Author Name: Chris T. Kat
Book Name: Despite the Odds
Series: Odds Are
Book: One
Release Date: June 3, 2015
Blurb:
Never judge a book by its cover.
Michael Campbell can’t hold a job for more than a few days. He’s lucky his foreman is giving him another chance with the solar panel project at a primary school in Atlantic City. When he spies a man walking strangely in front of the school, Michael laughs, assuming he’s drunk or high. Little does he realize that Joshua Stone, a teaching assistant, has cerebral palsy, and he’s having a bad muscle control day. Taking a tumble right in front of the handsome construction worker is just his luck.
When Michael learns the truth, he feels badly for his cruel behavior. He offers to give Joshua—and his tricycle, the Racing Rhonda—a lift. Joshua accepts the help, and suddenly there’s a gorgeous man breezing into his life, turning his world upside down. But Michael has more issues than his inability to hold down a job, and neither man is sure if they’ll be able to overcome their fears in order to be together.
Pages or Words: 114 pages/32,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
Henderson bulldozed right into Michael’s personal space, surprising him with the action. “You stupid son of a bitch!”
“Hey! No calling my mother names, okay?” Michael tried to joke. He’d never seen Henderson this angry. Neither did he care to have all this anger directed at him. Sure, he could hold his own if necessary, but he was more a run-away-if-there’s-trouble kind of guy.
“Do you know who that was?”
“A drunk who shouldn’t set foot on school property?” Michael hazarded.
Henderson’s eyes narrowed to small slits when he replied, “His name is Joshua Stone, and he isn’t drunk. He’s a teaching assistant who works here.”
“He looked drunk to me.”
Henderson closed his eyes, obviously trying to rein in his temper, before he put a bit more distance between them. “Mr. Stone is disabled, hence the way he walks. It’s not always that obvious, but he was carrying books, a lot of books, which threw off his balance. He’s a very good teaching assistant. He doesn’t deserve to be laughed at by someone like you, who can’t even take care of himself.”
That stung.
Christina’s Review:
Despite the Odds by Chris T. Kat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
wow…this book touched a few hot spots for me. i always love a feel good story with a disabled main character. this was no exception. i absolutely love to see when they find that one person that is able to look past whatever challenges they face and love them for who they are and help them work through those challenges. this book is a double whammy for that – both the main characters struggle through challenges and need help seeing that those challenges don’t define them as people.
there were a couple of times that i was exasperated with the constant self loathing that each MC went through both internally and vocally. i thought ‘ok enough already with that’; then something dawned on me. my mother suffered with multiple sclerosis when i was a kid. when she was first diagnosed, she used a walker – similar to mr. steel – and regularly lost the feeling in her left side which was rendered useless at that point. i can remember all the self loathing and self deprecation she went through for YEARS because of it. i also thought about my dyslexic son who is struggling through school because he has such a hard time reading and feels utterly and completely stupid at times. we have to constantly remind him that he isn’t stupid and work with him every day so he can be successful and not feel worthless. once i remembered that, it shed a completely new light on these characters for me. while it may seem tiresome for them to continually self doubt and self loathe, that’s real. these men really feel that way…probably every day.
michael was a complete jerk at first but quickly redeemed himself and became a super likeable guy. joshua’s strength in fighting through his disability to work and find alternative methods of transportation and be as independent as possible was awe-inspiring. some folks may think that their relationship escalated too quickly but honestly when you’ve always thought that there would never be the possibility of a long term relationship for you when you find it, there is really no need to waste time with waiting. they fit together, they made each other stronger and feel loved. they were in a nut shell perfect for each other
the writing and the character development were good, even if some of the history was mentioned in passing. the secondary characters were equally good. i anxiously await the next chapter of their story.
Sales Links: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6459
About the author:
Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there’s any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat
Twitter: http://twitter.com/christi_kat
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/ChrisTKat
Blog: http://christikat.blogspot.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-T.-Kat/e/B008FQQH2Q
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Tour Dates & Stops: June 3, 2015
Parker Williams, Divine Magazine, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, MM Good Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Multitasking Mommas, Full Moon Dreaming, Molly Lolly, Andrew Q. Gordon, Amanda C. Stone, 3 Chicks After Dark, Inked Rainbow Reads, Velvet Panic, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Bike Book Reviews, Cate Ashwood, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Bayou Book Junkie, Mikky’s World of Books, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, The Hat Party, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Charley Descoteaux, Chris McHart, Nephylim, Kristy’s Brain Food, Butterfly-O-Meter, Decadent Delights
Rafflecopter Prize: Chris T. Kat’s Jeff Woods Mystery collection, a three-book collection
Thank you for this wonderful review! 🙂
New to me author. Just added many of the books (including the Jeff Woods mystery series) onto my wish list! Thanks for the chance!