Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Book Blast for After the Rain by Daisy Harris (Review & GIVEAWAY)


The wonderful Daisy Harris is making a return visit today with her latest m/m read that reunites us with old friends and introduces us to new ones in, After the Rain.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of this book along with my impressions of it.  Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a $20 bookstore GC too!

They’re going to need a bigger tent.
Henri’s list of bad exes is as long as his arm, but nothing prepared him for his latest, heart-stomping breakup. He thought he couldn’t feel more abandoned, until his ride for a group camping trip bails, leaving him stuck driving for hours with a guy who is absolutely not his type.
After breaking up with his girlfriend of five years, firefighter Logan is working up the nerve to explore his interest in men. He knows he’s gay. He just hasn’t had the guts to do anything about it…until now.
Henri’s big-city attitude and tight jeans push every last one of Logan’s buttons, and when he and Henri have to share a tent, Logan is thrilled. He should have realized Pacific Northwest weather would get wet—forcing them to strip naked. Though the steam between them is thicker than coastal fog, Henri’s not sure he can let himself fall for another man. Not even the guy who finally treats him right.

EXCERPT:

The first thing Henri smelled when he woke up was coffee. The second was bacon.
He rolled onto his back, staring at the top of the tent and anticipating the salty, crisp fat. Henri was probably sublimating with food since he wouldn’t be getting laid anytime soon, but if he couldn’t eat cock, bacon was a pretty good substitute.
The smell of Logan was there too, though the guy himself no longer took up the better part of the tent. Henri lifted his head off the sweatpants he’d somehow replaced his pillow with in the middle of the night, and assessed his surroundings. Logan’s duffel filled the corner, meaning Logan must have slept scrunched in the shortened space. Other than that, Logan’s side of the tent was completely clean.
Henri’s side, on the other hand, looked like his suitcase had vomited in the night.
The tent flap rustled, and a slice of Logan’s face appeared in the opening. “You awake?”
“Yeah.” Henri started to smile, and he forced his lips to a smirk instead. Things had been fine the night before, more comfortable than Henri would have expected, once Logan had stopped talking, but Henri didn’t want to get too friendly with Logan and lead the guy on. Between the STI thing and still being hung up on Preston, Henri was in no position to start dating. “Is that coffee at someone else’s campsite, or is there a chance I can have some?”
Logan reached into the tent, a travel mug in his giant fist, and handed it to Henri. His grin was shy, and his cheeks red.
Well, drat. Henri was leading him on just by not kicking the guy.

FIND AT AMAZON here.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Henri has a poor record when it comes to boyfriends which has left him jaded and alone.  After finding out his latest boyfriend has been cheating on him, along with the possibility of leaving him with an infection, he's staying with a friend while trying to figure out what to do with his life when a camping trip introduces him to someone unexpected who shows him the true meaning of love.  Henri starts out rather gruff and arrogant.  He wants to hurt others before they hurt him and sardonically lashes out when first meeting people.  Outside forces slowly make him realize that he deserves better from his relationships when he shares a tent with the sweet Logan who's just starting to accept he's gay.  Being around Logan gives him the strength to to stand up for himself and go after what he wants in the areas of career and love which was very empowering and had me cheering for the comeuppance he and his savior Logan dish out to his ex.

Living in a religious Midwestern town has kept Logan from admitting his true attractions and kept him with his high school girlfriend even though he knew neither of them were happy.  With his recent move and new job his loneliness has grown and led to him admitting the truth about what he wants which has him excited to experience all he's been dreaming about.  Being paired up with the exotically sexy Henri, who at once frustrates him and attracts him, shows a more aggressive side emerging who goes after Henri wholeheartedly.  Logan is a sweet, no-nonsense young man who loves and protects wholeheartedly.  He jumps into new adventures completely and his exuberance for life brought a smile to my face.  He's just what the damaged Henri needs and their slowly evolving relationship was both sexy and sweet.

This was a fun and heartwarming story that perfectly balanced romance and sexual interactions.  The characters were appealing and their enforced closeness, due to camping in the middle of nowhere, made their attraction more believable and immensely satisfying.  I enjoyed seeing characters from the past who added to the sense of family this group conveyed.  From start to finish I was drawn to Logan and Henri and rooted for their HEA!  Their journey was sweet, sexy, and immensely satisfying and I look forward to the same happening for Michael whose story I hope will be told soon!

My rating for this is an A-

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

AUTHOR INFO:

Birkenstock-wearing glamour girl and mother of two by immaculate conception, Daisy Harris still isn't sure if she writes erotica. Her romances start out innocently enough. However, her characters behave like complete sluts. Much to Miss Harris's dismay the sex tends to get completely out of hand.
She writes about fantastical creatures and about young men getting their freak on, and she's never missed an episode of The Walking Dead.
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WEBSITE:  www.thedaisyharris.com
FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daisy-Harris/185042351535537
TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thedaisyharris

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

PRIZE IS A $20 AMAZON/BN GC!

-To be entered, leave a comment, along with your email addy (no email=no entry).
-Winners will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.
-Giveaway ends Tonight at 11:59 PM CST!

11 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting me on the tour and for the taking the time to review the book! Glad to hear you enjoyed it, :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank YOU for being here, Daisy! Another great read from you and I'm hoping we'll hear Michael's HEA soon too!

      The Scarf Princess

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  2. Enjoyed reading your review.Can't wait to read this.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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  3. I thoroughly enjoyed From the Ashes and have been looking forward to this one since. Thanks for this chance.
    peachescon(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Nice review

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  5. Great review!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  6. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com

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  7. Thank you for the review. Like the shading on the cover.

    Kassandra
    sionedkla@gmail.com

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  8. Thank you for the review, excerpt and giveaway! Loved the line at the end of the excerpt: "Well, drat. Henri was leading him on just by not kicking the guy."

    jen.f {at} mac {dot} com

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  9. Wow. This is one of the few m/m books that I will actively seek out for my tbr. I love the blurb and excerpts *that* much.
    Thanks for the giveaway and intro to this book!

    ilookfamous@yahoo.com

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  10. A wonderful review thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete