Release Day Review!! Come What May by A.M. Arthur - 5 Star Review, Excerpt, Author Interview, and Giveaway

5/23/2016

Author Name: A.M. Arthur Book Name: Come What May Series: All Saints Book: One Release Date: May 23, 2016

Blurb:

Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Or at least, he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He’s a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone—especially himself—didn’t leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.

Enter Tate. He’s smart, confident, and instantly sees right through Jonas’s surly exterior. Sure, he’s done things in life he’s not proud of, but he knows who he is and what he wants. And what he wants is Jonas. As their easy friendship intensifies into something more, Tate introduces Jonas to a life he’s never known. One filled with acceptance and sex and a love that terrifies and excites them both.

But some inner demons refuse to be shaken off so easily. When Jonas’s old life barges in, he faces a shattering choice, one that could destroy everything he and Tate have fought so hard for. Sometimes love just isn’t enough—and sometimes it’s exactly what you need.

Pages or Words: 70,000 words, 320 pages (print edition)

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult, Romance

OK, I need to admit I love A.M. Arthur books, I think as normally because they are part of a series, and I love reading a great series, seeing old characters come back again.

This story is book one of a series called All Saints. All Saints you find out is a hostel where LGBT kids can come and sleep safely overnight, and this is managed by Tate, one of the main characters in this book.

Now Jonas, hmm what to say about him. To begin with, I wasn't sure I was going to like him. He came from money, and although he was 21, had never worked a day in his life. He had the rich and pampered lifestyle - but with one massive thing missing from it all - love. He was sent to stay with his Aunt for a while by his parents, due to being suspended from College.

Tate was altogether different. He lived with his two sisters, once he was old enough to get custody of them, as all three were orphaned. Tate has started the hostel, and worked hard there every day, including staying over some nights, but the most important people in his life were his two sisters.

Tate and Jonas meet, in the thrift store that Jonas's aunt owns and runs. At first, Jonas was unsure of Tate, and at times was a little standoffish with him. Somehow Tate managed to see below the front that Jonas put on, and began to see the real person underneath.

Slowly, Tate managed to peel back the layers that Jonas had surrounded himself with, and the real Jonas began to appear, and be himself which was a gay man. His father is totally homophobic, so it was like Jonas had been living a false life while with his parents.

Together with Tate, Jonas began to explore the life he could have being gay, and although only taking baby steps, seemed to be embracing his new life, and becoming a totally different person too. Gone was the arrogant man, he enjoyed helping others, and was beginning to enjoy his life in the small town with his Aunt.

Just as things were going well for Jonas, his dark past in the shape of his father comes back to the small town, and now Jonas has a few decisions to make, if he is brave enough to do so. Will he cower to his fathers demands yet again? Does he think his life in the small town would be better than that with his parents? Will he remain true to himself and admit to his parents he is gay?

Excerpt:

“It’s small,” Jonas said.

“Better than a cardboard box or foster care.” The sharpness in Tate’s voice echoed in his frown.

Jonas had never known anyone before who’d been in foster care, and saying so would probably make him the biggest douche on the planet. It also took the edge off some of his irritation over the total mindfuck that was Tate Dawson. “It’s way better than both of those things. You worked hard for this place, Tate. I haven’t worked hard for anything in my life.”

“I disagree.”

He blinked. “You do?”

“Yes, I do. I think you work very, very hard to convince yourself and the world that you’re something you’re not. I think you work very, very hard to be perfect when no one is, and the only thing anyone should ever do is just be her or himself. Be true to you, not to what others want from you.”

Jonas’s throat squeezed tight. “I can’t.”

Tate took a step closer, bringing a gentle waft of sweat and something sweet. “Why not?”

He saw the barest reflection of himself in Tate’s glasses and he didn’t like it. He stepped back. Tate snagged his wrist and held him there. The touch sent awareness buzzing across his skin, down his spine and straight to his balls. H needed to pull away before this got out of control.

And then his rebel brain decided it was a good idea to glance at Tate’s pink lips. Lips that Tate, the asshole, licked with slow swipes of his tongue.

Jonas yanked away his hand away so hard Tate stumbled. “I’m not gay, so you can get that ‘fuck the frat boy’ fantasy out of your head right now.”

Instead of being cowed, Tate planted both hands on his hips and said, “Who are you trying to convince? Because it’s just you and me in this room, and I’m not the one who brought up your sexuality. You did.”

Damn him. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”

Tate’s gaze drifted over his face as he sought for words. “Because every time we’re together I can tell you’re struggling with something. You put up this lone wolf front to keep people at arm’s length so you don’t have to work so hard to pretend, but it’s exhausting you. Jonas, you can be yourself with me. Whoever that is.”

“I can’t.” Talking was getting harder around the lump in his throat. His heart was kicking too fast and his chest ached.

“Look me in the eye.” Tate closed the three strides between them, then curled a warm hand around the back of Jonas’s neck. “Look me in the eye and say you don’t want to kiss me right now.”

Buy the book:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Come-What-May-All-Saints/dp/037300396X

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-what-may-am-arthur/1122856826

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M. Arthur, author of Come What May.

Hi A.M., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hello! I’m an m/m romance author, who mostly writes contemporary but occasionally delves into paranormal. I live in Hicksville, USA with two rambunctious cats and a large collection of horror film DVDs.

My newest release, Come What May, is the first in a new NA romance series with Carina Press. Jonas Ashcroft is suspended from college after a fraternity prank goes wrong, and he’s stuck working in his aunt’s thrift store—his very first job ever. Tate Dawson runs an LGBT homeless shelter nearby, and when their paths cross, sparks fly. So do insults, misunderstandings, and smexy times.

1) What genre is your book and what drew you to this genre?
My book, Come What May, is contemporary New Adult m/m romance (say that five times fast). I was drawn to writing m/m romance because I enjoy reading it. I like m/f romance, but sometimes the tropes and gender roles drove me a little nuts. It’s hard to explain, but expectations of an m/m romance feel more open, because it’s two guys falling in love.

There’s actually a moment in Come What May where Tate, one of the heroes, goes into a mini-rant over gender roles and how the whole point was that they were two dudes, and there was no girl in the relationship. He kind of misunderstood something Jonas said and took it out of context, but his point stands.

And I threw the New Adult label on there, because that’s what we’re calling it now, even though the m/m romance genre has been writing these sort of college-age, coming of age, “new adult” stories for years and years. M/f romances made it a popular thing.

2) How many days a week do you write?
Now that I’m a full-time writer, my goal is four days a week. I do work one day a week outside of the house, so that I can pretend to be a social person, and I want to give myself two days off to do whatever. Lately I’ve been doing what I call office work (a lot of promotion, go figure), more so than writing on a novel, but I’m still putting words on paper. And it takes time.

3) On average, how long does it take to write a book?
Anywhere from three weeks to a year or more, depending on the book. I have WIP’s that I started last year. I’ve sat down and banged out a book in twenty-one days. But I suppose a fair average for a full-length novel is three to four months.

4) Do you have a trailer for your book? If yes, give us the link. If not, do you think you’d like to have one done at some point?
I don’t have a book trailer. I’ve never experimented with them, because I honestly have no idea if the investment is worth the return. I don’t watch book trailers. I rely on the blurb and on reviews to decide if I want to read something.

5) If I could be a character in a book, I would be _______?
Bear the Kitten, from my April release The Heart As He Hears It. Look at her life? She is absolutely worshipped in every way by two hot guys…

Meet the author:

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and SMP Swerve.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

Where to find the author:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/A.M.Arthur.M.A

Twitter: http://twitter.com/am_arthur

Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur

Website: http://amarthur.blogspot.com/

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27731949-come-what-may

Publisher: Carina Press

Cover Artist: Carina Press

Tour Dates & Stops:

23-May: The Novel Approach, Gay Media Reviews, Gay Book Reviews, Man2ManTastic, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, Mikky's World of Books, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

24-May: Oh My Shelves, MM Good Book Reviews, Attention Is Arbitrary, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

25-May: Unquietly Me, Havan Fellows, Prism Book Alliance