Friday, October 6, 2017

Blog Tour Review & #Giveaway ~ High Balls ~ Tara Lain (@TaraLain @VivianaIzzo @dreamspinners) #2017NewRelease



High Balls by Tara Lain
Balls to the Wall #6
Release Date: October 4, 2017
Genre: Adult, M/M Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy as part of the blog tour. This did not affect my rating and my review is voluntarily provided.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N 

Synopsis
Though only twenty-six, single father Theodore Walters lives with his head in the clouds and his feet firmly planted in reality. At the center of his life is Andy, his seven-year- old son, with whom he shares no DNA, though nobody—including his religious-fanatic in-laws—knows that, and Theodore will do anything to keep them from finding out. Theodore works hard to get his PhD and the tenure and salary that might follow to make a better life for Andy—but the head of his department thinks his dissertation on Jane Austen and romance novels is frivolous.

Theodore’s carefully planned life goes off the rails when he walks into a popular Laguna Beach bar and meets the bartender, “Snake” Erasmo, a pierced and tattooed biker who sends Theodore’s
imagination—and libido—soaring. Snake has even more secrets than Theodore and couldn’t be a less “appropriate” match, but he might be the only guy with the skills to show Theodore that happily-ever- after is for real.







I continue to enjoy this series and this group of guys but High Balls is the best of the bunch so far. Once again, Lain delivers an engaging story with characters who charmed their way into my heart as well as touching on relevant issues such as prejudice against the LGBT community.

In Theodore, I found a guy I could relate to. Not only is he a dad focused on giving his son all he can - a son by choice, not blood - but he's also finishing up a dissertation on how classic lit - Austen specifically - impacts the modern romance genre. Austen? Romance? How academia and society judge romance readers?!? I hope someone is actually working on a dissertation like this. But I digress. Theodore has been working so hard at being a dad and student that he's let his personal life slide.

Enter Snake. On the surface, Snake is nothing that Theodore thinks he should be interested in. The long-haired, tattooed, Harley-riding bartender won't fit in Theodore's staid, conservative world. But there's so much more than meets the eye with Snake that Theodore gives him a chance even if his in-laws, their church, and the head of his department would never approve.

As I'm writing this, I realize High Balls offers a little nod to Pride & Prejudice itself. No wonder I loved it!

High Balls gave me what I'd felt I'd been missing in the previous installments of this series and that is the strong connection with the MCs. Theodore and Snake fit well as a couple and it was enjoyable to watch them face and work together through some issues.

Theodore's son, Andy, was a doll! So mature for a 7 year old but seeing as he had to deal with people saying mean things and bullying him over his dad, it made sense. 

I also delighted in spending some time with the guys from the previous installments. I love that they're such a tight-knit group and always have each others' backs.

I'm not sure if this is it for the series or not but I look forward to reading any and everything from Lain!






Giveaway




Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in gay romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 40. Her best­-selling novels have Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, Best Romantic Suspense, and more. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul­mate husband and her soul­mate dog near the sea in California she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!






No comments:

Post a Comment

Now you know what I think...what are your thoughts??