Making it Happen: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH by Addison Albright (Vows #3)

Friday, November 25, 2016

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH by Addison Albright (Vows #3)

To Love and To Cherish

Author: Addison Albright

Series: Vows #3

Can be read as a standalone

Release Date: November 12th 2016

Genre: Contemporary MM Romance

BLURB

Will Nash find love again? Of course he will. Will he go about it in the usual manner? Now that’s another story entirely.

Jilted by his fiancé two weeks before their wedding, Nash Marino’s outlook on life in general, and love in particular, is jaded. After months of couch-surfing, Nash is fed up. He’s sick and tired of his living conditions, worn out by the demands of his nursing job, and despairs of ever finding love again. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s capable of true love. Monogamy, commitment, companionship, and regular sex…that’s all he wants, and the sooner, the better.

When Nash crosses paths with a like-minded man who’s also in need of a live-in nurse for a beloved relative, Nash figures all his problems are solved. Matters are complicated by a freak accident and amnesia. When Nash’s marriage of convenience scheme is muddied by notions of love after his memory reboot, will their plans go awry, or will Nash’s new outlook on life be just what the doctor ordered?

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EXCERPT

“F*ck dating. Let first impressions rule. I could’ve saved myself a world of hurt and heartache if I’d done that over the years. I don’t know why I stuck it out with some of my sh*tty boyfriends either. Wishful thinking, I guess. But you’re right, I knew practically instantly that my husband was going to be the love of my life. So yeah, don’t bother dating…simply ask him to marry you five minutes into the conversation. I’m sure it won’t scare him off or anything.” She accompanied that final instruction with a cocked eyebrow and one of her trademark smirks, as if the scornful tone she’d used wasn’t enough to keep the sarcasm from going over his head. Subtlety wasn’t Angela’s strong suit.

“Sage advice.” He raised a spoonful of soup in salute, then brought it toward his mouth.

Someone bumped his chair from behind. Nash rocked forward, and soup spilled down his chin.

Angela stifled a snicker, and a male voice he recognized said, “Sorry about that.”

Nash snatched up his napkin to wipe his face, and turned. “No problem, Dr. Burlingham.”

Although it was, of course. He felt like a fool with chicken noodle dripping down his neck. Dr. Burlingham stood there looking at him with an odd intensity. Probably thinking Nash had a screw loose or was some kind of man-whore if he’d overheard much of Nash’s rant. Whatever, it was none of the man’s business, and Nash would hopefully not be working at this hospital—where the doctor’s opinion would affect him—for much longer anyway.

After gazing at him for an uncomfortably long couple of seconds, Dr. Burlingham turned back to Dr. Gilbert Wilson, a friendly and outgoing pediatrician whose close friendship with Dr. Burlingham had long stymied the hospital grapevine. Dr. Wilson gaped at Dr. Burlingham with his own less-squinty version of Angela’s earlier side-eye. Except Dr. Wilson’s version was accompanied by a comical upturn to one side of his mouth, indicating his enjoyment of the scene—rather than concern for his friend’s mental health, as Angela’s countenance had implied.

As soon as the two doctors walked around the corner, Angela burst into a fit of the chuckles that would have been better suited to the set of Dumb and Dumber.

“Hardee-har-har,” was the best he could come up with in reply. Nash grabbed her napkin and crammed it down the front of his uniform to mop up the rest of the soup drippage.

“Did you see the look on his face?” Angela managed to gasp between giggles.

“Which one? The repugnance on Dr. Burlingham’s or the glee on Dr. Wilson’s?”

The guffaws coming from across the table intensified and drew some curious glances as well as several censorious glares. “Seriously, Angela, you’re going to give yourself a hernia. It wasn’t that funny.”

He nudged her bottle toward her and she took the hint, a couple deep breaths, and a slug of water. “Wasn’t repugnance,” she wheezed.

“What are you talking about?”

“The look on Dr. Burlingham’s face. It wasn’t repugnance. Closer to yearning.”

“Don’t even.” Nash froze. “Right now your position on the hospital grapevine is scaring the sh*t out of me. Don’t. Even.”

She held up a hand. “I wouldn’t. Calm down, sweetie. I’m stating facts, is all.”

“There’s nothing remotely factual about that statement, so don’t start with me. And so help me, don’t even hint at joking about something that stupid on the pediatrics floor where Dr. Wilson might get wind of it.”

She pointed a finger—or rather the finger—at him and bit out, “I’m not a f*cking idiot.”

No, she wasn’t. Nash eased back in his seat. And she was a good friend. He sighed. “Sorry. I know you wouldn’t. Just put it down to the stress, okay?”

She gave his hand a squeeze and the tightness that had appeared in her shoulders visibly relaxed as well. “I’m sorry, too, sweetie. I shouldn’t tease you right now. I promise I would never start or feed any rumors about you, stupid or otherwise, but there truly was something in his look. I just want you to have a heads-up on that.”

Nash closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. It was doubtful, and so not a complication that would be appreciated right now in his life.

Carra's Review

After reading the first book in this series, I was instantly drawn to this author. And after seeing how poor Nash's world was shattered around him in that book, I was so glad to see he'd have his own story here in To Love and To Cherish. With what he went through, he really deserves his own very happy ending! And while the way it happens here in this story is unconventional, in the end I had a huge smile on my face :-)

Nash was so sweet in the first book of this series, so after the way that ended with him losing the man he loved to another-someone he could in no way fault for the situation-I really wanted to see him find love again. What I wasn't expecting was how his attitude would change, and the decision he made as a result of that. Emmitt seems to have the same mindset as Nash, and that thing I wasn't expecting? A marriage of convenience? That kind of threw me for a loop and at first I was unsure of what I would think of the story going this route.

I needn't have worried. Why? Because that freak accident and amnesia bit that you read about in the blurb? It totally turned everything on its head. The relationship between Nash and Emmitt that emerges afterward tugged at my heart and had my smile peeking out as I got to watch the two of them find *gasp* LOVE. It was gradual and tender, and by the end of the story I was completely satisfied.

There's a really good cast of supporting characters in the story, and Oliver was a particular favorite of mine, especially with how he tempered Nash's best friend Harley's attitude toward Nash and Emmitt's arrangement and everything that happened after the accident. Emmitt's grandfather was another bright spot for me with his unconditional love and acceptance of Emmitt.

To Love and To Cherish is another great addition to the Vows series, and was a 4.5-star read for me. Fans of any kind of M/M romance will enjoy this story-you've got a lot of fun tropes thrown in here that all work together to result in a really good read. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and some light M/M sexual content. And now I'm wondering if we might get to go back a little and see how Oliver and Harley got together, or if maybe there's another story in here with someone else from the hospital-and even if there isn't, I'm ready for any story this author is ready to write!

Want to know what I thought about the first book in the series, 'Til Death Do Us Part? Check out my review for it over on Goodreads!

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!

An amazing grand prize including 1 signed paperback of To Love and To Cherish, 1 signed paperback of ‘Til Death Do Us Part and $25.00 Amazon Giftcard

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About the Author

Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with three peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, "open window weather," cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.

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