Here's my homage to the joy of
older titles, those books that stayed in our hearts and we don't want to
ever ever forget. I will be hosting eight romance authors (every
Tuesday and Friday all through August! stay tuned, there may be
giveaways!) with their favourite titles from their own backlist.
I am truly proud of having as a guest today Kory Steed with his debut novel, From Lightning to love. Once more I find much in this book to relate to. But I will not stand in the way. Here is what Kory himself has to say about the story:
"From Lightning to Love is the first installment in my Lightning Series, and it’s my first,
published, M/M novel. It grew organically, in part, out of my past life
experiences. In others, it reflects what it was like to be a gay man during the
time period between the 1990 and 2010. Book two, Lightning’s Hidden Menace, will be
released by Evernight Publishing soon.
The two main
characters are very important to me for a few reasons. They’re personalities
reflect how I see gay men in contemporary society; and I have to admit, I’ve
put a little bit of myself into each of them, almost as if they were my
children. In addition, the societal pressures placed on gay people plays a
significant part in what their fears are and how they’ve been forced to live
their lives. I also included a few of my passions, nature, the animals people
have included as parts of their families, and cooking. Wherever I could, I
tried to incorporate these loves into the story.
The story begins
with an introduction to Jason, a gay, thirty-seven year old former American
army medic who served two tours during Operation Desert Storm between 1991 and
1993. In 1994 he received a medical discharged for PTSD.
After leaving the
service, Jason worked in a local hospital’s ER for a few years, but he became
more and more disillusioned with his life because he had to live it in secrecy.
On a whim, he bought a lottery ticket and won. Once a multi-millionaire, he used
his winnings to purchase a secluded tract of land in the Bear River Mountains
in southeastern Idaho where at the time that the story begins, he has lived for
eleven years.
We meet the second
main character, twenty-three year old Aaron, the morning after a violent autumn
storm when Jason began to check his home and property for damage. He discovered
Aaron dangling by a shredded parachute in a tree. We later learned that Aaron
was the newly signed, star quarterback for a fictitious American professional
football team. Because of the remote location, there was no way for Jason to
get help, so he had to care for Aaron alone while he recovered from his
injuries.
I created this
scenario because it forced Jason and Aaron to interact with only each other,
without any influence from the outside world. There was no plot or outline when
I began the manuscript."
When
thirty-seven year old army medic and Gulf War veteran, Jason, discovers an
unconscious man hanging by a parachute from a tree on his secluded mountain
property, little does he realize how his life will change. Isolated and alone,
Jason uses his training to save the young man and soon learns he is Aaron, a
twenty-three year old professional quarterback.
Having
lived in near isolation for many years, Jason is ill-prepared for the physical
attraction he develops for Aaron while tending his wounds. While Jason
struggles with the emotions that begin to surface, Aaron’s strength returns,
and his ravenous sexual appetite is revealed. In the weeks that follow, the two
men become entwined in a passionate love affair that soon blossoms into a deep
and caring bond.
Dare
they hope for a future together? Will their new found love survive the
separation of Aaron’s rescue?
Lightning to Love has some lovely reviews on the web:
"The teasing back and forth as they discover each other is so
tantalizing! Jason's struggle to let himself open up is held in
masterful tension with Aaron's innocence and vulnerability as he is
restricted to bed and discovering his own limitations and needs. Add in
a dose of the medical restraints and the skilled tending of a seasoned
Army medic and instead of the same, old seduction scene, Jason can't
help himself but tend to all of the young jock's needs. This really
opens up to some super-steamy scenes that are described in
sweat-throbbing detail. It's as sultry as it is romantic when a love so
unthinkable turns into something so epic."
"I think what I liked
most besides the story itself was the way the writer handled the backstory. A
lot of the time it's hard to tell it without it being very slow. Yes this was a
slow burn but this enabled you to focus more on what led to them being there. I
am looking forward to reading more from this author. No spoilers but for a
first time author this really blew me away."
Would you like to know more?
Or connect with Kory
Or learn more about him
The second book in the series is already underway (I know that Kory is working on the edits right now! ;) ) so stay tuned for it: Lightning’s Hidden Menace, coming soon from Evernight Publishing.
