Thursday, September 29, 2016

New Release-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: CAUGHT INSIDE by Jamie Deacon



Caught Inside
Author: Jamie Deacon
Series: Boys on the Brink
Book: One

Release Date: September 29, 2016

Blurb

Luke believes he has his life figured out…and then he meets Theo.
It should have been simple—a summer spent with his girlfriend Zara at her family’s holiday cottage in Cornwall. Seventeen-year-old Luke Savage jumps at the chance, envisioning endless hours of sunbathing on the private beach and riding the waves on his beloved surfboard. He isn’t interested in love. Though his rugged good looks and lazy charm mean he can have his pick of girls, he has no intention of falling for anyone.
Nothing prepares Luke for his reaction to Theo, the sensitive Oxford undergraduate who is Zara’s cousin and closest friend. All at once, he is plunged along a path of desire and discovery that has him questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. No one, especially Zara, must find out; what he and Theo have is too new, too fragile. But as the deceit spirals beyond their control, people are bound to get hurt, Luke most of all.

Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Pages or Words: 83,000
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Young Adult
Buy the book




Excerpt
I swallow against the dryness in my throat. “We need to talk.”
No response.
Slowly, as though wading through deep sand, I cross the room until I’m standing right behind him. He grips the edge of the worktop.
“Theo?”
Still nothing. Only the convulsive tightening of his fingers shows he even heard me.
“Theo,” my voice cracks, “don’t do this.”
Theo sucks in a breath. When he replies, his tone is even. “Do what?”
“This. Shutting me out.”
“I’m—”
“And don’t say you’re not, because we both know that isn’t true.” I’m aware of my voice rising, and lower it with an effort. “Just…don’t.”
Theo exhales in a long sigh. He turns to me, his expression distant but not unkind. I wish he’d glare at me, shout, whatever. Anything to show he gives a damn.
“Luke, I’m sorry about this morning. It was a mistake. If you got the wrong impression—”
“The wrong impression? You kissed me. What impression was that supposed to give me?”
He casts a nervous glance at the window.
“What’s wrong, Theo? Worried Giles might hear? I don’t blame you. He’d probably make you bathe in disinfectant for a year if he knew you’d kissed scum like me.” Theo starts to protest, but I shake my head. “You know what? Forget it. So sorry I embarrassed you.”
I need to get out of here. Humiliation, hot and clammy, coils like tar through my veins. Still, what did I expect? Theo’s made it perfectly clear how he sees me, that he thinks I’m beneath him. I grab for the nearest glass, intending to pour myself a liver full of whatever’s in that jug, but my hand shakes so much it slips through my fingers. Glass collides with oak in a minor explosion, glittering fragments flying.
“Sh*t.” I drop to my knees, begin picking up the larger pieces. I fumble, a jagged shard slicing my palm. “Sh*t.”
“Luke?” Theo crouches beside me.
“I’m fine.” I turn away from the phony concern in his eyes, fist clenched around the cut to hide it from view. Blood trickles through my fingers and onto my jeans. The pain is almost a relief.
“Let me see.” Theo holds out his hand, but I jerk away.
“I said I’m fine.”
He ignores me. With gentle firmness, he takes hold of my wrist, uncurling my fingers to examine the wound. My body stills. I scarcely breathe. Every nerve ending, every particle of my being is aware of him, the pressure of his fingers on my wrist, his warm palm supporting the back of my hand.


Carra's Review

Caught Inside was a very enjoyable mature young adult/early new adult story that left me wanting to know more about where the characters went from the end of the book on.  It's a story about discovering one's sexuality and dealing with that while at the same time navigating a tricky family situation and also coming out.

I really like the main characters of Theo and Luke.  Luke seemed very mature for his age, which was a relief considering most books I've read with characters in this age group tend to be a bit annoying in the way they speak and act.  Theo is friendly and caring, but is quiet about the reason for the breakup that occurred before he came to the beach house.  He and Leo match up well, and my only regret about the story is that we don't get as much time with the two of them together as I'd hoped.  

Much of the story takes place with the other characters in the scenes, with the times that Theo and Luke are together being mostly stolen moments that don't last very long.  Luke's girlfriend at the start of the story (and Theo's cousin), Zara-while I know some people didn't care for her, she actually acted exactly like you'd expect for a young lady her age with her boyfriend.  Theo's best friend Giles was the one who bugged me, I was not thrilled with his attitude when it came to Luke and thought the way he acted and the things he said were rude, sometimes bordering on downright mean.  Meredith though was a breath of fresh air, and was probably my favorite character in the story...especially with how she lit into Giles about his treatment of Luke.

The development of Luke and Theo's relationship is slow but satisfying, I just wish we got to see more of it than we did.  The story starts off slowly for the first quarter or so of the book, but then picks up a bit once Giles and Meredith arrive.  The scenes between Luke and Theo together, while sparse, are sweet with a bit of steam, though for the most part were "fade to black", behind-the-pages when it came to things going further.  Tension builds the longer they are together with the hiding they have to do, particularly when it comes to Zara.  I did find myself staying up late to finish as I didn't want to wait to find out how things would turn out.

Caught Inside was a solid 4-star read for me, and it has me hoping that we get to see more of Luke and Theo in a future story since this is listed as the first of the series.  I'd recommend this story to M/M romance fans who like coming-of-age/coming out stories with a bit of complexity and drama.  I'm looking forward to more from this author in the future, especially if we can get more of Luke and Theo.  This book is for readers 17+ due to some adult language and light M/M sexual content.


About the author

Jamie lives in a tranquil spot close to the River Thames in Berkshire, England, and has always been just a little out of place—the only redhead in a family of brunettes; an introvert far more at ease with dogs than with people; a connoisseur of simple pleasures in a society intent on the quest for wealth and fame. Despite an outward cynicism, Jamie is a romantic at heart, and, when not immersed in a book, can mostly be found writing emotional stories where young men from all walks of life are thrust headlong into the breathless, euphoric, often painful whirlwind called love.


GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Gift Card

Tour Stops: 
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)