See the Light #HAHAT #Thursday13

Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Ladies and gentlemen - readers of all ages....Guilty Indulgence Book Club is pleased to participate once again in the annual Hop Against Homophobia And Transphobia (#HAHAT for those social media savvy) Last year we reviewed some great books and paid tribute to a beautiful author who left us too soon.  This year we look forward to bringing more great authors, stories and romances to our Indulgent readers.  

While our book club has that modern mix of women and men, straight and gay, our focus has always been on romance and Love in all its forms.  One of the most important aspects of Love has to be it's connection to Hope. For those who have Love, who love and are, in turn, loved, Hope resides in the heart and mind.  Hope allows one to celebrate the good times and weather the bad ones. Hope allows one to succeed and to fight and to give others Hope.   For many GLBTQ youth, Hope is hard to find.   It is our greatest wish that all who read these reviews this week take the time to spread the message of Hope at all times.  Be the message to our diverse youth population that fear, hatred and intolerance are not acceptable.  Help us spread the message that it does get better, there will be equality, they are accepted and give them Hope!  

Please feel free to click on the following links for other ways to get involved:

Day Against Homophobia     The Trevor Project      NOH8      GLBT National Help Center

 It Gets Better Project      Human Rights Campaign       Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

PFLAG    

And by all means, stick around for the next ten days during the Hop Against Homophobia - make a comment on the Guilty Indulgence blog site daily for chances to win great reads and find new and fabulous authors!  And then, jump back on the Hop main page to visit each and every site for more chances at prizes, hear stories, read reviews and much, much more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now for the good stuff:

See the Light, Cassandra Carr
Hockey player Jason Monroe lives a double life—star defenseman and soon-to-be Olympian on the ice and closeted gay man outside the rink. A serious relationship is out of the question, and Jason makes do with anonymous sex in barroom bathrooms, not willing to take the chance on coming out as gay in a decidedly macho sport.

Advisor to the US Olympic hockey team Patrick Parker knows a thing or two about being a professional hockey player who’s not out. He’s fifteen years older than Jason, and when he senses the sexy younger man is interested, he knows he shouldn’t give in to the attraction.

The two men can’t keep their hands off each other, though, and with each heated encounter it gets harder to hide their relationship. When their world blows up around them, forcing them into the limelight, though, will their love survive or be put on ice?

See the Light is a good read that I’d recommend to all romance readers, especially those who enjoy m/m but I would even go so far as to say this might be a good first m/m romance. It certainly wasn’t my first but it did conjure up some emotions about the stigma attached to homosexuality in the sports world.

Here are my 13 KEY POINTS about this book:

1. I’ve read this author before but never m/m so I was skeptical but then pleased. Carr proves she can write romance and love regardless of gender.

2. The Kiss. (When you read it, you’ll understand.) This deserves a bullet point unto itself. The kiss that starts it all is intense. It was an emotional moment... sigh.

3. I could smell the ice. That’s how descriptive Carr’s scenes were. In my humble opinion, there is no smell sexier than that smell of ice on a hockey player and in this book, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

4. The author faced off with an all too prevailing issue in sports… don’t ask/ don’t tell. The men live in fear that the discovery of their relationship could end their careers. It shouldn’t be that way and we need to continue talking about it until the stigma changes. This book takes a step in the right direction.

5. The evolution of their relationship was gradual and follows a realistic ebb and flow. While I wish I knew more –I wish the book was longer- the author provides a satisfying glimpse at their developing relationship.

6. The lengths the men go to just to be with one another speaks volumes for how they feel. It also made me angry that they had to go through such lengths. Readers will feel the men’s’ fear and worry over the simple act of just being themselves.

7. The sex scenes will melt an ice rink. The testosterone is tense and hot and its release is this incredible converging of energy. Good Lord, it made me consider the possibility of voyeurism!

8. Patrick is older and more experienced than Jason. Readers will learn this early on but then we are reminded over and over and over again. Here’s one of the book’s weaknesses (there aren’t many to choose from) but this did get on my nerves some. We got it – he’s older – now move on.

9. The men’s loneliness hurt to read about. Carr gives such fleshed-out characterization of the men that readers see their inner struggles. As a mother, I wanted to hug their hurt away. The shadow hanging over them meant their love story couldn’t be one of simple happiness.

10. I missed seeing how Jason’s family would react… that would be a great outtake for the author to write on her blog (Hint! Hint! Cassandra, please!) as a free read. While his family is mentioned, an actual visit during the holidays could’ve added depth to the story.

11. A tragic incident pushes Jason to admit his feelings for Patrick, regardless of consequences. It was a surprise just how they “came out” – I won’t give it away but I also don’t think you’ll guess without reading it.

12. Shoot and score! The ending was fabulous, albeit a bit abrupt, and conveyed a message more people need to hear. The acceptance of the teammates might still be far-reaching in reality but is a place I’d like to see our world come to.

13. I put this last only because I didn’t want to appear a cover whore but OMH! The cover is beautiful.

RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
MARK AS TO READ on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17366214-see-the-light?ac=1. READ IT. Then tell me what you think. Did you think it was a winning book? Worthy of the Stanley Cup? Or an Olympic Gold Medal??


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