Friday, November 20, 2020

Starting From Somewhere by Lane Hayes Release Blitz

Starting From Somewhere by Lane Hayes Release Blitz. The guitarist and the geek...

The guitarist and the geek…

Bobby J

What can I say? I’m a man of many tastes. I know what I like, and I’m not afraid to go for it. And I like the adorable geek from the bar. A lot. He’s smart and sassy… and he doesn’t seem to know or care that I’m in a hot up-and-coming band. However, I just found out he’s the new intern at Scratch Records. Uh-oh, this could get tricky.

Cody

Confession… I’ve flubbed my mission. My quest is to research cool things and interesting people before I start my job as aerospace analyst—not fall for a rock star. My internship won’t last long if I can’t control this infatuation. Bobby J might look like a bear, but he’s fun and sweet and…oh boy, I think I’m in over my head. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. After all, you’ve got to start somewhere.

Starting From Somewhere is a MM, bisexual romance with some rock and roll and a little nerdiness! Each book in the Starting From series can be read as a stand-alone.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Starting From series!
For book one, Starting From Zero, click HERE.
For book two, Starting From Scratch, click HERE.
For book three, Starting From Here, click HERE.

 

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Starting From Somewhere by Lane Hayes

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Excerpt



Cody nodded as he pulled out his cell and typed a few notes. “Got it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Give me one shot before I go.” I motioned for him to start talking.

“A flirting shot. Okay.” He licked his lips nervously, then shook his head. “I can’t. Everything I’m thinking is… rude.”

I barked a quick laugh. “You have my complete and undivided attention. Bring it on.”

“Um… your jeans look tight. I can’t wait for you to stand up so I can see your ass. But I’d love to see your ass out of them too.”

I bit back a grin. “Okay. That was direct and kinda hot, but do not under any circumstances try that with anyone else on planet Earth.”

“Too much?”

“A tad.” I squeezed his shoulder as I stood. “Keep practicing. It was nice to meet you, Cody.”

“You too. I’ll walk out with you. I’ve done enough research tonight.”

I nodded, then led the way to the exit, holding the door open for him. I stepped outside and gazed up at the fast-moving clouds drifting over the half-moon before turning toward my new acquaintance. Cody pulled his keys from his pocket and smiled.

“Where’d you park?” I asked.

“Over there.” He gestured at the black Mini Cooper at the far end of the lot mostly hidden in shadows.

My chivalrous side kicked in out of the blue. “I’ll walk you to your car. I’m heading that way.”

Cody beamed at me. “Thank you. Are you working early tomorrow?”

“No, why you do ask?”

“I’m making polite conversation. No flirtation whatsoever. Although I was mulling over our earlier discussion and realized you’re guilty of double standards.”

“How so?”

“Earlier you said… and I quote, ‘I’d do you.’ You added something about doing ‘it’ over a bar, a table, etcetera. Ring any bells?” He pointed his key fob at his car and gave a satisfied nod when it beeped on cue.

I squinted warily. “Yeah, but—”

“When I told you I wanted to see your posterior in your Levi’s, I was somehow out of line. The logic confuses me. Why should you be able to say what you’re thinking, and I can’t?” He came to a stop at the driver’s side of his car and crossed his arms, silently issuing a challenge of some kind.

“Now that you mention it, I suppose that does seem unfair.” I scratched my beard thoughtfully, then turned around to show off my denim-clad ass. “Ta-da! I present my posterior.”

Cody snickered. “Very nice.”

“Glad you approve.” I pivoted to face him and fumbled with my belt. “I guess I could show you the whole kit and caboodle… or caboose.”

“No, no. Let’s not ask for trouble.”

I raised my hands in surrender. “If you say so.”

“I do. Kiss me instead.”

“Excuse me?”

He pursed his lips, looking uncomfortable as hell. To his credit, he didn’t back down. “You heard me.”

The husky note in his voice zipped through my veins like a secret elixir. The sudden onslaught of need and desire was a powerful combo. I stepped closer, wedging myself between him and the Prius parked next to his car. I was at least four inches taller than Cody and much bigger. I could squish him like a bug. I wouldn’t. I wasn’t that kind of guy, but he didn’t know that. He should be careful around men like me.

“Why?”

“Because I might never meet anyone like you again. If I do, I might not be confident, brave, or sincere enough to tell him what I want. I feel like this might be a chance I should take. I understand if you say no. I’m not your type. I get it. I’m not sure why you talked to me at all tonight. Or why—”

I curled my fingers around the back of his neck and sealed my lips to his.

So what happened to my gentlemanly resolve to not corrupt a nerdy, adorable dude barking up the wrong tree for some sexy action? I had no fucking clue.

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Ruthie☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series – and it is such a good series that I definitely recommend that you read them in order! That said, you could read this one first and go back and get the rest of the goodness later, if you so wished. It was fun to catch up with the gang and see how Scratch records is developing. I love how every story has been utterly unique – this one is inspired.

These two men are really fun, and we know immediately that Cody is a little out of his depth in the environment. He is a mega-geek about to work in space research, but first he wants to tick some more normal things off his life between college and work bucket list. He meets Bobby J in the bar next to the Scratch office, just before starting an internship there. The attraction is obvious, although it seems incredibly unwise to get involved.

Bobby J may be an incredibly talented guitar player, but he was also a massive overachiever academically too – and he recognised a fellow geek in Cody and realises how he has been playing down that part of his life. I loved this moment of awareness which led to the men being gloriously good friends, as well as Bobby J realising how much he feels for Cody. I loved the unconventional romantic route which they took – in fact, I read this book from cover to cover nonstop... good thing I had a day off work!

Thank you, Lane Hayes, for a really good addition to the series, and a really lovely romance.


Shannan☆☆☆☆
Starting From Somewhere is the fourth installment in the Starting From series. I read this as a standalone without issue. I have not read any other books in this series. After reading this one, I intend to go back and start from the beginning.

Starting From Somewhere is Cody and Bobby J's story.

Cody is a self-described geek or nerd. He just graduated and has an internship for the summer until his job at NASA starts. He is a very analytical guy. He likes numbers and research. Not wanting to waste what's left of his twenties, he makes a list and wants to complete it before he starts his job. While preforming "research" at a dive bar, his plan is to get a drink, sit in the shadows, and just watch, what he doesn't expect is the hot guitarist for the band Jealousy, Bobby J. Cody doesn't know what to think when Bobby J flirts with him and definitely doesn't know what to do when the two end up making out.

Bobby J wasn't expecting to have such an attraction to Cody but something about Cody pulls Bobby J in. What surprises him most is walking into the record label and finding Cody there. Just when Bobby J thought he wasn't going to see him again, there he is working at the label. Can he make this work with the sexy nerd? Is it even something Cody wants?

I was instantly invested in this one. Without reading any of the other books, I was going in blind but didn't have any issues even with mention of past characters. I loved that Cody and Bobby J are geeks at heart and connect in ways they wouldn't and haven't with other people. Fun read.


Erica☆☆☆☆
Starting From Somewhere is the fourth installment in the Starting From series, easily read as a standalone with little to no confusion.

Bobby J has finally gotten his time in the romance spotlight, discovering a nerdy, awkward fella at their favorite seedy hangout, just when he was about to call it a night. An instant flare of connection sparks Bobby J to seek out and discover Cody's secrets.

As an intellectual, Cody could easily fallback on his educational pursuits while life goes on by, but he and his friends are pushing themselves on the wild side. Not only is Cody meeting hotties at seedy dive bars, he's going to be interning at a up and coming record label, knowing full well the guy he met at the bar was none other than Bobby J.

An instant connection, the quirky, awkward geek and the seasoned flirt hit it right off the bat, their interactions as easy as breathing. Light and flirty, Starting From Somewhere is a quick novella, read in a single sitting. Filled with the warm and fuzzies, not much angst to speak of, and a much lighter vibe than previous instalments.


Sarah☆☆☆
This is the story of a rock star who falls for a young scientist he meets in a bar. It’s a sweet, simple, and fairly predictable story.

Cody is the perfect science geek. Even after finishing grad school, he is young and inexperienced. Sexy geeks are a current romance trend and Cody is pretty much a paint by number sexy geek. He’s insecure, socially awkward, and desperate for new sexual experiences. Bobby J is a fairly cliché romance rock star. He looks like a bad boy bear, but Cody brings out his inner science geek. With enough background detail to add a little angst but not quite enough story to make him come alive, Bobby J manages to blur into so many other rock stars I’ve read in this genre. Both Bobby J and Cody feel like easily recognisable stock characters. They’re both hot and likeable but neither feels like a fully developed leading man.

The structure and pacing of this book don’t quite work. The book covers a couple of months over a single summer but much of the summer is skimmed over and important moments between Cody and Bobby J are recounted rather than shown. The result is a romance that I feel like I observed from a distance. I don’t feel like I ever got close enough to Bobby J and Cody’s experience to fully invest in their relationship.

And seriously, the whole Bobby J thing annoyed me. How arrogant does a guy have to be to introduce himself in a bar using his ridiculous stage name? And who happily calls their serious boyfriend by his stage name? Bobby J is supposed to be a 33-year-old rocker, not a 16-year-old K Pop star. It just doesn’t work for me.

 

 

Author Bio



LANE HAYES loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, and 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate, and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a not quite empty nest.

Connect with Lane

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lane's Lovers

 

 

Giveaway


 

“What’s the definition of belonging?” “To be part of or adjunct to or—” “You are part of me. It’s that simple. You don’t need to analyze the data. It’s clear as day.”

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Starting from Somewhere (Starting from #4) by Lane Hayes to read and review for this tour.

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