A. E. Via deliversΒ a sizzling, emotion-packed romance … a newish author, I’m looking forward to what else she’s got up her sleeve!
*****
Defined By Deceit
byΒ A.E. Via
Genre: Gay contemporary romance
Publisher: All Romance eBooks
Date of Publication: June 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-943576-91-3
Number of pages: 289
Word Count: 77000
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill
Blurb:
He tried to drown his demons, only to find they could swim.
Life isn’t always fair. Llewellyn Gardner knows that first hand. He was on the fast trackβcollege dreams, a boyfriendβuntil one night of extreme passion changed everything. Eight years later and out of prison, he still lives with the aftershocks of that night. Everywhere he turns thereβs another reminder of crime people insist he committed, so he runs away to a new town to start over.
For Shane Smith, Jr., owner of Smith Construction, thereβs something about the gorgeous, misunderstood man with the overly expressive eyes and dark past. Shane sees the good in Llewellynβ itβs why he hired himβand he isnβt going to let the man cut himself off from the world.
Llewellyn isnβt sure what to think about Shane. After years of protecting himself from being tricked twice, heβs worried. What will happen if Shane doesnβt believe the truth about his past?
*****
Excerpt:
βLlew, donβt break anything!β Moss half-yelled, half-laughed while his boyfriend chased him around his parentsβ mansion-sized home.
βYour ass is mine when I catch youβ¦ literally!β Llewellyn yelled as he rounded the large kitchen island. His boyfriend was his best friend as well as his lover. In the small town of Emporia, Virginia, they were likely the only gay students in their high school. That anyone knew about. A kid that moved there from Los Angeles a few years back was gay and unashamed of it. He was colorful and flamboyant because he felt free to be himself. The community had been so cruel to him and his family, that they were run out of town so fast Llew didnβt remember the pretty boyβs name. He did remember being envious, though.
It was by sheer accident that Llew and Moss discovered each otherβs sexual orientation in the first place. They were football teammates and both attended a party hosted by one of the cheerleaders during their freshman year. Rosie Jamesonβs parents were traveling salespeople who left her and her twin sister home alone every couple of weeks. So that meant at least twice a month the teenagers had something fun to do in their dreary-filled-with-retirees town. Llew and Moss got shit-faced drunk, and ended up alone in Rosieβs fatherβs den watching WWF Smack Down. Moss couldnβt hide his hard-on while watching the oily, ridiculously hot, and ripped wrestlers writhing and rolling all over each other in the small wrestling ring. When Moss looked horrified that Llew had busted him and was ready to bolt, Llew smirked at him, and pulled up the hem of his long hoodie, exposing his own erection. The conversation they had that night changed their lives. They didnβt immediately fall in love, but things progressed fairly quickly from that point.
They were so young back then; they just wanted to be friends. They needed someone to talk with openly, a friend they could drop the mask with. The mask they had to wear twenty-four-seven with everyone else.
When Llew got pneumonia in their sophomore year, neither his mom nor dad could afford to take time away from work to stay home with him all day. Moss was there every day before and after school, taking care of him the same way a significant other would. Llew knew then that things had changed between them. He suddenly saw Mossβ blond shaggy hair as sexy instead of messy. Heβd noticed that his friendβs once scrawny frame had benefited from their hours in the weight room after school. Now his best friend was seventeen years old, with fashionably tousled hair, bright blue eyes, and a tightly packed body.
βStop chasing me, Iβm tired.β Moss rounded the corner of the media room, and hurdled over the couch in the formal living room like the track star he was.
βThen stop running,β Llew huffed back, quickly closing the distance when Moss slowed down. Llew tackled his boyfriend onto the plush carpet, pinning him beneath his much larger body. He gripped both Mossβ wrists together above his head, and used his other hand to push back the long bangs that had fallen over those blue eyes. He loved Moss so much. Theyβd been inseparable from the moment they met six years ago. Seamlessly transitioning from friends to lovers, now all they talked aboutβwell, Llew talked aboutβwas leaving for college where he could love on Moss freely.
When they first moved to Emporia, Llewβs father owned a small landscaping business and was contracted to service the mayorβs property. Llew was ticked off he had to help his father every summer. Kids would tease him when they looked out their windows or rode by on their bikes on their way to the YMCA pool. While he hauled away overflowing bags of cut grass, Moss had come out of his mansion and started shooting baskets at the hoop in his immaculately paved driveway, but not before giving Llew a bottle of water and extending him an invite to play along. Although Moss was wealthy, the son of the mayor and sixth generation heir to the McGregor Empire, he never looked down on the working class like his parents did.
The mayor and his wife werenβt bad people; they were wonderful to the townspeople. In spite of that, they always felt that their son could do better than the company he chose to keep. After Llewβs parents died last year in a car accident, they took pity and stopped giving him and his older brother dirty looks. His now twenty-six-year-old brother was his only living relative and had moved back home to take over their fatherβs business and make sure Llew graduated.
βYou get sexier every day, babe.β Llew ground his stiffening cock into the hard thigh beneath him. βWhat time are your parents coming home?β
Moss opened his eyes. The usually bright blue irises were the color of the sky before a thunderstorm, dark and smoldering with lust. βMmm. In about an hour.β
βDamn. I could fuck you so hard right now.β Llew spread his legs wider, and drove down hard, pulling a strained moan from his boyfriend.
βWould you throw me around first? Slam me against the wall and take it has hard and fast as you wanted?β Moss moaned, his hips rising up to meet Llewβs punishing thrusts.
βAhhh, God. Hell yeah, I would. Youβre such a fuckinβ pain slut, babe.β Llew groaned, pulling hard on Mossβ hair. His guy was into hardcore fucking, and Llew couldnβt deny that he loved that shit, too. It was smoking hot. Moss would scream his name, bite, and scratch him while he pounded his tight ass. No matter how hard he fucked him, Moss would beg for more. He loved being tied down, gagged, and even slapped a little. Llew had almost twenty pounds on his track star, so he was careful with him, but oh, how he got a head rush from controlling him. They were limited to backseat fucks most of the time, but every now and then Mossβ parents would be out late at a charity dinner, or some official function, and theyβd have well into the night to explore their ever growing need.
βI would love for you to be bad right now, Llew, but you gotta go. I donβt feel like hearing my parentsβ shit.β
βDamn. How come they think Iβm not a good enough friend for you?β Llew sat up, turning his back to his boyfriend. He pushed his hand through his thick, brown hair. βIβm the fuckinβ star running back on the football team, and I have the eighth-highest GPA in our class. Goddamn. You think theyβre setting the bar a tad high on whoβs worthy to hang around you?β
Moss rose to his knees and draped his long arms around Llewβs neck. He kissed him softly behind his ear, whispering in that voice that always calmed him. βSoon weβll be away at college. Iβve already gotten into UCLA, and I know your acceptance letter is coming any day now. The scout couldnβt say enough good things about you, right?β
Llew just slightly nodded his head.
βOkay, then. Weβll be together. No one will give us a second look if weβre holding hands there. Or kissing. Or touching.β Moss punctuated each statement with a kiss to Llewβs neck.
βWhat if your dad finds out weβre seeing each other while youβre in school? What if he stops paying your tuition, or rent, or some shit? Would you likeβ¦ stop seeing me?β
βStop worrying. Damn. Youβre driving me crazy with all these questions.β Moss stood abruptly, walking further into the media room, fixing the pillows theyβd knocked off the couch during their roughhousing. Eliminating any trace that Llew had been there.
Moss had begun to insist that Llew not be around when his parents were home, anymore. Said it was easier for him. How? Llew had no idea. As far as anyone was concerned, they were friends. Just like so many other kids at school.
βHey. Alright, Iβm sorry. Youβre right. Being together is all that matters. Weβll always be together.β Llew cupped Mossβ cheek, tilting his head up to look at him. He didnβt comment on the look he saw in his guyβs eyes, but he noted something was off. Heβs probably stressed with exams and everything coming up. He didnβt have time to think about it any longer, since the front door beeped to indicate someone was coming in.
Moss pushed him away, almost causing him to fall over the low coffee table in front of the couch. βShit, babe, calmββ
βDonβt fuckinβ call me that. Are you crazy? Hurry up! Get your stuff,β Moss whispered harshly, his eyes wide and terrified. It wasnβt like they were in there getting high or something.
Llew shouldnβt have let Mossβ words bother him, but they did. You wouldβve thought he was on the Fedsβ most wanted list the way his boyfriend was acting. He yanked his backpack off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. When he got to the marble foyer, he tried to ignore the disdainful look Mossβ father threw him.
βGood evening, Mayor McGregor, Mrs. McGregor, how are you?β Llew said in his most polite voice.
βOh. Hello, Llewellyn. Iβm just fine, thank you. If youβll excuse me,β Mrs. McGregor said, on her way past him. She never wasted time on pleasantries with him.
βWhat are you boys up to at this late hour?β Mayor McGregor stood eyeing them cautiously, one hand in the pocket of his dress pants, the other leaning on the mahogany foyer table.
Llew looked at his watch. Itβs not even seven oβclock. βUm, I just stopped by to give Moss his AP History notes back. He loaned them to meββ
βWhy donβt you have your own notes, Mr. Gardner?β Mayor McGregor said, standing taller and removing his suit jacket, his face tight and impassive.
βFather. Remember I told youββ
βMr. Gardner can speak for himself.β Mossβ dad cut him off.
Llew looked back at his friend and saw how he hung his head at his fatherβs tone. βA couple guys on by brotherβs crew caught the flu, so I missed my last two classes on Monday to help out at the business.β
βI see,β Mayor McGregor said casually. βWhy donβt you two step into my office for a quick chat?β
βFather, Llewβs brother is waiting for him.β
βSir, I know youβre extremely busy. I didnβt mean to infringe on your familyβs time.β
Both of them were trying to avoid any type of chat, conversation, pow-wow, or anything else with Mossβ father. He was intolerant to say the least; but whatever he wanted to discuss with them wasnβt going to be fun.
βIβll be brief.β His tone and his expression said that it wasnβt an option.
Moss sat ramrod straight in one of the two wingback chairs facing his fatherβs large desk. Llew placed his backpack on the floor and gingerly sat in the other chair. He wasnβt slouching, but he wasnβt about to sit at attention like he was in front of the President of the United States, either. Although the design of Mayor McGregorβs office could fool you into thinking you were; it was even oval-shaped. The American flag stood tall behind him, just in front of the royal blue curtains flanking the window. The wall was adorned with degrees from UCLA and Harvard. Expensive-framed pictures of Mayor McGregor with influential politicians were mounted on the adjacent wall, and sat on three large bookcases. Llewβs head whipped around from the massive thirty- by-twenty-inch framed family painting when Mayor McGregor cleared his throat.
βHowβs the business going for your brother, Llewellyn?β
Llew looked to his boyfriend, but of course, his head was tucked low, not meeting his fatherβs eyes. Well, this pompous bastard didnβt intimidate Llew. His father had instilled good moral values in him and his brother before his death. Llew had no reason to hang his head.
βBusiness is doing well, sir. Leslieβs even picked up some commercial properties in Colonial Heights. Heβs had to hire a third crew to cover the demand,β Llew said proudly. His brother had really done well with his fatherβs legacy.
βAre you going to be joining his crew after you graduate in a couple months?β Mayor McGregor inquired casually. He had dismissed Llewβs proud statement, continuing to follow his own agenda, without bothering to look at Llew as he shuffled some papers around on his executive-style desk.
βYes, sir. Iβm going to work for him like I do every summer. Then Iβll be leaving for college in the fall,β Llew said, trying unsuccessfully to meet Mossβ eyes.
Mayor McGregorβs bushy eyebrows shot up, almost to his hairline. βOh, really. Ahh, yes. You probably got an athletic scholarship.β
βYes, sir, I did.β
βWhat school have you chosen?β
βI havenβt yet, sir. Iβm still waiting to hear back from my first choice.β
Moss finally turned his head towards him, eyes begging. What the hell? Llew looked tiredly at his boyfriend, knowing that he was pleading with Llew not to mention the possibility of him attending UCLA. Honestly, though, how was that going to be a secret any longer, once he was accepted? Word traveled quickly in their parts. No doubt, his big brother would be bragging all over town, too. It had been his parentsβ dream for both of their sons to go to college. Unfortunately, Leslie had to leave during his second year in graduate school to bury his parents and take care of Llew.
βAnd your first choice?β he asked impatiently.
Llew and Moss continued to watch each other. Mossβ brows scrunched together with annoyance. Fuck that. Llew was pissed now. True, they were both in the closet; because it just wasnβt worth the trouble to come out in their town. He hated when Moss made him feel like he wasnβt even worthy of being his friend. Why couldnβt they go to the same school? UCLA was ranked number twenty-three in the nationβs top universities. It took more than just the ability to catch a football to get in. Moss should be proud of him, not only as his boyfriend, but as his best friend.
βVirginia Tech, sir.β
βMmm. They have a good athletic program. You should fit right in, Mr. Gardner.β
Llewβs jaw was clamped shut so tight, it ached. He released a calm breath before adding, βThey have a top-ranked engineering program, sir; since I also have an academic scholarship.β Llew held back his grin at the faint redness that was creeping over the mayorβs pristine white collar. Llew had already been accepted to Virginia Tech, but he couldnβt stand the thought of being twenty-four hundred miles away from his boyfriend.
If his father were here, heβd tell Mayor McGregor exactly what he thought of his sonβs athletic and his academic accomplishments. He wouldnβt let anyone talk down to him. He wanted to do his father proud, but he loved Moss, heβd do anything for him. They only had to endure this bullshit a little while longer.
βYou know Moss will be attending the family alma mater, UCLA, to carry on the McGregor tradition. You boys have been inseparable since middle school and Iβve tolerated it because itββ
βIβm sorry, sir. Tolerated it?β Llew interjected, his anger quickly bubbling to the surface.
Mayor McGregor sat forward, his hand tightly gripping the polished surface of his desk. βYes, tolerated it. Boys will be boys. Now itβs time for Moss to grow up and be a man, leaving childish things behind. He has a duty and obligation to his familyβs name.β
Llew didnβt know why he looked at Moss then, but he did. How could he sit there and allow his father to degrade someone he loved like that? Did Moss consider him to be a βchildish thingβ in his life?
βI understand, sir. I best be getting home now, my brother and I have plans,β Llew said as respectfully as he could muster, already standing and slinging his book bag over his shoulder. They had nothing more to discuss.
*****
Review:
(Iβm going to give a few small spoilers but theyβll mostly be about the start of the book.)
Reading this I actually hurt for Llew and everything that happened to him – having to hide his relationship and having his best friendβs dad look down on him because heβs not rich, not to mention going to prison unjustly.Β Itβs heartbreaking and Via does such an amazing job of giving readers a look at his state of mind throughout it all.Β Itβs not an easy read but definitely worth it to get to the end.
I kinda wish weβd gotten a little more of Shaneβs history just so weβd get a better idea of how he turned out to be such an amazingly cool guy.Β Heβs strong, settled and has great insight into how to help Llew.Β Itβs no surprise that Llew falls for him β sexy, smart and goodhearted, who wouldnβt!
Llew had a lot of support while he was in prison, people who were there to protect him and a counselor he could talk to.Β They were able to not only help him survive but learn to handle the emotions that his incarceration created. Β Thereβs no doubt that he changed but they didn’t letΒ him becomeΒ bitter orΒ angry. Β And meeting caring people in his new home keepsΒ him on that positive path, creating a fresh life for himself – something good that isnβt overshadowed by his past. Β Everything he goes throughΒ shows his strength of spirit and the fact that heβs able to form a relationship with Shane (and oh-how-steamy they are together) is a triumph.
Troubling and inspiring in turns, Defined by Deceit is a rollercoaster ride that will have you twisted up in knots, anxious to get to the final page but not in a hurry to see it end.
*****
Author Info:
A.E. Via is a best-selling author in the beautiful LGBTQ erotic genre. Sheβd been reading gay romance exclusively for over ten years before she decided to submit one of her own stories for publication. Her writing embodies everything from spicy to scandalous. Her novels often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths. When sheβs not clicking away at her laptop, A.E. devotes herself to her familyβa husband and four children.
Although sheβs still a fairly new author, she has plenty more to come.
For more information on other books by A.E., visit her website:
https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor
https://twitter.com/AuthorAEVia
*****
Giveaway:
3 ecopies of an ARe Out For You book
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1357/
*****
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