Gay Media Reviews
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Angels Of Mercy: Volume One-Elliot by SA Collins!!! 5 Star Review, R-Rated Excerpt and Giveaway!!!

10/18/2015

10 Comments

 
Picture
Angels Of Mercy
Volume One-Elliot
SA Collins
Released: March 23, 2015
540 Pages

GMR 5 STAR REVIEW-PAUL


Picture
Picture
On the cusp of his senior year at Mercy High, Elliot Donahey, an out but terminally shy gay young man who keeps to the shadows – never wanting to be seen or noticed – suddenly finds himself in the arms of the highest profile jock on campus, local star quarterback, Marco Sforza. Their lives, and those closest to them will never be the same.

Set against the backdrop of competitive sports, this character study work deep dives into the lives of these young men who each must "play the game" so Marco can continue to play the game he loves. They are just trying to find some small slice of happiness to call their own amidst their hellish final year of high school.

Author's Note:
Angels of Mercy is first and foremost, a character study. A great deal of it is inner-monologue. Elliot will pause the action, will break momentum as he grapples with his world – all the while flipping a finger to the fourth wall. He knows you're there. It was far more important to me as its author (and a gay man) that the reader come away with the whys of Elliot’s choices in how he navigates his often tumultuous world. The same can be said of Marco (his jock boyfriend) who will pick up the tale with Volume Two (due summer of 2015). I’ve read much queer literature and what I find rather interesting is that for the majority of it, very little is written about the character’s headspace. When you live in a world where you constantly have to be vigilant as you navigate through, it can make for some very powerful storytelling. That is my goal in writing these boys’ lives. I want the reader who may not be queer themselves to come away with what it might be like to be in a gayboy’s shoes – constantly polling and pulse-checking your world because your very survival depends upon it. All of that while you hope, you secretly pray, that you’ll find someone who will see you too and find they can’t live without you in their world. A small slice of happiness to call your own. And though you do everything to keep to yourself, you may still run into those who find your very existence threatens who they are and how they think the world should run. I pull no punches with this work. They are hormonally charged eighteen year old young men who are sexually active. While the sex is present in the work it is not gratuitous in that the main character does evolve from his physical intimacy with his high-profile boyfriend. It is not a genre romance read either, though it has a very strong romance threaded in the work. These elements bring a light to their world that attracts all the wrong attention. In a time where more queer youth are coming out to their teammates and their loved ones, I find that work of this nature is both timely and necessary to tell. I hope you'll find it as interesting and provocative a read as I believe it is.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Angels Of Mercy-Volume One-Elliot by SA Collins

Elliot a shy guy at Mercy high is out for all intents purposes but he prefers being in the background that is until he meets Marco, the star quarterback and nothing will ever be the same for either boys again.

When Marco makes a play for Elliot and to see his reaction was so funny that this hot quarterback is actually coming onto him was some of the greatest scenes to read. Marco is so persistent and nothing will keep him from the guy he loves even though the object of his attention is having a hard time excepting Marcos love. When Elliot finally gives into the quarterback is when things really start to heat up and the beautiful connection between these guys is something so very special. The relationship starts off and Marco needs to stay in the closet for the time being and Elliott needs to find where he fits into is quarterbacks life.

I really enjoyed these characters, Elliot knows who he is and owns his sexuality and even though he might be shy it's very clear how he's accepted being gay. What really spoke to me was how Marco the hot quarterback liked and went after Elliot. They look like they come from different worlds which they actually are but Marcos attraction to Elliot is so intense that I found myself rooting for them right from the start.

Just loved the self discovery journey that Elliot and Marco took and the great love that they found along the way. The way the author grows these characters together in such a beautiful story was some great writing. I felt connected right away to the great story that these men shared. I quite enjoyed this novel as the setting was so rich and the characters were so well written in depths of pure true honesty. I'm a huge fan of sport genres and was a beautiful setting of true gay romance and what the price of love actually costs. I found the pages flowed beautifully and the author captured their love so brilliantly that I found myself lost in their love. The author was highly detailed in creating this type of story and the characters were developed beautifully. I'm looking forward to reviewing the entire series and I highly recommend Angels Of Mercy: Volume One-Elliot to anyone who loves reading a great true gay romance novel.


Picture
Picture
Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/p6ykrms
AllRomance - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-angelsofmercyvolumeoneelliot-1766747-145.html
BarnesAndNoble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angels-of-mercy-volume-one-sa-collins/1121493073?ean=2940151831222
Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/529495
Picture
Upcoming Releases  
Angels of Mercy – Volume 2: Elliot - due Fall 2015.

Angels of Mercy - Diary of a Quarterback Part 1 - due Late Fall 2015
Angels of Mercy - Diary of a Quarterback Part 2 - due Early Winter 2015
Angels of Mercy - Volume 3: Pietro (The Sins of the Solstice) - due Early 2016

Picture
Angels of Mercy V1 - Extract (R-Rated)

I already surmised that he was a man full of surprises. He was thoughtful, gentle and very passionate. But the most surprising thing about him was his patience. I was a jumble of nerves and conflicting emotions. Not about him. I knew I loved him. I was overwrought inside, concerned if I would make the grade, be an adequate lover the way he would wish me to be. Turns out, I needn't have worried.
He was so sweet-tempered, taking his time to undress me slowly, gently batting my hands away anytime I tried to help him. With a lone small table lamp on the nightstand next to the bed, our bodies shadowboxed on the wall behind us. In that silhouette I became so ultra-aware of how inadequate my body was in comparison to his. I tried to hide it, painfully aware of how glorious he was, and how not, I was.
He smiled softly, but he said I was perfect for him in every way. He reminded me gently of how long he had watched me, how his desire to have me for himself had built over the past two years. Then he said the most amazing thing to me: he told me that he hoped that he would be everything I would want in a lover, that what I thought mattered to him so much that he was a bit nervous. He hoped it would be good for me. His hands were trembling, a slight quiver to his voice. My heart melted for him.
I just watched him. I heard the words; I knew what they meant. But for the life of me I couldn't make it make sense. I could see he was becoming pensive, being so vulnerable with me about his insecurities. There was no way I was going to let him think he would ever be inadequate.
I pulled him to me and we fell onto the bed with a ferocity that I didn't know I had. We tangled; we writhed, our bodies becoming slick with the passion we felt for each other. And it mattered to me that he was just as unsure as I was. Marco, my confident, sexy-as-hell boyfriend, was vulnerable with me. He allowed me to see that in him. And it mattered. It mattered in ways I couldn't even fathom in that moment of our passion. It was something I found I would ponder from time to time thereafter. Truly astonished that someone who seemed so sure of himself and his place in the world, was worried about what I thought of him, of whether he'd measure up to what I wanted. If anything, it made my heart flutter just thinking about it, the way that sentiment from him did. But after that admission, I could see it in his eyes. Tucked there, in the furthest reaches, along with his abiding love for me was the fear that he'd fail me. Absurd. Completely absurd that he could ever fail me.
His kisses brought me back to the moment.
He whispered that he loved me, every inch of me, proving to me that he did by covering every inch of me in soft kisses. I tried to return each of his ministrations, but he wouldn't have it. He said it was my night. He wanted to spend the night making love to me, pleasuring me, letting me take from him what I wanted.
And make no mistake, I wanted him.
When the moment arrived, he looked into my eyes, and he spoke of our love again , of how he knew how much trust I was putting in him. I had reason to be concerned  he was no shrinking violet. Italian Stallion didn't begin to cover it. But there was no way I was not going to do this. With an ample gob of lube, he worked his fingers into my ass to get me used to it. I knew he didn't have to do that, after all, he was a hormone raging teenage boy as was I. He could have just plowed me for all I was worth. But he didn't. That's not my Marco.
After a few minutes of his fingering me because we'd watched it on a porn once (exchanging charged looks between us as we did so), I told him I thought I was ready. He leaned down and we kissed very tenderly. He asked me again if I thought I was sure. He wanted me to have a way out if I was worried. No way. I was in all the way. I wanted him to take me, no matter the pain, no matter the cost. He slicked up his sizable condom-sheathed cock, my eyes wide at how much of him there was. I wasn't sure how all of him was going to fit in so little of me. But I'd remembered the porn videos about it and saw that some twinkish guys like me were able to take some massively hung men  so in theory it was possible. A part of me was inflamed with the possibility, but the more reasonable part, the part that was speaking fairly loud at this point, wasn't so sure.
He paused, unsure if we should do this. No going back. I reached down between my legs and gripped that slicked up monster cock of his and pulled him to me, letting him firmly know that we'd passed that point of no return the moment we became a couple. I wanted him to know that I was good with it. I wanted it. I wanted him.
I don't know if he thought it would be sexy or if he was trying to distract me from that impressive cock of his, but when he pressed into me, kissing me while he was shaking it a bit with his hand as if that would get me to loosen up further, there was precious little that would have distracted me from what I was feeling. There was no denying it. It hurt, far more than I was prepared.
With my sharp intake of breath and a deep moan, he stopped his eyes soft with fear, saying over and over how sorry he was that we should stop. When he began to withdraw I found something within me clicked, I knew I didn't want him to stop. I hooked my feet around his back and drew him forward. I was already committed to being there for him. I would endure anything for him even if that meant enduring the pain as if he were cleaving me in two. I was determined for my body to learn of his passions and not only accommodate them, but become adept at pleasuring him. I never wanted to become so good at something as I did in that moment.
Picture
Picture
Picture
SA Collins hails from the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his (legal) husband, their daughter and, wonder of all wonders because he only just broke 50, a whirlwind of a granddaughter. Their home is filled with laughter and love. A classically trained singer, and a theater actor for many years (under another name), Mr. Collins is all about the story telling and the spell a good yarn can weave for an audience. This is Mr. Collins foray into writing but, as with all his creative endeavors, he leaps right in and figures it out as he goes along. It's been a winning combination thus far so why break a working formula?

Picture
Picture
SA “Baz” Collins
Author of Gay Literature Fiction across multiple sub-genres


e. | sacollins@sacollins.com
w.  | www.sacollins.com
t.  | @sacollinsauthor
g. | google.com/+sacollins
kik  | sacollinsauthor
fb. | facebook.com/authorsacollins
Website/Blog:  http://www.sacollins.com/blog


Check out my podcast  [WROTE (WRitten On The Edge) Podcast]
Picture
Picture
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Picture
10 Comments
Manuela
10/18/2015 12:07:07 am

The excerpt was beautiful and now I really want to read this book and Marco's POV as well.

Reply
SA (Baz) Collins link
10/18/2015 02:37:30 am

Thanks for that Manuela - There are two lines in the series. Angels of Mercy Vol 1-3 are told primarily from Elliot's POV. Diary of a Quarterback tells Marco's POV. Angels V2 should be out very shortly (I am working on the final edits now). Diary of a Quarterback (which covers the same timeline but from Marco's POV) receives it's debut shortly thereafter (mid-November is the current target). I am trying to write these boys a bit closer to the bone. They are culled from mine, my husband's (who played for Clemson U back in the day) and other gay men I've known throughout the years. V1 ends on a cliff-hanger (fair warning) but as I said V2 is coming up within a few weeks. Won't have long to wait now. Cheers!

Reply
Michelle Gallegos
10/18/2015 12:33:33 pm

I don't think any of us forget those first experiences with love, sex, the anxiety and emotions bombarding us. Love the excerpt and I'm looking forward to more.

Reply
SA (Baz) Collins link
10/18/2015 02:07:29 pm

Thanks for that Michelle. Yeah that was the whole impetus for the work in many respects. Most genre romance deals with the pursuit, I wanted to explore the whole "well then, what happens next?" part of it all. Not so much the happy ever after (which they will get by series end) but rather the in-between stuff - the rollercoaster ride love often takes you on. That's the journey that is far more interesting to me than the initial chase. Cheers and thanks for taking a look at my work! - Baz

Reply
jodi marinich
10/18/2015 03:57:54 pm

sounds like a original story and cant wait to read

Reply
SA (Baz) Collins link
10/18/2015 05:52:08 pm

Thanks for that Jodi. It's funny because I run a podcast and we recently had a discussion with two self-identified queer authors and a topic of discussion was the idea that queer romance (a phrase we've begun to understand that needs to become part of the genre vernacular) is a very different monster than m/m romance. Queer romance, of which I fully believe my works are, is much closer to the bone of who we are as queer people. It bends (often to the point of breaking) genre rules. But it is essentially queer in nature. A real page turner because the gloves are off on what it has to be – which is the intent of queer culture. Just what constitutes a happy ending? Riding off into the sunset, surely that can be one take on it - but not the only one. It was a very different conversation from the m/m take on it. As queer authors, it said far more than the standard m/m romance genre has to us as queer people. My story definitely is cut from that swath of storytelling. Thanks for considering it! - Baz

Reply
Lee Todd
10/19/2015 12:55:09 am

sounds great! would love to read it

Reply
SA (Baz) Collins link
10/19/2015 04:34:25 am

Thanks for that Lee. I hope you find my boys of Mercy High as engaging and provocative as I think they are. Cheers! - Baz

Reply
Julie Small
10/19/2015 07:31:00 am

The cover really grabbed me and the author note is beautiful!
Congratulations on the release and looking forward to reading it!

Reply
SA "Baz" Collins link
10/19/2015 01:59:15 pm

Thanks for that Julie. Marco and Elliot are deeply drawn characters. I really wanted the reader to come away knowing who they are as people almost more than their story. While v1 is in Elliot's headspace, you do get a decent feel for his jock boyfriend. The element that several readers seemed to like was how I have Elliot acknowledge you as the reader. He knows you're there. But I'm very judicious with how I apply it. The entire series is a perception play. A great deal f what we do is based on our perceptions yet we don't consciously think about that. This work explores that from a shy gayboy POV. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers! - Baz

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Ann Lister
    Blog Tour
    Christi Snow
    Cover Reveal
    Ella Frank
    Flynn Eire
    Gavin Atlas
    GIVEAWAYS
    Guest Post
    HBO The Normal Heart
    Jaime Reese
    Jake Biondi
    James Crawford
    Jennifer Wright
    J.J. Scotts
    Kindle Alexander
    Kindle-alexander
    Morticia Knight
    New Releases
    Nicola Haken
    Nya Rawlyns
    Piper Kay
    Rain Carrington
    Sara York
    Susan Mac Nicol
    T.M. Smith

    Archives

    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.