Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review and giveaway for a new contemporary M/M romance from Tara Lain. BEACH BALLS is the third book in her Balls to the Wall series, but is a standalone romance. That said, I did enjoy both VOLLEY BALLS and FIRE BALLS.
Be sure to drop down and catch the excerpt, and enter the giveaway below.
About the book:
Adam James is so far in the closet he could find Narnia. As an attorney for the homophobic WMA Development, he can’t come out without risking the million-dollar paycheck waiting for him once they push their big land development deal through the city council—money that will finally allow Adam to live according to his own terms. Then, on an early morning scuba dive, Adam meets a tall, lean rebreather diver named Sky who makes him want to hug a tree.
Sky Sea Mickeljohn stands for the environment, world peace, and being openly gay. He won’t compromise his principles for anyone—even the damned lying developer lawyer he can’t help lusting after. True, the WMA land development deal could put thousands of people at risk, but Sky still wants to risk his heart. In the fight between freedom and integrity, is there a place for love?
How about a little taste?
The guys nearest the beach started laughing and pointing. What’s going on?
He looked at Gary, who shrugged.
Adam pointed toward the commotion. “I’m going to go see.” He walked out onto the grassy verge that led to the sand where he’d been sitting earlier with Sky. The guys were still laughing. One asked, “What’s he gonna do?”
Adam pushed into the line of men all facing the ocean and pointing. “What’s happening?”
Ian said, “This crazy guy is standing there in the water like he’s headed for us, but he’s not moving. Looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
One of the other men asked, “What’s he wearing?”
Carly smiled at Adam. “It’s called a dry suit, and it looks to me like he’s waiting for someone. Wonder who that could be?” He laughed.
Waist-deep in the water stood a tall man in a full dry suit complete with hood and mask, his mouthpiece dangling. He had a little bottle of what must be oxygen on his chest.
I’ve got a funny feeling about this. When Adam stepped off the lawn onto the sand, the figure in the suit began to pace out of the water with a slow and deliberate stride.
The “creature” analogy was dead-on.
When the creature got out of the surf, he stopped to peel off the mask and hood, revealing curly hair.
Adam smiled. He’d know those curls anywhere.
Sky came a few feet closer. Even in the fading light, Adam imagined he could just make out the blue-gray eyes.
Sky stopped again and began to unfasten the dry suit. What kind of show were they in for?
Slowly the puffy dry suit peeled down the tall body, fully dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. A patter of applause started, and Sky kicked off the suit to reveal flip-flops. Jesus, he must think he was James Bond or something. By this time everyone was clapping, and Sky gave a little bow.
Son of a bitch, the guy has a sense of humor. He’d rigged this whole elaborate entrance just to get a laugh. But looking at that lean, hard body in those shorts made another part of Adam’s anatomy very happy.
Sky picked up the dry suit and walked the ten feet to Adam. “Hi. I believe I was invited for cocktails.”
No recourse. He just laughed. “You do know how to make an entrance.”
My Review:
Adam James is an attorney assisting a realty development group gain an ocean-side parcel of land for a multi-million dollar high rise and park complex. He’s also a closeted gay man, and he’s lonely. He regularly visits the estate of a sympathetic friend who arranges for other closeted men to come together–and I mean that in the most dirty of ways.
One weekend, while scuba diving off the coast, Adam encounters Sky, a tall, lean, shy man who cussed him out for disturbing the aquatic life on the coastline. Adam’s still intrigued, even if Sky indicates being with a closeted man isn’t his style. That said, Sky accepts Adam’s invitation to a barbeque, and their night is really, really, wow. Thing is, Adam hasn’t been honest about who he is, and Sky didn’t reveal his full name, either, so it isn’t until several days later that they recognize they are on opposite sides of the development plan. Sky Sea Mickljohn’s parents raised him to be an environmental activist, and he’s spearheading the resistance to the development plan. The plan that was supposed to make Adam enough money that he could afford to come out of the closet and support his law practice even if he lost clients due to his sexuality.
While Adam and Sky sort out the personal and professional lives, Adam recognizes the simplicity of living an out life. Likewise, Sky recognizes that he’s been too quick to judge Adam for his personal life choices, and, well, they still connect with each other on a very personal level. This is a feel-good story about two seemingly opposite guys finding common ground, and the strength to walk unexpected paths. I really liked the sweetness, but the sexiness was off the charts. Adam is every bit the responsive lover that Sky didn’t know he was needing in his life. It was also interesting how Sky thought of himself as so disconnected from humanity, and how Adam grounded him in a way he hadn’t expected needing.
Interested? You can find BEACH BALLS on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.
****GIVEAWAY****Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $10 GC to Amazon.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!
About the Author:
Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her bestselling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft.
She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!
You can find Tara at:
Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!
