Saturday, December 29, 2012

Book Tour for Candy From Strangers by Joey Jameson (Review & GIVEAWAY)


As a fan of books in the m/m genre I'm always on the lookout for ones featuring unique storylines.  With Joey Jameson's Candy From Strangers there's not only steamy sexual interludes but a tension-filled story with a surprising twist ending that actually surprised me and had me applauding.  So let's learn more about Joey's new release by reading on as well as visiting the other blogs hosting this tour.  Don't forget your chance to win a copy of this book by filling out the form at the end of this post.  Please welcome Joey Jameson......

think I had the title to Candy from Strangers in mind before I even wrote the first page. It was just how the idea built itself from the ground up; slowly developing and snow-balling from a mere hobby into an addiction that spiralled out of control and into the novel that you see before you. This is how I write. Ideas are like little seeds in my mind that when given the right amount of attention and nourishment, flourish into beautiful and complicated flowers that smell of my passion and aim to stun the reader into submission with their detail. Writing is power. And it’s this power that I crave.
This is my first novel. When writing “Candy”, I wanted to go straight for the jugular. I wanted to take my mother’s wise warning about ‘never talking to strangers’, and modify and exploit it for the people of my generation. I wanted to plant a little seed of doubt in the mind of other unsuspecting young men, such asmyself; those innocently looking for companionship and love, and force them to think twice about who they invite into their beds. Do we every really truly know the men we meet when looking for love? Do we give trust away too easily? Do we open up our hearts as easily as we unbutton our trousers? And what happens when the ones we thought we knew, turn out to be someone else? Someone darker. Someone dangerous.
I wanted the relationship between Dylan and Darien to be relatable. I wanted the reader to be able to sympathise with both men and see sides ofthemselves in each of their personalities. Dylan and Darien are polar opposites. Day and night, Yin and Yang, and I created them using both the light and dark sides of myself. Dylan is sweet, caring and hopeful, while Darien is enigmatic, sexy and secretive. What starts out as the perfect relationship, quickly unravels when cracks begin to show in Darien’s story, leaving Dylan to question everything he thought he knew. It’s this idea of betrayal that we most fear when we give ourselves away. But sometimes even the most powerful passion, stems from something much darker.
I enjoyed exploring different themes in the book; attraction, desire, lust,sex, infatuation, paranoia, delusion. It is these themes that drive the book forward and capture the reader in their grip.
This is a story of obsession and lust that will hook you till the very last page, when the truth comes crashing down and shatters everything you thought was true. A cautionary tale for the 21st Century.

Dylan, a 20-something English lad who’s successful, charming and beautiful, thinks he has everything, until one day his world is turned upside down when hot new neighbor, Darien, moves in across the road. The two begin a steamy affair that leaves Dylan breathless and thinking he may have finally found Mr. Right. But as time passes, cracks start to show in Darien’s story forcing Dylan to question everything he thought he knew about this dark stranger.

Candy from Strangers is a lustful tale of romance, intrigue and mystery that poses the question of how well do we ever know the ones we let into our lives.

EXCERPT:

This is one of those moments. You know the ones, that moment where you find yourself floating above your body staring down at yourself…thinking that there’s no way this could possibly be happening. There’s no way I could have allowed my life to take such a turn… There’s no way I could have fucked up so badly… This has got to be a dream…But no matter how many times I shake my head and grit my teeth, I don’t wake up from this apparent nightmare… The sound of muffled voices outside the padlocked door brings me back to where I am, and I shudder and peer around the small white room.
I look down at the blood underneath my finger nails, and I begin to shake all over. My eyes sting and the throbbing in my head is so loud I can’t focus on anything else. I put my hand up to my forehead instinctually, and then retract it to inspect the dried blood that’s caked itself to my head. All of a sudden a face flashes in my mind, almost like a jolt of electricity shooting through my brain; him…The one with the face of an angel…This is all because of him. I shake my head again trying to force the image of his face away, but it’s as if he’s standing right in front of me, taunting me with his gaze, his eyes burning a hole right through my skull.
A moan bubbles up from deep in my belly, but fizzles out before it reaches my mouth. I drop my head into my shackled hands and feel the familiar sting of tears from behind my eyes.
How did I get here? How did this happen to me?
Before I know it my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a key cutting its way through the lock. The padlock is pulled back and the heavy door scrapes open. A man wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard walks in trepidatiously, accompanied by two other men. My breath hitches in my throat as the men walk slowly towards me, regarding me carefully as if they expect me to pounce on them like a hungry tiger. As they approach they begin to blur and fade around the edges. In their place, appears him again…his dark hair just as perfect as the day I met him. His eyes the same shade of green, welcoming and kind, yet mysterious. He holds out his hand and whispers something I can’t understand. The last thing I feel is an odd sense of comfort as everything goes black and I feel my body relax… But not before a puff of air from deep inside my lungs escapes from between my cracked lips, taking the shape of a word I hoped never to have to utter again…
Darien…

HERE ARE MY IMPRESSIONS OF THE STORY:

This story grabbed me from the start and kept me on the edge of my seat until the unexpected twist ending that had me applauding its geniusness.  With a storyline that flashes back and forth to show the unexpected path a love affair takes, I found myself fully immersed in the action and couldn't believe I arrived at the end so quickly.  For a short story it was surprisingly well-paced with a storyline that didn't skimp on the details which allowed for fully fleshed-out characters that evolved before my very eyes.  


Dylan's a hardworking young man good to his friends who's looking for something beyond work.  He thinks he's found that something special when he lays eyes on new neighbor, Darien.  Their relationship starts out sweetly and then evolves into one erotic encounter after the other that practically sets the pages on fire.  Dylan soon finds himself becoming lost in Darien.  But when jealousy rears its ugly head another side of Darien emerges that completely changes things and catches both Dylan and the reader by surprise.


This story is told from Dylan's viewpoint so we get great insight into him and how he perceives the relationship. Darien is very much a mystery though.  Beyond being good looking, charming, and good in bed, we never get a real understanding of who he is.  But once his jealousy arises we see chinks in his charming armor that don't bode well for a HEA.

Candy From Strangers starts out as a love story but quickly becomes an unexpectedly suspenseful story with a cleverly twisted ending.  It's not my usual kind of reading fare but Joey Jameson completely won me over and if this is any hint into what we can expect in the future then this author could well become an auto-buy for me!

My rating for this is an A.

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

BUY AT:   BN  |  AMAZON


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joey Jameson is Canadian born and bred, but currently living in Brighton, UK. He can usually be found either on the beach walking his two gorgeous dogs, or sipping swanky cocktails in his local haunt. Ever the fan of all things decadent and naughty, Candy From Strangers is his first delve into erotic fiction, but watch out for more titillating and tantalizing stories from Joey in the very near future.

For an insight into his daily life, you can follow him on twitter @joeyjameson or contact him via email on misterjoeyjameson@gmail.com. You can also visit his facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/joeyjamesonauthor for a sneak-peak of new work to come.


**********GIVEAWAY**********

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new release. This book sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it. Put it on the top of my wishlist. Thanks for the great review and giveaway.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  2. Definitely hooked me in with Joey's comments, the excerpt and the review!

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  3. Wow, a new author for me to check out! Thanks for the excerpt, the book sounds great,

    brendurbanist at gmail dot com

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  4. This looks like an intriquing read! Thanks for the review, it's on my to read list!
    tsarinaerika(at)yahoo.ca

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  5. This sounds like a great book, can't wait to read it!

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. Hello Jody, Thank you for bringing your Blog Fans such a fascinating, new Author with your Guest, Joey Jameson. I'm a Big fan of the M/M Genres & I was so intrigued by your Interview with Joey, I feel like a kid in a M/M Reader "Candy" (no pun intended lol) Store :)
    Hello to you Joey! Before I even read your book excerpt you had me hooked as a new Fan, so much so that I wish you had a Blog I could follow by email because I'm not a member of Facebook or Twitter :(

    Your new release, "Candy From Strangers" has my interests peaked on soooooo many levels. What more could a M/M Reader want all wrapped up in your very talented words; starting as a love romance, turned darked-edged suspense, ending with your readers being caught with a clever twisted ending. Sign Me Up!!!!!! ;)

    Joey, I can't wait to read Darlyn & Darien's Story, especially with your description as this story being of obsession, attraction, desire, lust, sex, infatuation, paranoia, delusion....you've definitely captured this reader.

    Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to spend time with Jody's Blog Fans. I would very much appreciate the opportunity for a chance to be considered in your very generous Giveaway of your new release.

    Hoping You & Jody had a Wonderful Christmas & Wishing you both a Safe & Happy upcoming New Year.

    Take Care & Stay Naughty,
    PaParanormalFan (Renee)
    paranormalromancefan at yahoo dot com

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    Replies
    1. Wow, thank you all so much for your comments! Candy from Strangers was such a pleasure to write and I am so excited for you all to read it! It certainly is a wild ride...Enjoy!
      If you're not on facebook or twitter you can keep tabs on me from the chances press website:
      www.chancespress.com/joey.html

      Joey Jameson

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