RELEASE BLITZ
Book Title: Release (Rent Boys #1)
Author: A E Ryecart
Publisher: Indie published
Cover Artist: Tammy Clarke
Release Date: August 9, 2019
Genre/s: contemporary MM romance
Trope/s: opposites attract, sex worker hero, class difference, found family, slow burn
Themes: salvation, redemption, attainment of a better/different/more fulfilled life
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 70 000 approx. words
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
Universal Amazon Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
When life holds them captive, can love be their release?
Blurb
Selling his body since he was a fifteen-year-old runaway, rent boy Sean Farrell has learned the hard lesson that the only way to survive the streets is to act tough and cocky. But an act is all it is, as underneath he’s never felt more adrift as he struggles with crippling self-doubt. Sean’s distilled life into three simple rules: earn enough cash to get by, stick close to the friends who have become his family — and don’t let anyone steal his heart.
Art is Laurie Cassell’s profession and passion. His calm and ordered life is just how he thinks he wants it, but it’s becoming harder to ignore the creeping feeling that calm and ordered has become dull and predictable. Laurie craves more but doesn’t know what, or not until a man with dark hazel eyes and a bad attitude swaggers into his life — and leaves with his heart.
Two men who should never have met, let alone fallen in love. Can Sean and Laurie release the other from lives that are holding them captive?
*** Release is a slow burn, opposites attract MM romance. Found family, good friends who give advice our men don’t want to hear, and the redemptive power of love can all be found between the pages. No cliffhanger, and a guaranteed HEA. ***
Excerpt
“Didn’t you hear what he said? He doesn’t want a drink. Are you fucking deaf as well as stupid?”
The words were out of Sean’s mouth before he could think. This wasn’t his fight, this wasn’t his problem. What am I getting myself into? But Sean knew why he hadn’t walked away. The drunk was a bully, and his hectoring voice had scratched down Sean’s spine like nails over a chalkboard. Sean moved in closer, narrowing the space between him and the drunk to no more than a hand’s width.
“Piss off. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” The drunk made a good effort at standing his ground, but his voice had lost its edge. He was no longer so sure of himself, the ground beneath his feet no longer so stable.
Sean said nothing, offering only a grim smile. He knew what the drunk was seeing.
Tall and well built, and with his hair cut short and severe, Sean looked like a squaddie, a soldier off-duty for the night. Have you got the uniform? Have you got the fatigues? Words, and others like them, he’d had panted into his ear more than once. Sean watched as the drunk hesitated. Unexpectedly challenged, he deflated like a balloon stabbed with a pin.
The guy shrugged and walked off, banging his shoulder into Sean in a final show of defiance. Sean let him have his second or two of triumph; he was gone, and that was all that mattered.
A soft and cultured voice drifted out of the shadow.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to, but, thanks. I appreciate it. He didn’t seem to want to listen to me.” The added words were accompanied by a nervous, hesitant laugh.
Now that the drunk had gone, Sean focused his full attention on the guy.
Dark, heavy hair fell in a floppy fringe across his brow. Pushing it aside, the guy looked up.
Under the bar’s muted lights, Sean couldn’t determine the colour of his eyes, other than they were large, dark, and full of gratitude. There was a fine-boned delicacy about his clean-shaven face — no hint of designer stubble — and he was well, if conservatively, dressed. Late twenties, thirty at a push, Sean guessed, just a few years more than his own twenty-four.
“Are you waiting for friends or was that just a way of telling him,” Sean said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, “to take a hike?” He stared down at the guy, who looked as awkward and out of place in the overpriced, pretentious bar as he did.
The guy nodded, fiddling with the mixer stick in his glass, stirring the ice, and pushing down on what looked like a whole load of salad leaves.
“I am. This wasn’t my choice, but, well…” He screwed up his nose as he looked beyond Sean and into the bar.
Sean glanced behind him, surprised to see how in just a few minutes the crowd had swollen. He turned back to the guy and met his wry smile with one of his own.
“Yeah, well, this place was my choice, but I’ve gotta ask myself why.”
The guy laughed. “Everybody’s allowed one erroneous choice. It’s a friend’s birthday, and he wanted to come here, so I didn’t get a lot of say.”
“So where is he, then?”
“Late, as always, but I’m early. As always.”
Review
Release (Rent Boys, #1) (ARC) was graciously provided to me by Gay Book Promotions for an honest review. I have voluntarily read this book and have provided my honest opinion.
“A Heart-Breaking, Emotional, and, Heart-Warming Read”
An absolutely breathtaking, heartbreaking, and, incredibly mysterious new read has just blown-me-away and speaking for this reader, it’s overall magnanimous storyline is to be considered as other-wordly with it’s stunning plot and super characters. And that twist? *Pfft* Hold on to your kindles ‘cuz they’re gonna be flying as a result of that thunderbolt of a scream that will undoubtedly make it’s presence known. This story was an absolutely incredible read..
Release, by A.E. Ryecart, is an upcoming release that should not be missed. By any reader. It’s one of those stories that has everything and more and is to be considered as a Top Read 2019. It’s plot, with all of the thought-provoking moments are unique and rare to come across for this reader. It’s storyline is a magnificent and a stunningly captivating one in which the writing has this extraordinary ability to be multi-layered, with it’s inclusion of actual symbolism as well as a beautiful style of writing as a whole. With the presence of plentiful British vernaculars, the uniquely cohesive structure goes far beyond a simple plot. Through dark, deeply emotional, triggered, tragic moments of abuse, betrayal, and, gut-wrenching desperation, the writing quickly seems to smooth things accordingly with the presence of it’s gorgeously descriptive writing. There were numerous times when the tears had flowed for the main characters of this story. Sean and Laurie are amazingly wonderful souls who despite having contained different backgrounds, are very much the same..and this broke my heart..
Sean and Laurie..oh how I adore them and need to squeeze them so tightly, as their tragic past, even though is very similar, both men found extremely different ways to actually survive. As both seek that newly formed desire for more out of life, each struggles differently, and yet equally crawls their way through dark and desperate events, towards their new brightly lit lives filled with an over-flowing amount of happiness that each has greatly earned. Omg. I adore Sean and Laurie to bits..
While it was, at times, very difficult to read, part of which helped were the incredibly attentive, dedicated, and loving secondary characters, many of whom made squeal-worthy cameos from previous books. Their own stories are calling out to me already.
Release, with it’s mind-blowingly amazing title, is a raw and brutal story with shocking events both on and off the page. With the addition of such wonderful secondary characters, a slow but consistent heat and ever present chemistry, and, a few giggle-snort moments, I found myself in varied bouts of emotions as the characters found their way towards their light and never-ending happiness. It was one of those reads that had this storyline that languidly wrapped itself right around this reader with it’s beautifully written and emotional moments and it’s amazing characters. While there were a few areas to the plot that I had wished for further development, and there had existed a smattering of typos, Release, by A.E. Ryecart, will be one of those rare Five-Star Reviews for this reader and is highly recommended for all to read..I absolutely loved it..:)
*star rating: 5.00 ‘I loved this story’ stars*
About the Author
I love all kinds of MM romance and gay fiction, but I especially like contemporary stories. Born and raised in London, the city is part of my DNA so I like to set many of my stories in and around present-day London, providing the perfect metropolitan backdrop to all the main action. When I’m not writing at home, in the gym, in cafés – in fact any place I can find a good coffee – I can be found with my feet up thinking of more ways to put my men through the emotional wringer!
Author Links
Talking RoMMance… with a British accent
(This a shared group. The other UK authors are Jack L Pyke, Louise Mae, and Susan Mac Nicol)
Giveaway
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