Blurb:
Perspectives, Book 1
Officer Noel Carlson isn’t out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, only to distant friends and family, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn’t stop him from wanting one, though.
When a night-shift call brings him face to thonged butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can’t get the encounter out of his mind.
Shane has big-time debts to repay, especially to the brother who sacrificed nearly everything for him. His two jobs, in a deli and as a stripper, leave him no time for a social life. But a non-date of hot sex and takeout food with Noel? He can squeeze that in.
The bond they form is stronger than either expected or wanted. Especially since the step Shane’s about to take to put his brother—and his soul—back in the black isn’t quite legal. And he never calculated just how much his determination to make things right will cost him in the end.
Review:
When you read this book (yes, WHEN because you really just have to), grab your trust box of tissues. Holy moly the FEELS. Shane kept breaking my heart with his self destruction. Noel and Shane’s brother Jason kept trying to get it out of him why he was struggling, but Shane wasn’t ready to talk until it was almost too late. Noel was so strong when he needed to be, but he wasn’t afraid to show his emotions. Their relationship was rocky and they had to work hard to stay together. I loved that it wasn’t easy for them. All of the obstacles in their path it would have been a complete disservice to them if they got together quickly. If you’ve read the Cost Of Repairs series, then you’ll see a few familiar faces. It’s always nice catching up with old friends like that. There are characters introduced in this book that I can’t wait to read about in the next book. I cannot wait for Gabe and Tristan’s story. Also a few other characters introduced that I hope to learn about as the series goes along.
Stars:
Five
Guest Post:
I asked Shane to join me today to tell us his favorite songs to strip to. Get ready for a list of songs that will make you get up and dance along with him. Read and enjoy!
Hi all! I’m A.M. Arthur and this is my first time at Molly Lolly’s blog, and I’m thrilled to be here spreading the word about my newest release, THE TRUTH AS HE KNOWS IT. This book kicks off a brand new series, Perspectives, with Samhain Publishing. TRUTH is the story of Noel, a closeted rookie cop, and Shane, a debt-ridden deli worker with an interesting side job.
Shane’s side job is the subject of my post today. In order to earn extra cash to keep him and his brother Jason afloat, Shane also moonlights as a private party stripper. Private party means he doesn’t go to clubs and swing on a pole. He’s the guy you’d hire for your bachelorette party (or the guy Schuyler Rhodes hires for his best friend Rey King’s post-wedding non-bachelor party). Shane’s greatest love is dancing, and he’s amazing at it. Dancing keeps him sane.
So it stands to reason he’d have a few favorite songs, and he does. I’m going to turn the rest of the blog post over to Shane so he can do a rundown of his top 5.
*passes mic*
Okay, kids, Shane here to talk some music. Get ready to cue up your iPods for a listen, because you know you’re gonna wanna. I can easily come up with five songs, but the first three are really easy. When I dance, I offer sets of three songs each. You pay for however many sets you can afford. Most folks do one, so I have a go-to set that always does the job.
I start off with Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” It’s got enough of a beat to really get my hips rolling, and the bass gets into the client’s blood. That segues into Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” which picks up a pace a little and gets adrenaline going. Plus everyone knows it, so clients end up singing along, wriggling in their seats. Win, win. The last song on that set slows us down into “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails. It’s the perfect song to end on and still keep the clients wound up.
The trick to the last song is, of course, leaving them wanting more. Sometimes it gets a second set out of the client. Sometimes not. Once in a while, if the tip is good, someone will get a personal lap dance. Those are a lot easier with female clients, because boobs do nothing for me, and sometimes getting too up close and personal with a guy makes the thong a little tight.
For a personal lap dance, I find that “Dip It Low” by Christina Milian and “My Humps” by The Black Eyed Peas are always good choices. I mean, what gay guy isn’t turned on by songs about asses?
So those are my favorite song. Anyone out there have a song they’d like to see me (Shane) strip to?
Excerpt:
“I want to see you again,” Shane said.
Noel grinned, flashing those dimples. “I’d like that too. My work schedule is pretty weird, though. I’m first shift, which is eleven at night to seven in the morning, five days, starting tomorrow.”
Shane worked that one around. It gave them daytime hours, and evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. He worked at the deli tomorrow, and Saturday was off the table. Probably Sunday too, for good measure. “When do you sleep?”
“Usually when I first get home, from about eight to two or three. Sometimes longer, depending on the night.”
“So you’re usually free dinnertime until like ten?”
“Pretty much.” Noel cracked an unexpected yawn. “Sorry, my schedule is a little off after spending the day with Tristan. I try to keep similar sleep times on my days off so I don’t get too screwed up.”
Shane stood, surprised. “How long have you been awake?”
“About thirty hours.”
“Shit, why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because I wanted to do this tonight. I’ve been thinking about you all week, and I’m glad I saw you at Mineo’s today. Really glad.”
“Me too.” Shane draped his arms around Noel’s waist. “And since this has been a fantastic night, I’m going to go before you pass out from exhaustion.”
“Do you want to get together tomorrow?”
He considered it for about two seconds. “My weekend’s pretty booked with work and stuff. Monday? We could maybe go out for real this time?”
“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I get up Monday and we can hammer out the details.”
“Okay.”
Shane collected his clothes and dressed, taking his time because Noel was watching. The opposite of a striptease, and Shane kind of loved the novelty of it. He meant his good-night kiss to be soft, quick, but Noel held him tight and devoured his mouth until Shane was breathless and half-hard. God, he could kiss Noel for hours and not get tired of it. But he saw the fatigue in Noel’s eyes, and it was time to leave.
“See you soon,” Shane said. “And thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, cowboy.”
Shane strolled back to his car with a bounce in his step, positive he’d never be able to hear the word “cowboy” again without thinking of Noel Carlson.
About A.M.:
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.
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.
Author Contact:
Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments). You can also find her online (http://amarthur.blogspot.com/), as well as on Twitter (http://twitter.com/am_arthur), Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur), and Facebook (A.m. Arthur). A.M. Arthur’s work is available from Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Musa Publishing.
Where To Buy:
Samhain: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5326/the-truth-as-he-knows-it
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Truth-He-Knows-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B00ODW2IEM/ref=la_B00IQ2YGJU_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413411985&sr=1-4
Tour Stops:
10-Feb: Prism Book Alliance, All I Want and More Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
11-Feb: Amanda C. Stone, Hearts on Fire
12-Feb: Joyfully Jay
13-Feb: My Fiction Nook, Because Two Men Are Better Than One
16-Feb: Love Bytes
17-Feb: Cathy Brockman Romances, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
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19-Feb: Carly’s Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie
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27-Feb: Jade Crystal, Parker Williams
2-Mar: Charley Descoteaux, MM Good Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads, Wake Up Your Wild Side, As The Pages Turn
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