Hiya guys, we have the wonderful A.M. Arthur stopping by today with her newest release The World As He Sees It, we have a quick interview with A.M., a tasty excerpt, an awesome giveaway and Aerin’s review, so enjoy the post and click that rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~
The World As He Sees It
(Perspectives 02)
by
A.M. Arthur
Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.
Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications.
Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him.
Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders.
A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.
Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…
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Interview
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing A.M. Arthur, author of The World As He Sees It (Perspectives #2).
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 a contemporary m/m romance author (who occasionally dips into paranormal). I hail from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, equal distances from beaches and corn fields, and I currently share my apartment with two rascals of kitties.
My current book, The World As He Sees It, is the second in my Perspectives series with Samhain Publishing. It’s Tristan and Gabe’s book, and anyone who read the first Perspectives knows why Tristan is super special. He has severe short term memory loss, which prevents him from living a fully realized life. Gabe spends all of his time and money taking care of his alcoholic mother, which prevents him, also, from living a fully realized life. I’m so excited for readers to finally get their story.
Tell us the ten moments that stayed with you from any book.
Ooh, this is an interesting topic. Different moments/scenes stick with me for so many different reasons. Some because they were so shocking, others because of how beautifully they were written.
In no particular order:
Dex in Blue, by Amy Lane. The moment that sticks close from that book (which I love, by the way), is the motel scene after Dex and Kane leave Dex’s parents house. I love the way Kane helps Dex exorcise all of the anger and pain of being sent away, and does it in a way that is totally them.
The Golden Road, by LM Montgomery. Set in the same lovely areas as the Anne of Avonlea books, this not-really-spin-off is the second of a duology featuring children aged from around ten to fifteen. All cousins/siblings, they have adventures together and grow up. The moment in this book that caught me by surprise and still haunts me (SPOILERS) is when sweet little Cecily dies. Reading that as a kid had me a sobbing mess.
One Foot In the Grave, by Jeaniene Frost. Chapter 32.
Prey, by Rachel Vincent. If you’ve read it, I don’t have to tell you. It made everyone cry and rage and cry some more.
IT, by Stephen King. The gangbang in the cave. I mean, come on! Who expected that?
The Green Mile, by Stephen King. I could probably populate this list with all the ways SK has gotten stuck in my mind, but I’ll never forget sitting in my car, early for work, reading the scene in which Dell gets electrocuted. The description of his eyeballs? *shudders*
Broken, by Megan Hart. (SPOILERS) This one was all in the way it was written, because you kind of knew it would happen at some point, but the final few lines of the chapter when the narrator is holding her dying husband, unable to do anything to save him. I. Sobbed.
Soft Apocalypse, by Will McIntosh. A fantastic novel, overall, but a very haunting scene came near the end. I’ll never forget the description of a girl being held down while fast-growing bamboo shoots up beneath her and into her body. Grisly death doesn’t even cover it.
Dark Soul, Part 1, by Aleksandr Voinov. The gun torture. I mean, really? Talk about a visual you can’t erase.
Love and War, by John Jakes. I’d only ever seen the TV miniseries prior to reading the novels, and I was on a family vacation when I read this one. We were antiquing, and I will never forget the moment I read about Orry being killed. My poor parents thought something was wrong with me, because he isn’t supposed to die! What about his HEA with Madeline? Nooo…..! It scarred me.
What are some book moments that stuck with you?
Excerpt
The late hour didn’t diminish the sweltering August heat, and Tristan worked up a good sweat walking. Shane and Noel both looked crazy sexy in their club clothes, and even sexier walking side by side. He was happy for Noel. Happy his best friend was in love and enjoying himself.
He was also stupidly, insanely jealous.
He stuck close with his stupid, insane jealousy because the streets were teeming with people of all ages, heading into and out of the different restaurants and clubs. They turned down a quieter side street that was more like an alley. Halfway down the block a few guys hung out against a stone wall, most of them smoking cigarettes. An industrial door with no sign or markings was being guarded by a big, burly bear of a man in a black leather vest.
“Hey, Officer Carlson,” the bouncer said. He had a deep voice to match his broad body. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hi, Mr. Henson,” Noel said.
“Bear, son. Everyone calls me Bear.”
“Right. This is my friend Tristan Lavelle.”
“A right pleasure.”
Tristan shook Bear’s hand, surprised by the gentle grip. “Hi.” He glanced at Shane, who didn’t seem at all annoyed at being left out. “Um, that’s Shane. Noel’s boyfriend.”
Bear grinned. “Yeah, I know that one all right.”
“You do?” He reached for a notebook he didn’t have, then looked at Noel for answers.
“Shane dances here once a week,” Noel said. “He got the job through Bear’s son Gabe.”
“Oh.” He didn’t bother asking if he’d already been told that. Probably. Every single piece of information that was mildly important to his life had been repeated to him at least, oh, eighteen times. Minimum.
“Enjoy yourselves, boys,” Bear said. “First drinks are on the house.”
“Thank you,” Tristan replied.
Noel pulled the door, and what had been a distant bass became an impressive thumpa-thumpa in Tristan’s chest. The interior of the club was wide and deep, with a high ceiling decorated in strands of red and blue lights. Strobes and other lighting flashed around the dance floor, which seemed to make up most of the floor space. A small U-shaped bar stood to the right. In the rear were what looked like raised platforms. Two hot guys in red short-shorts were gyrating together on one of them.
This is the kind of dancing Shane does? Shit.
He was probably twenty kinds of hot up there.
Someone jostled past them, reminding Tristan to keep moving forward. Noel was hustling them straight for the bar. Tristan couldn’t drink alcohol because of his antidepressants and anxiety medications, and Noel was driving so the only person able to drink much was Shane.
Lucky bastard.
Not that Tristan was going to mourn his dry night. Men. Everywhere around him, a sea of hot men. All kinds of eye candy. Every age, height, weight, shape and body hair amount. He observed and mentally drooled over the flesh on display. The air smelled of liquor and sweat and sex, and good Lord he was starting to get lightheaded from it all.
Noel nudged them closer to the bar. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a pink sequined vest gave them all a big, toothy smile. “Noel and friends,” he said. “Richard Brightman, pleased to officially meet you, Tristan.”
“Hello,” Tristan said. Officially meet you implied they’d interacted before, but the man’s name meant nothing to him.
“I’m Bear’s husband. We own the place.”
“Oh. It’s a great place. I’m pretty sure this is my first time. I like it.”
Noel flinched.
Okay that was wrong. When was I here before?
“So what are we drinking tonight?” Richard asked. “First round on the house. Samuel Adams for you, Shane?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Shane replied.
Richard knows because Shane works here.
“I’ll have a vodka tonic,” Noel said. “Tris?”
“Virgin margarita,” Tristan said. He loved margaritas, and while a virgin wasn’t as good as one with Patrón, he couldn’t mix with his meds.
“Coming up,” Richard said.
The music changed to a faster, sharper beat. Tristan’s hips rolled in tiny motions, instinct bringing out his love of club dancing. Of getting into it with another dude, all writhing bodies and gyrating hips. Arms and legs. Sweat and heavy breathing.
Wonderful arousal stirred in his gut, heating his blood already. He might not be getting laid tonight, but damn it, he was going to have some fun.
“Hey, you guys made it,” said a sexy, sultry voice.
Tristan glanced over his shoulder to see who the voice had spoken to, only to find himself staring into a pair of kind, dark eyes. Kind, dark eyes belonging to a stunningly handsome face. Black hair. Tan skin. Tall and well-built. A walking wet dream who was smiling like they were old friends.
Holy fucking hell, he’s gorgeous.
“Hey, Gabe,” Shane said.
Gabe.
Those kind, dark eyes never broke from his, and Tristan couldn’t look away. Gabe was a stranger, and yet somehow familiar.
His eyes. The eyes I see. We’ve met.
“We’ve met,” Tristan said before he could think twice.
Gabe’s eyebrows twitched. “Yes, we have. Do you remember that?”
“I remember your eyes.”
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.
Contact her at am_arthur@yahoo.com with your cooking tips (or book comments).
Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Blog
Giveaway!
Grand Prize Goodie Basket: 1 signed paperback of The Truth As He Knows It, 1 signed paperback of The World As He Sees it, plus a bunch of other goodies (notebooks, cute post-it’s, etc…).
(Just click the link below)
A.M. Arthur Rafflecopter giveaway!
(Ends 23rd October 2015)
Review
Title: The World As He Sees It
Series: Perspectives 02
Author: A.M. Arthur
Genre: Contemporary/ Disability
Length: Novel
ISBN: 9781619230132
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd (October 20th 2015)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Aerin
Blurb: Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it.
Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications.
Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him.
Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders.
A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them.
Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk…
Warning: Contains two damaged but lovable heroes, secret-keeping friends with good intentions, and an abundance of inappropriate food innuendo.
Product Link: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5605/the-world-as-he-sees-it
Review: I’m not gonna lie, I was wary of reading this book, regardless of how much I loved book 1 in this series. After what happened to Shane’s brother, one of my favorite characters, I was afraid of the bad-luck and misery that was going to fall upon the poor unsuspecting characters in this book. But hey, I loved it! It wasn’t too dramatic, nor too angsty taking into consideration the fact that it had the potential of becoming angst-central.
We met Gabe in book #1, The Truth As He Knows It, when he came to Tristan’s rescue, when the acute need to get some sent Tristan to a night club all by himself. We also know Gabe is a porn actor under the name of Tony Ryder, but he’s able to separate his private life from his job pretty easily. His character was believable, because we all know there are many porn stars out there who are able to lead normal lives, so Gabe was a complex, pretty well-rounded character.
However, his reason for doing porn baffled me and made me angry at the same time. His alcoholic mother isn’t able or willing to keep a job, she’s ungrateful, bitchy, and undeserving of Gabe’s hard won money (pun intended! Heh!). She needed dumping on her ass rather than taken care of, but that’s just the way I look at it. But at least Gabe has another reason for doing porn: easy access to regular, safe, consensual sex. That’s the part that baffled me, because Gabe could get that anywhere else, but hey, who am I to judge, right?
Tristan is Noel’s friend, and we met him in The Truth as He Knows It; he was one of my favorite characters, and I really REALLY liked him in this book. After a gay bashing that left him with no short-term memory, Tristan lives his life 30 minutes at a time, while struggling to feel like a part of Noel’s life, instead of a weight on his shoulders.
My heart broke for Tristan. I can’t imagine living like that! When Tristan and Gabe meet again, Tristan remembers Gabe’s eyes, through what Noel calls his Déjà vu sense. The sparks fly between those two, the chemistry is there, the slow burn is a must but welcome nonetheless, and I thought they were lovely together. Except for that little part where Tristan forgets all about Gabe by the next morning.
Even though Tristan and Gabe keep in touch through a series of emails, a relationship between them is nothing short of impossible, until Tristan starts a clinical trial that has the potential to improve, if not heal completely, his short-term memory problem. I have to be honest and admit I have no clue what-so-ever about any stuff like that, and I also can’t tell if this is all possible in real life or if the author made it up completely, but to me it seemed believable and it wasn’t overdone, so I accept it as a possibility.
One thing I didn’t like was the lies, especially the ones coming from Noel, even though I understood his reasons. Still, once Tristan started getting better and his memory improved drastically. There were no more excuses for not telling him Tristan’s parents had no interest in his welfare anymore.
Plus, I thought Noel was a major asshole many times when it came to Gabe; even if it was because Gabe didn’t tell Tristan from the start that he is a porn star, I admit I understand why. Besides, when things got serious between them, and Tristan was able to remember thing better, Gabe was nothing but honest, so I can’t fault him. Maybe Tristan’s reaction to that news isn’t what you’d expect, but to me it was very understandable because I’ve done the same thing myself. *blushes furiously*
The main reason this book didn’t get 5 stars from me, aside from Noel, was that Gabe continued to do porn even after his mother was no longer a problem and he was in a committed relationship with Tristan. To be frank, that PISSED ME THE FUCK OFF!!!! There was no more justification for doing porn, because once Tristan became more like his old self. He was an insatiable, horny, devoted lover, so I can’t understand why Gabe didn’t quit. And even more unbelievable was the fact that Tristan accepted it with no problems at all.
Overall, this was a great book, and Tristan was an amazing character.
Check out the other blogs on the blog tour
20-Oct Love Bytes, Mikky’s World of Books, Hearts on Fire, The Novel Approach
21-Oct 3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie
22-Oct Prism Book Alliance, Just Love Romance
23-Oct Bookaholic Confessions, TTC Books and More
26-Oct MM Good Book Reviews, Divine Magazine, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
27-Oct Velvet Panic, Michael Mandrake, Amanda C. Stone
28-Oct Happily Ever Chapter,
29-Oct Inked Rainbow Reads
30-Oct Book Reviews and More by Kathy
2-Nov Dawn’s Reading Nook, It’s Raining Men, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat
3-Nov Iyana Jenna, My Fiction Nook
4-Nov Bike Book Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews
5-Nov Jessie G. Books
6-Nov BFD Book Blog
9-Nov Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
10-Nov Cathy Brockman Romances, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy
11-Nov Kimi-Chan
12-Nov Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Joyfully Jay
13-Nov Rainbow Gold Reviews
16-Nov Molly Lolly, Nephylim
Filed under: Author Giveaway, Blog Tour, Book Review, Excerpt, Interview, MM Book Review, MM Romance Book Review, New Releases, Samhain Publishing Tagged: A. M. Arthur, Aerin's Reviews, Gay Contemporary Romance, GLBT Contemporary Romance, Perspectives series, Samhain Publishing