Self-acceptance and the definition of family fuel this emotionally intense tale that pulled at my heartstrings while making me blush a time or two. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Hard Truths by Alex Whitehall, along with my impressions of it, then learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour. In honor of this charming and sexy read make sure to leave a comment below about what draws you to this book for the chance for US readers to win a mug while International readers have the chance to win an eBook too!
First, let’s hear from the author about their new release...Hello, everybody! I’m Alex Whitehall, and I’m here today touring for my contemporary m/m romance, Hard Truths, which is about Isaac and Logan’s whirlwind romance, as well as coming out and what family means. But it’s not all angst and drama. In fact, I hope you’ll have as much fun watching these guys fool around as I had making them be goofs.
First, let’s hear from the author about their new release...Hello, everybody! I’m Alex Whitehall, and I’m here today touring for my contemporary m/m romance, Hard Truths, which is about Isaac and Logan’s whirlwind romance, as well as coming out and what family means. But it’s not all angst and drama. In fact, I hope you’ll have as much fun watching these guys fool around as I had making them be goofs.
He can't have the family he wants, but he may get the love he deserves.
Isaac didn’t expect to find love at his family’s Christmas dinner, but that was before he met his sister’s new fake boyfriend. Tall, muscular, and tattooed, Logan is what Isaac would love in a partner—and also everything his parents would hate in one. Not that they know Isaac’s gay.
That doesn’t stop him from dating Logan—unbeknownst to his parents, and with his sister’s approval after she fake dumps him. The pair dive into a whirlwind romance of motorcycle rides, cheesy puns, and hot sex. They meet each other’s friends and fill their time with happiness and laughter. It’s all perfect.
Until Isaac suggests they move in together, and Logan asks Isaac to come out to his parents. Isaac wants to, but he’s scared; he doesn’t want to lose his family. Unfortunately, he can’t see that his real family has been right beside him all along.
*****GET A MORE IN-DEPTH LOOK OF HARD TRUTHS*****
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Self-acceptance and the definition of family fuels this romance that will take readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions from the first page to the last. In a story spanning a year a young man struggles to come out and find a place to call home while finding himself in a whirlwind romance that will change his life irrevocably.
Isaac Landes has been living a dual life. With his friends he finds comfort and acceptance for who he is, an easy connection of playful banter and sweet snarkiness. With his parents though it’s a completely different existence. His parents are very religious and judgmental and it’s held him back from coming out. They want him and his sister to live as they deem proper, constantly harping on them in adversarial and subtly abusive ways. Despite their words and actions Isaac is still desperate to make them proud and the need puts every single one of his relationships in jeopardy after his father’s vile reaction leaves him reeling. Isaac’s a character clearly struggling at the start of the story. His parents have worn him down emotionally and his self-esteem is non-existent to where momentary silence from anyone means rejection. He’s willing to put up with abuse as long as he can still claim his parents as family, while turning away from the lover and friends who have always stood by him...all over misunderstandings. There’s a lot to like about Isaac as he’s a caring person, funny, and has a witty rapport with others. In many other ways though he frustrated me. He seemed far younger than his years, was quick to assume the worst, and let himself remain a victim for far too long by wanting the acceptance of parents who were incapable of it. It’s quite clear that there’s a group of friends who love him, a man that loves him unconditionally, and he purposely pushed them away when he needed them most. He went through a lot of turmoil in this story and though it was a rocky journey it did help him grow up. All the highs and lows made him a stronger person, more worthy of Logan, and it was ultimately a necessary journey to reach a satisfying conclusion.
Logan’s first meeting with Isaac was a memorable one as he was the pretend boyfriend to Isaac’s sister Sue. He made a lasting impression though with his tattoos, brash nature, and aura of danger that led to a whirlwind week of romance and acceptance for the two men. Long ago Logan came out and isn’t interested in being anyone’s dirty little secret, but he’s willing to wait for Isaac in a quiet battle that frustrated me as Logan deserved better. Through all his emotional issues though, Logan stood by patiently waiting for Isaac, a solid and strong support that helped him pick up the pieces when everything fell apart. Logan doesn’t have a traditional family but he has his own group of friends, a colorful and eclectic bunch who were more like family. That definition is one that he wholeheartedly believes in but that took Isaac far longer to accept despite the obvious support the friends give. Logan’s a deliciously sweet and sexy hero who often took a backseat to Isaac’s melodrama. Despite this story clearly depicting Isaac’s evolution, I still ate up every scene spent with Logan and drooled over his sexy bad boy image.
This was an emotionally intense read from the first page to the last. After its charmingly sweet start, the drama kicked in to pull at my heartstrings and kept me on edge waiting for even more heartbreak. As Isaac struggled to find himself, I found myself rooting for these two men amidst their rocky journey to love and acceptance. With a relationship both heartwarming and scorching I found myself quickly consumed by their pairing and was often left blushing by their erotically-charged encounters. They’re a well-balanced couple who support the other as needed. Logan’s a workaholic while Isaac shows him the joys of having a home life. In exchange Logan gives Isaac the strength to be his own person and gives him a place to call home when everything seems to fall apart. Surrounding this memorable main couple is a large cast of secondary characters who are colorful and easy to relate to. They redefine the word family and I cheered for each of them as they were there when they were needed most, despite their own little dramas. Isaac’s parents were truly awful people and he was right in thinking they wouldn’t accept him. Their actions and their prejudices were stereotypical and I felt like booing whenever they came on the scene. Too much time was wasted on them, time that could’ve been spent on getting to know more about Logan. Despite a few quibbles though I found this an engaging read that kept me glued to the pages and its hard-fought journey to a sweet and sentimental conclusion.
Isaac Landes has been living a dual life. With his friends he finds comfort and acceptance for who he is, an easy connection of playful banter and sweet snarkiness. With his parents though it’s a completely different existence. His parents are very religious and judgmental and it’s held him back from coming out. They want him and his sister to live as they deem proper, constantly harping on them in adversarial and subtly abusive ways. Despite their words and actions Isaac is still desperate to make them proud and the need puts every single one of his relationships in jeopardy after his father’s vile reaction leaves him reeling. Isaac’s a character clearly struggling at the start of the story. His parents have worn him down emotionally and his self-esteem is non-existent to where momentary silence from anyone means rejection. He’s willing to put up with abuse as long as he can still claim his parents as family, while turning away from the lover and friends who have always stood by him...all over misunderstandings. There’s a lot to like about Isaac as he’s a caring person, funny, and has a witty rapport with others. In many other ways though he frustrated me. He seemed far younger than his years, was quick to assume the worst, and let himself remain a victim for far too long by wanting the acceptance of parents who were incapable of it. It’s quite clear that there’s a group of friends who love him, a man that loves him unconditionally, and he purposely pushed them away when he needed them most. He went through a lot of turmoil in this story and though it was a rocky journey it did help him grow up. All the highs and lows made him a stronger person, more worthy of Logan, and it was ultimately a necessary journey to reach a satisfying conclusion.
Logan’s first meeting with Isaac was a memorable one as he was the pretend boyfriend to Isaac’s sister Sue. He made a lasting impression though with his tattoos, brash nature, and aura of danger that led to a whirlwind week of romance and acceptance for the two men. Long ago Logan came out and isn’t interested in being anyone’s dirty little secret, but he’s willing to wait for Isaac in a quiet battle that frustrated me as Logan deserved better. Through all his emotional issues though, Logan stood by patiently waiting for Isaac, a solid and strong support that helped him pick up the pieces when everything fell apart. Logan doesn’t have a traditional family but he has his own group of friends, a colorful and eclectic bunch who were more like family. That definition is one that he wholeheartedly believes in but that took Isaac far longer to accept despite the obvious support the friends give. Logan’s a deliciously sweet and sexy hero who often took a backseat to Isaac’s melodrama. Despite this story clearly depicting Isaac’s evolution, I still ate up every scene spent with Logan and drooled over his sexy bad boy image.
This was an emotionally intense read from the first page to the last. After its charmingly sweet start, the drama kicked in to pull at my heartstrings and kept me on edge waiting for even more heartbreak. As Isaac struggled to find himself, I found myself rooting for these two men amidst their rocky journey to love and acceptance. With a relationship both heartwarming and scorching I found myself quickly consumed by their pairing and was often left blushing by their erotically-charged encounters. They’re a well-balanced couple who support the other as needed. Logan’s a workaholic while Isaac shows him the joys of having a home life. In exchange Logan gives Isaac the strength to be his own person and gives him a place to call home when everything seems to fall apart. Surrounding this memorable main couple is a large cast of secondary characters who are colorful and easy to relate to. They redefine the word family and I cheered for each of them as they were there when they were needed most, despite their own little dramas. Isaac’s parents were truly awful people and he was right in thinking they wouldn’t accept him. Their actions and their prejudices were stereotypical and I felt like booing whenever they came on the scene. Too much time was wasted on them, time that could’ve been spent on getting to know more about Logan. Despite a few quibbles though I found this an engaging read that kept me glued to the pages and its hard-fought journey to a sweet and sentimental conclusion.
My rating for this is a C+/B-
*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
If there are two types of people in the world, Alex Whitehall probably isn't one of them, despite being a person. Their favorite pastimes include reading, horseback riding, sleeping, watching geek-tastic television, knitting, eating, and running. And wasting time on the internet. And spending glorious evenings laughing with friends.
While Alex prefers sleeping over doing anything else (except maybe eating), sometimes they emerge from the cave to be social and to hunt for food at the local market. They can be found blogging, reading, and tending after their aloe plants.
**********GIVEAWAY**********
This mug appears in Hard Truths as one of the first presents that Isaac buys Logan. It’s similar to a mug I have myself (that my friend bought me and that might have inspired the gift)! The order will be shipped directly from the buyer, so you have to be willing to share your physical address with the buyer and myself. You can choose either size and any of the fox images.
Due to prohibitive shipping costs, this prize is only open to within the US. For international readers, indicate as such and you’ll have a chance to win a digital copy of your choice from my backlist.
***TO ENTER: LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THIS BOOK, ALONG WITH YOUR CONTACT INFO. CONTEST CLOSES ON OCTOBER 6TH AT 11:59 PM CST. Thanks for following the tour, where you can learn even more about the book as well as getting more contest entries, and don’t forget to leave a means of contact!
Sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read more about Isaac and Logan to see if they find the happiness they both deserve.
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