Random Acts by Mia Kerick blog tour Review & Giveaway ~ '

Random Acts by Mia Kerick

Dreamspinner Press

Bradley Zelder can’t find his way in life. After struggling for nearly a decade, he has yet to complete his college degree. Working as a school custodian, living in blue-collar Landsbury, MA, his love life is as empty as the rest of his existence. But on his way home after another disastrous date, his truck breaks down in upscale Oceanside. When he thinks life can’t get any worse, a man who is the epitome of Boston elite and everything Bradley finds attractive and intimidating helps him move his truck to the side of the road. Ashamed of his lot in life, Bradley almost lets the opportunity slip away, but he comes to his senses in time and tracks Caleb down. From a random act of kindness, romance begins to grow, filling all the dark corners of Bradley’s empty life—until a random act of violence threatens to take it all away. Bradley must step up and be the man Caleb believes him to be. Caleb rescued him from a life without hope. Can Bradley rescue him in return?

Mia Kerick - Random Acts MM Good Books Review Teaser

Grab your copy of 'Random Acts' from Dreamspinner Press

Bradley Zelder is a struggling ten year college student working as a janitor at a local school, he doesn't think he or his life will ever amount to much of anything. All that changes one night when his truck dies and a sexy stranger comes to his aid. Caleb is more adjusted in his life, or at least that is how he presents himself. Confident, successful and obviously attracted to Bradley so he asks him out for a beer. Bradley doesn't exactly turn him down, in fact, he doesn't say anything, leaving Caleb confused and feeling rejected. So when Bradley hunts him down to try and take him up on his offer for a beer, Caleb is initially skeptical.

Convincing Caleb he is sincere in his desire to get to know him, Bradley and Caleb finally go out for that beer, and much more as time goes by. But just like with Caleb's Random Act of kindness that brought them into each other's lives, there are vindictive people out there that commit random acts of violence as well. When Caleb is the victim of such an attack he is left injured, withdrawn and paranoid. There are things from his past that he never shared with Bradley that make this act of violence much more prevalent with Caleb's situation. Bradley makes the decision to put his life on hold and take care of Caleb, but will his love be enough to pull Caleb out of the severe depression the accident has left him wallowing in?

What I love about Kerick's writing is the raw reality she always conveys with her stories. Violence, hatred and ignorance are a part of our everyday lives, thankfully a lot of us never have to deal with these forms of hate, but sadly some do. And when you add that onto the shoulders of a man that already suffers with depression and anxiety, it can be crippling. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For every sour, there is a sweet. Caleb is suffering but Bradley is his silver lining.

There's is a hard fought love story between Bradley's lack of self worth and Caleb's depression, and then the bashing only adds to the severity of it all, but the love and trust they have for one another is what will see them through in the end. Another great, true to life, gritty story from Kerick, a must read!

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject. Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories. Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology. Mia has published four works of adult contemporary gay romantic fiction with Dreamspinner Press and four novels of contemporary LGBT fiction with Harmony Ink Press. Mia Kerick's books are recommended reads in the LGBT blogging/reading community, have spent many weeks on Amazon Hot New Releases and LGBT Best Sellers lists, as well as other notable bestseller lists, and have won awards for excellence in YA literature.