Monday, June 22, 2015

Blog Tour: Secret by Kindle Alexander

Title: Secret
Author: Kindle Alexander
Genre: M/M Romance
Release: June 9, 2015
 
Tristan Wilder, self-made millionaire and devastatingly handsome CEO of Wilder-Nation is on the verge of a very lucrative buyout. With tough negotiations ahead, he's armed with his acquisition pitch, ready to launch the deal of a lifetime. There’s just one glitch. The last thing he expects is to fall for the hot business owner he's trying to sway.
 
Dylan Reeves, computer science engineer and founder of the very successful social media site, Secret, is faced with a life-altering decision. A devoted family man with three kids and a wife, Dylan has been living a secret for years. Fiercely loyal to his convictions, his boundaries blur after meeting the striking owner of the corporation interested in acquiring his company. For the first time in his life, reckless desire consumes him when the gorgeous computer mogul makes an offer he can't refuse.
 
 
Wow, this was such a fantastic story. It had all the components I love in a good book and had me feeling all sort of emotions all at once.  I think that what I loved about it most is that it was so real.  I truly believed that this was an actual situation and I'm guessing that it is not an uncommon one either.
 
I also felt like I could relate to Teri & Dylan on a personal level, in that my husband and I had our children at a young age too and we are kind of at the same life stage as them.  You do give up a lot of your youth when you choose to be young parents and before you know it you are still relatively young and your home is now an 'empty nest.'  It can be quite an exciting time in your life and for others a time for changes.
 
Dylan and Teri are incredible parents who have raised three amazing, level headed kids.  They have both put their family first, in every way and never compromised their happy unit. They both have secrets though, they have been honest with each other but kept a façade of sorts up for everyone else.  You know that saying 'nobody else knows what is going on in a relationship except for the two people in it.'  That could not be truer for Dylan and Teri.
 
'He'd spent so much time focusing on his family and hiding behind them, he hadn't thought about himself, hadn't made plans for the rest of his life.'
 
Tristan Wilder is an openly gay, successful, self made businessman.  Meeting Dylan Reeves is an experience he will never forget.  Apart from the fact that Dylan is a very handsome man and very easy on the eye, there is just something about him that has Tristan all tied up in knots.  As cheesy as this sounds, I really think that meeting Dylan made Tristan want to be a better person, someone he aspired to be like.
 
I loved the honesty and vulnerability that came out of Dylan when he was faced with confronting his truth.  It was so real and sweet. He wears his heart and emotions on his sleeve.  When he loves, he does so with everything that he is and it is just so beautiful.  I was in awe of Teri and their relationship.  She is his confidant and greatest strength.  An amazing woman.
 
I was completely caught up in this wonderful and could not stop smiling for hours after I finished it.  Loved this!

I give this 5 stars.
  
Part 5

Dylan stared up at the rotating blades on the ceiling fan, one arm tucked behind his head, Chloe’s Barney & Friends blanket covering at least part of his body. He’d slept on this sofa more times than he could count. Except this time, sleep hadn’t come. The dread and worry weighing on him was just too strong. 

He’d waited, hoping Teri would come back out and finish their conversation. She hadn’t. Now he was six hours into his confession and all he could do was sit there and stew, all sorts of scenarios playing out in his head. He’d trusted her with one of the most intimate details of his life. Would she throw a fit, tell everyone in their lives what he’d just confessed? He hoped not. This not knowing, not confronting it was more stressful than the confession itself.

He heard Cate stirring. She was starting to sleep through the night. She’d made almost seven hours this time. He pushed the blanket to the side and stood. After making his way to the kitchen and after a few minutes of preparation, he started warming her bottle. He was testing the warmth of the formula just as Teri came around the corner, holding a fussing baby in her arms. His wife looked to be in about the same condition he was. He hated that he’d caused all this undue stress, especially on Teri. 

He maneuvered Cate out of her arms and made his way across the room. He took a seat on the sofa. “You go to sleep, I’ll feed her.”

Teri didn’t listen, she never did. She came and sat on the other side of the sofa facing him. “I can’t sleep.”

“Me either. I’m sorry for everything I dumped on you tonight.”

“Me too, but it all starting to make sense now. More sense than anything else.” He let that go, not wanting any more of an explanation from her. He didn’t want to talk about his sexual orientation. He was on unsteady ground. It was hard enough to acknowledge it himself. 

“I’d be interested in going to law school,” she said quietly. “I always wanted to do that, but I can’t manage the kids and work and go to school like that. It’s too hard.”

“You don’t have to do it by yourself. I’ll always be here for you and the kids.” Those words were the truth and he meant them from the bottom of his heart.

“I just feel bad for them. They didn’t ask to be brought into this world. You aren’t the only one that made mistakes.” She picked at something on the back of the sofa. This was the part of Teri that had always attracted Dylan. She was always the first to admit fault and apologize if she’d played any part in the situation. It was a rare trait. 

“What do plan on doing after hearing what I had to say?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I liked what you said about Texas Instruments and law school. I think if we got our shit together and worked as a team we could give the kids a firm foundation and good start.” 

“I absolutely agree.” The somber mood that had been weighing on him started to lift. 

“I think if we stay together and not separate, we could accomplish so much more and give the kids a better and stable life. They didn’t ask to be born into this mess. We did this to them. It’ll take some time to get on our feet, but we’re stronger together. So, I vote to get ourselves established and get our kids raised before we go out on our own.” Teri’s tentative smile was genuine and it helped ease his heart.

“I was hoping you would feel that way. I’m not comfortable with what I told you. I just thought you deserved to know. I’m not ready to fully talk about me yet, but someday I will be.”

“I trust you’ll open up to me when the time comes,” Teri replied. 

“I will. But until then, our family will be the only thing that matters. No more alcohol and definitely no more lies between us.” 

“No more lies. Agreed. And since this is new territory for both of us, I guess we’ll have to figure this out as we go, right?” 

“Yes. Everything we do from this point forward is for the betterment of our family.” He was so thankful Teri was taking this so well and on board with the plan. She had always been the level headed one. It took a lot to ruffle her feathers. That’s not saying she didn’t like to fight, because she did. But she always had this calmness about her that comforted him. Probably the main reason he’d been so drawn to her. He could honestly say, he couldn’t have chosen a better mother for his kids. This whole situation could have turned out badly, he was happy it hadn’t, he owed that to Teri.

“Agreed. And no more fighting. We’re better as friends than enemies.” 

“Right.” Chloe’s little whimper cut off whatever else Teri planned to say. Before he knew it, Teri was up and on her feet, quickly trying to get to their little girl before she woke Chad. It didn’t work. Cate started to fuss and Chad began to cry right along with Chloe. 

Teri got to their room just as Chloe made it to the door. “Did your diaper leak, sweetie?” she asked, hauling their little girl up on her hip. Dylan picked up Cate and started to burp her. No way would any of this be easy, but out of the cards they’d been dealt, this seemed to be the best hand. Dylan rose from the couch, patting Cate’s back as he made his way to Teri. Both kids were crying now. He didn’t see how Teri managed to take care of all three of them at the same time. She was just amazing like that. But if their family dynamics were going to change, he was going to have to become more hands on and there was nothing stopping him from starting today.
 
Best Selling Author Kindle Alexander is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It's always a surprise to see what's coming next!

I live in the suburbs of Dallas where it's true, the only thing bigger than an over active imagination, may be women's hair!

Usually, I try for funny. Humor is a major part of my life - I love to laugh, and it seems to be the thing I do in most situations - regardless of the situation, but jokes are a tricky deal... I don't want to offend anyone and jokes tend to offend. So instead I'm going to tell you about Kindle.

I tragically lost my sixteen year old daughter to a drunk driver. She had just been at home, it was early in the night and I heard the accident happen. I'll never forget that moment. The sirens were immediate and something inside me just knew. I left my house, drove straight to the accident on nothing more than instinct. I got to be there when my little girl died - weirdly, I consider that a true gift from above. She didn't have to be alone.

That time in my life was terrible. It's everything you think it would be times about a billion. I love that kid. I loved being her mother and I loved watching her grow into this incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She was such a gift to me. To have it all ripped away so suddenly broke me.

Her name was Kindle. Honest to goodness - it was her name and she died a few weeks before Amazon released their brand new Kindle ereader. She had no idea it was coming out and she would have finally gotten her name on something! Try finding a ruler with the name Kindle on it.. It never happened.

Through the course of that crippling event I was lucky enough to begin to write with a dear friend in the fan fiction world of Facebook. She got me through those dark days with her unwavering support and friendship. There wasn't a time she wasn't there for me. Sometimes together and sometimes by myself, we built a world where Kindle lives and stands for peace, love and harmony. It's its own kind of support group. I know without question I wouldn't be here today without her.

Find out more by visiting www.kindlealexander.com or email me at kindle@kindlealexander.com




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5 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your wonderful review of Secret. We'd also like to thank you for hosting us today. Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway. Good luck and have fun playing along. :)

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  2. Beautifully done! :) What an amazing review <3
    Thanks for hosting Kindle & Secret!
    Books by Kindle Alexander <3 Always a must read!

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  3. AWESOME bonus scene!!! Thanks!! LOVE Dylan & Tristan!!!

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  4. LOVE the bonus scene!! Fabulous book!!! Gotta love how strong Teri is!!

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  5. Hop is Fun --Thanks --Loved SECRET--thanks Kindle Alexander

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