26 January 2015

Surf Bay Series Spotlight!

Sometimes it takes love to truly find yourself

When 18-year-old Charlie’s unreliable mother tells him they are moving across the country to live with her mysterious Aunt Evelyn in the sunny town of Surf Bay, he isn’t surprised. After spending most of his life moving around the country with his mother and younger sister, picking up his life and starting somewhere new is second nature to him.

19-year-old Oliver is one of those guys that everybody loves. Most people would describe him as good-looking, cheeky and confident, but when Charlie meets him working as his Great-Aunt’s gardener, there’s only word that springs to his mind….arrogant.

Charlie quickly finds a job at the local surf club, but his initial joy quickly vanishes when he learns that Oliver also works there.

From the first moment Oliver lays eyes on him, he knows that he wants Charlie, and when he discovers that he’s a virgin, he sees it as a new and exciting challenge which he accepts, even if Charlie tells him he isn’t interested in guys. Oliver wants Charlie’s virginity, but he doesn’t count on finding something else along the way…

Charlie feels pressure to look after his family, so he tries to ignore Oliver’s relentless advances, but he starts to feel something new…something he’s never felt before…something exciting…

Does Charlie have the power to resist Oliver’s charms?

*This is a stand-alone story, but certain characters and plots have been carried over from the first book in the series, Lost & Found. This is an novel of approx. 62,000 and contains sex depicting sex between two men*
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23966889-lost-found
Great start for what I hope is a long series 4 rainbows.
This is book one of the Surf Bay Series. Charlie and Oliver’s story, but also so much more than that it’s the foundation of this whole series.
Charlie is moving into Surf Bay with his mother and young sister. Throughout his life any time his mother finds things get too hard, she packs them up and they move. And he is fed up. For this last move, he’s mother says this town is where she spent her youth and still has family here. So Charlie hopes that means they will stay a while.  Oliver has lived in Surf Bay his whole life and has no plans of leaving.  As Charlie starts to get settled into his new life, he finds his mother is up to her old tricks and they fall back onto their old routine again. But this time, he has someone that is in he’s corner if he’ll let him.
This story is a coming of age, self discovery and self worth but not just for the two main MC but for Charlie’s mother as well. I normally don’t like YA stories, but because of the cards that life has dealt these two, I found that neither one acted with the normal immaturity I find annoying.  I really enjoyed that Oliver knows what he wants and doesn’t stop. And Charlie hit’s all my broken heart strings. Will be jumping into book 2 right away.
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Can you have a second chance at a first love?

The year is 1997 and 18 year old Porter has been left devastated after his first love, Kane, chose a life in the army over a life with him in Surf Bay. With his broken heart, he had to find a way to rebuild his life.

17 years later and Porter has it all. He has the handsome deputy Sheriff boyfriend, the adorable daughter and he runs the surf club, but Porter's life is far from perfect. His relationship is filled with abuse and his surf club is failing.

Kane can't stop thinking about the decision he made on that dark night when he was 18 and finds himself back at his mother's little pink house, ready to face his past. When Kane comes face to face with his old flame, deep and buried feelings start flooding back and Kane is faced with the same difficult decision once again. Porter, or the army?

Can Porter resist the first love who shattered his heart? Can Kane find a life of his own without ruining someone else's? Can Porter juggle his heart, his family and his business, without losing everything?

*This is a stand-alone story, but certain characters and plots have been carried over from the first book in the series, Lost & Found. This is an novel of approx. 73,000 and contains sex depicting sex between two men*
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23966850-full-circle
Any book that that can keep me up until 3AM, reading cover to cover and then I reread two wks later. Gets a 5 STAR review!
Even though this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. Characters do cross over but the author does a brilliant job of keeping this book; Full Circle, just about Kane and Porter.
Porter and Kane meet and fell in love when they both were 18 yrs old. Kane’s father, a domineering man, decided he needed to grow out of this gay phase and enlisted Kane into the army. Kane, although madly in love with Porter, was still unsure about life in general and agreed. Leaving Porter devastated, wondering why wasn’t he enough, and did Kane really love him, would anyone?
17 years later, Kane is on leave in area close to Surf Bay wondering what’s next. Reenlist? Go home? Porter is still living in town, barley surviving. In a miserable relationship, still wondering would he ever be enough for anyone to love. The first meeting between the two after all those years really sets the tone for the rest of the story.  Kane wanting to make up for what he believed was his fault for the way Porter’s life has turned out. Porter; life in Surf Bay, the Club and his boyfriend Michael, is putting on a good front, showing everyone it’s not as bad as it really is. But in fact in reality the only bright spark in Porter’s life is Emily his 6 yrs old daughter.  
These two MC really ran me through the emotionally ringer, Kane because he wanted to do the right thing at 18, make his father proud and even though he knew he was losing the one thing he always wanted. And 17 yrs later, still doing what everyone expected of him, be what everyone expected. And then poor Porter, just simply existing, thinking that this life right now is exactly what he deserves that he wasn’t good enough than why would he good enough now? I yelled, cried and laughed my way through this whole story. Although, at times I felt Porter was a little to ‘Woe is me’ and Kane being career military and 35 yrs old needed to stop running and deal with issues.  (DADT has been gone for yrs, stop hiding.) But overall I loved the story, I loved that the characters connected and you could ‘feel’ that connection. You could feel the pain, the heartache, the joy.
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The Deputy Sheriff of Surf Bay has hit rock bottom. After pushing his boyfriend away with his drunken, violent behavior, Michael doesn’t have any reason to live anymore. Sleeping in his car and on his father’s couch, Michael is spiraling further and further into a dark pit as he drinks himself to death.

The local vet, Caleb, is young, attractive and full of life. His passion is saving the animals that pass through his surgery, but when the very place he loves is engulfed in flames, it’s up to the local, drunk police officer to save him from the fire. After being saved, Caleb invites Michael to his mother’s annual Christmas party to make his ex, Ace, jealous, but as Michael and Caleb get closer, Caleb knows there’s more to the dark void of sadness that fills Michael, than first meets the eye.

He makes it his mission to save Michael, but is Michael beyond saving? Michael witnessed something horrific as a child that changed the course of his life forever, but will he be able to bring justice to the memories of his past so he can have a future?

*This is a stand-alone story, but certain characters and plots have been carried over from the first book in the series, Lost & Found. This is an novel of approx. 83,000 and contains sex depicting sex between two men*
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23479639-saving-michael?ac=1
This is the third book in the Surf Bay series, and its Michael and Caleb story. Michael for the last couple of years has been on a self destructive path, drinking too much, gambling and as we find out did the ultimate sin and beat up his boyfriend. He was arrested, even though he is a deputy himself. And for the last several months he’s been either living on his dad’s couch or sleeping in his car. He’s father being a complete enabler, allowing and even joins his son in the drinking and then getting dressed and heading to the office, which happens to be the sheriff station. Caleb is the local Vet, sweet naïve and completely adorable. Still lives at home with his mother, father and sister. Even at 26! He takes one look at Michael, and wants to save him just like he saves all his animal patients! He’s the only one.
The book starts out with a clip from the past, very important clip. Fast forward to present day and Michael is a complete mess. Porter and Kane are happy and Michael is slowly drinking himself to death, which is where he thinks he belongs. One night the vet clinic catches fire and Caleb’s sister runs into Michael who happens to be leaving the bar completely wasted. But Michael figures out a way not only to sober up long enough to save Caleb but help rescue the animals. This act alone makes Caleb fall a little in love with Michael and he starts falling Michael around like a little puppy. Making him want to do better be, better. But is it too little too late?
I have to tell you, after book two, Michael was so far down my list of favorite characters I didn’t think he would ever see the light of day! And I wasn’t sure how this author, as brilliant as he is could pull it off. But WOW! By the end of this book I was crying, not only for Michael and his happiness but for Caleb and the rest. Unlike the other two books, this one starts with a true villain and someone that is so misunderstood no one cares or wants to try. If anyone deserves a HEA it’s Michael, and I would have been the last person to say that after book 2! Just like book 1 and 2 it can be read as stand alone, but more enjoyable if read in order.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks a lot for your reviews and for hosting Ashley <3
    I just love these!

    ReplyDelete