Author Name: Ada Maria Soto
Book Name: Bowerbirds
Part of a series? If yes, can this book be read as a standalone? Yes and No
If a series, what is the series title? Nested Hearts
If series, what number is this book? Book 2
Release Date: August 26 2015
Blurb(s):
Two very different men have a chance at happiness, but only if they can let go of their painful pasts and allow love to take precedence.
After spending his teens and twenties raising his son, James Maron is now dating Gabriel Juarez, the wealthy and sophisticated CFO of the TechPrim technology empire. But after a life of proudly holding his head above the poverty line with the ethos of work, priorities, responsibility, and thrift, he is not looking for a Sugar Daddy, he does not need to be rescued, and Gabe’s wealth is as terrifying as feeling love for the first time.
Gabe has never been good at balancing his high pressure job with his relationships. Money usually clears most of the bumps, and when a boyfriend walks away, Gabe figures it’s for a good reason. But James isn’t like other boyfriends. He doesn’t want Gabe’s money for one, and if Gabe wants to keep his relationship together he will have to finally face the ghosts of his own past and reconsider his priorities.
Pages or Words: 60,790 words
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance
Excerpt:
FOR THE millionth time, a load of baseball gear left by the apartment door nearly sent James tumbling. It was one of the very few things he would not miss when Dylan left for college. He checked his watch and saw it was pushing five in the afternoon. He could technically still make it to the laundromat and get a couple of loads through, but the place filled up quick after five and it became difficult to get the good machines. Ada Maria Soto
Dylan came out of his room, his hair sticking up at odd angles from his postpractice shower. “Hey, Dad. I was starting to worry. How did the concert go last night?”
As a last-second surprise, Gabe had gotten them tickets to the California Honeydrops at the Fillmore. After a couple glasses of wine, Gabe had even talked him into dancing. “It was good. Stop leaving your gear by the door.”
“Good?” Dylan tried for a scolding look, but there was too much humor in his eyes. “No, just good does not end with you coming home… um… twenty-one hours later than expected.”
Dylan had been nagging him about getting a social life and a boyfriend for years, but James hadn’t realized he would become so nosy about it once it happened.
You’d think he was the parent here. “The concert ran a bit late, and we got a room in the city.” Then they decided not to leave that room until a few hours after the normal checkout time, followed by a late lunch.
“Which hotel?”
“Does it matter?” James asked as he picked up Dylan’s baseball gear.
“It might.”
“The Saint Francis,” James muttered, deciding to risk a Monday wash.
“Again? Well, here’s to scoring a sugar daddy.”
“What?” James froze for a second as he tucked a baseball bat under his arm.
Dylan headed for the kitchen and rummaged around the fridge. “I mean, a guy with a steady job is a good thing these days, but one who can score you concert tickets and hotel suites on a whim is a pretty sweet deal.” He pulled an apple from the veggie bin.
“He’s not—”
James felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He juggled around the gear until he could pull it out and saw he had missed a call ten minutes earlier.
“He’s not what?
“Hi. It’s me. Stuck in traffic. Seriously, traffic on a Sunday. I think the Niners are playing or something. Don’t worry, I’m on the hands-free setup. Just wanted to say I had a really nice time this weekend. The concert was a lot of fun. The other activities were fun too. Don’t know how busy I’m going to be this week, but I’d love to be able to come up there for lunch or dinner. Catch a movie or something. Oh, Tamyra left me nine messages, the last one informing me that I’m getting ‘Genie in a Bottle’ for my new ringtone. I’m hoping I can pass it off as a postmodern ironic statement or something. Oh look. Traffic is moving. Well, I’ll talk to you later. Drive carefully. Bye.” Bowerbirds
James kept the phone to his ear even after the message ended. Dylan stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He had a funny feeling Dylan practiced that look in the mirror. James hung up the phone. “You know what? My love life is none of your business.”
Sales Links:
Bowerbirds by Ada Maria Soto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
this is a good continuation of empty nests. it is an extremely slow burn. the banter is still good. the characters are still good. not much really happens here except the progression of their relationship.
there are moments of sweetness between gabe and james. there is a lot of relationship revelation and personal growth here. we get a HFN that leads me to believe there will be more to their story. i’m not sure how much more there is to tell. i would like to see the next phase of their relationship but after that there won’t be much left.
we get more good stuff between dylan and james as well as between dylan and gabe. i am anxious to see how their story ends.
Other Books in the Series:
Empty Nests
Neither James nor Gabe has ever had a real relationship. They might make a connection if they can get past their differences—and their fears.
At age fourteen, James Maron decided to prove he wasn’t gay despite vast evidence to the contrary. Now at thirty-two, he’s getting ready to send his son to college and wondering what he’s supposed to do next. Outside his son, his life consists of an IT job he hates and watching telenovelas with the women in his apartment building.
Gabriel Juarez is the CFO of a technology giant. He has looks, charm, fantastic wealth, a workaholic personality, and a string of boyfriends who only stick around because he’s too busy to tell them to leave.
A bad laptop/projector interface causes James and Gabe’s paths to cross. Friends, family, and coworkers jump to match Gabe with a nice guy, and James with anyone. But are they too different? Everyone will have to tread very carefully to keep things from ending before they start.
Empty Nests Purchase Links:
Read Christina’s Goodreads Review Here
Author Interview:
Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Ada Maria Soto author of Bowerbirds. Hi Ada, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
Hi, it’s nice to be here. I’m Ada. I’m a born and raised Californian who has been living in New Zealand for the last decade. I studied theater, film, and television and worked a little in each. Currently I’m an almost full time mom to a two year old and I write when I can. In my tiny scraps of free time I do things like knit and make jam. I’m also a sports fan but I’m not great at picking winning teams to support.
Bowerbirds picks up pretty much right where Empty Nests left off. James and Gabe are properly together now but they still come from very different worlds each of which brings its own baggage. Gabe is very much a fixer and wants to ‘fix’ James’s life to make up for how busy he is with work. James is very proud and does not want or need a sugar daddy to fix anything. He’s also terrified at the very idea of being in love since it’s something he’s never done before.
Q: What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about your writing?
A: I got an email about five years ago now about a piece of fanfic I’d written. The lady asked if she could print out and bind one of my stories as a gift for a friend because the story meant so much and was so important to him. I said yes, of course, and that has always stuck with me.
Q: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that impact your writing?
A: I’m a part time writer and full time mom. I have two days a week when my kid is in day care but I also have to use that time to do things like go to appointments or unclog the sink. I try to write 4000 words a week, so 2000 each free day, but at that rate it takes almost 5 months to hit the 60,000 word minimum for most publishers and my stories usually run much longer than that. Throw in shorts for anthologies and contests plus all the usual life stuff and it takes me a long time to get even a first draft done. This is my way of saying it might be a while before I get another novel out.
Q: What interested you about the theme of this book?
A: It has a theme? I thought it was about two really stressed out guys falling in love. Is that a theme? Let’s call it a theme. My sister and I joke that we’re trapped between protestant work ethic and catholic guilt. If you’re not working your ass off then you’re doing something wrong with your life. That’s a hard idea to shake off. It’s also hard to find room for other things in your life with that in your head.
Q: What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
A: Getting past my own self-doubt. That little voice in my head that screams ‘you suck what the fuck to you think you’re doing’ can be very distracting.
Q: Name your four most important food groups.
A: Caffeine
Dark Chocolate
Guacamole
Instant noodles
(No, really, I am a fully functioning adult, I swear)
About the author:
ADA MARIA SOTO is a born and raised Californian Mexican-American currently living as an expat in the South Pacific with her toddler and partner.
She has studied and worked in theater, film, and television with all the usual crummy side jobs of a struggling artist. She has dysgraphia and phonological dyslexia but refuses to let that slow down her writing.
She is a sports fan dedicated to the Oakland A’s, San Jose Sharks, Auckland Blues, USA Eagles, New Zealand All Blacks, New Zealand Black Caps, and the Chennai Super Kings.
She loves to hear from her fans, or really anyone who has read her work.
Where to find the author:
Website: https://adamariasoto.com
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AdaSoto
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdaMariaSoto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaMariaSotoAuthor
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5321801.Ada_Maria_Soto
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond
Tour Dates & Stops:
26-Aug Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
2-Sep Happily Ever Chapter, Divine Magazine, Jessie G. Books
9-Sep Multitasking Mommas, Bike Book Reviews
16-Sep Love Bytes, Molly Lolly
23-Sep Bayou Book Junkie, Mikky’s World of Books, Inked Rainbow Reads
30-Oct MM Good Book Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews
7-Oct Carly’s Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog
14-Oct My Fiction Nook, Reviews by Jessewave
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