My dear followers, can you feel my excitement? Yes? And you ask why, what I am excited about? The answer is simple: today I’d like to share my release blitz post and review of Christina Lee’s and Nyrae Dawn’s Living Out Loud with you. 🙂
The book can be perfectly read as a stand-alone, but the two main chara, Ben and Xavier are already appearing in other books by the authors. Ben is from Paint the Stars (Nyrae Dawn & Christina Lee) and Xavier is from A Hundred Thousand Words (by Nyrae Dawn).
See this post for my review, you want to read the hot excerpt and feel the emotions. Also see the cool teaser graphics for more quotes. :3
Living Out Loud by Christina Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
Wow, just wow. The combo Nyrae and Christina did it again, they wrote such a perfect, awesome book. I really loved Ben and Xavier, two character I liked when I read Paint the Stars and A Hundred Thousand Words. I had the feeling the story of each of the guys wasn’t told and luckily both guys were meant to be together.
I was into the story right from the start, my heart was captured by Ben, who is suffering from his religious family, who had to endure a lot of pain and seperated with his family. The loss of his home, the love for his parents is there but the things he had to go through are not explicit and in full glory told but the mention alone was hard to read. Ben had my total sympathy and not only one time I wanted to hug him tight.
Luckily Xavier did this. And he is just the type of guys I love in the books written by Nyrae Dawn and Christina Lee. Xavier seems to be a bit rough, the guy who doesn’t do commitment, who loves sex and is open in his display and what turns him on. But when he reunite with Ben, his first kiss and actually first love, the sparks are there, after all the time, and so much more.
I really loved how the two authors marvelous combined the two different character, the different sides and types they are. It was also not really possible to tell who had written which part, the writing of both authors is so flowting yet so unique. You spot here and there the small parts which are more “Nyrae-style” and the one written by Christina. 🙂 It blended into a great book, a collaboration between two author where you exactly see how well duo-authorship can be done. ❤ It’s no wonder I am so fond of this combo. ❤
This book had everything I loved. Deep emotions, hot sex, full of passion and a bit kink, character who aren’t afraid in expressing their wants and needs (in bed) but in some parts so utterly vulnerable. So sweet, charming and simply lovable just because they are what they are.
This book touched me so many times, and I can only say I swooned over the kissing scenes. ❤ Superb. And I admit I actually cried a bit when I read the touching scenes. :3
5 out of 5 stars for this. Recommended, and if you read it before the other named books, I really urge you (gently ;)) to pick up the other books too. ❤
RELEASE BLITZ
Title: Living Out Loud
(note: Ben is from Paint the Stars, Xavier from A Hundred Thousand Words)
Type: Stand-Alone
Author: Nyrae Dawn, Christina Lee
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: September 8, 2017
Cover Design: X-Potion Designs
Cover Photography: Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Model: Brook
Add to you bookshelf
(click the button or this link)
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Free Fall Series
(where Ben appears in Paint the Stars)
Note: though a series, each book can be read as a standalone.
Touch the Sky (Book #1) Goodreads | Amazon US
Chase the Sun (Book #2) Goodreads | Amazon US
Paint the Stars (Book #3) Goodreads | Amazon US
A Houndred Thousand Words
(where Xavier appears)
Goodreads | Amazon US
Blurb
Ben Emerson has lived by his minister father’s rules most of his life. Born into an ultra-conservative church community, he’s finally brave enough to break free and move to San Francisco. Distancing himself certainly helps create a new mindset, but living as an openly gay man takes some getting used to. When he reaches out to Xavier, a childhood friend who lives in the city, Ben isn’t sure how he’ll respond given their thorny history. Ben hopes the familiar connection will help him right some wrongs as well as provide the solace he’s been craving.
Xavier Ramos is who he is, and he doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks. Whether it’s eyeliner, nail polish, tattoos or his love of hooking up, he uses his body as a form of self-expression but doesn’t let anyone get too close. When Ben reenters his life, Xavier helps him experience the city and feel comfortable in his own skin. Seeing the world through Ben’s eyes, he begins to wonder if he’s also not living as freely as he thought.
When Xavier challenges Ben’s beliefs about sex, it becomes explosive—for both of them. Xavier breaks apart Ben’s sheltered world and shows him what it’s like to live out loud. The more time they spend together, the more Xavier begins to long for Ben in a different way—one that both surprises and scares him. But real life doesn’t fade into the background, so when Ben’s past comes knocking, old habits are hard to break. Testing the foundation of their deepening connection will take a trust that will either bind them…or tear them apart.
**Riley Hart writing as Nyrae Dawn
**Ben is from PAINT THE STARS and Xavier is from A HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS, but LIVING OUT LOUD can be read as a complete standalone.
Excerpt
“Get your ass down here.” He frowns and I pat the floor beside me. “I’m serious, B. Get your ass down here. You can take it off when I’m done if you don’t like it. How do you know if something’s your style if you’ve never done it?”
I blow on my fingernails trying to get them to dry. Ben doesn’t move right away, but then he slides down to the floor beside me.
My pulse kicks up a notch. I don’t know why I want this so much for him.
He puts his hand on the table and I paint the first nail.
“I feel stupid,” he tells me.
“Do you think I look stupid with it?”
“Hell no. You look hot but—”
“But nothing. Be quiet and let me work.”
He chuckles. “You’re bossy.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” I reply before getting back to work on his nails. His fingers are long, thicker than mine. His hands are beat up from his work, rough and abused with little scratches on them. “I can’t wait till you can touch me. I love rough hands.”
“Oh shit,” he says with a thickness to his voice that tells me he’s getting turned on again.
I finish the first hand before saying, “Now, the other.” He sets that hand on the table, but I grab it, suck one of his fingers into my mouth, even though I hadn’t planned to touch him again tonight.
“Fuck, Xavier,” he says and his eyes roll back in a way that really gets me hard.
“Good?”
“Yes.”
“You’re trembling,” I tell him as his hand gently shakes.
“That’s because I’m really turned on right now.”
Author bio – Nyrae Dawn
Nyrae Dawn can almost always be found with a book in her hand or an open document on her laptop. She couldn’t live without books—reading or writing them. Oh, and chocolate. She’s slightly addicted.
She gravitates toward character-driven stories. Whether reading or writing, she loves emotional journeys. It’s icing on the cake when she really feels something, but is able to laugh too. She’s a proud romantic, who has a soft spot for flawed characters, who make mistakes, but also have big hearts.
Whether she’s writing young adult, new adult, or adult you can always count on a healthy dose of romance from her books. She likes to tackle tough subjects, and believes everyone needs to see themselves in the stories they read.
Nyrae is living her very own happily ever after in California with her gorgeous husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two incredibly awesome kids.
*Nyrae also write Adult Gay Romance as Riley Hart: http://www.rileyhartwrites.com
Author links / get in contact
Website / Website (Riley Hart)
Facebook author page / Riley Hart
Facebook personal page / Riley Hart
FB Group Nyrae Dawn’s Book Friends
FB Group Riley’s Rebels
FB Group (together with Christina Lee and other authors) – The M/M Daily Grind
Twitter
Instagram
~~***~~
Author bio – Christina Lee
Once upon a time, I lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. I spent my days shopping for photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my favorite hangouts.
Now I live in the Midwest with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I’ve been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn’t until I wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that I realized I could turn the fairytales inside my head into the reality of writing fiction.
I write Adult, New Adult, and M/M Contemporary Romance. I’m addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. I believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Author links / get in contact
Website
Facebook author page
Facebook personal page
FB Group The Swoon Room (former together with Stina Lindblatt)
FB Group (together with Christina Lee and other authors) – The M/M Daily Grind
Twitter
Instagram
Release Blitz + Review tour hosted by Michelle Slagan.
Mikku-chan 