This week's Flashback Friday is Michael's choice. He has chosen a book that I have to agree was a book that not only is a fabulous read but it will stay with you. Rescued by Felice Stevens came out in 2014. The author does have a second edition to this book and all the information on purchasing is provided in this post. You absolutely want this book in your life.
Publisher: LooseID
Publication date: August 19, 2014
Length: 212 pages
NO LONGER IN PRINT
Synopsis
(2014)
Ryder Daniels has spent the last year recovering from rejection. His parents rejected him because of his sexuality and his lover decided drugs were more important than his love. The only bright light in his life is his younger brother and his rescued pit bull, But now his mother's punishment for the lifestyle she doesn't approve of has cut him off from his brother he loves so desperately. Devastated, he throws himself into the work of the Pit Bull Foundation he and his friends started.
Jason Mallory can no longer hide the dissatisfaction of his relationship with his longtime girlfriend. Her ultimatum to get married pushes him to break off their relationship and he's determined not to jump into the dating scene. When a group of injured pit bulls are found on his construction site, he calls the neighborhood rescue for help.
After adopting one of the dogs, Jason finds he can't forget Ryder, and the two become fast friends. Then one night, Ryder lets down his guard and Jason recognizes his desire. After Jason devises a plan to bring Ryder and his brother together, they can no longer deny the passion between them. Will family differences and ugly prejudices keep them apart, or can they fight to prove that love is precious, no matter the gender?
Self Published
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publication date: September 5, 2016
Length: 256 Pages
Purchase Links
Amazon
Kobo
B&N
Synopsis
Ryder Daniels is all too familiar with rejection. His parents cut off contact because he’s gay and his boyfriend left him, choosing drugs over love. Aside from his rescued pit bull, his only joy is hanging out with his younger brother. Then his mother does the unthinkable and forbids them to see each other, leaving Ryder devastated and alone. His friends urge him to date, but Ryder would rather throw himself into working at the dog rescue and figuring out a way to see his brother again.
When Jason Mallory’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum to get married, he shocks everyone by breaking up with her instead. He believes he's too busy for a relationship now that the construction company he started with his brother is taking off. When he discovers a group of abandoned pit bulls and calls the local dog rescue group to pick them up, an uncomfortable encounter with Ryder causes Jason to question feelings he’s hidden deep inside for years.
Jason and Ryder build a friendship, until an unexpected kiss sparks the attraction they’ve been fighting. Jason gives Ryder unconditional love and helps him reconnect with his brother while Ryder shows Jason the passion he’s always missed in relationships. Together they must battle through their family differences and ugly prejudices. Only then can they prove that once you find the right person to love, there’s no turning back.
Review
When the suggestion for Flashback Friday was made, I knew,
without a shadow of a doubt, what my first book would be. “Rescued” was very much my “gateway” book, the book that lead me to do what I am
currently doing today, including reviewing for this blog and writing a book of
my own.
Hindsight is a funny thing.
Sometimes you do something that completely changes your life, and you
don’t really know your life has
changed until you’re well into it. If
you’re lucky, you can go back and pinpoint the exact date that happened.
For me, that date was October 4, 2014. (Thank you, Amazon, for recording the date of
purchase).
Now, some of you may wonder how a book can be so life
changing. Allow me to explain.
Prior to that date, I had absolutely no knowledge of M/M
Romance as a genre. Sure, I had read
gay-centric novels before, but let’s face it, the local Barnes and Noble isn’t
exactly brimming with gay fiction. I was
on vacation with my then-partner, bored out of my ever loving mind. I opened the Kindle app on my iPod, and
started scrolling through, looking for gay fiction. I stumbled across a picture of a guy with the
most amazing blue eyes and a little brown puppy. I read the blurb, and knew I had to try it.
Over the course of the next two days, I carried my iPod with
me everywhere I went, taking every opportunity I could to read this book. I couldn’t get enough. What I found within those pages was something
I never expected.
I found me. In the
form of Ryder Daniels.
Most of Ryder Daniel’s family wanted nothing to with him
because of his sexuality. His mother made
The Wicked Witch of the West look like a saint, and his father was virtually
non-existent. He wanted desperately to
be allowed to maintain a relationship with his brother, which his mother
adamantly refused.
He built a small family for himself out of his best friend
Connor and Connor’s wife Emily. I think
this is something that is relatively common within our community. That need for family, of unconditional love, can
often create bonds between disparate people to the point that they become a
surrogate family. The three operate a
pit bull rescue.
Ryder has tried finding romantic love, only to have two
relationships fail miserably. He’s so
emotionally scarred, not only by the rejection from his parents but also his
failed relationships, that when he hears a confession of love, he honestly
doesn’t believe it.
On a call for the rescue, he meets Jason Mallory, and the
attraction is immediate, if not confusing.
Jason is fresh out of a three-year relationship with a less
than pleasant woman. I think Jason is
the kind of man most of us are looking for.
Fearless in his pursuit of Ryder, despite his initial confusion. Strong in his convictions. Willing to defend his relationship with Ryder
despite potential objections from family and friends. He goes above and beyond to show Ryder that
it’s him he wants to be with, from
aiding Ryder in reconciling with his brother to standing up to his own brother
when the former doesn’t approve of the relationship.
In other words, Jason Mallory is truly swoon worthy.
I fell in love with this book instantly. When a book is so well written, the characters so
well defined, and the drama so natural that you actually see yourself in those characters, you almost
literally get lost within its pages. I
have made absolutely no bones about the fact that this is my favorite M/M
romance.
Ever!
It has stayed with me for years. I’ve read it four times, and can guarantee
that more rereads are forthcoming. Ryder
and Jason own a piece of my heart.
Giveaway
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to win a $5.00 Dreamspinner Press GC!
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For an author, this is the most beautiful thing to read. Thank you, Michael for your love of these guys and their story. I'm so happy they brought you to our community. <3
ReplyDeleteGreat review Michael! This was my first Felice book and she hooked me for life!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite flashback reads is Annabeth Alberts' "Love Me Tenor". I discovered Felice much later in my M/M journey, but her books are awesome. Ironically, I've read many of them but not this one. I think it's because I thought I did for a long time, just to recently realize I had the book confused with a different one that also has a lovey dovey couple and a dog on it. But I plan to get this one, it sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteI loved Rescued - what a great book. Hmm wow that's a tough question as I have so many but the book I've re-read the most is The Harvest series by MA Church!
ReplyDelete