author. human. working hard to become stellar at life.
“Along with these realistic and immensely appealing cast of characters comes the vividly depicted world of fighting. I could feel the energy and excitement and became completely immersed in the heartpounding fight scenes drenched in sweat. Ms. Grant perfectly combined action with romance all the while emphasizing this testosterone-filled world featuring lots of sweaty and sexy men who wore their hearts on their sleeves.” — Amazon.com: J. Faltys “Joder”‘s review of Black Dog (Bannon’s Gym).
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The last 20% of this book, especially, is really damn amazing. Obviously, all of it is good, but around the 75-80% mark, I started having that feeling of, “Oh, God, noooo. I’ve just gotten completely involved and invested and now it’s almost overrrrr.” That’s one of the best and worst feelings, isn’t it? Because there’s never enough book left at that point.
I’ll admit I had a few niggles about emotional continuity, some logistics, and a few other things, but then I have to ask myself, “Leta, when do you not have niggles?” And the fact is, I do most of the time, so I have to throw those by the wayside and look at the bigger picture. Which is:
a) Amelia Gormley has created a really excellently drawn post-apocalyptic world with believable zombies and a believable fuck-or-die situation. That’s a pretty difficult thing to accomplish and she does it superbly and with her usual beautiful, descriptive writing style.
b) The characters of Rhys and Darius are interesting to watch unfurl, and I only wish there had been more of that. I did feel that there weren’t enough scenes of them together not fucking (or before fucking). More scenes like the shaving scene, for example. But I have a feeling that I might be in the minority on that count. Generally, I’m a fan of more scenes…editors and other readers seem to be fans of less scenes. So, I dunno. But see, that just means I’m greedy. They are interesting characters, and I’d have loved to know more about Darius’s past especially. For a forty-something man who’s lived through hell, we end up knowing relatively little about his life. So, hey, SEQUEL??? I’ll be waiting here. *chinhands*
c) The sex scenes were always hot (though, again, I could’ve handled a bit more non-con or a gangbang, which, uh, frankly, this situation called for, no, SCREAMED for, but we can’t always get what we wannnnnt, sang our friend Mick) and definitely got me a bit glassy-eyed and red-faced. Whew!
d) The emotional crisis near the end was deeply moving and I wish the pace had slowed there just a little to allow me to savor it a bit more. BUT, wow, did she ever rip my heart out (in the good way!!) with that big coming-of-age moment that, uh, no one should have to ever experience. *holds Rhys forever*
3) Loved the diversity in the book. Strong women, people of color, etc, etc. Nicely done. Strong showing! 😀
4) The villain was truly despicable and yet believably so and, even better, not cartoonish because we’ve all (unfortunately) known someone like this dude. Good villains can be hard to draw.
Basically, I loved this book and shifted some responsibilities around to read it in a big, fat hurry because I was so into the world she’d built and so curious about the characters. I would love to see more in this universe, like with anyone at all from this world, and more with Rhys and Darius, too. I highly recommend it and think everyone should start sending Amelia emails demanding a sequel or three. 😀 Go forth! Buy and read!
“Well-written. Heartbreaking. Funny. A journey that is a testament to the drive of the human spirit.”
“This book takes you on a wonderful journey!”
Amazon.com: Island Lover’s review of Training Season.
LGBT Month: Interview with Leta Blake – I’m With Geek.
Click above to read my interview for I’m With Geek. Hayley asked some wonderful, thoughtful questions that I really enjoyed answering. Go have a peek! Also, check out their whole site! It’s very interesting and well-done!
“A+ Would sit home on a Saturday night to read again!”
Goodreads | Carly (The United States)’s review of Training Season.
“The early part of this story was charming and whimsical, and very, very sexy. What surprised me was how it actually became such a page-turner once the plot started moving, and how deeply invested I was in the resolution. Extremely well-done!” —
Amazon.com: Amelia C. Gormley “Amelia”‘s review of Earthly Desires (Tempting Tales, Book One).
Today I’m over at Romance Lives Forever doing a character interview with Matty. He was in a subdued mood when answering the questions, apparently, but hopefully he’s still interesting! 😛 Click the link above to read the interview!
“5 Double Toe Loop Golden Glittering stars for this story that has left me an emotional wreck.”
“Unbelievably good, and Matty and Rob’s story will stay with me for quite some time.”
via Goodreads | Bev’s review of Training Season.
SMASHWORDS COUPON CODE: XU64P
50% off! Coupon expires February 15th!
Review: Cold War by Keira Andrews — Joyfully Jay.
Read the above review of Keira Andrew’s novella, Cold War! 4 stars! Or click on through to buy below!
“My perceptions were completely altered [by this book] & that’s pretty powerful.”
“Matty forced me out of my comfort zone with respect to m/m romances. He’s effeminate, dresses outrageously and wears makeup, leaving no question as to his sexual orientation. I was unsure if I could connect with him and here was the power of the story.”
“I’m thrilled that the author created Matty and wrapped this wonderful story around him.”
Read more of Jonette’s wonderful review here: Review: Training Season by Leta Blake | The Book Nympho.
“It seemed every new chapter exposed the reader to new facets of their lives and every one of them was interesting!”
“I would highly recommend this book to anyone loving m/m romance with one hot alpha male and his sexy princess figure skater!”
“4.5 Amazing Stars!”
Goodreads | Ann’s review of Training Season.
VOTE TODAY! January Author of the Month – Prelims Round 1 Jan. 1-15 Reviews |
Oh my goodness! I’ve been nominated (by virtue of the five sweet pea review earned by Training Season) for Author of the Month at Mrs Condit and Friends Read Books!
Click the link above to vote for me!
“For a reader who is not really into BDSM I loved this book, in fact I know I will re-read this book”
“For me what makes a good romance into a great romance is the characters connection to each other. Rob and Matty’s was off the charts amazing. I felt it, it was real. And their whole relationship with the BDSM actually made sense to me for once, and did not just feel like glamorised porn.”
Goodreads | CJ (Victoria, Australia)’s review of Training Season.
“I don’t write many reviews but this one for me deserved a shout-out. The characters were fun to get to know and the HEA was a good ending.”
Read more of Brad’s 5 star review here: Amazon.com: Brad’s 5 star review of Training Season.
Nanee at Satin Sheets Romance has a lot of love for Training Season!
“Wow! This book was a pleasant surprise, I’m not into figure skating but you don’t have to be. I cried, I laughed and I fell in love with these characters!”
Read more of her review at Satin Sheets Romance!
This was a wonderful fairy tale, witty and whimsical, sexy and silly, surprisingly touching at times, laugh-out-loud funny at others, and when the plot really got rolling, a complete page-turner. — Amelia Gormley’s review
Beautifully told with heartwarming and likeable characters that really live and breathe off of the written page, Ascending Hearts is a story not to be missed! If you are a fan of fantasy/fairytale romances then this book is definitely one to be considered. — Gabbi’s review
This is the best rendition of the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale I’ve read. It’s very suspenseful and the storytelling is beautiful. [I’ts a] great romance with interesting characters. This is a must read for fairy tale lovers and those that like a hero struggling to get his love returned. — Cynthia’s review
No foolin’ this time! It’s the real deal!
TRAINING SEASON IS AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!!
I got that whole back cover thing fixed right up, so go forth and pick up your copy!
(Though, hey, nothing’s perfect, and apparently it might take a few days for the change to reflect on the Amazon site itself, but any books sold will have the correct blurb!)
AND I’m giving away two signed copies to two folks who comment here on my blog. I’ll use the random number generator thingy from the interwebs to choose from the comments and contact you. Oh, and the end date for signing up for this little drawing will be on February 3rd!
If you’d like to be considered for this giveaway, please leave a comment below!
Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and loved on Training Season! You guys, I never imagined this book would be so well loved! THANK YOU! And thank you again! And again! AND AGAIN!
“TRAINING SEASON is a tale told with such flair and tenderness, and with such insight into the two main characters that this is a book I will read over and over again.”
“A memorable story so sweetly told that it’s a real hardship when the story ends and you realise that even though Rob and Matty have their HEA, you don’t because you want to keep on reading!”
via The Romance Reviews (TRR) – Training Season
Read more of Susan MacNicol’s gushing review of Training Season at the link above and click below to buy a copy of your own!
So, weird shit happens, right? Like, for example, when I got the file for the print cover of Training Season, I checked it over really well and it was all perfect. However, later, when I was doing some formatting, it came to my attention that the cover needed slightly altered to work with CreateSpace, so requested the change from the cover artist, who was very prompt with it. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the cover as well as I should have because I thought the only change being made to the file was one of size. Still, I should have checked every aspect a lot more closely than I did because…dun, dun, dun…I didn’t realize that the back cover had a blurb that wasn’t even remotely related to Training Season. Um, oops.
So, yeah, I clicked Publish with it that way.
*headdesk*
Now I’ve got fifteen books with a blurb on the back about some woman named Elizabeth, her daughter Clare, and a dude named Nathan. Everything else about these copies is totally correct. I’ve looked at every page and the rest of the book, the front cover, etc, is absolutely accurate.
So, what to do with these fifteen screwed up copies? I guess give them away for free to anyone who’ll have ’em!
Reply below if you’re willing to home a copy of Training Season with a back blurb that’s all wrong. LOL! The first fifteen to reply will be sent these screwed up books for free. I’ll even sign them if you like, because apparently some people want signed copies of the books? (OMG, that blows my mind!) Um, and because I’m already losing money on this endeavor, please don’t hate me for restricting this to US folks only? I just don’t think I can afford international shipping for fifteen books when I’ve already paid for the books to be printed, etc.
Consider these rare collector’s editions? Or something? OMG this is embarrassing. Hello, my name is Leta, and I’m a dumbass. But you can get a book for free because I am. Just let me know.
“I absolutely adored this book! Definitely one of my favourite ‘feel good’ books. Ever!! It was perfect. Just perfect!”
“Beyond the MC’s are some wonderful side characters! Sooooo many great characters!”
“The descriptive writing is so beautiful too – I hate when authors are so heavy handed and verbose that I zone out – Leta Blake got the balance just right.”
Read more of Barb’s review at Live Your Life, Buy the Book’s Site:
Training Season | Live Your Life, Buy The Book.
