Wednesday 22 June 2016

Practice Makes Perfect by Jay Northcote







Title: Practice Makes Perfect
Author: Jay Northcote
Publisher: Jaybird Press (self published)
Length: 54,000 words
Genre: Contemporary gay romance
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
Release Date: Wednesday 22nd June 2016
Series info: #3 in the Housemates Series but it may be read as a standalone
Goodreads link:




Buy Links
NB: Practice Makes Perfect will be Amazon exclusive for 90 days after release, and will then be available at all the usual sellers.

Blurb

Getting experience with the guy next door seems like a great idea—until the lines blur.

Dev, a geeky first year physics student, has zero sexual experience and he’s determined to change that ASAP. After a bad time in halls of residence, he’s starting the summer term with different housemates and a new plan of action.

Ewan lives in the house next door to Dev. He’s young, free and single, and isn’t looking to change that anytime soon. When awkward circumstances throw them together, Ewan offers to help Dev out in the bedroom in return for maths tutoring, and Dev jumps at the chance.

They work their way through Dev’s sex-to-do list, but what starts as a perfect no-strings arrangement gets more complicated as their feelings for each other begin to grow. If they’re going to turn their lessons in lovemaking into something more permanent, they need to work out how they feel about each other—before they get to the end of Dev’s list.


Excerpt

Sitting on his bed, Dev yawned, his full stomach making him sleepy. He stared at his phone as he contemplated calling home but decided he couldn’t face it tonight. He loved his mum, but she did tend to bang on. Once she got him on the line, she’d end up talking for ages and asking him a million questions he was too tired to answer. Instead, he sent his mum a quick text.
All moved in, everything’s good. I’m shattered now so I’m going to have an early night. I’ll call you tomorrow.
She replied within seconds as though she’d been waiting for him to call.
Okay sweetie, glad you’re settled. Sleep well xxx
He picked up his notepad and crossed off phone home. Texting counted. He also crossed off everything else on his list for today. That was Saturday done.
Dev set his notepad aside, opened his laptop, and pulled up his lists app. He liked his notepad for day-to-day organisation; it gave him a certain satisfaction to cross out the things he’d done and to get to the end of the day with all the tasks completed. But for longer-term planning, he kept his lists on his Mac, synced to his phone.
For the first time in six months, Dev could breathe again. Finally he had a safe place where he could get back on track and look to the future. He began to type.
Things To Do This Term
Make some friends
Learn to cook
Research sex stuff
Join Grindr
Get some experience
Find a boyfriend
He stared at the words on the screen and sighed. That seemed like a lot of things to aim for. But it was good to have goals, right? Jez and Mac seemed really nice, so hopefully Dev was already on his way to achieving the first objective. And that bloke Ewan… Dev’s mind conjured up the image of the flame-haired hunk who lived next door. Ewan had been friendly.
Maybe there was potential there too.

REVIEW
I'm always a sucker for a geek stories in my MM books. And when Jay told us about this book, I just can't stop wondering, how she can manage it. Oh, then I have my "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" in my hand, read it, and read it, and can't stop until it finished. And I'm missing Dev and Ewan already !

The first meeting was cool, but the second.... AWKWARD!
OMG I can't stop smiling and feeling awkward myself . I mean, come on ! Having someone open your 'dirty little secret' is not everybody wants. Especially when it's a cute ginger head who has become your new neighbor and having an infectious smile ! Not at all.,
But, Dev, of all geeks community, is a very geek. Having all list for whatever they wanna do (don't look at me with that smirk ! I'm not like him ! Well...maybe, a little.)

Something like this,

Then after that weird profile he made in Grindr, Ewan 'volunteered' to be his teacher. *Cough, cough*
Do you see any 'evil motives here?'. Yeah, yeah.

Then they made and agreement.
Oh those were so funny, and awkward and full of sexual tension and it was 'HOT'! .
I think this is my favorite of the series so far, and Jay makes me happy for having this series in my hand.
Practice Makes Perfect is an example of a perfect geek story I craved so much .
Well done, Jay !



Author Bio:


Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. Jay has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and he also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.





Thursday 2 June 2016

Blood & Milk by N.R. Walker

Blood & MilkBlood & Milk by N.R. Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** ALL THE STARS UP THERE MY FRIENDS! ALL THE F. STARS !***




*BLURB*

Heath Crowley is an Australian man, born with two different coloured eyes and the gift—or curse—of having premonition dreams. He also has nothing left to live for. Twelve months after having his life upended, his dreams tell him where he needs to be. So with nothing―and no one―to keep him in Sydney, he simply boards a plane for Tanzania. Not caring if he lives or dies, Heath walks into a tribe of Maasai and asks to stay. Granted permission, he leaves behind the name and heartbreak of Heath and starts over with the new Maasai name of Alé.

From the day of his birth, Damu has always been an outcast. The son of the chief and brother to the great warrior leader, Damu is reminded constantly that he’s not good enough to be considered a man in the eyes of his people. Ordered to take responsibility for Alé, Damu shares with him the ways of the Maasai, just as Alé shares with Damu the world outside the acacia thorn fence. But it’s more than just a cultural exchange. It’s about trust and acceptance, finding themselves, and a true sense of purpose.

Under the African sky on the plains of the Serengeti, Heath finds more than just a reason to live. He finds a man like no other, and a reason to love.




*NO SPOILER REVIEW*

*I beta read this book for sensitivity matters*

I knew that Nic, at first considering NOT to release this book, because of the sensitive matters in the book. But after let some of Maasai natives read the book, and sent it to some of us to beta for this, she decided to finally release the book.
I was glad. Because this book is a gem. This is a different one from N.R. Walker, but still with NR Walker awesomeness that we love.

I never expected there's angst in Nic's books, not one. It's always sweet and adorable, fulfill my sweet teeth without giving me diabetes :)
But from the Prologue until almost the ending, I expected and felt like something is going to happen. You know the feeling, right?
When everything's are so smooth and fine and sweet, then... 'something' happened to our heroes. And it hit me hard and I started to cry. Not that I wasn't crying from the start, for this is one of the most beautiful story this author had been written. And I'm smitten with both Heath/Ale and Damu the Maasai guy, who never seen the world and lived in his own secluded place with his people.

I cried every time Damu threatened less than a man by his people. But Damu, that sweet, sweet boy, he's just accepted what his faith gave him, you know? Until Heath came into his life and change everything. And he knew that he's not living his life all this time.
I can say, Heath's love for Damu is unconditional. He's been through hard times, sacrificed everything to make Damu his.

The story told in a beautiful manners, as we know, NR Walker and her ability to make us swoon and cry at the same time, even for one unimportant scene or quotes.
So, if you need to find something a bit different read from this author, this book is wort to wait and read. And also, this kind of book, rare to find in or MM genre.
So, go for it. This one is one of my best read of this year !

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*Previously*

I am so NOT telling about this. This is going to be a surprise ! Ha!






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