Book Blast for House of the Rising Son by Trevann Rogers (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Readers looking for a unique read that's the start of a new series will find this m/m paranormal read exactly what they've been waiting for.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing glimpse of House of the Rising Son by Trevann Rogers, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about it by visiting the other sites hosting this tour.  You'll also hear from the author about the appeal of rock star heroes which will have you wanting to add this book to your bookshelf.  In honor of this release make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $20 bookstore GC too!

Why are readers drawn to rock star heroes?

Rock stars are the quintessential heroes. And the hero worship starts early. What 13-year-old girl isn’t in love with a rock star, boy band member, or pop star?  It’s almost as if it’s expected of us, quite possibly encoded in our DNA.

And what’s not to love? They’re sexy, and if they don’t have that appeal naturally they learn very quickly how to project it.  As any advertiser will tell you, sex sells.

So you have this beautiful man who leads this exotic life—worldwide travel, money, girls and boys throwing themselves at him.  He wears sexy clothes, has beautiful long hair, and he does exactly what he wants, when he wants. People all over the world crave him, and even if they don’t initially, they will.  We’re taught to want what (who) everyone else wants.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the bad boy rock star. Something about their dangerous lifestyles excites us, even though we don’t want it for ourselves.  Some of us want to save him. Everyone wants to be the one he chooses. We’dsettle for spending a night, but dream about being The One.

The rest of the world would like to pretend that women get over rock star obsessions when we grow up.  Maybe some do.  But the number of books written about rock stars says I am not the only one who still likes to fantasize about those men and that life. And I’m pretty consistent in the type of rock god I fall for. Long hair, a little cocky…and he has to be able to dance.

Has your taste in rock stars changed over the years?  Do you still like the same type, or maybe even the same rockers you liked when you first discovered music’s primal appeal?

Cheyenne is a half-human incubus whose star is on the rise in the Unakite City rock scene. His father, the leader of the supernatural races, would prefer he keep a “low profile”, but screw that. Cheyenne has as much music in his veins as royal incubi blood.
Alexander's future is all set—finish law school, join the family firm, and marry someone who'd be good for business. Not that he has a say in any of it. He's barely met the woman his father expects him to marry.
As Cheyenne's musical career takes off, his carefully constructed life begins to unravel, exacerbated by an ex-lover who can't let go, a crotchety barkeeper with a dirty mind and a pure heart, a drag queen who moonlights as a nanny, and Alexander—who's not sure if he's falling for the incubus or the rocker.
Cheyenne denies who he is, while Alexander hides what he wants. Together, they learn that getting what they truly want means being who they truly are.

EXCERPT:

He spotted Alexander settling his tab and headed over to the bar. He hopped onto a bar stool next to him and winked at Eddie. “Give me whatever he’s drinking.”

Eddie swiped down the space in front of Cheyenne and set down a short glass. “Bourbon rocks, with a twist. The good stuff. Quite a change from your usual rotgut. It’s coming out of your check.”

“No. Let me.” Alexander took a bill out of his wallet and pushed it toward Eddie.

“Cheyenne, you gonna introduce me to this gorgeous side of beefcake?”


“Sure. First name Nunya. Last name Bidness.” He turned to Alexander. “This nosy old woman is my boss, Edwina, as in...” Cheyenne held his arms out and spun around gesturing towards the stage, the dance floor and the bar.

“Edwina is...Eddie?” Alexander wiped his hand on his pant leg before extending it. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. Name’s Alexander. You have a great place here.”

Eddie took his hand with a firm grip and shook it. “Here, there, I get around.” She turned to Cheyenne and pointed her thumb in Alexander’s direction. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. You hear him, you tiny twit? He’s a gentleman. Be nice to this one.” Eddie leaned her impressive girth across the bar to scan the tall man from head to toe. “Remember, the store room is pretty small.”

“Oh, that’s subtle.” Cheyenne drummed his index fingers on the edge of the bar with a quick staccato beat. “No worries, old woman. He’s not my type.”

Eddie’s laughter echoed throughout the emptying bar. When it began to fade, she looked from Cheyenne to Alexander, shook her head and started laughing again. Cheyenne fed on her amusement and returned it to her. She giggled as she resumed cleaning the bar.

“What was that about?” Alexander’s confusion brought Cheyenne’s attention back to him.

“C.O.W.S."


“Cows?”


Cheyenne didn’t have to look at Alexander to know the man was growing tense. He tasted it. “Crazy Old Woman Syndrome. Don’t worry about it.” Cheyenne doodled in the moisture that had pooled at the base of the glass of bourbon and then stuck his tongue into the dark amber liquid. “Ugh! Yuck!” He coughed. “You drink this stuff or strip furniture with it?”

Alexander shrugged. He swirled the ice in his glass and took a drink. “Take a little and give it a minute.”

“What the hell. I’ll try anything twice.” Cheyenne brought the glass to his lips, hesitating before taking a sip. He closed his eyes as the liquid’s warmth traveled down his throat and settled in his stomach. “I see what you mean.” He leaned around Alexander to check out the empty seat next to him. “So where’s the babe you were with earlier? Ditch you for a better prospect?”

“What?” Alexander shook the ice in his glass, and swirled it again.

Cheyenne found Alexander’s fidgeting interesting. “You were with a girl earlier. Where’d she go? She ditch you, or did you dump her?”

“Oh, that was a friend. Prudence. She didn’t... I mean, she wasn’t feeling well, so I took her home.” Alexander gulped his bourbon, grimaced and cleared his throat.

“Huh.” Judging from the delicious new jolt of cayenne he’d just ingested, he knew even talking about the woman was making Alexander agitated and angry. Why didn’t he admit that he’d been angry at her? Cheyenne filed the information away. He’d dig a little further into this curiosity some other time. “I don’t remember seeing her here before. Well, maybe you’ll bring her back sometime when she’s feeling better.”

The spicy taste of Alexander’s discomfort kicked up a notch. It was delicious. Cheyenne imagined making him furious would be mouth-watering.

“Listen, I better be going. Early morning and all that.” Alexander stood up and dropped a twenty into the tip jar. “See you around,” he said, walking away.

“Conflicted much?” Cheyenne retrieved the twenty from the jar and stuffed it into his pocket. Maybe big, sexually confused guys with money were his type after all.

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

With the popularity of the paranormal genre, and the plethora of books written with this theme, it makes it hard to find originality.  With this series starter from Trevann Rogers though readers are given a story full of originality and colorful characters in a uniquely defined world of otherworldly creatures.  Add in the typical angst of running from familial obligations while trying to find yourself and you end up with a story that sets itself apart while retaining elements of familiarity.

Cheyenne's a human-incubus running from his overbearing father and the pressures of living a life he doesn't want.  It's not only himself he's trying to keep free but his two young children who his father wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice in the name of living up to the image of being King of the paranormals. Cheyenne, by being an incubus, is super sexy and oozes sex appeal he's not afraid to use to his advantage.  When he first meets Alexander there's a crackling connection that goes through numerous ups and downs due to Alexander's fears about his sexuality.  These ups and downs are frustrating though as they feel more relegated to teens than grown men.  Along with a sexy vibe Cheyenne's fatherly nature shines through to make for some unexpected heartwarming moments that I enjoyed.

Alexander's running from familial obligations too as he's being forced into marrying a woman chosen by his father.  He's too afraid to be his own man which leads to clandestine encounters that will never amount to more if he can't take a leap of faith.  While his connection to Cheyenne was steamy he was often overshadowed by Cheyenne as he was larger than life with an energy that jumped off the page.  In comparison, Alexander seemed too staid and buttoned-up.

While I applaud the author on this unique look at paranormals there was almost too much going on.  It made the flow of the story a bit choppy and took away time that could have been spent on deeper characterizations, making the romance between Cheyenne and Alexander stronger.  While the paranormal hierarchy is cleverly crafted there were still some elements that were stereotypical.  The villainy of Cheyenne's ex and his father's machinations were plainly obvious and disappointed me when compared to the freshness of the overall storyline.  The inclusion of the ex's POV was especially distracting as he was immensely unlikable.  On a whole though this is a story worthy of being discovered. It's a bit rough around the edges but it dares to go where no one's gone before and I recommend readers give it a chance.

My rating for this is a C+

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

AUTHOR INFO:

Trevann Rogers is a writing pseudonym. She is two authors with day jobs, living in the wilds of Connecticut with Molly, a chubby rescue mutt who'd rather eat and snuggle than just about anything else, Chloe, a tough as nails terrier mix who never met a pillow she didn't want to kill, and Lil Monkey, a sock monkey who thinks he's real and hopes no one catches him sneaking out of the window in the middle of the night to live his own adventures. (He claims, among other things, to have written several SyFy movies and had a gig as a male stripper at one of the local establishments. Who knows?)

Apropos for writers, the two women met as pen pals and stayed connected through their love for words and an unquenchable addiction to music. They use a pen name to spare their families questions regarding why their relatives write about gay male rock stars, incubi, attorneys, Were's and vampires.

Okay, that's not true. But it could be.

Social worker and executive by day, their hours to write are long after the sun goes down and the creatures who live in the shadows come out to play. Between day jobs and other obligations, they learned long ago that being themselves means living after midnight.

Trevann Rogers writes urban fantasy and LGBT paranormal romances. Her stories incorporate an unquenchable addition to music and her love for vampires, Weres, incubi and rock stars. Like these elusive creatures, Trevann learned long ago that sometimes being yourself means Living After Midnight.

WEBSITE:  www.trevannrogers.com

FACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/trevannr

PINTEREST:  www.pinterest.com/trevannr

TWITTER:  http://www.twitter.com/TrevannRogers

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