M/M Reviews: Tied Together + Give Yourself Away

Posted January 6, 2016 by shooting in Uncategorized / 12 Comments

Tied Together by Z.B. Heller – Out Now


Review by Lauren


source: copy from Netgalley: all opinions are my own


Official Summary: Ryan Keller has it all: a great supportive family, friends, and no limit
to his self-confidence. Coming out of the closet was not as traumatic
as he would have thought. In fact, it was glitter, unicorns and
rainbows. Navigating through life isn’t easy for any man, let alone a
gay one. Rest assured that Ryan has it handled.

Brandon
Ford comes from the wrong side of the tracks. With a dark past, he
doesn’t have much going for him, no money, no friends, definitely no
charisma, and his family makes people on Jerry Springer look like total
winners. Life can’t be worse—until it becomes unbearable.

When
Ryan helps Brandon out of a bad situation, chemistry sparks between
them. Only Brandon has one problem: He’s hiding in the closet with no
way of finding his way out.

After
years apart, Ryan run’s into Brandon as he has his head in-between his
friend’s lady business to deliver her baby. This spells emotional
turmoil for both Ryan and Brandon. Can years of resentment and bad
feelings pull them apart or force them to work on their relationship so
they can end up Tied Together.

Review: I really enjoyed Tied Together. I thought that Ryan and Brandon were really good friends, though Ryan is definitely not as aware of other people’s situations as he should be. It was easy for him to come out, so when Brandon starts to show keen interest in Ryan, it’s all Ryan can do not to shout it out to everyone he knows. He truly cares for Brandon and it’s sweet, definitely, but it’s also not enough. Brandon has to come to terms with not only being gay but being able to be open and proud about that…no matter who that person may be!

This book goes through years, starting in high school, going to college, and then ending with both men having their own careers. It works okay though because none of the sections felt overly long and you’re just excited and curious to see how Ryan and Brandon’s lives will intertwine as the years go on. This is definitely an adult book in terms of mature moments, but if you like friends-to-lovers stories, I highly suggest!

Give Yourself Away by Barbara Elsborg- Comes Out on Feb. 9


Review by Lauren


source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own


Official Summary: One guy intent on caution. One an adrenaline junkie. Love could be one
risk too many.March is determined to lose the numbness that accompanies a
history of loss and blame.Desperate to feel something—anything—the
adrenaline junkie base jumps off cliffs, soars on hang gliders, and
embarks on dangerous sea-borne rescue missions. But any release he feels
is fleeting, and when you play Russian roulette with fate, eventually
you come crashing down.No matter how hard Caleb tries to forget his
past, a dark shadow is always behind him.When a bizarre turn of events
results in him being trapped in a sea cave, Caleb wonders how his
mantra—safety at all costs—could have failed him. On the point of
drowning, he’s stunned when March surfaces in the cave.March’s disregard
for the rules saves Caleb’s life but gets March into a heap of
trouble.Not least of which is the guy shivering in the boat next to him.
March tries to ignore Caleb but it’s already too late. Together, they
take small, awkward steps toward love. But Caleb’s past is waiting to
sink in its claws…and this time, it could drag him to his death.

Review: I’ve read books by Elsborg before so I had a feeling I would really love this one, and I did! I  like when you can find romance books that are more than just the relationship between the two main characters. This is definitely the case for Give Yourself Away. The book takes place in the present time, but it also has flashback scenes of two young boys named Tye and Baxter who were kidnapped. Only one gets away fairly quick; the other is held captive for 12 years. If you want a book that is fun and light, this is not the story for you. However, if you want a book that deals with some dark topics but ultimately shows that light and love can prevail, give this one a go on February 9, 2016!

When it comes to characters, I really liked March and Caleb – on their own and together. March is definitely an adrenaline junkie who doesn’t mind putting his life on the line. It scares his friends and family, but March mostly does what he can to stay safe. He certainly risks his life when he goes into a sea cave after Caleb, who has fallen into it. Water is rising and if March hadn’t ignored direct orders not to dive in, Caleb may not have made it. Of course, going against the rules does put March into some trouble – which is how Caleb initially worms his way into his life, even though March tries to put up a bit of a fight.

I don’t want to go into details about the book because there are some twists and turns, though nothing that isn’t terribly easy to guess as the book goes on. This isn’t a mystery though, so figuring out how people fit isn’t a big deal. In all, this was a great read!

12 responses to “M/M Reviews: Tied Together + Give Yourself Away

  1. It's great to have 2 wonderful books like that and I like the fact that for the first one we follow through the years the character, something quite interesting!

  2. I like the Tied Together doesn't sound like a typical fall-in-love to our-happily-ever-after kind to time line. But I sometimes feel jarred when the author doesn't handle the jump forwards in time. I might have to give this one a try!

  3. Woah, that second one has quite the plot, way beyond a simple romance as I would have expected! I like that in a book 🙂 It's good to hear you enjoyed both of these a lot – makes me think I should be going outside of my comfort zone more, trying out some adult and/or romantic reads!

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