Invitation To The Blues by Roan Parrish - Review and Release Day Blitz!

Invitation to the Blues (Small Change #2)

Publisher: Monster Press

Release Date (Print & Ebook): March 28^th, 2018

Length (Print & Ebook): About 81,000 words

Subgenre: Contemporary romance

Content warning: depression, suicide, thoughts of worthlessness, food issues

Links:

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2GdIBgN

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2EnDP3V

Ibooks: https://apple.co/2BFfDaM

Barnes & noble: http://bit.ly/2C9aiJP

Angus & robinson: http://bit.ly/2Cudrzz

Book blurb:

Eight months ago Jude Lucen fled his partner, his career, and a hospital in Boston after a suicide attempt. Now back in Philadelphia, he feels like a complete failure. Piano has always been his passion and his only escape. Without it, he has nothing. Well, nothing except a pathetic crush on the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.

Faron Locklear came to Philly looking for a fresh start and has thrown himself into tattooing at Small Change. He’s only met Jude a few times, but something about the red-haired man with the haunted eyes calls to him. Faron is blown away by Jude’s talent. What he isn’t expecting is the electricity he feels the first time they kiss—and the way Jude’s needs in bed speak directly to his own deepest desires.

Jude and Faron fall fast and hard, but Jude has spent a lifetime learning that he can’t be what the people he loves need. So when the opportunity arises to renew his career in Boston, he thinks he has to choose: music, or Faron? Only by taking a huge risk—and finally believing he’s worthy of love just as he is—can he have the chance for both.

The Small Change series is set in the Middle of Somewhere universe and features crossover characters from that series. Each book can be read on its own.

Content warning: This book contains explicit discussion of depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, and feelings of worthlessness.

Review:

* * * * *

After reading Small Change I absolutely knew that Jude’s story was going to be difficult for me to read.  In the end I was surprisingly incorrect.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not all rainbows and unicorns.  Quite the contrary.  Jude suffers from severe depression.  End stop.  There is no magic dick in this story.  There is no magic cure at all.  Because that doesn’t exist in real life.  But that’s what makes this story extra special and extra beautiful.  

Watching Jude struggle with his self-worth and starting all over again in the cutthroat world of classical music was heartbreaking but never uncomfortable.  It just….was.  He is who he is and his struggles will always be there.  Somedays they will be better, other days they will be worse, but they will always be there.

I said there is no magic dick but it sure helps to have someone in your corner.  Jude has a lot of people who love him and support him 100%.  His brother, Chris.  Ginger.  His parents.  But Faron is the one that understands him.  The one that lets him be Jude.   Who hears what Jude needs and then makes it happen.  THAT is what makes Faron magic. 

 I hate saying sex scenes are hot when I review a book.  Simply because everyone has different ideas of what they think is hot.  But Roan Parrish writes erotic scenes like no one else.  I noticed this in Small Change as well.   Her books show readers just how diverse pleasure can be.  It’s truly beautiful.

This review is a bit choppy but I’m still recovering from all the emotions after reading this one.   It was beautiful and I can’t recommend it enough.   Guaranteed that it will be on the re-read list in the near future.

Nat


Excerpt:

“Hold this,” Faron murmured into my hair, and handed me the sketchbook. I held it so he could draw with his right hand as his left continued to explore my torso. He sketched our feet, his elegant and high-arched, and mine, bony and slender; his dark, mine pale. And all the while, his fingers sketched other shapes against my skin. He dipped into my navel and ran along my ribs, sending shivers down my spine. When he skimmed a fingertip over my nipple I gasped and tensed against him.

He traced my nipple until it was a hard peak, then squeezed it, and my hips jerked, making the sketchbook jump in my hand. Faron’s breath went rough and he nuzzled into my hair.

My heart was pounding and I knew he could feel it. I squirmed to try and take my shirt off, but I couldn’t quite get it. Faron stripped it off of me and ran sure fingers along my ribs. Then he traced the blue veins visible beneath my skin from my heart to where they disappeared under my waistband.

With my oversized shirt out of the way, the bulge of my erection in my jeans was obvious.

I drew my knee up, resting it against the back of the couch. He slid a hand up the inside of my thigh so slowly I held my breath, but he didn’t touch my hard cock and I shuddered with arousal.

“Jude,” Faron breathed, and I let the sketchbook fall between us as I went for the button on my jeans. I felt like I was made of pounding heart, flushed skin, raging need, and it felt like nothing I’d ever experienced. It didn’t even feel like sex; it felt like desire. It felt like what I knew sex was supposed to feel like but rarely had for me.

Enter to win 2 e-copies of any back catalog book by Roan Parrish:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Roan Parrish:

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

Connect with Roan:

website |  newsletter  | twitter | facebook | goodreads |  instagram | pinterest

Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle

* * * * 

Available March 31, 2015

A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author.

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can't get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It's not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma's name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go even when you know you have to say goodbye.

It seems like just your typical one night stand when Josh and Gemma first hook up at a Halloween party. But these two hit it off really well, bantering easily with each other and having one of the best "magic time" moments of their lives. It seems like such a cruel twist of fate that they should meet on her final night in Vancouver before returning to her native New Zealand, leaving Josh to go back to his daily monotonous routine. It doesn’t help that his older sister made the break from the family and is living her dream in Spain with her boyfriend. Josh is envious of her freedom while he's still stuck at home with their strict mother. He feels dejected and dissatisfied with life. He does have art school in the spring to look forward to but he needs something now. Memories of Gemma speaking about her adventures through North America inspire Josh to action. Before he knows it, he’s booked his flight to New Zealand with no concrete plans for once he's there. Well, that is aside from look up Gemma. Yeah, it seems a little stalkerish but he's not just going there for her. He's doing this so he can break out of this rut he's in.

When Josh does find Gemma it’s apparent that they still have that sizzling connection. However, there’s the inconvenient problem of her boyfriend, Nick with whom she reconciled with upon returning from abroad. But in a desperate attempt to be able to spend time together, she invites Josh to go on a road trip with her and her cousin, Amber, who's also visiting from the States. Nick invites himself along since he's not too keen on Josh hanging out with his girlfriend.  

In a beat up orange van, aptly named Mr. Orange, they travel through various scenic locations all over New Zealand. Things are awkward and tense to say the least. Nick and Josh don’t like each other and Gemma and Josh have to fight their attraction. Josh can't believe that she would be with someone like Nick who is not very good to her. (Josh has a few choice names for him that I can't repeat here.) Gemma for her turn is going through an identity crisis which is explained later. At some point something has to give. In the meantime, there are plenty of fun adventures to delight and distract them.

I recently mentioned to BiblioJunkie Nat that I’ve been anxious to find a New Adult novel that has a different feel to it. I know angst and romance are part of the package but I’ve been wanting something more.  I mean there's the hot "magic time" when it happens but a large part of this story takes place on the road trip. I love the dynamic of these two people so physically attracted to each other but off limits to each other. And with two other people in close quarters with them I didn't feel like I was trapped in Josh or Gemma’s heads the entire time. Seeing the four of them interact with each other showed different facets of their personalities that I don't think I would have seen if it was just the two of them alone the whole journey. 

Where Sea Meets Sky gave me what I was looking for – a different kind of romance and a ton of adventure. I really enjoyed Josh’s arrival in a different country and that initial feeling of “oh my god, what have I gotten myself into!”. Living vicariously through him, I got to experience traveling on a budget in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Through his artist eyes, I saw and felt his sense of wonderment at everything he encountered. 

If any of you have read the Off The Map series by Lia Riley and enjoy reading about life Down Under, then I highly recommend Where Sea Meets Sky. If you're a fan of hands on, nature adventures, you'll get an extra kick out of it. You may also want to have a map and the internet handy so you can look up some of the gorgeous scenery yourself! 

~ Bel