Book Tour for Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt (Review & GIVEAWAY)

I'm ending the week on a high note and featuring L.A. Witt and her newest release, Covet Thy Neighbor, which is a m/m read dealing with issues of religion and acceptance.  It's an amazing read and I'm excited to bring you a glimpse of it as well as the chance to win books and a GC just for commenting........

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/L. A. Witt blog tour Covet Thy Neighbor, part of the Tucker Springs series!

Opposites attract, but heaven help these two.

Tattoo artist Seth Wheeler thinks he’s struck gold when Darren Romero rents the apartment across the hall. The new guy is gorgeous, witty, and single, plus he’s just the right blend of bold and flirtatious. Perfect.

Except then Darren reveals that he moved to Tucker Springs to take a job as the youth pastor at the New Light Church. Seth is not only an atheist, but was thrown out by his ultra-religious family when he came out. He tends to avoid believers, not out of judgment but out of self-preservation.

But Darren doesn’t give up easily, and he steadily chips away at Seth’s defenses. Darren is everything Seth wants in a man . . . except for that one massive detail he just can’t overlook. Is Darren’s religion the real problem, or is it just a convenient smokescreen to keep him from facing deeper fears? It’s either see the light, or risk pushing Darren away forever.

EXCERPT:

Jason sat bolt upright, nearly knocking a cup of pens off his desk. “Dude, what’s wrong?”
“Well.” I tapped my heel beside the chair leg. “I have a new neighbor.”

“Oh yeah? That’s right, you were saying Robyn was going to move out.”

“She did. And the new guy?” I whistled and shook my head. “Gorgeous.”

“Nice! Never hurts to have a little eye candy around the neighborhood.” He raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s the problem?”
“He’s hot, he’s amazing, and he’s a minister.”

A laugh burst out of Jason. “Oh, shit. Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Wow. The fucking irony.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So, does he know he’s living in the gayest part of town?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Totally does. And he’s also completely cool with living across the hall from an atheist.”
Jason laughed again. “Maybe you’re his next project, assuming he likes a challenge.”
I tried to laugh, but it probably wasn’t very convincing. “Yeah. Maybe.” I watched my fingers play with the frayed fake leather on the armrest. “Pretty sure he’s okay with the fact that I’m gay, though.”

“Well, that’s a plus, especially considering what part of town he’s living in.” Jason shrugged. “What’s the big deal, then? So your hot new neighbor’s a minister? Just take in the eye candy and skip the religious debates.”

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair. “Well, that’s a little easier said than done. Especially after, um, last night . . .”

Jason eyed me for a moment. Then he blinked. “Good God, Seth. You two didn’t waste any time, did you?”

I laughed, heat rushing into my cheeks. “No, we didn’t.” I scowled. “And now I feel like shit about it.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out all day.” I tapped my fingers on the armrest. “I guess it . . . I mean . . .” I exhaled hard. “I think it just keeps coming back to the fact that after how things went down with my family and my old church, I don’t want to get involved with someone who’s part of that crowd.”

Jason lowered his chin and raised his eyebrows. “That was one of those extremist churches. Is it really fair to paint an entire religion with that brush?”

“Maybe not,” I said through gritted teeth. “But the church pariah and disowned son in me are a bit hard-pressed to give a damn about what fucking qualifies as ‘fair.’”

“Okay, I can understand that. But you know damn well not everyone with a religious affiliation is like your idiot family. I can see why you’re gun-shy, but, Jesus, I would think it would be refreshing to find someone who didn’t condemn us the way your family does.”

“Maybe it should be, but all I can think is . . . fuck. I don’t even know what I’m thinking.”

“That his acceptance of who you are—and who he is, Seth—invalidates everything that happened to you?”

“I . . .”

I didn’t have an answer.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

L.A. Witt has crafted a compassionately well-balanced story about religion amidst the LGBT community and in doing so has thrown down a gauntlet of sorts to those who see homosexuality as a sin.  In conveying this powerful message Ms. Witt also managed to write a steamy romance full of all the intense emotions we look for in choosing a romance novel.

Seth is strong in his beliefs and has no shame about the kind of man he is: a beer drinking, occasional pot smoking, tattoo artist, who just happens to like men and paid the ultimate price by being thrown away by his family, church, and community.  He's found a new home and created a new family amongst the denizens of Tucker Springs.  He's vowed to never go near religion ever again but finds that difficult once he starts a relationship with Darren, the pastor next door.  Their relationship is combustible from the moment their eyes met but Seth's anger over his religious betrayal has him fighting his attraction to Darren and almost throwing away a chance at true happiness.

Darren's not your average man of the cloth.  He's a beer drinking, occasional pot smoking, man who's instantly drawn to Seth.  He's open-minded and his interpretation of the Bible promotes acceptance of all which confounds Seth.  Everything about Darren confuses him and attracts him as much as it scares him.  Darren enjoys the discussions of heavy issues he has with Seth and together it's the first time they both feel complete acceptance.

The scenes between these two crackle with invigoratingly witty banter and the constant undertones of sexual tension that's present whenever they're together or apart.  Issues of religion are seamlessly incorporated into the story to allow for thoughtprovoking conversation. Nothing feels heavy-handed in this story, the ideas presented never feel preachy.  There's never condemnation, just acceptance.  And this acceptance is what leads to the immensely satisfying conclusion.

Ms. Witt has created an entertaining story with wonderfully witty dialogue with an intensely important underlying message woven into the storyline.  She's crafted a wonderful romance as well as provided interesting ideas in regards to religion and homosexuality.  I applaud the fine line she was able to walk in giving romance readers what they've come to expect as well as giving some important food for thought and I implore readers to read her story with a message.

My rating for this is an A.

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

Covet Thy Neighbor is available March 25th from Riptide Publishing, and is part of the Tucker Springs series.

AUTHOR INFO:

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer currently living in the glamorous and ultra-futuristic metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a disembodied penguin brain that communicates with her telepathically. In addition to writing smut and disturbing the locals, L.A. is said to be working with the US government to perfect a genetic modification that will allow humans to survive indefinitely on Corn Pops and beef jerky. This is all a cover, though, as her primary leisure activity is hunting down her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who is also said to be lurking somewhere in Omaha.

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

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

Every comment on this blog tour (make sure to include your email addy with your comment) enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Something New Under the Sun) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. CONTEST ENDS AT MIDNIGHT, EASTERN TIME, ON MARCH 31st, and winners will be announced on April 2nd.  Contest is OPEN TO EVERYONE!