Release Blitz , Excerpt & Giveaway:
Just Friends by Saxon James
Cover Designer: Story Styling Cover Designs
A Never Just Friends Novel, Book 1
Roo
Five years ago, I walked away from Sunbury, Oregon, and left my best friend behind.
The move was supposed to get my life on track. I even had a list.
Life changing epilepsy surgery. Check.
See the world. Check
Get over my straight best friend … Not exactly.
No matter where I go or who I meet, I can’t let Tanner go.
I’m back to tell him how I feel. To get the closure I need once and for all.
Only now I’m here and falling for him all over again, it’s getting harder to say the words.
Because once I have my closure, I’ll be gone.
And this time it will be for good.
Tanner
When my best friend, Roo, left for Australia, it was the worst day of my life.
I thought we’d have each other always.
But Roo needed the surgery so I let him go, thinking he’d come straight back.
Five years is a long time.
Now he’s here, all I want is to hold on tight.
I need to show him what he means to me.
The problem is, I’m not exactly sure what that is.
My draw to him has always been confusing and different—everyone in town says so. But I struggle to understand it.
All I know is I won’t survive him leaving again.
And I’ll do anything to make him stay.
Just Friends is a best friends-to-lovers romance with an oblivious MC, only one bed, and terrible kangaroo jokes.
Goodreads Link
Roo's an Aussie who's back in the US after leaving 5 years ago. When they were separated, it was a tear jerking moment. Now they are temporary roommates and sharing a bed.
The two men were best friends, and upon being reunited things are a little awkward, which I appreciate. Roo is secretly in love with his best friend and it just ups the tension. Of course, they naturally blend and can't help but to fall into their natural interactions again.
Tanner's always been straight, and his sudden sexual awakening is well done. They play fight, they banter, and they bring all the feels. Omg. I love it all, including the lipstick scene.
The one thing I don't like is the way the author handles Tanner's dyslexia. It's well done, but a personal pet peeve of mine. I hate when a character is ashamed of his learning difference. I just wanted to yell at Tanner to ask for help. Of course, I have an up close look at how dyslexia can make one feel dumb and ashamed if they don't fully own it.
Damn. The author's writing style is fabulous. Despite being written in present tense, there is plenty of descriptive phrases around the verbs to keep it from bothering me at all. Told from alternating 1st pov, the reader is fully absorbed into the character's minds, gifting us with an up close look into their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Just Friends is a must read for anyone who loves friends to lovers. I couldn't put it down. This is one of those special light-hearted reads that I could read over and over again.
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Special Release Blitz Excerpt:
Tanner’s voice dips low when he speaks. “I was a bit in awe of you growing up.”
“Me?” There is no way I heard that right.
“Yeah, you. You didn’t give a shit what anyone thought, and you went through more than most people did.”
“Oh no, I definitely cared.”< /span>
“Okay, but you never let it get to you.”
“You know it did. Seizing out at school, feeling sick, the staring—”
“I know.” His soft voice derails the fit I was working up to, and I take a deep breath.
“There was a lot I hated about myself.”
Tanner’s eyebrows bunch up, and he runs one large hand over my head, then snatches it away like he’s second-guessing himself. “There was a lot you hated, but you never hated yourself. You flipped off anyone who gave you shit, and did what you wanted.”
The fact that he sees it that way … My head drops forward as I start laughing. “That’s because I had you. Because I knew that no matter what, shit between us would never change, and if anyone really upset me, you’d kick their ass.”
“Again, that only happened once. I hated fighting.”
“And yet you still beat Toby Michels into the ground when he poured water in my lap and called me a baby.”
Even now, seven years later, Tanner’s jaw gets tighter. “Asshole.”
“See? You always had my back.”
“I always will. It just … pissed me off. I’d see how exhausted and checked out you were before and after a seizure. Those things took a lot out of you. It wasn’t fair that dumbasses thought they could give you shit about it too.”
And lying here, studying my best friend, agreeing to share his bed, going over old memories … it makes me feel lighter than I have in a long time. But I can’t enjoy it. Because of the big gay elephant in the room.
I lick my dry lips as I try to form the words in my head. As I try to convince myself that I need to tell him. Because holding myself back, when he’s making every effort to reconnect, isn’t just uncomfortable for me, it’s unfair to him.
And this closeness—not only the physical part—is starting to mess with my head. I swear his stare dips to my mouth, which makes me do the same. I trace his lips with my gaze, wishing it were my tongue instead. All I want is to press closer, to feel his warmth, to taste his breath.
Suddenly, the thick blanket feels too restrictive.
I need to tell him.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate Saxon's New Release, we are giving away an e-copy Just Friends and a $25 Amazon Gift Card !
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a5759/?
About Saxon:
Saxon James is an author from Australia who's obsessed with writing queer characters. She has a range of books from YA to adult and they all have one thing in common: swoony, sweet love.
When not writing, Saxon exists on a diet of coffee and chocolate while putting her KU subscription to the test.
Connect with Saxon:
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pg/thesaxonjames/
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/saxonssweethearts/
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/saxon-james
Amazon: www.amazon. com/Saxon-James/e/B082TP7BR7
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19404191.Saxon_James
Instagram: www.instagram. com/saxonjameswrites/
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