Blurb:
This is not your average love story.
Ben Easton is not your average romantic hero. He’s a tattooed, badass, wannabe rock star, working in a perfectly horrible dive bar in Camden Town. His life is good, and he’s totally unprepared for how one man will turn it upside down.
Stan isn’t your average heroine. As a gender-fluid man, he proudly wears his blond hair long, his heels sky-high, and his make-up perfectly executed. A fashion industry prodigy, Stan is in London after stints working in Italy and New York City, and he quickly falls for Ben’s devil-may-care attitude and the warm, soft heart Ben hides behind it.
Beneath the perfect, elegant exterior, Stan has plenty of scars from teenage battles with anorexia. And it only takes the slightest slip for his demons to rush back in while Ben’s away touring with his band. With the band on the brink of a breakthrough, Ben is forced to find a way to balance the opportunity of a lifetime with caring for his beautiful boyfriend.
Where To Buy:
Dreamspinner || Amazon US || Amazon UK
Review:
This story was so moving and I adored the characters. that were beautifully written. The emotions that came out as I was reading were raw and felt so real. I was on the emotional journey along with both Stan and Ben and I loved every moment of it. Ms. Martin’s voice is wonderful and I enjoyed reading her characters and her writing. I’ve read some of her co-written work before, but this is her first solo work I’ve read. Now I hope for a chance to read many more of her solo stories.
Right from the beginning you could tell there was a fragility to Stand that had a history. When the reasons unfolded and you learned about Stan’s continuous struggle I pretty much bled feelings all over the page. I fell hard for him at the start and I loved him a tiny bit more with each passing chapter. My heart went out to him in Part Two. But I was so dang proud of him and how he worked hard to get back on track and healthy again. I loved how he firmly was against being a fashion model and his reasons for it. His conviction when many around him didn’t understand was wonderful. I also loved his sense of style and complete lack of fucks given to anyone that didn’t like it. He was himself and that self confidence was sexy. It’s no wonder Ben fell for him as quickly as he did.
Oh man Ben is a grungy kind of sexy but also amazingly caring as well. He could tell there was more to Stan’s past but was understanding when Stan was reluctant to talk about it. He was a gentleman when necessary and his core values of taking care of loved ones was an attractive quality. I liked watching Ben grow a bit over the course of the book. He really figured out what he wanted out of life and went for it. His hovering and mother henning hurt my heart a little bit but I understood why he was tentative with Stan then.
I adored the cast of characters around Ben and Stan. They had fabulous friends and they made this fun quirky family you couldn’t help but enjoy. Tone was amazing though. His friendships with Ben and Stan were exactly what they each needed. He was this silly and funny guy that likes to clown around. But oh my gosh he was so deep and could see things going on most others couldn’t. I absolutely loved how he treated Stan. That friendship was beneficial to both of them in the best of ways. The rest of the band mates, family, and Stan’s coworkers were so much fun. They brought a unique dimension to the story and made the whole thing come alive.
Ben and Stan have a wonderful happily ever after in this story. I love how in love they are. You can tell they’re going to be together forever and will love each other no matter what life throws in their paths. They’re going to work to both be healthy and present in the relationship. I would love to read more about these two and see how they’re doing in the future. But there’s not really any story left to tell. They’re whole and complete and happy together. However I wouldn’t say no to reading a sequel.
Stars:
Four and a half
About Anna:
Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England and now lives in Bristol. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before turning her hand as a professional writer.
Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), visiting friends who live in other countries, Marvel Comics, learning new things, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Although her most recent work is in the LGBT Adult Fiction genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen/ Young Adult genre, Romance, and Fantasy novels.
Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; “My favourite books,” she says, “are The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.” She also several well-read copies of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.
Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.
Author Contact:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annamartinfiction
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/annamartinficti/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/missannamartin
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/missannamartin
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