Book Tour for Platonic by Kate Paddington (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Those who enjoy emotionally intense reads will be drawn to this m/m read featuring reunited loves.  Keep reading to get a glimpse of Platonic by Kate Paddington, along with my impressions of it.  Learn even more about this book by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour and with some thoughts from the author regarding differences between writing HET romance versus m/m romances.  Make sure to fill out the form for the chance to win a $25 BN GC at the end of the tour and a free download of an Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack (US ONLY) will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the tour.

Let me begin by saying thank you so much for such an interesting question as well as for hosting me today for my virtual blog tour. The question you’ve asked is so fascinating to me because I’ve never felt there was much difference at all between writing het and m/m romance or erotica. And yet I know a lot of people have a lot to say on this topic and with m/m literature really starting to take the world by storm, there’s a demand to understand the difference and the why? of it.
Certainly, in beginning to write m/m, having exclusively written m/f stories for about a decade, there were a few things that immediately presented as different. They’re relatively trivial though. The need to use names instead of pronouns will forever frustrate me. When you can differentiate characters by he/she and then come to write a sex scene and ‘he’ could mean either one of them…that was weird and learning that using their names more often than not took time. The mechanistic side of m/m sex is obviously different to m/f sex and I still often go off to look at anatomy, physiology, and porn, all in the name of research. That said, I wrote m/f sex that was mechanistically different to what I had experienced. So I don’t think that’s a big deal. The other thing is that in a m/m romance social prejudices like homophobia can be featured as part of the story. I tend not to do that in a major way so, again, that’s not a big deal for me. Also it’s worth pointing out that m/f stories can feature social prejudices and that all m/m stories do not have to.
So for me writing a m/m erotic romance is pretty much identical to writing a m/f one. When I first started doing it, it didn’t occur to me that it should be different. I’ve never written anything that deals with gender or sexuality identity with any more complication than my characters having these identities and being comfortable with them. Moreover, the stories I am compelled to write feature characters that would never consider the most important things about themselves to be their sexualities. Sometimes my men happen to like men, sometimes they like women, sometimes they like both. It’s all very peripheral to the stories I am trying to tell which are about people and the connections they make with other people. These connections are based on personalities, passions, how they complement each other. I know a lot of people think that two men having sex is hot and I agree with that but if that’s all it was we would all be in the business of making and watching m/m porn. I’m here for the love story and I think that’s what readers will find in my novel. It’s a love story with characters that garner affection and sympathy while maintaining their frustrating flaws. It has humor, stunning locations, an adorable puppy, and sex that is scorching hot because of how good and how much it makes the two people sharing it feel. None of what I just listed is discernably different based on sexuality and so writing it was never really different either.
Except for those pesky pronouns. Those were killed. I look forward to the day we can start writing with he1 and he2 and run it smoothly from there.  
Thanks so much again for the chance to discuss such an interesting part of my writing. Talking about all these things is just making me more excited for people to read Platonic.

Mark Savoy and Daniel O’Shea were high school sweethearts who had planned their forevers together. But when Mark goes to college in California rather than following Daniel to New York, he embarks on a decade-long search for independence, sexual confidence and love.
When Mark lands a job in New York and crosses Daniel’s path, they slowly rebuild their fractured friendship through texts and emails. If they finally agree to see each other, will they be able to keep it platonic? Or will the spark of a long-lost love reignite just as Daniel accepts a job overseas?
Platonic is a story of trials, growth, and knowing how to learn lessons from the past to build a future.

EXCERPT:

“Would you have stayed with him if you could?” Patrick eventually asks.
Mark turns his head sideways from where he’s lying upside down on the bed. He still doesn’t entirely understand why Patrick wants to know, but he has a sneaking suspicion it’s because he cares. Sighing, Mark says, “Yes. Forever.” Patrick nods slowly, as though he’s wrestling with the concept, so Mark elaborates. “We were so happy, most of the time. I mean, before New York happened we only ever fought about the most unimportant, silly things and when we made up it was magical. We could go weeks and weeks without even really disagreeing. He loved me so much and I loved him and it always felt so easy.”
Patrick chuckles and Mark attempts to glare at him. Catching his wrist, Patrick makes him look him in the eye and asks, “But not now?”
“He moved on,” Mark tells him. “We talked about it, in emails mostly, and we were sad, but that was it. He moved on really quickly without us ever really breaking up—“
“I would have been confused.”
“And I don’t really know him anymore, we’re not even friends on Facebook. And besides all that, I came to Stanford and he went to New York.“
Now Patrick laughs outright and resists the urge to tease; he clearly appreciates that it is so much more complicated than that. “Except when I ask you why you’re wired the way you are, you take me on an epic three-part saga of Daniel. Oh my god, Mark,” he says, exasperated.
“I’m sure he’s very happy,” Mark says, genuinely hoping it’s true.
Patrick stills again, sliding back toward serious. “Are you?”
For the first time in years, Mark realizes: “I think I will be.”

BUY HERE:  http://store.interludepress.com/products/platonic-by-kate-paddington

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Those wanting a heartwarming romance with a believable feel will find Platonic just such a read.  This is a character-driven tale of lost love and the chance to try again and with its likable characters and believable emotions you can't help but enjoy the ride.

Daniel was heartbroken when Mark left him.  The hurt tainted everything and left him leery of relationships and getting hurt again.  He found success in business and it's that he clung to, keeping his heart safe.  Meeting Mark again throws him into confusion as he had put him firmly in the past.  It won't be easy to regain what he once had with Mark as he's grown older and wiser but if fate has its way these two men who are perfect for each other might find their way back to each other again.

After ending his relationship with Daniel, Mark headed off to California to make a life for himself, full of new friends and relationships.  All these relationships never dimmed the feelings he had for Daniel though and when he comes into contact with his first love he desperately wants to try again.  Things don't go easy though as Daniel still feels hurt over Mark's treatment of him.  Mark grew up a lot while separated from Daniel, he learned from his mistakes, and came to appreciate what he once had but it won't be easy to relive the past.  With enough heartache he might just be able to create an even stronger relationship born of maturity.

This was a sentimental story with two likable and strong-willed leads.  Their pasts allowed them to grow up, not always easily, but to help them appreciate what's really important in life.  The feelings around their reunion were believable and their relationship progressed at a steady pace that helped you understand what they finally found with each other.  The romance itself is steamy which kept me turning the pages.  Luckily the steaminess was tempered by emotional intensity that showed a relationship worth fighting for.  The secondary characters were equally likable and played off the two leads nicely.  All-in-all this wasn't a defining book but it was a pleasant and emotional read that was a nice debut for Ms. Paddington and I look forward to where her talent will take her.

My rating for this is a B.

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

AUTHOR INFO:

Kate Paddington wrote her first work of fan fiction at age 12. Today, at age 26, she has degrees in philosophy and chemistry, and is currently completing a PhD in biophysics. A native of Australia, she has published numerous academic papers as part of her research. Platonic is her first novel.

WEBSITE:  http://katepaddington.com/

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Paddington/1488275144718727

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/KatePaddington

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