Welcome to my little corner of the
CO
LOR of
LOVE 2016 blog hop!
There's a massive giveaway associated with the hop, so make sure you scroll all of the way to the end once you read about my featured author!
We are celebrating multicultural and interracial love, so if you enjoy romance novels featuring people of color, then keep reading.
It is my pleasure to share a couple of
Tara Lain's m/m titles that I have enjoyed. I admit, it took me a little while to remember that there were persons of color in several of Tara's stories, as that aspect is nicely melded in with the storyline and provides richness to the story as one partner learns more about another's culture (even though sometimes that is shapeshifting mores or other paranormal societal aspects, lol). Please make sure to visit
Reviews by Crystal to see a couple of Tara's other stories, and leave a comment at the bottom to be in the giveaway for an e-book from Tara's backlist (does NOT include the two recent releases,
Cowboys Don't Come Out and
Death Dancer)
These are
ADULT titles
Cowboys Don't Come Out
by Tara Lain
Blurb: Rand McIntyre settles for good enough. He loves his small California ranch, raising horses, and teaching riding to the kids he adores—but having kids of his own and someone to love means coming out, and that would jeopardize everything he’s built. Then, despite his terror of flying, he goes on a holiday to Hana, Hawaii, with his parents and meets the dark and mysterious Kai Kealoha, a genuine Hawaiian cowboy. Rand takes to Kai’s kid brother and sister as much as he drools over Kai, but the guy sports more prickles than a horned toad and more secrets than the exotic land he comes from.
Kai’s earned his privacy and lives to protect his “kids.” He ought to stay away from the big, handsome cowboy for everyone’s sake—but since the guy’s just a haole on a short vacation, how much damage can he do? When all of Kai’s worst fears and Rand’s darkest nightmares come true at once, there’s not much chance for two cowboys who can’t—or won’t—come out.
Excerpt:
What did I expect? Whatever he thought, this wasn’t it. The
small living room/dining area/kitchen combo shone so clean and bright, it
defied the shabbiness. An old couch had been decorated with a bright throw
covered with Hawaiian flower prints, while a couple of chairs stood opposite it,
looking comfy if worn. At the center of things, a large table was set for three
with mismatched but colorful ceramic dinnerware, and at the stove, wearing
shorts, flip-flops, and an apron, stood Kai.
He frowned stormily. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I brought the kids.” Rand crossed his arms. Not moving.
Kai’s dark eyes flashed at his sister. “Damn it, Lani.”
Rand took a step forward. “Don’t you yell at her because
you’re too chicken to face me.”
“Chicken?” He glanced at Lani and Aliki, and his chest
expanded with a big breath. “It’s complicated.”
Rand walked to the couch and sat. “I’ve got time to hear all
about it.”
Kai huffed and turned back to the great-smelling onions
frying in his pan. “Go back to your girlfriend and leave us alone.”
Rand glanced at Lani, who gazed at him like he should do
something. “I already explained to Lani and Aliki how sorry I am about breaking
up our party unexpectedly. My mom invited Julie, and I was so surprised, I
didn’t act appropriately. I apologize.”
Aliki walked over and wrapped his arms around Kai’s waist.
“Hey, brah, give the cowboy a break. He’s our friend, right?”
Kai looked down at his brother. Rand tilted his head to see
Kai’s expression, and it was—soft. “Yeah, kaikaina, he’s our friend.” Kai
looked over Aliki’s head, his face neutral. His chest expanded, contracted, and
he said, “You want to stay for lunch, brah?”
Rand nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that. What can I do to help?”
“Maybe Aliki can be persuaded to eat salad if he knows his
riding teacher made it?” He held Aliki’s chin and stared into his face. The kid
wrinkled his nose and ran to the back of the house. Kai yelled, “Change your
clothes and then come back and help.”
Lani had removed her boots and was wiping them with a cloth.
“I’ll change too and be right back.” She grinned at Rand and walked out.
Alone—at last. “I really am sorry about yesterday.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Hell, what you and your folks did
for my kids—I can’t even say.” He shook his head, but his eyes never left the
pan to which he’d added tomatoes, ground beef, and a bunch of spices that made
the whole room fragrant and Rand’s belly rumble.
“I’m talking about you. You and me. I’m sorry for putting
you in such a weird position.”
He glanced at Rand, frowned, and lowered his voice. “There’s
no ‘you and me.’ You’re a haole tourist, brah, who goes back to his life
tomorrow. I’m a brown-skinned dropout with mouths to feed.”
As kicks in the teeth went, that one qualified as pure,
fourteen-carat-gold truth.
Buy links:
DreamspinnerPress
Amazon
AllRomance
B&N
Kobo
And at iBooks
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My review:
4 out of 5 stars
Cowboys Don't Come Out by Tara Lain is a contemporary m/m
romance story featuring Rand McIntyre, whose forced vacation to Maui with his
parents has unexpectedly pleasant consequences. Unwillingly driven to pursue
his attraction to Kai Kealoha, Rand discovers the complex Hawaiian cowboy has
plenty of secrets of his own, and their relationship may end before it can even
begin, especially since they are both in the closet.
There are certain things I can depend on when I read one of
this author’s stories, including sexy caring males with plenty of baggage, and
a learning curve as each has to learn about the other’s lifestyle. I am always
amazed that she is able to adeptly address poignant and serious issues in a way
that acknowledges the pain and angst that accompanies them without making the
reader feel overwhelmed and weighted down. Her main characters all
share determination and tenacity, and I was particularly enchanted by the
humility and loving nature displayed by these guys, even as I regretted the
pressures that made them afraid to admit their attraction. There are a couple
of awkward scenes that seemed a bit forced, but the overall story gave me a
warm fuzzy feeling even as it reminded me of the beauty and history present in
the Hawaiian Islands, not to mention the fascination that horses seem to
engender in people of all ages. This was a wonderful way to armchair travel
while enjoying a sensual and heartwarming story that required a tissue or two,
but had such charismatic secondary characters that I hope to see them all again
at some point.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
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Tackling the Tight End
by Tara Lain
Blurb:
A Novel in the Long Pass Chronicles
Everyone wants the best for
SCU student and tight end Raven Nez—and they know exactly what that is.
Enter the NFL draft, become a big football hero, promote his tribe’s
casino, and make a lot of money to help people on the reservation. Just
one problem. Raven’s gay and he really wants to work with gay kids.
Plus he figures a gay Native tight end will get flattened in the NFL.
Then the casino board hires a talented student filmmaker to create ads
for the tribal business and asks Raven to work with him. But the
filmmaker is Dennis Hascomb, a guy with so much to hide and a life so
ugly it’s beyond Raven’s understanding. Still, he’s drawn to Dennis's
pain and incredible ability to survive. Captivated by Raven’s stories of
the two-spirited and by the amazing joy of finally having a friend,
Dennis knows he has to break free from everything he’s ever been taught
was good—but that’s a struggle that could kill him and Raven too. Is
there a chance for “the great red hope” and the “whitest guy on earth”? A
future for the serpent and the raven?
Excerpt:
Dennis’s heart kept pounding in his throat as he crawled out
of Walt’s car in the parking lot of the burger place and watched Raven’s long
legs emerge from the front seat onto the pavement beside him. Jesus, he was
about to go eat with this guy who looked like a god. Man, that was some kind of
new milestone. He leaned over and peered in the front seat. “Thanks for
driving, Walt. And for including me. Good to meet you.”
“Yeah. Same here.” Walt gave a wave to Raven. “See you
later, lover.” After Raven slammed the door, Walt drove off.
“He seems like a great guy.”
Raven nodded as he walked toward the door of the diner.
“Yeah, he’s the best. Been my friend since we were kids.” All those strong
planes in his face seemed to soften. “Sometimes I’m not sure how I’d get
through a day without Walt.” He pulled his jacket tighter and seemed to shudder
against the breeze. Weird that Dennis wanted to wrap his arms around Raven to
keep him warm. Weirder since he probably couldn’t get his arms halfway around
the guy’s chest.
“But Walt’s not your boyfriend?” He swallowed hard.”
Raven seemed to take a breath. “Uh, no. Just friends.”
“I heard he was your guy.”
He shrugged. “We exaggerate our friendship a little to keep
our families from trying to hook us up. I’d appreciate it if you kept it to
yourself.”
“Sure. No big.” Why did he want to laugh? Maybe just because
Raven Nez trusted him with a secret.
They got inside and were given a booth in the back. Walking
behind Raven, Dennis got to watch people stare. Women’s lips parted and stayed
open like they couldn’t catch their breath. A few people nudged each other,
probably recognizing him from TV or the newspapers. The height, the hair, the
overall gorgeousness. Hell, who wouldn’t stare? They slid onto the bench seats
opposite each other and ordered burgers with fries and Cokes.
Raven smiled. “I really enjoyed getting to see that film in
a new light. You were right. I’d never noticed the complete lack of law in the
film—except for the law of the crooks. But the nihilism thing. I don’t know.
The film is so exuberant and full of fun. I don’t think it says that God or
meaning is dead, you know?”
Dennis grinned. Wow,
Raven got it. The waitress brought their food, and Dennis dug in. So great
getting to eat something his mother hadn’t cooked, and with another person—kind
of like a friend. Of course, Raven wouldn’t be anything like a friend if he
knew who Dennis was and what he did. He fought a shudder.
Raven took a huge bite, chewed, then tried to talk around his
swallow which was kind of cute. “Butch and Jules get away, don’t they? I mean,
it seemed like they both found something.”
“Yeah, interesting observation. I mean, it’s like one found
God.”
Raven nodded. “And the other found love.”
Together they said, “Same thing.” Raven laughed and spit
some bread on the table. It was fun to see him a little less than cool.
Dennis wiped his mouth with his napkin. “You ever been in
love?”
“Not yet.”
“Is, uh, falling in love with a guy the same as falling in
love with a girl?” He snorted. “Sorry. Dumb question. You just said you’ve
never been in love.”
“And I’ve never been with a girl.”
“No kidding? Not even in high school or anything?”
“No. I knew I was gay when I was little. My grandfather
raised me to accept the idea that some people are two-spirited, so I was
actually excited when I realized I was. I rushed to tell my folks.” He shook
his head. “As you can imagine, they weren’t quite so thrilled.”
“That must have been tough.”
He shrugged, but he didn’t look casual. “My grandfather
intervened and told them stories of the old ways.” He shoved a couple of fries
in his mouth.
“So your grandfather brought your parents around?”
“Not really. They accept my being gay, but they don’t like
it.”
“Hell. Accepting is huge compared to some people I know.” Dennis
shuddered. “So Indians, I mean, Native Americans accepted, uh, homosexuality?”
“Some tribes. It’s not the Native way to deny something out
of existence or make laws against stuff that happens in nature. In some
communities the two-spirited were actually revered and considered closer to
spirit. Of course, often they were more like what we might call transgender.
Not just guys who love guys.”
“Hell, that seems a lot better than being told you’re bad by
your church for something you can’t change.” Jesus, he should change the
subject. This one made him want to cry.
Raven shoved back his empty plate and sipped his Coke.
“Yeah. I volunteer at the Gay Youth Shelter and, man, between their parents
throwing them out and their churches calling them perverts, a lot of those kids
barely escape suicide.” He stared at the dark liquid in his glass. “Some of
them don’t escape.”
“That’s crazy.” So crazy he totally got it.
Buy links:
DsP
Amazon
B&N
ARe
Kobo
Also at iBooks
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About Tara:
Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT
erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel
was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 34. Her
best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary
Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay
Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards.
In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often
does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her
soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her
books. Passionate about diversity,
justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!
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GIVEAWAY
- 1st prize $75 GC + 7 ebooks
- 2nd prize $50 GC + 7 ebooks
- 3rd prize $30 GC + 7 ebooks
- 4th prize $15 GC + 7 ebooks
- 5th prize $10 GC + 7 ebooks
- 6th prize $5 GC + 7 ebooks
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reviews by Crystal and I also have a giveaway!
One person who comments on either of our posts for the Color of Love Tour about one of the must-read titles or authors found on this tour will win an e-book from Tara's backlist (does NOT include the two recent releases,
Cowboys Don't Come Out and
Death Dancer). Please leave a valid e-mail address. A winner will be chosen from those who have left a relevant comment after December 5, 2016.
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Follow the hop to discover more great books and authors, and maybe even a giveaway or two!
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