, Private Benjamin.

He has written since he was a teenager, started writing with the hope of publication in 2011. His writing focuses on friendships, British humour, romance with plenty of sparkle.

When he’s not writing fiction he runs a manuscript appraisal service, provides marketing support to authors' publishers and ghostwrites other people’s books.


You can connect with Liam
Twitter @LiamLivings

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