Monday, April 25, 2016

Cookies by Teodora Kostova Blog Tour


I went to war, running away from myself. I came back in pieces to find out who I really was...

It took me nearly ten years, two tours in Afghanistan and losing a leg to come to terms with who I really am.

Two years after coming back from war, I can say that I’m finally content. I’m as fit as ever, my prosthetic leg allowing me the freedom of moving and exercising as if nothing has changed. I own a small bakery in the centre of Cambridge, and I have a loyal circle of friends that I can always count on.

And yet...

Yet, there’s something missing. A part of me craves the intimacy, the deep connection to another human being. But another – bigger – part of me is terrified of letting anyone in.

My internal conflict didn't stand a chance when I met Jay. He stormed through my defence walls like a hurricane, wrapping around me with gentle force until I had no choice but to surrender.

Surrendering has never felt so good.

Will Jay want to stay when he sees the real me? When he sees the nightmares and insecurities clawing at my soul?

My name is Amir Gopal and this is my story.

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Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca





Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie☆☆☆
This book was just okay for me, until the very last chapter. Amir lost a leg while in the military, he starts his own bakery. Jay is a student. When Amir sees Jay in his bakery he instantly thinks he is good looking. When Jay comes into the bakery again, Amir gives him his phone number. Amir craves intimacy, but he can’t let people in. Jay unlocks things in Amir that no one else has, he shows Jay his scars, he opens his heart, and he tells him things he has never told anyone before. We really don’t find out much about Jay, there are hints that he has had some crappy boyfriends in the past, but nothing is ever spoken of it. At times in the book I felt the connection with Amir and Jay, but at other times I only felt them from Amir. There just seemed to be something missing but I am not sure what. The story was good, but I just didn’t feel everything I normally feel when reading this author’s books. I will have to say the presentation that Jay made about heroes made me tear up. That part of the book won me over. Oh, and we did briefly see two characters from another series by this author too! Overall the book was just okay for me.

Characters: Well written and believable
Sex: Yes
Religious: No
Would I recommend to others: Yes
More than one book in the series: Not sure
Genre: M/M Romance
Would I read more by this author: Yes


Erica☆☆☆
3.5 sweet stars.

Cookies hit many of the right notes for me: military men, food, pets, and wounded inside and out. I was looking forward to a hurt-comfort, heartwarming read.

Teodora Kostova isn't a new-to-me author after reading and reviewing Snowed In. She has fast pacing and an easy flowing writing style that has the pages turning quickly. Also, the author's stories are generally insta-love/attraction, with a warm and fuzzy comfort and an intense heat level and Cookies is no different. The book was relationship-centric, with not too many scenes dealing with angst or conflict, but with a few hitches in their relationship.

Amir, aka Cookie (named as such in the military for when he made batches of cookies for his fellow soldiers), is a bakery owner, dog daddy, and a member of a rehabilitation center. At the start of the novel, in walks Jay, admiring the sweets, and Amir finds what he's looking for instead.

The author delivered on everything that was promised for returning readers who knew what to expect, but new readers may not get what they bargained for. The well-written blurb made it seem as if it would be a bit more of an emotional journey through PTSD, dealing with the prosthetic leg, and Amir moving on with his life. For those expecting an intense journey of hurt-comfort, running your emotions up and down like a carnival ride, that's not what Cookies is.

Cookies is a romance novel, delivering on all the sweet, sultry, and emotions of such as two men form a bond. Lighthearted, a few guilty pleasure hours of romance as the pages fly by quickly.

Why did I rate 3.5 stars? Even knowing I wasn't going to get it, I still hoped I'd get something more hard-hitting like the blurb promised. The premise was solid and it had a ton of potential, opening up the opportunity to add a level of emotional depth it was otherwise lacking, but the author never went 'there.' Also, I wanted more time with the poor pup. Amir was a bad pet parent, always leaving his pup at the rehabilitation center, having friends watch the pooch after hours. I kept thinking to myself, "What about the dog?" But then the author would Band-Aid it by having someone pick the dog up and take it home as an afterthought. As I said, I'm a sucker for a pet in a story, and I wanted to rescue this one.

Recommended for MM romance fans who melt into a puddle of goo for two hot guys falling in love, but be warned that the romance is front and center and the total focus of the story.

Will I read more by this author? Yes. I don't know if this is a series, but the side characters were shown to have a good deal of angst which would create intriguing stories.






Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I've tried bores me to death and I have to do what I've always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I've been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It's the only time that I'm truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time - my son has a bigger attention span than me.

When I'm procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a very inventive kid.

Don't be shy and get in touch – I love connecting with my readers.

Connect with Teodora

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads




Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Cookies by Teodora Kostova to read and review for this tour.

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