Hi, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Mia Kerick writing as Jude Munro and her new book, “Born for Leaving”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post – except the Available at Amazon picture, which takes you directly to the Amazon Book Sale Page.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Mia and to increase your chances of winning!
This eBook is on SALE
during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!
See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Born for Leaving
by Mia Kerick
writing as Jude Munro
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GENRE: Gay Romance
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BLURB:
When they say be careful what you wish for, do you pay
attention?
Neither did Oliver Tunstead.
Oliver
wishes for nothing more than to get his mind off his crappy bartending job,
pile of debt big enough to swallow him whole, and playboy ex-boyfriend/boss who
refuses to back off. Too bad distractions, like the hot little convertible he
has his eye on, cost megabucks. And Oliver is flat broke. Renting the spare
bedroom in his rundown beachfront cottage is his only option to pick up the
cash he needs—a risky proposition, as Oliver is the polar opposite of a
people-person. When he responds to a bizarre ad in the Waterfront Gazette
seeking summer housing, he gets more than he bargained for. But Oliver can
cope… After all, how much harm can a single quirky tenant do to his tightly
guarded life in three short months?
Where
Oliver is a loner by design, urban cowboy Bodie is a loner by necessity. A
family dispute long ago dropkicked him onto the path of a lifelong wanderer.
This changes when Bodie moves into the tiny beachfront cottage and starts
working the door at Oliver’s bar.
Despite
Oliver and Bodie’s nearly paralyzing instinct to avoid commitment, they fall
into a wary romance. And to their surprise, life as a couple is sweetly
satisfying; that is, until their jealous boss devises a cruel plan to destroy
the tentative bond they’ve built. True to form, Bodie hits the road, leaving
Oliver to lick his wounds alone.
Can these wounded souls
defy their urge to flee and fight for love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT ONE:
“You
said there was an outdoor shower.”
“Oh,
yeah. It’s on the deck off the kitchen.”
He
drops his bags in the hall between the bedrooms. “You cool if I borrow a towel?
No room for ’em on the bike.” His cheeks turn pink. “I’ll hit the store
tomorrow. Ya know, I can pick up sheets and towels and shit like that.”
“No
worries—I have plenty of towels. Come here.” I lead him into the hallway and
point to a narrow closet. “I have extra sheets too. Don’t waste your money on
that stuff. You’re only gonna be here for a few months.”
Bodie
nods. Once, of course.
“You
can use the bathtub if you want to freshen up before you go to work.” I do my
best to fight the blossoming image of a burly naked cowboy with a crown of dark
red curls, swallowed up in a pile of bubbles, lounging in my old clawfoot tub.
I fail and hear my own extended sigh. “It sort of brings you back to childhood.
You know, soaking in a tub.”
“Nah.”
His shoulders stiffen. “I like the outdoors better.”
“Okay,
then. And for your fingers, there are bandages in the bathroom medicine
cabinet.” Bodie grunts his acknowledgment and grabs a faded pink bath towel out
of the closet. Then he shakes off his boots and pulls his T-shirt over his head
as if he’s alone in his bedroom.
And
just as I figured… a golden brown six pack appears beneath a light spray of
copper chest hair. “Um, I’ll leave a key for you on the kitchen table.”
“Cool.”
When
he starts to push down his sweatpants, I flee. The last thing I need is to
witness a sexy cowboy perform a seemingly inadvertent striptease in the hallway
by my kitchen. I’m through with great-looking men worming their way into my
life and leaving me more alone than before I let them in.
“Just
lock up when you leave.” I stand at the front door, back turned to him and my
hand fastened on the doorknob. Ready to run. “You’re heading to your job in a
little while, right?” I glance at him over my shoulder.
“That’s
right.”
I
should ask where he works—what he does for a living—but his sweatpants are
looped around his ankles and I’ll admit to being somewhat flustered at the
sight of his rugged thighs, not to mention the amazing curve of his backside in
nothing but his Calvin’s. “Well, I guess we’ll catch up later, Bodie.”
“You
bet your ass we will.” When he laughs—a deep rumble—it’s like he knows
something I don’t. Whatever the case, the prickles of heat I’ve been
unsuccessfully trying to ignore turn into goosebumps and shoot down my arms.
Shoulders, wrists, and fingers—all tingling. Which can’t be good.
What
have I gotten myself into?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY BOOK REVIEW:
This book brought on a rollercoaster of emotions over the course
of the story!!!
The author has a unique way of creating stories that
are filled with easy to relate to characters, overcoming obstacles, and finding
acceptance amongst the turmoil.
The author further lends
a voice and provides a safe place for young readers to express, understand, and
just really be themselves. I feel happy
to know that teens can turn to this author and her books for comfort.
What also really stood out about this book was the high
emotional content, the raw and gritty details, the thought-provoking passages,
and the complex multidimensional characters.
I
liked the main characters, Oliver and Bodie.
These intricate characters (and total opposites!!!) are likable, genuine,
and realistic. These characters are easy
to connect to and relate with. It is clear
from the get-go that both of these characters are hurt, damaged, and struggling
with their own secrets and baggage.
Although
I am not part of the LGBTQIA life, I can still appreciate intriguing characters
and enjoyable story lines, like this book cleverly provides.
I really enjoyed that the author created flawed and damaged
characters that really showcased her writing style and ability to push her
characters to reach their full potential over their arc.
A strong character development journey to root for and enjoy
watching it unfold!
This book has a creative story line that flows, excellent writing
style with well-described scenes, and strongly developed characters!!
There are some predictable scenes.
However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you
won’t see coming!
This book is Book One of the New England State of Mind Book
Series. It can be read as a standalone.
I would remiss if I didn’t mention a content warning label that
should be attached to this book. There
are many difficult topics that are addressed in this story and can be quick
triggers for anyone with previous history or ties to them. As one of those readers, but who has worked hard
to be able to overcome and skip past certain scenes, I would feel horrible for
not warning someone – especially if they were not as far along in their recovery,
going into this book blindly.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely
recommend it! I think all Gay Romance fans
or LGBTQIA fans will like this book too!
So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be
disappointed!
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R33GYAC4Q594UX
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AUTHOR BIO:
Like Jude Munro, her fictional characters in
her gay romance novels are drawn to the beach. They’ve sunbathed on the sands
of many alluring East Coast beaches, along with the fantastical beaches in
Jude’s books. They’ll answer questions like “Who do you think you are, the sun
god?” (which they often resemble) if they can hear you over "Boys of
Summer" cranking on their headphones. To most of Jude’s men, no shoes and
no shirt is really not a problem. But even on the sunniest of beach days, the
guys in Jude’s books do have problems… as in, serious relationship issues. Many
of which seem insurmountable. And each character must earn his day at the
beach. (Yes, there is always a HEA).
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CONNECT WITH JUDE:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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AMAZON BOOK BUY
LINK & BOOK SALE INFO:
**The Born for Leaving eBook is on SALE during the book tour
for ONLY $0.99!!!**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Jude will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
