Love Comes Around Release day Review, Interactive Author Interview & Giveaway

A Senses Series Story

Dan was a throwaway child and learned to take care of himself in foster care. As an adult, he devotes his life to the business he started and his heart to raising children no one else wants. Dan has already adopted six-year-old Lila, who walks on crutches, and then decides to adopt eight-year-old Jerry, who suffers from MD and is confined to a wheelchair.

Also abandoned as a child, Connor ended up on his own and retreated into himself. He works as a carpenter and woodcarver and is the perfect man to ensure Dan’s home becomes wheelchair accessible.

When Dan hires Connor, neither of the men are ready to open their hearts to the possibility of love. As they learn how much they have in common, both of them must weigh the possibility of family and a future against the risks of getting hurt again.




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Dan and Connor have similar pasts and want the same things in life. Both abandoned in one form or another when they were younger, all they want in life is that family they never had. A sense of stability, to find someone to love, and be loved unconditionally in return. Dan now owns a very successful business which affords him financial stability and the opportunity to give a home to a couple of ‘throwaway children’ that no one else wants, much like he was as a child. Connor as well runs his own business, but his wounds and distrust are far deeper rooted than Dan’s.

Misunderstandings keep them apart in the beginning, but a mutual admiration and attraction bring them together soon enough. They’ve known each other since high school, and both liked each other then as well, neither ever saying it out loud or acting on it. Could a chance encounter at the local orphanage and an opportunity of work result in the happiness they both so deserve? Or will Connor’s inability to trust, his feelings that he doesn’t deserve to be loved squash any hopes of a romance between them.

Just like all the other stories in this series, something is missing inside these men that force them to use something other than the usual senses to feel their way to each other. In this story Connor has to allow himself to use the sense of trust if he is ever going to be happy. Circumstance and life have caused him to doubt that sense for many years, but Dan will help him recognize and utilize it. Their family reminds me of the quilts that my grandmother used to make, every piece is different and unique, but they all blend together flawlessly in the end. Dan is the strength, Connor is the soul, their daughter is the heart, their son is the passion and the butler is the glue.

Grey has given us another great story to get lost in. This one made me laugh, cry and laugh while I was crying. And I have to tell you that laughter through tears is my favorite emotion, so I would highly recommend this read. Grey is a one click buy for me sight unseen, meaning I will buy his books without knowing what they are about, he is just that good. You have to add this one to your TBR list, but be sure you start at the beginning with Love Comes in Silence as each story is an addition to a family that starts there.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Today Andrew Grey stops by the blog with a little something different, an Interactive Interview complete with a Q&A, images and video links to compliment each installment of this series! 

Senses series Interactive Interview with Andrew Grey

Tams: In Love Comes Silently, book 1 of the series, we get to see the romance between Ken and Patrick bloom. After an accident, Patrick is left without his voice and has to learn other ways to communicate. There are times in the story when there is just a look shared between these two lovers and just that look conveys so much, it even comes across in the writing. How did you manage to give Patrick a distinct voice in the story, when he doesn't have one?   

Andrew: That was very difficult.  So much of what he communicated had to be through gesture and action.  It required a great deal of thought and planning.  He could easily have fallen flat, but instead he really seems to have come alive because sometimes action speaks louder than words. 

Tams: When I think about Ken and Patrick I'm reminded of two characters from a German soap opera, Christian and Ollie. Though they both have their voice, they have this unspoken communication thing going, their eyes are so expressive and say a thousand words with just a look.

Tams: In Love Comes in Darkness, book 2 of the series, Howard has to learn to trust Gordy when he doesn’t trust many people. In this story I really enjoyed how you were able to show us readers inside the mind of a blind man, his thoughts, hopes, fears. How for Howard and Gordy, since Howard couldn’t see, the touching and the sensuality of their connection took their relationship to an entirely different level. I’m certain you did research on blindness for the story, but where did you find that inner voice that was Howard, the ability to really show what he was thinking?  

Andrew: That came from Howard himself.  Usually when I write a story, the characters develop right along with the story.  With Howard he seemed to spring almost fully formed form my imagination.  He had a voice and a view of the world that was so different that screamed to be heard and felt. 

Tams: One of my favorite gay couplings on TV was Luke and Noah from As The World Turns. One season, Noah is hurt and loses his sight and Luke is by his side the entire time. That is how I see Howard and Gordy. No matter what Howard does or how hard he pushes, Gordy is a rock, steady, sturdy and in it for the long haul.

Tams: In Love Comes Home, book 3 of the series, Tom has to prove to Greg that having a child with a disability doesn’t make him any less attractive. Tom realizes exactly what he is getting into from the start, and to spite Greg trying fool heartedly to push him away, Tom sinks his heels in. I’d like to know how you created the character of Tom. He goes that extra mile to learn not only about Greg’s son’s disability, but how he can help to make the child’s life better. He wants Greg and Davey and sets out to do whatever it takes to get his family. What was your mindset when creating this wonderfully human character?   

Andrew: Sometimes we are lucky enough to encounter a strong loving person right when we need them most.  In romance so many times we create characters that are broken in some way.  That’s part of what makes a good romance.  But with this story, I wanted a strong capable hero, someone who could help Greg and Davey deal with a very difficult situation and in the end, Tom got what he really wanted as well.  A family who loved him for who he was. 

Tams: One of my favorite LGBT movies is Shelter. Sean has always been a part of Zak’s life, just not romantically. When Zak is left the primary care giver for his young nephew, Sean immediately steps up and makes a home for the three of them. That is exactly what Tom did in Love Comes Home.

Tams: Love Comes Around, book 4 in the series, is the story of Dan and Connor. The throwaway children are all grown up and paying it forward, adopting children that no one else wants. Six year old Lila, who has to have crutches to walk, and eight year old Jerry who has a terminal form of MD. It was very interesting watching the story unfold through both Dan and Connor’s eyes, how they had both crushed on each other when they were in high school but never acting on the attraction. Then to find their way back to each other through these children that just want and need to be loved, much like the men themselves.

I’m always interested in your story ideas, where they come from and how you take them from your imagination to paper. What was the concept for this book?   

Andrew: In romance particularly westerns, there is a trope of the character who has been hurt, so he rescues the hurt, injured, and broken animals and creates a safe haven on the ranch.  (It’s one of my favorites)  With this story I decided I wanted to use that trope, but create a man who rescued the injured and ‘broken’ children, the ones few people will adopt.  That’s where I started and it went from there and ripped my heart out.   

Tams: This story made me think of Scotty and Kevin from Brothers and Sisters. As each season progressed on the show, so did their personalities and relationship, much like Dan and Conner in this book. They have their fair share of ups and downs, even a brief separation, and they adopt an older child with a mental disability. Very much like the guys in this story!

"I'm just as lost and damaged and screwed up as the rest of you!" Scotty

Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)  He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Contact Me
I love to hear from readers. Comments, thoughts, and questions are always encouraged and appreciated. Please e-mail me at the following address: andrewgrey@comcast.net.

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You can also visit me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, where I’m @andrewgreybooks.
 

Thank you so much to Mr. Grey for stopping by today and sharing his thoughts on each book in this series. If you haven't read them yet, be sure to get your copies and catch up on this amazing series!

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