*[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway] Moonlight & Love Songs (Le Chat Rouge #2) by Alyssa Linn Palmer

 

Summary:

When Le Chat Rouge’s pianist, Benoît Grenier, meets the club’s new singer, his world is turned upside down. He’d given up ever finding someone to love. His hopes and dreams of a life beyond the club are revived, while his heart heals.

Daniel Marceau has come from Marseille, looking to escape bad decisions and worse memories. He never expected to fall in love, and when his past catches up with him it could ruin the only thing he’s ever found worth living for.

Daniel’s fears and his reluctance to ask Benoît for help could cost them everything they’ve worked so hard to create.

"Gritty and romantic, Moonlight and Love Songs will steal your heart, sell it for drugs, and leave you with a song. It's dark and sexy, an unflinching portrayal of two soul mates discovering in each other the foundation upon which all love depends—hope." — Miranda Baker, author of the Come Again series
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 200 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: September 3rd 2013 by Alyssa Linn Palmer

One of the best parts about being a book blogger is the ability to be exposed to such a wide range of new and exciting authors, be they indie, self published, big press or small press. So when I got the tour invite to be a part of Canadian writer Alyssa Linn Palmer's new novel Moonlight & Love Songs I knew it would be a great way to show support for a fellow Canadian as well for a genre that I may not read often but almost always enjoy when I do.

It's been awhile since I've read an M/M romance but I'd been jaded by the last couple in the genre that I read, so when I agreed to host a stop on this tour it was because I wanted to be reminded of just how good this genre could be, and I was reminded indeed.

I loved the love story between the main characters. The way it progressed was perfect. The angst, the romance, the drama was fantastic. It was neither too fast nor too slow and while the book provided detailed descriptions of the settings which I loved I was glad that the focus was mostly on the characters.

Benoit and Daniel had such a realistic romance I felt as if they were friends of mine swept up in each other, and I liked the fact that both guys seemed to be so real. They were neither too exaggerated or one dimensional in the least. I enjoyed that their romance was a bit of a learning curve for both of them having to learn to trust each other.

The writing was very strong, there were no clichés and the pacing of the story was just perfect and I love that the book was set somewhere other than New York, L.A, Florida etc. The characters were believable, and their romance was too.

Overall, I thought that Moonlight & Love Songs was an excellent read and I'm glad to have found a new Canadian author to support and since the book kind of teased that there may be another book with these characters I'll keep my hopes up because I would love to see Benoit and Daniel again. In the meantime I'll content myself by reading her other novels.

I would recommend this romance novel to fans of M/M romances with realistic characters and a believable love story.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

Loved It!
★★★★★

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Author Bio:

 

 

Alyssa Linn Palmer is a Canadian writer and freelance editor. She splits her time between a full-time day job, and her part-time loves, writing and editing. She is a member of the RWA, the Calgary RWA, and RRW (Rainbow Romance Writers). She has a passion for Paris and all things French, which is reflected in her writing. When she's not writing lesbian romance, she's creating the dark, morally flawed characters of the LE CHAT ROUGE series and indulging in her addictions to classic pulp fiction.

 

 

International Giveaway:

 

One Random Commenter will win an e-book copy of Moonlight & Love Songs just leave a MEANINGFUL comment on the post to be entered for your chance to win. Contest closes October 13th 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

 

 

Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc. #1) by Leslie Lee Sanders

 

Summary:

 

After an asteroid strikes Earth, a series of violent earthquakes destroy secluded Phoenix and leave survivor Elliot struggling to stay focused in the bleak aftermath. And then he meets fellow survivor Adam. Together, the two search for reliable shelter and other survivors while distant murky clouds fast approach. Their hunt for shelter leads them down an alternate path when they find spray painted symbols directing them to a mysterious place: Refuge Inc.

As ominous clouds slowly shut off all light to their devastated world, they are forced to come to terms with their pasts and their growing attraction for each other.

Neither thought their pasts and personal crises would affect their ability to endure the horrors they're forced to live through. Neither thought they would be drawn so close to one another in the aftermath of an unimaginable catastrophe. By working together, can they continue to survive? Or will the mystery of Refuge Inc. cause diverse expectations and lead them to decisions that further threaten their lives?

Warning: Contains explicit male-male sexual practices, graphic language, some violence and descriptions of death.

Bonus content: Includes the original (deleted) scene from Chapter Twelve: Lying for Gain.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 139 pages (E-book)

Source: ARC

Publication Date: June 28th 2012 by Createspace

 

 

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from this book when I got the notification that it was up for review through one of the blog tour company's I host. I think I was just pretty darn excited to have a chance to review it without of it being part of an official blog tour since I've been burning myself out with hosting different tours lately.

 

I haven't read all that many M/M romances but it's not because I don't like them but more because the chance to read them doesn't come up as often as I would like to so I wasn't sure how this one would shape up to be especially given that its post apocalyptic.

 

I was however surprised by the mount of care the author put into describing the setting and telling the reader how the world ended. The fact that there was an actual plot to the novel made me like it even more because it wasn't all about sex. That to me would have killed the book so I was really happy I had more to go on than just sexy time between Elliot and Adam.

 

I really liked that the book did have some action, what with the earthquake tremors and nuclear type storm clouds rolling in from the impact of the asteroid that hits earth and overall the book was written pretty well.

 

There was only one aspect of the novel that I didn't care too much for and that was Elliot and Adam getting "involved" pretty quickly. I'm not much of a fan of "Insta-Love" or "Insta-Lust" so that part of the novel wasn't my favourite and I wish the characters had gotten to know each other better.

 

Overall though I liked the concept for the novel. The plot and characters could have been a little stronger but it was still an enjoyable read, and for the first book in a new series it was pretty good. I can't wait to see which direction the next book takes!

 

I would recommend this one to anyone who loves M/M romance as a quick read.

 

* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. I was in no way compensated for my review and all thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.

 

 

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★ ★ ★ 1/2