Reviews for Phoenix

Reviews for Phoenix

Hey all,

I'm collecting the review highlights for Phoenix.

Hopefully it'll tell you a bit more about the story   ^_^




Review from 3 Chicks After Dark

"Talk about a blast from the past! Reading the obsession with Danny Death and Death Rose brought back fond memories of my teen years.... I remember all too well how quickly teens obsess over an idol or rock musician.

"Alex becomes infatuated with everything Death Rose...

"Danny and Alex manage to find a way to be true to themselves and each other. Together they discover real love, one that can last and withstand distance and the rockstar lifestyle.
I loved this book!!" 

~ Kristy, 3 Chicks After Dark
Rating: Bad Ass Rocker Boots!

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Review from MM Good Book Reviews

"Danny is hyperactive, a wild child, while Alex is more subdued and laid back. Together they balance each other out somewhat. They faced their share of problems and issues while they learned more about each other and how to be a couple.


"If you like, Rock & Roll stories with an edge and just the right dose of angst and some pretty passionate trysts, then you’ll love Phoenix."

~ Portia De Moncur, MM Good Book Reviews
Rating: 4 stars

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Review from Love Bytes

"Phoenix is a different approach to a rocker story… This time not from the rock star’s POV but that of an adoring fan...

"And really, it’s a fairytale romance wrapped up in a new love, first time, coming of age story. And that difference is what kept me reading...

"Phoenix is set in London, the late 1980s, a time of glam rock: guys onstage with big hair and big makeup...
"The author, with a kind of chatty approach, takes us step-by-step through Alex’s climbing out of his grief, moving into a new life, and making friends. We see his fan-boying after Danny not only as an awakening to life again but as a discovery of his sexuality...

"I would recommend Phoenix to readers who want something sweet, slow-paced, a bit angsty, but ultimately fun and satisfying."

~ Elizabetta, Love Bytes Reviews
Rating: 4 stars

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Thank you, dear reviewers, for sharing your thoughts on my boys!   ^_^


Phoenix is available now from Less Than Three Press, in ebook and print!
 

 
  
Blurb:

Young painter Alex Tatton has always loved music. When a tragic accident takes away his parents, he turns to a darker style of music and discovers the rock band, Death Rose. Feeling isolated from his own life, Alex develops a crush on guitarist Danny Death who, despite the name, is vivacious, full of life, and has a reputation for being 'the nicest guy in rock n' roll'.

After a gig, Alex finds Danny to give him a signed painting. Danny is everything a star should be: charming, sexy, a beacon of light in Alex's otherwise dark life, and after meeting him Alex is determined to see him again—and this time he wants more than just an autograph.

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• Pairing: M/M
• Content: Contains explicit content.

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Phoenix is coming

Phoenix releases on 17^th September.

Read a review here

 Blurb:

Young painter Alex Tatton has always loved music. When a tragic accident takes away his parents, he turns to a darker style of music and discovers the rock band, Death Rose. Feeling isolated from his own life, Alex develops a crush on guitarist Danny Death who, despite the name, is vivacious, full of life, and has a reputation for being 'the nicest guy in rock n' roll'.

After a gig, Alex finds Danny to give him a signed painting. Danny is everything a star should be: charming, sexy, a beacon of light in Alex's otherwise dark life, and after meeting him Alex is determined to see him again—and this time he wants more than just an autograph.

---

• Pairing: M/M
• Content: Contains explicit content.

Hey guys,

So as my new novel Phoenix is almost here and the blog tour starts next week, I’m just doing a quick heads-up Q&A about the story, and show you some musical inspiration behind the music.

Phoenix Q&A

This isn’t the first rockstar romance you’ve written, is it connected to Crucifox?

Yes, in that Phoenix is set in the same universe and time period (late 1980s, England).

No, in that Phoenix is essentially its own stand alone story, featuring a different band called Death Rose. However, my readers may recognise Death Rose as one of the bands Crucifox toured with.

Are there any crossovers?

Again, yes, but they’re quite small and same goes for the cameos; they’re fleeting, but they are there.

Who are Death Rose?

I had this idea of a British rock band, more commercial and radio friendly than bands I’ve tackled in the past. If Crucifox are the black-clad, cranky goths in the band scene, Death Rose are the happy chaps dressed in spandex and doing whiddly guitar solos. Opposite ends of the spectrum, in fact.

Is this a series?

I did initially have in mind a series, but Phoenix can certainly be read as a standalone story.

What is the story about?

Essentially it’s a coming of age story about a young man named Alex, who is dealing with the tragedy of losing his parents and generally not fitting in at school, and he discovers a sense of belonging with rock music, especially the band Death Rose.

Alex develops a heavy crush on the guitarist, Danny Death, and in a sweet and naïve sort of way, basically sets out to meet his idol.

How is this story different from your previous rockstar stories?

In Crucifox it’s a very insular view of the life and times of a band on the rise. It was in first person, and quite the troubled tale of self discovery, pride coming before a fall, and in-band fighting.

Phoenix is different in that firstly, the view isn’t from within a band, it’s from the outside. I wanted to tell the story of a fan, a simple music fan who loves a band so much he has to meet them.

Phoenix is told in third person, which I think fitted Alex’s personality more, as he’s very young, comes from a sheltered, middle class upbringing and is thrust into this hot and seedy world of rock n’ roll. The story is told through his starstruck eyes, and I hope readers appreciate that while Alex is young and he is maturing, he still manages to stand his ground when it matters and stick to his guns.

What was the inspiration behind Phoenix?

I started off with one idea, that this kid who’d always been kind of a dork and uncool, followed his favourite band around to give his famous-celeb-crush personally drawn pictures. Then the kid grows up and gets a hot make-over, meets his celeb-crush again with the intention to seduce him, except that the celeb-crush remembers the dorky kid who’d been really sweet before, and they form a relationship from there.

And of course, the million dollar question when it comes to dealing with celebrity hook up: can it ever become anything more meaningful?

So that’s the basics covered! Please feel free to ping me and ask anything else. 

This is me on twitter

And this is me on Facebook

There’s quite a few shred-tastic references to music in Phoenix. (Naturally!) The blog tour starts next week over at Piper Vaughn’s blog, and I’ll be doing musical playlists on each post. But for now, this is a handy video guide to what shredding is, and what it sounds like.

As demo’d by the uber cute boys from Finnish rock band, SantaCruz.

 

And here is a fast and sweet song by the same band. I think it captures perfectly the sense of fun and style that I had in mind for Death Rose. 

 Cheers, guys. Party on!

Tush <3

Tipsy Blog Tour collected posts

Collected here are all the blog posts from Gus Li's and Tushmore's #TipsyBlogTour

:)


Gus is promoting this new release:

'Wine and Roses' by Gus Li

Book Blurb:

Mage Yarroway L’Estrella decided the Battle of the Starlight Bridge when he summoned fire from the heavens. The blaze decimated much of the vineyard that has been in Alain Lamont’s family for nine generations. Mountain Shadow Winery may no longer be able to support Alain’s family or the dozens of others who call it home, but Alain vows not to fail all those depending on him.

Mercenary Fabrezio Orvina d’Caelus, Breeze to his friends, appreciates Alain taking him in when he’s badly wounded after the battle, but he has no intention of living the dull life of a farmer any longer than necessary. Though he likes the vintner, he sees Alain as soft and sheltered, hardly a man who can understand a warrior’s calling.

As they live and work together, Alain realizes Breeze isn’t exactly the amoral opportunist he suspected, and Breeze sees more strength in Alain than he thought possible of a simple winemaker. Life on the estate is richer and less boring than Breeze first imagined. With ingenuity, courage, and cooperation, they may devise a way to revitalize the vineyard and move beyond the pain and loss of their pasts.

Read review

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And I am promoting this new release:

 'Love on the Rocks' by M. Tushmore

Book blurb:  

Twenty-six-year-old barman and cabaret entertainer Justin has recently moved to London for a fresh start. Charismatic and flirty, Justin is naturally the center of attention wherever he goes. There’s only one problem: the object of Justin’s affections, a handsome, enigmatic bartender named Yena, isn’t won over by Justin’s charm. In fact, he flat out turns Justin down.  

Stripping off his showmanship frills and charms, Justin aims for a different approach: reveal himself for who he is. Underneath his public face Justin is an honest young man who wants someone special to share his time with… and laugh at his awful jokes.

Justin can only hope the real him is irresistible to the man he loves.

Read review

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Here are the Tipsy Blog Tour posts in full, so far:

Stop 01: Piper Vaughn

Stop 02: Prism Book Alliance

Stop 03: MM Good Book Reviews 

Stop 04: Love Bytes

Stop 05: JP Barnby

Stop 06: 3 Chicks After Dark

Stop 07: Joyfully Reviewed

Your response to our blog tour has been absolutely WONDERFUL, and we're honestly so touched by you taking the time to comment.

THANK YOU!!

The competition is now closed, the first drawn winner is Jen CW (ebooks, artwork, goodies and more!) and with second place winner Serena S (ebooks only). Congratulations!

Emails have been sent out. Thank you to everyone who has taken part and shared a virtual drink with us along the way!

Love from, Gus & Tush <3 

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Check out 'Wine and Roses' by Gus Li.

Check out 'Love on the Rocks' by M. Tushmore.